《Eadie’s Commentary on Ephesians (Vol. )》(John Eadie) 04 Chapter Introduction Chapter 4

(Ephesians 5:13.) τὰ δὲ πάντα ἐλεγχόμενα, ὑπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς φανεροῦται—“But all those things being reproved, are by the light made manifest.” This verse shows why Christians should engage in the work of reproof-it is so salutary: for it exhibits such vices in all their odious debasement, and proves its own purity and lustre in the very exposure. Many and varied have been the interpretations of this statement. Olshausen remarks, that the words have gnomenartige Kürze. We take τὰ δὲ πάντα as referring to the τὰ κρυφῆ γινόμενα, and not, as Rückert does-in a general sense, or all things generally. Jerome thus understands it-haud dubie quin ea quae occulte fiunt. δέ has its adversative force-they are done in secret, but they may and ought to be exposed. The apostle bids them reprove those sins, and he here states the result. Reprove them, and the effect is, “all these sins being so reproved, are made manifest by the light.” Storr in his Dissertationes Exegeticae, and Kuinoel-in a paper on this verse printed in the third volume of the Commentationes Theologicae of Velthusen, Kuinoel, and Ruperti-needlessly argue that the neuter here stands for the masculine. Kuinoel's view is, “all who are reproved and amended ought to be reproved and amended by a man who is a genuine and consistent Christian. He who engages in this work of instruction is light-is a son of the light-is a true Christian.” Such a violent interpretation cannot be received.

But with which of the terms should ὑπὸ τοῦ φωτός be associated? 1. De Wette, Crocius, Bloomfield, and Peile, join them to the participle ἐλεγχόμενα-all “these reproved by the light.” Our objection to this connection is, that φῶς agrees more naturally with φανεροῦται-the idea being homogeneous, for light is the agent which reveals. De Wette's objection, that rebuke is not uniformly followed by such manifestation, proceeds on the assumption that rebuke is all but identical with conversion. 2. On the other hand, Stephens and Mill place a comma after ἐλεγχόμενα, and the connection of φῶς with the verb is advocated by Bengel, Meier, Harless, Olshausen, Meyer, and Stier. All those sins done in secret, if they are reproved, are brought into open view by the light. φῶς is used, as in a previous verse, to denote the gospel as a source of light. When such sins are reproved, they are exposed, they are unveiled in their hideousness by the light let in upon them. Being deeds of darkness, they need the light of Christianity to make them manifest, for other boasted lights only flickered and failed to reveal them. Philosophy was only “darkness visible” around them.

πᾶν γὰρ τὸ φανερούμενον φῶς ἐστιν. πᾶν τό. Winer, § 18, 4. The meaning depends greatly on this-whether φανερούμενον be taken in a middle or passive sense. Many prefer the passive sense, which is certainly the prevailing one in the New Testament, and occurs in the previous clause. The exposition of Olshausen, Stier, Ellicott, and Alford is—“whatever is made manifest is light”—“all things illuminated by the light are themselves light.” Well may Olshausen add—“this idea has somewhat strange in it,” for he is compelled to admit “that light does not always exercise this transforming influence, for the devil and all the wicked are reproved by the light, without becoming themselves light.” Alford calls this objection “null,” as being a misapprehension of φῶς ἐστι, but φῶς in his exegesis changes its meaning from the previous verse. This opinion of Olshausen is virtually that of the Greek patristic expositors, who are followed by Peter Lombard. Theophylact says- ἐπειδὰν δὲ φανερωθῇ, γίνεται φῶς. Harless renders, “what has been revealed is no longer a hidden work of darkness: it is light.” The view of Röell, Robinson, and Wilke is not dissimilar. Thus also Ellicott—“becomes light, as of the nature of light.” A dark object suddenly illumined may indeed be said to be all light, because it is surrounded with light, and this is the notion of Bretschneider. But if this be the view, it seems to make the apostle use a tautology, “whatever is revealed, is enlightened;” unless you understand the apostle to say, that by such a process they themselves who were once darkness become light. De Wette's explanation of the same rendering is-without φῶς there is no φανερούμενον, and where there is φανερούμενον there is light. But the apostle doe s not utter such a truism-where everything is manifested there is light. Piscator's hypothesis is equally baseless—“whatever is manifested is light, that is, is manifested by the light.” The passive meaning may be adopted, with the proviso that the apostle does not say whether the light be for conversion or condemnation. But while this view may thus be grammatically defended, still we feel as if the context led us to take the last clause as a reason of the statement contained in the first. Thus, some prefer, with Beza, Calvin, Vatablus, Grotius, Rollock, Zanchius, Morus, Wahl, Turner, and the Peschito, to give the participle a reflexive or medial signification. Meyer affirms that φανεροῦμαι is always passive, but the passive may have a medial signification, as it seems to have sometimes in the New Testament. Mark 16:12; John 1:31; John 9:3; 2 Corinthians 4:10-11; Jelf, § 367, 2. Olshausen takes up the exegesis of Grotius, which is also that of Bodius and Dickson—“for the light is the element that makes all clear,” and then argues grammatically against such a rendering. But according to the accurate position of subject and predicate, the meaning is—“whatever makes manifest or renders apparent, is light.” Such manifestation is the nature and function of light. These clandestine sins, when reproved, are disclosed by the light so cast upon them, for it belongs to light to make such disclosures. The apostle urges his readers to reprove such sins, which, though done in secret, will and must be exposed; yea, all of them being reproved, are shone upon by the light-that light which radiates from Christianity. And this power of unveiling in Christianity is properly called “light,” for whatever causes such things to disclose themselves is of the essence of light. Such is a natural and simple view of the verse. See Lücke-Commentar, John 3:21, vol. i. p. 550, 3rd ed.

And that this rebuke is a duty, the discharge of which is attended with the most salutary results, is now shown by a reference to the ancient inspired oracles.

Verse 14

(Ephesians 5:14.) διὸ λέγει—“Wherefore He saith.” See under Ephesians 4:8; διό, Ephesians 2:11. It would be quite contrary to Pauline usage to suppose that this formula introduced any citation but one from the Old Testament. But the quotation is not found literally in any portion of the Hebrew oracles. Grotius and Elsner propose to make φῶς the nominative to λέγει—“wherefore a man of light-one of these reprovers says;” an opinion not very remote from Seiler's version - die Erleuchteten sollen sprechen-those who are light themselves should speak to the children of darkness in the following terms—“Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead.” An early opinion, reported by Theodoret as belonging to τινὲς τῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν, has been adopted by Heumann, Poecile, ii. p. 396; Michaelis; Döpke, Hermeneutik, p. 275, Leipzig, 1829; Storr, Stolz, Flatt, and Bleek, Stud. und Krit. 1853, p. 331. It is that the quotation is taken from one of the hymns of the early Christian church. Michaelis regards it, indeed, as an excerpt from some baptismal formula. Of such a supposition there is no proof; and the reference to 1 Corinthians 14:26 is certainly no argument in its favour. In a similar spirit Barnes says—“I see no evidence that Paul meant to make a quotation at all.” The idea of Stier is, that the apostle quotes some Geisteswort-some saying given to the church by its inspired prophets, and based upon Isaiah 60, and therefore warranting the διὸ λέγει, as truly as any clause of canonical writ. But the language of the apostle gives no hint of such a source of quotation, nor have we any parallel example. Others have recourse to the hypothesis that Paul has quoted from some apocryphal composition. Such an opinion has been mentioned by Jerome as a simplex responsio, while he adds the saving clause-non quod apocrypha comprobaret; by Epiphanius, Contra Haereses, p. 42, who refers to the prophecy of Elias; by Euthalius, and George Syncellus (Chronolog. p. 21), who appeal to the apocryphal treatise named Jeremiah; while Codex G gives the citation to the book of Enoch, and Morus holds generally by the hypothesis, which is also espoused by Schrader, that the clause is borrowed from some lost Jewish oracle. Rhenferd contends that reference is made here, as in Acts 20:35, to one of Christ's unwritten sayings. Nor is the difficulty removed by adopting the clumsy theory to which Jerome has also alluded, and which Bugenhagen and Calixtus have adopted, that the nominative to λέγει is a subjective influence-the Spirit, or Christ within Paul himself, an imitation of the older idiom—“thus saith the Lord.” Nor is the solution proposed by Bornemann at all more tenable, viz. that λέγει is impersonal, and that the clause may be rendered—“wherefore it may be said”-or “one may say.” Scholia in Lucam, p. 48. But the active form is not used impersonally, though the passive is, and φησί is the common term. Pape, and Passow, sub vocibus; Bernhardy, p. 419. Rückert confesses that the subject lies in impenetrable darkness; but the most extraordinary of all the solutions is the explanation of Meyer, and by those who believe in a plenary inspiration it will be rebuked-not refuted. His words are—“The διὸ λέγει shows that Paul intended to quote from a canonical writing, but as the citation is not from any canonical book, he adduced, through lapse of memory, an apocryphal passage, which he, citing from memory, took to be canonical. But out of what apocryphal writing the quotation is taken we know not.”

Assuming that the quotation is made from the Old Testament, as the uniform use of διὸ λέγει implies, the question still remains-what place is cited? Various verses and clauses have been fixed upon by critics, the majority of whom, from Thomas Aquinas down to Olshausen, refer to Isaiah 60:1, though some, such as Beza, Meier, and others, prefer Isaiah 26:19. Isaiah 9:2 is combined, by Baumgarten, Holzhausen, and Klausen, with Isaiah 60:1 (Hermeneutik, p. 416, Leipzig, 1841). Other combinations have been proposed. The matter is involved in difficulty, and none of these places is wholly similar to the verse before us. Harless and Olshausen make it plausible that the reference is to Isaiah 60:1 - קוּמִי אוֹרִי כִּי בָא אוֹרֵךְ וּכְבוֹד יַהוָה עָלַיִךְזָרָח —“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” The imperative is there used with the verb “arise;” and if we turn back to Isaiah 59:10, the figure of darkness is employed by the prophet, as well as in Isaiah 60:2. The words of the apostle may, therefore, be viewed as the quintessence of the prophet's exclamation—“Arise.” That idea suggested to the apostle's mind the previous condition of those to whom this trumpet-note was addressed, and he describes it thus—“Awake, thou that sleepest;” and as that species of slumber was a lethargy of death, he adds—“arise from the dead.” “Arise, be light,” says the prophet, “for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah has risen upon thee;”-but the apostle resolves the prophecy into a more prosaic description of its fulfilment—“and Christ shall give thee light.” The use of the name Christ shows us, as Alford insists, that the apostle meant to make no direct or verbal quotation. But the entire subject o f New Testament quotation is not without its difficulties. Gouge, New Testament Quotations, London, 1855; Davidson, Hermeneutics, p. 334. We find that similar examples of quotation, according to spirit, are found in the New Testament, as in James 4:5; 2 Corinthians 6:16-17; Matthew 2:23. The prophecy is primarily addressed to Zion, as the symbol of the church. Nor do we apprehend that the application is different in the quotation before us, as the words are addressed still to the church-as one that had been asleep and dead, but the Divine appeal had startled it. It had realized the blessed change of awakening and resurrection, and had also rejoiced in the light poured upon it by Christ. Nay, though it was “some time darkness, it was now light in the Lord;” and its light was not to be hidden-it was to break in upon the dark and secret places around it, that they too might be illuminated. In the formation and extension of any church the prophecy is always realized in spirit; for it shows of whom a church is composed, what was the first condition of its members, by what means they have been transformed, and what is one primary duty of their organization.

ἔγειρε ὁ καθεύδων—“awake, thou that sleepest.” For the case, see Winer, § 29, 2. Lachmann reads ἔγειραι after the Textus Receptus, but the majority of critics adopt the spelling ἔγειρε. It is used not as the active for the middle, but, as Fritzsche suggests, it was the form apparently employed in common speech. Comm. ad Marc, 2.9. That sleep was profound, but there had been a summons to awake. To awake is man's duty, for he is commanded to obey, and he does obey under the influence of the Divine Spirit.

καὶ ἀνάστα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν—“and arise from the dead.” The meaning of νέκρος so used may be seen under Ephesians 2:1. Bornemann, in Luc. p. 97. ᾿ανάστα is a later form for ἀνάστηθι. Winer, § 14, 1, h. The command is similar to that given by our Lord to the man with the withered hand—“Stretch it forth.” The man might have objected and said, “Could I obey thee in this, I would not have troubled thee. Why mock me with my infirmity, and bid me do the very thing I cannot?” But the man did not so perplex himself; and Christ, in exciting the desire to obey, imparted the power to obey. See under Ephesians 2:2, Ephesians 5:6.

καὶ ἐπιφαύσει σοι ὁ χριστός—“and Christ shall enlighten thee.” The various spellings of the verb, and the change of φ into ψ, have arisen from inadvertence. On the different forms of this verb, see Fritzsche on Mark 2:11; Winer, § 15. This variation is as old as the days of Chrysostom, for he notices it, and decides for the common reading. The verb itself occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, though it is once found in the “Acts of Thomas”- ἐπέφαυσε γάρ μοι-§ 34. This light Christ flashes upon the dead, and startles them into life. And the apostle continues-

Verse 15

(Ephesians 5:15.) βλέπετε, οὖν, ἀκριβῶς περιπατεῖτε. “Take heed then how ye walk correctly.” Calvin has been felicitous in his view of the connection-si aliorum discutere tenebras fideles debent fulgore suo: quanto minus coecutire ipsi debent in proprio vitae instituto? In this view οὖν is closely joined to the verse immediately preceding, and such is the view of Harless. De Wette and Alford, however, connect it with Ephesians 5:8 -a connection which reduces unwarrantably all the preceding verses to a parenthesis; while Meyer quite arbitrarily joins it to the last clause of the 11th verse. The truth is, that the whole train of thought from the 8th verse to the 14th is so similar, that the apostle follows it all up with the injunction before us. οὖν is retrospective, indeed (Klotz, ad Devarius, 2.718), but the last verse is present specially to the apostle's mind. The indicative, and not the subjunctive, is used, the meaning being, how you walk, not how you should walk. Winer, § 41, b, 1, b; or videte igitur . . . quomodo illud efficiatis ut provide vivatis. Fritzschiorum, Opuscula, pp. 208, 209, note. The necessity of personal holiness in themselves, and the special duty of reproof and enlightenment which lay on them toward their unbelieving fellows, taught them this accuracy of walk. πῶς is different in aspect from ἵνα as in 1 Corinthians 16:10, and it stands after βλεπέτω in 1 Corinthians 3:10. The verb is followed by ἀπό in Mark 8:15, and by a simple accusative in Philippians 3:2; Colossians 4:17. Such passages show that it would be finical to suppose that this verb of vision was used from its connection with the term light in the former verse. To ἀκριβῶς, which qualifies not βλέπετε but περιπατεῖτε, some give the meaning of “accurately,” or as Be ngel renders it-pünktlich, a rendering in which Harless and Stier acquiesce; while others follow Luther, who translates vorsichtig, of which the “circumspectly” of our version is an imitation. Colossians 4:5 adds - πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω, a phrase which Olshausen supposes should be understood here. 1 Thessalonians 4:1. The first meaning is more in accordance with the prevailing usage of the word in all other places of the New Testament. Matthew 2:8; Luke 1:3; Acts 18:25; 1 Thessalonians 5:2. Still the second meaning is virtually involved in the first, for this accuracy or perfection of walk has a special reference to observers. They were to see to it that they were walking-

μὴ ὡς ἄσοφοι, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς σοφοί—“not as unwise, but as wise men;” first a negative, and secondly a positive aspect. Kypke, p. 350; Winer, § 65, 5. The subjective μή connects the clause with περιπατεῖτε. If the Ephesian Christians walked without taking heed to their ways, then they walked as fools do, who stumble and fall or miss the path. Wisdom, not in theory, but in practice-wisdom, and not mere intelligence - was to characterize them; that wisdom which preserves in rectitude, guides amidst temptations, and affords a lesson of consistency to surrounding spectators. And if there be any allusion to Ephesians 5:11, then the inferential meaning is-it would be the height of folly to rebuke that sin which the reprover is openly committing; to condemn profane swearing, and barb the reprimand with an oath; or exemplify the vices of wrath and clamour in anathematizing such as may be guilty of them. It is strange infatuation to be obliged, in pointing others to heaven, to point over one's shoulder. And one peculiar proof and specimen of wisdom is now given-

Verse 16

(Ephesians 5:16.) ᾿εξαγοραζόμενοι τὸν καιρόν—“Redeeming the time.” Colossians 4:5. The participle has been variously understood. The translation of Luther—“suit yourselves to the time,” is plainly without foundation-schicket euch in die Zeit. The paraphrase of Ambrosiaster is similar-scire quemadmodum unicunque respondeat. The verb denotes to buy out of- ἐκ; and the middle voice intimates that the purchase is for oneself-for one's own personal benefit. καιρός, probably allied to κείρω, is not χρόνος, simply time, but opportunity. Tittmann, De Synon. p. 39; Donaldson, New Cratylus, p. 320; see, however, Benfey, Wurzellex. vol. ii. p. 288. This opportunity is supposed to be in some other's possession, and you buy it. You make it your own by purchase, by giving in exchange those pleasures or that indolence, the indulgence of which would have made you forego such a bargain. The meaning is, then-making the most of every opportunity. Such is at least a signification that neither the words themselves nor the context disprove. We are not on the one hand to say with Meyer, that ἐκ is merely intensive, for it points to that out of which, or out of whose power, the purchase is to be made; still, we are not anxiously, on the other hand, to find out and specify from whom or what the time is to be redeemed, and to call it “bad men,” with Jerome and Bengel, or “the devil,” with Calvin. Such is too hard a pressure upon the figure. Neither are we curiously to ask, what is the price given in exchange? Such is the gratuitous minuteness of Chrysostom, Theophylact, and OEcumenius, who refer us to “opponents bribed off,” and of Augustine, Calvin, Estius, Zanchius, Rückert, and Stier, who understand by the alleged price the offering of all earthly hindrance and pleasure. Beza's better illustration is that of a merchant whose foresight enables him to use all things for his own purposes; and Olshausen remarks that such a lesson is taught in the parable recorded in Luke 16:1-16. The exegesis of Harless is by far too restricted, for he confines the phrase to this meaning—“to know the right point of time when the light of reproof should be let in on the darkness of sin.” Still farther removed from the right conception is the interpretation of Grotius, as if the command were one addressed to Christians, to avoid danger and so prolong their l ife; or that of Wilke, Macknight, and Bretschneider, which is—“seize every opportunity to shun danger.” It is thought by some that the phrase is founded on the Greek version of Daniel 2:8, where Nebuchadnezzar said to the Magi of Babylon- דּי עִדָּנָא אַנַתּוּןזָבְנִין à , ִ rendered - ὅτι καιρὸν ὑμεῖς ἐξαγοράζετε. Even though we were obliged to agree with Dathe, Rosenmüller, Gesenius, Maurer, and Hitzig, that the phrase meant there, to buy up or to prolong the time, or seek delay, yet here the article prefixed by the apostle gives the noun a definite speciality. Sese (id quod difficillimum fuerit) tempus ipsum emisse judicii sui. Cicero in Verrem, iii. p. 240; Opera, ed. Nobbe, Lipsiae, 1850. The “unwise” allow the propitious moment to pass, and it cannot be recalled. They may eulogize it, but they have missed it. The “wise,” on the other hand, who walk correctly, recognize it, appreciate it, take hold of it, make it at whatever sacrifice their own, and thriftily turn it to the best advantage. They redeem it, as Severianus says- ὥστε καταχρήσασθαι αὐτῷ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν. The apostle adds a weighty reason-

ὅτι αἱ ἡμέραι πονηραί εἰσιν—“because the days are evil.” The apostle, as Olshausen remarks, does not adduce the fewness of the days to inculcate in general the diligent use of time, but he insists on the evil of the days for the purpose of urging Christians to seize on every opportunity to counteract that evil. Beza, Grotius, Rückert, Robinson, Wilke, and Wahl, take the adjective in the sense of - “sorrowful, calamitous, or dangerous.” But we prefer the ordinary meaning—“evil,” morally evil, and it furnishes a strong argument. Their days were evil. All days have indeed been evil, for sin abounds in the world. But the days of that period were characterized by many enormities, and the refining power of Christianity was only partially and unequally felt. If these days so evil afforded any opportunities of doing good, it was all the more incumbent on Christians to win them and seize them. The very abundance of the evil was a powerful argument to redeem the time, and the apostle writing that letter in a prison was a living example of his own counsel. It is wholly foreign to the context, on the part of Holzhausen, to refer these evil days to the period of the mystery of iniquity. 2 Thessalonians 2:4; 1 Timothy 4:1. The Greek fathers are careful to remark that the apostle calls the days evil, not in themselves- τὴν οὐσίαν-as they are creatures of God; but on account of the events with which they are connected.

Verse 17

(Ephesians 5:17.) διὰ τοῦτο μὴ γίνεσθε ἄφρονες - “On this account become not senseless.” On this account-not because the days are evil- ἐπειδὴ ἡ πονηρία ἀνθεῖ-as is supposed by OEcumenius, Menochius, Zanchius, Estius, Rückert, and de Wette; but because we are summoned to walk wisely, redeeming the time, the days being evil, therefore we are to possess a high amount of Christian intelligence. The epithet ἄφρων characterizes a man who does not use his rational powers. Ast, Lex. Plat. sub voce. It differs from ἄσοφος, which has reference more to folly in action and daily work; whereas it, as this verse intimates, signifies a non-comprehension of the principles on which that walk is to be regulated. Tittmann, De Synon. 143.

ἀλλὰ συνιέντες τί τὸ θέλημα τοῦ κυρίου—“but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” The participle is variously read. A and B read in the imperative, συνίετε, which Jerome follows, a reading also approved by Lachmann and Rückert, though it is probably an emendation conforming to the other imperatives; while συνιόντες is the reading of D¹, F, G, and is preferred by Harless, Alford, and Meyer; while D³, E, K, L, and almost all MSS. read as the Textus Receptus - συνιέντες. We have no objection to the common reading, which is retained by Tischendorf. The participle signifies knowing intelligently, and means more than γινώσκειν. Luke 12:47. That will which it is their duty to understand is the authoritative expression of the mind of Christ, who embodied in His own example the purity and benignity of all His precepts. Codex B adds ἡμῶν, and Codex A has θεοῦ-both evidently without authority. The Ephesian Christians, in order to enable themselves to redeem the time, were not to be thoughtless, but to possess a perfect understanding of the Master's will. They would then form just conceptions of daily duty, and would not lose time through the perplexity of conflicting obligations. For θέλημα see under Ephesians 1:5; Ephesians 1:9; Ephesians 1:11, and for κύριος, under Ephesians 1:2-3.