734
Katrepvaoup. 47. οὗτος ἀκούσας ὅτι ᾿Ιησοῦς ἥκει ἐκ τῆς Ιουδαίας.
eis τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, ἀπῆλθε πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ ἠρώτα αὐτὸν ἵνα καταβῇ
t 2 Μας. vii. 18.
vi. 30. 1 Cor. i. 22. ς a a
µη πιστεύσητε.
κατάβηθι πρὶν ἀποθανεῖν τὸ παιδίον pou.” > a “ , PW a 35 Ιησοῦς, “Mopevou- 6 vids σου Zi.
“ 4 9 > Hebe ςς 2, A ΔΝ , τῷ λόγω @ εἶπεν αὐτῷ 6 ‘Ingots, καὶ ἐπορεύετο. . c ‘ t
v With acc. here and Acts xxiii. 20 only.
καὶ ἰάσηται αὐτοῦ τὸν υἱόν: "ἤμελλε γὰρ ἀποθνήσκειν.
’ c A > [ο] 3 / καταβαίνοντος, οἱ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ ἀπήντησαν ϱ a ~ λέγοντες, “Ott 6 mats σου CH.”
48. εἶπεν
οὖν 6 ᾿Ιησοῦς πρὸς αὐτὸν, "Edy μὴ σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ἴδητε, οὗ 49. Λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν & βασιλικὸς, “' Κύριε,
5ο. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Καὶ ἐπίστευσεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος 51. ἤδη δὲ αὐτοῦ 1 αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀπήγγειλαν 52. ᾿᾿ Επύθετο οὖν map αὐτῶν
5 ~ ϱ τὴν ὥραν ἐν ἡ κοµψότερον ἔσχε: καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ, ““Ὅτι χθὲς ὥραν
'νπηντησαν (always used in John, xi. 20, 30; xii. 18) found in $BCDKL.
have been Chuza, Herod’s chamberlain. Most probably he was an officer of Herod’s court, civil or military. His prominent characteristic at this time is given in the words, οὗ 6 vids ἠσθένει ἐν Kagapvaovp. The place is named be- cause essential to the understanding of what follows.—Ver. 47. Having heard ὅτι Ingots Feet, ‘‘that Jesus has come into Galilee,” he traces Him to Kana, and begs Him not simply to heal his son, but pointedly ἵνα καταβῇ, to go to Caper- naum for the purpose. He considered the presence of Jesus to be necessary [‘‘non putat verbo curare posse,” Melan- chthon] (contrast the centurion of Matt. viii.); and, being a person of standing, did not scruple to trouble Jesus. Jesus neither refuses nor grants the request at once, but utters the reflection: Ver. 48. ἐὰν μὴ σημεῖα . . . πιστεύσητε Not as a prophet uttering truth, but as a miracle worker He is sought in His own country: Samaria had received Him without miracle, as a Prophet. To seek for a sign, says Melanchthon, “est velle certificari alio modo quam Ῥες νετ- bum”. τέρατα here only in John, though frequent in Acts. Faith rooted in “marvels” Jesus put in an inferior place. But the father in his urgent anxiety can only repeat his request (ver. 49) κατάβηθι πρὶν ἀποθανεῖν τὸ παιδίον pov. “ Dupleximbecillitas rogantis, quasi Dominus necesse haberet adesse, nec pos- set aeque resuscitare mortuum”’ (Bengel). But Jesus, unable to prolong his misery, says πορεύου: ὁ vids σου ζῃ. He did not go with him. His cures are independent of material media and even of His pres- ence.—Ver. 50. And now the man be- lieved τῷ λόγῳ ᾧ [or dv] εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς. His first immature faith has
grown into something better. The evident sincerity of Jesus quickens a higher faith. On Christ’s word he departs home, believing he will find his son healed.—Ver. 51. And while already on his way down [ἤδη showing that he did not remain with Christ until from some other source he heard that his son was healed], his servants met him and gave him the reward of his faith.—s wats σου ff, an echo, as Weiss remarks, of the words of Jesus, ver. 5ο. The ser- vants seeing the improvement in the boy and not ascribing it to miracle, set out to save their master from bringing Jesus to Capernaum.—Ver. 52. ἐπύθετο οὖν . . . Koprydrtepov ἔσχε. “' Amoenum verbum, de convalescente, puero prae- sertim”’—Bengel. Theophylact explains by ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον καὶ εὐρωστότερον μετῆλθεν ὁ mais: Euthymius by τὸ ῥᾳότερον, τὸ κουφότερον, as we speak οί a sick person being ‘‘ easier,” "ΠρΏίετ”. The best illustration is Raphel’s from Epictetus (Diss., 3, 10), who bids a patient not be too much uplifted if the physician says to him κομψῶς ἔχεις, you are doing well. The servants name the seventh hour, z.¢., I p.m. of the previous day, as the time when the fever left him. [Accus. of time when, rare; Winer ex- plains as if it meant the approximate time with a περί or ὡσεί understood ; Acts x. 3; Rev. iii. 3.] And this the father recognised as the time at which Jesus had said "ΤΗΥ son liveth”. The distance between Cana and Capernaum is about twenty-five miles, so that it would appear as if the father had need- lessly delayed on the road. But he may have had business for Herod or for him- self on the road, or the beast he rode may have been unequal to the double