12. παρακαλοῦντεςὑμᾶςκτλ.] ‘ exhorting you and encouraging and testifying’— a clause which, contrary to the usual verse-division; is included by WH. in v. 12. Παρακαλεῖν, like παράκλησις (v. 3 note), is a favourite word with St Paul, occurring no less than ten times in these Epp. with the double meaning of ‘ exhort’ and ‘ comfort.’ The former idea is prominent here, while the succeeding παραμυθούμενοι (elsewhere in N.T. only in 5:14, John 11:19; John 11:31, cf. 2Ma 15:9) is addressed to the feelings rather than to the will. For a similar combination of the corresponding nouns see 1 Corinthians 14:3, Philippians 2:1. Μαρτύρεσθαι, properly ‘ summon to witness,’ and then absolutely ‘ asseverate,’ ‘ protest,’ from which it is an easy transition to the meaning ‘ conjure,’ ‘ solemnly charge’ which suits best the present passage and Ephesians 4:17 : see Herr on 1 Peter 1:11 who cites in support of this rendering Plut. 2:19 b (of Homer) ἐνδὲτῷπροδιαβάλλεινμόνονοὐμαρτύρεταικαὶδιαγορεύειμήτεχρῆσθαικτλ. ‘ solemnly warns not to use’— a charge as in the presence of God. An interesting parallel is also afforded by P.Oxy. 471, 64 f. (2./a.d.) μαρτύρονταικύριετὴνσὴντύχην, where however the editors translate ‘ they bear evidence,’ as if it were the commoner μαρτυροῦσι. According to Lft. (ad loc., cf. note on Galatians 5:3) μαρτύρομαι has never this latter sense in the N.T. any more than in class. Gk., but that the two words were sometimes confused in late Gk. is proved by such a passage as P.Amh. 141, 17 f. (4./a.d.) τοσοῦτομαρτυραμένη [κ]αὶἀξιοῦσατῆςπαρὰσοῦἐκδικείαςτυχεῖν, where we can only translate ‘ bearing witness to the facts and praying to obtain satisfaction by you.’ εἰςτὸπεριπατεῖνκτλ.] On εἰςτό with the inf. expressing here not so much the purpose as the content of the foregoing charge see Moulton Prolegg. p. 218 ff., where the varying shades of meaning attached to this phrase in the Pauline writings are fully discussed. Περιπατεῖν with reference to general moral conduct occurs thirty-two times in the Pauline Epp., and twelve times in the writings of St John (Gosp.2, Epp.10). St Luke prefers πορεύεσθαι (Gosp.2 Acts 2) for this purpose, as do St Peter and St Jude. The metaphor though not unknown in class. Gk. (cf. Xen. Cyr. 2:2. 24 ἡπονηρίαδιὰτῶνπαραύτικαἡδονῶνπορευομένη, and the essentially similar metaph. use of ἀναστρέφεσθαι, ἀναστροφή) is Hebraistic in origin: cf. the early designation of Christianity as ἡὁδός (Acts 9:2 &c.) in keeping with the common metaphorical use of the word in the LXX. For the use of the pres. inf. περιπατεῖν (v.l. -τῖσαι, DcKL) see Blass p. 195 n1. For περιπατεῖνἀξίως cf. Ephesians 4:1, and for ἀξίως with gen. of a person cf. Romans 16:2, Colossians 1:10, 3 John 1:6. The exact phrase ἀξίωςτοῦθεοῦ is found in the Pergamene inscription 248, 7 ff. (2./b.c.) where Athenaios, a priest of Dionysios and Sabazius, is extolled as συ[ν]τετελεκότοςτὰἱερὰ ... εὐσεβῶς [μ]ὲγκαὶἀξίωςτοῦθεοῦ (see Deissmann BS. p. 248). Thieme (p. 21) cites similar exx. from the Magnesian inscriptions, e.g. 33, 30 ἀξίως [τ]ῆ[ς] θ[ε]ᾶς (Gonnos in Thessaly 3./b.c.), 85, 10 f. ἀξίωςτῆςτεἈρτέμιδος ... καὶ [τοῦ] δήμου (Tralles); but rightly draws attention to the difference of spirit underlying the appeal of the Christian Apostle to his converts to walk worthily of the Gospel, and the praise which a Greek commune bestows on the ambassadors of another state for acting ἀξίωςτῆςθεᾶςκαὶτοῦδήμου. τοῦκαλοῦντος] ‘ who is calling,’ the verb being used in its technical sense of ‘ call to the kingdom’ with the further idea, as throughout the Pauline Epp., that the calling as God’ s act has been effectual (Romans 8:30, 1 Corinthians 1:9). The use of the pres. part. instead of the more common nor. (καλέσαντος, WH. mg.) in this connexion (cf. 4:7, Galatians 1:6; Galatians 1:15; Galatians 5:13, but not v. 8) may be due to the fact that the whole phrase is practically = ‘ our caller’ (cf. 1:10, and see Romans 9:11 where ἐκτοῦκαλοῦντος is contrasted with ἐξἔργων), but is perhaps sufficiently explained by the eschatological reference of the present passage. Believers are continually being called to an inheritance on which they have not yet fully entered, but of which they are assured (cf. 5:24). On the different uses of καλέω see SH. p. 241 f. εἰςτ. ἑαυτοῦβασιλείανκτλ.] Though there are undoubted instances in the Pauline Epp. of βασιλεία as the present kingdom of God’ s grace (Romans 14:17, 1 Corinthians 4:20, Colossians 1:13), its reference in the main is to the future (2 Thessalonians 1:5, 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Corinthians 15:50, Galatians 5:21, 2 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 4:18), and that this is the case here is shown by its inclusion with the eschatological δόξα under one art. The two expressions must not however be united as if = ‘ His own kingdom of glory,’ or even ‘ His own kingdom culminating in His glory,’ but point rather to two manifestations of God’ s power, the first of His rule, the second of His glory. On ἑαυτοῦ which seems here to retain its full emphasis see note on v. 7, and on St Paul’ s teaching regarding the ‘ kingdom’ at Thessalonica see Intr. p. 27. Δύξα, in class. Gk. = ‘ opinion,’ ‘ good opinion’ (cf. v. 6), through the influence of the LXX. where it is commonly used to translate Heb. λΜΘαεΙγ ‘ honour,’ ‘ glory,’ came to be applied in the N.T. to the full manifestation of God’ s glory (‘Gloria, divinitas conspicua’— Beng. on Acts 7:2), or more specially to that glory as revealed to men in the Divine majesty and goodness (e.g. Ephesians 1:6; Ephesians 1:12; Ephesians 1:17; Ephesians 3:16, Colossians 1:11 with Lft.’ s note). From this it was a natural transition to the future bliss or glory that awaits God’ s people, the ethical conception being still always predominant: cf. Romans 5:2 ἐπʼ ἐλπίδιτ. δόξηςτ. θεοῦ, 8:18 πρὸςτ. μέλλουσανδόξανἀποκαλυφθῆναιεἰςἡμᾶς. This sense of the word can also be illustrated from post-canonical literature by such passages as Apoc. Bar. 15:8 ‘ For this world is to them a trouble and a weariness with much labour; and that accordingly which is to come, a crown with great glory’ ; 48:49 ‘ And I will recount their blessedness and not be silent in celebrating their glory, which is reserved for them’ ; and especially 4 Ezra 7:42 where the state of the blessed is described as ‘ neque nitorem neque claritatem neque lucem’ but only ‘ splendorem claritatis altissimi’ [perhaps = ἀπαύγασμαδόξηςὙψίστου, SH. p. 85].For the Bibl. history of the word δόξα see further Kennedy Last Things p. 299 ff., and for the possibility that δόξα may originally have had a ‘ realistic’ meaning in the ordinary Gk. of the day though no actual instance of this use has yet been found, see Deissmann Hellenisierung p. 165 f., where its use as a name for women and ships (F. Bechtel, Die attischen Frauennamen (1902) p. 132) is cited as a partial parallel.In the passage before us the whole phrase τ. καλοῦντοςκτλ. shows affinity with the ‘ invitation’ in the Parable of the Supper, Matthew 22:1 ff., Luke 14:16 ff.: cf. Dalman Worte p. 97 (Engl. Tr. p. 118 f.) where similar exx. are adduced from Jewish literature.