Ephesians 6:8

εἰδότες ὅτο ὅ ἐάν τι ἕκαστος ποιήση ἀναθόν : knowing that whatsoever good thing each shall have done. Or, according to the text of T and WH = “knowing that each, if he shall have done any good thing”. Participal clause subjoining a reason or encouragement for a service rendered in sincerity, with hearty good-will, and as to the Lord Himself. The encouragement lies in their Christian knowledge of the Lord's reward. εἰδότες, not = “who know” as if οἱ εἰδότες, but “seeing ye know,” “knowing as ye do”. The ποιήσῃ, as followed by the κομίσεται, is best rendered “shall have done”. The readings vary greatly. Passing over minor diversities, e.g., εἰδόντες for εἰδόντες, ἐάν τις ἕκαστος, ὃ ἕκαστος ποιήσῃ with omission of ἐάν τι, etc., we find exceptional uncertainty in the text of the ἐάν clause. The TR reads ὅτι ὅ ἐάν τι ἕκαστος, which is given in L 2 and most cursives. In that case ἐὰν is the potential ἄν, the ὅ and the τι being separated by tmesis (cf. ἣν ἄν τινα καταβλάψῃ, Plato, Laws, ix., 864 E), and the sense being = “whatsoever each,” etc. But in a considerable number of Manuscripts and Versions ([757] [758] [759] [760], 17, 37, Vulg., Arm., etc.) we find ὅτι ἕκαστος ὃ ἄν (or ἐὰν) ποιήσῃ,; in [761] [762], ὅτι (probably ὅ τι) ἐὰν ποιήσῃ, while [763] 3 inserts ὅ before ἐάν; in [764] *, and one or two cursives (46, 62, 115, 129), ὅτι ἐάν τι ἕκαστος; and in B d, e, Petr. alex. Song of Song of Solomon 6, ὅτι ἔκαστος ἐάν τι ποιήσῃ. This last reading is preferred by Tisch., ed. viii. th, Alf., WH, and is placed in the margin by Lach. In this ἐὰν is the conditional particle and the sense is = “knowing as ye do that each, if he shall have done any good thing”. The Manuscripts constantly vary between ἄν and ἐάν. In classical Greek the conditional ἐάν, if, took also the contracted form ἄν, especially in Thucydides and Plato, and this possibly is the explanation of the biblical use of ἐὰν as = the potential ἄν. In any case the use of ἐὰν, attached to relative pronouns and adverbs, ὁ ἐάν, ὅπου ἐάν, οὗ ἐάν, ὁσάκις ἐάν, etc., with the potential force, appears to occur (making all due allowance for uncertainties in the texts) with some frequency both in the LXX and in the NT, and it is found in the papyri; cf. Thayer-Grimm, Lex., p. 168; Buttm., Gram. of N. T. Greek, p. 72; Blass, Gram. of N. T. Greek, pp. 60, 61, 216. τοῦτο κομιεῖται [κομίσεται] παρὰ [τοῦ] Κυρίου : this shall he receive again from the Lord. The κομιεῖται of the TR is supported by [765] 3 [766] 3 [767] [768], Bas., Chr., Theodor., etc.; P gives κομίσηται. The best reading is κομίσεται, which is that of [769] [770] [771] [772] [773] * [774], etc. In the NT the verb κομίζειν is used once in the simple sense of carrying or bringing to one (Luke 7:37, of the woman's ἀλάβαστρον); oftener in the sense of obtaining (1 Peter 1:9; 2 Peter 2:13; Hebrews 10:36; Hebrews 11:39), or in that of receiving back, recovering one's own (Matthew 25:27; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Colossians 3:25). The word has this last sense also in classical Greek (e.g., τὴν ἀδελφήν, Eurip., Iph. T., 1362; Thuc., i., 113, etc.). So here the idea is that of receiving back. The “good thing” done is represented as being itself given back to the doer; the certainty, equity and adequacy of the reward being thus signified (cf. especially 2 Corinthians 5:10). Whether the Middle is to be taken as the appropriative Middle, expressing as it were the receiving back of a deposit (Ell.) is doubtful in view of the fact that in every NT occurrence but one (Luke 7:37) Middle forms are used. The best uncials omit τοῦ before Κυρίου, and so LTTrWHRV. εἴτε δοῦλος, εἴτε ἐλεύθερος : whether bond or free. The reward in view is that of the Great Day, the Parousia, which will have regard not to social distinctions or external circumstances, but only to spiritual conditions.

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

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

[759] 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.

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

[761] Autograph of the original scribe of א.

[762] Autograph of the original scribe of א.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[770] Autograph of the original scribe of א.

[771] Autograph of the original scribe of א.

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

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

[774] 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.