17 Gen. iv. 3-8. The writer here, as always, follows the reading of the Septuagint, which in this passage both alters and adds to the Hebrew text. We have given the rendering approved by the best critics; but some prefer to translate, as in our English version, "unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him." See, for an ancient explanation of the passage, Irenaeus, Adv. Haer., iv. 18, 3.
21 Num. xii. 14, 15. [In our copies of the Septuagint this is not affirmed of Aaron.]
24 Literally, "those who have been athletes."
25 Some fill up the lacunnae here found in the ms. so as to read, "have come to a grievous death."
26 Literally, "good." [The martyrdom of St. Peter is all that is thus connected with his arrival in Rome. His numerous labours were restricted to the Circumcision.]
27 Seven imprisonments of St. Paul are not referred to in Scripture.
28 Archbishop Wake here reads "scourged." We have followed the most recent critics in filling up the numerous lacunnae in this chapter.
29 Some think Rome, others Spain, and others even Britain, to be here referred to. [See note at end.]
30 That is, under Tigellinus and Sabinus, in the last year of the Emperor Nero; but some think Helius and Polycletus referred to; and others, both here and in the preceding sentence, regard the words as denoting simply the witness borne by Peter and Paul to the truth of the gospel before the rulers of the earth.
31 Some suppose these to have been the names of two eminent female martyrs under Nero; others regard the clause as an interpolation. [Many ingenious conjectures might be cited; but see Jacobson's valuable note, Patres Apostol., vol. i. p. 30.]
32 Literally, "have reached to the stedfast course of faith."
35 Gen. vii.; 1 Pet. iii. 20; 2 Pet. ii. 5.
40 These words are not found in Scripture, though they are quoted again by Clem. Alex. (Paedag., i. 10) as from Ezekiel.
42 Some read mataiologian, "vain talk."
43 Gen. v. 24; Heb. xi. 5. Literally, "and his death was not found."
44 Isa. xli. 8; 2 Chron. xx. 7; Judith viii. 19; James ii. 23.
49 Gen. xix.; comp. 2 Pet. ii. 6-9.
50 So Joseph, Antiq., i. 11, 4; Irenaeus, Adv. Haer., iv. 31.
51 Literally, "become a judgment and sign."
53 Others of the Fathers adopt the same allegorical interpretation, e.g., Justin Mar., Dial. c. Tryph., n. 111; Irenaeus, Adv. Haer., iv. 20. [The whole matter of symbolism under the law must be more thoroughly studied if we would account for such strong language as is here applied to a poetical or rhetorical figure.]
54 Jer. ix. 23, 24; 1 Cor. i. 31; 2 Cor. x. 17.
55 Comp. Matt. vi. 12-15, vii. 2; Luke vi. 36-38.
58 Ps. xxxvii. 35-37. "Remnant" probably refers either to the memory or posterity of the righteous.
59 Isa. xxix. 13; Matt. xv. 8; Mark vii. 6.
63 These words within brackets are not found in the ms., but have been inserted from the Septuagint by most editors.
65 The Latin of Cotelerius, adopted by Hefele and Dressel, translates this clause as follows: "I will set free the wicked on account of His sepulchre, and the rich on account of His death."
66 The reading of the ms. is thj plhghj, "purify, or free, Him from stripes." We have adopted the emendation of Junius.
67 Wotton reads, "If He make."
68 Or, "fill Him with understanding," if plhsai should be read instead of plasai, as Grabe suggests.
69 Isa. liii. The reader will observe how often the text of the Septuagint, here quoted, differs from the Hebrew as represented by our authorized English version.