Mark 2:4

προσενέγκαι ([229][230][231] 33) rather than προσεγγίσαι ([232][233][234][235][236]).

[229] Codex Sinaiticus. 4th cent. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the Monastery of St Katharine on Mount Sinai. Now at St Petersburg. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1911.

[230] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.

[231] Codex Regius. 8th cent. An important witness. At Paris. Contains Mark 1:1 to Mark 10:15; Mark 10:30 to Mark 15:1; Mark 15:20 to Mark 16:20, but the shorter ending is inserted between Mark 16:8 and Mark 16:9, showing that the scribe preferred it to the longer one.

[232] Codex Alexandrinus. 5th cent. Brought by Cyril Lucar, Patriarch of Constantinople, from Alexandria, and afterwards presented by him to King Charles I. in 1628. In the British Museum. The whole Gospel. Photographic facsimile, 1879.
[233] Codex Ephraemi. 5th cent. A palimpsest: the original writing has been partially rubbed out, and the works of Ephraem the Syrian have been written over it; but a great deal of the original writing has been recovered; of Mark we have Mark 1:17 to Mark 6:31; Mark 8:5 to Mark 12:29; Mark 13:19 to Mark 16:20. In the National Library at Paris.

[234] Codex Bezae. 6th cent. Has a Latin translation (d) side by side with the Greek text, and the two do not quite always agree. Presented by Beza to the University Library of Cambridge in 1581. Remarkable for its frequent divergences from other texts. Contains Mark, except Mark 16:15-20, which has been added by a later hand. Photographic facsimile, 1899.

[235] Codex Oxoniensis. 9th cent. Contains Mark, except Mark 3:35 to Mark 6:20.

[236] Codex Sangallensis. 9th or 10th cent. Contains the Gospels nearly complete, with an interlinear Latin translation. The text of Mark is specially good, agreeing often with CL. At St Gall.

4. μὴ δυνάμενοι. The μή does not necessarily give their view; “because they saw that they could not”: in N.T., μή with participles is normal; Mark 5:26; Mark 6:34; Mark 8:1; Mark 12:21; Mark 12:24. Blass, § 75. 5; J. H. Moulton, p. 231.

προσενέγκαι. See crit. note. An outside staircase leading to the flat roof is not uncommon in Palestinian houses, the roof being used for various purposes. If there was no staircase, ladders could be obtained, and the roof would be no great distance from the ground. Men who were so much in earnest would not think getting on to the roof and removing a small portion of it an insuperable difficulty. There has been needless discussion of a simple matter; and to treat the whole narrative as fiction, because we have no certain explanation of this interesting detail, is not sane criticism. It is not even necessary to surmise that Mk and Lk. are thinking of two different kinds of houses.

διὰ τὸν ὄχλον. Mk commonly has ὄχλος (Mark 2:13; Mark 3:9; Mark 3:20; Mark 3:32; Mark 4:1; Mark 4:36, etc., etc.), the others, ὄχλοι.

ἀπεστέγασαν τὴν στέγην. They unroofed the roof. A rare verb, not found elsewhere in N.T., or in LXX. Lk.’s διὰ κεράμων shows that only part of the roof was removed, just the part above the place where Christ was teaching. This verb and ἐξορύξαντες illustrate Mk’s correct use of compound verbs; cf. Mark 2:15; Mark 3:5; Mark 4:5; Mark 4:7. The men would “dig out” whatever clay or mortar had to be removed, so as to cause as little inconvenience as possible to those in the room below; in Galatians 4:15 and in LXX., ἐξορύσσω is used of gouging out eyes. Burglars who break into houses are said to “dig through” (διορύσσω) the mud walls (Matthew 6:20). These difficulties in bringing the patient to the Healer tested the faith of all five, and thereby strengthened it.

χαλῶσι τὸν κράβαττον. They let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. Cf. Acts 9:25 and 2 Corinthians 11:33 of St Paul being let down in a basket. The κράβαττος (Mark 6:55; cf. John 5:8-11; Acts 5:15; Acts 9:33) would be the rug or mattress on which they carried him to the house. Mt. and Lk. adopt a more literary word; but κλίνη, like “bed,” suggests something larger than a κράβαττος, and therefore less likely to be used. When Lk. comes to the letting down through the roof, he changes κλίνη, “bed” to κλινίδιον, “couch” (A.V., R.V.), but no distinction is made in A.V. or E.V. between κράβαττος and κλίνη. The spelling of κράβαττος varies greatly in MSS. of N.T. and in papyri. The Latin grabatus or grabatum commonly means a poor kind of bed, a pallet; grabatis tegetibusque concepti (Mart. vi. 39). Coelius Aurelianus, the famous physician, says, eos quiescere jubemus lecto mutato, ad grabata aegros transferendo. Κραβάτειος = cubicularius is found in inscriptions.

κατέκειτο. Was lying. Christ does not rebuke him or his bearers for interrupting His teaching.