NT-GOSPEL.filter - rwp despair:

rwp@1Corinthians:3:12 @{Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble} (\chrusion, argurion, lithous timious, xula, chorton, kalamn\). The durable materials are three (gold, silver, marble or precious stones), perishable materials (pieces of wood, hay, stubble), "of a palace on the one hand, of a mud hut on the other" (Lightfoot). Gold was freely used by the ancients in their palaces. Their marble and granite pillars are still the wonder and despair of modern men. The wooden huts had hay (\chortos\, grass, as in strkjv@Mark:6:39|) and stubble (\kalam\, old word for stubble after the grain is cut, here alone in the N.T., though in LXX as strkjv@Exodus:5:12|) which were employed to hold the wood pieces together and to thatch the roof. It is not made clear whether Paul's metaphor refers to the persons as in God's building in verse 9| or to the character of the teaching as in verse 13|. Probably both ideas are involved, for look at the penalty on shoddy work (verse 15|) and shoddy men (verse 17|). The teaching may not always be vicious and harmful. It may only be indifferent and worthless. A co-worker with God in this great temple should put in his very best effort.

rwp@1John:5:17 @{All unrighteousness is sin} (\psa adikia hamartia estin\). Unrighteousness is one manifestation of sin as lawlessness (3:4|) is another (Brooke). The world today takes sin too lightly, even jokingly as a mere animal inheritance. Sin is a terrible reality, but there is no cause for despair. Sin not unto death can be overcome in Christ.

rwp@2Corinthians:1:8 @{Concerning our affliction} (\huper ts thlipses hmn\). Manuscripts read also \peri\ for in the _Koin_ \huper\ (over) often has the idea of \peri\ (around). Paul has laid down his philosophy of afflictions and now he cites a specific illustration in his own recent experience. {In Asia} (\en Asii\). Probably in Ephesus, but what it was we do not know whether sickness or peril. We do know that the disciples and the Asiarchs would not allow Paul to face the mob in the amphitheatre gathered by Demetrius (Acts:20:30f.|). In strkjv@Romans:16:4| Paul says that Prisca and Aquila laid down their necks for him, risked their very lives for him. It may have been a later plot to kill Paul that hastened his departure from Ephesus (Acts:20:1|). He had a trial so great that "we were weighed down exceedingly beyond our power" (\kath' huperboln huper dunamin ebarthmen\). Old verb from \baros\, weight, \barus\, weighty. First aorist passive indicative. See on ¯1Corinthians:12:31| for \kath' huperboln\ (cf. our hyperbole). It was beyond Paul's power to endure if left to himself. {Insomuch that we despaired even of life} (\hste exaporthnai hmas kai tou zin\). Usual clause of result with \hste\ and the infinitive. First aorist passive infinitive \exaporthnai\, late compound for utter despair (perfective use of \ex\ and at a complete loss, \a\ privative and \poros\, way). There seemed no way out. {Of life} (\tou zin\). Ablative case of the articular infinitive, of living.

rwp@2Corinthians:4:8 @{Pressed} (\thlibomenoi\). From \thlib\, to press as grapes, to contract, to squeeze. Series of present passive participles here through verse 9| that vividly picture Paul's ministerial career. {Yet not straitened} (\all' ou stenochroumenoi\). Each time the exception is stated by \all' ou\. From \stenochre\ (\stenochros\, from \stenos\, narrow, \chros\, space), to be in a narrow place, to keep in a tight place. Late verb, in LXX and papyri. In N.T. only here and strkjv@2Corinthians:6:12|. {Yet not unto despair} (\all' ouk exaporoumenoi\). Late perfective compound with \ex-\ of \exapore\. A very effective play on words here, lost, but not lost out.

rwp@Hebrews:12:1 @{Therefore} (\toigaroun\). Triple compound inferential participle (\toi, gar, oun\) like the German _doch denn nun_, a conclusion of emphasis, old particle, in N.T. only here and strkjv@1Thessalonians:4:8|. There should be no chapter division here, since strkjv@12:1-3| really is the climax in the whole argument about the better promises (10:19-12:3|) with a passionate appeal for loyalty to Christ. {Us also} (\kai hmeis\). We as well as "these all" of strkjv@11:39| and all the more because of the "something better" given us in the actual coming of Christ. {Compassed about} (\echontes perikeimenon\). Literally, "having (\echontes\, present active participle of \ech\) lying around us" (\perikeimenon\, present middle participle of \perikeimai\, old verb as in strkjv@Luke:17:2|). {Cloud of witnesses} (\nephos marturn\). Old word (Latin _nubes_), here only in the N.T., for vast mass of clouds. \Nephel\ is a single cloud. The metaphor refers to the great amphitheatre with the arena for the runners and the tiers upon tiers of seats rising up like a cloud. The \martures\ here are not mere spectators (\theatai\), but testifiers (witnesses) who testify from their own experience (11:2,4,5,33,39|) to God's fulfilling his promises as shown in chapter strkjv@Hebrews:11|. {Laying aside} (\apothemenoi\). Second aorist-middle (indirect, from ourselves) participle of \apotithmi\, old verb as in strkjv@Colossians:3:8| (laying off old clothes). The runners ran in the stadium nearly naked. {Every weight} (\ogkon panta\). Old word (kin to \enegkein, pher\) like \phortos, baros\. Here every encumbrance that handicaps like doubt, pride, sloth, anything. No trailing garment to hinder or trip one. {The sin which doth so easily beset us} (\tn euperistaton hamartian\). "The easily besetting sin." There are a dozen possible renderings of this double compound verbal from \eu\, well, and \periistmi\, to place around or to stand around (intransitive). The Vulgate has _circumstans nos peccatum_ (the sin standing around us). Probably this is the true idea here, "the easily encompassing (or surrounding) sin." In this case apostasy from Christ was that sin. In our cases it may be some other sin. The verbal adjective reminds one of the ring of wild beasts in the jungle that encircle the camp-fire at night each ready to pounce upon a careless victim. {Let us run} (\trechmen\). Present active volitive subjunctive of \trech\, "let us keep on running." {With patience} (\di' hupomons\). Not with impatience, doubt, or despair. {The race that is set before us} (\ton prokeimenon hmin agna\). Note the article and the present middle participle of \prokeimai\, old compound (already in strkjv@6:18|, and also in strkjv@12:2|). Dative case (\hmin\) of personal interest.

rwp@Luke:2:34 @{Is set for the falling and the rising up of many in Israel} (\Keitai eis ptsin kai anastasin polln en ti Isral\). Present indicative of the old defective verb appearing only in present and imperfect in the N.T. Sometimes it is used as the passive of \tithmi\ as here. The falling of some and the rising up of others is what is meant. He will be a stumbling-block to some (Isaiah:8:14; strkjv@Matthew:21:42,44; strkjv@Romans:9:33; strkjv@1Peter:2:16f.|) who love darkness rather than light (John:3:19|), he will be the cause of rising for others (Romans:6:4,9; strkjv@Ephesians:2:6|). "Judas despairs, Peter repents: one robber blasphemes, the other confesses" (Plummer). Jesus is the magnet of the ages. He draws some, he repels others. This is true of all epoch-making men to some extent. {Spoken against} (\antilegomenon\). Present passive participle, continuous action. It is going on today. Nietzsche regarded Jesus Christ as the curse of the race because he spared the weak.

rwp@Luke:6:35 @{But} (\pln\). Plain adversative like \pln\ in verse 24|. Never despairing (\mden apelpizontes\). \Mden\ is read by A B L Bohairic and is the reading of Westcott and Hort. The reading \mdena\ is translated "despairing of no man." The Authorized Version has it "hoping for nothing again," a meaning for \apelpiz\ with no parallel elsewhere. Field (_Otium Nor._ iii. 40) insists that all the same the context demands this meaning because of \apelpizein\ in verse 34|, but the correct reading there is \elpizein\, not \apelpizein\. Here Field's argument falls to the ground. The word occurs in Polybius, Diodorus, LXX with the sense of despairing and that is the meaning here. D and Old Latin documents have _nihil desperantes_, but the Vulgate has _nihil inde sperantes_ (hoping for nothing thence) and this false rendering has wrought great havoc in Europe. "On the strength of it Popes and councils have repeatedly condemned the taking of any interest whatever for loans. As loans could not be had without interest, and Christians were forbidden to take it, money lending passed into the hands of the Jews, and added greatly to the unnatural detestation in which Jews were held" (Plummer). By "never despairing" or "giving up nothing in despair" Jesus means that we are not to despair about getting the money back. We are to help the apparently hopeless cases. Medical writers use the word for desperate or hopeless cases. {Sons of the Most High} (\huoi Hupsistou\). In strkjv@1:32| Jesus is called "Son of the Highest" and here all real children or sons of God (Luke:20:36|) are so termed. See also strkjv@1:35,76| for the use of "the Highest" of God. He means the same thing that we see in strkjv@Matthew:5:45,48| by "your Father." {Toward the unthankful and evil} (\epi tous acharistous kai ponrous\). God the Father is kind towards the unkind and wicked. Note the one article with both adjectives.

rwp@Matthew:19:20 @{What lack I yet?} (\ti eti huster?\) Here is a psychological paradox. He claims to have kept all these commandments and yet he was not satisfied. He had an uneasy conscience and Jesus called him to something that he did not have. He thought of goodness as quantitative (a series of acts) and not qualitative (of the nature of God). Did his question reveal proud complacency or pathetic despair? A bit of both most likely.