apprehended, removed to Galilee, and, leaving Nazareth, went to dwell at Capernaum on the shore of the lake."

Respecting John's imprisonment, see Matthew xiv. 3-5; Mark vi. 17-20; Luke iii. 19, 20.

66

removed to Galilee": see John iv. 3, 43, and Appendix, Note B, p. 490.

66

went to dwell at Capernaum."

Capernaum was the

place of our Lord's residence, when not engaged in travelling, during a great part of his ministry; that is, as I suppose, from a little after the first Passover in his ministry till the approach of the Feast of Tabernacles which preceded the third and last Passover.

Capernaum was on the western side of the lake of Galilee, as appears from the Gospels and from Josephus. It may, likewise, be probably inferred from the Gospels, — namely, from a comparison of Matthew xiv. 34 and Mark vi. 53 with John vi. 17, 24, 25, 59, — that it was situated in the plain of Gennesaret, which extends about three miles along the shore. That such was the fact seems to be determined by a passage of Josephus, which, at the same time, may serve to fix its site more particularly. He says (De Bell. Jud. Lib. III. c. 10. § 8), speaking of the fertility and beauty of the plain of Gennesaret, that, "in addition to its happy temperature, it is watered by a most abundant fountain, which the inhabitants call Capharnaum." This is but another mode of spelling the name Capernaum, and there seems no reason to doubt that the fountain of Capharnaum derived its name from its vicinity to the town of Capernaum or Capharnaum. Such a fountain there is at the distance

of about a mile from the southern extremity of the plain, "rising immediately at the foot of the western line of hills." It fills a "reservoir nearly a hundred feet in diameter" to the depth of "perhaps two feet," and "flows out in a large stream, to water the plain below." This we may reasonably suppose to be the fountain mentioned by Josephus. There is, indeed, another at the northern extremity of the plain, which "gushes out from beneath the rocks, and forms a brook, flowing into the lake a few rods distant." But it is very improbable that Josephus would have spoken in the terms which he uses of this latter fountain, the fertilizing effects of which are so confined; and as he mentions only a single fountain, there would seem no doubt that he refers to the far more important one first described.

The passages quoted are from Professor Robinson's Biblical Researches (III. 283-287). He is disposed to fix the site of Capernaum near the fountain last mentioned, but for reasons which do not seem to me of weight when opposed to the consideration suggested above.

Capernaum was but a small place. Its very ruins have long since perished; and where it once stood, its name is unknown. It possessed but a single synagogue, and that had been built by one who was a Gentile by birth. This appears from Luke vii. 5.

14. "that what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled."

“The words ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθέν, rendered in the Common Version, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken,' and other forms equivalent in sense, in which the verb λŋрoûν, rendered to fulfil, is used, occur frequently in the Gospels, as introduc

tory to quotations from the Old Testament. There has been much controversy respecting their meaning; and it is a question which it is important to settle. It is clear that they are often used to introduce what the writer considered as a prophecy; but their use, as may be made evident, is not confined to this purpose.

to a max

"The verb in question denotes, in its primary senses, to fill up, to complete, to make perfect. In a secondary sense, it is applied to a prophecy which is supposed to be accomplished. The event is considered as the counterpart of the prophecy; and by its occurrence, the prophecy, which before was regarded as imperfect, existing without its completion, is conceived of as completed. But, in a similar manner, it may be applied to a law, which is fulfilled by its performance or execution; im when an exemplification of it is pointed out; to a striking saying originally used on some particular occasion, when another occasion occurs to which it is equally suitable; — and to a declaration or proposition, viewed in reference to the facts by which its truth is shown. Accordingly, the common rendering by the term fulfil fails in some cases to give the proper sense. A verbal rendering from an ancient into a modern language must often misrepresent the meaning of the original. The terms corresponding to, conformably to, or others equivalent, may sometimes be used with propriety in rendering the formulas under consideration, as, for instance, in St. James ii. 22, 23, where he is speaking of Abraham: 'You see how his faith operated together with his works, and by his works was his faith perfected; conformably to the Scripture, which says, Abraham had faith in God, and it was esteemed righteousness in him, and he was called the friend of God.' The words quoted are not a prophecy, but a declaration, the statement of an his

torical fact. This passage, therefore, is alone sufficient to show that the phrase used in the original, ἐπληρώθη ἡ γραφή, the Scripture was fulfilled, may be employed when the writer has no thought of the accomplishment of a prophecy. Thus too, in his last discourse, our Saviour, in referring to Judas (John xiii. 18), quotes the words of Psalm xli. 9: 'I am not speaking of you all. I know those whom I have chosen; nay, answering to what is said in Scripture, [or, as is said in Scripture,] He who eats bread with me has lifted his heel against me.' Here our Saviour applies to his own situation a striking passage uttered by David respecting himself.*” On the Authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Christian Examiner, Vol. V. pp. 54, 55.

See also the note on John xvii. 12.

15. "Galilee of the Gentiles."

Galilee, or, according to Eusebius, only the northern part of Galilee, was called "Galilee of the Gentiles," probably on account of the intermixture of Gentiles among the inhabitants, and the influence of their manners. [Compare 1 Maccabees v. 15, 21.]

"*Surenhusius, in his Bíßλos Karaλλayîs, gives examples of two forms of quotation from the Rabbinical books, both of which appear to be equivalent to those which are observed upon above. See pp. 2-5 and p. 197. The remarks made above are confirmed by the examples adduced by Surenhusius, and are partly founded upon them. His judgment is of no value, but the examples of Rabbinical quotation which his learning has enabled him to collect may be of use."

17.

"Reform; for the kingdom of Heaven is

at hand."

"What was intended by the words 'kingdom of Heaven' as used by Christ? and how were they understood by the Jews, his contemporaries, when first uttered? Both questions are important. The Jews had expected that their Messiah would come to establish a temporal kingdom; and the idea of a temporal kingdom was suggested to their minds by those words. when they first heard them...... But such a kingdom was not intended by our Saviour. Under common circumstances, we endeavor to use words in that sense in which they will at once be understood by our hearers. But we learn from an examination of the Gospels, that Christ employed terms familiar to his hearers in new senses, and left his meaning to be gradually ascertained and settled, as the minds of his disciples might open to the truth. What then was his meaning? This is a question to which I think many readers may find it more difficult to return a clear and precise answer than it appears to be at first thought. He who will look into the commentators may perceive how indefinitely and inaccurately it is liable to be understood. For myself, I conceive him to have intended by 'the kingdom of Heaven,' or, in other words, the kingdom of God,' that state of things in which men should recognize the authority of God as the supreme lawgiver, and submit themselves to his laws, as human subjects to those of a human government. This I suppose to be the radical idea of the term as used by him, an idea which is to be regarded under various relations, is united with different accessory thoughts, and suggests different associations, according to the various connections in which it is presented." Statement of Reasons, pp. 125, 126.

See also the note on Matthew xiii. 11.