Matthew 2:1-12
THE VISIT OF THE MAGI Recorded by St Matthew only.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE VISIT OF THE MAGI Recorded by St Matthew only.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤΟΥ͂ ΔῈ ἸΗΣΟΥ͂ ΓΕΝΝΗΘΈΝΤΟΣ. The year 3 before the Christian era has been fixed almost beyond a doubt as the date of the Nativity. The present year—1881—is therefore correctly A.D. 1884. The data on which the computation is founded are: (1) The first rule of Quirinus (Luke 2:2), which should probably... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤΕΧΘΕΊΣ. This form is rarely if ever found in classical Attic; see Veitch sub voc. τίκτω and cp. Luke 2:11—the only other passage where this tense-form occurs in N.T. Ὁ ΤΕΧΘΕῚΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΎΣ. One who was _born_ king—whose title was hereditary—would bring special fear to Herod. ΒΑΣΙΛΕῪΣ ΤΩ͂Ν ἸΟΥΔΑΊΩΝ. A... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΤΑΡΆΧΘΗ. Herod, with the instincts of a tyrant, would be alarmed for his throne. His subjects (πᾶσα Ἱεροσόλυμα) had learnt to dread his outbreaks of passion. μετʼ αὐτοῦ not σὺν αὐτῷ, they did not sympathise in _his_ alarm. ΠΑ͂ΣΑ ἹΕΡΟΣΌΛΥΜΑ. The feminine form which occurs here and possibly ch. Matt... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΆΝΤΑΣ ΤΟῪΣ�, i.e. summoned a meeting of the Sanhedrin. But from the omission of τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους, who are generally included in the designation of the Sanhedrin it is contended by some that this was an irregular meeting of the chief priests and learned men. With this view it is difficult to explai... [ Continue Reading ]
ΒΗΘΛΕῈΜ ΤΗ͂Σ ἸΟΥΔΑΊΑΣ. To distinguish this Bethlehem from the Bethlehem in the tribe of Zebulun (Joshua 19:15). ΓΈΓΡΑΠΤΑΙ, well expressed by Luther’s translation, _stehet geschrieben_. The tense marks the continued validity of a law or a prophecy; so also in the classics, ἐν τοῖς φονικοῖς γέγραπται... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΑῚ ΣῪ ΒΗΘΛΕΈΜ Κ.Τ.Λ. Micah 5:2. The quotation (as usually in passages cited by St Matthew alone) nearly corresponds with the Hebrew text, the literal translation of which is: ‘But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little to be among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unt... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤΌΤΕ, a favourite word of transition with St Matthew. It occurs more frequently in this gospel alone than in all the rest of the N.T. The modes of transition in the several Evangelists are interesting as notes of style. Thus τότε is characteristic of St Matthew, εὐθὺς (εὐθέως) of St Mark, καὶ ἐγένετ... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΈΜΨΑΣ ΑΥ̓ΤΟῪΣ ΕἸΣ ΒΗΘΛΕΈΜ. Up to this time the Magi are not said to have been guided by the star; they go to Bethlehem in accordance with Herod’s directions, which were based on the report of the Sanhedrin; as they went the star again appeared in the East. ἘΞΕΤΆΖΕΙΝ, ‘to enquire into the reality o... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΣΤΆΘΗ for ἔστη (אBCD). The passive implies agency, here divine agency: see ch. Matthew 27:11.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΧΆΡΗΣΑΝ ΧΑΡᾺΝ Κ.Τ.Λ. The cognate noun becomes far more frequent in Hellenistic Greek under the influence of Hebrew expression. Observe the intensity of the joy expressed by the combination of cognate noun, adjective and adverb. To them it was a triumph at once of science and religion.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΕἾΔΟΝ for εὗρον, with all the leading MSS. and versions. εὗρον influenced by Matthew 2:8. 11. ΕἸΣ ΤῊΝ ΟἸΚΊΑΝ. St Matthew gives no hint that ‘the house’ was an inn, or that the babe was lying in a manger. Perhaps here as in other places we are misled by the ideas suggested by great pictures; and in... [ Continue Reading ]
ΧΡΗΜΑΤΙΣΘΈΝΤΕΣ ΚΑΤʼ ὌΝΑΡ, ‘divinely warned by a dream.’ χρηματίζειν. (1) ‘To transact business,’ ‘to deal or act or confer’ with any one. (2) Of divine dealings with men, ‘to answer,’ ‘warn’ or ‘command,’—a late use frequent in Diod. Sic., Plutarch and Polyb., e.g. θεοὺς αὐτοῖς ταῦτα κεχρηματικέναι.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤῸ ΠΑΙΔΊΟΝ. Named first as the most precious charge and the most exposed to danger. ΕἸΣ ΑἼΓΥΠΤΟΝ. Egypt was at all times the readiest place of refuge for the Israelites, whether from famine or from political oppression. It had sheltered many thousands of Jews from the tyranny of the Syrian kings. C... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT... [ Continue Reading ]
ἈΝΑΧΩΡΕΙ͂Ν (1) ‘to retire’ from danger as here, and chs. Matthew 4:12; Matthew 12:16, and elsewhere; (2) in the later Classics ‘to retire from business or public life;’ (3) in Ecclesiastical writers ‘to retire from the world,’ ‘become a hermit, or anchoret’ (ἀναχωρητής). This word, which occurs muc... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΥΡΊΟΥ for τοῦ κυρίου. See ch. Matthew 1:22. 15. ἝΩΣ ΤΗ͂Σ ΤΕΛΕΥΤΗ͂Σ ἩΡΏΔΟΥ. According to the chronology adopted above this would be for a space of less than two years. ἼΝΑ ΠΛΗΡΩΘΗ͂Ι. See note on ch. Matthew 1:22. ἘΞ ΑἸΓΎΠΤΟΥ ἘΚΆΛΕΣΑ ΤῸΝ ΥἹΌΝ ΜΟΥ. The history of Israel is regarded as typical of the... [ Continue Reading ]
ἈΝΕΙ͂ΛΕΝ, ‘slew.’ The verb occurs here only in Matthew. It is frequent in the Acts, occurring rarely elsewhere. Out of a great variety of classical meanings the Hellenistic usage nearly confines the word to its force here. The two instances of a different meaning in N.T. are Acts 7:21 and Hebrews 10... [ Continue Reading ]
ΔΙᾺ for ὑπό, the reading of all the more ancient authorities. The prophet is regarded as the instrument, not the agent. 17. ΤΌΤΕ ἘΠΛΗΡΏΘΗ. This turn of expression may be regarded as identical with the more usual ‘that it might be fulfilled.’... [ Continue Reading ]
ΘΡΗ͂ΝΟΣ ΚΑῚ omitted before κλαυθμὸς with אB against many later authorities. The omission brings the quotation into closer verbal agreement with the Hebrew; but the words are found in the LXX., and were probably meant to express the Hebrew intensive word by an addition. 18. Jeremiah 31:15, in LXX. J... [ Continue Reading ]
THE RETURN FROM EGYPT... [ Continue Reading ]
ΟἹ ΖΗΤΟΥ͂ΝΤΕΣ. Plural used sometimes where there is no need or no wish to individualise. Others however joined Herod in his design to slay the young child; but with the death of Herod the whole plot would fall to the ground.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἈΡΧΈΛΑΟΣ. A son of Herod the Great. His mother was Malthaké, a Samaritan. After a cruel and disturbed reign (under the title of Ethnarch) of about eight years he was banished to Vienna in Gaul—the modern Vienne. His dominions, including Samaria, Judæa, and Idumæa, then passed into the direct governm... [ Continue Reading ]
ΝΑΖΑΡΈΘ. The MSS. vary wherever this name occurs between Ναζαρέθ, Ναζαρέτ, Ναζαρὰθ and Ναζαρά, so that the orthography cannot be determined. 23. ΕἸΣ ΠΌΛΙΝ ΛΕΓΟΜΈΝΗΝ ΝΑΖΑΡΈΘ. St Matthew gives no intimation of any previous residence of Mary and Joseph at Nazareth. If the Son of David, full of wisdom... [ Continue Reading ]