Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 14].
similar verb (\probalont•n\), "pushing forward." Here (Acts) the
Textus Receptus uses \probibaz•\. "It should require a good deal
of 'educating' to bring a young girl to make such a grim request"
(Bruce). {Here} (\h•de\). On the spot. Here and now. {In a
charger} (\epi pinaki\). Dish, plate, platter. Why the obsolete
"charger"?
14:9 {Grieved} (\lup•theis\). Not to hurt, for in verse 5 we
read that he wanted (\thel•n\) to put him to death
(\apokteinai\). Herod, however, shrank from so dastardly a deed
as this public display of brutality and bloodthirstiness. Men who
do wrong always have some flimsy excuses for their sins. A man
here orders a judicial murder of the most revolting type "for the
sake of his oath" (\dia tous horkous\). "More like profane
swearing than deliberate utterance once for all of a solemn oath"
(Bruce). He was probably maudlin with wine and befuddled by the
presence of the guests.
14:10 {Beheaded John} (\apekephalisen I•an•n\). That is, he had
John beheaded, a causative active tense of a late verb
\apokephaliz•\. Took his head off.
14:11 {She brought it to her mother} (\•negken t•i m•tri aut•s\).
A gruesome picture as Herodias with fiendish delight witnesses
the triumph of her implacable hatred of John for daring to
reprove her for her marriage with Herod Antipas. A woman scorned
is a veritable demon, a literal she-devil when she wills to be.
Kipling's "female of the species" again. Legends actually picture
Salome as in love with John, sensual lust, of which there is no
proof.
14:12 {And they went and told Jesus} (\kai elthontes ap•ggeilan
t•i I•sou\). As was meet after they had given his body decent
burial. It was a shock to the Master who alone knew how great
John really was. The fate of John was a prophecy of what was
before Jesus. According to Mt 14:13 the news of the fate of
John led to the withdrawal of Jesus to the desert privately, an
additional motive besides the need for rest after the strain of
the recent tour.
14:13 {In a boat} (\en ploi•i\) "on foot" (\pez•i\, some MSS.
\pez•i\). Contrast between the lake and the land route.
14:14 {Their sick} (\tous arr•stous aut•n\). "Without strength"
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/MT14.RWP.html (3 of 7) [28/08/2004 09:03:12 a.m.]