11. χωÏεῖν is to have or make room for, so (1) to contain: ὥστε μηκÎτι χωÏεῖν μηδὲ τὰ Ï€Ïὸς τὴν θÏÏαν, Mar 2:2; ὑδÏίαι χωÏοῦσαι ἀνὰ μετÏητὰς δÏο á¼¢ Ï„Ïεῖς, Joh 2:6; ὠκÏÎ·Ï„á½´Ï Ï‡Ï‰Ïεῖ ἀμφοÏÎας ἑξακοσίους, Hdt. I. 151; (2) to receive (in love): χωÏήσατε ἡμᾶς, 2Co 7:2; (3) to receive intellectually, ‘comprehend,’ or ‘accept;’ (4) the Homeric meaning ‘to withdraw,’ i.e. to make room for another, is not found in the N.T.; (5) the ordinary classical force, ‘to advance,’ i.e. to make room for oneself, ‘to go,’ is found ch. Mat 15:17 and 2Pe 3:9, εἰς μετάνοιαν χωÏῆσαι, and Joh 8:37, ὠλόγος á½ á¼Î¼á½¸Ï‚ οὠχωÏεῖ á¼Î½ ὑμῖν, ‘makes no progress in you.’
It is better to refer τὸν λόγον τοῦτον to the last words of the disciples, οὠσυμφÎÏει γαμῆσαι, than to the whole preceding argument. The general sense will then be: ‘Not all, but only those to whom it hath been given, make room for (i.e. accept and act upon) this saying.’