Bible Commentaries

Matthew 17:1-13 — 1 13. ] THE TRANSFIGURATION. Mark 9:2-13 .Luke 9:28-36; Luke 9:28-36 . This weighty event forms the solemn installation of our Lord to His sufferings and their result. Those three Apostles were chosen to witness it, who had before witnessed His power over death ( Mar 5:37 ), and who afterwards

Matthew 18:25 — 25. ἐκέλευσεν αὐτ .… κ . τ . λ .] See Exodus 22:3 ; Leviticus 25:39 ; Leviticus 25:47 ; 2 Kings 4:1 . The similitude is however rather from Oriental despotism: for the selling was under the Mosaic law softened by the liberation at the year of jubilee. The imprisonment also, and the tormentors, Matthew 18:30 ; Matthew 18:34 , favour this view, forming no part of the Jewish law. ἀποδοθῆναι , impersonal, as in E. V., payment to be made.

Matthew 24:51 — 51. ] διχ . refers to the punishment of cutting, or sawing asunder: see Daniel 2:5 ; Daniel 3:29 ; Sus. ver. 59; see also Hebrews 4:12 ; Hebrews 11:37 . The expression here is perhaps not without a symbolical reference to that dreadful sundering of the conscience and practice which shall be the reflective torment of the condemned: and by the mingling and confounding of which only is the anomalous life of the wilful sinner made in this world tolerable.

Matthew 4:12 — 12. ἀνεχώρ . ] not ‘ returned ,’ but retired, withdrew; see ch. Matthew 2:22 , and note. No notice is given whence this withdrawal took place. The narrative is evidently taken up after an interval, and without any intention that it should follow closely on Matthew 4:11 . Wieseler, Chron. Synops. pp. 162 ff., sees in this a proof that St. Matthew recognized a ministry in Judæa during the interval. I cannot quite think this, but certainly he does not exclude it.

Mark 14:72 — 72. ἐπιβαλών ] No entirely satisfactory meaning has yet been given for this word. 1) Hammond and Palairet supply τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῷ Ἰησοῦ but besides this being most fanciful, the fact was not so: see Luke 22:61 . Luke 22:2 ) The vulgate, Syriac [50]

Luke 1:32 — 32. Δαυεὶδ τοῦ π . αὐτ . ] This announcement makes it almost certain (but see note above) that Mary also was of the house of David. No astonishment is expressed by her at this part of the statement, and yet, from the nature of her question, it is clear that she did not explain it by supposing Joseph to be the destined father of her child . See 2 Samuel 7:13 ; Psalms 89:3-4 ; Isaiah 9:7 ; Jeremiah 33:15 .

Luke 11:27-28 — 27, 28. ] This little but most instructive incident, here interposed, serves to shew the originality of Luke’s account, and that, whatever its position may be, it is itself of the highest authority. The woman apparently was influenced by nothing

Luke 14:24 — 24. ] I think with Stier (iii. 202, edn. 2), that our Lord here speaks in his own Person: ὑμῖν will fit no circumstance in the parable; for the householder and his servant are alone: the guests are not present. Our Lord speaks, with His usual λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν , to the company present: and half continuing the parable, half expounding it, substitutes Himself for the master of the feast, leaving it hardly doubtful who ἄνδρες ἐκεῖνοι οἱ κεκλημένοι are.

Luke 6:11 — 11. ἀνοίας ] It does not appear that this word can ever mean, as in some former editions, ‘madness,’ rage of a senseless kind: certainly it does not in reff., nor in Herod. vi. 69 or Thuc. iii. 48, there carelessly referred to. The proper meaning, ‘senselessness,’ ‘wicked folly,’ must be kept to. See Ellicott’s note on 2 Timothy 3:9 , to which I owe this correction. διελάλ ., viz. the Pharisees and Herodians: Mark 3:6 , where see note.

Acts 18:2 — 2. Ἰουδαῖον ] It appears that Aquila and Priscilla were not Christians at this time: it is the similarity of employment only which draws them to Paul, and their conversion is left to be inferred as taking place in consequence: see Acts 18:26 . Ποντικὸν

1 Corinthians 5:1 — borne (by some) among you, fornication is borne as a character among you . From missing this sense of ἀκούομαι , Commentators have gone wrong (1) as to ὅλως , rendering it ‘ commonly ,’ to suit ἀκούεται , ‘ is reported ,’ (2) as to ἐν ὑμῖν , joining it with πορνεία , whereas it belongs to ἀκούεται , (3) as to ἥτις οὐδὲ ἐν τ . ἔθν ., see below. καὶ τοιαύτ . π . ] And fornication of such a sort (the καί rises in a climax, there being an ellipsis of οὐ μόνον …‚ ἀλλὰ

1 Corinthians 7:15 — 15 .] But if the wish for separation (implied by the present χωρίζεται , is for being separated, see Winer, edn. 6, § 40. 2. a, and compare John 10:32 ; John 13:6 ; Joh 13:27 ) proceed from the side of the UNBELIEVER (emphasis on ὁ ἄπιστος ), let him (or her) depart (be separated off). οὐ δεδούλ . ] οὐκ ἔχει ἀνάγκην ὁ πιστὸς ἢ ἡ πιστὴ ἐν τοῖς ἀπίστοις τοιαύτην , οἵα

Ephesians 4:24 — 24 .] and put on (see on ἀποθέσθαι above) the new man (as opposed to παλαιόν ; not meaning Christ , any further than as He is its great Head and prototype, see on κτισθ . ), which was created (mark the aorist, as historical fact, once for all, in

Hebrews 11:34 — of fire (so the three companions of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Daniel 3:0 . Thl. says, οὐκ εἶπε δὲ ἔσβεσαν πῦρ , ἀλλὰ δύναμιν πυρός , ὃ καὶ μεῖζου · ἐξαπτόμενος γὰρ ὅμως δύναμιν τοῦ καίειν οὐκ εἶχε κατ ʼ αὐτῶν . It is said of them, 1Ma 2:59 , that they πιστεύσαντες ἐσώθησαν ἐκ φλογός . Delitzsch reminds us that one of the two martyrs at Brussels, Henry Voes and Joh. Esche, when the flames of the faggots rose round him, said, that it felt to him as if they were strewing roses under him),

Hebrews 3:14 — himself uses μέτοχος with a gen. (ch. Heb 1:9 being a citation), it ever signifies partaker ‘ of ,’ and not ‘ with ,’ that genitive noun. So μετόχους γενηθέντας πνεύματος ἁγίου , ch. Hebrews 6:4 ; also ch. Hebrews 3:1 ; Hebrews 12:8 ; and μετέχειν τινός , ch. Hebrews 2:14 ; Hebrews 5:13 ; Hebrews 7:13 . So Chrys. ( μετέχομεν αὐτοῦ φησιν κ . τ . λ .), Thl. ( μετέχομεν αὐτοῦ ὡς σῶμα κεφαλῆς ), Œc., Primas., Luther, Bengel, Bleek, Lünemann, &c.), if, that is ( περ is originally

Hebrews 5:1 — W., Lünem., Ebrard, Delitzsch, al. Others, as Luth., Seb. Schm., Wetst., Storr, Kuinoel, al., take it as belonging to the subject , as does the E. V., “Every high priest taken from among men,” and see in it a contrast, as in ch. Hebrews 7:28 , between human high priests, and the Son of God. But such contrast here is not only not in, but inconsistent with, the context: which does not bring out as yet any difference between Christ and the Jewish high priests, but rather (see below) treats

Hebrews 6:12 — 12 .] that ye become not (“ be not ” misses the fine delicacy of the Writer: as Chrys., ἵνα μὴ νωθροὶ γένησθε , ἀκμὴν γένησθε . καὶ μὴν ἀνωτέρω ἔλεγεν , ἐπεὶ νωθροὶ γεγόνατε ταῖς ἀκοαῖς . ἀλλ ʼ ὅρα πῶς ἐκεῖ μέχρι τῆς ἀκοῆς τὴν νωθρότητα ἔστησεν

1 John 5:19 — Christian life) are of God (i. e. born of God: identifying us with those spoken of 1Jn 5:18 ), and the whole world lieth in the wicked one (this second member of the sentence does not depend on the preceding ὅτι , but like those of 1 John 5:18 ; 1 John 5:20 , is an independent proposition. τῷ πονηρῷ , by the analogy of St. John’s diction, is masculine, not neuter, as Lyra (“in maligno, i. e. in malo igne concupiscentiæ”), Socinus, Schlichting, Episcopius (“in peccandi consuetudine

Revelation 1:9 — 9 .] Description of the Writer, and of the place where the Revelation was seen . I John (so again ch. Revelation 22:8 ; so Daniel 8:1 ; Daniel 9:2 ; Dan 10:2 ) your brother (no inference can be drawn against the apostleship of the Writer from this his designation of himself. Indeed from his entire silence respecting himself in his Gospel, we may well believe that

Revelation 2:14-15 — things which remained, and is plural, inasmuch as ὀλίγον would refer, not to the objective fewness, but to the subjective unimportance, of the grounds of complaint; which latter was not so. This use of the plural comes under the case treated by Winer (§ 27. 2), where only one thing is really meant, but the writer speaks of that one generically; e. g. τεθνήκασιν οἱ ζητοῦντες τὴν ψυχ . τοῦ παιδίου , Matthew 2:20 , where Herod only is meant. And so De Wette and Düsterd.): thou hast there (in Pergamum: