PAUL’S WISH.

            In Romans 9: 3, Paul says, “I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.” This is one of the most difficult passages in the New Testament, as it now stands in the English version. In the preceding chapter he had asked, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay,” says he, “I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Should all these things fail to make him accursed, and should the anxiety he felt for the salvation of his persecuting countrymen even hypothetically prevail? This cannot be. His wish to be accursed, or separated from the love of God to be manifested in full through Christ Jesus, must have some other import than this.

            Mr. Frey, an Israelite who admits the claims of Jesus to Messiahship, has proposed the following solution of the difficulty: Read the second and third verses, omitting the words, “I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ;” then, afterwards replace them where they belong, and read them as in a parenthesis, with “I did wish” instead of “I could wish.” Thus, “I have a great heaviness, and continued sorrow in my heart * * * for my brethren, my kinsmen according to flesh, who are Israelites:” then, “I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart (for I did myself wish to be accursed from Christ) for my brethren, my kinsmen according to flesh, who are Israelites.” This exhibits the mind of the apostle very clearly. He had great heaviness and sorrow for Israel, because they were while he was dictating his letter, as he was before his conversion. He had doubtless wished himself accursed from Jesus; and was probably an individual of the crowd which cried out “His blood be on us, and on our children!” After Paul was enlightened, and came to measure his position at that crisis of Christ’s affliction, he beheld it in all its hideousness, so as to create in him a poignant sympathy for his kinsmen, who still remained under that self imprecated curse.

            Euchomeen, the original word, translated “could wish” in the common version, is the imperfect middle, and is rendered by “I was wishing,” “I wished,” or “I did wish.” This accords with what we have said above. He imprecated a curse upon himself—a past action—while he was in an unconverted state—another thing in the past: but when enlightened, neither all Israelites, “nor any other created thing,” could induce him to wish himself accursed again. This part of Paul’s experience well fitted him for sympathy with his unbelieving countrymen. Mr. Frey has well said, “He who has just been rescued from a dangerous fit of sickness, feels more for a sick person, than he who never knew what sickness means. Hence, even the Son of God himself needed to be tempted and tried, that he might be able to succour them that are tempted.”

EDITOR.

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