Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Matthew 10:19-22

μὴ μεριμνήσητε, etc.: a second counsel against anxiety (Matthew 6:25), this time not as to food and raiment, but as to speech at a critical hour. With equal emphasis: trouble not yourselves either as to manner or matter, word or thought (πῶς ἢ τί). δοθήσεται : thought, word, tone, gesture everything that tends to impress all will be given at the critical hour (ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ). In the former instance anxiety was restricted to the day (Matthew 6:34). Full, absolute inspiration promised for the supreme moment. οὐ γὰρ ὑμεῖς, etc.: not you but the divine Spirit the speaker. οὐ, ἀλλὰ, non tam quam, interprets Grotius, followed by Pricaeus, Elsner, Fritzsche, etc. = not so much you as; as if it were an affair of division of labour, so much ours, so much, and more, God's. It is, however, all God's and yet all ours. It is a case of immanent action, τὸ λαλοῦν ἐν ὑμῖν, not of a transcendent power coming in upon us to help our infirmity, eking out our imperfect speech. Note the Spirit is called the Spirit τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν, echo of Matthew 6:32. Some of the greatest, most inspired utterances have been speeches made by men on trial for religious convictions. A good conscience, tranquility of spirit, and a sense of the greatness of the issue involved, make human speech at such times touch the sublime. Theophy, distinguishes the human and the divine in such utterances thus: ours to confess, God's to make a wise apology (τὸ μὲν ὁμολογεῖν ἡμέτερον, τὸ δὲ σοφῶς ἀπολογεῖσθαι Θεοῦ).

Continues after advertising

BibliaPlus

Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Matthew 10:19-22

Old Testament

New Testament