Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
But as it is written (alla kaqwv gegraptai). Elliptical sentence like Romans 15:3 where gegonen (it has happened) can be supplied. It is not certain where Paul derives this quotation as Scripture. Origen thought it a quotation from the Apocalypse of Elias and Jerome finds it also in the Ascension of Isaiah. But these books appear to be post-Pauline, and Jerome denies that Paul obtained it from these late apocryphal books. Clement of Rome finds it in the LXX text of Isaiah 64:4 and cites it as a Christian saying. It is likely that Paul here combines freely Isaiah 64:4; Isaiah 65:17; Isaiah 52:15 in a sort of catena or free chain of quotations as he does in Romans 3:10-18. There is also an anacoluthon for a (which things) occurs as the direct object (accusative) with eiden (saw) and hkousan (heard), but as the subject (nominative) with anebh (entered, second aorist active indicative of anabainw, to go up).
Whatsoever (osa). A climax to the preceding relative clause (Findlay).
Prepared (htoimasen). First aorist active indicative of etoimazw. The only instance where Paul uses this verb of God, though it occurs of final glory (Luke 2:31; Matthew 20:23; Matthew 25:34; Mark 10:40; Hebrews 11:16) and of final misery (Matthew 25:41). But here undoubtedly the dominant idea is the present blessing to these who love God (1 Corinthians 1:5-7).
Heart (kardian) here as in Romans 1:21 is more than emotion. The Gnostics used this passage to support their teaching of esoteric doctrine as Hegesippus shows. Lightfoot thinks that probably the apocryphal Ascension of Isaiah and Apocalypse of Elias were Gnostic and so quoted this passage of Paul to support their position. But the next verse shows that Paul uses it of what is now
revealed and made plain, not of mysteries still unknown.
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Acts 7:23
1 Corinthians 2:10
1 Corinthians 2:11
1 Corinthians 2:16
2 Timothy 2:21
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