Bible Commentaries

Matthew 27:1-2 — 1, 2. ] JESUS IS LED AWAY TO PILATE. Mark 15:1 .Luke 22:66; Luke 22:66 (who probably combines with this morning meeting of the Sanhedrim some things that took place at their earlier assembly), Matthew 23:1 . Joh 18:28 . The object of this taking counsel, was ὥστε θ . αὐ . to condemn Him formally to death, and devise the best means for the accomplishment of the sentence.

Matthew 6:14-15 — 14, 15. ] Our Lord returns ( γάρ ) to explain the only part of the prayer which peculiarly belonged to the new law of love, and enforces it by a solemn assurance. On the sense, cf. Mark 11:25 , and the remarkable parallel Sir 28:2 ; ἄφες ἀδίκημα τῷ πλησίον σου , κ . τότε δεηθέντος σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου λυθήσονται . See Chrysostom’s most eloquent appeal on this verse, Hom. xix. 7, p. 255, end.

Mark 1:2-3 — 2, 3. ] This again stands independently, not ἐγέν . Ἰωάν . ( ὁ ) βαπτ … ὡς γέγρ . The citation here is from two Prophets , Isa. and Mal.: see reff. The fact will not fail to be observed by the careful and honest student of the Gospels. Had the citation from Isaiah stood first, it would have been of no note, as Meyer observes. Consult notes on Matthew 11:10 ; Matthew 3:3 .

Mark 14:58 — 58. ] ἡμεῖς and ἐγώ are emphatic. Some have imagined (De Wette, Meyer) that they find in these words χειροπ . and ἀχειρ . traces of later Christian tradition, and an allusion to Hebrews 9:11 ; Acts 7:48 ; but such conjectures are at best very unsafe, and the words are quite as likely to have been uttered by the Lord as they here stand. The allusion is probably to Daniel 2:34 .

Luke 17:34-36 — 34 36. ] See on Matthew 24:40-41 . Here, there are two references: (1) to the servants of the Lord in the midst of the world out of which they shall be separated: (2) to the separation of the faithful and unfaithful among themselves . Luk 17:34 indicates a closer relationship than that of mere fellow-workmen, and sets forth the division of even families in that day.

Luke 22:29-30 — 29, 30. ] See above, and note on Matthew 19:28 , see also Revelation 2:27 . The word βασιλείαν belongs to both verbs not, ‘ I appoint to you (as my Father hath appointed to me a kingdom) that ye &c.,’ but, I appoint to you, as my Father hath appointed to me, a kingdom, that ye &c. ἐπὶ τῆς τρ . ] See above, Luke 22:21 , and note on Luke 22:16 .

John 16:24 — 24. ] It was impossible, up to the time of the glorification of Jesus ( ἕως ἄρτι , proleptical, as before), to pray to the Father in His Name. It is a fulness of joy peculiar to the dispensation of the Spirit, to be able so to do, Ephesians 2:18 . αἰτεῖτε ] See Matthew 7:7 , and mark the difference between the command then and now, that ἐν τῷ ὀν . μου is added.

Acts 2:15 — 15. ] οὗτοι , see above. ὥρα τρίτη ] the first hour of prayer : before which no pious Jew might eat or drink: “Non licet homini gustare quidquam, antequam oraverit orationem suam.” Berachoth. f. 28. 2; Lightf., Wetst. But perhaps we need not look further than the ordinary intent of such a defence the improbability of intoxication at that hour of the morning. See Ecclesiastes 10:16 ; Isa 5:11 ; 1 Thessalonians 5:7 .

Acts 2:43 — 43 .] πάσῃ ψυχῇ , designating generally the multitude , those who were not joined to the infant church. This is evident by the πάντες δὲ οἱ πιστεύοντες when the church is again the subject, Acts 2:44 . φόβος , dread , reverential astonishment, at the effect produced by the outpouring of the Spirit. On the [anticipatory character or the] latter part of the verse see general remarks at the beginning of this section.

Acts 21:30 — 30. ] The Levites shut the doors to prevent profanation by a riot, and possibly bloodshed, in the temple: hardly, as Bengel, ‘ne templi tutela uteretur Paulus:’ the right of asylum was only ( Exo 21:13-14 ) for murder unawares (Meyer). But by Act 21:14 there, and by Joab’s fleeing to the altar, 1 Kings 2:28 ff., we see that it was resorted to on other occasions.

1 Corinthians 1:5 — 5. ἐν παντί ] general: particularized by ἐν παντὶ λόγῳ κ . πάσῃ γνώσει , in all teaching and all knowledge . λόγος (obj.), the truth preached . γνῶσις (subj.), the truth apprehended . They were rich in the preaching of the word, had among them able preachers, and rich in the apprehension of the word, were themselves intelligent hearers. See 2 Corinthians 8:7 , where to these are added πίστις , σπουδή , and ἀγάπη .

1 Corinthians 10:24 — 24. ] Further following out of οἰκοδομεῖ . This ought to be our object: the bringing on one another to perfection, not the pleasing ourselves, see Romans 15:2-3 . In the second clause, ἕκαστος must be supplied from μηδείς (hence it has found its way into the rec.): so Plato, Rep. ii. p. 366 D, οὐδεὶς ἑκὼν δίκαιος , ἀλλ ʼ … ψέγει τὸ ἄδικον , i.e. ἕκαστος ψέγει . See Bernhardy, Syntax, p. 458.

2 Corinthians 4:1-6 — 1 6 .] Taking up again the subject of his freedom of speech (ch. 2Co 3:12 ), he declares his renunciation of all deceit, and manifestation of the truth to every man ( 2Co 4:2 ), even though to some the Gospel be hidden ( 2Co 4:3-4 ). And this because he preaches, without any selfish admixture,. only the pure light of the Gospel of Christ ( 2Co 4:5-6 ).

1 Thessalonians 1:1 — himself, as having with him founded the church at Thessalonica, see Acts 16:1 ; Acts 17:14 . Silvanus is placed before Timotheus, then a youth (Acts 16:1 f., see further in Prolegg, to 1 Tim. § i. 3, 4), as being one ἡγούμενος ἐν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς (Acts 15:22 ; Acts 15:32 ; Act 18:5 ), and a προφήτης (ib. Acts 15:32 , see also 2 Corinthians 1:19 ; 1Pe 5:12 ). He does not name himself an Apostle , probably for (an amplification of) the reason given by De Wette, because his Apostleship needed not any substantiation

2 Thessalonians 1:11 — secondary emphasis: see below) of your calling (just as we are exhorted to walk ἀξίως τῆς κλήσεως ἧς ἐκλήθημεν , Eph 4:1 the calling being taken not merely as the first act of God, but as the enduring state produced by that act (see especially 1Co 7:20 ), the normal termination of which is, glory . So that κλῆσις is not ‘the good thing to which we are called,’ as Lün.: which besides would require τῆς κλήσεως ἀξιώσῃ : now that τῆς κλήσεως is sheltered behind the verb, it is taken as a

2 Timothy 2:19 — super petram, i.e. Christum, a Deo firmiter fundata, nullis aut Satanæ machinis aut tentationum fluctibus subverti potest aut labefactari: nam etsi quidam ab ea deficiunt, ipsa tamen in suis electis perseverat usque in finem.” He then cites 1 John 2:19 ; Matthew 24:24 ; John 10:28 ; Romans 8:35 ; Romans 8:39 ; and proceeds, “Ex his admodum fit verisimile, firmum Dei fundamentum intelligi fideles electos: sive, quod idem est, ecclesiam in electis.” Against the tottering faith of those

Titus overview — See the book comments for 1 Timothy for an introduction to the Pastoral Epistles. CHAPTER X THE EPISTLE TO TITUS SECTION I TO WHOM WRITTEN 1. THE time and place of writing this Epistle have been before discussed (see above, ch. vii. § ii. 29 f.). It appears to have been sent from Ephesus, or perhaps from Macedonia, during the last year of the Apostle’s life (A.D. 67), to Titus, who was left in charge with the Churches in the island of Crete. We shall now gather up the notices which

Titus 3:8 — apostolic church quoted in these Epistles ), and concerning these things (the things which have just been dwelt on; see above) I would have thee positively affirm (‘confirmare,’ Vulg.; ‘asseverare,’ Beza: cf. Polyb. xii. 12. 6, διοριζόμενος καὶ διαβεβαιούμενος περὶ τούτων . The διὰ implies persistence and thoroughness in the affirmation), in order that (not, ‘that,’ implying the purport of that which he is διαβεβαιοῦσθαι , nor is what follows the πιστὸς

Hebrews 13:7 — Hebrews 13:3 ; but it is plain from what follows here (e. g. ἐλάλησαν and ἔκβασιν ) that the course of these ἡγούμενοι is past, and it is remembering with a view to imitation that is enjoined) your leaders ( ἡγούμενοι , Hebrews 13:17 ; Hebrews 13:24 , are their leaders in the faith: cf. also προηγούμενοι , in Clem.-rom. ad Cor. i. c. 21, p. 256. It is a word of St. Luke’s, cf. reff., answering to the προϊστάμενοι of St. Paul, 1 Thessalonians 5:12 . It is found in later Greek, in Polyb.,

1 John 4:10 — is the usual one, introducing the apodosis for which the ἐν τούτῳ prepares us: and οὐκ denies this. “In this is love, not in the fact that …, but in the fact that”.… Thus taken, there is no difficulty whatever in the sentence: cf. John 12:6 , 2 Corinthians 7:9 . Some Commentators have missed this, and thus found a difficulty. “ οὐχ ὅτι ( non quasi ) pro ὅτι οὐκ ( quasi non ),” says Grotius: but does not make his meaning very plain. Rosenm., who takes the transposition,