Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 11].
world out of the indifference of the past. They would not play
wedding or funeral in a peevish fret. These metaphors in the
Gospels are vivid to those with eyes to see. The \agora\ was
originally the assembly, then the forum or public square where
the people gathered for trade or for talk as in Athens (Ac
17:17) and in many modern towns. So the Roman Forum. The
oriental bazaars today are held in streets rather than public
squares. Even today with all the automobiles children play in the
streets. In English the word "cheap" (Cheapside) meant only
barter and price, not cheap in our sense. The word for mourn
(\ekopsasthe\) means to beat the heart, direct middle, after the
fashion of eastern funeral lamentations.
11:19 {Wisdom is justified by her works} (\edikai•th• apo t•n
erg•n aut•s\). A timeless aorist passive (Robertson, _Grammar_,
p. 836f.). The word "justified" means "set right" Luke (Lu
7:35) has "by all her children" as some MSS. have here to make
Matthew like Luke. These words are difficult, but understandable.
God's wisdom has planned the different conduct of both John and
Jesus. He does not wish all to be just alike in everything. "This
generation" (verse 16) is childish, not childlike, and full of
whimsical inconsistencies in their faultfinding. They exaggerate
in each case. John did not have a demon and Jesus was not a
glutton or a winebibber. "And, worse than either, for \philos\ is
used in a sinister sense and implies that Jesus was the comrade
of the worst characters, and like them in conduct. A malicious
nickname at first, it is now a name of honour: the sinner's
lover" (Bruce). Cf. Lu 15:2. The plan of God is justified by
results.
11:20 {Most of his mighty works} (\hai pleistai dunameis autou\).
Literally, "His very many mighty works" if elative as usual in
the papyri (Moulton, _Prolegomena_, p. 79; Robertson, _Grammar_,
p. 670). But the usual superlative makes sense here as the
Canterbury translation has it. This word \dunamis\ for miracle
presents the notion of _power_ like our _dynamite_. The word
\teras\ is wonder, portent, _miraculum_ (miracle) as in Ac
2:19. It occurs only in the plural and always with \s•meia\. The
word \s•meion\ means sign (Mt 12:38) and is very common in
John's Gospel as well as the word \ergon\ (work) as in Joh
5:36. Other words used are \paradoxon\, our word _paradox_,
strange (Lu 5:26), \endoxon\, glorious (Lu 13:17),
\thaumasion\, wonderful (Mt 21:15).
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/MT11.RWP.html (4 of 6) [28/08/2004 09:03:06 a.m.]