PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Gnomon of the New Testament — Volume 1
Bengel, Johann Albrecht, 1687-1752 · 248,436 words · 558 reading sections
192 St Matthew Vi. 12, 13.
daily food. Cf. also Prov. xxx. 8. Thus was manna given. 12. Ka/, and) The three remaining petitions regard the com mencement, progress and conclusion of our spiritual life in this world ; and those who utter them confess, not only their own need, but also their guilt, their peril, and their difficulties. When th…
461 wordsSECTION 182St Matthew Vi. 13. 193
the power ) and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen, A prayer was more suitable than a hymn, especially at the time in which our Lord prescribed this form to His disciples. Jesus was not yet glorified : the disciples as yet scarcely comprehended the full extent of these petitions, much less the amount of thanksgivin…
453 wordsSECTION 183194 St Matthew Vi. 13.
to weaken the arguments which I there brought together on this point, whereas something has occurred to confirm them veiy greatly: I allude to a passage in Enthymius, who flourished at the beginning of the twelfth century. For when inveighing against the Bogomili1 for not using this clause, he does so only on the …
493 wordsSECTION 184St Matthew Vi, 14-21. 195
single testimony of the Latin Interpreter, and rests upon it firmly. 14. Yap, for) referring to the twelfth verse. See of how much account it is to forgive our neighbour. Of the seven petitions, one alone, the fifth, has a certain condition or restriction, as we also ; the reason of this is, therefore, added in th…
379 wordsSECTION 185O '
are in the singular, those which are mentioned in ver. 19, 20 (antecedentia), with which this verse is connected, are in the plural number. The plural therefore must stand in this verse. The singular, " thesaurus tuus" " thy treasure" easily crept into the Latin Vulgate, and was convenient to the Greeks for ascetic…
461 wordsSECTION 186St Matthew Vi. 24, 25. 197
24. Kvpioif, masters) God and Mammon in sooth act as master to their servants, but in different ways. — SouXivtiv, to serve) i.e.1 to be a servant of. — »j /a?, for either) Each part of this disjunc tive sentence has xai (and) with a consecutive force, viz. The heart of man cannot be so free as not to serve either …
471 wordsSECTION 187198 St Matthew Vi. 26-30.
present, for in it the careful are introduced as themselves speak ing, whereas in the present verse our Lord speaks in His own person.1 — r\ -^v/fi — rb ffupa, the soul — the body) Both of which God gave and cares for. See the latter part of ver. 30.2 26, 28. TK vtriiva roO ovpavcv — ra xpiva rov aypov, the fowls o…
458 wordsSECTION 188St Matthew Vi. 30. 199
with the verb vtpifidX'ksffdat, to be arrayed, refers to the former ; that of grass with the verb dpipitvvuaQai, to be clothed, to the latter notion. — xfyrov, grass, blade) as for example that of growing wheat. — See ch. xiii. 26. An instance of Litotes.1 — cfipipov ovra, which to-day is) i.e., which endures for a…
506 wordsSECTION 189200 St Matthew Vi. 32, 33.
ye of little faith) Want of faith was clearly unknown and ab horred by Christ ; for He had known the Father. He teaches faith in this passage.1 32. Hdvra yap rofira, X.T.A., for all these things, etc.) and no thing else. — TO, tfoq, the gentiles) the heathen nations. The faith ful ought to be free from the cares, …
432 wordsSECTION 190Chapter Vii.
34. 'H avpiov, x.r.A., the morrow, etc.) A precept remarkable for Asteismus,1 by which care, though apparently permitted on the morrow, is in fact forbidden altogether ; for the careful make present cares even of those which are future, wherefore, to put off care is almost the same as to lay it aside. There is also…
366 wordsSECTION 191202 St Matthew Vii. 2-6.
2. 'Ev $ perpu, ivith what measure) The principle of the lex talionis.1 3. 'Ev r& otpSaXpfy in the eye) In that part of the body which is the most noble, the most delicate, and the most conspicuous. — sv TU e&, in thine oicn) See Rom. ii. 21, 23. 4. Tl£)$, how ?) i.e. How is it fitting for you to do so ? 5. Aia(3…
479 wordsSECTION 192St Matthew Vii. 7-11. 203
7. Am/7-e, ask) Ask for gifts to meet your needs. — £»?«/•«, seek) sc. the hidden things which you have lost, and return from your error. — x.^oiirs, knock) sc. ye who are without, that ye may be admitted within. See 2 Cor. vi. 17, fin. Ask, seek, knock) without intermission.1 8. rias, every one) that asketh, even…
440 wordsSECTION 193204 St Matthew Vii. 12.
maturgus (p. 20, 146), has a similar confession of the evilness of human nature, with an emphasis rare in that age. Man is addressed as evil in the Scriptures. See ch. x. 17, and John ii. 25.1 It is wonderful therefore that Holy Scripture should have ever been received by the human race. Bread and fish are good th…
438 wordsSECTION 194St Matthew Vii. 13, 14. 205
wliatsoever ye would, etc., and he who performs this, performs all the rest more easily : see ch. xix. 19. 13. E!ee\6iri, enter ye in) Make it the object of your constant and earnest endeavours (Id agite) really to enter.1 This pre supposes that they are attempting to walk on the narrow way. Observe the antithetic…
481 wordsSECTION 195206 St Matthew Vii. 15, 1C.
by the LXX. in Dan. ix. 18, and 2 Chron. xx. 15. See also Heb. viii. 10, II.1 — aunjx, it) sc. the gate. Cf. the commence ment and conclusion of ver. 13. 15. Tlpoff'^sTt, beivareof) There are many dangers: therefore we are frequently warned. — See ch. vi. 1, xvi. 6, xxiv. 4 ; Luke xii. 1, 15, etc. — Bi, but) Whils…
431 wordsSECTION 196St Matthew Vii. 10-21. 207
road or gate to life or death (see ch. xv. 14, 13) ; whence it arises that doing and saying are closely connected in ch. v. 10. The fruits indeed are the tokens (Gnorismata) or evidence of the truth or falsehood of the prophet, and therefore also of the doctrine set forth by the prophet. The doctrine, therefore, is…
452 wordsSECTION 197208 St Matthew Vii. 22.
Mou rov ev oupavoTf ryv fiafftXsiav ruv ovpavuv,1 but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in Heaven,1 he shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven J) These last words,2 " ipse intrabit in regnum coelorum," 1 " he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven" are found in that most ancient authority, the Latin Vulg…
438 wordsSECTION 198St Matthew Vii. 23-25. 209
ii. 10 ; 1 Cor. iii. 13. — ev sxsivy rr\ n^'ipy-, on that day} that great day, in comparison with which all previous days are nothing. — 2£, THY) The emphasis and accent fall upon this word in each of the three clauses: THY, sc. that of the Lord. — <rpo«p»jti6«K/*w, we kaoe prophesied) We have openly proclaimed the…
439 wordsSECTION 199210 St Matthew Vii. 26-29.
winds at the sides [of our spiritual edifice].1 — ^ ftfoyji, the rain} The presence of the article denotes that the rain will not be deficient. — -n-poatffssov, fell upon) i.e. to try its power of endur ance. In ver. 27, we have Tfooixo-vJ/av, beat upon, as though at random and without object. 26. 'O dxoiiwv, he t…
429 wordsSECTION 200Chapter Viii.
to whom the people were accustomed, and who had no aii- thority. 1 'HxoXou0»j<rav, followed} They did not immediately leave Him. 2. Ae-rpoc, a leper) The most grievous diseases were leprosy (cf. with this passage 2 Kings v. 7), paralysis (cf. Mark ii. 3 with ver. 6) and fever (see ver. 14). It is probable that th…
341 wordsSECTION 201212 St Matthew Viii. 5-7.
the LXX. use the word paprvptov in Ruth iv. 7.1 The priests did not follow our Lord : He sends the leper to them from Galilee to Jerusalem : He was much in Galilee at that time. — avrofs, to them) that a testimony might be exhibited to them of the Messiah's presence, and of His not derogating from the law, and tha…
415 wordsSECTION 202St Matthew Viii. 8, 9. 218
each method He arouses faith, and shows that He is no respecter of persons. 8. Srsyjji/, roof} Although not a mean one, cf. Luke vii. 5. There were others whose reverence did not prevent them from seeing and touching the Lord, see ch. ix. 18, 20. The same in ternal feeling may manifest itself outwardly in differen…
441 wordsSECTION 203211 St Matthew Viii. 10, 11.
to mention that others are subject to him, he says with great delicacy,1 / myself am subject. There is also a concealed anti thesis,2 sc. Jesus is supreme Lord, souverain. — u-rJ — LIT', under — under) Such persons are at present called subalterns. 10. ' Edavpaffz, ivonderecT) Faith and unbelief were both the obje…
423 wordsSECTION 204St Matthew V11I. 12. 215
Jews. — d-ro avaraXoJV) from the east) see ch. ii. 1, — from the east and from the west ; an euphemism for " from the Gentiles." — ri^wffi) shall come) A prophecy : they shall come in spirit [and by faith. — V. g.] — /•/,£?-«, together with) see Heb. xii. 23.1 — e» ry Baffi'heiq, in the kingdom) sc. in this life, a…
438 wordsSECTION 205216 St Matthew Viii. 13-16.
13. 'rig s-TTiSTtuffag, as thou hast believed) A bountiful con cession. 14. Tlev&tpav, mother-in-law) Peter had not long before mar ried a wife, and they are guilty of a mistake who paint him with white hair;1 for all the disciples were young, and had a long course to perform in this world ; see John xxi. 18.2 Thi…
460 wordsSECTION 206St .Matthew Viii. 17-20. 217
word1) by that alone* — vdvrag, all) without exception : some men are said to have a healing power in the case only of certain special diseases. 17. "O-TTUS <!r\ripu6ri, that it might be fulfilled) It behoved that the Physician of the soul should also remove bodily complaints from those who came in His way.3 In th…
430 wordsSECTION 207218 St Matthew Viii. 21, 22.
miracles. — o Tibs ro\j avdpuvov, the Son of man) See Gnomon on ch. xvi. 13. — OVK £*/e/, K.T.X, hath not, etc.) O admirable poverty and endurance, combined with perpetual pilgrimage.1 21. MatfjjrSy, of the disciples) of those, namely, who were not always present. 22. TO-J$ vexpo-jg, the dead) An expression urgent…
457 wordsSECTION 208St Matthew Viii. 23-28. 219
mancl which could brook no delay — a command which had sacred grounds, and flowed from the divine perception of the Saviour. We ought to surrender ourselves wholly and imme diately. — Toug sctvruv, their own) sc. relatives. See Gen. xxiii. 4. It was the duty of this disciple to deny his father.1 23. To crXo/fcy, t…
436 wordsSECTION 209220 St Matthew Viii. 29-31.
and Gadara were neighbouring cities.1 See Killer's Onomata Sacra, pp. 807, 812. — ix ruv pvr^tiuv, from the tombs) The pos sessed avoid human society, in which the exercises of piety flourish. Invisible guests also have their dwelling in sepulchres (See Mark v. 3) ; those which are malignant, especially, I believe…
443 wordsSECTION 210St Matthew Viii. 32-34. 221
ere now able to obtain something1), and another thing to pray in faith. Even Satan himself sometimes obtains his request, as we learn from the first chapter of Job. — si, x.r.1.., if, etc.) They perceived already that they must change their abode. — evrirpe-^ov tj/j^Tii, x.r.X., suffer us, etc.) The mischief should…
432 wordsSECTION 211Chapter Ix.
1. Aizvepafft, He crossed over) Being asked to do so by the Gergesenes. The Lord does not force His blessings on the unwilling.1 — /'5/av, His oivn) sc. Capernaum, exalted by this inhabitant. 2. TLpoff'stpspov Avr&, they brought to Him) Many such offerings were made to the Saviour, and they were pleasing to Him. —…
384 wordsSECTION 212St Matthew Ix. 5-8. 223
troduced by some persons from ver. 2. St Mark and St Luke have Icr/yvo-jg in the parallel passages. Thus too we find tlo&s in ch. xii. 25. — U/M.E/S, you) The pronoun is expressed for the sake of emphasis.1 5. T/ yap, for which ?) In itself either is the sign of Divine authority and power ; and the connection betw…
470 wordsSECTION 213224 St Matthew Ix. 9.
9. Marda/bK, Matthew) A Hebrew by nation, and yet a publican. In St Mark and St Luke, he is called Levi.1 It is possible that Matthew did not like the name which he had borne as a publican. — xadr^vov, sitting) actually employed in the business of his calling. And yet Matthew followed. A great miracle and example …
567 wordsSECTION 214St Matthew Ix. 10. 225
10. 'Ev <rr\ olxicf,, in the house) Cf. ver. 28 ; or, if you take it of Matthew's house, Mark ii. 15 ; Luke v. 29. Matthew ap pears in this feast to have bid adieu to his former companions,1 self, ch. v. 46, made the deepest impression on his mind. He did not, however, on that very day commence following the Lord d…
590 wordsSECTION 21522(5 St Matthew Ix. 11-13.
nor does he call the house any longer his own. — apapruXoi, publicans and sinners) who had sinned grievously against the sixth and seventh [seventh and eighth] command ments. — (fwavsxiivro, sat down together witJi) Kind and condescend ing was the intercourse of Jesus.1 11. To/j f^adr^aTs, to the disciples} The Ph…
457 wordsSECTION 216St Matthew Ix. 14. 227
more towards His adversaries than towards the disciples who believed on Him. — /icc^rs, learn ye) ye who think that ye are already consummate teachers. — s'Asov deXu, I icill have mercy} A few read with the LXX. in Hos. vi. 6, with whom the other words in this passage agree, IXsoj dsXu.1 The LXX. more com monly us…
474 wordsSECTION 217228 St Matthew Ix. 15-17.
disciples) They proceed modestly, and do not enquire concerning John or Jesus Himself. 15. Ka/, and) Our Lord replies calmly and cheerfully : He draws joyful parables from the garments and the wine (which were being employed in the Feast) to condemn the sadness of those who questioned Him. — oi uiotrov vupipujvog,…
413 wordsSECTION 218St Matthew Ix. 18—22. 229
18. TlpoaiHvvsi, worshipped) Although in outward appearance Jairus was greater than Jesus. — sr&ivrnfcv, is dead) Thus he said from conjecture, or after he had received intelligence of his daughter's death, whom he, in the great strength of faith, had left at the point of death. — See Mark v. 23. — JX^wc,1 coming) …
438 wordsSECTION 219230 St Matthew Ix. 23-27.
words He shoAvs that He knew the existence and extent of their faith ; He praises and confirms their faith ; He ratifies the gift, and commands it to remain ; and at the same time intimates, that if others remain without help, unbelief is the only cause.1 23. Toi>g auX»jra£, the flute-players) It was the custom to…
405 wordsSECTION 220St Matthew Ix. 28-36. 231
form of prayer.1 — uTs Aavid, son of David) that is, Christ. See ch. i. 1 and xxii. 42. 2 28. 'EXdo'm, when he was come) They persevered in praying. — dvvapai, I am able) The object of faith. 29. Kara, according to) He says this by way of affirmation, not of limitation. — ytvydriru, let it be done, or let it becom…
441 wordsSECTION 221232 St Matthew Ix. 37, 38.
tired out) walking with difficulty ; a word especially suitable to this passage, concerning which see the Gnomon Mark v. 35. The reading, IxXs/.y/ilvo/, is clearly deficient in authority.1 — ippifApsvoi, cast down) i.e. lying down. A further step in the path of misery,2 and yet such a condition is already the prelu…
479 wordsSECTION 222Chapter X.
whilst He is commanding us to pray, He implants the desire, to which it is He too that hearkens. See ch. x. 1. These same persons who are commanded to pray [for labourers], are presently appointed labourers themselves (ibid.) — Kup/ou, the Lord} see ch. x. 1, xiii. 37. Christ is the Lord of the harvest. — onus Jx/…
447 wordsSECTION 223234 St Matthew X. 2.
are first sent forth ; St Mark does so once (vi. 30), and that when they just returned from that mission ; John, the apostle, never does so ; for in ch. xiii. 1 6 he uses the word in its gene ral, not its particular meaning ; St Luke does so in his Gos pel particularly, but only on occasions, and those the same as …
451 wordsSECTION 224St Matthew X. 2.
235 anything fortuitous in it. It is not said, " Bartholomew, Peter, Jude, John, Andrew, Matthew," etc. : and the four, as it were, locations of them, are deserving of observation : — (I.) Matthew x. 2. (II.) Mark iii. 16. (III.) Luke vi. 14. (IV.) Acts i. 13, 26. 1. Simon, 2. And Andrew, 3. James, 1. Simon,…
419 wordsSECTION 225236 St Matthew X. 3.
The plan of the first and third quaternions is contained in what I have just said : in the second, Matthew places himself modestly after his1 Thomas, thus proving himself to be the writer of the book ; for both Mark and Luke put Thomas after Matthew, although St Luke, after the confirmation of Thomas's faith (John…
419 wordsSECTION 226St Matthew X. 3. 237
Cotelerius1 has published with the apostolical constitutions, and by Hesychius in the article 't'apa.2 As this reading is shorter and middle,3 it appears to be the right one. Some persons having appended the disputed clause from the parallel passage of Mark as a gloss, others introduced it into the text from the sa…
515 wordsSECTION 227238 St Matthew X. 4-7.
4. 'laxapiuTTis, Iscarlot) so called from the village of Iscariot in the tribe of Ephraim, as Jerome says on the beginning of Isaiah xxviii. Louis de Dieu, on Acts i. 16, says, " In the .^Ethiopic language, I find f"1?^ f°r a bag or pouch to carry money in : for thus the translator has rendered rb y^uaGoKdpov (the…
454 wordsSECTION 228St Matthew X. 8-11. 239
was to be the burden and sum of their discourses;1 cf. Mark vi. 12. 8. 'Af&svoSvraj — daipovia, sick — devils} An ascending gradation : cf. ver. 1, where the highest grade is put first. — duptav, gratui tously) This is not inconsistent with the conclusion of ver. 10. Hire is due for labour, but miracles and gifts …
426 wordsSECTION 229240 St Matthew X. 12-14.
city.1 A change of houses might have the appearance of fastidiousness.2 12. 'AffTaffao^E, salute) i.e. say DPE*, peace, mentioned in ver. 13, i.e. salvation. Our Lord adopted formulae and ceremonies already observed, but He elevated them to a higher use. 13. 'Eav [Mv, K.T.X., if indeed, etc.) i.e. if they receive …
466 wordsSECTION 230St Matthew X. 15, 16. 241
not be admitted into any house of the city. — xovioprbv, dust) Be cause punishment (ver. 15) would overtake the very dust of the land trodden by the feet of the impious, from which the apostles would wish to be altogether free ; see Acts xiii. 51 ; cf. Matt, xviii. 6; Mark vi. 11. That seeing your determination, th…
431 wordsSECTION 231242 St Matthew X. 17-19.
vanquish the old serpent. — xa/, and) Thus David was at the same time prudent and simple towards Saul.1 — dx'tpaioi, without horn) hoof, tooth, or sting ; both actively and passively harm less. Many words of this kind have at the same time both an active and a passive signification ; cf. Gnomon on Rom. xvi. 19. 1…
407 wordsSECTION 232St Matthew X. 20-23. 243
But on a sudden emergency, even in these times, a faithful pro fessor should not be anxious as to what he has to say. — ij, or) Care is elegantly mentioned; where, however, the "what" (quid, ri) is supplied, there the " how"1 (quomodo, xui) is not wanting. The " how or what" includes whatever can fall under the ide…
432 wordsSECTION 233214 St Mattiif.W X. 23.
dlcaxuffi, T«X/v yidyiri tig rrtv aXXjjv." Flee ye into the other;1 and if they persecute you in that other, flee ye again into the other.2 Francis Lucas3 of Bruges quotes old Latin Codices in favour of that reading. Thence, too, the Anglo-Saxon version has — " and thonne hi on thoere eovv ehtath, fleotli on tha th…
485 wordsSECTION 234St Matthew X. 25. 245
rendered from Latin into Greek : on the other hand, the anti quity and celebrity of the Latin text is proved by the very mul titude and discrepancy of these Greek codices. The omission appears to have arisen from the carelessness so frequently mani fested by transcribers, where similar words recur : the facility w…
471 wordsSECTION 235246 St Matthew X. 26.
and brought up a large family of disciples (see Luke xxii. 35), affording the most perfect example of a domestic, as well as a solitary life ; and He is also Master of the household of the whole Church. — BssX^E/SoiX, Beelzebul) Beelzebub was a god of Ekron ; see 2 Kings i. 2. As the Greeks, however, seem to have …
440 wordsSECTION 236St Matthew X. 27-29. 247
27. o5g, ear) sc. one, secretly. — SKI ruv Bodrov, on the house tops) A. flat place, where men might converse, or even assemble as an audience : cf. 2 Sam. xvi. 22.1 28. Ka/ w pofirftrirt, x.r.X., and be not afraid of, etc.) The connection is as follows : He who publicly preaches hidden truth, him the world afflic…
473 wordsSECTION 237248 St Matthew X. 30-33.
to another.1 — ou vsciTrai, shall not fall) To fall on the ground is to die. The use of the future tense implies a condition : if it falls, it does not fall without your Father's permission. — aviv rou StXrifAaros rou TLarpbs vftui/, without the will of your Father) This is the reading of Irenseus, Tertullian, Nova…
434 wordsSECTION 238St Matthew X. 34-38. 249
Byzantinus, and perhaps by other MSS. Such matters have been generally neglected by the collators of Codices. Others read apvriffofji,ai avrbv xayw. 34. Elpfivqvj peace) sc. of the righteous with the wicked. — /^d^atpav, a sivord) i.e., violent division (called 8ta,fjt,spiefjt,bv in Luke xii. 51, xxii. 36), procee…
475 wordsSECTION 239250 St Matthew X. 39-42.
extreme adversity : our Lord therefore, in this passage, alludes to His own Cross, which He was already bearing in secret. — Xa/i/3ai/£/, taketh) sc. willingly. 39. ^^r,v, soul) i.e., man with respect to his natural life, himself; cf. Luke ix. 24, 25. — svsxev 'E,ao£, for My sake) Many lose their soul for the sake…
447 wordsSECTION 240Chapter Xl
1. 'ErsXtasv, concluded) Our Lord did nothing abruptly. See Gnomon on ch. xxvi. 1 ; and Luke vii. 1. — xypuffffstv, to preach) sc. everywhere. Cf. John iii. 2, etc.1 — avruv, of them) the Israelites [the people, namely, who were deserving of His " compassion,' ch. ix. 36.— V. g.] 2. Tot XPISTOV, of Christ) Those w…
431 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical edition (1857-1858); scan/OCR from Internet Archive.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.