The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Peter — Section 16

mcnt of the risen Saviour, "All power is on Mount SiMi, and in the tabernncle and gi,cn unto me in heaven and in earth;" temple above the mercy-soot. God wna he had, like the rest of the apostles, been there; it was ho who spoke. For the word "endued with power from on high." Dy rendered "excellent" (µ,-ya.~o,rpnnls) oom• the coming (,rapovcrla.) he must mean the pare the Septungint Version of Deut. xxxiii. @eC'ond 1td"1"ent, the invariable mooning of 26, ~ µ,-ya.>..o,rpnr~s Tou crnp«l,µa.Tos, literally, the word in Holy Scripture (see oh. iii. 4; "the Majestic Ono of the firml\ment;" Matt. xi.iv. 3, 27; 1 Cor. xv. 23; 1 Thess. where our Authorized Version gives a more ii. 19, etc.). But were eye-witnesses of bis exact translation of the Hebrew, "in his majesty. The word for "eye-witnesses" is excellency on the sky" (see also the not the common one (a.~TO'IM'a1, used by St. 'Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians,' Luke i. 2), but a technical word ( bro'IM'a,), eh. ix., where the occurrence of the same which in clossical Greek designates the remarkable words, µ,-ya.>..o,rp•'IH/s M{a., sug- highest class of those who had been initi- gests that Clement must have been ac- ated into the Eleusinian Mysteries. The quainted with this Epistle). This is my choice of such a word may possibly imply beloved Son, in whom I e.m well pleased. that St. Peter regarded himself and his Our translation makes these words corre- brother-apostles as having received the spond exactly with the report given by highest initiation into the mysteries of re- St. Matthew in his account of the Trans- ligion. The noun is found only here in the figuration, except that "hear ye him" is New Testament; but the corresponding added there. In the Greek there a.re some verb occurs in 1 Pet. ii. 12 and iii 2, nnd slight variations. According to one ancient in no other of the New Testament writers. manuscript (the Vatice.n), the order of the Here again we have an undesigned coin- words is different, and there is a second µov, cidence which points t.o identity of author- "This is my Son, my Beloved." All uncial ship. The word for" majesty" (µ..-ya.A<,0T71s) manuscripts have here, instead of the l11 ,; occurs in St. Luke's description of the of St. Matthew'a Gospel, ,ls &11 .!-ycl, 1iulio1<71cr11. healing of the demoniac boy immediately The difference cannot be represented in our after the Transfiguration (Luke ix. 43), and translation. The construction is pregnant, elsewhere only in Acts xix. 27. and the meaning is that from all eternity Ver. 17.-J!'or he reoeived from God the the eulio1<la., the good plea.sure, of God the Father honour &IJ.d glory. The construction Father was directed towards the Divine here is interrupted; the literal translation Son, n.nd still e.bideth on him. The same is, "Having received," etc., and there is trnth seems to be implied in the aorist no verb to complete the senee. Winer eulio1<71cra ( comp. John xvii. 24, "Thon so:pposes that the apostle had intended to lovedot me before the foundation of the conti.nne with some snch words as, "He had world"). An imitator of the second century us for witnesses," or, "He was declared to would certainly have made this quotation be the beloved Son of God," and that the to correspond exactly with the words e.s construction was interrupted by the direct given in one of the synoptic Gospels. qnotation of the words spoken by the voice Ver. 18.-And this voice whioh oe.me from from heaven (' Gram.mar,' iii xlv. b). (For heaven we heard; rather, and this voice a similar e.na.coluthon, see in the Greek borne from heaven we heard. The pronoun 2 Cor. v. 6.) "Honour" seems to refer to is emphatic; we, the apostles who had that the testimony of the voice from heaven; high privilege. They heard the voice when "glory," to the splendour of the Lord's it was borne (111,x8•icr11v; he repeats for transfigured Person. When there oame emphasis the remarkable word of ver. 17) Bt1Ch a voioe to him from the excellent from heaven, they heard it come from glory; more Lterally, when such a ,,oice heaven. When we were with him in the was borne w liim. The same verb is used holy mount. This description of the Mount in .A.cts ii. 2 of "the rushing mighty wind" of the Transfiguration supposes a knowledge which annonnced the coming of the Holy of the history in St. Peter'e readers; but it Ghost; a.nd in 1 Pet. i. 13 of "the grace gives no support to the theory of o post. which is being brought." It is repeated apostolic date. Mount Horeb was "holy in the next verse. It seems intended to ground," because God appeared there to assert emphatically the real objective cha- Moses, because it we.a the Hoene of the racter of the voice. It was not e. vision, e. giving of the Law. Mount Zion was e. holy dream; the voice was bomefrom heaven; the hill, because God bad chosen it to be e. apostles heard it with their ears. The prepo- habitation for himself; the Mount of the sition /,.-o mnst be rendered "by," not" from." Transfiguration we.a holy, because there The "excellent" (rather, "majestic," or God the Son manifested forth his glory. "me.gni.ficent ") glory was the Shechinah, God hallows every place which he pleases the visible manifestation of the presence of to make the scene of his revealed presence. God, whicl; had e.ppee.red in ancient times This whole passage shows the deep and cu. 1. 1-21.] 'l'HE SECOND EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. 9