38---.34.
127
τί πίωµεν, ἢ τί περιβαλώμεθα; 32. πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα τὰ €Ovyt Lk. xii. 1ο.
οὖν µεριµνήσητε εἰς τὴν αὔριον ' ἡ γὰρ αὔριον µεριμνήσει τὰ ἑαυτῆς.ὃ
” ἀρκετὸν τῇ ἡμέρα ἡ Ἀ κακία αὐτῆς.
19. wCh.x.25. 1 Pet. iv. 3 1. Amos iii. 6. Sir. xix. 6.
Rom. x1.7. Heb. xi.
pers.). 2
v Mk. iv. 24.
1 Another grammatical correction (neut. pl. nom. ἔθνη). SQB have επιζητουσι. 2788B omit του θεου, and B transposes the nouns and has την δικ. και την Bac.
αντον.
Tisch. and W.H. retain the order as in T. R., omitting του θεον.
8 τα eavtTys in ΕΣ (A τα περι avrys). B*L have simply avrys.
against care, Ver. 31. οὖν, goes back on ver. 25, repeating the counsel, re- inforced by intervening argument.—Ver. 32. τὰ ἔθνη, again a reference to heathen practice ; in vi. 7 to their ‘‘ bat- tology” in prayer, here to the kind of blessings they eagerly ask (ἐπιζητοῦσιν) : material only or chiefly ; bread, raiment, wealth, etc. I never realised how true the statement of Jesus is till I read the Vedic Hymns, the prayer book and song book of the Indian Aryans. With the exception of a few hymns to Varuna, in which sin is confessed and pardon ‘begged, most hymns, especially those to Indra, contain prayers only for material goods: cows, horses, green pastures, good harvests.
To wifeless men thou givest wives,
And joyful mak'st their joyless lives ;
Thou givest sons, courageous, strong,
To guard their aged sires from wrong,
Lands, jewels, horses, herds of kine,
All kinds of wealth are gifts of thine,
Thy friend is never slain; his might
Is never worsted in the fight.
—Dr. Muir, Sanskrit Texts, vol. ν., p. 137.
—olSev yap 6 πατὴρ ὑ.: Disciples must rise above the pagan level, especially as they worship not Indra, but a Father in heaven, believed in even by the Indian Aryans, in a rude way, under the name of Dyaus-Pitar, Heaven-Father. yap explains the difference between pagans and disciples. The disciple has a Father who knows, and never forgets, His children’s needs, and who is so regarded by all who truly believe in Him. Such faith kills care. But such faith is possible only to those who comply with the following injunction. — Ver. 33. ζητεῖτε πρῶτον. There is considerable variation in the text of this counsel. Perhaps the nearest to the original is the reading of B, which omits tot θεοῦ
with §, and inverts the order of Bac. and δικαι. Seek ye His (the Father’s) righteousness and kingdom, though it may be against this that in Luke (xii. 31) the kingdom only is mentioned, πρῶτον also being omitted: Seek ye His king- dom. This may have been the original form of the logion, all beyond being in- terpretation, true though unnecessary. Seeking the kingdom means seeking righteousness as the summum bonum, and the πρῶτον is implied in such a quest. Some (Meyer, Sevin, Achelis) think there is no second, not even a subordinate seeking after earthly goods, all that to be left in God’s hands, our sole concern the kingdom. That is in- deed the ideal heroic attitude. Yet practically it comes to be a question of first and second, supreme and subordi- nate, and if the kingdom be indeed first it will keep all else in its proper place. The πρῶτον, like the prayer against temptation, indicates consideration for weakness in the sincere.—mpooreOyjcerat, shall be added, implying that the main object of quest will certainly be secured.
Ver. 34. Final exhortation against care. Not in Luke’s parallel section, therefore regarded by Weiss as a re- flection appended by the evangelist, not drawn from apostolic doctrine. But it very fitly winds up the discourse. In- stead of saying, Care not about food and raiment, the Teacher now says finally, Care not with reference to to-morrow, εἰς τὴν αὔριον (ἡμέραν understood). It comes to the same thing. Το restrict care to to-day is to master it absolutely. It is the future that breeds anxiety and leads to hoarding.—pepipvyjoet: future, with force of an imperative = let it, with genitive (atrijs, W.H.) like other verbs of care ; in ver. 25, with accus.—apxerov: a