Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

1 Peter 5:10

Your adversary assails you, but God has called you to His eternal glory; first for a little you must suffer, His grace will supply all your needs. 1 Peter 5:9 is practically a parenthesis; ὁ θεός stands over against ὁ ἀντίδικος (1 Peter 5:8) as δέ shows. ὁ καλέσας, for the promise of sustenance implied in the calling; cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 f.; 1 Corinthians 1:8 f. ἐν Χριστῷ goes with ὁ … δόξαν; God called them in Christ and only as they are in Christ can they enter the glory; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17-19, εἴ τις ἐν Χριστῷ καινὴ κτίσις … θεὸς ἦν ἐν Χριστῷ κόσμον καταλλάσσων ἑαυτῷ. ὀλίλον παθόντας, after you have suffered for a little while. The same contrast between temporary affliction and the eternal glory is drawn by St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:17, τὸ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεω … αἰώνιον βάρος δόξης κατεργάζεται, where in addition to the antithesis between eternal glory and temporary suffering the weight of glory (play on meanings of root יקר) is opposed to the lightness of tribulation. αὐτός has the force of πιστὸς ὁ καλῶν (1 Thessalonians 5:24). καταρτίσει, shall perfect. When Simon and Andrew were called to leave their fishing and become fishers of men James and John were themselves also in a boat mending κατατίζοντας their nets (Mark 1:16-19). The process was equally necessary in their new fishing and the word was naturally applied to the mending of the Churches or individual Christians who by their good behaviour must catch men (see e.g., 1 Corinthians 1:10). Only God can fully achieve this mending of all shortcomings; cf. Hebrews 13:21. στηρίξει, shall confirm; cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:17, etc.; when the Kingdom of Heaven was stormed the stormers needed confirmation (Acts 18:23). This was the peculiar work assigned to St. Peter thou having converted confirm στήρισον the brethren (Luke 22:32). σθενώσει is only apparently unique, being equivalent to ἐνισχύσει or δυναμώσει (Hesychius) cf. Colossians 1:11, ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει δυναμώμενοι κατὰ τὸ κράτος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ and Hebrews 11:34, ἐδυναμώθησαν ἀπὸ ἀσθενείας (parallel to ὀλίγον παθ. above).

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

1 Peter 5:10

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