Bible Commentaries

Matthew 12:6-8 — Matthew 12:6-8 . The principles involved . The facts stated raise questions as to the reasons. The Pharisees were men of rules, not accustomed to go back on principles. The passion for minutiæ killed reflection. The reasons have been already hinted in the statement of the cases: ὅτε ἐπείνασεν , Matthew 12:3 ; ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ , Matthew 12:5 : hunger , the temple ; human needs, higher claims. These are referred to in inverse order in Matthew 12:6-7 .

Matthew 24:4-14 — Matthew 24:4-14 . Signs prelusive of the end . (Mark 13:5-13 , Luke 21:8-19 ). Matthew 24:4 . βλέπετε : again ( vide Matthew 24:2 ), but here = see to it, take heed. Cf. Hebrews 3:12 . πλανήσῃ , lest any one deceive you; striking the practical ethical keynote of the whole discourse: its aim not to gratify curiosity, but to guard against deception and terror ( μὴ θροεῖσθε , Matthew 24:6 ) heads cool, hearts brave, in a tragic epoch.

Matthew 24:8 — Matthew 24:8 . πάντα δὲ : yet all these but a beginning of pains. It is not necessary to find here an allusion to the Rabbinical idea of the birth pangs of Messiah, but simply the use of a natural and frequent Biblical emblem for distress of any sort. As to the date of the Rabbinical idea vide Keil. The beginning : such an accumulation of horrors might well appear to the inexperienced the end, hence the remark to prevent panic.

Matthew 8:31 — Matthew 8:31 . οἱ δαίμονες : unusual designation, commonly δαιμόνια . παρεκάλουν : the request was made by the possessed in the name of the demons. ἀπόστειλον : the reading of the T. R. ( ἐπίτρεψον ἀπελθεῖν ) taken from Luke expresses, in a milder form, Christ’s share of responsibility in a transaction of supposed doubtful character. The demoniac would have no scruple on that score. His request was: it you are to cast us out, send us not to hell, but into the swine.

Mark 8:3 — Mark 8:3 . ἐκλυθήσονται , they will faint. This verb is used in N. T. in middle or passive in the sense of being faint or weary in body or mind (Galatians 6:9 , Hebrews 12:3 ). καί τινες … εἰσίν , and some of them are from a distance, peculiar to Mark. The meaning is that such, even if in vigour at starting, would be exhausted before reaching their destination. But could they not get food by the way?

Acts 17:10 — necessary at least for a time. But still he looked back upon Thessalonica and his work with an ungrudging affection, and his converts were his glory and joy. In the opening words of his First Epistle, Acts 1:7 ( cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:4 , 2 Corinthians 8:1 ), he speaks in a way which not only implies that his own work extended further in and from Thessalonica than the Acts alone enables us to learn, but that the furtherance of the Gospel was due to the Thessalonians themselves. See McGiffert, p. 255,

Acts 27:42 — Acts 27:42 . τῶν δὲ στρατ .: only the soldiers, since they and not the sailors were responsible for the safety of the prisoners, cf. Acts 12:7 , Acts 16:27 ; C. and H., small edit., p. 236. ἐκκολ .: “swim away” (Ramsay), literally “out,” Eur., Hel. , 1609, Dion H., v., 24. διαφ .: only here in N.T., LXX, Joshua 8:22 , Judges 7:19 , Proverbs 19:5 , 1Ma 15:21 , 2Ma 12:35 , etc., so absolutely in Herod., i., 10.

Romans 8:5 — Romans 8:5 . The meaning of the sentence “is not contained in the repetitions of γὰρ by which it is hooked together” (Jowett). οἱ κατὰ σάρκα ὄντες are those whose nature is determined simply by the flesh; their “mind,” i.e. , their moral interest, their thought and study, is upon τὰ τῆς σαρκός : for which see Galatians 5:19 f. οἱ κατὰ πνεῦμα are those whose nature is determined by the spirit: for τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος see Galatians 5:22 .

1 Corinthians 6:2 — etc. ). Pablo recuerda a sus lectores una verdad que deberían haber conocido, ya que pertenece a la naturaleza del “reino de Dios” ( 1 Corintios 6:9 ) y a la gloria que esperan en “la manifestación de Cristo” ( 1 Corintios 1:7 ss. ; cf. 1 Corintios 4:8 ; Romanos 8:17 , etc.). Cm [893] y otros ven aquí un juicio virtual del mundo, yaciendo en la fe de los santos en contraste con su incredulidad ( cf. Lucas 11:31 ; Juan 3:18 ss. , Romanos 8:3 ), un pensamiento irrelevante aquí. 1 Corintios 6:3

2 Corinthians 13:10 — 2 Corinthians 13:10 . διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα κ . τ . λ .: for this cause I write these things, i.e. , this letter, while absent that I may not when present ( cf. 2 Corinthians 2:3 ) deal sharply (we must understand ὑμῖν after χρήσωμαι , as at Esther 1:19 ; Esther 9:27 ) according to the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for casting down . The last clause is repeated verbatim from 2 Corinthians 10:8 . CONCLUSION.

2 Corinthians 4:4 — sostiene que San Pablo estaba familiarizado con una tradición joánica de las palabras de nuestro Señor, encuentra en 2 Corintios 4:3-4 reminiscencias de conversaciones reportadas en el Cuarto Evangelio. Por lo tanto, tenemos en versos consecutivos ( Juan 8:44-45 Juan 12:31 ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ διαβόλοοump ἐστὲ… οὐ πιστεύ ° μ Juan 14:30 . Juan 14:30 ; Juan 16:11 ). Los paralelismos son ciertamente interesantes; cf. también la frase εἰκὼν τοῦ Θεοῦ con Juan 8:19 ; Juan 8:42 .

2 Corinthians 7:15 — 2 Corinthians 7:15 . καὶ τὰ σπλάγχνα κ . τ . λ .: and his heart is more abundantly towards you, while he recalls to himself the obedience of you all, how with fear (see reff. and cf. Matthew 28:8 , 1 Peter 3:15 , for μετὰ φόβου ) and trembling you received him . He had brought a stern message, which involved the excommunication of the unworthy member (1 Corinthians 5:5 ); it was no wonder that they trembled at his coming.

Colossians 4:8 — Colossians 4:8 . ἔπεμψα : “I am sending” (epistolary aorist). γνῶτε τὰ περὶ ἡμῶν . This is not only the better attested reading but yields the better sense, because both before (Colossians 4:7 ) and after (Colossians 4:9 ) Paul says that Tychicus will acquaint them with matters at Rome. He wishes to relieve the anxiety of the Colossians as to his welfare. παρακαλέσῃ : see on Colossians 2:2 . This function is not ascribed to Onesimus, who was not a σύνδουλος .

2 Peter 2:17 — 2 Peter 2:17 . πηγαὶ … ἐλαυνόμεναι . It is interesting to compare the expressions in 2 Peter here with Jude 1:12 . It would appear as though he had felt that νεφέλαι ἄνυδροι was a contradiction in terms, and instead he substituted πηγαὶ . λαίλαπος is a strong expression = “gale,” a “storm of wind”. Cf. Mark 4:37 , Luke 8:23 . οἷς ὁ ζόφος … τετήρηται is somewhat out of place here, and is used appropriately of meteors in Jude 1:13 .

1 John 3:24 — 1 John 3:24 . τὰς ἐντ . αὐτ ., “the commandments of God,” resuming 1 John 3:22 . Cf. 1 John 4:15 . ἐκ , the assurance is begotten of the Spirit; see note on 1 John 2:21 . οὗ for ὅ , by attraction to the case of the antecedent ( cf. Luke 2:20 ; Revelation 18:6 ). ἔδωκεν , “gave,” i.e. , when first we believed. For the thought cf. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 ; Ephesians 1:13-14 ; also Romans 8:15-16 .

Revelation 12:15 — Revelation 12:15 . Another mythological metaphor for persecution or persecutors, like “torrents of Belial” (Psalms 18:4 ). As the primaeval dragon was frequently a sea-monster, from Tiâmat onwards, his connexion with water ( cf. on Revelation 8:10 ) was a natural development in ancient ( cf. Pausan. ver 43 f.) and even Semitic ( e.g. , Psalms 74:4 ; Ezekiel 29, 32.) literature. The serpent in the river was, for Zoroastrians, a creation of the evil spirit (Vend. i. 3).

Revelation 16:10-11 — Revelation 16:10-11 . The ninth Egyptian plague of darkness (due to the eclipse, cf. Revelation 8:12 ?) falls on Rome, aggravating the previous pains of the Romans (Revelation 16:2 ) and driving them into exasperation and fresh blasphemy instead of repentance. The repetition of Revelation 16:11 b , after Revelation 16:9 , is characteristic of Oriental impressiveness ( cf. Jeremiah 30:2 ; Jeremiah 31:1 , etc.), but it sums up the effect of the first four plagues.

Revelation 18:6 — Revelation 18:6 . The foes of Rome (unless ἀπόδοτε κ . τ . λ ., is a rhetorical apostrophe) are invited to serve her with the retribution promised to the first Babylon (see reff.). διπλώσατε , cf. Oxyrh. Pap. iii. 520 6 . Ἐν τῷ ποτηρίῳ , κ . τ . λ . Cf. Apoc. Bar. xiii. 8 (to Romans), “Ye who have drunk the strained wine, drink ye also of its dregs, the judgment of the Lofty One who has no respect of persons”.

Revelation 20:14 — Death as Sin’s ally must be destroyed along with Sin, while Hades, the grim receptacle of Death’s prey (the intermediate rendezvous for the dead, except for martyrs, cf. Revelation 6:10 ), naturally ceases to have any function. This was the cherished hope of early Christianity as of Judaism (Isaiah 25:8 ). John’s idea of the second death is much more realistic and severe than the Hellenic or the Philonic ( cf. de Proem, et Poen . §12, etc.).

Revelation 22:3 — κατάθεμα , a corrupt and rare form of κατανάθεμα = anything accursed (lit. a curse itself, Did. Revelation 16:8 ). i.e. , abstract for concrete, here = “a cursed person,” so Ps. Sol. 17:20 f. λατρεύσουσι , unfettered and unspoiled devotion. The interruption of the daily service and sacrifice in Jerusalem on 17th July, 70 A.D., had sent a painful thrill to the heart of all who cherished the ideal of Acts 26:7 . No fear of that in the new Jerusalem!