18. διότιἠθελήσαμεν] ‘ because we had resolved’— with the idea of active decision or purpose which as a rule distinguishes θέλω in the N.T. from the more passive βούλομαι ‘ desire,’ ‘ wish.’ It is right however to add that by many scholars this distinction is reversed (see the elaborate note in Grimm-Thayer s.v. θέλω), while Blass (p. 54) regards the two words as practically synonymous in the N.T., though his contention that βούλομαι is ‘ literary’ as compared with the more ‘ popular’ (so mod. Greek) θέλω cannot be maintained in view of the frequent occurrences of the former in the non-literary papyri. For the form θέλω which always stands in the N.T. for the Attic ἐθέλω, and which is always augmented in ἠ-, see WSchm. p. 54. Διότι (v. 8 note) is better separated only by a colon from the preceding clause. ἐγὼμὲνΠαῦλος] For a similar emphatic introduction of the personal name cf. 2 Corinthians 10:1, Galatians 5:2, Ephesians 3:1, Colossians 1:23, Philem. 19. For μέν solitarium see Blass p. 267. κ. ἅπαξκ. δίς] ‘ both once and twice’ i.e, ‘ twice’ as in Philippians 4:16; cf. Plato Phaedo 63 d καὶδὶςκαὶτρίς. Where the first καί is wanting as in Deuteronomy 9:13, 2 Esdr. 23. (13.) 20, 1Ma 3:30, the meaning may be more general ‘ once and again,’ ‘ repeatedly.’ καὶἐνέκοψενκτλ.] On καί here as not adversative (Hermann Vig. p. 521) but ‘ copulative and contrasting’ see Ellic. on Philippians 4:12 (cf. WM. p. 544 n.1). Ἐνκόπτω ‘ cut into’ used originally of breaking up a road to render it impassable, came to mean ‘ hinder’ generally (Hesych.: ἐμποδίζω, διακωλύω); cf. Acts 24:4, Romans 15:22, Galatians 5:7, 1 Peter 3:7, and see P.Alex. 4, 1 f. (3./b.c.) ἡμῖνἐνκόπτειςκαλά. The exact nature of the hindrance is here left undefined, but in accordance with the profound Bibl. view it is referred in the last instance to Satan, as the personal force in whom all evil centres; cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 2 Corinthians 12:7. In the LXX. σατάν is found in the general sense of ‘ adversary’ in 3 Regn. 11:14 without the art., and in Sir 21:27 (30) with the art.: in the N.T. the name whether with or without the art., always denotes the Adversary κατʼ ἐξοχήν. Elsewhere in this Ep. Satan is described as ὁπειράζων (3:5). For the development of the Jewish belief in ‘ Satan’ see Enc. Bibl. s.v., and cf. Bousset Die Religion des Judentums2 (1906) p. 382 ff.