Them that sin rebuke before all
This the apostle adds to the above rule, to show that he was far
from screening wicked ministers, or elders, guilty of flagitious
crimes, and gross enormities: for these words, though they may be
applied unto, and may hold good of all offenders, that are
members of churches; yet they seem chiefly to regard elders, even
such who sin, who continue to sin, who live in sin, in some
notorious sin or another; which is evident and known, to the
great scandal of religion, and dishonour of the Gospel: and so
some read the words, "them that sin before all, rebuke"; not only
admonish once and again, but degrade them from their office, and
withdraw from them, as from other disorderly persons, and cut
them off, and cast them out of the church, and that in a public
manner; and so the Arabic version renders it, "before the
congregation": which was done only in case of notorious offences:
and which rule is observed by the Jews, and runs thus F8;
``a wise man, an elder in wisdom, and so a prince, or the father of the sanhedrim, that sins, they do not excommunicate him (with Niddui) always (ayohrpb) , "publicly", unless he does as Jeroboam the son of Nebat and his companions; but when he sins other sins, they chastise him privately.''The end is,
that others also may fear;
that other elders, or other members of the church, or both, may
fear to do the same evil things, lest they incur the same censure
and punishment: the Syriac version reads, "other men"; and the
Arabic version, "the rest of the people". The phrase seems to be
taken out of ( Deuteronomy
13:11 ) ( 17:13 )
.