Bible Commentaries

Matthew 26:17-19 — 17 19. ] PREPARATION FOR CELEBRATING THE PASSOVER. Mark 14:12-16 . Luke 22:7-13 . The whole narrative which follows is extremely difficult to arrange and account for chronologically. Our Evangelist is the least circumstantial, and, as will I think appear, the least exact in detail of the three. St. Mark partially

John 3:23 — 23. ] The situation of these places is uncertain. Eusebius and Jerome place Salim eight Roman miles south of Scythopolis, and Ænon at the same distance, on the Jordan. If Scythopolis was the ancient Bethshan, both places were in Samaria: and to this

1 Corinthians 11:18 — 18. ] πρῶτον where is the second particular founda, nswering to this πρῶτον ? Ordinarily, it is assumed that the σχίσματα are the first abuse, the disorders in the Agapæ (beginning with 1Co 11:20 ), the second . But I am convinced, with Meyer, that this view is wrong. For (1) neither special blame, nor correction of abuse, is conveyed in 1 Corinthians 11:18-19 ; nor is it so much as intimated, on the ordinary hypothesis, what the character

1 Corinthians 9:27 — 27. ] But I bruise my body ( ὑπωπιάζω , lit. to strike heavily in the face so as to render black and blue, “ ὑπώπια , τὰ ὑπὸ τοὺς ὦπας τῶν πληγῶν ἴχνη , ut ait Pollux: sed latius dici sic cœpere ἀφ ʼ οἱασδηποτοῦν πληγῆς τραύματα , ut ait Scholiastes

2 Corinthians 3:14 — E. V.) ‘ remaineth … untaken away … which vail ( ὅ τι ) is done away in Christ ,’ are inadmissible: (1) because they make καταργεῖται , which throughout the passage belongs to the glory of the ministry , to apply to the vail : and (2) because they give no satisfactory sense. It is not because the vail can only be done away in Christ, that it now remains untaken away on their hearts, but because their hearts are hardened . Besides, the Apostle would not have expressed it thus,

1 Timothy 6:17 — τοῖς would have been more naturally prefixed. Such a distinction would besides have been improbable, as drawing a line between the two characters, which it is the object of the exhortation to keep united in the same persons. See the distinction in Luk 12:21 ) give in charge not to be high-minded ( ταῦτα παραινεῖ , εἰδὼς ὅτι οὐδὲν οὕτω τίκτει τῦφον , καὶ ἀπόνοιαν , καὶ ἀλαζονείαν , ὡς χρήματα , Chrys.), nor to place their hope (i.e. to have hoped, and continue to be hoping: see on ch. 1Ti 4:10 ) on

Titus 3:4 — εἶδός ἐστι τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἐν ᾧ τινὲς φιλοδειπνισταί εἰσι . The second of these is evidently that here intended, but Huther’s view of the correspondence of this description of God’s kindness to us with that which we are required ( Tit 3:2 ) to shew to others, appears to me to be borne out: and thus His φιλανθρωπία would parallel πραΰτητα πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους above, and the fact of its being ‘love toward men ’ should be expressed. Bengel’s remark also is worth notice:

Hebrews 12:15 — from’ the grace of God, as the goal to which the journey is being made. But it is far more probably in its ordinary sense, and ἀπό as in reff., and as Œc.: μή τις εἴη ἀπολελειμμένος τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ . The whole sentence is imitated from Deuteronomy 29:18 , μή τις ἐστὶν ἐν ὑμῖν ἀνὴρ ἢ γυνὴ ἢ πατριὰ ἢ φυλή , τινὸς ἡ διάνοια ἐξέκλινεν ἀπὸ κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμῶν , πορευθέντες λατρεύειν τοῖς θεοῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκείνων · μή τις ἐστὶν ἐν ὑμῖν ῥίζα ἄνω φύουσα ἐν χολῇ καὶ πικρίᾳ . And perhaps to this the ἀπό

Hebrews 3:12 — 12 .] take heed (on the connexion of this with διό above Hebrews 3:7 , see note there. βλέπετε is only again found in our Epistle at ch. Hebrews 12:25 . This construction with an indicative future (see reff. on ἔσται ) is hardly, as Bleek, to be explained

Hebrews 3:4 — thus making the passage a proof of the deity of Christ. The short-hand writer has apparently here blundered over Chrysostom’s exposition, for it is meagre and confused to the last degree; but Thdrt., Œc., and Thl., so explain it, regarding Heb 3:2 as an assertion of Christ’s superiority to Moses quoad His human nature, and this verse as regards His divinity. ὅρα πῶς ἤρξατο μὲν τῆς συγκρίσεως ἀπὸ τῆς σαρκός , ἀνέβη δὲ εἰς τὴν θεότητα , καὶ ἀσυγκρίτως ὑπερέχειν τὸν ποιητὴν τοῦ ποιήματος

Hebrews 4:13 — , common in the N. T. and especially in St. Luke, is apparently Alexandrine, and borrowed from the LXX, where it answers to the Heb. לִפְנֵי ): but ( δέ , in the strongly adversative sense which it several times has in our Epistle: cf. ch. Hebrews 2:6 , and note there, also Heb 4:15 below; ch. Hebrews 9:12 ; Hebrews 10:27 ; Hebrews 12:13 . This it gains by its force of passing altogether to a new subject, excluding entirely from view that which is last treated: q. d. “tantum absit, ut.… ut.…”)

Hebrews 5:14 — food belongs to (is the portion of) the grown up (so τέλειος often: e. g. Xen. Cyr. viii. 7. 3, ἐγὼ γὰρ παῖς τε ὢν τὰ ἐν παισὶ νομιζόμενα καλὰ δοκῶ κεκαρπῶσθαι · ἐπεὶ δὲ ἤβησα , τὰ ἐν νεανίσκοις · τέλειός τε ἀνὴρ γενόμενος , τὰ ἐν ἀνδράσι : Polyb. v. 29. 2, ἐλπίσαντες ὡς παιδίῳ νηπίῳ χρήσασθαι τῷ Φιλίππῳ , εὗρον αὐτὸν τέλειον ἄνδρα . The spiritual sense is found in reff.: Thl. says, ὁρᾷς νηπιότητα ἑτέραν , ἣν καὶ γέροντες ἔχουσι , τὴν τῶν φρενῶν , καὶ τελειότητα , ἣν καὶ νέους ἔχειν οὐδὲν ἐμποδίζει

Hebrews 9:8 — all from it except the high priest once a year: δηλοῦντος is not, as Semler, to be referred back to the prophecy of Jeremiah above quoted. We often have the verb in this meaning of ‘ signifying by a representation :’ so in ch. Hebrews 12:27 , and Jos. Antt. iii. 7. 1, περιτίθεται τὸν μαναχασὴν λεγόμενον , βούλεται δὲ συνακτῆρα μὲν δηλοῦν , διάζωμα δ ʼ ἐστὶ κ . τ . λ .: ib. 7. 7, δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ τὸν ἥλιον κ . τὴν σελήνην τῶν σαρδονύχων ἑκάτερος : cf. also viii. 6. 2. See Libanius and Hermogenes

1 Peter 3:6 — vos tractent, si faciles ad obsequium vos præbeatis; ut solet sexus muliebris vanis pavoribus esse obnoxius. Sed et si forte nacti estis maritos iniquiores, silentio potius ac patientia, quam multis verbis studete eorum animos lenire.” Cf. Luke 21:9 ; Luke 24:37 . Huther quotes from Stephanus an extraordinary explanation, “jubentur mulieres officium facere etiam cum nullus eas metus constringit, i. e. sponte et ultro.” And Œc., interpreting ἀγαθοποιοῦσαι of doing good deeds of benevolence,

1 Peter 4:7 — Bengel: “Finis adeoque etiam petulantiæ malorum et passionum piorum”) is at hand (on this being the constant expectation of the apostolic age, see Acts 1:7 , note: 1 Thessalonians 4:15 , note): be therefore of temperate mind (see note on 1Ti 2:9 ), and be sober unto (with a view to) prayers (the τάς before προσευχάς , which Tischdf. in his 7th edition has again inserted [not in edn. 8], as probably omitted in [16] [17] &c., because its force was not perceived, may just as well be regarded

2 Peter 1:16 — 16 .] For (reason for the zeal which he had just predicated of himself) not in pursuance of ( ἐξακολ ., see reff. The preposition must not perhaps be pressed: certainly not as Bengel, “ τὸ ἐξ errorem notat, cap. ii. 2, 15.” If it is to be rendered, its sense may be much as in our expression, “following out,” i. e. “in pursuance of,” as given above) cunningly-devised fables (add to reff., Aristoph. Nub. 543, ἀεὶ καινὰς ἰδέας σοφίζομαι

2 Peter 1:20 — 20 .] Caution as to the interpretation of O. T. prophecy : to be borne in mind, while taking heed to it. This first knowing ( τοῦτο , viz. what follows, introduced by ὅτι . πρῶτον , not as Bengel, “prius quam ego dico,” but first and as

1 John 3:5 — 5 .] Additional argument for the incompatibility of sin with the life of God’s children; that He, Christ, in and by whom we have this adoption ( Joh 1:12 ), and by being in whose likeness alone we can be perfectly like God, was manifested to take away all sins, being Himself sinless. And ye know (the Apostle assumes it as known by those who had an anointing from the Holy One and knew all things, ch.

1 John 4:18 — ) love . The points here to be noticed are, 1) the emphatic οὐκ ἔστιν , which is better rendered as above, than “There is no fear in love,” in order to keep φόβος , which is the subject in the Greek, also the subject in the English: 2) ἀλλά , which is not here the mere adversative after a negative clause, in which case it would refer to something in which fear is , e. g. φόβος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ , ἀλλ ʼ ( ἐστιν ) ἐν τῷ μίσει : but it is the stronger adversative, implying “nay

Revelation 4:4 — lower than ὁ θρόνος ), and upon the twenty-four thrones elders sitting (the accus., either after εἶδον understood, or more likely loosely placed with the nominatives after ἰδού ), clothed in white garments, and on their heads golden crowns (these 24 elders are not angels , as maintained by Rinck and Hofmann (Weiss. u. Erfüll. p. 325 f.), as is shewn (not by ch. Revelation 5:9 , as generally argued, even by Elliott, vol. i. p. 81 f.: see text there: but) by their white robes and crowns, the rewards