latecl " now," or " at this time." There is not another instance of its being translated " of late " in the New Testament. Hence the sentence would be more literally rendered, " The Jews even now were seeking to stone Thee." They allude to the attempt made at the feast of dedication a few weeks before. The at- tempt was so recent that it seemed "even now."
[And goest thou thither again?'] This question indicates sur- prise and fear, — " Do we hear aright ? Dost Thou really talk of going back again to Judaea? Dost Thou not fear another as- sault on Thy'life?" We can easily detect fear for their own safety, as well as their Master's, in the question of the disciples : yet they put it on '; thee," and not on "us."
Let us note how strange and unwise our Lord's plans some- times appear to His short-sighted people. How little the best can understand His ways !
>, 10. — [Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours, etc.] The an- swer which our Lord makes to the remonstrance of His timid disciples is somewhat remarkable. Instead of giving them a di- rect reply, bidding them not to be afraid, He first quotes a pro- verbial saying, and then draws from that saying general lessons about the time which any one who is on a j ourney will choose for journeying. He draws no conclusion, and leaves the applica- tion to be made by the disciples themselves. To an English ear the answer seems far more strange than it would to an Eastern one. To quote a proverb is, even now, a common reply among Orientals. To fill up the sense of our Lord's elliptical reply, and draw the conclusions He meant to be drawn, but did not express, is, however, not very easy. The following may be taken as a paraphrase of it : —
" Are not the working hours of the day twelve? You know they are, speaking generally. If a man on a journey walks dur- ing these twelve daylight hours, he sees his road, and does not stumble or fall, because the sun, which is the light of the world, shines on his path. If, on the contrary, a man on a journey chooses to walk in the unreasonable hour of night, he is likely to stumble or fall, for want of light to guide his feet. It is even so with Me. My twelve hours of ministry, my day of work, is not yet over. There is no fear of my life being cut off before the time : I shall not be slain till my work is done. Till mine hour is come I am safe, and not a hair of my head can be touched. I am like one walking in the full light of the sun, and cannot fall. The night will soon be here when I shall walk on earth no long- er : but the night has not yet come. There are twelve hours in my day of earthly ministry, and the twelfth with Me has not arrived."
This seems to me substantially the correct explanation of our Lord's meaning. The idea of ancient writers, as Hugo and Ly- ranus, that our Lord meant, by mentioning the twelve hours of the day, that men often change their minds as the day goes on,