Matthew 8:25

Mat 8:25. Σῶσον, save) An abrupt prayer.—ἀπολλύμεθα, we perish) It is a proof of candour in the disciples to have recorded their own weaknesses: this was not, however, difficult to them, since after the coming of the Paraclete they had become other men.

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

Mat 8:25 . προσελθόντες : one of our evangelist’s favourite words. ἤγειραν : they would not have waked Him if they could have helped it. They were genuinely terrified, though experienced sailors accustomed to rough weather. Κύριε , σῶσον … ἀπολλύμεθα : laconic speech, verbs unconnected, utterance of fear-stricken men. Luke’s ἐπιστάτα , ἐπιστάτα is equally descriptive. Who could tell exactly what they said? All three evangelists report differently.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 25. And his disciples] THE disciples. In the common printed editions, as well as in our translation, it is HIS disciples, but αυτου, his, is omitted by the very best MSS., and by Bengel, Wetstein, and Griesbach. This is a matter of very small importance, and need not be noticed; only every translator and commentator should aim, to the uttermost of his knowledge and power, to give every particle of the language of the inspired penman that can be expressed, and to insert no one word which he has reason to believe did not come by the inspiration of God.

Lord, save us: we perish.] One advantage of trials is to make us know our weakness, so as to oblige us to have recourse to God by faith in Christ. It is by faith alone that we may be said to approach him; by love we are united to him, and by prayer we awake him. All good perishes in us without Christ: without his grace, there is not so much as one moment in which we are not in danger of utter ruin. How proper, then, is this short prayer for us, and how familiar should it be to us! Taken in the extensive Christian sense it is exceedingly expressive: it comprehends all the power of our Lord's might, all the merit of his atonement, and all the depth of our misery and danger. See Quesnel.

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

(25) Lord, save us: we perish.—As given by St. Mark the words indicate even more of the impatience of panic: “Master, carest Thou not that we perish?” They began to think that He was indifferent to their safety, and believing, it may be, that He Himself had a charmed life, they were half angry at that indifference.

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

And he saith unto them, why are ye fearful?.... Though they had some faith in him, yet there was a great deal of fear and unbelief, for which Christ blames them, saying,

O ye of little faith: See Gill on Mat 6:30. In Luke, the phrase is, "where is your faith?" what is become of it? You professed but just now to believe in me, is your faith gone already? In Mark it is, "how is it that ye have no faith?" That is, in exercise, their faith was very small, it could hardly be discerned: some faith they had, as appears by their application to him, but it was very little. They had no faith in him, as sleeping, that he could deliver them; but had some little faith in him that he might, could he be awaked out of sleep; and for this Christ blames them; for he, as the eternal God, was as able to save them sleeping as waking.

Then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm: being awaked by his disciples, he raises his head from his pillow, stands up, and with a majestic voice, in an authoritative manner, showing some kind of resentment at the wind and sea, as if they had exceeded their commission; and the one had blown, and the other raged too much and too long; he rebukes them in such language as this, "peace, be still"; , as it is in Mark, be silent, hold your peace, stop your mouth, put a bridle on it, as the words used signify; and go on no longer to threaten with shipwreck and loss of lives; upon which the wind ceased, the sea became calm, and the ship moved quietly on.

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

25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.

Ver. 25. Master, save us, we perish] Troubles drive us to God (as bugbears do children into their mother’s bosom), who delighteth to help those that are forsaken of their hopes. In prosperity, either we pray not at all- Rarae fumant felicibus arae, or but faintly, yawningly, &c. Oratio sine malis, est ut avis sine alis. But in a stress, as here, our prayers, like strong streams in narrow straits, run mightily upon God, and will not go away without the thing they came for.

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.

Save us - Save our lives.

We perish - We are in danger of perishing. This showed great confidence in the Saviour. It shows, also, where sinners and Christians should always go who feel that they are in danger of perishing. There is none that can save from the storms of divine wrath but the Son of God.

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

Should God appear to sleep, with the apostles, we should approach nearer to him, and awaken him with our repeated prayers, saying: "Lord, save us, or we perish." (Haydock) --- Had our Saviour been awake, the disciples would have been less afraid, or less sensible of the want of his assistance: he therefore slept, that they might be better prepared for the miracle he was about to work. (St. John Chrysostom, hom. xxviii.)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

25. We perish — We are now perishing, while thou art sleeping. Like Jonah, he slept; but, unlike Jonah, he was the arrester, not the cause of the storm.

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

And his disciples (Revised Version, they) came to him (kai proselyontev). The insertion of the words, "his disciples," distracts the mind from the fact of their coming. Their skill and their long experience of those waters now failed them. And awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish (Kurie swson apollumeya). The last and most emphatic word comes in all the narratives. They had no hope of escape from the death that was already overtaking them except through him.

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

The terror of the disciples and Christ’s rebuke:

v. 25. And His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us; we perish!

v. 26. And He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

v. 27. But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!

Coming to Him, the disciples woke Him. They may have hesitated for some time out of respect for their beloved Teacher. But their fear becomes so great that they are unable to control themselves; it is a cry rather than a report which they utter. In their last extremity He is their one thought. An important point: Christ’s first thought is for the faith of the disciples, not for the alleviation of their fear. Why be filled with fear, why so little faith? The rebuke was harsh in tone, purposely, but with a hidden kindness. His own absolute fearlessness should calm their panic. Lack of faith always renders timid; trust in God, in His power and in His help, makes bold. This most important matter having been settled, He arose from His pillow and uttered a second rebuke, directed to the fierce winds, to the tumultuous waves. "Peace, be still!" He bade them, Mar 4:30. With the sound of His voice an obedient hush fell upon the turbulence of the winds and the waves. The almighty Ruler of the universe had spoken. His human voice, by virtue of the divine power and majesty given to His humanity, controlled the forces of nature, Pro 30:4. "But that He rebukes the sea and the wind, and that the sea and the wind are obedient, therewith He proves His almighty deity, that He is a lord over wind and sea. For to be able with one word to quiet the sea and cause the wind to cease, that is not the work of a man; a divine power is necessary to stop the turbulence of the sea with one word. Therefore Christ is not only natural man, but also true God. " The effect of this miracle upon the disciples and upon all that afterwards heard of the story, since the sudden quieting of the sea must have been noticed from the shore, was to fill them with amazement: What kind of man and whence is He? They had further evidence for His divinity, as well as for His loving care for those whom He has enrolled as His disciples, whose every fear He is glad to dispel, whose every prayer, even in little faith, finds careful consideration before Him.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

25. Lord, save us: we perish. The Lord was awakened out of sleep with these words. Their language is that of extreme terror.

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.

25. σῶσον, ἀπολλύμεθα. The brevity of speech that wastes no words adds to the impression of danger. Cp. ch. Mat 26:45-46. St Luke has ἐπιστάτα repeated. St Mark the pathetic διδάσκαλε οὐ μέλει σοι ὅτι ἀπολλύμεθα. Cp. with σῶσον,—the aorist of earnest and instant request—the aorists in the Lord’s prayer.

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.

25.] κύριε σῶσον, ἀπολλ. = διδάσκαλε, οὐ μέλει σοι ὅτι ἀπολλ.; Mar 4:38 = ἐπιστάτα, ἐπιστάτα, ἀπολλ., Luk 8:24. On these and such like variations, notice the following excellent and important remarks of Augustine (De Consensu Evv. ii. 24 (55), vol. vii.): ‘Una eademque sententia est excitantium Dominum, volentiumque salvari; nec opus est quærere quid horum potius Christo dictum sit. Sive enim alliquid horum trium dixerint, sive alia verba quæ nullus Evangelistarum commemoravit, tantundem tamen valentia ad eandem sententiæ veritatem, quid ad rem interest?’ We may well exclaim, ‘O si sic omnia!’ Much useless labour might have been spared, and men’s minds led to the diligent enquiry into the real difficulties of the Gospels, instead of so many spending time in knitting cobwebs. But Augustine himself in the very next sentence, descends to the unsatisfactory ground of the Harmonists, when he adds, ‘Quamquam et hoc fieri potuit, ut pluribus eum simul excitantibus, omnia hæc, aliud ab alio, dicerentur.’ His mind however was not one to rest contented with such sophisms; and all his deeper and more earnest sayings are in the truer and freer spirit of the above extract.

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

25. And they came and aroused Him, saying, Lord, save; we are perishing.] Mk. has: “And they arouse Him, and say to Him, Teacher, dost Thou not care that we are perishing?” The editor inserts his characteristic προσελθόντες.—προσελθόντες ἤγειραν αὐτὸν λέγοντες] for Mk.’s ἐγείρουσιν αὐτὸν καὶ λέγουσιν, see note on 8:3. Mt. as usual avoids the historic present. Cf. Introduction, p. xx. —σῶσον ἀπολλύμεθα] for Mk.’s οὐ μέλει σοι ὅτι ἀπολλύμεθα; σῶσον is a conventional substitute for the half reproachful οὐ μέλει σοι; cf Introduction, p. xxxiii.

(M)

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