Bible Commentaries

Matthew 2:1 — 1. Βηθ . τῆς Ἰουδ . ] There was another Bethlehem in the tribe of Zebulun, near the sea of Galilee, Joshua 19:15 . The name Bethlehem-Judah is used, Judges 17:7-9 ; 1 Samuel 17:12 . Another name for our Bethlehem was Ephrath, Genesis 35:19 ; Genesis 48:7 ; or Ephrata, Micah 5:2 . It was six Roman miles to the south of Jerusalem, and was known as ‘the city of David,’ the origin of his family, Ruth 1:1 ; Ruth 1:19 .

Matthew 9:9 — 9. ] λεγόμενον , not preceded by any other appellation, must not be pressed to any closer signification than that his name was Matthew. See ch. Matthew 2:23 .

Mark 1:28 — 28. ] This miracle, which St. Mark and St. Luke relate first of all, is not stated by them to have been the first . Cf. John 2:11 .

Luke 20:1 — 1. τῶν ἡμ . ] of the days , viz. of this His being in Jerusalem. ἐπέστ . without a dative (see ch. Luk 2:38 ) does not signify any suddenness of approach.

Luke 21:16 — 16. ] καί ‘non modo ab alienis,’ Bengel. θαν . ἐξ ὑμ ., of the Apostles. One of the four who heard this discourse was put to death, Acts 12:2 .

John 6:2 — 2. ] It is evident from this that a circuit in Galilee and works of healing are presupposed (see Matthew 14:13 ; Mark 6:33 ; Luk 9:11 ).

Acts 2:33 — right hand , not ‘ to the right hand.’ The great end of this speech is to shew forth (see above) the GOD OF ISRAEL as the doer of all these things. However well the sense ‘ to ’ might seem to agree with the ἐκ δεξιῶν of Acts 2:34 , we must not set aside a very suitable sense, nor violate syntax (for the construction is entirely unexampled in Hellenistic as well as prose classical Greek) in order to suit an apparent adaptation. The reference is carried on by the word δεξιά

Acts 20:1 — 1. ] παρακαλέσας has probably been omitted on account of the two participles coming together: or perhaps on account of the same word occurring again in Acts 20:2 .

Acts 21:23 — 23. εὐχήν ] A vow of Nazarites. This vow must not be confounded, historically or analogically, with that of ch. Acts 18:18 ; see note there, and Numbers 6:2-21 .

Romans 13:2 — 2. ] ἀντιτασσ ., see above on ὑποτασς . ἑαυτοῖς κρῖμαλ .] shall receive for themselves (the dat. incommodi) condemnation , viz. punishment from God , through His minister, the civil power.

Romans 15:25 — 25. ] See Acts 19:21 ; Act 24:17 ; 2 Corinthians 8:19 . διακονῶν , not the future, because he treats the whole action as already begun; see reff.

2 Corinthians 8:16 — 16. ] The sense is taken up from 2 Corinthians 8:6 . διδόντι ἐν , see reff. τὴν αὐτ . σπ ., viz. ‘ as in myself.’ This is evident from ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν .

Galatians 1:4 — restatement, in more precise terms, of this. δόντος ἑαυ . ] viz. as an offering, unto death: an expression only found (in N. T.) here and in the Pastoral Epistles. Several such will occur; see the inference, in Prolegomena to Past. Epistles, § i. 32, note. περί , in this connexion, has much the same sense as ὑπέρ : see reff., and note on Ephesians 6:19 ; also Ellic.’s note here. ὅπ . ἐξέληται ] ἐξαιρεῖσθαι is the very word used by the Lord of St. Paul’s own great deliverance,

Galatians 2:14 — 14 .] ὀρθοποδεῖν apparently not occurring elsewhere, its meaning must be got from cognate words. We have ἀτραπὸν ὀρθοβατεῖν , Anthol. ix. 11, ὀρθοπραγεῖν , Arist. Eth. Eud. iii. 2, and ὀρθοτομέω , ὀρθοδρομέω , &c.: to walk straight is therefore undoubtedly its import, and metaphorically (cf. περιπατεῖν , στοιχεῖν frequently in Paul), to behave uprightly . πρός ] It is best, with Meyer, to take ἀλήθεια as in Galatians 2:5

Galatians 3:19-24 — 19 24 .] The use and nature of the Law . What (ref.) then (is) the Law (‘ubi audimus Legem nihil valere ad conferendam justitiam, statim obrepunt variæ cogitationes: aut igitur esse inutilem, aut contrariam fœderi Dei, aut tale quippiam.’

Ephesians 1:3 — 3 .] Blessed (see note on Romans 9:5 . Understand εἴη (Job 1:21 ; Psalms 112:2 ; or ἔστω , 2 Chronicles 9:8 . Ellicott) ‘Be He praised.’ See a similar doxology, 2 Corinthians 1:3 . Almost all St. Paul’s Epistles begin with some ascription of praise. That to Titus is the only exception (not Gal.:

1 Thessalonians overview — has been all but universally recognized as the undoubted work of St. Paul. It is true (see below) that no reliable citations from it appear in the Apostolic Fathers: but the external evidence from early times is still far too weighty to be set aside. 2. Its authorship has in modern times been called in question (1) by Schrader, and (2) by Baur, on internal grounds. Their objections, which are entirely of a subjective and most arbitrary kind, are reviewed and answered by De Wette, Meyer, and Dr. Davidson

Hebrews 3:1 — 1 .] Whence (i. e. seeing that we have such a helper: it is connected with the result of ch. 2: not, surely, with ch. Hebrews 1:1 , as De W. The fact just announced in Hebrews 2:18 , is a reason for κατανοήσατε : see below), hely brethren (Michaelis proposed to put a comma at ἀδελφοί , and treat the two as separate, brethren (and) saints .

Hebrews 9:2 — 2 .] For the tabernacle (most Commentators, as De Wette, Bleek, Lünemann, Delitzsch, al., render (correctly enough for the Greek, cf. ch. Hebrews 6:7 ; Acts 10:41 ; Acts 19:11 ; Act 26:22 ), “ a tabernacle,” and then take ἡ πρώτη as specifying.

1 Peter 1:1-2 — ΠΕΤΡΟΥ Α 1, 2 .] ADDRESS AND GREETING: corresponding generally with those of St. Paul’s Epistles, designating however himself more briefly, and his readers more at length.