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What is indicated is that provision is made for the whole world, so that no one is, by
divine predetermination, excluded from the scope of God’s mercy; the efficacy of the
“propitiation,” however, is made actual for those who believe. In 4:10, the fact that God
“sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins,” is shown to be the great expression of
God’s love toward man, and the reason why Christians should love one another.¶ In the
Sept., Lev. 25:9; Num. 5:8; 1 Chron. 28:20; Ps. 130:4; Ezek. 44:27; Amos 8:14.¶
PROPORTION
(
&
, 356), Cf. Eng., “analogy,” signified in classical Greek “the right
relation, the coincidence or agreement existing or demanded according to the standard of
the several relations, not agreement as equality” (Cremer). It is used in Rom. 12:6, where
“let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith,”
RV
, recalls v. 3. It is a warning
against going beyond what God has given and faith receives. This meaning, rather than
the other rendering, “according to the analogy of the faith,” is in keeping with the
context. The word
is not to be rendered literally. “Proportion” here represents
its true meaning. The fact that there is a definite article before “faith” in the original does
not necessarily afford an intimation that the faith, the body of Christian doctrine, is here
in view. The presence of the definite article is due to the fact that faith is an abstract
noun. The meaning “the faith” is not relevant to the Context.¶
PROSELYTE
$
(
$ )
, 4339), akin to
, “to come to,” primarily
signifies “one who has arrived, a stranger”; in the NT it is used of converts to Judaism, or
foreign converts to the Jewish religion, Matt. 23:15; Acts 2:10; 6:5; 13:43.¶ There seems
to be no connection necessarily with Palestine, for in Acts 2:10 and 13:43 it is used of
those who lived abroad. Cf. the Sept., e.g., in Exod. 22:21; 23:9; Deut. 10:19, of the
“stranger” living among the children of Israel.
PROSPER
$
(
'
, 2137), “to help on one’s way” (
$
, “well,”
, “a way or
journey”), is used in the passive voice signifying “to have a prosperous journey,” Rom.
1:10; metaphorically, “to prosper, be prospered,” 1 Cor. 16:2,
RV
, “(as) he may prosper,”
KJV
, “(as God) hath prospered (him),” lit., “in whatever he may be prospered,” i.e., in
material things; the continuous tense suggests the successive circumstances of varying
prosperity as week follows week; in 3 John 2, of the “prosperity” of physical and spiritual
health.¶
PROTEST
Note:
In 1 Cor. 15:31, “I protest by” is a rendering of , a particle of strong
affirmation used in oaths.¶ In the Sept., Gen. 42:15, 16.¶
PROUD
$
(
% $)
, 5244) signifies “showing oneself above others,
preeminent” (
$
, “above,”
, “to appear, be manifest”); it is always used in
Scripture in the bad sense of “arrogant, disdainful, proud,” Luke 1:51; Rom. 1:30; 2 Tim.
3:2; Jas. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5.¶