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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.comRobertson Word Pictures - 1 Corinthians 5:7 - 5:7
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Purge out (ekkatharate). First aorist (effective) active imperative of ekkathairō, old verb to cleanse out (ek), to clean completely. Aorist tense of urgency, do it now and do it effectively before the whole church is contaminated. This turn to the metaphor is from the command to purge out the old (palaian, now old and decayed) leaven before the passover feast (Exo 12:15.; Exo 13:7; Zep 1:12). Cf. modern methods of disinfection after a contagious disease.
A new lump (neon phurama). Make a fresh start as a new community with the contamination removed. Neos is the root for neaniskos, a young man, not yet old (gēraios). So new wine (oinon neon Mat 9:17). Kainos is fresh as compared with the ancient (palaios). See the distinction in Col 3:10; Eph 4:22.; 2Co 5:17.
Unleavened (azumoi). Without (a privative) leaven, the normal and ideal state of Christians. Rare word among the ancients (once in Plato). They are a new creation (kainē ktisis), “exemplifying Kant’s maxim that you should treat a man as if he were what you would wish him to be” (Robertson and Plummer).
For our passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ (kai gar to pascha hēmōn etuthē Christos). First aorist passive indicative of thuō, old verb to sacrifice. Euphony of consonants, th to t because of ̇thē. Reference to the death of Christ on the Cross as the Paschal Lamb (common use of pascha as Mar 14:12; Luk 22:7), the figure used long before by the Baptist of Jesus (Joh 1:29). Paul means that the Lamb was already slain on Calvary and yet you have not gotten rid of the leaven.