Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Mark: Chapter 8]
11:32). But the mention of the sign of Jonah was "an absolute
refusal of signs in their sense" (Bruce). And when he did rise
from the dead on the third day, the Sanhedrin refused to be
convinced (see Acts 3 to 5).
8:14 {Bread} (\artous\). {Loaves}, plural. {More than one loaf}
(\ei m• hina arton\). Except one loaf. Detail only in Mark.
Practically for thirteen men when hungry.
8:15 {Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and the
leaven of Herod} (\Hor•te, blepete apo t•s zum•s t•n Pharisai•n
kai t•s zum•s H•r•idou\). Present imperatives. Note \apo\ and the
ablative case. \Zum•\ is from \zumo•\ and occurs already in Mt
13:33 in a good sense. For the bad sense see 1Co 5:6. He
repeatedly charged (\diestelleto\, imperfect indicative), showing
that the warning was needed. The disciples came out of a
Pharisaic atmosphere and they had just met it again at
Dalmanutha. It was insidious. Note the combination of Herod here
with the Pharisees. This is after the agitation of Herod because
of the death of the Baptist and the ministry of Jesus (Mr
6:14-29; Mt 14:1-12; Lu 9:7-9). Jesus definitely warns the
disciples against "the leaven of Herod" (bad politics) and the
leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees (bad theology and also bad
politics).
8:16 {They reasoned one with another} (\dielogizonto pros
all•lous\), implying discussion. Imperfect tense, kept it up. Mt
16:7 has \en heautois\, in themselves or among themselves.
8:17 Mark here (vv. 17-20) gives six keen questions of Jesus
while Mt 16:8-11 gives as four that really include the six of
Mark running some together. The questions reveal the
disappointment of Jesus at the intellectual dulness of his
pupils. The questions concern the intellect (\noeite\, from
\nous, suniete\, comprehend), the heart in a {hardened state}
(\pep•r•men•n\, perfect passive predicate participle as in Mr
6:52, which see), the eyes, the ears, the memory of both the
feeding of the five thousand and the four thousand here sharply
distinguished even to the two kinds of baskets (\kophinous,
sphurid•n\). The disciples did recall the number of baskets left
over in each instance, twelve and seven. Jesus "administers a
sharp rebuke for their preoccupation with mere temporalities, as
if there were nothing higher to be thought of _than bread_"
(Bruce). "For the time the Twelve are way-side hearers, with
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