4. how that he was caught up into paradise<\/em> ] Was this a second vision, or only an extension of the first? St Paul’s language makes the latter more probable. Early tradition is not very clear upon the subject, but the general opinion seems to have been that St Paul was not only caught up to the highest heaven, and there saw visions of God like those of Isaiah and St John, but that he was transported among the saints departed to that particular region of heaven called Paradise, and was permitted to hear the words there uttered. The word Paradise is probably an Aryan word, and is found in Sanscrit and Persian as well as in Greek. But it is also found in Hebrew, Arabic and Syriac. It signifies originally a park or pleasure-ground. It is used apparently in this sense in Rev 2:7<\/span>. But in St Luk 23:43<\/span> it clearly means the place (or rather state<\/em>, since it is difficult to predicate place<\/em> of a disembodied spirit) of rest and refreshment to which the Lord conducted the soul of the penitent thief as well as ( 1Pe 3:19 ; 1Pe 4:6<\/span>, cf. Iren. Adv. Haer<\/em>. iv. 27) the souls of those who were waiting in the unseen world for the revelation of Him. So says Irenaeus ( Adv. Haer<\/em>. 2Co 12:5<\/span>), who, quoting as he often does the words of the Elders who had seen the Apostles, with whom he had often conversed, describes Paradise as a state of things “prepared for righteous men and men led by the Spirit, who remain there until the consummation, as a preparation for immortality.” Some have thought that Paradise is a yet more exalted place than the third heaven. But if we are right in regarding the third as the highest heaven, it is scarcely possible to see in Paradise something higher still. For visions of this kind cf. Isa 6:1<\/span>; Eze 3:14<\/span>; Eze 3:22<\/span>; Eze 3:24<\/span>; Eze 8:1<\/span>; Eze 11:1<\/span>; Eze 11:24<\/span>; Eze 37:1<\/span>; Eze 40:1-3<\/span>; Eze 43:5<\/span>; Rev 1:10<\/span>, and in a lesser degree Act 8:39<\/span>.<\/p>\n unspeakable words<\/em> ] Literally, unspoken<\/strong> words, which may in this case have been the fact, since if St Paul were out of the body, as he himself tells us he may have been, the words could not have been spoken<\/em> in our sense of the word. But the epithet usually has the sense which the context attaches to it here, words not to be uttered<\/em>. Calvin asks to what purpose then were they uttered to St Paul, and replies that he needed such spiritual consolation to sustain him in the heavy load of afflictions and cares which was laid upon him. We may also hence learn, he continues, that there are depths in the counsels of God which we must not hope or even wish to penetrate while here on earth. Dean Stanley contrasts the reticence of St Paul with the full details of his supposed visions given by Mahomet, and he might have added many others who have given detailed accounts of things seen in their ecstasies.<\/p>\n Into paradise – <\/B>The word paradise (<\/SPAN><\/span> paradeisos) occurs but three times in the New Testament; Luk 23:43<\/span>; 2Co 12:4<\/span>; Rev 2:7<\/span>. It occurs often in the Septuagint, as the translation of the word garden; Gen 2:8-10<\/span>, Gen 2:15-16<\/span>; Gen 3:1-3<\/span>, Gen 3:8<\/span>,Gen 3:16<\/span>, Gen 3:23-24<\/span>; Gen 13:10<\/span>; Num 24:6<\/span>; Isa 51:3<\/span>; Eze 28:13<\/span>; Eze 31:8-9<\/span>; Joe 2:3<\/span>. And also Isa 1:30<\/span>; Jer 29:5<\/span>; and of the word <\/span> pardec in Neh 2:8<\/span>; Ecc 2:5<\/span>; Son 2:13<\/span>. It is a word which had its origin in the language of eastern Asia, and which has been adopted in the Greek, the Roman, and other western languages. In Sanskrit the word paradesha means a land elevated and cultivated; in Armenian, pardes denotes a garden around the house planted with trees, shrubs, grass for use and ornament. In Persia, the word denotes the pleasure gardens and parks with wild animals around the country residences of the monarchs and princes. Hence, it denotes in general a garden of pleasure; and in the New Testament is applied to the abodes of the blessed after death, the dwelling-place of God and of happy spirits; or to heaven as a place of blessedness. Some have supposed that Paul here by the word paradise means to describe a different place from that denoted by the phrase the third heaven; but there is no good reason for this supposition. The only difference is that this word implies the idea of a place of blessedness; but the same place is undoubtedly referred to.<\/P> And heard unspeakable words – <\/B>The word which is rendered here as unspeakable (<\/SPAN><\/span> arreta) may either mean what cannot be spoken, or what ought not to be spoken. The word means unutterable, ineffable; and whichever idea we attach to it, Paul meant to say that he could not attempt by words to do justice to what he saw and heard. The use of the word words here would seem to imply that he heard the language of exalted praise; or that there were truths imparted to his mind which he could not hope to convey in any language spoken by people.<\/P> Which it is not lawful for a man to utter – <\/B>Margin, Possible. Witsius supposes that the word <\/SPAN><\/span> exon may include both, and Doddridge accords with the interpretation. See also Robinsons Lexicon. The word is most commonly used in the signification of lawful. Thus, Mat 14:4<\/span>, It is not lawful for thee to have her. Act 16:21<\/span>, which it is not lawful for us to observe; Act 22:25<\/span>, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, etc. In the same sense of lawful it is used in Mat 12:2<\/span>, Mat 12:10<\/span>, Mat 12:12<\/span>; Mat 20:15<\/span>; Mar 2:26<\/span>; Mar 10:2<\/span>. When it refers to possibility it probably means moral possibility; that is, propriety, or it means that it is right. It seems to me, therefore, that the word here rather means that it was not proper to give utterance to those things; it would not be right to attempt it. It might be also true that it would not have been possible for language to convey clearly the ideas connected with the things which Paul was then permitted to see; but the main thought is, that there was some reason why it would not be proper for him to have attempted to communicate those ideas to people at large The Jews held that it was unlawful to pronounce the Tetragrammaton. that is, the name of four letters <\/span> Yahweh; and whenever that name occurred in their scriptures, they substituted the name <\/span> Adonaay in its place. They maintain indeed that the true pronunciation is utterly lost, and none of them to this day attempt to pronounce it. But this was mere superstition; and it is impossible that Paul should have been influenced by any such reason as this.<\/P> The transaction here referred to is very remarkable. It is the only instance in the Scriptures of anyone who was taken to heaven, either in reality or in vision, and who returned again to the earth and was then qualified to communicate important truths about the heavenly world from personal observation. Enoch and Elijah were taken to heaven; but they returned not to converse with people. Elijah appeared with Moses in conversation with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration; but they conversed with him only about his decease, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem; Luk 9:31<\/span>. There would have been no propriety for them to have spoken to Jesus of heaven, for he came down from heaven and was in heaven Joh 3:13<\/span>, and they were not permitted to speak to the disciples of heaven. Lazarus was raised from the dead John 11<\/span>, and many of the saints which had slept in their graves arose at the death of Jesus Mat 27:52<\/span>, but there is no intimation that they communicated any thing to the living about the heavenly world.<\/P> Of all the million who have been taken to heaven, not one has been permitted to return to bear his testimony to its glories; to witness for God that he is faithful to his promises; to encourage his pious friends to persevere; or to invite his impenitent friends to follow him to that glorious world. And so fixed is the Law; so settled is the principle, that even Lazarus was not permitted to go, though at the earnest request of the rich man in hell, and warn his friends not to follow hint to that world of woe; Luk 16:27-31<\/span>. Muhammed indeed feigned that he had made a journey to heaven, and he attempts to describe what he saw; and the difference between true inspiration and false or pretended inspiration is strikingly evinced by the difference between Pauls dignified silence – verba sacro digna silentio (Horace) and the puerilities of the prophet of Mecca. See the Koran, chap. 17. As the difference between the true religion and imposture is strikingly illustrated by this, we may recur to the principal events which happened to the impostor on his celebrated journey.<\/P> The whole account may be seen in Prideauxs Life of Muhammed, pp. 43ff. He solemnly affirmed that he had been translated to the heaven of heavens; that on a white beast, less than a mule, but larger than an ass, he had been conveyed from the temple of Mecca to that of Jerusalem; had successively ascended the seven heavens with his companion Gabriel, receiving and returning the salutations of its blessed inhabitants; had then proceeded alone within two bow-shots of the throne of the Almighty, when he felt a cold which pierced him to the heart, and was touched on the shoulder by the hand of God, who commanded him to pray 50 times a day, but with the advice of Moses he was prevailed on to have the number reduced to five; and that he thru returned to Jerusalem and to Mecca, having performed a journey of thousands of years in the tenth part of a night.<\/P> The fact that Paul was not permitted to communicate what he had seen is very remarkable. It is natural to ask why it is so? Why has not God sent down departed saints to tell people of the glories of heaven? Why does he not permit them to come and bear testimony to what they have seen and enjoyed? Why not come and clear up the doubts of the pious; why not come and convince a thoughtless world; why not come and bear honorable testimony for God that he is faithful to reward his people? And especially why did he not suffer Paul, whom he had permitted to behold the glories of paradise, to testify simply to what he had seen, and tell us what was there?<\/P> To these questions, so obvious, it is impossible to give an answer that we can demonstrate to be the true one. But we may suggest some reasons which may furnish a plausible answer, and which may serve to remove some of the perplexity in the case. I would, therefore, suggest that the following may have been some of the reasons why Paul was not permitted to communicate what he saw to human beings:<\/P> (1) It was designed for the support of Paul himself in view of the very remarkable trials which he was about to endure. God had called him to great toils and self-denials. He was to labor much alone; to go to foreign lands; to be persecuted, and ultimately put to death; and it was his purpose to qualify him for this work by some special manifestation of his favor. He accordingly gave him such views of heaven that he would be supported in his trials by a conviction of the undoubted truth of what he taught, and by the prospect of certain glory when his labors should end. It was one instance when God gave special views to prepare for trials, as he often does to his people now, preparing them in a unique manner for special trials. Christians, from some cause, often have more elevated views and deeper feeling before they are called to endure trials than they have at other times – special grace to prepare them for suffering. But as this was designed in a special manner for Paul alone, it was not proper for him to communicate what he saw to others.<\/P> (2) It is probable that if there were a full revelation of the glories of heaven we should not be able to comprehend it; or even if we did, we should be incredulous in regard to it. So unlike what we see; so elevated above our highest comprehension; probably so unlike what we now anticipate is heaven, that we should be slow to receive the revelation. It is always difficult to describe what we have not seen, even on earth, so that we shall have any very clear idea of it: how much more difficult must it be to describe heaven. We are often incredulous about what is reported to exist in foreign lands on earth which we have not seen, and a long time is often necessary before we will believe it. The king of Siam, when told by the Dutch ambassador that water became so hard in his country that people might walk on it, said, I have often suspected you of falsehood, but now I know that you lie. So incredulous might we be, with our weak faith, if we were told what actually exists in heaven. We should not improbably turn away from it as wholly incredible.<\/P> (3) There are great truths which it is not the design of God to reveal to human beings. The object is to communicate enough to win us, to comfort us, to support our faith, not to reveal all. In eternity there must be boundless truths and glories which are not needful for us to know now, and which, on many accounts, it would not be proper to be revealed to man. The question is not, do we know all, but have we enough safely to guide us to heaven, and to comfort us in the trials of life.<\/P> (4) There is enough revealed of heaven for our guidance and comfort in this world. God has told us what it will be in general. It will be a world without sin; without tears; without wrong, injustice, fraud, or wars; without disease, pestilence, plague, death; and it is easy to fill up the picture sufficiently for all our purposes. Let us think of a world where all shall be pure and holy; of a world free from all that we now behold that is evil; free from pain, disease, death; a world where friends never depart, foes never come; a world where all shall be harmony and love – and where all this shall be eternal, and we shall see that God has revealed enough for our welfare here. The highest hopes of man are met when we anticipate an eternal heaven; the heaviest trials may be cheerfully borne when we have the prospect of everlasting rest.<\/P> (5) One other reason may be assigned why it was not proper for Paul to disclose what he saw, and why God has withheld more full revelations from men about heaven. It is, that his purpose is that we shall here walk by faith and not by sight. We are not to see the reward, nor to be told fully what it is. We are to have such confidence in God that we shall assuredly believe that, he will fully reward and bless us, and under this confidence we are to live and act here below. God designs, therefore, to try our faith, and to furnish an abundant evidence that his people are disposed to obey his commands and to put their trust in his faithfulness. Besides, if all the glories of heaven were revealed; if all were told that might be; and if heaven were made as attractive to mortal view as possible, then it might appear that his professed people were influenced solely by the hope of the reward. As it is, there is enough to support and comfort; not enough to make it the main and only reason why we serve God. It may be added:<\/P> <\/p>\n Verse 4<\/span>. Caught up into paradise<\/B><\/I>] The Jewish writers have no less than four paradises<\/I>, as they have seven<\/I> heavens; but it is needless to wade through their fables. On the word paradise<\/I> See Clarke on Ge 2:8<\/span>. The Mohammedans call it [Arabic] jennet alferdoos<\/I>, the garden of paradise, and say that God created it out of light<\/I>, and that it is the habitation of the prophets and wise men.<\/P> <\/P> Among Christian writers it generally means the place of the<\/I> blessed<\/I>, or the state of separate spirits. Whether the third heaven and paradise be the same place we cannot absolutely say; they probably are not; and it is likely that St. Paul, at the time referred to, had at least two<\/I> of these raptures<\/I>.<\/P> <\/P> Which it is not lawful for a man to utter.<\/B><\/I>] The Jews thought that the Divine name, the Tetragrammaton Yehovah<\/I>, should not be uttered, and that it is absolutely unlawful<\/I> to pronounce it; indeed they say that the true pronunciation is utterly lost, and cannot be recovered without an express revelation. Not one of them, to the present day, ever attempts to utter it; and, when they meet with it in their reading, always supply its place with Adonai<\/I>, Lord. It is probable that the apostle refers to some communication concerning the Divine nature and the Divine economy, of which he was only to make a general<\/I> use in his preaching<\/I> and writing<\/I>. No doubt that what he learned at this time formed the basis<\/I> of all his doctrines.<\/P> <\/P> Cicero terms God illud inexprimible<\/I>, that inexpressible Being. And Hermes<\/I> calls him , , : The ineffable, the unspeakable, and that which is to be pronounced in<\/I> silence<\/I>. We cannot have views too exalted of the majesty of God; and the less frequently we pronounce his name<\/I>, the more reverence shall we feel for his nature<\/I>. It is said of Mr. Boyle<\/I> that he never pronounced the name of God without either taking off his hat<\/I> or making a bow<\/I>. Leaving out profane swearers, blasphemers, and such like open-faced servants of Satan, it is distressing to hear many well intentioned people making unscripturally free with this sacred name.<\/P><\/p>\n 4. unspeakable<\/B>not inthemselves, otherwise Paul could not have heard them; but as theexplanation states, “which it is not lawful . . . to utter”[ALFORD]. They weredesigned for Paul’s own consolation, and not for communication toothers. Some heavenly words are communicable (Exo 34:6<\/span>;Isa 6:3<\/span>). These were not so. Paulhad not the power adequately to utter; nor if he had, would he havebeen permitted; nor would earthly men comprehend them (Joh 3:12<\/span>;1Co 2:9<\/span>). A man may hear and knowmore than he can speak.<\/P><\/p>\n How that he was caught up into paradise<\/strong>,…. Not the earthly paradise in which our first parents were; this was destroyed by the flood, and the place where it was not now to be known; and to what purpose the apostle should be carried thither cannot be guessed at; though some have thought that this is here meant: but not this, nor any place distinct from the “third” heaven, or place of the blessed, is meant; which is the sense of many of the ancients, who suppose the third heaven and paradise to be two distinct places, and that the apostle had two separate raptures. Clemens Alexandrinus m, reads the words thus, “I knew a man in Christ caught up to the third heaven, , from thence to paradise”; and so Theophilact upon the place says, “from the third heaven he was immediately called up into paradise”; and so Oecumenius, “he was caught up unto the third heaven, and so again from thence into paradise”; and some modern writers have been inclined to think there were two raptures, and the rather inasmuch as the apostle is said to be caught “up to” the one, and caught “up into” the other, and makes use of the words “caught up” twice; or otherwise he would be guilty of a tautology, both in that and in repeating his ignorance of the manner of the rapture; to which is added, that he proposed to speak of “visions” and “revelations” in the plural number, 2Co 12:1<\/span>, and afterwards calls this vision an “abundance of revelations”, 2Co 12:7<\/span>, but as it was at the same time that he was caught up to the third heaven, and into paradise, there being one and the same date of fourteen years ago to both; and as, in the account of the one and the other, he was equally ignorant of the manner how he was caught up, whether in the body, or out of the body; and seeing that there is no account of what he saw and heard in the third heaven, but only what he heard in paradise, which is referred to be told in the after account of this vision; and as the third heaven and paradise are one and the same place, it seems most reasonable to conclude, that not two raptures and two visions are here designed, but only one; and without any show of a vain repetition, the apostle having begun the account of this vision, might reassume what he had said, in order to give a more plain and clear account of it; and especially as there were some things he had not yet mentioned, and the whole was not easy to be understood and taken in, and the manner of it even unknown to himself; and this he might do to raise the attention the more unto it, as being something wonderful and extraordinary; besides, if his design had been to have given an account of two raptures, he would have distinguished them in a numerical way; and would have told us that he was twice caught up, as well as he afterwards says that he besought the Lord “thrice”, at another time; and this would have been necessary to have prevented a mistake, of taking the one and the other for the same rapture, as is generally done; heaven is called paradise, because as the garden of Eden, which bears that name, was of God’s planting, so is this made and prepared by him; as that was a delightful place, so is this; also because of Christ the tree of life, which is in the midst of it, besides an innumerable company of angels, and spirits of just men made perfect, the pure and undefiled inhabitants of it; and because of the river of divine love, of endless pleasures, the saints there are made to drink of. It was usual with the Jews to call heaven , “the garden of Eden”, or paradise; and which they n sometimes speak of as upper and lower; the lower they suppose the souls of men are introduced into, immediately upon their dissolution; where they stay a while, and then go up to the upper paradise, the world of souls, where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are. The Jews ought not to object to the apostle’s being had into paradise before his death, for they tell us of several that entered there whilst alive;<\/p>\n “nine (they say o). , “entered in their life time into the garden of Eden”, or paradise; and these are they, Enoch the son of Jared, and Elijah, and the Messiah, and Eliezer the servant of Abraham, and Hiram king of Tyre, and Ebed Melec the Ethiopian, and Jabez the son of Rabbi Judah the prince, and Bethiah the daughter of Pharaoh, and Sarah the daughter of Asher; and there are some that say also p Rabbi Joshua ben Levi”;<\/p>\n and in another place q,<\/p>\n “four , entered into paradise; and these are they, Ben Azzai, and Ben Zoma, another, and R. Akiba;”<\/p>\n upon which is r added,<\/p>\n “they entered into paradise as it were by the hands of God, and they did not ascend up above really, but it seemed to them as if they ascended;”<\/p>\n how far this may serve to explain and illustrate the apostle’s case, I leave, with this observation more concerning another use of the word paradise with them; which sometimes signifies a considerable share of knowledge of mysterious things, relating to the nature of God, angels, c. of which Maimonides having spoken, says s,<\/p>\n “these things the former wise men called , “paradise”, as they say, “four entered into paradise”: and although they were the greatest men of Israel, and exceeding wise men, yet they had not all of them power to know and comprehend all these things clearly and I say, that he is not fit to walk , “in paradise”, but he whose belly is filled with flesh and bread, and it is bread and flesh to know what is forbidden, and what is lawful, and the other precepts of a like nature;”<\/p>\n and again t,<\/p>\n “a man that is filled with all these virtues (meaning with wisdom, and understanding, and government of the passions and appetites) is perfect in his body, as he that enters into paradise, and inclines himself to these things which are great and afar off:”<\/p>\n once more u,<\/p>\n “the words of the tradition are comprehended in the written law, and the exposition of them in the oral law; and the things which are called , paradise, are contained in the Talmud;”<\/p>\n this they w call , “the paradise of wisdom”; whether this sense and use of the word may be applied to the passage before us, and so be expressive of that large share of divine knowledge which was communicated in an extraordinary way to the apostle, may deserve some consideration: however, this is certain, that when he was caught up into paradise, he<\/p>\n heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter<\/strong>; to instance in particular things, which be then either saw or heard, as some have done, is bold and daring; as that he saw the divine Being with the eyes of his understanding, the several angelic forms, thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, and the glory and beauty of the souls of departed saints; and heard the harmonious music of each of these happy creatures; had a view of the book of life, and was shown the order and method of divine predestination; was let into the mystery of the calling of the Gentiles, and the change that will be on living saints, and heard the whole account of the dispensation of things, in the church of Christ to the end of the world: the things were unspeakable, never yet related, and so not to be known: they were such things which the apostle himself, when out of the rapture, might have but very inadequate ideas of, and such as he was not able to put into proper words and language to be understood by others; and which as he heard them not from a mere man, but from the Lord, so no mere man was able to utter them, none but he of whom he had heard them: and besides, whatever conceptions the apostle might have of them himself, and how capable soever he was of expressing them; yet they were not fit and proper to be told in the present state of things, being no part of the counsel of God relating to man’s salvation, the whole of which he faithfully declares; and yet were necessary to be heard by him, in order to establish his faith in the Gospel, to animate him in his ministry, and fortify his mind against all the afflictions, reproaches, and persecutions, he was to meet with for the sake of Christ. The phrase seems to be the same with , “it is impossible to say it” x; and of such like secret things in paradise, or the world of souls, the Jews say y that<\/p>\n “they are hidden, and which , “are not fit to produce in writing”;”<\/p>\n and so these were such as were not lawful to speak out, <\/p>\n , “with human tongues”, as Justin Martyr says z; they were not in such sense “unspeakable”, as not to be expressed by any; for they were expressed either by Christ himself, who was glorified in human nature, whom the apostle might now see and hear, or by some angel or angels, or they could not have been heard by the apostle as they were; but they were such as before never been spoken to any mortal man, and so could never have been spoken by any; and though they had been spoken to a mortal man, yet they could not be spoke by him to others; for though when he heard them, his human soul, for that present time, might conceive and take in much of the nature and meaning of them, yet they were such as he could not express by words, and represent to others by speech after the vision was over, and especially at this distance: not that it was sinful to have done it, if he could have done it; or that the things themselves were of such a nature, that it would have been criminal to have rehearsed them; but rather that it was impossible to do it, at least fully, since they might greatly regard the glory of the divine Being, and the worship paid him by the heavenly inhabitants: or could it be done in any tolerable manner, it might not be altogether convenient and proper in the present state of things; since the worship of the upper world lying in praise without prayer, might not be so fit to be related, lest it should be imitated by saints on earth: and seeing what the apostle heard was ineffable, and not to be spoken by himself; no credit is to be given to those spurious things called the Revelation and Ascension of Saint Paul, in which the author or authors of them pretend to tell us what these things were.<\/p>\n m Strom. l. 5. p. 586. n Nishma Chayim, par. 1. c. 10. fol. 25. 2. &c. o Derech Eretz, fol. 19. 1. Zohar in Exod, fol. 102. 3. p Ganz Tzemach David, par. 1. fol. 31. 1, 2. q T. Bab. Chagiga, fol. 14. 2. r Tosephot, ib. s Jesode Tora, c. 5, sect. 19, 20. t Jesode Tora, c. 7. sect. 2. u Ib. Talmud Tora, c. 1. sect. 12. w Tzeror Hammor, fol. 96. 4. x T. Bab. Megilla, fol, 21. 1. y Nishmat Chayim, fol. 28. 1. z Expositio fidei, p. 379.<\/p>\n Into Paradise <\/B> ( <\/SPAN><\/span>). See on Lu 23:43<\/span> for this interesting word. Paul apparently uses paradise as the equivalent of the third heaven in verse 2<\/span>. Some Jews (Book of the Secrets of Enoch<\/I>, chapter viii) make Paradise in the third heaven. The rabbis had various ideas (two heavens, three, seven). We need not commit Paul to any “celestial gradation” (Vincent).<\/P> Unspeakable words <\/B> ( <\/SPAN><\/span>). Old verbal adjective (<\/SPAN><\/span> privative, <\/SPAN><\/span> from <\/SPAN><\/span>), only here in N.T.<\/P> Not lawful <\/B> ( <\/SPAN><\/span>). Copula <\/SPAN><\/span> omitted. Hence Paul does<\/P> not <\/B> give these words. <\/P> <\/p>\n Paradise. See on Luk 23:43<\/span>. <\/P> Unspeakable words [ ] <\/SPAN><\/span>. An oxymoron, speaking which may not be spoken.<\/P> <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n 1) “How that he was caught up into paradise,”<\/strong> (hoti herpage eis ton, paradeison) “That he was caught up into paradise,” the third heaven, the throne of God where He, his lovely angels, and souls of the redeemed witnesses abide till their bodily adoption, in the first resurrection, Rom 8:11<\/span>; Rom 8:23<\/span>.<\/p>\n 2) “And heard unspeakable words,”<\/strong> (kai ekousen arreta hremata) “and heard words unspeakable,” 2Co 2:6-9<\/span>; Act 7:55-60<\/span>. Stephen had, and told of a glimpse into heaven, just before his soul left his body; what he saw was a welcome scene for the saint whose soul was soon to depart, 2Co 5:8-9<\/span>.<\/p>\n 3) Which it is not lawful for a man to utter,”<\/strong> (ha ouk ,ekson anthropo lalesai) “which it is not permissible for a man to speak.” Had Paul been permitted to tell what he had seen, minds would have perhaps still been grasping for truth outside the Bible, the Divine Word of Truth, true from the beginning, and which perfectly equips men to every good work, offensive and defensive, as they learn to use the equipment, Psa 119:160<\/span>; 2Ti 1,16, 17; 1Pe 3:15<\/span>; 2Ti 2:15<\/span>.<\/p>\n 4. In paradise (889) As every region that is peculiarly agreeable and delightful (890) is called in the Scriptures the garden of God, it came from this to be customary among the Greeks to employ the term paradise to denote the heavenly glory, even previously to Christ’s advent, as appears from Ecclesiasticus. (Sir 40:17<\/span>.) It is also used in this sense in Luk 23:43<\/span>, in Christ’s answer to the robber — “To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise, ” that is, “Thou shalt enjoy the presence of God, in the condition and life of the blessed.” <\/p>\n Heard unspeakable words By words here I do not understand things, as the term is wont to be made use of after the manner of the Hebrews; (891) for the word heard would not correspond with this. Now if any one inquires, what they were, the answer is easy — that it is not without good reason that they are called unspeakable (892) words, and such as it is unlawful to utter. Some one, however, will reply, that what Paul heard was, consequently, needless and useless, for what purpose did it serve to hear, what was to be buried in perpetual silence? I answer, that this took place for the sake of Paul himself, for one who had such arduous difficulties awaiting him, enough to break a thousand hearts, required to be strengthened by special means, that he might not give way, but might persevere undaunted. (893) Let us consider for a little, how many adversaries his doctrine had, and of what sort they were; and farther, with what a variety of artifices it was assailed, and then we shall wonder no longer, why he heard more than it was lawful for him to utter <\/p>\n From this, too, we may gather a most useful admonition as to setting bounds to knowledge. We are naturally prone to curiosity. Hence, neglecting altogether, or tasting but slightly, and carelessly, doctrine that tends to edification, we are hurried on to frivolous questions. Then there follow upon this — boldness and rashness, so that we do not hesitate to decide on matters unknown, and concealed. <\/p>\n From these two sources has sprung up a great part (894) of scholastic theology, and every thing, which that trifler Dionysius (895) has been so daring as to contrive in reference to the Heavenly Hierarchies, It becomes us so much the more to keep within bounds, (896) so as not to seek to know any thing, but what the Lord has seen it good to reveal to his Church. Let this be the limit of our knowledge. <\/p>\n (889) “The word paradise ( παράδεισος) occurs but three times in the New Testament, (Luk 23:43<\/span>, 2Co 12:4<\/span>, and Rev 2:7<\/span>.) It occurs often in the Septuagint, as the translation of the word garden, ( גן) gan; and of the word ( פרדס) pardes, in Neh 2:8<\/span>, Ecc 2:5<\/span>, Son 2:13<\/span>. It is a word which had its origin in the language of Eastern Asia, and which has been adopted in the Greek, the Roman, and other western languages. In Sanscrit, the word paradesha means a land elevated and cultivated; in Armenian, pardes denotes a garden around the house, planted with trees, shrubs, grass for use and ornament. In Persia, the word denotes the pleasure-gardens, and parks with wild animals, around the country residences of the monarchs and princes. Hence it denotes, in general, a garden of pleasure; and in the New Testament is applied to the abodes of the blessed after death, the dwelling-place of God, and of happy spirits; or to heaven as a place of blessedness.” — Barnes. — Ed. <\/p>\n (890) “ Toute region delectable et excellente en fertilite et abundance de biens de la terre;” — “Every region that is delightful and distinguished by fertility and abundance of the good things of the earth.” <\/p>\n (891) Calvin’s meaning evidently is, that ῥήματα, here rendered words, is often made use of, like the corresponding Hebrew word, דברין ( dabarim,) to mean things. Accordingly דבר , ( dabar,) when employed to denote thing, is very frequently rendered in the Septuagint by ῥήμα, as, for example, in Gen 18:14<\/span>, Exo 18:17<\/span>, Deu 17:1<\/span>. Calvin, when commenting on the expression — with God nothing shall be impossible, (Luk 1:37<\/span>,) remarks that “a word often means a thing in the idiom of the Hebrew language, which the Evangelists followed, though they wrote in Greek.” — Calvin’s Harmony, vol. 1, p. 45.— Ed. <\/p>\n (892) “ Secretes, ou impossibles a dire;” — “Secret, or such as it is impossible to utter.” <\/p>\n (893) “ Mais qu’il perseuerast constamment, sans se laisser vainere;” — “But might persevere steadfastly, without allowing himself to be overcome.” <\/p>\n (894) “ La plus grande partie;” — “The greatest part.” <\/p>\n (895) Calvin refers here to one Dionysius, whose writings appear to have been looked upon by many in Calvin’s times, as having been composed by Dionysius the Areopagite, who was converted by Paul at Athens. (Act 17:34<\/span>.) A copy of the work referred to, printed at Paris in 1555, bears the following title: “ S. Dionysii Areopagitae, Martyris Inclyti, Athenarum Episcopi, et Galliarum Apostoli, opera-Translatio Noua Ambrosii Florentini,” etc. ; — “The works of St. Dionysius the Areopagite, the renowned Martyr, Bishop of Athens, and Apostle of the Gauls — a New Translation by Ambrosius Florentine,” etc. — Calvin, in his Institutes, (volume 1,) when treating of angels, adverts to the writings of Dionysius, in the following terms: “None can deny that Dionysius (whoever he may have been) has many shrewd and subtle disquisitions in his Celestial Hierarchy, but on looking at them more closely, every one must see that they are merely idle talk. The duty of a theologian, however, is not to tickle the ear, but confirm the conscience, by teaching what is true, certain, and useful. When you read the work of Dionysius, you would think that the man had come down from heaven, and was relating, not what he had learned, but what he had actually seen. Paul, however, though he was carried to the third heaven, so far from delivering any thing of the kind positively, declares, that it was not lawful for man to speak the secrets which he had seen. Bidding adieu, therefore, to that nugatory wisdom, let us endeavor to ascertain from the simple doctrine of Scripture, what it is the Lord’s pleasure that we should know concerning angels.” — Beza, in his Annotations on 1Co 3:15<\/span>, when expounding the expression — “he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire,” makes mention of Dionysius, as having been, in his opinion, Bishop of Corinth, and speaks of him as having devoted himself to unprofitable speculations, and as harassing himself, for the most part in vain, in describing the Celestial Hierarchy. — The Rhemish Translators, when commenting on Act 17:34<\/span>, contend for the genuineness of the writings referred to. “ Dionysius Areopaita This is that famous Denys that first converted France, and wrote those notable and divine works — ’ De Ecclesiastica et Caelesti Hierarchia, de diuinis nominibus,’ and others; in which he confirmeth, and proveth plainely, almost all things that the Church now useth in the ministration of the Holy Sacrament, and affirmeth that he learned them of the Apostles, giving also testimony for the Catholike faith in most things now controuersed, so plainely that our adversaries have no shift but to deny this Denys to have been the author of them, raining that they be another’s of later age.” To these statements Dr. Fulke, in his elaborate work in refutation of the errors of the Rhemish Translators, (p. 403,) replies as follows: “That Dionysius Areopagita was author of those bookes which now beare his name, you bring no proofe at all. We alleage that Eusebius, Hierome, Gennadius, neuer heard of his writings, for if they had heard, Dionysius Areopagita should have been registered by them among ecclesiasticall writers.” — It is stated by Mosheim in his Ecclesiastical History, (London 1825,) volume 2, n. ( u), that “ the spuriousness of these works is now universally granted by the most learned and impartial of the Roman Catholic writers, as they contain accounts of many events that happened several ages after the time of Dionysius, and were not at all mentioned until after the fifth century.” Turretine in his Theology brings forward, at considerable length, evidence to show, that the work referred to was not, as pretended, the production of Dionysius the Areopagite, who was “ σύγχρονος Apostolis,” (“a contemporary of the Apostles,”) but was written by an author of much later date — born in the fifth century. — Turretini Theologia, (Genevae, 1690,) tom. 3, pp. 233, 234. — Ed. <\/p>\n (896) “ Il faut que nous soyons d’autant plus sobres et modestes;” — “It is necessary, that we should be so much the more sober and modest.” <\/p>\n (4)That he was caught up into paradise.<\/strong>The stress laid on this second vision hinders us from thinking of it as identical with the former, either in time or in object-matter. Paradise (see Note on Luk. 23:43<\/span>) was emphatically the dwelling-place of the souls of the righteous, the reproduction in the unseen world of the lost beauty of the Garden of Edenthe paradise of joy, as the LXX. in Gen. 2:15<\/span> translates the name. There, flowing about the throne of God, was the fountain of the water of life, and the tree of life growing on its banks (Rev. 2:7<\/span>; Rev. 22:1-2<\/span>). Speculations on the question whether St. Paul thought of it as nearer or farther from earth than the third heaven are obviously idle and profitless. The nearest approach which we can make to an adequate distinction between the two visions is that the first revealed to his gaze the glory of the Throne of God, with angels and archangels round it, and seraphim and cherubim,a vision like that of Moses (Exo. 24:10<\/span>), and Isaiah (Isa. 6:1-3<\/span>), and Ezekiel (Eze. 1:4-28<\/span>), and St. John (Rev. 4:2-11<\/span>)thoughts like those of Hookers death-bed (Waltons Life<\/em>)while the latter brought before his spirit the peace and rest ineffable, even in their intermediate and therefore imperfect state, of the souls who had fallen asleep in Christ and were waiting for their resurrection.<\/p>\n Unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to<\/strong> utter.<\/strong>The first two words present the tone of a paradoxspeech unspeakable,<\/em> or utterances unutterable.<\/em> The verb in the second clause hovers between the text, it is not lawful and it is not possible. The hymns which St. John records in Rev. 4:8-9<\/span>; Rev. 5:12-14<\/span>; Rev. 7:12<\/span>; Rev. 15:3<\/span>, may give us some faint approach to what dwelt in St. Pauls memory and yet could not be reproduced. Sounds of ineffable sweetness, bursts of praise and adoration, hallelujahs like the sound of many waters, voices low and sweet as those of children, whispers which were scarcely distinguishable from silence and yet thrilled the soul with a rapturous joythis we may, perhaps, think of as underlying St. Pauls language. In the mystic ecstatic utterances of the Tonguesthemselves needing an interpreter, and helping little to build up those who heard them, though they raised the life of those who spoke with them to a higher levelwe may, perhaps, trace some earthly echoes of that heavenly music. (See Notes on Act. 2:4<\/span>; 1Co. 14:2<\/span>.)<\/p>\n 4<\/strong>. <\/strong> Paradise<\/strong> Compare our notes on Luk 16:19-31<\/span>, and xxiii, 43. Meyer says this paradise is not here under the earth, as sheol, <\/em> in which the spirits of the dead saints abide until the resurrection, as if such were the view in Luke 16<\/span>. But, however it may be in the Old Testament, or in the heathen poets, it is not the conception of the New Testament that paradise <\/em> is under the earth. We do think of it as below, <\/em> in relation to the highest heavens, <\/em> but not as subterranean. See note on Eph 4:8-10<\/span>. <\/p>\n Heard<\/strong> He appears to have heard nothing in the third heaven<\/strong>. Seeing and knowing were all he had to do there. But in the region nearer to his present life he was enabled to hear. Says Olshausen, “In that paradisaical scene of light he received wondrous impressions, which he describes as <\/em> perceptions through the medium of hearing.” The thought is, that in the spirit-world there is no communication by articulate sounds, but by mutual impartation of thought from mind to mind. And in this view, distance in space may be no preventive of the most perfect communication. The rich man and Abraham were both in hades, (including tartarus and paradise,) both visible and audible to each other, as spirits see and hear; but that proves not that even if tartarus were below the earth’s surface, paradise must be so also. Hades may be down, <\/em> but we doubt whether paradise is ever any otherwise than up.<\/p>\n Unspeakable words<\/strong> Unutterable utterances. St. Paul borrows a charmed phrase from the rites of the pagan priesthood, who professed to possess many mysteries that must not be divulged, and words not lawful to utter. There are wonderful mysteries for us in paradise; and the words that spirit utters to spirit are too sacred for human speech, and cannot be uttered without a wonderful gift of tongues.<\/p>\n 2Co 12:4<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>Caught up into Paradise<\/em><\/strong><\/strong> By the third heaven, <\/em>2Co 12:2<\/span> some understand the seat of the divine glory, the place where Christ dwelleth at the Father’s right-hand; and by Paradise, <\/em>that garden of God, which is the seat of the happy in the intermediatestate,andduringtheirseparationfromthebody.BishopBull,discoursing on this subject, observes, “St. Paul,who had been caught up into the third heaven, and also into Paradise, (which the scriptures tell us is the receptacle of the spirits of good men, separated from their bodies) and therefore was best able to give us an account of the state of souls dwelling there,assures us, that those souls live and operate, and have a perception of excellent things; nay, in the very same passage, where he speaks ofthat rapture of his, he plainly enough confirms this hypothesis: for first when he declares himself uncertain whether he received those admirable visions in or out of the body, he manifestly supposes it possible for the soul, when out of the body, not only to subsist, but also to perceive and knowand even things above the natural apprehension of mortal men; and then when he tells us that he received in Paradise visions and revelations, and heard there , unspeakable words, not lawful, <\/em>or rather, not possible for a man to utter, <\/em>he directly teaches that Paradise is so far from being a place of darkness and obscurity, silence and oblivion, where the good spirits, its proper inhabitants, are all in a profound sleep, as some have vainly imagined,that, on the contrary, it is a most glorious place, full of light and ravishing vision; a place where mysteries may be heard and learned, far surpassing the reach of frail mortals. In short, the glories of the third heaven, <\/em>and of Paradise, <\/em>seem to have been, by an extraordinary revelation, opened and discovered to St. Paul, not only for his own support under the heavy pressure of his afflictions, but also that he might be able to speak of them with greater assurance to others. And the order is observable: first, he had represented to him the most perfect joys of the third or highest heaven, of which we hope to be partakers after the resurrection; and then, lest so long an expectation should discourage us, he saw also the intermediate joys of Paradise, wherewith the souls of the faithful are refreshed until the resurrection: and for our comfort he tells us that even these also are inexpressible.”<\/em> <\/p>\n 4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Ver. 4. How that he was caught up<\/strong> ] Not locally (likely) but in spirit, as Act 7:56<\/span> ; Eze 8:3<\/span> .<\/p>\n<\/p>\n into Paradise<\/strong> ] Heaven, whereof that earthly paradise was but a dark shadow. Jerome comforting a young hermit, bade him look up to heaven, Et Paradisum mente deambulare, <\/em> to take a few turns in Paradise by his meditations, assuring him that so long as he had Paradise in his mind and heaven in his thought, tamdiu in eremo non eris, <\/em> he should not be sensible of his solitariness.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Unspeakable words<\/strong> ] , wordless words, such as words are too weak to utter. Nec Christus nec coelum patitur hyperbolen.<\/em> A man cannot hyperbolize in speaking of Christ and heaven, but must entreat his hearers, as Cicero doth his readers, concerning the worth of Lucius Crassus, Ut maius quiddam de iis quam quae scripta sunt suspicarentur, <\/em> that they would conceive much more than he was able to express. It is as easy to compass the heaven with a span or contain the sea in a nutshell, as to relate heaven’s happiness. <\/p>\n into. Greek. eis. App-104. <\/p>\n paradise. See note on Ecc 2:5, <\/p>\n unspeakable. Greek. arretos. Only here. <\/p>\n words, Greek. rhema. See Mar 9:32. <\/p>\n utter. Greek. laleo. App-121. Paul was alive, and whether be was carried away bodily, as Phillip was (Act 8:39), or not, he knew not, nor can we, only God knows. He may have been as Ezekiel was (Eze 8:3), or John (Rev 1:10). <\/p>\n 2Co 12:4. ) unspeakable words, not in themselves; otherwise Paul could not have heard them; but not to be spoken by man, as the word follows presently after, and therefore, by Paul himself. Who spoke those words? God, or Christ, or an angel or angels, or the spirits of the just? and to whom? Paul does not tell, if he knew. They were certainly words of great sublimity, for all heavenly words are not unspeakable, for example Exo 34:6; Isa 6:3, and yet these are very sublime.- , it is not lawful) and , lawful and possible are said of that which neither the thing itself, nor the law forbids. Therefore, unspeakable words, and it is not lawful mutually explain each other, and affirm either that man cannot speak these words, or that it is not lawful for him to do so. Others, who did not hear them, cannot; Paul, who did hear them, is not sufficiently able; and though he were able, yet it would not be lawful, it would not be proper in the state of mortality; because the inhabitants of the earth would not understand them, Joh 3:12. Hearing has a wider range than speaking.-, for a man) construed with it is lawful. The power of speaking is often narrower than that of knowledge.<\/p>\n 2Co 12:4<\/p>\n 2Co 12:4 <\/p>\n how that he was caught up into Paradise,-The meaning of the word Paradise has been a question of doubt. It is probably a term for the third heaven. It is not a common word in the New Testament, found only here and in Luk 23:43, and Rev 2:7. It originally meant a park, then a pleasure park. It was used in Gen 3:1; Gen 3:8; Gen 3:23-24, for the Garden of Eden, and came in later to be applied to the abode of the righteous after death. Here it is usually regarded as the same as the third heaven.<\/p>\n and heard unspeakable words, which is not lawful for a man to utter.-While there he heard words unspeakable. Not that it was impossible to utter them, but not lawful to speak them. [The veil which conceals the mysteries and glories of heaven God has not permitted to be raised. It is enough that we know that in that world the saints shall be made perfectly happy and perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God forever.]<\/p>\n I cannot tell with any degree of certainty what was the object of granting this wonderful vision to Paul. He himself could not tell exactly the condition or circumstances of the vision. He was transported to the third heaven, and saw wonders, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. While he could not reveal the secrets of that state of bliss, yet the knowledge might be of great service to him in giving zeal, earnestness, and devotion in the work, knowing the glories that were in store for him in that blessed state. The fact that we do not know the object for which God does a thing is no evidence that he did not have a wise purpose in doing it. It may be that he at this time received an increased measure of the Spirit, saw Jesus, and became more completely qualified and fully endowed for the apostolic work. [It certainly braced him for the whole heroic career of unparalleled success which lay before him as a herald of the cross.] <\/p>\n paradise <\/p>\n See note on hades, (See Scofield “Luk 16:23”). <\/p>\n paradise: Eze 31:9, Luk 23:43, Rev 2:7 <\/p>\n lawful: or, possible <\/p>\n Reciprocal: 1Co 13:1 – I speak 2Co 12:2 – caught 1Pe 1:8 – unspeakable<\/p>\n 2Co 12:4. Paradise is the same as the third heaven, because the word is defined in the lexicon as “pleasure gardens,” regardless of what specific location may be in the mind of a writer. Unspeakable and not lawful are accommodative in their meaning. The things heard were in the third heaven, hence the words were not to be repeated by a man, although he was permitted to hear them.<\/p>\n 2Co 12:4. How that he was caught up into paradise The seat of happy spirits, in their separate state between death and the resurrection. See note on Luk 23:43. Most of the ancients, (except Origen,) as Clement of Alexandria, Justin Martyr, Ireneus, Tertullian, and, among the moderns, Bull, Whitby, Bengelius, were of opinion that the apostle had two different raptures; because, as Methodius very well argues, If one rapture only were spoken of, the repetition of whether in the body, &c., would have been needless, when speaking of his being caught up into paradise. And heard unspeakable words Or things, words being frequently used by the Hebrews to denote matters: which it is not lawful Or possible, as the word properly signifies, and as the apostle doubtless means; for a man to utter Men having no terms of speech fit to express such sublime ideas as the apostle was there taught to understand: nor, probably, would it be consistent with the schemes of Providence, which require that we should be conducted by faith rather than by sight, to suffer such circumstances as these to be revealed to the inhabitants of mortal flesh. It is justly observed by Dr. Macknight here, that since the things which he saw and heard in paradise could not, or might not, be expressed in human language, it is plain that the purpose for which he was caught up was not to receive any revelation of the gospel doctrine, because that could have served no purpose, if the apostle could not communicate what he heard. But it was to encourage him in the difficult and dangerous work in which he was engaged. Accordingly, by taking him up into paradise, and showing him the glories of the invisible world, and making him a witness of the happiness which the righteous enjoy with Christ, even before their resurrection, his faith in the promises of the gospel must have been so exceedingly strengthened, and his hope so raised, as to enable him to bear with alacrity that heavy load of complicated evils to which he was exposed in the course of his ministry. Not to mention that this confirmation of the apostles faith is no small confirmation of ours also. Some suppose that it was here the apostle was made acquainted with the mystery of the future state of the church, and received his orders to turn from the Jews, and go to the Gentiles.<\/p>\n how that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for man to utter. <\/p>\n Verse 4 <\/p>\n Commentators have indulged themselves in many fanciful speculations in regard to this statement respecting the entrance of the apostle into the spiritual world. We are not, however, authorized to add any thing to the account here given, or to understand by it any thing more than Paul intended that this language should distinctly convey; which is, simply, that he received a special mark and token of the divine favor, in being admitted to an unusual communication with the spiritual world, of the nature and circumstances of which, however, he purposely withholds all information.<\/p>\n 12:4 How that he was caught up into {c} paradise, and heard {d} unspeakable words, which it is not {e} lawful for a man to utter.<\/p>\n (c) So the Greeks name that which we call a park, that is to say, a place where trees are planted, and wild beasts kept. And those that translated the Old Testament out of Hebrew into Greek, called the garden of Eden by this name, into which Adam was put immediately after his creation, as a most delicate and pleasant place. And from this it occurred that the blessed seat of the glory of God is called by that name.<\/p>\n (d) Which no man is able to utter.<\/p>\n (e) Which the saints themselves are not by any means able to express, because it is God himself. This is the way that Clement of Alexandria explains this passage, Strom. 5.<\/p>\n How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 4. how that he was caught up into paradise ] Was this a second vision, or only an extension of the first? St Paul’s language makes the latter more probable. Early tradition is … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Corinthians 12:4”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28972\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
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Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"