But with me it is a very small thing . . . or of man"s judgment. The Latin version give "of man"s day." The meaning is the same; for the "day of the Lord" is frequently put for the "judgment of the Lord," and a day is commonly named for defendants to appear for judgment. Cf. S. Jerome (ad Algas. qu. x.). He adds that Paul, as a native of the Cilician Tarsus, used the Greek idiom common there, and called "human judgment" "man"s day."
It would, however, be better to say that Paul, being a Hebrew, borrowed this from the idiom of the Hebrews. For he is alluding to Jeremiah , xvii16 , where Jeremiah , being mocked and persecuted because of his prophecies, says: "Neither have I desired man"s day; Thou knowest." The day of man is that wherein man prospers, and is honoured and praised by all as powerful, happy, and enviable. Jeremiah"s meaning, then, is: "I have not desired longer life, prosperity, riches, honours, pleasures, or the applauses of men; for if I had looked for such things I shou...
Or by human judgment. Literally, by human day. The sense, says St. Jerome, is, by any human judgment, or by men, whose judgment is in the day, or time of this life: but God judges in his day, after this life, and chiefly at the last day of judgment.
Neither do I judge myself, so as to look upon myself absolutely certain of the state of my soul, or that I am for certain justified, though I am not conscious to myself of any thing, because I am to be judged by an omniscient God, the great searcher of hearts, who perhaps may discover faults, which I, partial to myself, overlook. Now if St. Paul durst not say, he was justified, what presumption is it for others to pretend to an absolute certainty, that they are just in the sight of God! (Witham)
Paul says this not to exalt himself but to humble others who were getting too full of themselves. Paul says that he would not even presume to judge himself, because he is not capable of making an adequate assessment.
Together with all other ills, I know not how, there has come upon man's nature the disease of restless prying and of unseasonable curiosity, which Christ Himself chastised, saying, Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that you be not judged. A kind of thing, which has no pleasure as all other sins have, but only punishment and vengeance. For though we are ourselves full of ten thousand evils, and bearing the beams in our own eyes, we become exact inquisitors of the offenses of our neighbor which are not at all bigger than motes. And so this matter at Corinth was falling out. Religious men and dear to God were ridiculed and cast out for their want of learning; while others, brimful of evils innumerable, were classed highly because of their fluent speech. Then like persons sitting in public to try causes, these were the sort of votes they kept rashly passing: such an one is worthy: such an one is better than such another; this man is inferior to that; that, better than this. And, leaving off to mourn ...
