and a loud voice were necessary to summon it back." Euthymius suggests the same reason. This, however, seems an odd idea.
On the other hand, Brentius, Grotius, and Lampe suggest that Jesus "cried with a loud voice," to prevent the Jews from saying that He muttered or whispered some magical form, or words of enchantment, as witches did.
Ferus observes that our Lord did not say, " In the name of my Father come forth," or "Raise Him, O my Father," but acts by His own authority.
11.— [And He that was dead came forth.'] The effect of our Lord's words was seen at once. As soon as He " cried," Lazarus was seen coming up out of the cave, before the eyes of the crowd. A more plain, distinct, and unmistakable miracle it would be im- possible for man to imagine. That a dead man should hear a voice, obey it, rise up, and move forth from his grave alive is utterly contrary to nature. God alone could cause such a thing. What first began life in him, how lungs and heart began to act again, suddenly and instantaneously, it would be waste of time to speculate. It was a miracle, and there we must leave it.
The idea of some, that Lazarus moved out of the grave with- out the use of his legs, passing through air like a spirit or ghost, seems to me needless and unreasonable. I agree with Hutche- son, Hall, and Pearce, that though " bound hand and foot," there is no certain proof that his legs were tied together so tightly that he could not move out of the grave, though slowly and with difficulty, like one encumbered, on his own feet. The tardy, shuffling action of such a figure would strike all. Pearce re- marks, " He must have come forth crawling on his knees." We are surely not required to multiply miracles. — Yet the idea that Lazarus came out with a supernatural motion seems to be held by Augustine, Zwingle, Ecolampadius, Bueer, Gualter, Toletus, Jansenius, Lampe, Lightfoot, and Alford, who think it part of the miracle. I would not press my opinion positively on others, though I firmly mantaiu it. My own private feeling is that the slow, gradual, tottering movements of a figure encumbered by grave-clothes would impress a crowd far more than the rapid, ghost-like gliding out in air of a body, of which the feet did not move.
[His face bound about... napkin.'] This is mentioned to show that he had been really dead, and his corpse treated like all other corpses. If not dead, he would have been unable to breathe through the napkin for four days.
[Jesus saith... Loose him... let him go."] This command was given for two reasons : partly that many around might touch Lazarus and see for themselves that it was not a ghost, but a real body that was raised ; partly that he might be able to walk to his own house before the eyes of the multitude as a living man. This, until he was freed from grave-clothes and his eyes were unbandaged, would have been impossible.