CRITICAL. wife, saving for the cause of forni- tery and whosoever shall 33 Again, ye have heard that 1 An important correction. The participle has not the article, and must not be translated definitely. Whether, however, it should be translated 'a divorced woman' generally, or, as in the text, is by no means certain. The most natural view would seem to be that ἀπολελυμένην is what grammarians call a tertiary predicate, and that thus the reference is to one unlawfully divorced as above specified. 37 But GRAMMATICAL. that is by because See De Wette and Meyer, in loc. It must however always remain an important fact in the great controversy connected with this verse that St. Matthew has not inserted the article. Had he done so it would have been certain that the reference was to the special case abovementioned: as it is, the utmost that can fairly be said in regard of the exact inference to be drawn from the words, is-non liquet. CRITICAL. GRAMMATICAL. let your speech' be, Yea, yea; Nay, communication nay whatsoever is more than for whatsoever these cometh of evil.2 38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil : but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43 Ye have heard that it hath 3 evil and good, and sendeth rain on on the good the just and unjust. 46 For if ye on the unjust love them which love you, what re ward have ye? do publicans the same1? matically to the meaning of the original than any other expression. The translation 'that desireth' (Alf.) is heavy, and better suited to the stronger form βούλομαι: 'that wisheth' is weak; and 'that is willing' too purely independent of all latent purpose, to suit, at any rate, the present passage. 1 This is one of the many cases in which the 2 or 3 oldest MSS. with the best cursives and some few Versions of high character are opposed to the Codex Bezæ supported by all the second-class Uncial MSS. and many Versions. Nearly all modern critics, in both cases in this verse, agree with the older witnesses, and adopt the shorter reading. 2 See note on ver. 9. 3 Here a very rigidly accurate not even the 47 And if ye translation would perhaps mark the absence of the article on evil men and good' (comp. Wycl. 'on good and evil men') and similarly in the next clause. This however would seem to be unnecessary, the general sense being expressed fully and fairly by the text, especially when the repetition of the preposition is dispensed with. The evil and good and the just and unjust are here considered as a whole class to whom the benefits are equally vouchsafed. See above, p. 114, note. The best critical editors here read ourwc, but, as it would seem, not on distinctly sufficient evidence. In the next verse the balance is much more decided, the Vatican, Sinaitic, and Codex Bezæ being all on the same side. CRITICAL. salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even publicans so? the heathen the same? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. GRAMMATICAL. alms CHAPTER VI. I Take heed that ye do not your righteousness' before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 When therefore thou Therefore when doest alms, do not sound a trumpet thine alms before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, This is a textual change in which the state of the critical evidence is much about the same as in chap. v. 44. All the best modern editors adopt the reading in the text: ἐλεημοσύνην was natural gloss. a very 2 Change made on the same principle as in chap. v. 23. The insertion of thine' in italics in the A. V. is clearly unnecessary; see below ver. 3. It is found in Tynd. and Gen., but not in Cranmer nor in Rhem. CRITICAL. openly. thou prayest, thou shalt openly. 5 And when ye pray, ye shall when ye pray, use not vain repeti- The reading is here very doubtful. On the whole, due regard being had to the principles of the above revision, to the state of the evidence, and to the possibility of a conformation to ver. 18, it seems best to retain the pronoun. 2 The change here to requite' (Alford) is unnecessary. No doubt ' reward' is now commonly referred to the idea of repaying for good, and has lost its neutral sense of simple requital with passages, however, such as 1 Sam. xxiv. 17 before us it does not seem necessary to disturb : GRAMMATICAL. the familiar words. Here again is a case in which the principle of least possible change seems to influence our decision. 3 The omission of ' openly' seems consistent with the principles of this revision. The three great MSS. (observe that the Alexandrian is deficient throughout the portion now before us) are in favour of the omission both here and in ver. 6, and are supported by valuable cursive mss. and several important Versions. The best critical editors also agree in the |