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Heb_11:37. Ἐλιθάσθησαν ] They were stoned. To be referred to Zechariah, son of Jehoiada (2Ch_24:20-22; comp. Mat_23:35; Luk_11:51), and probably also to Jeremiah, of whom at least later tradition reports death by stoning. Comp. Tertull. Scorpiac. 8; Hieronym. adv. Jovinian. 2:37; Pseudo-Epiphan. (Opp. ii. p. 239), al. Less suitably do Oecumenius, Theophylact, Jac. Cappellus, Grotius, and others think also of Naboth, 1 Kings 21
ἐπρίσθησαν ] were sawn asunder. Death by sawing asunder (comp. 2Sa_12:31; 1Ch_20:3) was, according to early tradition, that suffered by Isaiah at the hands of Manasseh, king of Judah. See Ascens. Jes. vat. v. 11–14; Justin Martyr, Dial. c. Tryph. 120; Tertull. de Patient. 14, Scorpiac. 8; Origen, Epist. ad African.; Lactant. Institt. iv. 11, al.; Tr. Jevamoth, f. 49. 2; Sanhedrin, f. 103. 2.
ἐπειράσθησαν ] were tempted. This general statement has about it something strange and inconvenient, inasmuch as it occurs in the midst of the mention of different kinds of violent death. Some, therefore, have been in favour of entirely deleting ἐπειράσθησαν (Erasmus, Calvin, Beza, Marloratus, Grotius, Hammond, Whitby, Calmet, Storr, Valckenaer, Schulz, Böhme, Kuinoel, Klee, Delitzsch, Maier, al.), in doing which, however, we are not justified by external evidence;[111] while others have thought that ἘΠΕΙΡΆΣΘΗΣΑΝ is a corruption, in itself early, of the original text, which latter must be restored by conjecture. It has been conjectured by Beza, edd. 3, 4, 5, that we have to read ἘΠΥΡΏΘΗΣΑΝ ; Gataker, Miscell. 44, Colomesius, Observ. 5, Moll, and Hofmann: ἐπρήσθησαν ; Fr. Junius, Parall. lib. 3., and Piscator: ἐπυράσθησαν ; Sykes and Ebrard: ἘΠΥΡΊΣΘΗΣΑΝ , they were burned.[112] Further, Luther (transl.), Beza, edd. 1 and 2, Knatchbull, Fischer, Proluss. de vitiis Lexic. N. T. p. 538; Ewald, p. 171, read ἐπάρθησαν (?), from ΠΕΊΡΩ , they were pierced, transfixed; Wakefield, Silv. crit. 2:62: ἐπειράθησαν , from ΠΕΡΆΩ (?), they were spitted, impaled; Tanaq. Faber, Epp. crit., Heb_2:14, and J. M. Gesner in Carpzov: ἐπηρώθησαν , they were mutilated; Alberti: ἐσπειράσθησαν or ἘΣΠΕΙΡΆΘΗΣΑΝ , from ΣΠΕῖΡΑ (?), they were broken on the wheel; Steph. le Moyne in Gronov. Ant. Gr. vii. p. 301: ἐπράθησαν , they were sold. Others yet other conjectures; see Wetstein, Griesbach, and Scholz ad loc. Bleek, too, assumes an error in the text, in that he holds a word which signifies “to be consumed, to perish by fire,” as ἐπρήσθησαν , which is found with Cyrill. Hieros., and in Codd. 110, 111 for ἘΠΡΊΣΘΗΣΑΝ , or ἘΠΥΡΊΣΘΗΣΑΝ , or even one of the forms more commonly employed for the expressing of this idea,
ἘΝΕΠΡΉΣΘΗΣΑΝ and ἘΝΕΠΥΡΊΣΘΗΣΑΝ ,—to be the original reading, and then supposes the author perhaps to have thought once more of martyrs under the tyranny of Antiochus Epiphanes, 2Ma_6:11; 2Ma_7:4 f.; Dan_11:33, al. Comp. also Philo, ad Flacc. p. 990 A (with Mangey, II. p. 542): κατελύθησάν τινες (sc. Alexandrine Jews, by Flaccus) καὶ ζῶντες οἱ μὲν ἐνεπρήσθησαν οἱ δὲ διὰ μέσης κατεσύρησαν ἀγορᾶς , ἕως ὅλα τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν ἐδαπανήθη . Similarly Reiche, Commentar. Crit. p. 111 sqq., who leaves open the choice between ἐπρήσθησαν and ἘΠΥΡΏΘΗΣΑΝ .
If ἘΠΕΙΡΆΣΘΗΣΑΝ is genuine, it must have been added by the author for the sake of the paronomasia with ἘΠΡΊΣΘΗΣΑΝ , and be referred to the enticements and temptations to escape a violent death by means of apostasy (comp. e.g. 2Ma_7:24).
ἐν φόνῳ μαχαίρας ἀπέθανον ] died by slaughter of the sword. Comp. 1Ki_19:10 : τοὺς προφήτας σου ἀπέκτειναν ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ ; Jer_26:23 : ΚΑῚ ἘΠΆΤΑΞΕΝ ΑὐΤῸΝ ἘΝ ΜΑΧΑΊΡᾼ (namely, the prophet Urijah). For the expression ἘΝ ΦΌΝῼ ΜΑΧΑΊΡΑς , comp. LXX. Exo_17:13; Num_21:24; Deu_13:15; Deu_20:13.
ΠΕΡΙῆΛΘΟΝ … Τῆς Γῆς , Heb_11:38, now further emphasizes the fact that the whole life of the last-named class of the heroes of faith was one of want and distress.
περιῆλθον ἐν μηλωταῖς , ἐν αἰγείοις δέρμασιν ] refers specially to single prophets. Comp. Zec_13:4, also Clemens Romanus, ad Corinth. 17: μιμηταὶ γενώμεθα κἀκείνων , οἵτινες ἐν δέρμασιν αἰγείοις καὶ μηλωταῖς περιεπάτησαν , κηρύσσοντες τὴς ἔλευσιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ · λέγομεν δὲ Ἠλίαν καὶ Ἐλισσαῖον , ἔτι δὲ καὶ Ἰεζεκιὴλ τοὺς προφήτας
περιῆλθον ] they went hither and thither, without being in possession of a fixed dwelling-place. Theophylact: τὸ δὲ περιῆλθον τὸ διώκεσθαι αὐτοὺς δηλοῖ καὶ ἀστατεῖν .
ἐν ] in, i.e. clothed with.
ἐν μηλωταῖς , ἐν αἰγείοις δέρμασιν ] in sheep-skins, in goat fells. The latter, as designation of a yet rougher clothing, is an ascent from the former, and on that account placed last. μηλωτή , the hide of smaller cattle in general, and specially of sheep. A ΜΗΛΩΤΉ is mentioned as the garment of Elijah, which, on his being caught up to heaven, he left behind to Elisha, 1Ki_19:13; 1Ki_19:19; 2Ki_8:13-14.
ὙΣΤΕΡΟΎΜΕΝΟΙ , ΘΛΙΒΌΜΕΝΟΙ , ΚΑΚΟΥΧΟΎΜΕΝΟΙ ] in want (sc. of that which is necessary for the sustenance of life), affliction, evil-treatment (comp. Heb_11:25).
[111] It is wanting only in some cursives, in the Peshito,—whose daughter, the Arabian version in Erpen., also omits it,—in the Aethiopic version, which also omits ἐπρίσθησαν , with Origen (once, as compared with four times), Euseb. and Theophyl.
[112] Reuss, too, regards ἐπυρίσθησαν [as does Conybeare ἐπυράσθησαν ] as the most likely conjecture, but regards it, likewise, as possible: “que le ἐπειράσθησαν dans le texte vulgaire ne fût qu’une conjecture très-superflue, destinée à remplacer le mot ἐπρίσθησαν (ils furent sciés), parce que l’Ancien Testament ne fournit pas d’exemple de ce dernier supplice.”