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(5) 11:32-38. Faith in national life. The entrance to Canaan and the representative victory at Jericho forms a close to a complete cycle of divine discipline. The history of Israel from the Call of Abraham to the occupation of the Promised Land offers a type of the religious history of man. So far then the writer of the Epistle has given examples of faith in detail. From this point he simply recites in a summary form the names and exploits of later heroes of Faith. In part ( a ) they wrought great things (11:32-35 a): in part ( b ) they suffered great things (11:35 b-38).

The enumeration extends to the time of the Maccabees, the last decisive national struggle of the Jews before the coming of Christ.

( a ) The victorious successes of Faith: the great things which it has wrought (11:32-35a).

32 And what can I (why do I) say more? For the time will fail me as I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah; of David and Samuel and of the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions ,

34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, proved mighty in war, turned to flight armies of aliens. 35 Women received their dead by a resurrection.

The summary recital of these outward successes of Faith consists first ( a ) of two groups of names, which represent the theocracy and the kingdom (11:32); and then ( b ) of a description of the chief types of victory (11:33-35 a).

( a ) Representative heroes of the theocracy and the kingdom (11:32). 11:32. kai; tiv ...] Vulg. et quid adhuc dicam ( dico d)? The verb may be conj. And what shall I more say? or indic. And why (or what) say I more? The sense seems to be ‘Why do I go on farther?’ ‘What can I say more?’ as if the writer saw already stretching before him the long record on which he is entering. The pres. indic. occurs Matt. 26:65, and in John 11:47 with tiv as the object; and the pres. conj. occurs John 6:28: the aor. conj. is common: Acts 2:37; 6:16 & c.
ejpil. dihg. oJ cr. ...] time will (I see) fail me as I tell of ... Vulg. deficiet me
tempus enarrantem
.... Poi'o" ; h] oJ pa'" : ei[rhtai de; tou'to wJ" suvnhqe" hJmi'n
uJperbolikw'"
: h] oJ th'/ ejpistolh'/ suvmmetro" (Theophlct).

The phrase is common in classical literature: ejpileivpoi dj a[n me pa'" crovno" eij ejktivqesqai boulhqeivhn ta;" semna;" tw'n filosovfwn mevmyei" (Athenae. v. § 63, p. 220 F): TEMPUS HERCULE TE CITIUS QUAM ORATIO DEFICERET (C IC . PRO S EXT . R OSC . 32 § 89). P HILO DE SOMN . § 9 (2.667)

EJPILEIVYEI ME H HMEVRA TA ;" DIAFORA ;" TOU AJNQRWPEIVOU BIVOU DIEXIOVNTA . KAIVTOI TIV DEI MAKRHGOREIN ; TIV " GAR AUJTWN AJNHVKOOV " EJSTI ;

T HE PERSONS ARE NAMED FIRST , AND THEN TYPES OF ACHIEVEMENT . T HE PERSONS FALL INTO TWO GROUPS , THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE THEOCRACY AND THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MONARCHY .

G ED . B AR . S AMY . I EFQ . ] T HESE REPRESENTATIVE HEROES OF THE THEOCRACY ARE NOT GIVEN IN THE ORDER OF THE B OOK OF J UDGES , BUT APPARENTLY ACCORDING TO THEIR POPULAR FAME . R ECORDS OF THEIR EXPLOITS ARE PRESERVED : J UDG . 6-8 (G IDEON ); 4; 5 (B ARAK ); 13-16 (S AMSON ); 11; 12
(J
EPHTHAH ).

I T MAY BE NOTICED THAT THEY OVERCAME DIFFERENT ENEMIES , M IDIANITES , C ANAANITES , P HILISTINES , A MMONITES ; AND IN REFERRING TO THEM THE WRITER


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