Bible Commentaries

Matthew 14:5 — other grounds for his imprisonment, alleges purely political ones: δείσας Ἡρώδης τὸ ἐπὶ τοσόνδε πιθανὸν αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μὴ ἐπὶ ἀποστάσει τινὶ φέροι .… πολὺ κρεῖττον ἡγεῖται , πρίν τι νεώτερον ἐξ αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι , προλαβὼν ἀναιρεῖν .… Antt. xviii. 5. 2. εἶχον ] literally, ‘ possederunt eum tanquam prophetam;’ and thus Meyer maintains it must be rendered: but as our ‘ hold ,’ so ἔχω comes to be applied to the estimate formed of a man or thing, which subjectively is our

Matthew 26:6 — 6. Σίμωνος τοῦ λ . ] Not at this time a leper, or he could not be at his house receiving guests. It is at least possible , that he may have been healed by our Lord. Who he was, is wholly uncertain. From Martha serving ( Joh 12:2 ), it would appear as if she were at home in the house ( Luk 10:38 sqq.); and that Lazarus was one τῶν ἀνακειμένων need not necessarily imply that he was a guest properly so called. He had been probably (see Joh 12:9 ) absent with Jesus at Ephraim,

Matthew 6:3 — even Augustine strays into symbolism: πάλιν ἐνταῦθα οὐ χεῖρας αἰνίττεται , ἀλλ ʼ ὑπερβολικῶς αὐτὸ τέθεικεν . εἰ γὰρ οἷόν τέ ἐστι , φησί , σεαυτὸν ἀγνοῆσαι , περισπούδαστον ἔστω σοι τοῦτο , κἂν αὐτὰς δυνατὸν ᾖ τὰς διακονουμένας χεῖρας λαθεῖν . Hom. xix. 2, p. 246.

Matthew 9:14 — 14. ] According to the detailed narrative of St. Mark ( Mar 2:18 ) it was the disciples of John and of the Pharisees who asked this question. St. Luke continues the discourse as that of the former Pharisees and Scribes. This is one of those instances where the three accounts imply and confirm one another, and

Matthew 9:38 — χειροτονεῖ , ἀναμιμνήσκων αὐτοὺς καὶ τῶν Ἰωάννου ῥημάτων , καὶ τῆς ἅλω , καὶ τοῦ λικμῶντος , καὶ τοῦ ἀχύρον , καὶ τοῦ σίτον . ὅθεν δῆλον ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ γεωργός , αὐτὸς ὁ τοῦ θερισμοῦ κύριος , αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν προφητῶν δεσπότης . Chrysost. Hom. xxxii. 2, 3, p. 367.

Mark 6:48 — 48. ] κ . ἤθ . παρ . αὐτ ., peculiar to Mark. “A silent note of Inspiration. He was about to pass by them. He intended so to do. But what man could say this? Who knoweth the mind of Christ but the Spirit of God? Compare 1 Corinthians 2:11 .” Wordsw. But it may be doubted whether this is either a safe or a sober comment. ἤθελεν has here but a faint subjective reference, and is more nearly the “would have passed by them” of the E. V. See on Luke 24:28 , for the meaning.

Mark 9:2-13 — 2 13. ] THE TRANSFIGURATION. Matthew 17:1-13 .Luke 9:28-36; Luke 9:28-36 . Here again, while Matt. and Mark’s accounts seem to have one and the same source , they have deflected from it, and additional particulars have found their way into our

Mark 9:29 — 29. ] The answer is given more at length in Matthew 17:20 , and the Lord there distinctly includes the disciples in the γενεὰ ἄπιστος , by telling them διὰ τὴν ἀπιστίαν ὑμῶν . The assurance also occurs there, which was repeated Matthew 21:21 , where

Luke 10:25-37 — 25 37. ] QUESTION OF A LAWYER: THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN. Peculiar to Luke . As Stier remarks (iii. 101, edn. 2), it is well that Luke has related the other incident respecting an enquiry of the same kind, for the critics would be sure to have

Luke 11:4 — world. π . ὀφείλοντι ἡμ . ] This varied expression (see above) may serve to shew how far ‘ Luke’s reporter ’ (De Wette) was from misunderstanding the words of the Lord; that reporter, as Stier well observes, (Reden Jesu, iii. 126, edn. 2,) being no other than the Holy Spirit Himself , whose special guidance was promised in bringing to mind the things said by Jesus ( Joh 14:26 ).

Luke 12:18-19 — goods’), he greedily reserves all for himself ( συνάξω ἐκεῖ πάντα ), he imagines such things to be food for his soul ( ψυχή , … ἀναπ ., φ ., π ., εὐφρ . ) he forgets death , which is every day possible.” (Stier, iii. 146, edn. 2.) A very striking similarity is found in Sir 11:18-19 , ἔστι πλουτῶν ἀπὸ προσοχῆς καὶ σφιγγίας αὐτοῦ , καὶ αὕτη ἡ μερὶς τοῦ μισθοῦ αὐτοῦ · ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν αὐτὸν Εὗρον ἀνάπαυσιν , καὶ νῦν φάγωμαι ἐκ τῶν ἀγαθῶν μου , καὶ οὐκ οἶδε τίς καιρὸς παρελεύσεται

Luke 18:8 — 8. ] ἐν τάχει will not bear the meaning ‘ swiftly ,’ i.e. ‘ suddenly, when it comes ,’ but (see reff.) is shortly soon, speedily, as E. V. And this is no inconsistency with μακροθυμεῖ : see 2 Peter 3:8-9 . πλὴν … ] See the beginning of this note. This can hardly be, as Meyer interprets it, that the painful thought suddenly occurs to the Lord, how many there will be even at His coming who will not have received Him as the Messiah: for

Luke 2:22 — 22. ] See Leviticus 12:1-8 , where however the child is not, as here, expressly included in the purification. (It is hardly possible that Joseph should be implied in the αὐτῶν , as Euthym [25] , Meyer, interpret it.) The reading αὐτοῦ is remarkable,

Luke 23:2 — 2. ] This charge was intended to represent the result of their previous judgment, εὕραμεν ; whereas, in fact, no such matter had been before them: but they falsely allege it before Pilate, knowing that it was the point on which his judgment was likely

John 1:41 — 41. ] Who the other disciple was, is not certain: but considering (1) that the Evangelist never names himself in his Gospel, and (2) that this account is so minutely accurate as to specify even the hours of the day, and in all respects bears marks of an eye-witness , and again (3) that this other disciple, from this last circumstance, certainly would have been named , had not

John 15:24 — 24. ] He refers to the testimony of His works among them also, as leaving them again without excuse; they had had ocular witness of His mission. ἐν αὐτοῖς not to them (as Aug [220] ), but as Acts 2:22 , ἐν μέσῳ ὑμῶν . [220] Augustine, Bp. of Hippo

John 18:4 — 4. ] On εἰδὼς πάντα τὰ ἐρχ . see Matthew 26:45 . ἐξῆλθεν probably, from the shade of the trees into the moonlight; hardly, as De Wette and Lücke suggest, from some building in the garden. τίνα ζητ ., spoken, as was the saying ἐφ ʼ ὃ πάρει , Matthew 26:50 , to carry reproof to the conscience

John 5:5 — τριάκοντα ὀκτὼ ἔτη as the accus. of duration; which is objectionable on account of the article τῇ , (not on account of the present participle, as De Wette, for it is often found with duration of time,) and as being alien from John’s usage, which is (2) to place ἔχω in this sense with an accusative of the time: see reff., and John 5:6 . So that the construction is ἔχων τριάκ . ὀκτὼ ἔτη ἐν τῇ ἀσθ . Observe, he had been lame thirty-eight years, not at Bethesda all that time.

1 John 4:14-16 — God’s love is a condition of abiding in Him and He in us: in a word, is the μένειν ἐν τῇ ἀλάπῃ , which is equivalent to abiding in Him. And we (this ἡμεῖς brings up in sharp relief the apostolic body whom Christ appointed His witnesses, John 15:27 , Acts 1:8 . The assertion is of the same kind as that in ch. 1Jn 1:1 ) have beheld ( τεθεάμεθα is joined closely to μαρτυροῦμεν , and in common with it belongs to the ὅτι following. No object must be supplied after it, as “Deum ejusque virtutes

Revelation 1:10-11 — “ I became ”) in the Spirit (i. e. in a state of spiritual ecstasy or trance, becoming thereby receptive of the vision or revelation to follow. That this is the meaning is distinctly shewn by the same phrase occurring in ch. Revelation 4:2 ; where after seeing the door open in heaven, and hearing the ἀνάβα ὧδε , he adds, εὐθέως ἐγενόμην ἐν πνεύματι . See also ch. Revelation 21:10 . Ebrard well says, “ Der Rapport mit der Umgebung durch die Sinne ist unterbrochen, und ein Rapport