Ephesians 5:15

βλέπετε οὖν πῶς ἀκριβῶς [ἀκριβῶς πως] περιπατεῖτε : take heed then how ye walk with strictness [or, take heed carefully how ye walk]. The writer passes from the statement of the need of the ἔλεγξις and its profitable effects into which he had been led for a space, and returns to the exhortation of Ephesians 5:8. The οὖν has its resumptive force here; as indeed it is a particle not so much of inference as of “continuation and retrospection” (Donald.), and is better rendered “then,” “accordingly,” “to proceed,” than “therefore” (see Win.-Moult., p. 553; Ell. on Galatians 3:5; and especially Donaldson, Greek Gram., p. 571). It is out of place to give βλέπετε any such sense as “make use of the light so as to see,” as if it had regard to the φῶς previously mentioned. It has the simple force of “take heed,” as in Matthew 13:23; Matthew 13:33; 1 Corinthians 10:7; Philippians 3:2; Colossians 4:17. It is followed by πῶς again in Luke 8:18; 1 Corinthians 3:10. The particular shade of meaning attributable to ἀκριβῶς here turns in some degree on the reading. The TR gives πῶς ἀκριβῶς, following [558] 5 [559] [560] [561] [562] [563] [564] and most MSS., with the Vulg., Syr., Arm. Versions, and such Fathers as Theodor., Jerome, etc. If this order is adopted ἀκριβῶς, which = “exactly,” “diligently” (Matthew 2:8; Luke 1:3; Acts 18:25; 1 Thessalonians 5:2), will express the idea of strict conformity to a standard, carefulness against any departure from what is proper to a Christian walk. So the AV and other old English Versions render it “circumspectly” or (Wicl., Rhem.) “warily” a very good translation. In [565] [566] [567] 17, Origen, etc., the order is ἀκριβῶς πῶς, and this is adopted by TTr marg. WRV. In that case the injunction loses its distinctive note, and instead of the charge to take heed how they walked “with strict carefulness,” we have the plain exhortation to “take heed carefully” how they walked. The πῶς in either case should have its proper sense “how” (as in Cran., Cov., Rhem. and similarly Wicl.), not “that” (as in AV and the rest of the old English Versions). Further, the περιπατεῖτε is not an indic. with a conjunctive force, as if = “take heed how ye should walk,” but a proper indic.; the point being the need of looking carefully at the way in which the Christian walk was being carried out there and then. See Win.-Moult., p. 376, and cf. ἔκαστος βλεπέτω πῶς οἰκοδομετῖ in 1 Corinthians 3:10. μὴ ὡς ἄσοφοι, ἀλλʼ ὡς σοφοί : not as unwise, but as wise. Some think that some such term as περιπατοῦντες must be supplied here. But it is unnecessary, the μὴ ὡς ἄσοφοι being dependent on the πῶς περιπατεῖτε and explanatory of it, = “how ye walk, to wit, not as unwise, but as wise”. The subjective negative μή is in point because the whole sentence is also dependent on the βλέπετε. The nature of the walk to be consistently pursued is placed in the stronger light by the antithetic parallelism; a form especially characteristic of the Johannine writings; cf. Win.-Moult., p. 762. They were to walk as those who had the character (ὡς) not of fools, but of wise men.

[558] Codex Sinaiticus (sæc. iv.), now at St. Petersburg, published in facsimile type by its discoverer, Tischendorf, in 1862.

[559] Codex Alexandrinus (sæc. v.), at the British Museum, published in photographic facsimile by Sir E. M. Thompson (1879).

[560] Codex Claromontanus (sæc. vi.), a Græco-Latin MS. at Paris, edited by Tischendorf in 1852.

[561] Codex Boernerianus (sæc. ix.), a Græco-Latin MS., at Dresden, edited by Matthæi in 1791. Written by an Irish scribe, it once formed part of the same volume as Codex Sangallensis (δ) of the Gospels. The Latin text, g, is based on the O.L. translation.

[562] Codex Mosquensis (sæc. ix.), edited by Matthæi in 1782.

[563] Codex Angelicus (sæc. ix.), at Rome, collated by Tischendorf and others.

[564] Codex Porphyrianus (sæc. ix.), at St. Petersburg, collated by Tischendorf. Its text is deficient for chap. Ephesians 2:13-16.

[565] Codex Vaticanus (sæc. iv.), published in photographic facsimile in 1889 under the care of the Abbate Cozza-Luzi.

[566] Autograph of the original scribe of א.

[567] Autograph of the original scribe of א.