And. Restating Matthew 10:26 from a different point of view. Fear not; be not afraid of (Revised Version); μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπό. So Westcott and Herr, with B (sic) and two or three other authorities. The Revised Version (cf.
Authorized Version parallel passage, Luke 12:4) expresses the greater difference from Matthew 10:26 and Matthew 10:28 ( φοβηθῆτε ἀπό with genitive, a Hebraism expressing avoidance, shrinking, cowardly dreas; φοβηθῆτε with accusative, concentration of regard) at the expense of the lesser ( φοβηθῆτε, general command, or perhaps "never once fear;" φοβεῖσθε, "ever fear," habit).
Them which kill the body. So R. Akiba refused to give up studying and teaching the Law when it was forbidden on pain of death (Talm. Bab., 'Berach.,' 61b). But are not able to kill the soul (Matthew 6:25, note).
But rather fear. Always ( φοβεῖσθε). Fear; yes, but the right object ( φοβεῖσθε δὲ μᾶλλον, not μᾶλλον δὲ φοβεῖσθε), and that intensely (vide supra). Him which is able ( τομενον). Mere power; but in the parallel passage in Luke, authority.
The reference is, of course, to God (cf. James 4:12). To destroy ( ἀπολέσαι). The class of words to which this belongs denotes "utter and hopeless ruin; but they convey no idea whether the ruined object ceases to exist or continues a worthless existence" (Professor Agar Beet, in Expositor, IV.
1.28). Professor Marshall, in Expositor, IV. 3:283, thinks Luke's variant, "to cast," indicates that our Lord originally used an Aramaic word that properly meant "to set on fire." Both soul and body in hell (Matthew 5:22, note).