Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Romans 2:19
And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
19. thou thyself ] Strongly emphatic. The person supposed is not only sure of the privileges of Jews in general, but of his own spiritual competency, by virtue simply of his position and light.
Surely the Apostle is recalling, in part, his own ideas as a Jewish Rabbi of “the straitest sect;” and we may be certain that in the mass of Rabbis and their followers of that time all the features of pride and blindness he here draws were at least as strongly marked as in his own past. See Appendix A.
a guide of the blind ] A very frequent and expressive metaphor. See Mat 15:14; Mat 23:16, &c.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And art confident – This expression denotes the full assurance of the Jew that he was superior in knowledge to all other people. It is a remarkable fact that the Jews put the fullest confidence in their religion. Though proud, wicked, and hypocritical, yet they were not speculative infidels. It was one of their characteristics, evinced through all their history, that they had the fullest assurance that God was the author of their institutions, and that their religion was his appointment.
A guide of the blind – A guide of the blind is a figurative expression to denote an instructor of the ignorant. The blind here properly refers to the Gentiles, who were thus regarded by the Jews. The meaning is, that they esteemed themselves qualified to instruct the pagan world; Mat 15:14; Mat 23:15.
A light – Another figurative expression to denote a teacher; compare Isa 49:6; Joh 1:4-5, Joh 1:8-9.
In darkness – A common expression to denote the ignorance of the Gentile world; see the note at Mat 4:16.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 19. And art confident, &c.] In consequence of all these religious advantages, ye believe that ye are able to teach others, and to be guides and lights to the bewildered, darkened Gentiles, who may become proselytes to your religion.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
17-24. Behold“But if”is, beyond doubt, the true reading here. (It differs but in a singleletter from the received reading, and the sense is the same).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And art confident that thou thyself,…. Being vainly puffed up in, their fleshly minds, they were strongly persuaded that they were very fit persons to be
a guide to the blind: all men are by nature blind, as to the knowledge of divine and spiritual things; the meaner sort of the people among the Jews seem to be intended here; or else the ignorant Gentiles, whom the Jews were very fond of making proselytes to their religion and laws; but miserable guides were they, whether to their own people, or others; blind guides of the blind. Gospel ministers best deserve this title:
a light of them that are in darkness; so Christ, John the Baptist, the disciples of Christ, and all Gospel ministers are; but these men, who arrogated such characters to themselves, were dim lights, and dark lanterns. The apostle seems to have respect to those very high and exalted characters the Jews give of their doctors, as when they call one, , “the lamp of light” w; another,
, “the holy lamps” x; and a third, , “the lamp of Israel” y; with many others of the same kind; [See comments on Mt 5:14] and [See comments on Joh 5:35].
w T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 17. 1. x Zohar passim. y T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 28. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
A guide of the blind ( ). Accusative in predicate with to agree with , accusative of general reference with infinitive in indirect discourse after . Late word (Polybius, Plutarch) from , way, and , to lead, one who leads the way. is objective genitive plural. The Jews were meant by God to be guides for the Gentiles, for salvation is of the Jews (Joh 4:22).
A light (). “A light for those in darkness” ( , objective genitive again). But this intention of God about the Jews had resulted in conceited arrogance on their part.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) And art confident that thou thyself, (pepoithas te seauton) And having persuaded or convinced thyself, Mat 23:13; Mat 23:15-16; Mat 23:23-28. They were self-deceived, conceited, self-righteous, often referred to by Jesus as Jewish hypocrites.
2) Art a guide of the blind, (hodegon einai tuphlon) to be, or that thou art, a guide-leader of Wind people, not only boasting of your Jewish privileges but also setting yourself up as a teacher. The Jew is confident that the Gentiles should come to them for schooling regarding right and wrong. The term blind refers to the Gentiles who were considered by the Jews to be blind regarding truth. Luk 18:9.
3) A light of them which art in darkness, (phos ton en skotei) A light of the ones in darkness, the Gentiles, though the Jews had themselves rejected Christ, the true giver of light to those in darkness, Isa 9:2; Mat 4:13-16; Joh 8:12.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
19. And believest thyself, etc. More is still granted to them; as though they had not only what was sufficient for themselves, but also that by which they could enrich others. He grants, indeed, that they had such abundance of learning, as that others might have been supplied. (80)
(80) Calvin has passed over here several clauses: they are so plain as to require no remarks, except the two last. “The instructor of the unwise — insipientium,” ἀφρόνων, of such as were foolish from not understanding things rightly. “The teacher of the ignorant — imperitorum,” νηπίων, babes, that is, of such as were ignorant like babes. But these and the foregoing titles, “the guide of the blind,” and, “light to those in darkness,” were such as the Jewish doctors assumed, and are not to be considered as having any great difference in their real meaning. There seems to be no reason to suppose, with [ Doddridge ] and some others, that “the blind, foolish, ignorant” were the Gentiles, for the Jews did not assume the office of teaching them. It is to be observed that Paul here takes the case, not of the common people, but of the learned — the teachers.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(19) A guide of the blind.Comp. Mat. 15:14, They be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, et seq.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
19. Guide As a Jew.
Of the blind Of the blind pagans to a seeing of the true God.
A light As the Messiah was to be a light to the Gentiles.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Rom 2:19. Guide of the blind, &c. Blind,in darkness,ignorant,babes, were appellations which the Jews gave to the Gentiles; signifying how much inferior to themselves they thought them in knowledge. The word , rendered form, Rom 2:20 seems to mean the same with the word , ch. Rom 6:17 that is, such a draught, as contained and represented the parts and lineaments of the whole; for it is to be remembered, that the Apostle uses these terms here in the same sense that the Jews spoke of themselves, vaunting over the Gentiles; thereby placing their crime in the strongest light, in judging the Gentiles as they did. See 2Ti 3:5.Locke, Bos, and Beausobre and Lenfant.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
Ver. 19. Of the blind ] The Chinese say that all other nations see but with one eye, they with two. The Pharisees were called Pekachin aperti, open-eyed: because they only saw. One of them was called Or hagnolam, ” The light of the world.” In Scripture, wise men only are termed Seers, Pekakim, Exo 23:8 ; “Are we also blind?” say they to our Saviour; q.d. No, we scorn it: and yet how often hear we in that one chapter, Mat 23:16-17 ; Mat 23:19 ; Mat 23:24 ; Mat 23:26 “Thou blind Pharisee, Ye fools and blind.”
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
19. ] , sometimes with or (see Luk 18:9 ), and sometimes with (Luke, ib.; Gal 5:10 ; Phi 2:24 ; Heb 13:18 ), regardest thyself as, art confident in thyself as being .
. ] We can hardly say with Olsh., that the Apostle undoubtedly refers to the saying of our Lord, Mat 15:14 but rather that both that saying and this were allusive to a title ‘leaders of the blind’ given to themselves by the Pharisees, with which Paul as a Pharisee would be familiar. Similarly, the following titles may have been well-known and formal expressions of Jewish pride with reference to those who were without the covenant.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Rom 2:19 f. . . . The indicates that this confidence is the immediate and natural result of what precedes: it is not right, in view of all the N.T. examples, to say that suggests an unjustifiable confidence, though in some cases, as in the present, it is so. Cf. 2Co 10:7 , Luk 18:9 . The blind, those in darkness, the foolish, the babes, are all names for the heathen: the Jew is confident that the Gentiles must come to school to him. has reference to moral as well as intellectual discipline: and are, as in the O.T. (Psa 13:1 , LXX), persons without moral intelligence. For the other figures in this verse, cf. Mat 15:14 , Isa 49:6 ; Isa 49:9 ; Isa 42:6 . The confidence of the Jew is based on the fact that he possesses in the law “the outline of knowledge and truth”. Lipsius puts a strong sense upon die leibhaftige Verkrperung: as if the Jew conceived that in the Mosaic law the knowledge and the truth of God were incorporated bodily. Possibly he did, and in a sense it was so, for the Mosaic law was a true revelation of God and His will: but the only other instance of in the N.T. (2Ti 3:5 ) rather suggests the same disparaging note which here belongs to . The is in point of fact only a form: valuable as the outline or definition of truth was, which the Jew possessed in the law, it was in reality ineffective, so far as the practical authority of the law in the Jew’s conduct was concerned.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
art confident. Greek. peitho. App-150.
light. Greek. phos. App-130.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
19.] , sometimes with or (see Luk 18:9), and sometimes with (Luke, ib.; Gal 5:10; Php 2:24; Heb 13:18),-regardest thyself as,-art confident in thyself as being.
.] We can hardly say with Olsh., that the Apostle undoubtedly refers to the saying of our Lord, Mat 15:14-but rather that both that saying and this were allusive to a title leaders of the blind given to themselves by the Pharisees, with which Paul as a Pharisee would be familiar. Similarly, the following titles may have been well-known and formal expressions of Jewish pride with reference to those who were without the covenant.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Rom 2:19. , in the darkness of congenital ignorance [ignorance, accompanying the heathen from birth].
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Rom 2:19
Rom 2:19
and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind,-[There is no trait of the Jewish character more prominently exhibited than their self-confident superiority to all others.] They never doubted their knowledge of the truth and of their ability to guide and teach the Gentiles, whom they regarded as blind and in darkness and alienation from God. They thought they had greatly improved the law of God by the customs and traditions of the elders.
a light of them that are in darkness,-[The rabbis frequently called themselves the light of the world, and every Jew who was versed in the law considered himself as a light to the Gentiles.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
art confident: Pro 26:12, Isa 5:21, Isa 56:10, Mat 6:23, Mat 15:14, Mat 23:16-26, Mar 10:15, Joh 7:46-49, Joh 9:34, Joh 9:40, Joh 9:41, 1Co 3:18, 1Co 4:10, 1Co 8:1, 1Co 8:2, Rev 3:17, Rev 3:18
a light: Isa 49:6, Isa 49:9, Isa 49:10, Mat 4:16, Mat 5:14, Luk 1:79, Act 26:18, Phi 2:15
Reciprocal: Mal 2:8 – ye have caused Mat 23:3 – for Luk 6:39 – Can Luk 11:35 – General Eph 4:18 – because Eph 5:8 – ye were 1Ti 1:7 – to
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
:19
Rom 2:19. The knowledge furnished by the law, enabled the Jew to feel that he could extend guidance and enlightenment to others less fortunate.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Rom 2:19. And art confident. Rom 2:19-20 set forth the attitude of the Jew toward the Gentile, not only regarding himself as superior, but con-descending to make proselytes. This attitude grew out of the facts indicated in Rom 2:18, as is suggested by the connective used in the Greek.
That then thyself art, etc. These proud designations were not uncommon among the Jews, who deemed the Gentiles blind and in darkness. In proselyting they presented themselves as guides and lights. The history in the Acts shows how they held themselves toward the Gentiles.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them that are in darkness,
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
19. Thou hast confidence that thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of those in darkness,