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ΧΧΙ. 1. ΚΑΙ ὅτε ἤγγισαν eis Ἱεροσόλυμα, καὶ ἦλθον εἰς Βηθφαγὴ πρὸς ] τὸ ὄρος τῶν ἐλαιῶν, τότε 57 ᾿Ιησοῦς ἀπέστειλε δύο µαθητάς, 2. λέγων αὐτοῖς, “΄ Πορεύθητε 5 εἰς τὴν κώµην τὴν ἀπέναντι” ὑμῶν: καὶ εὐθέως εὑρήσετε ὄνον δεδεµένην, καὶ πῶλον pet αὐτῆς ' λύσαντες
ἀγάγετέ ὃ por.
3. καὶ ἐάν τις ὑμῖν εἴπῃ τι, ἐρεῖτε, Ὅτι ὁ Κύριος
1 Β has evs for προς, which Weiss thinks has come from the parall.
Σο is wanting in BD (Tisch., W.H.).
> πορενεσθε in SBDLZ Orig. (Tisch., W.H.). 4 κατεναντι in NBCDLZ (Tisch., Trg., W.H.).
> ayere in BD (W.H. in margin).
suit the situation better ; cf. the parallels. —rt θέλετε, etc., what do you wish me to do for you? Not a superfluous ques- tion; they were beggars as well as blind ; they might want alms (vide Mk. x. 46). Mt. says nothing about their being beg- gars, but the question of Jesus implies it.—Ver. 33. ἵνα ἀνοιγῶσιν ot ὀφ. They desire the greater benefit, opening of their eyes, which shows that the eyes of their mind were open as to Christ’s power and will.—évoryao.v, 2nd aorist subjunctive, for which the T. R. has the more common ist aorist. — Ver. 34. σπλαγχνισθεὶς. Note the frequent refer- ence to Christ’s pity in this gospel (ix. 36, xiv. 14, xv. 32, and Πετε).- τῶν ὀμμάτων, a2 synonym for ὀφθαλμῶν, as if with some regard to style which the scribes might have been expected to appreciate, but have not (ὀφθ., thrice, T.R.). ὄμμα is poetic in class. Greek.— ἠκολούθησαν, they followed Him, like the rest, without guide (sine hodego, Beng.), so showing at once that their eyes were opened and their hearts grateful. CHapTER XXI. ENTRY INTO JERU- SALEM, ETC.—Vv. I-11. The entry (Mk. xi. I-11, Lk. xix. 29-44).—Ver. I, ὅτε ἤγγισαν ἐ. ‘l., when, etc. The evangelist does not, like a modern tourist, make formal announcement of the arrival at a point near Jerusalem when the Holy City came first into view, but refers to the fact in a subordinate clause. The manner of entry is the more important matter for him.—els Βηθφαγὴ, to Beth- phage = the house of figs, mentioned here and in the synoptical parallels, no- where else in Ο. or N. T., but from Tal- mudic sources appears to have been a better known and more important place than Bethany (Buxtorf, Talm. Lex., p. 1691). No trace of it now.—els τ. Ο. τ. Ἐλαιῶν, to the Mount of Olives; the εἰς, in all the three phrases used to define
the position, means near to, towards, not into.—rére, then, introducing what for the evangelist is the main event. Bengel’s comment is: vectura mysterii plena in- nuitur. It is possible to import too much mystery into the incident ftollowing.— Ver. 2. els τὴν κώµην: that is, naturally, the one named, though if we take eis before Βηθφαγὴ as = into, it might be Bethany, on the other side of the valley. Some think the two villages were prac- tically one (Porter, Handbook for Syria and Palestine, p. 180).—6vov δ. καὶ πῶλον, a she-ass with her foal, the latter alone mentioned in parall.; both named here for a reason which will appear.— λύσαντες ἀγάγετε, loose and bring; with- out asking leave, as if they were their own.—Ver. 3. ἐάν τις, etc. Of course it was to be expected that the act would be challenged.—épeire, ye shall say, future with imperative force.—6rt, recitative, in- troducing in direct form the words of the Master.—6 Κύριος, the Lord or Master ; not surely = Jehovah (Alford, G. T.), but rather to be taken in same sense as in Mt. viii. 25, or in ver. 30 of this chap.— αὐτῶν χρείαν ἔχει, hath need of them; in what sense? Looking to the synop. narratives alone, one might naturally infer that the need was physical, due to the fatigue of a toilsome, tedious ascent. But according to the narrative in 4th Gospel the starting point of the day’s journey was Bethany (xii. 1, 12). The prophetic reference in ver. 4 suggests a wholly different view, vis., that the animals were needed to enable Jesus to enter Jerusalem in a manner conformable to prophetic requirements, and worthy of the Messianic King. One is conscious of a certain reluctance to accept this as the exclusive sense of the χρεία. Lutte- roth suggests that Jesus did not wish to mix among the crowd of pilgrims on foot lest His arrival should be concealed and