v. 4- >*«f -^©' PRINCETON, N. J "Part of the AHDIhON ALEXANDKU LIBRARY, . which was presented b}' Mussita. R. L. anu A. .Sti'arv. Booh, "^=^3. their lustre and energy. The laws in regard to the cleanness of the body, and even of the garments, if neglected by any person, excluded him from the temple. He was incapacitated for being so much as a spectator of the- solemn service at the altar. The Jews considered the empyreal heaven as the architype of the tem- ple of Jerusalem. In the latter, they enjoyed the symbols of God's presence, who spoke to them by liis ministers ; whereas, in the former, the blessed inhabitants have an immediate sense of the di- vine presence, and God speaks to them face to face. Our Lord, preserving the analogy between the two dispensations, intimates that cleanness will be as necessary in order to procure admission 40 NOTES ON CH. V. into the celestial temple, as into the terrestrial. But at the privilege is inconceivably higher, the qualification is more important. The cleanness is not ceremonial, but moral ; not of the outward man, but of the inward. The same idea is suggested, Ps. xxiv. When such allusions appear in the original, they ought, if possible, to have a place in the version. 9. The peacemakers, m ngrjvoTioiot. An. the pacific ; Hey. thr peaceable. Weakly both. With us these words imply merely a negative quality, and are equivalent to not contentious, not quar- relsome, not litigious. More is con)prised here. This word is not found in any other part of Scripture, but (which is nearly the same) the verb ctgrjvoTiOLeoi of the same origin occurs. Col. i. 20. where the connection shows that it cannot signify to be gentle, to be peaceable, but actively to reconcile, to make peace. Etymology and classical use also concur in affixing the sense of reconciler^ peacemaker, to icgfpojTOios. It is likewise so explained by Chrysostom. Indeed, if no more were meant by it than those pacifically disposed, nothing additional, would be given here, to what is implied in the first and third of these characters ; for as these exclude covctousness, ambition, anger, and pride, they remove all the sources of war, contention, and strife. Now, though all these characters given by our Lord are closely related, they are still distinct. 11. Prosecute, 6uo^io6i. E. T. Persecute. Some critics think, not improbably, that the word in this place^ relates to the prosecutions of the disciples (to whom Jesus here directly ad- dresses himself) on account of their religion, before human tri- bunals whereof he often warned them on other occasions. In this verse, he descends to particulars, distinguishing diaxstv from ovsiSt^etv, and aineiv Jiav novrigov grj/^a, which seem also to be used in reference to judicial proceedings. In the preceding verse, and in the following, there can be no doubt that the verb is used in the utmost latitude, and ought to be rendered persecute. See also ch. X. 23. xxiii. 34. 15. A lamp, Ivxrov. E, T. A candle. The meaning of the word is lamp. Candles were not used at that time in Judea for lighting their houses. Jvxna consequently means a lamp-stand, not a candlestick. CH. V. S. MATTHEW. 41 * Under a corn measure, bno zov fioSiov. E. T. Under a bushel. But they had no such measure. And though it is true that any mea- sure of capacity will suit the observation, a translator ought not, even indirectly, to misrepresent the customs of the people. The measure mentioned by the Evangelist, so far from answering to our bushel, was less than our peck. But as nothing here depends on the capacity of the measure, it is better to adopt the general term, than to introduce uncouth names, without necessity. Diss. VIH. P. I.§ 6. 3 As to the article prefixed to uoSiov and Xv/viav, Sc. says, " Ob- *' serve how the article loses its emphasis, and is rendered a instead of " <^e." I admit that the article may be in some cases redundant, but not that we have an example of its redundancy here. Is it not our constant way, when we name any utensil whereof there is but one of the kind in the house, to use the definite article ? " Bring " me the balance, that I may weigh this." " Take the bushel, and mete the grain." And even when there are more than one, if one be superior in value to the rest, or in more frequent use, it is com- monly distinguished in the same manner. On the contrary, when there are more of a kind, and no one distinguished from the rest, we express ourselves indefinitely, as, " Give me a spoon :" " Set a " chair for Mr. Such-a one." Our Lord's similitude is taken from the customs of families. He therefore uses the style which would be used in any house. This explains sufficiently why he says a lamp, as probably most houses had more than one, but the modius, there being but one, and the stand, as one might be in more frequent use than the rest, for the accommodation of the family. However, as the sense is sufficiently expressed either way, I have preferred the in- definite manner in my version, being better adapted to the more gen- eral terms I was obliged to adopt. See N. on oh. xxvii. 6l. 17. To subvert the law or the prophets, xaTaXvdai tov vouov }] Tovg jigo(pf]TC(s. E. T. 2'o destroy. Of the different senses which have been assigned to the verb 7iaTalv6ai, one is, when ap- plied to a law, to break or violate. Though this is the sense of the simple verb lvo3,\. 19. it cannot be the sense of the compound here. Nobody could suppose that it needed a divine mission to qualify one to transgress the law, which so many, merely from the 42 NOTES ON CH. v. depravity of their own minds, flagrantly did everyday. Another sense which suits better the context, is authoritatively to repeal or abrogate. This appears proper as applied to the law, but harsh as applied to the prophets, though by the prophets are meant, by a common metonymy, the prophetical writings. But even these we never speak of abolishing or abrogating. To destroy is rather say- ing too much, and is more in the military style than in the legislative. If every copy and scrap of these writings were obliterated or burnt, we could not say more than that they were destroyed. The con- text, in my opinion, shows that the import of the word here is not directly to rescind or repeal, but indirectly to supersede a standing rule by the substitution of another; which, though it does not, for- mally, annul the preceding, may be said, in effect to subvert it. . This appears fully to express the sense, and is equally adapted to both terms, the law and the prophets. * But to ratify, alia 7Tl7;gco6aL. E. T. But to fulfil The sense of the verb nl^igoM is ascertained by xaralvw. We have seen that the meaning of this word cannot be to break, and there- fore it is highly probable that the other means more than to obey. The proper opposite of weakening and subverting a law is confirm- ing and ratifying \t. See N. on ch. iii. 15. Some of great name translate it here to complete, perfect, or fill up, and think it alludes to the precepts, as it were, superadded in this discourse. I own there is a plausibility in this explanation ; some of our Lord's pre- cepts being, to appearance, improvements on tlie law. Yet I can- not help thinking, that these divine sayings are to be regarded rath- er as explanatory of the law, in showing its extent and spirituality, than as additions to it, not binding on men before, but deriving their power to oblige, purely from their promulgation by Jesus Christ. Besides, I find no example of the sense to fill up in any passage that can be reckoned analagous to the present. For the phrase fill up the measure of your fathers cannot surely be ac- counted of the number. The word meflsi/re there leaves no room to hesitate. It is otherwise here. The interpretation, viake fully known, givpn by Benson (Essay concerning abolishing of the Ceremonial Law, c!i. ii. sect. 2), though not implausible, does not make so exact a contrast to the preceding word suboerf, nor is it, in this application, so well established by use. ^«' V. S. MATTHEW. 43 18. Verihj I say imto you, uuvtv leyw vfuv. As Mt. has re- tained the Heb. word amen, hi such affirmations, and is, in this, fol- lowed by the other Evangelists, though less frequently by L. than by the rest, it is not improper here, where the word first occurs, toin- quu-e mto its import. Its proper signification is true, verus, as spok- en of thmgs, observant of truth, verax, as spoken of persons, some- times truth in the abstract. In the O. T. it is sometimes used ad- verbially, denotmg a concurrence in any wish or prayer, and is ren- dered by the Seventy yevoizo, so be it. In this application the word has been adopted into most European languages. In the N. T it is frequently used in affirmation. Now as L. has been more sparing than the other Evangelists, in the use of this Oriental term, it is worth while to observe, when he is relating the same passages of our Lord's history with them, what word he has substituted for the amen, as this will show in what manner he understood the Heb. adverb The same prediction which in Mt. xvi. 8. is ushered in by the words a^^v J^eyo, v^uv is thus introduced, L. ix. 27. Xeyo^ v,ucv aXr^{}cog, which answers to truly or verily with us. Another example of this inter- pretation we find, on comparing Mr. xii. 43. with L. xxi. 3. The only other example, in passages entirely parallel, is Mt. xxiii. 36 and L. XI. 51. where the a^i^v of the former is, by the latter, render- ed by the affirmative adverb rca. I have not observed any passage m the O. T. wherein tlie wonl atnen is used in affirming; and there- fore I consider this idiom in the Gospel as more properly a Syriasm tlian a Hebraism. Indeed some derivatives from amen often occur m affirmation. Such as amenah, Gen. xx. 12. Jos. vii. 20. rendered in the Sep. a?.r]^cos. Such also is amenm, which occurs oftener, and is rendered aA^^o),, .;.' aXvOua,, ev aXrj^eca, or ovuo. exactly corresponding to the application made oUuriv in theGospels " This is a strong evidence of the import of this word, in the N. T as the nature of the thing will admit. Nor does there appear the shadow of a reason for the opinion maintained by some critics that, when used thus It IS o the nature of an oath. It is true that to swear by the God of truth, elohe-amen, is mentioned (Is. Ixv. iC.) as an oath ; and so doubtless would it be to swear by the God of knowledge, or by wlhf "^,T" /"' d«--ybody conclude hence; that the words knowledge and power, wheresoever found, or howsoever ap- Pl'ed, include an oath ? It has also been urged, that in the trial of 44 NOTES ON cH. V. jealousy the woman is said to be charged with an oath of cursing (Num. V. 22. )j when all that was required of her was so say, amen, amen, to the imprecation pronounced upon her by the priest in case she was guilty of the crime suspected. This was doubtless an im- precation and an oath, for amen, said in that manner, was equivalent to the repetition of the words spoken by tlie priest. Should the mag- istrate in an Eng. judicatory (where the oath administered to wit- nesses is still in the form of an imprecation) rehearse the words, con- cluding as usual, so help you God, and require of the witness only to say amen, it would be justly termed an oath, and an imprecation against himself, if he gave a false testimony. But does any man con- clude hence that amen implies either oath or imprecation, when he subjoins it to prayers for health and safety ? This character does not result from any single word, but from the scope and structure of the whole sentence. Yet a critic of no less eminence than Father Si. after translating properly ft^UTjr Ityw vfiLv^ Mr. viii. 12. je vous assure, subjoins in a note, autre7nent,je vous jure. With how little reason this note is added, let the judicious reader determine. Our Lord often recurs to this solemn form of asseveration in this discourse upon the Mount, where he expressly forbids his disciples the use of oaths in their inter- course with one another. How would it have sounded from him to address them in this manner, ' Swear not in any form ; but let your ' answer to what is asked be simply yes or no; for I swear to you, * that whatever exceedeth these proceedeth from evil ?' How would this suit the harmony which so eminently subsists between his pre- cepts and example ? In fact, his solemn manner was calculated to impress the hearers with a sense, not so much of the reality, as of the importance, of what was affirmed ; the aim was more to rouse atten- tion than enforce belief. 2 One iota, icora tv. E. T. One Jot. I thought it better here, with most Itn. and Fr. translators, to retain the Gr. word than to employ a term which, if it have a meaning, hardly differs in mean- ing from the word tittle immediately following. This could be the less objected against, as our translators have oftener than once intro- duced the name of two other Gr. letters, alpha and omega, in the \ pocalypse. '' Without attaining its end, iios av ynrizat. L. ii. 2. N. cH. V. S. MATTHEW. 45 19. Violate, iixJ^. It is evident that the spnse of the simple Xvio is not here the same with that of the compound xazaXvoo in v. 17th. The verbs contrasted are different, xazaXvco to nXiqgoojy Ixw to Tioieio. With regard to laws, the opposite to subverting is ratifying, to violating is practising. This is a further evidence that more is meant in v. I7th by tiXt^qooj than barely obeying. And of the sense I have given it, we have here an actual example. For what tends more to ratify a law than additional sanctions, with which it was not formerly enforced ? * Or, xai. E. T. And. This is one of the cases wherein the copulative has the force of a disjunctive. The conjunction does but save the repetition of a common clause, which belongs seve- rally to the words coupled. This remark will be better understood by resolving the sentence into the parts, whereof it is an abridged expression. Whoever shall violate these commandments, shall be in no esteem in the reign of heaven ; and whoever shall teach others to violate them, shall be in no esteem, &c. Here the sense, with the aid of the copulative, is evidently the same with that ex- pressed disjunctively in the version. One reason, beside the scope of the passage, for understanding the conjunction in this manner is because the verbs Xv6r] and di^a'^ri are separated in the original, each having its regimen. 'Og eav ovv Xv6r] fiiav tojv evzoXiov — xac dida^r] di'Z"w rcrvs avdgojTCOV?. Consequently the xai is not to be understood disjunctively in the end of the verse, where the verbs are more intimately connected, 6g d' av 7iOLr,6ri xac dcda^t]. ' TFere it the least of these coinmandnients, fiia-v zwv ivro- X(ov TOVTOJV eXax((>TO)v. E. T. One of these least command- ments. But if the commandments here mentioned were Christ's least commandments, what, it may be asked, were the greatest ? or. Why have we no examples of the greatest .f* That this phrase is not to be understood, our translators themselves have shown by their way of rendering ch. xxv. 40. 45. The clause must therefore be explained as if arranged in this manner — tiiav xoiv aXaxi^voov T(x)v evroXwv tovtmv, the three last words being the regimen of the adjective, and not in concord with it. ■* Shall be in no esteem in the reign of heaven — shall be highly esteemed, aXaxi6T0S xXr]0rt6BTaL £v Tt] ^uClXhu tcov ovgavcov — ovrog j.iayag xXr,&r,6£rai. E. T. He shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven — he shall be called great. To be called great and to be called little, for to be esteemed and to VOL. IV. 7 46 NOTES ON CH. y. be disesteemed is so obvious a metonymy of the effect for the cause, that it naturally suggests itself to every discerning reader. By rendering therefore Pa6ilei.a tcov ovgavcov^ agreeably to its mean- ing in most places, the reign of heaven, that is, the Gospel dis- pensation, there is not the smallest difficulty in the passage. But if this phrase be rendered the kingdom of heaven, as referring to the state of the blessed, and if he shall he called the least in that kingdom mean, as some explain it, he shall never he admitted into it, a most unnatural figure of speech is introduced, whereof I do not recollect to have seen an example in any author, sacred or profane. 20. Excel, 7iigL66tv6ri. E. T. Exceed. The original word expresses a superiority either in quantity or in kind. The latter difference suits the context at least as well as the former. 21. That it teas said to the ancients, oxt £gg£^7] Toig ag- Xaiois. E. T. That it was said hy them of old time. Be. Dictum fuisse a veteribus. Be. was the first interpreter of the N. T. who made the ancients those by whom, and not those to whom, the sentences here quoted were spoken. These other La. versions, the Vul. Ar. Er. Zu. Cas. Cal. and Pise, are all against him. Among the Protestant translators into modern tongues. Be. whose work was much in vogue with the reformed, had his imitators. Dio. in Itn. rendered it c7ie fit detto dagli antichi ; the G. F. qu'il a tte dit par les anciens. So also the common Eng. But all the Eng. versions of an older date, even that executed at Geneva, say to them of old time. , Lu. in like manner, in his Ger. translation says, |U tfCIl tlUCtl- I have a Protestant translation in Itn. and Fr. published by Giovan Luigi Paschale in 1555, the year before the first edition of Be.'s (the place not mentioned,) which renders it in the same way with all preceding translators, without exception, a gli antichi, and aux anciens. All the late translators, Fr. and Eng. have returned to the uniform sense of an- tiquity, rendering it to, not hy, the ancients. For the meaning of a word or phrase, which frequently occurs in scripture, the first recourse ought to be to the sacred writers, especially the writer of the book where the passage occurs. Now the verb ptw (and the same may be observed of its synonymas) in the passive voice, where the speaker or speakers are mentioned, has uniformly the speaker in the genitive case, preceded by the preposition imo or «H. V. S. MATTHEW. ^ 47- Sea. And in no book does this occur oftener than in Mt. See ch.ii. 15. 17. 23. iii,13. iv. 14. viii. 17. xii. I7.xiii. 35. xxi. 4. xxiv. 15. xxvii. 9. xxii. 31. In this last we have an example both of those to whom, and of him by whom, the thing was said, the former in the dative, the latter in the genitive with the preposition 67,0. When the persons spoken to are mentioned, they are invariably in the dative. Rom. ix. 12. 26. Gal. lii. 16. Apoc. vi. 11. ix. 4. With such a number of examples on one side (yet these are not all), and not one from Scripture on the opposite, I should think it ve/y assuming in a translator, without the least necessity, to reject the exposition given by all who had preceded him. It has been plead- ed that something like an example has been found in the construc- tion of one or two other verbs, neither synonymous nor related in meaning. Thus a-pos zodead-r^vac avroig ch. vi. 1. means to be seen by them. Bsaofiac in Gr. answers to videor in La. And the argument would be equally strong in regard to La. to say, be- cause visum estillis signifies it appeared to them,xh^x is, it was seen by them ; dictum est illis must also signify it was said hxj them. The authority of Herodotus (who wrote in a style some- what resembling, but in a dialect exceedingly unlike, that of the N. T.), in regard to a word in frequent use in Scripture, appears to me of no conceivable weight in the question. Nor can any thing account for such a palpable violence done the sacred text, by a man's of Be/'s knowledge, but that he had too much of the polemic spirit (the epidemical disease of his time) to be in all respects a faithful translator. Diss. X. P. V. (^ 5. 21. 22. Shall be obnoxious to, evo/og tdrai. E. T. sliall be in danger of. To be in danger of evil of any kind, is one thing, to be obnoxious to it, is another. The most innocent person may be in danger of death, it is the guilty only who are obnoxious to it. The mterpretation here given is the only one which suits both the import of the Gr. word, and the scope of the passage. 22. Unjustly, eixn- This word is wanting in two MSS. one of them the Vat. of great antiquity. There is no word answer- ing to It in the Vul. nor in the Eth. Sax. and Ara. versions, at least m the copies of the Ara. transcribed in the Polyglots, which Si. observes to have been corrected on the Vul. and which are consequently of no authority -as evidences. Jerom rejected it, 'raagmmg it to be an interpolation of some transcriber desirous 46 ' NOTES ON ch. v. to softf n the rigour of the sentiment, and, in this opinion, was fol- lowed by Augustine. On the other hand, it is in all the other Gr. MSS. now extant. A corresponding word was in the Itc. or La. Vul. before Jerom. The same can be said of thest an- cient versions, the Sy. Go. Cop. Per. and the unsuspected edition of the Ara published by Erpenius. Chrysostom read as we do, and comments on the word hxv. The earliest Fathers, both Gr. and La. read it. This consent of the most ancient Ecclesiastic writers, the two oldest versions, the Itc. and the Sy. the almost universal testimony of the present Gr. MSS. taken together, gi\'e ground to suspect that the exclusion of that adverb rests ultimate- ly on the authority of Jerora, who must have thought this limi- tation not of a piece with the strain of the discourse. I was of the same opinion, for some time, and strongly inclinable to reject it ; but, on raaturer reflection, judged this too vague a principle to warrant any alteration which common sense, and the scope of the place, did not render necessary. Mr. Wes. rejects this ad- verb, because, in his opinion, it brings our Lord's instructions on this head, down to the Pharisaic model ; for the Scribes and Pha- risees, he says, would have condemned causeless anger as well as Jesus Christ. No doubt they would. They would have also con- demned the indulgence of libidinous thoughts and looks. [See Lighifoot, Horee Hebraicee, Sfc. on v. 28.] But the difference con- sisted in this, the generality of the Scribes, at that time, consid- ered such angry words, and impure looks, and thoughts, as being of little or no account, in themselves, and to be avoided solely, from motives of prudence. They might ensnare men into the perpe- tration of atrocious actions, the only evils which, by their doc- trines, were transgressions of the law, and consequently, could ex- pose them to the judgment of God. The great error which our Lord, in this chapter, so severely reprehends, is their disposition to consider the divine law, as extending merely to the criminal and overt acts expressly mentioned in it. From these acts, according to them, if a man abstained, he was, in the eye of the law, per- fectly innocent, and nowise exposed to divine judgment. We are not, however, to suj:pose that this manner of treating the law of God was universal among them, though doubtless then very prev- alent. The writings of Philo in that age, and some of their Rab- bies since, sufficiently show that the Jews have always had some moralists among them, who, as well as some Christian casuists, <;h. V. S. MATTHEW. 49 ■could refin% on thfe preeepts of their religion, by stretching them even to excess. * To the council, tw dinedgtb. It might have been rendered lo the sanhedrim, 6vva^gi0v being the ordinary name given to that supreme judicatory. I accordingly call it so in those places of the history, where it is evident that no other could be meant. But as the term is general, and may be used of any senate or council, though very differently constituted from the Jewish, I thought it better here not to confine it. It is not improbable also, that there is an allusion in the word xgi6sL, judgment, to the smaller or city-councils, con- sisting of twenty -three judges. ' Paxa and ficoge. Preface to this Gospel, § 25. -» reevvav. Diss. VI. P. II. § 1. 26. Farthing. Diss. VIII. P. I. § 10. 27. The words roig agxocioig are not found in a great numbei of tbe most valuable MSS. and ancient versions, particularly the Sy. The Vul. indeed has them. Mill and Wetstein reject them. 28. Another man's wife, yvvaixa. E. T. A woman. Er. Ux- orem alterim. The word yvvvt in Gr. like femme in Fr. signifies both woman and wife. The corresponding word in Heb. is lia- ble to the same ambiguity. Commonly the distinction is made by some noun or pronoun, which appropriates the general name. But it is not in this way only that it is discovered to signify wife. Of the meaning here given and ascertained in the same way by the context, we have examples, Prov. vi. 32. Ecclus. xxvi. f- Wet. has produced more instances ; but in a case so evident these may suffice. If we translate yvvaixa woman, we ought to render tuoLytv6av avztjv hath debauched her. The Gr. word admits this latitude. Thus Lucian (Dial. Dor. et Thet.) says of Acrisius. when his daughter Danae, whom he had devoted to perpetual vir- ginity, proved with child, vtio ztvoi fiefX0Lxev6dai oiVfOeiq avrr^v, ah aliqiio striipratam fuisse illam arhitratus. But I prefer the other way, as by changing here the interpretation of the word fxoixevoi, the intended contrast between our Lord's doctrine and that of the Jews is in a great measure lost. * In order to cherish impure desire, jrgos to amdvfirfica aiN TT}?. E. T. To lust after her. Vul. Ar. Er. Zu. Cal. Ad concu- piscendum earn. Pise. Ut earn concupiscat. The Gr. preposition Tgos before an infinitive with the article clearly marks the intention, 50 NOTES ON CH. V. not the effect. This all the La. versions also do. The expression, ch. vi. 1. :igog to dsaOrivai avrois, here rendered in order to be observed by them, is perfectly similar, and is manifestly employed to express the intention from which the Pharisees act. Ugos to means, therefore, in order to, to the end that ; whereas coCrc, which we have ch. viii. 24. and L. v. 7- signifies so as to, insomuch that, and marks solely the effect. When an expression, with either of these prepositions, is rendered into Eng. simply by the infinitive, it may be doubted whether we are to understand it as expressing the intentian or the effect, and whether we should supply before the sign of the infinitive the words in order, or so as. Hence it is evident, that the common version of this passage is not so exphcit as the original. 29. Jnsnare thee, 6xavSa7.i^H 6i. E. T. Offend thee. Vul. Scandalizat te. Nothing can be farther from expressing the sense of the Gr. terra than the Eng. word offend, in any sense wherein it is used. Some render the expression cause thee to offend. This is much better, but does not give fully the sense, as it does not hint either what kind of offence is meant, or against whom committed. The translators from the Vul. have generally, after the example of that version, retained the original word. Sa. says, Vous scandalize ; Si. no better, Vous est tin sujet de scandale ; the Rh. Scandalize thee. This I consider as no trans- lation, because the words taken together convey no conceivable meaning. The common version is rather a mistranslation, be- cause the meaning it conveys is not the sense of the original. The word dxavdaXov literally denotes any thing which causes our stumbling or falling, or is an obstacle in our way. It is used, by metaphor, for whatever proves the occasion of the commission of sin. The word Tiayig, snare, is another term, which is, in Scrip- ture, also used metaphorically, to denote the same thing. Nay, so perfectly synonymous are these words in their figurative ac- ceptation, that, in the Sep. the Heb. word, trpnn molcesh, answer- ing to vuytg, /aqueous, a snare, is oftener translated by the Gr. word ()xav6(xXov than by nayig, or any other term whatever. Thus Josh, xxiii. 13. What is rendered in Eng. literally from the Heb. They shall be snai'es and traps unto you, is in the Septuagint, £6ovTacvfJiiv £ig TiayLdag xai eig CzavdaXa. Jud ii. 3. Their Gods shall be a snare unto you ' Oc d-^oi avTCov, a^ovTai v[xi^ eis (jxav-^ CH. V. S. MATTHEW. 51 dalov. viii. 27- which thing became a snare unto Gideon, systazo TO) rsdmv sts dxavSaXov. iK.xviii. 21. that she may be a snare to him, xai £6TaL avvco eis ^xavSaXov. Ps. Gr.cv.cvi. 36. tvhich tcere a snare unto them, xai £yevvri&ri avrois sig a-xar^aXov. The word cxmXov, which is equivalent, is also used by the Seventy, in translating the same Heb. word. From the above examples, which are not all that occur, it is manilest that, in the idiom of the synagogue, one common meaning of the word dxardaXov is snare ; and that, therefore, to render it so in scripture, where it suits the sense, is to translate, both according to the spirit of the writer, and according to the letter. The anonymous version use? the same word. 32. Except for ichoredom, jiagc-xros loyov nograiag. E. T, saving for the cause of fornication. The term fornication is here improper. The Gr. word is not, as the Eng. confined to the commerce of a man and a woman who are both unmarried. It is justly defined by Parkhurst, " Any commerce of the sexes out of lawful marriage." To this meaning of the word rrooveia etymolo- gy points, as well as scriptural use. It is the translation of the Heb. word Q'^ij^ and mj] which are employed with equal latitude as one may soon be convinced, on consulting Trommius' Concord- ance. The word, indeed, when used figuratively, denotes idolatry, but the context manifestly shows that it is the proper, not the figura- tive sense that is here to be regarded. Though nogiHa may not be common in classical Gr. its meaning is so well ascertained by its fre- quent recurrence both in the Septuagint and in the N. T. that in my opinion, it is as little to be denominated ambiguous, as any word in the language. 37. But let your yes be yes, your no no ; £6to) ^e 6 loyo? vficov vai, yai, ov ov. E. T. But let your communication be yea yea, nay nay. I take this and the three preceding verses to be quoted James v. 12. I suppose from memory, as conveying the sense, though with some difference of expression, fit] ofivvera jxrira Tov ovgavof, ,a;;Tf zriv yrjv., tiiqza allov zcva ogxov tjTM df Vfiwv TO vai, vca, xat to ov, ov. It is but just that we avail ourselves of this passage of the disciple, to assist us in explaining the words of his Master. It was a proverbial nranner among the Jews (see Wet.) of characterizing a man of strict probity and good faith, by sayiix hh yes is yes, and his no is no; that is, you may depend ' 52 . NOTES ON CH. V. his word, as he declares, so it is, and as he promises, so he will do. Oar Lord is, therefore, to be considered here, not as prescribing the precise terms wherein we are to affirm or deny, in which case it would have suited better the simplicity of his style, to say barely Vcfi Jcat ov^ without doubling the words ; but as enjoining such an habitual and inflexible regard to truth, as would render swearing un- necessary. That this manner of converting these adverbs into nouns, is in the idiom of the sacred penmen, we have another in- stance, 2 Cor. i. 20. For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him amen : f » avrco to rca, xai ev avzco to a/urfV that is, cer- tain and infallible truths. It is indeed a common idiom of the Gr. tongue, to turn, by means of the article, any of the parts of speech into a noun. And, though there is no article in the passage under review, it deserves to be remarked that Chr. in his commentaries, writes it with the article, to rccc, raf xai to ov, ov as in the pas- sage of James above quoted. Either he must have read thus in the copies then extant, or he must have thought the expression elliptical, and in this way supplied the ellipsis. Whichsoever of these be true, it shows that he understood the words in the manner above explain- ed. Indeed they appear to have been always so undsrstood by the Gr. Fathers. Justin Martyr, in the second century, quotes the pre- cept in the same manner, in his second apology, fgrco da i),«W2' to vac xac to ov, ov. And to shew that he had the same meaning, he introduces it with signifying, that Christ gave this injunction to the end that we might never swear, but always speak truth, /ut] ouweiv oXoog,, x" aXr^Bt] §t Xeyeiv aai. Now,in the way it is common- ly interpreted, it has no relation to the speaking of truth ; whereas the above explanation gives a more emphatical import to the sen- tence. Thus understood, it enjoins the rigid observance of truth as the sure method of superseding oaths, which are never used, in our mutual communications, without betraying a consciousness of some latent evil, a defect in veracity as well as in piety. In like manner Clemens Alexandrinus, in the beginning of the third century, Strom- ata, lib. v. quotes these words as our Lord's : v^wv to mr xat to ov, ov. The same also is done by Epiphanius in the fourth century lib. 1. contra Ossenos. Philo's sentiment on this subject (in his book TIegc Tto* dexa Xoyiojv) is both excellent in itself, and here very apposite. It is to this effect, that we ought never to swear, but to be so uniformly observant of truth in our conversation, that our ■«vord may always be regarded as an oath. KaXXigTOv, xai ^ico^e- '■«TOv, xai douoTTOv Xoyixri q)v6ei^ to avafwrov, ovToyg a.Xr0e- CH. V. S. MATTHEW. 5S VHV €(p' txagrov dedidayfiev,]^ o3j rows loyovq OQxovg sirac * Proceedeth from evil, ex rov novyigov a6riv. Some render it Cometh from the evil one, supposing rov jiovt^gov to be the genitive of 0 7iov7]Qog, the evil one, that is, the devil. But it is at least as probably the genitive of to 7iovr,QOv evil in the abstract, or whatever this epithet may be justly applied to. The same doubt has been raised in regard to that petition, in the Lord's prayer, Deliver us from evil, ajio rov 7tov7]gov, or from the evil one. I consider it as a maxim in translating, that when a word is, in all respects, equally susceptible of two interpretations, one of which, as a genus, compre- hends the olher, always to prefer the more extensive. The evil one is comprehended under the gxneral term evil. But in the phrase the evil one, the pravity of a man's own heart, or any kind of evil, Sa- tan alone excepted, is not included. If we fail in the former way, the author's sense is still given, thougii less definitely. If we err in the other way, the author's sense is not given, but a different sense of our own. It has been affirmed that this adjective with the article ought always to be rendered the evil one ; but it is affirmed without foundation. To a/a&ov denotes good in the abstract, and zo novrigo-v evil. L. vi. 45. See also Rom. xii. 9. Nor are these the only places. • 39. Resist not the injurious, urj avzigrrivai ro) Tcor'rjgco. E. T. Resist not evil. It is plain here from what follows that tco novrjgoi IS the dative of 6 novrigog, not of to icovfigov. It is equally plain that by 6 novtigog is not meant here the devil ; for to that malignant spirit we do not find iriputed in Scripture such injuries as smiting a • man on the cheek, taking away his coat, or compelling him to attend him on a journey. 40. Coat, xi-Tiova — mantle, tuaziov. Diss. VIII. P. III. §. 1,2. 42. Him that %vould borrow from thee put not away^ rov f)bXovca ajio Gov daveiGaG-dca fir, ajio6Tga(pr,g. E. T. Prom him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Of these two the former version is the closer, but there is little or no difference in the meaning. Either way rendered, the import is, Do not reject his suit 44. Bless them who curse you. This clause is wanting in the Vol. Sax. and Cop. versions, and in three MSS, of small account. VOL. IV. S 54 NOTES ON cH. v. * Arraign, iTD^gecc^orrcov. E. T. Despitefully use. Vul. Ca- lumniantihus. This suits better the sense of the word 1 Pet. iii. l6. the only other place in Scripture (the parallel passage in L. except- ed) where it occurs, 6 ejirjoea^ovreg va CH. vi. S. MATTHEW. 57 here means hinder ox prevent. On this supposition the words raay be rendered, They preclude their reward, to wit, the reward of vir- tue in heaven. But I do not find that in any other passage of the N. T. where the word occurs, this sense can properly be admitted. Wherever, in the Septuagint, the verb is used actively, the meaning is not to hinder, but to obtain. Were, therefore, the only classical authority that has been produced on the other side, as clear as it is doubtful, the ordinary version of the word, which is also tliat of the V'ul. and Sy. and other ancient translations, is here, by all the rules of interpretation, entitled to the preference. 4. Recompense thee. In the common Gr. copies, after anodo- 7«£^a, means literally the coming day, a phrase which, in the morning, may have been used for the day already com- menced, and in the evening, for to-morroic. There is probably an allusion here to the provision of manna made for the Israelites in the desert, which was from day to day. Every day's portion was gath- ered in the morning, except the seventh day's. But in order to pre- vent the breach of the Sabbath, they received a double portion on the sixth day. That food, therefore, miy literally be termed 0 agzog avTcov 6 ejiiovdios. This suits, in sense, the Sy. "inni dem- ahur, the word, according to Jerom, used in the Nazarean Gospel, which is accounted, by critics of great name, a genuine though not «H. VI. S. MATTHEW. 59 faultless copy of Mt.'s original. See the Preface, § 13. In the M. G. version it is xaOi^fiegivov. 12. Our debts^ xa. oipa'kriU.aTa y'lutxiv. That sins are meant, or offences against God, there can be no doubt. At first, therefore, for perspicuity's sake, I rendered the verse thus : Forgive us our offences, as tee forgive them loho offend us. But reflecting that the metaphor is plain in itself, and rendered familiar by scriptural use ; reflecting also, that the remission of real debts, in many cases, as well as injuries, is a duty clearly deducible from our Lord's instruc- tions, and may be intentionally included in the cause subjoined to the petition, I thought it better to retain the general terms of the common version. 13. Abandon us not to temptation., fiiq ei(j£vayxr]s rifias etg 7iSLga6(iov. E.T, head us not into temptation. The verb £t(J95f^£i avrov. E. T. At Ms doctrine. The word SiSa/'f] denotes orten the doc- trine taught, sometimes the act of teaching, and sometimes even the manner of teaching. That this is the import of the expression here, is evident from the verse immediately following. 29. As the Scribes. The Vul. Sy. Sax. and Arm. versions, with one MS. add, and the Pharisees. CHAPTER VIII. 4. The Sy. says, the priests, but in this reading is singular. For notifying the cure to the people, sig juagrvgiov avtoi^. E. T. For a testimony unto them. Both the sense and the con- nection show that the them here means the people. It could not be the priests, for it was only one priest (to wit, the priest then entrusted with that business) to whom he v/as commanded to go. Besides, the oblation could not serve as an evidence to the priest. On the contrary, it was necessary that he should have ocular evidence by an accurate inspection in private, before the man was admitted into the temple and allowed to make the oblation ; but his obtaining this permission, and the solemn ceremony con- sequent upon it, was the public testimony of the priest, the only legal judge, to the people, that the man's uncleanness was re- moved. This was a matter of the utmost consequence to the man, and of some cojisequence to them. Till such testimony was given, he lived in a most uncomfortable seclusion from so- ciety. No man durst, under pain of being also secluded, admit him into his house,' eat with him, or so much as touch him. The antecedent therefore to the pronoun them, though not expressed, is easily supplied by the sense. To me it is equally clear, that the only thing meant to be attested by the oblation was the cure. The suppositions of some commentators on this subject are qiiite extravagant. Nothing can be n^ore evident than that the per- son now cleansed was not permitted to give any testimony to the priest, or to any other, concerning the manner of his cure, or the person by whom it had been performed. ' Oqu /ur,S£rc am-jg, See thou fell nobody. The prohibition is expressed by the Evan- gelist Mr. in still stronger terms. . Prohibitions of this kind were often transgressed by those who received them ; but that is not a good reason for representing our Lord as giving contradictory orders. 74 NOTES ON CH. viii. 6. Affiicied, Padarc^o/xevo?. E. T. Tormented. The Greek word is not confined, especially in the Hellenistic idiom, to this signification, but often denotes simply (as has been observed by Gro. and Ham.) ajjiicted, or distressed. Palsies are not attended with torment. IS. That instant.^ ev rrj coga exeiv?]. E. T. In the self-same hour. But 6)Qa does not always mean hour. This is indeed the meaning when it is joined with a number, whether ordinal or car- dinal ; as. He went out about the third hour, and, Are there not twelve hours in the day ? On other occasions it more commonly denotes the precise time, as, Mine hour is not yet come. 15. llim. The common Gr. copies have avroie them. But the reading is avzco in a great number of MSS. several of them ancient ; it is supported also by some of the old versions and fathers, is approved by Mill and Wet. and is more agreeable than the other to the words in construction, none but Jesus having been mentioned in the {;receding words. 17. Verifying the snijing of the prophet. We liave here a remarkable example of the latitude in which the word jilrigoo) is used. Ch. i. 22. N. In our sense of the term fulfilling, we should rather call that the fniflment of this prophecy, which is mentioned 1 Pet. iv. 24. I have, in translating the quotation, rendered £za6e carried off, of wtiich the original Heb. as well as the Gr. is capa- bh', that the words, as far as propriety admits, may be conformable to the application. 18. To pass to the opposite shore. Let it be remarked, once for all, that passing or crossing this lake or sea, does not always denote sailing from the east side to the west, or inversely ; though the river Jordan, both above and below the lake, ran southwards. The lake was of such a form, that, without any impropriety, it might be said to be crossed in other directions, even by those who kept on the same side of the Jordan. 19. Rabbi, didadxaXe. Diss. VH. P. U. 20. Caverns, (pco^ecn'e- The word (pcoXaoe denotes the den, cavern, or kcnnd, which a wild beast, by constantly haunting it, appropriates to himself. * Places of shelter, xaTC(6y.iqT(xi6eie . E. T. Nests. But xaza- t)xriTto6tg signifies a place for shelter and repose, a perch, or roost. CH. vni. S. MATTHEW. 75 The Gr. name for nesl, or place for hatching, is vodfjta, which occurs often in this sense in the Sep. as evvoGevco does for to build a, nest. Cut xazaCxr^rcoGcg is never so employed. The verb TcaTadxrjVcoi is used by the Evangelists Mt. Mr. and L. speaking of birds, to express their taking shelter, perching, or roosting on branches. In the common version it is rendered by the verb to lodge. 22. Let the dead hiiry their dead. This expression is evi- dently figurative ; the word dead having one meaning in the be- ginning of the sentence, and another in the end. The import is, * Let the spiritiially dead., those who are no better than dead, * being insensible to the concerns of the soul and eternity, employ ' themselves in burying those who, in the common acceptation of ' the word are dead.' 26. Commanded, eTraniir^ije. Mr. ix. 25. N. 28. Gadarcnes. I agree with Wet. that Gergesenes appears to have been introduced by Origen upon mere conjecture. Ori- gen's words imply as much. Before him most copies seem to have read Gaddrenes, but some Gerasenes. The latter is the reading of the Vul. and of the second Sy. The former is prefe- rable on many accounts, and is the reading of the first Sy. I shall only add, that if Origen's conjectural correction were to be admitted, it ought to be extended to the parallel places in Mr. and L. * Demoniacs. Diss. VI. P. I. § 7, ^'c 29. What hast thou to do tvith its ? tl rjucv xai 6oi. E. T. What have we to do with thee ? The sense of botli expres- sions is the same. But the first is more in the form of expostu- lation. J. ii. 4. * N. 30. At some distance, /aaxgav. E. T. A good way off. Vul. ]Son longe probably from some copy which read oi' fiaxgav. This is one of those differences wherein there is more the appearance of discrepancy than the reality. In such general ways of speak- ing, there is always a tacit comparison ; and the same tiling may be denominated yar, or not far, according to the extent of ground with which, in our thoughts, we compare it. At some distance suits perfectly the sense of the Gr. word in this place, is con- formable to the rendering given in the Sy. and makes no differ- once in the meaning from the La, The word fiaxgO'&ev (L. xviii. 76 NOTES ON ch. ix. 13.) where it is said of the Publican /xaxQO&cv ti negc avrov. E. T. He ivas moved with compassion on them. Vul. Misertus 80 NOTES ON CH. ix. est eis. Be. imagining there was something particularly expressive in the Greek verb here used, has rendered this clause commise- ratione intima commotus est super eis, and is followed by Pise. Er. seems to have had in some degree the same notioQ. He says, Affectu misericoi dice, tactus est erga illos, and is followed by Cal. Leo de Juda adds only intime to misertus est. Cas. has preferred the unaflfected simplicity of the Vul. and said misertus est eorum. Lu. has taken the same method. Be.'s opinion had great weight with the Protestant translators of that age who came after bim. Dio. says, Se.ne mosse a gran pieta. G. F. II fut esmeu de compassion enveis icelles, which is literally the same with our common version, and which has also been adopted by L. CI. The P. R. translators, Ses entrailles furent emues de compassion. Sa. after the Vul. says simply, II en cut compassion. Si. to the same purpose, II en eut pitie. So does Beau, who translates from the Gr. Of the late Eng. translations, An. Dod. Wor. and Wa. follow the common version. Wes. has chosen to go beyond it. He was moved imth tender compassion for them. But Wy. has in this way outstript them all, His bowels yearned icith compassion on them. Sc. and Hey. render the expression as I do. Those strange efforts to say something extraordinary result from an opinion found- ed on etymology, of the signification of the Gr. word ^jrlayx'^'-^ouai from Cjilayx'^'cc, viscera, the hoivels. This they consider as corres- ponding to the Heb. am richam, both noun and verb. The noun in the plural is sometimes interpreted, 6jilayxva. The verb is never by the Seventy rendered dTtXayxvi^ofxai, a word which does not occur in that version, but generally sXeeco or otxTeigw, which occur often, and are rendered I have compassion, I have mercy, or I have pity. Nay, the Ileb. word frequently occurs joined with a negative particle, manifestly denoting to have no mercy, &c. Now for this purpose the verb richam would be totally unfit, if it signified to be affected with an uncommon degree of compassion ; all that would be then implied in it, when joined with a negative, would be, that an uncommon degree of compassion was not shown. In the historical part of the N. T. where the word (jJiXayxi'L^ofiaL occurs pretty often, and always in the same sense, not one of those interpre- ters who in this passage find it so wonderfully emphatical, judge it proper always to adhere to their method of rendering adopted here, but render it barely I have compassion. Even Wes, who has CH. IX. S. MATTHEW. 81 been more uniform than the rest, has thought fit to desert his favour- ite phrase, in translating Mr. ix. 23. where the man who brought his son to Jesus to be cured, says, as he renders it, If thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, 67iXayxvi6'dsiq £(p' rif^ae, and help us. So also says VVy. Both have been sensible that emotions of tender compassion, and the yearning of the bowels, would make an awkward and affected figure in this place. The plea from etymolo- gy, in a point which ought to be determined solely by use, where use can be discovered, is very weak. If I should render this expression in Cicero, stomachabatiir, si quid asperius dixerin ; if I happened to use a severe expression, instantly his stomach was disordered with vexation, I believe 1 should be thought to translate ridiculous- ly. And yet the last clause is exactly in the same taste with his bow- els yearned with compassion. The style of the Evangelists is chaste and simple; no effort in them to say extraordinary things, or in an extraordinary manner. The diction, if not, when judged by the rhetorician's rules, pure and elegant, is however natural, easy, and modest. Though they did not seek out fine words, the plainest, and, to that class of people with whom they were conversant, the most obvious, came unsought. They aimed at no laboured antitheses, no rounded periods, no ambitious epithets, no accumulated superlatives. There is a naked beauty in their manner which is entirely their own. And with all the faults of the Vul. the barbarisms and sole- cisms with which it is chargeable, it has, in many places, more of that beautiful but unadorned simplicity than most modern transla- tions. I should not iiave been at so much pains, where there is no material difference of meaning, but to take an occasion of showing, once for all, how idly some bestow their labour, hunting after imag- inary emphasis, through the obscure mazes of etymology ; a method which, in explaining any author in any language, could, with the greatest facility, be employed to make him say what he never formed a conception of. Diss. IV. § ~6. * They loere scattered and exposed, 7]i!-av sxlelvf-ievoi xat iggiuuevoi. E. T. They fainted and were scattered abroad. It is acknowledged that in a very great number of MSS. the word is not exXeXvfievoi^ but s6xvXfiavot. In regard to the reading in those copies, from which the Vul. and other ancient translations were 82 NOTES ON CH. x. made, this is one of those cases in whicli notbing can be concluded witii certainty. The reason is, one of the senses of the word exXeXvuevoL, namely, fatigued, exhausted, nearly coincides with the meaning of a6y.vlfAevoL ; consequently the version might have been the same, whichsoever way it stood in the translator's copy. Now if these translations be set aside, the preponderancy is not such as ought in reason to determine us against the reading which suits best the context. To me the common reading appears, in this res- pect, preferable. Now the word ay.Xva), when applied either to a flock or to a multitude of people, means dissipo, I scatter, as well as debilito, Iiveaken ; nor can any thing be better suited to the scope of the passage. Be. has preferred that sense, and Eisner has well sup- ported it, as he has, in like manner, the true meaning of eggi^fxavot jn this place, as signifying exposed. This interpretation has also the advantage of being equally adapted to the literal sense, and to the figurative ; to the similitude introduced, and to that with which the comparison is made. It is not a natural consequence of the ab- sence of the shepherd thnt the sheep should be fatigued and toorn out, or languid, but it is the consequence that they should be scatter- ed and exposed to danger. The shepherd prevents their wandering^ and protects them. CHAPTER X. 2. Apostles, c(71o6toXiov. That is missionaries, messengers. It is rarely applied to any but those whom God, or one represent- ing his person, as the chief magistrate or the high priest, sends on business of importance. The word occurs only once in the Septuagint. 1 Ki. xiv. 6. where Ahijah the prophet is, by those interpreters, represented as saying to the wife of Jeroboam, Eyco Hfxt ajio6Tolog Jigos 6e o-y.Xrjgog. After the captivity, in our Lord's time, the term was applied to those whom the high priest chose for counsellors, and to whom he commonly gave commission to collect the tribute payable to the temple from the Jews in dis- tant regions. It continued in use, as we learn from Jerom, after the destruction of the temple and dispersion of the people by Ti- tus Vespasian. Thus, accounting for the expression used by Paul, Gal. i. 1. he says, "Usque hodie a patriarchis Judasorura " apostolos mitti constat. Ad distinctionem itaque eorum qui " raittuntur, ab liominibus et sui, qui sit missus a Christo, tale GH. X. S. MATTHEW. 83 " surapsit exordium, Paidus apostolus, noii ah hominlbiis, nc- " que per honwiem,.'' We may add that in tlie N. T. the term is once applied to Jesus Christ himself, Heb. iii. 1. Some are denominated, 2 Cor. viii. 23. anoCrolot axxX7]f aigriV}] v/ncov, in the 13th verse, the peace ye wish them. This, at the same time that it gives exactly the sense, renders the addition to the 12th verse quite unnecessary. 14. Shake the dust off yotir feet. It was maintained by the scribes, that the very dust of a heathen country polluted their land, and therefore ought not to be brought into it. Our Lord here, adopting their language, requires his disciples, by this action, to sig- nify that those Jewish cities which rejected their doctrine, deserved a regard noway superior to that which they themselves showed to the cities of Pagans. It is added in the gospels of Mr. and L. ug !(c