Philemon 1:15 For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that you should receive him for ever; Paul will not be too sure of what God means by such and such a thing, as some of us are wont to be, as if we had been sworn of God's privy council. "Perhaps," is one of the hardest words for minds of a certain class to say; but in regard to all such subjects, and to many more, it is the motto of the wise man, and the shibboleth which sifts out the patient, modest lovers of truth from rash theorists and precipitate dogmatisers. Impatience of uncertainty is a moral fault which mars many an intellectual process; and its evil effects are nowhere more visible than in the field of theology. (A. Maclaren, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;WEB: For perhaps he was therefore separated from you for a while, that you would have him forever, |
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