John 2:15

And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; AND WHEN HE HAD MADE A SCOURGE, [ fragellion (G5416) = flagellum] OF SMALL CORDS - likely some of the rushes spread for bedding, and when twisted used to tie up the cattle there collected. 'Not by this slender whip,' says Grotius admirably, 'but by divine majesty was the ejection accomplished, the whip being but a sign of the scourge of divine anger.' HE DROVE THEM ALL OUT OF THE TEMPLE, AND THE SHEEP, AND THE OXEN, [pantas ... ta (G3588) te (G5037) probata ...

12-22 The first public work in which we find Christ engaged, was driving from the temple the traders whom the covetous priests and rulers encouraged to make a market-place of its courts. Those now make God's house a house of merchandise, whose minds are filled with cares about worldly business when attending religious exercises, or who perform Divine offices for love of gain. Christ, having thus cleansed the temple, gave a sign to those who demanded it, to prove his authority for so doing. He foretells his death by the Jews' malice, Destroy ye this temple; I will permit you to destroy it. He foretells his resurrection by his own power; In three days I will raise it up. Christ took again his own life. Men mistake by understanding that according to the letter, which the Scripture speaks by way of figure. When Jesus was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered he has said this. It help...

A SCOURGE - A whip. OF SMALL CORDS - This whip was made as an emblem of authority, and also for the purpose of driving from the temple the cattle which had been brought there for sale. There is no evidence that he used any violence to the men engaged in that unhallowed traffic. The original word implies that these “cords” were made of twisted “rushes” or “reeds” - probably the ancient material for making ropes....

EXPOSITION VERSES 2:1-3:4 _The testimony of signs to the glory of the Word made flesh._ JOHN 2:1 (1) _The first sign, the beginning of signs, Mastery over the old creation. Sign of love and power. _The description of the preceding narrative, given in John 2:11, is the true key to it. It is impressive on several accounts. Christ had not yet given any "sign" of the invisible and eternal glory which the evangelist in his prologue had claimed for him. He had not in his own person "manifested" the unique majesty of his will, nor revealed the direction in which the power he wielded would most freely move. John, by this statement, (1) puts down a positive disclaimer of the whole cycle of portents which, whe

AND WHEN HE HAD MADE A SCOURGE OF SMALL CORDS,.... That is, Jesus, as the Persic version expresses it. This scourge might be made either of thongs cut out of the hides of beasts slain in sacrifice; or of the cords, with which the owners of the cattle had brought them to this place; or with which they had fastened them in it. And it seems to be made, and used, not so much for force and terror, as to intimate, that these persons, the violators of the holy place, deserved the scourge of divine wrath and punishment; as well as to show the miraculous power of Christ in driving such a number of men before him, with so small and insignificant a weapon; for the phrase is diminutive. The reason given by Dr. Lightfoot, and others, why Christ made use of a whip, or scourge, rather than a staff, is, because it was contrary to a Jewish canon d to go into the mountain of the house, or temple, with a s...

JOHN 2:15 frage,llion {B} Several witnesses, including the two oldest (î66, 75 L Wsupp X 0162 ¦1 33 565 _al_), prefix w`j. If this word had been present in the original text, there is no good reason that would account for its having been omitted from the other witnesses. On the other hand, it is probable that copyists introduced the word in order to soften somewhat the bald statement that Jesus made a whip of cords; “he made a kind of whip of cords.”...

CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 2:1-22 _ 1. The Marriage in Cana. (John 2:1 .)_ 2. The Temple Cleansed. (John 2:12 .) The second chapter gives the record of the first miracle reported in this Gospel. He manifested His omniscience in the previous chapter and here, in turning water into wine, He reveals Himself as the omnipotent Creator. What harmony there is between the opening of the first two Chapter s of the Gospel of John. The first chapter speaks of Him as the Creator of all things and in the second chapter He manifests the power of the Creator. He needed no wine, no grapes, no mellowing process, to furnish the best wine. He but commanded and it was so. This is omnipotence. In John 2:17 of the previous chapter there is a

THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE. The Passover of the Jews as an author writing for Christians naturally describes it without special significance or bias, was near. Jesus, following the custom of the religious party in His nation, goes up with His disciples (John 2:17; John 2:22) to keep the feast (_cf._ Exodus 23:15). He finds the Temple desecrated by an illicit traffic in animals for the sacrifices, and sacred shekels of the heavy Phœ nician standard (pp. 116f.), in which alone the Temple tax could be paid. The expulsion is described with a fullness and correctness of detail (notice especially the _driving out_ of the cattle and (?) their attendants, the _overturning_ of the moneychangers-' tables, and the _telling_ the

MADE. SCOURGE OF SMALL CORDS. The original implies that it was made of rushes, which were carried in as bedding for cattle. It was not. formidable weapon of itself; was chosen more as. symbol, and was probably not laid in violence upon any one. DROVE THEM ALL OUT OF THE TEMPLE. His indignation was aroused at the desecration. As the representative of the Father he had the right to cleanse the Sanctuary, and here, first, he asserts his authority. The traffickers fled before his glance; not in terror of his scourge, or of one man whom they might have defied, but there was something about him that struck consternation; an authority,. divine majesty,. mysterious power that could not be resisted. The act was superhuman. If any one doubts it let him try to clean. market of thousands of greedy traffickers with. harmless scourge, and see how soon he will bite the earth. Along with the traders h...

THE NEW EXHILARATION (John 2:1-11)...