Romans 1:19

that which may be known of God Lit. that which is known; i.e. ideally known; that which, under any circumstances, man has known. The E. V. is thus practically right.

The word "knowable" has of late years become fashionable in philosophic language; and some writers have boldly taught that God is "The Unknown and Unknowable." This direct contradiction of the Lord and the Apostles seems to be largely due to a confusion of real knowledge with perfect knowledge. Meanwhile Scripture itself teaches that in an inner senseGod is"unknowable," until revealed. (Matthew 11:25-27.)

The "because" points to the "holding down" just before: q. d., "they hold down the truth; and it needsholding down, as a living thing, if it is to be kept out of the way; because it is, as a fact, known to them."

in them Or, amongst them. The Gr. bears either meaning; and on the whole the context favours the latter.

for God hath shewed it Lit. for God did manifest it. The verb is in the aorist, and thus seems to point to a completepast; perhaps to the ideal time of creation, when the "eternal power and Godhead" were manifested. It must be observed in general, however, that in the Greek of the N. T. the aorist sometimespractically covers the ground of the perfect. The point of this verse thus may be that "God hath[in abiding effect] manifested, &c."