Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Ver. 15. Study to show thyself] There are crept into God's sanctuary such Levites to divide the word, that are not worthy the place of Gibeonites to cleave wood; like those unlearned logicians in Plato, Lacerant doctrinas, sicut caniculi panniculos, saith he; they tear up a text, and torment it, they wrest the Scriptures and wrong them, set them upon the rack, and make them speak what they never meant. These should be driven from the work, as those bastard Levites were by the Tirshatha, Ezra 2:63 .
Rightly dividing the word of God] The Syriac renders it, "Rightly preaching the word." Aeschines saith, an orator's oration and the law (so a preacher's sermon and the word) must be unisons. a And if Galen could say, that in anatomizing man's brain, physicians must carry themselves as men do in the temple, how much more must divines do so, in dividing God's Holy Word! The metaphor seems to be taken either from the priests of the law, who were to cut up the sacrifices accurately, and to lay them upon the altar orderly; or else from householders, that cut and carve to every one at table their share of meat. So must ministers, and not do as he in the emblem, that gave straw to the dog and a bone to the ass, but see that every one have their proper portion: this is workmanlike, such as need not be ashamed.
a χρη το αυτο φθεγγεσθαι τον ρητορα και τον νομον. Aesch.