Bible Commentaries

Matthew 4:6 — one as Jesus, or indeed to any man in his senses. The transit through the air from the desert to the winglet, like that of Ezekiel, carried by a lock of his hair from Babylon to Jerusalem, must have been “in the visions of God” (Ezekiel 8:3 ), and the suggestion to cast Himself down a parabolic hint at a class of temptations, as the excuses in the parable of the Supper (Luke 14:16 ) simply represent the category of preoccupation . What is the class represented? Not temptations through

Romans 12 overview — compulsion of some kind that he develops most of his characteristic doctrines, and he has no doctrines which do not imply a corresponding practice. Yet the distinction does exist, and the remainder of this epistle, especially chaps. Romans 12:1 to Romans 15:13 , may be properly described as the practical part of it. Not that it is independent of the other. On the contrary, it is nothing but the application of it. ( οὖν Romans 12:1 .) Christian ethics are relative to the Christian revelation. It is the relations

1 Corinthians 12:29-30 — 1 Corinthians 12:29-30 . In this string of rhetorical questions P. recapitulates once more the charisms, in the terms of 1 Corinthians 12:28 . He adds now to the γλώσσαις λαλεῖν its complementary διερμηνεύειν (see 10, and 1 Corinthians 14:13 , etc.: διὰ in this vb [1942]

1 Corinthians 14:26 — 1 Corinthians 14:26 . τί οὖν ἐστίν ( cf. 1 Corinthians 14:15 ), ἀδελφοί ; “How then stands the case, brothers?” οὖν is widely resumptive, taking in the whole state of the Cor [2143] Church as now reviewed, with esp. ref [2144] to its abundance of charisms, amongst which Tongues and Prophecy are conspicuous; education must once more be insisted on as the true aim of them all. ὅταν συνέρχησθε , “whensoever you assemble”

1 Corinthians 14:29-30 — 1 Corinthians 14:29-30 . προφῆται δὲ δύο ἢ τρεῖς κ . τ . λ .: “But in the case of prophets, let two or three speak, and let the others discern” ( dijudicent , Vg [2159] ). In form this sentence varies from the parl [2160] clause respecting the Tongues (1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 14:7 — 1 Corinthians 14:7 . Ὅμως τὰ ἄψυχα , “Quin et inanima” (Cv [2035] ); as in Galatians 3:15 , the part [2036] emphasises the word immediately following, not ψωνὴν διδόντα (“though giving sound”) in contrast to ἐὰν διαστολὴν … μὴ δῷ (so however Wr [2037] , Gm [2038] , Mr [2039] , Sm [2040] : “yet

2 Corinthians 5:1 — 4:17 ) we know, sc. , we Christians ( cf. Romans 7:14 , 1 Corinthians 8:1 ), that if our earthly ( ἐπίγειος as contrasted with ἐπουράνιος ; see reff.) tabernacle-house be dissolved , etc. Despite the fact that he was himself a σκηνοποιός (Acts 18:3 ), this is the only place where St. Paul employs any of the terms correlative to σκηνή . It is natural to think of the temporary character of the σκῆναι used by the Chosen People in the desert wanderings, an idea which is probably present in 2 Peter

Ephesians 6:3 — Ephesians 6:3 . ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται καὶ ἔσῃ μακροχρόνιος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς : that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the land . The quotation of the commandment is continued according to the LXX, but with some variations, viz. , ἔσῃ for γένῃ , and

Philippians 1:5 — Philippians 1:5 . On what does ἐπί depend? Surely it follows χαρᾶς of preceding clause (so Chr [38] , Th. Mps [39] ) rather than εὐχαριστῶ of Philippians 1:3 . It is, at least, awkward to take ἐπί twice with the same verb. μ . χαρᾶς has an emphatic position. Now he gives the reason for his joy. τῇ κοινωνίᾳ . At the first glance κ . seems to refer

Philippians 2:1 — Ephesians 4:1 , 1 Corinthians 1:10 , is in favour of the former. No doubt the idea of encouragement and stimulus is implied. This is an exhortation in Christ. That itself must gain for it a favourable reception. παραμ . Only here in N.T. Once in LXX, Wis 3:18 . Almost equiv. to παρκλ ., but having a suggestion of tenderness involved. It springs from his love towards them. κοιν . πνεύματος . The community of believers is the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, is the unifying Principle

1 Timothy 5:24 — main, the explanation adopted by Alford. πρόδηλοι : Not open beforehand (A.V.), but evident (R.V.), manifesta sunt (Vulg.) as in Hebrews 7:14 (neut.). The προ is not indicative of antecedence in time, but of publicity, as in προεγράφη , Galatians 3:1 . προάγουσαι : It is best to take this in a transitive sense, as in Acts 12:1 ; Acts 17:5 ; Acts 25:26 , of bringing a prisoner forth to trial. Here the object of the verb is understood out of τινῶν ἀνθρώπων . The men are in the custody of their

1 Timothy 6:10 — statements in a letter should be expressed with the precision of a text book. When one is dealing with a degrading vice of any kind, the interests of virtue are not served by qualified assertions. φιλαργυρία : avaritia ( [299] ) rather than cupiditas ( [300] , [301] , Vulg.). The use of this word supports the exposition given above of 1 Timothy 6:9 . Love of money, meanness and covert dishonesty where money is concerned, is the basest species of the genus πλεονεξία . [299] Cod. Frisingensis [300]

Philemon 1:9 — πρεσβευτής . If, as seems very likely, we should translate the word “ambassador” here, then we have the striking parallel in the contemporary epistle to the Ephesians 6:20 , ὑπὲρ οὗ πρεσβεύω ἐν ἁλύσει . Deissmann ( Licht vom Osten , p. 273) points out that both the verb πρεσβεύω , and the substantive πρεσβευτής , were used in the Greek Orient for expressing the title of the Legatus of the emperor. Accepting the meaning “ambassador” here, the significance of the passage is

Hebrews 9:22 — of ἄφεσις . It is by remission of sin the stain is removed. And according to the great law of Leviticus 17:11 , this remission was attained by the shedding of blood τὸ γὰρ αἶμα ἀντὶ ψυχῆς ἐξιλάσεται . ἄφεσις is used absolutely only here and in Mark 3:29 ; elsewhere it is used with ἁμαρτιῶν or παραπτωμάτων . In Luke 4:18 it signifies “release”.

James 1:13 — James 1:13 . Μηδεὶς πειραζόμενος λεγέτω : In view of the specific doctrine which is being combated in these verses, it is probable that the verb πειράζω is here used in the restricted sense of temptation to lust, and not in the more general sense ( πειρασμοῖς

James 1:18 — well-known writing, much in the same way as St. Paul does in Acts 17:28 , ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ ζῶμεν καὶ κινούμεθα καὶ ἐσμέν , ὡς καί τινες τῶν καθʼ ὑμᾶς ποιητῶν εἰρήκασιν · “ τοῦ γὰρ καὶ γένος ἐσμέν ”. For the general thought of the verse cf. 1 John 3:9 . βουληθεὶς ἀπεκύησεν ἡμᾶς λόγῳ ἀληθείας : this is strongly suggestive of an advanced belief in the doctrine of Grace, cf. John 15:16 . οὐχ ὑμεῖς με ἐξελέξασθε , ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς . The rare word ἀπεκύησεν is, strictly speaking, only used

James 4:9 — James 4:9 . ταλαιπωρήσατε : ἅπ . λεγ . in N.T. cf. Micah 2:4 ; Jeremiah 4:13 ; “undergo hardship”; it was a recognised tenet in Jewish theology that self-inflicted punishment of any kind was a means of reconciliation, e.g. , in Mechilta , 76 a , the words of Psalms 89:32 (33 in Heb.), I will visit their transgression

1 John 2:15 — dealing with believers who have a large experience of the grace of Christ, and on this fact he proceeds to base an appeal, a call to further advancement and higher attainment: “Love not the world”. Yet God “loved the world” (John 3:16 ). Observe that the Apostle does not say that the world is evil. It is God’s world, and “God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31 ). His meaning is: “The things in the world are transient.

Revelation 1:19 — history than in the chronological speculations which engrossed many of the older apocalyptists. The sense of γράψον κ . τ . λ . is not, write the vision already seen ( ἃ εἶδες , Revelation 1:10-18 ), the present ( ἃ εἰσὶν , Revelation 1:20 to Revelation 3:20 , the state of the churches, mainly conceived as it exists now and here), and the future ( ἃ μέλλει γενέσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα , i.e. , Revelation 4:1 f.), as though the words were a rough programme of the whole book; nor, as other editors ( e.g. , Spitta)

Revelation 12:7 — heaven ( A. C. 146 150). Michael had been for over two centuries the patron-angel or princely champion of Israel ( ὁ εἷς τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων ὂς ἐπὶ τῶν τοῦ λαοῦ ἀγαθῶν τέτακται , En. Revelation 20:5 ; cf. A. C. 227 f.; Lueken 15 f.; Volz 195; R. J. 320 f., and Dieterich’s Abraxas , 122 f.). As the protector of Israel’s interests he was assigned a prominent rôle by Jewish and even Christian eschatology in the final conflict ( cf. Ass. Mos. x. 2). For the theory that he was the prince-angel,