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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.comRobertson Word Pictures - Galatians 5:19 - 5:19
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Manifest (phanera). Opposed to “hidden” (krupta). Ancient writers were fond of lists of vices and virtues. Cf. Stalker’s sermons on The Seven Cardinal Virtues and The Seven Deadly Sins. There are more than seven in this deadly list in Gal 5:19-21. He makes the two lists in explanation of the conflict in Gal 5:17 to emphasize the command in Gal 5:13. There are four groups in Paul’s list of manifest vices:
(1) Sensual sins like fornication (porneia, prostitution, harlotry), uncleanness (akatharsia, moral impurity), lasciviousness (aselgeia, wantonness), sexual vice of all kinds prevailed in heathenism.
(2) Idolatry (eidōlatreia, worship of idols) and witchcraft (pharmakeia from pharmakon, a drug, the ministering of drugs), but the sorcerers monopolized the word for a while in their magical arts and used it in connection with idolatry. In N.T. only here and Rev 18:23. See note on Act 19:19 perierga, curious arts.
(3) Personal relations expressed by eight words, all old words, sins of the spirit, like enmities (exthrai, personal animosities), strife (eris, rivalry, discord), jealousies (zēlos or zēloi, MSS. vary, our very word), wraths (thumoi, stirring emotions, then explosions), factions (eritheiai, from erithos, day labourer for hire, worker in wool, party spirit), divisions (dichostasiai, splits in two, dicha and stasis), heresies (haireseis, the very word, but really choosings from haireomai, preferences), envyings (phthonoi, feelings of ill-will). Surely a lively list.
(4) Drunkenness (methai, old word and plural, drunken excesses, in N.T. only here and Luk 21:34; Rom 13:13), revellings (kōmoi, old word also for drinking parties like those in honour of Bacchus, in N.T. only here and Rom 13:13; 1Pe 4:3).
And such like (kai ta homoia toutois). And the things like these (associative instrumental toutois after homoia, like). It is not meant to be exhaustive, but it is representative.