Matthew 8:24

8:24 a fierce storm struck the lake: Sudden squalls are common on the Sea of Galilee, which is among mountains.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mat 8:24. Σεισμὸς μέγας, a great tempest) The faith of the disciples was greatly exercised by these maritime perils.—καλύπτεσθαι, was covered) the danger reached the highest pitch: then came the succour.—ἐκάθευδε, slept) No fear fell on Jesus. Nay, in Mat 8:26, He marvelled at the fear of men, even in the utmost peril. He slept, wearied by the various labour of the day.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat_8:24-25. Σεισμός] Agitation, specially in the sense of earthquake, here: storm (Jer_23:19; Nah_1:3).

καλύπτεσθαι] The waves were dashing over the boat.

αὐτὸς δὲ ἐκάθευδε] but He Himself was sleeping, contrasting with the dangerous position of the boat in which He was. Securitas potestatis, Ambrose.

σῶσον, ἀπολλύμεθα] Asyndeton indicating urgent alarm, and this alarm with Jesus present was the ground of His rebuke.

On the situation of the lake, as rendering it liable to gusts and storms, see Robinson, Pal. III. p. 571; Ritter, Erdk. XV. p. 308.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 24. Arose a great tempest in the sea] Probably excited by Satan, the prince of the power of the air, who, having got the author and all the preachers of the Gospel together in a small vessel, thought by drowning it, to defeat the purposes of God, and thus to prevent the salvation of a ruined world. What a noble opportunity must this have appeared to the enemy of the human race!

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(24) There arose a great tempest.—Storms such as that here described are of common occurrence in all inland seas. The wind sweeps through the narrow mountain valleys, and the sea, which a few minutes before was smooth as glass, is at once rough with the white crests of the foaming waves. The ship was on the point of sinking, as the waves dashed over it while it was in the trough between them. It was beginning to be filled with water, and still He slept.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

24. he was asleep] The expression in the original is very impressive. He, the Master, continued to sleep. It is the only place where the sleep of Jesus is named.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And his disciples came unto him,.... From some other part of the ship, being in great consternation, and distress,

and awoke him; saying, Lord, save us, we perish. They awoke him by their loud cries, and repeated calls; for in Luke, the form of address is doubled, "Master, Master!" expressing their distress, importunity, and haste for deliverance saying, "save us, we perish", or "we are lost": which shows the apprehensions they had of their condition; not only that they were in danger of being lost, or were ready to be lost, but were lost: they saw no probability of escaping by any natural, rational methods: wherefore they apply to Christ, believing that he was able to save them, in this their extremity; as they had indeed a great deal of reason to conclude, from the miracles they had that day seen performed by him.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

Ver. 24. And, behold, there arose a great tempest] Stirred up, likely, by the devil, to drown Christ (that male child of the Church, Rev 12:5) and his disciples; as he killed Job’s children with the fall of the house. This is still the endeavour of Satan aud his instruments: but to such we may, as Pope Plus II wrote to the great Turk,

" Niteris incassum Christi submergere navem:

Fluctuat, at nunquam mergitur, illa ratis."

And as the poet said of Troy, so may we of the Church,

" Victa tamen vinces, eversaque Troia resurges:

Obruit hostiles illa ruina domos." Ovid. Fast.

Ambrose hath a remarkable speech to this purpose: Diabolus contra sanctos tempestatem mover: sed ipse naufragium facit: The devil stirs up a tempest against the saints, but himself is sure to suffer shipwreck. The Church, as a bottle, may be dipped, not drowned; as the diamond, it may be cast into the fire, not burnt by it; as the crystal, it may be fouled, but not stained by the venom of a toad; as the palm tree in the emblem, which though it have many weights at top and snakes at the root, yet it saith still, Nec premor, nec perimor. Neither hard pressed nor destroy. Lastly, as the north pole, semper versatur, nunquam mergitur, always moving never out of sight, as St Jerome observeth.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A great tempest - A violent storm; or a “wind” so strong as to endanger their lives. This lake was subject to sudden squalls. Dr. Thomson (“The Land and the Book,” vol. ii. p. 59) says: “Small as the lake is, and placid, in general, as a molten mirror, I have repeatedly seen it quiver, and leap, and boil like a caldron, when driven by fierce winds from the eastern mountains.”

The ship was covered with the waves - The billows dashed against the ship Mar 4:37, so that it was fast filling and in danger of sinking.

He was asleep - On the hinder part of the vessel, on a pillow, Mar 4:38. It was in the night, and Jesus had retired to rest. He was probably weary, and slept calmly and serenely. He apprehended no danger, and showed to his disciples how calmly one can sleep with a pure conscience, and who feels safe in the hands of God.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

24. There arose a great tempest — It was not so much a storm as a gust or hurricane — a wind-storm; “one of those incidents,” says Stanley, “to which every mountain lake, more or less, and the Sea of Galilee, from its situation, especially, is subject. Through one of the deep ravines, breaking through the hills to the shore, there came down a storm of wind on the lake. in a moment the still waters were aroused as by an earthquake, and the waves filled the boat. Almost every feature of the story which follows can be traced to the locality.”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And, behold. (Mat_1:20, note) Perhaps when with Jesus they hardly expected a storm. There arose a great tempest in the sea. St. Matthew records only the effect of the sudden rush (lailaq in the parallel passages) of the wind down the gorges. Insomuch that the ship (Revised Version, boat) was covered with the waves. The waves swept again and again clean over the boat. Slowly but surely the boat was filling (parallel passages). But he was asleep. All the time (ekayeuden). Yet what a contrast to Jonah. (Jon_1:5)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The ship was covered - So man's extremity is God's opportunity.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

24. There arose a great tempest in the sea. Mark says, “A great storm;” Luke, “There came down a storm of wind;” the word used by Matthew implies a tornado. The Greek word denotes a sudden and violent gust of wind, such as frequently bursts on the lake. All travelers describe the storms as very sudden and violent, caused by the cold air that rushes down from the mountains into the heated depression of the lake.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

24. σεισμός, elsewhere of earthquakes, Luke and Mark have the more descriptive λαῖλαψ.

αὐτὸς ἐκάθευδεν. ‘He—the Master—continued to sleep.’ It is the only place where the sleep of Jesus is named.

The nominative of αὐτὸς is very rare in Matthew and Mark but very common in Luke. It has the proper classical force of contrast in this passage, but there is also some evidence that αὐτὸς was used of Christ in relation to his disciples as the Master in the sense of αὐτὸς ἔφα, cp. 2Pe 3:4; 1Jn 2:12; 2Jn 1:6, where αὐτοῦ is used of Christ without any expressed antecedent.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

24.] σεισμός, usually of an earthquake, = λαῖλαψ, Mark and Luke,—a great commotion in the sea.

καλύπτεσθαι] τὰ κύμ. ἐπέβαλλεν εἰς τὸ πλ. ὥστε ἤδη γεμίζεσθαι τὸ πλοῖον, Mar 4:37. συνεπληροῦντο, Luk 8:23. By keeping to the strict imperfect sense we obviate all necessity for qualifying these words: (starker Uusdruck: die Wogen schlugen Schiff, De Wette) was becoming covered, &c. All lakes bordered by mountains, and indeed all hilly coasts, are liable to these sudden gusts of wind.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

24. And, behold, there arose a great storm in the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves: but He was sleeping.] Mk. has: “And there arises a great hurricane of wind, and the waves were beating into the boat, so that the boat was already being filled. And He was in the stern upon the cushion sleeping.”

καὶ ἰδού] see on 1:20.—σεισμός] Mk. has the stronger phrase λαῖλαψ—ἀνέμου.—ἐγένετο] for Mk.’s historic present, cf. Introduction, p. xx.—καλύπτεσθαι] for Mk.’s stronger γεμίζεσθαι. Mt. avoids the repeated τὸ πλοῖον; see on v. 16.—αὐτὸς δέ] for Mk.’s καὶ αὐτός, cf. Introduction, p. xx. Mt. omits ἐν τῇ πρύμνῃ ἐπὶ τὸ προσκεφάλαιον; cf. Introduction, p. xvii.

(M)

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Tempest [σεισμος] . Lit., shaking. Used of an earthquake. The narrative indicates a sudden storm. Dr. Thomson (" Land and Book ") says : "Such winds are not only violent, but they come down suddenly, and often when the sky is perfectly clear.... To understand the causes of these sudden and violent tempests we must remember that the lake lies low - six hundred and eighty feet below the sea; that the mountainous plateau of the Jaulan rises to a considerable height, spreading backward to the wilds of the Hauran, and upward to snowy Hermon; that the water - courses have worn or washed out profound ravines and wild gorges, converging to the head of this lake; and that these act like great funnels to drawn down the cold winds from the mountains."

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.