Bible Commentaries

Luke 2:1-2 — 1, 2. ] We go back again now to the birth of John, or shortly after it. In annotating on these verses, I will first state the difficulty in which they appear to be involved, then the remarkable way in which a solution has been found. The assertion in these

John 6:51 — καὶ ὁ ἄρτος .… ] From this time we hear no more of ἄρτος : this figure is dropped, and the reality takes its place. Some difficult questions arise regarding the sense and reference of this saying of our Lord. (1) Does it refer to HIS DEATH? and, (2) is there any reference to the ORDINANCE OF THE LORD’S SUPPER? (1) In treating this question I must at once reject all metaphorical and side-interpretations, as, that the teaching of Christ is the Bread, and to be taught by Him is feeding upon

Acts 13:47 — 47. ] Agreeing with LXX- [71] [72] , [73] reading δέδωκα for τέθεικα . They refer the σε not to themselves as teachers (as Meyer seems to think), but to Christ . [71] The MS. referred to by this symbol is that commonly called the Alexandrine, or CODEX ALEXANDRINUS. It once belonged

Acts 2:19 — 19 .] καὶ δώσω τέρατα ἐν οὐρανῷ Ed-vat.: txt [26] [27] [28] . [26] The MS. referred to by this symbol is that commonly called the Alexandrine, or CODEX ALEXANDRINUS. It once belonged to Cyrillus Lucaris, patriarch of Alexandria and then of Constantinople, who in the year 1628 presented it to our

Ephesians 4:15 — introducing as it does, not only ἀληθεύοντες ἐν ἀγάπῃ , but the αὐξήσωμεν below) being followers of truth ( ἀληθεύειν cannot here mean merely to speak the truth , as the whole matter dealt with is more general; the particular follows, Ephesians 4:25 . The verb has the widest meaning of being ἀληθής and (as Stier remarks) not without a certain sense of effort, ‘ sectari veritatem .’ The Vulg. gives it well, but perhaps with too exclusively practical a bearing, ‘ veritatem facientes

Ephesians 5:14 — this, that it may be plainly shewn to be no shift in a difficulty, no hypothesis among hypotheses, but the necessary inference from the form of the citation. This being so, of what passage of the O. T. is this a paraphrase? I answer, of Isaiah 60:1-2 . There, the church is set forth as being in a state of darkness and of death (cf. Isa 59:10 ), and is exhorted to awake, and become light, for that her light is come, and the glory of Jehovah has arisen upon her. Where need we go further for that of

1 Thessalonians 1:3 — , and τῆς ὑπομονῆς , and prefixed, as belonging to all three, πίστις , ἀγάπη , ἐλπίς , are the three great Christian graces of 1 Corinthians 13:0 . See also ch. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 ; Colossians 1:4-5 ; and Usteri, paulinisch. Lehrbegriff, p. 236 ff. τοῦ ἔργου τῆς πίστεως ] Simple as these words are, all sorts of strange meanings have been given to them. Koppe and Rosenmüller hold τ . ἔργου to be pleonastic: Calv., Calov., al., render (ungrammatical) ‘ your faith wrought by God ;’

Hebrews 10:38 — 38 .] Continuation of the paraphrase : the two clauses of Hab 2:4 being transposed. In the original it runs as in E. V.: “Behold his soul (which) is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith:” or, an ambiguity extending to all three places where the saying is quoted, here,

Hebrews 11:21 — 21 .] By faith Jacob, when dying (reff.), blessed each of the sons of Joseph (the faith consisted in transposing his hands wittingly, laying the right hand on the head of the younger, Ephraim, who was to become the greater tribe): and he worshipped

Hebrews 11:32 — 32 .] And what say I ( λέγω is most probably indicative, not subjunctive: cf. ref.: and see Winer, 41. a. 3: Bernhardy, p. 396. The sense is the same: ‘What am I saying, going to say, more,’ is tantamount to ‘what shall I say more’)

Hebrews 4:12-13 — 12, 13 .] Apart from the difficulties of some terms used, we may give the connexion thus: Such an endeavour is well worth all our σπουδή for we have One to do with, who can discern and will punish every even the most secret disobedience. For the word

Hebrews 6:16 — (Bleek observes that it is a mistake to call the form ὀμνύουσιν Hellenistic ( ὀλλύασιν , ὀμνύασιν , Ἀττικῶς · ὀλλύουσιν , ὀμνύουσιν , Ἑλληνικῶς . Moeris), for we have it in Xen. Mem. iv. 4. 16 ( πανταχοῦ ὀμνύουσι τὸν ὅρκον τοῦτον ) and Demosth. p. 622. 22) by the greater ( one ) ( τοῦ μείζονος is undoubtedly masculine: it could not be predicated of any thing neuter, that it was greater than the men who swear. And by the expression here, generally taken, must be meant God Himself: that greater

Hebrews 7:20-22 — 20 22 .] See summary at Hebrews 7:11 . Further proof of the superiority of the Melchisedek-priesthood of Christ in that he was constituted in it by an oath , thus giving it a solemnity and weight which that other priesthood had not. And inasmuch as

Hebrews 9:26 — 26 .] since (in that case) it were necessary (no ἄν , which we should naturally expect: but the indicative is in fact dependent on and included in the hypothesis just made: “posito, eum ita cœlum intrasse, ut sæpius seipsum offerret, necesse erat

James 2:14 — 14 .] What is the profit (arising from that to be mentioned: the resulting profit), my brethren, if (so ἐάν , after τί ὠφεληθήσεται , Matthew 16:26 ; 1Co 13:3 ) any man say (there is no emphasis on λέγῃ , as many (Vorst, Piscator, Wolf, Baumgarten, Pott, Stier) have supposed: both its place in the sentence, after πίστιν , forbids this, and more decisively still the context, in which the whole

1 Peter 3:15 — 15 .] nay rather (the sharply adversative δέ , see above on ch. 1Pe 2:23 ) sanctify (reff.) in your hearts (in the O. T. passage it is added, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται σου φόβος . “This addition is not made here, but ἐν ταῖς καρδ . ὑμῶν , to bring out that the ἁγιάσατε must be perfected in the inner parts of a man and so

1 Peter 4:3 — have done (the perf. part. connects with κατειργάσθαι : the absence of the art. gives it the slight inferential force which justifies the former assertion) in lasciviousnesses (outbreaks of ἀσέλγεια ), lusts (here perhaps not general, as in 1 Peter 4:2 , but particular, lusts of uncleanness), wine-bibbings ( οἰνοφλυγία ἐστὶν ἐπιθυμία οἴνου ἄπληστος , Andronicus Rhodius, περὶ παθῶν , p. 6. But from the other examples of its use in Wetst., it seems to express not only the desire, but its indulgence),

1 John 2:5 — the fact of our progress towards this ideal state of perfection of obedience and therefore of love: thus assured that the germ of the state is in us and unfolding) we know that we are in Him (this completes the logical period which began in 1 John 2:3 , by reasserting that verse, carrying however that assertion yet deeper, by substituting ἐν αὐτῷ ἐσμέν for ἐγνώκαμεν αὐτόν . This “being in Him” is in fact the Christian life in its central depth of κοινωνία with God and with one another:

1 John 5:7 — εἰσιν is copula and predicate. The three are considered as living and speaking witnesses; hence the masculine form. By being three , they fulfil the requirements of the Law as to full testimony: cf. Deuteronomy 17:6 ; Deuteronomy 19:15 ; Mat 18:16 , 2Co 13:1 ), the Spirit, and the water, and the blood (now, the Spirit is put first: and not without reason. The Spirit is, of the three, the only living and active witness, properly speaking: besides, the water and the blood are no witnesses without

Revelation 8:8 — Then, it was this mass itself , not any thing proceeding from it, which was cast down. So that the introduction of a volcano into the imagery is quite unjustifiable. In the language (hardly in the sense) there seems to be a reminiscence of Jeremiah 28:25, δώσω σε ὡς ὄρος ἐμπεπυρισμένον . It is remarkable that there the ὄρος should be characterized as τὸ διεφθαρμένον τὸ διαφθεῖρον πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν : cf. our ch. Rev 11:18 ), and the third part of the sea became blood (so in the Egyptian plague the Nile