closing the sentence, is emphatic. Jesus’ holy activity is habit- ual and continuous. See iv. 34.
30. Believed on (érictevoar cis). See on i. 12, and compare believed Him, ver. 31.
31. Believed on Him (aemsorevxotas add). Note the dif- ferent phrase, distinguishing the Jews from the mixed com- pany in ver. 30. Rev., rightly, belceved Him.
If ye continue (éav dyels welvnte). The emphasis is on the ye, addressed to those whose faith was rudimentary ; who be- lieved Him, but did not yet believe on Him. Rev., abide.
In my word (év 76 Adyo TH Eup). Lit., in the word which is mine: peculiarly mine, characteristic of me. The expres- sion is intentionally stronger than my word. Compare my love (xv. 9).
Indeed (dAn9as). Lit., truly, as Rev. As those who believe on me, not as those who are moved by temporary excitement to admit my claims.
33. Were never in bondage (Sedovdevxapev woe). Rev., better, have never yet been in bondage ; thus giving the force of the perfect tense, never up to this time, and of the 7a, yet. In the light of the promises given to Abraham, Gen. xvii. 16; xxii. 17, 18, the Jews claimed not only freedom, but dominion over the nations. In their reply to Jesus they ignore alike the Egyptian, Babylonian, and Syrian bondage, through which the nation had successively passed, as well as their present subjec- tion to Rome, treating these merely as bondage which, though a fact, was not bondage by right, or bondage to which they had ever willingly submitted, and, therefore, not bondage in any real sense. Beside the fact that their words were the utterance of strong passion, it is to be remembered that the Romans, from motives of policy, had left them the semblance of political independence. As in so many other cases, they overlook the higher significance of Jesus’ words, and base their