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Gal_3:5. After the logical parenthesis (Gal_3:3-4), οὖν resumes (Hartung, Partikell. II. p. 22 f.; Klotz, ad Devar. p. 719) what was said in Gal_3:2, but in an altered tense (the present), in order to annex the example of Abraham as a proof of justification by faith.
ἐπιχορηγῶν and ἐνεργῶν are not to be understood as imperfect participles (Castalio, Bengel, Semler, and others); for, if referring to the reception of the Spirit for the first time corresponding to ἐλάβετε in Gal_3:2, Paul must have written ἐπιχορηγήσας and ἐνεργήσας . No, he denotes the ἐπιχορηγεῖν κ . τ . λ . as still continuing among the Galatians; it has not yet ceased, although now, of course, in consequence of the active efforts of the Judaizers under which they had suffered, it could not but be less strong and general than previously ( νῦν σαρκὶ ἐπιτελεῖσθε , Gal_3:3); “nondum ceciderant, sed inclinabantur, ut caderent,” Augustine.
In ἐπιχορηγεῖν the ἐπί is not insuper, but denotes the direction, as in the German ‘darreichen, zukommen lassen’ (2Co_9:10; Col_2:19; 2Pe_1:5; comp. also Php_1:19).
καὶ ἐνεργ .] and—to make mention of a particular χάρισμα —which, etc.
δυνάμεις ] may be miracles (1Co_12:10), in which case ἐν is among (Winer and others); or miraculous powers (1Co_12:28), in which case ἐν is within you (Borger, Usteri, Matthies, Schott, Olshausen, Wieseler, and others). The analogy of 1Co_12:6 (comp. Php_2:13; Eph_2:2) favours the latter.
ἐξ ἔργων νόμου , ἤ ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστ .] sc. ποιεῖ τοῦτο (Buttmann, neut. Gr. p. 336), or ἐπιχορηγεῖ ὑμῖν τὸ πνεῦμα κ . ἐνεργεῖ δυνάμεις ἐν ὑμῖν ; Is this his operation upon you caused by works of the law or by the news of faith? comes it in consequence of your prosecuting those works, or of such news being communicated to you? by the former way of active merit, or by the latter way of the reception of divine preaching? As to ἀκοὴ πίστεως , here also not (with Hofmann) = πίστις ἀκοῆς , see on Gal_3:2.