> C. W. Conrad wrote:
> There are other passages in NT, where "all" is obviously used in the
> sense of "many". Here are some examples in Matthew:
> 2:3 "When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and *all*
> Jerusalem with him;"
> 8:34 "And behold, *all* the city came out to meet Jesus;
> 13:32 "it (the mustard seed) is the smallest of *all* seeds"
> 21:10 "And when he entered Jerusalem, *all* the city was stirred..."
> 21:26 "... we are afraid of the multitude; for *all* hold that John
> was a prophet."
> 26:52 "... for *all* who take the sword will perish by the sword."
>
> There are many examples, where it is said, that Jesus healed *all*.
> But the context shows, that "many" is supposed:
> Matthew 4:23-24 ("healing *every* disease and *every* infirmity...
> his fame spread throughout *all* Syria, and they brought him *all*
> the sick...")
> Matthew 8:16 ("healed *all* who were sick.")
> Matthew 9:35 ("healing *every* disease and *every* infirmity.")
> Matthew 12:15 ("he healed them *all*...")
But as Carl writes, aren't most of these cases of simple hyperbole?
For example, during the last election President Clinton traveled "all over
the country" and "addressed all the issues". No one has trouble with
that. But I don't think that anyone would have understood those
statements to mean that he ever stood right here in my office, or that he
ever talked specifically about, say, how difficult it is to drive through
Harvard Square on a late Friday afternoon. ;-)
N