31. BXafff >!,«,/«, blasphemy) The most atrocious kind of sin. He who insults the majesty of an earthly king by injurious language, is much more severely punished than he who steals many thousands of gold pieces. — a^r^ra.1, shall be forgiven) so that the punishment may be remitted to the penitent. — ^ roD Hvsvparos jSXaffpjf/etfc, the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost) Sin against the Holy Spirit is one thing, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is another. The word apapria, sin, is not repeated here. The sinner injures himself by sin; the blasphemer affects many others with irreparable harm. And the Pharisees blas phemed the Holy Spirit, not in a mere ordinary holy man, but in the Messiah Himself.
32.1 Toy y/oy rot ' Avdpuvov, the Son of Man) This expression is used in accordance with our Lord's condition as it appeared to men, inasmuch as He was then conversing with them on an equal footing, see Phil. ii. 7, as He is described in ch. xi. 19 ; cf. also Gnomon on ch. xvi. 13. It is not therefore easy, in these times, to say anything against the Son of Man : it is more easy to commit blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.2 — O;JTS — oDVe, x.r.X.,
book which bears this name, viz. Ecclesiastes. On the signification and de rivation, see Gesenius in voc. — (I. B.)
1 Katl 8$ i»y, and whosoever) The words immediately preceding are hereby further explained and illustrated. — V. g.
2 Therefore their words were directed against the Son of man, when they spake insultingly concerning Him on account of His connection with Naza reth, on account of His lowly bearing and conversation, etc. ; but it was against the Holy Spirit that those words of theirs were directed, whereby they brought allegations against His miracles, which were performed by the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit, and ascribed them to the powers of dark ness. It was at that time especially, when Christ was sojourning in the midst of them, that men were able to incur the guilt of both kinds of sinful speeches. But what is the present state of those who, in our time, bring criminations against the good operations of the Holy Spirit in His instru ments ? Christians, no doubt, for their part have the Spirit, and besides His presence, are not without their own blemishes. If, then, any one brings charges against some Christian, perhaps he in a great degree sees only the blemishes of that Christian, and so in a less degree observes the good that is in him ; and, therefore, he does not blaspheme against the Spirit in others, however grievously he sins in other respects. Christ Jesus, being endued with the Spirit beyond all measure, had no foreign element at all intermixed ; therefore the blasphemies with which He was assailed, were much more enormous sins. — V. g.