483
12. Ἠλθον
δὲ καὶ τελῶναι βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ εἶπον πρὸς αὐτόν, “ Διδάσκαλε, τί
, 1 2 TOLN TOME © 5
13. Ὁ δὲ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς, “ Μηδὲν πλέον παρὰ
τὸ διατεταγµένον ὑμῖν ἡ πράσσετε.' 14. ᾿Επηρώτων δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ ἅ Ch. xix. 23.
, λέ ες ‘ ς a , , 2.” στρατευόµενοι, λέγοντες, “Kai ἥμεις τι ποιήσοµεν”;
Καὶ εἶπε
πρὸς αὐτούςιδ “Mydéva διασείσητε, μηδὲ ᾿συκοφαντήσητε’ καὶ ε Ch. αἰκ.δ.
ἁρκεῖσθε τοῖς * ὀψωνίοις ὑμῶν."
15. Προσδοκῶντος δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ διαλογιζοµένων πάντων ἐν a , 7 A ‘ a 3 , ας ” ec , ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν περὶ τοῦ Ἰωάννου, µήποτε αὐτὸς εἴη ὁ Χριστός,
f Rom. vi. 23. 1 Cor. 1x72 Cor. xi. 8
16. ἀπεκρίνατο 6 Ἰωάννης ἅπασι λέγων," “Eye μὲν ὕδατι βαπτίζω AOA ” Ss ς 5 , a PY aN) ce Q im σι ὑμᾶς: έρχεται δὲ ὁ ἰσχυρότερός µου, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς λῦσαι τὸν
ἁμάντα τῶν ὑποδημάτων αὐτοῦ: αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν Πνεύματι
1 Again ποιησωµεν in most uncials; also in ver. 14.
2 +L ποι. και Ίμεις in SBCLE 1, 6ο.
3 auvrots for προς αυτους in BDLE 33 (W.H.). 4 SOBL have λεγων απασι ο |. (Tisch., W.H.).
abundance (τὰ περισσεύοντα, Grotius). The counsel is: let him that hath food give to him that hath none, so inculcat- ing a generous, humane spirit. Here the teaching of John, as reported by Lk., touches that of Jesus, and is evangelical not legal in spirit.—Ver. 13. μηδὲν πλέον παρὰ: this mode of ex- pressing comparison (usual in mod. Grk.) is common to Lk. and the Ep. to Heb. (i. 4, etc.), and has been used in support of the view that Lk. wrote Heb. ‘‘ Non improbabilis videtur mihi eorum opinio qui Lucae eam Ep. adjudicant,” Pricaeus. --πράσσετε, make, in a sinister sense, exact, exigite, Beza. Kypke quotes Julius Pollux on the vices of the pub- licans, one being tTapeompdtroyv, nimium exigens, and remarks that this word could not be better explained than by the phrase in Lk., πράττων π. π. τὸ Stat.—Ver. 14. στρατευόµενοι, “soldiers on service”. R. V. margin. So also Farrar. But Field disputes this render- ing. ‘ The advice seems rather to point to soldiers at home, mixing among their fellow-citizens, than to those who were on the march in an enemy’s country ” (Οἱ. Nor.). Schirer, whom J. Weiss follows, thinks they would be Ἠεαίπεῃ.-- διασείσητε: the verb (here only) means literally to shake much, here = to extort money by intimidation =concertio in law Latin. This mili- tary vice would be practised on the ΡοοΓ.- σνκοφαντήσητε: literally to in- form on those who exported figs from Athens; here =to obtain money by
acting as informers (against the rich), — ὀψωνίοις (Gov, ὠνέομαι): a late Greek word, primarily anything eaten with bread, specially fish, ‘ kitchen”; salary paid in kind; then generally wages. Vide Rom. vi. 23, where the idea is, the “kitchen,” the best thing sin has to give is death.
Vv. 15-17. Art thou the Christ ? (Mt. iii, απ, 12, ΜΕ. Ἱ. 7, 8).—Ver.’ 15, προσδοκῶντος: in Mt, and Mk. John introduces the subject of the Messiah of his own accord: in Lk. in answer to popular expectation and conjecture; an intrinsically probable account, vide on Μι.--µήποτε, etc., whether perhaps he might not himself be the Christ; ex- presses very happily the popular state of mind.—Ver. 16. ἅπασι: might suggest frequent replies to various parties, uni- form in tenor; but against this is the aorist ἀπεκρίνατο, which suggests a single answer given once for all, to a full assembly, a formal solemn public declaration. On the Baptist’s statement in this and the following verse, vide on Mt.—év Πνεύμµατι ‘Ayio καὶ πυρί : against the idea of many commentators that the Holy Spirit and fire represem opposite effects on opposite classes— saving and punitive—Godet and Hahn press the omission of ἐν before πυρί, and take Πνεῦμα and wip to be kindred = fire the emblem of the Spirit as a purifier. They are right as to the affinity but not as to the function. The function in both cases is judicial. John refers to the Holy Wind and Fire of Judgment