Bible Commentaries

Matthew 14:16-17 — loaves and ( salt ) fish; ibid. And we have (perhaps, but see note there) the vast concourse accounted for in John by the fact that the Passover was at hand , and so they were collected on their journey to Jerusalem. See a very similar miracle in 2 Kings 4:42-44 ; only then there were twenty barley loaves and an hundred men. See also Numbers 11:21-22 .

Matthew 14:2 — 2. ] παῖς = δοῦλος . αὐτός ] emphatic; equivalent in English to “ it is he, that ” … In Luk 9:7 it is said that Herod διηπόρει διὰ τὸ λέγεσθαι ὑπό τινων ὅτι Ἰωάνν . ἐγήγ . κ . τ . λ . There is no inconsistency in these accounts: the report

Matthew 20:2 — 2. ] ἐκ seems to point, as commonly in other references, at the source or foundation of the συμφωνία : see reff. This view is more probable than that which supposes μισθώσασθαι understood. Meyer remarks that the accus. τὴν ἡμέραν must not be regarded

Matthew 20:23 — 23. ] The one of these brethren was the first of the Apostles to drink the cup of suffering, and be baptized with the baptism of blood , Acts 12:1-2 ; the other had the longest experience among them of a life of trouble and persecution . The last

Matthew 21:23 — 23. οἱ ἀρχ . κ . οἱ πρεσ . τ . λ . ] Mark and Luke add γραμματεῖς , and so make up the members of the Sanhedrim. It was an official message , sent with a view to make our Saviour declare Himself to be a prophet sent from God in which case

Matthew 26:57-68 — 57 68. ] HEARING BEFORE CAIAPHAS. Mark 14:53-65 . (Luke 22:54 ; Luke 22:63-65 .) John 18:24 . Previous to this took place a hearing before Annas, the real High-priest (see note on Luk 3:2 ), to whom the Jews took Jesus first; who enquired of Him about his disciples and his teaching ( Joh 18:19-23 ), and

Matthew 28:2 — 2. ] This must not be taken as pluperfect, which would be altogether inconsistent with the text. καὶ ἰδοὺ … ἐγένετο must mean that the women were witnesses of the earthquake , and that which happened . σεισμός was not properly an earthquake,

Mark 16:14 — 14. ] The following narrative, evidently intended by its author to represent what took place at one and the same time , joins together in one at least four appearances of the Lord: (1) that related in this verse and Luke 24:36-49 ; (2) that on the mountain in Galilee ( Mat 28:16-20 ), when the words in Mar 16:15 were spoken; (3) some unrecorded appearance when the rest of these words ( Mar 16:16-18 ) were spoken, unless we consider the whole to have been said on the mountain

Mark 16:17 — powerful Christian nations. There are credible testimonies of miraculous powers having been exercised in the Church considerably after the Apostles’ time. δαιμ . ἐκβ . ] The Lord Himself has declared how weighty a sign this was, Matthew 12:28 . For fulfilments of the promise, see Acts 5:16 ; Acts 8:7 ; Acts 16:18 . γλώσ . λ . καιν . ] See 1 Corinthians 14:22 ; Act 2:4 alli [63] . On the gift of tongues, see notes at those places. [63] alli= some cursive mss.

Mark 2:2 — 2. ] In this verse we have again the peculiar minute depicting of Mark. Wordsw. believes “these minute notices … to be recorded by the Evangelist with a studied design, lest it should be supposed that, because he incorporates so much which is in

Mark 7:4 — 4. ἀπ ʼ ἀγ . ] i.e. (as indeed some MSS. insert: see var. readd.) ὅταν ἔλθωσιν . Winer, § 66. 2 note, takes ἀπ ʼ ἀγορᾶς with ἐσθίωσιν , justifying it by Arrian, Epict. iii. 19. 5, φαγεῖν ἐκ βαλανείου . βαπτ . is variously understood, of themselves , or the meats bought . It certainly refers to themselves ; as it would not be any unusual

Luke 18:10-11 — 10, 11. ] πρὸς ἑαυτόν belongs to προσηύχ . (cf. Mar 14:4 ), not to σταθείς : that would be καθ ʼ ἑαυτόν , see James 2:17 . He stood (in the ordinary place), and prayed thus with himself, as E. V., ‘ apud animum suum :’ such a prayer he would not dare to put up aloud (Meyer). The Church has admirably fitted to this parable the declaration of thankfulness

Luke 4:1-13 — 1 13. ] TEMPTATION OF JESUS. Matthew 4:1-11 .Mark 1:12-13; Mark 1:12-13 . Luk 4:1 is peculiar to Luke, and very important. Our Lord was now full of the Holy Ghost, and in that fulness He is led up to combat with the enemy. He has arrived at the fulness of the stature of perfect man, outwardly and spiritually.

Luke 8:43 — 43. ] προσαναλ ., ‘having, besides all her suffering , spent,’ &c. But, see notes on μὴ προσεῶντος τοῦ ἀνέμου , Acts 27:7 , and on συμμαρτυρεῖν , Romans 2:15 ; Romans 8:16 ; Romans 9:1 , προς - may denote the direction or tendency of her spending. Mark adds, that she grew nothing better, but rather worse. The omission of this clause, ἰατρ . προσαν . ὅλ . τ . β .,

John 1:48 — question which Nathanael had just asked. To suppose that Jesus overheard that question , is just one of those perfectly gratuitous assumptions which the very Commentators who here make this supposition are usually the first to blame. Compare ch. John 2:25 . ἀληθ . Ἰσρ . ] ‘An Israelite who truly answers to the inner and honourable meaning of the name.’ When we reflect what was contained in that name, and Who it is that speaks, we can hardly agree with De Wette that the words are

Titus 3:15 — 15 .] SALUTATIONS: GREETINGS: APOSTOLIC; BENEDICTIONS. All that are with me salute thee. Salute those that love us in the faith (not ‘ in faith :’ see note, 1 Timothy 1:2 . This form of salutation, so different from any occurring in St. Paul’s other Epistles, is again [see on ch. Tit 1:1 ] a strong corroboration of genuineness. An apocryphal imitator would not have missed the Apostle’s regular formulæ of

Philemon 1:14 — 14 .] But without thy decision (= consent: so χωρὶς τῆς αὐτοῦ γνώμης , Polyb. iii. 21. 7; xxi. 8. 7: μετὰ τῆς τοῦ Δ . γνώμ ., id. ii. 11. 5) I was willing (see above) to do nothing (general expression, but meant to apply only to the particular thing in hand; = ‘nothing in the matter’), that thy good (service towards me:

Hebrews 1:2 — 2 .] whom He constituted (aor., not perfect, referring, as also ἐποίησεν , to the ἐν ἀρχῇ the date of the eternal counsel of God. τίθημι with this double accusative is commonly reputed a Hebraism. But as Bleek remarks, our Epistle is singularly free

Hebrews 13:19 — 19 .] But I the more abundantly (see on ch. Heb 2:1 ) exhort you to do this ( ποῖον τοῦτο ; τὸ εὔχεσθαι περὶ ἡμῶν , Œc.), that I may be the sooner ( τάχιον is the form of the comparative usual in later Greek: in Attic θᾶσσον is commoner: Herod. uses ταχύτερον : cf. Palm and Rost in ταχύς , and Lobeck

James 3:11 — 11 .] Illustration from nature, that such conduct is unnatural . Doth a fountain (the fountain, generically, as ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου , John 12:24 ; ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι , Matthew 13:3 ; τὰ κοινοῦντα τον ἄνθρωπον , Mat 15:19-20 al. freq.) out of the same chink (hole, from which the water flows, in a rock, or in the earth. The word is probably connected with ὄψ , ὄπτομαι ) send forth