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THE GOSPEL
ACCORDING TO
MARK
Commentary by DAVID BROWN
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CHAPTER 6
@Mr
6:1-6. CHRIST REJECTED AT NAZARETH. ( = @Mt
13:54-58 Lu 4:16-30).
See on Lu 4:16-30.
@Mr
6:7-13. MISSION OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES. ( = @Mt
10:1,5-15 Lu 9:1-6).
See on Mt 10:1; Mt 10:5-15.
@Mr
6:14-29. HEROD THINKS JESUS A RESURRECTION OF THE
MURDERED BAPTIST--ACCOUNT OF HIS DEATH. ( = @Mt
14:1-12 Lu 9:7-9).
Herod's View of Christ (@Mr
6:14-16).
14. And King Herod--that is, Herod Antipas, one of
the three sons of Herod the Great, and own brother of
Archelaus (@Mt
2:22), who ruled as ethnarch over Galilee and
Perea.
heard of him; (for his
name was spread abroad); and he said--"unto his
servants" (@Mt
14:2),his councillors or court ministers.
That John the Baptist
was risen from the dead--The murdered prophet haunted
his guilty breast like a specter, and seemed to him alive
again and clothed with unearthly powers, in the person of
Jesus.
15. Others said, That it is Elias. And others, That it
is a prophet, or as one of the prophets--(See on Mt
16:14).
16. But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John,
whom I beheaded; he is risen from the dead--"himself
has risen"; as if the innocence and sanctity of his
faithful reprover had not suffered that he should lie long
dead.
Account of the Baptist's Imprisonment and Death (@Mr
6:17-29).
17. For Herod himself had sent forth, and laid hold
upon John, and bound him in prison--in the castle of
Machærus, near the southern extremity of Herod's
dominions, and adjoining the Dead Sea [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities,
18.5,2].
for Herodias' sake--She
was the granddaughter of Herod the Great.
his brother Philip's
wife--and therefore the niece of both brothers. This
Philip, however, was not the tetrarch of that name
mentioned in @Lu
3:1 (see on Lu
3:1), but one whose distinctive name was "Herod
Philip," another son of Herod the Great--who was
disinherited by his father. Herod Antipas' own wife was
the daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia; but he prevailed
on Herodias, his half-brother Philip's wife, to forsake
her husband and live with him, on condition, says JOSEPHUS
[Antiquities, 18.5,1], that he should put away his
own wife. This involved him afterwards in war with Aretas,
who totally defeated him and destroyed his army, from the
effects of which he was never able to recover himself.
18. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for
thee to have thy brother's wife--Noble fidelity! It
was not lawful because Herod's wife and Herodias husband
were both living; and further, because the parties were
within the forbidden degrees of consanguinity (see @Le
20:21); Herodias being the daughter of Aristobulus,
the brother of both Herod and Philip [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities,
18.5,4].
19. Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him--rather,
as in the Margin, "had a grudge against
him." Probably she was too proud to speak to him;
still less would she quarrel with him.
and would have killed
him; but she could not.
20. For Herod feared John--but, as BENGEL notes,
John feared not Herod.
knowing that he was a
just man and an holy--Compare the ease of Elijah with
Ahab, after the murder of Naboth (@1Ki
21:20).
and observed him--rather,
as in the Margin, "kept" or "saved
him"; that is, from the wicked designs of Herodias,
who had been watching for some pretext to get Herod
entangled and committed to despatch him.
and when he heard him,
he did many things--many good things under the
influence of the Baptist on his conscience.
and heard him gladly--a
striking statement this, for which we are indebted to our
graphic Evangelist alone, illustrating the working of
contrary principles in the slaves of passion. But this
only shows how far Herodias must have wrought upon him, as
Jezebel upon Ahab, that he should at length agree to what
his awakened conscience kept him long from executing.
21. And when a convenient day--for the purposes of
Herodias.
was come, that Herod--rather,
"A convenient day being come," when Herod.
on his birthday, made a
supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates
of Galilee--This graphic minuteness of detail adds
much to the interest of the tragic narrative.
22. And when the daughter of the said Herodias--that
is,--her daughter by her proper husband, Herod Philip: Her
name was Salome [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 18.5,4].
came in and danced, and
pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said
unto the damsel--"the girl" (See on Mr
5:42).
Ask of me whatsoever
thou wilt, and I will give it thee.
23. And he--the king, so called, but only by
courtesy (see on Mr 6:14).
sware unto her
Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, unto the half of my
kingdom--Those in whom passion and luxury have
destroyed self-command will in a capricious moment say and
do what in their cool moments they bitterly regret.
24. And she said, The head of John the Baptist--Abandoned
women are more shameless and heartless than men. The
Baptist's fidelity marred the pleasures of Herodias, and
this was too good an opportunity of getting rid of him to
let slip.
25. I will that thou give me by and by--rather,
"at once."
in a charger--large,
flat trencher--"the head of John the Baptist."
26. And the king was exceeding sorry--With his
feelings regarding John, and the truths which so told upon
his conscience from that preacher's lips, and after so
often and carefully saving him from his paramour's rage,
it must have been very galling to find himself at length
entrapped by his own rash folly.
yet for his oath's sake--See
how men of no principle, but troublesome conscience, will
stick at breaking a rash oath, while yielding to the
commission of the worst crimes!
and for their sakes
which sat with him--under the influence of that false
shame, which could not brook being thought to be troubled
with religious or moral scruples. To how many has this
proved a fatal snare!
he would not reject her.
27. And immediately the king sent an executioner--one
of the guards in attendance. The word is Roman, denoting
one of the Imperial Guard.
and commanded his head
to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison--after,
it would seem, more than twelve months' imprisonment.
Blessed martyr! Dark and cheerless was the end reserved
for thee: but now thou hast thy Master's benediction,
"Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in
Me" (@Mt
11:6), and hast found the life thou gavest away (@Mt
10:39). But where are they in whose skirts is found
thy blood?
28. And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to
the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother--Herodias
did not shed the blood of the stern reprover; she only got
it done, and then gloated over it, as it streamed from the
trunkless head.
29. And when his disciples heard of it--that is,
the Baptist's own disciples.
they came and took up
his corpse, and laid it in a tomb--"and went and
told Jesus" (@Mt
14:12). If these disciples had, up to this time, stood
apart from Him, as adherents of John (@Mt
11:2), perhaps they now came to Jesus, not without
some secret reflection on Him for His seeming neglect of
their master; but perhaps, too, as orphans, to cast in
their lot henceforth with the Lord's disciples. How Jesus
felt, or what He said, on receiving this intelligence, is
not recorded; but He of whom it was said, as He stood by
the grave of His friend Lazarus, "Jesus wept,"
was not likely to receive such intelligence without deep
emotion. And one reason why He might not be unwilling that
a small body of John's disciples should cling to him to
the last, might be to provide some attached friends who
should do for his precious body, on a small scale, what
was afterwards to be done for His own.
@Mr
6:30-56. THE TWELVE ON THEIR RETURN, HAVING REPORTED
THE SUCCESS OF THEIR MISSION, JESUS CROSSES THE SEA OF
GALILEE WITH THEM, TEACHES THE PEOPLE, AND MIRACULOUSLY
FEEDS THEM TO THE NUMBER OF FIVE THOUSAND--HE SENDS HIS
DISCIPLES BY SHIP AGAIN TO THE WESTERN SIDE, WHILE HE
HIMSELF RETURNS AFTERWARDS WALKING ON THE SEA--INCIDENTS
ON LANDING. ( = @Mt
14:13-36 Lu 9:10-17 Joh 6:1-24).
Here, for the first time, all the four streams of sacred
text run parallel. The occasion and all the circumstances
of this grand section are thus brought before us with a
vividness quite remarkable.
Five Thousand Miraculously Fed (@Mr
6:30-44).
30. And the apostles gathered themselves together--probably
at Capernaum, on returning from their mission (@Mr
6:7-13).
and told him all things,
both what they had done, and what they had taught--Observe
the various reasons He had for crossing to the other side.
First, Matthew (@Mt
14:13) says, that "when Jesus heard" of the
murder of His faithful forerunner--from those attached
disciples of his who had taken up his body and laid it in
a sepulchre (see on Mr 6:29)--"He departed by ship
into a desert place apart"; either to avoid some
apprehended consequences to Himself, arising from the
Baptist's death (@Mt
10:23), or more probably to be able to indulge in
those feelings which that affecting event had doubtless
awakened, and to which the bustle of the multitude around
Him was very unfavorable. Next, since He must have heard
the report of the Twelve with the deepest interest, and
probably with something of the emotion which He
experienced on the return of the Seventy (see on Lu
10:17-22), He sought privacy for undisturbed reflection on
this begun preaching and progress of His kingdom. Once
more, He was wearied with the multitude of "comers
and goers"--depriving Him even of leisure enough to
take His food--and wanted rest: "Come ye
yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a
while," &c. Under the combined influence of all
these considerations, our Lord sought this change.
32. And they departed into a desert place by ship
privately--"over the Sea of Galilee, which is the
Sea of Tiberias," says John (@Joh
6:1), the only one of the Evangelists who so fully
describes it; the others having written when their readers
were supposed to know something of it, while the last
wrote for those at a greater distance of time and place.
This "desert place" is more definitely described
by Luke (@Lu
9:10) as "belonging to the city called Bethsaida."
This must not be confounded with the town so called on the
western side of the lake (see on Mt 11:21). This town lay
on its northeastern side, near where the Jordan empties
itself into it: in Gaulonitis, out of the dominions of
Herod Antipas, and within the dominions of Philip the
Tetrarch (@Lu
3:1), who raised it from a village to a city, and
called it Julias, in honor of Julia, the daughter
of Augustus [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 18.2,1].
33. And the people--the multitudes.
saw them departing, and
many knew him--The true reading would seem to be:
"And many saw them departing, and knew or recognized
[them]."
and ran afoot--Here,
perhaps, it should be rendered "by
land"--running round by the head of the lake, and
taking one of the fords of the river, so as to meet Jesus,
who was crossing with the Twelve by ship.
thither out of all
cities, and outwent them--got before them.
and came together unto
him--How exceedingly graphic is this! every touch of
it betokening the presence of an eye-witness. John (@Joh
6:3) says, that "Jesus went up into a
mountain"--somewhere in that hilly range, the green
tableland which skirts the eastern side of the lake.
34. And Jesus, when he came out of the ship--having
gone on shore.
saw much people--a
great multitude.
and was moved with
compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not
having a shepherd--At the sight of the multitudes who
had followed Him by land and even got before Him, He was
so moved, as was His wont in such cases, with compassion,
because they were like shepherdless sheep, as to forego
both privacy and rest that He might minister to them. Here
we have an important piece of information from the Fourth
Evangelist (@Joh
6:4), "And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was
nigh"--rather, "Now the passover, the feast of
the Jews, was nigh." This accounts for the multitudes
that now crowded around Him. They were on their way to
keep that festival at Jerusalem. But Jesus did not go up
to this festival, as John expressly tells us, (@Joh
7:1)--remaining in Galilee, because the ruling Jews
sought to kill Him.
35. And when the day was now far spent--"began
to wear away" or "decline," says Luke (@Lu
9:12). Matthew (@Mt
14:15) says, "when it was evening"; and yet
he mentions a later evening of the same day (@Mr
6:23). This earlier evening began at three P.M.; the
latter began at sunset.
36. Send them away, that they may go into the country
round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves
bread: for they have nothing to eat--John tells us (@Joh
6:5,6) that "Jesus said to Philip, Whence shall
we buy bread, that these may eat? (And this He said to
prove him: for He Himself knew what He would do)."
The subject may have been introduced by some remark of the
disciples; but the precise order and form of what was said
by each can hardly be gathered with precision, nor is it
of any importance.
37. He answered and said unto them--"They need
not depart" (@Mt
14:10).
Give ye them to eat--doubtless
said to prepare them for what was to follow.
And they say unto him,
Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and
give them to eat?--"Philip answered Him, Two
hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them,
that every one of them may take a little" (@Joh
6:7).
38. He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and
see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes--John
is more precise and full: "One of His disciples,
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto Him, There is a
lad here which hath five barley loaves and two small
fishes: but what are they among so many?" (@Joh
6:8,9). Probably this was the whole stock of
provisions then at the command of the disciples--no more
than enough for one meal to them--and entrusted for the
time to this lad. "He said, Bring them hither to
me" (@Mt
14:18).
39. And he commanded them to make all sit down by
companies upon the green grass--or "green
hay"; the rank grass of those bushy wastes. For, as
John (@Joh
6:10) notes, "there was much grass in the
place."
40. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by
fifties--Doubtless this was to show at a glance the
number fed, and to enable all to witness in an orderly
manner this glorious miracle.
41. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two
fishes, he looked up to heaven--Thus would the most
distant of them see distinctly what He was doing.
and blessed--John (@Joh
6:11) says, "And when he had given thanks."
The sense is the same. This thanksgiving for the meal, and
benediction of it as the food of thousands, was the crisis
of the miracle.
and brake the loaves,
and gave them to his disciples to set before them--thus
virtually holding forth these men as His future ministers.
and the two fishes
divided he among them all.
42. And they did all eat, and were filled--All the
four Evangelists mention this: and John (@Joh
6:11) adds, "and likewise of the fishes, as much
as they would"--to show that vast as was the
multitude, and scanty the provisions, the meal to each and
all of them was a plentiful one. "When they were
filled, He said unto His disciples, Gather up the
fragments that remain, that nothing be lost" (@Joh
6:12). This was designed to bring out the whole extent
of the miracle.
43. And they took up twelve baskets full of the
fragments, and of the fishes--"Therefore (says @Joh
6:13), they gathered them together, and filled twelve
baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves,
which remained over and above unto them that had
eaten." The article here rendered "baskets"
in all the four narratives was part of the luggage taken
by Jews on a journey--to carry, it is said, both their
provisions and hay to sleep on, that they might not have
to depend on Gentiles, and so run the risk of ceremonial
pollution. In this we have a striking corroboration of the
truth of the four narratives. Internal evidence renders it
clear, we think, that the first three Evangelists wrote
independently of each other, though the fourth must have
seen all the others. But here, each of the first three
Evangelists uses the same word to express the apparently
insignificant circumstance that the baskets employed to
gather up the fragments were of the kind which even the
Roman satirist, JUVENAL, knew by the name of cophinus,
while in both the narratives of the feeding of the Four
Thousand the baskets used are expressly said to have been
of the kind called spuris. (See @Mr
8:19,20.)
44. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five
thousand men--"besides women and children"
(@Mt
14:21). Of these, however, there would probably not be
many; as only the males were obliged to go to the
approaching festival.
Jesus Recrosses to the Western side of the Lake Walking
on the Sea (@Mr
6:45-56).
One very important particular given by John alone (@Joh
6:15) introduces this portion: "When Jesus
therefore perceived that they would take Him by force, to
make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain Himself
alone."
45. And straightway he constrained his disciples to get
into the ship, and to go to the other side before--Him.
unto Bethsaida--Bethsaida
of Galilee (@Joh
12:21). John (@Joh
6:17) says they "went over the sea towards
Capernaum"--the wind, probably, occasioning this
slight deviation from the direction of Bethsaida.
while he sent away the
people--"the multitude." His object in this
was to put an end to the misdirected excitement in His
favor (@Joh
6:15), into which the disciples themselves may have
been somewhat drawn. The word "constrained"
implies reluctance on their part, perhaps from
unwillingness to part with their Master and embark at
night, leaving Him alone on the mountain.
46. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a
mountain to pray--thus at length getting that privacy
and rest which He had vainly sought during the earlier
part of the day; opportunity also to pour out His soul in
connection with the extraordinary excitement in His favor
that evening--which appears to have marked the zenith of
His reputation, for it began to decline the very next day;
and a place whence He might watch the disciples on the
lake, pray for them in their extremity, and observe the
right time for coming to them, in a new manifestation of
His glory, on the sea.
47. And when even was come--the later evening (see
on Mr 6:35). It had come even when the disciples embarked
(@Mt
14:23 Joh 6:16).
the ship was in the
midst of the sea, and he alone on the land--John says
(@Joh
6:17), "It was now dark, and Jesus was not come
to them." Perhaps they made no great effort to push
across at first, having a lingering hope that their Master
would yet join them, and so allowed the darkness to come
on. "And the sea arose" (adds the beloved
disciple, @Joh
6:18), "by reason of a great wind that
blew."
48. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was
contrary unto them--putting forth all their strength
to buffet the waves and bear on against a head wind, but
to little effect. He "saw" this from His
mountain top, and through the darkness of the night, for
His heart was all with them: yet would He not go to their
relief till His own time came.
and about the fourth
watch of the night--The Jews, who used to divide the
night into three watches, latterly adopted the Roman
division into four watches, as here. So that, at the rate
of three hours to each, the fourth watch, reckoning from
six P.M., would be three o'clock in the morning. "So
when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty
furlongs" (@Joh
6:19)--rather more than halfway across. The lake is
about seven miles broad at its widest part. So that in
eight or nine hours they had only made some three and a
half miles. By this time, therefore, they must have been
in a state of exhaustion and despondency bordering on
despair; and now at length, having tried them long enough.
he cometh unto them,
walking upon the sea--"and draweth nigh unto the
ship" (@Joh
6:19).
and would have passed by
them--but only in the sense of @Lu
24:28 Ge 32:26; compare @Ge
18:3,5 42:7.
49. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they
supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out--"for
fear" (@Mt
14:26). He would appear to them at first like a dark
moving speck upon the waters; then as a human figure; but
in the dark tempestuous sky, and not dreaming that it
could be their Lord, they take it for a spirit. Compare @Lu
24:37.
50. For they all saw him, and were troubled. And
immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be
of good cheer: It is I; be not afraid--There is
something in these two little words--given by Matthew,
Mark and John (@Mt
14:27 Mr 6:50 Joh 6:20)--"It is I," which
from the mouth that spake it and the circumstances in
which it was uttered, passes the power of language to
express. Here were they in the midst of a raging sea,
their little bark the sport of the elements, and with just
enough of light to descry an object on the waters which
only aggravated their fears. But Jesus deems it enough to
dispel all apprehension to let them know that He was
there. From other lips that "I am" would
have merely meant that the person speaking was such a one
and not another person. That, surely, would have done
little to calm the fears of men expecting every minute, it
may be, to go to the bottom. But spoken by One who at that
moment was "treading upon the waves of the sea,"
and was about to hush the raging elements with His word,
what was it but the Voice which cried of old in the ears
of Israel, even from the days of Moses, "I AM";
"I, EVEN I, AM HE!" Compare @Joh
18:5,6 8:58. Now, that Word is "made flesh, and
dwells among us," uttering itself from beside us in
dear familiar tones--"It is the Voice of my
Beloved!" How far was this apprehended by these
frightened disciples? There was one, we know, in the boat
who outstripped all the rest in susceptibility to such
sublime appeals. It was not the deep-toned writer of the
Fourth Gospel, who, though he lived to soar beyond all the
apostles, was as yet too young for prominence, and all
unripe. It was Simon Barjonas. Here follows a very
remarkable and instructive episode, recorded by Matthew
alone:
Peter Ventures to
Walk upon the Sea (@Mt
14:28-32).
@Mt
14:28:
And Peter answered
Him, and said, Lord, If it be Thou, bid me come unto
Thee on the water--not "let
me," but "give me the word of command"--"command,"
or "order me to come unto Thee upon the
waters."
@Mt
14:29:
And He said, Come--Sublime
word, issuing from One conscious of power over the
raging element, to bid it serve both Himself and
whomsoever else He pleased!
And when Peter was
come down out of the ship, he walked upon the water--"waters."
to come to Jesus--"It
was a bold spirit," says BISHOP HALL, "that
could wish it; more bold that could act it--not fearing
either the softness or the roughness of that uncouth
passage."
@Mt
14:30:
But when he saw the
wind boisterous, he was afraid: and beginning to
sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me--The wind
was as boisterous before, but Peter "saw"
it not, seeing only the power of Christ, in the lively
exercise of faith. Now he "sees" the
fury of the elements, and immediately the power of
Christ to bear him up fades before his view, and this
makes him "afraid"--as how could he be
otherwise, without any felt power to keep him up?
He then "begins to sink"; and finally,
conscious that his experiment had failed, he casts
himself, in a sort of desperate confidence, upon his
"Lord" for deliverance!
@Mt
14:31:
And immediately
Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said
unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou
doubt?--This rebuke was not administered
while Peter was sinking, nor till Christ had him by the
hand: first reinvigorating his faith, and then with
it enabling him again to walk upon the crested wave.
Useless else had been this loving reproof, which owns
the faith that had ventured on the deep upon the
bare word of Christ, but asks why that distrust
which so quickly marred it.
@Mt
14:32:
And when they--Jesus
and Peter.
were come into the
ship, the wind ceased.
51. And he went up unto them into the ship--John (@Joh
6:21) says, "Then they willingly received him
into the ship"--or rather, "Then were they
willing to receive Him" (with reference to their
previous terror); but implying also a glad welcome, their
first fears now converted into wonder and delight.
"And immediately," adds the beloved disciple,
"they were at the land whither they went," or
"were bound." This additional miracle, for as
such it is manifestly related, is recorded by the fourth
Evangelist alone. As the storm was suddenly calmed, so the
little bark--propelled by the secret power of the Lord of
nature now sailing in it--glided through the now unruffled
waters, and, while they were wrapt in wonder at what had
happened, not heeding their rapid motion, was found
at port, to their still further surprise.
|
"Then are
they glad, because at rest
And quiet now they be;
So to the haven He them brings
Which they desired to
see." |
Matthew (@Mt
14:33) says, "Then they that were in the ship
came [that is, ere they got to land] and worshipped him,
saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God." But our
Evangelist is wonderfully striking.
and the wind ceased and
they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and
wondered--The Evangelist seems hardly to find language
strong enough to express their astonishment.
52. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves;
for their heart was hardened--What a singular
statement! The meaning seems to be that if they had but
"considered [reflected upon] the miracle of the
loaves," wrought but a few hours before, they would
have wondered at nothing which He might do within
the whole circle of power and grace.
Incidents on Landing (@Mr
6:53-56).
The details here are given with a rich vividness quite
peculiar to this charming Gospel.
53. And when they had passed over, they came into the
land of Gennesaret--from which the lake sometimes
takes its name, stretching along its western shore.
Capernaum was their landing-place (@Joh
6:24,25).
and drew to the shore--a
nautical phrase, nowhere else used in the New Testament.
54. And when they were come out of the ship,
straightway they knew him--"immediately they
recognized Him"; that is, the people did.
55. and began to carry about in beds those that were
sick, where they heard he was--At this period of our
Lord's ministry the popular enthusiasm in His favor was at
its height.
56. and besought him that they might touch if it were
but the border of his garment--having heard, no doubt,
of what the woman with the issue of blood experienced on
doing so (@Mr
5:25-29), and perhaps of other unrecorded cases of the
same nature.
and as many as touched
him--or "it"--the border of His garment.
were made whole--All
this they continued to do and to experience while
our Lord was in that region. The time corresponds
to that mentioned (@Joh
7:1), when He "walked in Galilee," instead
of appearing in Jerusalem at the passover, "because
the Jews," that is, the rulers, "sought
to kill Him"--while the people sought to
enthrone Him!
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