Bible Commentaries

John 21:1 — 1. μετὰ ταῦτα ] Compare ch. John 5:1 ; John 6:1 : at a subsequent time. ἐφαν . ἑαυτ . ] This expression is no where else used by John of the Lord’s appearances, but only in Mark 16:12 ; Mark 16:14 . We have however φανέρωσον σεαυτόν , ch. John 7:4 ; and ἐφ . τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ , ch. John 2:11 ; and the passive of φανερόω is very usual with him. The use of the verb here indicates that the usual state of the Lord at this time was not

John 21:19 — 19. ] This remark is entirely in John’s manner, see ch. John 2:21 ; John 6:6 ; John 7:39 ; John 12:33 ; as may be also the δοξάζειν τ . θ . used of such a death, see ch. John 13:31 f.; John 17:1 . ἀκολούθει μοι ] Not to be understood I think of any present gesture of the Lord calling Peter aside; but, from the

Acts 10:39 — Acts 10:37 . ‘ You know the history as matter of universal rumour: and we are witnesses of the facts.’ By this ἡμεῖς Peter at once takes away the ground from the exaggerated reverence for himself individually, shewn by Cornelius, Acts 10:25 (Stier): and puts himself and the rest of the Apostles in the strictly subordinate place of witnesses for Another. ὃν καὶ ἀνεῖλ . ] Whom also they killed . καί is not ‘ yet ,’ as Kuinoel, but merely introduces, in this case passing

Acts 11:29 — 29. ] There is no need to suppose that the prophecy of Agabus preceded by any long time the outbreak of the famine: nor would it be any derogation from its prophetic character to suppose it even coincident with its first beginnings; it was the greatness

Acts 12:4 — to four soldiers ( διδόασι φυλάκεια δύο · τὸ δὲ φυλάκειόν ἐστιν ἐκ τεσσάρων ἀνδρῶν , Polyb. vi. 33.7), to two of whom the prisoner was chained, the other two keeping watch before the doors of the prison, forming the first and second guards of Acts 12:10 . It is plain that this number being mentioned is no sign that the custody was only for one night . μετὰ τὸ πάσχα ] (see above) after the days of the feast , i.e. after the 21st of Nisan. Herod, who (Acts 12:1 , note) observed rigorously the

Acts 2:5 — 5 .] De Wette maintains that these κατοικοῦντες cannot have been persons sojourning for the sake of the feast, but residents : but see above on Acts 2:1 . I see no objection, with Meyer, to including both residents and sojourners in the term, which only specifies their then residence. εὐλαβεῖς ] Not in reference to their having come up to the feast, nor to their dwelling from religious motives

Acts 23:23 — 23. δύο τινάς ] some two : see reff., and Winer, edn. 6, § 25. 2. b . στρατιώτας , the ordinary heavy-armed legionary soldiers: distinguished below from the ἱππεῖς and δεξιολάβοι . δεξιολάβους ] This word has never been satisfactorily explained.

Acts 27:2 — 2. Ἀδραμυττηνῷ ] Adramyttium ( Ἀδραμύττιον , - ειον , or Ἀτραμύττιον , and in Plin. Acts 27:32 , Adramytteos) was a seaport with a harbour in Mysia, an Athenian colony. It is now a village called Eudramit. Grotius, Drusius, and others erroneously suppose

Acts 28:2 — 2. βάρβαροι ] A term implying very much what our word natives does, when speaking of any little-known or new place. They were not Greek colonists, therefore they were barbarians ( Rom 1:14 ). If it be necessary strictly to vindicate the term, the two

Acts 28:30-31 — not hear of his preaching in the synagogue or elsewhere: he preached and taught with all boldness and unhindered , both being mentioned as remarkable circumstances, and implying that there were reasons why this could hardly have been expected: and (2) from his constantly speaking of himself in the Epistles written during this period, as a prisoner , see Ephesians 6:19-20 ; Colossians 4:3-4 ; Philemon 1:9 ; Philipp. passim. On the whole question regarding the chronology of his imprisonment, and

Acts 3:14 — implied in φονέα , while ἀπεκτείνατε again stands in remarkable opposition to ἀρχ . τ . ζ . This last title given to our Lord implies (as Vulg.) ‘Auctorem vitæ:’ see reff.; so ἀρχηγὸν κ . καθηγεμόνα τῆς ὅλης ἐπιβολῆς Ἄρατον , Polyb. ii. 40. 2: ὅπερ (scil. want of occupation in mercenary soldiers) σχεδόν , ὡς εἰπεῖν , ἀρχηγὸν κ . μόνον αἴτιον γίνεται στάσεως , i. 66. 10 al. It is possible , that the words ἀρχ . τ . ζ . may contain an allusion to the great miracle which was the immediate

Acts 4:36 — 36 .] Barnabas, בַּר נְבוּאָה , is υἱὸς προφητείας and the interpretation has been generally made good by taking παράκλησις as included in προφητεία , and as in the sense of exhortation: see ch. Acts 11:23 . Λευεΐτης ] The Levites might possess land at all times within the precincts of the Levitical cities: such was the case, e.g., in Jeremiah 32:7 . At the division of the kingdoms, the priests and Levites all resorted to Rehoboam in Judah (and Benjamin),

Acts 7:59 — 59. ] The attempt to escape from this direct prayer to the Saviour by making Ἰησοῦ the genitive, and supposing it addressed to the Father, in the face of the ever-recurring words κύριος Ἰησοῦς (see Rev 22:20 especially), and the utter absence of any instance or analogy to justify it, is only characteristic of the school to which it belongs. Yet in this case it has been favoured even by Bentley and Valcknaer, who supposed θεόν to have been omitted in

Acts 8:2 — 2. ἄνδρ . εὐλαβεῖς ] Whether Jews or Christians is not certain. Ananias is so called, ch. Acts 22:12 (not in rec), and he was a Christian. At all events, there is no contrast implied in the δέ (as Mey.), ‘Yet, notwithstanding the persecution

Acts 8:20 — 20. ] The solemn denunciation of Peter, like the declaration of Paul, 1 Corinthians 6:13 , has reference to the perishableness of all worldly good, and of those with it, whose chief end is the use of it (see Col 2:22 ), ‘Thy gold and thou are equally

Romans 11:28 — 28. ] With regard indeed to the gospel (i.e. ‘viewed from the gospel side,’ looked on as we must look on them if we confine our view solely to the principles and character of the Gospel), they (the Jewish people considered as a whole) are

Romans 3:27 — 27. ] ἡ καύχησις , the boasting , viz. of the Jews , of which he had spoken before, ch. 2, not ‘ boasting ’ in general, which will not suit Romans 3:29 . (So Theodoret, τὸ ὑψηλὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων φρόνημα , Chrys., Theophyl., Œc [19] : Vulg.:

Romans 6:11 — and life unto God with Christ . Thus (after the same manner as Christ) do ye also (imperative: Meyer only holds it to be indic.) account yourselves (better than ‘ infer yourselves to be ,’ as Chrys. and Beza, see reff. and on ch. Rom 3:28 ) dead ( indeed ) unto sin (as Rom 6:2 and following), but alive unto God in Christ Jesus (i.e. ‘ by virtue of your union with Him :’ not through ( διὰ ) Christ Jesus; in this chapter it is not Christ’s Mediatorship , but His

Romans 6:2 — 2. ] μὴ γέν . (see reff.), used of some inference in itself abhorrent from reverence or piety, or precluded by some acknowledged fact inconsistent therewith. The latter is here the ground of rejection. An acknowledged fact in the Christian life follows,

Romans 7:10 — 10. ] but I died (ceased to live-and-flourish as before, fell into that state of unhappiness, which even afterwards under the gospel he calls θάνατος , Romans 7:24 , ch. Rom 8:2 ): and (not an additional particular, but = ‘and so,’ merely changing the subject from ‘I,’ to ‘the commandment’) the commandment which was for (tending to) life (compare ch. Romans 10:5 , ὁ ποιήσας