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Download The Gnomon of the New Testament Commentary (A Greek NT Commentary)

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Author:
Johann (John) Bengel

e-Sword Version:
9.x - 10.x

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Greek, grammatical help

Gnomon of the New Testament, published in 1742 as Gnomon Novi Testamenti and later reprinted in Latin and translated into German by C. F. Werner (1853, 3d ed., 1876) and into English in Clark's Library (5 vols., Edinburgh, 1857–58) and in an improved edition by Lewis and Vincent (2 vols., Philadelphia, 1860–1861). As a brief and suggestive commentary on the New Testament, the Gnomon is still of use.

Bengel's chief principle of interpretation, briefly stated, is to read nothing into the Scriptures, but draw everything from them, and suffer nothing to remain hidden that is really in them. His Gnomon exerted considerable influence on exegesis in Germany, and John Wesley translated most of its notes and incorporated them into his Annotatory Notes upon the New Testament (London, 1755).

The Gnomon was the fruit of twenty years labor, and exhibits with a brevity of expression, which, it has been said, condenses more matter into a line than can be extracted from pages of other writers, the results of his study. He modestly entitled his work a Gnomon or index, his object being rather to guide the reader to ascertain the meaning for himself, than to save him from the trouble of personal investigation. The principles of interpretation on which he proceeded were, to import nothing into Scripture, but to draw out of it everything that it really contained, in conformity with grammatico-historical rules not to be hampered by dogmatical considerations; and not to be influenced by the symbolical books. Bengel's hope that the Gnomon would help to rekindle a fresh interest in the study of the New Testament was fully realized.

Reviews
C H Spurgeon wrote that Bengel's NT commentary "is the Scholar's delight! Bengel condensed more matter into a line than can be extracted from pages of other writers."

John Wesley said of Bengel "I know of no commentator on the Bible equal to Bengel" and referred to him as "The great light of the Christian world."

Bengel developed principles of hermeneutics (the method and techniques used to interpret written texts) still largely valid. One stated 'Import nothing into Scripture, but draw everything out of it, and overlook nothing.'