Bible Commentaries

Matthew 20:1 — other places. ἐργάτας ] in the primary meanings of the parable, ‘apostles, prophets, ministers:’ distinct from the vines in the vineyard. But inasmuch as every workman is himself subject to the treatment of the husbandman (see Joh 15:1-2 ), and every man in the Kingdom of God is in some sense or other a worker on the rest, the distinction is not to be pressed the parable ranges over both comparisons. ἀμπελῶνα ] not the Jewish church only , as Greswell, Parables, iv. 355 ff., maintains.

Mark 2:27 — 27. ] τὸ σάβ … διὰ τὸ ς . is peculiar to Mark, and highly important. The Sabbath was an ordinance for man ; for man’s rest, both actually and typically, as setting forth the rest which remains for God’s people ( Heb 4:9 ). But He who

Luke 17:5 — literal and simpler. Wordsw.’s rendering, “Give faith in addition to our other privileges, powers, and virtues,” is not so probable, seeing 1) that faith is not the crowning item in such a list, but the first and most elementary: and 2) that, had this been intended, it would most probably have been expressed πρόσθ . ἡμῖν καὶ πίστιν . This is the only example in the Gospels in which the Apostles are marked out as requesting or saying any thing to the Lord. They are amazed at the

Luke 8:48 — saved her mediately , as the connecting link between herself and Christ: but the δύναμις ἐξεληλυθυῖα ἀπ ʼ αὐτοῦ , working through that faith, saved her energetically , and as the working cause; τῇ χάριτι , διὰ [ τῆς ] πίστεως , Ephesians 2:8 . εἰς εἰρ . ] See ch. Luk 7:50 and note. Mark’s addition, ἴσθι ὑγ . ἀπὸ τ . μάστιγός σου , is important, as conveying to her an assurance that the effect which she felt in her body should be permanent; that the healing about which she might

John 21:12 — 12. ἀριστ . ] Hereby is implied the morning meal: see John 21:3-4 . οὐδεὶς ἐτ . ] I take these words to imply that they sat down to the meal in silence, wondering at, while at the same time they well knew, Him who was thus their Host. Chrys. says,

John 4:19 — 19. ] In speaking this her conviction, she virtually confesses all the truth. That she should pass to another subject immediately, seems, as Stier remarks (iv. 125, edn. 2), to arise, not from a wish to turn the conversation from a matter so unpleasing to her, but from a real desire to obtain from this Prophet the teaching requisite that she may pray to God acceptably. The idea of her endeavouring to escape

John 6:29 — 29. ] The meaning is not, that faith is wrought in us by God, is the work of God; but that the truest way of working the work of God is to believe on Him whom He hath sent. ἔργον , not ἔργα , because there is but this one, properly speaking, and

John 6:45 — 45. ] ἐν τοῖς προφ . may be a general form of citation (Mark 1:2 ; Acts 7:42 ; Act 13:40 ), or may mean that the sense is found in several places of the prophets: see besides reff., Jeremiah 31:33-34 . This clearly intimates the kind of drawing meant in the last verse; the opening the eyes of the mind by divine

John 9:22 — 22. ] It is not said when this resolution was come to; and this also speaks for an interval between ch. 7. 8., and this incident. It could hardly have been before the council at the conclusion of ch. 7. ἀποσυν . ] Probably the first of the three stages

Acts 11:17 — ἔνδον ἐΐσας : Herod. iii. 68, εἰ μὴ αὐτὴ Σμέρδιν .… γινώσκεις , σὺ δὲ παρὰ Ἀτόσσης πύθου . See more examples in Hartung, Partikellehre, i. p. 184.] τίς ἤμην δυν . ] A junction of two questions: (1) Who was I that I should .…, as ref. Exod., and (2) Was I able to .… We have a similar instance in τίς τί ἄρῃ , Mark 15:24 . See Winer, edn. 6, § 66. 5. 3.

Acts 26:7 — surface of this verse, but is yet not brought out: he had already arrived at the accomplishment of this hope, to which they , with all their sacrifices and zeal, were as yet only earnestly tending , having it yet in the future only (so Romans 10:2 ; ζῆλον θεοῦ ἔχουσιν , ἀλλ ʼ οὐ κατ ʼ ἐπίγνωσιν ). It was concerning this hope (in what sense appears not yet) that he was accused by the Jews. The adverb ἐκτενῶς and subst. ἐκτένεια are disapproved by the philologists, as belonging to later Greek.

Acts 28:17 — 17. ] The banishment of Jews from Rome (ch. Act 18:2 ) had either tacitly or openly been abrogated some time before this. Priscilla and Aquila had returned when the Epistle to the Romans was written, Romans 16:3 . Paul was naturally anxious to set himself right with the Jews at Rome to explain the cause

Acts 9:10 — 10 .] Paul adds, ch. Acts 22:12 , with particularity, as defending himself before the Jews , that Ananias was ἀνὴρ εὐλαβὴς κατὰ τὸν νόμον μαρτυρούμενος ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν κατοικούντων Ἰουδαίων : saying nothing of the command received by him, nor that he was a disciple . In ch. 26,

Romans 3:23 — 23. [ ὑστεροῦνται should be rendered fall short , not, as E. V., “come short,” since this latter may be taken for the past tense, after the auxiliary “ have .”] τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ ] Of the praise which comes from God , see

Romans 8:8 — Beza, al. render it ‘ therefore ,’ and so E. V., ‘ so then ,’ erroneously) they who are in the flesh (as their element of life and thought : nearly κατὰ σάρκα ὄντες above, which however denotes the rule which they follow. In 2 Corinthians 10:3 , the two are distinguished: ἐν σαρκὶ γὰρ περιπατοῦντες οὐ κατὰ σάρκα στρατευόμεθα ) cannot please God . Melancthon remarks (Thol.), ‘Hic locus maxime refutat Pelagianos et omnes qui imaginantur homines sine Spiritu Sancto legi

1 Corinthians 10:8 — 8. ] Another prominent point in the sins of the Corinthian church. εἰκοσιτρεῖς χ .] The number was twenty-four thousand, Numbers 25:9 , and is probably set down here from memory. The subtilties of Commentators in order to escape the inference, are discreditable alike to themselves and the cause of sacred Truth. Of the principal ancient Commentators, Chrysostom and Theophyl. do

1 Corinthians 3:9 — fellow-workers (in subordination to Him , as is of course implied: but to render it ‘fellow-workers with one another , under God,’ as Estius prefers, and Olsh., al., maintain, is contrary to usage: see reff.; and not at all required, see 2 Corinthians 5:20 ; 2Co 6:1 ), of GOD that ye are the tillage, of GOD that ye are the building . This last new similitude is introduced on account of what he has presently to say of the different kinds of teaching, which will be more clearly set forth

Colossians 4:2 — 2 .] γρηγ . watching in it , i.e. not remiss and indolent in your occupation of prayer ( τῇ πρ .), but active and watchful, cheerful also, ἐν εὐχαριστίᾳ , which defines and characterizes the watchfulness. ἐπειδή γὰρ τὸ καρτερεῖν ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς ῥᾳθυμεῖν

1 Thessalonians 3:2 — 2 .] and sent Timotheus our brother and fellow-worker with God (ref. and Ellic.’s note here) in (the field of his working) the Gospel of Christ (there does not appear to be any special reason for this honourable mention of Timotheus (as Chrys.,

2 Timothy 1:1 — αὐτὴν ἐνταῦθα · ἐλπὶς γὰρ βλεπομένη οὐκ ἔστιν ἐλπίς . And this idea seems to be borne out by the strain of the subsequent portion of the Epistle, which is throughout one of confirmation and encouragement. So Bengel, “nervus ad Timotheum hortandum, 2 Timothy 1:10 , cap. ii. 8”).