Mark 10:46

Mark 10:46-52 . And as he went out of Jericho, blind Bartimeus sat by the way-side — Matthew ( Matthew 20:29 ) says, there were two blind men. It seems this Bartimeus was the more eminent of the two, and spoke for them both. See on Matthew 20:29-34 . When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth — Of some of whose miracles he had doubtless received information; he began to cry out, Jesus, thou son of David, &c. — Our Lord’s name was no sooner mentioned than this blind man, who was well acquainted with his fame, conceived hopes of obtaining a cure; and being deeply impressed with a sense of his own affliction, he cried out so vehemently that the people rebuked him, as they will not fail to rebuke all who, from a sense of their guilt, depravity, and misery, cry after the Saviour of sinners. But he cried the more a great deal — An example worthy to be imitated by those who are concerned to obtain the cure of their spiritual diseases. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called — He would not perform the miracle till the blind man came to him, that, by the manner of his walking, the spectators might be sensible he was truly blind. And they call the blind man — Some of the people, having their expectations raised of seeing Christ work a miracle, ran immediately to call the man and his companion; saying, Be of good comfort — Take courage; rise, he calleth thee — And therefore he doubtless intends to grant thy request.

And he, casting away his garment — Through joy and eagerness; rose, and came to Jesus — The other blind man also following as fast as he could. And Jesus said, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee — What is the mercy which thou so earnestly entreatest? The blind man said, Lord, that I might receive my sight — The other also, doubtless, made the same request. and Jesus, who had compassion on them, touched their eyes, and said to each, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole — The strong persuasion which thou hast entertained of my power and goodness, and thy confidence therein, makes thee fit to receive this cure which I now bestow on thee. And immediately he received his sight — As did his companion likewise; and they followed Jesus in the way — Travelled with him, probably all the way to Jerusalem, being deeply affected with a sense of his power and goodness, and earnestly desirous to show their gratitude, by declaring openly, unto all the persons they met, what a great miracle Jesus had performed for them. “Thus Jesus, by his touch,” says Erasmus, “cures the mind that is blinded with worldly lusts, and gives light for this end, that we may follow his footsteps.”

Mark 10:46-52 . See on Matthew 20:29-34 . Comp. Luke 18:35-43 . Matthew has abridged the narrative, and, following a later tradition (comp. on Matthew 8:28 ), doubled the persons. Only Mark has the name of the blind man, which is not interpolated (Wilke), and certainly is from trustworthy tradition. Βαρτίμαιος ] The patronymic בַּר טִמְאִי , as was often the case (comp. Βαρθολομαῖος , Βαριησοῦς , Βαρσαβᾶς ), had become altogether a proper name, so that Mark even expressly prefixes to it ὁ υἱὸς Τιμαίου , which, however, may be accounted for by the fact of Timaeus being well known, possibly as having become a Christian of note. τυφλὸς προσαίτης ] (see the critical remarks): a blind beggar. Mark 10:47 . “Magna fides, quod caecus filium Davidis appellat, quem ei Nazaraeum praedicabat populus,” Bengel. Mark 10:49 . θάρσει , ἔγειρε , φωνεῖ σε ] a hasty asyndeton. Comp. Nägelsbach, Anm. z. Ilias, ed. 3, p. 80. Mark 10:50 . ἀποβαλ . τὸ ἱμάτ .] depicts the joyous eagerness, with which also the ἀναπηδήσας is in keeping (see the critical remarks). Comp. Hom. Il. ii. 183: βῆ δὲ θέειν , ἀπὸ δὲ χλαῖναν βάλε , Acts 3:8 ; Dem. 403, 5. Mark 10:51 . ῥαββουνί ] רַבּוֹנִי , usually: domine mi. See Buxtorf, Lex. Talm. p. 2179. Yet the yod, as in רבי , may also be only paragogic (Drusius, Michaelis, Fritzsche); and this latter view is precisely on account of the analogy of רבי more probable, and is confirmed by the interpretation διδάσκαλε in John 20:16 .

Son of Timaeus Mark, as usual, is particular about names. Blind Diseases of the eye are very common in the East. Thomson says of Ramleh, "The ash-heaps are extremely mischievous; on the occurrence of the slightest wind the air is filled with a fine, pungent dust, which is very injurious to the eyes. I once walked the streets counting all that were either blind or had defective eyes, and it amounted to about one-half the male population. The women I could not count, for they are rigidly veiled" ("Land and Book"). Palgrave says that ophthalmia is fearfully prevalent, especially among children. "It would be no exaggeration to say that one adult out of every five has his eyes more or less damaged by the consequences of this disease" ("Central and Eastern Arabia"). Beggar See on Matthew 5:3.

(46-52) And they came to Jericho. —See Notes on Matthew 20:29-34 . St. Mark agrees with St. Matthew in placing the miracle as the disciples were leaving Jericho, and differs from him in speaking of one blind man only, and in giving his name. Blind Bartimæus.—Better, as giving the same order as the Greek, the son of Timœus, Bartimœus, a blind beggar was sitting by the wayside begging. The later MSS. have the definite article before “blind,” as though he were well known and conspicuous. It is noticeable that the name was Greek with the Aramaic prefix Bar (= son), a combination not found elsewhere.

Mark 10:46 . Βαρτίμαιος , Bartimœus ) A proparoxyton [accented on the antepenult] as the simple name Τίμαιος . Timæus seems to have been a man at that time known at Jericho; and Bartimœus seems to have been made a beggar only by reason of his blindness [and not previously].— ὁ τυφλὸς , blind ) This epithet had become an equivalent to a surname. Bartimæus was very well known in the time of the apostles. [ As to the other blind man associated with him, see the note Matthew 20:30 .]— ὁδὸν , the way ) On the highway to Jerusalem there was the greater opportunity of begging.

46–52 . Passing through Jericho.—Blind Bartimæus 46 . And they came ] Leaving behind them the upland pastures of Peræa, the little company travelled along the road which led down to the sunken channel of the Jordan, and the luxuriant “district” of Jericho. to Jericho ] This ancient stronghold of the Canaanites,—taken by Joshua ( Mark 2:6 ), founded for the second time under Hiel the Bethelite ( 1 Kings 16:34 ), visited by Elisha and Elijah before the latter “went up by a whirlwind into heaven” ( 2 Kings 2:4-15 )—was still in the days of Christ surrounded by towers and castles. Two of them lay in ruins since the time of Pompeius, but “Kypros, the last fortress built by Herod the Great, who had called it after his mother, rose white in the sun on the south of the town.… The great palace of Herod, in the far-famed groves of palms, had been plundered and burnt down in the tumults that followed his death, but in its place a still grander structure, built by Archelaus, had arisen amidst still finer gardens, and more copious and delightful streams. A grand theatre and spacious circus, built by Herod, scandalized the Jews, while a great stone aqueduct of eleven arches brought a copious supply of water to the city, and the Roman military road ran through it.

Geikie’s Life and Words of Christ , ii. p. 385. as he went ] It is most probable that at the entrance of Jericho He met one of the sufferers, who having learnt from the crowd that He was passing, joined the other sufferer, whom the Saviour encountered as He was going out of the city on the following morning. (Comp. Luke 18:35 ; Matthew 20:29-30 .) a great number ] of pilgrims accompanied our Lord, who had come from Peræa and Galilee, and met at this central point to go up to the Passover, at Jerusalem. Bartimæus ] The patronymic is made into a proper name after the analogy of Bartholomew and others. The true reading seems to be the son of Timæus, Bartimæus, a blind man , “This account of him hints that he was a personage well known to Christians in St Mark’s time as a monument of the Lord’s miracle, as was probably also Simon the Leper; and the designation ‘son of Timæus’ would distinguish him, not merely from the father but also from other sons.” Lange. As in the case of the Gadarene demoniacs, he was probably better known, and hence his case is more particularly recorded. “All the roads leading to Jerusalem, like the Temple itself, were much frequented at the time of the feasts, by beggars, who reaped a special harvest from the charity of the pilgrims.”

Verse 46. - And they come to Jericho . Jericho, situated in the midst of a fertile, well-watered country, celebrated for its palm trees, was situated about seventeen English miles east-north-east of Jerusalem, and about six miles from the nearest bend of the river Jordan. In the time of our Lord it was one of the most important cities next to Jerusalem. It is now known by the name of Richa or Ericha, and is almost deserted. The journey from the Jordan to Jericho is through a fiat country; but that from Jericho to Jerusalem is very hilly. It is supposed that it was upon the rocky heights overhanging this city that our Lord's temptation took place. Jericho derives its name, either from "the moon," or from the fragrant edours of the "balsam" plant, which was extensively cultivated in the neighborhood. Its palm groves and balsam gardens were bestowed by Anthony upon Cleopatra, from whom Herod the Great purchased them. It was here that Herod the Great died. It is now one of the most filthy and neglected places in Palestine. To this place our Lord came; and St. Luke (18 and 19.) gives a full account of his reception there. St. Matthew speaks of two blind men; but he agrees with St. Mark in saying that the cure took place as he went out from Jericho. St. Luke mentions only one; but he places the cure at the time of our Lord's entrance into Jericho. How do we reconcile St. Mark's account of one only, specially named, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus? St.

Augustine says that there were two blind men; but that the one, better known, overshadowed the other. He also says that Bartimaeus was a well-known character, and that he was accustomed to sit by the wayside, not only blind, but as a beggar. It is of course possible that St. Luke may refer to another ease altogether. But on the other hand, with the exception that he mentions only one, and that he places the cure at the time of the entrance into Jericho, and not at the time of the departure, all the other circumstances are identical. May not this latter discrepancy be reconciled thus? - the blind man may have sought a cure from Christ at his first entrance into the city; but he may not have been able to be heard on account of the crowd. Or our Lord may have passed him by at first, in order to stimulate his faith and hope. So the day after, he may have placed himself at the gate of the city, close by where Christ would pass through; and there again he may have urged his request, and so obtained healing. Dr. John Lightfoot (p. 348) says that the careful description of Bartimaeus would seem to imply that his father may have been a person of some note. Dr. Lightfoot adds that it is possible that Timaeus, or "Thimai," may be the same with Simais , blind, from the use of the letter thau from samech , common amongst the Chaldaeans; so that Bartimaeus might mean nothing more than "blind son of a blind father." Mark 10:46