_CRITICAL NOTES_ Matthew 7:3. MOTE.—The Greek noun so translated means a stalk, or twig. The illustration seems to have been a familiar one among the Jews, and a proverb all but verbally identical is found as a saying of Rabbi Tarphon (_Plumptre_). BEAM.—A graphic and almost droll representation of... [ Continue Reading ]
_CRITICAL NOTES_ Matthew 7:13. DESTRUCTION.—The word implies, not annihilation, but waste (Matthew 26:8; Mark 14:4), perdition, _i.e_. the loss of all that makes existence precious. I question whether a single passage can be adduced in which it means, in relation to material things, more than the b... [ Continue Reading ]
_CRITICAL NOTES_ Matthew 7:27. GREAT WAS THE FALL OF IT.—How lively must this imagery have been to an audience accustomed to the fierceness of an Eastern tempest, and the suddenness and completeness with which it sweeps everything unsteady before it! (_Brown_). We see, from the present example, tha... [ Continue Reading ]