Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
Who was before--Greek, "Formerly being a blasphemer." "Notwithstanding that I was before a blasphemer," etc. (Acts 26:9, Acts 26:11).
persecutor-- (Galatians 1:13).
injurious--Greek, "insulter"; one who acts injuriously from arrogant contempt of others. Translate, Romans 1:30, "despiteful." One who added insult to injury. BENGEL translates, "a despiser." I prefer the idea, contumelious to others [WAHL]. Still I agree with BENGEL that "blasphemer" is against God, "persecutor," against holy men, and "insolently injurious" includes, with the idea of injuring others, that of insolent "uppishness" [DONALDSON] in relation to one's self. This threefold relation to God, to one's neighbor, and to one's self, occurs often in this Epistle (1 Timothy 1:5, 1 Timothy 1:9, 1 Timothy 1:14; Titus 2:12).
I obtained mercy--God's mercy, and Paul's want of it, stand in sharp contrast [ELLICOTT]; Greek, "I was made the object of mercy." The sense of mercy was perpetual in the mind of the apostle (compare Note, see on 1 Timothy 1:2). Those who have felt mercy can best have mercy on those out of the way (Hebrews 5:2-3).
because I did it ignorantly--Ignorance does not in itself deserve pardon; but it is a less culpable cause of unbelief than pride and wilful hardening of one's self against the truth (John 9:41; Acts 26:9). Hence it is Christ's plea of intercession for His murderers (Luke 23:34); and it is made by the apostles a mitigating circumstance in the Jews' sin, and one giving a hope of a door of repentance (Acts 3:17; Romans 10:2). The "because," etc., does not imply that ignorance was a sufficient reason for mercy being bestowed; but shows how it was possible that such a sinner could obtain mercy. The positive ground of mercy being shown to him, lies solely in the compassion of God (Titus 3:5). The ground of the ignorance lies in the unbelief, which implies that this ignorance is not unaccompanied with guilt. But there is a great difference between his honest zeal for the law, and a wilful striving against the Spirit of God (Matthew 12:24-32; Luke 11:52) [WIESINGER].
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Matthew 12:32
John 19:18
Acts 8:3
Romans 10:2
1 Corinthians 7:25
1 Corinthians 9:17
2 Corinthians 4:1
1 Timothy 1:12
1 Timothy 1:14
Hebrews 5:2
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