Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

John 13:37

This does not satisfy Peter. He sees it is some dangerous enterprise Jesus is undertaking, and he feels his courage discredited by the refusal to be allowed to accompany Him. Κύριε διατί … θήσω. “Putasne ulla itineris molestia me terreri?” Grotius. “In the zeal of love he mistakes the measure of his moral strength.” Meyer. Mt. and Mk. represent all the disciples as making the same declaration (Matthew 26:35; Mark 14:31); which made it all the more necessary to expose its unconscious hollowness, painful as it must have been to Jesus to do so Τὴν ψυχήν σου … τρίς. “Wilt thou lay down …? So far from that, you will deny me thrice before the morning.” οὐ μὴ ἀλέκτωρ φωνήσει. “Cock-crow” was used among the Jews as a designation of time (Lightfoot on Matthew 26:34); cf. Mark 13:35, where the night is divided into ὀψέ, μεσονύκτιον, ἀλεκτοροφωνία, πρωΐ. At the equinox cock-crow would be between 2 and 4 A.M. See Greswell's Dissert., iii. 216. This was incomprehensible; how the night could bring circumstances so appalling as to tempt any of them, and compel the hardiest to deny Jesus, they could not conceive.

Continues after advertising

BibliaPlus

Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

John 13:37

Old Testament

New Testament