Bible Commentaries

Matthew 10:16 — ἀποστέλλω , in direct connexion with their name ἀπόστολοι . πρόβ . ἐν μ . λ . ] This comparison is used of the people of Israel in the midst of the Gentiles, in a Rabbinical work cited by Stier, p. 359: see also Sir 13:17 . Clem. Ep. ad Cor. 2 § 5, vol. i. p. 336, Migne, says: λέγει γὰρ ὁ κύριος Ἔσεσθε ὡς ἀρνία ἐν μέσῳ λύκων . ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Πέτρος αὐτῷ λέγει Ἐὰν οὖν διασπαράξωσιν οἱ λύκοι τὰ ἀρνία ; εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῷ Πέτρῳ Μὴ φοβείσθωσαν τὰ ἀρνία τοὺς λύκους μετὰ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν αὐτά , καὶ

Matthew 13:55 — subject, and the difficulties attending them. (I) The expression οἱ ἀδ . αὐτοῦ occurs nine times in the Gospels, and once in the Acts. Of these the three first are in the narratives of the coming of His mother and brethren to speak with Him, Matthew 12:46 ; Mark 3:31 ; Luke 8:19 ; the two next are the present passage and its [130] in Mark 6:3 , where they are mentioned in connexion with His mother and sisters; the four others are in John 2:12 ; John 7:3 ; John 7:5 ; John 7:10 , in the first of

Matthew 16:23 — 23. ] As it was Peter’s spiritual discernment , given from above, which made him a foundation-stone of the Church, so is it his carnality , proceeding from want of unity with the divine will, which makes him an adversary now. Compare ch. Matthew

Matthew 20:22 — 22. ] One at least of these brethren saw the Lord on His Cross on His right and left hand the crucified thieves . Bitter indeed must the remembrance of this ambitious prayer have been at that moment! Luther remarks, ‘The flesh ever seeks to be

Matthew 23:1 — last days of our Lord’s ministry. On the notion entertained by some recent critics, of St. Matthew having arranged the scattered sayings of the Lord into longer discourses, see Prolegomena to Matthew. A trace of this discourse is found in Mark 12:38-40 ; Luke 20:45-47 . In the latter place it is spoken to the disciples, in hearing of the crowd: which (see Matthew 23:8 ff.) is the exact account of the matter. It bears many resemblances to the Sermon on the Mount, and may be regarded as the

Matthew 23:37 — is to be accounted for by these verses being a solemn utterance of our Lord, and the sound yet dwelling on the mind of the narrator; and not by supposing the verses to be spurious and inserted out of Luke, as Wieseler has done, Chronolog. Synops. p. 322. His assertion that Mat 23:39 has no sense here, is implicitly refuted below. ποσάκις ἠθ . must be understood of all the messages of repentance and mercy sent by the prophets, for our Lord’s words embrace the whole time comprised in the historic

Matthew 3:3 — 3. οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ] Not the words of the Baptist , meaning ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι , as in John 1:23 , but of the Evangelist; and ἐστιν is not for ἦν , but is the prophetic present, representing to us the place which the Baptist fills in the divine purposes. Of γάρ , Bengel says well, “Causa cur Johannes ita exoriri tum debuerit uti Mat 3:1-2

Luke 16:2 — 2. τί τοῦτο … ] It makes very little difference either in admissibility of construction or of sense, whether we render, ‘ why do I hear this of thee?’ i.e. ‘what is the ground of this report? what occasion hast thou given for this

Luke 24:19-24 — 19 24. ] Stier well remarks, that the Lord here gives us an instructive example how far, in the wisdom of love, we may carry dissimulation, without speaking untruth . (See the citation from Jer. Taylor below, on Luke 24:29 .) He does not assert, that he

Luke 5:17 — from all parts . δύν . κυρ . ] Does this mean the power of God or the power of the Lord , i.e. Jesus? Me [49] . remarks that Luke uses κύριος frequently for Jesus, but always with the article: see ch. Luke 7:13 ; Luke 10:1 ; Luke 11:39 ; Luke 12:42 , alli [50] . fr.: but the same word, without the article, for the Most High; see ch. Luke 1:11 ; Luke 1:38 ; Luke 1:58 ; Luke 1:66 ; Luke 2:9 ; Luke 4:19 ; whence we conclude that the meaning is, the power of God (working in the Lord Jesus) was

Luke 9:61-62 — 61, 62. ] Peculiar to Luke. τοῖς εἰς …, a mixture of two constructions ἀπέρχεσθαι εἰς τ . οἶκ . μου καὶ ἀποτάξ . τοῖς ἐν τ . οἴκῳ μου . The meaning is, to bid farewell to the persons , not to set in order the things , as some have rendered it. The answer

John 19:25 — 25. ] In Matthew 27:55-56 [250] , we learn that two of these were looking on afar off, after Jesus had expired, with Salome. Considering then that John’s habit of not naming himself, might extend to his mother (he names his father, ch. Joh 21:2

John 4:46 — that time. But the usage of Josephus is perhaps our surest guide. He uses βασ . to distinguish the soldiers, or courtiers, or officers of the kings (Herods or others), from those of Rome , but never to designate the royal family: see B. J. vii. 5. 2: Antt. xv. 8, 4. So that this man was probably an officer of Herod Antipas. He may have been Chuza, Herod’s steward, Luke 8:3 ; but this is pure conjecture. The man seems to have been a Jew: see below. [68] Euthymius Zigabenus, 1116 [69]

John 5:25 — 25. ] This verse continues to refer to spiritual awakening from the dead. The ἔρχεται ὥρα κ . νῦν ἐστιν is an expression (see ref.) used of those things which are to characterize the spiritual Kingdom of Christ, which was even now begun among men,

Acts 11:20 — 20. ἐξ αὐτῶν ] not, of these, last mentioned Jews : but, of the διασπαρέντες . This both the sense and the form of the sentence ( μὲν οὖν .… δέ ) require. Κυρηναῖοι ] of whom Lucius mentioned ch. Acts 13:1 , as being in the church at Antioch,

Acts 2:23 — 23. ] βουλή and πρόγνωσις are not the same: the former designates the counsel of God His Eternal Plan, by which He has arranged (cf. ὡρισμένῃ ) all things; the latter, the omniscience , by which every part of this plan is foreseen and unforgotten

Acts 6:2 — 2. ] τὸ πλῆθος τ . μ . , ‘the whole number of disciples in Jerusalem:’ summoning a general meeting of the church. How many they were in number at the time, is not said. Clearly the 120 names of ch. Acts 1:15 , cannot (Lightf.) be meant.

Ephesians 1:8 — eternity. Here is the true wisdom of the heart, the true prudence of life.” But against this view, De W. alleges, (1) that φρόνησις can be as well predicated of God as γνῶσις , Romans 11:33 , and is actually thus predicated, Proverbs 3:19 ; Jer 10:12 LXX, of His creative wisdom, which is analogous to His redemptive wisdom. (2) that God’s absolute wisdom is not here treated of, but His relative wisdom, as apparent in the use of means subservient to its end: so that ἐν πάσῃ would mean ‘in

1 Timothy 1:8 — contrast to last verse, taking up the matter on general grounds) we know (see ref.: especially Romans 7:14 ; a thoroughly pauline expression) that the law is good (Romans 7:16 ; not only, as Thdrt., ὠφέλιμον , but in a far higher sense, as in Romans 7:12 ; Romans 7:14 ; good abstractedly, in accordance with the divine holiness and justice and truth; see 1 Timothy 1:18 , ch. 1Ti 4:4 ) if a man (undoubtedly, in the first place , and mainly, a teacher : but not (as Bengel, De W., and Ellic.) to be confined

Revelation 2:7 — distinction must be imagined between the singular, and the plural which is found in the Gospels (reff.): nor must we imagine with Hengst. that οὖς denotes the spiritual hearing or apprehension. We have precisely the same use of the sing. in Matthew 10:27 , ὃ εἰς τὸ οὖς ἀκούετε κηρύξατε ἐπὶ τῶν δωμάτων : where the distinction will hardly be maintained), let him hear what the Spirit ( τὸ πνεῦμα , speaking in its fulness, through Him to whom it is given without measure, to John who was ἐν πνεύματι ,