Bible Commentaries

Matthew 26:14-16 — 14 16. ] COMPACT OF JUDAS WITH THE CHIEF PRIESTS TO BETRAY HIM. Mark 14:10-11 .Luke 22:3-6; Luke 22:3-6 . (See also ἤδη , John 13:2 .) When this took place, does not appear. In all probability, immediately after the conclusion of our Lord’s discourses, and therefore coincidently with the meeting of the Sanhedrim in Matthew 26:3

Matthew 4:23 — 23. συναγωγαῖς ] These were the places of religious assembly among the Jews after the return from the captivity. Tradition, and the Targums, ascribe a very early origin to synagogues; and Deuteronomy 31:11 , and Psalms 74:8 , are cited as testimonies

Matthew 5:33-34 — these verses is to be ascertained by two considerations. (1) That the Jews held all those oaths not to be binding , in which the sacred name of God did not directly occur: as Philo states (De Special. Legg. ad 3, 4, 5 decal. cap. § 1, vol. ii. p. 271), προσλαβέτω τις , εἰ βούλοιτο , μὴ μὲν τὸ ἀνωτάτω καὶ πρεσβύτατον εὐθὺς αἴτιον , ἀλλὰ γῆν , ἥλιον , ἀστέρας , οὐρανόν , τὸν σύμπαντα κόσμον . And Lightfoot (Hor. Hebr. ad locum) cites from the Rabbinical books, ‘Si quis jurat per cœlum, per

Luke 9:55 — two senses which they may bear. (1) Affirmative, as in E. V., ‘putatis vos agi Spiritu tali quali olim Elias … sed erratis. Habetis quidem ζῆλον sed οὐ κατ ʼ ἐπίγνωσιν , et qui proinde humani est affectus, non divinæ motionis.’ Grot.; or (2) interrogative ‘ Know ye not what manner of spirit ye belong to ( are of ) ? ’ the spirit meant being the Holy Spirit. ‘The Spirit in Elias was a fiery and judicial spirit, as befitted the times and the character of God’s

Acts 19:5 — the Anabaptists use it to authorize the repetition of Christian baptism, whereas it is not Christian baptism which was repeated, seeing that John’s baptism was not such , but only the baptism which they now for the first time received; and (2) Beza, Calixtus, Calov., Suicer, Glass., Buddeus, Wolf, and al., wishing to wrest this weapon out of the hands of the Anabaptists, oddly enough suppose this verse to belong still to Paul’s discourse, and to mean, ‘ and the people when they

Acts 5:36 — propounders: e.g. that cited in Biscoe from Usher, Ann., p. 797, who supposes him the same as Judas the robber, son of Ezechias, Jos. Antt. xvii. 10. 5, of Sonntag, who tries to identify him with Simon, mentioned Jos. Antt. xvii. 10. 6; B. J. ii. 4. 2, and of Wieseler, who would have us believe him the same with Matthias ὁ Μαργαλώθου , Antt. xvii. 6. 2, 4. The assumption of Josephus having misplaced his Theudas is perhaps improbable; but by no means impossible , in a historian teeming with inaccuracies

Romans 8:19 — and συνστενάζει κ . συνωδίνει , implying life in the κτίσις , for to set these down to mere personification is surely arbitrary: and one can imagine no reason why bestial creation should be excluded. II. to living creation : (1) to mankind ; Aug [52] , Turret., all., take it of men not yet believers : (2) Locke, Lightf., Hammond, Semler, of the yet unconverted Gentiles : (3) Cramer, Gersdorf, al., of the yet unconverted Jews : (4) Le Clerc, al., of the converted Gentiles ; (5) al., of the

1 Corinthians 3:15 — saved (having held, and built on, the true foundation Jesus Christ, he shall not be excluded from that salvation which is the free gift of God to all who believe on Christ, but shall get no especial reward as a faithful and effectual teacher. Cf. 2 John 1:8 , βλέπετε ἑαυτούς , ἵνα μὴ ἀπολέσητε ἃ εἰργασάμεθα , ἀλλὰ μισθὸνπλήρη ἀπολάβητε . Meyer remarks, that our Lord hints at such persons under the name of ἔσχατοι , Matthew 20:16 ; Mar 10:31 ), but so, as through fire : i.e. as a builder whose

2 Corinthians 5:21 — 21. ] States the great fact on which the exhortation to be reconciled is grounded : viz. the unspeakable gift of God, to bring about the reconciliation. It is introduced without a γάρ (which has been supplied), as still forming part of the λόγος τῆς

Philippians 3:8 — require πάντα or τὰ πάντα (see below) before ἡγοῦμαι , emphatic) to be loss on account of the supereminence (above them all: τοῦ γὰρ ἡλίου φανέντος , προσκαθῆσθαι τῷ λύχνῳ ζημία . Chrys. On the neuter adjective (or participle) construction, see ref. and 2Co 4:17 ) of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord (‘quod Dominum suum vocat, id ad exprimendam affectus vehementiam facit.’ Calv.), on whose account (explained by ἵνα … below) I suffered the loss of ALL THINGS (now, emphatic and universal.

Titus 3:7 — seeming to have its full pregnant meaning as it stands, (1) does not require any further statement of aim and purpose: but ἐξέχεεν being a mere word of action, is more properly followed by a statement of a reason why the pouring out took place : and (2) that this statement of aim and purpose, if it applies to ἔσωσεν , has been already anticipated, if ἔσωσεν be understood as including what is generally known as σωτηρία . Theologically, this statement of purpose is exact: the effusion of the Spirit

Hebrews 6:20 — 20 .] where ( ὅπου is found in places where ὅποι ought rightly to stand, as in our own common phrase, ‘ Where are you going?’ It is in fact a constructio prægnans, become a familiar idiom. So Xen. Ages. vi. 6, ἄδηλος γιγνόμενος , ὅπου τε

Hebrews 7:25 — 25 .] Whence ( ἐπειδή , φησίν , ἀεὶ ζῇ ) also (as a natural consequence, something else, flowing from and accompanying the last: but with a slightly characteristic force: a new and higher thing follows. It is not easy to say whether καί belongs to

James 4:12 — 12 .] One (God) is the lawgiver and judge (unites these two offices in His own person: the latter of them depending on the former), He who is able to save and destroy (this second clause, ὁ δυνάμ . κ . τ . λ ., is an epexegesis of εἷς , and belongs

1 Peter 2:10 — 10 .] who (contrast between their former and present states) were once no people (the Apostle is again citing, or rather clothing that which he has to write in, O. T. words. In Hos 2:23 A, we read ἐλεήσω τὴν οὐκ ἠλεημένην , καὶ ἐρῶ τῷ οὐ λαῷ μου λαός μου εἶ σύ ), but ( are ) now the people of God (these words, as Wies. maintains, apply most properly to Gentile Christians, although spoken in the prophecy of Jews, St. Paul thus

1 Peter 2:15 — 15 .] For (ground of ὑποτάγητε ; correlative with, but not going so for as, the purpose announced in 1Pe 2:12 ) so (after this manner, in this direction and wise: viz. as follows, ἀγαθοποιοῦντας φιμοῦν κ . τ . λ .) is (‘ se trouve ,’ κεῖται ) the will (thing willed, concrete result of the will) of God, that doing good (the anarthrous participle

2 Peter 1:4 — 4 .] through which (His attributes and energies) He hath given to us ( δεδώρηται again middle in sense, see above: not as E. V., passive: the subject is ὁ καλέσας ) the [or, His ] greatest and precious promises ( ἐπαγγέλματα , as in ch. 2 Peter 3:13 , promises : not, things promised (Est., Beng., al.), still less, as Dietlein, proclamations of Christian doctrine, which the word cannot mean. Benson’s idea, that by ἡμῖν are meant the Apostles, and that the second person γένησθε

1 John 2:15-17 — to take these three, ἡ ἐπιθ . τῆς σαρκός , ἡ ἐπιθ . τῶν ὀφθ ., ἡ ἀλαζονεία τοῦ βίου , as put for the things desired, and the material of the ἀλαζονεία . So Calvin, Episcopius, Bengel: but this manifestly will not hold, owing to the opposition in 1Jn 2:17 between ὁ κόσμος κ . ἡ ἐπιθυμία αὐτοῦ on the one hand, and ὁ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ on the other, which evidently requires that its first member should be personal as well as its second. And this last will be a weighty reason also against 2) taking

1 John 5:5 — other person can do it? Who that believes this, can fail to do it? Who is be that conquereth the world, except he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? By comparing 1 John 5:1 a, we find 1) that ὁ χριστός there answers to ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ here; 2) that by the combination of the two verses, we get the proposition of 1 John 5:4 a. Episcopius gives well the meaning: “Lustrate universum mundum et ostendite mihi vel unum, de quo vere affirmari possit, quod mundum vincat, qui Christianus et

Revelation 3:11 — from the nearness of the Lord’s coming to reward her; cf. τὸν στέφανόν σου below): hold fast that which thou hast ( ὃ ἔχεις , in the language of these Epistles, imports any advantage, or progress in grace, already possessed; cf. ch. Revelation 2:6 , τοῦτο ἔχεις , ὅτι … This is regarded as a treasure, to be firmly grasped, as against those who are ever ready to snatch it away. In this case the ὃ ἔχεις was a rich treasure indeed: cf. Revelation 3:8 ; Rev 3:10 ), that no one take (snatch away: