n ’ τὰ δεξιὰ µέρη τοῦ πλοίου τὸ δίκτυον, καὶ εὑρήσετε.
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θητὴς ἐκεῖνος " ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς τῷ Σίμων οὖν Πέτρος ἀκούσας ὅτι ὁ κύριός ἐστι, τὸν "ἐπενδύτην } διεζώσατο: Fv γὰρ γυμνός: καὶ ἔβαλεν 8. οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι μαθηταὶ τῷ πλοιαρίῳ ἦλθον: οὗ γὰρ ἦσαν μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς 1 ἀπὸ πηχῶν
side of the boat so as to secure the fish. Contrast σύροντες in νετ. 8] for the multitude of fishes”; ἀπό often means “on account of’ in Dionysius Hal., Plutarch, and even in Thucydides and Sophocles as shown by Kypke.—Ver. 7. This sudden change of fortune John at once traced to its only possible source, Ὅ Κύριός ἐστι. “Vita quieta citius observat res divinas quam activa.” Bengel. Σίμων οὖν . . . θάλασσαν. The different temperaments of the two Apostles as here exhibited have constantly been remarked upon; as by Euthymius, “John had the keener insight; Peter the greater ardour”. Peter τὸν ἐπενδύτην διεζώσατο. Some writers identify the ἐπενδύτης with the inner garment or χίτων, others suppose it was the outer garment or ἱμάτιον. And the reason assigned, ἦν γὰρ γυμνός, they say, is that he had only the χίτων. That one who was thus half-dressed might be called γυμνός is well known (see Aristoph., Clouds, 480); but it was not the outer garment round which the belt was girt, but the inner. And besides, Peter must often have appeared before Jesus in their boat expeditions without his upper gar- ment, And to put on his Tallith when about to plunge into the sea was out of the question. He was rowing, then, with as little on as possible, probably only a subligaculum or loin-cloth, and now picks up his ἐπενδύτης, a garment worn by fishers (Theophylact), and girds it on, and casts himself into the sea.—Ver. 8. The rest came in the little boat, οὐ γὰρ ἦσαν . . . ἰχθύων. Bengel correctl¥ explains the γάρ, ‘‘Celeriter hi quoque venire poterant”. They were not far from the land, ἀλλ ὡς ἀπὸ πηχῶν διακοσίων, ‘about one hundred yards”. πηχῶν, says Phrynichus, is δεινῶς ἀνάτ- τικον; we must use the form πηχέων. Observe the unconscious exactness of the eye-witness. For the Hellenistic con-
6—14.
διακοσίων, " σύροντες τὸ δίκτυον τῶν ἰχθύων. εἰς τὴν γῆν, βλέπουσιν * ἀνθρακιὰν * κειµένην καὶ ὀψάριον ἐπικείμενον,
A 34 καὶ ἄρτον. , a 2) ὀψαρίων ὧν " ἐπιάσατε νῦν.
x ’ > Af lol iol 1 ὸ 3 6 , {λ 3 4 τὸ δίκτυον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, μεστὸν ἰχθύων μεγάλων ἐκατὸν πεντηκοντα- τριῶν: καὶ τοσούτων ὄντων, οὐκ ” ἐσχίσθη τὸ δίκτυον. , > a ς 32 ~ ~ Ul 12. Λέγει αὐτοῖς 6 ‘Ingots, Δεῦτε ἀριστήσατε. ~ a , 2” τῶν μαθητῶν ἐξετάσαι αὐτὸν, “Xd τίς ef;
Σ ἐστιν.
δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὸ ὀψάριον ὁμοίως. ἐφανερώθη 6 ᾿Ιησοῦς τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ, ἐγερθεὶς ἐκ νεκρῶν.
Vets την γην in NABCL.
struction with ἀπό. cf. xi. 18. The others came σύροντε . . . ἰχθύων, ‘*hauling the net of the fishes,” or ‘‘ net- ful of the fishes”; genitive of contents, like δέπας οἴνου, a cup of wine. It is needless, with Liicke, to complete the construction with µεστόν, cf. νετ. 11.— Ver.9. ‘Qs οὖν ... ἄρτον. ‘When, then, they got out upon the land, they see a fire (or heap) of coals laid and fish laid thereon, and bread”’; or, possibly, ‘a fish” and ‘‘a loaf,’ but see ver. 13. For ἀνθρακιά, see xviii. 18. The dis- ciples were evidently surprised at this preparation.—Ver. 10. But miracle is not gratuitously wrought; indeed, Weiss maintains there is neither miracle nor the appearance of one in this preparation. Accordingly Jesus says, Ἐνέγκατε. .. viv. And in compliance avéBy.. . δίκτυον. ‘Simon Peter went on board and drew the net on shore full of large fishes, 153, and though there were so many the net was not torn.’”’ Mysteries have been found in this number. In Hebrew characters Simon Iona is equiva- lent to 118 + 35, z.¢., 153. Some of the Fathers understood that 100 meant the Gentiles, 50 the Jews, 3 the Trinity. Jerome cites the authority of naturalists to prove that there were exactly 153 species of fish, and he concludes that the universality of the Gospel take was thus indicated. Calvin, with his usual robust sense, says: ‘“‘quantum ad piscium nu- merum spectat, non est sublime aliquid in εο quaerendum mysterium”. Peter never landed a haul of fish without counting them, and John, fisherman as he was, could never forget the number of his largest takes. The number is given, because it was large, and because they were all surprised that the net stood the