Bible Commentaries

Matthew 11:6 — Matthew 11:6 . μακάριος ( vide Matthew 5:3 ), possessed of rare felicity. The word implies that those who, on some ground or other, did not stumble over Jesus were very few. Even John not among them! On σκανδαλίζω vide ad. Matthew 5:29 . ἐν ἐμοί , in anything relating to my public ministry, as appearing inconsistent with my Messianic vocation.

Matthew 12:46 — Matthew 12:46 . ἀδελφοὶ , brothers in the natural sense, sons of Mary by Joseph? Presumably, but an unwelcome hypothesis to many on theological grounds. εἱστήκεισαν , pluperfect, but with sense of imperfect (Fritzsche). They had been standing by while Jesus was speaking. ἔξω , on the outskirts of the crowd, or outside the house into which Jesus entered (Mark 3:19 ).

Matthew 19:14 — Matthew 19:14 . ἄφετε , μὴ κωλύετε : visits of the children never unseasonable; Jesus ever delighted to look on the living emblems of the true citizen of the Kingdom of God; pleased with them for what they were naturally, and for what they signified. τοιούτων , of such, i.e. , the child- like ; repetition of an old lesson (Matthew 18:3 ).

Matthew 20:3 — Matthew 20:3 . τρίτην ὥ .: the article τὴν before τρίτην in T. R., omitted in W. H [111] , is not necessary before an ordinal. ἑστῶτας ἐ . τ . ἀγ .: the marketplace there as here, the place where masters and men met. ἀργούς ( a and ἔργον ), not = idle in habit, but unemployed and looking for work. [111] Westcott and Hort.

Mark 10:3 — Mark 10:3 . τί ὑμῖν ἐνετείλατο Μ .: here Jesus has in view not what Moses allowed in Deuteronomy 24:1 , but what he in Genesis enjoined as the ideal state of things (Moses from the Jewish point of view author of the Pentateuch and all its legislation). They naturally supposed He had in view the former (Mark 10:4 ).

Mark 15:10 — Mark 15:10 . ἐγίνωσκεν , it gradually dawned upon him. Pilate would see the animus of the Sanhedrists in their many accusations (Mark 15:3 ), from which it would appear that Christ’s real offence was His great influence with the people. Hence the attempt to play off the one party against the other: the people against the priests.

Mark 3:2 — Mark 3:2 . παρετήρουν , they were watching Him; who, goes without saying: the same parties, i.e. , men of the same class, as those who figure in the last section. This time bent on finding Jesus Himself at fault in re the Sabbath, instinctively perceiving that His thoughts on the subject must be wholly diverse from theirs.

Mark 3:35 — Mark 3:35 . ὃς ἂν , etc.: whosoever shall do the will of God (“of my Father in heaven,” Mt.), definition of true discipleship. ἀδελφός , ἀδελφή , μήτηρ : without the article, because the nouns are used figuratively (Fritzsche). This saying and the mood it expressed would confirm the friends in the belief that Jesus was in a morbid state of mind.

Mark 7:1 — Mark 7:1 . καὶ connects what follows very loosely with what goes before: not temporal sequence but contrast between phenomenal popularity and hostility of the religious leaders of the people, in the view of the evangelist. τινὲς τῶν γραμ ., etc., some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem. cf. Mark 3:22 , and remarks there.

Luke 24:24 — Luke 24:24 . τινες τῶν σὺν ἡμῖν : a general reference to the Apostles, though the phrase covers all the lovers of Jesus. The τινες were Peter and John (John 20:3 ). αὐτὸν δὲ οὐκ εἶδον , but Him they saw not, as surely, think the two friends, they ought to have done had He really been alive from the dead.

Luke 8:19-21 — Luke 8:19-21 . Mother and brethren (Matthew 12:46-50 , Mark 3:31-35 ). Given in a different connection from that in Mt. and Mk. The connection here seems purely topical: the visit of the friends of Jesus gives Him occasion to indicate who are they who represent the good, fruitful soil (Luke 8:21 ).

John 11:3 — John 11:3 . The sisters were so intimate with Jesus that they naturally turn to Him in their anxiety, and send Him a notice of the illness, which is only a slightly veiled request that He would come to their relief: “Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is ill”. “Sufficit ut noveris. Non enim amas et deseris.” Augustine.

John 19:41 — John 19:41 . ἐνταφιάζειν , see Genesis 50:1-3 . ἦν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ , “There was in the place,” i.e. , in that neighbourhood, κῆπος , a garden, which, according to Matthew 27:60 , must have belonged to Joseph. μνημεῖον καινόν , a tomb, rock-hewn according to Synoptists, which had hitherto been unused, and which was therefore fresh and clean.

Acts 15:26 — Acts 15:26 . παραδεδωκόσι τὰς ψ . α .: “hazarded their lives,” A. and R.V.; so in classical Greek, and in LXX, Daniel 3:28 (95). The sufferings of the missionaries aries in their first journey were evidently well known, and appeal was fittingly made to them in recognition of their self-sacrifice, and in proof of their sincerity.

Acts 5:27 — Acts 5:27 . ἔστησαν , cf. Acts 4:7 , during the investigation the judges would sit, Acts 6:15 , Acts 23:3 , the accused, the witnesses, and those speaking, stood, Mark 14:57 ; Mark 14:60 , Acts 4:7 ; Acts 5:27 ; Acts 5:34 ; Acts 6:13 ; Acts 23:9 , O. Holtzmann, Neutestamentliche Zeitgeschichte , p. 177.

Acts 6:10 — Acts 6:10 . καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυον ἀντιστῆναι : the whole phrase is an exact fulfilment of Luke 21:15 , cf. 1 Corinthians 1:17 ; 1 Corinthians 2:6 . πνεῦμα , as Wendt points out, was the Holy Spirit with which Stephen was filled, cf. 3, 5. Vulgate renders “Spiritui Sancto qui loquebatur,” as if it read ὅ ; see critical notes.

1 John 3:16 — 1 John 3:16 . τὴν ἀγάπην , “the thing called ‘love’ ”. The love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord is the perfect type. Till the world saw that, it never knew what love is. ἐκεῖνος , Christ; see note on 1 John 2:6 . ἡμεῖς emphatic, “we on our part”. ὀφείλομεν , see note on 1 John 2:6 .

1 John 4:12 — 1 John 4:12 . “God no one hath ever yet beheld Him”. By and by “we shall see Him even as He is” (1 John 3:2 ), but even now, if we love, we are no strangers to Him: He abides and works in us. τετελειωμένη , “carried to its end”; see note on 1 John 2:5 .

1 John 4:16 — 1 John 4:16 . ἡμεῖς , here “you and I,” we believers. Observe the three stages: (1) “get to know” ( γινώσκειν ), (2) “believe” ( πιστεύειν ), (3) “confess” ( ὁμολογεῖν ). ἐν ἡμῖν , see note on 1 John 4:9 . Another incentive to love: it casts out fear. τῇ ἀγάπῃ , “the love just mentioned”. Cf. τὸν φόβον , ὁ φόβος (1 John 4:18 ).

Revelation 16:4-7 — Revelation 16:4-7 . No more drinking water. The justice of this particular plague is acknowledged by (Revelation 16:5-6 ) the angel of the element in question and by (7) the altar (personified here, in line of Revelation 6:9-10 , and Revelation 8:3 , or of Revelation 14:18 ), which echoes the angel’s cry.