Luke 21:12

Luke 21:12. But before all these — Before the appearing of the false Christs — before the rumours of wars — the earthquakes, famines, and pestilences that were to be in divers places; they shall lay their hands on you, &c. — “How fully the particulars foretold in this verse were accomplished, we learn from the Roman historians, Tacitus and Suetonius, who have given an account of the persecution raised against the Christians by Nero. But the history of the Acts will throw the greatest light on this passage.

For there we are told, that immediately after our Lord’s ascension, Peter and John were called before the Jewish senate, and beaten; ( Acts 4:6-7 ; Acts 5:40 ;) that Stephen was brought before the same court; ( Acts 6:12 ;) and put to death; ( Acts 7:58 ;) that Saul made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women, committed them to prison; ( Acts 8:3 ;) and punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, persecuted them unto strange cities; ( Acts 26:11 ;) that James was brought before Herod, and by him put to death; who also laid Peter in prison, intending to kill him likewise; ( Acts 12:2 ; Acts 12:4 ;) that Paul, formerly himself a persecutor, but now converted, was, in his turn, frequently persecuted; that he and Silas were imprisoned and beaten in the synagogue at Philippi; ( Acts 16:23 ;) that he was brought before the great synagogue of the Jews in Jerusalem; ( Acts 22:30 ;) before King Agrippa and his wife, before the Roman governors, Gallio, Felix, and Festus; and last of all, before the Emperor Nero, in Rome, and his prefect, Helius Cæsariensis.” — Macknight.

Luke 21:12-13 . Πρὸ δὲ τούτων π .] otherwise in Matthew and Mark. But Luke follows a later modification of the tradition moulded after the result.[241] In opposition to the words of the passage (for πρό means nothing else than before, previously ), but with a harmonistic end in view, Ebrard, Diss. adv. erron. nonnullor. opinion . etc. p. 34, says: “persecutiones non post ceteras demum calamitates sed inter primas esse perferendas .” Luke 21:13 . εἰς μαρτύριου ] but it shall turn (comp. Php 1:19 ) to you for a witness, i.e. not: εἰς ἔλεγχου τῶν μὴ πιστευσάντων (Euthymius Zigabenus), but it will have for you the result that ye bear witness for me . The context requires this by means of ἔνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόν . μου , Luke 21:12 , and see Luke 21:14 f. The matter itself is regarded as something great and honourable ( εἰς μαρτυρίου δόξαν , Theophylact). Comp. Acts 5:41 . For the testimony itself, see for example Acts 4:11 f. The reference to martyrdom (Baur, Hilgenfeld, Holtzmann) is opposed to the context and brings in a later usus loquendi . [241] In respect of this Baur, Evang . p. 477 (comp. his Markusevang . p. 99 f.), thinks that Luke desires to claim what has been previously said by Jesus “altogether specially for His Apostle Paul.” Comp. also Köstlin, p. 158, and Holtzmann. But then it would have been an easy thing for him to name more specially Pauline sufferings. Compare rather Matthew 10:17 f.

Luke 21:12 . Πρὸ , before ) Πρὸ does not here so much denote time (comp. Matthew 24:9 , “ Then [ τότε ] shall they deliver you up to be afflicted,” etc.; following after the “pestilences, earthquakes,” etc., in Luke 21:7 ), as the chief weight of events [what is to be weighed in the mind above all else], as in 1 Peter 4:8 .[223] [223] Πρὸ πάντων , “ Above all things have fervent charity;” after having said, “The end of all things is at hand.” The πρὸ πάντων , “ before all things,” does not mean time in reference to the previous ‘end.’—E. and T.

Verse 12. - But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you. The Master continues his prophetic picture. From speaking generally of wars, and disasters, and tumults, and awful natural phenomena, which would mark the sad age in which his hearers were living, he proceeded to tell them of things which would surely befall them. But even then, though terrible trials would be their lot, they were not to be dismayed, nor to dream that the great catastrophe he had been predicting was yet at hand. Some doubt exists as to the meaning of "before" ( πρό ) in this twelfth verse usually has been understood in a temporal sense, i.e. "Before all the wars, etc., I have been telling you of, you will be persecuted." A more definite sense is, however, produced by giving the word πρό (before) the signification of "before," equivalent to "more important" - "more important for you as signs will be the grave trials you will have to endure: even these signs must not dismay you, or cause you to give up your posts as teachers, for the end will not be heralded even by these personal signs." Delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my Name's sake. What may be termed instances of many of these special persecutions are detailed in the Acts (see, for instance, Acts 5:40 ; and portions of 6, 7, 8, 12, 14, 16, 21, and following). Luke 21:12