Verse 26
And that they may recover themselves; the Greek word ανανηψωσιν properly signifieth to awake out of a drunken sleep. A state of sin is a kind of drunkenness, in which men have lost the use of their reason.
Out of the snare of the devil; by the snare of the devil he means his temptations, which like snares are set covertly to catch souls.
Who are taken captive by him; Ηεβρεω word signfies persons taken captive in war; in such a miserable captivity are sinners.
At his will; εζωγρημενοι, which we translate at his will, may as well be translated to his will; and so the will of God may be meant, and the whole referred to the first sentence thus, may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil to the will of God; and that is the sense some make of it: but it seems more proper to refer it to the participle, taken captive, for that is next it; and so it signifieth the miserable state of sinners, who are captives at the devil’s command and will, that if he saith to them, Go, they go; if he saith, Come, they come; if he saith, Do this, they do it.
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