Bible Commentaries

Matthew 12:25 — 25. ] The Pharisees said this covertly to some among the multitude; see Luke 15:1-32 ; Luke 17:1-37 . “There is at first sight a difficulty in the argument which our Saviour draws from the oneness of the kingdom of Satan: viz. that it seems the

Matthew 16:13 — 13. Καισαρείας τῆς Φ .] A town in Gaulonitis at the foot of Mount Libanus, not far from the source of the Jordan, a day’s journey from Sidon, once called Laish (Judges 18:7 ; Jdg 18:29 ) and afterwards Dan (ibid.), but in later times Paneas, or Panias, from the mountain Panium, under which it lay (Jos. Antt. xv. 10. 3. Φιλίππου Καισαρείας, ἣν Πανεάδα Φοίνικες προσαγορεύουσι , Euseb. H. E. vii. 17). The tetrarch Philip enlarged it

Matthew 16:28 — 28. ] This declaration refers, in its full meaning, certainly not to the transfiguration which follows , for that could in no sense (except that of being a foretaste; cf. Peter’s own allusion to it, 2 Peter 1:17 , where he evidently treats it

Matthew 28:19 — of the Greek Testament. Used in this Edition when elz and Steph agree πορ . μαθ . ] Demonstrably, this was not understood as spoken to the Apostles only , but to all the brethren. Thus we read, πάντες διεσπάρησαν … πλὴν τῶν ἀποστόλων ( Act 8:2 ): οἱ μὲν οὖν διασπαρέντες διῆλθον εὐαγγελιζόμενοι τὸν λόγον (ibid. Mat 28:4 ). There is peculiar meaning in μαθητεύσατε . All power is given me go therefore and … subdue? Not so: the purpose of the Lord is to bring men to the knowledge of the

Matthew 8:32 — 32. ] This remarkable narrative brings before us the whole question of DÆMONIACAL POSSESSIONS in the Gospels, which I shall treat here once for all, and refer to this note hereafter. I would then remark in general, (I. 1) that the Gospel narratives are

Luke 6:35 — 35. ἀπελπίζοντες ] Three renderings have been given (1) the ordinary one, μηδὲν ἀπ ʼ αὐτῶν ἐλπίζοντες , Euthym [58] ; but this meaning of the word is unexampled, though agreeing with the context. (2) ‘ causing no one to despair ,’ i.e. refusing no one (reading μηδέν ʼ: cf. [59] [[60][61] in various readings); so the Sy [62] . renders it. (3) ‘ not despairing ,’ i.e. ‘ without anxiety about the result .’ This

John 4:9 — παρὰ Ταραντίνων καὶ Λοκρῶν συγχρησάμενοι πεντηκοντόρους καὶ τριήρεις . Notice, 1) that this explanatory clause is omitted by [59] [60] , and certainly may have been a gloss originally: but the authority is not enough to justify us in bracketing it: 2) that Ἰουδ . and Σαμ . are both anarthrous ‘Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.’ The fact is abundantly illustrated in the Rabbinical writings: see Schöttg. h. l. The question of the woman shews a lively naïve disposition, which is

John 8:44 — ch. John 5:40 , the freedom of the human will , as the foundation of the condemnation of the sinner . ἀνθρωποκτόνος ] The most obvious reference seems to be, to the murder of Abel by Cain: see the Apostle’s own comment on these words, 1Jn 3:12 ; 1 John 3:15 . But this itself was only a result of the introduction of death by sin, which was the work of the devil: Adam and Eve were the first whom he murdered. But then again both these were only manifestations of the fact here stated by divine

Romans 3:25 — 25. ] προέθετο , not here ‘ decreed ,’ as in reff. N. T., but put forth, set forth , manifested historically in His incarnation, sufferings, and exaltation. Wetst. quotes Thucyd. ii. 34, τὰ ὀστᾶ προτίθενται τῶν ἀπογενομένων , ‘they

Romans 9:10-11 — such distinction took place. Christians being τέκνα ἐπαγγελίας , the expression might apply to them: but, as the same Commentator observes, the argument here is to shew that not all the children of promise belonged to the ἐκλογή . See ch. Romans 4:1-12 . As to the construction here, it is best to regard ἀλλὰ καὶ … ἔχουσα … ἡμῶν as a sentence begun but intercepted by the remark following, and resumed in another form at ἐῤῥ . αὐτῇ ), for (not answering to ‘furnishes us an example’ supplied

1 Corinthians 5:7 — elsewhere. An unfortunate interpretation has been given to these words, ‘as ye are now celebrating the feast of unleavened bread ;’ and has met with some recent defenders, e.g. Wieseler, and Conybeare, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, edn. 2, vol. ii. p. 40, note. But first, the words will not admit it ; for ἄζυμοι cannot (as joined immediately with ἐν ἀζύμοις , 1Co 5:8 ) without much harshness be applied in its literal sense to the celebrators of the feast, but must indicate the material

Colossians 3:14 — together all the rest, which, without it, are but the scattered elements of completeness: πάντα ἐκεῖνά , φησιν , αὕτη συσφίγγει παροῦσα · ἀπούσης δὲ διαλύονται κ . ἐλέγχονται ὑπόκρισις ὄντα κ . οὐδέν , Thl. Wetst. cites from Simplic. in Epictet., p. 208, καλῶς οἱ Πυθαγόρειοι περισσῶς τῶν ἄλλων ἀρετῶν τὴν φιλίαν ἐτίμων , κ . σύνδεσμον αὐτὴν πασῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἔλεγον . The genitive after σύνδεσμος is not the genitive of apposition, as in Ephesians 4:3 , but of that which is held together by the σύνδεσμος

2 Timothy 2:23 — 23 .] But (contrast again to the hypothesis of the contrary of the last exhortation) foolish ( Tit 3:9 ) and undisciplined ( ἀπαίδευτος can hardly be wrested from its proper sense and made to mean ‘unprofitable πρὸς παιδείαν ,’ but, as

Hebrews 2:16 — 16 .] Epexegetic of Hebrews 2:15 , by pointing out a fact well known to us all (see on δήπου below), that it was to help a race subject to death, that Christ came). For, as we well know ( δήπου is a word of pure classical usage, see Xen., Plut., al. in Bleek: not found except

1 Peter 4:14 — that of God (the Apostle does not mean, by repeating the art., two different spirits, but identifies the same Spirit under two different denominations: the Spirit of glory, which is also the Spirit of God: “qui idem Spiritus Dei.” Winer, § 20. 1. c , compares Thuc. i. 126, ἐν τῇ τοῦ Διὸς τῇ μεγίστῃ ἑορτῇ : and Plato, Rep. viii. 565 D, περὶ τὸ ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ τὸ τοῦ Διὸς ἱερόν , both of which however want the καί . Huther strangely takes τὸ τῆς δόξης alone, independent of πνεῦμα , as a periphrasis

Revelation 1:7-8 — majesty and omnipotence of God (see below). Behold He (the Person last spoken of: the subject being continued from the preceding verses) cometh with the clouds ( τῶν , viz. of heaven: so expressed in reff. Dan., and Mark: cf. ἐν τῇ νεφέλῃ , ch. Rev 11:12 ), and every eye shall see Him (by a well-known figure, not merely Hebraistic but common to all tongues, the acting member is said to do that which the man does by its means. This is to be understood of the whole human race, risen and summoned before

Revelation 10:5-7 — 5 7 .] The oath of the strong angel, that the time of fulfilment of all prophecy was close at hand . In this portion of the vision, the reminiscences of Dan 12:7 are very frequent: καὶ ἤκουσα τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τοῦ ἐνδεδυμένου τὰ βαδδίν , ὃς ἦν ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ ποταμοῦ , καὶ ὕψωσε τὴν δεξιὰν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀριστερὰν αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν , καὶ ὤμοσεν ἐν τῷ ζῶντι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα , ὅτι εἰς καιρὸν καιρῶν καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ

Revelation 13:1-10 — Revelation 13:1-10 .] THE VISION OF THE BEAST THAT CAME UP OUT OF THE SEA. See Daniel 7:7-8 ; Daniel 7:19-27 , to which continual reference will be made in the Commentary. And he (the dragon) stood upon the sand of the sea (see Daniel 7:2 , where the four winds of heaven are striving upon the great sea); and I saw out of the sea a wild-beast coming up,

Revelation 5:6 — the elders (the words seem to indicate the middle point before the throne; whether on the glassy sea (De W.) or not, does not appear; but certainly not on the throne, from what follows in the next verse. ἐν μέσῳ is repeated, as ἀναμέσον in Leviticus 27:12 ; Lev 27:14 ) a lamb (the use of ἀρνίον , the diminutive , as applied to our Lord, is peculiar to the Apocalypse. It is difficult to say what precise idea is meant to be conveyed by this form. Elsewhere, it is ἀμνός , John 1:29 ; John 1:36 ; 1

Revelation 7:4 — 4 .] And I heard the number of the sealed, an hundred and forty-four thousand sealed (the number is symbolical of fixedness and full completion, 12 × 12, taken a thousand fold. No one that I am aware of has taken it literally, and supposed that just this particular number and no more is imported. The import for us is that the Lord knoweth and sealeth His own: that the fulness of their number shall