Bible Commentaries

John 18:1 — 1. τῶν κέδρων ] This is evidently a Greek corruption of the Hebrew ( קִדְרוֹן ); and coincides with the LXX in ref. and 3 Kings John 15:13 , where however [239] (not [240] ) has τοῦ κέδρων . If there were cedars in the ravine, the corruption would be easily accounted for. Suidas, under Ἰαβίν , quotes Ps. 82:9 thus, Ἰαβὶν ἐν τῷ χειμάῤῥῳ τῶν κισσῶν . Instances of the practice of changing foreign names into

Acts 18:27 — 27. προτρεψάμενοι ] probably Priscilla and Aquila principally. It may have been from their account of the Corinthian church, that he was desirous to go to Achaia. After προτρεψ . not Apollos, but the disciples (at Corinth) must be understood as an

Romans 1:16 — γὰρ θ . ἐστίν ] The gospel, which is the greatest example of the Power of God, he strikingly calls that Power itself . (Not, as Jowett, ‘ a divine power ,’ nor is δικαιος . θεοῦ below to be thus explained, as he alleges.) So in 1Co 1:24 he calls Christ, the Power of God . But not only is the gospel the great example of divine Power; it is the field of agency of the power of God, working in it, and interpenetrating it throughout. The bare substantive δύναμις here (and 1Co 1:24 )

1 Corinthians 2:6 — to those who are not babes in Christ, but of sufficient maturity to have their senses exercised ( Heb 4:14 ) so as to discern good and evil. That this is the right interpretation the whole following context shews, and especially ch. 1 Corinthians 3:1-2 , where a difference is laid down between the milk administered to babes , and the strong meat to men . The difference is in the matter of the teaching itself : there is a lower, and there is a higher teaching. So Erasm., Estius, Bengel, Rückert,

1 Corinthians 6:4 — 4. ] βιωτικά is emphatically repeated, as being the only sort of κριτήρια which were in question here. Meyer compares Herod, vii. 104, τὰ ἂν ἐκεῖνος ἀνώγῃ · ἀνώγει δὲ τὠϋτὸ ἀεί , and Aristoph. Ran. 287 f. μὲν οὖν , ‘ immo vero ,’ reff. (see below). It corrects a foregoing misapprehension: so Soph. Œd. Col. 31, “ ἦ δεῦρο προσστείχοντα κἀξορμώμενον ;” “ καὶ δὴ μὲν οὖν παρόντα .” Hartung, Partikell. ii. 400.

1 Corinthians 7:29 — 29. ] τοῦτο δέ φημι … q. d. ‘What I just now said, of marrying being no sin , might dispose you to look on the whole matter as indifferent: my motive, the sparing you outward affliction, may be underrated in the importance of its bearing: but

2 Corinthians 12:2 — 2. ] I know (not, ‘ knew ,’ as E. V.: which [is a mistake in grammar, and] introduces serious confusion, making it seem as if the πρὸ ἐτῶν δεκατ . were the date of the knowledge , not, as it really is, of the vision ) a man in Christ

Ephesians 1:22 — 22 .] and subjected all things under His feet (from the Messianic Psalms 8:0 ; not without an allusion also in καθίσας , &c. above to Psalms 110:1 : not merely cited, as Thdrt., καὶ τ . προφητικὴν ἐπήγαγε μαρτυρίαν , but interwoven into the context,

Ephesians 1:6 — the glory, glorious nature, brightness and majesty, and kindliness and beauty, of His grace might be an object of men and angels’ praise: both as it is in HIM, ineffable and infinite, and exemplified in us , its objects; see below, Ephesians 1:12 . “Owing to the defining genitive, the article (before δόξης ) is not indispensable: see Winer, edn. 6, § 19. 2, b: compare Madvig, Synt. § 10. 2.” Ellic.) which (there is some difficulty in deciding between the readings, ἐν ᾗ , and ἧς

Ephesians 3:5 — 5 .] which in other generations (dative of time: so Luke 12:20 , ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ τὴν ψυχήν σου ἀπαιτοῦσιν ἀπὸ σοῦ , Mat 16:21 al.: for the temporal meaning of γενεά , see reff.) was not made known to the sons of men (‘latissima appellatio, causam exprimens ignorantiæ, ortum naturalem, cui opponitur Spiritus,’

1 Timothy 3:16 — of praise (see below). The adverb is of too general signification for this special reference) great is the mystery (see 1 Timothy 3:9 ; that which was hidden from man until God revealed it, historically, in Redemption) of piety (see ch. 1 Timothy 2:2 , note: ‘of the religious life.’ In order to comprehend fully what follows, we must endeavour to realize the train of thought in the Apostle’s mind at the time. This ‘ mystery ’ of the life of God in man, is in fact

Hebrews 10:25 — 25 .] not deserting the assembling together of ourselves (the word ἐπισυναγωγή , as its verb ἐπισυνάγειν , belongs to late Greek: Bleek gives examples from Polyb., Plut., Phædrus. The LXX use the verb many times, of gathering in a hostile sense (Micah

Hebrews 2:3 — received the message of salvation in the manner specified below) escape ( φεύγω and its compounds belong to that class of verbs which take the future middle, not using the active form of that tense. See a list of such in Krüger, Gr. Sprachlehre, § 39. 12. We may here either supply an object after the verb, such as ἔνδικον μισθαποδοσίαν , as in ref. Rom., 2Ma 7:35 , οὔπω γὰρ τὴν τοῦ .… θεοῦ κρίσιν ἐκπέφευγας , and ib. 2Ma 6:26 , or take ἐκφ . absolutely, as in the two last reff. and Sir 6:13 , οὐκ ἐκφεύξεται

Hebrews 7:4 — seems far better, both with regard to the sense of the verb, and the requirements of the context. The δέ also tends to sharpen up the verb. The distinction between θεωρέω and ὁράω , as behold and see , is, it is true, not always observed (see Luke 24:39 ; John 4:19 ; John 12:19 ; Act 17:22 ), still less that laid down in Phavorinus, ὁρῶ μὲν ἐπὶ σώματος , θεωρῶ δὲ ἐπὶ ψυχῆς : but where the context plainly allows of the distinction, it ought to be borne in mind: so Demosth. p. 19. 23, θεωρῶν καὶ

2 Peter 2:1 — Israel. These words, more than any that have preceded, define the prophecies spoken of before as O. T. prophecies), as there shall be among you also ( καί with ἐν ὑμῖν . On ἔσονται , Bengel says “et jam esse cœperunt tunc.” It was so, see 2 Peter 2:9 ff.: still the future in ἔσονται is simple, and this first declaration a pure prophecy) false teachers (teachers of falsehood: cf. ψευδόλογος . In the case of ψευδοπροφῆται , the ψευδο - is ambiguous, whether subjective, pretenders to be

Jude 1:11 — which was at the root of Cain’s sin), and rushed after ( ἐκχυθῆναι , “effundi in,” as Tacitus, Ann. i. 54, “Mæcenate effuso in amorem Bathylli:” so Polyb. xxxii. 11. 4, οἱ δ ʼ εἰς ἑταίρας ἐξεκέχυντο : Clem. Al . Strom. ii. 20 (118), p. 491 P., εἰς ἡδονὴν ἐκχυθέντες ) the error of Balaam for reward (such, and not as De Wette, “they were poured out (ruined) by the deception of the reward of Balaam.” So also Horneius, “deceptione mercedis qua deceptus fuit

Revelation 1:15 — 15 .] and his feet were like to chalcolibanus (this word has defeated all the ingenuity of Commentators hitherto. The Vulg. has aurichalcum (or ori- see Cic de Off. iii. 23. 12, Hor. de Art. poet. 202), the Syriac and Arethas, “ brass from Lebanon ” (1st altern. in catena, εἴτε τὸν ἐν τῷ Λιβάνῳ τῷ ὄρει μεταλλευόμενον ), the Arabic “ Greek brass ,” Andreas, and most of the German editions of the

Revelation 3:20 — 20 .] Behold, I stand at the door (the construction with the prep. of motion after ἕστηκα , is perhaps owing to the idea of motion conveyed in the verb, “I have placed myself.” See reff., especially ref. Luke) and knock (the reference to

Revelation 4:1 — Hengstb., who imagine an interval, here and in the other places, during which the Seer wrote down that which had been previously revealed to him. The whole is conceived as imparted in one continuous revelation consisting of many parts. See below on Rev 4:2 ) I saw (not with the bodily eye, but with the eye of ecstatic vision, as throughout the book. He is throughout ἐν πνεύματι . It is not I looked , as in E. V.: not the directing of the Seer’s attention which discovers the door to him, but the

Revelation 8:10 — forms are τὸ ἀψίνθιον , or ἡ ἄψινθος . The masc. seems to be chosen on account of its conformity to ὁ ἀστήρ . There is a river in Thrace so called. See on the plant, and its medicinal use by the ancients, Winer, Realw. art. Wermuth : and Pliny, xxvii. 28), and the third part of the waters became ( was turned into , see reff.) wormwood: and many of the men (who dwelt by these waters: such may be the force of the article. But τῶν ἀνθρ . may be general. It is the only place where the expression πολλ