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Rom_11:20-21. By καλῶς Paul admits the fact; but in what follows he points out its cause, as one which must prevent haughtiness, and inspire fear and anxiety respecting the duration of the state of grace; assigning the reason in Rom_11:21.
καλῶς ] Good! recte ais. Demosth. 998. 24; Plat. Phil. p. 25 B; Eur. Or. 1216; Lucian, Deor. Jud_1:10.
The τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ and τῇ πίστει placed first with emphatic warning means: on account of unbelief, etc. Comp. Rom_11:30. See on Gal_6:12.
ἕστηκας ] thou standest, namely, as a branch upon the olive tree. As the figure is present, both before and afterwards, it is opposed to the context to take ἕστηκ . absolutely, as the opposite of πίπτειν (Rom_11:11; Rom_11:22; Rom_14:4; Fritzsche, Tholuck, Krehl, Philippi—the latter doubtfully).
ὑψηλοφρονεῖν , to be haughty (1Ti_6:17), is foreign to classical Greek, which has μεγαλοφρονεῖν ; yet see scholion on Pind. Pyth. ii. 91: ὑψηλοφρονοῦντα καὶ καυχώμενον κατακάμπτει ὁ θεός . The adjective ὑψηλόφρων is found in the classics in a good sense: high-spirited.
φοβοῦ ] “timor opponitur non fiduciae, sed supercilio et securitati,” Bengel. Secure haughtiness fears not the possible loss.
τῶν κατὰ φύσιν ] those according to nature, not ingrafted.
μήπως οὐδὲ ς . φείς .] to be referred to the underlying conception: it is to be feared (Winer, pp. 469 f., 442 [E. T. 632, 595]; Baeumlein, Partik. p. 288; Ast, Lex. Plat. II. p. 335). The future is more definite and certain than the subjunctive. See Hermann, ad El. 992, Aj. 272, Med. p. 357, Elmsl.; Stallbaum, ad Plat. Rep. p. 451 A; Hartung, Partikell. II. p. 140. At the same time the specially chosen mode of expression with μήπως (Paul does not say directly ΟὐΔῈ ΣΟῦ ΦΕΊΣΕΤΑΙ , as Lachmann reads) is sufficiently mitigating and forbearing.