Mercy Takes Bodily and Social Form

“Mercies” is oiktirmoi, plural compassions, the Greek rendering of the Hebrew rachamim, a word related to the womb. “Present” is paristemi, the verb Luke 2:22 uses for presenting the child Jesus in the temple. “Reasonable” is logikos, from logos; 1 Peter 2:2 uses the same adjective of “the sincere milk of the word”.

“Conformed” is built on schema, outward shape, the word of 1 Corinthians 7:31, “the fashion of this world passeth away”. “Transformed” is metamorphoo, the verb of the transfiguration in Matthew 17:2. “Prove” is dokimazo, to test metal; in 1:28 people “did not like”, literally did not see fit after testing, to retain God.

The Greek plays on one verb four times: not to “over-think” (hyperphronein) beyond what one ought to think (phronein), but to think toward sober-mindedness (sophronein). “Through the grace given unto me” is Paul’s way of naming his apostolic commission, as again in 15:15.

The body as a picture of society was an old one. Livy (2.32) tells how Menenius Agrippa calmed rebellious Roman plebs with a fable of the limbs refusing to feed the belly. “Office” here is praxis, a function or task, what a member does rather than the rank it holds.

“Members one of another” goes further than members of one body: each belongs to every other. The body is defined by its location, “in Christ”. The Greek phrase behind “every one” is a late colloquial idiom, roughly “one by one”, which keeps each person distinct inside the unity.

“Gifts” is charismata, and “grace” is charis, so the gifts are graces given out in different shapes. “Proportion” is analogia, from which “analogy” comes. The Reformers made “the analogy of faith” a rule for reading Scripture by Scripture, but here the phrase measures a prophet’s speaking against faith.

The Greek is as bare as a list: “whether ministry, in the ministry; whether he that teaches, in the teaching”. “Let us wait on” is added in translation. “Ministry” is diakonia, practical service, the word used when the apostles would not leave the word of God to “serve tables” (Acts 6:2).

“Exhorteth” is parakaleo, the verb Paul himself used for “I beseech you” in verse 1. “Simplicity” is haplotes, singleness of purpose, which also means generosity (2 Corinthians 8:2, “liberality”). “Ruleth” is proistemi, to stand in front of, as a leader or protector does. “Cheerfulness” is hilarotes, the root of hilarity.

“Without dissimulation” is anypokritos, un-hypocritical; the hypokrites was the actor speaking from behind a mask. “Abhor” is a strong compound, to loathe utterly, found nowhere else in the New Testament. “Cleave” is kollao, to be glued to, the verb of a man cleaving to his wife in Matthew 19:5.

“Kindly affectioned” is philostorgos, from storge, the natural love within a family, found only here. It answers 1:31, where people are astorgos, “without natural affection”. “Preferring” can mean leading the way in giving honour, or counting others ahead of oneself; either way the race is to honour, not to be honoured.

“Fervent” is zeo, to boil, the word used of Apollos in Acts 18:25, “being fervent in the spirit”. A few ancient manuscripts read “serving the time”, kairo, instead of “serving the Lord”, kyrio; the two words differ by only a couple of letters in Greek.

Three short phrases, each built on one noun. “Patient” is hypomeno, to remain under a weight. “Instant” in 1611 meant pressing or urgent, as the crowd “were instant with loud voices” in Luke 23:23. The chain of tribulation, patience and hope recalls 5:3–4.

“Distributing” is koinoneo, to share or hold in common. “Given to hospitality” is literally “pursuing love of strangers”: philoxenia with dioko, the verb of hunting and chasing. The letter will name such a host in 16:23, Gaius, “mine host, and of the whole church”.

“Persecute” is dioko again, the same verb as the “pursuing” of hospitality one line earlier: chase after strangers, and bless those who chase after you. The words echo Jesus in Luke 6:28, “Bless them that curse you”, though Paul does not say he is quoting.

Both commands are bare infinitives in Greek, like lines from a list of maxims. Sirach 7:34 says, “Fail not to be with them that weep, and mourn with them that mourn.” John Chrysostom remarked that rejoicing with the fortunate takes a nobler soul than weeping with the grieving, since envy is harder to master than pity.

“Mind” is the same verb as the thinking of verse 3, used twice more. “Condescend” in 1611 meant to stoop willingly, without the modern sense of talking down; the Greek pictures being carried along with the lowly. “Low estate” can mean humble people or humble tasks. The last clause repeats 11:25.

Proverbs 20:22 says, “Say not thou, I will recompense evil.” “Provide things honest” adapts Proverbs 3:4 in the Greek, and Paul quotes it more fully in 2 Corinthians 8:21. “Honest” in the King James usually means honourable or seemly, the Greek kalos, fine to look upon.

“All men” reaches beyond the congregation to neighbours, officials and opponents. Some eight years earlier Claudius had expelled Jews from Rome after disturbances (Acts 18:2), and Suetonius connects the unrest with a “Chrestus”, likely Christ; peace with outsiders was a live question for this church, though the link is an inference.

“Dearly beloved” is agapetoi, the address of 1:7, “beloved of God”. The Greek says “give place to the wrath”, with the article, and most read it as God’s wrath. The wording of Deuteronomy 32:35 matches neither the Hebrew nor the Greek Old Testament exactly, but agrees word for word with Hebrews 10:30.

Proverbs 25:21–22. Paul stops before the proverb’s last line, “and the LORD shall reward thee”. “Feed” is psomizo, to feed by small morsels, as one feeds a child or a sick person; 1 Corinthians 13:3 uses it for giving away goods “to feed the poor”.

One verb, nikao, to conquer, is used in both halves: do not be conquered by evil; conquer it. Romans 8:37 used a stronger form, “more than conquerors”. The chapter closes on the weapon, good, rather than on the enemy.