Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Mark: Chapter 12].
"knowing that he had answered them well" (\eid•s hoti kal•s
apekrith• autois\). "Them" here means the Sadducees. But Mt
22:35 says that this lawyer (\nomikos\) was "tempting"
(\peiraz•n\) by his question. "A few, among whom was the scribe,
were constrained to admire, even if they were willing to
criticize, the Rabbi who though not himself a Pharisee, surpassed
the Pharisees as a champion of the truth." That is a just picture
of this lawyer. {The first of all} (\pr•t• pant•n\). First in
rank and importance. Mt 22:36 has "great" (\megal•\). See
discussion there. Probably Jesus spoke in Aramaic. "First" and
"great" in Greek do not differ essentially here. Mark quotes De
6:4f. as it stands in the LXX and also Le 19:18. Mt 22:40
adds the summary: "On these two commandments hangeth (\krematai\)
the whole law and the prophets."
12:32 {And the scribe said} (\eipen aut•i ho grammateus\). Mark
alone gives the reply of the scribe to Jesus which is a mere
repetition of what Jesus had said about the first and the second
commandments with the additional allusion to 1Sa 15:22 about
love as superior to whole burnt offerings. {Well} (\kal•s\). Not
to be taken with "saidst" (\eipes\) as the Revised Version has it
following Wycliff. Probably \kal•s\ (well) is exclamatory. "Fine,
Teacher. Of a truth (\ep' al•theias\) didst thou say."
12:34 {Discreetly} (\nounech•s\). From \nous\ (intellect) and
\ech•\, to have. Using the mind to good effect is what the adverb
means. He had his wits about him, as we say. Here only in the
N.T. In Aristotle and Polybius. \Nounechont•s\ would be the more
regular form, adverb from a participle. {Not far} (\ou makran\).
Adverb, not adjective, feminine accusative, a long way (\hodon\
understood). The critical attitude of the lawyer had melted
before the reply of Jesus into genuine enthusiasm that showed him
to be near the kingdom of God. {No man after that} (\oudeis
ouketi\). Double negative. The debate was closed (\etolma\,
imperfect tense, dared). Jesus was complete victor on every side.
12:35 {How say the scribes} (\P•s legousin hoi grammateis\). The
opponents of Jesus are silenced, but he answers them and goes on
teaching (\didask•n\) in the temple as before the attacks began
that morning (11:27). They no longer dare to question Jesus,
but he has one to put to them "while the Pharisees were gathered
together" (Mt 22:41). The question is not a conundrum or
scriptural puzzle (Gould), but "He contents himself with pointing
out a difficulty, in the solution of which lay the key to the
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