The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 223

4; lltmlo.y, in his tmmlntion of 'Mishna,' Ver. 7.-Jena 10.ith to them, l'il.l the § 17, cnnmerli.tes cnrlhenwe.re e.nd other water-pots with water. And they filled them material as le.wful). It is interesting the.t to the brim. They hod, therefore, been these stone jo.rs are still use<l in this very emptied already for the purifying purposes neighbourhood for like pnrposos (' Pict. and pr~cesses of the large party, probably Palos tine'). This forge number of jars of BUggestmg that the friends of the bride- oonsidcrnble magnitudo was doubtless dne ~o~m _were ~licitous to obey the religious in po.rt to the number of the guests, and td d1sc1plme which we.s believed to be in the sorupulons attention to ceremonial harmony with the Divine will. The ex- purity thnt wns enjoined by the oml le.w pression, :,,,, &v,,,, seems added to emphasize (seo 'MishnB,' § 17; and Lightfoot, in loc.). the quantity of wine thus provided. The 'l'hoy were accustomed to WC1sh, not only the miracle took place between the filling nf the hnnds, but "cups, brnzen vessels, and jard and their being drawn upon. We are tBbles" (see Matt. xv. 2 and parallel not permitted to look more closely into this passages). (For this use of 1<12-rcl, see 2 Tim. mystery. The finger of God, the will of the i. 1, iu which "according to" easily passes Creator, determines the result. The servants into the sense of "for the sake of," "after knew that they had filled the jars with the manner of.") The Attic measure me- water. The next thing, and all that we tretes wns equa,l to the Hebrew bath know, is that the Lord said- (Josephus,·, Ant.,' viii. 2. 9), and stands for Ver. 8.-Draw forth (the object of the it in the LXX. of 2 Chron. iv. 5, and this verb fa not in the sentence. He did not se.y equalled I½ Homan amph01'm, 8 gallons+ 7~ the "water" which you placed there, nor pints. So that six jars containing 2 or 3 the "wine" into which it has been trans- melretes, se.y 2½ = 6 x 2·5 x 8 gallons + formed, but simply, "Draw forth"), and 7·5 pints = 6- x 2·5 x 71·5 pints = 134 bear to the governor of the feast. The gallons and a fraction. The jars may have traditional interpretation, that the water- differed in shape, according as they were jars were the sonrce of the unwonted adopted for different purposes; but <iv& must supply, and the measure of it, strongly be translated dislributively, and we cannot commends itself in preference to the sug- evade the enormous capacity of the jnrs, and gestions of Westcott, Moulton, as well as therefore the abundance of the gift thus pro- Barnes, Olshausen, and others. The iipx,- vided. Various efforts he.ve been made to -rpi1<>..wor, the "master of the table," is the reduce the extent of the provision; but· the chief servant presiding over the arrnnge- obvious implication of the narrative is that ments of the feast. Thfa was an Attic the six jars were the locale of the miracle. officio.I, referred to by Athen::eus (iv. c. 70) Dr. Moulton and Dr. Westcott suggest the.t as -rpa,re(o,ro11h (cf. Heliodor., vii. 27). The these water-pots were filled with pure "symposiarch," arbiter bibendi, is not to be water, but that the wine was "drawn" confounded with him. The latter wns one from the water-supply to which the servants of the guests chosen to taste the wine, etc. had access, and that no more wine was pro- (see Ecclus. x.xxii. 1, where he is called vided them that which we.s borne to the 1]-yo'Oµoos). The "governor" is one who goveruo1· of the feast. Others have supposed occupies a still higher position of import[l.llce that siwply the wate1· dmio11 from the jars in Greek feasts. There is no other trace of was ti:e.nsformed in the process.: These sup- the Attio usage 11,mong the Jews. As the positions make the entire reference to the passage in Ecclesiasticus indicates a different water-pots extremely obscure and unneces- custom, and the references to something sary. 'fhe large quantity of wine tbus similar describe the officer by different offered to these humble folks corresponds names, no very sure conclusion can be with the affluence of Nature in all her drawn. Wiinsche says that, ordiuru:ily, the moods-the munificence of spring blossoms, master of the house was bound to serve his the harvest of the sea, the exuberance of guests, and preside oYer the distribution of sunlight, the superfluity of rain that falls food ruid presents. Thns, at the marriage on the oceuns, the copiousness of all God's of his son, Rabbi Ge.mnliel served 1111 hid wo.ys. ' When, on other occasions, the Lord invited guests. Trench, Alford, e.nd Words- atlded to the supplies of food i11 fishes and worth think tho.t the governor here was one bread, his lavish abundance corresponds of the invited guests, from the freedom with with the riches of his loving-kindness on whioh he addressed the bridegroom. Meyer, this ooce.sion. There wo.s provided, not Godet, take the view the.t he was not. And the material for a mee.l, but an o.mple dowry they bear it, 1 conscious of e. wondrous fact, for such a bride. No mere maglcol change, whioh must have filled them with con- momelito.rily oonfounding perception: and loC1vlng no trnce behind, but o. supply whioh 1 The T.R. reads 1<al: tho R.T., Tischen-· would _be a sto.nding proof of the reulity of dorf (8th eclit.), 'l'regelles, with ~. B, K, L, what had been done, 1, 33, and nume1-ous other authorities, oi 6i.  R4 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. [CH, II, 1-25,