John Bengel Commentary - Romans 14:9 - 14:9

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John Bengel Commentary - Romans 14:9 - 14:9


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Rom 14:9. Καὶ ἀπέθανε καὶ ἔζησεν, both died and revived) This agrees with what goes before and with what follows. Baumgarten reads καὶ ἀνέστη, and alleges the probability of omission on the part of the transcribers, but gives no reason for this probability. I think the addition probably is due to this, that the transcribers very easily laid hold of a very well-known expression concerning Christ, ἀπέθανε καὶ ἀνέστη, 1Th 4:14; and when this was done, some omitted καὶ ἔζησεν, others, however, also retained it, and moreover placed it either first, as in Iren. l. iii. c. 20; or in the middle, as in the Syriac version; or third in order, as in Chrysostom, who, however, in his exposition, passes over the καὶ ἀνέστη. Whitby, who, according to Baumgarten, ought to be consulted, refutes himself; for he says, that ἀπέθανεν and νεκρῶν, ἔζησεν and ζώντων correspond to each other (as also Orige[143] observes, c. Cels., p. 103, ed. Hoesch.) ἀνέστη finds nothing to which it corresponds. I have cleared away the objection from the testimonies of the fathers, adduced by him, in the Apparatus. The reading ἔζησεν is well supported; ἀνέζησεν rests on much weaker authority.[144]-ΝΕΚΞῶΝ, of the dead) The dying and the dead rejoice in the Lord Jesus, who has died and abolished death and vanquished the devil, Heb 2:14.-ζώντων, of the living) The living and those, who are made alive again, triumph with their living Redeemer, their Kinsman (Heb. Goel.) The living God is the God of the living, Mat 22:32. Christ, who lives again, is Lord of those who are brought to life again. Paul places here, Rom 14:7-8, this life before death, and, in Rom 14:9, by gradation, after death, that life, as ch. Rom 8:38, with which comp. 14:34. Christ, says he, died, that he might have dominion over the dying, Christ revived, that He might have dominion over the living. Christ has died, therefore death (the act or rather the passive suffering of dying and the state of death) will not separate us from Him. Christ has risen again, therefore the life (of the world to come) will not separate us from Him; hence the notion of[145] the insensibility of the soul during the whole night, whilst the body is in the grave, is set aside by the dominion of Christ over the dead; and against this doctrine solid arguments are derived from the appearance of Moses and Elias, Mat 17:3, as also from the resurrection of the saints, Mat 27:52-53; and from the hope of Paul, etc., Php 1:23; 2Co 5:8; Heb 12:23. To these we may add “the fifth seal,” Rev 6:9, note, and the ὄχλοι, multitudes of the blessed, Revelation 7, 14, etc. The apostles themselves declined, 1Co 5:12, to judge “those that are without.” The state of deserving [the state in which men are capable of deserts] (taking the word in a large sense on both sides [in a good and a bad sense]) is doubtless not extended beyond this present life. The condition of man for all eternity depends on [his state at] the moment of death, although without man’s co-operation, different degrees may exist. Comp. Luk 16:9; Luk 16:22; Luk 16:25; Joh 9:4 (comp. Ecc 9:10); Gal 6:10; 2Ti 4:6; 2Ti 4:8; Tit 2:12; Heb 3:13; Heb 6:11; Heb 9:27; Rev 2:10; Rom 8:23, etc.

[143] rigen (born about 186 A.D., died 253 A.D., a Greek father: two-thirds of the N. Test. are quoted in his writings). Ed. Vinc. Delarue, Paris. 1733, 1740, 1759.

[144] ABC Memph. Syr. later, read ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἔζησεν. But Gg, Vulg. and Origen, ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἀνέστη; for which last Fulgentius and the Fuld. MS. of Vulg. corrected by Victor, have ἀνέζησεν. D(Λ)f Iren. have ἔζησεν καὶ ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἀνέστη. Rec. Text, ἀπεθ. κ. ἀνέστη, κ. ἀνέζησεν.-ED.

[145] ψυχοπαννυχίαν.