Bible Commentaries

Acts 10:42 — 42. τῷ λαῷ ] Here as elsewhere (Acts 10:2 ; Joh 11:50 al. fr.), the Jewish people : that was all which, in the apostolic mind, up to this time, the command had absolutely enjoined. The further unfolding of the Gospel had all been brought about over

Acts 13:4 — καὶ συνεχέσι διειλημένην . This excavated way is to this day conspicuous amongst the ruins of the city. It was under the Seleucid kings the capital of a district Selencis, and, since Pompey’s time, a free city , Strabo, xvi. 751. Plin. Acts 13:21 (Winer, Realw.; and Mr. Lewin, Life of St. Paul, from an art, by Col. Chesney in the Geogr. Society’s Transactions.) εἰς Κύπρον ] The lofty outline of Cyprus is visible from the mouth of the Orontes (C. and H., edn. 2, i. p. 164). see below,

Acts 21:7 — was made by land.’ (De Wette.) ἀπὸ Τύρου will thus be taken with κατηντήσαμεν . Πτολεμαΐδα ] Anciently Accho ( Ἀκχώ , LXX, Judges 1:31 , in Gr. and Rom. writers Ἄκη , Ace), called Ptolemais from (probably) Ptolemy Lathurus (Jos. Antt. xiii. 12. 2 ff., see 1Ma 10:56 ff; 1Ma 11:22 ; 1Ma 11:24 ; 1Ma 12:45 ; 1Ma 12:48 ; 2Ma 13:24 ). It was a large town with a harbour (Jos. Antt. xviii. 6. 3). It was never ( Jdg 1:31 ) fully possessed by the Jews, but belonged to the Phœnicians, who in after times

Acts 7:30 — 30. ἐτ . τεσς . ] This follows from the tradition of Acts 7:23 , combined with Exodus 7:7 , ‘Moses in palatio Pharaonis degit XL annos, in Midiane XL annos, et ministravit Israel XL annos.’ Bereshith Rabba, f. 115. 3. (Mey.) Σινᾶ ] Horeb , Exodus 3:1 . But both were points of the same mountain range,

Romans 14:4 — 4. ] Who art thou (see ch. Rom 9:20 ) that judgest the servant of another (viz. as De W., of Christ , for a κύριος in this passage is marked, Romans 14:8-9 , as being Christ, and the Master is the same throughout. ὁ θεός before is unconnected with this verse)? to his own Master (dat.

Romans 2:9 — from the LXX (see reff.): the former signifying more the outward weight of objective infliction, the latter the subjective feeling of the pressure. It is possible, in the case of the suffering Christian , for the former to exist without the latter: so 2 Corinthians 4:8 , ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι , ἀλλ ʼ οὐ στενοχωρούμενοι . But here the objective weight of infliction and the subjective weight of anguish, are co-existent. ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ψ . ἀνθ . ] probably a periphrasis for the sake of emphasis and solemnity.

Romans 8:35 — 35 .] Who (i.e. what : but masc. for uniformity with Rom 8:33-34 ) shall separate us from the love of Christ? Is this (1) our love to Christ , or (2) Christ’s love to us , or (3) our sense of Christ’s love to us ? The first of these is held by Origen, Chrys., Theodoret, Ambr [64] , Erasm., al. But the difficulty of it lies in consistently interpreting Romans 8:37 , where not our endurance

1 Corinthians 11:22 — 22. ] For (a reason for the blame in the foregoing: this should not be: for) have you no houses, to eat, &c. : meaning, ‘ at home is the place to satiate the appetite, not the assembly of the brethren. ’ Or do ye shew your contempt for

1 Corinthians 15:34 — 34. ἐκνήψ .] Awake out of (your moral) intoxication , already possessing you by the influence of these men. δικαίως ] either, as is just, as you ought (Wahl, al.), or, in a proper manner (Olsh., al.), or, ἐπὶ συμωέροντι καὶ χρησίμῳ (Chrys. p. 382, al.), or so as to be δίκαιοι [i.e. so as to recover your righteousness, which you are in danger of losing], as E. V., Awake to righteousness . The last meaning is well defended by Dr. Peile from Thuc. i. 21: ἀπίστως ἐπὶ τὸ μυθῶδες ἐκνενικηκότα ,

1 Corinthians 4:5 — they, their various parties, gave exaggerated praise to certain teachers: let them wait till the day when the fitting praise (be it what it may) will be adjudged to each from God; Christ as the Judge being the ὡρισμένος ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ κριτής , Acts 10:42 , and so His sentences being ἀπὸ θεοῦ . See also Acts 17:31 , and Romans 2:16 , κρινεῖ ὁ θεὸς τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων , … διὰ Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ .

1 Corinthians 7:13 — 13 .] The change of construction καὶ γυνὴ ἥτις … καὶ οὗτος …, is found frequently with καί : so Il. α . 78, ἦ γὰρ ὀΐομαι ἄνδρα χολωσέμεν , ὃς μέγα πάντων | Ἀργείων κρατέει καί οἱ πείθονται Ἀχαιοί . See reff., and Kühner, ii. 526 (§ 799). Meyer remarks, that the Apostle uses the vox media ἀφιέναι here, of both parties , the husband and wife, not ἀπολύειν (as Matthew 5:31 , &c.), which would apply only to the husband. In the E. V. this identity of terms is unfortunately neglected.

2 Corinthians 11:32 — 32. ] ἐν Δαμ . followed by Δαμασκηνῶν is pleonastic, but the pleonasm is common enough, especially when for any reason, our words are more than usually precise and formal. ἐθνάρχης ] Prefect , or governor , stationed there by the Arabian king. The

2 Corinthians 3:1 — 1. ] ἀρχ ., are we beginning? πάλιν , alluding to a charge probably made against him of having done this in his former epistle: perhaps in its opening section, and in some passages of 1 Corinthians 5:9 and 1Co 14:18 ; 1Co 15:10 al.: see 2 Corinthians 10:18 . ἢ μὴ χρ .] Or do we want (the μή gives an ironical turn to the question, which is more strongly expressed in the rec. reading εἰ μή , ‘unless it be thought, that’ …) as some (so τινες , 1 Corinthians 4:18 ; 1 Corinthians

Galatians 1:18 — ἔτη τρ . stands in opposition to εὐθέως above, and the ἀνῆλθον κ . τ . λ . here answers to ἀπῆλθον κ . τ . λ . there. So that we must reckon them from his conversion : ὅτε δὲ εὐδόκησεν κ . τ . λ . ruling the whole narrative. See also on ch. Galatians 2:1 . This is the journey of Acts 9:26 , where see note. There is no real discrepancy between that account and this. The incident which led to his leaving Damascus (Acts 9:25 . 2Co 11:32-33 ) has not necessarily any connexion with his purpose in going

Galatians 3:15 — 15 .] τί ἐστι κατʼ ἄνθρ. λέγω ; ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνων παραδειγμάτων . Chr. But (see 1Co 15:32 ) the expression refers not only to the character of the example chosen, but to the temporary standing-point of him who speaks: I put myself for the time on a level with ordinary men in the world. ὅμως is out of its logical place, which would be after

Galatians 4:17 — 17 .] ‘My telling you the truth may have made me seem your enemy: but I warn you that these men who court you so zealously (see ref. 2 Cor., and cf. Plut. vii. 762, cited by Fritz. ὑπὸ χρείας τὸ πρῶτον ἕπονται κ . ζηλοῦσιν , ὕστερον δὲ καὶ φιλοῦσιν ) have no honourable purpose in so doing: it is only in order to get you away from the community as a separate clique, that you may court

Galatians 6:11 — 11 .] See in how large letters (in what great and apparently unsightly characters: see note on next verse. πηλίκοις will not bear the rendering (1) ‘ how many ,’ πόσοις , or (2) ‘ what sort ,’ ποίοις : but only (3) how great (reff.). Nor can (3) be made to mean (1) by taking γράμματα for ‘Epistle,’ a sense unknown to St. Paul) I wrote (not strictly the epistolary scribebam , nor referring to the

1 Thessalonians 2:7 — πατέρα : Pausan. Eliac. ii. 18, βασιλέα γὰρ οὐ τὰ πάντα ἤπιον , ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα θυμῷ χρώμενον Ἀλέξανδρον τοῦ Φιλίππου (Wetst.): see also Herod. iii. 89: and Ellic.’s note here. Surely the reading νήπιοι , being (1) by far the commoner word , (2) so easily introduced by the final ν of the preceding word, can hardly, in the teeth of the sense, come under consideration: seeing too that the primary authorities are not unanimous. ἐν μέσῳ ὑμ . ] i.e. ‘in our converse with you;’ but

Hebrews 11:17 — blessing of all nations in his seed) was offering (now the Writer transforms the time into the purely temporal and strict one he was in the act of offering the work was begun) his only begotten (so Aquila, and similarly Symm. ( τὸν μόνον σου ) in Genesis 22:2 , for בִּנְךָ אֶת־יְחִידְךָ τὸν υἱόν σου τὸν ἀγαπητόν , LXX. And so Philo de Somn. i. § 34, vol. i. p. 650, Ἀβραὰμ ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ καὶ μόνου παιδὸς ὁλοκαυτώσεως . Chrys. says, τί οὖν ὁ Ἰσμαήλ ; πόθεν ἦν ; μονογενῆ λέγω , φησίν , ὅσον εἰς τὸν

Hebrews 11:18 — is, that the Writer takes it from the O. T. text, but uses it as the recitative particle) shall thy seed be called (“Three ways,” says Delitzsch, “of interpreting this are possible, 1. after Isaac shall thy seed be named (Hofm.): 2. in, through, of, Isaac shall seed be called into being to thee (Drechsler): 3. in Isaac shall seed be named to thee, i. e. in or through him shall it come that a seed of Abraham shall be possible (Bleek).” Then he puts aside the first, seeing