Bible Commentaries

Acts 12:23 — 23 .] The fact may be correctly related by Josephus (see above): but our narrative alleges the cause of what happened to have been the displeasure of God , and the stroke to have been inflicted by His angel . Compare 2 Kings 19:35 ; 1 Chronicles 21:15-16

Acts 14:11 — 11. Λυκαονιστί ] The nature of this dialect is uncertain: its existence is further mentioned by Steph. Byzant., cf. τῇ τῶν Λυκαόνων φωνῇ , in note on Acts 14:20 . The notice is inserted to shew that the Apostles had no knowledge of the inference drawn by the crowd , till they saw the bulls being brought to their doors, Acts 14:13 . So Chrysostom: οὐκ ἦν τοῦτο οὐδέπω δῆλον τῇ γὰρ οἰκείᾳ φωνῇ ἐφθέγγοντο , λέγοντες

Acts 18:25 — 25. ] Apollos had received (from his youth?) the true doctrine of the Messiahship of Jesus, as pointed out by John the Baptist: doubtless from some disciple of John: but more than this he knew not. The doctrines of the Cross, the Resurrection, the outpouring

Acts 21:20 — 20. ] While they praised God for, and fully recognized, the work wrought by him among the Gentiles , they found it requisite to advise him respecting the suspicion under which he laboured among the believing Jews. They, led, naturally perhaps, but incorrectly

Acts 21:3 — 3. ἀναφανέντες ] for the construction, see reff. and Winer, edn. 6, § 39. 1: having been shewn Cyprus , literally. Wetst. cites from Theophanes, p. 392, περιεφέροντο ἐν τῷ πελάγει , ἀναφανέντων δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν γῆν , εἶδον αὐτοὺς οἱ στρατηγοί . ‘The graphic language of an eyewitness, and of one familiar with the phraseology of seamen, who, in their own language, appear to raise the land in approaching

Acts 22:28 — 28. ] Dio Cassius, lx. 17, mentions that, in the reign of Claudius, Messalina used to sell the freedom of the city, and at very various prices at different times: ἡ πολιτεία μεγάλων τὸ πρῶτον χρημάτων πραθεῖσα , ἔπειθ ʼ οὕτως ὑπὸ τῆς εὐχερείας ἐπευωνήθη

Romans 1:14 — himself a debtor to the Jews for they can hardly be included in βαρβάροις (see Col 3:11 ). Though he had earnest desires for them (ch. Romans 9:1-3 ; Rom 10:1 ), and every where preached to them first, this was not his peculiar ὀφείλημα , see Galatians 2:7 , where he describes himself as πεπιστευμένος τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς ἀκροβυστίας , καθὼς Πέτρος τῆς περιτομῆς .

Romans 3:22 — 22. δικαιος . δὲ θ . ] but that (so δέ in Herod. vii. 8, Ἀρισταγόρῃ τῷ Μιλησίῳ , δούλῳ δὲ ἡμετέρῳ , and i. 114, ὑπὸ τοῦ σοῦ δούλου , βουκόλου δὲ παιδός : the contrast being between the general mention which has preceded, and the specific distinction

Romans 4:23 — 23. ] ἐγράφη , was written , not the more usual γέγραπται , ‘ is written :’ similarly in the parallel, 1 Corinthians 10:11 ; and in our ch. Romans 15:4 . The aorist asserts the design of God’s Spirit at the time of penning the words:

1 Corinthians 10:2 — 2. ] εἰς τ . Μωυς . ἐβαπτ ., received baptism (lit. baptized themselves: middle, not passive, see var. read.) to Moses ; entered by the act of such immersion into a solemn covenant with God, and became His church under the law as given by Moses,

1 Corinthians 15:27 — 27 .] Scriptural proof of the above declaration . ὑπέταξ . viz., from the Psalm, GOD, the Father . See on the Psalm itself, Hebrews 2:6 ff. notes. εἴπῃ , scil. ὁ θεός , the same subject as ὑπέταξεν . Meyer alone, as it seems to me, gives the right

2 Corinthians 11:6 — viz. in rhetorical finish and word-wisdom , yet in real knowledge, not so . ἰδιώτης ] a laic , a man not professionally acquainted with that which he undertakes, see reff. The Apostle disclaims mere rhetorical aptitude and power in 1 Corinthians 2:1 ff. ἀλλά brings out the contrast, see reff.: εἴ τοι σύ γε σεωϋτοῦ μὴ προορᾷς , ἀλλ ʼ ἡμῖν τοῦτό ἐστι οὐ περιοπτέον , Herod. 11:39. τῇ γνώσει ] the depth of his knowledge of the mystery of the gospel, see Ephesians 3:1-4 . ἀλλ ʼ ἐν παντί ]

2 Corinthians 3:16 — is taken away (not, shall be, because ἡ καρδία is the subject, and thus the taking away becomes an individual matter, happening whenever and wherever conversion takes place). Let me restate this, as it is all-important towards the understanding of 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 . ‘When their heart goes in to speak with God , ceases to contemplate the dead letter, and begins to commune with the Spirit of the old covenant (the Spirit of God), then the vail is removed, as it was from the face of Moses.’

2 Corinthians 9:14 — 14. ] The construction is very difficult. δεήσει may depend on περισσεύουσα , 2 Corinthians 9:12 (but then we should expect διὰ as there), or on δοξάζοντες (but then it should also depend on ἐπί and they could not be said to glorify God for their own prayers. If on δοξάζοντες as the instrument whereby, it seems strange that αὐτῶν

Galatians 5:6 — but middle, as always in N. T. See reff. and notes on those places: also Fritzsche’s note on Romans 7:5 . “ ἐνεργεῖν , vim exercere de personis , ἐνεργεῖσθαι , ex se (aut suam ) vim exercere de rebus collocavit, Galatians 5:6 ; Col 1:29 ; 1Th 2:13 al., ut h. l. Passivo (cf. ἐνεργεῖται πόλεμος , Polyb. i. 13. 5; Jos. Antt. xv. 5. 3) nunquam Paulus usus est.” The older Romanist Commentators (Bellarm., Est.) insisted on the passive sense as favouring the dogma of fides formata

Philemon 1:9 — taken as preparatory to ὡς , ‘ such an one, as … ’ as in E. V., and commonly. I have therefore punctuated accordingly, as has Ellic. The rendering will be: Being such an one (as declared in διὸ .… παρακαλῶ ), as (1) Paul the aged and (2) now a prisoner also of Christ Jesus ( two points are made, and not three as Chrys., all. Παῦλος πρεσβύτης going together, and the fact of his being a prisoner, adding weight ( καί ). The fact of πρεσβύτης is interesting, as connected with the

Hebrews 10:3 — 3 .] Which cessation is far from being the case, as is the having no more conscience of sin: But (on the contrary: ἀλλά opposes the whole question of Hebrews 10:2 , in both its clauses) in them (the sacrifices: not in the fact of their being offered, but in the course of their being offered on the day of atonement, see below) there is a recollection (‘recalling to mind;’ the usual meaning of ἀνάμνησις

James 2:6 — to which the aor. is used. “Indignum est dejicere quos Deus extollit, et quos honore dignatur probrose tractare: atqui Deus pauperes honorat: ergo pervertit Dei ordinem quisquis eos rejicit.” Calv. This is his first argument. Now, James 2:6-7 , he brings in another, deduced from the conduct of rich men towards Christians and towards Christ Himself). Do not the rich (opposed as a class, to τοὺς πτωχούς above. This serves to shew that ὁ πλούσιος , when generally spoken of in the Epistle,

1 Peter 1:21 — 21 .] who are through Him (surely not only, as Wies., through His manifestation; but through Him personally, made to you all that He is made as the medium of your faith in God: the resurrection and glory being included. In fact τὸν ἐγείραντα κ . τ .

1 Peter 2:4 — is undeniable) stone (“Petrus a petra Christo sic denominatus metaphora petræ delectatur, ac suo exemplo docet omnes debere esse petros, h. e., vivos lapides supra Christum fide ædificatos.” Gerhard, in Wies. The allusion is to Psa 118:22 and Isaiah 28:16 . Obs. that no ὡς must be supplied before λίθον , as is done in E. V. al.: Christ is the stone: we do not come to Him as we come to a stone) living ( ζῶντα points not only to the figure being realized in a higher department of