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as Jesus m heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. 37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. 39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. John xi. 11. 40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put f Acts ix. 40. them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was [Plying]. 41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. 42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. 43 And he charged xii. 16: xvii. them straitly that no man should know it; manded that something should be given her to eat. VI. 1 And he went out from thence, and came into his a see Luke iv. own country; and his disciples follow him. 2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue and many

m read, overheard.
render, a.

and com

hearing him were astonished,

n render, being spoken.

g Matt. viii. 4: 9. ch. iii. 12. Luke v. 14.

16.

Pomitted by many ancient authorities.

were surreptitiously obtained: see note -on Luke, ver. 48. 36.] Jesus. overheard the message (word that was) being spoken: a mark of accuracy which is lost in the A. V. 40.] How capricious, according to modern criticism, must this Evangelist have been, who compiled his narrative out of Matthew and Luke, adding minute particulars-in leaving out here knowing that she was dead (Luke), a detail so essential, if St. Mark had really been what he is represented. Can testimony be stronger to the untenableness of such a view, and the independence of his narration ? And yet such abound in every chapter. 41. I say unto thee is added in the translation. The accuracy of St. Mark's reports,-not, as has been strangely suggested, the wish to indicate that our Lord did not use mystic magical language on such occasions,-often gives occasion to the insertion of the actual Syriac and Aramaic words spoken by the Lord: see ch. vii. 11, 34; xiv. 36. Talitha, in the ordinary dialect of the people, is a word of endearment addressed to a young maiden.

The

So that the words are equivalent to Rise,
my child. Peculiar to Mark.
whole account is probably derived from
the testimony of Peter, who was present.
For she was of the age of twelve years is
added, as Bengel, to shew that she "re-
turned to the state of body congruous to
her age."
43.] betokens an eye-
witness, who relates what passed within.
St. Matthew says nothing of this, but tells
what took place without, viz. the spreading
abroad of the report. Notice in the last
words, that her further recovery of strength
is left to natural causes.

CHAP. VI. 1-6.] REJECTION OF JESUS
BY HIS COUNTRYMEN AT NAZARETH.
Matt. xiii. 54-58, where see notes.
1.] went out from thence, not, from the
house of Jaïrus, by the expression his own
country in the corresponding clause. I
may go out of my own house into a neigh-
bour's, but I do not say, I go out of my
own house into Lincolnshire: the two mem-
bers of such a sentence must correspond :—
I go out of Leicestershire into Lincolnshire
- so, as corresponding to his own country,

46. Gal. i. 19.

d Matt. xi. 6.

с

b John vi. 42. saying, 'From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that [a even] such mighty works are wrought by his hands? 3 Is not e see Matt. xii, this the carpenter, the son of Mary, be the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at e John iv. 44. him. 4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his f see Gen. xix. own kin, and in his own house. 5f And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few g see Isa. lix. sick folk, and healed them. 6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief.

22.

16.

h Luke xiii. 22.

And he went round about the villages, teaching. i ch. iii. 13, 14. 7 i And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; 8 and commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, savè a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: 9 but be shod with 1 Luke x. 7, 8. sandals; and not put on two coats. 101 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there m Luke x. 10. abide till ye depart from that place. 11 m And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence,

k Acts xii. 8.

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from thence must mean from that city, i. e. Capernaum. This against those who try on this misinterpretation to ground a difference between St. Matthew and St. Mark.

3. the carpenter] This expression does not seem to be used at random,-but to signify that the Lord had actually worked at the trade of his reputed father. Justin Martyr says, "For He wrought, while among men, the ordinary works of a carpenter, to wit, ploughs and yokes." But on the other hand, Origen (carelessly ?) asserts that nowhere in the Gospels received in the churches is Jesus Himself called a carpenter.

5.] he could there do no... the want of ability spoken of is not absolute, but relative: "not because He was powerless, but because they were faithless." Theophylact. The same voice, which could still the tempests, could any where and under any circumstances have commanded diseases to obey; but in most cases of human infirmity, it was our Lord's practice to require faith in the recipient of aid: and that being wanting, the help could not be given. However, from what follows, we find that in a few instances it did exist, and the help was given accordingly.

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7-13.] THE SENDING FORTH OF THE TWELVE. Matt. x. 1-15. Luke ix. 1-5: see also Matt.ix.36-38, as the introduction to this mission. The variations in the three accounts are very trifling, as we might expect in so solemn a discourse delivered to all the twelve. See the notes to Matthew; -and respecting the subsequent difference between Matthew (ver. 16 ff.) and Luke,— those on Luke x. 7. by two and two] These couples are pointed out in Matthew's list of the Apostles-not however in Mark's, which again shews the total absence of connecting design in this Gospel, such as is often assumed. 8.] Striking instances occur in these verses, of the independence of the three reports in their present form. save a staff only Mark, nor yet a staff

xviii. 6.

"shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony n Acts xii. 51: d against them. [e Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.] 12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and o James v. 14. healed them. 14 And king Herod heard [of him]; for

P Matt. xvi. 14.

his name was spread abroad: and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 P Others said, ch. viii. 28. That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, [or] as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, i It is John, whom I beheaded he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth John, and bound him in prison for

and laid hold upon

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xx. 21.

Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not r Lev.xviii. 16: lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared s Matt. xxi. 26. John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and

would have

kk observed him; and when he heard him, he did many

d render, to.

f

e omitted in most of the ancient authorities: probably inserted here from Matt. x. 15. not expressed in the original: more probably, thereof, as in ver. 16. gor, the powers work mightily in him.

homit.

i many ancient authorities read, John, whom I beheaded, is risen from the dead. ki.e. was minded to kill him.

kk render, kept him safe.

Matthew, neither a staff Luke. See notes
on Matthew, also in the next clause. 13.7
anointed with oil-this oil was not used
medicinally, but as a vehicle of healing
power committed to them;-a symbol of a
deeper thing than the oil itself could ac-
complish. That such anointing has nothing
in common with the extreme unction of
Romanists, see proved in note on James
v. 14.
See for instances of such symbolic
use of external applications, 2 Kings v. 14:
Mark viii. 23: John ix. 6, &c.

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15.] (He is) a prophet as one of the prophets;-i. e. in their meaning, 'He is not The Prophet for whom all are waiting, but only some prophet like those who have gone before.' Where did our Evangelist get this remarkable expression, in his supposed compilation from Matthew and Luke? 16.] "I (which is emphatic in the original) has the emphasis given by his guilty conscience." Meyer. The prin

cipal additional particulars in the following account of John's imprisonment and execution are,-ver. 19, that it was Herodias who persecuted John, whereas Herod knew his worth and holiness, and listened to him with pleasure, and even complied in many things with his injunctions:-that the maiden went and asked counsel of her mother before making the request; and that an executioner, one of the body-guard, was sent to behead John. 18.] said,

t Gen. xl. 20.

vii. 2.

t

things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and 1 chief estates of Galilee; 22 and when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and u Esth. v. 3, 6: I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, " Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a m charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 and brought his head in a m charger, and gave it to the damsel and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.

v ch. iii. 20.

30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while for there were many coming and going, and they

1

render, chief men. more than once: it was the burden of John's exhortations to him. 20.] kept him safe, or preserved him; not, as in A. V. observed him, or esteemed him highly-kept him in safety that he should not be killed by Herodias. Whether Herod heard him only at such times as he happened to be at Machærus, or took him also to his residence at Tiberias, is uncertain. 21.] a convenient day, not, a festal day, as Hammond and others interpret it, but, a day suitable for the purposes of Herodias: which shews that the dance, &c. had been all previously contrived by her.

30-44.] FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND. Matt. xiv. 13-21. Luke ix. 10-17. John vi. 1-13. This is one of the very few points of comparison between the four Gospels during the ministry of our Lord. And here again I believe St. Mark's report

mi.e. a large dish.

to be an original one, and of the very highest authority. Professor Bleek believed that Mark has used the Gospel of John -on account of the 200 denarii in our ver. 37 and John, ver. 7: and that he generally compiles his narrative from Matthew and Luke, which has been elsewhere shewed to be utterly untenable. I believe St. Mark's to be an original full account; St. Matthew's a compendium of this same account, but drawn up independently of St. Mark's: -St. Luke's a compendium of another account:-St. John's an independent narrative of his own as eye-witness. 30.] Mentioned by Luke, not by Matthew. 31-34.] One of the most affecting descriptions in the Gospels, and in this form peculiar to Mark. St. Matthew has a brief compendium of it. Every word and clause is full of the rich recollections of one who saw, and felt the whole. Are we mistaken in tracing the

34

n

had no leisure so much as to eat. 32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. 33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither, out of all cities, and outwent them [°, and came together unto him]. 3w And P Jesus, when he came out, w Matt. ix. 36. saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. 35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: 36 send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. they say unto him, sx Shall we go and buy two hundred x Num. xi. 13, pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? 38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. 41 And when he had taken the

buy 37 He

And

And

Χ

22. 2 Kings iv. 43.

39 And y see Matt. xv.

34. ch. viii. 5.

Matt. xxvi.

26.

five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, " and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his z1 Sam. ix. 13. disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 42 And they did all eat, and were filled. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, n render, by land.

。 omit.

P the most ancient authorities read, when he came out he saw.

¶ both expressions are the same in the original, being literally, the hour is late, or far advanced.

r

many ancient authorities read, only, buy themselves something to eat. $ render, Must.

warm heart of him who said, 'I will go
with thee to prison and to death?'
31.] ye yourselves-not others; ‘you alone.'

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33. afoot] perhaps better rendered by land. 34.] when he came out, i. e. had disembarked, most probably. Meyer would render it, having come forth from his solitude,' in Matthew, and having disembarked' here: but I very much doubt the former. There is nothing in Matthew to imply that He had reached his place of solitude before the multitudes came up. John indeed, vv. 3-7, seems to imply this; but He may very well have mounted the hill or cliff from the sea before He saw the VOL. I.

multitudes, and this would be on his dis-
embarkation. 35.] See notes on John
vi. 3-7, and Matt. xiv. 15-17. The
Passover was near, which would account
for the multitude being on the move.
37.] This verse is to me rather a decisive
proof that (see above) Mark had not seen
John's account; for how could he, having
done so, and with his love for accurate
detail, have so generalized the particular
account of Philip's question? That gene-
ralization was in the account which he used.
and the circumstance was more exactly re-
lated by John, as also the following one
concerning Andrew. The dividing of the

R

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