he confidered the eating of that meat as a partaking in the worfhip of the idol to whom it had been offered, ver. 28.-If thou reply, why should my liberty be governed by another's opinion?. and, feeing God hath allowed me to eat all kinds of meat, why should I be blamed for eating any particular meat, for which I give God thanks? ver, 29, 30.-My answer is, for the very rea fon, that by the free gift of God all his good creatures are beftowed on thee, thou art bound in eating and drinking, as in all thy actions, to confult the glory of God, who has commanded thee, even in indifferent actions, to confider what may be good for the edification of others, ver. 31.-I therefore exhort you, in OLD TRANSLATION. CHAP. X. I Moreover, 20 brethren, I would not that 14 that all our fathers were unye fhould be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all paffed through the fea; 2 And were all baptized unto Mofes in the cloud, and in the fea; 3 And did all eat the fame fpiritual meat; GREEK TEXT. 1 Ου θελω δε ύμας αγ νοείν, αδελφοι, ὅτι ὁι πατερες ήμων παντες ὑπο την νε Φελην ησαν και παντες δια της θαλλασσης διήλθον 2 Και παντες εις τον Μω την εβαπτίσαντο εν τη νεφε λη και εν τη θαλασση 3 Και παντες TO αυτο βρωμα πνευματικον εφαγον Ver. 1.-1. Our fathers; that is, our predeceffors in the church of God. For the Corinthian church being chiefly composed of Gentiles, the Ifraelites could not be called their natural fathers. Or the apoftle's meaning may be, The fathers of us Jews. 2. Were all under the cloud. See 2 Pet. i. 17. note 2.-The Ifraelites by the cloud were defended from the Egyptians, Exod. xiv. 20. It was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to thefe; fo that the one came not near the other all the night. See alfo Pfal. ev. 39. This cloud accompanied them in their journeyings, and was fpread over them like a covering, to defend them from the heat of the fun, which in the deserts of Arabia is intenfe, Numb. xiv. 14. Thy cloud Standeth over them. Some are of opinion, that in thofe parts of the wilderness, where the ftreams from the rock could not follow the Ifraelites, they received rain for drink by fhowers from the cloud and to this they apply, Pfal. Ixviii. 9. Thou, O Lord, didft fend a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance when it was weary. Ver. 2. in ufing your Chriftian liberty to become no occafion of ftumbling, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God, ver. 32. -This is the rule I myself follow; not seeking mine own advantage only, but the advantage of others alfo, that they may be faved, ver. 33.-And ye fhould become imitators of me in this difinterestedness, even as I also am therein an imitator of Christ, chap. xi. 1.-By telling the Corinthians that he followed this rule, and that in following it, he imitated the difinterestedness of Chrift, he infinuated, that the behaviour of the falfe teacher was of a different kind. He regarded only his own gratification and profit, and had no regard to the advantage of others. COMMENTARY. CHAP. X. I Ye think yourselves fo much in favour with God, that he will not be displeased, though ye eat the facrifices of idols. But I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that our fathers were in fuch favour with God, that they were all under the protection of the cloud, and all paffed through the fea; 2 And all were baptized into the belief of Mofes's divine miffion, by their being hidden from the Egyptians in the cloud, and by their palling through the fea miraculously; 3 And all did eat the fame typical meat with that which we eat in the Lord's fupper. For the manna, like the bread in the fupper, fignified the 'doctrine of Chrift. Ver. 2. In the cloud and in the fea. Because the Ifraelites, by being hid from the Egyptians under the cloud, and by paffing through the Red Sea, were made to declare their belief in the Lord, and in his fervant Mofes, Exod, xiv. 31. the apoftle very properly represents them as baptized into Mofes, in the cloud and in the fea. Ver. 3. The fame fpiritual meat. The manna is called the fame fpiritual meat, becaufe the fpiritual bleffings which it typified, were the fame with thofe typified by the bread in the Lord's fupper, John vi. 51.. which the Corinthians ate, and by which they thought themselves. secured against being defiled by eating the idol facrifices. See ver. 4. Rote 3.We have the word fpiritual, ufed in the sense of typical, Rev, L 4 xi. 8. 4 And did all drink the fame fpiritual drink: (For they drank of that fpiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Chrift,) 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 4 Και παντες то αυτο πομα πνευματικον επιον επι νον γαρ εκ πνευματικης ακολεθεσης πέτρας· ἡ δε πετρα ὴν ὁ Χρις ο. 5 Αλλ' εκ εν τοις πλείο σιν αυτων ευδόκησεν ο Θεος κατεςρώθησαν γαρ εν τη ερημώ. xi. 8. Which Spiritually (that is typically) is called Sodom and Egypt.That the feeding of the Ifraelites with manna had a typical meaning, appears from Deut. viii. 3. and that it fignified true doctrine in particular, appears from Pfal. Ixxviii. 25. where the manna is called angels food. Ver. 4.-1. They drank of the fpiritual Rock. Here the rock is put for the water that came out of the rock. Water was twice brought from a rock by miracles for the Ifraelites in the wilderness. Once in Rephidim in the wilderness of Sin, which was their eleventh ftation after they came out of Egypt, and before they came to Mount Sinai: confequently it happened in the firft year of the Exodus. The hiftory of this miracle we have, Exod. xvii.-The second time water was brought from a rock, was at Kadesh in the wildernefs of Zin, which was their 33d ftation. This happened in the fortieth year of the Exodus, foon after Miriam's death, Numb. xx. I. To both places the name of Meribah was given: But the latter was called Meribah Kadesh, to diftinguish it from Meribah of Rephidim. It is of the miracle performed in Rephidim which the apoftle fpeaks; for, he fays, the greater part of them who drank of the rock, were caft down in the wildernefs. 2. Which followed them. The rock here, as in the former clause, is put for the water from the rock. This it feems came forth from it in fuch abundance as to form a brook, which is faid, Deut. ix. 21. to have defcended out of the Mount, that is, out of Horeb, Exod. xvii. 5, 6. for before that miracle there was no brook in these parts. The iffuing of the water from the rock is faid to have been like a river, Pfal. lxxviii. 16. cv. 41. The truth is, 600,000 men with their women and children and their cattle, required a river to fupply them with drink. Accordingly the river from the rock followed them. For as Wall obferves, Crit. Notes vol. i. p. 106. from Horeb, which was an high mountain, there may have been a defcent to the fea; and the Ifraelites during the 37 years of their journeying from Mount Sinai, may have gone by thofe tracts of country, in which the waters from Horeb could follow them, till in the 39th year of the Exodus they came to Ezion Gaber, Numb. xxxiii. 36. which was a port of the Red Sea, a great way down the Arabian fide, where it is supposed the waters from 4 And all did drink the fame spiritual drink: for they drank of the spiritual Rock which followed THEM; and that Rock was Chrift.3 2 5 Nevertheless, with the greater part of them, God was not well pleased; ' for they were caft down in the wilderness. 4 And all did drink the fame typi cal drink. For they drank of water from the typical rock, which water followed them: And that rock was a type of Chrift, as the fource of all the revelations of God. 5 Notwithstanding the Ifraelites were thus favoured, with the greater part of them God was much difpleased, for they were caft down in heaps killed in the wilderness, because they refused to go into Canaan. from Horeb went into that Sea. The country through which the Ifraelites journeyed fo long a time, being watered by this river, produced, no doubt, herbage for the cattle of the Ifraelites, which in this defert muft otherwife have perished. But in the 40th year of the Exodus, leaving Ezion Gaber to go into Canaan by the caft border of Edom, they no fooner entered the defert of Zin, which is Kadesh, than they were a fecond time diftreffed for want of water. 3. And that Rock was Chrift. That the waters which iffued from the rock of Horeb, were a type of the revelations to be made to the world by Christ and his apoftles, confequently that the rock itself was a type of Chrift, may be gathered from Chrift's own words, who in allufion to the waters flowing from the rock, and perhaps to explain their spiritual or typical meaning, faid, John vii. 37. If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. Befides, Chrift ftill more plainly taught, concerning the manna with which the Ifraelites were fed in the wilderness, that it was a type of him and of his flesh, which he was to give for the life of the world. John vi. 51. For he calls himself, ver. 32. The true bread from heaven and ver. 35. The bread of life. If therefore, the waters from the rock typified the revelations made to the world by Christ, and his prophets, and apoftles, well might Paul fay, That rock was a type of Christ. The waters in Ezekiel's vifion, feem to have had the fame typical meaning with the water from the rock. Ver 5. Nevertheless with the greater part of them, God was not well pleafed. The apoftle, ver. 3, 4. having told the Corinthians, that all the ancient Ifraelites in the manna ate the fame fpiritual meat with them, and in the water from the rock, drank the fame fpiritual drink, he obferved in this verfe, that the spiritual meat and drink, with which the Ifraelites were fed, did not keep them from finning; and that their fins were fo difpleafing to God, that he caft them down in the wildernefs. Wherefore the Corinthians could not fancy, that their fpiritual meat and drink would make them incapable of finning. As little could they fancy that if they finned, God would not be displeased with them. Ver. 6. 6 Now these things were we fhould not lunt after evil 7 Neither be ye idolaters, 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as fome of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thoufand. 6 Ταυτα δε τυποι ἡμων εγενήθησαν, εις το μη είναι ήμας επιθυμητας κακων, καθως κακείνοι επεθύμησαν. 7 Μηδε ειδωλολατραι για νεσθε, καθώς τινες αυτων ὡς γεγραπται, Εκαθισεν ὁ λαος φαγείν και πιειν, και ανέςησαν παίζειν. και έπεσον 8 Μηδε πορνεύωμεν, και ως τινες αυτων επορνευσαν, εν μια ημερα εικοσιτρεις χιλιαδες. Ο Μηδε εκπειραζωμεν τον Laus. Christos fom et duα Χρισον, καθώς και τινες αυτ 1:21. 9 Neither let us tempt tempted, and were deftroyed of ferpents. των επείρασαν, και ύπο των οφεων απωλοντο. Ver. 6. Thefe things have become examples to us. νήθησαν. The fame phrafe 1 Pet. v. 3. Τυποι ήμων εγε Τύποι γινόμενοι το ποίμνιο, 18 rendered in our bibles, Being enfamples to the flock. Ver. 7. - 1. Neither be ye idolaters. By no means join the heathens in in their idolatrous feafts, becaufe if the perfons whofe friendship ye wish to cultivate, tempt you to commit idolatry, neither your fuperior knowledge, nor the fpiritual gifts which ye poffefs, will abfolutely fecure you against their allurements. Of these things ye have a striking proof in the ancient Ifraelites. 2. Sat down. In ancient times, the Hebrews always fat at meat, Gen. xliii. 33. It was in later times only, that in compliance with the manners of the Greeks and Romans, they lay on couches at their meals. 3. And rofe up, παίζειν, to dance. In this fenfe the Greeks ufed the word παιζειν, Ariftophan. Ran. lin. 443: Χωρειτε ἱερον ανα κυκλον θεας, Ανθοφόρων, αν' αλό Παιδίζοντες. That is, "Now go in the circle facred to the goddefs, crowned with « flowers, dancing in the pleafant grove.”. From this it appears, that dancing was one of the rites practifed by the heathens in the worship of their gods. And that the Ifraelites worshipped the golden calf by dancing, is evident from Exod. xxxii. 19. where it is fuid of Mofes, That he faw the calf and the dancing, and Mofes' anger waxed hot. Ver. 8. |