fences.1 — 3jj<r»jrg, ye shall bind} see the end of ver. 17. — Xtajjrs, ye shall loose) see the end of ver. 15. There is an intimate con nection between the retention of a private2 and that of a public offence, and so also in the case of remission. See ver. 15-35. Our Lord teaches that His disciples can bind and loose the sins of their neighbours in His name ; see ver. 20. Neither is it totally void of effect when the)7, even for their own sake, through anger, bind and hold the offences of their brethren.
19. lld^iv, again) The same thing is repeated in somewhat different language. The particle -raX/v is used epitatically? as in ch. xix. 24, and Gal. v. 3. In this place, our Lord speaks of His disciples as acting together ; in ver. 18, in their individual capacity. Cf. ch. xvi. 19. — dvo, tivo) sc. two, if not more, con trasted with all ; cf. ver. 18 : two, e.g. husband and wife. Great is the virtue of united faith. That which may hinder the prayers of one man, from his own weakness, is made up by the fellowship (societas) of even one brother. — lirl rr,c, yr^ — ev ovpavoTg, on earth — in heaven) The same antithesis occurs in ver. 18. — aiTqauvrat, shall ask) sc. with regard to binding or loosing.
20. Ou yap, X.T.X., for where, etc.) The name of Jesus gives power to prayer. — 660 % rpt?$, tivo or three) see Eccles. iv. 12 and the preceding verses. Three is a number which can be pro cured even in a barren age of the Church : a greater number is not so easily obtained, and is accompanied by the danger that a hypocrite may be present ; yet where many sincere professors are together, how great will be the power of their prayers. — iig
in My name, lit. into My name*) sc. with the
1 Christ gave this power to His disciples then, and not till then, when, having had experience of the gracious will of our Heavenly Father (ver. 14), they had recognised Himself, i.e. Jesus, as the Son of GOD (ch. xvi. 16), and had received the Holy Spirit, John xx. 22. — V. g.
2 Private, private, i.e. not one privately committed, but one against the individual : communis public, i.e. not one committed in public, but one of a public character. — (I. B.)
3 See explanation of technical terms in Appendix, on the figure Epitasis. _(I. B.)
4 E/,' — ovoftce. is not identical with iv — ovo^mri, either here or in xxviii. 19 (Baptizing them — not in the name, but into the name, etc., i.e. into the fellowship of the Father, etc. — so that they may be members of the church