Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Mark: Chapter 12].
12:40 {Devour widows' houses} (\hoi katesthontes t•s oikias t•n
ch•r•n\). New sentence in the nominative. Terrible pictures of
civil wrong by graft grabbing the homes of helpless widows. They
inveigled widows into giving their homes to the temple and took
it for themselves. {For a pretence make long prayers} (\prophasei
makra proseuchomenoi\). \Prophasei\ instrumental case of the same
word (\proph•mi\) from which prophet comes, but here pretext,
pretence of extra piety while robbing the widows and pushing
themselves to the fore. Some derive it from \prophain•\, to show
forth. {Greater} (\perissoteron\). More abundant condemnation.
Some comfort in that at any rate.
12:41 {Sat down over against the treasury} (\kathisas katenanti
tou gazophulakiou\). The storm is over. The Pharisees, Sadducees,
Herodians, scribes, have all slunk away in terror ere the closing
words. Mark draws this immortal picture of the weary Christ
sitting by the treasury (compound word in the LXX from \gaza\,
Persian word for treasure, and \phulak•\, guard, so safe for
gifts to be deposited). {Beheld} (\ethe•rei\). Imperfect tense.
He was watching {how the multitude cast money} (\p•s ho ochlos
ballei\) into the treasury. The rich were casting in (\eballon\,
imperfect tense) as he watched.
12:42 {One poor widow} (\mia ch•ra pt•ch•\). Luke has \penichra\,
a poetical late form of \pen•s\. In the N.T. the \pt•chos\ is the
pauper rather than the mere peasant, the extreme opposite of the
rich (\plousioi\). The money given by most was copper
(\chalkon\). {Two mites} (\duo lepta\). \Leptos\ means peeled or
stripped and so very thin. Two \lepta\ were about two-fifths of a
cent. {Farthing} (\kodrantes\, Latin _quadrans_, a quarter of an
_as_).
12:43 {Called unto him} (\proskalesamenos\). Indirect middle
voice. The disciples themselves had slipped away from him while
the terrific denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees had gone
on, puzzled at this turn of affairs. {More than all} (\pleion
pant•n\). Ablative of comparison (\pant•n\). It may mean, more
than all the rich put together. {All that she had} (\panta hosa
eichen\). Imperfect tense. {Cast in} (\ebalen\). Aorist tense, in
sharp contrast. {All her living} (\holon ton bion aut•s\). Her
{livelihood} (\bios\), not her life (\z••\). It is a tragedy to
see a stingy saint pose as giving the widow's mite when he could
give thousands instead of pennies.
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