72. THE "OTHERS" CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST
(4) The two Robbers were not brought till much later. Not until the garments had been divided and after they had sat down to watch Him there. "Then," i.e., at that particular moment, while they were thus watching; "THEN were two robbers crucified with Him, one on the right hand, and one on the left" (Matt. xxvii. 38. Mark xv. 27).
(5) The two Malefactors would therefore be on the inside next to the Lord; and the two Robbers would be on the outside. Being nearer to Him, the two malefactors could more easily speak with one another, and to the Lord.
(6) John adds his testimony in ch. xix. 18, without any note of time: only of place "where" (not of time, "then"). He speaks generally of the fact: "where they crucified him, and with him, others, two on this side and on that side, and Jesus in the midst." The Greek is clear: ὕδο ἐντεῦβεν καὶ ἐντεῦβεν (duo ententhen kai ententhen). In Rev. xxii. 2 we have "ententhen kai ententhen" translated "on either side." So it should be here in John's other writing (Gospel, xix. 18), "and with him others, two on either side." This is exactly in accord with the other three Gospels, and combines their statements.
(7) But John bears further testimony. He says (ch. xix. 32, 33), "then came the soldiers and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came (Greek, 'having come') to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs." This shows that the soldiers in approaching Christ passed two of the four men before coming to Him.
(8) Note the two different words translated "other," in John xix. 32: "the first and of the other." The word is ἄλλος (allos), which is the other (the second) of two when there are more.¹
In Luke xxiii. 32 the word is ἕτερος (heteros), "and others also, two, were led with him."² Heteros is used of and denotes not one of the two malefactors, but both of them, they being one party of two, and the Lord being the other, and different.
¹ See Matt. x. 23; xxv. 16, 17, 20; xxvii. 61; xxviii. 1. John xviii. 15, 16; xx. 2, 4, 8 (the 2nd of eleven), and Rev. xvii. 10 (the 2nd of seven).
² Matt. vi. 21; viii. 21; xi. 3. Luke v. 7; vi. 6; vii. 41; ix. 56; xiv. 31; xvi. 13, 18; xvii. 31-36; xviii. 10; and xxiii. 20.
It is the same word (heteros) in verse 40, because here it is other of the two malefactors; viz., the one who did not "rail on him."
We thus reach the conclusion that there were four others crucified with the Lord Jesus. This fact not only removes all difficulties, but perfectly harmonizes all the four Scriptures, and establishes the Divine accuracy of every word and every expression.
Of course it does not agree with Tradition; and we are quite aware that we shall have to reckon with all Traditionalists for thus upsetting their idol.
14. The burying of Jacob and his sons.—The difficulty in Acts vii. 15, 16 arises from confusing two distinct purchases; one by Abraham in Gen. xxiii. 19, and another by Jacob in Gen. xxxiii. 18, 19; and Josh. xxiv. 32.
Abraham's purchase was of Ephron the Hittite in Hebron; a field, with a cave (Machpelah) at the end of it, for 400 shekels of silver.
Jacob's purchase was "a parcel of a field" in Shechem, of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for 100 lambs.
There can be no confusion between these two.
As to the historical record, the burials in Abraham's sepulchre were Sarah (Gen. xxiii. 19), Abraham (Gen. xxv. 9), Isaac (Gen. xxxv. 29), Rebekah and Leah (Gen. xlix. 31), and Jacob (Gen. l. 12, 13).
The burials in Jacob's field were Joseph (Josh. xxiv. 32), and, according to Acts vii. 16, the other sons of Jacob who were carried over into Sychem.
Acts vii. 15, 16 agrees with this history if we note two simple Various Readings of the Greek supported by most of the Textual Editors (see Canon XII.); and if we remember that the circumstances were so well known to Stephen's hearers that they perfectly understood what he said. Though they were waiting to catch something out of his lips, yet they saw nothing to stumble at.
The two readings are ṁ (hō), in that which, instead of ṁ (ho), that (before Abraham); and ἐν (en), in, instead of τοῦ (tou), of [the], in the phrase "[the father] of Sychem." In which case we read "in Sychem," and do not read the italics "the father" or the word "of" before Sychem.
ii. THE REVELATION OF TRUTH
With these changes the verses will read as follows:
"So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, and they [our fathers] were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre: he [Jacob] in that which Abraham bought for a sum of money, [and they in that which was bought] from the sons of Hamor, in Sychem."
Thus, Jacob was buried in the sepulchre which Abraham bought; and his sons were afterwards buried in that which Jacob bought. The historic record is perfectly simple and clear: and no difficulty whatever exists, except in the minds of those who create it.