01300
01301
 \\Go and see\\ (\\hupagete idete\\). John says that Jesus asked Philip to
 find out what food they had
 # Joh 6:5
 probably after the disciples had suggested that Jesus send the
 crowd away as night was coming on
 # Mr 6:35
 On this protest to his command that they feed the crowds
 # Mr 6:37; Mt 14:16; Lu 9:13
 Jesus said "Go see" how many loaves you can get hold of. Then
 Andrew reports the fact of the lad with five barley loaves and
 two fishes
 # Joh 6:8
 They had suggested before that two hundred pennyworth (\\dnarin\\
 \\diakosin\\.
 See note on "Mt 18:28"
 ) was wholly inadequate and even that (some thirty-five dollars)
 was probably all that or even more than they had with them.
 John's Gospel alone tells of the lad with his lunch which his
 mother had given him.

01302
 \\By companies\\ (\\sumposia sumposia\\). Distribution expressed by
 repetition as in
 # Mr 6:7
 (\\duo duo\\) instead of using \\ana\\ or \\kata\\. Literally our word
 _symposium_ and originally a drinking party, Latin _convivium_,
 then the party of guests of any kind without the notion of
 drinking. So in Plutarch and the LXX (especially I Macca.). \\Upon\\
 \\the green grass\\ (\\epi ti chlri chorti\\). Another Markan touch.
 It was passover time
 # Joh 6:4
 and the afternoon sun shone upon the orderly groups upon the
 green spring grass.
 See note on "Mt 14:15"
 They may have been seated like companies at tables, open at one
 end.

01303
 \\They sat down in ranks\\ (\\anepesan prasiai prasiai\\). They half-way
 reclined (\\anaklithnai\\, verse
 # 39
 Fell up here (we have to say fell down), the word \\anepesan\\ means.
 But they were arranged in groups by hundreds and by fifties and
 they looked like garden beds with their many-coloured clothes
 which even men wore in the Orient. Then again Mark repeats the
 word, \\prasiai prasiai\\, in the nominative absolute as in verse
 # 39
 instead of using \\ana\\ or \\kata\\ with the accusative for the idea of
 distribution. Garden beds, garden beds. Peter saw and he never
 forgot the picture and so Mark caught it. There was colour as
 well as order in the grouping. There were orderly walks between
 the rows on rows of men reclining on the green grass. The grass
 is not green in Palestine much of the year, mainly at the
 passover time. So here the Synoptic Gospels have an indication of
 more than a one-year ministry of Jesus (Gould). It is still one
 year before the last passover when Jesus was crucified.

01304
 \\Brake the loaves; and he gave to the disciples\\ (\\kai apo tn\\
 \\ichthun\\). Apparently the fishes were in excess of the twelve
 baskets full of broken pieces of bread.
 See note on "Mt 14:20"
  for discussion of \\kophinos\\ and \\sphuris\\, the two kinds of
 baskets.

01305
01306
01307
 \\Men\\ (\\andres\\). Men as different from women as in
 # Mt 14:21
 This remarkable miracle is recorded by all Four Gospels, a nature
 miracle that only God can work. No talk about accelerating
 natural processes will explain this miracle. And three
 eyewitnesses report it: the Logia of Matthew, the eyes of Peter
 in Mark, the witness of John the Beloved Disciple (Gould). The
 evidence is overwhelming.

01308
 \\To Bethsaida\\ (\\pros Bthsaidan\\). This is Bethsaida on the Western
 side, not Bethsaida Julias on the Eastern side where they had
 just been
 # Lu 9:10
 \\While he himself sendeth the multitude away\\ (\\hes autos apoluei\\
 \\ton ochlon\\).
 # Mt 14:22
 has it "till he should send away" (\\hes hou apolusi\\) with the
 aorist subjunctive of purpose. Mark with the present indicative
 \\apoluei\\ pictures Jesus as personally engaged in persuading the
 crowds to go away now.
 # Joh 6:41
 explains this activity of Jesus. The crowds had become so excited
 that they were in the mood to start a revolution against the
 Roman government and proclaim Jesus king. He had already forced
 in reality the disciples to leave in a boat \\to go before him\\
 (\\proagein\\) in order to get them out of this atmosphere of
 overwrought excitement with a political twist to the whole
 conception of the Messianic Kingdom. They were in grave danger of
 being swept off their feet and falling heedlessly into the
 Pharisaic conception and so defeating the whole teaching and
 training of Jesus with them.
 See note on "Mt 14:22"
 See note on "Mt 14:23"
 To this pass things had come one year before the Crucifixion. He
 had done his best to help and bless the crowds and lost his
 chance to rest. No one really understood Jesus, not the crowds,
 not the disciples. Jesus needed the Father to stay and steady
 him. The devil had come again to tempt him with world dominion in
 league with the Pharisees, the populace, and the devil in the
 background.

01309
01310
 \\When even was come\\ (\\opsias genomens\\). The second or late
 evening, six P.M. at this season, or sunset on. \\He alone on the\\
 \\land\\ (\\kai autos monos pi ts gs\\). Another Markan touch. Jesus
 had come down out of the mountain where he had prayed to the
 Father. He is by the sea again in the late twilight. Apparently
 Jesus remained quite a while, some hours, on the beach. "It was
 now dark and Jesus had not yet come to them"
 # Joh 6:17

01311
 \\Seeing them distressed in rowing\\ (\\idn autous basanizomenous en\\
 \\ti elaunein\\). See also
 # Mt 8:29
 for the word \\basaniz\\, to torture, torment
 # Mt 4:24
 with a touch-stone, then to distress as here. Papyri have \\dia\\
 \\basann\\ used on slaves like our third degree for criminals.
 \\Elaunein\\ is literally to drive as of ships or chariots. They
 drove the boat with oars. Common in Xenophon for marching. \\About\\
 \\the fourth watch of the night\\ (\\peri tetartn phulakn ts\\
 \\nuktos\\). That is, between three and six A.M. The wind was
 \\contrary to them\\ (\\enantios autois\\), that is in their faces and
 rowing was difficult, "a great wind"
 # Joh 6:18
 and as a result the disciples had made little progress. They
 should have been over long before this. \\And he would have passed\\
 \\by them\\ (\\kai thelen parelthein autous\\). Only in Mark. He wished
 to pass by them, _praeterire eos_ (Vulgate). Imperfect tense
 \\thelen\\. \\They thought\\ (\\edoxan\\). A natural conclusion. \\And cried\\
 \\out\\ (\\anekraxan\\). \\Cried up\\, literally, a shriek of terror, or
 scream.

01312
01313
 \\It is I\\ (\\ego eimi\\). These were the astounding words of cheer.
 They did not recognize Jesus in the darkness. They had never seen
 him or any one walk on the water. His voice reassured them.

01314
 \\They were sore amazed in themselves\\ (\\lian en heautois existanto\\).
 Only in Mark. Imperfect tense picturing vividly the excited
 disciples. Mark does not give the incident of Peter's walking on
 the water and beginning to sink. Perhaps Peter was not fond of
 telling that story.

01315
 \\For they understood not\\ (\\ou gar sunkan\\). Explanation of their
 excessive amazement, viz., their failure to grasp the full
 significance of the miracle of the loaves and fishes, a nature
 miracle. Here was another, Jesus walking on the water. Their
 reasoning process (\\kardia\\ in the general sense for all the inner
 man) \\was hardened\\ (\\n peprmen\\).
 See note on "Mr 3:5"
  about \\prsis\\. Today some men have such intellectual hardness or
 denseness that they cannot believe that God can or would work
 miracles, least of all nature miracles.

01316
 \\And moored to the shore\\ (\\kai prosrmisthsan\\). Only here in the
 New Testament, though an old Greek verb and occurring in the
 papyri. \\Hormos\\ is roadstead or anchorage. They cast anchor or
 lashed the boat to a post on shore. It was at the plain of
 Gennesaret several miles south of Bethsaida owing to the night
 wind.

01317
 \\Knew him\\ (\\epignontes auton\\). Recognizing Jesus, knowing fully
 (\\epi\\) as nearly all did by now. Second aorist active participle.

01318
 \\Ran about\\ (\\periedramon\\). Vivid constative aorist picturing the
 excited pursuit of Jesus as the news spread that he was in
 Gennesaret. \\On their beds\\ (\\epi tois krabattois\\). Pallets like
 that of the man let down through the roof
 # Mr 2:4
 \\Where they heard he was\\ (\\hopou kouon hoti estin\\). Imperfect
 tense of \\akou\\ (repetition), present indicative \\estin\\ retained in
 indirect discourse.

01319
 \\Wheresoever he entered\\ (\\hopou an eiseporeueto\\). The imperfect
 indicative with \\an\\ used to make a general indefinite statement
 with the relative adverb. See the same construction at the close
 of the verse, \\hosoi an hpsanto auton\\ (aorist indicative and \\an\\
 in a relative clause), \\as many as touched him\\. One must enlarge
 the details here to get an idea of the richness of the healing
 ministry of Jesus. We are now near the close of the Galilean
 ministry with its many healing mercies and excitement is at the
 highest pitch (Bruce).

01320
01321
 \\With defiled, that is unwashen hands\\ (\\koinais chersin, tout'\\
 \\estin aniptois\\). Associative instrumental case. Originally
 \\koinos\\ meant what was common to everybody like the _Koin_ Greek.
 But in later Greek it came also to mean as here what is vulgar or
 profane. So Peter in
 # Ac 10:14
 "common and unclean." The next step was the ceremonially unclean.
 The emissaries of the Pharisees and the scribes from Jerusalem
 had seen "some of the disciples" eat without washing their hands,
 how many we are not told. Swete suggests that in going through
 the plain the disciples were seen eating some of the bread
 preserved in the twelve baskets the afternoon before across the
 lake. There was no particular opportunity to wash the hands, a
 very proper thing to do before eating for sanitary reasons. But
 the objection raised is on ceremonial, not sanitary, grounds.

01322
 \\Diligently\\ (\\pugmi\\). Instrumental case, \\with the fist\\, up to the
 elbow, rubbing one hand and arm with the other hand clenched.
 Aleph had \\pukna\\ probably because of the difficulty about \\pugmi\\
 (kin to Latin _pugnus_). Schultess considers it a dry wash or
 rubbing of the hands without water as a ritualistic concession.
 The middle voice \\nipsntai\\ means their own hands. This verb is
 often used for parts of the body while \\lou\\ is used of the whole
 body
 # Joh 13:10
 On the tradition of the elders
 See note on "Mt 15:2"

01323
 \\From the marketplace\\ (\\ap' agoras\\). Ceremonial defilement was
 inevitable in the mixing with men in public. This \\agora\\ from
 \\ageir\\ to collect or gather, was a public forum in every town
 where the people gathered like the courthouse square in American
 towns. The disciples were already ceremonially defiled. \\Wash\\
 \\themselves\\ (\\baptisntai\\). First aorist middle subjunctive of
 \\baptiz\\, dip or immerse. Westcott and Hort put \\rantisntai\\ in the
 text translated "sprinkle themselves" in the margin of the
 Revised Version, because Aleph, B, and some of the best cursives
 have it. Gould terms \\rantisntai\\ "a manifest emendation," to get
 rid of the difficulty of dipping or bathing the whole body. Meyer
 says: "The statement proceeds by way of climax: before eating
 they wash the hands always. When they come from market they take
 a bath before eating." This is not the place to enter into any
 controversy about the meaning of \\baptiz\\, to dip, \\rantiz\\, to
 sprinkle, and \\ecche\\, to pour, all used in the New Testament. The
 words have their distinctive meanings here as elsewhere. Some
 scribes felt a difficulty about the use of \\baptisntai\\ here. The
 Western and Syrian classes of manuscripts add "and couches" (\\kai\\
 \\klinn\\) at the end of the sentence. Swete considers the
 immersions of beds (\\baptismous klinn\\) "an incongruous
 combination." But Gould says: "Edersheim shows that the Jewish
 ordinance required immersions, \\baptismous\\, of these vessels." We
 must let the Jewish scrupulosity stand for itself, though "and
 couches" is not supported by Aleph, B L D Bohairic, probably not
 genuine.

01324
01325
 \\Well\\ (\\kals\\). Appositely here, but ironical sarcasm in verse
 # 9
 Note here "you hypocrites" (\\humn tn hupokritn\\).

01326
01327
 \\Ye leave the commandment of God\\ (\\aphentes tn entoln tou theou\\).
 Note the sharp contrast between the command of God and the
 traditions of men. Jesus here drives a keen wedge into the
 Pharisaic contention. They had covered up the Word of God with
 their oral teaching. Jesus here shows that they care more for the
 oral teaching of the scribes and elders than for the written law
 of God. The Talmud gives abundant and specific confirmation of
 the truthfulness of this indictment.

01328
 \\Full well do ye reject the commandment of God that ye may keep\\
 \\your traditions\\ (\\kals atheteite tn entoln tou theou hina tn\\
 \\paradosin humn trste\\). One can almost see the scribes
 withering under this terrible arraignment. It was biting sarcasm
 that cut to the bone. The evident irony should prevent literal
 interpretation as commendation of the Pharisaic pervasion of
 God's word. See my _The Pharisees and Jesus_ for illustrations of
 the way that they placed this oral tradition above the written
 law.
 See note on "Mt 15:7"

01329
01330
 \\Corban\\ (\\korban ho estin dron\\).
 See note on "Mt 15:5"
 Mark preserves the Hebrew word for a gift or offering to God
 # Ex 21:17; Le 20:9
 indeclinable here, meaning \\gift\\ (\\dron\\), but declinable \\korbanas\\
 in
 # Mt 27:6
 meaning sacred treasury. The rabbis (\\but ye say\\, \\humeis de\\
 \\legete\\) actually allowed the mere saying of this word by an
 unfaithful son to prevent the use of needed money for the support
 of father or mother. It was a home thrust to these pettifogging
 sticklers for ceremonial punctilios. They not only justified such
 a son's trickery, but held that he was prohibited from using it
 for father or mother, but he might use it for himself.

01331
01332
 \\Making void the word of God by your tradition\\ (\\akurountes ton\\
 \\logon tou theou ti paradosei humn\\).
 See note on "Mt 15:6"
  for the word \\akurountes\\, invalidating, a stronger word than
 \\athetein\\, to set aside, in verse
 # 9
 See both used in
 # Ga 3:15,17
 Setting aside does invalidate.

01333
 \\And he called to him the multitude again\\ (\\kai proskalesamenos\\
 \\palin ton ochlon\\). Aorist middle participle, calling to himself.
 The rabbis had attacked the disciples about not washing their
 hands before eating. Jesus now turned the tables on them
 completely and laid bare their hollow pretentious hypocrisy to
 the people. \\Hear me all of you and understand\\ (\\akousate mou\\
 \\pantes kai suniete\\). A most pointed appeal to the people to see
 into and see through the chicanery of these ecclesiastics.
 See note on "Mt 15:11"
  for discussion.

01334
01335
01336
 \\When he was entered into the house from the multitude\\ (\\hote\\
 \\eislthen eis oikon apo tou ochlou\\). This detail in Mark alone,
 probably in Peter's house in Capernaum. To the crowd Jesus spoke
 the parable of corban, but the disciples want it interpreted (cf.
 # 4:10,33
 # Mt 15:15
 represents Peter as the spokesman as was usually the case.

01337
 \\Are ye so without understanding also?\\ (\\Houts kai humeis asunetoi\\
 \\este;\\).
 See note on "Mt 15:16"
 You also as well as the multitude. It was a discouraging moment
 for the great Teacher if his own chosen pupils (disciples) were
 still under the spell of the Pharisaic theological outlook. It
 was a riddle to them. "They had been trained in Judaism, in which
 the distinction between clean and unclean is ingrained, and could
 not understand a statement abrogating this" (Gould). They had
 noticed that the Pharisees stumbled at the parable of Jesus
 # Mt 15:12
 They were stumbling themselves and did not know how to answer the
 Pharisees. Jesus charges the disciples with intellectual dulness
 and spiritual stupidity.

01338
 \\Making all meats clean\\ (\\katharizn panta ta brmata\\). This
 anacoluthon can be understood by repeating \\he says\\ (\\legei\\) from
 verse
 # 18
 The masculine participle agrees with Jesus, the speaker. The
 words do not come from Jesus, but are added by Mark. Peter
 reports this item to Mark, probably with a vivid recollection of
 his own experience on the housetop in Joppa when in the vision
 Peter declined three times the Lord's invitation to kill and eat
 unclean animals
 # Ac 10:14-16
 It was a riddle to Peter as late as that day. "Christ asserts
 that _Levitical_ uncleanness, such as eating with unwashed hands,
 is of small importance compared with _moral_ uncleanness"
 (Vincent). The two chief words in both incidents, here and in
 Acts, are \\defile\\ (\\koino\\) and \\cleanse\\ (\\kathariz\\). "What God
 cleansed do not thou treat as defiled"
 # Ac 10:15
 It was a revolutionary declaration by Jesus and Peter was slow to
 understand it even after the coming of the Holy Spirit at
 Pentecost. Jesus was amply justified in his astonished question:
 \\Perceive ye not?\\ (\\ou noeite;\\). They were making little use of
 their intelligence in trying to comprehend the efforts of Jesus
 to give them a new and true spiritual insight.

01339
01340
 \\Evil thoughts\\ (\\hoi dialogismoi hoi kakoi\\). These come out of the
 heart (\\ek ts kardias\\), the inner man, and lead to the dreadful
 list here given like the crimes of a modern police court:
 \\fornications\\ (\\porneiai\\, usually of the unmarried), \\adulteries\\
 (\\moichaiai\\, of the married), \\thefts\\ (\\klopai\\, stealings),
 \\covetings\\ (\\pleonexiai\\, craze for more and more), \\murders\\
 (\\phonoi\\, growing out of the others often), \\wickednesses\\
 (\\ponriai\\, from \\ponos\\, toil, then drudge, bad like our _knave_,
 serving boy like German _Knabe_, and then criminal), \\deceit\\
 (\\dolos\\, lure or snare with bait), \\lasciviousness\\ (\\aselgeia\\,
 unrestrained sex instinct), \\evil eye\\ (\\ophthalmos ponros\\) or eye
 that works evil and that haunts one with its gloating stare,
 \\railing\\ (\\blasphmia\\, blasphemy, hurtful speech), \\pride\\
 (\\huperphania\\, holding oneself above others, stuck up),
 \\foolishness\\ (\\aphrosun\\, lack of sense), a fitting close to it
 all.

01341
01342
01343
 \\Into the borders of Tyre and Sidon\\ (\\eis ta horia Turou kai\\
 \\Sidnos\\). The departure from Capernaum was a withdrawal from
 Galilee, the second of the four withdrawals from Galilee. The
 first had been to the region of Bethsaida Julias in the territory
 of Herod Philip. This is into distinctly heathen land. It was not
 merely the edge of Phoenicia, but into the parts of Tyre and
 Sidon
 # Mt 15:21
 There was too much excitement among the people, too much
 bitterness among the Pharisees, too much suspicion on the part of
 Herod Antipas, too much dulness on the part of the disciples for
 Jesus to remain in Galilee. \\And he could not be hid\\ (\\kai ouk\\
 \\dunasth lathein\\). Jesus wanted to be alone in the house after
 all the strain in Galilee. He craved a little privacy and rest.
 This was his purpose in going into Phoenicia. Note the
 adversative sense of \\kai\\ here= "but."

01344
 \\Whose little daughter\\ (\\hs to thugatrion auts\\). Diminutive with
 tender touch. Note "whose" and "her" like vernacular today.
 \\Having heard of him\\ (\\akousasa peri autou\\). Even in this heathen
 territory the fame of Jesus was known. When the Sermon on the
 Mount was preached people were there from "the sea coast of Tyre
 and Sidon"
 # Lu 6:17

01345
 \\A Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by race\\ (\\Hellnis, Surophoinikissa ti\\
 \\genei\\). "A Greek in religion, a Syrian in tongue, a Phoenician in
 race" (Bruce), from Euthymius Zigabenus. She was not a Phoenician
 of Carthage. \\She besought\\ (\\rta\\). Imperfect tense. She kept at
 it. This verb, as in late Greek, is here used for a request, not
 a mere question. Abundant examples in the papyri in this sense.

01346
 \\Let the children first be filled\\ (\\aphes prton chortasthnai ta\\
 \\paidia\\). The Jews had the first claim. See the command of Jesus
 in the third tour of Galilee to avoid the Gentiles and the
 Samaritans
 # Mt 10:5
 Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles, but he gave the Jew the
 first opportunity
 # Ro 2:9
 See note on "Mt 15:24"
 ... and verses following

01347
 \\Even the dogs under the table\\ (\\kai ta kunaria hupokat ts\\
 \\trapezs\\). A delightful picture. Even the little dogs (\\kunaria\\)
 under the table \\eat of the children's crumbs\\ (\\esthiousin apo tn\\
 \\psichin tn paidin\\). Little dogs, little scraps of bread
 (\\psichion\\, diminutive of \\psichos\\, _morsel_), little children
 (\\paidia\\, diminutive of \\pais\\). Probably the little children
 purposely dropped a few little crumbs for the little dogs. These
 household dogs, pets of and loved by the children. _Braid Scots_
 has it: "Yet the wee dowgs aneath the table eat o' the moole o'
 the bairns." "A unique combination of faith and wit" (Gould).
 Instead of resenting Christ's words about giving the children's
 bread to the dogs (Gentiles) in verse
 # 27
 she instantly turned it to the advantage of her plea for her
 little daughter.

01348
 \\For this saying\\ (\\dia touton ton logon\\). She had faith, great
 faith as
 # Mt 15:28
 shows, but it was her quick and bright repartee that pleased
 Jesus. He had missed his rest, but it was worth it to answer a
 call like this.

01349
 \\And the demon gone out\\ (\\kai to daimonion exelluthos\\). This was
 her crumb from the children's table. The perfect active
 participle expresses the state of completion. The demon was gone
 for good and all.
