Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - James 1:21 - 1:21

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Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - James 1:21 - 1:21


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

21. ἀποθέμενοι, of putting off a garment, τὰ ἱμάτια, Act 7:58; a burden, ὅγκον, Heb 12:1. More frequently figuratively, Rom 13:12 τὰ ἔργα τοῦ σκότους. Eph 4:22; Eph 4:25 τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον … τὸ ψεῦδος. Col 3:8 τὰ πάντα, ὀργήν, θυμόν, κ.τ.λ. 1 Peter 2 :1 πᾶσαν κακίαν. The tense implies a single, decisive effort.

πᾶσαν ῥυπαρίαν. πᾶσαν, in its whole extent. ῥυπαρίαν, ἅπ. λεγ. in N.T., uncleanness, comp. σαρκὸς ἀπόθεσις ῥύπου, 1Pe 3:21; ὁ ῥυπαρὸς ῥυπανθήτω ἔτι, Rev 22:11.

περισσείαν κακίας, excess of wickedness. περισσείαν not classical: ἄπ. λεγ. in N.T.

ἐν πραΰτητι, with meekness. πραΰτης is a note of the Kingdom. Psa 25:9; Psa 34:2; Psa 37:11; Psa 76:9; Psa 147:6; Psa 149:4.

Christ calls Himself πραΰς Mat 11:29, and places the πραεῖς in the forefront of those who are ‘blessed,’ Mat 5:4 (or 5). πρᾳότης as an ethical term is concerned with anger, it means absence from resentment, meekness in suffering; it is mentioned with very faint praise by Aristotle, who says, ἐπὶ τὸν μέσον τὴν πρᾳότητα φέρομεν πρὸς τὴν ἕλλειψιν ἀποκλίνουσαν, and again εἴπερ δὴ ἡ πρᾳότης ἐπαινεῖται. It is therefore one of those distinctively Christian terms which, like ὑπομονή, μακροθυμία, ταπεινοφροσύνη, point the divergence from pagan ethics. Closely associated with πρᾳότης in N.T. are, ἐπιείκεια, 2Co 10:1; ἐγκράτεια, Gal 5:23; ταπεινοφροσύνη and μακροθυμία, Eph 4:2; Col 3:12; ὑπομονή, 2Th 3:5. Comp. also 1Co 4:21; Gal 6:1; Tit 3:2. With the exception of this passage and 1Pe 3:15 πρᾳότης (πρᾳΰτης) is a Pauline word.

δέξασθε τὸν ἔμφυτον λόγον. Comp. μετὰ χαρᾶς δέχονται τὸν λόγον, Luk 8:13. ἐδέξασθε οὐ λόγον ἀνθρώπων ἀλλὰ καθὼς ἀληθῶς ἐστὶν λόγον θεοῦ, 1Th 2:13.

τὸν ἔμφυτον λόγον, the implanted word. The word that becomes a part of the φύσις or character, that is worked into the nature just as the elements which go to form the plant are absorbed in it, and tend to its growth. ἔμφυτον is formally proleptic here; it is implanted after its reception. But in fact it expresses a constant quality of the λόγος and forms with it a single compound noun.

τὸν δυνάμενον σῶσαι κ.τ.λ. Comp. infra Jam 4:12 ὁ δυνάμενος σῶσαι. The power there attributed to God is here attributed to the implanted Word, and in fact the implanted Word is scarcely distinguishable from the indwelling Christ.