by no means to be avoided, and that the moderate use of wine or other bona vitæ is not to be considered as forbidden, or censurable.

1. καὶ ἦν ἡ μήτηρ του Ἰησοῦ ἐκεῖ, and the mother of Jesus was there. Not invited (ae it seems) with Christ and his diciples, but who had been there before the invitation; perhaps to make arrangements for the nuptial feast, by right of near affinity, as προμνήστρια, οι νυμφάγωγος. (Grot. That the bride and bridegroom were related to Mary, and therefore to Jesus, is very probable; since she is not said to have been invited, but seems to have been there officii causá, and since she managed and contrived such affairs as concerned the credit of the bride and bridegroom, gave orders to the servants, and regulated the general arrangements for the feast. (Kuinoel.)

2. ékλýðŋ—¿ 'Inooûs, Jesus was invited, as being then in the neighbourhood; probably not a prophet, but as a countryman, relation, and acquaintance. So Arist. Ethic. Nicom. 9, 2. p. 392 (cited by Bulkley). Εἰς γάμους μὲν γὰρ καλοῦσι τοὺς συγγένεις τόυτοις, γὰρ κοίνον τὸ γένος, και αἱ περὶ τοῦτο δὴ πράξεις. The disciples here mentioned are the followers of whom we read in ch. 1, Andrew, Peter, Philip, Nathanael and John. At nuptial feasts there were guests of two sorts 1st, those who had been invited; secondly, others who came of their own accord, and who were expected to bring presents. See Lightfoot's Hor. Heb.

3. That Jewish nuptial feasts sometimes continued seven or eight days appears from Gen. 29, 27. Judg. 14, 14. See Lightfoot's Hor. Heb. in loc. and Selden Ux. Heb. 2, 7. What is here related of the wine falling short may therefore be understood of the 5th, 6th, or 7th day; for it is scarcely probable that such a deficiency should have occurred much sooner. It seems to have been occasioned by the unexpected arrival of Jesus and his diciples.

3. úσTegnσavtos olvov, beginning to fall short, or to

be scanty. For (Kuinoel remarks) verbs are in the Hebrew and New Testament often to be taken incohative: of which numerous examples are produced by Glass. Phil. Sacr. 188. Dath. Therefore the words olvoy ouк exovo must be understood with limitation: as in Gen. 43, 2. when the corn was (almost) consumed.

3. olvov OÚK EXQUo. There is a want of wine. Personal for impersonal. With what intent Mary said these words has been disputed. Schmidt, Bengel, Moldenhaur and Koecher take them to mean; "The wine begins to fall short: pray depart therefore, that the rest may do so also;" and the import of the answer, say they, is, My time to rise and leave this feast has not yet come." But (as Wolf, Semler and Kuinoel observe) it appears from the words immediately addressed to the servants, that Mary had not adverted to Jesus's departure. Neither, however, can I approve of the view of the subject taken by Kuinoel, who thinks that the words carry with them no more than a request to her son, that he would remove the deficiency either by buying or borrowing wine, neither of which the new married couple were very well able to do. But I answer that Mary could not expect that Jesus had money to buy so large a quantity; neither would such a proceeding have been very delicate. I assent to Chrysostom, and most commentators, that she had in view the removal of the evil by a miracle. Nay, it is plain that she had a view to this in the directions to the servants. That Mary should have had such an expectation is not strange, considering the wonderful circumstances connected with her son's birth and childhood, the predictions mentioned in Luke 2, 19. 1, 32, & 33.; especially since she well knew the unequivocal testimony to his divine mission borne by John the Baptist, and the consequent influx of followers and disciples. She might, therefore, (I say) expect great things, and more particularly that Christ would forthwith proceed to

demonstrate his divine mission by a miracle. And no occasion seemed to her more appropriate than the present, wishing (as Euthynius suggests) to confer an obligation on the new married couple, and acquire celebrity from her son's power; for which last less commendable motives she probably received the rebuke couched in the following words. I cannot, however, infer from this passage (as some commentators both ancient and modern have done) that Christ had been previously accustomed to work miracles in private for the solace and comfort of his mother; though indeed this would have been not unworthy of the character of our Redeemer. But the fact seems inconsistent with the plain words in ver. 11, "This beginning of miracles did Jesus ;" though the commentators before mentioned interpret that of public miracles. The distinction, however, is plainly unauthorised by the laws of sound interpretation.

4. τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοι, γύναι. Most commentators recognize in these words a strong reprehension, which, however, would seem little merited by the excessive anxiety and importunate solicitation for assistance to her relations evinced by Mary: nay, if we even suppose a modicum of worldly ambition and female vanity, so far, indeed, as this opinion rests upon the address yúval, it is very ill founded; since the word was a form of address which implied nothing of disrespect, and was employed by our Lord on the most affecting of all occasions, and when he especially evinced his exquisite sympathy and tender regard for this very parent. This being the case, it is scarcely necessary to advert to the Classical authorities which have been produced from Homer to Dio Cassius in proof of the above position. As to the words rí uoí kal ool, they are a formula, nay almost a proverbial expression, and their meaning must (as Campbell suggests) be collected from the customary application of the words employed together, and not from the signification of them taken separately.

Now in its customary sense the formula imports impatience of interruption or trouble, indignation, contempt, or the passions allied to them; and this sense it has in both the Old and New Testament. (See the exampless in Schl. Lex.) Still as, to use the words of Kuinoel, the force of all the words is modified not only by the occasion, but softened by the tone of voice of the speaker, the formula may be susceptible of a milder interpretation than that which it usually bears, or would seem to import, according to our ideas and modes of expression; so as to express a mild reproof, and gently to represent that in what concerned his office earthly parents had no authority over him, though in other respects he had yielded them prompt obedience. "It seems (says Doddridge) to have been intented as a rebuke to Mary; and it was surely expedient that she should know that Jesus was not upon such occasions to be directed by her." I can by no means assent to some eminent critics who take it to signify "If they want wine, what is that to you or me? let them see to it." That was rarely the import of the phrase, not to mention that Mary was concerned as being a relation; and it would be utterly unsuitable, as little accordant to the usual spirit of our Lord's words and actions, and the benevolence and tender sympathy in the distresses of others which so eminently characterises our religion. Markland thinks it may mean, What hast thou to do with me? But Wetstein remarks, "Non poterat dicere: quid mihi tecum est, mater?" This, however, (with the modification above adverted to) may represent the sense.

4. οὔπω ἥκει ἡ ὥρα μου. Ωρα here signifies the seasonable time, i. e. for performing the miracle, namely (as Rosenm. suggests) when the wine was entirely gone, to remove all doubts of the reality of the miracle. pa has sometimes this sense in the Sept., and it is noticed by Suidas, who explains καιρὸς ἐπιτήδειος. So also Matt. 24, 35. Luke

Present for pre

22, 53. Joh. 16, 42. "HKEL. terite, which tenses are often confounded in the Hebrew and Hellenistic style, and especially by St. John: it is also said to be an Attic idiom. Kuinoel cites the Schol. on Eurip. Hec. 1, and refers to Loesner on Joh. 8, 42. Raphel in loc. and Drus. Misc. Crit. 351. But the usages do not seem to me exactly parallel.

6. ἦσαν δὲὑδρίαι. The ὑδρία was a large water vat or urn, from which the water was poured or drawn into lesser vessels, for washing the hands and feet, vessels and utensils. See Luke 11, 39. Karà here signifies pro more, propter, for the purpose of. The following passage of Plut. Alex. 35, will be found very apposite: Κατὰ τύχην πόλλα παρῆσαν ἀγγεῖα, πρὸς τὸ λουτρὸν ὕδατος διὰ χειρῶν ἔχοντες. The word μers answers in the Sept. to the Heb. n. Critics, however, are not agreed as the exact measure. Some think that, as μετρητής was also the name of an Attic measure, the Evangelist (most of whose readers were probably Greeks) must have referred to it as best known in that country. There are other suppositions made; but hardly any thing more than conjecture has been advanced in favour of any of them. It ought not to be dissembled, that in most of the explanations which have been given of the passage, the quantity of liquor appears so great as to reflect an improbability on the interpretation. I shall only say that the English translation is more liable to this objection than the present version. The firkin contains nine gallons; the bath is commonly rated at seven and a half, some say but four and four; in which case the amount of the whole, as represented here, is but half the amount of what the English translation makes it. The quantity thus reduced, will not, perhaps, be thought so enormous, when we consider first the length of time, commonly a week, spent in feasting on such occasions, (of which time possibly one half was not yet over), and the great concourse of people which they were wont to as