Least (smallest, very small) (1646) elachistos

Least (1646) (elachistos = superlative of mikrós = small) means... (1) the lowest in status (not so in Mt 2:6, 1Co 15:9 ~ Ep 3:8, Mt 5:19, Mt 25:40, 45, Lxx = Ge 25:23, 2Ki 18:24 = "least of my master's servants", Da 2:39 = "another kingdom inferior to you"), (2) the smallest in a class (eg, bodily "organs" - one of the smallest very fittingly compared to a rudder of a large vessel = Jas 3:4, Ge 1:16 = the moon, "lesser light", Lxx = Josh 6:26 = "youngest", Job 30:1 = "younger than I"), (3) and finally as a description of something deemed trivial or of little significance (1Co 6:2, Lk 12:26, 16:10, 19:17, 1Co 4:3). (4) smallest in amount or size (Lxx = Ex 16:17, 18, Nu 26:54, 33:54, 35:8, 1Sa 9:21 = "smallest of Israel's tribes", Pr 30:24 - see the "smallest" in Pr 30:25, 26 27, 28, Job 16:6 = "pain...not lessened", Job 18:7 = "stride is shortened", Isa 60:22 = "the least one a mighty nation", Jer 30:14 = "little ones of the flock") Paul is saying he is "more least than all the saints". In fact, elachistos means "less than the least" and expresses Paul's honest, deep self-abasement. In other words, Paul is not exhibiting a sense of false humility but a true self-estimate from a man filled with the Holy Spirit and one who knew his true unworthiness in face of "gift of God's grace" and the perfect righteousness of God. Paul wrote a similar self-estimate in other letters in which there seems to be a spiritual progression characterized by a heightened sense of one's own moral shortcoming when compared with Christ's perfect righteousness (see preceding table). Anyone who sees Christ in His glory sees in stark contrast his own sinfulness. As Christ increased in Paul, Paul decreased. Stated another way, a growing understanding the deep truths of God’s Word does not give a man a big head; it gives him a broken and contrite heart. Paul (Paulus) means “little” in Latin, and perhaps Paul bore this name because he realized how insignificant he really was. Thomas Watson writes of Paul... This illustrious Apostle, a star of the first magnitude, shrank into nothing in his own eyes! William Secker (1660) wrote... Pride is a sinner's torment—but humility is a saint's ornament. The garment of humility—should always be worn on the back of Christianity. Hughes comments on very least writing that... Again Paul bends the language. He takes the Greek word for “least” or “smallest” and adds an ending which is impossible linguistically, so that he comes out with the word “leaster.” Some think he was playing off his Latin name Paulus, which meant “little” or “small,” so that the idea is, “I am little by name, little in stature, and morally and spiritually littler than the least of all Christians.” I am Small Paul. (Hughes, R. K.: Ephesians: The Mystery of the Body of Christ. Crossway Books) Johnson explains "the very least" this way... By the way, Paul’s Latin name, “Paul,” means “little.” And what he has done here is to take the word least in the Greek text and make it a comparative. Now least is a superlative. But he has said, “I who am leaster”; that’s what he’s done in Greek. So he’s taken a superlative and made it a comparative. It’s as if he’s to say, “I’m not simply the littlest, but the littlester of all the saints.” He really feels that way because he persecuted the church of God. (Ephesians 3:1-13 Dispensation of Grace Audio/Pdf ) Elachistos - 14x in 12v in the NAS = least(6), smallest(1), very least(1), very little thing(4), very small(1), very small thing(1). Matthew 2:6 'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'" Comment: Notice that NAS capitalizes direct OT quotations for easy recognition. Matthew 5:19-note "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 25:40 "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' Matthew 25:45 "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' Luke 12:26 "If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? Luke 16:10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. Luke 19:17 "And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.' 1 Corinthians 4:3 But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. 1 Corinthians 6:2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? 1 Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. Ephesians 3:8-note To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, James 3:4 Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. Elachistos - 27x in 25v in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX) - Ge 1:16; 25:23; 27:6; Exod 16:17f; Lev 25:16; Num 26:54; 33:54; 35:8; Josh 6:26; 1 Sam 9:21; 2 Kgs 18:24; Pr 13:11; 22:16; 30:24; Job 16:6; 18:7; 30:1; Isa 60:22; Jer 30:14; Da 2:39 Of the apostles - This is interesting in that earlier Paul had defended his apostleship writing... Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. My defense to those who examine me is this... (1Co 9:1, 2,3) John Flavel had it right declaring They that know God, will be humble, and they that know themselves cannot be proud. (Woe, that hurts!) F B Meyer expands that thought writing... I used to think that God's gifts were on shelves one above the other, and that the taller we grew in Christian character the easier we could reach them. I now find that God's gifts are on shelves one beneath the other. It is not a question of growing taller, but of stooping down, to get His best gifts. J C Ryle (1816 - 1900) wrote that... Humility is the rarest and most beautiful of graces. Humility is the very first letter in the alphabet of Christianity. William Law (1686-1761)... Living Christianity is making one’s life an exercise of humility, repentance and heavenly affection. As this point it would be wise for us to recall that Paul did not allow himself to be discouraged by looking back, focusing on past failures which is what the mortal enemy of our soul would love for us to do (Our enemy Satan continually accuses the brethren before God = Re 12:10-note). While Paul is teaching that it is important to maintain a consciousness of the depths of sin from which we have been saved so that the wonder of grace might abound all the more (cp Ro 5:20-note), it is another thing to seek to self-indulgently "wallow" in past sins (which we have confessed - see below), even piling up guilt on one's self. To the contrary, we must continually be mindful that the same grace which has taken our feet out of the "miry clay" (Ps 40:2-note), is the same grace which will forever hold us firm in the eternal truth of "No condemnation" and "No separation" in Christ (Ro 8:1-note. Ro 8:39-note) Compare King David's example after he had sinned with Bathsheba, confessed his sin and experienced the consequences when his son died (2Sa 12:13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20). As John states "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive (aphiemi - see the picture implied by this great Greek word) us our sins and to cleanse (katharizo) us from all (How much?) unrighteousness." (1Jn 1:9) While confession of our sins does not necessarily remove the consequences of those sins nor the memory of those sins, we need to accept that the God of all grace has forgiven us completely (see pictures of the breadth of God's forgiveness = Ps 32:1-note, Ps 103:12-note, Isa 6:7, Isa 38:17, Isa 44:11, Mic 7:18,19 Acts 3:19,20, 21, 22, 23, 24) and has purified us wholly from the sins and the guilty conscience. This truth will make us grateful debtors to grace. Puritan writer Thomas Watson echoes this need for a fine balance between awareness of past sins but not abjectly groveling in them... The mixing of wisdom and innocence is seen in this: to be humble—but not base. Humility is part of the dove's innocence. 1Peter 5:5, "Be clothed with humility." Paul, though the chief of the Apostles, calls himself the least of saints. A gracious soul has low thoughts of himself, and carries himself lowly toward others; but, though he is humble—he is not base. Though he will not saucily resist his superiors—he will not sinfully humor them. Though he will not do such proud actions as to make his enemies hate him—yet he will not do such sordid actions as to make them despise him. Here is the serpent and the dove united. (Wise as Serpents)

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Least (smallest, very small) (1646) elachistos

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