John Bengel Commentary - Romans 8:3 - 8:3

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John Bengel Commentary - Romans 8:3 - 8:3


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Rom 8:3. Τὸ) This word has the force of an adjective [or epithet], to be simply explained thus: God has accomplished the condemnation of sin, which was beyond the power of the law; God condemned sin in the flesh (a thing which the law could not do, namely, condemn sin, while the sinner is saved). Τὸ ἀδύνατον, what was impossible, has an active signification in this passage; and the paraphrase of Luther is according to the meaning of the apostle.-See Wolfii Cur. on this place.-τοῦ νόμου) of the law, not only ceremonial, but also moral; for if the moral law were without this impossible [impossibility of condemning sin, yet saving the sinner], there would have been no need that the Son of God should have been sent. Furthermore, the word impossible, a privation [of something once held], supposes that the thing was previously possessed: formerly the law was able to afford righteousness and life, ch. Rom 7:10. Hence it is that man so willingly follows the traces of that first path even after the fall.-ἑαυτοῦ) ἴδιον, Rom 8:32. His own, over whom sin and death had no power.-πέμψας, sending) This word denotes a sort of separation, as it were, or estrangement of the Son from the Father, that He might be the Mediator.-ἐν ὁμοιώματι σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας, in the likeness of the flesh of sin [sinful flesh]) The construction is with κατέκρινε, condemned [not as Engl. Vers. His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh]. We, along with our flesh, utterly tainted as it was with sin, ought to have been consigned to death; but God, in the likeness of that flesh (for justice required the likeness), that is, in the flesh of His own Son, which was real and at the same time holy, and (that too) for sin, condemned that sin (which was) in (our) flesh,[86] that we might be made free; ἐν [before ὉΜΟΙΏΜΑΤΙ] is construed with condemned, compare by, ch. Rom 7:4 [Dead by (διὰ) the body of Christ].-ΠΕΡῚ ἉΜΑΡΤΊΑς ΤῊΝ ἉΜΑΡΤΊΑΝ, for sin, sin) The substantive is here repeated, as in Luk 11:17, note, when the house is divided, the house falls. But the figure ploce[87] is here added, as is indicated by the use of the article only in the latter place [on the second employment of the word ἉΜΑΡΤΊΑ]. These two terms mutually refer to one another, as do the words the likeness of flesh and flesh, περὶ, for: περὶ ἁμαρτίας is equivalent to a noun, as in Psalms 40 (39):6; Heb 10:6; Heb 10:8. But here, in the epistle to the Romans, I explain it thus: God condemned sin on this account, because it is sin. Sin was condemned as sin. So sin is put twice in the same signification (not in a double signification as happens in an antanaclasis), but the article τὴν adds an epitasis.[88]-ΚΑΤΈΚΡΙΝΕ, condemned) took away, finished, put an end to, destroyed all its strength, deprived sin of its power (compare the word impossible above [What the law was powerless to do, God had power to do, and deprived the law and sin of their power]-sin which was laid on the Son of God. For the execution of the sentence also follows the condemnation of sin. It is the opposite of the expression to justify, Rom 8:1; ch. Rom 5:18, and 2Co 3:9.

[86] God condemned that sin, which was in our flesh, in the likeness of that sinful flesh, [i.e. in His incarnate Son,] and that too, for sin.

[87] See Appendix. The same word repeated, once expressing the simple idea of the word, next expressing an attribute of it.

[88] See Appendix. Epitasis, when to a word, which has been previously used, there is added, on its being used again, some word augmenting its force.