Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

James 1:21

ἀποθέμενοι, of putting off a garment, τὰ ἱμάτια, Acts 7:58; a burden, ὅγκον, Hebrews 12:1. More frequently figuratively, Romans 13:12 τὰ ἔργα τοῦ σκότους. Ephesians 4:22; Ephesians 4:25 τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον … τὸ ψεῦδος. Colossians 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�, 1 Peter 3:21; ὁ ῥυπαρὸς ῥυπανθήτω ἔτι, Revelation 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. Psalms 25:9; Psalms 34:2; Psalms 37:11; Psalms 76:9; Psalms 147:6; Psalms 149:4.

Christ calls Himself πραΰς Matthew 11:29, and places the πραεῖς in the forefront of those who are ‘blessed,’ Matthew 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�, 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, 2 Corinthians 10:1; ἐγκράτεια, Galatians 5:23; ταπεινοφροσύνη and μακροθυμία, Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:12; ὑπομονή, 2 Thessalonians 3:5. Comp. also 1 Corinthians 4:21; Galatians 6:1; Titus 3:2. With the exception of this passage and 1 Peter 3:15 πρᾳότης (πρᾳΰτης) is a Pauline word.

δέξασθε τὸν ἔμφυτον λόγον. Comp. μετὰ χαρᾶς δέχονται τὸν λόγον, Luke 8:13. ἐδέξασθε οὐ λόγον�, 1 Thessalonians 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 James 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.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

James 1:21

Old Testament

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