12. Dine (dpuorncate). Rather, breakfast. In Attic Greek dpicrov signified the mid-day meal; the evening meal being known as deizvov. The regular hour for the dpsoroy can- not be fixed with precision. The drift of authority among Greek writers seems to be in favor of noon. The meal described here, however, evidently took place at an earlier hour, and would seem to have answered more nearly to the axpaticua, or breakfast of the Greeks, which was taken directly upon rising. Plutarch, however, expressly states that both names were ap- plied to the morning meal, and says of Alexander, “He was accustomed to breakfast (npiora) at early dawn, sitting, and to sup (€dedrvev) late in the evening.” In Matthew xxii. 4, it is an dpuctov to which the king’s wedding-guests are invited.
Ask (éferdca). Rev., inquire. Implying careful and pre- cise inquiry. It occurs only three times in the New Testament ; of Herod’s command to search diligently for the infant Christ (Matt. ii. 8), and of the apostles’ enquiring out the worthy mem- bers of a household (Matt. x. 11).
13. Bread—fish. Both have the article—the loaf, the fish— apparently pointing to the provision which Jesus himself had made.
Giveth them. Nothing is said of His partaking Himself. Compare Luke xxiv. 42, 43.
14. The third time. The two former occasions being re- corded in xx. 19, 26. The appearance to Mary Magdalene is not counted, because the Evangelist expressly says to Hs dis- ciples.
15. Simon, son of Jonas. Compare Christ’s first address to Peter, i. 43. He never addresses him by the name of Peter, while that name is commonly used, either alone or with Simon, in the narrative of the Gospels, and in the Greek form Peter, not the Aramaic Ozphas, which, on the other hand, is always employed by Paul. For Jonas read as Rev., John.