Bible Commentaries

Matthew 1:6-10 — Matthew 1:6-10 , ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Οὐρίου , vide above. The chief feature in this second division of the genealogical table is the omission of three kings between Joram and Uzziah (Matthew 1:8 ), viz. , Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah. How is the omission to be explained? By inadvertence, or by intention, and if the latter, in what view? Jerome favoured the second alternative, and suggested two reasons for the intentional omission a wish to bring

Matthew 22:16 — presumably not incapable of appreciating Jesus, in whose case a friendly feeling towards Him was not incredible, as in the case of older members of the party. μετὰ τ . Ἡρῳδιανῶν , with Herodians , named here only in Mat., associated with Sadducees in Mark 8:15 ; why so called is a matter of conjecture, and the guesses are many: soldiers of Herod (Jerome); courtiers of Herod (Fritzsche, following Syr. ver.); Jews belonging to the northern tetrarchies governed by members of the Herod family (Lutteroth);

Matthew 28:20 — Matthew 28:20 . διδάσκοντες α ., teaching them, present participle, implying that Christian instruction is to be a continuous process, not subordinate to and preparing for baptism, but continuing after baptism with a view to enabling disciples to walk worthily

Acts 1:19 — the words, not of St. Peter, who himself spoke Aramaic, but of the author (see Blass, in loco ). Ἀκελδαμά : the Aramaic of the Field of Blood would be חֲקַל דְּמָא , and it is possible that the χ may be added to represent in some way the guttural [108] , just as Σιράχ = סירא , cf. Blass, in loco , and Grammatik des N. G. , p. 13. W.H [109] (so Blass) read Ἁκελδαμάχ (and Ἀχελδαμάχ , Tisch. and Treg.); see also on the word Winer-Schmiedel, pp. 60 and 63. A new derivation has been proposed by Klostermann,

Acts 2:1 — Paschal Feast and Pentecost. Vulgate ( cf. Syriac) reads “cum complerentur dies Pentecostes,” and so all English versions have “days” except A. and R.V. The verb is only used by St. Luke in the N.T., twice in his Gospel, Luke 8:23 , and in the same sense as here, Luke 9:51 , and once more in the passage before us. We have the noun συμπλήρωσις in the same sense in LXX 2 Chronicles 36:21 , Dan. (Theod.) Acts 9:2 , 1Es 1:58 ; see Friedrich, ubi supra , p. 44. The mode of expression

Acts 2:36 — Acts 2:36 . ἀσφαλῶς : used here emphatically; the Apostle would emphasise the conclusion which he is about to draw from his three texts; cf. Acts 21:34 , Acts 22:30 , and Wis 18:6 (so in classical Greek). πᾶς οἶκος Ἰσρ ., without the article, for οἶκος Ἰ . is regarded as a proper name, cf. LXX, 1 Samuel 7:2 , 1 Kings 12:23 , Nehemiah 4:16 , Ezekiel 45:6 , or it may be reckoned as Hebraistic, Blass, Grammatik des N. G. , pp.

1 Timothy 3:6 — Timothy 3:6-7 have nothing corresponding to them in Titus , or in the qualifications for the diaconate in this chapter. μὴ νεόφυτον κ . τ . λ .: not a recent convert . νεόφυτος in O.T. is used literally of a young plant (Job 14:9 ; Psalms 127:0 (128):3; 143 (144):12; Isaiah 5:7 ). For its use in secular literature, see Deissmann, Bible Studies , trans. p. 220. The significance of this qualification is apparent from its absence in the parallel passage in Titus . It is evident that Church organisation

Hebrews 1:5 — angels did he ever say My Son art Thou, I this day have begotten Thee?” τίνι to what individual; ποτε in the whole course of history. The angels as a class are called “Sons of Elohim” in the O.T. (Genesis 6:2 ; Psalms 29:1 ; Psalms 89:7 ; Job 1:6 ). But this was not used in its strict sense but merely as expressive of indefinite greatness, nor was it addressed to any individual. εἶπεν , the subject unexpressed, as is common in citing Scripture (2 Corinthians 6:2 ; Galatians 3:16

Hebrews 10:11 — Genesis 41:42 it is used of Pharaoh taking off his ring. The phrase therefore suggests that man is enwrapped in sin; or if this is to press too hard the etymological meaning, it at least suggests complete deliverance. οὗτος cf. Hebrews 3:3 and Hebrews 8:3 . εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς cannot be construed with προσενέγκας but must be taken with ἐκάθισεν . “To say of the Levitical priests that they προσφέρουσιν εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς (Hebrews 10:1 ) is appropriate; to say of Christ that He προσήνεγκεν εἰς τὸ διην

Hebrews 10:26 — the adversaries.” γὰρ , introducing an additional reason for the preceding exhortation. The emphasis is on ἑκουσίως ; and the present tense of ἁμαρτ . must not be overlooked. Cf. τῶν ἀκουσίων ἁμαρτημάτων καταφυγὴν εἶναι τοὺς βωμούς , Thuc. 4:98. Wilful sin, continued in, means apostasy, repudiation of the covenant. Cf. Hebrews 6:6 , καὶ παραπεσόντας , and Hebrews 5:2 , τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν , and Hebrews 3:12 . Apostasy can only occur μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν … a condition which is explained in detail in

James 1:6 — θαλάσσης : a very vivid picture; the instability of a billow, changing from moment to moment, is a wonderfully apt symbol of a mind that cannot fix itself in belief. ἔοικεν occurs only here and in James 1:23 in the N.T., κλύδων only elsewhere in Luke 8:24 . ἀνεμιζομένῳ : a number of verbs are used in this Epistle ending in - ιζω , viz. , ὀνειδίζω , ῥιπίζω , παραλογίζομαι , φλογίζω , ἐγγίζω , καθαρίζω , ἀγνίζω , ἀφανίζω , θησαυρίζω , θερίζω , στηρίζω , μακαρίζω ; the word before us is one of the sixteen

James 5:1 — frequency; this period is called the time of “travail,” and more specifically, the “birth-pangs,” or “sufferings” of the Messiah Cheble ha-Meshiach , or Cheblo shel Mashiach , see Pesikta rab. , xxi. 34; Shabbath , 118 a ; Sanhedrin , 96 b , 97 a , etc., etc. See further Oesterley, The Doctrine of the Last Things , chap. 7. The great diffusion and immense popularity which the apocalyptic literature enjoyed makes it certain that the writer of our Epistle was familiar

1 Peter 2:12 — saying, ὅπως ἴδωσιν ὑμῶν τὰ καλὰ ἔργα καὶ δοξάσωσιν τὸν πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς (Matthew 5:16 ). The good behaviour on which the resolved ἀναστρέφεσθαι permits stress to be laid is the fruit of the abstinence of 1 Peter 2:2 ; cf. Hebrews 13:8 ; James 3:13 . This second admonition is disjointed formally against formal grammar from the first; cf. Ephesians 4:1 f., παρακαλῶ … ὑμᾶς … ἀνεχόμενοι . ἐντοῖς ἔθνεσιν , the people of God (1 Peter 2:9 ) is a correlative term and implies the existence

1 John 1:8-10 — 1 John 1:8-10 . The heresy of Perfectionism. Some might not say, with the Antinomians, that they were absolved from the obligation of the moral law, but they maintained that they were done with sin, had no more sinful propensities, committed no more sinful acts.

1 John 2:18-29 — 1 John 2:18-29 . A Warning against Heretical Teaching. “Little ones, it is the last hour; and, as ye heard that Antichrist is coming, even now have many antichrists arisen; whence we recognise that it is the last hour. From our company they went out, but

Revelation 1:3 — function resembles that of Baruch ( cf. Jeremiah 22:5-6 ). τηροῦντες τὰ , κ . τ . λ ., carefully heeding the warnings of the book, observing its injunctions, and expecting the fulfilment of its predictions, instead of losing heart and faith (Luke 18:8 ). Cf. Hipp. De Antich. 2 and En. civ. 12, “books will be given to the righteous and the wise to become a cause of joy and uprightness and much wisdom”. The content of the Apocalypse is not merely prediction; moral counsel and religious

Revelation 1:7 — Revelation 1:7 . A reminiscence and adaptation of Daniel 7:13 (Theod.) and Zechariah 12:10-14 . The substitution of ἐξεκέντησαν (so John 19:37 , Justin’s Apol. i. 52, Dial , xxxii., cf. 61., 118., adding εἰς ) for κατωρχήσαντο (70 mistranslation in this passage, though not elsewhere, of דקרו ) shows that the original text was used (though Lücke and Ewald hold that ἐξ . was the LXX reading till Origen), and that it was interpreted in some (Johannine?

Revelation 12:17 — of Christians by the enforcement of the Imperial cultus is vividly delineated in Ep. Lugd. which incidentally mentions the experience of Biblias who, like Cranmer, repented of a recantation. “The devil, thinking he had already swallowed up [918] ., one of those who had denied Christ, desired to condemn her further by means of blasphemy, and brought her to the torture [ i.e. , in order to force false accusations from her lips].… But she, reminded by her present anguish of the eternal punishment

Revelation 17:11 — that John rationalises Nero redivivus into Domitian, which would throw the rest of the oracle entirely out of focus. Domitian, the eighth emperor, is not explained as the Beast which was and is not and is to come up out of the abyss (Revelation 17:8 ), but simply as the Beast which was and is not ; no allusion is made to his term of power, and the concluding phrase καὶ εἰς ἀπ . ὑπάγει is simply the conventional prophecy of doom upon persecutors; it need not be a post-factum reference to D.’s

Revelation 3:9 — extended employment of the Hebrew equivalent in the later stages of O.T. literature. The Jewish synagogue is denounced as Satanic, owing to its persecuting habits (Satan being regarded as the final source of persecution as of error, cf. above Revelation 3:8 and on Revelation 2:9 ). Ignatius corroborates the malign activity of Jews at Philadelphia, who were in the habit of molesting the church ( ad Philad. 6); he also refers them to the malicious cunning of Satan. Apparently Judaizing tendencies were rife