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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadCambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - Mark 11:13 - 11:13
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13. ἰδὼν συκῆν ἀπὸ μακρόθεν. It was a single tree by the roadside (Mt.), and its having leaves before the season would make it conspicuous. See on Mar 5:6 for the pleonastic ἀπό.
εἰ ἄρα τι εὑρήσει. Si quid forte inveniret (Vulg.). Mt. characteristically omits an expression which implies ignorance in Christ, and he merely states that Christ found only leaves. In the fig-tree the fruit precedes the leaves, and therefore abundance of foliage was a profession that fruit was there, although it was not the time for either. The ἄρα means “in these circumstances”; as there were leaves, there was good prospect of fruit. Ἄρα is rare in Mk (Mar 4:41), but is fairly freq. in Mt., Lk., and Acts; nowhere in Jn. Cf. Act 8:22. Οὖν is also rare.
ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς οὐκ ἦν σύκων. So in [2622][2623][2624][2625][2626][2627]. For the season was not that of figs. It is not easy to see how this is an intimation from the Evangelist that the whole of Christ’s action was symbolical; that He was not desiring figs and did not expect to find any on the tree.
[2622] Codex Sinaiticus. 4th cent. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the Monastery of St Katharine on Mount Sinai. Now at St Petersburg. The whole Gospel, ending at Mar 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1911.
[2623] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mar 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.
[2624] Codex Ephraemi. 5th cent. A palimpsest: the original writing has been partially rubbed out, and the works of Ephraem the Syrian have been written over it; but a great deal of the original writing has been recovered; of Mark we have Mar 1:17 to Mar 6:31, Mar 8:5 to Mar 12:29, Mar 13:19 to Mar 16:20. In the National Library at Paris.
[2625] An asterisk denotes that the word is not found elsewhere in N.T., and such words are included in the index, even if there is no note on them in the commentary.
[2626] Codex Regius. 8th cent. An important witness. At Paris. Contains Mar 1:1 to Mar 10:15; Mar 10:30 to Mar 15:1; Mar 15:20 to Mar 16:20, but the shorter ending is inserted between Mar 16:8 and Mar 16:9, showing that the scribe preferred it to the longer one.
[2627] Codex Sangallensis. 9th or 10th cent. Contains the Gospels nearly complete, with an interlinear Latin translation. The text of Mark is specially good, agreeing often with CL. At St Gall.