Fifth Section.—The external Judaism of the letter, and the internal Judaism of the spirit. The objective advantage of historical Judaism. The subjective equality of Jews and Gentiles before the law of God, according to the purpose of the law itself—to bring about the knowledge of sin. (The utility of circumcision;—an accommodation to the need of salvation by the knowledge of sin. The circumcision which becomes uncircumcision, and the uncircumcision which becomes circumcision; or, the external Jew possibly an internal Gentile, while the external Gentile may be an internal Jew. Not the mere possession of the law, but fidelity to the law, is of avail. The latter does not create pride of the law, but knowledge of sin—that is, the need of salvation. The advantage of circumcision therefore consists in this, that to the Jew were committed the oracles of God—that law by which all men are represented in the guilt of sin. Sin, as acknowledged guilt, represented in contrast with the law.)
Rom_2:25-29
25For circumcision verily [indeed] profiteth, if thou keep [keepest] the law: but if thou be [art] a breaker [transgressor] of the law, thy circumcision is made [has 26become, or, is turned into] uncircumcision. Therefore, if the uncircumcision [so-called, i. e., the uncircumcised] keep the righteousness [decrees, commandments, moral requirements,
äé÷áéþìáôá
] of the law, shall [will] not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 27And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? [He who is uncircumcised by nature, if he fulfils the law, will even judge thee, who, with the letter and circumcision, dost transgress the law.]28For he is not a Jew, which [who] is one outwardly; neither is that29circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which [who] is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and [omit and] not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Footnotes:
Rom_2:27.—[The E. V. here, as often, follows Beza, who translates
äéÜ
, per, which is its fundamental meaning when it rules the genitive. But here it expresses the state or the circumstances under which the transgression takes place—i.e., with or in spite of, notwithstanding, the written law and circumcision; comp.
äé
̓
ὑðïìïíῆò
, with patience;
äé
̓
ἀêñïâõóôßáò
, while is circumcision, Rom_4:11;
äéὰ ðñïóêüììáôïò
, with offence, Rom_14:20; and Winer, Gramm., 7th ed., p. 355 f.—P. S.]
Rom_2:27.—[Lange, with Erasmus, Luther, Bengel, De Wette, Meyer, Tholuck (ed. 5), Alford, and others, takes Rom_2:27 to be categorical, and makes a period after “law.” Hence
êñéíåῖ
is emphatically put first, and
êáß
has the sense of even: Yea, verily, he will even condemn you. The E. V. regards Rom_2:27 as a continuation of the question in Rom_2:26, and supplies
ïὐ÷ß
before
êñéíåῖ
. So also Fritzsche, Olshausen, Luther, Philippi, Ewald, Wordsworth.—P. S.]
