have said — " Even though no one else should deny Thee, yet I will do so." — ovdsvori, never) Not merely, not this night.
34. 'Ei> ravrp rr\ VJKTI in this very night) It was already night ; and it was more wonderful that this should happen by night than by day. — irph, before that) A considerable portion of the night remains after cock-crow. Peter's never, therefore, is utterly refuted. — aX'ixropa, the cock) The bird here intended is that strictly so called, cf. Mark xiii. 35; see 3 Mace. v. 23. There were some of them in Jerusalem, though, as Lightfoot says, they were few in number, at least with the Jews. They could not, however, prevent the Romans from having them ; and so much the more wonderful, therefore, was our Lord's prediction. — <pwriaai, crow) St Mark adds dig, twice. The sense in St Matthew is, Before the cock crow once thou shalt deny Me, and thou shalt deny Me thrice. — rp}$, thrice) The Saviour knows us much better than we know ourselves. — avapv^e^ thou shalt deny) The sin of the mouth shall be added to the offence of the heart.1
35. Asyei, says) With a sufficiently determined mind. — ou pr,, by no means2) Peter therefore acknowledges denial to be sin.3 — sJ-rov, they said) The Saviour's lenity makes no further reply.
36. Aur-oD, here) (an adverb). Thus the LXX. in Numb. ix. 8, xxxii. 6. — ffrqre aurou, x.r.X., " stand ye HERE," etc. ; and Ib. xxxii. 6. — xal v[6t?i xadriffiads aurov ; " and shall ye sit HERE ?" — 'iu$ ou awtXQuv Kpofffj^uftai, whilst I go and pray) Our Lord expresses only that which is less distressing ; He maintains a reserve with regard to that which is more painful ; cf. Gen. xxii. 5. In ver. 38 He. says — ypriyopsfrt ^r 'E(«.oi;, Watch with Me ; in ver. 41. — ypriyoptlrt xctl irpoeev^sads, ivatch and pray : but He nowhere says, Pray with Me. The disciples could not join (on an equality) with Him in prayer. There is One Son : one Mediator.
37. HapaXafiuv, taking with Him) As witnesses the three whom He had employed in the same capacity in ch. xvii. 1. — rov$ duo, the two) who had offered themselves, ch. xx. 20, 21. — #p£«™, He began) immediately. — Xim/i&a/ xai adiy&oveTv, to be sorrowful and
1 The sin of the mouth is hurtful to faith. — V. g.
2 Ne quaquam. E. V. not. — (I. B.)
s x,*\ Kauri?, also all) Being freed and acquitted of risk of betraying their Lord, they do not suspect themselves capable of being offended at Him.— V. g.