John 2:9

ruler of the feast Perhaps manager of the feastwould be better. It is doubtful whether the head-waiter, who managed the feast and tasted the meat and drink, is meant, or the rex convivii, arbiter bibendi, the guest elected by the other guests to preside. The bad taste of his remark inclines one to the former alternative: Sir 32:1-2 is in favour of the second. In any case the translation should be uniform in these two verses, not sometimes -governor," sometimes -ruler." It is the same Greek word in all three cases, a word occurring nowhere else in N.T. The words also for -water-pot" or -pitcher" and for -draw out" are peculiar to this Gospel; but they occur again John 4:7; John 4:15; John 4:28.

the water that was made wine Or, the water now become wine. The Greek seems to imply that all the water had become wine; there is nothing to mark a distinction between what was now wine and what still remained water. It is idle to ask at what precise moment the water became wine: nor is much gained by representing the miracle as a series of natural processes (rain passing through the vine into the grapes, being pressed out and fermented, &c.) compressed into an instant. Such compression is neither more nor less intelligible than simple transition from water to wine. Moreover there was no vine.

which drew Better, who had drawn.

called Rather, calleth.