Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Romans 15:28

τοῦτο οὖν ἐπιτελέσας : having brought this business to a close. It is a mistake to find in Paul's use of ἐπιτελεῖν any reference to the performance of a religious rite: see 2 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 8:2; Galatians 3:3; Philippians 1:6. σφραγισάμενος αὐτοῖς τὸν καρπὸν τοῦτον. “This fruit” is, of course, the collection; it is one of the gracious results of the reception of the Gospel by the Gentiles, and Paul loves to conceive and to speak of it spiritually rather than materially. Thus in 2 Corinthians 8:9 he calls it a χάρις, a διακονία, a κοινωνία, a ἁδρότης, a εὐλογία : never money. The point of the figure in σφραγισάμενος cannot be said to be clear. It may possibly suggest that Paul, in handing over the money to the saints, authenticates it to them as the fruit of their πνευματικά, which have been sown among the Gentiles (so. and H.); or it may only mean “when I have secured this fruit to them as their property ” (so Meyer). The ideas of “property,” “security,” “formality,” “solemnity,” “finality,” are all associated with σφραγίς and σφραγίζω in different passages of the N.T., and it is impossible to say which preponderated in Paul's mind as he wrote these words. Cf. John 3:33; John 6:27. ἀπελεύσομαι is simply abibo: the idea of departing from Jerusalem is included in it, which is not brought out in the R.V., “I will go on”. διʼ ὑμῶν : cf. 2 Corinthians 1:16. εἰς Σπανίαν : there is no evidence that this intention was ever carried out except the well-known passage in Clem. Romans 1:5 which speaks of Paul as having come ἐπὶ τὸ τέρμα τῆς δύσεως : an expression which, especially if the writer was a Jew, may as well mean Rome as Spain. But all the more if it was not carried out is this passage in Romans assuredly genuine; a second-century writer would not gratuitously ascribe to an apostle intentions which he must have known were never accomplished.

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Romans 15:28

Old Testament

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