και 2532 CONJ παντες 3956 A-NPM εμαρτυρουν 3140 5707 V-IAI-3P αυτω 846 P-DSM και 2532 CONJ εθαυμαζον 2296 5707 V-IAI-3P επι 1909 PREP τοις 3588 T-DPM λογοις 3056 N-DPM της 3588 T-GSF χαριτος 5485 N-GSF τοις 3588 T-DPM εκπορευομενοις 1607 5740 V-PNP-DPM εκ 1537 PREP του 3588 T-GSN στοματος 4750 N-GSN αυτου 846 P-GSM και 2532 CONJ ελεγον 3004 5707 V-IAI-3P ουχ 3756 PRT-N ουτος 3778 D-NSM εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S ο 3588 T-NSM υιος 5207 N-NSM ιωσηφ 2501 N-PRI
Vincent's NT Word Studies
22. Bare him witness. Compare verse 14. They confirmed the reports which had been circulated about him. Note the imperfect tense. There was a continuous stream of admiring comment. Similarly, were wondering. At the gracious words (logoiv thv caritov). Literally and correctly, as Rev., words of grace. See on chapter i. 30.Is not (ouci). Expecting an affirmative answer.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:22 {bare him witness} (emarturoun). Imperfect active, perhaps inchoative. They all began to bear witness that the rumours were not exaggerations (#4:14) as they had supposed, but had foundation in fact if this discourse or its start was a fair sample of his teaching. The verb marturew is a very old and common one. It is frequent in Acts, Paul's Epistles, and the Johannine books. The substantive martur is seen in our English martyr, one who witnesses even by his death to his faith in Christ. {And wondered} (kai eqaumazon). Imperfect active also, perhaps inchoative also. They began to marvel as he proceeded with his address. this verb is an old one and common in the Gospels for the attitude of the people towards Jesus. {At the words of grace} (epi tois logois tes caritos). See on Lu 1:30; 2:52 for this wonderful word caris so full of meaning and so often in the N.T. The genitive case (case of genus or kind) here means that the words that came out of the mouth of Jesus in a steady stream (present tense, ekporeuomenois) were marked by fascination and charm. They were "winning words" as the context makes plain, though they were also "gracious" in the Pauline sense of "grace." There is no necessary antithesis in the ideas of graceful and gracious in these words of Jesus. {Is not this Joseph's son?} (ouci huios estin iwsef houtos;). Witness and wonder gave way to bewilderment as they began to explain to themselves the situation. The use of ouci intensive form of ouk in a question expects the answer "yes." Jesus passed in Nazareth as the son of Joseph as Luke presents him in #3:23. He does not stop here to correct this misconception because the truth has been already amply presented in #1:28-38; 2:49. this popular conception of Jesus as the son of Joseph appears also in #Joh 1:45. The puzzle of the people was due to their previous knowledge of Jesus as the carpenter (#Mr 6:3; the carpenter's son, #Mt 13:55). For him now to appear as the Messiah in Nazareth where he had lived and labored as the carpenter was a phenomenon impossible to credit on sober reflection. So the mood of wonder and praise quickly turned with whispers and nods and even scowls to doubt and hostility, a rapid and radical transformation of emotion in the audience.
