Jam_2:16 describes the conduct towards those requiring help.
τις
ἐξ
ὑμῶν
] is to be taken generally, and is not, with Grotius, to be limited to those qui fidem creditis sufficere ad salutem.
The address:
ὑπάγετε
ἐν
εἰρήνῃ
] expresses a friendly wish at departure; similar to
πορεύεσθε
ἐν
εἰρήνῃ
, Act_16:36; Jdg_18:6.
ὑπάγειν
εἰς
εἰρήνην
(Mar_5:34; Luk_7:50, and other places) is somewhat different, where
εἰρήνη
and
ὑπάγειν
are not yet conceived as united.
With
θερμαίνεσθε
with reference to
γυμνοί
, warming by clothing is specially to be thought of (see Job_31:30; Hag_1:6); but it is inaccurate to explain the verb itself as equivalent to vestiri (Laurentius, Baumgarten, Pott, Bengel, Gebser, Hottinger, Theile).
θερμαίνεσθε
and
χορτάζεσθε
are not imperatives of the passive, and to be taken in an optative sense (Hottinger: utinam aliquis beneficens vobis vestimenta largiatur; similarly Grotius, Morus, Theile), but imperatives of the middle: Warm yourselves, satisfy yourselves; only thus does the contrast appear pointed and definite; that they are not properly to be considered as commanding, but as exhorting, is of itself evident. The plural
μὴ
δῶτε
δέ
is explained from
ἐξ
ὑμῶν
;
τὰ
ἐπιδήδεια
(
ἅπ
.
λεγ
.) =
τὰ
ἀναγκαῖα
(Gloss.:
τὰ
πρὸς
τροφὴν
ἁρμόδια
; Suidas:
ἀφορμαὶ
εἰς
τὸν
βίον
; see Herod. ii. 174; Thuc. ii. 23; Cicero, Off. i. 8: necessaria vitae praesidia); the things necessary for the support of the body, namely, clothing and food. The question
τί
τὸ
ὄφελος
; brings forward that such a sympathy which is
χωρὶς
ἔργων
profits nothing, has no efficacy; to this neither egentibus (Hottinger) nor dicentibus (Gomar, Baumgarten, Semler) is to be supplied.