Bible Commentaries

Matthew 11:8 — Matthew 11:8 . ἀλλὰ assumes the negative answer to the previous question and elegantly connects with it the following = “No; well, then, did you, etc.?” ἐν μαλακοῖς , neuter, ἱματίοις not necessary: in precious garments of any material, silk, woollen,

Matthew 8:6 — Matthew 8:6 . Κύριε again, not necessarily expressing any advanced idea of Christ’s person. παῖς may mean either son or servant. Luke has δοῦλος , and from the harmonistic point of view this settles the matter. But many, including Bleek and Weiss (Meyer),

Acts 25:3 — Corn à Lapide. ἐνέδραν ποιοῦντες , not ποιήσοντες , they were making and contriving the ambush already (Alford): priests and elders were willing as before to avail themselves of the assassin. κατὰ τὴν ὁδόν , cf. Luke 10:4 , and three times in Acts 8:36 ; Acts 26:13 , nowhere else in N. T. Syr. H. mg. adds a distinct reference to the forty conspirators previously mentioned, Acts 23:12 , but Blass omits in [390] text doubtless, as he says, there were many others ready for the deed at the service

Romans 5:8 — Romans 5:8 . How greatly is this utmost love of man surpassed by the love of God. He commends, or rather makes good, presents in its true and unmistakable character (for συνίστησιν , cf. Romans 3:5 , 2 Corinthians 6:4 ; 2 Corinthians 7:11 ; Galatians 2:18 ),

Romans 8:3 — Romans 8:3 . He now explains how this was done. It was not done by the law: that is the first point. If τὸ ἀδύνατον is active (= “the inability” of the law) we must suppose that Paul meant to finish the sentence, “was overcome,” or “was

Romans 9:1 — Gentiles he is animated by hostility or even indifference to the Jews. Yet cf. 2 Corinthians 11:31 , Galatians 1:20 . ἐν Χριστῷ means that he speaks in fellowship with Christ, so that false-hood is impossible. For συμμαρτ . cf. Romans 2:15 , Romans 8:16 . The μοι is governed by συν : conscience attests what he says, and that ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ the spirit of God, in which all the functions of the Christian life are carried on: so that assurance is made doubly and trebly sure.

Romans 9:7 — Romans 9:7 . Nor because they are Abraham’s seed, are they all τέκνα , i.e. , children in the sense which entitles them to the inheritance, Romans 4:11 , Romans 8:17 . God from the very first made a distinction here, and definitely announced that the seed of Abraham to which the promise belonged should come in the line of Isaac not of Ishmael, though he also could call Abraham father. Ἐν Ἰσαὰκ κληθήσεταί σοι

1 Corinthians 2:6-9 — absolutely it is so, to persons qualified to understand it . This P. now proceeds to show (1 Corinthians 2:6 to 1 Corinthians 3:2 : cf. Introd. to Div. II.). The message of the cross is wisdom to the right people (§ 7), qualified to comprehend it (§ 8).

2 Corinthians 12:11 — Corinthians 3:1 , 1 Corinthians 9:1 ), i.e. , you should not have left it to me to speak my own praises: for in nothing was I behind the superfine Apostles , whom you trust so readily, although I am nothing, sc. , in God’s eyes ( cf. John 8:54 , 1 Corinthians 3:7 ). Of the Apostles properly so called, St. Paul calls himself ὁ ἐλάχιστος (1 Corinthians 15:9 ); but he will not admit for a moment the superiority of the Corinthian Judaisers.

2 Corinthians 13:8 — 2 Corinthians 13:8 . οὐ γὰρ δυνάμ . κ . τ . λ .: for we can do nothing , exhibit no Apostolic power, against the truth, i.e. , against the facts of the case, but for the truth ( cf. 1 Corinthians 3:1 for the elliptical constr.). The principle here laid down is of

Philippians 4:13 — It is difficult to decide whether π . is accusative or merely adverbial. Cf. James 5:16 (where apparently ἰσχύει has the accusative), and Wis 16:20 , ἄρτον … ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ ἔπεμψας … πᾶσαν ἡδονὴν ἰσχύοντα . For the other alternative see Hom., Odyss. , 8, 214. ἐνδυν . Cf. Ephesians 6:10 , ἐνδυναμοῦσθε ἐν Κυρίῳ ; Jude 1:6 :34 (cod. A), πνεῦμα Θεοῦ ἐνεδυνάμωσεν τὸν Γεδεών . It is a rare word. The adjective ἐνδύναμος , from which it springs, is only found in late Byzantine Greek. An apt parallel to the

1 Timothy 4:13 — exhortation based on the reading, and appealing to the moral sense (2 Timothy 4:2 ; Justin Martyr, Apol . i. 67); ( c ) teaching , appealing to the intellect, see note on chap. 1 Timothy 1:10 . Exhortation and teaching are similarly joined in Romans 12:7-8 , and 1 Timothy 6:2 .

1 Timothy 5:15 — ὀπίσω , which is foreign to profane writers, takes its origin from the LXX (Hebr. אַחֲרֵי )” (Blass, Gram . p. 129). The primary phrase is ἔρχεσθαι [also ἀκολουθεῖν or πορεύεσθαι ] ὀπίσω τινός . For ὀπίσω in an unfavourable sense cf. Luke 21:8 , John 12:19 , Acts 5:37 ; Acts 20:30 , 2 Peter 2:10 , Jude 1:7 , Revelation 13:3 . The phrase, no doubt, refers to something worse than a second marriage.

2 Timothy 3:12 — preachers, “Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God”. Consistency in the life in Christ must necessarily be always opposed by the world. θέλοντες is emphatic, as Ell. notes, “whose will is”. Cf. Luke 14:28 , John 7:17 . εὐσεβῶς of course qualifies ζῇν , as in Titus 2:12 . There is a similar extension of thought, from self to all, in 2 Timothy 4:8 .

James 5:20 — course which commends itself owing to the comparatively large number of quotations with which the Epistle abounds; at the same time it must be remembered that the weight of MS. evidence is in favour of γινωσκέτε . καλύψει … (Hebrew כפר ) cf. 1 Peter 4:8 , one of the strongest of the many marks of Jewish authorship which the Epistle contains; according to Jewish doctrine good works balance evil ones; the good work of converting a sinner is reckoned here as one of the most efficacious in obliterating

Revelation 1:13 — celestial, como en En. xlvi. 16 (donde el Hijo del hombre acompaña a Dios, que como Cabeza de los Días tenía la cabeza “blanca como la lana”) y Asc. Es un. xi. 1. El difícil ὅμοιον debe ser explicado (con Vit. ii. 127, 223, 227) como = ὡς ( Apocalipsis 2:18 ; Apocalipsis 6:14 ; Apocalipsis 9:7-8 ; Apocalipsis 9:11 ) o οἶον, “algo así”, una reproducción suelta del heb. (“un être semblable à nous, un homme”). Todo el pasaje ilustra el hábito del escritor de describir un objeto o una persona acumulando

Revelation 12:1-2 — ἐν τ. oὐ. casi = “en el cielo” ( cf. Apocalipsis 12:4 ). Un toque griego: cf. Hom. Ilíada , ii. 308, ἔνθʼ ἐφάνη μέγα σῆμα · δράκων ἐπὶ νῶτα δαφοινός ( es decir , rojo fuego). Aquí como en otros lugares, los rasgos mitológicos de la fuente original se dejan como detalles impresionantes y decorativos. La analogía más cercana es la babilónica Damkina,

Revelation 13:3 — 69 a. D. sacudió el imperio hasta sus cimientos (Tac. Hist. i. 11). La muerte de Nerón, seguida del sangriento interregno, fue una herida para el Estado, de la que sólo se recuperó bajo Vespasiano. Cumplió la tradición de la cabeza herida ( Daniel 8:8 ). Cantar de Cantares de los Cantares 4 Esd. 12:18 (donde se menciona la misma crisis) “post tempus regni illius [ es decir , Nerón] nascentur contentiones non modicae et periclitabitur ut cadat et non cadet tunc, sed iterum constituetur in suum initium”;

Revelation 17:5 — Revelation 17:5 . Roman filles de joie wore a label with their names thus (Juv. vi. 123). μυστήριον (which hardly belongs to the title itself) indicates that the name is to be taken πνευματικῶς (Revelation 11:8 ), not literally; “a name written which is a symbol,” or a mysteriously significant title. μήτηρ κ . τ . λ ., Rome, the natural focus of Oriental cults in general, is charged with fostering all the superstitious and vicious practices of

Revelation 3:18 — = genuino y fresco, a diferencia de falsificado y tradicional ( cf. Platón, Rep. iii. 413 e , 416 e ). Para παιδεία obrada sobre el pueblo de Dios por un rey divino davídico cuyas palabras son πεπυρωμένα ὑπὲρ χρυσίον τίμιον, véase Sal. Sol. 17:47, 48. ἱμάτια. Laodicea era un famoso centro manufacturero, cuyo comercio consistía principalmente en túnicas y telas para prendas de vestir. La alusión es ( cf. más adelante, en Apocalipsis 3:20 y Apocalipsis 16:15 ) a cristianos descuidados tomados por