A.T. Robertson Commentary


A.T. Robertson Commentary
"if any man speaketh, [speaking] as it were oracles of God; is any man ministereth, [ministering] as of the strength which God supplieth: that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen." — 1 Peter 4:11 (ASV)
If any man speaketh (ε τις λαλε). Condition of first class, assumed as a fact.
Speaking as it were oracles of God (ως λογια θεου). No predicate in this conclusion of the condition. For λογια θεου see Ac 7:38 (Mosaic law); Romans 3:2 (the Old Testament); Hebrews 5:12 (the substance of Christian teaching), here of the utterances of God through Christian teachers. Λογιον (old word) is a diminutive of λογος (speech, word). It can be construed here as nominative or as accusative. The verb has to be supplied.
If any one ministereth (ε τις διακονε). First-class condition again. See Ac 6:2-4 for the twofold division of service involved here.
Which God supplieth (ης χορηγε ο θεος). Ablative case (ης) of the relative attracted from the accusative ην, object of χορηγε (present active indicative of χορηγεω, old verb, to supply from χορηγος, chorus leader, in N.T. only here and 2 Corinthians 9:10). Peter has the compound επιχορηγεω in 2 Peter 1:5,11. God is the supplier of strength.
That God may be glorified (ινα δοξαζητα ο θεος). Purpose clause with ινα and the present passive subjunctive of δοξαζω. See Joh 15:8.
Whose is (ω εστιν). "To whom (dative) is," that is to Jesus Christ the immediate antecedent, but in Ro 16:27; Jude 1:25 the doxology is to God through Christ. For other doxologies see 1 Peter 5:11; 2 Peter 3:18; Galatians 1:5; Romans 9:5; 11:36; Php 4:20; Ephesians 3:21; 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:16; 2 Timothy 4:18; Hebrews 13:21; Revelation 1:6; 5:13; 7:12. The others addressed to Christ are 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Timothy 4:18; Revelation 1:6.