8—11.
Πατέρα ἔχομεν τὸν “ABpadu- λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν, ὅτι δύναται 6 Θεὸς Ι ἐκ τῶν λίθων τούτων ἐγεῖραι τέκνα τῷ ᾿Αβραάμ.
83
vide ver. 8
and vii.17- ο ἑ 19; xiii. 26
το. ἤδη δὲ 19 Ay
καὶ] ἡ ἀξίνη πρὸς τὴν pilav τῶν δένδρων κεῖται: πᾶν οὖν δένδρον | Gen. i. rx
μὴ " ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλὸν
» ἐκκόπτεται καὶ εἰς wip βάλλεται.
- Vil. 19; aneye,etc., ν. 30; ἐκ
᾿Εγὼ μὲν βαπτίζω spas? ἐν ὕδατι εἰς petdvorav: 6 δὲ ὀπίσω µου τινος,
3 / > , , 3 , Φ > "Τε 9 ᾳ 4 , ερχομενος ισχυροτερος μου εστιν, ου ουκ εἰιµι (κανος τα ὑποδήματα
Rom. xi. 24. t Mk. i. 7.
Lk. iii. 16. 1 Cor. xv.g. 2 Cor. iii. 5 (=fit with inf.). 2 Cor. ii. 16 (πρός τι)
1 και omitted in SBCDA and by most modern editors.
Ἔβαπτιζω υμας inverted in YB 1, 33.
οὖν, etc. ‘If, then, ye are in earnest about escape, produce fruit worthy of repentance; repentance means more than confession and being baptised.” That remark might be applied to all that came, but it contained an innuendo in reference to the Pharisees and Sadducees that they were insincere even now. Honest repentance carries amend- ment along with it. Amendment is not expected in this case because the repent- ance is disbelieved ἴπ.--καρπὸν, collec- tive, as in Gal. v. 22, fruit; the reading in T. R. is probably borrowed from Luke iii. 8. The singular is intrinsically the better word in addressing Pharisees who did good actions, but were not good. Yet John seems to have incul- cated retormation in detail (Luke iii. 10-14). It was Jesus who proclaimed the inwardness of true morality. Fruit: the figure suggests that conduct is the outcome of essential character. Any one can do (ποιήσατε, vide Gen. i. 11) acts externally good, but only a good man can grow a crop oi right acts and habits.
Vv. 9-10. Protest and warning. καὶ μὴ δόξητε.. . τ. Αβραάμ: the meaning is plain = do not imagine that having Abra- ham for father will do instead of repent- ance—that all children of Abraham are safe whatever betide. But the expression is peculiar: do not think to say within yourselves. One would have expected either: do not think within yourselves, or, do not say, etc. Wetstein renders: “ne animum inducite sic apud vosmet cogitare,” with whom Fritzsche sub- stantially agrees =do not presume to say, cf. Phil. iii. 4.—wartépa, father, in the emphatic position = we have as father, Abraham ; itis enough to be his children: the secret thought οι all unspiritual Jews, Abraham’s children only in the flesh. It is probable that these words (vv. 9, 10) were spoken at a different time, and to a different audience, not merely to Pharisees and Sadducees, but to the
people generally. Vv. 7-12 are a very condensed summary of α preaching ministry in which many weighty words were spoken (Luke iii. 18), these being selected as most representative and most relevant to the purpose of the evangelist. Vv. 7-8 contain a word for the leaders of the people; vv. 9-10 for the people at large; vv. 11-12 a word to inquirers about the Baptist’s own relation to the Messiah.—Ver. 1Ο. ἤδη δὲ ἡ ἀξίνη ... κεῖται: judgment is at hand. The axe has been placed (κεῖμαι = perfect passive of τίθηµι) at the root of the tree to lay it low as hopelessly barren. This is the doom of every non-productive fruit tree. — ἐκκόπτεται: the present tense, expressive not so much oi the usual practice (Fritzsche) as of the near inevitable event.—py ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλὸν, in case it produce not (py conditional) good fruit, not merely fruit of some kind, degenerate, unpalatable.—eis mip βάλ- λεται: useless for any other purpose except to be firewood, as the wood of many fruit trees is.
Vv. 11,12. Fohn defines his relation to the Messiah (Mark i. 7-8; Luke iii. 15-17). This prophetic word would come late in the day when the Baptist’s fame was at its height, and men began to think it possible he might be the Christ (Luke iii. 15). His answer to inquiries plainly expressed or hinted was unhesitating. No, not the Christ, there is a Coming One. He will be here soon, I have my place, important in its own way, but quite secondary and sub- ordinate. John frankly accepts the posi- tion of herald and forerunner, assigned to him in ver. 3 by the citation of the prophetic oracle as descriptive of his ministry.—éy® μὲν, etc. ἐγὼ emphatic, but with the emphasis of subordination. My tunction is to baptise with water, symbolic of repentance.—6 δὲ o 4p. ἐρχόμενο. He who is just coming (present participle). How did John know