 |  |
Is this true? The A.V. and the R.V. seem to say it is, but the R.V. margin exposes
the error.
The word rendered here "I wot," or "I know," is gnorizõ. Out of the twenty-four
occurrences of the word, Paul uses it eighteen times, and out of that eighteen eleven
occur in the three prison epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians). We will not
quote all occurrences, but give the whole of the references in these epistles, the only other
occurrence in Philippians being shown first:--
Phil. 4: 6.
"Let your requests be made known unto God."
Eph. 1: 9.
"Having made known unto us the mystery of His will."
Eph. 3: 3.
"By revelation He made known unto me the mystery."
Eph. 3: 5.
"Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men."
Eph. 3: 10.
"Unto principalities . . . . . might be made known through the Church" (R.V.).
"Might be known by" (A.V.) of course means the same.
Eph. 6: 19. "That I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery."
Eph. 6: 21. "Tychicus . . . . . shall make known to you all things."
Col. 1: 27. "To whom God would make known what is the riches."
Col. 4: 7. "All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you."
Col. 4: 9. "They shall make known unto you all things."
The word is rendered "to make known" sixteen times in A.V., "certify" once,
"declare" four times, "do to wit" once, "give to understand" once, and "wot" once.
The last case is the passage in question; all others without exception can have but one
meaning--"to make known, tell or declare." The fallacy that Paul did not know what to
choose is therefore exposed by a consideration not only of his own usage, but of the
usage of the word in the whole of the N.T. It is evident that he did know what he would
choose, otherwise, to say "I do not tell" would be the empty equivocation of a braggart,
who covered his ignorance by assuming knowledge. Under the word "Wot" in
Dr. Bullinger's Critical Lexicon and Concordance is written, "gnorizõ, to make known:
declare, reveal."
Following on the idea that Paul did not know what to choose, we are told that he "was
pressed out of the two, by reason of a third." Here again we must drop all theories, and
take the facts of Scripture as they stand. The word, "I am in a strait," means to press
together, to hold, to constrain. The A.V. renders the word as follows, "constrain" once,
"keep in" once, "press" once, "stop" once, "throng" once, "man that holdeth" once,
"be taken with" three times, "lie sick of" once. Again the Concordance proves a
stubborn thing--quite impartial and unmoved by the most desirable of theories.
Dr. Bullinger's Critical Lexicon and Concordance says of sunechõ, "constrain to hold,
or keep together, confine, secure, hence constrain, hold fast." Let us observe the usage:--
Luke 22: 63. "The men that held Jesus, mocked Him."
Luke 8: 45. "The multitude throng thee and press thee."
Luke 19: 43. "And keep thee in on every side."
Acts 7: 57. "And stopped their ears."
II Cor. 5: 14. "For the love of God constraineth us" (i.e. shuts us in to the one course
indicated in verses 13 and 15).