PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Gnomon of the New Testament — Volume 1
Bengel, Johann Albrecht, 1687-1752 · 248,436 words · 558 reading sections
1S2 St Matthew Ii. 18.
xxxi. (xxxviii.) 15 : — ®wri ev '?«//,« (Cod. Alex, ev rrt l^r^.r^) yxotiadr) dpqvou xai xXau0/o,oD xai Hhlf/Aov* Pa^»]X aT&x.Xa/o/xsi'jj scr/ ruv viuv auras' xai ovx rjdsXrjse -rrapuxXridqvai, x.r.X. — A voice was heard in JRama (Cod. Al. on higJi) of lamentation and weeping and mourning : Rachel bewailing herself…
488 wordsSECTION 122St Matthew Ii. 18. 133
— (1.) Shrill grief indefinitely: her who mourns, and those whom she mourns, (2.) refusing the consolation offered to her; and the cause why she refused it. — The thirty-first chapter of Jere miah is prospective to a great degree of the times of the New Tes tament ; and so does this passage refer to this event in t…
443 wordsSECTION 123134 St Matthew Ii. 20-23.
20. Els yw 'lapafa, into the land of Israel) Joseph was allowed to choose the town or district, but not the country of their abode ; since it behoved that Emmanuel should come to years of man hood (adolescere) in His own land. — rsdvqxaei, they are dead) The plural concisely signifies, that Herod is dead, and that …
436 wordsSECTION 124St Matthew Ii. 23. 136
is always rendered by the Greek 2 (Sigma), whereas the Greek Z (Zeta) universally corresponds to the Hebrew T (Zayin), as it does also in the word Na^upaioc. This rule is universal, which no one can rightly oppose without bringing forward examples to the contrary. Consider what the sound and learned Ililler says o…
419 wordsSECTION 125136 St Matthew Ii, 23.
either hemisphere, some both, some have various risings and settings ; on earth, rivers sometimes withdraw themselves from the sight of men, until by hidden ways they reach the place where they again burst forth. Thus the Divine Oracles are dispensed with admirable variety ; a singular example of which is afforded…
408 wordsSECTION 126St Matthew Ii. 23. 137
prophecies ; whereas those who consider rb pr,dsv (that which was uttered), " He shall be called a Nazarene" to have been expressly uttered of old, recognise a homogeneous portion of the entire testimony of prophecy, and thus in truth maintain the integrity and defend the simplicity of Scripture (Cf. Calovius's Bib…
409 wordsSECTION 127Chapter Iii.
without a mystical meaning : 1T3, a diadem, is the token of a king's head, and mT3 is, according to Hiller, a town which crowns the summit of a mountain ; the name, therefore, of Nazarene, may thus be expressed in German, "Zu CRONBERG HAT DEK GECRONTE GEWOHNET," — " The crowned one hath dwelt on the summit of a hi…
355 wordsSECTION 128St Matthew Iii. 3. 139
plying change your disposition, put on a disposition royal, heavenly, worthy the kingdom of heaven.1 Thus Jesus Christ Himself, thus His apostles commenced their preaching : thus the Lord commanded John to write at the commencement of the Apocalypse. — fj (SaffiXeia, the kingdom} See Gnomon on ch. iv. 17. — TUV ov…
447 wordsSECTION 129140 St Matthew Iii. 4.
also are the hearers who are commanded to prepare the way, and there is the Coming of the Lord. St Matthew, also, in ch. iv. 15, contains something different from the Hebrew accents. — Cf. Gnomon on Ileb. iii. 7. — TJJV odbv, the way) There is one primary way, and this includes many tracks, rp![3ov$. — Kvplou, of t…
435 wordsSECTION 130St Matthew Iii. 5-7. 141
and coarsely woven. — Cf. Mark i. 6. — *«/ £uv offpuv aurou, and a girdle of skin around his loins) Thus the LXX. in 2. KillfiJS i. 8, of Elijah, xai ^uvqv b^p^arh^v irtpit^uefUVOf rf^ off<pi/v auroy, and girt around his loins with a girdle of skin. The girdle of John, like that of Elijah, was not of leather, but o…
437 wordsSECTION 131H2 St Matthew Iii. 8. 0.
The compound verb has the same meaning as the simple He approves of their coming, but with an important condition. — puyw, to flee) sc. by baptism. — avb rye /AeXXoiKftjg bpyris, from the wrath to come) which they will incur, rejecting the kingdom of Heaven by their impenitence. That same wrath is afterwards spoke…
440 wordsSECTION 132St Matthew Iii. 10, 11. 143
— Xsystv, to say) i.e. with safety. — roc 'A/3paa,a, Abraham} as there is no lack of his posterity. — \iyu yap u^, for I say unto you) A most solemn formula, employed by a great man, on an occasion of the highest importance. — Cf. Gnomon on ch. v. 18. — dvvarai, is able) The Jews supposed that they could not fall u…
463 wordsSECTION 133144 St Matthew Iii. 12.
those also who receive baptism (See Acts i. 5, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost), and also to the different times. — omffu /iou, after me) It was fitting that John should be born a little before the Messiah. — ep^ofttvos, that cometli) sc. immediately; see ver. 13. — /a%up6r£p6s fioi>, mightier than 7) …
456 wordsSECTION 134St Matthew Iii. 14. H5
and the day of His universal judgment, is exquisitely and solemn ly declared. — AiroD, His) Neither His forerunner, nor any of His apostles, had this fan in the same manner as the Lord Jesus Himself. The consolation of His ministers in their weakness is, " The Lord will do it." Their wrath, though void of strength,…
446 wordsSECTION 135146 St Matthew Iii. 15.
Luther's Kirchen Postille, on this passage, Fest. Epiph., Part II., ed. Spen., ff. 95, 96. — I/a/, /) It is probable that John himself had not been baptized : see Luke i. 15, fin. — xptiw, need) For it is elsewhere the part of the greater to baptize, of the less to be baptized, and to come on that account to one wh…
433 wordsSECTION 136St Matthew Iii. 16-17. 147
instead of that which others who were baptized, being sinners, confessed concerning their sins. Such a speech suited none save the Messiah Himself. In matters even the most humble, the Son of God watches over the right of His own majesty. See John xiii. 7, seqq., xiv. 30, xviii. 5, xx. 36. — TOTS, then) sc. forth …
441 wordsSECTION 137Chapter Iv.
f-j8ox.la, good-pleasure, are employed when one is pleased either by what one has, or does ones's self, or by that which another has or does. Both parts of this notion agree with the present pas sage concerning the good-pleasure of the Father in the Son ; for there is an eternal aropyq (natural affection) towards t…
353 wordsSECTION 138St Matthew Iv. 3, 4. 149
appeared in public : forty days, as if for the sake of preparation before His ascension. — vffTipov, afterwards) up to this point it had not been so much a temptation as a preparation for it : cf. the beginning of the following verse. — s^slvaai, He hungered) Hunger is a very bitter temptation ; thirst He experienc…
439 wordsSECTION 139150 St Matthew Iv. 4.
whether He be the Son of God or not. When addressing man kind, our Lord seldom quoted Scripture, but said, " I say unto you." He says that only in answer to Satan, " It is written ;" i.e., " Whoever I am, I assuredly keep to that which is written." All the statements which He thus advanced were in them selves indi…
464 wordsSECTION 140St Matthew Iv. 5. 151
reply to the tempter with reference to the appellation, " Son of God," but speaks as if one of many, who were bound to the Written Word. And already in the time of Moses, Divine Wisdom had expressed all this testimony in those words with which the Saviour was to smite the tempter. Jerome says, " Propositum erat Do…
402 wordsSECTION 141152 St Matthew Iv. 6, 7.
His office. — ti{ rr,v ayiav KO\IV, into the holy city) where an angelic guard might have seemed especially to be expected. — IT/ upon) Our Lord was as truly on the pinnacle, and on the mountain, as He was in the desert. — Trapuy/ov, pinnacle) to which the ascent was far more easy than the descent from it. What thi…
469 wordsSECTION 142St Matthew Iv. 8-10. 153
tnre. — olx exwupdaeis, x.r.X.) thou shall not tempt, etc. — Thus the LXX. in Deut. vi. 16. According to the usage of those interpre ters, txKupdfyiv is not a word of stronger signification than fsipd- fyiv. — Jesus, however, means, " It is not Mine to provoke God by tempting Him." — Kvpiov, the Lord) This is put a…
425 wordsSECTION 1431B4 St Matthew Iv. 11, 12.
Thus the LXX. have it, who have inserted /j,6vo$ also in Gen. iii. 11, 17, without doing violence to the meaning. 11. " Kyyikot) angels) Who had probably witnessed the contest. Cf. 1 Cor. iv. 9 ; 1 Tim. iii. 16. — diqxovow, ministered) Un doubtedly, by doing that which was then necessary, sc. bringing Him food. — …
526 wordsSECTION 144St Matthew Iv. 13-1G. 155
he departed) The same verb occurs, ch. xiv. 13, from a similar cause.1 — sis r^v TaXiXalav, into Galilee) and, indeed, into that part of Galilee which was farthest from Herod and the prison of John. St Matthew speaks of the whole of Galilee in opposi tion to Judea, where the temptation had taken place. Jesus then …
473 wordsSECTION 145Second Clause.
the former [to explain the application of the latter]. Many of the apostles were from this region. See Ps. Ixviii. 28 ; Acts i. 11, ii. 7. — 7»5, land, and Xabc, people, are placed in opposition. — odbv, the icay) The LXX. render TH (way) by 68bv (way). We must here understand xard, by. The exactness of the pro ph…
367 wordsSECTION 146St Matthew Iv. 17. 157
x.r.X., and to those sitting, etc.) The LXX. in Ps. cvii. (cvi.) 10, have Ka&wivG-jc sv CM™ -/.at av.ia ^avdrov, sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. The verb to sit aptly denotes a sluggish solitude. — %wf« xai axiq, region and shadoiv} one thing expressed by two words.1 The natural situation of the countr…
268 wordsSECTION 147158 St Matthew Iv. 18-21.
2 " Jesus had indeed begun to teach in the schools at Nazareth before He had come thence to Capernaum (see Luke iv. 16), but now raising His voice, He betook Himself to x,ypvyp.a. also, or proclaiming the kingdom of Goo. The King Himself acted as His own herald."— B. H. E., p. 190. 3 The Kingdom of the heavens, Rep…
649 wordsSECTION 148St Matthew Iv. 23, 24. 159
sion, abandoned the work in which they were respectively en gaged with the greatest promptitude and obedience. 23. Ka/ ntpiri'ytv, x.r.X., And Jesus went about, etc.) Thus, also, clearly in ch. ix. 35. l — xyp vffauv, preaching) His teaching in the synagogues was public, but His preaching more public still. — See …
446 wordsSECTION 149Chapter V.
x. 38. — dai/jtovifyp'svovs, pouetsed with devils) The sick and the possessed are frequently mentioned together. — See Acts v. 16. 25. "O%koi, multitudes) The plural is used on account of the various places from which they came. — Aex.aTo'Xswc, from Deca- polis)1 situated on both sides of the Jordan. Samaria is not…
369 wordsSECTION 150St Matthew V. 3. 1C1
He turned his shoulders, He moved his feet, He raised his eye,^ He opened His mouth. See Acts x. 34. Here the fountain began to pour forth water. Cf. Matt. xiii. 35. — sdldaaxsv, He taught) He instructed by doctrine, by consolation, by exhorta tion, by precept. — a,vrou$, them) the disciples. For He addresses thes…
434 wordsSECTION 151162 St Matthew V. 3.
compared with the rest they were not many in number : for the epithet blessed frequently implies both the excellence and rarity of a thing (as in Ecclus. xxxi. 8), from which the expressions, theirs, they, etc., exclude those otherwise disposed : cf. Luke vi. 24, 25, 26, where the woes are denounced. Seven however …
430 wordsSECTION 152St Matthew V. 4, 5. 163
spirit) i.e. in their inmost self. This word is to be understood also in the following passages as far as ver. 8, where the words rip Kaediy, in heart, occur. — on, because) Each kind of blessed ness which is predicated corresponds with the previous descrip tion of [the character or condition which is] its subject,…
492 wordsSECTION 153164 St Matthew V. 4-6.
more widely extended signification than sorrowing for one's own sins. See Gnomon on 1 Cor. v. 2. 4. Tlapaxhridfaovrcu, shall be comforted} The future tense indi cates promises made in the Old Testament, and now to be per formed ; see Luke xvi. 25, and 2 Thess. ii. 16. The poor and the meek are joined together in v…
422 wordsSECTION 154St Matthew V. 7-11. 165
be filled} with righteousness; see Rom. xiv. 17. This was the meat of Jesus himself: see John iv. 34 ; cf. Matt. iii. 15. This satisfying fulness He proposes to His followers in the whole of this sermon, and promises and oifers them in this very verse. 7. 'EXtJipoves, the merciful) The Greek word s'Xeog, ruth, from…
429 wordsSECTION 155166 St Matthew V. 12-14.
uses the second person, to signify that He is not on a par with others. See ver. 12, 13, 20; John vi. 49, x. 34, xiv. 9, xx. 17. — tinuGi, shall say} sc. in your absence. 12. Xaipers, rejoice) Joy is not only a feeling, but also a duty of the Christian (see Phil. iv. 4) ; and in adversity, the highest grade and ve…
447 wordsSECTION 156St Matthew V. 14-17. 167
(see Mark, cited above) nor the earth be seasoned from any other source. — ££«, out of doors) far from any household use. — xal, and ) sc. and therefore. — xara-rars/ir^a/, to be trodden under foot) There is nothing more despised than one who wishes to be esteemed divine, and is not so.1 — vvb ruv avdpuvuv, by men)…
446 wordsSECTION 1571G8 St Matthew V. 18.
or perform, joined with the same verb diddffxw : from which the relative force of the words appears ; those are said of the whole law, these of the separate precepts. •/.ara.Xvsiv, to unloose, and \\jnv, to loose, both signify to render void.1 — riv vopov % rou$ cr^op?;- rag, the law or the prophets) Many of the Je…
457 wordsSECTION 158St Matthew V. 18. 100
52. The Hebrew word is preserved in all languages.1 — \tyu I//A/II, I say unto you} This formula, frequent and peculiar to the Lord, possesses the highest authority, and denotes frequently a matter declared by Him, which, for special reasons, is neither written expressly in the Old Testament, nor can be clearly pr…
436 wordsSECTION 159170 St Matthew V. 19.
" The margin of the Hebrew Bible exhibits a number of various readings of an early date, called n7P (to be read), because, in the view of the Jewish critics, they are to be preferred to the reading of the text, called a-rs (written). Those critics have therefore attached the vowel signs, appropriate quently differ,…
530 wordsSECTION 160St Matthew V. 20. 171
tained. But they are so only inasmuch as, when rightly ex plained, they regulate even the most subtile affections and emotions of the soul, and the slightest movements of the tongue, and thus, when compared with other precepts, appear to men to be the least. — sXd^itfrof, least) Referring to the preceding JXa^/V- …
432 wordsSECTION 161172 St Matthew V. 21.
greater emphasis to the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees.1 Others read 35 oixaioffuvq vpuv.2 That righteousness is intended, of which specimens are given in ver. 19, 22, 23. This language does not make void the righteousness of faith ; but the language of Jesus Christ before His ascension, keeps, as it we…
477 wordsSECTION 162St Matthew V. '21. 178
21. 'Hxouffars, ye have heard) From public readings, to which you have given your assent. In the New Testament the teachers are referred to their reading of the law, the people to their hearing of it. See John xii. 34 ; Rom. ii. 13, 18.— on eppsdr), that it has been said) An impersonal form of speech, to which is …
451 wordsSECTION 163174 St Matthew V. 22.
— v,u,?v, to you) This word is antithetic' to ro?g d^a/o/i, from whence it is evident, that roTg ap^aiag (antiquis) is not in the ablative, but in the dative case ; and the construction is more easy if we render the passage thus, " it was said TO them of old time, than thus, " it was said BY them of old time" — oy…
467 wordsSECTION 164St Matthew V. 22. 175
tribunal) i.e. he is a murderer. Cf. ver. 2 1.1 As he who looks upon a woman to lust after her is an adulterer, so he that hateth his brother (1 John iv. 15) is a murderer. This verse does not indicate three degrees of human or temporal punishment ; for neither was it the part of the municipal tribunal and the Sanh…
462 wordsSECTION 165176 St Matthew V. 23.
" RAK," he spits. An old English Version renders it Fie. Light persons are called D^i in Judges ix. 4, xi. 3; 2 Chron. xiii. 7 ; and xevbg, empty or vain, is thus used in James ii. 20. Reproof should reach even the trivial expressions and common manners of mankind, and that specifically ; see ver. 34, 35, etc. ; 1…
436 wordsSECTION 166St Matthew V. 24-27. 177
part of the priest to offer on the altar, and afterwards occurs the expression, sfAvpoffdiv rou tjuffiasryp tou, before the altar. — xa,i SKI? [Lvria- dric, and there rememberest) The word of God portrays the most hidden secrets of the human heart. In the performance of a sacred rite, the remembrance of offences ar…
418 wordsSECTION 167178 St Matthew V. 28, 29.
sins against our neighbour, and so is revenge, and therefore the words, ro?$ ap^alo/s, to them of old time, are not expressed but understood in ver. 27, 31, 38, 43, from ver. 21. They are, however, expressed in ver. 33, where our Lord treats of oaths, and, therefore, of our duty to God. 28. 'O /SAETWV, that looket…
449 wordsSECTION 168St Matthew V. 30-34. 179
the gullet. — oXov r& ffuftd ffov, thy whole body) If one member sin, the whole man sins and pays the penalty. — yeswctv, hell) of eternal fire. — See ch. xviii. 8, etc. 30. Xiip, hand) The matter proceeds from sight to act. 31. "Os av artoXvsr), whosoever shall put away) They held di vorce to be an arbitrary matt…
402 wordsSECTION 169180 St Matthew V. 34.
this passage; nor did they think him guilty of perjury who called only creatures to witness in his oath, however falsely he might swear. See Samuel Petit,1 Variae Lectiones, ch. xvi. The following decree of the Jews is to be found in Elle Schemoth Rabba,2 section 44, As heaven and earth shall pass away, so shall t…
445 wordsSECTION 170St Matthew V. 35-38. 181
35. E!g, upon) There is a difference between this and sv (by}1 used in the last verse. The Jews were accustomed to pray for all blessings upon Jerusalem. The meanings of the formula therefore was — /So may the city be in safety, as — So may it light upon the city, as2 — cro'A/j, the city) the royal abode. — roD3 M…
471 wordsSECTION 171182 St Matthew V. 39-41.
so far from the wisdom, the equity, and the severity of the Divine law. 39. Mri avriffrfyat, not to resist) The infinitive is governed by Xsyw , / say, as in Rev. xiii. 14. To resist evil is to return injury for injury. — «XX', but) Our Lord gives examples of pri vate, legal, and political wrong, ver. 39, 40, 41. …
457 wordsSECTION 172St Matthew V. 42-44. 183
42. AiTouvn, to him that asketh) who wishes you to give to him gratuitously, even though he do not ask with the best claim. — bibw) give) as God does ; see Luke xi. 10. — rov dsXovra, him that icould) even though he does not venture to beseech the^ vehemently. — i^n avoffrpapr,?, turn not thou away) although you h…
422 wordsSECTION 173184 St Matthew V. 45-47.
and in ver. 47, the word affvdffqfffa, salute, corresponds with ytTrt in the present verse. — ruv s^r,psa^6vruv upas, them which despitefully use you) eirfipeia, [the substantive from which the verb eKqpid^u is derived] signifies an injury inflicted, not for the benefit of the injurer, but for the damage of the inj…
429 wordsSECTION 174Chapter Vi.
46 from ver. 44 ; but as the heathens do not also bless and pray, the verb to salute is put here instead of either blessing or pray ing. — rods adsAp o;)? u^wf, your brethren l — idvixol, the heathen) The Publicans regard their own interest, the Heathens perform also offices of kindness towards their connections an…
374 wordsSECTION 175186 St Matthew Vi. 2, 3.
warning contained in this verse does not apply solely and exclu sively to the first division, but has the force of a general proposi tion. The design of the whole discourse is to teach true righteous ness ; (see ch. v. 6, 10, 20, and vi. 33); and this reading accords with that design. Others read eXeq/Aoovvriv,1 al…
432 wordsSECTION 176St Matthew Vi. 4~7. 187
4. 'Ev r& xpuvrp, in secret) The godly shine, but shine in secret. — 6 Harqp ffov, thy Father) John Despagne observes, that to em ploy the possessive pronoun of the first person singular, and say, " MY Father" is the exclusive privilege of the Only Begotten ; but " THY Father" is said to the faithful also ; FATHER,…
434 wordsSECTION 177188 St Matthew Vi. 8, 9.
that /SarroXoyg/i' means the same here which ToXuXoy/a (much speaking) does immediately afterwards, sc. when the same things are repeated over and over again, as is the case with stammerers, who endeavour to correct their first utterance by a second. — uffirsp oi UVIKO), as the heathen do) In all things the practic…
429 wordsSECTION 178St Matthew Vi. 9. 189
Lightfoot has adduced, are either dissimilar or modern, and prove no more than that the Jews spoke of God as their Father in Heaven, a formula to which Christ now gives life. The glory of the faithful in the New Testament is thus to pray. In this place is laid the foundation of praying in the name of Christ : see …
451 wordsSECTION 179190 St Matthew Vi. 10, 11.
in ayta&qru (Jiallowed be), has the same force as in sX^sru, come and yevrfrvru (be done): it is, therefore, a prayer and not an ex press doxology. 10. 'EX^ET-W — ysv»]Sy^rw x.r.A., come — be done, etc.) Tertullian has transposed these two petitions for the sake of his plan. For in his book on prayer, after he has…
459 wordsSECTION 180St Matthew Vi. 11. 191
petition is opposed to the much speaking of the heathen, men tioned in ver. 7, which principally referred to the same object ; l and it is placed first amongst those petitions which refer to our selves, because the natural life is prior to the spiritual. Every want of ours is cared for in this prayer. — r^uv, of or…
450 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical edition (1857-1858); scan/OCR from Internet Archive.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.