Article January 5, 1935 Issue

Bible Notes

"Master and Lord" (John 13:13) — The Greek words used here are supposed to represent the Aramaic terms "Rabbi" and "Mar." The followers of a "Rabbi" ("Master," or, more exactly, "Teacher") were generally referred to as disciples; while those who followed a "Mar" (Lord) were spoken of as servants (cf. verse 16). (See Wescott: Gospel According to St. John, Vol. II, p. 151; Macgregor: Commentary on John, p. 277).

"Hypocrites" (Matt. 6:5) — A literal rendering of the Greek word "Hupocrites" is "one who answers"; and among classical Greek writers it came to have the meaning of an "interpreter," but, more especially, of "an impersonator, one who plays a part, — an actor, or stage player;" while this, in turn, led on to the regular Biblical sense of "dissembler, pretender, hypocrite" (cf. Thayer: Greek Lexicon, p. 643).

"Standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets" (Matt. 6:5) — It was a custom among the Jews to stand at prayer with the face turned towards the temple or its inner shrine, "the holy of Holies" (i.e., "the Most Holy place"). Hannah (I Sam. 1:26) and Solomon (I Kings 8:22) are recorded in the Old Testament as praying thus, as did the Pharisee in the temple (Luke 18:11), while Christ Jesus himself used the phrase "when ye stand praying" (Mark 11:25). However, references to kneeling (Dan. 6:10) and prostration (Ex. 34:8; Matt. 26:39) are also found (cf. Meyer: Matthew, p. 201; Hastings' Dictionary, p. 745).

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