Bible Commentaries

Matthew 12:28 — Matthew 12:28 . The alternative : if not by Satan then by the Spirit of God, with an inevitable inference as to the worker and His work. ἐν πνεύματι θεοῦ . Luke has ἐν δακτύλῳ θ . The former seems more in keeping with the connection of thought as defending the ethical

Matthew 13 overview — explanation and self-defence. All the synoptists recognise the importance of this type of teaching by their formal manner of introducing the first of the group of seven parables contained in Matthew’s collection. Cf. Matthew 13:3 ; Mark 4:2 ; Luke 8:4 . Matthew’s way of massing matter of the same kind most effectually impresses us with the significance of this feature in Christ’s teaching ministry. That Jesus spoke all the seven parables grouped together in this chapter at one time

Matthew 5:29-30 — not the purpose of its excision. Note the impressive solemn repetition in Matthew 5:30 of the thought in Matthew 5:29 , in identical terms save that for βληθῇ is substituted, in the true reading, ἀπέλθῃ . This logion occurs again in Matthew (Matthew 18:8-9 ). Weiss (Marc.-Evang., 326) thinks it is taken here from the Apostolic document, i.e. , Matthew’s book of Logia, and there from Mark 9:43-47 . [25] Septuagint. [26] Septuagint.

Matthew 8:20 — Matthew 8:20 , λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ι . Jesus distrusted the class , and the man , who might be better than the average, still he was a scribe. Christ’s feeling was not an unreasoning or invincible prejudice, but a strong suspicion and aversion justified by insight

Mark 9:50 — Pauline word, remarks Holtz. (H. C.). True, but why not also a word of Jesus? certainly very apposite to the occasion. Note . Salting of disciples imports suffering pain, but is not to be confounded with the cross-bearing of faithful disciples (Mark 8:34 ). The former is the discipline of self-denial necessary to make a man a follower of Christ worthy of the name. The latter is the tribulation that comes on all who follow closely in the footsteps of Christ. The one is needful to make us holy, the

Luke 6:1-5 — Luke 6:1-5 . The ears of corn (Matthew 12:1-8 , Mark 2:23-28 ). ἐν σαββάτῳ : Mk. makes no attempt to locate this incident in his history beyond indicating that it happened on Sabbath . Mt. uses a phrase which naturally suggests temporal sequence, but to which in view of what goes before one can

John 1:3 — connection in Romans 11:36 , ὅτι ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ διʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα ; and in Colossians 1:16 the same writer uses the same prepositions not of the Father but of the Son when he says: τὰ μάντα διʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται . In 1 Corinthians 8:6 Paul distinguishes between the Father as the primal source of all things and the Son as the actual Creator. (In Greek philosophy the problem was to ascertain by whom, of what, and in view of what the world was made; ὑφʼ οὗ , ἐξ οὗ , πρὸς ὅ . And Lücke

John 11:17 — messenger reached Jesus. At John 11:39 the time which had elapsed since death is mentioned for a different reason. Here it seems to be introduced to account for John 11:19 ; as also is the statement ἦν δὲ Βηθανία [ ἡ deleted by Tisch [77] and W.H [78] ] ἐγγὺς τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων , ὡς ἀπὸ σταδίων δεκαπέντε , within easy walking distance of Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off. The form is a Latinism, used in later Greek instead of ὡς σταδίους δεκαπέντε ἀπὸ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων ; cf. John 12:1 , John 21:8

John 2:8 — John 2:8 . The second order might stagger them more, Ἀντλήσατε νῦν , καὶ φέρετε τῷ ἀρχιτρικλίνῳ . The ἀρχιτρίκλινος was originally the person who had charge of the triclinium or triple couch set round a dining table: “praefectus cui instruendi ornandique

Acts 2:14 — man,” he now stands forth to proclaim him as the Christ and the Saviour. It is quite characteristic of St. Luke thus to introduce participles indicating the position or gesture of the speaker ( cf. Friedrich, Zöckler, Overbeck); cf. St. Luke 18:11 ; Luke 18:40 ; Luke 19:8 , Acts 5:40 ; Acts 11:13 ; Acts 17:2 ; Acts 25:18 ; Acts 27:21 . σὺν τοῖς ἕνδεκα , and so with Matthias; cf. Acts 5:32 , and Acts 1:22 . ἐπῆρε τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ : this phrase is only found in St. Luke’s Gospel (Acts

Acts 4:21 — Acts 4:21 . προσαπειλησάμενοι : “when they had further threatened them” R.V., or the word may mean “ added threats to their warning” Acts 4:18 (“prius enim tantum præceperunt,” Erasmus). So Wendt as against Meyer; cf. in LXX, Sir 13:3 , ., and Dem., p. 544, 26. ἀπέλυσαν : “dimiserunt [Acts 3:13 ] non absolverunt,” Blass; see St. Chrysostom’s striking contrast

Acts 4:8 — Acts 4:8 . πλησθεὶς πνεύ . ἁγ .: the whole phrase is characteristic of St. Luke, who employs it in the Gospel three times and in Acts five (Friedrich, Lekebusch, Zeller). Acts has sometimes been called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit, and the number of times St.

Acts 7:22 — Acts 7:22 . ἐπαιδεύθη , cf. Acts 22:3 here with instrumental dative, or, better, dative of respect or manner; not mentioned in Exodus, but see Philo, Vita Moys. , ii., 83, Mang., and also Schürer, Jewish People , div. ii., vol. i., p. 343, E.T.; cf. the knowledge of magic ascribed to Pharaoh’s wise men in Exodus 7:11 , and “Jannes and Jambres,” B.D. 2 , and also 1 Kings 4:30 , and Isaiah 19:2 ; Isaiah

Acts 8:31 — Acts 8:31 . γὰρ ; “elegans particula hoc sensu quid quaeris? ” implies, Why do you ask? for how should I be able? ( cf. Matthew 27:23 , Mark 15:14 , Luke 23:22 ); see Simcox, Language of N. T. Greek , p. 172; Grimm-Thayer, sub v. , I. ἂν δυναίμην

Acts 9:13 — vision of the Psalms of Solomon (17:36) would have been fulfilled in the early Church of Christ: ὅτι πάντες ἅγιοι , καὶ βασιλεὺς ἀυτῶν Χριστὸς Κύριος (see Ryle and James’ edition, p. 141). ἐν Ἱερ . belongs to ἐποίησε , and so points back to Acts 8:3 , and to Saul as the soul of the persecution which broke out in Jerusalem, cf. Paul’s own language before Agrippa, Acts 26:10 .

Acts 9:25 — critical notes, the words would apparently refer to Jews converted by Saul, so Chrysostom: “but his disciples” R.V. Alford, who reads αὐτοῦ , supposes that we have here an unusual government of the genitive by λαβόντες , and compares Luke 8:54 and classical instances, see in loco. διὰ τοῦ τείχους : “through the wall,” R.V., cf. 2 Corinthians 11:33 , where we read διὰ θυρίδος … διὰ τοῦ τεὶχους , perhaps a window in the external face of the wall opening into the house on the

Acts 9:26 — Arabia cannot be inserted here (Weiss. in loco ), a stay which Weiss holds was unknown to the author of Acts, see his note on Acts 9:19 . παραγ . is found four times in Acts with εἰς , c. acc [231] loci , elsewhere only in Matthew 2:1 ( cf. John 8:2 ). ἐπειρᾶτο : the verb πειράομαι only found once in N.T., viz. , Acts 26:21 , and the true reading here is ἐπείραζε , which is used in a similar sense in Acts 16:7 , Acts 24:6 , only in the active in this sense = Attic πειρῶμαι , according to Blass,

Revelation 19:12 — than the four (of a good name, of the law, of the high priesthood, of the divine kingdom, Targ. Jerus, on Deuteronomy 34:0 ) 5 or three (omitting the first) which Jewish tradition assigned to Moses (see Pirke Aboth, iv. 13, vi. 5; Joseph. Bell . i. 2, 8, prophetic, priestly, and royal honours). ὄνομα κ . τ . λ ., cf. Ep. Lugd., “when Attalus was placed on the iron seat and the fumes rose from his burning body, he was asked, ‘What name has God?’ ‘God,’ he answered, ‘has

Revelation 20:13 — sea and by the beasts”. Evidently drowned people are supposed not to be in Hades; they wander about or drift in the ocean (Achill. Tat. ver 313), μηδὲ εἰς ᾅδου καταβαίνειν ὅλως . According to the prophet’s conception ( cf. Revelation 13:8 ; Revelation 13:14 .f.) the fate of pagans must have been a foregone conclusion, when the Imperial cultus was made the test of character; in which case “the scene before the white throne is rather a final statement of judgment than a statement

Revelation 21:15-17 — The measures of the city are now taken, as in Ezekiel 40:3 ; Ezekiel 40:48 ; Ezekiel 42:16 f., to elucidate the vision (otherwise in Revelation 11:1-2 ). It turns out to be an enormous quadrilateral cube, like Ezekiel’s ideal sanctuary, a cube being symbolical of perfection to a Jew, as a circle is to ourselves. Whether