crowds, who were already on the alert (xi. 55) about Jesus, and were now anxious to see Lazarus. It is the large multitude of the Jews' who come; i. e. of Christ's usual opponents. This again (comp. xi. 45-47) excites the hierarchy to take decisive measures. See on v. 12. But perhaps here and in v. 12 öxλos Toλús is virtually a compound word, the common people of the Jews, as distinct from the leaders. "Oxλos, in Cretan róλxos, seems to be akin to vulgus and 'folk.'

öv nyepev. See on v. 1. These repeated references to the raising of Lazarus (xi. 45, 47, xii. 1, 9, 10, 17) greatly strengthen the historical evidence for the miracle. They are quite inconsistent with the theory either of a misunderstanding or of deliberate fraud.

10. oi άpxiepeîs. See on vii. 32. Nothing is here said about the Pharisees (comp. xi. 47, 57), who are, however, not necessarily excluded. Both would wish to put Lazarus out of the way for the reason given in v. 11: but the chief priests, who were mostly Sadducees, would have an additional reason, in that Lazarus was a living refutation of their doctrine that 'there is no resurrection' (Acts xxiii. 8).

iva kai T. Aág. Whatever may be true about xi. 53, we must not suppose that this verse implies a formal sentence of death: it does not even imply a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

S. Augustine comments on the folly of the priests-as if Christ could not raise Lazarus a second time! But this ignores the 'also': the hierarchy meant to put both to death. Their folly consisted in failing to see, not that He could raise Lazarus again, but that He could raise Himself (ii. 19). Note that it is the unscrupulous hierarchy, who attempt this crime. Comp. xviii. 35, xix. 6, 15, 21.

11. ὑπῆγον...ἐπίστευον. The imperfects express a continual process were going away and believing. It is best to leave 'going away' quite indefinite; the idea of falling away from the hierarchy lies in the context and not in the word.

The climax is approaching. Of the Jews' themselves many are being won over to Christ, and are ready to give Him an enthusiastic reception whenever He appears. The remainder become all the more bitter, and resolve to sweep away anyone, however innocent, who contributes to the success of Jesus.

12-18. THE ENTHUSIASM OF THE PEOPLE.

12. Tη Éπaúρtov. From the date given v. 1, consequently Nisan 9, from Saturday evening to Sunday evening, if the chronology given on v. 1 is correct. S. John seems distinctly to assert that the Triumphal Entry followed the supper at Bethany: S. Matthew and S. Mark both place the supper after the entry, S. Matthew without any date and probably neglecting (as often) the chronological order, S. Mark also without date, yet apparently implying (xiv. 1) that the supper took place two days before the Passover. But the date in Mark xiv. 1 covers only two verses and must not be carried further in contradiction

to S. John's precise and consistent arrangement. S. John omits all details respecting the procuring of the young ass.

öxλos Toλús. Perhaps, as in v. 9, we should read ỏ öxλos πoλús, and understand the expression as one word, the common people. In both verses authorities are divided as to the insertion or omission of the article. But the common people' here are not Judaeans, but pilgrims from other parts, who have no prejudice against Jesus.

13. Tà Bata Tv 4. Literally, the palm-branches of the palm-trees; i.e. those which grew there, or which were commonly used at festivals. Batov (here only) means a palm-branch, apparently of Coptic origin. S. Matthew (xxi. 8) has кλádous dπò т. dévôρwv; S. Mark (xi. 8) σtißádas ek T. d. As often, it is S. John who is the most precise. Comp. Simon's triumphal entry into Jerusalem (1 Macc. xiii. 51). The palmtree was regarded by the ancients as characteristic of Palestine. 'Phoenicia' (Acts xi. 19, xv. 3) is probably derived from poivič. The tree is now comparatively rare, except in the Philistine plain: at 'Jericho, the city of palm-trees' (Deut. xxxiv. 3; 2 Chron. xxxviii. 15) there is not one. For κραυγάζω see on xviii. 40.

'Noavvá. This is evidence that the writer of this Gospel knows Hebrew. See on vi. 45. In the LXX. at Ps. cxvii. 25 we have a translation of the Hebrew, oŵoov dý, 'save we pray,' not a transliteration as here. (Comp. 'Alleluia' in Rev. xix. 1, 6). This Psalm was sung both at the F. of Tabernacles and also at the Passover, and would be very familiar to the people. It is said by some to have been written for the F. of Tabernacles after the return from captivity, by others for the founding or dedicating of the second Temple. It was regarded as Messianic, and both the Psalm and the palm-branches seem to imply a welcoming of the Messiah. In what follows the better reading gives Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel. The cry of the multitude was of course not always the same, and the different Evangelists give us different forms of it.

14. cúpav. S. John does not repeat the well-known story of the finding: see on ix. 35. Οι ἐστιν γεγραμμένον see on ii. 17.

15. un poßoû. The quotation is freely made from Zech. ix. 9: μὴ φοβοῦ is substituted for χαῖρε σφόδρα, and the whole is abbreviated. In writing βασ. σου and πῶλον ὄνου the Evangelist seems to be translating direct from the Hebrew. The best editions of LXX. omit σou, and all have λov véov. Comp. i. 29, vi. 45, xix. 37. If the writer of this Gospel knew the O.T. in Hebrew, he almost certainly was a Jew.

16. ouk yvwo av. A mark of candour: see on ii. 22, xi. 12, xx. 9. After Pentecost much that had been unnoticed or obscure before was brought to their remembrance and made clear (xiv. 26). But would a Christian of the second century have invented this dulness in Apostles? Taûra, with threefold emphasis, refers primarily to the placing Him on the young ass. For Socáoon see on vii. 39, xi. 4. The nom. to ἐποίησαν is οἱ μαθηταί: they themselves had unwittingly helped to fulfil the prophecy (Luke xix. 29, 37, 39).

17. ÖTE T. Aάg. See on v. 9. The multitude, therefore, that was with Him when He raised...were bearing witness. See on v. 41. This special mention of the 'calling from the tomb' is very natural in one who was there, and remembered the pwvn μeɣáλŋ (xi. 43) and the excitement which it caused; not so in a writer of fiction.

18. TOUTO. Emphatic: other signs had made comparatively little impression; this one had convinced even His enemies. There are two multitudes, one coming with Jesus from Bethany, and one (13, 18) meeting Him from Jerusalem. The Synoptists do not notice the latter.

19. THE DISCOMFITURE OF THE PHARISEES.

19. ewpeîre. Either (indic.) Ye behold, or Behold ye? or (imper.) Behold. The first seems best: comp. v. 39, xiv. 1, xv. 18; 1 John ii. 27, 28, 29. 'Ye see what a mistake we have made; we ought to have adopted the plan of Caiaphas long ago.'

Se o κóσμos. The exaggerated expression of their chagrin, which in this Divine epic is brought into strong contrast with the triumph of Jesus. Comp. a similar exaggeration from a similar cause iii. 26; 'all men come to Him.' For de see on i. 29. 'Aπλev, is gone away, implies that Jesus' gain is the Pharisees' loss. The words are perhaps recorded as another unconscious prophecy (xi. 50, vii. 35). After this confession of helplessness the Pharisees appear no more alone; the reckless hierarchy help them on to the catastrophe.

20-33. THE DESIRE OF THE GENTILES AND THE VOICE FROM

HEAVEN.

20. "Enves. In A.V. translated 'Gentiles' vii. 35 (where see note), and 'Greeks' here. Care must be taken to distinguish in the N.T. between Hellenes or 'Greeks,' i.e. born Gentiles, who may or may not have become either Jewish proselytes or Christian converts, and Hellenistae or 'Grecians,' as our Bible renders the word, i.e. Jews who spoke Greek and not Aramaic. Neither word occurs in the Synoptists. "EXŋves are mentioned here, vii. 35, and frequently in the Acts and in S. Paul's Epistles. Envioral are mentioned only Acts vi. 1, ix. 29: in Acts xi. 20 the right reading is probably "Ελληνας.

Twv avaßαivóvтwv. That were wont to go up to worship. This shews that they were 'proselytes of the gate,' like the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts viii. 27): see on Matt. xxiii. 15. In this incident we have an indication of the salvation rejected by the Jews passing to the Gentiles: the scene of it was probably the Court of the Gentiles; it is peculiar to S. John, who gives no note of time.

21. Piλíπ] Their coming to S. Philip was the result either (1) of accident; or (2) of previous acquaintance, to which the mention of his home seems to point; or (3) of his Greek name, which might attract them. See on i. 45, vi. 5, xiv. 8. In Kúpe they shew their

respect for the disciple of such a Master (comp. iv. 11, 15, 19). Their desire to 'come and see' for themselves (0éXoμev ideîv) would at once win the sympathy of the practical Philip. See on i. 46 and xiv. 8.

22. T 'Avdpéa] Another Apostle with a Greek name. They were both of Bethsaida (i. 44), and possibly these Greeks may have come from the same district. S. Philip seems to shrink from the responsibility of introducing Gentiles to the Messiah, and applies in his difficulty to the Apostle who had already distinguished himself by bringing others to Christ (i. 41, vi. 8, 9).

23. ὁ δὲ Ἰ. ἀποκρίνεται. He anticipates the Apostles and addresses them before they introduce the Greeks. We are left in doubt as to the result of the Greeks' request. Nothing is said to them in particular, though they may have followed and heard this address to the Apostles, which gradually shades off into soliloquy.

These men from the West at the close of Christ's life set forth the same truth as the men from the East at the beginning of it—that the Gentiles are to be gathered in. The wise men came to His cradle, these to His cross, of which their coming reminds Him; for only by His death could the nations' be saved.

ἐλήλυθεν ἡ ὥρα. The phrase is peculiar to S. John; vii. 30, viii. 20, xiii. 1, xvii. 1: contrast Matt. xxvi. 45; Luke xxii. 14. The verb first for emphasis (iv. 21, 23), 'it hath come-the fated hour.' See on vii. 6, xiii. 1. The iva indicates the Divine purpose (xiii. 1, xvi. 2, 32; xi. 50); see Winer, p. 576. Aogaoon, by His Passion and Death, through which He must pass to return to glory (vii. 39, xi. 4; i. 52). ȧury ȧμýv. i. 52. Strange as it may seem that the Messiah should die, yet this is but the course of nature: a seed cannot be glorified unless it dies. A higher form of existence is obtained only through the extinction of the lower form that preceded it. Except the grain of wheat fall into the earth and die it abideth by itself alone.

25. ψυχήν...ζωήν. Ψυχή is the life of the individual, ζωή life in the abstract. By a noble disregard of the former we win the latter: sacrifice of self is the highest self-preservation. See on Matt. x. 39, xvi. 25; Mark viii. 35; Luke ix. 24, xvii. 33. Most of these texts refer to different occasions, so that this solemn warning must have been often on His lips. This occasion is distinct from all the rest. 'AπOMÚε is either destroyeth it or loseth it: selfishness is self-ruin,

ó μov. He who, if necessary, is ready to act towards his yuxń as if he hated it. Neither here nor in Luke xiv. 26 must μgeîv be watered down to mean 'be not too fond of:' it means that and a great deal more. For ζωὴν αἰώνιον see on iii. 15, 16.

26. éμol áxoloveeíтw. In My life of self-sacrifice: Christ Himself has set the example of hating one's life in this world. These words are perhaps addressed through the disciples to the Greeks listening close at hand. If they wish to see Jesus' and know Him they must

count the cost first. 'Euol is emphatic in both clauses. Note the pronouns în what follows. Where am, i. e. in My kingdom, which is already secured to Me:' the phrase is peculiar to this Gospel (xiv. 3, xvii. 24): Winer, p. 332. The èkeî possibly includes the road to the kingdom, death. On ò d. ò éμós see on viii. 31.

ἐάν τις. The offer is all-embracing: vi. 51, vii. 17, 37, viii. 52, x. 9. Note the change of order. Here the verbs are emphatic, and balance one another. Such service is not humiliating but honourable. The verse is closely parallel to v. 25.

27. A verse of known difficulty: several meanings are admissible and none can be affirmed with certainty. The doubtful points are (1) the interrogation, whether it should come after τί εἴπω or ταύτης; (2) the meaning of dià TOûTO.

ἡ ψυχή μ. τετάρακται. My soul has been and still is troubled. It is the ux, the seat of the natural emotions and affections, that is troubled; not the veûμa, as in xi. 35. But, to bring out the connexion with vv. 25, 26, we may render, Now is My life troubled. that would serve Me must follow Me and be ready to hate his life; for My life has long since been tossed and torn with suffering and sorrow.'

'He

Tí ETW; What must I say? This appears to be the best punctuation; and the question expresses the difficulty of framing a prayer under the conflicting influences of fear of death and willingness to glorify His Father by dying. The result is first a prayer under the influence of fear-'save Me from this hour' (comp. 'Let this cup pass from Me,' Matt. xxvi. 39), and then a prayer under the influence of ready obedience-' Glorify Thy Name' through My sufferings. But σώσόν με ÈK means 6 save me out of,' i.e. 'bring Me safe out of;' rather than save Me from' (σŵσóv μe άπó), i.e. 'keep Me altogether away from,' as in 'deliver us from the evil one' (Matt. vi. 13). Note the aorist, which shews that special present deliverance, rather than perpetual preservation, is prayed for. S. John omits the Agony in the garden, which was in the Synoptists and was well known to every Christian; but he gives us here an insight into a less known truth, which is still often forgotten, that the agony was not confined to Gethsemane, but was part of Christ's whole life. Comp. Luke xii. 50. Others place the question at raúrns, and the drift of the whole will then be, 'How can I say, Father, save Me from this hour? Nay, I came to suffer; therefore My prayer shall be, Father, glorify Thy Name.'

Sid TOUTO. These words are taken in two opposite senses; (1) that I might be saved out of this hour; (2) that Thy Name might be glorified by My obedience. Both make good sense. If the latter be adopted it would be better to transpose the stops, placing a full stop after from this hour' and a colon after unto this hour.'

28. ἦλθεν οὖν. There came therefore, i. e. in answer to Christ's prayer. There can be no doubt what S. John wishes us to understand; -that a voice was heard speaking articulate words, that some could

ST JOHN

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