c
17. ᾿Ἐλθὼν οὖν 6 “Ingots εὗρεν αὐτὸν τέσσαρας ἡμέρας ἤδη
i ἔχοντα έν τῷ µνηµείω. 18. ἦν δὲ ἡ Βηθανία 5 ἐγγὺς τῶν Ἱεροσολύ-
xxi. 8. pov, ὡς Tams σταδίων δεκαπέντε" 10. καὶ πολλοὶ ἐκ τῶν Ιουδαίων Rev. xiv.
20. ἐληλύθεισαν πρὸς τὰς περὶ Μάρθαν καὶ Maptay,! ἵνα παραµυθήσωνται ri. 4Ο.
s Gen. 20. ἡ οὖν Μάρθα ὡς ἤκουσεν ὅτι 6 χχχν]]. 11. 2Sam. Vii. I.
αὐτὰς περὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτῶν. *Inoots * ἔρχεται, ὑπήντησεν αὐτῷ: Μαρία δὲ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ " ἐκαθέζετο. 21. εἶπεν οὖν ἡ Μάρθα πρὸς τὸν ᾿Ιησοῦν, “' Κύριε, et As Ode, ὁ
1 T.R. is supported by AC°TA; but NBC*LX 33, it. vulg., read προς την Μαρθαν κ. t λ. Tisch. retains Τ.Ε. W.H.R. adopt the other and better authenticated reading, although it is the easier, while the T.R. might naturally present difficulty. Wetstein’s examples show that τας περι κ. τ. λ. would in classical Greek mean ‘“‘ Martha and Mary and those with them”; in later Greek it might mean “‘ Martha
and Mary”’. to point to the later usage.
presence with Him of an almighty power, ἵνα πιστεύσητε “that ye may believe,” go on to firmer faith. ‘‘ Faith can neither be stationary nor complete. ‘ He who {5 a Christian is n8 Christian,’ Luther,”’ Westcott.—Ver. 16. Εἶπεν οὖν Θωμᾶς 6 λεγόμενος Δίδυμος Θωμᾶς is the trans- literation and Δίδυμος the translation of
OND), a twin. among the disciples, and now takes the gloomy, and, as it proved, the correct view of the result of this return to Judaea, but his affectionate loyalty forbids the thought of their allowing Jesus to go alone. ‘To his mind there is nothing left for Jesus but to die. But now comes the remarkable thing. He is willing to take Jesus at the lowest, uncrowned, un- seated, disrobed, he loves Him still.” Matheson. If Thomas is stiff and obstinate in his incredulity, he is also stiff and obstinate in his affection and allegiance. ‘In him the twins, unbelief and faith, were contending with one another for mastery, as Esau and Jacob in Rebecca’s womb.” Trench. συμμαθηταῖς occurs only here.—iva ἀποθάνωμεν pet’ αὐτοῦ, {.ε., with Jesus. The expression is well illustrated by Wetstein.
Vv. 17-44. The raising of Lazarus. —Ver. 17. Ἐλθὼν οὖν 6 ᾿Ιησοῦς εὗρεν. ‘““When, then, Jesus came, He found,” implying that He did not know before, but learned from some in Bethany, αὐτὸν τέσσαρας ἡμέρας ἤδη ἔχοντα ἐν τῶ µνημείῳ “ that he had been four days already in the tomb”. Raphel and Wetstein give instances of this construc- tion, and see v. 5. According to Jewish custom burial took place on the day of death, so that, allowing somewhat more
He is the pessimist
In Acts xiii. 13 the older usage obtains: here αδελφου αντων seems
than one day for the journey from the one Bethany to the other, it seems probable that Lazarus died about the time the messenger reached Jesus. At ver. 39 the time which had elapsed since death is mentioned for a different reason. Here it seems to be introduced to account for νετ. 19; as also is the statement ἣν δὲ Βηθανία [ή deleted by Tisch. and W.H.] ἐγγὺς τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων, ὡς ἀπὸ σταδίων δεκαπέντε, within easy walking distance of Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off. The form is a Latinism, used in later Greek instead of ὡς σταδίους δεκαπέντε ἀπὸ τῶν Ἱέροσολύμων ; cf. xii. 1, xxi. 8, Rey. xiv. 20. The nearness of Bethany accounts for the fact that πολλοὶ .. . αὐτῶν, ‘many of the Jews had come out to Martha and Mary”. Of visits of con- dolence we have a specimen in Job. “Deep mourning was to last for seven days, of which the first three were those of ‘weeping’. During these seven days it was, among other things, forbidden to wash, to anoint oneself, to put on shoes, to study, or to engage in any business. After that followed a lighter mourning of thirty days.”’ Edersheim, ¥ewish Social Life, an interesting chapter on In Death and after Death. Cf. Gen. 1.3; Num. xx. 29; I Sam. xxviii. 13. Specimens of the manifestations of grief in various heathen countries and of the things said ὑπὸ τῶν παραμυθουµένων are given by Lucian in his tract Concerning Grief.— Ver. 20. Ἡ οὖν Μάρθα .. . ἐκαθέζετο. Martha as the elder sister and mistress of the house (Lk. x. 38-40) goes out to meet Jesus, while Mary remained seated in the house. “' After the body is carried out of the house all chairs and couches are re- versed, andthe mourners sit on the ground on a lowstool.” Edersheim, Joc. czt. On