Bible Commentaries

Matthew 5:3 — Matthew 5:3 . μακάριοι . This is one of the words which have been transformed and ennobled by N. T. use; by association, as in the Beatitudes, with unusual conditions, accounted by the world miserable, or with rare and difficult conduct, e.g. , in

Acts 13:2 — Acts 13:2 . λειτουργούντων : “as they ministered to the Lord,” A. and R. V., ministrantibus Domino , Vulgate. It would be difficult to find a more appropriate rendering. On the one hand the word is habitually used in the LXX of the service

Acts 17:22 — Acts 17:22 . σταθεὶς , Lucan, see Acts 1:15 . ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ Ἀ . π ., i.e. , in the midst of the Council or Court of Areopagus, see above on Acts 17:19 , cf. Acts 4:7 , Peter stood in the midst of the Sanhedrim. Ramsay pertinently remarks that the words

Acts 4:21 — Acts 4:21 . προσαπειλησάμενοι : “when they had further threatened them” R.V., or the word may mean “ added threats to their warning” Acts 4:18 (“prius enim tantum præceperunt,” Erasmus). So Wendt as against Meyer;

Ephesians 1:8 — Ephesians 1:8 . ἦς ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς ἡμᾶς : which he made to abound towards us . Both in profane and Biblical Greek περισσεύειν is usually intrans. It is so used in the vast majority of cases in the Pauline Epistles (Romans 5:15 ; 1 Corinthians 14:12

Ephesians 2:3 — Ephesians 2:3 . ἐν οἷς καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε : among whom also we all had our life and walk aforetime . The AV gives “also we all”; Tynd., Cov., Gen., “we also had”; Bish., “we all had”; RV, “we

Ephesians 4:13 — Ephesians 4:13 . μέχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα : until we all attain unto the unity . The AV wrongly makes it “come in”; Tynd., “grow up unto”; Cran., better, “come to”. But best, “arrive at,”

Ephesians 4:14 — Ephesians 4:14 . ἵνα μηκέτι ὦμεν νήπιοι : that we may be no longer children . Statement of aim following on the previous statement of goal or limit . The verse is regarded by some (Harl., etc.) as connected immediately with Ephesians 4:11-12 , and

Ephesians 4:24 — Ephesians 4:24 . καὶ ἐνδύσασθαι τὸν καινον ἄνθρωπον : and put on the new man . For ἐνδύσασθαι the imper. ἐνδύσασθε is read by some authorities of consequence ( [448] [449] [450] 1 [451] 2 , etc.). The aor. is appropriately used again, as before in

Ephesians 4:26 — Ephesians 4:26 . ὀργίζεσθε καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε : be ye angry, and sin not . The words are taken from Psalms 4:4 , and follow the LXX rendering. The original Hebrew, רִגְזוּ וְאַל־תֶּחֱטָאוּ , is rendered by some “Tremble and sin not” (Ewald;

Ephesians 4:31 — Ephesians 4:31 . πᾶσα πικρία : let all bitterness . The noun πικρία occurs thrice again in the NT, and with different shades of meaning (Acts 8:23 ; Romans 3:14 ; Hebrews 12:15 ). Meyer makes it = fretting spitefulness here. But it seems to be more

Ephesians 5:32 — Ephesians 5:32 . τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο μέγα ἐστίν : this mystery is great . Not “this is a great mystery,” as it is rendered by the AV and Rhem.; nor “this is a great secret,” Tynd., Cran., gen. The term μυστήριον (on which see

Ephesians 6:9 — Ephesians 6:9 . καὶ οἱ Κύριοι , τὰ αὐτὰ ποιεῖτε πρός αὐτούς : and ye masters [or lords , RV marg.], do the same things unto them . The καί has the same force as in Ephesians 6:4 above. The duty of the masters is a corresponding duty, essentially

Hebrews 4:6 — Hebrews 4:6 . The writer now, in Hebrews 4:6-9 , gathers up the argument, and reaches his conclusion that a Sabbatism remains for God’s people. The argument briefly is, God has provided a rest for men and has promised it to them. This promise

Hebrews 7:3 — Hebrews 7:3 . ἀγενεαλόγητος , resolved in Hebrews 7:6 into μὴ γενεαλογούμενος , does not occur in classical nor elsewhere in Biblical Greek. The dependence of Levitical priests on genealogies and their registers is illustrated by Nehemiah 7:64 . μήτε

Hebrews 9:16 — Hebrews 9:16 . ὅπου γὰρ διαθήκη … The meaning of these words is doubtful. In the LXX διαθήκη occurs about 280 times and in all but four instances translates בְרִית , covenant. In classical and Hellenistic Greek, however, it is the common word for “will”

James 2:7 — James 2:7 . βλασφημοῦσιν : for the force of the word cf. Sir 3:16 , ὡς βλάσφημος ὁ ἐγκαταλιπὼν (the Greek is certainly wrong here, the Hebrew has בוזה , “he that despiseth”) πατέρα . Cf. Romans 2:24 , τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ διʼ ὑμᾶς βλασφημεῖται

James 5:5 — James 5:5 . ἐτρυφήσατε : ἅπ . λεγ . in N.T.; it occurs in Sir 14:4 for the Hebrew בוע , [59] which means “to revel,” followed by ב . Luther translates: Ihr habt wohlgelebet, “Ye have lived well”; but the German word “schwelgen”

2 Peter 1:19 — 2 Peter 1:19 . βεβαιότερον -g0- . Originally a legal term. See note 2 Peter 1:10 ; cf. Philippians 1:7 , 2 Corinthians 1:21 . τὸν προφητικὸν λόγον , i.e. all in the O.T. scriptures that points to the Coming of the Messiah. The prophecy is now supported

Revelation 10:11 — Revelation 10:11 . λέγ . μοι , an oblique, reverential way of describing the divine impulse, due to Aramaic idiom and common in later Biblical Hebrew ( cf. Dalman, i., viii. 11). The series of oracles, thus elaborately inaugurated, is concerned increasingly