Matthew 14:25

14, 22, 25. The subject Ἰησοῦς omitted, insertion due to lectionaries or marginal note.

25. τετάρτῃ δὲ φυλακῇ, i.e. early in the morning. Cp. ‘Et jam quarta canit venturam buccina lucem,’ Propert. IV. 4. 63. At this time the Jews had adopted the Greek and Roman custom of four night watches. Formerly they divided the night into three watches, or rather according to Lightfoot (Hor. Heb.) the Romans and Jews alike recognised four watches, but with the Jews the fourth watch was regarded as morning, and was not included in the three watches of ‘deep night.’ The four watches are named (Mark 13:35) 1 Even (ὀψέ), 2 Midnight (μεσονύκτιον), 3 Cockcrowing (ἀλεκτοροφωνίας), 4 Morning (πρωΐ). St John states that they had rowed 25 or 30 furlongs.

ἦλθεν πρὸς αὐτούς. Mark adds ‘He would have passed by them.’

ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν. ἐπὶ with accus. of motion over a surface, cp. ἐπὶ οἴνοπα πόντον ὁρᾶν περᾶν πλεῖν (Homer). See critical notes, supra.