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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
17. ἵνα. See Moulton, Proleg. p. 206.
ὁ θεὸς τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰ. Χ. Cf. on Eph 1:3.
ὁ πατὴρ τῆς δόξης. The Father from whom comes every manifestation of the Divine presence in the world, whether in the history of Israel, in ‘the face of Jesus Christ,’ or in the Church here and hereafter. Cf. ὁ πατὴρ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν, 2Co 1:3; ὁ πατὴρ τῶν φώτων, Jam 1:17. See Additional Note.
δώῃ subj., not δῴη opt. See Moulton, Proleg. pp. 193 f. St Paul prays that power may come upon them from God, thus fully revealed through our Lord Jesus Christ, to give them moral and spiritual discernment, and to draw away the veils that hide the truth from the self-indulgent (Eph 4:17) and the self-sufficient (Mat 11:25).
πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως. Cf. Rom 11:8 πνεῦμα κατανύξεως, 2Ti 1:7 pν … δυνάμεως καὶ ἀγάπης καὶ σωφρονισμοῦ. σοφίας, see on Eph 1:9. ἀποκαλύψεως ‘unveiling.’ Cf. Luk 2:32 φῶς εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν. ‘The veil that is spread over all nations’ (Isa 25:7) needs to be taken away both that they may be seen in their true nature and that they may see the truth themselves; cf. 2Co 3:15.
ἐν ἐπιγνώσει αὐτοῦ. ἐπίγνωσις differs from γνῶσις (see Robinson’s Excursus) rather in clearness of definition than in fulness or completeness of content. Like ἐπιγινώσκειν it is specially appropriate in cases where the truth is present under a veil and is recognized in spite of the disguise. So here. The power for which St Paul prays developes in men as they learn to recognize the tokens of God’s presence in them and about them.