Bible Commentaries

Matthew 11:2-30 — 2 30. ] MESSAGE OF ENQUIRY FROM THE BAPTIST: OUR LORD’S ANSWER, AND DISCOURSE THEREON TO THE MULTITUDE. Luke 7:18-35 . There have been several different opinions as to the reason why this enquiry was made. I will state them, and append to them my

Ephesians 1:19 — εἰς ἡμ ., not τί τὸ ὑπ … ( ἐστὶν ) εἰς ἡμ . Not His future power in the actual resurrection only is spoken of, but THE WHOLE of His energizing to usward from first to last, principally however His present spiritual work, cf. πιστεύοντας , not, as in 2 Thessalonians 1:10 , πιστεύσασιν : see also Colossians 2:12 , und 1 Peter 1:3-5 . This power is exerted to usward , which expression of the E. V. I retain as giving better the prominence to us in the fact of its direction , than the more usual but

Ephesians 6:17 — (furnished, forged, by: cf. τ . πανοπλ . τ . θεοῦ Ephesians 6:11 ; Ephesians 6:13 : not here the genitive of apposition, for ὅ ἐστιν follows after) the Spirit, which (neuter, attracted to ῥῆμα : see ch. Eph 3:13 and reff. there) is (see on ἐστιν , Gal 4:24 reff.) the word of God (the Gospel: see the obvious parallel, Hebrews 4:12 : also Romans 1:16 : and our pattern for the use of this sword of the Spirit, Matthew 4:4 ; Matthew 4:7 ; Mat 4:10 ); with (see reff.: as the state through which, as an instrument,

Philippians 2:27 — 27 .] καὶ γάρ recognizes and reasserts that which has before been put as from another, as “ ἔλεγες τοίνυν δή , ὅτι κ . τ . λ .” “ καὶ γὰρ ἔλεγον , ἔν γε ὄχλῳ .” Plato, Gorg. 459: see Hartung, Partikell. i. 137, for he really

Philippians 2:5-11 — assume now, and will presently endeavour to prove, that the Apostle’s reference is first to the taking on Him of our humanity, and then to his further humiliation in that humanity): who subsisting (originally: see on ὑπάρχω and εἰμί , Acts 16:20 . Less cannot be implied in this word than eternal præ-existence. The participle is hardly equivalent to “although he subsisted,” as Ellic., still less “inasmuch as he subsisted;” but simply states its fact as a link in the

1 Thessalonians 2:10 — requisite here where both divine and human testimony is appealed to. ὑμῖν τ . πιστ . ] not the dat. commodi (Ellic.), nor ‘ towards you believers,’ nor is it governed by ἀμέμπτως , but as Œc., Thl., Lünem., dat. of the judgment , as in 2 Peter 3:14 , σπουδάσατε ἄσπιλοι κ . ἀμώμητοι αὐτῷ εὑρεθῆναι . For otherwise we lose the force of the slight emphasis on ὑμ . τοῖς πιστ . , q. d. ‘whatever we may have seemed to the unbelieving:’ “tametsi aliis non ita videremur,”

1 Thessalonians 2:15-16 — (? on all this see below), the Apostle should have felt that this Gentile feeling was not wholly groundless? or that he should use words which recall the expression of Tacitus: ‘Adversus omnes alios hostile odium?’ Hist. 1 Thessalonians 2:5 .”

1 Thessalonians 3:13 — confirm’) your hearts (not merely ὑμᾶς : ἐκ γὰρ τῆς καρδίας ἐξέρχονται διαλογισμοὶ πονηροί , Chrys.) unblameable (i.e. so as to be unblameable: cf. reff. and εἰσόκε θερμὰ λοῦτρα θερμήνῃ , Il. ξ . 6, εὔφημον , ὦ τάλαινα , κοίμησον στόμα , Æsch. Ag. 1258, τῶν σῶν ἀδέρκτων ὀμμάτων τητώμενος , Soph. Œd. Col. 1200) in holiness (belongs to ἀμέμπτ ., the sphere in which the blamelessness is to be shewn: not to στηρίξαι ) before (Him who is) God and our Father (or our God and Father . This ensures the

1 Thessalonians 4:8 — Spirit, the Holy One’) is probably chosen, and not τὸ ἅγ . πν αὐτοῦ , for precision, to bring out τὸ ἅγιον as connected with ἁγιασμός preceding. εἰς ὑμᾶς is not = ὑμῖν , but gives the idea of direction: see Galatians 4:6 ; ch. 1 Thessalonians 2:9 .

1 Thessalonians 5:9 — appointment) to (‘ with a view to ’ so as to issue in, become a prey to) wrath, but to acquisition ( περιποιέω , ‘ to make to remain over and above ,’ hence ‘ to keep safe :’ opp. to διαφθείρω , Herod. i. 110; vii. 52, &c. Thuc. iii. 102 (L. and S.). Hence περιποίησις , ‘ a keeping safe :’ Plato, Def. 415 C, σωτηρία , περιποίησις ἀβλαβής . If this last remarkable coincidence be taken as a key to our passage, σωτηρίας will be a genitive of apposition,

2 Timothy 4:1-8 — of the Apostle’s own departure from life . I adjure thee (ref.) before God, and Christ Jesus, who is about to judge living and dead ( λέγει τοὺς ἤδη ἀπελθόντας καὶ τοὺς τότε καταλειφθησομένους ζῶντας , Thl.: so also Thdrt., and Chrys., alt. 2: not as Chrys., alt. 1, ἁμαρτωλοὺς λέγει καὶ δικαίους ), and by (i.e. ‘and I call to witness,’ as in Deuteronomy 4:26 , διαμαρτύρομαι ὑμῖν τόν τε οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν , the construction being changed from that in the first clause. This is

Titus 3:3 — spiritual things, see Eph 4:18 ), disobedient (to God, ch. Titus 1:16 ; he is no longer speaking of authorities , but has passed into a new train of thought), led astray (so Conyb.: the passive sense should be kept, as best answering to N. T. usage, ref. 2 Tim.: reff. Heb. and James, which Huther quotes for the neuter sense, are both better rendered passive. Ellic. advocates the neuter ‘ going astray ’), slaves to divers lusts and pleasures (see reff.: an unusual word in N. T., though so

Philemon 1:20 — 20 .] ναί , as so often when we make requests, asserts our assent with the subject of the request: so Philippians 4:3 , al. ἐγώ and σοῦ are both emphatic and the unusual word ὀναίμην , thus thrown into the background, is an evident allusion to the

Hebrews 12:29 — 29 .] For moreover our God is a consuming fire ( καὶ γάρ , as in ch. Hebrews 4:2 ; Hebrews 5:12 , and in Luke 22:37 , introduces the reason rendered by γάρ as an additional particular not contained in what went immediately before, answering to the Latin

James 1:24 — 24 .] for (this seems to stamp the example as a general one, applying to all, not merely taking some possible man who may do this: see above) he contemplated himself (on the aorr. see above, Jam 1:11 ), and has departed (the perfect in the midst of

1 Peter 1:25 — 25 .] but the word (the change from λόγος to ῥῆμα may be on account of the citation. Yet it is not easy to see why it would have been more difficult to change ῥῆμα to λόγος than τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν to κυρίου . ῥῆμα is rather the word uttered, the ‘

1 Peter 2:23 — 23 .] who when reviled, reviled not again (a proof of his ὑπομονή . Isa 53:7 is before the Apostle), when suffering threatened not (both these, imperfects, denoting constant habit. The order is again that of climax: from λοιδορούμενος to πάσχων , from

1 Peter 3:9 — [to others] evil for evil, or reproach for reproach (“non malum pro malo in factis injuriosis, nec maledictum pro maledicto in verbis contentiosis.” Lyra), nay rather (the δέ sharpens the contrast more than ἀλλά : see above, on ch. 1Pe 2:23 ) on the contrary, blessing (scil., the evil doer or speaker. The word blessing , in E. V., is liable to be, and generally is, mistaken for the substantive εὐλογίαν ): because to this and (viz. that which follows with ἵνα , as in ch. 1 Peter 4:6

1 John 4:15 — the retrospective tinge, the other as making it unduly prominent, and indeed imparting a slight hue of transitoriness, which least of all belongs to the word. The same remark holds good of this confessing, as before with regard to denying, ch. 1 John 2:23 ; viz., that we must not bring into it more than the Apostle intends by it: it is not the “confession of the life ” which is here spoken of, but that of the lips only. Of course it would be self-evident that this is taken by the Apostle

1 John 5:6-13 — 6 13 .] As in the former portions, our communion with God who is light (ch. 1 John 1:5 ff.) was treated, and our birth in righteousness from God who is righteous (1 John 2:29 ff.), by faith in Jesus the Son of God, so now we have another most important element of the Christian life set before us: the testimony to it arising from that life itself: the witness of the spiritual life to its own reality . This witness rests