Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 11 · Section 3 · Subsection 9
Quest. 9. Of these words, v. 8. As it is written God hath giuen them the spirit of slumber, whence it is taken.
1. Origen is of opinion, that these words can no where be found in the old Scriptures: Ero hactenus invenire non potui, I could not find them out yet (saith he) and therefore he thinketh, that the Apostle addeth these words of his owne, and followeth the sense of the Prophet, rather then the words: But if it were so, the Apostle would not hauehave set this sentence before, as it is written; if it were not so written, as it is here alleadged: Erasmus thinketh that Saint Paul deliuereth the sense of that place Isai. 6.9. as likewise he doth Act. 28.27. but in that place there is no mention made of the spirit of slumber or compunction: some thinke that the Apostle citeth not here any particular place, but alludeth onelyonly vntounto the like places of the Prophet Isai: as c. 19.14. The Lord hath mingled among them the spirit of errors: ecclestic. expos. but that place is spoken of the Egyptians, and therefore could not properly be applied by Saint Paul to the Iewes: therefore I subcribe rather to Pareus, and Tolet, who thinke that this testimonie is taken out of two places of the Prophet Isai: the first c. 29.10. the Lord hath couered you with a spirit of slumber: the other part is found c. 6.9.
2. But there is some difference both betweene the translation of the Septuagint and the Hebrew, and betweene Saint Pauls citation, and the Septuagint, and betweene S. Pauls allegation and the originall. 1. The Septuagint in that place, Isai. 19.14. vse the word foreign, he hath made them drunke with the spirit of slumber: but in the Hebrew it is he hath couered, of the word, nasaph to hide or couer: the Apostle vseth the word foreign, he hath giuen: in the other place Isai. 6.9. the originall vseth the imperatiue moode: make their hearts heauie, and shut their eyes: the Septuagint expresse it by the actiue, applying it to the people, they hauehave shut their eyes: and so doth S. Luke cite it, Act. 28.27. and Matth. 13.16. but Saint Paul referreth it vntounto God, he hath giuen, &c. as Ioh. 12.40. it is said he hath blinded their eyes: wherein the Apostle followeth the sense of the Prophet: for as Pet. Martyr well obserueth, quod Dei imperio fit, à Deo fieri dicitur, that which is done by the commandement of God, is said to be done by God.
3. But there is some difference yet in the word tardemah, slumber, which the Prophet vseth, Isay 29.10. which the Septuagint translate foreign, compunction: here much adoe is made about the signification of this word. 1. Some take the signification of the word foreign, which is to mooue, to drive, and so interpret it spiritum commotionis, the spirit of commotion, perplexitie: so the Syrian interpreter, Anselme, Faius: but this should much differ from the Hebrew word which signifieth slumber: commotion, and rest, or slumber, are not one and the same. 2. some doe take the other sense of the word, compungo, to pricke or peirce: in which signification, Chrysostome, Theophylact, Oecumenius, by compunction vnderstand the setled obstinacie of the Iewes: like as a thing nayled to a post moueth or stirreth not: Haymo interpreteth it spiritum invidentiae, the spirit of envie, whereby they were offended at the calling of the Gentiles: there are two kind of compunctions, one is taken in the better part, as Act. 2.37. they were pricked in their hearts to repentance, so also the ordinar. gloss. and Lyranus, vnderstand the envie of the Iewes, to the doctrine of Christ: but yet the reason appeareth not, why the Septuagint should render the Hebrewe word tardemah, slumber, by a word signifying, pricking or compunction. 3. Therefore some are of opinion, that the Greeke word foreign, rather signifieth soporem, slumber, as both Beza here, and Tolet annotat. 6. alleadge out of Hesychius, who expoundeth it by an other Greeke word foreign, rest, ease: and he seemeth to deriue foreign, of …, the night, whereof commeth the word foreign, to sleepe: and of this his opinion that the Septuagint translate this place by a word, signifying slumber, Tolet bringeth three reasons: 1. because the Hebrew word tardemah, signifieth a dead sleepe or slumber, which sometimes they render by the word foreign 1. Sam. 26.12. which is a kind of stupiditie, senselesnes, or astonishment, which in effect is all one. 2. Psal. 60.5. Thou hast made vsus to drinke the wine of giddines: there an other word targelah, is vsed, of the like signification with tardemah, which is a kind of giddines or drowsines, such as is in those, that slumber: which word the Septuagint interpret foreign, the word, which they vse here. 3. the words following, eyes that they should not see, and eares, that they should not heare, doe shew the effects of slumber, or sleepe. 4. But notwithstanding these coniectures, seeing the word foreign signifieth compunction, as not onelyonly the Greeke interpreters, Chrysostome, Origen, Theophylact, Oecumenius, who best knew the proper signification of the Greeke word, do interpret, but the Scripture also thereto beareth witnes: as Act. 2.27. they are said to be pricked in their hearts, foreign, of the which word foreign, compunction, is deriued: I thinke this word fittest to be reteined, yet in sense it is all one, as if he should hauehave said the spirit of slumber: whereof Osiander giueth this reason, because they are as it were pricked and stirred, when they are called to the Gospel, as they which are indeed a sleepe are loath to be awaked: Pareus addeth that the effect is put for the cause, like as they which are fast a sleepe cannot with any stirring or pricking be awaked: But I rather thinke that it is a metaphoricall speach; because they which are pricked and so perplexed with griefe, hauehave no sense of any other thing: as Cyprian saith of some, transpunctae mentis alienatione dementes, they beeing madde, and beside themselues in their pricked and pierced soule, neglect to be cured, and to be brought to repentance, &c. de orat. dom. so that the spirit of compunction, is the same with a scared and cautherised conscience, whereof the Apostle speaketh, 1. Tim. 4.2. which is all one with a spirituall giddines, or slumber: and this answeareth to the word before vsed, v. 7. foreign, they were hardened: like as the hand which hath a hard skin drawne ouer, feeleth not the pricke put vntounto it.
4. It is called the spirit of slumber, or compunction, which Haymo vnderstandeth to be the mind filled with envie: but rather, as Gods spirit worketh in vsus euerie good grace: so the euill spirit is the minister of wrath in the reprobate, instigating and moouing them continually vntounto euill: whereupon they are called, the spirit of fornication, the spirit of couetousnesse, and such like: As God sent such a spirit of giddines and phrensie vponupon Saul, which did befor and make him madde with envie and malice.
5. The last words, vntounto this day: Some will hauehave a part of the Scripture here cited by the Apostle, and so they referre vsus to that place, Deut. 29.4. The Lord hath not giuen you, … heart to perceiue, and eyes to see, and eares to heare vntounto this day: Tolet annot. 7. Faius. But there is great difference betweene these two testimonies, the Lord hath not giuen them eyes to see, which are the words of Moses, and the Lord hath giuen them eyes, that they should not see, as here the Apostle citeth the text: the first sheweth onelyonly the negation and deniall of a gift, the other expresseth further a iudgement of induration or hardening: wherefore these words are no part of the testimonie, but added by the Apostle, and are to be ioyned with the last words in the 7. verse, the rest hauehave beene hardened, (the words comming betweene beeing enclosed in a parenthesis) vntounto this day; Beza, Pareus: as the Apostle saith, 2. Cor. 1.15. VntoUnto this day the vaile is laid ouer their hearts.
6. Now whereas two exceptions may be made to the Apostles alleagation here: the one that the Apostle seemeth not to prooue directly that which he intended, that the rest are hardened, the other, that his proofe is but weake beeing taken from a particular example of those times: hereunto we answear. 1. that the Apostles proofe is direct from the effect to the cause: if God in his iustice hardened them, then were they hardened: their owne malice was the cause of their hardening properly, and as we say per se, of it selfe: and the iustice of God, per accidens, accidentally. 2. his proofe also as it is direct, so is it forceable: for that place Isay. 6. containeth a manifest prophesie of the obstinacie of the Iewes in the times of our Sauiour, as is euident by the frequent application of it, in the Gospel, as Matth. 13.14. Act. 28.26. and say, that were not a speciall prophesie, yet because the rule of Gods iustice is certaine and constant, and alwayes like it selfe, the Lord finding greater obstinacie among the Iewes at the comming of his Sonne into the world their before; was in like sort to exercise his iustice: See further Iun. parall. 21. lib. 2.