John Bengel Commentary - 1 Corinthians 12:2 - 12:2

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John Bengel Commentary - 1 Corinthians 12:2 - 12:2


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1Co 12:2. Οἴδατε, ye know) nearly related to the verb you remember, which is found in Eph 2:11.-Οἴδατε, ὄτι, ὄτε ἔθνη ἦτε, πρὸς τὰ εἴδωλα τὰ ἄφωνα ὡς ἂν ἤγεσθε ἀπαγόμενοι) The analysis of these words will be easy, if we only keep hold of this thread of connection, ὅτι ἤγεσθε, that you were led; so that ἤγεσθε is not to he regarded as a mere accessory proposition [Syncategorema; end.], but the predicate itself; comp. Eph 2:12; where Gentiles and Gentilism are likewise distinguished in the enunciation. For, instead of ὅτι or ὡς, there is said conjointly ὡς ὁτι, Germ. wie dass (as or how that), and ὅτι ὡς, that as: and that too with another word interposed, as in Xiphilimus, in his Epitome of Dion, λεχθὲν αὐτῷ, ὅτι ἄρα ὡς Ἀλέξανδρος ἐλθὼν αὐτὸν διαδέξεται, it being told to him, that (ὅτι) when (ὡς) Alexander comes, he will succeed him: or even with a longer parenthesis, as in Xenophon, ἐνταῦθα γνόντες οἱ μαντινεῖς ὡς, εἰ μὴ ἀποκρούσονται αὐτοὺς, ὅτι., κ.τ.λ., here the soothsayers knowing, unless they shall repel them, how that, etc.: therefore that is doubled in Greek as אם ה in Hebrew, Gen 17:17, supplying I say. Furthermore ἄν is joined with the verb ἤγεσθε, as we have also in Xenophon καιρὸς δὲ γράψαι ὡς ἄν ὀρθότατα ἐκατέρῳ χρῷτο, I take the opportunity of stating how he should most suitably treat either of these (the spirited or dull horse); where Devarius (who has suggested to us both of these quotations from Xenophon) shows that ἄν in the distribution of the construction is joined potentially to the verb χρῷτο. Therefore the principal meaning will remain, if ὠς ἄν be entirely put aside by itself (parenthetically) in the construction, as in 2Co 10:9 [ἵνα μὴ δόξω ὡς ἄν ἐκφοβεῖν ὑμᾶς], where it signifies as if; and so it might be taken in this passage: nor even is ἄν easily construed with an indicative, such as ἤγεσθε is. Moreover in ἤγεσθε ἀπαγόμενοι, the passive is construed with the middle, the simple with the compound; you were led and led away, you gave yourselves up to any guidance whatever. The Scholium of Chrysostom amounts almost to this [is much the same as this]: though that Scholium has been censured by later writers without a cause; οἴδατε, ὅτε Ἕλληνες ἦτε, πῶς ἀπήγεσθε, ἑλκόμενοι τότε, ye know, when ye were Greeks, how you were led, being at that time drawn away. Add Castellio. ἄφωνα dumb, a proper epithet; comp. 1Co 12:3, you when blind went to the dumb; you dumb [unable to speak as you ought, by the Spirit of God, 1Co 12:3], to the blind.