And he is the propitiation for our sins

For the sins of us who now believe, and are Jews:

and not for ours only;

but for the sins of Old Testament saints, and of those who shall hereafter believe in Christ, and of the Gentiles also, signified in the next clause:

but also for [the sins] of the whole world;

the Syriac version renders it, "not for us only, but also for the whole world"; that is, not for the Jews only, for John was a Jew, and so were those he wrote unto, but for the Gentiles also. Nothing is more common in Jewish writings than to call the Gentiles ( amle ) , "the world"; and ( Mlweh lk ) , "the whole world"; and ( Mlweh twmwa ) , "the nations of the world" F12 ; (See Gill on 12:19); and the word "world" is so used in Scripture; see ( John 3:16 ) ( 4:42 ) ( Romans 11:12 Romans 11:15 ) ; and stands opposed to a notion the Jews have of the Gentiles, that ( hrpk Nhl Nya ) , "there is no propitiation for them" F13 : and it is easy to observe, that when this phrase is not used of the Gentiles, it is to be understood in a limited and restrained sense; as when they say F14 ,

``it happened to a certain high priest, that when he went out of the sanctuary, ( amle ylwk ) , "the whole world" went after him;''

``( amle ylwk ) , "the "whole world" has left the Misna, and gone after the "Gemara";''

``( amle ylwk ) , "the whole world" fell on their faces, but Raf did not fall on his face;''

``R. Simeon ben Gamaliel entered (the synagogue), ( amle ylwk ) , "the whole world" stood up before him;''

``when a great man makes a mourning, ( amle ylwk ) , "the whole world" come to honour him;''

ygylp al amle ylwk

yrbo amle ylwk

FOOTNOTES:



F12 Jarchi in Isa. liii. 5.

F13 T. Hieros. Nazir, fol. 57. 3. Vid. T. Bab. Succa, fol. 55. 2.

F14 T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 71. 2.

F15 T. Bab. Bava Metzia, fol. 33. 2.

F16 T. Bab. Megilla, fol. 22. 2.

F17 T. Bab. Horayot, fol. 13. 2.

F18 Piske Toseph. Megilla, art. 104.

F19 T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 90. 2. & Kiddushin, fol. 47. 2. & 49. 1. & 65. 2. & Gittin, fol. 8. 1. & 60. 2.

F20 T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 48. 1.

F21 Maimon. Hilch. Tephilla, c. 11. sect. 16.

F23 Zohar in Lev. fol. 29. 1.

F24 Ib. fol. 24. 1. T. Hieros. Yoma, fol. 38. 2.

F25 T. Bab. Zebachim, fol. 88. 2. & Erachin, fol. 16. 1.

F26 T. Bab. Zebachim, ib. T. Hieros. Yoma, fol. 44. 2.

F1 T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 87. 1. & T. Hieros. Yoma, fol. 45. 2, 3.

F2 Seder Tephillot, fol. 41. 1. Ed. Amsterd.