Ephesians 4:26
Harold R. Holmyard III
hholmyard at ont.com
Thu Apr 13 10:46:36 EDT 2000
Dear Maurice and Charles,
Thank you for the clarification about the category of permissive
imperative used by Dan Wallace. I had ordered the book before your posts, I
but have not received it. Dan describes just the usage of ORGIZESQE in Psa
4:4, but he doubts its presence in Eph 4:26, because, as Charles adds, "all
clear examples of conditional imperatives in the NT are followed by KAI +
future indicative." Charles states that ORGIZESQE should then be treated as
a command imperative.
The question in my mind is whether the quotation of Ps 4:4 in Eph 4:26
carries its context. Not every OT quotation in the NT must, but this is a
normal expectation. G. K. Beale's NIGTC commentary, The Book of Revelation,
derives many of its insights from this principle.
The context of Psalm 4:2-5 is nearly that of Eph 4:25-29. Ephesians
4:25 commands converts to put away lying. Ephesians 4:28 tells the thief no
longer to steal but to work to share with the needy. Similarly, Psalm 4:2
addresses men who love falsehood and vain things, telling them to repent,
offer a sacrifice of righteousness, and hope in the Lord. It is a sacrifice
of righteousness for the thief in Ephesians to work so as to give away his
gain to the needy.
The imperative ORGIZESQE in Ps 4:4 must be permissive; so Paul
probably alludes to this connotation in his mirrorlike context. The clause
after the quotation of Ps 4:4 in Eph 4:26 is: "let not the sun go down upon
your wrath." This clause evokes the scene in Ps 4:4 where the sinners are
to repent upon their beds concerning what is in their hearts (anger). In
both places nighttime should bring an end to the anger.
Yours,
Harold Holmyard
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