John 1:47

An Israelite indeed. Or, “truly an Israelite,” that is, one who served God in sincerity of heart (see ch. 4:23, 24) and not as a hypocrite (see on Matt. 6:2; 7:5; 23:13). Nathanael was one of that small but devout group who earnestly waited for “the consolation of Israel” (see on Luke 2:25) and aspired to the high ideals set before them by God (see Vol. IV, pp. 26-30). A true Israelite was not necessarily a literal descendant of Abraham (see John 8:33-44), but one who chose to live in harmony with the will of God (see John 8:39; Acts 10:34, 35; Rom. 2:28, 29; 9:6, 7, 25-27; 10:12, 13; Gal. 3:9, 28, 29; 1 Peter 2:9, 10).

Guile. Gr. dolos, literally, “bait,” such as for catching fish, but figuratively, “trickery,” “guile,” “treachery.” False pretenses are the “bait” used by the hypocrite to convince men that he is better than he really is.