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Joh 21:25. Ἔστι, there are) The Present. They were present to the mind of John; and there is no doubt but that he was wont to narrate many such things in his conversations.-καὶ ἄλλα, other things also) The interests of Christianity suffer no loss in consequence, because some things which the apostles wrote are not extant in the present day: for not even is this prejudicial to it, that many of those things which Jesus did and said have not even been recorded.-καθʼ ἕν, every one, in detail, particularly) as concerns the facts and their several attendant circumstances.-οἶμαι, I think) By this word the amplification [the largeness of the statement as to the world not being able to contain the books] is softened down. The Singular number shows that John wrote this verse.-τὸν κόσμον, the world) John had a most exalted (august and grand) opinion of the multitude of Christ’s miracles.-χωρῆσαι, contain [comprehend]) This is not to be taken of geometrical, but of moral capability of containing. Believers would be capable of comprehending: for them, however, enough has been written: ch. Joh 20:31. The world would only perplex itself further [if more had been written]: it is therefore its interest that is consulted by the very fact of the duly regulated brevity which has been adopted. Such books as this which John has written would of themselves be equal to many libraries: (but how much less would the world be capable to comprehend books as to the other things which Jesus did when He was exalted); and very many copies of the books would have existed: and the critics and commentators would have considered that much more trouble was given to them. Already at that time, the officiousness of many in multiplying transcripts, seems to have given John occasion to add this Epiphonema [An Exclamation subjoined after a narration. See Append]: as also the pious admiration of believers, expressed in the 24th verse: so as that he should say, “Your admiration would be much I ‘greater,’ if you knew not only these things which I have written, but also all the other things. I have not told you all.”[410]
[410] Bengel, J. A. (1860). Vol. 2: Gnomon of the New Testament (M. E. Bengel & J. C. F. Steudel, Ed.) (A. R. Fausset, Trans.) (389-509). Edinburgh: T&T Clark.