SEV Biblia, Chapter 8:24
Y he aquí, fue hecho en el mar un gran movimiento, que el barco se cubría de las ondas; mas él dormía.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 8:25
Verse 25. And his disciples] THE disciples. In the common printed editions, as well as in our translation, it is HIS disciples, but autou, his, is omitted by the very best MSS., and by Bengel, Wetstein, and Griesbach. This is a matter of very small importance, and need not be noticed; only every translator and commentator should aim, to the uttermost of his knowledge and power, to give every particle of the language of the inspired penman that can be expressed, and to insert no one word which he has reason to believe did not come by the inspiration of God.
Lord, save us: we perish.] One advantage of trials is to make us know our weakness, so as to oblige us to have recourse to God by faith in Christ. It is by faith alone that we may be said to approach him; by love we are united to him, and by prayer we awake him. All good perishes in us without Christ: without his grace, there is not so much as one moment in which we are not in danger of utter ruin. How proper, then, is this short prayer for us, and how familiar should it be to us! Taken in the extensive Christian sense it is exceedingly expressive: it comprehends all the power of our Lord's might, all the merit of his atonement, and all the depth of our misery and danger. See Quesnel.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 24. And behold, there arose a great tempest , etc.] “A great concussion”, or “shaking” of the sea; the stormy wind moved the sea, and the waves thereof; and both wind and sea shook the ship, and the men that were in it. Luke calls this tempest a “storm wind”, ( Luke 8:23) and Mark says, it was “a great storm of wind”, ( Mark 4:37) and both use the word “loelaps”, which signifies a particular kind of wind, which is suddenly whirled about upwards and downwards; or rather, a conflict of many winds: it seems to be a whirlwind, or hurricane. It is said, that this tempest “arose”, not by chance, nor by the power of Satan, but by divine providence; for the trial of the faith of Christ’s disciples, and that he might have an opportunity of giving proof of his deity on the sea, as he had lately done in several instances on the dry land. Luke says, that this storm of wind “came down”; referring to the motion and course of the winds, which are exhalations from the earth, raised up into the middle region of the air, from whence they are expelled by a superior force to the lower region, and from thence move in an oblique, slanting manner, downwards. The place where this tempest arose, or into which this storm of wind came down, is here said to be in the sea . Luke calls it a “lake”, and it was the lake of Genesareth. But both Matthew and Mark call it the sea, and is what is sometimes called the sea of Tiberias, and the sea of Galilee; (see John 6:1,21:1) agreeably to the language of the Jewish writers. To all this, the word “behold!” is prefixed; which is sometimes used, when anything extraordinary and preternatural is spoken of: and this storm seems to be more than an ordinary one; at least, it was very sudden and unexpected: when the disciples entered the ship, the air was serene, and the sea still and quiet; but as soon as they had set sail, at once, on a sudden, this storm came down, with great force into the sea, and lifted up its waves; insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves ; it was just sinking to the bottom, so that they were in the utmost extremity: and what added to their distress was, but he , Christ, was asleep . Mark mentions the place where he was asleep, “in the hinder part of the ship”; that is in the stern: where he, as Lord and Master, should be, though to the great concern of his disciples, there asleep; and that in a deep sound sleep, as the word which Luke makes use of signifies; and as appears by the loud repeated call of his disciples to awake him: and though this sleep doubtless arose from natural causes, he being greatly fatigued with the business of the day past; yet was so ordered by the providence of God, to come upon him in such a manner at this time, for the trial of the faith of his disciples. Christ’s body needing sleep, and refreshment by it, shows that it was a real human body he assumed; subject to the same infirmities as our’s; excepting sin; and is no contradiction to the truth of his divinity, as the Jew suggests. He slept as man, though, as God, he is Israel’s keeper, who neither slumbers nor sleeps.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 23-27 - It is a comfort to those who go down to the sea in ships, and are ofte in perils there, to reflect that they have a Saviour to trust in an pray to, who knows what it is to be on the water, and to be in storm there. Those who are passing with Christ over the ocean of this world must expect storms. His human nature, like to ours in every thing but sin, was wearied, and he slept at this time to try the faith of his disciples. They, in their fear, came to their Master. Thus is it in soul; when lusts and temptations are swelling and raging, and God is as it were, asleep to it, this brings it to the brink of despair. The it cries for a word from his mouth, Lord Jesus, keep not silence to me or I am undone. Many that have true faith, are weak in it. Christ' disciples are apt to be disquieted with fears in a stormy day; to torment themselves that things are bad with them, and with disma thoughts that they will be worse. Great storms of doubt and fear in the soul, under the power of the spirit of bondage, sometimes end in wonderful calm, created and spoken by the Spirit of adoption. They wer astonished. They never saw a storm so turned at once into a perfec calm. He that can do this, can do any thing, which encourage confidence and comfort in him, in the most stormy day, within of without, Isa 26:4.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ ιδου 2400 5628 V-2AAM-2S σεισμος 4578 N-NSM μεγας 3173 A-NSM εγενετο 1096 5633 V-2ADI-3S εν 1722 PREP τη 3588 T-DSF θαλασση 2281 N-DSF ωστε 5620 CONJ το 3588 T-NSN πλοιον 4143 N-NSN καλυπτεσθαι 2572 5745 V-PPN υπο 5259 PREP των 3588 T-GPN κυματων 2949 N-GPN αυτος 846 P-NSM δε 1161 CONJ εκαθευδεν 2518 5707 V-IAI-3S
Vincent's NT Word Studies
24. Tempest (seismov). Lit., shaking. Used of an earthquake. The narrative indicates a sudden storm. Dr. Thomson ("Land and Book") says: "Such winds are not only violent, but they come down suddenly, and often when the sky is perfectly clear.... To understand the causes of these sudden and violent tempests we must remember that the lake lies low - six hundred and eighty feet below the sea; that the mountainous plateau of the Jaulan rises to a considerable height, spreading backward to the wilds of the Hauran, and upward to snowy Hermon; that the water-courses have worn or washed out profound ravines and wild gorges, converging to the head of this lake; and that these act like great funnels to drawn down the cold winds from the mountains."
Robertson's NT Word Studies
8:24 {But he was asleep} (autos de ekaqeuden). Imperfect, was sleeping. Picturesque scene. The Sea of Galilee is 680 feet below the Mediterranean Sea. These sudden squalls come down from the summit of Hermon with terrific force (seismos megas) like an earthquake. Mark (#Mr 4:37) and Luke (#Lu 8:23) term it a whirlwind (lailay) in furious gusts.
