ON" 

 
 Presented by 
 
 rs. J. P. Greene 
 
 7P^ 
 
 From flie Library o f 
 
 iam Jewell Coege 
 
 1892-1919
 
 PALESTINE 
 
 IN THETIME OF CHRIST. 
 
 'Samoth Cilead 
 
 CC 
 
 <y^ 9 mid,
 
 AN 
 
 AMERICAN COMMENTARY 
 
 ON THE 
 
 NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 ALVAH HOVEY, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 
 1420 CHESTNUT STKEKT.
 
 COMMENTARY 
 
 ON THE 
 
 GOSPEL OF MATTHEW. 
 
 BY 
 
 JOHN A. BROADUS, D. D., LL. D. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA I 
 
 AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 
 
 1420 Chestnut Street.
 
 l/ 
 
 STEREOTYPED BY GARDNER COLBY. 
 
 The stereotj'pe plates of this valuable work have been paid for out of the legacy of the 
 late Gardner Colby. And for this reason the book, though containing 664 pages, is sold at the 
 low price of $2.25. 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1886, by the 
 
 AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at "Washington.
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 I. 
 
 THE CANON OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 FOR the purposes of this Introduction it is unnecessary to give a history ol the 
 word " canon," or even a list of the significations which it has in ancient literature. 
 As applied to the New Testament, it means " the collection of books which con- 
 stitute the original written rule of the Christian faith " ( Westcott). If there is any 
 standard of religious faith and practice recognized by Christians of every name as 
 authoritative, it is this collection of books which are supposed to have been written 
 by the immediate disciples of Christ and their associates. 
 
 It is true that Christians do not all agree in holding these books to be the only 
 authoritative rule of faith and practice in matters of religion, but they all agree 
 in holding them to be an original and authoritative rule, even though, as some 
 suppose, their teaching must be supplemented by ecclesiastical tradition. It is 
 true, again, that Christians do not all agree as to the complete inspiration and 
 final authority of these books, but they all concede to them very high authority as 
 the only original documents of the Christian religion now extant. It is also true 
 that Christians do not all agree in their interpretation of these books, or in their 
 theory as to the persons who are qualified to interpret them, but they all admit 
 the high importance of their teaching, whenever it is ascertained. 
 
 How was the Canon of the New Testament established? 
 
 In seeking an answer to this question it will be found that the ways of God 
 are not like our ways ; for human wisdom would, doubtless, have deemed it ex- 
 pedient to guard against possible doubt or error in time to come by committing 
 the closing up of the Canon to the last of the apostles. If John, residing at Eph- 
 esus in his old age, had inserted in his last book a list of the inspired writings of 
 his contemporaries, with such a sketch of their contents as would make it easy to 
 identify them ; if he had testified that the number of such writings was then com- 
 plete ; and if he had joined with this statement a warning against any addition to 
 or subtraction from the number or the teaching of these books (like that in Rev. 
 22 : 18, 19), this, it may be thought, would have fixed the Canon of the New 
 Testament beyond any possibility of doubt or debate, and this, surely, would have 
 been a very natural course for human wisdom to take in the circumstances. 
 
 But it might have proved to be a mistake after all, giving to Christians less
 
 iv GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 stable grounds for confidence than they now have. Would it not have led them 
 to overlook all other evidence, and to depend exclusively on the witness of this 
 apostle ? Would it not have excited in critical minds suspicions of human calcu- 
 lation or fear, and demands for impossible proof that John himself wrote the book 
 containing the list described, or at least the paragraph in which the list was found? 
 Would it not have provoked the assertion that such a proceeding was unexampled 
 and uncalled for by the circumstances of Christians at that time, since they must 
 have known who were the writers of the Gospels and Epistles which they had re- 
 ceived? These and similar criticisms would certainly have been made if the 
 course suggested had been taken, even though that course was the safest and best 
 possible in the eyes of human wisdom. 
 
 But it was not taken. The Spirit of God, who is wiser than men, and who 
 presided over the work of the apostles, chose another way of establishing the 
 Canon, another way of making known to Christians the authoritative documents 
 of their religion in distinction from other books pertaining to it. And the way 
 chosen by the Spirit was perfectly obvious and natural. It was to make use of 
 the prudence and piety of the churches in accomplishing this work, by commit- 
 ting to them the writings of men who were known to be inspired teachers of Chris- 
 tian truth. For the prudence and piety of the churches would be morally certain 
 to preserve these writings as a sacred trust, and to hand them down, with the 
 names of their authors, from generation to generation as authoritative expositions 
 of their religion. 
 
 If, for example, the churches of Philippi and Corinth received from Paul 
 letters that were instinct with the spirit of love, wisdom, and authority letters 
 that praised their virtues, reproved their sins, corrected their errors, relieved their 
 perplexities, scattered their doubts, and brightened their hopes they would not 
 fail to preserve these letters with the utmost care, or to leave them as precious 
 treasures to their successors in the church. While they would be very willing to 
 have them read and copied by disciples of Christ from other churches, they would 
 be likely to insist upon retaining them in their own custody. And since the let- 
 ters directed to a single church were few in number (rarely if ever more than 
 two), there would never be the slightest danger of mistake as to their authorship. 
 
 Thus, by a natural process, under the control of good sense and right feeling, 
 would nearly all the writings of "apostles" and "apostolic men" (Tertullian) be 
 kept distinct from the writings of those who could not declare the will of Christ 
 with equal authority. For example, the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians 
 would never for a moment be put on a level with the epistle which they received, 
 a third of a century later, from the church in Rome, and which was written by 
 Clement, Bishop of that church. Even if the latter were sometimes read in the 
 church at Corinth, or were copied into the same manuscript with the former, there 
 would be no danger of confusion. For if we look merely at the general contents 
 of the two Epistles of Paul to " the church of God in Corinth," and of the first 
 epistle of Clement to that church, it is manifestly absurd to ascribe them all to 
 the same author, or to ascribe the canonical epistles to Clement and the eccle- 
 siastical epistle to Paul. Besides, the former purport to be from the apostle, while
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the latter purports to be from the church in Rome. There may have been cases 
 where the possibility of mistaking a non-apostolical for an apostolical writing is 
 less incredible than in the case mentioned, but there were none, it is believed, where 
 such a mistake can be regarded as probable. 
 
 And, in spite of modern doubts and denials, it is evident from a variety of cir- 
 cumstances that the early Christians were reasonably cautious about the sources 
 of their knowledge. It is evident, for example, from the four great Epistles of 
 Paul (viz. Romans, First and Second Corinthians, and Galatians), which are ac- 
 cepted as genuine by the boldest criticism, that special and, indeed, absolute con- 
 fidence was reposed in the teaching of those admitted to be apostles (1 Cor. 12 : 
 28, 29 ; 2 Cor. 11:5; 12 : 11, 12 ; Gal. 2:7-9; Eph. 2 : 20 ; 4 : 11). They were 
 looked upon as entitled to speak with authority on all matters relating to the per- 
 son and work of Christ or the duty of his followers. Naturally, therefore, their 
 writings would be preserved and consulted with the greatest respect. It is also 
 evident from hints in the New Testament, and from the language of the Christian 
 Fathers, that along with the teaching of the apostles was placed the teaching of 
 their companions, such as Mark and Luke, either because their doctrine was sup- 
 posed to be received directly from apostles, and to be fully endorsed by them, or 
 because, in addition to their intimacy with apostles, they were believed to have a 
 special gift of inspiration to qualify them for their work. 
 
 If, now, as history appears to show, the formation of the New Testament 
 Canon was left to the prudence and piety of the early churches, several things 
 which may be said to characterize the actual process of formation are seen to be 
 natural, if not inevitable. A few of these may be named in this place. 
 
 1. The Principal Reason for admitting a Book to the Canon was found in its 
 Authorship. If the sacred books of the New Covenant had been selected by the 
 apostle John, the names and relations of their writers might have been a matter 
 of no vital importance to any one. Enlightened by the Spirit, this apostle might 
 have discerned the pure gold of truth with no admixture of error in anonymous 
 productions, and these productions, stamped with his approval, might have been 
 welcomed by the churches without much desire or effort to ascertain who were 
 their authors. The great name and authority of John would have proved suf- 
 ficient for a time to satisfy reason and blunt the edge of curiosity. But if books 
 were to be pronounced authoritative and assigned a place in the Canon by the 
 common judgment of churches composed of uninspired men, it could only be 
 done on the ground of confidence in their authors as men who were commissioned 
 by the Lord to declare his truth, and assisted to do this by the Holy Spirit. And 
 this appears to have been the principal, if not the sole, ground on which the books 
 of the New Testament were accepted by the churches, in preference to all others, 
 as authentic statements of fact, of doctrine, and of duty. 
 
 2. The Formation of the Canon was a Slow but Safe Process. To understand 
 this, the reader must picture to himself the condition of the churches when the 
 last of the apostles died in Ephesus. For that condition was not such as to sug- 
 gest the necessity of collecting at once the standard documents of Christianity 
 into a single volume. Had John ever directed them to collect those documents ?
 
 viii GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 though these would be sought by the ministry for a special reason, the instruction 
 which they give as to the qualifications and duties of pastors. Again, such a book 
 as the Epistle to the Hebrews might be chiefly used at first by churches composed 
 of Jewish converts, for whose special benefit it was written. 
 
 Still further : local or temporary enthusiasm for a certain doctrine might lead 
 to a more extensive and diligent use of the book in which it was supposed to be 
 taught than was made of other books no less interesting to-day, while local or 
 temporary dislike of certain doctrines might lead first to neglect, and then to 
 ignorance, of the books supposed to teach them. This was probably true of the 
 doctrine of Chiliasm as affecting the use or neglect of the Apocalypse. 
 
 For these reasons it is plain that the evidence for the canonicity of certain 
 books of the New Testament would appear to be less compulsory in the fourth 
 century than that for the canonicity of others. A uniform and universal tradi- 
 tion would commend a large part of these Scriptures to the confidence of every 
 upright inquirer, but other portions would be supported by testimony from certain 
 quarters and periods only. 
 
 From this general survey of the process by which the New Testament Canon 
 was established in the early church it is now proper to turn to a consideration of 
 the question 
 
 Why should this Canon of the New Testament be accepted 
 
 as Trustworthy? 
 
 The first and most obvious reason for this is our confidence in the good sense 
 and piety of those who united their voices in adopting it. But if their repute for 
 intelligence and fairness of mind were less than it is, there are two circumstances 
 in their favor : the matter to be determined was not likely, on the whole, to en- 
 kindle partisan strife, and the evidence on which to found their decision was much 
 more abundant then than it is now ; for, as the writings of Eusebius clearly prove, 
 a large part of that evidence has disappeared with the numerous volumes in which 
 it was found. 
 
 In the light of these statements, the conclusions adopted by churches and 
 councils in the latter part of the fourth century, even though they were but a 
 ratification or declaration of the views of Christians in different parts of the em- 
 pire, are presumably correct, and should be received with confidence unless they 
 can be proved erroneous. The " burden of proof" rests upon those who reject 
 any portions of the New Testament as unworthy of a place in the Canon of Holy 
 Scripture. Unless well-attested facts, inconsistent with the view that these books 
 were written by " apostles " or " apostolic men," and were received with veneration 
 by those to whom they were first sent, can be produced, the books are entitled to 
 retain the high position which was then accorded to them. This state of the case 
 should be borne in mind by every one who undertakes to review the arguments 
 for and against the limits to the New Testament Canon which have been generally 
 accepted by Christians since the close of the fourth century. For the judgment 
 of men having much evidence since lost must not be set aside as of no value. To 
 restate our position : Since the churches and councils of the fourth century fixed
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. ix 
 
 the limits of the New Testament Canon with the aid of all the evidence which we 
 now have and of much that has been lout, it would be unreasonable to change those 
 limits unless they are found to be irreconcilable with ascertained facts. Yet a 
 brief survey of the evidence which remains will be of service to those who cannot 
 study that evidence minutely, and perhaps of nearly equal service to persons who 
 desire to recall the principal features of that evidence or to prepare themselves 
 for the study of it. 
 
 FIRST PERIOD THAT OF THE APOSTOLICAL FATHERS, TO A. D. 120. 
 
 Very little Christian literature from this period has been preserved. The 
 peculiar relation of the apostles to Christ, and the special inspiration which guided 
 them in their work, gave them a vast influence over those who received the gospel 
 from their lips. Hence, naturally, the spiritual leaders of the churches, after the 
 apostolic age, were preachers, not writers. They were simply heralds of the truth 
 which they had received from men whom they felt to be vastly superior to them- 
 selves in knowledge and authority. Most of their own work was done with the 
 voice, and not with the pen ; but whatever they did with the pen was chiefly done 
 by letters of a practical character, rather than by treatises or full discussions. It 
 is not, therefore, surprising that few exact quotations from books of the New Tes- 
 tament occur in their writings, or that these quotations are informal. For they 
 probably had no occasion to enumerate the Christian books which they esteemed 
 sacred, and little or no occasion to point out the source of any expressions which 
 they drew from those books. 
 
 That a man bearing the name of CLEMENT was one of the early pastors of the 
 church in Rome cannot be seriously denied ; for, according to Irenseus, who wrote 
 within less than a hundred years of the time when Clement was supposed to have 
 stood at the head of the Roman Church, he was the successor of Anencletus, 
 while Anencletus was the successor of Linus, the first overseer of the church (B. 
 iii. 33) ; and, according to Eusebius, Linus was Pastor in Rome from A. D. 68-80 ; 
 Anencletus, from A. D. 80-92 ; and Clement, from A. D. 92-101 (H. E., iii. 13, 15). 
 Of the many writings once ascribed to Clement of Rome, only one is now believed 
 to be genuine an epistle of the church in that city to the church in Corinth and 
 this appears to have been written about A. D. 95. It is commonly called the 
 " First Epistle of Clement," because there is evidence that it was written by 
 Clement in the name and on behalf of the Roman Church, and because another 
 production, once supposed to be a second letter, was early associated with the name 
 of Clement and with this epistle. That production is at last ascertained to be a 
 homily belonging to some author who lived before the middle of the second cen- 
 tury. It is therefore probably the oldest Christian homily extant. 
 
 Of the first and genuine epistle it may be remarked (1) That it is full of 
 Christian thought and sentiment. One who reads it attentively will perceive that 
 the spirit of its author was thoroughly Christian, and that he must have been at 
 home with all the great truths of Scripture. (2) That it blends together in a 
 very natural way the several types of doctrinal statement which have been found 
 in the different books of the New Testament, and expresses views and feelings
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 which would be produced in a candid mind by perusing with reverence all these 
 books. So manifest is this that, in the language of the epistle, we seem to hear 
 again, as it were, though in fainter tones, the voices of Christ and of Peter, of 
 John and of Paul. (3) That many passages of Scripture are reproduced with 
 slight changes, as if from memory, and that expressions from different books or 
 chapters are blended together in quotation, as if they belonged to the same para- 
 graph of the sacred record. Such a method of quotation may not be commended 
 as scholarly or critical, but it was certainly very natural, especially if the writer 
 supposed his readers to be familiar with the Septuagint and with the books of the 
 New Testament. 1 (4) That it refers particularly to Paul's First Epistle to the 
 Corinthians, probably because that Epistle was addressed to the same church 
 when it was in somewhat similar circumstances ; but the author appears to have 
 been " well acquainted with the writings of Paul " (Donaldson}. Important ex- 
 tracts are made from the Epistle to the Hebrews, though without describing the 
 source from which they were derived. (5) That the contents and language of 
 this epistle are accounted for by supposing that its writer knew and reverenced 
 the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament, while they cannot easily be 
 accounted for if he was ignorant of any considerable part of the latter volume. 2 
 
 The brief references in early Christian writers to IGNATIUS warrant the belief 
 that he was for a considerable time Bishop of Antioch, and that, either about 
 A. D. 107 or about A. D. 116, he was sent as a condemned Christian to Rome, 
 where he suffered martyrdom. The epistles ascribed to him are preserved in three 
 forms, the longest of which may be pronounced quite unworthy of confidence. 
 But of the other two forms it is difficult to say which has the best claim to be re- 
 garded genuine. The tendency of criticism seems, however, to be just now more 
 favorable to the seven epistles of the shorter recension in Greek than to the three 
 epistles in Syriac, the latter being regarded as made up of extracts from three of 
 the former. Without undertaking to decide between the claims of these two forms 
 of the Ignatian letters, and without affirming positively that Ignatius wrote even 
 the three in the form published by Cureton, it may be remarked (1) that the seven 
 contain many more references to the New Testament than the three. But even the 
 testimony of the seven as to the New Testament will be found to be indirect instead 
 of direct, and implied instead of expressed. For they do not formally appeal to the 
 sacred books of the New Covenant, but presuppose their existence by the use of 
 words, sentences, and thoughts which those books contain. (2) The author of these 
 epistles must have been well acquainted with the writings of Paul and of John, 
 and by no means ignorant of other New Testament Scriptures. Charteris recog- 
 
 1 " We must remember that the ancient writer had not a small, compact reference Bible at his 
 side, but, when he wished to verify a reference, would have to take an unwieldy roll out of its 
 case, and then would not find it divided into chapter and verse, like our modern books, but would 
 have only the columns, and those not numbered, to guide him. We must remember, too, that the 
 memory was much more practised and relied upon in ancient times, especially among the Jews." 
 (Sanday, The Gospels in the Second Century, pp. 29, 30.) 
 
 2 Westcott (On the Canon of the New Testament, p. 44) gives the following books of the New 
 Testament as certainly or possibly referred to by Clement : Romans, Ephesians, First Timothy (?), 
 Titus (?), Hebrews, James.
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 nizes citations from Matthew, John, Acts, Romans, First Corinthians, Ephesians, 
 Philippians, First Thessalonians, First Timothy, and Revelation, and "echoes" of 
 passages in Matthew, Mark, John, Acts, Romans, First and Second Corinthians, 
 Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First and Second Timothy, Titus, 
 Hebrews, First and Second Peter, First and Third John, and Revelation. (3) The 
 style of Ignatius is rugged, forcible, positive, and his spirit bold, earnest, and per- 
 haps slightly fanatical. This is said on the assumption that the seven Vossiau 
 epistles are substantially genuine. But if it is assumed that only the three Syriac 
 epistles are genuine, the references to the New Testament are few, though the spirit 
 and phraseology are such as we have described, and are best accounted for by sup- 
 posing Ignatius familiar with the writings of Paul and of John. 
 
 POLYCARP was the living link between the apostles especially John and 
 Irenseus, a well-known bishop and writer who flourished in Gaul during the last 
 quarter of the second century. For Polycarp was a disciple of John, and Irenseus 
 a disciple of Polycarp. Iremeus testifies that in his youth he himself had heard 
 Polycarp " describe his intercourse with John and with the rest who had seen the 
 Lord," and that Polycarp " survived long, and departed this life, at a very great 
 age, by a glorious and most notable martyrdom." According to the Martyrium 
 Polycarpi which, if not wholly authentic, appears to be founded on fact Poly- 
 carp declared that he had served Christ eighty-six years, so that, if converted in 
 childhood, he was probably more than ninety years old at the time of his death. 
 But scholars are not agreed as to the date of his death, some placing it about 
 A. D. 155, and others about A. D. 1 66, eleven years later. If the former date be 
 accepted as correct, he was probably born about A. D. 60 if the latter, he may 
 have been born about A. D. 74. In one case he was about thirty-five years old 
 when the apostle John died ; in the other, he was perhaps twenty-six years old ; in 
 either, he might have known the apostle ten or fifteen years. On the other hand, 
 Irenseus may have been born as early as A. D. 125 or 130, and may therefore have 
 been a hearer of Polycarp many years before leaving Asia Minor for Gaul. 
 
 In a letter to Florinus, who had, as he believed, fallen into grievous errors, Irc- 
 naeus says : " These opinions, Florinus, that I may speak without harshness, are not 
 of sound judgment; these opinions are not in harmony with the church, but in- 
 volve those adopting them in the greatest impiety ; these opinions even the heretics 
 outside the pale of the church have never ventured to broach ; these opinions the 
 elders before us, who also were disciples of the apostles, did not hand down to theo. 
 For I saw thee, when I was still a boy, in Lower Asia in company with Pdlycarp, 
 while thou wast faring prosperously in the royal court and endeavoring to stand 
 well with him. For I distinctly remember the incidents of that time better than 
 events of recent occurrence ; for the lessons received in childhood, growing with 
 the growth of the soul, become identified with it, so that I can describe the very 
 place in which the blessed Polycarp used to sit when he discoursed, and his goings 
 out and his comings in, and his manner of life, and his personal appearance, and 
 his intercourse with John and with the rest who had seen the Lord, and how he 
 would relate their words. And whatsoever things lie had heard from them about 
 the Lord, and about his miracles, and about his teaching, Polycarp, a.s having re-
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 which would be produced in a candid mind by perusing with reverence all these 
 books. So manifest is this that, in the language of the epistle, we seem to hear 
 again, as it were, though in fainter tones, the voices of Christ and of Peter, of 
 John and of Paul. (3) That many passages of Scripture are reproduced with 
 slight changes, as if from memory, and that expressions from different books or 
 chapters are blended together in quotation, as if they belonged to the same para- 
 graph of the sacred record. Such a method of quotation may not be commended 
 as scholarly or critical, but it was certainly very natural, especially if the writer 
 supposed his readers to be familiar with the Septuagint and with the books of the 
 New Testament. 1 (4) That it refers particularly to Paul's First Epistle to the 
 Corinthians, probably because that Epistle was addressed to the same church 
 when it was in somewhat similar circumstances ; but the author appears to have 
 been " well acquainted with the writings of Paul " (Donaldson}. Important ex- 
 tracts are made from the Epistle to the Hebrews, though without describing the 
 source from which they were derived. (5) That the contents and language of 
 this epistle are accounted for by supposing that its writer knew and reverenced 
 the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament, while they cannot easily be 
 accounted for if he was ignorant of any considerable part of the latter volume. 2 
 
 The brief references in early Christian writers to IGNATIUS warrant the belief 
 that he was for a considerable time Bishop of Antioch, and that, either about 
 A. D. 107 or about A. D. 116, he was sent as a condemned Christian to Rome, 
 where he suffered martyrdom. The epistles ascribed to him are preserved in three 
 forms, the longest of which may be pronounced quite unworthy of confidence. 
 But of the other two forms it is difficult to say which has the best claim to be re- 
 garded genuine. The tendency of criticism seems, however, to be just now more 
 favorable to the seven epistles of the shorter recension in Greek than to the three 
 epistles in Syriac, the latter being regarded as made up of extracts from three of 
 the former. Without undertaking to decide between the claims of these two forms 
 of the Ignatian letters, and without affirming positively that Ignatius wrote even 
 the three in the form published by Cureton, it may be remarked (1) that the seven 
 contain many more references to the New Testament than the three. But even the 
 testimony of the seven as to the New Testament will be found to be indirect instead 
 of direct, and implied instead of expressed. For they do not formally appeal to the 
 sacred books of the New Covenant, but presuppose their existence by the use of 
 words, sentences, and thoughts which those books contain. (2) The author of these 
 epistles must have been well acquainted with the writings of Paul and of John, 
 and by no means ignorant of other New Testament Scriptures. Charteris recog- 
 
 1 " We must remember that the ancient writer had not a small, compact reference Bible at his 
 side, but, when he wished to verify a reference, would have to take an unwieldy roll out of its 
 case, and then would not find it divided into chapter and verse, like our modern books, but would 
 have only the columns, and those not numbered, to guide him. We must remember, too, that the 
 memory was much more practised and relied upon in ancient times, especially among the Jews." 
 (Sanday, The Gospels in the Second Century, pp. 29, 30.) 
 
 2 Westcott (On the Canon of the New Testament, p. 44) gives the following books of the New 
 Testament as certainly or possibly referred to by Clement : Romans, Ephesians, First Timothy (?), 
 Titus (?), Hebrews, James.
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 XI 
 
 nizes citations from Matthew, John, Acts, Romans, First Corinthians, Ephesians, 
 Philippians, First Thessalonians, First Timothy, and Revelation, and " echoes " of 
 passages in Matthew, Mark, John, Acts, Romans, First and Second Corinthians, 
 Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First and Second Timothy, Titus, 
 Hebrews, First and Second Peter, First and Third John, and Revelation. (3) The 
 style of Ignatius is rugged, forcible, positive, and his spirit bold, earnest, and per- 
 haps slightly fanatical. This is said on the assumption that the seven Vossian 
 epistles are substantially genuine. But if it is assumed that only the three Syriac 
 epistles are genuine, the references to the New Testament are few, though the spirit 
 and phraseology are such as we have described, and are best accounted for by sup- 
 posing Ignatius familiar with the writings of Paul and of John. 
 
 POLYCARP was the living link between the apostles especially John and 
 Irena^us, a well-known bishop and writer who flourished in Gaul during the last 
 quarter of the second century. For Polycarp was a disciple of John, and Irenaeus 
 a disciple of Polycarp. Irenseus testifies that in his youth he himself had heard 
 Polycarp " describe his intercourse with John and with the rest who had seen the 
 Lord," and that Polycarp " survived long, and departed this life, at a very great 
 age, by a glorious and most notable martyrdom." According to the Martyrlum 
 Polycarpi which, if not wholly authentic, appears to be founded on fact Poly- 
 carp declared that he had served Christ eighty-six years, so that, if converted in 
 childhood, he was probably more than ninety years old at the time of his death. 
 But scholars are not agreed as to the date of his death, some placing it about 
 A. D. 155, and others about A. D. 166, eleven years later. If the former date be 
 accepted as correct, he was probably born about A. D. 63 if the latter, he may 
 have been born about A. D. 74. In one case he was about thirty-five years old 
 when the apostle John died ; in the other, he was perhaps twenty-six years old ; in 
 either, he might have known the apostle ten or fifteen years. On the other hand, 
 Irenseus may have been born as early as A. D. 125 or 130, and may therefore have 
 been a hearer of Polycarp many years before leaving Asia Minor for Gaul. 
 
 In a letter to Florinus, who had, as he believed, fallen into grievous errors, Ire- 
 naeus says : " These opinions, Florinus, that I may speak without harshness, are not 
 of sound judgment ; these opinions are not in harmony with the church, but in- 
 volve those adopting them in the greatest impiety ; these opinions even the heretics 
 outside the pale of the church have never ventured to broach ; these opinions the 
 elders before us, who also were disciples of the apostles, did not hand down to theo. 
 For I saw thee, when I was still a boy, in Lower Asia in company with Pdlycarp, 
 while thou wast faring prosperously in the royal court and endeavoring to stand 
 well with him. For I distinctly remember the incidents of that time better than 
 events of recent occurrence ; for the lessons received in childhood, growing with 
 the growth of the soul, become identified with it, so that I can doscrihe the very 
 place in which the blessed Polycarp used to sit when he discoursed, and his goings 
 out and his comings in, and his manner of life, and his personal appearance, ami 
 his intercourse with John and with the rest who had seen the Lord, and how he 
 would relate their words. And whatsoever things he had heard from them about 
 the Lord, and about his miracles, and about his teaching, Polycarp, as having re-
 
 xii GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ceived them from eye-witnesses of the life of the Word, Avould relate altogether in 
 accordance with the Scriptures. To these [discourses] I used to listen at the time 
 with attention by God's mercy, which was bestowed upon me, noting them down, 
 not on paper, but in my heart ; and by the grace of 'God I constantly ruminate 
 upon them faithfully." 
 
 Moreover, in his work Against Heresies, Irenseus refers to him again, after 
 speaking of the succession of Roman bishops through whom the true doctrine had 
 been handed down to his own times : " And Poly carp also who not only was 
 taught by apostles, and lived in familiar intercourse with many that had seen 
 Christ, but also received his appointment for Asia by apostles in the church that 
 is in Smyrna, an overseer, whom also we have seen in the beginning of our life, 
 for he remained a long time, and at an exceedingly old age, having borne his 
 testimony gloriously and most notably, departed this life always taught these 
 things, which also he learned from the apostles, which also he gave to the church, 
 and which alone are true. To these doctrines testimony is also borne by all the 
 churches throughout Asia, and by those who have been up till this time the suc- 
 cessors of Polycarp, who was a much more trustworthy and secure witness of the 
 truth than Valentinus and Marcion and the rest, who held wicked opinions. 
 Moreover, there is an epistle of Polycarp addressed to the Philippians, which is 
 most adequate, and from which both his manner of life and his preaching of the 
 truth may be learnt by those who desire to learn and are anxious for their own 
 salvation " (B, iii. 3). 
 
 To the genuineness of this letter several objections have been urged, but these 
 objections are greatly outweighed by the evidence in its favor ; so that, whatever 
 may be thought of ch. 13, the rest of the epistle must be accepted as the work of 
 Polycarp. Indeed, it would be difficult to name any ancient writing which is 
 better authenticated than this. It may therefore be used without fear as a fair 
 sample of Christian counsel and exhortation soon after the beginning of the second 
 century. And it is specially noticeable (1) that the tone of the letter accords 
 with the testimony of Irenaeus that its author had listened to the venerable apos- 
 tle John and to others who had seen the Lord. For this experience, whether in 
 youth or early manhood, would be likely to make a deep impression on a suscept- 
 ible mind, and would be unfavorable to originality of thought or expression. (2) 
 That the phraseology of the letter agrees with the alleged circumstances of the 
 writer. For if Polycarp was Bishop of the church in Smyrna and a disciple of 
 John, it is extremely probable that he was familiar with the writings of Peter, 
 Paul, and John, all of whom had been connected, more or less closely, with the 
 churches of Asia Minor. And the mind of the writer of this epistle evidently 
 moved in the thoughts and language of these apostles and of Christ. (3) That a 
 very considerable part of the letter is couched in sentences borrowed from the 
 New Testament. These sentences are not generally quoted with an express refer- 
 ence to sources, but they are naturally appropriated and made the vehicle of ex- 
 pression, as if the writer were perfectly familiar with them, and could count upon 
 their being recognized by his readers. Especially marked is his use of the Pas- 
 toral Epistles and of the First Epistle of Peter. Charteris finds in the letter of
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Polycarp " quotations " from Matthew, Acts, Romans, First and Second Corinth- 
 ians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, First Thessalonians, First and Second 
 Timothy, First Peter, First John, and " echoes " from Matthew, Acts, Romans, 
 First Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First Thessa- 
 lonians, First and Second Timothy, Hebrews, James, First and Second Peter, 
 First John, Jude. 
 
 Three special references may be quoted as indicative of the importance which 
 these Fathers attached to apostolic writings. " Take up the Epistle of the blessed 
 Paul the apostle. What wrote he first unto you in the beginning of the gospel ? 
 Of a truth, he charged you in the Spirit concerning himself and Cephas and 
 Apollos," etc. (Clement, 1 Ep., ch. 47). " Ye are initiated into mysteries with 
 Paul, the sanctified, the martyred, worthy of all blessing, in whose footsteps may 
 I be found when I obtain God ! who in every part of his letter makes mention of 
 you in Christ Jesus." " Not as Peter and Paul do I command you ; those were 
 apostles, I am a condemned man" (Ignatius, ad Eph., ch. 12; ad Rom., ch. 4). 
 " For neither I, nor any other like me, is able to follow the wisdom of the blessed 
 and glorious Paul, who, being among you, taught accurately and firmly, in the 
 presence of the men then living, the word respecting truth, who also departing 
 wrote you epistles, 1 into which, if ye look diligently, ye will be able to be built up 
 into the faith given to you " (Polycarp, ad Phil., ch. 3). 
 
 Early tradition (Clement Alex., Origen, Jerome) ascribes the Epistle of BAR- 
 NABAS to the well-known companion of Paul (Acts 4 : 36, 37) ; and this tradition 
 is somewhat favored by the fact that the epistle was appended to the books of the 
 New Testament in the Codex Sinaiticus. But there are statements in the letter 
 itself which render it extremely doubtful whether it could have been written by a 
 Levite and an associate of the apostles. For Jewish sacrifices and fasts are de- 
 nounced (chs. 3, 4), and serious mistakes are made in speaking of the great day 
 of atonement (ch. 7), and of the red heifer as a type of Christ (ch. 8). In- 
 deed, it is evident that the author " was neither accurately acquainted with the 
 text of the law, nor had [he] even seen the celebration of the day of atonement " 
 (Donaldson). Moreover, it is surely very improbable that the Cyprian Barnabas 
 would have said that Christ chose for his own apostles " those who were lawless, 
 beyond the bounds of all ordinary sin, that he might show he came not to call the 
 righteous, but sinners " (ch. 5). 
 
 But while the author of the epistle is unknown, competent scholars are agreed 
 in believing that it was written in the first quarter of the second century, perhaps 
 about A. D. 120. In studying the relation of this epistle to the New Testament 
 it will be observed (1) That the doctrines which are taught in respect to God, 
 Christ, salvation, and morality are in substantial agreement with those of the Nrw 
 Testament. The author's mistakes in explaining the Old Testament " must not," 
 says Charteris, " cause us to forget how pure is his theology, how unfaltering is his 
 faith in the one Almighty Maker and Ruler of all, and how his constant endeavor 
 is to show that the Son of God was incarnate, and taught, and suffered, and died, 
 
 On this plural see Hefele ad loc.
 
 xiv GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord of both the dead and living." (2) 
 That in doctrine this epistle represents exclusively neither Paul nor Peter nor 
 John, but rather all of them. Hilgenfeld maintains that his teaching is Pauline, 
 though tending to Gnosticism. Dorner says that " with the fundamental thoughts 
 of Peter he combats Judaism within Christianity." And Charteris remarks, " Not 
 only does Barnabas regard Christ's incarnation in the same way as John does, but 
 the facts of Christ's life as recorded by John seem to be the indispensable basis of 
 his theology." All are doubtless correct ; and this fact is best accounted for by 
 supposing that Barnabas was familiar with the writings of all these apostles. (3) 
 That this epistle first quotes a passage from the New Testament with the biblical 
 formula, " It is written " (ch. 4 ; cf. Matt. 22 : 14). There is also no sufficient 
 reason for doubting that it uses the words of Matt. 9 : 13 in ch. 5: ["In order 
 that he might show that] he came not to call the righteous, but sinners." Several 
 pretty distinct reminiscences of the language of the Fourth Gospel may also 
 be traced. 
 
 Of the writer of this epistle Donaldson says : " However weak and misdirected 
 his intellectual powers may be, and however light his head may occasionally seem, 
 his heart always beats right. There is not one expression contrary to the soundest 
 morality, and much that stands out in magnificent contrast to the morality of his 
 age, even of its highest philosophers." 
 
 THE AGE OP GREEK APOLOGISTS A. D. 120-A. D. 170. 
 
 The circumstances of Christians in this period led them to write a considerable 
 number of books, treating a great variety of topics. But of these books many, 
 and indeed those of the greatest value, perished in the early ages. Among these 
 were the Diatessaron of Tatian, the Expositions of Papias, the Ecclesiastical His- 
 tory of Hegesippus, and the works of Melito and Apollinaris, which, it is said, 
 ranged over the wide domain of theology, interpretation, morals, apologetics, and 
 church polity, and which must have been much richer in materials for ascertain- 
 ing what books of the New Testament were deemed authoritative than most of the 
 works that have come down from about the middle of the second century. 
 
 But nearly all these writings were in the hands of Eusebius, and it is therefore 
 a matter of importance to know the principles which guided him in his use of 
 them. Fortunately, Bishop Lightfoot has discovered those principles by a careful 
 interpretation of his " prefatory statements " and a thorough verification of the 
 meaning assigned to them. He has thus proved " that the main object of Euse- 
 bius was to give such information as might assist in forming correct views respect- 
 ing the Canon of Scripture ;" that he " was therefore indifferent to any quotations 
 or references in early Christian writings which went toward establishing the 
 canonicity of those books which had never been disputed in the church ;" and 
 "that to this class belonged the four Gospels, the Acts, and thirteen Epistles 
 of Paul." 
 
 Hence it is claimed that " the silence of Eusebius respecting early witnesses to 
 the Fourth Gospel is an evidence in its favor. Its apostolic authorship has never 
 been questioned by any church-writer from the beginning, so far as Eusebius was
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xv 
 
 aware, and therefore it was superfluous to call witnesses " (Cent. Review, 1875, 
 pp. 176-183). As regards a most important part of the whole New Testament 
 viz. the four Gospels, the Acts, and thirteen Epistles of Paul he contents him- 
 self with preserving any anecdotes which he may have found illustrating the cir- 
 cumstances under which the books in question were written. Accordingly, the 
 statement of Bishop Lightfoot as to the bearing of the silence of Eusebius respect- 
 ing early witnesses to the Fourth Gospel may be applied to his silence respecting 
 early witnesses to the four Gospels, the Acts, and the thirteen Epistles of Paul. 
 That silence proves the universal reception of these books. It was useless to bring 
 forward evidence of that which no one doubted, or, as far as his reading went, 
 had ever doubted. 
 
 But in respect to other books of the New Testament he was careful to bring 
 the evidence, both for them and against them, which he found in early writers. 
 Hence we are indebted to him for several important testimonies which he selected 
 from writings since lost, but belonging to the period of the Greek Apologists 
 i. e. A. D. 120-A. D. 170. 
 
 Thus he refers to PAPIAS, Bishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia during a consider- 
 able part of the first half of the second century, for the double purpose of de- 
 claring that he made use of certain books as authoritative which were not 
 received with full confidence by all the churches, and of borrowing from him 
 certain anecdotes or traditions about the origin of other books that were never 
 doubted. Papias was a friend of Polycarp, and, according to Irenseus, a hearer 
 of the apostle John. At any rate, he loved to converse with those who had 
 listened to one or more of the apostles. For he says : " Unlike the many, I did 
 not take pleasure in those who have so very much to say, but in those who teach 
 the truth. And again, on any occasion when a person came who had been a 
 follower of the elders, I would inquire about the discourses of the elders what 
 was said by Andrew, or by Peter, or by Philip, or by Thomas or James, or by 
 John or Matthew, or any other of the Lord's disciples, and what Aristion and the 
 presbyter John, the disciples of the Lord, say. For I did not think that I could 
 get so much profit from the contents of books as from the utterances of a living 
 and abiding voice." 
 
 There is no good reason to suppose that Papias meant by " books." as here 
 used, the " Oracles of the Lord," which his work was written to interpret, or 
 indeed any apostolical writings. It is far more probable that he had in mind 
 books, already becoming numerous, which were filled with Gnostic speculations 
 about the meaning of Scripture. " Papias judged rightly," remarks Lightfoot, 
 "that any doctrinal statement of Andrew or Peter or John, or any anecdote of 
 the Saviour which could be traced distinctly to their authority, would be far more 
 valuable to elucidate his text than the capricious interpretations which he found 
 in current books" (Cont. Review, 1875, p. 290). 
 
 According to Eusebius, Papias " has made use of testimonies from the former 
 Epistle of John, and from that of Peter likewise." From another source we learn 
 that he maintained "the divine inspiration" of the Apocalypse, and Eusebius 
 represents him as saying " that there would be a certain millennium after the
 
 xvi GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 resurrection, and that there would be a corporeal reign of Christ on this very 
 earth ; which things he appears to have imagined, as if they were authorized by 
 the apostolic narratives." Probably his views of the millennium were founded on 
 what he supposed to be the meaning of Christ's language in the twenty-fourth 
 chapter of Matthew, in connection with the well-known passage concerning " the 
 thousand years " in Revelation, twentieth chapter. By " the former Epistle of 
 John " Eusebius doubtless meant his First Epistle ; for he testifies in a previous 
 chapter that " besides the Gospel of John, his First Epistle is acknowledged with- 
 out dispute, both by those of the present day and also by the ancients. The othet 
 two Epistles, however, are disputed " (H. E., iii. 24). 
 
 Eusebius also, according to his plan, quotes from Papias certain accounts 
 respecting the origin of two of the Gospels which that writer had received from 
 the elders Aristion and John. Thus : " So then Matthew composed the Oracles 
 in the Hebrew language, and each one interpreted them as he was able." This 
 declaration obviously refers to a period that was already past when Papias wrote 
 his " Expositions," and there is no reason to suppose that the " Oracles " composed 
 by Matthew were known to Papias in their Hebrew form. His knowledge of 
 their existence in that form was derived from " the elders." Nor is there any 
 good reason to believe that the word " Oracles " was not used of historical as well 
 as of didactic writings, being, in fact, as comprehensive as the word " Gospel." 
 Indeed, there can be little doubt that Eusebius copied this statement, because he 
 understood it to refer to the first draft and original form of the canonical Gospel 
 of Matthew. Hence the Aramaic " Oracles " must have been superseded by the 
 Greek " Gospel " before the close of the first century ; and it is difficult to believe 
 that they contained anything essentially different from what is found in that 
 Gospel. 
 
 Again, Eusebius quotes from Papias the following account of Mark : " And 
 John the Elder said also this : Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, 
 wrote down accurately everything that he remembered, without, however, record- 
 ing in order what was either said or done by Christ. For neither did he hear the 
 Lord, nor did he follow him ; but afterward, as I said, [he heard and followed] 
 Peter, who adapted his instructions to the needs [of his hearers], but had no 
 design of giving a connected account of the Lord's Oracles (or discourses). So 
 then Mark made no mistake while he thus wrote down some things as he remem- 
 bered them ; for he made it his care not to omit anything that he heard, or to set 
 down any false statement therein." 
 
 According to this tradition, received by Papias from contemporaries of the 
 apostles, the work of Mark here referred to was a careful memoriter record of what 
 Peter rehearsed in his preaching from the words and deeds of Christ. And as 
 Peter adapted his preaching to the needs of those addressed, it could not, in the 
 nature of the case, furnish a complete or chronological narrative of Christ's life. 
 Are we then justified in supposing that the work of Mark, referred to in this 
 extract, was the second of our four Gospels? 
 
 (1) That Gospel is the briefest of the four. It gives no genealogy, no account 
 of the birth of John the Baptist or of Jesus the Christ, no outline of the longer
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xvii 
 
 discourses of the Lord, and no report of many of his parables. It is certainly, 
 then, a very incomplete narrative of the Lord's words and works, and to that 
 extent it agrees with the tradition given by Papias. (2) That Gospel, in common 
 with the First and the Third, appears to disregard in many cases the chronological 
 order of events, at least as compared with the Gospel of John. This statement is 
 not inconsistent with the conclusion of Dr. Sanday, that, " so far as there is an 
 order in the Synoptic Gospels, the normal type of that order is to be found pre- 
 cisely in St. Mark, whom Papias alleges to have written not in order " ( The Gos- 
 pels in the Second Century, p. 149). For it is natural to assume, with Dr. Light- 
 foot, that the standard of comparison for the elders of Asia Minor in the second 
 century was the Gospel of John. (3) Eusebius evidently supposed that the Gos- 
 pel of Mark, as known to himself, was referred to in the account which Papias 
 had from " the elders," and it is pretty safe to assume that Eusebius understood 
 the true relevancy of that account. In any case, his view deserves most respect- 
 ful consideration. (4) If " the elder" really described the origin of an "Ur- 
 Marcus," this fact must be inferred from the contents of the Synoptic Gospels, 
 and not from any known tradition of the second century. But the proof which 
 is alleged for the existence of such a document seems to us unsatisfactory. 
 
 It is greatly to be regretted that the work of Papias is lost, for he lived and 
 labored during a period from which few Christian writings have been preserved, 
 But all have not perished, and we now turn to some that have been spared. 
 
 JUSTIN MARTYR was born in Flavia Neapolis, formerly Shechem, about the 
 close of the first century. He appears to have had some knowledge of Christians, 
 and especially of their fortitude under persecution, even before his own con- 
 version, which took place when he was (probably) twenty-five or thirty years old. 
 Having been addicted to philosophical studies before conversion, he continued to 
 wear the philosopher's cloak after that event, and was disposed to look upon the 
 Christian religion as a sort of divine philosophy. But he exhibited great zeal and 
 firmness in advocating the new faith, and by intercourse with Christians in differ- 
 ent parts of the empire he became well acquainted with their creed, worship, and 
 manner of life. It may therefore be presumed that he was familiar with the 
 books from which they drew their knowledge of the public ministry of Christ. 
 
 But in Justin's two Apologies, and his Dialogue with the Jew Trypho, he had 
 no occasion to make formal references to any part of the New Testament as pos- 
 sessing divine authority, for neither Roman emperors nor unbelieving Jews would 
 have any particular reverence for the names of Peter, John, and Paul. The facts 
 of Christ's life as fulfilling the predictions of the Old Testament, together with the 
 moral character and religious worship of Christians, would be far more likely to 
 impress the minds of Pagan rulers and hostile Jews than would any definite 
 appeals to the writings of the apostles. Hence, if Justin Martyr's account of 
 events and sayings in the ministry of Jesus Christ is found to agree substantially 
 with that which is given in the Gospels (cf. Sanday, pp. 91-98) ; if his citations 
 from the words of Christ appear to be made, though in a free way, from the same 
 tiospels (cf. E. Abbott, p. 20, sq.) ; if there is just such a difference as one might 
 expect between his use of the Gospels in his two Apologies and his use of the
 
 xviii GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 same in his Dialogue with Trypho ( Westcott) ; if his use of the Gospels is quite as 
 frequent as their use in later Apologies (e. g. that of Tertullian) ; and if his lan- 
 guage suggests an acquaintance with the vocabulary as well as with the doctrine 
 of Paul, it is as much as any thoughtful scholar ought to expect on the assump- 
 tion that Justin knew and honored the writings of the apostles as sacred. And 
 just these things are found to be true of his two Apologies and of his Dialogue 
 with Trypho, a Jew. 
 
 Justin in his first Apology refers three times to the Memorabilia of the Apostles, 
 stating in one place that in them were " taught all things concerning our Saviour, 
 Jesus Christ " (I. 33), in another, that they were read, together with the writings 
 of the prophets, in the weekly meetings of Christians (I. 67), and in another, that 
 they " were called Gospels :> (I. 66). In the Dialogue with Trypho he quotes 
 them ten times as the Memorabilia of the Apostles and five times as the Memora- 
 bilia. An interesting passage of the Dialogue contains these words : " In the 
 Memorabilia, which 1 say were composed by the apostles and those who followed 
 them, [it is written] that sweat as drops streamed down as he was praying and say- 
 ing, Let this cup, if it be possible, pass away from me" (cf. Luke 22 : 44). As he 
 was making a quotation from Luke, it seemed proper to call attention to the fact 
 that the Apostolic Memorabilia were not all written by apostles, but rather by the 
 apostles and their followers. 
 
 With this statement should be compared the language of Tertullian : " We lay 
 down, in the first place, that the Evangelic Instrument has apostles for its authors, 
 on whom this charge of publishing the gospel was laid by the Lord himself; if 
 
 also apostolic men, yet not these alone, but with apostles, and after apostles 
 
 In fine, of the apostles, John and Matthew implant faith in us of their followers, 
 Luke and Mark refresh it." As the form of Justin's explanation agrees so per- 
 fectly with the general statement of Tertullian, it cannot reasonably be denied 
 that the interpretation of his own statement by Tertullian is a just interpretation 
 of Justin's language also. And if so, Justin knew and received the same four 
 Gospels which Irenseus and his contemporaries, forty years later, received, and 
 which Tertullian and his contemporaries, fifty or sixty years later, received. It is 
 also to be considered that Justin must have been for a long time (say twenty-five 
 years at least) a contemporary of Polycarp, and Irenseus for the first twenty or 
 thirty years of his life a contemporary of both Justin and Polycarp, and Ter- 
 tullian for as long a time a contemporary of Irenseus. Whether Irenseus ever met 
 Justin Martyr we have no means of knowing, but they lived in the same period 
 long enough to transmit the traditions of that period to the next ; so that we can- 
 not assume the occurrence of any great and sudden change in the written sources 
 of Christian knowledge which left no trace of itself in their works. 
 
 It is manifestly impossible to bring within the limits of an Introduction the 
 critical processes by which the Memorabilia of Justin are shown to be identical 
 with our four Gospels. But the reader will find a good illustration of them in 
 Dr. Ezra Abbott's recent work on The Authorship of the Fourth. Gospel. He 
 affirms that " Justin nowhere expressly quotes the ' Memoirs ' for anything which 
 is not substantially found in our Gospels ; and there is nothing in his deviations
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xix 
 
 from exact correspondence with them, as regards matters of fact or the report of 
 the words of Christ, which may not be abundantly paralleled in the writings of 
 the Christian Fathers who used our four Gospels as alone authoritative." And 
 after a minute examination of the evidence for this statement he concludes thus : 
 " It is not, then, I believe, too much to say, that the strong presumption from the 
 universal reception of our four Gospels as sacred books in the time of Irenseus, 
 that Justin's ' Memoirs of Christ, composed by apostles and their companions ' 
 were the same books, is decidedly confirmed by these evidences of his use of the 
 Fourth Gospel " (p. 52). 
 
 In a valuable work by Dr. Sanday, on The Four Gospels in the Second Century, 
 he examines the quotations made by Justin, and remarks : " If Justin did not use 
 our four Gospels in their present shape as they have come down to us, he used 
 them in a later shape, not in an earlier. His resemblances to them cannot be 
 accounted for by the supposition that he had access to the materials out of which 
 they were composed, because he reproduces features which by the nature of the 
 case cannot have been present in those originals, but of which we are still able to 
 trace the authorship and the exact point of their insertion. Our Gospels form a 
 secondary stage in the history of the text Justin's quotations, a tertiary. In 
 order to reach the state in which it [the text] is found in Justin, the road lies 
 through our Gospels, and not outside of them." 
 
 Besides the four Gospels, there are in Justin's Apologies and Dialogue distinct 
 traces of the Acts, Romans, First and Second Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 
 Colossians, Second Thessalonians, First Timothy, Hebrews, James, First Peter, 
 First John, and the Apocalypse. The last he ascribes to " John, one of the apos- 
 tles of Christ, [who] in a revelation that was made to him prophesied that those 
 who believe in our Christ will live a thousand years in Jerusalem " {Dial, with 
 Trypho, ch. 81). 
 
 To the period of the Greek Apologists may also be assigned the Second Epistle 
 of Clement (a homily), which makes use of Matthew and Luke, together with the 
 Epistles to the Ephesians and Timothy ; the Epistle to Di.ognetm, which contains 
 many reminiscences of the New Testament in thought and expression, and de- 
 clares that by Christians " the fear of the Law is chanted, and the grace of the 
 prophets is recognized, and the faith of the Gospels is established, and the tradi- 
 tion of the apostles is guarded, and the grace of the church has free and exulting 
 course" (ch. 11); the Shepherd of Hermas, which, though it makes no quotations 
 from Scripture, has many points of connection with the Epistle of James and the 
 Apocalypse, some allusions to the Gospel of John and the Acts of the Apostles, 
 and a few echoes of language found in First Corinthians and Ephesians ; and the 
 Memoirs of Hegesippus, who appears to have made use of our present Gospels, 
 while he took certain things from " the Gospel to the Hebrews," of which very 
 little is known. 
 
 To the same period should probably be assigned the Muratorian Fragment on 
 the Canon, the Latin version of the New Testament in North Africa, and the 
 earliest Syriac version. 
 
 (1) The Fragment on the Canon, discovered by Muratori, begins now with the
 
 xx GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 last words of a sentence which probably referred to the Gospel of Mark. It then 
 proceeds to speak of the Third Gospel as written by Luke the physician, who did 
 not see the Lord ; of the Fourth Gospel as written by John, a disciple of the 
 Lord, at the request of his fellow-disciples and his elders, with a reference also to 
 his Epistles, and a quotation from the First ; of the Acts of the Apostles as com- 
 posed by Luke ; of the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians the first, to the 
 Ephesians the second, to the Philippians the third, to the Colossians the fourth, 
 to the Galatians the fifth, to the Thessalonians the sixth, to the Romans the 
 seventh ; also to the Corinthians and Thessalonians a second each, to Philemon 
 one, to Titus one, and to Timothy two, on account of love and affection (thirteen 
 in all). It then speaks of two spurious Epistles that were ascribed to Paul one 
 to the Laodiceans and another to the Alexandrians and adds that one Epistle 
 of Jude and two superscribed of John are received by catholic Christians. 
 Finally, that " we receive also only the Revelations of John and Peter, which 
 [latter] some of us are unwilling to have read in the church." There is, more- 
 over, a reference to " Wisdom, written by the friends of Solomon in his honor," 
 which Westcott thinks may imply a lost clause mentioning the Epistle to the He- 
 brews as written by a friend of Paul. The same scholar discovers indications of 
 two breaks in the Fragment where the Epistles of James, First and Second Peter, 
 and Hebrews may have been named in the original Greek list. This is of course 
 conjecture, but there are several peculiarities of the list as it now stands which 
 seem to render it in a certain measure probable. At any rate, this list appears to 
 embrace the four Gospels, the Acts, thirteen Epistles of Paul, two of John, one of 
 Jude, and the Revelation of John. And if the two Epistles of John referred to 
 near the end of the list are the Second and the Third, Bishop Lightfoot's con- 
 jecture that the First Epistle of John was then connected with his Gospel is ex- 
 tremely natural (see Cont. Review, 1875, p. 835), especially as the opening verse 
 of that Epistle is quoted by the Fragment in giving an account of the origin of 
 the Gospel. Moreover, in view of the other testimonies of this period, it is diffi- 
 cult to believe that the First Epistle of Peter could have been omitted from the 
 list; and it is surely more likely that there was a reference, by way of com- 
 parison, to a book of " Wisdom, written by the friends of Solomon in his honor," 
 than to suppose that a book with that title was reckoned among the Christian 
 Scriptures. 
 
 (2) The earliest Latin version of the New Testament was prepared before 
 A. D. 170, and, according to Mr. Westcott, " it contained the four Gospels, the 
 Acts, thirteen Epistles of St. Paul, the three Catholic Epistles of St. John, the 
 First Epistle of St. Peter, the Epistle of St. Jude, and the Apocalypse. To these 
 the Epistle to the Hebrews was added subsequently, but before the time of Ter- 
 tullian, and without the author's name. There is no external evidence to show 
 that the Epistle of St. James or the Second Epistle of St. Peter was included in 
 the Vetus Latina " ( On the Canon of the N. T., p. 225). 
 
 (3) The early Syriac version, called the Peshito, is commonly supposed to have 
 been made in the first half of the second century, and may safely be assumed to 
 have been in use before A. D. 170. It has all the books of the New Testament
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xxi 
 
 but the Second and Third Epistles of John, the Second Epistle of Peter, the 
 Epistle of Jude, and the Apocalypse. 
 
 Turning now to heretical leaders and writings, they will be found to furnish 
 evidence that many books of the New Testament were received as authoritative 
 documents in respect to the Christian religion during the age of the Greek Apol- 
 ogists. BASILIDES is admitted to have been a teacher in Alexandria in the reign 
 of Hadrian (A. D. 117-137). He was therefore a younger contemporary of Poly- 
 carp and of Justin Martyr. The doctrines taught by him and by his followers 
 are described by Hippolytus and Epiphanius, while the works of Clement of 
 Alexandria and of Origen have occasional references to them. He appears to 
 have accepted the historical facts recorded in our Gospels ; and Westcott remarks 
 that " in the few pages of his writings which remain there are certain references to 
 the Gospels of St. Matthew, St. Luke, and St. John, and to the Epistles of Paul 
 to the Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, and Colossians, possibly also to the First 
 Epistle to Timothy," and, still further, to the First Epistle of Peter. But he is 
 believed to have rejected the Pastoral Epistles (unless First Timothy be an ex- 
 ception) and the Epistle to the Hebrews. It is noticeable also that he introduces 
 language from the New Testament Scriptures as that "which is said" or "written," 
 or by the phrase " the Scripture saith," using the same formulas of quotation which 
 were commonly employed in appeals to the language of the Old Testament. 
 
 VALENTINUS, a younger contemporary of Basilides, began his career as an 
 heretical teacher in Alexandria, but soon repaired to Rome, and made that city 
 the centre of his activity. IrenaBus says ( C. Hcer., iii. 4, 3) that " he came to 
 Rome during the episcopate of Hyginus (perhaps about A. D. 140), was in his 
 prime under Pius (142-150), and lived until the time of Anicetus." Tertullian 
 says that " he seems to use ' the whole Instrument,' yet perverting the meaning by 
 his method of interpretation." In this way he was thought to be a more crafty 
 assailant of Christian truth than was Marciou, who boldly mutilated the Scrip- 
 tures. By " the whole Instrument " Tertullian means, of course, the books of the 
 New Testament that were recognized as sacred in North Africa at the close of the 
 second century L e. all the books of our New Testament save the Epistles of 
 James and Second Peter. In the brief extracts that have come down to us from 
 the writings of Valentinus (or of his school) there are citations from the Epistle 
 to the Romans, the First Epistle to the Corinthians, the Epistle to the Ephesians, 
 and references to the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John ; also, perhaps, to the 
 First of John and the Epistle to the Hebrews. 
 
 MARCION nourished at the same time as Valentinus. In his first Apology 
 (A. D. 140-147) Justin declares that Marcion "had in every nation of men caused 
 many to blaspheme" (I. 26), and also that "many had been convinced by him" 
 (I. 58). Probably, then, he settled in Rome and began to teach his peculiar views 
 about 138-142 A. D. He did not receive all the books of the New Testament as 
 canonical, but constructed a Canon for himself from the Gospel of Luke and ton 
 Epistles of Paul. This, at least, is the statement of Tertullian, Epiphanius, and 
 Irenseus. And it appears that one of the two following hypotheses is true : Either 
 Marcion's Gospel was formed by mutilating our Third Gospel, or our Third Gos-
 
 xxii GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 pel was formed by interpolating that of Marcion. After comparing the two, Dr. 
 Sanday says : " The Gospel [of Marcion] stands to our Synoptic entirely in the 
 relation of defect. We may say ' entirely,' for the additions are so insignificant 
 some thirty words in all, and those for the most part supported by other authority 
 that for practical purposes they need not be reckoned. With the exception of 
 these thirty words inserted, and some, also slight, alterations of phrase, Marcion's 
 Gospel presents simply an abridgment of our St. Luke." Again : " In Germany 
 it seems to be agreed at the present time that the hypothesis of a mutilated Luke 
 suits the dogmatic argument better than that of later Judaizing interpolations." 
 Once more, after a careful analysis of the language of Luke's Gospel, Dr. Sanday 
 remarks : " The total result may be summarized thus : Accepting the scheme of 
 Marcion's Gospel given some pages back, which is substantially that of ' Super- 
 natural Religion,' Marcion will have omitted a total of three hundred and nine 
 verses. In those verses there are found one hundred and eleven distinct peculiar- 
 ities of St. Luke's style, numbering in all one hundred and eighty-five separate 
 instances ; there are also found one hundred and thirty-eight words peculiar to or 
 specially characteristic of the third evangelist, with two hundred and twenty-four 
 instances. In other words, the verified peculiarities of St. Luke's style and dic- 
 tion (and how marked many of these are will have been seen from the examples 
 above) are found in the portions of the Gospel omitted by Marcion in a proportion 
 averaging considerably more than one to each verse." It is therefore evident that 
 the three hundred and nine verses were written by Luke, and were stricken from 
 his Gospel by Marcion ; for an interpolator could not have imitated the style and 
 vocabulary of Luke so perfectly as it is represented in these verses. 
 
 But was Luke's Gospel a new production when it was adopted, by Marcion 
 about A. D. 140 ? Or does the text which he uses prove upon examination to be 
 one that had been corrupted more or less by transcription? In answer to this 
 question Dr. Sanday, in a work distinguished for caution and moderatign of state- 
 ment, affirms that the textual phenomena " show that Marcion's Gospel, so far 
 from being an original document, has behind it a deep historical background, 
 and stands at the head of a series of copies which have already passed through a 
 number of hands, and been exposed to a proportionate amount of corruption." 
 Again : " I think it is a safe proposition to assert that, in order to bring the text 
 of Marcion's Gospel into the state in which we find it, there must have been a long 
 previous history, and the manuscripts through which it was conveyed must have 
 parted far from the parent stem." 
 
 It may be added that Marcion appears to have treated the ten Epistles of 
 Paul which he accepted in the same way as he treated the Gospel of Luke ; that 
 is, as far as he accepted the Epistles at all, he accepted the text as he found it, 
 without making any changes ; but from the Epistles, as from the Gospel, he 
 omitted such verses or paragraphs as did not agree with his doctrinal opinions. 
 (See the conclusive argument by Sanday, pp. 204-237.) 
 
 To this period also must probably be assigned the so-called " HOMILIES OF 
 CLEMEXT," a theological fiction of Judaizing tendency, though scholars are not 
 yet agreed as to the time when it was written. Those who have given the subject
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xxiii 
 
 most attention are, however, united in the belief that it was before A. D. 180, and 
 the best authorities assign it to the third quarter of the second century. Accord- 
 ing to Charteris, Sanday, and others, the Homilies make use of every one of the 
 four Gospels. Sanday indeed, as in the case of Justin Martyr, admits a possible 
 alternative, saying, " Either the Clementine writer quotes our present Gospels, or 
 else he quotes some other composition later than them, and which implies them. 
 In other words, if he does not bear witness to our Gospels at first hand, he does at 
 second hand, and by the interposition of a further intermediate stage." And if 
 this second hypothesis be correct, he represents the " composition " supposed as in 
 all likelihood a harmony of the four Gospels, and suggests that it may have been 
 " begun, and used, and left in a more or less advanced stage, by Justin," but made 
 public afterward by Tatian. 
 
 The evidence which has been briefly noticed does not embrace every allusion 
 to our New-Testament Scriptures which may be found in the fragments of Chris- 
 tian or heretical literature that have come down to us from the age of the Greek 
 Apologists. But it embraces the most important testimonies and allusions, and 
 may therefore be allowed to stand for the whole in a rapid survey like the present. 
 And if the reader will simply bear in mind these circumstances that all the 
 books of the New Testament were not yet probably united in a single volume ; 
 that only brief extracts have come down to us from most of the great Christian 
 writers of this period ; that Apologists, addressing their pagan rulers, would gain 
 nothing by definite appeals to the writings of Matthew, John, Peter, or Paul ; that 
 it was too early for the existence of many translations, especially of the whole New 
 Testament ; and that heretics would be very likely to have their favorite books, 
 rejecting or neglecting others, he will perhaps be gratified at the amount and 
 character of the evidence now within our reach, rather than surprised at any de- 
 fects in the same which critics may be able to discover. 
 
 Having, examined very closely a considerable part of the evidence namely, 
 that which has a natural connection with the school of John in Asia Minor 
 Bishop Lightfoot speaks as follows : " Out of a very extensive literature, by which 
 this school was once represented, the extant remains are miserably few and frag- 
 mentary ; but the evidence yielded by these meagre relics is decidedly greater, in 
 proportion to their extent, than we had any right to expect. As regards the 
 Fourth Gospel, this is especially the case. If the same amount of written matter 
 occupying a very few pages in all were extracted accidentally from the cur- 
 rent theological literature of our own day, the chances, unless I am mistaken, 
 would be strongly against our finding so many indications of the use of 
 this Gospel." 
 
 FKOM A. D. 170-A. D. 400. 
 
 About the year 170 A. D. the long period of historical twilight as to Christian 
 affairs begins to give place to the dawning of a tolerably clear day. A Christian 
 literature, composed in great measure of fragments preserved in later writings, 
 begins to be followed by a literature embracing several treatises that have come 
 down to us, either complete or only slightly mutilated. After the shorter works 
 of Tatian (so far as preserved;, Athenagoras, and Theophilus of Antioch we pass
 
 xxiv GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 to the more extended productions of Irenseus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, 
 and Origen, finding conclusive evidence that many books of the New Testament 
 were received by all the churches in Europe, Asia, and Africa as indisputably 
 apostolic. These were the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, thirteen Epis- 
 tles of Paul, and the First Epistles of Peter and John. No competent scholar 
 will deny that from this time onward these writings were esteemed sacred and 
 authoritative by the whole Christian world, just as truly as they were so esteemed 
 at the beginning of the present century. They were nowhere questioned, but 
 everywhere accepted as parts of the Canon. Of the remaining books, some were 
 received here, and others there, with absolute confidence, while none of them were 
 received without doubt everywhere and by all. From this time forward our 
 attention will therefore be directed more and more to the doubtful books. Yet it 
 will be instructive to notice the manner in which the undisputed books, and espe- 
 cially the four Gospels, as well as the disputed books, are characterized by the 
 leading writers. 
 
 In the following passage IRENSEUS sets forth his estimate of apostolic teaching 
 an estimate which was shared, without doubt, by the great body of Christians in 
 his day : " For we have learned to know the economy of our salvation through no 
 others but those by whom the gospel came to us ; which gospel they then preached, 
 but afterward by the will of God delivered to us in Scriptures, that it might be a 
 ground and pillar of our faith. For it is not right to say that they preached 
 before they had a perfect knowledge, as some dare to affirm, boasting that they 
 are correctors of the apostles. For after our Lord rose again from the dead they 
 indeed were clothed with power from on high, through the Holy Spirit coming 
 upon them were filled with the Spirit for all duties and had perfect knowledge ; 
 they went forth to the end of the earth, preaching good news of blessings to us 
 from God, and announcing celestial peace to men, because they all and each had 
 the gospel of God " ( C. Hcer., iii. 1). 
 
 Of the authorship of the four Gospels he thus speaks : " Matthew indeed 
 among the Hebrews in their own language published a written Gospel, while Peter 
 and Paul in Rome were preaching the gospel and founding the church. And 
 after their departure Mark himself, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, delivered 
 to us in writing that which was preached by Peter. Moreover, Luke, the follower 
 of Paul, put down in a book the Gospel that was preached by him. Afterward, 
 John, the disciple of the Lord, who also leaned back on his bosom, himself pub- 
 lished the Gospel while he was residing at Ephesus in Asia " (ibid.). 
 
 Of the general recognition of these Gospels even by heretics he bears witness 
 in another place: " And so great is this firmness [of evidence] about the Gospels 
 that even the heretics themselves bear testimony to them, and each one of them, 
 by starting from the same, is compelled to confirm their teaching. For the Ebion- 
 ites, using only the Gospel according to Matthew, are proved by that to make 
 false suppositions concerning the Lord. But Marcion, though mutilating the Gos- 
 pel according to Luke, is shown by those portions which are still preserved by him 
 to be a blasphemer against the only existing God. Moreover, those who separate 
 Jesus from the Christ, and say that Christ remained impassible, but Jesus only
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xxv 
 
 suffered, arid who prefer the Gospel according to Mark, can be corrected if they 
 read this [Gospel] with a love of truth. Also those who follow Valentinus and 
 use most fully the Gospel according to John for the purpose of setting forth their 
 conjunctions, are detected by this Gospel as teaching nothing rightly, as we have 
 shown in our first book. Since, therefore, our opponents bear witness for us and 
 use these Gospels, our proof from them is firm and true" (iii. 11, 7). 
 
 To prove that there could properly be neither more nor fewer than four Gos- 
 pels, he writes thus in the next section : " Since there are four zones of the world 
 in which we are, and four general winds, and [since] the church is scattered over 
 all the earth, but the Gospel and Spirit of life are a pillar and ground of the 
 church, it [the church] should properly have four pillars, breathing immortality 
 from every side, and vivifying men afresh. From which it is evident that the 
 Word, the Architect of all things, who sitteth upon the cherubim and holdeth 
 together all things, having been manifested to men, gave us a gospel in four forms, 
 but bound together by one Spirit" (iii. 11, 8). 
 
 It may also be remarked that Irenseus makes abundant use of passages from 
 the Acts, from the Epistles to the Romans, First and Second Corinthians, Gala- 
 tians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First and Second Thessalonians, First 
 Peter, First John, and from the Apocalypse ; also occasional use of extracts from 
 First and Second Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, James, and Second John, together 
 with the expression, a day with the Lord is as a thousand years, which appears to 
 be taken from 2 Pet. 3 : 8. The only books of our New Testament which are not 
 employed by him at all are the brief Epistle to Philemon, the briefer Third Epis- 
 tle of John, and the Epistle of Jude all of them amounting to scarcely more 
 than an average chapter in the Gospel of Luke, and no one of them holding a 
 prominent place among the apostolical writings or likely to be needed in refuting 
 the strange heresies of the second century. 
 
 Such is the evidence of Irenams to the Canon of the New Testament. And 
 the fact must not be lost sight of that he was personally acquainted with Polycarp 
 and his associates, the disciples of the apostle John in Asia Minor ; that he was a 
 contemporary of Justin Martyr, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus of Antioch, on 
 the one hand, and with Basilides, Marcion, Valentinus, and Celsus, on the other ; 
 that he was in most respects, if not all, a man of sober judgment, familiar with 
 the doctrinal views of both the Asiatic and the Western churches, and that he 
 made the heresies of the second century a subject of special investigation, com- 
 paring them with the apostolic writings, and refuting them by testimonies drawn 
 from these writings, which were deemed authoritative by Christians throughout 
 the known world. 
 
 CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA flourished about A. D. 200, and was probably a 
 more learned man than Irenaeus. He thus speaks of a treatise which lie was com- 
 posing (called Stromateis, or "Miscellanies") and of the sources of his know- 
 ledge : " Now this work is not a writing artistically composed for display, but 
 memoranda are stored up [in it] for myself against old age as a remedy of forgct- 
 fulness, an inartistic image and rough sketch of those clear and vivid discourses 
 which I was thought worthy to hear, and of blessed and truly remarkable men.
 
 xxvi GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Of these, one, the Ionian, was in Greece, and others in Magna Grsecia. One of 
 them was of Ccele-Syria, another from Egypt, and others in [or through] the East. 
 Of this region that of Assyria was one, and another in . Palestine, a Hebrew by 
 descent. When I met with the last (he was first in ability), having hunted him 
 up concealed in Egypt, I found rest. He, a true Sicilian bee, plucking the flowers 
 of both the prophetic and the apostolic meadow, begat in the souls of his hearers 
 a pure substance of knowledge. But they, preserving the veritable tradition of 
 the blessed doctrine directly from Peter and James, John and Paul, the holy 
 apostles, son receiving it from father (but few are they who are like their fathers), 
 came indeed by the will of God to deposit in us also those ancestral and apostolic 
 seeds ; and well I know that they will rejoice, not, I mean, as being pleased with 
 this description, but with the mere preservation of truth as it was noted down " 
 (j\fit>cell., i. 1, 11). It is generally admitted that the person whom Clement here 
 calls his last and ablest teacher was Pantsenus, head of the catechetical school in 
 Alexandria. Photius represents Pantseuus as a hearer of the apostles, and, as far 
 as age is concerned, he might possibly have been so. At any rate, he appears to 
 have been a diligent student of the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures, and, as 
 Westcott has said, " there is not the slightest ground for assuming any organic 
 change in the doctrine of the Alexandrian Church between the age of the apostles 
 and Pantsenus," the teacher and predecessor of Clement. The latter was at the 
 head of the Christian school in Alexandria from about A. D. 189 to A. D. 202, 
 when he was compelled to leave the city by the persecution under Severus. 
 
 Clement makes use of the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles 
 to the Romans, the Corinthians (First and Second), the Galatians, the Ephesians, 
 the Colossians, the Philippians, the Thessalonians (First and Second), Timothy 
 (First and Second), Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, the First Epistle of Peter, the 
 First of John, the Epistle of Jude, and the book of Revelation ; but he appears 
 to have no quotations from the Epistles of James, Second Peter, and Third John. 
 Eusebius testifies that " in the work called Hypotoposes, Clement has given us con- 
 cise explanations of the whole canonical Scripture, without omitting the disputed 
 books : I mean the Epistle of Jude and the remaining Catholic Epistles, as well as 
 the Epistle of Barnabas and the so-called Revelation of Peter. Moreover, he says 
 that the Epistle to the Hebrews is Paul's, but that it was written to the Hebrews 
 in the Hebrew language, and that Luke, having carefully translated it, published 
 it for the use of the Greeks." It will be observed that although Eusebius associates 
 the Catholic Epistles with the Epistle of Barnabas and the so-called Revelation 
 of Peter, he yet distinguishes the former from the latter, making thereby in some 
 sense two classes of " disputed books." Very noteworthy is the language of 
 Clement in respect to the Epistle to the Hebrews, though there are strong objec- 
 tions to his view that our Greek Epistle is a translation. 
 
 To the testimony of Clement may be subjoined that of ORIGEN, his successor 
 after a time in the Alexandrian school, and the most learned biblical critic of the 
 Ante-Nicene Church. If perfect reliance could be placed on the translation of 
 Rufinus, the following passage from his Homilies on Joshua (vii. 2) would be 
 conclusive as to his view of the New Testament Canon : " So too our Lord Jesus
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xxvii 
 
 Christ, whose advent was typified by that earlier son of Nun, when he came sent 
 his apostles as priests bearing well-wrought trumpets, the glorious and heavenly 
 doctrine which they preached. Matthew first sounded with priestly trumpet in 
 his Gospel. Mark also, Luke and John, each gave forth a strain on their priestly 
 trumpets. Peter moreover sounds with the two trumpets of his Epistles ; so also 
 James and Jude. None the less does John blow the trumpet by his Epistles and 
 Apocalypse, and Luke, by describing the Acts of the Apostles. Lastly came he 
 who said, 1 think that God hath set forth us apostles last of all, and thundering with 
 the fourteen trumpets of his Epistles threw down to the ground the walls of Jeri- 
 cho, even all the instruments of idolatry and the doctrines of philosophy." But 
 it is known that Rufinus sometimes modified the teaching of Origen according to 
 his own belief of what was true, and therefore it is possible that he has done so in 
 this place. Yet there is ample evidence to be found in the untranslated writings 
 of Origen that he received all the books that were received by Clement. He ac- 
 cepted our four Gospels as canonical, and rejected the authority of all others. 
 Of the Epistle to the Hebrews he says : " If I were to express my own opinion, I 
 should say that the thoughts are the apostle's, but the diction and composition 
 that of some one who recorded from memory the apostle's teaching, and, as it were, 
 illustrated with a brief commentary the sayings of his master. It was not with- 
 out good reason that the men of old time have handed it down as Paul's. But 
 who it was that wrote the Epistle, God only knows certainly." He accepted the 
 Apocalypse as an undoubted work of the apostle John ( Westcotf). He quoted the 
 Epistle of Jude as a work of " the Lord's brother." He referred to " the Epistle 
 in circulation under the name of James." But he does not, it is said, quote the 
 Second Epistle of Peter or the Second and Third Epistles of John, though the 
 Second Epistle of Peter is quoted several times in the Latin version of the 
 Homilies. 
 
 TERTULLIAN, the earliest great representative of the North African Church, 
 was probably born in Carthage about A. D. 160, and was therefore a contemporary 
 of Irenseus, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen. His literary activity may be 
 chiefly assigned to the first quarter of the third century. He speaks of the " an- 
 cient Scripture" in contrast with the "New Testament" (Ad Prax., ch. 15). He 
 distinguishes between "the Gospels and the apostles" (ibid.), meaning by the 
 latter the writings of the apostles. And he declares that " the gospel Instrument 
 has for its authors apostles on whom this office of proclaiming the gospel was im- 
 posed by the Lord himself; and if also apostolic men, yet not these alone, but 
 with apostles and after apostles " (Adv., iv. 2). Referring to the church at Rome, 
 which he pronounces " happy, because there apostles poured forth their doctrine 
 with their blood," he declares that " she unites in one volume the law and the 
 prophets with the writings of evangelists and apostles, and thence drinks in her 
 faith " (De Praxc. Hceret., ch. 36). He says that the germs of later heresies were 
 present in the first age, and remarks that " Paul in the First to the Corinthians 
 
 marks those who denied and doubted the resurrection Writing to the Gala- 
 
 tians, he assails those who practise and defend circumcision and the law. . . . 
 Instructing Timothy, he also condemns such as ' forbid to marry ' (1 Tim. 4 :
 
 xxviii GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 .... Equally does he smite such as said that ' the resurrection was already past ' 
 
 ( 2 Tim. 2:3) When he mentions ' endless genealogies ' (1 Tim. 1 : 4) 
 
 Valentinus is recognized,'' etc Again, " John in the Apocalypse is com- 
 manded to chastise those ' who eat things offered to idols and commit fornication ' 
 (Rev. 2 : 20). But in the Epistle he calls those antichrists in a special sense who 
 deny that Christ has come in the flesh, and who do not think that Jesus is the Son 
 of God " (De Prcescrip. Hceret., ch. 33). 
 
 Tertullian recognizes in his writings the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, 
 thirteen Epistles of Paul, First Peter, First John, Jude, the Apocalypse, and 
 (though as written by Barnabas and of second-rate authority) the Epistle to the 
 Hebrews i. e. all the books of our New Testament except the Epistles of James, 
 Second Peter, and Second and Third John (Charteris). 
 
 It is important to bear in mind the localities with which these great writers 
 must have been familiar. Irenseus, connected with Polycarp, with Pothinus, and 
 with some of the bishops of Rome, may be said to reflect the belief of Asia Minor, 
 Gaul, and Italy ; Clement of Alexandria, the pupil of Pantsenus, and Origen, the 
 distinguished scholar who was at home both in Egypt and in Palestine, may be 
 said to reflect the belief of Christians in Egypt, Palestine, and Greece ; and Ter- 
 tullian, the fiery and powerful teacher at Carthage, must be presumed to reflect 
 the belief of the churches of North Africa, with which he was well acquainted, 
 and of the churches in and about Rome, where many of the heretics, whom he 
 assailed with resistless torrents of argument and denunciation, resided. Thus 
 these writers represent, if they do not doubly or trebly represent, the several 
 great provinces where Christians had become numerous and powerful. 
 
 Noticeable also is the high authority which these writers attribute to the Old 
 and New Testaments. Irenseus affirms that "the Scriptures are indeed perfect, 
 because they were spoken by the Word of God and his Spirit" (C. Hcer., ii. 
 28, 2). Clement proposes to show that " the Scriptures which we have believed 
 were ratified by Omnipotent Authority," and "to show from them to all the 
 heresies that there is one God and Lord Omnipotent, who has been truly preached 
 by the law and the prophets, and in addition to these by the blessed gospel " 
 (Miscell., iv. 1). Tertullian, by a variety of testimonies, as well as by the use 
 which he makes of the New Testament, proves that for him its teaching is ulti- 
 mate and divine. With no less reverence does Origen treat the Scriptures of the 
 New Testament. 
 
 A few remarks may now be made in respect to the seven disputed books of the 
 New Testament viz. the Epistle to the Hebrews, the book of Revelation, and .the 
 Epistles of James, Jude, Second and Third John, and Second Peter. 
 
 (1) The Epistle to the Hebrews was generally received in Alexandria and the 
 East, while it was doubted or rejected for a long time in North Africa and the 
 West. It is found in the Peshito, but not in the Fragment of Muratori on the 
 Canon, or in the earliest form of the Latin version. Origen ascribes it habitually 
 to Paul, though he appears to have believed that the thoughts only were the apos- 
 tle's, while the composition was by some other person. Tertullian ascribes it to 
 Barnabas, the companion of Paul, and claims for it no more than secondary
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xxix 
 
 authority. Yet Clement of Rome was certainly familiar with it, and treated it 
 with special respect ; it is also probably referred to by Justin Martyr. Dionysius, 
 a distinguished pupil of Origen, became president of the school at Alexandria 
 about A. D. 231, and afterward bishop of the Christians in that city. Fragments 
 of his letters have been preserved in which are numerous references to the New 
 Testament, and quotations from the Epistle to the Hebrews as the " testimony of 
 Paul." The voice of the churches of Egypt and of the East prevailed, and at 
 last this Epistle was accepted as canonical by the churches of the West also. Its 
 earlier and unhesitating reception in the East was probably due to the circum- 
 stance that the Hebrew Christians to whom it was first sent resided in Egypt and 
 the East. 
 
 (2) The Apocalypse, it will be recollected, is expressly attributed by Justin 
 Martyr to the apostle John : " A certain man among us, whose name was John, 
 one of the apostles of Christ, predicted in a revelation given to him that those who 
 had believed in our Christ should spend a thousand years in Jerusalem, and that 
 afterward the universal and, to speak briefly, the eternal resurrection and judg- 
 ment of all 'would take place together" (Dial. c. Try., ch. 81). There is also 
 satisfactory evidence that Papias was familiar with the Apocalypse, and was pecu- 
 liarly interested in its Chiliastic teaching. (See Andreas Ccex. in Apoc., ch. 34, 
 Serm. 12, Edit. Morel. ; Opp. S. Chrys., p. 52 ; and Euseb., H. E., iii. 39.) Among 
 the writings of Melito, Bishop of the church in Sardis, which were known to 
 Eusebius, was one on the Revelation of John (H. E., iv. 26). Irenseus, who spent 
 his early life in Asia Minor, ascribes the Apocalypse to John the disciple of the 
 Lord, and a careful consideration of his language shows that by " disciple ". he 
 meant the apostle John, who was called, by way of preference, " the disciple," 
 because he was "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (B., iv. 20, 11 ; v. 26, 1 ; 30, 
 3 ; 8). This testimony is very important. Tertullian cites the . Apocalypse re- 
 peatedly as a work of the apostle John (e. g. Adv. Mar., iii. 14; iv. 5 ; De Frees. 
 Hwrd., ch. 33). Clement of Alexandria and Origen both make use of it as 
 authoritative and written by John (Strom., vi. 13; Paid., ii. 12; Com. in Matt., t. 16, 
 torn. iii. p. 711 ; Com. in Joan., t. 1, also t. 2). Hippolytus does the same (De 
 Chrislo et Antichr., ch. 36). It is included in the Fragment of Muratori on the 
 Canon. But for some reason it was not made a part of the Peshito ; and Dio- 
 nysius of Alexandria, while agreeing that it was the work of some " holy and 
 inspired man " by the name of John, doubts whether it was written by the evan- 
 gelist. It is, however, noteworthy that his reasons for doubting are not historical, 
 but critical, or, in other words, derived from the style of the book as compared 
 with John's Gospel and First Epistle (Euseb., H. E,, vii. 25). In like manner 
 Eusebius appears to have hesitated about ascribing it to the apostle John. But it 
 is at least possible that they were predisposed to reject the book by their strong 
 opposition to the Chiliasm of their day. At any rate, their doubt* made but a 
 slight impression on the minds of Christiana, and before the close of the fourth 
 century the Apocalypse was everywhere received as apostolic and divine. Ami 
 surely there was no lack of external evidence for the apostolic authorship of this 
 remarkable book.
 
 xxx GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 (3) The Epistle of James, like that to the Hebrews, was addressed to believing 
 Israelites who did not reside in Palestine ; and this circumstance accounts for the 
 non-universal reception of the Epistle in the early church. " It was meant only 
 for Jewish believers, and was not likely, therefore, to circulate widely among Gen- 
 tile Christians" (Smith's Diet, of the Bible, p. 1208). Hence, too, it was included 
 in the Peshito, but not in the Muratorian Canon or in most of the MSS. of the 
 early Latin version. As might have been expected, it was received as canonical 
 in Alexandria. Thus Origen says: "For if there may be something called faith, 
 but existing without works, such a faith is dead, as we have read in the current 
 Epistle of James" (Com. in Joan., F. 19). Again : "As also James the apostle 
 says, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from 
 the Father of lights " ( Com. in Ep. ad Rom., ix.). " Eusebius tells as a matter 
 of fact that some counted it spurious, and that there was a lack of early testi- 
 mony to it; but he himself quotes it as apostolic" (Charter is*). Athanasius, a 
 younger contemporary of Eusebius, accepted it as inspired and canonical (Ath. 
 Opp., torn. p. 38). The objections to the letter derived from its contents are of no 
 force, and there appears to be no good reason to doubt that the churches and their 
 teachers were guided by sufficient evidence in assigning to this Epistle a place in 
 the Canon of Scripture. 
 
 (4) The Epistle of Jude purports to have been written by " the brother of 
 James," who must therefore have been well known to Christians. This James is 
 generally believed to have been " the Lord's brother," spoken of in Gal. 1 : 19, 
 the writer of the Epistle noticed above, and for many years the Bishop of the 
 church at Jerusalem. The Muratorian Canon numbers the Epistle of Jude with 
 the sacred books of the New Testament. It was also in the Old Latin version, 
 though not in the Syriac. Clement of Alexandria appeals to it in both the Paida- 
 gogos and the Siromateis (Paid., iii. 44; Sir., iii. 11) ; moreover, the Latin Adum- 
 brationes found in the editions of Clement contain notes written by him on this 
 Epistle, as well as on the First Epistle of Peter and the first two Epistles of John 
 (Westcott, pp. 310, 311). Origen agrees w r ith Clement in the use of Jude as a 
 part of the New Testament (Com. in Matt., t. 10, ch. 17, and others). Tertullian 
 speaks of the apostle Jude as bearing testimony to Enoch or the book of Enoch 
 (De Cultu femin, i. 3). Eusebius, while placing it with the disputed books, says 
 that the Catholic Epistles, including Jude, are publicly used with the rest in most 
 of the churches (H. E., ii. ch. 23). It is considered authoritative and canonical 
 by Athanasius, by the Laodicean Council (about A. D. 364 Charteris), and by 
 Cyril of Jerusalem (Cateches., iv. p. 36, sq.~). 
 
 (5 and 6) It is difficult to see why the Second and Third Epistles of John 
 should have been called " catholic " or " general," for they are manifestly brief 
 letters to individuals, of no more interest to the churches than was the letter to 
 Philemon, and of much less general significance than the Epistles to Timothy and 
 Titus. Charteris says that they " were at an early date supposed to be general, 
 the ' elect lady ' and ' Gaius ' being supposed to denote the Christian church." 
 But the fact that they are brief personal letters accounts for their being so little 
 known to the great body of the early Christians. The writer designates himself
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xxxi 
 
 " the elder " a title which may have been naturally applied with special rever- 
 ence to the apostle John during the last years of his life in Asia Minor, and which 
 therefore would have been sufficiently explicit and at the same time modest on his 
 lips. Irenseus speaks of " John's First Epistle " (Euseb., H. E., v. 8), showing 
 thereby that he knew of more than one, and also quotes a passage from his Second 
 Epistle (v. 11), declaring that it was a "saying of John the disciple of the Lord" 
 (B., i. 16, 3). Clement of Alexandria cites the words of 1 John 5 : 16 as being 
 in his " greater Epistle," thus intimating that he knew of a smaller one (Strom., ii. 
 ch. 15, 66). Origen says of John, who reclined on the bosom of Jesus, that " he 
 has also left an Epistle consisting of very few lines ; perhaps, too, a second and a 
 third, since not all say that these are genuine, but both together do not contain a 
 hundred lines " (Euseb., H. E., vi. 25). Dionysius of Alexandria mentions that 
 " a Second and a Third Epistle ascribed to John were in circulation," and in such 
 a way as to imply his acceptance of them as works of the apostle (Euseb., H. E., 
 vii. 25). These minor Epistles appear to be recognized (one of them certainly, 
 and probably both) in the Fragment of Muratori, and both of them were also in 
 the earliest Latin version. 
 
 (7) The historical evidence for the genuineness of the Second Epistle of Peter 
 is less conclusive than that for any other book of the New Testament. If genuine, 
 its circulation must have been restricted for a comparatively long time to a small 
 number of churches. The earliest passage manifestly based upon it appears to be 
 in the so-called Second Epistle of the Roman Clement (ch. 16, 3), which, how- 
 ever, is now understood to be a Christian homily from the middle of the second 
 century. Yet there seem to be pretty clear reminiscences of the Epistle in Justin 
 Martyr, in the Shepherd of Hermas, and perhaps in some of the Ignatian epis- 
 tles, which were written as early, at least, as A. D. 150. The same may be said of 
 Melito of Sardis (Charteris, p. 314), of Theophilus of Antioch (Ad Autol., ii. 9, 
 13), and of Irenaeus (iv. 36, 4; v. 23, 2; and v. 28, 3). Clement of Alexandria 
 is said to have written short expositions of all the Scriptures, not passing by those 
 that are disputed viz. Jude and the other Catholic Epistles (Euseb., H. E., vi. 
 14). And it is surely improbable that Clement would have written even short 
 expositions of a book which he did not esteem, in some proper sense of the words, 
 holy Scripture. Origen appears to have looked upon the Epistle as a genuine 
 work of Peter, though he says that it was questioned in his day (Euseb., //. K, 
 vi. 25). Eusebius, speaking as an historian, classes it with the disputed books 
 (H. E., iii. 3, 25), but Athanasius (De S. Trin., Dial. i. ; Contra Arianos, Orat. i.), 
 Cyril of Jerusalem (Cateches., iv. p. 36, <?.), Gregory of Nazianzus (Carm., 
 33, v. 31), Epiphanius (Hcer., ii. t. 2, h. 66 ; iii. t. 1, h. 76), and Jerome (De Vir. 
 HI., ch. i. ; also Ep. ad Hedib. Qucett., xi.), receive it as a work of the inspired 
 apostle. 
 
 Thus slowly, and not without careful inquiry, did the several disputed books 
 of the New Testament take their place in the Canon with other books acknow- 
 ledged by all the churches from the first age. It was ascertained to the satis- 
 faction of intelligent men, by evidence that must have been derived from the 
 churches where these books were first known, that they were written by apostles
 
 xxxii GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 or associates of apostles, and were therefore authentic statements of the original 
 facts and doctrines of the Christian religion. 
 
 Meanwhile, other books, with which many Christians were particularly pleased, 
 were associated more or less with these, and were occasionally read in certain pub- 
 lic meetings of some of the churches. The First Epistle of Clement to the Cor- 
 inthians, the so-called Epistle of Barnabas, and the Shepherd of Hermas, are per- 
 haps the most important of these. But they seem never to have been considered 
 of equal authority with apostolic and inspired Scripture, and they were all in due 
 time assigned without hesitation to their true place outside the Canon. 
 
 II. 
 
 OEDER OF BOOKS IN THE CANON. 
 
 THIS has not always been the same. By the present arrangement the His- 
 torical part holds the first place, the Doctrinal part the second, and the Pro- 
 phetical part the third. And to this general order there seems to be no good 
 objection. The life and work of Jesus Christ are the logical foundation and 
 starting-point of Christianity ; hence the evangelical narratives ought to precede 
 everything else in the Christian Canon. But the early work of the apostles 
 until the gospel had gained a secure foothold among both Jews and Greeks was 
 inseparably connected with the preaching of Jesus and with the beginnings of the 
 Christian religion ; accordingly, by common consent, the story of the Acts of the 
 Apostles is made to follow the Gospels. With equal propriety do the Epistles, 
 which set forth the doctrines of Christianity for the edification of believers, in- 
 structing, admonishing, and encouraging the disciples of the Lord Jesus in their 
 conflict with evil, follow the historical books, though it is not quite so obvious 
 what is gained by disregarding chronology in the arrangement of Paul's Epistles 
 or by placing the Catholic Epistles after those of Paul. And as to the Apoca- 
 lypse, it takes the position of a final book, partly because of its relation to the 
 future, and partly because of the time when it was supposed to have been written 
 that is, near the close of the first century, and after nearly or quite all the other 
 books of the New Testament had been given to the churches. 
 
 This is the natural order, yet in some of the manuscripts, as well as in the 
 Complutensian edition of the New Testament (1514), the Epistles of Paul pre- 
 cede the Acts. In one manuscript the order is said to be this: the Acts, the 
 Pauline Epistles, the Catholic Epistles, the Gospels. In another the Apocalypse 
 is placed between the Acts and the Catholic Epistles. Besides these, a few in- 
 stances are mentioned by Scrivener (Introd. to the Crit. of the N. T., p. 67) in which 
 the three great divisions of the New Testament do not stand in their natural order. 
 But these instances are strictly exceptional. The general order is the following: 
 the Gospels, the Acts, the Catholic Epistles, the Pauline Epistles, the Apocalypse. 
 
 But when we turn our attention from this general order to the arrangement 
 of books under the first and second divisions, a certain variety appears. The four
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xxxiii 
 
 Gospels do not always succeed one another in the order to which we are accus- 
 tomed viz. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In the Codex Bezse they stand 
 Matthew, John, Luke, Mark ; and " this, according to Scrivener (p. 68), is the 
 true Western order, found in the copies of the Old Latin d, e, f, and in the Gothic 
 version." It may have been adopted for the purpose of giving a certain pre- 
 cedence to the Gospels written by apostles. In this arrangement it is easy to see 
 why Matthew was placed before John, for it was believed to have been written 
 much earlier, and it was doubtless felt to be a better connecting-link between the 
 old economy and the new. But it is difficult to imagine why Luke was put before 
 Mark. Had the order of these two been reversed, we might have surmised that 
 the references in Luke to the relation of Christ to all mankind, and the close 
 connection of this Gospel with the Acts, written also by Luke, had led to the 
 arrangement ; but for the actual order it seems impossible to assign any reason. 
 In the Curetonian Syriac version the succession is Matthew, Mark, John, Luke ; 
 and this certainly is preferable to the " Western " order, though it is perhaps less 
 satisfactory than that which closes with the Gospel of John. For both the doc- 
 trinal character, and the time when it was written, are valid reasons for giving 
 the last place among the Gospels to that of John, even as the contents and the 
 time of writing are valid reasons for assigning the last place in the New Tes- 
 tament to the Revelation by John. 
 
 In respect to the second, or Doctrinal, part of the New Testament, which is 
 composed of Epistles to Christians in general, to particular churches, and to cer- 
 tain individuals, the principal variations have been (1) In the place assigned to 
 the Catholic Epistles. These were generally put before the Pauline Epistles in 
 the Greek manuscripts, but in a few instances, as stated above, they were put after 
 them. We know of nothing decisive in favor of the one order or of the other. 
 (2) In the place assigned to the Epistle to the Hebrews. This was frequently 
 placed after the undoubted Epistles of Paul, partly perhaps because there was felt 
 to be some uncertainty in respect to its origin, and partly perhaps because it was 
 a sort of general Epistle, and might on that account be put with those of James, 
 Peter, John, and Jude. But it was sometimes placed in the midst of Paul's Epis- 
 tles, and before the personal ones, because of its great doctrinal importance and 
 of its somewhat general destination. The reasons for the former position seem not 
 inferior to those for the latter, and we may therefore be satisfied with the place 
 which this Epistle holds in the Textus Receptus and the Common Version. 
 
 But would not something be gained by arranging the Epistles of Paul chrono- 
 logically, beginning with First Thessalonians and ending with Second Timothy? 
 An affirmative answer must be made to this question. For these letters chrono- 
 logically arranged would connect themselves more naturally than they now do 
 with the history of Paul's missionary life as related in the Acts the letters inter- 
 preting the history, and the history interpreting the letters, and both together 
 giving a clearer view of the progress and conflicts of the new religion than can 
 be easily gained from them now. Moreover, thus arranged the Pauline Epistles 
 would serve as a spiritual biography of the apostle. The difference of tone be- 
 tween his earlier and his later Epistles would be observed by the ordinary reader
 
 xxxiv GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 as well as by the trained scholar. The letters to the Thessalonians, the Corinth- 
 ians, the Galatians, the Romans, which were composed before his first imprison- 
 ment in Rome, and while he was pushing forward his missionary work in every 
 direction possible, would be perceived to differ in a perfectly natural way from the 
 letters to the Philippians, the Colossians, the Ephesians, and Philemon, which 
 were written during his first imprisonment in Rome, and after his two years' con- 
 finement at Csesarea, while the letters to Timothy and Titus would be found in 
 harmony with a still later period of life. Without being confident as to the mode 
 of its production, we are, on the whole, inclined to connect the Epistle to the He- 
 brews with the mind of Paul as its primary source, and to assign it to the period 
 of his confinement in Csesarea and Rome (A. D. 59-63). 
 
 If the Catholic Epistles retain their present place between the writings of 
 Paul and the book of Revelation, there might be some slight advantage in putting 
 the three Epistles of John after the Epistle of Jude thus : James, Peter, Jude, 
 John. And if it were a settled result of biblical criticism that Jude was written 
 before Second Peter, it might be still better to make the order James, Jude, Peter, 
 John. For then the really general Epistles by James, Jude, and Peter would 
 follow the general Epistle to the Hebrews, the order of succession in the Testa- 
 ment would agree with the true relation between Jude and Second Peter, and the 
 Epistles and Apocalypse of John would appear together as a final group. But 
 biblical scholars are by no means certain that Jude was written before Second 
 Peter, and therefore its appropriate situation remains at present in doubt. 
 
 III. 
 GREEK TEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 ANY commentary worthy of the name must take account of the Greek text of 
 the New Testament. It may expound for the most part a current version of that 
 text, but it can never do this in a safe and satisfactory manner without comparing 
 it with the Greek original. But that original, as it came from the hands of the 
 apostles and their associates, is no longer in existence. How, then, can we ascer- 
 tain as nearly possible what it was ? If the autographs have all perished, how 
 can we learn what they contained ? 
 
 (1) From Manuscripts of an early age or from copies of manuscripts that were 
 made in an early age. A few of these manuscripts, distinguished for their an- 
 tiquity and importance, are written in capital letters, and are therefore called un- 
 cials. It is not incredible that some of the inspired autographs were in the hands 
 of those who prepared the oldest existing manuscripts, yet there is no evidence, 
 and but little probability, of this. A great majority of known manuscripts are writ- 
 ten in small letters connected with one another, and are therefore called cursives, 
 
 (2) From Versions of an early age. Only those that were made during the 
 first three centuries are of much account in establishing the original text ; and of 
 the early versions the most literal are the most useful in this respect. A free,
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xxxv 
 
 paraphrastic translation, however truly or idiomatically it may express the sense 
 of the original, is of little service in revealing the inspired text. 
 
 (3) From Quotations made by the early Christian writers. These quotations 
 differ in value for textual criticism according to the age in which a given writer 
 lived, the degree of exactness with which he cited passages of Scripture, and 
 the language which he employed. Citations of the Greek Testament by Greek 
 writers like Origen, Athanasius, Hippolytus, Cyril would often afford decisive 
 evidence of the text as found in the manuscripts used by them, while citations 
 in Latin by Tertullian or Cyprian or Augustine would be less decisive in their 
 evidence. 
 
 (4) From Critical Editions of the New Testament founded on a careful exami- 
 nation of the preceding sources. If all the best editors agree in a particular read- 
 ing, there is strong reason to believe it genuine. If they differ, there is presuma- 
 bly some ground for doubt, and at all events a commentator is compelled to look 
 closely at the sources of evidence. Of the critical editors, Lachmann, Tischen- 
 dorf, Tregelles, Westcott and Hort, deserve special attention. 
 
 Returning to the subject of manuscripts, it may be observed that all the oldest 
 Greek copies of the New Testament are written in uncial (or capital) letters. 
 This form prevailed until about the tenth century. But in the ninth or tenth 
 century cursive letters began to be used, and, with various ligatures and con- 
 tractions, continued to be employed until the introduction of printing. By reason 
 of their age, therefore, the uncial manuscripts are, as a class, of pre-eminent value; 
 but are there any marks by which the earlier manuscripts of this class can be dis- 
 tinguished from the later? According to Scrivener, "persons who have had much 
 experience in the study of manuscripts are able to distinguish [them] from one 
 another in respect of style and character ; so that the exact period at which each 
 was written can be determined within certain inconsiderable limits" (p. 28). And 
 after pointing out as critically as possible, by means of fac-similes and verbal notes, 
 the changes which took place in various uncial letters of the alphabet, he sums up 
 the results in two propositions: "First, that the upright square uncials are more 
 ancient than those which are narrow, oblong, or leaning. Secondly, that the sim- 
 pler and less elaborate the style of writing, the more remote its probable date " 
 (p. 38). Of these propositions there can be no reasonable doubt, but the changes 
 from century to century must be traced with peculiar exactness, and none but ex- 
 perts can speak with the highest confidence respecting them. Fortunately, how- 
 ever, the number of experts in this branch of learning is not likely to diminish, 
 but to increase. 
 
 Moreover, the oldest manuscripts of the New Testament are written upon vel- 
 lum i. e., speaking strictly, the delicate skins of young calves ; or upon parch- 
 ment i. e. the skins of sheep or of goats. Indeed, the oldest are said by Scriv- 
 ener to be " almost invariably inscribed on the thinnest and whitest vellum that 
 could be procured, while manuscripts of later ages are usually composed of parch- 
 ment, thick, discolored, and coarsely grained." Yet papyrus was a cheaper mate- 
 rial, very generally used instead of vellum or parchment at the time when the 
 New-Testament Scriptures were written, and " its frail and brittle quality " ma>
 
 xxxvi GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 perhaps accouiit for the fact that no original manuscript of any book of the New 
 Testament is known to be in existence. 
 
 In form the manuscripts commonly resemble printed books. A few only are 
 folios, more are octavos, but the greater part are quartos, their height slightly ex- 
 ceeding their breadth. Many copies have two Greek columns on a page, but the 
 Codex Vaticanus has three, and the Codex Sinaiticus four. In the early uncial 
 manuscripts there is no space between the different words : an unbroken succession 
 of letters must be separated by the reader into words as his eye passes along the 
 uniform line. But "the Sinaitic and Vatican manuscripts have a single point 
 here and there on a level with the top of the letters, and occasionally a very small 
 break in the continuous uncials, with or without the point, to denote a pause in 
 the sense" (Scrivener}. Abbreviated words are somewhat frequent, but they 
 rarely occasion any ambiguity, since they are almost never resorted to unless the 
 words are familiar e. g. &<; for #EO<?, x? for xupius, Iq for '/>j<rD?, X$ for Xpiarbs, 
 Hva for IIvUfj.a. 
 
 The following manuscripts must be frequently named in the Commentary, and 
 should therefore be briefly described : 
 
 (1) The Codex Sinaiticus (or N) is now in St. Petersburg, and is the property 
 of the Russian emperor. " It is made of the finest skins of antelopes, and its 
 leaves are so large that a single animal would furnish only two" (Cod. Fred.- 
 Aug. Proleg., L). " It consists of 345s leaves of vellum, 147 of which contain 
 the whole New Testament, the Epistle of Barnabas, and a fragment of the Shep- 
 herd of Hermas. Each page contains four columns, with 48 lines in a column." 
 It is supposed to have been written about the middle of the fourth century i. e. 
 about A. D. 350. In 1862 the Emperor of Russia published a fete-simile edition 
 of three hundred copies, edited by Tischendorf, who discovered the manuscript in 
 the Convent of St. Catharine, at the foot of Mount Sinai, in 1844. 
 
 (2) The Codex Alexandrinus (or A) is in the British Museum. It is written 
 on vellum in uncial letters. Each page has two columns of 50 lines each. The 
 fourth volume, of 134 leaves, contains most of the New Testament, also the First 
 Epistle of Clement of Rome, a small part of the so-called Second Epistle, and 
 three beautiful Christian hymns. Matthew's Gospel is wanting from the begin- 
 ning to 25 : 6 ; John's, from 6 : 50 to 8 : 52 (two leaves) ; and Second Corinth- 
 ians, from 4 : 13 to 12 : 6 (three leaves). All the other books of the New Testa- 
 ment are complete. The Catholic Epistles follow the Acts, and the Pastoral 
 Epistles that to the Hebrews. This manuscript is ascribed on good grounds to the 
 beginning, or at the latest the middle, of the fifth century, A. D. 400-450. It is 
 believed to have been taken from Alexandria to Constantinople by the patriarch 
 Cyril Lucas, who sent it to Charles I., King of England, through the English 
 ambassador, Sir Thomas Roe, about 1628. 
 
 (3) The Codex Vaticanus (or B) is in the Vatican Library at Rome. " All 
 who have inspected the Codex are loud in their praises of the fine, thin vellum, 
 the clear and elegant hand of the first penman, and the simplicity of the whole 
 style of the work " (Scrivener). The New Testament fills 142 leaves (out of 759 
 for the whole Bible). Each of the three columns on a page has 42 lines, with 16
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xxxvii 
 
 or 18 letters in a line the letters being somewhat smaller than those of Codex A, 
 and considerably smaller than those of Codex x. There are no intervals between 
 the words, and no enlarged capitals a prima manu at the beginning of sentences. 
 It contains the New Testament complete to Heb. 9 : 14 by the original copyist, 
 while the rest of Hebrews, the four Pastoral Epistles, and the Apocalypse are said 
 to have been supplied in the fifteenth century from a manuscript belonging to 
 Cardinal Bessarion. By general consent of critics this manuscript is assigned to 
 the middle of the fourth century, A. D. 350. A so-called Jac-simiie of it has been 
 published by the Roman Curia. 
 
 (4) The Codex Ephraemi (or C) is in the Royal Library of Paris. It is a 
 palimpsest 1 , containing fragments from all parts of the New Testament on 145 
 leaves, but amounting in all to less than two-thirds of the volume. About 37 
 chapters of the Gospels, 10 of the Acts, 42 of the Epistles, and 8 of the Apoca- 
 lypse have perished. It is written on vellum, very good, but not so fine as that 
 of Codex A and some others. It has but one column on a page, with from 40 to 
 46 lines in the column. The letters are a little larger and more elaborate than 
 those of A or B. The writing is continuous, with but a single point for punc- 
 tuation, and this point commonly, but not always, put on a level with the top of 
 the preceding letter. This manuscript belongs to the fifth century (about A. j>. 
 450), and is of "first-rate importance" as far as it goes. 
 
 (5) The Codex Bezos, (or D of the Gospels and Acts) is in the Library of Cam- 
 bridge (England), to which University it was presented by Theodore Beza in 
 1581. It is a vellum manuscript, though the material is not quite as fine as that 
 of x, A, or B. The Greek text on the left of each page is accompanied by a 
 Latin version on the right line being as nearly opposite and parallel to line as 
 possible. The letters are of the same size as in Codex C. Both Davidson an'd 
 Scrivener say of this manuscript that " its singularly corrupt text, in connection 
 with its great antiquity, is a curious problem which cannot easily be solved." 
 "The best judgment of the age of this MS. appears to be that which assigns it to 
 the sixth century." " Taking the peculiarities of this MS. into consideration, it 
 may be said that its evidence when alone, especially in additions, is of scarcely 
 any value as to the genuine text, but of the very greatest when corroborated by 
 other very ancient authority " ( Tregelles). 
 
 (6) The Codex Regius (or L) is in the Royal Library of Paris. It consists of 
 257 leaves of thick vellum, with two columns of 25 lines each on a page, and 
 contains most of the four Gospels. It was published by Tischendorf in his Monn- 
 menta Sacra Inedita, 1846. Written in the eighth or ninth century, it bears a 
 strong resemblance in its text to Codex B, to the quotations of Origen, and to the 
 marginal readings of the Philoxenian Syriac (A. D. 616), and is therefore highly 
 esteemed by the best critics. 
 
 The following remarks of Westcott merit attention : (1) "That B deserves the 
 first place as an authority; (2) That x and D have much in common, and a text 
 of very high antiquity, dating from the end of the second century ; (3) That the 
 
 >/. e. a Codex Rescriptus, the original writing being partially obliterated and a second treatise 
 written over it.
 
 xxxviii GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 characteristic readings of C and L indicate careful grammatical revision ; (4) 
 That in the Gospels A gives a revised text, the basis of the later Alexandrine 
 text ; (5) That the characteristic readings of B, of K, D, and of C L, have all 
 more or less support in the Ante-Nicene age; and (6) That very few readings in 
 the Gospels will stand the test which are not supported by K or B or D." 
 
 More than fifteen hundred cursive manuscripts of the whole or of parts of the 
 New Testament are known to be in existence all of them written since A. D. 900. 
 But only a few of this great number have been thoroughly " collatea." Some of 
 these deserve notice in this place : 
 
 1. The Codex Basiliensis is an illuminated manuscript at Basle, ascribed to the 
 tenth century. It has been collated by Wetstein, C. L. Roth, and Tregelles. 
 " In the Gospels the text is very remarkable, adhering pretty closely to the 
 uncials B L and others of that class" (Scrivener). 
 
 13. The Codex Regius 50 of the twelfth century is regarded (together with 69, 
 124, and 346) as a transcript from a manuscript whose text was substantially the 
 same as that of the uncial D. 
 
 33. The Codex Regius 14 is a folio of the twelfth century, containing all the 
 New Testament but the Apocalypse. The text is very valuable, resembling 
 Codices B, D, L more than does that of any other cursives. " After Larroque, 
 Wetstein, Griesbach, Begtrup, and Scholz, it was most laboriously collated by 
 Tregelles in 1850 " (Scrivener). 
 
 157. The Codex Urbino-Vaticamw of the twelfth century, pronounced by Birch 
 the most important MS. of the New Testament in the Vatican, after B. Among 
 the cursives it stands next in value to Codex 33. 
 
 205 and 209, belonging to the Library of St. Mark's, Venice, supposed by 
 Burgon to be copies from the same archetype, have a text much like that of B, at 
 least in the Gospels. They are assigned respectively to the fifteenth and to the 
 twelfth centuries. 
 
 For a more detailed account of the manuscripts of the New Testament the 
 reader is referred to the fourth vol. of Home's Introduction to the Critical Study 
 . ... of the Holy Scriptures, new edition (1866), this volume being written by 
 S. P. Tregelles ; to Scrivener's Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, 
 second edition ; to The Story of the Manuscripts, by Rev. Geo. E. Merrill ; and to 
 The Critical Handbook, by E. C. Mitchell, D. D. 
 
 Passing now to a consideration of early versions as affording evidence in 
 respect to the Greek text at the time when they were made, we cannot do better 
 than to quote the following remarks of Tregelles : " The value of the testimony 
 of versions to the genuine ancient text is considerable ; for although they have 
 been subjected to the same casualties of transcription as has the text of the orig- 
 inal Greek, and though at times they have been remodelled in some sort of con- 
 formity to the Greek copies then current, yet in general they are representatives 
 of the Greek text from which they were formed. The casualties of transmission 
 would rarely, if ever, affect documents in different languages in a way precisely 
 similar, and Ave may in this manner account for not a few divergences in the ver- 
 sions as they have come down to us ; yet when we find an avowedly ancient trans-
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xxxix 
 
 lation according in peculiar readings with some of the more ancient and valuable 
 of the ancient MSS., it is an important proof of the antiquity at least of such 
 readings ; and thus, if they are not genuine, the proof must be sought in the 
 counter-evidence that may be adduced." 
 
 Again, he says of ancient versions : " They follow the Greek from which they 
 were taken with an almost scrupulous exactitude, and they so often preserve even 
 the order of the words that they can be quoted as authorities on such points. At 
 times, of course, the translator may have failed in vigilance ; he may have passed 
 by words which are omitted in no Greek copy, and he may have confused the text 
 from which he was rendering, just in the same manner as was done by Greek 
 copyists. But the admission of all this in the fullest manner does not afford any 
 ground for the statement that the testimony of versions is of little moment in the 
 question of the insertion or omission of a whole clause, or that ' a version need be 
 very literal ' if it is to show whether important words were or were not recognized 
 by the Greek text from which it was taken " (Home, vol. iv., pp. 225 and 228). 
 
 But Tregelles admits that special caution is needed in the use of early versions 
 as testimony to the early Greek text. For " a copyist of a version, if he pos- 
 sessed any acquaintance with the original, was in danger of correcting by the 
 Greek text with which he was familiar ; and thus he might introduce mixed read- 
 ings : this is an addition to the usual causes of transcriptural mistake ; and for all 
 these allowance must be made. We are, however, often able to revert to very 
 ancient copies of versions, and then, just as in the case with such MSS. of the 
 originals, we are brought back to the condition of the text nearly or quite iden- 
 tical with that in which the translation first appeared " (Id., p. 228). 
 
 Even a moderately correct version of the New Testament must be of great 
 Value as evidence (1) As to the presence or absence of certain disputed clauses, 
 verses, or paragraphs in the manuscript from which it was made. In this respect 
 the evidence afforded by a version would be almost independent of its literary 
 qualities. For a poor translation would be just as useful as a good one in answer- 
 ing the question, Was the doxology of Matt. 6 : 13, or the last part of Mark, 16 : 
 9-20, or the account of an angel troubling the waters of Bethesda, John 5 : 4, or 
 the pericope respecting the woman taken in adultery, John 7 : 53-8 : 11, in the 
 source from which it was made? (2) As to certain important words concerning 
 which existing manuscripts may leave the critic in doubt. Thus, if the translator 
 had before him a Greek text which read " God only-begotten," instead of " the 
 only-begotten Son," in John 1 : 18, or " the Lord," instead of " God," in Acts 
 20 : 28, or " who," instead of " God," in 1 Tim. 3 : 16, his version, though not 
 distinguished for accuracy, would be likely to indicate these readings. 
 
 But the present text of every early version of the New Testament has suffered 
 so many changes by transcription and correction that a critical study of its his- 
 tory, by means of the most ancient copies extant and through the citations of the 
 earliest writers who employed it, is very necessary before much reliance can be 
 placed on its testimony as a clue to the text used by the translator. The value of 
 an early version for critical purposes will therefore depend upon three things: (a) 
 Upon the time when it was made; (b) Upon the literal exactness with which it 
 D
 
 xl GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 reproduced the original ; and (c) Upon the certainty with which its own primary 
 text can now be made out. Judged by these tests, it is believed that the most 
 important versions for critical purposes are (1) The Old Latin and the Syriac 
 (Peshito and Curetonian) ; (2) The Coptic (Memphitic and Thebaic), the Latin 
 Vulgate, the Harclean Syriac, and perhaps the Gothic. 
 
 As we have already observed, the first Latin version was made in North 
 Africa, and is now fitly called the Old Latin Version. It can be traced in several 
 manuscripts, especially a, b, c, and the fragments of i, compared with quotations 
 from the New Testament found in the writings of the Fathers who lived in North 
 Africa e. g. Tertullian, Cyprian, Arnobius, Lactantius, Augustine, and in the 
 ancient Latin version of Irenseus Against Heresies. On these and similar author- 
 ities Tregelles remarks : " In one respect the testimony of the early Latin copies 
 can hardly be estimated too highly. The translators adhered so closely to the 
 Greek text from which the version was formed that they practically made it their 
 rule to follow as far as they could even the order of the Greek words" (Home, iv., 
 p. 256). But he distinctly concedes that " the Versio Vetus, as unaltered, contains 
 both readings and corruptions which are more ancient than the time of Jerome " 
 readings sustained by paramount early evidence, and defects which were re- 
 moved by the recension of Jerome. The Old Latin Version was probably in 
 existence as early as the year 170, and perhaps much earlier. And Scrivener 
 asserts that " although the testimony of versions is peculiarly liable to doubt and 
 error, the Peshito Syriac and Old Latin translations of the Greek Testament stand 
 with a few of the most ancient manuscripts of the original in the very first rank 
 as authorities and aids for the critical revision of the text." 
 
 There has been some difference of opinion among scholars as to the critical 
 value of the Syriac Version of portions of the New Testament, published by Dr. 
 Cureton in 1858, as compared with the critical value of the Peshito. Dean Al- 
 ford spoke of the former as " perhaps the earliest and most important of all the 
 versions," and Tregelles affirms that " the readings " [of this translation are] " in 
 far greater accordance with the oldest authorities of various kinds than is the case 
 
 in the previously-known Peshito Probably this older form of Syriac text 
 
 was known to the translator of the Peshito Gospels, and from it he took much 
 that would suit his purpose," etc. On the other hand, Scrivener uses this lan- 
 guage concerning the Peshito : " For the present we can but assent to the ripe 
 judgment of Michaelis, who, after thirty years' study of its contents, declared 
 that he could consult no translation with so much confidence in cases of difficulty 
 and doubt. While remarkable for its ease and freedom, it very seldom becomes 
 loose or paraphrastic. The Peshito has well been called ' the queen of versions ' 
 of Holy Writ, for it is at once the oldest and one of the most excellent of those 
 whereby God's providence has blessed and edified the church " (p. 280). West- 
 cott classifies the Syriac Versions thus : " The Old (Curetonian) Syriac, the Vul- 
 gate Syriac (Peshito), the Harclean Syriac," showing that he agrees with Tre- 
 gelles and Cureton as to the comparative age of the two versions. 
 
 For the two Egyptian or Coptic versions, the Memphitic and the Thebaic, we 
 may assume a very early origin. They may have been made before the close of
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xli 
 
 the second century. This is admitted by Lightfoot, who also remarks that, " with 
 the single exception of the Apocalypse, the Memphitic New Testament, as far 
 back as we can trace its history, contained all the books of our present Canon ;" 
 and from the omission of the Apocalypse he infers that the completion or codifi- 
 cation of this version was effected about the middle of the third century, when, 
 for a short time, doubts were entertained in Egypt concerning the authorship of 
 the Apocalypse. The order of books in this version is given as follows : Gospels, 
 Pauline Epistles, Catholic Epistles, Acts. " The Pauline Epistles include the He- 
 brews, which is placed after First and Second Thessalonians and before First and 
 Second Timothy, as in the Greek MSS. K, A, B, C," etc. " Of all the versions, 
 the Memphitic is perhaps the most important for the textual critic. In point of 
 antiquity it must yield the palm to the Old Syriac and the Old Latin ; but, 
 unlike them, it preserves the best text as current among the Alexandrian Fathers, 
 free from the corruptions which prevailed so widely in the copies of the second 
 century " (Scrivener, pp. 344, 345). 
 
 The Thebaic Version exists only in fragments, though these fragments now 
 embrace a large part of the New Testament. In this version, as well as in the 
 Memphitic, the Epistle to the Hebrews is evidently ascribed to Paul, for it stood 
 between Second Corinthians and Galatians. Its textual value is pronounced by 
 Lightfoot only second to that of the Memphitic Version, of which it is wholly 
 independent. 
 
 These are the most important of the early versions in the matter of textual 
 criticism, and a wise editor of the Greek Testament will be careful to consult 
 them. Others are of less value, though not unworthy of attention in the study of 
 doubtful passages. 
 
 Lastly, some use may be made in textual criticism of the numerous Quotations 
 which are found in the writings of the Christian Fathers. But these quotations 
 are of far less service in establishing the true text than they are in proving the 
 existence of the New-Testament Scriptures at an early day, the respect which was 
 paid to them by Christians, and their substantial agreement with the books we 
 now have. In these latter respects their testimony is of the highest value : in the 
 former respect, it must be used with very great caution, for the following reasons : 
 
 (1) The quotations of the Fathers were often made from memory. This is ad- 
 mitted by those most familiar with early Christian literature. Nor is it at all 
 surprising. For if those writers were sure of the substance of a passage which 
 they desired to use, this was generally enough for their purpose. Verbal accu- 
 racy could only be attained by consulting the manuscript in almost every in- 
 stance, and this process, at once slow and laborious, was felt to be unnecessary. 
 
 (2) Their quotations were in many cases made up of expressions from different 
 parts of Scripture, loosely put together, and giving no more from the several pas- 
 sages than suited their immediate object. Citations thus made can be of but little 
 service in showing what was the reading of any passage from which a particular 
 clause had been taken. (3) Their quotations have been changed, more or less, in 
 many instances, by copyists or editors. Perhaps the circumstance that they were 
 loosely made has seemed to copyists and editors a reason for changing them in the
 
 xlii GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 interest of accuracy ; but if, in doing this, they have been guided by the readings 
 found in manuscripts of their own times, they have injured the citations for pur- 
 poses of textual criticism. 
 
 Nevertheless, it is certainly possible to underrate the importance of Patristic 
 quotations as a guide to the original text of the New Testament. For there are 
 places, though few, where the Fathers appeal to the codices of their own early 
 day as reading thus and so, or where they discriminate between codices, saying 
 that many of them have a particular reading, and implying that others have it 
 not. There are places also where they show, by exposition or by argument, what 
 must have been the reading accepted by them, though it is doubtful to us. Espe- 
 cially valuable in this respect are the commentaries of Greek writers ; and it is 
 not too much to say that the works of Origen and of some others may be profit- 
 ably studied with reference to ascertaining the original text of the New Testa- 
 ment. Yet until the writings of the Christian Fathers have been edited with 
 peculiar care, and with the use of the earliest manuscripts preserved, they ought 
 to be appealed to with the utmost caution. 
 
 In the light of these facts as to the sources of evidence respecting the original 
 text of the New Testament, it is manifest that interpreters are called upon to de- 
 cide for themselves what that evidence requires, at least in cases where the critical 
 editors disagree ; and the writers of this Commentary have sometimes done this. 
 It will be observed, however, that they have proceeded in this matter with very 
 great caution, rarely favoring a change of the text from which the Common Ver- 
 sion was made unless that change is adopted by some of the best editors and re- 
 quired by early and weighty evidence. In other language, they have labored dili- 
 gently to discover the pure word of God as it was delivered to early Christians by 
 inspired men, and no less diligently to ascertain the precise meaning of that word, 
 ai\d to place that meaning in the clearest manner possible before the reader's mind. 
 
 As an aid to the accomplishment of this purpose it has been thought desirable 
 to print the Revised Version (1881) side by side with the Common Version (1611) 
 at the top of the page. For, to say nothing of improvements in translation, the 
 Greek text adopted by the Revisers must be regarded as one of great excellence, 
 approaching more nearly perhaps than any one yet prepared to that which existed 
 in the autographs of the sacred writers. We shall not go too far, therefore, if we 
 assert that the Revised Version must hold a position co-ordinate with that of the 
 Common Version first, because it represents in perspicuous English a remarkably 
 pure text of the original ; and secondly, because it is likely to be in the hands of a 
 vast majority of those who read the New Testament at all. 
 
 With these remarks this Introduction might be closed. But it may not be 
 improper to add a few words of explanation. (1) Special introductions to the 
 several books of the New Testament will be given by the writers upon those 
 books the present Introduction being of a general nature, applicable to the New 
 Testament as a collection of sacred writings, but not aiming to give all the evi- 
 dence for the authorship and authority of particular books. (2) The undersigned 
 is only responsible for the selection of the writers who prepare this Commentary,
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xliii 
 
 and for the general character of the Commentary itself, but not for the details of 
 interpretation in particular passages. Yet he has in a few instances inserted brief 
 notes over his own initials (A. H.). (3) As may be inferred from our General 
 Introduction, due regard is paid by the writers of this Commentary to the results 
 of modern biblical scholarship as to the authenticity, the original text, and the 
 true meaning of the New-Testament Scriptures. (4) Yet the results of careful 
 and critical study are presented in the clearest terms possible. Greek words are 
 very rarely introduced ; indeed, never, unless they are deemed necessary to justify 
 the interpretation given ; and, when introduced, they are carefully translated 
 the object of the writers being distinctly this, to render the Commentary useful to 
 all who desire a knowledge of God's word. Hence the practical bearings of 
 divine truth are often insisted upon in the Commentary. 
 
 NOTE. The remaining volumes of the Commentary will be published as rapidly as circum- 
 stances will permit. The work on many of them is far advanced, and it is confidently expected 
 that two or more volumes will be published yearly, uutil the series (probably consisting of twelve 
 volumes) is complete. 
 
 ALVAH HOVEY. 
 NEWTON CENTRE, July 5, 1881.

 
 TO THE CHERISHED MEMORY OP 
 
 GESSNER HAKEISON, M.D., 
 
 FOR MANY YEARS PROFESSOR OF ANCIENT LANGUAGES IN THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA. 
 
 At your feet I learned to love Greek, and my love of the Bible was fostered by your 
 earnest devoutness. Were you still among us, you would kindly welcome the fruit of 
 study, which now I can only lay upon your tomb; and would gladly accept any help it 
 can give towards understanding the blessed word of God, the treasure of our common 
 Christianity, whose consolations and hopes sustained you in life and in death, and went 
 with you into the unseen and eternal. 
 
 NOMEN MULTIS CLARUM ET VENERABILE. 
 Mini ADHUC MAOISTER ATQUE PATER. 
 
 J. A. B.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THIS Commentary is designed primarily for persons who have no knowledge of 
 Greek. But the effort has been made to add, in foot-notes, some matters interesting 
 to scholars, in regard to Greek Grammar, and especially to Text-Criticism. These 
 will not embarrass the general reader, being entirely detached and printed in 
 smaller type. 
 
 The basis of the work is of course my personal study of the Greek, maintained 
 through many years of teaching as Professor of the Interpretation of the New Testa- 
 ment, and renewed for this task with the help of lexicons, grammars, and concord- 
 ances. I have been far from seeking novel interpretations for their own sake, but 
 it is believed that some new light has been thrown upon a good many points. 
 
 At the same time, help has been constantly sought from ancient versions and 
 Christian " Fathers," as well as from a wide range of later commentators. The 
 early versions constantly employed were the Peshito Syriac, the Memphitic (Cop- 
 tic), the Old Latin in various forms and Latin Vulgate, and the Gothic. 1 
 
 The Fathers found most helpful have been Origen, Jerome, and Chrysostom, 
 with the latter's faithful followers, Theophylact and Euthymius, and Augustine. 
 Numerous others have of course been consulted on particular passages or questions ; 
 and on two or three passages some contribution has been made to the history of 
 interpretation. 
 
 Copious materials of illustration have been derived from the Jewish writings. 
 As regards Josephus and Philo, the apocryphal and apocalyptic books, and the 
 Mishua (chiefly in the Latin of Surenhusius), I have commonly quoted them after 
 personal examination. For the Talmud of Jerusalem I have used Schwab's French 
 translation so far as it has appeared. The Talmud of Babylon, the Targums, 
 Midrashim, etc,, are quoted at second hand from the extracts given by Lightfoot, 
 Sdioettgen, Wetstein, Gill, and others, including especially the recent works of 
 Wiinsche and Edersheim, who have furnished many valuable additions and correc- 
 
 1 For Old Latin, besides the collections of Sabatlcr and Bianchini, I have been interested in the mixed text 
 of Matthew edited by Wordsworth. Along with the common printed text of the Vulgate Latin, I have used 
 Tlschendorfs revised text of the Vulgate. The Peshito is well known to lie, as regards exegesis, a delightful 
 version. Itishop Lightfoot's article in Scrivener's " Introduction to Text-Criticism " (second and third editions) 
 has shown the great importance of the Egyptian versions in regard to text. I can testify that with only a 
 slender knowledge of the Coptic language one will find the Memphitic version very helpful for exegesis also 
 and the language very curious and interesting. The Gothic can bo easily acquired by those who know Kugli-h 
 and <;rman, and very easily if they know Anglo-Saxou. I shall be glad to answer inquiries from student.'', 
 concerning books for learning Coptic and Gothic. 
 
 xlvii
 
 xlviii . PREFACE. 
 
 tions. It is hoped that the frequent references to Josephus may lead some persons 
 to make themselves familiar with his writings, which many now unwisely neglect. 
 The references to the Old Testament Apocrypha are not intended to treat those 
 writings as in any sense a part of the Bible, but they are used, like the other 
 Jewish works, to show Jewish opinion, or custom, or to exemplify certain uses of 
 language. 
 
 Many of the illustrative quotations from Greek and Latin classics are from 
 Wetstein, others drawn from various sources. 
 
 Of all these studies the commentary aims to present only the results, and 
 everywhere, it is hoped, in a form intelligible to the English reader. 
 
 Among modern commentators, I am of course most indebted to Meyer. Life- 
 long study of his works, and the early adoption of similar lexico-grammatical 
 methods of exegesis, render it difficult to determine what may have been originally 
 due to him ; special acknowledgment has been made wherever there was conscious 
 indebtedness, and this general acknowledgment is added. I have also long found 
 the commentaries of Bishop Ellicott a highly profitable discipline in grammatical ; 
 and those of Bishop Lightfoot in historical interpretation; and the various works of 
 Canon Westcott have been of great assistance. Except in the case of Meyer and 
 Alexander, I have, in preparing this work, usually taken versions, Fathers, and 
 later commentaries in chronological order. Thus before examining recent writers 
 I had commonly been over the same ground. The result would naturally be fre- 
 quent coincidence of opinion, and sometimes included curious resemblance of 
 expressions. Wherever any explanation or remark has been derived from older or 
 more recent works, there is express acknowledgment. The writings of Calvin, 
 Maldonatus, Bengel, Keim, Weiss, Lutteroth, Plumptre, Morison, and Edersheim 
 have been very often helpful, and others that cannot be particularly named. 
 
 As to the sources of the material common to Matthew and other Gospels, no 
 theory has been adopted. Those who hold that Matthew and Luke were built on 
 Mark, or the like, can render this view plausible by examples selected for the pur- 
 pose. But go steadily through, observing, for example, the attempts of Keim to 
 show at every point that Mark has drawn from Matthew, and of Weiss to show 
 that Matthew has built on Mark, and one can scarcely fail to perceive that both 
 hypotheses break down, notwithstanding that Keim and Weiss are men of rare 
 ability, the finest scholarship, curious ingenuity, and unhesitating freedom in 
 manipulating the materials. Nor have the recent publications of E. A. Abbott and 
 Rushbrooke made any very important advance upon the similar work of Ewald. 
 As to the apparent contradictions, or " discrepancies," between Matthew and the 
 other Gospels, I have offered such explanations as seemed reasonable, without 
 encouraging a nervous solicitude to explain everything, where our information is 
 limited, and the points of disagreement are such as must always arise in different 
 reports of the same event or discourse, though each thoroughly correct. 
 
 In all such cases of uncertainty about the Greek text, as would affect the 
 translation or interpretation, I have intended to state the preferable reading with a
 
 PREFACE. xlix 
 
 confidence varying according to the evidence ; and in all that are of considerable 
 interest the evidence has been more or less fully presented in foot-notes. Besides 
 persons acquainted with text-criticism, other readers who feel curiosity in regard to 
 the subject will be likely to examine these foot-notes ; and I have endeavored to 
 present the internal evidence, viz., the intrinsic probabilities (as to what the author 
 wrote), and the transcriptional probabilities (as to changes likely to have been made 
 by well-meaning students or copyists), in such terms as might be intelligible to the 
 general reader. As it is usually much easier to state transcriptional than intrinsic 
 probabilities, I may seem to have attached a greater relative importance to the 
 former than was intended. In a good many cases the foot-note gives a tolerably 
 full discussion. 1 It should be borne in mind that the reader will be able to judge 
 more safely of such questions in proportion as he has gained experience. The solici- 
 tude, and even alarm, which some persons feel in regard to the encroachments of 
 text-criticism, must be regarded as without cause. Instead of shaking faith in 
 Scripture, these researches will ultimately strengthen faith. When the shock of 
 abandoning a familiar expression has passed, one almost invariably begins to see 
 that the true text is best. The general teachings of the New Testament as to doc- 
 trine and duty are now known to be established independently of all passages that 
 contain doubtful readings. And why should we wonder if it is sometimes difficult 
 to determine the true text? There is well known to be a similar uncertainty as to 
 the translation and interpretation of some passages. This excites no alarm or anx- 
 iety, nor should we feel disturbed about occasional uncertainty of text. And the 
 danger of subjective bias in judging as to the text, is no greater than in regard to 
 interpretation and translation. 
 
 The commentary is based on the Common English Version, as printed by the 
 American Bible Society, but with, constant comparison of the recent Anglo-Ameri- 
 can Revision. This revision in its English form originally constituted the basis ; 
 the common version was substituted in the office of publication, in order that the 
 work might correspond to other volumes of the series, and the American form of 
 the revision was printed instead of the English. These adaptations were carefully 
 made by a competent hand, and will not embarrass or mislead the reader unless it 
 be in one respect. The Revised Version seems often to be presented as a mere 
 alternative rendering; while I am fully persuaded that it is almost uniformly 
 superior to the Common Version, and often greatly superior. Wherever its render- 
 
 1 The general contributions to text-criticism made by Westcott nnd Hort are invaluable, and most of their 
 Judgment* as to particular passages seem to me correct. But in a number of cases I have felt bound to dissent, 
 nnd to give the reasons as fully and strongly as the character and limits of this work allowed. Hence arises a 
 certain polemical attitude towards writers to whom I feel deeply indebted and cordially grateful. It may be 
 well to state in a general way, that Westcott and Hort appear to me substantially right in their theory as to a 
 "Syrian" and a " Western" type of Greek text; but their supposed "Neutral" type is by no means disentangled 
 from the "Alexandrian." And while they have nobly rehabilitated internal evidence, building their system 
 originally upon thai basis, they seem to err in some particular judgments by following a small group of docu- 
 ments in opposition to internal evidence which others cannot but regard as decisive. Where I have stated the 
 doonmeutary evidence, it has been taken from Tischendorf, with some additions from Westcott. and Hort, and 
 a few from my own reading. In particular, I have added, where it seemed desirable, the readings of the newly 
 found Codex Kowanensis (2).
 
 1 PREFACE. 
 
 ings seem of questionable propriety, the fact is distinctly brought out in the com- 
 mentary. The marginal renderings of the Common and the Revised Version are 
 usually noticed. The early English translations are mentioned, when likely to 
 profit the general reader, omitting points of merely philological or literary interest. 
 These versions have been quoted from Bagster's English Hexapla, and where <; early 
 English versions " in general are referred to, only those given in that collection are 
 meant unless the contrary is stated. Certain recent English translations are also 
 frequently cited, particularly those of the American Bible Union, Noyes, Darby, 
 and Davidson. 
 
 The references to all parts of the Bible are the result of painstaking examina- 
 tion, and the minister or Sunday-school teacher who desires to make careful study 
 of a particular passage will find his reward in searching out all that are given. 
 The frequent cross-references may require justification. Commentaries are chieflv 
 used, not in the way of continuous reading, but in the study of particular sentences 
 or paragraphs. In that case it becomes highly convenient to find references to 
 other parts of the work, in which a word or phrase may be found specially 
 explained, or a kindred topic more fully discussed. 
 
 The descriptions of places and sketches of personal history are given for the 
 sake of numerous readers who have no Bible Dictionary, and because others who 
 would not hunt up the book of reference might read the brief account here given. 
 These articles are constructed with a special view to the illustration of the Gospels. 
 The materials of description are drawn from many sources, notably from Robinson's 
 " Biblical Researches," and Thomson's " Land and Book," in its earlier and its later 
 forms ; also from the recent explorations of the English and American Societies, 
 particularly as represented by the writings of Warren, Wilson, and Conder, and of 
 Merrill. I have of course been aided in the use of these materials by my own visit 
 to Palestine ; extracts from my journal are given in some places where the matter 
 appeared to be interesting, and has not been found elsewhere. 
 
 Quotations from the Old Testament need special attention, for they are very 
 numerous in this Gospel, and some of them present serious difficulty. The form of 
 the quotation has been carefully compared with the Hebrew and the Septuagint, 
 and the differences of language staled and so far as possible accounted for ; the 
 meaning has been still more carefully examined, so as to see how far we can perceive 
 the ground for asserting a prophetic relation. Great pains have been taken, in 
 these passages and everywhere, to state nothing as certain that is only probable, and 
 frankly to recognize all difficulties. 
 
 The phrase " Homiletical and Practical " became familiar to me when transla- 
 ting and editing the portion thus designated of Lange (Erdmann) on 1 and 2 
 Samuel. There are some advantages in giving homiletical and practical remarks 
 upon an entire paragraph, rather than upon successive verses. Yet the line cannot 
 be sharply drawn, and much in the way of general discussion and practical observ- 
 ation will be found in immediate connection with the explanations. Besides de- 
 tached statements of truth and suggestions of duty and consolation, I have under
 
 PREFACE. li 
 
 this head very often given schemes of thought, hoping that these would be more 
 readable, and make a more lasting impression, than disconnected remarks. Where 
 such schemes amount to plans of sermons, they may suggest to ministers the prac- 
 ticability of constructing, by similar methods, better sermons of their own. The 
 extracts added have been vigorously limited to brief and pithy passages from the 
 Greek and Latin Fathers, from Luther and Calvin, from Jeremy Taylor, Bishop 
 Hall, and Matthew Henry, with some from miscellaneous sources, particularly on 
 chap. 5-7. At the outset, a good many extracts were made from the excellent 
 homiletical works of D. Thomas, Joseph Parker, and Bishop Ryle ; but as the book 
 was growing too large for its design, and as these works are current and not costly, 
 it was thought best, in the final revision, to strike out most of what had been drawn 
 from these sources. The extracts have sometimes been condensed, or otherwise 
 slightly altered. 
 
 This commentary does not profess to be undenominational. Matters upon which 
 our religious bodies differ have been discussed with entire frankness, but also, it is 
 hoped, with true Christian respect and regard. After all, there are but few passages 
 of the Gospel in regard to which evangelical opinion is seriously at variance. 
 
 The better class of Sunday-school teachers have, in preparing these expositions, 
 been constantly before my mind. It has been interesting to observe, in the last 
 revision, how very often my paragraphs agree with the lessons of the International 
 Series upon this Gospel, which will extend from July 1, 1887 to July 1, 1888. The 
 teacher who is hurried will find it easy to practice, in regard to occasional prolonged 
 discussions, what a high literary authority has called "judicious skipping"; for as 
 the portions explained are printed in blackfaced type, the eye will quickly pass from 
 one word or phrase to another. Some teachers will derive useful practical instruc- 
 tion for their pupils from the paragraphs headed " Homiletical and Practical." 
 
 This work has been on hand more than twenty years, having been pushed 
 forward at different periods, and for several years past with rarely interrupted 
 application. Considerable portions have been twice or thrice rewritten. I have 
 labored to make a clear, sound, and useful commentary, and I shall be very glad 
 and thankful if it proves acceptable and helpful to earnest readers of the Bible. 
 LOUISVILLE, November, 1886. J. A. B. 
 
 For various reasons, no Introduction to Matthew has been prepared. The 
 author's views as to the origin and authority of this Gospel would be substantially 
 the same as may be found in Salmon's " Introduction to the New Testament " ; 
 Hovey's " General Introduction "; the works of Westcott and Charteris on the 
 " Canon of the New Testament," etc. 
 
 At the close of the volume will be found an Index of the writers quoted, with 
 explanation of abbreviated names, and some elementary information as to the 
 authors and their works ; and a second Index of terms and topics, persons and 
 places, of which some general account is given in the commentary upon the pas- 
 sages indicated.
 
 THE 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 fTlHE book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son 
 J. of David, the son of Abraham. 
 
 i The book of the * generation of Jesus Christ, the 
 son of David, the son of Abraham. 
 
 1 Or, Tke genealogy of Jeiut Chritt 2 Or, birth; as in ver. 18. 
 
 Ch. 1 : 1-17. THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS 
 CHRIST. 
 
 TRADITIONAL TITLE. Before the middle of 
 the second century, we find the name Gospel 
 already applied to the narratives of our Sav- 
 iour's life. Justin Martyr says: "The apos- 
 tles, in the memoirs made by them, which are 
 called Gospels." 
 which signifies 
 
 The Greek word so rendered, 
 'a good message," "good 
 
 news," "glad tidings," is found a few times 
 in Matthew and Mark (e. g., Matt. 4: 23; 26: 
 13; Mark 8: 35; 16: 15) as denoting, in gen- 
 eral, the good news of Christ's reign, and of 
 salvation through him; and its subsequent 
 application to our four narratives of Christ's 
 life and teachings was natural and appro- 
 priate. The best early authorities for the text 
 give the title in the simple form, Gospel 
 according to Matthew, some of them hav- 
 ing only "According to Matthew," where the 
 word "Gospel" is implied, though not ex- 
 pressed. To say "Saint Matthew," a practice 
 which many persons retain from Bomanist 
 usage, is useless, if not improper. No one 
 thinks it irreverent to speak of Moses or 
 Isaiah without any such prefix. The peculiar 
 expression of the traditional title, "according 
 to Matthew," implies that the gospel has been 
 reported by different persons under different 
 aspects, and this is the way in which Matthew 
 has presented it. The English word "gospel" 
 has long been supposed (it is so interpreted 
 even in the eleventh century) to be derived 
 from the Anglo-Saxon godspeli, signifying 
 good story, good tidings, and to be thus a 
 literal translation of the Greek. But recent 
 etymologists go far to prove, by the compari- 
 son of kindred languages, that it is from God 
 and spell, meaning a narrative of God, and so 
 the history of Christ. (See Skeat, "Etym. 
 Diet, and Supplement."* 
 
 Matthew begins his Gospel with the gene- 
 alogy of our Lord. Designing to pnove, 
 especially to the Jews, that Jesus of Nazareth 
 is the Messiah, he shows at the outset that 
 Jesus is a descendant of David, as it had been 
 predicted that the Messiah would be. In 
 order to establish this fact according to Jewish 
 law, it must be shown that the legal father of 
 Jesus was a descendant of David, as this gene- 
 alogy does; and to give the argument greater 
 impressiveness, he goes back to trace the de- 
 scent from Abraham, the father of the Jewish 
 
 race, to whose "seed" 
 
 Spoken (Gen. 17: 7; Gal. 3: 16). 
 
 the promise was 
 Luke, who had no 
 
 special reference to the Jews, but wrote for 
 all, gives the genealogy some distance after 
 the beginning of his book (Luke s: 23), and 
 carries it up to Adam, the father of all 
 men. (As to apparent discrepancies between 
 Matthew and Luke, see below on v. 17). 
 Mark, in his short narrative, gives no gene- 
 alogy, but simply begins by describing Jesus 
 Christ as "the Son of God" (Mar*i:i). John, 
 wishing to correct errors already rife, when 
 he wrote, as to both the human and the divine 
 nature of our Lord, goes back to his eternal 
 pre-existence as the Word, his divinity and 
 creatorship, and then states his incarnation, 
 showing him to be not merely in appearance 
 but in reality a man (John i : 1-5, u). This com- 
 parison makes it plain that Matthew's first 
 paragraph, indeed, his opening sentence, 
 strikes the key-note to his treatise, which is 
 throughout a Gospel for the Jews. 
 
 Some have supposed that the Evangelist 
 adopted this genealogy as a whole from some 
 public or private record existing among the 
 Jews. There would be nothing derogatory 
 in this idea, and the document thus adopted 
 would have for us the sanction of inspiration 
 as to its correctness; but it seems more natural 
 
 1
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cii. 
 
 to think that Matthew framed the list himself 
 from the Old Testament and the Jewish 
 records. Some of its peculiarities, e. g., the 
 incidental mention of certain females (see 
 below), are best explained as having been 
 introduced by him, with a special design. 
 That the Jews did, in the first century, still 
 possess genealogical records, at least of im- 
 portant families, is shown by various facts. 
 Thus Paul asserted without reserve that he 
 was of the tribe of Benjamin (Rom. ii: i ; phii. 3:5). 
 Josephus (" Life" 1) gives his own priestly 
 and royal descent for several generations, and 
 adds: "I present the descent of our family 
 as I found it recorded in the public tablets, 
 and to those who try to slander us I wish 
 much joy." This unquestionable evidence 
 made him feel perfectly secure. And in the 
 book against Apion (i. 7) he describes the 
 pains taken by priests residing in Egypt, 
 Babylon, and other foreign countries, to send 
 to Jerusalem properly certified statements as 
 to marriages and births in their families; and 
 declares that after any great war, such as that 
 which had recently occurred, the surviving 
 priests prepared new copies from the old 
 records. The story told by Julius Africanus 
 (Euseb. "Hist." I. 7, 13) that Herod burnt 
 the genealogies of the Jews, in order to pre- 
 vent his own inferiority as an Idumsean from 
 being manifest, conflicts with these and all 
 the other statements on the subject, and cer- 
 tainly cannot be true in its full extent. "We 
 are told that Kabbi Hillel, a contemporary of 
 Jesus, proved from a genealogical table at 
 Jerusalem that he was a descendant of 
 David. (" Bercshith Rabba," f. 98, quoted by 
 Godet, "Com. on Luke," 3: 23.) There is also 
 a story that Domitian (A. D. 81-%) ordered 
 all descendants of David to be slain, and cer- 
 tain heretics accused as such the descendants 
 of Jude, a brother of the Saviour, who being 
 summoned before the emperor acknowledged 
 that they were descended from David, but 
 stated that they lived by tilling their little 
 farms, and showed their hands hard with toil, 
 (from which we see, with Weiss, that the 
 family of Jesus were still poor), so that the 
 emperor dismissed them as persons not likely 
 to excite revolution. (Hegesippus in Euseb. 
 "Hist." iii. 19, 20.) On the other hand, all 
 this is changed at the present day. The 
 Jewish records have long since completely 
 
 perished, and no Jew could now prove hii 
 self a descendant of David. If one claiming 
 to be the Messiah should now arise, as some 
 Jews still expect, no such evidence could be 
 furnished as that with which Matthew here 
 begins. 
 
 1. The opening words signify either, Book 
 of the generation, i. e., descent-book, 
 pedigree, genealogy, thus referring only to 
 v. 2-17 (comp. Gen. 5: 1; 11: 27), or, Book 
 upon the birth, referring to the whole ac- 
 count of the birth of Jesus in ch. 1 and 2. 
 (Compare the use of the same term in v. 18, 
 there rendered 'birth'). The choice between 
 these two meanings of the phrase must remain 
 a matter of doubt, and is of no real import- 
 ance. The view of some that "book of the 
 generation " here denotes a history in general 
 (as perhaps in Gen. 25: 19; 37 : 2), must pretty 
 certainly be rejected. Jesus, the same as 
 Joshua (see on v. 21), is our Lord's private or 
 personal name ; Christ is his official name, 
 being a translation into Greek of the Hebrew 
 word 'Messiah,' which signifies 'anointed' 
 and with the article, 'the anointed one.' 
 (Comp. 1 Sam. 24: 6, 10; Psa. 2: 2; 105: 15; 
 Isa. 45: 1 ; Dan. 9: 25, 26; John 1 : 20, 25, 41 ; 
 4: 25,29; Acts 4: 26). It appears in the Gos- 
 pels as a proper name only here, together with 
 v. 16, 18, and probably 16 : 21 (comp. also v. 
 16, and 27: 17); Mark 1 : 1; John 1 : 17; 17: 
 3. Everywhere else in the Gospels it denotes 
 the promised Messiah or anointed one, some- 
 times without reference to J esus at all, but usu- 
 ally applied to him either by direct assertion 
 or by implication. When not a proper name 
 it commonly has the article, 'the Christ,' 
 which is often omitted in Common English 
 Version (see on 2 : 4). In John 1 : 41 ; 4 : 25, 
 we find Messias, a Greek form of Messiah. 
 Whether Jesus was the Messiah, was during 
 his ministry an open question, and the Evan- 
 gelists do not, in their history of him, assume 
 it as then settled. But after his ascension the 
 apostles would naturally take this for granted 
 in their expressions, and accordingly 'Christ' 
 or 'Jesus Christ,' is very often used in the 
 Acts and Epistles as a proper name. In like 
 manner Matthew, Mark, and John, in writing 
 their Gospels, use the same now familiar ex- 
 pression in the introduction, though in the 
 body of their narrative they speak according 
 to the state of the question when the events
 
 CH. I.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 2 Abraham begat Isaac ; and Isaac begat Jacob ; and 
 Jacob begat Judas and his brethren ; 
 
 3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar ; and 
 Phares begat Esrom ; and Esrom begat Aram : 
 
 4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat 
 Naussnw ; and Naasson begat Salmon ; 
 
 5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab ; and Booz begat 
 Obed of Ruth ; and Obed begat Jesse ; 
 
 2 Abraham begat Isaac ; and Isaac begat Jacob : and 
 
 3 Jacob begat Judah and his brethren ; and Judah be- 
 
 Sit Perez and Zerah of Tamar; and Perez begat 
 ezron ; and Hezron begat 1 Ram ; and 1 Rani begat 
 Amminadab; and Amuiinadab begat Nahshou ; and 
 5 Nahshon begat Salmon ; and Salmon begat Boaz of 
 
 occurred. In 16: 21 we may see a special 
 reason, as there pointed out. And so Jesus 
 himself, in John 17: 3, when praying in the 
 presence of his disciples at the close of his 
 ministry, speaks as taking his Messiahship for 
 granted; as in Mark 9: 41, 'because ye are 
 Christ's,' he is anticipating the future con- 
 viction of his followers. Son of Abraham 
 maybe in apposition either with 'David' or 
 with 'Jesus Christ,' the Greek being am- 
 biguous, like the English. But either sense 
 involves what the other would express, and 
 so both amount to the same thing: in Jesus 
 were fulfilled the prophecies that the Mes- 
 siah should descend from David and from 
 Abraham. 
 
 2. Among the sons of Jacob, Judas, or Ju- 
 dah, is singled out, because he is the one from 
 whom David and Jesus were descended ; but 
 his brethren are also mentioned by the Evan- 
 gelist, perhaps simply because it was common 
 to speak of the twelve patriarchs and the 
 twelve tribes all together (Act. 7-. 8,9); or, it may 
 bo, with the design of reminding his readers 
 that all the other tribes were of the same 
 descent as Judah, and thus all were interested 
 in the Messiah. 
 
 Many of the names in this list are, in the 
 Common English Version, more or less dif- 
 ferent in form from the corresponding names 
 in our version of the Old Testament, and 
 throughout the New Testament the same 
 thing frequently occurs. The New Testa- 
 ment writers have usually employed that 
 form of a name which was already familiar 
 to their readers, who were generally accus- 
 tomed, Jews as well as Gentiles, to read, not 
 the original Hebrew of the Old Testament 
 for the Hebrew proper was then little used in 
 conversation (the Aramaic having largely 
 supplanted it) but the Greek translation 
 known as the Septuagint. The authors of 
 that translation often failed to express the 
 Hnhrew names in Greek as exactly as they 
 might have done. Besides, the Greek lan- 
 
 guage is in some respects less able to express 
 Hebrew words than the English is, particu- 
 larly in respect to the letter A, which abounds 
 in Hebrew names, and which the Greek can- 
 not represent at all except at the beginning of 
 a word, or in the combinations eh, th, ph. 
 Accordingly, Noah was written Noe (21:37), 
 Korah written Core (Jnden), and Elisha be- 
 came Eliseus (Luke*: 27). It thus appears that 
 not only have the names in our version of the 
 New Testament undergone a two-fold change, 
 presenting us the English form of the com- 
 mon Greek form of the Hebrew words but 
 the difference is increased by the fact that in 
 our version of the Old Testament, rendered 
 directly from the Hebrew, we have the name 
 often more exactly expressed than could be 
 done in Greek. The writers of the New Tes- 
 tament gave their readers the form of the 
 names that they were all familiar with in 
 reading the Septuagint; so that they had the 
 same form in both Testaments. And this 
 result will be secured for English readers, if 
 in the New Testament we should put into 
 English letters not the Greek form of the 
 name as there given, but the Hebrew form as 
 it occurs in the Old Testament. Then the 
 reader of our version, like the reader in the 
 apostle's days will find the name in the same 
 form throughout his Bible, and will thus 
 feel that it is the same name. There must 
 be a few exceptions; as, for example, it would 
 hardly be proper to write our Saviour's name 
 Joshua, though we should thus be much more 
 vividly reminded of the origin and associa- 
 tions of the name; and it is probably best to 
 retain the Greek form, Judas, for the traitor 
 disciple, and employ Judah for the patriarch 
 and others, and Jude for the writer of the 
 Epistle. But in general, the Hebrew forms 
 can be used in the New Testament without 
 difficulty or impropriety. 
 
 3-5. Commentators have always noticed 
 that while this genealogy, according to cus- 
 tom, gives only the names of the men, it
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. I. 
 
 6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the 
 king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of 
 Unas; 
 
 7 And Solomon begat Roboam ; and Roboam begat 
 Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 
 
 8 And Asabegat.Iosaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; 
 and Joraiu begat Ozias ; 
 
 9 And Ozius begat Joatham; and Joathaui begat 
 Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; 
 
 10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Mauasses begat 
 Amon ; and Ainon begat Josias ; 
 
 11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about 
 the time they were carried away to Babylon: 
 
 \-l And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias 
 begat Salat h irl ; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel ; 
 
 6 Rahab; and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed 
 begat Jesse ; and Jesse begat David the king. 
 And David begat Solomon of her that had been the 
 
 1 wife of Uriah ; and Solomon begat Rehoboam ; and 
 Rehoboam begat Abijah ; and Abijah begat J Asa ; 
 
 8 and 'Asa begat Jehoshaphat; and Jehoshaphat be- 
 
 9 gat Joram; and Joram begat Uzziah ; and Uzziali be- 
 gat Jothaiu ; and Jotham begat Ahaz ; and Aliaz be- 
 
 10 gat Hezekiah ; and Hezekiah begat Jlanasseh ; and 
 Manasseh begat SArnon ; and 2 Amon begat Josiah ; 
 
 11 and Josiah begat Jechoniah and his brethren, at 
 the time of the 3 carrying away to Babylon. 
 
 12 And after the 3 carrying away to Babylon, Jech- 
 oniah begat * Shealtiel ; and Shea1teil begat Ze- 
 
 1 Or, Aiaph 2 Gr. Amos 3 Or, removal to Babylon 4 Gr. SalatMel. 
 
 turns aside to make incidental mention of four 
 women Thamar, Rahab, Ruth, and the 
 
 wife of Uriah of whom three were polluted 
 by shameful wickedness, and the fourth was 
 by birth a heathen. This appears to have 
 been done simply because each of the four 
 became a mother of the Messianic line in an 
 irregular and extraordinary way, as in re- 
 counting a long list of names one is very apt 
 to mention anything unusual that attaches to 
 this or that individual. The mystical mean- 
 ings which some find in the introduction of 
 these names, cannot be accepted by a sober 
 judgment; and the notion (Lange) that 
 Tamar, for example, really acted under the 
 impulse of a fanatical faith, "being resolved 
 at all hazards to become one of the mothers 
 of God's chosen race," is a particularly wild 
 fancy. The introduction of both Phares and 
 Zara, while throughout the list only one 
 person is usually given, is probably due to 
 the fact that Tamar their mother has been 
 mentioned (comp. 1 Chron. 2: 4), and that 
 she bore them both at one birth. There is no 
 sufficient reason to question that the Rahab 
 here mentioned is the famous woman of 
 Jericho; nor that she had pursued the dis- 
 graceful calling commonly supposed. The 
 length of time between Salmon and David 
 makes it likely that some names have been 
 here omitted (as also in Ruth 4: 21 f., and 1 
 Chron. 2: 11), most probably between Obr>d 
 and Jesse ; but this is not certain, as the general 
 chronology of that period is doubtful, and 
 the parents in some cases may have been ad- 
 vanced in years when the children were born. 
 6. David the king is thus signalized, prob- 
 ably as being the first of this line who attained 
 that dignity, and he to whom the promise was 
 made of a seed that should reign forever. In 
 the second sentence of this verse, ' the king ' in 
 
 the common text is a mere addition from the 
 first sentence, wanting in several of the best 
 early documents. 
 
 8. Between Joram and Uzziah, three names 
 are omitted, Ahaziah, Joah, and Amaziah 
 
 (2 Kings 8: 24; 1 Chron. 3: 11; 2 Chron. 22 : 1,11; 24:27). This 
 
 was probably done to secure symmetry, by 
 bringing the number of names in each dis- 
 course to fourteen (see on v. 17) ; and these 
 particular persons might naturally be selected 
 for omission, because they were immediate 
 descendants of Ahab and Jezebel. 
 
 11, 12. Here also a name has been omitted, 
 that of Jehoiakim, who was the son of Josiah, 
 and father of Jehoiachin, or Jeconiah (2 Kings 
 23: 34; 24: 6). As in v. 8, we may suppose one 
 name to have been purposely omitted by the 
 Evangelist, and this particular person to have 
 been chosen because in his reign occurred the 
 events which led to the captivity. As to the 
 further difficulty on which some have insisted, 
 that while we read here of Jechonias and 
 his brethren, in 1 Chron. 3 : 16, but one 
 brother of his is mentioned, it is enough to 
 recall the familiar fact that genealogical lists 
 such as that very often omit some of a man's 
 children, mentioning only those which be- 
 longed to the line of succession, or which 
 there was some special reason for including; 
 and so there might very well have been other 
 brothers known from genealogies existing in 
 Matthew's time, but whom the compiler of 
 Chronicles had no occasion to include in his 
 list. The expression, the time they were 
 carried away to Babylon or, the re- 
 moval, mar. of Rev. Ver., is of course not to 
 be pressed as involving an exact coincidence of 
 thetwoevents,but to be understood in the more 
 general way, which is natural in such cases. 
 Josiah died some years before the removal to 
 Babylon (2 Chron. w). This great event was
 
 y Cn. I.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud ; and Abiud begat 
 Eliakiiu ; and Kliakiiu begat A/or ; 
 
 14 And Azor begat SaUoc; and Sadoc begat Achim ; 
 and Achiui begat Eliud; 
 
 15 And Eliud begat Eleazer ; and Eleazer begat Mat- 
 than ; and Matthan begat Jacob ; 
 
 16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of 
 whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 
 
 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are 
 fourteen generations; and from David until the carry- 
 ing away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and 
 from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are 
 fourteen generations. 
 
 13 rubbabel; and Zerubbabel begat Abiud; and Abiud 
 
 14 begat Eliakiiu ; and Eliakim oegat Azor ; and A/or 
 begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim 
 
 15 begat Eliud; and Eliud begat Elea/er; and Eleazer 
 
 16 begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; and 
 Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom 
 was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 
 
 17 So all the generations from Abraham unto David 
 are fourteen generations; and from David unto the 
 1 carrying away to Babylon fourteen generations; 
 and from the l carrying away to Babylon uuto the 
 Christ fourteen generations. 
 
 1 Or, Removal Co Babylon 
 
 really a forcible transportation, but the Evan- 
 gelist uses the milder term 'removal' or 
 'migration,' which was frequently employed 
 in the familiar Greek translation of the Old 
 Testament, and would be less painful to the 
 Jewish readers he had especially in view. 1 In 
 making Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, the 
 Evangelist agrees with Ezra 3:2; 5: 2; Neh. 
 12: 1; Hag. 1: 1; 2: 2, while 1 Chron. 3: 19, 
 makes him the son of Pedaiah, a brother of 
 Shealtiel. The explanations of this discrep- 
 ancy which have been proposed are hardly 
 satisfactory. It is not surprising that there 
 should be some slight differences in these lists 
 of names which, with our imperfect informa- 
 tion, we are now unable to explain. A ner- 
 vous solicitude to explain at all hazards, is 
 uncalled for and unbecoming. 
 
 13. The nine names from Abiud to Jacob 
 (T. 15) are not elsewhere mentioned, as they be- 
 long to the period subsequent to the close of 
 the Old Testament records, the "interbibli- 
 cal " period. They were doubtless taken from 
 some public or private genealogy, such as 
 would cause the Evangelist's Jewish readers 
 to receive them without gainsaying. The 
 number of names being scarcely proportioned 
 to the time over which they extend, some 
 have thought that here also a few names may 
 have been omitted, as in v. 8, 11. 
 
 16. The Evangelist does not connect Joseph 
 and Jesus as father and son; but altogether 
 'Ifp.irts from the usual phraseology of the 
 genealogy, so as to indicate the peculiarity of 
 
 1 The genitive Bnbulonot specifies this as the Babylon- 
 removal, thus distinguishing It from other removals. 
 Thin is the proper force of the genitive, as the generic 
 or specifying case. The Babylon-removal, so far as the 
 mere form of the expression goes, might mean the re- 
 moval of Babylon, the removal to Babylon, or the re- 
 moval from Babylon ; but the well-known historical 
 facts left no doubt as to the real meaning. See similar 
 uses of the genitive in 4: 15; 10: 5; John 7: 35; 10:7. 
 
 the Saviour's birth. The name Jesus (i. e., 
 Joshua, see on v. 21), being common among 
 the Jews (comp. Col. 4: 11 ; Acts 13: 6), the 
 person here meant is distinguished as Jesus, 
 Avho is or, the one called Christ, (so in 
 27: 17, 22, and comp. "Simou, the one called 
 Peter," in 4: 18; 10: 2.) 
 
 17. THREE SETS OF FOURTEEN. The gath- 
 ering of this long list of names into three 
 groups of fourteen each appears to have been 
 partly for the sake of aiding the memory, 
 and partly in order to indicate the three great 
 periods of the history, viz : from Abraham, 
 the father of the nation, to " David the king" 
 (see on v. 6), from David to the destruction of 
 the monarchy at the removal to Babylon, and 
 from that event to the coming of Messiah. 
 These three periods are distinguished in many 
 ways; among others by the form of govern- 
 ment, which was in the successive periods a 
 Theocracy, a Monarchy, and a Hierarchy, or 
 government by the priests, this being for the 
 most part the form after the return from the 
 captivity. Finding that the names from 
 Abraham to David amount to fourteen, the 
 Evangelist omits some in the second period 
 (see on v. 8, 11), and perhaps in the third also 
 (see on v. 13), so as to leave each of these 
 periods the same number as the first. This 
 happened to be twice the sacred number 
 seven, so that the whole list of names is di- 
 vided into three sets of two sevens each. 
 Similarly a Rabbinical writer says: "From 
 Abraham to Solomon are fifteen generations, 
 and then the moon was at the full ; from Sol- 
 omon to Zedekiah are again fifteen genera- 
 tions, and then the moon was eclipsed, and 
 Zedekiah's eyes were put out." The omission 
 of some names presents no difficulty, being 
 occasionally found in Old Testamont lists 
 likewise. "It was a common practice with 
 the Jews to distribute genealogies into divis-
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. I. 
 
 ions, each containing some favorite or mysti- 
 cal number, and in order to this, generations 
 were either repeated or left out. Thus in 
 Philo the generations from Adam to Moses 
 are divided into two decads (sets of ten), and 
 one hebdomad (set of seven), by the repetition 
 of Abraham. But in a Samaritan poem the 
 very same series is divided into two decads 
 only, by the omission of six of the least 
 important names." (Smith's "Diet.," Art. 
 " Genealogy of Jesus.") "We are told that the 
 Arabians now abbreviate their genealogies in 
 the same manner, and give 1 the descent by a 
 few prominent names. So, in fact, often do 
 the English, or any other people; the object 
 being, in such cases, not to furnish a complete 
 list of one's ancestors, but simply to establish 
 the descent from a certain line. Where such 
 omissions are made in the Scripture genealo- 
 gies, the usual term "begot" (or, as in Luke, 
 " son of") is retained, and must of course be 
 then understood not literally, but as denoting 
 progenitorship or descent in general, a sense 
 very common in the language of Scripture, 
 and common throughout the East, both in 
 ancient and modern times. (Comp. v. 1). 
 Matthew's three fourteens have been variously 
 made out by expositors. It seems best either 
 to count from Abraham to David, from David 
 again to Josiah, and from Jechoniah to Jesus, 
 or, from Abraham to David, from Solomon to 
 Jechoniah, as representing the time of the re- 
 moval, and from Jechoniah again to Jesus. 
 The fact that either of these modes of reckon- 
 ing (and, indeed, one or two others) may be 
 plausibly supported, concurs with the omis- 
 sion of some names to show that the Evangel- 
 ist did not design this division to be pressed 
 with literal exactness, but only to be taken 
 in a certain general way, for purposes such as 
 those above suggested. 
 
 THE GENEALOGIES OF MATTHEW AND 
 LUKE. There is an obvious discrepancy be- 
 tween the two genealogies, (com p. Luke 3: 
 23, ff.), which has always attracted attention, 
 and to explain which, we find various theo- 
 ries suggested. Most scholars at the present 
 day are divided between two of these, and 
 either of them is sufficiently probable to set 
 aside objection to the credibility of the Evan- 
 gelists on the ground of the discrepancy. The 
 two genealogies diverge after David, Mat- 
 thew's passing down through Solomon, and 
 
 Luke's (which is stated in the opposite order), 
 through Nathan, and they do not afterwards 
 agree, unless it may possibly be in the case of 
 Shealtiel and Zerubbabel, as these two names 
 occur together in both lists. 
 
 1. One explanation supposes that, while 
 Matthew gives the genealogy of Joseph, the 
 reputed and legal father of Jesus, Luke really 
 gives that of Mary, but simply puts her hus- 
 band's name instead of hers, because it was 
 not customary for a woman's name to appear 
 in a genealogy, but that of her husband in- 
 stead. This is a mere supposition, of course, 
 but it is a perfectly possible and reasonable 
 one, and it has the great advantage of show- 
 ing that Jesus was not only a descendant of 
 David legally, through his reputed father, 
 but also actually, through his mother. There 
 is good reason besides to believe (Luke i: 32; Acts 
 
 2: 30; Rom. 1:3; 2 Tim. 2:8), that Mary Was herself a 
 
 descendant of David, as held by Justin Mar- 
 tyr, 1 Irenaeus, Tertullian, and other Fathers. 
 The fact that Elisabeth, the wife of a priest, 
 was Mary's "kinswoman," (Luke 1. 36, the 
 term denotes relationship, but without indi- 
 cating its degree), is no proof that Mary was 
 not of the tribe of Judah, since persons of the 
 different tribes sometimes intermarried; in- 
 deed the earliest known Elizabeth, Aaron's 
 wife, appears to have been of the tribe of Ju- 
 dah. (Ex. 6: 23; Numb. 2:3.) This theory WOUld 
 
 accord with the special characteristics and 
 manifest design of the two Gospels. Matthew, 
 who wrote especially for Jews, gives the legal 
 descent of Jesus from David, through Joseph, 
 it being a rule of the Kabbins that "the de- 
 scent on the father's side only shall be called a 
 descent; the descent by the mother is not 
 called any descent." Luke, who wrote with- 
 out any special reference to the Jews, for gen- 
 eral circulation, gives the real descent from 
 David. In like manner Matthew mentions 
 the angelic appearance to Joseph ; Luke that 
 to Mary. This explanation is adopted sub- 
 stantially, by Luther, Lightfoot, Bengel, Ols- 
 hausen, Ebrard, Wieseler, Bleek (in part), 
 Lange, Kobinson, Alexander, Godet, Weiss. 
 Andrews hesitates. (See a valuable discus- 
 
 1 If we simply suppose that Justin adopted this theory 
 of the genealogies, viz : that Luke gives that of Mary, 
 there will be none of that conflict, between his state- 
 ments on this subject and our Gospels, upon which the 
 author of " Supernatural Religion" so much insists.
 
 CH. I.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 sion by Warfield in the "Presb. Review," 
 Vol. II, p. 388-397). 
 
 2. Most of the Fathers, and many recent 
 writers (as Winer, Meyer), hold that both 
 Gospels give the genealogy of Joseph, and 
 then attempt in various wa3 7 s to remove the 
 discrepancy, or pass it by as irreconcilable. 
 The best explanation upon this view is that 
 recently offered by Lord Hervey, viz.: the 
 hypothesis that Matthew gives the line of 
 succession to the throne, and that upon a 
 failure of the direct line, Joseph became the 
 next heir; while Luke gives Joseph's private 
 genealogy, as a descendant of David by a 
 younger line, which at this point supplied the 
 failure in the older branch, and furnished the 
 heir to the throne. This theory is ably advo- 
 cated in Lord Hervey' s volume on the Gene- 
 alogies, and his article in Smith's "Diet.,"' 
 "Genealogy of Jesus Christ," and is now quite 
 popular with English writers, as Mill, Alford, 
 "Wordsworth, Ellicott, "Westcott, Fairbairn, 
 Farrar. It is altogether possible, and when 
 presented in detail has several striking points; 
 yet the former explanation is believed to be in 
 some respects preferable. We are little con- 
 cerned to show which of them is best, and 
 under no obligation to prove that eitherof them 
 is certainly correct ; for we are not attempting 
 to establish from the Genealogies the credi- 
 bility of Matthew's Gospel. When the object 
 is simply to refute an objection to that credi- 
 bility, founded on an apparent discrepancy 
 between two statements, it is sufficient to pre- 
 sent any hypothetical explanation of the 
 difficulty which is possible. If the explana- 
 tion be altogether reasonable and probable, so 
 much the better. And if there be two, or 
 several, possible explanations, these reinforce 
 each other in removing the ground for objec- 
 tion, and it is not necessary to choose between 
 them. 
 
 The names Shealtiel and Zerubbabel in the 
 genealogies need not be supposed to represent 
 the same persons. There are various in- 
 stances in the Old Testament lists, of a strik- 
 ing similarity between several names in lines 
 that arc unquestionably distinct. 
 
 HMMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 Besides the value of this genealogy, to the 
 Jews and to us, in showing that Jesus was a 
 li-ccudunt of David, as it had been predicted 
 that the Messiah would be, the apparently 
 
 barren list of names might suggest much 
 thought to a mind familiar with the Old Tes- 
 tament. During all this long period, the prov- 
 idential arrangements were going on, which 
 prepared for the coming of the "seed" prom- 
 ised to Abraham. Every person in this gene- 
 alogy the wicked as well as the devout, 
 even the woman of stained character formed 
 a link in the chain of providences. Through 
 all the troubled centuries, through all the na- 
 tional changes, whether reigning in splendor, 
 or dethroned and in captivity, or afterwards 
 subsiding into insignificance under the rule of 
 the high priests or of Herod, the appointed 
 line was preserved ; until among the rude 
 population of an obscure village, are found 
 the hard-working carpenter and the poor 
 maiden, who are chosen to rear the seed of 
 Abraham, the son of David. 
 
 V. 1. Christ, as 1) the son of Abraham (Gai. 
 3: 16), 2) the son of David. The Jews are the 
 only race of mankind that can trace their 
 origin in authentic history to a single ances- 
 tor. V. 2 ff. The Old Testament history, 1) a 
 history of Providence, 2) a history of Re- 
 demption ; each finding its climax and con- 
 summation in Christ. V. 3-5. The divine 
 sovereignty and condescension, in causing the 
 Saviour to spring from a line containing some 
 persons so unworthy of the honor, and who 
 reflected so little credit on their descendants. 
 And a rebuke to that excessive pride of an- 
 cestry, to which the Jews were so prone, and 
 which is so common among mankind in gen- 
 eral. Chrys. : "He teaches us also hereby, 
 never to hide our face at our forefathers' wick- 
 edness, but to seek after one thing alone, even 
 virtue." V. 7 ff. Bad men linked to good 
 men, 1) as descendants of the good, 2) as an- 
 cestors of the good. V. 11. The removal to 
 Babylon, as a step in the preparation for Mes- 
 siah. V. 17 The three great periods of Jewish 
 history before Christ, as all preparing in va- 
 rious ways for his corning and his work. 
 
 18-25. JESUS BORN OF AVIRGIN MOTHER. 
 
 Having presented the genealogy of Jesus, 
 the inspired writer commences the narrative 
 proper with matters pertaining to Jesus' birth 
 and infancy, (i: I8,to*:ss.) The passage now 
 before us is designed to show that he was born 
 of a virgin mother. Matthew does not men- 
 tion the annunciation to Mary, nor the birth 
 of the forerunner (Luki), but begins at the
 
 8 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. I. 
 
 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: 
 When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, be- 
 fore they came together, she was louud with child of 
 the Holy Ghost. 
 
 18 Now the ! birth ! of Jesus Christ was on this 
 wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed 
 to Joseph, before they came together she was found 
 
 1 Or, Gen 
 
 t : ax in ver. 1 '1 Sou 
 
 ut authorities read, of the Christ. 
 
 time when it became apparent that Mary 
 was with child, which would besoon after her 
 return from the visit to Elisabeth (Lu*e i : se). 
 
 18. The birth 1 of Jesus Christ was on 
 this wise. It has already been intimated 
 (T. is) that he was not in the ordinary way the 
 son of Joseph ; and this point is now distinctly 
 stated. His mother Mary. It is no doubt 
 wisely provided that we know very little con- 
 cerning the personal history of "Mary the 
 mother of Jesus." (ACMI:H.) The traditions 
 relating to her, so highly prized by Roman- 
 ists, are of no value. She was probably (see 
 on 1 : 17) a descendant of David. "We know 
 nothing of her parents, or of any brothers; 
 there is allusion to a sister (John 19:25), who 
 is by some identified with " Mary the wife of 
 Clopas," mentioned just after, and who upon 
 that supposition must have borne the same 
 name (see on 13 : 55). "We are informed that 
 Elisabeth was her kinswoman (Lukei:36), so 
 that Jesus and his forerunner were remote 
 relatives. Mary's early home appears to have 
 been Nazareth, and she probably lived a life 
 of poverty and toil. As to her character, we 
 are somewhat better informed. In Luke's 
 narrative she appears before us as a deeply 
 pious maiden, prompt to believe what God re- 
 vealed (Late i: ss, 45), and anxious to have all 
 difficulties in the way of her faith removed 
 (Luke i:34); as humbly rejoicing in the high 
 privilege secured to her by the divine promise 
 (Lukei: 46-55), and through the years which fol- 
 lowed thoughtfully pondering the things 
 which occurred in connection with her child. 
 
 i The correct text of the Greek is genesis, 'origin,' 
 and so birth, rather than gennesis, prob. derived from 
 egennethe in v. 16. A few very early versions and Fa- 
 thers here omit 'Jesus,' reading simply 'the birth of 
 the Christ,' and this is adopted by Treg., W H., and 
 McClellan. The question is quite interesting, for the 
 principles Involved, to students of text-criticism (see 
 Treg., Tisch., Scriv., W H.) ; but it does not seem allow- 
 able to leave the reading of all the Greek MSS. and 
 most versions. The practical difference is not very im- 
 portant (see on v. 1). In the second clause omit gar of 
 the common Greek text, leaving the simple genitive 
 absolute. Matthew quite frequently employs this con- 
 struction. (Weiss). 
 
 (Luke 2: 19.) The familiarity with Scripture 
 manifested by her song of thanksgiving 
 (Lukei. 6ff,), shows how lovingly she had been 
 accustomed to dwell on the word of God. 
 Mary was of course not faultless, but her 
 character was worthy of her high providen- 
 tial position, and she deserves our admiration 
 and gratitude. Above all the "mothers of 
 the wise and good " may we call her ' happy ' 
 (Luke j : 4s) ) and cherish her memory. The 
 utterly unscriptural, absurd, and blasphe- 
 mous extreme to which the Romanists have 
 gradually carried their veneration of Mary, 
 must not drive us into the opposite extreme. 
 The name ' Mary ' is the same as Miriam, 
 and is often written Mariam in the Greek, 
 particularly when applied to the mother of 
 our Lord (e. g., v. 20). Its original meaning 
 of rebelliousness was quite suitable for the 
 sister of Moses. 
 
 Of Joseph likewise but little is known. 
 Though of the old royal family, he appears 
 to have been quite poor, and to have followed 
 the lowly calling of wood-workman, prob- 
 ably what we call a carpenter (comp. on 13: 
 55). He is here declared (T. 19, Rev. ver.) to be a 
 'righteous' man, and we shall presently find 
 him faithfully attentive to his precious charge 
 (ch. 2); but beyond this the Scriptures give us 
 no information (comp. at end of ch. 2). 
 
 Espoused, Rev. Ver. gives betrothed. So 
 Wye., Tyn., Gen. The Com. Ver. followed 
 Rheims in giving "espoused," which for- 
 merly meant betrothed. It appears to have 
 been a custom among the Jews for a betrothed 
 maiden to remain still for some time in her 
 father's house, before the marriage was con- 
 summated; and before they came together, 
 probably refers to their coming to live in the 
 same home, though it may be taken in the 
 other sense, which is obvious (comp. 1 Cor. 7: 
 5). She was found, does not imply an 
 attempt at concealment, but merely states 
 that it was then ascertained. The expression 
 is consistent with the view that she herself 
 discovered the fact, and then, through infor- 
 mation conveyed in some suitable way, it was 
 ascertained by Joseph. The narrative is
 
 CH. L] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and 
 not willing to make her a public example, was minded 
 to put her away privily. 
 
 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the 
 angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, say- 
 ing, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto 
 thee Mary thy wife : for that which is conceived in her 
 is of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 19 with child of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her hus- 
 band, being a righteous man, and not willint: to 
 make her a public example, was minded to put her 
 
 20 away privily. But when he thought on these things, 
 behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in 
 a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of DavM, fear not 
 to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is 
 
 marked by great delicacy. A little reflection 
 will suggest reasons why a divine revelation 
 on the subject was made to Mary beforehand, 
 and to Joseph only after the fact had become 
 apparent. A different course with regard to 
 either of them would have occasioned addi- 
 tional embarrassment and distress. Ghost is 
 an Anglo Saxon word of the same meaning 
 as the Latin 'Spirit,' and having the same 
 primary sense of 'breath' (see on 16: 25). 
 It has in modern times given way to the Latin 
 term, and become obsolete, except (1) as de- 
 noting a spirit of a dead person supposed to 
 become visible, (2) as used in the phrase 'to 
 give up the ghost' (=expire), and (3) as 
 applied to the third person of the Trinity. 
 In this last sense our Common English Ver- 
 sion employs it only in those passages of the 
 New Testament in which 'holy' is prefixed, 
 so as to make the personal designation 'The 
 Holy Ghost'; and employs it in all such 
 passages, except Luke 11: 13; 1 Thess. 4: 8. 
 When used without 'holy' in the New Tes- 
 tament and everywhere in the Old Testament, 
 the word is 'Spirit.' (Comp. as to 'hallow,' 
 on 6 : 9). It is to be regretted that Rev. Ver. 
 did not uniformly adopt ' Holy Spirit, 7 with 
 Amer. Revisers. Comp. on 3: 11; 12: 32; 
 28: 19. Of the Holy Ghost, (literally out 
 of, marking the Holy Spirit as the source or 
 cause of her condition), is here not meant to 
 be understood as a part of the discovery, but 
 is a fact appended by the narrator. Under 
 ordinary circumstances, Mary's condition 
 would have involved a crime which, by the 
 law of Moses, was punished with death by 
 stoning (Lr. 20:10). And a betrothed woman 
 must be treated in this respect as if already 
 married (Dem. 22:23 r.). 
 
 19. From the time of betrothal the parties 
 were legally bound to each other, so as to be 
 called husband and wife (T.M; Dut.w: M), and 
 so that unchastity in either would be adul- 
 tery. An unrighteous man would have 
 cherished a passionate anger, and sought to 
 punish as severely as possible. Joseph, being 
 a just (Rev. Ver. righteous), man, (comp. 1 
 
 Sam. 24: 17), was not inclined to extreme sever- 
 ity, but was disposed to divorce her privately. 
 (So Bleek, Grimm, Cremer). Or it may 
 be understood thus: Joseph, being righteous 
 (and therefore feeling that in such circum- 
 stances he could not take her as his wife), 
 and yet not willing to expose her publicly, 1 
 was disposed to pursue a middle course, and 
 | divorce her privately. (So Meyer, Weiss, 
 Morison.) The statement has been frequent- 
 ly made (so Chrysostom, Grotius), that the 
 Greek word rendered ' righteous ' may sig- 
 nify 'good, kind,' but it has not been shown 
 to have that meaning anywhere in the New 
 Test., and the common meaning gives a good 
 sense, in either of the above ways. It would 
 appear that the law (Deiu. 22: 23 r.), was not 
 regarded as compelling a husband to accuse 
 his wife as an adulteress, and so Joseph would 
 not be violating the law if he should avoid the 
 extreme course, and divorce her, and this 
 without stating his reason in the "writing of 
 divorcement," (5: si). Edersh. shows such a 
 course to accord with custom and Rabbinical 
 opinion. 
 
 20. The angel, more probably an an- 
 gel, although the Greek might be under- 
 stood as definite because of the Lord being 
 appended. As to the angels, see on 18: 10- 
 Divine communications by means of dreams 
 are mentioned by Matt, in 1: 20; 2: 12, 13, 19 p 
 27 : 19; and referred to in Acts 2: 17; not else- 
 where in New Test. Edersh. shows that the 
 Jews attached great importance to dreams. 
 There was probably something connected with 
 such dreams as really gave divine guidance 
 to distinguish them from ordinary dreams. 
 Joseph is addressed as son of David, and 
 thereby somewhat prepared for the remark- 
 able disclosure about to be made. He prob- 
 ably knew that his was a leading branch of the 
 royal family (see on v. 17). Mary thyAvife, 
 
 'The earliest MSS. read (leigmatisai, 'make her a 
 spectacle,' the common Greek text paradeigmatisat, 
 'make her an example.' It is somewhat difficult to 
 decide which is the correct reading, but the difference 
 in meaning la unimportant.
 
 10 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. I. 
 
 21 And she shall briug forth a son, and thou shalt 
 call liis naiue JESUS: for he shall save his people from 
 ihfir sins. 
 
 21 i conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she 
 shall briug forth a son; and thou shall call his name 
 JESUS; lor it is he that shall save his people from 
 
 1 Or. begotte 
 
 the betrothed woman being frequently spoken 
 of as a wife. (Deut. 22: 24.) So as to 'Joseph 
 her husband,' in v. 19. Of the Holy Ghost. 
 Accordingly in v. 21 it is not, shall bring forth 
 a sou 'unto thee,' as was said to Zaoharias, 
 
 (Lukel: 13.) 
 
 21. Jesus is the same name as Joshua, a 
 
 Contraction Of JellOshuah (Num. 13:16; IChr. 7:27), 
 
 signifying in Hebrew 'Jehovah is helper,' 
 or 'Help of Jehovah.' In the later books, 
 (e.g., Neh. 7: 7; 8: 17; Ezra 2: 2, etc.), it 
 sometimes takes the form Joshua (Jeshuah), 
 and this the Greek translators of the Old Tes- 
 tament expressed (comp. on v. 2) by Jesus. 
 (In the Jewish books subsequent to Chris- 
 tianity it is frequently Jeshu). The name 
 Joshua is everywhere in the Septuagint found 
 in this form, Jesus, and so in the two passages 
 of the New Testament in which Joshua is 
 mentioned ^Acts 7: 45; Heb. 4: 8). As ap- 
 plied to our Lord there is of course a certain 
 modification of the idea conveyed by the name, 
 but the leading thought is the same, viz., de- 
 liverance, salvation, and that springing from 
 Jehovah. Like Joshua, who led Israel into 
 the promised land, Jesus was to be the leader 
 and ruler of his people, the "captain of their 
 salvation" (Heb.2:io), under whose guidance 
 they would be delivered from all dangers 
 and brought safe to the rest that remaineth 
 (Heb. 4:9). Like the high-priest Joshua, who 
 was associated with Zerubbabel in bringing 
 the Jews back from the captivity (Ezra 2: 2; zech. 
 s:iff.), Jesus was to be the high-priest of his 
 people. He thus answered at the same time 
 to the civil and religious rulers of the nation, 
 at once King and Priest. Comp. "he shall 
 be a priest upon his throne," said of Joshua 
 in Zech. 6: 13. l Mary had also been told (Luke 
 i: sir.) that the child must be named Jesus, but 
 without the reason for it here given. For 
 he shall save. In Revised Version, it is 
 
 1 Other persons named Joshua or Jesus are found in 
 1 Sam. 6: 14, 18; 2 Kings 23: 8; Luke 3: 29; Col. 4: 11; 
 Ecclus. Prologue and 50: 27 ; Josephus, "Ant." vi. 6, 6 ; 
 xi. 7, 1 ; xii. 5, 1 ; xv. 3, 1. See also Bar-Jesus, Acts 13: 
 6. Jason, in Acts 17: 5; Rom. 16: 21 is the same name 
 altered into a form sounding better in Greek, as Jews 
 among us often give their names a more English shape. 
 
 he that shall save. The word 'he' is here 
 pretty clearly emphatic in the Greek, he him- 
 self, he and no other, though Revised Version 
 rather exaggerates the emphasis. 1 The word 
 rendered 'save' signifies primarily to 'pre- 
 serve,' secondarily to 'deliver,' and it often 
 conveys both ideas at the same time. It is 
 applied to physical dangers ( 25), death (24: 22; 
 27:40,42), disease (9: 21,22; jamesS: is), and to sin 
 and its consequences, which is the common 
 use. From their sins, from both the conse- 
 quences and the dominion, both the penalty 
 and the power of their sins. Messiah did not 
 come, as the Jews commonly supposed he 
 would, simply to save his people from the do- 
 minion of foreigners ; it was something deeper 
 an ;1 higher, to save them from their sins. And 
 not to save them in their sins, but from their 
 sins. His people would to Joseph naturally 
 mean Israel. It may have been meant to de- 
 note the spiritual Israel, including some of 
 the nation, though not all (Rom. 9. e, 27, si ; ii: 7), 
 and some Gentiles. (Rom. 9: 25, 26, so.) Or the 
 angel may have meant simply the people of 
 Israel, i. e., the truly pious among them, not 
 intending to exclude the Gentiles from being 
 saved by Jesus, but confining the view at 
 present to the salvation of the Jews. So the 
 angel announces to the shepherds "great joy, 
 which shall be to all the people." (Luke 2: 10, Re- 
 vised version.) Ecclus. 46 : 1 says of Joshua, 
 "Who according to his name became great 
 for the salvation of his elect" (God's elect), 
 which shows that the meaning of the name 
 would be readily apprehended, and the con- 
 nection in Ecclus. clearly confines the "elect" 
 to Israel. Comp. the restriction of our Lord's 
 ministry, and the temporary restriction of the 
 ministry of the Twelve, to "the lost sheep of 
 
 i Winer, Fritzsche, Meyer, and others, hold that autos 
 in Nom. is always emphatic. But the New Testament 
 has some examples (see Buttmann, p. 107, Grinim II. 2) 
 in which it cannot without great violence be so under- 
 stood, and we seem compelled to admit that it is occa- 
 sionally only an unemphatic 'he,' etc. (Latin is). It is 
 freely so used in modern Greek (Mullach), and there is 
 a partly similar use of ipse in late Latin (Ronsch). 
 Uomp. Ellicott on Col. 1:17; Moulton's note to Winer, 
 p. 187.
 
 CH. I.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 11 
 
 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled 
 which was spokeii of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 
 
 22 their sins. Now -all this is come to pass, that it 
 might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord 
 through the prophet, saying, 
 
 the house of Israel." (15: 24; 10: 6, 6.) The same 
 question as in this case arises in Acts 5: 31, Re- 
 vised Version, "to give repentance to Israel, 
 and remission of sins." 
 
 22. All this was done, etc. The state- 
 ment and quotation in v. 22 f. has been un- 
 derstood by some expositors (Chrys., Alex- 
 ander) as a part of the words of the angel. 
 They render: 'And all this has taken place, 1 
 that it may be fulfilled,' etc., and the lan- 
 guage, so far as that goes, warrants their in- 
 terpretation. In 26:66, the same form of 
 expression is commonly referred to the 
 speaker of what precedes, and not to the 
 Evangelist (comp. Mark 14: 49); in 21: 4, the 
 connection will admit of either view (see note 
 there). In the present case, however, we 
 should have to suppose the angel to be antici- 
 pating when he says: "All this has taken 
 place," for most of the events to which he 
 refers were yet future ; and in 21 : 4, no part 
 of the event in question has taken place when 
 the Saviour speaks. Matthew has not else- 
 where than in these three passages the pre- 
 cise expression, 'all this has taken place in 
 order that,' etc., but he remarks upon the de- 
 signed fulfillment of prophecy much oftener 
 than the other Evangelists, so that it is quite 
 natural to refer this statement to him ; which 
 on the whole seems decidedly best. Looking 
 back upon the events, Matthew connects them 
 with the time at which he is writing, and thus 
 very naturally says: 'All this has taken 
 place that it might be fulfilled, etc. 1 
 
 Fulfilled is the translation of a Greek word 
 signifying to 'make full,' to 'fill up.' (So the 
 English fill full or fulfill). It is often used in 
 New Testament, both literally, as to fill a \ al- 
 ley, boat, etc., and figuratively, as to fill with 
 gladness, knowledge, etc. In a derivative sense 
 it signifies to 'perform fully,' 'accomplish,' 
 
 >The word rendered in the Common English Version 
 1 was done,' properly signifies to 'come to be,' 'come to 
 pass,' 'happen,' etc., and this meaning is very import- 
 ant for the exact exposition of many passages in the 
 New Testament The student should look out for this 
 word, ami not be content to render it loosely. 
 
 'The peculiar idiom of the Greek makes it equally 
 proper to render ' that it may," or 'that it might,' ac- 
 cording to the connection. 
 
 being applied to a work or a duty, and to pre- 
 dictions, as here. This last very important 
 use, to fulfill (a prediction), is found frequently 
 
 in Matthew (1 : 22 ; 2 : 15, 17, 23 ; 4 : 14 ; 8 : 17 ; 12 : 17 ; 13 : 35 ; 
 21:4; 26:54,56:27:9), and ill John ( 12 : 38; 13 : 18; 15: 25; 
 
 17:12; is: 9,3 ; 19: 24. se); several times in Luke 
 
 (1:20; 4: 21: 21: 22; 24: 44), and in Acts(l = 16;3: 18; 13: 27); 
 
 once in Mark (M:*) and in James (2:23.) An 
 examination of these passages would show that 
 in general they will admit only the strict 
 sense of fulfill, implying a real prediction, 
 and that no one of them requires the quite dif- 
 ferent meaning attached to the term by some 
 expositors, viz. : that while there was no real 
 prediction, the New Testament occurrence 
 reminded the Evangelist of the Old Testa- 
 ment passage, or so resembled the Old Testa- 
 ment occurrence as to warrant the application 
 to it of the same language. This serious de- 
 parture from the etymology and regular use 
 of the word is supposed by such expositors to 
 be required by a few passages in which it is 
 difficult for us to see that there exists the 
 strict relation of prediction and fulfillment. 
 But such passages, it will be found, all admit 
 of at least a possible explanation in consist- 
 ency with the idea of a real fulfillment (see 
 on 2 : 15, 18), and we have no right to take 
 this or any other word in a sense alien to its 
 origin and use, unless there be found passages 
 in which it cannot possibly have the usual 
 meaning. The strict application of this rule 
 of interpretation is here a matter of import- 
 ance, as the question involved seriously affects 
 the prophetic relation between the Old and 
 the New Testament. 
 
 But two things are to be observed. (1) The 
 New Testament writers sometimes quote Old 
 Testament expressions as applicable to gospel 
 facts or truths, without saying that they are 
 prophecies (e. g., Rom 10: 18), and in some 
 cases it is doubtful how they intend the quota- 
 tion to be regarded. (2) It is often unneces- 
 sary, and sometimes impossible, to suppose 
 that the prophet himself had in mind that 
 which the New Testament writer calls a ful- 
 fillment of his prediction. Some predictions 
 were even involuntary, as that of Caiaphns. 
 (jotm ii: so.) Many prophecies received fulfill- 
 ments which the prophet does not appear to
 
 12 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. I. 
 
 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall 
 bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Em- 
 manuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 
 
 23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall 
 
 bring forth a son, 
 And they shall call his name l Immauuel ; 
 
 have at all contemplated. But as God's provi- 
 dence often brought about the fulfillment 
 though the human actors were heedless or even 
 ignorant of the predictions they fulfilled (e. g., 
 John 19: 24), so God's Spirit often contem- 
 plated fulfillments of which the prophet had 
 no conception, but which the Evangelist 
 makes known. And it is of a piece with the 
 general development of revelation that the 
 later inspiration should explain the records of 
 earlier inspiration, and that only after events 
 have occurred should the early predictions of 
 them be fully understood. 
 
 Some still insist that the phrase that it 
 might be fulfilled should be rendered, or at 
 any rate should be understood as denoting, 
 'so that it was fulfilled,' expressing only the 
 result; but the best scholars are now very 
 nearly unanimous in maintaining that we 
 must hold fast, in this and all similar passages, 
 to the established meaning of the phrase. The 
 design expressed is often not merely, and in 
 some cases not at all, that of the liuman 
 agents, but the design of God in his providence. 
 It is probably the failure to note this simple 
 distinction while it was clearly perceived 
 that in some passages no such design as that 
 stated can have been entertained by the actors 
 themselves that has led numerous earlier in- 
 terpreters, including some of the Greek Fa- 
 thers, to accept the sense of result; and the 
 disposition to do so has doubtless been 
 strengthened in some minds by dislike to the 
 idea of divine predestination. Notice that the 
 term which here precedes does not exactly 
 signify ' was done ' (which would direct our 
 thoughts to the human actors), but, as above 
 explained, 'has occurred,' 'has taken place,' 
 t. e., in the course of providence. (Comp. on 
 2: 17, and 6: 10). 
 
 23. The quotation is from Isa. 7: 14. Pro- 
 posing to give Ahaz a sign of speedy deliver- 
 ance from his enemies, Ephraim and Syria, 
 the prophet speaks as here quoted, adding 
 (Alexander's version): "Curds and honey 
 shall he eat until he shall know (how) to re- 
 ject the evil and choose the good ; for before 
 the child shall know (how) to reject the evil 
 and choose the good, the land of whose two 
 
 kings thou art afraid shall be forsaken." A 
 certain woman (to us unknown), then a vir- 
 gin, would bear a son ; and before he should 
 arrive at the early age indicated, i. e., in the 
 course of a few years, Ahaz would be deliv- 
 ered from the dreaded kings of Syria and Is- 
 rael by the coming of the Assyrians, who 
 would lay those countries waste. Then Judah 
 would prosper, and the growing child would 
 have other food than merely curds and honey. 
 It is not necessary to maintain that Isaiah 
 himself saw anything further in the predic- 
 tion. But as 'spoken by 1 the Lord, through 
 the prophet,' we learn from Matthew that it 
 also pointed forward to the birth from the 
 more notable virgin, of one who should be 
 not merely a pledge of divine deliverance, 
 but himself the Deliverer ; who should not 
 simply give token by his name of God's pres- 
 ence to protect, but should himself be the 
 present and manifest Deity. "VYe need not 
 suppose that Matthew would in argument 
 with a Jew have appealed to this passage as 
 by itself proving to the Jew that Jesus was 
 the Messiah for we have no information that 
 the Jews understood it as a Messianic passage 
 but it is one of many predictions, some 
 more and some less plain, which all combined 
 would furnish conclusive proof. Ana we, 
 who might never have perceived such a refer- 
 ence in the prophet's words, accept it on the 
 authority of the Evangelist, and do so without 
 difficulty, because we see how fully the pro- 
 phetic books are pervaded by the Messianic 
 idea. (ASIO:.) 'To him all the prophet 
 bear witness.' Some expositors of Isaiah (as 
 Hengstenberg, Alexander) understand an . 
 elusive reference to the birth of Jesus ; but 
 how could that possibly become a sign to Ahaz 
 of his speedyi deliverance from Syria and 
 Ephraim? The Hebrew is, literalfy, "Behold, 
 the maiden conceiving and bringing forth a 
 son, and calling" etc. As the calling is fu- 
 ture, it is natural to take the other participles 
 as future also (Toy.) The last Hebrew verb 
 
 1 For the principal actor old English commonly said 
 'of (same word as Latin ab, Greek apo); in modern 
 English it is ' by.' The intermediary we now most 
 clearly express by ' through.'
 
 CH. I.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 13 
 
 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the 
 angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him 
 his wife: 
 
 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her 
 firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. 
 
 24 which is, being interpreted, God with us. And 
 Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of 
 the Lord commanded him, and took unto him his 
 
 25 wife; and knew her not till she had brought forth a 
 sou : and he called his name JESUS. 
 
 might mean 'thou shalt call,' and so the Sept. 
 has "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and 
 bring forth a son, and thou shalt call," etc. 
 Matthew has substantially the same as the 
 Sept. (which he commonly follows, comp. on 
 3:3,) only changing the last verb to 'they 
 shall call,' i. e., people shall call he shall be 
 so recognized. (Comp. Isa. 8: 3.) The He- 
 brew substantive signifies 'maiden.' No case 
 has been found in which it must mean a mar- 
 ried woman ; the only examples adduced by 
 Gesenius and others (Prov. so: 19 ; cant. -. a) fail to 
 prove the point. The Sept. here translates 
 'virgin,' Matthew confirms that by his au- 
 thority, and all the efforts have failed to show 
 that it is wrong. 1 Immanuel. One of the 
 forms of the principal Hebrew word for God 
 is el ; and immnnu signifies ' with us.' While 
 this was to be the actual name of the child 
 born in the time of Ahaz, it was for Jesus not 
 a name actually borne, but only a description 
 of his character and position. Comp. the 
 name Jedediah, ' beloved of Jehovah,' which 
 Nathan gave to Solomon at his birth (*sani. 
 12:25), but which was not actually borne by 
 him. Comp. also Isa. 60: 18; Ezek. 48: 35. 
 
 24. Joseph, believing and obedient, at once 
 married his betrothed, with all the customary 
 ceremonies, taking her to his house, where 
 she would have his protection and tender 
 care. They lived in Nazareth. (See on 2: 23.) 
 
 25. Till she brought forth her firstborn 
 son. The Revised Version properly omits 
 the phrase, ' her firstborn.' l Though not said 
 
 here, it is said in Luke 2: 7, that he was 'her 
 firstborn.' This phrase of Luke, and Mat- 
 thew's 'till,' naturally suggest that Mary 
 afterwards bore other children, but do not 
 certainly prove it. The word 'till' is some- 
 times employed where the state of things does 
 not change after the time indicated. Yet the 
 examples adduced (the best are, perhaps, Ps. 
 112: 8; 110: 1; less apposite are Gen. 8:7; 
 Deut. 34 : 6 ; 1 Sam. 15 : 35 ; 2 Sam. 6 : 23 ; Isa. 
 22: 14; 1 Tim. 4: 13) are none of them really 
 similar to the one before us. The word will 
 inevitably suggest that afterwards it was 
 otherwise, unless there be something in the 
 connection or the nature of the case to forbid 
 such a conclusion. In like manner the dedi- 
 cation of the firstborn son (Exodus 13 : 15) gave a 
 sort of technical sense to the term 'firstborn,' 
 which might cause it to be applied to an only 
 child. Still, this would be very unnatural for 
 Luke, writing long afterwards, and perfectly 
 knowing that there was no other offspring, if 
 such was the case. Combine these separate 
 strong probabilities furnished by 'till' and 
 'firstborn' with the third expression 'brethren' 
 or ' brothers ' and even ' sisters ' (see on 13 : 
 55), and the result is a very strong argument 
 to the effect that Mary bore other children. 
 The Romanists .hold marriage to be a less 
 holy state than celibacy, and so they set aside 
 all these expressions without hesitation. 
 When some Protestants (as Alexander), on 
 grounds of vague sentiment, object to the 
 idea that Mary was really a wife, and repeat- 
 
 'Tbis Hebrew word is alnuth. Another word, bethu- 
 lah. generally means virgin, but in Joel 1 : 8 is clearly 
 applied to a young wife. If such an instance had 
 been found for almnh, it would have been claimed as 
 triumphant proof that 'virgin' is not here a proper 
 translation. The other Greek translations of Isaiah 
 render by neanui, a young woman ; but it must be re- 
 membered that the Christians early began to use this 
 passage against the Jews, and that of the three trans- 
 lators Aquila was a Jew, Theodotion a Jew or a 
 heretic, Symmachus an Ebionlte (Judaizer,) which 
 makes their rendering suspicious. Buxtorf and Levy 
 give no Aramaic (Chaldee) examples in which almah 
 must moan a married woman. The result seems to 
 be that almah does not certainly prove a virgin birth 
 
 but fully admits of that sense, which Matthew con- 
 firms. 
 
 *This is the reading of the two oldest (B and N), nnd 
 several other important Greek MSS. (Z. 1, 33), and of the 
 four oldest versions (old Latin, old Syriac, and the two 
 Egyptian.) The additional words, ' her firstborn,' are 
 obviously added from Luke 2 : 7, where the text does 
 not vary. We can see why many copies should have 
 inserted them here, to make Matthew similar to Luke, 
 and can see no reason why any copy should have 
 omitted them here, when well known to exist in Luke. 
 Observation shows that assimilation of parallel pas- 
 sages was almost always elTected by insertion in the 
 shorter, and the probable reason is that it would have 
 been held irreverent by students and copyists to omit 
 anything from the lunger text.
 
 14 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 TCn. II. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 NOW when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea 
 in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came 
 wise meu from the east to Jerusalem, 
 
 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judsea 
 in the days of Herod the king, behold, J wise men 
 
 1 Or. Magi. Compare Esther 1 : 13 ; Dan. 2 : 13. 
 
 edly a mother, they ought to perceive that 
 the Evangelists had no such feeling, or they 
 would certainly have avoided using so many 
 expressions which naturally suggest the con- 
 trary. 
 
 It was inevitable that Jesus should be com- 
 monly regarded as the son of Joseph (is:55 ; 
 John i:46), for the divine communications to 
 Joseph and Mary could not at present be 
 made known. Accordingly even Mary says, 
 'thy father and I,' and even Luke 'his 
 parents'. (Luke 2: 41,43, 43.) 
 
 HOMILKTICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 18 f. The most ' highly-favored ' of all 
 women has to bear for a time the deepest re- 
 proach a woman can suffer. (Edersh. : "The 
 first sharp pang of the sword which was to pierce 
 her soul.") But it proves only a step in the 
 progress to everlasting honor. V. 19 f. Divine 
 guidance in perplexity. ( 1 ) A perplexity here 
 of the most cruelly painful sort. (2) The per- 
 plexed man is unselfishly anxious to do right. 
 (3) He takes time and reflects. (4) The Lord 
 directs him. Personal righteousness and pray- 
 erful reflection will often carry us through ; 
 and the result may be the highest joy. JER. 
 TAYLOR : "In all our doubts we shall have a 
 resolution from heaven, or some of its minis- 
 ters, if we have recourse thither for a guide, 
 and be not hasty in our discourses, or incon- 
 siderate in our purposes, or rash in judgment." 
 V. 20. Jesus and the Holy Spirit. (l)Hishu- 
 manity due to the Holy Spirit. (2) His whole 
 life controlled by the Holy Spirit (4: 1; 12: 
 28; John 3: 34; Heb. 9: 14). (3) His mission 
 vindicated and commended by the Holy Spirit. 
 (1 Tim. 3: 16; John 16: 8-11.) (4) His work 
 continued by the Holy Spirit (John 14: 16; 
 16: 13; Acts 16: 7; 'the Spirit of Christ,' 
 Rom. 8: 9.) V. 21. The three Joshuas. Our 
 Saviour. I. What he is. (1) God with us. (2) 
 Born of a woman. (3) Thus the God-man. 
 II. What he does. (1) He will save. (2) He 
 will save his people. (3) He will save his people 
 from their sins. The gospel not merely gives 
 us religious instruction, but makes known a 
 personal Saviour. Its power does not reside 
 
 in propositions, but in a person. V. 22. Provi- 
 dence fulfilling prophecy. V. 21-23. NICOLL : 
 "Jesus Christ was, (1) The child of the Holy 
 Ghost, who had existed from eternity, and 
 now entered into the sphere of sense and time ; 
 (2) Born into the world with a distinct mission 
 his name was called Jesus, because he was 
 tosave." V. 23. Mary. (1) The Mary of pro-' 
 phecy. (2) The Mary of history. (3) The 
 Mary of modern fancy. See Milton's "Hymn 
 on the Nativity," and Mrs. Browning's noble 
 poem, "The Virgin Mary to the Child Jesus." 
 LORIMER : ''Such a mother must have ex- 
 erted a marked influence on the character of 
 her child. To question it would be to ques- 
 tion the reality of his humanity." 
 
 The Incarnation, as to its nature, is of ne- 
 cessity unfathomably mysterious ; but as a 
 fact, it is unspeakably glorious, and, with the 
 Atonement and Intercession, it furnishes a 
 divinely simple and beautifnl solution of the 
 otherwise insoluble problem of human salva- 
 tion. Many things the world accepts and uses 
 as vitally important facts, concerning the na- 
 ture of which there may yet be questions it is 
 impossible to answer. 
 
 Ch. 2: 1-12. THE VISIT OF THE MAGI. 
 
 Having spoken of the birth of Jesus (comp. 
 on 1 : 18,) the Evangelist now adds (oh. 2) two 
 incidents of his infancy, viz., the visit of the 
 Magi (v-i-u), and closely connected therewith 
 the flight into Egypt and return, (v. 13-23 ) The 
 first tends to show that Jesus was the Messiah, 
 and to honor him, in bringing out the sig- 
 nal respect paid him by distinguished Gen- 
 tiles, (as often predicted of the Messiah, e. g., 
 Isa. 60: 3,) and in stating the appearance of a 
 star in connection with his birth ; the second 
 incident exhibits God's special care of the 
 child. Both are connected with extraordinary 
 divine communications (v. 12, is, 19), designed 
 for his protection, and with the fulfillment of 
 prophecies concerning the Messiah, such as 
 the birth at Bethlehem (5), the calling out of 
 Egypt (15), the disconsolate mourners (18), 
 and the residence at Nazareth (23). Compar- 
 ing this section with Luke, ch. 2, we see
 
 Cri. II.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 15 
 
 that Matthew records such incidents of the 
 infancy as furnish proofs that Jesus is the 
 Messiah to prove which is a special aim of his 
 Gospel. One of these proofs, to a Jew, was 
 the homage of Gentiles ; while Luke, writing 
 more for Gentiles, who knew that the major- 
 ity of the Jews had rejected Jesus as their 
 Messiah, mentions the recognition of the child 
 by the conspicuously devout Jews, Simeon 
 and Hannah. 
 
 1. The narrative goes right on. The pre- 
 ceding sentence ended with the name Jesus, 
 and this begins: Now when Jesus was 
 born, etc. Literally, the Jesus, the one just 
 mentioned; 'this Jesus' would be too strong 
 a rendering, but it may help to show the close 
 connection. 
 
 Bethlehem is a very ancient but always 
 small village, prettily situated on a hill about 
 five miles south of Jerusalem. Its original 
 name was Ephrath or Ephratah (Gen. 35 = IB, 19 ; 
 *:T,) probably applied to the surrounding 
 country, as well as to the town. The Israel- 
 ites named it Beth-lehem, 'house of bread,' 
 or, as we should say, ' bread-town,' which the 
 Arabs retain as Beit-lahm. This name was 
 doubtless given because of the fruitfulness of 
 its fields, which is still remarkable. It was 
 called Bethlehem Ephratah, or Bethlehem Ju- 
 dah, to distinguish it from another Bethlehem 
 not far from Nazareth in the portion of Zab- 
 ulon. (Josh. 19: is.) Judea here must conse- 
 quently be understood, not as denoting the 
 whole country of the Jews, Palestine, but in 
 a narrower sense, Judea as distinguished 
 from Galilee (see on 2: 22). A beautiful pic- 
 ture of life at Bethlehem is found in the Book 
 of Ruth. It was the birthplace. of David, 
 but he did nothing to increase its importance ; 
 nor did the 'Son of David,' who was born 
 there, ever visit it, so far as we know, during 
 his public ministry, which appears not to have 
 extended south of Jerusalem. In like man- 
 ner the present population is only about 4,000, 
 some of whom cultivate the surrounding hills 
 and beautiful deep valleys, while many make 
 their living by manufacturing trinkets to sell 
 to pilgrims and travelers. .In itself, Bethle- 
 hem was from first to last "little to be among 
 the thousands of Judah" (Micah, Rev. Ver. ); 
 yet in moral importance it was "in no wise 
 I'-a-t." among them (Matt., Rev. Ver.), for 
 from it cuinu forth the Messiah. The tradi- 
 
 tional localities of particular sacred events 
 which are now pointed out there, are all more 
 or less doubtful ; but the general locality is 
 beyond question that near to which Jacob 
 buried his Rachel, where Ruth gleaned in 
 the rich wheat fields, and David showed his 
 youthful valor in protecting his flock, and 
 where valley and hill-side shone with celestial 
 light and echoed the angels' song when the 
 Saviour was born. 
 
 Matthew here first mentions a place. He 
 does not refer to a previous residence of 
 Joseph and Mary at Nazareth (Luke 1:26,27), 
 but certainly does not in the least exclude 
 it; and in fact his way of introducing Beth- 
 lehem seems very readily to leave room for 
 what we learn elsewhere, viz., that the events 
 he has already narrated (i : 18-25) did not occur 
 at that place. 
 
 Herod the king would be well known, 
 by this simple description, to Matthew's first 
 readers, who knew that the other royal 
 Herods (Antipas and Agrippa) belonged to 
 a later period. (Luke also, 1: 5, places the 
 birth of Jesus in his reign.) The Maccabean 
 or Hasmonean 1 line of rulers, who had made 
 the second century B. c., one of the most 
 glorious periods in the national history, had 
 rapidly degenerated, and after the virtual 
 conquest of Judea by the Romans (B. c., 63), 
 an Idumean named Antipater attained, by 
 Roman favor, a gradually increasing power 
 in the State, and his son Herod was at length 
 (B. c., 40) declared, by the Senate at Rome, to 
 be king of the Jews. Aided by the Roman 
 arms, Herod overcame the opposition of the 
 people, and in B. c. 37, established his au- 
 thority, which he sought to render less un- 
 popular by marrying the beautiful Mariamne, 
 the heiress of the Maccabean line. Adroit 
 and of pleasing address, Herod was a favorite 
 successively of Antony and Augustus, and 
 even the fascinating Cleopatra was unable to 
 circumvent him. Amid the confusion of the 
 Roman civil wars, he appears to have dreamed 
 of founding a new Eastern empire; and pos- 
 sibly with this view he made costly presents 
 to all the leading cities of Greece, and secured 
 the appointment of President of the Olympic 
 Games. Meantime he strove to please his 
 
 iThey were called Maccalnsan from Judas Maccabeus, 
 and Hasmonean or Asamoiiean from Cbasmon, one of 
 
 Lis uucestois.
 
 16 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 CH. II. 
 
 own people, while also gratifying his personal 
 tastes, by erecting many splendid buildings 
 in various cities of his dominions; among 
 others rebuilding the Temple in a style of 
 unrivaled magnificence. That he could com- 
 mand means for such lavish expense at home 
 and abroad, at the same time courting popu- 
 larity by various remissions of taxes, shows 
 that his subjects were numerous and wealthy, 
 and his administration vigorous. But besides 
 being a usurper, not of the Davidic nor of 
 the Maccabean line supported by the hated 
 Romans, and a favorer of foreign ideas and 
 customs, and even of idolatry, he was ex- 
 tremely arbitrary and cruel, especially in his 
 declining years. Mariamne herself, whom 
 he loved with mad fondness, and several of 
 his sons, with many other persons, fell victims 
 to his jealousy and suspicion. Bitterly hated 
 by the great mass of the Jews, and afraid to 
 trust even his own family, the unhappy old 
 tyrant was constantly on the watch for at- 
 tempts to destroy him, or to dispose of the 
 succession otherwise than he wished. These 
 facts strikingly accord with the perturbation 
 at hearing of one 'born king of the Jews,' and 
 the hypocrisy, cunning, and cruelty, which 
 appear in connection with the visit of the 
 Magi. (See on v. 20, 22, and read the copious 
 history of Herod in Josephus, "Antiquities 
 [Ancient History] of the Jews," Book XIV.- 
 XVIII., a history which throws much light 
 on the New Testament times.) 
 
 The wise men, or Magi (see margin Rev. 
 Ver. ), were originally the priestly tribe or 
 caste among the Medes, and afterwards the 
 Medo-Persians, being the recognized teachers 
 
 of religion and of science. 1 In the great Per- 
 sian Empire they wielded the highest influ- 
 ence and power. As to science, they cultivated 
 astronomy, especially in the form of astrology, 
 with medicine, and every form of divination 
 and incantation. Their name gradually came 
 to be applied to persons of similar position and 
 pursuits in other nations, especially to diviners, 
 enchanters. It is used in the Greek transla- 
 tion of Dan. 1: 20; 2: 27; 5: 7, 11, 16, to 
 render a word signifying 'diviner,' etc. So 
 in the New Testament it is emploj'ed to de- 
 scribe Barjesus (Acts 13: 6, 8, translated 'sor- 
 cerer'), and words derived from it applied to 
 Simon at Samaria (Acts 8 : 9, 11, 'sorceries'), 
 who is commonly spoken of as Simon Magus 
 (comp. also Wisdom 17: 7) ; and from it come 
 our words magic, magician, etc. It is how- 
 ever probable that these tuagi from the East 
 were not mere ordinary astrologers or diviners, 
 but belonged to the old Persian class, many 
 members of which still maintained a high po- 
 sition and an elevated character. (Comp. 
 Upham.) So it is likely, but of course not 
 certain, that they came from Persia or from 
 Babylonia;' 2 in the latter region Jews were 
 now very numerous and influential, and in 
 Persia also they had been regarded with spe- 
 cial interest, as far back as the time of Cyrus. 
 However this may be, the visit and homage 
 of ' magi from the East ' would be esteemed 
 by the Jews, and was in fact a most impressive 
 tribute to the infant Messiah. The tradition 
 that they were kings, found as early as Ter- 
 tullian, doubtless grew out of the supposed 
 prophecy that kings should do homage to 
 Messiah (Psa. 88: 29, si; 72:io);3 and the traditional 
 
 i The word is clearly Indo-European. The Old Per- 
 sian (Zend) language has a root nm^a greatness, evi- 
 dently the sauie root as Latin niag-nus, Sanskrit inah-at, 
 Greek meg-a(l)s, Gothic mik-ils, Scotch rnick-le, ruuck- 
 le, English much. As in Latin mag-later is ' superior,' 
 and hence 'instructor' (which we borrow as master, 
 school-master), so from mag-a came mag-avash (found 
 in the Zend Avesta), or contracted mag-ush (found in 
 the cuneiform inscriptions), which in Syriac appears as 
 megush, and in Greek took the form of magos ; just as 
 Korush was written Kuros, Cyrus. (Comp. Curtius Gr. 
 Etyni., Haug in Upham, Keil, Rawlinsou.) Similarly 
 the Hebrew rab, rabbi, rabboni, signifies superior, and 
 hence teacher. It is still a question whether Rab-mrtg 
 (Jer. 39 : 3, 13) is connected with macros (see Gesen.) ; if 
 o, it would combine the Shemitic with the Indo-Euro- 
 pean term for ' great one,' or it might mean the ' ruling 
 
 magus.' The use of magos in the Greek of Daniel does 
 not at all show that this word was employed among the 
 Babylonians themselves. The argument of Zocklor 
 j (Herzog, ed. 2) that the magi existed among the early 
 Accadians of Babylonia, is far from conclusive 
 
 2 ' East' is in the Greek here plural, 'eastern regions'; 
 but it does not differ substantially (Upham wrong) from 
 the singular (see 8: 11; 24: 27; Luke 13: 29.) 
 
 3 Matthew can hardly have regarded their coming as 
 the fulfillment of any particular prophecy, or according 
 to his custom he would have been apt to mention it. 
 Weiss.: "The critfcs who maintain that he modified 
 facts and perverted predictions in order to find varied 
 fulfillment of Messianic prophecy, ought to account for 
 this neglect of such notable passages as those just 
 quoted from the Psalms."
 
 CH. II.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 17 
 
 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? 
 for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to 
 worship him. 
 
 2 from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 1 Where is 
 he that is born King of the Jews? for we saw his 
 
 1 Or, Where ii the King of the Jew* that is born t 
 
 number three was apparently drawn from the 
 number of their gifts. These, with the tradi- 
 tional names, are of no authority, and of no 
 consequence except as connected with modern 
 Christian art. Hise men from the East. 
 The Greek is ambiguous, but more probably 
 means this than "wise men came from the 
 East." To Jerusalem, the capital of the 
 country, these strangers would naturally 
 come, as there they could most readily obtain 
 information concerning the new-born king. 
 (As to Jerusalem, see on 21 : 10.) 
 
 2. His star. Two non-supernatural ex- 
 planations have been offered. (1) One was 
 first suggested by the astronomer Kepler (D. 
 1&50), and is well presented by Alford (last 
 ed. ). In the year 747 of Eome there were 
 three different conjunctions (in the constella- 
 tion Pisces) of the planets Jupiter and Saturn, 
 in May, October, and November. The 
 astrology-loving Magi may have somehow 
 connected this conjunction with the birth of 
 a Jewish king; even as the Jewish writer, 
 Abarbanel (A. D. 1453), thought the Messiah 
 was at hand in his day because there had been 
 a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces, 
 a conjunction of which planets tradition rep- 
 resented as associated with the birth of Moses. 
 It is supposed that after the May conjunction 
 the Magi set out, and in Jerusalem saw the 
 October or November conjunction, either of 
 which at certain hours would have been in 
 the direction of Bethlehem. But the Greek 
 word is aster, 'star,' and not astron, which 
 is used for a group of stars. The two planets 
 cannot have "appeared as one star," for a 
 recent English astronomer shows (Smith's 
 "Diet.") that they were never nearer each 
 other than one degree, which is about double 
 the apparent diameter of the moon. Some 
 hold that 'star' must here be taken in a 
 general sense, denoting a group; but the 
 distinction between the two Greek words is 
 uniformly observed. It is also objected to 
 
 time a passage from a minor Midrash about 
 the Messiah, to the effect that two years before 
 his coming "the star shall shine forth in the 
 east, and this is the star of the Messiah." But 
 these minor Rabbinical treatises are of un- 
 certain date, and there would be much room 
 for suspecting that the statement in question 
 was imitated from Matthew. (2) Some "va- 
 riable stars" (see any recent work on as- 
 tronomy) vary so widely as at times to become 
 invisible and afterwards re-appear; aad it 
 has been supposed (Lutteroth) that such a 
 disappearing and re-appearing star was seen 
 by the Magi. Either of these theories is in 
 itself possible, and a reasonable natural expla- 
 nation would obviously be better than the 
 unnecessary introduction of the miraculous. 
 But it is extremely difficult to reconcile these 
 theories with the language of v. 9, 'the star 
 . . . went before them, till it came and stood 
 over where the young child was.' If a 
 heavenly body be considered as moving for- 
 ward in advance of them from Jerusalem, it 
 would be equally in advance when they 
 arrived at Bethlehem, and in no sense stand- 
 ing over that place. Taking Matthew's lan- 
 guage according to its obvious import, we 
 have to set aside the above explanations, and 
 to regard the appearance as miraculous; con- 
 jecture as to its nature will then be to no 
 profit. The supernatural is easily admitted 
 here, since there were so many miracles con- 
 nected with the Saviour's birth, and the visit 
 of the Magi was an event of great moral sig- 
 nificance, fit to be the occasion of a miracle. 
 Why did they call it his star? Upon 
 theory (1) we should suppose some astrologi- 
 cal ground, as above intimated. Otherwise 
 we are unable to explain. Some hypotheti- 
 cally connect it with Balaam's prophecy of a 
 star out of Jacob (Num. 24:17), which all the 
 Targums refer to Messiah (Wiinsche), and 
 which on this hypothesis is supposed to have 
 led to an eastern tradition. Others connect it 
 
 this theory that other data for the time of j with the fact attested, towards a century later 
 
 Christ's birth would place it at least two years 
 later than A. u. c., 747, though the conclusion 
 from those data is not certain. Edersh. rather 
 :"avors this theory, and adduces for the first 
 
 B 
 
 than the visit of the Magi, by Joseph us, Sun- 
 ton ius, and Tacitus, that it had long been 
 believed throughout the East that persons 
 sprung from Judea would gain supreme
 
 18 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Ce. II. 
 
 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was 
 troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 
 
 4 Aud when he had gathered all the chief priests and 
 scribes of the people together, he demanded of them 
 where Christ should be born. 
 
 3 star in theeast, and are come to ! worship hiru. And 
 when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and 
 
 4 all Jerusalem with hiiu. And gathering together 
 all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he 
 
 bould be b 
 
 inquired of them where the Christ sh 
 
 born. 
 
 1 The Greek work denotes an act of reverence, whether paid to man (see ch. 18 : 26), or to God (see ch. 4 : 10). 
 
 power (Jos. "War," vi. 6, 4; Suet. "Vesp." 
 4; Tac. "Hist." v. 13) ; but there is in those 
 writers nothing of a star, 1 and Suetonius and 
 Tacitus appear to have merely borrowed from 
 Josephus. 
 
 In the east might here mean ' at its rising ' ; 
 but v. 9 leaves no doubt. Worship. But 
 do homage is much more probably the cor- 
 rect rendering here (the Greek word mean- 
 ing either), because there is no reason to 
 believe that they regarded the new born king 
 as in any sense divine, though they appar- 
 ently expected his reign to influence other 
 nations. 
 
 3. Herod was troubled at the idea of a 
 rival (see on v. 1); and while many depend- 
 ants of Herod would really share his feelings, 
 being interested in the permanence of his gov- 
 ernment, all the people would be disturbed at 
 the same time, through fear of new tyrannies 
 and cruelties as the effect of his jealous fears. 
 
 4. As the question to be asked was a relig- 
 ious-political one, the king assembled all the 
 leading students of the law to answer it. 
 The chief priests and scribes might mean 
 the Sanhedrin, as in 20: 18, the elders being 
 here omitted, as in 27 : 1 the scribes are omit- 
 ted. But the word all, with the additional 
 phrase of the people, makes it more natural 
 to understand a general assemblage of teach- 
 ers, including many scribes, who did not be- 
 long to the Sanhedrin. This would accord 
 with the idea of great uneasiness on his part ; 
 comp. the similar course of Nebuchadnezzar 
 and Belshazzar. (Dan. 2 = 2; 5:7.) The 'chief 
 priests' comprised the high priest at the time, 
 any persons who had previously occupied that 
 office (as Herod and the Romans made frequent 
 changes), and probably also the heads of the 
 twenty-four courses of priests (Lukei:8), for the 
 language of Josephus (" Ant. "xx. 8, 8; " War," 
 iv. 3, 9) implies that the number of 'high 
 priests' was considerable. The term 'scribes' 
 (in the Old Testament meaning military sec- 
 
 retaries) had now for several centuries denoted 
 those who supervised the copying of the 
 Scriptures, which Jewish feeling required to 
 be performed with the most scrupulous care. 
 Their minute acquaintance with the text of 
 Scripture would naturally lead to their being 
 consulted as to its meaning; and in the time 
 of our Lord they were by common consent 
 regarded as authorized expounders of the 
 law (hence called 'lawyers,' 22: 35), and be- 
 sides answering the inquiries of individuals as 
 to questions of truth and duty, many of them 
 gave public instruction on such subjects, 
 (hence called 'doctors or teachers of the 
 law,' Luke 5: 17), particularly at the schools 
 in the temple courts. Their instructions and 
 practical decisions were at this time seldom 
 the result of their own thinking, but con- 
 sisted of sayings handed down from earlier 
 teachers, or traditional decisions of tribunals 
 in former times. (Comp. on 7: 29.) Those 
 scribes who acted as teachers were among the 
 persons called Rabbi. Altogether, they pos- 
 sessed very great influence and distinction, 
 and some of their number were united with 
 the 'chief priests' and the 'elders' to form 
 the Sanhedrin (see on 26: 57, 59). Filled 
 with ambition and vanity, they exposed 
 themselves to the severe censure of our Lord, 
 who gives a vivid picture of them in Luke 
 20: 46. Some of the scribes were Sadducees, 
 but most of them Pharisees ; and hence we 
 frequently find the 'scribes and Pharisees' 
 mentioned together, since the policy and the 
 special faults which characterized the scribes 
 extended also to all the rest of the great 
 Pharisaic party. 
 
 Christ, literally, the Christ. The article 
 should by all means be retained in the Eng- 
 lish. It is proper to use in translation the 
 Greek word ' Christ ' ; but we may often see 
 more clearly how such expressions presented 
 themselves to the original Jewish hearers, by 
 substituting 'the Messiah.' (Try this, e. g., in 
 
 i The position of autou, ' his,' does not necessarily 
 show emphasis, the star that signifies him and no 
 other (Meyer, Weiss), for these genitive pronouns are 
 often put before their noun, without emphasis, where 
 
 some strong word precedes on which they may lean 
 the matter being regulated by mere taste as to the 
 harmonious succession of words. (See Winer, p. 
 155 [193].)
 
 CH. II.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 19 
 
 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: 
 for thus it is written by the prophet, 
 
 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not 
 the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee 
 shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 
 
 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise 
 men, inquired of them diligently what time the star 
 appeared. 
 
 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judsea: 
 for thus it is written through the prophet, 
 
 6 And thou Bethlehem, land of Juduh, 
 
 Art in no wise least among the princes of Judah : 
 For out of thee shall come forth a governor, 
 Who shall be shepherd of my people Israel. 
 
 7 Then Herod privily called the ^ise men, and 
 learned of them carefully 8 wbat time the star ap- 
 
 1 Or, Where is the King of the Jewi that t< born t 2 Or, tke time of the itar that appeared. 
 
 22: 42; 24: 5, 23; Mark 12: 35; Luke 24: 26, 
 46; John 7: 27, 81, 41, 42; Acts 17: 3; 18: 28.) 
 As to the meaning of 'Christ,' see on 1 : 1. 
 Should be born, viz., according to the pro- 
 phets, or any other means of knowing; where 
 is the appointed or expected place of Mes- 
 siah's birth. * 
 
 5, 6. They could answer without hesita- 
 tion, in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus (to 
 this effect, viz., that the Messiah is to be 
 born there) it is written (has been written, 
 and stands now written, is on record) by 
 (properly through, see on 1 : 22) the pro- 
 phet, viz., Micah 5: 2. The application of 
 this prediction to the birth of the Messiah 
 at Bethlehem is obvious and generally ad- 
 mitted, and was familiar in the time of our 
 Lord (Lightfoot.Wetstein, Wunsche, Edersh.) 
 It is here quoted with some changes of phrase- 
 ology which may be readily explained. Mi- 
 cah, as is often done in poetry, uses an antique 
 name Bethlehem Ephratah (Gen 48: 7; see 
 on v. 1); Matthew takes the common Old 
 Testament form, Bethlehem- Judah (Rath i: 
 i, t.), though not the purely Greek form Ju- 
 dea, as in v. 1, 5; and prefixes ' land,' as when 
 we say, ' Richmond, State of Virginia' (Alex- 
 ander). Micah says, 'Thou art little to be 
 among the thousands of Judah, (yet) out of 
 thee,' etc., (Rev. Ver.), meaning that it is a 
 small and insignificant place (see on v. 1), 
 scarcely worthy to be numbered among the 
 towns of Judnh yet out of it would come, 
 etc.; while Matthew's mind turns towards 
 the moral importance of Bethlehem as de- 
 rived from this very fact, and so he puts it, 
 art in no wise the least among the leaders of 
 Judah, for out of thee,' Rev. Ver. 'Thou- 
 sands' was an antique designation of the great 
 families into which the tribes were subdivided 
 
 (judg. 6 : 15, margin ; 1 Sam. 10: 19; 23: 23), and Was ap- 
 plied by Micah to a town as the residence of 
 such a family ; while Matthew uses the more 
 familiar term, 'governors' or 'princes,' mean- 
 ing those who by birth stood at the head of 
 the great families, and might therefore repre- 
 sent them or their abode. (Or Matthew's 
 Hebrew text may, perhaps, have had a 
 slightly different word which signifies 'lead- 
 ers.) Shall rule. This is a general term used 
 by Micah, but Matthew uses the specific word 
 shepherd, who shall shepherd my people, 
 which includes both governing, protecting, 
 and feeding a form of expression applied 
 to kings, both in Scripture and the classics, 
 and repeatedly used in Messianic prophecies. 2 
 The other slight differences require no ex- 
 planation. It thus appears that the changes 
 in phraseology which Matthew here makes 
 in quoting do not introduce any idea foreign 
 to the original, but bring out more plainly 
 its actual meaning; and the same thing is 
 true in many other New Testament quota- 
 tions from the Old Testament. It was com- 
 mon among the Jews of that age to interpret 
 in quoting (see Edersh., ch. 8). We see from 
 John 7: 42 that the Jews understood this pas- 
 sage of Micah as Messianic; and in like man- 
 ner the Targum (Toy) puts it, "Out of thee 
 shall come forth before me the Messiah." 
 
 7 f. Then is a favorite word of transition 
 with Matthew (2:16; s:is; 4: i.etc.) Privily, or 
 privately. In public, Herod doubtless affect- 
 ed unconcern ; besides, if his inquiries should 
 become known, the parties affected might 
 take the alarm and escape. What time the 
 star appeared. This would give some indi- 
 cation as to the age of the child. He there- 
 fore inquired diligently, or, learned care- 
 fully, Rev. Ver. sought exact (or accurate) 
 
 1 It is not likely that Matthew intended anything 
 more than variety in using two words for 'born,' v. 1, 
 <, and v. 2. 
 
 'The English verb 'to shepherd' is much wanted 
 here and in various other passages (e. g., John 21 : 16; 
 Acts 20: 28; 1 Peter 5: 2; Rev. 7: 17). It is given as a 
 
 word of 'rare' use by Webster and Worcester, and is 
 employed here by Darby and by Davidson. Though 
 not so familiar as to . uit a popular version, it may, 
 perhaps, be allowable as a strict rendering. Rev. Ver., 
 ' which shall be shepherd of my people.'
 
 20 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. II. 
 
 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and 
 search diligently for the young child ; and when ye 
 have found him, bring me word again, that 1 may come 
 and worship him also. 
 
 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; 
 and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went be- 
 fore them, lill it came and stood over where the young 
 child was. 
 
 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with ex- 
 ceeding great joy. 
 
 11 And when they were come into the house, they 
 saw the voung child with Mary his mother, and fell 
 down, and worshipped him : and when they had opened 
 their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, 
 and frankincense, and myrrh. 
 
 8 peared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, 
 Go and search out carefully concerning the young 
 child ; and when ye have found him, bring me word, 
 
 9 that I also may come and worship him. And they, 
 having heard the king, went their way ; and lo, the 
 star, which they saw in the east, went before them, 
 till it came and stood over where the young child 
 
 10 was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced 
 
 11 with exceeding great joy. And they came into the 
 house and saw the young child with Mary his 
 mother; and they fell down and worshipped him; 
 and opening their treasures they offered unto him 
 
 knowledge on that point. 'Diligently' in 
 Com. Ver. was drawn from the Vulgate 
 Latin. It is likely that when the Magi first 
 came he had inquired why they believed the 
 star to signify that a king of the Jews was 
 born. And now, having learned the place 
 and age, he takes steps to learn the person. 
 Go and search diligently, or investigate 
 accurately, the expression in v. 8 being fuller 
 and stronger than in v. 7. He treats the mat- 
 ter as highly important, and he is a man who 
 never leaves any stone unturned. 
 
 9, 10. The Magi were not well acquainted 
 with Herod's character, and appear not to 
 have suspected his real design ; so they set 
 about carrying out his directions. It has al- 
 ways been quite common in the East to travel 
 at night. And lo, a phrase to call attention. 
 The Greek word is used very often by Matt. 
 (1 : 20, 23; 2: 1, 9, 13, 19, etc.), and Luke, rarely 
 by Mark or John. It was long ago that they 
 saw the star in the East, and here it is again. 
 Went before them, literally, led them for- 
 ward, and the Greek has the imperfect, natu- 
 rally suggesting that as they moved forward 
 it moved also. (Comp. on v. 2). It appears 
 to have indicated to them not merely the town 
 showing that the scribes were right but the 
 quarter of the town, if not the very house, 
 (v. 11.) Notice the strong expression of v. 10, 
 as to their joy. 
 
 11. The house, i. e., the particular house 
 in which he was, as referred to in v. 9, or per- 
 haps the house over which the star stood. 
 "We are not to think here of the place in 
 which the shepherds had found the child, 
 on the morning after his birth. (Luke 2: 16.) It 
 had in all probability been some time since 
 
 then : the presentation in the temple, forty 
 days after the birth (Luke 2: 22; Lev. 12: 1-1), must 
 have taken place before this visit which 
 troubled all Jerusalem, and which was im- 
 mediately followed by the flight into Egypt. 
 There had possibly also been a journey to 
 Nazareth (Luke 2: sg) ) and Joseph seems to have 
 been now making Bethlehem his home. 
 (Comp. on v. 23. )i To speak of a little 
 child with his mother is so natural that no 
 stress should be laid on the omission of 
 Joseph, who is mentioned by Luke (2; is) in 
 describing the previous visits of the shepherds. 
 Observe that it is the child with Mary his 
 mother. (Comp. v. 13.) Our modern Ko- 
 manists would have been sure to say, "the 
 blessed Virgin with her child." Fell down 
 and worshipped, or, did homage. See on v. 
 2. Presented. Offered, as in all English 
 Versions before King James, is the literal 
 and common rendering, and more expressive 
 of respect than "presented." The word 
 rendered treasures here more probably 
 means treasure-chests, or the like, i. e., the 
 vessels or packages containing the treasures. 
 The refinements and spiritualizings of numer- 
 ous ancient and modern expositors as to the 
 number and significance of the gifts pre- 
 sented, are wholly unwarranted. It was, 
 and still is, an Oriental custom and regarded 
 as of great importance, that one must never 
 visit a superior, especially a king, without 
 some gift (comp. Gen. 43 : 11 ; 1 Sam. 9 : 7, 8; 
 1 Kings 10: 2; Psalm 72: 10); and nothing 
 could be more appropriate, or was more cus- 
 tomary, than gold and costly spices. Frank- 
 incense (English name from its giving forth 
 its odor freely) is a glittering, bitter, and 
 
 Jin here reading they Maw, Com. Ver. rightly 
 forsakes the text of both Stephens and Beza (who read 
 ' found,' comp. Luke 2 : 16), being guided by Stephens' 
 statement of authorities and Beza's note. It shows the 
 
 same unusual independence in 10: 10 'staves' though 
 wrongly there and in a few passages of other books. 
 (See Westcott and Abbott in Smith's Diet., Am. ed., 
 p. 2132 note).
 
 CH. II] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 21 
 
 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they 
 should not return to Herod, they departed into their 
 own couutry another way. 
 
 12 gifts, gold and frankincense and rayrrh. And being 
 warned of God in a dream that they should not 
 return to Herod, they departed into their own 
 country another way. 
 
 odorous gum, obtained by incisions into the 
 hark of a peculiar tree. The ancients pro- 
 cured it chiefly from Arabia, the moderns 
 bring it from the East Indies. Myrrh is the 
 gum familiar to us, which exudes from a tree 
 found in Arabia and Abyssinia. It was much 
 valued by the ancients as a perfume (PS. 45: -, 
 Songor soi.3: 6), also as a spice, a medicine, and 
 a means of embalming. (John 19 : 39). 
 
 12. Warned of God, or, divinely in- 
 structed. The Greek word denotes the recep- 
 tion of a response or communication, as from 
 an oracle, and in the Scriptures from God, 
 though the name of God is not mentioned. 
 It commonly, but not necessarily, implies a 
 previous prayer or application for direction, 
 which may or may not have been made in 
 this case. In a dream. See on 1 : 20. De- 
 parted, more exactly, retired, withdrew, as 
 in v. 13, 14, 22. Thus the execution of 
 Herod's deep-laid plan was delayed, and he 
 was prevented from knowing precisely what 
 child his jealousy should strike; while the 
 well-meaning Magi escaped all complication 
 with his further schemes. Their route of re- 
 turn may have been towards the northern end 
 of the Dead Sea as travelers now frequently 
 go, leaving Jerusalem some miles to the left 
 or around its southern end, which would 
 carry them far away from Herod in a few 
 hours. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 1. These Magi from the East will, like the 
 Queen of the South and the men of Nineveh 
 (: 41,42), rise up in the judgment and con- 
 demn all who have had clearer light concern- 
 ing the Messiah than they had, and have re- 
 jected him. 2. The 'King of the Jews' was 
 destined to become also King of the Gentiles 
 (p.i: ,8), King of the world (Rev. 11 = 15.) 3. 
 There were those that did not want the ex- 
 isting situation disturbed, even to introduce 
 .the Messianic reign. The most beneficent 
 and indispensable changes will be opposed, 
 and often by well-meaning people. 4. Herod 
 inquires the teachings of Scripture only that 
 he may work against them. By political craft 
 and might he will make even divine predic- 
 tions serve his own selfish purpose. Often 
 
 now do political tricksters appeal to religious 
 teachers to promote mere secular ends, and 
 sometimes even at the expense of religion. 
 5. 'It is written.' Not only have revelations 
 been made to men in the past, but many of 
 them stand on record, " a possession forever." 
 LUTHER: "Never mind the scribes; what 
 saith the Scripture?" The scribes should be 
 a warning to all religious teachers, in the pul- 
 pit, the Sunday-school, the family; they told 
 others where to find the Saviour, but did not 
 go to him themselves. AUGUSTINE: "They 
 were like mile-stones ; they pointed out some- 
 thing to travelers, but themselves remained 
 stolid and motionless." 6. That which is ma- 
 terially ' little ' may be morally ' by no means 
 least.' An insignificant spot has often been 
 the scene of events possessing the greatest im- 
 portance and the highest moral grandeur. So 
 with our little earth as the scene of redemp- 
 tion. 7, 8. More secret than diplomacy, 
 deeper than the investigations of the wise, and 
 mightier than all kingly power, is the provi- 
 dence of God. 'I also.' The hoary hypo- 
 crite! 9. God often overrules the errors of 
 honest men, to lead them to truth. Astrology 
 promoted the study of astronomy, alchemy 
 produced the science of chemistry. The su- 
 perstition of the Magi had part in their find- 
 ing the Messiah. 11. The joy of beholding 
 that which we have traveled far to find. 
 HALL: " The east saw that which Bethlehem 
 might have seen; ofttimes those which are 
 nearest in place are furthest off in affection." 
 LUTHER: "The star stood over the land of 
 the Jews and over their heads, and they saw 
 it not ; so ever since as to the light of the gos- 
 pel. The only monarch who ever deserved 
 that man should fall down before him was a 
 child of poverty, whose life was spent in 
 teaching, and who died an ignominious 
 death." Observe that they did homage to 
 the child, not to his mother. Gifts were offer- 
 ed loan Oriental king, not as needed by him, 
 but as the natural expression of reverence and 
 love ; so with our gifts to God. 12. The slight- 
 est touch of the supernatural may thwart the 
 profoundest human sagacity. HALL: "Those 
 sages made a happy voyage; for now they
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. II. 
 
 13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel 
 or the Lord app-arrth to .[.-pli in :i dream, aaylng. 
 Ari.ic, mill Ink'- tin- young child ami hit nOtMT, MM 
 II..- into LVypt.and (j thou there until I bring thee 
 word: lor Bwrod will M-ck the young child to dvittroy 
 him. 
 
 14 When he arose, he took the young child and hla 
 mother by ni^ht, and departed Into Egypt: 
 
 15 And wim there until the deulh of llcrod : that it 
 
 13 Now when they were departed, In l.oH, an UIIK<-I 
 of the Lord apfieareth to JoHt-uh In a dream, nay I UK, 
 Arlae,and take the youim child itn<l hi.* mother. ;ui'l 
 Wee into Egypt, and be thon tin uniil I t<-ll n,< c- : 
 for I It: rod will neck the young child to dcmroy him. 
 
 14 And he uro-e and took ih<: youny child and hln 
 
 15 mother by night, and departed into l.^ynt; and wan 
 there until the death of llcrod: that it mi-l.i \,>- 
 fulfilled which wa tpoken by the Lord through 
 
 grew into further acquaintance with God." 
 LUTHKR: We see here how Christ has three 
 kinds of disciples. 1. The priests and scribes, 
 who know the Scripture and teach it to every- 
 body, and do not come up to it themselves. 
 2. Herod, who believes the Scripture, that 
 Christ is now born ; and yet goes right against 
 it, trying to prevent what it says from being 
 done. 3. The pious Magi, who left country 
 and house and home, and made it their one 
 concern to find Christ. 
 
 "What a vast horizon opens with the begin- 
 ning of the Gospels. The genealogies point 
 back to Abraham and to Adam, and John's 
 preface points back to eternity. The census, 
 by order of Cajsar Augustus, reminds us of 
 imperial Rome and all her history. The 
 Magi, probably of Aryan descent, and full of 
 the oldest Chaldeean learning, remind us of 
 the hoary East. All the previous history of 
 Westorn Asia and of Southern Europe stand 
 in relation to this babe in Bethlebem. More- 
 over, 'the city of David,' and 'Messiah the 
 Lord,' recall the long-cherished Messianic 
 hop*-. And the angelic song treats this lowly 
 birth as an occasion of praise in heaven and 
 peace on earth. 
 
 13-18. THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. 
 
 13. Departed, withdrawn, same word as 
 in v. 12, 14, 22. It is also employed in de- 
 scribing another rapid series of withdrawals, 
 14: ]'.',; \'>: 21. The rather aw angel, the 
 Greek having here no article. Appeareth 
 in a dream, see on 1 : 20. Take, more ex- 
 actly, take along, take with you, as in 26": 37. 
 Egypt was at this time a well-governed Ro- 
 man province, and beyond the jurisdiction of 
 Herod. A journey of come seventy-five miles 
 southwest, would bring Joseph to the bor- 
 der, towards the isthmus, and a hundred miles 
 more would take him into the heart of the 
 country. Besides being thus easy of access, 
 and having in earlier days been a place of 
 
 refuge for fugitives from Judca (IKIDI.H: 40; 
 JT. 43:7),i Egypt was now thronged with Jew- 
 ish residents. Alexander the Great, in laying 
 out his new city of Alexandria, assigned a 
 place to the Jews, granting them equal privi- 
 leges with the Macedonians. The early Ptol- 
 emies pursued a similar course, transferring 
 some from Palestine by force, and encour- 
 aging the immigration of others. In Egypt 
 was made the greater part, probably the whole, 
 of the famous translation of the Old Testament 
 from Hebrew into Greek, commonly called 
 the Septuagint. About 150 B. c., a separate 
 temple was built for the Jews in Egypt, at 
 once evincing and tending to increase their 
 importance. Somewhat earlier began the suc- 
 cession of Jewish Alexandrine philosophers, 
 the most remarkable of whom, Philo, was now 
 twenty to thirty years old. In a treatise writ- 
 ten about A. D. 40, he says the Jews in Egypt 
 numbered near a million. These facts afford 
 reasons for Joseph's being directed to flee into 
 Egypt. At the same time all was providen- 
 tially arranged with a view to the fulfillment 
 of prophecy (v. 16). A late tradition names 
 the village of Matarea, near Leontopolis, the 
 site of the Jewish temple, as the residcn- .,(' 
 the "holy family." Late apocryphal writings 
 have many marvelous stories of the flight and 
 sojourn, and of the infancy of Jesus in triTi- 
 eral, which have passed freely into Christian 
 art, but are otherwise unimportant. We may 
 conjecture that the gifts of the Magi aided in 
 the support of the refugees ; a carpenter dwell- 
 ing as a foreigner in a crowded country, was 
 not likely at once to find adequate employ- 
 ment. 
 
 14. He arose at once, and set out by night. 
 The child is named first, as the more import 
 ant person, and the one endangered; and the 
 whole expression (here and in v. 18) reminds 
 us that Joseph was not really his father. 
 
 15. That it might be fulfilled .... of 
 
 i The writer was told in Southern Palestine, in 1871 
 officials, and ./fed to Egypt, 
 
 of a man who bad Incurred the wrath of the Turkish
 
 [C'H. II. 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 DiiK'lii '" fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the 
 prophet, siiyiu;;, Out "I Kgypt have I called my son. 
 
 Hi Tli. -ii II. i'l. when he saw that he was mocked of 
 the wise men, was exreedini; wroth, and scut forth, :iinl 
 lew all tin; children tliut were in llethlehem. and in all 
 - ill. I.,. i". I'r.iiu two years old and under, ac- 
 c'lnlm-.: to Hi- 1 tinio which he had diligently inquired 
 of tin' wi-i- men. 
 
 the prophet, saying, Out of Egvpt did I call my 
 16 son. Then Hand, when he Haw Unit In: win* mocked 
 of the 'wist; men. was exceeding wroth, and sent 
 forth, atxl slew nil the male children that were in 
 Bethlehem, and in all the border* thereof, from two 
 yearn old aud under, according to the time which 
 
 1 Or. Magi. 
 
 the Lord by. On 'of and 'by,' see on 1: 
 
 22. Have I called. Did I //, is u literal 
 
 translation of the Greek, and certainly better 
 
 suit- the statement of a remote event. The 
 
 prediction quoted is from Hos. 11: 1. In 
 
 form it follows the Hebrew exactly, while the 
 
 Septuagint is here quite erroneous. Hosea 
 
 iy refers to the calling of Israel out of 
 
 pt, tin- nation being elsewhere spoken of as 
 
 God'S 'SOD.' (E*. *: 2S; Jer. 31 : 9; oomp. Wlidou) 18: 13. ) 
 
 But there is an evident typical relation be- 
 tween Israel and Messiah. Thus in Isa., ch. 42 
 the 'servant of Jehovah' is primarily 
 the nation, but the predictions have been 
 more completely fulfilled in Christ, who 
 embodied and consummated the mission of 
 Israel. (See below, at the beginning of ch. 
 24, and romp. Edersh., ch. 6). In like manner 
 hen-. As l-racl in the childhood of the na- 
 tion was railed out of Egypt, so Jesus. We 
 may even find resemblance in minute details; 
 his temptation of forty days in the desert, re- 
 Hfinlili-s [grael* > temptation of forty yearsin the 
 desert, which itself corresponded to the forty 
 days spent by the spies. (Num. U:M.) Thus we see 
 how Urea's historical statement concerning 
 Israel may have been also a prediction con- 
 cerning Messiah, as the Evangelist declares it 
 was. It is not necessary to suppose that this 
 was present to the prophet's consciousness. 
 Exalted by inspiration, a prophet may well 
 have said things having deeper meanings than 
 he was distinctly aware of, and which only a 
 later inspiration, coming when the occasion 
 ar"-<'. could fully unfold. 
 
 10. Herod deemed that the Magi were tri- 
 fling with him They got from him the in- 
 formation they needed, and then coolly went 
 off without bringing back the information he 
 required and expected. A despot easily 
 come., to regard the slightest neglect to do his 
 bidding as a gross insult. Already, no 
 
 doubt, designing to make way with the child, 
 the king was now greatly incensed at this in- 
 sulting neglect, and the delay it caused; and 
 in the blind rage of a tyrant, he perpetrated 
 an act which may seem to us not merely 
 cruel but unnecessary, since his officers might 
 easily have found out the child which the 
 Magi had visited, and also ill-suited to his 
 design, since in an indiscriminate massacre 
 the child sought might escape. Such blind 
 cruelty is, under all the circumstances, natural 
 enough. And probably all this occurred with- 
 in twenty-four hours, Bethlehem being only 
 five miles off. The Magi went at nightfall, 
 and being warned in a dream, departed during 
 the night. As they did not return next day, 
 Herod would send messengers to inquire, and 
 these would report that the Magi were gone, 
 and the child missing. Herod might conclude 
 that the child was simply concealed in the 
 village or its neighborhood, and so the cruel 
 order, to be executed the same evening, 
 would seem likely to accomplish its purpose. 
 
 All the children. Properly, all the male 
 children, as in Rev. Ver., the original mark- 
 ing the gender. 1 The borders. The Eng- 
 lish word 'coasts' formerly signified borders 
 in general; the border of the Mississippi 
 River, for hundreds of miles from its mouth, 
 is still called the 'coast.' The term 'borders' 
 is often used for the territory they inclose, 
 and here means the little district belonging to. 
 the town. From two year** old and under, 
 etc., does not prove, as some have inferred, 
 that the star had appeared to the Magi two 
 years before, or even one year. A child 
 would bo called two years old as soon as it 
 entered the second year; and Herod would 
 be apt to go a good way beyond the age indi- 
 cated by the time of its appearance, in order 
 to make sure. 
 
 Ecclesiastical tradition (making it fourteen 
 
 1 It Is properly rendered In the Syrlac and the Vul- 
 gate, in the i ;eni-v:i and the Khelm*, and by lieza. Hut 
 
 Wyi lif, through t r:inlut itiK the Vulgate, hu* ximply 
 ' children,' and no Tyndule, aud ('runnier, and also j 
 
 Luther; and Common Version followed these. It must 
 have heen mippowd that the luawiiliiie expreinion was 
 meant to comprehend both nexe; but mieh a use euii 
 never be tuwuuicd unions the connection requires it.
 
 24 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. II. 
 
 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by 
 Jeremy the prophet, saying, 
 
 18 In Kama was there a voice heard, lamentation, 
 and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping 
 for her children, and would not be comforted, because 
 they are not. 
 
 17 he had carefully learned of the l wise men. Then 
 was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jere- 
 uiiah the prophet, saying, 
 
 18 A voice was heard in Kamah, 
 Weeping and great mourning, 
 Rachel weeping for her children : 
 
 And she would not be comforted, because they 
 are not. 
 
 1 Or. Magi. 
 
 thousand), and modern popular opinion have 
 greatly exaggerated the number of children 
 slain, which by any just calculation from the 
 probable population of the little town and its 
 district must have been very small, say fif- 
 teen, or twenty. We can thus see how little 
 foundation there is for the objection taken by 
 certain critics to the authenticity of this inci- 
 dent, on the ground that it is not mentioned 
 by Josephus. Amid the numerous and ag- 
 gravated cruelties which marked the closing 
 period of Herod's life, 1 the massacre of a few 
 children in an obscure village might have 
 been easily overlooked by the historian. And 
 when it is said that the connection of this 
 massacre with a person supposed to be Mes- 
 siah made it a prominent fact, we may reply 
 that, supposing this connection known to 
 Josephus (who was not born till some forty 
 years afterwards), it would have made him 
 all the more disposed to omit the incident, 
 seeing that he has the impudence to represent 
 the Messianic hopes of the nation as fulfilled 
 in his patron, Vespasian. In like manner, 
 when professing to state the teachings of John 
 the Baptist, he makes no allusion to John's 
 announcement of the coming of Messiah. 
 (See on 3: 2.) 2 
 17, 18. Then was fulfilled. So in 27: 9. 
 
 Every where else Matthew says, 'that it might 
 be fulfilled.' In these two cases he probably 
 felt an instinctive reluctance, in which we 
 can sympathize, to associate directly the 
 divine purpose with a deed of enormous 
 wickedness. He says, in these instances, as 
 in the others, that the event ' fulfilled' a pre- 
 diction; but avoids saying, what is true in a 
 just sense, but would seem to require explana- 
 tion, that the event was providentially brought 
 about for that purpose. By or, through 
 following the correct text. 3 For the mean- 
 ing of the preposition, comp. on 1 : 22. The 
 quotation is from Jer. 31 : 15. The words 
 lamentation and are here not genuine. 4 
 
 This quotation presents serious diiBculty. 
 When Nebuchadnezzar ordered that the 
 people should be carried into captivity, the 
 persons selected were assembled, previous to 
 setting out, at Kamah, which may have been 
 Ramah in the tribe of Benjamin, about five 
 miles north of Jerusalem (and ten miles from 
 Bethlehem), or else some place of that name 
 near Bethlehem (Thomson II., 28). This cap- 
 tivity seemed to threaten the complete de- 
 struction of the nation, with all their national 
 hopes; and the bitter grief of the people is 
 poetically described by representing Rachel, 
 one of the mothers of the nation the mother 
 
 1 Besides the details given by Josephus, observe the 
 following general statement ("Ant.," 17, 6, 1) : "And de- 
 spairing of surviving he grew utterly savage, acting 
 with unrestrained anger and bitterness towards all ; 
 and the cause was his belief that he was despised, and 
 that the nation took pleasure in his misfortunes." 
 
 * The Latin writer, Macrohius, an official under the 
 Christian emperor Theodosius (oth century), among 
 various witty sayings of the first Augustus, gives the 
 following: " Hearing that among the boys under two 
 years old, whom Herod, King of the Jews, ordered to 
 be killed, his own son also was slain, Augustus said, 
 "Better be Herod's pig than his son." (In Greek, 
 which Augustus habitually spoke, " Better be Herod's 
 hyn than his hyion") The tradition associated with 
 the jest, has obviously mingled the killing of Antipater, 
 Herod's grown son, with the story of the children at 
 Bethlehem. It is not at all likely that the two inci- 
 
 dents were originally connected by Augustus, who knew 
 all about the death of Antipater and his brothers. The 
 confusion is manifestly due to a later time, and the story 
 of the boys under two years most probably came from 
 Christian sources, though that question cannot be de- 
 termined. 
 
 3 Some students or copyists doubtless considered it 
 an error of previous copyists, observing that ' the Lord' 
 is not here mentioned, as in 1 : 22 ; 2 : 15, and com- 
 monly, and so altered it to ' by.' (A few MSS. have a 
 similar change to ' by ' in v. 23.) Similarly in 3 : 3. 
 
 * They were no doubt inserted by some, because 
 found in the original of the prophet. Few forms of al- 
 teration in the New Testament text are more common 
 than such assimilation of quotations to the Old Testa- 
 ment, it being erroneously taken for granted that the 
 New Testament writers always quoted with verbal ex- 
 actness.
 
 CH. II.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the 19 
 Lord appeareth in a. dream to Joseph in Egypt, 
 
 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the 
 
 of that tribe in whose territory the exiles were 
 assembled as risen from the grave, and be- 
 wailing their destruction; while the prophet 
 comforts her with the assurance that there is 
 hope for the future, for the people will be Te- 
 stored. Now, when this poetical passage is 
 said by Matthew to be 'fulfilled' in the case 
 of the massacre at Bethlehem, how are we to 
 understand him? (1) If we are unable to 
 see in the language of Jeremiah any distinct 
 reference to this massacre, it will not follow 
 that the Evangelist has merely made an apt 
 quotation. He and his Jewish readers had 
 the general conviction that everything in the 
 history of their nation was sacred and signifi- 
 cant. And wherever Matthew saw a resem- 
 blance between an event in the history of 
 Israel and an event in the life of Messiah, 
 he might consider that this resemblance was 
 divinely designed, and wish his readers to 
 take the same view. He may have used the 
 word 'fulfill' in this sense, not intending to 
 assert that there is here (as in most cases) a 
 definite prediction, distinctly fulfilled, but 
 only a discernible and noteworthy point in 
 the general relation between the older sacred 
 history and the new. Thus understood, the 
 p-i-sage would leave the term 'fulfill' a real, 
 though weakened sense, and we may, if neces- 
 sny, regard it as similar!}* used in various 
 other passages, while we must in every case 
 inquire whether there is not a fulfillment in 
 the complete sense of the word. (2) And 
 may we not here trace some indications of 
 a specific relation between the events? The 
 massacre at Bethlehem, like the occurrence 
 at Rarnah, threatens to destroy the nation's 
 future, which all really depends on Messiah. 
 If the infant Messiah is slain, then is Israel 
 ruined. Suppose only that some at Bethle- 
 hem, who had heard of the shepherds and 
 
 the Magi, now despondingly believed that 
 the new-born king was slain, and their 
 mourning would really correspond to that 
 mourning at Ramah, which Jeremiah poeti- 
 cally described. In both cases, too, the grief 
 at actual distresses is unnecessarily embittered 
 by this despair as to the future, for the youth- 
 ful Messiah had not really perished, just as 
 the captivity would not really destroy Israel. 
 In both cases the would-be destroyer fails, 
 and blessings are in store for the people of 
 God. This view may seem fine-spun, and 
 should not be too much insisted on, but it 
 is possible. (Comp. Calvin, Fairbairn, Keil.) 
 The poetical introduction of Rachel as repre- 
 senting the common grief of Israel, is only 
 a subordinate and incidental thing, and we 
 need not seek any special connection between 
 Rachel personally and Herod's massacre, such 
 as some have sought in the fact that she was 
 buried near Bethlehem, though it would not 
 be wholly unreasonable to regard that also 
 as significant. The tornb of Rachel is still 
 marked near the village, and quite probably 
 at the real place. 
 
 19-23. JOSEPH RETURNS FROM EGYPT, 
 AND MAKES His HOME AT NAZARETH. 
 
 The angel appears again, as he had prom- 
 ised, (v. is.) The death of Herod (comp. on 
 v. 1) occurred in the spring (just before the 
 Passover) of the year of Rome 750. Josephus 
 mentions an eclipse of the moon (" Ant.," 17, 
 6, 4) as taking place shortly before his death, 
 and astronomical calculations enable us to fix 
 the year with practical certainty. (Wieseler, 
 Andrews, Caspari, Nicholson.) The birth of 
 Jesus must have preceded Herod's death by 
 several months, if not longer, and must there- 
 fore have occurred at least four years before 
 the common Christian era, the first year of 
 which coincides with the year of Rome 764. * 
 
 1 Upon this nearly all scholars are now agreed, from 
 other data as well as the death of Herod, and some 
 suppose there is an error of as much as five or six 
 years. Our era was determined in the sixth century, 
 and it is not strange that an error should have been 
 committed. The mode in which we count time, Anno 
 Domini, 'In the year of our Lord.' cannot now be 
 changed. We have simply to bear in mind that the birth 
 of Christ actually occurred at least four years earlier 
 than our era, and similarly as to bis public ministry, 
 
 and death. As he was, when he began his ministry, 
 'about thirty years of age' (Luke 3: 23) i this would make 
 A. D. 26, perhaps in the autumn; and if his ministry 
 lasted, as is probable, for three and a half years, his 
 death occurred A. D. 30. Most books of history and 
 tables of chronology still fail to give these dates cor- 
 rectly, probably from fear of confusing the popular 
 mind. There can however be no danger of such con- 
 fusion, if the simple facts, as just stated, receive the 
 slightest attention.
 
 26 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. II. 
 
 20 Saying. Arise, aud take the young child and his 
 mother, ami go into the laud of Israel: for they are 
 dead which sought the youug child's life. 
 
 20 Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, say- 
 iug, Arise and take the young child and his uiothe'r. 
 aud go into the land of Israel: for they are dead 
 
 The poor old tyrant died of a most loathsome 
 and torturing disease (see Jos. "Ant.," 17, 6, 
 6), in the seventieth year of his life, and the 
 thirty-seventh of his nominal, or thirty- 
 fourth of his actual reign. (Jos. "War," 1, 
 33, 8; "Ant.," 17, 8, 1.) 
 
 2O. Take the child and go, not now ' flee,' 
 as before (v. 13). They are dead. The ex- 
 pression was probably suggested by Ex. 4: 
 19. 'For all are dead that sought thy life' 
 (Sept.), and so it takes a general form. There 
 are none now that seek the child's life all 
 such are dead. This might be suid (the ex- 
 pression being borrowed) without specific 
 reference to any death but that of Herod. 
 (So Bengel, Bleek, Keil.) It is also possible 
 to understand the plural as a mere general 
 statement of a particular fact, such as is com- 
 mon in all languages, and without any ref- 
 erence to Ex. 4: 19. (Meyer). The idea 
 (Euthym., Clark, Lutteroth) that Antipater 
 is included, who was slain a few days before 
 Herod's death, assumes that he had shared 
 his father's hostility to the child, an assump- 
 tion unsupported and improbable. To seek 
 the life of any one is a Hebrew idiom, Horn. 
 11: 3; Jer. 44: 30; Ex. 4: 19. The land of 
 Israel was said partly, perhaps, in contrast 
 to the heathen land in which they had been 
 sojourning, but also as a designation of the 
 whole country, the term ' Judea ' being pres- 
 ently applied (v. 22) to a particular district. 
 ' Land of Israel ' is not elsewhere found in 
 the New Testament, but see 'cities of Israel ' 
 in 10 : 23. But when he heard. ' Notwith- 
 standing,' in Com. Ver., is quite too strong for 
 the Greek connective. Judea, always in 
 Matthew, Mark, and John, and sometimes 
 in Luke and Acts, means the southern district, 
 as distinguished from Galilee, Samaria, and 
 Perea. Elsewhere in Luke and Acts, and 
 always in the Epistles, it denotes the whole 
 country. In v. 22 the only fact of import- 
 
 ance to Joseph is that Archelaus reigns over 
 Judea, where he has intended to live; and 
 we need not suppose that 'Judea' here in- 
 cludes Samaria, which was also under Arche- 
 laus' dominion. 1 After many changes of his 
 will, Herod at the last moment divided his 
 dominions among three of his sons (Jos. 
 "Ant.," 18, 8-11). (1) Herod Antipas was 
 made Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. (The 
 Greek word ' tetrarch ' signified originally 
 the ruler of the fourth part of a province or 
 district, as in Galatia; but was applied by 
 the Romans in the time of our Lord to the 
 ruler of any considerable part of a province 
 or people.) He is the Herod who appears in 
 connection with John the Baptist and the 
 public ministry of our Lord (14: 1 ff). (2) 
 Herod Philip, Tetrarch of Iturea, Trachonitis, 
 and some adjacent districts, is not mentioned 
 in the Gospel history, except in Luke 3: 1. 
 It was another Herod Philip, one left in a 
 private station, that married their niece Hero- 
 dias, and was forsaken by her for Antipas; the 
 daughter of this other Pliilip and Herodias was 
 Salome, the dancer, who subsequently married 
 Philip the Tetrarch. Among the ten wives and 
 numerous children of Herod the Great, the 
 same names frequently recur. Philip the Te- 
 trarch is described by Josephus as a worthy 
 man, and a just ruler; apparently the best 
 man of the Herod family. Our Lord, towards 
 the close of his ministry in Galilee, repeatedly 
 retires from the dominions of the weak and 
 cunning Antipas to those of Philip (14: 13; 
 15: 29; 16: 13). (3) To Archelaus were given 
 Judea (with Idumea) and Samaria, making 
 at least one half of his father's kingdom, and 
 yielding twice as much revenue as both the 
 tetrarchies combined (Jos. "Ant.," 17, 11, 4). 
 Herod assigned him the title of 'king,' and 
 he was saluted as such after his father's 
 death, and so regarded in Judea for a con- 
 siderable period (Jos. "Ant.," 17, 8, If. and ch. 
 
 1 The name ' Palestine ' means the land of Philistines, 
 the form being a little changed in passing through the 
 Greek. (In Com. Ver. of Old Testament, ' Palestina' 
 and ' Philistia.') As the Philistines occupied the 
 maritime plain, the Greeks and Romans, first visiting 
 the towns near the coast, afterwards extended the 
 name of the coast to 'the adjacent region inland, as 
 
 they did in many other cases, and thus Palestine be- 
 came a common name for the whole country, being so 
 used sometimes even by Philo and Josephus. Though 
 not found in New Testament, it has continued to rival 
 the name Judea to the present day. The redoubtable 
 Philistines still live in geography.
 
 CH. II.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 27 
 
 21 And he arose, and took the young child and his 
 mother, and came into the land of Israel. 
 
 22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in 
 Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid 
 to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God 
 ill a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galileo: 
 
 23 And he cauie and dwelt in a city called Nazareth : 
 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the 
 prophets, lie shall be called a Nazarene. 
 
 21 that sought the young child's life. And he arose 
 and took the young child and his mother, and came 
 
 22 into the land of Israel. But when he heard that 
 Archelaus was reigning over Judsea in the room of 
 his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither; and 
 being warned of God in a dream, he withdrew into 
 
 23 the parts of Galilee, and came and dwelt in a city 
 called Nazareth: 'that it might be fulfilled which was 
 spoken through the prophets, that he should be 
 called a Nararene. 
 
 9, 1-5), though the Emperor Augustus finally 
 allowed him only the title of ethnarch (ruler 
 of a nation or people, a rather more honor- 
 able title than tetrarch), with the promise 
 to declare him king if he should deserve 
 it. The expression did reign, or was 
 reignitog, i. e., was king, is thus minutely 
 correct for the period immediately follow- 
 ing Herod's death. It may, however, be 
 understood as used loosely, just as 'king' 
 is applied to any ruler, from the Roman 
 Emperor (i Peter 2: 13) to Herod Antipas the 
 Tetrarch (i: ; Mark 6: u). So Joseph us ("Life" 
 1) says his own father was born "while 
 Archelaus was reigning the tenth year." 
 Joseph is surprised and disappointed at 
 learning that Archelaus is appointed King 
 of Judea, for it had been understood that An- 
 tipas was to succeed his father in the whole 
 kingdom, and Herod made the change just 
 before his death (Jos. "Ant.," 17, 6, 1; 8, 1; 
 9,4). 
 
 On warned and turned aside, or with- 
 drew, see on v. 1*2. The parts of Galilee, 
 those parts of the country which were com- 
 prised in that district (comp. 16: 13; Acts 
 20: 2). 
 
 23. The town of Nazareth 1 is not men- 
 tioned in Old Testament, which is not surpris- 
 ing, as the Old Testament history rarely ex- 
 tends to any part of Galilee. Nor need we 
 wonder that Josephus does not name it, as it 
 was a small town remote from the principal 
 roads, und did not fall in the way of any of 
 the military operations which he describes. 
 It was situated about fifty-five miles north of 
 Jerusalem, in an elevated basin, such as is 
 frequently found in Samaria and Galilee. 
 This basin is about a mile long by less than 
 half a mile wide, opening southward by a 
 narrow and winding pass into the great plain 
 >f K-draelon. Split a pear endwise and the 
 lower half, with the crooked stem, will give 
 the shape of the valley of Nazareth. The 
 
 encompassing slope is divided by depressions 
 on its face into some seventeen distinct hills. 
 On the western side of this elevated valley, 
 and sloping a little way up the western hill, 
 lies the modern town, and there is no reason 
 to think the site has materially changed. 
 Higher up the slope is a limestone cliff thirty 
 or forty feet high, which (or one of the simi- 
 lar ones not far from it) may well have been 
 the "brow of the hill wherein their city was 
 built," from which the mob proposed to cast 
 their rejected prophet (Luke i: -.9], a scene ab- 
 surdly located by monkish tradition at a pre- 
 cipice two miles away, overlooking the plain 
 of Esdraelon. The vale of Nazareth is green 
 and very fertile, with many fruit trees and a 
 fine fountain near the village, altogether pre- 
 senting a beautiful scene ; and from the high 
 western hill is a view among the most exten- 
 sive in Palestine, embracing Tabor and the 
 great plain, Carmcl and the blue Mediterra- 
 nean, the mountain-wall east of the depressed 
 Jordan valley, and on the north the far-off 
 snowy summit of Hermon. Yet, as so often 
 happens, the dwellers amid all these beauties 
 of nature were rude, violent, and of evil re- 
 pute. The question of Nathanael ( John i : 46, Rev. 
 ver.): 'Can there anything good come out 
 of Nazareth?" is not sufficiently accounted 
 for, as some have thought, by the contempt 
 for Galilee in general which was felt by the 
 people of Judea ; for Nathanael himself lived 
 at "Cana of Galilee" (John 21: 2), only a few 
 miles distant. Nor can it be easily regarded 
 as an unjust prejudice, for Nathanael was a 
 man of singularly good character. (John i: 47.) 
 And so the unparalleled violence of the rabble 
 (Luke 4 : 28-so), and the persistent unbelief even 
 on a second visit which excited tlie wonder of 
 Jesus himself (Marker), are not fully explained 
 by the fact that he was a prophet "in his own 
 country," but lead us to think of them as an 
 intractable and disorderly people, deserving 
 their bad reputation. But hero lived the 
 
 'The original Aramaic form of the name was probably Nazara (see Keirn).
 
 28 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. II. 
 
 righteous Joseph, and the meek, devout 
 Mury ; and here "increased in wisdom and 
 stature, and in favor with God and man" 
 (Luke 2: 52), the child, the boy, the youth, the 
 man, who was in due time to. come forth from 
 this obscure village as the consolation of Is- 
 rael, as the Saviour of the world. Here he 
 wrought (Mark 6: s) at the humble and laborious 
 calling of his reputed father (see on 13 : 55) ; 
 here he worshipped every Sabbath, with such 
 worship as only the perfect could pay, in the 
 synagogue from which he was afterwards to 
 be rudely thrust forth ; and often, no doubt, 
 he would climb this western hill as the sun 
 was sinking in the Mediterranean, and look 
 down with pure pleasure upon the beautiful 
 valley, or far away over the magnificent pros- 
 pect, and, as his human mind gradually un- 
 folded to comprehend his mission, would 
 think great thought's of the kingdom that 
 should fill the whole earth and should have 
 no end. (See copious and pleasing descriptions 
 in Kenan and Geikie). 
 
 That he should be called, is as natural a 
 translation of the Greek as He shall be 
 called, and better suits the most probable 
 interpretation of this passage. The words, 
 1 He shall be called a Nazarene,' are not found 
 in the Old Testament. The difficulty thus 
 presented has been variously explained. (1) 
 Chrys., Hanna, and some others, suppose a 
 lost prophecy. But this is a mere make-shift. 
 The term 'the prophets' in New Testament, 
 everywhere means the canonical prophets. 
 (Mej T er.) Ewald's suggestion that it may be 
 from an apocryphal book, is likewise a make- 
 shift. (2) Jerome, Calvin, and others, con- 
 nect it with the law as to the Nazirites. But 
 Nazareth and ISTazarene are almost certainly 
 not derived from nazir, 'consecrated,' but 
 from netzer, 'branch,' 'shoot,' as shown by the 
 S.vriac and the Kabbinical forms of the word 
 Nazarene (Robinson, Evang., and Mishna); 
 or else from some kindred word formed on 
 the same root. (Grimm, i 1 Moreover, Jesus 
 was in no sense a Nazirite, being quite dif- 
 ferent, as he himself declares (iiiis, w), from 
 John the Baptist. Observe that Rev. Ver. in 
 Num. 6:2; Judg. 13: 5, etc., spells not Naza- 
 
 rite, but Nazirite, according to the Hebrew 
 nazir. (3) Fritzsche, Meyer, Bleek, Weiss, 
 Edersh., and others, suppose a reference to 
 Isa. 11: 1, where Messiah is called a 'branch,' 
 Hebrew netzer. An equivalent though dif- 
 ferent Hebrew word is applied to him in Jer. 
 23: 5; 33: 15; Zech. 3; 8; 6: 12. From the 
 passage in Isaiah, reinforced by the others, it 
 may have become common (Bleek supposes) 
 to call the Messiah simply netzer, 'branch,' 
 as is perhaps implied in Zech. 3:8. So the 
 prediction of the 'prophets' led to Messiah's 
 being 'called' Netzer, and as a resident at 
 Netzer or Natzara, Jesus was called Naza- 
 rene. This is ingenious and may be true, 
 though it seems far-fetched. (4) Olshausen, 
 Lange, Westcott (Int.), and others, under- 
 stand it as referring to the various predictions 
 (e. g., Psa. 22; Isa. 53), that Messiah would 
 be despised and reviled, as was done when he 
 was 'called' a Nazarene. Had he been called 
 Jesus the Bethlebemite. it would have seemed 
 honorable; but to be called Jesus the Naza- 
 rene, would at once awaken the contempt of 
 the Jews, and would be a prima facie argu- 
 ment against his claims to be regarded as 
 Messiah, the son of David; and we know 
 that such an argument was once actually 
 used. (JohnT:.) 2 As thus understood, the pas- 
 sage is best translated as in Rev. Ver. This 
 seems, upon the whole, to be decidedly the 
 best view. The Mohammedans in Palestine, 
 now commonly call Christians Nazarenes. 
 (Thomson, II., 316.) (5) Hengstenberg, Alex- 
 ander, Ellicott, Keil, combine (3) and (4), un- 
 derstanding Isaiah 11 : 1 to represent Messiah 
 as "a shoot from the prostrate trunk or stem 
 of Jesse, i. e., as from the royal family of 
 Judah in its humble and reduced estate." 
 (Alex.). But this mode of connecting the 
 two theories appears artificial. It is better to 
 be content with one or the other, as either of 
 them is quite possibly correct. (6) Lutteroth 
 has a new explanation : Joseph saw that a life 
 in Bethlehem would be perilous for the child, 
 and in order that he might live, and the pro- 
 phecies concerning him as Messiah might be 
 fulfilled, Joseph took him to dwell in Naza- 
 reth, 'because he would be called a Naza- 
 
 1 McClellan begs the question, and actually translates, 
 ' He shall be called a Nazarite.' 
 
 * It has been remarked that Plutarch frequently quotes 
 
 Plato as saying something which cannot be found in 
 Plato's works in so many words, but is substantially 
 contained in various passages. Indeed the same thing 
 is done by many writers, and is perfectly natural.
 
 CH. II.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 29 
 
 rene,' and not a Bethlehemite, and thus would 
 be less likely to incur hostility than if known 
 to be from the city of David. This is quite 
 ingenious, but strained and improbable. The 
 translation, "because he would be called,'' is 
 possible. 
 
 The plural, by, through, the prophets, 
 is favorable to (4). Yet in (3) it is possible to 
 suppose reference also to the other prophets 
 ^ besides Isa. 11: 1), in which another but 
 equivalent Hebrew word is employed. And 
 the plural might be used with especial refer- 
 ence to a single prediction, as in John 6: 45; 
 Acts 13: 40; 15: 15, though this is unusual, 
 and never found in Matthew. (Comp. 26: 56.) 
 That it might be fulfilled, as in 1 : 22, the 
 providential purpose. 
 
 On comparing the two first chapters of Mat- 
 thew and of Luke, there appears to be some 
 conflict as to the order of events. Not in the 
 fact that Matthew makes no mention of the 
 previous residence at Nazareth, which was 
 simply not necessary to his own chief object 
 of showing that Jesus was the Messiah. But 
 Luke (2:39), makes the return to Nazareth 
 follow the presentation in the temple, thus 
 apparently leaving no room for the visit of 
 the Magi and the flight into Egypt. The pre- 
 sentation, it is true, might possibly have fol- 
 lowed the visit of the Magi the distance being 
 only five miles before Herod concluded that 
 the Magi had mocked him. But this ill ac- 
 cords with the expressions of v. 13, 14, and the 
 gifts of the Magi would, if previously received, 
 have enabled the parents to present the regu- 
 lar offerings, without being restricted to those 
 permitted to the poor, (Luke 2 : 24; Lev. u : s.) More- 
 over, Luke would still seem to exclude the 
 flight into Egypt. To meet this difficulty, 
 gome suppose that immediately after the pre- 
 sentation they returned to Nazareth (Luke), 
 and having there made the necessary arrange- 
 ments, removed to Bethlehem, intending to 
 rear the child in the city of David, an inten- 
 tion still apparently retained by them on 
 returning from Egypt. (^22.) But though 
 tenable (adopted in Clark's Harmony), this 
 supposition is less simple and natural than to 
 understand that Luke, omitting all interme- 
 diate events, passes at once from the presenta- 
 tion in the temple to that return to Nazareth 
 which Matthew also records. And if Luke 
 Rooms to leave no room for any intervening 
 
 occurrences, this arises from the necessity of 
 the case in a brief narrative which, being 
 compelled to omit much, must bring together 
 events not immediately successive, and must 
 do this without leaving a break at the point 
 of omission, or else altogether destroy its own 
 continuity, and become not a narrative but a 
 mass of fragments. If Providence designed 
 that there should be four independent Gospels, 
 and each was to be a simple and readable 
 story, apparent disagreements of this sort are 
 inevitable. It follows that such cases cannot 
 with propriety be understood as involving any 
 real conflict. And we see that it is becoming 
 to eschew the nervous harmonizing practiced 
 by some, as well as the disposition of others 
 to magnify discrepancies, and eagerly pro- 
 nounce them irreconcilable. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 13. God had promised that this child should 
 save others ( 1:21 ), yet now he must flee for his 
 own life. So Paul at the shipwreck. (Act27 ; 
 22,31.) The supernatural comes in only where 
 natural powers would not suffice. The child 
 is not preserved from Herod's designs by mir- 
 acle, nor miraculously transported into Egypt, 
 after the fashion of the legendary miracles, 
 but there is simply a supernatural warning 
 that he must be carried away. The revela- 
 tion is not all given at once. BENGEL: " Jo- 
 seph must quietly wait an uncertain time, 'till 
 Ibringthee word.' " JER. TAYLOR. "Andso 
 for all his sons by adoption, God will deter- 
 mine the time, and ease our pains and refresh 
 our sorrows, and give quietness to our fears 
 and deliverance from our troubles, and sanc- 
 tify it all and give a crown at last, and all in 
 his good time, if we but wait the coming of 
 the angel, and in the meantime do our duty 
 with care, and sustain our temporals with in- 
 differency." 
 
 V. 14. HENRY: " Those that would make snre 
 work of their obedience, must make quirk 
 work of it." V. 15. Israel and Messiah, both so- 
 journing in Egypt occasion in each case, and 
 result. V. 16. Cruelty. (1) Fostered by the pos- 
 session of despotic power. (2) Inflamed by 
 fancied insult. (3) Recklessly smiting the in- 
 nocent. (4) Blindly missing its object. V. 17, 
 18. The old, old Rtory the dead babe and the 
 heart-stricken mother. ' And would not be 
 comforted.' When we are willing to be com- 
 forted, divine comfort is not far away.
 
 30 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. II. 
 
 LUTHER represents the Magi in their own 
 country as the first New Testament preachers, 
 and the murdered innocents as the first mar- 
 tyrs. 
 
 V. 19 (and 13). If we wait and watch for the 
 guidance which God has promised, it will 
 come, and at the right time. V. 20. He that 
 'fled' in alarm (v. is) now 'goes' in safety. 
 Alus 1 for the human being whose death 
 brings a feeling of relief to the innocent and 
 the good. V. 22. Like father, like son. 
 
 V. 23. The truest greatness usually grows up 
 in retirement, often in obscurity ; and the 
 greatest personage in history was not an ex- 
 ception to this rule. In our day of hot haste, 
 and especially of youthful impatience to be at 
 work, it is well to remember that he who 
 knew his ministry could last but a few years, 
 spent thirty years in the most quiet prepara- 
 tion. 
 
 THE YOUTH OF JESUS. 
 
 As to the Saviour's life, from the point now 
 reached to his baptism (3:i), we have no in- 
 formation in Matthew, and none in the other 
 Gospels, save the interesting and instructive 
 incident of Luke 2: 41-52. There we find 
 him at the age of twelve, highly intelligent 
 and trusted by his parents; devoted to the 
 study of the Scriptures, showing a wonderful 
 acquaintance with them (comp. Josephus, 
 " Life," 2), and asking questions in the eager 
 desire to know more; beginning to perceive 
 that God is in some peculiar sense his 'Fa- 
 ther,' and fond of attendance at his ' Father's 
 house ' ; shrinking already from the sensation 
 he produces, retiring into obscurity and sub- 
 ject to his parents; and growing in wisdom 
 as he grows in stature (or age). It is a bright 
 and inspiring glimpse, and perfectly" harmo- 
 nious with his character and life as a public 
 teacher. 
 
 To meet the curiosity always felt as to his 
 childhood and youth, a variety of marvelous 
 stories were invented during the early centu- 
 ries, which were recorded in apocryphal Gos- 
 pels or passed into tradition. Though many 
 of these are sanctioned by the Komish Church, 
 they are often absurd, and sometimes blas- 
 phemous; and the recital of them would be 
 to no profit, unless it were in the way of illus- 
 trating by contrast the simplicity, the reserve, 
 the perfect good taste, of the inspired narra- 
 tive. 
 
 The external conditions under which Jesus 
 grew up, are known to us from general sources 
 of information. His development must have 
 been influenced by such outward circum- 
 stances as the following: (1) Home. (2) Na- 
 ture (see as to Nazareth, on v. 23). His deep 
 love of nature appears repeatedly in his public 
 ministry. (3) The Scriptures. (4) The syn- 
 agogue. (5) Labor; he was a worker in wood 
 (Mark 6: 3), and it is stated in a very early tradi- 
 tion that he made " ploughs and yokes " (Jus- 
 tin Martyr, " Trypho," 88). It is not improb- 
 able that after Joseph's death (comp. below), 
 the growing youth's labor aided in the sup- 
 port of that loved mother for whom he took 
 pains to provide when he was about to die 
 (John 19:26,27.) That he spent much time in re- 
 flection, and in prayerful communion with his 
 Father, is naturally inferred from his course 
 at a later period. (On this paragraph, comp. 
 Keim and Edersheim). 
 
 Among the outward events of these twenty- 
 eight or twenty-nine j-ears, a few at least 
 ought to be here recalled. 
 
 When Jesus was about ten years old, A. D. 
 6, such serious complaints against Arohelaus 
 were made at Eome, that he was deposed 
 from the ethnarchate of Judea and Samaria, 
 and banished to Vienna, in Gaul. (Jos. 
 "Ant.," 17,13, 2.) At that time the earlier 
 history of Archelaus (see on v. 22) would be 
 much talked about, and thus becoming famil- 
 iar to Jesus, might have afterwards suggested 
 the Parable of the Pounds. ( L^e 19 : 12. ff. ) For 
 there is a striking resemblance in many lead- 
 ing points: (1) Archelaus went away to Rome 
 to receive royal power, and return to exercise 
 it, and left his supporters in charge of his 
 affairs. (2) The Jews hated him, and sent an 
 embassy of fifty persons to Rome to say that 
 they did not want Archelaus as their king. 
 ("Ant." 17, 11, If.) (3) When Archelaus 
 returned, though Augustus had enjoined 
 moderation, he punished with great severity. 
 (17, 13, 2.) After the banishment of Arche- 
 laus, his dominions were made a Roman prov- 
 ince. Many of the Jews had desired this at the 
 death of Herod, and now entreated that it be 
 done, being weary of their weak native rulers, 
 and expecting greater quiet and better pro- 
 tection for property and business under a 
 Roman governor. Exactly similar changes, 
 and for similar reasons, now often occur in 
 British India, and under the Russian rule in
 
 CH. III.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 31 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 I 
 
 N those days came John the Baptist, preaching in 
 the wilderness of Judea, 
 
 1 And in those days corneth John the Baptist, preach- 
 
 Central Asia, and were then taking place in 
 other parts of the Roman Empire (e. g., Tac. 
 "Ann.," 11.42). Butother Jews violently op- 
 posed such a change, clinging to the bare 
 shadow of independence, and accounting it a 
 sin that the people of God should be directly 
 subject to heathen rulers, especially that they 
 should pay them taxes. A portion of these 
 broke out into rebellion under Judas, the 
 Galilean or Gaulonite. (Jos. "Ant.," 18, 1; 
 Acts 5: 37.) This movement, and other similar 
 insurrections in following years, were easily 
 quelled by the Romans, but the sentiment 
 which produced them remained. (Comp. a sec- 
 tion of the German Anabaptists, the Fifth Mon- 
 archy men in England, etc.) From it came 
 the question, " Is it lawful to give tribute to 
 Cesar? " (; ".) Some of its supporters were 
 subsequently associated as Cananites or Zel- 
 otae, including Simon, who became one of 
 the twelve apostles. (10:*.) Degenerating by 
 degrees into mere robbers, the men of this 
 opinion still commanded popular sympathy, 
 ns was perhaps shown in the case of Barabbas. 
 (JIMS.) The same smouldering sentiment 
 broke out in A. D. 66, leading (Jos. "Ant.," 18, 
 1, 6) to the war which ended in the destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem, and in which the Zealots 
 took a prominent part. The Roman Gov- 
 ernors of Judea and Samaria were called pro- 
 curators, the sixth of whom, Pontius Pilatus 
 (JT: 2), ruled from A. D. 26 (when the ministry 
 of John and of Jesus probably began), to A. D. 
 36. Meantime, the quiet dwellers at Naz- 
 areth were not directly concerned in these 
 changes and commotions, remaining under 
 the rule of Herod Antipas (see on v. 22), 
 which continued to A. D. 39. 
 
 The youthful carpenter was probably in his 
 nineteenth year (A. D. 14) when the great 
 Emperor Augustus died, and was succeeded 
 by Tiberius, who reigned throughout the re- 
 maining life of Jesus, and for some seven 
 years longer (A. D. 37). 
 
 It seems nearly certain that Joseph died at 
 some time between the visit to Jerusalem of 
 Luke 2: 41 (probably A. D. 8), and the bap- 
 tism of Christ (probably A. D. 26). Not only 
 is he never mentioned in the history of our 
 Lord's public ministry, but Mary is spoken 
 of in such ways as seem to imply that she was 
 then a widow. That several sons and daugh- 
 ters were born to Joseph and Mary is proba- 
 ble, but not certain. (Comp. on 1 : 25, and 13 : 
 55.) 
 
 A very full account of whatever will throw 
 light on this period in the life of Christ, in- 
 cluding the home life and school life of a 
 Jewish child, the social influences, public 
 worship, and religious sentiments of the time, 
 the political changes, and the growing and 
 shifting expectations of the Messiah, may be 
 found in Geikie, ch. xii-xxiii, and Edersh, ch. 
 ix, x. See also Ewald, Keim, Hausrath, 
 Edersheim's "Sketches of Jewish Social 
 Life," and other writers. 
 
 Ch. 3: 1-12. MINISTRY 'OF JOHN THE 
 BAPTIST. 
 
 The second great division of this Gospel 
 comprises ch. 3: to 4: 11, and narrates the 
 events connected with the entrance of our 
 Lord upon his public work, including the 
 appearance and ministry of John the Bap- 
 tist (:!), the baptism of Jesus (IMT), and 
 his temptation. (4:i-ii.). Here for the first 
 time Mark (I'l-s), and Luke (S'l-is), become 
 really parallel to Matthew; for Luke's ap- 
 parently parallel matter heretofore has been 
 entirely distinct from Matthew. 
 
 1. In those days. The Rev. Vor. has, 
 And in.i This signifies, in the days in which 
 Joseph and his family dwelt at Nazareth, 
 as recorded in the preceding sentence. This 
 event and the appearance of John are thrown 
 together as belonging to the same period, no 
 account being taken of the uneventful inter- 
 vening time, which, in this case, was near 
 
 1 The (ireek has a particle of transition, de, which we 
 Dflen render ' and,' ' but,' or ' now' ; and sometimes we 
 oegln more naturally without any conjunction. It is 
 Jest to render It here, because the narrative seema to 
 
 go right on without any marked interruption. The 
 "Western" form of Greek text omitted the </>>, prob- 
 ably because it was thought there eught to be a pause.
 
 32 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. III. 
 
 thirty years. (Lukes :-..) So Ex. 2: 11, "in 
 those days," passes over the whole time 
 from Moses' early youth, when his mother 
 returned him to Pharaoh's daughter, until 
 he was forty years old. (Acts 7: 23.) In other 
 cases the expression is equally indefinite, 
 though the time passed over is shorter (e. </., 
 Isa. 38: 1; Mark 1: 9; Acts 1: 15). The 
 same use of the phrase is found in classic 
 writers also, where nothing is aimed at but 
 a general designation of the time. Luke 
 (3:i) here gives the date of John's appear- 
 ance with great particularity. Pontius Pi- 
 late became procurator A. D. 25-6. The 
 fifteenth year of Tiberius is probably to be 
 counted from the time when he was associ- 
 ated with Augustus (two years before the 
 latter's death), which would be A. D. 12. 
 There cannot be much doubt that John ap- 
 peared in A. D. 26. Came, or rather, ar- 
 rives, presents himself. The word is several 
 times used to denote the arrival or public ap- 
 pearance of an official personage (comp. 1 
 Mace. 4: 46; Heb. 9: 11; and below, v. 
 13); and it may be intended here to denote 
 John's appearance in his official character. 
 The Greek has here the present tense, pre- 
 cisely as in v. 13. 
 
 John the Baptist. The most probable 
 date for the beginning of the Baptist's min- 
 istry is A. D. 26, say in the spring. (Comp. on 
 2 : 19. ) The name John ( Johanan = Jehovah 
 graciously gave) had become common since 
 the time of the popular ruler John Hyrca- 
 nus (died B. c. 106); thirteen persons of that 
 name are mentioned in Josephus; and in the 
 New Testament, besides the Baptist and the 
 Evangelist, we meet with John Mark (Acts 12: 
 12), and John of the high-priestly family. (Acts 
 *; .) John the forerunner was well known to 
 Matthew's first readers as the ' Baptist,' or 
 Baptizer (comp. 14: 2, 8); we find Josephus 
 also ("Ant.," 18, 6, 2) mentioning him as 
 "John, who was surnamed Baptist." This 
 name, the Baptizer, was of course given him 
 in consequence of the remarkable rite he per- 
 formed, which attracted universal attention, 
 and was repeatedly used as the characteristic 
 representative of his whole work (see on 
 21: 25). The circumstances connected with ! 
 John's birth are given only by Luke. Of his ' 
 history since childhood we only know that he 
 'was in the deserts till the day of his shewing I 
 
 unto Israel.' (Lukeiiso.) His father would be 
 anxious to give to the child of such hopes the 
 best priestly education, and it is probable that 
 he retired to 'the deserts' after the death of 
 his parents, who were of advanced age at the 
 time of his birth. Such a step would be natu- 
 ral only when grown, or nearly so. In the 
 wild region between Jerusalem and the Dead 
 Sea (see below), he probably spent his time in 
 religious meditation, ripening for his great 
 mission. Y t that he knew human nature, 
 and observed the men of his own time, appears 
 from Luke 3 : 10-14. In this same wild region 
 dwelt the Essenes (see on v. 7), and here also 
 Josephus ("Life," 2) locates the teacher 
 Banus, with, whom he spent three years in 
 seclusion, at a period about thirty years later 
 than John's public appearance. It had been 
 appointed (Lukei: 15) that from the beginning 
 of John's life he should not 'drink wine or 
 strong drink,' i. e., should live as a Nazirite 
 (Num.6: i-2i), implying extraordinary and life- 
 long consecration to God's service. A child 
 of the mountains, and living a temperate life 
 in the open air, he probably became strong in 
 body, as well as 'grew strong in spirit.' (Like 
 i: so.) Comp. on v. 4. It is probable (see on 
 v. 13) that he began his ministry when about 
 thirty years old. "This protracted period of 
 private discipline and preparation in the life 
 both of Christ and his forerunner, is in striking 
 contrast with our own impatience even under 
 the most hurried superficial processes of edu- 
 cation." (Alexander). That a priest should 
 be called to be a prophet was not strange; 
 comp. Jeremiah and Ezekiel. For a further 
 account of John, see throughout this chapter, 
 and on 4: 12; 9: 14 ff . ; 11: 2-19; 14: 1-13; 
 17 : 10-13 ; 21 : 26, 32. Kohler : " Though the 
 historical information is very limited, there 
 are few persons of whom we can form so clear 
 and lively a conception. . . . An imposing 
 figure, in whose posture and traits of coun- 
 tenance were depicted iron will, and deep, 
 holy earnestness, yet without passing into 
 hardness. In general, John may be called n 
 classical example of the manifestation of love 
 in the garb of severity. We cannot doubt 
 his profound compassion for the unhnppy con- 
 dition of his people, sunken in sin and exposed 
 to judgment, although it would hardly occur to 
 us to conceive of him as weeping, like the Lord 
 Jesus, over the coming fate of Jerusalem."
 
 CH. III.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 33 
 
 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven 2 ing in the wilderness of Judsea, saying, Repent ye ; 
 is at hand. 
 
 Preaching. See on 4: 17. The word 
 wilderness is used both in Old Testament 
 and New Testament to denote a region not 
 regularly built up and cultivated, portions of 
 which were quite sterile, while other portions 
 might be not destitute of herbage and other 
 spontaneous productions. Such a tract was 
 commonly used for pasturage (Psa. &-. 12; joei 2: 
 22; Luke io:i), and sometimes contained watch- 
 towers (2 chron. 26: io), settled inhabitants (Judges 
 i:i8), and even cities. ( Josh is : ei ; isa. 42 = 11.) The 
 'wilderness of Judea' was a region of no 
 very well marked boundaries, lying west of 
 the Dead Sea, and of the extreme southern 
 part of the Jordan, occupying about one- 
 third of the territory of Judah (Keim), and 
 extending up into that of Benjamin. The 
 narrow plain of the Jordan, from the Sea of 
 Galilee to the Dead Sea, is also called by 
 Josephus ("War," 3, 10, 17) a desert, and de- 
 scribed by him as parched, unhealthy, and 
 destitute of water, except the river. (So also 
 Thomson, II. 159 f.) Now Luke (3:2,3) says: 
 'The word of God came unto John, in the 
 wilderness, and he came into all the country 
 about Jordan preaching,' and John (i = ) 
 speaks of him as engaged in baptizing, a little 
 later than this, at Bethany, beyond Jordan. 
 We thus conclude that Matthew, as in many 
 other cases, contents himself with the general 
 statement that John's preaching and bap- 
 tizing took place in the wilderness of Judea, 
 which included the lower part of the Jordan 
 valley, and being without definite boundaries, 
 did not need to be carefully distinguished 
 from the similar desert region extending far- 
 ther up the river, into which (as we gather from 
 the other Evangelists) John gradually moved, 
 at length crossing the river (jbni:M; 10:40), 
 and at a later period (John 3:23), crossing back 
 and removing to Enon, which was certainly 
 west of the Jordan. 1 There is thus no occa- 
 
 sion for inferring, as some do, from Luke's 
 expression, that John first preached for some 
 time in the wilderness at a distance from the 
 Jordan, and afterwards came to the river. It 
 should be observed that events described as 
 occurring in 'the wilderness,' or 'the wilder- 
 ness of Judea,' must of necessity be referred 
 to different parts of that quite extensive dis- 
 trict. John had probably lived (Luke i: so) in 
 the southwestern part, towards Hebron; the 
 scene of his baptizing was in the northeastern 
 part; and the tract mentioned in John 11 : 54, 
 apparently formed the northwestern part. As 
 to the scene of the temptation, see on 4:1. 
 The same Greek word is used in all the pas- 
 sages of New Testament in which the Com. 
 Ver. has 'wilderness' or 'desert.' (See 
 further on 14: 13.) John called the people 
 away from the seats of government and of 
 fixed social influences, into the wilder regions, 
 where thought more readily becomes free, and 
 where the mind is at once drawn out towards 
 God, and driven in upon itself. (Keim.) In 
 such a region was given the law of Moses, 
 and pretenders to a prophetic mission, after 
 our Lord's time, repeatedly drew crowds into 
 the wilderness. (Acts 21: 38; Matt. 24: 26; 
 Jos. "Ant.," 20, 5, 1; "War," 7, 11, 1.) 
 
 2. This verse gives a summary statement of 
 the substance of John's preaching. Repent. 
 To understand the precise New Testament use 
 of this highly important term, we must dis- 
 tinguish between the Greek word, the English 
 (borrowed from an imperfect Latin render- 
 ing), and the Hebrew expressions in Old Tes- 
 tament. The Greek word here and common- 
 ly used in New Testament (metnnoein), signi- 
 fies to change the thought, and so to change 
 the opinion or purpose. This inner change 
 naturally leads to, and thus the expression 
 may be said practically to include, a corre- 
 sponding change of the outward life, which 
 
 iProf. Warfteld (Expositor, April, 1885,) suggests that 
 the Bethany of John 1 : 28, was north of the Sea of 
 Galilee, and so John the Baptist "traversed the whole 
 length of Palestine, preaching repentance." But the 
 evidence of a site called Bethany in that vicinity is very 
 slender, and his argument from John's narrative is far 
 from satisfactory. Jesus might easily encounter sev- 
 eral persons from Bethsaida, and one from Cana, 
 among the great crowds attending John's baptism, no 
 
 matter where it was; for the people came from all partsof 
 the country. And the assumption that " the third day " 
 of John 2: 1, is to be counted not from v. 43, hut from 
 v. 35 (so as to place Jesus at Cana the day after he was 
 with John), is arbitrary, unnatural, and in fact, when 
 one compares the series of successive days in v. 28, 29, 
 35, 43, and then "the third day" in 2: 1, it seems to be 
 out of the question. We can see no reason to believe 
 that the Baptist ever reached Galilee.
 
 34 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. III. 
 
 we usuiilly describe by the word ' reform.' A 
 change of thought does not necessarily in- 
 volve grief; and the word is sometimes used 
 by Greek writers for a mere change of opin- 
 ion orjudgment, where there was no occasion 
 for regret. But in all moral uses of the term 
 there will of course be grief at the previous 
 wrong course that one now determines to 
 abandon. Whenever this Greek work is em- 
 ployed in New Testament (unless we except 
 Heb. 12: 17), the reference is to changing the 
 mind, purpose, from sin to holiness, and no 
 one will do this who does not feel deep sorrow 
 for the sin he has already committed. Sorrow 
 is thus not expressed by the word itself, but in 
 New Testament use is always suggested from 
 the nature of the case, and thus becomes as- 
 sociated with the word. To repent, then, as a 
 religious term of New Testament, is tochange 
 the mind, thought, purpose, as regards sin 
 and the service of God a change naturally 
 accompanied by deep sorrow for past sin, and 
 naturally leading to a change of the outward 
 life. A different Greek word (metamelesthai), 
 signifying to change the feeling of care or 
 concern, to regret, is employed in 21 : 29 (30), 
 32 ; 27 : 3, and in Kom. 11 : 29 ; 2 Cor. 7 : 8, 10; 
 ('repented of), Heb. 7 : 21. This regret might 
 of course lead to change of purpose and con- 
 duct, but the term does not denote any such 
 change, though the circumstances sometimes 
 suggest it. It is only the first Greek word 
 that New Testament uses to denote repenting 
 of sin. The distinction between the two must, 
 however, not be too strongly pressed, as shown 
 by their use in the Septuagint (see below). A 
 changed feeling might imply, or at least sug- 
 gest, a changed purpose, and a changed pur- 
 pose a changed feeling, so that both would 
 sometimes yield substantially the same sense. 
 The Hebrew word for ' repent ' denotes pain, 
 grief, and sometimes suggests change of 
 thought and purpose : the Septuagint translate 
 it sometimes by the second and sometimes by 
 
 the first of the above-mentioned Greek words. 1 
 It is noticeable that the prophets nowhere ex- 
 hort men to ' repent' (though telling them to 
 mourn and weep over their sins), but use the 
 simple and practical word ' turn.' The New 
 Testament also frequently employs this gen- 
 eral and practical term, variously translated 
 into English by 'turn,' 'return,' 'be con- 
 verted' ; and in Acts 3: 19; 26 : 20, both are 
 combined, ' repent and turn ' (comp. Acts 11 : 
 21, 'believed and turned'). It thus appears 
 that the New Testament exhortation is sub- 
 stantially the same as that of the prophets 
 (e. g., Joel 2: 12, 13; Isa. 55: 7; Ezek. 33: 
 11, 15; Zech. 1:3, 4); but the New Testa- 
 ment term (metanoein) rendered 'repent' is 
 more specific, and strictly denotes the inward 
 change, leaving the outward change to be in- 
 ferred as a consequence, or sometimes distinct- 
 ly expressing it by adding the word ' turn.' 
 In both the Old Testament and the New Tes- 
 tament exhortation the element of grief for 
 sin is left in the background, neither word di- 
 rectly expressing grief at all, though it must 
 in the nature of things always be present. 
 
 But great difficulty has been found in trans- 
 lating this Greek work into other languages. 
 The Syriac versions, unable to give the precise 
 meaning, fall back upon 'turn,' the same 
 word as in Hebrew. The Latin versions give 
 'exercise penitence' (pcenitentiamagere). But 
 this Latin word, penitence, apparently con- 
 nected by etymology with pain, signifies grief 
 or distress, and is rarely extended to a change 
 of purpose, thus corresponding to the Hebrew 
 word which we render 'repent,' but not cor- 
 responding to the terms employed in Old 
 Testament and New Testament exhortations. 
 Hence a subtle and pernicious error, pervad- 
 ing the whole sphere of Latin Christianity, by 
 which the exhortation of New Testament is 
 understood to be an exhortation to grief over 
 sin, as the primary and principal idea of the 
 term. One step further, and penitence was 
 
 1 This Hebrew term is repeatedly applied to God, as 
 grieving over something he hsd done (the Sept. using 
 both Greek wordst. The people are said to ' repent ' 
 (Sept. metamelejithai) in Ex. 13 : 17 ; Jud. 21 : 6, 15, and 
 in Job 42 : 6 ; (in these the Sept. mistranslates). As 
 applied to grieving over sin, it is found in Jer. 8 : 6: 
 'No man repenteth of his wickedness,' and 81: 19: 
 ' After my turning, I repent,' (in both passages the 
 Sept. has meianoein). Comp. Ecclus. 48: 11. The other 
 passages of Old Testament in which English Version 
 
 represents men as repenting, have l;i the original 
 ' turn ' (1 Kings 8 : 47 ; Ezek. 14 : 6 ; 18 : 30). But in the 
 Apocrypha, Ecclus. 17 : 24 exhorts men to turn to the 
 Lord and forsake their sins, and says, ' Unto those that 
 repent (metanoein) he grants return to him.' Wisdom 
 11: 24, 'Thou overlookest men's sins that they may 
 repent.' Comp. Wisdom 12: 10, 19. Ecclus. 44: 16 
 speaks of Enocli as ' a pattern of repentance (metanoia) 
 to the generations.' Couip. also Wisdom 5 : 3.
 
 CH. III.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 35 
 
 contracted into penance, and associated with 
 medieval ideas unknown to New Testament, 
 and the English Versions made by Roman- 
 ists, now represent John, and Jesus, and 
 Peter, as saying (pcenitentiam agite), 'do 
 penance.' From a late Latin compound 
 (repcenltere) comes our English word 're- 
 pent,' which inherits the fault of the Latin, 
 making grief the prominent element, and 
 change of purpose secondary, if expressed at 
 all. Thus our English word corresponds ex- 
 actly to the second Greek word (metameles- 
 thai), and to the Hebrew word rendered ' re- 
 pent,' but sadly fails to translate the exhorta- 
 tion of the New Testament. It is therefore 
 necessary constantly to repeat the explanation 
 that the New Testament word in itself denotes 
 simply change of purpose as to sin, leaving us 
 to understand from the nature of things, the 
 accompanying grief and the consequent ref- 
 ormation. 1 
 
 But while John's exhortation is substan- 
 tially the same as that of the prophets, it is en- 
 forced by a new and strong motive, the near 
 approach of the long-expected Messianic reign. 
 Is at hand, or more literally, has come near. 
 (So 4: 17; 10: 7.) This is here mentioned by 
 Matthew alone, who writes especially for 
 Jews. They continually spoke of Messiah as 
 'the coming one' (ii:s), of the Messianic 
 period as 'the coming age' (Heb. 6:5), and 
 John tells them that Messiah's reign has 
 drawn near. He does not say, Kepent, and so 
 the reign will draw near, but Repent, for it 
 has drawn near (Calvin). The word basileia, 
 which everywhere in English Version is ren- 
 dered kingdom, means (1) kingship, the pos- 
 session of royal authority, e. g., Rev. 11 : 15; 
 '.the kingship (sovereignty), over the world is 
 become our Lord's and his Christ's' ; comp. 
 Rev. 17: 18; Matt. 16: 28; Ps. 22: 28. (2) 
 'reign,' the exercise of royal- power, or the 
 period during which it is exercised ; (3) 'king- 
 dom,' the subjects, the organization (!*:), or 
 the territory. (*:) In the sense of the terri- 
 tory it is not used in New Testament concern- 
 ing Messiah's kingdom, and probably not in 
 
 this sense of organization. Of the renderings 
 kingship, reign, and kingdom, two would 
 frequently be necessary, and sometimes all 
 three at once, to express the full sense of the 
 original term. As we have to choose one, the 
 word 'reign' is in this and many other pas- 
 sages a more nearly adequate rendering than 
 'kingdom,' and less likely to mislead. The 
 kingdom (reign) of heaven is an expression 
 used more than thirty times by Matthew, 
 though he sometimes (12:28; 19:24; 21:31,43) uses 
 the one always found in the other Evangelists, 
 'kingdom (reign) of God.' 'Heaven 'is in 
 this phrase always plural in the Greek, 'the 
 heavens,' an imitation of the plural (dual) 
 form, which the word always has in Hebrew, 
 and not differing in meaning from the singular. 
 Heaven, regarded as the special residence of 
 God, is sometimes very naturally used to repre- 
 sent God himself (e. g., Dan. 4 : 26 ; 1 Mace. 3 : 
 60; Luke 15: 18, 21), just as we say, 'heaven 
 grant,' etc., and so 'kingdom of heaven' is 
 equivalent to ' kingdom of God.' The Jews, 
 scrupulous about using the name of God, fre- 
 quently substituted ' heaven ' (e. g., 1 Mace. 3 : 
 50, 60; 4: 55), and the Talmud often has the 
 phrase ' kingdom of heaven.' It was natural 
 that Matthew, writing especially for Jews, 
 should respect their feeling, and commonly 
 use this expression. 
 
 The New Testament idea of the 'kingdom 
 (reign) of God ' has its roots in the prophetic 
 writings. In Isaiah (ch. ] : 39; and Micah, it 
 is declared that God will raise up a righteous 
 king, who shall deliver his people nnd give 
 them prosperity (e. g. Isa. 9: 6, 7; 11: 1-10; 
 Micah 4: 1-8). This hope is presented with 
 modifications by Jeremiah and his contempo- 
 raries (e. g. Jer. 23 : 5, 6; Ezek. 37: 24), 
 pointing now not to an individual king, but to 
 a Davidic dynasty (comp. 2 Chron. 13: 8), 
 guiding the mission of the chosen people. 
 But in Daniel, when Israel is fallen low, there 
 is given assurance that "the God of heaven " 
 will establish a universal monarchy, with 
 "one like a son of man " as the king. (n*n.2: 44,- 
 7 : is, 14.) This idea must have fermented in the 
 
 1 A pamphlet, by Treadwell Walden, entitled "An 
 Undeveloped Chapter In the Life of Christ" (New York, 
 Whittaker, 1882), is devoted to the word metanoia. It 
 presents forcibly the grievous incorrectness of the 
 translation ' repentance,' but docs not show what Eng- 
 lish word or phrase could now be substituted in a popu- 
 
 lar version. The discussion is interesting and profita- 
 ble. But we think the author exaggerates tho import- 
 ance of his theme, as monographs are apt to do, and is 
 quite mistaken in supposing that the word expresses 
 simply an intellectual change, a transfigured theory of 
 moral truth.
 
 36 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. III. 
 
 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet 3 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is lie 
 Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilder- 
 
 minds of at least some Jews, till it took the 
 form we find in the Gospels, when devout 
 persons are not only " waiting for the consola- 
 tion of Israel,' 1 and " for the redemption of 
 Jerusalem " (Luke 2:25,88), but "waiting for the 
 kingdom of God" (Lu23:5i; 17:20) ; the Bap- 
 tist says, "the kingdom of heaven (God) has 
 drawn near," as something which all will un- 
 derstand. The Jews of that period had many 
 fanciful, confused, and sometimes fanatical 
 notions in regard to the character of this ex- 
 pected divine reign, as shown by the book of 
 Enoch, the Targums, and the Talmud, (see 
 Lightfoot, Wetstein, Gill, and Drummond, 
 "The Jewish Messiah"), but the New Testa- 
 ment is of course responsible only for its own 
 use of the phrase. We see also that the state- 
 ment in Daniel has, before the New Testament 
 times, led to the belief that a "son of man," 
 called also the Messiah, will reign in God's 
 promised kingdom, for this is expressly as- 
 serted in the book of Enoch, (much of which 
 was pretty certainly written before the Chris- 
 tian era), and the Talmud abounds in refer- 
 ences to "King Messiah." This persuasion 
 our Lord confirms in 13 : 41 ; 25 : 31, 34 ; John 
 18: 36. It was one great object of Matthew's 
 Gospel to show how Jesus corrected the Jew- 
 ish errors as regards the nature of the expect- 
 ed Messianic reign. Much error has diffused 
 itself through the Christian world from con- 
 founding " the kingdom " with what is popu- 
 larly called "the church.' 1 Edersh.: "We 
 must dismiss the notion that the expression 
 Kingdom of Heaven refers to the church, 
 whether visible (according to the Koman 
 Catholic view) or invisible, (according to cer- 
 tain Protestant writers." Comp. below on 
 13 : 37 ff. 
 
 The statement of Josephus ("Ant.," 18, 5, 
 2) concerning John's teachings and baptism, 
 is marked by his usual affectation of a philo- 
 sophical tone, and his usual omission of all 
 Messianic references : " John, who was sur- 
 named Baptist a good man, and one 
 
 who bade the Jews in the exercise of virtue, 
 and in the practice of righteousness towards 
 one another and piety towards God, to come to 
 baptism; for that so would the baptism also 
 appear acceptable to him, if they used it, not 
 for the forgiveness of certain sins, but for the 
 purification of the body, it being supposed that 
 the soul also had previously been cleansed by 
 righteousness." Josephus adds that the peo- 
 ple were greatly excited by John's preaching, 
 and that Herod imprisoned and slew him be- 
 cause he feared revolution a statement which 
 perhaps points to John's proclamation in re- 
 gard to the near approach of the kingdom of 
 God. It was natural that Josephus should 
 omit all distinct reference to this Messianic 
 reign, for he had long before committed him- 
 self to the essentially absurd but politic state- 
 ment that the Messianic hope of Israel was 
 fulfilled in his patron Vespasian (" War," 6, 
 5, 4). Both Jews and heathen constantly in- 
 clined to think that ablution was itself the 
 means of cleansing the soul from sin ; and 
 against this notion Josephus declares that 
 John's baptism was not expected to bring for- 
 giveness of sins, but that the soul must have 
 been previously cleansed by turning from sin 
 to righteousness. Comp. Tertullian : "We 
 are not washed that we may cease to sin, but 
 because we have ceased : since we have al- 
 ready been bathed in heart." 
 
 3. This is by some expositors taken as the 
 words of John, who certainly did on one oc- 
 casion apply the prophecy to himself (John i : *s); 
 but here the reference is much more naturally 
 understood as made by the Evangelist the 
 present tense is expressing the general fact 
 that John is the predicted forerunner. For 
 gives the reason why John appeared in the 
 wilderness and bade the people prepare for 
 the Messianic reign, viz., because John is the 
 person spoken of by through the prophet 
 ('through,' see on 2: 17), as destined to do so. 
 The voice of one crying, 1 etc., Isa. 40: 3. 
 In the Hebrew the accents indicate, and the 
 
 1 Or more exactly, 'a voice of one crying.' It seems 
 smoother in English to say ' The voice of one crying,' 
 but the noun is not really made definite here by the 
 succeeding genitive, for the crier is himself indefinite. 
 A voice is heard by the prophet, a voice of a person 
 
 crying. (So Rheims, Davidson.) Darby, ' Voice of him 
 that crieth,' errs in making the latter clause definite, 
 for ' him that crieth ' would require the article before 
 the Greek participle.
 
 CH. III.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 37 
 
 ness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths 
 straight. 
 
 4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's 
 hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins ; and his 
 meat was locusts aud wild honey. 
 
 say- 
 
 that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, 
 ing, 
 
 parallelism proves, that 'in the wilderness' 
 belongs to 'prepare'; andsoKev.Ver., Isaiah. 
 Matthew (as also Mark and Luke) follows the 
 Septuagint in connecting that phrase with 
 'crying,' and in omitting the parallel phrase 
 'in the desert' from the next clause. This 
 change does not affect the substantial meaning, 
 and it makes clearer the real correspondence 
 between the prediction and the fulfillment, 
 'preaching in the wilderness' (v. 1), 'crying 
 in the wilderness' (v. 3). It might without 
 impropriety be supposed that Matthew him- 
 self altered the phraseology to bring out this 
 correspondence, but in many similar cases it 
 is plain that he has simply followed the fa- 
 miliur Septuagint. Prepare ye. Make ye 
 ready, was here substituted by Eev. Ver. for 
 'prepare,' because in the parallel passage of 
 Alark (i; s), the same word is translated 
 'make ye ready,' in order to keep it distinct 
 from another Greek word rendered 'prepare' 
 in Mark 1 : 2. Such pains to render the same 
 Greek word everywhere by the same English 
 word will prove very useful in concordance 
 work, and all minute study, but it strikes the 
 casual reader as useless alteration of the trans- 
 lation. The immediate reference of the pro- 
 phecy in Isaiah is probably to Jehovah, as 
 leading his people back through the eastern 
 desert from their captivity in Babylon: the 
 remote reference is to the coming of Messiah, 
 and spiritual deliverance. Here, as often in 
 the prophets (see on 2: 15), there is a typical 
 relation between the history of Israel and that 
 of Messiah. Great public roads were rare in 
 the East until introduced by the Romans. 
 When an Oriental monarch was designing to 
 journey into a certain region, he sent messen- 
 gers in advance to require that a graded road 
 should be prepared. Hence the image, here 
 denoting spiritual preparation. Notice that 
 in Isa. 40: 4, every part of the process of 
 grading is mentioned. 
 
 4. And the same John had, or, ''Ami he, 
 John, had.' The difference in meaning be- 
 tween these renderings is unimportant. Af- 
 ter remarking upon the prediction fulfilled 
 in John, the Evangelist proceeds to speak 
 
 further of John himself. The clothing of 
 camel's hair was a coarse cloth made by 
 weaving camel's hair, and such cloth is still 
 often worn in the East by the poor. There is 
 no evidence that garments of camel-skin, like 
 those made of sheep-skins and goat-skins (Heb. 
 ii:37) have ever been worn in the East (as 
 imagined by the painters, and by Fritzsche 
 and Smith, "Diet.," art. Camel); and the ex- 
 pression here distinctly forbids such a notion, 
 being literally 'of camel's hairs' (so the Greek 
 of Mark 1: 6, 'camel's hairs'). So Meyer, 
 Bleek, Weiss. A girdle was a necessary and 
 almost universal part of an Oriental's dress 
 (comp. 10: 9, marg. of Rev. Ver. ; Acts 21: 11), 
 being required to bind the long, loose robe 
 (see on 5: 40), in order to active labor, or rapid 
 locomotion, and it was often very costly and 
 showy (comp. Rev. 1: 13). John's girdle was 
 made of leather, cheap and rude, as was Eli- 
 jah's. (2 Kins i: s.) Meat, or food. The 
 word 'meat' is used in Com. Ver. to trans- 
 late several Greek words, but all of them 
 signify food, nutriment, sustenance. This 
 would sometimes include flesh, to which, in 
 modern English, the term meat is exclusively 
 applied. (Comp. 1 Cor. 8: 13, 'If food makes 
 my brother sin, I will eat no more flesh.' Bib. 
 Un. Ver.) The law of Moses (Lev. 11:22) al- 
 lowed locusts, at least of certain kinds, to be 
 eaten; and a treatise in the Talmud copiously 
 discusses the marks by which 'clean' locusts 
 might be distinguished. To eat these is still 
 common in the East among the poor. The 
 heads, legs, and wings being removed, they 
 are boiled, stewed, or roasted, and sometimes 
 dressed with butter. They are eaten both 
 fresh, and dried, or salted. They are very 
 different from what we call locusts. The 
 notion that John ate the fruit of the tree 
 which we call locust, is utterly unwarranted, 
 and forbidden by the Greek word. The wild 
 honey is thought by some able writers (as 
 Fritzsche, Robinson, Meyer, Bleek, Grimm, 
 Weiss) to have been the gum exuding from 
 a tree, but on very slender grounds (cornp. 
 Ki-il). Much more probably it was, as com- 
 monly supposed, the honey of wild bees, do-
 
 38 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. III. 
 
 , 
 
 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, 
 and all the region round about Jordan, 
 
 5 was locusts and wild honey. Then went out unto 
 him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region 
 
 posited in trees, rocks, etc., such as is men- 
 tioned in Old Testament ( Judg. u : s r. ; i Sam. u : 
 tie.-, P. siiie), and found at the present day 
 also in the wild regions in which John 
 lived. This was very abundant, and con- 
 sidered cheap and poor food (comp. Isa. 
 7: 15). Eustathius says (Wet.) that Pyth- 
 agoras lived very poorly, often contenting 
 himself with honey alone. 
 
 It had been predicted (Mai. 4:5 r.) that Elijah 
 the prophet should be sent before the advent 
 of Messiah to prepare the people for his com- 
 ing. This was explained by the angel (Lukeirn) 
 as to be fulfilled in John, who would go before 
 the Lord 'in the spirit and power of Elijah,' 
 and was also declared by Jesus to have been 
 fulfilled in John (see on 11 : 14 ; 17 : 10-13). 
 The ministry of each consisted mainly in 
 severe reproof and exhortation to amend- 
 ment, and there was something appropriate 
 to such a work in seclusion of life, with 
 rude fare and coarse clothing, and in auster- 
 ity of manner. "Even his appearance called 
 men to repentance." (Theophylact). This was 
 hardly personal asceticism, but appears to 
 have been designed, like the numerous sym- 
 bolical acts employed by other prophets, to 
 attract attention, and give greater impressive- 
 ness, to the reformer's rebukes of a luxurious 
 and worldly minded generation. It was what 
 we call an "object-lesson." We may im- 
 agine the effect when Elijah suddenly issued 
 from his retreats, and, arrayed like some 
 Bedouin or savage Dervish of to-day, stood 
 before a weak and self-indulgent king, with 
 stern look and tone, and harsh words of 
 merited reproof. And similar must have 
 been the effect of John's appearance and 
 known mode of life. (Comp. on 11: 8.) 
 Elijah is described as 'an hairy man' 
 (2 Kings 1:8), literally 'a possessor of hair,' and 
 this is best understood as meaning that he 
 wore a garment made of hair (margin Kev. 
 Ver. ), especially as his girdle is mentioned 
 immediately after. This characteristic dress 
 of Elijah appears to have been imitated by 
 succeeding prophets; for we find in Zech. 
 13: 4 the prediction of a time when the false 
 prophets would become ashamed of their im- 
 postures, and would not 'wear a garment of 
 hair to deceive.' On the part of John, these 
 
 peculiarities were not a mere imitation of his 
 prototype, for they had the same appropriate- 
 ness and significance in both cases. There is 
 little propriety in the notion of some artists 
 and writers that John was attenuated through 
 much fasting. Doubtless he did fast (see on 
 9: 14), but so did many Jews, and not neces- 
 sarily to attenuation. His out-door life and 
 homely food might (see on v. 2) even promote 
 bodily health (compare Elijah), and physical 
 forco seems naturally implied in his preaching 
 to great crowds in the open air, and boldly 
 facing the most jealous and powerful. John 
 was also like Elijah in that he was not a 
 writing prophet, but left his work to be re- 
 corded by others. (Pressen'se"). 
 
 5. After a general account (v. 1-4) of John's 
 public appearance and preaching, with the 
 fact that in him a prophecy was fulfilled, and 
 after a description of his peculiar dress and 
 manner of life, we have now (v. 5 f. ) a general 
 statement that the people went forth to him 
 in large numbers and were baptized, and this 
 is followed (v. 7-12) by a specimen of his 
 preaching, given more in detail. 
 
 Then, Matthew's favorite term of transi- 
 tion, resumes the time of v. 1. 2. Not only 
 Jerusalem, but the entire district of Judea, 
 and all the region round about, or, the 
 circuit of the Jordan, only part of which 
 was included in Judea, came forth. The 
 Hebrew phrase, 'round of the Jordan' or, 
 'circuit of the Jordan,' i. e., the country 
 about the river, is inadequately rendered in 
 Com. Ver. by 'plain' (Gen. 13: 10, 11; 
 margin Kev. Ver. 'circle' ; 1 Kings 7: 46; 2 
 Chron. 4: 17). The cases of its occurrence in 
 Old Testament refer particularly, as here, to 
 the lower part of the river, towards the Dead 
 Sea. All, is of course, to be understood as an 
 hyperbole, strongly expressing the fact that 
 very many of the people came forth. (Comp. 
 8: 34.) Similar hyperbolical expressions 
 abound in all languages and periods. We 
 learn from John (i: 35-45; ai;), that some came 
 from Galilee also, but this was perhaps at a 
 later period, when John was baptizing higher 
 up the river. The year to which John's early 
 ministry probably belongs, A. D. 26, was a 
 Sabbatical year (Wieseler), when the people
 
 CH. III.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 39 
 
 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing 
 their sins. 
 
 6 round about Jordan ; and they were baptized of him 
 
 who strictly observed the law would have 
 more than ordinary leisure. 
 
 It was centuries since a prophet had ap- 
 peared, and the Jews had often longed for 
 prophetic guidance. Thus Judas Maccabeus 
 and his followers laid away the stones of the 
 desecrated altar "until a prophet should ap- 
 pear to answer concerning them" (IMMC. 4:46); 
 and the woman of Samaria, as soon as she 
 perceived that here was a prophet, asked him 
 to settle the long-disputed question concern- 
 ing the proper place to worship. ( John 4: 19 f.) 
 In the time of Christ, some were expecting the 
 personal re-appearance of Jeremiah (below, 
 16: 14), and many that of Elijah (John i ; 21; Luke 
 
 :8; Matt. 16:14; 17:10; T : 49) ; while Others Were 
 
 looking for the prophet like unto Moses. (John 
 i: 21 ; Deut. is: is, is.) And now the report spread 
 far and wide, that at last a prophet had 
 come, who in dress and place of abode re- 
 sembled the great Elijah, who might be Mes- 
 siah, or at least a forerunner of Messiah, for 
 he declared that the Messianic reign was near, 
 who performed a very striking rite, and spoke 
 severe rebukes and earnest exhortations to 
 turn from evil ways, such as had been spoken 
 by all the prophets, such as will always arrest 
 the attention of mankind. No wonder the 
 Jews, from all the country adjacent to the 
 scene of his ministry, and for many months, 
 continually poured forth to sec and hear him, 
 and, more or less, impressed by his announce- 
 ment of the Messianic reign and his call to 
 repentance, confessed their sins and submitted 
 to liis baptism. 
 
 6. Baptized. The Greek word baptizo, 
 which we borrow, was of very common use, 
 as is seen in every period of Greek literature, 
 
 and was applied to a great varietj' of matters, 
 including the most familiar acts of every-day 
 life. It was thus a word which every Greek- 
 speaking hearer and reader in apostolic times 
 would at once and clearly understand. It 
 meant what we express by 'immerse' and 
 kindred terms, 1 and no one could then have 
 thought of attributing to it a wholly different 
 sense, such as 'sprinkle, 1 or 'pour,' without 
 distinct explanation to that effect. The people 
 who speak Greek at the present day wholly 
 reject and ridicule the idea of using this Greek 
 word in any other than its own definite and 
 well-known sense ; and the Greek Church 
 still holds nothing to be baptism but immer- 
 sion. But the newly discovered treatise called 
 the Dufa.che, or "Teaching," written some 
 time in the second century, probably in the 
 latter half of the century, shows that in some 
 region of the Christian world there was a dis- 
 position to allow a substitute when water was 
 scarce. Thus ch. 7, "Baptize ... in living 
 water (i. e. of a stream, fountain, or pool, as 
 opposed to standing or dead water). And if 
 thou have no living water, baptize in other 
 water; and if thou canst not in cold, then in 
 warm. And if thou have neither, pour water 
 upon the head thrice." Here it is evident that 
 baptize means only immerse, but if water be 
 scarce, pouring may be substituted for baptiz- 
 ing. In like manner we find in the West, 
 towards the middle of the third century, that 
 in case of severe sickness some allowed pour- 
 ing, and after a while some thought sprink- 
 ling sufficient, and these more convenient 
 substitutes grew increasingly common, though 
 often condemned by the ecclesiastical author- 
 ities, until in the thirteenth century their 
 
 1 Bn/>to, 'dip,' had the root baph, akin to bath in bath- 
 Mi, 'deep 1 (Curtius), just as dip and deep, German 
 taufrn and lief have the same root. From bapto, came 
 the verbal adjective baplon, ' dipt,' and from this was 
 made the verb bapt-izo, as if in English we should say 
 ilipt-i/i-, viz., to put into a dipt condition. The usual 
 way of bringing one into a dipt condition would be to 
 dip him. But sometimes it might be otherwise con- 
 ceived ; as f. g., land overflowed by water might l>e de- 
 scribed as baptized, being now in, within the water, 
 jurt as an object dipt would be within it. There is In 
 lanniane a general tendency to use stronger derivative 
 or compound words (f. 17., verbs compounded with prep- 
 ositions) in place of the original and simpler word, 
 
 until finally the compound or derivntive is no stronger 
 in many uses than the simple won!. Thus ranl-izo 
 means exactly the same as mi no' sprinkle' ; comp. stalizo 
 and histfmi, kat/matizo and knio, and many similar caaes. 
 Now baplizo did not become exactly and uniformly 
 equivalent to bapto. The sense 'dye' is confined to 
 brtjtto, and there are various uses of Ixtplizo, 'diptize' in 
 which baplo, 'dip,' would be inadequate; but in many 
 cases they are substantially equivalent, like ntntiznand 
 rnino. The often repeated statement that bnplizo is 
 frequentative, signifying ' dip frequently,' is erroneous, 
 and would never have been made but fora failure to 
 perceive the etymology of the word as al>ove given.
 
 40 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. III. 
 
 general use was sanctioned by the Pope. 
 Luther and Calvin (16th cent.) both explicitly 
 declared that the primitive baptism was im- 
 mersion, and the former said it ought to be 
 restored; but they allowed the existing prac- 
 tice to remain undisturbed. In the course 
 of time many Protestants came to perceive 
 that it was very awkward to rest their prac- 
 tice in this respect on the authority of the 
 Church of Rome, and being accustomed and 
 attached to the practice they very naturally 
 sought countenance for it in Scripture. Such 
 are the unavoidable defects of language, that 
 strongly biased and ingenious minds can al- 
 ways cast some apparent doubt over the mean- 
 ing of the plainest words ; as has been done, 
 for example, with respect to words teaching 
 the divinity of Christ, the atonement, and 
 eternal punishment. It is therefore not sur- 
 prising that a good many able and conscien- 
 tious men in Great Britain and America (very 
 few in Germany) have succeeded in persuading 
 themselves that perhaps, or even quite prob- 
 ably, baptize might be understood as meaning 
 pour or sprinkle, or purify in general, or some- 
 thing that would sanction the practice handed 
 down from revered fathers ; and that a few 
 very bold spirits should even venture to cut 
 the knot and assert, that not only sprinkling 
 may be baptism, but nothing else can be. 
 These considerations should promote charity, 
 and may serve to explain the rise, in modern 
 times, of so much controversy about a very 
 plain word. 
 
 This controversy has led to a wide exami- 
 nation of Greek literature with reference to 
 this term, and in all the instances of its use 
 that have been found, whether literal or figu- 
 rative, its fundamental meaning (whatever 
 may be the particular rendering most suitable 
 to the connection and to English idiom) is 
 always ' immerse,' that being in the great mass 
 of cases the only possible sense, and in all cases 
 appropriate and natural. (See a full list of 
 classified examples in Conant "On Baptizein," 
 Philadelphia.) So it is defined and explained 
 in most Greek Lexicons that are of any author- 
 ity (e.g., in Liddelland Scott, Grimm, Soph- 
 ocles' Greek Lex. of the Roman and By- 
 zantine periods, Boston), without a hint of 
 any other meaning; and so it is interpreted 
 by almost all commentators in Germany, the 
 land of scholars, and by very many in the 
 
 Church of England. But some good Lexi- 
 cons of classical Greek (as Rost and Palm) 
 add such meanings as 'moisten,' 'drench,' 
 overwhelm, 1 justifying them only by certain 
 figurative uses of the word, in which drunk- 
 ards are called 'the baptized,' or men are 
 said to be baptized in (or with) debts, mis- 
 misfortunes, etc; some Lexicons of New 
 Testament Greek (as Robinson) urge that in 
 certain passages of New Testament and Sep- 
 tuagint (e. g., Mark 7:4; Luke 11: 38; Acts 
 2: 41; 10: 48; 16: 33; Judith 12: 7), the 
 circumstances make it, in the lexicographer's 
 judgment, unlikely that an immersion was 
 performed; and some others (as Cremer, 
 comp. Stephen's "Thesaurus"), suppose that 
 the Jews came to use the Hebrew tabai ' dip,' 
 and therefore used baptizo, as a general term 
 for religious washing, which might then be 
 sometimes performed in other ways. Yet all 
 the lexicographers who thus present an ad- 
 ditional meaning give 'immerse' as the pri- 
 mary and general meaning of the word. 
 Now it is a most important principle in the 
 interpretation of language, without the ob- 
 servance of which all interpretation becomes 
 uncertain and unreliable, that whatever is 
 the common and regular meaning of a word, 
 as shown by its origin and general use, must 
 be held to be its meaning everywhere, until 
 there shall be found some passage in which 
 it cannot have that sense. Upon this prin- 
 ciple, whether formally recognized or not, 
 scholars are constantly working. But no 
 passage has been pointed out in which this 
 word must have some other than its ordinary 
 meaning; indeed, none in which that mean- 
 ing is not both possible and appropriate. 
 Thus the classical expressions solely relied 
 on by Rost and Palm for another meaning, 
 are given by Liddell and Scott (6th and 7th 
 ed.) as examples of the primarj' sense ' to dip 
 in or under water,' and compared with the 
 English phrases 'soaked in wine,' 'over head 
 and ears in debt,' such expressions being ob- 
 viously figurative in both languages. In the 
 passages cited by Robinson, nothing more can 
 be claimed than that in those cases immersion 
 would have been inconvenient or difficult, and 
 is therefore thought unlikely ; while a due con- 
 sideration of Jewish scrupulosity and known 
 customs makes immersion not only possible 
 in such cases, but natural enough and these
 
 Cxi. Ill] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 41 
 
 passages are so explained by a multitude of 
 German and English writers who are certainly 
 not prejudiced in favor of immersion, for they 
 practice sprinkling, on the authority of the 
 church, or on the ground that it is a matter of 
 little consequence. To the argument of Cre- 
 mer that the Talmud sometimes uses ' tabal,' 
 'dip,' with reference to purifications in which 
 Old Testament directed them to 'sprinkle,' 
 (rachatz), and that so tabal and baptizo seem 
 to have been employed as general terms for 
 religious washing, however performed, it is 
 enough to reply that the Jews had become so 
 extremely scrupulous as frequently to employ 
 the most complete form of purification (tabal} 
 in cases in which only the less complete (ra- 
 chatz) was required, wishing thus to make 
 perfectly sure that no touch of impurity had 
 failed to be removed. So already in Sirach 
 31 (34) : 30 ( Eng. Ver. Ecclus. 34 :" 25), ' One 
 who immerses himself from a dead body and 
 again touches it, what profit did he gain by his 
 bath' (comp. Lev. 22: 4-6), in Judith 12: 7, 
 and Mark 7 : 4 (see Meyer) ; and so in the pros- 
 elyte-immersion of a later period (see below.) 
 This explanation is at least as probable in itself 
 as the theory of Crerner, and accords with the 
 well-known scrupulosity of the Jews. It thus 
 appears that in none of the ways mentioned is 
 warrant found for giving baptizo any such 
 meaning as pour, sprinkle, or wash religiously, 
 or any other than its own proper and well- 
 known sense. The argument that because 
 baptism suggested (John 3: 25) a dispute 
 about purification, therefore any form of puri- 
 fication is baptism (Ed. Beecher on "Bap- 
 tism," New York), is as if from the fact that 
 a case of yellow fever led to a dispute about 
 malarial diseases, it should be argued that any 
 form of malarial disease is yellow fever. Dale 
 ("Classic Baptism," "Judaic Baptism," "Jo- 
 hannic Baptism," "Christie and Patristic 
 Baptism," four separate volumes, Philadel- 
 phia), defines baptizo as meaning ' intuspose,' 
 (t. e., 'put within,' comp. Liddell and Scott), 
 'merse,' 'immerse,' and then by a novel and 
 ingenious, but purely fanciful and unreason- 
 able process explains it all away, and reaches 
 the conclusion that immersion is not baptism 
 at all. 1 Some attempt has been made to con- 
 
 struct an argument as to baptizo from the word 
 used in the Syriac New Testament, in reply 
 to which see a tract by C. H. Toy on Amad 
 (Louisville.) These several theories add no 
 force to the efforts of the lexicographers above 
 mentioned, to justify some departure from the 
 plain and recognized meaning of this Greek 
 word. 
 
 It was once quite generally held (see es- 
 pecially Lightfoot), and is still maintained by 
 some, that John's baptism was an imitation 
 of what is called Jewish proselyte-baptism. 
 The resemblance between the two is but par- 
 tial ; for Maimonides (twelfth cent.) describes 
 the ceremony as consisting in the person's 
 standing in the water and dipping himself, 
 thus making it a self-purification. Kecent 
 investigation shows that there is no ground 
 for believing this Jewish practice of a later 
 time to have existed, as a distinct initiatory 
 rite, in the time of our Lord. Not only is 
 there no allusion to such a rite in the Old or 
 New Testament, or in the Apocryphal books, 
 but none in Philoor Josephus, although each 
 of these writers has various passages in which 
 it seems almost impossible that he should 
 have failed to mention the rite had it then ex- 
 isted, nor any in the early Christian Fathers, 
 some of whom search every page of Old Tes- 
 tament for rites or expressions bearing any, 
 the most fanciful resemblance to baptism. It 
 is not mentioned in the Mishna (about A. D. 
 200), nor clearly referred to in any of the other 
 Jewish writings belonging to the early cen- 
 turies after Christ, the first distinct account of 
 it being in the Babylonian Talmud (Gemara), 
 written in the fifth century. The origin of 
 the rite among the Jews is readily explained. 
 When a proselyte (see on 23 : 15) was received 
 (before the destruction of the temple), he was 
 circumcised, and then before performing his 
 first act as a Jew, viz., offering sacrifice, he 
 must be purified; but this purification was 
 not distinctively initiatory (peculiar to a 
 proselyte), for the Jewish child also must be 
 purified after circumcision, which itself made 
 one unclean. There were thus throe acts per- 
 formed in admitting a prosolytc the circum- 
 cision (which really made him a Jew), the 
 consequent purification (which as described 
 
 1 See review of Dale's different volumes in "Baptist 
 Quarterly" (Philadelphia), by A. C. Kendrick, 18fi9, p. 
 1J9, J. A. BroaduB, 1875, p. IMS, W. II. Whltsitt, 1877, p. 
 
 175. See also atract on " Immersion Kiwotitiiil lo Chris- 
 tian Baptism," by J. A. Broadus (I'hiladulphia.)
 
 42 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. I] 
 
 by Maimonides, was an immersion), and then 
 sacrifice, in which he publicly acted as a Jew. 
 After the temple was destroyed, the sacrifice 
 became impossible, and then the purification 
 became the closing, and in the case of 
 women, the only act performed; and so it 
 naturally attracted greater attention, and by 
 the fifth century had come to be regarded as 
 distinct from all other purifications, and as 
 possessing a very high importance, equal, if 
 not superior, to that of circumcision. This 
 view takes away all force from the otherwise 
 plausible argument that the so-called prose- 
 lyte-baptism must have been ancient, on the 
 ground that the Jews would never have 
 adopted it from the hated Christians; for we 
 see that it was not so adopted at all, but was 
 simply one of their own purifications, which 
 from the force of circumstances came, in the 
 course of some centuries after the destruction 
 of the temple, to be regarded as a peculiar 
 initiatory rite. And if later Jewish writers 
 assert that it was ancient, even that it origi- 
 nated at Mount Sinai, they make the same 
 claim for every usage existing among them, 
 however unquestionably late in its origin ; and 
 besides, we have seen that the essence of this 
 practice was ancient, though it afterwards 
 assumed its peculiar character and conse- 
 quence. 1 
 
 There is thus no reason for supposing that 
 John's baptism was a mere modification of 
 some existing rite. Our Lord distinctly in- 
 timated (: 25) that the baptism of John was 
 "from heaven." The forerunner himself 
 testified that God "sent" him "to baptize in 
 water." (Joimiiss.) Kohler: "So the baptism 
 of John is a highly significant and expressive 
 rite, which in its grand simplicity bears the 
 distinct stamp of a divine ordering." 
 
 In Jordan. The expression thus translated 
 affords a strong, though in itself not an abso- 
 lute proof, that the action of baptizing was 
 
 performed within the limits of the streai 
 This is the natural and regular meaning of the 
 phrase, and must be everywhere adhered to 
 unless there is something in the connection to 
 forbid it. But the Greek preposition en is 
 used in some connection not found in English; 
 as, for example, we cannot say, "a city was 
 situated in the EuxineSea," "an ambush was 
 laid in a river," but the Greek has these ex- 
 pressions, meaning that the sea or river was in 
 a certain general sense the locality in which 
 the city or ambush was situated, though not 
 in the strict sense which our ' in' would indi- 
 cate, seeing that such a sense is in those in- 
 stances not possible from the nature of the 
 case. So in English we say ' the man is in the 
 mountain,' meaning not the earth composing 
 it, but the mountain in a more general sense. 
 Now if the action of baptizing were one 
 which could not be performed in the river in 
 the strict sense, we might understand 'in the 
 Jordan ' as meaning only in that general local- 
 ity (comp. Mark 4:1, 'in the sea ' ). But until 
 it is shown that the signification of the term 
 baptize is incompatible with the idea of its 
 being performed strictly in the river, i. e., in 
 the water, we are bound to take the preposi- 
 tion in its proper and ordinary sense. Now 
 even those who maintain that 'baptize' is at 
 times used with a certain latitude, generally 
 agree that its regular and usual sense is one 
 which does not forbid, but entirely accords 
 with, the idea of its being performed in the 
 water. "We have therefore the natural and 
 almost uniform use of 'in' concurring with 
 the established meaning of the verb, and rein- 
 forcing the argument by which that meaning 
 is established. (Comp. 'in water' v. 11, Rev. 
 Ver., margin). The Rev. Ver. reads, the river 
 Jordan. 3 The word Jordan, always with the 
 article in the Hebrew and the Greek, signifies 
 'the descender,' and was so named from its 
 rapid descent in a long and deep valley or 
 
 1 The explanation of its rise was first given by Schnec- 
 kenburger, whose excellent little work " How Old is 
 the Jewish Proselyte-Baptism" (1828), has not been 
 translated from the German. The most complete and 
 satisfactory discussion of the subject is by Toy, in 
 Baptist Quarterly, 1872, p. 301 ff. See also among many 
 writers, Gill, "Body of Divinity," Vol. II., and Leyrer 
 (and Delitzsch) in Herzog. Recent leading writers gen- 
 erally concur in Schneckenburger's view, e. ff., Winer, 
 Meyer, Ewald, Bleek. Cremer, Keirn, Keil, Godet; on 
 the other hand, Edersh. (App. xii.) urges that " previous 
 
 to Christ, the baptism of proselytes was customary"; 
 but he gives neither evidence nor argument for any- 
 thing else than the above-mentioned purification be- 
 fore sacrifices, which was a matter of course. Schdrer 
 also advocates the same opinion, but presents nothing 
 new. 
 
 * The word ' river ' (as in Mark 1 : 5) is here given by 
 B, X- C. M. A. 2. and more than thirty cursive MSS 
 and by all the early versions except the Latin, and is 
 adopted by Lach., Treg., Tisch., Alf., Weiss, W H. Yet 
 while Mark would naturally tell his Gentile readers
 
 CH. III.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 43 
 
 fissure. The highest of its three principal 
 fountains on the slopes of Hermon is seven- 
 teen hundred feet above the level of the Med- 
 iterranean ; the first lake it forms, Huleh, has 
 its surface only one hundred and twenty feet 
 above the Mediterranean, while the second, 
 the Lake of Galilee, is six hundred and eighty- 
 two feet (Conder) below the level, and the 
 third Lake, the Dead Sea, is twelve hundred 
 and ninety-two feet below the level of the 
 Mediterranean, besides being itself some 
 thirteen hundred feet deep. The fissure or 
 valley varies in width, south of the Lake of 
 Galilee, from two to six miles, and nearer 
 the Dead Sea it becomes fourteen miles wide 
 (Conder). Winding about in this long, narrow 
 valley is another depressed valley (forty to 
 one hundred and fifty feet deeper), of several 
 hundred yards in width ; and within this the 
 actual bed of the river sinks deeper still. The 
 distance in a straight line from its highest 
 source to the southern end of the Dead Sea is 
 about one hundred and sixty miles, or exclud- 
 ing the Dead Sea, about one hundred and fif- 
 teen miles. But so extremely crooked is the 
 winding river that Lynch estimates it to be 
 near two hundred miles between the Lake of 
 Galilee and its mouth (which is sixty-five miles 
 in a straight line), and though less crooked 
 higher up, its whole length must be at least 
 two hundred and seventy-five miles, not in- 
 cluding the Dead Sea. The width and depth 
 of course vary at different seasons, as it is 
 swollen in February and March by the rains, 
 and in May, the "time of harvest" (Joh.s:i5), 
 by the melting snows of Hermon. Above 
 Lake Hflleh it is some forty feet wide, and is 
 deep and rapid, but fordable almost every- 
 where. Towards the Lake of Galilee it is about 
 sixty feet, and easily forded at several places. 
 For some miles below the lake Lynch found 
 it about seventy-five feet wide, and at points 
 ten feet deep (middle of April), but on one 
 of the numerous rapids only eight inches 
 deep. About five miles below the lake an im- 
 
 portant tributary enters from the east, and 
 below this the usual depth varies from two 
 and one half to six feet (Ritter). About half 
 way from the Lake of Galilee to the Salt 
 (Dead) Sea, the River Jabbok enters from the 
 east, and smaller streams come in at various 
 neighboring points on both sides. It here be- 
 comes from eighty to one hundred and fifty 
 feet wide, and from five to twelve feet deep 
 (McClintock and Crooks, "Cyc."). Nearthe 
 mouth it widens to some five hundred and 
 fifty feet, and the depth diminishes to two or 
 three feet (Lynch). The principal fords are 
 not many (though Conder collected the 
 names of about forty in all). (1) About 
 two miles above the mouth (Fish). Several 
 miles higher up is the traditional place of our 
 Lord's baptism, nearly opposite Jericho, and 
 somewhat above this is (2) a ford used at some 
 seasons. At the traditional place the river is, 
 in spring (when most travelers visit it), both 
 too deep and too swift for fording. Yet just 
 before Easter several thousand Greek and Ori- 
 ental pilgrims (in the Middle Ages there were 
 sometimes 100,000) go to this place men, 
 women, and children and immerse them- 
 selves as a sacred bath, many of them changing 
 their garments amid the dense thickets of 
 shrubbery which extend for some distance 
 from the stream ; and almost every year, in 
 the vast fanatical throng, crowding in to- 
 gether, some are drowned. Several miles 
 above this place is now a ferry-boat (comp. 2 
 Sam. 19: 18), which is handled with difficulty, 
 the current being in March excessively strong. 
 (3) Ten miles below the mouth of the Jabbok 
 is a ford now much used in going from Nabu- 
 lus to Es-Salt (Van de Velde). (4) Above the 
 Jabbok is the ford of Succoth, where Jacob 
 crossed with his family and flocks (Gen. 32: 
 10, 22.) (5). Near Beisan is a ford, which 
 Robinson (III., 325) crossed with difficulty, 
 but which, on March 24, 1871, the Modin of 
 Beisan said would only reacli the horses' bel- 
 lies. In this neighborhood Conder, in April, 
 
 that the Jordan was a river (like many other explana- 
 tions he gives), this was quite needless for Matt., and 
 contrary to his usage in similar cases. Translators and 
 copyfxts in foreign countries would, however, think the 
 word necessary here, even as X and Old Syrlac have In- 
 nerted it in John 1 : 28. We thus see that Matt, is not 
 likely to have written it and copyists would be likely to 
 Insert it. This strong union of intrinsic and transcrip- 
 tional evidence might even outweigh the very strong 
 
 documentary evidence in favor of the word, hut for the 
 fact that D and some copies of Old Latin ami/' river' 
 in Mark 1 : 5, as well as here, which indicates that the 
 " Western" text was hostile to the word, and thiiM ac- 
 counts for its omission in many copies of Matt. Thin 
 word must therefore be accepted as a part of Matthew's 
 text, yet not without some lingering doubt. The ques- 
 tion has obviously no practical importance, however 
 interesting to the textual critic.
 
 44 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 CH. III. 
 
 7 But when he saw man v of the Pharisees and Saddu- 
 cees couie to his baptism, he said unto them, O genera- 
 tion of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the 
 wrath to come ? 
 
 7 in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when 
 he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming 
 Ho his baptism, he said unto them, Ye oft'spring of 
 vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to 
 
 1 Or, for baptism. 
 
 found twenty-one possible fords within seven 
 miles. About ten miles above Beisan is a 
 Saracenic bridge (the only one now crossing 
 the river), upon the road from Nabulus to 
 Damascus, and above it are said to be several 
 difficult and little-used fords. (6) Not far 
 below the Lake of Galilee is an important ford, 
 which the Jews of our Lord's time must have 
 constantly used in going from Galilee through 
 Perea to Jerusalem. At this, on March 25, 
 1871, the water came nearly to the root of a 
 horse's tail. But in summer the river falls 
 much lower, and must be easily fordable at 
 many points. The outer and principal part 
 of the Jordan valley is nearly all entirely un- 
 productive without irrigation, justifying the 
 statement of Josephus that the Jordan flows 
 through a desert (" War," 3, 10, 7). But the 
 banks of the river are everywhere fringed 
 with trees (willow, balsam, etc.), amid which 
 the birds sing, and in whose pleasant shade 
 the multitudes could gather to hear the voice 
 of the new prophet. As to the scene of the 
 baptism of Jesus, see on v. 13. 
 
 The people received this solemn rite con- 
 fessing their sins. The Scriptures promise 
 forgiveness on condition of confession (PTOV. 28: 
 is; uohni: 9), though of course this is not the 
 meritorious ground of forgiveness. It was re- 
 quired \>y the Mosaic Law (Lev.5:5; 16:21; 26:40! 
 
 Hum. 5: ?), and is often recorded as practiced by 
 the penitent (e. g, 2 Chron. 30: 22; Psa. 32: 
 5; Neh. 9: 2, 3; Dan. 9: 20; Acts 19: 18). 
 The term here used appears to denote an ac- 
 tually spoken confession, and the present par- 
 ticiple shows that it was made in immediate 
 connection with the act of baptism. Most 
 probably the confession was not made to the 
 multitude, but simply to John, and was not 
 uniform, but varied according to every man's 
 calling, character, etc., (comp. John's specific 
 exhortations to different classes, Luke 3: 10- 
 14). The act of submitting to baptism was itself 
 also (Kohler) a confession of faith, namely, of 
 faith in the good news of the kingdom. (MM* i : 
 
 15; Acts 19: 4.) 
 
 We have now (v. 7-12) a specimen of John's 
 teachings given more in detail. 
 
 7. The Pharisees and Sadducees were 
 the two great parties, at once religious and 
 political, among the Jews at the time of 
 Christ. The date of their origin is unknown, 
 and they no doubt arose gradually. In the 
 centuries immediately following the return 
 from the Captivity there must have been va- 
 rious divisions of public sentiment. Some 
 insisted on conforming to all decisions of 
 tribunals and opinions of leading teachers, 
 others thought it enough to observe the 
 original directions of the law; some busied 
 themselves in developing many real or sup- 
 posed germs of truth contained in the law 
 and the prophets, others said they wanted no 
 religious teaching but that of the sacred 
 books, especially the Pentateuch ; some were 
 extremely zealous for their religion, and 
 ready to die in its defence, others were more 
 ready to suit their action to changing circum- 
 stances ; some cherished a bitter hatred to 
 foreigners, others were friendly to them, etc. 
 Such divergencies of opinion on many ques- 
 tions of truth and duty would gradually asso- 
 ciate themselves, by sympathy or antagonism, 
 with some one leading division, so as to form 
 two distinct, though at first not well defined, 
 parties. Then when any new religious or 
 political issue arose (the religious and politi- 
 cal being always more or less blended, from 
 the nature of the Jewish institutions), the 
 mere fact that one party took one side of the 
 question would decide the opposite party to 
 take the other side. Thus by degrees the 
 parties became sharply defined, compact, an- 
 tagonizing at all points.' Josephus held that 
 the Pharisees and Sadducees were distinct 
 parties in B. c. 145. ("Ant.," 13, 5, 9.) Cer- 
 tainly in the later years of John Hyrcanus 
 (died B. c. 106), they were politically antago- 
 nistic. ("Ant.," 13, 10, 5.) By the time of 
 our Lord's ministry, the division had doubt- 
 less become more pronounced. The history 
 of their hostility was known to run back to 
 
 'The above was written before the appearance of fying support in his elaborate discussion. (Book iii., 
 Edersheim's work, and the yiew presented finds grati- chap. 2.)
 
 CH. III.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 45 
 
 the Maocabean struggle, the Pharisees now 
 representing the patriots of that time, and it 
 had included many fierce political conflicts 
 and wars under the successors of John Hyr- 
 canus (" Ant.," 13, 15, 5; 13, 16, 5), which left 
 a bitter and lasting hatred. At the time of 
 Christ, the Sadducees were comparatively few 
 in number, but embraced a large proportion 
 of wealthy and influential men ("Ant.," 18, 
 1, 4), including many members of the Sanhe- 
 drim (Acts5:i7), and were more likely to have 
 the sympathy of the Koman rulers. But the 
 Pharisees were far more numerous, and on 
 account of the patriotic record and pious 
 reputation of the party, possessed the sym- 
 pathies and support of the people at large. 
 Yet, while political antagonism had caused 
 bitterness, the chief differences between the 
 two parties had always been religious. The 
 Pharisees held to many traditional interpret- 
 ations of Scripture (e. g., 5: 21, 33, 43), some 
 of them not merely erroneous, but subversive 
 of its great truths, and also to many tradi- 
 tional rules for the conduct of life, particu- 
 larly as to externals, some of these likewise 
 tending to set aside the teachings of God's 
 word. (i5:2fr.) These they claimed, as most 
 Jews have ever since done, to be of almost 
 equal authority with the law; indeed, they 
 were called the "oral law," and held to have 
 been given orally to Moses at Mount Sinai, 
 and handed down from him. About two 
 centuries after Christ many of these tradi- 
 tions were written down, and form what is 
 called the Mishna, or 'second,' i. e., the 
 second law. 1 All these traditional inter- 
 pretations and rules the Sadducees rejected, 
 acknowledging no authority but the Scrip- 
 tures, and especially 'the law,' i. e., the 
 five books ascribed to Moses. But the in- 
 terpretations of the later centuries before 
 Christ, as received among the Pharisees, 
 had elicited from the Scriptures various 
 
 true and important doctrines, as that of 
 the separate existence of spirits, and a cer- 
 tain approach to the Christian doctrine of 
 the resurrection from the dead (comp. on 
 22: 23); while the Sadducees, in avoiding 
 traditionalism, went to the opposite extreme 
 of rationalism, and wholly rejected these doc- 
 trines, and even the belief in angels (Acts23:8) ) 
 though this last is so plainly and repeatedly 
 taught in Old Testament. The Pharisees, in 
 their fanatical zeal for the law of purifica- 
 tions, and the numerous rules which tradi- 
 tion had added, shrank from all association 
 with "sinners," i. e., persons who notoriously 
 violated the law (Luke 7: 39), and thought it in- 
 excusable in Jesus to do otherwise. (9:ii; Luke 
 15:2.) Thus, when they came from market, 
 where they might possibly have touched some 
 person or thing that was ceremonially 'un- 
 clean,' they were wont to perform a com- 
 plete purification, 'immersed themselves,' 
 before they would eat. (Mark T. 4.) * This 
 scrupulosity in separating themselves prob- 
 ably led to the name Pharisees, 'separa- 
 ters.' The name Sadducees most likely 
 meant 'righteous,' as denoting that they 
 contented themselves with being simply 
 righteous men, and did not care for new- 
 fangled beliefs and strait-laced observances. 3 
 Our Saviour less frequently referred to the 
 errors of the Sadducees, great as they were, 
 doubtless because the people in genera} wore 
 little likely to be misled by them; he does 
 however caution his disciples against their 
 doctrine (and that of the Phar.) in 16: 11. 
 They appear 'tempting' him in 16: 1, and 
 22: 23. But the Pharisees had, with some ex- 
 ceptions (such as Nicodemus, Gamaliel, 
 Paul), lost the true patriotism and especially 
 the true piety which had gained their party 
 so much popular favor, and were striving by 
 the most shameful hypocrisy to retain an in- 
 fluence which they no longer deserved, and 
 
 1 Commentaries upon the Mishna (with supplement- 
 ary traditions also) were afterwards written, and known 
 as Gemara, 'completion," because they completed the 
 Mishna. The Jerusalem Gemara was written In the 
 fourth century after Christ, and that of Babylon In the 
 fifth century. The Mishna, with one or the other of 
 these, is commonly meant by the term Talmud ('in- 
 struction'). 
 
 *8o, if an Egyptian touched a swine, he went to the 
 rive- r and 'dipped himself from it' (bapto), clothes and 
 all (Her. II. 47). 
 
 I 'The common Jewish derivation from a supposed 
 founder named Zadok Is now almost imiversiilly re- 
 jected. Geiger's recent theory, that the Sadduceea wore 
 an aristocratic, priestly class, 'the priests of the wed 
 of Zadok' (Eiek. 43 : 1), is adopted by Hatisrath and 
 Schnrer, by Twisleton in Smith's Diet., Geikie and 
 (ilnsburg in Kitto, but Is extremely far-fetched, mid 
 does not explain the facts. See in opposition to it, 
 Edersh. Vol. I. p. 322. The best recent treaties are 
 those of Wellhausen aud Montet. (See ludex.)
 
 46 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. III. 
 
 which they abused to the worst ends; and our 
 Lord rebuked their hypocrisy on various oc- 
 casions, and unsparingly exposed it in the last 
 public discourse of his ministry, ch. 23. The 
 continued rivalry between Pharisees and Sad- 
 ducees was the providential means of securing 
 freedom from persecution for several years 
 after the ascension of Christ (Act*, ch. 4-e), and 
 was made useful even at a later time by Paul. 
 (Acts 23: e.) No writings of Sadducees remain 
 to us, and we know them, besides the few ref- 
 erences in New Testament, only from writers 
 who were Pharisees, viz., Josephus and the 
 Talmud, and who may have done them scant 
 justice. They seem to have ceased to exist 
 soon after the destruction of the Jewish State, 
 which was the natural fate of a rationalistic 
 party, having little devout earnestness, and 
 whose standing had been social and political 
 rather than religious. 
 
 The term 'sect' applied in Eng. Ver. to the 
 Pharisees and the Sadducees (Acts 5 : 17; 15:5; 26:5) 
 does not, according to its present use, correctly 
 reader the Greek word nor correctly repre- 
 sent the facts of the case ; they were parties, 
 with the peculiarity above mentioned, that 
 they were at the same time religious and polit- 
 ical parties. But there was a 'sect,' in our 
 sense, then existing among the Jews, called 
 the Essenes, who had a strictly exclusive or- 
 ganization and worship, and indeed lived in 
 seclusion, much like the monks of later times. 
 They were few in number, having small com- 
 munities scattered over Palestine, and the 
 largest on the western shore of the Dead Sea. 
 They were probably an offshoot of the Phari- 
 sees, whose leading views they shared. Their 
 comparative insignificance, their never attend- 
 ing the temple-worship, and this apparent re- 
 lation to the Pharisees, will account for the fact 
 that they are never mentioned in N. T., nor in 
 the Talmud, being known to us only through 
 the writings of Philo, Josephus, and Pliny. 
 All attempts to show that some ideas or prac- 
 tices were derived from them by John the 
 Baptist or by Jesus, have proved a failure ; 
 but their teachings do throw light on the 
 heresy Paul attacked at Colosse (see an 
 admirable essay in Lightfoot on Colossians). 
 Josephus says (" Ant.,"is:5, 9) that the Essenes 
 were utter fatalists, the Sadducees held to ex- 
 treme views of free-will, substantially reject- 
 
 ing providence, while the Pharisees occupied 
 a middle ground, recognizing both human 
 freedom and responsibility, and divine con- 
 trol. 
 
 Come or, coming to his baptism, that 
 is, coming to be baptized by him. 1 The ex- 
 pression many of the Pharisees and Sad- 
 ducees, with only one article, throws the two 
 parties together as both needing sharp rebuke. 
 (Comp. 16: 6, 11, 12.) What is here given as 
 addressed to them, really applied, more or 
 less, to the people at large, and was intended to 
 apply to all it fitted, and Luke (3= 7) gives it as 
 addressed to 'the crowds that came forth to be 
 baptized by him.' So in Matthew, the people 
 at large are evidently addressed in what im- 
 mediately follows, v. 9 ff. Perhaps also Mat- 
 thew here refers to a particular case, while 
 Luke states a general fact, as his tenses (in the 
 Greek) may imply. We learn from Luke? : 
 29 f., that the Pharisees and lawyers who on a 
 certain occasion in Galilee heard the teach- 
 ings of Jesus concerning John, had not been 
 baptized by John, as the people present and 
 the publicans had been ; but this ought not to 
 be relied on as proving that no Pharisees had 
 been baptized by John. Only a portion of 
 them were at all disposed to seek his baptism, 
 and some of these were doubtless repelled by 
 John's stern rebuke and rigorous require- 
 ments. (Comp. on 21: 32.) 
 
 O generation, or, Ye offspring of vi- 
 pers, merely a phrase of reproach, describ- 
 ing them as noxious and odious, and perhaps 
 also as insidious. (Comp. 12: 34; 23: 33; Isa. 
 14: 29; 59: 5; Psa. 58:'4.) Classic writers 
 present similar expressions. The idea that 
 they are meant to be described as children of 
 the devil, the old serpent, seems fanciful. 
 Warned, is stronger than the original, which 
 signifies to show secretly or partially, and 
 thus to intimate, suggest, indicate, or more 
 generally, to make known. To flee from, 
 may either mean 'to escape,' as in 23: 33, or 
 to 'avoid,' 'shun, 1 as in 1 Cor. 10: 14. W T ith 
 the former meaning it would be, 'Who 
 intimated to you that you would escape the 
 coming wrath?' viz., when there was so little 
 reason to believe they would escape; with 
 the latter: 'Who suggested to you to flee 
 from,' etc., the surprise being that any one 
 should take the trouble, with so little pros- 
 
 i Tisch. and W H. omit ' his,' but on insufficient grounds.
 
 CH. III.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 47 
 
 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for "repentance: 
 
 9 And thiuk not to say within yourselves, We have 
 Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is 
 able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 
 
 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the 
 trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth 
 good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 
 
 8 come? Bri ng forth therefore fruit worthy of irepent- 
 
 9 ance: and think not to say within yourselves, We 
 have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that 
 God is able of these stones to raise up children unto 
 
 10 Abraham. And even now the axe lieth at the root 
 of the trees: every tree therefore that briugeth not 
 forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the tire. 
 
 erable to amendment of life. 1 Or, your repents 
 
 pect of any good result. The latter is the 
 more natural sense. The wrath to come 
 or, coming wrath. It was expected among 
 the Jews (as the book of Enoch shows), that 
 in connection with Messiah's appearance 
 there would be an outburst of God's wrath 
 upon his enemies, i. e., upon the Gentiles. 
 But John, in accordance with the whole tenor 
 of his teaching, describes 'the coming wrath' 
 as threatening all God's enemies, including 
 impenitent Jews ; and this was already im- 
 plied in Mai., ch. 3 and 4. Similarly Paul in 
 1 Thess. 1 : 10. 
 
 8. Fruits, fruit (singular), is the correct 
 reading. 1 Bring forth, literally, make. The 
 rendering 'bring forth,' common from Tyn- 
 dale down, mixes the metaphors. 'Produce,' 
 though not pleasing, would be allowable, 
 and suits exactly in v. 10. Therefore, 
 presents the exhortation as the consequence 
 of what precedes, or is naturally supplied. 
 "As you profess repentance and wish to be 
 baptized, therefore produce fruit worthy of 
 repentance, and thus prove that you really do 
 repent/' This exhortation he might natu- 
 rally address to all (Luke 3:8), while it was es- 
 petially appropriate to the Pharisees and 
 Sadducees. It is not probable that he required 
 them to go off and prove their repentance 
 before he could baptize them; he only gave 
 them a special charge. 
 
 9. A great hindrance to a true repentance on 
 their part, was the idea generally entertained 
 among the Jews, that all the descendants of 
 Abraham must certainly escape wrath, would 
 assuredly be saved (see John 8 : 33, 39). John 
 proceeds therefore to correct this error. Think 
 not to say, is an exact imitation of the Greek, 
 and signifies either ' do not think yourselves at 
 liberty to say,' 'warranted in saying,' (comp. 
 Phil. 3: 4), or more probably, 'do not think 
 you will say,' 'do not propose to yourselves 
 to say ' (comp. Luke's ' do not begin to say ' ). 
 To say within yourselves, corresponds to 
 
 a well-known Hebrew expression, 'to say in 
 his heart' (2*: ; PS. *. * ; 10: 6; H: i), and is used 
 also in 9: 21; Luke 7: 39, 49; Kev. 18: 7. 
 We have Abraham to or, for our father, 
 with emphasis on ' father,' as shown in Greek 
 by the order of the words. Descended as they 
 were from Abraham, they thought themselves 
 perfectly safe from the Messianic wrath, and 
 in little need of repentance. One Kabbi in a 
 Midrash even says (Wet.), "In the age to 
 come Abraham sits beside the gates of Ge- 
 henna, and suffers no circumcised Israelite to 
 go down"; though the Rabbi does make in- 
 genious provision for an exception in the case 
 of those who have sinned excessively. Edersh : 
 "No principle was more fully established in 
 the popular conviction, than that all Israel 
 had part in the world to come, and this spe- 
 cifically because of their connection with 
 Abraham. This appears not only from the 
 New Test., from Philo, and Josephus, but 
 from many Rabbinic passages." I say unto 
 you, calls attention to what he is about to say, 
 as being important. (Comp. on 5: 18). Of, 
 or, out of, as the material (translated 'out of 
 by Noyes and Davidson). He perhaps pointed 
 to the loose stones tying on the river-bank. 
 The fact that God could with such perfect 
 ease raise up children to Abraham, and so was 
 not dependent on them for the continuation of 
 Abraham's posterity, would suggest that they 
 might readily be set aside from enjoying the 
 blessings promised to Abraham's descendants. 
 So God once threatened to Moses that he 
 would destroy the nation, and raise up a new 
 people from him. This representation that 
 the Messianic blessings would not noressarity 
 be enjoyed by all Jews as such, accords with 
 that of John 1: 29, that they would not bo 
 limited to Jews, but that Messiah 'takes awny 
 the sin of the world.' Comp. also Paul's ar- 
 gument in Gal. 3: 7, and Rom. 4: Hi. 
 
 1O. Now also, or, already. Not only is 
 there a coming Messianic wrath, but already 
 
 'Not only is the singular best supported, but we can see how the plural might be introduced in assimilation 
 to Luke 3: 8.
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. III. 
 
 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: 
 but he that cometh alter me is mightier thun I, whose 
 shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you 
 with the Holy Ghost, aiid with tire : 
 
 11 I indeed baptize you Mn water unto repentance: 
 but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose 
 shoes I am not 2 worthy to bear : he shall baptize you 
 
 1 Or, with....! Or. sufficient. 
 
 there is beginning a Messianic discrimination 
 among the descendants of Abraham. It is 
 therefore high time to repent (Weiss). 'Also ' 
 must be omitted; it was doubtless inserted 
 from Luke .3 : 9. Even now translates ' now ' 
 in its emphatic position. Is laid unto, or, lies 
 at, the root. Noyes. The verb is exactly 
 'lies.' The Greek preposition leads many to 
 render 'is laid to the root,' i. e., applied to it in 
 actual cutting; and timber being very scarce 
 in Palestine, it is now common to cut down a 
 tree at the ground (Thomson, ii., 291). But 
 the meaning more probably is that it has been 
 brought to the tree and lies there ready for 
 use. Therefore, i. e., since such is the de- 
 sign with which the axe has been placed there. 
 Bringcth not forth good fruit, is the same 
 image as in v. 8; but instead of the specific 
 idea of fruit appropriate to repentance, we 
 have here the more general idea of good fruit. 
 Hewn down, literally 'cut out,' viz., out of 
 its place in the vineyard. (So Davidson). The 
 present tenses, ' is cut out ' and ' is cut,' de- 
 scribe the action as actually going on; the 
 discrimination is already beginning, 'even 
 now.' In 7: 19, the present tense denotes 
 what is customary in the case of all such 
 trees. Every, the most honored and privi- 
 leged of the nation (v. 7) not excepted. There 
 was beginning a severe scrutiny of all, and 
 the unworthy would be utterly excluded 
 from that share in Messiah's kingdom which 
 the persons addressed so confidently antici- 
 pated. 
 
 At this point Luke mentions various classes 
 as inquiring of the preacher, ' What are we to 
 do then?' viz., by way of producing good 
 fruit, fruit worthy of repentance ; and gives 
 some piquant and highly suggestive replies. 
 
 (Luke 3: lO-lO 
 
 11. The idea of v. 10 is now (v. n r.) brought 
 out by John more explicitly by contrasting 
 with his own work that of the greatly supe- 
 rior personage who is coming after him, whose 
 work will be far more discriminating and 
 thorough. The most striking and character- 
 istic thing about his own ministry being the 
 baptism he administered (comp. on 21 : 25), he 
 
 employs that in stating the contrast. And it 
 could be very naturally thus employed, since 
 immersion in water furnished an apt and ex- 
 pressive image for representing the soul as 
 being as it were immersed in, bathed in, 
 brought completely under the influence of, 
 thoroughly affected by, the operations of the 
 Holy Spirit. The risen Saviour afterwards 
 used the same image, and made the same con- 
 trast with John's baptism, in promising to the 
 disciples the Holy Spirit's influences, to be 
 given after his ascension. (Actsi:5-) The con- 
 trast here is certainly not, as some have imag- 
 ined, between John's baptism and that actu- 
 ally performed by Jesus, through his disciples 
 (john3:22; 4:2), for that was as much a " water- 
 baptism" as John's. Nor does it seem propor 
 to confine the view in any respect to the per- 
 sonal ministry of Jesus, but to understand a 
 reference to the entire work of the coming 
 Messiah, including what followed his personal 
 ascension. This work of Messiah would dif- 
 fer from, and be superior to, the merely in- 
 troductory work of the forerunner in the way 
 stated. 
 
 Indeed here represents a very peculiar 
 Greek particle (men) which denotes that to 
 the clause in which it stands there will pres- 
 ently be opposed or contrasted some other 
 statement (commonly introduced by 'but'). 
 We have nothing exactly like this in Eng- 
 lish, and have to say 'indeed,' 'truly,' 'to be 
 sure,' etc., and often we use no word, and ex- 
 press the idea by a mere emphasis: "7 bap- 
 tize in water .... but he that is coming,' 
 etc. (Comp. especially men, truly, on 9: 
 37.) With rather, in water (margin and 
 Amer. App.), is the proper rendering of the 
 preposition and case here employed. In a 
 few expressions the Greek has en, 'in' (with 
 its case), to denote merely the instrument or 
 means, not merely in phrases which we can 
 imitate, as 'In what shall it be salted?' (5:is\ 
 'In what measure ye measure' (7:2), but also, 
 in imitation of a Hebrew use, in connections 
 where the English idiom could not employ 
 'in,' as 'Trample them with (in) their feet' 
 (7: 6, see note), 'Smite with (in) the sword.'
 
 CH. III.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 49 
 
 (Lke22.49.) Here the action was originally 
 conceived as in a certain sense located in 
 the feet, the sword, a conception foreign to 
 our idiom. But it must be observed that this 
 use of the preposition is rare, and it cannot 
 with propriety be so understood unless the 
 connection is such as altogether to exclude 
 the common and natural meaning. Show, 
 on grounds apart from this expression, that 
 baptizing, from the nature of the action, can- 
 not have been performed 'in water' in the 
 strict, local sense, and it will be lawful to 
 interpret the preposition (with its case) as 
 here used in a looser local sense, denoting 
 the instrument or means. But here the 
 common and natural sense of the preposi- 
 tion exactly agrees with the nature of the 
 action. (Comp. on v. 6, and also com p. 1 Cor. 
 10: 2, 'in the cloud and in the sea,' and 
 2 Kings 5: 10, 14.) So here Meyer, Weiss, 
 McClellan, etc. 
 
 But we are told by some that while John 
 (i:26.3i,33) has this same 'in water,' Luke, in 
 the parallel passage to this (3;t), and also in 
 Acts (1 : 5, repeated in Acts 11 : 16), uses the 
 simple case of the noun without any prepo- 
 sition (and so probably in Mark 1 : 8), 1 and 
 that this certainly means 'with water,' de- 
 noting merely an instrument, which makes it 
 more likely that the same was meant in 
 Matthew and John. Then it is argued that 
 an instrument is always wielded, and applied 
 to the object affected by the action, and so 
 that "baptize with water" cannot denote an 
 immersion. But these positions are unten- 
 able. The simple Greek case may itself 
 mean 'in water,' that is, it may be not the 
 instrumental but the locative case. 2 And 
 granting it to be the instrument, an instru- 
 
 1 In Mark 1 : 8, the authorities are so divided, and the 
 probabilities of assimilation to Matt, and John or to 
 Luke are so balanced, that it is hard to decide. But 
 'baptize' would naturally have suggested 'in' to the 
 copyists (some copies have it even! in Luke 3: 16), and 
 this makes it more likely that the original text of Mark 
 was like that of Luke (W H.) In Matt, and John, 
 and in Acts, there is no variation in the copies. 
 
 *See probable examples of the locative with biijilizo, in 
 Conant, " on Baptiiieln," example 71, 78, also, perhaps, 
 60, 73, 76, 86. Compare Latin immergo alto, unda, etc., 
 where the case is necessarily locative and uot instru- 
 mental. 
 
 3 Here, as in Mark 1 : 8, some copies (some very good 
 ones here) insert en ' in,' probably for the same reason 
 as there, that the circumstances suggested it. John 21 : 
 
 ment must be used according to its natural 
 relation to the action. There is a curious 
 parallel in 14: 13, 'Jesus withdrew in a boat' 
 (en ploio); here, Mark 6: 32, has the simple 
 case without a preposition (to ploio). 3 This 
 also may mean 'in the boat,' but grant that 
 it is instrumental, the way to make a boat the 
 instrument of going across the lake is to put 
 yourself in the boat. So the above argument 
 from 'with water' falls to the ground. Luke, 
 in both the passages (3:16; ACU>I:SJ has en pneu- 
 mati, 'in the Spirit,' and so Mark 1:8, the 
 reason probably being that the local reference 
 was obvious in speaking of 'water' as con- 
 nected with baptize, but needed to be more 
 distinctly brought out in speaking of the 
 Holy Spirit, that the figure of immersion in 
 the Spirit might not be overlooked. 4 
 
 Unto repentance. The most natural way 
 to understand this preposition (with its case), 
 in Greek as in English, would be ' in order 
 that you may repent.' So the same expres- 
 sion in Wisdom 11: 23, 'Thou overlookest the 
 sins of men unto repentance.' The difficulty 
 is that John's baptism evidently presupposed 
 repentance, and was to be followed by 'fruits 
 worthy of repentance.' Accordingly, some 
 urge that the preposition eis (with its case), 
 'unto,' must here denote the occasion or 
 ground of the baptizing, a meaning which it 
 clearly has in 12 : 41, and which is ascribed to it 
 here by the Greek commentator Euthymius. 5 
 This, however, is a very unusual and difficult 
 use of the preposition, though certainly pos- 
 sible. Others take it to mean generally, 'with 
 reference to repentance' (so Tyndale, 'in 
 token of). Such a meaning the preposition 
 with its case does somewhat frequently have, 8 
 and that gives here a very good sense (us it 
 
 8 has a similar expression, to ploiario (no preposition), 
 and without variation in the copies, and the expres- 
 sion in the common text of Mark is at any rate (ircek, 
 if it be not the true text. 
 
 Here also (Mark) W II. omit the preposition, but 
 with slender evidence, and apparently through their 
 curious devotion to B. 
 
 & Euthymiiis (12th century) expressly says, "eumrlii- 
 noinn instead of dia ten metawiian," (' because of re- 
 pentance') and argues " for he baptized them confessing, 
 which is equivalent to repenting, becausethey repented. 
 And such a baptism was a proof of repentance." 
 
 8 .See ei.x, translated concerning, Acts'.!: 2. 1 ), nnd such 
 phrases as " to jeer at a man ei.i his rags" (Arlstoph.), 
 "to reproach ti* friendship" (Xeu.), "to diil'er from 
 one eix virtue," (1'lat.)
 
 50 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. III. 
 
 would also in Luke 3: 3; Mark 1 : 4, 'unto 
 remission of sins'). But it is best to adhere 
 if possible to the common and most natural 
 sense 'in order to.' And it may perhaps be 
 so understood if we revert (Cremer) to v. 
 7, 8, the special occasion of what John is 
 saying. Those whom he baptized all pro- 
 fessed repentance, but concerning some it 
 was very doubtful whether there was a real 
 change of thought and purpose (see on v. 2), 
 and he exhorts them to show by the appro- 
 priate fruits that such was the case. He 
 might therefore say, "I baptize you in order 
 that you may really repent," including in 
 the one view and one expression, the pri- 
 mary change of purpose and the subsequent 
 results and proof thereof. This makes the 
 design that of John in baptizing (so Hofman 
 in Keil), and not exactly the design of the 
 baptism itself (as Meyer, and many). In 
 the parallel passages of Mark and Luke 
 
 (Murk 1: 8; Luke 3: 16), this phrase, *UntO repent- 
 
 ance,' is not given, probably because each of 
 them had just before spoken of it as a 'bap- 
 tism of repentance.' That expression (Marni: 
 
 *; Luke3:3; also Acts 13 : 24 ; 19: 4) is Still more indefi- 
 nite than the other; by it the baptism is sim- 
 ply distinguished from other baptisms, char- 
 acterized as a repentance-baptism (comp. 
 ' Babylon removal ' 1 : 11), and we are left to 
 determine, from the nature of the case and 
 the known circumstances, what precise rela- 
 tion existed between the baptism and repent- 
 ance. 
 
 He that cnmeth after me. Literally, 
 the (one) coining behind me. The expres- 
 sion implies that they had heard of this 
 coming personage before. And we know 
 from the Talmud that the Jews frequently 
 spoke of Messiah as Habba, 'the coming 
 (one;') (comp. 11: 3; 21: 9), perhaps origi- 
 nally deriving it from such expressions as 
 Zech. 9:9; Mai. 3:1; Psa. 118 : 26. Mark 
 and Luke, not writing especially for Jews, do 
 not here use this Jewish phrase. (Mark i : T, Luke 
 3: 16.) Mightier than I, not only superior in 
 position, but more powerful, able to accom- 
 plish what he could not. Not worthy to 
 bear, or, more exactly, in colloquial phrase, 
 ' not fit to carry.' The word rendered shoes 
 (or, sandals) signifies 'what is bound under,' 
 and denotes the sole of leather, raw hide, or 
 wood which they wore under the foot, and 
 
 which, fastened to the foot by a thong or strap, 
 constituted its entire covering. A Bedouin 
 from beyond Jordan may be seen to-day with 
 just such sandals of untanned sheepskin. It 
 was the ofBce of the lowest menial among all 
 the slaves of a household, to carry his mas- 
 ter's sandals, as when he went to the bath, or 
 to untie and remove them when he entered 
 the house ; this last being the expression given 
 by Mark and Luke as used here or on a simi- 
 lar occasion. Somewhat similar among us 
 would be the task of removing muddy over- 
 shoes. A like menial service was that of 
 washing the feet after removing the sandals. 
 (Lute 7: 4*; John 13:3 ff.) We learn from LukeS: 
 15 that the people were beginning to meditate 
 whether John himself might be the Messiah, 
 and it was partly to meet this that John told 
 them he was so immensely inferior to the 
 Corning One. In general, John is singularly 
 free from self-assertion. While boldly rebuk- 
 ing the most influential classes (v. 7), and 
 braving the wrath of Herod Antipas (:*), he 
 speaks of himself only in the way of declar- 
 ing the imcomparable superiority of the Com- 
 ing One (comp. John 3: 28 ff.). Great force of 
 character, united with great' humility and 
 modesty, must command hearty admiration. 
 
 He, emphatic, as in 1 : 21. With the Holy 
 Ghost and with fire. Better, in the Holy 
 Spirit and fire. Rev. Ver. The original has 
 no article, and some propose to render 'in 
 Holy Spirit,' i. e., in holy spiritual influences. 
 But the phrase Holy Spirit was so definite by 
 reason of its common use, as to be for Mat- 
 thew's readers virtually a proper name, so 
 that, like other proper names, it could be used 
 with or without the article; and it is used 
 without the article in numerous instances, 
 particularly when in connection with a prepo- 
 position, as here. English idiom requires the 
 article, as in many other cases where the 
 Greek may omit it. Comp. 'holy covenant' 
 in 1 Mace. 1: 15, and 'all Scripture' in 2 
 Tim. 3: 16. As to 'Ghost,' and 'Spirit,' see 
 on 1: 18. Observe how helpful it would be to 
 have the same word ' Spirit ' here as in 3 : 16, 
 and 4 : 1. This statement of John's is plainly 
 a figure, as in v. 10, 12. To say that John's 
 baptism was only in water, and Christian bap- 
 tism is both in water and the Spirit, is curi- 
 ously to mix the image and that which it signi- 
 fies. But such mixing need not surprise us, 

 
 CH. III.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 51 
 
 for much confusion has arisen in Christian 
 thought from the wide-spread notion of bap- 
 tismal regeneration. John here says that 
 while he immersed men in water, the symbol 
 of a new and pure life, the mightier Coming 
 One would (so to speak) immerse them in the 
 Holy Spirit, who really produces such a life. 
 Jesus did not literally immerse men in the 
 Spirit, any more than he literally smote men 
 with an ux (v. 10), or cleansed them with a fan. 
 (v. 12.) Plumptre : " As heard and understood 
 at the time, the baptism with the Holy Ghost 
 would imply that the souls thus baptized 
 would be plunged, as it were, in that creative 
 and informing Spirit which was the source of 
 life and holiness and wisdom." It is likewise 
 explained as a figurative immersion by Nean- 
 der, Meyer, Bleek. This figurative use of the 
 term resembles such expressions of profane 
 writers as 'immersed in ignorance,' 'in sor- 
 row,' ' in debts,' as also our Saviour's descrip- 
 tion of his own dreadful sufferings as a 
 baptism. (Luke 12: so.) In English too we are 
 constantly saying, 'immersed in business,' 
 ' plunged in despair,' ' bathed in delight,' etc. 
 But what is meant by t'.ie additional words, 
 and fire? Observe that in the preceding 
 verse the fire receives the unfruitful trees, and 
 in the next verse the fire consumes the chaff. 
 V. 11 evidently teaches the same general les- 
 son, and it would therefore be natural to un- 
 derstand the fire which ends each of the three 
 parallel sentences in essentially the same way 
 as a fire which consumes the wicked. And 
 notice that Luke (3: ie) who also gives 'and 
 fire,' has the other images of burning the un- 
 fruitful trees and the chaff (t-uke 3 = 9, 17), while 
 in Mark 1:8; John 1: 33; and Acts 1:5; 
 11: 16, where the other images are not 
 mentioned, neither are the words ' and 
 fire' given. This would seem to leave no 
 doubt as to the meaning of these words. 
 The objection is that in the other images 
 (r. 10, u) two classes are distinguished, and 
 the destiny of each is separately stated; 
 while here it is simply 'shall baptize you,' 
 one class of persons, 'in the Holy Spirit and 
 fire," without even repeating the preposition 
 Ix'fore 'fire' as if it meant one class and one 
 destiny, though stated by means of two terms. 
 But the 'you' whom John is addressing are 
 not simply the believing and penitent, but 
 the Jews in general, with special reference at 
 
 the outset (v. 7 r.) to the Pharisees and Saddu- 
 cees. Now it had been predicted by Malachi 
 (s: icr.) that the messenger of the covenant 
 would come and purify the nation (especially 
 the Levites, who were necessary to a bettered 
 worship and national life), as silver is purified 
 in a furnace; and this does not simply mean 
 that he would purify individuals by consum- 
 ing what was faulty in them, but Mai. 4: 1-3 
 shows it to mean that he would purify the 
 nation by consuming the wicked individuals 
 like 'stubble,' and then the truly righteous of 
 the nation would rejoice and prosper. The 
 nation would be, as it were, thrown into a fur- 
 nace of fire, which would consume the wicked 
 among them, and leave a purified nation. In 
 like manner, John says, the mighty Coining 
 One will 'plunge you,' the Jews whom he 
 is addressing, 'in the Holy Spirit and fire'; 
 some will be consumed and some preserved, 
 a purified people. Just how far the ' Holy 
 Spirit' in John's mouth differs from the 
 O. T. and approaches the N. T. idea, it would 
 be very difficult, and is not necessary, to de- 
 termine. But it can scarcely be questioned 
 that John's thought is connected with that 
 of Malachi, and if so, the explanation just 
 offered is in all probability correct. Comp. 
 Bleek. More or less similar is the view 
 of Origen, Fritzsche, Neander, do Wette, 
 Hengstenberg, Meyer, Reynolds. Many, 
 however, suppose that the 'Holy Spirit' is to 
 be taken in the strictly N. T. sense, and 'fire' 
 is simply appended as an image of the Spirit's 
 purifying work upon the individual, consum- 
 ing his faults. So Chrys., most Roman Cath- 
 olic commentators, Calvin, Olshausen, Ewald, 
 Godet, Edersh., Morison, and a number of 
 others. Some of these think we have a simi- 
 lar expression in John 3: 5, 'born of water 
 and the Spirit,' and some refer to the tongues 
 of fire on the day of Pentecost as an actual 
 exhibition of the image which John hore cm- 
 ployed. Such a view disregards the striking 
 parallelism of Matthew's three sentences, and 
 rejects the guidance of Malachi. Our Lord 
 promised the disciples (Acts i: 5) a baptism in 
 the Holy Spirit ore many days, which was 
 fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, and on 
 that day appeared tongue-shaped flames sit- 
 ting on" their heads, and obviously symboliz- 
 ing the power of speaking with other tongues. 
 And it is maintained that this is what John
 
 52 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. III. 
 
 12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly 
 
 Eurge his rtoor, and gather his wheat into the garner; 
 ut he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. 
 
 12 > in the Holy Spirit and in fire: whose fan is in his 
 hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing- 
 floor; and he will gather his wheat into the garner, 
 but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire. 
 
 meant. But Jesus did not in his promise add 
 'and fire,' and there is no mention of fiery 
 tongues in the case of Cornelius and his 
 household, when Peter expressly recognized 
 (AOU ii: is) a fulfillment of the Saviour's prom- 
 ise. Nay, the forerunner meant something 
 deeper and broader than the power of speak- 
 ing with tongues; he was describing the great 
 work of discrimination, by which some would 
 be destroyed and the rest purified. 
 
 That difficulty was long ago felt as to 
 the meaning of 'fire,' appears from its being 
 omitted here by many late MSS., and a few 
 late versions and Fathers ; yet none of them 
 omit it in Luke 3: 16. Wiclif and Rheims 
 have 'in the Holy Ghost and fire.' Tyndale 
 introduced 'with the Holy Ghost and with 
 fire,' (altering the preposition and repeating 
 it), followed by the other early Protestant 
 versions, and now by Alford and Darby. 
 'In the Holy Spirit and fire' is the ren- 
 dering of Bible Union Revision, of Noyes 
 ('in fire') and Davidson, and Amer. App. 
 to Rev. Ver. 
 
 12. A third image for the work of scrutiny 
 and separation, and here expressly referred, 
 as in ver. 11, to Messiah. Fan, more exactly 
 a winnowing-shovel ; with this the Jews threw 
 up their wheat against the wind, which would 
 blow away the chaff (comp. Psa. 1:4; Dan. 2 : 
 35; Hos. 13 : 3), while the grain fell in a heap. 
 The 'threshing-floor,' a circular space of 
 beaten earth, was then cleaned up, and the 
 straw and chaff sometimes burned. (See Isa. 
 5 : 24). Thoroughly purge, or, cleanse. 
 The examination and discrimination will be 
 complete. The garner, or granary, barn, 
 literally, place for putting away. The Jews 
 often used underground granaries, cut in the 
 solid rock, like cisterns, or vaulted and ce- 
 mented. In these grain could be kept for 
 years. The term rendered chaff includes also 
 bits of straw, broken by the treading. With 
 unquenchable fire. We may here render 
 'with fire,' instrumental, or 'in fire,' locative, 
 just as in v. 11 and 13 : 40. Comp. ' into fire,' 
 v. 10, and Mark 9: 43. By saying unquench- 
 able fire, he turns attention away from the 
 
 literalities of tht, image to the eternal things 
 represented. So with ' eternal tabernacles ' 
 in Luke 16 : 9. Rev. Ver. 
 
 Luke adds (3: 18, B. U. Ver.) that 'with 
 many other exhortations he published the 
 good tidings to the people,' varying his prac- 
 tical exhortations while adhering to the same 
 general good news that the reign of heaven 
 was near at hand. This statement, as shown 
 by what follows in Luke, is designed to cover 
 the whole period of John's ministry. In John 
 1 : 26 f., we have two instances of testimony to 
 Jesus after his baptism, somewhat similar to 
 that of v. 10-12, borne before the event. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 The personal character of John the Baptist 
 
 (1) His courageous severity, v. 7; 14: 4. (2) 
 His practical wisdom, Luke 3 : 10-14. (3) His 
 humility and unselfishness, v. 11; John 3: 
 27-30. Religious benefits of solitude, as illus- 
 trated by the case of John. The ministry of 
 John. (1) Its subjects and spirit. (2) Its re- 
 lation to the ministry of Jesus. (3) The great 
 effects it produced, v. 5; 11: 11. JER. TAY- 
 LOR : " John was like the morning star, or the 
 blushings springing from the windows of the 
 east, foretelling the approach of the Sun of 
 righteousness." LUTHER: "New things. 1) 
 A new prophet; 2) A new ceremony; 3) A 
 new preaching; 4) A new king." V. 2. The 
 calls to repentance, (1) By the prophets, (2) 
 By John, (3) By Jesus, (4) By the apostles. 
 The old -exhortation, 'repent,' and the new 
 motive, ' for the reign,' etc. HEXRY: "True 
 penitents have other thoughts of God and 
 Christ, and sin and holiness, and this world 
 and the other, than they have had, and stand 
 otherwise affected toward them. The change 
 of the mind produces a change of the terry." 
 V. 3. Preparation for Christ's reign : (1) In 
 what it consists confessing and forsaking sins. 
 
 (2) How it is exhibited, (a) by baptism, v. 6, 
 (b) by fruit, v. 8. (3) How men are induced 
 to make it by the voice of one crying. ED. 
 IRVING: "I do therefore consider the Bap- 
 tist as our pattern and permission to take 
 strong weapons of argument and terrible de-
 
 CH. III.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 53 
 
 13 Then coiueth Jesus from Galilee to Jordan, unto 
 John, to be baptized of him. 
 
 13 Then corneth Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan 
 
 nunciation, wherewith to clear away obstruc- 
 tions, and make a highway for the descent of 
 our Lord. Christ came not until the Baptist 
 had come. The gospel of salvation cometh 
 not until the fear of condemnation and ruin 
 hath seized us. The Baptist rested his lever 
 upon the instant coming of Christ, and from 
 that fulcrum took his purchase upon the pres- 
 ent." CHRYSOSTOM: "The Prophet and the 
 Baptist go upon the same ideas; the Prophet 
 says, 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord,' the 
 Baptist, ' Produce fruits worthy of repent- 
 ance.' " V. 4. The first Elijah and the second 
 Elijah (comp. 11: 14). BENGEL: "Even 
 John's food and raiment preached." JER. 
 TAYLOR: "The preacher's life is his best 
 sermon." ED. IRVING: "And what is there 
 good that cometh not out of suffering? and 
 what is there great that cometh not out of self- 
 denial? what is there new, in knowledge or 
 in virtue, that cometh not out of solitary 
 thought? and what is there noble and lasting 
 in purpose that cometh not out of long nursing 
 and strengthening in the secret chambers of 
 the mind?" HALL: "Never will Christ 
 come into that soul, where the herald of re- 
 pentance hath not been before him." 
 
 V. 6. Relations between confession of sin 
 and baptism. V. 7. The wrath to come. 
 (1) There is still a wrath to come. (2) We 
 ought to flee from it. (3) We ought to in- 
 duce others to flee. (4) Mere alarm will 
 not secure escape. Coming to baptism un- 
 worthily: (1) With superficial views and 
 impressions, v. 7. (2) With proud self-re- 
 liance, v. 9. (3) With no intention to live 
 accordingly, v. 8. ED. IRVING: "But 
 rougher far than hairy raiment or rocky 
 wild was that ungentle voice which was rung 
 among the thousands of Israel. Such a salu- 
 tation as he opened with perhaps never smote 
 the pride of any assembly, 'O generation of 
 vipers!' It was bitterly, it was uncourtly, 
 but oh, it was truly said." V. 8. THEOPHY- 
 LACT : " We must not only flee evil, but also 
 produce fruits of virtue.'' Christianity is 
 positive. V. 9. Human pride humbled by 
 remembering divine sovereignty. Folly of 
 relying on a pious ancestry, when not pious 
 ourselves. Christianity does not propose to 
 
 save men by nations or by races, but in- 
 dividuallj*. 
 
 V. 10-12. Christianity discriminates :(1) The 
 righteous and the wicked living together. 
 (2) How Christianity discriminates between 
 them. (3) The resulting rewards and punish- 
 ments. V. 10. THEOPHYLACT: "Not 'that 
 did not produce,' but 'that does not produce' ; 
 for we must be always bearing fruit. If you 
 showed mercy yesterday, but plunder to-day, 
 you do not please" (God). V. 11. HENRY: 
 " It is a great comfort to faithful ministers, to 
 think that Jesus Christ is mighter than they, 
 can do that for them, and that by them, which 
 they cannot do; his strength is perfected in 
 their weakness. . . . Those whom God puts 
 honor upon, are thereby made very humble 
 and low in theirown eyes." V. 12. John's illus- 
 trations are all drawn from familiar objects, 
 and mainly rural from fruit-trees, cutting 
 with an ax, threshing and winnowing grain, 
 stones that lie around, a servant carrying his 
 master's sandals, the baptism he is perform- 
 ing, the customs as to marriage. (John 3:29.) 
 LUTHER: "Such preaching as John's does 
 not pass away without fruits." 
 
 13-17. BAPTISM OF JESUS. 
 
 The baptism of Jesus forms the transition 
 from the ministry of John to that of Jesus 
 himself. It is less fully described by Mark 
 (i:9-n), and Luke. (3:21,22.) John's Gospel 
 gives no immediate account of it, but per- 
 haps alludes to it afterwards. (Jnn 3 : 26.) 
 
 13. Then is a connective frequently em- 
 ployed by Matthew (e. g., v. 5, 15; 4: 1, o, 
 10, 11). In some cases it is used strictly, in 
 others loosely, designating a period of con- 
 siderable extent, like the phrase 'in those 
 days' in v. 1, which is here used by Mark, 
 (i: .) Matthew does not here mean that Jesus 
 appeared at the moment when John \VMS 
 speaking the preceding words, but in general, 
 at the tinie when John was engaged in bap- 
 tizing and preaching, as just described. W^ 
 have no means of ascertaining how long he 
 had been thu engaged before Jesus appeared. 
 We learn from Luke (: '. v "-), that 
 Jesus, when he began to teach, was about 
 thirty years of age; and supposing that John
 
 54 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Ce. I] 
 
 14 But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be 14 unto John, to be baptized of him. But John would 
 baptized ot thce, and couiest thou to uie? have hindered him, saying, I have need to be baj>- 
 
 besides that John may have moved in the 
 meantime, as he certainly moved once (John 
 3; 23), and probably more than once. (Joun 10: 40.) 
 Conder and Geikie (coin p. Stanley) think the 
 place of our Lord's baptism was far up the 
 river, near Bethleh ;ni, where Conder found a 
 ford now called Abarah, 'crossing.' This lo 
 cality would suit the circumstances, but the 
 reading Bethshean, must unquestionably be 
 rejected. Bethany might (Kohler) very well 
 mean 'ship-town' (aniyah, 'ship'), as Beth- 
 abara means ' ford-town ' or ' ferry town.' 
 A village supported by boating on the river 
 might perish after the desolation of the country 
 by the Komans, and so Origen could not hear 
 of it, and avowedly changed Bethany to Betft- 
 abara. The similar name of the village near 
 Jerusalem probably signified 'date-town,' or 
 'poor-town.' To be baptized. The con- 
 struction of the original distinctly implies, 
 what the connection also would indicate, that 
 he came with that design. Of him, where 
 modern English would say ' by.' (See on 
 1:22.) 
 
 14 f. The reluctance of John to baptize 
 Jesus, with what was said by them on the 
 subject, is recorded by Matthew alone. 1 
 
 But John forbade literally, was hinder- 
 ing him. The imperfect tense is occasion- 
 ally thus used to denote an attempted action, 
 since some actions, if engaged in but not 
 completed, must be afterwards regarded as 
 only attempted. This sense, in all cases, 
 grows out of the nature of the action and the 
 circumstances, the tense itself having the 
 same meaning as elsewhere. 2 The verb ren- 
 dered 'hinder' is compounded with a prepo- 
 sition, which increases its force, 'was com- 
 pletely hindering,' 'earnestly sought to 
 hinder.' In the next clause, all the pronouns 
 are emphatic : ' / have need to be baptized by 
 thee, and thou comest to me / ' or, ' and comest 
 thou to me?' an expression of surprise, 
 
 began at the same age, his ministry had al- 
 ready been exercised some six months. 
 (Luke i : 26.) But it is a mistake to say that John 
 must have begun at the a'ge of thirty, for the 
 age fixed by the law as to Levites (Num. 4:3, 33), 
 was shortly afterwards lowered to twenty-five 
 (Num. 8:24), and by David was for a special 
 reason further reduced to twenty (i cimm. 23 : 
 zt-27) ; and so continued under Hezekiah 
 
 (ZChrou. 31: 17), aild after the Captivity (Ezra3: 8), 
 
 and most likely in the time of Christ, when 
 David's courses of priests were certainly 
 maintained, and probably also his general 
 arrangement as to Levites. Luke says it was 
 1 when all the people were baptized' (of course 
 a general expression, not strictly universal), 
 which implies the lapse of at least several 
 months, if we consider the journeys neces- 
 sary. As Galilee is not mentioned in v. 5, 
 we may suppose that the people of Galilee in 
 general came later than those of Judea, and 
 we should thus have an external reason also 
 for Jesus' late arrival, besides his internal 
 reasons. (Keim). Others from Galilee are 
 soon after mentioned (Johui: 35-47) as disciples 
 of John. The traditional day of our Lord's 
 baptism is 6 January ('Epiphany,' manifesta- 
 tion), but that is unlikely. More probably 
 John began in spring, and Jesus was baptized 
 the following autumn, of A. D. 26; but no 
 exact determination is made. 
 
 Cometh, arrives, makes his appearance, as 
 in v. 1. From Galilee, i. e., Nazareth (2:22f.), 
 as Mark here expressly states. At Nazareth, 
 Jesus has been living since his infancy (see 
 above at close of chap. 2). As to Galilee, see 
 on 4: 12. To Jordan. The traditional place 
 is nearly opposite Jericho. (See on v. 6.) But 
 the place cannot be determined. John's tes- 
 timony to Jesus, apparently a few weeks 
 later, was given at Bethany beyond Jordan 
 (John 1 : 28. Bethabara is a false reading), 
 but we do not know where this Bethany was, 
 
 1 B, N and the Sahidic version, followed by Tisch. and 
 W H., omit 'John,' and then the Greek signifies 'but 
 he.' It is easier to explain this subsequent insertion of 
 'John ' than its omission, and so the shorter reading is 
 very likely correct ; but the question can hardly be set- 
 tled, and is practically unimportant. 
 
 s The rendering of Rev. Ver., ' would have hindered 
 him,' gives the idea with tolerable success. But to call i 
 
 this (Bp. Lightfoot on Revision) a "conditional sense 
 of the imperfect" is quite unwarranted and unwise, 
 for it is merely carrying back into the Greek a concep- 
 tion suggested by the approximate translation into 
 English. It is instructive to observe how often able 
 grammarians fall into this mistake of first translating, 
 and then supposing the original to contain the same 
 forms of conception as the conjectural translation.
 
 CH. III.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 55 
 
 whether it be understood as an exclamation 
 (Euthyrn.), or as a question. (Comp. John 13 : 
 6.) In like manner, John's mother had felt 
 unworthy of a visit from the mother of her 
 Lord. (Luke i:43.) It may be (Lutteroth) that 
 as John received the confession of others, 
 and administered to them the symbol of puri- 
 fication, he often remembered that he too had 
 sins to confess and turn away from, and there- 
 fore felt on this occasion that he would gladly 
 receive baptism from his recognized superior. 
 There is no sufficient ground for supposing 
 that he distinctly expected to receive this, but 
 he felt the 'need' of confession, repentance, 
 and symbolical purification. And the idea 
 of Jesus, administering baptism would not be 
 strange, for he did afterwards baptize many, by 
 the hands of his disciples. (John3:M; 4: it.) The 
 notion of some Fathers (as Chrys.) that John 
 was afterwards actually baptized by Jesus, is 
 not only without warrant, but seems excluded 
 by the language of John 3: 26-28; for John's 
 followers would in that case have expressed 
 no surprise, and John would have settled the 
 matter at once. (A Lapide). To understand 
 John as here indicating the expectation that 
 Jesus will baptize him in the Holy Spirit 
 (Gill, others), is strangely to confound the 
 literal and the figurative, as wild allegorizing 
 often leads men to do. Suffer it to be so 
 now, or, perhaps, 'suffer me now,' as indi- 
 cated by the last clause, ''then he suffers him.' 
 Suffer now that I take the position of inferi- 
 ority to thee by receiving baptism at thy 
 hands ; the time has not yet come for me to 
 assume my destined position. Becometh us. 
 Some understand 'us' of Jesus alone, but 
 against all probability, since in the preced- 
 ing verse both persons were made emphatic, 
 and since the reference to John as well as 
 hiniBf-lf suits the connection. John thought 
 it would be presumption in him, and un- 
 worthy condescension in this superior person- 
 age, if he should baptize Jesus ; but Jesus 
 declares it quite appropriate, becoming, for 
 them both putting the declaration, however, 
 in the form of a general statement: for thus it 
 becometh us to fulfil all righteousness, 
 'every (kind of) righteousness.' Fulfil, see 
 on 1 : 22, here signifies to perform fully. 
 Baptism was divinely commanded (see 21: 
 25), and though coupled with the confession 
 of sin and avowal of repentance, was at the 
 
 same time the expression of a readiness to 
 welcome the approach of the reign of heaven, 
 and of a desire to share therein. It was 
 therefore right for all good men to be bap- 
 tized ; and Jesus, as a man, was under obli- 
 gations to do whatever was incumbent on 
 other good men. The remarkable relation 
 which he and John sustained to each other 
 and to the kingdom of heaven, did not prevent 
 its being proper for each of them fully to per- 
 form everything that was righteous; and so 
 in this case did not prevent its being proper 
 that he should be baptized, and that John 
 should baptize him. (Comp. Gill). Such 
 seems to be the obvious and simple meaning 
 of this expression. 
 
 But many theories have been presented as 
 to the significance and propriety of'our Lord's 
 baptism. (1) Some hold that Jesus was bap- 
 tized as a consecration to the office and work 
 of Messiah. But was purification a consecra- 
 tion? It was sometimes preliminary to con- 
 secration, but the latter was effected by lay- 
 ing on the altar. And if the Messiah, ' the 
 anointed,' was to be consecrated by any cere- 
 mony, it would naturally have been by 
 anointing. (2) Others say that in baptism 
 he was consecrated as priest. But Jesus was 
 not literally a priest. He had no connection 
 whatever with the priestly line, and he did 
 not do the work of a Jewish priest. As "a 
 priest after the order of Melchizedek" he had 
 nothing to do with ceremonies. (3) Many 
 have adopted the view given already by Jus- 
 tin Martyr ("Tryph." 88): "Jesus did not 
 come to the riveras himself needing to bo bap- 
 tized, or needing the Spirit's descent upon 
 him; but just as he was born and crucified not 
 as needing them but for the benefit of the hu- 
 man race, so" .... while men thought of 
 him as a carpenter, "the Holy Spirit for the 
 sake of mankind flew down upon him in the 
 form of a dove," and a voice declared him 
 the Son of God. (So in substance Chrys., 
 Euthym). This view, as developed and ex- 
 pressed in modern theological phrase, is that 
 he was baptized vicariously. (Comp. John 1: 
 29). But what Christ did for men vicariously 
 he did because men could not do it and that 
 they might escape the penalty of their failure; 
 was that in any sense true of baptism? Jus- 
 tin's statement is in a general sense true, but 
 the vicarious theory cannot be sustained. In
 
 56 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. III. 
 
 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be 
 jo now: 1'or thus it beeometh us to fulfil all righteous- 
 iu.-^. Thru lie suffered him. 
 
 lt> And .Jesus, when lie was baptized, went up straight- 
 way out ol the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened 
 unto him, and he saw the Spirit of Uod descending like 
 a dove, and lighting upon him : 
 
 15 tized of thee, and contest thou to me? But Jesus an- 
 swering said unto him, Slitter l it now : i'or thus it 
 becometb us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he 
 
 16 suffereth him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, 
 went up straightway from the water: and lo, the 
 heavens were opened 2 uuto him, and he saw the 
 Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon 
 
 1 Or, me....? Some ancient authorities omit unto kim. 
 
 general, we ought to beware of forcing the 
 ideas of vicarious action and imputed right- 
 eousness upon those portions of Scripture 
 which do not clearly present them. (4) A 
 recent writer (Kirtley on "Design of Bap- 
 tism") says that the chief object of the bap- 
 tism of Jesus was to symbolize at the begin- 
 ning the crowning acts of his work ; that our 
 Lord "did ' fulfil all righteousness,' actually 
 in his work, symbolically in his baptism"; 
 and that he " associates his followers with 
 himself in this matter," saying, "In this 
 ordinance it is fitting that I and my followers 
 should fulfil all righteousness." This fancy 
 is ingenious but far-fetched, and the latter 
 part quite baseless. (5) The simple and nat- 
 ural view, for all who do not insist on carry- 
 ing back the Pauline doctrine of imputed 
 righteousness, is the one already stated. It 
 was proper for all devout Jews to be baptized ; 
 therefore it was proper for Jesus. If one so 
 deeply, though hitherto quietly devout, had 
 stayed away from the ministry and baptism 
 of the new prophet, it would have been set- 
 ting a very bad example, unless explained; 
 and explanation of his future position and 
 work could not then be given, even if it was 
 then entirely plain to his own mind. Not- 
 withstanding the peculiar mission of John and 
 Jesus, it was becoming that they should fully 
 perform everything righteous. (So in sub- 
 stance, Meyer, Ewald, Bleek, Farrar, Geikie, 
 Edersh. ; Grotius already, and comp. Cal- 
 vin. Davidson translates 'every duty.' Hase, 
 Keim, and others, regard baptism in the 
 case of Jesus as simply a vow of devotion to 
 the approaching Messianic reign, which is 
 part of the truth). A somewhat similar case 
 occurs in 17: 24 ff. Jesus there intimates 
 that he might, as the Son of God, claim ex- 
 emption from the payment of the temple- 
 contributions, but that the rulers might make 
 his refusal an excuse for rejecting him, and so 
 he will do as all devout Jews do, and pay it. 
 
 16. Straightway, or, immediately. The 
 stress laid on his going up immediately might 
 
 possibly be understood as meaning that 
 whereas in that warm climate the newly bap- 
 tized often stood some time in the river, wait- 
 ing till others had been baptized and many 
 could ascend together, Jesus was alone in this 
 matter and ascended without delay. Euthy ra- 
 ms mentions the view that others were de- 
 tained by John in the water till they confessed 
 their sins, and Jesus went up immediately 
 because he had no sins to confess; but it 
 would seem much more likely that the con- 
 fession was made before than after the bap- 
 tism. The true explanation seems to be 
 furnished by Mark, who says (i'io), 'and 
 straightway, coming up out of the water, he 
 saw the heavens opened.' This makes it 
 likely that in Matthew also the real thought 
 is that the opening of the heavens and descent 
 of the dove followed immediately upon the bap- 
 tism. Events followed each other quickly 
 baptized, ascended, saw. (Keim.) The sense is 
 brought out by putting only a comma after 
 ' water,' and reading right on. Luke 3 : 21 has 
 not the word 'immediately,' but what he says 
 is to the same effect. Out of, or, from. This 
 preposition- does not in itself show whether he 
 had been in the water. The correct text in 
 Mark 1 : 10 is 'out of,' and does show that he 
 had been in the water; and so in Acts 8: 39. 
 When we say that a person has just come 
 'from the house,' 'from the town,' we regard 
 the house or town, so far as this expression is 
 concerned, as the point of departure; the cir- 
 cumstances will usually indicate whether he 
 was in the house or town before coining; 
 (e.g., Acts 13: 13; 16:11; 25:1). So the same 
 action is frequently described by ' from ' and 
 'out of,' the latter expressly stating what the 
 former leaves to be understood. Thus in 7 : 4, 
 Kev. Ver. : 'Let me cast out the mote 
 from thine eye,' (most MSS.); and in v. 
 5, 'out of thine eye.' In 17: 18, departed, 
 or came forth from him, while Mark 9: 
 25 has 'out of him.' . Comp. on 24: 1. 
 So in .Tobit 6:3. 'A fish leaped up from 
 the river, and wished to devour the lad.'
 
 CH. III.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 57 
 
 Certainly the fish had been in the river. Here 
 in Matthew the connection and circumstances 
 make it plain that Jesus had been in the water, 
 and so Tyndale translated 'out of,' followed 
 by other English versions down to the com- 
 mon version. Even the Rheims, abandoning 
 Wyclif s 'fro,' and taking liberties with the 
 Vulgate de, renders 'out of.' The correct 
 translation in Matthew is however 'from,' 
 and so all recent versions. But the rendering 
 of the older versions shows that they plainly 
 saw what the facts were. (Tyndale and his 
 followers render similarly in 14: 13 and Luke 
 12: 54. Text. Rec.) As to the exact force of 
 the expression 'out of (Mark and Acts) in 
 such a case, comp. below on 17 : 9, literally, 
 'out of the mountain.' This means that they 
 had been in, within, the limits represented by 
 the mountain, though not under its soil. 
 And so it is conceivable that 'out of the 
 river,' if that were the expression here, might 
 under peculiar circumstances be used where 
 one had only been amid the reeds on the 
 shore, or under the steep bank anywhere 
 within the space denoted by the river (comp. 
 on 3: 6). Such an expression would he pos- 
 sible in such a sense, however unlikely to be 
 used. But 'out of the water' must signify 
 that the person had been within the limits 
 denoted by the water; and the bank, though 
 in some sense a part of the river, is in no 
 sense a part of the water. Of course these ex- 
 pressions do not of themselves show that the 
 person has been enveloped in the water; we 
 may speak of a man as 'in the water' when 
 he is simply standing in it. It would thus be 
 possible however improbable and unnatural 
 if we had no guide here but the preposition 
 'out of in Mark and the circumstances in 
 Matthew, to understand that Jesus merely 
 stood in the stream and had water put upon 
 his head. But when these expressions stand 
 in connection with baptizo, which everybody 
 agrees primarily and commonly meant 'im- 
 nnTsfi,' then the inference is inevitable. 
 
 The heavens were opened unto him, 1 
 not merely signifying so that he could see into 
 the heavens, but for him, for his benefit, so as 
 to affect or concern him. ' Him ' is naturally 
 iimlcMood as referring to Jesus, the subject 
 
 of the preceding clause. Some writers urge 
 that John is the subject of the preceding 
 verses, and thus of the whole connection; but 
 v. 16 introduces a distinct subdivision of the 
 narrative. Luke mentions (3:21) that Jesus 
 was at the time praying. The opening of the 
 heavens was doubtless an actual miraculous 
 appearance, such as is frequently mentioned 
 
 elsewhere. (Ezek. I: I; Isa. 64: 1; Acts 7 : 56; Rev. 4: 1.) 
 
 Mark, in his vivid way has, literally, 'he saw 
 the heavens splitting,' in the act of parting 
 asunder. Antl he saw, i. e., Jesus saw. 
 Mark (i: 10) unmistakably refers the se'eing to 
 Jesus, and it is natural so to understand here. 
 Some say that, if so, 'him' at the end of the 
 sentence would have to be ' himself,' but this 
 is a mistake (Winer, 151 [189J. Comp. John 
 1 : 48). We learn from John 1: 32 that the 
 Baptizer also saw, as it had been promised he 
 should.' Luke merely states the objective 
 fact that the heaven opened and the Spirit 
 descended, without saying who saw. We 
 cannot decide whether any one else than 
 Jesus and John saw and heard, but prob- 
 ably not. On the occasion spoken of in 
 John 12: 28 flf., the people heard a sound 
 from heaven, which they thought was thun- 
 der, but did not distinguish words. At the 
 appearance of Jesus to Saul (ACH 9: 7; 22: 9), they 
 that were with him saw the light and heard a 
 sound, but did not distinguish the words. So 
 probably here. True, the testimony as given 
 by Matthew, 'This is,' etc., was addressed to 
 some other than Jesus himself, but it is 
 enough to understand that it was addressed to 
 John, as in 17 : 5, to but a few persons. John 
 shortly afterwards (John i: 32-34) testified to what 
 he had seen. Descending like a dove, lit- 
 erally, as if. The expression leaves it doubt- 
 ful whether the comparison is with the form 
 of a dove, or with a dove's manner of descend- 
 ing. Precisely the same expression 'as if 'is 
 employed by Mark, Luke, and John. (i:..) 
 Lukesays, 'descendedin bodily shape, Vikc(a.t 
 if) a dove,' which naturally, though not neces- 
 sarily, indicates that it was in tho shape of a 
 dove. Expositors are here greatly divided. 
 But it is certain that some bodily form was 
 assumed. That of the gentle and guileless 
 dove (comp. 10: 10) would bo natural and 
 
 1 'Unto him' is wanting In several of the earliest and place, as appearing to confine HIP view to him. The 
 best authorities, and not found in Luke 3: 21. ItmiRht' question is difficult, and unimportant, but the exprcs- 
 have Deemed to sonic copyists and translators out of I sion is taost probably genuine.
 
 58 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. III. 
 
 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my 17 him; and lo,a voice outof the heavens, saying, 1 This 
 beloved Sou, in whom I am well pleased. is my beloved Son, in whom I an: well pleased. 
 
 1 Or, This is my Son ; my beloved in whom I am well pleated. See ch . xii. 18. 
 
 suggestive, while a dove's manner of descend- 
 ing is hardly so peculiar and striking that a 
 mere resemblance to it in movement would 
 have been carefully recorded by each of the 
 Evangelists. It seems therefore reasonable 
 to adhere to the ancient opinion (Justin 
 Martyr, Origen, Chrys., and others), that the 
 Spirit descended in the form of a dove. It 
 has been often repeated that a Rabbinical in- 
 terpretation of Gen. 1 : 2, likens the Spirit of 
 God 'brooding upon the face of the waters' 
 to a dove. But Edersh., Vol. I., p. 287, quite 
 explains this away, and also states that the 
 Targuin on Song 2: 12, which declares 'the 
 voice of the turtle' to be the voice of the 
 Holy Spirit, dates considerably later than the 
 Talmud. So there seems to be no ground for 
 the Jewish claim, that this appearance of a 
 dove has earlier Rabbinical parallels. Yet if 
 the claim were well supported, it would not 
 be surprising. We recognize it as one of the 
 excellencies of the Scriptures, that the form 
 of the revelation is constantly in accordance 
 with the modes of conception natural to man, 
 and even sometimes conformed to the peculiar 
 ways of thinking of the people chosen to re- 
 ceive it. Comp. on 7: 3-5. Morison quotes 
 Varenius as saying, " It was not as an eagle, 
 but as a dove; an animal corresponding 
 among birds to thelamb among beasts." And 
 lighting, or coming, upon him. It was idle 
 to translate the plain 'coming' by 'lighting.' 
 The Baptizer afterwards testified (John 1:32) 
 that it 'abode,' or 'remained, on him,' i. e., 
 probably for some time, thus symbolizing the 
 "great fact that the Mediator was to be hence- 
 forth permanently and peculiarly in union 
 with and under the influence of the Holy Spirit. 
 Accordingly we find immediately after (* : 1) 
 that Jesus is said to be ' led up by the Spirit,' 
 etc. (Comp. John 3: 34.) The coming of the 
 Spirit upon our Lord was so very peculiar in 
 its relation to his office, that we are scarcely 
 warranted in taking it as the ground of a peti- 
 tion that the Spirit would bless any ordinary 
 baptismal occasion. Such a blessing should be 
 fervently sought, but hardly on this ground. 
 17. And lo! a voice from 1 out of 
 
 heaven rather, the heavens, plural, as in 
 the preceding verse (see on v. 2). So Mark, 
 while Luke uses the singular. We also often 
 say 'heaven' and 'the heavens' indifferently. 
 The Talmud has many stories of a voice from 
 heaven, coming to decide questions, to com- 
 mend certain teachers, etc., and calls it Bath 
 kol, 'daughter of a voice,' perhaps meaning 
 a faint sound as if coming from a great dis- 
 tance. See Lf., Gill, Wiinsche. Edersh. in- 
 sists that there is no real analogy between the 
 Bath kol and this voice from heaven. There 
 is no intrinsic objection to the idea of a re- 
 semblance. Here also, as in v. 16, we see 
 that revelation adapts its choice of a form 
 to the popular mind. Other instances of a 
 voice from heaven, see in John 12: 28; and 
 to a certain extent in Matthew 17 : 5; Acts 9: 
 4; Rev. 1: 10. Comp. Acts 2: 2. This is. 
 Mark 1 : 11 (according to the best authorities 
 for the text) and Luke 3 : 22, have ' Thou art 
 my beloved son, in thee,' etc. Of course, it 
 cannot be that both of these are the words 
 actually spoken. As to the authenticity of 
 the narrative, such slight and wholly un- 
 important variations really confirm it, be- 
 ing precisely such as always occur in the 
 independent testimony of different witnesses. 
 As to the complete inspiration of the Scrip- 
 tures, we must accept it as one of the facts of 
 the case that the inspired writers not unfre- 
 quently report merely the substance of what 
 was said, without aiming to give the exact 
 words. So, for example, at the institution of 
 the Supper (M:26ff.), in Gethsemane (26:39?.), 
 in the inscription on the cross (2*= w), etc. In 
 some instances of such variation we may sup- 
 pose that the exact expressions given by the 
 different writers were all employed in the con- 
 nection, but in other cases that hypothesis is 
 unwarranted. While such facts as these 
 should make us cautious in theorizing as 
 to verbal inspiration, they do not require us 
 to lay aside the belief that the inspiration of 
 Scripture is complete, that the inspired writers 
 have everywhere told us just what God would 
 have us know. 
 The words spoken are the same that were 
 
 iTyndale and followers translated apo by 'out of in v. 16, and ek by 'froui' in v. 17.
 
 [Cn. III. 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 59 
 
 uttered on the Mount of Transfiguration. 
 (17:5; 2 Pet. i: n.) The person referred to was 
 known in, that case by the transfigured ap- 
 pearance, and here by the descent of the dove 
 upon him. The Greek is more emphatic: 
 'this is my son, the beloved/ There is no 
 propriety in saying, with some expositors, that 
 'beloved' signifies 'only begotten.' As ap- 
 plied to our Lord, the two terms are to a 
 certain extent equivalent, and they are some- 
 times confounded by the Sept. translators, 
 but there is of course, a distinction between 
 them. In whom I am or, was well 
 pleased, or, 'in whom I delighted.' The tense 
 of the verb may be understood as denoting 
 what took place at some indefinite past time, 
 and from the nature of the case still holds 
 good; as in 23: 2, literally, 'The Scribes and 
 the Pharisees sat down in Moses' seat,' and 
 so are sitting there now where in English 
 we should say, 'have sat down.' (So "Wi- 
 ner, 278 [347], Buttm., 198.) If this view be 
 adopted, the rendering of the Common Ver- 
 sion expresses the substantial meaning pretty 
 well. But the Greek tense more naturally 
 denotes some past time, to be determined from 
 the connection, from the nature of the case, 
 or from other teachings of Scripture. The 
 time here referred to might be that indicated 
 by Ps. 2:7; by Isa. 42: 1 (which is perhaps 
 alluded to here, and is quoted below in 12: 
 18) ; also by John 17 : 24 ; Eph. 1:4. In the 
 depths of eternity, before creation begun, 
 God loved, delighted in, his Eternal Son; 
 and now at the baptism and the transfigura- 
 tion, he bears witness to him, alluding to 
 such declarations as the above, and saying: 
 'This is my Son, the beloved, in whom my 
 soul delighted.' This latter explanation is 
 perhaps preferable,'but it is hard to decide; 
 and both agree as to the main resulting sense, 
 that the Father delights in him now. This 
 declaration might make more real to the 
 human mind of Jesus that peculiar sonship 
 to God of which he had in childhood already 
 indicated consciousness. (Luke2:.) Such a 
 view connects itself (Calvin) with the fact 
 that he was praying (Luke 8:21,22) when the 
 voice came. It was also a commendation of 
 him to John, who soon after bore witness 
 before all (Johni:S4) 'that this is the Son of 
 God' ; just as at the transfiguration the voice 
 came to the three disciples also, who were to 
 
 testify at the proper time. (IT: 9.) Apocryphal 
 writers in the second and third centuries 
 make fanciful additions to this account, as 
 that a great light shone round the place, that 
 a fire was kindled in the Jordan (perhaps a 
 fancy wrought out of 3: 11), and that the 
 voice added, 'I to-day have begotten thee.' 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 KEIL: "The baptism of Jesus the culmina- 
 tion of John's ministry, and the beginning of 
 that of Jesus." EWALD : "The birth-hour of 
 Christianity." Unknown in Aquinas: "As 
 when the morning star has risen, the sun 
 does not wait for that star to set, but rising as 
 it goes forward, gradually obscures its bright- 
 ness ; so Christ waited not for John to finish 
 his course, but appeared while heyet taught." 
 
 V. 13. Importance of Baptism : Not as car- 
 rying with it regeneration, or procuring re- 
 mission, but 1) an imitation of Christ's exam- 
 ple ; 2) an act of Christ's own appointment 
 28:19; 3) an oath of allegiance to Christ, 'in 
 the name' ; 4) a symbol of purification from 
 sin through Christ, Acts 22: 16; 5) a symbol 
 of burial and resurrection in union with 
 Christ, Kom. 6: 4. V. 14. How often are 
 well-meant but utterly mistaken efforts made 
 to dissuade persons from what is entirely 
 right. Such efforts frequently proceed, as 
 here, from the misapplication of something 
 that is true. John's twofold difficulty (comp. 
 Lange) ; 1) to baptize the Pharisees and Sad- 
 ducees, who were unworthy of his baptism; 
 2) To baptize Jesus, of whom his baptism was 
 unworthy. John's baptism highly honored: 
 
 1) It was of divine appointment, John 1 : 33; 
 
 2) It gave name to his whole work, 'the bap- 
 tism of John' (21:25), John the Baptizer; 3) 
 It was received by great multitudes ; 4) Even 
 the Saviour submitted to it; 5) Jesus baptized 
 on like conditions, John 3: 22; 4: 1, 2; Mark 
 1 : 14). 
 
 V. 15. Here for the first time in this Gospel 
 our Lord presents an example to us. Let us 
 be careful in all that follows to seek his foot- 
 steps and learn to walk in them. Pet. -t-. n-, 
 i John 2: 6; i Cor. n : i.) A regard for what is be- 
 coming requires us not merely to consider the 
 opinions of mankind, but our own real char- 
 acter and relations. To consider in this high 
 sense what becomes us, is an exalted and in- 
 spiring view of life. Corn p. Ilcb. "2: 10.
 
 60 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. IV. 
 
 fPHEN was Jesus led up of th% Spirit into the wilder- 
 J- ness to be tempted of the devil. 
 
 1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilder- 
 
 Our Lord's baptism as an example: 1) It is 
 right for those who wish to take part in the 
 Messiah's reign to be baptized. (Jesus re- 
 garded this as a part of righteousness.) 2) 
 The most extraordinary character and cir- 
 cumstances do not make it becoming to 
 neglect this duty. 3) The mistaken oppo- 
 sition of devout friends should not prevent 
 our performing it. 4) Loving obedience is 
 apt to be followed by an approving testimony. 
 HENRY: "They who are of greatest attain- 
 ments in gifts and graces should yet in their 
 place bear their testimony to instituted ordi- 
 nances by a humble and diligent attendance 
 on them, that they may give a good example 
 to others." AMBROSE: "Also like a wise 
 master inculcating his doctrines as much by 
 his own practice as by word of mouth, he did 
 that which he commanded his disciples to do. 
 The Roman Cato said, 'Submit to the law 
 which thou thyself hast enacted. 1 " 
 
 V. 16. GRIFFITH: "Just as the 'veil of the 
 temple was rent in twain' to symbolize the 
 perfect access of all men to God (Heb. 10: 19, ao), 
 so here the heavens are 'rent asunder '(same 
 Greek word), to show how near God is to 
 Jesus and Jesus is to God. So in John 1 : 51, 
 Rev. Ver., 'Ye shall see heaven opened, and 
 the angels ascending and descending' (to and 
 fro between me and God), that is, You shall 
 see that I am living in uninterrupted com- 
 munication with the Father." LUTHER: 
 "Highest things. 1) The highest preacher, 
 God. 2) The highest pulpit, the heavens. 
 3) The highest sermon: 'This is my be- 
 loved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' " 
 
 Ch. 4: 1-11. THE TEMPTATION. 
 
 The Temptation concludes Matthew's ac- 
 count of events connected with our Lord's 
 entrance upon his public work (see on 3 : 1, 
 13). That work was now about to begin, and 
 he was doubtless meditating upon it. Some 
 recent critics go to great lengths in speculating 
 upon the '"plan" of Jesus, at this and subse- 
 
 quent periods. There is little or no indication 
 of any plan, and such unsupported specula- 
 tions seem unprofitable and unwise. But his 
 meditations in beginning his work would fur- 
 nish the natural occasion for such special 
 temptations as are here depicted. These are 
 also recorded by Luke (*:-n), and briefly 
 mentioned by Mark. (i:izr.) 
 
 1. Then (see on 3: 13), viz., when he had 
 been baptized. Luke implies, and Mark 
 states, that it was 'immediately' after the 
 baptism. Led up, i. e., from the valley of 
 the Jordan (see on 3 : 6) into the higher land. 1 
 Into the wilderness (see on 3: 1). Some 
 recent writers (Stanley, Plumptre) make it 
 east of the Jordan, but the general use of the 
 term in the N. T. favors the common vie\ 
 that it was on the west. Luke's 'returned' 
 (*:i) also favors this view, but does not settle 
 the question, for Jesus may have crossed be- 
 low the Lake of Galilee, and come through 
 Perea to be baptized, as the Galileans often 
 took this route to Jerusalem. The notion that 
 it was the wilderness of Sinai is founded only 
 on the fact that there occurred the forty days' 
 fast of Moses and of Elijah. It was certainly 
 a very retired and wild part of the ' wilder- 
 ness,' for Mark says, with one of his vivid 
 descriptive touches, ' and he was with the wild 
 beasts.' A tradition which appears first in the 
 time of the Crusades places it in a mountain 
 just west of Jericho, hence called Quaranta- 
 nia, (a place of forty days ; comp. quarantine, 
 a forty days' detention). This mountain is 
 six or eight miles from the traditional place of 
 the baptism, and rises some fifteen hundred 
 feet almost perpendicularly from the plain of 
 the Jordan, which is here at its widest part. 
 In the rocky face of the mountain are the 
 openings of numerous artificial caves, made 
 by monks of the Crusading period, perhaj: 
 some of them by old Jewish Eremites. But I 
 our modern feeling it seems unlikely that our 
 Lord withdrew to a cave, and probable that 
 he went further away from the populous plain 
 of Jericho. Some think (Schaff) that Quar- 
 
 1 The meaning of this ' up ' was obscured to early and 
 later translators by their ignorance of the geography of 
 Palestine. The Latin versions and the Pesh. Syriac 
 
 have simply 'was led.' Tyndale gave 'ledd awaye,' 
 and was followed by Craunier and Geneva.
 
 CH. IV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 61 
 
 antania may have been the place of the third 
 temptation, if not of those preceding, which 
 is quite possible. After all, it may be that a 
 special providence caused the precise locality 
 of this and many other events in our Lord's 
 history to be left unknown, for the purpose 
 of restraining superstition. The Spirit, viz., 
 the Spirit of God, well known and just men- 
 tioned. (SMS.) Luke says he was 'full of the 
 Holy Spirit.' From the time of his baptism 
 (see on 3: 16) we find frequent statements that 
 the God-man, the Mediator, was specially and 
 powerfully under the influence of the Holy 
 
 Spirit (John 3: 34; Late 4: 14; Matt. 12: 28; Acts 1: 2), as 
 
 had beon predicted, (isa. 42:i ; Matt. 12: is ; isa. ei:i; 
 Luke4:is.) The term led, employed also by 
 Luke, appears to denote only an internal im- 
 pulse wrought by the Spirit. Mark (i:w) 
 expresses the same idea by a strong figure, 
 literally, 'the Spirit casts him forth into the 
 wilderness.' "This is the language of the 
 prophet-paroxysm, seized with an irresistible 
 impulse; so the 'holy men of old' were im- 
 pelled by the Spirit. (K*. 40:2.)" (Beecher.) 
 To be tempted. The Greek word signifies 
 to try, or make trial of, to test. The motive 
 of such testing or trial may be good or bad. 
 (1) The object may be to ascertain character, 
 to develop and make manifest its excellen- 
 cies, or to expose its faults, that they may 
 be mended. So in John 6: 6, 'prove' ; 2 Cor. 
 13: 5, 'examine'; Rev. 2: 2, 'tried'; Gen. 
 22: 1 (God 'did tempt' Abraham; Rev. Ver., 
 'prove'); Ex. 20: 20, 'prove,' etc. (2) The 
 object may be unfriendly, bad. (a) Men 
 'tempt' God, test him, in some improper 
 way, because they lack confidence in the 
 fulfillment of his promises or threats. So 
 
 below in V. 7 (Dent. : IS); Ex. 17: 2, 7 (P.5:9); 
 
 Isa. 7: 12; Acts 5: 9; 15: 10. (b) Men, or 
 Satan and his subordinates, 'tempt' men, test 
 them, with a view to draw out evil tendencies, 
 and entice into sin. So here, and in 1 Cor. 
 7: 5; 1 Thess. 3: 6, etc. (This sense does not 
 occur in the O. T. ) l In all cases there is a 
 testing, trying, and the difference lies in the 
 nature and design of it. Our English word, 
 'tempt,' was formerly used in all these senses, 
 but is now restricted to the bad sense ; and 
 
 some confusion arises, for example, in the 
 translation of James 1 : 2-15, where there 
 is a transition from the good to the bad 
 from 'trials' to 'temptations.' Of the 
 devil. The Greek word diabolos (borrowed 
 in Latin as diabohis, from which come Italian 
 diavolo, French diable, English devil, Ger- 
 man teufel, etc.), is the term regularly em- 
 ployed in the Sept. to translate the Hebrew 
 
 name Satan. (Job I: 6 a.; t: 1; 1 Chron. 21: 1; ZecL. 
 
 s:i, 2.) 2 The latter signifies 'adversary,' 'op- 
 poser,' while diabolos strictly signifies 'slan- 
 derer,' 'false accuser,' but in the N. T. is used ' 
 as practically equivalent to Satan. So Mark 
 1: 13 has 'tempted by Satan,' and see below, 
 v. 10. (Comp. 16: 23 and John 6: 70; also Rev. 
 12: 9.) The term 'devil' in the N. T. is 
 strictly a proper name, as much so as Satan; 
 his subordinates should be called 'demons,' 
 as in the Greek (see on 8: 28). To the real 
 existence and personality of the devil the 
 Scriptures are fully committed. He is re- 
 presented as the chief of the fallen angels 
 (25: 41; comp. 9: 34), and through these he is 
 able, though not omnipresent, to be carrying 
 on the temptation of many persons at the 
 same time. He is, of course, limited in 
 knowledge, though immeasurably superior 
 to man. 
 
 How could Jesus be tempted? Was it pos- 
 sible for him to sin? If this was in no sense 
 possible, then he was not really tempted, cer- 
 tainly not 'like as we are.' (Heh. 4:is.) But 
 how can it have been possible for him to sin ? 
 If we think of his human nature in itself, 
 apart from the co-linked divinity, and apart 
 from the Holy Spirit that filled and led him, 
 then we must say that, like Adarn in his state 
 of purity, like the angels and every other 
 moral creature, his humanity was certainly 
 in itself capable of sinning, and thus the 
 temptation was real, and was felt as such, and 
 as such overcome; while yet in virtue of the 
 union with the divine nature, and of the 
 power of the Holy Spirit that filled him, it 
 was morally impossible that he should sin. A 
 substantially similar view is well stated by 
 Edersheim. Jesus was tempted on other 
 occasions also, as is implied in Luke. 4 : 13, 
 
 1 Alford remark* that t he-Greek word here employed, 
 peirazo, does not have this sense in the classics. True ; 
 but the simpler and more common form, peirao, is re- 
 peatedly so used. 
 
 splumptre erroneously stales that the Creek word Is 
 different in Zech. 3: J, 2. In using all commentaries, 
 including the present one, readers will tind it worth 
 while to " verify thu references."
 
 62 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. IV. 
 
 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, 2 ness to be tempted of the devil. And when he ha 
 he was afterward an hungered. fasted forty days and forty nights, he afterwar 
 
 and affirmed in Luke 22: 28, and Heb. 4: 15. 
 It has been remarked (Ullmann) that there 
 are in the nature of things two great classes 
 of temptations, the one to commit positive evil, 
 and the other to shrink from what is right. 
 In the former way Jesus was tempted here, 
 and when the people wanted him to be king 
 (john6:i5); in the latter way he was tempted 
 in Gethsemane, and when Peter tried to dis- 
 suade him. (16: , 23.) 
 
 Why should Jesus be tempted? We can 
 see some of the reasons. (1) It gave proof of 
 his true humanity, proof that he possessed a 
 real human soul. (2) It was part of his ex- 
 ample to us. (3) It formed part of his per- 
 sonal discipline (Heb. 5:7-9); and (4) of his 
 preparation to be a sympathizing intercessor. 
 (Heb. : is; 4:i5.) (5) It formed a part of that 
 great conflict in which the "seed of the wo- 
 man" was to "bruise the serpent's head." 
 (Oen.3:i5.) In this first great struggle of the 
 conflict the destined conqueror came off com- 
 plexly victorious. 
 
 During the forty days (Luke4:2), and at other 
 times, our Lord was doubtless tempted by 
 suggestion to his mind, as we are; but in the 
 three signal and final temptations here de- 
 scribed, it seems to be distinctly declared that 
 Satan appeared in bodily form and with 
 actually spoken words, and this fitted the 
 scene for distinct and impressive description. 
 To make it a mere vision, is without the 
 slightest warrant. And while it is possi- 
 ble to regard the history as merely a vivid 
 description of a series of internal temptations, 
 it does no small violence to the language and 
 the entire color of the narrative. Note es- 
 pecially the correspondence of the two ex- 
 pressions, 'the devil leaves him. . . . angels 
 came and ministered to him,' where few who 
 believe the Bible at all will question that the 
 angels appeared in bodily form, as on so many 
 other occasions. The desire of many com- 
 mentators to reduce the scene to internal sug- 
 gestion, apparently arises from two causes. 
 (1) Some wish to lessen the difficulties of the 
 narrative. But those who are repelled by j 
 the idea of Satan's personal appearance will 
 be equally reluctant to admit his personality ; 
 so that there is nothing gained, and the dif- 
 ficulties of the subject are in fact inherent 
 
 and have to be accepted. (2) Others wish to 
 assimilate the Saviour's temptations to OUT 
 own. (Heb. 4:15.) But this desire is amply met 
 by considering his temptations during the 
 forty days and throughout his career. (See 
 above.) Every point connected with this 
 series of temptations has occasioned a vas 
 amount of speculation, often of the wildes 
 character. Yet the subject from its very 
 nature calls for guarded interpretation, great 
 moderation in conjecture, and willingness to 
 remain ignorant where we have no means 
 of knowing; and it requires to be discussed 
 in a spirit of profound reverence and hu- 
 mility. Familiar as we have grown with the 
 simple narrative, it presents one of the most 
 wonderful, mysterious, awful scenes of the 
 world's history. O dark and dreadful enemy, 
 ever plotting our ruin and exulting in oui 
 woe, here thou wast completely conquered 
 on earth, conquered by a man, and in the 
 strength of that Spirit whose help is offered 
 to us all. 
 
 2. It is best to understand the fasting 
 entire abstinence from food. The word does 
 not necessarily mean this, nor does oven th< 
 strong expression of Luke, 'he did not eat 
 anything in those days,' for Luke uses 
 equally strong language of PauVs compan- 
 ions in Acts 27: 33, where he can only mean 
 that they had taken very irregular and inad-. 
 equate food, as it were nothing at all. (Comp. 
 below 11: 18.) Still, the literal tfieaning is 
 preferable here, because there is here nothing 
 to forbid it, because also in the corresponding 
 cases of Moses and Elijah the fasting is usually 
 understood to have been entire, and becaus 
 we thus best see the force of the statement 
 'afterwards he was hungry,' or, as Luke 
 ' and when they (the forty days) were com- 
 pleted he was hungry,' leading us to suppose 
 that during the forty days he was not hungry, 
 but supernaturally sustained. The time was 
 the same as in the case of Moses (EX. 34 : M), anc 
 Elijah (i Kings 19:8), and was perhaps typically 
 related also to the forty years spent by Israel 
 in the wilderness (see on 2: 15). We do 
 not know what originally caused the adop- 
 tion of forty as a sacred or solemn number. 
 
 (Gen. 7:12; Dent. 9:25; 10:10; Eiek. 4: 6; Acts 7: 23, 
 
 often.) " Jesus had forty days before his public
 
 CH. IV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 63 
 
 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If 
 thoii be the Son of God, command that these stones be 
 made bread. 
 
 3 hungered. And the, tempter came and said unto 
 him, if thou art the Son of God. command that 
 
 appearance ; forty days, as if for preparation, 
 before his ascension. (.\cti:s.)" (Bengel). And 
 forty nights, added (by Matt, alone) perhap; 
 because the Jews were accustomed to speak of 
 the night and day as together constituting one 
 period (see on 12: 40), or because they fre- 
 quently fasted during the day and then ate at 
 night (2 Sam. i: 12), while here it was day and 
 night, as in Esth. 4: 16. The design of the 
 Spirit that he should be tempted was proba- 
 bly not the sole design of this retirement; 
 our Lord, thus secluded and supernaturally 
 sustained, doubtless spent his time in prayer- 
 ful communion with his Father, as often 
 afterwards (Luke 6: 12; John 6: 15), and probably 
 also (see on v. 1) in meditation upon the great 
 work he was about to commence. So Moses 
 and Elijah, as lawgiver and reformer. Our 
 Lord's fasting was not an act of self-mortifi- 
 cation, if he was preternaturally sustained, 
 and is not an example to us. To make it the 
 authority for a regular annual "fast'' of forty 
 days by all Christians ("Lent") is wholly 
 unwarranted, and very strange. (Comp. Al- 
 exander.) 
 
 3. Came to him we cannot tell in what 
 form if thou be art the Son of God. 
 The form of expression in Greek is most natur- 
 ally understood as assuming that the supposi- 
 tion is fact, as shortly before declared, (s: n.) 
 Wyclif 'art'; TyndaletoK. James 'be.' The 
 Greek is not subjunctive but indicative. The 
 tempter puts the matter in this form in order 
 to invite Jesus to establish the fact by a mir- 
 acle, and in order to intimate that he certainly 
 has the right thus to satisfy his hunger. 'Son ' 
 is by its position in the Greek emphatic. 
 God's ordinary creatures may suffer, they 
 cannot help it; but if thou art his Son, it is 
 unworthy of thee thus to suffer, and unneces- 
 sary 'speak, that these stones may become 
 loaves.' Itdoes not follow, on this view, that 
 Satan fully understood what was involved in 
 Jesus' being God's Son; and this ignorance 
 will account for an attempt otherwise not only 
 audacious but absurd. Those who prefer the 
 view that he really doubted whether Jeeuiwaa 
 God's Son, are at liberty so to interpret the 
 
 phrase, 'if thou art' etc., though it is a less 
 natural and less common use. Command, 
 etc., or, speak that . . . may become. (Comp. 
 the same construction in 20: 21. ') Luke 
 (<:3) has ' speak to this stone, that it may be- 
 come a loaf,' as if pointing to a particular one. 
 (Comp. 3: 9; 7: 9). 'Become' is the literal 
 and exact translation. These stones, lying 
 around, as in 3 : 9. The English word ' bread ' 
 being only used collectively, we have to in- 
 troduce 'loaf,' 'loaves' to give the exact idea. 
 (Comp. Kev. Ver. margin, and see on 26: 26). 
 This first temptation thus appears to be two- 
 fold (and so of the others) ; he is tempted to 
 satisfy hunger, and in such a way as will 
 prove him to be the Son of God. Our bodily 
 appetites form the occasion of many of our 
 severest temptations. Yet these appetites are 
 not sinful in themselves; the sin consists in 
 seeking excessive or essentially improper 
 gratification of them, or in seeking lawful 
 gratification by improper means. Jesus was 
 tempted to work a miracle in order to relieve 
 his hunger. We could not say beforehand 
 whether this would be right, but we see 
 throughout his history that he never per- 
 formed miracles merely for his own benefit; 
 they were all wrought to do good to others, 
 and to attest his divine mission. And this at- 
 testation was never given to those who asked 
 it from improper motives. (:8r. ; w: iir.) He 
 paid no heed to the taunt (: o) : 'If thou 
 be or art the Son of God, come down from 
 the cross' (the first clause being precisely the 
 same as here). And so he takes no notice, in 
 replying to the tempter, of the proposition 
 that he should by the miracle prove himself 
 the Son of God. Nor does he condescend to 
 refer to the attesting voice from heaven. ( n.) 
 We have no reason to believe that our Lord 
 had ever wrought a Miracle up to this time, 
 the 'beginning of his miracles ' (John 2:11) tak- 
 ing place shortly after. He would not begin 
 till his 'hour' had 'come.' (John 2: 4.) The 
 miracles of his childhood, so numerous in 
 some apocryphal gospels, are without histori- 
 cal foundation, and most of them quite un- 
 worthy of him, as child or man. 
 
 1 A uon-fiual use of hina, see on 5 : 29.
 
 64 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. IV. 
 
 4 But lie answered and said, It is written, Man shall 
 not live by bread alone, but bv every word that prc- 
 ceedeth out of the mouth of God. 
 
 r> Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, 
 and setteth him ou apiuuucle of the temple, 
 
 4 these stones become a bread. But he answered and 
 said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, 
 but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth ot 
 
 5 Ciod. Theu the devil taketh him iiito the holy city ; 
 
 4. It is written, perfect tense, it stands 
 written (so in 2 : 5, and below in v. 6, 7, 10, and 
 often). Our Lord meets every temptation by a 
 quotation from Scripture. The Father's word 
 was to him the sword with which he conquered 
 the great spiritual enemy. (Eph. 6: IT.) This quo- 
 tation is from Deut 8 : 3, and the two below 
 are from the same book, which is rich in spir- 
 itual and devotional matter. Notice, too, 
 that all the passages he thus applies to himself 
 are from precepts given to Israel in the wil- 
 derness, at the opening of the national career 
 there being a typical relation between Israel 
 and the Messiah (see on 2: 15). Possibly 
 (Godet) he had, during his retirement, been 
 specially meditating on the account of Israel's 
 forty years in the wilderness. This quotation 
 agrees with the Sept., and differs from the 
 Hebrew only in inserting ' word,' where the 
 Hebrew has simply ' all that goes forth from 
 the mouth of the Lord.' And this is really 
 the meaning of the Greek, 'every word that 
 goes 1 forth,' etc., i. e., whatever he says that 
 /man shall live on. There is no propriety in 
 / understanding here a reference to the spiritual 
 I life as sustained by God's word, viz., by the 
 I Scriptures ; the Hebrew phrase and the con- 
 \ nection in Deuteronomy quite forbid such an 
 V- idea. God fed Israel with manna, a thing 
 unknown to them and their fathers, "that he 
 might make thee know that man shall not live 
 on bread only, but on all that goes forth from 
 the mouth of the Lord shall man live 1 ' that 
 the support of life is not absolutely dependent 
 on ordinary food, but it may be sustained on 
 whatever God shall choose to say, to appoint. 
 /And so Jesus will not work the miracle to 
 / obtain ordinary food, because God can, if he 
 / should think proper, command food to be 
 i supplied him in an extraordinary way. And 
 1 this appears to have been done, through angels 
 (see on v. 11). To insist on making the pas- 
 - sage, in spite of the connection in Deuter- 
 onomy, and here, apply also to spiritual food, 
 as so many do, is unreasonable, and dishonor- 
 ing to the Bible, which is not a book of riddles, 
 
 us?) 
 sej 
 
 but given for practical instruction, and must 
 be interpreted on principles of common sen 
 or it cannot be interpreted at all. Man shall 
 not. Thus he identifies himself with hu- 
 manity, applying as a matter of course to 
 himself what is true of mankind. And he 
 conquers temptation not as God, but as man, 
 by the power of the Spirit and of the lessons 
 that are ' written.' Shall not live, viz., such 
 is the divine plan or appointment. By or, 
 upon bread, as that on which life rests for 
 support. So, 'upon every word,' etc., or ac- 
 cording to another reading ' in every word,' 
 i. e., in the use of, which amounts to the same 
 thing. Out of is here literally ' through.' 
 
 5. Then, comp. on v. 1. Luke (4:5) 
 simply connects by 'and,' and gives the two 
 remaining temptations in the reverse order, 
 seeming (Bengel, others) to follow the natu- 
 ral order of topography first the desert, the 
 a high mountain in the desert, then Jerusa 
 lem. Matthew s is the natural topical orde 
 the second temptation being just the opposi 
 of the first, and the third forming the cliina 
 It seems natural also that the severe rebuk 
 of v. 10, should put an end to Satan's at- 
 tempts, and accordingly Luke, in the correct 
 text, does not give it. (See also below, on v. 
 8.) Taketh him literally, takes him with 
 him, or 'along with him,' does not prove that 
 he was carried involuntarily or supernatu- 
 rally (see the same word in 17: 1; Mark 4: 
 36, etc.), nor does Luke's term 'led' prove 
 the contrary. We have no means of deter- 
 mining the manner of going, and aro left to 
 suppose that Jesus went as men usually go, 
 and so that the devil did likewise. The word 
 U P Tyn. to King James, is not here in the 
 Greek. The holy city, i. e., Jerusalem, re- 
 garded as holy because the seat of the temple 
 and its worship. Comp. Isa. 48: 2; Dan. 9: 
 24; Neh. 11 : 1 ; Matt. 27: 53. Some Jewir,h 
 coins were inscribed (Gill, others), 'Jerusa- 
 lem the holy ' ; old Jewish prayers also have 
 'the holy city' (Wtinsche), and the Arabs 
 now call Jerusalem El-Kuds, 'the holj r .' (As 
 
 
 1 Tyndale borrowed from the Vulgate the Latin term 
 ' proceeds,' and most English versions have followed 
 
 him, but the simple and exact English rendering is 
 ' goes forth."
 
 CH. IV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 65 
 
 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, 
 cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his 
 angels charge concerning thee : and in their hands they 
 shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot 
 against a stone. 
 
 6 and he set him on the "pinnacle of the temple, and 
 saith unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thy- 
 self down : for it is written, 
 
 He shall give his angels charge concerning thee : 
 And on their hands they shall bear thee up, 
 Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone. 
 
 1 Gr. v>ing. 
 
 to Jerusalem, see on 21: 10.) And setteth. 
 Rev. Ver., And he sat. The correct text has 
 the past tense, but the meaning is substan- 
 tially the same. A pinnacle of the temple.i 
 
 Our Lord, who did not belong to the priest- 
 hood, is nowhere said to have entered the 
 nnos, but only went into the hieron, i. e., into 
 the courts, as other Jews did. On the inner 
 side of the wall enclosing the great outer 
 court ran a long portico or colonnade, the 
 roof of which also covered the top of the 
 wall, and sometimes was built up above the 
 
 wall to a great height. The outer battle- 
 ment of such a roof, rising above the outer 
 wall, is probably what is here called 'pin- 
 nacle,' 8 and 'the pinnacle' suggests some 
 
 i well-known or remarkable pinnacle. It is 
 doubtful whether this was ' the portico that 
 is called 'Solomon's' ( John 10 : 23 j ACM s:ii), on 
 the east side of the temple enclosure, and de- 
 scribed by Josephus ("Ant.," 20, 9, 7) as of 
 great height; more probably it was what he 
 calls "the royal portico" (of Herod), on the 
 
 i south side, and which he represents ("Ant.," 
 15, 11, 5) as ''one of the most remarkable 
 works under the sun." Below the wall en- 
 closing the temple court, there was an im- 
 mense substruction extending up from the 
 bottom of the ravine, and so deep that one 
 could not see to the foot of it (probably the 
 southeast corner); "on this arose the vast 
 
 .height of the portico, so that if one should 
 
 , look down from the summit of its roof, put- 
 ting together the depths, he would grow 
 
 i dizzy, the sight not reaching into the un- 
 
 , measured abyss." This high-wrought de- 
 
 scription at least presents us with a scene very 
 suitable to the temptation in question. 
 
 6. This temptation, like the first, appears to 
 have been twofold, appealing to a natural feel- 
 ing and also to Messianic aspiration. Many 
 persons when looking down from a dizzy 
 height feel a strong disposition to throw them- 
 selves down ; with some, the feeling is intense 
 and almost irresistible; and it is not unrea- 
 sonable, and not derogatory to our Saviour, to 
 suppose that here also Satan tried to take ad- 
 vantage of a natural feeling, as he had before 
 done with hunger. Let him throw himself 
 down, and see if God would not protect him ; 
 and thus descending in so public a place and 
 supernaturally protected, he would be ob- 
 served, and at once hailed by the populace as 
 ' he that should come.' This last seems to' 
 have been part of the idea presented ; for 
 otherwise why take him to the temple (Light- 
 foot, Lutteroth) ? A precipice in the wilder- 
 ness would have sufficed for the mere tempta- 
 tion to throw himself down ; the carefully 
 chosen place indicates that the idea was also to 
 exhibit himself in public. Keim: "At the 
 same time a test of the protection God would 
 extend to his ambassador, and a miracle of 
 display by which the faith of Israel might be 
 won for God's messenger." As Jesus had in 
 the former case fortified himself by quoting 
 Scripture, so the tempter supports his sugges- 
 tion by quoting a promise of protection amid 
 dangers. This passage, from Psa. 91: 11 f., 
 applies to any one who trusts in God, and by 
 eminence to Jesus. The quotation follows 
 Sept. and Heb., with the omission of a clause 
 
 1 The N. T. has two Greek words translated ' temple.' 
 The one (hieron), signifying 'sacred (place),' denotes 
 the whole sacred enclosure, comprising the several 
 courts (see on 21 : 12), as well as the sacred house itself. 
 'This last, the sacred house, into which none but the 
 priests entered, is designated by the other word (nao.t, 
 rendered 'sanctuary' In 23: 35, and 27:5, Rev. Ver.), 
 found in Luke 1: 9, 21, 22; Matt. 23: 16-35; 26: 61 
 
 (Mwk 14:58); 27: 5,40 (Markl5:); 27: 51 j (Mark 15:38; 
 LokeM: 45); John 2: 19-21; Acts 17: 24; 19: 24 ('shrines'); 
 and in every passage of the Spittles and Revelation in 
 
 which Com. Eng. Ver. has ' temple,' except 1 Cor. 9 : 
 13 (which has hieron.) Hieron, is the word lined in 
 every passage of the Gospels and Acts In which Com. 
 Eng. Ver. has ' temple,' except those just named uud 
 Luke 11 : 51, (literally ' house.') 
 
 5 The Greek word may from Its use in the Sept., be 
 readily understood to mean battlement, pura|x?t, or the 
 like. (Grimm. Bleek). The passage in Bus. " Hist.", ii., 
 23, relied on by Bible Comm., and others, to show that a 
 pinnacle of the naos was here meant, is confused, and 
 proves nothing.
 
 66 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. IV. 
 
 7 Jesus said'untohim, It is written again, Thou shalt 
 not tempt the Lord thy God. 
 
 8 Agaiu, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding 
 high mouutain, aud sheweth him all the kingdoms of 
 the world, aud the glory of them ; 
 
 7 Jesus said unto him, Again it is written, Thou shalt 
 
 8 not try the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh 
 him unto an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth 
 him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of 
 
 not important to the application ( ' to keep thee 
 in all thy ways'), such an omission (Toy) as 
 the New Test, writers often make. It is 
 therefore not proper to say, as is often said, 
 that Satan misquoted ; it was a misinterpreta- 
 tion and misapplication. The expression, in 
 their hands they shall bear thee up, as a 
 mother or a nurse supports a child (Num. ii: 12; 
 
 Deut. I : al ; Isa. 49: 22 ; Acts 13 : 18, margin ; 1 Thess. 2:7), is 
 
 of course figurative, referring to providential 
 protection. Satan treats it as if we were au- 
 thorized to expect its literal and supernatural 
 fulfillment; and while there are of course limi- 
 tations to such a promise (see below), he takes 
 no account of these. Observe that the plural 
 'angels' renders it improper to quote this pas- 
 sage in support of the Jewish fancy of a guar- 
 dian angel attending each individual. The 
 passage corresponds to Heb. 1 : 14, where the 
 angels are said to minister to God for the 
 benefit of his people. 'Lest haply 'is more prob- 
 ably the meaning here, than ' lest at any time.' 
 7. It is written again. What Satan had 
 quoted is indeed found, but in another place 
 is written that which forbids what he suggests 
 and is seeking to justify. There is here an 
 illustration of two important rules of inter- 
 pretation: that a figurative expression must 
 not be so understood as to bring it in conflict 
 with unfigurative passages; and that an un- 
 limited promise or statement must not be 
 applied to cases forbidden by other teachings 
 \ of Scripture. This quotation is from Deut. 
 6: 16. It follows Sept., and differs from Heb. 
 only in using singular instead of plural ("Ye 
 shall not," etc.), thus rendering more pointed 
 the application to an individual. The Greek 
 word here rendered 'tempt' is a compound of 
 that ordinarily used (see on v. 1), and has a 
 somewhat more emphatic meaning; but we 
 can hardly express -the difference in a transla- 
 tion. To 'tempt God' is to test, or put him 
 to the trial, in order to see whether he can and 
 will fulfill his promises. The App. of the 
 Amer. Revisers would here render 'make 
 trial of.' This Ahaz (i.7:n) with affected 
 humility declined to do. Deut. 6: 16, refers 
 to the case in which the Israelites tempted 
 Jehovah at Massah ('temptation'), by requir- 
 
 ing a supply of water to prove that he would 
 fulfill his promise to take care of them. (EX. IT: 
 
 2,7. Comp. Psa. 78; 18; 95:8, 9; ICor. 10: 9; Heb. 3:9.) A 
 
 nias and Sapphira (Aot5:9) tempted the Spirit 
 of the Lord, by virtually putting him to the 
 test whether he would know and reveal their 
 villany. Peter declared (ACWISIIO) that it 
 would be tempting God to act as if they 
 wanted further proof of his will that the 
 Gentiles should not be required to bear the 
 yoke of the ceremonial law. And so Jesus 
 intimates that it would be tempting God to 
 plunge voluntarily into danger, as if to make 
 trial whether he would fulfill his promise of 
 protection. These cases show the nature of 
 the sin in question. Its source is in all cases 
 unbelief. This was understood by the author 
 of Wisdom, 1:2: "He is found by those who 
 do not tempt him, and he manifests himself 
 to those who do not distrust him." It is un- 
 warrantable to say (Alexander, others) that 
 the passage as quoted by our Saviour has a 
 double application, so as at the same time to 
 rebuke Satan for tempting him. Such 
 "double applications" of Scripture are 
 almost alwaj's fanciful, save in the case of 
 prophecies and types. Throughout his min- 
 istry our Lord acted on the principle here 
 involved. He never went voluntarily into 
 danger, and always prudently turned away 
 from the wrath of his enemies, save when 
 some duty called. 
 
 8. In the third temptation Satan no longer 
 says 'If thou art God's Son,' no longer at- 
 tempts to incite Jesus to prove his Sonship or 
 Messiahship by miracle; and as if conceding 
 that he is Messiah and will found a kingdom, 
 he proposes to aid him in making it a splendid 
 earthly kingdom, in subordination to him- 
 self. That Messiah would have a magnificent 
 earthly kingdom was the general expectation 
 of such Jews as were now expecting Messiah 
 at all; and the disciples clung tenaciously to 
 this notion throughout our Lord's ministry. 
 The tempter hopes to work upon such a con- 
 ception in Jesus. Neander : "Herein was the 
 temptation, that the Messiah should not de- 
 velop his kingdom gradually, and in its pure 
 spirituality from within, but should establish
 
 CH. 
 
 IV.] MATTHEW. 
 
 67 
 
 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give 
 thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 
 
 9 them ; and 
 I give thee, 
 
 he said unto him, All 
 if thou wilt fall down 
 
 these thin; 
 and worsh 
 
 - s 
 P 
 
 will 
 me. 
 
 it at once, as an outward dominion ; and that 
 although this could not be accomplished with- 
 out the use of an evil agency, the end would 
 sanctify the means." Many a man, before 
 and since, has with Satan's secret help sur- 
 veyed the glittering spectacle of boundless 
 dominion, and so burned with the fierce long- 
 ings of ambition that he was ready for any- 
 thing that would bring success. Alas! how 
 nearly was this idea of a world-wide kingdom, 
 held in allegiance to Satan, fulfilled by some 
 in the Middle Ages who boasted the title of 
 Vicar of Christ. 
 
 Here also, as in the former cases, the temp- 
 tation of Jesus seems to have been twofold, 
 appealing to a natural feeling the love of 
 power, the desire to rule over others and at 
 the same time, suggesting a way in which his 
 Messianic mission might be expeditiously car- 
 ried through. 
 
 Taketh him or, takes him along with 
 him, as in v. 5. Luke (*; 5) says, 'led him up,' 
 Eev. Ver. What the exceeding high moun- 
 tain was, it is quite impossible to judge. As 
 the highest mountain on earth would no more 
 have sufficed for a literal view of all the king- 
 doms of the world than the highest near to 
 Jerusalem, there is nothing gained by going 
 faraway in our conjecture. Tradition names 
 a mountain near Jericho (see on v. 1), but 
 with no great probability. Sheweth him 
 all the kingdoms of the world. Some un- 
 derstand a literal view of all the districts of 
 Palestine. But there is no proof that the term 
 rendered ' world ' (Kosmos) was ever used to 
 denote merely Palestine, though this has been 
 often asserted ; and the districts of Palestine 
 would at that time hardly have been called 
 kingdoms ; besides that the significance of the 
 temptation is much clearer and more striking 
 ! on the other view. It is best to understand a 
 sort of vision. It may certainly be conceived 
 that Satan had the power, while Jesus looked 
 round from the mountain top, to cause such 
 a view to pass before his eyes; and Luke's 
 phrase "in a moment of time" seems clearly 
 ,10 indicate that it was supernatural. Alford: 
 
 "If it be objected that in that case there was 
 no need for the ascent of the mountain, I an- 
 swer, that such natural accessories are made 
 use of frequently in supernatural revelations; 
 see especially Rev. 21: 10." Bengel : "Shows 
 to the eyes what the horizon embraced ; the 
 rest bespoke of and perhaps pointed towards." 
 Keil: "In the case of both Jesus and Satan 
 experiences are possible which are impossible 
 for mere man, which we cannot adequately 
 represent to our minds, and have no right to 
 deny." We may very well take 'all the 
 kingdoms' as an hyperbole (comp. Ezra 1: 
 2), especially as many parts of the earth 
 would present little that was glorious, or at- 
 tractive to worldly ambition. And the glory 
 of them, is added because their glory was es- 
 pecially paraded before his view. But Jesus 
 would look beneath the glittering surface, and 
 see hollowness, degradation, suffering, ruin. 
 Doubtless his ardent desire to save men was 
 not weakened by this panorama, but greatly 
 strengthened. Throughout his subsequent 
 ministry the idea of a glorious and all-em- 
 bracing earthly kingdom was often pressed 
 upon him by the multitude, and constantly 
 cherished by his chosen followers, but re- 
 jected by him. How much more truly glori- 
 ous the 'kingdom not of this world ' (Jotmi8:36) 
 which he did found ; and how blessed a thing 
 it will be when 'the kingdom of the world is 
 become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his 
 
 Christ.' (Eev. 11 : 15. Bv. Ver.) 
 
 9. All these things, the Greek placing 
 the emphasis not so much on ' all,' as on 
 'these things.' The claim which Satan here 
 implies, and in Luke 4: 6, expressly asserts, 
 viz., that he possesses the control of the king- 
 doms of the world and their glory, is not 
 wholly unfounded, for the Scriptures speak 
 of -him as the prince or god of this world. 
 
 (johnl2:Sl; 14:30; 18:11; Cor.4:.) As to the pre- 
 
 cise nature and limitations of this power we 
 are not informed; but it has been committed 
 to him (Luk4: ), and the Revelation of John 
 teaches that it shall one day be withdrawn. 
 Wilt fall down, 1 as in 2: 11, the usual p<>s- 
 
 1 Literally. ' If thou fall down.' This subjunctive was element of willingness, which is not in the original, 
 natural in early English (so Wyclif), and is barely pos- Yet It makes a smoother Eng. phrase, and so is IM si in 
 
 'ihle Mill. To nay' if thon wilt fall down' (Tyndale 
 md all since) is ambiguous, seeming to introduce the 
 
 a popular version.
 
 68 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 CH. IV. 
 
 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence. Satan ; 
 for it is written, Thou shall worship the Lord thy God, 
 and him only shall thou serve. 
 
 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels 
 came and ministered unto him. 
 
 10 Then saith Jesus unlo him, Get thee hence, Satan : 
 for it is writlen, Thou shall worship the Lord thy 
 
 11 God, and him onlv shall thou serve. Then the devil 
 leaveth him: and behold, angels came and minis- 
 tered unto him. 
 
 ture in the East, whether for adoration or for 
 homage. Worship. See on 2: 2. There has 
 been difference of opinion as to whether it 
 here signifies idolatrous worship (comp. 1 Cor. 
 10: 20; Rev. 9: 20), or only homage as to a 
 civil superior; but the latter, paid to Satan, 
 would necessarily lead to the former. The 
 tempter proposes that Jesus shall recognize 
 the worldly power which Satan is allowed to 
 exercise, and shall conform his Messianic 
 reign to existing conditions by acknowledging 
 Satan's sovereignty. Jesus was in fact to 
 reign over this world, yet not as successor or 
 subordinate to Satan, but by utterly over- 
 throwing his dominion. (Comp. 12: 25, 28). 
 
 10. Get thee hence, 1 ' begone,' or, ' away 
 with thee,' here said in abhorrence or disgust, 
 though sometimes in kindness (as 8: 13). Sa- 
 tan, see on v. 1. It is written, see on v. 4. 
 The quotation here is from Deut. 6: 13, and 
 follows Sept. It differs from Hebrew in in- 
 troducing 'only' or 'alone,' which merely 
 expresses what is indicated in the Hebrew by 
 the emphasis ; and also in substituting for the 
 general term 'fear' the more specific term 
 'worship,' which makes more manifest the 
 affiliation of the passage to the matter in 
 hand. (See on 2: 6.) 
 
 11. Leaveth him. An example of what was 
 afterwards taught by James (* '), ' Resist the 
 devil, and he will flee from you.' Luke (* : is) 
 says, 'for a season.' Doubtless his tempta- 
 tions were frequently renewed throughout the 
 Saviour's ministry (comp. on v. 1), and espe- 
 cially when it was about to close. (John u-. so.) 
 Bengel: "This temptation is a specimen of 
 Christ's whole state of humiliation, and an 
 epitome of all the temptations, not only moral 
 but spiritual, which the devil contrived from 
 the beginning." Angels came; came near 
 to him (same term as in v. 3). Ministered, 
 
 or, were ministering unto him. This word 
 signifies to attend as a servant, wait on, etc., 
 often with particular reference to supplying 
 food (comp, 8: 15; 25: 44; 27: 55; Luke 8: 
 3; 10: 40 'serve' ; 12: 37; Acts 6: 2 'serve'). 
 And so apparently here. They waited on 
 him as human friends might have waited on 
 one whom they found hungry, weary, lonely. 
 To Elijah (i Kings 19:6,7) an angel brought food 
 before the forty days' fast ; to Jesus at its close. 
 He had refused to relieve his hunger by turn- 
 ing the stones into loaves of bread, referring 
 to the case of Israel, to whom God supplied 
 food in an extraordinary way; and now God 
 makes an extraordinary provision for him. 
 He had refused to try an experiment upon a 
 promise of angelic help (v. e), and now angelic 
 help comes unsought. The term employed, 
 ' were ministering to him,' not simply narrates 
 the fact, but vividly describes it as going on. 
 And so, with the baffled tempter withdrawn, 
 and angels engaged in ministering to him, this 
 wonderful and affecting scene comes to a close. 
 Our Lord is now fully prepared for his work 
 as Messiah. At his baptism the Father gave 
 him an extraordinary recognition and greet- 
 ing. During the forty days he has doubtless 
 reflected upon the need and the character of 
 that saving work which he has come into the 
 world to do. And now the tempter's pro- 
 posals have familiarized his mind with the 
 thought of three principal wrong courses 
 which will often during his ministry be pro- 
 posed to him, and which he will always in- 
 stantly reject as he has done here he will 
 never use his supernatural powers to relieve 
 his own natural wants, nor to make a display 
 before man, and he will utterly avoid the 
 favorite Jewish notion of a brilliant worldly 
 kingdom, obtained by worldly means and 
 used for worldly purposes. 2 
 
 1 Many MSS. and versions (some that are early) add 
 'behind me,' manifestly an assimilation to 16: 23, 
 where there is no variation in the reading. 
 
 - The legendary temptation of Sakhya Muni (after- 
 wards Buddha) has sometimes been likened to the 
 temptation of Christ. Edwin Arnold, in " The Light of 
 Asia," has borrowed phrases and ideas from the Gos- 
 
 pel, so as to give a false appearance of resemblance. 
 When these are removed, and details which he omits 
 are restored, the two accounts have no resemblance be- 
 yond the bare fact of a person being specially tempted 
 when meditating a great work for the good of man- 
 kind, which is doubtless, in one shape or other, a uni- 
 versal experience. See Kellogg, " The Light of Asii
 
 CH. IV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 69 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 1. The occurrence of this special season 
 of temptation immediately after our Lord' 
 baptism and when he was about to enter on 
 his ministry, while not wholly analogous to 
 the case of his disciples, yet corresponds with 
 a not infrequent experience. ECCLUS. 2: 1: 
 "My son, if thou art coming near to serve the 
 Lord, prepare thy soul for temptation." Eu- 
 THYM. : " That thou also after baptism mayst 
 no longer lead thyself, but rather be led by 
 the Spirit, and that if after baptism thou tall- 
 est into temptations thou mayest not be con- 
 founded." GILL: "And so it often is, that 
 after sweet communion with God in his ordi- 
 nances, after large discoveries of his love nd 
 interest in him, follow sore temptations, trials, 
 and exercises." God often brings his people 
 into temptation (; is), and so he brought the 
 Captain of their salvation. (Heu. 2: 10). MILTON 
 
 (Par. Reg.): 
 
 But first I mean 
 
 To exercise him in the wilderness ; 
 There he shall first lay down the rudiments 
 Of his great warfare, ere I send him forth 
 To conquer sin and death, the two grand foes, 
 
 !By humiliation and strong sufferance. 
 Some men have fancied that they would escape 
 temptation by fleeing to solitude and others 
 by seeking society ; behold, Jesus is tempted 
 both in the wilderness and in the Holy City. 
 There is here 1) a discipline to the tempted 
 Redeemer; 2) an example to his tempted 
 followers, and 3) a lesson of failure to the 
 tempter. Three distinct practical evils are 
 prevalent as to the devil, each of which must 
 help him. (a) Some deny his existence, i. e., 
 either his personality or his agency which 
 gives him an admirable opportunity to carry 
 on his work unsuspected, (b) A few persons 
 associate him with the sublime conceptions of 
 Paradise Lost, and thus feel a diminished ab- 
 horrence, (c) The great mass associate him 
 with all that is ridiculous. The instinctive 
 desire to shake off horrible thoughts has led 
 to this, as men joke in a dissecting-room, and 
 it has grown customary, and gained strength 
 from prevailing skepticism. The practice of 
 applying ludicrous designations to the devil, 
 
 and making him the point of amusing stories 
 and jests, as well as the grotesque nursery 
 descriptions and stories, can never fail to be 
 very hurtful, and should be avoided and dis- 
 couraged. V. 2. GREG. NAZ., (in Wordsw.): 
 " Christ hungered as man, and fed the hungry 
 as God. He was hungry as man, and yet he 
 is the Bread of life. He was athirst as man, 
 and yet he says, Let him that is athirst come 
 to me and drink. He was weary, and is our 
 Rest. ... He pays tribute, and is a King; he 
 is called a devil, and casts out devils; prays, 
 and hears prayer ; weeps, and dries our tears ; 
 is sold for thirty pieces of silver, and redeems 
 the world ; is led as a sheep to the slaughter, 
 and is the Good Shepherd. " EDERSH. : 
 " Moses failed after his forty days' fast, when 
 in indignation he cast the tables of the law 
 from him ; Elijah failed before his forty days' 
 fast; Jesus was assailed for forty days, and 
 endured the trial." 
 
 V. 3. The demand for special proofs of the 
 divine mission of Christ is often made in a 
 wrong spirit, by persons whom those very 
 proofs would not convince; as Satan after- 
 wards witnessed numerous miracles wrought 
 by Jesus, but without effect. GEIKIK: "No 
 temptation is more difficult to resist than the 
 prompting to do what seems needful for self- 
 preservation, when abundant means are in 
 our hands." MORISON: "The prime tempta- 
 tion of millions, though they often realize it 
 not, is to use improper means of making their 
 aread." V. 4. Our Lord was 'tempted like 
 as we are,' and he resisted like as we must, 
 [f he had wrought a miracle for his own 
 relief, that would have been no example for 
 us; but it was an example that he should in 
 trying circumstances trust in God and wait 
 and that he should be guided and sustained 
 by what 'is written.' If we would imitate 
 this example, let us become thoughtfully 
 imbued with the principles of Scripture 
 (p. 119: 11), and familiar with its precepts and 
 examples, so that they may be naturally 
 suggested to the mind, or readily recalled, 
 just when they are needed. OKIOKN (Wor- 
 dsw): "He routs the tempter by what all 
 may wield, the sword of the Spirit, which is 
 
 and the Light of the World," ch. iv., especially p. 145- 
 133. Up. Lightfoot has shown (Colossians, p. 151-157) 
 that there is no evidence of any influence of Buddhism 
 oo the Essenes, or that Buddhism was known in Syria 
 
 during the first Christian century. The idea of a apo- 
 dal temptation of the Messiah by .Salmi was quite con- 
 trary toallJewish conceptions and expectations. Sea 
 Edcrsh., Book ill., ch. 1.
 
 70 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. IV. 
 
 the word of God. (Kph.6:i7.) Hence learn 
 the value of Scripture, and the impotence 
 of Satan against it." STIEB: "As Eve in 
 the beginning rightly opposed the tempter 
 with God has said ! but alas, did not persist 
 therein even so now the Lord ; but he holds 
 firm." LIGHTFOOT: "Observe (1) That the 
 first word spoken by Christ in his ministerial 
 office is an assertion of the authority of Scrip- 
 ture. (2) That he opposeth the word of God 
 as the properest incounterer against the words 
 of the devil. (3) That he alledgeth Scripture 
 as a thing undeniable and uncontrollable by 
 the devil himself. (4) That he maketh the 
 Scripture his rule, though he had the full- 
 ness of the Spirit above measure." HENRY : 
 "As in our greatest abundance we must not 
 think to live without God, so in our greatest 
 straits we must learn to live upon God." 
 There is a common saying, ' Necessity knows 
 no law.' But it ought to know the law of 
 duty. 
 
 V. 5. HENRY: "Pinnacles of the temple 
 are places of temptation. (1) High places in 
 the world are so. (2) High places in the 
 church are in a special manner dangerous." 
 V. 6. HENRY: "We must avoid going from 
 one extreme to another from despair to pre- 
 sumption, from prodigality to covetousness," 
 etc. LANGE: "The holiest thing may be 
 perverted to become the most vile temptation. 
 (1) A stay in the holy city. (2) The prospect 
 from the pinnacle of the temple. (3) The 
 promise contained in an inspired Psalm." 
 One of the subtlest and sometimes mightiest 
 forms of temptation to a devout mind is the 
 misapplication of Scripture, so as to give 
 apparent warrant for doing what we incline 
 to. We need not only to know the language 
 of Scripture, but to understand the real 
 meaning and legitimate application. A great 
 aid in this is to compare other passages, as our 
 Lord here does. BENGEL: "Scripture must 
 through Scripture be interpreted and recon- 
 
 rciled." WORDSWORTH: "The devil may 
 tempt us to fall, but he cannot make, us fall; 
 he may persuade us to cast ourselves down, 
 but he cannot cast us down." V. 7. True 
 faith never tries experiments upon the prom- 
 ises, being satisfied that they will be fulfilled 
 as occasion may arise. We have no right to 
 create danger, and expect Providence to 
 shield us from it. The love of adventure, 
 
 curiosity as to the places and procedures of 
 vice, the spirit of speculation in business, the 
 profits of some calling attended by moral 
 perils, often lead men to tempt God. It is a 
 common form of sin. (See Chalmer's Ser- 
 mons on the Temptations.) GRIFFITH: "We 
 violate the organic conditions of health, and 
 then expect some miracle of restoration. We 
 devote ourselves to seeming duty, labor on in 
 what we fancy must be saintly self-sacrifice, 
 till the brain is fevered, the strength is ex- 
 hausted, and imbecility and death come in 
 to punish the presumption of 'testing the 
 Lord our God.' "Jesus did afterwards work 
 miracles equivalent to those proposed in the 
 first and second temptations, when he multi- 
 plied food, and when he walked on the water; 
 but in these cases he was using his supernatu- 
 ral power for the benefit of others. 
 
 V. 8. See Milton's description in Par. Re- 
 gained, Book iii. V. 9. How often are meas- 
 ures adopted by preacher or church that are 
 unworthy of Christianity, and defended only 
 by urging that they take, that they succeed. 
 But Christ would not rule over the world by 
 Satan's help, and we must not seek to advance 
 the kingdom of holiness by unholy means. 
 THEOPHYLACT : " Now also he says to the 
 covetous that the world is his, so that they 
 gain it who worship him." SCHAFF : " Sa- 
 tan's greatest weapons are his half-truths, his 
 perversions of the truth." V. 10. Often the 
 only proper way to deal with the tempter is to 
 bid him begone. AUGUSTINE: "It is the 
 devil's part to suggest, it is ours not to con- 
 sent." JER. TAYLOR : " The Lamb of God 
 could by no means endure it when tempted to 
 a direct dishonoring of God. Our own in- 
 juries are opportunities of patience ; but when 
 the glory of God and his immediate honor is 
 the question, then is the occasion for the flames 
 of a clear shining and unconsuming zeal." 
 V. 11. GROTIUS : "Formerly conqueror of 
 ourfirst parents and long conqueror of the hu- 
 man race, but now conquered by Christ, and 
 to be conquered by Christians. (UohnS: is.)" 
 
 GRIFFITH: "The successive temptations 
 may be ranked as temptations to under-confi- 
 dence, over-confidence, and other confidence. 
 The first, to take things impatiently into our 
 hands; the second, to throw things presump- 
 tuously on God's hands ; the third, to transfer 
 things disloyally into other hands than God's."
 
 CH. IV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 71 
 
 LORIMEB : "The spirit of evil takes things 
 that are right in themselves and perverts them 
 to our undoing; as here, the instinct of self- 
 preservation, the feeling of self-confidence, 
 the hope of self-aggrandizement." "We can 
 see in these temptations a. progression, (a) 
 The tempter appeals to, (1) a bodity appetite, 
 
 (2) an obscure nervous feeling, (3) ambition, 
 which is wholly of the mind, (b) He proposes 
 (1) a useful miracle, (2) a useless miracle, (3) 
 a gross sin. (c) He seeks to excite, (1) distrust 
 of God, (2) presumptuous reliance on G-od, 
 
 (3) worldly-minded abandonment of God. 
 12-25. BEGINNING OF OUR LORD'S MIN- 
 ISTRY IN GALILEK. 
 
 The third and principal division of the Gos- 
 pel of Matthew, from 4: 12 to the end of 
 chap. 18, gives an account of our Lord's min- 
 istry in Galilee. A general introduction to 
 that account is given in 4 : 12-25. 
 
 Having described the events connected with 
 the entrance of Jesus upon his public work, it 
 is natural that the narrative should pass to 
 the work itself. So far as we learn from Matt., 
 Mark (i: u) and Luke (*= i*), this began after 
 John the Baptist's labors were closed by his 
 imprisonment, and its scene was Galilee and 
 adjacent districts, until shortly before our 
 Lord's death. Nor do they intimate that any 
 long time intervened between the temptation 
 and this ministry in Galilee. The Gospel of 
 John, on the other hand, records a number 
 of intervening events, embracing the testi- 
 mony of John the Baptist to Jesus, after his 
 baptism, and apparently after his temptation ; 
 the gaining of disciples, the marriage at Cana, 
 and the brief residence at Capernaum (Johni: 
 u.toi:!?); the first Passover of our Lord's 
 public ministry, with the expulsion of the 
 traders and the conversation with Nicodemus 
 (John*: is, to 3: 21); the teaching and baptizing 
 in Judea before John the Baptist's imprison- 
 ment, and the occurrences at Sychar when 
 Jesus was on the way to Galilee. (John 3:22 to 4: 
 ) But there is here no real contradiction 
 between John and the other Evangelists. 
 None of them could record the whole of 
 Jesus' public life, and each must select ac- 
 cording to his particular design. Where 
 events are omitted in a brief narrative, we 
 cannot expect to find a wide break as if to in- 
 vite thoir insertion from some other source ; 
 for this would destroy the continuity of the 
 
 narrative, and greatly impair its interest and 
 impressiveness. The story must go right on, 
 but must not contain such expressions as 
 would exclude the events it omits. This is the 
 course which Matthew, Mark, and Luke have 
 here pursued. They make no allusion to la- 
 bors of our Lord between the temptation and 
 John's imprisonment, but do not at all affirm 
 that there were no intervening labors; and 
 various facts mentioned by them (e.g. Luke 
 10 : 38), really imply that our Lord had been 
 preaching in Judea before the visit which 
 ended in his death. What were the reasons 
 for omitting one thing and inserting another, 
 we may not in all cases be able to perceive. 
 But the concurrence of the three first Evan- 
 gelists in beginning their account of Christ's 
 public ministry just after that of the forerun- 
 ner closed, suggests (Ewald, Alexander), that 
 the work of Christ then assumed in some sense 
 a 'different character; the early preaching and 
 baptizing of our Lord while the forerunner's 
 work still went on (Jotm3:22f. ; 4:i r.) was intro- 
 ductory, and his ministry now takes in some 
 sense a higher position. The transition from 
 the Old Dispensation to the New was in many 
 respects gradual. Even after the ascension of 
 Christ and the special coming of the Spirit, 
 the Jewish Christians long continued to ob- 
 serve the ceremonies of the law, continued it 
 apparently until providentially stopped by 
 the destruction of the temple. And so the 
 forerunner continued his preaching and bap- 
 tizing side by side with that of Jesus until 
 providentially stopped by his imprisonment. 
 It is likely that the oral narratives commonly 
 given by the apostles for years after the ascen- 
 sion were accustomed to begin their account 
 of the Lord's ministry, as we find the three 
 first Gospels doing, with this point at which 
 his ministry stood out apart from that of the 
 Baptist. But before John's Gospel was svrit- 
 ten, some persons were maintaining that the 
 Baptist's work was designed to be permanent, 
 and ought to be continued by his disciples; it 
 may have been partly to correct this error 
 that John narrates the earlier ministry of 
 Jesus, showing that he was not a mere succes- 
 sor of the Baptist, but began to preach before 
 the other ceased, and that the forerunner dis- 
 tinctly and repeatedly acknowledged his own 
 inferiority, and asserted that his work was de- 
 signed to be temporary. ( John i:2-s7;3: MIT.)
 
 72 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn IV. 
 
 12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was J cast 
 into prison, he departed into Galilee ; 
 
 12 Now when he heard that John was delivered up, 
 
 1 Or, delivered up. 
 
 If we adopt the common and probable reck- 
 oning that our Lord's public ministry occu- 
 pied about three years and a half, putting his 
 baptism some months before the Passover at 
 which Nicodemus visited him, then the labors 
 in Galilee and vicinity recorded by Matthew 
 (and Mark and Luke) begin during the sec- 
 ond year of his ministry (reckoning from 
 Passover to Passover, because at the Passover 
 he died), and probably in the latter part of 
 that year; thus leaving rather less than two 
 years for this "ministry in Galilee," which 
 ended six months before the crucifixion. 
 
 It is evident that Matthew does not in this 
 part of his work propose to himself a chrono- 
 logical account of events and discourses. He 
 sets out with the general statement that our 
 Lord withdrew (from Judea) into Galilee, 
 and making Capernaum his residence and the 
 centre of his operations, began to preach, (v. 
 12-n.) Then comes the fact of his calling 
 certain persons to follow him, and unite with 
 him in these labors. (*. 18-22.) Next a very gen- 
 eral account of his going about all Galilee, 
 preaching and healing, while his fame spread 
 far and wide, and he was followed by crowds | 
 from all the adjacent regions, (v. 23-25.) The 
 present section thus carries us into the heart 
 of the ministry in Galilee. Afterwards we 
 shall find that great discourse (oh. 5-7), in which 
 our Lord set forth certain principles of the 
 kingdom or reign he came to proclaim and 
 establish ; and then a number of miracles and 
 discourses, such as were calculated to prove 
 the fact that Jesus is the Messiah, and to ex- 
 hibit the true nature of the Messianic reign 
 the twofold object of Matthew's Gospel. In j 
 all this there is no attempt at chronological 
 order, but a grouping of the topics which is 
 more effective for the sacred writer's object. 
 (Comp. ou8: 1; 9: 35; 11: 2; 12: 1; 14:1.) 
 
 12. Now when Jesus had heard, or, and 
 hearing. The narrative goes right on. 1 Cast 
 
 into prison, or, delivered up, literally, 
 passed on, 'given from hand to hand.' It is 
 a word often used in the Gospels and the 
 Acts, sometimes correctly translated by 'de- 
 liver,' 2 often incorrectly by 'betray.' Mat- 
 thew here contents himself with this general 
 expression, without stating the circumstances 
 of John's imprisonment, because they were 
 familiar to his readers. Afterwards, when 
 telling of John's death (uissr.), he states the 
 cause of his imprisonment. According to 
 the chronological estimates above mentioned, 
 the imprisonment took place over twelve 
 months after the baptism of Jesus, and thus 
 John's preaching and baptizing continued in 
 all about a year and a half. Henceforth, 
 until his death, about a year later, we are to 
 think of him as a prisoner in the Castle of 
 Machaerus, some miles east of the northern 
 part of the Dead Sea. (See on 14: 6.) De- 
 parted, withdrew, or, ' retired,' 3 as above in 2: 
 12, 13, 14, 22, and below in 12: 15; 14: 13, etc. 
 The word does not necessarily imply danger. 
 (See Acts 23 : 19 ; 26 : 31. ) Yet the circumstan- 
 ces here suggest that our Lord withdrew to 
 avoid inconvenient consequences which might 
 follow if he remained in Judea. And this is 
 explained by John. The Pharisees at Jerusa- 
 lem had been watching the Baptist (John i : 19 .), 
 and were doubtless jealous of his influence. 
 But of late they had heard that Jesus 'was 
 making and baptizing more disciples than 
 John (Johni:!), and now that John was im- 
 prisoned they would be likely to turn their 
 jealous attention to Jesus, who therefore with- 
 drew from Judea into the remoter Galilee. It 
 is a strange mistake to say that he wished to 
 avoid Herod, for Judea (John4:s) was not in 
 Herod's dominions, and Galilee was. Similar 
 withdrawals by our Lord we shall find below, 
 in 12: 15; 14: 13; 15: 21. (Comp. on 8: 4.) 
 Galilee, the scene of the greater part of 
 our Lord's ministry, is wrongly conceived by 
 
 ''Jesus 'does not belong to the true text. It was 
 probably inserted in public reading for perspicuity (as 
 also in v. 18, 23), and so crept into the text. Some codd. 
 of Vulgate give it even in 5: 1. 
 
 STyndale, following Wyclif, here gave 'taken,' a 
 very poor translation of the Vulgate. Beza's note, 
 
 "i. e., had been thrown into prison," appears to have 
 been followed by the Common Version. 
 
 3 So the Latin version and Rheims ('retired'), the 
 Syriac (-'removed'), Davidson, etc. ' Departed ' comes 
 from Tyndale.
 
 CH. IV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 73 
 
 13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in 
 Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders 
 of Zabulon and Nephthalim : 
 
 13 he withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, he 
 came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, 
 
 many as a poor country, with a degraded pop- 
 ulation. It has always been much more fer- 
 tile and beautiful than Judea, and in the time 
 of Christ had an immense population, brave, 
 energetic, and wealthy. (Comp. below on v. 
 23.) The name appears to have come from 
 the Galil or 'circuit' of twenty cities given 
 by Solomon to Hiram, king of Tyre (Josh. 30-, 7 ; 
 i Kings 9: ii; 2Kiugsi5: 29), and was gradually ex- 
 tended to denote the northern part of the Holy 
 Land in general. From its proximity to and 
 connection with Phenicia this district would 
 be largely occupied by Gentiles, and so was 
 called by Isaiah, literally (: i) 'circuit of the 
 Gentiles.' During and after the captivity the 
 Gentiles became predominant. In B. c. 164, 
 the Jews in Galilee were so few that the Mac- 
 cabees carried them all away to Judea for 
 safety, (i Mace. 5: 23.) In the time of Christ the 
 vast population were chiefly Jews, though 
 several cities are expressly said (Josephus, 
 Strabo) to have contained many Gentiles, and 
 they were doubtless numerous elsewhere. 
 These probably sometimes heard Jesus, who 
 may have sometimes spoken in Greek, but 
 there is nothing to warrant the fancy that he 
 was a "Foreign Missionary," as habitually 
 preaching to the heathen; and it is quite for- 
 bidden by 10: 5, and 15: 24. The constant 
 association with Gentiles, as well as the dis- 
 tance from Jerusalem, may have softened the 
 religious prejudices of the Galilean Jews, and 
 rendered them more accessible to the new 
 teachings. The Galileans pronounced Ara- 
 maic with some provincial peculiarities by 
 which the people of Jerusalem could recog- 
 nize them (2: 73), but this does not show them 
 to have been ignorant. Galilee exhibited an 
 intense activity in agriculture, fisheries, man- 
 ufacturing, and trade. Besides local business, 
 the great trade between Egypt and Damascus 
 passed through this region. Jesus labored 
 among an intelligent and actively busy people. 
 The district comprised the immensely fertile 
 plain of Esdraelon on the south ; the broad, 
 rolling uplands of the centre, rich in grass 
 
 and wheat, in bright flowers and shady trees ; 
 and the higher hills and mountains of the 
 north, which, interspersed with deep valleys, 
 presented the greatest variety of productions 
 and climate. (See Josephus, Keim, Kenan, 
 Neubauer, and especially Merrill's "Galilee 
 in the Time of our Lord," from "Biblioth. 
 Sac." for 1874.) Three times we find our 
 Lord described as making extensive journeys 
 around Galilee. (+; zs; Luke8:ifr. ; Matt.9: sser.) 
 
 13 f. He did not make this change imme- 
 diately upon reaching Galilee, but first re- 
 visited Cana (John 4:46;, and began teaching in 
 Galilee with great acceptance (Luke4:i5), com- 
 ing presently to Nazareth. (Luke 4: 16 ff.) Being 
 there rejected and his life attempted, he left 
 (Luke4:3i) ) and went down to Capernaum. 1 
 Here he would not only be more free from 
 popular violence, but would come in contact 
 with a much larger and more active-minded 
 population. So Paul laborad especially at 
 Antioch, Corinth, and Ephesus, commercial 
 centres, in which men's minds were active 
 and ready to grasp new ideas, and from which 
 the news would spread in every direction, and 
 excursions could be reaclily made. Came 
 and dwelt in, as in 2: 23. Capernaum 
 was our Lord's home, the centre of his labors 
 and journeys, for probably nearly two years. 
 (Comp. on v. 12.) On the western shore of 
 the Lake of Galilee (see on v. 18) there ex- 
 tends for some three miles an exceedingly 
 fertile plain, called the 'Plain of Gennesaret.' 
 (See on 14: 34.) In this plain, or a little 
 north of it, Capernaum was situated; but the 
 once highly exalted city has been cast down 
 into such destruction (11 = 23), that we cannot 
 certainly determine its site. Robinson placed 
 it at Khan Minyeh, on the northern edge of 
 the plain, and is still followed b3" Keim and 
 Conder. (Kenan and Godet doubtful.) But 
 the great majority of recent explorers prefer 
 the view that it was at Tel Hum, two miles 
 further up the shore. The earliest MSS. 
 and versions give the name as Capharnaum, 
 and the Syriac gives Cnphnrnnhum. As Cu- 
 
 1 This proceeds upon the view that the visit to Naza- ably the original form of the word (Keim, Grimm, Butt- 
 
 reth in 13: 54 (Mark 6. 1) is distinct from that of Luke 
 4: 16, a view not certainly, but probably, correct. Sev- 
 eral MSS. read in this place Nazara, and that is prob- 
 
 mann). But as Nazaret, or Nazareth, or Nazaralh 
 occurs in most passages, it seems useless to depart from 
 the common form here.
 
 74 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. IV. 
 
 14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by 
 Esuias tlic prophet, saying, 
 
 15 The laud of /ubulon', ami the laud of Nephthalirn, 
 /<// the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the 
 Gentiles ; 
 
 14 in the borders of Zebu In n and Naphtali: that it 
 might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah 
 the prophet, saying, 
 
 15 The laud of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, 
 1 Toward the sea, beyond Jordan, 
 
 Galilee of the - Gentiles, 
 
 1 Or. The way of the tea, 2 Or, nations : aud so elsewhere. 
 
 phar in Hebrew means 'village,' Caphar- 
 nahum means 'village of Nahum,' or per- 
 haps 'village of consolation' (Origen). In 
 modern Arabic the word Tel denotes a hill 
 covered with ruins, and thus Tel Hum might 
 well be the modern form of village of Na- 
 hum (so Ewald, Delitzsch, and others). More- 
 over, the ruins at Tel Hum contain much 
 black basaltic rock, which is very hard to 
 work, and must have been brought from the 
 country S. E. of th lake, so that its free use 
 indicates a wealthy city, the most important 
 in the neighborhood. Now Capernaum evi- 
 dently had such pre-eminence among the 
 cities on the northern shores of the lake, and 
 so it seems highly probable that Tel Hum is 
 the site of Capernaum. 1 At Tel Hum are the 
 ruins of a beautiful synagogue, the finest of 
 which we have any remains in all Palestine, 
 and this may well have been 'the synagogue' 
 built by the centurion. (Luke 7: 5.) Originally 
 but a 'village' (Caphar), and so not men- 
 tioned in O. T., it had in N. T. times become 
 a 'city.' (Luke4:3t.) It probably had a large 
 fishing business (the fish were put up in salt 
 and transported to the interior), and general 
 trade on the lake, while very near it passed 
 the principal road from Damascus to Ptole- 
 mais, carrying the trade with Egypt, It had 
 a custom-house (:9), and a garrison of Roman 
 soldiers. ( .) Our Lord had at a former 
 period remained here for a short time (Joun 
 2= is), perhaps sojourning with Peter, whom 
 we afterwards find living at Capernaum. ( M; 
 Mark i : !i9 j 2:1.) In the synagogue at Capernaum 
 he delivered the great discourse of John, ch. 6 
 (see John 6: 59). It was a convenient start- 
 ing point for his journey into Galilee or De- 
 capolis, towards Tyre or Cesarea Philippi, to 
 Perea or Judea ; and was the home to which 
 he constantly returned. 
 
 Borders, as in 2 : 16. The borders of Zab- 
 ulon and Nephthalim means the borders 
 common to the two, the boundary between 
 
 them. For the peculiar forms of the names, 
 Zabulon and Nephthalim, see on 1 : 2. The 
 Evangelist takes pains to describe the situa- 
 tion of Capernaum, as beside the sea (laku), 
 and on the boundary between these two 
 tribes, in order to show the minute corre- 
 spondence to the prediction he is about to 
 quote. Matthew often introduces Messianic 
 prophecies as fulfilled in Jesus (1:22; 2:6, is, 17, 
 23-, 3: a), this being an evidence of his Messiah- 
 ship. 
 
 14. For that it might be fulfilled by, or, 
 through, see on 1 : 22; and for the form of the 
 names Esaias or Isaiah, on 1 : 2. A provi- 
 dential design of Jesus' going to reside in this 
 region was that the prophecy might be ful- 
 filled ; there might of course be other designs 
 at the same time. 
 
 15 f. The Sept. translation of this passaj 
 (isa. 9 :ir.), is quite incorrect, and Matt, doe 
 not follow the Sept., as he commonly doe 
 where it is sufliciently accurate for his pur 
 pose. The original Hebrew contains some ex- 
 pressions which would be intelligible only bj 
 consulting the connection, and these Matt, 
 has omitted, but without aifectiug the mean- 
 ing of the passage, as applying to our Lord's 
 settlement at Capernaum. He even begins ir 
 the middle of a sentence, taking only what 
 was appropriate to the matter in hand. The 
 prophet has spoken of great afflictions whicb 
 would befall the people at the hands of the 
 Assyrians and others, but which would be fol- 
 lowed by great blessings, to be enjoyed espe- 
 cially by the tribes mentioned, they having 
 been most afflicted ; and the Evangelist shows 
 us a remoter reference in this to the blessing 
 connected with the work of the Messiah, 
 whom Isaiah immediately afterwards (;6f.) 
 makes a distinct reference. By the way of 
 the sea, omit 'by.' This might mean road 
 to the sea, or simply sea-road (Meyer, Weiss); 
 or road by the sea, meaning the great caravar 
 route which passed near the sea, i. e., the Lake 
 
 i This view, favored by Ewald, Delitzsch, Bitter, Haus- I by Bartlett. None of them present the argument fro 
 rath, Thomson, "Recovery of Jerusalem," Farrar, the masses of black rock, which are not found in an; 
 Schaff, Geikie, and others, is particularly well argued ' other ruins in the neighborhood.
 
 CH. IV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 75 
 
 16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light ; I 16 
 and to them which sat in the region and shadow of 
 death light is sprung up. 
 
 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, 
 Repent : for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 
 
 The people that sat in darkness 
 
 Saw a great light, 
 
 Acd to them that sat in the region and shadow 
 
 of death, 
 
 To them did light spring up. 
 From that time began Jesus to preach, and to say, 
 Repent ye ; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 
 
 of Galilee (see on v. 18) ; or road from the sea, 
 viz., the Mediterranean (Keim). The English 
 'sea-road' 1 would be equally ambiguous. 
 The most probable meaning is the second, 
 ' road by the sea,' designating the regions ad- 
 jacent to the lake. Beyond Jordan (see v. 26) 
 in O. T. usually means east of the Jordan, 
 but in some passages west of it (see Num. 32 : 
 19; Deut. 11: 30; Josh. 5:1; 22: 7), remind- 
 ing us that Israel came first to the region east 
 of the river. It of course depends on the 
 writer's point of view in each case. Isaiah, 
 having referred to the calamities which would 
 be inflicted by the Eastern nations, might 
 naturally for the moment speak from their 
 point of view, and thus 'beyond Jordan' 
 would mean west of the Jordan, and would 
 denote the same region as the other expres- 
 sions. This fits the connection, which has a 
 series of parallel phrases. Those who prefer 
 the more common O. T. sense of ' beyond 
 Jordan ' understand Decapolis, east of the 
 lake, or Perea, east of the lower Jordan (see 
 on v. 2o). They then either hold that this de- 
 notes a region distinct from Galilee, or sup- 
 pose that Galilee sometimes included Decap- 
 olis, etc. Galilee of the Gentiles (see onv. 
 12). The word rendered Gentiles signifies 
 simply 'nations' (see margin of Rev. Ver.). 
 The Israelites called all others 'the nations,' 
 in distinction from themselves, who were the 
 chosen people. 
 
 10. In this verse is an instance of that 
 "parallelism" which is the peculiarity in the 
 structure of Hebrew poetry, and consequently 
 abounds in O. T. There are two principal 
 varieties of it: (a) the second clause simply 
 repeats, in different phraseology, the thought 
 of the first; and (b) the second stands in con- 
 trast with the first. The present example 
 belongs to (a), the second clause repeating 
 first, but in stronger terms. (See other ex- 
 amples in 7: 6; 12: 30.) Shadow of death, 
 
 or, death-shade, is simply a figure for the 
 densest darkness. (Comp. Jer. 13: 16; Amos 
 6: 8; Ps. 107 : 10; 23: 4, see margin Rev. Ver. 
 'deep darkness'; even Job 10: 21.) The 
 'region and shadow' may be understood as 
 equivalent by what grammarians call hendi- 
 adys to 'region of the shadow' (which is the 
 meaning of the Heb.), or as simply expanding 
 the idea, region of death and shadow of death. 
 Is sprung up, or, arose; the Greek term 
 is often used of sunrise and dawn. a The 
 image seems to be that of persons who had 
 lost their way in the dense darkness, and 
 upon whom arose the great light of the morn- 
 ing. The Heb. has 'walked. . . . sat,' while 
 Matt, says 'sat' in both cjftes, which with 
 reference to the figure is an equivalent expres- 
 sion. Here, as so often in Scripture, darkness 
 and light represent ignorance, sin, misery, as 
 opposed t<3 knowledge, holiness, happiness. 
 Alexander: "The verse in its original con- 
 nection has respect to the degraded and op- 
 pressed state of the Galileans, arising from 
 their situation on the frontier, their exposure 
 to attack from without, and their actual mix- 
 ture with the Gentiles." Matt, shows us in 
 this language a further reference to the spir- 
 itual darkness of the Galileans of our Lord's 
 time. All the Jews were in spiritual dark- 
 ness, and the Galileans were inferior in re- 
 ligious privileges to the Judeans, and despised 
 by them. (Jhn7:4i,49, 52.) There is no proof 
 that they were morally more corrupt than the 
 Judeans. But he who came 'to st:ek and to 
 save that which is lost,' fixed in this remote and 
 despised section of the Holy Land the centre of 
 his labors, and here chose most of the apostles 
 who were to carry his teachings to Judea and 
 Samaria, and the ends of the earth. (Acti:8.) 
 17. Establishing himself in Capernaum, our 
 Lord began to preach. From that time be- 
 gan that public ministry which Matthew pro- 
 poses to describe. (Comp. on v. 12.) 
 
 >The Greek genitive is often most exactly rendered 
 into English by means of a compound substantive 
 (comp. on 1 : 11). 
 
 1 Literally, ' and to those sitting light arose to 
 
 them.' This repetition of the pronoun after the verb 
 is a Hebrew idiom, natural to the Evangelist, though 
 awkward in Greek and English.
 
 76 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. IV. 
 
 18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two 
 brethren, Sim. .11 culled Peter, and Andrew his brother, 
 casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 
 
 18 And walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two 
 brethren, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew 
 his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they 
 
 The English word preach is derived 
 (through the French) from the Latin predico, 
 which signifies to proclaim, publish, declare. 
 The Greek word here used (kerusso) has the 
 same sense, to proclaim, as a crier or herald 
 does, and in general to proclaim, publish, de- 
 clare. This is the word always used by Mat- 
 thew where the Common English Version has 
 'preach,' except in 11: 5, and elsewhere in 
 N. T. it is always rendered 'preach,' except 
 in Luke 12: 3; Kev. 5: 2, 'proclaim,' and 
 in Mark 1 : 45; 5: 20; 7: 36; 13 : 10; Luke 
 8: 39 'publish.' But it will not do to infer 
 that 'to preach' is always in N. T. an official 
 function, as these facts have led some to do, 
 because the English word is also used (in 
 other N. T. books) to translate various other 
 words, which carry no suggestion of a herald 
 or other official. Thus euangefizomai, to bear 
 a good message, bring good news(comp. euan- 
 gelion, 'gospel,' introductory note to 1: 1), 
 used once by Matt, (n: 5), and no(^ at all by 
 Mark or John, is a favorite word with Luke 
 and Paul, and often rendered in Com. Ver. 
 by 'preach,' or 'preach the gospel.' Laleo, 
 to talk, speak, a very common word in that 
 sense, is rendered ' preach ' in Mark 2:2; 
 Acts 8: 25; 11: 19; 13: 42; 14: 25; 16: 6.1 
 
 Repent, etc. See on 3 : 2. Our Lord be- 
 gins this ministry after the imprisonment of 
 John, with precisely the same exhortation and 
 announcement that had been made by John. 
 We naturally infer that his previous preach- 
 ing in Judea had been to the same effect. 
 Yet he by no means confined himself to the 
 announcement and exhortation, but already 
 in Judea had strongly stated to Nicodemus 
 and to tho woman of Samaria the spiritual na- 
 ture of the Messianic reign. To the woman 
 he had also declared himself the Messiah (John 
 4: 26; comp. John i : 46-si), but it did not accord with 
 his purpose publicly to declare this in Galilee. 
 From Mark 1 : 15 we see that along with the 
 exhortation to repent he called on the people 
 to 'believe in the gospel,' or good news, viz., 
 in the good news he was announcing ; just as 
 
 the Baptist bade them ' believe on the (one) 
 coming after him.' (Acts 19 : *.) Thus not 
 only repentance, but faith in the Messiah, was 
 preached before as well as after the day of 
 Pentecost. Then, as in the case of Abraham 
 (Rom. i:ii) an d always, belief in God's word 
 was the root of piety. And if the baptism of 
 John, and that administered by Jesus through 
 his disciples (John 4: jr.), was conditioned on 
 faith in the Messiah as well as repentance, 
 what essential difference was there between 
 it and Christian baptism? 
 
 18. In v. 18-22 we have an account of the 
 call of certain disciples, Simon and Andrew, 
 James and John. The first two of these, and in 
 all probability John also, had attached them- 
 selves to Jesus on the Jordan, soon after his 
 temptation, as had also Philip and Nathanael 
 (johni: 35 ff.) From that time we find him con- 
 stantly attended by persons known as ' his 
 disciples,' at Cana (John 2: 2, n), at Capernaum, 
 (John 2: 12), at Jerusalem (John 2: 17,22), in his la- 
 bors in Judea (John 3: 22; 4: 2), and at Sychar. 
 (John 4: 8; 27-33.) Supposing, as there seems rea- 
 son to do, that these included some or all of 
 the five persons above named, we conclude 
 that upon returning to Galilee they had left 
 Jesus, gone to their own homes, and resumed 
 their former occupations, it being probable 
 that he had never yet told them they were to 
 forsake all and follow him without intermis- 
 sion. And it was natural enough that they 
 should return to fishing after being so long 
 with Jesus, even as some of them sought food 
 in that way after his resurrection. (John 21 :i.) 
 The training of the disciples for their work 
 was very gradual (see on 10: 1). On the pres- 
 ent occasion, finding the two pairs of brothers 
 engaged in their occupation as fishermen, Je- 
 sus calls on them to attend him in his min- 
 istry, which they seem to have constantly 
 done from this time forward. Their imme- 
 diate compliance with his demand (7.20,22) 
 ceases to be strange when we remember their 
 former connection with him ; and this is one 
 of the cases in which Matthew, Mark, and 
 
 1 Dialegomai, to converse, discuss, etc., dinngello, ka- 
 langello, to bear a message, make known, etc., parresia- 
 zomai, to speak without reserve, speak boldly, and plero 
 to complete (Rom. 15 : 19), are also occasionally rendered 
 
 ' preach,' besides being frequently used in their com- 
 mon meanings. The words rendered 'preacher' and 
 'preaching,' are always from kerusso, except in 1 Cor. 
 1 : 18 (' word,' logos.)
 
 CH. IV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 77 
 
 Luke, make statements which seem to imply 
 a previous ministry such as was afterwards 
 described by John. We see also from the 
 fuller account of the circumstances given by 
 Luke (5: iff.) for it is very unwise to assume 
 two different calls, as Clark and others do 
 that a miracle was wrought which made a 
 great impression on Peter and the rest. Omit 
 'Jesus,' as in v. 12. 
 
 The Sea of Galilee has been well said to be 
 "the most sacred sheet of water in the world," 
 for it is intimately associated with many of the 
 most interesting events in the life of our Lord. 
 It is called in O. T. " the Sea of Chinnereth," 
 or "Chinneroth" (Num. M: ii; joh. 12: s), per- 
 haps from a town of that name on its banks. 
 (joh. is: 33.) In N. T. times it was com- 
 monly called "Lake of Gennesaret" (Luke 
 5: 1, Josephus, Strabo, etc.), as already in 1 
 Mace. 11 : 67, " water of Gennesar," the name 
 being probably derived from the plain on its 
 northwestern shore (see on 14 : 34). We also 
 find in John (i;i; :i) the name "Sea of Ti- 
 berias," from the city which Herod Antipas 
 built on the southwestern shore, and named 
 .after the emperor Tiberius, and which is at 
 the present day the only town remaining near 
 the lake. The name "Sea of Galilee," here 
 and in Mark 7 : 31 ; John 6 : 1, was obviously 
 taken from the great district on the west. In 
 Hebrew the term rendered 'sea' was also ap- 
 plied to small bodies of water (as now in Ger- 
 man a sea may be a small lake), and this un- 
 classical use of the term is adopted in Greek 
 by Matt., Mark, and John, but not by Luke, 
 who says ' lake.' It is important to observe 
 this usage ; for many persons think of the Sea 
 of Galilee as a large body of water, when it 
 is only a small lake, twelve and a quarter miles 
 long, and six and three-quarter miles in its 
 greatest breadth. Its surface is six hundred 
 and eighty-two feet below the level of the 
 Mediterranean (comp. on 3: 6), so that from 
 the hills on either side it seems sunken in a 
 great ravine. The range of mountains which 
 bounds the whole Jordan valley on the east, 
 rise here just from the eastern shore of the 
 lake (except a bit of plain at the upper and 
 lower extremities) to the height of nearly two 
 thousand feet. They are deeply furrowed by 
 ravines, and have a barren and desolate ap- 
 pearance. The mountains on the west curve 
 round so as to give space for the lake, and be- 
 
 sides leaving the beautiful plain of Gennesaret 
 on the northwest, present "an alternation of 
 soft grassy slopes and rocky cliffs." The 
 warmth due to the great depression, and the 
 numerous and copious springs which break 
 out on the western side, produce a high degree 
 of fertility, which attains its greatest richness 
 in the plain of Gennesaret. Down the ravines 
 on this side, as well as on the east; cotne 
 rushing winds, which often lash the surface 
 of the lake to fury (see on 8: 24). Around 
 nearly all the western side lies a gently slop- 
 ing beach, which southward is roughly strewn 
 with stones, but in the middle and northern 
 partis of smooth sand. The water is found, 
 as described by Josephus, to be remarkably 
 clear, cool, and sweet; and the lake still 
 abounds in choice fish, which doubtless led to 
 the name Bethsaida, house of fish, fishtown, 
 for a town on the northeast and another on the 
 northwest. Besides nine cities, some of them 
 quite populous, on the western shore, there 
 were many villages on the hill-sides. Hnn- 
 nn: "It is perhaps not too much to say that 
 never did so small a sheet of water see so 
 many keels cutting its surface, or so many 
 human habitations circling round and shad- 
 owing its waves, as did the Sea of Galilee 
 in the days of Jesus Christ." Our Lord 
 was throwing himself into the midst of the 
 busy world (comp. on v. 12 and 13), where 
 great crowds would easily collect to hear and 
 see ; while whenever he wished to avoid them, 
 he could retire from the lake-shore to the ad- 
 jacent lofty hills, or cross the narrow lake jto 
 the comparative solitudes beyond. On the 
 present occasion we think of him as going 
 forth from Capernaum, and walking by the 
 sea, along the sloping and sandy bench, until 
 presently he sees among the busy fishermen 
 those humble brothers whom he had chosen 
 to follow him in labors destined to make tho 
 Sea of Galilee famous forever. 
 
 How pleasant to me thy deep blue wave, 
 
 O Sea of Galilee ! 
 For the glorious One who came to save 
 
 Haih often stood by thee. 
 
 Graceful around thee the mountain* meet, 
 
 Thou calm reposing sea; 
 But ah! far more, the beautiful feet 
 
 Of Jesus walked o'er thee. 
 
 Tell me, ye mouldering fragments, tell, 
 Was the Saviour's city here?
 
 78 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. IV. 
 
 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will 
 make you fishers of men. 
 
 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed 
 him. 
 
 19 were fishers. And he saith unto them, Come ye 
 
 20 after me, and I will make you fishers of men. And 
 they straightway left the nets, and followed him. 
 
 Lifted to heaven, has it sunk to hell, 
 With none to shed a tear? 
 
 And was it beside this very sea 
 
 The new-risen Saviour said, 
 Three times to Simon, " Lovest thou me? 
 
 My lambs and sheep then feed." 
 
 O Saviour, gone to God's right hand, 
 
 But the same Saviour still, 
 Graved on thy heart is this lovely strand 
 
 And every fragrant hill. 
 
 Oh ! give me, Lord, by this sacred wave, 
 
 Threefold thy love divine, 
 That I may feed, till I find my grave, 
 Thy flock both thine and mine. 
 
 M'CHEYNE. 
 
 On Simon called Peter (as to the form 
 of expression comp. 1 : 16), and on Andrew, 
 see on 13: 2. A net is in the original a dif- 
 ferent word from the more general term em- 
 ployed in v. 20 f., but without any substantial 
 difference of meaning. The circumstances 
 show that it was a dip-net. (Comp. on 13: 47. i 
 The fact that our Lord chose ' fishermen ' to 
 receive and propagate his teachings, and not 
 Rabbis, shows that he relied on something 
 better than mere human learning and worldly 
 influence, and the success of their labors is 
 one evidence of the divine power which at- 
 tends the preaching of the gospel. But this 
 idea must not be carried too far. There is no 
 reason at all to consider them weak men, and 
 their position and pursuits seemed in some re- 
 spects to fit them for their work. They were 
 perhaps less prepossessed by the follies of 
 Pharisaic tradition, and thus better prepared 
 for receiving and transmitting new doctrine, 
 and they were eminently men of the people. 
 "Working men" in the East (Kitto) are 
 often markedly intelligent, correct in lan- 
 guage, and courteous, and it has always been 
 a matter of course there that some such men 
 should rise to the highest station. And it has 
 often been seen in America that such men, 
 when they possess real force, have greater 
 popular influence from their ready and well- 
 recognized sympathy with the common mind. 
 There was afterwards added to the number of 
 the apostles a man of lofty intellect, filled 
 with Jewish learning, and not ignorant of 
 Greek literature, and it is he that was chosen 
 
 to be the chief instrument of introducing the 
 gospel among the cultivated Greeks, and to 
 write such inspired treatises as the Epistle to 
 the Romans, while at the same time he abhor- 
 red the idea of relying on human philosophy 
 or rhetoric, when the excellency of the power 
 must be of God, and not of men. In all this 
 we see a rebuke to the presumption and ex- 
 clusiveness both of learning and of ignorance. 
 It is not certain that any others of the 
 twelve than the four here named were fisher- 
 men by profession. We know that Matthew 
 was not, nor is it likely that Nathanael of 
 Cana was. The incident in John 21 : 1 ff. does 
 not prove that to have been the proper calling 
 of every one present. Still, it is probable that 
 all the twelve were men in comparatively 
 humble life, and without the learning of the 
 Rabbinical schools. (Comp. Acts 4: 13.) 
 
 19. Follow me. This was translated Come 
 ye after me, by Wyclif and Rheims, followed 
 by Davidson, Noyes, Alford, McClellan. The 
 entire phrase was translated 'follow me' by 
 Tyndale, qnd so came into Common Version. 
 The first term is literally 'hither.' or 'come 
 hither,' as in 11: 28. With the addition 'af- 
 ter me ' it implies that they were to come and 
 follow him, viz., as his disciples (comp. Luke 
 9: 23; 14: 27). The same idea is presently 
 expressed (v. 20, 22) by the simple term 'fol- 
 low' ; and in 19: 21, both "hither' and 'fol- 
 low,' are combined. It was the practice of 
 many of the Greek philosophers to have their 
 pupils accompany them wherever they went, 
 instructing them not only by elaborate dis- 
 courses, but also by conversations with them, 
 or with others in their presence. So Elijah 
 was for some years followed (i Kings 19: 20 1.) by 
 Elisha, his destined successor. It is easy to 
 see the wisdom of such a course, in these cases 
 and in that of the Great Teacher. Similar 
 language is found below in 9: 9; 16: 24. 
 Fishers of men, as he himself had just been 
 occupied with a thronging crowd. (Luke 5: i.) 
 
 20-22. For explanation of their immedi- 
 ately obeying, see on v. 18. So Elisha left at 
 once his numerous oxen, and followed the 
 prophet. Peter remembers long afterwards 
 that they 'left all ' and followed Jesus (is: . 
 Rev. vr.) And going on, etc., or going forward.
 
 CH. IV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 79 
 
 nd g 
 
 brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his 
 brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending 
 their nets ; and he called them. 
 
 22 And they immediately left the ship and their 
 father, and followed him. 
 
 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their 
 synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, 
 and healing all manner ot sickness and all manner of 
 disease among the people. 
 
 21 And going on from thence he saw other two breth- 
 ren, * James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, 
 in the boat with Zebedee their lather, mending their 
 
 22 nets; and he called them. And they straightway 
 left the boat and their father, and followed him. 
 
 23 And a Jesus went, about in all Galilee, teaching in 
 their synagogues, and preaching the 3 gospel ot the 
 kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all 
 
 1 Or, Jacob: and an el-ewhere. .. .2 Some ancient authorities read, he.... 3 Or, good tiding! : and so elsewhere. 
 
 The connection in Luke (&= 7) shows that it 
 was only a short distance, for Peter had beck- 
 oned to James and John when he found his 
 boat so full, and they came and filled theirs 
 also. Probably they then brought their boat 
 to shore at a different point, and to this Jesus 
 advanced, and addressed to them also his call. 
 These two pairs of brothers, thus called at 
 the same time, appear to have been peculiarly 
 associated, forming the first of those quater- 
 nions, or companies of four, into which the 
 twelve are in all the lists divided (see on 10: 
 2ff). The twelve probably comprised also 
 a third pair of brothers (Luke 6: w), where 
 ' brother ' is more probably the meaning). In 
 the ship, or boat, viz., the one they kept and 
 " used. The article was duly translated 'in the 
 ship,' by Tyndale and Cranmer. The trans- 
 lators of Common Version seem to have had 
 in general but little feeling for the article. 
 'Boat' (Noyes, McClellan) is necessary in 
 modern English to express the exact idea. 
 The Greek word means something used for 
 sailing, and is applied to vessels of various 
 sizes, just as the English ship and skiff were 
 originally the same word. On the Lake of 
 Galilee these fish ing- vessels were in all prob- 
 ability mere boats. We cannot tell whether 
 or not they had sails, which are never men- 
 tioned in the Gospels. With v. 22 compare 
 Mark 1 : 20, 'and leaving their father Zebe- 
 dee in the boat with the hired servants,' Bib. 
 Un. Ver., which indicates that this family 
 were not in great poverty, and so the sons 
 were not depriving their father of necessary 
 a--i-tance (comp. 10: 2). 
 
 23. In v. 23-25 is given a general account 
 of our Lord's making a CIRCUIT OF GALILEE, 
 as he did also on two subsequent occasions. 
 (Luk8:i-3, and M ait. 0: 6 to ii : i.) Particular inci- 
 dents of the circuit are postponed by Matt. 
 till after giving the Sermon on the Mount 
 (ch.i-7), to which this paragraph furnishes a 
 sort of introduction. 
 Jesus went about. 'Jesus' should prob- 
 
 ably be omitted, as in v. 18, though the evi- 
 dence is here not conclusive. 'Went about' 
 is imperfect tense, continued or kept going. 
 Christ's labors were incessant. AH Galilee, 
 (comp. on v. 12) is also a strong expression. 
 Galilee was a small district, say seventy miles 
 long and forty in greatest width ; but Josephus 
 declares that it had two hundred and four 
 cities and villages ("Life," ch. 55, Whiston, 
 wrongly, two hundred and forty), and else- 
 where ("War.," 3,3, 2) says: "The cities 
 are numerous, and the multitude of villages 
 everywhere crowded with men, owing to the 
 fecundity of the soil, so that the smallest of 
 them contains above fifteen thousand inhab- 
 itants." This is obviously an exaggeration 
 or loose statement, as there must, in the na- 
 ture of things, have been many smaller vil- 
 lages. But Josephus had ample opportunity 
 to know, having been commanding general in 
 Galilee in A. D. 66. Nearly all the people 
 lived in cities, or villages, and (omitting those 
 who did not) according to these two state- 
 ments of Josephus there were in Gulilee, 
 thirty-five years (one generation) later than 
 our Lord's ministry, more than three million 
 inhabitants; an estimate which some other 
 facts support. But few of the cities are 
 named in the Gospels, but quite a number in 
 Josephus, whose military operations lead him 
 to speak of them. At any rate, there were 
 over two hundred cities and considerable vil- 
 lages, and while we must not press the phrase 
 'in all Galilee,' we perceive that this circuit 
 by our Lord was one of great labor, and re- 
 quiring much time, since to visit only half 
 the towns at the rate of one every day, would 
 have taken more than three months. These 
 arithmetical estimates should however not 
 be insisted on, save as helps to form a general 
 conception of the labors of lovo our Lord 
 performed, as he 'went about doing pood, and 
 healing all that were oppressed of tin- di-vil.' 
 (Acwio:S8.) Notice also the expression* which 
 here follow: 'all manner of sick ML'?.-,' 'ail
 
 80 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. IV. 
 
 Syria,' 'all sick people.' Of particular 
 miracles and discourses in our Lord's ministry 
 the Gospels give only a few examples; and 
 it is very important to dwell on these general 
 statements, and expand the Imagination over 
 this great extent of beneficent work. Day 
 after day, week after week, he goes from town 
 to town, teaching, healing. In scores of 
 synagogues he speaks, hundreds and perhaps 
 thousands of persons he heals ; feeling fatigue 
 like any other human being (John 4: 6; 11411.8:2*; 
 Mark 6: 31), he toils on. Teaching. The con- 
 stant application of 'teach' and 'teacher' to 
 our Lord reminds us that the gospel proposes 
 to instruct and enlighten men, in their igno- 
 rance of spiritual things giving both infor- 
 mation as to the facts of God's word and 
 instruction in its principles. 
 
 Synagogues. These were of great service 
 to Jesus, and afterwards to his apostles, in fur- 
 nishing congregations already assembled in a 
 quiet place, associated with nothing but wor- 
 ship. The Greek word which we borrow 
 (sunogoge) signifies a collection of objects, or 
 persons, and in the Sept. is often used for the 
 congregation or assembly of Israel (comp. on 
 16: 18), in N. T. only for a local assembly of 
 Jews in a particular place to worship, or for 
 the place in which they assembled. The 
 practice of holding such meetings probably 
 originated during the Babylonian captivity, 
 when the people were cut off from the temple 
 worship, and having been found pleasant and 
 useful, was continued afterward. In the 
 time of Christ synagogues are referred to as a 
 thing of course in every town, not only in 
 Palestine, but wherever there were many 
 Jews. After the destruction of Jerusalem, in 
 A. D. 70, the synagogues would naturally re- 
 ceive a further development in organization 
 and worship, and it should not be forgotten 
 that the accounts of these furnished by the 
 Jewish books (see Bible Dictionaries) refer to 
 this later time. In N. T. we find no proofs of 
 complete organization and regular jurisdic- 
 tion, but there is mention of 'rulers' or 
 'elders,' and of an 'attendant' (i.uke4:20); also 
 of expulsion (John9:za;U:42; 16: j), by which it 
 is sufficient to understand that they forbade 
 the person to attend their meetings, which 
 would also cause him to be shunned in so- 
 ciety. The examples in Luke 4 : 21 and Acts 
 13: 15 show how our Lord and his apostles 
 
 could turn the worship and Scripture reading 
 to account. Philo says the reading and de- 
 tailed exposition of Scripture was continued 
 till late in the afternoon. Regular meetings 
 were held in the synagogues on the Sabbath 
 and on festival-days ; whether also on the 
 second and fifth days of the week, as at a later 
 period, we cannot determine (see Luke 18: 
 12). Nor are we informed whether extraor- 
 dinary meetings could be called on other days, 
 as when Jesus arrived in a town and wished 
 to be heard ; and we know well that our Lord 
 would speak wherever people could be assem- 
 bled in quietness, as well in the open air as 
 in a synagogue. Preaching, proclaiming 
 (Kerusso), see on v. 17. Gospel (margin of 
 Rev. Ver. 'good tidings ') see note introduc- 
 tory to 1 : 1. The gospel of the kingdom 
 is the good news of that kingdom (or reign) 
 of Messiah which was about to be establish e 
 (see on 3: 2 and 6: 10). The prophets had 
 sociated ideas of joy with the coming of Mf 
 siah's reign ; and now Jesus proclaims tl 
 'good news' that it is near. See an intere 
 ing specimen of his preaching at this perk 
 in Luke 4: 18. Healing. There were twc 
 great departments of his public work to make 
 known truth, and miraculously to relieve 
 men's distresses. He was a Teacher and 
 Healer. All manner of sickness or, 
 every kind of disease; the word is so rendere 
 in v. 24. Disease this word differs fror 
 that above. It seems to denote infirmity, 
 such diseases as produce feebleness rather tin 
 positive suffering. The same two Greek wor 
 meaning 'disease' and 'infirmity,' are cot 
 pled in 9: 35 and 10: 1. The MIRACLES 
 Jesus cannot possibly be separated from hi 
 history or his teaching, nor can they be 
 jected without impeaching his character, 
 also declaring the Epistles of Paul, as well as 
 the Gospels and Acts, to be so utterly untrust- 
 worthy that nothing whatever can be received 
 up>n their authority. Nay, if one denies the 
 possibility of miracles, he need only be logi- 
 cal to deny the possibility of creation. If we 
 believe that God caused these physical forces 
 to exist, and to act according to the laws which 
 modern science is so nobly busy in observing, 
 where is the difficulty in believing (upon suit- 
 able testimony) that God's own spiritual in- 
 fluence has sometimes modified the action of 
 these forces, without violating their nature?
 
 CH. IV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 81 
 
 24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and ! 24 
 they brought unto him all sick people that were taken ' 
 with divers diseases and torments, and those which 
 were possessed with devils, and those which were 
 lunatic, and those that had the palsy; aiid he healed 
 them. 25 
 
 >5 And there followed him great multitudes of peo- 
 ple from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusa- 
 lem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan. 
 
 manner of sickness among the people. And the re- 
 port of him went forth into all 8yria: and they 
 brought unto him all that were sic'k, holdeu with 
 divers diseases and torments. l possessed with de- 
 mons, and epileptic, and palsied ; and he healed 
 them. And there followed him great multitudes 
 from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judaea 
 and from beyond Jordan. 
 
 1 Or, demoniacs. 
 
 If he made them, he can do this. If ever 
 there could be suitable occasion for miracles, 
 it would seem to be when God " sent his Son 
 into the world." Nor can any nobler, wor- 
 thier miracles be imagined than those recorded 
 as wrought by the Founder of Christianity. 
 The spiritual teachings, the perfect character, 
 and the noble miracles of Christ, all support 
 each other, and together form the foundation 
 of our faith and hope. 
 
 24. His fame, Rev. V^r., the report, lit- 
 erally, hearing. Went throughout. Tyn- 
 dale gave the 'throughout,' which is unwar- 
 rantably strong more strictly, went off into. 
 Syria, Heb. 'Aram' (whence 'Aramaic' as 
 a name of language) was a term of variable 
 extent, denoting in general the country east 
 of the Mediterranean, between Asia Minor 
 and Arabia. In the time of the kings of Is- 
 rael it signifies the kingdom of which Damas- 
 cus was the capital. During the Maccabean 
 period it is the Greek kingdom of the Seleu- 
 cidae, with Antioch as its capital. At the time 
 of Christ, it is a Roman province of like ex- 
 tent, reaching from the northeast angle of 
 the Mediterranean towards the Euphrates, 
 and southward so as to include Phenicia and i 
 Damascus. After Archelaus was deposed, ; 
 A. u. 6, Judea and Samaria became a Roman 
 province, under the proconsul of Antioch, 
 (nee Luke 2: 2). But Galilee, and the other' 
 
 nets governed by Herod Antipas and 
 Philip (see on 2: 22), were still independent j 
 of the proconsul, and not a part of Syria, j 
 \\ '< thus understand Matthew to mean that \ 
 the report of Jesus' miracles of healing passed 
 beyond the bounds of Galilee, and went far 
 away into the districts northward. It would 
 be folly to press the ' into' and 'all ' so as to 
 include Antioch. Mark (I:M) says, 'into all 
 the region about Galilee' ; comp. Luke 4: 14. , 
 All sick people, literally, thnne having \ 
 themselves) badly, those who were in a bad | 
 '"ixlition; a general phrase covering all the 
 
 -es presently specified. Torments, or I 
 
 'tortures,' such diseases as occasion violent 
 pain ; a specific term, added to the general 
 term 'diseases.' To these are further added 
 three particular terms, denoting affections 
 which were severe and frequent, and in them- 
 selves quite remarkable. Possessed with 
 devils. Demoniacs (margin Rev. Ver.), see 
 on 8: 28. Lunatic, epileptic, as in Rev. Ver. 
 The Greek term, like the Latin word which 
 we borrow in English, is derived from the 
 word for moon, but was applied not to in- 
 sanity, as in our use of the corresponding 
 Latin term (lunatics), but to epilepsy, which 
 the ancients supposed to become worse at cer- 
 tain stages of the moon. The sacred writer 
 employs the familiar term, just as he speaks 
 of sunrise, etc., without thereby making him- 
 self responsible for the idea which gave rise- 
 to it. This epilepsy might or might not be 
 connected with demoniacal possession (see on 
 17: 15 ff.) That had the palsy, paralytics. 
 The Greek vrorAparalusis, signifyingaloosen- 
 ing or relaxation, viz., of the muscles or nerves 
 (comp. on 8: 6), was, as originally borrowed 
 into English, contracted into 'palsy,' and de- 
 notes in Scripture all that we now mean by 
 'paralysis.' This full form was borrowed at 
 a later period (comp. story and history, fancy 
 and phantasy, etc.), and 'palsy' is now usu- 
 ally confined to one kind of paralysis ; that 
 which produces an involuntary tremulous 
 motion of some part of the body. It is to be 
 regretted that Rev. Ver. has not here ren- 
 dered by 'demoniacs' and 'paralytics.' 
 
 25. Great multitudes, rather, crowd*. 
 The Greek word (ochlox) signifies not simply 
 a multitude (which in pMhos, used frequently 
 by Luke, and a few times by Mark and John, 
 not by Matthew), but a confused crowd or 
 throng. This meaning must be borne in 
 mind, for such was no doubt usually the 
 character of the crowds that followed JCSUH, 
 as so often mentioned in the Gos-pels; but the 
 word should not be insisted on as necessarily 
 having this distinctive sense in every case, for
 
 82 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. IV. 
 
 it can scarce!} 7 be so taken in Acts 1 : 15. The 
 crowds who thus followed Jesus were not 
 all in any just sense his disciples. They came 
 and went, attended him a longer or shorter 
 time, to see his miracles and hear his teach- 
 ings; sometimes many straggled away, and 
 again they would throng around him to see 
 some new wonder. So we must notice that 
 follow means more or less in different cases. 
 The term people was uselessly introduced 
 here by Tyndale and followers. Galilee. 
 See on v. 12. The word from is in the origi- 
 nal given only before Galilee, thus grouping 
 all the other localities with it. Decapolis 
 signifies a district containing ten cities (comp. 
 Tripolis, Pentapolis), and here designates a 
 region of somewhat indefinite extent, lying 
 mainly on the southeast of the Lake of Galilee, 
 but including Scythopolis (Beth-shean) on 
 the western bank of the Jordan valley. 
 After the Romans gained control of Palestine 
 (beginning B. c. 63), these ten cities were 
 allowed peculiar privileges. Ancient writers 
 differ as to what cities formed the ten, Pliny 
 including Damascus ; which Josephus seems 
 to exclude; perhaps the Romans made 
 changes. One of them was Gadara, see on 
 8: 28. The population of these towns was 
 very largely Gentile, and after the death of 
 Herod the Great they were not governed by 
 either of his sons, but belonged to the Roman 
 province of Syria. (See Caspari.) Jerusa- 
 lem, see on 21 : 10; Judea, on 2:1; beyond 
 Jordan (Perea), on 19: 1. Though Jesus 
 had retired from Judea to Galilee, many 
 came thence to attend him here. (Comp. on 
 15: 1.) 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 12. CHRYSOSTOM : " Wherefore doth he 
 depart? Again instructing us not to meet 
 temptations, but to give place and withdraw 
 ourselves.'' V. 13. HKNRY: "It is just with 
 God to take the gospel and the means of grace 
 from those that slight them. Christ will not 
 stay long where he is not welcome." Caper- 
 naum. 1) Greatly favored as the home of 
 Jesus. 2) Severely tested by his teaching? and 
 miracles. 3) Utterly ruined for rejecting him. 
 (11:23.) V. 15. The most destitute field will 
 sometimes prove most fruitful. V. 16. Dark- 
 ness and light. 1) The midnight darkness of 
 sin, ignorance, and unbelief. 2) The morning 
 sunlight of a present gospel. 3) The noonday 
 
 brightness reached by following the path of 
 the just. (Prov. 4:i8.) STARKK (in Lange) : 
 "Many live under the full blaze of the gos- 
 pel as if they still sat in the shadow of death." 
 V. 17. The preaching of Jesus. 1) Its sub- 
 jects. '2) Its spirit. 3) Its effects. The call to 
 repentance has been made by all God's mes- 
 sengers ; e.g., by the prophets ('turn ye'), by 
 John the Baptist, by Jesus himself, by the 
 apostles after his ascension. (Acts2:38;s:i9; 20 = 21.) 
 HENRY: "The doctrine of repentance is 
 right gospel-doctrine. Not only the austere 
 Baptist, who was looked upon as a melancholy, 
 morose man, but the sweet and gracious Jesus, 
 whose life dropped as a honey-comb, preached 
 repentance ; for it is an unspeakable privilege 
 that room is left for repentance." 
 
 V. 19. Fishers of men. 1) Humble work- 
 ers, but a lofty work. 2) It requires tact, 
 perseverance, patient endurance of frequent 
 failure. 3) He who calls us to it promises 
 that we shall not labor in vain. [Beware of 
 the wild fancies of certain Fathers, comparing 
 Christians to fishes, etc., which some modern 
 writers unwisely quote]. STARKE (inLange): 
 "Let none fancy that he can succeed by him- 
 self; even Christ chose assistants." V. 21. 
 Two pairs of brothers. Christ sanctifies and 
 makes use of natural affections. V. 21 f. 1) 
 He saw, 2) He called, 3) They followed him. 
 CALVIN: "This shows (1) the energy of 
 Christ's voice, (2) docility and prompt obe- 
 dedience in the disciples." V. 22. We also 
 should be ready if necessary to leave business 
 and kindred, in order to follow Jesus. (Comp. 
 Luke 9 : 57-62. ) We cannot tread in his bodily 
 footsteps ; many did this with little or no pro- 
 fit; but by faith and loving imagination we 
 may see him manifested (John it: 21-23) ; and in 
 imitating and obeying we shall in the best 
 sense be following him. 
 
 V. 23. ' In their synagogues.' It may be 
 proper to preach truth even in places where 
 others preach much error. Jesus a Teacher 
 and a Healer; and the relations between 
 these functions. Sin was the prime cause of 
 disease, and special sin is often the immediate 
 cause of particular diseases. The miracles of 
 healing both relieved human distress, and at- 
 tested the divine authority of the teaching. 
 HENRY: "What we hear of Christ from 
 others, should invite us to him." CHRYS. : 
 "If we have any bodily ailment, we do and
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 83 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 contrive everything to be rid of what pains 
 us; but when our soul is indisposed, we de- 
 lay, and draw back." V. 25. It is well if 
 crowds come to a preacher : he should then 
 take great pains (5:i) to teach them the truth 
 they need (3 = 7); but they may admire his 
 teachings as novel and striking (7:28f.), and 
 yet few of them become Christians; and the 
 fault may sometimes be wholly their own. 
 
 SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 
 Chap. 5-7. 
 
 GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE SERMON 
 ON THE MOUNT. 
 
 The discourse in ch. 5-7 is well known by 
 the traditional name of The Sermon on the 
 Mount. Several general questions in regard 
 to it require to be answered. 
 
 (1) Unity of the discourse. Some contend 
 that we cannot, or need not, suppose Jesus to 
 have spoken on a single occasion all that Mat- 
 thew here gives, but that he has grouped to- 
 gether things said at different times, for the 
 purpose of furnishing a comprehensive exhi- 
 bition of our Saviour's teachings. This they 
 argue partly from the fact that many things 
 contained in the discourse as given by Mat- 
 thew are recorded by Luke, and even by 
 Matthew himself, as said on other occasions 
 (see on 5: 13, 15, 18, 25, 29, 32; 6: 9, 22, 24, 
 25; 7: 2, 7, 17, 23), and partly from the man- 
 ifest design on Matthew's part to compose not 
 so much a chronological narrative as a his- 
 torical argument, in which things are so ar- 
 ranged as to bring out the points he wishes 
 to make prominent. But in grouping the 
 miracles of ch. 8 and 9, he does not at all say 
 that they occurred in that order, nor that the 
 discourse of ch. 5-7 preceded them all; while 
 he does distinctly say that this discourse was 
 delivered on a single occasion (comp. 5: 1, 
 and 8: 1), and if the facts were otherwise his 
 account of the matter would be definitely er- 
 roneous, which cannot be admitted until it is 
 proven. And as to the occurrence of similar 
 sayings elsewhere, why may we not suppose 
 that our Lord would repent substantially the 
 same sayings? It would have been very un- 
 natural had he not done that which is freely 
 practiced by all traveling teachers, and which, 
 
 apart from any question as to the speaker's 
 resources, is really demanded by the simi- 
 larity in the condition and wants of differ- 
 ent audiences. And we have abundant evi- 
 dence, from passages having no connection 
 with the Sermon on the Mount, that he fre- 
 quently made such repetitions, with greater 
 or less variation of statement, and particu- 
 larly in the case of brief, pithy sayings, such 
 as would naturally be introduced in different 
 connections, and of very important doc- 
 trines and exhortations, such as various audi- 
 ences would alike need. E.g., "He that 
 hath ears to hear, let him hear,'' 11: 15; 13: 
 9; "Except ye become as little children," 
 etc., 18; 3; 19: 14, and add the repeated in- 
 culcation of humility in other ways, 20: 26; 
 John 13 : 13 ff. ; Luke 12 : 24 ff. (Comp. also 
 23: 12; Luke 14: 11; 18: 14.) "If ye have 
 faith as a grain of mustard seed," etc., 17: 
 20; 21: 21; Luke 17: 6. "Whosoever shall 
 confess me," etc., 10: 32; Luke 12: 8; 9: 26. 
 "The servant is not greater than his Lord," 
 10:24; Luke 6: 40; John 13:16; 15: 20; in 
 the last of which passages Jesus refers to his 
 having told them the same thing before, as 
 he does also in John 13: 33. (Comp. John 7: 
 34; 8: 21.) "He that finds his life shall lose 
 it, and he that loses his life for my sake shall 
 find it," 10: 38,39; 16:2if.; Luke 17: 33; 
 John 12: 25. See also the image of taking 
 up the cross and following him, in 10: 38; 16: 
 24; Luke 14: 27; Mark 10: 21. With such 
 facts before us, it is manifest that the recur- 
 rence in other connections of particular ideas 
 and expressions which appear in this dis- 
 course, is no proof that it was not all deliv- 
 ered on the occasion before us. Thus both 
 the supposed reasons fail, and we have no 
 ground for setting aside the view which an 
 unprejudiced reader of Matthew would natu- 
 rally adopt, that he has recorded what was 
 actually spoken by Jesus as he sat on the 
 Mount. It is not said that nothing else was 
 spoken; and the supposition that Matthew's 
 report is somewhat condensed (as often in tho 
 Gospels), will account for the apparent lack 
 of connection in some places (see on 7: 1-12), 
 and for the rapid succession of separate points. 
 which some have thought (Bleok) that a mis- 
 cellaneous out-door audience could hardly fol-
 
 84 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. V. 
 
 low or retain. Neander : "The discourse is 
 made up of many sententious passages, calcu- 
 lated separately to impress the memory of the 
 hearers, and remain as fruitful germs in their 
 hearts; but, on the other hand, bound to- 
 gether as parts of an organic whole." 
 
 (2) Is this the same discourse as that given 
 by Luke, in 6: 20-49? They are held to be 
 different discourses by Augustine, after him 
 by nearly all writers till the Reformation 
 (Bleek), and by a few writers since, as Eras- 
 mus, Doddridge, Macknight, Alexander, 
 Lange, G. W. Clark, Coleridge, Plumptre; 
 some of these thinking the two were delivered 
 on the same day, and others with a longer in- 
 terval. They are taken as different reports of 
 the same discourse by Origen and Chrysi, by 
 Calvin, and by almost all recent expositors. 
 In favor of this view are the obvious facts that 
 the two begin and end exactly alike, and 
 nearly everything which Luke gives is also 
 given by Matthew; and that both are imme- 
 diately followed by the record of the same 
 events, viz., the entrance into Capernaum 
 and the healing of the centurion's servant. 
 The objections (well stated in Clark's Harm.) 
 rest on supposed differences of place, time, cir- 
 cumstances, and' contents, (a) But Luke (=n) 
 does not say 'stood in the plain,' but 'stood 
 on a level place,' which might very naturally 
 be a bit of level ground, or a narrow plain in 
 the mountain region, exactly what is found 
 at the traditional place (see on v. I). 1 (b) As 
 to the time and circumstances, Luke's discourse 
 follows the choice of the Twelve, and Mat- 
 thew's seems to come earlier, soon after the 
 beginning of the ministry in Galilee. But 
 Matthew's arrangement in ch. 8-13, is obvi- 
 ously topical rather than chronological, and 
 so it is natural that without saying at what 
 precise period of the ministry it was spoken, 
 he should give at the outset this great dis- 
 course, which would set before his Jewish 
 readers the relation of Jesus' teaching to the 
 law of Moses, and the true nature of the 
 Messianic reign. (See the connection traced 
 on 4: 12.) And if the events preceding the 
 
 discourse seem different in Matthew, it must 
 be observed that he does not at all state just 
 when the discourse was delivered, (c) As to 
 contents, Luke omits the large portions (Matt. 
 5:17-37, and 6: i-is) which were specially import- 
 ant and interesting to Jews, but less so to the 
 Gentile readers whom Luke had chiefly in 
 view ; and also omits some portions, probably 
 because he gives substantially the same thing 
 elsewhere, as said by our Lord on other occa- 
 sions (e. g., Matt. 6: 9-13; Luke 11: 2-4; 
 Matt. 6: 25-34; Luke 12: 22-31.) We thus 
 account for every omission of any great im- 
 portance. There are various other instances 
 also (as in ch. 10, 11, 18, 25) in which Matthew 
 has recorded an extensive discourse of which 
 Mark or Luke gives only a part. Some con- 
 clude from these examples that Matthew was 
 quite in the habit of collecting into one dis- 
 course many things said at different times; 
 but the facts do not in any of the cases re- 
 quire this view, and therefore do not justify 
 it, since we must take for granted, unless 
 the contrary has been proven, the inspired 
 apostles' accuracy. At the same time we may 
 suppose that Matthew has here given, at least 
 in some places, only a summary report of 
 what was said, for he has several times omit- 
 ted matters which Luke records (e. g., comp. 
 5 : 12 with Luke 6 : 23-6 ; 5 : 47 with Luke 6 : 
 33-35; 7 : 12 with Luke 6: 31-40.) In regard 
 to the general fact that the Evangelists some- 
 times differ as to details in reporting the same 
 saying, see on 8 : 17. 
 
 (3) Design of the discourse. Our Lord had 
 been proclaiming (< ; i7), as John had done be- 
 fore him, that the reign of heaven was near, 
 and that therefore the people ought to repent. 
 In this discourse he sets forth the character- 
 istics of those who are to be subjects of this 
 reign and share the privileges connected with 
 it, and urges upon them various duties. In 
 particular, he clearly exhibits the relation of 
 his teachings to the moral law, in order to 
 correct any notion that he proposed to set the 
 law aside, or to relax its rigor, when, on the 
 contrary he came to inculcate not merely an 
 
 1 The Greek word pedinos is commonly used with ref- i a level (flat) mountain ' (ep 1 orous pedinou), Heb., ' upon 
 erence to a plain as opposed to a mountain (a natural a bare hill,' not covered with trees. This latter passage 
 opposition), but sometimes for a plain or flat valley ' is obscure (see Gesen., Schleus., and commentaries on 
 
 among mountains, or a flat place on a mountain. Thus 
 
 Isaiah), but either this or the use in Jeremiah seems to 
 
 in Jer. 21 : 13 Jerusalem is called ' rock of the plain,' furnish a parallel for the use in Luke, 
 and in Isa. 13: 2 we have iu Sept. ' lift up a signal upon I
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 85 
 
 external but a deeply spiritual morality. It 
 is a strange fancy of some that Jesus was a 
 revolutionary reformer, overturning existing 
 ideas and institutions to substitute his own, 
 when he himself expressly declares the con- 
 trary (see on 5: 17). Neander: "The con- 
 nected system of truths unfolded in this dis- 
 course was intended to exhibit to the people 
 the kingdom of God as the aim of the Old 
 Dispensation; as the consummation for which 
 that dispensation prepared the way. The 
 Sermon on the Mount, therefore, forms the 
 point of transition from the Law to the Gos- 
 pel ; Christianity is exhibited in it as Judaism 
 spiritualized and transfigured." Regarded as 
 addressed especially to the Twelve, it becomes 
 the great opening lecture in a course of in- 
 struction by which they were to be fitted for 
 their work as his witnesses and representa- 
 tives ; just as the farewell discourse of John 
 14-17 may be called (Bernard) the closing 
 lecture. It is quite an error if men expect to 
 find in the discourse an epitome either of 
 Christian doctrine or of Christian ethics. 
 Many of the distinguishing and fundamental 
 doctrines of Christianity were never distinctly 
 and fully taught by the Saviour himself, be- 
 cause men could not understand them till 
 after the great facts on which they rest, his 
 death, resurrection, and ascension, had taken 
 place. And while he here teaches us many 
 weighty and precious lessons for the proper 
 conduct of life, they are by no means pre- 
 sented as a complete system of morals, but 
 seem to be introduced chiefly as contributing 
 to, or incidentally connected with, the discus- 
 won of his great theme, the nature and re- 
 quirements of the Messianic reign. It is 
 therefore very unwise and presumptuous to 
 ingle out this one discourse and propose to 
 live by it, in disregard of the further teach- 
 ings of Christ and his apostles. True, he 
 here gives a single precept (T:"), which he 
 ays ' is the law and the prophets.' But that 
 no more warrants the neglect of everything 
 beyond this discourse, than the closing pre- 
 cept 'Fear God and keep his commandments, 
 for this is the all of man,' would warrant us 
 in neglecting the Old Testament for the one 
 
 Book of Ecclesiastes. He who spoke the Ser- 
 mon on the Mount has also said, 'Except a 
 man be born again, he cannot see the king- 
 dom of God,' and 'even so must the Son of 
 man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in 
 him should not perish, but have eternal life,' 
 and he in departing promised his apostles the 
 Holy Spirit to ' lead them into all the truth,' 
 and set them before the world as authoritative 
 teachers of Christian doctrine and duty. It 
 is not honoring the Sermon on the Mount, or 
 its Author, to represent this as all that men 
 need, seeing he has given us much more. 
 
 The unrivaled beauties of our Lord's 
 thought and style, the lofty simplicity, the 
 charming freshness and perfect naturalness, 
 the familiar and vivid illustration, the pointed 
 and sometimes paradoxical and startling state- 
 ment, which even when imperfectly under- 
 stood could never be forgotten, the sublime 
 elevation of sentiment, and the inimitable 
 tone which marks all his teachings, shine con- 
 spicuous in this address, which is sweet to the 
 heart of a child, and before which the noblest 
 intellects in every age have bowed in devout 
 admiration. Well might Daniel Webster say, 
 in the inscription he left for his tomb, "My 
 heart has always assured and re-assured me, 
 that the gospel of Jesus Christ must be a di- 
 vine reality. The Sermon on the Mount can- 
 not be a merely human production." 1 
 
 (4) Analysis. The discourse, as given by 
 Matthew, admits of being analyzed in various 
 ways, the connection being less obvious in 
 some places, and the arrangement of the whole 
 being very simple and inartificial. The fol- 
 lowing analysis may be useful, though we 
 must take care not to draw too broadly the 
 lines of division between the different sec- 
 tions. 
 
 I. Characteristics and privileges of the sub- 
 jects of the Messianic reign, 5: 3-12. 
 
 II. Their influence and responsibility, 5: 
 13-16. 
 
 III. Relation of Christ's mission to the 
 Moral Law, 5: 17-48. 
 
 1. This relation stated in general, 17-19. 
 
 2. Superiority of the morality he enjoined 
 to that taught and practiced by the Scribes 
 
 1 Edersh. remarks that our Lord's use of phrases and 
 modes of teaching current at the time, renders more 
 striking the contrast between this discourse and the 
 Jewish contemporary teaching as to the whole spirit 
 
 and tone. The supposed Rabbinic parallels are in gen- 
 eral only superficially similar, and often exactly op- 
 posite in spirit. See examples in Edersh., Book iii., 
 ch. 18.
 
 86 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH._V. 
 
 AND seeing the multitudes, he went up into a 
 mountain: and when he was set, his disciples 
 came uuto him: 
 
 1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into the 
 mountain : and when he had sat down, his disciples 
 
 and Pharisees, 20-48. Illustrated by reference 
 to murder, etc. (21-26), adultery and divorce 
 (27 -sj), oaths (S3-S7), requital of injuries (38-12), love 
 of enemies (-). 
 
 IV. Good works to be performed out of re- 
 gard to God's approval rather than man's, 
 6: 1-18, e.g., alms-giving (2-*), prayer (s-is), 
 fasting (IB-IS.) 
 
 V. Single-hearted devotion to God, as 
 opposed to worldly aims and anxieties, 6: 
 19-34. 
 
 VI. Censoriousness must be avoided, 7 : 1-6. 
 
 VII. Encouragement to pray to God for 
 strength to fulfill this and all the preceding 
 requirements, 7: 7-11. 
 
 VIII. General principle or rule, which 
 sums up all the (moral) teachings of the dis- 
 course, and of the Old Testament, 7 : 12. 
 
 IX. Concluding exhortations to practice as 
 well as hear and profess, 7 : 13-27. 
 
 Ch. 5 : 1-12. THE BEATITUDES. 
 
 1. The multitudes or, crowds viz., the 
 ' great crowds ' spoken of in the preceding 
 sentence (see on 4: 25.) The connection goes 
 right on without any break, the paragraph of 
 4: 23-25 forming a sort of introduction to the 
 discourse. (For the general connection, see 
 on 4: 12.) On some occasion, in the course 
 of the labors just described, occurred that 
 which Matthew proceeds to narrate. He 
 went up. Was it to avoid the crowds, as 
 some think, or was it not rather that the pres- 
 ence of such crowds made it proper to address 
 them in an extended discourse, setting forth 
 the nature of that Messianic kingdom, or 
 reign, which he had been declaring to be at 
 hand? Into a the 1 mountain. This 
 more probably means the mountain-region, 
 just as persons among us who live near such 
 a region familiarly spek of it as "the 
 mountain" "Heisn't at home, he's gone up 
 in the mountain." The word 'mountain ' is 
 used for a mountain-region in Gen. 19: 17, 19, 
 30, and elsewhere in O. T. The most com- 
 mon scene of all this part of our Lord's min- 
 istry was the lake-shore, and with this would 
 
 easily contrast in the apostle's mind the adja- 
 cent mountain-region. So in 14: 23, 'the 
 mountain ' is the mountain-region east of the 
 lake, near where he had just fed the five 
 thousand, and in 15: 29, the same region fur- 
 ther south. That such is the meaning here 
 becomes highly probable (if we hold Luke's 
 discourse to be the same) from Mark 3: 13, 
 where the same expression 'he goes up into 
 the mountain ' occurs on the same occasion, 
 viz., the choice of the twelve (Mark 3 : 13-19), 
 which Luke (&:n) shows to have been im- 
 mediately followed by the discourse and 
 the preceding connection (nark 3 17-9) evidently 
 makes it there mean that he goes up from the 
 lake-shore into the mountain-region. This 
 also best fits in Luke 6 : 12. The phrase ' the 
 mountain,' might mean the particular moun- 
 tain near them at the time (Meyer), or the 
 well-known mountain (DeWette), as one or 
 the other is probably meant in Luke 9: 28, 
 the Mount of the Transfiguration; though of 
 this we know nothing. But the preponderance 
 of usage and probability is for the other sense, 
 the mountain-region. There is then nothing 
 in the history to indicate what particular 
 part of the adjacent mountain-region is meant. 
 The connection in Mark, and the statement of 
 Matt. (8.: is) and Luke (7 = 1) that he afterwards 
 went to Capernaum, show that it was on the 
 west side of the lake ; but the latter statement 
 does not, as so often urged, show that it was 
 near Capernaum. There is no important 
 objection to the tradition placing it at the 
 double-top mountain now called " Horns of 
 Hattin," which (Stanley) strikingly corre- 
 sponds to the circumstances, since Jesus might 
 well have spent the night on one of the two 
 summits, and the next morning descended to 
 the flat space between the two, and there de- 
 livered the discourse. But the tradition is 
 unknown to the Greek and Eastern writers, 
 and among Latins first found in Brocardus, 
 about A. D. 1283. (Kobinson.) We can only 
 say, therefore, that this may quite possibly 
 have been the spot. When he was set, or, 
 had sat down, sitting being among the Jews 
 
 1 The article is here disregarded by all the early Eng- 
 lish translators, who learned Greek through the me- 
 dium of the Latin, and so had little feeling for the 
 
 article, which they often omit or insert in a curiously 
 arbitrary fashion.
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 87 
 
 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, say- 
 ing, 
 
 3 Blessed are the poor in 'spirit: for theirs is the 
 kingdom of heaven. 
 
 2 came unto him: and he opened his mouth and 
 taught them, saying, 
 
 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the 
 kingdom of heaven. 
 
 the customary posture for one engaged in 
 teaching. Luke's expression (6=n) 'stood,' 
 does not conflict with this, for that denotes 
 simply the end of the descent, and not the 
 posture in teaching. His disciples. The 
 Greek word rendered 'disciple,' like the 
 Latin discipulus, which we have borrowed, 
 signifies a 'learner,' as opposed to a 'teacher,' 
 and is used in that general sense in 10: 24, 
 literally, ' A learner is not above his teacher, 
 nor a slave above his master.' The Greeks 
 frequently applied it to the pupils of a phi- 
 losopher, as denoting those who received his 
 instructions and were supposed to adopt his 
 opinions. In a like sense we read of the 
 'disciples of the Pharisees' C:i6), and the 
 
 'disciples Of John' (9:14; UH; H: 12; Mark 2: 
 
 is, etc.); and similarly the 'disciples' of Jesus, 
 in the present passage, and in general, are 
 those who habitually heard his teachings, and 
 were supposed to receive them as true. But 
 the term, as there used, would have a more 
 lax and a more strict application, sometimes 
 denoting the whole crowd of those who fol- 
 lowed him for a while, and apparently be- 
 lieved his teachings (e. g., John 6: 66), but 
 commonly used of those who really did be- 
 lieve, and submit themselves to his authority 
 as a teacher. In some passages (as 14: 15 if.) 
 the connection shows that it means 'the 
 disciples' by excellence, viz., the Twelve. 
 After our Lord's ascension the application 
 of the term was very naturally widened to 
 embrace all who received as true the teach- 
 ings of the Christian religion, Christ being in 
 reality still their teacher, though he taught 
 through others. We cannot here understand 
 the term as denoting all who were present and 
 listened to his teachings, for it is nowhere used 
 in so loose a way; it must mean his disciples, 
 as distinguished from others who were not 
 such. This would include the four mentioned 
 in 4: 18 if., but would not be confined to them. 
 Matthew has not previously had the word, 
 but he employs it in that general sense with 
 which all had become familiar at the time 
 when he wrote. From Luke 6: 12-20 we 
 learn that, before delivering the discourse, 
 Jesus had selected the Twelve who were to 
 be his special attendants ; but Luke also men- 
 
 tions (6: n, literally), a 'crowd of his disciples ' 
 as present when it was spoken. Matthew 
 does not refer to the Twelve as a body till he 
 comes to speak of their being sent forth two 
 and two (10: iff.), just as he gives an account 
 of John's imprisonment only in connection 
 with the story of his death (comp. on 4: 12; 
 14 : 3). Came unto him, drew near after he 
 had thus assumed the posture of a teacher. 
 Or, came near while the people at large stood 
 farther off. 
 
 2. This expanded statement is in accord- 
 ance with that circumstantiality in descrip- 
 tion which is characteristic of the Hebrew 
 language and adds beauty to the Scripture 
 narratives. It serves, in a case like this, to 
 fix attention upon the important discourse 
 which follows. (Comp. Job 3: 1; Acts 8: 35; 
 10: 34.) Taught is imperfect tense, and de- 
 scribes the teaching as in progress you see it 
 going on. The English 'was teaching' or 
 'went to teaching,' would here be too strong. 
 Them refers especially to his disciples, who 
 are especially distinguished in the preceding 
 verse from the crowds (comp. Luke 6: 20), 
 and are especially addressed in such passages 
 of the discourse as 5: 11, 13-16, etc. ; but that 
 the crowds also heard would be naturally 
 suggested by the connection, and is aflirmed 
 in 7 : 28 f. 
 
 3. In v. 3-12 our Lord sets forth the charac- 
 teristics and privileges of the subjects of the 
 kingdom of heaven. These sentences are 
 commonly called the "beatitudes," from 
 beatus, 'blessed' or 'happy,' the word here 
 employed in the Latin versions, and by some 
 are called macarisms, from the Greek word. 
 Some writers compare with these the bene- 
 dictions of Deut. 28; but the cases are not 
 similar. Others mark out an elaborate par- 
 allel to the giving of the Ten Commandments ; 
 but this is highly artificial, and tends to divert 
 attention from our Lord's real design. It 
 would be more appropriate to compare such 
 passages as Psa. 1:1; 31 : 1 f. ; 144 : 15 ; Prov. 
 3: 13; Dan. 12: 12, where a character is de- 
 scribed as well as happiness declared. The 
 Jews expected great felicity under the reign 
 of Messiah ; witness the saying of one of them 
 (Luke u: 15, in.), ' Happy he who shall eat bread
 
 88 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. V. 
 
 in the kingdom of God.' Our Lord, by tell- 
 ing who are the happy in the Messianic king- 
 dom, gives at once a very distinct glimpse 
 into the nature and requirements of that king- 
 dom. It is immediately seen to be quite the 
 reverse of the carnal expectations cherished 
 among the Jews. Not the rich, the rejoicing 
 and proud, not conquering warriors nor pop- 
 ular favorites, are the happy under the Mes- 
 sianic reign, but these the poor, the mourning 
 and meek, the peacemakers, the persecuted. 
 Most of these sayings are therefore striking 
 paradoxes, and the whole forms a singularly 
 felicitous introduction to his discourse, touch- 
 ing a chord that vibrates in all human hearts 
 happy, happy instantly awakening the 
 liveliest attention, and also conveying im- 
 portant instruction as to the great theme. 
 Luther : "Now that's a fine, sweet, friendly 
 beginning of his teaching and preaching. For 
 he goes at it, not like Moses or a teacher of 
 the law, with commands and threats, but in 
 the very friendliest way, with nothing but at- 
 tractions and allurements and lovely prom- 
 ises." It was also a beautifully natural intro- 
 duction (Weiss), because he came to preach the 
 'good news' of the kingdom (*:), the fulfill- 
 ment of all the Messianic hopes and promises. 
 Blessed. Happy more nearly expresses 
 the sense of the Greek word than ' blessed.' 
 It is rendered ' happy ' in the common ver- 
 sion of John 13: 17; Acts 26: 2; Kom. 14: 
 22; 1 Cor. 7: 40; 1 Pet. 3: 14; 4: 14, and the 
 corresponding verb in James 5 : 11 ; and this 
 might be used almost everywhere, leaving 
 'blessed' to translate another term found in 
 
 21: 9; 23: 89; 25: 34, etc., and a kindr 
 word in Mark 14: 61; Kom. 9: 5, etc. OUT 
 'happy' could not, it is true, be applied 
 God, as in 1 Tim. 1 : 11 ; 6 : 15 (Bib. Un.Ver. 
 'blissful'), where 'blessed,' though familiar 
 to us, is really also inadequate. But more 
 gained than is lost by keeping the terms dis 
 tinct, for the difference is often quite impor 
 ant. The shock which many persons feel at 
 the introduction of 'happy' here, is partly 
 reproduction of the surprise felt by our Lord's 
 first hearers happy the poor, happy tht 
 mourners, etc. the paradox is really part of 
 the meaning. 1 The sense is quite similar (and 
 the same Greek word is used) in 16 : 17 ; Kom. 
 4: 6-8; 1 Cor. 7: 40; James 1 : 12; 1 Pet. 3: 
 14; Kev. 14: 13. The original has in this case 
 no verb not 'happy are,' but simply 'happy 
 the poor,' etc. So in the Greek of Psa. 1 : 1, 
 etc. The poor. The Jews looked upon 
 wealth, being one of the chief elements of 
 worldly prosperity, as a sure proof that its 
 possessor was the object of God's favor, an 
 error which our Lord subsequent!} 7 sought to 
 correct in the parable of the rich man and 
 Lazarus. (Lukeie: w.) In like manner they no 
 doubt supposed that in Messiah's kingdom th 
 rich, the "better class," would enjoy the high- 
 est privileges. In striking opposition to the 
 expectations, he says, ' Happj T the poor, for 
 theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' This is all 
 that Luke (6=20, ut.) gives; and certainly the 
 poor were more likely to share the privileges 
 of the Messianic reign than the rich, because 
 more likely to be humble and looking for 
 Messiah's coming. 2 (Comp. 11 : 5 ; 19: 23; 
 
 1 The distinction between macarios and eulogetos (and 
 kindred terms) is maintained throughout the Sept. as 
 it is in the Hebrew words. The Pesh. Syriac version 
 of N. T. translates ' happy ' here and in 11: 6; 13: 16; 
 16: 17; 24: 46, and uses 'blessed' for eulogemenos in 
 21 : 9, etc. The Gothic likewise maintains the distinc- 
 tion. But the Latin versions used beatus for both the 
 Greek words, probably for two reasons ; (a) beatus really 
 means happy as well as blessed, (b) the other Latin 
 word felix had idolatrous associations, which would 
 have made it incongruous in Scripture, somewhat as 
 'lucky' would be now. But this confounding of the 
 two Greek words in the Latin versions has caused much 
 confusion in modern European versions, and great ar- 
 bitrariness of rendering in the early English versions. 
 Tyndaleused 'happy' in John 13: 17, etc., followed by 
 Cranmer, Geneva, and King James ; but Tyndale also 
 used it in Matt. 11: 6; 16: 17; 24: 46; Gal. 4: 15; James 
 1 : 12, 25, followed by Cranmer or Geneva, or both, but 
 
 not by King James. Neither rendering is in our pas- 
 sage entirely satisfactory, but ' happy ' best conveys the 
 idea. 
 
 2 Some (Gill, others) take the word plochos in its com- 
 mon classical sense of beggar, and understand those 
 who come to God as beggars. Tertullian once expresses 
 that view : " Happy the beggars for so requires the 
 meaning of the Greek word." But it is very unlikely 
 that such is here the meaning. Ptochos is in the N. T. 
 the common word for poor, being found thirty-five 
 times, while the other word penes is found only in 2 
 Cor. 9 : 9 (from Sept.) and penichros in Luke 21 : 2. In 
 the Sept. penes is used nearly as often as ptochos, and 
 for the most part to translate the same Hebrew words. 
 These facts forbid insisting on the distinctive classical 
 sense of beggar in every N. T. passage; and in the 
 present case it seems quite inappropriate to introduce 
 the notion that they beg.
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 89 
 
 4 Blessed are they that mourn : fof they shall be coin- 4 1 Blessed are they that mourn : for they shall be 
 forted. contorted. 
 
 1 Some ancient authorities transpose ver. 4 nnd 5. 
 
 Luke 4: 18; Isa. 61: 1; 66: 2; James 2: 5; 
 and below on v. 4, 5.) But while men need 
 not, they might misunderstand or misrepre- 
 sent this general term (as well as 'hunger,' 
 'weep,' in Luke 6: 21.) Thus the Emperor 
 Julian mockingly said he wished to confiscate 
 the property of the Christians, in order that 
 as poor men they might enter the kingdom of 
 heaven. Now Matthew's account shows that 
 our Lord took pains to define more precisely 
 what he meant, by saying the poor in spirit. 
 Poverty, want, sorrow, do not of them- 
 selves secure spiritual blessings ; these are 
 promised to such as have the correspond- 
 ing state of thought and feeling. The gram- 
 matical construction 'poor in the spirit' is the 
 same as in 'pure in the heart.' (v. s.) The 
 meaning may be (Bleek) (a) 'poor in the 
 (sphere of the) spirit,' in spiritual matters, or 
 (b) ' poor in their spirit,' consciously poor. 
 Probably the former is here meant by the 
 phrase, while the latter thought is suggested 
 by the connection. The poor, not outwardly 
 only, but in the inner man ; not in the tem- 
 poral but the spiritual sphere; and it is in- 
 volved, in the nature of the case, that they 
 are conscious of their spiritual destitution 
 (comp. Isa. 66: 2, and contrast Rev. 3: 17). 
 Those who in the sphere of the spirit, in the 
 spiritual life, are destitute, and feel their 
 need. A good example is the publican of 
 the parable. It is quite possible for a man 
 rich in the temporal sphere to be at the same 
 time poor in spirit. 1 Edersh. quotes from the 
 Mishna, "Ever be more and more lowly in 
 spirit, since the expectancy of man is to be- 
 come the food of worms," and calls it the 
 
 exact counterpart of this saying, "marking 
 not the optimism, but the pessimism of life/' 
 For. It would be a little more exact to ren- 
 der 'because' in all the beatitudes (see on v. 
 12). Theirs has in the original an emphatic- 
 position ; it is theirs, they are precisely the 
 persons who possess and enjoy the riches, dig- 
 nities, privileges of Messiah's reign (see on 
 3: 2). Comp. James 2: 5. These privileges 
 already belong to them, and shall henceforth 
 be enjoyed by them notice the future tense 
 in the following sentences. How different is 
 all this from worldly kingdoms. In Luke 6: 
 24, is recorded the opposite of this first beati- 
 tude, "Woe to you who are rich, for you 
 have received your consolation," have all the 
 consolation you will get. 
 
 4. The regular gradation which some en- 
 deavor to point out in the several beatitudes 
 isartificial, if not imaginary. Theyaresimply 
 groupel in a natural way, and the transition 
 from the poor to the mourners is natural 
 enough. 2 Observe (Tholuck) that the three 
 first classes, poor, mourning, meek, are all in 
 the prediction of Isa. 61: 1-3, to which our 
 Lord repeatedly referred as fulfilled in his 
 ministry (11: 5; Luke 4 : 17-21). 
 
 Happy they that grieve, is a very striking 
 paradox, suited to awaken attention and lead 
 to reflection. They that mourn, over any 
 of the distresses of life, temporal or spiritual ; 
 but with the implication that if over temporal 
 distresses, they mourn in a religious spirit. 
 Under the reign of Messiah they shall be 
 comforted the kind of comfort correspond- 
 ing of course to the kind of distress, and 
 suited to their highest good. The second part 
 
 1 Barnabas 19 : 2 has the same grammatical cons! ruc- 
 tion : " Thou shall be simple in heart and rich in 
 spirit." Many Fathers understood our Lord to mean 
 poor by free will, contentedly or voluntarily poor, and 
 wine applied it, as most Romanists now do, to monastic 
 TOWS of poverty, and the like. But ' spirit ' will not 
 yield this (Maldon. in vain quotes 2G : 41), and the able 
 Romanist commentator Arnold! calls it a manifestly 
 artificial interpretation. ' Poor in intellect, 1 weak- 
 minded, was another of Julian's jests, and is gravely 
 proposed by Fritzsfhe and Grimm, but seems to need 
 DO refutation. Achelis makes it poor in the matter 
 
 of the Holy Spirit, poor, and thus prepared to receive 
 the Holy Spirit, whom Messiah was to give (3: 11), but 
 this is extremely forced. These interpretations are in- 
 structive as showing that the expression is really diffi- 
 cult. 
 
 *Tlsch. and others transpose v. 4 and 5, putting the 
 meek first, according to D, Latin, Old Syriac, several 
 Fathers. This group of "Western" authorities is 
 now well known to contain many arbitrary alterations 
 of the text. The design of the alteration here prob- 
 ably was to have the meek come next to the |>oor in 
 spirit, as an appropriate sequence.
 
 90 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. V. 
 
 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit tl 
 earth. earth. 
 
 of Isaiah begins (*:i), with 'comfort ye my 
 people,' and is pervaded throughout by that 
 idea, it being distinctly declared (ei : 2) that 
 Messiah is to comfort all that mourn. The 
 later Jews caught this conception, and in the 
 Talmud the Messiah is sometimes called 
 Menahem, ' comforter.' At the time of his 
 birth some truly devout ones were 'waiting 
 for the consolation of Israel.' (Lukez:25.) They 
 is emphatic, and so in v. 5-8. In Luke 6: 25 
 is recorded the opposite of this beatitude. 
 
 5. The sayings of this verse, and of v. 7-10, 
 are wanting in Luke's briefer report. The 
 expression here used is derived from Psa. 37 : 
 11. The Heb. word for meek and that for 
 'poor' are from the same root, and certainly 
 meekness is akin to poverty of spirit. Our 
 Lord declares that not the ambitious and arro- 
 gant, the irascible and violent, such as usually 
 become prominent in the outbreak of revolu- 
 tions, are the happy under Messiah's reign, 
 but the meek. The term 'meek' is hard to 
 define, in Heb., Greek, or Eng., but it in- 
 cludes freedom from pretension (iPet. 3:4,15), 
 gentleness (ii:; James s : is), and patient en- 
 durance of injury where it is proper to en- 
 dure. The Messianic king himself is meek 
 (21:5), and the meek shall be his happy sub- 
 jects. Shall inherit the earth, or, land. 1 It 
 was promised to Abraham that he should ' in- 
 herit' the 'land' of Canaan. (Gen. is : 15 ; 15 = 7, 
 etc.) This was partly realized by his descend- 
 ants under Joshua. (Judges 2: 6, in the Heb.) Their 
 possession of it was always imperfect and 
 sometimes interrupted, but still they cherished 
 the promise made to Abraham, and hoped for 
 its complete fulfillment. The Psalmist dis- 
 tinguishes two classes in Israel, the wicked 
 and the meek; those who amid all trials 
 meekly trust and serve God, and declares 
 (pa.7:9, 11,22, 29) that these shall 'inherit the 
 land.' Isaiah promises (& is ; eo: 21) that after 
 the captivity those who trust in God shall 'in- 
 herit the land.' The apocryphal story of 
 Tobit represents devout Jews during the cap- 
 tivity as cherishing the hope that the seed of 
 the patriarchs shall ' inherit the land.' (Tob. 
 *:i2.) And just as the 'kingdom of heaven' 
 
 (v- s) takes in our Lord's discourses a higher 
 and more spiritual meaning, so with this 
 phrase. The meek shall be full citizens in 
 the Messianic kingdom (like those holding 
 real estate), enjoying all rights and privileges. 
 This would of course mean especially religious 
 privileges (comp. 'inherit the kingdom,' in 
 its full and perfected state, 25: 34; 1 Cor. 6: 
 10; 15: 50; Gal. 5: 21 ; Eph. 5: 5, etc.) The 
 explanation that Christians shall have as 
 much of the earth as is really desirable for 
 them is superficial, and the other, that Chris- 
 tianity is finally to take possession of the 
 whole earth, is artificial. The O. T. and the 
 N. T. usage seems to leave no doubt as to the 
 meaning. The poor in spirit, the mourners, 
 the meek, obviously represent kindred traits 
 of character, and should not be conceived of 
 as three entirely distinct classes of persons. 
 So as to the other beatitudes. 
 
 6. Hunger and thirst. A natural and 
 strong expression for desire, common in all 
 languages. Luke (6: 21) gives only 'hunger,' 
 the other term merely expanding the image 
 (comp. Psa. 63: 1) ; and does not say for what. 
 (Comp. above on v. 3.) Righteousness here 
 must not by any means be understood of im- 
 puted righteousness, but (as even Luther 
 admits) of personal righteousness; the being 
 and doing what is right, as in 3: 15; 5: 20; 
 Luke 1 : 75, etc. The attempt (Schaflf and 
 others) to make it include both ideas, is futile. 
 It is very doubtful whether the Pauline idea 
 of imputed righteousness occurs anywhere in 
 the Gospels, not even in John 16: 10. Filled. 
 The original word is of frequent occurrence, 
 signifying to feed, to satisfy with food, origi- 
 nally used of feeding animals, in later Greek 
 of feeding men. (Comp. in 14: 20; Luke 16: 
 21; James 2: 16; Phil. 4: 12; Kev. 19: 21.) 
 They who hunger and thirst for righteousness 
 shall, under Messiah's reign, be fed full, com- 
 pletely satisfied. It of course does not mean 
 satisfied once for all, so as to have no desire 
 any more. That is here true which Wisdom 
 says in Sirach (Ecclus.) 24:21, 'They that 
 eat me shall still hunger, and they that drink 
 me shall still thirst.' The Scriptures teach 
 
 1 ' Earth ' all the early Eng. versions except Rheiius, and most of the recent versions. Bheiuis, McClellan 
 ' land,' Darby hesitates.
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 91 
 
 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after 
 righteousness : for they shall be filled. 
 
 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain 
 mercy. 
 
 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see 
 God. 
 
 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be 
 called the children of God. 
 
 6 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after 
 righteousness : for they shall be filled. 
 
 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain 
 mercy. 
 
 8 Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see 
 God. 
 
 9 Blessed are the peacemakers : for they shall be 
 called sons of God. 
 
 that this satisfaction will be progressive in the 
 present life, and become perfect as we enter 
 upon the perfect world. Observe (Tholuck) 
 that after righteousness there follow three 
 elements of righteousness, viz., pity, purity, 
 peace. 
 
 7. Merciful. The original word includes 
 also the idea of compassion, as in Heb. 2: 17; 
 Prov. 14: 21, and implies a desire to remove 
 the evils which excite compassion. It thus 
 denotes not only mercy to the guilty, but pit} 7 
 for the suffering, and help to the needy. See 
 Luke 3: 11; Matt. 25: 37-40; James 2: 13. 
 To be merciful is not the ground of receiving 
 mercy from God, but an occasion and condi- 
 tion thereof. (i8:3sr.) Comp. the relation 
 between forgiving and being forgiven, as ex- 
 plained on 6:12. The Jerusalem Talmud 
 gives as a saying of Gamaliel, " Whensoever 
 thou hast mercy, God will have mercy upon 
 thee; if thou hast not mercy, neither will 
 God have mercy upon thee." 
 
 8. Pure in heart, as contrasted with mere 
 external, bodily purification, about which the 
 Jews, and especially the Pharisees, were very 
 scrupulous. (2.1:25,28.) The phrase should not 
 be limited to the absence of unchaste feel- 
 ings, but includes freedom from all the de- 
 filing influences of sin upon the inner man. 
 Origen: "Every sin stains the soul." The 
 'heart' in Scripture use is the seat of thought 
 and will as well as of feeling. (Comp. on 6: 
 21.) We must shun defiling thoughts, pur- 
 poses, and feelings. Calvin here understands 
 especially freedom from trickery and cun- 
 ning. So James (* = ) says, 'Purify your 
 hearts, ye double-minded.' A like breadth 
 of meaning is implied in the connection of 
 Psa. 24: 4. Comp. for various applications of 
 the phrase, Psa. 51: 10; 73: 1; 1 Tim. 1: 6; 2 
 Tim. 2: 22. The meaning is thus seen to be 
 very comprehensive, as when we speak of a 
 pure character, pure motives, etc. There is 
 
 nothing here said as to the way in which this 
 purity is to be obtained ; that was afterwards 
 fully revealed through the apostles. (Acts ID: 9; 
 
 1 Joliu 1: 7, 9; Eph. 5:26; 2 Cor. 7: 1.) Shall S66 God. 
 
 The expression is derived from the usages of 
 Oriental courts, where kings live in great 
 seclusion, and it is a rare and distinguished 
 
 i privilege to be admitted into the very pres- 
 ence of the monarch, and see him face to face. 
 See 1 Kings 10: 8; Esther 1: 14; Heb. 12: 14; 
 Rev. 22: 4, and an equivalent expression in 
 Matt. 18: 10. With the whole verse here 
 compare Psa. 24: 3 f. : 'Who shall ascend 
 into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand 
 
 I in his holy place? He that hath clean hands 
 and a pure heart.' It is a kindred, but quite 
 distinct thought that we find in 1 John 3: 
 2, that of the immediate perception and 
 thorough knowledge of God in the future 
 life, as tending to make us like him. 
 
 9. Here the contrast to worldly kingdoms, 
 which runs through the whole passage, is par- 
 ticularly great. In them the highest honor 
 and esteem are given to warriors, but under 
 the Messianic reign to peacemakers, those 
 who bring about peace between enemies. It 
 may be taken for granted that they will be 
 peaceable in their own disposition and con- 
 duct, will strive to maintain peace as well as 
 to restore it when disturbed ; but that is not 
 included in the meaning of the word. Mor- 
 ison: "This delightful beatitude must have 
 sounded like a clap of thunder over the hearts 
 of some of those who were reveling in the 
 imagination that the time had arrived when 
 war to the bitter end was to be proclaimed 
 against the surrounding principalities of the 
 Gentiles." It is difficult to determine whether 
 they is here emphatic, as it is in v. 4-8. 1 The 
 difference would here be slight. Called the 
 children, or sons of God, as being like 
 him (v. 45), objects of his special affection, 
 etc. They shall not only be sons of God, but 
 
 1 Th<- external evidence for omitting autoi (and thus 
 leaving 'they' without emphasis) is strong, but not con- 
 clusive. It is more probable that the word was inserted 
 
 by copyists to make this like the other beatitudes than 
 that it was omitted.
 
 92 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. V. 
 
 10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for right- 
 eousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 11 Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and per- 
 secute .'/", and shall say all manner of evil against you 
 1 falsely t for uiy sake. 
 
 I'J Itt-joice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your 
 reward in heaven : for so persecuted they the prophets 
 which were before you. 
 
 10 Blessed are they that have been persecuted for 
 righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kiugdom of 
 
 11 heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall reproach 
 you, and persecute you, aud say all manner of evil 
 
 12 against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice, aud be ex- 
 ceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: 
 for so persecuted they the prophets that were before 
 you. 
 
 1 Gr. lying. 
 
 shall be called such, recognized as such in his 
 kingdom not merely subjects of the kingdom, 
 but sons of the king. "We need not wonder 
 at this exalted promise to peacemakers, for 
 theirs is a very difficult and very noble 
 achievement. They must often be content 
 to bear bitter complaint from both sides, must 
 exercise great self-control, unwearied pa- 
 tience, and loving tact, and must be mani- 
 festly impartial and unselfish. There is no 
 more Godlike work to be done in this world 
 than peacemaking. 
 
 10. They which are or, that have been 
 persecuted, the form of expression according 
 with the fact that the chief rewards of such 
 sufferers do not so much attend on the perse- 
 cution as follow it. The expression obviously 
 points forward to the persecution of his fol- 
 lowers, but it is well to remember that at the 
 probable time of his delivering this discourse, 
 Jesus himself was already beginning to be 
 bitterly hated and reviled, and his life sought. 
 
 (Lake 6: 7, 11; Mark 3:6.) Persecution Usually in- 
 
 volved taking away one's possessions, leaving 
 him in poverty and want ; and so theirs is 
 the kingdom of heaven is here a manifestly 
 appropriate form of blessing, asinv. 3. Comp. 
 Heb. 10: 34. Chrys. : "Although he gives 
 different names to the rewards, yet nothing 
 else but the kingdom does he shadow out by 
 all these sayings." Alexander: "Thus, by 
 a beautiful reiteration of his own expressions, 
 he comes back to the point from which he 
 started, in declaring for whose sake his king- 
 dom was to be erected, or of whom it was to 
 be composed. Not the rich, the gay, the 
 fierce, the full, the cunning, the warlike, or 
 the favorites of earthly rulers, were, as such, 
 to be distinguished in his kingdom ; but the 
 poor, the sorrowful, the meek, the hungry, 
 the sincere, the peaceful, and the persecuted, 
 who endured all this for his sake, and who 
 
 longed for spiritual no less than for secular 
 relief." An addition to the text, said by 
 Clement of Alexandria to be made by some, 
 suggests a pleasing thought: "Happy they 
 that have been persecuted for my sake, for 
 they shall have a place where they will not be 
 persecuted." V. 10 f. seem to be referred to 
 in 1 Pet. 3: 14; 4: 14. Various sentiments of 
 the Sermon on the Mount are apparently al- 
 luded to by James, Paul, and Peter. 
 
 11. Here Luke (: 22) again comes in, 
 having omitted what we have above in v. 5 
 and 7-10. V. 11 f. contain an elaboration and 
 express application to Christ's disciples of the 
 general declaration of v. 10. Here for the first 
 time we have the second person. Blessed, 
 or, happy, are ye. But ' ye ' is not expressed 
 by a separate Greek word, and so is not em- 
 phatic. In Luke (6:205.) all the beatitudes 
 given are in the second person. When would 
 be more literally whenever, i. e., in all cases. 
 They shall revile you, (no emphasis on 
 'they'), is an impersonal expression, like the 
 Eng. 'they say,' ' or, 'they tell me.' And 
 shall say all manner of evil against you, 1 
 same expression in Acts 28 : 21. Luke (6: 26) 
 strengthens the promise by pronouncing a woe 
 upon them when universally well spoken of. 
 Falsely is omitted from the text by some 
 critics, 2 but on insufficient authority ; and the 
 idea it conveys would at any rate have to be 
 supplied, from the very nature of the case. 
 (Comp. IPet. 4: 15 f.) For my sake. Ke- 
 proaches and cruel treatment endured on some 
 other account, however unmerited, are not 
 here in question. 
 
 12. Closely connected with the preceding. 
 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad. The 
 first is the common word for 'rejoice' ; the 
 second a rarer word, denoting great delight 
 and exultation, which is used several times by 
 Luke, John, and Peter. Both words are com- 
 
 1 Many authorities add rema, 'every evil word' but 
 this is probably not genuine. It makes no difference 
 in the meaning. 
 
 2 By D. and Old Latin (many copies), which make so 
 many arbitrary alterations; here probably following 
 Luke (6 : 22), as they do twice in v. 12.
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 93 
 
 bined, as here, in 1 Pet. 4:13; Eev. 19:7, 
 and together constitute a very strong expres- 
 sion. Luke has ' rejoice and leap (for joy).' 
 There is a beautiful instance of the apostles, 
 rejoicing under persecution, in Acts 5 : 41. 
 For great is your reward. The ' for ' 
 would be more exactly rendered 'because,' as 
 in all the other beatitudes. In the next clause 
 is the word properly rendered 'for.' The 
 form of expression, 'your reward,' implies a 
 definite reward (the Greek having an article), 
 designed for them, and kept for them in 
 heaven, literally, the heavens. (Comp. 25: 
 34 ; Col. 1 : 15 ; 1 Pet. 1:4; Heb. 11 : 26.) As 
 to the plural, ' the heavens,' see on 3 : 2. For 
 so they persecnted they, impersonal, as in 
 v. 11. Alford: " For instance, Jeremiah was 
 scourged, Jer. 20: 2; Zechariah, son of Je- 
 hoiada, was stoned, 2 Chron. 24: 21; Isaiah, 
 according to Jewish tradition, was sawn 
 asunder by Manasseh." Similar reference 
 to persecutions is made in Neh. 9: 26; Matt. 
 21 : 35 ; 23 : 32 ff. ; Acts 7 ; 52 : 1 Thess. 2: 15. 
 The fact that the prophets were persecuted in 
 like manner, furnishes a ground for assurance 
 that the persons addressed will be rewarded. 
 They are following the footsteps of the pro- 
 phets, and shall, like them, have a great re- 
 ward. (Comp. 10: 41: James 5: 10.) The 
 reward is however not merited by the perse- 
 cutions, but is a gift of God's grace. 
 
 Luke (6:24-6) here adds four woes, corre- 
 spondingtothefourbeatitudeshe has recorded. 
 If it be thought that these would not enter 
 naturally into Matthew's connection, we have 
 to remember that each apparently gives only 
 a sketch of what was said. (See above, In- 
 trod. to the discourse). 
 
 It will be observed that in Matthew the 
 word ' happy' occurs nine times ; but as v. 11 
 i.- substantially a repetition of v. 10, we see 
 that there are eight beatitudes (or macarisnis). 
 Some exclude from the count that of v. 10 
 as being different in tone from the others in 
 order to make just seven, the sacred number. 
 But this is utterly arbitrary. In fact the 
 eight, although following each other in a suf- 
 ficiently natural order, have no stiffness of 
 arrangement. Our Lord here, and often 
 elsewhere, speaks with a certain rhythmical 
 movement such as is natural to elevated 
 sentiment ; but still all is inartificial and 
 simple. 
 
 HOMILKTICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 1. Sermon on the Mount: (1) The 
 preacher. (2) The hearers. (3) The sermon 
 its leading thoughts. (4) The effect stated, 
 7: 28. STIER : "All apostolical preaching 
 of the gospel must begin with the gracious 
 commencement of this sermon, the conclu- 
 sion of all apostolic preaching must coincide 
 with its awful conclusion ; but intermediate 
 lies all that progressive teaching and exhorta- 
 tion, which through faith in its fulfiller estab- 
 lishes the law in the believer. Moses, amid 
 the awful splendors of Mount Sinai, gave a 
 law which condemns; Christ, on the quiet 
 mountain in Galilee, a gospel which saves." 
 (Heb. 2: 3.) V. 2. SOHAFF: "When the Lord 
 opens his mouth, we should open our ears 
 and hearts." V. 3. In general, the beatitudes 
 teach that true happiness in life depends on 
 character rather than circumstances. BURNS : 
 
 It's no" in titles nor in rank, 
 
 It's no' in wealth like Lon'on bank, 
 To purchase peace and rest. 
 
 If happiness hae not her seat 
 And centre in the breast, 
 
 We may be wise, or rich, or great, 
 But never can be blest. 
 
 A bomiletical classification of the beatitudes 
 (many might of course be given): (1) 
 The poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek. 
 (2) The hungering, etc., and the pure in 
 heart. (3) The merciful, the peacemakers. (4) 
 The reviled and persecuted. STIKR : "The 
 eight Benedictions, with their conditions, are 
 in a certain sense found united in every child 
 of God, and no member of this wonderful 
 series may be altogether wanting from the 
 time that the first poverty of spirit has re- 
 ceived the gift of grace; yet is there an actual 
 and gradual growth of one out of the other. 
 And here does the law apply in all its signifi- 
 cance, that the gift received must be pre- 
 served, exercised, and increased : and that to 
 him only who has, shall more be given in 
 order to his having all." 
 
 CORX. ALAPIDK: "There are three sorts 
 of poor: (1) those who are so actually, s 
 beggars; (2) in spirit, but not actually as 
 Abraham, who was rich in fact, poor in 
 spirit; (3) both in fact and in spirit."- 
 CHRYS. : "As pride is the fountain of all 
 wickedness, so is humility the principle of all 
 self-command." STIER: "Oh, that the richly
 
 94 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. V. 
 
 endowed and worldly blessed of our day, to 
 whom the beginning of the Sermon on the 
 Mount must come with the full force of most 
 direct contrast and contradiction, would only 
 meekly hear it." 
 
 V. 4. THEOPHYL. : "Those who mourn- 
 always, and not simply once" (as if it were 
 mourned). V. 5. THEOPHYL.: "The meek 
 are not those who are never at all angry, for 
 such are insensible, but those who feeling 
 anger control it, and who are angry when 
 they ought to be. Meekness excludes revenge, 
 irritability, morbid sensitiveness, but not self- 
 defence, or the quiet and steady maintenance 
 of rights." The Christian inheritance in the 
 Messianic kingdom, is, like that of Israel (ac- 
 cording to the divine plan), a gift directly 
 from God, (Gen. 17 : s), and therefore (1) in- 
 alienable (Lev. 25: 23) ; (2) imperishable (l Pet. 1 : 4). 
 
 V. 7. THEOPHYL.: "Not by means of 
 money only are you to be merciful, but also 
 by words; and e\en if you have nothing, by 
 tears." In this world of sin and sorrow, there 
 is frequent, nay constant occasion for being 
 merciful in one way or another. HENRY : 
 "A man may be truly merciful, who has not 
 wherewithal to be bountiful or liberal." 
 CHRYS. (condensed in Aq.): "The reward 
 here seems at first to be only an equal return ; 
 but indeed it is much more ; for human mercy 
 and divine mercy are not to be put on an 
 equality." SHAK. : 
 
 Mercy is twice blessed ; 
 
 It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes : 
 
 . . . And earthly power doth then show likest God's, 
 
 When mercy seasons justice. 
 
 But not mercy at the expense of justice, as 
 too often in trial by jury. V. 8. Not merely 
 clean garments, clean person ("cleanliness is 
 next to godliness"), hands clean from blood 
 or pelf, but also cleanness of thought, motive, 
 feeling. 
 
 V. 9. Peacemaking. I. Difficulties which 
 the task involves: (1) In our own defects, (2) 
 in the faults of the parties at variance, (3) in 
 the foolish or wicked interference of others. 
 II. Inducements to undertake the task. (1) 
 Evils which flow from variance and strife. 
 (2) Blsssed effects of reconciliation. (3) The 
 work is Godlike, and will have God's special 
 aid and reward. While not expressing, this 
 passage naturally suggests the fact that God is 
 in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, 
 
 and 'making peace' (Col. 1 : 20, same word as here) ; 
 
 and that we also ought to be busy in reconcil- 
 ing our fellow-men to God. SHAK : 
 
 God's benison go with you, and with those 
 
 That would make good of bad, and friends of foes. 
 
 CORN. A LAPIDE : "Father Gaspar so excelled 
 in peacemaking, that the lawyers said they 
 should die of hunger." 
 
 V. 10. The same persons who are pure in 
 heart and peacemakers may be reviled, and 
 that for the sake of him who was perfectly 
 pure and the greatest of peacemakers. V. 11. 
 LUTHER (in Lange): "What comfort that 
 the Son of God himself calls us blessed, let 
 whoever may speak ill of us." (icor.4:s-5.) 
 HENRY: "There is no evil so black and 
 horrid, which at one time or another has not 
 been said, falsely, of Christ's disciples and 
 followers." STIER : "The daring disregard 
 of truth with which the world is wont auda- 
 ciously to calumniate the children of God, 
 the Satanic cunning with which its lies are 
 woven, would be altogether incredible, if it 
 were not matter of fact." PLTJMPTRE : "The 
 witnesses for unwelcome truths have never 
 had, anywhere or at any time, a light or easy 
 task." GRIFFITH: "Violent outbursts, in- 
 deed, of ill-will are now but rare. Culture 
 has softened manners, and made ferocity ill- 
 bred. But the native dislike of falsehood to 
 truth, of worldliness to godliness, of evil to 
 good, still dwells in the heart ; it oozes out in 
 bitter, though quiet drops ; it leaps forth 
 sometimes in words which, though smoother 
 than oil, are very swords." V. 12. It is often 
 a melancholy consolation in time of sore trial 
 or temptation to remember that no trial has 
 taken you but such as is common to man. 
 
 (1 Cor. 10:13.) 
 
 13-16. INFLUENCE AND ^RESPONSIBILITY 
 OF THE SUBJECTS OF MESSIAH'S EEIGN. 
 
 The influence and consequent responsibility 
 of Christ's disciples (see Analysis in the Intro- 
 duction to this discourse) are here exhibited 
 by means of two figures, salt and light. The 
 general thought is that they have a great work 
 to do, and persecution (v. 10-12) must not cause 
 them to neglect it. Several of the character- 
 istics just ascribed to them, as meek, peace- 
 makers, persecuted for righteousness' sake, 
 pertain to their relation to others, and qualify 
 for useful exertions and influence.
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 95 
 
 13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but If the salt have 
 lost its suvour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thence- 
 forth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trod- 
 deu under foot of men. 
 
 13 Ye are the salt of the earth : but if the salt have 
 lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is 
 thenceforth good for nothiug, but to b^ cast out and 
 
 13. As salt preserves things from corrup- 
 tion and decay, so it is the office of Christians 
 to preserve the mass of mankind from utter 
 moral corruption and ruin. Some bring in 
 also the idea of salt as seasoning that Chris- 
 tians are to save life from being stale and flat 
 but this seems strained, and little in har- 
 mony with the general tone of the discourse. 
 Others say (Grimm) that salt of the earth must 
 mean some saline fertilizing material, but this 
 is forbidden by the next clause. There is no 
 propriety in restricting the saying to minis- 
 ters, as is done by some Fathers, by Koman- 
 ists in general, and by Calvin, Gill, and others. 
 Jesus meant the 'disciples' ( i) as distin- 
 guished from the world in general, but not 
 particularly the Twelve; certainly Matthew 
 cannot have so understood, as he has not yet 
 mentioned the Twelve; and nobody thinks the 
 Beatitudes were addressed to the Twelve more 
 than other disciples (notice the 'you' in v. 11, 
 12). A minister's calling gives him special in- 
 fluence, but so will another disciple's wealth, 
 social or official position, talents, attainments, 
 etc. Notice (Mey.) how the expressions used 
 for mankind correspond to the images; the 
 salt of the earth, the mass of mankind to be 
 penetrated and preserved ; the light of the 
 world, the expanse over which it is to shine. 
 Ye is expressed in the Greek and so is em- 
 phatic (in v. 14 also). You, the often poor, 
 persecuted (v. 10-12), are of great importance to 
 the world, and must fulfill your duty to it. 
 Are. Already true of the disciples addressed, 
 and a permanent fact as to Christ's disciples 
 in general. 
 
 But this high office of Christians is by no 
 means to become an occasion for spiritual 
 pride ; rather does our Lord proceed to show 
 the evils of failing to exert the salutary influ- 
 ence in question. Have lost his rather 
 
 its savour, become tasteless. For 'its' in- 
 stead of the old neuter possessive 'his,' see on 
 24: 32. The same idea is expressed in Mark 
 9: 50, by 'lost his saltness.' 1 If. Until 
 lately there was hardly satisfactory evidence 
 (Schottgen) that this ever actually happens, 
 and commentators generally held the expres- 
 sion to be a mere supposition. But Maun- 
 drell's statement (about A. D. 1690) that he 
 found south of the Dead Sea masses of salt 
 that had become tasteless, is now supported 
 by Thomson: "It is a well-known fact that 
 the salt of this country [Palestine], when in 
 contact with the ground, or exposed to rain 
 and sun, does become insipid and useless. 
 From the manner in which it is gathered, 
 much earth and other impurities are neces- 
 sarily collected with it. Not a little of it is 
 so impure that it cannot be used at all ; and 
 such salt soon effloresces and turns to dust 
 not to fruitful soil, however. It is not only 
 good for nothing itself, but it actually destroys 
 all fertility wherever it is thrown ; and this is 
 the reason why it is cast into the street." 
 "The sweeping out of the spoiled salt and 
 casting it into the street, are actions familiar 
 to all men." See more fully in vol. ii., p. 
 361-3. The case supposed is thus seen to be 
 one of actual and frequent occurrence. The 
 application is obvious. Christians must per- 
 form their function, must really serve as salt 
 to mankind, or they will be worthies and con- 
 temptible, and that irrecoverably. Some, 
 (Luther, etc.), understand wherewith 8 shall 
 it be salted, impersonally, with what shall 
 salting then be done; but this is unsuitable to 
 the connection, for it would require the next 
 words to declare that there is no substitute for 
 salt. In the similar expression of Mark (:50) 
 it is clearly personal ; ' wherewith will you 
 season or, salt it?' Maldonatus : "There 
 
 1 Matthew's word (same in Luke 14: 34) means prima- 
 rily to make foolish (comp. v. 22), and is so used in Rom. 
 1 : 22 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 20. A witty saying which loses the suit 
 of wit becomes silly, and so by a reaction in the figure 
 alt is said to be made foolish by losing its saltness. 
 A Greek writer (Wet.) speaks of roots that ar foolish, 
 {<.<., insipid) to the tastr. So the Latin fatum wus 
 ometimesused. 
 
 * " Wherewith ' is literally ' in>hat,' the action being 
 conceived in such cases as located in that which is the 
 material, means, etc., of performing it. Such uses of 
 1 in ' are found rarely in English, oftener in classical 
 Greek, and quite frequently in Hebrew and IlebrnizeJ 
 Greek. Coup, on 3: 11.
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set 
 on a hill cannot be hid. 
 
 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a 
 1 bushel, but on a candlestick ; ami it giveth light unto 
 all that ure in the house. 
 
 1C Let your light so shine before men, that they may 
 see your good works, and glorify your Father which is 
 in heaveu. 
 
 14 trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the 
 
 15 world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither 
 do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, 
 but on the stand ; and it shineth uuto all that are in 
 
 16 the house. Even so let your light shine before men, 
 that they may see your good works, aud glorify your 
 Father who is iu heaven. 
 
 1 Tbe word iu the original siguiBeth a mcusurc containing about a pint leas titan a peck. 
 
 is no salt for salt." Luke (M: u) gives the 
 same image as used in a different connection. 
 Good for nothing, literally, has no force or 
 efficacy. Those who employ our Lord's image 
 here in support of the idea that the regenerate 
 may wholly "lose their religion," ought to 
 observe that it would also teach that they can 
 never recover it. In this case, as in others, 
 a view of the mournful effects which would 
 follow utter apostasy, is employed as one 
 means of preserving from it. Our Lord's de- 
 sign is not negative but positive, to arouse his 
 disciples to watchful diligence and persevering 
 devotion. Many of the Jews who professed 
 to be very religious, were orthodox and scru- 
 pulous without real piety, and the subjects of 
 the Messianic reign must not be so. 
 
 14. The same idea is here presented by a 
 second image, which has a natural relation to 
 the former. Pliny (Wet.): "To all bodies 
 there is nothing more useful than salt and 
 sun." Ye, emphatic, as in v. 13. Jesus else- 
 where declares that he himself is the Light of 
 
 the WOrld. (Juim8: 12; -. 5; W: S5; Johnl: 7ff.) We 
 
 of course understand that the light which 
 his pecjple emit is really derived from him. 
 (Eph. 5:8.) In Phil. 2: 15 they are compared 
 to the heavenly luminaries ; in John 5: 35 the 
 Baptist is called, literally, 'the burning and 
 shining lamp" which Jesus had probably 
 said before he spoke the Sermon on the Mount. 
 Here Christians are the light of the world, the 
 source of spiritual light to it, as the sun 
 (joim ii: 9) is of natural light. They are the 
 light by means of which the world, the mass 
 of mankind, may see the things of religion, 
 may see the truth about God and his service. 
 Comp. Wisdom, 4: 26. "The multitude of j 
 the wise is the salvation of the world." Ep. 
 to Diognetus, 6, "What soul is in body, this 
 are Christians in the world." Anything that 
 gives light will be observed, and Christians, as 
 being the light of the world, cannot escape I 
 observation if they would. But this thought 
 is presented more forcibly by changing the j 
 figure. A city that is set on a hill or j 
 
 mountain cannot be hid, being thus seen 
 distinctly, on all sides, and from a distance. 
 Cities thus situated were not uncommon in 
 Galilee as in most other hilly countries in 
 ancient times and Jesus may perhaps have 
 pointed to one while speaking ; but it is idle to 
 conjecture which one. The houses were often 
 built (as they are now) of a very white lime- 
 stone, which would make the city more dis- 
 tinctly visible. The thought plainly is, that 
 Christians occupy of necessity a conspicuous 
 position, and must be seen. To make it mean 
 "the church," on Mount Zion (Stier, Keil, 
 etc.), is utterly unnatural. There is still 
 probably some reference to the persecutions 
 spoken of in v. 11 f., which might make the 
 faint-hearted desire to withdraw from ob- 
 servation. 
 
 15. And Christians should not wish to avoid 
 being observed, even if they could. Such 
 was not the divine design iu making them 
 sources of light. Neither do men literally 
 they, impersonal as in v. 11. A the bushel, 
 i. e., the one kept in the house. The Greek 
 word (borrowed from Latin, as it was natural 
 that Roman measures should become common 
 in the provinces) denotes a measure contain- 
 ing about a peck ; but it is better for us to re- 
 tain the familiar term, the exact dimensions 
 being of no importance to the idea, which is 
 simply that of concealment, and is elsewhere 
 expressed by putting the lamp under the bed. 
 (Mark 4: 21.) * Candle ' and 'candlestick* 
 are misleading, the thing meant being a lump 
 and a lamp-stand. Giveth light or shines. 
 The Greek word is the same as in the suc- 
 ceeding verse. Here, as often, the common 
 version has obscured the connection by un- 
 necessarily varying the terms. The fault 
 began here with Tyndale, and was adopted by 
 all his early successors except Eheims. In 
 Luke 8: 16 and 11 : 33 we find the same saying 
 (slightly varied) used on other occasions and 
 with a different application. 
 
 16. Let your light so shine. As the 
 lamp which is not hidden but set on the stand
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 97 
 
 shines for all that are in the house, -so let your 
 light shine before men, that (in order that) l 
 they may see, etc. The position of the words 
 in the Greek (in which 'so' is the first word), 
 shows the emphasis to be on 'so' and 'shine,' 
 and 'so' signifies in the way suggested by the 
 image of the preceding sentence. The incor- 
 rect position of 'so' in Com. Ver. (from 
 Tyndale) encourages the erroneous idea that 
 it means in such a way that (as the result) 
 men may see, etc. Before. Not simply 
 'for men,' for their benefit, as in the preced- 
 ing clause, but ' before men,' in their presence. 
 
 That they may see and glorify. 
 
 There is no propriety in saying that this is 
 merely equivalent to 'that seeing. . . . they 
 may glorify.' The passage teaches us to 
 desire and design that men may see, because 
 thus the higher object will be secured, their 
 glorifying God. (Comp. on 6: 1, 3, 4.) Os- 
 tentation of good works, which Jesus after- 
 wards (6:i) so severely condemns, would be 
 like flaunting the lamp at the door, instead of 
 simply setting it on its appropriate stand. 
 The shining of the light consists in good 
 works. (Comp. Titus 3:8.) In order thus to 
 shine, the works must not merely be morally 
 good (agatha, as Rom. 13 : 3), but also morally 
 beautiful (kala, here and in 1 Peter 2: 12), 
 attracting the admiring attention of others. 
 (Achelis. ) He does not say 'may glorify 
 you,' for the good works of God's children 
 are all due to him, and hence the beholders 
 ought not to praise them, but to glorify their 
 Father. (Comp.9:8; !Peter2:12.) For the 
 phrase Father ... in heaven, see on 6: 9. 
 Alexander: "Thus the Saviour winds up 
 this division of his great discourse, by lead- 
 ing his disciples through the homeliest and 
 most familiar every-day analogies of com- 
 mon life, to the sublime and final end of all 
 existence." 
 
 HOMILKTICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 13. Those whom "society' 1 despises ( n) 
 may yet be indispensable to its highest wel- 
 fare. Contempt and reviling must not pre- 
 vent them from striving to exert a wholesome 
 religious influence. But if professed Chris- 
 tians be useless, then are they really despic- 
 able. Trampled on, (a) undeservedly (.n), 
 
 (b) deservedly, (v. is.) HENRY : "Let God be 
 glorified in the shame and rejection of those 
 by whom he has been reproached, and who 
 have made themselves fit for nothing but to 
 be trampled upon." V. 14. Christians a light 
 to the world. I. What may they show? (1) 
 That Christianity is true. (2) That Christian 
 piety is practicable. (3) That a life of piety 
 is desirable. II. How may they show it? (1) 
 By what they say in public private. (2) 
 By what they do, good works, (v. ie.) V. 14-16. 
 Piety shining. (1) A Christian cannot escape 
 observation if he would a city on a hill. (2) 
 A Christian should not wish to hide his piety 
 the lamp under the bushel. (3) A Christian 
 should show piety in natural and appropriate 
 ways the lamp on the lamp-stand. (4) A 
 Christian should let his piety shine with no 
 selfish aim, but for the good of man and the 
 glory of God. 
 
 V. 15. CHRYS : "Nothing makes a man so 
 illustrious as the manifestation of virtue; for 
 he shines as if clad with sunbeams." CLEM. 
 ALEX. (Wet.) gives a tradition that Mat- 
 thias the apostle used to say that if a pious 
 man's neighbor sin, he himself has sinned ; for 
 if he had ordered his life aright the neighbor 
 would have been restrained by his example. 
 V. 16. Wrong and right ways of exhibiting 
 geod works. TALMUD JER. (Wunsche): "It 
 is not enough to be innocent before God, one 
 must show his innocence before men also." 
 If Christians do evil works, men will be 
 pretty sure to see them, and to speak against 
 
 God and his Cause. (Rom. 2: 24; Ezek. 36: 20.) 
 
 ROUSSEAU (Griffith) : "Ah! what an argu- 
 ment against the unbeliever is the life of the 
 Christian! No, man is not thus of himself; 
 something more than human is reigning 
 here." CHRYS.: "Or if there should even 
 be some who speak evil of thee, search into 
 their conscience and thou shall see them ap- 
 plauding and admiring thee." STIER : "The 
 good word without the good walk is of no 
 avail." Men will not be saved by abstract 
 truth, but by truth embodied, 1) in a personal 
 Saviour; 2) in saved persons. 
 
 No Christian has a right to be regardless of 
 his reputation, for not himself alone is con- 
 cerned. He may imagine it matters little for 
 him what men may think, since God knows 
 
 'Probably no one would now claim that hopos any. it, the meaning being purpose or design. Another iiu- 
 whi-re denotes mere result or effect, as Cum. Ver, makes portant example is in Luke 10 : 26. 
 
 Q
 
 98 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. V. 
 
 17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law. or ! 17 
 the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 
 
 Think not that I came to destroy the law or the 
 
 his heart; but in so far as men do him injus- 
 tice, they fail to render that glory to God 
 which his good works ought to secure; and 
 so, out of regard for the cause with which he 
 is identified, be should not suffer himself to 
 be misunderstood or misrepresented, where it 
 can be avoided. This passage, v. 13-16, should 
 lead the Christian reader at once to tremble at 
 his responsibility and to rejoice at his privi- 
 lege. How much harm we do by our incon- 
 sistencies; how much good we may do, the 
 least influential among us, by simply being 
 what we profess to be. TYREE: ("The Liv- 
 ing Epistle 1 '): "Of all modes of inculcating 
 Christianity, exemplifying it is the best. The 
 best commentary on the Bible the world has 
 ever seen is a holy life. The most eloquent 
 sermon in behalf of the gospel that the world 
 has ever heard is a uniform, active piety. The 
 best version of the written truth that has ever 
 been made is a consistent religious example. 
 The Christian whose light thus shines not only 
 correctly renders, but beautifies the sacred 
 
 text While the truth is being read 
 
 from the Bible, and proclaimed from the pul- 
 pit, let all the members of our churches second 
 and enforce that truth by the silent eloquence 
 of holy lives, and the world's conversion will 
 move forward at home and abroad, with 
 speed." 
 
 KELATION OF CHRIST'S MISSION 
 TO THE LAW. 
 
 Here commences the main division of the 
 discourse, in which our Lord shows the rela- 
 tion of his mission to the law of Moses; and 
 asserts that, so far from proposing to relax its 
 restraints or overthrow its authority, he came 
 to complete it. This portion, which is not 
 given by Luke, extends to 5: 48 (see Analysis 
 in Int. to ch. 5). The relation to what pre- 
 cedes, though not distinctly indicated, is suffi- 
 ciently plain. Having set forth certain char- 
 acteristics of the subjects of the Messianic 
 reign (. s-w), and their influence and responsi- 
 bility (is-16), he now proceeds to show that the 
 Messianic reign will in important respects be 
 different from what was popularly expected. 
 
 17. Think not. (For the expression comp. 
 10: 34; 3:9.) The Jews were very likely to 
 think so. The introduction of Messiah's reign 
 was in the view of many to be a great political 
 
 revolution, such as is apt to be attended by a 
 setting aside of many institutions and laws, 
 and a diminished regard for the restraints of 
 morality. And it appears from later Jewish 
 writers that some of them did in fact expect 
 that Messiah would abrogate the law, and 
 supported the notion by their interpretation of 
 Jer. 81: 31. Many might also begin to think 
 that Jesus cherished some such revolutionary 
 design, from the fact that he had already (as 
 we see from the order of Luke and Mark) 
 called a publican to be one of his immediate 
 followers, and eaten with publicans and sin- 
 ners (Luke 5: 27-32), declared that he was intro- 
 ducing a new order of things (Luke 5: 36-39), and 
 repeatedly disregarded the Jewish notions of 
 the Sabbath. (Lukes: 1-11.) These things ap- 
 peared to them revolutionary, though we 
 know they were not contrary to the real spirit 
 and design of the OKI Test. I am come, or, 
 came, an expression frequently employed by 
 Jesus, indicating that he had a mission (comp. 
 9: 13; 10: 34; 1 Tim. 1: 15, etc.), and which 
 naturally accords with the fact of his pre-ex- 
 istence ; but it must not be relied on as a 
 proof of his pre-existence, for the same ex- 
 pression is applied to John (see 11 : 18 f ). To 
 destroy. In the physical sense, the word sig- 
 nifies to loose, dissolve, pull to pieces (as a 
 bridge, wall, house), and is applied to the 
 temple in 26: 61 and 24: 2 ('throw down '), to 
 the body regarded as a house in 2 Cor. 5: 1, 
 and is figuratively used in Horn. 14: 20 and 
 Acts 5: 38 f ('come to nought' and 'over- 
 come'). So in Gal. 2: 18, Paul uses this word 
 to describe Peter as having (so to speak) pulled 
 down an old building as useless, and now gone 
 to building it up again. In like manner here 
 the image is most probably that of a building. 
 There is no other example in N. T. of this 
 precise use pulling down, abrogating, a law 
 but it is found in 2 Mace. 2: 22, and in the 
 classics (Grimm). A less intensive form of 
 the same verb is employed in v. 19 ('break'), 
 where it is contrasted with 'do,' and refers to 
 the practical setting aside of the law in men's 
 action, while here the reference is rather to 
 the theoretical setting aside in our Lord's 
 teaching. 
 
 The law or the prophets. This phrase 
 was frequently employed to denote the entire
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 99 
 
 Scriptures (i. e., theO. T.), the 'law' being the 
 five books of Moses, and 'the prophets' the 
 remainder. (See, e. g., 7 : 12; 11: 13; 22: 
 40 ; Luke 16 : 16 ; John 1 : 45 ; Acts 13 : 15 ; 
 28: 23; Kom. 3: 21.) In Luke 24: 44 it is 
 'the law, and the prophets, and the psalms,' 
 the last division probably including the other 
 poetical books. In some other cases 'the 
 law ' denotes the whole (see John 10 : 34 ; 12 : 
 34; 15: 25; 1 Cor. 14: 21.) Observe it is 'the 
 law or the prophets.' Not merely were the 
 requirements of Moses to continue in force, 
 (which some Jews regarded as more sacred 
 than the rest of the 0. T.), but also all that 
 was taught by the other inspired writers, the 
 prophets. No part of the existing Scriptures 
 was to be set aside. And we know from Jo- 
 sephus and early Christian writers, that all 
 Jews of our Lord's time would understand 
 4 the Scriptures ' or ' the law and the prophets ' 
 as meaning a well known and well defined 
 collection of sacred books, the same as our 
 Old Testament. 
 
 To fulfil. The word thus rendered has 
 been explained on 1 : 22. .It here signifies to 
 'make full,' 'complete.' Com p. 23: 32, 'fill 
 up the measure of your fathers ' ; Phil. 2: 2, 
 'complete my joy' (so in many places); Acts 
 13:25, 'was completing his course'; Col. 2: 
 10, 'ye are complete in him' ; 1 Thess. 2: 16, 
 'fill up their sins' ; and so of completing a 
 number, A time, etc. The idea seems to be 
 that the law is regarded as previously incom- 
 plete, not fully developed into all the breadth 
 and spiritual depth of its requirement; and 
 Christ came to make it complete. The ma- 
 jority of expositors understand the word as 
 denoting to fulfill by performing what the law 
 required (comp. 3: 15; Kom. 13: 8). But 
 does this suit the connection ? (1) There is a 
 marked contrast to 'destroy,' which term 
 pretty clearly refers to his teaching. (2) The 
 instances which follow throughout the chap- 
 ter to illustrate this saying, are expressly ex- 
 amples of his teaching and not of his action ; 
 and while that which here immediately fol- 
 lows relates to action, it is not his action, but 
 that which his teachings require of others. 
 The thought is, then, not to perform by his 
 life, but to complete hy his teaching. Luther: 
 "He ?peaks of that fulfilling which is accom- 
 plished by teaching, just as by 'destroy' he 
 does not mean acting contrary to the law, but 
 
 breaking with it by his teaching," Calvin: 
 "The question here is of fulfilling by teaching, 
 not by his life." And it is interpreted in sub- 
 stantially the same way by Meyer, Olshausen, 
 deWette, Ewald, Tholuck, Alford, and others. 
 The Latin, Syriac, and Gothic versions, here 
 use words as ambiguous as the Greek ; but the 
 Coptic word distinctly means to perfect, com- 
 plete. Origen, in quoting this passage on 13: 
 48, takes it to mean complete. Jerome doubts ; 
 Augustine, Theophyl., Euthym., understand 
 it in both senses at the same time, in 
 which they are followed by various modern 
 writers (e. g., Gill, Plumptre), and some 
 work out quite a number of distinct senses 
 as included (e. g., Chrys., Bleek, Wordsw., 
 Clark, Schaff.) But such interpretation en- 
 feebles the Scripture. It has been vainly 
 attempted to bring this saying of Jesus in 
 conflict with what Paul teaches concern- 
 ing the law. The latter treats of the law 
 not as a rule of life, but as a means of 
 justification ; and he declares, not only that 
 the law cannot justify now that Christ is 
 come, but that it never was able to justify, 
 and henco the necessity for Christ's work. 
 "The law of the Lord is perfect," said the 
 Psalmist, i. e., free from defect or blemish, 
 and precisely adapted to the object for which 
 it was given ; while yet for a higher and more 
 spiritual dispensation its principles might be 
 developed into greater completeness. This 
 as to moral precepts, the subject of which our 
 Lord proceeds to speak (e. g., v. 31 f., and 
 comp. 19: 8). As to types and predictions, 
 his teachings and work completed them by 
 presenting the full reality to which they re- 
 ferred ; and so, as a whole, the previous reve- 
 lation was 'completed' by the teachings of 
 Christ and his apostles. The idea still some- 
 times presented (mentioned as early as Calvin) 
 that Jesus was a revolutionary reformer, set- 
 ting aside the law of Moses as imperfect and 
 effete, is contrary to the whole spirit of this 
 passage. (1) Jesus expressly states the con- 
 trary he came not to destroy but to com- 
 plete, and completing is very different from 
 setting aside. (2) The examples which fol- 
 low in this chapter are not examples of 
 teaching contrary to the law of Moses, 
 but of going further in the same direc- 
 tion. The only saying he condemns is 
 'and hate thine enemy' (), and this was
 
 100 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. V. 
 
 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth 
 pass, one jot or one little shall in no wise pass from the 
 law, till all be fulfilled. 
 
 18 prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil. For 
 verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass 
 away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away 
 
 not from the law, but a Rabbinical addition. 
 In 19: 8 is only an apparent exception (see 
 note there). Chrys : " Let us now ask those 
 who reject the law, Is 'be not angry' con- 
 trary to ' do not kill ' ? or is not the one the 
 perfecting and filling out of the other ? It is 
 manifest that the one is a completion of the 
 other, and is the greater for this reason. For 
 he that is not carried away into anger, will 
 much more abstain from murder.'' 
 
 18. For, presenting what follows as a con- 
 firmation of what precedes. Verily is in the 
 original 'amen,' a Heb. word signifying firm, 
 faithful, reliable (comp. Rev. 3 : 14), often 
 employed in O. T. as an adverb, 'surely,' 
 'truly,' and then usually placed at the end of 
 a sentence, either as endorsing its assertion 
 ( ' so it is ' ), or expressing the wish that it may 
 prove true ('so be it'). When thus used at 
 the end of a sentence, our Eng. versions both 
 of O. T. and N. T. retain the Heb. word 
 Amen, and also in a few cases where with the 
 same meaning it precedes the sentence. (Jer. 
 
 28: 6; Rev. 7 : 12 : 19: 4; 22: 20.) Notice particularly 
 
 the responsive use in 1 Cor. 14: 16; Rev. 
 5: 14; comp. Deut. 27: 15 ff. Our Lord fre- 
 quently employs the term at the beginning of 
 a sentence, in the literal sense of 'surely,' 
 ' truly,' and in these cases Eng. versions 
 translate it ' verily ' (i. e., truly). In John it 
 is always doubled, but single in the other 
 Evangelists. Two modified forms of the 
 Heb. word are similarly employed in Josh. 
 7 : 20 ; Job 19 : 5. I *ay unto you, is a form- 
 ula very often employed by our Lord, with 
 or without 'verily' (e. <?., v. 20, 26; 6: 2, 5, 
 16, 29; 8: 10, 11, etc.), and serving to call at- 
 tention to what follows, as being important 
 and certainly true, somewhat as in colloquial 
 English we say, "I tell you," "I assure you," 
 etc. In these cases ' I ' is not separately ex- 
 pressed in the Greek, and consequently is not 
 emphatic ; but it is separately expressed, and 
 therefore emphatic in v. 22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44, 
 where there is a contrast between his teach- 
 ings and those of others. 
 
 Till heaven and earth pass away, is a 
 proverbial expression which would popularly 
 
 signify never, and is probably designed to be 
 so understood here, the true limit of the law's 
 continuance being given in the other clause, 
 till all be fulfilled. In 24 : 35, the same idea 
 is expressed only the more strongly by depart- 
 ing from the proverb ' Heaven and earth 
 shall pass away, but my words shall not pass 
 away.' Comp. also Luke 16: 17. In like 
 manner the Midrash on Genesis (Wet.) says, 
 "Everything has its end, heaven and earth 
 have their end, one thing being excepted 
 which has no end, that is the law." Jot, in 
 the Greek iota, signifies the Heb. letter iod 
 (pronounced yod), corresponding to the Eng. 
 i. It is much smaller than the other Heb. 
 letters, so that it is liable to be overlooked; 
 and besides, in many words it can be either 
 inserted or omitted without affecting the 
 sound or the sense, somewhat like the u in 
 favour or honour. The Midrash on Leviti- 
 cus says (Edersh.) that the iod which was 
 taken from the name Sarai was prefixed to 
 that of Hoshea, making Jehoshua, Joshua. 
 No part of the law, not the most insignificant 
 letter, was to be set aside. And this statement 
 is further strengthened by adding tittle, in 
 the Greek 'horn,' denoting a very slight 
 projection at the corner of certain Heb. let- 
 ters, which distinguishes them from others 
 that are rounded. 1 Comp. Luke 16: 17. The 
 word ' horn ' in this sense would not be un- 
 derstood among us, and so 'tittle' (a very 
 small object) was wisely used by Wyclif, and 
 retained by all subsequent translators. The 
 whole expression has been aptly compared to 
 our Eng. saying, " Not the dot of an i nor the 
 cross of a t." We also frequently employ in 
 the same way the Greek iota (same as iod), 
 "Every iota of it." The Rabbis have similar 
 expressions, but they quibble about the mere 
 words, while our Lord refers to the meaning. 
 In no wise, is, in the original, merely a 
 doubled and thus strong negative, the same as 
 in John 6 : 37. From the law. He does not 
 add ' or from the prophets' ; and it is of the 
 law that he proceeds to speak in v. 19 f., and 
 in the examples which follow; yet he had in 
 v. 17 equally affirmed the permanence of the 
 
 i Thus 1 is d, 1 is r ; 3 is b, J is k.
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 101 
 
 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least 
 commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be 
 called the least in the kingdom of heaven : but whoso- 
 ever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called 
 great in the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteous- 
 ness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes aud 
 Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom 
 of heaven. 
 
 19 from the law, till all things be accomplished. Who- 
 soever therefore shall break one of these least com- 
 mandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called 
 least in the kingdom of heaven : but whosoever shall 
 do and teach them, he shall be called great in the 
 
 20 kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, that except 
 your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of 
 the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter 
 into the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 prophets, and a reference to them seems to be 
 suggested in the expression which here im- 
 mediately follows. Till all be fulfilled 
 or, come to pass. This is not at all like the 
 word rendered 'fulfil ' in v. 17, but is the one 
 rendered 'come to pass' in 24: 6, (see on 1: 
 22). Not the smallest part of the law shall 
 pass away till everything (i. e., everything it 
 contains) shall come to pass. The things pre- 
 dicted in the law must all occur; the entire 
 substance foreshadowed by any ceremony or 
 type must have come into existence ; the civil 
 i regulations for the Jewish State, after lasting 
 while it lasts, must continue to serve as the 
 germ and basis of much Christian legislation; 
 the moral (ethical) precepts must be obeyed 
 by every new generation. Not till all this 
 has taken place, shall the least particle of the 
 law be annulled. 
 
 19. Therefore. As all remains in undi- 
 minished force, it is a sin to violate, or to 
 teach others to violate, one of its least com- 
 mandments. Break. It is a compound of 
 tho word here used that is rendered ' destroy ' 
 in v. 17. This word signifies to 'loose,' and 
 as applied to our action in regard to a law, it 
 would mean to loose the obligation of the law, 
 viz., by acting contrary to it, which we in 
 English call breaking the law. In v. 17 it 
 was to loose or pull down by teaching ; but 
 here the ' teach ' is expressed separately, and 
 spoken of as corresponding ('so') to the 
 loosing. (Coinp. John 1: 23; 10: 36.) One 
 of these least commandments. The Jews 
 were much in the habit (see in Wet., etc.) of 
 classifying the various commandments as 
 greater and less (M: se), sometimes comparing 
 tlio.se which they reckoned least to the smallest 
 letters of the alphabet. Such a distinction was 
 natural in regard to external rites, even as 
 John (7: 37) calls the last day the 'great' day 
 of the Foast of Tabernacles. And although 
 they mado unwarranted and artificial distino- 
 tionseven among moral duties, yet the Saviour 
 
 does here clearly recognize some command- 
 ments as less important than others, while 
 expressly declaring them to be not unimport- 
 ant. So in 23: 23 (see note there) he declares 
 ethical duties to be 'weightier' than the duty 
 of tithing herbs. And shall teach men so. 
 It is bad to do wrong, but worse if in addition 
 we teach others to do wrong. Called. Not 
 only shall be such, but shall be so called, i. e., 
 declared, recognized to be such. (Comp. on 
 5:9.) Least . . . great, shall have the lowest 
 place, or a high place, in Christ's kingdom, in 
 point of dignity and privilege. (Cornp. 11: 
 11; 18: 1, 5.) 
 
 2O. For. This sentence gives a proof of 
 the previous statement. You may readily see 
 that he who transgresses one of these least 
 commandments shall have a low place in the 
 Messianic kingdom, for without a righteous- 
 ness surpassing the Scribes and Pharisees, you 
 shall have no place in it at all. Comp. 18 : 4. 
 I say unto you, see on v. 18. Except. Un- 
 less (Davidson, Darby) is better in modern 
 English. Righteousness. Not imputed, but 
 personal righteousness, as in v. 6,10; and it must 
 surpass that ! of the Scribes and Pharisees both 
 in degree and in kind, must be a more spirit- 
 ual and free (James i: 25), and a more complete 
 righteousness, as illustrated at length in the 
 remainder of the chapter. The Jews looked 
 upon the Scribes and Pharisees as being emi- 
 nently righteous, and doubtless did not think 
 it incumbent on ordinary people to be as good 
 as they were; so much the more surprising 
 must have been this declaration of Jesus. 
 For the Scribes, see on 2 : 4 ; for the Pharisees, 
 on 3 : 7. Some Greek Fathers and Roman 
 Catholic writers, with Neander, Bleek, etc., 
 hold that he means the righteousness required 
 by the law of Moses (which law the Scribes 
 and Pharisees kept), thus implying that the 
 law did not require enough; but this is 
 strained and unnatural In no case. In the 
 Greek simply a strong negative, as in v. 18. 
 
 1 Literally, -shall exceed the Scribes nnd Pharisees', but this is evidently a condensed expression for 'ex- 
 ceed that of the S. and P.' (Winer, 246 [307], Butt. 168.)
 
 102 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. V. 
 
 21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old 
 time, Thou shall uot kill ; and whosoever shall kill 
 .shall be in dauger of the judgment: 
 
 2J But I say unto you, Thai whosoever is angry with 
 his brother wit hout a cause shall be iu danger of the 
 judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, 
 Kacu, shall be in dauger of the council : but whosoever 
 shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 
 
 21 Ye have heard thai it was said to them of old time. 
 Thou shall not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall 
 
 22 be iu dauger of the judgment : but I say unto you, 
 that every one who is angry wilh his brother 1 shall 
 be in danger of the judgment ; and whosoever shall 
 say to his brother. 2 Kuca, shall be iu danger of 
 the council ; aud whosoever shall say, 3 Thou fool, 
 
 1 Many aucient authorities iusert without cause 2 An expression of contempt 3 Or, March, a Hebrew expression of condemnation. 
 
 Enter into the kingdom of heaveii is a 
 
 phrase often employed by our Lord (e. g., 7: 
 21 ; 18 : 3 ; 19 : 23 ; comp. ' enter into life,' 18 : 
 8; 'enter into the joy of thy Lord,' 25: 21), 
 meaning to become subjects of the Messianic 
 reign and share its full benefits. 
 
 21 ff. Our Lord now proceeds (see Anal, at 
 the beginning of the chap.) to illustrate the 
 general statements of v. 17-20, by instancing 
 various commandments of the law, with the 
 interpretations which the Jewish teachers 
 were accustomed to put on them, and declar- 
 ing in every case that he enjoined a still 
 stricter and more inward and spiritual mo- 
 rality, not merely in condemning the prevalent 
 errors, but in more fully carrying out the 
 spirit of the commandments themselves than 
 had been done by the law. This was complet- 
 ing the law (v. n), giving it a deeper and more 
 spiritual application. The revelation given 
 through Moses and the prophets, though per- 
 fectly adapted to its objects, was in various 
 respects rudimentary, and now God's Son 
 (Heb. i: 2) would develop the whole into com- 
 pleteness. All that he teaches as to moral 
 duties was really involved in the law, but he 
 brought it out, so as to give a more distinct 
 and complete exhibition of its requirements. 
 Of the six examples thus presented, the first is 
 the law of MURDER, (v. 21-26.) 
 
 Ye have heard, especially when listening 
 to the reading of the law in the synagogues, 
 with the comments and explanations made by 
 the teachers of former generations, which, as 
 handed down by tradition, were there repeated 
 in connection with the reading. (Comp. John 
 12: 34; Rom. 2: 13.) That it was said by 
 rather to them of old time, or the an- 
 cients. Every generation naturally regards 
 
 its own as modern times, and looks back to 
 long, past generations as "the ancients" The 
 rendering 'said by' which Com. Ver. and 
 some able commentators adopt (as Fritz., 
 Olsh., Ewald, Keim), is possible according to 
 general Greek usage, but is altogether opposed 
 to the actual N. T. use (presented by Conant) 
 of the terms and constructions which the 
 original here employs; and the great mass of 
 recent expositors hold to the other sense, 'said 
 to.' 1 This will then naturally mean, said by 
 Moses in giving the law (EX. 20: is ; Deut. 5: 17), 
 but may also include the old teachers in their 
 interpretations; and a traditional addition 
 being here given, it seems necessary to con- 
 sider them included. Some of these tradi- 
 tional modifications (see another in v. 43) had 
 come down through several centuries, and 
 might thus be said to have been spoken to the 
 ancients. And our Lord takes his examples 
 from the law as in his day habitually heard 
 and understood. The traditional addition in 
 this case, and Avhosoever shall kill shall 
 be in danger of the judgment, was prob- 
 ably designed by specifying the proper tribu- 
 nal to indicate the appropriate penalty. 'The 
 judgment' is generally understood to mean a 
 local Jewish court established in every import- 
 ant town, in accordance with the command 
 of Deut. 16: 18. (2Chr. 19:5.) It is said by 
 Josephus ("Ant.," 4, 8, 15, comp. "AVar," 2, 
 20, 5), to have consisted of seven persons, 
 though the Rabbins say twenty-three. It in- 
 flicted punishment, for capital crimes, by the 
 sword. 
 
 22. But I say unto you. 'I' is here 
 separately expressed in the Greek, and is 
 therefore emphatic, contrasting his teachings 
 with the law, and the traditional interpreta- 
 
 1 The rendering ' said by ' is not in any Eng. ver. 
 before K. J., which here (as often) followed Beza, who 
 gives 'by,' and defends it at length in a note. Many 
 commentators suppose this rendering to have origi- 
 nated with Beza, and Tholuck says it is first found in 
 the Persian (Polyglott) ; it may therefore be well to 
 state the rendering of the leading Old Latin copies as 
 
 printed by Sabatier and Bianchini. Ab antiquis is here 
 given in a, b, c ; antiquis in d, f, ff, Ambr. In v. 33, ab 
 antiquis in a, c ; antiquis in b, f, ff, gl, h, Cyp., Hi!., 
 Aug. This antiquis (which is also the reading of the 
 Vulgate) is ambiguous like the Greek, and so is the 
 Pesh. Syriac. The Gothic gives ' to the ancients,' and 
 the Coptic what is unmistakably .equivalent thereto.
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 103 
 
 tions. The same contrast recurs in every in- 
 stance throughout the series, (v. w, 32, 34, 39, 44, and 
 mmp.on v. is.) He "taught them as one having 
 authority." (T- 29.) That whosoever liter- 
 ally, every one that is angry with his 
 brother. The expression is somewhat dif- 
 ferent from that of the preceding verse and 
 of the two following clauses in this verse, 
 translated 'whosoever,' and fixes attention 
 upon the idea that the statement applies to 
 every single individual. The term 'brother' 
 is probably drawn from the familiar Jewish 
 usage of calling each other by that name 
 (e. g., in Tobit), but appears to be meant in a 
 broader sense, as applying to any fellow-man, 
 just as in Luke 10: 20, the Jewish restriction 
 of ' neighbor ' is corrected. The fact that all 
 men are brothers, aggravates the guilt of that 
 anger which our Lord condemns. Without 
 cause, is omitted by some of the oldest au- 
 thorities for the text, 1 and by most of the 
 recent critics. It was probably introduced 
 by students and copyists from a feeling that 
 the condemnation of anger was too sweeping. 
 But killing too is sometimes necessary and 
 lawful, yet the commandment does not say, 
 Thou shalt not kill without cause. The ex- 
 ception, is to be made, in both cases, as a 
 matter of course. Raca is an Aramaic; word, 
 most probably signifying 'empty' ( Jerome), 
 as if one should call another 'empty head,' 
 equivalent to our blockhead. Davidson and 
 Noyes translate it 'simpleton.' It seems to 
 have been a common expression of contempt 
 among the Jews, being often so used in the 
 Talmud. Fool, is thought by many (as 
 Meyer, Grimm.) to be here used, as in Psa. 
 14: 1, and other passages of O. T., to denote 
 a wicked man which would make this a 
 greater reproach than Raca. But there is no 
 necessity for introducing that idea here; the 
 same word occurs, in its common sense, in 
 this discourse. (7:28.) "Pool" is used as an 
 expression of contempt in all languages, 
 "evincing pride of intellect to be a universal 
 passion." (Alexander.) The word rendered 
 council, signifies here, as commonly in N. 
 T., the great Senate and Supreme Court of 
 
 the nation, which the Jews (borrowing this 
 Greek word) called Sanhedrin (see on 26: 
 59) ; and Darby here renders it 'Sanhedrim.' 
 Before this highest tribunal Jesus was 
 tried. Hell-fire, literally, the Gehenna of 
 fire. Gehenna is from two Hebrew words, 
 Gei Hinnom, signifying 'valley of Hinnom' 
 or 'valley of lamentation,' (in 2 Kings 23 : 10, 
 ' valley of the children sows of Hinnom ' or 
 'valley of the sons of lamentation'). This 
 name was applied to the valley lying imme- 
 diately south of Jerusalem, employed by some 
 of the later kings for the worship of the idol 
 
 Moloch. (2Cliion. 28:3; 33:6; Jer. 7:31.) Mucliob- 
 
 scuritj 7 still hangs over the character and 
 worship of this horrid idol. Children were 
 burned as sacrifices to him (Paa. 106: as; jer. 7= si) ; 
 but it is not certain whether they were burned 
 alive or were first slain, the latter seeming to 
 be implied by Ezek. 16: 20; 23: 37. Some 
 late Rabbinical writers say that Molocji was 
 made of brass and heated from beneath, and 
 in its outstretched arms the infant was laid 
 and burned to death ; while drums were 
 beaten to drown its cries, lest they should ex- 
 cite its father's compassion and hence, they 
 say, carne the name Tophet (Jer. 7:31,32) applied 
 to a place in this valley, the Heb. Toph signi- 
 fying a drum. But this story was very likely 
 derived from a similar practice among the 
 Carthaginians, as related by some of the later 
 Greek historians the improbable idea of the 
 drum being added, merely to account for the 
 name Tophet. Yet whether performed in 
 this way or not, the burning of children as a 
 sacrifice to Moloch prohibited already in 
 Lev. 18: 21; 20: 2 ff. was a horrid abomina- 
 tion; and when Josiah abolished it he deter- 
 mined to defile the valley of Hinnom (or 
 lamentation) which had been its scone, by 
 making it the receptacle of the carcasses of 
 criminals and other filth from the city (* Rings 
 3: 10) ; and this practice continued till the time 
 of our Lord. Kimchi, an eminent Jewish 
 scholar of the thirteenth century, says in his 
 Commentary on the Psalms that fire was kept 
 constantly burning in Gehinnom to consume 
 the filth and carcasses a statement which ac- 
 
 1 Omitted byiB. X and several cursives, and by Vulg. 
 and Ktliiopic versions, and expressly declared by sev- 
 eral Fat tiers to be wanting in " the accurate copies," or 
 in " mi>>t of the ancient copies." It is found in Old 
 Latin, Old Syriac, and Coptic, and is therefore a very 
 
 early addition, say by middle of second century. Tyn- 
 dale, following 1C rax mils' third ed., has no such word. 
 Craniuer introduced it a few years later, (l.">:iU.) Ste- 
 phens gives it in 1550.
 
 104 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. V. 
 
 counts for the phrase ' Gehenna of fire.' From 
 these repulsive associations, Gehenna was very 
 naturally employed among the Jews as a 
 designation of the place of future torment ; 
 being so used in v. 29, 30; 10: 28; 23: 15, 33; 
 Murk 9 : 43, 45 ; Luke 12 : 5 ; James 3:6; and 
 ' Gehenna of fire ' in 18 : 9 ; Mark 9 : 47. The 
 idea of fire is one naturally and frequently 
 associated with future torment (comp. on 25: 
 41), and in this case may be regarded as sug- 
 gested by the sacrificial fires in the worship of 
 Moloch, if Kimchi's statement be considered 
 too late to be reliable. ' Cast into Gehenna,' 
 (r. 29. etc.), was a phrase naturally suggested by 
 the practice of casting carcasses into the val- 
 ley. The Greek is here literally ' liable into 
 the Gehenna of fire,' i. e., liable to be cast into 
 it. Winer, 213 [267]. Another word, Hades, 
 which in Com. Ver. of N. T. is often trans- 
 lated 'hell,' will be explained on 11 : 23. 
 
 It has commonly been supposed that our 
 Lord designed a climax in the three punish- 
 ments death by the sword, as inflicted by 
 ' the judgment' ; death by stoning, when con- 
 demned by the Sanhedrin ; and 'the Gehenna 
 of fire.' As to the latter, some have fancied 
 an allusion to some peculiarly ignominious 
 punishment inflicted in the valley of Hinnom, 
 while others understand the punishment of 
 hell, according to the general N. T. use of the 
 term Gehenna. But it is quite difficult, in- 
 deed impossible, to make out any corre- 
 sponding climax in the three offences, espe- 
 cially to show that calling a man 'fool' is 
 immensely worse than calling him Raca 
 ('simpleton'), as much worse as the differ- 
 ence between being stoned to death and 
 suffering eternal perdition. 1 These difficul- 
 ties are avoided by "discarding the idea of 
 a climax altogether, and explaining the three 
 clauses as substantially equivalent, though 
 formally dissimilar expressions of the same 
 idea, namely, that the law of God forbids not 
 only murder but malignant anger, and its 
 oral manifestations.' 1 (Alexander. ) Our Lord 
 is showing that he enjoins a more inward and 
 spiritual morality than they were accustomed 
 to; and he says that not merely is murder 
 a crime, deserving the severe punishment 
 
 which the local tribunals were wont to inflict, 
 but that anger is a crime, and should be pun- 
 ished too (comp. 1 John 3: 15); and that th 
 use of words of contempt is an offence worth 
 to be punished by the highest tribunal, y 
 worthy of eternal perdition. Edersh. rep 
 sents the sages in the Talmud as declarin 
 that to give an opprobrious by-name, o 
 to put another openly to shame, was on 
 of those things which deserved Gehenn 
 Of course all this supposes that the ange 
 and the contemptuous expressions are un- 
 warranted and involve malignant feelin 
 A man may be justified in being angr, 
 with another under certain circumstanc 
 a?, under certain circumstances, he ma, 
 be justified in killing another. In Mark 3: 
 5, Revised Version, Jesus is said to hav 
 looked round upon the people "with anger, 
 being grieved at the hardening of their hearts, 
 (comp. John 2: 15); and the apostles tell 
 to "be angry and sin not" (E P h.4:26), and 
 be "slow to wrath." (James i: 19.) Yet whil 
 feelings of indignation at wrong-doing a 
 not necessarily sinful, they are very apt to 
 become so, and need the most careful guard 
 ing. Especially is anger likely to becom 
 sinful if not quickly repressed; and hence th 
 injunction, "Let not the sun go down upo 
 your wrath." (Eph. 4:26.) Comp. Aristotle: 
 "He that is angry for what he ought, and 
 moreover as he ought, and when and as long 
 as he ought, is commended." And so as to 
 using expressions of contempt. Our Lord 
 calls the Scribes and Pharisees 'fools' in 23: 
 17, and uses equivalent terms in Luke 12: 20; 
 24: 25, one of which is also applied by Paul 
 to the Galatians (Gai.3:i,s); and the word 
 rendered 'vain' in James 2: 20 is literally 
 'empty,' and exactly corresponds to Raca. 
 Jesus even used still more opprobrious term 
 'devil,' and 'Satan.' (ie; -a-, Joim6:-o.) It-fol- 
 lows that the use of such terms of reproach is 
 not essentially and necessarily wrong, but it 
 is very apt to spring from, or to lead to, 
 wrong feelings, and may thus constitute a 
 great sin; it should therefore be habitually 
 avoided, and practiced only where it is cer- 
 tainly deserved and would do good. On the 
 
 1 Some fancy that more, 'fool,' though a familiar here in the Aramaic form, mora, like rakat And then 
 Greek word, is here really a Heb. word moreh, signify- this word is not greatly stronger than ' fool,' and would 
 ing ' rebel ' or ' stubborn.' (See Tholuck, Alford, Stan- j not materially lessen the difficulty, 
 ley.) But would it not in that case have been given |
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 105 
 
 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and | 23 shall be in danger > of the * hell of fire. If therefore 
 there remeuiberest that thy brother hath aught against thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there re- 
 thee ; memberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, 
 
 J4 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy 24 leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, 
 wav ; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then conie first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and 
 and offer thy gift. 
 
 1 Qr. unto or into. . . .2 Gr. Gehenna o/Jlre. 
 
 other hand, we must remember that a man 
 might scrupulously avoid the use of the par- 
 ticular terms 'simpleton' and 'fool,' and still 
 be frequently violating the spirit of our 
 Lord's teaching. Of course if such angry 
 expressions as these are sinful, how much 
 more sinful is all cursing, a thing wrong in 
 itself, and for which men sometimes plead as 
 an excuse, that they were uncontrollably 
 angry that is, the very sinful words are ex- 
 cusable because they proceed from a very 
 sinful feeling. 
 
 23. Having thus declared that according to 
 his teachings, the principle of the law against 
 murder applies to anger and insult (coinp. 1 
 John 3: 15;, he adds the injunction to become 
 reconciled to one with whom we are at vari- 
 ance. This should be done at once, even if it 
 requires the interruption of a sacrifice (v. zsr.); 
 should be done while with a plaintiff on the 
 way, before reaching the court, (v. zsr.) No- 
 tice that here, (v. 2S-M), the singular is used, 
 'thou,' whereas the plural had been em- 
 ployed before, and is afterwards resumed. 
 He thus takes an individual case, as it were 
 singling out one person and addressing him, 
 and thereby gives greater point to the pre- 
 cept, just as is sometimes done by all public 
 speakers, especially by preachers. A similar 
 change to the singular may be seen in v. 29, 
 36, 39, and comp. on 6: 5. 
 
 Therefore if, presenting the injunction as 
 an inference from, or result of, that which 
 precedes. Since the prohibition just made 
 extends not merely to outward acts, but to 
 words and feelings of anger and contempt, it 
 follows that one ought to seek reconciliation. 
 Thou bring or, art offering. This is the 
 regular use of the term, as in v. 24. Com. 
 Ver. here follows Geneva in rendering by 
 'bring,' but Tyndale, Cranrner. and Rheims, 
 had 'offerest.' Gift, a general term, including 
 all kinds of offerings. The altar, viz., the 
 altar in the inner court of the temple (see on 
 21: 12). And there rememberest, there, 
 while engaged in the most solemn act of the 
 Jewish worship. Brother, see on v. 22. 
 
 Aught or, something against thee. The 
 
 expression is no doubt purposely made gen- 
 eral, so as to cover all cases, even the slight- 
 est ; he does not say, ' is at enmity with thee,' 
 'is angry with thee,' but 'has something 
 against thee.' (Comp. Mark 11 : 25. ) Darby, 
 'something,' Davidson, 'somewhat.' Men are 
 more disposed to remember that they have 
 something against their brother, than that he 
 has something against them. The language 
 implies that in the case supposed the person 
 addressed is himself the offender. But the 
 spirit of the precept applies just as well to cases 
 in which we know we have done no wrong. 
 Shall we merely be willing to be reconciled 
 if we are approached, or are we not under ob- 
 ligation to go and ourselves attempt a recon- 
 ciliation? A man must not sacrifice his dig- 
 nity, neither must he neglect his duty. 
 
 24. Leave there. Do not merely deter- 
 mine that you will go and be reconciled as 
 soon as the gift has been offered. It is com- 
 paratively easy to resolve upon performing a 
 disagreeable duty before long; the point is 
 to perform it at once. Leave there thy gift 
 before the altar, and go, first be reconciled 
 to thy brother, and then come and offer thy 
 gift. (Oritrmwbe, 'go first, be reconciled,' etc., 
 as Meyer, Ewald, Bleek the Greek beingam- 
 biguous, but the meaning in either case sub- 
 stantially thesame.) Alexander: "It is evident 
 that this is not suggested as a case at all 
 likely to occur in real life, or even as a formal 
 rule to be observed if it shall occur, but rather 
 it is a strong assurance that it would be 
 right and proper thus to act, if there were no 
 other means of accomplishing the end re- 
 quired." (Comp on v. 29.) God wished his 
 people to show mercy, rather than to offer 
 sacrifice. Acts of worship are very import- 
 ant, but even an act of worship might properly 
 be postponed that we may re-establish friendly 
 relations with one who has a complaint against 
 us. It is an utter misapprehension to take this 
 precept as indicating that there is a special 
 propriety in seeking reconciliation before par- 
 taking of the Lord's Supper, with the practi-
 
 106 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. V. 
 
 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou 
 art in the way with him ; lest at any time the adversary 
 deliver tliee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to 
 the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 
 
 26 Verily 1 say unto thee, Thou shall by no means 
 come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost 1'ar- 
 thiug. 
 
 25 offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, 
 while thou art with him in the way ; lest 'haply the 
 adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge 
 1 deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into 
 
 26 prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no 
 means come out thence, till thou have paid the last 
 farthing. 
 
 1 Some ancient authorities omit deliver thee. 
 
 cal inference often drawn that there is no 
 great harm in postponing reconciliation until 
 that solemnity is approaching. For (1) the 
 reference is to temple-worship, and the prin- 
 ciple would apply just as truly to any other 
 act of public or private devotion as to the 
 Lord's Supper. And (2) the point here is not 
 that even though we should delay to seek rec- 
 onciliation at other times, we must be certain 
 to seek it when engaging in solemn worship; 
 but that so great is the importance of being 
 reconciled at once, whenever the offence is 
 committed or is recalled, that even if one re- 
 members the existence of such a personal dif- 
 ficulty when just engaging in worship, he 
 would do well to suspend the most solemn 
 service in order to go immediately and be 
 reconciled. All the more, then, is it our duty 
 to seek reconciliation at other times. Still, it 
 is of course natural that we should be more 
 likely to think of the need of forgiving and 
 being reconciled when we engage in solemn 
 worship, and so our Lord elsewhere says, 
 (Mark ii : 25, Rev. Ver.) ; ' And whensoever ye stand 
 praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any 
 one.' We are not so much under greater ob- 
 ligation to forgive then than at other times, as 
 more likely then to remember and realize the 
 obligation. 
 
 25, 26. For the connection, see on v. 23. 
 Agree with. Literally, be well disposed to 
 (Grimm, Davidson), which suggests that we 
 must seek to secure good will by showing 
 good will. Quickly, not after a while, some 
 of these times, but quickly. Anger is wrong, 
 and angry difficulties should be settled at 
 once. The adversary at law, in the case 
 here supposed, is a creditor, as shown by v. 
 26. While thou art in the way with him, 
 viz. t on the way to the judge. According to 
 the Roman law, the plaintiff could. carry the 
 accused with him before the judge; the de- 
 fendant might settle the matter on any terms 
 while they were on the way, but after the 
 
 tribunal was reached the thing must go ac- 
 cording to law. Lest at any time. (Per- 
 haps, or simply 'lest,' as Tyndale snd Geneva, 
 Noyes and Davidson.) You do not know 
 but it will turn out as about to be described, 
 and had better guard against such a result. 
 Deliver thee, hand thee over. And the 
 judge . . , J to the officer, the intermediate 
 process of trial and conviction being omitted, 
 as a thing naturally understood. And, in 
 that case, thou be cast into prison, an 
 easy change of construction (as in Luke 14: 
 8f., and often.) Verily I say unto thee, 
 see on v. 18. Thou shalt by no means, or, 
 not, the same strong negation as in v. 18, 20. 
 Farthing represents a small Roman coin of 
 brass, equal in value to about two-fifths of a 
 cent, and thus double the 'mite' (Marki2:), 
 which Luke has in the other instance of our 
 Lord's employing this image. (Luke 12: 59.) The 
 Talmud refers to a similar counsel as prover- 
 bial: "There are men that say, while thou art 
 in the way with thy adversary, be obedient." 
 Most commentators understand this lan- 
 guage of our Lord as referring allegorically 
 to the necessity of being reconciled to God, 
 j lest he cast us into the perpetual imprison- 
 ! rnent of perdition ; while Romanists make it 
 a proof-text for purgatory, and some Univer- 
 salists for final restoration (viz., when the 
 debt has been paid) ; but the whole connec- 
 tion (see on v. 23) seems clearly to require 
 that we should take it in the simple, natural 
 sense. (So Chrys., with Theophyl., and Eu- 
 thym., Jerome, Zwingli, and Calvin, and 
 even Gill, usually so given to allegorizing.) 
 We might say that the passage affords a good 
 illustration of the spiritual truth in question, 
 but there is no sufficient indication that our 
 ! Lord here meant to teach that truth. Cer- 
 tainly the duty of adjusting personal difficul- 
 ties, for which specific directions are after- 
 wards given (is: 15 ir.), is one of such immense 
 importance that we may well be content to 
 
 'Deliver thee,' after judge, is wanting in some of the earliest authorities, and is evidently an addition 
 naturally made by copyists or students.
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 107 
 
 regard that as all the Saviour is here teach- 
 ing. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 17, 18. The Old Testament. 1) Its teach- 
 ings still instructive, whether they be histor- 
 ical, preceptive, ceremonial, or predictive. 
 2) Its precepts still binding, with the neces- 
 sary adaptations to a spiritual dispensation ; 
 and its moral requirements made more search- 
 ing and spiritual by the N. T. CALVIN: "It 
 is of no little avail for strengthening faith in 
 the gospel to be told that it is nothing else than 
 a complement of the law." The O. T. and 
 the N. T. are necessary to each other, as parts 
 of one whole. When men begin by dispar- 
 aging the 0. T., they will end with like views 
 of the N. T. THEOPHYL. : " What the law 
 sketched, Christ painted completely. The 
 painter does not destroy the sketch, but rather 
 fills it up." AUGUSTINE: "The New Test. 
 lies hidden in the Old ; the Old Test, lies un- 
 folded in the New." EUTHYM. : "While the 
 law forbids the ends of sins, Christ forbade 
 also the beginnings. For murder is a fruit of 
 sin ; but the root of the sin is anger. And un- 
 less the root be removed, it will some time or 
 other bear fruit." DYKES: "To the philo- 
 sophic statesman, and to the religious reformer 
 of every generation, the best recommendation 
 of what is new will always be that it comes, 
 not to destroy the old, but to fulfill it; to un- 
 derstand its spirit, to realize its purpose, to 
 carry forward its work, and to make every 
 change an unfolding into higher power." 
 HENRY : "Let not the pious/ear, nor the pro- 
 fane hope, that Christianity will destroy the 
 law." V. 19. All should both do and teach. 
 
 1) The professed teacher must also be a doer. 
 
 2) The humblest private Christian must 
 not be content with doing, but also teach. 
 CHRYS. : " For on this account he himself 
 has set the doing before the teaching; to inti- 
 mate that so most of all may one be able to 
 teach." Least commandments. 1) Moral 
 precepts are more important than ceremonies. 
 (Comp. 7: 12; 15: 11.) 2) Some ceremonies 
 are more important than others. 3) What- 
 ever God has commanded is important. P. 
 ABOTH: "Be attentive to a light precept as 
 to a grave, for thou knowest not the assigned 
 reward of precepts." (Comp. Eph. 6: 2f. 
 with Deut. 22: 7.) HENRY: "It is a danger- 
 ous thing, in doctrine or practice, to disannul 
 
 the least of God's commands; either to con- 
 tract their extent, or to weaken the obligation 
 of them." Men sometimes say, as to one point 
 or another, "Oh, this is a very unimportant 
 matter, after all." But is it a commandment 
 of God's word ? Then beware how you disre- 
 gard it. V. 20. The Scribes and Pharisees 
 led externally a blameless life, corrupt as they 
 were inwardly. We ought to cherish better 
 principles and motives than they did, but 
 surely we ought not to fall below them in out- 
 ward conduct. Shall grateful love to our 
 Saviour fail to make Christians as " careful to 
 maintain good works" (TH. 3:8), as those Jews 
 were through ostentation and self-righteous- 
 ness? If content to let it be otherwise, have 
 we reason to feel assured that we have entered 
 into Messiah's kingdom, that we are Christ's 
 people at all ? Our righteousness should in- 
 clude, not only outward acts, but also feel- 
 ings. (See the examples which our Lord pro- 
 ceeds to give.) 
 
 V. 21. HENRY: "The law was ancient, but 
 not antiquated." Killing. 1) When it is 
 lawful, and no sin. 2) When it is sinful to 
 some extent. 3) When it is one of the greatest 
 possible sins. The evil of carrying concealed 
 weapons. Dueling. V. 22. Anger. 1) Even 
 when justifiable and righteous, always very 
 apt to become sinful. 2) Sometimes such in 
 character and degree as to share the guilt of 
 murder. 3) Contempt for others, a milder 
 form of anger, is often highly sinful. TAL- 
 MUD (Wiin.) : " Whenever a man is angry, 
 if a wise man, wisdom leaves him ; if a pro- 
 phet, the prophetic gift leaves him." HENRY : 
 "Anger is sinful. 1) When it is without any 
 just provocation given; 2) When it is without 
 any good end aimed at; 3) When it exceeds 
 due bounds." V. 21 f. The three great de- 
 partments of sin sinful actions, sinful words, 
 sinful feelings. The sin of calling "bad 
 names" ; e. g., rationalist, heretic, infidel ; or 
 bigot, persecutor, proselyter, sectarian, un- 
 charitable, illiberal; or Pharisee, hypocrite, 
 Jesuit. In all such cases, is the epithet justly 
 applicable, and are we applying it with a 
 right aim and in a right spirit? Otherwise 
 we sin. Jesus called some men fools, hypo- 
 crites, serpents, devil, Satan, when such an 
 epithet was known to him to be deserved, and 
 when good would come from applying it. 
 
 V. 23 f. The high duty of seeking recon-
 
 108 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. V. 
 
 27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old 
 time, Thou shall not commit adultery: 
 
 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever tooketh on a 
 a woman to "lust after her hath committed adultery 
 with her already iu his heart. 
 
 27 Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not 
 
 28 commit adultery : but I say unto you, that every one 
 that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath com- 
 
 ciliation ; thinking not merely whether you 
 have something against others, but especially 
 when others have something against you. To 
 seek reconciliation is a higher duty than the 
 most solemn act of worshsp. Life is more 
 important than external acts of worship, and 
 a healthy life will make worship more accept- 
 able and profitable. Yet he does not say, Go 
 and be reconciled instead of offering thy gift, 
 but then come and offer. Worship without 
 charity, charity without worship, worship and 
 charity; love God and thy neighbor. GRIF- 
 FITH : " There is often as much mischief done 
 to social harmony by a proud determination 
 not to confess ourselves in the wrong, or not 
 to make too easy, submissive reparation for 
 wrong, as by the actual doing of wrong." 
 STIER : " Be reconciled, forgive or obtain for- 
 giveness, do at least thy best, that so nothing 
 may be set against thy account by the great 
 Judge." Rom. 12: 18, "If it be possible, so 
 far as in you lies, live peaceably with all 
 men." If otherwise, let it proceed from the 
 other side. V. 25 f. GRIFFITH: "There, is a 
 new case here. The first requirement (v. 23 r.) 
 was, offer reparation spontaneously, before it 
 is demanded of you. This second is, Yield 
 reparation ungrudgingly, when it is demanded 
 of you. Strive to settle personal difficulties 
 in private, without waiting for the interven- 
 tion of legal processes, (i Cor. 6:6-8.) In like 
 manner it is best to settle difficulties without 
 taking them before the church, (is: is.) It is 
 melancholy to see how many personal diffi- 
 culties arise among men, and even among the 
 professed followers of Christ, and how often 
 both sides are proud and unbending, instead 
 of acting as he here solemnly enjoins. Chris- 
 tian, stop a moment and think. Is there some 
 one with whom you are at variance ? Then 
 eease reading at this line, and prayerfully 
 consider whether you cannot do something 
 towards reconciliation. Make an effort, even 
 if you have before tried in vain, an honest 
 and earnest effort, in the fear of God ; and 
 
 then return to read, with a meek and gentle 
 spirit, these words of our Saviour. 
 
 27-32. THE LAW CONCERNING ADUL- 
 TERY AND DIVORCE. 
 
 By this second example (see on v. 21) our 
 Lord further illustrates and applies the state- 
 ment of v. 17-20 that he does not propose to 
 relax the requirements of the law, but enjoins 
 a still stricter and more spiritual morality. 
 
 27. Ye have heard that it was said. See 
 on v. 21. By to them of old time, is here 
 a spurious addition from v. 21. * It may be 
 noticed (Stier) that a certain variety is ob- 
 served in introducing this series of examples; 
 the full phrase of v. 21 is shortened in v. 27 and 
 still further in v. 33 ; and then in v. 33 the 
 full phrase is resumed, to be again shortened 
 in v. 38 and 43. Thou shalt not commit 
 adultery. (EX. 20 : 14 : Dent. &-. is.) This prohibi- 
 tion of a particular species of unchastity may 
 be regarded as carrying with it in principle 
 like others of the ten commandments the 
 prohibition of unchastity in general. No ad- 
 dition to tbis commandment is said to have 
 been made in the traditional teaching, as was 
 done in the former case (-2i); but we know 
 that the Jewish teachers were disposed to limit 
 the commandment to actual adultery. Jesus 
 extends it so as to forbid dallying with the 
 corresponding desires. He thus 'completes' 
 the law. (v. 17.) 
 
 28. But I say. The 'I' is emphatic; see 
 on v. 22. To lust after her, i. e., with a 
 view to lust after her, an intentional looking 
 for the purpose of stimulating, and delight- 
 ing in, impure desire. This, ' with a view to,' 
 is the proper force of the Greek phrase, the 
 same that is used in 6: 1 ; 13: 30; 23: 5. The 
 English word 'lust' originally signified de- 
 sire of any kind, good or bad (as in German 
 now). In the Scriptures it is used only for 
 evil desires, and at the present day is confined 
 to one particular class of evil desires. The 
 Greek word here used signifies 'desire' in 
 general, and is used in a good sense in 13 : 17; 
 
 1 It is wanting in most of the early authorities, and is 
 manifestly an addition by way of assimilation to v. 21, 
 etc. Its presence in some Old Latin codices (with the 
 
 Vulg.) and in the Old Syriac, shows that the addition 
 was.made early, by the middle of the second century, 
 like many other corruptions of the text.
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 109 
 
 29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and 
 cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of 
 thy members should perish, aud not that thy whole 
 body should be cast into hell. 
 
 29 mined adultery with her already in his heart. And 
 if thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, 
 and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee 
 that oiie of thy members should perish, aud uot thy 
 
 Luke 22 : 15, and some other passages. More 
 frequently it has a bad sense, as in Mark 4: 19, 
 etc., denoting evil desires in general (human 
 desires being so often evil). The specific sense 
 of sexual desire is found (in the New Test. ) 
 only here and in Rom. 1 : 24, though of course 
 included, along with other desires, in most 
 cases of the bad sense. Hath committed 
 adultery with her already in his heart. 
 The distinction between our Lord's teachings 
 and what they were accustomed to, is essen- 
 tially the same as in v. 21 f. Jesus condemns, 
 not merely the outward act of sin, but the 
 cherishing of sinful desire. Stier : "He who 
 experiences at a first glance this desire, and 
 then instead of turning away and withdraw- 
 ing from sin (2 Pet. 2: 14), throws a second glance 
 with lustful intent and in order to retain and 
 increase that impulse, commits the sin." As 
 in 1 John 3 : 15, ' whosoever hateth his brother 
 is a murderer,' so here, every one that cher- 
 ishes lust by a look is an adulterer. Comp. 
 Job 31: 1; Prov. 6: 25; 2 Sam. 11: 2, 4; and 
 2 Pet. 2: 14, 'eyes full of adultery.' The 
 Greek and Roman and the Jewish writers 
 have also many sayings (see in Wet., Gill), 
 as to the sinful ness of a lustful look. 
 
 29 f. The vigorous self-restraint which is 
 requisite in order to avoid the sin just forbid- 
 den, suggests the idea that all our propensities 
 must be controlled, and that the greatest pos- 
 sible self-denial would be far better than that 
 suffering in hell, which must be the reward 
 of sinful gratifications. This corresponds to 
 the application made in v. 23, and here again 
 the tidress is to an individual, 'thou.' 
 
 Thy right eye, literally, thy eye, the right 
 (eye) ; even an eye, even the best eye. must 
 in such a case be given up. Comp. Ex. 29: 
 20; 1 Sam. 11:2; Zech. 11: 17. The 'eye' is 
 doubtless selected because suggested by the 
 preceding sentence (T. 2s), and also because of 
 its general importance. Offend thee, or, 
 causes thee to stumble, or 'to sin.' The Greek 
 word is found in Sept., and quite often in N. 
 T., though not found in profane Greek 
 writers, and involves such difficulties as to 
 justify a detailed explanation. Comp. Connnt. 
 
 (1) The noun (skandalon), from which this 
 verb is derived, denotes primarily the trap- 
 stick or trigger of a net or trap, against which 
 the game strikes and causes the trap to fall; 
 and derivatively, anything against which 
 one strikes, whether a stumbling-block, as in 
 Lev. 19: 14: 'Thou shalt not put a stumbling- 
 block before the blind,' or more rarely, an 
 obstacle set to hinder the progress of any one, 
 as in the apocryphal book of Judith (6:i) it is 
 said the Israelites had put walls on the moun- 
 tain-tops, and 'obstacles' (or 'obstructions') 
 in the plains, to resist the progress of the in- 
 vaders. From these derivative senses corne 
 several figurative uses, as to moral and re- 
 ligious objects: (a) A stumbling-block, as 
 causing one to fall into sin. (Matt. 13 : 41; is: 7; 
 
 Luke 17: 1 ; Bom. 14:13; Uohu2: 10; Key. 2: 14.) (b) An 
 
 obstacle which men strike against and stop, 
 
 an Occasion Of disbelief. (Rom. 9:S2f. ; 16:17; 1 Cor. 
 1:23; !Peter2:8.) (c) An object which One 
 
 strikes against and is hurt or repelled, so as 
 to be displeased with it, an "offence" in the 
 present English sense of that word. (Matt. ie: 
 23; 0*1.6: n.) (By further derivation comes 
 our English use of scandal, which word is 
 borrowed from the Greek, but conveys a 
 meaning no where found in Greek use.) In 
 some cases two of these senses may be united, 
 as the second and third in 1 Cor. 1:23. (In 
 Rom. 11: 9, the reference is probably not to 
 a stumbling-block, but to the primary sense 
 of a trap-stick or trigger, as a figure for a 
 means of destruction). (2) In like manner the 
 verb (skandalizo) is used figuratively in three 
 corresponding senses: (a) To make one stum- 
 ble and fall, to cause to sin. (Matt. 5:29 r.-, is-. 6-9 ; 
 
 Luke 17: 2; Rom. 14:21 ; 1 Cor. 8: 13; 2 Cor. 11: 29.) (b) To 
 
 obstruct one's path or make him stop, to cause 
 one to disbelieve, and reject or forsake. (Man. n : 
 
 6; 13:21,67; 15: 12; 24: 10; 20: 31, S3 ; Johu 16: 1.) (c) To 
 
 pain or displease, to offend in our modern 
 sense of the word, (Matt. 17:27; John 6: ei.) (And 
 from this bj r further derivation comes our 
 peculiar English use of the borrowed word 
 "scandalize.") Here also, as with the noun, 
 two or three senses may sometimes be found 
 combined. 1 
 
 1 It has always been found difficult to translate the 'offend,' which might have been developed into nil the 
 words into English. Tyndale introduced the Latin senses of the liiblical Greek term, but has uot been.
 
 110 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. V. 
 
 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut ii off, and 
 cast it from thee: lor it is profitable for thee that one 
 of thy members should perish, aud not thai thy whole 
 body should be cast into hell. 
 
 31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his 
 wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement : 
 
 30 whole body be cast into 1 hell. And if thy rijjht hand 
 causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and 'cast it from 
 thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy 
 members should perish, and not thy whole body go 
 
 31 into ! hell. It was said also, Whosoever shall put away 
 his wile, let him give her a writing of divorcement : 
 
 1 Or. Gehenna. 
 
 Thus the idea is, if thy right eye causes 
 thee to sin. The expression is obviously de- 
 signed to teach a general lesson by " assuming 
 an extreme case," a method quite "character- 
 istic of our Lord's teachings," (see Alexander, 
 and comp. on v. 24 and v. 39). He is not 
 presenting this as an actual case, or one likely 
 to occur; but " if it should occur, if the only 
 alternative presented to a man were habitual 
 transgression or the loss of his most valuable 
 members," then he ought to "choose mutila- 
 tion rather than a life of sin ; and that choice 
 includes all minor cases, as the whole includes 
 the part, and as the greater comprehends the 
 less." 
 
 For it is profitable for thee. The appeal 
 is to a man's own higher interest, which is 
 really promoted by all the self-sacrifice and 
 self-denial required by the word of God. 
 That one of thy members should perish, 
 or simply 'that one of thy members perish,' 
 the old English subjunctive. 1 Be cast, same 
 term as in the preceding clause. Hell, Ge- 
 henna, the place of torment. See on.v. 22. 
 
 30. Another and entirely similar illustra- 
 tion of the principle in question. The repeti- 
 tion and reiteration of a thought, with only 
 slight change of figure or phrase, is character- 
 istic of the Scriptures; and it is not merely to 
 be noted as a literary peculiarity, for the in- 
 
 spired writers, and the Great Teacher, employ 
 this means of impressing upon men truths 
 which are important and which they are un- 
 willing to receive. So preachers are often 
 compelled to do now; and though the fastid- 
 ious may complain, as in the days of Isaiah, 
 that they are treated too much like children 
 (u.28:io), yet others, and perhaps the com- 
 plainers themselves, often need amplification 
 and repetition while of course these should 
 not be used as an expedient to disguise pov- 
 erty of thought, by hammering a very little 
 gold into a very large surface. There is some- 
 thing exceedingly solemn and stately in the 
 repetition here; and in 18: 8 f., where our 
 Lord presents the same idea in a different 
 connection, we find the fact also introduced, 
 as a still further amplification (comp. on 7 : 
 9-11); it may also be noticed that there the 
 eye is mentioned last (comp. Mark 9: 43 ff. ), 
 while here it comes first, because of v. 28. 
 Be cast into hell, literally go off or away 
 into hell. This reading is required by the best 
 authorities for the Greek text; it was changed 
 so as to be like v. 29. 
 
 31 f. The extreme facility of divorce which 
 existed among the Jews of our Saviour's time, 
 was the occasion, on a large scale, of the sin 
 of adultery (v.sz); and thus the transition is 
 very natural from the topic of the preceding 
 
 The Great Bible's' hynder' was a failure. The Ge- 
 neva took ' cause to offend,' and so Bible Un., Noyes, and 
 Davidson. King James put this sometimes in the 
 margin, and in the text imitated Tyndale. But this 
 rendering has long been a stumbling-block to the gen- 
 eral reader, and an offence to scholars. The Rev. Ver. 
 has given perhaps the best available renderings, but 
 various senses above described require to be carefully 
 distln<ni1shed by the reader. The Syrlac uses the same 
 root as one which in Hebrew signifies to cause to totter, 
 stumble, fall. The Coptic and the Latin versions here 
 transferred the Greek word scandalizo, and following 
 the Vulgate the Rheims version say s 'scandalize,' which 
 to a modern English reader is even more misleading 
 than ' offend.' Wyclifs 'slander 'is but another de- 
 rivative (through the French) from the same scanda- 
 lizo. 
 
 i This use of hina, and the subjunctive, which is com- 
 mon in the Sept. aud extremely so in N. T., though 
 
 very rare in classic Greek, should not be called subfinal 
 or hypotelic, for it is not at all a weakening of the telic 
 or final sense, but is entirely independent. The clause 
 Introduced by hina is here really nominative to the verb 
 ' is profitable' (the Greek having no equivalent for our 
 'it' In such expressions). So in 10:25; 18:6, 14. 
 Sometimes it is accusative, either of the direct object 
 (u : 86 ; 26 : 63), or of general reference, ' as to ' ( 8 : 8 ) ; in 
 fact the final use really belongs under this last head. 
 And sometimes It is appositionnl, whether to a nomina- 
 tive (Luke 1 : 48), an accusative (->i"> e : 29), or a locative 
 (John 15 : 8). Whatever special idea may arise is due to 
 the natural relations between the matters spoken 
 of in each case, or to the connection of the statement- 
 Abundant examples may be found in Grimm, but 
 wrongly classified ; nor are these uses at all satisfacto- 
 rily treated by Winer, or Buttmann, or Jelf. (In the 
 similar statement of 18 : 8 f. we find not hina and subj., 
 but the usual classical construction, the infinitive).
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 Ill 
 
 32 but I say unto you, that every one that putteth 
 away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, 
 maketh her an adulteress: and whosoever shall 
 uiarry her when she is put away comuiitteth adul- 
 tery. 
 
 32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away 
 his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth 
 her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry 
 her that is divorced couiniiueth adultery. 
 
 verses to this, which is not to be considered a 
 new and distinct example (see on v. 21), but 
 another department of the same subject. Ac- 
 cordingly it is introduced by a simpler form 
 of expression than in the other cases; not, 
 'Ye have heard that it was said,' but simply, 
 'And it hath been said.' 
 
 The law of Moses (DJUC. u-.i) required that if 
 a man determined to put away his wife, he 
 should give her a formal document to that 
 effect. The Jews in the ( time of Christ 
 were greatly at variance as to the proper 
 cause of divorce, but most of them held 
 that it was lawful for a man to dismiss his 
 wife 'for every cause' (see on 19:3), and 
 that there was no restriction at all except 
 that he must give her the document. Accord- 
 ingly, in this case also our Lord is not setting 
 aside the law ( IT), nor at all conflicting with j 
 its true design. The Israelites, like other j 
 Oriental nations, had no doubt been inclined 
 to great laxity in the matter of divorce, and 
 Moses was not encouraging this, but to some 
 extent restricting it (so also Henry, Achelis, 
 Rutschi in Herzog), by appointing that a 
 man should not send off his wife with a mere 
 oral dismissal, which he might do in a fit of 
 passion, but should give her a regular writing. 
 (Maimonides gives a form in use in his day, 
 twelfth century, see in Lightfoot or Gill.) 
 This, especially in the earliest period, when 
 fi;w could write, would require a Levite to 
 prepare it, and thus give opportunity for re- 
 flection and advice, and would besides place 
 the rejected wife in a better position for the 
 future, by showing that she had been a lawful 
 
 wife. The document, according to the inten- 
 tention of the law, implied that she was inno- 
 cent of adultery ; for if a wife was guilty of 
 that crime the law required that she should 
 be put to death, and there would in that case 
 be no need of a divorce at all. Still, it was 
 not considered obligatory to inflict this pen- 
 alty. (Cornp. on 1 : 19.) A further restriction 
 upon the facility of divorce was made by the 
 provision (Dem. 24:2-4) that after the termina- 
 tion, by divorce or death, of another marriage 
 on the part of the woman, the man who for- 
 merly divorced her could not then take her 
 back, as this would shock the instinctive sense 
 of propriety. It thus appears that Jesus is 
 here carrying out the design of the Mosaic 
 enactment by a still further restriction in the 
 same direction ; is not abrogating the law, 
 but completing it. (v. IT.) According to the 
 terms of the law, and the common usage of the 
 Jews, only the husband could divorce; and 
 so our Lord speaks here only of what the 
 husband may do. But on a later occasion 
 (Mark io: 12), he mentions also the case of a 
 woman's putting away her husband. It is 
 natural that Mark rather than Matthew 
 should record this as it was a case much 
 more likely to occur among Gentiles than 
 among Jew*. 
 
 32. In this verse, instead of whosoever, 
 the correct text gives the slightly stronger ex- 
 pression, every one who, as in Kev. Ver., 
 every single one, as in v. 28 (comp. on v. 22). 
 But I say unto you. ' I ' emphatic, see on 
 v. 22. Jesus recognizes only one sufficient 
 ground of divorce. 1 It is a part of the mys- 
 
 'The Greek terra einployed.pornefn (which primarily 
 signifies ' harlotry,' the primary signification of forni- 
 cation aNo) is not always con fined to unchastity in un- 
 married persons, but applied to the married also, as in 
 1 Cor. 5 : 1 ff. ; Amos 7 : 17. The corresponding Hebrew 
 Word is the one always employed figuratively to denote 
 Israel's unfaithfulness to Jehovah, her husband. Thus 
 in Ezek. 23 : 5, Aholnh (Samaria), after " bearing sons 
 and daughters" to Jehovah (v. 6), " played the harlot 
 when she was mine," comp. Num. 5: 19 f. See Hosea 
 3: 3, and Gesen. on znnah. Dion Cass. says of the Kin- 
 press Messalina, kni emoicheucto knt eporneneto, 'she both 
 committed adultery and played the harlot.' Chrys. says 
 bere : " Do you see how this agrees with what precedes ? 
 
 For he that does not look at another man's wife with 
 unchastenedeyes, will not commit porncia; and not com- 
 mitting porneia, he will not afford the husband occasion 
 to cast out his wife." Chrys. certainly knew Greek, and 
 he distinctly applies this term to the case of a married 
 woman. So Theophyl. and Euthym. expressly, and so 
 Origen on 19: 9. Appollinarius (in Cremer), says, 
 " Christ allows one to put away her that lias committed 
 fornication, because she dissolved the physical union." 
 Jerome speaks of the wife as having "separated her- 
 self from her husband by fornication." The Peshtto 
 Syrlac translates by ' adultery ' in 19 : 9, though not in 
 0: 82, and though distinguishing the two terms In 15: 
 19 and elsewhere. Almost all expositors have under-
 
 112 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. 
 
 tery of human nature that the connection be- 
 tween husband and wife produces a strange 
 
 feeling of Oneness. (Gu. 2: 2r; Eph.5:S8; especially 1 
 
 Cor. 6:15 r.) And it is only when the sacred tie 
 which thus bound them has been broken, that 
 either of them may lawfully form a marriage 
 union with another person. It is not said that 
 in such a case the husband must put away the 
 offending wife, but in saying that he must not 
 except in that cae, it is implied that then he 
 may. Hovey : "This crime is one which in- 
 flicts so deep a wound on the innocent party, 
 and violates so utterly and completely the 
 substance of conjugal duty, that it is recog- 
 nized by God as a valid ground for divorce, 
 whenever this is sought by the unoffending 
 husband or wife." But "there are many pas- 
 sages of the Old Testament in which God ad- 
 dresses his people as an adulterous wife, whom, 
 however, he still recognizes as his own, and 
 strives to recover from idolatry''; and the 
 wronged husband or wife is at liberty to exer- 
 cise like forbearance. The same rule as here 
 is laid down at greater length in 19 : 3-9 (see 
 notes), and repeated on a third occasion, 
 Luke 16 : 18. The directions given by Paul 
 in 1 Cor. 7: 10-18 refer to a peculiar state of 
 things, but are in accordance with our Lord's 
 teachings, to which Paul expressly refers. 
 Where only one of a heathen couple had be- 
 come a Christian, the apostle says it was best 
 for them to continue together, since that might 
 result in the salvation of the one not yet con- 
 verted (i Cor. 7: 10,16) ; but if the unbeliever in- 
 sists on a separation, the believer is not 
 'under bondage,' 'enslaved' in such cases 
 (. is), not compelled to live with the unbeliver, 
 whether or no. (The word is not simply 
 'bound,' but 'enslaved,' and quite different 
 from that rendered 'bound' in Rom. 7: 2f., 
 which refers to the bond of marriage.) Yet 
 the parties thus separated, the apostle says, 
 must remain unmarried, and the believer 
 must seek reconciliation. (. n.) Putting to- 
 gether that passage and our Lord's teachings, 
 
 we learn that a husband and wife may for suf- 
 ficient cause separate and live apart, but may 
 not marry again unless the tie between them 
 has been severed through the commission, by 
 one or the other, of the crime our Lord men- 
 tions. If a man divorced his wife for any 
 other cause, Jesus declares that he would be 
 causing her to commit adultery, i. e., if she 
 should be married to another; and whosoever 
 should marry her when divorced (or, 'marry 
 a divorce! [woman]'; it may mean either, 
 and there is no important difference) unless, 
 of course, the divorce were for the sufficient 
 cause here mentioned would be committing 
 adultery, as she would still be, in the view of 
 the divine law, the first husband's wife. 
 (Comp. Hovey on The Scriptural Law of Di- 
 vorce, Am. Bapt. Pub. Soc. ) It has been 
 well remarked that as the only ground of di- 
 vorce which our Lord admits is one pertain- 
 ing to the essential nature of the marriage 
 relation, no changes in the form of the out- 
 ward union, or of the outward divorce, can 
 make any difference in this respect. It fol- 
 lows that all legislation which allows of di- 
 vorce "from the bond of marriage," except 
 for the cause here named, is contrary to Christ's 
 teaching. It may be very well to legalize sep- 
 aration, with reference to questions of prop- 
 erty, support, the control of children, etc., 
 as is done in the so-called divorce " from bed 
 and board" ; and in cases where the civil law 
 does not provide for this, but permits a com- 
 plete legal divorce, it may be allowable to 
 i seek such divorce as an arrangement for sep- 
 | aration ; but still neither party has a moral 
 I right to re-marry, unless the religious union 
 has been violated by the unchastity of one of 
 j them. In that case the innocent party has a 
 right to full divorce and re-marriage; our 
 Lord has said nothing as to the question 
 whether the guilty party has a moral right to 
 marry again. This could be true only after 
 unquestionable repentance. Comp. the case 
 of a man who has killed his wife. But f<>r 
 
 stood the word in this passage as signifying unchastiiy 
 iu general. See Grot., Meyer, Weiss. As the general 
 terra it would include the case of adultery, and also that 
 in which a wife was found to have been unchaste before 
 marriage, which latter case the law treated as having 
 the same guilt and requiring the same punishment as 
 adultery. (Dent, n: 21 f.) Dollinger urges that this last 
 is in Matt, the sole meaning, but unsuccessfully. Yet 
 if the term 'adultery' had been here used, it would 
 
 have excluded this case. We thus see a reason for em- 
 ploying the general term, here and in 19: 9.' Maketh 
 her an adulteress,' (r. si), represents the correct Greek 
 text. It means that if she is taken as wife by another 
 man, her first husband has caused her to be now an 
 adulteress, by putting her away without proper ground ! 
 and the second husband becomes an adulterer, for she 
 is still properly the wife of the other man. The woman 
 appears as passive.
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 113 
 
 33 Again, ye have beard that it hath been said by 
 them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but 
 shall perform unto the Lord thine oaths : 
 
 33 Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of 
 old time, Thou shalt not forswtar thyself, but shalt 
 
 civil government to refuse a legal divorce in 
 cases where the Lord distinctly admits it, may 
 be a grievous wrong to the innocent party, 
 who is now absolved from all moral obligation 
 to the other, and yet is not permitted by the 
 civil enactments to marry again, if desired. 
 The Greek and other Oriental Churches, and 
 most Protestant Churches, have always held 
 that in such a case re-marriage is allowable. 
 The Church of Rome forbids it (save by 
 special dispensation), maintaining the per- 
 petual obligation of what it calls the "sacra- 
 ment"' of marriage. The German Protestant 
 Churches are extremely lax as to divorce 
 starting from a wrong interpretation of Paul's 
 teaching, so as to make "desertion" ( i c..r. 
 7; is) a ground of divorce and that fact has 
 embarrassed many of the ablest German com- 
 mentaries upon the present passage. In some 
 of the United States there has also been a 
 grievous facility of divorce, against which a 
 healthy reaction is now in several quarters 
 arising. The new law of England allows 
 legalized separation for various causes, and 
 divorce proper for adultery. The State of 
 South Carolina has no provision for legal di- 
 vorce. (On the history of divorce in ancient 
 and modern times, see Woolsey on "Di- 
 vorce," New York.) 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 28. Licentious looks. How much of 
 grievous sin is committed in this respect before 
 him who perfectly sees the heart, and to whom 
 impurity in the heart is as real a sin as gross 
 acts of unchastity. Many a one would boast, 
 like the Pharisee in the parable, of being no 
 adulterer ( LukelS: n ), who yet has often com- 
 mitted adultery in the heart; and God has 
 se^n it. The principle of our Lord's teaching 
 alike forbids anything else by which men en- 
 courage lustful feeling, as looking for that 
 purpose at works of art, indecent dances, 
 reading, speaking, or hearing obscene stories 
 or obscene jests, filthy imaginations, etc. 
 LUTHER : " You can't prevent the devil from 
 shooting arrows of evil thoughts into your 
 heart; but take care that you do not let such 
 arrows stick fast and grow there. Do as a 
 good old man of past times has said : ' I can't 
 prevent a bird from flying over my head, but 
 
 I can prevent him from making a nest in my 
 hair.'" Remember that the great means of 
 keeping improper thoughts out of our minds, 
 is to keep them filled with good thoughts. (Gai. 
 5:u.) V. 29. Sins of the eye. How many 
 forms of sin are indicated or excited by look- 
 ing. The lustful eye, the jealous eye, the en- 
 vious eye, the revengeful eye, the suspicious 
 eye the gambler's eye, the robber's eye, the 
 flatterer's eye. CHKYS: "For this were not 
 to act as one hating the eye, but as one loving 
 the rest of the body.' 1 PHILO (in Griffith): 
 "It seems to me that all who are not entirely 
 uninstructed will rather blind themselves than 
 gaze on things which are unseemly, and make 
 themselves deaf than listen to hurtful words, 
 and cut out their tongues than speak what 
 ought not to be spoken." Profitable for 
 thee. Man has a complex nature, and the 
 Bible, which is divinely adapted to human 
 nature, appeals not only to conscience, the 
 felt obligation to do right because it is right, 
 but also to our interest in the true and high 
 sense, our hopes and fears for time and for 
 eternity. Scriptural self-denial is real self- 
 interest. V. 30. SENECA (in Griffith.: 
 " Whatever vices rend your heart, cast them 
 from you ; and if they could in no other way 
 be extracted, the heart itself ought to be 
 plucked out with them." DYKES: "The 
 battle of conscience and reason and modesty 
 against appetite, is to be fought within the 
 heart of the tempted man, and for it help is to 
 be found nowhere but on his knees." 
 
 33-37. OATHS.. 
 
 The third example (see on v. 21), by which 
 our Lord illustrates the superiority of the 
 morality he enjoins, is the subject of Oaths. 
 
 (v. 33-37.) 
 
 33. Again. With this term of transition 
 is resumed the full phrase of v. 21. By or 
 to them of old time, or, the ancients. See 
 on v. 21 and 22. Forswear thyself, or per- 
 jure thyself. This refers immediately to Lev. 
 19: 12, 'Thou shalt not swear by my name 
 falsely.' But the expression in the Third 
 Commnndrnent (EX. 20: T; Dent. 5: u) is substan- 
 tially equivalent, viz., literally, 'Thou shalt 
 not lift up (utter) the name of the Lord thy 
 God unto vanity (for falsehood).' But shalt 
 perform unto the Lord thine oaths. This
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. V. 
 
 34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all ; neither by 34 perform unto the Lord thine oaths : but I say unto 
 heaveu ; ibr it is God's throne: you, Swear not at all ; neither by the heaven, for it is 
 
 is an addition which the Jewish teachers seem 
 to have been accustomed to make to the com- 
 mandment, corresponding to those in v. 21 
 and 43, and was probably derived by them 
 from Deut. 23: 21; Num. 30: 8, where the 
 reference is specially to vows. The verb here 
 rendered 'perform 7 is translated by 'pay' in 
 v. 26, and 18: 25-34; 'recompense' in 6: 4, 6, 
 18, Kev. Ver. ; 'render' in 16: 27, Rev. Ver. ; 
 21: 41; 22: 21; and signifies to give back, or 
 to give in full, and hence to repay or to pay 
 off. 1 The idea here is that an oath becomes a 
 debt to the Lord, and we must be sure to pay 
 it. This conception is especially appropriate 
 to a vow. (Same Greek term in Deut. 23: 21 ; 
 Eccl. 5: 4f.) Comp. the representation of 
 sin in general as a debt, in 6: 12. The Jewish 
 teachers correctly interpreted the law as pro- 
 hibiting false swearing. Every assertion ac- 
 companied by an oath must be true; every 
 promise accompanied by an oath must be 
 kept. But this cannot be if men use many 
 oaths; and they sought to evade the difficulty 
 in their usual fashion by a quibble of inter- 
 pretation. The Third Commandment spoke 
 of swearing in the name of Jehovah ; and the 
 law elsewhere (Dent.6:i3) expressly required 
 that they should "swear by his name," i. e., 
 not by the name of any false deity. So the 
 Rabbis held that the law made binding only 
 those oaths which contained some name or 
 peculiar attribute of God, or something else 
 that was eminently sacred. (23:i6tr.) Other 
 oaths, not naming or directly suggesting God, 
 they held to be not binding. The Talmud 
 expressly declares that such oaths as ' by 
 heaven,' 'by the earth,' do not bind at all. 
 And though some teachers set themselves 
 against this (see on next verse), they were 
 borne down by the majority. Accordingly 
 the Jews were remarkable for their frequent 
 use of oaths in ordinary conversation, swear- 
 ing by the temple, by the altar, by the lamb, 
 by the dishes, by the law, by Moses, by the 
 prophets, by the life of the Rabbis, as well 
 as the oaths here mentioned and countless 
 others, and reckoning such oaths to be 'noth- 
 
 ing.' (See on 23: 16 ff.) So common was the 
 practice, that even among those who became 
 Christians it continued as a great evil ; and 
 James, writing to Jewish Christians, con- 
 demns it with special emphasis: "But above 
 all things, my brethren, 'swear not.'" (James 
 5:12; comp. James 3: or.) Many of the same forms 
 of oath are now used in Syria. (Thomson.) 
 
 34. But I say unto you. 'I' emphatic, 
 see on v. 22. Swear not at all. The true 
 way to avoid false swearing is not to swear at 
 all ; the Rabbinical distinction would not hold, 
 for even oaths which did not contain the di- 
 vine name involved some sort of reference to 
 God which made them solemn and obligatory 
 otherwise they would not be used as oaths. 
 Strike at the root of the matter ; do not swear, 
 and you will never swear falsely. In this, as 
 in the previous examples, our Lord is enjoin- 
 ing, not merely an outward and literal obedi- 
 ence to the law, but that regard be had to the 
 principle involved; and he will thus 'com- 
 plete' the law. (v. IT.) The command not to 
 swear falsely was a great restriction upon the 
 familiar use of oaths : Jesus does not abrogate 
 that command, but goes farther in the same 
 direction. Tet as the prohibition of killing 
 and of anger is not to be taken without any 
 exception, it being lawful to kill and to be 
 angry, upon sufficient occasion (see on v. 22), 
 so, we might conclude by parity of reasoning, 
 must be the case here. And accordingly we 
 find our Lord himself consenting to speak 
 when formally put upon oath before the su- 
 preme court (see on 26: 63) ; and the Apostle 
 Paul repeatedly using, where there was special 
 occasion, such expressions as ' God is my wit- 
 ness,' ' I call God for a witness upon my soul,' 
 
 ' Before God I 1 ie not, ' (Rom. 1 : 9 ; t Cor. 1 : 2:1 ; Re. 
 
 Ver., oai. i : 20), which are strong oaths; and the 
 angel in Rev. 10:6, swearing a very solemn 
 oath. So in the 0. T., men being accustomed 
 to swear 'As Jehovah liveth,' God himself is 
 said to swear, ' As I live ' (KK*. ss: n) ; and the 
 Epistle to the Hebrews appeals to God's oath 
 'by myself (Gen. 22:16), as given to strengthen 
 our confidence in the faithfulness of his prom- 
 
 1 Tyndale's 'perform' is retained by all early and I here used. Tyndale and Geneva have 'God' instead of 
 most later English Versions. McClellan ' pay,' and so ' the Lord,' but without authority, and their reason for 
 Com. Ver. in Deut. 23 : 21 ; where Sept. has the word | introducing it does not appear.
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 115 
 
 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither 35 the throne of God; nor by the earth, for it is the 
 by Jerusalem ; for it is the city of the great King. footstool of his feet ; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the 
 
 ise. (neb. 6:isff.) An oath, therefore, is not in- 
 herently and necessarily wrong, and there are 
 occasions which justify its use, as in judicial 
 proceedings (our Lord's example), and where 
 some very solemn asseveration in speech or 
 writing is required by the circumstances. 
 (Paul's example.) But as anger, even when 
 legitimate, is in great danger of becoming sin- 
 ful (see on v. 22), so with oaths, which are 
 often administered in courts of justice with 
 such irreverence as to be highly sinful, and 
 which in individual assertions or promises 
 ought to be confined to very rare and solemn 
 occasions, and to be used, as the apostle does, 
 in the most reverential spirit. The object of 
 explaining that, in this and the other examples 
 treated by our Lord, there may be exceptions 
 to the absolute prohibition, is not to weaken 
 those prohibitions, but partly to exhibit their 
 accordance with other passages which might 
 seem to be in conflict with them, and partly 
 to show that these are no unpractical and im- 
 practicable theories, as so many superficially 
 consider them, but when properly understood 
 are rules for our actual guidance in life. The 
 utter condemnation of all oaths, which has 
 been made by Waldensians, Anabaptists, 
 Mennonists, Quakers, etc., is found already 
 in Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origen, Chrys., 
 Jerome, and other Fathers; yet oaths were 
 sometimes employed by the early Christians, 
 and gradually became common, especially 
 after the union of Church and State. (See 
 Smith's "Diet. Christ. Antiq.") 
 
 Neither by heaven, etc. The Jews usually 
 maintained, as above shown, that an oath was 
 not binding unless it contained the name of 
 God, or mention of one of his attributes. 
 But anything used as an oath must have some 
 sort of relation to God, and this makes it bind- 
 ing, and so it ought to be used i. e., used as 
 if not really an oath. Comp. 23: 22. A few 
 of the Jewish teachers took a similar view, 
 one of them being recorded in the Talmud 
 
 as saying, "If a person swears another by 
 heaven and earth, does he not also swear him 
 by him to whom heaven and earth belongs?" 
 But most held otherwise, as shown by Philo, 
 the Talmud, and Maimonides (Light., Wet.). 
 Philo states that some were in the habit of 
 saying simply "By the," without adding 
 anything, so as to avoid making it distinctly 
 an oath ; and he suggests that one might add, 
 "not indeed the supreme and revered First 
 Cause, but the earth, the sun, the stars, heaven, 
 the universe." And Maimonides (twelfth 
 cent.), commenting on the Talmud, goes still 
 further: " If any one swears by heaven, by 
 the earth, by the sun, etc., even though it be 
 the intention of the swearer under these 
 words to swear by him who created these 
 things, yet this is not an oath." We see that 
 here, as with reference to adultery and divorce, 
 a few of the Jewish teachers were rigorous 
 while most were lax, and that Jesus confirms 
 the view of the rigorous few, and goes still 
 farther. Some fancy that this is a reproach to 
 our Lord, as detracting from his originality. 
 But he did something better than to be origi- 
 nal in ethics; for by authoritatively settling 
 actual questions of truth and duty, he showed 
 that the tendency of his teachings is thor- 
 oughly practical. (Comp. on 1 : 3-5, and on 
 12: 10.) 
 
 V. 35 f. These are further specimens, simi- 
 lar to that just given, of oaths which the Jews 
 were accustomed to use habitually as not 
 binding, and which our Lord explains to have 
 really a sacred element, so that such use of 
 them is wrong. His footstool, or, the foot- 
 stool of his feet. 1 This and the preceding ex- 
 pression are quoted from Isa. 66 : 1. 'The 
 heaven is my throne, and the earth is my 
 footstool.' So in Psa. 48: 2, Jerusalem is 
 called 'the city of the great king.'* These ob- 
 jects would never have come to be employed 
 in strengthening an affirmation, had they not 
 been somehow regarded in their higher char- 
 
 'Tyndale shortened the phrase to ' his footstool,' and 
 WM followed by Great B., Geneva, andCom.Ver. There 
 1 of course no substantial difference, but the expres- 
 sion ought to be given in full. Persons who ridicule 
 the pleonasm in Rev. Ver., ought to remember that 
 they are ridiculing the sacred writers. 
 
 *In 'by Jerusalem,' margin 'toward,' literally 
 ' unto,' the preposition is not the same as in the pre- 
 ceding and following phrases, but the substantial mean- 
 ing does not differ.
 
 116 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. V. 
 
 36 Neither shall thou swear by thy head, because 
 thou canst not make one hair white or black. 
 
 37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, 
 nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. 
 
 3G city of the great King. Neither shall thou swear by 
 thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or 
 
 37 black. > But let your speech be, Yea, yea ; Nay, nay ; 
 and whatsoever is more than these is of 2 the evil o'ne: 
 
 1 Some ancient authorities read, But your ipecA tltatt be 2 Or, evil: as In ver 39; 6: IS. 
 
 acter, as related to God; and though a man 
 swearing by them, particularly after the ex- 
 pression has become trite, might not have 
 such an idea distinctly present to his mind, 
 yet it is really and necessarily involved, when 
 they are used in the way of an oath. Alex- 
 ander: "He who swears by the earth either 
 swears bj' God, or does not swear at all." 
 
 36. Neither shall thou swear. The form 
 changing to the singular, as in v. 23, thus 
 making the application more personal and 
 pointed. By thy head. A very common 
 oath among the Greeks and Komans, as well 
 as the Jews; probably founded on the idea 
 that a man would stake his head upon the as- 
 sertion, would be willing to lose his head if it 
 should not prove true. But his life belongs to 
 God and not to himself, and he is not able to 
 change the color of a single hair of that head, 
 which he so lightly engages to cast away. The 
 reference is of course to the change of color 
 in growing old, which depends on the divinely 
 directed course of nature (Weiss). Notice 
 that the specimens mentioned descend gradu- 
 ally to the lower kinds of oath, heaven, earth, 
 Jerusalem, the head. An expression often 
 heard among us, "by my life," or "my life 
 on it," is sinful on the same principle as "by 
 my head." 
 
 37. But let your communication or 
 speech. 1 The term naturally suggests that he 
 is now referring to the use of language in 
 general, to ordinary conversation. The repe- 
 tition, yea, yea ; nay, nay, seems designed 
 to indicate that the proper mode of strength- 
 ening an assertion is simply to repeat the 
 affirmation or negation. Comp. our Lord's 
 'verily, verily.' Paul's expression (2Cor. i: 17) 
 has a different bearing. The Rabbis frequently 
 doubled these particles (Talmud), as we do. 
 Edersh. says that in the Midrash on Kuth it is 
 mentioned as characteristic of the pious, that 
 their yea is yea, and their nay nay. James 
 (5: 12), though manifestly referring to our 
 
 Lord's discourse, states the thing in a slightly 
 different way. ' Let your yea be yea, and 
 your nay, nay'; let the simple affirmation 
 or negation suffice, without needing to be 
 strengthened by oaths. Maimonides, " Let 
 the disciples of the wise be always truthful 
 and trustworthy; saying simply, yes, yes, and 
 no, no," may have really borrowed from the 
 New Test.; for the Jewish writers adopted 
 whatever they approved, from any source. 
 Cometh of evil or, is of the evil one. The 
 Greek is ambiguous, as in 6: 13, where see 
 note. In this passage it is interpreted 'the 
 evil one' by Chrys. (and his followers Theoph. 
 and Euthym.), Zwingli, Beza, Wetstein, 
 Fritzsche, Meyer, Keim, Grimm, Munsel, 
 Plumptre; and 'evil' by Luther (though not 
 in the first ed. of his trans.), Calvin, Bengel, 
 Tholuck, DeWette, Ewald, Bleek, Stier, 
 "Weiss, Archelis, Keil. Taken in the former 
 and somewhat more probable sense, the ex- 
 pression means, has its origin in Satan, as ir 
 13: 19, 38. Taken in the other sense it means 
 is of evil origin. The general thought is ir 
 either case the same. The necessity, real or 
 supposed, for using oaths, originates in evil, 
 or in Satan ; for it is due to the fact that men 
 do not alwaj's faithfully keep their simple 
 word. And like all the consequences of sin, 
 this practice reacts to strengthen its source; 
 for not only do men thereby become less care- 
 ful as to the truthfulness of assertions unat- 
 tended by an oath, but even oaths tend gradu- 
 ally to lose their solemn force by frequent, and 
 especially by heedless and irreverent repetition 
 (comp. on 23: 16). And so the observance of 
 our Lord's prohibition would give to oaths a 
 much greater value in those cases in which 
 they are really necessary and proper. Comp. 
 Hierocles (Platonist of the fifth cent. ), " Rev- 
 erence an oath, and be not swift to use it, that 
 you may be accustomed to swear truly, from 
 not being accustomed to swear." Add (Wet.) 
 Philo : "Not to swear is highlj* becoming 
 
 i' Communication' is from Tyndale, followed by 
 Great B., Geneva, and Com. Ver. The Revised Ver. re- 
 tains it in Luke 24: 17 (yet see margin), but has 
 'speech' in Eph. 4: 29; Col. 3: 8. In 1 Cor. 15: 33; 
 
 Philem. 6.; the Greek is different. The authorities for 
 'shall be' (margin) are few; the sense is substantially 
 the same.
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 117 
 
 38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for 
 an eye, aud a tooth tor a tooth : 
 
 Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye 
 
 and advantageous, and is accordant with a 
 rational nature, so instructed to speak truth 
 on every occasion that words are reckoned 
 oaths." Epictetus: " Avoid oaths, altogether 
 if possible, but if not, as far as you can." 
 Quintilian: " To swear at all, unless where it 
 is necessary, is unbecoming a grave man." 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 33. Perjury its nature, causes, evil con- 
 sequences, remedies. CHKYS. : " If to swear 
 is of the evil one. how great the penalty 
 which false swearing will bring." V. 34. 
 Profanity different kinds, swearing, cursing, 
 other kinds evils of profanity, and of all 
 irreverence. Cursing is always and essen- 
 tially wrong, since no one has a right to im- 
 precate eternal ruin upon another, unless by 
 explicit divine direction, like the prophets. 
 There is much profane language which is 
 neither cursing nor swearing, as when one 
 speaks in any wise irreverently of God, his 
 word, worship, or anything sacred. Preachers 
 often speak of God too familiarly, in public 
 discourse and conversation. And there are 
 phrases in which the name of God is either 
 omitted or disguised, so that persons fancy 
 they are not wrong, which yet involve the 
 essence of profanity. ''My gracious !" means 
 " -My gracious God." "Bless your soul," is 
 "God bless your soul." "Zounds" is "God's 
 wounds." One may plead that he does not 
 mean this in using such phrases, but so could 
 the Jews have said as to the expressions which 
 Jesus condemns; nay, the excuse of " not 
 meaning anything by it" is often given by 
 persons who use profanely the most solemn 
 oaths. Any one who observes for a little 
 while the language of those about him, or his 
 own language, will be apt to encounter many 
 phrases which, though not distinctly so de- 
 signed, are yet in direct violation of what our 
 Lord has here taught, and should therefore 
 be carefully evoided. The charge of pro- 
 fanity also applies to all irreverent citatations 
 or ludicrous applications of the language of 
 Scripture, a very common fault even in 
 Christian society. (Comp. on 12: 36 f.) V. 37. 
 Self-respecting veracity will command respect 
 from others. What a compliment when it 
 is said : His word is as good as his bond. 
 
 " Not oaths gain credence for the 
 man, but the man for the oaths." JOSEPHUS 
 ("War.," 2, 8, 6), says of the Essenes: 
 "Every word they say is weightier than an 
 oath, and swearing they shun, regarding it as 
 worse than perjury.' Habitual accuracy of 
 statement, as opposed to prevalent exaggera- 
 tions. The positive degree may really signify 
 more than the superlative. 
 
 38-48. REQUITAL OF INJURIES AND LOVE 
 OF ENEMIES. 
 
 The fourth and fifth examples (see on v. 21), 
 by which our Lord illustrates the superiority 
 of his teachings, are the subjects of Requital 
 of Injuries (v. 38-), and Love of Enemies 
 
 (T. 4S-48.) 
 
 38. Ye have heard that it hath been 
 said. See on v. 21. An eye for an eye, 
 
 etc. See Ex. 21:24; Deut. 19:21; Lev. 24: 
 20, in which passages these expressions are 
 coupled with various similar ones, as ' life for 
 life,' ' hand for hand,' ' foot for foot,' the gen- 
 eral law being that of retaliation, or, " like for 
 like" which was also the law of Solon, and 
 of the Roman Twelve Tables. This careful 
 enunciation by Moses of the law of retaliation, 
 was doubtless designed partly to restrain men 
 from going beyond retaliation, as passion often 
 prompts one to inflict a far greater injury than 
 he has received. The Jews held that this law 
 justified personal retaliation of private wrongs, 
 and in general justified revenge ; though Moses 
 expressly forbids revenge of private injuries 
 in Lev. 19: 18: 'Thou shalt not avenge, nor 
 bear any grudge against the children of thy 
 people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as 
 thyself." In a rude state of society, as in the 
 early days of California, every man takes in 
 his own hands the punishment of wrongs done 
 to him; and in the most civilized Christian 
 community we are apt to find some individ- 
 uals who glory in the fact that they protect 
 and avenge themselves. The Jews would de- 
 fend such a procedure on their part by misap- 
 plying to private action what was given as 
 public law. The teachings of our Lord on 
 this subject are therefore not in antagonism to 
 the law of Moses, but serve to carry out more 
 fully its spirit and design, to 'complete' the 
 law ("), as we have seen in all the previous 
 instances.
 
 118 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. V. 
 
 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil : but 
 whosoever shall suiite thee on thy right cheek, turn to 
 him the other also. 
 
 and a tooth for a tooth : but I say unto you, Resist 
 nut ' him that is evil : but whosoever smitttk thee 
 
 1 Or, evil. 
 
 39. But I say unto you, see on v. 22. 
 That ye resist not evil (the evil man). The 
 Greek is iimbiguous (corup. on v. 37, and 6: 
 13). If understood as masculine (Wyclif) it 
 would not here mean 'the evil (one),' Satan, 
 as it would in v. 37 and 6: 13 but 'the evil 
 (man),' the bad man who harms you, as in the 
 ways that follow. If understood as neuter 
 (Tyndale and all other early Eng. versions), 
 it would be evil in general. The resulting 
 sense is substantially the same. The verb 
 rendered 'resist' signifies to stand over 
 against, withstand; and the idea seems to be 
 to let evil have its course (or the evil man his 
 course), and leave it for God to punish and 
 control (see Rom. 12: 19 if. ; 1 Thess. 5: 15; 
 1 Pet. 3 : 9). Our Lord says not merely that 
 we must not revenge evil, but must not 
 resist it. The explanation of his exact mean- 
 ing can be better given after considering one 
 of the examples he presents in illustration of 
 this general principle. These examples are 
 four, viz., personal violence ( T -* 9 ), vexatious 
 litigation (.>), public exactions (-)i and 
 troublesome begging and borrowing (v. 42). 
 
 Shall smite, or, smites. Present tense in 
 the better Greek text, which was readily 
 changed by copyists to the easier future, found 
 in v. 41. The Greek word means to smite with 
 rods, and to smite with the palm of the hand 
 (comp. 26: 6"), colloquial Eng. 'slap.' Luke 
 (6:29) has the general term 'strikes.' The 
 change to the singular number, 'thee,' is the 
 same that occurs in v. 23 (see note). It is here 
 continued, as there, through the several par- 
 ticulars which follow (v. 4o-), and the plural is 
 resumed with the next subject. ( 43.) Smit- 
 ing on the right cheek (literally jaw), is both 
 an injury and an insult (2 COT. u : 20), and yet to 
 this the loving Redeemer Wj*s himself more 
 than once subjected. (26:6T; John 19 -.3-) The cu- 
 rious have observed that one naturally smites 
 another's left cheek first, while Jesus follows 
 rather the general custom of speaking, by 
 which members of the right side are first men- 
 tioned (comp. v. 29). 
 
 What are we to understand by the precept 
 not to resist evil, or the evil man, with this 
 and the following illustrations? There have 
 always been some who maintained that these 
 expressions are to be taken rigorously, as ab- 
 solutely forbidding war, or any resistance to 
 personal violence. In the early centuries 
 some Christians positively refused to render 
 military service, as being here forbidden. 
 Many of the Anabaptists of Germany, in the 
 age of the Reformation, condemned war, as 
 did the Mennonists of Holland. In Amer- 
 ica the view is now held by the Quakers 
 (or Friends), the Tunkers (or Dunkers or 
 Dunkards), and the Mennonists.i Besides 
 those persons who conscientiously strove to 
 carry out the supposed teachings of the pas- 
 sage, there have always been others who in- 
 terpreted it in the same way, and have then 
 made it a ground either of attack upon the 
 morality of the gospel as fanciful and unwise, 
 or of assault upon the current Christianity as 
 inconsistent and confessedly immoral, or else 
 of excuse for the total 'failure to attempt obe- 
 dience in any sense to commands which it 
 seemed so impossible fully to carry out. On 
 the other hand, most Christians have per- 
 ceived that it could not be meant to condemn 
 war under all circumstances, as various sol- 
 diers are referred to in the New Test., without 
 any hint of their being required to cease to be 
 soldiers, and as war is sometimes an inevitable 
 necessity, to prevent yet greater evils. They 
 have also perceived that the direction to turn 
 the left cheek, cannot have been designed as 
 a rule for general observance, since it would 
 often needlessly provoke greater wrong, and 
 seeing that our Lord himself did not turn the 
 other cheek when smitten, but mildly and yet 
 firmly remonstrated (Johnis: 22 r.), while Paul 
 met the suggestion to insult him in this way 
 with a severe rebuke ( ACM is : 3) besides the 
 fact that Jesus repeatedly took great pains to 
 avoid exposing himself to personal violence, 
 by withdrawing from places at which it was 
 
 threatened. (Luke4 : SO; John 7 : 1, 10; 10: 39 ; Mark 9; 30. etc.) 
 
 iThe Russian novelist Count Tolstoi, in "My Relig- 
 ion," 1885, puts forward this interpretation with enthu- 
 siasm as a new discovery, and glories in the thought that 
 
 the course thus indicated would destroy society, which 
 according to the Russian Nihilist view ought to be de- 
 stroyed, at once and completely.
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 119 
 
 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take ! 40 on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And 
 away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. | if any uiau would go to law with thee, and take away 
 
 How then are we to interpret the language 
 here employed? It is not enough to say that 
 our Lord cannot have meant this as an abso- 
 lute and general rule, for while that is plain, 
 the question recurs, what did he mean? It 
 will not do to declare the language merely 
 figurative, for we have no warrant whatever 
 for calling plain statements figurative a pro- 
 cess by which the most vital doctrines and 
 precepts of Scripture might be explained 
 away. Two remarks will help to clear up the 
 difficulty. (1) Our Saviour's teachings in gen- 
 eral (as well as the teachings of his apostles), 
 are not simply didactic, but polemical, aimed 
 at existing errors and evils; and while in- 
 tended to be universal in their application, 
 they will be understood in their exact bearing 
 only when viewed in contrast to the wrong 
 opinion, feeling, or practice he was especially 
 designing in each case to correct. Many pas- 
 sages of Scripture fail to be rightly interpreted 
 because this principle is not apprehended or 
 not borne in mind. In the present case, Jesu 
 aims to correct the revengeful spirit and prac- 
 tice to which the Jews were greatly addicted, 
 and which they justified by a loose application 
 of the law of Moses. (2) Our Lord here, as 
 we have observed in former instances (see on 
 v. 29, and comp. the expressions in 6: 3, 6), 
 selects an extreme case, in order to exhibit 
 more vividly the principle by which we 
 should be guided. So far from vengeful re- 
 sistance and retaliation being right, it would 
 be better, if that were the alternative, volun- 
 tarily to submit ourselves to a yet greater 
 wrong. Better to turn the other cheek, to 
 give up the other garment, to double the im- 
 ln ing officer's requisition, than to permit 
 ourselves to practice that passionate resistance 
 and that revengeful retaliation to which we 
 are all prone, and which the Jewish teachers 
 defended. The case is an extreme one, and 
 very unlikely to occur ; but if even this would 
 be right, rather than be revengeful, all the more 
 IH it our duty to do things less difficult, since 
 the greater includes the less. Dykes: "Of 
 course, when an instance is selected to illus- 
 trate a principle, the instance is usually an ex- 
 treme or next to impossible one ; both because 
 a principle is best seen when pushed to its 
 ultimate application, and also because there is 
 
 less chance of people blindly copying the ex- 
 ample when its extravagance drives them to 
 search for some inner meaning in it." On v. 
 24 we saw that if prompt reconciliation is so 
 important as to make it right to interrupt a sac- 
 rifice in order to settle a difficulty just then 
 remembered, much more is it our duty, under 
 all ordinary circumstances, to seek reconcilia- 
 tion without delay. And so here. If it would 
 be proper, were that the alternative, even to 
 expose ourselves voluntarily to the grossest 
 additional insult and wrong, such as is here 
 described, rather than be revengeful, then 
 much more is it our duty to bear wrong and 
 insult that have already been inflicted, rather 
 than exercise a spirit of revenge. To resist, 
 to resent, to punish, whether in national or in- 
 dividual afl'airs, is not necessarily and inher- 
 ently sinful, but is useful, when properly 
 regulated, to society, and even to the wrong- 
 doer himself; and so it is sometimes a duty to 
 punish, even when we should prefer to do 
 otherwise. But to resist or resent in a pas- 
 sionate and revengeful spirit is deeply sinful, 
 and a sin to which men are so strongly in- 
 clined that it ought to be guarded against with 
 the utmost care. And yet many professing 
 Christians not only act when excited, but de- 
 liberately and habitually avow their intention 
 to act, in the way which is here so pointedly 
 condemned more sensitive as to what the 
 world calls insult and dishonor, than to the 
 teachings of infinite wisdom, the solemn com- 
 mands of the Divine Kedeemer. O, cowardly 
 audacity! afraid to incur the world's petty 
 frown, and not afraid to displease God. 
 
 40. Sue thee at or, go to law. Some un- 
 derstand it to include private arbitration of 
 difficulties, as well as suits at law and cer- 
 tainly the same term does cover both in 1 
 Cor. 6: 1, 6 but the connection here seems to 
 point directly and exclusively to a suit at law. 
 We have already had a reference to legal pro- 
 cesses in v. 25. There is a Latin proverb which 
 resembles this saying, viz., " If one sues you 
 for the egg, give him the hen also." Coat. 
 The Greek denotes the inner garment %vorn 
 by a Jew in those days, resembling what the 
 Romans called 'tunic.' and corresponding 
 most nearly to a long shirt, which usually 
 reached somewhat below the knee, but in the
 
 120 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. V. 
 
 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go 
 with him twain. 
 
 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that 
 would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 
 
 41 thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whoso- 
 ever shall ! compel thee to go one mile, go with him 
 
 42 twain. Uive to him that asketh thee, and from hiui 
 that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 
 
 1 Gr. imprest. 
 
 more elegant article for dress occasions, 
 reached almost to the ground. It was some- 
 times worn loose, but commonly confined 
 around the waist with a girdle. (3 *.) In some 
 cases two of these were worn (see on 10 : 10), 
 but in general only one. It is this garment 
 of our Saviour which is said to have been 
 without seam. (Joimi9:23.) The other Greek 
 word, rendered cloak, is sometimes used to 
 signify a garment in general, as in 9: 16; 17 : 
 2; 24 : 18 ; 26: 65 ; 27 : 31, 35. In other cases, 
 as 9: 20, 21; 14: 36; 21: 7, 8, it denotes the 
 outer garment, which appears (for our knowl- 
 edge of Hebrew dress is quite imperfect) to 
 have been for some persons a loose robe, and 
 with others a large square piece of cloth, re- 
 sembling a large shawl, wrapped around the 
 person with more or less of taste and com- 
 fort. In John 13: 4, 12, there appear to have 
 been several garments; for Jesus would not 
 lay aside the inmost garment. But the outer 
 and inner garment here mentioned were com- 
 monly all, and the outer one was frequently 
 used by the poor and travelers as a covering 
 at night just as shawls are used by travelers 
 now. So the law of Moses provided (EX. 22:25, 
 that if it were taken in pawn, it should be re- 
 turned before sunset. Such being the law, 
 the Jewish tribunals would naturally allow 
 the inner garment to betaken by judicial pro- 
 cess rather than the outer one, and that will 
 explain the order in which they are here men- 
 tioned. Luke (6:29) says nothing of a suit at 
 law, but only speaks of taking away the gar- 
 ments, and hence mentions them in the order 
 in which they would naturally be removed 
 from the person, the outer garment first. It is 
 matter of common observation in all ages, 
 that a man who is threatened with an unjust 
 lawsuit will show a peculiar animosity, and if 
 he thinks himself unjustly treated in the sen- 
 tence, a peculiar rancor and revengefulness, 
 declaring that he will yet make his adversary 
 suffer for it. Rather than feel and act thus, 
 our Lord says it would be better even volunta- 
 rily to give far more than the aggressor is 
 awarded. (Comp. 1 Cor. 6:7.) How evil 
 then must be this rancorous spirit, and how 
 carefully should Christians avoid it. 
 
 41. Shall compel thee to go or, im- 
 press thee for & mile. " A" or One, is in the 
 original emphatic by position. Impress. The 
 Greek word was borrowed into Greek and 
 Latin from the Persian, to denote a Persian 
 practice continued by the Greek and Roman 
 rulers who succeeded them in Western Asia. 
 It strictly signified to make one a public 
 courier (comp. Esther 8: 10, 14), and hence to 
 make one temporarily perform a courier's 
 work, or help a courier on his way, with 
 horses or personal labors, etc. ; and finally it 
 was applied to coercing or compelling any 
 public service, as the Roman soldiers com- 
 pelled or impressed Simon to carry the cross. 
 (27:32.) Such impressments were all the more 
 odious to the Jews as being a subjugated 
 people, suffering this harsh treatment from 
 foreign rulers. During the great Maccabean 
 struggle, one of the rival Syrian kings sought 
 to conciliate the Jews by promising many 
 exemptions, including this: "And I order 
 that the beasts of burden of the Jews be not 
 impressed" (same Greek word, Jos. "Ant.," 
 13, 2, 3.) Impressment, like a lawsuit, is apt 
 to produce very angry and revengeful feel- 
 ings; and so this illustration is parallel to the 
 foregoing. 
 
 42. The word rendered borrow would in 
 classical Greek naturally suggest interest, but 
 the Jews were forbidden (EX. 22: 25; Lev. 25: 37: 
 Deut. 2s:i9) to charge interest against each other 
 (seeon25: 27). Readiness to lend was strongly 
 urged in Deut. 15: 7-11, and the idea repeated 
 by subsequent inspired writers, as in Psa. 37 : 
 26; 112: 5. Henry: " Lending is sometimes 
 as great a piece of charity as giving, as it not 
 only relieves the present exigence, but obliges 
 the borrower to providence, industry, and 
 honesty." We are here required to give, and 
 to lend, not merely where it is pleasant to do 
 so, but where it is unpleasant, the latter being 
 the idea apparently suggested by the connec- 
 tion with what precedes. But that the in- 
 junction is not intended to be absolute and 
 without exception, is shown by the case of 
 God himself, who promises, in terms as un- 
 limited as these, to give whatever we ask in 
 the name of Jesus, and yet actually does give
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 121 
 
 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt 
 love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 
 
 44 But I say say unto you, Love your enemies, bless 
 them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, 
 and pray for them which despitefully use you and per- 
 secute you ; 
 
 43 Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love 
 
 44 thy neighbour, and bate thine enemy : but I say 
 uuto you, Love your enemies, and pray for them 
 
 only when he sees it to be proper. To give to 
 those who "ask amiss" (James 4:3) would be no 
 real kindness to them nor in us. As in v. 45 
 and elsewhere, God's example explains the 
 meaning of his precepts. 
 
 43. Here begins the fifth and last example 
 (see on v. 21), viz., LOVE OF ENEMIES. This 
 is closely related to the preceding, (v. ss-42.) 
 Stier: " As this is to close the distinctive ref- 
 erence to the commandments, it is not one of 
 the individual commandments of the Deca- 
 logue which is introduced, as the first quota- 
 tions had been ; but the epitome of the whole 
 second table, as Moses had already specified it, 
 viz., the law of Love, of that one central dispo- 
 sition of mind, which should evidence itself in 
 every good word and work." 
 
 That it hath been said. See on v. 21. 
 Thou shalt love thy neighbor, is from Lev. 
 19: 18. But the Jewish teachers, with their 
 customary efforts to explain away the rigorous 
 requirements of the law (cornp. the case, of 
 oaths, v. 33 ff.), here insisted upon a strict and 
 limited sense of the term 'neighbor.' The 
 lawyer who came to Jesus (Lukeio: 25 ff.), made 
 it all turn upon this: I am to love my neigh- 
 bor, but who is my neighbor? Our Lord's 
 answer there shows, as he teaches here, that 
 in the sense of the law even an enemy is our 
 neighbor. But the Jewish teachers held that 
 an enemy was not a neighbor, and that the 
 command to love the latter implied permis- 
 sion to withhold it from the former. So as 
 they publicly repeated and expounded the 
 law, they would make the addition, "Thou 
 shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine 
 enemy." This they would perhaps seek to 
 justify by pointing to the severe treatment of 
 the Canaanites which God enjoined upon Is- 
 rael; but that was an exceptional case. The 
 commandment to love the neighbor was ex- 
 tended in Lev. 19: 33, 34 to strangers, yet that 
 meant strangers sojourning in Israel. With 
 such teachings prevalent as Jesus here de- 
 scribes, we can understand how the Jews came 
 to be charged by Tacitus with " hatred to the 
 human race." (See further on 22: 39.) 
 
 44. But I say. See on v. 21. The clauses 
 
 omitted from this verse in Rev. Ver. are 
 wanting in the earliest manuscripts and ver- 
 sions, and were manifestly borrowed in later 
 copies from Luke 6 : 27 ff. They are a real 
 part of the discourse, but not of Matthew's 
 report of it. This injunction finds no real 
 parallel among the teachings of heathen 
 sages. Those alleged have been misunder- 
 stood or over-stated. The Emperor Julian 
 (the " apostate "), while borrowing the idea 
 from the gospel he rejected, felt that it would 
 sound strange to his heathen readers, for he 
 says in one of his writings: " I would affirm, 
 even though it be a strange thing to say, 
 that even to one's enemies it would be right 
 to give clothing and food." Some urge that 
 the Old and the New Testaments are in con- 
 flict on this point, appealing, for example, to 
 the imprecations and expressions of hate 
 which are found in the Psalrns. But the ex- 
 ample of God himself shows that an abhor- 
 rence of confirmed wickedness and a desire 
 for its punishment may co-exist with pitying 
 love and persevering kindness; and difficult 
 as it may be for man to cherish both feelings 
 at once, it is not more difficult than some 
 other duties. And the Old Test, repeatedly 
 teaches to show kindness to an enemy, as in 
 Ex. 23: 4f. ; Lev. 19: 18; Prov. 24: 17, 29; 
 25: 21 f. ; (comp. Kom. 12: 20); Job 31: 29; 
 Psa. 7: 4; 1 Sam. 24: 5, while the New Test. 
 has passages corresponding to the impreca- 
 tions in the Psalms, as when Paul comforts the 
 Thessalonians with the thought that God will 
 terribly punish their persecutors (2Thes. 1:6-10), 
 or when the martyred souls under the altar 
 cry (Rev.fiio, Rev. ver.), "How long, O Master, 
 the holy and true, dost thou not judge and 
 avenge our blood on them that dwoll on the 
 earth?" (See also on 1 Cor. 16: 22; 2 Tim. 
 4: 14; Luke 18: 7.) The difference is there- 
 fore of kind, and not of degree ; the law 
 speaks more of severity, the gospel more of 
 kindness, though neither wholly lacks that 
 which is most prominent in the other. 
 (Oomp. on 6: 4.) Still, it is notably charac- 
 teristic of the gospel that it enjoins not 
 simply justice, but love.
 
 122 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. V. 
 
 is in heaven : fur be maketh his sun to rise on the evil 
 and on the good, and seudeth rain oil the just and on 
 the unjust. 
 
 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward 
 have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 
 
 45 that persecute you; that ye may be sons of your 
 Father who is in heaven : for he maketh his sun to 
 rise on the evil and the good, and seudeth rain on the 
 
 46 just and the unjust. For if ye love them that love 
 you, what reward have ye? do not even the ' publi- 
 
 1 That in, collectors or renters of Roman taxes : aud so elsewhere. 
 
 45. His sun, reminding us by the way that 
 God possesses and controls the sun. We com- 
 monly say "it rains," etc., but Jesus here 
 refers the agencies of nature directly to God. 1 
 Sendeth rain literally and rains. Sun- 
 shine and rain are naturally chosen as among 
 the chief providential blessings. (Comp. Acts 
 14: 17.) One element and proof of sonship is 
 resemblance, as it is said (Eph. 5=1), 'Be ye 
 therefore followers (imitators) of God, as 
 dear children,' and we are urged to love our 
 enemies and treat them kindly, in order that 
 we may be acting like our Heavenly Father, 
 for he loves his enemies, and sends natural 
 blessings upon them as well as upon his 
 friends. Comp. Luke 6: 35, 'for he is kind 
 toward the unthankful and evil.' The same 
 idea is presented by Seneca : "If you imitate 
 the gods, give benefits even to the ungrateful ; 
 for even to abandoned wretches the sun arises, 
 and to pirates the seas lie open." Sirach; 
 "Be to orphans as a father, and instead of a 
 husband to their mother; and thou shalt be 
 as a son of the Highest, and thy mother shall 
 love thee more and more." The Talmud: 
 "A thousand thousand, and myriads are 
 bound to praise thy name for every drop of 
 rain thou sendest down upon us, because thou 
 renderest good to the wicked." But the love 
 of God to his enemies is not the same as to 
 his friends, the one being a love of compas- 
 sion and benevolence, the other a love of 
 complacency; he bestows benefits upon the 
 wicked, he delights in the good. And in like 
 manner we are not bidden to take admiring 
 delight in our enemies, but to cherjsh no re- 
 vengeful and malignant feeling towards them, 
 and to do anything we can for their welfare 
 that is, of course, when it would not aid in 
 the accomplishment of their evil designs 
 against us. This is not inconsistent with re- 
 straining and even punishing them; for God 
 does so with his enemies. 
 
 46. Two other reasons for loving our ene- 
 mies. (1) Otherwise what reward have ye ? 
 
 It is implied that if we love our enemies, we 
 have a religious reward (comp. v. 12 and 6: 
 1; and Luke 6: 32, 35). The Scriptures do 
 not leave men to the mere unaided sense of 
 duty as a motive to do right, but appeal also 
 to their hopes and fears. Thus Moses (Heb.ii: 
 2fi, Rev. ver.), 'looked unto the recompense of 
 reward,' and even Jesus (Heb. 12:2), 'for the 
 joy that was set before him endured the cross, 
 despising the shame.' (Comp. on 5: 29.) To 
 say that this " vitiates morality" is to propose 
 a philosophy of human conduct at variance 
 with human nature. (2) Even the publi- 
 cans. It is important to understand the 
 odium which attached among the Jews to the 
 office of publican. The Komans farmed out 
 the privilege of collecting taxes, as is now 
 done in some Oriental countries. The right to 
 collect a particular kind or kinds of revenue 
 in a particular province was sold at Home to 
 some individual or joint-stock company of the 
 better class of citizens (equites), who were 
 hence called "publicans," or collectors of the 
 public revenue. These parties sent out agents 
 who employed as subordinates either Koman 
 citizens of the lower class, or natives of the 
 province. The subordinates were not in Koman 
 usage called publicani, but portitores. Yet as 
 the same Greek word is applied to both, th 
 Latin versions called both classes publican 
 and we do likewise. The tax-gatherers we 
 meet in the Gospel history are doubtless all of 
 the subordinate class, even Zaccheus being 
 probably a chief of the portitores. (Luke 19 : 2.) 
 Tax-collectors are in all countries apt to be 
 unpopular, and these men were especially so 
 among the Jews. They constantly reminded 
 the people of their subjugation to the Romans, 
 and a proud people, whose history told of 
 David and Solomon and the Maccabees, could 
 never think of this without mortification. 
 They often practiced extortion (Luke 3 : is-, 19 : s), 
 encouraged thereto by the fact that their em- 
 ployers paid the government a fixed sum, and 
 had all they could get. No native would take 
 
 See Matt. 6: 26,30, and in Gen. 2:5; Job 36: 27; 37:6ff.; Psa. 104: 10 ff.
 
 CH. V.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 123 
 
 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye 
 more than otters f do not even the publicans so ? 
 
 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which 
 is in heaven is perfect. 
 
 47 cans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, 
 what do ye more than others? do not even the Geu- 
 
 48 tiles the same? Ye therefore shall be perfect, as 
 your heavenly Father is perfect. 
 
 such an office if he cared much for public 
 opinion, and those who did so were usually 
 renegades, or very lax as to observance of the 
 law. Accordingly, while the publicani at 
 Rome, who really served the State, and some- 
 times advanced large sums to relieve the pub- 
 lic finances, are highly commended by Cicero 
 and others, we find that in all the provinces 
 the subordinates were hated and shunned, and 
 particularly in Palestine. The Jews classed 
 them with heathen (. 47andis : n) and with har- 
 lots (zi: si), and one of the reproaches cast on 
 Jesus was that he was a 'friend of publicans 
 and sinners.' (11= is-) Matthew was himself a 
 publican (: 9; io : s), though he may have been 
 a man of better character than was usual 
 among them. Matthew heard this discourse, 
 yet Jesus did not on that account use softened 
 expressions about the class to which he had 
 belonged. The later Jewish writers class them 
 with robbers and murderers, and affirm that 
 they were not allowed to give testimony, and 
 were excluded from the synagogues. Our 
 Lord is thus declaring that to love those who 
 love us proves no higher grade of morality 
 than that occupied by the most despised, by 
 publicans and by heathen. (.) Luke (6-.z-a.) 
 uses the more general term, 'sinners.' In 
 loving his friends a man may in a certain 
 sense be loving only himself a kind of ex- 
 panded selfishness. 
 
 47. This repeats, in another form, the 
 thought of the preceding sentence, such am- 
 plification being common in Scripture (see on 
 v. 30), and being very effective in popular dis- 
 course. Publicans rather, Gentiles; the 
 reading of the earliest Greek manuscripts and 
 versions would easily be changed to ' publi- 
 cans,' to correspond with v. 46. The Jews 
 regarded other nations with dislike and con- 
 tempt, and so 'the nations ' would sometimes 
 be a term of contempt, which in English we 
 express by 'Gentiles.' When Christianity 
 became prevalent in the Rtoman Empire, the 
 old Roman religion still survived in many re- 
 mote country districts (pagi, pagani), and so 
 its supporters were called ' pagans,' or in Eng- 
 lish ' heathen' (living in the heath or uncul- 
 tivated country). Accordingly the same 
 Greek word is translated 'nations' in 21: 43; 
 
 24: 7, 9, 14; 25: 32; 28: 19; and 'Gentiles' in 
 4: 15; 5: 47, Rev. Ver. ; 6: 32; 10: 5,18; 12: 
 18, 21 ; 20: 19, 25. A derivative was rendered 
 in all the early English versions by ' heathen ' 
 in 6:7; 18:17, which gives the Christian 
 point of view, but the Rev. Ver. restores the 
 Jewish stand-point by rendering 'Gentiles.' 
 (It does the same in Acts 4: 25; 2 Cor. 11: 
 26; Gal. 1 : 16; 2: 9; 3: 8.) To salute a 
 person is a stronger mark of kind feelings 
 according to Oriental manners than among 
 us, their salutations being usually elaborate, 
 and therefore given only to express high re- 
 spect. Jews did not generally salute Gentiles, 
 and Mohammedans as a rule do not salute 
 Christians; and the Apostle John (2jobuior.) 
 forbids not only hospitality but 'greeting' 
 (same word as in James 1:1; Acts 15: 23) to 
 teachers of those antichristian and grossly 
 immoral notions which prevailed. To ex- 
 press the importance of 'salute' in this verse, 
 Tyndale and Geneva give a sort of para- 
 phrase, 'if ye be friendly to your brethren 
 only,' and Great Bible, 'if ye make much of,' 
 etc. Luke (6. 34 i.) here gives some other ex- 
 pressions which still further amplify the 
 thoughts expressed in this and the two pre- 
 ceding verses. It is not difficult to under- 
 stand that each Evangelist has given only 
 a part of what was spoken. 
 
 48. Be ye perfect. Ye shall be (so Tyn- 
 dale, Great Bible, Geneva, and Rev. Ver. ), is 
 a literal translation of the Greek Future, 
 which is in such a case substantially equiva- 
 lent to an imperative. The form of expres- 
 sion may carry an allusion to Deut. 18 : 13. 
 Ye is emphatic, meaning Christ's disciples as 
 contrasted with publicans and Gentiles. 
 Therefore, presents this as a conclusion from 
 what precedes: since you ought to be at a 
 higher point of morality than publicans and 
 Gentiles, and ought to be like your Father in 
 heaven (comp. v. 45), therefore you shall be 
 perfect, etc. Father which is in heaven. 
 The reading Heavenly Father of many early 
 manuscripts and versions, was easily changed 
 to the more common 'Father which is in 
 heaven' of v. 45; 6: 9, 14. The term ren- 
 dered perfect is used in a variety of connec- 
 tions, and its precise meaning must always be
 
 124 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. V. 
 
 determined by the particular connection. 
 Sometimes it is simply 'complete,' without 
 any moral element, Heb. 9: 11, and perhaps 
 James 1 : 17. In other cases it means com- 
 plete in growth of body or mind, ' full- 
 grown.' (l Cor. 14 : 20; Kph. 4: U; Heb. 5: 14; 6: 1; 1 Cor. 
 
 :6.) In yet others, complete morally, as 
 Matt. 19:21; Col. 1:28; 4: 12; James 1 : 4, 
 25; 3: 2. And there are passages in which it 
 seems to mean complete in both knowledge 
 and moral excellence, as Phil. 8 : 15, and per- 
 haps 1 Cor. 13 : 10. Here, it is moral perfec- 
 tion in general, but with specific reference to 
 love i. e., not loving friends only, which 
 would be an imperfect love, but loving ene- 
 mies also, as our Heavenly Father does. Luke 
 (6:36) gives only this specific thought, 'merci- 
 ful.' But it does not seem proper to restrict 
 Matthew's general term to this thought alone. 
 In all things, love included, we ought to be 
 perfect, even as our Heavenly Father is to be 
 like him, and so prove ourselves to be his 
 children. Our own minds demand a perfect 
 standard, such as the divine nature presents ; 
 and however far we may actually fall short 
 of attaining it, yet he who is content with 
 coming short gives no evidence that he is a 
 child of God. 
 
 Thus ends the series of striking particulars 
 (V. 21-48) in which our Lord com pares his teach- 
 ings with the law and the current explana- 
 tions of it, so as to show that far from design- 
 ing to relax the obligations of morality, his 
 requirements were still more stringent, ex- 
 tending, not merely to the outward act, but 
 to the motive and feeling ; not merely to what 
 the letter of the law required, but to all that 
 it designed and involved. (See on v. 17.) As 
 this portion of the Sermon on the Mount has 
 especial reference to Jewish ideas, Luke, who 
 wrote not for Jews in particular (as Matthew 
 did), but for general circulation, has given no 
 report of it, except of what was said on the 
 subject of love to enemies, and this he intro- 
 duces as general instruction, without any allu- 
 sion to the Jewish misinterpretations of the 
 law and mistaken expectations, which with 
 his design would have been out of place. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 38-41. Four kinds of [Retaliation. (1) 
 Natural passion says, Kequite the like, and 
 worse. (2) The law of Moses says, Let the 
 
 judge requite precisely the like. (3) Christ 
 says, Do not (revengefully) requite the like 
 at all better receive the like a second time. 
 (4) The apostle Peter says (iPet. :9). "Not 
 rendering evil for evil, but contrariwise bless- 
 ing." This is the Christian retaliation. Self- 
 defense, and punishment in ways regulated 
 by law, are not forbidden in forbidding hate 
 and revenge. But do not "take the law in 
 your own hands," and do not press the execu- 
 tion of the law in a revengeful spirit. CHRYS. : 
 " Nothing so restrains the wrong-doers, as 
 when the injured bear what is done with gen- 
 tleness. And it not only restrains them from 
 rushing onward, but works upon them also to 
 repent for what has gone before, and, in won- 
 der at such forbearance, to draw back. And 
 it makes them more our own, and causes them 
 to be slaves not merely friends instead of 
 haters and enemies. Even as avenging oneself 
 does just the contrary ; for it disgraces each 
 of the two, and makes them worse, and their 
 anger it brightens into a greater flame; yea, 
 often no less than death itself is the end of it, 
 going on from bad to worse." STIER : " That 
 heathenish law of honor, which will not ac- 
 cept the very slightest indignity, but even in 
 the midst of modern Christendom demands 
 the duel itself. To this 'point of honor' 
 stands opposed the patient acceptance and en- 
 durance of insult, as the genuine Christian 
 courage and knightly honor. Oifer him the 
 other also that is, in thy heart, and in the 
 disposition of thy mind ; calmly and patiently 
 wait if he may strike thee another blow, and 
 be ready to receive that also so far let thy 
 
 spirit be from opposing The actual 
 
 turning of the other cheek might be no other 
 than a challenge to continued sin, conse- 
 quently itself sinful, and opposed to the love 
 of our neighbor. There might even be a 
 proud despite in it, or a mere hypocritical af- 
 fectation." DYKES: " By general consent, a 
 blow on the face is the extreme of personal 
 
 insults But the spirit of our Lord's 
 
 words is not open to the suspicion of being a 
 craven spirit. It is this suspicion, more, I 
 fancy, than any thing else, which is apt to 
 discredit the teaching of this text with gen- 
 erous men. Yet here, as always, it is sin, not 
 love, that is the real coward. He who best 
 obeys the rule of Jesus will be the bravest 
 man. To curb temper; to govern the spirit
 
 CH. VI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 125 
 
 CHAPTEK VI. 
 
 TAKE heed that ye do not your alms before men, to 
 be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward oi'* 
 your Father which is in heaven. 
 
 1 Take heed that ye do not your righteousness be- 
 fore men, to be seen of them : else ye have no reward 
 with your Father who is in heaveu. 
 
 a Or, righteouaness li Or, with. 
 
 of revenge, even under insult; to place what 
 is better t'.ian life, personal honor, under the 
 control of a love which is patient and just be- 
 cause it is strong stronger than passion : this 
 is true valor and true honor." 
 V. 42. Our duty to Beggars. I. Counsels. 
 
 (1) We must not refuse all because many are 
 impostors. (2) We should strive to ascertain 
 who are really needy and deserving, and to 
 inform others. (3) We must not turn beggars 
 away simply because offensive or annoying 
 this would be a very petty selfishness. (4) 
 Where there is public provision for beg- 
 gars we should act in harmony with such ar- 
 rangements, but cannot remit the matter 
 wholly to them. (5) To open some means of 
 supporting themselves is far better than to 
 support them. II. Motives. (1) Humanity 
 they have the same nature as ourselves, essen- 
 tially the same sensitive feelings, pains and 
 pleasures, memories and hopes and destiny. 
 
 (2) Piety. Grateful love to God. We are 
 beggars, to whom he gives liberally, and we 
 must return to him by giving to our fellow- 
 men. Borrowing and Lending. It is more 
 blessed to lend than to borrow. Cautions as 
 to borrowing encouragements to lend. Comp. 
 Luke 6: 35. 
 
 V. 44. CYRIL : " Let us love our enemies, 
 not as adulterers or murderers, but as men." 
 CHRYS.: "Have you seen what steps he has 
 ascended, and how he has placed us on the 
 very summit of virtue? Look at the succes- 
 sion from the beginning. The first step is, not 
 to begin injuring ; the second, after injury has 
 been begun, not to defend yourself against 
 the injurer by like actions; the third, not to 
 inflict on the wrong-doer that which one has 
 suffered, but to keep quiet; the fourth, even 
 to yield oneself to suffer evil; the fifth, to 
 yield even more than he who did the evil 
 wishes; the sixth, not to hate him who does 
 these things; the seventh, even to love him; 
 the eighth, even to do him good; the ninth, 
 even to pray to God for him. Have you seen 
 the height of Christian philosophy?" Love 
 your enemies. I. Howf (1) Do not love 
 
 what is wrong in them, but love them notwith- 
 standing the wrong. (2) Love them in the 
 same way that God loves his enemies. II. 
 Why ? (1) Because fellow-men ('neighbors'), 
 although enemies. (2) In order to be like 
 God, his children. JEROME: "Many say 
 that to love enemies is too much for human 
 nature ; but David did this to Saul and Ab- 
 salom ; Stephen prayed for the enemies that 
 were stoning him ; Jesus both taught and did 
 it. 'Father, forgive them.'" HENRY: "It 
 was said of Archbishop Crar.mer, that the way 
 to make him a friend was to do him an ill 
 turn ; so many did he serve who had dis- 
 obliged him." 
 
 V. 45. Natural blessings, as sunshine and 
 rain. The modern phrase is that they are 
 caused by the "laws of nature." They are 
 caused by natural forces, which we perceive 
 to act regularly, and these regular modes of 
 acting we call laws. But who appointed the 
 laws? Who created the forces, and made 
 them such as to act in these regular ways? 
 The Scriptures represent the Creator as work- 
 ing in the forces he has created and controls. 
 Sonship to God. (1) Shown by moral like- 
 ness to him. (2) In particular, by kindness 
 to our fellow-men, even to enemies. V. 46 f. 
 Natural kindness and Christian kindness. 
 Christians ought assuredly to be better than 
 men in general. V. 48. Imitating. (1) Do not 
 imitate the publicans and the Gentiles. (2) 
 Imitate your Heavenly Father. Perfection. 
 (1) We should wnsAtobe perfect and pained 
 with our imperfections. (2) We should try 
 to be perfect not disheartened by past fail- 
 ures. (3) We may hope to be perfect as we 
 pass into the perfect world. 
 
 Ch. 6: 1-4. GOOD WORKS WITHOUT OS- 
 TENTATION. I. ALMS-GIVING. 
 
 Since 5: 17 (see Analysis at beginning of 
 ch. 6), our Lord has been showing that he re- 
 quires in the subjects of the Messianic reign, 
 a higher and more spiritual morality than 
 that which was taught and practiced by the 
 Scribes and Pharisees. This is continued in
 
 126 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn VJ 
 
 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound 
 a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do iu the syna- 
 gogues ami in the streets, that they luay have glory of 
 men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 
 
 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand 
 know what thy right hand doetn : 
 
 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father 
 which seeth iu secret himself shall reward thee openly. 
 
 2 When therefore thou doest alms, sound not 
 trumpet before thee. as the hypocrites do in the 
 synagogues and in the streets, that they may have 
 glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have 
 
 3 received their reward. But when thou doest ulm>, 
 let not thy left hand know what thy right hand 
 
 4 doeth : that thine alms may be in secret : and thy 
 Father who seeth iu secret shall recompense thee. 
 
 a Or, cause not a trumpet to be founded. 
 
 6: 1-18; and as 5: 20 introduced the first main 
 section, (6:-- > o-48), so v. 1 introduces the second. 
 (6: MS. j In 5: 20 it is said that their righteous- 
 ness must exceed the Scribes and Pharisees; 
 accordingly (Weiss, Lutteroth) 5: 20-48 gives 
 examples from the teachings of the Scribes, 
 and 6: 1-18 from the practice of the Phari- 
 sees. The general principle of verse 1 is illus- 
 trated by applying it to three exercises highly 
 valued among the Jews (commended together 
 in Tobit 12: 8), viz., almsgiving ("-2-*), prayer 
 (MS), and fasting. (IMS.) Each of these, he 
 says, should be performed, not with a view to 
 human approbation and reward, but to that 
 of God. Calvin: "A very necessary admo- 
 nition; for in all virtues the entrance of am- 
 bition is to be avoided, and there is no work 
 so laudable as not to be in many instances 
 corrupted and polluted by it." 
 
 1. Your righteousness, 1 i. e., righteous 
 actions or good deeds (as in 5: 6, 10, 20), in- 
 cluding such as alms-giving, prayer, and 
 fasting.* To do righteousness is a phrase of 
 frequent occurrence, as in Psa. 106: 3; Isa. 
 58: 2; 1 John 2: 29; 3: 7, 10. To be seen 
 of them. More fully rendered, ' with a 
 view to be looked at (or gazed at) by them' ; 
 the Greek construction is the same as in 5: 
 28; 23: 5, conveying distinctly the idea of 
 purpose, design ; and the Greek verb is a 
 strong word (the root from which comes 
 theatre), and suggests the being gazed at as a 
 spectacle. So 'hypocrite' is originally 'actor,' 
 one who plays a part. This meaning of 'to 
 
 be seen,' is very strongly brought out by 
 Tyndale, Great Bible, and Geneva, 'to the 
 intent that,' etc. ; and for 'seen' Geneva says, 
 'looked at.' What our Lord forbids is there- 
 fore not publicity in performing good deeds, 
 which is often necessary and therefore proper, 
 but ostentatious publicity, for the purpose of 
 attracting attention and gaining applause. 
 This obviously does not conflict with 6: 16, 
 where the object to be had in view is that 
 God may be glorified, not ourselves. (See on 
 that passage.) No reward of or, with 
 (comp. margin of Com. Ver.), as if laid up 
 in God's presence for you. Cornp. 5: 12, 46; 1 
 Pet. 1 : 4. The Greek and Roman philosophers 
 and the Jewish writers have many maxims 
 upon the importance of being unostentatious 
 in virtue, especially in deeds of benevolence. 
 A desire for the approbation of our fellow- 
 men is not in itself wrong, and not incompati- 
 ble with piety, but it should be completely 
 subordinated to the desire that God may ap- 
 prove us, and that he may be glorified in us. 
 This entire subordination is manifestly very 
 difficult, and hence many think it easier to de- 
 nounce ambition altogether, forgetting that 
 ambition is an original principle of our na- 
 ture, to destroy which would be as injurious 
 as it is impossible. But while not inherently 
 sinful, ambition, like anger (see on 5: 22), is 
 exceedingly apt to become sinful, and hence 
 the solemn warning here given. 
 
 2-4. The first of the three subjects to which 
 our Lord applies the great principle of v. 1 is 
 
 1 This (comp. Com. Ver. margin) is the reading of the 
 three oldest uncials that contain the passage (B. X D-)> 
 of the Latin versions (nearly all copies) and Latin 
 Fathers, and is adopted by Lach., Tisch., Treg., W H. 
 It might easily be altered to the word meaning ' alms,' 
 partly because that is the subject of v. 2-4, and many 
 did not see that v. 1 presented a distinct general pre- 
 cept, and partly because the later Jews often used 
 'righteousness' as meaning alms, that being in their 
 view the foremost righteousness. (Comp. our modern 
 employment of 'charity ' to denote simply alms-giving.) 
 This use is seen in the Talmud, and in the frequent 
 translations of the Hebrew word for righteousness by 
 
 ' alms ' In the Sept., but is not found in N. T., nor in 
 j the Hebrew O. T. ; for Gesenius' examples, Prov. 10: 2- 
 11: 4; Psa. 24: 5; Micah 6: 5, do not at all require or 
 justify such a sense. But this notion of righteousness as 
 alms, spreading among Christians, might cause 'alms' 
 to be written in the margin of v. 1 as explaining the 
 supposed meaning of righteousness, and then its sub- 
 stitution by copyists. Notice that the Oriental versions 
 generally read alms, as the usage just mentioned 
 would be readily adopted in Oriental language. 
 
 * Several early MSS. and versions insert de, ' But take 
 heed,' etc., which is adopted by Tisch., and given in 
 brackets by W H. The question of its genuineness
 
 CH. VI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 127 
 
 Alms-giving. ( 2-*-) Therefore presents 
 what follows as an inference from what pre- 
 cedes, the specific precept inferred from the 
 general. Thou, see on 5: 23 ; 6 : 5. When 
 thou doest, appears to take for granted that 
 they will do so, as likewise in v. 5 and 16. 
 The English word 'alms' is an abridged form 
 of the Greek word here used, eleemosune 
 (comp. our adjective eleemosynary), gradually 
 reduced to German almosen, Wyclif s alm- 
 esse, Scotch awmous, our alms (ams). Sound 
 a trumpet, is by the Greek commentators and 
 nearly all recent writers understood as merely 
 a figurative expression, common to many 
 languages, for parade and effort to attract 
 notice and applause. There is no authority 
 for the conjecture of Calvin (mentioned as 
 early as Euthymius) and some others (includ- 
 ing Stier , that it was a practice among the 
 .lews for an ostentatious alms-giver literally 
 to sound a trumpet before him in public 
 places to summon the needy (sounding it 
 through another person, see margin of Com. 
 Ver. ). Lightf. sought long and earnestly for 
 evidence of such a practice, but found none; 
 and it is very improbable that such a thing 
 would have been permitted 'in the syna- 
 gogues.' We see much benevolence at the 
 present day so ostentatious that the giver 
 might very naturally be figuratively described 
 as sounding a trumpet before him. The 
 notion of Edersheim, "The Temple," p. 26, 
 that the expression refers to trumpet-shaped 
 contribution-boxes, in the temple treasury, 
 appears extremely far-fetched and fanciful. 
 Hypocrites. The word is borrowed by us 
 from the Greek, and in classic use signified an 
 actor, who wore a mask and played a part. 
 This well illustrates, as it naturally led to, the 
 sense in which the word is so often used in 
 Scripture. As to synagogue*) see on 4:23. 
 That they may have glory, or, be glorified 
 of men, in contrast to seeking the glory j 
 which God gives. (Comp. John 6: 44\ Verily I 
 I say unto you, see on 5: 18. They have, ! 
 or, have received. So Vulgate, Wyclif; and i 
 so Com. Ver. translates the same word in Luke j 
 
 6 : 24. The Greek verb is a compound, signi- 
 fying to have entirely, have the whole of, have 
 in full. The idea is that in being gazed at and 
 glorified by men they have all the reward 
 they will ever obtain, for they must fail of the 
 reward mentioned in v. 1. (Comp. Psa. 17 : 
 14.) See the same word below in v. 5, 16. 
 But when thou doest alms, the position of 
 the words making 'thou' emphatic, in con- 
 trast to the hypocrites. Let not thy left 
 hand, etc. Here, as in v. 2, we have a fig- 
 urative expressson. It suggests the pleasing 
 and striking image of a man passing one who 
 is in need, and with his right hand giving alms 
 in so quiet a way that, so to speak, even his 
 own left hand does not know what is going 
 on. That, in v. 4, is not ' so that ' but ' in 
 order that,' expressing not simply the result, 
 but the purpose; just as in v. 2, in 5: 15, etc. 
 Of course this does not require that all 
 benevolence shall be literally secret, but that 
 no benevolence shall be ostentatious (see on 
 v. 1). So far from trumpeting your alms- 
 giving before the public, do not even let it be 
 known to yourself. Which seeth in secret, 
 not exactly who sees what is done in secret, 
 but who is present in secret and sees there. 
 Comp. v. 6, 18, ' which is in secret.' Calvin: 
 " He silently glances at a kind of folly which 
 prevails everywhere among men, that they 
 think they have lost their pains if there have 
 not been many spectators of their virtues." 
 Reward, recompense, or, repay, is the word 
 explained on 5 : 33, l and different from the 
 noun rendered 'reward' in v. If. We are 
 not told when or how the recompense will be 
 given, and may understand that it will be 
 both in time and in. eternity, both in charac- 
 ter and in felicity. 
 
 The Jews held alms-giving in the highest 
 estimation. Thus Tobit, 12: 8, says, "It is 
 good to do alms rather than to treasure 
 up gold. For alms delivers from death [a 
 misinterpretation of Prov. 10: 2; 11: 4], and 
 this will purge away every sin." Comp. Si- 
 rach 29: 11 ff. The Talmud says that alms- 
 giving is "more excellent than all offerings," 
 
 hard to decide. If adopted, it would seem to imply the 
 expectation that 5: 20 and 48 would stir in the persons 
 addressed a desire to be righteous, and so they would 
 Deed the caution, " But take care," etc. 
 
 1 ' Himself and ' openly ' are omitted hy the earliest 
 manuscripts and most of the early version*. We can 
 
 see how they may have been written on the margin, to 
 bring out the implied contrast, and then supposed to be 
 part of the text because quite appropriate; while If 
 present originally, we cannot imagine why any one 
 should have wished to omit them. So they must be re- 
 jected without hesitation.
 
 128 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. VI. 
 
 is "equal to the whole law," will "deliver 
 from the condemnation of hell," and makes a 
 man "perfectly righteous." In the Talmud 
 of Babylon, Psa. 17 : 15, is explained to mean, 
 "I shall behold thy face on account of alms" 
 [properly, ' in righteousness'], and the infer- 
 ence is drawn that " on account of one farthing 
 given to the poor in alms, a man becomes 
 partaker of the beatific vision." Maimonides 
 particularizes eight degrees of alms-giving, 
 the merit being graded according to the cir- 
 cumstances. In like manner the Roman 
 Catholics attach great value to gifts and other 
 kindnesses to the poor, believing that they 
 atone for sins. Holding the books of Tobit 
 and Sirach to be canonical, they find in them 
 proof-texts for this doctrine. Add to the above 
 Sirach 3: 30, "alms will atone for sins." In 
 this, as in various other cases, there is reason 
 to fear that Protestants, by a natural reaction 
 from Romish error, fail to value an important 
 Christian duty as they should do. See Prov. 
 19: 17, also the cup of cold water (Matt. 10: ), 
 the judgment scenes (25:35ff.), also 2 Cor. 9: 
 6 if. ; Phil. 4: 18 f. ; 1 Tim. 6: 19; James 1: 
 27. That is a good saying of a Roman poet, 
 "It is only the riches you give that you \vill 
 always have." And see Tobit 4 : 7 ff. 
 
 Some of the Jewish writers also enjoin se- 
 crecy in alms-giving. Talmud: "He that 
 does alms in secret is greater than Moses." A 
 Mohammedan proverb says : "Hast thou done 
 a good deed, cast it into the sea ; if the fish find 
 it not, yet will God see it." And among the 
 traditional sayings of Mohammed, we find, 
 "In alms-giving, the left hand should not 
 know what the right has given" one of the 
 numerous instances in which Mohammed bor- 
 rowed from the Scriptures, not only the Old 
 but also the New Testament. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 1. VINET (in Lutteroth): "To be per- 
 fect (5:48), it is absolutely necessary to seek 
 the notice and aim at the approval of a per- 
 fect being." CHRYS.: "It may be, both that 
 one doing alms [he had the wrongtext] before 
 men may not do it to be seen of them, and 
 again that one not doing it before men may 
 
 do it to be seen of them He (Christ) 
 
 defines both the penalty and reward not by 
 the result of the action, but by the intention 
 of the doer. V. 1 and 5: 16. Good Works in 
 
 Public. 1) Wrong motive, that men may 
 honor us. 2) Right motive, that men may 
 glorify God. BOARDMAN : "Distinguish be- 
 tween doing right in order to help others, as 
 when one lights a beacon in order to guide 
 the sailor, and doing right in order to be 
 praised by others, as when one stands in full 
 blaze of a chandelier in order to display his 
 own jewelry." DYKES: "The actions of 
 piety, like its tones or its gaits, are so imitable, 
 and the imitation is so hard of detection, that 
 they become the invariable livery of the 
 hypocrite. For the same reason, they seduce 
 those who are not yet hypocrites into becom- 
 ing so. When a man would increase or pre- 
 serve a reputation for piety which he has once 
 honestly enough obtained, it is fatally easy to 
 perform pious acts, with this end in view, n 
 little oftener or a little more ostentatiously 
 than he would do were he only careful about 
 serving God." 
 
 V. 2-4. Two ways of doing good, and two 
 kinds of reward. What is the hypocrite's re- 
 ward? Praise from some of his fellow-men, 
 with the consciousness that he does not de- 
 serve it, a perpetual dread lest they find him 
 out, and frequent fears of that coming time 
 when the secrets of all hearts shall be re- 
 vealed. It is not necessarily wrong to em- 
 ploy example and emulation in persuading 
 men to give. (acor.8and9.) Hypocrisy. 1) Its 
 nature. 2) Its unwilling tribute to true piety 
 as counterfeit coin is abundant because 
 genuine coin is so valuable. 3) Its reward, 
 (a) the reward it may gain, (b) the reward it 
 must miss. ROCHEFOUCAULD: "Hypocrisy 
 is a sort of homage that vice pays to virtue." 
 HENRY : " The hypocrite catches at the 
 shadow, but the upright man makes sure of 
 the substance." ECCE HOMO : "Butthereare 
 subtler forms of hypocrisy, which Christ does 
 not denounce, probably because they have 
 sprung since out of the corruption of a subtler 
 creed .... They would practice assiduously 
 the rules by which Christ said heaven was to 
 be won. They would patiently turn the left 
 cheek, indefatigably walk the two miles, they 
 would bless with effusion those who cursed 
 them, and pray fluently for those who used 
 them spitefully. To love their enemies, to 
 lo\e any one, they would certainly find im- 
 possible, but the outward signs of love might 
 easily be learnt. And thus there would arise
 
 CH. VI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 129 
 
 5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the 
 hypocrites are : for they love to pray standing in the 
 Cuagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they 
 may l>e seen of men. Verily I say uiito you, They have 
 their reward. 
 
 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, 
 and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father 
 which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in 
 secret shall reward thee openly. 
 
 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the 
 
 5 And wheu ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypo- 
 crites : for they love to stand and pray in the syua- 
 gogues and in the comers of the streets, that they 
 may be seen of meu. Verily I say unto you, They 
 
 6 have received their reward. But thou, wheu thou 
 prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having 
 shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, 
 and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense 
 
 7 thee. And in praying use not vain repetitious, as 
 
 a new class of actors, not like those whom 
 
 Christ denounced hoping to impose 
 
 by their dramatic talent upon their Father in 
 heaven." LUTHER : " If we cease our chari- 
 table deeds because men are ungrateful, that 
 f>hows that we were not aiming to please and 
 honor God." 
 
 5-15. GOOD WORKS WITHOUT OSTENTA- 
 TION'. II. PRAYER. 
 
 5. The general principle of v. 1, tbat good 
 works must not be performed ostentatiously, 
 is now applied to a second example (compare 
 on v. 2). And when thou prayest. The 
 correct text is, and when ye pray. It was 
 early changed in some copies into " thou 
 prayest," to agree with the singular verbs 
 which precede. But throughout this passage 
 (. i-i8) the plural is used in the general injunc- 
 tions (*. i, 5, is), and the singular in the pointed 
 personal applications, (v. -2-4, e, 17, is). Compare 
 on 5: 23. Hypocrites, comp. on v. 2. Syn- 
 agogues, see on 4 : 23. Some would take the 
 wor.l here in its etymological sense, as denot- 
 ing "gatherings" anywhere, but there is no 
 propriety in departing from the usual mean- 
 ing. It was not wrong to pray in the syna- 
 gogues, which was a common usage ; but these 
 hypocrites prayed there rather than in secret, 
 and did so for the purpose of display. In 
 the corners of the streets, they could be 
 seen from four direction*, and thus would be 
 delightfully conspicuous. The word for 
 "streets" is different from that of v. 3, and 
 denotes broad, spacious streets. To pray 
 utanding. Three postures in prayer are 
 mentioned in Scripture; standing (i 8am. I-.-M; j 
 
 Mark 11 : 23; Luke 18: 11, 13), kneeling ('i CiiroTi.fi: 18; Dan. I 
 1:10; Luke 72: 41 ; Acts 7 : 60; 9:40; 20:36; 21:5); and in 
 
 "f peculiar awe or distress, prostration > 
 
 '' face. (Nam. 16:22; Josh. 5:14; Dan. 8:17; Matt. ; 
 
 :; RV. ii: 16.) Standing being therefore a 
 f'Hnmon posture, it is plain that this formed ! 
 ii" part of the display, which consisted in 
 choosing the most public places to parade i 
 their devotions. The Talmud of Babylon 
 *ay that persons would sometimes stand three I 
 
 hours in a public place and a praying posture 
 (Lightf. ). The excuse for such parade of 
 devotion was found in the idea that when 
 the hour of prayer arrived, one must pray 
 wherever he was ; so with the Mohammedans 
 now, who may often be seen praying in the 
 most public places. The practice of indo- 
 lently sitting during prayer finds no support 
 either in Scripture precedent (unless 2 Sam. 
 7 : 18 be claimed as such) in the natural feel- 
 ing of propriety, or in devout experience. 
 
 Verily I say unto yon, see on 5: 18. 
 They have, have received "have in full." 
 See on v. 26. 
 
 6. But thou, changing again to the sin- 
 gular number for pointed personal application 
 (see on 5 : 23). The word rendered closet sig- 
 nifies originally a store-room, and then any 
 private or retired room. Rev. Ver., "inner 
 chamber." It is frequently applied in the 
 Septuagint to a bed-chamber; comp. Isa. 26: 
 20, "Come, my people, enter thou into thy 
 chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: 
 hide thyself as it were for a little moment, 
 until the indignation be overpast." Compare 
 also Matt. 24:26; Luke 12:3. The notion 
 that our Lord designs to refer to a particular 
 room on the top of a Jewish house, or over 
 the main entrance of the building, is unwar- 
 ranted, and unnecessarily restricts the mean- 
 ing of the passage. The inner chamber may 
 in fact often be best found in the solitude of 
 nature, as Jesus frequently did. (Marki: 35; 6: *; 
 u:32.) Shut thy door, the word denoting that 
 it is not only closed, but fastened, thus giving 
 the idea of the most complete privacy. (Comp. 
 2 Kings 4 : 33.) In secret our Father is pres- 
 ent, in secret he sees, and though men will 
 not recompense, he will. Comp. Prov. 15 : 3. 
 (Openly is n spurious addition, as in v. 4.) 
 
 7 f. Slightly digressing in a very natural 
 way from the precise line of thought in v. 
 1-18, and resuming the plural of general ad- 
 dress, our Lord here appends a censure of 
 another and kindred fault in prayer, in the 
 injunction, use not vain repetitions. The
 
 130 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cii. VI. 
 
 heathen do : for they think that they shall be heard for 
 their much speaking. 
 
 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them : for your Father 
 kuoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask 
 Urn. 
 
 the Gentiles do: for they think that they shall be 
 
 8 heard for their much speaking. Be not therefoS 
 
 like unto them: for Jyour Father knoweth what 
 
 1 Some ancient authorities read, God four Father. 
 
 Greek has a rare word formed so that its 
 sound shall resemble the sense (onomato- 
 poeia), and used to express stuttering, the 
 indistinct speech of little children, or any 
 confused babble. This well represents the 
 practice common in the public worship of 
 some of the heathen, as when the priests of 
 Baal continued from morning until noon to 
 cry: "O Baal, hear us! " (i Kings is : -26), and the 
 multitude in the theatre at Ephesus for two 
 hours shouted, "Great is Diana of the Ephe- 
 sians." (Actsi9:s4.) A great crowd continuing 
 to repeat the same words, every one for him- 
 self, would make just the babbling noise 
 which the Greek word expresses ;. and so 
 would a single person, when, wearily and 
 without interest, and as rapidly as possible, 
 repeating the same word or phrase. Tyndale 
 rendered "babble not much," followed by 
 Great Bible and Geneva. The Com. Ver. 
 rendering, "use not vain repetitions," was 
 suggested by the commentary of Beza, 
 whose guidance that version frequently fol- 
 lows. It is possible that as a stutterer often 
 repeats the same word, the Greek word came 
 to be used to denote idle and unmeaning repe- 
 titions in general. The idea of the heathen 
 was that for (in) their much speaking they 
 would be heard. So the Roman comic writer 
 Terence makes one person tell another not to 
 stun the gods with thanksgivings, "unless 
 you judge them to have no more sense than 
 yourself, so as to think they do not under- 
 stand anything unless it has been said a hun- 
 dred times." The Jews must have been in- 
 clining to the same practice, thinking that 
 thero was merit in saying over certain words 
 of prayer many times. In Talmud Bab., K. 
 Hanin says, "If prayer is prolonged, it will 
 not be without effect." Another objects that 
 it may make one sick, and a third that it may 
 make him gloomy. Compare Mark 12: 40: 
 "And for a pretence make long prayers." 
 Yet Eccl. 5:2 had pointed out the impro- 
 priety of much speaking in prayer, "There- 
 fore let thy words be few," and the apocry- 
 phal book of Sirach (Ecclus.) (:.) said, "Do 
 . not prattle in a multitude of elders, and do 
 
 not repeat a word in thy prayer." So the 
 Koman poet Plautus says, "Transact divine 
 things in few words." The practice of pray- 
 ing a long time, as a formal observance, would 
 naturally lead to unmeaning repetition. The 
 Buddhist monks at the present time, will for 
 whole days together cry aloud the sacred 
 syllable Urn; and some Mohammedans "turn 
 about in a circle, and pronounce the name of 
 God until they drop down." After a Mo- 
 hammedan funeral in some countries, devout 
 men assemble, and repeat Allah el Allah, 
 "God is God," three thousand times. A 
 traveler in Persia tells of a man " who prayed 
 so loud and so long that he lost his voice, and 
 then groaned out, in voiceless accents, the 
 name of God fifty times." (Tkoluck.) So in 
 some prayers recorded in the Avesta, and 
 in the old Egyptian writings. M. Hue 
 tells of Buddhist students in Chinese Tar- 
 tary, who will put a written prayer on a 
 wheel, which is turned with a crank, or 
 even by wind or water; and they believe 
 that every revolution is a prayer, and adds 
 to their merit. In like manner, Eoman 
 Catholics now think it very devout to repeat 
 many times often fifteen, and in some cases 
 a hundred and fifty times the Ave Maria 
 (Hail, Mary), and the Pater Noster (Our 
 Father, i. e., the Lord's Prayer), and count 
 the repetitions by slipping the beads of the 
 rosary thus employing (Tholuck) the very 
 prayer our Saviour set in contrast to such no- 
 tions and practices. This use of a rosary is a 
 Buddhist practice, which came through the 
 Mohammedans to the Spanish Christians. 
 But our Father (see on v. 9) is not slow to at- 
 tend, as Elijah mockingl}' represented Baal to 
 be, nor unable to understand unless it is said 
 a hundred times; he knoweth what we need, 
 not only as soon as we ask it once, but even 
 before we ask it. Observe, however, two 
 things: (1) God's knowing before we ask is no 
 reason why we should not ask. We do not 
 pray in order to give him information, but to 
 express our own desire, our feeling of need 
 and dependence. Not that prayer, as many 
 say, is designed simply to influence ourselves;
 
 CH. VI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 131 
 
 men would pray very little if they really be- 
 lieved that to be all. We pray, as hoping 
 thereby to induce God to grant what we de- 
 sire ; and his foreknowledge and even predes- 
 tination of all things is no more an objection 
 to praying than to acting. (2) Our Saviour 
 cannot mean that long-continued praying is 
 in itself improper, for he himself sometimes 
 spent a whole night in prayer (Luke6:i2), and 
 he spoke more than one parable to encourage 
 perseverance in prayer; nor is it necessarily 
 wrong to repeat the same words a thing some- 
 times very natural when we are deeply in 
 earnest for in Gethsemane he "prayed a 
 third time, saying again the same words." 
 (:.) The difference between these and 
 the practice condemned is plain. Augustine 
 justly distinguishes between much speaking 
 in prayer, and much praying. 
 
 9. After this manner therefore pray ye, 
 with a strong emphasis (as the Greek shows) 
 on "ye." This injunction is presented as a 
 consequence of what precedes. Since it is un- 
 availing for us, and unworthy of our God, to 
 pray as the heathen do (comp. v. 7 ; 5: 47), 
 therefore do ye pray thus. The special (though 
 of course not exclusive) design with whicfrthe 
 prayer that follows is here introduced is to 
 put in contrast with that of which he has just 
 been speaking (*. 7) a specimen of the right 
 kind of prayer. He thus teaches them "by 
 example as well as by precept," to avoid the 
 faults in question. Regarded from this point 
 of view, we are struck with the comprehen- 
 siveness and simplicity of the prayer, truly 
 the very opposite of "much speaking," of 
 babbling repetitions and boisterous passion. 
 How vast its scope, how varied its applica- 
 tions, how simple its language. Tertullian 
 already observed that it is "as copious in 
 meaning as it is condensed in expression." 
 Yet with all this comprehensiveness, there is 
 no propriety in gravely defending, as some 
 do, and seeking to establish by artificial expo- 
 sition, the mere rhetorical hyperbole which 
 Tertullian adds ("On Prayer," chap. 1), that 
 "in this prayer is comprised a compendof the 
 whole gospel." 
 
 Substantially the same prayer is recorded 
 in Luke 11 : 2-4 as a specimen or model of 
 prayer in general, given in response to a 
 pecial request from one of the disciples. 
 Now we know that Jesus repeated many 
 
 striking or important sayings at different 
 times and in different connections (see Gen- 
 eral Introduction to chap. 5). There is thus 
 no difficulty in understanding that he gave 
 this prayer on two different occasions. They 
 who think otherwise must either suppose that 
 Matthew has artificially constructed this dis- 
 course out of scattered materials, or that Luke 
 has introduced on an unreal occasion (Luke 11 : i) 
 what actually belonged to this discourse ; and 
 there is no sufficient ground for either suppo- 
 sition. Recent studies in the harmony of the 
 Gospels (Wieseler, Clark's Harmony) make 
 it highly probable that the occasion on which 
 Luke gives the prayer was long after the 
 Sermon on the Mount, during the last few 
 months of our Lord's ministry, and away in 
 J.udea or Perea. But even if it be supposed 
 that the prayer was given only once, it would 
 remain true that the two Evangelists have 
 recorded it in very different terms. Even in 
 the common Greek Text and the Common 
 Version, there are several different expres- 
 sions; and the unquestionably correct text 
 given in the Revised Version makes the differ- 
 ences quite considerable. 
 
 MATTHEW 6 : 9-13. 
 Our Father who art in heaven, 
 Hallowed be thy name. 
 Thy kingdom come. 
 
 Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. 
 Give us this day our daily bread. 
 And forgive us our debts, 
 As we also have forgiven our debtors. 
 And bring us not into temptation, 
 But deliver us from the evil one. 
 
 LUE 11: 2-4. 
 Father, 
 
 Hallowed be thy name. 
 Thy kingdom come. 
 Give us day by day our daily bread. 
 And forgive us our sins ; 
 For we ourselves also forgive every one that is 
 
 indebted to us. 
 And bring us not into temptation. 
 
 If then our Lord gave the prayer on two 
 occasions, he gave it in quite different terms, 
 which shows, beyond all question, that it was 
 not intended as a form of prayer, to be re- 
 peated in the same words. If, on the other 
 hand, it be supposed that he gave the prayer 
 only once, then the Evangelists certainly did 
 not understand it to be a form of prayer, or 
 they would not have recorded it in such dif- 
 ferent terms. There is no important difference
 
 132 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VI. 
 
 in the substance of the two prayers; for the 
 petition, "Thy will be done," etc., only 
 brings into special prominence something that 
 is involved in "Thy kingdom come," and the 
 petition, " But deliver us from the evil one" 
 only gives the other side of the foregoing, 
 " And bring us not into temptation." There 
 is no material difference in the two prayers, 
 but there is certainly a great difference in 
 form. It is entirely proper in praying, and 
 indeed very desirable, to repeat any passage 
 of Scripture that seems specially appropriate. 
 Few passages, if any, would be so often ap- 
 propriate for such a purpose as this prayer, be- 
 cause it is so rich and sweet, and because the 
 Saviour expressly gave it, on both occasions, 
 as a model of praying. But in the face of the 
 above facts, it cannot for a moment be main- 
 tained that he has made it our duty to repeat 
 this prayer whenever we pray, or to use these 
 precise words from beginning to end whenever 
 we feel moved to adopt the prayer. 
 
 The common title "The Lord's Prayer" 
 has been in use among Christians from an 
 early period, being found already in Cyprian, 
 about A. D. 250, if in no earlier writer. 1 The 
 prayer contains no allusion to the mediation 
 of Christ, says nothing about asking in his 
 name, for which the disciples were not yet 
 prepared. (John is : 23 r.) Like many other por- 
 tions of Scripture, it was especially adapted 
 to the precise times in which it was spoken, 
 and the interpretation and applications of it 
 must be made accordingly. 
 
 It is often asserted by modern Jews and 
 rationalistic Christian writers that no portion 
 of this prayer is original ; for they say that all 
 its petitions are found in the Talmud or in the 
 liturgies now used among the Jews, and sup- 
 posed by them to be ancient. Let us collect 
 and consider the facts. They must be mainly 
 stated at second hand ; but the sources will be 
 indicated. 
 
 "Our Father, who is in Heaven," occurs 
 often in the Jewish liturgies. One of the Jewish 
 prayers contains: " Let us sanctify thy name 
 in the world, as they sanctify it in the high 
 heavens." Among the prayers the Kaddish 
 is especially valued, and has to be often re- 
 cited : " Magnified and sanctified be his great 
 
 name in the world which, according to his 
 good pleasure, he created, and may he spread 
 abroad his reign in your days; and may his 
 redemption blossom forth, and may Messiah 
 be at hand and deliver his people." (Wet.). 
 And there are various other prayers that 
 God's name may be sanctified. In the Tal- 
 mud a Kabbi says : "Every prayer in which 
 the name of God is not mentioned is no 
 prayer." And another says: "That prayer 
 in which the kingdom of God is not named, 
 is no prayer." As a matter of course, the 
 Jewish pni3 T ers often include many petitions 
 in regard to God's kingdom, though the exact 
 phrase, "Thy kingdom come," has not been 
 cited, the nearest approach to it being, "Ke- 
 veal the glory of thy kingdom upon us speed- 
 ily." The Talmud of Bab. (Beraoh. r. 29 h) gives 
 short prayers proper for time of peril, derived 
 from several Kabbis, and among them this: 
 " Kabbi Eliezer says, 'Do thy will in heaven 
 above, and give place to those that fear thee 
 below; and do what thou pleasest.' " The 
 same treatise (f. 60 b), gives as a prayer be- 
 fore falling asleep: "Do not make us enter 
 into the hand (power) of sin, nor into the hand 
 of temptation, nor into the hand of contempt." 
 And again (f. 16 b): " Kabbi was wont thus 
 to pray: 'Let it be thy good pleasure to de- 
 liver us from impudent men and impudence, 
 from an evil man and from an evil chance, 
 from an evil affection, from an evil compan- 
 ion, from an evil neighbor, from Satan the 
 destroyer, from a hard judgment, and from a 
 hard adversary," [So Lightfoot, Wetstein, 
 Sepp, and Wunsche, in his German translation 
 of Talmud Bab., Vol. I., A. D. 1886. Schwab's 
 French translation of Talmud Jerusalem has 
 "from a corrupter," instead of "from Satan 
 the destroyer."] 
 
 It thus appears that no parallel has been 
 found to several important clauses of the 
 prayer, such as " Thy will be done, as in 
 heaven, so on earth," or the prayer for daily 
 bread, to which nothing similar has been ad- 
 duced save one of the short prayers in the Tal- 
 mud, "The wants of thy people Israel are 
 many, their thought is limited ; may it please 
 thee, O Lord our God, to give each one what 
 he needs for nourishment, and to every crea- 
 
 1 In the fourth century we find it maintained that 
 only the baptized may repeat this prayer, some holding 
 that the uubaptized could not properly say " Our 
 
 Father," others that they could not partake of " the 
 supersubstantial bread " in the Eucharist. (See Suicer.
 
 VI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 133 
 
 9 After this manner therefore pray ye : Our Father 
 which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 
 
 9 things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After 
 this manner therefore pray ye : Our Father who art 
 
 ture what it lacks" which is really no paral- 
 lel :it all. Nor is any parallel offered to the 
 petition that we may be forgiven as we forgive, 
 upon which our Lord laid special stress by 
 repeating its thought after the close of the 
 prayer (v. ur.) The nearest approach is in Ec- 
 clus. 28: 2. (See below on v. 12.) 
 
 Again, the resemblance in several cases is 
 not very marked, as in "Thy kingdom come," 
 "Deliver us from the evil one." The only 
 exact parallels are to the address, " Our Fa- 
 ther who art in heaven," and to the petitions, 
 "Hallowed be thy name," and "Bring us not 
 into temptation." 
 
 In all these cases of resemblance the ex- 
 pression is one most natural to be employed. 
 In regard to calling God our Father, see be- 
 low ; and petitions as to God's name and 
 kingdom, and as to temptations, must of 
 course -enter sometimes into Jewish prayers. 
 What then is the amount of the charge that 
 the prayer is not original ? Some of its peti- 
 tions have no parallel in Jewish literature, 
 and others only partial parallels. And as to 
 the resemblances, exact or partial, a little re- 
 flection shows that nothing else would have 
 been natural. Is it reasonable to suppose that 
 the Great Teacher would give as a model of 
 prayer to his followers a series of petitions 
 that were throughout such as nobody had ever 
 thought of or felt the need of? A wise teacher 
 links new instruction to what is already 
 known and felt. And our Lord's ethical and 
 devotional instructions would have been really 
 less efficient if they had been marked by the 
 startling originality which some have un- 
 wisely claimed for them. Orotius : "Our 
 Lord was far removed from all affectation of 
 unnecessary novelty." Those, on the other 
 hand, who have represented this prayer as 
 entirely wanting in originality, are refuted by 
 the facts; for we have seen that several of 
 the petitions are without parallel, and that the 
 cases of resemblance are perfectly natural; 
 while the brevity and comprehensiveness of 
 the prayer as a whole are wonderful in the ex- 
 treme. It may be added, without treating it 
 Man important fact in the present case, that 
 ome prayers in the Jewish liturgies are un- 
 questionably more recent than the time of 
 Chri-t, (see Margoliouth, Weiss, Ebrard in 
 
 Herzog), and that even prayers and other 
 matters in the Talmud may have been de- 
 rived from the New Testament. The Rabbis 
 borrowed freely from Greeks and afterwards 
 from Arabians, and it is by no means so cer- 
 tain as some modern Jews imagine, that they 
 did not also borrow frem Jesus and his apos- 
 tles. But the explanation of the matter be- 
 fore us is independent of that question. 
 
 The prayer naturally falls into two divis- 
 ions, and it is an instructive and impressive 
 fact that the first petitions are those which re- 
 late to God, his kingdom and his glory, and 
 those relating to ourselves come afterwards, as 
 beingof less importance. Bengel: "The first 
 three are thy, thy, thy; the others, us, us, 
 MS." So likewise the Ten Commandments 
 fall into two parts; the former setting forth 
 our duty to God, the latter to our neighbor. 
 At the present day, the prevalent tendency is 
 to begin with human nature and wants, and 
 to ask how Christianity suits itself to these; 
 the Bible teaches us to think of God, and ask 
 how we may suit ourselves to his nature and 
 will. As we are afterwards taught to seek his 
 kingdom first (6:33), so here to pray first that 
 it may come. Yet the distinction in the 
 prayer is not absolute, since the fulfillment of 
 the first petitions will be also for our good, and 
 the fulfillment of the others will be also for 
 God's glory. There has been much useless 
 discussion in Germany as to whether the 
 prayer contains seven petitions (the Lutheran 
 view,. following Augustine), or only six (the 
 Reformed or Calvinian view, following Chrys- 
 ostom), according as we consider verse IB to 
 be one petition or two. Some writers try to 
 find in the several petitions sets of threes, as 
 if illustrating the Trinity; but this is arti- 
 ficial and fanciful. 
 
 9. Our Father. The use of the plural, 
 throughout the prayer, instead of changing 
 to the singular, as is done in v. 2, 6, 17, evi- 
 dently presents this as a specimen of social 
 rather than secret prayer; and so, involves 
 prayer for each other, and not for ourselves 
 alone. Compare 18: 19; Mai. 2: 10. The 
 thought of God as our Father is presented in 
 some passages of the Old Test, (as Isa. 63: 13; 
 Ps. 103: 13; Deut. 32: 6), and oftener in sub- 
 sequent Jewish writings (Tobit 13: 4; Ecclus.
 
 134 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. 
 
 23: 1; 51: 10; Wisdom 2: 16; 14:3); and the 
 Later Jews have several prayers in which God 
 is addressed as "our Father in heaven," an 
 idea doubtless drawn by them from the Old 
 Test. The heathen, too, were not wholly un- 
 familiar with the thought. Max Mutter : 
 "We have in the Veda the invocation Dyaus- 
 piter, the Greek Zeu pater, the Latin Jupiter; 
 and that means in all the three languages 
 what it meant before these languages were 
 torn asunder it means heaven -Father." 
 (Boardman.) Plutarch says that the super- 
 stitious man recognizes only that which is 
 sovereign in God, and not the fatherly; and 
 Seneca, that God has a fatherly mind towards 
 good men. But it is Jesus who has rendered 
 this idea so clear and precious ; distinctly 
 comparing the feelings of human parents 
 towards their children (?:"), and making the 
 great thought familiar by frequent repetition. 
 In one sense God is the Father of all men, as 
 in one sense all men are brothers ; and so we 
 can fitly speak of the Fatherhood of God and 
 the Brotherhood of man ; and yet it is only 
 believers in Christ who can in the fullest 
 sense call God Father (uotms: i; John 8:42;, and 
 call oach other brethren. (uohnsiu.) In 
 heaven. God, who is everywhere present, is 
 constantly represented in Scripture as mak- 
 ing his special abode, and the special manifes- 
 tation of the presence of his glory, in heaven. 
 Aristotle noticed that this idea was common 
 to all nations. But the heathen made heaven 
 itself, variously personified, an object of wor- 
 ship; while in Scripture, heaven is but the 
 dwelling-place of God. (Comp. Plumptre.) 
 
 Hallowed be thy name. To pray that his 
 name, Jehovah, by which he is distinguished 
 from all heathen deities, and marked out as 
 his people's God, may be sanctified, regarded 
 and treated as holy (comp. Exod. 20: 8; Lev. 
 22: 2, 32; Ezek. 36: 23; 1 Pet. 3 : 15, and 
 contrast "despise my name" Mai. 1: 6), in- 
 volves the idea of praying that God, in all his 
 character and dealings, may be reverenced 
 and glorified. Compare such expressions as 
 "they that love thy name," "that know thy 
 name" in the Old Test., and "glorify thy 
 name" in John 12: 28; Rev. 15: 4. This idea 
 of taking the proper name as representing the 
 person in his entire character, is altogether 
 natural, but was rendered peculiarly impress- 
 ive to the Israelitish mind by their remark- 
 
 able reverence for the name of Jehovah a 
 reverence which at length became supersti- 
 tious, so that the later Jews would never pro- 
 nounce that proper name at all, but uttered 
 instead of it the word Adonai, which means 
 Lord and this led to the translation of Je- 
 hovah in the Septuagint by Kyrios, and in 
 the English by Lord. The Anglo-Saxon word 
 "hallow," though often employed in the Old 
 Testament, is used nowhere in the King 
 James Version of the New Testament, except 
 here and Luke 11 : 2. Elsewhere that version 
 uses the Latin word sanctify. But in this 
 familiar and cherished prayer the old Anglo- 
 Saxon word was retained (comp. on 1 : 18, as 
 to the use of Holy Ghost). So likewise the 
 Latin Vulgate, while translated anew from 
 the Hebrew, retained the old Latin Version 
 of the Psalms, as being so familiar that change 
 would not be tolerated ; and the English Book 
 of Common Prayer, though altered elsewhere 
 to suit the King James Version, retains still 
 the translation of the Psalms from the Great 
 Bible, or Coverdale. 
 
 Thy kingdom come. Of the three words, 
 kingship, reign, and kingdom, to which the 
 Greek word here employed is equivalent (see 
 on 3 : 2), it would be best in this and many pas- 
 sages to use the second term reign, since we can 
 use only one. The reference is plainly to that 
 Messianic reign which all devout Jews were 
 
 expecting (Mark 15 : 43; Luke 23: 51), and which John 
 
 and Jesus had been proclaiming as now near 
 at hand. (s-. 2; : 17.) The prayer that it might 
 come would in the minds of our Lord's hearers 
 refer especially to the beginning of the reign, 
 the introduction of the kingdom (Luken.- 20 r.); 
 but just as in the prophetic view the whole 
 period from the beginning of Messiah's reign 
 to its ultimate triumph, frequently appears as 
 a point, so in the full sense the coming of that 
 reign or kingdom includes the idea of its com- 
 plete establishment. It is therefore perfectly 
 legitimate for us to use the petition with our 
 minds specially directed towards the consum- 
 mation of Christ's reign, the complete estab- 
 lishment of his kingdom, his final glorious 
 triumph, when the kingship (sovereignty) of 
 the world, shall become our Lord's and his 
 ; Christ's. (EOT. 11:15.) Thy will be done is more 
 exactly thy will come to pass, 'take place,' 
 the same verb as in 1 : 22 (see foot-note there), 
 5: 18; 24: 6, 34 (where it is rendered 'come
 
 CH. VI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 135 
 
 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done iu earth, 
 as it is in heaven. 
 
 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 
 
 10 in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom 
 come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. 
 
 11 (jive us this day 1 our daily bread. And forgive us 
 
 1 Or. our bread for the coming day, or, our needful bread. 
 
 to pass,' in Com. Ver.), and the same expres- 
 sion as in 26 : 42, and Acts 21 : 14. This of 
 course involves the idea that moral creatures 
 are to do his will, as in 7 : 21 ; 12 : 50 (where 
 the word 'do' is employed^, but it expresses 
 a more comprehensive thought. Theological 
 writers distinguish three senses of the term 
 wilt. God's will of purpose always comes to 
 pass, in heaven, earth, and hell. But his will 
 of desire does not yet always come to pass on 
 earth as it does in heaven. He wished Jeru- 
 salem to be saved (Luke is: 34), and they would 
 not. He does not "wish that any should 
 perish, but that all should come to repent- 
 ance" (2 Pet. s:9), and yet many refuse to re- 
 pent, and perish. He wishes "all men to be 
 saved" (iTim. 2: *), yet many are led captive by 
 Satan according to his own will. And God's 
 will of command, how often and how fla- 
 grantly it is disobeyed; how few of his moral 
 creatures on earth are prepared to say, " I de- 
 light to do thy will, O my God" (Psaim40:8), 
 or as Jesus said, literally, " My food is to do 
 the will of him that sent me" (John*: 34); how 
 few are joined to Christ by the fullness of that 
 tie, " Whosoever shall do the will of my Father 
 who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, 
 and mother." (w. ao.) In earth as it is in 
 heaven. The Rev. Ver., As in heaven, so on 
 earth, gives the order of the Greek, and makes 
 a difference in the emphasis. We ought to be 
 continually praying this prayer. In heaven, 
 everything takes place as God wishes, every- 
 tlfmir is perfectly pleasing in his sight. Ah ! 
 when shall it be so on earth ? When shall his 
 reign fully come, and his will take place, 'as 
 in heaven, (so) also upon earth ? ' O Lord, 
 how long I This impressive petition is really 
 involved in the foregoing, simply stating sep- 
 arately one element of it; for when God's 
 reign is fully come, his will must come to 
 pass, etc. When therefore this is omitted 
 from the prayer on the second occasion (Luke 
 11 = ), we perceive that no principal thought 
 of the prayer is thus lost. Yet this is by no 
 means a mere repetition or expansion, for it 
 brings into prominence one practical element 
 of God's reign, which we ought specially to 
 desire and aim to bring about. Some (e. g. } 
 
 West, and Hort's Greek Test.) would affix 
 " as in heaven, so also upon earth," to all the 
 three foregoing petitions, making it apply sep- 
 arately to each of them. This is a possible 
 view, but not probable. (1) The words would 
 not harmonize so well with "thy reign 
 come," as with "thy name be sanctified," 
 and "thy will come to pass." (2) The omis- 
 sion of these words in Luke 11: 2 would thus 
 be harder to account for. 
 
 11. Here begins the second division of the 
 prayer, that which contains petitions for our- 
 selves (compare on v. 9). The grammatical 
 construction here changes. The foregoing 
 clauses pray that something may come to pass 
 in the course of God's providence. The suc- 
 ceeding clauses directly petition God to give 
 and forgive. Daily bread. Bread naturally 
 represents food in general, all that is necessary 
 to support life, of which bread is commonly 
 esteemed the most important and indispen- 
 sable part. (Mark 3 : 20 ; 2 Thess. 3 : 12 ; Prov. 30 : 8, margin.) 
 
 There seems to be no warrant for understand- 
 ing the term as here including spiritual nour- 
 ishment. It is altogether natural and proper 
 to draw the inference that if we are bidden to 
 ask God for bodily food, we need quite as 
 much to ask him for that of the soul ; but in- 
 ference is a different thing from interpret- 
 ation. Conant: " The beauty and propriety 
 of this single petition for earthly good (re- 
 stricted to that without which life cannot sub- 
 sist), has been felt in all ages of the church." 
 Many Fathers, and many in every age, have 
 wrongly insisted upon " spiritualizing " the 
 passage, as they have done with well-nigh 
 everything in Scripture. Against the over- 
 driven spirituality which affects to be too in- 
 different to earthly good to think it worth 
 asking for, Jesus vindicates a place for earthly 
 good in our prayers. In the present age, it is 
 especially important to urge that men shall 
 pray for temporal good, since so many think 
 that the recognized presence of law in all 
 temporal things puts them beyond the sphere 
 of prayer; ns if that would not exclude God 
 from his universe; and as if there wore not 
 law in spiritual things also. The word (epiou- 
 sion) rendered daily, is extremely rare and
 
 136 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VI. 
 
 obscure. Origen says, that it was not found ( 
 in any Greek writer or in colloquial use, but 
 seemed to have been coined by the Evangelists. 
 Only three senses of the term have now any 
 advocates: (1) '(bread) for to-morrow,' and 
 so 'daily,' Bishop Lightfoot, Meyer, Grimm, 
 Wtinsche, Nicholson, margin of Rev. Test.; 
 
 (2) ' needful,' Godet, Keim, Keil, Cremer, 
 margin of Rev. Test. (American Revisers); 
 
 (3) 'supersubstantial,' Jerome in Matthew, 
 and many Romanists. Etymological con- 
 siderations' strongly favor (1), and render (3) 
 practically impossible. Bishop Lightfoot, 
 "On a Fresh Revision of the New Test." 
 App., has conclusively shown (and McClellan 
 and Canon Cook vainly strive to meet his 
 facts and arguments), how strongly (1) is sup- 
 ported by the early versions, being uniformly 
 given by the Old Latin (and even Jerome re- 
 tains it in Luke), by both the Egyptian ver- 
 sions, the Old Syriac, and the "Gospel ac- 
 cording to the Hebrews." Origen preferred 
 (2), explaining it as meaning needful for the 
 soul a spiritualizing conception, which suited 
 Origen's turn of mind and habitual methods 
 of interpretation ; and he gave this view great 
 currency among the Greek Christians (see 
 Suicer) and the later Syrians. Jerome, by 
 an impossible etymology, rendered it 'super- 
 substantial' in Matthew, though retaining in { 
 Luke the 'daily' of the Old Latin, and is 
 followed in both passages by Wyclif and the 
 Rheims version. Many Romanist writers 
 have tried to use this rendering in Matthew 
 for the support of transubstantiation, though 
 the Romanist prayer-books have uniformly 
 
 retained 'daily.' Plumptre strangely adopts 
 Jerome's rendering, understanding it to mean 
 "over and above material substance" (in 
 which a material word is gratuitously in- 
 serted), and thus entirely restricting the peti- 
 tion to spiritual bread. In (1) "Give us to- 
 day our bread for to-morrow," would mean 
 our daily bread, if we remember that one 
 should not let the day close without knowing 
 how he is to have food for the next morning. 
 It is very difficult to see how (2) could ever 
 have suggested the idea of daily, which is 
 found in all the earlier versions, and often re- 
 ferred to by Greek Fathers (Suicer). Mure- 
 over, the idea of (2) could have been easily ex- 
 pressed by existing Greek words, while that 
 of (1) would have required the coining of a 
 Greek adjective (Origen above). The objec- 
 tion to (1) is that it seems to conflict with v. 
 34, " Be not anxious for the morrow '' ; but it 
 is fairly answered that the way to prevent 
 such anxiety is to pray that to-morrow's 
 bread may be given us to-day, as in Phil. 4: 
 6, the remedy for anxiety is prayer; and if 
 v. 34 prohibits prayer for to-morrow's bread, 
 then (Achelis) verse 31 would prohibit prayer 
 for any food. If we combine all the evidence, 
 it would seem that (1) must be very decidedly 
 preferred. 8 With this compare James 2 : 15, 
 Rev. Ver., "And in lack of daily food"; 
 Prov. 30 : 8, lit., " Feed me with my portion (or 
 allowance) of bread" ; (Acu6:i ; 2 Kings K . so) ; 
 also the fact that the manna was given one 
 day's supplj 7 at a time. This day, or simply 
 'to-day.' In Luke 11 : 3 it is 'day by day.' 
 The phrase in Matthew is said by various Fa- 
 
 sios comes easily and naturally from he epiousn, 
 ' the oncoming (day),' a very common expression for 
 'to-morrow' or 'next day.' As to the possible ety- 
 mology for (2), and the etymological impossibility of 
 (3), see the special treatises and the lexicons. 
 
 *Mr. Paspati, a Greek gentleman of Constantinople, 
 published (Athens, 1883), a lecture on the English Re- 
 vised Version, in which he says (p. 14), that the word 
 epiousios " is in general use among the Greeks. Many 
 poor people complain that they cannot gain their epiou- 
 tion bread. Epiousios means whatever can sustain or 
 maintain." Mr. Sakellarios writes from Athens (Feb. 
 1886), that the word " was and is used in the sense of 
 necessary, food necessary for sustenance." Now it is 
 well known, as above stated, that this interpretation 
 prevailed amonr the Greek Fathers, and so Mr. Constan- 
 ts ne interprets, in his Greek comm. on Matt, and Mark 
 (Athens, 1878). So far as the word is now generally 
 used among the Greeks in that sense, it is evidently a 
 
 mere appropriation of a Scripture term as commonly 
 understood. Mr. Paspati remarks (p. 12) upon the fre- 
 quent use of Scriptural expressions among the Greeks, 
 including phrases relating to Pilate and to .Satan. 
 There is here then no independent testimony as to the 
 meaning of the word. It should be added that Mr. 
 Paspati's elucidations in general show a lack of ac- 
 quaintance with scientific philology. Warth and 
 Lockle, Stud. u. Krit., 1884, No. 4, argue that the phrase 
 may mean to-day's bread, because epiousa, ' oncoming' 
 (which commonly means to-morrow), is occasionally 
 used by a person speaking at or before dawn with refer- 
 ence to the then approaching day. They suppose the 
 prayer to have been designed as a morning prayer and 
 it would have to be made very early, to render such a 
 sense possible. This view is highly ingenious, but too 
 fine spun to be probable in so simple and general a 
 prayer. (Comp. Cremer, ed. 0.) Moreover, how would 
 this idea be expressed in Aramaic?
 
 CH. VI] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 137 
 
 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our ; 12 our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors, 
 debtors. 
 
 thers ( Wet. ) to have led to the daily repeti- 
 tion of this prayer, which is mentioned as 
 early as the beginning of the third century; 
 but Luke's phrase shows that at least in the 
 second case nothing of the sort was contem- 
 plated. 
 
 12. Debts. This term is here used for 
 transgressions, sins. In Aramaic, the native 
 language of our Lord and the Evangelists, 
 the word debt (chob) is very often used for 
 sin. See numerous examples from the Tar- 
 gums in Buxtorf. This use is perfectly natu- 
 ral in itself, since an obligation to God which 
 is not duly met becomes to us a sin; compare 
 the illustration of sin by a debt in 18: 21, 24, 
 28. In like manner the English word duty 
 denotes that which is due, owed. (Plumptre. ) 
 Accordingly in v. 14 f, the same idea is rep- 
 resented by 'trespasses,' transgressions. And 
 in Luke (n:4, Rev. ver.), the prayer reads, "And 
 forgive us our sins; for we ourselves also for- 
 give every one that is indebted to us." So 
 clear is it that debts here means sins that 
 Tyndale translates in v. 12 by trespasses and 
 trespassers ; but this is unwarranted, and was 
 not followed by any other English translators. 
 Observe that this petition is connected with 
 the forgoing by aud. The life sustained by 
 daily bread is not enough; we need also the 
 forgiveness of sin (Weiss); compare 'And 
 bring,' v. 13. As we forgive or, as in Kev. 
 Ver. also have forgiven our debtors. This 
 does not present our forgiveness of others as 
 the ground of our being forgiven, nor as 
 strictly the measure of God's forgiveness 
 towards us (for he forgives perfectly, while 
 everything in us is imperfect) ; but by com- 
 paring the forgiveness we supplicate with that 
 we have shown, it states very impressively 
 the idea, afterwards still further emphasized 
 in v. 14 f., that the unforgiving cannot be for- 
 given. Observe that the Revised text (no 
 uoubt correct) makes it "have forgiven," 
 already before we seek forgiveness not a mere 
 momentary effort at forgiveness, trumped up 
 for the nonce. In Luke 11: 4, it is, 'For we 
 ourselves also forgive every one that is in- 
 debted to us,' which means not simply present 
 but habitual forgiveness, as shown by the 
 'every one.' Luke's term 'for' might seem 
 to make our forgiving the ground of our 
 
 being forgiven ; but it rather means that 
 there is no unforgivingness on our part to 
 form an obstacle to our being forgiven. Com- 
 pare 5: 7; Luke 23: 34; 1 Tim. 1: 3, and the 
 beautiful illustration in the parable of 18: 
 21-35. The gospel ground of forgiveness 
 the atonement and intercession of Christ is 
 of course not here stated. The disciples could 
 not have clearly understood a reference to it 
 until after Christ's death, resurrection, and 
 ascension. 
 
 The Greeks and Romans admired shining 
 instances of forgiveness, but did not venture 
 to inculcate or seem to expect it. A Jewish 
 sage of about B. c. 200 (Ecclus. 28: 2), urged 
 that men must forgive if they hoped to be 
 forgiven: "Forgive thy neighbor his wrong- 
 doing, and then when thou hast prayed, thy 
 iins shall be forgiven." (Compare Ecclus. 28: 
 1-5.) But it is Christianity that has made 
 this a thing actual and looked for. Ecce 
 Homo: "The forgiveness of injuries, which 
 was regarded in the ancient world as a virtue 
 indeed, but an almost impossible one, appears 
 to the moderns in ordinary cases a plain duty 
 
 a new virtue has been introduced into 
 
 human life. Not only has it been inculcated, 
 but it has passed so completely into the num- 
 ber of recognized and indispensable virtues, 
 that every one in some degree practices it, 
 and that by not practicing it men incur odiurn 
 and loss of character. To the other great 
 changes wrought in men's minds by Christ, 
 this is now to be added, the most signal and 
 beneficent, if not the greatest of all." (Corn- 
 pare on 5: 38 f.) But, like many terms ex- 
 pressive of Christian duty, the word forgive 
 has come to be often used in a weakened 
 sense, and many anxious minds are misled bj r 
 its ambiguity. If forgive means merely to 
 "bear no malice" (Eocius. 28: 7), to abstain from 
 revenge, leaving that to God (Rom. 12: 19), then 
 in that sense we ought to forgive every wrong- 
 doer, even though impenitent, and still our 
 enemy. But this is not the Scripture use of the 
 word forgive; and in the full sense of the 
 term it is not our duty, and not even proper, 
 to forgive one who has wronged us until he 
 confesses the wrong, and this with such un- 
 questioned sincerity and genuine change of 
 feeling and purpose as to show him worthy of
 
 138 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VI. 
 
 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us 13 And bring us not into temptation, but deliver 
 from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power,! I 
 and the glory, for ever. Amen. 
 
 being restored to our confidence and regard. 
 Thus our Lord says (Luken:3, RV. ver.), "If thy 
 brother sin, rebuke him ; and if ha repent, 
 forgive him." Here again the example of 
 our Heavenly Father illustrates the command 
 to us. He sends rain and sunshine on the 
 evil and the good (comp. on 5: 45), but he does 
 not forgive men, restoring them to his confi- 
 dence and affection, until they sincerely and 
 thoroughly repent. In judging as to the sin- 
 cerity and trustworthiness of those who pro- 
 fess repentance, our Lord inculcated great 
 patience, and charitable judgment. If a wrong 
 forgiven is repeated a second or third time, 
 we are apt to lose all patience and refuse to 
 forgive again ; but he said, "If he sin against 
 thee seven times in the day, and seven times 
 turn again to thee, saying, I repent ; thou 
 shalt forgive him." (Lukei?:4, Rev. ver.) N" ay, in 
 Matt. 18: 21 f., he makes it even "seventy 
 times seven " not of course as an exact limit, 
 but as a general and very strong injunction 
 of long-suffering and charitable judgment 
 towards human infirmity. 
 
 13. And lead or, bring us not into 
 temptation. Here again 'and,' because the 
 forgiveness of past sin is not enough ; we need 
 also preservation from sin in future. All the 
 early English versions have 'lead,' doubtless 
 influenced by the Latin inducas. The Latin 
 Fathers, Tertullian and Cyprian, explain it to 
 mean 'Do not suffer us to be led,' and Augus- 
 tine says (Wet.) that many so pray, and that 
 it so reads in many (Latin) copies; but that 
 in the Greek he has never found anything 
 but : ' Do not bring us.' This is the uniform 
 reading and unquestionable meaning of the 
 Greek, and the difference is important. Men 
 lead each other into temptation by offering 
 inducements to do wrong; but the thought 
 here is of God's so ordering things in his 
 providence as to bring us into trying circum- 
 stances, which would put our principles and 
 characters to the test. This providential action 
 does not compel us to do wrong, for such con- 
 ditions become to us the occasion of sin only 
 when our own evil desires are the impelling 
 cause. (James 1:13-15.) The same conditions prop- 
 erly met would but manifest and strengthen 
 one's piety, as when God "did prove Abra- 
 
 ham" (Gen. 22:1, Rev. ver.), or allowed Satan to test 
 the fidelity and patience of Job. There is 
 thus no contradiction between this petition 
 and the precept (James i: 2, Eev.ver.), "Count it 
 all joy when ye fall into manifold tempta- 
 tions." One may be tested (see on 4 : 1 for 
 the explanation of ' tempt ' ), either with good 
 or with evil intent. In the evil sense, God 
 "tempteth no man." (James i : 13.) Thehumble 
 believer, self-distrustful because conscious of 
 remaining tendencies to sin, and weakness in 
 restraining them, prays that God will not 
 bring him into temptation. (Comp. 26: 41 ; 1 
 Cor. 7:5; Gal. 5: 7.) And yet, when God 
 sees fit, notwithstanding his prayer and effort, 
 to bring him into temptation, he is then to re- 
 joice (James i:2), because when met in the 
 strength of the Lord, it will certainly be over- 
 come (icor. io: is), because it will develop 
 his Christian character and thus prove a 
 blessing ( James i-. 3r.), and because it will 
 secure for him an eternal reward. (5=12; 
 jamesi:i2; Rom. 8: is.) In like manner (Man- 
 sel), our Lord directed the apostles to avoid 
 persecution (10: 23), though he had told them 
 to rejoice when persecuted. (5: 10-12.) But 
 deliver us from evil, or, the evil one. 
 This is not really a distinct petition froir 
 the foregoing, but further unfolds and sej 
 arately states something involved therein. 
 When therefore it was omitted on the second 
 occasion (Lukeii:*), no principal thought of 
 the prayer was lost. (Comp. above on v. 10.) 
 The Greek phrase rendered 'the evil one' is 
 here ambiguous, as in 5: 37, and may equally 
 well mean evil. The same expression is cer- 
 tainly masculine, and means Satan in 13: 19, 
 38; Eph. 6: 16; 1 John 2: 13, 14; 3: 12; 5: 
 19 (comp. v. 18) ; it is clearly neuter, mean- 
 ing evil in the abstract, in Luke 6: 45; Rom. 
 12: 9; 1 Thess. 5: 22 (and several examples of 
 the neuter plural, 'evil things'); while the 
 meaning is doubtful in Matt. 5: 37, 39; 6: 13; 
 John 17: 15; 2 Thess. 3:3. It is understood here 
 as masculine, meaning Satan, by Tert., Origen, 
 Cyril (Jerus.), Gregory Nyss., Chrys., Theo- 
 phyl., Erasmus. Zwingli, Beza, Bengel, Fritz., 
 Olsh., Ebrard, Meyer, Grimm, Wordsworth, 
 Reuss, Plumptr:?. It is taken as neuter, mean- 
 ing evil in general, by Augustine, Luther,
 
 CH. VI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 139 
 
 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your j 14 from l the evil one. 1 For if ye forgive men their 
 heavenly Father wfll also forgive you : | trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive 
 
 1 Or, evil. . . .2 Many authorities, some ancient, but with variations, add, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. 
 
 Amen. 
 
 Melanchthon, Tholuck, Ewald, Bleek, Stier, 
 Lange, Alford, Conant, Weiss, Cremer, Keil, 
 Achelis. Those who object so vehemently to 
 translating here by "the evil one" are usu- 
 ally influenced largely by sentiment and 
 habit, and sometimes by skepticism as to the 
 real personality of Satan. But the New Tes- 
 tament familiarly associates evil with the evil 
 one, as its leading embodiment and central 
 director (e. g., Acts 5: 3; John 13: 27; 8:44.) 
 It is therefore quite impossible to escape from 
 that idea, if we believe the Scriptures. It can 
 never be certainly determined whether the 
 phrase is masculine or neuter in this passage 
 and in John 17 : 15. But the more frequent 
 occurrence of the clearly masculine use, with 
 the tendency of the New Testament, to speak 
 rather of evil persons and evil actions than of 
 evil in the abstract, makes it more probable 
 that the sense is masculine in each of these 
 interesting passages. The Revisers have 
 bravely followed the stronger probability 
 (putting 'evil' in the margin), though it was 
 
 inevitable that there would be a great outcry. 
 Comp. Humphrey. As to the substantial 
 meaning, it is the same in either case, as Cal- 
 vin already remarks, and in fact either in- 
 volves the othe/. 
 
 The doxology to this prayer in Com. Ver. is 
 beyond all question spurious, 1 and rightly 
 omitted by Rev. Ver. We may give up the 
 pleasing and familiar words with regret, but 
 surely it is more important to know what the 
 Bible really contains and really means, than 
 to cling to something not really in the Bible, 
 merely because it gratifies our taste, or even 
 because it has for us some precious associa- 
 tions. 
 
 14 f. The fact that this alone of all the 
 topics of the prayer is taken up a second time, 
 and amplified by stating it both positively and 
 negatively, ought to impress upon us very 
 deeply the importance of forgiving if we wish 
 to be forgiven. Comp. 18: 21-35; Mark 11: 
 25; Luke 17: 3f. For introduces, what fol- 
 lows as a confirmation of v. 12. Trespasses, 
 
 i It is wanting in the Uncial MSS. X, B, D, G, and in 
 five cursives, and many other cursives have marks in 
 the text or notes on the margin, showing that it is 
 doubtful; also wanting in several copies of the Old 
 Latin, in the Vulgate, and the Memphitic. Especially 
 remarkable is the adverse testimony of Fathers. Thus 
 Tertullian, in his interpretation of this prayer, calls 
 the phrase " But deliver us from evil" the conclusion; 
 and not. a single Latin Father who comments on the 
 prayer has the doxology except the Anonymous comm. 
 So with Greek commentators, except Clirysostom and 
 his followers. Cyril .of Jerusalem, in concluding his 
 exposition, says: "'From the evil one.' And the op- 
 posing demon is evil, from whom we pray to be de- 
 livered. Then, after the completion of the prayer you 
 ay ' Amen,' sealing thereby the contents of the prayer." 
 Gregory of Nyssa: "From the evil one who in this 
 world possesses the power, from whom may we be de- 
 livered by the grace of Christ, because to him be the 
 power and the glory, together with the Father and the 
 Holy Spirit, now, and forever and ever, Amen " these 
 words concluding Gregory's exposition of the whole 
 prayer. This and several similar Patristic conclusions 
 show the origin of our familiar doxology, namely, in 
 the custom of concluding a prayer with some form of 
 doxology. And several early versions appear to ex- 
 hibit this doxology in the process of gradual formation. 
 Thus the Old Syriac has, " Because thine is the king- 
 
 dom and the glory for ever and ever." The Thebaic 
 gives another independent form : " Because thineis the 
 strength and the power for ever and ever." The 
 " Teaching of the Twelve Apostles," chap. 8, 9, 10, " For 
 thine is the power and the glory forever," once with 
 this prayer, and then with two other prayers there pro- 
 posed for use in the Eucharist. And one copy of the 
 Old Latin : " Because thine is the power forever and 
 ever." We are thus able to explain how the doxology 
 came in here, if originally wanting; while if originally 
 present, it would be impossible to account for its omis- 
 sion, since it is beautifully appropriate, and could not 
 be at all objectionable either to heretics or to the ortho- 
 dox. Now remembering that it is wanting in several 
 of the earliest Greek manuscripts and earliest versions, 
 that there is no mention of it in a number of detailed 
 Patristic expositions of the prayer, and I hat we see it 
 growing up before our eyes in the earliest versions 
 which contain it (perhaps suggested by 1 Chron. 29: 11), 
 we can have no doubt that the doxoiogy is spurious. It 
 will doubtless continue to be used in liturgies like other 
 ancient doxologies (e. g., "Glory be to the Father, and 
 to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: as it was in the be- 
 ginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. 
 Amen "), but it is not a part of Scripture. Nor was it 
 introduced into the Book of Common Prayer until the 
 time of Charles II.
 
 140 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VI. 
 
 more literally transgressions, interprets the 
 word 'debts' in v. 12; hence the practice of 
 substituting this word in repeating the prayer. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 6 f. ORIGEN : "The hypocrites wearing 
 the mask of goodness, are actors in their own 
 theatre, the synagogues and the corners of the 
 streets." HEXRY : "Those who would not 
 do as the hypocrites do in their way and ac- 
 tions, must not be as the hypocrites are in 
 their frame and temper. As it is a terror to 
 hypocrites, so it is a comfort to sincere Chris- 
 tians, that God sees in secret." There might 
 be ostentation in a much less public place 
 than the synagogue or the street, and there 
 might be true, unostentatious prayer else- 
 where than in a private room. These places 
 merely illustrate a principle, which is to be 
 applied according to circumstances. It is 
 therefore a mistake to suppose that our Lord 
 here forbids individual prayer except when in 
 solitude. The publican of the parable prayed 
 openly, and aloud, with striking manifesta- 
 tions of grief, in the court of the temple, 
 attracting the contemptuous observation of 
 the Pharisee, and no doubt of others; yet his 
 prayer was acceptable. Jesus himself some- 
 times made private prayer in the presence of 
 his disciples. (Lukeii: i.) Still, literal privacy 
 is best where it is attainable, and our Saviour 
 frequently sought it in the open air, at early 
 dawn, or at night. Solitude is favorable to 
 self-examination, and to individual com- 
 munion with the Father. 
 
 LANDOR : " Solitude is the antechamber of God." 
 
 YOUNG : " O lost to reason, lost to lofty thought, 
 Lost to the noblest sallies of the soul, 
 Who think it solitude to be alone ! " 
 
 CHRTS. : "Some, even when their person is 
 concealed, make themselves manifest to all 
 l\v their voice." 
 
 One advantage of praying in solitude is that 
 then we need feel no hesitation in speaking 
 aloud, which greatly aids in restraining wan- 
 dering thoughts, and attaining a deeper so- 
 lemnity and emotion. Regularity in private 
 prayer is indispensable to the attainment and 
 maintenance of a high order of piety. It is 
 well to lift the heart to God, even for a mo- 
 ment, whenever we feel special inclination or 
 need; but at stated hours we must pray, even 
 though we feel no inclination. Thus may we 
 
 combine the advantages of regularity and 
 impulse. How rich the reward of regular 
 private devotion. How it soothes the per- 
 turbed spirit, strengthens for every trial, and 
 sweetens every pleasure. Strange and sad 
 that one who has known the blessedness of 
 this privilege should ever permit himself to 
 neglect it. CHRYS. : " Let us not then make 
 our prayer by the gesture of our body, nor by 
 the loudness of our voice, but by the earnest- 
 ness of our mind: neither with noise and 
 clamor, and for display, so as even to disturb 
 those that are near us, but with all modesty, 
 and with contrition in the mind, and with 
 inward tears." THEOPHYL. : "What, then, 
 shall I not praj* in church? By all means, 
 but with a right intention, and without dis- 
 play, for it is not the place that hurts, but the 
 manner and the aim. Many in fact, when 
 praying in secret, are doing it to please men." 
 EUTHYM. : "If thou wishest spectators, thou 
 hast, instead of all, God himself." WiJRT. 
 BIBLE (Lange): "Those brief ejaculatory 
 prayers sent up to heaven in few words, and 
 which may be uttered even while engaged in 
 our daily labor, are by far the richest and 
 best." (10:25.) HENRY: " Secret prayer is to 
 be performed in retirement, that we may be 
 unobserved, and so may avoid ostentation ; 
 undisturbed, and so may avoid distraction ; 
 unheard, and so may use the greater free- 
 dom." 
 
 V. 7. CYPRIAN: "God hears not the voice, 
 but the heart." CALVIN: "In true prayer 
 the tongue does not go faster than the heart; 
 the grace of God is not attained by the empty 
 utterance of words, but the pious heart sends 
 forth its affections like arrows to penetrate . 
 into heaven." To keep repeating the same 
 thought in synonyms is a fault of the same 
 nature as these vain repetitions, though less 
 gross. GILL: "The omniscience of God is H 
 considerable argument, and a great encour- 
 agement to prayer; he knows our persons 
 and our wants beforehand ; and as he is able 
 to help us, we have reason to believe he will." 
 
 V. 9. CYRIL: "Christ commands us to 
 pray briefly, because he knows our minds are 
 easily led off into wandering thoughts, espe- 
 cially in time of prayer." QUESNEL (Lange) : 
 "A king who himself draws up the petition 
 which is to be presented must surely take 
 great pleasure in granting it." (i. 65: 24; JOI.D
 
 CH. VI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 141 
 
 16:23.) BED A (Blythe) : " A prayer sweetened 
 by the name of Father, makes me confident 
 of getting all I ask." MALDONATUS: "The 
 very name of father prays for us ; because it 
 is the part of .a father to provide things neces- 
 sary for his children." EUTHYM.: "He that 
 lives a bad life, and calls God his Father, lies 
 both against God and himself." CHRYS.: 
 "We must then pray straightway, and lift 
 our mind on wings and exalt it above the 
 earth and attach it to the heavens ; for he com- 
 mands us to say, ' Our Father who art in the 
 heavens.'" WILLIAMS: "The opening invo- 
 cation presents the Parentage, 'Our Father,' 
 the Brotherhood, 'Our Father'; and the 
 Home, ' Our Father which art in heaven.'" 
 GRIFFITH : "We pray for our Father's honor, 
 dominion, service; and then for our own pres- 
 ervation, pardon, protection." THEOPHYL.: 
 "For as God is blasphemed for my sake, so 
 also for my sake he is sanctified, that is, glori- 
 fied as holy." If we wish and pray that 
 God's name may be hallowed, we ought our- 
 selves never to speak irreverently, either of 
 him, or of anything that is sacred from its 
 connection with him (comp. on 5: 33-37); 
 and if "actions speak louder than words," it 
 is still more important to avoid acts which 
 would profane anything that he has made 
 holy. Is it not polluting and blaspheming 
 the Name of God, for people to say prayers 
 or sing praises to him when they are grossly 
 wicked, and have no present intention to turn 
 from their wicked ways? (Comp. Ruskin.) 
 No church would employ a notorious drunk- 
 ard, or adulterer, or an avowed infidel, to 
 read the Bible in public worship, because of 
 his being a good elocutionist; why employ 
 such a man to sing solos in praise of God be- 
 cause he is a good vocalist? WEISS: "The 
 fear of God is the source of all religious life, 
 and the antecedent condition of all that is 
 asked for in the progress of this prayer." 
 
 V. 10. STANFORD: "Oh, it is coming! The 
 reign of the Father is sure in due season to 
 show itself, for no power can ever frustrate his 
 purpose or falsify his word." WILLIAMS: 
 "To pray for Christ's kingdom is to pray for 
 the conversion of sinners nnd the edification 
 and sanctification of disciples. It is to ask 
 the evangelization of the Gentiles and the 
 restoration of the Jews. It is to implore that 
 Antichrist may fall, and the idols perish from 
 
 under the whole heaven. It is to profess 
 sympathy with all that relieves and elevates 
 and enfranchises man ; and to implore the 
 removal of all that corrupts and debases 
 him, and that sells him, soul and body, 
 
 to the service of the Evil One 
 
 Did we but know aright the necessities 
 of our kind, and the truest, deepest wants 
 of our own souls, the hourly burden of 
 intercession, from our acts, and plans, and 
 alms, and prayers, would still be, 'Let thy 
 kingdom come.' " MILTON: "Come forth out 
 of thy royal chambers, O Prince of all the 
 kings of the earth ! Put on the visible robes 
 of thy imperial majesty, take up that un- 
 limited sceptre which thy Almighty Father 
 hath bequeathed thee ; for now the voice of 
 thy bride calls thee, and all creatures sigh to 
 be renewed." 
 
 CHRYS. : " He hath enjoined each one of us 
 who pray, to take upon himself the care of the 
 whole world. For he did not at all say, ' Thy 
 will be done in me,' or 'in us,' but everywhere 
 on the earth ; so that error may be destroyed, 
 and truth implanted, and all wickedness 
 cast out, and virtue return, and no difference 
 in this respect be henceforth between heaven 
 and earth." SENECA: " Let men be pleased 
 with whatever God pleases." EPICTETUS: 
 "Do not seek for things to happen as thou 
 wishest ; but wish for things to happen as they 
 do happen." PYTHAGORAS: " It shows knowl- 
 edge and sense if we do not strive against, and 
 worry at, Divine Providence." This petition 
 means not merely resignation to God's will 
 when painful (26: ; Acts -21: u>; but we pray that 
 God's will may come to pass, and should ac- 
 cordingly be striving to bring to pass what- 
 ever we believe to be his will. 
 
 V. 11. BOARDMAN: "This teaches (1) Our 
 dependence on God give; (2) Modesty in 
 our requests b read; (3) Trustfulness this 
 dny ; (4) Brotherhood us, our." RUSKIN: 
 "No words could be burning enough to tell 
 the evils which have come on the world from 
 men's using this petition thoughtlessly, and 
 blasphemously praying God to give them 
 what they are deliberately resolved to steal. 
 . . . For the man who is not, day by day, 
 doing work which wiTl earn his dinner, must 
 be stealing his dinner." 
 
 V. 12. We incur debt to God by sins of 
 omission, as truly as by sins of commission.
 
 142 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VI. 
 
 15 But If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither 
 will your Father forgive your trespasses. 
 
 16 Moreover when ye fast, lie not, ns the hypocrites, 
 of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, 
 that they may appear unto men to fust. Verily 1 say 
 uuto you, They have their reward. 
 
 15 you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, 
 neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 
 
 16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, 
 of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, 
 that they may be seen of men to fast. Verily I say 
 
 Comp. 25: 42. And as every wise business 
 man takes distinct account of all his pecuniary 
 debts, so we should think over and deal with 
 our moral debts. BOARDMAN: "This is the 
 way in which our Heavenly Father forgives 
 us, for his Son's sake, our debts. We, finite, 
 sinful mortals, contracted the debt in the cur- 
 rency of earth ; the Son of God paid the debt, 
 so to speak, in the currency of heaven." 
 THEOPHYL: "For God takes me as an ex- 
 emplar ; and what I do to another, he does to 
 me." ETJTHYM. : "He makes us masters of 
 the forgiveness of our sins." BOARDMAN: 
 "Here is a man who has been bitterly wronged 
 by another ; he says to him, ' I forgive you 
 this, but I cannot forget it.' He enters his 
 closet and prays: 'Father, forgive me, as I 
 have forgiven him ! Say to me in words that 
 thou forgivest me, but do not forget my 
 offences! Blot them not out of the book of 
 thy remembrance 1 Do to me as I do to him ! ' 
 Oh, how often does this prayer, if offered sin- 
 cerely, mean a curse." SENECA: "Let him 
 easily pardon who needs pardon." 
 
 V. 13. THEOPHYL. : " Men are weak, where- 
 fore we must not fling ourselves into tempta- 
 tions; but, if we have fallen into them, must 
 pray that we may not be swallowed up." We 
 do very wrong when we expose servants or 
 other dependents to temptation, by negli- 
 gently giving them opportunity to defraud us, 
 or by failing to pay them what they really 
 need for support, or by showing them only 
 the mofe forbidding aspects of our own life as 
 professed Christians, thus inclining them to 
 think ill of Christianity. LANGR: "Thou 
 who temptest others to sin, who exposest thy- 
 self wantonly to temptation, or who in tempt- 
 ation flghtest, yet not with the armor of God, 
 why wilt thou mock God by praying, 'Lead 
 us not into temptation ?'(iPet.5: 8; Bph.e: n.") 
 ORIGEN: "Let us pray that when struck by 
 the fiery darts of the evil one we may not be 
 kindled: and they are not kindled who with 
 the shield of faith quench all the fiery darts 
 
 which he sends against them." (E P b.:ie.) 
 RTJSKIN: "Supposing we were first of all 
 quite sure that we had prayed, honestly, the 
 prayer against temptation, and that we would 
 thankfully be refused anything we had set 
 our hearts upon, if indeed God saw that it 
 would lead us into evil, might we not have 
 confidence afterwards that he .... would 
 turn our hearts in the way that they should 
 go?" BOARDMAN: "Well may this petition 
 take its place as the conclusion of the Pattern 
 Prayer. The evil it deprecates is the sum- 
 mary of all woe on man's part: the deliver- 
 ance it craves is the summary of all love on 
 God's part." 1 
 
 The Lord's Prayer: I. That God may be 
 glorified. 1. His name be hallowed. 2. His 
 reign come. 3. His will come to pass, etc. 
 II. That we may be blessed. 1. Temporal 
 wants. 2. Spiritual wants ; (a) Forgiven our 
 sins; (b) Preserved from temptation, and de- 
 livered from Satan. 
 
 We may imagine (Bengel) that in heave.n 
 all these petitions will be turned into praises. 
 " God's name is sanctified : his reign is come : 
 his will comes to pass. He has forgiven us 
 our sins: he has put an end to temptation : he 
 has delivered us from Satan." 
 
 16-18. GOOD WORKS WITHOUT OSTEN- 
 TATION. III. FASTING. 
 
 The third application of the general prin- 
 ciple laid down in v. 1 is to Fasting. Com- 
 pare on v. 2 and on v. 6. The reference here 
 is obviously not to general public fasts, but to 
 voluntary individual fasting. This was com- 
 mon among the pious Jews, but the Pharisees 
 had reduced it to a system (as formalists 
 usually do with their religious observances), 
 fasting "twice in the week." (Lukeistis.) The 
 Talmud informs us that they chose the second 
 and fifth days of the week, because of the 
 tradition that Moses went up Mount Sinai on 
 the fifth day, and came down on the second. 
 
 16. Be not, or more exactly, 'do not be- 
 come,' implying the assumption of such looks 
 
 1 Blyth on the Lord's Prayer, re-published by James [ quotations from ancient and modern writers, one of 
 Pott, New York, contains an immense collection of which has been used above.
 
 CH. VI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 143 
 
 17 But thon, when thou fastest, anoint thine bead, 17 unto you, They have received their reward. But 
 and wash thy face; thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash 
 
 for the time. Of a sad countenance. 1 
 
 It had always been the custom among the 
 Israelites, as among other Oriental nations, 
 on occasions of severe personal or national 
 affliction, to manifest their grief and humilia- 
 tion by wearing sackcloth, putting ashes on 
 the head and face, etc. (Comp. on 11: 21.) 
 These the Pharisaic hypocrites appear to have 
 adopted in their regular individual fasting, in 
 order to make known the fact and gain credit 
 for singular devoutness. The Talmud of 
 B:\bylon says, "Whoever makes his faco 
 black (a common expression in the Jewish 
 writers for fasting) on account of the law in 
 this world, God will make his brightness to 
 shine in the world to come." Verily I say 
 unto you, see on 5: 18. They have re- 
 ceived, more literally, have in full, 'have all 
 of.' See on v. 2. Instead of they may ap- 
 pear, etc., (the more literal rendering), May 
 be seen of men (Tyndale, Geneva), is pre- 
 ferred, because the former might suggest a 
 mere appearance, which is not here intended. 
 (So in v. 18.) 
 
 17. The Saviour requires his disciple to 
 dress on a day when he was fasting precisely 
 as on other days. So far from ostentatiously 
 exhibiting a voluntary act of devotion, he 
 should even purposely conceal it. But it is a 
 gross misunderstanding to take this as an in- 
 junction to dissimulation. We cannot too 
 often remind ourselves of the distinction be- 
 tween deception and concealment. Anoint 
 thy head. This was an established custom 
 among the Jews from an early period. (Ruths: 
 
 S ; 1 Sm. 12 : JO ; Pi. 23 : 6 ; 104 : 15 ; 131 : 2 ; Eoel. 9:8; Matt. 28 : 
 
 TJ Luk7:i.) When in great distress, they 
 would omit this, as in 2 Sam. 14: 2; Dan. 10: 
 3, and the Talmud enjoins a like course in 
 connection with fasting. In one passage, 
 however, we read of a man as " weeping at 
 home, but when he went forth in public, he 
 bathed, anointed, ate, and drank. But why 
 did he not do it openly? God answered, 
 Although he himself did not manifest the 
 thing, yet I will manifest it." But thou, 
 the change our Lord so frequently makes 
 from the plural to the singular (com p. v. 2, 6, 
 and see on 5 : 23). This shows that the refer- 
 
 ence is to a case of private, individual fasting, 
 as in v. 6 to private praying. For the various 
 phrases in v. 18, see on similar phrases in v. 
 4 and 6. 
 
 As to the propriety of fasting on the part of 
 Christians now, we see that Jesus speaks as if 
 taking for granted that his disciples would 
 fast. It might be said that this was in the 
 early part of his ministry, when things were 
 in a transition stage. But in 9: 15, he like- 
 wise takes for granted that his disciples will 
 fast after he shall have left them. Observe, 
 however, that it ia voluntary fasting of which 
 he is speaking, and there is no trace in the 
 New Test, of any appointment of a particular 
 season for fasting. Indeed, the only fast en- 
 joined by the law of Moses was that on the 
 Day of Atonement (Lev. ie : 29-34) ; all the other 
 fasting mentioned in the Old Test., whether 
 national or individual, was voluntary. In 
 9 : 15, the Saviour clearly teaches that fasting 
 is right only when one's condition makes it 
 natural. In a time of joy, fasting would be 
 unnatural, and could not express a genuine 
 feeling. But persons who are in great distress 
 are naturally inclined to abstain from eating. 
 Now every feeling is deepened by being in 
 any natural way manifested ; and so a sincere, 
 though less strong feeling of distress, as on ac- 
 count of sin, may be strengthened by absti- 
 nence from food. This may also help us for 
 a time in fixing our attention upon worship 
 and devout meditation. Yet fasting is not in 
 itself a meritorious action, but is proper only 
 so far as it is natural under the circumstances, 
 and useful in such ways as have been indi- 
 cated. Wherever this utility would be coun ter- 
 balanccd by injury to health, disqualification 
 for active duties, or other grave evils, then 
 fasting ought not to be practiced. The observ- 
 ance of national fasts would appear to be in 
 like manner optional, and subject to the same 
 conditions. As to fasts appointed by some 
 ecclesiastial authority for regular seasons of 
 the week or year, no Scriptural authority can 
 be claimed for making the injunction, and 
 such regularly recurring fasts are extremely 
 apt to degenerate into formality 'comp. Isa. 68 : 
 8 ff . ), or to encourage excesses at other times 
 
 See the same Greek terra in Luke 24: 17 (Rev. Text), and In the Septuagint of Gen. 40: 7; Dan. 1 : 10.
 
 144 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VI. 
 
 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto 
 thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father which 
 seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 
 
 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, 
 where uioth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves 
 break through and steal: 
 
 18 thy face; that thou be not seen of men to fast, but 
 of thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father, who 
 seeth iu secret, shall recompense thee. 
 
 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, 
 where moth and rust doth consume, and where 
 thieves l break through and steal: but lay up for 
 
 1 Or, dig through. 
 
 ("Mardi Gras," etc.), or to be in vested with an 
 imaginary intrinsic meritoriousness, opposed 
 to the spirit of the gospel. The mortification 
 of the flesh, which is sometimes urge'd as a 
 benefit of regular fasting, "can be better at- 
 tained by habitual temperance than by occa- 
 sional abstinence." (Alexander.) (Compare 
 on 4: 2 and on 9: 15.) But many Christians 
 of the early centuries had an exaggerated con- 
 ception of the importance of fasting (one of 
 the many elements of Judaism which they im- 
 ported into Christianity), and so the word 
 fasting crept into numerous manuscripts and 
 versions in Mark 9 : 29 ; Matt. 17 : 21 (whole 
 verse spurious); Acts 10: 30; 1 Cor. 7: 5. 
 (See these passages in Rev. Test.) The word 
 is part of the genuine text in Matt. 9: 15; 
 Luke 2: 37; Acts 13: 2 f ; 14: 23. 
 
 HOMILKTICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 Fasting. I. When? (1) On public occa- 
 sions, if we really feel grief, and really desire 
 to deepen it. (2) On private occasions, if it 
 would be natural in our providential situation 
 (9: is), and would be profitable. (3) In either 
 case, only so far as compatible with health 
 and the proper discharge of existing duties. 
 II. How? (1) Without the least ostentation, 
 (v. i,i6.) (2) With sincere desire and earnest 
 effort to commune with God and gain spiritual 
 profit, (v. is.) Hypocrisy. I. Methods. (1) Re- 
 ligious observances e. g,, alms-giving, fast- 
 ing, prayer. (2) Religious professions. II. 
 Rewards. (1) Glory of men (v. .*), and even 
 this usually very partial and very transient. 
 (2) No reward from God. (v. i.) (3) Not 
 even the approval of one's own conscience. 
 (4) Aggravated punishment in eternity. 
 (Mark w: .) Comp. in general chap. 23. 
 
 CHRYS. : "And, whereas, in the matter of 
 
 almsgiving after saying, 'Take heed 
 
 not to do it before men,' he added, 'to be 
 seen of them' ; yet in the matter of fasting 
 and prayer, he made no such limitation ; why 
 was this ? Because for alms-giving to be alto- 
 gether concealed is impossible, but for prayer 
 and fasting, it is possible." VINET (in Lut- 
 
 teroth): "Fasting has no value save accord- 
 ing to the dispositions by which it is accom- 
 panied ; it is good only in proportion us it 
 is not the body alone, but the heart, that 
 fasts." 
 
 19-34. SINGLE-HEARTED DEVOTION TO 
 GOD, AS OPPOSED TO WORLDLY AIMS AND 
 ANXIETIES. 
 
 Having urged that good deeds should 
 performed, out of regard, not for human aj 
 probation and reward, but for that of Goc 
 (v. i-is), our Lord now passes to the kindre 
 topic of inculcating, in general, an exclusive 
 and entire devotion to God, as opposed to 
 worldly aims and anxieties. ( 19-34.) (Set 
 Analysis at the beginning of chapter 5.) This 
 section of the great discourse naturally divides 
 itself into four parts, viz., v. 19-21; v. 22 f.; 
 v. 24; v. 25-34. We can discern between the 
 an internal, though not a formal connection. 
 The sayings are gnomic in form, and only an 
 internal connection could be expected. 
 
 19-21. He begins with the thought that 
 the believer's heart ought to be in heaver 
 (which is here taken for granted), and as the 
 heart will be where the treasure is, therefor 
 we should treasure to ourselves treasures in 
 heaven, not on earth ; and to this he encour 
 ages by contrasting the treasures of earth anc 
 heaven as respectively perishable and imper- 
 ishable. The same idea occurs in Luke 12: 
 33 f., as used on a different occasion. The 
 Jews of our Saviour's age were very largely 
 a trading people, possessing much the same 
 characteristics as at present, and among ther 
 an uncommon love of money. What is her 
 said was therefore especially appropriate 
 them, but fully applies to men of all ages. It 
 is also naturally understood as extending tc 
 all the other objects after which men long am 
 seek; in general, we are to have regard tc 
 and strive to obtain, heavenly rather thai 
 earthly things (compare Col. 3: Iff.), becaus 
 the heart will be fixed on that which we HI 
 laboring to possess. 
 
 Lay not up for yourselves literally, 
 not treasure to yourselves treasures. Th(
 
 CH. VI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 145 
 
 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, 
 where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where 
 thieves do not break through nor steal : 
 
 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart 
 be also. 
 
 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore 
 thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of 
 light. 
 
 20 yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth 
 nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not 
 
 21 ! break through nor steal : for where thy treasure is, 
 
 22 ihere will thy heart be also. The lamp of the body 
 is the eye : if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole 
 
 1 Gr. dig through. 
 
 English idiom is disinclined to this immediate 
 repetition of the same word, and hence our 
 popular versions express it otherwise. Jesus 
 does not mean absolutely to forbid the accu- 
 mulation of wealth. It is a peculiarity of the 
 Hebrew style, often occurring in Scripture, to 
 make an absolute statement (especially a pro- 
 hibition), which is designed to be understood 
 relatively. See other instances in Luke 14: 
 12 ; John 4 : 21 ; 1 Pet. 3 : 3 f. This makes 
 the expression more striking and impressive, 
 like hyperbolical phrases, etc., and such state- 
 ments were not meant, or expected to be taken 
 literally and absolutely, any more than hy- 
 perboles are so taken. This principle of inter- 
 pretation is capable of being abused, as all 
 others are; but it requires to be applied in 
 such passages as the present. Verse 20 is the 
 opposite of v. 19, expanded for greater impres- 
 siveness. Comp. v. 15, and see on 5: 30. Men 
 lay up treasures in heaven by righteousness 
 in general, both in doing and suffering for 
 Christ' s sake (s : 12, ; e : e ; 2 Cor. 4 : 17) ; and among 
 other things, by a right use of earthly pos- 
 sessions, as proposed to the rich young man 
 (u: 21), and as taught in Luke 12: 33, and in 
 the parable of the unjust steward. (Lukei6: i.) 
 Remember also the cup of cold water (10: 42), 
 the awards of the judgment (; *o), and the 
 remarkable passage in 1 Tim. 6: 17-19; also 
 Rev. 14: 13. These heavenly rewards are not 
 deserved by our good deeds, being a gift of 
 free grace; but God chooses to connect them 
 with, and proportion them to, our deeds of 
 kindness to others, and devotion to him. 
 
 Moth, rust. The garments of the Jews, 
 as of other Oriental nations, seldom changed 
 their fashion ; and hence great store of gar- 
 ments, perhaps in part inherited, would often 
 form an important item in one's possessions. 
 (Ow.i6:n; iKing5:5; Job IT: w.) These were liable 
 to be destroyed by moth. The term rendered 
 'rust' signifies 'eating,' and so consumption 
 in whatever way. It may be understood here 
 
 rust, just as we say that rust eats. Compare 
 James 5: 2 f., in which, as in various other 
 passages, James seems to be referring to the 
 Sermon on the Mount. The word rendered 
 corrupt in Rev. Ver., consume is literally 
 'cause to disappear,' and in v. 16 is rendered 
 disfigure. 'Corrupt' does not correctly ex- 
 press the idea. Thieves. As to the other 
 word sometimes rendered 'thief,' but more 
 properly 'robber,' see on 27:38. Break 
 through is literally ''dig through,' as in mar- 
 gin of Rev. Ver., following Geneva and 
 Rheims. It doubtless refers to the clay walls 
 which many houses had (comp. Job 24: 16). 
 "The houses in Mexico are chiefly built of 
 adobes (large sun-dried bricks), and in the 
 attack on Monterey (1846), the American 
 troops advanced into the heart of the city by 
 digging occasionally through the walls of 
 courts and houses." Gen. D. H. Hill. It is 
 sometimes objected that the precious metals 
 do not rust. But they can be stolen. The 
 heart is spoken of in Scripture, not according 
 to our modern view, as the seat of the affec- 
 tions only, but as the seat of all the powers of 
 the soul, both intellect, sensibilities, and will. 
 (To speak of the head as the seat of intellect, 
 is a thing unknown to the Bible.) Many pas- 
 sages of Scripture are popularly misunder- 
 stood, from failure to keep this usage in view. 
 The connection in the present case leads us to 
 think of the affections as especially meant, 
 but not exclusively. The thoughts, as well as 
 feelings, will be where the treasure is (comp. 
 Col. 3: 2); and it is the power of knowing 
 truth that is especially referred to in the next 
 two verses. Your R. V., thy (twice) in v. 21. 
 The singular represents the correct Greek text, 
 which was changed to ' your ' by copyists who 
 observed the plurals of v. 19 f, and did not 
 think of that impressive change to the singu- 
 lar which is so often made in tins discourse 
 (comp. v. 2, 6, 17; and see on 5: 23). 
 22 f. This passage is in some respects ol>- 
 
 in the general sense of whatever consumes or ; scure, and has given commentators much 
 destroys property; or in the special sense of I trouble; but by remembering the connection,
 
 146 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VI. 
 
 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be 
 full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee 
 be darkness, how great is that darkness 1 
 
 23 body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, 
 thy whole body shall be full of darkness. " If there- 
 fore the light that is in thee be darkiiess, how great 
 
 and carefully noting the precise meaning of 
 the terms, the difficulty may be cleared up. 
 Compare Luke 11 : 34-36, nearly the same 
 passage, spoken on a different occasion. The 
 light literally, the lamp. The word is the 
 same as in 5: 15, and denotes any portable 
 light. The eye is the lamp of the body be- 
 cause it is that part which gives the body 
 light, by means of which the body sees. The 
 word single, or, 'simple,' represents the eye 
 as giving one image of an object; as opposed 
 to an eye which sees double, which gives dim, 
 flickering images that displace one another, so 
 that the object is not seen clearlj 7 and steadily. 
 This last is described by a more general term 
 as a ' bad ' eye, the Greek word commonly ex- 
 pressing moral evil (and the phrase is so em- 
 ployed in 20: 15; Mark 7: 22), but being 
 sometimes found in the other, which is really 
 its primary sense, as in the phrases 'bad diet,' 
 'bad health,' ' badness of eyes,' all employed 
 by Plato. (Some early expositors understood 
 it to denote moral evil here, and hence Tyn- 
 dale, Great Bible, Geneva, and Darby trans- 
 late 'wicked.') Many interpreters conclude 
 that 'single' should be here understood as 
 meaning a sound, healthy eye in general, as 
 opposed to a bad, diseased one, which does not 
 see well. But there is no support in Greek 
 usage for such an interpretation of the word, 
 and the Latin versions render it simplex, the 
 Peshito gives the same sense, while the Mem- 
 phitic borrows the Greek word. It is very I 
 undesirable to abandon the specific meaning of I 
 this word, which precisely suits the whole con- 
 nection, and in contrast with which the general 
 term 'bad' will naturally here take to itself a 
 corresponding application. The 'single' eye 
 forms but one image of its object, and does 
 not blend that with the images of other ob- 
 jects ; the ' bad ' eye forms different images of 
 the same thing, or blends different objects in 
 its confused vision. So the single eye really 
 sees; while the bad eye practically does not 
 see at all. If the eye be single, the whole 
 body will be 'full of light,' thoroughly light; 
 while if the eye be bad, the whole body will 
 be 'full of darkness,' thoroughly dark. The 
 light that is in thee, the lamp of the mind, 
 or as Plato calls it, "the eye of the soul," 
 
 would be our inner power of perceiving truth 
 and duty what we commonly call reason 
 and conscience; and would include both the 
 natural light which these give, and their 
 capacity to receive the light of revelation. 
 So Philo says (following Aristotle): "For 
 what the intellect is in the soul, that the eye 
 is in the body." Or we might recall (Weiss) 
 the term 'heart' from v. 21, which would 
 then represent the mind, and amount to the 
 same thing. Now why is it that the good eye 
 of the illustration is specifically described as 
 a 'single' eye? The reason lies in that gen- 
 eral truth with which the whole connection is 
 dealing, viz., the propriety and necessity of 
 exclusive regard to God. Just before, we are 
 taught to store up heavenly and not earthly 
 treasure, that our hearts may be in heaven, 
 not on earth. Just after, that we cannot be the 
 servants of both God and mammon, but must 
 serve God alone ; that we must not be anxious 
 about temporal wants, but must seek his king- 
 dom and the righteousness he requires, and 
 trust his providence for the supply of tem- 
 poral necessities. And so in the present pus- 
 sage. If the 'heart' ()) the "mind's 
 eye," the reason and conscience, is fixed 
 partly on God and partly on mammon, some- 
 times on heavenly and sometimes on earthly 
 things, then it resembles the bad eye, which 
 mixes images of different objects, so that we 
 really see nothing. Epictetus expresses a 
 similar thought by a similar image: "If 
 you strive after moral excellence, and yet 
 at the same time clutch at power and pelf, 
 you will most likely lose these last from 
 having an eye to the former also; and most 
 certainly you will lose the former." The 
 general thought is therefore of reason and 
 conscience darkened, blinded as by in- 
 heritance of faults, by miseducation, by 
 bodily excesses, by covetousness, ambition, or 
 other strong passions hut with special refer- 
 ence here to a reason and conscience divided 
 in aim and thus darkened. The heart must 
 be directed with exclusive and steady gaze 
 towards God, not distracted by worldly aims 
 and anxieties, or we shall be sadly lacking in 
 clear perception of truth and duty. (Comp. 
 Olsh., Alex., Plumptre.) How great is that
 
 CH. VI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 147 
 
 24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will 
 hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to 
 the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God 
 and uiauiuion. 
 
 24 is the darkness! No man can serve two masters: 
 for either he will hate the one, and love the other ; 
 or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. 
 
 (the] darkness! 'That' is an imitation of 
 the Latin, which has no article, and some- 
 times overstates its meaning by a demonstra- 
 tive. In the similar passage (Lukeii: si-se), the 
 bright side of the illustration is finally made 
 prominent, while here it is the dark side. 
 
 24. A further and very distinct illustration 
 of the same great truth, viz., the duty and 
 necessity of exclusive devotion to God. See a 
 similar passage in Luke 16: 13, as spoken on 
 a different occasion. No man can serve two 
 masters. All difficulty or cavil about this 
 statement, on the ground that there are cir- 
 cumstances in which a person might serve two 
 masters, is at once set aside by observing that 
 the word rendered ' serve ' signifies to ' be the 
 slave of,' a relation which necessarily implies 
 exclusive ownership, and demands exclusive 
 service. True, a slave might belong to two 
 masters in partnership ; but here it is obviously 
 implied that the two are altogether opposed 
 to each other. For the different terms ren- 
 dered 'serve' and 'servant,' see on 8: 9; and 
 for the various words rendered 'master,' see 
 on 8: 19. The next words are not tautolog- 
 ical, but have been thus explained (Meyer) : 
 " for either he will hate A and love B, or (on 
 the contrary) he will hold to A and despise B. ' ' 
 The change of the verbs in the second clause 
 (instead of simply saying, "will love A and 
 hate B") seems. to intimate that even if he 
 should feel no positive hatred to either of the 
 two, he will attach himself to one, and neglect, 
 slight, despise, the other. Our Lord does not 
 simply furnish the illustration, leaving it to be 
 understood of itself, but distinctly applies it to 
 the subject in hand. Ye cannot serve God 
 and mammon. The word mammon is Ara- 
 maic, signifying wealth, riches. It is here per- 
 sonified, in being contrasted with God as the 
 other of two masters ; but there is no sufficient 
 evidence that mammon was, as some assert, 
 actually worshiped as a Syrian divinity.i 
 
 Milton personified Mammon as one of Satan's 
 host. (Par. Lost, Book I.) 
 
 The Saviour does not teach that the pos- 
 session of wealth is inconsistent with piety. 
 He delighted in the friendship of the little 
 family at Bethany, whom the circumstances 
 show to have been wealthy (cotnp. on 26: 6), 
 and he commended Zaccheus, who gave the 
 half (not the whole) of his goods to the poor. 
 But he has pronounced it an impossibility to be 
 the servants (slaves) at once of God and of 
 mammon. Yet this is what men are con- 
 stantly attempting to do, and Christians are 
 sorely tempted to the same course. The 
 Israelites of Elijah's time did not avowedly 
 renounce Jehovah, but tried to worship both 
 him and Baal ; and the prophet calls on them 
 (i Kings is: 21) to decide which of the two is 
 God, and follow him to be one thing or the 
 other. (Comp. another striking example in 2 
 Kings 17: 24-41.) So we must choose be- 
 tween being the servants of God and Wealth ; 
 we cannot be both. Whatever efforts we 
 make to obtain wealth must be in entire sub- 
 ordination to the service of God, and, in fact, 
 a part of that service; he alone must be 
 Master. Porteus : '" Every one has his ruling 
 passion. That of the Christian must be the 
 love of his Maker and Redeemer." Observe 
 carefully that the principle here presented ap- 
 plies not merely to those who have great pos- 
 sessions, but to all. "No one can serve two 
 masters." The poor also are tempted to 
 make wealth a master and an idol (001.3:5), 
 and sometimes do so as grievously as the rich. 
 
 Three reasons have thus been given (v. 19-24) 
 why we should be exclusively devoted to 
 God. (1) The things of the world are so per- 
 ishable. (2) If our minds are directed at the 
 same time towards earthly and heavenly 
 things, our view becomes distracted, confused, 
 darkened. (3) It is impossible to be God's 
 servants and the servants of mammon. 
 
 1 The proper spelling of the Greek, as found in nearly 
 all M>S., would give us mamon ; but it is too late to 
 alter the English form. The etymology is most likely, 
 s usually given, from the Hebrew aman, meaning 
 that which props, supports, or that which Is relied on, 
 (See Grimm, Bleek, Tholuck, Achelis.) There 
 Is probably an allusion to this, in the common text of 
 Mark 10: 24, B. U. Ver., " those who trust in riches"; 
 
 and the words may have been omitted in a few of the 
 earliest documents (followed by Tisch. and W H.) for 
 the very reason that this allusion was not understood, 
 and the words were not found in the parallel passages, 
 Matt. 19 : 23 and Luke 18 : 24. The different etymology 
 of Gesenius (Meyer, Keilt, is much less probable, though 
 it yields the same meaning, viz., wealth.
 
 148 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VI. 
 
 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for 
 your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall driuk; 
 nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the 
 life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 
 
 25 Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I 
 say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye 
 shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your 
 body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more 
 
 25-34. Here the duty of entire and exclu- 
 sive devotion to God (see on v. 1 and v. 19) is 
 set in opposition to worldly anxieties, which 
 are shown to be both unnecessary, unavailing, 
 and unbecoming; to spring from unbelief, 
 and augment the ills of life; and it is added 
 that by following the other course we shall 
 gain, without anxiety, the very objects in 
 question. The paragraph is found in Luke 
 12: 22-31, with slight variations, as on a later 
 occasion repeated to the disciples in the hear- 
 ing of a new audience. This passage "is one 
 of the beauties of Scripture. Had it no other 
 recommendation than its felicity of illustra- 
 tion and its graces of composition, it would 
 deserve our warm admiration ; and indeed it 
 has received the tribute of admiration from 
 men who were only in pursuit of literary 
 beauties. But it has higher qualities of ex- 
 cellence than these; it speaks to the under- 
 standing, and the heart, on themes of deep 
 and universal importance." John Harris. 
 
 25. Therefore, viz., because of the truth 
 he has been enforcing (in v. 19-24, but with 
 special reference to v. 24 \ that single-hearted 
 devotion to God is proper and needful. Con- 
 suming anxiety about the necessaries of life, in- 
 stead of trusting God, betrays the same worldly- 
 minded and ungodly feeling that is seen in the 
 slave of mammon. Trust in God would pre- 
 vent all such worldly anxieties. So the suffer- 
 ing Hebrew Christians, who had been plun- 
 dered of their possessions (Heb. 10: 34), are urged 
 to be free from the love of money, on the 
 ground that God has promised never to fail 
 nor forsake his people. (Heb. is : 5 r.) Food and 
 clothing are the most urgent wants of our 
 earthly condition ; and if we ought not to be 
 anxious about these, much less should we be 
 anxious about other things. Take no thought 
 or, be not anxious for your life ' Take no 
 thought' was a good rendering when King 
 James' version was made (so also in 1 Sam. 9: 
 5), for in Bacon, Shakspeare, and other writers 
 of that period, ' thought ' is used as including 
 the idea of anxiety, as when a person is said 
 to have died of thought. Tyndale and the 
 
 succeeding English versions translate 'be not 
 careful ' in this passage, but ' take thought ' or 
 ' take careful thought ' in v. 27, 31, and ' care, 1 
 in v. 27, 34. The Greek verb used throughout 
 this passage is also found (besides Luke 12: 22- 
 26) in 10 : 19 ; Luke 10 : 41 ; 1 Cor. 7 : 32 ; Phil. 
 2 : 20 and 4 : 6, and a few other passages ; and 
 the corresponding substantive in 13: 22; 2 Cor. 
 11 : 28 (Eev. Ver. ) "anxiety for all the church- 
 es," 1 Pet. 5: 7 (Kev.Ver. i, "casting all your 
 anxiety upon him, because he careth for you" 
 (where careth is a different verb) ; Ecclus. 30: 
 24, "anxiety brings old age before the time." 
 These passages show that the word sometimes 
 expresses a lawful feeling of intense concern, 
 which is directed towards proper objects, kept 
 within due bounds, and stimulates efforts to 
 do our duty ; and that this feeling becomes 
 wrong when misdirected or when existing in 
 greater measure than is expended upon action, 
 and so eating like an acid into the soul es- 
 pecially when it is a feeling, which springs 
 from lack of trust in God, this last being the 
 idea of the present connection. The term care 
 is used by us in a similar twofold sense, ex- 
 pressing sometimes a right and sometimes a 
 wrong feeling. Our Lord of course does not 
 mean that we are to exercise no forethought, 
 and put forth no effort. Trust in God by no 
 means implies the lack of these. Augustine 
 refers to a sect in his time who called them- 
 selves Euchites, or Prayer-men, because they 
 simply prayed for everything they wanted, 
 without laboring to attain it. This grievous 
 folly has been reproduced by some well-mean- 
 ing persons in the present generation. 
 
 The first consideration by which Jesus seeks 
 to restrain from the anxiety just forbidden is 
 an argument from the greater to the less. 
 (v. 25.) If God has given us the greater, viz., 
 life, the body, is he likely to withhold the less, 
 viz., the food and the raiment? Life is the 
 word which often denotes 'the soul,' but in 
 many other cases, as here, simply the vital or 
 animating principle (comp. on 16: 25), to sus- 
 tain which there is need of food. 1 Meat lit. 
 as in Rev. Ver., the food. The word ' meat' 
 
 1 Some early authorities ouiit ' or what ye shall drink,' sage to Luke 12: 22 (where also some early documents 
 and W H. place these words in brackets ; but the omis- insert the words by way of assimilation to Matthew), 
 sion is readily explained by desire to assimilate the pas-
 
 CH. VI] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 149 
 
 2~> Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, 
 nfithrr do they reap, nor gather into barus; yet your 
 heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much 
 better than they? 
 
 11 Which of you by taking thought can add one 
 cubit unto his stature? 
 
 26 than the food, and the body than the raiment? Be- 
 hold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not. 
 neither do they reap, nor gather into barus ; and 
 your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of 
 
 27 much more value than they? And which of you 
 by being anxious can add one cubit unto 1 the 
 
 1 Or, his stature. 
 
 formerly signified food, but is now restricted 
 to a particular kind of food. 
 
 26. The second consideration is an argu- 
 ment from the less to the greater, and this ap- 
 plied first to food (T. 26), and afterwards to 
 clothing. (r.28to30.) Behold the fowls of 
 the air or, as in Rev. Ver., the birds of the 
 heaven, birds that fly free in the sky, and over 
 which men exercise no care. (Comp. 8: 20; 
 1!: 32; Gen. 1: 26.) 'Fowls' formerly sig- 
 nified birds in general, but is now restricted 
 to a certain variety of domesticated birds. 
 Instead of the general term 'birds,' the simi- 
 lar discourse in Luke 12: 24, has the specific 
 term 'ravens.' As sowing, reaping, and gath- 
 ering into barns are the three leading processes 
 of agriculture, we thus have it very strongly 
 affirmed that the birds perform no part what- 
 ever of the work which men have to perform 
 in order to obtain their food. Of course we 
 know that the birds exert themselves; God 
 (!"> not feed them in idleness. But they find 
 their food without any of our elaborate pro- 
 
 .- The inserted 'yet' in the Com. Ver- 
 enfeebles the simple and beautiful ex- 
 pp-sion. Are ye not, better, not ye ; the 
 'yi'' being expressed in the original, and thus 
 shown to be emphatic. Much better. Of 
 much more value, as Com. Ver. translates the 
 Greek phrase in 10: 31. The conclusion 
 that much more will God feed those who are 
 greatly more important than the birds, is here 
 left to be understood, but in the similar ar- 
 gument of v. 30 is stated. The Mishna says, 
 "Have you ever seen brutes or birds that had 
 any trade ? and yet they fcre nourished with- 
 out trouble." 
 
 27. Before passing to the argument as to 
 raiment (v. 28-30), our Lord pauses to add an- 
 other remark to the effect that it is quite un- 
 
 'ing for us to be anxious about food. The 
 general meaning is plain, but the ablest 
 scholars of every period have been divided in 
 opinion as to whether the leading term of the 
 
 nee here signifies stature or age. Its 
 primary meaning and usual sense in Greek I 
 writers is the latter (so in John 9: 21 ; Heb. I 
 
 11: 11); but it is sometimes used in the 
 former sense (Luke 19: 3, and probably in 
 Luke 2: 52; while Eph. 4: 13 may be under- 
 stood either way.) The Septuagint uses it 
 seven times in the sense of age, and only once 
 in that of stature. The early versions, Latin, 
 Peshito, Hemphitic. Gothic, give 'stature,' 
 and so do most of the Fathers, followed by 
 all the early English versions. Yet the 
 American Revisers translate 'the meas- 
 ure of his life,' with 'stature' in the mar- 
 gin ; and this sense of ' age ' is more appro- 
 priate to the connection. The object of the 
 sentence is to show that it is in vain to be 
 anxious about food. (v. 2of.) Now few men 
 are anxious to obtain food that they may in- 
 crease their stature, but all men that they 
 may prolong their life. This also best suits 
 the expression in Luke 12: 26, "If then ye 
 are not able to do that which is least," since a 
 cubit added to one's life would be very little, 
 while a cubit (about nineteen inches) added 
 to the stature would be an enormous addition. 
 It is objected that 'cubit' is nowhere in Scrip- 
 ture found in this metaphorical application to 
 the duration of life; but it is supported by 
 the analogous expression in Psa. 39 : 5, " Thou 
 hast made my days as hand-breadths; and 
 mine age is as nothing before thee" ; also by 
 the expression of a Greek poet, " For a cubit's 
 time we enjoy the bloom of our youth"; 
 compare also (Achelis) Job 9: 25, and the 
 Greek phrases "a span of life" and "a finger- 
 long day." In this state of things it is not 
 strange that the great mass of recent com- 
 mentators prefer the sense 'age.' Morison 
 urges that we can add to our life by careful- 
 ness; "otherwise the medical profession is an 
 absurdity." But our efforts to do this are 
 fruitless without God's blessing. He thinks 
 the idea is that we cannot enlarge ourselves 
 into giants; but this overlooks Luke 12: 26. 
 Still, the other sense will yield the same gen- 
 eral meaning for the passage. With all our 
 anxiety about food, we cannot (apart from 
 God's blessing) make the smallest addition to 
 our life or to our stature.
 
 150 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. VI. 
 
 . 
 
 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider 
 the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, 
 neither do they spin : 
 
 L"J And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all 
 his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 
 
 80 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, 
 which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, 
 shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little 
 faith? 
 
 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we 
 eat? or. What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall 
 we be clothed ? 
 
 28 measure of his life? And why are ye anxious con- 
 cerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, 
 how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 
 
 29 yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his 
 
 30 glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God 
 doth so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, 
 and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not 
 
 31 much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Be not 
 therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, 
 What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be 
 
 28. In v. 28-30, the argument from the less 
 to the greater is urged with reference to rai- 
 ment. The lilies of the field, like 'the 
 birds of the heaven,' are those which grow wild 
 without human care, and thus all the more 
 strikingly display the care of God. We can- 
 not determine the kind of lily meant, and the 
 argument holds for the plainest flower as well 
 as the most gorgeous. The writer observed in 
 Palestine lilies of a dark violet color, looking 
 like violet velvet, and these might very natu- 
 rally have suggested a king in his rich purple 
 robes. Solomon's Song (5: is) indicates colored 
 lilies, and Dioscorides speaks of purple lilies 
 (Smith's Diet.). Tristram describes purple 
 flowers, which he says would be popularly 
 called lilies. The various attempts made to 
 "spiritualize" this reference to the lily, are, 
 as usual, wholly unwarranted and out of place. 
 They who are not satisfied with the simple 
 beauty of our Lord's teaching, but must be 
 seeking some mystical meaning which they 
 think more pleasing and instructive, are truly 
 attempting "to gild refined gold, to paint the 
 
 lily." 
 
 29. Solomon in all his glory, does not 
 directly mean in glorious apparel, but in all 
 the glory of his royal station, wealth, and 
 fame, which involved the use of beautiful gar- 
 ments. 
 
 30. If God so clothe translate, clothes- 
 indicative mood, assuming it as a fact that he 
 does. The grass of the field. The term 
 rendered grass includes weeds and flowers. 
 All these wither very rapidly in the East, es- 
 pecially when a hot south wind is blowing 
 (comp. Psa. 90 : 6) ; and owing to the scarcity 
 of fuel, this dried vegetation is still often used 
 to heat ovens for baking bread. The oven. 
 This (Smith's Diet.) was a large jar made of 
 clay, wider at the bottom. It was heated by 
 placing the fuel within, and the ashes being 
 removed through a hole at the bottom, the flat 
 cakes of bread were spread both on the inside 
 
 and the outside, and thus baked. Sometimes 
 it was not a movable jar, but a fixture ; and the 
 primitive contrivance was probably a hole in 
 the earth, with compacted sides. O ye of 
 little faith, represents a single compound 
 adjective, somewhat like little-believing, used 
 also in 8: 26; 14: 81; 16: 8; in all cases with 
 reference to distrust of God's protection, provi- 
 dential or miraculous. Unbelief is the root 
 of the anxiety our Lord is here rebuking, as it 
 is of every other sinful feeling ; and thus we 
 see one of the ways in which unbelief leads to 
 unhappiness. In Talmud of Babylon, R. 
 Eliezer says: " Whoever has a mouthful yet 
 remaining in his basket, and says, ' What shall 
 I eat to-morrow,' belongs to the number of 
 those who have little faith." 
 
 31, 32. Therefore, viz., in view of the ar- 
 gument just adduced. On the ground of this, 
 the prohibition of v. 25 is repeated, and the 
 succeeding verses append further considera- 
 tions to the same effect. In v. 32 there seem to 
 be two distinct reasons for avoiding this anx- 
 iety : (1) The Gentiles (or heathen) seek after 
 all these things, and it is unworthy of God's 
 people to be like them (comp. on 5: 47); (2) 
 our Heavenly Father knows that we have 
 need of all these things, and we may be sure 
 he will not fail to supply our need. Some 
 think, however, that the second clause fur- 
 nishes the ground of the first; and explain by 
 supplying a thought, thus : The heathen seek 
 after these things, because ignorant that God 
 knows and cares for their wants ; but do not 
 imitate them, for your Heavenly Father 
 knoweth, etc. (Comp. v. 7f.) But it is very 
 rarely well to explain "for" by a supposed 
 ellipsis, and -the former explanation seems 
 preferable. Luke 12 : 30 has 'but,' which gives 
 the same idea a little differently. The verb 
 rendered seek is a compound of that in v. 33, 
 and denotes an over-intense or anxious seek- 
 ing. All these things all the things of the 
 class to which these (foofl and raiment)
 
 CH. VI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 151 
 
 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek :) 
 for your heavenly Father kuoweth that ye have need 
 of all these things. 
 
 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his 
 righteousness ; and all these things shall be added unto 
 you. 
 
 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for 
 the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. 
 Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 
 
 32 clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles 
 seek ; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye 
 
 33 have need of all these things. But seek ye first his 
 kingdom, and his righteousness ; and all these things 
 
 34 shall be added unto you. Be not therefore anxious 
 for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for 
 iiself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 
 
 belong, everything of this kind, i. e., all 
 temporal wants. 
 
 33. But seek ye, etc. Do not, like 
 the heathen, seek these things, but seek 
 first his kingdom, and his righteousness, 
 and these things, (emphasis here on 'these 
 things') shall all be added unto you. Our 
 Lord does not simply command us to avoid 
 worldly anxiety, but gives us something posi- 
 tive to do instead, as a means of precluding it. 
 So in Phil. 4: 6, Rev. Ver. : "In nothing be 
 anxious; but in everything .... let your 
 requests be made known unto God. And the 
 peace of God .... shall guard your hearts," 
 etc. So likewise above in v. 20 we are to lay 
 up treasures in heaven, instead of laying them 
 up upon the earth. 'His kingdom.' This 
 evidently means the kingdom of our Heavenly 
 Father, who is mentioned in the preceding 
 sentence. But the Greek phrase is not so en- 
 tirely explicit as the Com. Version; so some 
 one put the word God in the margin, to ex- 
 plain what is meant, and it crept into the 
 text. 1 So likewise in Luke 12: 31. Seek 
 first his kingdom, and there will be no need of 
 afterwards anxiously seeking food and rai- 
 ment, etc., for they will be added, not indeed 
 without seeking, but without anxious seeking ; 
 and so there will in this way be no occasion 
 left for anxiety about them. Wiinsche 
 quotes from the Talmud: "If a man 
 occupies himself always with the law, 
 the Eternal supplies his wishes and needs." 
 Our Father's kingdom is here the Mes- 
 sianic kingdom or reign (see on 3 : 2; G: 
 10). To seek this kingdom is to endeavor to 
 become admitted into it, and share the privi- 
 leges and duties of its subjects. But not leav- 
 ing us altogether to our own conclusions as to 
 what is involved, the Saviour here adds (not 
 in Luke 12: 31) one point more specifically, 
 
 and his righteousness. This means that 
 personal righteousness which our Father re-' 
 quires in the subjects of the Messianic reign, 
 which they ought to hunger and thirst after 
 (5: e) ; which ought to exceed that of the 
 Scribes and Pharisees (5=20), extending not 
 merely to outward acts, but to the inner life 
 of purpose and desire (5 : 2i-*s) ; which ought to 
 be practiced, not with a view to the praise of 
 men, but to the approval and rewards of the 
 Father in heaven. (6:i-is.) We must not in- 
 troduce here the idea of imputed righteous- 
 ness, which is foreign to the tone of this dis- 
 course, and does not distinctly appear any- 
 where in the Gospels, being chiefly set forth 
 in Paul's Epistles to the Galatians, Romans, 
 and Philippians. The great fact of imputed 
 righteousness must have existed from the be- 
 ginning of human repentance and forgiveness, 
 but it does not follow that the idea was always 
 revealed. 
 
 This saying sums up the great principles 
 of the whole passage, v. 19-34, viz., things 
 spiritual first, and things temporal will follow. 
 He does not forbid our desiring or seeking 
 temporal good ; but says it must always be 
 held as secondary and subordinate, to be ob- 
 tained as a minor consequence of the pursuit 
 of a higher aim. (Comp. Mark 10: 30; 1 Kings 
 3: 11-13.) In like manner the sayings in 5: 
 48 and 7 : 12 form, as it were, a summing up of 
 what precedes them. 
 
 34. This section of the discourse now ends 
 with a renewed injunction not to be anxious, 
 founded on the whole previous discussion 
 (therefore), and directed especially to anx- 
 iety for to-morrow. It is concerning the 
 future that we are most likely to be anxious, 
 and to-morrow is the nearest future ; and yet 
 there is special reason for avoiding this, since 
 to-morrow will have its own anxieties, and if 
 
 l The word God is omitted by B N., three cursives, i elude It. This consideration makes the evidence suffi- 
 some copies of the old Latin, and of the Vulgate, the I cient for omit tint; it. Tyndale and Geneva have 'kingdom 
 Meiuphitic and ^Kthiopic, and by one or two Greek | of heaven," which is here found only in one cursive and 
 Fathers. We readily gee how the word came in, and , three Greek Fathers. Whence did they derive it? 
 cannot imagine why any one should have wished to ex- i
 
 152 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VI. 
 
 we anticipate them, we uselessly add to the 
 burden of to-day. Whether to-morrow's 
 anxieties will be proper or improper, is not 
 here the question ; they will be felt then, 
 and so should not be borrowed to-day. The 
 shall of Com. Version is somewhat mislead- 
 ing; the Greek is a simple future, and in this 
 connection merely predicts. For the things, 
 etc., better as Rev. Ver., for itself. 'For 
 the things of itself represents a very feebly 
 supported reading of the Greek. Sufficient 
 unto the day is the evil thereof. This 
 means not moral evil, the ordinary sense of 
 the term, but natural evil, i. e., suffering, 
 trouble, etc., as in Amos 3:6; Eccl. 7: 14; 
 12:1; Luke 16:25; also in 1 Mace. 7:23; 
 10: 46. 
 
 A Jewish writer (Wet.) says, " Be not anx- 
 ious about what is coming, before it takes 
 place ; for there is enough of vexation in its 
 own hour." All men observe the folly of 
 borrowing trouble from the future, and 3 T et 
 we continue to do it, and even to have a large 
 part of our distresses spring from the dread of 
 future evil, which likely enough will never 
 come. A French proverb says, "The worst 
 misfortunes are those which never arrive" ; 
 and a homely English proverb, " Never cross 
 a bridge till you get to it." Anacreon : "I 
 care for to-day; who knows to-morrow?" 
 Horace : " What is to be on to-morrow avoid 
 inquiring. Whatever sort of day fortune 
 shall give, count it gain." But there is a 
 broad distinction between our Saviour's teach- 
 ing and such Epicurean counsels. They 
 mean that it is foolish to harass ourselves 
 about an unknown and uncertain to-morrow, 
 and so we must simply enjoy to-day; he, 
 that we ought to trust in the protection and 
 blessing of our Heavenly Father, and thus, 
 while not heedless of the future, we may be 
 free from anxiety about it. They say, "To- 
 morrow depends on chance ; therefore try to 
 forget it, and enjoy life to-day." He says, 
 "To-morrow and all its wants will be pro- 
 vided for by your Heavenly Father; there- 
 fore think of it without anxiety, and try to do 
 right and please God to-day." On the other 
 hand, our Lord's teaching is very different 
 from fatalism. He does not say, the morrow 
 is fixed by fate, and you cannot help yourself, 
 but speaks of the personal God, our Father, 
 who cares for us (i Pet. 5:7), and will supply 
 our wants. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 19-21. Laying up treasures in heaven. 
 1) Meaning. 2) Motives, (a) These treas- 
 ures are imperishable; (b) Thus our heart 
 will be in heaven. A Koman poet says : "A 
 cunning thief will break your chest and carry 
 
 off your money whatever is given to 
 
 friends is beyond the reach of chance." A 
 Jewish writer tells of a king, who was re- 
 proached for expending in time of famine the 
 treasures of his fathers, and who replied, 
 "My fathers collected treasures on earth, but 
 I in heaven." AUGUSTINE: "Why do you 
 lay up where you may lose; and where, if 
 you do not lose, you cannot always stay? 
 There is another place to which I will remove 
 you. Let what you have go before, and fear 
 not lest you lose it; I was the giver, I will be 
 the guard." EUTHYM. : "That which is dis- 
 tributed among the poor, where is it treasured 
 up? In heaven. How? The rewards of all 
 this are there stored up and kept safe." CAL- 
 VIN : " If honor is thought to be the summur, 
 bonum, then men's minds must be whollj 
 possessed by ambition ; if money, then &vs 
 rice will at once become sovereign ; if plea 
 ure, then nothing can prevent men from de 
 generating into brutal indulgence." 
 
 V. 22-23. Blindness. I. Lamentable evils 
 (1) of bodily, (2) of spiritual blindness. II 
 Responsibility. (1) Blindness of the body 
 usually a misfortune. (2) Blindness of tl 
 soul always involves guilt. III. Cure. (1 
 In physical blindness, cure seldom natui 
 I (2) In blindness of the soul, cure alwaj 
 supernatural. (3) Yet this cure may 
 sought from God, and means employed fo 
 promoting ft. STIER : "In a certain sens 
 and measure, indeed, must our eye, from tl; 
 very beginning, be singly fixed upon God, his 
 kingdom, and his righteousness, upon the 
 treasures in heaven ; but is it not consummate 
 holiness when this is perfectly realized, and 
 there is no oblique or other regard ?" 
 
 V. 24. The service of Mammon. I. Nature. 
 (1 ) What it is not. (2) What it is. II. Temp- 
 tations. (1) For personal gratification of ap- 
 petite, taste, social and other ambition love 
 of possession love of power. (2) For benefit 
 of others our families the needy around us 
 the great good one hopes to do after a while. 
 III. Some of the ways in which men try to 
 serve Mammon and serve God also. IV.
 
 CH VI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 153 
 
 The two hopelessly incompatible. Compare 
 serving Jehovah and Baal. (1 Kings is-. 21.) 
 Whenever trying to do both, a man is, in fact, 
 only serving Mammon not at all serving 
 God, and not in the highest sense benefiting 
 himself. "Religion must be everything, or 
 it is nothing." 
 
 A Koman writer speaks of one who did not 
 own riches, but was owned by riches ; by title a 
 king, but in mind a miserable slave of money. 
 SEXECA : " Wealth is the slave of a wise man, 
 the master of a fool." PLUTARCH speaks of 
 Pelopidas as relieving the needy, that he might 
 appear to be truly master of wealth, not slave. 
 PLATO: "To prize wealth, and at the same 
 time largely acquire wisdom, is impossible, for 
 a man necessarily disregards the one or the 
 other." DEMOPHILUS (Wet.): "Forthesame 
 man to be a lover of riches and a lover of God, 
 is impossible." LUTHER: "To have money 
 and property is not a sin, only you must not 
 let it be your master, but you must be its 
 master." CHRYS. : "How then, saith one, 
 did Abraham, how did Job, obtain a good re- 
 port? Tell me not of them that are rich, but 
 of them that serve riches. Since Job also was 
 rich, yet he served not Mammon, but pos- 
 sessed it and ruled over it, and was a master, 
 not a slave." ACHELIS: "The servant of 
 Mammon estimates persons and things accord- 
 ing to their money value; he regards loss of 
 money as the highest loss, gain of money as 
 the highest gain, and money as the highest 
 aim of life." LUTTEROTH: "A man will 
 obey the master he loves ; God, if he loves 
 God more than money ; money, if he loves 
 money more than God." 
 
 V. 25-34. Anxiety about temporal wants. 
 I. Reasons for avoiding anxiety. (1) Apart 
 from God, it is futile, v. 27. (2) Trusting in 
 God, it is needless ; (a) If he cares for the life 
 and the body, he will care for the food and 
 raiment, v. 25; (b) If he feeds his birds, he 
 will feed his children, v. 26; (c) If he clothes 
 the lilies, he will clothe human beings, v. 28- 
 30. (3) It makes God's people no better than 
 heathen, v. 31 f. (4> It is adding to-morrow's 
 evils to those of to-day, v. 34. II. Means of 
 avoiding anxiety. (1) Remember that our 
 Heavenly Father knows our temporal needs, 
 v. 32. (2) Seek spiritual good as supreme, 
 and temporal good will, with due exertion 
 on our part, but without anxiety, be amply 
 supplied, v. 33. A lesson from the birds and 
 
 the lilies, v. 25 f. and 28 f. V. 32. God's chil- 
 dren should be better than the heathen. (1) 
 Why? (2) In what respect? 
 
 V. 25. CHRYS. : "He that formed the flesh 
 that is nourished, how will he not provide 
 the nourishment? " V. 26. CHRYS.: "Even 
 though it is theirs by nature, yet possibly we 
 too may attain it by choice. For neither did 
 he say, 'Behold, how the birds fly' which 
 were a thing impossible to man ; but that they 
 are fed without being anxious, a kind of thing 
 easy to be achieved by us also, if we will. And 
 this they have proved, who have accomplished 
 it in their actions." QUESNEL (in Lutt. ): 
 "Nobody ever saw an earthly father feed his 
 birds, and abandon his children, and shall 
 that be believed of the Heavenly Father?" 
 BENGEL : " Not their Father, but your 
 Father." EUTHYM. : "So the Old Scrip- 
 ture, when wishing to hit men hard, sends 
 
 them to the bee and the ant What 
 
 then? Must we not sow? He did not say, 
 'Do not sow;' but, 'Do not be anxious.'" 
 LUTHER: "We are commanded (Gen. i: 28) to 
 have dominion over all creatures, and yet we 
 behave so shamefully that a feeble sparrow 
 must stand in the gospel as doctor and 
 preacher for the wisest of men, and daily 
 hold forth before our eyes and ears, teaching 
 us to trust God, though we have the whole 
 Bible and our reason to help us." V. 28. Our 
 Lord's manner of teaching is remarkable for 
 the frequency with which he draws illustra- 
 tion from the objects of nature, the pursuits 
 of common life, and the ordinary experiences 
 of mankind. Every preacher of the gospel, 
 and religious teacher of the young, should be 
 a close observer of common things, that he 
 may be better qualified to imitate this ex- 
 ample of the Great Teacher. V. 31. THE- 
 OPHYL. : "He does not forbid eating; he for- 
 bids saying, 'What shall we eat?' " LUTHER: 
 "The Lord says, 'Be not careful ; working is 
 your business, caring is mine! ' " V. 32. EU- 
 THYM. : "But if we do not even surpass the 
 heathen, though commanded to surpass the 
 Scribes and Pharisees ($ w), what punishment 
 shall we not deserve? .... So the cause of 
 your anxiety ought to be the cause of your 
 freedom from anxiety. The more necessary 
 these things are, the more cheerful ought you 
 to be. For what father will endure not to 
 supply his children's necessities?" 
 
 V. 33. W T hich first, spiritual or temporal
 
 154 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VI. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 TUDGE not, that ye be not judged. 
 t) 2 For wiili wfiut judgment ye judge, ye shall be 
 judged: ami with what measure ye uiete, it shall be 
 measured to you again. 
 
 1, 2 Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what 
 judgment ye judge/ye shall be judged: and with what 
 measure ye niete, it shall be measured uuto you. 
 
 good ? I. Suppose we seek the temporal first. 
 (1) We shall be constantly less inclined to seek 
 the spiritual. (2) We shall be constantly less 
 prepared to find it. (3) Soon all temporal 
 good must be abandoned, and for us there 
 will be no spiritual good forever. II. Sup- 
 pose we seek the spiritual first. (1) We shall 
 not seek it in vain. (Comp. 7:7.) (2) We 
 shall obtain temporal good also, not without 
 seeking, but without anxious seeking. V. 34. 
 To-morrow. 1) We must not forget to- 
 morrow, thinking only of to-day. The im- 
 portance of to-day for civilized man is felt to 
 lie largely in yesterday and to-morrow. 2) 
 We must not presume on to-rnorrow, for we 
 know not what morrow a day may bring 
 forth. (Prov. 27:1.) 3) We must not be anxious 
 about to-morrow, but let each day bear its 
 own sufficient burden. 4) We shall best 
 provide for to-morrow, by faithfully perform- 
 ing the duties of to-day. 5) Trusting God 
 for to-day, why can we not trust him for to- 
 morrow? V. 33. ETJTHYM.: "For we have 
 not come into existence that we may eat and 
 drink and wear, but that we may please God, 
 and enjoy everlasting blessings." THE- 
 OPHYL. : " It is enough for thee that thou art 
 afflicted for to-day; but if thou shalt be 
 anxious for to-morrow, when wilt thou have 
 leisure for God?" TALMUD (Wiinsche): 
 "Be not anxious for to-morrow, for thou 
 knowest not what to-day brings forth ; per- 
 haps to-morrow will not find thee, and so 
 thou hast troubled thyself about a world, 
 which does not pertain to thee." ANTONI- 
 NUS: "Cast the future upon Providence, 
 and direct your present care solely towards 
 piety and justice." HENRY: "The conclu- 
 sion of this whole matter then is, that it is the 
 will and command of the Lord Jesus, that 
 his disciples should not be their own tor- 
 mentors, nor make their passage through this 
 world more dark and unpleasant by their ap- 
 prehensions of troubles, than God has made it 
 by the troubles themselves." CHRYS. : "Let 
 us not suppose his injunctions are impossible; 
 for there are many who duly perform them." 
 Oh, sweet, sustaining trust in God, that can 
 
 enable us to bear present ills without repining, 
 and to look at the unknown future without 
 fear; that can reconcile contentment with as- 
 piration, and blend activity with repose; that 
 can discern everywhere in nature and provi- 
 dence the proofs that all things are indeed 
 working together for our good! Lord, in- 
 crease our faith. 
 
 7: 1-12. REBUKE OF CENSORIOUSNESS; 
 ENCOURAGEMENT TO PRAYER; AND THE 
 GOLDEN RULE. 
 
 It has been thought by some writers that 
 there is no connection between the early part 
 of this chapter and the preceding topics. But 
 as we have found connection throughout all 
 the previous portion of the discourse, and as 
 v. 13-27 obviously form a conclusion to the 
 whole, it seems most probable that v. 1-12 also 
 stand in some natural relation to the remain- 
 der. That such a relation does exist, would 
 appear to be shown by the following view : In 
 the whole discussion of 5: 20-48 and 6: 1-18, 
 our Lord is contrasting the morality he en- 
 joins upon the subjects of the Messianic reign 
 with the teachings and practice of the Scribes 
 and Pharisees. Various errors and evils com- 
 mon among the Jews, and conspicuous in 
 their sanctimonious teachers, are there noticed 
 and rebuked, not with the formal order of H 
 methodical discourse, but still with the same 
 general design manifestly pursued through- 
 out. But the great principle stated and ap- 
 plied in 6: 1-18, viz., that good works should 
 be performed (not ostentatiously, as the hyp- 
 ocrites did, but) out of regard for God only, 
 admitted of a more extensive and varied ap- 
 plication, which he proceeds to make in v. 
 19-34. From this partial digression, he now 
 returns to rebuke another fault often commit- 
 ted among the Jews, particularly the formal- 
 istic Pharisees (Lukeis: n), and to which all 
 men are sadly liable, viz., that of passing 
 harsh judgment upon others. (7: 1-5.) As it is 
 hypocrisy ( : 2, 5, is) to make a display of right- 
 eousness, so (Weiss) it is hypocrisy (7:5) to 
 assume the right to judge others, and correct 
 their faults. Then in v. 6 our Lord adds a
 
 CH. VII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 155 
 
 caution against the opposite extreme. Now 
 to avoid both extremes in this respect, and in 
 all respects to conform to those genuine and 
 spiritual principles of morality which have 
 been laid down throughout the discourse, is a 
 task more difficult than we can in our own 
 strength perform. Accordingly, with refer- 
 ence not only to the immediately preceding 
 injunctions, but to the whole discourse, he 
 adds (T. 7-11) an encouragement to pray to God. 
 At the same time the expressions are put into 
 the most general form, so as not to be confined 
 to the idea of praying for strength to perform 
 the duties enjoined in this discourse, but to 
 encourage to prayer in general. (Comp. the 
 relation of James 1 : 5 to what precedes it.) 
 Finally, he sums up all that he had been 
 teaching throughout the discourse concerning 
 duties to other men, compressing all into the 
 one general precept of v. 12, which is declared 
 to embody the essence of the entire Scrip- 
 tures (Old Test.). 
 
 If this view be correct, it ib not strange that 
 we find no conjunction at the beginning of v. 
 1 and v. 7, since in each case, while there is an 
 internal connection between the topic intro- 
 duced and the previous portions of the dis- 
 course, there is no strong external connection 
 with what immediately precedes, such as 
 would require to be stated by a conjunction. 
 See similar cases at 5 : 13, 17 ; 6 : 19 ; 7 ^ 13. 
 In v. 6 we might expect a conjunction, because 
 of its close relation to the preceding verses ; 
 but observe that the expressions here assume 
 the form of apophthegms, which are usually 
 stated (e. g., in the Book of Proverbs) without 
 connectives, leaving it to the reader to discern 
 their internal relation. So at 6: 22, 24. As 
 to ' therefore ' in v. 12, see below. 
 
 1, 2. The word rendered judge has some- 
 times the stronger meaning of 'condemn,' 
 and many would so translate here. But that 
 clearly does not suit v. 2, and we must retain 
 the rendering 'judge,' while at the same time 
 perceiving that the connection and the nature 
 of the case suggest the idea of harsh, censori- 
 ous judgment. Men are not likely to err in 
 judging too favorably, nor to be restrained by 
 the prospect of being too favorably judged 
 themselves. In the report of the discourse 
 given by Luke (: 37) the idea of condemna- 
 tion is distinctly stated, but by an additional 
 word. 
 
 The judging thus forbidden manifestly does 
 not refer to official judgments in courts, any 
 more than 'swear not' prohibits oaths in 
 court (see on 5 : 34) ; nor to the formation of 
 opinions concerning the character and coh- 
 duct of others, which is always a right, where 
 we have the means of judging, and commonly 
 a duty, provided we strive to "judge righteous 
 judgment." (Joim7:4.) To understand that we 
 are never, under any circumstances, to ex- 
 press or to form an opinion concerning others, 
 would conflict with v. 16, 20 below, and 
 numerous other passages (e. g., 1 Thess. 5: 
 21), and with the example of our Saviour 
 and the apostles, in continually exposing 
 and reproving error and evil. The appli- 
 cation often made of this saying, by per- 
 sons who do not wish their ruinous here- 
 sies or flagrant crimes to be condemned, 
 is thus seen to be unwarranted. The refer- 
 ence is to -the sadly common practice of 
 officiously and presumptuously undertaking 
 to pass judgment upon others, a judgment so 
 often unfounded, unjust, or unkind. Persons 
 most inclined to hypocritical display, like the 
 Pharisees, would be most likely to judge 
 others severely (Luke is: 9-11), but all mankind 
 | are greatly given to censoriousness, and so 
 there is no need for the supposition of some 
 writers that our Lord here addressed himself 
 directly to certain Pharisees, supposed to have 
 attracted attention at this point of the dis- 
 course by their expressions or looks of de- 
 rision (as in Luke 16: 14). 
 
 Some explain that ye be not judged (v. 
 1), and ye shall be judged (v. 2), as refer- 
 ring to the judgment which our fellow-men 
 will pass upon us, if we are censorious. But 
 if so, we might with impunity (Achelis) 
 judge very pious people, who would not judge 
 us in the same way. To understand it of 
 God's judgment agrees with the view of the 
 whole discourse, which teaches us in every- 
 thing to have regard to that requital of reward 
 or punishment which we are to expect from 
 God ; and the idea that God will deal with us 
 as we deal with others, accords with the senti- 
 ment of 5: 7, Rev. Ver., "Happy are the 
 merciful, for they shall obtain mercy," and of 
 6: 15, "But if ye forgive not," etc. (Compare 
 18: 35.) The impersonal form of the expres- 
 sion, not telling who will thus judge, but leav- 
 ing it to the conscience to say for itself who
 
 156 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VII. 
 
 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy 
 brother's eye, but cousiderest not the beam that is in 
 thine own eye? 
 
 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull 
 out the mote out of thine eye ; and, behold, a beam is 
 in thine own eye? 
 
 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine 
 own eye: and then shall thou see clearly to cast out the 
 mote out of thy brother's eye. 
 
 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy 
 brother's eye, but cousiderest not the beam that i's 
 
 4 in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy 
 brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye"; 
 
 5 and lo, the beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypo- 
 crite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; 
 and then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the uibte 
 out of thy brother's eye. 
 
 that Judge will be, heightens the solemnity of 
 the passage. Of course it is not meant that 
 the mere absence of judging will of itself 
 alone prevent our being judged by God on 
 other grounds (comp. on 6 : 12). This passage 
 seems to be alluded to by James (2 : 13 ; 4 : 12), 
 who repeatedly makes allusion to this dis- 
 course. The phrases, with what judgment, 
 and with what measure, are literally 'in 
 what judgment' and 'in what measure,' see 
 on 3: 11. The 'again' of Com. Ver. repre- 
 sents a feebly-supported reading of the Greek. 
 The saying, ' With what measure ye measure 
 it shall be measured to you,' is also found in 
 Mark 4: 24, as used on a different occasion. 
 It must have been a proverbial saying at that 
 time, for it occurs very often in the Talmud. 
 As to our Lord's use of current sayings, see on 
 v. 3-6. For other passages which forbid harsh 
 judging, see Gal. 6: 1-5; Horn. 2: 1-3; 14: 
 3f; 1 Cor. 13: 7. This sin grows in evil times, 
 for instance, during a war or a pestilence, as 
 rapidly as selfishness does. Everybody is busy 
 finding fault, and few take time to notice the 
 deeds that are praiseworthy. The practice is 
 not only sinful in x itself, but promotes other 
 sins ; for many a man will expend so much 
 conscientiousness upon the severe condemna- 
 tion of others' faults, that he has not enough left 
 for his own ; nay, will even think that having 
 passed merited condemnation upon wrong- 
 doing in others, he is thereby more at liberty to 
 do wronghimself. We ought to judge ourselves 
 strictly, and judge others leniently. A Roman 
 writer states it well: "I think him best and 
 most faultless, who pardons others as if he 
 himself sinned every day, yet abstains from 
 sins as if he pardoned no one." 
 
 Luke (: 38-40) gives some additional sayings 
 here, which Matthew omits; each has given 
 only a sketch of the discourse. See Introduc- 
 tion to chap. 5. 
 
 3-5. Another instance of that change to the 
 singular number by which the address is made 
 more personal and pointed, see on 5: 23 and 
 6: 6. The word rendered mote denotes any 
 dry twig, splinter, bit of straw, or other trash, 
 being applied by a classic writer to the ma- 
 terials of which birds build their nests. This, 
 which is the sort of thing likely to get into 
 the eye, naturally suggested a beam as the 
 contrasted term. The latter expression is of 
 course eminently hyperbolical, resembling 
 those in 19: 24; 23: 24; John 21: 25; Rom. 
 9 : 3, etc. In the present case, no one has any 
 difficulty; but in some others, many stumble 
 at the hyperbole, from the failure to consider 
 that such expressions are constantly and natu- 
 rally employed in the language of common 
 life, especially among the Orientals. Con- 
 siderest not, does not set, the mind on, think 
 about. The ground of censure is not that one 
 sees another's fault, however small, but that 
 while seeing that, he does not think about his 
 own fault, even though great. Or how wilt 
 t lioy say, viz., with what sort of face will you 
 say it, how feel at liberty to say it? Comp. 
 John 6 : 42 ; 8 : 33. In Luke 6 : 42 it is a still 
 stronger expression, "Or how canst thou 
 say," etc. Brother was used by Jews as it is 
 by Christians, in addressing one another ; this 
 is a seemingly kind^fraternal proposal. Pull 
 or cast out represents the same Greek 
 word throughout v. 4 and 5. The Com. Ver- 
 sion has here indulged its passion for varying 
 the translation. See on 25: 46. The beam, 
 the definite beam that is assumed to be in his 
 eye. 1 The word hypocrite (T. 5.), has been 
 explained on 6 : 2. Its use here indicates that 
 the person thus acting is esteemed as not sim- 
 ply self-deceived, really unaware of the beam 
 in his own eye, but as pretending to be free 
 from fault; and with this accords the 'con- 
 siderest not' in v. 3. Indeed, self-deception 
 
 1 The Greek text followed in the Com. Version ought 
 to have been translated 'from' in v. 4, the preposition 
 being apo in v. 4, while it is ek both times in v. 5. Comp. 
 on 3 : 16. Recent critics read ek in v. 4, on the au- 
 
 thority of X and several cursives. But it is very likely 
 that apo was changed to ek by way of assimilation to 
 v. 5. Of course there is no substantial difference.
 
 CH. VII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 157 
 
 6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither 
 cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them 
 unde'r their feet, and turn agaiu and reud you. 
 
 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither 
 cast your pearls beTore the swine, lest haply they 
 trample them under their feet, and turn and rend 
 you. 
 
 rarely, if ever, exists, without some measure 
 of hypocrisy, and vice versa. See clearly, is 
 in the Greek a compound of the verb ren- 
 dered 'beholdest' in v. 3. The idea is that 
 correcting our own faults will not only render 
 it less unsuitable for us to correct those of 
 others, but will put us in better condition to 
 do so. Ministers are by their calling especi- 
 ally required to "reprove and rebuke," and 
 hence a special reason why they should seek 
 to be blameless themselves. But of course it 
 is not meant that no man must ever point out 
 another's fault, or attempt to aid him in cor- 
 recting it, until he has fully succeeded in cor- 
 recting every similar fault of his own. This 
 would prevent all efforts of the kind, since 
 the truly humble Christian will never make 
 sure that he is wholly free from any one fault 
 whatsoever. 
 
 A remarkable instance of condemning the 
 misconduct of others, while ignoring similar 
 and far greater misconduct of our own, is seen 
 in the history of David, (zsam. 12.) This 
 tendency of human nature is so obvious, that 
 it must have attracted attention in all ages 
 and nations. Horace : "While you see your 
 own faults with eyes bleared and unanointed, 
 why is it that in the faults of your friends, 
 your vision is as sharp as an eagle's?" 
 Seneca : " You observe the pimples of others, 
 when yourselves overgrown with a vast num- 
 ber of ulcers." The illustration our Lord 
 uses is found several times in the Talmud ; 
 e. g., "I wonder whether there is any one in 
 this generation who is willing to receive 
 reproof. Nay, if one says to another, 'Cast 
 out the splinter from thine e3 T e,' he will reply, 
 'Cast out the beam from thine eye.'" The 
 same image occurs (Gesen.) in Arabic poetry. 
 It is therefore probable that this was a prov- 
 erb already current among the Jews when 
 our Saviour used it. The same thing heap- 
 pears to have done in v. 2, 6, 12; in 13: 67, 
 (comp. John 4: 44); Acts 26: 14; and avow- 
 edly in Luke 4: 23. (Comp. as to the use of 
 parables, on 13: 3.) The admirable wisdom 
 with which he derived his beautiful illustra- 
 tions from the most familiar objects in nature 
 and relations of life, is here further seen in 
 
 his using current popular sayings, which all 
 would understand and feel the force of. So 
 Paul quoted Greek poets. (Acts 17 : 28 : i COT. is : 33 ; 
 Titus 1:12.) Our Lord was thus acting out his 
 own subsequent direction, bringing forth out 
 of his treasure things new and old. (is:5i.) 
 Originality is often a great source of power, 
 but more good can sometimes be done, a 
 deeper practical impression produced, by 
 adopting ideas and expressions which are 
 already familiar. (Comp. on 6: 9.) 
 
 6. This presents, in the form of an apoph- 
 thegm, and so without any external mark 
 of connection with what precedes (see at the 
 beginning of this chapter), a caution against 
 the opposite extreme to what he has just been 
 rebuking. We must not judge others, but 
 we must not heedlessly expose sacred things 
 to persons wholly wanting in appreciation, 
 and sure to reject them. These two extremes 
 of unwise action often meet (Schaff); those 
 who judge most harshly are often most easily 
 imposed on. Dogs have always been regarded 
 in the East with great abhorrence, not being 
 usually kept at home, and so not evincing the 
 strong attachment to owners which so in- 
 terests us, but running wild in troops about 
 the streets, where they devour carcasses and 
 offal. Howling and fighting over their horrid 
 food, they inspire intense disgust; and so 
 they are generally associated in Scripture 
 with ideas of reproach, contempt, or loathing. 
 
 (1 Sam. 17:43; 24: 14: 1 Kings 14: 11; 21: 19; 2 Kings 8: 13; Job 
 30 : 1 ; ProY. 26 : 11 ; Fool. 9 : 4 j Isa. 6 : 3 ; Matt. 15 : 27 ; Phil. 3:2; 
 
 Her. 22:15.) So the Mohammedans now call 
 Christians dogs. That which is holy, cor- 
 rectly renders the general and abstract ex- 
 pression of the original. This would include 
 the shew-bread, or any form of food which 
 had been offered on the altar; but especially 
 suggests the flesh of sacrifices (called "holy 
 flesh" in Hag. 2: 12; Jer. 11: 15), which it 
 would have been a great profanation to throw 
 to the dog?, like flesh torn by wild beasts. 
 (EX. 22:31.) Neither cast your pearls. In 
 the Talmud (WOnsche) a good thought is 
 often called a pearl. (Comp. 13: 45 f.) Be- 
 fore swine, or, the swine, with the article, 
 like 'the dogs,' meaning the class of creatures.
 
 158 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VII. 
 
 7 Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall 
 find ; knock, and it shall be opeued unco you: 
 
 8 For every oue that asketh receiveth; and he that 
 seeketh fiudeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be 
 opened. 
 
 7 Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall 
 
 8 find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for 
 every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh 
 lindeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 
 
 As the two kinds of animals were regarded 
 with like feelings (comp. '2 Peter 2: 22), it is 
 best to understand here a mere repetition 
 under another image, after the manner of the 
 Hebrew parallelism. (See on 4: 15.) The dis- 
 tinction some make between the dogs and the 
 swine, as representing essentially different 
 kinds of persons, is scarcely warranted. And 
 so the notion of some (even Achelis) that the 
 trampling applies to the swine, and the turn- 
 ing and rending to the dogs, is now commonly 
 rejected, as making the sentence excessively 
 artificial, and as requiring 'or turn.' Better 
 take both as referring to the swine, conceived 
 as wild and savage. It was not necessary to 
 explain to Jews that giving any sacred thing 
 to the dogs would be a horrid profanation. 
 
 What, then, do we learn from this saying? 
 It is a warning against mistaken zeal in try- 
 ing to make converts, or to correct men's 
 faults. "We must not judge (v. 1-5), but we 
 must deal with men according to their char- 
 acter. Efforts to convert a drunken man, or 
 one who has just been pouring out foul ob- 
 scenity, would come under this head. Some 
 persons do harm by expressing, in mixed so- 
 ciety, those intimate feelings of personal 
 Christian experience with which only the de- 
 vout can sympathize. Perhaps this last is in- 
 timated, bj r the expression your pearls, those 
 precious truths which have become yours. 
 But especially may we connect this verse with 
 v. 6, and learn that in undertaking to correct 
 men's faults, we must exercise discretion, lest 
 we do harm rather than good (comp. Prov. 
 9: 8). Yet this precept, like those which pre- 
 cede, must not be pushed too far. Persons 
 from whom a hasty judgment might least ex- 
 pect it, sometimes welcome gospel truth, as 
 did publicans and sinners, and the robber on 
 the cross. Often our only means of deciding 
 wisely is to make the trial, and then continue 
 our labors or not, according to the results and 
 prospects. (10.12-1*; Actsis:.) Ryle: "We are 
 most of us far more likely to err on the side of 
 over-caution than of over-zeal. We are gen- 
 erally far more disposed to remember the 
 'time to be silent' than the 'time to speak.'" 
 Especially must we not be too solicitous to 
 
 avoid injury to ourselves, which is a matter of 
 minor importance compared with insult to the 
 sacred and precious truth we present. Here 
 again (see on v. 3-5), our Lord has probably 
 adopted a proverbial saying, since we find in 
 the Talmud, "Do not cast pearls to swine, nor 
 deliver wisdom to him who does not know its 
 worth." Still, there can be little doubt that 
 the Rabbis of later centuries borrowed striking 
 sayings from the New Test., as they had long 
 done from the Greeks, and afterwards did 
 from the Arabians. 
 
 7, 8. To avoid both the extremes pointed 
 out in v. 1-5 and v. 6, is a difficult task. We 
 must all find it very hard to be at once char- 
 itable and watchful, hoping for the best, yet on 
 our guard against the worst, judging no one, 
 yet knowing men's characters and dealing 
 with them accordingly. Well may we rejoice 
 to find that the next words are a most affect- 
 ing encouragement to prayer. Thus may we 
 be enabled to perform these difficult duties and 
 all the others enjoined in the discourse. In- 
 deed, the language is so general as to bold 
 good of prayer under all circumstances and 
 for all objects. Similar examples of a passage 
 specifically applying to what precedes, but 
 having also a much wider general application, 
 may be found in 5 : 48 ; 6 : 9 ; 7 : 12 ; in James 
 1 : 5, where he means especially wisdom to 
 bear trials, but not that exclusively ; also in 
 Gal. 6: 7, and many other passages of Paul's 
 Epistles. 
 
 Knowing that men find it hard to pray in 
 reality and with faith, Jesus condescends to 
 encourage us by much repetition. Ask, 
 seek, knock, are here practically equivalent, 
 the repetition being made for the sake of im- 
 pressiveness ; all refined distinctions between 
 them are out of place. Afterwards (v. a) the 
 threefold promise is repeated by thrice assert- 
 ing the general fact that so it always is. And 
 still further encouragement is given in the 
 succeeding verses. What pains the Saviour 
 takes to make us pray ! And his word is 
 crowded with gracious invitations and precious 
 promises, such as ought to conquer all our un- 
 belief, and fill us with joyful trust in coming 
 to God. Of course these unqualified promises
 
 CH. VII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 159 
 
 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask 
 bread, will he give him a stone? 
 
 10 Or it' he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent ? 
 
 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good 
 gifts unto your children, how much more shall your 
 Father which is in heaven give good things to them 
 that ask him ? 
 
 9 Or what man is there of you, who, if his son shall 
 
 10 ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone ; or if he 
 
 11 shall ask for a fish, will give him a serpent? If ye 
 then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto 
 your children, how much more shall your Father 
 who is iu heaven give good things to them that ask 
 
 tire subject to condition*, such as are else- 
 where laid down; we must ask for proper 
 purposes (Jame4:3), according to God's will 
 (i John 5: 14); see below on v. 11. In v. 8, it 
 shall be opened, is in some of the oldest 
 authorities ' it is opened.' We cannot easily 
 decide, since the present may have been 
 changed into the future to be like v. 7, or the 
 future into the present to be like the other 
 verbs in v. 8 ; fortunately there is no sub- 
 stantial difference of meaning. The same 
 thoughts here given in v. 7-11 are found in 
 Luke 11 : 9-13, as repeated on another occa- 
 sion. 
 
 9-11. For the connection, see on v. 7, 8. Or 
 proposes to regard the matter in another way, 
 to introduce a different argument. Or, if the 
 preceding considerations do not fully con- 
 vince, look at it thus. (Compare in 12 : 29 and 
 20: 15.) Or what man is there of you, 
 which does not mean, as some explain, if he 
 is so much as a man, and not a brute; but, 
 though he is only a man. With all the im- 
 perfection and evil which belong to human 
 nature, even a man will be willing to give to 
 his son, and will have some judgment in giv- 
 ing. The expression thus tends to prepare 
 the mind for the application made in v. 11. 
 Will he give, is in the Greek introduced by a 
 particle denoting that the answer must nec- 
 essarily be negative ; and the broken construc- 
 tion of the sentence renders the expression 
 more striking. " Who is there of you, a 
 man, of whom his son will ask a loaf will he 
 give him a stone? Or also he will ask a fish 
 will he give him a serpent" ? Bread. The 
 word means either 'bread' (so all the early 
 English versions here), or 'a loaf,' according 
 to the demands of each particular connection ; 
 and the latter seems to fit best here. (Comp. 
 on 26: 26.) The round, flat cakes of bread, 
 then and now common in Palestine, resembled 
 flat stones (comp. on 4: 8). So a serpent 
 somewhat resembles a fish. Bread and fish 
 were the ordinary food of those who dwelt by 
 
 the Lake of Galilee. On the subsequent occa- 
 sion (Luke ii: 12), an egg is added, to which a 
 scorpion coiled might not be greatly dissimilar. 
 Now the question is not whether the father 
 will refuse his son's request, but whether, in- 
 stead of the thing asked he will give him some- 
 thing similar that is useless (a stone), or hurtful 
 (a serpent). In Luke 11 : 11, the expression 
 is distinctly, "Will, instead of a fi>'h, give him 
 aserpent?" (Bib. Un. Ver.) Even an earthly 
 parent will 'not be ignorant enough to make 
 such a mistake, will not be cruel enough thus 
 to mock his child's request. Being evil, in 
 contrast with the holy God. Know how to 
 give, does not simply mean are willing to give, 
 but understand how to give judiciously and 
 kindly, so that the gifts are really good gifts. 
 Compare such expressions as, "The Lord 
 knoweth how to deliver the godly out of 
 temptation" (2 Pet. a: ) ; "I know both how to 
 be abased, or in humble circumstances, and 
 I know how to abound," i. e., without being 
 unduly depressed or elated (Phii. 4-. 12); "If a 
 man (any one) know not how to rule his own 
 house." (iTim. :5); also Luke 12: 65, etc. 1 
 The statement involves a disposition to give, 
 and the term denotes judgment in giving ; and 
 in both respects the argument from the less to 
 the greater holds good, how much more will 
 the Father on high, who is " too wise to err, too 
 good to be unkind," give what is really good. 
 It is a natural extension of the same argu- 
 ment to say, that if we ask for something 
 which we think to be good, but which he 
 knows to be evil, he will withhold it, even as 
 any judicious human parent must often do. 
 It is really a part of the privilege of prayer, 
 that God will withhold, if he sees best. Were 
 this not the case, the wisest and best persons 
 might often be slowest to ask, for they know 
 how often their judgment as to what was best 
 has proved erroneous. But as it is, we may 
 ask without apprehension for whatever we 
 think is best, and our perfectly wise and per- 
 fectly kind Father will give that, or somo- 
 
 1 Tyndale and the succeeding English versions ren- j Ver. wisely follows Ithuims iu rendering ' know how to 
 der 'can give,' doubtless following Luther. The Com. ' give.'
 
 160 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VII. 
 
 12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that 12 him? All things therefore whatsoever ye would 
 
 men should do to you, do ye even so to them : for this 
 is the law and the* prophets. 
 
 that men should do unto you, even so do ye also uuto 
 them : for this is the law and the prophets. 
 
 thing which he sees to be better. On the 
 second occasion (Luke ii: is), our Lord substi- 
 tutes for the general expression 'good things,' 
 the specific blessing 'the Holy Spirit,' which 
 is the best of all good gifts. " In this change 
 we may see evidence, not, as has been said, of 
 ' a later form of Christian tradition,' but 
 probably of a later and more spiritual teach- 
 ing, addressed to more advanced disciples." 
 (Bib. Comm.) As to the frequency with 
 which Jesus speaks of God as our Father, see 
 on 6: 9. 
 
 12. Our Lord now gives one single precept 
 for the regulation of our conduct, a simple 
 working rule, which is not merely a summary 
 statement of all that he has been teaching on 
 that subject throughout the discourse, but is 
 expressly declared to cover the entire ground 
 of what is required by " the law and the 
 prophets," i. e., the whole of the then exist- 
 ing revelation (see on 5: 17). This precept 
 is an application of the principle, ' Thou shalt 
 love thy neighbor as thyself,' and on that, in 
 conjunction with 'Thou shalt love the Lord 
 thy God with all thy heart,' Jesus afterwards 
 declares that the whole law and the prophets 
 hang. (M:.) It is plain therefore that he 
 does not here mean to say that the whole re- 
 quirements of the Scriptures as to all duties 
 are summed up in this rule, but their whole 
 requirements as to duties to our fellow-men. 
 (Com p. Gal. 5: 14.) It is a great mistake to 
 suppose that nothing is involved in love to 
 God beyond love to our neighbor. There- 
 fore, as an inference from what precedes. 
 The word itself does not determine how far 
 back its reference goes. The rule that follows 
 is apparently given as a sort of general conse- 
 quence, or recapitulatory inference, from all 
 that he has been teaching concerning the 
 righteousness required of his people (5:zo;8 : 
 i. 33), so far, of course, as pertained to their 
 treatment of their fellow-rr.en. He did not 
 come to destroy the law and the prophets, but 
 to develop and deepen and broaden them (see 
 on 5: 17) ; and so (Weiss) he has here given 
 one simple rule, which carries their whole 
 contents in a compact form, ready for prompt 
 and varied application. Luther: "With 
 
 these words he closes up the teachings of these 
 three chapters, and ties them all up in a little 
 bundle." See a somewhat similar use of 
 'therefore' in 6: 34, and as to the connection 
 here, see at the beginning of chap. 7. 1 
 
 This simple and beautiful precept is now 
 commonly called, from its excellence, the 
 "Golden Rule," just as James (2= 8) calls the 
 precept, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as 
 thyself," the 'royal law.' The Jewish teach- 
 ers endeavored to have a special rule for every 
 exigency of life, and have filled the Talmud 
 with nice distinctions and wearisome details, 
 without at last touching half the questions 
 which must arise. The Great Teacher has 
 furnished many particulars by way of illus- 
 tration and example, but he delights to give 
 comprehensive rules. Harris: "Like the 
 few imaginary circles by which geography 
 circumscribes the earth, he has, by a few sen- 
 tences, described and distributed into sections 
 the whole globe of duty ; so that wherever we 
 may be on it, we find ourselves encompassed 
 by some comprehensive maxim ; and in what- 
 ever direction we may move, we have only to 
 reflect, in order to perceive that we are reced- 
 ing from, or approaching to, some line of 
 morality." It is here taken for granted, that 
 what one wishes others to do to him is some- 
 thing right, such a thing as he ought to wish. 
 Otherwise the rule would lead to folly and 
 crime. If a man should become a criminal, 
 he would probably wish the judge to acquit 
 him, though guilty; it does not follow that 
 if the same man is a judge, he ought to let the 
 guilty go free. When a child, one did not 
 wish his father to restrain him ; it does not 
 follow that he must now let his own son go 
 unrestrained. Has, then, the Saviour's rule 
 failed here? No, it is taken for granted that 
 the wish of our own to which he bids us con- 
 form in our treatment of others, is, or would 
 be, a right wish under all the circumstances. 
 I do not wish now to be treated as a child, for 
 mine is not the character or condition of a 
 child; bit if I were a child, and had just 
 views and right feelings, I should wish my 
 father not to make me my own master when 
 unfit for it, but to restrain and discipline me, 
 
 ' Would wish that men should do ' is iu Greek one of the non-final uses of Mna, explained oil 5 : 29.
 
 Ce. VIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 161 
 
 in the way that would be for my real good; 
 and thus I ought to act towards my child. 
 
 Here again, as in v. 2, 3, 6, we find that our 
 Lord has employed a form of statement quite 
 similar to some sayings then already in ex- 
 istence. Con/ucius, said (Legge's "Chinese 
 Classics," vol. 1), "Do not unto others that 
 which you would not they should do unto 
 you." Isocrates said, " What you are angry 
 at when inflicted on you by others, this do 
 not do to others." A Greek biographer of 
 Aristotle relates that, being asked how we 
 should behave towards our friends, he an- 
 swered, " As we should wish them to behave 
 toward us." The apocryphal book of Tobit 
 (4: is) has " What thou hatest, do to no one." 
 Of the great Kabbi Hillel, who was probably 
 stiil living at the birth of Christ, the Talmud 
 relates, as showing that he was kind, and not 
 irritable and headlong like Shammai, " There 
 is a story of a certain Gentile, who came to 
 Shammai and said, ' Make a proselyte of me 
 on this condition, that you teach me the whole 
 law while I stand on one foot.' He drove 
 him away with a long staff which he held in 
 his hand. The man came to Hillel, and he 
 made a proselyte of him, saying, 'What is 
 hateful to thee, do not do to another. This is 
 the whole law ; the rest is explanation of it.' " 
 Philo, who was an old man in A. D. 40, says, 
 "One must not himself do what he hates to 
 have done to him." Seneca, who died A. D. 
 65, says that the best way to confer a benefit 
 is "to give as we should wish to receive." 1 It 
 will be observed that the sayings of Confu- 
 cius, Isocrates, and the three Jewish teachers 
 are merely negative ; that of Seneca is con- 
 fined to giving, and that of Aristotle to the 
 treatment of friends. Our Lord makes it a 
 rule for positive action, and towards all men ; 
 and declares, as Hillel had done, that it is a 
 summary of the entire Scriptures. It is a 
 part of his wisdom that he frequently adopts 
 modes of thought and expressions already 
 well known among men, or which had occur- 
 red to some thoughtful mind; while in many 
 cases, as here, he gives them a new or a wider 
 application. (Comp. on v. 5, and especially 
 on 6: 9.) The real novelty of Christian 
 
 Ethics lies in the fact that Christianity offers 
 not only instruction in moral duty, but spir- 
 itual help in acting accordingly. In Luke 
 (6:3i), this precept is given in a different part 
 of the Sermon on the Mount. Luke's brief 
 sketch omits very much of the discourse, and 
 to prevent what he gives from being a mere 
 collection of fragments, he must of necessity 
 connect passages which have some natural re- 
 lation. Accordingly, this saying there fol- 
 lows the injunction, "Give to every one that 
 asketh thee," etc. The phrase, for this is 
 the law and the prophets, is omitted by 
 Luke, precisely as he omits the extensive 
 portion from Matt. 5: 13 to 6: 18, because it 
 was suited especially for Jews, whom Matthew 
 had peculiarly in view, but Luke had not. 
 (See Int. to chap. 6.) 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 1 f. Mutual misjudgments: 1) Between 
 new converts and old disciples. 2) Between 
 church officers and church members. 3) Be- 
 tween representatives of rival societies, jour- 
 nals, or institutions of learning. 4) Between 
 professed Christians and non-professors. 5) 
 Between all persons who judge each other at 
 all. We are apt to be very severe in judging 
 faults to which we are not specially exposed. 
 The drunkard is harshly condemned by a man 
 who is too cold-blooded or too stingy to be- 
 come a drunkard ; stinginess is harshly con- 
 demned by one who finds it easier to be lavish 
 than economical. 
 
 "Compound for sins they are inclined to, 
 By damning those they have no mind to." 
 
 A preacher is apt to illustrate only by accounts 
 of wrong-doing elsewhere. MISHNA : "Do 
 not judge your neighbor till you have put 
 yourself in his place." BRAUNE (in Stier) : 
 "Judging others is the foul stain of social 
 life." ACIIELIS: "This judging rests upon 
 two evil factors, the want of love to others, 
 and the assumption of God's prerogative." 
 HENRY : "He who usurps the bench, shall be 
 called to the bar." CIIRYB. : " 'That is,' saith 
 Christ, ' it is not the other that thou eondemn- 
 est, but thyself, and thou art making the judg- 
 ment-seat dreadful to thyself, and the account 
 
 'In Acts 15: 20 and 29, the negative precept, "and 
 whatever you do not wish to happen to you, do not do 
 to another," is interpolated by D, several cursives, 
 
 case also by the Harklean Syriacand Cyprian, a " West- 
 ern " interpolation. The so-called "Teaching of the 
 Apostles" gives the same (ch. i), followed l>y the so- 
 
 Thebaic.-Ethiopic, Irenteus (Latin), and in the second | called "Constitutions of the Apostles," vii. 2.
 
 162 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VII. 
 
 strict.' .... He is not overthrowing reproof 
 nor correction, but forbidding men to neglect 
 their own faults, and exult over those of other 
 men." DYKES : "To take one's self for a 
 Christian, and yet be ignorant of the extent of 
 one's own guilt and evil-heartedness, is to be 
 exactly in that state of blind conceit which 
 qualifies a man for the role of a heartless and 
 
 reckless, and utterly unrighteous judge 
 
 We have to live with one another; and the 
 kindly thoughts of others about ourselves is as 
 
 the breath of life to us There are some 
 
 people who always suspect base reasons for 
 whatever looks generous, and exult in ex- 
 posing them to view; but we are not apt to 
 conclude that such men's own motives are the 
 purest, or their own life the sweetest in the 
 world." PLUMPTRE : " Briefly we may say, 
 (.1) Judge no man unless it be a duty to do so. 
 (2) As far as may be, judge the offence, and 
 not the offender. (3) Confine your judgment 
 to the earthly side of faults, and leave their 
 relation to God, to him who sees the heart. 
 (4) Never judge at all without remembering 
 your own sinfulness, and the ignorance and 
 infirmities which may extenuate the sinfulness 
 of others." 
 
 V. 3-5. The mote and the beam. 1) We 
 must by no means let both remain. 2) We 
 cannot really cast out either, if wholly care- 
 less about the other. 3) Casting out the beam 
 will make us more clear-sighted, more sympa- 
 thetic, and more skillful, in casting out the 
 mote, (not simply seeing the mote, v. 3; but 
 seeing to cast it out, v. 5). 4) For help 
 in casting out both, ask, and it shall be given 
 you, v. 7. V. 1-5. Efforts to correct the faults 
 of our brethren. 1) W T ith no harsh, undis- 
 criminating judgment of their faults. 2) 
 With no real or apparent assumption of being 
 without fault ourselves. 3) With clear per- 
 ception, heightened by experience in correct- 
 ing our own faults. 4) With sympathetic 
 and fraternal kindness. V. 3. What we ne^d 
 here is not "to see oursels as others see us," 
 but to see ourselves as we see others. V. 4. 
 CICERO: "It is the part of folly to see other 
 people's faults and forget our own." 
 EUTHYM. : " Thehealer ought to be healthy." 
 Proposing to cast out the mote without 
 thinking of the beam, is (DYKES), 1) a blun- 
 der, 2) an hypocrisy. RADER (in Cor. a 
 Lap.): "A crooked measuring-rule makes 
 even straight things appear crooked." 
 
 V. 6. New converts are especially prone, in 
 their inexperienced zeal, to cast pearls before 
 swine. In religious teaching we must avoid 
 those who 1) will despise the holy and pre- 
 cious truth, and 2) will damage the teachers. 
 Such are pretended converts, who "join the 
 church " in order to get trade or to impose on 
 charity ; cases often encountered in foreign 
 and home missions, and in all large cities. 
 WEISS: "Gospel truth is 1) 'holy,' as com- 
 ing from God, 2) precious (pearls, comp. 13: 
 45)." DYKES: "We often stultify our at- 
 tempts to reform the vicious and brutal by 
 plans which look charitable, but are simply 
 childish, winking at the darker facts of human 
 character. . . To select the fit occasion and 
 discover the wise method; to adapt truth to 
 the evil state of the hearer, and win for it a 
 willing ear; to be cautious without being 
 timid, and faithful but not indiscreet; this 
 asks for a certain nice tact .... a wisdom 
 into which there enter several elements, but 
 of which one element usually is a spiritual 
 gift from the Father of lights." We have 
 frequent occasion to remember the proverb, 
 " Speech is silvern, but silence is golden." 
 
 V. 7-11. To avoid censoriousness, and yet 
 not cast pearls before swine, ask, and it shall 
 be given you. To refrain from worldly anx- 
 ieties, because trusting in God (6:19-34), ask, 
 and it shall be given you. To eschew osten- 
 tation and all self-seeking in good works 
 (6: MS), ask, and it shall be given you. To at- 
 tain the profound spiritual righteousness 
 which Jesus teaches and requires (: n-*8), ask, 
 and it shall be given you. To be indeed the 
 salt of the earth and the light of the world 
 (5: i3-i), ask, and it shall be given you. To find 
 blessing in the trials of life (6: 3-12), ask, and it 
 shall be given you. If we do not possess 
 God's spiritual blessings, it must be because 
 we do not ask. One may be a truly indus- 
 trious man, and yet poor in temporal things ; 
 but one cannot be a truly praying man, and 
 yet poor in spiritual things. CHRYS : "And 
 if thou dost not receive straightway, do not 
 even thus despair. For to this end he said, 
 knock, to signify that even if he should not 
 straightway open the door, we are to continue 
 there." LUTHER : " Hast thou here the con- 
 soling promise and rich assurance he gives, as 
 showing that prayer has something in it, and 
 is precious in God's sight, since Jesus so 
 earnestly exhorts to it, so kindly invites, and
 
 CH. VII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 163 
 
 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the 
 gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, 
 and many there be which go in thereat : 
 
 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, 
 which leadeth unto life, and fevv there be that find it. 
 
 13 Enter ye in by the narrow gate : for wide Ms the 
 gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruc- 
 
 14 lion, and many are they that enter in thereby. 2 For 
 narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that lead- 
 eth unto life, and lew are they that find it. 
 
 a Or, How. 1 Some ancient authorities omit, is the gate 2 Man; ancient authorities read, How narrow ii the gate, etc. 
 
 assures us that we shall not ask in vain ; even 
 if we had no other ground or inducement than 
 this rich and loving word, it ought to be enough 
 to draw us and drive us to prayer. 1 ' V. 9-11. 
 EUTHYM. : "He that asks must both be a son, 
 and must ask what it becomes the father to 
 give, and is profitable for the son to receive." 
 AUG. : "The Lord is good, and often does not 
 give what we should wish, in order that he 
 may give what we should wish still more.' 
 ACHELIS: "If the son asks for a stone or 
 serpent, thinking it to be a loaf or fish, the 
 father's love will give the real good. Paul 
 asked thrice that the thorn might be removed, 
 and afterwards learned that the Master had 
 done for him something far better. (* cor. 12: 
 8,10.") DYKES: "Here, in these simple, 
 homely, human words of Jesus, we have 
 surely all the philosophy of prayer which 
 Christian hearts require .... all genuine in- 
 tercourse betwixt child and p:irent must have 
 two sides: while it is on the child's side, the 
 freest and most unlimited expression of such 
 things as a child's heart can long for, or a child's 
 judgment discern to be good, it is on the 
 parent's side the freest and most voluntary 
 determination to give only what a riper judg- 
 ment knows to be best, and all that a larger 
 heart yearns to bestow." 
 
 V. 12. How to treat others. 1) Worldly 
 pride and honor will say, Treat them as they 
 have treated us return a kindness, revenge 
 an injury. 2) Jesus says, Treat them as we 
 should wish them to treat us forgive, forbear, 
 make the best of the past, hope for the best in 
 future. To carry out this rule requires imagi- 
 nation, sympathy, unselfishness. KYLE: "The 
 Golden Rule settles a hundred difficult points, 
 which in a world like this are continually 
 arising between man and man. It prevents 
 the necessity of laying down endless little 
 rules for our conduct in specific cases. It 
 weeps the whole debatable ground with one 
 mighty principle." LUTHKR: "All the 
 teachings of these chapters he here ties up in 
 a little bit of a bundle, that every one may 
 place in his bosom. And certainly it is a fine 
 thing that Christ sets before us precisely our- 
 
 selves for an example. Thou thyself art thy 
 master, doctor, and preacher." 
 
 13-29. SERMON ON THE MOUNT. CON- 
 CLUDING EXHORTATIONS TO PRACTICE AS 
 WELL AS HEAR AND PROFESS. EFFECT PRO- 
 DUCED. 
 
 The Sermon on the Mount is now drawing 
 to a close. Its leading thoughts have been 
 presented, and there has been a general en- 
 couragement to seek help from God, and a 
 general rule for regulating our conduct, which 
 covers the whole ground of the discourse. It 
 is manifest to every hearer or reader that the 
 requirements which have been made are very 
 rigorous, in their profound spirituality and 
 vast compass. Our Lord does not soften this 
 rigof at all, but goes on to declare that the 
 way pointed out by him is indeed one hard to 
 find and follow, and that there is great danger 
 of being deceived by false guides, and of self- 
 deception ; yet he does not present these facts 
 as an excuse for shrinking back, nor even say 
 that in spite of these things we must make the 
 effort, but urges the very difficulties as a rea- 
 son for going forward. We cannot drift with 
 the crowd, without purpose or effort, through 
 the narrow gate ; to act thus would lead 
 through the wide gate to destruction. Heed- 
 fully and diligently we must go in through 
 the narrow gate, along the straitened and 
 difficult way, which leads to life. Gloss, (in 
 Aquinas): "Though it be hard to do to an- 
 other what you would have done to yourself, 
 yet so must we do, that we may enter the 
 strait gate." 
 
 We may mark, as containing distinct though 
 closely-related topics, v. 13 f. ; 15-20; 21-23; 
 24-27 ; and the concluding statement in 28 f. 
 The apophthegmatical form of expression, 
 which we have already noticed at v. 1, 6, 7, is 
 continued, and hence there is no conjunction 
 connecting v. 13 with what precedes, while the 
 general relation of the thoughts is obvious, as 
 just pointed out. 
 
 13, 14. Enter ye in, viz., into life (v. 14), 
 as in 18: 8 f. ; 19: 17; or, into the Messianic 
 kingdom, as in 6: 20; 7: 21; 18:3; 19:23f. 
 The comparison of 19: 17 with 19: 23 shows
 
 164 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VII. 
 
 that the two expressions are equivalent. See 
 also 25: 21-23. At the strait or through 
 the narrow gate. The English word ' strait' 
 is derived (through the French) from the 
 Latin strictum, and is thus a different word 
 from straight, which is an old form of 
 stretched. The two are popularly confounded 
 in quoting this passage, "The straight and 
 narrow way," although it is not at all said 
 that the way is straight. The word 'strait' 
 is now little used except in Geography, and 
 in such phrases as strait-laced and strait- 
 jacket. For wide is the gate. It is quite 
 possible that 'the gate' should here be omit- 
 ted (as in margin Rev. Ver.). 1 There would 
 be nothing lost from the substantial meaning 
 (see below). The word rendered broad is a 
 peculiar and strong term, ' broad-spaced,' 
 'spacious,' describing the way as having 
 plenty of room in it. Destruction. The 
 Greek word is translated (Kev. Ver.) 'perdi- 
 tion' in John 17: 12; Phil. 1: 28; 3: 19; 1 
 Tim. 6: 9; Heb. 10: 39; Kev. 17: 8, 11 ^ 'de- 
 struction' in Rom. 9: 22; 2 Pet. 2: 1, 3, Kev. 
 Ver.; 3: 16. Go in or enter in, same 
 Greek word as at the beginning of the sen- 
 tence. Thereat, literally, 'through it,' 
 would more naturally make us think of pass- 
 ing through the gate, but would also apply to 
 the way or road, as in 'pass along through 
 that road.' (8:28.) Instead of because (v. u), 
 there is much authority for a reading which 
 would mean 'how,' (ti instead of hoti) mak- 
 ing it an exclamation, ' How narrow is the 
 gate ! ' It is extremely difficult to decide 
 which is the correct reading. 2 As to the sense, 
 'because' would make this a reason why 
 many enter the broad road, and an additional 
 reason (comp. 'for,' v. 13) for the opening in- 
 
 junction to enter in by the narrow gate. The 
 rendering in the Common Version 'because' 
 (the Greek word in the text followed being 
 the same as in 'for,' v. 13) obscures the fact 
 that these are two parallel reasons for the 
 injunction. The reading 'how' does not 
 present this formally as a reason, but states 
 solemnly and impressively the fact, which he 
 designs to act as a motive for entering in by 
 the narrow gate. An impassioned exclama- 
 tion would here be less strange than it might 
 at first sight appear, because the fact that so 
 few are saved might well awaken profound 
 emotion in the Saviour's bosom. 3 The word 
 rendered narrow, or in Rev. Ver. straitened, 
 signifies pressed, pressed together, cramped; 
 a Greek writer uses it when he describes one 
 as occupying "a straitened cell"; so it im- 
 plies not merely that the road is narrow, but, 
 as it were, cramped, confined, so that there is 
 difficulty in passing along it. This word is 
 thus the precise opposite of the term 'spa- 
 cious,' applied to the other road. In the one, 
 men can wander heedlessly, and roam about 
 at pleasure in the broad spaces ; the other 
 requires to be pursued with great care and 
 exactness. Life is here first used, as mean- 
 ing spiritual and eternal life, in our Lord's 
 Galilean ministry; but previously in his 
 early Judean ministry. (Johns: i5f; i: u, se.) 
 Leadeth is literally leadeth away, perhaps 
 implying a long course. Though the expres- 
 sions in v. 14 are precisely parallel to those in 
 v. 13, there is a striking exception at the 
 close; he does not say, 'few are those that 
 enter in through it,' but 'few are those that 
 find it.' Our attention is thus strongly called 
 to the fact that this narrow gate and way is 
 likely to be overlooked, and so it should be 
 
 1 The omission in v. 13 is supported by X and the Old 
 Latin, and " many Greek and Latin Fathers, early and 
 late " ; in v. 14 the evidence for omitting is weaker. 
 The state of the evidencee is readily explained by the 
 supposition that 'the gate 'is genuine in v. 14 and 
 spurious in v. 13, and is not easily explained otherwise. 
 W H. adopt this view in text and Appendix. Tisch. 
 bracketed in both places. 
 
 * The evidence for holi being B X X, many cursives, a 
 few Latin copies, Egyptian, and Origen, is considered 
 decisive by W H. (according to their theory as to B X) 
 so that they do not even mention the other reading. 
 Yet the latter, besides the support of all other uncials 
 (C and D are here wanting), numerous cursives, nearly 
 all Old Latin and the Vulgate, Old Syr., Pesh. and 
 Harklean, other versions and various Fathers, has 
 
 strongly, in its favor, the internal evidence. If ti was 
 the original reading, it was quite unusual in such a 
 connection and looked strange, and so might very easily 
 have been changed into the familiar holi. But why 
 should hoti be changed intotif It is very difficult to 
 suppose the change accidental. The repetition of hoti 
 in the successive clauses gives but slight trouble as to 
 the sense ; and even if there was trouble, it would be at 
 once greatly increased by changing to ti, which would 
 here have so rare and strange a use. In the present 
 state of Text-criticism, the question can hardly be 
 settled. 
 
 3 'How' would be a very unusual meaning of ti, but 
 not unexampled, see Grimm, and Moulton in Winer, 
 p. 562 ; a corresponding Hebrew word is repeatedly em- 
 ployed in that sense.
 
 CH. VII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 165 
 
 carefully searched for and diligently en- 
 tered. 
 
 Is the narrow gate at the beginning of the 
 way or at the end of it? Many have 
 taken the former view, understanding by the 
 gate conversion, or the beginning of the 
 Christian life, and by the way its subsequent 
 prosecution. (So Bunyan, in Pilgrim's Prog- 
 ress.) A larger number of expositors urge 
 that it is more natural to conceive of a road 
 leading to a gate, by which we enter the city ; 
 and they quote (Wet.) as similar in expres- 
 sion and sentiment the saying of Cebes (pupil 
 of Socrates): "Do you see a certain little 
 door, and a certain road before the door, 
 which is not muoh crowded, but very few are 
 journeying on it? .... This is the road that 
 leads to true instruction." But it is also easy 
 enough to conceive of a gate opening into a 
 spacious avenue, and a smaller one into a 
 narrow path, which conducts to the mansion. 
 There is a much more serious objection than 
 this to the common view. If passing through 
 the narrow gate is conversion, to what does 
 passing through the wide gate correspond ? 
 There is no marked transition made by all 
 unconverted persons from one state to another, 
 which can be compared to passing through 
 a gate into a new road. If, on the other 
 hand we understand the gate as at the end of 
 the way, why is it put first in the statement? 
 The difficulties on both sides are thought to be 
 obviated by the following explanation : Our 
 Lord, on a subsequent occasion (Luke is: 24), 
 uses the simple image of entering the narrow 
 gate, expressions similar to which are common 
 in Jewish and classical writers. But here he 
 expands the image, representing not only a 
 narrow gate, but a narrow and difficult road, 
 and so as to the wide gate and spacious road. 
 We have thus no occasion carefully to mark 
 off the gate, as lying either at the beginning 
 or the end of the road, but both together serve 
 to set forth more strongly than the sirdple idea 
 of a gate would do, the comparative ease of 
 reaching perdition, and the difficulty of reach- 
 ing life. (So, in substance, Ohrys., Jerome, 
 Tholuck, Weiss, Keil.) And accordingly 
 'enter in through it' (r. i.) and 'find it' (. i) 
 need not be specially assigned to the gate or 
 the way, being applicable to either, and thus 
 to both. If 'the gate' be omitted after 
 'wide' in v. 13 (see above), there will, accord- 
 
 ing to this view, be nothing lost of the sub- 
 stantial meaning. Achelis takes 'find it' as 
 meaning find life, which is grammatically pos- 
 sible, but does not suit the connection ; and to 
 find a road is, in itself, a much more natural 
 expression than to find life. It is misleading 
 interpretation to say (Plumptre) that Christ 
 himself is here the way and the gate, because 
 of John 14 : 6 ; 10 : 7. Must a familiar image 
 be supposed to have everywhere in the Bible 
 the same application ? 
 
 The comparative ease and difficulty of the 
 two gates and ways may be regarded as due 
 both to external influences and to ourselves. 
 Men in general do not interrupt our progress 
 to destruction, but much of their influence 
 tends to make it easier; the crowd are going 
 that way, and mankind have a deplorable 
 tendency to follow the crowd. (Comp. Ex. 
 23: 2.) At the same time, our sinful propen- 
 sities are numerous and powerful, and incline 
 us in that same direction. On the other hand, 
 the way to life is fenced in on either side by 
 God's requirements (Deut. &-. 32; PI-OT. 4: 27; isaiah 
 30:21), while sometimes persecutions (i.Pet. 4: 
 "f.), and always the thousand forms of temp- 
 tation, unite with our own sinful reluctance 
 to do right, and make the gate very narrow, 
 the way exceedingly straitened. None the 
 less is it true that Christ's people are the 
 happy ones (sis-n), that wisdom's "ways are 
 ways of pleasantness" (Prov.3: IT), and that 
 God's "commandments are not grievous" 
 (i joim 5: s) ; because all this refers to such as are 
 born again, and holds good of them just in 
 proportion as they are deeply pious. (Johni4: 
 1&-17.) See interesting parallels to this image 
 of the gate and the way in Ecclus. 21 : 10; 2 
 Esdras 7 : 6-14. Images somewhat correspond- 
 ing are also quoted from Hesiod : "Evil we 
 may seize upon even in multitudes with ease; 
 the way to it is smooth, and it lies very near. 
 But the immortal gods have placed sweat at 
 the entrance to virtue, and long and straight 
 is the path to it, and rough at first; but when 
 you come to the summit, then it grows easy." 
 Pythagoras (Corn, a Lap.) said "that at first 
 the path of virtue is narrow and confined, 
 but afterwards it becomes wider by degrees; 
 the way of pleasure, on the other hand, is not 
 wide at the beginning, but afterwards it be- 
 comes more and more straitened." Philo : 
 "A road worn by men and beasts, and suited
 
 166 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VII. 
 
 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in 
 sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening 
 wolves. 
 
 15 Beware of false prophets, that come to you in 
 sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. 
 
 for riding horses and driving chariots, is very 
 similar to pleasure; while (he ways of pru- 
 dence and temperance, and the other virtues, 
 even if not impassable, are yet wholly un- 
 worn, for small is the number of those who 
 walk on them." 
 
 15. Beware of false prophets. In your 
 efforts to find and enter the narrow gate, the 
 straitened way, beware of those who would 
 mislead you. Alas ! it is not enough that we 
 have personally so much difficulty in finding 
 the way to life, and that so many set us a bad 
 example ; there are others who deliberately 
 attempt to lead us astray. For the term ' pro- 
 phets,' see on v. 22. There were already false 
 teachers among the Jews, sanctimonious (6:2) 
 and hypocritical. (Jotm 10 : i, 10.) And our Lord 
 may be referring immediately to these 
 (Weiss) ; but he is also preparing for the 
 future, as he will do still further near the 
 close of his ministry. (24:11,24.) So we find 
 Paul speaking of hypocritical false teach- 
 ers as early as A. D. 50 (Gai. 2:4), warning the 
 Ephesian elders in A. D. 58 against grievous 
 wolves (A 01320:28-31), and a -few years later giv- 
 ing many such warnings in the Pastoral Epis- 
 tles ; as Peter and John also do in their Epis- 
 tles. Few things are so painful to the teacher 
 of truth as to know that others will be busily 
 teaching the same persons ruinous error. In 
 sheep's clothing means, of course, clothed 
 like sheep, looking like sheep, just as in 
 .iEsop's fable of the wolf in sheep's clothing. 
 The idea of some that it means clothed in 
 woolen garments, resembling a supposed style 
 of garment worn by prophets, is unfounded, 
 and very nearly ridiculous. Ravening, 
 rapacious, snatching at everything to devour 
 it. (John io: 12.) Henry: "Every hypocrite is 
 a goat in sheep's clothing, but a false prophet 
 is & wolf in sheep's clothing; not only not a 
 sheep, but the worst enemy the sheep have, 
 that comes not but to tear and devour, to scat- 
 ter the sheep, to drive them from God and 
 from one another into crooked paths." 
 
 16-2O. Our Lord here shows how these 
 false teachers maybe detected, viz., by their 
 fruits. Know is in the Greek a compound, 
 meaning recognize, or fully know. Ye shall 
 know (in Greek simply the future tense) is 
 
 here not a command, but an assurance. Do 
 men gather, literally, they, precisely like 
 our impersonal expressions, " they say, :> etc. 
 (Comp. on 5 : 10.) The Greek introduces the 
 question by a particle which strongly implies 
 that the answer must be negative. James 
 (s: 12) uses the same image, probably having 
 this passage in mind ; for, as already remarked, 
 he often refers to the Sermon on the Mount. 
 Even so (v. nj, i. e., as we do not gather one 
 kind of fruits from another kind of tree, so 
 it is also true that fruits are good or bad ac- 
 cording as the tree is sound or unsound. 
 Here, and in v. 18, the original is plural, 
 'good fruits,' ' bad fruits' ; in v. 19 it is singu- 
 lar mere variations for the sake of variety. 
 Corrupt is, literally, decayed, rotten, and 
 then unsound in general a tree in a decayed 
 or unhealthy condition, such that its sap is 
 diseased, and it cannot produce good fruits. 
 V. 17 states the actual fact of nature ; v. 18, 
 that it cannot be otherwise, from the constitu- 
 tion of things ; v. 19 that men are accustomed 
 to act accordingly; v. 20 is a repetition of 
 what was said in v. 16, made for the sake of 
 greater irnpressiveness, and presented as a 
 conclusion from what has been said in v. 16- 
 19. A good many copies of the Greek intro- 
 duce v. 19 by 'therefore,' and v. 15 by 'but' 
 from not perceiving the apophthegmatical 
 character of the style. With v. 18 comp. 12: 
 33, where the same image is employed by our 
 Lord in another connection ; with v. 19 com- 
 pare the words of John the Baptist in 3: 10, 
 which many present had probably heard him 
 speak. Hewn down (v. 19) is literally, cut out, 
 i. e., from its place in the orchard. It is a 
 matter of common observation that men do 
 actually cut out and burn trees that do not 
 produce good fruit. 
 
 There has been much discussion as to whether' 
 the 'fruits' by which we are to judge, repre- 
 sent the life or the teachings of the teachers in 
 question. The latter view prevailed widely 
 until Bengel, and the passage was freely used 
 as authority for punishing heretics. By com- 
 paring the whole connection, especially the 
 phrases, 'doeth the will' (*.2i), ' work iniquity ' 
 (y- 23\ ' doeth them ' (v. 24), we see the applica- 
 tion here is to their works, their life. On the
 
 CH. VII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 167 
 
 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men 
 gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles ? 
 
 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit ; 
 but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 
 
 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither 
 can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 
 
 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is 
 hewn down and cast into the fire. 
 
 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 
 
 21 Not every one that saith unto uie, Lord, Lord, 
 shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that 
 doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 
 
 16 By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather 
 
 17 grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every 
 good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt 
 
 18 tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot 
 bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree 
 
 19 bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth 
 not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the 
 
 20 fire. Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 
 
 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall 
 enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth 
 
 other hand, in Luke's sketch of the discourse 
 (Luke6:43), the special application is to the idea 
 that as a good tree produces good fruits, etc., 
 so a good man will put forth good teachings, 
 and these will have a good effect upon his 
 pupils, and a bad man the reverse; and sim- 
 ilar is the application when our Lord uses the 
 image again. (12: 33.) May it not be that he 
 here indicated an application both to their life 
 and the character and effect of their teach- 
 ings; and that Matthew's incomplete sketch 
 gives prominence to the one, Luke's to the 
 other? (There seem to be several such cases 
 in the two reports of this discourse.) In both 
 respects false prophets would pretend to be 
 members of the flock ; making great pretence 
 both to a holy life and to sound teaching. 
 But is their life holy, is their teaching sound, 
 and does it make their pupils wiser and bet- 
 ter? Those tests will show what they are 
 inwardly and really. Jerome: "For it be- 
 hooves the servants of God that both their 
 works should be approved by their teaching, 
 and their teaching by their works." It is not 
 meant that every separate item of false teach- 
 ing will be attended by some distinct evil 
 practice; their evil conduct in general will 
 show them to be bad men, and so to be unsafe 
 teachers. When some teachers of ruinous 
 heresy are men of scrupulous conduct and 
 pleasing general character, and even very de- 
 vout, this may usually be ascribed to their 
 religious education and early habits, or to the 
 religious atmosphere they breathe, or to a real 
 piety which their theories cannot destroy in 
 them, however hurtful to othere. 
 
 21. The test of false prophets, their fruits 
 (T. u, 20), naturally leads to the kindred thought 
 that the followers of the true prophet, the 
 Saviour himself, will be known not by their 
 professions of devotion to him, but by their 
 fruits, their doing the will of his Father. 
 That this is true in general is strikingly 
 shown by declaring (. f.) that even many 
 
 who have prophesied and wrought miracles 
 by his name, will be finally rejected as hav- 
 ing never really been his people. Much 
 more, then, is that possible and likely in the 
 case of such as have given less evidence of 
 really being his followers. This passage 
 (v. 21-23) is thus ieen to be naturally suggested 
 by the preceding warning against false pro- 
 phets, but to be widened into a solemn admo- 
 nition to all, as to the danger of self-deception ; 
 and this again will naturally lead to the con- 
 clusion in v. 24-27. Not every one, but only 
 some of them, only those of them who do the 
 will of God. (Comp. Luke 9: 59, 61.) Lord, 
 Lord, the repetition expressing earnestness 
 in addressing him, which might, of course, 
 be either real or assumed. Similarly in v. 22; 
 25: 11, and compare "Master, Master" in 
 Luke 8: 24. For the exact meaning of 'Lord' 
 see on 8: 19. It conveys the idea of rightful 
 master, ruler, sovereign. If we call Jesus 
 'Lord,' and do not what he says (Luke 6:46), or, 
 what is the same thing, do not the will of 
 God, it is a flagrant inconsistency to pretend 
 that he is our Master, and yet not obey him. 
 Enter into the kingdom of heaven, see 
 on 5: 20. The kingdom of heaven is here un- 
 derstood with reference to its consummation, 
 its eternal, glorious rewards. (See on 3: 2.) 
 He that doeth the will of my Father. 
 This is the first time in the Galilean ministry 
 that Jesus speaks of God as his Father. It is 
 previously found only in Luke 2 : 49; John 
 2: 16. Comp. as to 'life,' in v. 14. ' Will' is 
 here especially what God requires; and to 
 'do' the will of God is to obey his commands. 
 So also in 12 : 50 and 21 : 31. In 6 : 10, the idea 
 is quite different, viz., literally, 'Let thy will 
 
 (desire, wish) come to pass.' 
 Rev. Ver., Paul declares 
 
 In 1 Cor. 12: 3, 
 that "no man 
 
 speaking in the Spirit of God saith, Jesus is 
 
 anathema; and no man can 
 Lord, but in the Holy Spirit." 
 
 say, Jesus is 
 He evidently 
 
 supposes the utterance to be a sincere one,
 
 168 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VII. 
 
 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have 
 we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have 
 cast out devils ? and in thy name done many wonderful 
 works ? 
 
 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew 
 you : depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 
 
 22 the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will 
 say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not pro- 
 phesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out de- 
 mons, and by thy name do mauy l mighty works? 
 
 23 And then wiil I profess unto them, 1 never knew 
 
 1 Or. powers. 
 
 while the Saviour is here speaking of persons 
 with whom it is all talk and outside. Distinct 
 from both these cases is the future universal 
 confession of Phil. 2: 11. 
 
 22, 23. For the connection see on v. 21, 
 at the beginning. In that day, the well- 
 known day, often spoken of, and familiar to 
 the minds of all. It is a phrase frequently 
 employed by the O. T. prophets to designate 
 the time of Messiah in general ; as used in the 
 N. T., it looks especially to the consummation 
 of Messiah's kingdom (comp. on 6: 10), and 
 thus denotes the day of judgment (see Luke 
 10: 12; 2 Thess. 1: 10; 2 Tim. 1: 12, 18; 4: 
 8; Bev. 16: 14). Our Lord here begins to 
 educate his hearers to that conception, as in 
 like manner he thus early intimates that he is 
 to be the Judge, an idea brought out more 
 fully in John 6: 22, 27; Matt. 25: 31 ff. 
 Throughout the discourse it is evidently as- 
 sumed that he is the Messiah, though not ex- 
 pressly so declared, and it is therefore not 
 strange that he should assume to be the final 
 judge. Similar is the Lord, Lord, as ad- 
 dressed to him; for this cannot be here the 
 mere polite form of address (8: ; Aotsie: so), 
 since (Achelis) no one could imagine that he 
 would be saved for merely speaking politely 
 to Jesus. Here is a touch of the ' authority ' 
 which so impressed his hearers. ( 2*-) Have 
 we not prophesied. The Hebrew word 
 which we render 'prophet' signifies one who 
 speaks under a divine influence, speaks as he 
 is moved to speak by a divine power, and so 
 is the ambassador of God to men, the revealer 
 and interpreter of his will. To foretell thing" 
 future was thus only a part of the prophet's 
 office; he was the inspired and authoritative 
 religious instructor of the people, whether as 
 to things past, present, or future. The Greek 
 word prophets, which we borrow, is now ex- 
 plained as meaning not one who foretells, but 
 (Liddell & Scott) one who /or-tells, who 
 
 speaks for God, or (Grimm, Cremer) one who 
 speaks openly, an interpreter (of the Deity) ; 
 it thus corresponds closely to the Hebrew 
 word. To prophesy in the New Test., is 
 always to speak by divine inspiration, though 
 not always concerning the future. It is a 
 mistake to say that it sometimes signifies 
 merely to teach. Even in 1 Cor. 14 : 1 ff., the 
 apostle is not contrasting the gift of tongues 
 with ordinary teaching, but with inspired 
 teaching in the common language. In the 
 present passage it is evident that to prophesy 
 is regarded as a remarkable thing. In or by 
 thy name, is the simple instrumental 
 (wrongly called dative) case of the noun 
 without a preposition. 1 'Thy' is emphatic in 
 the original. It was by means of his name 
 that they performed these wonders, and this 
 is repeated three times; surely then he would 
 not reject them. Comp. Acts 3: 16; 19: 13; 
 which last shows that the name of Jesus was 
 sometimes actually called out. For the 
 Scripture use of the word 'name' see on 
 28: 19; as to casting out demons, see on 
 8 : 28. Wonderful works. Mighty works 
 is better. Tyn. has 'miracles,' followed by 
 Great Bible, Gen., Bheims. It would be bet- 
 ter to render this word (powers) uniformly 
 by 'miracles,' as Com. Ver., nearly always 
 does in the Acts and Epistles. Comp. on 12: 
 38. Profess, see on 10: 32. They were pro- 
 fessing to have been his followers, and he will, 
 on the contrary, profess openly and plainly 
 declare that such they never really were. 
 The Bev. Ver. here rightly retains ' profess ' 
 (instead of 'confess'), as also in Titus 1: 16; 
 might it not better have done likewise in Heb. 
 4: 14; 10: 23? (Compare below,on 14:7). I 
 never knew you. The word rendered 
 ' never' is very strong, not even at any time, 
 nearly equivalent to our "never, never." 
 'Knew,' i. e., as mine, as my people. So in 
 25: 12, where the bridegroom says to the fool- 
 
 1 This construction is not elsewhere found with this 
 word in the New Test. (Mark 9 : 38 has a preposition in 
 the correct text), and appears to have been borrowed 
 from Jer. 27 : 15. The Gothic takes pains to express it 
 
 here like the Greek, without a preposition, which it 
 regularly employs where the Greek does. The Latin 
 has inserted 'in.'
 
 CH VII] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 169 
 
 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of 
 mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise 
 IIKUI, which built his house upon a rock : 
 
 24 you : depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Every 
 one therefore who heareth these words ot mine, and 
 doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who 
 
 ish virgins, 'I know you not' ; John 10: 13, 
 Rev. Ver., ' I know mine own, and mine own 
 know me' ; Gal. 4: 9, Kev. Ver., 'To know 
 God, or rather to be known of God' ; 1 Cor. 
 8: 3, Rev. Ver., ' If any man loveth God, the 
 same is known of him'; Amos 3: 2, 'You 
 only did I know, out of all the families of the 
 earth.' Here, as constantly in Scripture, God 
 is spoken of in language derived from men. 
 A man knows some persons, and does not 
 know others; and only the former can enjoy 
 any privileges which may pertain to his ac- 
 quaintance. Suppose a prince to have for- 
 merly sojourned in a distant province, and now 
 to ascend the throne. Various persons come 
 from that province, claiming to have been his 
 acquaintances, and hoping to enjoy the ad- 
 vantages of a residence at court. But among 
 them are some whom he repulses, saying, "I 
 never knew you." They may insist upon 
 various things as showing that they were his 
 acquaintances, and rendered him important 
 service; but he replies, "I never at any time 
 knew you go away from me." Such is the 
 kind of image here involved in the Saviour's 
 language. (Comp. 25: 31, 41; 2 Tim. 2: 19.) 
 And not in all the passages above quoted, nor 
 elsewhere, is there occasion for the oft-re- 
 peated arbitrary notion derived from the Fa- 
 thers, that ' know ' conveys the additional 
 idea of approve or regard. The Bible is sim- 
 ply speaking of God after the mannerof men, 
 and using the term to denote acquaintance, 
 together with all its pleasures and advantages. 
 Depart from me, comp. 25: 41; Luke 13: 
 24. Ye that work iniquity, is quoted from 
 Psa. 6 : 8. The Greek word signifies trans- 
 gression of law, or lawlessness, and the same 
 phrase occurs in 1 John 3 : 4. Whatever the 
 talk of these men, their doings were wicked ; 
 they did not do the will of God (<-. 21), did not 
 bring forth good fruits (v. is), did not work 
 the righteousness he required. (5 : 20 ; 6: as.) And 
 Jesus not only does not know them now, he 
 never did know them, not even when working 
 miracles by his name. Some translate, 'Be- 
 cause I never knew you, depart from me,' etc. 
 The Greek will bear this rendering, but less 
 naturally, nor does it suit so well the connec- 
 tion and the general tone of the passage. 
 
 It need not surprise us to find that men 
 whom Jesus 'never knew' yet claimed to be 
 workers of miracles. In some cases, no doubt, 
 the claim was without foundation. But 
 Balaam was, for a season, truly inspired as a 
 prophet, though he was very wicked, and 
 died in his iniquity. Judas doubtless wrought 
 miracles, as well as his associates, when they 
 were sent out to preach and heal. (io:4-s.) 
 Comp. also the supposed case in 1 Cor. 13 : 2. 
 It is hardly probable that the person spoken 
 of in Luke 9: 49 (Mrk9:38f.) was really a Chris- 
 tian, though he was helping the Saviour's 
 cause. Yet below, in 17: 19, the failure of 
 the disciples to work a miracle is ascribed to 
 their 'little faith'; and the sons of Sceva 
 (AOM i9:u) failed, not from lack of power in 
 the name they spoke, but because they them- 
 selves were unsuitable persons. We perceive 
 therefore that wicked men were sometimes al- 
 lowed to work miracles (comp. also the Egyp- 
 tian magicians, Ex. 7 : 12, 22), but that some 
 required great faith, and even special prepara- 
 tion by prayer. (Mark9:29.) These facts do not 
 take away the evidentiary power of miracles. 
 (John 3: 2.) The miracles, the character of those 
 who wrought them, and the nature of their 
 teachings, all three concurring, confirmed 
 each other. But if men could speak by inspi- 
 ration and work miracles without being truly 
 pious, how great the danger that one may be 
 a fervent and successful preacher, and yet not 
 a Christian. Many take success as a divine 
 attestation to them and their work ; but it is 
 not a certain proof (comp 1 Cor. 9: 27' ; nor 
 does an apparent want of success certainly 
 prove the opposite. We cannot question that 
 the preaching of Judas had some good results, 
 as we sometimes see happening now, with men 
 who afterwards show that they never were 
 really Christians. Observe that the persons 
 described in this passage carry self-delusion 
 into the other world, even to the Day of 
 Judgment. So in 25: 44. 
 
 24. We have now (v. 2-27), in the shape of 
 an inference from what has been said, a gen- 
 eral conclusion to the whole discourse. Since 
 professions will be of no avail, unless one does 
 the will of God (T. 21-2.1), therefore whoever 
 hears these words and does them, will bo a
 
 170 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VII. 
 
 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and 
 the winds blew, uud beat upon that house: and it fell 
 not : for it was founded upon a rock. 
 
 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, 
 and doetb them not, shall be likened unto a foolish 
 man, which built his house upon the sand : 
 
 -7 And the raiu descended, and the floods came, and 
 
 25 built his house upon the rock : and the rain de- 
 , e scended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, 
 
 and beat upon that house ; and it fell not : for it was 
 
 26 founded upon the rock. And every one that heareth 
 these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be 
 likened unto a foolish man who built his house upoil 
 
 27 the sand : and the raiu descended, and the floods 
 
 prudent man, and whoever neglects the doing 
 will be a fool. Jesus knows that many will 
 treat him as Ezekiel was treated. (Eek. 33:3ir.) 
 These sayings of mine refers immediately 
 to the Sermon on the Mount, but of course 
 the same holds true of his other say ings (corn p. 
 Luke 6: 47.) And doeth them, comp. 'doeth 
 the will" in v. 21, 'work iniquity' in v. 23, 
 and 'fruits' in v. 16. James refers to this 
 passage in his Epistle. (1:22-25.) The Mishna, 
 Aboth : "To learn is not the main thing, but 
 to practice." I will liken, etc., or, he shall 
 be Likened. It is hard to decide between this 
 reading of the Greek, and that of the Com. 
 Ver. There is of course no substantial differ- 
 ence. 1 It does not mean, as some explain, 
 that he will be made like at the Day of Judg- 
 ment (comp. the futures inv. 22 f. ), but either 
 'will be like' in character (as in 6: 8), or, will 
 be compared in the teaching of Jesus, and in 
 the estimation of those who learn his teaching; 
 comp. Luke 6: 47, 'I will show you to whom 
 he is like' ; comp. also Matt. 11 : 16; Mark 4: 
 30; Luke 13: 18; Lam. 2: 13. Wise is more 
 exactly 'sensible,' 'prudent,' as in 10: 16; 25: 
 2; Luke 16: 18. Upon a rock. Rather, the 
 rock, as in v. 26, 'upon the sand.' In a lime- 
 stone country like Galilee, it is only necessary 
 to dig some distance, and you are apt to find 
 a stratum of solid rock. It is very common 
 in that region now to dig down to the rock, 
 and lay the foundation of a house on it. Comp. 
 the expressions in Luke's sketch of the dis- 
 course, 'dug, and went deep, and laid a foun- 
 dation upon the rock' (Lnke6:48); comp. also 
 Eph. 3: 18, literally, 'rooted and foundationed 
 in love.' It is idle to say that ' the rock' here 
 means Christ, because he is elsewhere often 
 called a rock. Must the image of a rock always 
 mean the same thing? The thought hore ob- 
 viously is that a man rests his salvation on a 
 good foundation by actual obedience, and not 
 
 mere profession; by not simply hearing the 
 Saviour's teaching, but acting it out in char- 
 acter and life. Observe that this passage is 
 really a parable. Comp. on 13: 10. 
 
 23. Throughout verses 24-27 the symmet- 
 rical structure of sentence, and the exact cor- 
 respondence between the two comparisons, 
 give a solemn dignity and im press! veness to 
 this striking conclusion. Many writers dis- 
 tinguish the rain as affecting the roof, the 
 floods the bottom, and the winds the sides of 
 the house; but it cannot be that these are 
 meant as distinct assaults upon it, for the 
 power of the roof to resist rain would not de- 
 pend on the solidity of the foundation. We 
 must understand this as simply a detailed 
 description of the overthrow. The rain de- 
 scended, and (in consequence thereof) the 
 rivers came (mountain torrents, rushing down 
 the ravines, and swelling up to the site of the 
 house), and these washed around the build- 
 ing, and would have washed the earth from 
 under its foundations, had they rested mainly 
 on the loose surface of the ground, and then 
 the winds would have blown it down; but 
 this house did not fall, for its foundation was 
 laid upon the rock. Beat upon is, literally, 
 'fell upon' or 'fell against,' as when a man 
 hurls himself headlong against something.* 
 There may be (McClellan) a play upon the 
 words, 'fell upon that house, and it fell not." 
 Founded, was derived by Com. Ver. from 
 the Romish versions, and is better than the 
 'grounded' of Tyndale and his successors. 
 The exact meaning would be expressed by 
 'foundationed,' if we had such a word. Some 
 elements of the illustration our Lord here 
 employs, may be found in Prov. 12: 7; Isa. 
 28 : 16 f. ; Ezek. 13 : 10-16. 
 
 26, 27. Here the phraseology exactly cor- 
 responds to v. 24, 25. except beat upon, here 
 is literally, smote upon, which is a mere va- 
 
 1 For ' shall be likened,' B. X Z, a dozen or more cur- 
 sives, the Vulgate, Sahidic, Armenian, some Fathers. 
 The old Latin copies and the two Egyptian versions are 
 divided. All the Syriac versions agree with C. L. and 
 the other uncials, most cursives, and some Fathers, in 
 supporting 'I will liken him.' It is much more prob- 
 
 able that this was changed into the other to suit v. 26, 
 than contrariwise to suit 11: 16 and Luke 6: 47. Thus 
 internal evidence is here again opposed to the authority 
 of B. X, and others. 
 2 Comp. the same Greek word in Mark 3: 11.
 
 CH. VII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 171 
 
 the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: 
 and great was the fall of it. 
 
 28 Aud it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these 
 sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine : 
 
 riation of the expression, without substantial 
 difference. The sand refers to the loose 
 surface of the ground, or perhaps to the sand 
 accumulated in some part of a mountain 
 ravine, which looks smooth and firm, but is 
 liable to be swept away by the next flood. 
 Great. The foundation being swept away, 
 the whole house would fall in one mighty 
 crash and complete wreck. 
 
 This beautiful illustration makes its own im- 
 pression : he who hears the words of Christ, 
 and does them, is safe against all the evil in- 
 fluences of the world, safe forever ; he who 
 simply hears, and does not do, is doomed to 
 fail of salvation, and be crushed in utter de- 
 struction. To find some special spiritual 
 meaning in every particular, as "the rain of 
 temptation," "the floods of persecution," 
 "the wind of divers and strange doctrines," 
 is pure fancy-work. The Mishna, Aboth, has 
 a somewhat similar illustration : " A man 
 who has good works, and learns the law much, 
 to what is he like? To a man that builds with 
 stones below, and afterwards with bricks ; and 
 though many waters come and stand at their 
 side, they cannot remove them out of their 
 place. But a man who has no good works, 
 and learns the law, to what is he like? To a 
 man that builds with bricks first, and after- 
 wards with stones ; and though few waters 
 come, they immediately overturn them." 
 Again: "A man richer in learning than in 
 good works is like a tree with many branches 
 and few roots the first wind overthrows it ; 
 but a man whose actions are greater than his 
 learning is like a tree with few branches and 
 many roots all the winds of the world may 
 storm against it, but cannot move it from its 
 place." There is mournful danger in every 
 age, that men will hear Christ's servants 
 preach, and will themselves read in his writ- 
 ten word, and stop at that, without doing ac- 
 cording to what they read or hear. As the 
 
 Lord's Prayer is often used in the way of that 
 " vain repetition " to which it was given as a 
 contrast and corrective, so this closing illus- 
 tration is often greatly admired by persons 
 who hear and do not. It is a most momentous 
 question for every one of us, Am I doing the 
 sayings of the Lord? Colton ("Lacon"): 
 " Men will wrangle for religion ; write for it; 
 fight for it; die for it; anything but live 
 for it." 
 
 28 f. Concluding remarks of the Evan- 
 gelist as to the effect of this great discourse. 
 These sayings, viz., the whole discourse, as 
 in v. 24-26. The people, more exactly, the 
 crowds, the same term as in 5 : 1, and natur- 
 ally leadingthe mind back to the state of things 
 described before the opening of the discourse. 
 Com. Ver. obscures this link of connection in 
 the narrative, as it so often does, by unneces- 
 sary variation of the rendering where the 
 original has the same word (comp. everlasting 
 and eternal for the same Greek word in 25: 46). 
 Were astonished. We may suppose that at 
 the close of the discourse expressions of as- 
 tonishment broke forth among the hitherto 
 silent crowds. Stier : "But, alas! the mere^ 
 'were astonished' in which the whole termi- 
 nated with regard to most, transmits to us a 
 melancholy example of that hearing and not 
 doing, with warning against which the ser- 
 mon closed." In Mark 1:22; Luke 4: 32; 
 and in Matt. 22: 33 (i:t:54) we have the same 
 expression used with reference to the effect of 
 our Lord's teaching on other occasions. At 
 his doctrine or, teaching. The English 
 word ' doctrine ' ought to be still a correct 
 rendering here, but in present use it suggests 
 exclusively the thing taught, and not also the 
 actor manner of teaching. 1 It is evident that 
 both ideas are here present, as shown by the 
 reason for astonishment given in the next 
 verse. Rengel : "You would wonder why, in 
 this discourse, Jesus has not spoken more 
 
 'Humphrey says the Rev. Ver. has endeavored to 
 render didache uniformly by 'teaching' and didat- 
 kalia by ' doctrine.' This is generally a proper distinc- 
 tion, but the Rev. Ver. has not been able to carry it 
 through, for in Rom. 16 : 17 and 1 Tim. 4: 13 the render- 
 ings are interchanged ; and in fact the distinction is not 
 
 absolute either between the two Creek or the two Eng- 
 lish words. In this passage 'teaching' is much better, 
 because it includes both the manner and the matter, 
 both the substance and the tone, and doubtless both 
 contributed to the astonishment.
 
 172 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VII. 
 
 29 For he taught them as one having authority, and 29 ing : for he taught them as one having authority, and 
 not as the scribes. uot as their scribes. 
 
 clearly concerning his own person. But (1) he 
 has so excellently set forth the teaching itself, 
 that they would thence form an estimate of 
 the excellence of the teacher. (2) His person 
 was now sufficiently manifest. (3) In the dis- 
 course itself, he sufficiently intimates who he 
 is, viz., ' the coming one,' the Son of God, 
 the Judge of all." (5:11,17,22; 7:2iff.) Taught. 
 The imperfect tense of the Greek does 
 not here denote habitual teaching, but sim- 
 ply describes him as engaged in teaching. 
 Authority is the proper meaning of the wor.i. 
 In some cases authority carries with it the noc- 
 essary power; but the term does not directly 
 mean power. The same word will meet us 
 in 8: 9; 9: 6, 8; 10: 1; 21: 23, 24, 27; 28: 18. 
 In all these Kev. Ver. properly translates by 
 4 authority,' except 9 : 6, 8, and there places it 
 in the margin. The Scribes. Their Scribes 
 is the correct reading; and the expression re- 
 sembles 'Scribes of the people' in 2: 4. The 
 Scribes (see on 2: 4) made it their business 
 simply to state, to explain, and to apply the 
 teachings of the Old Testament, together with 
 the decisions of Jewish tribunals, and the 
 sayings of famous teachers in past genera- 
 tions, as handed down by tradition. Seeing 
 that for several centuries no prophet had ap- 
 peared, it was very proper that they should 
 confine their religious ideas to the authority of 
 the Old Test. ; but, in addition to this, they 
 tied themselves to past teachers, and instead of 
 forming their own opinions as to the mean- 
 ing of Scripture, were always quoting some 
 Rabbi of former generations. All this ap- 
 pears plainly from the Talmud; e. g., "R. 
 Eliezer boasted that he had never said any- 
 thing which he had not heard from his 
 teacher." Thus the Scribes could not speak 
 as instinct with the conviction of ascertained 
 truth, could not speak with the dignity and 
 strength of assured personal knowledge. Our 
 Saviour spoke as no other teacher would have 
 a right to do, as himself possessing ' authority ' 
 to declare, on his own responsibility, what was 
 true and right. Even the prophets usuallj' 
 prefixed to their utterance?. "Thus saith the 
 Lord"; while the words of Jesus are, "Verily 
 I say to you." (See on 5: 18, 22.) And he 
 quietly asserts the tremendous fact that men's 
 future destiny will depend on their relation 
 
 to him (v. 23), on their doing his words, (**) 
 His mode of teaching being thus in contrast 
 with that proper for uninspired men, and even 
 with that of the prophets, the contrast must 
 have been all the more striking when it was 
 compared with such teaching as the multi- 
 tudes were accustomed to hear from 'their 
 scribes.' Many persons are found now who 
 teach precisely as these scribes did, not merely 
 going back to Scripture as the final authority 
 for all religious truth which is what they 
 ought to do but going back to " the Fathers," 
 or to some great teacher or convocation of the 
 last three or four centuries, as authority for 
 the correct interpretation and just application 
 of Scripture. It is the part of wisdom, as well 
 as of modesty, to give no small weight to the 
 opinions of men whose abilities, learning, and 
 piety have made them illustrious; but if a 
 man is not accustomed to come for himself to 
 the Bible, and form his own judgment of its 
 meaning, his teachings, whatever else they 
 may possess, will have little of living power to 
 sway men's souls. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 13 f. The broad road : 1) Men are in it 
 without finding or entering; 2) They pursue 
 it without difficulty or effort; 3) They have 
 plenty of company ; 4) But it leads them to 
 perdition. LUTHER : " What makes the way 
 so narrow 1 Nothing but the world, the flesh, 
 and the devil." SCHAFF : "Contrasts: The 
 narrow and wide gates ; the straitened and 
 broad ways; the good and corrupt trees, with 
 their fruit; saying and doing; active in 
 Christ's name, yet working iniquity ; the rock 
 and the sand ; standing the storm, and falling 
 in the storm; teaching with authority, and 
 teaching as their scribes." CHRYS. : "Forthe 
 way is strait, and the gate narrow, but not the 
 city. Therefore must one neither look for rest 
 here, nor there expect any more aught that is 
 painful." STIER : "The narrow way to life 
 is broad enough for men who carefully, stead- 
 ily walk in it. That is the consolation, which 
 even this rigorous saying contains. What 
 more is wanting than a way wherein I may 
 have room, and a gate that will let me 
 through?" DYKES: "Amid the endless vari- 
 eties to be found in life'" broad road, there
 
 CH. VII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 173 
 
 is but this single mark by which to recognize 
 all travelers : they take the path which seems 
 right in their own eyes." (Comp. Prov. 14: 
 12.) HENRY: "No man, in his wits, would 
 choose to go to the gullows, because the way 
 to it is smooth and pleasant, nor refuse the 
 offer of a palace and a throne, because the way 
 to it is rough and dirty ; yet such absurdities as 
 these are men guilty of in the concerns of their 
 souls." CALVIN: "Whence comes it that 
 men knowingly and willingly rush headlong 
 to ruin with a feeling of security, unless it is 
 from thinking they sire not perishing so long as 
 they are perishing in a grent crowd?" STIEB: 
 "The foolish world, indeed, loves the wide and 
 the broad, and the numbers delights in the 
 majorities." THOMAS: "Man will follow the 
 multitudes as the tides follow the moon. The 
 social force of numbers has ever been against 
 holiness in the world." DYKES: "The mass 
 of one's neighbors is large enough to generate 
 a public opinion against which it is hard to 
 contend. Among the crowds who affect no 
 Christian isolation or peculiarity, there are so 
 many whom, on other grounds, one must love 
 and venerate, that it is hard always to feel sure 
 that one is right, and they all wrong .... To 
 sensitive natures' with a broad humanity, there 
 is even a fixed pain in being profoundly out of 
 harmony with the bulk of their fellow-men. 
 . . . The isolation of the true Christian is, 
 in our age, more an inward than nn outward 
 isolation." Some may like to illustrate the 
 two ways by the well-known story of the 
 Choice of Hercules. 
 
 V. 15-20. Two methods of testing a re- 
 ligious teacher. 1) By the effect of his teach- 
 ings upon his own character and life; 2) By 
 the effect of his teachings upon those who 
 receive them. ST. BERNARD (Lange) : 
 "False teachers are sheep in clothing, foxes 
 in cunning, wolves in cruelty." CHRYS.: 
 "Let us not be troubled when we see many 
 heretics and hypocrites even now. Nay, for 
 this too Christ foretold from the beginning." 
 DYKES: "When the path he leads in is dis- 
 covered to be so strait and steep, it presently 
 begins to be said, or imagined, that life may 
 be had on easier terms. The original gospel 
 of the King undergoes some modification. 
 Teachers who profess to teach still in the name 
 of Jesus point men to a path which looks de- 
 ceptively like the narrow way, and appears 
 
 to conduct to a similar issue; only it is not so 
 narrow and it does not really lead to life." 
 DRASEKE (Lange): "The desire to appear 
 good: 1) Its nature; 2) Its origin; 3) Its 
 moral character; 4) Its unavoidable dangers.'' 
 V. 21-23. Lost notwithstanding: 1) Loud 
 professions; 2) Great advantages; 3) Striking 
 performances; 4) Persistent self-delusions. 
 One may have (1) much outward knowledge 
 of Jesus, (2) much outward activity, appar- 
 ently, in his service, (3) yet have no interior 
 relation to him at all, and (4) be at last igno- 
 miniously disavowed. CHRYS: " Better surely 
 to endure a thousand thunderbolts, than to 
 see that face of mildness turning away from 
 us, and that eye of peace not enduring to 
 look upon us." 
 
 V. 22 f. BIB. COMM: "The spirit of the 
 warning extends far beyond the extraordi- 
 nary cases actually mentioned, and applies to 
 all those in all ages who, whether teachers or 
 hearers, nominally profess Christian doctrine 
 without holiness of life." V. 21-27. THOMAS : 
 "Four kinds of religion: (1) The religion of 
 profession, v. 21. (2) The religion of merit, 
 v. 22. (3) The religion of hearing, v. 26. i4) 
 The religion of doing, v. 24." 
 
 V. 24-27. A religious teacher is apt to have 
 two great causes of grief: that so many will 
 not hear him at all, and that so many who 
 hear, and perhaps admire, will not do. (Comp. 
 Ezek. 33 : 31 f.) PARKER : " (1) All men are 
 building. (2) All builders have a choice of 
 foundations. (3) All foundations will be 
 tried. (4) Only one foundation will stand." 
 DYKES: "The whole drift and movement of 
 this long discourse has carried us forward 
 with it to one most weighty practical conclu- 
 sion that, after all, he only is a Christian 
 who does what Christ bids him." V. 27. 
 Hark to the mighty crash in every age and 
 every land, of religious constructions that full 
 for lack of foundation I Reflections: "This is 
 the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, 
 and we are left with an impression of fear; it 
 began with blessings, but its end is stern and 
 severe." 
 
 V. 28 f. The moral teachings of JPSUS, 
 1) Commend themselves to us as containing 
 the highest human wisdom surpassing 
 ancient sages and modern philosophers; 2) 
 Come to us with superhuman authority that 
 of him who is the Son of God (-2i) t ad will
 
 174 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. VIII. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 WHEN he was come down from the mountain, great 
 multitudes followed him. 
 
 '2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped 
 him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me 
 clean. 
 
 1 And when he was come down from the mountain, 
 
 2 great multitudes followed him. And behold, there 
 came to him a leper and worshipped him, saying, 
 
 be our judge (v.); 3) Are embodied in an 
 actual character the peerless character of the 
 Teacher himself; 4) Bring with them the 
 offer of help in living up to them that of the 
 Holy Spirit,. (Lukeii: i.j Distinguishing fea- 
 tures of Christ's ministry. (1) Those which 
 cannot be imitated his originality, miracle- 
 working, authority. (2) Those which must 
 not be imitated his positiveness, self-assur- 
 ance, self-representation. (3) Those which 
 should be imitated his naturalness, variety, 
 suggestiveness, catholicity, spirituality, ten- 
 derness, faithfulness, devoutness. 
 
 In our devotional study of this great dis- 
 course, we should not be thinking too much 
 of its special adaptation to the Jews, but 
 should read it as addressed to ourselves. 
 Imagine that you stand amid the crowd and 
 listen, and ever and anon his mild eye falls 
 upon you. Hear him telling you who are the 
 happy under his reign, and bow great, if you 
 are one of his, is your responsibility as the 
 salt of the earth and the light of the world. 
 Hear him explaining how spiritual and rigor- 
 ous is that morality which he requires of you, 
 in all your relations and duties; enjoining 
 that your deeds of righteousness shall not be 
 performed ostentatiously, but with supreme 
 regard to God, and that, serving God and 
 trusting his care, you need not be anxious 
 about the things of this life. Listen closely, 
 and humbly, while he rebukes rensoriousness, 
 while he encourages to prayer, while he urges 
 the danger lest you fail to be saved, and look- 
 ing you solemnly in the face declares that you 
 must not merely hear these words of his, hut 
 do them. And then turn thoughtfully away, 
 with the "Golden Rule" hid in your heart, 
 and the gracious assurance ever sounding in 
 your ear, "Ask, and it shall be given you." 
 
 Ch. 8: 1-17. A GROUP OF MIRACLES. 
 
 In chap. 8: 1 to 9: 34, we find a group of 
 remarkable miracles. Having completed his 
 sketch of the Sermon on the Mount, the 
 Evangelist returns to the state of things de- 
 scribed before its introduction. (4:23-25.) Our 
 
 Lord was making a circuit of Galilee, followed 
 by "great multitudes" (*:); on some occa- 
 sion during the journey, moved by the pres- 
 ence of such crowds (6; i), he went up into the 
 mountain, and addressed to the disciples and 
 them a long discourse (chap. 5 to 7), designed 
 to set forth the nature of the Messianic reign, 
 and correct many Jewish errors concerning it. 
 When he had finished this and descended, 
 "great multitudes" still followed him. And 
 now having given this great specimen of our 
 Lord's teaching, the Evangelist proceeds ( i, 
 to : 4) to group some striking examples of his 
 miracles, which show that if he taught as one 
 having authority (7:29), he acted in like man- 
 ner; and which threw light on the nature of 
 his work as Messiah. In connection with 
 these miracles, Matthew also gives an ac- 
 count (s : 9-n) of his own call to follow Jesus. 
 When we compare the Gospels of Mark and 
 Luke, we find several of these miracles, and 
 the attendant sayings, introduced there in 
 such connections as to show that they did not 
 occur in the precise order in which they are 
 here mentioned. Some of them appear to 
 have taken place before the delivery of the 
 Sermon on the Mount, though during this 
 journey about Galilee (see on 5: 1), and 
 others at various subsequent times in the 
 course of our Lord's labors in Galilee. They 
 are grouped by Matthew without any partic- 
 ular regard to the chronological order, but in 
 such a way as to promote the special design of 
 his historical argument. Following upon these 
 examples of our Lord's teaching (chap. 5-7), and 
 his miracles (chap. 8, 9), we shall find (chap. 10), an 
 account of his sending forth the Twelve, that 
 they likewise may teach and work miracles. 
 (See on 9: 35). 
 
 The three first miracles here grouped in- 
 volve the healing of very grievous diseases 
 leprosy, paralysis, severe fever. 
 
 1. 2-4. HEALING or A LEPER ; also given, 
 with some additional particulars, in Mark 1 : 
 40-45; Luke 5: 12-16. 
 
 2. And, behold. This expression by no 
 means necessitates the supposition that the in-
 
 CH. VIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 175 
 
 3 And Jesus. put forth his hand, and touched him, j 3 Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. A 
 saying, I will ; be thou clean. And immediately his he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, st 
 leprosy was cleansed. ing, I will; be thou made clean. Aiid straightw 
 
 And 
 
 , say- 
 ightway 
 
 cident occurred just after the close of the 
 Sermon on the Mount. From the connection 
 in Mark and Luke, it seems very likely, 
 though not certain, that it preceded the deliv- 
 ery of that discourse. As to the locality, 
 Luke tells us that it was 'in one of the cities,' 
 i. e,, of Galilee. There came to him. The 
 words 'to him' represent a slight correction 
 of the common Greek text. A leper. The 
 horrible disease of leprosy appears to have 
 been particularly common among the Egyp- 
 tians and the Israelites. The climate of Egypt 
 was suited to aggravate the disease, and it may 
 be that the Israelites there acquired a consti- 
 tutional tendency to it, as supposed by Strabo 
 and Tacitus. Various questions concerning 
 leprosy still remain quite unsettled. The 
 Greek word (lepra), from which our word is 
 borrowed, was derived from lepis, 'a scale,' 
 thus signifying the scaly disease. Among the 
 many kinds of leprosy which seem to have 
 existed in ancient and in modern times, that 
 of the Bible appears to have been not the ele- 
 phantiasis, or knotty leprosy, now often seen 
 in Palestine, but the "white leprosy." It 
 began with a small spot, scab, or swelling, 
 lying lower than the surface of the skin, and 
 the hair within it turning white. This would 
 spread, and raw flesh would appear. In bad 
 cases, large portions, and sometimes the whole 
 of the body would assume a chalky white- 
 ness; the nails, and sometimes the hair, fell 
 off, and in some varieties the senses became 
 blunted, and highly offensive pus gathered on 
 the hair and flowed from the nose. But it is 
 not certain that all these symptoms pertained 
 to the Bible leprosy. It does seem nearly cer- 
 tain that, while hereditary, often for several 
 generations, it was not a contagious disease, at 
 least not in ordinary cases. The law of Moses 
 treated it (Le.,oh. isnd u) as an pxtremo form 
 of ceremonial defilement. When the disease 
 spread ever the whole person, the sufferer was 
 pronounced clean (Lev. is : 12-17), and could 
 freely associate with others ; which appears to 
 be conclusive proof that it was not contagious. 
 The regulations requiring a leper to keep away 
 fri>m others, to cry "Unclean, unclean," etc., 
 simply meant that one who touched a leper 
 would become ceremonially unclean, as if he 
 
 had touched a dead body, or a person having 
 a running issue. (Lev.is:s.) All these things 
 were to be regarded as symbolically teaching 
 the dreadful pollution of sin, and the need of 
 purification ; and no such symbol could be 
 more impressive than a disease so hideous. 
 The purifications when a leper had recovered 
 (Lev. H) were quite similar to those prescribed 
 for other kinds of grave ceremonial defile- 
 ment. Leprosy was incurable by any known 
 remedies, but would sometimes wear itself out 
 in the course of time, in the individual, or in 
 his descendants. 
 
 Worshipped. Comp. on 2 : 2. He cannot 
 have meant worship as of God, but a deeply 
 reverential salutation. Luke (o; 12) says he 
 "fell on his face and besought him." Mat- 
 thew's imperfect tense depicts him as engaged 
 in this reverential act. In like manner, Lord, 
 the word used in the Sept. for Jehovah, 
 which in the Epistles commonly means Jesus 
 and appears there to recognize his divinity, 
 was also used in Greek ^and still is) as a 
 common form of address, and is properly 
 translated "sir" in 13: 27; 21: 30; 27: 63, and 
 often. What precise amount of respect it is to 
 be understood as expressing in any case, must 
 be determined from the connection. (See on 
 v. 19.) If thou wilt, thou canst make me 
 clean. He called the healing a cleansing, 
 because the disease had the appearance of a 
 defilement, and made one ceremonially un- 
 clean. He did not say, "If thou canst," like 
 the despairing father (Mark 9: 22) ; his only ques- 
 tion was as to the Lord's willingness. (Comp. 
 below, 9: 28.) His language will express what 
 is often felt by persons asking spiritual bless- 
 ings; yet as to these we ought to have no 
 doubt, either of the Saviour's power or his 
 willingness. 
 
 3. Put or stretc.hf.d-~ forth his hand, 
 the circumstances minutely detailed, after the 
 characteristic Hebrew style (com p. on f>: 2'. 
 'Put forth,' Tyndale, etc., is too feeble; 
 Rheims already has 'stretched forth.' The 
 word 'Jesus' is wanting in several of the 
 earliest MSS. and versions, and obviously was 
 added in others to remove an apparent ob- 
 scurity. So also in v. 5, 7. And touched 
 him. This must have startled the be-
 
 176 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VIII. 
 
 4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man ; 
 but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and otter 
 the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto 
 them. 
 
 5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, 
 there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 
 
 4 his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto 
 him, See thou tell no man ; but go, shew thysell to 
 the priest, and otter the gift that Moses commanded, 
 for a testimony unto them. 
 
 5 And when he was entered into Capernaum, there 
 
 holders, for he seemed to be incurring cere- 
 monial defilement; yet Jesus by touching 
 did not receive defilement, but imparted 
 cleansing. I will, be thou clean. "A 
 ready echo to the leper's mature faith. His 
 own saying contained the words of the desired 
 response.'' (Bengel.) Every other worker of 
 miracles in the Old or the New Test, con- 
 stantly ascribes the power ,and the glory to an- 
 other; Jesus alone uses such expressions as 'I 
 will, be thou clean,' 'I charge thee, come out 
 of him,' 'I say unto thee, arise.' (,Comp. on 
 6: 22.) There has been much discussion upon 
 the question whether all who received bodily 
 healing from Jesus, also received spiritual 
 blessings. It seems plain that in many in- 
 stances such was not the case ; in others, the 
 circumstances naturally lead us to think that 
 the faith in his power to work miracles was 
 also attended by faith in his power to forgive 
 sins (comp. on 9: 2). "Whether that was true 
 of the leper here mentioned, we have no 
 means of deciding. 
 
 4. See thou tell no man. Why this pro- 
 hibition ? Partly, perhaps, (as some think), 
 in order that the man might hasten to Jeru- 
 salem, and let the priests declare him healed 
 before they should hear of the miracle, as 
 otherwise they might, through jealousy of 
 Jesus, pretend that the cure was not real and 
 complete. But similar prohibitions are found 
 in 9: 30; 12: 16; 16: 20; 17: 9, etc., and 
 there must have been some general reason. 
 There was danger that the people would be- 
 come greatly excited, upon hearing of his 
 miracles, with the idea that he was about to 
 set up a splendid earthly kingdom, according 
 to their erroneous notions of Messiah's work 
 (Johns: 14 r.), and would thus arouse the hos- 
 tility of the Jewish rulers and that of the Ko- 
 man authorities, and interfere with his free- 
 dom in teaching. We see from Mark 1 : 46 
 (Luke s: 15) that by failing to regard this pro- 
 hibition the cleansed leper actually caused a 
 serious interruption of our Lord's labors. The 
 exceptional case of Mark 6: 19; Luke 8: 39. 
 proves the rule. Jesus there specially bids a 
 man to publish what had been done for him ; 
 
 but there was in that region (southeast of the 
 lake) no danger of a great popular excitement 
 in favor of making him a king, but on the 
 contrary a very unfavorable sentiment tow- 
 ards him, which it was desirable to correct. 
 At a later period we find our Lord making a 
 series of distant journeys, for the same pur- 
 pose of preventing excitement among the 
 people, as well as for other reasons (see on 14: 
 13, and comp. on 4: 12). We also see from 
 12: 16-21, that his unostentatious and quiet 
 course of action was predicted. Shew thy- 
 self, with emphasis on 'thyself,' as seen from 
 its position in the Greek (comp. Mark 1 : 44] ; 
 no mere report could convince a priest the 
 man must show himself. For a testimony 
 unto them. This is connected not with 
 Moses commanded, but with what pre- 
 cedes. ' Them ' cannot refer to the priests, 
 for they must decide that the man was healed 
 before he could offer the gift. It must refer 
 to the people in general, as suggested by 'tell 
 no man,' and implied in the whole connec- 
 tion. Such uses of 'them,' denoting persons 
 or things only implied in the connection, are 
 common in N. T. Greek (Buttm., p. 106), and 
 indeed in the colloquial usage of all languages. 
 The sacrifice, made after the regular exami- 
 nation by the priest (LT. M), would be a testi- 
 mony to the people that the leper was thor- 
 oughly healed, and thus that the miracle was 
 real ; perhaps also a testimony (Chrys.) that 
 Jesus observed the law of Moses, which they 
 were already beginning to accuse him of dis- 
 regarding. (Comp. 'for a testimony' in 10: 
 18; 24: 14, Kev. Ver.) For general remarks 
 on the miracles, see on 4: 24. 
 
 II. 5-13. HEALING THE CENTURION'S 
 SERVANT ; described also in Luke 7 : 1-10. 
 The language of Luke 7 : 1 makes it plain 
 that this occurred shortly after the delivery of 
 the Sermon on the Mount. 
 
 And when Jesus, or, when he, omitting 
 the word 'Jesus,' as also in v. 3. Into Ca- 
 pernaum, now his place of residence. See 
 on 4 : 13. A centurion. This was the title 
 of one of the officers of a Koman legion, who 
 commanded a hundred men, but had a more
 
 CH. VIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 177 
 
 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of I 6 came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and 
 the palsy, grievously tormented. | saying, Lord, my l servant lieth in the house sick 
 
 1 Or, boy. 
 
 responsible and dignified position than our j 
 captain. It cannot be determined whether ; 
 this centurion was in the service of Herod 
 Antipas, Tetrarch of Galilee (see on 2:20), 
 who would doubtless have his forces organ- 
 ized after the Koman fashion, and sometimes 
 commanded by Koman officers, or whether 
 he was connected with a Eoman garrison of 
 Capernaum, such as the Romans frequently 
 maintained in nominally independent dis- 
 tricts. He was a heathen, but a lover of the 
 Jews, and had shown it by building the syna- 
 gogue in which they then worshiped (Luke 
 T:O); probably that large synagogue the 
 foundations of which are now seen at Tel 
 Hum. (See on 4: 13.) There were numerous 
 instances of intelligent and right-minded 
 heathen who, when brought in contact with 
 the Jews, felt the superiority of their re- 
 ligion; e. g., Cornelius. (Actsio:i.) This cen- 
 turion at Capernaum had probably known of 
 the healing of the nobleman's son (John 4: 46 ff.), 
 which took place there some time before, and 
 this with other accounts of Jesus, had led to 
 the full belief that he could heal his servant. 
 There came unto him. Luke (7:sff.) says 
 that he sent the elders of the Jews, and after- 
 wards some friends. Matthew omits these 
 details, and represents the centurion as doing 
 himself what he did through others. In like 
 
 manner Mark (10:35) represents James and 
 John as presenting to Jesus their ambitious 
 request, without any mention of their mother, 
 whom Matthew (20:20; declares to have come 
 with them and acted as spokesman. In John 
 3 : 22, we read that Jesus ' baptized' ; in John 
 4: 1 f., this is explained to mean that his dis- 
 ciples baptized. So in John 19: 1, it is said 
 that Pilate 'took Jesus and scourged him,' 
 which of course he did not do with his own 
 hands, but through his attendants. Comp. 
 also 14: 10 with Mark 6: 27; and see on 14: 
 19. Similar forms of statement are common 
 among us, both in literature and in the lan- 
 guage of common life; and there is a familiar 
 law maxim, Quifacit per alium, facit per se: 
 he who does a thing through another does it 
 himself. 
 
 6. Lord (see on v. 2), simply a very re- 
 spectful address. My servant is, in Greek, 
 clearly definite, and may mean either the 
 only servant he possessed, or the only one he 
 had with him at Capernaum, or the one that 
 was then exclusively occupying his mind. 
 'Servant' (pais) is literally 'boy,' which term 
 was used for a servant of any age, among the 
 Hebrews, Greeks and Romans, as it was also 
 used in the Slave States of this country; 1 
 comp. the French garqon. (See further on 
 12: 18.) The Rheims version here translates 
 
 1 Seven different Greek words are in the N. T. ren- 
 dered 'servant,' as follows: (1) Diakonos, an attendant, 
 waiter, as at table (John 2 : 5, 9),and sometimes aservant in 
 general: rendered 'servant' in 22: 13; 23: 11 ; ' minister" 
 (originally a Latin word of corresponding signification) 
 
 This always means a slave, though often used figura- 
 tively, as 'slaves of God,' 'slaves of Jesus Christ.' It is 
 rendered ' bond ' or ' bondman ' in 1 Cor. 12 : 13 ; Gal. 
 3 : 28 ; Eph. 6:8; Col. 3:11; Rev. 6 : 15 ; 13 : 16 ; 19 : 
 18. Where it is rendered ' servant ' the Rev. Ver. usu- 
 
 in 20^26, and often in the Epistles. This word we . ally puts 'bond-servant' in the margin. (7) Misthios 
 have borrowed as deacon, just as we borrow bishop from and Misthotos, a hireling, hired man, rendered ' hired 
 epitkopoi. (2) Therapon, a waiting-man, attendant, used j servants ' in Mark 1 : 20 ; Luke 15 : 17, 19, and ' hire- 
 in Heb. 3: 5, comp. common text of Matt. 24: 45. (3) ' ling' in John 10: 12 f. This would naturally be a free 
 Hupereles, a rower, sailor, and in general a hand, an un- man. The English word servant is borrowed from the 
 derling, agent, attendant, inferior officer, etc. ; rendered ; Latin tennii, which means a bondman, just as donlos 
 'servant' in 26: 58 (Rv. Ver. 'officer'), in 5: 26. These i does. But it has come in English to have a much wider 
 three terms might be applied either to a slave or use, denoting either bondmen or hired attendants. 
 
 to a free man. (4) Oiketts, a house-servant (oiko, 
 'house'), domestic; used in Luke 16: 13; 1 Peter 
 2: 18, etc. These might be slave or free, but were usu- 
 ally slaves. (5) Pait, a child, boy or girl, and also ser- 
 vant, as above explained ; rendered ' servant ' in v. 6, 
 
 'Slave' is derived from the Slavic or Sclavonic race, 
 many of whom were reduced to servitude in the south- 
 east of Europe, as early as the eighth century. The 
 strong dislike to slavery at the present day has associ- 
 ated degrading ideas with this term, so that we couid 
 
 8, 13, also in 12: 18; 14: 2, and ' child' in 2: 16; 17: 18, hardly employ it now for the figurative uses of douloi ; 
 (Rev. Ver. ' boy ') ; 21 : 15. As applied to servants this although the devout McCheyne writes to a friend that 
 terra seems to have always meant slaves; 14: 2 may be | " it is sweet to think of ourselves as the slaves of 
 compared with 18: 3. (6) Doulot, bondman, slave. I Christ."
 
 178 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VIII. 
 
 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will corue and heal 
 him. 
 
 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not 
 worthy that thou shoiildest come under my roof: but 
 speak the word only, and my servant shall lie healed. 
 
 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers 
 under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth ; 
 and to another, Come, and he comet h ; and to my 
 servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 
 
 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to 
 them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not 
 found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 
 
 7 of the palsy, grievously tormented. And he saitli 
 
 8 unto him, I will come and heal him. And the 
 centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not ' worthy 
 that thou shouldest come under my roof: hut only 
 say a the word, and my * servant shall he healed. 
 
 9 For I also am a man * under authority, having 
 under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, 
 and he goeth : and to another, Come, and hecometh ; 
 
 10 and to my 6 servant, Do this, and he doeth it. And 
 when Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them 
 that followed, Verily I say unto you, ol have not 
 
 1 Or. tvfflcient....t Gr. with award ---- 3 Or, boy ---- 4 Some ancient authoritie 
 6 Many ancient authorities read, With no man in Isra 
 
 sert, set : as in Luke vii. 8 ____ 5 Gr. bondierv 
 ave I found so great faith. 
 
 'boy'; Wye. supposed it to mean 'child,' as 
 all the early English versions wrongly sup- 
 posed in Acts 3 : 13,26; 4: 27,30. Luke (7: 2) 
 has the term doulos, 'slave,' which is also used 
 by Matthew in v. 9. It is idle for Weiss to j 
 take pais as here meaning ' son,' from his mere j 
 passion for multiplying discrepancies. 
 
 Luke says (!*) 'who was dear unto him.' j 
 Josephus tells us that the Roman soldiers were | 
 followed by many servants, who "in peace 
 constantly engaged in the warlike exercises of 
 their masters, and in war shared their dan- 
 gers." So a "Confederate" officer and the 
 slave who attended him in camp would often 
 risk their lives for each other, while his other 
 slaves at home usually took the most faith- 
 ful care of his wife and children. My serv- 
 ant boy lieth, literally, is prostrate, ' bed 
 ridden.' Sick of the palsy a paralytic 
 (see on 4: 24). Grievously tormented, or, 
 'terribly tortured.' Some diseases then 
 classed as paralysis produce violent pain. 
 Compare the case in 1 Mace. 9: 55 f. Luke 
 adds (T:S B. u.) that he was ' about to die.' 
 
 7-9. Jesus saith, or, he says. Jesus omit- 
 ted, as in v. 3, 5. I will come, with some 
 emphasis on 'I.' This proposition, being re- 
 ported to the centurion, brought out his 
 humility and faith. A similar effect was pro- 
 duced on the Syro-Phrenician mother by re- 
 fusal. (16:26.) Worthy, literally, not fit for 
 thee to enter, 1 etc. He may have meant 
 (Edersh.) that he was Levitically unfit, that 
 to enter his home would render a Jew cere- 
 monically unclean ; but the additional and 
 
 stronger expression in Luke 7 : 7 leaves no 
 doubt that he was also humbly thinking of his 
 moral un worthiness. Speak the word, or, 
 more exactly, speak ' with a word ' (Rev. Ver. 
 margin). So the nobleman's son there at 
 Capernaum had been healed with a word when 
 at a distance. (John 4: 50.) The centurion pro- 
 ceeds to illustrate the power of a word of com- 
 mand, by referring to his own experience as an 
 officer and a master. For I also am a man* 
 under authority .... and I say, etc. 
 It is plain that ' under authority ' is opposed to 
 'having under myself soldiers' (Rev. Ver.) 
 notice the ' myself.' He is a subordinate com- 
 mander, accustomed both to obey and to be 
 obeyed, and he is confident that in like man- 
 ner one word of command from Jesus will 
 cure disease. There is involved a sort of per- 
 sonification of the disease, as in Luke 4 : 39, 
 ' he rebuked the fever.' But what is the force 
 of 'also'? (Com. Ver. followed Geneva in 
 neglecting 'also.' which was given by Tyn., 
 Great Bible, Rbeims). The centurion evi- 
 dently means that his case is like that of Jesus 
 in regard to the word of command. Some 
 think (Humphrey) that he regarded Jesus as 
 under divine authority, while having power 
 over disease. Or it may be that 'also' refers 
 to the latter part of the statement: for I also 
 am a (subordinate) commander, and my word 
 of command is obeyed. To my servant, 
 slave (see on v. 6). We cannot tell whether 
 he meant the particular servant that was sick, 
 or the servant to whom he spoke in any case. 
 10. Marvelled or wondered. Here he 
 
 1 For this nonfinal use of the Greek particle that fol- 
 lows, see on 5: 29. Comp. the classical construction 
 with ' fit' (viz., the infinitive) in 1 Cor. 15 : 9. 
 
 2 The margin of Rev. Ver. here follows W H. in men- 
 tioning that some ancient authorities (B X and some 
 others) insert 'set.' But this evidently is an interpola- 
 tion from Luke': 8, and so should not have been men- 
 
 tioned. If genuine here, what ground can be suggested 
 for its omission by almost all documents? It is wrong 
 to follow B and X against the clearest internal evidence, 
 especially when with internal evidence began the whole 
 line of argument by which W H. have established the 
 great general excellence of their text. 

 
 CH. VIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 179 
 
 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from 
 the east and west, aud shall sit down with Abraham, 
 and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 11 found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say 
 unto you, that many shall come from theeast and the 
 west, and shall ' sit down with Abraham, aud Isaac, 
 
 1 Or. recline. 
 
 wondered at faith ; on another occasion 
 (Mark6:6), at unbelief. We need not speculate 
 about his wondering, nor weaken the state- 
 ment by attempted explanations. Jesus won- 
 dered as a man, while as God nothing could 
 be wonderful to him. It is only the same 
 difficulty that we meet with in such facts as 
 his growing in wisdom, and his not knowing 
 the day and hour. Verily I say unto you, 
 see on 5: 18. I have not found so great 
 faith, 1 no, not in Israel. A similiar case 
 of great faith on the part of a heathen is found 
 in 15: 22 following. We feel sure that a per- 
 son with such beautiful humility and such 
 faith in the power of Jesus to work miracles, 
 must have possessed, or would soon come to 
 possess, faith in his power to forgive sins also. 
 (Comp. on v. 3. ) What our Lord thus strongly 
 commends is not his humility, but that faith 
 which is the root of every thing spiritual. 
 (Comp. 15: 28; Luke 18: 8.) Observe that he 
 does not express surprise at finding so great 
 faith in a soldier. There is no warrant in 
 ;ripture for the notion of incompatibility 
 Btween piety and the soldier's life. 
 11. And I say unto yon (see on 5: 18), 
 ?peating the solemn affirmation of the pre- 
 ling sentence, because he was about to say 
 rhat the Jews would be slow to believe, and 
 fhat was of the greatest importance. From 
 east and west (cbmp. Isa. 45: 6), from 
 le farthest parts of the earth in every direc- 
 ion, from the remotest Gentile nations. Here 
 already an intimation that Christianity will 
 jread to all nations. And shall sit down, 
 literally recline (see margin Rev. Ver.), i. e., 
 it table. The custom of the Persians, which 
 jread to the Greeks and Romans, had also 
 een adopted by the Jews, viz., to lie on a 
 juch while eating. This was placed beside 
 ie table, and on it the person reclined lean- 
 ; on his left elbow, so as to take food from 
 ie tablo with his right hand, while the feet 
 tteiulod obliquely to the outside of the couch, 
 the feet could be washed while one was 
 clining (Luk7: ss; John is: 4 f.) ; a man could 
 
 lean his head back upon the breast, or lie '' in 
 the bosom " of one who reclined behind him. 
 
 (John 13: 23,25; 1 : 18 ; Luke 16: 23.) This luxurious 
 
 mode of eating had not been the usage of 
 their ancestors (see Gen. 27: 19; Judges 19: 
 6; 1 Sam. 20: 24 f., where the Hebrew de- 
 termines it to have been really sitting) ; and 
 the prophet Amos (6:*, 7), rebukes it as a part 
 of the wicked luxury of the people, that they 
 stretched themselves at their banquets. But in 
 the time of our Lord it had become the uni- 
 versal custom, certainly at all formal meals, 
 and to do otherwise would have seemed sin- 
 gular. Wherever in the N. T. 'sit,' 'sit down,' 
 etc., are used with reference to eating, or 
 where the phrase is 'sit at meat,' etc., the 
 Greek always has some word denoting 'to re- 
 cline' ; and it is to be regretted that Rev. Ver. 
 did not place this in the text rather than in 
 the margin. Wye., Tyn., and Great Bib. had 
 ' rest,' Geneva and Rheims 'sit down.' With 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Jews 
 considered that their descent from these patri- 
 archs made it certain that they would share 
 with them the blessings of the Messianic reign ; 
 and the Rabbinical writings show that splen- 
 did entertainments, enjoyed with the patri- 
 archs, belonged to their conception of the 
 Messianic felicity. Here, as so often, our 
 Saviour adapted himself to the common modes 
 of expression. See the same image in Luke 
 14 : 15 ; 16: 23, the parables concerning feasts, 
 and in Rev. 19: 9. It was specially appro- 
 priate in the present case ; the Jews would 
 not at all eat with Gentiles ; yet it is here de- 
 clared that many Gentiles from every direc- 
 tion will recline at table with the great patri- 
 archs, while Jews themselves shall be cast out. 
 This had been foreshadowed by the prophets, 
 but Israel was too blind now to see it. The 
 Talmud says (Schoettgcn) : "In the future 
 world I will spread for you a great table, 
 which the Gentiles will see and be ashamed.'' 
 Luke does not give this saying of our Lord 
 with reference to the centurion, but in 13: 39 
 he gives the same image as introduced on a 
 
 1 The marginal reading of Rev. Ver. has considerable ' tlonal probability; there would be no substantial dif- 
 upp-jrt, especially in versions, and some transcrip- I ference in meaning.
 
 180 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. VIII. 
 
 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out 
 into outer darkness : there shall be weeping and gnash- 
 iuK of teeth. 
 
 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way ; 
 and as thou hast believed, so be it, done unto thee. And 
 his servant was healed in the selfsame hour. 
 
 14 And when Jesus was couie into Peter's house, he 
 saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. 
 
 12 and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven : but the sons 
 of the kingdom shall be cast forth into the outer 
 darkness: there shall be the weeping and gnashing 
 
 13 of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go 
 thy way ; as thou hast believed, so be it done unto 
 thee. And the l servant was healed in that hour. 
 
 14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he 
 
 1 Or, boy. 
 
 different occasion. As to the phrase, king- 
 dom of heaven, see on 3 : 2. It must here 
 refer to the future state. 
 
 12. But the children sons of the king- 
 dom. By a Hebrew idiom a variety of ideas 
 of intimate relation or close connection are 
 expressed by the use of ' son ' or ' child '; e. g., 
 in Old Test. ' sons of Belial (wickedness)', as 
 it were born of wickedness, deriving their very 
 nature from wickedness. So with 'children of 
 disobedience' (Eph. 2 : 2, Bev. ver.), and 'children 
 of obedience.' (i Pt. i : 14, Rev. ver.) In ' children 
 of wrath' (E P h. 2: s), 'children of cursing' 
 (2 Pet. 2:H, ROT. Ver.), we have a very strong ex- 
 pression of the idea that these persons are by 
 their very nature objects of wrath, of a curse. 
 ' The sons of this world ' (i-uke ie ; s, Bev. ver.) are 
 wholly devoted to this world, as it were with 
 a filial devotion. (See also on 9: 15; 11: 19; 
 13: 38; 23 : 15, andcomp. 1 Mace. 4:2.) 'The 
 sons of the resurrection' (Luke 20: se, Rev. ver.) are 
 those who partake of it. And so 'the sons of 
 the kingdom ' here are the persons who are 
 considered as having a right to its privileges 
 by reason of their birth. Our Lord tells the 
 Jews that strangers to the kingdom would 
 come and enjoy its privileges, while its own 
 sons would be cast out. Into (the) outer 
 darkness. The image is derived from a 
 brightly lighted mansion during an evening 
 entertainment. Persons expelled from the 
 house would find themselves in the darkness 
 without. So in 22: 13; 25: 30, and comp. 
 'the blackness of darkness forever' in Jude 
 13; 2 Pet. 2: 17. There shall be (the) 
 weeping and .'.//. ) gnashing of teeth, 
 while within is the feast of the soul, and the 
 gong of the blest. "Why ' the weeping'? 
 Probably the idea of these as belonging to the 
 punishment of Geh.enna was familiar to our 
 Lord's hearers. The same expression occurs 
 six times in Matthew (see 13: 42, 60; 22: 13; 
 24 : 51 ; 25 : 30), and in Luke 13 : 28 ; always 
 with the article, and always associated with 
 the idea of future punishment. (Comp. 
 Buttm., p. 88.) Bengel understands it to be 
 
 the weeping by eminence, and adds : "In this 
 life sorrow is not yet sorrow." 
 
 13. Go thy way, go along (comp. v. 4), 
 said here in kindness and encouragement; 
 quite otherwise in 4: 10. So be it done 
 unto thee, more literally, so let it happen to 
 thee, 'come to pass for thee,' the term ex- 
 plained on 6: 10. His faith was great, and so 
 should the blessing be. Our Lord frequently 
 (not always) required faith in order to the 
 reception of his miracles of healing, where 
 there was a person capable of exercising it. 
 But the healing cannot with any show of pro- 
 priety be considered the effect of imagination, 
 excited by credulous faith, as in some ap- 
 parent cures at the present day, for in this 
 and various other cases it was not the sufferer 
 that believed, but some other person and 
 sometimes a person at a distance. (io: 28; John 
 4:53.) Moreover our Lord wrought miracles 
 upon the dead, and upon inanimate nature, 
 where such an explanation would be out of 
 the question. In the selfsame or, in that 
 hour, with some emphasis on 'that.' 
 
 III. 14-17. HEALING OF PETER'S MOTH- 
 ER-IN-LAW, and of many others. From the 
 parallel accounts in Mark 1 : 29-34; Luke 4: 
 38-41, it appears that this took place before 
 the delivery of the Sermon on the Mount, 
 and upon a Sabbath-day, after leaving the 
 synagogue in Capernaum. Matthew groups 
 these miracles with little concern for exact 
 time and place. (See on v. 1.) Peter's 
 house, at Capernaum, see Mark 1 : 21, 29. 
 Andrew lived with his brother, and James 
 and John accompanied Jesus on a visit to 
 them. Peter and Andrew were natives of 
 Bethsaida (John 1 = 44), but had removed to Ca- 
 pernaum. (See the town described on 4: 13.) 
 It seems strange that Romanists can so insist 
 on the celibacy of the clergy, when Peter 
 himself, of whom the Pope is imagined to be 
 the successor, was a married man, and not 
 only at this time but long after, when at the 
 height of his apostolic labors; and 'the rest 
 of the apostles' were likewise, except Paul.
 
 CH. VIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 181 
 
 15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: 
 and she arose, and ministered unto them. 
 
 16 When the even was come, they brought unto him 
 many that were possessed with devils: and he cast 
 out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were 
 sick : 
 
 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by 
 Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmi- 
 ties, and bare our sicknesses. 
 
 15 saw his wife's mother lying sick of a fever. And he 
 touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she 
 
 16 arose, and ministered unto him. And when even 
 was come, they brought unto him many l possessed 
 with demons : and he cast out the spirits with a 
 
 17 word, and healed all that were sick: lhat it might 
 be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the 
 prophet, saying. Himself took our infirmities, and 
 bare our diseases. 
 
 (i Cor. 9:5.) Sick of a fever. Malarial fevers 
 are common, from the marshes near the mouth 
 of the Jordan. (Thomson, Geikie.) 
 
 15. It seems from Mark 1 : 30, and Luke 
 4 : 38, that the family requested Jesus to heal 
 her. And he touched her hand. Our Lord 
 several times wrought miracles without touch- 
 ing, and even at a distance, as in. the healing of 
 the centurion's slave in the preceding verses; 
 but he usually performed some act, such as 
 touching the person, taking him by the hand, 
 etc., which would make it evident to all con- 
 cerned that he was the cause of the miracu- 
 lous cure. And ministered unto them 
 literally, as in best texts, waited on him. 
 The verb is explained on 4 : 11, and the Greek 
 tense denotes that the action was continued. 
 ' Them,' found in some early documents, is 
 a manifest assimilation to Mark and Luke, 
 where companions of Jesus are mentioned. 
 The service would consist in supplying food, 
 and any other needed attentions a natural 
 way for a woman in her home to express her 
 gratitude. Jerome: " That hand ministered, 
 which had been touched, and healed." 
 (Comp. Luke 10: 40, where the same word is 
 rendered 'serving.') A severe fever (Luke 4: ss) 
 always leaves a person very weak ; but so com- 
 plete was the miraculous healing, that she was 
 at once prepared for active exertion. Words- 
 worth: "In the case of Christ's miracles, it 
 was with diseases as with the sea. After the 
 storm there is a swell, before the sea sinks 
 into a calm. But Christ reduced the fury of 
 the sea by a word to perfect calm, as he did 
 the rage of the fever to perfect health." 
 
 10. This miracle became noised abroad, and 
 only deepened the impression produced by 
 the casting out of the unclean spirit that same 
 day in the synagogue. (Mwki: II-M.) So that 
 all the people became anxious to bring their 
 demoniac or diseased friends to seek like 
 miraculous relief. But the Jews were too 
 scrupulous to do this on the Sabbath day. 
 When the even was come (comp. 14 : 15). 
 
 Luke yet more definitely, 'when the sun was 
 setting.' The Jewish day was reckoned as 
 beginning and ending at sunset ; so they came 
 the moment the Sabbath was past. Matthew 
 says nothing to show why they waited till 
 evening; he is simply throwing together a 
 number of miracles without giving all the 
 circumstances of their occurrence. It is not 
 to be inferred that Jesus himself shared these 
 scruples about healing on the Sabbath, a thing 
 which he had just done (Mark and Luke), 
 and repeatedly did afterwards. Possessed 
 with devils, much better, demoniacs (as in 
 margin Rev. Ver.), see on v. 28 and 4: 24. 
 The Evangelist has already mentioned in gen- 
 eral (* = 24) that Jesus healed all the demoniacs 
 that were brought to him during this circuit 
 of Galilee. With his (a) word, just as he had 
 ' with a word ' healed the centurion's slave. 
 (. a.) All that were sick, a general expres- 
 sion embracing every class of diseases, as in 
 4: 24. Kitto : " The sun which had set upon 
 an expectant crowd of miserable creatures, 
 arose next morning upon a city from which 
 disease had fled." Our Lord's miracles were 
 very numerous. Those particularly described 
 by the Evangelists are only specimens, and 
 we are repeatedly told in passing, of his heal- 
 ing very many persons and of many diseases. 
 Simply to read the statements in 4: 24; 9: 35; 
 11: 4 f. ; 12: 15; 14: 35; 15: 30; 19: 2, would 
 be apt greatly to enlarge one's idea of the ex- 
 tent of his labor of beneficence in this respect. 
 17. That it might be fulfilled. This 
 naturally means that the events in question 
 had been actually predicted in the prophecy 
 quoted, and had taken place in the arrange- 
 ments of Providence in order that the predic- 
 tion might be fulfilled. (See on 1: 22; the 
 particle rendered 'that' is not the same here 
 as there, but has practically the same force.) 
 By Esaias. More exactly through, as in 
 2 : 5, 17, 23 ; 3:3; 4: 14, the idea being by the 
 Lord through the prophet, as fully expressed 
 in 1: 22; 2: 15. 'Isaiah,' instead of 'Esaias,'
 
 182 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VIII. 
 
 see on 1 : 2. It is only Matthew that here re- 
 fers to the fulfillment of a prediction, this 
 being the sixth prophecy which he cites as 
 being fulfilled in Jesus. (Comp. 1 : 23; 2:5, 
 15, 23; 4: 14.) Himself took our infirmi- 
 ties and bare our sicknesses. The quo- 
 tation is from Isa. 53: 4, rendered in Com. 
 Eng. Ver., 'He hath borne our griefs and 
 carried our sorrows.' The whole passage in 
 Isaiah (5 : is to ss : w) unquestionably refers to 
 Christ's suffering for men as their substitute. 
 (Corap. 1 Pet. 2 : 24.) There is thus difficulty 
 in perceiving the ground of the Evangelist's 
 application of this prophecy to our Lord's heal- 
 ing diseases. The original of Isaiah literally 
 means 'Our diseases he took, and our pains 
 he bore,' with slight emphasis both times on 
 'our' and ' he,' the word 'pains' comprising 
 both bodily and mental distresses. As to the 
 words, Matthew has thus exactly followed the 
 Hebrew (the hypothesis of his following an 
 oral Aramaic version is believed to be without 
 adequate support), departing from the Sept., 
 which here renders, " He bears our sins, and 
 is pained about us." But how as to the mean- 
 ing? Christ took upon himself, and thus took 
 away from us, sin and all the distresses pro- 
 duced by sin. These distresses were divinely 
 appointed punishments of sin, and we may 
 suppose that but for Christ's atoning work, 
 God's justice would not have allowed them to 
 cease. For believers in Christ, diseases and 
 various mental sufferings do indeed still con- 
 tinue, yet not as punishments, but to disci- 
 pline them for their good. What our Saviour 
 suffered, in his life of humiliation and his 
 death of agony, was not, as the prophet says 
 men would think it was, the penalty of wrong- 
 doing on his own part, but was the taking on 
 himself of our sin, and all our consequent 
 woe. Of course he did not endure the precise 
 and identical sufferings, temporal or eternal, 
 which we should otherwise have borne, but 
 what he suffered in our stead made it right 
 that we should be relieved, to some extent 
 even in this life, and completely in eternity, 
 of all the consequences of our sins. His tak- 
 ing away bodily diseases was thus not only a 
 symbol (Meyer), but in some sense a part of 
 his taking away sin. The matter may also be 
 viewed as Plumptre does: "He himself 
 'took' and 'bore' the sufferings which he te- 
 moved. He suffered with those he saw suffer. 
 
 The power to heal was intimately connected 
 with the intensity of his sympathy, and so 
 was followed (as analogous works of love are 
 followed, in those who are most Christ-like in 
 their lives), by weariness and physical ex- 
 haustion. "What is related by St. Mark and 
 St. Luke of our Lord's seeking out the refuge 
 of solitude at the earliest dawn of the day 
 that followed, is entirely in harmony with the 
 view thus suggested." 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 2 f. This suggests by analogy the need 
 and the means of spiritual healing. Four 
 questions as to our salvation : 1) Is Jesus able 
 to save? 2) Is Jesus willing to save? 3) Do 
 we need to be saved ? 4) Do we wish to be 
 saved ? Only the last question is really doubt- 
 ful, and that depends on ourselves. V. 4. Do 
 not make loud professions of what Christ has 
 done for you, but prove it by acting according 
 to God's law. Schaff remarks that it is possi- 
 ble to make too much of the miracle? "a kind 
 of materialism, no less than the denial of the 
 possibility of such miracles." 
 
 V. 5 ff. The centurion. 1) His munificent 
 gift to the people of God. (Luke 7: 5.) 2) His 
 affectionate kindness to a servant, (v. 6; Luke 7: 2.) 
 3) His poor opinion of himself, (v. s.) 4j His 
 great faith in Jesus, (v. &, 10.) 5) The exact and 
 immediate answer to his petition, (v. is.) The 
 three believingcenturions. 1) Thiscenturion at 
 Capernaum. 2) The centurion who had charge 
 of the crucifixion (27:54.) 3) The centurion 
 Cornelius. (ACISIO: i.) A deeply pious soldier. 
 HALL: "Even thebloody trade of war yielded 
 worthy clients to Christ." Kindness to a 
 servant. HALL: "Had the master been sick, 
 the faithfulest servant could have done no 
 more. He is unworthy to be well served, that 
 will not sometimes wait upon his followers. 
 Conceits of inferiority may not breed in us a 
 neglect of charitable offices. So must we look 
 down upon our servants here on earth, as that 
 we must still look up to our Master which is 
 in heaven." V. 7. Developing faith. By re- 
 fusing all that was asked (is: 24); 2) By offering 
 more than was asked; 3) By granting just 
 what was asked. V. 8. It was no feigned 
 humility with which the centurion spoke. 
 He deeply felt himself unworthy of the pres- 
 ence and society of the Great Teacher. Yet the 
 Jewish elders thought him worthy. (Luke 7: 4.)
 
 CH. VIII.] 
 
 MATTHE\Y. 
 
 183 
 
 18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, 
 he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. 
 
 19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, 
 Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 
 
 18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, 
 
 19 side. And there came J a scribe, and said unto him, 
 2 Master, 1 will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 
 
 1 Or. one scribe 2 Or, Teache 
 
 They who most deserve the esteem of others 
 are apt to have the humblest opinion of 
 themselves; not because ignorant of any 
 excellencies they may have attained, but 
 because more accustomed to dwell on their 
 faults, and more absorbed in the desire to cor- 
 
 Erect them. A man may be conscious of his 
 powers and attainments, may rejoice in his 
 achievements, may be pleased that men praise 
 him, and at the same time be truly humble, 
 and full of gratitude to him who has given it 
 all. This is difficult for human weakness, but 
 so much the more earnestly and prayerfully 
 must it be sought. "What is the first thing 
 in religion? Humility. And what is the 
 second thing in religion? Humility. And 
 what is the third thing in religion ? Humil- 
 ity." HALL: "Many a one, if he had been 
 in the centurion's coat, would have thought 
 well of it; a captain, a man of good ability 
 and command, a founder of a synagogue, a 
 patron of religion ; yet he overlooks all these, 
 and when he casts his eye upon the divino 
 worth of Christ and his own weakness, he says, 
 'I am not worthy.' While he confessed him- 
 self unworthy of any favor, he approved him- 
 self worthy of all." EDERSHEIM: "Here 
 was one who was in the state described in the 
 first clauses of the Beatitudes, and to whom 
 came the promise of the second clauses; be- 
 cause Christ is the connecting link between the 
 two." CHRYS. : "For because he made himself 
 out unworthy, even to receive Christ into his 
 house, he became worthy both of a kingdom, 
 and of attaining unto those good things which 
 Abraham enjoyed." V. 9. Obeying and com- 
 manding. HALL: "Oh that I could be but such 
 a servant to mine Heavenly Master! Alas! 
 every one of his commands says, 'Do this,' 
 and I do it not; every one of his inhibitions 
 says, ' Do it not,' and I do it. He says, ' Go 
 from the world,' I run to it; he says, 'Come 
 to me,' I run from him. Wo is me ! this is 
 not service, but enmity." V. 10. Jesus won- 
 dering: 1) At the great faith of a heathen; 
 2) At the unbelief of his fellow-townsmen. 
 (nrks: .) Believing heathen still often shame 
 those reared in Christian lands. 
 V. 15. What can we do for Jesus, who has 
 
 done so much for us? We cannot now minis- 
 ter to him in the way of personal attention, 
 but 1) We can bring others to be his followers 
 (John i:) ; 2) We can minister to his suffering 
 brethren (as = *o) ; 3) In general, we can show 
 our love by keeping his commandments, 
 (johnu: is.) V. 17. STEiNMEYER : " As a par- 
 able shows on earthly grounds the reflex of a 
 higher truth, in order to serve as a means of 
 explaining the latter, so a miracle which 
 relieves an earthly pain is the symbol of the 
 help within reach for a deeper need. Our 
 Lord cures the sick of the palsy ; but the first 
 words of the narrative point most expressly to 
 a higher region. He gives sight to him that 
 was born blind; but the concluding words of 
 the history exclude the thought of a mere 
 deed of compassion." 
 
 18 9 : 1. STILLING THE TEMPEST, AND 
 HEALING THE DEMONIACS. 
 
 To the miracles already adduced (see on v. 
 1), Matt, now adds two which are very re- 
 markable. It is evident from Murk 4: 35 ff., 
 and Luke 8 : 22 ff., that they occurred after the 
 delivery of the parables in chap. 13, and ap- 
 parently in the evening of the same day on 
 which those parables were delivered. Matt, 
 is giving a group of miracles in chap. 8 and 9. 
 
 18. Great multitudes, literally, many 
 crowds, as in 4: 25; 8: 1, etc. Unto the 
 other side, i. e., of the Lake of Galilee; 
 literally, into the beyond. The region east of 
 the lake and of the lower Jordan was com- 
 monly called by the Jews 'The Perea,' i. e., 
 ' The Beyond (region),' see on 4 : 25 and 19 : 1. 
 We cannot suppose he sought escape frotn 
 personal annoyance or discomfort. The fanati- 
 cal excitement of the people (chap. 12 and 13) 
 was rising too high 'comp. on 8 : 4) ; there 
 was less opportunity to do real good by his 
 teachings when the crowd became so great as 
 to produce confusion and disturbance; and in 
 general, it was his plan to diffuse his labors 
 throughout the country. Mark's phrase (* '), 
 'when the even was come' (comp. Matt. 8: 16), 
 might include the late afternoon (see on 14 : 
 15). It is thus not certain, though probable, 
 that the stormy passage was after night-fall. 
 19. While they were preparing to cross the
 
 184 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VIII. 
 
 20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, 
 and the birds of the air have nests ; but the Sou of uiau 
 hath not where to lay ft is head. 
 
 20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, 
 and the birds of the heaven have l nests ; but the Sou 
 
 1 Gr. lodging-placet. 
 
 lake, there occurred the conversation men- 
 tioned in v. 19-22. Mark has no mention of 
 this. Luke (:57ff.) gives similar conversation 
 as taking place at a much later period, on the 
 final journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, six 
 months before the crucifixion. (See below, on 
 19: 1.) Perhaps our Lord repeated these say- 
 ings, as he often did. (See Introduction to 
 chap. 5.) Or it may be supposed that either 
 Matthew or Luke has transposed these say- 
 ings from another time, as neither gives any 
 distinct expression of connection. And a 
 certain scribe came ; literally, 'one scribe' 
 (margin Kev. Ver.), perhaps designed to in- 
 timate that, while most of Jesus' followers 
 were men of private station and in humble 
 life, here was one of the teachers, a Rabbi. 
 But in many languages the numeral 'one' 
 came at length to be used as what gramma- 
 rians call the indefinite article; e. g., German 
 ein; English an, a, from Anglo-Saxon an, 
 Scotch ane; French un, from Latin unus ; 
 and so in modern Greek ; and it may be that 
 we ought so to understand here (see Winer, p. 
 117 [145] ), and in 19: 16; 21: 19. There is a 
 similar question as to a few uses of the He- 
 brew word for 'one.' As to the Scribes, see 
 on 2: 4. Whithersoever thou goest, (comp. 
 Rev. 14 : 4), not merely now, across the lake, 
 but always and everywhere. This Scribe was 
 already in a broad, general sense, a 'disciple' 
 of Jesus as is implied by 'another' in v. 21 
 but wished to be one of his constant fol- 
 lowers. 
 
 The various words which the Common Ver- 
 sion renders master areas follows: Kurios, 
 usually rendered 'Lord,' whether as applied 
 to God. to the master of a slave, or to any 
 person in respectful address, equal to 'Sir.' 
 (See on v. 2.) It is rendered 'master' in 6: 
 24; 15: 27; and really signifies master in sev- 
 eral passages in which it is rendered 'Lord,' 
 as in 18: 25 ff. ; 24: 45 ff. ; 25: 18. Despotes. 
 strictly the master of a slave, and rendered 
 by that term in 1 Tim. 6: If., etc., is not 
 found in the Gospels. Rabbi, originally sig- 
 nifying a superior (rab, 'great,' like mag 
 ister from mag nus), was the common Jew- 
 ish word for a teacher. It was primarily 
 
 my rab, 'my teacher,' used only in address- 
 ing him, but afterwards also in speaking of 
 him, like Monsieur, Monsignore. A strength- 
 ened form was Rabboni, expressing the pro- 
 
 foundest respect. (MarklO:51; John 20: 16.) It is 
 
 frequently retained without translation, but is 
 by Com. Ver. rendered 'master' in 26 : 25, 
 49. (Rev. Ver., Rabbi.) Epistates, literally, 
 'one set over,' variously used in the classics, 
 in New Test, always a teacher, and found 
 only in Luke. (5:5, etc.) Kathegetes, leader, 
 guide, instructor, only in 23 : 10. Didaskalos, 
 literally and strictly teacher, is so rendered in 
 John 3 : 2, and wherever it is used in Acts 
 and the Epistles (except James 3: 1, 'mas- 
 ters'), and rendered 'doctor' (a Latin word, 
 meaning teacher) in Luke 2: 46. Every- 
 where else in the Gospels the Com. Ver. 
 renders it 'master,' used like schoolmaster. 
 In the Gospels 'master' always represents 
 some word denoting a 'teacher,' except in 6: 
 24; 15: 27; Mark 13: 35; Luke 14: 21; 16: 
 13. In like manner our missionaries among 
 the heathen are constantly addressed by the 
 people as "Teacher." 
 
 2O. The birds of the air, or heaven, as 
 in 6 : 26. Nests should be habitations or 
 'haunts,' the word meaning simply a dwell- 
 ing-place (Rev. Ver., margin) ; and nests be- 
 ing actually occupied only during incubation. 
 The birds that fly free and wide in the heaven 
 have some regular place to which they come 
 to spend the night. A kindred verb in 13: 32 
 is rendered 'lodge.' Various Fathers wildly 
 allegorize the foxes and the birds (see Aqui- 
 nas, Cat. Aur.). Hath not where to lay 
 his head, i. e., no fixed habitation. It does 
 not so much denote extreme poverty and dis- 
 comfort, as the fact that his life was a wander- 
 ing one. He had friends, at whose houses he 
 was always welcome, and hospitality was 
 often tendered him by others. But frequently 
 journeying far and wide over the country, 
 even as now he was about to cross the lake 
 into a wild, inhospitable region, his life was 
 (me of peculiar trial and self-denying toil, 
 and if the Scribe proposed to follow him 
 wherever he went, he must make up his 
 mind to follow a homeless wanderer, and so to
 
 CH. VIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 185 
 
 21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, 21 of man hath not whereto lay his head. And another 
 suffer me first to go and bury iny father. of the disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer we first 
 
 endure many hardships. Euthymius (comp. 
 Chrys., Jerome) supposes the Scribe to have 
 thought that large pay was received for the 
 miracles of healing, which we know that 
 Jesus told the Twelve they must perform 
 gratis. (10:8.) More likely the Scribe was 
 thinking of a temporal Messianic reign, with 
 which the teacher was somehow connected, 
 and which would bring its subjects power and 
 wealth. We see from this incident how care- 
 ful our Lord was to warn men beforehand 
 what they were to expect in entering upon his 
 service (comp. Luke 14: 28-33). And although 
 it is not now the duty of all his followers to 
 spend their lives in wandering labors, it is still 
 the duty of every one to "renounce himself, 
 and take up his cross," and in the highest 
 sense to "follow" Jesus. We are not in- 
 formed whether the Scribe determined, not- 
 withstanding the warning he had received, 
 that he would still follow the Teacher; one 
 would hope that he did, and would rather in- 
 fer so from the Evangelist's silence, seeing 
 that on other occasions (e. g., 19 : 22 ; John 6 : 
 66) the turning back of various apparent dis- 
 ciples is distinctly recorded ; also from the 
 association with the person next mentioned. 
 Expositors have perhaps been severe in their 
 judgment, in taking it for granted that the 
 Scribe's motives were mercenary, and that 
 he turned back at once. He was over confi- 
 dent, and the kind Teacher warned him to 
 count the cost. The Son of man. This re- 
 markable expression was no doubt founded 
 on Dan. 7: 13, "I saw in the night visions, 
 and behold, there came with the clouds of 
 heaven one like unto a son of man," Eev. 
 Ver., a passage which the Jewish writers 
 agree in referring to the Messiah. The so- 
 called "Book of Enoch" frequently speaks 
 of the coining Messiah as the Son of man. 
 We learn from John 12: 34 that the Jews un- 
 derstood this phrase to mean the Messiah ; and 
 from Luke 22: 69 f. that they saw little differ- 
 ence between calling him the Son of mnn and 
 the Son of God. Our Lord's frequent use of 
 the phrase (more than seventy times) consti- 
 tutes an oft-repeated claim to be the Messiah 
 (. 7., 24: 30; 26: 64) ; it was also probably de- 
 signed to render prominent the great fact that 
 he was genuinely and thoroughly a man, a fact 
 
 which believers in his divinity sometimes fail 
 to appreciate. The phrase is never applied to 
 him by any other than himself, except in Acts 
 7: 56, and perhaps in Kev. 1 : 13 ; 14 : 14. As 
 the Hebrew phrase originally suggested 
 human feebleness and frailty (as in Psa. 8:4; 
 146:3), it may have seemed on that account 
 less appropriate to the now exalted and glori- 
 fied Redeemer. The many attempts to explain 
 the phrase 'Son of man ' in some other sense 
 than as denoting the Messiah, are well stated 
 and briefly refuted in Meyer. 
 
 21. And another of his disciples. Both 
 he and the Scribe must have been disciples 
 only in the wider sense of the term (see on 6: 
 1). Tyndale and Geneva translate "another 
 that was one of his disciples," thus excluding 
 the Scribe, but that is a forced rendering. 
 There is a tradition (Clem. Alex.) that 
 this second man was the apostle Philip, 
 but we have no means of deciding. Conjec- 
 tures, such as that the Scribe was Judas 
 Iscariot and the other Thomas (Lange), or 
 that they were Thomas and Simon Zelotes 
 (Keim), are simply idle. Why will commen- 
 tators and preachers waste time in such base- 
 less and useless guess-work? Luke 9: 59, 
 represents the man as called on by our Lord 
 to follow him, and replying with the request 
 that he might first go and bury his father; 
 Matthew does not mention such a call. The 
 man's request pertained to a matter which the 
 Jews reckoned of great consequence. Thus 
 in Tobit 6: 15, Tobias fears that he will die 
 and be the death of his parents, and says, 
 "they have no other son to bury them." It 
 is natural to suppose that this man's father 
 was already dead, and it was the custom to 
 bury the dead very soon ; but it was also cus- 
 tomary (Lightfoot) to observe thirty days of 
 special mourning, and we cannot decide 
 whether the man meant to include that time. 
 Elisha's somewhat similar request of Elijah 
 was not denied (i Kingi9: 20) ; and the mnn 
 might well have thought himself justified in 
 asking leave to go home first. Yet a high- 
 priest or a Nazirite was required by the law to 
 avoid the dead body of even father or mother. 
 (i,ev. 21: n ; Nqm. :r.) ; and one of the late Jew- 
 ish commentaries says (Wet.) that "when the 
 study of the law and the necessity of burying
 
 186 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VIII. 
 
 22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me ; and let the 
 dead bury their dead. 
 
 23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disci- 
 ples followed him. 
 
 J4 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the 
 sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the 
 wavi-.-: but he was asleep. 
 
 22 to go and bury my father. But Jesus saith unto 
 him, Follow me ; and leave the dead to bury their 
 own dead. 
 
 23 And when he was entered into a boat, his disciples 
 
 24 followed him. And behold, there arose a great 
 tempest in the sea, insomuch that the boat was 
 
 the dead conflict, care of the dead takes pre- 
 cedence; but that if there is a sufficient num- 
 ber of persons in attendance, the student must 
 not leave the law." V. 22. Let the dead 
 bury, or, as in Rev. Ver., Leave the dead to 
 bury (so Darby, Davidson), the Greek being 
 stronger than 'let the dead bury.' To bury 
 their (own) dead. This cannot mean let the 
 dead bury each other, i. e., let them remain 
 unburied, for that is a forced explanation and 
 an idea unworthy of our Lord. We must 
 understand the dead spiritually and the dead 
 literally, as in Rev. 3: 1. (Comp. John 11: 
 25 f.) Such a play upon words is natural and 
 pleasing to the Oriental mind, and different 
 forms of it occur frequently in Scripture, 
 including many passages where it cannot be 
 preserved in translation. (Comp. on 16: 25.) 
 The idea here is that there were enough of 
 those who were spiritually dead to perform all 
 the offices of affection to the dead, and so 
 Christ's followers were at liberty to devote 
 themselves to their own far higher work. 
 (Comp. 10: 37.) In Luke's account (9:eo,Bib. 
 un. ver.), we have the addition, 'but go thou 
 and announce the kingdom of God.' It does 
 not follow that Jesus would require all his 
 followers, under all circumstances, to neglect 
 the burial of their dead, in order that they 
 might work exclusively at spreading the gos- 
 pel ; any more than he extends to every one 
 the command laid upon the rich young ruler, 
 to sell all he had and give to the poor. (19: 21.) 
 But we can easily conceive of circumstances 
 now, in which it would be proper to hold in 
 abeyance the strongest promptings of natural 
 affection, in order to do our duty to Jesus; 
 just as a soldier may see his brother fall at his 
 side in a charge, and yet sometimes cannot 
 pause to care for him, but must rush on. 
 Their own dead. In Gen. 23: 4, 6 we have 
 the expressions 'my dead, 'thy dead,' and 
 similar expressions are common now. So 
 Jesus means to say that the dead in such a case 
 
 are not yours, but belong to the spiritually 
 dead, and should be buried by them. Here, 
 as in v. 20, we are not informed whether the 
 man at once followed Jesus, but it would 
 seem probable that he did. Luke 9: 60 f., 
 adds a third case. 
 
 '23. MIRACLE OF STILLING THE TEMPEST 
 (v. 23-27.) Comp. Mark 4 : 36 ff. ; Luke 8 : 22 ff. 
 Into a ship 1 or, the boat, probably a boat 
 suited to fishing, and without sails (see on 4 : 
 21). It is called ' the boat,' most likely as 
 being the one prepared in pursuance of his 
 order to go across (v. is) ; perhaps it was a boat 
 kept fortheir regular use. We ought to trans- 
 late 'boat' and not 'ship.' See on 4: 21. His 
 disciples followed him, some in the same 
 boat, and others in additional boats mentioned 
 by Murk. (*:36.) These little fishing craft were 
 very numerous on the lake. (John 6: -23 r.) The 
 'disciples' are most naturally understood 
 here as including not merely the Twelve (who 
 as shown by the order of Mark and Luke had 
 been selected before this time) but others of 
 his followers, who could be called disciples in 
 the more general sense of the term. (See on 
 5: 1.) 
 
 24. And, behold, an expression much used 
 by Matthew in calling attention to what fol- 
 lows as wonderful. Tempest. The word 
 in the original denotes a shaking or shock, and 
 is usually applied to an earthquake, both in 
 the classical writers and in the New Test. (e. g., 
 24:7; 27:54; 28: 2), but here used for a 
 mighty storm, such as would shake men's 
 dwellings, and seem to make the very earth 
 tremble. Luke (8:23) tells us yet more dis- 
 tinctly, 'and there came down a storm 
 (another and more common word) of wind 
 upon the lake,' viz., down the ravines on its 
 sides, as often happens (see description of the 
 lake on 4: 18). Bartlett witnessed a precisely 
 similar occurrence: "All the day there had 
 not been a breath of air, the sultry heat had 
 been that of a furnace ; but now a cool breeze 
 
 1 Some early documents here omit the Greek article, 
 leaving the expression equivalent to ' into a boat' ; and 
 so W H. and Rev. Ver. But those documents have 
 
 probably imitated Luke 8 : 22, and it is more likely cor- 
 rect to retain the article.
 
 CH. VIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 187 
 
 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, 
 saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 
 
 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye 
 of little faith ? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds 
 and the sea ; and there was a great calm. 
 
 And 
 
 25 covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 
 
 they came to him, and awoke him, saying, ?ave, 
 
 26 Lord ; we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are 
 ye fearful, O ye of little faith ? Then he arose, and 
 rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a 
 
 came off the table land, and rushing down 
 the ravines that descend to the lake, began to 
 ruffle its placid bosom. As it grew darker, 
 the breeze increased to a gale, the lake became 
 a sheet of foam, and the white-headed break- 
 ers dashed proudly on the rugged beach ; its 
 gentle murmur has now changed into the 
 wild and mournful sound of the whistling 
 wind and the agitated waters. Afar off was 
 dimly seen a little barque struggling with the 
 waves, and then lost sight of amidst the misty 
 rack." As the lake is far below the level of 
 the Mediterranean, the air is often greatly 
 heated and ascends rapidly; and into the 
 vacuum comes rushing down the cold air from 
 the eastern and western table lands. ( Thom- 
 son.) The ship boat was covered, or, 
 ' was becoming covered,' the form of the 
 Greek verb denoting an action in progress; so 
 also in Mark (4:37), and Luke (8:23.) But 
 he was asleep sleeping the Greek indi- 
 cating some emphasis on 'he,' i. e., he, 
 for his part. Mark, who so often gives piquant 
 details, adds ' on the cushion,' i. e., the one 
 they had in the boat, as a part of the couch 
 iu the stern on which he was lying. This 
 makes a picture: Jesus sleeping with his 
 head on the cushion, while the storm howled, 
 the boat was tossed to and fro, the billows 
 broke over and were rapidly filling it soundly 
 and quietly sleeping. The order of Mark and 
 Luke make it appear that this was on the 
 evening which followed the blasphemous ac- 
 cusation of chapter 12, and the great group of 
 parables in chapter 13. After a day of such 
 mental strain, the Saviour would naturally 
 be exhausted. Probably also it was night. 
 (See on v. 18.) 
 
 25. The disciples or, they came. 'His 
 disciples' was an unnecessary addition of the 
 copyists. So with us, read Save, Lord, we 
 perish. Mark (:) has literally 'Teacher' 
 (didaskalos) ; Luke (8: M) has ' Master, master' 
 (epistates), see on v. 19. It is often evident 
 that the Evangelists have not undertaken to 
 give the exact words used. (See on 3: 17.) 
 The peril must have been really very great; 
 "for these men exercised to the sea many of 
 
 them from their youth, and familiar with all 
 the changes of that lake, would not have been 
 terrified by the mere shadow of a danger." 
 Trench. Luke (8:23) says expressly, and they 
 "were in jeopardy." 'Save' here of course 
 means save our lives, not referring to the sal- 
 vation of the soul. If the language is by us 
 applied to the latter, it is very appropriate, 
 but such application is made on our own 
 authority. 
 
 26. Why are ye fearful, more exactly, 
 cowardly, which expresses the force of the 
 Greek term according to its use in the classics 
 and in the Septuagint. In the New Test, it 
 is found only here (including Mark 4: 40) and 
 in Rev. 21 : 8, or kindred forms in 2 Tim. 1 : 
 7; John 14: 28, in all which cases the idea of 
 unworthy and discreditable fear is appro- 
 priate. O ye of little faith, see on 6: 30. 
 Faith makes men courageous, and the dis- 
 ciples were discreditably timid, cowardly, be- 
 cause they had so little faith. This is often 
 understood to mean faith in Jesus, but does it 
 not rather mean a lack of faith in the provi- 
 dence of God their Heavenly Father, as in 6 : 
 30? Then he arose and rebuked. He 
 first rebuked the disciples while still lying on 
 the couch, and afterwards arose and rebuked 
 the winds and the sea. This expression in- 
 volves an obvious personification (comp. Ps. 
 106:9: Nahum 1:4); and Mark (4:39; gives 
 the words addressed to the sea, as if speaking 
 to a person, or to some fierce monster. Those 
 words might be rendered 'Be silent, hush' ; 
 but the latter word is literally 'be muzzled,' 
 applicable to a furious beast. A great calm, 
 just as there had been 'a great tempest.' (v. 24.) 
 Here was 'a greater than Jonah. (:.) How 
 perfectly was the Saviour's humanity mani- 
 fested even when he exercised more than 
 human power. Wearied, in body and in 
 mind, by his labors during the day (see on 
 13: 1), he is sleeping on the cushion ; the 
 next moment he rises, and speaks to the 
 winds and the waves with the voice of their 
 Creator. So he wept in human sympathy 
 with the sisters of Lazarus, just before ho 
 spoke the word that brought him to life.
 
 188 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. VIII. 
 
 27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of 
 man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey 
 him ! 
 
 28 And when he was come to the other side into the 
 country of the Gergeseues, there met him two possessed 
 with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding tierce, 
 so that 110 man might pass by that way. 
 
 27 great calm. And the men marvelled, saying, What 
 manner of man is this, that even the winds and the 
 sea obey him ? 
 
 28 And when he was come to the other side into the 
 country of the Gadarenes, there met him two 1 pos- 
 sessed with demons, coming forth out of the tombs, 
 exceeding fierce, so that no man could pass by that 
 
 1 Or, ,/, 
 
 27. And the men marvelled. 'The men' 
 is a general term for the persons present, in- 
 cluding such as were disciples (comp. 14: 33), 
 and also very possibly some men employed in 
 the boats. (Mark 4: se.) That even the winds 
 and the sea obey him, a thing they had 
 not previously witnessed, which would there- 
 fore seem to them more remarkable than that 
 diseases obeyed him. Doubtless also this 
 would especially strike men whose lives had 
 been spent as sailors and fishermen, and who 
 had so often seen exhibited the terrible power 
 of the stormy sea. Stier : "This empire over 
 nature is a new thing which Matthew has to 
 record concerning Jesus. His narrative of 
 selected miracles in chapters eight and nine 
 rises through a gradation of importance ; 
 cleansing of the leper (a great thing even to 
 begin with) healing ata distance by his word, 
 'Be it done' commanding the wind and the 
 sea saying to the devils 'go' -forgiving the 
 sins of the paralytic (more indeed than saying 
 arise! or, go hence! more than ruling the 
 sea) finally giving life to the dead." 
 
 28. Healing of the two demoniacs. 
 (s: 28 to 9:i.) Comp. Mark 5: 1-21; Luke 8: 
 26-40. If the preceding miracle shows our 
 Lord's command of the forces of nature, that 
 which follows exhibits his power over evil 
 spirits. Trench: "And Christ will do here 
 a yet mightier work than that which he ac- 
 complished there; he will prove himself here 
 also the Prince of peace, the bringer back of 
 the lost harmony; he will speak, and at his 
 potent word this madder strife, this blinder 
 rage which is in the heart of men, will allay 
 itself; and here also there shall.be a great 
 calm." Theophyl. : "While the men in the 
 boat are doubting what manner of man this 
 is, that even the winds and the sea obey him, 
 the demons come to tell them." 
 
 To the other side, viz., of the lake, As in 
 
 v. 18. The point reached was below the mid- 
 dle of the lake; and as they had probably 
 come from the vicinity of Capernaum, the 
 voyage would be eight or ten miles. Into 
 the country of the Gergesenes. The text 
 of this and the parallel passages (Mark &-. i ; i.uke 
 8: ze) is greatly confused, some documents for 
 each of the three passages reading each of the 
 three words, Gadarenes, Gerasenes, Gerge- 
 senes. The best documents, however, give 
 Gadarenes in Matthew, and Gerasenes in Mark 
 and Luke. Thomson, Vol. II. p. 353-6, found a 
 village called Gersa, about the middle of the 
 eastern shore, with ancient tombs in the adja- 
 cent mountain, and near the village found a 
 steep place exactly suiting the story of the 
 swine. So also Wilson, McGarvey, and Mer- 
 rill. We thus account for the name Gerasenes 
 entirely apart from the large city of Gerasa, 
 which was some thirty miles away. Gadara 
 was a well-known city lying a few miles south- 
 east of the lake, the ruins of which are still ex- 
 tensive and striking. The country .immediately 
 around a city usually belonged to it, and was 
 called by its name; we have only to make the 
 very natural supposition that the village of 
 Gerasa (Khersa) belonged to the territory of 
 Gadara, and we see how the people may be 
 called both Gerasenes and Gadarenes. The 
 name Gergesenes, which might be introduced 
 by students or copyists, is thought by some to 
 have arisen from the Girgashites. (Gen. io:ie; 
 Deui. 7 : i ; Joshua 3 : 10 ) Origen saj's there was a 
 city called Gergesa near the lake, and Euseb. 
 ("Onom.") says the same, but may have de- 
 rived it from Origen. The form Gergesa may 
 possibly have been merely a diiferent pro- 
 nounciation of Gerasa, the r of the latter tak- 
 ing a rattling, guttural sound like that of 
 the strong Ayin, which in modern Arabic 
 sounds much like our rg. 1 But however that 
 may be, the genuine names Gadarenes and 
 
 'This suggestion is supported by the statement of 
 Thomson (part II, ch. 25) that when he asked the Bed- 
 win for Gergesa, they invariably said it was at Gersa 
 (or Khersa), seeming to pronounce the words alike. 
 
 But Thomson omits this statement in ed. 2. Experts 
 in Arabic visiting the lake ought to determine how the 
 Bedwin really pronounce the name of the ruins. Eu- 
 sebius (" Onom," ed. Lagarde, p. 242) remarks that Ger-
 
 CH. VIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 189 
 
 Gerasenes, and all the circumstances, are ex- 
 actly explained by the discov ry of Khersa; 
 and in this case, as in many others, current 
 research in text-criticism and Biblical geogra- 
 phy is clearing up a once celebrated difficulty. 
 There met him two. Mark and Luke men- 
 tion only one. It is an obvious explanation 
 to suppose (so already Chrys. and Aug.) that 
 one was more remarkable and prominent 
 than the other. Mark and Luke give more 
 details than Matthew does, and in so doing 
 might naturally take only the more conspicu- 
 ous case, to render the description more vivid. 
 In 20: 30 also Matt, has two blind men, Mark 
 and Luke but one. Robinson ("Harmony") : 
 " A familiar example will illustrate the prin- 
 ciple. In the year 1824, Lafayette visited the 
 United States ; and was everywhere welcomed 
 with honors and pageants. Historians will 
 describe these as a noble incident in his life. 
 Other writers will relate the same visit as 
 made, and the same honors as enjoyed, by 
 two persons, viz.: Lafayette and his son. Will 
 there be any contradiction between these two 
 classes of writers? Will not both record the 
 truth?" 
 
 Two possessed with devils demoniacs 
 literally, 'demonized (persons.') It has al- 
 ways been a matter of dispute whether the 
 demoniacal possessions so often mentioned in 
 the history of our Lord are to be understood 
 as real. Yet it would seem that there ought 
 to be no doubt of their reality, when one con- 
 siders the following facts : (1) The Evangelists 
 constantly speak of them as real. (2) Jesus 
 himself is recorded as speaking of them in the 
 same way; and even as speaking to the evil 
 spirits (Marie i : 25) ; and this not merely before 
 the multitude, but in private conversation 
 with his disciples he says, 'This kind can 
 come out by nothing, save by prayer.' (M..rk9: 
 29, Rev. ver.) (3) Jesus argues upon the assump- 
 tion of their reality. (Luke 10:17-20.) When the 
 seventy rejoiced that even the demons were 
 subject to them by his name, he said to them, 
 'I beheld Satan fallen as lightning out of 
 heaven ' ; that is, he connected their expulsion 
 of demons with the downfall of Satan's 
 
 ! power. (4) The demoniacs speak with super- 
 j human knowledge, acknowledging Jesus to 
 be the Son of God. True, he repressed this 
 testimony (Mark i: si; Luke 4: ), doubtless be- 
 cause his enemies would otherwise have been 
 ready to charge that the expulsion was u 
 thing arranged between him and Satan for the 
 purpose of deceiving the people ; even as we 
 find that, without any such excuse, they did 
 repeatedly say that he cast out demons by 
 league with Beelzebub (see on 12 : 24). But 
 though the testimony was repressed, it showed 
 superhuman knowledge. These four facts 
 would seem to put the matter beyond ques- 
 tion. But there are objections to the reality 
 of the possessions, which are apt to perplex 
 the enquirer. (1) The symptoms, it may bo 
 said, often resemble those of certain bodily 
 and mental diseases, such as epilepsy and in- 
 sanity. Now it is perfectly conceivable that 
 the possessions might produce insanity and 
 nervous diseases ; it may be also that persons 
 having such affections became thereby more 
 liable to be taken possession of by evil spirits. 
 This probable relation between them will ac- 
 count for the fact that possessions are often 
 mentioned in connection with various diseases 
 of body or mind, and yet are always distin- 
 guished from them. (See 4: 24; 8:16; Mark 
 1: 34.) Also for the use of the term 'heal ' 
 with reference to demoniacs. Also for the 
 people's saying, as a familiar phrase, 'Thou 
 hast a demon" (John 7: 20; 8:48-52; io:20\ where 
 we should sa^y, "You are deranged." The 
 possessed were virtually deranged, whether as 
 effect or occasion of the possession, so as to be 
 the sport of delusive fancies; and notice that 
 in John 10: 20 the two are both stated as if 
 distinct: 'He has a demon and is mad' ! Thus 
 there is in all this no reason to depart from the 
 plain declarations of Scripture. And the en- 
 trance of the evil spirits into the herd of swine 
 is here in point. It might be possible that swine 
 should have* physical symptoms resesibling 
 insanity, but we could not account for theso 
 being suddenly transferred to thorn from men. 
 (2) The Svang*elist9 and Jesus, in speaking of 
 these possessions ns real, are held to besimply 
 
 gesa Is said to be Gerasa. If the native pronunciation 
 contains the rattling sound, it will then be probable that 
 Gergesenes is the original form, changed to Gerasenes 
 because Gprasa was a familiar name. But in any case, 
 we have now a place called Gergeaa or Gerasa, betide 
 
 the lake, and ndjncent to the territory of Gndnra, and 
 this accounts for the narrative, the various readings in 
 Matt., Mark, and Luke, and the statements of Orlgen 
 and Eusebius.
 
 190 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Ce. VIII. 
 
 employing popular phraseology without en- 
 dorsing it; as when Scripture writers speak 
 of the sun ns rising, standing still, etc. And 
 if Jesus addresses the spirit, bidding it come 
 out, etc., he is supposed to be merely humor- 
 ing the fancy of the deranged person in order 
 to cure him. But if the belief in demoniacal 
 possessions was erroneous, how far-reaching 
 was that error, and how important, especially 
 in that age of great superstition. As to hu- 
 moring, etc., the wisest authorities upon the 
 treatment of the insane now say that that is 
 not the best course; they do not contradict so 
 as to exasperate, but neither do they confirm 
 in delusive fancies they try to divert atten- 
 tion. Thus we should have Jesus adopting a 
 very questionable mode of treatment, which 
 would encourage a most injurious error, 
 when he was able to heal in any way he 
 pleased. See too (Trench), how distinctly 
 false his sayings would become. We speak 
 of lunatics, using the popular term without 
 meaning to endorse the idea in which it had 
 its origin, that such persons are powerfully 
 affected by the moon (in Latin luna); but 
 suppose one addressing the moon, bidding it 
 cease troubling the man, etc., that would be 
 falsehood ; and in our Lord's case such gratu- 
 itous deception is incredible. (3) Why should 
 these possessions occur only about the time of 
 our Lord's sojourn upon the earth ? It is not 
 absolutely certain that they do not always 
 exist; and mere uncertainty on that point 
 destroys the force of the objection, as an ob- 
 jection. But we can see a reason why they 
 should occur only then; or should then be 
 especially manifested and recognized. The 
 Eternal Word was then manifesting himself 
 in the flesh ; and thus the great struggle which 
 is always going on was brought out into visible 
 appearance, so as to exhibit in a visible and 
 striking way the absolute powerlessness of the 
 evil spirits to contend against God. (Comp. 
 nt the beginning of chap. 4, as to the appear- 
 nnce of Satan in bodily form.) (4) The thing 
 itself is so hard to understand. Butthis might 
 be expected in such a subject. And can we 
 understand the union of the divine and human 
 nature in the person of Jesus ; the action of 
 the Holy Spirit on the human spirit; or the 
 connection of our own mind and body? Yet 
 none the less are all these facts. 
 It appears then that the demoniacal posses- 
 
 sions are to be received as a reality. And thus 
 regarded they are not only wonderful, but in- 
 structive. The expulsion of the evil spirits by 
 Jesus and his apostles, was a signal exhibition 
 of the beneficent character of the gospel and 
 of the Saviour; a striking proof of his divine 
 mission ; and an impressive manifestation of 
 that victory over Satan by our Lord, which is 
 real already, and shall in due time be com- 
 plete. Finally, we thus vindicate as correct 
 the plain, obvious meaning of Scripture state- 
 ments, which, seeing that the Scriptures were 
 written for the people, is a matter of great im- 
 portance. The Gospel of John does not men- 
 tion the castingout of demons by Jesus (though 
 it refers to the popular belief in demoniacal 
 possessions, John 7: 20; 8: 48-52; 10: 20 f.). 
 But we must remember that John mentions 
 very few incidents of our Saviour's ministry, 
 usually such only as formed the occasion of 
 some remarkable discourse. Demoniacal pos- 
 sessions are not mentioned in the Old Test, 
 nor the Apocrypha, nor (Edersheim) in the 
 Mishna, yet are repeatedly mentioned in 
 Josephus ("Ant.," 6, 8, 2; 6, 11, 3; 8, 2, 5; 
 "War," 7, 6, 3). But the popular Jewish 
 views were quite different from those of the 
 New Test. (Edersh. App. XVI.) (As to 
 'devil ' and 'demon,' see below on v. 31.) 
 
 Coming out of the tombs. Driven from 
 the town by the fears of the people or by 
 their own frenzy, the poor demoniacs would 
 find the caves, or chambers hewn in the rock, 
 and appropriated to the dead, a convenient 
 and perhaps congenial abode ; though no Jew 
 in his right mind would dwell in a tomb, 
 which would make him in the ceremonial 
 sense perpetually unclean. Such rocky tombs 
 still abound in the mountains lying east of 
 the southern part of the lake. Luke (8:27) 
 seems in Com. Ver. to contradict Matthew s 
 statement, saying, 'There met him out of the 
 city a certain man.' but the correct rendering 
 of Luke is, 'there met him a certain man out 
 of the city," viz., a man who was a citizen of 
 the city. So that no man might pass by 
 that way, viz., along the road that passed 
 near the tombs, and led from the place at 
 which the boat had landed towards the city. 
 The unfortunate men had first rushed forth 
 to meet Jesus and his followers, precisely as 
 they had often done to others who came along 
 the road. Mark and Luke give many addi-
 
 CH. VIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 191 
 
 29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have 
 we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God ? art thou 
 cuuie hither to torment us belore the time? 
 
 3D And there was a good way ott' from them a herd 
 of many swine feeding. 
 
 31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast 
 us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. 
 
 29 way. And behold, they cried out, saying. What 
 have we to do with thee, thou Son of God? art 
 thou come hither to torment us before the time? 
 
 30 Now there was afar ott' from them a herd of many 
 
 31 swine feeding. And the demons besought him, 
 saying, If thou cast us out, send us away into the 
 
 32 herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And 
 
 tional particulars concerning the more con- 
 spicuous demoniac whom they describe. 
 
 29. And, behold, calling special attention, 
 as in v. 24, 32, 34, and very often in Matthew. 
 What have we to do with thee, literally, 
 1 What (is there) to us and thee,' a phrase 
 found in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin (Buttm., 
 j\ 238), and which obviously means, what 
 have we in common, what have we to do with 
 each other? It would express a severe rebuke 
 
 (23am. 1:10; Elra*:s), or a mild repulse ( John * : 4), 
 
 according to the circumstances, the relation 
 of the parties, and the manner of utterance. 
 Thou Son of God. The name Jesus was 
 wrongly inserted here in many document?, 
 l>y way of assimilation to Mark and Luke. 
 It is evident that the men spoke what the 
 evil spirits thought and felt. We cannot de- 
 termine just how much these dark beings did 
 feel. It is likely that they very imperfectly 
 understood what was involved in calling 
 Jesus the Son of God; and the same was 
 probably true of Satan, their chief (comp. on 
 4:3). Mark (s:iif.) declares this testimony 
 to have been given in all cases, but he may 
 be referring only to a particular period of 
 our Lord's ministry. To torment us 
 before the time. The word rendered 
 'time' means 'occasion,' 'season,' etc. 
 (See on 11 : 25.) The evil spirits were per- 
 suaded that a worse torment than they had 
 ever endured awaited them at some future 
 period, and they shrank from the thought 
 that the Son of God might be about to inflict 
 such aggravated torment by anticipation. 
 We are told in Jude 6 that this future occa- \ 
 MOII is "the judgment of the great day," after 
 which time Satan and his agents "shall be 
 tormented day and night forever and ever." 
 (BT. 20:10.) There are striking contradictions 
 in the conduct of the demoniacs; they came 
 forth fiercely to meet Jesus and his followers; 
 as they drew near they 'ran and worshipped 
 him' (Mark5:6); and now they speak words of 
 dread and dislike. Such self-contradictions, 
 such sudden changes of feeling, would seem 
 perfectly natural for one possessed by an evil 
 spirit; at one moment he expresses his own 
 
 feeling of distress and need, at another he 
 speaks for the dreadful being who occupies 
 and controls him. 
 
 30. A good long way from them, the 
 same Greek term as in Luke 15: 20 and Acts 
 22: 21. The old Latin and the Vulgate, fol- 
 lowed of course by Wyclif and Rheims, have 
 'not a long way ' probably to avoid a supposed 
 conflict with Mark (= ") and Luke ( sz), who 
 aay 'there was there a herd,' etc. Tyndale 
 and his followers, accustomed to read the 
 Vulgate, seem to have had the same fear, so 
 that while following the Greek in omitting 
 'not' they yet softened the expression into 'a 
 good way.' But 'a long way' is obviously 
 a relative expression, signifying a greater or 
 less distance according to circumstances. 
 Matthew apparently wished to show that the 
 herd was too far off to be frightened by the 
 demoniacs. Absurd as such a fancy might 
 seem there have not been wanting "rational- 
 ists" of recent times to say that the "maniacs" 
 ran in among the herd, and terrified them 
 into a stampede (see even Ewald); or that 
 the convulsions and cries attendant upon their 
 healing had that effect. Mark and Luke 
 simply tell us that the herd was there, with- 
 out saying that it was near or far away ; 
 and Mark, according to his custom of giving 
 descriptive details, adds ' near the mountain,' 
 that is, the mountain range which runs along 
 near the eastern side of the lake. (See on 4: 
 18.) A herd of many swine. Mark says 
 they were 'about two thousand.' 
 
 31. And the devils (demons) besought 
 him. The word 'devil ' (see on 4: 1) is a con- 
 traction of diabolos, the Greek name of him 
 who is in the Hebrew called Satan. This 
 Greek word is applied in Scripture only to 
 Satan, never to his subordinates, who are de- 
 scribed by dnimon, from which we derive 
 demon, demoniac, etc., or dnlmonion, a 
 diminutive form with equivalent meaning. 
 The term 'devil' has become familiar to Eng- 
 lish usage as denoting cither Satan or one of 
 hi subordinates, and the English Revisers of 
 1881 were unwilling to abandon it; while tho 
 American Revisers preferred 'demon,' which
 
 192 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. VIII. 
 
 32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were 
 come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, be- 
 hold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a 
 steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. 
 
 33 And they that kept them fled, and went their 
 ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was 
 befallen in the (kMaeritefl of the devils. 
 
 34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet 
 
 they came out, and went into the swine: and behold, 
 the whole herd rushed down the steep into the sea, 
 
 33 and perished in the waters. And they that lea 
 them fled, and went away into the city, and told 
 every thing, and what was befallen to them that 
 
 34 were l possessed with demons. And behold, all the 
 city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw 
 
 1 Or, demoniacs. 
 
 is certainly much better ; for sometimes it is 
 important to distinguish between the two 
 words. Matthew speaks of the demons with- 
 out intimating whether there were simply two, 
 one in each possessed person, or more. Mark 
 and Luke say that the more conspicuous per- 
 son declared himself possessed by a legion of 
 demons, and the full Roman legion of that 
 day amounted to six thousand men. The cor- 
 rect reading here is not suffer us to go away, 
 resembling Luke 8: 32, but send us away, re- 
 sembling Mark 5 : 12. 
 
 32. Go or, go along 'away with you,' 
 the same word as in 4 : 10 ; 5 : 24, 41 ; 8 : 4, 13. 
 The whole herd. Some copyists made the 
 useless addition 'of swine.' A steep place, 
 literally, the precipice i. e., the one leading 
 from the plain on which they were feeding, 
 into the sea. And perished. The word is 
 really ' died^ (so Geneva, Rheims, Darby, 
 Davidson), and there was never anything 
 gained by substituting Tyndale's 'perished.' 
 Swine are extremely averse to entering deep 
 water, and require to be forced into it; so 
 there could be no mistake here as to the cause. 
 The fact that irrational animals were thus pos- 
 sessed by the evil spirits shows that the posses- 
 sion of men cannot have been merely a matter 
 of imagination or insanity. (See on v. 28.) 
 
 The question has often been raised, How 
 was it right for our Lord to destroy so much 
 valuable property? We need not have re- 
 course to the supposition that the owners were 
 Jews, whom the law forbade to eat swine and 
 the Scribes forbade to keep them, and that so 
 their property was confiscated. It is enough 
 to say that the Saviour was acting in the ex- 
 ercise of Divine Sovereignty. Stier : "The 
 question why our Lord permitted the demons 
 to enter the swine, is already answered by 
 another question Why had the Lord permit- 
 ted them to enter the men ?" Godet : " It is 
 one of those cases in which the power, by its 
 
 very nature, guarantees the right." All the 
 other miracles of Jesus, save this, and the de- 
 struction of the fig-tree (see on 21 : 19), were 
 purely beneficent in their character and ten- 
 dency. Moreover the important lessons we 
 may learn from this extraordinary occurrence, 
 the light it sheds on the reality of demoniacal 
 possessions, will amply account for the de- 
 struction of property. 
 
 It has also been inquired why the demons, 
 after earnestly begging permission to take 
 refuge in the swine, should immediately cause 
 them to destroy themselves. It may be sup- 
 posed that in their malignity they took delight 
 in doing any harm, even destroying property. 
 Theophylact and Euthymius think they 
 wished to destroy the swine for the purpose of 
 prejudicing the owners against Jesus a result 
 which actually followed. 
 
 33. And they that kept i. e., fed them. 
 The word is rendered 'feed' in the parallel 
 passages of Mark and Luke, and everywhere 
 else in the New Test., and it was very little 
 worth while for the King James Version, in 
 its passion for variety (and following Great 
 Bible) to employ here another word, 'kept.' 
 Went their ways into the city, vi/;., 
 Gerasa (Khersa, see on v. 28.) And told 
 every thing, and what had happened, 
 etc. literally, and the (things) of the demon- 
 ized, what had happened to them. The first 
 thing told would reluctantly be the loss of the 
 swine, the rest being secondary in the view of 
 the swine-herds. 
 
 34. And, behold, for this too was won- 
 derful. (Comp. v. 24, 29, 32.) The whole 
 city, an obvious and natural hyperbole, such 
 as we frequently employ. (Comp. on 3, 6.) 
 Luke (8:34,37) adds that the swine-herds had 
 carried the news, not only into the city, but 
 into the fields, and that all the multitude of 
 the surrounding country of the Gerasenes 
 came forth. That he would depart 1 out 
 
 1 This is a nonfinal use of hopos, corresponding to a common New Test, use of hina (see on 5 : 29), and found 
 in Homer (Goodwin's " Moods and Tenses.")
 
 CH. VIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 193 
 
 Jesus : and when they saw him, they besought him that 
 he would depart out of their coasts. 
 
 AND he entered into a ship, and passed over, and 
 came into his own city. 
 
 him, they besought him that he would depart from 
 their borders. 
 1 And he entered into a boat, and crossed over, and 
 
 
 out of their coasts. 'From' and not 'out 
 of,' see on 3: 16. 'Borders' rather than 
 'coasts,' as in 2: 16, Kev. Ver. ; 4: 13. 'De- 
 part' is not the word commonly thus ren- 
 dered, but signifies literally, to remove, trans- 
 fer oneself. Why did they wish him to 
 reave? Partly, no doubt, because their prop- 
 erty had been destroyed, and they feared 
 other losses, partly also (see already Theod. 
 Mops., Jerome, in Cat.), because their con- 
 science was aroused by such an exhibition of 
 divine power, and conscious of guilt they felt 
 uneasy in his presence. Compare the feelings 
 of Peter after the miraculous draught of 
 fishes (Luke 5: s), and contrast the conduct of 
 the Samaritans of Sychar. (Jotm:4o.) While 
 meekly retiring at the request of the fright- 
 ened people, he left them efficient teachers in 
 the men who had been dispossessed (LukeSissr.); 
 and he afterwards revisited their country. 
 (15:29.) This miracle forms the most instruct- 
 ive and impressive instance of demoniacal 
 possession found in the Gospels. The whole 
 scene appears before us with a vivid and ter- 
 rible reality. 
 
 Ch. 9: 1. This sentence is the end of the 
 narrative beginning with 8 : 18, and should by 
 all means have formed a part of the preceding 
 chapter. Comp. on 10: 1. Mark (5:i8ir.) and 
 Luke (:38f.) relate that when Jesus had en- 
 tered the boat, the man who had been deliv- 
 ered begged to go with him, but was sent back 
 to tell what God had done for him. (Comp. 
 on 8: 4.) Passed over, and came into 
 his own city, viz., Capernaum. (See on 4: 
 13.) Chrys. remarks (Cat.), "For Bethle- 
 hem bore him, Nazareth reared him, Caper- 
 naum was his residence." 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 19 f. The Scribe : 1) Willing, (a) to ac- 
 cept the teachings of Jesus, (b) to share his j 
 fortunes. 2) Warned, to count the cost of fol- | 
 lowing him; comp. Luke 14: 28-33. 8) Went i 
 on, notwithstanding. So let us suppose he 
 did, and so let us do. Ministers and churches 
 ought to note the Saviour's example in regard 
 to this Scribe, and declare plainly to all who j 
 propose to be his followers, what it is they are 
 undertaking. In dealing with a Scribe, with \ 
 
 N 
 
 any person of superior cultivation and posi- 
 tion, we are in danger of too readily taking for 
 granted that he understands the whole matter. 
 RYLE: "Nothing has done more harm to 
 Christianity than the practice of filling the 
 ranks of Christ's army with every volunteer 
 who is willing to make a little profession, and 
 talk fluently of his experience." STIER: 
 " Nothing was less aimed at by our Lord than 
 to have followers, unless they were genuine 
 and sound ; he is as far from desiring this as 
 it would have been easy to attain it." V. 20. 
 Jesus the wandering missionary. V. 21 f. 
 Even the strongest natural feelings must some- 
 times give way to Christian duties. Even 
 sacred natural duties may have to be disre- 
 garded for Christ's sake. How much less then 
 should any ordinary matters turn us away 
 from spiritual thoughts or activities. THE- 
 OPHYL. : "We must honor our parents, but 
 honor God still more highly." LUTTEROTH : 
 "What good thing could be accomplished on 
 earth if affections mustoverride obligations?" 
 HENRY : "An unwilling mind never lacks an 
 excuse. Many are hindered from and in the 
 way of serious godliness, by an over-concern 
 for their families and relations." 
 
 V. 23. BENGEL: "Jesus had a traveling 
 school ; and in that school the disciples were 
 much more solidly instructed than if they had 
 lived under a college roof without any anx- 
 iety and temptation." V. 24. Contrast Jesus 
 and Jonah sleeping amid a storm. CHRYS. : 
 "Their very alarm was a profitable occur- 
 rence, that the miracle might appear greater, 
 and their remembrance of the event be ren- 
 dered lasting. . . . Therefore also he sleeps ; 
 for had he been awake when it happened, 
 either they would not have feared, or they 
 would not have besought him, or they would 
 not have even thought of his being able to do 
 any such thing. Therefore he sleeps, to give 
 occasion for their timidity, and to make their 
 perception of what was happening more dis- 
 tinct." V. 26. Stilling the tempest. 1) Jesus 
 sleeping soundly amid the storm after a diiy 
 of grent exertion and strain the picture. 2) 
 The disciples afraid, through lack of faith in 
 God they awake the sleeping Master to save 
 them. 3) He stills the tempest by a word
 
 194 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. IX. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the 
 palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said 
 unto the sick of the palsy ; Son, be of good cheer ; thy 
 sins be forgiven thee. 
 
 I 2 came into his own city. And behold, they brought 
 to iiim a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed : and 
 Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the 
 palsy, l Son, be of good cheer ; thy sins are forgiven. 
 
 (comp. Mark 4: 39), as by a word he had 
 healed the centurion's servant. (8:8,13.) 4) 
 The disciples greatly wondering that the 
 winds and the sea obey him ; we no longer 
 wonder, but we too must obey. All the suf- 
 ferings and perils to which in God's provi- 
 dence we may be exposed, are trials of our 
 faith. If we have strong faith we shall not 
 yield to craven fear. " With Christ in the 
 vessel, I smile at the storm." This tempest 
 doubtless proved a great blessing to the disci- 
 ples in strengthening their faith ; and our 
 trials are among our greatest blessings, if they 
 have a similar eifect. Not in the way of ex- 
 egesis, but of illustration, we may say that 
 there are storms in life, stormy passions in the 
 soul, which only Christ can calm. V. 27. 
 NICOLL: "It is incomplete to say that the 
 miracles justify belief in Christ, and it is 
 equally incomplete to say that it is belief in 
 Christ that makes miracles credible. Christ 
 comes before us as a whole his person and his 
 work. It is impossible to separate the two, 
 and we believe in the whole that is, in both." 
 V. 29. CHRYS : "Because the multitudes 
 called him man, the demons came proclaim- 
 ing his Godhead, and they that heard not the 
 sea swelling and subsiding, heard from the 
 demons the same cry, as it, by its calm, was 
 loudly uttering." V. 31. Here was very 
 earnest asking, but we should not call it 
 prayer. And the thing asked was granted, as 
 was Satan's request with respect to Job; yet 
 it was not the prayer which God approves and 
 accepts. Let us beware lest our supplications 
 be sometimes the mere utterance of selfish 
 desire, and not the prayer of a trusting, lov- 
 ing, devout spirit. V. 34. LUTHER : " The 
 mass of men would gladly hold to the gospel, 
 if it did not touch their kitchen and income. 
 If Jesus gives them good things, they can 
 very well endure him; but when he inflicts 
 damage, as here, they say, ' Begone, Jesus, 
 gospel, and all.' " HALL: "O Saviour, thou 
 hast just cause to be weary of us, even while 
 we sue to hold thee; but when once our 
 wretched unthankfulness grows weary of thee, 
 
 who can pity us to be punished with thy de- 
 parture? " 
 
 9. 2-34. FURTHER MIRACLES, WITH 
 CALL OF MATTHEW, AND DISCOURSE AT 
 MATTHEW'S FEAST. 
 
 The series of miracles (see on 8 : 1, 18) is 
 now continued by giving 
 
 I. THE PARALYTIC HEALED, 9: 2-8; 
 comp. Mark 2: 1-12; Luke 6: 17-26. The 
 connection in Mark renders it probable that 
 this miracle preceded the Sermon on the 
 Mount. We have already observed that 
 Matthew is evidently here not following the 
 chronological order, but grouping together 
 certain specimens of our .Lord's actions and 
 sayings in the way best calculated to subserve 
 his object, viz., to establish the Messiahship 
 of Jesus, and exhibit the nature of the Mes- 
 sianic reign. We cannot always see the par- 
 ticular principle on which he groups. But in 
 the present case Alexander has pointed out a 
 natural relation between the events, which ac- 
 counts for their being thrown together. 
 Shortly after the miracle of the two demoni- 
 acs (8:28-34), occurred the raising of the ruler's 
 daughter (9:18-26), as we learn from Mark 5: 
 22; Luke 8: 41. But we see from 9: 18 that 
 the ruler came to Jesus while he was talking 
 with the Pharisees about fasting; and that 
 conversation occurred (v. i*) directly after 
 what he said to the Pharisees in reply to their 
 complaints that he had associated with publi- 
 cans and sinners, at Matthew's feast, (v. IMS.) 
 Now this feast would naturally suggest to the 
 Evangelist's mind his own call to follow 
 Jesus, which led to the feast given some time 
 after the call. (See on v. 10.) But the call oc- 
 curred (v. 9) while Jesus was going away from 
 the house at which he healed the paralytic; 
 and this was a very important, a peculiarly 
 instructive miracle, which it was desirable to 
 introduce. So instead of taking up at once 
 the raising of the ruler's daughter, Matthew 
 first describes the healing of the paralytic 
 (v. 2-8), and his own call, on that same day 
 (v. 9) ; then passes (see on v. 10) to the feast he
 
 CH. IX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 195 
 
 subsequently gave, and the conversation which 
 ensued (v. 10-13,14-17); and thus approaches the 
 case of the ruler's daughter, and the other 
 notable miracle connected therewith (v. 18-26 ) ; 
 afterwards appending two other miracles 
 which took place the same day. (v. 27-31,32-34.) 
 We may also note (Lutteroth) an internal re- 
 lation between the complaint of the Scribes in 
 v. 3, and that of the Pharisees in v. 11, cul- 
 minating in v. 34; and this may have affected 
 the grouping. That the Evangelist's mind 
 should thus have worked according to the 
 natural laws of suggestion, is altogether com- 
 patible with the inspiration of his narrative ; 
 for every part of the Bible bears the impress 
 of human thinking, only preserved by the 
 Spirit from error and guided into all truth, so 
 that the inspired writer says precisely what 
 God would have him say. 
 
 The scene of this miracle was in Capernaum 
 (Mark 2 : i, 12), and quite probably at Peter's 
 house, which might well be our Lord's recog- 
 nized stopping place. Mark and Luke, as is 
 frequently the case, give fuller details than 
 Matthew. Weiss holds that Matthew makes 
 this occur on the street, and thus conflicts 
 with Mark ; but Matthew gives not the 
 slightest hint of locality. What in the world 
 is gained by manufacturing discrepancies? 
 
 2. And behold, see on 8: 2, 24. They 
 brought to him, literally, were bringing, a 
 form of expression which not merely narrates 
 the fact, but depicts it as going on. A man 
 sick of the palsy, a paralytic see on 4 : 24; 
 8:6. Lyingonabed. 'Lying' is the same 
 word as in 8: 6, 14. The 'bed ' was doubtless 
 a thin mattress, or a well-wadded quilt, the 
 inner material being wool. It may have been 
 placed in the present case on a slight frame of 
 wood, making it more comfortable and easier 
 to carry ; but it was usually for ordinary sleep- 
 ing laid on the floor ; while sometimes a more 
 elevated bedstead was employed ; see Mark 
 4: 21, R. V., 'under a bed.' We learn from 
 Mark and Luke that four men were bearing 
 the paralytic on the bed, and that in conse- 
 quence of the great crowd in and about the 
 house where Jesus was, they got on the house- 
 top, broke through the roof, and let him down 
 on his bed into the presence of Jesus. (Comp. 
 
 Edersh.) And Jesns seeing their faith, 
 
 that is, the faith of the bearers and the para- 
 lytic. He was more ready to work miracles for 
 those who had faith, (see on v. 19, 28) ; and 
 where forgiveness of sins was also involved, it 
 was indispensable that the person concerned 
 should have faith. (Comp. on 8 : 3.) ' Seeing ' 
 their faith is of course a mere vivid expression 
 for perceiving, as when we say "I see your 
 motive." The pains they had taken (Mark and 
 Luke) showed their faith all the more plainly. 
 Son, be of good cheer. Literally, Be en- 
 couraged, child, or we should better imitate 
 the simplicity and vigor of the original by say- 
 ing, 'Courage, child.' 'Child' is the literal 
 rendering (marg. Eev. Ver., comp. Darby, 
 Davidson), and is often used in colloquial 
 English as an expression of familiar affection, 
 though not now suited to an elevated style. 
 Comp. 'daughter, v. 22. Thy sins be or, 
 are forgiven, as correctly rendered by Com. 
 Ver. in Luke (& 20.) The Greek verb is not 
 imperative, but indicative, while the old Eng- 
 lish 'be' is used for either. The common 
 Greek text has a perfect tense, meaning 'have 
 been forgiven,' stand forgiven (so in Luke 7: 
 47 f. ; 1 John 2: 12) ; Westcott and Hort have 
 the present tense, which would cause the for- 
 giveness to be conceived of as just then taking 
 place ; it; is not easy to decide which form is 
 the original text. 1 The position of the Greek 
 words makes ' forgiven ' emphatic. No doubt 
 all present were much surprised, when instead 
 of healing the bodily disease, Jesus spoke to 
 the man thus. It seems probable that the dis- 
 ease had in this case resulted from some form 
 of dissipation, such as not unfrequently pro- 
 duces paralysis. Comp. the man at the Pool 
 of Beth esda (John 5: 14, at.;, 'Thou hast become 
 well ; do not sin any more, lest something 
 worse happen to thee.' It would not at all 
 follow that a.ll peculiar diseases and remark- 
 able misfortunes result from some special sin 
 an idea prevalent among the Jews, but dis- 
 tinctly corrected by our Lord. (Johu9:s; Luke 
 is: 2f.) We may not unreasonably think that 
 the poor paralytic was troubled and dispirited, 
 because he felt that his sad disease was the 
 consequence and the merited punishment of 
 his sin ; so the words of Jesus, which surprised 
 
 
 1 The perfect might have been Introduced by way of form of the verb, 
 assimilation to Luke 5: 20 (where there is no variation), Mark 2: 5. 
 or might have been abandoned because it is an unusual | 
 
 There Is a similar difficulty in
 
 196 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. IX. 
 
 3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within 
 themselves, This man blaspheuieth. 
 
 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore 
 think ye evil in your hearts? 
 
 5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven 
 thee : or to say, Arise, and walk ? 
 
 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath 
 power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the 
 sick of tho palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto 
 thine house. 
 
 3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within them- 
 
 4 selves, This man blaspheuieth. Aud Jesus know- 
 ing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in 
 
 5 your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy 
 
 6 sins are forgiven: or to say, Arise, and walk? But 
 that ye may know that the Son of man hath 
 authority on earth to forgive sins (then saith he 
 to the sick of the palsy), Arise, and take up thy bed, 
 
 IManr ancient authorities read, teeing. 
 
 all the bystanders, would be to him precisely 
 in place and full of comfort. Yet it would 
 suffice to say (Schaff) that "the man's con- 
 science was aroused through his sickness," 
 without supposing the disease to have been 
 caused by special sin. 
 
 3. And, behold, this too being remarkable 
 (comp. v. 2). As to the scribes, see on 2: 4. 
 Luke (s : n, Bit. Cn. ver.) mentions that there were 
 present "Pharisees and teachers of the law 
 (the latter being substantially the same as 
 'scribes'), who had come out of every village 
 of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem." Here 
 was quite a crowd of critical hearers. Said 
 within themselves. Comp. on 3: 9. Bias- 
 phemeth. The Greek word, borrowed by us, 
 signifies to speak injuriously, or insultingly, 
 to defame, slander, etc., as in Rom. 3: 8; 1 
 Pet. 4: 4; Tit. 3: 2. From this it was ap- 
 plied to reviling God ; saying anything insult- 
 ing to God, anything impious. The Scribes 
 held Jesus to be blaspheming, because he 
 arrogated to himself a power and right which 
 belonged exclusively to God, viz., that of for- 
 giving sins. This is distinctly expressed by 
 them, in the additional words recorded by 
 Mark and Luke, ' Who can (is able to) for- 
 give sins but God only ? ' He who claimed a 
 power peculiar to God, spoke what was injuri- 
 ous and insulting to God. Yet it is not wise 
 to find here a proof of our Lord's divinity; for 
 he speaks as the Son of man, and speaks of 
 authority given him." (v. e-s, oomp. 28: is.) 
 
 4. Knowing properly, seeing their 
 thoughts, like seeing their faith in v. 2. 1 
 Mark (:) has the expression 'perceived in 
 his spirit that they so reasoned within them- 
 selves.' The faith of the paralytic and his 
 bearers could be seen from their actions ; but 
 to see the unexpressed thoughts of the Scribes 
 required superhuman perceptions. Comp. | 
 
 Luke 6: 8; 9: 47; Mark 12: 16; John 2: 
 24 f; 4: 29. Wherefore think ye evil in 
 
 your hearts? The 'heart,' according to 
 Scripture use, is regarded as the seat of the 
 thoughts as well as the affections. (See on 6 : 
 21.) Jesus replies not only with a mild re- 
 buke, but with a proof that he was not blas- 
 pheming. 
 
 5. For whether or, which is easier ! 
 It was as easy to say one as the other, viz., to 
 say it with effect. Euthym : " Both were pos- 
 sible for God, both impossible for man." In 
 the case of the healing they could test the 
 reality uf the power he claimed ; and from 
 this they ought to infer that he possessed the 
 other power also, seeing that he claimed to 
 possess it, and that one who could work a 
 miracle ought to be believed. They had 
 already had many proofs at Capernaum of 
 his power to work miracles. We are often 
 told at the present day that Jesus always re- 
 lied on his teaching to convince men, and not 
 at all on his miracles ; but here he distinctly 
 appeals to miracles as establishing the truth 
 of his teachings. 
 
 6'. The Son of man, our Lord's favorite 
 designation of himself, see on 8 : 20. Power. 
 The word thus rendered is much used through- 
 out the N. T. It signifies primarily, per- 
 mission (license, privilege), then authority, 
 (dominion, rule, etc.), and this sometimes 
 suggests ability and power. The word very 
 often conveys two of these ideas at once, as 
 privilege and power (Jonni: 12), authority and 
 power. (John 19: 10.) Comp. on 7:29; 28: 18. 
 The Rev. Ver. has everywhere else in Matt, 
 rendered 'authority,' and it would have been 
 better to do so here, as is done by the Ameri- 
 can Revisers, Davidson, and Noyes. In this 
 passage it is meant that Jesus has authority to 
 forgive sins, and the power which such au- 
 
 1 Obvious as is the meaning of this, several MSS. (in- 
 cluding B) and several early versions took the trouble 
 to change it to ' knowing ' ; this is adopted of course by 
 
 W H. (who cannot forsake B), and is unwisely fol- 
 lowed by Rev. Version. How can we account for a 
 change of ' knowing ' into ' seeing ' ?
 
 CH. IX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 197 
 
 7 And he arose, and departed to his house. 
 
 8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, 
 and glorified God, which had given such power unto 
 men. 
 
 9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a 
 man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: 
 and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and 
 followed him. 
 
 7 and go unto thy house. And he arose, and departed 
 
 8 to his house. But when the multitudes saw it, they 
 were afraid, and glorified God, who had given such 
 authority unto men. 
 
 9 And as Jesus passed by from thence, he saw a man, 
 called Matthew, sitting at the place of toll : and he 
 saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and fol- 
 lowed him. 
 
 tliority carries with it; this power is alluded 
 to by the phrase, '"Who can, (Mark 2: 7, Luke 5:21), 
 and 'Which is easier (v.s.Bib.un. ver.). The 
 word 'authority' is in this passage so placed 
 as to be emphatic, 'the Son of man hath 
 authority,' etc. And while they naturally 
 thought of forgiveness of sins as performed 
 only by God in heaven, he will show them 
 that the Son of man hath authority on earth 
 to forgive sins. Comp. the authority to judge, 
 John 5 : 27. He does not proceed to tell the 
 Scribes what he will do to prove his authority, 
 but turns to the paralytic and lets them see. 
 Take up thy bed. Being such as described 
 on v. 2, a man could easily take it up and 
 carry it. Go, or 'go along,' not said severely, 
 as in 4: 10, but kindly, as in 8: 13; the word 
 taking color from the connection. 
 
 7 f. What a moment of suspense for all the 
 beholders some hoping, others fearing 1 , that 
 the man would indeed show himself to be 
 healed. What a thrill must have passed 
 through the crowd, as he arose and went off. 
 How the Scribes must have been abashed and 
 confounded. The paralytic went away 'glori- 
 fying God' (Lftke5:25); we can imagine his 
 feelings of joy and gratitude, when he found 
 himself carrying the bed which had carried 
 him, treading the earth in vigor and health 
 again, yea, and with his sins all forgiven. The 
 effect upon the bystanders at large is stated in 
 v. 8. But when the multitudes the crowds 
 saw it. 'Crowds' is the same word as in 
 5: 1. They marvelled better, feared this, 
 and not ' wondered,' being pretty certainly 
 the correct reading of the text. 1 They felt 
 that alarm and painful uneasiness which is 
 apt to be awakened in the bosom of sinful man 
 by anything that seems to bring God nearer 
 
 to him. (Luke5:8;oomp. above on 8 : 34. ) But this 
 
 alarm quickly passed into praise, and they 
 glorified God, which had given such power 
 unto to men. (Comp. Luke 5: 26.) Regard- 
 
 ing Jesus as only a man, it was right that 
 they should give the glory to God. ($ is.) 
 And they probably did not consider this au- 
 thority and power as peculiar to him, but as 
 bestowed on men, and possible for others also. 
 It was true, in a sense which cannot have en- 
 tered into their thoughts, that what was given 
 to Jesus was given to mankind. 
 
 Before proceeding to further miracles, the 
 Evangelist narrates 
 
 II. THE CALL OF MATTHEW, AND CON- 
 VERSATION AT A FEAST HE GAVE, 9: 9-17. 
 These are also described in Mark 2: 13-22; 
 Luke 5: 27-39. 
 
 9. And as Jesus passed forth from 
 thence. Mark (2 : i) shows that this occurred 
 immediately after the healing of the paralytic, 
 as implied in Matthew's ' from thence.' Sit- 
 ting at the receipt of custom custom-house 
 (so translated in Rheims) probably the place 
 for receiving tolls on the fishing and trade of 
 the lake. The Romans laid taxes, as the 
 Syrian kings had done before them, on almost 
 everything. (See details in Edersh.) Mat- 
 thew. Luke calls him 'Lev!,' and Mark 
 ' Levi, the son of Alpheus.' It had become 
 very common for a Jew to bear two names; 
 and probably the first readers of the different 
 Gospels would readily understand that Levi, 
 the son of Alpheus, was also called Matthew. 
 (The name Matthaias, Mattai, might mean 
 simply 'given,' like Nathan; or else might 
 be a contraction of Mattijah, 'gift of Jeho- 
 vah,' like Jonathan, Nethaniah.) It would 
 be natural that Matthew should give only the 
 name by which he was known as an apostle, 
 which Mark and Luke also give in their lists 
 
 of the apostles (Mark3:18; Lnke8: 15), and should 
 
 avoid, as Paul did, the name associated with 
 his former life. Some argue that this Mat- 
 thew was not the Evangelist, since he is spoken 
 of in the third person ; but it has always been 
 common, in ancient and modern times, for 
 
 1 Superficial students and copyists would fail to see nal probability here concurs with the testimony of the 
 the deep meaning of 'feared' in this case, and change early MSS. and versions, 
 it to the more obvious term ' wondered.' So the inter- '
 
 198 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. IX. 
 
 10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the 
 house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and 
 sat down with him and his disciples. 
 
 10 And it cauie to pass, as he J sat at meat in the 
 house, behold, many publicans and sinners came 
 
 1 Gr. reclined : and so always. 
 
 writers thus to speak of themselves; and the 
 apostle John, in his Gospel, employs elaborate 
 circumlocutions to avoid even mentioning his 
 own name. Luke here tells us (Luke 5:27) that 
 Matthew was a publican, which is implied in 
 the narratives of Matthew and Mark, and 
 stated by Matthew in the list. (io:s) As to 
 the publicans, see on 5: 46; and as to Matthew, 
 see further on 10: 3. And he arose and 
 followed him. Luke says 1 (5:28, Bib. un. ver.), 
 ' And leaving all, he arose,' etc. Matthew 
 dbes not mention this, because it would 
 have been speaking in his own praise, 
 which the Evangelists never do. (Comp. 
 on v. 10.) We can account for his imme- 
 diately leaving all and following Jesus by 
 the reasonable supposition that at the place 
 of toll by the lake-side he had often seen and 
 heard him, and had gradually become pre- 
 pared in mind to obey such a call. It is even 
 possible that he had been following Jesus be- 
 fore, and only now attached himself perma- 
 nently to him (comp. on 4: 18 ff.). At the 
 same time we may be sure there was some- 
 thing deeply impressive in the Saviour's tone 
 and look as he spoke the simple words. (Comp. 
 John 18: 6.) Observe that while all of the 
 Twelve seem to have been men in humble life, 
 Matthew belonged to a class greatly despised. 
 The Talmud (Edersh.) distinguishes custom- 
 house officials from other tax-gatherers, and 
 speaks of them with peculiar hate, probably 
 because their extortions were more frequent 
 and more manifest. This publican Matthew, 
 and the notorious persecutor Saul, were as 
 unlikely, humanly speaking, to become apos- 
 tles of Christ as any men that could be found. 
 Yet such has been the work of sovereign 
 grace in every age of Christianity. 
 
 10. "We have now the account of some con- 
 versation that arose while Jesus and his disci- 
 ples were eating at Matthew's house, in com- 
 pany with many publicans and sinners. It is 
 clear from v. 14 and Luke 5: 33 that the in- 
 quiry about fasting and the Saviour's reply 
 occurred during this meal ; and from v. 18, 
 that the ruler's request to come and raise his 
 daughter was made while Jesus was speaking 
 in response to that inquiry. But from Mark 
 
 5: 22 f., and Luke 8 : 41 f., we see that the 
 raising of the ruler's daughter took place after 
 our Lord's return from Gadara, and thus at a 
 much Inter period than the healing of the 
 paralytic and the call of Matthew. We 
 therefore conclude that the feast was actually 
 given by Matthew a considerable time after 
 his call, and that it is merely introduced by 
 him, and also by Mark and Luke, in connec- 
 tion with the call, because it was natural to 
 bring the two together, thereby completing at 
 once all that had any personal relation to this 
 apostle. It thus appears that all three put the 
 case of Jairus' daughter in its actual chrono- 
 logical position, and all three bring together 
 the call and the feast, although they were 
 really separated by a considerable interval ; 
 the difference is, that Mark and Luke tell of 
 the paralytic and the call at the early period 
 when they occurred, adding the feast by 
 anticipation, and then some time afterwards 
 introduce the healing of Jairus' daughter, 
 which we know immediately followed the 
 feast; while Matthew puts the feast in its real 
 chronological connection with the application 
 of Jairus, and just before the feast introduces 
 the call (which had occurred earlier) and the 
 healing of the paralytic, which preceded the 
 call. (Comp. on v. 2.) Any one who will 
 take the trouble thoroughly to grasp the facts, 
 will see that this view removes ail the diffi- 
 cultj T attendant upon harmonizing the three 
 Gospels at this point, a thing which has often 
 been declared impossible. We need not feel 
 bound, nor imagine ourselves able, to remove 
 all such discrepancies, but it is surely worth 
 while to do so when practicable. If the ner- 
 vous harmonizers stand at one extreme, the 
 scornful despisers of harmonizing certainly 
 stand at the other. 
 
 And it came to pass, the same word as in 
 1: 22; 5: 18; 6: 10; 7: 28; 8: 13. As Jesus 
 sat at meat, etc., better, while he icas re- 
 dining in the house, comp. on 8: 11, where the 
 Greek word is similar and substantially 
 equivalent. Matthew omits to mention whose 
 house it was ; probably he omitted it through 
 modesty (comp. on v. 9), or perhaps 'the 
 house' seemed enough in his vivid recollec-
 
 CH. IX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 199 
 
 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his ! 11 and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. And 
 
 disciples, Why eateth your master with publicans and 
 sinners ? 
 
 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, 
 They that be whole need not a physician, but they that 
 are sick. 
 
 when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his dis- 
 ciples, Why eateth your 1 Master with the publicans 
 12 and sinners? But when he heard it, he said, They 
 that are z whole have no need of a physician, but 
 
 1 Or, Teacher 2 Or. strong. 
 
 tion; though it is implied in the connection ; 
 Mark (2 : is) and Luke (5 : w) distinctly state that 
 it was Levi's house, and Luke says that ' Levi 
 made a great feast ' (literally ' reception ' ) in 
 his house.' This would indicate that he 
 possessed some means ; he seems to have sac- 
 rificed a somewhat lucrative position in order 
 to follow Jesus. Meyer's attempt to make 
 'the house' here mean Jesus' own house, 
 and thus to bring Matthew into conflict with 
 Mark and Luke, is strained and uncalled for. 
 Even Keim and Weiss understand it to be 
 Matthew's house. Behold, see on 8:2, 29. 
 Many publicans and sinners came and 
 sat down, or, were reclining. As to the pub- 
 licans, see on 5: 46. The Jews were accus- 
 tomed to call those persons 'sinners' who 
 lived in open violation of the moral or cere- 
 monical law ; and they shrank from contact 
 with all such as polluting. Matthew's previous 
 associations had brought him into connection 
 not only with publicans, but with all those 
 other men, who, disregarding many of the 
 prevailing religious observances, and feeling 
 themselves to be objects of popular dislike, 
 naturally flocked together. Luke's expres- 
 sion as to the number present is still stronger, 
 'a great crowd.' Mark (:i&) mentions that 
 these ' followed ' Jesus, as if of their own ac- 
 cord. This is not inconsistent with the idea 
 that Matthew invited them in, while it im- 
 plies that the feast was a sort of public affair, 
 which agrees with the fact that the Pharisees 
 appear to have pressed in as spectators, (v. n.) 
 Matthew doubtless wished to show respect to 
 his Teacher by inviting a numerous company 
 to meet him, perhaps asking in every one 
 who followed Jesus toward his house. At 
 the same time he must have had some cher- 
 ished friends among these despised men, some 
 whom he knew to have better stuff in them 
 than was generally supposed, and to have 
 been driven by popular neglect and scorn into 
 association with abandoned persons; and he 
 would hope that they might be benefited by be- 
 ing in company with Jesus and hearing what 
 he said. The example deserves imitation. 
 
 Imagine" the character of the general con- 
 versation at this great entertainment. We 
 should not suppose that the presence or the 
 words of Jesus chilled the guests into a dead 
 stillness; that he showed a lack of sympathy 
 with the common concerns and feelings of 
 mankind. He was not proud, haughty, and 
 forbidding, like many of the Kabbis, but was 
 meek and lowly, kind and gentle, and every- 
 thing about him tended to attract men rather 
 than repel. Whatever he spoke of, it would 
 be in a spirit marked by fidelity to truth, and 
 yet by delicate consideration for the feelings 
 of others. Aud when it was appropriate to 
 introduce distinctively religious topics, we 
 can see with what ease and aptness he would 
 bring them in, from striking examples in 
 Luke 14: 7, 12, 15, 16, and John 4: 10, 16. 
 
 11. It is plain that these Pharisees were 
 not themselves guests at the feast, for in that 
 case they would have been doing the very 
 thing they complained of in Jesus. Probably 
 they pressed into the house before the feast 
 ended, in order to hear what Jesus would be 
 saying. In Luke 7: 36 ff. no surprise is ex- 
 pressed at the woman's entering the dining- 
 room, and no objection made by the host. 
 Pharisees, see on 3:7. Why eateth your 
 master (or your teacher, didaskalos, see on 8: 
 19), with (the) publicans and sinners? The 
 two nouns with but one article present the two 
 classes as forming but one group. According 
 to the prevailing Jewish ideas, a Rabbi, of all 
 men, "ought carefully to avoid all intercourse 
 with such persons." There was not only the 
 social objection to "keeping low company," 
 but the constant dread of ceremonial pollu- 
 tion, from coming in contact with persons 
 likely to be ceremonially unclean (Mark 7: 4); 
 and also that feeling so natural to man. which 
 says, "Stand back; lam holier than thou." 
 (iia. 65:5.) Accordingly, our Lord was fre- 
 quently met with the objection hero made to 
 
 his COUrse. (ll: 19; Iukel5:2ff.) 
 
 12 f. He said, the correct text omitting 
 'Jesus' and 'to them.' The disciples told 
 their Teacher of the question which hud been
 
 200 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. IX. 
 
 13 But go ye and learn what that meanetb, I will have 
 mercy, aud uot sacrifice : for I am not come to call the 
 righteous, but sinners to repentance. 
 
 13 they that are sick. But go ye and learn what thin 
 iiieaneth, I desire mercy, aud not sacrifice: for I 
 came uot to call the righteous, but sinners. 
 
 asked. They were themselves as yet very im- 
 perfectly freed from the erroneous Jewish 
 conceptions of the Messiah's work, and would 
 probably find it difficult to explain why Jesus 
 should pursue such a course. It was cunning 
 in the Pharisees to ask them, in hope of turn- 
 ing them away from their Teacher. It ap- 
 pears from the connection, and is distinctly 
 stated by Luke (5: so, si), that his reply was ad- 
 dressed especially to the Pharisees, witli whom 
 the question had started. This reply embraces 
 three points: (1) an argument from analogy; 
 (2) an appeal to Scripture; (3) an express 
 declaration that his mission was to men as 
 sinners, and so he was now acting accord- 
 ingly. In like manner Paul, 1 Cor. 9: 7, 
 presents first an argument from the analogy 
 of men's common modes of action, and after- 
 wards an argument from Scripture. (1) They 
 that be whole, or are strong, stout, well, 
 comp. the connection of the English words 
 hale, health, whole. Luke 5: 31 has literally, 
 'they that are in health.'' But they that are 
 sick, or ill, the same expression as in 4: 24; 
 8 : 16. The order of the Greek words puts an 
 emphasis on need not. The force of the il- 
 lustration is manifest; the physician goes 
 among the sick, and why should not the 
 teacher of salvation go among sinners? Here 
 is a lesson needed in every age, for we are too 
 apt to hold ourselves aloof from the vile and 
 disreputable, when kind and patient efforts 
 might win some of them to better things. At 
 the same time we must, like the physician, 
 take great pains to avoid the contagion of 
 the diseases we seek to cure. Arid if our 
 good is evil spoken of, as happened here 
 to our Lord, we should be careful not to afford 
 any just occasion or excuse for such reproach. 
 (2) The second point of his reply is an appeal 
 to Scripture. But go ye and learn. The 
 Rabbis frequently employed the same form- 
 ula, "go ye and learn," indicating that one 
 needs further reflection or information on the 
 subject in hand. This was a severe rebuke to 
 Scribes (Luke 5: so) and Pharisees, who assumed 
 and were popularly supposed to be particu- 
 larly versed in Scripture. Learn what that 
 meaneth (literally is), i. e., the following 
 saying. The passage is referred to as familiar 
 
 to them, while yet they were quite ignorant 
 of its real meaning. The Old Test, through- 
 out, when rightly understood, agreed with the 
 teachings of Jesus. I will have (wish, desire) 
 mercy, and not sacrifice, quoted according 
 to the Hebrew. (HOS. 6:6.) The Hebrew word 
 includes the ideas of kindness and compassion 
 toward men, and of piety towards God. So 
 piety and pity are originally the same word. 
 Hosea's connection shows thafr the word was 
 by him taken in the widest sense, but the single 
 idea of kindness or mercy is all that is here 
 necessary to the connection. The absolute 
 statement 'and not sacrifice,' is not intended 
 to be taken literally, but as a strong expres- 
 sion of preference for mercy. (Comp. Luko 
 14: 12.) The idea is,I wish kindly feeling and 
 conduct toward others, especially toward the 
 needy and suffering, rather than the externals 
 of religion of which sacrifice was then the 
 most important. So the Sept. translates, 'I 
 wish mercy rather than sacrifice.' Or the 
 passage might be expressed, I wish kindness, 
 and I do not want sacrifice without this. The 
 rendering ' I will have mercy,' which Com. 
 Ver. took from Great Bible and Geneva, is 
 very apt to mislead, because to have mercy 
 now usually means to exercise it. The mere 
 externals of religion are offensive to God, 
 where its spirit and life are absent. The Phar- 
 isees were extremely particular to avoid that 
 external, ceremonial pollution which they 
 might incur by mixing with the publicans and 
 sinners, but were not anxious to show them 
 kindness or do them good. Notice that it is 
 Matthew only that records this argument 
 drawn from the Old Test., just ashe most fre- 
 quently refers to the prophecies fulfilled in 
 the person of Jesus; this course being natural 
 for one who wrote especially for Jewish read- 
 ers. See the same passage quoted again in 
 12: 7. (3) I am not come (see on 5 : 17), to 
 call the righteous, but sinners. The words 
 'unto repentance' are not properly a part of 
 the text of Matthew, but they are genuine in 
 the parallel passage of Luke, and so were actu- 
 ally spoken on this occasion. Such addi- 
 tions to one Gospel from a parallel passage in 
 another, are often found in MSS. and versions. 
 This third point of our Lord's reply is that his
 
 CH. IX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 201 
 
 14 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, 
 Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples 
 fast'not? 
 
 15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the 
 bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with 
 them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom 
 shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. 
 
 14 Then come to him the disciples of John, saying, 
 Why do we and the Pharisees fast J oft, but thy dis- 
 
 13 ciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, dm the 
 sons of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the 
 bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, 
 when the bridegroom shall be taken a way from them, 
 
 1 Some ancient authorities omit, oft. 
 
 conduct in associating with the very wicked 
 accords with the design of his mission, '/o-r I 
 came not,' etc. The word translated 'right- 
 eous' has no article. He is not speaking of 
 any actually existing class as righteous, but 
 uses the term in a general way for contrast. 
 (Comp. Luke 15 : 7.) There is comfort to the 
 burdened soul in the thought that our Lord's 
 mission was to men as sinners, even to the 
 most vile. 
 
 14. The inquiry about fasting, and our 
 Lord's reply (^-i*-"), are also found in Mark 
 2: 18-22; Luke 5 : 33-39. Then. The con- 
 nection in Luke ($ ss) also indicates that this 
 conversation immediately followed the pre- 
 ceding (for the whole connection see on v. 2). 
 Luke represents the Pharisees, to whom Jesus 
 had been speaking just before, as asking the 
 question; Matthew has the disciples of John 
 asking him, and Mark (2: is) says that both 
 came and asked, and thus suggests a^way in 
 which many similar "discrepancies" may be 
 explained. The questioners do not venture 
 directly to find fault with Jesus himself. 
 (Comp. v. 11.) Who are these disciples of 
 John, who in respect to fasting resemble 
 the Pharisees rathef than the disciples of 
 Jesus? It was the design of John's ministry 
 (comp. on 3: 1) to bring men to believe on 
 Jesus as coming, and to follow him when 
 he came; and he took great pains to prevent 
 the people from regarding himself as the 
 Messiah. (John i: 20; s-. zs-so; ACM 19: 4.) Yet there 
 were some who, failing to follow out their 
 master's teachings, felt jealous of the growing 
 influence of Jesus (Johns: 26), and continued to 
 hold exclusively to John ; and in the second 
 century we find heretics who maintained that 
 John was the Messiah. How many there 
 wore at this time who kept themselves aloof 
 from Jesus, and were simply disciples of 
 John, aud what were their precise views, we 
 
 have no means of determining. As to their 
 fasting frequently, like the Pharisees (Luke is : 12), 
 it is enough to understand that they had not 
 really changed from the prevailing Jewish 
 "pinions and practices. Even among the 
 Jewish Christians addressed in the Epistle of 
 James we find many characteristic Jewish 
 errors and evil practices. It is possible, be- 
 sides, that these disciples of John found en- 
 couragement to fasting in that self-denying 
 mode of life which John pursued for a special 
 reason. It seems likely from Mark 2: 18 that 
 they were for some reason fasting at this par- 
 ticular time; it may have been one of their 
 regular days of fasting, or it may possibly 
 have been from grief at John's long-continued 
 imprisonment. 1 Jerome: "The disciples of 
 John were certainly to blame, in calumni- 
 ating him whom they knew to have been pro- 
 claimed by their teacher, and joining the 
 Pharisees whom they knew to have been con- 
 demned by John." The strict Jews not only 
 fasted very often, but in many cases on very 
 trivial occasions. The Talmud of Jerus. 
 speaks of one rabbi as fasting four-score times 
 to see another; and of a second who fasted 
 three hundred times to see the same person, 
 and did not see him at last. 
 
 15. The reply of Jesus is conveyed by three 
 illustrations, (v. is. IB, n.) Luke (5:89) has a 
 fourth. The children (sons) of the bride- 
 chamber. The term 'son' is employed, as 
 explained on 8: 12. strongly to express the 
 idea of intimate relation to the object men- 
 tioned, but in what precise sense must in every 
 particular expression be determined by the 
 nature of the case. Here it denotes (Edersh.) 
 the guests invited to a wedding, while 
 "friends of the bridegroom" meant his 
 special attendants. (See Judges 14:11; John 
 3: 29.) The festivities were commonly pro- 
 longed during a week. (See on 25 : 1 ft.) The 
 
 1 The word rendered 'oft,' literally ' much,' Is want- 
 Ing in B X and a few cursives, and hence omitted by 
 risen, and W H. One cannot readily decide whether 
 it was omitted to agmt with Mark or inserted to agree 
 
 with Luke. There is no important 'difference, n.i Mat- 
 thew's expression without 'oft' naturally indicates 
 that they were in the habit of fasting.
 
 202 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. IX. 
 
 16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old 
 garment ; 1'or that which is put in to fill it up taketh 
 from the garment, and the rent is made worse. 
 
 16 and then will they fast. And no man putteth a 
 piece of undressed cloth upon an old garment; for 
 that which should fill it up taketh from the garment, 
 
 word rendered can is so placed as to be em- 
 phatic: can it be, in the nature of things? 
 And the Greek has the peculiar particle which 
 denotes that a negative answer is taken for 
 granted. The Talmud declares that the bride- 
 groom, his personal friends, and the sons of 
 the bride-chamber, were free from the obliga- 
 tion to dwell in booths during the Feast of 
 Tabernacles these being unsuited to their 
 festivities ; and were not expected to attend to 
 the stated prayers. This shows how natural 
 and probable, according to the prevailing 
 ideas and usages, was our Lord's illustration. 
 Already in prophecy had the Messiah been 
 spoken of as a bridegroom (PS. 45, etc.j ; and 
 John the Baptist had employed a figure drawn 
 from the nuptial ceremonies as setting forth 
 his own relation to Jesus (John 3: 29) ; so that in 
 answering John's disciples this image was all 
 the more appropriate. But the days will 
 come when the bridegroom shall be taken 
 away from them and then shall they 
 fast. The term ' will come ' is so placed as 
 to be emphatic. For " when " read whenever, 
 which will indicate that the time of his being 
 taken away is uncertain ; this is the first in- 
 stance recorded in Matthew of our Lord's 
 alluding to his death. Fasting is naturally 
 and properly an expression of grief, and 
 therefore unnatural and unsuitable at a time 
 of great joy. Such a time was this when the 
 disciples were delighting in their Teacher's 
 presence. But there was coming a time when 
 it would be natural for them to grieve, and 
 therefore appropriate to fast. The immediate 
 reference is to the grief which would be felt 
 by his disciples at the time of his death. After 
 his resurrection, ascension, and glorious exalt- 
 ation, their sorrow was turned into joy again. 
 
 (John 16: 22ff.; Acts 2 : 32-36; 3: 13 ff., etc.) Yet often 
 
 afterwards, and often ever since, have his fol- 
 lowers grieved over his absence and longed 
 for his coming again; so that the time for 
 fasting still continues. By this illustration 
 our Lord teaches that fasting is not to be re- 
 garded or observed as an arbitrary, " positive" 
 institution, but as a thing having natural 
 grounds, and to be practiced or not, accord- 
 ing to the dictates of natural feeling as grow- 
 ing out of the circumstances in which we find 
 
 ourselves. In some situations it is appropriate 
 and may be made beneficial ; in others, it is out 
 of place. We have no evidence that Jesus ever 
 fasted himself, except in the quite extraordi- 
 nary case of the forty days, (for 17 : 21 is a spu- 
 rious passage) ; but we know that the apostles 
 and other Christians of their time fasted upon 
 
 Special Occasion. (Acts \Z: 1\ U:Z3; 2 Cor. 11: 27-) 
 
 The principle here laid down cuts at the root 
 of fasting as a regulated observance, leaving 
 it to be done or omitted, not indeed according 
 to accidental or momentary impulse, but ac- 
 cording as it is most suitable under thecircum- 
 stances and likely to do good. (Comp. on 6: 
 16-18.) 
 
 16 f. Regulated fasting, though enjoined 
 by Moses only on the occasion of the Day of 
 Atonement (Luke 16: 29), yet was now frequently 
 practiced among the Jews, and quite in accord- 
 ance with the distinctive spirit of the Old 
 Dispensation. But it did not suit the spirit of 
 the gospel ; and our Lord shows, by two 
 homely and striking illustrations, how incon- 
 gruous and injurious would be the connection 
 with the new of what was peculiar to the old. 
 Luke (5.36) calls this a 'parable,' i. e., com- 
 parison for the purpose of illustration. The 
 parables of the Gospel are usually in the form 
 of narrative, but not necessarily. (See on 
 13: 3.) No man putteth, etc., literally, 
 patches, a patch of an^infulled piece (i. e., 
 fragment of cloth) upon an old garment. The 
 word rendered garment is here naturally taken 
 in the general sense, and not to denote simply 
 the outer garment. (5:*o ; 9:20.) What is 
 meant is not simply new cloth, for that is often 
 used for patching, but cloth which has not 
 been completely dressed. A part of the pro- 
 cess of preparing woolen cloth for uso consists 
 in shrinking it, and a patch of 'unfulled' 
 cloth, not duly shrunk, would contract the 
 first time it should become wet, and as the 
 older and weaker cloth all around must then 
 give way, the result would be a worse rent. 
 We must remember that Jewish garments of 
 that day were usually all wool ; and if un- 
 fulled, would shrink almost like our flannel. 
 Mark's statement of the comparison (2:21) 
 is almost identical with this. Luke(5:s) 
 gives it in quite a different form, though
 
 CH. IX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 203 
 
 17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles : 
 else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and 
 the bottles perish : but they put new wine into new 
 bottles, and both are preserved. 
 
 17 and a worse rent is made. Neither do men put new 
 wine into old J wine-skins: else the skins burst, aud 
 the wine is spilled, and the skins perish: but they 
 put new wine into fresh wine-skius, and both are 
 preserved. 
 
 1 Tbat is, skins used at bottles. 
 
 the general purport is the same. Neither do 
 men put, literally, they, the usual imper- 
 sonal expression, see on 5 : 11. Into old 
 bottles or, skins. The Greek word signifies 
 properly and exclusively skins for containing 
 liquids, such as the Orientals, ancient and 
 modern, have largely employed. The skin is 
 usually that of a goat or kid, which is tough 
 and light. The head and feet of the animal 
 being removed, the skin is stripped off whole. 
 It is then sometimes tanned in a peculiar way 
 to prevent a disagreeable taste, and the orifices 
 are tied up, leaving one leg or the neck as the 
 opening. The hairy side is of course out- 
 ward. These skins are habitually used for 
 transporting liquids, such as wine, water, 
 milk, oil, and are admirably adapted to that 
 purpose. Every traveler, in Egypt or Pales- 
 tine, often sees them, and sometimes drinks 
 water from them. They are mentioned by 
 Homer and other classical writers, and in 
 various passages of the Old Test. Both in 
 ancient and modern times, larger vessels have 
 sometimes been prepared of the skin of the 
 ox or the camel. However preserved, these 
 skins would of course become hard as they 
 grew old, liable to crack and burst, through 
 the fermentation of new wine. (Comp. Ps. 
 119: 83; Job 32: 19.) It is a mistake to sup- 
 pose that the Jews had no other vessels for 
 holding liquids than these skins. Vessels of 
 metal, as gold, of earthenware, even fine por- 
 celain, of stone, and alabaster, and of vari- 
 ously colored glass, were in use among the 
 Egyptians from an early period, and most of 
 them among the Greeks, Etruscans, and As- 
 syrians; and the Jews, especially in New 
 Test, times, would no doubt import and use 
 them. (Comp. 26: 7; Jer. 19: 1; Lam. 4: 2.) 
 This second illustration is to the same effect 
 as that in v. 16; just as we often find a pair of 
 parables, in chap. 13, and elsewhere. Both 
 are drawn, as is usual in our Lord's compari- 
 sons, from matters of common observation 
 and experience. The "spiritualizing" as to 
 what the 'skins' represent, and what the 
 'wine' what the 'garment' stands for, and 
 what the 'patch,' is wholly unwarranted. 
 
 (See on 13 : 3. ) We have simply a vivid illus- 
 tration of the general truth that the combina- 
 tion of the Old and the New Dispensations 
 would be not merely unsuitable but injurious, 
 tending to defeat, rather than to promote, the 
 aims of the Messianic Dispensation. And in 
 j the second case there is added the positive 
 statement. Buttheyput newwine into new 
 bottles, etc., showing (Meyer) that a new life 
 needs new forms. While the principle here 
 illustrated was introduced with regard to 
 fasting, it is obviously of wider applica- 
 tion, extending to everything in which the 
 two dispensations characteristically differ; 
 and the great mass of the Christian world, 
 from an early period, has sadly exhibited the 
 evil results of disregarding this principle. 
 They would, notwithstanding this and numer- 
 ous other warnings, connect Levitical rites 
 with Christianity. The simple preacher and 
 pastor must be regarded as a priest, and spir- 
 itual blessings must depend on his mediation, 
 as if it were not true that all Christians are 
 priests, and all alike have access through the 
 one Mediator. The simple memento of the 
 Saviour's death must be a sacrifice, offered by 
 the priest for men's sins. Numerous religious 
 festivals and stated fasts must be established 
 and enjoined, tending to make religion a thing 
 only of special seasons. Thebuildingsin which 
 Christians meet to worship must be conse- 
 crated as being holy ground, like the temple, 
 and splendid rites, in imitation of the temple 
 worship, must lead men's minds away from 
 the simple and sublime spirituality of that 
 worship which the gospel teaches. With good 
 motives, no doubt, on the part of many, was 
 this jumble of Judaism and Christianity in- 
 troduced, and with good motives do 7iinny re- 
 tain it ; but none the less is it the very kind of 
 thing the Saviour here condemned ; and with 
 results as ruinous as he declared. It is not 
 strange that Chrysostom and his followers 
 (Theophyl., Euthym.), and Jerome, prac- 
 ticing a Judaized Christianity, were unable to 
 understand this passage. 
 
 Returning now to the series of miracles, 
 Matthew gives
 
 204 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. IX. 
 
 IS While he spake these things unto them, behold, 
 there cauie a certain ruler, and worshipped him, say- 
 iiiii, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay 
 tiiy hand upon her, and she shall live. 
 
 19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his 
 disciples. 
 
 20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with 
 an im- of blood twelve years, came behind him, and 
 touched the hem of his garment : 
 
 18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, 
 there came l a. ruler, and worshipped him, saying, 
 My daughter is even now dead : but come and lay 
 
 19 thy baud upon her, and she shall live. And Jesus 
 arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. 
 
 JO Aud behold, a woman, who had an issue of blood 
 twelve years, came behind him, and touched the 
 
 1 Or. one ruler. 
 
 III. THE RULER'S DAUGHTER, AND THE 
 "WOMAN WITH A FLOW OF BLOOD, v. 18-26. 
 
 This is found also in Mark (; ) and Luke 
 (8: 41-56), who as in many other cases give va- 
 rious details which Matthew omits. For the 
 general connection, see on v. 2. 
 
 While he spake (was saying) these things 
 nnto them, with emphasis on " these things." 
 It is thus plain that the application of the 
 ruler, which led to these two miracles, was 
 made while Jesus was in the act of speaking 
 to John's disciples and the Pharisees (comp. 
 on v. 14) These miracles must therefore have 
 taken place at Capernaum. Behold, some- 
 thing remarkable. A certain ruler, or, 'one 
 ruler' (margin Rev. Ver.), as in 8: 19. The 
 Greek text is here greatly confused, but there 
 is little doubt that the true reading is that of 
 the Rev. Ver. The term 'ruler' is ambigu- 
 ous, and might denote a member of the San- 
 hedrin, as Nicodemus is called a 'ruler of the 
 Jews' (Johns: i); but Mark (5; 22) says he was 
 'one of the rulers of the synagogue.' There 
 were several of these, having authority over 
 the conduct of public worship in the syna- 
 gogue (ACM 13: ts), and a certain influence 
 rather than authority over the social relations 
 and personal conduct of the people (comp. on J 
 4: 23). We see therefore that it was a man 
 of importance who made this application. 
 Luke (8:) gives his name, Jairus; in Old 
 Test. Jair. Came. The common Greek text j 
 would make it came in, viz., to the scene of| 
 the preceding conversation, probably Mat- j 
 thew's residence ; but the more probable read- 
 in? (as in W H. ) would mean 'came near,' 
 'approached.' Worshipped him, bowed 
 clown before him as an expression of profound 
 respect (comp. 8: 2). My daughter is even 
 now dead. Luke (:, Bit. un. ver.) in giving' 
 the substance of what Jairus said, has it i 
 'was dying.' Mark (5: w, Rev. ver.) has, ' My 
 little daughter is at the point of death.' And 
 then Mark and Luke inform us that while 
 Jesus was on his way to the ruler's house, and 
 
 after the healing of the woman, messengers 
 came meeting him to tell the ruler that his 
 daughter was now dead ; and that Jesus told 
 him not to fear, etc. Matthew makes no men- 
 tion of this message, and we conclude (Cal- 
 vin) that designing a very brief account, he 
 has condensed the incidents so as to present at 
 the outset what was actually true before Jesus 
 reached the house. For a similar case of con- 
 densing see on 8: 5. But come and lay thy 
 hand upon her. Jairus probably thought it 
 necessary that Jesus should be present and 
 touch the person to be healed, as the noble- 
 man in the same town thought (Johu 4 : *7, 49) ; 
 the centurion of that town () had a juster 
 view. 
 
 19. In Mark (5:2*) and Luke (:) we are 
 told that a great crowd thronged around 
 Jesus as he was going, and that Jesus after- 
 wards inquired, when in the midst of the 
 crowd, as to who touched him (comp. on v. 
 22). 
 
 20-22. On the way to the ruler's house oc- 
 curred another miracle. And, behold, a 
 fresh wonder. A woman .... with an 
 issue of blood twelve years. We know 
 nothing as to the particular nature of the 
 hemorrhage, but the most obvious supposition 
 is probably correct. We learn from Mark 
 (5:26) and Luke (8:) that she had been sub- 
 jected to a variety of methods of treatment by 
 numerous physicians, spending her entire es- 
 tate in paying them, but instead of receiving 
 benefit, had been growing worse a chronic, 
 aggravated, and unmanageable case. Strauss 
 finds an unveracious element in the double 
 occurrence of the number twelve in this nar- 
 rative (the woman has suffered twelve years, 
 and the maiden was twelve years old, Mark 
 5: 42); some of our allegorizers would find in 
 it a deep spiritual meaning which is the 
 sillier notion? Came, etc., or coming to him 
 from behind, partly, no doubt, through gen- 
 eral timidity, partly from a reluctance to have 
 public attention called to her peculiar afflic-
 
 CH. IX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 205 
 
 21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his ; 21 border of his garment: for she said within herself. 
 
 garment, I shall be whole. 
 
 22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, 
 he said. Daughter, be of good comfort ; thy faith hath 
 luade thee whole. And the woman was made whole 
 from that hour. 
 
 If I do but touch his garment, I shall be l made whole. 
 22 But Jesus turning and seeing her said, Daughter, be 
 of good cheer; thy faith hath *made thee whole. 
 And the woman was 1 made whole from that hour. 
 
 1 Or. tared. . . .2 taved thee. 
 
 tion; and perhaps also because the law made j 
 her ceremonially unclean (Lev. 15:25), and she 
 was afraid of being censured and repelled if it 
 should be known that in that condition she 
 had come into the crowd, since any one 
 would likewise become unclean by touching 
 her. Touched the hem (border) of his 
 garment. We know from Num. 15: 37 if. ; 
 Deut. 22: 12, that the Israelites were directed 
 to wear on the corners of the upper garment a 
 fringe or tassel (we cannot certainly deter- 
 mine the exact meaning), with an occasional 
 blue thread. These were designed, as being 
 always before their eyes, to remind them con- 
 tinually of the commandments of the Lord, 
 which they were solemnly bound to obey. If 
 we think of the outer garment as merely an 
 oblong cloth thrown around the person like a 
 large shawl as it undoubtedly was in many 
 cases (see on 5: 40) then 'tassel' is the more 
 natural idea; and in that case ''the tassel' 
 would be simply the one nearest to her. The 
 Jews attached great importance to this fringe 
 or tassel, the ostentatious Pharisees making it 
 very large (see on 23 : 5) ; and it is possible 
 that the woman thought there might be a j 
 peculiar virtue in touching this, which was 
 worn by express divine command though 
 such a supposition is not necessary. See a 
 good discussion of the probable dress of Jesus 
 in Edersheim. 
 
 21. For she said within herself, as in 
 v. 3. Strictly it is, was saying ; i. e., at the 
 time when she pressed through the crowd and 
 touched him. If I may but better, if I only 
 touch his garment. The 'may ' of Com. 
 Ver. is misleading. "We do not know how far 
 this feeling of hers was mingled with supersti- 
 tion, but in the main her conviction was just, j 
 since Jesus commends her faith, and power 
 did go forth from him (Luke8:), the moment j 
 she touched him. It was usual in miracles of i 
 healing that some manifest connection should | 
 be established, however slight, between the ' 
 sufferer and the healer, as in Peter's shadow 
 (Actt5:i5) and Paul's handkerchiefs. (Acts 19: 12 ) 
 See also 14: 36; Mark 6: 66; Luke 6: 19. 
 
 I shall be (made) whole, literally, 'saved' ; 
 the word has been explained on 1 : 21 as sig- 
 nifying 'preserve' and 'deliver,' and as ap- 
 plied to physical dangers, disease and death, as 
 well as to sin and its consequences. What 
 strong faith this woman possessed ! And it 
 was justified by the event ; for immediately 
 (Mark 5: ) she felt the disease was indeed 
 healed healed by merely touching the edge 
 of Jesus' garment, when all the skill of the 
 ablest physicians, through all the weary years, 
 had been unable to relieve it. 
 
 22. But Jesus turned, etc. Matthew 
 omits the facts narrated at length by Mark 
 and Luke, that she touched him in the midst 
 of a great crowd, and he insisted on being 
 told who it was that had touched him. We 
 can see that it was not proper to let her be 
 healed and go off, apparently without his 
 knowledge; because this fact, as it should 
 gradually become known, would confirm men 
 in the superstitious notion that he performed 
 healing involuntarily and unconsciously, as 
 if by some magical virtue inherent in his per- 
 son. His asking who it was is not inconsistent 
 with the idea that he knew. Comp. Elisha's 
 asking, 'Whence comest thou, Gehazi?' 
 (2 Kings 5: 25), though well a ware of all that he 
 had done; and God's saying to Adam, 'Where 
 art thou?' See also Luke 24: 19, where 
 Jesus asks, 'What things?' though he must 
 have understood what they meant. He asked 
 the woman in order tobring*her to confession, 
 which would be a benefit to herself prevent- 
 ing superstition, strengthening faith, and 
 deepening gratitude as well as to others. 
 Daughter, etc., or, Courage, daughter. 
 Comp. on v. 2. ' Daughter,' in this figurative 
 and kindly use, appears nowhere in the New 
 Test., save in this narrative. (Mrk5:S4; Luke HIM.) 
 Thy faith hath made thee whole, literally, 
 saved, as in v. 21. The perfect tense vividly 
 represents the healing as standing complete. 
 Her faith was of course not the source of the 
 healing, but its procuring cause, as leading 
 her to apply to the healing power of Jesus, 
 and as being the reason why the application
 
 206 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. IX. 
 
 23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and 
 saw the minstrels and the'people making a noise, 
 
 24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not 
 dead, hut sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 
 
 Jo Hut when the people were put forth, he went in, 
 and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. 
 
 23 And when Jesus catne into the ruler's house, and 
 saw the flute-players, and the crowd making a 
 
 24 tumult, he said, Give place: for the damsel is not 
 dead, hut sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 
 
 25 But when the crowd was put forth, he entered in, 
 and took her by the hand; and the damsel arose. 
 
 was successful. See the same expression used 
 in Luke 7: 50; 17: 19; 18: 42. Was made 
 whole (healed) from that hour. The heal- 
 ing took place at the moment of the touch ; 
 what is here said is that from that time for- 
 ward she was no more sick, but well not only 
 delivered, but preserved. So in 15: 28; 17: 18. 
 Eusebius ("Hist." VII. 17) gives a tradition 
 that this woman's name was Veronica. 
 
 23-26. This resumes the narrative of v. 18 f. 
 "We learn from Mark (5:37) and Luke (s:5i) 
 that Jesus suifered no one to go into the house 
 with him save Peter and James and John, and 
 the parents of the girl. The other two occasions 
 on which he took these three disciples only, 
 viz., the Transfiguration and Gethsemane,were 
 singularly solemn and momentous. What was 
 there corresponding in this case ? It was the first 
 instance of our Lord's raising the dead. And 
 saw the minstrels, etc., rather in Kev. Ver., 
 the flute players (comp. Rev. 18: 22), and the 
 crowd making a tumult, the same Greek word 
 as in Mark 5: 39; Acts 17: 5; 20: 10. This 
 last expression is confined in the original to 
 the crowd, so that a comma is needed after 
 ' flute players.' It was the custom in the East 
 and still is, for the relatives and special friends 
 of the dying person to gather round the couch, 
 and the moment the breath ceased they would 
 break out into loud cries, with every excla- 
 mation and sign of the most passionate grief; 
 and unable to continue this themselves, they 
 would hire professional mourners, especially 
 women, who wouJd keep up the loud, wailing 
 cry throughout the day and. night. (Comp. 
 Jer. 9: 17; 16: 6 f. ; Ezek. 24:17; Amos 5 : 
 16; 2 Chron. 35: 25.) Persons of wealth 
 might afford to hire musicians also ; and Jairus 
 being a man of consideration, a ruler of the 
 synagogue, we find that the flute players have 
 arrived, and although but a few minutes after 
 the child's decease, already there is a crowd 
 present, making a tumultuous noise of lam- 
 entation. All these things are witnessed by 
 travelers in Egypt or Palestine at the present 
 day. 
 
 24. Is not dead, but sleepeth. Jesus 
 speaks with reference to what he intends to 
 
 do. She is going to rise up presently as one 
 who had been asleep, so that her death will be, 
 in the result, no death ; it will only be as if she 
 were sleeping. Likewise in John 11: 11, he 
 speaks of Lazarus as sleeping, because he was 
 going to awake him out of sleep. Thus there 
 was no occasion for the noisy mourning, and 
 the preparations for a funeral ; and the crowd 
 must withdraw. Laughed him to scorn. 
 This might only mean that anybody could see 
 she was dead (Luke 8:53), nn d it seemed silly to 
 think otherwise. But there in Capernaum, 
 where he had wrought many miracles, it may 
 be that they supposed he would try to heal 
 hur, and thought the attempt absurd, as she 
 was unquestionably dead, and it was too late. 
 It is not likely they thought he was proposing 
 to bring the dead to life, which he had never 
 done. Their scornful laughter shows that the 
 people were by no means swift to believe in 
 his miraculous powers and his divine mission ; 
 and thus renders the wondering acknowledg- 
 ment, repeatedly extorted from them by facts, 
 an evidence all the more valuable and satis- 
 factory. 
 
 25. But when the people were put 
 forth, or", thrust out, the word implying some 
 constraint or urgency. He was as yet in the 
 more public reception room of the dwelling. 
 Having expelled the crowd, he (with the 
 parents and his three followers (Lukes: 51), went 
 in, viz., into the inner room where the body 
 was lying. Took her by the hand. Touch- 
 ing the dead body, like touching the leper 
 (8:s), or being touched by the woman with a 
 flow of blood, would have the effect, accord- 
 ing to the law, of producing the highest de- 
 gree of ceremonial uncleanness ; but in all 
 these cases Jesus, instead of receiving pollu- 
 tion through the touch, imparted cleansing. 
 Mark (5: ) and Luke (8 = 54) relate that in ad- 
 dition to grasping her hand he spoke, and 
 bade her arise. Also that he charged her 
 parents much, not to tell what had happened 
 (comp. on 8 : 4), notwithstanding which we 
 find here that the fame thereof went 
 abroad into all that land, i. e., Galilee, or 
 the parts of Galilee adjacent to Capernaum.
 
 CH. IX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 207 
 
 26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land. 
 
 27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men 
 followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, 
 have mercy on us. 
 
 28 And when he was come into the house, the blind 
 men came to him : and Jesus saith unto them, Believe 
 ye that 1 am able to do this ? They said unto him, Yea, 
 Lord. 
 
 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to 
 your faith be it unto you. 
 
 26 And i the fame hereof went forth into all that land. 
 
 27 And as Jesus passed by from thence, two blind 
 men followed him, crying out, and saying, Have 
 
 28 mercy on us, thou Son of David. And when he was 
 come into the house, the blind men came to him : 
 and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that 1 am 
 able to do this? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. 
 
 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to 
 
 1 Or. this fame. 
 
 The woman, for one reason, was required to 
 tell; Jairus,for another, was forbidden to tell. 
 It cannot be that Jesus expected the matter 
 to remain wholly unknown ; he probably 
 wished to prevent their speaking of it at once 
 and generally, as they would have done, be- 
 cause in that case there would have been too 
 much excitement produced, by the series of 
 extraordinary miracles then occurring in im- 
 mediate succession. (Comp. on v. 28. j Stier : 
 "Three awakenings from death the Spirit has 
 caused to be recorded for us, though others 
 may well have taken place ; and these indeed, 
 in a remarkable and significant progression 
 .... the maiden is here dead upon her bed, the 
 young man at Nain was carried forth upon his 
 bier, Lazarus had lain four days in his grave." 
 The series of miracles in ch. 9, and the 
 whole group of ch. 8 and 9, ends with 
 
 IV. HEALING Two BLIND MEN, AND A 
 DUMB DEMONIAC, v. 27-34. 
 
 These miracles are not recorded by the 
 other Evangelists. 
 
 27-31. Healing the blind men. And when 
 Jesus departed thence was passing along 
 thence the same expression as in v. 9. It shows 
 that the following miracles occurred immedi- 
 ately after the preceding. Followed him, in 
 the purely literal sense, went along behind him. 
 They may have been sitting beside the road 
 when hepassed by, as in Luke 18: 35-37. Have 
 mercy, or, have pity. The word really includes 
 both ideas, and the latter is the one here promi- 
 nent. (Seeon6: 7.) By say ing, Son of David, 
 they declare their belief that he is the Mes- 
 siah. (Comp. 22: 42; 16: 22.) The order of 
 the Greek shows that their first thought was 
 for mercy on themselves very naturally. 
 They had probably heard of Jesus' miracle?, 
 perhaps of the two wonderful works juct 
 wrought. If one inquires why they should 
 believe him to be Messiah, while others 
 did not, we can only reply by asking why 
 there is a similar difference now. The Gos- 
 pels frequently mention blind persons healed. 
 
 (11 : 5 ; 12 : 22 j 15 : 30 ; 20 : 80 ; 21 : 14 ; Mark 8 : 22 ; John 5 : 3 ; 9 : 1.) 
 
 Blindness is much more common in the East 
 than among us, in consequence of abounding 
 dust, the practice of sleeping in the open air, 
 the sudden change from darkened houses to 
 dazzling light without, and the fact that their 
 head-dress does not protect the eyes. 
 
 28. Into the house, viz., the house to 
 which he returned from that of the ruler, 
 (v. 23,) It may have been Matthew's house 
 (v. 10), or Peter's (8: u), or some other which 
 Jesus made his usual place of abode at 
 Capernaum. (Comp. 13 : 1, 36; 17 : 25.) Ob- 
 serve that in Capernaum occurs all that is 
 narrated in v. 2-34, as well as in 8: 5-22. As 
 they followed him along the street, Jesus gave 
 them no answer or notice; but when he had 
 entered the house, they approached and he 
 spoke to them. This failure to notice them at 
 first was doubtless designed (1) to develop 
 and strengthen their faith (comp. 15 : 23) ; 
 (2) to avoid the excitement which another 
 public miracle just then might have produced 
 among the people, already stirred by the 
 healing of the woman, and by the rapidly 
 spreading news of the raising of Jairus' 
 daughter to life. (Comp. on v. 2-6.) The 
 question, Believe ye that I am able? de- 
 veloped into greater clearness the faith they 
 had already shown by following and asking. 
 In their answer, Lord is probably no more 
 than a very respectful form of address. (See 
 on 8: 2.) Jesus was more ready to work 
 miracles where there was faith in him. 
 (Comp. on v. 2, 22, and 13: 58.) But it is 
 too much to say that he never wrought 
 miracles without faith; instance the widow's 
 son at Nain, and Malchus' ear. Observe that 
 his question was simply whether they believed 
 that he could heal them ; his willingness re- 
 mained to be seen. (Comp. on 8: 2.) 
 
 29. Touching the eyes of the blind (comp. 
 20-34), was a natural and kindly act, like 
 taking the hand of one prostrate with fevor. 
 (8: 15.) According to your faith be it let
 
 208 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. IX. 
 
 30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly 
 charged them, saying, See thai no man know U. 
 
 81 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad 
 his fame in all that country. 
 
 32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a 
 dumb man, possessed with a devil. 
 
 33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: 
 and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so 
 seen in Israel. 
 
 34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils 
 through the prince of the devils. 
 
 30 your faith be it done unto you. And their eyes were 
 opened. And Jesus 1 strictly charged them, saying, 
 
 31 See that no man know it. But they went forth, and 
 spread abroad his fame in all that land. 
 
 32 And as they went forth, behold, there was brought. 
 
 33 to him a dumb man possessed with a demon. And 
 when the demon was cast out. the dumb man spake: 
 and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never 
 
 34 so seen in Israel. But the Pharisees said, 2 By the 
 prince of the demons casteth he out demons. 
 
 ) Or, <flrnljr....20r, In. 
 
 it happen unto you. (Comp. on 8: 13). 
 An old German writer says that faith is like a 
 bucket by which we draw from the inex- 
 haustible fountain of God's mercy and good- 
 ness, to which otherwise we cannot penetrate ; 
 and Calvin compares it to a purse, which 
 may itself be worthless, but filled with money 
 makes the man rich. 
 
 3O. And their eyes were opened. We 
 have no means of judging whether this physi- 
 cal blessing was attended with the pardon of 
 their sins. (Comp. on 8:3.) The fact that 
 they soon after disobeyed Christ's explicit and 
 emphatic command renders it improbable 
 that they believed unto salvation, though not 
 impossible. And Jesus straitly (sternly) 
 charged them, an unclassical, but natural 
 sense of the Greek word, found also in Mark 
 1: 43. The expression implies that he would 
 be seriously displeased if they disobeyed. As 
 to the probable reasons for this, comp. on 8: 
 4; and add here that they were virtually call- 
 ing him Messiah, which might excite popu- 
 lar fanaticism. (16:20; John 6: 15.) He may have 
 spoken with greater severity of manner, be- 
 cause a similar injunction in previous cases . 
 had been disregarded; yet it was disregarded 
 again in this case. Spread abroad his fame 
 in all that country, as in v. 26. The Com. 
 Ver., with its passion for variety, must needs 
 give 'land' in v. 26, and 'country' here, 
 though the Greek has the same word and in 
 the same connection, and though the earlier 
 Eng. versions translate it alike in both places. 
 Some have sought to excuse the disobedience 
 of the two men on the ground that it was 
 very natural, and was no doubt sincerely de- 
 signed to do him honor. But still it was a 
 fault. What can be so pleasing to him, or so 
 conducive to his glory, as simple, unquestion- 
 ing, loving obedience? 
 
 32-34. Healing a dumb demoniac. This 
 is not related by the other Evangelists. And 
 as they went (were going} out, namely, out 
 of the house in which they had been healed. 
 (v. as-) 'They' is slightly emphatic, standing 
 in contrast to the next person who came to be 
 healed. Behold, calling attention to what 
 follows as wonderful. They brought to him, 
 i. e., some persons brought; impersonal or 
 indefinite, as in 5 : 11 ; 9 : 17, and often. A 
 dumb man possessed with a devil, a de- 
 moniac, see on 8 : 28, 31. Comp. Mark 9 : 25 
 for a similar case. Mark 7: 32 mentions a 
 deaf man who spoke w'ith difficulty, and says 
 nothing of demoniacal influence. Matt. 12: 22 
 gives a demoniac who was both blind and 
 dumb. And the multitudes, crowds, as in 
 5 : 1 ; 9 : 8, and often. Marvelled, etc. Won- 
 dered, saying, It never at any time appeared 
 thus in Israel; there was never such a thing 
 seen before, in all the wonderful history of 
 the nation. (Comp. Mark 2: 12; John 9: 32.) 
 Probably their wonder referred not merely 
 to this last case of the dumb demoniac, but to 
 the series of miracles that day wrought, and, it 
 would seem, in quick succession the woman, 
 the daughter of Jairus, the two blind men, 
 and now the dumb man. The Evangelists 
 never stop to say themselves that the miracles 
 of Jesus were wonderful. To them these 
 things were not astonlshingnow as they looked 
 back from the time of writing their narratives, 
 for it was a fact long familiar to their minds 
 that he who wrought them was divine ; and so 
 they calmly tell the story of miracle after mir- 
 acle, without any exclamation or remark. But 
 it was appropriate to mention, as they often 
 do, the wonder felt by the persons witnessing 
 a miracle, because this was one of the evi- 
 dences of its manifest reality. V. 34. 1 But 
 the Pharisees said, strictly 'were saying,' 
 
 1 W H. bracket this verse, as of doubtful genuineness, j quite meagre. This often arbitrary "Western" type 
 But the only evidence for omitting is that of D, two of text might easily have omitted the sentence, from 
 copies of the old Latin, and two Latin Fathers of the the notion that such a thing occurred but once and 
 fourth century, evidence exclusively " Western," and that its true place is in 12: 24.
 
 CH. IX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 209 
 
 viz., while the people were expressing their 
 wonder. Through, literally 'iw' (margin of 
 Rev. Ver.), i. e., in union with, by power de- 
 rived from, the prince of the devils, de- 
 mons. This insulting charge was probably 
 made on the present occasion in the absence 
 of Jesus, but made afterwards in his presence; 
 see on 12: 24. The Pharisees; see on 3: 7. 
 They had been finding fault with Jesus in 
 connection with all the preceding matters for 
 undertaking to forgive sin (v. 3), for associa- 
 ting with publicans and sinners (v. 11), and 
 for not fasting (v. 14), and now their opposi- 
 tion grows yet more bitter and bold, when 
 they venture upon the accusation of union 
 with Satan. The crowds, for their part, won- 
 dered at the unparalleled event, but the Phari- 
 sees tried to explain it away, by however base- 
 less and blasphemous a supposition. So also 
 in 12: 23 f. They were not willing to ac- 
 knowledge the truth about Jesus' miracles, 
 for it would diminish their own consideration 
 among the people; and so they struck out 
 m:idly after some explanation or other. 
 
 Thus ends the remarkable series of miracles 
 which Matthew has grouped (chap. 8 and 9), 
 ns specimens of our Lord's wonderful works. 
 (Comp. on 8: 1). 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 Ch. 9: 2-8. Sickness and sins: 1) Some 
 kinds of sickness proceed directly from sin, 
 and are its penalty. 2) Forgiveness of sin is 
 far more important than cure of sickness. 3) 
 He who could by a word heal the severest 
 sickness can also forgive sin. 4) The usual j 
 condition of miraculous healing was faith, 
 and faith is the indispensable condition of 
 forgiveness (v. 2). 6) The highest ground of j 
 cheerfulness and gratitude is to have our sins 
 forgiven (v. 3). V. 2. Faith and healing. 1) 
 In rare cases Jesus healed without faith, as 
 Malchus. 2) Sometimes upon the faith of 
 others, as the nobleman (John 4: so), the cen- 
 turion (8:io), the Syrophoenician. (15=28) 3) 
 Usually upon the faith of the sufferer, v. 22, 
 28, and often. 4) Here upon the faith both of 
 the sufferer and of his friends. V. 3. HENRY: 
 "If we have the comfort of our reconciliation 
 to God, with the comfort of our recovery from 
 sickness, this makes it a mercy indeed to us, 
 as to Hezekiah. Isa. 38: 17." V. 4 f. CHRYS. : 
 
 "Jesus here does two things superhuman 
 seeing thoughts, and forgiving sins." V. 6. 
 j CHRYS. : "1) Proof of the forgiveness by 
 healing. 2) Proof of the healing, by carrying 
 the bed." V. 8. Comp. the effect produced at 
 | Carmel. (i Kings IB :.) HENRY: "Others' mer- 
 cies should be our praises." 
 
 V. 9-11. Matthew. 1) Abandoning a lucra- 
 tive employment to follow Jesus in poverty. 
 2) Turning from a worldly occupation to fol- 
 low Jesus in spirituality. 3) Bringing his 
 former wicked companions to hear Jesus, if 
 perchance they will follow him too. 4) Rising 
 from despised publican to apostle and evan- 
 gelist. CHRYS. : 1) "The power of the caller. 
 2) The obedience of the called." Probably 
 prepared before hand, yet still at his old 
 business when called. HENRY: "As Satan 
 chooses to come, with his temptations, to those 
 that are idle, so Christ chooses to come, with 
 his calls, to those that are employed." V. 11. 
 Jesus eating with publicans and sinners. 1) 
 Social intercourse affords a great opportunity 
 for doing people good. 2) The worst men 
 must be treated with respect, if we would win 
 them to piety ; and the worst men have in 
 them something to be respected. (HALL: "I 
 do not find where Jesus was ever bidden to 
 any table, and refused.") 3) A man of de- 
 spised calling may become a Christian, and 
 an eminent minister. 4) It may be lawful to 
 associate with very wicked people, when we 
 can be confident of doing them good, and 
 are duly guarded against receiving injury. 
 V. 13. Mercy and not sacrifice. 1) Professed 
 teachers of Scripture may greatly mistake its 
 meaning. 2) The externals of religion are 
 unacceptable to God, without its true spirit. 
 3) The spirit of Christianity teaches a kindly 
 pit3' for even the grossly wicked. Jesus 
 seemed to be transgressing the law of cere- 
 mony; the Pharisees really were transgress- 
 ing the law of mercy. 4) The greatest kind- 
 ness we can do to wicked people, is to lead 
 them to be truly pious. 5) In order to reach 
 the most degraded with Christian influences, 
 we must treat them with courtesy and respect. 
 
 V. 14. HENRY: "False and formal pro- 
 fessors often excel others in outward acts of 
 devotion, and even of mortification. ... It is 
 common for vain professors to make them- 
 selves a standard in n.licrion. by which to try 
 and measure persons and things, as if all who
 
 210 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. IX. 
 
 35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, 
 teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel 
 of the kingdom, and lieuling every sickness and every 
 disease among the people. 
 
 35 And Jesus went about all the cities and the 
 villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preach- 
 ing the gospel of the kingdom, and heuliug all 
 
 differed from them were so far in the wrong; 
 as if all that did less than they, did too little, 
 and all that did more than they, did too 
 much." V. 15. Fasting is proper only when 
 it has a natural basis in some actual grief. 
 V. 16 f. Christianity and Judaism are in many 
 respects incongruous ; let us not Judaize our 
 Christianity. 
 
 V. 18-21. Parental grief and personal suf- 
 fering both leading to Jesus. V. 20-22. The 
 timid sufferer's faith. 1) Follows the failure 
 of all natural efforts (Marks: 26) ; 2) Overcomes 
 timidity and shame ; 3) Presses through an 
 unfriendly throng; 4) Brings healing instantly 
 and permanently ; 5) Gains the Saviour's ap- 
 proval ; 6) Bears her away happy. V. 23- 
 26. The rulers daughter. 1) The sorrowing, 
 but believing father ( T -i8). 2) The noisy 
 mourners, loudly proclaiming her dead. 3) 
 The silent chamber (comp. Mark 6; 40), and 
 the young life restored. 4) The supernatural 
 healing, followed immediately by giving 
 natural food. (Mk6:.) Comp. John 6 : 12. 
 5) The restored life devoted, let us hope, to 
 the good of man, and the glory of God. 
 
 V. 27. HENRY: " It becomes those that are 
 under the same affliction, to concur in the 
 same prayers for relief. Fellow-sufferers 
 should be joint petitioners. In Christ there is 
 enough for all." V. 28. LUTHER: "Christ 
 is rejoiced to see our faith persistent, un- 
 wearied, stiff-necked." V. 29. HENRY: 
 "They who apply themselves to Jesus 
 Christ shall be dealt with according to their 
 faith ; not according to their fancies, not 
 according to their professions, but accord- 
 ing to their faith." V. 30 f. "We often fail to 
 speak for Jesus when we ought, but sometimes 
 fail to be silent when we ought. 
 
 V. 2-34. Striking examples of belief in 
 Jesus, and of unbelief. (1) Of belief, (a) 
 The paralytic, v. 2 ; (b) The publican, v. 9 ; 
 (c) The ruler of the synagogue, v. 18 ; (d) 
 The long-afflicted woman, v. 21 f; (e) The 
 two blind men, v. 28. (2) Of unbelief, (a) 
 The scribes accusing him of blasphemy, v. 3 ; 
 (b) The Pharisees complaining that he eats 
 with publicans and sinners, v. 11; (c) The 
 disciples of John, with their skeptical inquiry 
 about fasting, v. 14; (d) The crowd at Jairus' 
 
 house laughing scornfully, v. 24; (e) The 
 Pharisees charging league with Satan, v. 
 34. 
 
 9 : 35 10 : 15. MISSION OF THE TWELVE. 
 
 Our Lord here undertakes another circuit 
 of Galilee, similar to that described in 4: 23 
 ff., and in connection with it he now sends out 
 the Twelve to engage in the same work, viz., 
 to make the same proclamation of the near 
 approach of the Messianic reign (comp. 10: 7 
 with 4: 17), and to work similar miracles of 
 healing. (io:i,s.) Before sending forth the 
 Twelve, our Lord addressed them a long 
 discourse (io:5-*2), giving them instruction not 
 only for this mission, but for all their subse- 
 quent labors in his name; after which dis- 
 course he went to his work (n:i), and they to 
 theirs. (Mark6:ur. ; Luke 9: e.) Some prefer to con- 
 sider this as not the record of a distinct jour- 
 ney, but simply a return to the general state- 
 ment of 4: 23. The idea would thus be, that 
 having given a grand specimen of our Lord's 
 teaching (ch. 5-7), and a group of specimens 
 of his miracles (ch. & aud 9), the Evangelist 
 now repeats the general description of his 
 journeying, teaching and healing (same terms 
 in 9: 35 as in 4: 23), and presently branches 
 off again to describe the mission of the Twelve. 
 But it seems more likely that this was a sec- 
 ond and distinct journey. Indeed, Luke ap- 
 pears to give a third journey (Luke 8: 1-3), which 
 a Harmony would make intermediate between 
 the two in Matthew. Our present section in- 
 cludes so much of the address to the Twelve 
 as is given by Mark and Luke also. The 
 remainder (v. 16-42) is given by Matthew 
 only. 
 
 1.9: 35 to 10 : 1. JESUS is MOVED TO 
 SEND OUT THE TWELVE. While engaged in 
 a circuit of Galilee, he is moved with com- 
 passion at the spiritual destitution of the 
 people, and begins to prepare the Twelve for 
 going out as teachers. The portion in v. 35-38 
 is found in Matthew alone, except that Mark 
 (6:6) says simply, 'And he went round about 
 the villages teaching.' 
 
 35. Same as 4 : 23, except that for ' went about 
 all Galilee' we here have more particularly, 
 went about all the cities and (the) vil- 
 lages, referring still to Galilee, as the con-
 
 CH. IX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 211 
 
 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved 
 with compassion on them, because they fainted, and 
 were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 
 
 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest 
 truly i* plenteous, but the labourers are few; 
 
 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he 
 will send forth labourers into his harvest. 
 
 36 manner of disease and all manner of sickness. But 
 when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with 
 compassion for them, because they were distressed 
 
 37 and scattered, as sheep not having ashepherd. Then 
 saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is 
 
 38 plenteous, but the labourers are few. Pray ye there- 
 fore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth l 
 labourers into liis harvest. 
 
 a Or, were tired and lay down. 
 
 nection and the circumstances show. All is 
 so placed in the Greek as to be confined to the 
 cities; and he could not have visited all the 
 villages. Josephus says there were in Galilee 
 not less than two hundred and four cities and 
 populous villages. (See on 4: 12.) The word 
 rendered villages denotes properly a town 
 without walls, as opposed to a fortified town. 
 The larger places would of course all be for- 
 tified. We learn then that our Lord made a 
 thorough circuit, going into all the large 
 towns, and very generally into the smaller 
 places also. He did not go only where he 
 could have a very large congregation. For 
 every sickness and every disease i. e., 
 every kind, not necessarily every case and 
 for the other terms, see on 4 : 23. Among the 
 people, com. Greek text, is omitted on over- 
 whelming evidence. Here again, as in 8: 16 
 and 4: 23. we must pause and dwell on the 
 strong general statement, or we shall not ade- 
 quately conceive of the immense extent of 
 our Lord's work as a Healer. 
 
 36. But when he saw the multitudes 
 crowds as in 5: 1. As there his compassion 
 led to a long address on the Mount, so here it 
 leads him to send out the Twelve, that they 
 might aid in the so much needed work of 
 teaching and healing. Similarly after the 
 return of the Twelve. (Marker.) In the pres- 
 ent case, as in 5: 1, we understand that what 
 follows took place at some unassigned time 
 in the course of the circuit just described. 
 Because they fainted, best text, were dis- 
 tressed, or 'harassed,' 'worried,' rendered 
 'trouble' in Mark 5:35; Luke 8: 49. The 
 evidence for this Greek word rather than 
 'fainted' (com. Greek text) is ample. Scat- 
 tered, literally, 'thrown,' 'hurled,' might 
 mean prostrate (so Davidson), lying down, as 
 being worn out and unable to go forward, or 
 might mean cast off, neglected ; the general 
 conception remains the same, that of a flock 
 worried and suffering for lack of a shepherd's 
 care. In the East, where sheep wander freely 
 in wild, unenclosed regions, so as to require 
 
 constant attention, this image is very striking. 
 Meyer supposes that our Lord saw the people 
 to be worn out with following him in long 
 journeys, and that this suggested to him the 
 image of a flock tired down ; but the supposi- 
 tion seems quite improbable. (Weiss). The 
 people were greatly in need of spiritual in- 
 struction and guidance, for those who pro- 
 fessed to be their shepherds were hot faithful 
 and safe guides. (Seethe same expression in 
 Num. 27 : 17, and comp. 1 Kings 22: 17; Jer. 
 50: 6; Ezek. 34: 5; Zech. 10: 2.) 
 
 37, 38. He seeks to awaken a similar com- 
 passion in his followers. Disciples, see on 
 5: 1. There were probably other disciples 
 present, besides the Twelve (10 = 1), and the ex- 
 hortation to pray was addressed to them all, 
 but only the Twelve were at that time sent 
 forth; at a later period, seventy others. (Luke 
 io:i.) The figure of reaping a harvest he had 
 employed before (perhaps a year before), at 
 Jacob's well (John^sstr.), and will use again 
 when sending out the seventy. (Lute 10:2.) 
 Truly represents the Greek word (men) ex- 
 plained on 3: 11, which denotes merely that 
 this clause is set in contrast with what follows. 
 The idea is sufficient!} 7 expressed in English 
 by an emphatic utterance of 'harvest' and 
 'laborers'; it was so rendered by Tyn. and 
 Gen. (so also Davidson), 'truly' being intro- 
 duced by Great Bible. The harvest signi- 
 fies, not (as some explain) the elect, those 
 who will actually be saved, but men in gen- 
 eral, who unless gathered and saved will 
 perish like wheat that is not reaped. This 
 compassion for perishing men will naturally 
 lead to prayer for laborers (v. as), and such 
 compassion and prayer will form the best, 
 preparation for going forth to be laborers our- 
 selves. (10: i.) Any man who is called of God 
 to devote himself to preaching the gospel 
 will have felt something, ought to have felt 
 much, of this pitying love for his perish- 
 ing fellow men, and will have prayed much 
 for their rescue; and those engaged in 
 that work should be careful to maintain, as
 
 212 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. X. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 ND when he had called unto him his twelve disci- 
 XL pies, he gave them power "against unclean spirits, 
 t<> cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness 
 and all manner of disease. 
 
 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these ; 
 The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his 
 brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his 
 brother ; 
 
 1 And he called unto him his twelve disciples, and 
 gave them authority over uncleau spirits, to cast 
 them out, and to heal all manner of disease and all 
 manner of sickness. 
 
 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: 
 The first, Siuion, who is called Peter, and Andrew 
 his brother ; James the son of Zebedee, and John his 
 
 long as they live, this same pity and prayer. 
 And not only preachers, but all Christians, 
 should feel as Jesus felt, and should regularly 
 and habitually pray this prayer. Send forth 
 is literally cast out, 'throw out,' or 'thrust 
 out,' the same word that is used in v. 33 f., in 
 10: 1, and above in v. 25 (where see note). 
 Conip. its use in Mark 1 : 12; James 2: 25. It 
 always implies urgency, haste, constraint, or 
 some such idea, and here means that the 
 laborers should be sent out promptly, pushed 
 into their work. Beza : " For we are all very 
 tardy, especially in such matters." This same 
 word is retained when our Lord speaks to the 
 seventy. (Lukeio:2.)' Such laborers as the 
 Lord of the harvest does put forth, we may 
 endeavor, with his blessing, to train for the 
 better performance of their work (see on 10: 
 1); but they must be his laborers, not ours, 
 called into the work, and urged to the per- 
 formance of it, by himself. 
 
 1O : 1. Having led the disciples to feel in- 
 terest in perishing throngs of men, and en- 
 couraged them to pray for laborers, Jesus now 
 bids them go forth to labor themselves. We 
 ought carefully to observe the slow and grad- 
 ual process by which our Lord prepared the 
 Twelve for their great and important life-work. 
 First, he called various individuals to be his dis- 
 ciples, as, for example, those in John 1 : 35-51 ; 
 these went with him for a time, but afterwards 
 returned to their homes and their secular em- 
 ployments. Next, he called some to attach 
 themselves permanently to him, as above in 
 4 : 18-22, stating at the time his intention to 
 make them fishers of men. After a while, he 
 selected from the general mass of his follow- 
 ers the Twelve, who were to be specially near 
 to him, and to be trained for special duties; 
 delivering to them, immediately after their 
 selection (see on 5: 1), a great discourse on the 
 true nature of that Messianic reign which they 
 were to aid in bringing about. And now, at 
 
 a still later period, when they have been long 
 hearing his discourses to the people, talking 
 with him familiarly in private, and witnessing 
 his multiplied miracles, he sends them forth, 
 two and two, to preach and heal ; but not yet 
 to work independently of him, for they are 
 only to go before and prepare the way for his 
 coming. After a season spent in such personal 
 labors, they will return, and remain long with 
 him, receiving further instruction, which they 
 will more earnestly desire and more fully ap- 
 preciate, from their attempts at actual preach- 
 ing. And finally, after his ascension, they 
 will be ready, with the Holy Spirit as their 
 abiding Instructor, to go and disciple all na- 
 tions. After all this training they could do 
 nothing without the Spirit; yet, though they 
 were to have the Spirit, they must also have 
 this training doing what they could, mean- 
 while, to reap the great and perishing harvest, 
 but devoting themselves mainly to prepara- 
 tion for wider usefulness in the coming years. 
 
 With v. 1-15 comp. Mark 6: 7-11; Luke 9: 
 1-5. Disciples, see on 5 : 1. Power, author- 
 ity, which in such a case would carry with it 
 the power, see on 9:6. As to demoniacal 
 possessions, see on 8: 28. These spirits are 
 called unclean, because of their own wicked- 
 ness, and perhaps because their presence was 
 a pollution to the person possessed (comp. on 
 12: 43 ff. ) ; and this served to distinguish 
 them from good or pure spirits. Sometimes 
 they are called 'evil spirits.' All manner of, 
 etc., every disease and every infirmity, comp. 
 9:35; 4: 23. 
 
 II. 2-4. List of the Twelve. Matthew 
 has not mentioned the selection of the Twelve, 
 
 which took place before this. ^Mnrk 3: 13; I,uke6: 13, 
 
 comp. on 5:i.) At the time when he wrote, the 
 twelve apostles were well known, and he 
 speaks of them accordingly: ' his twelve disci- 
 ples,' 'the twelve apostles.' The number 
 twelve was probably chosen with reference to 
 
 ' That he send forth ' is a non-final use of hopes, see on 5 : 29.
 
 CH. X.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 213 
 
 the number of tribes (see on 19: 28). Apos- 
 tles ; the name, borrowed from Greek apos- 
 tolos, 'one sent off,' or 'sent forth,' is here in- 
 troduced by Matt, for the first time, in con- 
 nection with the occasion on which they were 
 first actually sent forth (. 5) to labor. But 
 our Lord gave them that name when he 
 selected the Twelve (see Luke 6: 13). The 
 word is translated ' one that is sent ' in John 
 
 13: 16; 'messenger' in 2 Cor. 8: 23; Phil. 2: 
 25; everywhere else in Com. Ver. and Kev. 
 Ver., it is 'apostle.' Jesus himself is called 
 an apostle, i. e., sent by God, in Heb. 3: I. 
 Our word missionary, derived from the Latin, 
 likewise signifies "one sent." 
 
 Curious, and in some respects instructive re- 
 sults, may be obtained from a comparison of 
 the four lists of the Twelve. 
 
 Matthew 10 : 2 f. 
 
 Mark 3 : 16 f. 
 
 Luke 6: 14 f. 
 
 Acts 1 : 13 f. 
 
 1 Simon Peter. 
 
 Simon Peter. 
 
 Simon Peter. 
 
 Simon Peter. 
 
 2 Andrew. 
 
 James. 
 
 Andrew. 
 
 James. 
 
 3 James. 
 
 John. 
 
 James. 
 
 John. 
 
 4 John. 
 
 Andrew. 
 
 John. 
 
 Andrew. 
 
 5 Philip. 
 
 Philip. 
 
 Philip. 
 
 Philip. 
 
 6 Bartholomew. 
 
 Bartholomew. 
 
 Bartholomew. 
 
 Thomas. 
 
 7 Thomas. 
 
 Matthew. 
 
 Matthew. 
 
 Bartholomew. 
 
 8 Matthew. 
 
 Thomas. 
 
 Thomas. 
 
 Matthew. 
 
 9 James the son of 
 
 James the son of 
 
 James the son of 
 
 James the son of 
 
 Alpheus. 
 
 Alpheus. 
 
 Alpheus. 
 
 Alpheus. 
 
 10 Thaddeus. 
 
 Thaddeus. 
 
 Simon the Zealot. 
 
 Simon the Zealot 
 
 11 Simon the 
 
 Simon the 
 
 Judas the brother 
 
 Judas the brother 
 
 Canaanite. 
 
 Canaanite. 
 
 of James. 
 
 of James. 
 
 12 Judas Iscariot. 
 
 Judas Iscariot. 
 
 Judas Iscariot. 
 
 (Vacant). 
 
 We observe at once that, with all the 
 variety in the order of succession, Simon 
 Peter is always first, and Judas Iscariot last. 
 Again, the first six names in Matthew, Mark, 
 and Luke are the five earliest known converts. 
 (John i:35.i), together with James, the brother 
 of one of them; and the first four in all the 
 lists are the two pairs of brothers whose call 
 to follow Jesus is the earliest mentioned. 
 (4:18-22.) Furthermore we note in each of the 
 lists three groups of four, headed respectively 
 in every list by Peter, Philip, and James, 
 which groups contain always the same four 
 persons, though within the limits of each 
 group the order greatly varies, except as to 
 Judas Iscariot. It seems a natural and un- 
 avoidable inference that the Twelve were in 
 some sense divided into three companies of 
 four, each having a recognized leader. The 
 foremost in the first company, and at the head 
 of all the Twelve, is Simon Peter. When 
 Matthew says, First, Simon who is called 
 Peter, he cannot mean merely that this 
 happens to be the name first mentioned by 
 him; and there is no explanation in the fact 
 that those are mentioned first who first came 
 to Jesus; for then Andrew and probably John, 
 ought to precede Peter. (John w IT.) It is un- 
 questionable that Simon Peter was a sort of 
 
 leader among the Twelve. (See on 16: 18.) 
 As regards the remaining members of the first 
 company or group of four, we may suppose 
 that Matthew and Luke put Andrew next to 
 Simon because they were brothers; while 
 Mark and Acts and Mark 13 : 3 place James 
 and John next to Simon, because they three 
 were admitted to special intimacy and favor 
 with Jesus, being the only persons present 
 on several solemn occasions. (See on 17: 1.) 
 The four who formed this first group are men- 
 tioned in Mark 13: 3 as making private in- 
 quiries of Jesus concerning the destruction of 
 the temple, etc. In the second company, Mat- 
 thew puts Thomas before himself (comp. 
 Acts), while Mark and Luke place Matthew 
 first. After Philip, Matthew, Mark and Luke 
 put Bartholomew, probably the same as Na- 
 thanael, who was brought to Jesus by Philip. 
 ( John i : 46 a.) In the third company of four, 
 Simon the Cananite in Matthew and Mark is 
 obviously the same as Simon the Zealot in 
 Luke and Acts (see below); hence Thaddeus 
 (Lebbeus is a false reading) must be only 
 another name of Judas the brother of James. 
 He might naturally be put next to his brother, 
 as by Matthew and Mark ; or Luke's order 
 may indicate that Simon the Zealot was reck- 
 oned the more important personage. Observe
 
 214 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. X. 
 
 that there are among the Twelve three pairs 
 of brothers Simon and Andrew, James and 
 John, James the son of Alpheus, and Judas 
 the brother of James (though this last may be 
 'son,' see below) ; also that Matthew and 
 Luke give the list in couples, and Mark (:') 
 says they were sent forth 'by two and two,' 
 and these couples would easily lead to the 
 grouping into fuurs. It would be natural that 
 in different journeyings the couples should 
 somewhat vary, and this might perhaps ac- 
 count for the different order of names in the 
 several groups of four. 
 
 Simon who is called Peter. Simon was 
 a Greek name, but in the New Test, is pretty 
 certainly a contraction of Simeon, which form 
 is given in Acts 15: 14, and by some authori- 
 ties in 2 Peter 1 : 1. Simeon signified hearing, 
 (oeu. 29:33.) Simon was a native of Bethsaida 
 (John i:**), a town on the Sea of Galilee, de- 
 scribed below on 11 : 21. His father's name 
 was Jonah or John (see on 16: 17). He and 
 his brother Andrew were fishermen on the 
 Lake of Galilee. Andrew, and probably 
 Simon also, was a disciple of John the Bap- 
 tist, before coining to know Jesus. (John i : 35 ff.) 
 Jesus gave to Simon when he first approached 
 him, the surname of Cephas ( John i: 43), which 
 in the Aramaic language spoken by them, 
 signified a rock or stone (Kepha, Greek form 
 Kephas), and which was translated into the 
 Greek Petros, signifying the same thing; 
 hence Latin Petrus, English Peter. The 
 Aramaic Cephas is always used by Paul (i cor., 
 Gai. correct text), and nowhere else in N. T. (ex- 
 cept John 1: 43.) After following Jesus for 
 some time, Simon appears to have returned to 
 his business as a fisherman, and was subse- 
 quently prominent among those called to be 
 regular attendants. (See on 4: 18 ff.) The prin- 
 cipal events of his subsequent life are given 
 in8:14ff.; 14:28 ff.; 16:16; 16,22ff: John 13: 
 6ff. ; Matt. 26: 33; 26: 69 ff. ; John 21 : 15 ff. ; 
 then in Actsl: 15; 2: 14; 4:8; 5:3; 8:14ff.; 
 10: Iff.; 12:3ff.; 15:7. He was an ardent 
 and impulsive man, of great force of charac- 
 ter, and extremely self-confident. Sad expe- 
 rience, through the special influences of the 
 Sprit, wrought a great change in him, though 
 still, the last time he appears distinctly in the 
 N. T. history, we discern the same impul- 
 siveness and readiness to change, as of yore. 
 (GI. 2: 11.) He seems to have been at Babylon, 
 
 where there were many Jews, at the time of 
 writing his First Epistle, (i Peter 5 : is.) The tra- 
 ditions concerning his later life are very un- 
 certain, and so as to all the apostles except 
 John. As regards Peter's position of leader 
 among the Twelve, see on 16: 18 f. 
 
 Andrew. The name is Greek, signifying 
 ' manly.' The facts concerning his parentage, 
 residence, occupation, and early discipleship, 
 have been mentioned in connection with 
 Peter. The only other cases in which he ap- 
 pears are John 6: 8; 12: 22; Mark 13: 3. The 
 traditions concerning him are wholly unre- 
 liable. Yet he is important to us, not only as 
 one of the inspired apostles, but as the means 
 of bringing to Jesus his own brother Simon. 
 All the usefulness of Simon Peter is, in one 
 sense, due to the brother who told him of 
 Jesus. And so, many a one in every age, 
 little known himself, and of no marked influ- 
 ence otherwise, has been among the great 
 benefactors of mankind, by bringing to Jesus 
 some other person who proved widely useful. 
 
 James . . and John. James was prob- 
 ably the elder, as he is usually mentioned 
 first, while John is sometimes put foremost, 
 (Lake 9: 28; AOU 12: 2), probably because more 
 prominent, and because alone surviving when 
 the books were written. James is originally 
 the same name as Jacob, 'supplanter,' being 
 written in the Greek, lacobos, Latin, lacobus, 
 then Jacopus, Jacomus, and so James. John 
 is the Hebrew Johanan, 'Jehovah graciously 
 gave,' see on 3: 1. Their father, Zebedee, 
 was a fisherman on the Lake of Galilee (* :"). 
 but apparently a man of some property, as he 
 employed hired servants (Mark 1:20), and as his 
 wife was one of the women who contributed 
 to the support of Jesus and his disciples 
 (27 : 55 r.; Luke 8: a), and probably a man of good 
 social position, as we find John familiarly 
 acquainted at the house of the high priest, 
 (joim is: 15 r.) From their mother Salome (see 
 on 27: 56) was perhaps inherited the ambition 
 (see on 20: 20), and perhaps also the ardor, 
 intensity, vehemence, and warm affection, 
 which characterized her sons. These qualities 
 of theirs were doubtless the ground of the 
 name Boanerges, 'sons of thunder,' which 
 Jesus gave to the two brothers. (Mark3:ii.) 
 John appears to have been a disciple of John 
 the Baptist, it being almost certain that he 
 was the unnamed disciple of John 1 : 35-41.
 
 CH. X.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 215 
 
 3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew 
 the publican ; James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, 
 whose surname was Thaddeus ; 
 
 3 brother: Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and 
 Matthew the publican ; James the sun of Alphseus, 
 
 We have no account of any call of James, 
 until the time when the two brothers, with 
 Simon and Andrew, were called to become 
 our Lord's constant followers (*:); John at 
 least was probably with Jesus during the pre- 
 vious labors recorded in his Gospel, (cbap. 2:4.) 
 The peculiar temperament of the brothers 
 appears in Mark 9; 38 ff. ; Luke 9: 52 ff.; 
 Matt. 20: 20 ff. After this last event, we hear 
 nothing of James, save as present at Geth- 
 semane, and included in the list of Acts 1: 
 13, until the time when Herod Agrippa I. put 
 him to death (Acts 12: 2), the first martyr among 
 the apostles. 
 
 John, however, appears quite frequently, 
 usually in immediate association with Peter, 
 between whom and himself there was prob- 
 ably a special friendship. Together they were 
 sent to prepare for the Paschal Supper (Luke 
 w:8), at which John was allowed to lean on 
 Jesus' breast, "the disciple whom Jesus 
 loved." Together they (and James) witnessed 
 the agony in the garden, and both followed to 
 the trial. (John is-, is.) At the cross, John only 
 of the Twelve seems to have been present, 
 drawn by his ardent affection, and perhaps 
 .relying to some extent on his acquaintance 
 with the high-priest for safety ; and there he 
 received the mother of his dying friend as one 
 of his own family. Peter and John were also 
 together in John 20: 2 ff. ; 21 : 2 ff. ; Acts 3 : 1 
 ff.; 8:14; Gal. 2: 9. From Rev. 1: 9 we 
 learn that at some time he was in exile on the 
 Island of Patmos. There seems little doubt 
 that he spent many years in "Asia," i. e., 
 Proconsular Asia, particularly about Ephe- 
 sus, and there wrote his inspired works. Sev- 
 eral early traditions in regard to him are 
 pleasing and probably true, particularly the 
 story of his reclaiming the young robber, of 
 his keeping a tame bird, of his saying, "Little 
 children, love one another," and of his leav- 
 ing a house because a noted false teacher was 
 there. John as disciplined by grace, exhibits 
 one of the noblest types of human character. 
 The love with which his Epistles abound has 
 in it nothing effeminate. He strongly con- 
 demns and severely denounces the prevailing 
 errors and evils. He is not merely contempla- 
 tive, but intensely practical ; insisting that 
 
 Christian love must show itself in holiness 
 and usefulness, or it is naught. Still vehe- 
 ment, uncompromising, and outspoken, the 
 loving and beloved old man has not ceased to 
 be the "Son of Thunder" ; but the vaulting 
 ambition which once aspired to be next to 
 royalty in a worldly kingdom, now seeks to 
 overcome the world, to bear testimony to the 
 truth, to purify the churches, and glorify 
 God. 
 
 3. Philip. The name is Greek, signifying 
 "lover of horses." Philip, like Peter and 
 Andrew, was a native of Bethsaida (John i : ), 
 and one of those who left the Baptist at the 
 Jordan to follow Jesus, his friend Nathanael, 
 or Bartholomew, being also brought to Jesus 
 through his influence. (Johni:ff.) The only 
 recorded incidents of his life are given in 
 John 6 : 5 ff. ; 12 : 21 ; 14 : 8 ff. And yet he 
 was apparently one of the leaders among the 
 Twelve, always standing at the head of the 
 second group of four. The traditions con- 
 cerning him are quite unreliable. He must 
 of course be distinguished from Philip the 
 Evangelist, of whom we read in the Acts. 
 The name Bartholomew is Bar Tolmai, 
 'son of Tolmai,' and Tolmai (perhaps ' plow- 
 man') is an O. T. name, having in the Sept. 
 of Joshua 15: 14 the form Tholami, and in 
 Josephus "Ant.," 20, 1, 1, the form Tholo- 
 meus. Nathnnael denotes 'God-given,' like 
 Theodore, etc. From John 21 : 2 we naturally 
 suppose Nathanael to have been one of the 
 Twelve; and as it was Philip who brought 
 Nathanael to Jesus (Jhni: 44 ff.), and Barthol- 
 omew stands immediately after Philip in the 
 catalogues of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we 
 conclude that Nathanael and Bartholomew 
 were the same person. The only fact known 
 in his history is that he was a native of Cana. 
 (Jobn2i:2.) The traditions concerning him are 
 of little or no value. But he stands out in 
 conspicuous lustre from the tributn of Jesus 
 when he first approached him, "Behold, an 
 Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile 1 ' ! (John 
 i: .) Thomas. This name signifying 
 'twin' was sometimes translated into the 
 Greek Didymus (J>"< "' '), which means the 
 snme thing, just as Cphs and Peter are used, 
 or Messiah and Christ. The incidents given
 
 216 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. X. 
 
 of his life are in Johnll: 16; 14: 4f.; 20: 24ff. 
 He does not deserve to be called "doubting 
 Thomas," in the usual sense of the phrase; 
 he was desponding, slow to believe what he 
 ardently desired (as he had been ready to be- 
 lieve the worst, John 11 : 16), but when con- 
 vinced, uttering the noblest confession in the 
 Gospels. (Jouu20:28.) The traditions concern- 
 ing him are uncertain. As to Matthew, see 
 on 9: 9. It is a trait of humility that he 
 speaks of himself as Matthew, the publi- 
 can ; recalling the discreditable business 
 which he had formerly followed, while the 
 other catalogues make no such allusion. 
 Eusebius says (" Hist." iii. 24, 6) that " Mat- 
 thew, after first preaching to the Hebrews, 
 when he was about to go also to other nations, 
 committed to writing in his native tongue the 
 Gospel according to him, thus supplying the 
 place of his presence." Papias, who wrote 
 about A. D. 130, says : " Matthew composed in 
 the Hebrew language the oracles, and every 
 one interpreted them as he was able." The 
 term "oracles" might mean simply discourses, 
 or might have a more general sense, including 
 narrative, as in Rom. 3: 2. The relation of 
 this Hebrew (Aramaic) writing to our Greek 
 Gospel we have scarcely the means of deter- 
 mining. See the works on Canon and on In- 
 troduction. The later history of Matthew is 
 unknown ; the traditions are unreliable. 
 
 James the son of Alpheus. If we adopt 
 the much more probable view that this James 
 is distinct from "James the brother of the 
 Lord " (see on 13 : 551, we are left with scarcely 
 any knowledge of this eminent apostle, the 
 leader in the third group of four. His father's 
 name was Alpheus or Halpheus. which was 
 also the name of Matthew's father. (Mrkj:u.) 
 Clopas (John 19: 25) might be another form of 
 the same name, but we cannot say that it was 
 the same person. As to whether James was 
 the brother of Judas Thaddeus, see below. 
 
 The copious accounts sometimes given of him 
 result from identifying him with James the 
 brother of the Lord. Thaddeus. This alone 
 is the name in Matt, and Mark, according to 
 the correct text. 1 We have seen from com- 
 paring the catalogue that Thaddeus must be 
 only another name of 'Judas the brother of 
 James,' as given in Luke and Acts. He was 
 thus known as Judas the beloved, or darling. 
 In Luke and Acts he is distinguished from 
 Judas Iscariot by calling him 'Judas of James, ' 
 or ' James's Judas,' a farm of expression which 
 is quite common in Greek, and which usually 
 adds the father of the person described, but 
 sometimes another connection, such as hus- 
 band, son, brother, or even friend. (See 
 Winer, p. 190 [237].) An eminent example 
 is that of the early Christian writer Eusebius, 
 who, after the death of his friend Pamphilus, 
 always called himself Eusebius of Pamphilus. 
 If nothing were known to the contrary, we 
 should naturally translate 'Judas son of 
 James,' as is done by the Peshito -and The- 
 baic versions, and by our Rev. Ver. (Luke 6: \t; 
 Act i:i.t.) Comp. Bishop Lightfoot on Gal., p. 
 256. But as the Epistle of Jude begins ' Judas, 
 a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James ' 
 (where brother is expressed in the Greek), we 
 seem entirely warranted in using that fact to 
 solve the ambiguity of Luke's expression 
 'Judas of Jnmes,' and understanding it to* 
 mean the brother of James; yet it is im- 
 possible to determine the question with cer- 
 tainty, for we cannot even be certain that the 
 Epistle was written by the apostle Judas. The 
 only incident in the life of Judas Thaddeus is 
 given in John 14: 22. The traditions concern- 
 ing him are worthless. 
 
 Simon the Canaanite, or Cananaean. 
 The name Simon being very common, this 
 apostle is distinguished from Simon Peter and 
 others by the surname Cananaean, which in 
 Aramaic would signify the same thing as the 
 
 1 It is given hy B X, 2 cursives, the two Egyptian ver- 
 sions, the Latin Vulgate, and several copies of the Old 
 Latin. Lebbetis alone is given by D, some Latin docu- 
 ments, and Hesychius, and so is a feebly supported 
 "Western" reading. (D and some copies of the Old 
 Latin make the same change in Mark 3: 18.) From 
 these two easily arose "conflate" readings, "Lebbeus 
 who was surnamed Thaddeus," " Thaddeus who was sur- 
 narned Lebbeus," etc. The name Thaddeus is usually 
 derived from the Aramaic tfuui, the female breast, Heb. 
 thad, and would thus signify cherished in the bosom, 
 
 'beloved.' 1 Now, Jerome says that Lebbeiis (which ob- 
 viously conies from leb, heart) signifies corculum. sweet- 
 heart, darling. We can easily understand how the 
 " Western " documents, so given to arbitrary changes, 
 might change the unfamiliar Thaddeus to a word of 
 similar meaning fonned upon a very familiar root. 
 Thus all the phenomena are accounted for, and Thad- 
 deus alone stands as the name in Matt., as well as in 
 Mark. The perplexity of several recent writers has 
 arisen from taking Lebbeus to mean hearty, courage- 
 ous, overlooking Jerome's definition.
 
 CH. X.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 217 
 
 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also 4 and Thaddseus; Simon the 1 Canan8ean, and Judas 
 betrayed him. 
 
 1 Or, Zealot. See Luke vi. 15 ; Acts i. 1. 
 
 Greek word Zelotes given in Luke and Acts, 
 viz., 'Zealot.' Thirty years later than this, 
 as we find from Josephus ("War," 4, 3, 9), 
 there existed a party calling themselves Zealots, 
 as being very zealous for the national religion 
 and institutions. (Comp. Acts 21 : 20; Horn. 
 10: 2.) They were accustomed to punish 
 without trial, to "lynch" any Jew who 
 seemed to them a traitor or violator of the 
 law, finding precedent and sanction in the 
 case of Phinehas. (Num. 25 : 7.) This practice, as 
 must always happen when it is continued, led 
 finally to gross abuses and horrid cruelties, 
 and the Zealots had no small part in the ruin 
 of the nation. It is likely that the party al- 
 ready existed in the time of our Lord (having 
 come down from Judas the Galilean), (Aot5: 27), 
 though on a much smaller scale than 
 afterwards, and that Simon had at one time 
 belonged to it, and thus acquired his surname, 
 Zelotes or Cananaean. It is quite a mistake 
 t<> confound this with Canaanite, which in 
 Greek is materially different (is : 22); the mis- 
 take is found as early as Great Bible, " Simon 
 of Canaan," (so in Bagster's Hexapla, both 
 in Matt, and Mark. Bishop Lightfoot[Kev.] 
 seems to be mistaken in ascribing the double 
 A to the Bishop's Bible.) Of this apostle's his- 
 tory we know nothing at all. The fact that he 
 had been a Zealot would suggest an ardent na- 
 ture; it is probable that, like Paul, he showed in 
 doing good the same fiery zeal he had shown 
 in doing evil. 
 
 Judas Iscariot has the same surname in 
 John 12: 4; 13: 2. His father was called 
 
 Simon Iscariot. (John 6 : 71 ; IS : 28, correct text.) Judas 
 
 is a Greek form of Judah. (See on 1 : 2.) The 
 surname Iscariot is Ish-Kerioth, 'man of 
 Kerioth,' a town in the tribe of Judah (Joh. 
 ISMS); it is spelled Iscarioth in the better 
 Greek text of Mark 3 : 19; Luke 6: 16. So 
 Ish-Tob, 'man of Tob' or 'men of Tob' is 
 in the Sept., Istob, and in Josephus Istobos. 
 The fact that his father had the same surname 
 quite excludes Lightfoot's fanciful etymolo- 
 gies from Latin scortea, a leathern apron, be- 
 cause he carried the bag, or from Hebrew 
 nsknra, strangling. All the other disciples 
 appear to have been Galileans (though that is 
 not certain), and this difference might have 
 
 some effect on Judas in preventing full sym- 
 pathy with the others. We know nothing of 
 his early history or his call to be a disciple. 
 It was not only a matter of divine fore- 
 knowledge that he would betray his Teacher 
 as all things are but was distinctly foreseen 
 from an early period by Jesus (Joime: ei), who 
 in his human mind was not omniscient. (2*= e.) 
 That a person in whom this was foreseen 
 should be chosen one of the Twelve, is not 
 more mysterious than a thousand other 
 things which are done in the providence of 
 the same Lord. Weiss: " The other disciples, 
 too, were not without great weaknesses and 
 faults of character, which were certainly no 
 
 secret to Jesus On the other hand, 
 
 Judas must have possessed special endow- 
 ments, for Jesus to consider it desirable to 
 secure him as a disciple." His talent for 
 business, with the care of the common fund, 
 seems to have developed a ruinous avarice, 
 even in the very company of Jesus. He 
 shows us that the greatest outward privileges 
 may be of no avail, and may even be per- 
 verted into a curse; and he exemplifies the 
 gradual progress, the terrible power, and the 
 awful results, of covetousness. It may very 
 well be that in the beginning he was sincere 
 and meant to be faithful ; but as so often hap- 
 pens, his gift became his snare. It is some 
 relief to our distress when we see men in high 
 places of Christian usefulness at the present 
 day falling utterly away, to remember that it 
 was so at the beginning, even among our 
 Lord's chosen Twelve. Judas must have 
 wrought miracles like the others (comp. 7 : 
 22 f. ), and his preaching must have produced 
 effects like theirs, or the difference would have 
 been noticed by him and them. In like man- 
 ner now, a bad man sometimes preaches, and 
 God converts souls through his instrumen- 
 tality; and these, when he afterwards turns 
 out to have been all the while a bad man at 
 heart, may well mourn for him, but need 
 have no fears as to the preciousness of the 
 truths he proclaimed, or scruples as to the 
 validity of the ordinances he administered. 
 As to the motives of Judas in the betrayal, 
 see on 26: 14 ff*., and as to his remorse and self- 
 destruction, see on 27: 3ff. Betrayed, is
 
 218 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. X. 
 
 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded 
 them, saying, Ho not into the way of the Gentiles, aud 
 iuto any "city of the Samaritans enter ye not : 
 
 5 Iscariot, who also l betrayed him. These twelve 
 Jesus sent forth, and charged them, saying, 
 Go not iuto any way of the Gentiles, aud enter not 
 
 1 Or, delivered kim up ; aud so always. 
 
 literally, delivered up (margin Rev. Ver. ), 
 the same word as in v. 17, 19, 21, above in 
 5: 25, and often, It is a part of the charac- 
 teristic moderation of the Evangelists that 
 never, except in Luke 6: 16, do they apply 
 to Judas the harsh words betray and traitor, 
 which have become so fixed in our usage. 
 Comp. on 17 : 22. 
 
 III. 5-15. INSTRUCTIONS TO THE TWELVE. 
 The remainder of chap. 10 contains the charge 
 given to the Twelve on sending them out. 
 (Comp. on 9: 35.) The earlier portion of 
 this (V:&-ID), is also briefly reported by Mark 
 (6: 8-u), and Luke (= s-o). The rest (v. 16-42) is 
 found in Matthew only. (See below on v. 
 16.) A charge closely resembling the earlier 
 part of this discourse was also given to the 
 Seventy, when sent out some time later. 
 
 (Luke 10: 1-16.) 
 
 5 f. These twelve Jesus sent forth ; in 
 
 Greek the verb from which comes apostolos, 
 ' one sent off.' (See on v. 2.) We learn from 
 Mark (: 7) that he sent them 'two and two.' 
 This arrangement may possibly have been 
 suggested by the fact that there were among 
 the Twelve two or three pairs of brothers (see 
 on v. 2 f. ), but it had also some important ad- 
 vantages, both as regards the apostles them- 
 selves, and as to their work. The two served 
 as company for each other, preventing the 
 loneliness which the apostle Paul took so 
 much pains to avoid on his journe3 r s. They 
 could also relieve each other in preaching, 
 which, in the open air, and to the crowds gath- 
 ered by their miracles, would be laborious, as 
 our Lord himself found it. And then the 
 testimony of the two witnesses concerning the 
 teachings and miracles of the Great Prophet 
 who was coming after them, would be more 
 impressive among the people than that of one 
 alone. The Seventy also were sent forth two 
 and two. (Lukeio:i.) Comp. Eccl. 4: 9-12; Luke 
 7 : 19. How long these journeyings aud labors 
 of the six pairs of apostles continued, we have 
 no means of ascertaining; one would conjec- 
 ture a few weeks. Way of the Gentiles, 
 like 'the removal of Babylon' (comp. on 1: 
 11), and 'the way of the tree of life, (Gen. .1:24-, 
 readily signifies a way leading to the Gentiles 
 
 (so rendered by Tyndale), a road to Gentile 
 countries. (Comp. also Jer. 2 : 18; Acts2: 28; 
 10: 17.) In traveling on the southern border 
 of Galilee, they would of course come near 
 some Samaritan towns ; thus we see that the 
 language is quite precise Do not enter a 
 city of the Samaritans, do not go off" into a 
 road to the Gentiles. 
 
 Samaritans. SAMARIA was the district 
 lying between Judea and Galilee. The dis- 
 like between the Jews and the Samaritans 
 had its beginnings as far back as the earliest 
 times of Israel in the jealousy existing be- 
 tween the tribes of Judah and Ephraim, 
 which finally led to the division into two 
 kingdoms. "When the people of the Northern 
 Kingdom (who came to be called Samaritans 
 from the capital city, Samaria, 1 Kings 16: 24), 
 were carried into captivity by the Adrians, 
 the country was partly occupied by Mesopo- 
 tamian colonists, who were idolaters. These 
 gradually coalesced with the dregs of the Is- 
 raelites who had been left in the land, and 
 with the fugitives who returned from sur- 
 rounding countries, into a half-heathen na- 
 tion, attempting to unite idolatry with the 
 worship of Jehovah. When the people of 
 the Southern Kingdom, the Jews, returned 
 from their captivity in Babylon, and under- 
 took to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem, the 
 Samaritans proffered to help them ; and being 
 repulsed, as not of pure Israelitish descent, 
 they then did all in their power to hinder the 
 building of the temple, and the fortification 
 of the city. A brother of the Jewish high- 
 priest, having married a Samaritan woman, 
 and being unwilling to put her away as re- 
 quired, went over to the Samaritans, and was 
 made priest in a temple built for him on 
 Mount Gerizim (Jos. "Ant.," 11, 8, 2), which 
 the Samaritans from that time began to con- 
 tend was the proper place for the worship of 
 Jehovah, rather than Jerusalem. (John 4: 20.) 
 These causes naturally led to bitter hatred be- 
 tween Jews and Samaritans, and they were 
 constantly attempting to injure and insult 
 each other, while under the dominion of the 
 Greek kings of Syria. John Hyrcanus con- 
 quered the Samaritans, destroying their tern-
 
 CH. X.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 219 
 
 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of 
 Israel. 
 
 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of 
 heaven is at hand. 
 
 6 into any city of the Samaritans: but go rather to 
 
 7 the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, 
 preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at haud. 
 
 pie and capital (about B. c. 125). Pompey 
 established their independence (B. c. 63). At 
 the time of our Lord's public ministry, Judea 
 and Samaria were governed by the same 
 Roman procurator, but as distinct adminis- 
 trative districts; and the hatred between the 
 two nations, cherished through centuries, and 
 combining all the elements of race jealousy, 
 religious rivalry, political hostility, ajid nu- 
 merous old grudges, had become so intense 
 that the world has probably never seen its 
 parallel. The theory of some writers that the 
 Samaritans were of purely heathen origin, 
 would suppose that the entire population. of 
 the Northern people was deported by the As- 
 syrians a thing extremely improbable ; would 
 render the frequent claim of the Samaritans 
 to be Jews an absurdity ; and would make it 
 difficult to account for the Samaritan Penta- 
 teuch, and the Samaritan expectation of Mes- 
 siah. For the Samaritans, like the Jews, ex- 
 pected the Messiah (John 4: 25, 29), and something 
 like a year before this mission of* the Twelve 
 our Lord's preaching among them at Sychar 
 was warmly received, and many believed on 
 him. (Joim 4: 89-42.) Some time after this mis- 
 sion he also went twice through Samaria, and 
 spoke and acted kindly towards them. (Luke 9: 
 si jr.: n:ii ff.) Why, then, might not the Twelve 
 go into their cities? It is enough to reply that 
 the Twelve had not then such feelings towards 
 that people as would qualify them to do good 
 there. The proposal of James and John to 
 call down fire from heaven upon a Samaritan 
 village (Luke9:52ff.) shows that there would 
 have been bitter controversies, with the old 
 national hate ever ready to burst out. (Comp. 
 Bruce, "Training of the Twelve.") In Acts 
 1 : 8, Samaria is expressly included in the 
 field of their appointed labors after the ascen- 
 sion. (Comp. Acts 8: 6.) 
 
 6. To the lost sheep, etc., comp. on 9: 
 88 ; and see the same figure employed in Isa. 
 03: 6; Jer. 50: 6; Ezek. 34:6. Our Lord 
 confined his own personal labors almost en- 
 tirely to the Jews; he declares, in 15 : 24, that 
 his mission was 'to the lost sheep of the house 
 of Israel,' the same expression as here; 
 though at a later period he says that he has 
 
 'other sheep which are not of this fold.' (John. 
 10: 16.) It was a part of the peculiar privileges 
 of the Jewish nation that the gospel should.be 
 first preached to them (Luke 24; 47; AOW is:46; Rom. 
 i.-is); yet Jesus frequently intimated that 
 these exclusive privileges could not last always. 
 
 (: 11; 10:18; 21:43; 22:9; 24:14.) By Confining his 
 
 labors and those of the Twelve to them he 
 avoided exciting their prejudices, and thus de- 
 prived them of even the poor excuse for re- 
 jecting him which they would have found in 
 his preaching freely among the Gentiles and 
 Samaritans. Accordingly, Matthew mentions 
 this limitation, while Mark and Luke do not. 
 Even at a later period, Paul found it almost 
 impossible to convince some Jewish Christians 
 that the Gentiles were to be admitted to the 
 privileges of the gospel, without becoming 
 Jews. And then had the reign of Messiah 
 been proclaimed to the Gentiles before it had 
 been welcomed by many Jews, the former 
 might have made it a very plausible objection 
 to the new religion that it was not believed in 
 at home, where it was best understood. Fur- 
 thermore, as regards this mission of the 
 Twelve, they were as yet too ignorant them- 
 selves of the true nature of Messiah's king- 
 dom to undertake its propagation among the 
 Gentiles; they would have introduced the 
 current Jewish errors on the subject. Some 
 years later, when their own course of early in- 
 struction was completed, and the Spirit was 
 come, they were prepared to preauh "repent- 
 ance and remission of sins . . . unto all he 
 nations." (Luke 24: 47, Rev. Ver.) For the present 
 they could prepare the Jews among whom 
 they went for the preaching of Jesus, and 
 what they said would not strengthen, but so 
 far as it went would rathercorrect the popular 
 errors. Such a restriction of labor to the Jews 
 is not addressed to the Seventy (Lokeio: i jr.), 
 but it is really involved in the statement that 
 they were to go where Jesus was going. 
 
 1 f. Preach, see on 4: 17. The kingdom 
 of heaven is at hand, see on 3 : 2. This was 
 the same announcement that John the Bap- 
 tist had made, and with which Jesus himself 
 had begun his ministry in Galilee (comp. on 
 4: I? 1 ); so tha Seventy likewise. (LukeiC.-v,
 
 220 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. X. 
 
 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, 
 
 MVt&l vicauoc nj\3 iif^io, jaiDG v*t wUj D A*VM MAV MVmj iai^< me UTOU, U1CU1IOC lllc !' jn !>, UUBI 
 
 cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 9 out drinonv. freely ye received, freely give. Get you 
 
 9 a Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass iii your 
 purses ; 
 
 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast 
 
 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise 
 the dead, cast out devils demons. The 
 Greek has no article. The original means, 
 Heal sick, i. e., persons, etc. They were not 
 commanded to heal all the sick they met with. 
 Probably they restricted their miracles, as 
 Jesus himself usually did, to those who showed 
 desire and faith. The Seventy also were com- 
 manded to heal the sick, in every city which 
 received them. (Lukeio:9.) As to leprosy, see 
 on 8: 2; and upon demoniacal possessions, see 
 on 8 : 28-31. The clause raise dead, i. e., per- 
 sons, is not certainly genuine, but most prob- 
 able. 1 Freely (or, gratis) ye have received, 
 freely (or, gratis] give. The word which 
 Tyn., etc., and Com. Ver. here render 'freely ' 
 really signifies 'as a gift,' and is exactly ren- 
 dered gratis, by the Latin versions and 
 Rheims. It is not opposed to the idea of 
 giving or receiving in a stingy way, or on a 
 small scale, but to the idea of giving or re- 
 ceiving for pay. Observe the force of the 
 word, as thus explained, in Rom. 3: 24; 2 
 Cor. 11: 7; Rev. 21: 6; 22: 17. (Comp. Isa. 
 65: 1.) The Jewish exercisers who pretended 
 to cast out demons were no doubt accustomed 
 to have pay ; and physicians of course took 
 pay for healing the sick. The Twelve could 
 easily have obtained money, in large sums, 
 for the cures they were empowered to perform. 
 We might think it strange that they should 
 need to be told not to do so ; but they had as 
 yet very imperfect conceptions of the nature 
 of Christ's work, and not merely might Judas 
 Iscariot have been glad enough to drive a 
 brisk trade in miraculous healing for pay, but 
 othersofthem might haveseen no impropriety 
 in receiving compensation for conferring such 
 important benefits. Jesus tells them they re- 
 ceived gratis, and must give gratis. They had 
 not purchased the power of miraculous heal- 
 ing as Simon Magus wished to do, (ACUS: is) 
 
 nor obtained it by long and expensive study, 
 and laborious practice ; it was received as a 
 gift, and must be exercised in like manner. 
 The miracles were really credentials for their 
 teaching, as well as indications of divine be- 
 nevolence, and should be used accordingly. 
 As to teaching, we find Mioah (3: 11) making it 
 a reproach that the heads of Israel "judge for 
 reward, priests teach for hire, and prophets 
 divine for money." Some of the later Jewish 
 writers maintained very earnestly, though 
 often on fanciful grounds, and though many 
 rabbis acted quite otherwise, that a man ought 
 not to teach the law for pay, but gratuitously 
 j ust as Socrates and Plato held with refer- 
 ence to philosophy. 
 
 9 f. While they were thus to work their 
 miracles, and teach the people, without pay, 
 they must, on the other hand, look to those 
 among whom they went for food and clothing 
 (v.9f.) t and for a hospitable reception, (v. 11-15.) 
 They must neither seek for gain (v. s), nor be 
 anxious about their livelihood, but laying 
 aside both selfish aims and personal cares, de- 
 vote themselves to their appointed task. He 
 therefore directs them to lay in no money, 
 whether gold, silver, or copper, no provision- 
 bag, nor staff, nor extra clothing, nor even 
 a loaf of bread (Mark6:8; Luke9:s) ; since the la- 
 borer is worthy of his sustenance. Our Lord 
 is not giving an exact list of objects to be dis- 
 pensed with, but is only illustrating the prin- 
 ciple; and so (Lutteroth) it is not strange that 
 the other Gospels give the details somewhat 
 differently. 
 
 Provide neither gold, etc., or, as in Rev. 
 Ver., Get you no gold, nor silver, nor copper, 
 in your girdles. The expression involves a 
 climax not gold, nor yet silver, nor even 
 copper. Mark (6:8) mentions only copper; 
 Luke (9:s) only silver. 'Brass,' as in Com. 
 Ver., a mixture of copper and zinc, is not 
 
 1 It is omitted by all later uncials, and more than one 
 hundred and fifty cursives, by the Thebaic and Arme- 
 nian, some Syriac and JEthiopic codices, and some 
 Fathers. The concurrence of B and X with C and D, 
 supported by the other versions, some fifteen cursives 
 and various Fathers, requires us to retain the reading. 
 
 The words may have been omitted because no other 
 passage of the Gospels ascribes to the apostles this 
 power. Plumptre thinks they were inserted because of 
 such later instances as Acts 9 : 40 ; 20 : 9 ff. The words 
 are retained by Lachui., Tisch., Treg., W H., and Weiss.
 
 CH X.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 221 
 
 10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, 
 neither shoes, nor yet staves : lor the workman is wor- 
 thy of his meat. 
 
 10 no gold, nor silver, nor brass in your J purses ; no 
 wallet for your journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, 
 nor staff: for the labourer is worthy ot his food. 
 
 > Gr. a staff 1 Or. girdles. 
 
 believed to have been in use among the 
 ancients; they made coins, and a great variety 
 of utensils and implements, sometimes of pure 
 copper, but more frequently of bronze, a mix- 
 ture of copper and tin, and it is this that is 
 commonly meant in Scripture by the word 
 copper. The * girdle * (see on 3: 4) was often 
 of fine materials and elegant workmanship, 
 and made hollow so as to carry money. The 
 word rendered 'purse' in Luke 10: 4, is dif- 
 ferent, and denotes a small pouch, like our 
 purse. No scrip, etc., or, no bag for the 
 road, (traveling bag, or haversack), the word 
 signifying a leather bag or wallet, used for 
 carrying provisions when traveling. The 
 English word 'scrip' was formerly used in 
 that sense, but is now obsolete. Two coats, 
 the word meaning the inner garment or long 
 shirt, described on 5: 40. It was not uncom- 
 mon to wear two of them at once, but was 
 unnecessary; and so John the Baptist (Lukss: n) 
 directed him who had two to give to him who 
 had none. In setting out on a journey it is 
 natural to assume additional or thicker cloth- 
 ing; and even this is here prohibited. (Comp. 
 Mark 6:9.) Or it may mean that they must 
 not carry with them a change of clothing, but 
 trust to obtaining it when needed. Neither 
 shoes, or, sandals. See on 3: 11. Nor yet 
 staves better nor staff. The singular is 
 the best supported reading of the Greek text. 
 Mark (), 'he charged them to take nothing 
 for their journey save a staff only,' would not 
 necessarily conflict with Matthew. The one 
 forbids them to procure a staff for the pur- 
 pose, the other allows them to carry with 
 them one already possessed. But Luke (:) 
 uses the same Greek term as Mark, they must 
 not carry a staff, and we have to fall back 
 upon the principle stated above; there are 
 indeed many cases in which the Evangelists 
 give details differently, while the substance is 
 the same. So in Matthew they are forbidden 
 to procure sandals, while Mark has it, 'but to 
 go shod with sandals." These soles of leather 
 or raw hide, bound under the feet, would very 
 soon wear out in traveling, and one setting 
 out on a long pedestrian journey would natu- 
 rally wish to lay in a supply of them ; but the 
 
 disciple must go with those they had on. 
 Comp. as to the Seventy Luke 10: 4. We 
 might take for granted that these specific di- 
 rections were designed only for the existing 
 circumstances of the disciples, and were meant 
 to be followed after the Ascension only ac- 
 cording to the principles involved, not accord- 
 ing to the particular details. Still more 
 clearly is that seen in the directions of v. 
 11 ff., which are manifestly founded upon the 
 peculiar usages of Oriental hospitality. Ai.d 
 this view is established beyond controversy 
 by Luke 22: 35 ff., where under different cir- 
 cumstances they are commanded to pursue an 
 altogether different course. Yet there have 
 not been wanting some to contend, and even 
 persons fanatical enough to attempt carrying 
 the idea into practice, that ministers now, and 
 especially foreign missionaries, should always 
 go forth in the way here directed. But our Lord 
 himself and the Twelve with him sometimes 
 had money, which Judas carried in a purse 
 (John 12. -e), and expended from time to time in 
 supplying their wants and in relieving the 
 poor. (John is: .) For the workman is worthy 
 of his meat or sustenance, this being the 
 exact meaning of the word whatever is 
 needed to sustain life. To the Seventy he said 
 (Lnkeio:?), ' for the laborer is worthy of his 
 hire,' and this is the form in which Paul quotes 
 the saying, (itim. 5:18.1 Aristotle says, "A 
 slave's hire is his sustenance." (Comp. Num. 
 18: 81.) It was a very useless variation for 
 Tyndale, etc.. and Com. Ver., to put 'work- 
 man' here, when the same word is rendered 
 'laborers' just above in 9: 37 f., and also in 
 the corresponding passages of Luke nnd 
 1 Tim. Our Lord here distinctly sets forth 
 the same truth concerningtho preacher's right 
 to have his wants supplied by those among 
 whom he labors, which Paul tenches in 1 Cor. 
 9, and 1 Tim. 6: 17 f. Some think the mean- 
 ing here to be that as God's laborers they had 
 a right to expect that he would give them sus- 
 tenance, by his providence ; but that view 
 does not well suit the connection here, or in 
 Luke 10: 7, nor at all accord with Paul's use 
 of the saying in 1 Tim. See also I Cor. 0: 14, 
 which seems to refer to this passage, if we
 
 222 
 
 MATTHEW: 
 
 [On. X. 
 
 11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, 
 inquire who in it is worthy ; and there abide till ye go 
 thence. 
 
 12 And when ye conie into a house, salute it. 
 
 l.i And it' tin- house be worthy, let your pence come 
 upon it : but if it be not worthy, let your peace return 
 to you. 
 
 14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear 
 your words, when ye depart out of that bouse or city, 
 shake ott'the dust of your feet. 
 
 11 And into whatsoever city or village ye shall enter, 
 search out who in it is worthy ; and there abide till 
 
 12 ye go forth. And as ye enter into the house, salute 
 
 13 it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come 
 upon it : but if it be not worthy, let your peace re- 
 
 14 turn to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, 
 nor hear vour words, as ye go forth out of that 
 house or that city, siiake otf the dust of your feet. 
 
 there understand 'the Lord' to mean, as so 
 often in the Epistles, the Lord Jesus. 
 
 11-13. Whatsoever city or town (village], 
 see on 9 : 35. Nearly all the people were 
 gathered into cities or villages, it being un- 
 usual to live alone in the country, and indeed 
 unsafe, from the unsettled condition of affairs 
 and the prevalence of robbers ; in fact, travel- 
 ers in Palestine have to pursuea similar course 
 now. Inquire, search out, or 'ascertain by 
 investigation' a stronger term than 'enquire.' 
 Who in it is worthy, i. e., a man of piety 
 and hospitality, such as would make a fit 
 associate and a willing host. And there 
 abide till ye go hence, viz. ; forth from the 
 city. In addressing the Seventy (i^ukeio: 7), he 
 adds 'go not from house to house.' The chief 
 object of this injunction seems to have been to 
 make them feel perfectly easy about the bur- 
 den of entertaining them ; they must not even 
 trouble themselves to change their stopping- 
 place in a town, with a view to divide the 
 burden. They had a right to a support, and 
 must go without fear to a suitable place and 
 stay there. It would not prove a real burden 
 to entertain two men on-a hurried journey, 
 and they would of course not go to stay with 
 a family which they learned was very poor. 
 We can see another advantage of this course 
 in that they could give themselves more unin- 
 terruptedly to their public labors. Thomson 
 says (Vol. ii., 407), that at the present day, 
 " when a stranger arrives in a village or an 
 encampment, the neighbors, one after another, 
 usually invite him to eat with them. There 
 is a strict etiquette about it, involving much 
 ostentation and hypocrisy, and a failure in 
 the due observance of such hospitality is fre- 
 quently resented, and often leads to aliena- 
 tions and feuds amongst neighbors." The i 
 apostles found in carrying out the directions | 
 here given, that they lacked nothing all 
 their wants were supplied. (Lnke22: as.) Into a | 
 (the) house, i. e., the one selected according j 
 to his direction. Salute it. The form of; 
 salutation would be readily understood, and 
 
 was stated to the Seventy (Lukeio:5), "Peace 
 be to this house." This was the common 
 salutation among the Jews, e. g., Luke 24: 36; 
 John 20: 19, 21, 26; 1 Sam. 25: 6; Psa. 122: 
 7, 8. The Hebrew word employed, shalom, 
 signified originally wholeness, soundness, and 
 hence health, welfare, prosperity, well-being 
 in general ; and then peace, as opposed to 
 war, because this so greatly conduces to pros- 
 perity and welfare in general. As a saluta- 
 tion, the term was thus an invocation of good 
 of every kind, a benediction, a wish that one 
 might be blessed in every respect. It is im- 
 portant to observe this breadth of meaning in 
 the term, when studying various passages, 
 such as John 14: 27; James 2: 16. and the 
 opening and closing salutations of several of 
 the Epistles. The same word, snlaam, is now 
 used by the Arabs. If the house be worthy, 
 i. e., of your abiding in it, as in v. 11. The 
 emphasis in the Greek is on 'be,' and if the 
 house be worthy, as you were informed. 
 (v. 11.) If it be not Avorthy, let your peace 
 return to you, without having accomplished 
 anything. (Comp. Isa. 45: 23 ; 55: 11.) The 
 explanation offered by many, that he says the 
 benediction would come back and do good 
 to themselves, does not Appear to be warranted 
 by the usage of similar expressions, although 
 the idea which would thus be conveyed, is 
 itself just and Scriptural. 
 
 14 f. Out of that house or (that} city. 
 He refers at the same time to the case of an 
 individual refusing them hospitality, and of a 
 community refusing to hear their message. 
 They would turn away from an individual, 
 shaking off the dust of their feet, if he re- 
 fused to receive or hear, but would not neces- 
 sarily abandon the whole community for his 
 sake. But if a city refused to receive or hear, 
 then they would turn away from that city, 
 shaking off the dust of their feet. These two 
 directions are blended in one sentence. Who- 
 soever is singular here, plural in Luke 9: 5. 
 Shaking off the dust, etc., denoted that they 
 wanted nothing whatever to do with them,
 
 CH. X.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 223 
 
 counting them vile, and all that pertained to 
 tliem polluting. We find Paul doing this in 
 Acts 13: 51 ; 18: 6. The Talmud represents it 
 as common for Jews to do so when re-entering 
 the Holy Lund from a heathen country. Simi- 
 lar is the ancient and modern Oriental custom 
 of removing shoes when entering a holy place. 
 Our Lord himself had already been rejected 
 at Nazareth (Luke4:i6), and in the country of 
 the Gadarenes, and was rejected afterwards at 
 a Samaritan village (Luke9-.52); indeed, in gen- 
 eral, 'he came to his own, and his own re- 
 ceived him not.' (Johni:ii.) We need not then 
 be surprised if some reject us and our message, 
 since it was so with Jesus, and so with the apos- 
 tles, even on the Day of Pentecost. More 
 tolerable for the land of Sodom and Go- 
 morrah, comp. on 11: 22,24. This solemn 
 utterance is here given by Matthew only, the 
 corresponding sentence in Mark 6: 11 being 
 an unquestionably spurious though early ad- 
 dition to the text, such as we so often find 
 made in parallel passages. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PKACTICAL. 
 
 Ch. 9: 36-38. What a theme for meditation 
 is the Saviour's compassion at once human 
 compassion and divine and not a mere senti- 
 ment, but leading him to corresponding ac- 
 tion, as Teacher and as Redeemer; and also 
 leading him to send out others to teach the 
 way of salvation. Every one now who is 
 truly sent forth of God to spend his life in 
 proclaiming salvation is really a fruit of the 
 Saviour's compassion for the perishing. 
 Looking over a congregation, or any crowd, 
 do you feel a tender concern for their salva- 
 tion? Thinking of the millions who are 
 perishing, in our own and other lands, do 
 you long for their salvation and pray for it? 
 If not, you are not like Jesus. The prayer 
 for laborers ought much oftener to form a 
 part of our public and private supplications. 
 All Christian men and women, and boys and 
 girls, ought to feel that they have a work to 
 do in gathering the great harvest of souls, 
 that waves wide and perishing over all the 
 earth. V. 36-38. LUTHER: "The world think 
 nothing more trifling and despicable than the 
 ministers of the word, or laborers in the Lord's 
 harvest; but that is like rejoicing over their 
 own endless misfortune." 
 
 9 : 36 to 10 : 5. Origin and development of a 
 
 call to the ministry. 1) Compassionate reflec- 
 tion upon the perishing condition of men, v. 
 36 f. 2j Prayer that God will send forth 
 laborers, v. 38. 3) Conviction that we our- 
 selves must go, v. 1, 6. HENRY: "Those who 
 are to be ministers ought, 1) to live near to 
 Christ; 2) to be -taught by him." V. 1. 
 HENRY: "This was that famous jury, (and 
 to make it a grand jury, Paul was added to 
 it) that was impaneled to inquire between 
 the King of kings and the body of mankind ; 
 and in this chapter they have their charge 
 given them by him to whom all judgment 
 was committed." V. 2. HENRY: "Kinsmen 
 may be dear companions in Christian labor." 
 V. 7 f. The relation between the supernatural 
 and the miraculous. V. 9-13. Hospitality to 
 traveling preachers; comp. Heb. 13: 2; 2 
 John 10. Y. 12 f. The courtesies of life may 
 be the vehicles of temporal and spiritual bless- 
 ing. V. 14 f. Dreadful guilt of rejecting the 
 gospel. HENRY: " The best and most power- 
 ful preachers of the gospel must expect to 
 meet with some who will not so much as give 
 them the hearing, nor show them any token 
 of respect." It may be suggested that in ser- 
 mons on the twelve apostles it would be well to 
 group two or more of those concerning whom 
 we know very little into one discourse, rather 
 than use uncertain traditions as material. 
 
 10 : 16-11 : 1. FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS TO 
 THE TWELVE. 
 
 Our Lord's instructions to the Twelve close 
 in Mark (; 11) and Luke (: 6) at this point. 
 But Matthew goes on to give much additional 
 matter spoken on the same occasion. There 
 are several other remarkable cases, as the Ser- 
 mon on the Mount, the discourse in ch. 18, 
 and that on the Mount of Olives (ch. 24 ana 25), 
 in which Matthew gives much more than 
 Mark and Luke. The remainder of the pres- 
 ent address consists of warnings as to coming 
 persecutions, directions how to act when per- 
 secuted, and reasons why they should not 
 shrink from duty because of danger. Somo 
 of these warnings and directions look beyond 
 this brief mission in Galilee and on to their 
 labors after the Ascension. In the address to 
 the Seventy ( Lake 10: 2-10) there is no such refer- 
 ence to future time. It was natural that ho 
 should, on first sending them out to labor, give 
 directions which would be of service to them 
 throughout their appointed course. Bruce:
 
 224 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. X. 
 
 15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable ] 15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for 
 for the land ol Sodouu and Gomorrah in the day of 
 
 judgment, than for that city. 
 
 16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of 
 wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and hunnlesw 
 as doves. 
 
 the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of 
 judgment, than for that city. 
 
 16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of 
 wolves : be ye therefore wise as serpents, and J harni- 
 
 1 Or. simple. 
 
 " It was his way on solemn occasions, to speak 
 as a prophet, who in the present saw the 
 future, and from small beginnings looked for- 
 ward to great ultimate issues. This Galilean 
 mission, though humble and limited compared 
 with the great undertaking of after years, was 
 really a solemn event. It was the beginning 
 of that vast work for which the Twelve had 
 been chosen, which embraced the world in its 
 scope, and aimed at setting up on the earth 
 the kingdom of God." The parts most pecu- 
 liar to that journey apply in principle (Eder- 
 sheim) to us and to all time; the parts which 
 pointed to the remotest future applied in prin- 
 ciple to the immediate journey about Galilee. 
 These considerations form a sufficient reply to 
 those who insist that Matthew has here put 
 together matters actually spoken on different 
 occasions at a later period. Mark and Luke 
 give some similar sayings in the discourse on 
 the Mount of Olives, and Matthew there omits 
 them. It was natural that if similar things 
 were said in different discourses an Evangel- 
 ist should give them in one case and omit 
 them in another; and it was perfectly natural 
 that Jesus should say similar things on differ- 
 ent occasions. On this point comp. at the be- 
 ginning of ch. 5. In applying the present 
 discourse to ourselves, allowance must bo 
 made for the difference of situation. We do 
 not work miracles, and are not inspired; the 
 opposition we meet is rather moral than phys- 
 ical ; we often go to foreign countries. 
 
 I. 16-23. THEY MUST BE ox THEIR 
 GUARD AGAINST COMING PERSECUTION. 
 "We have here the general intimation and coun- 
 sel of v. 16; warnings as to the persecutions 
 which awaited them (v. rrr.), with directions ftt 
 to the defence of themselves when brought j 
 before the tribunals (!'); further btate- 
 inents concerning persecutions and hatred 
 (v. 21 r.) ; and the direction to flee from any 
 town in which they were persecuted into the 
 next. 
 
 16. They are going forth into the midst of 
 perils, and must therefore exercise a blended 
 prudence and simplicity. These ideas are 
 
 beautifully and strikingly expressed by fig- 
 ures. Behold, I send you forth. 'Be- 
 hold' calls special attention to what follows. 
 1 1 ' is expressed in the Greek, and therefore 
 in some sense emphatic. The idea perhaps is 
 that they are not going out like sheep wander- 
 ing into dangers, without the knowledge of 
 their shepherd ; he himself sends them forth 
 into the midst of these perils; and hence both 
 a reason why they should strive to come off 
 safe, and an encouragement to hope they 
 would succeed. He sends them forth as 
 sheep, weak and defenceless, and not only 
 in a region where there was danger of wolves, 
 but in the midst of wolves the language is 
 very strong. To the Seventy (Lukeio:.i) it is 
 still stronger; they are 'lambs.' Herodotus 
 speaks of leaving a man as a sheep among 
 wolves. Be ye therefore wise (prudent) 
 as serpents, and harmless (simple) as 
 doves. 'Be' is more exactly 'become,' get 
 to be, implying that they are not so now. 
 ' Therefore' may be taken as an inference not 
 merely from the fact that they would be as 
 sheep in the midst of wolves, but also from 
 the fact that he sent them as sheep in the 
 midst of wolves ; there is a duty to themselves 
 and a duty to him. 'Wise,' more exactly 
 'prudent' (comp. on 7:24); Latin versions 
 prudentes or astuti. Serpents show great cau- 
 tion and skill in avoiding danger. The 
 Egyptian hieroglyphics use the serpent as the 
 symbol of wisdom. We may understand that 
 they were to be prudent in the recognition of 
 danger, and in the choice of means for oppos- 
 ing or escaping it in general as to their be- 
 haviour when in danger. But such prudent 
 regard for self-preservation is very apt to be 
 accompanied, in men as in serpents, with the 
 tricks of low cunning. This is forbidden by 
 the other injunction. The word rendered 
 'harmless,' better 'simple' (margin Rev.Ver.) 
 signifies literally unmixed, and hence pure 
 (as pure wine, pure gold), uncorrupted, and so 
 guileless, sincere. The Latin versions nil 
 have simplifies : the Peshito, a word denoting 
 whole-minded, upright, sincere; Chrys. ex-
 
 CH. X.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 225 
 
 17 But beware of men : for they will deliver you up 
 to the councils, and they will scourge you in their syn- 
 agogues ; 
 
 17 less as doves. But beware of pen: for they will 
 deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues 
 
 plains by simple and artless. The English use 
 of 'simple' does not quite clearly express the 
 idea, but it is exactly hit by the substantive 
 'simplicity.' The other proposed derivation, 
 without horns, and so 'harmless,' adopted 
 by King James, is highly improbable. The 
 Greek word is used also in Phil. 2: 15, and 
 Rom. 16: 19, Rev. Ver., "wise unto that 
 which is good, and simple unto that which is 
 evil." In our passage the word is trans- 
 lated 'simple' in Wye. and Rheims, McClel- 
 lan, and Davidson, and 'innocent' in Tynd., 
 Great B., and Geneva. They were not to 
 deserve injury, or afford any pretext for it; 
 and were to employ no trickery or other 
 improper means of escaping from danger. 
 They must combine prudence and simplicity. 
 If the dove alone were taken as model, 
 they might become silly (HOS. 7:ii); if the 
 serpent alone, they would become tricky. 
 (Geu. 3:i.) Stier : "So that thy wisdom shall 
 never degenerate into cunning, nor thy sim- 
 plicity into ignorance or imprudence." Plato : 
 "Knowledge without justice should be called 
 cunning rather than wisdom." If we are to 
 fail in either, it is doubtless better to be lack- 
 ing in Christian prudence than in Christian 
 simplicity. But the injunction is to combine 
 both in due proportion ; and the example of 
 Jesus shows this to be possible. How prudent 
 he was, constantly taking pains to avoid 
 danger till his hour was come, and at the 
 same time how innocent, guileless, and pure. 
 Not merely in respect to persecution, but in 
 all the dangers to ourselves and our work 
 which throng about Christian laborers, we 
 have constant need of prudence, united with 
 simplicity. In a late Jewish commentary 
 (Midrash), a Rabbi says: "God says, toward 
 me the Israelites are simple as doves, but 
 toward the Gentiles subtle as serpents." This 
 may have been borrowed from the Gospels; 
 we know that the later Jews borrowed from 
 every direction. 
 
 17 f. With v. 17-22 comp. similar things 
 said to the four disciples in the great discourse 
 
 on the Mount Of Olives (Mark IS: S-l.l ; Lake 21 : 12-19) ; 
 
 there Matt, does not record them. But beware 
 of mm, i. e., of mankind in general, spoken 
 of as hostile to them, like 'the world ' in John 
 
 15: 18; 17: 14. They were few, and men were 
 against them. Councils does not here mean 
 the great Sanhedrin, as in 26: 59, but appar- 
 ently refers to the smaller judicial bodies 
 which existed in every city and village, as in 
 5:22. Synagogues, see on 4:23. Other 
 allusions to scourging in the synagogues, ap- 
 parently in the very place of worship, and in 
 the actual presence of the worshiping assem- 
 bly, are found in 23: 34; Mark 13: 9; Acts 
 22: 19; comp. Acts 26: 11. At a later period 
 it is said that, on one occasion, the Jews sung a 
 psalm while a man was receiving a scourging 
 in the synagogue ; and Maimonides says that 
 the principal judge would read passages of 
 Scripture throughout the scourging. The 
 Jews were very scrupulous not to exceed forty 
 stripes, according to the law which Moses 
 made (Dut. 25: s) to mitigate the dreadful 
 severity of the common Oriental scourgings; 
 and to make sure of not going beyond forty 
 they stopped at thirty-nine. (2 Cor. n : 2*.) And 
 ye shall be brought (even) before govern- 
 ors and kings for my sake. This is intro- 
 duced as more important ('even ') than what 
 precedes-; and it was so not merely because 
 they would be tribunals of greater dignity, but 
 because they could punish with death, which 
 the Jewish tribunals at thnt time could not do. 
 It was also a remarkable thing that they were 
 to be brought, not only before the religious 
 authorities of their own people, but before the 
 civil authorities, the highest Roman officials. 
 The word rendered 'governors' is a general 
 term, which would include several kinds of 
 Roman rulers of provinces, viz.: propraetor, 
 proconsul (like Sergius Paulus, and Gallio), 
 and procurator (like Pilate, Felix, Festus), 
 and is used in the same broad sense in 1 Peter 
 2: 14. As to their being brought before 
 ' kings,' we have examples in the persecutions 
 of James and Peter by Herod Agrippa I. 
 (ACM 12), and the appearance of Paul before his 
 son Herod Agrippa II. (AM* 26.) The term 
 king was also frequently applied to the Roman 
 imperator or emperor (iPeter2: iaf.), and in thnt 
 sense we should have an example in Paul's 
 trials before Nero. For a testimony against 
 (to) them and against (to) the Gentiles. 
 The Greek might mean 'against them ' (Com.
 
 226 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. X. 
 
 18 And ye shall be brought before governors and 
 kings for niy sake, for a testimony against them and 
 the Gentiles. 
 
 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought 
 how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you 
 in that same hour what ye sliall speak. 
 
 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your 
 Father which speaketh in you. 
 
 21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to 
 death, and the lather the child: and the children shall 
 rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put 
 to death. 
 
 18 they will scourge you ; yea and before governors 
 and kings shall ye be brought ior my sake, for a 
 
 19 testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when 
 they deliver you up, be not anxious how or what ye 
 shall speak: for it shall be given you in that hour 
 
 20 what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, 
 but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you. 
 
 21 And brother shall deliver up brother to death, 'and 
 the father his child: and children shall rise up 
 against parents, and l cause them to be put to death. 
 
 1 Or, put them to death. 
 
 Ver.), but the other is a more natural mean- 
 ing, and better suits thq connection. 'To 
 them' may mean the rulers just mentioned, 
 as distinguished from the nation at large ; or 
 it more probably means the Jews, spoken of 
 as 'they,' 'them;' as in v. 17, in 11 : 1, and 
 often. The idea would thus be that the design 
 of Providence in suffering the disciples to be 
 brought before these tribunals was, that they 
 might bear witness to rulers and people or, 
 more probably, to Jews and Gentiles (PMI. 1 ; is ; 
 jTim. 4: IT) of the truths they were going f'>rth 
 to proclaim. (Comp. a similar expression in 
 8:4; 24: 14.) All this we cannot understand 
 as referring simply to their brief journey 
 about Galilee, during which they would per- 
 haps encounter some persecution (see on v. 
 23), but were certainly not brought before 
 governors and kings. It must therefore be 
 understood as glancing forward to persecu- 
 tions they would suffer in future days, while 
 prosecuting that mission as Christ's apostles, of 
 which this journey would be the first stage. 
 (Comp. on v. 16.) How plainly our Lord 
 spoke to his followers of the perils and perse- 
 cutions which awaited them in doing his work. 
 He would have them count the cost. And 
 they did not shrink from his service, though 
 warned what it would cost them, being doubt- 
 less sustained by their own devotion, and by 
 such promises as those of v. 19 and 22. 
 
 19 f. "When thus called before the authori- 
 ties for trial, they need not be anxiously con- 
 sidering as to the defence they shall make, the 
 testimony they are to bear, for it shall be com- 
 municated to them by the Divine Spirit (v. is), 
 who indeed will be speaking in them as his 
 instruments, (v. 20.) Comp. the similar prom- 
 ise On the Mount of Olives (Mark IS :llj Luke SI: 
 
 Ht), and on another occasion. (Luke 12: 12.) Take 
 no thought, be not anxious, or ' do not anx- 
 iously consider.' See on 6 : 25. They would be 
 more likely to feel anxious what they should 
 
 say, because it was common to make very 
 elaborate addresses and affecting appeals; and 
 before the Koman tribunals, even to employ 
 counsel, such as Tertullus (Acts24:i), who 
 would understand Roman law and judicial 
 methods, and could deliver high-wrought 
 orations. Knowing that importance was at- 
 tached to such addresses, and conscious of in- 
 experience in Koman legal procedure, the 
 disciples might naturally feel, when they were 
 delivered up, great solicitude; and this would 
 be increased by the fact that they were called 
 to present, not only a defense of themselves, 
 but a testimony for Jesus. There was thus 
 great comfort for them in the promise here 
 given. As specimens of the addresses made 
 by some of them under such circumstances, 
 we have the speeches of Peter and Stephen 
 before the Sanhedrin, and of Paul before 
 Felix, Festus, and Agrippa. How or \vhat 
 ye shall speak. 'How' suggests the general 
 plan and delivery of their defence, and 
 'what' suggests the subject matter. Comp. 
 'mouth and wisdom' in Luke 21: 15; and 
 comp. Luke 12: 12. 
 
 20. For it is not ye that speak, etc. 
 With the form of expression comp. Gen. 45: 
 8, "It was not you that sent me hither, but 
 God," and so Exod. 16:8. Your Father, 
 see on 6:9. This was clearly a promise of 
 special inspiration, in the highest sense and 
 degree (comp. Ex. 4: 12). To apply it to un- 
 inspired preachers of to-day, is unwarranted 
 and absurd. They may expect, and should 
 earnestly seek, the gracious aids of the Holy 
 Spirit in their previous reflections and in their 
 actual preaching; but they have no right 
 whatever to expect inspiration. This prom- 
 ise of inspiration was repeated by our Lord in 
 the prorrflse of the Comforter ( John ch. u to ie) ; 
 and that assures us that in their writings also 
 the apostles were inspired. 
 
 21. f. Not only will the public authorities
 
 CH. X.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 227 
 
 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's 
 sake : but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 
 
 23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye 
 into another; lor verily I say unto you, Ye shall not 
 have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man 
 be come. 
 
 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's 
 sake:"but he that endureth to the end, the same 
 
 23 shall be saved. But when they persecute you iu 
 this city, flee into the next: for verily I say unto 
 you, Ye shall not have gone through the cities of 
 Israel, till the Son of man Le come. 
 
 be d'sposed to persecute them, but men will 
 deliver to the tribunals their own dearest kin- 
 dred for being Christians, and will put them 
 to death, and the hatred against them will be 
 universal ; yet let them endure to the end, and 
 they shall be saved. See a similar passage in 
 Mark 13 : 12 f. and Luke 21 : 16-19, as spoken 
 on the Mount of Olives, and part of it is in 
 this case given by Matthew also. (24:9-13.) And 
 the children shall rise up against their 
 parents, and, literally, put them to death, 
 (see margin of Rev. Ver). This doubtless 
 means, will put them to death through the in- 
 strumentality of the authorities. But Rev. 
 Ver. ought hardly to have followed Com. 
 Ver. in giving a mere interpretation a place 
 in the text, and throwing into the margin the 
 correct translation of Tyn. and his successors, 
 and of Davidson, Noyes, Darby. The dread- 
 ful effects of religious bigotry, as here pre- 
 dicted, and as so often witnessed in the world's 
 history, should impress us with the immense 
 power and importance of the religious prin- 
 ciple in man ; just as when a train of cars 
 runs off the track, or a dynamite factory ex- 
 plodes, we see all the more clearly from the 
 ruinous consequences the power of the forces 
 in question, and the importance of their being 
 properly directed and controlled. For the 
 motive to such persecutions has usually been, 
 not opposition for its own sake to the religion 
 persecuted, but attachment to another religion 
 with which it was thought to interfere. But 
 he that endureth to the end, shall be 
 saved. It seerns proper here, as is manifestly 
 necessary in the discourse on the Mount of 
 Olives (J4: is; iiark is: is) to understand the as- 
 surance as having a twofold application; 
 first, he that endures to the end of the perse- 
 cutions and other evils in question shall at last 
 be saved, delivered, from those evils; but also 
 more widely, he that endures to the end of 
 life's trials shall be saved, in the usual sense 
 of attaining eternal life. The propriety of 
 understanding a twofold allusion in such 
 
 passages, or making a varied application of 
 them, will be discussed at the beginning of ch. 
 24 ; see also on the next verse. 
 
 23. Flee ye into another, or the other, 
 i. e., into the next. The particular city in 
 which they are persecuted, and the one next 
 in order are conceived of as forming a pair, 
 'this,' 'the other.' * In thus avoiding perse- 
 cution they would be 'prudent as the ser- 
 pents ' (v. 16) ; so Paul and Barnabas acted in 
 going from Antioch in Pisidia tolconium, etc. 
 (Acts, ch. is and u.) For verilyl say unto you, 
 see on 5: 18. Some fancy that this expression 
 in v. 15, 23, 42, marks the close of throe dis- 
 tinct sections of the discourse ; but this is sup- 
 posing a very artificial use of the phrase, and 
 if so designed, it ought also to occur in v. 33 
 and 35. Ye shall not have gone over 
 (or, finish) the cities of Israel, till the Son 
 of man be come. ' Not ' is a strong negative, 
 translated ' in no wise ' in John 6 : 37 and Heb. 
 13: 5, and in Matthew 5: 20; 10: 42, etc. 
 ' Finish ' (so rendered by Tyn., Gen., Rheims, 
 and margin of Com. Ver.), in the sense of 
 visiting them all. They must not stay in one 
 city, vainly endeavoring to overcome oppo- 
 sition and persecution, but flee to the next; 
 for there were more cities than they would be 
 able to visit before the Son of man should 
 come. It is quite difficult to determine the 
 meaning of this last expression, as here em- 
 ployed. It has been supposed to mean : 
 (1) Till he come and rejoin the Twelve at the 
 end of this journey. (2) Till he make his 
 appearance as the Messiah, distinctly present 
 himself as such. (3) Till he come spiritually 
 to console and support. (John u: 2.1.) (4) Till he 
 come to put an end to the .Jewish institutions 
 at the destruction of Jerusalem. (5) Till he 
 come to judge the world. The first sense 
 might at the outset strike one as natural and 
 good, and it would be possible that he should 
 return from the more general view of their 
 coming labors and persecutions, to speak of 
 the particular journey then before them ; as 
 
 !The "Western" documents, with Orlgen and the 
 Armenian version add " And if out of this they perse- 
 cute you, flee into the other " (so W H. margin), which 
 
 would be an unimportant expansion. It is difficult to 
 decide whether it is more likely to have been inserted 
 or omitted.
 
 228 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. X. 
 
 24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the serv- I 24 A disciple is not above his 1 master, nor a l servant 
 ant above his lord. I 
 
 1 Or, teacher 2 Gr. bondservant. 
 
 in the discourse on the Mount of Olives he 
 sometimes returns from the second topic to 
 the first. In the mission of the Seventy 
 (Luke io: i, R. v.j, it is said that he sent them 
 'before his face into every city and place, 
 whither he himself was about to come.' It is 
 natural to suppose that he was going to 
 follow the Twelve also; and indeed he 
 must have done so, since their work was 
 confined to Galilee (see on v. 5), and he 
 himself went about all the cities of Galilee. 
 When the objection is made that it is 
 hardly probable they were persecuted during 
 this journey, one may reply that Jesus him- 
 self was persecuted at Nazareth, and seriously 
 threatened with death at various other places. 
 The greatest difficulty in the way of under- 
 standing the expression in this sense is that j 
 the language seems too elaborate and solemn 
 for so simple an idea. He does not say "for 
 j'ou will not finish the cities of Galilee till I 
 come," but employs the solemn phrase 'till 
 the Son of man come,' and prefaces it by 
 'verily I say to you,' using also the more 
 general term Israel. The second sense pro- 
 posed is not supported by any similar use of 
 the phrase elsewhere, and does not seem very 
 appropriate to the connection. There was 
 indeed no broadly marked epoch at which he 
 appeared as the Messiah, and the occasional 
 intimations of his Messiahship commenced 
 long before the delivery of this discourse. 
 The third sense is that of Chrys. and his fol- 
 lowers, of Beza, Maldonatus; while Calvin 
 and Bleek understand similarly his coming in 
 the mission of the Holy Spirit. But the time 
 of his spiritual coming would be a very vague 
 chronological epoch ; and Jesus certainly 
 seems to be speaking of some personal coming. 
 The fourth sense is accepted by many recent 
 writers. In 16: 28, 'the Son of man coming' 
 unquestionably refers to the destruction of 
 Jerusalem. The idea here would thus be that 
 they would not reach all. the Jews with their 
 ministry before the overthrow of the Jewish 
 institutions; and hence they must not waste 
 time in remaining where they were perse- 
 cuted. But in the discourse on the Mount of 
 Olives fch.?4and2o), the coming to destroy Jeru- 
 salem and the coming at the end of the world 
 
 are constantly associated, and sometimes both 
 referred to in the same expression. So, also, 
 in 16: 27 f. It would, therefore, seem natural 
 to combine with this fourth the fifth sense. 
 On no occasion would there be greater pro- 
 priety in employing the obscure language and 
 perspective view of prophecy than here. He 
 wishes to give counsel which shall apply not 
 only to this journey, but to their labors after 
 the Ascension, and perhaps even to the labors 
 of his followers in all ages; and to intimate 
 that in each of those periods there would be 
 more to do than they could complete before 
 the season in question would end. It may, 
 therefore, be that the phrase was intended to 
 include in some obscure fashion the first, 
 fourth, and fifth senses. It was manifestly 
 impossible that the Twelve should* at that time 
 understand any distinct reference to the 
 corning to destroy Jerusalem ; indeed it is 
 not probable that they understood when he 
 spoke of it on the Mount of Olives. It \vas 
 necessary, therefore, as so often in O. T. and 
 N. T. prophecies, to employ language which 
 would refer to each of these at the same time; 
 which would be understood at once as re- 
 garded the present journey, and would after- 
 wards be viewed in its broader meaning when 
 needed. (Comp. on v. 22, and at the begin- 
 ning of ch. 24.) The notion of Origen, that 
 Scripture has everywhere a twofold, or even 
 threefold, sense, is now justly rejected; our 
 present danger is that of rejecting along with 
 it the unquestionable fact that Scripture does 
 sometimes use language referring at once to a 
 nearer and a remoter event. 
 
 II. 24-33. ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE PER- 
 SECUTED. The key-note is here 'fear not,' 
 which occurs three times, in v. 26, 28, 31. 
 
 24 f. They need not think strange, or com- 
 plain that they were going to be persecuted; 
 this would only be sharing the fate of their 
 Teacher and Master, The disciple is not 
 above his master (teacher,) nor the servant 
 above his lord (master), (see margin Kev. 
 Ver.) For 'disciple' see on 5:1; for 'teacher' 
 (didaskalos), and 'master' (kurios), on 8: 19; 
 and for 'slave' (doulns), on 8: 6. This saying 
 is also given by Luke (6:*o), as used in the 
 Sermon on the Mount ; by John (is: 16), as em-
 
 CH. X.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 229 
 
 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his mas- 
 ter, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the 
 master of the hous" Beelzebub, how much more xfuill 
 they call them of his household : 
 
 26 Fear them not therefore : for there is nothing 
 covered, that shall not be revealed ; and hid, that shall 
 not be known. 
 
 27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light : 
 and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the 
 housetops. 
 
 25 above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he 
 be as his J master, and the ^servant as his lord. If 
 
 they have culled the master of the house a Beelzebub, 
 how much more shall they call them of his house- 
 
 26 hold! Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing 
 covered, that shall not be revealed ; and hid l that 
 
 27 shall not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, 
 speak ye in the light: and what ye hear in the ear, 
 
 1 Or, teacher. . . .'I bondservant 3 Gr. Beelzebul : aud so elsewhere. 
 
 ployed in another connection ; and also in John 
 15: 20, where the application is much the 
 same as here. The saying, " It is enough for 
 the slave to be as his master" (coinp. v. 25), 
 occurs repeatedly in the later Jewish writings, 
 and was perhaps proverbial when used by 
 Jesus. (Comp. on 7:5, 12.) There are of 
 course exceptional cases in which a pupil does 
 have a better lot than his teacher, or even a 
 slave than his master; but the general fact 
 is as here expressed, and so the disciples need 
 not be surprised at hearing that they would 
 suffer the same treatment to which Jesus him- 
 self was exposed. If they (i. e., people, the 
 impersonal use) called the master of the 
 house Beelzebub, or Beelzebul (see margin 
 Kev. Ver. ). 'Master' is here despotes (see on 
 8: 19), which we borrow as despot. The 
 compound term of the original 'house-master' 
 presents him as ruler of the household in gen- 
 eral ; a man's authority over his wife and 
 children was then scarcely less absolute than 
 over his slaves. The Pharisees had already 
 charged Jesus with being in league with 
 Beelzebul (see on 9: 34; 12: 24); are we to un- 
 derstand here that they had actually applied 
 the name to Jesus ? The expression does not 
 necessitate this supposition, but we know they 
 had said what amounted to it, and on other 
 unrecorded occasions they ma3 r have literally 
 called him by that name. 
 
 26 f. With v. 26-33 comp. Luke 12 : 2-9, 
 where substantially the same things are said 
 in another discourse. The thought of v. 26 is 
 also found in Luke 8: 17, as introduced in 
 yet another connection. The injunction, 
 Fear them not (i. e., the persecutors, v. 25, 
 v. 16-23) is presented on the one hand as an 
 inference from what precedes 'therefore do 
 not fear,' viz., because if they oppose and 
 persecute you, it is nothing more than your 
 Master encounters; and on the other hand is 
 supported by the assurance that the truths 
 they bear forth are destined, in spite of all op- 
 
 position, to be made known for there is 
 nothing covered that shall not be revealed 
 (or uncovered) ; and hid that shall not be 
 
 known. And so they must proclaim every- 
 thing boldly and publicly, even what he 
 taught them in his private instruction, (v. 27.) 
 V. 26 might also mean, as some suppose, that 
 the apostles, so misunderstood and persecuted, 
 should in a coming day be differently re- 
 garded, all men then perceiving that they 
 were the benefactors of their time; but the 
 other view better suits the connection. The 
 expression of v. 27 gives a different turn to 
 the idea than that found in Luke 12: 3, but it 
 amounts to the same thing. There is repeated 
 mention in the Talmud of Jewish teachers as 
 having one standing by, to whom the teacher 
 would whisper something, and who would 
 then proclaim it to the audience. It is likely 
 that such a practice existed already in our 
 Lord's time, and it may be that he here al- 
 ludes to it, not as meaning that he literally 
 did this, but as a figurative and striking way 
 of saying that they were'to keep nothing back 
 through fear, but even his private instructions 
 to them were to be proclaimed in the most 
 public manner. Upon the housetops. The 
 roofs of the houses were flat, and surrounded 
 by a narrow battlement. It was common (and 
 still is) for persons to walk on the roof, and 
 this would naturally afford an elevated stand 
 from which to proclaim anj'thing to the peo- 
 ple in the street below. Thus Josephus, having 
 takeri refuge in a house from a mob in Tar- 
 ichaea, " went up on the roof, and with his 
 right hand quieting the uproar, said," etc. 
 ("War.," 2, 21, 5.) The Talmud represents 
 a religious official as proclaiming from a 
 housetop, with the sound of a trumpet, the 
 approach of any religious festival ; and tho 
 same thing is often done at the; present day. 
 Indeed, the muezzin's call to prayer, from 
 the minaret of the mosque, is the same sort of 
 thing.
 
 230 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. X. 
 
 28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are 
 not able to kill the soul : but rather fear him which is 
 able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 
 
 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one 
 of them shall not fall on the ground without your 
 Father. 
 
 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 
 
 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than 
 many sparrows. 
 
 3- Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, 
 
 2S proclaim upon the housetops. And be not afraid of 
 them that kill the body, but are uot able to kill the 
 soul : but rather fear him who is able to destroy 
 
 29 both soul and body in l hell. Are uot two sparrows 
 sold for a penny? and not one of them shall fall 
 
 30 on the ground without your Father : but the very 
 
 31 hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not 
 therefore ; ye are of more value than many sparrows. 
 
 32 Every one therefore who shall confess *me before 
 
 ny. See ch. 18 : 28. 1 Gr. Gehenna. 
 
 28. Let them not fear men, but fear God. 
 The idea of some that the phrase Him which 
 i- able to destroy both soul and body in 
 hell, means Satan, is wholly unwarranted and 
 unsuitable. God is able to destroy; he does 
 not wish that any should perish, (apet. a:9.j 
 Jesus does not say that God will kill the soul, 
 but, avoiding that term, says he will destroy 
 both soul and body. For ' destroy ' need not 
 mean annihilation, but only ruin, perdition, 
 the destruction of all that makes existence 
 desirable. Hell is gehenna, see on 5: 22, and 
 comp. on 5: 29. Fear is natural to man; and 
 our Lord does not say we must root it out and 
 have no fear, but that the less fear must give 
 way to the greater. The gospel does not 
 teach stoicism or self-abnegation, but appeals 
 to the human mind according to its actual 
 constitution. Comp. the appeal to a higher 
 self-interest in 5: 29, and to hope and fear in 
 v. 32 f. below. In proportion as one has a 
 true fear of God he will feel no fear of man. 
 It was a saying of Col. Gardiner, " I fear God, 
 therefore there is none else that I need fear." 
 And not only with reference to persecution 
 or any open opposition, but to a concern for 
 approbation or blame, does the thought of 
 this passage apply. How much more im- 
 portant that we should avoid God's dis- 
 pleasure, than that of our fellow-men. Comp. 
 Luke 12: 4 f . ; James 4: 12. The thought 
 occurs often in Jewish writings. In 2 Macca- 
 bees 6: 26, " For even if for the present I shall 
 be delivered from the vengeance of men, yet 
 neither while living nor after dying shall I 
 escape the hands of the Almighty." In 4 
 Mace. 13: 14, "Let us not fear him who 
 thinks to kill the body; for great is the 
 danger to the soul, consisting in eternal tor- 
 ment to those who transgress the command- 
 ment of God." Philo says, "For men reckon 
 the extreme penalty to be death ; but in the 
 divine court of justice this is scarcely the be- 
 ginning." And the Midrash on Numbers 
 (Wet.): "He who causes a man to sin is worse 
 
 than he who slays him : because he who slays, 
 slays him in this world, and he has part in the 
 world to come; but he who causes him to sin, 
 slays him both in this world and in that which 
 is to come." 
 
 29-31. Let them not only dread God's dis- 
 pleasure (*. zs), but trust in his protection; he 
 who cares for the least objects, will not fail to 
 care for them. Comp. 6: 26 ff., and Luke 12: 
 6 f . (See above on v. 26.) The word ren- 
 dered farthing, denotes a Koman copper or 
 bronze coin, actually equal not to about three 
 farthings sterling (as in margin of Com. 
 Ver.), or one and a half cents, but to about 
 five-eighths of a cent (Eclersh. I., 649), and 
 frequently used to denote any trifling amount. 
 Fall on the ground, viz., dead. Without 
 your Father, without his agency or permis- 
 sion. On 'your Father,' comp. on v. 20, and 
 see on 6:9. The Midrash on Genesis says 
 (Wet.), "A bird without heaven (God) is not 
 taken, how much less so many souls of men." 
 In v. 30 the position of the Greek words 
 makes 'your' emphatic, and so with 'ye' in 
 v. 31. A single hair falling from the head 
 seems to us a matter of the most trifling con- 
 sequence (comp. 1 Sam. 14: 45) ; but every 
 one of them is numbered by Gcd. (Comp. 
 Luke 21: 18; Acts 27: 34.) A late Jewish 
 compilation (Wet.) represents God as saying, 
 "Do I not number all the hairs of every 
 creature?" This was very likely borrowed 
 from the New Test. Our Lord's line of argu- 
 ment here is in precisely the contrary direc- 
 tion to that which men often follow on this 
 subject. They will say that no doubt God 
 controls great matters, but that it is question- 
 able whether his care extends to such little 
 things as the concerns of an individual man. 
 Jesus says, God takes care of the smallest and 
 most trifling things, and therefore we may be 
 sure he cares for a man, who is so much more 
 important. 
 
 32 f. Whosoever (every one) therefore 
 who shall confess me. 'Therefore' presents
 
 CH. X.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 231 
 
 him will I confess also before my Father which is in 
 heaven. 
 
 33 Hut whosoever shall deny me before men, him will 
 I also deny before my Father which is is heaven. 
 
 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth : 
 I came not to send peace, but a sword. 
 
 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against 
 his father, and the daughter against her mother, and 
 the daughter in law against her mother in law. 
 
 36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own house- 
 hold. 
 
 men, 1 him will I also confess before my Father who 
 
 33 is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before 
 men, him will I also deny before my Fa'ther who is 
 in heaven. 
 
 34 Think not that I came to 2 send peace on the earth : 
 
 35 I came not to *send peace, but a sword. For I came 
 to set a man at variance against his father, and the 
 daughter against her mother, and the daughter in 
 
 36 law against her mother iu law: and a man's foes 
 
 1 Gr. in him 2 Gr. cast. 
 
 what follows as an inference from what pre- 
 cedes. Since God will protect, there is no ex- 
 cuse for shrinking from duty through fear of 
 men, and therefore he will confess only those 
 who confess him. This affecting statement 
 stands last and highest in a climax of reasons 
 for going forward undeterred by the fear of 
 men -.first, the fact that if they are maltreated 
 and slandered, it is no more than their Master 
 himself suffered (Y.Mr.); second, that the 
 truths they proclaimed are destined to be 
 made known, and thus no opposition will pre- 
 vent it (Y-26f.); third, that God's wrath is 
 more to be dreaded than man's (v. 28); fourth, 
 that he who cares for trifling things will cer- 
 tainly care for them (v. 29-31); finally, that if 
 we do not confess Christ before men he will 
 not confess us before his Father in heaven. 
 It is thus manifest that the confession here en- 
 joined upon us does not consist merely in a 
 particular ceremony, or other single act, but 
 denotes in general that we come out as his fol- 
 lowers, and speak and act as his, under all cir- 
 cumstances and at all hazards. The term 
 rendered 'confess' * has been explained on 7 : 
 23, where it is rendered ' profess ' ; see also 
 1 Tim. 6 : 12. Observe that we have here a per- 
 fectly general proposition, (a) In v. 26-31 it 
 is 'ye' ; but in v. 32 f. it is 'every one' and 
 'whosoever.' (b) While the statement is here 
 specially suggested by the idea of confessing 
 Jesus when persecuted, when brought before 
 tribunals (-i), yet the language is general, 
 and doubtless intended to include every kind 
 of confession during the whole course of life. 
 Many who have once publicly confessed j 
 Christ, and are numbered with his people, j 
 often fail to confess him afterwards in word or 
 deed. It is of course possible that one should 
 show bad judgment and bad taste in announc- 
 
 ing himself a Christian where there is no oc- 
 casion for it ; but for every person who does 
 this unseasonably, there are very many who 
 shrink from such an avowal when it ought to 
 be made, and still more fail to confess by the 
 actions which "speak louder than words." 
 Will I confess, acknowledge as mine. 
 (Comp. 7: 23.) What a question it is, whether 
 we are going to be confessed or denied by 
 Jesus, before his Father in heaven. Here 
 again, as in 7 : 22 f., our Lord speaks freely of 
 his coming exaltation as Messiah ; but it is 
 likely that the disciples at first understood it 
 all of elevation and honor in a temporal king- 
 dom. With v. 32 f., comp. Luke 12: 7 f. 
 (See above on v. 26.) As to deny. comp. 
 on 16: 24. 
 
 III. 34-39. PERSECUTION is INEVITABLE. 
 Let no one be surprised at learning that so 
 much persecution is to be encountered by the 
 Twelve, and by Christ's followers in general; 
 for it was the object of Christ's mission to in- 
 troduce principles which would be sure to 
 cause divisions and conflicts among men, even 
 within the bosom of families. His religion 
 was so wholty opposed to the spirit of the 
 world, that such a result was inevitable. 
 Think not that I am come, (came) comp. 
 on 5: 17. Here ngrain, as so often, the Com. 
 Ver. (but here following Tyn., Great B., and 
 Gen.), introduces an unnecessary variation in 
 the rendering of v. 34 f. ; for in all three cases 
 the Greek has the same form, 'I carne.' Our 
 Lord here, as in 5: 17, speaks of himself as 
 having come among men on a special mission. 
 The Jews were accustomed to bloody conflicts 
 between their politico-religious parties, the 
 Pharisees and Sadducees, and (Lightf.) be- 
 tween the followers of Hillel and Shammai, 
 but they were likely to think Messiah's reign 
 
 1' Confess in me' (margin Rev. Ver.), /. e., ' make 
 confession in my case' is an imitation in the Greek of 
 an Aramaic expression, and easily returns to it in the 
 Pcshito. So ' in him will I also confess.' It signifies to 
 
 make confession in the case of, in the matter of, the 
 person stated. Similar is Sept. 1 Sam. 1G : :', and comp. 
 1 John 4 : 9, 16.
 
 232 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. X. 
 
 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is 
 not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter 
 iiiore than me is not worthy of nie. 
 
 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth 
 after me, is not worthy of me. 
 
 39 He that flndeth his life shall lose it: and he that 
 lost-til his life for my sake shall find it. 
 
 40 He thai receiveth you receiveth me; and he that 
 receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 
 
 37 shall be they of his own household. He that loveth 
 father or mother more than me is not worthy of me : 
 and he that loveth sou or daughter more than 
 
 38 me is not worthy of me. And he that dMh not 
 take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of 
 
 39 nie. He that 1 flndeth his life shall lose it ; auJ he 
 that 2 loseth his life for my sake shall find it. 
 
 40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that 
 receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that 
 
 1 Or. found.... 2 Or, lost. 
 
 would be a reign of peace, for so the prophets 
 had predicted ; the disciples of Christ were 
 especially apt to think so, if they then knew 
 of the angelic song at his birth. The gospel 
 does tend to bring men into peace with each 
 other, but only in proportion as they are 
 brought into peace with God. So as to the 
 prophecies ; men will beat their swords into 
 plow-shares, only when men ground the arms 
 of their rebellion against God. Till then the 
 enemies of God will be enemies of his people, 
 and often bitter enemies. To send (or cast 
 as margin of E. V.) a sword upon the 
 earth, is a natural image; and this led to the 
 use of the same term with peace, ' to cast 
 peace upon the earth'; com p. Luke 12: 49, 
 ' to (cast) send fire upon the earth.' When 
 he says that he came to cast a sword, etc., to 
 divide the nearest relatives, etc., we under- 
 stand that he came for the purpose of doing a 
 work which would inevitably lead to this; 
 not that these evils were what he wished for. 
 The language of v. 35 f. resembles that of 
 Micah 7 : 6, where the prophet is describing 
 the perfidiousness and general wickedness 
 which existed in the reign of Ahaz. It is not 
 here quoted as a prophecy, but the same ideas 
 and similar expressions are introduced, and 
 describe a similar state of things. V.. 35 
 brings up again the ideas of v. 21 above. 
 Plumptre thinks the statements may have been 
 suggested by occurrences among our Lord's 
 followers. "Had Zebedee locked with dis- 
 pleasure on the calling of his two sons ? . . . 
 Were the brethren of the Lord, who as yet 
 believed not, as the foes of a man's own 
 household?" With v. 34 f. comp. Luke 12 : 
 51-53, where like sentiments and expressions 
 are found introduced on another occasion. 
 
 In such a state of division even in families, 
 the true follower of Christ must not hesitate. 
 Better to give up the nearest kindred (v. 37), 
 take cross on shoulder (*. ss), and be content to 
 lose life itself (v-30), than to forsake Christ. 
 The question whether one loves father or 
 
 mother more than Christ, is put to the test in 
 any case in which the wishes of parents stand 
 opposed to the known will of Christ. As to 
 the duty of keeping all natural affections sub- 
 ordinate to our love for the Saviour, comp. on 
 8: 22; 19: 29. Is not worthy of me. On 
 another occasion (Lukeu^e), he uses still 
 stronger expressions : ' If any man cometh 
 unto me, and hateth not his father and mother 
 . ... he cannot be my disciple.' As to v. 
 38 f., see on 16 : 24 f., where the same solemn 
 truths are repeated in a different connection. 
 The peculiar and striking expression of v. 39 
 was also repeated on two other occasions. 
 
 (Luke 17 :33; John 12: 25.) As to OUrLord's fre- 
 
 quent repetition of striking sayings, see at the 
 beginning- of ch. 5. The apostles would read- 
 ily understand the image of v. 38, since cruci- 
 fixion was a common punishment for high 
 crime (comp. on 16 : 24), but they did not yet 
 know that Jesus was to be crucified, and so 
 this, like many other sayings of his, was not 
 fully understood by them until later. The 
 term find was obviously suggested by the con- 
 trast to lose ; he who by yielding to persecu- 
 tion and failing to confess Christ has avoided 
 the loss of his life (the natural life), shall lose 
 his life (spiritual and eternal life) ; and he who 
 has lost (margin Kev. Ver. ) his natural life 
 for Christ's sake, shall find life eternal (comp. 
 on 16: 251. As to such uses of a word in two 
 different senses in the same sentence, comp. 
 on 8 : 22. 
 
 IV. 4O-42. THOSE WHO BO NOT PERSE- 
 CUTE. BUT KECEIVE AND AID THEM, SHALL 
 BE KEWARDED. Having said so much about 
 the unkind treatment his followers will often 
 receive, Jesus returns to speak of those who 
 will treat them kindly, and of the reward 
 which such shall obtain. To receive them 
 will be receiving him who sent them, yea. the 
 Father who sent him. (Comp. a similar 
 thought in 18: 5, and -igain in John 13: 20.) 
 Receiveth is here meant especially of receiv- 
 ing into one's house (v. it), which would not
 
 CH. X.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 233 
 
 41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a 
 prophet shall receive a prophet's reward : and he that 
 receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous 
 man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 
 
 42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of 
 these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of 
 a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in uo wise lose 
 his reward. 
 
 41 receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall 
 receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a 
 righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall 
 
 42 receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever 
 shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a 
 cup ot cold water only, in the name of a disciple, 
 verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his 
 reward. 
 
 only be an act of respect to the Lord's servant, 
 but would be helping him in his work. 
 (Comp. 2 John 10 f. ; 3 John 8.) But any 
 other act by which one encourages and assists 
 a servant of the Lord in his work, is of the 
 same class, and shall in like manner be re- 
 warded ; even if it be merely giving a cup of 
 cool water to one of the humblest disciples 
 because he is a disciple, it shall assuredly have 
 n reward. 'Receiveth' may perhaps also in- 
 clude the notion of listening to their message 
 and accepting it as truth. He said to the 
 Seventy (Luke 10: is), 'He that heareth you, 
 heareth me; and he that rejecteth you, re- 
 jecteth me, etc.' Yet the notion of hospi- 
 tality and help appears at least to be the 
 prominent one in the present discourse, 
 as is shown by the concluding thought of the 
 series. () He that receiveth a prophet 
 (a person speaking by divine inspiration, see 
 on 7: 22) in the name of a prophet, with 
 reference to the name of a prophet, i. e., out 
 of regard for the fact that he bears the name 
 of a prophet, or, as we should say, because he 
 is a prophet; not on any other account, such 
 as kindred, friendship, admiration of abilities, 
 etc., but because he is a prophet; and not 
 simply from the hope of reward, for that would 
 not -be doing it because he is a prophet. 
 (Comp. Luke 14: 14.) Shall receive a 
 prophet's reward, the Messianic, eternal 
 reward. Since he treats kindly and helps the 
 prophet because he is a prophet, he shall get 
 in eternity the same sort of reward us if he 
 had been himself an inspired teacher, because 
 he has been helping an inspired teacher to do 
 his work. So ns to receiving any righteous 
 man. Prophets and righteous men are in 
 like manner united in 13: 17; 23: 29. We 
 have among us no inspired teachers; but 
 every member of a church, in so far as he 
 encourages and assists his pastor, takes part in 
 the pastor's labors, and shall in like propor- 
 tion have the sort of eternal reward which 
 pastors have; so in regard to missionaries, and 
 all Christian workers. As to future rewards, 
 comp. on 6: 1, 19. The sentiment of v. 42 is 
 
 also given in Mark 9: 41, as repeated on a 
 different occasion. One of these little ones 
 refers to Christ's disci pies as despised and per- 
 secuted (comp. on 18: 6 fF). To do the very 
 smallest kindness to the very humblest disciple 
 because he is a disciple, shall not fail of reward. 
 V. Ch. 11 : 1. HAVING FINISHED IN- 
 STRUCTING THE TWELVE, JESUS KESUMES 
 His OWN LABORS. With this concluding 
 remark by the Evangelist, comp. 7 : 28. De- 
 parted thence. It was somewhere in Galilee 
 (comp. on 9: 35), but there is no intimation as 
 to the precise locality. To teach and preach 
 in their cities. He did not by any means 
 send forth the Twelve in order to relieve him- 
 self, but immediately set out to continue his 
 own labors. ' Preach ' is the common word 
 kerusso, explained on 4: 17. In their cities, 
 means not the cities of the disciples, though 
 they are the persons just mentioned, but of 
 the people, the Jews (comp. 10: 18). This 
 verse properly belongs to the preceding chap- 
 ter, and should have been included in it. V. 
 2 introduces a new subject, and actually refers 
 to a different period. As to the frequent 
 awkwardness of our division into chapters, 
 see on 9: 1. Matthew does not stop to say ex- 
 pressly that the Twelve also went forth as 
 they were bidden, but leaves that to be taken 
 for granted. Mark (6:i2f.),and Luke (9:6), 
 state that they went forth, preaching ropent- 
 ance and working miraculous cures, as the 
 Lord had directed. Nor does Matt, say any- 
 thing of their return and report, which is men- 
 tioned by Mark (6:soj and Luke ( :'<>); see 
 below on 14: 13. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 16. LUTHER: "That's a slim affair, 
 when sheep preach to wolves, lay down the 
 law to them, and judge them 1 Better send 
 lions. But this comes to pass, as Paul 
 says Ci Cor. i:i), that your faith should not 
 stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power 
 of God." Christian Prudence and Simplicity. 
 (Sermons by JKREMY TAYLOR. ) Find ex- 
 amples of combined prudence and simplicity
 
 234 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. X. 
 
 in the life of Paul and in the life of Jesus. 
 GKRHARD (Lange): "Have a serpent's eye 
 and a dove's heart." CHRYS. : "These 
 things have had an accomplish ment, and 
 men became prudent as serpents and simple 
 as doves; not being of another nature, but of 
 the same with us. Let not then any one ac- 
 count Christ's injunctions impracticable. For 
 he, beyond all others, knows the nature of 
 things; he knows that fierceness is not 
 quenched by fierceness, but by gentleness." 
 BRUCE: "Happy they who can be both; 
 but if we cannot, let us at least be doves. 
 The dove must come before the serpent in 
 our esteem, and in the development of our 
 character. If we invert this order, as too 
 many do, and begin by being prudent to admi- 
 ration, the higher virtue will not only be post- 
 poned, but sacrificed ; the dove will be devoured 
 by the serpent." V. 19. CHRYS.: "It is no 
 small consolation, that they are suffering these 
 things both forChrist, and for the Gentiles' con- 
 viction." LANGE : " The dangers of care for 
 oratorical finery in preaching. 1) It springs 
 from anxiety, and restrains the spiritual life. 
 2) It manifests itself by excitement and 
 excess, and adulterates the spiritual life. 3) 
 It leads to weariness or self-seeking, and de- 
 stroys the spiritual life." Difference between 
 inspiration, and the spiritual help which may 
 now be expected. V. 21. Christianity as 
 awakening hatred and as promoting love. 
 V. 22. Unpopularity is not always alarming. 
 It maybe easier to persevere amid the world's 
 fr.<wns than its smiles. 
 
 V. 26. Two reasons why the Christian 
 worker should not fear. 1) He need not be 
 discouraged by reviling and assault, which 
 even perfect innocence and perfect prudence 
 did not escape, (v. 24 1 .) 2) He may be encour- 
 aged by the assurance that the gospel must 
 and will be made known. (v. 26f.) HENRY: 
 " There is no partof Christ's gospel that needs, 
 upon any account, to be concealed ; the whole 
 counsel of God must be revealed. (ACM 20:27.) 
 In never so mixed a multitude, let it be 
 plainly and fully delivered." V. 28-31. Two 
 reasons why we must do our duty notwith- 
 standing opposition. 1) If through fear of 
 man we shrink from duty, God will punish 
 us. 2) If amid all opposition we persevere, 
 God will care for us. V. 32 f. Confession 
 and denial. 1) We are all constantly doing 
 
 one or the other. 2) There are many ways of 
 confessing Christ, and many of denying him. 
 3) There are present benefits in confessing 
 him, and present losses in denying him. 4) 
 Life-long confession will bring eternal re- 
 ward, life-long denial, eternal ruin. LUTHER: 
 "What a great difference. 1) The confessors, 
 we and Christ ; 2) The place, earth and 
 heaven ; 3) The hearers, wretched men and 
 God and the angels." 
 
 V. 34-36. When Christianity divides fami- 
 lies and produces wars, this is not the fault of 
 Christianity, but of human nature. LUTHER: 
 "If our gospel were received in peace, it 
 would not be the true gospel." HENRY: 
 "They mistake the design of the gospel, who 
 think their profession of it will secure them 
 from, for it will certainly expose them to, 
 trouble in this world. Christ has dealt fairly 
 and faithfully with us in telling us the worst 
 we can meet with in his service ; and he would 
 have us deal so with ourselves, in sitting down 
 and counting the cost." V. 37. Not that we 
 should love kindred less, but Christ more. 
 V. 38. WILLIAM PENN: "No cross, no 
 crown." V. 38 f. We ought to be ready to 
 die for Christ ; a fortiori, we ought to be 
 living for him. But " men are ready to 
 argue for Christianity, ready to fight for it, 
 even to die for it, anything rather than live 
 for it." The great paradox losing by find- 
 ing, finding by losing. Contradictions in the- 
 ory may often be completely reconciled in 
 practice. V. 40-42. Helping the great work- 
 ers. 1) We cannot all be prophets or apostles, 
 missionaries, evangelists, eloquent preachers, 
 etc. 2) But the greatest workers need help, 
 and the lowliest can give it. 3) Thus sharing 
 the blessed work, we shall share the blessed 
 reward. 
 
 V. 24-42. THOMAS: "Encouragements to 
 evangelical labor. 1) The cause for which 
 the true evangelist suffers is most honorable, 
 v. 22. 2) The example he has is most glori- 
 ous, v. 24. 3) The success of the cause is most 
 certain, v. 26 f. 4) The providential care of 
 God over him is positively guaranteed, v. 29- 
 31. 5) His reward will be most glorious at 
 last, v. 32 f. 6) If actuated by the right spirit, 
 he will find the greatest trials the greatest 
 blessings, v. 38 f. 7) His interests are thor- 
 oughly identified with those of Christ, v. 40, 
 42."
 
 CH. XL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 235 
 
 CHAPTEK XI. 
 
 AND it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of 
 commanding his twelve disciples, he departed 
 thence to teach and to preach in their cities. 
 
 2 Now when John had heard in the prison the 
 works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 
 
 1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an 
 end of commanding his twelve difciples, he de- 
 parted theuce to teach and preach in their cities. 
 
 2 Now when John heard in the prisou the works of 
 
 Ch. 11: 2-19. MESSAGE FROM JOHN THE 
 BAPTIST, AND KESULTING DISCOURSE. 2-19. 
 
 Having given a general account of our 
 Lord's journeys about Galilee, with some irn- 
 p<>rtant specimens of his teaching and his 
 miracles (comp. on 8: 1), and having added 
 an account of his sending out the Twelve, 
 with much preparatory instruction, Matthew 
 now advances to other topics. Before intro- 
 ducing examples of the Parables (oh. is), he 
 mentions a remarkable message from John 
 the Baptist, and our Lord's discourse there- 
 upon (11:2-80), and then gives instances of 
 avowed opposition to him on the part of the 
 Pharisees. (<*. 12.) The paragraph given above 
 (ii:2.u) includes so much of the discourse oc- 
 casioned by John's message as relates to John 
 himself. This is also given, and with unusu- 
 ally little difference of phraseology, by Luke 
 (T: 18-ss) ; and from the connection of his narra- 
 tive it appears probable (comp. Luke 1: 1, 11, 
 18), that this message from John was sent 
 shortly after the delivery of the Sermon on 
 the Mount. We have heretofore seen that 
 the arrangement of Matthew, in chapters 5 to 
 13, is not chronological but topical, a course 
 not uncommonly pursued by historians and 
 biographers. 
 
 2 f. THE MESSAGE. Now when John 
 had heard in the prison. As to John's 
 early life and ministry, see on 3 : 1 ff. It has 
 been stated in 4: 12, that he was 'delivered 
 up,' in the way familiar to Matthew's first 
 readers, and afterwards described. (i4:r.) 
 He had now been confined in the Castle of 
 Machaerus, east of the Dead Sea (see on 14: 
 3), for probably not less than twelve months, 
 during which time Jesus has been pursuing 
 his ministry in Galilee. John was allowed 
 some intercourse with his followers (r.2:Lnke 
 7:i), who brought him accounts of what was 
 going on in the outer world. Yet this year 
 of imprisonment must have been for him a 
 dreary time. He had indeed been accustomed 
 to comparative solitude for years 'in the 
 deserts' (i.oki:w); but at that time life was 
 before him with its high hopes, and he doubt- 
 
 less felt himself to be preparing for a great 
 mission, the nature of which was gradually 
 growing clearer to his mind. Then came 
 some eighteen months of public labors, during 
 which he was attended by vast crowds, and 
 his ardent nature must have reveled in the 
 high excitement of his work. And now he is 
 shut up, he, a "son of the wilderness," in one 
 of the deep, dark, and frightfully hot dun- 
 geons of Machaerus, deprived of fresh air 
 and bodily exercise, of cheerful mental em- 
 ployment and opportunity to do good, and 
 dependent for any future opportunities on the 
 caprice of a weak king and a cruel woman. 
 As Elijah sometimes got sadly out of heart, 
 so John, who in many respects closely resem- 
 bled him (see on 3:4), would be likely to 
 grow desponding, in this season of enforced 
 idleness and uncertain danger. (Comp. the 
 occasional depression of Moses also.) This 
 state of things may account for the perplexity 
 which John's message of enquiry seems to in- 
 dicate. He heard from his disciples (Luke i . is), 
 who would learn the report, circulated 
 throughout the country (LukeT:i7), and some 
 of whom had at least on one occasion heard 
 Jesus themselves. (Matt. 9: u.) 
 
 The works of (the) Christ. Matthew's 
 narrative usually employs our Lord's proper 
 name, Jesus; but in introducing John's ques- 
 tion whether Jesus was the Messiah, he im- 
 plies the answer by calling him 'the Christ,' 
 i. e., the Messiah. (Comp. on 16: 21 and on 
 1: 1.) For the importance of the article, 
 ' the Christ,' see on 2 : 4. His ' works ' sig- 
 nify his general activity (which would include 
 teaching), but especially his miracles. This 
 seems to be suggested by the answer (*'), 
 which points to the things they ' hear and 
 see,' to his miracles and the good tidings he 
 preached. Likewise 'all these things' in 
 Luke 7: 18, would naturally include not 
 merely the two miracles which there immedi- 
 ately precede, but some account of his remark- 
 able teachings, as in the Sermon on the 
 Mount, which had just occurred. Even in 
 John, who usually employs the term ' works'
 
 236 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XI. 
 
 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should conie, 
 or do we look for another ? 
 
 3 the Christ, he sent by his disciples, and said unto 
 him, Art thou he that couieth, or look we for another? 
 
 to mean miracles (John 5 : se ; 10 : M, etc.), in 9 : 4, 
 ' work the works of him that sent me,' can 
 hardly be restricted to miraculous works. 
 Sent two of (properly by) his disciples 
 (comp. Rev. 1: 1), was in many manuscripts 
 and versions altered into ' sent two of his dis- 
 ciples ' (simply changing dia to rfwo\ so as to 
 be like Luke 7 : 19. The true reading in 
 Matt, 'by' or 'through' implies all the more 
 strongly that John sent the message of enquiry 
 for his own satisfaction. We still know from 
 Luke (7: is) that the number of messengers 
 was two; they would bo company for each 
 other in the journey of some eighty miles, and 
 might supplement and confirm each other's 
 statements upon returning. (Comp. on 10: 5.) 
 For the word disciples, see on 5: 1; as to 
 the position of the disciples of John at this 
 period, see on 9 : 14. 
 
 Art thou he that should come, or t In- 
 coming (one)? 'Thou' is expressed in the 
 original and at the head of the sentence, so as 
 to be strongly emphatic; and to this corre- 
 sponds the emphatic position in the Greek of 
 another. ' The coming (one) ' had become a 
 familiar designation of the Messiah (3:ii;2i: 
 
 9; 23: 39; John 6: 14; 11: 27: Heb. 10: 37), having prob- 
 ably been derived from Psa. 118 : 26 ; Matt. 3 : 
 1 f., etc. Look we, or more probably, 'are 
 we to look,' as in Noyes and Darby, or 'shall 
 we look' as in Tyndale and Geneva. The 
 Greek subjunctive has in this word the same 
 form as the indicative, and so the term is am- 
 biguous. The Latin versions take it as indic- 
 ative, and this probably influenced the Com- 
 mon Version, following Great Bible and 
 Rheims. The Peshito is ambiguous, but the 
 Memphitic is distinctly subjunctive. The 
 majority of leading commentators take it as 
 subjunctive (see Meyer, Weiss). The plural, 
 'are we to look,' means persons in general 
 who cherished the Messianic hope. The form 
 of John's question seems naturally to imply 
 (Weiss) that he had regarded Jesus as the 
 Messiah, and that he wished to learn whether 
 he should still think so. The whole tone of 
 the narrative, even more in Luke than 
 Matthew, naturally suggests that John asked 
 at least in part on his own account, to remove 
 difficulties in his own mind. So already 
 Origen (Cremer) : "John's question was not 
 
 for his own sake alone, but also for the sake 
 of those who were sent." Tertullian also three 
 times intimates that John himself was in 
 doubt whether Jesus was the Messiah. So 
 among recent writers, Neander, Meyer, Bleek, 
 Ewald, Keim, Reuss, Godet, Plumptre, 
 Schaff, etc. 
 
 But many have thought it wholly inconsist- 
 ent with John's position and previous testi- 
 mony to suppose that he now felt personally 
 the slightest doubt; and so they hold that he 
 sent simply for the satisfaction of his disciples. 
 So Chrys. (and his followers), with Cyril, 
 Aug., and Jerome, followed by Luther, Cal- 
 vin, and Beza, by Bengel, Maldonatus, and 
 many others. Now, it is always desirable to 
 accept the plain, straightforward meaning of 
 a passage, unless there be insuperable diffi- 
 culties in the way of so doing. Any one who 
 did not know John's previous utterances 
 would certainly understand Matt, and Luke 
 as here implying that he sent to Jesus for his 
 own sake as well as that of his disciples. It is 
 very difficult to believe that John would send 
 in his own name ('are we to look for another?' ) 
 and Jesus send back the answer to him per- 
 sonally ('Go your way and tell John'), when 
 it was all merely for effect upon the minds of 
 John's followers. Theophyl. actually says 
 that John "affects to inquire," and Euthym., 
 "in pretence inquiring." The only reason 
 for adopting such an interpretation is the sup- 
 position that John cannot have been in doubt 
 after his known previous testimony. But 
 while John knew himself to be the harbinger 
 of Jesus (John i: ss) and also to be the harbinger 
 of the Messiah (Joima^s), as indeed had been 
 understood by his father Zachariah (Lukei: 
 67-79), still it was conceivable that Jesus might 
 possibly not be the Messiah. Among the va- 
 rious confused ideas which the Jews had de- 
 veloped from imperfectly understood Mes- 
 sianic prophecies, the notion was entertained 
 by some that a succession of great personages 
 would arise. Elijah, they generally believed, 
 would return to life ; some thought that Jere- 
 miah also would return, and perhaps others 
 of the great prophets; then there was 'the 
 prophet' predicted in Deut. 18: 15, who was 
 not universally identified with the Messiah. 
 (See John 1 : 20 f . ; 7: 40 f. ; Matt. 16: 14;
 
 CH. XL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 237 
 
 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show 
 John again those tilings which ye do hear and see : 
 
 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, 
 the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are 
 raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to 
 them. 
 
 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Go your 
 way and tell John the things which ye do hear and 
 
 5 see : the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, 
 the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the 
 dead are raised up, and the poor have l good tidings 
 
 1 Or, the gospel. 
 
 Luke 9: 19.) Some thought it very likely 
 that these would come in quick succession, to 
 herald with all the greater pomp the approach 
 of the glorious King of Israel. Some such 
 notion is certainly involved in the question, 
 'Art thou the coming (one), or are we to look 
 for another?' Now, John would naturally 
 share the current Jewish ideas (as the apostles 
 did at that time), except so far as they were 
 corrected by the special revelations given to 
 him. These revelations, according to the 
 whole history and manifest law of God's 
 communications to men, extended only to 
 the truths necessary for his own station and 
 appointed work. There is therefore nothing 
 surprising, and nothing derogatory to John, 
 in the idea that amid the despondent and per- 
 plexed thoughts of a weary prisoner, he began 
 sometimes to question whether Jesus was him- 
 self the Messiah, or only a second and greater 
 forerunner. Points which later revelations 
 have made clear enough to us, may easily 
 have perplexed him. We need not suppose 
 that he at any time wholly lost his persuasion 
 that Jesus was the Messiah, but only that he 
 became harassed by difficulties that he could 
 not solve; and he shows great confidence in 
 Jesus by referring the whole question to him. 
 These 'works' which h heard of as wrought 
 by Jesus were very remarkable. But how 
 strange it was that the great worker, to whom 
 he had himself borne testimony, did not come 
 out pubjicly in the Messianic character, and 
 have himself crowned, and reign as the 
 Anointed King; how strange that, with the 
 power of working such astonishing miracles, 
 he should leave his devoted servant and 
 herald to languish so long in this unjust im- 
 prisonment, cut off from the work in which 
 he delighted. John was embarrassed, per- 
 plexedperhaps (K5hler, Morison) impatient 
 he knew not what to think, and was weary 
 of waiting he would send and ask Jesus him- 
 self; and while the answer cleared up his own 
 perplexity, as he hoped would be the case, 
 and perhaps aroused Jesus to prompter ac- 
 tion, it might at the same time help him in 
 
 overcoming (comp. John 3: 25-30) the obsti- 
 nate hostility to Jesus which some of his dis- 
 ciples manifested (Comp. on 9: 14.) 
 
 4-6. THE ANSWKB. Jesus answered 
 and said unto them. It is of course im- 
 plied that the disciples of John came and 
 asked as directed, which Luke (?: ) states in 
 detail. Jesus must have been touched by this 
 indication of perplexity and doubt on the part 
 of his imprisoned forerunner. Ewald : "And 
 surely at no moment of these years did the 
 whole picture of all his fortunes in the many- 
 colored past since his first meeting with the 
 Baptist, come so freshly before his soul as 
 now." Go and shew John again, carry 
 back the message to John. ' Again' in the 
 Com. Ver. is correct, but apt to mislead, as it 
 might be understood to mean, 'show a second 
 time.' Those things which ye do hear 
 and see, the teachings and miracles which 
 he proceeds to mention. Luke (7 = 21) states 
 that ' in that hour he cured many,' etc. Just 
 before (Lake T), Jesus had healed the centurion's 
 servant and brought to life the son of the 
 widow of Nain ; but 'hear' seems most natu- 
 rally to refer, not to the report they heard 
 about his great miracles (Luke 7: 17), but to wha 
 they heard Jesus saying on that occasion par- 
 ticularly to the fact that he was proclaiming 
 good tidings to the poor. Jesus was not yet 
 prepared to avow publicly, in so many words, 
 his Messiahship (comp. on 16: 13 ff.) ; and 
 John ought to be, and we may suppose was, 
 satisfied with the evidence furnished by hia 
 working such miracles, and bringing such 
 good tidings to the poor, as were specially pre- 
 dicted in connection with tho Messiah. 
 
 The blind, the lame, etc. (..) The Greek 
 has here no articles, which is appropriate and 
 expressive, but cannot be imitated in the Eng- 
 lish idiom without awkwardness, though 
 Davidson and Darby so translate 'blind see 
 again and lame walk* etc., (comp. 10: 8). 
 'And' before dead, is the best supported 
 reading ; it was probably omitted in order 
 (Weiss) to have three parallel clauses. In 
 Isa. 35: 6 f. we read, "Then the eyes of the
 
 238 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XI. 
 
 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended I 6 preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever 
 in me. 
 
 blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf 
 shall be unstopped; then shall the lame man 
 leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb 
 sing." (Rev. Ver.) Here was then a literal 
 fulfillment of a prophecy which referred also 
 to the spiritual healing Jesus came to accom- 
 plish. In addition to the things thus pre- 
 dicted, Jesus was cleansing lepers, yea, and 
 raising dead persons. The message of John 
 came shortly after Jesus had raised to life the 
 son of the widow at Nain (Luke7: n-is ) ; and 
 the raising of Jairus' daughter may have 
 been, as the Harmonists think, some time 
 earlier. Only a few specimens of our Lord's 
 miracles are described, and it may well be 
 that other cases of raising the dead occurred, 
 but were not recorded. The poor have the 
 gospel (good tidings) preached to them, 
 doubtless refers to Isa. 61 : 1, where Messiah 
 is described as commissioned to "bring good 
 tidings to the lowly." This last word in the 
 Hebrew signifies those who are oppressed and 
 afflicted, and bear it with meekness persons 
 lowly in condition and in spirit. For all such 
 Messiah had good tidings (comp. on 5: 3). 
 The Sept. renders by 'poor,' and that word is 
 retained, as sufficiently expressing the force 
 of the Hebrew, both in this passage of Matt, 
 and Luke, and in Luke 4: 18. For the Greek 
 word rendered 'have good tidings preached to 
 them,' see on 4: 17. It here means more 
 than what we express by "preach the gospel," 
 signifying more generally the tidings of bless- 
 ings to be enjoyed by them through Messiah's 
 reign. The masses of mankind, poor and 
 ignorant and suffering, received little atten- 
 tion from the heathen philosophers or from the 
 Jewish rabbis. The latter often spoke of 
 them with the greatest contempt, literally: 
 " But this crowd Brabble), who know not the 
 law, are accursed" (John 7 : ) ; and they de- 
 lighted to stigmatize them as "countryfolks," 
 ancient culture being almost entirely con- 
 fined to cities. It was thus the more remark- 
 able that Jesus brought tidings of good to the 
 poor, to the suffering, despised, and lowly. 
 
 This appeal to his ' works,' as testifying in 
 his behalf, was repeatedly made by our Lord 
 towards the close of his ministry (Jbn 10: t*-, u : 
 ii; 15: 2*); and indeed had already been made, 
 at a period probably earlier than this message 
 
 of John the Baptist. (John5:6.) These miracles 
 and good tidings for the lowly, showing that 
 Jesus of Nazareth was the predicted Messiah, 
 still stand as an evidence of Christianity. 
 The Emperor Julian (Wet.) says scornfully, 
 that "Jesus wrought nothing worthy of report, 
 unless somebody thinks that to heal the lame 
 and blind, and to relieve demoniacs, in the 
 villages of Bethsaida and Bethany, were 
 among the greatest works." And blessed 
 (happy, same word as in 5: 3 ff.) is he, who- 
 soever shall not be offended (find no occa- 
 sion of stumbling) in me. See the same 
 image in Isa. 8: 14. For the word meaning 
 'to be made to stumble,' or 'to find occasion 
 of stumbling,' see on 6: 29; it has here the 
 second meaning there given whoever does 
 not find in me an obstacle to believing, and 
 hence reject me. Jesus was doing and saying 
 things predicted of Messiah. But the Jews 
 stumbled at his failure to do various other 
 things which they expected in Messiah, and 
 so most of them rejected him. (Comp. 18: 57; 
 26: 31.) John was now perplexed by the 
 same things; and Jesus declares, 'Happy is 
 he who shall not stumble at me.' The form 
 of expression delicately suggests a warning, 
 that he who does thus stumble will be any- 
 thing else than happy. This saying is clearly 
 a part of what they were to report to John, 
 and this best accords with the idea that the 
 reply was meant for John's own benefit also, 
 and not merely for his disciples. Were John's 
 perplexities and doubts relieved by the answer 
 sent? We are not told, but circumstances 
 suggest that they were (Keim). John's dis- 
 ciples, after his death, went and told Jesus 
 (u: 12) ; and subsequently we find Jesus speak- 
 ing of John in a tone of high commendation 
 (IT: is; <i:23, a), as indeed he proceeds to do on 
 the present occasion, thereby showing his con- 
 fidence that John is right at heart. 
 
 7-15. TESTIMONY OF JKSUS TO His FORE- 
 RUNNER. John had repeatedly borne testi- 
 mony tO JeSUS (Johnl: 15, 26 f., 29-84, So f. ; 3:26-30), 
 
 and now when he is cut off from usefulness 
 by imprisonment, Jesus bears testimony to 
 him. John's disciples are sufficiently devoted 
 to him ; so Jesus speaks this commendation 
 when they are out of hearing, for the benefit 
 of the people at large. This was grateful to
 
 CH. XL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 239 
 
 7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the 
 multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the 
 wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 
 
 8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed 
 in soft raiment ? behold, they that wear soft clothing 
 are in kings' houses. 
 
 9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? 
 yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 
 
 1U For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I 
 send my messenger before thy face, which shall pre- 
 pare thy way before thee. 
 
 7 shall find none occasion of stumbling in me. And 
 as these weiit their way, Jesus began to say unto the 
 multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into 
 the wilderness to behold? a reed shaken with the 
 
 8 wind ? But what went ye out for to see ? a man 
 clothed in soft raiment f Behold, they that wear 
 
 9 soft raiment are in kings' houses. J But wherefore 
 went ye out? to see a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, 
 
 10 and much more than a prophet. This is he, of whom 
 it is written, 
 
 Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, 
 Who shall prepare thy way before thee. 
 
 cient authorities read, But what went ye out to tee t a. prophet t 
 
 the people, among whom John was highly 
 esteemed. (21:26.) Began to say. While 
 the messengers were going, Jesus began the 
 discourse which continued after they had dis- 
 appeared. Unto the multitudes (crowds, 
 so also Luke 7: 24), see on 5: 1. Into the 
 wilderness, see on 3 : 1. To see, to behold, 
 look at, as a spectacle; the word explained on 
 6: 1. It seems to be implied that they went 
 too much as if to look at a sort of show. (In 
 v. 8 f. it is 'to see,' the common and simple 
 word.) Doubtless those who went out to see 
 and hear John were much influenced by 
 curiosity. But what was the object of this 
 curious gazing? Was it a reed shaken with 
 the wind? Some understand Jesus to be 
 asking whether they .went merely to see an 
 ordinary, natural object. But the phrase 
 shaken, or 'tossed by the wind,' and the use 
 of the singular, 'a reed, : much more natur- 
 ally suggests that this is a symbol of fickle- 
 ness. They did not go out to see a fickle 
 doubter, and they must not think he is really 
 a fickle doubter now. The perplexities and 
 difiiculties indicated by his message were not 
 of the sort due to inconstancy, or to any weak- 
 ness of character. Nor was it (com p. on 
 3: 4) to see a man in soft raiment, elegant 
 clothing* such as courtiers wore; John had 
 refused to play courtier, as- all the people 
 knew, and had gone to prison for it. We 
 learn from Jewish writers (Jost, in Plumptre) 
 that in the early days of Herod the Great, 
 some Scribes who attached themselves to him, 
 laid aside their usual plain dress, and wore the 
 gorgeous raiment of courtiers. But John was 
 no weakling, no self-seeker. 
 
 These introductory questions lead up to the 
 great question, which, in the correct text, 2 has 
 a slightly altered form. What went ye out 
 for to see, etc. Rev. Ver, But wherefore 
 went ye out? to see a prophet f We learn from 
 21 : 26, that the masses of the people univer- 
 sally regarded John as a prophet ; and the 
 fact that there had been no prophet for so 
 many weary centuries invested him with a 
 heightened interest. Jesus says he was indeed 
 a prophet, and something exceedingly more 
 than a prophet (the word rendered 'more' 
 is neuter gender; comp. 12: 6, 41). He was 
 indeed an inspired man who came to speak 
 for God (see on 7 : 22), like the prophets of 
 earlier days. He was also something more 
 than a prophet, for he was the fulfillment of 
 prophecy (">), and he had a unique and 
 singularly dignified position, as the immediate 
 forerunnor of Messiah, ushering in his glo- 
 rious reign. Euthym. : "The heralds that 
 march near the king are greater than the 
 others. . . . And John not merely saw the 
 predicted one, but also baptized him." 
 Morison: "He not only said, He will come: 
 he said, He has come ; and there he is. 1 ' Our 
 Lord was here in fact exalting his own mission 
 by exalting that of John. The people should 
 hearken to him, to whom this more than 
 prophet had testified. 
 
 1O. 'This is he of whom it is written, 
 has been written, and now stands on record 
 (see on 2: 6). The quotation is from Mai. 
 3: 1, and the literal rendering of the Hebrew 
 is, " Behold I sond my messenger, and he 
 shall prepare the way before my face." There 
 Jehovah speak)* as if coming himself, namely, 
 
 1 ' Raiment,' though implied, is not expressed in (he 
 earliest authorities, and was probably added from Luke 
 7: 25; so it is here properly placed in italics by Rev. 
 Ver. 
 
 * This as given in B. K Z., and others, would be easily 
 altered to make it like v. 7 f. and Luke 7 : 26. 
 * 'For' of the common Greek text is wanting in 
 
 several of the earliest authorities. We can easily 
 explain its insertion, but not its omission, for it ex- 
 presses the real argumentative relation between the 
 sentences. So we conclude that it was not originally 
 in the text. In many such cases, the better we like a 
 particular reading, the more certainly it is to be re- 
 garded as a later insertion.
 
 240 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XL 
 
 11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born 
 of women "there hath not risen a greater than John the 
 Baptist : notwithstanding, he that is least in the king- 
 dom of heaven is greater than he. 
 
 11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born 
 of women there hath not arisen a greater than John 
 the Baptist: yet he that is but little in the kingdom 
 
 in the coming of Messiah. In the application 
 here made, Jehovah addresses Messiah, as if 
 sending a messenger before him. This is 
 only bringing out more clearly an idea really 
 involved in the prophecy, as the N". T. writers 
 have in various cases done, with an obvious 
 propriety (comp. on 2: 6). The prophecy is 
 quoted with exactly the same variation of 
 expression, in Luke 7: 27, and in Mark 1: 2, 
 and the same variation is implied in the evi- 
 dent reference to this passage in Luke 1 : 76. 
 The most natural explanation is that in this 
 form it was commonly given in the oral apos- 
 tolical teaching. The supposition of quotation 
 by the Evangelist from an oral Aramaic syna- 
 gogue version (Toy), seems to have no clear 
 and adequate ground, here or elsewhere. As 
 to the image involved, that of sending forward 
 a messenger to prepare the way for a journey,, 
 see on 3: 3, where a similar passage is quoted 
 from Isaiah. 
 
 11. Verily I say unto you, see on 5: 18. 
 Among those . . born of women, comp. 
 Job 14: 1; Gal. 4: 4. A greater. Luke 
 (7:28) has it 'a greater prophet.' The expres- 
 sion obviously refers principally to his exalted 
 position, and also, perhaps, to his faithful 
 devotion to its duties. No person had occu- 
 pied a position of higher privilege than John 
 the Baptist, involving clearer views of truth, 
 or greater honor in the sight of God. Never- 
 theless he that is least, literally, less, viz., 
 than all others (comp. Mark 4: 31), and so 
 equivalent to 'he that is least.' Similar ex- 
 pressions are found in 18 : 1 ; Luke 22 : 24, etc., 
 and in the Sept. of Judg. 6: 15, where Gideon 
 says, "I am the least in my father's house." 
 The Old Latin and Vulg. (as well as the Mem- 
 phitic) render 'less,' and so all the Eng. Ver. 
 before that of King James, which may here 
 (as so often) have followed Beza, who renders 
 ' least.' The Peshito also translates as if it 
 were a superlative. The rendering of the 
 Rev. Ver. 'but little,' does not commend itself 
 as particularly good, for the Greek either 
 means 'least' or 'less'; the occasional ren- 
 dering of the comparative, somewhat little, 
 rather little, etc., seems to be here quite out of 
 
 place. Chrys. understands that it means 
 Jesus, as 'less' than John, "less in age, and, 
 according to the opinion of the multitude," 
 which is excessively far-fetched. To refer the 
 kingdom of heaven here to the future life, 
 as many do, is entirely unsuitable. We must 
 understand that the lowest subject of the 
 Messianic reign is in a position of greater 
 privilege and dignity (comp. Zech. 12: 8) 
 than the great forerunner; or, else, perhaps 
 (Calvin), that the lowest of all the teachers 
 instructed by the Messiah himself was supe- 
 rior as a teacher to the forerunner. 
 
 In any case this expression implies that 
 John was not in the kingdom of heaven. 
 The inference is often drawn that he belonged 
 entirely to the Old Testament Dispensation. 
 It is frequently asserted, and by many taken 
 for granted, that the kingdom of heaven 
 began on the Day of Pentecost following our 
 Lord's Ascension, and so John had no con- 
 nection with it except fo predict its approach. 
 But if this be so, where did the ministry of 
 Jesus himself belong, the early part of which 
 ran parallel to that of John, and embodied 
 the same announcement (+: n; Mark i: 15)? If 
 John's teaching and baptizing are to beset 
 off as essentially different in kind from Chris- 
 tian teaching and Christian baptism, these 
 beginning only on the Day of Pentecost, then 
 we have the strange contradiction that Christ 
 himself, as a teacher and baptizer (John3:22; 
 :if.), did not belong to the Christian Dis- 
 pensation. Moreover, in v. 12, and also in 
 Luke 16: 16, our Lord speaks of the kingdom 
 of heaven as already in actual existence, and 
 counts John among the preachers of the king- 
 dom of heaven, as distinct from those who 
 merely predicted it. (Comp. Luke 17: 21; 
 10: 23 f. ; Matt. 13: 16.) If some argue that 
 John's baptism was not regarded by the 
 apostles as Christian baptism, from the single 
 and peculiar case of re-baptism in Acts 19: 
 1 ff., it may be answered that those persons 
 were re-baptized because it was evident that 
 when they previously received baptism (prob- 
 ably from some ignorant disciple of John), it 
 had been without knowing what they were
 
 CH. XI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 241 
 
 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now | 12 of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of 
 the kingdom of heaven sutfereth violence, and the vio- I John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven 
 lent take it by force. suffereth violence, aud men of violence take it by 
 
 1 Or, <> gotten by force, and they that thrust men, 
 
 about, without understanding the funda- 
 mental truths of the Messianic reign, as an- 
 nounced by John himself. As this isolated 
 case can be accounted for in this way, and 
 indeed in various other ways, it is quite un- 
 warrantable to make it the proof of a radical 
 distinction between Christian baptism and the 
 baptism administered by John and by Christ 
 himself. 
 
 How then are we to conceive of John's po- 
 sition ? In some sense he belongs to the king- 
 dom of Messiah, the Christian Dispensation, 
 his work constituting its introductory stage; 
 and yet his position is inferior in dignity and 
 privilege to the least in that kingdom. His 
 work may be compared to a landing-place in 
 u stairway; the highest step of the lower! 
 flight, or the lowest step of the upper flight, 
 or, whenever you choose so to regard it, higher 
 than the highest of one, lower than the lowest [ 
 of the other. Or (Chrys. ), it may be com- j 
 pared to the hour between dawn and sunrise 
 part of the day, yet less light than the first 
 moment after the sun is actually risen. The 
 beginning of John's ministry was the dawn 
 of the Messianic reign, whose light gradually 
 increased throughout the ministry of Jesus; 
 the Day of Pentecost was its sunrise, when it 
 appeared in full-orbed beauty and brightness ; 
 its noontide glory is yet to come. In this 
 passage, then, John's position is distinguished 
 from that of one living when the New Dis- 
 pensation should be fully established ; while 
 in other passages he is spoken of as himself 
 belonging to that Dispensation, in its opening 
 stage. His position was so peculiar, that it 
 could be variously regarded, according to the 
 point of view in each case. 
 
 12. This is connected especially with the 
 former clause of v. 11. The importance of 
 John is shown by a reference to the great ex- 
 citement his ministry had produced among 
 the people (comp. Josephus, "Ant.," 18, 6, 2), 
 and which still continued, at the time when 
 our Lord was speaking. From the days of 
 John the Baptist means from the time when 
 John was engaged in active labors, which 
 closed with his imprisonment. These labors 
 hud probably continued about eighteen 
 
 months, and from six to twelve months had 
 elapsed since their close. Until now shows 
 that the work in question was still going on, 
 but without at all implying that it would now 
 cease. The kingdom of heaven is here con- 
 ceived of as not simply near, but in actual 
 existence, and as having begun to exist with 
 the beginning of John's ministry. (See on 
 v. 11.) The kingdom of heaven suffereth 
 violence, or, 'is taken by violence.' (David- 
 son, Darby.) The image employed appears to 
 be not precisely that of storming a city (^Maco. 
 !*:)> tut that of invading and seizing a king- 
 dom. Before the time of John many were 
 expecting the establishment of tht, Messianic 
 kingdom, but in general were quietly wait- 
 ing, without any earnest efforts to prepare for 
 it, and share its blessings. John's ministry 
 awakened an eager expectation of its imme- 
 diate appearance, and men were aroused to 
 press into it, like invaders pressing into a 
 country and taking possession. Our Lord 
 described this state of things by the same 
 striking image on a later occasion. (Luke is: IB.) 
 It is appropriate and eminently desirable that 
 both individuals and communities should be- 
 come greatly aroused on the subject of re- 
 ligion, and be deeply in earnest about it, so 
 as to resemble, in their pursuit of salvation, 
 the resolution and irresistible force with which 
 an invading army presses into a country. 
 How it forces its way along every obstacle 
 is overcome, every stronghold is seized, every 
 opposing host is broken and scattered nothing 
 can withstand its conquering advance. Of 
 course the application of this is to spiritual 
 energy, and it gives no warrant for violent 
 bodily exercises, except in so far as these may 
 sometimes naturally result from uncontrollable 
 feelings of soul ; but it does show the propriety 
 of impassioned earnestness and indomitable 
 resolution in the entrance upon, and pursuit 
 of, a Christian life. (Comp. 7: 13; Luke 13: 
 24; Phil. 3: 12 ff., etc.) The period in ques- 
 tion was the first of those seasons of wide- 
 spread religious excitement which have re- 
 peatedly marked the progress of Christian 
 history. Christianity was born in a great re- 
 vival. Weiss interprets v. 12 as said in the
 
 242 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XI. 
 
 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until 
 Johu. 
 
 14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for 
 to couie. 
 
 15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 
 
 13 force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied 
 
 14 until Johu. And it' ye are willing to receive ' it, this 
 
 15 is Elijah, who is to come. He that hath ears -to 
 
 1 Or, him. . . .2 Some undent uutbnritlea omit to hear. 
 
 way of censure, viz., that John had intro- 
 duced a hasty and stormy way of entering 
 the kingdom of heaven, opposed to the quiet 
 and gentle introduction of it in which Jesus 
 was engaged. This is ingenious, but it ill 
 suits the following connection, and the whole 
 tone of our Lord's testimony to John. 
 
 13-15. This reference to Elijah is not given 
 by Luke, who on the other hand makes at this 
 point some remarks (i.ukeTrwr.) not made by 
 Matthew. For gives a reason for the statement 
 of v. 12. This great religious movement, men 
 pressing with eagerness and violence into the 
 kingdom of heaven, he has just declared to 
 have existed from the days of John the Bap- 
 tist; for, until John, until his time, the pro- 
 phets and the law (see on 5 : 17; prophets 
 here mentioned first, doubtless because pre- 
 diction was a less prominent element of the 
 law) prophesied of the Messianic reign ; 
 but this period of prophecy ended with the 
 coming of the new Elijah, in the person of 
 John, who was at once the last predictor of 
 the kingdom of heaven, and the first preacher 
 of it; and now the good news of the reign of 
 Messiah is made known (Lukei6:ie), and men 
 are pressing into it with violence. Athana- 
 sius : "Up to John the law; from him the 
 gospel." (Comp. on v. 12.) And if ye will 
 (are willing to) receive, i. e., most naturally 
 ' to receive it,' possibly ' to receive him ' 
 (margin Rev. Yer. and Geneva). They 
 might be slow to receive it, because it con- 
 flicted with the popular notion that Elijah in 
 his own proper person would appear to anoint 
 the Messiah (Justin Martyr, Trypho 8, 49); 
 and because too, of John's present helpless 
 captivity, which they might fancy God would 
 not permit in the case of one sent by him on a 
 great mission. This is Elias he, and no 
 other, the original being emphatic, as in 1 : 21 
 
 and elsewhere. As to reasons for giving the 
 Old Test, form of the name, Elijah, rather 
 than Elias, see on 1:2. Which was for 
 (that is) to come, or 'that is going to come.' 
 This was the expression used among the Jews 
 concerning the expected coming of Elijah, 
 and our Lord retains it, as the familiar phrase, 
 though the coming had now taken place (so 
 also in 17: 11). The prediction of Mai. 4: 5, 
 " Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet," 
 etc., was generally understood by the Jews to 
 mean that Elijah would come to life again, 
 and many of the modern Jews have that ex- 
 pectation still. Jesus means that John had 
 come "in the spirit and power of Elijah" 
 (Luke 1:17), a similar man, and to a similar 
 work; and this is all that the prophecy meant. 
 (Comp. on3:4; 17:10ff.) John himself was 
 asked (John 1:21) whether he was Elijah, and 
 answered ' No' ; but he was answering in the 
 sense of their question he was not Elijah 
 come to life again. He that hath ears 1 
 let him hear. As Elijah was to be forerun- 
 ner of the Messiah, and as John the forerun- 
 ner of Jesus was Elijah, it followed that 
 Jesus was the Messiah if they had ears, 
 and were willing to receive it. This pecu- 
 liar phrase, 'he that hath ears,' etc., was 
 repeatedly used by our Lord, especially 
 after saying something which was important, 
 and also likely through ignorance or preju- 
 dice not to be understood (comp. on 13: 9,43; 
 24 : 16) ; and it is still used in the last words 
 he has spoken on the earth, the messages to 
 the seven churches. (Rev. 2: 7,11,17,29; s-. 6,13,22.) 
 We can scarcely conceive how difficult it was 
 for the Jews to accept the assertion that the 
 prophecy of Elijah's coming was fulfilled in 
 John the Baptist. And we have abundant 
 need to fear lest we ourselves lack ears to hear, 
 lack the spiritual perception and sympathy, 
 
 11 To hear,' after ' ears,' should pretty certainly be 
 omitted (as in Rev. Ver. marg.), following B D, 32, k ; 
 as also in 13 : 9, following B X L, and some copies of Old 
 Latin; and in 13: 43, following X (first hand) B, some 
 copies of Old Latin, and some of Vulgate. The fact 
 seems clearly to be that Matt, in all three cases gives 
 simply ' he that hath ears, let him hear,' while Mark 
 
 (4:9, 28) and Luke (8: 8j H: 35) give without variation 
 'he that hath ears to hear, let him hear'; and that 
 Matthew's expression early began to be changed into 
 the fuller form. (Comp. Rev. Ver. of 13: 9, 43.) It is 
 noteworthy that in all three cases B has the correct 
 text, while its companions vary.
 
 CH XL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 243 
 
 16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It 
 is like unto children sitting in the markets, und call- 
 Ing unto their fellows, 
 
 17 And saying, \Ve have piped unto you, and ye 
 have not danced : we have mourned unto you, and ye 
 have not lamented. 
 
 16 hear, let him hear. But whereunto shall I liken this 
 generation ? It is like unto children sitting in the 
 marketplaces, that call unto their fellows, and say, 
 
 17 \Ve piped unto you, and ye did not dance ; we wailed, 
 
 the candor and willingness to follow truth, 
 the readiness to let the Bible mean what it 
 wishes to mean, which are necessary to a 
 thorough understanding of Scripture. 
 
 16-19. BUT BOTH JOHN AND JESUS ARB 
 REJECTED. The thought of this passage was 
 naturally suggested by the reception which 
 many had given to the great Forerunner, the 
 new Elijah, and to Jesus himself. John was 
 unsurpassed in the dignity of his position, the 
 greatness of his work ; he whom John heralded 
 was greater still ; yet both were rejected. They 
 had different, even opposite, peculiarities and 
 modes of life; but that willful and unreason- 
 able generation rejected each of them, thus 
 showing a determined and invincible opposi- 
 tion to the heavenly wisdom which both were 
 seeking to inculcate, and which was justified 
 and vindicated by its effects in all who re- 
 ceived it. 
 
 16 f. But wherennto shall I liken this 
 generation t Their conduct was so strange, 
 in its inconsistent and willful opposition to the 
 truth, that he was at a loss to find anything 
 like it for an illustration. (Comp. Mark 4: 30; 
 Luke 13: 18, 20; Lam. 2: 13; and the rabbis 
 have a similar formula.) In saying 'this 
 generation,' he does not mean all without ex- 
 ception, but refers to the general tone of pub- 
 lic sentiment, and especially to the leading 
 men, the Scribes and Pharisees who gave that 
 tone. Luke (f- ) informs us that of the per- 
 sons present on that occasion the mass of the 
 people and the publicans justified God, hav- 
 ing received John's baptism; but the Phari- 
 sees and the lawyers rendered void as regarded 
 themselves the counsels of God, not having 
 been baptized by John. Our Lord was not 
 yet prepared to make open discrimination 
 among the Jews, and denounce the Scribes 
 and Pharisees by name, as he did at a later 
 period, (cnap a.) It is like onto children, 
 etc. There is a certain colloquial inexact- 
 
 ness in the expression, which ought not to oc- 
 casion any difficulty. He does not mean that 
 the men of this generation correspond dis- 
 tinctively to the children who speak, which 
 would make John and himself answer to the 
 parties complained of; but in general, the 
 conduct of this generation corresponds to the 
 case of children sitting in the market-place, 
 some of them saying to others, etc. So in 13 : 
 45, the kingdom of heaven is said to be like a 
 merchant, etc., but it is not meant that the 
 kingdorfi resembles the person, but that in a 
 general way the two cases are similar. (So also 
 in 18 : 23 ; 20 : 1. ) The comparison in such cases 
 is made somewhat loosely, and is to be under- 
 stood according to the nature of the case. 
 There is thus no need at all for the various 
 artificial explanations by which some able 
 expositors (as Meyer, Ewald, Keim, Weiss, 
 Plumptre), try to work out the view that 
 John and Jesus are the persons called to, and 
 complained of, for not doing as the people 
 wished. The simple and obvious application 
 in the contrary direction is much more 
 natural and appropriate. 1 In the markets 
 marketplaces. The word denotes a public 
 square, or place of public resort in a town, such 
 as the Greeks called Agora (the word here 
 used), the Romans called forum, and we call 
 place or square. In Oriental cities this place 
 was just inside the gate. Here the citizens as- 
 sembled, the judges sat, business was trans- 
 acted, and markets were opened ("en. w-.\\ Ruth 
 4:i;prov.si:23,etc.) ; and here, as a matter of 
 course, loafers would lounge (P. 69: 12), and 
 boys would gather to play. The children, 
 i. e., boys, are represented as imitating, in 
 their play, the practice of their elders 
 at merry-makings or funerals. We have 
 piped unto yon, the instrument intended 
 somewhat resembling a flageolet. We have 
 mourned, (or, wailed), i. e., sang the funeral 
 wail or dirge (Davidson and Noyes translate 
 
 i Some slight differences in the Greek text do not 
 affect the substantial meaning. ' Who call .... and 
 Bay ' is beyond question the correct text. It is difficult 
 to decide between 'their fellows' (hetairois) and 'the 
 others ' (he 'erois), like Luke 7 : 32, ' one another.' The 
 earliest authorities for the most part give fieterou, but 
 
 the other would be more easily changed into this 
 by assimilation to Luke. The two words are pro- 
 nounced exactly alike in Modern Greek, and probably 
 were when our oldest copies were made. ' To you ' is 
 rightly omitted in the second clause.
 
 244 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XI. 
 
 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and 
 they say, He hath a devil. 
 
 l'j The Son of man came eating and drinking, aud 
 they say, Behold a man gluttonous and a wiuebibber, 
 a friend of publicans aud sinners. But wisdom is jus- 
 tified of her children. 
 
 18 and ye did not ! mourn. For John came neither eat- 
 ing nor drinking, and they say, He hath a demon. 
 
 19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they 
 say, Behold, a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a 
 friend of publicans and sinners! And wisdom 2 is 
 justified by her 3 works. 
 
 1 Gr, l,t;it tlit brecut 2 Or, wot 3 Mum- ancient authorities read, children: as in Luke vii. 35. 
 
 'sang a dirge'), such as hired mourners were 
 accustomed to sing at a funeral. (Comp. on 
 9: 23.) Lamented, literally, 'beat your- 
 selves,' beat the breast, as the publican smote 
 his breast. (Luke is: is.) The boys had tried 
 their comrades with notes of joy and with 
 notes of grief, and met no response to either. 
 Stier : " It cannot but be noted that the Lord, 
 ni/til humani a se alienum putans [deeming 
 nothing human without interest to himself ], 
 as he took notice of the rending of mended 
 garments (9; is), and the domestie concerns of 
 the children in their beds (Lukeii:7), so also 
 observes the children's play in the market 
 place, and finds in everything the material 
 for the analogies of his wise teaching." "Who 
 is not moved at th- -thought of the Saviour 
 standing sometimes in the marketplace, with 
 the busy throng around, and watching the 
 boys at their play? This is the only place in 
 the Bible (Nicholson) where any game of 
 children is described. 
 
 18 f. Our Lord then applies the illustration. 
 For, presents this as a proof of the previous 
 statement. The case of this generation does 
 resemble that of the children, for they treat 
 John and Jesus exactly as the children's com- 
 rades treated them. John came neither 
 eating nor drinking, i. e., as other men do 
 (Luke 7: 33, 'eating no bread nor drinking 
 wine'); not sharing with men in general in 
 their modes of life, but living apart and 
 abstemiously. (Comp. on 3: 4.) He hath 
 a devil demon. See on 8: 28, 31. As one 
 now would say, he is deranged. It is natural 
 that such an expression should become com- 
 mon (John 7; M; 8:48), since demoniacal posses- 
 sions were often found in conjunction with 
 mental derangement, whether as causing it, 
 or because persons were thereby rendered 
 more suitable to be thus possessed. Demo- 
 niacs would sometimes go into a wild region, 
 and live on such food as they could procure 
 there (8:^); to these the people compared 
 John. Though " willing to rejoice for a sea- 
 
 son in his light," as "the lamp that burneth 
 and shineth" (John 5: 35, Rev. ver.), they were now 
 rejecting his witness to Jesus and ridiculing 
 his mode of life, saying, "He has a demon." 
 On the other hand, Jesus lived among men, 
 eating and drinking as they did. He was ac- 
 customed to drink wine, as Was common, 
 almost universal those light and pure wines 
 which abounded in that country, and which, 
 taken in moderate quantity, and mixed with 
 a double quantity of water according to cus- 
 tom, would stimulate about as much as our 
 tea and coffee. He went to the houses of 
 Pharisee and Publican, of scrupulous ob- 
 servers of the law and open transgressors of 
 it, and shared their customary food and drink. 
 And immediately they cried, Behold a 
 gluttonous man, and a wine-bibber! 
 The Greek word here used for man implies 
 in such connections a certain contempt, as we 
 sometimes use 'a person.' A friend of pub- 
 licans and sinners. The emphasis is not 
 on 'friend,' but, as the Greek order shows, 
 separately on 'publicans' and 'sinners.' Be- 
 cause he ate pleasant food like others, and 
 with no special abstemiousness, they called 
 him a glutton. Because he sometimes drank 
 wine as others did, he was a wine-bibber; one 
 who drank habitually and to excess. Because 
 he treated bad men with civility and kind- 
 ness, earnestly seeking to do them good, he 
 himself also was bad. (Comp. Luke 15: 1, 2, 
 and see above on 9: 11.) So they talked. 
 John was not enough like other people a 
 crazy sort of man. Jesus was too much like 
 other people. Nothing could please them. 
 The Son of man, see on 8: 20. Publicans 
 and sinners, comp. on 5: 46. 
 
 Now, what shall be the consolation of those 
 religious teachers who see that, do as they 
 may, men will find fault with their conduct, 
 and reject their message? That in which 
 Jesus took comfort. But wisdom is justi- 
 fied of her children. ' Works ' is clearly the 
 correct text here, ' children ' in Luke 7 : 35. 1 
 
 i' Works 'in B(lst hand) X, 124, Memphitic, the Pe- codices of the Armenian; and Jerome and Ambrose 
 shito and Harklean Syriac, the JEthiopic, and some say it so reads in some copies. Now, this might easily
 
 CH. XI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 245 
 
 Though the people in general rejected the 
 true wisdom, yet she was justified, shown to 
 be right, both in John's way of living and 
 teaching and in that of Jesus, by her works 
 the general effects of the true wisdom in those 
 who receive and practice it, and in particular 
 those miraculous works which proved Jesus to 
 be the Messiah, (v. 2, * r.) There is thus no 
 great substantial difference between 'justified 
 by her works,' as affecting those who receive 
 her, and seen in them, and 'justified by all 
 her children' (Luke 7: 35), recognized and ap- 
 preciated by all of kindred spirit to her, all 
 the truly wise. (Comp. the expression 'justi- 
 fied God' a little before, in Luke 7: 29.) The 
 peculiarities of John and of Jesus were in 
 each case appropriate and effective, producing 
 such works as the truly wise must recognize 
 to be the legitimate effects of wisdom. John's 
 mode of life was suitable to the stern rebukes 
 and warnings he came to proclaim (see on 
 3:4); while Jesus moved freely among men, 
 and conformed himself pleasantly to their way 
 of living, as representing especially the kind 
 invitations and joyful tidings of the gospel. 
 Both methods were blamed by the people at 
 large, but both were justified by their effects, 
 and both were from God. And so as to the 
 peculiarities of temperament, modes of life, 
 and methods of working, on the part of re- 
 ligious teachers now. Every sort of preacher 
 will be found fault with by the ungodly 
 world; but every truly devout and wise 
 preacher will be justified by the effects of his 
 ministry. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 2 f. The stern law that exercise is neces- 
 sary to health, bodily, mental, and spiritual, 
 enforces itself even in a case of involuntary 
 idleness. V. 2-6. Is Christianity divine? 1) 
 Reasons for inquiring, (a) Christianity, as a 
 power in the world, has to be accounted for. 
 (b) Our own need, (c) The need of others. 2) 
 Evidences, (a) The effects of Christianity are 
 beneficent, to body and soul, (b) They corre- 
 
 spond to the O. T. predictions as to its character 
 and results. 3) Occasions of stumbling, (a) 
 Slow progress of Christianity in the world, (b) 
 Its highest benefits are not seen and temporal, 
 but spiritual and eternal, (c) Many faithful 
 workers seem to fail, and are left to suffer 
 (like John). Happy he who earnestly presses 
 the inquiry, wisely appreciates the convincing 
 evidences, and rises above all the obstacles. 
 Comp. Peter (ie:i6r.), Martha (John 11:27), 
 Thomas ( John 20: 28 r.). V. 6. Stumbling at 
 Jesus. CALVIN: "Every man builds for 
 himself a heap of stumbling-stones, because 
 men are malignantly anxious to keep aloof 
 from Christ." PLUMPTRK : "How tenderly 
 our Lord dealt with the impatience implied 
 in John's question. A warning was needed, 
 but it was given in the form of a beatitude 
 which it was still open to him to claim and 
 make his own." 
 
 V. 7-9. HENRY : " They who attend on the 
 word will be called to an account, what their 
 intentions and what their improvements were. 
 We think when the sermon is done the care is 
 over; no, then the greatest of the care begins." 
 
 V. 11. John the Baptist. 1) The dignity 
 and importance of his work as a forerunner. 
 2) His transitional relation to the kingdom of 
 heaven. 3) In what respects the humblest 
 Christian now is more favored than John. 
 V. 11-15. John the Baptist. 1) Coming as 
 the climax of prophecy, and the new Elijah. 
 2) More than a prophet, and unsurpassed 
 among mankind, v. 9, 11. 3) Belonging to 
 the Messianic reign, yet not enjoying its 
 highest privileges, v. 11. 4) Awakening that 
 Great Revival, in which Christianity was 
 born, v. 12. V. 14. Comparison of John and 
 Elijah. 1) In outward circumstances and 
 mode of life. 2) In temper and spirit. 3) In 
 work, (a) Evils to be corrected; (b) oppo- 
 sition encountered ; (c) gpod done. 
 
 V. 16 f. Those who reject Christianity are 
 without excuse ; for it sings joyous strains and 
 mournful strains, presents a bright side to 
 
 be changed Into 'children,' to conform to Luke. The 
 Iranscriptional process of assimilating parallel passages, 
 which so often exhibits itself, is here further betrayed 
 by the fact that some cursives insert ' all" from Luke, 
 and that X (alone) in Luke changes 'children' to 
 'works.' If we suppose 'children* to have been the 
 original reading in both Gospels, it is very difficult to 
 account for the change here into 'works.' We might 
 
 fancy that apo, 'from her children, looked strange, 
 and that 'works' was suggested by v. 2, and by the 
 appeal in v. 4 f., but this would be a very poor explana- 
 tion, while as good as any of the others that have been 
 suggested. The change here to ' children ' is one of the 
 many early " Western " alterations, being found in D, 
 Old Syriac, and old Latin.
 
 246 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XL 
 
 20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most 
 of his mighty works were doiie, because they repeuted 
 not: 
 
 20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most 
 of his ! mighty works were done, because they re- 
 
 1 Or. power i. 
 
 win and a dark side to warn, calls to repent- 
 ance and welcomes to faith, offers heaven and 
 threatens hell and they find fault still. 
 V. 18 f. We often see precisely the same 
 spirit manifested now. Let a minister, or 
 other active Christian, be grave and serious, 
 and people will at once complain of him as 
 sour or dull ; let him be cheerful, and they 
 will say, "Entirely too much levity." If he 
 is careful about his affairs, they charge that he 
 is worldly, too fond of money ; if he silently 
 allows himself to be cheated, rather than seem 
 to stickle for pecuniary interests, they say 
 compassionately, "Very good sort of man, 
 very but doesn't know much about business 
 hasn't much common sense/' And, alas! 
 it still continues true that many will quite 
 disregard the intrinsic value of the truths 
 proclaimed, and will treat them with respect 
 or neglect, according as they fancy or not the 
 habits and manners of the preacher. HENRY : 
 "It is some comfort to faithful ministers, 
 when they see little success of their labors, 
 that it is no new thing for the best preachers 
 and best preaching in the world to come short 
 of the desired end." Christianity and social 
 life. 1) In some respects antagonizing social 
 usages. 2) In other respects conforming to 
 social usages. 3) In both cases often mis- 
 judged and rejected. 4) In all cases justified 
 by its fruits. 
 
 2O - 30. UPBRAIDING THE IMPENITENT 
 CITIES, AND INVITING THE HEAVY LADEN. 
 
 The remainder of the discourse given by 
 Matthew as occasioned by the message from 
 John the Baptist (n = 2), consists of two main 
 divisions. V. 20-24 is given also by Luke 
 (io: 12-15) as spoken with reference to the mis- 
 sion of the Seventy. (Comp. Matt. 10: 15.) 
 As to v. 25-30, see on v. 25. Some recent 
 commentators coolly take for granted that 
 Matt, has wrongly located a passage really 
 belonging where it is given by Luke. But it 
 is perfectly natural that a religious teacher, 
 going from place to place, should repeat 
 favorite thoughts. (Comp. at beginning of 
 ch. 5.) The present passage is as appro- 
 priately connected in Matt, as in Luke. V. 
 20. Then would naturally mean immedi- 
 
 ately or soon after what precedes, but is 
 sometimes used quite generally. (See on 3: 
 13.) The same is true of the stronger expres- 
 sion in v. 25, 'on that occasion,' 'at that 
 season.' (Comp. on 12: 1.) It is easy here 
 to trace an internal connection. The thought 
 of the unreasonable conduct of the people 
 towards John and himself (T. 16-19) would 
 naturally suggest the kindred fact that even 
 the cities in which the greater part of his 
 miracles occurred, were still refusing to re- 
 pent. (T. 20-24.) (See further as to the connec- 
 tion on v. 25.) Began is perhaps nothing 
 more than a touch of that circumstantiality of 
 description for which the Hebrew style is re- 
 markable. (Comp. on 5: 2.) So probably in 
 16: 22: while in other cases we can see that 
 'begin' adds something to the sense; as in 
 11: 7; 16: 21; 24: 49; 26: 22, 37, 74. To 
 upbraid, rendered 'reproach' in 5: 11; 27: 
 44. This strong term, and the language of 
 the following verses, shows that he felt not 
 only pitying grief, but also indignation. It 
 was not mere childish folly, as some might 
 perhaps have thought from v. 16, it was a 
 wicked and shameful thing, that they so 
 acted. Stier : "Gracious as is the Son of 
 man in his exhibition of himself as the friend 
 of publicans and sinners (ii: M), he can also 
 insist upon repentance, and threaten judg- 
 ments upon the impenitent as severely as 
 John himself; yea, more vigorously and 
 severely than he, since he is himself the 
 Judge." Wherein most of his mighty 
 works were done, or 'occurred,' the word 
 explained on 1: 22; 5: 18; 6:9, etc. Mighty 
 works, or miracles, (see on 12: 38), literally 
 powers, works of power, and hence rendered 
 by Com. Ver. 'mighty works.' But Tyndale 
 and his followers here translated it ' miracles ' 
 (v. 20, 21, 23), and that word ought to be restored, 
 as in Bible Un. Ver., and Noyes. Repented, 
 see on 3: 2. Our Lord's main object, in 
 working his numerous and striking miracles, 
 was to convince men of his divine mission, 
 and thus induce them to repent, that they 
 might become subjects of the Messianic reign. 
 If they did not repent, they had witnessed his 
 miracles in vain, yea, with aggravated guilt,
 
 CH. XL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 247 
 
 21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin ! woe unto thee, Beth- 
 saida ! for if the mighty works, which were done in 
 you, bad been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would 
 have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 
 
 21 pented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin ! woe unto 
 thee, Bethsaida ! for if the 1 mighty works had beeu 
 done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you. 
 they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and 
 
 1 Gr. powers. 
 
 so that they were -more blameworthy than the 
 most wicked heathen. Bengel: "Every 
 hearer of the New Test, is either much happier 
 (v. 11), or much more wretched than the men 
 who lived before Christ' scouting." 'Most of his 
 miracles' may mean only a majority of those 
 whichoccurred in that part of the country. We 
 have no record of any miracles wrought at 
 Chorazin or Bethsaida, though we read ol 
 many at Capernaum (see on v. 23). The 
 great mass of the miracles are unnoticed ex- 
 cept by some such general expression as this 
 (comp. on 4 : 21 ; 8 : 16, and see John 20 : 30). 
 That Matthew and Luke should record this 
 saying without having described any miracle; 
 as wrought at Bethsaida or Chorazin, is really 
 a proof (Piumptre) that the words are genu- 
 ine, for they would not have been introduced 
 into a pre-existing narrative without exam- 
 ining whether any miracles had been referred 
 to those places. 
 
 21 f. Examples of the upbraiding. Woe 
 unto thee. See in 23: 13 if. Chorazin, not 
 mentioned elsewhere in New Test., save the 
 similar passage in Luke 10 : 13. Eusebius and 
 Jerome tell us that it was now deserted, and 
 two Roman miles from Capernaum. If the 
 latter be placed at Tel Hum, as is of late the 
 almost universal opinion (see on 4: 13), then 
 there can be little doubt that Chorazin is the 
 extensive ruin called Kerazeh, which is up 
 among the hills, two miles from Tel Hum ; 
 and the Arabic name would be the singular 
 form, corresponding to Chorazin, as Aramaic 
 plural. So Wilson, GueYin, McGarvey. 
 Bethsaida probably signifies ' house of fish- 
 ing,' English fish-town, indicating that it be- 
 gan as a fishing-station. There seem to have 
 been two places of that name on or near the 
 Lake of Galilee. The well-known Bethsaida 
 Julias, near to which the five thousand were fed, 
 was on the northeastern side of the lake ; in fact 
 on the eastern bank of the River Jordan, some 
 distance above its mouth (see on 14: 13). The 
 Bethsaida here and most frequently mentioned, 
 the native place of Andrew and Peter and of 
 Philip (Johni:*i; u:ii), was in the land of Gen- 
 nesaret (nrk6:45, w), on the northwestern side 
 of the lake. (See on 14: 34.) This fact seems 
 
 to preclude the otherwise plausible suggestion 
 of Dr. Thomson ("Land and Book"), that 
 Bethsaida was originally on both sides of the 
 Jordan, and that the eastern part, being (as 
 we know) greatly favored by the tetrarch 
 Philip, gradually drew everything away from 
 the western part, which thus entirely dis- 
 appeared. The question of its exact location 
 depends on the extent of the land of Gen- 
 nesaret, and may never be settled. But there 
 is now little doubt that there were two towns 
 of this name on opposite sides of the lake or 
 the river a thing very natural upon a lake so 
 abounding in fish, and in districts seldom 
 under the same rule. Observe that John 12: 
 21, ' Bethsaida of Galilee,' seems clearty to in- 
 dicate that there was another Bethsaida from 
 which this needed to be distinguished. Before 
 Reland suggested this idea (Palestina, A. D. 
 1714), the allusions to Bethsaida were a vexed 
 question, and no doubt gave rise to many 
 charges of hopeless "discrepancy" between 
 the Gospels. 
 
 Tyre and Sidon were doubtless chosen be- 
 cause they lay close by, had long been famous 
 for the splendid wickedness which so often 
 marks commercial centres, and were inti- 
 mately associated with the Baal worship 
 which had wrought such evil in Israel. Their 
 wickedness was often denounced by the 
 prophets, Joel, Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and 
 particularly that of Tyre by Ezekiel, eh. 26- 
 28. Repented in sackcloth and ashes* 
 as the people of Nineveh actually did at the 
 preaching of Jonah. (j<mahs:5ir.) The sack- 
 cloth so often mentioned in Scripture was 
 roughly woven from the short hair of camels, 
 cattle, etc., and was worn as an expression of 
 great grief sometimes instead of the ordi- 
 nary garments (Jouahsie), oftener under them, 
 next to the flesh (2King:3o) ) and loosely girt 
 around the waist. (*sm. i:j joeu:8.) Some- 
 times the person spread it under him and sat 
 on it (i.M;5), or lay on it at night, (i King 
 ;.) (As to the similar coarse garments of 
 fiair, habitually worn by Elijah and some 
 other prophets, see on 3: 4.) On occasions of 
 xtraordinary mourning they often added 
 ashes, which were sometimes put on the head
 
 248 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XL 
 
 22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for 
 Tyre aud fidon at the day of judgment, that) lor you. 
 
 23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted uuto 
 heaven, shall be brought down to hell: for if the 
 mighty works, which have been done iu thee, had been 
 done iu Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 
 
 22 ashes. Howbeit I say unto you, it shall be more 
 tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day ol judgment, 
 
 23 than for you. And thou, Capernaum, shall thou be 
 exalted uuto heaven? thou shall 'go down unto 
 Hades: for if the s mighty works had been done in 
 Sodom which were done in thee, it would have re- 
 
 1 Many ancient authorities read, be brought down '2 Gr. powert. 
 
 (2 Sam. 13:19; Lam. 2: 10), and at other times the 
 mourner sat in ashes (Jonah3:e), lay in them 
 (Esthers), even wallowed himself in them. 
 (jer.6:26; Mio. i : 10.) Accordingly Job says (:6), 
 "I abhor myself and repent in dust and 
 ashes," and Daniel prayed long (9: a), "with 
 fasting and sackcloth and ashes." (Comp. 
 above on 6: 16.) It should be remarked that 
 these and various other modes of manifesting 
 grief' among the Israelites (.such as rending 
 the garments, tearing the hair, etc.), were not 
 a matter of divine appointment, but were 
 natural to the impassioned Oriental character, 
 and are still customary among Eastern nations. 
 22. But I say uuto you. The connecting 
 word rendered 'but' or 'nevertheless' (Tyn- 
 dale and followers) seems to imply some such 
 idea as this: " It is true that Tyre and Si Jon 
 did not have the opportunity of witnessing 
 these miracles, and you may thus regard 
 yourselves as peculiarly favored ; but it shall 
 be more tolerable even for them in the day of 
 judgment than for you ; therefore be not 
 proud of your privilege, but tremble at your 
 responsibility and guilt." The words Tyre 
 and Sidon are so placed in the Greek as to 
 be emphatic. The 'woe ' denounced against 
 Chorazin and Bethsaida seems to combine the 
 ideas of temporal calamity to the cities, and 
 future punishment to individuals, as in 
 3 : 10-12; but v. 22 seems to show (Godet) that 
 the latter idea is the prevailing one. Day of 
 judgment. This phrase appears in Matt. 
 10: 15; 11: 22, 24; 12: 36; 2 Pet. 2: 9; 3: 7; 
 1 John 4: 17, and comp. Acts 17: 31 ; Jude 6. 
 It is also called the day of God, of the Lord, 
 of Christ, the last day, the day of wrath, that 
 day (7 : 22 ; i Then*, s : 4), and (simply) the day 
 (Heh. 10:25), also the judgment (it-. 41 1.). He who 
 here foretells the decisions of the day of judg- 
 ment will himself be the King and Judge. 
 
 (7:22; 25:34.) 
 
 This declaration of Jesus was no doubt 
 startling to the Jews, accustomed to think 
 themselves safe for eternity because they 
 
 were Abraham's descendants, and to look 
 down with contempt upon all Gentiles. And 
 to us, in general, there is here brought out the 
 great truth that men's lot in the world to come 
 will have degrees proportioned to their advan- 
 tages in this world. (Comp. on 12 : 41 ; 23 : 13, 
 and consult Luke 12 : 47 f. ) This truth throws 
 some rays of light athwart the dark, sad ques- 
 tion of the fate of the heathen. Men will be 
 judged and punished according to their op- 
 portunities of knowing truth and duty. The 
 heathen will not be condemned for rejecting 
 Jesus if they had no opportunity to know of 
 him ; but only for disregarding their own con- 
 science (Rom. 2:14-16), the light of external nature 
 (Rom. i : 20 ff.) t and any true religious ideas which 
 may in whatsoever way have reached them. 
 On the other hand, those who know of Jesus, 
 and live surrounded by Christian influences, 
 and yet will not repent, incur an unspeakable 
 aggravation of guilt and punishment. But 
 the expression 'more tolerable,' or more 
 endurable, easier to bear, is general and in- 
 definite, and does not warrant any attempt to 
 determine precise degrees of punishment. 
 
 23 f. The same thing is here said, and in yet 
 stronger terms, of Capernaum, which was a 
 more prosperous city than Chorazin or Beth- 
 saida, and more favored with the Saviour's 
 residence, miracles, and teaching. Stier: "To 
 the two cities, two others are first opposed ; and 
 then one ciiy to the one." Capernaum, see on 
 4: 13. Numerous miracles (Plumptre) have 
 been described as occurring at Capernaum 
 (besides the allusion in Luke 4 : 23) : the noble- 
 man's son ( Johu 4 : 46-54) ; thedemoniac in the syn- 
 agogue (Mark i : 23-28); with Peter's wife' smother, 
 and mention of a multitude of other healings 
 (8:14-17); the paralytic borne by four (9:2-8); 
 J.nirus' daughter and the woman with the 
 issue of blood, together with the two blind 
 men and the dumb demoniac (9: is-as) ; and the 
 centurion's servant, (a : 5-1.1.) Which art, etc., 
 rather, Shalt thou be exalted unto heaven ? 
 thou s halt go down unto Hades. 1 In the ques- 
 
 i ' Shalt thou be exalted ' is the reading of B X C D I/ and most of the early versions. It could easily change, 
 (which represent all three pre-Syrian types of text), by a slight alteration of two Greek words, into ' that
 
 CH. XL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 249 
 
 24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable 
 for the laud of Sodoui in the day of judgment, than 
 for thee. 
 
 24 mained until this day. Howbeit I say unto you, 
 that it shall be more tolerable for the laud ol'Sodoiu 
 iu the day of judgment, than for thee. 
 
 tion a Greek particle is used which implies 
 that the answer must be negative. Caper- 
 naum, already prosperous, was cherishing, 
 like Babylon (isa.u: is), arrogant hopes of un- 
 limited prosperity in future. But this expect- 
 ation is delusive. The result, as in the case 
 of Babylon (isa. i*:i5) t will on the contrary be 
 utter destruction, as the penalty of privileges 
 abused. The contrasted expressions 'exalted 
 to heaven' and 'brought down to Hades' 
 seem here to indicate the temporal prosperity 
 and destruction of the city, as they do in the 
 passage of Isaiah from which the imagery is 
 derived. This destruction might have been 
 obviated. Capernaum might have continued 
 to exist and prosper if it had listened to the 
 miracle-working Teacher, and repented, as 
 even the wicked Sodom would have done. We 
 might not be able to decide whether v. 23 indi- 
 cated, besides temporal destruction of the city, 
 the future punishment of individuals; but 
 this thought is brought out clearly in v. 24. 
 
 Hell. The Greek word Hades, which ety- \ 
 mologically means 'the unseen (land), ' 'the j 
 invisible (world), ' is in accordance with its 
 classical use, and with that of the Heb. Sheol, 
 employed in Sept. and New Test, to denote 
 the receptacle of departed spirits, without ref- 
 erence to differences of condition between 
 good and bad. It was conceived of as far 
 under the ground, and so 'brought down to 
 Sheol' (Hades) was contrasted with 'exalted 
 to heaven.' (Comp. Job 11: 8; Ps. 139: 8; 
 Amos 9:2; Rom. 10: 6, 7.) Some have pro- 
 posed to render it 'the underworld' (Bible 
 
 Un. Ver., Noyes), which, though inadequate, 
 is perhaps the best translation our language 
 now affords. The word ' hell ' formerly trans- 
 lated Sheol and Hades, for it originally signi- 
 fied (Skeat), a concealed or hidden (place.) 
 But it has come to be associated so exclusively 
 with the idea of torment, that Rev. Ver. 
 properly uses it only to translate Gehenna 
 (see on 5: 22), and borrows Hades whenever 
 that term occurs in the New Test. (So Darby, 
 Davidson.) In like manner the Heb. Sheol, 
 substantially equivalent to Hades, is borrowed 
 by Rev. Ver. in many passages of Old. Test., 
 and ought by all means (as by Ainer. Revisers, ) 
 to have been used, every where, instead of some- 
 times retaining 'grave' and 'hell,' which are 
 both misleading. Hades is used in some pas- 
 sages of the New Test, where the connection 
 does not suggest any idea either of happiness 
 or misery it is simply the abode of the de- 
 parted (ACU 2: 27, si; Kev. i: is) ; one passage has ' in 
 Hades, being in torment.' (Lake 16:23.) It is 
 also employed in 16 : 18 (see below), in 1 Cor. 
 15: 65 (common Greek text, but the correct 
 reading is 'death' in both clauses); and in 
 Rev. 6:8; 20: 13 f. In 2 Pet. 2: 4, still an- 
 other Greek word is used, derived from Tar- 
 tarus, and signifying, like Gehenna, the 
 place of torment. 
 
 24. Sodom was a still more conspicuous ex- 
 ample than Tyre and Sidon, of wickedness 
 and punishment. All the world knows how 
 it was suddenly and completely destroyed. 
 Its indescribable abominations and its terrible 
 doom have alwavs thrilled men with horror 
 
 wast exalted'; and the former being an unexpected 
 turn of expression, the latter is likely to have been 
 preferred by ordinary copyists, while really the sharp 
 and startling interrogation is much after the manner 
 of the Great Teacher. Thus both intrinsic and tran- 
 scriptional probability concur with the leading docu- 
 ments in supporting the former reading. The case is 
 substantially the same in Luke 10: 15. Whether the 
 second clause shall read 'go down '_ or ' be brought 
 down,' is a difficult question. The external evidence 
 lor the former comprises only the "Western" docu- 
 ments and B. In Luke 10: 1">, it has only part of the 
 usual " Western " group with B. Now the Rev. Test, 
 concludes that this reading is riuht ill Matthew and 
 wrong in Luke, which would account for the phenom- 
 ena thus far stated ; while W II. as usual follow B, 
 
 and read ' go down ' in both passages. But the imagery 
 is evidently drawn from Isa. 14: 13-15 (see W H, Ap- 
 pendix), which reads 'go down,' without known varia- 
 tion. It is then a very natural supposition that the 
 " Western " documents, which make so many arbitrary 
 changes, have altered the text of Matthew and some of 
 them that of Luke, into accordance with tin- Sept., a 
 very common species of alteration. This view would 
 doubtless be at once accepted by every one, were it not 
 for the support of B. But W H. admit that B has some 
 merely " Western " readings in the Kpistles of Paul, 
 and internal evidence is believed to show i li.it the same 
 is true in the Gospels. If this be so, the reading 'go 
 down' should probably lie rejected both in Matthew 
 and in Luke, as a " Western " alteration. Internal 
 evidence is in this case not clear on either side.
 
 250 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XI. 
 
 2o At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank 
 thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because 
 t huu hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, 
 and hast revealed them unto babes. 
 
 25 At that season Jesus answered and said, I ' thank 
 thee, U Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou 
 didst hide these things from the wise and uuder- 
 
 1 Or. praii 
 
 whenever it has been mentioned. And yet 
 Sodom would have repented, and remained 
 through two thousand ye;.rs till our Saviour's 
 day, had its people seen the miracles which 
 took place in Capernaum. (Comp. Ezek. 16: 
 48.) Is this a mere hyperbole, like the pre- 
 cept to turn the other cheek, or to go two 
 miles with the impressing officer? We are 
 hardly warranted in saying so. If then one 
 should ask why the messenger Jehovah, who 
 stayed behind with Abraham, did not go with 
 the two angels to Sodom, work miracles, teach 
 repentance, and save it from destruction, we 
 may see two things to reply. (1) We may 
 answer as Paul does in Rom. 9: 18-20, that 
 God is sovereign, doing what he pleases, and 
 always doing right. (2) We may observe 
 that the divine plan required that the perma- 
 nent appearance of the Son of God should take 
 place only among the Jews, and only "when 
 the fulness of time was come" (GUI. *:<), and 
 this divine plan, whether we can see it or 
 not, was doubtless best for total humanity, 
 and for the moral government of the uni- 
 verse. When the time came, many of the 
 Jews had been hardened by disregarding pre- 
 vious divine influences, so that they were 
 slower to believe Christ, with all his mighty 
 miracles, than wicked heathen cities would 
 have been. (Comp. John 1: 11-13.) The 
 land of Sodom, the district belonging to the 
 city, and not simply the city itself. (Comp. 
 4: 15; Acts 7: 11.) I say onto yon. . . . 
 than for thee. In v. 22, each clause has the 
 plural, which must then refer to the people 
 of the two cities ; therefore the opening plural 
 here probably refers to the people of Caper- 
 naum, and not generally to the hearers of the 
 discourse. If we suppose the discourse to 
 
 have been delivered at Capernaum or in the 
 plain of Gennesaret which is probable, but 
 the point cannot be determined then the 
 hearers were mainly people of those three 
 cities, and that would account for the ambi- 
 guity of the expression. 'Thee' of course 
 means Capernaum, but with reference to 
 the eternal destiny of its individual inhabi- 
 tants. For but (howbeit), more tolera- 
 ble, and day of judgment, see on v. 22. 
 Stier : ''We read of no enmity or persecu- 
 tion to which he was subjected in Capernaum ; 
 but the careless reception of his word and 
 works was yet worse, and more condemnable 
 than any eruption of malice would have 
 been ; it bespoke that slothful, dead, impas- 
 sive indifference, for which nothing more 
 could be done." 
 
 25 f. The remaining division of the dis- 
 course given by Matthew as occasioned by the 
 message from John fcomp. on v. 2 and v. 20), 
 viz., v. 25-30, consists of two distinct portions. 
 V. 25-27 is also given by Luke (io:2ir.), as 
 spoken immediately after the return of the 
 Seventy: v. 28-30 is found in Matt, only, but 
 is closely connected with the end of v. 27. 
 
 At that time, 'on that occasion' ' (comp. 
 12: 1; 14: 1). This answers to 'then' in v. 
 20, and connects all with the message from 
 John the Baptist. (":*) Our Lord has been 
 speaking of the unreasonable and determined 
 rejection of both John and himself by the 
 Jews (v. ie-19), and the impenitence of even 
 the cities in which most of his miracles occur- 
 red. (. 20-24.) Yet these Jews, especially the 
 religious teachers and other leading men, 
 were wise and intelligent, well acquainted 
 with many aspects of religious truth. It 
 seemed strange that they should fail to com- 
 
 !The word kairos is not adequately translated by 
 ' time,' for it denotes the exact time, the fixed time, the 
 appropriate time, occasion, opportunity, season. The 
 Com. Ver. renders ' season ' in various places, including 
 21 : 41 ; 24 : 45 ; Luke 13 : 1 (where the phrase is similar 
 to this of Matt.); Acts 1: 7; 24: 25; Gal. 6: 9; and 
 ' opportunity ' in Gal. 6 : 10 ; Heb. 11 : 15. It should be 
 rendered ' season ' in many others, including 12 : 1 ; 13: 
 30; 14: 1; 21 : 34, and 'opportunity' in several, as 
 Ephes. 5: 16; Col. 4: 5, 'buying up the opportunity 
 
 (Rev. Ver. margin). But there are some cases in which 
 neither season nor opportunity, nor any other term 
 will suit the connection, and we have to lose the pecu- 
 liar color of the Greek word and content ourselves 
 with rendering ' time,' as in 8 : 29 ; 16 : 3 (spurious) ; 26 : 
 18; yet in every case the Greek word has its own dis- 
 tinctive meaning, though we cannot express it. The 
 Rev. Ver. has translated it by 'season' in many more 
 places than Com. Ver., but might have done so in sev- 
 eral others, as 13 : 30.
 
 CH. XL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 251 
 
 26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy 26 standing, and didst reveal them unto babes: yea, 
 sight. Father, 'for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight. 
 
 prehend and appreciate Christ's teachings, 
 which were understood and received by the 
 lowly and comparatively ignorant. This is 
 the point to which he now addresses himself. 
 He not only submits to this state of things, 
 but he recognizes the propriety of it, and 
 gives thanks for it. Answered. By a pecu- 
 liar Heb. idiom, this word is often used in the 
 Scriptures where there is no previous ques- 
 tion, nor even any thing that has been said 
 by another. Yet in probably all cases, we 
 can see something in the foregoing connection 
 to which the words are in some sense a re- 
 sponse, or which formed the occasion for their 
 being spoken (comp. 17: 4; 26:63; 28: 5). In 
 response to, or as suggested by, the sad truths 
 just uttered ( is-w, v. 20-24), Jesus states the com- 
 forting thoughts which follow. I thank 
 thee. The word originally signifies to 'make 
 open or full confession or acknowledgment, as 
 above in 3 : 6 ; derivatively, like a correspond- 
 ing Heb. word, and somewhat like our phrase 
 "to make acknowledgments," it signifies to 
 thank and hence to praise. (Rom. u:9.) The 
 early and the recent Eng. versions are here 
 about equally divided between praise and 
 thank. The idea seems to be, " I fully recog- 
 nize the propriety of thy course, I rejoice over 
 it (consult Luke 10: 21), and praise thee for 
 it." O Father. We find a similar direct ad- 
 dress to his Father in John 11: 41; 12: 28; 
 Luke 23 : 34. The added form of address, 
 Lord of heaven and earth, is impressively 
 appropriate. It is the Sovereign of the uni- 
 verse that does this; who shall hesitate to ac- 
 knowledge that what he does is right? Our 
 Lord here sets us the example of employing 
 in prayer such names of God, and phrases de- 
 scriptive of him, as are appropriate to the 
 special subject of the prayer, or of each par- 
 ticular portion of it a thing manifestly 
 proper and important, but often neglected. 
 That thou hast hid these things, viz, the 
 things taught by Jesus, as for example, the 
 teachings of this discourse. From the wise 
 and prudent understanding, or 'intelli- 
 gent.' 'Prudent' was a good translation in 
 the Latin and early English versions (though 
 Geneva gave 'men of understanding"), but 
 in modern English it is too restricted in 
 
 meaning (see also in Acts 13 : 7 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 19). 
 Bible Union Ver. and Noyes give 'discern- 
 ing'; Davidson retains 'prudent.' The 
 Greek has no article, ' from wise and intelli- 
 gent (persons'), comp. on 9: 13; 11 : 5. The 
 expression is general, but here applies espe- 
 cially to the Scribes and Pharisees, and other 
 religious teachers (comp. on 11 : 16). The 
 reference is of course to wisdom and intelli- 
 gence misused, perverted through pride, sep- 
 arated from a child-like spirit. Unto babes, 
 literally, infants, those who cannot speak 
 (comp. Rom. 2 : 20). This surely does 
 not, as some imagine, designate simply 
 the apostles, but the disciples of Jesus in 
 general. Those who were not wise and 
 intelligent, but had a child's simplicity and 
 humble docility, understood and delighted in 
 the teachings of Jesus (comp. Psa. 19: 7: 
 116:6; John?: 48 f. ; 1 Cor. 1: 26 ff.). We 
 often now witness the same state of things. 
 Intelligent and reflecting men frequently 
 overlook the simple beauty and perfect fitness 
 of the plan of salvation, which is plain enough 
 to those who are consciously and confessedly 
 weak, and who gladly receive the Lord's 
 teachings without cavil or difficulty. The 
 gospel is so intensely practical that it can be 
 understood at the outset only by persons will- 
 ing to receive it, and will be thoroughly 
 known only in proportion as it is truly loved. 
 Here, as everywhere, we see the adaptation of 
 the gospel to mankind. Not all men can be- 
 come wise and intelligent, but all may, by the 
 grace of God, become babes (comp. 1 Cor. 
 3: 18). The most useful Christians will be 
 those who are 'wise and intelligent,' and are 
 also 'babes' intellectual and cultivated as 
 possible, but childlike in spirit. And when 
 the wise and intelligent fail to discover the 
 significance and value of Christ's teachings, it 
 is not the fault of their intelligence, but of this 
 lack of a right spirit. Paul says ' not many 
 wise after the flesh' (icor. I:M); there have 
 always been some. Observe that Jesus makes 
 acknowledgment to the Father both for hiding 
 these things from the one class, and for reveal- 
 ing them to the other. We may say that the 
 latter is the chief subject of thanksgiving, yet 
 the former is here the immediate occasion of
 
 252 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XL 
 
 -7 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: j 27 All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: 
 and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither | and no one knoweth the Son, save the Father; neither 
 
 doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to 
 28 whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him. Come 
 unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, 
 
 any man the Father, save the Sou, and he to 
 whomsoever the Sou will reveal Aim. 
 
 28 C'ome unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy 
 ladeu, aud I will give you rest. 
 
 introducing the topic. Meyer justly says that 
 both propositions form the ground of the 
 thanksgiving and praise, being two sides of 
 one great truth. So in Rom. 6: 17, which is 
 often compared with this passage. 
 
 Our Lord enters into no explanations of 
 God s sovereign dealings with men. He 
 simply adds, Even so (or yea) Father,! for 
 so it seemed good (or, was well-pleasing) 
 in thy sight. (Comp. Eph. 1: 5,9; Phil. 
 2: 13.) 'Well-pleasing,' as in 3: 17; Luke 
 2: 14 (Rev. textj. If with some of the ablest 
 expositors and Rev. Ver. margin, we render 
 'that' instead of 'for' (the original word 
 meaning either according to the connection), 
 the sense is substantially the same: 'Yea, 
 Father, (I thank and praise thee) that so it 
 was well-pleasing in thy sight.' Notice that 
 this is not, as often quoted, an expression of 
 mere resignation. Our Lord acknowledges 
 the propriety of the sovereign Father's course, 
 and praises him for it. "Whatever pleases God 
 ought to please us. 
 
 27. Having referred to the fact that not the 
 wise and intelligent, but babes, understand 
 his teachings, Jesus now presents himself as 
 Teacher; declaring that only he can give a 
 true knowledge of the Father (V-^T), and in- 
 viting all to come and learn from him (v. -.M-SO). 
 All things were delivered to me of (by) 
 my Father. At some past time, not speci- 
 fied, say when he entered upon his earthly 
 mission or, perhaps, when the covenant of 
 redemption was formed in eternity (comp. on 
 3 : 17) all things were committed to him, viz., 
 all that pertains to the instruction of men in 
 n-ligious truth. (Comp. John 16: 15.) It is 
 another and distinct fact that all authority in 
 heaven and earth was given to him as the 
 Mediatorial King. (28: is; i cor. i5:24f.) Jesus 
 is the authorized instructor in the knowl- 
 edge of God. No man (no one) knoweth. 
 The verb is compounded with a preposition, 
 so as to mean 'knows fully,' as in 7: 16; and 
 
 ! so Davidson here translates. Luke in the 
 similar passage (10:22) has the uncompounded 
 verb 'know.' On the one hand, no one really 
 
 | and thoroughly knows the Son except the 
 Father, so that he must not be considered a 
 mere ordinary human teacher' and so that we 
 need not wonder if the wise and intelligent of 
 earth fail, in their proudly speculative and 
 merely theoretical study, to comprehend and 
 appreciate his teachings. (Corn p. 'reveal' 
 here and in v. 25.) On the other hand, no 
 one knows the Father, with that real knowl- 
 edge which is eternal life (John 17 :), except the 
 Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will 
 (willeth to) reveal him. In old English 
 'will reveal' expressed the idea, but that 
 phrase has become a simple future, and the 
 Greek must now be translated 'willeth to,' 'is 
 pleased to,' or the like. (See especially John 
 7: 17; 1 Tim. 2: 4; 2 Pet. 3: 9.) All their 
 wisdom and intelligence will not avail to gain 
 a true knowledge of the Father, unless the 
 Son chooses to reveal him to them. To him, 
 then, let all come. (Comp. John 8: 19; 10: 
 15; 14: 9; 16: 15.) Keim: "This self-en- 
 closed world of the Father and the Son opens 
 itself to the lower world, to men, only by its 
 own free act, because it wills to open itself 
 and to admit to companionship whom it 
 will." Jerome: "It is one thing to know 
 by equality of nature, and another by the 
 condescension of him who reveals." On an- 
 other occasion also (Luke 10:22) he adds to his 
 thanksgiving that the Father had hid these 
 things, etc., the same statement as here, 'All 
 things were delivered,' etc.; which shows that 
 the two ideas are very closely related. The 
 Son approves the Father's will as to hiding 
 and revealing, and the Father has authorized 
 him to reveal or not, according to his will. 
 ("Weiss. ) Meyer says that this statement (* ") 
 "bears the stamp of superhuman conscious- 
 ness." Only here (with Luke 10: 22) and in 
 Mark 13: 32 (with perhaps Matt. 24: 30) do 
 
 1 Here the Greek nominative with the article is 
 clearly used in address, and equivalent to the vocative 
 in v. 25. This was a common colloquial usage in Greek, 
 seen often (Buttmann, p. 140) in Aristophanes and the 
 
 Dialogues of Plato; and accordingly it appears frequently 
 in Biblical Greek, which rests on a colloquial basis; 
 important examples are John 20 : 28 ; Heb. 1 : 8.
 
 CH. XL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 253 
 
 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I 29 and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, 
 
 and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: 
 
 the three first Gospels contain the expression 
 'the Son.' This whole passage (v. 25-30) has 
 often been remarked upon as resembling the 
 Gospel of John, and suggests to us that great 
 mass of similar sayings of Jesus which only 
 the Fourth Gospel contains. John's mental 
 and spiritual constitution peculiarly fitted 
 him to be the medium of communicating to 
 us those discourses, as may be seen from his 
 employing in his Epistles a style which so 
 closely resembles them. But such passages as 
 this show that that class of ideas and ex- 
 pressions was not foreign to the other Gos- 
 pels, and that the Jesus of the Fourth Gospel 
 is not essentially different from the Jesus of 
 the other three. 
 
 28-3O. He stands as the Great Teacher, 
 who alone can give true, saving knowledge of 
 God (v-27), whose teachings, while hid from 
 the wise and intelligent, are revealed to babes. 
 (v. 25.) Though rejected by many (v. 20-24),' and 
 even slandered and reviled (r. 16-19), still he 
 stands, in the fullness of his wisdom, and the 
 gentleness of his love, and invites all the toil- 
 ing and burdened to corne to him, to wear the 
 easy yoke of his instruction, and they shall 
 find rest for their souls, Notice how the in- 
 vitation follows immediately upon the state- 
 ment that no one knows the Father but the 
 Son, and he to whomsoever the Son chooses to 
 reveal him. To his mind there was no contra- 
 diction between sovereign, electing grace, and 
 the free invitations of the gospel. Come 
 unto me, literally, hither to me, the word in 
 the original being an adverb much used in 
 animated invitations. (Comp. 4: 19; 19: 21; 
 21:38; 22: 4; 25: 34; 28: 6). It expresses lively 
 interest on the part of the speaker, and invites 
 them to come at once and heartily. ' Me' is 
 not emphatic, as the original shows ; the 
 point is, I alone can give knowledge of tho 
 Father ; come to me, and receive rny in- 
 struction. All, together with the whole 
 connection, suggests a general audience 
 (Weiss); and if we understand all since 
 11 : 2 to be one discourse, then we know that 
 
 ' multitudes' were present. (HJT.) All ye that 
 labor and are heavy laden , or more literally, 
 all the toiling and burdened. 'Toiling' denotes 
 active effort to perform difficult and painful 
 duties, while 'burdened' denotes passive en- 
 durance. 1 The Jewish teachers of the time 
 promised rest on condition of minute atten- 
 tion, not only to all the ceremonies of tho 
 written law, but also to all the traditions of 
 the elders. This was declared by Peter 
 (ACM is: 10) to be "a yoke which neither our 
 fathers nor we were able to bear." And Jesus 
 said of the Scribes and Pharisees (; ), 
 "They bind heavy burdens, and grievous to 
 be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; 
 but they themselves will not move them with 
 their finger." Our Lord does not mean to ex- 
 clude any from the privilege of coming to 
 him, who are not toiling and burdened ; but 
 no one would care to learn from him who did 
 not desire saving knowledge of God, or who 
 was satisfied with the knowledge already pos- 
 sessed, and he addresses his invitation to those 
 who in the nature of the case would be likely 
 to accept it. The most natural tendency with 
 anyone who has become painfully conscious 
 of sin, is to seek God's favor by his own 
 doings and sufferings. And I will give you 
 rest. The original makes 'I' emphatic; he 
 would do what the Scribes and other Rabbis 
 did not do. The great difference between 
 Jesus and other religious teachers is that he 
 can give power to be and do what he requires; 
 we find rest not simply in the superiority of 
 his precepts, but in the supports of his grace. 
 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of 
 (from) me. Among the Jews a pupil who sub- 
 mitted himself to the instruction of a certain 
 teacher was sometimes said to take his yoke. 
 Comp. Sirach (Ecclus.) 51 : 25, where Wisdom 
 says, " I opened my mouth and spoke, ac- 
 quire for yourselves without money ; put your 
 neck under the yoke, and let your soul receive 
 
 instruction see with your eye that I 
 
 toiled a little, and found for myself much 
 rest" 'toil' and 'rest' being also the sumo 
 
 1 The Geneva version has ' all yc that are weary and 
 laden ' (instead of Tyndale's ' that labor and arc 
 
 traditional use, aided doubtless by a hymn of which 
 one verse begins, " Come, ye weary, heavy-laden." (By- 
 
 laden'); this Geneva rendering is still common in re- i John Hart, written in 175'J.) 
 ligious speech and writiug, having been perpetuated by |
 
 254 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XI. 
 
 am meek and lowly in heart : and ye sball find rest 
 unto your souls. 
 30 for my yoke it easy, and my burden is light. 
 
 80 and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke 
 it) easy, and my burden is light. 
 
 words us here. Comp. also Sirach 6: 24. The 
 later Jewish writers frequently speak of tak- 
 ing or rejecting the yoke of the law, the yoke 
 of the kingdom of heaven. (Comp. Acts 
 15 : 10. ) ' Take my yoke upon you ' is there- 
 fore only a figurative way of saying, Become 
 my pupils (disciples), submit yourselves to 
 my instruction ; which is then stated again in 
 unflgurative terms, 'and learn from me.' To 
 interpret this last as meaning simply, learn 
 from my example, is not natural to the ex- 
 pression, nor appropriate to the connection. 
 For I am meek and lowly in heart. 
 ' Meek ' as opposed to the haughty and harsh 
 teachers to whom they were accustomed. 
 (Comp. James 1: 5.) 'Lowly (or 'humble') 
 in heart,' not proud and repulsive, and not 
 ambitious of domination over the minds of 
 men. Accustomed to haughtiness and pride 
 in their teachers (Joimi:49), his hearers might 
 be slow to come to him ; and he condescends 
 to assure them that he is meek and humble, 
 and they need not shrink from him. Remem- 
 ber also that ome teachers may be outwardly 
 meek and humble without being so in heart. 
 Stier : " I am meek in heart, although I 
 spoke words of such stern condemnation, v. 
 20, 24 I am lowly in heart, notwith- 
 standing that I have borne witness to myself 
 as the Son of the Father, v. 25-27." Here 
 also, as in v. 26, it is possible to render ' that ' 
 instead of 'for,' learn from me that I am 
 meek, etc. So the Peshito, and possibly 
 (though less naturally) the Latin versions; 
 and so Augustine interpreted, with many 
 Latin followers. (See Aquinas, Maldonatus. ) 
 This, however, is an artificial interpretation, 
 and not suitable to the connection which 
 n.akes it all the more natural that Matthew 
 Arnold should receive it. And ye shall find 
 rest unto (for) your souls. This expression 
 is drawn from Jer. 6 : 16, according to the 
 Heb., not the Sept. Remember that our 
 Lord used two expressions from the Psalms 
 when on the cross (Matt. 21 :; Luke MJM), and 
 made three quotations from Deut. during the 
 Temptation. (Maw.4: + ir.) All religions profess 
 to give rest for the spirit Christianity alone 
 can truly fulfill the promise. Others may give 
 a kind of repose, but it is that of self- 
 
 righteousness, or other self-delusion. Chris- 
 tianity affords a well-founded and lasting 
 repose, as to our guilt, our inability to gain 
 God's favor, and our sinfulness of nature. 
 How Jesus will do this, he does not here set 
 forth ; indeed it could be fully understood 
 only after his atoning death and ascension, 
 and the special coming of the Holj* 
 Spirit, and so the complete explanation of 
 it was left for the inspired writings of his 
 apostles (e. g., Rom. 6: 1 ff. ; 8 : 1 ff.) From 
 them we know that our guilt may be can- 
 celled through the Saviour's atonement, 
 that we may be accepted into God's favor 
 through his perfect righteousness, that the 
 dominion of sin within us can be broken by 
 his regenerating Spirit, and by degrees com- 
 pletely destroyed by that Spirit's sanctifying 
 grace. Even the painful consciousness of re- 
 maining tendencies to sin need not prevent a 
 certain repose of spirit, since we have the 
 assurance of God's word that in the truly re- 
 generate and believing soul these tendencies 
 shall at last be completly overcome. Yet, 
 even now the Saviour's invitation and prom-, 
 ise, in the unexplained and concrete form, 
 brings rest and joy to many a trusting heart. 
 A loving reliance on the personal Jesus, a 
 loving submission to his authority, and obedi- 
 ence to his commandments, is the very essence 
 of Christian piety. 
 
 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is 
 light. There is no particular emphasis on 
 'my'; the contrast with other teachers has 
 been sufficiently indicated before, and is not 
 here expressed. 'For' presents this as a rea- 
 son for what precedes, in general, but espe- 
 cially for the promise just given: 'Ye shall 
 find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy,' 
 etc. The word rendered ' easy ' means agree- 
 able and serviceable a yoke that does not 
 gall the neck, nor cramp so as to hinder the 
 drawing. The Latin version and Peshito 
 render by words signifying sweet, pleasant, 
 and Davidson 'good.' He requires of his 
 pupils only what is possible to do and bear, 
 so that they will actually find rest, and not be 
 vainly seeking it. Still we must really take 
 his yoke upon us must receive his instruc- 
 tions, and submit to his directions must set
 
 CH. XL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 255 
 
 ourselves to do what he bids us, whether it 
 seems likely to be pleasing or painful. He 
 not only teaches what to do, but can give us 
 strength to do it. And in proportion as we 
 do really submit, and conform and trust, we 
 shall find his requirements "not grievous" 
 (Uoimsts), but helpful and pleasant. If 
 Christ's yoke ever galls the neck, it is because 
 we do not work steadily in it. Augustine: 
 "This burden is not the weight upon one that 
 is laden, but the wing of one that is about to 
 fly." And if it ever feels like a weight and an 
 incumbrance, that is when the soul has soiled 
 this heavenly plumage with the mire of earth. 
 It is true that the morality enjoined by Jesus 
 was more spiritual, and thus in one sense 
 more severe than that taught by the Scribes 
 and Pharisees (comp. 5: 17 ff. ), but a morality 
 depending on a multitude of minute outward 
 observances and imperfectly known tradi- 
 tions must necessarily be burdensome, while 
 spiritual morality grows increasingly easy to 
 the spiritually minded. Observe that our 
 Lord's invitation is supported, not only by 
 the great promise, 'ye shall find rest for your 
 souls,' but by two encouragements; one, the 
 personal character of the Teacher, 'meek 
 and humble in heart' ; the other, the fact that 
 his requirements are not severe and oppres- 
 sive: 'my yoke is easy, and my burden is 
 light.' 
 
 The most exactly parallel application of 
 this invitation now, is to persons who vainly 
 strive in other than gospel ways to obtain sal- 
 vation and find rest; as, for example, by an 
 upright and charitable life, or by the diligent 
 observance of religious ceremonies toiling to 
 make the exterior of their life correct in the 
 sight of men and acceptable to God, while ] 
 within, the pollution of sin is not removed, 
 the power of sin is unbroken, the guilty con- 
 science can find no true relief; so also to those 
 who are trying to obtain rest through false re- 
 ligions, or perversions of the true religion, or 
 any of the forms of would-be philosophic in- 
 fidelity. All such persons, if deeply earnest 
 in their quest, are assuredly "toiling and 
 burdened." Oh, that they would listen to 
 the Great Teacher 1 But the invitation may 
 be naturally and reasonably extended to all 
 who desire religious repose in the knowledge 
 of God. Jesus, and he only, can give it, and 
 he has left a standing invitation : " Come to 
 
 me, take me as yourroligious Teacher, and ye 
 shall find rest for your souls." When we 
 come to Jesus now, that is not a bodily re- 
 moval from one place to another; for he is 
 present whenever and wherever we seek him. 
 But the object in coming, the feeling with 
 which we come, may be the same now as 
 when he was on earth. Whenever we want 
 anything from Jesus, let us draw near to him 
 in heart, and ask him for it as if bodily 
 present. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 20. Gospel-hardened I Henry: "He 
 began to preach to them long before (*: "), 
 but he did not begin to upbraid till now. 
 Rough and unpleasing methods must not be 
 taken, till gentler means have first been 
 used." V. 22. Meeting the heathen on the 
 day of judgment. 1) The doom of all will 
 be proclaimed as a thing unalterably deter- 
 mined. 2) Men will be judged according to 
 their opportunities in this life: and the con- 
 demnation of the impenitent from Christian 
 countries will be unspeakably more terrible 
 than that of the heathen. 8) Then should we 
 not avoid sending the gospel to the heathen? 
 Nay, for on that principle we ought to keep 
 our own children ignorant of the gospel, 
 ought to wish there had never beennny gospel. 
 4) Will not the heathen pour upon us de- 
 served upbraidings because we left them in 
 ignorance of the only true God, and Jesus 
 Christ whom he sent (John IT : ) ? 
 
 V. 25. Mankind are prone to find fault with 
 Gd's mode of procedure in every respect. 
 All rulers are blamed ; and the only perfect 
 ruler is blamed most of all. The pious 
 heart should sympathize with this utterance 
 of Jesus, and make acknowledgment to the 
 Father that he is right in all his doings. But 
 this does not mean that we are to be indiffer- 
 ent to the fate of our fellow-men. This same 
 Jesus wept over ruined Jerusalem. GREGORY 
 THE GRKAT (Aquinas) : " In which words we 
 have u lesson of humility, that we should not 
 rashly presume to discuss the counsels of 
 heaven concerning the calling of some, and 
 the rejection of others; showing that that 
 cannot be unrighteous which is willed by Him 
 that is righteous." The gospel offered to nil. 
 1) Not all can be rich, but all may be poor, 
 and poor in spirit. (& = ) 2) Not all can be
 
 256 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XII. 
 
 CHAPTEK XII. 
 
 AT that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through 
 the corn ; and his disciples were a hungered, and 
 began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. 
 
 1 At that season Jesus went on the sabbath day 
 through the cornfields; and his disciples were an 
 hungered, and began to pluck ears of corn, and to 
 
 wise and intelligent, but all may be babes. 
 3) No one can commend himself to God by his 
 natural good works, but any one may believe 
 in Christ, and gain the gift of the Holy 
 Spirit. V. 25-30. Sovereignty and Invitation. 
 1) The sovereign Father reveals the Son 
 only to the lowly. 2) The sovereign Son re- 
 veals the Father only to such as he chooses. 
 3) All who need and desire the rest-giving 
 knowledge of the Father are invited to learn 
 from this sovereign, yet meek and lowly 
 Teacher. V. 27-30. Full knowledge of God. 
 1) It can be had only through the Son of 
 God. 2) It is conferred by the Son upon such 
 only as he willeth. 3) He willeth to confer it 
 upon all who will come and take him as re- 
 ligious Teacher. 4) He is a gentle Teacher, 
 and his requirements are easy and pleasant. 
 5) To accept his teaching will bring rest to 
 the soul. V. 27 f. True knowledge of God, 
 and true rest in God. V. 28. ALEXANDER : 
 "Inviting men to come to him, not in the 
 way of speculation, but of penitent submission, 
 not as philosophers to be enlightened, but as 
 sinners to be saved. There is exquisite beauty 
 in this sudden but not harsh transition from 
 the mysteries of the Godhead to the miseries of 
 man. The Son is the Kevealer of the Father, 
 not to stimulate or gratify a mere scientific 
 curiosity as to the mode of the divine exist- 
 ence, but to bring the Godhead into saving 
 contact with the sin-sick, ruined soul.'" ME- 
 LANCHTHON (in Meyer): "In this all thou 
 shouldst include thyself also, and not 
 think that thou dost not belong therein ; thou 
 shouldst seek no other list of them that are 
 God's." LTJTHER: "They are words of 
 majesty when he says, I will give you rest. 
 No angel, let alone a man, would undertake 
 to promise that." V. 28-30. The Great Invi- 
 tation. 1) The gentle Teacher. 2) The easy 
 yoke. 3) The assured rest. CHRYSOSTOM: 
 "Christ did not mention the gracious things 
 only, and then hold his peace, nor the painful 
 things only, but set down both. Thus he 
 both spake of a yoke, and called it easy; both 
 named a burden, and added that it was light ; 
 that thou shouldst neither flee from them as 
 toilsome, nor despise them as over easy." 
 
 HILARY : " And what is easier than his yoke, 
 what lighter than his burden? To become 
 praiseworthy, to abstain from wickedness, to 
 choose the good and refuse the evil, to love all 
 and hate none, to gain eternal things and not 
 be taken with things present, to be unwilling 
 to bring upon another what yourself would 
 find hard to endure." To be toiling and bur- 
 dened does not confer the right to come to 
 Christ, but should produce the disposition to 
 come. Some persons come truly to Christ 
 without any long and conscious tolling to 
 save themselves otherwise ; such persons are 
 not specially addressed in this particular invi- 
 tation, but are amply invited elsewhere. 
 V. 29. "We are freed from the yoke of sin by 
 taking the yoke of Christ. HENRY: "The 
 way of duty is th e way of rest. ' ' AUGUSTINE : 
 "Thou hast made us for thyself, and our heart 
 is restless until it rests in thee." V. 30. 
 HENRY : " It is a yoke that is lined with love." 
 AUGUSTINE : " All things are light to love." 
 LUTHER: " Christ's burden is light because 
 he helps us to bear it, and when it becomes too 
 heavy for us he puts himself under the load 
 with us. The world thinks it heavy and un- 
 bearable; but not so, for one has a good com- 
 rade. You two can easily bear a load, though 
 one bv himself cannot." 
 
 Ch. 12: 1-21. JESUS is ACCUSED OF 
 BREAKING THE SABBATH. 
 
 Pursuing his treatment of successive topics, 
 connected with our Lord's life and labors 
 (comp. on 11 : 2), the Evangelist now speaks 
 (ch. 12) of the opposition he encountered. This 
 subject has been several times already briefly 
 alluded to (:s, n, u,si-, 10:20; 11:19), but is here 
 treated at length, various instances of opposi- 
 tion being stated, with our Lord's reply in 
 each case. First, we have two instances of 
 their charging him with violating the Sab- 
 bath, viz., because the disciples plucked ears 
 of grain on the Sabbath (v. i-s), and because he 
 healed the withered hand on the Sabbath, 
 (v. 9:i3.) At this, the indignation of the Phari- 
 sees became so violent that it was necessary 
 for Jesus to withdraw, in which withdrawal
 
 CH. XII] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 257 
 
 the Evangelist points out the fulfillment of 
 another prophecy. (*. it-n.) Next, we have 
 their charge that he cast out demons by league 
 with Beelzebub, (r. 22-37.) Then, the demand 
 for a "sign." (v. s-45.) And finally, an in- 
 stance of opposition even from his nearest 
 relatives, (v. -50.) The fact that these last 
 cases (. 22-50) occurred on the same day on 
 which he afterwards spoke the great series of 
 Parables in ch. 13 (see on 13: 1), may account 
 for Matthews's introducing the whole subject 
 of opposition just at this point of his treatise. 
 Our present section comprises the two accusa- 
 tions of violating the Sabbath and the imme- 
 diate consequences. We shall see that this 
 belongs much earlier in the history than the 
 remaining instances. 
 
 I. 1-8. THE DISCIPLES PLUCK EARS OF 
 GRAIX ON THE SABBATH. Comp. Mark 2: 
 23-28; Luke 6: 1-5. At that time (season), 
 the same expression in Greek as in 11 : 25. It 
 does not necessarily show that what follows 
 took place on the same day with what pre- 
 cedes, but only that it belongs to the same 
 general period of time. (Comp. on 3 : 1, and 
 contrast 13: 1.) At that period, viz., while 
 Jesus was engaged in journeying about Gali- 
 lee, teaching and healing (see on 4: 23 and 9: 
 85), occurred the events now to be narrated. 
 The order of Mark, who is usually chronologi- 
 cal, supported by that of Luke,places these first 
 instances of opposition in the early part of the 
 Galilean ministry, before the Sermon on the 
 Mount. The standing grain shows the time 
 of year, between Passover and Pentecost. 1 As 
 it thus followed a Passover, the question arises 
 to which of the Passovers mentioned in the 
 Fourth Gospel we must refer it. Now, it 
 cannot have been that of John 2: 13, after 
 which Jesus tarried in Judea (John 8:22), with 
 so extensive results of his ministry (John4:i) as I 
 to require at least several months. To place j 
 it just after the Passover of John 6: 4, a year 
 before the crucifixion (EderMi., oh. 35), is to dis- 
 regard altogether the order of Mark and 
 Luke, for this supposes that Mark 2: 23 f. 
 
 follows Mark 6: 31 ff., and Luke 6: 1 if. fol- 
 lows Luke 9: 10 ff. But if we suppose the 
 feast of John 5: 1 to be a Passover, (as most of 
 the Harmonies do), all fits exactly. This is 
 long enough after the beginning of our Lord s 
 ministry for the hostility to have become 
 acute; these instances of opposition on the 
 ground of Sabbath-breaking in Galilee cor- 
 respond to one during the just preceding 
 Passover in Jerusalem (Johu5:io), in both cases 
 awakening a desire to put him to death (Joim 
 5:i; Matt. i2:u) ; and the order of Mark and 
 Luke is conserved. Of course it is possible 
 that the Passover here in question should be 
 one not mentioned in the Fourth Gospel; but 
 the other supposition is far more probable. 
 
 Through the corn (or, grain-fields), 
 literally, through the sown (places), which 
 Tyndale and his followers rendered 'through 
 the corn,' while in Mark 2: 23 and Luke 6: 1, 
 they make it 'corn-fields,' though the Greek 
 is the same. The word 'corn,' in various 
 European languages, is applied to bread-stuffs 
 in general, especially to that most used in the 
 particular nation, whether wheat, barley, rye, 
 or oats. In England it means especially 
 wheat, while in America it has become con- 
 fined to maize, which our English ancestors 
 called Indian corn. Besides this and the 
 parallel passages, we find Tyndale and fol- 
 lowers using 'corn' in Mark 4: 28; Acts 7: 12, 
 where the Greek has the common word for 
 'wheat,' so translated by them all in Matt. 
 3 : 12; 13 : 25, and wherever else in New Test, 
 it occurs. In John 12: 24 ' a corn of wheat ' 
 (Com. Ver.) means a grain of wheat (Rev. 
 Ver. ), as in barley corn. Why Rev. Ver. 
 should not here say ' grain-fields ' and ' ears of 
 grain' (Noyes, Bible Un. Ver.) and 'wheat* 
 in Mark 4: 28; Acts 7: 12, is hard to tell. 
 Among the Jews the lands of different owners 
 were not usuallj 7 separated by fences, but only 
 by stones set up at intervals as landmarks 
 (Dut. i: u). and the roads were not distinct 
 from the fields, as commonly among us, but 
 ran right through them, as Southern planta- 
 
 1 In Luke 6: 1 W H. and Rev. Ver. omit 'second- 
 first,' but transcriptional probability is very strongly 
 In favor of retaining this otherwise unknown and very 
 
 fortunately, it Is of no historical importance, for (he 
 standing grain sufficiently shows the time of year. 
 The most probable interpretation of the 'second-first 
 
 obscure compound word. Meyer's theory of its origin, ! Sabbath' makes it mean the first Sal>l>ath after the 
 adopted by W H., ia possible, but far from probable, j second day of the Passover festival, when the sheaf of 
 The question of its genuineness is quite hard to solve, i grain was presented, after which day the new harvest 
 and its discussion belongs to a commentary on Luke; j could be eaten. (Lev. 23: 5-15.) 
 
 It
 
 258 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XII. 
 
 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, 
 Behold, thy disciples do that which is iiot lawlul to do 
 upon the sabbath day. 
 
 3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what 
 David did, when he was a hungered, and they that were 
 with him ; 
 
 2 eat. But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said unto 
 him. Behold, thy disciples do that which it is not 
 
 3 lawful to do upon the sabbath. But he said unto 
 them, Have ye not read what David did, when he 
 was an hungered, and they that were with him ; 
 
 tation paths often do, so that the grain grew 
 up to the edge of the path (comp. on 18: 4); 
 the same thing is seen in Palestine to-day. 
 Disciples, see on 6: 1. Began to pluck 
 the ears of corn (grain), either wheat or 
 barley, probably the latter, if it was just after 
 the Passover. Luke 6 : 1 adds, ' rubbing them 
 in their hands,' a thing familiar to every one 
 who has been much in harvest fields. Began 
 to pluck, and presently the Pharisees inter- 
 fered, and tried to stop it. 
 
 2. These Pharisees (cornp. on 3: 7) were mak- 
 ing a short Sabbath day's journey, about one 
 thousand yards, through the same grain-fields. 
 Behold, calling his attention to something im- 
 portant. Thy disciples do that (are doing). 
 Mark (2=24) makes it a question addressed to 
 him, and Luke (e= 2) a question addressed 10 the 
 disciples. In many cases the Evangelists do 
 not undertake to give the exact language 
 employed, but only the substance of it (comp. 
 on 3: 17). Which is not lawful to do upon 
 the Sabbath. It was expressly permitted to 
 do this in general (Deut. 23:25), and such things 
 are still common in Palestine, but the Jews 
 maintained that it should never be done on the 
 Sabbath. For that day they numbered each 
 distinct act that could be called work as a 
 separate sin, requiring a separate sin-offering ; 
 to pluck the ears was one act, to rub out the 
 grains was a second (comp. Edersh., ch. 35). 
 As to the numerous and often absurd Kabbi- 
 nical regulations for the Sabbath, see Edersh., 
 Appendix 17, Geikie, ch. 38. 
 
 3 f. Our Lord's reply to this censure of the 
 disciples and himself contains, as here re- 
 ported, four distinct arguments, v. 3f., v. 5 f., 
 v. 7, and v. 8. A fifth argument is given in 
 this connection by Mark 2: 27, a sixth below 
 in v. 11 f., a seventh (probably just before at 
 Jerusalem) in John 5: 17, and an eighth 
 (much later) in John 7: 22 f. The first argu- 
 ment is an appeal to history, viz., to the con- 
 duct of David (i sm. 21 : 1-6), which these Phari- 
 sees would admit to have been justifiable. 
 The point of the argument is, that necessity 
 would justify a departure from the strict law 
 as to things consecrated. And they that 
 
 were with him may be connected either with 
 'did,' or with 'was hungry,' and there is no 
 substantial difference. The participation of 
 David's followers is unmistakably indicated 
 in 1 Sam. 21: 4 f.; our Lord brings it out 
 clearly in order to make the case more ob- 
 viously parallel to that of himself and his 
 followers. The house of God, meaning 
 
 the tabernacle. (Ex. 23: 19; Judg. 18:31; ISam. I: 7, 24; 
 3: 15; 2Sam.l2: 20; Ps. 5 : 7; comp. 2 Cor. 5:1.) SllCW- 
 
 bread, literally, loaves of the setting-out, 
 loaves that were set out, the common Septua- 
 gint expression, in Heb. usually 'bread of the 
 face, i. e., placed before the face of Jehovah. 
 For the law about this, see Lev. 24: 5-9. 
 Twelve very large loaves of bread were placed 
 on a small table (at a later period, two tables, 
 i chron. -.-s : is), which sat on the right side of the 
 holy place to one entering. When the Sab- 
 bath came, new loaves were substituted, and 
 the old ones eaten, there in the holy place, by 
 the priests, the descendants of Aaron for this 
 offering was to be regarded as peculiarly 
 sacred. (Lev. 24:9.) David was fleeing south- 
 ward from Gibeah, Saul having determined 
 to slay him, and came to Nob, just north of 
 Jerusalem, where the tabernacle then was. 
 Having left in great haste, without food, he 
 deceived the high-priest by saying that the 
 king had sent him on a secret and urgent mis- 
 sion, and thereby induced him, as there was 
 no other bread on hand, to bring some of the 
 shew-loaves, which had been removed from 
 the table, but not yet eaten. It seems likely, 
 from 1 Sam. 21 : 5 f., though not certain, that 
 the bread had been changed on that day, 
 which was therefore the Sabbath. This 
 would give additional appositeness to the 
 illustration, but the point of the argument 
 does not depend on it. Our Lord makes no 
 allusron to the deception practiced by David, 
 which any one would agree was wrong. The 
 sole point he makes is, that for David and his 
 attendants (Lake 6: 4) to eat the hallowed bread 
 was justifiable, on the ground of necessity a 
 view in which all his hearers would concur. 
 Kimchi, a celebrated Jewish commentator of 
 the thirteenth century, on 1 Sam. 21: 5, main-
 
 CH. XII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 259 
 
 4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat 
 the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, 
 neither for them which were with him, but oiily for the 
 priests ? 
 
 5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the 
 sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the salt- 
 bath, and are blameless? 
 
 6 But 1 say unto you, Thatin this place isone greater 
 than the temple. 
 
 7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will 
 have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have con- 
 demned the guiltless. 
 
 4 how he entered into the house of God, and Mid eat 
 the shewbread, which it was not lawful for him to 
 eat, neither for them that were with him, but only 
 
 5 for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, 
 how that on the sabbath day the priests in the tem- 
 
 6 pie profane the sabbath, and are guiltless? But I say 
 unto you, that 2 one greater than the temple is here. 
 
 7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I desire 
 mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have con- 
 
 1 Some aucieut authorities read, they did eat. . . .2 Gr. a greater tiling. 
 
 tains that in case of hunger the shew-bread 
 might be eaten by those who were not priests; 
 not only that which had been removed from 
 the taWe, but that which was upon it ; yea, 
 even when there was none to put in its room. 
 And if the law about the hallowed bread 
 might be set aside by necessity, so might the 
 law about the hallowed day. The disciples 
 really needed food. Mark (: 27) here records 
 our Lord's adding the general principle, 'The 
 Sabbath was made for man, and not man for 
 the Sabbath.' It came into existence for the 
 benefit of mankind, and so it may be tempo- 
 rarily set aside by any imperative necessity. 
 (Comp. 2 Mace. 5: 19.) 
 
 5 f . A second ground of justification for 
 the disciples was drawn, not from sacred his- 
 tory, but from the law. (Num. 28:9, 10,18,19.) 
 Here as in 5: 17, Jesus shows (Weiss) that he 
 is not abrogating or violating the law, for he 
 justifies his course out of the law itself. Or, 
 introducing another argument, as in 7: 9. 
 Have ye not read, as in v. 3 (comp. v. 7) ; 
 19: 4; 21: 16, etc., reproaches them with igno- 
 rance of Scripture. Temple is here the 
 general term hieron, 'sacred (place),' includ- 
 ing the whole consecrated enclosure build- 
 ings, courts, and all (see on 4: 5), thus apply- 
 ing equally well to the tabernacle and to the 
 Temple. The priests were directed to offer 
 certain sacrifices in the sacred place on the 
 Sabbath more, in fact, than on other days 
 though to do so required the slaying of ani- 
 mals and other acts prohibited on the Sabbath, 
 and which under any other circumstances 
 would ' profane the Sabbath.' This was right, 
 because the temple with its sacrifices was of 
 higher importance than the Sabbath, and 
 would override the requirements of its sanc- 
 tity. Blameless, or, guiltless, both in v. r > 
 and v. 7, or else 'blameless' in both, the 
 Greek word being the same in both verses, 
 and the verbal connection being of some im- 
 
 portance. Our Lord argues that the same 
 principle applies to the case in hand, and still 
 more strongly, because here, he solemnly tells 
 them, is one or, something greater than 
 the temple. The correct reading makes the 
 Greek word not masculine, 'a greater (man),' 
 but neuter, ''a greater (thing), 'comp. v. 41, and 
 11 : 9. This peculiar form of expression may 
 have been intended to render the statement 
 less distinctly offensive to Jewish prejudices, 
 but it unquestionably asserts a superior dig- 
 nity and importance connected, in whatever 
 way, with him and his mission. The temple 
 was superior to the Sabbath, and there was 
 that here which was superior to the temple; 
 much more, then, might the usual law of the 
 Sabbath be set aside without blame, when it 
 became necessary for his disciples in his ser- 
 vice. This argument would be best appre- 
 ciated by Jewish readers, and is given by 
 Matthew only. On a later occasion, our 
 Lord drew a similar argument from circum- 
 cision. (John 7: 22' f.) The principle he 
 here lays down would show the propriety, 
 even upon grounds of Old Test, law, of all 
 such active exertions on the Sabbath as are 
 really necessary in attending upon and con- 
 ducting religious worship. (V. 8 goes further 
 still.) 
 
 7. A third point in the defence is drawn 
 from a prophet, as the others had been from 
 history and law. This again is given by 
 Matthew only, who has Jewish readers es- 
 pecially in mind. But if ye had known 
 what this meaneth literally what is, i. e., 
 what means, see on 9: 13. These Pharisees, 
 many of them Scribes, did know what the 
 passage was in its words, but did not know 
 what it was in its true meaning. The quotation, 
 from Hos. 6 : 6, has been explained above on 9: 
 13. The idea here may he thus expressed: 
 "If you knew that God desires kindness and 
 good-will to men, rather than sacrifice, you
 
 260 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XII. 
 
 8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath 
 day. 
 
 8 deraned the guiltless. For the Son of man is lord of 
 the sabbath. 
 
 would not have condemned the guiltless." It 
 is implied that if they really knew the mean- 
 ing of the passage, they would have acted 
 according to it. Only those who are willing 
 to obey Scripture, fully comprehend its spir- 
 itual instruction (comp. John 7:17). The 
 disciples are 'guiltless,' just as the priests in 
 the temple are, because they are busy in con- 
 nection with something even greater than the 
 temple. And if these Pharisees were disposed, 
 according to the prophet's words, to treat their 
 follow-men kindly and fairly, rather than to 
 make piety consist exclusively in outward ob- 
 servances, they would not have condemned 
 them (comp. 23 : 23). 
 
 8. This gives & fourth defence of the disci- 
 ples, in the shape of a reason for declaring 
 them 'guiltless.' Acting under their Master's 
 authority, they had a right to do what would 
 not usually be proper on the Sabbath, for he 
 is Lord of the Sabbath. (Even is genuine in 
 Mark and Luke, but not in Matt.) This 
 statement carries higher the idea of v. 6. 
 There he declared the presence of something 
 superior to the temple, and a fortiori, to the 
 Sabbath ; here he says that the Messiah is 
 Lord of the Sabbath, having full authority to 
 control and regulate it as he may see proper. 
 In both cases it is implied that the speaker is 
 the person referred to, but it is not distinctly 
 stated, because the time for publicly taking 
 such a position has not yet come. The Son 
 of man, see on 8 : 20. If the inspired apos- 
 tles of Jesus afterwards changed the day to be 
 observed, and absolved Christians from all 
 particular Mosaic as well as traditional rules 
 concerning the manner of observing it, they 
 were not going beyond the authoritative con- 
 trol over the Sabbath which their Master him- 
 self had claimed. 
 
 As a sixth point, our Lord now shows (v. 9-is) 
 that it is also proper to depart from the strict 
 observance of the Sabbath, when requisite to 
 the relief of a suffering fellow-man, or even a 
 suffering brute. These two instances have led 
 to the familiar saying, derived from the "West- 
 minster Catechism, that we may do on the 
 Sabbath ''works of necessity and mercy." 
 Another example of healing on the Sabbath 
 had occurred, apparently Just before, leading 
 to a seventh argument ( Jotm 5 : 9, n) ; and yet 
 
 other instances are recorded in Mark 1: 21, 
 29 f. ; Luke 13: 10 ff. ; 14: 3 ; John 9 : 14 ff. 
 This frequent departure from what the Jews 
 thought to be proper on the Sabbath, with the 
 pains here taken to explain and defend his 
 course, was doubtless designed by our Lord 
 as a part of his general undertaking to teach 
 them a more spiritual interpretation and ob- 
 servance of the law (comp. on 5: 17-21). In 
 order to this he showed, by word and deed, 
 the error and folly of that rigid formalism 
 with which they insisted so much on the 
 minute and literal observance of all its outward 
 requirements, regardless of its true spirit and 
 real design. He has here said nothing at all 
 calculated to impair the sanctity of the Sab- 
 bath. On the contrary, as "the exception 
 proves the rule," his argument that there are 
 peculiar circumstances in which its observance 
 should be set aside, necessarily involves the 
 idea that in general it should be observed. 
 The Sabbath seems to have been enjoined 
 upon our first parents as soon as they were 
 created ; it and the institution of marriage 
 form the only relics that remain to us of the 
 unfallen life in Paradise. The command to 
 hallow it was included among the Ten Com- 
 mandments, the moral law which is of per- 
 petual obligation. The very term " Remem- 
 ber the Sabbath-day to keep it holy " (Ex.20:&), 
 seems to treat it as not something new, but an 
 already existing institution ; and it appears 
 from the history of the first fall of manna 
 (EX. i6:s, 22-30) that the people were previously 
 acquainted with the Sabbath and that some 
 of them were disposed to forget or neglect it. 
 Recent research shows that the Babylonians 
 before the time of Abraham observed a week 
 of seven days, ending with a rest day which 
 they strictly kept, and which the Assyrian 
 writers call by the name Sabbath. With this 
 agrees the week repeatedly mentioned in Gen- 
 esis, and it is now too late to say that the Sab- 
 bath was unknown till the lawgiving at Mount 
 Sinai. In the further legislation which fol- 
 lowed the giving of the Ten Commandments, 
 to the general idea of hallowing the day, is 
 added the prohibition of work on the Sabbath, 
 under penalty of death. (Ex.si: u ; 35:2.) To 
 carry this out more effectually, they were pro- 
 hibited to kindle a fire on that day (Ex.35:s),
 
 Cn. XII.] 
 
 MATTHEW: 
 
 261 
 
 9 And when he was departed thence, he went into 
 their synagogue: 
 
 10 And, benold, there was a man w hich had his hand 
 withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to 
 heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. 
 
 9 And he departed thence, and went into their syna- 
 
 gogue: and behold, a man having a withered hand. 
 
 And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on 
 
 probably in order to prevent cooking, just as 
 a double supply of manna fell on the sixth 
 day, and none on the seventh. This regula- 
 tion about making a fire being forgotten or 
 contemned by one of the people, who was 
 found gathering sticks on the Sabbath, he 
 was, by divine direction, stoned to death 
 (Num. io: 32-.t6) ; on which occasion it was provided 
 that the peo'ple should wear a fringe on the 
 garment, with a riband of blue (see above on 
 9: 20), to remind them continually of the 
 commandments of Jehovah, which they 
 seemed so prone to forget. (Numb. 15 : .17-41.) Now 
 these particular regulations, being a part of 
 the civil and ceremonial law of the Jewish 
 people, ceased to be obligatory when the nat- 
 ural gave way to the spiritual Israel, through 
 the work of Christ. But the Sabbath still re- 
 mained, as it existed before Israel, and was 
 even from the creation a day appointed by 
 God to be holy (Gen. :), which the Mosaic law 
 recognized at the outset, in reminding the 
 people to keep it holy. After the resurrec- 
 tion of Christ an additional significance was 
 given to the day, as representing not only "the 
 completion of God's work of Creation," but 
 also " the triumphant completion of the still 
 more glorious work of Kedemption." (Boyce, 
 Catechism of Bible Doctrine.) In order to 
 this, the day appears to have been changed by 
 tbe apostles from the seventh to the first day 
 of the week, as that on which Christ rose. 
 
 (John20:l, 28; Aot20:7;l Cor.l6:2; Bev. 1:10.) This 
 
 added significance and change of day did not 
 nflect the perpetual obligation to keep holy 
 the Sabbath. But Christianity, true to its 
 spiritual character, gives no particular pre- 
 cepts as to the mode of observing the day, and 
 leaves us to perform the duty of keeping it 
 holy in such methods as an enlightened con- 
 science may deem most conformable to its 
 twofold significance and its general design. 
 Comp. below, "Homiletical and Practical." 
 
 II. 9-13. HKALINGTHE WITHKRED HAND 
 ON THE SABBATH. (Comp. Mark 3: 1-5; 
 Luke 6: 6-10.) And when he was de- 
 parted thence, he went into their syna- 
 gogue. We should most naturally infer, had 
 
 we Matthew's narrative alone, that this inci- 
 dent took place on the same Sabbath as the 
 preceding. But Luke 6: 6 says, 'on another 
 Sabbath'; and nothing in Matthew's state- 
 ment necessarily conflicts with this. The con- 
 nection in Mark 3 : 1 appears to show that the 
 place was in Galilee, but it cannot be more 
 exactlj 7 determined. 'Their synagogue' 
 means the synagogue of the people in that 
 vicinity. (Comp. on 11: 1.) As to the syna- 
 gogues, see on 4 : 23. A man which had, 
 etc. Having a withered hand is the best sup- 
 ported reading. Luke adds (6: e) that it was 
 his right hand. We cannot determine the 
 precise nature of the affection which caused his 
 hand to wither. Jerome mentions that the 
 so-called "Gospel" of the Nazarenes called 
 him a stone-mason which, though only a tra- 
 dition, would illustrate for us the importance 
 of his right hand. And they asked him. 
 Luke states that they were the Scribes and 
 Pharisees. He and Mark only mention that 
 they watched him to see whether he would 
 heal on the Sabbath ; Matthew does not con- 
 tradict them, but simply adds that they asked 
 him whether it was 'lawful. That they 
 might accuse him, probably before the 
 'judgment,' the local tribunal (see on 5: 21). 
 The later Jewish writings show much discus- 
 sion as to the propriety of healing on the Sab- 
 bath. All agreed that it ought to be done 
 where life was in danger (see Wet., Wtin., or 
 Edersh.), but they of course differed much on 
 the question what diseases could be consid- 
 ered as endangering life. The Talmud gives 
 a host of directions for different cases, with 
 many absurd distinctions; e. g., "One who 
 has a sore throat must not gargle with oil ; but 
 he may swallow oil (for food), and if that 
 cures him, all right." One Kabbi taught that 
 a man might take a purgative drink, if he 
 took it for pleasure, but must not tako it for the 
 purpose of healing. The law had said nothing 
 about healing disease on the Sabbath, but 
 many Rabbis took the ground that it was 
 "work." (KX. 3i:i4.) Tyndale and followers, 
 including our Com. Ver., have 'on the Sab- 
 bath days,' in v. 10 and 12, but the plural form
 
 262 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XII. 
 
 11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be 
 among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into 
 a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and 
 lift //out? 
 
 12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? 
 Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. 
 
 13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine 
 baud. And he stretched it forth ; and it was restored 
 whole, like as the other. 
 
 14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council 
 against him, how they might destroy him. 
 
 11 the sabbath day? that they might accuse him. And 
 he said unto them, What man shall there be of you 
 that shall have one sheep, and if this fall into a pit 
 on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and 
 
 12 lift it out? How much then is a man of more value 
 than a sheep ! Wherefore it is lawful to do good on 
 
 13 the sabbath day. Then said he to the man, Stretch 
 forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth ; and it 
 
 14 was restored whole, as the other. But the Pharisees 
 went out, and took counsel against him, how they 
 
 a Or, took counsel. 
 
 of the Greek word is frequently used (Grimm) 
 in the singular sense, as they all translate in 
 V. 11. 
 
 11 f. He appeals not as in the former in- 
 stance, to the history, the law, or the pro- 
 phets, but to the course pursued by the people 
 themselves in other matters. This argument 
 is here given by Matthew only, but similar 
 arguments are given by Luke (is:i5;U:5), as 
 afterwards used on other occasions. Mark 
 mentions (s;8) that Jesus told the man to 
 stand up in the midst, probably that the 
 bystanders might look at him with sympathy, 
 and thus justly appreciate the propriety of 
 healing him. To awaken healthy feeling, is 
 sometimes the best remedy for unreasonable 
 prejudice. One sheep would be a matter of 
 no great consequence, and yet even this the 
 owner would lift out of a pit on the Sabbath 
 day. In the Talmud some Rabbis maintained 
 that it was enough when a beast fell into a pit 
 to give it food; others said, put something 
 under it to lie on, and if by means of this it 
 climbs out, all right ; others said, take it out 
 with the intention of killing it, even though 
 afterwards you change your mind and pre- 
 serve it. To such silly evasions were men 
 driven, by the attempt to convert morality 
 into a mere system of rules. Jesus appeals 
 to common sense, asking whether any one 
 present would fail in such a case to preserve 
 his property. Edersh. : " There could be no 
 doubt, at any rate, that even if the [traditional] 
 law was, at the time of Christ, as stringent as 
 in the Talmud, a man would have found some 
 device by which to recover his sheep." The 
 old Koman religious law provided that on the 
 sacred days an ox might be drawn out of a pit. 
 A man better of more value than a 
 sheep, see a like argument in 6: 26, and in 
 10:29-31. Wherefore, or, 'so that,' a gen- 
 eral inference from what precedes. It is 
 lawful. The word law does not enter into 
 the Greek expression (see also in v. 10), which 
 
 means simply it is allowable, or permissible. 
 To do well (good) on the Sabbath. Com. 
 Ver. 'to do well, 1 looks literal, but really 
 gives a different sense. "Wyclif used 'to do 
 good,' Tyn., Cran., Gen., Rheims, 'to do a 
 good deed.' In Mark and Luke he first puts 
 this as a question, ' Is it lawful on the Sabbath 
 to do good, or to do harm,' intimating that by 
 delaying to heal the man he would be inflict- 
 ing an injury. They made no answer, and he 
 'looked round about on them with anger, 
 being grieved at the hardening of their heart.' 
 (Mark 3: 5.) They could not reply to his argu- 
 ments, nor deny that he was right, and yet 
 would not give up their fierce opposition. 
 And so he looked upon them with mingled 
 indignation and grief. 
 
 13. And it was restored in the act of 
 stretching it forth. Whole, healthy, sound, 
 well. Even from their own point of view the 
 Pharisees must have found it difficult to call 
 this breaking the Sabbath, for Jesus used no 
 remedy, performed no action, simply spoke a 
 word, and the man merely stretched forth his 
 hand. They had hoped to make a strong case 
 against Jesus, and being silenced by his argu- 
 ment and baffled by his action, they were 
 all the more angry, 'filled with madness, 
 
 (Luke 6: 11.) 
 
 14-21. PLOT TO DESTROY JESUS, AND 
 His WITHDRAWAL. For the plot com p. Mark 
 3:6; Luke 6: 11; the consequent withdrawal 
 is described by Mark (s: 7-12) with his charac- 
 teristic fullness of detail. Held a council, 
 rather, took counsel, against him, as the 
 same phrase is rendered by Com. Ver in 22: 
 15, and elsewhere, and a similar one in Mark 
 3: 6, and as all English versions before King 
 James rendered here. Mark tells us that the 
 Pharisees drew into this consultation the 
 Herodians, who were their own enemies. 
 (Comp. on 22: 16.) Remembering that this 
 was before the Sermon on the Mount (see on 
 v. 1 and v. 15), and probably almost two
 
 CH. XII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 263 
 
 15 But when Jesus knew if, he withdrew himself 
 from thence : and great multitudes followed him, and 
 he healed them all ; 
 
 16 And charged them that they should not make him 
 known : 
 
 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by 
 Esaias the prophet, saying, 
 
 15 might destroy him. And Jesus perceiving it with- 
 
 16 drew from thence : and many followed him ; and 
 he healed them all, and charged them that they 
 
 17 should not make him known : that it might be ful- 
 filled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, 
 saying, 
 
 years before the Crucifixion, we perceive that 
 the enmity of the leading Jews had already 
 gone very far. A similar effort to slay him in 
 Jerusalem and upon the same charge ol 
 breaking the Sabbath (John 5: le-is), probably 
 belongs in the history Shortly before this 
 effort in Galilee. (See on v. 1.) The two 
 movements may have arisen independently, 
 or emissaries may have been sent from Jeru- 
 salem, as was done a year later, (is: i.) Their 
 pretended reason for plotting his destruction 
 was that he violated the Sabbath, and so was 
 condemned to death by the law (EX. 3i:u ; 25:2) ; 
 the true reason seems to have been their jeal- 
 ousy of his growing credit among the people, 
 and fear that he would impair their own in- 
 fluence. What a reproach upon human 
 nature, to see men maintaining that it was a 
 mortal sin to heal disease on the Sabbath, and 
 yet foully plotting on that same sacred day, 
 how they might destroy the innocent Teacher 
 and Healer. 
 
 15. Learning that such was their intention, 
 our Lord retired from that neighborhood, and 
 when crowds gathered to him in his new posi- 
 tion beside the Lake of Galilee, he healed 
 them all, and charged them not to make him 
 known ("-is); in which course on his part the 
 Evangelist points out the fulfillment of another 
 prophecy. (T.IT-I.) Already in 4: 12 we have 
 seen him withdraw from some place to avoid 
 persecution; and there will be similar in- 
 stances hereafter. (H:U; i5:i; 16:5.) Alexan- 
 der: "The retreat before his enemies was 
 prompted not by fear, but by that wise dis- 
 cretion which was constantly employed in the 
 selection and the use of the necessary means 
 for the promotion of the great end which he 
 came to accomplish. As it entered into the 
 divine plan that his great atoning work should 
 be preceded by a prophetic ministry of several 
 years' duration, the design of which was to 
 indoctrinate the people in the nature of his 
 kingdom, to prepare the way for its erection, 
 and to train the men by whom it should be 
 organized, it formed no small part of his 
 work to check and regulate the progress of 
 events, so as not to precipitate the consum- 
 
 mation, but to secure and complete the re- 
 quisite preparatory process." The hour was 
 not yet come, for the Son of man to be de- 
 livered into the hands of sinners. (26:45.) He 
 never shrank from doing good because of the 
 knowledge that it would provoke opposition ; 
 he simply transferred his beneficent labors to 
 another scene, as he directed the disciples to 
 do (io: a). And great multitudes or, many 
 followed him. This was early strength- 
 ened by some copyists into the familiar phrase, 
 ' many crowds,' or 'great crowds,' as in 4: 25, 
 and often. And he healed them all. 
 Another general and comprehensive state- 
 ment of his great work (comp. on 4: 23; 
 8: 16; 9: 35). At this period, as appears from 
 a comparison of 12 : 15 with Mark 3 : 7-12, and 
 Luke 6: 11-20, the Sermon on the Mount was 
 delivered. We have already seen (on 4: 12, 
 and 8:1), that in all this portion of his Gospel, 
 Matthew departs from the order of time, and 
 groups his materials according to the relation 
 of topics, as is often done by historical writers. 
 And (he) charged them, the Greek word 
 implying threats of displeasure if they should 
 disobey him. For some general reasons why 
 he usually prohibited persons healed from 
 talking about it, see on 8:4. An additional 
 and special reason is here given, viz., that it 
 might be fulfilled which was spoken by 
 (through) Esaias the prophet. For these 
 phrases, comp. on 1 : 22, and 4: 14. It was 
 the divine design in his teaching thus quietly 
 and unostentatiously, that this prophecy 
 might be fulfilled. The connection, there- 
 fore, looks especially to that part of the pro- 
 phecy which is contained in v. 19 f., but the 
 Evangelist cites a larger portion, because the 
 remainder also found a fulfillment in Jesus. 
 The Jews expected the Messiah to be a great 
 conqueror, whose warlike exploits would 
 ittract universal attention; and as the charac- 
 ter and course of Jesus were quite the reverse 
 of all this, it was important for Matthew's pur- 
 pose of convincing the Jews that he was Mes- 
 siah, to point out that his action in this respect 
 was in accordance with a Messianic prediction 
 all the more, as the current Sept. translation
 
 264 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XII. 
 
 18 Behold, my servant ; whom I have chosen ; my be- 
 lovt'd, in whom'iuy soul is well pleased : I will put my 
 Spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the 
 Gentiles. 
 
 19 He shall not strive, nor cry ; neither shall any 
 man hear his voice in the streets. 
 
 18 Behold, my servant whom I have chosen ; 
 My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased : 
 I will put my Spirit upo'n him, 
 
 And he shall declare judgment to the Gentiles. 
 
 19 He shall not strive, nor cry aloud ; 
 
 Neither shall any one hear his voice in the streets. 
 
 had so interpolated the passage, as to turn 
 away attention from its proper Messianic ap- 
 plication (see on v. 18). This quotation, from 
 Isa. 42: 1-4, is made by Matthew alone, being 
 the seventh prophecy he cites, as fulfilled in 
 Jesus (comp. on 8: 17), besides the two with 
 reference to John the Baptist (3:3; ii:io). It 
 is quite characteristic of the two first Gospels, 
 that while Matthew alone gives the prophecy, 
 Mark (3:7-12) gives much more copious details 
 of the withdrawal and the healings. 
 
 18-21. This interesting quotation is partly 
 from the Sept., but with various alterations, 
 for the sake of close conformity to the He- 
 brew, or to bring out more clearly the Messi- 
 anic application. Isa. 42: 1-4 may be literally 
 translated from the Hebrew as follows: " Be- 
 hold my servant, whom I will sustain; my 
 chosen (one) in whom rny soul delights. I 
 put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth 
 judgment to the Gentiles. He will not cry 
 out, he will not lift up his (voice), he will not 
 cause his voice to be heard abroad (or, 'out of 
 doors'). A bruised reed he will not break, 
 and a dim wick he will not quench. He will 
 bring forth judgment unto truth. He will 
 not grow dim [like the wick, i. e., become 
 feeble, faint], nor be broken [like the reed, 
 i. e., broken down, disheartened], till he set 
 judgment in the earth ; and for his law (or, 
 'instruction') distant coasts shall wait." Now 
 comp. Matthew. Behold my servant. The 
 'servant of Jehovah,' in Isa. ch. 42 : 19, is pri- 
 marily Israel. But here, as in Hos. 11 : 1, and 
 elsewhere, there is a typical relation between 
 Israel and Messiah (comp. above on 2: 15); 
 and the 'servant of Jehovah' also means 
 Messiah. Some of Isaiah's expressions refer 
 equally well to either, Israel or Messiah ; in 
 others, as Isa. 52: 13, and ch. 53, the reference to 
 Israel seems to sink out of sight, and to our eye 
 there appears nothing but Messiah. (Comp. 
 at the beginning of chap. 24.) The Sept. 
 translators, understanding Isa. 42 : 1 of Israel, 
 inserted the name, "Jacob, my servant. . . . 
 Israel my chosen." The Greek word here 
 rendered 'servant' in Matthew and Sept., is 
 pais (see on 8: 6), which might of itself mean 
 
 either 'child' (Tyndale, Cran.), or 'servant' 
 (Geneva, Com. Ver.); but the Hebrew, here 
 and elsewhere in Isa., is ebed, which unam- 
 biguously means 'servant.' In like manner 
 the question is settled as to Acts 3: 13, 26; 4: 
 27, 30, by the manifest reference to this por- 
 tion of Isa. Whom I have chosen, while 
 the Heb. has 'will sustain.' Matthew may 
 have purposely used the term 'have chosen' 
 from Isa. 43: 10; 44: 1, as better bringing out 
 the Messianic reference in the term 'servant 
 of the Lord.' It was certainly lawful for an 
 inspired writer to express more clearly in hia 
 quotation an idea that was really present in 
 the prophet's language. (Comp. on 2: 6.) 
 God will sustain this servant of his, because 
 he has chosen him, to perform an important 
 work. So as to my beloved, instead of Heb. 
 ' my chosen.' The expression ; is well pleased' 
 reminds us of the words spoken from heaven 
 at the baptism and the transfiguration, which 
 probably alluded to this passage of Isa. (See 
 above on 3: 17.) I will put my Spirit upon 
 him, i. e., in a special, remarkable degree. 
 (Com. Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:18; John 3: 34, 
 and see above on 3: 16.) And he shall shew 
 (will declare) judgment to the Gentiles. 
 'Announce' or 'declare' (as in Heb. 2: 12) 
 interprets the general term' bring forth ' of the 
 Hebrew. 'Judgment' exactly translates the 
 Heb. word. It might have been understood 
 as meaning justice and rectitude in general. 
 (23: 23: Luke ii; 42.) But it is better to take 
 it, in the prophecy and here, as denoting the 
 whole body of what God declares to be just 
 and right. (Comp. Isa. 51: 4.) Strive, or 
 'wrangle,' may have been chosen by Mat- 
 thew to contrast Jesus with the Scribes, who 
 were constantly disputing and wrangling; 
 perhaps also (Plumptre) to contrast him with 
 "false prophets and leaders of revolt, such as 
 Judas of Galilee had been." In the streets, 
 gives greater distinctness to the Hebrew 
 phrase; he would not talk in public places, 
 in a way designed to attract attention. (Comp. 
 6: 5.) If on such an occasion as John 7: 37, 
 Jesus 'stood and cried out' in the temple 
 court, it was not through ostentation, but for
 
 CH. XII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 265 
 
 20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking 
 flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment 
 unto victory. 
 
 21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. 
 
 20 A bruised reed shall he not break, 
 And smoking flax shall he not quench, 
 Till he send forth judgment unto victory. 
 
 21 And in his name shall the Gentiles hope. 
 
 the good of those by whom he would make 
 himself heard. A bruised reed shall he 
 not break, completely break, break off. 
 And smoking flax (a icick), literally, smoking 
 linen. The lamp wick was usually a strip of 
 linen; when there was but little oil. it would 
 burn dimly and smoke. Instead of being a 
 harsh conqueror and monarch, Messiah would 
 be gentle and kind; persons bowed down with 
 conscious unworthiness, feeble as if verging 
 toward spiritual extinction, he would not 
 overwhelm and destroy, but would console 
 and strengthen. Till he send or bring 
 forth judgment unto victory. The pro- 
 phecy is quoted in a condensed form. The 
 play upon words in the Hebrew, He will not 
 grow dim (like the wick), nor be broken (like 
 the reed), could not be made fully intelligible 
 in a translation without tedious circumlocu- 
 tion, and as that clause was not important to 
 the present fulfillment of the prophecy, Mat- 
 thew omits it. He then combines, to some 
 extent, the two brief clauses, 'he will bring 
 forth judgment unto truth' (i. e., truthfully, 
 thoroughly, so that the whole truth about it 
 should be known;, and 'until he set judgment 
 in the earth' (i. e., establish it), in each of 
 which clauses the leading term is 'judgment,' 
 i. e., God's righteous requirements. The re- 
 sult is this expression, 'till he send forth 
 judgment unto victory,' i. e., victoriously, 
 which includes the two notions of its being 
 fully manifested and fully established. The 
 Evangelist thus avoids complexity, and com- 
 prises the whole in one simple expression. 
 'Send forth' is literally thru-it forth, cast 
 abroad, the word explained on 9: 38; and its 
 notion of forcible action fits the following 
 term victory. Messiah will overcome all ob- 
 stacles and opposition, and victoriously pro- 
 
 claim and establish God's word. And in his 
 name shall the Gentiles trust, or hope.* 
 (Comp. Rom. 15: 12.) Here the Evangelist 
 follows the Sept., which was sufficiently ac- 
 curate for his purpose (comp. on 3: 3) ; nay, 
 which states more clearly than the Heb. ex- 
 pressions a notion specially appropriate to 
 the gospel, and which the Heb. really con- 
 tained. The Heb. word rendered ' isles ' 
 or 'coasts' is frequently used for distant 
 lands in general (isu.:i,5; s:i; si:5), so that 
 'nations,' or Gentiles (see on 4: 15), is in such 
 a case equivalent to it. The Heb. 'shall 
 wait for his law' meant shall confidently 
 expect or hope for his instruction. (i*a. i.-io ; 
 
 PTOT. 1: 8; 4: 2; T: 2.) (Comp. Toy On QuOta- 
 
 tions.) The Sept. substituted 'name' and' 
 Matt, retained it, since 'hope in his name' 
 amounted to much the same thing as 'wait 
 for his instruction,' both denoting dependence 
 on him. Alexander: "As the first part of 
 the prophecy was cited as an introduction, so 
 this last part was added to give roundness and 
 completeness to the whole quotation. At the 
 same time these supplementary expressions, 
 although not what the author meant especi- 
 ally to quote, serve the incidental but import- 
 ant purpose of suggesting, in the language of 
 a prophet, the extent of the Messiah's mission 
 and the ultimate conversion of the Gentiles." 
 Where Matt, departs from both Heb. and 
 Sept. it is surely quite as easy to refer the 
 changes to the inspired Evangelist himself, as 
 to a hypothetical oral Aramaic version used 
 inthesynagogue. (Toy.) With this prophetic 
 description of Messiah, comp. what Jesus sa3 T s 
 of himself in 11: 29. How different was his 
 quiet course of life from the turbulent violence 
 of those pretended Messiahs, who frequently 
 involved the nation in confusion and distress. 
 
 1 There is an intimate connection between the ideas 
 of hope and trust, though really quite distinct, and the 
 words are often confounded in popular speech. Tyn- 
 dale, Cran., Gen., and King James (not Wye., nor com- 
 monly Kheims) seem to have thought 'hope' often an 
 inadequate translation of the corresponding Gr. word, 
 so that they commonly render by ' trust' (as here), and 
 even by 'believe' in 1 Cor. 15: 19 (T. C. G.) and 1 Tim. 
 4: 10. (T. C.) The noun they all regularly translate 
 ' hope,' except ' trust ' in 2 Cor. 3 : 12 (T. C. G.), and in 
 
 Heb. 10: 28, where Com. Ver. actually has 'faith,' 
 though all the others I here have ' hope.' The popular 
 phrase "profession of faith" is perhaps founded on 
 this erroneous translation of Hel>. 10: 23. In like 
 manner 1 Pet. 3: 15 is often quoted 'a reason of the faith 
 that Is in you,' though It is really ' hope.' The Rev. 
 Ver. has rendered both noun and verb by ' hope ' in all 
 cases, sometimes ' set your hope,' or the like. Kxamine 
 especially Luke 24: 21 ; John 5: 45; 1 Tim. H: 17 ; Hub. 
 10:23; 1 Pet. 3:5.
 
 266 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XII. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 In the Christian world at the present day, 
 we may find two extremes in respect to the 
 observance of the Sabbath, as well as to many 
 other things. Some act as if the Mosaic regu- 
 lations for the manner of observing the Sab- 
 bath were still in force, and so they are ex- 
 cessively strict, and unwisely scrupulous. 
 Others imagine that when the civil and cere- 
 monial law ceased to be binding, the Sabbath 
 also ceased to be obligatory, and so they come 
 to hold very loose notions as to abstaining 
 from ordinary employments on the Lord's 
 Day. One class incline to condemn all en- 
 joyment on the Sabbath, at home or abroad ; 
 the other class are in danger of making it a 
 day of mere idleness and festivity. Some make 
 no distinction between the Jewish Sabbath and 
 the Christian ; others, in urging that the Lord's 
 Day is wholly different from the Jewish Sab- 
 bath, forget that it is nevertheless the same as 
 the primeval Sabbath, with only an additional 
 significance and a change in the day of the 
 week. It is a day " hallowed " by divine ap- 
 pointment distinguished from other days, 
 and set apart to sacred uses ; a day of rest 
 from ordinary toils, bodily and mental, of 
 worship and other distinctively religious em- 
 ployments. In an age when reading occupies 
 so large a part of civilized life, it would cer- 
 tainly seem important to abstain on the Lord's 
 Day from secular reading, especially since we 
 have so rich a store of properly religious lit- 
 erature. In deciding how far to deny our- 
 selves exercise, society, table luxuries, and the 
 like, we must have regard both to the objects 
 of the day, to our own bodily, mental, and 
 spiritual health, and to the influence of our 
 example. As regards children, it isextremely 
 important to afford them interesting and ap- 
 propriate employment, and pleasant food, so 
 that they may not find the day wearisome and 
 disagreeable. In general it should be remem- 
 bered that most of us are far more likely to be 
 too lax than too stringent, that we gravitate 
 much more powerfully towards self-indul- 
 gence than self-denial. 
 
 V. 2. HENRY: "It is no new thing for the 
 most harmless and innocent actions of Christ's 
 disciples to be evil spoken of and reflected 
 upon as unlawful, especially by those who are 
 zealous for their own inventions and imposi- 
 tions.'' V. 5. HENRY: "Ignorance of the 
 
 meaning of the Scripture is especially shame- 
 ful in those who take upon them to teach 
 others." V. 8. Christ is Lord of the Sabbath, 
 and the Christian Sabbath is the Lord's Day. 
 Kev. 1 : 10. 
 
 V. 1-8. The ceremonial and the moral ele- 
 ments of Christian piety. 1) Ceremony must 
 yield to necessity, v. 3 f. 2) "Worship is su- 
 perior to any sacredness of place or time, v. 
 6 f., comp. John 4: 21. 3) Kindly and just 
 judgment of others is more acceptable to God 
 than are ceremonial observances, v. 7. 4) 
 Christ is above all ceremonies, v. 8. V. 9-14. 
 Baffled disputants. 1) They seek to entrap the 
 Teacher with a question, v. 10. 2) They are 
 unable to answer his argument, v. 11 f., comp. 
 Matt. 3:6. 3) They can find no fault with 
 his action, v. 13. 4) Therefore they plot to 
 kill him. V. 13. GODET : " Like every call 
 addressed to faith, this command contained a 
 promise of the strength necessary to accom- 
 plish it, provided the will to obey was there. 
 He must make the attempt, depending on the 
 word of Jesus, and divine power will accom- 
 pany the effort." THEOPHYL. : "Many now 
 also have their hands withered that is, not 
 compassionating and not communicating; 
 but whenever they hear the gospel word, they 
 stretch forth their hands to give." V. 15. 
 THEOPHYL.: "Plunging into danger is not 
 pleasing to God." 
 
 V. 19 f. The quiet and gentle character here 
 asscribed to Messiah by the prophet, corre- 
 sponds to what Jesussaid of himself, meek and 
 lowly and rest-giving, 11: 29. V. 18-20. A 
 prophetic picture of the Saviour. 1) A chosen 
 and beloved servant of God, v. 18. 2) Spe- 
 cially endued with the Spirit of God, v. 18. 
 3) Quiet in teaching, and compassionate to 
 the timid and distressed, v. 19 f. 4) Destined 
 to be victorious in proclaiming God's right- 
 eousness, and winning the nations to himself, 
 v. 18, 20, 21. 
 
 22-37. THE BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE 
 SPIRIT. 
 
 In the course of those labors in Galilee of 
 which the Evangelist has just given a general 
 account (-i/-)i there occurred the events nar- 
 rated in the remainder of ch. 12, followed by 
 other events on the same day. (See on 13 : 1.) 
 This was a good deal later than the two Sab- 
 baths of v. 1-13. Between that time and this, 
 the Sermon on the Mount was delivered. (See
 
 CH. XII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 267 
 
 22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a 
 devil, blind, and dumb : and he healed him, insomuch 
 that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 
 
 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not 
 this the Son of David? 
 
 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This 
 fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the 
 prince of the devils. 
 
 22 Then was brought unto him * one possessed with a 
 demon, blind and dumb : and he healed him, inso- 
 
 23 much that the dumb man spake and saw. And all 
 the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be 
 
 24 the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard 
 it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons, 
 
 a Gr. Beelzebul, and so v. 27. . . .2 Or, a demoniac. 
 
 on v. 15, and comp. Mark 3: 19.) Consulting 
 unity of topic rather than chronological order, 
 Matthew throws together these several in- 
 stances of opposition to Jesus. Our present 
 section treats of the blasphemous accusation ; 
 the other cases of opposition will follow. 
 Luke 11: 14-23 describes a similar blasphe- 
 mous accusation, probably belonging to the 
 ministry in Judea and Perea, during the six 
 months preceding the crucifixion. (Wieseler, 
 Clark.) 
 
 Then, not necessarily on the same day as 
 the preceding, but some time more generally, 
 at the same period (see on 3: 13; 11:20); here 
 it means, at the time when he was engaged in 
 the labors of v. 15 f. One possessed, etc., 
 (a demoniac) blind and dumb, see on 8: 28, 
 where it has been remarked that various 
 bodily affections were frequently connected 
 with the demoniacal possessions, whether as 
 cause or effect. Insomuch, etc., so that the 
 dumb man spake and saw is the correct text. * 
 And all the people (crowds), same word as 
 in 5: 1, and often. Jesus was in a house, and 
 the throng was so great that he and his dis- 
 ciples could not even eat bread. (Mark3:20.) Is 
 (omit not) this the sou of David? meaning 
 the Messiah, see on 9: 27. The Greek has an 
 interrogative particle which uniformly im- 
 plies that a negative answer is expected, as in 
 7: 16; 11:23, and it is quite erroneous to 
 render ' Is not this,' etc., as in Tyndale, Cran., 
 Gen., and in all the recent editions of Com. 
 Ver., while the two earliest editions, A. D. 
 1611 and 1613, give it without the ' not' ; found 
 already in Hammond, 1659 (Trench on Rev.). 
 It is true that sometimes the speaker may in- 
 tend to intimate that perhaps the answer 
 ought to be affirmative, as here and in John 
 4: 29 (Winer, p. 511 [642] ); but the form of 
 expression is otherwise, and it ought to be 
 translated accordingly. Colloquial English. 
 
 could give it quite exactly. " This is not the Mes- 
 siah, isit?" Eng. Rev. give* 'Is this, "Am. Rev., 
 "Can this be the son of David," as in John 
 4: 29. The miracle suggested to the crowds 
 the idea that Jesus might be the Messiah; yet 
 surely, they would think, it cannot be so, 
 since he does not appear and act as Messiah 
 will do, viz., as a mighty conqueror and 
 splendid monarch. Observe that the miracle 
 suggested the possibility that he was the Mes- 
 siah ; and in v. 38, some of the Pharisees ex- 
 press their wish to see a 'sign' from him, after 
 it had been intimated (v. 28) that he was the 
 Messiah. So the Jews did expect the Messiah 
 to work miracles, though Maimonides (twelfth 
 cent.) declares that no miracles are to be ex- 
 pected from the Messiah , perhaps departing 
 from the older view in order to secure an ar- 
 gument against Jesus. 
 
 24. But when the Pharisees heard it. 
 Mark (3:22) describes them more particularly 
 as 'the scribes that came down from Jerusa- 
 lem.' They had no doubt come to Galilee for 
 the purpose of observing the miracles and 
 teaching of Jesus, and seeking to prevent the 
 people from believing on him. (Comp. on v. 
 14 and 15:1.) The Scribes usually belonged 
 to the great Pharisee party, comp. v. 38, and 
 see on 2: 3. These men set about their work 
 very vigorously. They saw that if his mir- 
 acles were recognized the people would be- 
 lieve that he was sent from God (John 3:2), 
 and then all his teachings must be received 
 as true, and all his claims admitted as just. 
 They could not question the reality of the 
 healing, nor ascribe it to more human agency; 
 they therefore resorted to the absurd idea of 
 a league with Satan, though Jesus was really 
 destroying Satan's work. 'Heard it,' viz., 
 the inquiry made among the crowds. This 
 fellow doth not cast out devils (the 
 demons), but by (in) Beelzebub, the prince 
 
 >So K B. D., Old Latin (some copies), Old Syriac, 
 Memph., JKth. This wag easily altered Into 'the blind 
 and dumb man,' as in most documents and Common 
 Text, or ' the dumb and blind man,' as in many docu- 
 
 ments: while Old Latin (most copies) and Latin Vul- 
 iratc omit both terms, and read simply 'so that he spake 
 and saw.' These variations are instructive to the 
 student. The first reading accounts for all the others.
 
 268 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XII. 
 
 25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto 
 them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought 
 to desolation ; and every city or nouse divided agaiust 
 itself shall not stand : 
 
 25 but 'by Beelzebub the prince of the demons. And 
 knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every 
 kingdom divided against itself is brought to desola- 
 tion ; and every city or house divided against itself 
 
 of the devils (demons). 'This' corresponds 
 to the inquiry of v. 23; there 13 nothing to 
 authorize the contemptuous term 'fellow' of 
 Corn. Ver. 'Demons,' and not 'devils,' see 
 on 8: 31. 'In' rather than ' by,' see on 9: 34; 
 so also in v. 27 f., 'in Beelzebub,' 'in whom,' 
 ' in the Spirit of God ' (so Wyclif and Rheims 
 in all these expressions), everywhere denoting 
 intimate union. ' Beelzebul' is unquestion- 
 ably the proper form of the name, 1 though it 
 might not be worth while now to attempt a 
 change in the popular usage. The name was 
 probably derived from Baal-zebub, the Fly- 
 god of Ekron (2 Kings i: 2,3,6,16), but there is 
 doubt as to the reason for changing the last 
 letter, and for applying the name to Satan. 
 (Y. 26.) This application to Satan is not found 
 in the old Jewish writings, and only in Matt. 
 10:25; 12:24,27; Mark 3: 22; Luke 11:15- 
 19, all referring to the blasphemous accusation. 
 Flies are often so terrible a plague in the East 
 that we need not be surprised to find one of tho 
 forms under which Baal was worshiped to be 
 Baal-zebub, Baal of the fly, or Lord of the 
 fly ; Sept. makes it Baal-fly. So one of the 
 Greek titles of Zeus (Jupiter) was "he who 
 drives off the flies." It would be very natural 
 for the later Jews to express their abhor- 
 rence of this Philistine idol by using his 
 name for Satan. The change of the last 
 letter may have been merely euphonic, 
 as Bab-el-mandeb (the strait at the en- 
 trance of the Red Sea) is often written Bab- 
 el-mandel, and Belial is sometimes written 
 Beliar; but more likely the change was de- 
 signed to give a new meaning, which might 
 be, according to different etymologies, (1) 
 " Lord of dung" as we know the Jews were 
 fond of contemptuously punning upon the 
 names of idols; or (2) " Lord of the house," 
 which would agree with the image of v. 29. 
 This name for Satan was sufficiently common 
 to be readily understood, as appears from 
 Mark 3: 22, 'he has Beelzebul,' like 'he has 
 
 a demon,' and from our Lord's using it in his 
 reply, v. 27. For the other names, Satan and 
 Devil, seeon4: 1. 'Prince' is literally 'ruler,' 
 a general term ; we do not know the precise 
 nature of his authority over the demons, but 
 everything indicates that it is absolute. Satan 
 is also called ' prince of this world '( Johni2:*i; 
 u:so; 16:11), and 'prince of the power of the 
 air.' (E P h. 2:2.) In 9: 34, Matt, has already 
 stated that the Pharisees had recourse to this 
 absurd charge, on occasion of a similar miracle 
 of healing; but he did not there pause to tell 
 how Jesus refuted and solemnly rebuked it. 
 Luke 11 : 15 ff. gives what is probably a third 
 instance in another part of the country ; it 
 was very natural that the same class of malig- 
 nant enemies, involved in the same logical 
 difficulty, should attempt the same blasphe- 
 mous explanation. 
 
 25 f. His reply divides itself into v. 25 f. 
 (with which v. 29 is closely connected) v. 27 f., 
 v. 30, v. 31 f., and v. 33-37. And Jesus 
 knew their thoughts and said, comp. on 
 9: 4. 'Jesus' was an early addition to the 
 text, being thought necessary for clearness. 
 Such insertions of the name frequently occur. 
 The Scribes and Pharisees appear to have 
 made the blasphemous charge in a low tone to 
 those around them, so that Jesus might not 
 hear. They were at some little distance from 
 him, in another part of the principal room or 
 court of the house (Mark s : 19), for Mark (3:23) 
 says he 'called them unto him' and replied 
 to the charge. They were disposed to suggest 
 their slanderous and insulting accusations in 
 an underhand way, and he chose to reply 
 openly. Mark says he spoke to them 'in 
 comparisons,' literally ' parables,' see on 
 13: 3. Our Lord in his pitying condescension 
 first argues calmly against their insulting 
 charge, before proceeding to declare their 
 awful guilt in making it. He does this, we 
 may suppose, partly to leave the blasphemers 
 not even a seeming excuse, and partly to pre- 
 
 i So in all Greek MSS. and most of the early versions. 
 Beelzebub is found in the Old and Vulgate Syriac, the 
 Vulgate Latin, and one or two copies of the Old Latin. 
 
 2 Kings 1 : 2 ff., and Jerome likewise probably borrowed 
 it from the Hebrew. The Latin Vulgate made this 
 form familiar to Christendom. Notice that the margin 
 
 The Syriac would naturally take the Hebrew form from j of Com. Version says, Greek Be.elsebuL
 
 CH. XII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 269 
 
 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against 
 himself; bow shall then his kingdom stand? 
 
 27 And if I by "Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom 
 do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be 
 your judges. 
 
 26 shall not stand: and if Satan casteth out Satan, he 
 is divided against himself; how then shall bia kiiig- 
 
 27 dom stand? And if I J by Beelzebub cast out de- 
 mons, l by whom do your sons cast them out? there-. 
 
 a Beelzebul. 1 Or, in. 
 
 vent the bystanders from imagining for a 
 moment that there was any ground for the 
 charge (comp. on v. 30). His argument from 
 analogy does not mean that every case of in- 
 ternal strife or civil war will destroy a State, 
 but that such is the tendency, and every such 
 act, so far as it goes, contributes to that end. 
 And observe that if this charge was accepted 
 as applying to a single case of casting out a 
 demon, it must be understood as extending to 
 all cases; the whole work of Jesus in casting 
 out demons must be ascribed to this cause, 
 and throughout his entire ministry he would 
 be having the help of Satan in breaking down 
 Satan's power. That wise "prince of the 
 demons" is too cunning to pursue so suicidal 
 a course. And if Satan cast out Satan. 
 For the prince of the demons to cast out his 
 subjects would be virtually casting out him- 
 self, since they \yere doing his work. Those 
 persons who so dislike the rendering 'deliver 
 us from the evil one' (6:18, Rev. ver.) ought to 
 notice that here and often Jesus distinctly 
 recognizes Satan as personal. 
 
 27 f. Condescending, as he did with refer- 
 ence to the Sabbath (12= sr.), to present the ar- 
 gument in a variety of ways, our Lord here 
 gives it a new and startling turn, being what 
 logicians call argumentum ad hominem, an 
 appeal to their own case. Your children 
 (sons) means those who had been instructed 
 by the Pharisees, like "sons of the prophets' 
 in 2 Kings 2:3; comp. the use of ' father ' for 
 a revered teacher in 23: 9; 1 Cor. 4: 15, and 
 'disciples' of the Pharisees in 22: 16. Ex- 
 orcists would naturally belong to the Phari- 
 see party, for no Sadducee would profess the 
 expulsion" of demons, since that party did not 
 believe in spirits, evil or good. To make 
 'your sons' mean Christ's own apostles, as 
 Chrys. and other Fathers, and some modern 
 writers do, seems unwarranted and absurd, 
 leaving the argument without force. It 
 doubtless arose from an unwillingness to ad- 
 mit that the Jewish exorcists did really cast 
 out demons, and a failure to observe that our 
 Lord does not affirm that they did, but only 
 argues from the point of view of the blas- 
 
 phemers. He appeals to the case of their 
 own followers to silence them, without then 
 stopping to examine the question whether 
 their pretended expulsions were real. (Paul 
 uses the same kind of argument in 1 Cor. 15: 
 29.) It was very common, about the time of our 
 Lord, for Jews to profess to cast out demons. 
 Curious accounts of the methods they em- 
 ployed, such as the use of a remarkable root, 
 with incantations, which they pretended were 
 handed down from Solomon, are given by 
 Josephus, "Ant.," 8, 2, 5, "War.," 7, 6, 3; 
 comp. Tobit 8: 2; Justin Martyr, Trypho, 
 ch. 86. In Acts 19: 13 we read of strolling 
 Jewish exorcists who thought there must be 
 some magical charm in the name of Jesus 
 which Paul named when working miracles, 
 and tried to use it themselves. Therefore 
 they shall be your judges ('they' being 
 emphatic, as in 6: 4 ff. ; comp. on 1 : 21), i. e., 
 shall convict you either of being yourselves in 
 league with Beelzebul, or of unreasonable 
 and wicked conduct in accusing another of 
 league with him for doing what they claim to 
 do. But if I cast out devils (demons) by 
 the Spirit of God, assumes that he does ; and 
 he has just shown that the contrary supposi- 
 tion would charge Satan with sheer folly, and 
 would involve the accusers in self-condemna- 
 tion. The chief emphasis of the sentence (ac- 
 cording to the correct reading of the Greek) 
 is on the words ' by the Spirit of God ' ; but 
 'I' is also emphatic, and suggests a contrast 
 between his case and theirs. 'Spirit' has in 
 the Greek no article, but is made definite by 
 the appended genitive, since there is but one 
 Spirit of God. Then is in the similar passage 
 of Luke (11 = 20) rendered by Com. Ver. 'no 
 doubt' another of the numerous unnecessary 
 variations. So 'unto you' here in Com. Ver. 
 and 'upon you' in Luke, are for the same 
 Greek preposition. Then the kingdom of 
 God is (or has} come unto yon. Matthew 
 here has 'kingdom of God' instead of his 
 usual 'kingdom of heaven' (see on 3: 2) 
 probably because of the verbal connec- 
 tion here between 'Spirit of God' and 
 'kingdom of God.' The word rendered
 
 270 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XII. 
 
 28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then 
 the kingdom of God is conie unto you. 
 
 29 Or else, how can one enter into a strong man's 
 house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind tbe 
 strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 
 
 30 lie that is not with uie is against me; and he that 
 gathereth not with uie scattereth abroad. 
 
 28 fore shall they be your judges. But if I 1 by the 
 Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom 
 
 29 or God come upon you. Or how can one enter into 
 the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, 
 except he first bind the strongman? and then he 
 
 30 will spoil his house. He that is not with me is 
 against me; and he that gathereth not with me 
 
 'has come' usually signifies to anticipate, 
 to be beforehand, and so to come un- 
 expectedly ; and some urge such a sense 
 here has already arrived, when you simply 
 thought it would come before long has 
 taken you unawares. But the word ap- 
 pears in the later Greek usage to have some- 
 times meant simply come, arrive, etc. (i Thess. 
 a: 16; Rom.9: si; Phii.3: is.) The idea then is, the 
 kingdom of God, the Messianic Dispensation, 
 has made its appearance in your presence. 
 (Comp. Luke 17: 20 f.) Here again, as in 
 5: 17; 7: 21-23; 12: 8, our Lord strongly in- 
 timates that he is the Messiah, yet without 
 distinctly declaring it. The full conviction 
 announced by the apostles in 16: 16 seems to 
 have been then recently arrived at. But that 
 conclusion would not preclude, it would 
 rather pre-suppose, a previous stage of per- 
 plexed inquiry, like that of John the Baptist 
 (.11: ), and is not fundamentally inconsistent 
 with an early flush of delighted persuasion 
 when some of them first met him, as recorded 
 by John (i; . 49.) There is thus no such con- 
 tradiction between John and the Synoptics on 
 this point as some have imagined. Nor is it 
 strange that Jesus should occasionally inti- 
 mate his Messiaship long before he thought 
 proper publicly to avow it. But what as to 
 the force of the argument in this passage? 
 How did it follow, that if he was casting out 
 the demons by the Spirit of God, then the 
 kingdom of God had arrived? The miracles 
 of Jesus did not directly prove him to be the 
 Messiah, but they proved it indirectly. This 
 constant divine assistance in working his great 
 series of miracles showed that he must have a 
 divine mission, and attested all his claims as 
 just; but he claimed to be the Messiah, as he 
 has before intimated and intimates here; 
 therefore the miracles proved him to be the 
 Messiah. So Paul says he was shown to be 
 the Son of God by the resurrection from the 
 dead. (Bom.i:*.) Besides, incastingoutdemons, 
 he was to that extent destroying the kingdom 
 of Satan, (*. ), and in so far establishing the 
 correlative kingdom of God. (Comp. v. 29.) 
 
 29. This connects itself closely with the 
 thought of v. 25 f. Or, to look at the matter 
 in another way. (Comp. 7i 9; 12: 5.) Else 
 in Com. Ver. (following Cranmer, Gen.) has 
 no representative in the original. How can 
 one enter, etc. This is a general truth, with 
 an obvious application to the matter in hand. 
 Jesus was taking away from Satan a part of 
 his property, in delivering the demoniacs, and 
 this could not be unless he were at variance 
 with Satan, and strong enough to bind him. 
 Tlie word translated goods means utensils, 
 implements (as those for cooking, eating, 
 sleeping), and would suggest that the demoni- 
 acs were the instruments of Satan. Spoil, or 
 'plunder,' at the end of the sentence, repre- 
 sents a compound word, ' thoroughly plunder.' 
 
 30. Here again, as in the preceding verses, 
 our Lord speaks in apophthegms (Mark 3 = 23), 
 each sentence containing a distinct truth, ex- 
 pressed in general terms. It naturally follows 
 that no connection between these is outwardly 
 indicated, and we are left to see for ourselves 
 the internal connection of the thoughts. 
 (Comp. at the beginning of ch. 7.) The Scribes 
 said that our Lord was in league with Satan, 
 but in reality he is opposing and overthrow- 
 ing Satan's power, binding him, as it were, 
 and plundering his house. In this great and 
 deadly struggle, there can be no neutral- 
 ity. No man can be friends with both sides, 
 nor be indifferent to both. It is probable that 
 many of those present were thinking they 
 would not take sides between Jesus and the 
 blaspheming Scribes. To them, in the first 
 place, this saying would come home; but it is 
 general, and applicable to all times, and all 
 varieties of character and conduct. The sen- 
 tence contains two parallel and practically 
 equivalent memhers the Hebrew parallelism. 
 (Comp. on 4: 16.) The image in the second 
 member is from gathering grain in har- 
 vest, as in 3: 12; 6: 26; John 4: 36. Men 
 often fancy that they are by no means oppos- 
 ing Christ's service, though not engaged in it; 
 that they are friendly to religion in others, 
 though not personally religious. But in the
 
 CH. XII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 271 
 
 31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and 
 blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men : but the blas- 
 phemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven 
 unto men. 
 
 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son 
 of man, it shall be forgiven him : but whosoever speak- 
 eth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, 
 neither in this world, neither in the world to come. 
 
 31 scattereth. Therefore I say unto you, Every sin 
 and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men ; but the 
 blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 
 
 32 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son 
 of man , it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever 
 shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be 
 forgiven him, neither in this ' world, nor in that 
 
 1 Or, age. 
 
 nature of the case, this is impossible. Stier : 
 "Neutrality here is no neutrality, but a re- 
 maining on the side of the enemy ; indolence 
 here is no mere indolence, but opposition ; the 
 merely not believing and not obeying is still 
 resistance and rejection." The gospel is of 
 such a nature, as to its offers and its claims, 
 that it cannot tolerate indifference. If it de- 
 serves our respect, it deserves our entire and 
 hearty reception. If we are not yielding 
 Christ our whole heart, we are really yielding 
 him nothing. Professed neutrality, with real 
 hostility of heart, may even be more offensive 
 to him, and is sometimes more injurious in its 
 influence, than avowed opposition. In Mark 
 9: 40; Luke 9: 60 there is an expression 
 which at first seems to contradict this, viz., 
 ' He that is not against us is for us.' But so 
 far is this from being the case that both say- 
 ings (Alexander) "may be exemplified in the 
 experience of the very same persons. For 
 example, Nicodemus, by refusing to take part 
 with the Sanhedrin against our Lord, although 
 he did not venture to espouse his cause, proved 
 himself to be upon his side (Johm:5or.) ; but if 
 he had continued the sifme course when the 
 crisis had arrived, he would equally have 
 proved himself to be against him." Comp. 
 the apparently contradictory sayings of Prov. 
 26; 4f. ; Gal. 6: 2, 5; Rom. 3: 28, as related to 
 James 2 : 24. 
 
 31 f. Our Lord now solemnly declares that 
 a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the 
 only unpardonable sin; and it is distinctly 
 implied that their accusation, that he cast out 
 demons by the help of Beelzebul, was a blas- 
 phemy against the Holy Spirit, and so 
 was past forgiveness. Therefore, viz., on 
 account of all that he has been saying, fromv. 
 25 onward. It was manifest from such analo- 
 gies that their charge of league with Beelze- 
 
 bul was absurd ; and they must have known 
 that it was not true, and that the miracle was 
 really wrought by divine power. Jesus says 
 it was wrought by the Spirit of God, and so 
 their accusation was not merely an insult to a 
 man, but a blasphemy against the Spirit of 
 God. For this reason he solemnly tells them 
 that such blasphemy will never be forgiven. 
 And we can see (Edersh. ) that their malignant 
 hostility to the kingdom of heaven, as appear- 
 ing in a form so contrary to what they ex- 
 pected and would have been willing to recog- 
 nize, here reached an acme of virulence from 
 which they went straight on to procure his 
 death. I say unto you, see on 5: 18, all man- 
 ner of sin. Every sin is the exact transla- 
 tion. With the general truth that every sin 
 shall be forgiven unto men, 1 he connects 
 the specific term and blasphemy, to leave no 
 doubt that every blasphemy too (as well as 
 every other sin) will be forgiven; and thus 
 brings out all the more strongly the sole ex- 
 ception, but the blasphemy against the 
 Holy Spirit (Me spirit) shall not be for- 
 given. This promise of forgiveness for every 
 sin and blasphemy is of i-ourse to be limited 
 by the conditions of repentance, etc., else- 
 where laid down in Scripture, and understood 
 in such a case without being stated. (Comp. 
 on 7 : 7 f. ) ' Blasphemy ' has been explained 
 on 9 : 3 as signifying in general injurious or 
 insulting speaking, and so with regard to God, 
 speaking impiously. Blasphemy was consid- 
 ered among the Jews a very great offence. 
 (2:66.) Inv. 32 we find the general expres- 
 sion speaketh against. Here the guilt of 
 what the Pharisees have done is shown by 
 another contrast The Son of man, see on 
 8: 20. Our Lord had not distinctly claimed 
 to be more than man. To speak against him 
 personally, regarding him simply as a man 
 
 1 The marginal reading in Rev. Ver. (not in Amer. margin ; but it Is strange that the revisers should fol- 
 Revisers) 'unto you men' has no support but B, a single low when internal evidence yields nothing decisive, 
 cursive, and a passage in Athanasius. It may not he , After the second ' forgiven ' many documents add ' unto 
 strange that W H. should cling to B and put this iu the I men ' as in Com. text, and some add ' unto them. 1
 
 272 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XII. 
 
 33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good ; I 33 which is to come. Either make the tree good, and 
 or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt; its fruit good ; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit 
 for the tree is known by his fruit. 
 
 (. g. 11 : 19), did not involve as great guilt as 
 to speak against the Holy Spirit, whose in- 
 fluences filled his human spirit (.see on 3: 16; 
 4:1), and gave to him, as a man, the power 
 of working miracles, (v. zs.) In the phrase, 
 but whosoever speaketh against the 
 Holy Ghost, Spirit, 1 the word 'holy' is so 
 placed in the Greek as to be emphatic. They 
 said, 'He hath an unclean spirit' (narks:30i; 
 while in truth he was full of the Holy Spirit. 
 (Yet there is no propriety in inserting the 
 word ' holy' in v. 31, as in Com. Ver. ) Their 
 charge of league with Beelzebul was there- 
 fore not simply a slander against the man, 
 Jesus of Nazareth, nor simply an insult to 
 the Son of man, the Messiah, but was a blas- 
 phemy against the Holy Spirit. And it will 
 not do to say that he was merely warning 
 them against a possibility; for he is surely 
 speaking of the blasphemy they have uttered, 
 as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. (Comp. 
 v. 28.) It must be observed that the Holy 
 Spirit, the Spirit of God (v.as), here represents 
 the Divinity in general. There is here no al- 
 lusion to the peculiar gracious office and work 
 of the Spirit in calling, renewing, and sancti- 
 fying the soul ; it is the Spirit of God as giv- 
 ing power to work miracles. (Comp. Acts 2: 
 4; 8: 14-19, etc.) These Pharisees ascribe to 
 the influence and aid of Satan what was man- 
 ifestly and unmistakably wrought by divine 
 power ; and this was not merely an insult to a 
 man, but was a malignant insult to God. 
 Similar, in this particular respect, was the sin 
 of Ananias and Sapphira, who undertook to 
 practice a deception, not merely upon the 
 apostles, but upon the Holy Spirit, who 
 was well known to give them supernatural 
 knowledge. (Act5:8ir.) Paul had blasphemed 
 Jesus of Nazareth, and yet was forgiven, 
 because he "did it ignorantly, in unbelief." 
 (iTim.i:i3.) He did not then believe that 
 Jesus spoke by the Spirit of God, and there- 
 fore was not blaspheming the Holy Spirit. 
 Afterwards he learned and taught that the 
 Spirit of God is "the Spirit of Christ." 
 
 (Bom. 8:9.) 
 
 The conditions, then, under which this un- 
 pardonable sin of blasphemy against the Spirit 
 of God is committed, are (1) that there shall 
 be a work manifestly supernatural, unmistak- 
 ably the work of God and not of man, and 
 (2) that one shall, in determined and malig- 
 nant opposition, insultingly ascribe to Satan 
 this which he knows to be the work of God. 
 Now, are these conditions ever fulfilled, except 
 in an age of miracles? Can any other divine 
 work, as, for instance, the conversion of a 
 friend, or a general revival of spirituality, 
 be so unquestionably and unmistakably the 
 work of God, that a person ascribing it to 
 Satan is guilty, not merely of sin, but of that 
 flagrant and deeply malignant blasphemy 
 against God which is unpardonable? This is 
 the queslion to be decided ; and it can hardly 
 be decided in the affirmative. As miracles 
 continued throughout the apostolic age, this 
 blasphe my against the Spirit may very natu- 
 rally be understood to be meant by that "sin 
 unto death " which John implies (uohu 6: ie) 
 cannot be forgiven. Indeed, we seem com- 
 pelled so to understand it, since our Lord here 
 says that the blasphemy against the Spirit is 
 the only form of sin that will not be forgiven. 
 The current phrase, "the sin against the Holy 
 Ghost," is not found in Scripture, and has 
 been formed by combining John's expression 
 with the passage before us. And the familiar 
 idea of "sinning away one's day of grace" 
 ought not to be confounded with the blas- 
 phemy here spoken of. It has already been 
 remarked that this blasphemy does not at all 
 refer to the gracious work of the Spirit in 
 calling and regenerating, but manifestly and 
 simply to his miraculous work. Through 
 neglect of this distinction, persons often pass 
 from speaking of blasphemy against the 
 Spirit to discussing what is called "resisting 
 the Spirit," without being aware that these are 
 quite different things. Even the passage in 
 1 John cannot refer to a person who has re- 
 sisted the Spirit till his influences are with- 
 drawn, for no one else could decide that a 
 man was in that condition, while the apostle 
 
 1 The Rev. Ver. here changes 'Ghost ' to'Spirit' as nee- It would have been much better had the revisers every- 
 essary in order to agree with ' Spirit ' in v. 28 and 31. where made this change. (Corup. on 1 : 18.)
 
 CH. XII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 273 
 
 34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, 
 speak good things? for out of the abundance of the 
 heart the mouth speaketh. 
 
 34 corrupt : for the tree is known by its fruit. Ye off- 
 spring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good 
 things? for out of the abundance of the heart the 
 
 intimates that the "sin unto death " can be 
 definitely known to others, since he will not 
 say that one who has committed it shall be 
 prayed for. Heb. 6 : 4-8 and 10: 26 ff., relate 
 to the sin of apostasy, and are therefore quite 
 distinct from the blasphemy against the Spirit, 
 though often confounded with it. 
 
 Neither in this world, neither in the 
 world to come. This is simply a strong and 
 expanded declaration that it will never be for- 
 given. 'World' is here not kosmos, the phy- 
 sical universe, but aion, a period or age. 
 (Comp. on 25: 46. ) The Jews constantly spoke 
 of " this period" and "the coming period," 
 as separated by the appearance of the Mes- 
 siah. In the New Test, "the period to come" 
 is usually conceived of as following the 
 second coming of the Lord. (Comp. on 13: 
 22.) Weiss: "Neither in this world-period, 
 i. e., in the time up to the Second Coming, 
 nor in the future world-period, which begins 
 with the Judgment; and as the Judgment de- 
 cides the eternal destiny of men, there can 
 never in that following period be forgiveness 
 of the sin which at the Judgment was estab- 
 lished and subjected to punishment." Our 
 Lord's expression might in itself imply that 
 some sins not forgiven in this world will be 
 forgiven in the world to come (Olsh.) ; but it 
 does not necessarily, nor even very naturally 
 teach this; and as the idea is unsupported by, 
 and inconsistent with, the general teachings 
 of Scripture on that subject, it is quite im- 
 proper to base so important a doctrine as that 
 of "a second probation" in the future life, 
 upon the merely possible meaning of this one 
 passage, with perhaps the addition of 1 Pet. 
 3: 19, according to one possible interpretation. 
 That he only means to say it will never be for-i 
 given, is confirmed by Mark 3: 29 (correct j 
 text), 'hath never forgiveness, but is guilty of 
 an eternal sin.' Other sins may be blotted 
 out, and, so to speak, cease to exist; but this 
 must continue, from the time it is committed, 
 always existing, an everlasting sin. The 
 thought of v. 31 f. is not recorded as re- 
 peated on the similar occasion of Luke 11: 
 
 14, 23, but on yet another occasion, Luke 
 12: 10. 
 
 33-35. It might be said that here was only 
 speech, only wortls. But the speech came 
 from the heart, and showed the character, as 
 the tree is known from the fruit. This un- 
 pardonable blasphemy was just what might 
 be expected from its authors; they were bad 
 men, and they would say bad things. The 
 portion of the discourse in v. 33-37 is recorded 
 by Matt. only. The terms of v. 33 are the 
 same as in 7: 16-19, where sec- Notes. There 
 the thought is that we must test character by 
 conduct; here it is that conduct (including 
 speech) is all the more important because it 
 corresponds to and reveals character. There 
 has been much discussion about the sense of 
 make, some explaining it as signifying 're- 
 gard,' 'consider'; others, ' suppose to be,' etc. 
 The idea seems to be that the fruit will be like 
 the tree, and if you make the tree good you 
 make its fruit good. The word ' make ' is 
 thus understood in its ordinary sense. His, 
 the old possessive 'his' from it (hyt), see on 
 24: 32; modern Us. Generation (offspring) 
 of vipers, the same expression as in 3: 7. 1 
 This was strong language and severe ; but the 
 loving Saviour did not shrink from the 
 severest rebukes where they were needed. 
 These would be prompted, indeed, as much 
 by love to sinners, as by indignation at their 
 sin. (Comp. on 5: 29.) How can ye, being 
 evil, speuk good things? How is it possi- 
 ble, in the nature of things, that you should? 
 This is a moral, not a constitutional impossi- 
 bility. For out of the abundance of the 
 heart, more exactly, 'the superabundance.' 
 The word implies excess, that the heart is full 
 and more than full ; the mouth speaks what 
 pours forth from the overflowing heart (comp. 
 15: 18); and as their heart overflows with 
 wickedness, how can it be that they should 
 speak what is good? Comp. 1 Sam. 24: 13. 
 V. 35 varies the image to that of a treasure, 
 or store, the word not necessarily indicating 
 something precious. Thngood man has in him 
 a good store, and he brings out from it good 
 
 1 What i.s the propriety of saying (Weiss) that the to believing that Jesus used the same phrase? Such 
 Evangelist has manifestly taken this phrase from John arbitrary dicta are far from giving real support to a 
 the Baptist's discourse? What objection can there be theory. 
 
 S
 
 274 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XII. 
 
 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart 
 bringeu forth good things: and an evil uianout of tlie 
 fvil tivuMire briugeth forth evil things. 
 
 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men 
 shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day 
 of judgment. 
 
 37 For by thy words thou shall be justified, and by 
 thy words thou shall be condemned. 
 
 3o mouth speaketh. The good man out of his good 
 treasure bringeth forth good things: and the evil 
 man out of his evil treasure briugeth forth evil 
 
 36 things. And 1 say unto you, that every idle word 
 that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof 
 
 37 in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou 
 shall be Justified, and by thy words thou shall be 
 condemned. 
 
 things. This of course means the store of his 
 inner man, heart, and so the word "heart 
 was early added, in some quarters (as Old 
 Syriac version), by way of explanation, being 
 suggested by v. 34, and passed into many later 
 documents and the Com. text. Bringeth 
 forth is literally casts out, throws out, the 
 word explained on 9: 38, and here perhaps 
 implying that the evil things are, as it were, 
 involuntarily thrown out, " as a fountain doth 
 its waters, by a natural and necessary ebulli- 
 tion" (Barrow). The fact that men speak 
 good or evil according to their nature, by no 
 means frees them from guilt. This ought to 
 be understood from general principles; but 
 our Lord leaves no room for uncertainty on 
 the subject, for he proceeds to declare that 
 words, even idle words, must be answered for. 
 36 f. But (and) I say unto yon, solemnly 
 introducing an important saying (as in v. 31), 
 see on 5: 18. Though they spoke so heed- 
 lessly the most blasphemous words, and 
 doubtless thought, as men are apt to do, that 
 what one says is of little importance, yet he 
 assures them that men shall give account for 
 every idle word. 'Idle' exactly renders 
 the original term, which signifies ' not work- 
 ing,' and hence inefficient, useless, etc. 
 words not intended to produce any effect. 
 In the day of judgment, see on 11 : 22. In 
 v. 37, by thy words, is literally out of thy 
 words, as a thing proceeding from their words, 
 a result or consequence of them. Of course 
 he does not mean that it will proceed from 
 their words alone; every one admits the fact 
 as to actions, and words are here the subject 
 of remark. The repetition of 'by thy words' 
 makes the statement more weighty and im- 
 pressive. Words are important because they 
 reveal character (v.ss, :), and because they 
 powerfully affect others. The only sin de- 
 clared to be unpardonable is a sin of speech 
 (v.sir.) ; and, on the other hand, "if any man 
 offend not in speech, the same is a perfect man, 
 and able also to bridle the whole body." 
 (jamw3:2.) Speech is indeed one of the grand 
 distinctions of human beings, and a mighty 
 
 power for good or evil. But this passage must 
 not be understood as condemning all light 
 pleasantries of conversation; itsimply declares 
 that the idlest nothings we ever utter are in- 
 cluded within the range of accountability to 
 God. We must therefore see to it that our 
 pleasantries are not essentially untruthful, 
 that they are free from malice and impurity 
 in a word, that they are innocent and help- 
 ful. (Com p. on 5: 37.) 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 23. Different effects produced by the 
 outward evidences of Christianity. 1) Many 
 half convinced that it is divine, but mainly 
 inclined to reject it, v. 23. 2) Some per- 
 suading themselves and others that it is not 
 divine, that its effects are to be otherwise ex- 
 plained, v. 24. 3) Some trying to play neu- 
 tral, v. 30. 4) Some requiring further evi- 
 dence, suited to their own notion, v. 38. 5) 
 Some rejoicing to believe and ready to obey, 
 v. 49 f. V. 24. Anything to explain away 
 the divine power of Christianity; anything, 
 though it be absurd, insulting, blasphemous. 
 V. 25 f. The forces of evil in the world do 
 not act at hazard, nor by blind fate, but are 
 directed by a lofty and shrewd intelligence. 
 V. 26. Satan and his kingdom. 1) There is 
 a personal spirit of evil. 2) He has a king- 
 dom. 3) The demons ace his subjects, and 
 are striving to make men his subjects forever. 
 4) Jesus opposes and shakes Satan's kingdom. 
 Comp. Luke 10: 17-19.) V. 30. We must 
 3e definitely Christ's friends, or we are defi- 
 nitely his enemies. Vinet, "Gospel Studies," 
 preaches from this text on "The Intolerance 
 of Christianity," and from Luke 9: 60 on 
 " The Tolerance of Christianity." V. 31. 
 Gladly, in several recorded cases, the Saviour 
 said, "Thy sins are forgiven thee." Sorrow- 
 fully he says that this sin "shall not be for- 
 given." V. 33. HENRY: "Unless the heart 
 be transformed, the life will never be thor- 
 oughly reformed." V. 34. A heart over- 
 full of evil, a mouth overflowing with evil. 
 V. 37. CHRYS. : "Wherefore not the slan-
 
 CH. XII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 275 
 
 38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees 
 answered, saying, Master.we would see a sign from thee. 
 
 Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees an- 
 swered him, saying, l Master, we would see a sign 
 
 1 Or, Teacher. 
 
 dered, but the slanderers, have need to he 
 anxious and to tremble. For the former are 
 not constrained to answer for themselves, 
 touching the evil things which are said of 
 them, but the latter for the evil they have 
 spoken ; and over these impends the whole 
 danger." V. 36 f. Speech. 1) It is a pe- 
 culiarity of human beings, and a great power 
 in human life. 2) It reveals character, v. 35. 
 3) We are accountable not only for purposely 
 wicked, but for idle speech, v. 36. 4) Speech 
 will help to determine our eternal future. 
 DODDRIDGE : "Discourse tending to innocent 
 mirth, to exhilarate the spirits, is not idle dis- 
 course; as the time spent in necessary recrea- 
 tion is not idle time." 
 
 38-50. Two OTHER CASES OF OPPOSI- 
 TION TO JESUS. 
 
 These two instances of opposition belong 
 together (-*6), and clearly seem to have fol- 
 lowed immediately upon the blasphemous 
 accusation. The word then (v. ss) does not 
 certainly prove this (comp. v. 22), but 
 there is an obvious internal connection ; 
 and notice that in Mark (s:3i) the coming of 
 the mother and brethren immediately follows 
 the blasphemous accusation, and the house 
 
 and the multitude correspond. (Markj:20;3: 
 
 31 f.) 
 
 I. 38-42. THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES 
 ASK A SIGN. Comp. Luke 11 : 29-32, which 
 probably refers to a subsequent occasion, in 
 Judea or Perea. (See above on v. 22.) 
 
 38. Answered. This was their response 
 to the severe and solemn words he had just 
 spoken, (v. .11-37.) Certain of the Scribes 
 and Pharisees (comp. on v. 24) did not 
 concur with those he had reproved in ascrib- 
 ing his miracles to Beelzebul (comp. Luke 
 11: 15 f.), but they intimated that the miracles 
 he had wrought were insufficient to satisfy 
 them of his divine mission, and as he had irn- 
 pliedly claimed to be the Messiah (') they 
 would like to see him present a sign such as 
 they would admit to be unmistakable. Their 
 language was respectful, but their design was 
 bad, as appears from our Lord's reply; and 
 Luke declares on the similar occasion that 
 they did it 'tempting him.' (Lukeii:i6.) 
 Teacher, didaskalos, see on 8 : 19. We 
 would (wish to) see, as in 16: 24. 1 
 
 All we are here told is that they asked to 
 see a 'sign'. Luke(ii:i6) says that on the 
 similar occasion 'they sought of him a sign 
 
 1 There are three Greek words used in the New Test. 
 to denote what we commonly and loosely call 
 " miracles." 
 
 1. Teras signifies something portentous, suited to 
 excite astonishment or alarm. The NPW Test, has it 
 only in the plural, and always in connection with 
 signs.' It is uniformly translated in Com. Ver. 
 ' wonders.' (Comp. 24 : 24.) 2. Dunamis strictly signi- 
 fies power, whether physical or moral, whether natural, 
 acquired, or bestowed, and is often translated ' power,' 
 (e. g., 2-2 : 29 ; 24 : 29 f. ; 26 : 64, and in Rev. Ver. 14 : 2.) 
 It is in Com. Ver. translated 'miracle 'in Mark 9 : 39; 
 Acts-2:22;8:13;19:ll;lCor.l2:10,28,29;Gal.3:5;Heb. 
 2:4. Of these passages Rev. Ver. gives ' mighty work ' 
 in Mark 9: 39 ; Acts 2 : 22, ' powers ' in Heb. 2 : 4, and 
 retains 'miracle' in the rest, always putting 'power' in 
 the margin. So Com. Ver. gives ' wonderful works ' in 
 7:22 (Rev. Ver. 'mighty works'), and, 'mighty works' 
 In 11: 20-23; 13: 54, 68; 14: 2; Mark 6: 2,5, 14; Luke 
 10: 13; 19: 37, which Rev. Ver. retains, except that in 
 Mark 6: 14 it changes to 'powers,' as in Matt. 14: 2. 
 And yet in all these places except Mark 6 : 2 It was al- 
 ready rendered ' miracles ' by Tyndale, Cran., Gen., and 
 Rheims. So Noyes, except in Mark 6: 14. This confu- 
 sion might be almost entirely corrected by uniformly 
 
 rendering this word ' miracle ' wherever it denotes a 
 deed of supernatural power; since our word miracle, 
 although in its Latin origin signifying a wonder, is now 
 regularly used in the general sense of a supernatural 
 deed. 3 Semeion, a ' sign,' that by which something 
 is signified or known, is used of things not supernatural 
 in 16: 3; 26: 48; Luke 2: 12; 2 Thess. 3: 17 ('token.') 
 In all other passsges it denotes some more or less dis- 
 tinctly supernatural event. It is usually translated 
 'sign.' But Com. Ver. has 'miracle 'in Luke 23: 8; 
 John 2: 11,23; 3: 2; 4: 54; 6: 2,14,26; 7: 31; 9: 16; 
 10: 41; 11: 47; 12: 18,37; Acta 4: 16, 22; 6: 8; 8: 6; 
 15: 12; Rev. 13: 14; 16: 14; 19: 20; and 'wonder' 
 in Rev. 12: 1,3; 13: 13. In all these passages Rev. 
 Ver. has given 'sign,' except Luke 23: 8; Acts 4 : 16, 
 22, where it retains 'miracle,' placing 'sign' in the 
 margin. In these last cases miracle seems in English a 
 better word, but the other would suffice, and Rev. Ver. 
 has often sacrificed much more than this to preserve 
 uniformity of rendering. The Bible Union Revision 
 renders uniformly the first word by 'wonder,' the 
 second by ' miracle,' the third by 'sign.' This uniform 
 rendering would make the important subject of mir- 
 acles in the New Test, appreciably plainer to the Eng- 
 lish reader.
 
 276 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XII. 
 
 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and 
 adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there 
 shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet 
 Jonas: 
 
 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in 
 the whale's belly ; so shall the Sou of man be three days 
 and three nights in the heart of the earth. 
 
 39 from thee. But he answered and said unto them, 
 An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a 
 sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the 
 
 40 sign of Jonah the prophet: for as Jonah was three 
 days and three nights in the belly of ihe 1 whale; 
 so shall the Sou of man be three days and three 
 
 1 Gr. tea monster. 
 
 from heaven.' And on another occasion 
 (Mtt. i6:i), it is likewise 'a sign from heaven.' 
 Moses gave manna from heaven, Joshua 
 made the sun and moon stand still, Samuel 
 caused thunder and hail in time of harvest, 
 Elijah brought down fire from heaven, and 
 rain at his word, Isaiah (speaking for Je- 
 hovah) bade Ahaz ask for a sign, "either in 
 the depth, or in the height above." Some such 
 sign as these the Scribes and Pharisees prob- 
 ably wanted. They may have taken literally 
 the prediction of Joel 2: 30. (Acu2:i9.) Comp. 
 below on 24 : 30. 
 
 39, 40. An evil and adulterous gene- 
 ration , viz., one which has forsaken Je- 
 hovah, and demands a sign such as itself may 
 dictate. 'Adulterous,' when thus figura- 
 tively employed, is usually applied in Old 
 
 Test. tO idolatry (I. 57 : 3 ; Eiek. \6-.lb-, Hosea 3:1, etc.), 
 
 but it is applicable also to any sin by which 
 the nation forsook her divine husband. 
 (Comp. James 4: 4, Kev. Ver.) The Jews had 
 never been generally idolatrous since their 
 return from the Babylonian captivity, but 
 they were God-forsaking and wicked. And 
 there shall no sign be given to it. Our 
 Lord wrought many miracles, and these actu- 
 ally were, and ought to have been considered, 
 signs of his divine mission, as Nicodemus 
 early recognized. (Johns:?, Rev. ver., 'signs.') But 
 when with a blending of idle curiosity and 
 unbelief, they asked him to furnish a special 
 'sign ' (and of the precise kind that suited their 
 fancy), he would not do it. So likewise in 
 16: 4, also at Nazareth (Luke 4: 23 ff.), and before 
 Herod. (Lukes:8f.) Bnt the sign of the 
 prophet Jonas. Jonah instead of Jonas, 
 see on 1 : 2. For as Jonas was three days 
 and three nights in the \vhale's belly, 
 or, in the belly of the 'huge fish.' The Greek 
 word is used for any huge sea-creature, by 
 Homer once for a seal, at a later period for 
 the whale, the shark, the dog-fish, etc. The 
 Hebrew simply says 'a great fish,' and the 
 Greek term does not enable us to say what 
 kind of fish it was. It was translated ' whale ' 
 
 because that is the largest of the huge crea- 
 tures denoted by the Greek word; but the 
 rendering was unfortunate, for the whale has 
 not a throat sufficiently large to swallow a 
 man, and this fact has given rise to some 
 sneers from skeptics of the lower grade. The 
 shark or the dog-fish could readily swallow a 
 man, and entire human bodies have some- 
 times been found in the stomach of fishes of 
 this kind. The prophet's preservation was 
 obviously miraculous; but it is useless to 
 make the mere deglutition a miracle, when 
 the language does not really so indicate. So 
 shall the Son of man, i. e., the Messiah, see 
 on 8: 20. In the heart of the earth. This 
 expression was probably used with reference 
 to that of Jonah 2: 3, 'heart of the seas'; 
 comp. Deut. 4: 11, 'unto the heart of heaven,' 
 Psa. 46: 2, 'in the heart of the seas,' (all these 
 passages in Kev. Ver. and margin of Com. 
 Ver.) The reference is to our Lord's inter- 
 ment, and the passages compared show that 
 there is no propriety in insisting, as many do, 
 that the language is too strong for that simple 
 idea, and must therefore be referred to what 
 is called his "descent into Hades." Three 
 days and three nights. See Jonah 1 : 17. 
 Our Lord was actually in the grave les? than 
 thirty-six hours, but it began before the close 
 of Friday, and closed on the morning of Sun- 
 day, and according to the mode of counting 
 time among the Jews, this would be reckoned 
 three days, both the first and the last day 
 being always included. (Comp. on 17 : 1, and 
 on 27 : 63 f. ) The only difficulty is, that he not 
 merely says "three daj T s," but "three days 
 and three nights," when he spent only two 
 nights in the tomb. But the Jews reckoned 
 the night and day as together constituting 
 one period, and a part of this period was 
 counted as the whole. Lightfoot quotes from 
 the Jerusalem Talmud two Rabbis as saying, 
 "A day and a night make an Onah, and a 
 part of an Onah is as the whole." There was 
 no way to express in Greek this period of 
 twenty-four hours, except by daj r and night
 
 CH. XII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 277 
 
 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with 
 this generation, and shall condemn it: because they 
 repented at the preaching of Jonas ; and, behold, a 
 greater than Jonas is here. 
 
 41 nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nin- 
 vi-h shall stand up in the judgment with ihis gene- 
 ration, and shall condemn it: lor they repented at 
 
 (or night and day) as here, or by the late and 
 extremely rare Greek compound 'night-day' 
 (nuchthemeron) used in 2 Cor. 11 : 25. It was 
 natural to choose here the former phrase 
 
 (even if we suppose the other known to Mat- 
 thew), in order to state more strongly the sim- 
 ilarity of the two cases. We find a parallel 
 use in 1 Sam. 30: 12 f., where it is first said 
 that the Egyptian had eaten nothing "three 
 days and three nights," and then. " my mas- 
 ter left me because three days ago I fell sick." 
 So also in Esther 4: 16; 5: 1. Some have in- 
 ferred from this passage of Matthew that Jesus 
 must have remained seventy-two full hours 
 in the grave ; but some of the expressions used 
 in speaking of his resurrection absolutely 
 forbid this. See on 27: 63. The only sign 
 which should be given to that wicked genera- 
 tion was 'the sign of Jonah the prophet,' a 
 sign resembling the miracle which occurred 
 in the case of Jonah, viz., the resurrection of 
 Jesus after being three days in the tomb. 
 Jonah's miraculous deliverance from the belly 
 of the fish would naturally be made known 
 by him to the Ninevites, in accounting for 
 the zeal with which he proclaimed his message. 
 (Comp. Luke 11 : 30; 'Jonah was a sign to the 
 Ninevites'), and would contribute to their 
 reception of his message. And so the resur- 
 rection of Jesus was to be a sign to that gen- 
 eration, which ought to conquer the unbelief 
 of the most perverse, and did conquer in 
 many cases. (Act-J:S2ir. ; 4-. sa; Rom. 1 = 4.) Jesus 
 makes a similar obscure allusion to his resur- 
 rection in John 2: 21, in which case also he 
 had been asked for a ' sign.' (John?: is.)i 
 
 ,41. By a natural association of ideas, our 
 Lord passes to say that the men of 'this gen- 
 
 eration ' are acting much more wickedly than 
 did the Ninevites. It was a sublime spectacle 
 when the whole population of that vast 
 heathen city, the proud king, the nobles and 
 all, down to the very humblest, repented at 
 the preaching of Jonah. (JOUSH s: 5-10.) This re- 
 pentance, both in the grief, the reformation, 
 and the prayer for forgiveness, must have 
 been genuine, for otherwise God would not 
 have regarded it, nor would Jesus have ap- 
 pealed to it here. Subsequent generations 
 relapsed into idolatry, but so it often was with 
 Israel. Shall rise, more literally, stand 
 up, and Rev. Ver. so renders, in order to leave 
 room for the idea of standing up to bear 
 witness, as in Matthew 14: 57. But this 
 is the common term for the resurrection, 
 more common than the literal 'be raised' of 
 v. 42, and does not probably mean anything 
 else in the present case. In (the) judgment, 
 see on 11 : 22. With this generation, i. e., 
 along with, in company with. And shall 
 condemn it, show its guilt and desert of con- 
 demnation, by the contrast between its con- 
 duct and their own. (Comp. 11: 22-24.) 
 Repented, the verb corresponding to 
 metanoia (see on 3: 2), denoting not merely 
 regret, but change of mind. Tyndale, Cran., 
 Gen., " amended." At the preaching, or 
 proclamation, the word being derived from 
 the verb kerusso, explained on 4: 17. The 
 preposition rendered 'at' is eis, usually ren- 
 dered 'into' or 'unto,' and often denoting 
 design or aim. It cannot possibly have that 
 sense here, for certainly the Ninevites did 
 not repent in order that Jonah might preach. 
 It clearly introduces the occasion or ground 
 of the repenting 2 (Winer, p. 397 [495]) ; and 
 
 Dr. Hort says (W H., App., p. 282) that in this pas- 
 sage " it is difficult to believe that all the words as they 
 stand have apostolic authority." Dr. Toy (Quotations 
 p. XXVIII.) holds it probable that Jesus said only what 
 is recorded in Luke 11: 30, and the rest in Matthew 
 was added by " the oral tradition." Why not then refer 
 to another similar passage, Mark 8 : 12, " There shall no 
 sign be given unto this generation," and conclude that 
 Jonah was not really mentioned by Jesus al all ? Why 
 draw one conclusion and not the other, except because 
 the miracle of the great fish does not please the critics? 
 Kleek attempts an argument to prove that Luke's ac- 
 
 count is alone authentic; but he is amply refuted by 
 Weiss. In fact (though we need not urge it), does not 
 Luke's own language renlly rest on the resemblance 
 of the three days and three nights? Kow else (Weiss 
 Oodet) did Jonah ' become ' a sign to the Ninevites? 
 and why else does Jesus say in Luke that the Sou of 
 man ' shall be ' a sign, instead of ' is ' ? 
 
 s The Old Latin gives herein some of its forms the 
 word-for-word translation in pranlicalionem, while other 
 forms and the Vulgate have in praedicalione. The 
 Peshito has ' in,' i. e., on the ground of.
 
 278 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. XII. 
 
 42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judg- 
 ment with this generation, and shall condemn it: lor 
 she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear 
 the wisdom of Solomou ; and, behold, a greater than 
 Solomon is here. 
 
 43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he 
 walkeih through dry places, seeking rest, and fiudeth 
 none. 
 
 42 the preaching of Jonah ; and, hehold, 1 a greater 
 than Jonah is here. The queen of the south shall 
 rise up in the judgment with this generation, and 
 shall condemn it ; lor she came from the ends of the 
 earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and behold, 
 
 43 i a greater than Solomon is here. But the unclean 
 spirit, when 2 he is gone out of the man, passeth 
 through waterless places, seeking rest, and flndelh 
 
 s <Aan....2 Or, it. 
 
 so it may possibly have the same force in 
 3: 11 and Acts 2: 38. And behold, calling 
 attention to something important. A greater 
 or wore than Jonah is here. The word 
 is neuter, not 'a greater (man),' but '(some- 
 thing) more.' (Comp. on 11: 9; 12:6.) If 
 more than Jonah was here, then the men of 
 this generation were under greater obligation 
 to repent than the Ninevites, and all the more 
 guilty for not repenting. Some records of 
 buried Nineveh have been recently exhumed, 
 and the world eagerly reads their strangely 
 recovered history ; let us not forget that the 
 Nineviles of Jonah's day will rise up in the 
 judgment and condemn all those of every age 
 who hear the preaching of the gospel und will 
 not repent. Weiss : "If John already was 
 more than a prophet (":) why should not 
 the mightier one to whom he pointed (s.- 11) be 
 beyond comparison more than Jonah?" 
 "Wherever the gospel of Jesus is really 
 preached, the same thing holds true; for the 
 gospel, when spoken by the humblest fol- 
 lower of Christ, has higher claims to be be- 
 lieved and heeded than had the solemn warn- 
 ing of Jonah. This reply of our Lord some- 
 what resembles that made at Nazareth. 
 (Luke4: 23 tr.) In both cases miracles were de- 
 manded, and in both the answer rebuked the 
 arrogance of their claim by showing that God 
 had sometimes blessed Gentiles rather than 
 Jews. 
 
 42. Another historical instance is added, to 
 show still further the wickedness of this gen- 
 eration. They not only refused to heed the call 
 to repentance made by a more than prophet, 
 but they slighted the wisdom taught by a 
 more than Solomon. The queen of the 
 south, called in 1 Kings 10: 1-10 'the queen 
 of Sheba.' This people, usually called the 
 Sabaeans, appear to have occupied a large por- 
 tion of Southern Arabia. In this fertile region 
 they grew rich by agriculture and trade, 
 especially the great trade with India, from 
 which country they brought spices, precious 
 stones, etc., to supply the Western nations. 
 
 Hence came that abundance of costly articles 
 which astonished the court of Solomon. In 
 Joel 3: 8 the Sabaeans are called "a nation 
 far off," and so in Jer. 6 : 20, Sheba is " a far 
 country." This corresponds with our Lord's 
 expression, came from the uttermost parts 
 (the ends) of the earth (comp. Deut. 28: 
 49), which, according to the knowledge of the 
 time, would be no exaggeration as applied to 
 the southern extremity of the Arabian penin- 
 sula. 'Ends' is literal (so Wye., and 
 Rheims), and simpler than 'uttermost parts' 
 (Tyndale and followers). There were few 
 books in the days of this queen, and the only 
 way to get the full benefit of some famous 
 man's wisdom was to visit and converse with 
 him. In our day of multiplied literature, 
 thoughtful conversation on important topics 
 is too little practiced. A greater (more) than 
 Solomon is here, as in v. 41. It must have 
 startled the Jews very much to find Jesus 
 quietly intimating that he was superior, not 
 only to the prophet Jonah, but to Solomon, 
 the magnificent monarch, the revered sage. 
 In the case of a mere man, and a man wise 
 and humble, such a claim would seem strange. 
 Shall not the delicate woman, who took this 
 long and trying journey to hear the wisdom 
 of Solomon, condemn us in the day of judg- 
 ment, who have the history and writings of 
 Solomon, the life and sayings of Jesus, re- 
 corded in a book which is any hour within 
 our reach if we neglect to seek its treasures 
 of wisdom ? 
 
 II. 43-45. JESUS ILLUSTRATES THE 
 CONSEQUENCES OF NEGLECTING His TEACH- 
 INGS. So on the similar occasion of Luke 11: 
 24-26. The illustration was doubtless sug- 
 gested 'by the healing of a demoniac (i2:) 
 which had led to the foregoing discourse. 
 Plumptre thinks this parable "comes in ab- 
 ruptly." But the wicked conduct of 'this 
 generation ' in disregarding him who is more 
 than Jonah or Solomon (v. i.) is accounted 
 for by the parable, which is distinctly applied 
 to them (v. 45) and gives to our Lord's imme-
 
 CH. XII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 279 
 
 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from 
 whence I came out ; and when he is come, he findeth 
 it empty, swept, and garnished. 
 
 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven 
 other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter 
 in and dwell there: and the last stale of that man is 
 worse than flie first. Even so shall it be also unto this 
 wicked generation. 
 
 44 it not. Then > he saith, I will return into my house 
 whence I came out ; and when a he is come, 'he tind- 
 eth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth 
 1 he, and taketh with - himself seven other spirits 
 more evil than * himself, and they enter in and 
 dwell there : and the last state of thill man becometh 
 worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto 
 this evil generation. 
 
 1 Or, ....-.! Or, ittelf. 
 
 diate hearers a new warning. This view is 
 made clearer by proper reading 'but' in v. 
 43. For when, etc., read, but the unclean 
 spirit, when he is gone out of the man, the 
 spirit and the man, meaning a supposed or 
 ideal individual, taken as representative of 
 what always happens in such a case. For 
 'unclean' see on 10 : 1 and 8:28. He, or 
 it, as in margin of Rev. Ver., the Greek 
 word for 'spirit' being neuter, and so the pro- 
 noun being neuter. (So in v. 44 and 45.) 
 Through dry (waterless) places, the literal 
 translation. It was a prevailing Jewish idea 
 that evil spirits especially frequented desert 
 or desolate places, see Tobit 8:3; Baruch 4: 
 35. And it need not be considered merely as 
 a Jewish notion, for it is favored by the im- 
 agery of this passage and of Rev. 18: 2. If 
 the evil spirits that infest the earth are some- 
 times not occupied in possessing or tempting 
 men, what spots would seern to be a more ap- 
 propriate abode for them than parched and 
 desolate places? As to demoniacal posses- 
 sions, see on 8: 28. That demons did some- 
 times re-enter, after being cast out, is implied 
 by Mark 9: 25, "Come out of him and enter 
 no more into him." The house denotes the 
 man whom he had possessed or occupied. 
 Upon returning, the spirit finds the house un- 
 occupied, swept, and adorned just ready for 
 an occupant; which, as said of the man, de- 
 notes that after being delivered from the un- 
 clean spirit he does not occupy his mind and 
 heart with other and better tilings, but lives 
 in a state of readiness for repossession. This j 
 language distinctly intimates that the possi- \ 
 bility of demoniacal possessions depended (at 
 least in some instances) on the moral and 
 spiritual condition of the person, as well as on 
 his physical and mental health. The unclean 
 spirit, finding no rest in all his wanderings, 
 no spot where he can be content quietly to 
 remain, comes to re-enter his 'house'; and 
 seeing it to be in such excellent condition for 
 occupation, he goes after others to share it 
 with him. Seven other spirits, the com- 
 
 mon, oft-recurring number (comp. Luke 8 : 
 2, and a much greater numbor in Matt. 5: 9.) 
 More wicked. There seem then to be de- 
 grees of wickedness among the demons; just 
 as we find in Mark 9: '29, that some were 
 harder to cast out than others. And the last 
 state (things) of that man is (or, becomes) 
 worse than the first (things), i. e., his la.st 
 fortunes or condition. Some propose to take 
 the passage as a purely hypothetical illustra- 
 tion, derived from common fancies and modes 
 of expression, and not implying that such a 
 thing ever really happens as a dispossession 
 and repossession. We have seen on 8: 28 
 that the demoniacal possessions must be taken 
 as 'real, there being greater difficulties about 
 any other view. And so here. The illustra- 
 tion is an ideal instance, as the forms of ex- 
 pression show, but it corresponds to and reprcv 
 sents realities. Even so shall it be also 
 unto this wicked generation, comp. v. 
 39; 16:4; 24:34. Our Lord distinctly ap- 
 plies his illustration to the Jewish nation of 
 his own generation. The dispossession may 
 refer to the remarkable abandonment of 
 idolatry after the captivity, and the compara- 
 tively improved religious and moral condi- 
 tion of the people. Then the empty, swept, 
 and garnished sttige might describe the refusal 
 to occupy themselves with the spiritual and 
 salutary teachings of Jesus. Or, the dispos- 
 session may refer to the great impression 
 made by John and Jesus (":M), which in 
 most of the people was proving temporary, so 
 that in finally rejecting the Messianic reign 
 they would become more completely than 
 ever the subjects of Satan, and in forty years 
 more would plunge- into sore calamity and 
 ruin. Various additional applications of the 
 illustration might be made, as in others of our 
 Lord's parables; but such applications are of 
 course made by ourselves without claiming 
 that they were contemplated by Jesus. 
 
 III. 40-5O. His MOTHER AND BKKTHREN 
 TRY TO SPKAK TO HIM. Comp. Mark 3: 31- 
 35; Luke 8: 19-21. It was not enough that
 
 280 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XII. 
 
 46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his 
 mother and his brethren stood without, desiriug to 
 speak with hint. 
 
 47 Then oue said unto him, Behold, thy mother and 
 thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 
 
 4S Hut he answered and said unto him that told him, 
 Who is my mother? and who are my brethren ? 
 
 46 While he was yet speaking to the multitudes, be- 
 hold, his mother and his brethren stood without, 
 
 47 seeking to speak to him. 1 And oue said unto him, 
 Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, 
 
 48 seeking to speak to thee. But he answered and said 
 unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and 
 
 1 Some ancient authorities omit rer. 47. 
 
 the leading men among his own people whom 
 he came to save (Joimiiii) rejected him with 
 blasphemies; but it was a part of the cruel 
 opposition Jesus had to encounter (Heb. 12:8), 
 that some of his nearest kindred for a long 
 time misunderstood him, so that his brethren 
 taunted him (JohuTis-s), and on the present 
 occasion "hisfriends" even said he was insane, 
 and wished to stop his teaching by force, 
 (nark, a: 21.) By combining this account with 
 that of Mark (3:20,21,31) we see that Jesus and 
 the Twelve came into a house, where a crowd 
 assembled, so that they could not so much as 
 eat bread, and that" his friends" (Mark3:2i), 
 upon hearing of it went forth to seize him, 
 saying that he was 'beside himself.' The 
 peculiar expression in Mark does not contain 
 the term 'friends,' but signifies those that 
 were of his family, or his country, or his 
 party, etc. It cannot here mean the apostles, 
 for they were with him in thehousa; and as 
 "his mother and his brethren" presently reach 
 the house (Mark 3: si) desiring to speak with him, 
 it is natural to understand that they are meant 
 by the phrase, vaguely rendered, 'his friends.' 
 Comp. Fritz, and Mey. (on Mark), Grimm, 
 Winer, etc. Meantime, in the house, he 
 healed a demoniac, and then occurred the 
 blasphemous accusation and the discourse fol- 
 lowing. While he was yet speaking, hi* 
 mother and brethren arrived at the house, and 
 finding it difficult to enter because of the 
 crowd (v. 46; Mark s: 20), they passed in word 
 that they were without, and were seeking to 
 speak to him. Seeking is the literal and 
 exact translation, and so Wye. and Rheims, 
 while Tyndale and his followers improperly 
 rendered it by desiring, which fails to indi- 
 cate that efforts were made. His brethren, 
 see on 13: 55. On any view they were near 
 
 relatives, which is sufficient for the present 
 passage. Bible Com. : "From the mention of 
 his mother and his brethren only, it has been 
 conjectured, with some probability, that 
 Joseph was now dead." V. 47 must pretty 
 certainly be omitted, i having been brought in 
 here from Mark and Luke to explain the 
 phrase 'him that told him' in v. 48. There 
 is evidently no loss of substantial meaning. 
 Are we to understand that Mary wished to 
 seize him, and thought him beside himself? 
 She must surely have remembered what 
 Gabriel had told her, and Simeon and Anna 
 had said; how can she have questioned that 
 he was the Messiah, and was to sit on the 
 throne of his father David? Did she merely 
 give way to the influence of the ' brethren,' or 
 did she in fact, as many prefer to think, go 
 along from no sympathy with their views or 
 intentions, but in order to interpose between 
 Jesus and their violence? Some suppose that 
 they were only concerned about his health, 
 from hearing that he was so thronged as to 
 have no opportunity of taking food, and was 
 still speaking on with solemn vehemence and 
 consuming zeal ; but this would hardly have 
 made them venture to 'seize' him. (Hark s: 21.) 
 Our Lord's reply here seems to intimate that 
 she, as well as the brethren, was unwarrant- 
 ably interfering with his work, as he had 
 gently rebuked her for doing on a former 
 occasion. (Jonn2:4.) Perhaps Mary sometimes 
 became perplexed, as John the Baptist appears 
 to have been (see on 11 : 2), by her son's pur- 
 suing a course so widely different from what 
 she, in common with other Jews, expected of 
 the Messiah ; and in this frame of mind* she 
 could more easily be prevailed on by the 
 'brethren' to accompany them, without fully 
 sharing either their view or their purpose. 
 
 1 It is wanting in X (first hand), B L T, four cursives, 
 Old Syriac, and two copies of the Old Latin. There is 
 obvious ground for supposing it to have been inserted 
 here from the equivalent statement which occurs with- 
 out variation in Mark 3: 32; Luke 8: 20. We can see 
 no reason why it should have been omitted, if originally 
 
 present, save a possible offence at the repetition of the 
 same words, as in v. 46; but that is a peculiarity of 
 Hebrew style, too common in the Bible to have pro- 
 voked critical excision. It 'is omitted in Weiss and 
 WH.
 
 CH. XII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 281 
 
 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his dis- 
 ciples, and said, Behold niy mother and ray brethren ! 
 
 50 For whosoever shall do the will ot my Father 
 which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, 
 and mother. 
 
 49 who are tny brethren ? And he stretched forth his 
 hand towards his disciples, and said, Behold, my 
 
 50 mother and my brethren ! For whosoever shall do 
 the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is niy 
 brother, and sister, and mother. 
 
 The person who told Jesus naturally thought 
 that he would consider the claims of his mother 
 and brothers as paramount, and would at once 
 go forth, or cause them to be admitted. But 
 he knew how his brothers misunderstood him, 
 and was aware that their motive at present 
 was not friendly. It seems to be implied that 
 he continued his discourse, and only when this 
 was finished, and the crowd was dispersing, 
 went out and spoke with them. (Comp. on 
 13: 1.) However that may be, he took the 
 occasion to make a most affecting declaration 
 of his love for his disciples for all who do the 
 will of his Father in heaven. What he said 
 was addressed especially to the person who 
 
 Spoke tO him (v. 4) ; but also (Mark3:34;Luke8:21) 
 
 to the persons present in general. He 
 stretched forth his hand towards his 
 disciples (comp. Mark 3: 34), the word here 
 probably including other disciples as well as 
 the Twelve (see on 5 : 1). The same (liter- 
 ally He) is my brother, with emphasis on 
 'he,' as in 1: 21. And sister. Our Lord 
 had 'sisters' in the same sense in which he 
 had 'brothers,' probably in the most natural 
 sense (see on 13: 56). Observe that he does 
 not say brother, or sister, or mother (i Tim. 3:2), 
 but each person is at the same time ' brother 
 and sister and mother,' as much beloved as all 
 these combined. Somewhat similarly An- 
 dromache says to her husband, " Hector, thou 
 art to me father, and revered mother, and 
 brother.andthou my blooming spouse." Luke 
 (8:21) only gives the general sentiment in the 
 briefest form. And so, no doubt, many a 
 discourse of our Lord, which of necessity is 
 very briefly reported to us, was in the actual 
 delivery full of such pointed interrogation 
 and impressive repetition as we have here in 
 Matthew and in Mark. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 38 f. Men often demand further evi- 
 dence of Christianity when they have abund- 
 ant evidence but for their determination not 
 to believe. There is a moral probation in- 
 volved in believing or rejecting the gospel, 
 (i Cor. 1:18-25.) HENRY: " Signs were grunted 
 to those who desired them for the confirma- 
 
 tion of their faith, as to Abraham and Gideon ; 
 but were denied to those who demanded them 
 for the excuse of their unbelief." V. 39. The 
 Jews of our Lord's generation. 1) Wicked 
 and God-forsaking, v. 39. 2) Demanding fur- 
 ther evidence amid all his teachings and mira- 
 cles, and in his own impressive presence, v. 
 38. 3) Grown worse since the first temporary 
 effect of his ministry, v. 45. 4) On their way 
 to the sin of crucifying their Messiah, and to 
 national calamity and destruction. 5) Des- 
 tined to stand ashamed at the judgment in 
 the presence of Gentiles whom they despised, 
 v. 41 f. V. 39 f. Jonah and Jesus. 1) Jonah 
 a great prophet, and Jesus more than Jonah. 
 2) The sign of Jonah, and the sign of Jesus' 
 resurrection. 3) The preaching of Jonah, and 
 the preaching of Jesus. 4) The effect of the 
 one and of the oth.-r. 
 
 V. 42. HENRY: "The Queen of Sheba. 1) 
 She had no invitation to Solomon, nor promise 
 of being welcomed; but we are invited to 
 Christ, to sit at his feet and hear his words. 
 2) Solomon was but a wise man ; but Christ is 
 wisdom itself. 3) The queen had many diffi- 
 culties to break through leaving her country 
 to subordinates a laborious and perilous jour- 
 ney ; we have no such difficulties. 4) She could 
 not be sure that Solomon would equal his fame ; 
 but we come to Christ upon no such uncertain- 
 ties. 5) She came from the ends of the earth ; 
 but we have Christ among us, and his word 
 nigh us. 6) It should seem the wisdom she 
 came for was only philosophy and politics; 
 but the wisdom that is to be had with Christ 
 is wisdom unto salvation." 
 
 V. 43-45. Whenever a nation or an indi- 
 vidual attempts a reformation, the evil princi- 
 ples and habits that are cast out must be vigor- 
 ously and permanently replaced by good 
 principles and habits, or the evil will return 
 and be worse than ever. 
 
 V. 48. Jesus and his mother. 1) Trained 
 by her, Luke 2: 40. 2) Subject to her, Luke 
 2: 51. 3) Gently rebuking her a) Luke 2: 
 49; b) John 2:4; c) Matt. 12: 48. 4) Provid- 
 ing for her, John 19: 26 f. 5) Loving all true 
 Christians oven more than he loved her, v. 50. 
 EDEKSUEIM: "For had he not entered into
 
 282 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XIII. 
 
 CHAPTEK XIII. 
 
 THE same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat 
 by t hi> sea side. 
 
 2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto 
 him, s that he went into a ship, and sat; and the 
 whole multitude stood on the shore. 
 
 1 On that day went Jesus out of the house, and sat 
 
 2 by the sea side. And there were gathered unto him 
 great multitudes, so that he entered into a boat, and 
 
 earthly kinship solely for the sake of the 
 higher spiritual relationship which he was 
 about to found? Thus it was not that Christ 
 set lightly by his mother, but that he con- 
 founded not the means with the end, nor yet 
 surrendered the spirit for the letter of the law 
 of love." BKNGEL: "He does not contemn 
 the mother, but he puts the Father first." 
 CHRYS. : " If she is nothing profited by being 
 his mother, were it not for piety in her, hardly 
 will any one else be saved by his kindred. 
 For there is one only nobleness, to do the will 
 of God. This kind of noble birth is better 
 than the other, and more real." 
 
 FIRST GKEAT GROUP OF PARABLES. 
 
 Ch. 13: 1-23. THE PARABLE OF THE 
 SOWER. 
 
 The Parable of the Sower, and apparently 
 all those in ch. 13, were delivered on the same 
 day (v. i) with the discourse occasioned by the 
 blasphemy against the Spirit. (See on 12 : 
 22, 38.) Jesus went forth from the house in 
 which the blasphemous accusation had ocur- 
 red, and sat beside the Lake of Galilee, and 
 there spoke the parables of v. 1-35, viz., the 
 Sower, the Tares, the Mustard-seed, and the 
 Leaven. Then leaving the crowds and enter- 
 ing the house (V.SB), he added the parables of 
 the Hid Treasure, the Precious Pearl, and the 
 Net. (v. 36-53.) On the evening of that same 
 day (Mrk4:35) he went across the lake to the 
 district of Gadara, stilling the tempest on the 
 way, an/I there healed the two demoniacs 
 incidents which Matthew's mode of grouping 
 topically has led him to introduce in an 
 earlier part of his treatise. (8: isw9: 1.1 What 
 a busy day was this! beginning and ending 
 with miracles, and filled with remarkable dis- 
 courses. And our Lord felt to the full, in his 
 human nature, all that bodily and mental 
 fatigue and prostration which such labors 
 
 must produce. Seizing upon every oppor- 
 tunity of doing men good, excited by a con- 
 suming zeal, yearning in unutterable pity 
 over the perishing, oppressed by responsibili- 
 ties such as no other was ever called to feel, 
 and harassed by the most unjust and insult- 
 ing accusations, he toiled on through the day, 
 and at evening was so tired that he slept 
 soundly on the cushion amid all the tossing of 
 the waves and roar of the storm. Another 
 example of a very busy day is pointed out in 
 14: 33; a third was the day of the Passion ; 
 and doubtless there were many others, it being 
 only occasionally that the brief narratives of 
 the Evangelists give us any complete view of 
 his occupation throughout the d:iy. With this 
 section comp. Mark i: 1-25; Luke 8: 4-18. 
 
 1 f. The house, see 12: 46, and comp. Mark 
 3 : 20. Sat, the usual posture of a Jewish 
 teacher when giving instruction. (Comp. 5: 
 1.) By the sea side, the Lake of Galilee. 
 (See on 4: 18.) Great multitudes, or 
 'many crowds,' the same expression as in 
 4: 25; 12: 15, and often. These crowds so 
 thronged around him that he could not be 
 seen as he sat, and could not himself have any 
 commanding view of those he addressed. 
 When he entered the boat, probably swing- 
 ing by its cable or its anchor some feet from 
 the shore, and all the crowds stood upon the 
 sloping and sandy beach, the situation was a 
 beautiful one for agreeable and impressive 
 speaking. Much less probable is Plumptre's 
 view, that he entered a boat to prevent a "hos- 
 tile attack." The precise point on the lake 
 shore cannot be determined, but it wa. prob- 
 abty in the Plain of Gennesaret. Ship, or 
 boat, J as in Latin versions, Wye., and Rheims, 
 rather than 'ship,' as in Tyn. and followers. 
 (Comp. on 4: 21.) Stood on the shore, 
 beach, the exact word for the Greek, which 
 denotes a pebbly or sandy shore, such as the 
 Plain of Gennesaret exhibits. 
 
 1 It is probably safer to follow the text ' into a boat,' 
 rather than the common Greek text, which ought to 
 have been translated ' into the boat.' But the article 
 may have been omitted by Alexandrian correctors 
 
 recently mentioned in the narrative. So in 8 : 23 the 
 article is omitted by X, (second hand) B C, some cur- 
 sives. We could explain the article by referring to 
 Mark 3: 9, and supposing that the boat there ordered 
 
 (X B C L Z, some cursives), because no boat has been I had been kept for the use of the little company.
 
 CH. XIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 283 
 
 3 And be spake many things unto them in parables, 
 saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow ; 
 
 3 sat ; and all the multitude stood on the beach. Aud 
 he spake to them many things in parables, saying, 
 
 3. He spake many things unto them in 
 parables. The nature, design, and proper 
 interpretation of our Lord's parables is a sub- 
 ject of great importance. 
 
 1. The Greek word which we borrow in the 
 form parable signifies a comparison, convey- 
 ing literally the notion of putting things side 
 by side, whereby their resemblance will be 
 perceived. A corresponding Hebrew word 
 (mashal) is employed in the Old Test, to de- 
 note (1) an illustrative comparison (E*ek.i7:2; 
 2*:3) ; (2) a sententious saying or apophthegm, 
 such as frequently involves a comparison 
 
 (ProT. 1 : 1, 6; 26: 7, 9; Eccl. 12 ; ) ; (3) a Current, often 
 
 repeated saying of this kind, a proverb (isam. 
 
 10:12;24:13; Kiek. 12 : 22 ; 18 : 2. , etc. ) ; (4) any high 
 
 wrought expression, done into parallel clauses 
 like a comparison, as was common in Hebrew 
 
 poetry (Num. 23:7, 18; Job 27:1, 29:1; !. 14:4; Mlc. 2 : 4 ; 
 
 Heb. 2:6); (5) an obscure and deep saying 
 (pa.49:4; 78:2), since pithy comparisons fre- 
 quently require much reflection in order to 
 get their full meaning. It was natural that 
 the New Test, writers should employ the Greek 
 word with a somewhat similar latitude of ap- 
 plication. Accordingly we find it denoting 
 
 (a) an illustrative comparison without the form 
 
 Of narrative (l: 15; 24: 32; Mark 3: 23; Luke 5: 36; 6:39); 
 
 (b) an illustrative comparison in the form of 
 narrative, which is the common use in the 
 first three Gospels, and has occasioned the 
 popular restriction of the term to our Lord's 
 narrative illustrations; (c) a narrative illus- 
 tration not involving a comparison, as the Rich 
 Fool, the Pharisee and Publican, the Good Sa- 
 maritan, the Rich Man and Lazarus; (d) a 
 proverb (Luke4:2s), corresponding to which we 
 find that in John 10: 6 another word, which 
 strictly denotes a proverb, is applied to an 
 illustrative comparison; (e) a profound or 
 otherwise obscure saying (see on 13: 3o, and 
 comp. Ecclus. 38 : 33; 39: 2 f.) ; (f ) a symbol 
 or image not expressed in language at all. 
 (Heb.9:9; 11:19.) Commonly, then, in Matthew, 
 Mark, and Luke, (John does not employ it), 
 the word we borrow as parable denotes an 
 illustration, most frequently in the form of 
 narrative, and usually, in accordance with the 
 origin of the term, involving a comparison, 
 though sometimes, as in (c), it is only an ex- 
 ample of the matter in hand, a case in point. 
 
 The popular restriction of the term to narra- 
 tive illustrations, is unfortunate, for there is 
 no essential diiference between these and other 
 illustrative comparisons. (See Druinmond, 
 "Parabolic Teaching of our Lord.") Some 
 of the narrative parables are very brief, as in 
 v. 44 f. We are sometimes unable to decide 
 whether the narrative is real or fictitious. But 
 in the latter case the story is always possible, 
 while fables are often impossible, representing 
 beasts and trees as speaking, etc. The dis- 
 tinction some propose between parables and 
 allegories is precarious. Is not the parable of 
 the Prodigal Son an allegory? 
 
 2. Our Lord's design in employing these 
 characteristic illustrations must be considered 
 as manifold. (1) Like all other teachers, he 
 illustrates moral and spiritual truth by com- 
 parison of things physical and social, the ma- 
 terial for this abounding in actual analogies 
 between the two spheres of existence. Such 
 teaching by illustrative stories and other com- 
 parisons has from the earliest times been par- 
 ticularly common intheEast; a few examples 
 are found in the Old Test., 2 Sam. 12: 1-14; 
 Isa. 5 : 1-7, and the fables of Jotham, Judg. 
 9: 8, and of Joab, 2 Sam. 14: 5-7 ; and it ap- 
 pears from the Talmud that a like method was 
 common among the Jewish teachers in the 
 time of Christ, as for example (Gillj one-third 
 of Rabbi Meir's discourses consisted of para- 
 bles. In this as in other respects (comp. on 
 7 : 5\ Jesus adopted such methods of instruc- 
 tion as were natural to men in general, and 
 familiar to the Jews in particular. From the 
 rhetorical point of view our Lord's illustra- 
 tions are marked by exquisite simplicity 
 and elegance, as well as the profoundest 
 wisdom. Yet while of unequaled excellence, 
 they do not differ in kind, but only in 
 degree, from uninspired illustrations, and 
 must be interpreted on the same general 
 principles. (2) The parables also served to 
 put truths, at first but imperfectly understood, 
 into a compact and portable form, in which 
 they could be easily remembered, till they 
 should afterwards come to be understood 
 more thoroughly. (3) They enabled the 
 Great Teacher to state truths likely to give 
 offence, in such a form that the enquiring and 
 spiritually disposed could understand, while
 
 284 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIII. 
 
 eavilers would not see their point so ns to be 
 prematurely excited to violent hostility, and 
 thus, while instructing some in his miscella- 
 neous audience, he was not, in respect to 
 others, casting pearls before swine. Some- 
 times, too, a man's assent might thus be 
 guined to a principle before his prejudices 
 were aroused, as Nathan dealt with David. 
 (2 Sam. it: i ff.) (4) In so far as parables were 
 obscure to persons lacking in lively interest 
 and spiritual sympathy, our Lord employed 
 them as a judgment upon the willfully blind. 
 This, though not t:.> be reckoned his only 
 reason for using them so frequently from this 
 time forward, is the one which he states when 
 questioned about the matter on the present 
 occasion. (See on v. 10-17.) Henry: "A 
 parable, like the pillar of cloud and fire, 
 turns a dark side towards Egyptians, which 
 confounds them, but a bright side towards 
 
 Israelites, which comforts them A 
 
 parable is a shell that keeps good fruit for 
 the diligent, but keeps it from the slothful." 
 Calderwood: "There is a complete contrast 
 between the view taken in modern times of 
 our Lord's parables, and that taken by the 
 audiences to which they were first delivered. 
 Even those who are averse to accept Bible 
 teachirfg have an admiration of these gospel 
 parables; yet to those who heard them, they 
 were the most perplexing parts of Christ's 
 discourses." This is partly because the mean- 
 ing of the parables has become comparatively 
 plain, and partly because many skeptics now 
 regard the Gospels only as literature. 
 
 3. In the interpretation of parables, we 
 have the guidance of our Lord himself, who 
 has fully interpreted the parables of the 
 Sower and the Tares, and, to some extent, 
 that of the Net. Remember that our methods 
 must apply to all of his illustrations, and not 
 merely to the narratives, to which in popular 
 usage the term parable is restricted. There 
 are four things to be done. (1) We must 
 make sure of understanding the language of 
 the parable itself, and its various allusions to 
 physical phenomena or social usages. Thus 
 many fail to understand the wayside and the 
 rocky ground; the treasure hid in a field; 
 the patch of unfulled cloth upon an old gar- 
 ment, and the wineskins (:ir.); the double 
 invitation to a supper (LukeH:i6f.), etc. (2) 
 "We must ascertain what subject our Lord 
 
 here designed to illustrate. Sometimes he 
 himself states it, either before or after the 
 parable, or else the Evangelist mentions it in 
 recording the parable; in other cases, the 
 connection, if carefully observed, will suffi- 
 ciently indicate it, there being few instances, 
 if any, in which we are left to infer the sub- 
 ject simply from the tenor of the parable it- 
 self. (3) We must consider in what light the 
 parable presents this subject. Here it is im- 
 portant to regard the parable as a whole, just 
 as we do any other illustration, and not begin 
 by attempting to assign the meaning of par- 
 ticular items, without having considered the 
 general drift. Let it be taken for granted 
 that the Great Teacher used illustrations on 
 common-sense principles. (4) Then it re- 
 mains to determine how far the details may 
 be understood as separately significant. In 
 this we can have no general rule to guide us, 
 but must study the guidance our Lord has 
 given in his interpretations, exercise sound 
 judgment, and endeavor to avoid both ex- 
 tremes. The tendency has usually been 
 towards the extreme of giving a separate 
 spiritual meaning to every detail. Yet 
 Augustine already rebuked this by the re- 
 mark that it is only the ploughshare that 
 cuts the earth, while the other parts of the 
 plough are also necessary, and, indeed, in- 
 dispensable. That which is the mere filling 
 out of the story, the mere drapery of the 
 image, must be let alone. On the other 
 hand, it should be remembered that our 
 Lord has carried out his three interpretations 
 in much detail, and we must not reduce the 
 parable to a bare trunk, stripped of all its 
 foliage. In some cases the resemblance or 
 analogy is more complete than in others, and 
 the points of contact more numerous. There 
 may even be points in the illustration quite 
 the reverse of the thing illustrated, as when 
 our Lord's coming is compared to that of a 
 thief in the night, where there is, of course, 
 no resemblance except as to the unexpected- 
 ness of the coming; and so as to the unjust 
 steward (i-ukeie), whose conduct, while mani- 
 festly dishonest, is employed to illustrate the 
 importance of prudent foresight and prepara- 
 tion for the future. Alexander : "As the same 
 illustration may legitimately mean more to 
 one man than to another, in proportion to 
 the strength of their imaginative faculties, it
 
 Cn. XIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 285 
 
 4 And when he sowed, some sesds fell by the way- 
 side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 
 
 5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not 
 much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because 
 they had no deepness of earth: 
 
 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched ; 
 and because they had no root, they withered away. 
 
 4 Behold, the sower went forth to sow ; and as he 
 sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the birds 
 
 5 came and devoured them : and others fell upon the 
 rocky places, where they had not much earth: and 
 straightway they sprang up, because they had no 
 
 6 deepness of earth: and when the sun was risen, 
 they were scorched ; and because they had no root, 
 
 is highly important that, in attempting to de- 
 termine the essential meaning of our Saviour's 
 parables, we should not confound what they 
 may possibly be made to mean, with what 
 they must mean to attain their pnrpose." We 
 may lawfully employ some detail of a parable, 
 or even the whole (com p. on 12: 45), to illus- 
 trate some other truth than that to which he 
 applied it; but it must be done avowedly 
 upon our own authority. In general, the de- 
 tails of a parable must never be pressed into 
 teaching what is contrary to the plain, un- 
 figurative teaching of the Scriptures at large. 
 (See on v. 20 f. ) An illustration, however ad- 
 mirable, can only present its subject in certain 
 aspects. 
 
 4. There are three leading groups of our 
 Lord's parables. A good many isolated par- 
 ables have already occurred, with or without 
 the form of narrative, as (a) the wise and 
 foolish builders, 7 : 24-27 ; (b) wedding usages, 
 patching garments, wineskins, 9: 15-17; (c) 
 children at play, 11: 16-19; (d) the blind 
 guiding the blind, etc., Luke 6: 39 ff. ; (e) the 
 two debtors, Luke 7: 41 ff. ; (f) the evil spirit 
 returning, Matt. 12: 43-45; and it may be ob- 
 served that most of these sporadic parables 
 refer to the reception given to Christ's teach- 
 ings. Besides these, Matthew gives two lead- 
 ing groups: (1) The Messianic reign, its be- 
 ginnings and growth, ch. 13 ; given about the 
 middle of our Lord's ministry. (2) The 
 Messianic reign, its progress and consumma- 
 tion ; given just at the close of the ministry. 
 (3) Between these two groups in order of time, 
 we find a third group, given by Luke, ch. 13- 
 19, some of which relate to the Messianic reign, 
 but most of them to individual experiences. 
 
 The seven parables of ch. 13 are probably 
 but a selection from the ' many things' of v. 
 3. Mark 4: 26-29 gives another, not men- 
 tioned by Matthew, and the language of Murk 
 4: 33 implies that there were many others. 
 Like all our Lord's illustrations, the parables 
 of this first group were drawn from familiar 
 sources from agriculture, fishing, and mer- 
 chandise, from the preparation of bread, and 
 
 the finding of hid treasure, this last also being 
 in the East a familiar idea. 
 
 I. 3-9. THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER. 
 Found also in Mark 4: 3-9; Luke 8: 5-8. 
 This and the wicked husbandmen (21; w-*5) are 
 the only parables recorded by all three, Mat- 
 thew, Mark, and Luke. We may confine 
 ourselves here to explanation of the story 
 itself, the interpretation belonging to v. 19-23. 
 (See Notes there.) Behold, calling attention 
 to something important. Mark (* s) prefixes 
 'Hearken.' A (the) sower went forth to 
 sow, the definite article being employed to 
 designate an ideal individual, who represents 
 a class (comp. on 12 : 43), as if in a fable we 
 should say, "the farmer went out to look at 
 his crops." The expression shows that this is 
 not given as the narrative of a particular, 
 actual occurrence. Tyndale and Cranmer 
 gave 'the sower;' King James followed 
 Geneva. Some (seeds) fell by the wayside. 
 The roads passed right through the cultivated 
 lands (see on 12: 1), and as he sowed the 
 wheat or barloy, some of the grains would 
 fall on the beaten ground of the road or path, 
 and rebounding would lie exposed on the hard 
 surface, where the birds could readily see and 
 devour them. (Luke 8: 5 prefixes 'trodden 
 underfoot.') It is still common in the East 
 to see large flocks of birds following the hus- 
 bandman as he sows his wheat, and eagerly 
 picking up every grain that has not sunk out 
 of sight. Fowls, rather birds, se on 7: 26. 
 Some (others) fell upon stony, or the rocky 
 (places). Palestine is a limestone country 
 (comp. on 7: 24), and one will find places 
 where a broad, flat, limestone rock lies just 
 beneath the surface, with a thin layer of earth 
 upon it. (Comp. Luke 8: 6, 13, 'the rock.') 
 All the early English versions except Rheims 
 gave 'stony' (ground or places), thus sug- 
 gesting a soil abounding in loose stones, which 
 really often produces good wheat; yet the 
 Greek word was plain and unmistakable, from 
 the same root ns in 16: 18. In such places the 
 seeds could not sink deep, and the film of 
 earth being readily heated because of the
 
 286 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIII. 
 
 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung 
 up, and choked them : 
 
 8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth 
 fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirty- 
 fold. 
 
 9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 
 
 10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why 
 speakest thou unto them in parables? 
 
 11 He answered and said unto them. Because it is 
 given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom 
 of hcuven, but to them it is not given. 
 
 7 they withered away. And others fell upon the 
 thorns; and the thorns grew up, and choked them : 
 
 8 and others fell upon the good ground, ntid yielded 
 fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 
 
 9 He that hath ears, 1 let him hear. 
 
 10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why 
 
 11 speakest thou untc them in parables? And he an- 
 swered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to 
 know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but 
 
 1 Some ancient authorities add here, aud in ver. 43, to hear : as In Mark iv. 9 ; Luke viii. 8. 
 
 underlying rock, they would come up sooner 
 than elsewhere, and at first would look un- 
 commonly flourishing; but not being able 
 to send roots deep into moist earth (com p. 
 Luke 8: 6), when the hot, dry weather came, 
 the stalks would soon wither, and show that 
 the fair promise of a crop there had all been 
 deceptive. Comp. the " grass upon the house- 
 tops," Ps. 129: 6 f. Among or upon the 
 thorns, there being in his field some place or 
 places specially infested with these. Persons 
 accustomed to observe wheat-fields will re- 
 member to have seen spots where a few scat- 
 tered and spindling stalks were struggling for 
 life among the rank briers. Into or upon 
 the good ground, free from underlying 
 rock, and from thorns, and plowed deep. 
 Even this would produce more in some spots 
 than in others, according to the richness of the 
 soil and its preparation. A crop of even thirty 
 measures to one of seed is quite a good yield. 
 The richer countries of the East produce very 
 heavy crops (e. g. Gen. 26: 12), and some por- 
 tions of Galilee have always been singularly 
 fruitful. (Comp. on 4: 12.) Various classical 
 writers speak of crops as large as a hundred to 
 one, and even two hundred or more, in very 
 rich soil. The point of the whole story is that 
 the same seed produced no wheat, little wheat, 
 or much wheat, all according to the character 
 and preparation of the soil. Who hath ears 
 to hear, let him hear (see on 11 : 15), would 
 suggest to any attentive hearer that the story 
 was meant to convey spiritual instruction, 
 and that not all were likely to understand it. 
 
 II. 10-17. REASONS FOR SPEAKING IN 
 PARABLES. Comp. Mark 4: 10-12; Luke 8: 
 9 f. And the disciples came and said 
 nnto him. They had probably been scat- 
 tered among the crowds on the shore, and 
 they now approached the boat (*. 2), and per- 
 haps entered it, or else Jesus drew off from 
 the crowd for a time, during which occurred 
 this conversation with the disciples, and after- 
 
 wards resumed his discourse to the same or 
 similar crowds. Certain it is that the reasons 
 were given apart from the people, for Mark 
 (4: 10) explicitly says, 'And when he was alone,' 
 etc. It is also plain that several of the suc- 
 ceeding parables were addressed to 'the 
 crowds.' (See on v. 36.) These facts can be 
 accounted for on either of the above supposi- 
 tions. The 'disciples' here are not merely 
 the Twelve, for Mark (*:io)says, 'They that 
 were about him, with the twelve.' Others, 
 therefore, of his constant companions shared 
 the privilege of this conversation. The dis- 
 ciples did not see just what was meant by this 
 
 Story Of the SOWer (Lke8:9; Mark4:13), though 
 
 they saw that it was intended as a compar- 
 ison or parable to illustrate some religious 
 truth. And as parables in general were apt 
 to be obscure unless the application was given, 
 they wondered why the Teacher was employ- 
 ing them. Remember (Goebel) that he in- 
 troduced the story of the sower without pref- 
 ace, and closed it without application, simply 
 intimating that it required attention. In 
 parables, is plural, while, as far as we know, 
 only one parable had been spoken on this 
 occasion. Bnt the plural might be used as 
 designating the method of instruction in 
 general. (Comp. Mark 4: 11.) We remem- 
 ber also, that he had previously given scat- 
 tered parables, though not without indicating 
 the application. 
 
 It need not be supposed that our Lord 
 meant to give what follows as his sole reason 
 for employing parables in general. (Comp. 
 on v. 3.) We can see a special fitness in his 
 dwelling on this reason upon the present occa- 
 sion, for it was the day on which the Scribes 
 blasphemously accused him of league with 
 Beelzebul (see on 12 : 24 and 13 : 1) ; and he 
 was now surrounded by great and excited 
 crowds, whose enthusiasm he knew was 
 largely superficial and short-lived rocky- 
 ground hearers. Not very long after this
 
 CH. XIIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 287 
 
 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he j 12 to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to 
 shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, I him shall be given, and he shall have abundance : 
 from him shall be taken away even that he hath. | but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken 
 
 (u:S4-s), he had to dispel illusions among 
 fanatical followers by the searching discourse 
 of John 6: 26-66; and he appears (Bruce) to 
 be in the parable of the sower commencing 
 this work of warning and discrimination; so 
 also on a third and much later occasion, 
 (i.uke u: 25-S&.) Godet : " The design of Jesus is 
 first of all to show that he is not deceived by 
 the sight of this crowd, which is apparently 
 so attentive; then to put his disciples on their 
 guard against the expectations which such a 
 large concourse might create in their minds; 
 lastly, and more than all, to warn his hearers 
 of the perils which threatened the holy im- 
 pressions they were then experiencing." 
 There is also in not a few of these parables, 
 pnrticularly in the sower, the mustard seed, 
 and the leaven, consolation for Jesus himself 
 in reference to the comparatively small num- 
 ber of true converts he was thus far making. 
 (Comp. John 6: 37.) Because it is given 
 unto you, literally, ' has been given,' and so 
 stands as your established privilege. To 
 know the mysteries of the kingdom of 
 heaven, t. e., of the Messianic reign, see on 
 3:2. The word 'mystery' does not occur 
 elsewhere in the Gospels (except in Mark 4: 
 11 and Luke 8:- 10, parallel to this passage), 
 nor in the Acts, but is common in the Epistles 
 of Paul and the Revelation. The Greek, 
 word musterion signifies something into 
 which one is initiated, something hidden or 
 secret, and known only to the initiated. It 
 might be a very simple thing in itself, but it 
 was a secret. Yet some of the dotrincs be- 
 longing to the "Eleusinian mysteries" and 
 other secret associations of Greek, Egypt, etc., 
 were really profound, and difficult of com- 
 prehension, and so the word has gradually 
 come to suggest the idea of something in- 
 comprehensible, though we still sometimes 
 apply it to things which are merely hard 
 to find out. But in the New Test, use, 
 it uniformly denotes that which we could 
 not know unless revealed, whether it be 
 in its own nature simple or profound. Paul's 
 favorite application of it is to the great fact 
 that the Gentiles were to share in the salva- 
 tion of the gospel on equal terms with the 
 Jews, a fact always before kept in silence and 
 
 secrecy, but m/w manifested by God, and to 
 be everywhere proclaimed. (Rom. 16:25. r; Eph.s: 
 4.8; coi. i:28 f . ; i rim. : IB.) Our Lord is in this 
 series of parables setting forth views as to the 
 true nature of the Messianic kingdom such 
 as its partial acceptance among men, its small 
 beginnings andgradual spread, itsallowingthe 
 wicked to live on in the world mingled with its 
 subjects until the end which the mass of the 
 Jews were not spiritual-minded enough to 
 comprehend, nor humble enough to receive. 
 So he presents these views in the form of para- 
 bles, which would, with the help of his expla- 
 nations, make them clear to his disciples, but 
 would leave them mysteries (secrets) to the 
 unspiritual and unbelieving multitude. 'Se- 
 crets' is here the translation of Tyndale, 
 Cran., and Gen. Observe that these parables 
 carry on the work of instruction begun in the 
 Sermon on the Mount, as to the nature of the 
 Messianic reign. Here, as well as there, we 
 must frequently recall the popular Jewish 
 errors in regard to the character of that reign 
 errors from which the disciples themselves 
 were not entirely free in order to see the 
 precise aim and point of the discourse. This 
 is especially true in the parables of the Tares 
 and the Net, and in those of the Mustard-seed 
 and the Leaven. The phrase 'mysteries of 
 the kingdom,' recorded by all three Evan- 
 gelists (Mark 4: ii; Luke 8: in), should remind us 
 (Alexander) that this group of parables relate 
 especially to the Messianic reign ; while in so 
 doing, they of course involve individual char- 
 acter and destiny. 
 
 We must not suppose that Jesus meant, like 
 some of the Greek philosophers, to have cer- 
 tain (exoteric) doctrines for the masses, and 
 certain others (esoteric) which were confined 
 to a select few. The reverse is clearly shown 
 by what he adds in Murk and Luke after ex- 
 plaining the parable of the sower, ' for there is 
 nothing hid save that it should be manifested,' 
 
 etc., Rev. Ver., (Mrk4: 21-28: Luke8:l-18) ; comp 
 
 above on 10: 27, and below on v. 52. In v. 12 f., 
 he declares that he withholds some truths 
 from the outside crowd (iik4:ii) because of 
 their willful blindness. Some previous 
 knowledge of his teachings concerning the 
 Messianic reign was necessary in order to un-
 
 288 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIII. 
 
 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because 
 they seeing see not ; and hearing they hear not, neither 
 do they understand. 
 
 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, 
 which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not 
 understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not per- 
 ceive : 
 
 13 away even that which he hath. Therefore speak I 
 to them in parables; because seeing they see not, 
 and hearing they hear not, neither do they under- 
 
 14 stand. And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of 
 Isaiah, which saith, 
 
 By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise un- 
 derstand ; 
 
 And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise per- 
 ceive : 
 
 derstand the hidden truths he was now reveal- 
 ing; not (as Meyer and Bleek strangely in- 
 terpret v. 11) previous knowledge of the mys- 
 teries of the kingdom, but of his other 
 teachings as to the kingdom. Such knowl- 
 edge the unbelieving and careless had failed 
 to obtain or refused to receive. They saw 
 and yet did not see ( w), t. e., did not see the 
 real and full meaning of his teachings. 
 They were already becoming "gospel-har- 
 dened." Therefore (T. is) or more strongly, 
 on this account, refers to the general principle 
 just stated, that he who has not shall lose even 
 what he has; and the reason is then further 
 presented in another form by what follows, 
 because they seeing see not, etc. On this 
 account he taught in the form of comparisons, 
 which would be intelligible and impressive to 
 those prepared to understand, but unintelli- 
 gible tu those who by their willful ignorance, 
 neglect, and opposition, were unprepared. In 
 Mark (*:i2) and Luke (8. 10) it is stated as the 
 divine purpose, ' that seeing they may not 
 see,' etc. This statement and Matthew's do 
 not conflict with each other. That which was 
 a natural result of their character was also 
 a divine judgment upon them. It was not 
 only foreseen that they would not understand 
 these things, but designed that they should 
 not, as a punishment deserved by their char- 
 acter and conduct. These people were not 
 ignorant through lack of opportunity for 
 gaining knowledge, but were willfully negli- 
 gent, and even malignantly hostile to the truth 
 and the Teacher. (i : ) If we shrink sensi- 
 tively from the idea that the " Lord of heaven 
 and earth" reveals to some and hides from 
 others, we are strangely out of sj'tnpathy with 
 the feelings of Jesus and of Paul, who found 
 in this idea not only occasion of resignation, 
 but of adoration and joy. (11:25 1.-, Rom. 9: is ff.; 
 ii:3o-36.) Nor need we suppose that our Lord's 
 object in using parables was only to withhold 
 truth from the hardened as a judgment, for 
 the shortest way to do this would have been 
 (Chrys.) to say nothing to them at all. His 
 
 parables gave them still the opportunity to un- 
 derstand, if not too much hardened to do so, 
 and were even calculated to excite their curi- 
 osity, awaken their attention, and lodge some- 
 thing in their mind, the spiritual meaning of 
 which they might afterwards comprehend, if 
 any of them should come to have a better dis- 
 position. "For the stubborn and the frivo- 
 lous, this is still the only language which in a 
 happy moment can soften and awaken them. 
 After they have once heard it as a parable, 
 the figure sticks to them, the mirror is ever 
 turned towards them, and they cannot but 
 look into it at some time or other." 
 
 The saying of v. 12 is repeated in 25: 29; 
 the word more, which in Com. Ver. here 
 uselessly precedes abundance, is there not 
 introduced. In Luke 8: 18 (Mark*: 25) we find 
 this same general principle given as a reason 
 for taking heed how they hear. Perhaps our 
 Lord stated it both at the point given by Mat- 
 thew and also in his further remarks after the 
 explanation of the parable. If this seems im- 
 probable, we must conclude that the saying 
 was transposed either by Matthew, or by Mark 
 and Luke, to a different connection from that 
 in which it was spoken. As no writer could 
 tell everything, and some relation of topics 
 must be observed in the grouping, it would be 
 inevitable that such transpositions of particu- 
 lar remarks should sometimes occur. 
 
 14 f. And in them, or unto them (accord- 
 ing to the correct Greek text), so as to affect 
 them, as applying to them. Is fulfilled, pres- 
 ent tense, is being fulfilled. As in so many 
 ! other cases, it is Matthew only who reports 
 the citation of this prophecy. Mark (*:i) 
 I and Luke ( o) simply represent our Lord as 
 | using expressions derived from the prophecy. 
 Esaias, or Isaiah, see on 1 : 2. The citation 
 i is from Isa. 6: 9 f., and exactly follows the 
 Sept., which departs from the Heb. in only 
 one important particular. The prophet is 
 j directed to rebuke the people for their insen- 
 ! sibilty to God's cause; and though that crimi- 
 i nal insensibility would be increased by his
 
 CH. XIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 289 
 
 15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their 
 ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes 'they have 
 closed ; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, 
 and hear with their ears, and should understand with 
 their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal 
 them. 
 
 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your 
 ears, for they hear. 
 
 15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, 
 And their ears are dull of hearing, 
 And their eyes they have closed ; 
 Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, 
 
 And hpar with tli*ir pars 
 
 y sou per 
 
 And hear with their ears, 
 And understand with their heart, 
 And should turn again, 
 
 Ana. snoum turn again, 
 And I should heal them. 
 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see ; and your 
 
 message, he is yet to proclaim the message. 
 Accordingly he is told (in the Heb.), " Make 
 the heart of this people fat, and make their 
 ears dull and their eyes dim, lest," etc. This 
 bids him produce the effect by his message; 
 not that such an effect was in itself desired by 
 him or by Jehovah, but because his message 
 was going to be rejected and to have the effect 
 described, and still he must proclaim it. The 
 Sept. translators understood the Heb. differ- 
 ently, and rendered, "For this people's heart 
 has been made fat, and with their ears they 
 have heard heavily, and their eyes they have 
 closed," etc. This, as sufficiently expressing 
 the general idea of the passage (comp. on 3: 3), 
 is retained by Matt, here, and also by Luke 
 in Acts 28: 26 f. John (i2;*o) refers to the 
 same passage, and puts it, 'He hath blinded 
 their eyes and he hardened their heart,' etc., 
 i. e., God has done so a rendering which 
 gives the same idea as the Heb. So likewise 
 the expressions in Mark 4: 12 and Luke 8: 10 
 correspond not to the Sept., but to the Heb. 
 The insensibility of the people may be vari- 
 ously conceived of, as the result of their own 
 willful opposition, or as a judgment already 
 actually inflicted on them by God, or as a 
 judgment which would follow their rejection 
 of the prophet's message. God is continually 
 punishing men by that which is the natural 
 result of their own misconduct in violating 
 the natural laws which he has established. 
 The prophet's expression ' make the heart fat ' 
 involves the image of a heart enveloped in 
 fat, and thus less sensitive to impressions, and 
 less lively in its movement, with a resulting 
 dullness of the senses, so that it strikingly 
 represents a dull, stupid, and insensible mind. 
 We have seen on 6: 21 that the heart is con- 
 stantly used in Scripture as the seat of both 
 intelligence, sensibility, and will. "Fat as 
 
 have sought to explain it, but the divine pur- 
 pose. While God might wish them to hear and 
 believe and repent, even as he "wishes all 
 to be saved" (iTim.z:*), he did not design to 
 bring them all to this, in spite of themselves, 
 but it was his purpose to allow them to pursue 
 a course which would prevent them from ever 
 turning and being healed. Heal here in- 
 volves the idea of forgiving their sin, and 
 restoring them to spiritual health and the 
 favor of God. The multiplication of similar 
 and equivalent clauses in the passage is but 
 the common parallelism of Hebrew poetry 
 (see on 4: 16). Turn again. So Tynd.de 
 ' turn,' and Geneva ' return.' The Greek word 
 is the same as in 12: 44, 'I will return into my 
 house.' This is much better than the passive 
 rendering be converted of Com. Ver. (comp. 
 on 18: 3). As to the relation between 'turn' 
 and ' repent,' see on 3 : 2. A like insensibility 
 to that which the prophet would encounter 
 was found in the mass of our Lord's hearers 
 (comp. John 12: 40), and in the Jews who 
 assembled to hear Paul at Home. (Acts 28:25*.; 
 
 comp. also Rom. 11 : 8.) 
 
 the word ' fulfil 
 
 And since Matthew uses 
 (see on 1: 22), we under- 
 
 stand that the language in Isaiah was designed 
 by the Spirit of inspiration as a prediction, not 
 merely of the reception which the prophet's 
 message would meet with, but also of the like 
 reception which awaited the teaching of Mes- 
 siah and his servants. (Comp. on 1: 23.) 
 
 16 f. With this criminal insensibility of 
 many among his hearers, Jesus now again 
 contrasts the better condition and course of 
 his disciples, as above in v. 11 f. The terms 
 employed are suggested by the prophecy just 
 cited. Your, in v. 16, is very emphatic, as 
 shown by the position in Greek. But in tho 
 verbs, they see and they hear of v. 16, and 
 ye see and ye hear of v. 17, the pronoun is 
 
 to intellect," "fat as to understanding," are | not expressed in the Greek, and therefore is 
 
 phrases of classic Groek (Grimm). Lest at 
 any time. Lest haply, or ' lest perhaps,' is a 
 more probable rendering. The phrase ex- 
 presses, not the design of the people, as some 
 
 not emphatic. The disciples were blessed, 
 or happy (which is more exact ; see on 6: 3) 
 in the fact that they saw and henrd ; for the 
 things they witnessed were those to which
 
 290 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. XIII. 
 
 17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets 
 and righteous men have desired to see those things which 
 ye see, and have not seen them ; and to hear those things 
 which ye hear, and have not heard them. 
 
 18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 
 
 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, 
 and understau'deth it not, then cometh the wicked one, 
 and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. 
 This is he which received seed by the way side. 
 
 17 ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, that 
 many prophets and righteous men desired to see the 
 things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear 
 
 18 the things which ye hear, and heard them not. Hear 
 
 19 then ye the parable of the sower. When any one 
 heareth the word of the kingdom, and unders'tand- 
 eth it not, then cometh the evil one, and snatcheth 
 away that which hath been sown in his heart. This 
 
 many prophets and righteous men (see on 
 10: 41) had looked forward with longing, but 
 in vain. Here again (cornp. on 12: 28) Jesus 
 distinctly intimates that he is the Messiah. 
 Seeing and hearing are here to be understood 
 both of the senses and of the spirit ; they saw 
 the miracles and heard the teachings of Jesus, 
 and they understood and appreciated their 
 spiritual meaning. In Luke 10: 23 f., we find 
 similar language used on a different occasion. 
 It belongs to a class of sayings likely to be 
 repeated. (Comp. at the beginning of eh. 5.) 
 This congratulation was not confined to the 
 Twelve, for others also were present. (See 
 on v. 10. ) Olshausen: "All the longing de- 
 sires of the pious throughout the Old Test, 
 centred in the Messiah. To behold him was 
 the loftiest object of Old Test. hope. This 
 blessing was granted to the disciples, and all 
 their happiness, all their glory, consisted in 
 this, that they were illumined by the radiance 
 of the Sun of righteousness. The special grace 
 thus vouchsafed is brought to their remem- 
 brance by Christ, not to exalt them above the 
 Old Test, saints, but to lay them low before 
 the Lord." 
 
 III. 18-23. INTERPRETATION OF THE 
 PARABLE OF THE SOWER. Comp. Mark 4: 
 14-24 ; Luke 8 : 11-18. Our Lord's authorita- 
 tive explanation of this parable and that of the 
 Tares, furnishes us a model for the interpreta- 
 tion of his parables in general (comp. on v. 
 3), a beautiful medium between excessive 
 meagreness and excessive minuteness. Hear 
 ye therefore, better, then ye, with strong 
 emphasis on 'ye,' as distinguished from the 
 heedless and hardened Jews to whom he gave 
 no explanation. 'Then' presents this as a 
 consequence of the principles just before laid 
 down. 
 
 The idea of this parable as a whole is, that 
 as the same grain yielded variously, accord- 
 ing to the character and preparation of the 
 soil which received it, so the same word of 
 truth produces various effects according to the 
 way in which it is received. No analogy be- 
 
 tween physical and spiritual things can ever 
 be perfect. The soil was not responsible if it 
 was trampled, or rocky, or thorny ; but men 
 are accountable for hearing the word improp- 
 erly. This point the parable does not mean 
 to touch, confining itself to the general idea 
 above stated, and opening a way for the ex- 
 hortation, 'take heed therefore how ye hear.' 
 
 (Luke 8: 18, comp. Mark 4: 24.) The AVOrd of the 
 
 kingdom, is the word which tells of the 
 nature and requirements of the Messianic 
 reign. (See on 3: 2.) Luke(8:ii) has 'word 
 of God,' and Mark (*:i5) simply 'word.' 
 Comp. 'gospel of the kingdom' in 4: 23; 9: 
 35; 24: 14. This 'word of the kingdom' 
 means especially our Lord's own teachings; 
 and so in ' understandeth it not' the reference 
 is immediately to his own hearers. Yet it will 
 not do to say that 'the sower' distinctively 
 represents Christ; it is anyone who makes 
 known the word of the kingdom, as our Lord 
 intimates in Mark 4: 14, 'the sower sows the 
 word,' characterizing him not as a certain 
 person, but as the one who does a certain work. 
 Understandeth it not. Arnot suggests that 
 in English as in Greek, we may express both 
 the material and the moral failure by one 
 term 'does not take it in.' Truth that is not 
 understood, at least in some measure, can do 
 men no good. There is here reference to the 
 state of those described in v. 11-13; see the 
 same word 'understand' in v. 13. The peo- 
 ple were hardened into indifference, and some 
 of them even into malignant opposition to the 
 word, and hence they did not understand it. 
 Christianity is so eminently practical a 
 thing that one will not truly under- 
 stand it unless he is willing to receive 
 it. Pascal: "In other things, a man must 
 know in order to love; in religion he 
 must love in order to know." Whenever 
 through inattention, lack of spiritual sym- 
 pathy, unwillingness to receive, or opposi- 
 tion, men fail to 'understand' the word, it 
 cannot benefit them. It lies for a moment on 
 the surface of the mind, till by some one of
 
 CH. XIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 291 
 
 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, 
 the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with 
 joy receiveth it ; 
 
 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a 
 while : for when tribulation or persecution ariseth be- 
 cause of the word, by and by he is offended. 
 
 20 is he that was sown by the way side. And he that 
 was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that 
 heareth tho woi'd, and straightway with joy receiv- 
 
 21 eth it; yet hath he not root m himself, but eudureth 
 for a while; and when tribulation or persecution 
 ariseth because of the word, straightway he stum- 
 
 the thousand evil influences which Satan and 
 his subordinates employ, it is caught away. 
 Often the whole impression made on some 
 mind by a solemn sermon seems to be de- 
 stroyed the instant the service is over, by an 
 idle jest of a trifling comrade. The wicked, 
 or evil one; see on 6: 13; 12: 45, and comp. 
 13 : 5k f. Mark (*: is) has 'Satan,' and Luke 
 (8.- 12) 'the devil.' It is idle to profess faith in 
 the teaching of Jesus, and question the exist- 
 ence and personality of Satan. Snatcheth 
 away better renders the Greek than catcheth 
 away ; the idea is of suddenly and violently 
 seizing and carrying off. Sown in his heart, 
 the seat of intelligence and will, as well as of 
 feeling; see on 6 : 23. This is he which re- 
 ceived seed, or was sown by the wayside, 
 comp. on v. 4. It might seem to us more 
 natural that the different classes of hearers 
 should be represented by different kinds of 
 soil ; but our Lord makes the seed that fell in 
 the different places represent them, which 
 amounts to the same thing. The comparison 
 is a general one. The case of the seed sown 
 beside the road, and snatched away by the 
 birds, corresponds to the case of the hearer 
 who does not understand the word, etc. ; and 
 our Lord avoids circumlocution by simply 
 comparing the hearer to the seed. (So in v. 
 20, 22, 23.) The rendering of Com. Ver., 'he 
 that received seed,' is quite unwarranted; it 
 was derived from Cranmer, while Tyn. had 
 translated correctly; and in Mark 4: 16, 18, 
 the same words are correctly rendered in 
 Com. Ver., 'they which are sown.' Some 
 have proposed to render here 'this is that 
 sown,' viz., the seed sown; but that seems to 
 be forbidden by the expressions of Mark 4 : 15 
 and Luke 8: 12. Whatever view of the 
 phraseology be adopted, the general meaning 
 remains the same, and is obvious to all. 
 
 20 f. Into stony, upon the rocky (places) ; 
 see on v. 5. Like the wheat sown on a thin 
 layer of earth spread over a rock, the gospel 
 will produce some impression on such persons 
 sooner than elsewhere, and the effect will look I 
 extremely promising for a time, so that people j 
 think this person will soon be a Christian, or 
 
 even that he is so already. But when persecu- 
 tion or any severe test of principle occurs, it 
 is at once seen that the thing was not deeply 
 rooted, for it perishes without having pro- 
 duced any real results. Anon. Better straight- 
 way, which was formerly the meaning of 
 'anon.' With joy. It is often the case that 
 superficial and transient religious impressions 
 produce a speedier and more boisterous joy 
 than those which are deep and genuine. 
 Such joy may result from general views of 
 the beauty of piety and the blessedness of 
 possessing it, with a self-deceived appropria- 
 tion of its consolations and hopes; or from 
 the excitement of natural feeling by touching 
 allusions and fervid appeals; or from mere 
 sympathy with kindred and friends ; or even 
 from utterly erroneous notions of religion, 
 with the elation of self-righteousness and 
 spiritual pride. See an example on a large 
 scale in John 6: 15, 22, 66. But the deepest 
 religious experiences may also produce, and 
 ought to produce, a true and abiding joy. 
 But dureth for a while, literally is tem- 
 porary, the same Greek word as in 2 Cor. 
 4: 18, 'the things which are seen are tem- 
 poral,' or ''temporary,' and in Heb. 11: 25, 
 literally 'to have temporary enjoyment of 
 sin.' Such "temporary Christians" abound 
 in times of extraordinary revival. For, lit- 
 erally, and, when tribulation or persecu- 
 tion. The Com. Ver. most unwarrantably 
 translated 'for when' following Tyndale, 
 Gran., and Gen. Such loose handling of par- 
 ticles was one of the gravest defects in the 
 learning of that age. ' Tribulation' is a more 
 general term, 'persecution ' a more particular 
 one. See the former also in 24: 9, 21, 29. The 
 remote association of this Latin word with 
 the process of threshing is often referred to 
 by preachers, but the Greek word has no 
 such association. It means simply pressure, 
 affliction, etc. It is best translated in the 
 New Test, sometimes by tribulation, and 
 sometimes by affliction. The Rev. Ver. has 
 made some good changes in both directions, 
 e. g., 1 Cor. 7: 28; 2 Cor. 1: 4, 8. By and 
 by, properly straightway, the same Greek
 
 292 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIII. 
 
 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he 
 that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and 
 the deceit fulness of riches, choke the' word, and he 
 bcfoiiK-th unfruitful. 
 
 '2'.\ Hut he that received seed into the good ground is 
 he that heareth the word, and understandeth it ; which 
 also beareth fruit, andbringeth forth, some a hundred- 
 fold, some sixty, some thirty. 
 
 22 bleth. And he that was sown among the thorns, 
 this is he that heareth the word ; and the care of 
 the i world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke 
 
 23 the word, and he beconieth unfruitful. And he 
 that was sown upon the good ground, this is he that 
 heareth the word, and understaudeth it ; who verilv 
 beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundred- 
 fold, some sixty, some thirty. 
 
 1 Or, age. 
 
 word as in v. 20 and v. 6. The person de- 
 scribed immediately receives the word with 
 joy, and when trouble comes, immediately 
 he stumbles. This is a prominent feature in 
 the characterization ; but Com. Ver. has, as 
 so often, obscured the verbal connection by 
 employing three different terms, 'forthwith,' 
 'anon,' 'by and by.' He is offended, or 
 stumbleth, or 'is made to stumble.' Tyndale 
 and Gran, give 'falleth;' it was Gen. that 
 here introduced the unlucky rendering ' is 
 offended.' The word has been explained on 
 5: 29, and has here the second sense there 
 given ; the man finds an obstacle to progress, 
 and abandons the gospel he had apparently 
 received. (Comp. 24: 10.) Luke (8:is) has 
 an equivalent expression, 'fall away.' Only 
 when grain is produced does a crop of wheat 
 amount to anything; only permanent piety 
 is real piety. 
 
 22. Among the thorns, comp. on v. 7. 
 That heareth the word. No further ex- 
 pression is here appended, such as 'under- 
 stands' (v. i, 2), or 'with joy receives it' (v-so), 
 but it is simply said ' hears,' the connection 
 showing that the impression at first made is 
 afterwards destroyed. The care of this 
 world. The correct Greek text omits ' this,' 
 as also in v. 40. For 'care' we could hardly 
 use ' anxiety ' in this place, as in 2 Cor. 11 : 28, 
 'anxiety for all the churches,' and as the verb 
 is translated ' be anxious ' in 6 : 25 (see Notes) ; 
 but "worldly anxieties" will exactly express 
 the idea conveyed. 'The world' as in 13: 
 39 f. and 12: 32, means the present age or 
 world-period, with all its affairs ; comp. 2 
 Tim. 4: 10, 'having loved this present world,' 
 and see on 25: 46. The deceitfnlness of 
 riches is a stronger expression than simply 
 deceitful riches; it presents deceitfulness not 
 merely as a quality of riches, but as here the 
 prominent thought; comp. ' the uncertainty 
 of riches' (irim. BMT. Eev.ver.), 'newness of life' 
 (Rom. e: M); also Heb. 3: 13; 2 Thess. 2: 10. 
 Riches deceive men in many ways : as to the 
 means of acquiring them, making things look 
 
 honest that are not so ; as to the reasons why 
 we desire them, and the objects for which we 
 intend to use them, etc. Some professed 
 Christians imagine that they are so absorbed 
 in the pursuit of gain, and so reluctant to give 
 much at present, simply from a desire to be 
 able to do great things hereafter; when the 
 true reason is that they love wealth. And we 
 must remember that riches often as grievously 
 deceive and distract those who vainly seek, as 
 those who obtain them. " They that desire to 
 be rich" (iTim. 6: 9,Eev. Ver.), may get the evil 
 consequences without getting the wealth. 
 Luke (8: u) adds a third point, "and pleasures 
 of this life." Unfruitful. As fruit-bearing 
 is the test, they are thus shown to have no 
 real piety. Alas! how often men seem deeply 
 stirred, by the word of the gospel, and per- 
 haps resolve that they will give heed to the 
 message, perhaps for a while seem diligently 
 to do so, but worldly anxieties, especially 
 about wealth, and worldly desires (Mark 4: 19), 
 and worldly pleasures (i^nxe 8: u), soon get com- 
 plete possession of the mind, and all the seem- 
 ing good effect is gone, leaving the soul a very 
 thicket of thorns. Bruce : " It may be asked 
 who has a chance of bringing forth fruit unto 
 perfection, for what character is free from 
 thorns? But the question is not, who is free 
 from evil desires, or from temptation to inor- 
 dinate affection, but what attitude you assume 
 towards these." 
 
 23. Into upon the good ground, comp. 
 on v. 8. Good ground here stands in contrast 
 with the three other kinds of ground, and so 
 (Goebel) is conceived of as a soil soft, deep, 
 and clean. Understandeth, see on v. 19. 
 Also "better verily, not the word commonly 
 rendered verily, but another, which is hard to 
 render, but calls attention to this person, 
 marks him out as distinctively the one who 
 performs the action ; all the others fail, this is 
 the one that bears fruit. (Comp. Meyer, and 
 Moulton in Winer, p. 578.) Some a hun- 
 dred-fold, etc. Even of those who truly un- 
 derstand and receive the word, some exhibit
 
 CIL XIIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 293 
 
 better results than others. O'dl : " The fruits 
 of grace in believers are of the same quality, 
 yet not of the same quantity." That which 
 yields a less abundant harvest is still called 
 good ground, seeing that it does produce a 
 real crop. So the servant who made a good 
 use of but two talents was a good and faithful 
 servant. (20:23.) Yet we should all desire and 
 strive to be not merely of those who bring 
 forth, but of those who bring fortli a hundred- 
 fold. Ambition is a worthy and noble thing, 
 when it aims at eminent usefulness, rises 
 above envy and jealousy, and subordinates 
 everything to the glory of God. It has been 
 remarked that this last class is distinctly con- 
 trasted with each of the others: they 'under- 
 stand,' in opposition to the first class; they 
 'hold it fast in a good heart' (Luke8:i5), in op- 
 position to the second class ; they 'bring forth 
 fruit with patience' (Lukes: 15) in opposition to 
 the third class. Yet in this last case the com- 
 parison is scarcely just ; for the third class did 
 not bring forth fruit at all, as is shown by the 
 'unfruitful' of Matthew and Mark, and by 
 Luke's expression (8: M) 'bring no fruit to 
 perfection.' 
 
 The illustration cannot touch at all points. 
 It takes no account of the fact that the condi- 
 tion of the spiritual soil may be altered by 
 divine grace that the trampled ground can 
 become soft, the rocky ground deep, and the 
 thorns be rooted out. The inspired teachers 
 in general go straight forward with the subject 
 in hand, and towards the point in view, with- 
 out pausing at every step to guard against 
 misapprehension, or to introduce related 
 truths; otherwise their discourse would gain 
 no momentum, and exert no force. Other 
 passages of Scripture will always furnish the 
 means of preventing misapprehension or of 
 completing the view. But, taken within the 
 limits of its design, this parable is strikingly 
 comprehensive. All those who hear the word 
 to no real profit may without straining be re- 
 ferred to one of the three classes first given ; 
 and the fourth class comprehends various 
 grades of actual fruitfulness. 
 
 HOMILETICAt, AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 2. The most spiritual preaching must not 
 neglect to seek helpful outward conditions. 
 Our houses of worship should be so constructed 
 that the people may clearly see and easily hear 
 
 the preacher. Many costly and handsome 
 buildings are in these respects so extremely 
 defective as to be an abomination. If the 
 Master took pains in this regard, shall not we? 
 JEROME: "A crowd is of many minds, and 
 so he speaks to them in many parables, that 
 each might receive appropriate instruction. 
 He did not speak everything in parables, but 
 many things mingling the perspicuous with 
 the obscure, that by what they understand 
 they may be aroused to seek knowledge of 
 what they do not understand." V. 9. He 
 that hath ears. 1) Many will not hear spirit- 
 ual truths even with the outward ear. 2) None 
 can hear spiritual truth understandingly, 
 unless they have some desire for spiritual 
 profit. 3) Whoever sees some meaning in 
 spiritual teaching should earnestly seek to 
 know more thoroughly. 4) The religious 
 teacher must not be discouraged by the failure 
 of some, so long as others can and do really 
 hear. CHRYS. : "Even though the lost be 
 more than such as receive the word, yet they 
 were not to despond. For this was the case 
 even with their Lord, and he who fully fore- 
 knew that these things should be, did not de- 
 sist from sowing." 
 
 V. 11. Conditions of gaining a deep knowl- 
 edge of Christianity. 1) A real desire to 
 know thoroughly, c.omp. Heb. 6:1. 2) Some 
 existing knowledge as a preparation for learn- 
 ing more, v. 11, 12, 16. 3) Earnest effort to 
 understand what is seen and heard, v. 13. 4) 
 Practical conformity to the knowledge already 
 gained, comp. John 7: 17. Christianity is in- 
 tensely practical knowing and doing must 
 advance hand in hand. V. 11-13. Truth is not 
 withheld from any by arbitrary divine allot- 
 ment, but as the penalty of previous neglect 
 and hostility (12:24); comp. Kom. 1: 28. 
 CHRYS: "It was a voluntary and self-chosen 
 blindness; therefore he said not, simply, they 
 see not, but seeing they see not; for they saw 
 even demons cast out, and ascribed it to the 
 prince of the demons." THEOPHYL. : "To 
 give them plain teaching would have been to 
 cast pearls before swine." V. 14 f. A pic- 
 ture of many who reject God's word. 1) 
 Slight attention, and no real understanding, 
 v. 14. 2) Cause of this in dull torpor of 
 thought and feeling, v. 15 a. 3) Effect in 
 preventing them from turning and being 
 saved, v. 16 b. V. 17. TIIEOPHYL. : " In
 
 294 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIII. 
 
 24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, 
 The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which 
 sowed good seed in his field: 
 
 24 Another parable set he before them, saying, The 
 kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that 
 
 two respects the apostles excelled the prophets, 
 in seeing bodily, and in better understanding 
 spiritually." 
 
 V. 18-23. Even if preaching were in itself 
 perfect, it would have a very different effect 
 upon different classes of hearers. Our work 
 cannot be fairly tested by its actual results, 
 but rather by its tendencies, aims, and adapta- 
 tions. Yet a religious teacher should earnestly 
 seek for tangible results, both in winning and 
 in building up. CHRYS. : " Mark this, I pray 
 thee, that the way of destruction is not one 
 only, but there are differing ones, and wide 
 apart from one another. Let us not soothe 
 ourselves upon our not perishing in all these 
 ways, but let it be our grief in whichever 
 way we are perishing." V. 19. The gospel 
 not understood. I. Causes. (1) Indifference 
 and inattention to it. (2) Prejudices which 
 exclude it. (3) Desire to do things it forbids, 
 (4) Insensibility through previous neglect. 
 II. Consequences. (1) It does not reach the 
 deeper affections. (2) It gives no impulse to 
 the will. (3) It never touches the life. (4) It 
 soon passes away from the memory. V. 20 f. 
 The temporary Christian. 1) How he re- 
 ceives the gospel; a) promptly, b) joyfully, 
 c) with rich apparent effects upon life. 2) 
 How he abandons the gospel ; a) certainly 
 before long, b) as soon as ever serious trial 
 comes, c) without any permanent benefit to 
 character or life. V. 22. CHRYS.: "There 
 is a way, if thou wilt, to check this evil 
 growth, and to make the right use of our 
 wealth. Therefore he said not 'the world,' 
 but 'the care of the world"; nor 'riches,' 
 but 'the deceitfulness of riches.' Let us not, 
 then, blame the things, but the corrupt mind. 
 For it is possible to be rich and not to be de- 
 ceived; and to be in the world, and not to be 
 choked with its cares." ORIGEN: "The apos- 
 tle's 'anxiety for all the churches' is not 
 'anxiety about the world.' " V. 23. How to 
 treat the gospel. 1) Hear it, 2) understand 
 and receive it, 3) act it out. 
 
 24-43. THE TARES, THE MUSTARD-SEED, 
 THE LEAVEN. 
 
 After explaining the parable of the Sower, 
 our Lord proceeds to utter several other par- 
 ables. The first three of these were clearly 
 
 spoken on the same occasion hs that of the 
 Sower; for the 'multitudes' of v. 34 and 36 
 seem to be plainly the same as those of v. 2; 
 and the 'house' of v. 36 the same as that of v. 1; 
 the language of v. 51 and 54 makes it probable 
 that the other three also were spoken on the 
 same occasion. Mark (*; 26-29) has at this point 
 another parable drawn from sowing seed, 
 which forms a sort of pair with that of the 
 Sower. Here then are eight parables, in four 
 pairs, since that of the Net closely resembles 
 that of the Tares. Keim urges that the par- 
 ables of the Mustard-seed and the Leaven, 
 asserting the victorious extension of the king- 
 dom of heaven throughout the world, could 
 not have been delivered in the same breath 
 with the Sower and the Tares, which are " re- 
 signed and melancholy." But why may not 
 the Great Teacher have naturally introduced 
 more hopeful views for needed relief to his 
 own mind and to his hearers? Such quick 
 reactions of strong feeling easily occur. There 
 is thus here no occasion for rejecting Mat- 
 thew's order. 
 
 I. 24-3O. THE PARABLE OF THE TARES 
 GIVEN. Put he forth unto, or set before, 
 them, an image derived from setting food 
 before persons, as the word is used in Mark 
 8:6; Acts 16:34; 1 Cor. 10: 27. (Comp. 
 v. 31.) Jerome carries out the image, com- 
 paring the different parables to different ar- 
 ticles of food, suited to one guest or another. 
 'Them' here means not the disciples only 
 (v. 10), butthe people in general again, (r.si.as.) 
 As to the parable of the Tares (which is given 
 by Matthew only"), we must notice here the 
 illustration itself, reserving its interpretation 
 for the Notes on v. 37-43. 
 
 The kingdom of heaven is likened, 
 literally, was likened. This kingdom or reign 
 has been already begun, and so the resem- 
 blance may be spoken of as existing in the 
 past. Or, we may understand it in the sense 
 that the kingdom of heaven was likened, be- 
 came like, and so is now like. Nicholson 
 understands it to mean that some such par- 
 able as this already existed; and so in 18: 23 
 and 22 : 2. But the phrase does not at all re- 
 quire such a supposition, and while Jesus used 
 some current ideas and expressions, there is
 
 CH. XIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 295 
 
 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed 
 tares among the wheat, and went his way. 
 
 26 But wnen the blade was sprung up, and brought 
 forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 
 
 27 So the servants of the householder came and said 
 unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? 
 from whence then hath it tares? 
 
 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. 
 The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go 
 and gather them up? 
 
 29 But he said, Nay ; lest while ye gather up the 
 tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 
 
 25 sowed good seed in his field : but while men slept, 
 his enemy came and sowed l tares also among the 
 
 26 wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang 
 up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares 
 
 27 also. And the * servants of the householder came 
 and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed 
 
 28 in thy field? whence then hath it, tares? And he 
 said unto them, 8 An enemy hath done this. And 
 the 2 servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we 
 
 29 go and gather them up ? But he saith, Nay ; lest 
 haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the 
 
 1 Or, darnel.... '2 Gr. bondsercanti. . . .3 Gr. A man that is < 
 
 no reason elsewhere to suppose that he bor- 
 rowed an entire illustration ; and this parable 
 and that of 22: 2, are in themselves particu- 
 larly unlikely to have been given by any 
 previous teacher, being so utterly at variance 
 with current Jewish thought and feeling. 
 The future tense is used, shall be like 
 (likened), in 7: 24, 26 ; 11 : 16; 25: 1; and 
 the present tense in 11: 16; 13: 31-52; 20: 1. 
 Unto a man. The Messianic reign (3: 2) re- 
 sembles not simply the man who sowed, but 
 the parable as a whole; the comparison is 
 simply affirmed, here and elsewhere, with ref- 
 erence to the leading personage of the story, 
 or the object it is natural to mention first. 
 Comp. v. 44, 45, 47; 18: 23; 20: 1; 25: 1. 
 But while men slept (comp. Job 33: 15), 
 viz., at night, when there was none to ob- 
 serve. There is no reference to any particular 
 men as negligentlj 7 sleeping; it is simply 
 meant that the enemy selected an opportunity 
 for secretly doing an injury. The word ren- 
 dered tares has been the subject of much 
 discussion, but it is pretty generally agreed 
 that it denotes darnel, a plant of the same 
 family as wheat, and not readily distinguished 
 from it in the early stages. Jerome, who 
 lived in Palestine A. D. 385-420, states that it 
 was quite difficult to distinguish them until 
 the head of the wheat appeared. Robinson, 
 journeying in Galilee in April, 1852, says, 
 "Our path now lay through fields of wheat 
 of the most luxuriant growth ; finer than 
 which I had not before seen in this or 
 any other country. Among thoso splendid 
 fields of grain are still found the tares spoken 
 of in the New Testament. As described to j 
 me, they are not to be distinguished from 
 the wheat until the ear appears. The seed re- 
 sembles wheat in form; but is smaller and 
 black. In Beirflt poultry are fed upon this ; 
 seed ; and it is kept for sale for that purpose. 
 When this is not separated from the wheat, 
 
 bread made from the flour often causes dizzi- 
 ness to those who eat of it. All this corre- 
 sponds with the lolium temulentum, or bearded 
 darnel." So the seeds of the tares were not 
 merely useless for human food, but noxious, 
 which face <Plumptre) adds to the point of the 
 parable. Thomson, ii., p. 395, says that often 
 "the roots of the two plants are so inter- 
 twined that it is impossible to separate them 
 without plucking up both." The notion that 
 the tares were a degenerate wheat, and by 
 cultivation could be made to become wheat 
 again, has been very pleasing to some minds, 
 because it corresponds to the fact that wicked 
 men are fallen and may be restored. Such a 
 notion as to darnel appears in the Talmud, 
 and is entertained by some persons in Pales- 
 tine now ; and also by some American wheat- 
 growers as to what they call "cheat/' But 
 (Thomson) it is not supported by adequate 
 evidence, and the fancy may be abandoned 
 without regret, for it would introduce an idea 
 quite apart from the design of the parable. 
 Among the wheat, in the Greek a strong 
 expression, all through the midst of the wheat 
 making the separation particularly difficult. 
 And went his way, away, so that no one 
 knew what he had done. This practice of 
 sowing noxious seeds in an enemy's wheat- 
 field is said to be still found in the East, 
 though Thomson has never been able to hear 
 of an instance, and is not unknown in other 
 countries. The blade, the word rendered 
 grass in 6: 30; 14: 19. And brought forth 
 fruit, not here the ripe grain, but the heads 
 containing the grain, which would show tho 
 character of the plant. Servants, slaves, dou- 
 ioi, see on 8: 6. Householder, soe on 10: 25, 
 where it is rendered 'master of the house.' Sir, 
 see on 8: 2. An enemy, literally as in margin 
 Rev. Ver., a man thut is an enemy. The 
 harvest, more exactly, t he* se.asnn nf harvest, 
 see on 11 : 25. Gather together and gather
 
 296 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 CH. XII.] 
 
 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in 
 the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye 
 together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to 
 burn them : but gather the wheat into my barn. 
 
 31 Another parable put he forth unto* them, saying. 
 The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard 
 seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field : 
 
 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when 
 it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becoin- 
 eth a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge 
 in the branches thereof. 
 
 30 wheat with them. Let both grow together until the 
 harvest; and in the time of the harvest, I will gay 
 to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind 
 them in bundles to burn them : but gather the wheat 
 into my barn. 
 
 31 Another parable set he before them, saying, The 
 kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard 
 seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field : 
 
 32 which indeed is less than all seeds ; but when it is 
 grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becometh 
 a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and 
 lodge in the branches thereof. 
 
 in v. 30 represent different words, but amount- 
 ing to the same thing; the first might be 
 translated 'collect.' Into my barn, rendered 
 'garner' in 3: 12. 
 
 We might suppose that so many different 
 parables spoken on the same occasion would 
 confuse the minds of the hearers, and thus 
 fail to be understood or remembered. But 
 only a part of them were spoken to the people 
 at large (. se), and these not in immediate suc- 
 cession, (v. 10; Mark 4: 10.) 
 
 II. 31-33. PARABLES OF THE MUSTARD- 
 SEED AND THE LEAVEN. The former is found 
 also in Mark 4 : 30-32 ; and both in Luke 13 : 
 18-21, as spoken on a later occasion. Some 
 critics wonder why other parables were intro- 
 duced between the parable of the Tares and 
 the interpretation of it. Do not these, in cor- 
 recting a common Jewish error, help to pre- 
 pare the mind for understanding the import- 
 ant correction and instruction given by the 
 parable of the Tares? Lutteroth suggests that 
 the disciples, after the rebuke of Mark 4 : 13, 
 delayed asking the interpretation to see if 
 they could think it out; a notion which may 
 not be wholly fanciful. Probably they did 
 see the meaning of the parables of the Mus- 
 tard-seed and the Leaven, which is compara- 
 tively obvious, and so did not ask an inter- 
 pretation of them, (v. .16.) It will be found in- 
 teresting to compare the four successive para- 
 bles derived from the growth of seeds, viz., 
 the Sower, the Tares, the Seed growing of 
 itself (Mar* *:*-), the Mustard-seed. 
 
 Put forth, etc. Set before them, see on v. 
 24. The kingdom of heaven, the Messi- 
 anic reign, see on 3: 2. A grain of mus- 
 tard-seed. This is most likely the common 
 mustard, which in the hot countries of the 
 East is sometimes found eight or ten feet 
 high. Thomson: "I have seen it on the rich 
 plains of Akkar as tall as the horse and his 
 rider." Hackett ("Illustrations of Scrip- 
 ture") saw stalks seven and nine feet high, 
 
 and before his eyes a bird came and perched 
 on a branch and sung, (Comp. Clark. ) Thom- 
 son, ii., p. 163, mentions one that was more 
 than twelve feet high. Some expressions in 
 the Talmud go beyond this, but Edersheim 
 accounts for them as exaggerations. Mal- 
 donatus (sixteenth century) speaks of seeing 
 great mustard-plants in Spain, with numerous 
 birds sitting on the branches and eagerly de- 
 vouring the seeds. Meyer and others think 
 that a tree is meant, now called Salandora 
 Persica, which abounds on the shores of the 
 Sea of Galilee. It grows twenty-five feet 
 high, but has a small seed of pungent taste, 
 used for the same purposes as mustard. But 
 if a real tree were meant, it would be useless 
 to say that it "is greater than the herbs, and 
 becomes a tree." So we must understand the 
 real mustard-plant. Field, the Greek de- 
 noting a piece of cultivated ground, whether 
 large or small. Less thanaU seeds is equiva- 
 lent to a superlative (as in 11 : 11). Greatest 
 among literally greater than the herbs 
 must be taken strictly as a comparative; it 
 rises above its own class of plants, and be- 
 comes a tree. The birds of the air, or 
 heaven, see on 6: 26. Lodge, or 'make their 
 habitations,' see on 8: 20, and comp. Dan. 4: 
 12; Psa. 104: 12. The branches thereof, 
 rather its branches, see on 6 : 34, The mus- 
 tard-seed seems to have been proverbially 
 used to represent anything very small (comp. 
 17: 20; Luke 17: 6), as we find it so used 
 (Lightf., Edersh.)in the Rabbinical writers. 
 A Buddhist writing says (Lutteroth): "Meru, 
 the greatest of mountains, never bows before 
 a mustard-plant." Our Lord is of course not 
 asserting it as a scientific fact, that this is 
 smaller than all other seeds in the world, but 
 is speaking popularly, this being the smallest 
 that his hearers were accustomed to sow, or 
 the smallest that produced a large plant. 
 
 No interpretation of this parable is given, 
 but its application is plain from the nature of
 
 CH XIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 33 Another parable spake he unto them : The king- 
 dom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman 
 took, and hid in three " measures of meal, till the whole 
 was leavened. 
 
 33 Another parable spake he unto them : The king- 
 dom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman 
 took, and hid in three ] measures of meal, till it was 
 all leavened. 
 
 a The word in the Greek is a measure continuing about u peck and a half wanting a lilt 
 
 ttai 
 
 denotes tue Hebrew scab, a measure containing ueurl; a peck imd a half. 
 
 plat. 1 The word In the Greek 
 
 the case. It represents the growth of Chris- 
 tianity in the world, from small beginnings, 
 to vast dimensions at last. Some understand 
 it as representing also the gradual progress of 
 piety in the individual ; but the use of the 
 phrase 'kingdom of heaven' throughout this 
 series of parables, and in the Gospels at large, 
 appears to confine the view to the former 
 thought. The disciples and other Jews, cling- 
 ing to the notion of a vast and splendid earthly 
 kingdom, would think it very strange that 
 Messiah's reign should begin so quietly, and 
 on so small a scale; and in this parable, and 
 that of the Leaven, our Lord wishes to im- 
 press it upon them that though small in its 
 beginnings, the Messianic kingdom was des- 
 tined to attain a vast extent. If the disciples 
 were discouraged by the blasphemous accusa- 
 tion of that morning, and by the parables of 
 the Sower and the Tares, which indicated that 
 but few would become subjects of Christ's 
 reign, these other two would re-assure them. 
 And did not Jesus need to comfort himself, 
 amid such small beginnings and slow prog- 
 ress ? We see the original circumstances 
 under which the parable was spoken well re- 
 produced now, at the first introduction of 
 Christianity into some great heathen nations. 
 Not only the heathen themselves, but irre- 
 ligious sailors, merchants, and travelers from 
 our own country, often sneer at the idea that 
 a few insignificant men, by means of so feeble 
 a thing as preaching, should expect to change 
 a mighty people. Yet it is from similar small 
 beginnings that there has gradually grown up 
 the Christianity and the civilization of Europe 
 and America at the present time. Some ex- 
 positors, following certain Fathers, find great 
 significance in the sharp, pungent qualities of 
 the mustard-seed as illustrating the fact that 
 Christianity, though small, would prove very 
 efficacious and impressive; but this is quite! 
 beside the point of the parable; and even if 
 any one should regard the idea as in itself 
 worth notice, he must accept it as merely a 
 fancy, and not as a part of the Saviour's 
 teaching. Nor are we to find any distinct 
 spiritual meaning in the birds lodging in the 
 
 branches, which simply shows in a vivid way 
 how large and strong the plant becomes. Sev- 
 eral passages of the Old Test, represent an ex- 
 tensive kingdom by a great tree, with the birds 
 dwelling among its branches. Ezek. 17: 22- 
 24; 31: 3-14; Dan. 4: 10 ff. 
 
 33. The parable of the Leaven is given 
 here by Matt, only ; Luke (is:2or.) records it as 
 also spoken on a later occasion. Leaven , see 
 on 16: 6. Meal, rather what we now call 
 'flour,' comp. on 12: 1. Measures. The 
 Greek word corresponds to a common Hebrew 
 measure of things dry, called seah, holding 
 (Josephus, "Ant." 9, 4, 5,) nearly a peck and 
 a half (margin); so that 'three measures' 
 would be rather more than our bushel ; but 
 the size varied in different parts of Palestine. 
 (Edersh.) It contributes to the vividness of 
 the parabolic narrative, that it does not merely 
 say "a large quantity," but names some par- 
 ticular quantity ; and we may infer from Gen. 
 18: 6; Judg. 6: 19; 1 Sam. 1: 24, that three 
 seahs (equal to one ephah) was a quantity 
 often taken to make up, the custom being to 
 bake at once enough for several days. To 
 find a special spiritual meaning in the number 
 three, would seem to us ridiculous; yet some 
 great men among the Fathers, and some fan- 
 ciful modern expositors, have actually made 
 it signify Jews, Greeks, and Samaritans; or 
 Asia, Europe, and Africa (how about America, 
 now?) ; or the three sons of Noah ; or body, 
 soul, and spirit, etc. So with the attempts to 
 give separate significance to the woman, 
 when it was a matter of course to speak of a 
 woman, and not of a man, making up bread. 
 If the woman here denotes "the church," 
 what is denoted by the man in v. 81 ? The 
 general meaning of this parable is the same as 
 that of the preceding. A small bit of leaven, 
 completely hidden from view in the great 
 mass of dough, would finally leaven the 
 whole; and so Christianity, with its small 
 and obscure beginnings, would pervade the 
 whole race of mankind. There is a like 
 gradual progress of piety in the individual, 
 but that does not seem to be the point here in 
 view. A slight but just distinction has been
 
 298 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIII. 
 
 34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude 
 in parubles ; aiid without a parable spake he not unto 
 them : 
 
 35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by 
 the propuet, saying, I will open my mom h in parables ; 
 J will utter thi'ngs which have been kept secret from 
 the foundation of the world. 
 
 34 All these things spake Jesus in parables unto the 
 multitudes ; and without a parable spake he nothing 
 
 35 unto them: that it might be fulfilled which was 
 spoken through the prophet, saying, 
 
 I will open my mouth in parables ; 
 I will utter things hidden from the foundation 1 of 
 the world. 
 
 1 Many aucieut authorities omit, of the world. 
 
 pointed out between this parable and that of 
 the Grain of Mustard. That represents the ex- 
 pansion of the Christian community into vast 
 dimensions; this the assimilating diffusion of 
 Christianity through the vast mass of human- 
 ity ; the one is extensive, the other intensive. 
 Because leaven is frequently used in Scrip- 
 ture as the symbol of things corrupting and 
 
 pernicious (16: 6; Luke 12: 1; Gal. 5: 9; 1 Cor. 5: 6; and 
 
 often in old Test.), and nowhere but here used 
 in a good sense, some have strangely tried to 
 interpret it here as denoting the corruptions 
 which should arise in connection with Christi- 
 anity. But can there be only one possible 
 figurative use of an object? The lion repre- 
 sents Satan, and also the Saviour; but no one 
 would fancy in the same sense. (Comp. on 
 3: 11.) 
 
 III. 34 f. A PREDICTION OF SPEAKING IN 
 PARABLES. AH these things, with no 
 special emphasis on 'all.' Unto the multi- 
 tudes, or crowds (see 13 : 2), and not merely to 
 the disciples (comp. on v. 36). Spake he noth- 
 ing is the correct Greek text, instead of spake 
 he not, which is taken from the parallel 
 passage of Mark. (*--u) It must be meant 
 simply that on this occasion he said nothing 
 to them except in parables-, we know that on 
 other occasions, afterwards as well as before, 
 he frequently spoke to the people in unpara- 
 bolic language. 'Spake' is in Greek an im- 
 perfect, describing his practice on that occa- 
 sion. Here again, as in so many other 
 instances, Matt, pauses to point out the fulfill- 
 
 ment in Jesus of an Old Test, prediction. 
 That it might be fulfilled, see on 1: 22. 
 
 This expression requires us to understand a 
 real fulfillment of a real prediction unless 
 that idea could be shown to be in the given 
 case impossible and a fulfillment designedly 
 brought about in the course of providence. It 
 is difficult, in the present instance, to discern 
 the prophetic relation, but it is not impossible. 
 By the prophet,' more exactly through, 
 comp. on 2: 5. The quotation is from Psa. 
 78: 2. Many of the Psalms are prophetic, 
 and the Pialmist David is expressly called a 
 prophet. (Acts2:so.) The writer of tli is Psalm 
 is given by the heading as Asaph, and he in 
 2 Chron. 29: 30 is called the seer, equivalent 
 to prophet. (isam.9:9.) The Psalm relates the 
 history of Israel, and points out its lessons ; 
 but Israel was typical of the Messiah (see 
 above on 2: 15), and so the passage might 
 contain a prophetic reference to him, which 
 the inspired Evangelist informs us it did con- 
 tain. He states it as a part of the divine pur- 
 pose, in our Lord's adoption of the parabolic 
 method of instruction, that there should be a 
 fulfillment of that prophetic saying. Unless 
 we can show that there was no such prophetic 
 relation, we must certainly accept the Evan- 
 gelist's statement. I will utter. The Greek 
 word means to belch, to vomit, to pour out 
 copious speech, and this last corresponds to 
 the Hebrew. From the foundation of the 
 world. 1 The Hebrew has a phrase usually 
 signifying 'from antiquity,' and thus natu- 
 
 1 'Through Isaiah the prophet' is the reading of X 
 (first hand), several important cursives, one codex of 
 the .Sthiopic ; it is quoted in the Clementine homilies 
 (latter part of second century), and said by Eusebius 
 and Jerome to have been found in some copies of the 
 Gospel. Jerome states that Porphyry cited it as show- 
 ing the ignorance of Matthew. Transcriptional proba- 
 bility would at once favor this, for it is easy to suppose 
 so obvious an error to have been corrected by copyists 
 (comp. 27:9; Mark 1:2). On the other hand, no prophet 
 being named, some one might have felt moved to insert 
 the name of the greatest prophet. It is also possible 
 that some reader, observing the actual source of the 
 quotation, might have inserted Asaph; and that then 
 (as Euseb. and Jerome suggest) others, not having heard 
 
 of such a prophet, should change it to the somewhat 
 similar name Isaiah. With these conflicting transdrlp- 
 tional probabilities, and external evidence so slender, 
 it seems right to fall back on the intrinsic improbability 
 (apart from all theories of inspiration) that an intelli- 
 gent writer like Matt, and a special student of prophecy, 
 would commit so manifest an error. ' Isaiah ' is read by 
 Tisch. (following X) and by W H. margin; and strongly 
 favored by Hort in Appendix. 
 
 * ' Of the world ' should probably be omitted, with X 
 (second hand) B, two cursives, Old Syriac, some copies 
 of Old Latin, and some Fathers. ' From the foundation ' 
 would really mean this, and ' of the world ' would be 
 easily added by copyists from 25: 34, where there is no 
 variation of the reading.
 
 CH. XIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 299 
 
 36 Then Jesus sent, the multitude away, and went 
 into the house : and his disciples came unto him, say- 
 ing, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the 
 field. 
 
 37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth 
 the good seed is the Son of man : 
 
 36 Then he left the multitudes, and went into the 
 house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, 
 Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field. 
 
 37 And he answered and said, He that soweth the good 
 
 rally applying in the Psalmist's use to the 
 early history of the nation (so Sept. 'from the 
 beginning'); but the phrase also signifies 
 'from eternity,' as in Deut. 33: 27; Psa. 
 56: 19, and in the prophetic application might 
 perhaps be understood in that sense, to which 
 the Evangelist's expression is equivalent. 
 (Com p. on 1: 23.) 
 
 IV. 36-43. INTERPRETATION OF THE 
 PARABLE OF THE TARES. Sent away. Rev. 
 Ver. reads, he left. The multitude, the 
 crowds, asin5: 1. These or similar crowds had 
 heard the parables of the Sower, the Tares, the 
 Mustard-seed and the Leaven, though not the 
 explanation of the first (see on 13 : 10) ; also 
 the other parable given by Mark (t-.a.). 
 Now the disciples alone are to hear the expla- 
 nation of the parable of the Tares, and also to 
 hear the three other parables that follow. 
 His disciples were probably not merely the 
 Twelve, but others also. (See on v. 10.) The 
 name Jesus at the beginning of v. 36, does 
 not appear in many of the best authorities, and 
 was doubtless added by some early readers, 
 because this was the beginning of a church 
 "lesson," and so the name was apparently 
 needed. The same thing has happened in 
 various other passages, at the beginning of 
 lessons. Into the house, probably the house 
 mentioned in 13: 1, which may have been 
 (Mark 3: 20) the house at Capernaum which he 
 usually occupied, viz., that of Simon Peter. 
 (Comp. on 4: 13 and 8: 14.) Declare, ex- 
 plain is doubtless the correct reading (N 
 first hand, B, Origen,) having been changed 
 to make it agree with 16: 15. The parable 
 of the tares of the field. This designation 
 shows that the disciples had seized the most 
 characteristic feature of the illustration. 
 Answered and said, without unto them, 
 an unnecessary addition of many documents. 
 For explanation of the terms and allusions of 
 the parable itself, comp. on v. 24-30. 
 
 The Jews, including our Lord's disciples, 
 would naturally think, with their rooted 
 notions of Messiah's reign, that he would 
 promptly destroy all those who did not submit 
 to his authority, as was common with Orien- 
 
 tal conquerors, as David himself was known 
 to have done. Their views and feelings are 
 illustrated by the wish of James and John to 
 call down fire from heaven and consume the 
 Samaritan village, for refusing to receive 
 Jesus. They might strengthen themselves 
 (Weiss) in this view by supposing that the 
 Messianic discrimination predicted by John 
 the Baptist (3-. 10-12) would be the first part of 
 the Messianic work, and would be performed 
 in a wholesale fashion. The contrary has 
 already been intimated by the parable of the 
 Sower, and by those of the Mustard-seed and 
 the Leaven, all showing that the Messianic 
 operation would be gradual, and upon indi- 
 viduals. And it is distinctly set forth by the 
 present parable, which declares that while the 
 Messiah does not at once destroy those who 
 refuse him allegiance, but suffers righteous 
 and wicked to live on together in the world, 
 and intertwined in the relations of life (v. 29), 
 yet he will hereafter effectually separate them, 
 and deal with each class according to their 
 deserts. The Messianic discrimination is to 
 take place not at the beginning, but at the end 
 of the present dispensation, when the un- 
 mixed wheat will be gathered into the garner, 
 (v. 30 having the same phrase as 3 : 12.) We 
 have seen (on 3:2) that the word rendered 
 ' kingdom' is inadequately expressed by that 
 one term, but includes also what we mean by 
 'kingship' and 'reign,' one idea or another 
 being especially prominent in different cases. 
 Here the kingdom of heaven (v. 24) denotes 
 especially the Mossianic reign, and the par- 
 able sets forth some things that will occur in 
 the world in connection with that reign. But 
 overlooking these facts, and thinking always 
 of the kingdom as implying an organization 
 of subjects, the Christian world has largely 
 fallen into the habif. of confounding the king- 
 dom of heaven, here and often elsewhere, with 
 what is popularly called "the visible 
 church," i. e., the totality of profestied be- 
 lievers. Hence most expositors from an early 
 period, have understood the parable as teach- 
 ing that in "the church" we must have 
 righteous and wicked together. The tendency
 
 300 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XHI. 
 
 to understand it in this way was strength- 
 ened by Constantino's adoption of Christian- 
 ity as a plank in his political platform, lead- 
 ing to what in modern times we call a Church 
 Establishment, in which all are held as 
 church-members, and exclusion from a church, 
 such as the New Test, sometimes enjoins 
 
 (lCor.5: 4f.; 1 Cor. 2 : 5-8 ; MaU. 18:17 ff.}, becomes im- 
 
 possible. Still a third cause affected the in- 
 terpretation. When the Donatists undertook 
 to excommunicate all persons known to be 
 evil, and in the case of traditores, who had 
 given up copies of Scripture to be burned 
 during the persecutions, were unwilling ever 
 to restore them to the church connection, 
 Augustine wrote against their views a great 
 number of treatises, in which he constantly 
 appealed to this parable, as showing that good 
 and evil persons must dwell together in the 
 church. He says the Donatist bishops would 
 reply, "It does not refer to the church; the 
 Lord said, the field is the world, not, the field 
 is the church." But Augustine would say 
 that the world here means the church. They 
 contended that the world is always used in a 
 bad sense, quoting many testimonies from 
 Scripture, as "If any man love the world," 
 etc. (i John * : 15.) But he replied with 2 Cor. 
 5:19, "God was in Christ, reconciling the 
 world unto himself" ; "and assuredly" (says 
 Aug.), "God reconciles to himself nothing 
 but the church." On one occasion Aug. 
 actually states it as a sign of the church that 
 it contains evil and good mixed together. 
 The influence of the great Latin theologian 
 thus made it a commonplace of Christian con- 
 
 troversy and exposition that the parable of 
 the Tares describes the church as containing 
 | good and bad, and teaches that church disci- 
 | pline must not attempt to have it otherwise. 1 
 All the commentators at the time of the Ref- 
 ormation, and almost all since that time, 
 have been connected with some State Church, 
 and would readily adopt the current inter- 
 pretation, because it accorded with their educa- 
 tion and surroundings. But this cannot be a 
 correct view of the parable, for our Lord's in- 
 terpretation, as the Donatists urged, expressly 
 declares, " The field is the world." It is very 
 true that in any church there are likely to be 
 members who are not true Christians, and 
 whom it is often difficult for us to detect ; but 
 Augustine's interpretation would make the 
 parable teach that when detected, and clearly 
 known, we must not exclude them. Now the 
 point of the parable is not that obviously 
 wicked men are to live on as recognized sub- 
 jects of Christ's kingdom, regarded as a defi- 
 nite organization i. ., as members of his 
 churches but that he suffers them, under or 
 during his reign, to live on in the world, in- 
 stead of being at once destroyed, as the Jews 
 expected. This would explain to the disci- 
 ples, for example, why he who could work 
 miracles had that morning allowed himself to 
 be insulted and blasphemed, and had only 
 given a solemn warning instead of blasting 
 with instant destruction. It would also give 
 another reason why the Messianic work was 
 moving slowly. One reason already given 
 was that many receive the ' word of the king- 
 dom ' improperly (parable of the Sower) ; 
 
 1 The first statement of this interpretation we have 
 found is in Cyprian, Epittola 51, " Although tares are 
 seen in the church, that ought not to hinder our faith or 
 our charity, nor cause us loquit the church." Tertullian, 
 " de Fuga in pfrtfcii'untf" calls the threshing-floor of 
 Matt. 3: 12 the church, in which persecution discerns be- 
 between the wheat of martyrs and the chaff of deniers. 
 Origensays(on Matthew the extant portion begins just 
 here) : " The whole world might be called (the) field, and 
 not the church of God only ; for in all the world the Son 
 of man sowed good seed, and the evil one the tares." 
 Irenaeus, iv. 66, refers the parable t<> the introduction 
 of evil among men by Satan. Hernias, " Simil." iii., iv., 
 v., 2 and 5, gives kindred illustrations evidently founded 
 on this parable, using the phrase, " The field is the 
 world," and describing the presence of good and bad 
 men together in the world. The application to the 
 church was known to Origen, but apparently owed its 
 wide acceptance to Cyprian, who did so much to de- 
 
 velop the church idea. His saying is repeatedly 
 quoted by Augustine, as high authority from a martyr. 
 ' Augustine's numerous treatises and letters against the 
 Donatists nearly all appeal to this parable, but his full- 
 est statements are in the " Brericulu* Collation it cum 
 , Donalittit,' and the " Ad Donatittat pott Col/alionem." 
 Optat us, whose idea of the church appears to precede 
 that of Augustine and to have been developed inde- 
 pendently of Cyprian, says, (" de Schitmate Donatif- 
 \ larum," vii., 2), "The field is the whole world, in which 
 is the church " a more reasonable conception than that 
 of Augustine. Gregory Naz. in several hymns speaks 
 of sowing tares on earth and in the soul, but does not 
 refer to the church. Ohrysostom (on Matthew) under- 
 ; stands the church, arguing that the present world also 
 | is Christ's, and takes the tares to mean heretics, an idea 
 | hinted at in Basil also. It would be well if some spe- 
 | cialist in Church Hist, would fully work out the history 
 of the early interpretation of this parable. -**>
 
 CH.- XIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 301 
 
 38 The field is the world ; the good seed are the chil- 38 
 dren of the kingdom ; bat the tares are the children of 
 
 the wicked one ; 
 
 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil ; the har- 
 vest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the 
 angels. 
 
 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in 
 the fire ; so shall it be in the end of this world. 
 
 H 
 
 seel is the Son of man ; and the field is the world ; 
 and the good seed, these are the sons of the king- 
 dom ; and the tares are the sons of the evil one ; and 
 the enemy that sowed them is the devil; and the 
 harvest isithe end of the world; and the reapers 
 are angels. As therefore the tares are gathered up 
 and burned with fire; so shall it be in 'the end ui 
 
 1 Or, the contummation of the age. 
 
 now another reason is that while the Son of | 
 man sows wheat in the world, the devil, in 
 the same field (the world), sows tares, all in 
 among the wheat. 
 
 The mistaken view of this parable above 
 condemned finds apparent support in the 
 phrase 'shall gather out of his kingdom' (see 
 on v. 41 ). and in the parable of the Net (*. <r.) 
 
 Our Lord's interpretation comprises (Goe- 
 bel) two distinct parts. In v. 37-39 a meaning 
 is separately and briefly assigned to each lead- 
 ing object and person in the story. In v. 40- 
 43, the final stage of the spiritual situation 
 meant to be illustrated is vividly described by 
 a series of events. 
 
 3T-39. The Son of man, i e. the Messiah, ! 
 see on 8: 20. The field is the world, here 
 the common Greek term kosmos, having as 
 broad and general a sense as our English term 
 world. Our Lord's personal ministry was 
 restricted to Palestine, though including some 
 Gentiles; but his work was to be afterwards j 
 extended into 'all the world' (n* 16: is), | 
 among 'all nations,' (*: ). The good seed, 
 t. e., of course, the plants springing from the ; 
 seed. The children (sons) of the kingdom 
 (comp. on 8: 12), those who have a right to 
 the privileges of the Messianic reign, as if 
 they were its very offspring. But in 8: 12 the 
 phrase represents those who were entitled, as 
 it were, by birth, to the Messianic privileges 
 (viz., the Jews), but many of whom would be ; 
 cast out; while hore it is those who are truly j 
 the subjects of Messiah by the new birth 
 (comp. 21 : 43). And so the children (sons) | 
 of the wicked one, see on 13: 19 and 6: 13, j 
 are those who as closely resemble Satan, and 
 are as completely under his control, as is the 
 case of children towards their father. (Comp. 
 John 8: 44; 1 John 5: 19.) The devil, see 
 on 4: 1. Evil in the human race owes its 
 origin to Satan. As to the reasons why God 
 permitted its original appearance in the uni- 
 verse, speculation has scarcely proven satis- 
 factory, and Scripture is silent. Some argue 
 that the parable must refer to "the church," 
 
 because the person who sowed the good seed 
 is the Messiah, and the enemy sowed after- 
 wards; while in the world there had been sons 
 of the evil one long before the Saviour's ap- 
 pearing. But no illustration can throw light 
 in all directions. Thin parable must of course 
 describe tares as sown after wheat, for other- 
 wise the story would have been unnatural. 
 Therefore this illustration could depict only 
 the present and future relations of good and 
 evil in the world, and could not bring within 
 its horizon the past history of the human 
 race. The end of the world. The Greek 
 for 'world' is not the same as in v. 38, but 
 the same as in v. 22 and 12: 32, which, ac- 
 cording to Jewish usage, frequently denotes 
 the present period, the existing condition of 
 things, as opposed to some past or future con- 
 dition of things. The word translated 'end' 
 denotes completion or consummation (as in 
 margin of Rev. Ver. ) ; seethe same phrase 
 in 24: 3; 28: 20, and 'children of this world' 
 in Luke 16: 8; 20:34. The end or consum- 
 mation of the present period or state of things 
 will be at our Lord's second coming, which 
 will open the new and eternal period. And 
 the reapers are the angels, see on 18: 10. 
 The Greek has here no article with 'angels' ; 
 the Com. Ver. inserted or omitted the article 
 with great license. Observe that our Lord's 
 interpretation takes no account of the men 
 who slept (really meaning people in general, 
 and not implying blame, see on v. 2o). nor 
 of the servants who reported what had hap- 
 pened ; many commentators are not content 
 with this, and propose various interpretations', 
 which cannot be expected to reward attention. 
 (Comp. as to the interpretation of parables on 
 18:3.) 
 
 40-43. Burned with fire is a more probable 
 translation than in the fire(Tyndale and fol- 
 lowers), the form being oftener instrumental 
 than locative. (Comp. 8:12.) In the end 
 of this Cproperly the) world, the word 'this' 
 being an unwarranted addition, as in v. 22. 
 The Son of man .... his angels ....
 
 302 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIII. 
 
 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and 
 they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that 
 oilo inl, and them which do iniquity ; 
 
 41 the world. The Son of man shall send forth his 
 angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom 
 
 a Or. scandtitt. 
 
 his kingdom, suggesting the exalted dignity 
 to which he shall attain who was once de- 
 spised and rejected. (Comp. on 7 : 21 ; 10 : 32 ; 
 12: 8; 25: 31 ff.) The angels, who now de- 
 sire to look into the things of salvation 
 (i Pet. i:i2), who rejoice over one sinner that 
 repententh (Loire 15 : 7), who are all ministering 
 spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of 
 those who are to inherit salvation (Heb. i:it), 
 will then have assigned them the solemn task 
 of separating the wicked from among the just, 
 and consigning them to destruction. (Comp. 
 25: 31.) And they shall gather out of his 
 kingdom. Observe that this points forward 
 to the time of the final judgment. The Mes- 
 sianic dominion will then be regarded as 
 virtually extending over the whole world, like 
 God's universal kingship or reign (Psa. 2-2: 27 r.); 
 the kingship of the world will be our Lord's 
 and his Christ's (Rev. 11: is) ; the kingdom pre- 
 dicted by Daniel will be about to complete its 
 destiny, and fill the whole earth. (Dun. 2:35.) 
 All that will then be necessary to render this 
 Messianic reign actually universal will be to 
 gather the wicked out of the world, and as 
 the world will then by anticipation be his 
 kingdom, it is said that the angels ' will gather 
 out of his kingdom,' etc. (Comp. a some- 
 what similar view in Meyer.) It does not 
 follow from this anticipative expression that 
 the wicked are now within his kingdom re- 
 garded as an organization apart from the 
 world. Observe that the problem of inter- 
 pretation here is to reconcile the phrase ' they 
 shall gather out of his kingdom ' with the 
 clear statement of v. 38, ' the field is the 
 world.' If we understand 'his kingdom' in 
 this case to mean what is called "the visible 
 church" throughout its history, then we must 
 either understand 'the world' in some strained, 
 unnatural sense, 1 or we must utterly confound 
 the visible church with the world ; and upon 
 any such interpretation the inevitable result 
 will be that the passage prohibits exclusion 
 from a church, which as we have seen, is else- 
 where distinctly enjoined. In somo way, 
 then, the phrase 'gather out of his kingdom 
 
 (reign, dominion, etc.)' must be interpreted 
 as not meaning "the visible church." or else 
 we bring Scripture into apparently hopeless 
 conflict with itself. It might be enough to 
 say that in one sense all the world is under 
 the Messiah's dominion, but not in the sense 
 that all men are really his subjects. With 
 'gather out of his kingdom ' compare in the 
 kindred parable (v.49), "the angels shall 
 come forth, and sever the wicked from 
 among the righteous.' In the present 
 'age,' or state of things, the subjects of 
 Christ's kingdom or reign are mingled in all 
 social and other relations with the wicked. 
 To separate them now, and destroy the 
 wicked as the Jews might naturally expect 
 of Messiah to make now the Messianic dis- 
 crimination (a; 10-12); would be to break up the 
 whole framework of society. But let no one 
 imagine that this mingling will always con- 
 tinue; the time is approaching when the 
 wicked will be gathered out from among 
 Messiah's subjects. They were never one 
 were always, in fact, as distinct as wheat and 
 tares; but they were closely united in the 
 world, their roots intertwined, and they are 
 to be completely separated only when human 
 society as a whole is broken up. This is all 
 meant not as a reason why we* should refrain, 
 from putting a wicked man out of a church, 
 but as a reason why God refrains from put- 
 ting him out of the world. We repeat that if 
 the parable did refer to the presence of un- 
 renewed persons in a church, then it would 
 clearly forbid any exclusion from a church 
 a difficulty, upon that view, which has never 
 been satisfactorily explained. It is idle to say 
 that the parable only forbids very rigid dis- 
 cipline. By confining our view to the natural 
 and obvious meaning of the parable, we free 
 ourselves from all those confused and con- 
 flicting notions on the supposed relation of its 
 teachings to church discipline, which have 
 almost buried, beneath a mass of unprofitable 
 discussion, this beautiful and affecting parable 
 of our Lord. 
 All things that offend, that cause stum- 
 
 1 As when Augustine (see above) says the world used by synecdoche, the whole for a part, the world 
 means the church ; or when Calvin says the world is thus denoting the church.
 
 CH.-XHI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 303 
 
 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there 
 shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 
 , 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in 
 the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, 
 let him hear. 
 
 42 all things that cause stumbling, and them that do 
 iniquity, and sball cast them into the furnace of 
 fire: there shall be the weeping and gnashing of 
 
 43 teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the 
 sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath 
 ears, let him hear. 
 
 bling, see on 5: 29. The idea here may be, 
 all those who cause men to sin in general, or 
 specifically, all those who cause men to doubt 
 and question the reality of Christ's reign, 
 from his allowing such persons to live on in the 
 world. And them which do iniquity (comp. 
 7 : 23), this plainer and more general expression 
 being added to the figurative and more ex- 
 plicit one preceding all the stumbling- 
 blocks, and in general, those that do iniquity. 
 The phraseology was perhaps suggested by 
 Zi-pli. 1:3. Into a (the) furnace of fire, 
 comp. 3:11; Rev. 20:. 15; Jer. 29:22; Dan. 
 3:6; and see on 5: 22. A modern traveler 
 speaks of furnaces for punishment in Persia. 
 4 The furnace,' the definite place of future 
 punishment. There shall be the weeping 
 and gnashing of teeth (comp. on 8: 12), 
 departs from the image of consuming the 
 tares, to introduce another thought of horror, 
 and heighten the terrible picture. The use 
 of various images for future punishment 
 should prevent a crude literalism, and falls in 
 with the important teaching that there will be 
 degrees of punishment. (Luke : 47.) But the 
 images must be understood as representing 
 something real. Reuss, with his rationalistic 
 freedom, justly remarks that the furnace and 
 the gnashing of teeth stand in the same posi- 
 tion as the shining glory of the righteous 
 (. ) both must be accepted as facts [as rep- 
 resenting realities], or else both alike referred 
 to the mere popular beliefs of the time ; one 
 cannot accept the Bible descriptions of heaven 
 as representing realities, and reject those of 
 liell. No spiritual meaning is to be derived 
 from 'gather up first' in v. 30, as if showing 
 that the righteous are to witness the destruc- j 
 tion of the wicked. Our Lord does not intro- ] 
 duce the word 'first' into v. 41, and in the 
 similar allusion of v. 48 the order is reversed, 
 simply following, in each case, the obvious 
 propriety of the figure. In like manner some 
 expositors gravely discuss the spiritual moan- 
 ing of binding in bundles, when the author 
 of the parable has entirely omitted it from his 
 exposition. Shine forth as the sun, in 
 purity and glory; comp. Dan. 12:3, "shall 
 
 shine as the brightness of the firmament . . . 
 as the stars for ever and ever." The right- 
 ecus are opposed to 'those that do iniquity,' 
 in v. 41. At present, they are often obscure 
 and unnoticed amid the great mass of man- 
 kind, imperfectl3 T appreciated and little hon- 
 ored by the world at large; but then, com- 
 pletely distinct and forever separate from the 
 wicked, they shall shine forth as the sun. 
 In the kingdom of their Father, the con- 
 summate and eternal state of the Messianic 
 kingdom or reign (see on 3: 2), when Christ 
 "shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even 
 the Father . . . that God may be all in all." 
 (icor. 15.-24, 28, R.V.) He that hath ears to 
 hear, let him hear, calling solemn attention, 
 see on 11 : 15. We learn here that good and 
 bad will both be found intermingled in the 
 world until the consummation of the present 
 age, at the second coming of Christ; which 
 seems quite contrary to the notion of a pre- 
 vious rnillenium duringwhich all men without 
 exception will be faultless Christians. Comp. 
 Luke 18: 8. 
 
 HOMILKTICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 31 f. The slow progress of Christianity. 
 1) Slow because not a case of manufacture, 
 but of growth. 2) Slow because in an un- 
 friendly soil and clime, an exotic. 3) Slow 
 through the fault of those who ought to tend 
 it more carefully. 4) Slow, but sure. V. 33. 
 The gradual diffusion of Christianity. 1) 
 Through different spheres of life, spiritual, 
 moral, social, political. 2) Through succes- 
 sive ages of history. 8) Through various 
 quarters of the earth. 4) Destined at last to 
 be universal, in every sense. V. 34. JEROME: 
 "Even to-day, the multitudes hear in parables; 
 the disciples ask the Saviour at home." 
 
 V. 37-43. The righteous and the wicked. 
 1) Dwelling in the same world. 2) Rooted 
 together in political, social, and family life, 
 (v. .) 3) Blessed with the same outward 
 mercies, (v. 25.) 4) Sometimes confounded by 
 superficial observers, but easily distinguished 
 through their fruit, (v. 26.) 5) Sure to be sepa- 
 rated in the great coming day, a) without
 
 304 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIII. 
 
 44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto trea- 
 sure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found 
 he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that 
 he hath, and buyeth that field. 
 
 44 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure 
 hidden in the field ; which a man found, and hid ; 
 and ' in his joy he goeth andselleth all taat he hath, 
 and buyeth that field. 
 
 1 Or, for joy thereof. 
 
 chance of error, b) without possibility of re- 
 union, c) so thut the one class shall burn in 
 unquenchable fire, and the other shall shine 
 in unsullied purity and undimmed glory for- 
 ever. V. 38. The sons of the kingdom. 
 ARNOT: "For their sakes the world is pre- 
 served now, and for their sakes it will be de- 
 stroyed when the set time is come. The darnel 
 is permitted to grow in its season, and in 
 harvest is cast into the fire both for the sake 
 of the wheat. Because Christ loves his own, 
 he permits the wicked to run their course in 
 time; but because Christ loves his own, he 
 will separate the wicked from the good at last." 
 V. 39. The enemy. ARNOT : " Evil does not 
 belong originally to the constitution of man, 
 nor has God his Maker introduced it. Our 
 case is sad, indeed; for we learn that an enemy 
 whom we cannot overcome is ever lying in 
 wait, seeking how he may devour us. But 
 what would our case have been, if evil, in- 
 stead of being injected by an enemy from 
 without, had been of the essence of the creature 
 or the act of the Creator?" 
 
 THOMAS: "The mixture of the good and 
 bad in this world is of service. (1) It is of 
 service to the bad ; it keeps them in a position 
 of improvement. (2) It is of service to the 
 good ; holy character is strengthened and 
 perfected by contact with palpable evil." 
 PARKER: "Let us remit our case to the 
 harvest. Do not be answering the fool and 
 the enemy now, and thus wasting opportuni- 
 ties which ought to be usefully employed in 
 endeavoring to do good, but wait till the har- 
 vest. Then shall all qualities be tested, then 
 shall every man have his proper place and 
 standing before God." 
 
 44-53. THK ItiD TREASURE, THE PEARL, 
 THE NET. 
 
 These three remaining parables of the group 
 are found in Matthew only. 
 
 I. 44. THE PARABLE OF THE HID TREA- 
 SURE. The word again with which Com. 
 Ver. begins is wanting here in many of the 
 earliest documents, and was doubtless added 
 from v. 45, 47, where the reading does not 
 vary. This leaves it uncertain whether the 
 
 three following parables were spoken on the 
 same occasion as the Sower and the Tares. 
 They may have been given at some other time 
 and place, and recorded here by way of topical 
 grouping, as is done with the miracles in ch. 
 8 and 9. But the presumption in favor of the 
 Evangelist's order is strengthened by the 
 language of v. 61 and v. 63, and by the fact 
 that the Tares and the Net form a pair like 
 the other pairs of this chapter. 
 
 The kingdom of heaven, the Messianic 
 reign, see on 3 : 2. Is like, so in v. 45 and v. 47. 
 Some, beginning with Origen, have insisted 
 on the fact that in these three cases the word 
 parable is not used, as it is in v. 3, 24, 31, 33, 
 and that these are similitudes but not parables. 
 But certainly a parable is one kind of simili- 
 tude; and the phrase 'is like' is employed in 
 stating the parable in v. 24, 31, 33. See also 
 18: 23; 20 : 1, where unquestionable parables 
 are not called by that name, and are intro- 
 duced by this same phrase. And the point 
 seems to be settled by v. 53, 'had finished 
 these parables.' Treasure hid in a (the) 
 field, i. e., the cultivated land, the open 
 country as opposed to the city. Palestine 
 had passed through many revolutions, and 
 had always been exposed to raids from wan- 
 dering tribes around, and in many districts to 
 plunder from robbers at home. Accordingly 
 it was common, as is the case in all unsettled 
 countries, for one who apprehended robbery 
 or thievery (25 = 25), or who was setting off to a 
 distant country, to bury his money, jewelry, 
 plate, and the like, in the earth. If the owner 
 was killed in battle, or died in the far country, 
 no one might know where his treasures were 
 hid; and it became the usage that hidden 
 valuables for which no owner appeared should 
 belong to the owner of the land. The search 
 for such treasures is alluded to in Job. 3 : 21 ; 
 Prov. 2: 4, and often in Greek and Eonmn 
 writers, and is common now in Palestine. 
 Thomson, ii., p. 640: " There are many per- 
 sons digging for hid treasure all over the 
 country, and not a few spend their last far- 
 thing in efforts." We are told that in the East 
 men of wealth have been known to divide their
 
 Cn. XIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 305 
 
 45 Again, the kingdom of heaveii is like unto a mer- 45 
 chautman, seeking goodly pearls: 
 
 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man 
 
 estate into three parts, one invested in trade, 
 a second part in jewels easily kept about the 
 person, and the remainder buried in the earth 
 a sad condition of affairs for the prosperity 
 of a nation. An instance of hiding treasure 
 occurred during the War of Secession in a 
 South Carolina village, where the writer lived. 
 A shoemaker, upon the approach of hostile 
 troops, hid five hundred dollars in gold, and 
 told his wife and a friend that he had done so, 
 but without revealing the place, supposed to 
 have been in some adjoining forest. In a few 
 days he died after a brief illness, and his 
 widow was quite unable to recover the money, 
 which years hence some man may find "hidden 
 in the field" where he is at work. Found, 
 hideth, or and hid, i. e., hid it again. For 
 joy, literally from his joy, or less probably 
 'from joy thereof,' (margin K. V.). Goeth, 
 the word explained on 4: 10, which perhaps 
 here implies eager and hasty going. Notice 
 the vivid change to the historical present 
 'found and hid .... goes off and sells . . . . 
 buys' It is sometimes said that this man's 
 course was dishonest, as he ought to have re- 
 vealed his discovery to the owner; if the case 
 be so understood, we must remember that an 
 illustration may hold good as to the thing 
 illustrated even when the literal act is im- 
 moral, as in the case of the unrighteous 
 steward. (Lukeie.) Weiss: "Jesus is not teach- 
 ing how men ought to net in such a case, but 
 is narrating a case out of ordinary life," as an 
 illustration. But is there really any propriety 
 in calling the man dishonest? If he paid what 
 the land was worth on other accounts, had ho 
 not a perfect right to get the benefit himself 
 of his good fortune, or his skill, in discover- 
 ing the treasure? The transaction of the 
 parable was entirely in accordance with Jew- 
 ish law, though the apparently similar case 
 quoted by Wet., Meyer, and many others 
 from the Talmud, proves a failure when the 
 connection is known. (Edersheim.) 
 
 The general idea which the parable illus- 
 trates seems to be this. If a man fully dis- 
 covers and appreciates the advantage of 
 Christ's service, he will be so anxious to make 
 those blessings his own as to sacrifice any and 
 everything that may be necessary for that pur- 
 pose. (Comp. on v. 45 f.) It seems idle t< 
 
 U 
 
 seek any special spiritual meaning in the re- 
 hiding, or in the field, as that it means "the 
 church," or the Scriptures (Origen), or Christ, 
 because of Col. 2:3. To run through the 
 Bible with a concordance, and wherever there 
 is mention of a treasure or a field connect it 
 with this illustration, is a process fatal to 
 sound interpretation and unworthy of sober 
 sense. 
 
 II. 45 f. PARABLE OF THE PEARL OF 
 GREAT PRICE. The general meaning of this 
 parable is evidently the same with that of the 
 preceding. It is very natural for any teacher 
 to give two illustrations of the same truth, 
 and was especially so for a Jewish teacher, 
 since the more elevated Hebrew style tends 
 always to parallelisms. A merchantman. 
 The Greek word denotes not a mere shop- 
 keeper, but one who travels to procure what 
 he sells. Goodly pearls, or 'fine,' 'beauti- 
 ful.' He does not want ordinary pearls, but 
 such as are fine; so when he finds an ex- 
 tremely fine one, he will appreciate and de- 
 sire it. One framing such an illustration now 
 would doubtless speak of diamonds, but in 
 ancient times those were very rare, and no 
 merchant would have made it his business to 
 deal in them. One pearl of great price. 
 Pliny tells us (Bruce), that Cleopatra's two 
 famous pearls were valued each at about four 
 hundred thousand dollars of our money, and 
 the purchasing power of money was then ten ' 
 or fifteen times as groat as now. It was like 
 finding a diamond worth millions. Sold nil 
 that he had, not simply all his pearls, but 
 all his possessions, as the Greek shows, and 
 even tho English in v. 44. Of course he re- 
 garded the pearl as worth much more than he 
 gave; it was making a good investment. 
 'Sold' is literally 'has sold,' which gives 
 vividness you see the thing going on, as in 
 ' takoth.' (Rev. 5: 7, Bev. vrr.) So this answers in 
 some measure to the historical present of v. 
 44. The Mishna has a story of a man who 
 gave his whole fortune for a pearl. 
 
 In like mannor, to be a subject of Messiah's 
 reign is so precious a privilege, that a man 
 might willingly sacrifice everything else to 
 obtain it; whatever pleasures, honors, posses- 
 sions, or attainments it is necessary to give up 
 he might willingly abandon whatever efforts
 
 506 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIII. 
 
 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, 
 went and sold all that he had, and bought it. 
 
 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, 
 that was cast iuto the sea, and gathered of every kind : 
 
 46 that is a merchant seeking goodly pearls: and 
 having found one pearl of great price, he went and 
 sold all that he had, and bought it. 
 
 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a 1 net, 
 that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every 
 
 1 Or, 'drag-net. 
 
 are requisite he might make in order to 
 secure that which is worth so much. The 
 Jews thought the Messianic blessings would 
 come as a mere gift of God, without sacrifice 
 or seeking; and Jesus corrects their error. 
 Yet he does not mean, any more than in what 
 he said to the rich young man (i9- -2I )i that all 
 his followers must actually abandon every 
 earthly possession or pursuit; nay, piety may 
 even contribute to the attainment of whatever 
 else is best worth having in life. (6:33;iTim. 
 :8.) But he means that they should be will- 
 ing to do so; and that his true followers ac- 
 tually will, whenever in his Providence it is 
 marked out as their duty to him. Comp. 
 Moses (neb. 11 : -2* IT.), and Paul. (Pi>n. 3 : 7 f.) 
 
 There is a certain difference between this 
 parable and the preceding, in that this im- 
 plies a previous seeking. The gospel pre- 
 sents itself to one man while otherwise occu- 
 pied (so with several of the disciples, we know) 
 and attracts his attention by its manifest value ; 
 another, while seeking spiritual wisdom, or 
 the highest good of life (Paa. 4:6f.), perceives 
 the gospel to be the true wisdom, the supreme 
 good. (Phu. 3: 8.) The man who finds a treasure 
 he had not sought has the joy of surprise ; he 
 who has searched and striven, the joy of suc- 
 cess. Observe also (Bruce) that the treasure 
 represents piety as practically useful, the 
 pearl as beautiful and beautifying. Alas! 
 how many fail to appreciate the value of this 
 pearl, even when it is held up before their 
 eyes; they cannot think it so valuable; they 
 will not carefully examine, or they apply 
 false tests. And how many, even when 
 avowedly searching for religious truth and 
 comfort, will buy, even at great cost, some 
 imitation-pearl, that is really worthless. 
 
 III. 47-50. PARABLE OF THE NET. This 
 is to the same general effect as that of the 
 Tares. (13:24,37.) Why it was separated from 
 its companion, while the other pairs stand to- 
 gether, we cannot tell, unless it was for the 
 purpose of bringing in again, at the close of 
 the series, the solemn allusion to the final 
 judgment. Weiss thinks the again shows it 
 to be the second of a pair, as in v. 45 ; but the 
 
 comparison of 'another parable' in v. 24, 31, 
 33, will refute this notion, leaving us to un- 
 derstand that we have in v. 45 and v. 47 the 
 second and third of a group. A net, sagene, 
 a drag-net or seine (modern English form of 
 the Greek word), drawn up on the beach. In 
 4: 18 ff. ; Luke 5: 4 ff., the words do not de- 
 termine the kind of net, but the circumstances 
 show that it was there a dip-net, let down into 
 deep water, and drawn up into the boat. 
 Gathered of every kind, not probably 
 species and thus symbolizing the different 
 races of mankind (Theophyl., Meyer), but 
 every kind as to value, both the useful and 
 the useless. The bad, literally the putrid 
 or spoilt, strictly denoting those which were 
 dead before they were caught, and thus unfit 
 for use; but probably designed also to include 
 those which were worthless on any account. 
 See the same word in 7 : 17 ; 12 : 33. 
 
 The application here is in almost exactly the 
 same words (v. 49f.) as in v. 40-42. It is con- 
 fined to the one point that at ' the end of the 
 world' or 'consummation of the age,' a sepa- 
 ration will be made between good and bad, 
 with the terrible destruction (punishment) of 
 the bad ; and it is implied that such a separa- 
 tion will not be made until then. This is 
 clearly the lesson of the parable, and our 
 Lord's interpretation suggests no other. If 
 we attempt, on our own authority, not on his, 
 to make religious application of preceding 
 points of the parable, we must be cautious, 
 and must assuredly avoid deriving from its 
 supposed analogies any idea in conflict with 
 the plain and unfigurative teaching of other 
 passages of Scripture. (Comp. on 13: 3.) 
 Now if we say, as many do, that the net 
 represents "the visible church," then it is im- 
 plied that good and bad must remain together 
 in the church, without possibility of separa- 
 ting or distinguishing them in any single case, 
 till the Second Coming of Christ. The par- 
 able of the Tares, upon a similar interpreta- 
 tion, would make church discipline wrong, 
 because injurious; that of the Net would 
 make it entirely impossible. But church dis- 
 cipline is enjoined in Scripture, as all Chris-
 
 CH. XIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 307 
 
 48 Which, when it was full, thev drew to shore, and 
 sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast 
 the bad away. 
 
 49 So shall it be at the end of the world : the angels shall 
 come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 
 
 50 And shall cast them into the furnace of tire: there 
 shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 
 
 51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all 
 these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. 
 
 48 kind: which, when it, was filled, they drew up on 
 the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the 
 
 49 good into vessels, but the bad they cast away. So 
 shall it be in ! the end of the world : t he angels shall 
 come forth, and sever the wicked from among the 
 
 50 righteous, and shall cast them into the furnace of 
 fire: there shall be the weeping and gnashing of 
 teeth. 
 
 51 Have ye understood all these things? They say 
 
 1 Or, the. consummation of the age. 
 
 tians recognize ; shall we accept an interpret- 
 ation of merely human origin, upon which 
 the parable squarely contradicts these injunc- 
 tions? And see what incongruities the inter- 
 pretation will involve (Arnot). (1) The 
 angels must be entirely distinct from those 
 who manage " the church " ; but the persons 
 separating the good and bad fishes are not dis- 
 tinct from those who draw the net. (2) Au- 
 gustine, and numerous modern advocates of 
 nn Established Church, urge upon Non- 
 conformists that it is wrong to quit the 
 church because of there being some bad fish 
 in the net ; while the fishes, good or bad, re- 
 main in the net only because they cannot 
 break out. And so as to other points. 
 
 "But is it not expressly said," one might 
 insist, "that the kingdom of heaven is like a 
 net; and as the net gathers of every kind, 
 must not this mean . that the kingdom of 
 heaven will contain within its limits, at least 
 its apparent and recognized limits, both good 
 andb&d?" Answer, (a) The word rendered 
 ' kingdom ' means also what we express by 
 'reign' (see on 13:37ff. ); in this sense the 
 idea would here be not of a definite organiza- 
 tion of persons, but of a general state of 
 things, of what happens under the reign of 
 Messiah; and this sense ought to be here pre- 
 ferred because it relieves us of the hopeless 
 difficulties involved in the other view, (b) 
 The opening verbal comparison of the several 
 parables is not uniform and essential to the 
 meaning, but incidental and varying. In v. 
 45 the kingdom of heaven is like a man seek- 
 ing pearls, but in v. 44 it is compared, not to 
 the finder, but to the thing found. In v. 24 it 
 is like the owner of the field, i. e., the Mes- 
 siah (v. 37) ; but in v. 47 it is compared not to 
 the owner of the net, but to the net. So in 
 22: 2, the kingdom of heaven is likened to the 
 king who gave a marriage feast for his son, 
 but in 25 : 1 it is likened, not to the bridegroom, 
 but to the virgins who desired to attend the 
 feast. These and other examples show that 
 our Lord does not in each case carefully as- 
 
 sert a special relation between the Messianic 
 reign and this or that particular object in the 
 parable, but means to say that something is 
 true of the Messianic reign which resembles 
 the case of the parable ; and instead of speak- 
 ing in vague terms of general comparison (as 
 in 25: 14), he often sets out by saying that 
 "the kingdom of heaven is like" some lead- 
 ing person or object of the story, or some 
 feature that readily presents itself at the be- 
 ginning. (Comp. on 11: 16.) In this par- 
 able, then, we are not at liberty to lay any 
 stress upon the comparison of the kingdom of 
 heaven to the net itself. The comparison is 
 to the whole story; and its particular point is 
 given by our Lord himself in v. 49 f. 
 
 One might incline to suppose a reference 
 here to the unspiritual crowds who were fol- 
 lowing Jesus, many reckoning themselves his 
 disciples, though they were not; and then an 
 application might be proposed to similar 
 hangers on at the present day. But fatal to 
 this is the fact that Jesus did take pains, not 
 long after the parable was spoken, to make 
 such persons see the spirituality of true dis- 
 cipleship, so that they ceased following him. 
 
 (John 6: 66.) 
 
 Nay, the meaning is simply that Messiah 
 will not at once separate and destroy those 
 persons who refuse to become his subjects, but 
 will suffer them to live on in the world during 
 the gradual development of his reign, until his 
 Second Coming, and then the separation and 
 punishment will take place. The phrases of 
 v. 49 f. have been explained in the kindred 
 passage, v. 40-42. The ' furnace of fire' is an 
 image not suggested i>y this parable, but by 
 burning the tares. 
 
 Some have found a mystical signification in 
 the fact that this group contains seven para- 
 bles (the mystical number), which they com- 
 pare with the seven letters of Rev. ch. 2 and 3, 
 and supposed to represent seven epochs in the 
 history of Christianity. Apart from other 
 grounds of objection to this fancy (cornp. 
 Goebel), it should bo enough here to remember
 
 308 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIII. 
 
 52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe 
 tcAtcA is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, is like 
 unto a man that i-s a householder, which bringeth forth 
 out of his treasure things new and old. 
 
 53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished 
 these parables, he departed thence. 
 
 52 unto him, Yea. And he said unto them, Therefore 
 every scribe who hath been made a disciple to the 
 kingdom of heaven is like uuto a man that is a 
 householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure 
 things new and old. 
 
 53 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished 
 
 that Mark (4: 26 ST.) gives an eighth parable 
 spoken on the same occasion, and that these 
 eight fall into four pairs. 
 
 IV. 51-53. CONCLUSION OF THE DIS- 
 COURSE. Found in Matthew only. Jesus 
 saith unto them is a spurious addition, and 
 go is Lord, after yea. The simple yea or 
 yes without addition was not impolite. ("= 25: 
 Acts 22: 27.) Have ye understood or did you 
 understand all these things? The emphasis 
 is not so much on 'all' as on these 
 things ' (so in v. 34). They had not under- 
 stood the parables of the Sower and the Tares 
 without explanation ; but guided by his in- 
 terpretation of those two, they saw the mean- 
 ing of the subsequent parables, though it is 
 probable they often saw but dimly at first. 
 Morison: " Not that we are to suppose they 
 understood the things to their summits and 
 their depths. Who even yet has thus ex- 
 hausted or comprehended them? But they 
 saw light streaming through them. It was 
 light from heaven; it would increase." 
 Therefore, on this account, a strong expres- 
 sion. (Alford wrong, following Euthym.) 
 Since you have understood these new views 
 of the Messianic reign, it follows that you, 
 and every Scribe who like you has become a 
 disciple to that reign, will have good store of 
 truths to teach, of new things as well as old. 
 If the disciples had not understood, it could 
 not have been at that time said that such a 
 store of varied instruction would be possessed 
 by them and other teachers under the New 
 Dispensation. Scribe, see on 2:4. That 
 is instructed, or, has been discipled, see on 
 28 : 19. We greatly need a verb to disciple 
 for both passages, and for 27 : 57 ; Acts 14 : 21, 
 as we need a verb to tfiepherd in 2:6; John 
 21 : 16, etc. Discipled unto the kingdom 
 of heaven, would be according to the correct 
 Greek text. The Scribes held themselves as 
 the disciples of Moses (23 = 2; John9:28); the 
 Christian Scribe (23:34) has become a disciple 
 to the Messianic Dispensation, which takes 
 him as a pupil, and teaches him its lessons. If 
 the Messianic reign had turned out only what 
 the Jews expected, its Scribes would not have 
 
 been able to produce any new truths about it. 
 The Greek might mean, though less naturally, 
 'discipled for the kingdom of heaven,' for its 
 benefit or service ; the expression seemed ob- 
 scure, and so was altered in some documents 
 to 'in the kingdom,' and in many to 'unto 
 the kingdom,' meaning in order to, or in re- 
 spect to (as in Com. Ver.). Householder, as 
 in 13: 27; 10:25. Treasure, ' treasury,' or 
 here rather store-house, the term not being 
 confined to a place of deposit for valuables 
 (comp. on 12 : 35). Bringeth forth is liter- 
 ally throws out, 'flings out,' as explained in 
 9: 38, the word appearing always to imply 
 vigorous if not violent action. A man with 
 ample stores flings out garments or articles of 
 food in profusion, some recently acquired, 
 others long on hand, each class having its 
 peculiar value. A good housekeeper would 
 make frequent additions to his stores, while 
 carefully preserving the old. The Jewish 
 Scribes gloried in teaching only old things, 
 but the Christian Scribe learned such new 
 lessons as these parables have just been giv- 
 ing, and so could fling out things new and 
 old. He would now have (Meyer) the ful- 
 fillment of many old prophecies, the explana- 
 tion and new extension (5: IT) of many pre- 
 cepts, the more correct understanding of the 
 old Messianic hope. The expression naturally 
 suggests to us the Old and the New Testaments, 
 but that can hardly be regarded as here meant 
 by our Lord. Perhaps he did also mean that 
 the Christian Scribe must imitate his example 
 in employing new methods of teaching (as 
 parables, etc.) He here plainly shows that he 
 did not design for the disciples to keep to 
 themselves what had for the present been 
 taught to them alone. (Comp. 13: 10-13.) 
 
 53. This closes the account of this series of 
 parables. (Comp. 11 : 1.) The chapter ought 
 to have ended here, thus possessing a beauti- 
 ful unity. The remaining verses have noth- 
 ing to do with the group of parables, either in 
 time, place, or topic. The other group of 
 parables given by Matthew will be found 
 near the close of our Lord's public ministry, 
 in chapters 18, 20, 21, 22, and 25.
 
 CH. XIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 309 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 44. The hid treasure. 1) Piety is a 
 treasure. 2) One should determine to make 
 it truly and thoroughly his own. 3) He 
 should be ready to pay the cost of procuring 
 it, however great. 4) Well may he rejoice at 
 the first view of it, and still more in its secured 
 possession. V. 45 f. The pearl of great price. 
 
 1) Piety is the most precious of all possessions, 
 the summum bonum, or supreme good of life. 
 
 2) To obtain piety, we ought willingly to 
 make all necessary sacrifices and exertions. 
 
 3) Piety is worth far more than it costs. 
 CHBTS : "And much as he that has the pearl 
 knows indeed himself that he is rich, but others 
 often know not that he is holding it in his hand 
 (for there is no corporeal bulk) ; just so also 
 with the gospel : they that have hold of it 
 know that they are rich, but the unbelievers, 
 not knowing of this treasure, are in ignorance 
 also of our wealth." 
 
 V. 61 f. HENRY: "It is good for us, when 
 we have read or heard the word, to examine 
 ourselves, or to be examined, whether we have 
 understood it or not." The Gospel Scribe. 
 1) He is a disciple to the Messianic reign, (a) 
 learning its lessons, (b) obeying its laws. 2) 
 He brings forth things new and old. (a) From 
 Old Test, and New Test, (b) Prom former 
 teachers and from his own thinking, (c) In 
 old methods and in new methods. ORIGEN : 
 "The converse must hold, whoever does not 
 bring forth from his treasury new things and 
 old, is not a scribe discipled to the kingdom of 
 heaven. Therefore we must diligently study 
 not only the Gospels, Epistles, and Apocalypse, 
 but also the law and the prophets." CHRYS : 
 " Let us then hear, as many of us as neglect 
 the reading of the Scriptures, to what harm 
 we are subjecting ourselves, to what poverty. 
 For where are we to apply ourselves to the 
 real practice of virtue, who do not so much as 
 know the very laws according to which our 
 practice should be guided ? '' 
 
 54-58. JESUS VISITS His OWN COUNTRY. 
 
 This visit of our Lord to his own country is 
 also given in Mark 6 : 1-6. It must have been 
 a different, though, in some respects, similar 
 visit to Nazareth that is recorded in Luke 4: 
 16-31, and occurred at the very beginning of 
 his ministry in Galilee (Luke 4: 31, coincid- 
 ing in time with Matt. 4: 13). The visit 
 described by Matt, and Luke appears to have 
 
 been about a year later. Many recent commen- 
 tators argue, or take for granted, that tlie two 
 events were really one, and then dispute as to 
 which occupies the more correct chronological 
 position. But the strong probability that both 
 Mark and Luke have followed the chronolog- 
 ical order, as they so commonly do (at least 
 in the early part of Luke), is here further 
 strengthened by the great difference of cir- 
 cumstances in the two cases. In Luke, the 
 synagogue address so angers the congregation 
 that they rise up and attempt to kill him ; for 
 this there seems to be no room in Matthew 
 and Mark. In Luke, Jesus is expected to 
 work miracles, and openly declares that he 
 will not; in the other case he works a few 
 miracles, and wonders at the unbelief which 
 prevents his doing more. It was natural that 
 Jesus should give the acquaintances of his 
 early life a second chance to hear, and when 
 they did not believe, he might very naturally 
 repeat the saying which was so readily sug- 
 gested, and so strikingly appropriate (v. 57 ; 
 Luke 4: 24). It is thus easier to account for 
 the similarity of the two narratives, if dis- 
 tinct, than for their differences, if referring to 
 the same event. But some critics always take 
 for granted that two similar events or dis- 
 courses must have been really the same. A 
 little experience as missionary preachers in 
 city and country, especially if as field-preach- 
 ers or street-preachers, or in general, as 
 "evangelists," would have taught them how 
 natural it is to give many similar points of 
 instruction at different times and places. 
 (Comp. at the beginning of ch. 5, and on 15: 
 38.) It is impossible to say wiih certainty 
 whether we have here two events or one; but 
 the probability seems strongly in favor of the 
 former view. It is supported by Meyer, 
 Ewald, "VVieseler, and many others. 
 
 Matthew does not here mention, though his 
 expressions do not exclude, various occurrences 
 which Mark's order shows to have come be- 
 tween the series of parables and this visit, 
 viz., the passage of the lake and healing of 
 two demoniacs, the feast given by Matthew, 
 the raising of Jairus' daughter, etc. These 
 Matt., according to his topical method of 
 grouping (in ch. 5-13), has introduced earlier. 
 (8: 18 to 9: 34; see on 8: 18 and on 13: 1.) 
 Some skeptical expositors insist that his ex- 
 pressions do exclude any intervening events.
 
 310 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIII. 
 
 54 And when he was couie into his own country, he 
 taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they 
 were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this 
 wisdom, and these mighty works? 
 
 5,) Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother 
 called Mary ? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and 
 Simon, tiuu Judas? 
 
 54 these parables, he departed thence. And coming 
 into his own country he taught them in their syna- 
 gogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and 
 said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these 
 
 55 l mighty works ? Is not this the carpenter's son ? 
 is not his mother called Mary ? and his brethren, 
 
 1 Gr. pome 
 
 They read it as one sentence: "He departed 
 thence, and coming into his own country, 
 taught," etc. The Greek might mean this, 
 but even so, must we necessarily understand 
 that he went off the same day, stopped 
 nowhere on the route, and neither said nor 
 did anything from the close of the parables 
 beside the lake till he reached the synagogue 
 at Nazareth? It will surely be agreed that 
 one day may have intervened, if no more; 
 and it so happens that one day with the pre- 
 ceding night would suffice for all the events 
 mentioned by Mark as occurring in the mean- 
 time. It is wearisome to follow out such 
 elaborate attempts to make much of "dis- 
 crepancies." 
 
 In Matthew this rejection at Nazareth com- 
 pletes the account of opposition encountered 
 by Jesus (oh. 12 and is) ; and the parabolic teach- 
 ing which was occasioned by this opposition 
 is preceded by the interference of his kindred 
 (i2:46ff.), and followed by the rejection at his 
 early home. 
 
 54. His own country must here mean the 
 district of Nazareth, and not Galilee in gen- 
 eral. (John 4 : 43-45.) He was already in Galilee 
 when he gave the parables. He is here in a 
 particular city or village, having one definite 
 synagogue. The people know his brothers by 
 name, and declare that his sisters are all living 
 among them. As to Nazareth, see on 2: 23; 
 as to the synagogues, see on 4: 23. Mark (6:2) 
 says that this teaching was on the Sabbath, 
 which would not be certain from Matthew's 
 account, since they met in the synagogue 
 also on Monday and Thursday. And these 
 mighty works, or 'miracles,' the word being 
 dunamis, see on 12: 38. Few or none of these 
 were wrought at Nazareth (v.ss), but they had 
 heard of them, and doubtless some Nazarenes 
 had witnessed them at other points. Notice 
 that with all their unbelief and hostility they 
 did not question the reality of his miracles. 
 (Comp. on 12:24.) 
 
 55 f. Is not this the carpenter's son? 
 Jesus was of course considered among the 
 
 Nazarenes to be the son of Joseph, "and that 
 impression was wisely permitted, because the 
 idea of the heavenly origin of Jesus could be 
 of use only to believers." (Olshausen.) The 
 word rendered 'carpenter' means in general 
 artificer, but usually denotes a worker in 
 wood. Mark (6: 3) has it, ' Is not this the car- 
 penter?' showing that Jesus had himself 
 wrought at his reputed father's trade. Justin 
 Martyr, who was reared in Samaria, affirms 
 in his dialogue with Trypho the Jew (eh. ss), 
 written about A. D. 150, that Jesus was a 
 maker of plows and yokes a tradition which 
 may well enough be true. In laboring as a 
 mechanic we must not fail to see that he set 
 us an example. Belonging to a poor family 
 he ate not the bread of idleness, but with all 
 the great work that lay before him, and al- 
 ready must have begun to press upon head 
 and heart, he devoted himself to honest toil. 
 It was the wise custom of the Jews that even 
 when wealthy their sons must be taught some 
 trade ; as Paul learned tent-making, and lived 
 to find it extremely useful. No doubt the 
 Saviour worked diligently, a model to me- 
 chanics of never slighting work, and of always 
 meeting engagements. And no doubt he 
 cherished all the day long so devout a spirit 
 as to make these homely toils a part of the 
 life of piety. 
 
 And his brethren .... and his sisters. 
 It seems impossible to determine with cer- 
 tainty whether we are to understand brothers 
 in the strict sense, or half-brothers, or more 
 loosely, near kinsmen. Each of these views 
 has been earnestly supported from an early 
 time. (See particularly good discussions of the 
 whole subject in Bishop Lightfoot on Gala- 
 tians, Smith's "Diet. Bible." Amer. Ed., Art. 
 "Brothers of the Lord," Schaffin Lange ou 
 Matt., and in "Church History" 2d ed., 
 Andrew's "Life of Christ.") The three theo- 
 ries are well described by Schaff as the 
 brother-theory, held by many Protestants, 
 the half-brother-theory prevail ing in the Greek 
 Church, and the cousin-theory, prevailing in
 
 CH. XIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 311 
 
 the Church of Rome. 1. The most obvious view 
 is that the ' brothers ' were such in the or- 
 dinary sense, sons of Joseph and Mary. In 
 favor of this we have the natural though not 
 necessary meaning of three independent ex- 
 pressions, (a) The word 'brother' naturally 
 means this, and ought to be so taken in any 
 case unless the contrary can be there shown. 
 It is used not once, but many times. And ob- 
 serve that here we have also 'sisters.' More- 
 over, it is not here Jesus' followers who speak 
 of his brothers and his sisters, but the unbe- 
 lieving and hostile Nazarenes, who are not 
 likely to have employed the term in any non- 
 natural or unusual sense. In their mouths 
 'his brothers' and 'all his sisters' cannot 
 have meant less than children of Joseph, 
 if not of Joseph and Mary. They could 
 easily be mistaken in calling Joseph his 
 father, because here had been a supernatural 
 fact of which they were not informed; but 
 how could they be mistaken as to his brothers 
 and sisters? (b) The phrase 'knew her not 
 until' (i: K), while not necessarily meaning 
 that after the birth of her son they lived to- 
 gether in the ordinary relations of husband 
 and wife, naturally means that, and it is 
 highly unnatural to understand it otherwise, 
 (c) So with 'her first-born son.' (Luke2:7.) 
 The special laws as to a first-born son might 
 possibly lead to the use of this expression, 
 though no other children followed. But this 
 would have been less natural for one who 
 wrote long afterwards, as Luke did. Here 
 then are three independent statements, each 
 of which affords a clear and strong probability, 
 and the combination of the three affords a 
 very high, in fact an overwhelming proba- 
 bility. And how strange it would look for 
 each of the four Evangelists, and Paul (Johu 7: 
 3 a. -, GUI. i: i), to use language so naturally and 
 inevitably suggesting that Mary bore other 
 children, if this was untrue, and a very objec- 
 tionable idea. 
 
 The objections to this view are (1) sentiment. 
 This pervades the Romanist and Greek Chris- 
 tian world, and extends to many Protestants. 
 But it is a sentiment without Scriptural sup- 
 port, and out of harmony with the general 
 tone of Scripture in regard to marriage. 
 That Jesus should be born of a virgin had an 
 obvious propriety in showing that his birth 
 was supernatural, and helping to put him 
 
 outside the line of transmitted depravity and 
 guilt; but nothing in regard to him or his 
 work would be affected by his mother's after- 
 wards bearing children to her husband. (2) 
 This view would make James his brother an 
 'apostle' without being one of the Twelve, 
 see Gal. 1 : 19, and com p. Acts 9: 27. But the 
 phrase in Gal. 1 : 19 does not certainly mean 
 that James was an apostle (see margin, Rev. 
 Ver.), nor does the plural in Acts. And sup- 
 posing that to be meant, we must observe that 
 'apostle' in the New Test, is applied to others 
 than the Twelve; clearly so in Acts 14: 14, 
 "the apostles, Barnabas and Paul," perhaps 
 also in 1 Cor. 9: 5 f. ; Rom. 16: 7; 1 Thess. 
 2: 6; and the "false apostles" of2Cor. 11: 13; 
 Rev. 2: 2, would have been simply ridiculed 
 if only the Twelve had ever been called by 
 that name. (Gump. Lightfoot on Gal.) (3) 
 It would seem strange that Jesus on the cross 
 should commit his motHer to a friend, when 
 she had sons. But this would hold against 
 the other theories also, and even more strongly 
 against the cousin-theory, for then two of her 
 nephews were among the Twelve. 
 
 2. The half-brother-theory supposes them 
 to be sons and daughters of Joseph by a 
 former marriage. This leaves room for the 
 sentiment as to Mary's perpetual virginity, 
 and the last objection to the former view 
 affects this in a less degree. It might also 
 help to account for the fact that ' the brothers' 
 were inclined to assume authority over Jesus 
 (12:46; John T : s-io ;; though even younger brothers 
 are ready enough for this in the case of one 
 whom they regard as a religious enthusiast. 
 (Mark3:2i.) The objections to this theory are 
 (1) It is a mere supposition. (2) In this caso, 
 not Jesus, but the eldest son of Joseph, would 
 have been legal heir to the throne of Dnvid. 
 
 (3) The brothers and sisters were, on this view, 
 really no kin to Jesus. Still even Mary could 
 say to him, "thy father and I" (Luke2:48), and 
 Luke could speak of his parents. (i.uke:.) 
 
 (4) We must thus understand 'first-born son' 
 in an improbable sense (see above). 
 
 3. The cousin-theory makes them the sons 
 and daughters of Mary's sister Mary. That 
 the term brother was sometimes used in this 
 loose sense may be seen from Gen. 13: 8; 
 14: 16; 29: 12; 31: 23; Job 19: 13, and espe- 
 
 ially Job. 42: 11, whom sisters as well as 
 brothers are mentioned, and apparently mean-
 
 312 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIII. 
 
 56 And his sisters, are they not all with us ? Whence 
 then hath this man all these things ? 
 
 57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said 
 unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in 
 his own country, aud in his own house. 
 
 56 James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas? And 
 his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then 
 
 57 hath this man all these things ? And they were 
 1 offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A 
 prophet is not without honour, save in his owu 
 
 1 Or, canted to stumble. 
 
 ing relatives in general. And such a use of 
 the terms is still found among Oriental nations. 
 This theory supposes that Clopas (John 19 : 25 j was 
 the same as Alpheus; it makes James the 
 Lord's brother the same as James the son of 
 Alpheus, and thus one of the Twelve, and 
 'Judas of James' (whether brother or son), 
 another of the Twelve. This also leaves 
 room for the sentiment involved, and accounts 
 for Gal. 1 : 19 (see above). Objections. (1) 
 Six monthsbefore the crucifixion "his brothers 
 did not believe on him" (John 7: 5), when ac- 
 cording to this theory two of the four brothers 
 had long been among the Twelve. (2) Any 
 natural etymology of Clopas would be very 
 different from Chalphai, Alpheus. (3) There 
 would thus be two sisters of the same name. 
 The notion of some that one was called 
 Mariam, and the other Maria, is quite set 
 aside by the actual readings of the ancient 
 documents. (4) It would be strange that 
 these young men, even those who were not 
 believers iu Jesus, should be mentioned so 
 often with his mother when their own mother 
 was alive. (5) And why should he entrust 
 his mother to John, when among his twelve 
 
 disciples were two of her nephews and familiar obstacles to believing. They stumbled at his 
 
 associates? Upon the "brother-theory" we 
 may readily suppose that his brothers were 
 still at the time of the crucifixion not believers, 
 as had been the case six monthsbefore (John 7: 5) ; 
 and when in Acts 1 : 14 "the brothers" appear 
 with Mary among the disciples, we may sup- 
 pose that the risen Lord's appearance to James 
 (i Cor. 15:7), ended all doubts with him and the 
 other brothers. These suppositions seem not 
 unnatural, and they account for our Lord's 
 committing his mother to John, when her 
 eons were not yet in sympathy with him. 
 
 The question can never be settled ; but the 
 probabilities are very decidedly in favor of 
 the first view, that these were sons and daugh- 
 ters of Joseph and Mary. Thus the great and 
 unspeakably important institution of mar- 
 riage is duly honored, and Jesus, the first- 
 born son of Mary, is in no sense dishonored. 
 
 Whence then hath this man all these 
 
 renes was well-founded. (Comp. also John 
 7 15.) And if Jesus is thought of as a mere 
 man, their question remains to this day unan- 
 swered and unanswerable. In the little coun- 
 try of Palestine, in its least refined district, in 
 a petty and secluded town, whose inhabitants 
 were violent and in bad repute among their 
 neighbors (see on 2: 23), arose a young me- 
 chanic, whose teachings, though ended by an 
 early death, surpassed all the wisdom of India 
 and the Chaldeans, of Eg3~pt and Greece ; 
 and who, in the few years of his career as a 
 teacher, founded "an empire of love," which 
 has spread wider than any empire of earth, 
 and seems destined to last and to grow in all 
 coming time. Whence then had this man all 
 these things? There is but one answer. He 
 was a teacher sent from God ; he was, then, 
 according to his own express declaration, 
 God's Only-begotten Son ; yea, he was all that 
 Thomas called him for he himself commend- 
 ed the saying " my Lord and my God." See 
 Young's "Christ of History" and Schaff's 
 "Person of Christ." 
 
 57. Offended in him, or, caused to stumble, 
 as in 11 : 6, and seeon5: 29. They found in him 
 
 humble origin, and lack of training in the 
 Rabbinical schools, and in their blind un- 
 belief they would not listen to his wisdom nor 
 heed his miracles, but rejected him without 
 further inquiry or reflection. As he had had 
 no chance to become so wise, they concluded 
 that his wisdom was not real. They ought to 
 have seen that it was real, and thence con- 
 cluded that it was divine. A prophet is not 
 without honor, etc. It was natural that the 
 same objection should be made by the people 
 as on his former visit, and that he should 
 quote the same proverb in reply. (Luke 4: w, 2*.) 
 The Gospel of John (*; ) applies this saying 
 of our Lord to a different occasion, probably 
 as explaining why he went back to his own 
 country of Galilee, where his labors would 
 not be likely to produce so much undesirable 
 excitement as they had begun to do in Judea 
 and Samaria. In any ordinary matters, a man 
 
 things? The astonishment of the Naza- I will be more kindly received among his
 
 CH. XIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 313 
 
 68 And he did not many mighty works there because 58 country, and in his own house. And he did not 
 of their unbelief. many 1 mighty works there because of their unbelief. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 AT that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of 1 At that season Herod the tetrarch heard the report 
 Jesus, 
 
 kindred and early friends than elsewhere ; but 
 not when he appears as greatly their superior, 
 and professes, or is popularly reported, to 
 possess extraordinary powers. They think of 
 him as he used to be, and are slow to believe 
 that he has become so superior to themselves. 
 Somewhat similar is the difficulty parents 
 often have in believing that their children are 
 grown and can do mature work they keep 
 remembering them as children. Observe that 
 our Lord does not here formally state a uni- 
 versal proposition, having no exception ; he 
 merely adopts a popular saying, which gener- 
 ally holds true. In his own house. Mark 
 adds (6; *) 'among his own kin.' Comp. above 
 on 12 : 46. We know from John 7 : 5, that 
 ' his brethren ' did not yet believe on him. 
 
 58. The people did not attempt any vio- 
 lence, as on his former visit (Luke4: 2r.), but 
 still persisted in their unbelief, so that Jesus 
 'wondered because of their unbelief (Mark 
 : 6), as he had formerly wondered at the cen- 
 turion's faith (see on 8 : 10). Mighty works, 
 or miracles, as in v. 54, see on 12: 38. Not 
 many. The few miracles which he did work 
 there consisted (Markets) in healing a few sick 
 persons. Because of their unbelief.- As 
 a general thing, he did not work miracles in 
 behalf of those who put no faith in him. Re- 
 ligious benefit to the people, which was always 
 his ultimate object, was impossible where they 
 did not believe. When Mark says. ' he could 
 there do no miracle,' we understand, not that 
 his power to work miracles was dependent on 
 men's faith (for he sometimes healed without 
 their faith or knowledge, i&-.w-, Luke22:5i). but 
 that he could not do it in consistency with his 
 design, without violating the plan of his 
 labors. (Comp. on 9: 28. ) As to miracles of 
 healing, we need not at all suppose that he 
 refused to heal any who came to him ; the un- 
 belief which prevented him from working the 
 miracles prevented the people from seeking 
 them. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 54-58. A prophet in his own country. 1) 
 Jesus strives to benefit the obscure and un- 
 
 promising community among whom he had 
 grown up. (a) A second visit, comp. Luke 
 4 . 16-30. (b) Wise teaching, (c) Some mir- 
 acles of healing (comp. Mark 6: 5), notwith- 
 standing the general unbelief. 2) They ad- 
 mire his wise teaching, and rightly think it 
 unaccountable in an obscure mechanic. 3) 
 They do not ask whether God has given this 
 wisdom, whether it is Messianic teaching 
 (comp. Luke 4: 18-21), but stumble at his 
 known lack of Rabbinical training and 
 worldly position, and reject him. 4) Jesus 
 wonders at their unbelief, can do little for 
 them by word or deed (comp. Mark), and 
 turns sadly away never again, so far as we 
 know, to revisit the companions of his youth. 
 V. 54. "Whence hath this man this wis- 
 dom?" 1) Not from Nazareth, or Galilee. 
 2) Not from the Rabbis at Jerusalem. 3) Not 
 from the adjoining countries of Asia, Africa, 
 or Europe. 4) Not from unaided human re- 
 flection. 5) But from God. " His sisters, are 
 they not all with us?" 1) How little we 
 know of many persons and things closely re- 
 lated to Jesus. 2) Shall we suppose that his 
 sisters shared the unbelief of his brothers 
 (John 7 :5)? 3) How may we become dearer to 
 Jesus than his sisters? (12:50.) V. 58. "Be- 
 cause of their unbelief." 1) Unbelief caused 
 the fall of man. 2) Unbelief restricted the 
 benevolent work of the Son of God. 3) Un- 
 belief led most of the Jews to reject him (John 
 i: ii; M8f.) 4) Unbelief caused him almost 
 intolerable grief, (n: IT) 5) Oh, that instead of 
 wonderful unbelief (Marker), we may all have 
 wonderful faith. (Matt. SMO.) 
 
 Ch. 14: 1-12. JESUS is SUPPOSED TO BK 
 JOHN THE BAPTIST RISEN FROM THE DEAD. 
 ACCOUNT OF JOHN'S DEATH. 
 
 Thus far, Matthew's narrative of our Lord's 
 ministry in Galilee, commencing with 4: 12, 
 has to a great extent disregarded the order of 
 time, and followed an arrangement according 
 to topics, better suited to his object of proving 
 to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah, and ex- 
 plaining the true nature of the Messianic
 
 314 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIV. 
 
 reign. (Comp. on 4: 12; 8: 1; 9: 35; 11: 2; 
 12: 1.) From this point onward, he follows 
 the order of time, with a few slight variations 
 in ch. 21 and 26, made for the purpose of con- 
 venience in the grouping. 
 
 I. 1 f. HEROD SUPPOSES JESUS TO BE JOHN 
 THE BAPTIST RISEN FROM THE DEAD. Comp. 
 Mark 6: 14-16; Luke 9: 7-9. 
 
 At that time (season), indefinite as in 12: 
 1, see on 11 : 25. Herod the tetrarch (a term 
 explained on 2: 19), was the son of Herod the 
 Great (see on 2: 1), and one of the three 
 among whom he divided his dominions. The 
 Tetrarch's mother was a Samaritan; he was 
 distinguished from the numerous other Herods 
 hy the name Antipas, a contraction of An- 
 tipater. He and his brother Archelaus (a &) 
 had spent their youth at Home. His tetrarchy 
 included Galilee (see on 4: 12) and Perea (see 
 on 19: 1), the region east of the Jordan, from 
 the Sea of Galilee to the northern part of the 
 Dead Sea. As Tetrarch of Galilee, he had 
 been the civil ruler of Jesus almost from the 
 first, and John's baptizing in Perea (John i: 28) 
 put him also in Herod's power. He had now 
 been ruling about thirty-two years. His first 
 wife was the daughter of Aretas (2 Cor. 11 : ), 
 king of the Nabathaean Arabs, whose capital 
 was the famous Petra, and whose dominions 
 adjoined Perea on the south, the fortress of 
 Macha?rus being on the border. (See on v. 3.) 
 After many years Herod made proposals of 
 marriage to his niece Herodias, sister to Herod 
 Agrippa I. (the Herod of Acts 12), and wife 
 of his own half-brother, Herod Philip. Her 
 husband was not the Tetrarch Philip (see on 
 2: 20), who married her daughter (see on 
 v. 6), but was another son of Herod the Great, 
 left by him in a private station, and by Jose- 
 phus called simply Herod. ("Ant." 17, 1, 2; 
 18, 5, 1 and 4.) The simple and natural sup- 
 position that his name was Herod Philip re- 
 moves all conflict here between Josephus and 
 the Gospels. Herodias was a woman of tower- 
 ing ambition, and readily accepted, if indeed 
 she had not manoeuvred to secure, the pro- 
 posals of Antipas to give her a royal station, 
 agreeing that she would divorce her husband 
 (comp. Mark 10: 12), while he must divorce 
 his Arab wife. Although accustomed to in- 
 cestuous marriages in this Herod family, the 
 people must have been greatly outraged at 
 the Tetrarch's taking the wife of his still 
 
 living brother, to whom she had borne a 
 child. Hence the effort he appears to have 
 made to get the famous John the Baptist to 
 endorse the marriage, which would have had 
 a powerful effect on the popular mind. 
 The injured daughter of Aretas escaped 
 to her father ; and some years later, 
 disputes having arisen about boundaries, 
 he was led by the double motive of revenge 
 and interest to make war upon Herod. The 
 latter' s army was defeated and destroyed, 
 and he was saved from ruin by the interfer- 
 ence of the Romans. Josephus ("Ant." is, 5, 2) 
 states that some of the Jews thought the de- 
 struction of the army a judgment from God for 
 Herod's treatment of John the Baptist, whom 
 he proceeds to eulogize, (as quoted above on 3 : 
 2), and says that Herod put him to death from 
 fear that his great influence might lead to a 
 rebellion. This account in Josephus becomes 
 more intelligible through the facts given in 
 the Gospels. Herod Antipas was not naturally 
 a cruel man, but self-indulgent and unscrupu- 
 lous. There were many other wicked deeds for 
 which John felt bound to reprove him(Luke3: 19), 
 besides the shameful marriage. Like most 
 weak rulers he attempted to use cunning, 
 and Jesus afterwards called him a "fox." 
 ( mke is : si r.) The three Herods called by that 
 name in the New Test, may be readily dis- 
 tinguished by remembering that " Herod the 
 Great murdered the infants, Herod Antipas 
 beheaded John the Baptist, and Herod 
 Agrippa killed James and imprisoned Peter." 
 But we know from Josephus that many others 
 of the family bore the name of the great 
 founder. Thus each of the Philips mentioned 
 above was named Herod Philip, and the 
 Agrippa before whom Paul spoke was called 
 Herod Agrippa, like his father who slew 
 James. 
 
 Heard of the fame of (R.V. report con- 
 cerning) Jesus, comp. on 4: 24. Herod usually 
 resided during his latter years at Tiberias, a 
 town on the S. ~W. shore of the Sea of Galilee, 
 from which it was sometimes called Lake Ti- 
 berias (see on 4: 12, 18). "We have no account 
 of our Lord's ever visiting this town, and per- 
 haps he stayed away to avoid exciting the hos- 
 tility of Herod, who might be jealous of one 
 beginning to be popularly regarded as King of 
 the Jews. But his teachings and miracles had 
 spread the report of him far and wide, till it
 
 CH. XIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 315 
 
 2 And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist ; 
 he is risen from the dead ; and therefore mighty works 
 do shew forth themselves in him. 
 
 3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, 
 and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother 
 Philip's wife. 
 
 2 concerning Jesus, and said unto his servants, This 
 is John the Baptist ; he is risen from the dead ; and 
 
 3 therefore do these powers work in him. For Herod 
 had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him 
 in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother 
 
 a Or, ar 
 
 ught by him. 
 
 penetrated even the precincts of the court. 
 The recent mission of the Twelve (cfc. 10) had 
 probably contributed to this, for both in Mark 
 (6: u) and Luke (=7) the statement follows 
 immediately upon the account of that mission, 
 which would naturally make a great stir all 
 over the country. Herod paid little attention 
 to religious movements among his subjects, 
 or he would have heard of Jesus earlier; for 
 it had now been certainly one and a half, and 
 probably two and a half years (see on 12: 1) 
 since our Lord's baptism, and for a year or 
 more he had been actively at work in Galilee, 
 teaching and working a great number of mir- 
 acles. But it was in accordance with the lux- 
 urious and rather slothful character of the 
 Tetrarch, that he should be thus ignorant. It 
 may be (Edersh.), that as Tiberias had been 
 recently built (Jos. "Ant." 18, 2, 3), he was 
 still spending much of his time at other places, 
 which would partly account for his ignorance; 
 yet Galilee was at any rate the most import- 
 ant part of his dominions. 
 
 2. And said unto his servants. The 
 word is pais (see on 8: 6), literallj' boy and 
 thence 'servant,' and often applied to the 
 officers of an Oriental court (Gen. : MJ i Sam. 16: 
 n; i Mace. i:6, a), just as the term doulos is in 
 18 : 23, and elsewhere. We know from Luke 
 8: 3, that "Joanna the wife of Chuza, 
 Herod's steward" had, apparently some time 
 before this, accompanied Jesus in his journey- 
 ings, and ministered to him and his followers 
 from her property. It would seem more 
 likely that " Mannen (Menahem) the foster- 
 brother of Herod the Tetrarch" (Acts is : i), be- 
 came a Christian at a later period. This is 
 John the Baptist, see on 3: 1. He is risen j 
 from the dead, with emphasis on 'ho' 
 (comp. on 1 : 21), implying that this remark- 
 able person of whom they heard was not any- 
 one else than just he, come to life again. Here 
 is a display of philosophizing, and a touch 
 of guilty conscience. 'From the dead, i. e., 
 from among the dead. From Mark 8: 15, 
 compared with Matt. 16:6, many have in- 
 ferred (even Plumptre) that Herod was a Sad- 
 ducee, but without sufficient ground. It is 
 
 not likely that he intelligently and heartily 
 adopted the religious views of either party, 
 but the opinions of the Pharisees as to the res- 
 urrection (see on 3 : 7) would form a natural 
 basis in his mind for the notion here ex pressed. 
 This notion did not originate with Herod, but 
 was one of the conflicting opinions which he 
 heard of as expressed among the people. 
 (Luke 9: 7.) Some Jews believed in a species of 
 metempsychosis, the soul of a righteous dead 
 man entering a new body born for the pur- 
 pose (Josephus "War," 2, 8, 14). But in re- 
 gard to Elijah, Jeremiah, and the famous 
 prophets in general, it was believed that one 
 of them might simply come to life again, the 
 same in soul and body. (Luke 9: a, 19.) Herod 
 at first questioned this theory about Jesus 
 (Luke:9j, but afterwards adopted it (v. 2; Mark 
 6: H), and insisted on it as the only correct 
 view. (Mark 6: 16.) He may possibly have con- 
 cluded (Lutter. ) that the people would cherish 
 less malice against him for killing the prophet 
 now that he was restored to them. At a 
 later period we find this notion still 
 maintained by some of the people. (i6:u.) 
 Herod's desire to see Jesus (Luke9:9), was 
 perhaps partly that he might settle this ques- 
 tion, but partly arose from mere curiosity to 
 see him work a miracle; certainly the latter 
 was his feeling a year later. (Lnke23:8-n.) And 
 therefore, viz., because he has risen from 
 the dead, and may well thus have supernat- 
 ural powers, which he did not before possess. 
 (John io:4i.) Mighty works, etc. , or, the pow- 
 ers work in him. Perhaps the phrase ' mirac- 
 ulous powers' would best express the sense, 
 the term being dunamis(sce on 12: 38), which 
 frequently means miracles, regarded as works 
 of power, but here denotes the powers exer- 
 cised and manifested in the miraculous deeds. 
 Shew forth work, exert themselves, operate, 
 produce their effect. In him, as the seat of 
 their residence and exercise. 
 "II. 3-12. IMPRISONMKNT AND DKATH OF 
 JOHN THE BAPTIST. Mark 6: 16-21); Luke 3; 
 19 f. ; Matthew and Mark hero stop to tell 
 about Herod's putting John to death ; and as 
 introductory to that, they tell of his imprison-
 
 316 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Ce. XIV. 
 
 ment, which occurred probablj 7 more than a 
 year earlier (see on 4 : 12). Luke closes the 
 parallel passage (:7-9) without describing the 
 death of John ; but in ending his account of 
 John's early preaching, he had already men- 
 tioned in advance that Herod cast John into 
 prison. (Lukes: 19 r.) This return to a subject in 
 one case, and anticipation of it in another, are 
 both conformed to the fitness of things in his- 
 torical narrative, which requires that the 
 events to be narrated shall not always be 
 strung along in the order of their actual 
 occurrence, but grouped according to natural 
 principles, or else the story will not be inter- 
 esting and impressive. Mark here gives, as 
 is characteristic of his Gospel, more minute 
 and vivid details than the other Evangelists. 
 Herod had laid hold on John, literally, 
 laid hold, the writer just stating the occur- 
 rence historically, and leaving the reader to 
 see for himself the obvious fact that this was 
 antecedent to what he has just before nar- 
 rated, i 
 
 Bound him and pnt him in prison. The 
 place of his imprisonment and death, as we 
 learn from Josephus ("Ant.," 18, 5, 2), was 
 MACHJERUS, about seven miles from the Dead 
 Sea, on the N. E. side. Some writers wish to 
 set aside the express statement of Josephus, 
 and locate the narrative at some other point; 
 but their arguments are of very little strength. 
 Machasrus was first fortified by one of the 
 Maccabaean princes, about 100 B. c., and 
 having been destroyed by the Roman conquer- 
 ors, was rebuilt and very strongly fortified by 
 Herod the Great. The sole ancient descrip- 
 tion of the place (Jos. "War," 7, 6) has re- 
 cently been strikingly confirmed by the only 
 full modern description (Tristram, "Land of 
 Moab," A. D., 1873). It lies on mountains 
 far loftier than those around Jerusalem. 
 There are ruins of a city, covering more than 
 a square mile. Beyond a valley rises a long 
 flat ridge, more than a mile long and quite 
 difficult of access, all of which was made a 
 strong fortress. From this ridge rises a 
 high, conical hill, the top of which is 
 
 one hundred yards in diameter, and which 
 was fortified as an impregnable citadel. 
 In this citadel, besides a very deep well, 
 and a very large and deep cemented cistern, 
 are newfound "two dungeons, one of them 
 deep and its sides scarcely broken in," which 
 have "small holes still visible in the masonry, 
 where staples of wood and iron had once 
 been fixed. One of these must surely have 
 been the prison-house of John the Baptist." 
 (Tristram.) On this high ridge Herod the 
 Great built an extensive and beautiful palace. 
 The vicinity of the fortress and city was re- 
 markable for mineral fountains, bitter and 
 sweet, hot and cold, whose mingled waters 
 formed baths, good for various diseases, especi- 
 ally for strengthening the nerves. The most 
 celebrated of these were in the valley just 
 north of Machaerus, called the Callirrhoe 
 ('fair-flow'), to which Herod the Great was 
 carried not long before his death. There 
 were also neighboring mines of sulphur and 
 alum. Altogether, Machaerus was a delight- 
 ful summer residence for the rulers, as well 
 as a strong fortress on the boundary between 
 Perea and Arabia. It had for a short time 
 been subject to King Aretas (Jos., "Ant.," 
 18, 5, 1 in the Greek), but was now again held 
 by Herod, who when visiting Perea would 
 naturally be attracted by the mountain palace 
 and the luxurious baths. We may suppose 
 that on some former visit he summoned John, 
 who did much of his preaching on the eastern 
 bank of the Jordan, to come to Machserus 
 and give an opinion about his marriage, and 
 there left him in prison. In that remote and 
 hopeless imprisonment, in one of those deep 
 and dark dungeons which were so cold in 
 winter and so hot in summer, the great Bap- 
 tizer languished (see on 11: 2) for probably 
 more than a year, until the court came again. 
 He was allowed occasional visits from his fol- 
 lowers, who brought him news of what was 
 going on in the land among other things of 
 the works of Jesus (n = 2) and who finally bore 
 his headless body to the tomb. 
 For Herodias' sake, his brother Phil- 
 
 1 This is a very common use of the Greek aorist' 
 tense. In English it may be more natural and per- 
 spicuous to use the pluperfect, but it is grammatically a 
 very misleading practice to say that the aorist is used 
 for the pluperfect. (Cornp. Buttm., p. 200.) One of the 
 commonest and gravest errors in studying the granv 
 
 inar of foreign languages is to make a half conjectural 
 translation, and then reason back from our own lan- 
 guage to the meaning of the original; or to explain 
 some idiom of the original by the formally different 
 idiom which is our substantial equivalent.
 
 CH. XIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 317 
 
 4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to 
 have her. 
 
 5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared 
 the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. 
 
 6 But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter 
 of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. 
 
 4 Philip s wife. For John said unto him, It is not 
 
 5 lawful for thee to have her. And when he would 
 have put him to death, he feared the multitude, be- 
 
 6 cause they counted him as a prophet. But when 
 Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodiaa 
 
 a Or. in the midtt. 
 
 ip's wife, see on v. 1. For John said 
 
 unto him. The Greek verb is in the imper- 
 fect tense, and this is carefully reproduced by 
 the Old Latin and the Vulgate, the Mem- 
 phitic, and the Peshito. Mark also (6:is) has 
 the same tense. It can hardly be here taken 
 as the mere descriptive imperfect, but seems 
 to mean that John said it repeatedly, as may 
 also be hinted by the tense of ' being reproved' 
 in Luke 3: 19. "VVe are not informed how 
 John came to give Herod his judgment, but 
 it is likely that the Tetrarch sent for John, 
 hoping that he would be over-awed when 
 standing in his presence, and so would feel 
 bound to speak favorably of the marriage 
 which would have a salutary effect in allaying 
 the popular discontent. But John stood 
 before him, apparently several times, "in the 
 spirit and power of Elijah" -before Ahab 
 (comp. on 3: 4). Indeed, Herod and Herodias 
 strikingly resemble Ahab and Jezebel. In 
 his early preaching John had been equally 
 bold, rebuking the Pharisees and Sadducees 
 (s: T), as fearlessly as the masses. And now he 
 reproves Herod, not merely for the marriage, 
 but for all his other acts of wrong-doing. 
 (Luke s:i9.) Every great reformer sometimes 
 finds it necessary to be very bold and out- 
 spoken. So Luther at the Diet of Worms, 
 and Knox before Mary Stuart; and he who 
 was "meek and lowly" to the toiling and 
 burdened, was stern and severe towards the 
 hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees even when 
 he knew they were plotting to kill him, and 
 would eventually succeed. It is not lawful, 
 strictly it ia not permissible ; thou art not at 
 liberty, viz., because the law of Moses forbade 
 such a marriage. (LCT. 18:16; *>:2i.) The law 
 required the marriage of a deceased and child- 
 less brother's wife, but here the brother was 
 still living and had a daughter. The ground 
 of condemnation stated (comp. Mark 6: 18), 
 is not that she was his niece, though that too 
 was forbidden by the law (us implied in Lev. 
 18: 12 f.), but his brother's wife. Nominally, 
 she had divorced her former husband; but 
 while the Je\vish usages of that time allowed 
 
 a man to divorce his wife for almost any cause 
 (see on 19: 3), for a woman to divorce her 
 husband ^mentioned only in Mark 10: 12) 
 was a Koman custom, which they held in 
 great abhorrence. Jos. says ("Ant." is, 5. 4) that 
 "being minded to confound her country's 
 institutions," she made this marriage. 
 
 5. He feared the multitude (or crowd), 
 because they counted him as a prophet 
 (comp. 21 : 26, 46). 'Counted,' held, regarded, 
 is in the imperfect tense, giving their habitual 
 way of regarding him. 'Prophet,' see on 
 7: 22. Observe that it was the ' crowd,' what 
 we call "the masses," that held this opinion; 
 the Jewish religious rulers were quite too 
 jealous to tolerate such an idea (21:25-27,32). 
 Mark says (; ) literally that "Herodias had 
 a grudge against him and wanted to kill him ; 
 and she could not; for Herod feared John, 
 knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, 
 and kept him safe. And upon hearing him 
 he would be much perplexed, and would hear 
 him gladly." All the verbs are here in the 
 imperfect tense, describing actions continued 
 or repeated from time to time. The apparent 
 conflict between this statement and that of 
 Matthew may be explained in various ways. 
 "We may suppose that Herod was angry at 
 first, when John condemned his marriage, 
 and censured all his wickedness and wanted 
 to kill him, but fearing the masses, impris- 
 oned him instead ; afterwards, talking with 
 John, and his wrath having cooled, he came 
 to feel as Mark describes, and so continued 
 during his imprisonment. Or it may be that 
 while generally favorable to John, and dis- 
 posed to "keep him safe" from the wrath of 
 Herodias, he sometimes felt inclined to yield 
 to her solicitations, but was then restrained by 
 fear of the crowd. It seoms plain that Hero- 
 dias was watching for a chance to compass 
 John's destruction, from the expression of 
 Mark (:2i), "and when a convenient day was 
 come." 
 
 6 f. But when Herod's birthday was 
 kept, or came. The correct Greek text (as in 
 Tisch. and W H.) has a very peculiar con-
 
 318 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIV. 
 
 struction, but without difference in the sub- 
 stantial meaning. 1 The term ' birthday ' was 
 also sometimes applied to the anniversary of 
 a king's accession -(Edersh.), but Wieseler's 
 extended argument for so understanding it 
 here is quite inconclusive. It is easy to suppose 
 that when Herod's birthday approached he 
 was sojourning at Machaerus, accompanied 
 by leading military and civil officials of his 
 dominions. (Mark6:zi.) The daughter of 
 Herodias, viz., of her former marriage (see 
 on v. 1), was named Salome (Jos. "Ant." 18, 
 5, 4); and also apparently sometimes called 
 Herodias, as required by the reading of the 
 earliest and best manuscripts in Mark 6: 22, 'his 
 daughter Herodias' (W H. and margin Kev. 
 Ver.), and supported by Origen's expression 
 here, " the dance of Herodias." It is very easy 
 to believe that besides the name Salome, which 
 was common in the family (borne by Herod 
 the Great's sister), she may have also been 
 called by her mothers name, even as 
 so many men of the family were called 
 Herod. This girl subsequently married her 
 uncle, Philip the Tetrarch (Jos., "Ant.," 18, 
 5; comp. on. v. 1 and on 2: 20), but the mar- 
 riage did not last long, as Philip died "in the 
 twentieth year of the reign of'Tiberias" (Jos. 
 "Ant.," 18, 4, 6), say A. D. 33 or 34. Keim 
 has, for the sake of his theories, revived the 
 old notion that the crucifixion occurred in 
 A. D. 34, and the death of John only a few 
 months earlier ; but Meyer remarks that the 
 girl's dancing is quite appropriate for A. D. 
 29, but not for A. D. 34, when she had been 
 for some time married, perhaps was a widow. 
 Danced before them, or in the midst; . e., 
 of the banqueting-hall, or of the company, 
 and so in full view of all ; it is a phrase fre- 
 quently used in Greek to denote publicity. 
 "We cannot readily determine just how far 
 this act was indecorous on her part. In all 
 Eastern countries, women being kept in great 
 seclusion, it has always been considered ex- 
 tremely improper for a female to dance in 
 public. It is very common to hire dancing- 
 
 women to exhibit at entertainments (e. g., 
 the Hindoo nautch-girls), but the business is 
 highly disreputable, and it is commonly taken 
 for granted that they are women of bad char- 
 acter. True, Jewish women lived in less 
 seclusion than in other Eastern nations, and 
 there are instances of their taking part by 
 songs and dancing in public rejoicings (e. g., 
 1 Sam. 18: 6); but this was considered a re- 
 ligious act (comp. Exod. 15: 20; 2 Sam. 6: 
 21), and quite a different thing from taking 
 the place of dancing-girls at a feast. The 
 Komans, too, had their dancing-girls at en- 
 tertainments, but regarded it as a disreputable 
 calling. A Latin inscription says, "It was 
 disgraceful both to dance, and for a virgin to 
 come into the banqueting-hall to men who 
 had drank freely." Cornelius Nepos: "We 
 know that according to our manners, dancing 
 is even put among vices." Cicero : " Hardly 
 any man dances when sober (unless per- 
 chance he is crazy), whether it be in soli- 
 tude or at a moderate and decorous feast"; 
 and he mentions a Greek father who was 
 amazed at the proposition of a drunken guest 
 that he should send for his daughter to come 
 in. On the whole, one must reach the con- 
 clusion that if a respectable Jewish maiden 
 came in to dance at a feast, it would be very 
 surprising to the guests, and could hardly fail 
 to be regarded as very unbecoming. It was 
 therefore a bold step which Herodias took, in 
 sending her daughter to dance before Herod 
 and his grandees. Would they be shocked 
 by the immodest exposure of a princess, or 
 would they be fascinated by the novel spec- 
 tacle of a high-born and charming girl going 
 through the voluptuous movements of an Ori- 
 ental dance? The experiment succeeded. She 
 pleased Herod, and all the company. (Mark 
 6:22.) No doubt rapturous expressions of ad- 
 miration burst from the lips of the half- 
 drunken revelers. It is common for dancing- 
 girls to receive presents, proportioned to the 
 admiration the"ir performance has excited; 
 and Salome might naturally expect to re- 
 
 'The construction is unusual but not unexampled 
 (Jelf. 699). The locative case gives the time of the 
 principal action, danced 'on Herod's birthday, when 
 it occurred.' (Comp. the locative in Mark 6: 21.) This 
 need not be called a case absolute, though it corresponds 
 to the Latin" ablative (locative) absolute;" and the 
 Greek " genitive absolute" is itself also not really abso- 
 
 lute, not cut loose from the rest of the construction, but 
 gives some event or situation to which the principal 
 action is specifically referred, for the indication of its 
 circumstances. It was very natural that the unusual 
 locative expression should be here changed to the 
 familiar genitive construction, as we find it in many 
 MSS. and the common Greek text.
 
 CH. XIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 319 
 
 7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her 
 whatsoever she would ask. 
 
 8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, 
 said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger. 
 
 9 And the king was sorry, nevertheless for the oath's 
 sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he com- 
 manded it to be given her. 
 
 7 danced in the midst, and pleased Herod. Where- 
 upon he promised with an oath to give her whatso- 
 
 8 ever she should ask. And she, being put forward 
 by her mother, saith, Give me here in a charger the 
 
 9 head of John the Baptist. And the king was grieved; 
 but for the sake of his oaths, and of them that sat 
 
 ceive some present on the Tetrarch's birth- 
 day. Accordingly, Herod, anxious to ex- 
 press his gratification, and also to play the 
 magnificent before this grand assembly, 
 promised with an oath to give her what- 
 soever she would ask. He even affected, 
 petty ruler as he was, and not properly a king 
 at all, to imitate the grandiloquence of the 
 great Persian monarchs (Esther 5 :s, 6; 7:2), and, 
 .with drunken dignity, swore to give her what 
 she asked, "unto the half of my kingdom." 
 
 (Mark 6: 23.) 
 
 8. And she, being before instructed 
 
 (Rev. Ver., put forward) by her mother, or 
 'urged on,' 'instigated.' Our early English 
 versions, following the Vulgate, mistrans- 
 lated into ' being before instructed,' and thus 
 created an apparent conflict with Mark, who 
 says (e;) that she went out and inquired Vf 
 her mother what she should ask. It is pa- 
 thetic to think how many Bible students have 
 puzzled over this manufactured difficulty. 1 
 We can imagine the satisfaction with which 
 Herodias heard how well her bold scheme had 
 succeeded, and seized the opportunity for 
 wreaking her vengeance. The girl sympa- 
 thized, and made the shocking proposal ' with 
 haste' (Mark 6: 25), or more exactly ' with zeal,' 
 eagerly. Give me here. Mark adds ' forth- 
 with.' Probably Salome and her mother 
 
 'platter'; King James introduced 'charger,' 
 which was formerly used in English for a 
 large dish. It is much better to use the 
 homely word, which at once shows the idea to 
 be that a dish should be taken from the table. 
 John Baptist's head. This designation of 
 John was evidently familiar to all, for it was 
 used by Salome and by Herod, by our Lord, 
 and the Evangelists generally, and by Jo- 
 sephus (see on 3: 1). 
 
 9-11. The king. It was quite common to 
 call a tetrarch king, as a matter of compli- 
 ment (see on 2: 20) ; we find this often in Jo- 
 sephus, as well as in the New Test. Indeed 
 the Greek term was often applied with great 
 latitude to any sovereign ruler, from the Ro- 
 man imperator (iTim.2:2; ip e t.2:n) down to 
 petty sovereigns like Herod. Was sorry, or, 
 grieved. The thing would be wrong, and also 
 unpopular, (v. 5.) But his wife ruled him, as 
 on many other occasions. There is no good 
 ground for the suspicion of some writers that 
 Herod himself planned all this thing, in order 
 to have an excuse before the people for slaying 
 John. The idea conflicts with the language 
 of Matthew and of Mark (6: 20), and a drunken 
 promise to a dancer would have seemed to the 
 people a very poor excuse for killing a pro- 
 phet. For the oath's sake Rev. Ver., his 
 
 oaths, while above in v. 7 it was 'with an 
 feared that Herod would change his mind if I oath.' Mark also (;26)has here the plural. 
 
 they waited till he was sober. In a charger, 
 more exactly, upon a dish, or 'platter' (so 
 translated in-Luke 11 : 39), and signifying a 
 bowl or dish, usually made of wood, but upon 
 Herod's table, probably of costlier materials. 
 The Latin versions here have discus, from 
 which we borrow disk and dish. Wye. and 
 Rheims have 'dish,' Tyn., Cran., and Gen., 
 
 We may conclude that Herod had several 
 times repeated his tipsy promise to the girl, 
 with various oaths. And them which sat 
 with him at meat, more exactly, reclined 
 with him, the usual posture at table (see on 8 : 
 11). He was superstitious about his oaths, a* 
 many very wicked men are, and was ashamed 
 not to keep the promise he had so frequently 
 
 1 The rendering 'before i nstructed ' is not only unneces- 
 sary, but quite without warrant. The verb probibnzn 
 can mean instruct at all only by taking pro in the sense 
 of forward, onward, to carry forward, to lead on ; and 
 BO it has to be taken in all the known uses of the verb. 
 TMdell and Scott give 'to teach beforehand* as the 
 meaning In Pout. 6: 7, hut the proper meaning there^ 
 as shown by the connection of the Sept. and Hebrew, is 
 simply teach. There is no authority at all in Greek 
 
 usage, for the sense 'instruct beforehand,' and tho 
 etymology forbids it. The natural meaning of urge 
 forward, induce to a certain course (Grimm, Meyen 
 Weiss, etc.), is established by examples from I'lato and 
 Xenophon. The Memphitic and IVshito here render 
 instructed,' 'taught.' Most copies of the Old Latin 
 and the Vulgate, have prarmonita ; but several copies 
 (Sabatier, Bianchiui) have simply monila, or docla.
 
 320 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIV. 
 
 10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. 
 
 11 And his head was brought in a charger, and given 
 to the damsel : and she brought it to her mother. 
 
 12 And his disciples cauie, and took up the body, and 
 buried it, and went and told Jeaus. 
 
 10 at meat with him, he commanded it to be given ; 
 
 11 and he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And 
 his head was brought in a charger, and given to the 
 
 12 damsel ; and she brought it to her mother. And his 
 disciples came, and took up the corpse, and buried 
 him ; and they went and told Jesus. 
 
 made, and so solemnly confirmed before the 
 assembled dignitaries. But a grossly wicked 
 promise is better broken than kept, especially 
 when no one will really lose thereby. As to 
 the general subject of oaths, see on 6 : 33-37. 
 
 The girl waited for her reward, and the 
 king sent 'immediately.' (Marks:*?) Some 
 argue that this term, with ' here ' in v. 8, and 
 ' straightway ' in Mark 6 : 25, cannot be taken 
 literally, because the spectacle would have 
 spoiled all festive enjoyment; but they have 
 forgotten how Herodias' ancestor, Alexander 
 Jannaeus, while holding a feast with his con- 
 cubines, commanded eight hundred rebels to 
 be crucified in full view, and their wives and 
 children to be slain before their eyes. (Jos. 
 "Ant.," 13, 14, 2.) A great feast usually be- 
 gan about the close of the day, and so it was 
 probably late at night when the executioner 
 came and awoke John and hurriedly be- 
 headed him. After his weary imprisonment 
 of more than a year, the Baptizer was now 
 suddenly cut off. But his work was ended; 
 he had come as the herald of the Messianic 
 reign, and that reign was now being estab- 
 lished; the answer of Jesus to his message 
 (n : 2 tr.) had doubtless cleared his perplexities 
 and removed lingering doubts ; there was noth- 
 ing more to live for, and to die was gain. 
 Nor is it anything very dreadful to die sud- 
 denly, if one has lived the life of faith. This 
 murder of the greatest among the prophets in 
 his dungeon was in itself hardly so shocking 
 a sight, as the scene yonder in the banqueting 
 hall. There stood the maiden, her cheek still 
 flushed with her recent exertion, while the 
 guests sought to drown their painful emotions 
 in wine, and the executioner hastened on his 
 cruel errand. When the dish was brought, 
 with the bleeding head upon it, no doubt she 
 took it daintily in her hands, lest a drop of 
 blood should stain her gala dress, and tripped 
 away to her mother, as if bearing her some 
 choice dish of food from the king's table. It 
 was not uncommon to bring the head of one 
 who had been slain to the person who ordered 
 it, as a sure proof that the command had been 
 obeyed. When the head of Cicero was 
 
 brought to Fulvia, the wife of Antony, she 
 spat upon it, and drawing out the tongue that 
 had so eloquently opposed and condemned 
 Antony, she pierced it with her hair-pin, 
 with bitter gibes. Jerome refers to this inci- 
 dent, and says that Herodias did likewise with 
 the head of John. We know not his author- 
 ity for the assertion, but the darling desire of 
 the Herod family seems to have been to ape 
 the worst follies and cruelties of the Roman 
 nobility. 
 
 Antipas and his family are not mentioned 
 again by Matthew, but he appears in Luke 
 13 : 31 f. and 23 : 7-12. Some ten years later, 
 when Herodias' scapegrace brother Agrippa 
 (the Herod of Acts 12) had, through the friend- 
 ship of the Emperor Caligula, been appointed 
 king over the former tetrarchy of Philip, this 
 ambitious woman was consumed withenvj^and 
 gave her husband no rest until, in spite of his 
 love of ease and his caution, he went with her 
 to Home, to see if hf could not also be formally 
 declared king. But Agrippa sent letters to 
 the Emperor, accusing Antipas of treasonable 
 correspondence with the Parthians, upon 
 which he was deposed from office and ban- 
 ished to Gaul or Spain (Jos. "Ant.," 18, 7, 2; 
 "War," 2, 9, 6), whence he never returned. 
 The Emperor offered Herodias her freedom 
 and her private property for her brother' s sake, 
 but she declared that she loved her husband 
 too well to forsake him in his misfortunes ; 
 whereupon she was banished with him. One 
 fancies it was not that she loved her husband 
 more, but her brother less ; and it may have 
 been a trick to excite the young Emperor's 
 sympathies. 
 
 12. There were still men who regarded 
 themselves as distinctively John's disciples. 
 iSee on 9: 14.) But even those who adhered 
 to him most tenaciously knew well how con- 
 stantly he had pointed them to Jesus; and the 
 report of the two sent by John on a mission of 
 inquiry (n: 2) must have made its impression 
 on them. We may therefore suppose that 
 most of them now attached themselves to 
 Jesus. Some, however, continued to regard 
 John as the Messiah. Thirty years after thi<
 
 CH. XIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 321 
 
 we meet persons at Ephesus, " knowing only 
 the baptism of John." (Actsis: 25; 19: 3.) In the 
 second century we find a petty Gnostic sect 
 who held John to be the Messiah. The Greek 
 word translated corpse (Rev. Ver. ) was not 
 very often used, and was altered by many 
 copyists into the somewhat similar word 
 meaning body (Com. Ver. ), (likewise in Mark 
 15 : 45) ; and so buried him was altered into 
 buried it. (Comp. on 24: 28.) 
 
 Thus ended the career of John the Baptizer. 
 (See on 3: 1; 11: 2, 11 ; 17: 12 f. ; 21:25-32.) 
 The traits which all remark as conspicuous in 
 his character are self-denial, courage, and 
 humility. For many years he lived a life of 
 great hardship and loneliness, that he might 
 be better fitted for his work as a reformer. 
 As to his courage in speaking the truth, see 
 on v. 4. His humility, in constantly turning 
 away attention from himself to another 
 (johui: 29, 36), and his rejoicing to see that other 
 "increase," while he himself decreased (John 
 s:3o), was so genuine and thorough that it 
 seems to us a matter of course in his character. 
 Belfrage (in Kitto) : "In the splendor of 
 Christ's grace and truth John was happy to be 
 darkened, and in such fame he was content to 
 be forgotten. Had his honors been ten thou- 
 sand times brighter than they were, he would 
 have laid them all at Christ's feet. John in 
 his ministry was not like the evening star 
 sinking into the darkness of night, but like 
 the morning star lost to our view in the 
 brightness of the day." In one sense (see on 
 11: 11), John was really the first Christian 
 martyr an honor usually assigned to Stephen. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 1 f. Herod the Tetrarch's first knowl- 
 edge of Jesus. 1) How ignorant is many a 
 ruler of the great moral and religious move- 
 ments going on among his subjects. 2) How 
 quickly a man's guilty conscience will sup- 
 pose any startling event to be connected with 
 his own wrong doing. 3) How surely will 
 superstition misinterpret the supernatural. 
 4) How strongly does one crime tempt to the 
 commission of another. V. G. HALL: "A 
 meet daughter for such a mother. It is not so 
 frequently seen that the child follows the 
 good qualities of the parent ; it is seldom seen 
 that it follows not the evil. What with tra- 
 duction, what with education, it were strange 
 
 if we should miss any of our parent's misdis- 
 positions." V. 8. Herodias' fearful revenge. 
 1) As often, the offence had consisted simply 
 in telling the truth, v. 4. 2) Delay had made 
 the desire of revenge grow fierce, v. 5 ; 
 Mark 6: 19 f. 3) The longing for revenge 
 caused a recognized violation of decency, v. 6. 
 
 4) The demand for revenge was made with cir- 
 cumstances of inhuman cruelty, v. 8; Mark 
 6: 25. 5) The result was universal publicity 
 as to the original crime, widespread popular 
 reproach, and an uneasy conscience, v. 2. 
 
 V. 9. The downward progress of wrong- 
 doing. 1) Yielding to lust and ambition, 
 Herod forms an unlawful marriage. 2) Un- 
 easy through popular complaint, he tries to 
 make a prophet speak falsely. 3) Angered by 
 the prophet's refusal, he imprisons, and wishes 
 he could dare to kill him. 4) Won by the 
 prophet's wisdom, he cannot preserve him 
 from the wiles of his wife, Mark 6: 19 f. 
 
 5) Wild with drunken revelry, he makes a 
 foolish promise. 6) Shocked and grieved at 
 the consequent demand, he yet has not cour- 
 age to refuse. PLUMPTRE: "Like most 
 weak men, Herod feared to be thought weak. 1 ' 
 
 7) Dreading reproach from the guests, he 
 exposes himself to their utter contempt; for 
 they perfectly understand the cause of the 
 demand and the shame of his compliance. 
 
 8) Getting rid of the prophet, he falls a prey 
 to superstitious fears of the prophet's rising 
 again, v. 2. HALL: "The misgrounded sor- 
 row of worldly hearts doth not withhold them 
 from their intended sins. It is enough to vex, 
 not enough to restrain them. Herod was 
 sorry, but he sends the executioner for John's 
 head. . . . As many a one doth good only to be 
 seen of men, so many a one doth evil only to 
 satisfy the humor and opinion of others."- 
 V. 10. A remarkable death. 1) Sudden and 
 shocking. 2) A relief from weary and hope- 
 less confinement. 3) An occasion of everlast- 
 ing disgrace to those who inflicted it. 4) To 
 the sufferer, an introduction into eternal ponco 
 and joy. V. 6-12. Death of John the Bap- 
 tist. 1) An immodest performance charming 
 a drunken company, v. 6. 2) A tipsy man 
 indulging in magnificent promises, v. 7; 
 MarkO: 23. 3) A malignant woman seizing 
 an opportunity for revenge, v. 8. 4) A fool- 
 ish pride of consistency leads a man reluct- 
 antly to do a grossly wicked deed, v. '.).
 
 322 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. XIV. 
 
 13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by 
 ship into a desert place apart: and when the people 
 had heard thereof, they followed him nn foot out of the 
 cities. 
 
 13 Now when Jesus heard it. he withdrew from 
 thence in a boat, to a desert place apart : and when 
 the multitudes heard thereof, they followed him 1 on 
 
 1 Or, by land. 
 
 6) After weary waiting, a sudden death, v. 10 f. 
 V. 12. HKNRY: "When anything ails 
 us at any time, it is our duty and privilege to 
 make Christ acquainted with it. ... John 
 had long since directed his disciples to Christ, 
 and turned them over to him, hut they could 
 not leave their old master while he lived ; 
 therefore he is removed that they may go to 
 Jesus. It is better to be drawn to Christ by 
 want and loss than not to come to him at 
 all." 
 
 13-36. JKSTTS FEEDS THE FIVE THOU- 
 SAND, AND WALKS UPON THE WATER. 
 
 We have here three closely related events: 
 feeding the multitude, walking on the water, 
 healing the sick in the Plain of Gennesaret. 
 
 1. 13-21. IN A DESERT PLACE HE FEEDS 
 THE MULTITUDE. Recorded also in Mark 6: 
 32-44; Luke 9: 10-17; John 6: 1-14. This is 
 the first time in the course of Matthew's Gos- 
 pel that John has appeared as parallel. The 
 earlier chapters of John, as indeed the greater 
 part of his Gospel, treat of events and dis- 
 courses which the other Evangelists have not 
 described. In the present case, John wishes 
 to record the great discourse on the bread of 
 life (Joim 6: -22-71), and he therefore describes the 
 miracle which occasioned it. When Jesus 
 beard of it, he departed, as in 2: 22. What 
 he heard may have been either the death of 
 John (v. 12), or the fact that Herod considered 
 him to be John risen from the dead. (v. i r.) It 
 rnay even be that he heard both reports at 
 the same time. At any rate, the cruel mur- 
 der of John showed what Herod was capable 
 of, and made it obviously prudent for Jesus 
 to withdraw from his dominions, especially 
 now, when the mission of the Twelve had 
 spread throughout Galilee the expectation 
 that the reign' of Messiah was about to com- 
 mence, which the people generally would un- 
 derstand to mean an earthly kingdom, es- 
 tablished by a great conqueror who would 
 trample down the Herodian dynasty, the 
 Romans and all. Comp. our Lord's escape in 
 infancy from the murderous jealousy of 
 Herod's father, excited by a single inquiry 
 after one born king of the Jews. (2= i a.) By 
 
 crossing to tho northeast of the lake, Jesus 
 would reach a very retired and thinly settled 
 region, belonging to the tetrarchy of Philip, 
 who was a comparatively good ruler (see on 
 2: 20), and to whose dominions he retired 
 several times afterwards. (w:; i6:is.) On a 
 former occasion (12:15) we have seen Jesus 
 withdrawing from the persecution of the 
 Pharisees, as he will again do in 16: 21. On 
 the evening of this day (v. 22) we shall find 
 him abandoning his chosen place of retire- 
 ment, to check the fanaticism of the masses. 
 In fact, our Lord now enters upon a series of 
 withdrawals, to avoid Herod, or the Pharisees, 
 or his fanatical followers. In the present case 
 there was a still further reason (Mark 6: so r.; i.uke 
 9: 10), viz., to seek a place of rest for the twelve 
 apostles, who had just returned from their 
 novel, laborious, and very exciting mission 
 throughout Galilee. It must have been 
 highly exciting to the apostles to find that 
 they could work miracles, and to proclaim 
 with enthusiasm the near approach of the 
 Messianic reign. (io:7r.) After such a strain 
 for several weeks or months, they sorely 
 needed rest for body and mind; and our 
 Lord has here set us the example of paying 
 regard to the conditions of health and vigor, 
 in proposing an excursion into the country 
 for rest. (Mark 6: si.) We believe it has never 
 been noticed that the season of these suc- 
 cessive withdrawals was late spring and sum- 
 mer (from the Passover to near the Feast of 
 Tabernacles) ; and that from the hot shores of 
 the lake, far lower than the surface of the 
 Mediterranean, he retired in each case to a 
 mountain region across the lake, to Tyre, 
 to Decapolis, to Cesarea Philippi. His plan 
 for escaping notice and obtaining rest was on 
 this first occasion defeated, as heretofore in 
 John 4: 6 ff., and hereafter in Mark 7: 24 f. 
 
 13. By ship, Rev. Ver. in a boat, comp. on 
 4: 21. Into a desert place, a thinly inhabited 
 region (see on 3: 1), without large towns, but 
 containing villages. (T. is.) Luke ( =10) shows 
 that the region visited pertained to a city called 
 Bethsaida, which must be distinct from the 
 Bethsaida of 11 : 21 (see note there), for the
 
 Cn. XIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 323 
 
 14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, 
 and was moved with compassion toward them, and he 
 healed their sick. 
 
 15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to 
 him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is 
 now pas't ; send the multitude away, that they may go 
 iuto the villages, and buy themselves victuals. 
 
 14 foot from the cities. And he came forth and saw a 
 great multitude, and he had compassion on them, 
 
 15 and healed their sick. And when even was come, 
 the disciples.came to him, saying, The place is desert, 
 and the time is already past; send the multitudes 
 away, that they may go into the villages, and buy 
 
 disciples recrossed the same evening to Beth- 
 saida in the land of Gennesaret near Caper- 
 naum. (Mark6:45,53; Johu6: 17, 24.) Bethsaida On 
 
 the eastern side of the Jordan, a mile or more 
 above its mouth, was rebuilt and adorned by 
 Philip the Tetrarch (J->s. .*nt.,- is, 2, i), under 
 the new name of Julias, in honor of Julia, 
 daughter of Augustus; and there Philip was 
 afterwards buried. From the mouth of the 
 Jordan a plain extends along the eastern shore 
 of the lake for some three and a half miles, 
 gradually narrowing as the lake curves to- 
 wards the mountain. This plain, while not 
 equal to that of Gennesaret on the other side, 
 is mainly fertile, and was under careful culti- 
 vation; but at its southern end the mountain 
 comes so near the lake as to make a very re- 
 tired locality; and on the lower part of the 
 mountain sides are beautiful grassy slopes, 
 which answer to all the conditions of the nar- 
 rative before us. The people (Rev. Ver. 
 multitudes) . . followed him on foot. 
 Jesus obviously set out by boat from Caper- 
 naum, or some place in its vicinity. The 
 excited crowds of people, seeing that the boat 
 was going eastward, across the northern part 
 of the lake, hurried along the shore, and 
 passing around the upper end of the lake, 
 reached the same locality which the boat was 
 seeking. Nay, so eagerly did they run that 
 at least some of them "outwent" Jesus and 
 his disciples (Markers), who doubtless rowed 
 slowly, as their object was rest, and who pos- 
 sibly had some distance to go after they landed. 
 Out of the cities. From is the exact trans- 
 lation ; yet as they had obviously been in the 
 cities, all the versions from Tyn. to K. James 
 render 'out of,' precisely as in 3: 16. These 
 cities would include Capernaum, with perhaps 
 Chorazin and the western Bethsaida, and of 
 course the eastern Bethsaida, with probably 
 others unknown to us. The crowd was very 
 likely augmented by persons from farther 
 north on their way to the Passover (Johno:*), 
 who could be easily excited by talk about the 
 Messianic reign. The Jordan has a ford about 
 two miles above its mouth ; there may have 
 been a bridge, though we have no knowledge 
 
 of it; and there would certainly be many 
 boats, belonging to the important city of 
 Bethsaida Julias, which could cross the nar- 
 row river again and again in a short time. 
 
 14. And Jesus went (or, came) forth. 
 The word 'Jesus' was introduced into many 
 copies because this was the beginning of a 
 church "Lesson." (See on 13: 36.) 'Came 
 forth ' naturally means out of the boat. Hort, 
 Introduction, $ 138, thinks that this would 
 cause 'followed' in Matthew and Luke to 
 contradict 'outwent them ' in Mark. But it 
 is easy to understand that the crowd set out 
 from Capernaum after the boat started, and 
 thus were following, and yet that some of them 
 reached the other side before the boat arrived. 
 Of course 'came forth' might mean from 
 some nook in the mountain, but there is noth- 
 ing to suggest that idea except the supposed 
 contradiction. John says (6:3, B. v.), that he 
 ' went up into the mountain,' viz., the moun- 
 tain range which skirts the eastern side of the 
 lake. Climbing leisurely the mountain-side, 
 and at length sitting down with his disciples 
 for rest, he found the crowd about him con- 
 tinually increasing. Though they were dis- 
 turbing his retirement and repose, he did not 
 repulse or turn away from them, but ' received 
 them.' (Luke 9: n.) Moved with compassion 
 toward them, (comp. on 9: 36), i. e., the 
 people in general, though with special refer- 
 ence to their sick. This last word, meaning 
 literally, 'without strength,' is not found 
 elsewhere in Matthew (though several times 
 in Mark), but is substantially equivalent to 
 that used in 10: 8 and in 25 : 36-44. We learn 
 from Murk ( = ) that he also began to teach 
 them many things, and from Luke(:ii) that 
 he taught concerning the Messianic reign. 
 
 15-18. And when it was evening. The 
 Jews wore accustomed to distinguish between 
 the first evening and the second evening. Just 
 what the distinction was, has not been cer- 
 tainly determined (Edersh.) ; it is commonly 
 supposed that the first was from about 3 p. M. 
 to sunset, the second from sunset on into the 
 night. In v. 23 the second evening is meant ; 
 but here in v. 15 it is the first evening ; comp.
 
 324 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cu. XIV. 
 
 16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart ; 
 give ye them to eat. 
 
 17 Aud they say unto him, We have here but five 
 loaves, and two fishes. 
 
 18 lie said, Bring them hither to me. 
 
 19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on 
 the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, 
 and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and 
 gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the 
 multitude. 
 
 16 themselves food. But Jesus said unto them, They 
 have no need to go away ; give ye them to eat. 
 
 17 And they say unto him, \V'e have here but five 
 
 18 loaves, and two fishes. And he said, Bring them 
 
 19 hither to me. And he commanded the multitude* 
 to !sit down on the grass; and he took the five 
 loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, 
 he blessed, and brake and gave the loaves to the 
 
 Luke 9: 12, "and the day began to decline" 
 (Bible Union Ver). The disciples were 
 here simply the Twelve. (Luke9:i2.) This is a 
 desert place, see on v. 13. The time is 
 now past. The Greek expression is peculiar, 
 and may mean either 'the time' as in Wye. 
 and King James, or 'the day" as in Tyn. 
 For the origin and uses of the Greek word, 
 see Lid. and Scott and Grirnm. Some have 
 rendered, ' The hour (for taking food) is past,' 
 but this can hardly be correct. May go into 
 the villages, small, unwalled towns (see on 
 9: 35), such as might well exist in the neigh- 
 boring plain, and on the lower slopes of the 
 mountain. Mark adds 'fields' or 'farms'; 
 and Luke includes the idea of finding lodging 
 as well as food. They did spend the night in 
 that region. Give ye them to eat, with 
 emphasis on 'ye,' as the Greek shows. Mark 
 (:S7) adds that the disciples asked if they 
 must go away and buy the value of two hun 
 dred denarii in loaves. This would be about 
 thirty dollars, and with a purchasing power 
 at least ten times as great as now. It is not 
 in-tended to intimate that the disciples had so 
 much money, the value of two hundred days' 
 labor (20: 2), but rather the contrary. Mark 
 and Luke add other details, not in conflict 
 with Matthew. But John (6; 5-9) appears at 
 first sight to represent the matter quite differ- 
 ently. There, Jesus himself introduces the 
 subject of feeding the people, speaking of it 
 to Philip. He seems to have made this sug- 
 gestion to Philip at an earlier period, when 
 the crowd first became very large (John 6: 5), 
 and left it to work upon his mind, in order to 
 'prove him' (comp. on 4: 1), viz., as to 
 whether he would have such faith in the mi- 
 raculous powers of Jesus as to think of his 
 feeding this vast crowd by a miracle. Philip 
 had no such thought, and said that two hun- 
 dred denaries' worth of loaves would not suf- 
 fice ; but Andrew, who was standing by, 
 spoke of the boy with his five barley loaves 
 and two fishes. (John 6: 9.) Later in the after- 
 
 noon, we may suppose, the Twelve came to 
 Jesus, as narrated by Matthew, Mark, and 
 Luke. Having heard of the conversation 
 with Philip, they naturally mention (Mark 6: 37) 
 the same large and round sum that he had 
 spoken of; and the lad's supply of food some 
 of the Twelve had by this time purchased or 
 engaged. In this or some similar way, the 
 apparent discrepancies may be reconciled. 
 The loaves were probably round, flat cakes, 
 not large (Luteii: s), but resembling what in 
 many parts of this country are called "hoe- 
 cakes." Fish formed an important part of 
 the food of the people living around the lake. 
 John (6: 9,13) seems to take pains to say that 
 the loaves were of barley, cheap and coarse 
 bread. Jesus made no sumptuous feast with 
 delicacies, but gave them homely and whole- 
 some food. 
 
 19-21. And he commanded the multi- 
 tudes to sit down, or, recline, the usual pos- 
 ture in eating, see on 8: 11. The other Evan- 
 gelists show that he gave this command 
 through the disciples; what he did through 
 them he did himself (comp. on 8 : 5). It was 
 a pleasant season of the year, just before the 
 Passover (Jotme:*), which was nearly the same 
 time as our Easter. On the grass. John 
 (6:io) says there was much grass in the place, 
 and Mark (6:39), that it was green. Mark 
 also says that he bade them recline ' by com- 
 panies' or banqueting parties, "and they re- 
 clined garden-beds, garden-beds, by hundreds 
 and by fifties." Five thousand men, reclin- 
 ing in this orderly arrangement along the 
 green slope of the mountain, must have 
 spread over an extensive space, probably sev- 
 eral acres, and as the afternoon sun shone on 
 their bright-hued Oriental garments, they 
 looked like beds in a flower-garden. And 
 yonder at one end of the area, with eyes up- 
 lifted toward heaven, stands the Wonder- 
 worker, who is about to feed this vast crowd 
 with the five loaves and two fishes now held 
 in his hands. Nor was this arrangement
 
 Cn. XIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 325 
 
 20 And they did all eat, and were filled; and they 
 took tip of the fragments that remained twelve baskets 
 full. 
 
 21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand 
 men, beside women and children. 
 
 20 disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. And 
 they did all eat, and were filled : and they took up 
 that which remained over of the broken pieces, 
 
 21 twelve baskets full. And they that did eat were 
 about five thousand men, beside women and children. 
 
 merely beautiful, but also useful. It rendered 
 the miracle manifest, since all could see that 
 their supply came from Jesus, and that he 
 had only the five loaves and two fishes. It 
 prevented selfish crowding; for so the feeble, 
 including the women and children, had an 
 equal chance to be supplied, and the apostles 
 could move about among the people in an 
 orderly manner, and furnish all alike. The 
 number of persons present could thus be 
 easily ascertained. To count out the groups 
 of fifty and a hundred, and arrange them in 
 this orderly fashion, must have required a 
 considerable time, yet Jesus thought the mat- 
 ter of sufficient importance to wait till it could 
 be done. He blessed, may mean either 
 blessed God, or blessed the loaves and fishes, 
 as in Luke 9: 16. John (6: n) says 'gave 
 thanks,' Rev. Ver. The same variety of 
 phrase occurs in the parallel miracle to this 
 (15:86), and in the accounts of the Lord's Sup- 
 per (see on 26 : 26). This blessing or thanks- 
 giving seems to have corresponded with the 
 grace before eating, which was customary 
 among the Jews as it is among us. And were 
 filled, eomp. on 5:6. All got "as much as 
 they would," or wished. (John:ii.) As to the 
 mode in which the food was multiplied, we 
 can form no conception ; and it is idle 
 to speculate concerning a matter so dis- 
 tinctly supernatural. Observe how readily 
 our Lord returns from the supernatural 
 to the natural. The fragments, etc., or as 
 in Rev. Ver., What remained over of 
 the broken pieces. The last Greek term 
 is formed upon 'broke' in v. 19, and de- 
 notes not crumbs made by eaters, but a sur- 
 plus of the pieces into which Jesus and the 
 disciples had broken the food. The same ex- 
 pression recurs in 15: 37 The five loaves and 
 two fishes had yielded not only enough, but 
 much to spare. Twelve baskets full. The 
 Greek word is knphinos, borrowed in Latin 
 cophinus, and in English as coffin ; Wye. here 
 renders ' cofyns.' It was probably an oblong 
 basket of moderate size. A quite different 
 Greek word is used in 16:37; and the distinc- 
 tion is maintained in 16 : 9, 10. We learn 
 from the satirical allusions in Juvenal (III. 
 
 14) that the Jews of that age in Italy were in 
 the habit of carrying a basket in traveling, 
 probably in order to keep a supply of such 
 food as they could eat without ceremonial de- 
 filement; accordingly we are not surprised to 
 find baskets here, even when the owners had 
 neglected to put food in them. Perhaps each 
 of the Twelve took a basket and filled it, 
 which would account for the number of bas- 
 kets mentioned. This command to save the 
 surplus, 'that nothing be lost' (John6:i2), was 
 suited to teach economy. It must be manifest 
 that we have no right to waste anything, how- 
 ever ample our resources, when we see him 
 who is the Lord of all, just after multiplying 
 a little food into a vast quantity, now carefully 
 saving the surplus pieces of coarse barley 
 bread and fish. Thus also the disciples had 
 constantly before them, for some days at 
 least, a memento of the extraordinary mir- 
 acle they had witnessed. Lacking in spiritual 
 susceptibility, and living amid a succession of 
 miracles, they needed such a reminder. (See 
 Mark 6: 62; Matt. 16: 9.) Beside women 
 and children. The number of these was 
 probably small in proportion to the men, for 
 otherwise Mark, Luke, and John would hardly 
 have omitted to mention them. In John (;io) 
 there is possibly an allusion to them: "Make 
 the people recline .... so the men reclined. 1 ' 
 The former term is the general one, which 
 might include women and children. Perhaps 
 only the men were counted out in groups, the 
 women and children being apart to them- 
 selves. (See Blunt, "Undesigned Coinci- 
 dences," in Bib. Comm.) 
 
 Origen, followed by Jerome and many 
 Fathers, runs wild in allegorizing the bread, 
 the walking on the sen, etc. Thus Jerome 
 says the lad with five loaves and two fishes 
 means Moses with his five books and two tables 
 of the law ; and Origen, that the reclining by 
 hundreds denotes consecration to tho Divine 
 Unity (the hundred being a sacred number), 
 and reclining by fifties denotes remission of 
 sin, through a mystical allusion to the Jubilee 
 and the Pentecost. Such dreadful stuff from 
 surpassingly gifted men ought to be a warning 
 as to the perils of allegorizing. Some eminent
 
 326 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIV. 
 
 22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples 
 to gel into a ship, and to go before him uuto the other 
 side, while he sent the multitudes away. 
 
 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he 
 went up into a mountain apart to pray : and when the 
 evening was come, he was there alone. 
 
 22 And straightway he constrained the disciples to 
 enter into the boat, and to go before him unto the 
 other side, till he should send the multitudes away. 
 
 23 And alter he had sent the multitudes away, he 
 went up into the mountain apart to pray : and "when 
 
 recent rationalists make equally ludicrous 
 attempts to explain away this miracle and that 
 of walking on the waves. If these lifelike 
 narratives, given in such vivid detail by all 
 four G-ospels, could be considered to represent 
 mere legends, then the Gospels would be no- 
 where worthy of confidence. 
 
 This great miracle of feeding the multitude 
 could not fail to make a profound impression ; 
 and the people who witnessed it took it as 
 showing beyond question that "this is of a 
 truth the prophet that cometh into the world" 
 (john 6: ii, Rev. ver.) ( i. e., probably the prophet 
 
 predicted by Moses. (Dem. 18: 15, 18;Jolm7:21,2o; 
 
 7:40; Acus:22; 7:87.) The Jews did not all iden- 
 tify 'the prophet' with Messiah; but the 
 persons here concerned evidently did, for 
 tkey were on the point of coining and seizing 
 Jesus to make him a king. (Johu 6: is.) It was 
 probably their design to carry him with them 
 to Jerusalem to the approaching Passover, 
 and there proclaim him the anointed king, 
 whether he consented or not. Perhaps they 
 were all the more disposed at this time to rise 
 against Herod and theKomans, from indigna- 
 tion at the recent outrageous murder of John 
 the Baptist. (Jos. Ant.,- is, 5, 2.) 
 
 II. 22-33. JESUS WALKS UPON THE 
 WATER. Found also in Mark 6: 45-52; 
 John 6: 16-21. Luke here begins to shorten 
 his narrative, continuing to do so up to 9: 50. 
 Jesus, or he, constrained. Here again, as 
 in v. 14, the word Jesus was interpolated by 
 copyists, because a "Lesson" began at this 
 point. 'Constrained' is more exactly ren- 
 dered 'compelled,' as in Wye., Gen. There 
 was no use in staying there any longer. The 
 hope of rest was gone, and the fame of this 
 great miracle would only increase the popular 
 excitement, and augment the danger of arous- 
 ing the jealousy of his enemies. So Jesus 
 determines to return to the west side of the 
 lake, where we shall find him the next day busy 
 healing the sick (v. 34), and teaching in the syna- 
 gogue. (John 6: 24, 59.) Shortly after he will with- 
 
 draw in a different direction, to the borders of 
 Phenicia(io:2i) ; comp. above on v. 13. For the 
 present he wishes to be alone; so he proceeds 
 to break up the vast gathering, and begins by 
 separating the disciples from the people and 
 himself. They were naturally slow to leave 
 the scene of so astonishing a miracle. It is 
 also likely that they sympathized not a little 
 with the popular disposition to coerce Jesus 
 into assuming the crown and sceptre of Mes- 
 siah. (Joim6:i5.) Possibly, too, they saw indi- 
 cations of the coming adverse wind, and 
 dreaded such a storm as that of 8: 23. What- 
 ever was the cause of their reluctance, Jesus 
 'compelled them,' of course by earnestly en- 
 joining it. Unto the other side. Mark 
 (6: 45) adds 'to Bethsaida,' and John (6:17, Rev. 
 ver.) saj's they 'were going over the sea unto 
 Capernaum ' ; see above on v. 13. It would 
 seem strange to be compelled to leave the 
 sacred spot, the interested crowds, the Master 
 himself. So we, too, must often do what the 
 Lord in his providence and his word clearly 
 requires, even when it seems to us a strange 
 and painful course. While he sent, etc. ; 
 Rev. Ver., more accurately, till he should 
 dismiss the multitudes. 1 This he proba- 
 bly did by going about among them, saying 
 that he should do nothing more that day, and 
 requesting them to disperse. They noticed, 
 however, that he did not go with the dis- 
 ciples, and having now no occasion for 
 anxiety about food, they spent the night in 
 that vicinity. (Jhn6:22.) He went up into 
 a (the) mountain, on the east of the lake. 
 
 (John 6 : 3; see above on v. 14.) We may SUppOSC that 
 
 he had come down towards the shore to see the 
 disciples off, and now ' departed again ' (John 
 6: is) to the mountain, and went up into a higher 
 and more secluded portion. Here in the 
 mountain solitude and mild spring air he con- 
 tinued the greater part of the night (v. 25) in 
 prayer. Jesus not only prayed regularly and 
 frequently (Marki: ss ; Luke5: 16; ii: i), but when 
 any special exigency in his life ".rose he spent 
 
 i 'Till he should dismiss' is the necessary rendering i dismissed,' Tyn. and followers, would represent heos and 
 of heos aud the subjunctive. So Rheims. " While he ! the indicative.
 
 CH. XIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 327 
 
 24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, 
 tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 
 
 25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went 
 unto them, walking on the sea. 
 
 24 even was come, he was there alone. But the boat 
 iwas now in the midst of the sea, distressed by the 
 
 25 waves ; for the wind was contrary. And in the 
 fourth watch of the night he came unto them, walk- 
 
 1 Some aucieut authorities read, wat many furlongs distant from the land. 
 
 much time in special prayer; e. g., when he 
 was about to select the twelve apostles (Luke 
 5; m), and in the agony of Gethsemane. The 
 occasion for protracted prayer in the present 
 instance appears to have been that the strong 
 popular desire to make him a king, together 
 with the jealousy of Herod and of the Phari- 
 sees, increased the difficulty of his position, 
 and made him deeply feel the need of his 
 Father's direction and support. Through this 
 fanatical crowd, Satan was again offering him 
 worldly dominion upon condition of pursuing 
 a worldly policy, (t-.st.) His earnest teaching 
 throughout the day as to the Messianic reign 
 (Luke : ii ), had not corrected the popular misap- 
 prehensions; he could not bring the people to 
 his views, could not conform to their views; 
 and if he refused, they would sooner or later 
 turn against him, and encourage the rulers to 
 destroy him. 
 
 24 f. It seerns likely from the use of 'even- 
 ing' in V. 23 (Mark 6: 47; John 6: 16), and from 
 
 other expressions of John, that already in 
 the early part of the night the disciples had 
 gone out into the midst of the lake, and there 
 continued to be harassed by the fierce op- 
 posing wind until towards morning. The 
 ship (boat) was now in the midst of the 
 
 sea. John (6:i9) says they had gone 'about 
 five and twenty or thirty furlongs,' from 
 three to three and a half miles (the stadion 
 being less than our furlong), when they 
 saw Jesus walking, etc. 1 From the prob- 
 able place of feeding the five thousand 
 across to Capernaum (Tel Hum), is about 
 four and a half miles. The attempt of some 
 critics to make out an error here, by insisting 
 that 'the midst ' must mean the mathematical 
 middle, is simply puerile. Tossed, literally, 
 tortured, as in 8: 6, 29. While the Com. Ver. 
 has here ' tossed,' and in Mark 6 : 48 ' toiling,' 
 it translates the same word ' tormented ' in 8 : 
 6, 29. For the wind was contrary. John 
 adds that it was a 'great wind.' It might 
 seem that this statement shows they had sails, 
 contrary to what has been said on 4: 21 ; but 
 Mark says they were ' toiling' (or distressed) 
 in rowing, for the wind was contrary,' etc.* 
 Jesus saw them thus harassed (Marker), but 
 for a long time did not go to them. When 
 they were in the former storm (8:24), he was 
 with them, and they only needed to awake 
 him; but now he had compelled them to 
 start, and had remained ashore. Thus their 
 faith was more severely tried, and thereby in 
 the end increased. In the fourth watch of 
 
 1 B, several cursives, and the Old Syriac, Peshito, and 
 Jerusalem Syriac, the Armenian, and some other ver- 
 sions read ' the boat was many furlongs distant from 
 the land ' (so W H. and margin Rev. Ver.). The ques- 
 tion is whether Matt, was here assimilated by copyists 
 to John (see above) or to Mark 6: 47, ' the boat was in 
 the midst of the sea.' It is not easy to decide this ques- 
 tion, and it makes no substantial difference, since both 
 expressions occur in the other Gospels. The Mephitic 
 version was certainly conformed to John, for it reads 
 ' about twenty-five furlongs.' 
 
 *On March 27, 1871, the writer and a friend went in 
 a boat from Tubariyeh (Tiberias) to the probable place 
 of feeding the fivj thousand. The day was hot, and 
 the boatmen reluctant to cross. When within a mile 
 or two of the shore they ceased rowing and listened, 
 and the leader said, " Bad, sir, bad." Faint in the dis- 
 tance, on the western side, we heard the sound of wind, 
 rushing down the ravines. The boatmen then began 
 to row with all their might, but before we reached land 
 the lake was much ruffled. We went some half a mile 
 jp the nearer slopes, finding beautiful grassy spots, one 
 
 in particular, well-suited to be the sceneof the miracle, 
 and when we returned found the lake perfectly furious. 
 From noon till nearly sunset this continued; even 
 when the wind ceased, the billows subsided very slowly. 
 At last the boat was pushed out from its harbor in a 
 little crooked stream, and being borne through the surf 
 on the shoulders of the men, we entered it and at- 
 tempted to cross the lake. But the waves were still so 
 fierce that we could make no headway acainst them. 
 So the boatmen turned and kept near the shore to the 
 moulh of the Jordan. Bursting through a wall of 
 water caused by the lake-waves opposing the current, 
 we remained in the river some time; and then creeping 
 around the western shore, with the waves still trouble- 
 some, we reached Tubariyeh towards midnight. It was 
 the same season of the year, a few days before Enster, 
 and the same western wind was 'contrary' ; but for- 
 tunately for us it blew itself out In the daytime, while 
 we were ashore. Our rude boat, with its unskillful 
 boatmen, could not possibly have lived if we had met 
 the storm in the midst of the lake.
 
 328 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIV. 
 
 26 And when the disciples saw him walking on. the 
 sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they 
 cried out for lear. 
 
 Ti But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, 
 Be of good cheer ; it is I ; be not afraid. 
 
 28 And Peter answered him, and said, Lord, if it be 
 thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 
 
 29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come 
 down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to 
 Jesus. 
 
 30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was 
 afraid ; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, 
 save me. 
 
 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, 
 and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little 
 faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 
 
 26 ing upon the sea. And when the disciples saw him 
 walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is 
 
 27 an apparition ; and they cried out for fear. But 
 straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of 
 
 28 good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter an- 
 swered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come 
 
 29 unto thee upon the waters. And he said, Come. 
 And Peter went down from the boat, and walked 
 
 30 upon the waters, 1 to come to Jesus. But when he 
 siiw the wind, 2 he was afraid; and beginning to 
 
 31 sinkj he cried out, saying, Lord, save me. And im- 
 mediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and took 
 
 1 Some ancient authorities reud, and came. 1 M:my ancient authorities add, strong. 
 
 the night. The ancient Hebrews divided the 
 night, probably the period from sunset to sun- 
 rise, into three \Vatehes(Judg.7:19;Laoi.2:19; Ex.U: 
 
 si; i Sam. ii: 11.) The Greeks appear to have 
 had the same division. But after Pompey's 
 conquest, B. c. 63, the Jews gradually adopted 
 the Roman fashion of four watches (comp. 
 Mark 13: 35, and see Wieseler, "Synopsis," p. 
 371). At this season of the year, soon after 
 the vernal equinox (Jotm6:4), the 'fourth 
 watch" would be from about three to six 
 o'clock. We have no means of determining 
 more exactly the time of Jesus' coming. 
 Jesus went (literally, he came) unto them. 
 The name 'Jesus' was added by some copy- 
 ists, to make the statement plainer. In like 
 manner the common Greek text has 'came' 
 changed to 'went away.' Mark adds, 'and 
 he would have passed by them.' Literally, 
 wished to pass. This might perhaps be un- 
 derstood in a weakened sense, as nearly equiv- 
 alent to the phrase, 'would have passed' ; bu' 
 it more probably means that judging from his 
 actions he wished to pass. Comp. Luke 24 : 28. 
 26 f. When the disciples saw him. 
 They all saw him (Mark e-. so); and near the boat 
 (John 6: 19.) It is a spirit, an apparition is the 
 exact rendering. In Luke 24: 37, 40, ' spirit' 
 represents the Greek word commonly so trans- 
 lated. The disciples believed in apparitions, 
 as did all the Jews (except the Sadducees , 
 and as all nations seem naturally disposed to 
 do. The opinions of the Twelve at that time 
 have no authority for us, since they had many 
 
 erroneous notions from which only the subse- 
 quent inspiration of the Comforter delivered 
 them. Be of good cheer, Tyn. and follow- 
 ers, is more exactly ' courage,' as in 9 : 2, 22 ; 
 weak faith made them cowardly, see on 8: 26. 
 Jesus spoke straightway, in his kind desire 
 to free them at once from their fear. It is I. 
 They would recognize his voice. 
 
 28-31. This incident is recorded by Mat- 
 thew only. Lord, if it be (is) thou. The 
 form of expression implies that he takes for 
 granted it is the Lord. Instead of ' Lord ' we 
 might translate 'Master,' (Tyn., Cran.), see 
 on 8 : 19. Seeing Jesus thus walking on the 
 water, Peter immediately felt the desire nat- 
 ural to bold spirits to do anything which they 
 see others do ; and under a sudden impulse of 
 confidence in Jesus mingled, no doubt, with 
 his usual self-confidence he proposed and 
 undertook to walk upon the water himself. 
 We must remember that the Twelve, on their 
 recent mission, had been empowered to work 
 miracles. .,(10: .) Perhap&also he was prompted 
 by the desire to get near his loved teacher as 
 soon as possible, as in John 21 : 7. Jesus con- 
 sented to his coming. Peter would thus learn 
 a needed lesson in the only way in which such 
 confident spirits will learn, viz., from experi- 
 ence. Walked on the water, literally, 
 waters, the plural being an imitation of the 
 Hebrew word for water, which is used only in 
 the plural; so in v. 28; Mark 9: 22; John 
 3: 23. To go to Jesus. The marginal read- 
 ing of Eev. Ver., 'and came to Jesus,' 1 is 
 
 1 ' And came ' is the reading of B, C, Old Syriac, Ar- 
 menian, Chrysostom. It is the more difficult reading, 
 easily changed by copyists into the other, and yet not 
 impossible, seeing that he did really come to Jesus, and 
 was within arm's length when he began to sink. In v. 
 30 ' strong ' is not found in X, B (first hand), 33, Mem- 
 
 phitic. The addition of this word would be very nat- 
 urally suggested, and yet if it had been originally 
 present we can see no reason why any copyist should 
 have wished its omission. Therefore we may decide 
 that it did not belong to the original text.
 
 CH. XIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 329 
 
 32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind 
 ceased. 
 
 33 Then they that were in the ship came and wor- 
 shipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of 
 God. 
 
 34 And when they were gone over, they came into 
 the laud of Gennesaret. 
 
 32 hold of him, and saith unto him, Othou of little faith, 
 wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were 
 
 33 gone up iuto the boat, the wind ceased. And they 
 that were in the boat worshipped him, saying, Of 
 a truth thou art the Son of God. 
 
 34 And when they had crossed over, they came to the 
 
 very likely correct; it would make the lesson 
 more striking, to Peter and to us, for thus his 
 faith failed when his task was almost finished. 
 When he saw the wind. Boisterous, or 
 strong, is an unwarranted addition. O thou 
 of little faith, see on 6: 30 and 8: 26. He 
 does not say 'of no faith.' And he does not 
 rebuke Peter's self-confident presumption, but 
 his weakness of faith, just as in 8: 10, he com- 
 mends the centurion's faith rather than his 
 humility; see also 15: 28. Of course faith 
 would have no natural power to keep him 
 from sinking, as it would in swimming, be- 
 cause he was performing a supernatural act; 
 God chose to put honor upon faith by enabling 
 him to do this, so long as he did not doubt. 
 Peter must have felt a wholesome shame and 
 confusion at the result of his bold attempt, but 
 the other disciples had no time to notice it, nor 
 he himself to be greatly pained, because all 
 were engrossed with admiration for the won- 
 der-working power of Jesus. 
 
 32 f. And when they were come into 
 the ship. Gone up, represents the correct 
 Greek text, and not simply 'come into.' 
 John says (= *i) 'They were willing therefore 
 to receive him into the ship,' or boat. At first 
 they had feared him as an apparition ; but 
 the well-known voice, and the words and 
 deeds of love, overcame all their fear. The 
 wind ceased, and the-boat which had been 
 far out on the lake, was immediately at the 
 land. (John 6: M.) These things naturally made 
 a great impression on their minds. They 
 that were in the ship (boat) is a general 
 expression, and might include not merely 
 the Twelve, but other persons who aided in 
 managing the boat ; as in 8: 27. Came and 
 worshipped him. 1 It is difficult to deter- 
 mine whether their worship or prostration 
 (com p. on 2: 2), was simply reverence to a 
 man. or real worship as to the Deity. And so 
 as to the phrase thou art the Son of God, 
 which hert, occurs for the first time in Matthew. 
 
 It seems clear that by this designation the 
 Jews, including the disciples, meant the Mes- 
 siah. (16 : 16; 26:63; 27: 40,43,64; John 1:49; 6:69.) But 
 
 they appear to have had very vague ideas as 
 to the purport of the expression. The High 
 Priest spoke of Messiah as the Son of God 
 (*6:6*), while they by no means regarded Mes- 
 siah as divine. The Jews called Jesus a blas- 
 phemer for speaking of himself as the Son of 
 God (John io: as; 19: 7), but they called many 
 things blasphemy in which there was no as- 
 sumption of divinity. (Corn p. on 9: 3.) This 
 saying of the disciples shows a decided ad- 
 vance on that of 8 : 27, but we must not press 
 it into meaning all that we should mean by 
 the same expression. Mark (6: 52) censures 
 their astonishment at Ihis miracle, for which 
 the miracle of the loaves would have prepared 
 them if their minds had not been stupid and 
 dull. This language of Mark does not neces- 
 sarily forbid the supposition that they were 
 now convinced Jesus was divine; but it best 
 falls in with the idea that they were'atA lower 
 standpoint. 
 
 We have thus had, v. 13-33, another inter- 
 esting account (comp. on 13: 1) of a whole 
 day in our Saviour's busy life. See "A Day 
 in the Life of Jesus of Nazareth," in Way- 
 land's "University Sermons." 
 
 III. 34-36. AFTER FEEDING THE FIVE 
 THOUSAND, JESTJS REVISITS THE PLAIN OF 
 GENNESARET. Found also, with further 
 details, in Mark 6: 63-56. When they Avere 
 gone over, the same word as in 9: 1. They 
 came into the land, etc. The general 
 statement is first made, 'they came into (or 
 upon) the land,' came to shore, and this is 
 followed by the more particular statement 
 unto Gennesaret.' The relation between the 
 two clauses not beir.g understood by some 
 copyists or early students, it was easily 
 changed into 'they came unto the land of 
 Gennesaret,' as in tho common Greek text and 
 the Com. Version. Gennesaret was the name 
 
 'The prefixed term "came" or 'coming' of the com- 
 mon Greek text is wanting in some of the earliest docu- 
 ments, and we can more readily explain its insertion 
 
 than its omission ; so it is not probably a part of the 
 text.
 
 330 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIV. 
 
 35 And when the men of that place had knowledge 
 of him, they sent out into all that country round about, 
 and brought unto him all that were diseased; 
 
 36 And oesought him that they might only touch the 
 hem of his garment : and as many as touched were 
 made pertectly whole. 
 
 35 land, unto Gennesaret. And when the men of that 
 place knew him, they sent into all that region round 
 about, and brought unto him all that were sick ; 
 
 36 and they besought him that they might only touch 
 the border of his garment: and as many as touched 
 were made whole. 
 
 of a plain lying on the northwest side of the 
 lake, about three and a half miles long, and at 
 some points over two miles wide. It is glow- 
 ingly described by Josephus (" war," a, 10, a) as of 
 unrivaled beauty, fertility, and variety of pro- 
 ducts ; and modern travelers find his statements 
 justified, if we make allowance for the present 
 wretched cultivation and paucity of inhab- 
 itants. Stanley: " No less than four springs 
 pour forth their almost full grown rivers 
 through the plain ; the richness of the soil 
 displays itself in magnificent wheat fields; 
 whilst along the shore rises a thick jungle of 
 thorn and oleander, abounding in birds of 
 brilliant colors and various forms." The soil 
 is a dark loam, very rich; and by irrigation 
 will produce three crops a year. We know of 
 no large city in this plain. Capernaum was 
 pretty certainly at Tel Hum, further north 
 (see on 4 : 13) ; and Chorazin was probably at 
 Keraseh, up in the hills (see on 11: 21). 
 Whether the considerable ruins in the northern 
 angle of the plain represent the western Beth- 
 saida, so often mentioned with Capernaum 
 and Chorazin, we cannot determine. At the 
 southern angle of the plain are a few huts 
 called Mejdel, doubtless the ancient Magdala, 
 the home of Mary Magdalene. From this 
 remarkable plain the Sea or Lake of Galilee 
 was sometimes called Lake of Gennesaret. 
 (Loke5:i.) Had knowledge of (i. e., knew) 
 him, or recognized him. Mark adds 
 'straightway;' they might well recognize 
 him at once, for he had labored much in that 
 vicinity. All that country round about, 
 as in 3: 5. All that were diseased, or ///. 
 the same phrase as in 4: 24. That they 
 might touch, a non-final use of the Greek 
 conjunction, see on 5: 29. The hem (or bor- 
 der) of his garment, see on 9: 20 f. The 
 healing there recorded took place at Caper- 
 naum not long before, and probably encour- 
 aged the persons here mentioned. Were 
 made perfectly whole, literally, were 
 thoroughly saved (healedl, a compound of the 
 verb used in 9: 21. Mark (6:Mff.) gives fur- 
 ther details, showing Jesus as entering into 
 cities, villages, and country places, and every- 
 
 where healing the sick, which probably occu- 
 pied several days. Weiss thinks it incredible 
 that there were now so many sick to be healed 
 in the region of Jesus' common residence. 
 But he had been absent some time, on the 
 journey about Galilee (":i)> and the season 
 of malarial fevers had come. For previous 
 instances of a general statement concerning 
 numerous miracles of healing, see 4 : 23 f . ; 
 8: 16; 9: 36. 
 
 On the morning after the five thousand were 
 fed, they came across in borrowed boats to 
 Capernaum, and crowded into the synagogue, 
 where Jesus was teaching. To this idle and 
 gaping crowd, delighted at getting plenty to 
 eat without working, he addressed the great 
 discourse of John 6: 26-69. 
 
 HOMILKTICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 13 f. Jesus here an example. 1) In pru- 
 dently withdrawing from danger. 2) In seek- 
 ing bodily and mental rest for himself and 
 his disciples, com p. Mark 6: 31. 3) In re- 
 linquishing needed rest in order to do men 
 good, v. 14, comp. John 4: 6 ff. V. 14-21. 
 Feeding the multitude. 1) A lesson in com- 
 passion, v. 14 f. 2) A lesson in obedience, v. 
 16-18. 3) A lesson in order, v. 19. 4) A 
 lesson in economy, v. 20. 5) A lesson as to 
 the harmony of the natural and the super- 
 natural, v. 20 f. V. 19. HALL : " What an 
 honor was this to thy servants, that as thou 
 wert Mediator betwixt thy Father and men, 
 so thou wouldst have them, in some beneficial 
 occasion, mediate betwixt men and thee." 
 V. 23. Occasional seasons of retirement for 
 long-continued prayer, whether to a private 
 npartment, or to the solitude of nature, are 
 much needed in this hurried age. There is 
 something very impressive in the still deptlis 
 of a forest, or the recesses of a mountain, as a 
 scene of solitary prayer "The groves were 
 God's first temples" ; and the noblest houses 
 of worship cannot so powerfully appeal to our 
 feelings of devotion. CHRYS. : "The wilder- 
 ness is the mother of quiet; it is a calm and a 
 harbor, delivering us from all turmoils." 
 
 V. 24. HENRY: "Though troubles and difE-
 
 CH. XV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 331 
 
 CHAPTEK XV. 
 
 FllHEN came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which 
 A were of Jerusalem, saying, 
 
 1 Then there come to Jesus from Jerusalem Phari- 
 
 culties may disturb us in our duty, they must 
 not drive us from it; but through the midst 
 of them we must press forward." V. 25. 
 "Man's extremity is God's opportunity." 
 V. 26. HENRY: "Most of our danger from 
 outward troubles arises from the occasion 
 they give for inward troubles." V. 24-27. 
 Danger and deliverance. 1) Perilous struggles 
 long-continued make us deeply feel our need 
 of help. 2) Approaching deliverance some- 
 times wears an alarming aspect, v. 26. 3) 
 Divine encouragement is given "straight- 
 way," just as soon as it is really best for us, 
 v. 27. 4) In life's worst trials, to recognize 
 the Saviour's voice brings courage and hope. 
 6) Storm and struggle make us enjoy more 
 the cairn that follows, and appreciate more 
 highly the Lord who delivers us (v. 32 f.). 
 V. 28-31. Walking the waves. 1) The in- 
 stinct of imitation. 2) Self-appointed tests of 
 divine presence and power. 3) Self-confidence 
 often curiously blended with confidence in 
 the Lord. 4) There is frequently strength 
 enough to complete a task, and then collapse 
 at the close, v. 29, margin of Rev. Ver. 5) 
 Happy the man whose conscious helplessness 
 leads him to cry for divine help. 6.) Many an 
 experience makes us take shame to ourselves, 
 and give glory to God. V. 27. HALL: " Let 
 heaven be but as one scroll, and let it be 
 written all over with titles, they cannot ex- 
 press more than 'It is I.' " V. 28. HENRY: 
 "The boldest spirits must wait for a call to 
 hazardous enterprises, and we must not rashly 
 and presumptuously thrust ourselves upon 
 them." V. 30. HENRY: " Looking at diffi- 
 culties with an eye of sense, more than at pre- 
 cepts and promises with an eye of faith, is at 
 the bottom of all our individual fears, both as 
 
 to public and personal concerns When 
 
 faith is weak, prayer should be strong." V. 
 81. HENRY: "Our doubts and fears would 
 soon vanish before a strict inquiry into tho 
 cause of them." V. 35. HENRY: "Those 
 that have got the knowledge of Christ them- 
 selves should do all they can to bring others 
 acquainted with him too. We can no better 
 testify our love for our country than by pro- 
 
 moting and propagating in it the knowledge 
 of Christ." 
 
 15: 1-20. JESUS DISREGARDING TRA- 
 DITION. This is found also in Mark 7: 1-3. 
 When the great miracle of feeding the five 
 thousand was wrought, the Passover was near 
 (see on 14: 19) ; which, accordingto the view 
 commonly held (see on 12: 1), was the third 
 Passover of our Lord's public ministry, and 
 one year before its close. To this last year 
 belong half the chapters and considerably 
 more than half the pages of Matthew's Gospel 
 and a still larger proportion of the Gospels of 
 Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus failed to go to 
 this Passover because the people in Judea 
 were seeking to kill him (as mentioned after- 
 wards, John 7: 1), but continued his labors 
 in Galilee, as described in general terms in 
 14 : 35 f. The particular incident here re- 
 corded would seem to have occurred some 
 little time after the Passover, as it would 
 not be natural for Pharisees to leave Jeru- 
 salem shortly before the feast. The scene of 
 this occurrence was somewhere in Galilee, 
 apparently in the Plain of Gennesaret (w:34-36), 
 and probably at Capernaum, his usual place 
 of abode. The fault-finding inquiry by the 
 Pharisees and Scribes (v it.) is severely re- 
 torted upon them (. s-9), and then answered 
 by a most important general principle, to 
 which the special attention of all present is 
 called (. ior.), and of which the disciples af- 
 terwards seek an explanation in private. 
 
 (v. 12-20.) 
 
 1. Then (see on 3 : 13) does not necessarily 
 mean at the time just before mentioned 
 (u:S4-M), but is naturally so taken, unless 
 thf-re be proof to the contrary, which is not 
 here the case. Scribes and Pharisees, t.he 
 common ordor, was easily inserted by copyists 
 in place of Pharisees and Scribes, the correct 
 text. Came from Jerusalem, was, in like 
 manner, changed to which were of Jeru- 
 salem, by inserting an apparently needed 
 article. Jerusalem was tho seat of the great 
 schools, as well as of the temple worship, and 
 the most eminent men were congregated
 
 332 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XV. 
 
 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the 
 elders? for they wasu not their hands when they eat 
 bread. 
 
 2 sees and scribes, saying, Why do thy disciples trans- 
 gress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not 
 
 there ; these persons were therefore regarded 
 in Galilee with special reverence. Their ob- 
 ject in coming may have been partly to satisfy 
 curiosity about Jesus, excited by accounts 
 given at he Passover, and partly to prevent 
 him from gaining too much influence in 
 Galilee. It is not unlikely that they were 
 sent as a deputation to observe Jesus, as after- 
 wards in Luke 11 : 54, and still later in Matt. 
 22: 15; comp. 12: 24 (Marks: 2-2), and the depu- 
 tation sent to John the Baptist. (Johui: 19, 24.) 
 As to the Pharisees, see on 3 : 7 ; and as to the 
 Scribes, on 2 : 3. They begin by censuring, 
 not Jesus himself, but the disciples. (Comp. 
 on 9: 14.) On probably a later occasion 
 Jesus himself excited the same complaint. 
 
 (Lake 11: 38.) 
 
 2. The tradition of the elders. The 
 
 word rendered 'tradition' signifies that which 
 is passed along, or given from one to another. 
 It is sometimes applied by Paul to teachings 
 handed over by him to the churches for their 
 
 Observance. (2Thws. 2: loj 3: t; I Cor.ll: 2.) But 
 
 here and in Gal. 1 : 14; Col. 2: 8, it denotes 
 things handed down from generation to gen- 
 eration, which is what we mean by the similar 
 Latin word tradition. It is a favorite evasion 
 of Koman Catholic controversialists to con- 
 found these two senses of the term. The 
 word ' elders ' here means not officials, but 
 the men of former times, (neb. 11 : z, ana comp. Matt. 
 5: 21.) The immense mass of traditions which 
 the later Jews so reverenced, were held by 
 them to consist partly of oral laws given by 
 Moses in addition to the written law which 
 they supposed to be referred to in Deut. 4 : 
 14 ; partly of decisions made from time to 
 time by the judges (Dent- if: sir.), and which 
 became precedent and authority ; and partly 
 of the explanations and opinions of eminent 
 teachers, given individually or sometimes by 
 the vote of assemblies. These oral traditions 
 continued to accumulate after the time of 
 Christ till they were written down in the 
 Mishna and its commentaries. (See on 3: 7.) 
 They were highly esteemed by all of the 
 nation, except the Sadducees. Indeed some 
 reckoned them more important than the writ- 
 
 ten law. The Talmud of Jerusalem says, 
 " The words of the Scribes are more lovely 
 than the words of the law ; for the words of 
 the law are weighty and light, but the words 
 of the Scribes are all weighty." And the 
 Talmud somewhere declares that it isagreater 
 crime to "transgress the words of the school 
 of Hillel" than the law. So again: "My 
 son, attend to the words of the scribes, more 
 than to the words of the law." In this as in 
 so many respects Judaism has colored the 
 Christianity of the Church of Rome, which 
 teaches the observance of numerous traditions 
 professedly coming from early times, and 
 some of them from the apostles, though these 
 often directly violate the spirit, and even the 
 letter, of Scripture. Among Protestants also 
 there is sometimes greater solicitude for the 
 observance of custom than of Scripture; and 
 more emphasis laid on "the rule of the 
 church" than on the law of God. They 
 wash not their hands. It is worth while to 
 distinguish several Greek words which our 
 English Versions render 'wash.' (1) Nipto, 
 used only of washing some part of the body, 
 as the face, hands, feet; found in 6: 17; 15: 2 
 (Mark 7: s); 27: 24 (compound) ; John 9: 7, 15; 
 13 : 5. 14 ; 1 Tim. 5 : 10. (2) Brecho, to wet, 
 moisten, sprinkle, and hence aommonly to 
 rain; found .in Luke 7: 38, 44. (3) Pluno, 
 used especially of washing clothes and the 
 like; found in Luke 6:2; Rev. 7: 14. (4) 
 Louo, to bathe, or wash the whole body ; 
 found in John 13: 10, "he that is bathed 
 (louo), needeth not save to wash (nipto) his 
 feet;" also in Acts 9: 37; 16: 33; 22: 16 
 (compound); 1 Cor. 6: 11 (compound); Heb. 
 10: 22; 2 Pet. 2: 22; Rev. 1: 5, and a noun 
 derived from it in Eph. 5 : 26 ; Tit. 3 : 5. (5) 
 Baptizo, to immerse, dip (see on 3: 6), is ren- 
 dered wash in Mark 7:4; Luke 11 : 38, and a 
 noun derived from it in Mark 7: 4; Heb. 
 9: 10, in all which places the idea is that of 
 immersion. Mark, who wrote especially for 
 Gentile readers, here paused (7:sr.) to give 
 details about the scrupulous and elaborate 
 purifications of the singular Jewish people. 1 
 This ceremonial hand-washing before eat- 
 
 1 The law required frequent and sometimes very some cases washing beds, saddles, and vessels of every 
 thorough purifications, as bathing the person, and in kind except earthenware, which must be broken.
 
 CH XV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 333 
 
 3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye 
 also transgress the commandment ot God by your tra- 
 dition ? 
 
 4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father 
 and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, 
 let him die the death. 
 
 5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his 
 mother, It i* a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be 
 profited by me ; 
 
 3 their hands when they eat bread. And he answered 
 and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the 
 commandment of God because of your tradition ? 
 
 4 For God said, Honour thy father and thy mother: 
 and, He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let 
 
 6 him Mie the death. B_ut ye say, Whosoever shall 
 say to his father or his mother. That wherewith 
 thou mightest have been profited by me is given to 
 
 \ Or, surely die. 
 
 ing, the Kabbis tried to support by Lev. 15 : 
 11. It very naturally arose, along with the 
 similar washing after the meal, from the fact 
 that the ancients habitually ate with their 
 fingers. At a later period a third washing 
 was practised by some persons, in the course 
 of the meal. The Mishna (Berachoth 8, 1) 
 mentions a difference between Hillel and 
 Shammai as to whether one must wash the 
 hands before or after filling the glasses. The 
 Talmud shows that hand-washing was reck- 
 oned a matter of high importance. Some 
 Rabbis declare the neglect of it to be as bad 
 as licentiousness or other gross crimes. One 
 said, "It is better to go four miles to water 
 than to incur guilt by neglecting hand-wash- 
 ing " ; and a story is told of the famous Rabbi 
 Akiba that when imprisoned, and having his 
 allowance of water reduced, he took what lit- 
 tle there was to wash his hands before eating, 
 instead of drinking it, saying that he had 
 rather die than transgress the institutions of 
 his ancestors. 
 
 3-6. Before proceeding to the great princi- 
 ple ( 11) involved in his justification of the 
 disciples for neglect of the hand-washing, our 
 Lord retorts upon the Pharisees and Scribes 
 their charge of "transgression." (Comp. the 
 ad homincm argument in 12: 27.) Why do 
 
 ye also transgress, and that not a mere tra- 
 dition of men, but the commandment of 
 God by {because of) your tradition ? ' By 
 
 your tradition ' does not correctly render the 
 Greek. They had said 'the tradition of the 
 elders,' but he says simply your tradition ; no 
 matter what was its origin, they were now 
 making it the occasion of transgressing the 
 law of God. This charge he proves by an 
 example, not connected with hand-washing 
 or other purifications, but drawn from a most 
 sacred duty, as acknowledged by mankind, 
 and enjoined in a peculiarly solemn command 
 (Kph. 6:2) of God's law. Our Lord himself de- 
 clared (io:37; LukeU:*) that his service is above 
 filial duty ; but (Plumptre) he claimed super- 
 natural authority, which the Scribes did not 
 claim. For God said, the true reading, was 
 easily changed by copyists into for God com- 
 manded, saying, because 'the command- 
 ment' had just been mentioned. The first 
 clause is quoted from Ex. 20: 12, the second 
 from Ex. 21 : 17, both taken from the Sept., 
 and correctly translating the Hebrew, The 
 second was introduced to show that this com- 
 mand which they practically annulled was 
 one of the highest importance, since the pen- 
 alty of its violation, among the Hebrews, was 
 to be death without fail. Comp. very, strong 
 
 (Ler. oh. is.) In general, the Hebrew terms do not show 
 how this washing of vessels, etc., was to be performed, 
 but in Lev. 11: 32 they must be "put into water"; 
 comp. "divers baptisms (immersions)," Heb. 9: 10. The 
 scrupulous later Jews often adopted this most thorough 
 purification even when not required by the law (see 
 Judith 12: 7; Ecclus. 31: 30, and numerous directions 
 in the Talmud). With this agrees Mark's statement 
 that when they couie " from the market place, except 
 they immerse, they eat not," which may mean immerse 
 their hands for thorough washing, as distinguished 
 from the simpler mode of washing hands carefully 
 described in the Talmud, but more probably means 
 immerse themselves. So in Mishna Cbagiga, 2, 5, two 
 recent Jewish authorities differ as to whether "dip- 
 ping" means washing the hands by dipping them 
 (WOnache, and so Ldersh.), or takiug a bath (Schwab, 
 
 tr. of Talm. Jerus.). Those who cannot believe that 
 under such circumstances they would immerse the 
 whole person might read Herodotus II., 47, who says 
 that if any Egyptian " touches a swine in passing with 
 his clothes, he goes to the river and dips himself (bapto) 
 from it." Some early Christian students or copyists, 
 not understanding this Jewish scrupulosity, changed 
 bapluonlai, ' Immerse themselves,' into rantitontni, 
 "sprinkle themselves;" for though found in X B, nine 
 cursives, and the late Father Euthyiu., this is obviously 
 a correction to avoid a difficulty, as is also the omission 
 of 'couches' at the end of Mark 7: 4 by N B L A. three 
 cursives, Memph. How can any one account for the 
 insertion of 'couches,' and the change of ' sprinkle' U> 
 'immerse'? The question here is not of traditional 
 usage or the mere mode of performing a ceremony, but 
 of the principle of strict obedience to a divine command.
 
 334 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XV. 
 
 6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall 
 be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God 
 of none effect by your tradition. 
 
 6 God; he shall not honour his father. 1 And ye have 
 made void the s word of (jod because of your tra- 
 
 1 Some nudeut nutlioritiei add, or kit mother, 'i Some ancient authorities read, law. 
 
 language on the subject in Deut. 27: 16; 
 Prov. 20: 20; 30: 17. He that curseth; 
 
 speaketh evil of, or 'reviles,' is the exact 
 rendering; 'curses' would be a different 
 Greek word. The Hebrew means primarily 
 'belittle,' 'make light of,' and derivatively 
 'curse.' So the command is very broad. 
 Let him die the death, or better, let him 
 surely die (margin Rev. Ver.), the form of 
 expression being much used in the Old Test., 
 and ofteiH-r denoting the certainty than the 
 severity of the punishment. The connection 
 here shows that we must honor parents not 
 merely in our feelings but by our acts; see 
 similar uses of "honor" in Prov. 3: 9; 1 Tim. 
 6:3. And the Jews recognized this duty. 
 Ecclus. 3: 8, "Honor thy father and mother 
 both in word and deed " ; Tdlm. Jerus. : "A 
 son is bound to nourish his father, yea, to beg 
 for him." The case here supposed is of a needy 
 parent, requiring help from the son, which he 
 refuses on grounds justified by tradition. But 
 ye say, 'ye' being expressed in the original, 
 and thus strongly emphatic. It is a bad posi- 
 tion for men to occupy, when what they say 
 is directly opposed to what God says. By 
 whatsoever (or that wherewith) thoumightest 
 be (have been) profited by me, is a general 
 expression, covering all sorts of cases, and is 
 often found in the Talmud (Lf., Edersh.) in 
 connection with this same subject. Is a gift, 
 or perhaps 'let it be a gift.' the Greek having 
 no copula. ' A gift ' evidently means a gift 
 to God, and Mark (' = ") presents the Heb. 
 word Corban, which the Talmud shows they 
 were accustomed to employ in such cases, de- 
 noting an offering, anything dedicated to God, 
 or donated for the use of the temple. The 
 Peshito has the same word in Matt., and it is 
 used in Matt. 27: 6 to denote the 'treasury,' 
 the aggregate of all such offerings. If a man' s 
 father or mother wanted any article from him 
 it might be food or clothing, or what not 
 he could just say, Corban, it is a gift, a thing 
 consecrated to God (comp. Lev. 27 : 9, 16), and 
 he was then, according to the traditional 
 rules, not only at liberty to withhold it from 
 his parent, but solemnly bound to do so. The 
 Mishna ("Vows," 9, 1) tells of a former dif- 
 
 cussion as to whether a vow could be set aside 
 through regard for parents, and all but one 
 Rabbi declared in the negative. The Jews 
 reached this conclusion by arguing that vows, 
 as they had respect to God, were more import- 
 ant than things pertaining to men ; and hence 
 that devoting a thing to God was sufficient to 
 set aside the highest obligation, even that to 
 one's parents. Here was a correct principle, 
 greatly abused in the application. "We learn 
 from the Talmud, which has copious direc- 
 tions on this subject, that a man was not 
 bound, after saying Corban, actually to dedi- 
 cate the article in the temple, but might keep 
 it indefinitely for his own use, or might give 
 it to some, other person, only not to the one 
 had in mind when he made the vow. Corban 
 might therefore be said just for the nonce, as 
 an excuse for withholding; and with people 
 as 'money-loving' as the Pharisees (Luke 16=14), 
 the license thus offered would often be shame- 
 fully abused. Even more; it appears from 
 the Talmud that a man might not merely say 
 Corban with reference to any particular ob- 
 ject, but might say it once for all, as applying 
 to everything which he possessed, and that 
 one word spoken in passion or greed, would 
 make it impossible that he should ever do 
 anything for the person in question, though it 
 were his parent. We are told of a son in 
 Bethhoron who had taken such a vow against 
 his father, and afterwards wishing to supply 
 the father's need, donated his own house and 
 dinner to a friend on condition that his father 
 should share the dinner; but the friend im- 
 mediately declared the house and meal sacred 
 to heaven, and so the scheme failed. Mishna 
 ("Vows," 5,6). The Talmud mentions vari- 
 ous ingenious expedients for evading Corban 
 and other vows, when one afterwards changed 
 his mind. Several Fathers state that a Jewish 
 creditor could constrain an ugly debtor by 
 saying " what you owe me is Corban," and so 
 it had to be paid, as a debt to God. From all 
 this we see how monstrous were the practices 
 to which our Lord was referring. It is lam- 
 entable to think that they have been rivaled 
 by teachings of modern Jesuits. 
 There is some difficulty as to the Greek text
 
 CH. XV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 335 
 
 7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, 
 
 saying, 
 
 7 ditiou. Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of 
 you, saying, 
 
 and the meaning in the latter part of v. 5 and 
 v. 6. The best supported text most naturally 
 yields the meaning given by Rev. Ver*, (see 
 Moulton in Winer, p. 750); viz., you, accord- 
 ing to your tradition, virtually say that when 
 he has once for all made this vow he is not to 
 honor his father, i The 'not' is a strong 
 doubled negative. If 'and' be retained, then 
 something must be silently supplied. But it 
 cannot be as in Com. Ver., because 'honor' 
 is certainly future. It must be somehow so: 
 'whoever says to his father or his mother, 
 that wherewith thou mightest have been 
 profited by me is gi\ r en to God,' is not bound 
 by the law, but must observe his vow in 
 preference (comp. Mark 7: 12); what follows 
 giving the consequence, 'and (thus) he will 
 not honor his father,' as the law requires him 
 to do. The general thought is the same upon 
 both interpretations. Have ye made void 
 God's authoritative word, and not merely 
 transgressed it (v. 3). A practice somewhat 
 similar to this Corban vow of the Jews 
 formerly existed in the Sandwich Islands. 
 Barnes: "The chiefs and priests had the 
 power of devoting anything to the service of 
 the god.s by saying that it was tabu, i. e., con- 
 secrated to the service of religion ; and no 
 matter who had been the owner, it could then 
 be appropriated to no other use." From this 
 Polynesian usage comes our word taboo, to 
 forbid all intercourse with a certain person or 
 use of a certain thing. 
 7-9. Hypocrites, see on 6: 2. They 
 
 made great pretence of devotion to God, and 
 insisted strenuously on the externals of his 
 service, while at heart they did not love him, 
 and were even ready to set aside his express 
 commands for the sake of their traditions. 
 The persons particularly addressed were from 
 Jerusalem (v-i), and an early Rabbi is related 
 to have said that " there are ten parts of 
 hypocrisy in the world, nine at Jerusalem, 
 and one in the whole world." This seems 
 to be the first instance of our Lord's openly 
 denouncing the Pharisees, as we shall often 
 find him doing hereafter. The strong de- 
 nunciations of Luke, ch. 11 and 12, are much 
 better placed at a later period, according to the 
 harmonistic arrangement of Wieseler, followed 
 by Tischendorf's "Synopsis" and Clark's 
 "Harm." (Comp. on 12: 22.) Well, i. e., 
 finely, aptly, with admirable appropriateness, 
 (comp. 13 : 14. ) Yet our Lord does not simply 
 say that he finds the words of Isaiah to his con- 
 I temporaries exactly applicable to these per- 
 sons, and himself makes the application, but 
 he says, Well did Esaias (Isaiah) prophesy 
 concerning you. Isaiah spoke directly to 
 the men of his own time, but his words were also 
 designed by the Spirit of inspiration to refer to 
 the contemporaries of Messiah. For 'Isaiah,' 
 instead of the changed Greek form Esaias, 
 see on 1 : 2. The citation is from Isa. 29 : 13. 
 The words in common Greek text, draweth 
 nigh unto me with their mouth, and are 
 not genuine here, but were added from the 
 Sept. 2 Matt, quotes from the Sept. as he 
 
 1 'And' is omitted by X B, C, D, some other manu- 
 scripts, and several versions. The ground for hesita- 
 tion is that ' and ' is the difficult reading. But the verb 
 'honor' should cleaYly be future tense, as given by 
 nearly the same authorities, and not subjunctive, as in 
 the common Greek text. The future indicative after 
 OH m is unclassical, though not uncommon in later 
 Greek, and would thus be readily changed by copyists 
 into the regular classical subjunctive, as in many other 
 places. (Comp. 26: 35, and see Buttm, p. 213.) In this 
 way 'honor' came into the same form as 'say,' and 
 then it might easily occur to a copyist, that these ought 
 to be connected by 'and,' ' whosoever shall say . . . . 
 and shall not honor.' Thus the text oi the oldest 
 authorities accounts for the other readings. 'Or his 
 mother' <" ) is omitted by K B, I), and Old Syriac. The 
 addition of this clause would be instantly suggested l>y 
 tlie foregoing phrases (v. 4 f.), while we cannot imagine 
 
 any reason for its omission if originally present. In 
 like manner ' the word ' read by B, D, and a correcter 
 of N, and by many early versions and some Fathers 
 would easily be changed to ' the commandment,' to suit 
 v. 3, and this may have been changed to ' the law,' rend 
 by several documents (margin Rev. Ver.), because the 
 second saying in v. 4 is not a part of the Decalogue. 
 
 s They are wanting in nearly all the early versions, 
 in the earliest (ireek manuscripts, and in many Patris- 
 tic citations. To enlarge a quotiitlon by bringing in 
 something more from the Sept. was a very common 
 und natural mode of altering the copies. The clause 
 cannot have been omitted in .\fatt. by way of assimila- 
 tion to Mark, for that would have led rather toils 
 insertion in Mark, according tothe oustoni of the copy- 
 ists. Some MSS. of the Sept. omit this clause, perhapa 
 by way of accommodation to the Gospels.
 
 336 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XV. 
 
 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their 
 mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their 
 heart is far from me. 
 
 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doc- 
 trines the commandments of men. 
 
 10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, 
 Hear, and understand : 
 
 8 This people honoureth me with their lips ; 
 But their heart is far from me. 
 
 9 But in vain do they worship me, 
 
 Teaching a.? their d"octrines the precepts of men. 
 10 And he culled to him the multitude, and said unto 
 
 oftenest does, and here in v. 9 departs consid- 
 erably from the Heb., which reads, "and 
 their fear towards me is the commandment of 
 men, (a thing) taught," i. e. } their piety is 
 merely a lesson they have learned from men, 
 and not a thing learned from and conformed 
 to the word of God. For this the Sept. has, 
 "but in vain do they worship me, teaching 
 precepts of men and teachings.' '(As to the dif- 
 ference between Heb. and Sept., comp. Toy.) 
 Matt, and Mark (7: 7) have slightly modified 
 the Sept. into 'teaching teachings (which are) 
 precepts of men.' This not only improves the 
 phraseology of the Sept., but brings out the 
 prophet's thought mere clearly than would be 
 done by a literal translation of the Heb., for 
 Isaiah means to distinguish between a worship 
 of God that is taught by men, and that which 
 is according to the teaching of God's word. 
 As to quoting Sept. instead of Heb., see 
 on 3:3; and as to verbal changes to bring 
 out the sense more plainly, comp. on 2: 6. 
 For the different words rendered ' teaching,' 
 see on 7: 28. Instead of commandments, 
 Rev. Ver. here uses 'precepts' (as in Tyn., 
 Cran., Gen.),because the Greek word is some- 
 what different from that of v. 3, though sub- 
 stantially equivalent. In vain, i. e., it is not 
 acceptable to God, nor profitable for them- 
 selves. So at the present day many persons 
 claim a divine authority for ideas and prac- 
 tices which are simply of human origin 
 (comp. on v. 2). We are not only under no 
 obligation to conform to these, but it is our 
 duty to oppose them wherever they tend to 
 the violation or neglect of God's command- j 
 ments. It must also be remembered that our j 
 common human nature is very prone to be ) 
 intent upon the forms of religion and neglect 
 its spirit ; to honor God with the lips, while 
 the heart is far from him. 
 
 10 f. When he retorted their question upon 
 themselves (), it was not for the purpose of 
 avoiding an answer, and he now publicly pro- 
 claims a principle which goes to the heart of 
 the matter. Called (unto him) the multi- 
 tude, or crowd, the mass of the people, as dis- 
 
 tinguished from the Pharisees and Scribes, 
 who had pressed up around him. He wished 
 all to hear what he was about to say ; and in 
 fact the crowd were more likely to receive it 
 than the others, being less prejudiced and 
 sophisticated. Hear, and understand. It 
 was something important, and demanded at- 
 tentive consideration. The disciples presently 
 called it a ' parable ' (. is), yet he was not now 
 employing obscure expressions as a judgment 
 (is; is), but with great desire that all (Mark7:i4) 
 should understand. And they must not 
 merely hear, but understand; for he will not 
 recite decisions and opinions of the ancients, 
 as the Scribes did, but will speak by his own 
 authority (7:), directly to the understanding 
 and conscience of the people. Defileth a 
 (the) man, i. e., the man concerned in any 
 particular case. So in the second clause, and 
 in v. 18, 20. Tyn., Cran., and Gen. give the 
 article in v. 11 and 18, but not in v. 20; King 
 James gives it only in v. 18. The word ren- 
 dered 'defileth' is literally, makes common. 
 Some kinds of food were specially set apart, 
 as alone proper for God's chosen people, and 
 were thus in a certain sense sacred, all other 
 things being 'common' (Aotaioru); for an 
 Israelite to partake of these forbidden things 
 would destroy his exclusiveness, make him 
 common. Hence 'to make common' came 
 to mean to defile, pollute. This saying of 
 Jesus was to the Jews in the highest degree 
 surprising, paradoxical, revolutionary (comp. 
 12 : 8). They saw at once that it applied not 
 merely to hand washing, but to the whole 
 matter of clean and unclean food, and this 
 seemed. to them one of the most vital parts of 
 the law. So they knew not what to make oi 
 the saying, " Not what goes into the mouth 
 defiles the man, but what comes out of it." 
 The Pharisees stumbled at such a saying, 
 could not admit the divine mission of one who 
 uttered it (v. 12), and even the disciples failed 
 to understand it. (v. isr.) Ceremonially, vari- 
 ous things did defile by entering the mouth; 
 but this was only designed to represent the 
 idea of moral pollution, while the great mass
 
 CH. XV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 337 
 
 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth deflleth a 
 uian ; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this 
 detileth a man. 
 
 12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, 
 Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after 
 they heard this saying? 
 
 13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which ray 
 heavenly Father bath not planted, shall be rooted up. 
 
 14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the 
 blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall 
 iuto the ditch. 
 
 11 them, Hear, and understand: Not that which en- 
 tereth into the mouth detileth the man ; but that 
 which proceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth 
 
 12 the man. Then caiue the disciples, and said unto 
 him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were 'offended, 
 
 13 when they heard this saying? But he answered 
 and said, Every Splunt which my heavenly Father 
 planted not, shall be rooted up. Let them alone ; 
 
 14 they are blind guides. And if the blind guide the 
 
 1 Or. caused to (tumble t Gr. planting. 
 
 of the Jews, however scrupulous about the 
 representative purity, were careless of the in- 
 ward purity. Our Lord therefore, by this 
 saying directs attention to the internal and 
 real impurity. Here, as with reference to the 
 Sabbath (12; i ff.), and to so many points in the 
 Sermon on the Mount, he is leading the peo- 
 ple to deeper and more spiritual views of the 
 morality which the law designed to teach, 
 and thus not abrogating or correcting, but 
 'completing' the law. (5: 17.) His teachings 
 did prepare the way for laying aside the cere- 
 monies of the law, but this only by develop- 
 ing it into something higher. Accordingly, 
 he does not abrogate the Mosaic directions 
 about unclean food, but lays clown a general 
 principle applying to the point in hand (. 20), 
 and really covering the whole matter, though 
 not now further applied. Many things taught 
 in principle by Jesus, were to be fully devel- 
 oped by his inspired followers, as men should 
 become prepared to understand them. Comp. 
 1 Cor. 10: 31; Rom. 14: 14ff. ; 1 Tim. 4:4; Tit. 
 1: 15. Besides educating the Israelites to the 
 appreciation of moral purity, the law about 
 clean and unclean food was also designed to 
 keep the chosen people separate from other 
 nations, and so Poter was taught to set it aside 
 when the time came for preaching freelj 
 among the Gentiles. (Actsio:9ir.) 
 
 12-14. This is found in Matthew onh\ It 
 appears that the conversation occurred after 
 Jesus and his immediate followers had retired 
 from the crowd into a house. (M.irk7:i7.) There 
 had thus been a little interval since the say ins? 
 of v, 11 was uttered, and the disciples had 
 heard how the Pharisees were talking about 
 it. They felt that the opinions of these dis- 
 tinguished men from Jerusalem (v. i) were 
 very important. Knowest thou. It seemed 
 likely that he did not, or he would be hasten- 
 
 obstacle to their believing reception of Jesus' 
 teachings (as in 11: 6). When they heard 
 this (the) saying, not that of v. 3-9 (Fritz. 
 and others), but the great saying of v. 11, ad- 
 dressed to the crowd, but heard by the Phari- 
 sees also (Mey., Bleek, Weiss, and others). 
 The Pharisees doubtless declared the saying 
 to be in direct opposition to the law about 
 clean and unclean .food. The disciples them- 
 selves looked upon it as extremely obscure 
 and strange (v. is., and sympathized not a lit- 
 tle with the prejudices involved. Our Lord's 
 reply is to the effect that it matters not what 
 such men think, whose authority is merely 
 human, and who are as blind as the multitude 
 they lead. Every plant, etc. Every doc- 
 trine which did nut come from God, which is 
 of merely human origin ( 9), will lose its in- 
 fluence and cease to be believed. My heav- 
 enly Father, see on 6: 9. Let them alone, 
 i. e.. do not trouble yourselves about them, as 
 to what they teach, or whether they approve 
 my teaching. The Great Teacher did not ex- 
 pect, and did not try, to please all his hearers. 
 Such as were blinded by prejudice, hardened 
 in unbelief, or willful in their opposition, 
 could only be let alone. They he (are) blind 
 leaders, gulden (oldest Greek MSS. and some 
 versions) was easil.V enlarged l>y adding of 
 the blind from the immediately following 
 expression. 'Guides' (Rheirns) is a more 
 exact translation than 'leaders' (Wye., Tyn., 
 and followers). If the blind lead (guide) 
 the blind. Both Greek words are singular 
 and indefinite, 'if a blind man guide a blind 
 man.' but the definite form make* a smoother 
 English expression. It seems likely from 
 Rom. 2: 19, that guide of the blind was a com- 
 mon designation of the Rnbbis. Both shall 
 (will) fall into the ditch (a pit), the samo 
 word as in 12: 11, and denoting (Liddell and 
 
 ing to explain and thus recover the sympathy j Scott) a pit dug in the field to hold water, as 
 of such important hearer*. Were offended was very common. The word is rendered 
 (see on 5: 29), made to stumble, finding an i 'pit' by Tyn., Cran., Gen., and Com. Ver., in 
 
 W
 
 338 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XV. 
 
 15 Then answered Peter and said uuto him, Declare 
 unto us this parable. 
 
 16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without under- 
 standing? 
 
 17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever enter- 
 eth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast 
 out into the draught? 
 
 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth 
 come forth from the heart ; and they defile the man. 
 
 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, mur- 
 ders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blas- 
 phemies ; 
 
 15 blind, both shall fall into a pit. And Peter an- 
 swered and said unto him, Declare unto us the 
 
 16 parable. And he said, Are ye also even yet without 
 
 17 understanding? Perceive ye not, that whatsoever 
 goeth into the mouth passeth into the belly, and is 
 
 18 cast out into the draught? But the things which 
 proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the 
 
 19 heart; and they defile the man. For out of the 
 heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, 
 
 12: 11, but here they all adopted 'ditch,' prob- 
 ably from supposing the image to be that of 
 the ditch beside a road. But the word does 
 not mean ditch, and the image is that of blind 
 persons walking in the open field, and falling 
 into a pit a much more serious calamity. 
 This saying has the air of a proverb, such as 
 our Lord repeatedly employed (see on 7: 6), 
 and it had already been used by him in the 
 Sermon on the Mount. (Luke 6:89.) Various 
 similar sayings are found in classical writers. 
 (Wet.) 
 
 15. Then answered Peter, not a specific 
 reply to what Jesus had just said, but in a 
 general sense a response, keeping up the con- 
 versation. (See on 11 : 25.) Peter's expres- 
 sion, declare unto us, shows by the plural 
 that he speaks for all, and Jesus in reply says 
 'ye.' (Comp. Mark 7: 17.) Peter is there- 
 fore spokesman for the Twelve, as he so often 
 is. (See on 16: 18.) This (the) parable; 
 here copyists readily changed 'the' into 'this.' 
 The word here denotes an obscure expres- 
 sion. (See on 13: 13.) The reference is not 
 to the figurative saying of v. 14', called in 
 Luke 6: 39 a parable, but to v. 11, already 
 spoken of in v. 12 as 'the saying.' This is 
 plain from our Lord's reply, and confirmed by 
 the connection in Mark 7 : 15-17, who has not 
 given the intermediate matter of Matthew v. 
 13 f., and with whom 'the parable' must 
 necessarily refer to the great saying. 
 
 16-2O. And Jesus (strictly he) said, the 
 copyists inserting 'Jesus,' as in 14: 14 and 
 often. Are ye also, as well as the masses 
 and the Pharisees. Yet. The Greek has a 
 strong word, not elsewhere used in the New 
 Test., but which in later Greek has even yet as 
 a well-established meaning; 'even yet,' after 
 all the instruction you have received, comp. 16 : 
 9; Heb. 5: 12. He had not given any instruction 
 that we know of on this particular subject, 
 but his teachings in ch. 5 and ch. 13, and his 
 general influence, ought to have prepared 
 
 them to take spiritual views of things. In v. 
 17, do ye not yet understand (or perceive), 
 was strengthened b} r copyists by introducing 
 'yet,' because of the expression in v. 16, and 
 perhaps with a reminiscense of 16: 9. ' Per- 
 ceive' (Tyn., Gen.) is here better than 'under- 
 stand' (Wye., Cran., Kheims, Com. Ver.), 
 in order to distinguish from the different 
 Greek word used in v. 10 and 16. The Jews 
 had come very largely to confound ceremo- 
 nial with moral defilement. To correct this 
 confusion of ideas, our Lord points out that 
 articles of food cannot really pollute, because 
 they pass through the body and out of it, and 
 do not 'enter the heart' (Mark 7: 19), cannot 
 affect the spiritual nature; but the sinful 
 things which are uttered through the mouth, 
 and proceed from the heart, constitute a real 
 pollution. Comp. on v. 11. Into the belly. 
 The Greek signifies the whole hollow, or in- 
 ternal cavity of the body, including stomach 
 and other viscera; and the English word 
 formerly had a similar latitude of meaning. 
 Into the draught (2 Kings 10 : 27), sink, or privy 
 (Rheims), literally, pierce for sitting apart. 
 Mark adds (7: 19) that by this saying Jesus 
 cleansed all articles of food, {.., declared them 
 to be clean. (Acts 10: 15.) With v. 18 comp. on 
 12: 34 f. In v. 19 our Lord does not confine 
 himself absolutely to such things as are spoken, 
 in order to keep up the contrasted image, but 
 passes to the more general notion of whatever 
 comes forth from the heart, has its origin from 
 within us. There is, therefore, no occasion 
 for inquiring, as some do, how speech has to 
 do with all the forms of sin here mentioned. 
 Mark (7: 18-23) does not mention the mouth, but 
 only the more general idea of entering and 
 coming forth from the man, the heart. We 
 have seen on 6: 21 and elsewhere, that the 
 heart was conceived of by the Hebrews, and 
 is spoken of by the Bible, as the seat of thought 
 and volition as well as of emotion. After the 
 general phrase evil thoughts, our Lord speci-
 
 CH. XV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 339 
 
 20 These are the things which defile a man : but to 
 eat with unwashen hands defileth nut a man. 
 
 20 fornications, thefts, false witness, railings: these 
 are the things which defile the man : but to eat with 
 unwashen bauds defileth not the man. 
 
 fies violations of the sixth, seventh, eighth, and 
 ninth Commandments in order. Mark adds 
 some other sins not mentioned by Matt. The 
 plural forms which Matt, has throughout 
 (even 'false witnessings ') remind us of the 
 numerous instances and different varieties of 
 these several sins. Blasphemies (see on 
 9: 3); a literal translation of the Greek is in 
 Kev. Ver. 'railings.' In English we confine it 
 to railing against God. Philo Judaeus para- 
 phrasing Plato, says that through the mouth 
 "mortal things go in, but incorruptible things 
 come out. For by it enter food and drink, the 
 corruptible body's corruptible nourishment; 
 but through the mouth words come forth, the 
 immortal soul's immortal laws, through which 
 the natural life is governed.' '2O, This first sums 
 up the previous discussion, and then connects 
 it all with the starting point in v. 1. Our 
 Lord has now not only denounced the Phari- 
 sees as hypocrites ( 7), but boldly antagonized 
 their cardinal tenet of the authority of tradi- 
 tion. The conflict must inevitably wax fierce, 
 and he soon begins to withdraw from their 
 virulent opposition, and the fanaticism of his 
 friends. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 3-6. Two oppositions. 1) Human tra- 
 dition versus divine commandment (.a) 
 Men are prone to make old religious usage an 
 authority. It can claim respect, but not 
 obedience. (b) Men often come to take 
 more interest in long-established usage than 
 in the express teaching of revelation this 
 through personal associations and through 
 controversial heat, (c) Men sometimes prac- 
 tically alter a divine commandment to make 
 it harmonize with established custom ; the 
 Saviour represents this as a grave sin. (v. 6.) 
 2) Ceremonial services versus moral duties, 
 (a) Human nature naturally tends to be more 
 interested in the external than in the moral 
 and spiritual. Comp. 23: 23 ff. (b) To 
 neglect a high moral duty for the sake of a 
 mere religious usago, is to disgrace our re- 
 ligion. V. 4. Honoring parents. 1) Honor 
 them in your thoughts. 2) Honor them in 
 your speech, v. 4. (latter part). 3) Honor them 
 in your actions, v. 5 f. BENOEL: "Young 
 
 people, notice." HENRY: "That which men 
 say, even great men, and learned men, and 
 men in authority, must be examined by that 
 which God saith." V. 7-9. Hypocrisy. In 
 the days of Isaiah, and of Jesus, and in our 
 days. 1) Two forms of hypocrisy, (a) Re- 
 ligious talk without religious character, (v. 8.) 
 (b) Human precepts put in place of divine 
 commands, (v. 9.) 2) The successes of hy- 
 pocrisy, (a) It may deceive men other 
 persons even the hypocrite himself, (b) 
 It never deceives God it is "in vain," (v. 9). 
 V. 10 f. Preaching to the people. 1) The 
 common people are often more ready to re- 
 ceive new religious ideas than the teaching 
 class, v. 10; comp. v. 12 ff. 2) The greatest 
 of religious teachers had to ask special atten- 
 tion when giving strange and unpalatable in- 
 struction, v. 10. 3) Even he was imperfectly 
 understood by some (v. ie), and found fault 
 with by others, (v. 12.) 4) Yet the common 
 people heard him gladly (Mark 12: 37), and all 
 that the Father gave him came unto him. 
 (john6:37.) HENRY: " Not only scholars, but 
 even the multitude, the ordinary people, 
 must apply their minds to understand the 
 
 words of Christ There is need of a 
 
 great intention of mind and clearness of un- 
 derstanding, to free men from those corrupt 
 principles and practices which they have been 
 bred up in and long accustomed to; for in 
 that case the understanding is commonly 
 bribed and biased by prejudice." V. 11. 
 Many sayings of Jesus that were revolu- 
 tionary at the tin?e are now Christian com- 
 monplaces this fact is a ground for rejoicing. 
 V. 11. Pollution. 1) Ceremonial defile- 
 ment was but an object lesson, a symbol of 
 polluted character; and so ceremonial purity 
 of moral purity. 2) Evil thoughts and do- 
 sires arise from a polluted nature, and their 
 expression in speech or action pollutes tho 
 whole being, v. 18 f. 3) Evil environment 
 endangers character, but pure character can 
 conquer the worst environment. V. 12-14. 
 Blind guides. 1) Long-established religious 
 teachers may meet new truth with blind 
 prejudice, v. 12. 2) Highly popular re- 
 ligious teachings may have no divine ap- 
 proval or support, v. 13. 3) Greatly honored
 
 340 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XV. 
 
 21 Then Jesus went theuce, and departed into the 
 coasts of Tyre and Sulou. 
 
 l And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the 
 same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy 
 on me, O Lord, t/iou Son of David; my daughter is 
 grievously vexed with a devil. 
 
 21 And Jesus went out thence, and withdrew into 
 
 22 the parts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a Ca- 
 naanitish woman came out from those borders, and 
 cried, saying, Have mercy on nie, O Lord, tbou sou 
 of David ; my daughter is grievously vexed with a 
 
 religious instructors may be but the blind 
 guiding the blind, v. 14. 4) 'Plausible ob- 
 jections from distinguished sources must 
 sometimes be quite disregarded, v. 13. 
 CHRYS. : "It is a great evil merely to be 
 blind, but fora man to be in such a case and 
 have none to lead him, nay, to occupy the 
 place of a guide, is a double and triple 
 ground of censure. For if it be a danger- 
 ous thing for the blind man not to have a 
 guide, much more so that he should even de- 
 sire to be guide to another." V. 16. Igno- 
 rance of Christian truth is blameworthy, 1) 
 in any one who has opportunity to know, 
 2) especially in a Christian, 3) most of all 
 in one who has long been a Christian, and 
 has had superior advantages for learning. 
 Y. 20. ORIGEN: "It is not eating with un- 
 washed hands, but, if one may use so bold an 
 expression, it is eating with an unwashed 
 heart, that defiles a man." CHRYS.: "Even 
 in the church we see such a custom prevail- 
 ing amongst the generality, and men giving 
 diligence to come in clean garments, and to 
 have their hands washed ; but how to present 
 a clean soul to God, they make no account." 
 
 21-38. JESUS WITHDRAWS TO PHOENICIA. 
 
 The story of the Syro-Phoenician woman 
 is found also in Mark 7: 24-30, in the same 
 connection as here. Luke hastens through 
 this part of the history, omitting various 
 things, and stating others very briefly. 
 
 The jealousy of Herod ("; if.), the hostility 
 
 Of the Pharisees (12:H;15:1, 12; also 4: 12; John 4: 1-3), 
 
 and the fanatical notions of the masses 
 (john6:is), still required that Jesus should 
 withdraw from Galilee, as heretofore in 
 14: 13. Thence, probably from Capernaum. 
 He now set out in a different direction, 
 towards the northwest, into Phoenicia, thus 
 getting beyond the jurisdiction of Herod, as 
 in 14: 13. and hereafter in v. 29. and 16: 5. 
 Departed, withdrew, same word as in 2 : 12, 
 22; 4: 12; 12: 15; 14: 13. Into the coasts 
 (Rev. Ver. parts) of Tyre and Sidon, i. e., 
 the parts of the country, the region, belong- 
 ing to those cities; so the same word in 2 : 22 ; 
 16: 13; Mark 8: 10; Acts 2: 10; 19: 1; 20: 2. 
 
 'Coasts,' i. e., borders (see on 2: 16), is here 
 an utterly erroneous translation of Wye., 
 Tyn., and followers, due to the generally re- 
 ceived notion that our Lord never went 
 beyond the bounds of Palestine ; the word 
 'parts' never means 'borders.' Still, the term 
 looks indefinite, and Mark 7 : 24 says ' borders," 
 as Matthew also does in v. 22 ; so it might 
 seem not certain that Jesus went farther than 
 to the boundaries of Phoenicia. But while 
 'borders' often denotes the territory inclosed 
 thereby, 'parts' cannot mean simply the 
 boundary. And the question is settled by 
 Mark 7: 31 (correct text), 'And again he 
 went out from the borders of Tyre, and came 
 through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee.' (See 
 below on v. 29.) It is then certain that our 
 Lord went into the heathen country of Phoe- 
 nicia, the nearest part of which was about 
 thirty miles from Capernaum. This does not 
 conflict with the fact that his mission was ex- 
 clusively to the Jews (v. 2*), for he did not go 
 there to exercise his ministry (Mark 7= 24), and as 
 soon as he had been induced to work a miracle 
 which would attract attention and gather 
 crowds, he went away again. He entered into 
 a house (Mark), and wished to stay there in 
 seclusion, just as Elijah had done in the house 
 of a widow at Zarephath, or Sarepta, in the 
 same country of Phoenicia, (i Kings n-.as.; Luke 
 : 26.) He probably also desired bodily and 
 mental rest for the disciples and himself, as on 
 the first withdrawal not long before. (Mark 7: si.) 
 As to Tyre and Sidon, see on 11: 21. The 
 two cities together denote the country of 
 Phoenicia. He was probably at first in the 
 southern part belonging to Tyre, and after- 
 wards went northward through the Sidon dis- 
 trict. (Mark7:si.) We learn from Mark 3:8; 
 Luke 6: 17, that multitudes from the region of 
 Tyre and Sidon had attended on our Lord's 
 ministry at an early period. It was a refresh- 
 ing change for him and his disciples, in the 
 hot weather of April or May, to leave the 
 deep basin of the lake, so far below the level 
 of the Mediterranean, and visit the mountain 
 region of Phoenicia. (Comp. on 14: 13.) 
 22 f. And behold, calling attention to
 
 CH. XV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 341 
 
 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disci- 
 ples caiue aud besought him, saying, Send her away; 
 for she crieth after us. 
 
 23 demon. But he answered her not a word. And his 
 disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her 
 
 what follows as remarkable. A woman of 
 Canaan. In the earliest times the people of 
 Phoenicia aie spoken of as Canaanites (Juflg. 
 i:r.), i. e., as belonging to the great tribe 
 which occupied all the low lands, and which af- 
 terwards gave its name of Canaan to the whole 
 land. It is probable that the Jews continued 
 to apply this name to all the inhabitants of 
 Phoenicia, though many of the later inhab- 
 itants may have been of different origin. To 
 Matthew's Jewish readers this word would 
 show that she was a Gentile. Mark, having 
 Gentile readers mainly in view, says (7:26) 
 that she was a Greek, i. e., a Gentile, and also 
 that she was a Syrophoenician by race, a term 
 probably used 03' way of distinction from the 
 Libyphoenicians or Carthaginians. Came 
 out of the same coasts, i. e,, that region or 
 territory, as in 2: 16; 4: 13; 8: 34. This 
 means that she came, not from Galilee, but 
 from the country of Tyre, to the place where 
 Jesus was. Many writers, even Weiss and 
 Edersh., understand that she came out of 
 Phoenicia into Galilee, which they suppose 
 Jesus had not yet left; but this arises from 
 the persistence of the old notion that he did 
 not really enter Phoenicia. Edersh. imagines 
 that Jesus kept the Passover here, conse- 
 quently in a Jewish house ; but his chrono- 
 logical scheme is at this and some other 
 points quite forced. Cried unto him, say- 
 ing, the correct text omits 'unto him.' The 
 word denotes loud crying. Crieth after 
 us, v. 23, i. e., behind us, implies that she 
 was following them along as they walked. It 
 is easy to suppose that while staying at the 
 house (Mark 7: 24), Jesus and his disciples 
 were one day taking a walk, and that she hav- 
 ing heard about him (Mark7:25), followed be- 
 hind and cried aloud as they went on. Tiseh. 
 reads in Mark 'came in,' but it is evidently 
 an "Alexandrian" alteration by some early 
 critics who thought the scene of the interview 
 was the house, not having duly considered 
 Matthew. Have mercy on me, the word 
 including also the idea of pity, which is here 
 the prominent idea (see on 9 : 27). She makes 
 her child's case her own. Lord, see 'on 8:2. 
 It is not clear whether this was an expression 
 of higli respect, or possibly of worship. She 
 
 believed him to be the Messiah, as shown by 
 her calling him Son of David. (Conip. on 
 9: 27.) Though a heathen, and living in a 
 heathen country, she was yet near the land of 
 Israel, familiar with the true religion, and 
 like the woman of Zarephath, a worshiper 
 of the true God. Perhaps she may have pre- 
 viously gone, among the many from Tyre and 
 Sidon (Mark 3: s,, and attended the ministry of 
 Jesus in Galilee. My daughter is grievously 
 vexed with a devil. 'Badly demonized' 
 would be a literal rendering, though the Com. 
 Ver. gives a more familiar English expression. 
 'Devil,' however, should be 'demon,' see on 
 8 : 31 : as to demoniacal possessions, see on 
 8: 28. Mark (7 : 25, Rev. ver) uses a diminutive 
 term, meaning 'little daughter,' which shows 
 that she was a child. 
 
 23 f. Here is a strong contrast; she cries 
 aloud, he is absolutely silent. His reason for 
 not answering appears below. The effect was 
 to develop, strengthen, and manifest her faith 
 (cotnp. on 9: 28>. It is often so now; if with 
 hearty confidence in the Lord's wisdom and 
 mercy we continues to ask, we shall at last re- 
 ceive whatever he sees best for us, and besides 
 may be improved in piety by the delay. The 
 hearer of prayer is not less designing our 
 good when he withholds or defers than when 
 he " hears while we are yet speaking." His 
 disciples, probably the Twelve, did not un- 
 derstand the wisdom and love of this appar- 
 ent neglect. They were probably half 
 touched and half annoyed by her loud and 
 persistent cries, and perhaps also were uneasy 
 lest she should draw attention to them, when 
 they were wishing to remain in perfect retire- 
 ment. So they came, lit., came, near to Jesus 
 and begged him to send her awny, because 
 she crieth after us. Some have thought 
 they wished him simply to order her off, as 
 troublesome and likely to attract to them the 
 attention of others. But they had never seen 
 him dismiss a suppliant in any other way than 
 by doing what was asked; and that they de- 
 sired him to grant her request is made plain by 
 hisanswer, which is a reason why he should not 
 grant it. Observe that this was an answer to 
 the disciples, and not addressed to the woman. 
 It is not clear that she heard it; for the state-
 
 342 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XV. 
 
 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto 
 the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 
 
 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, 
 help me. 
 
 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take 
 the children's bread, and to cast // to dogs. 
 
 24 away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and 
 said, I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the 
 
 25 house of Israel. But she came and worshipped him, 
 
 26 saying, Lord, help me. And he answered and said, 
 It is not meet to take the children's * bread and cast 
 
 1 Or, loaf. 
 
 ment in v. 25, 'came and worshipped him,' 
 implies that she had been following at some 
 little distance, as does also the loud crying of 
 v. 22 f. I am (or was) not sent (Rheims), 
 like 'I came' in 5: 17, referring indefinitely 
 to the time when the Father sent him forth 
 to his mission in the world; he had no com- 
 mission to go to any others, even as he had 
 given the disciples none. (10:6.). Jesus here 
 and elsewhere speaks of himself as subordi- 
 nate to the Father, with reference to his 
 official position and work as the God-man, 
 the Mediator (comp. on 11 : 27) ; this does not 
 conflict with the idea that as the Eternal Son 
 he is very God, and equal with the Father. 
 
 (John 1:1; Rom. 9:5.) Hilt (or CXCept) UlltO the lost 
 
 sheep of the house of Israel, see on 10: 6. 
 
 He doubtless healed Gentile sick when brought 
 to him in the land of Israel (4 : 24 f. ; 15 : 30 f. ; 
 certainly in 8: 5 ff.); but now he had gone 
 into a Gentile country, and must avoid enter- 
 ing upon a general ministry there. His min- 
 istry in Israel prepared the way for a blessing 
 to the Gentiles. (Rom. 15:8-10.) When his work 
 was finished, then the apostles would be his 
 "witnesses, both in Jerusalem, and in all 
 Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost 
 parts of the earth." (Asi:8.) It would have 
 conflicted with the nature and design of 
 Christ's mission, had he anticipated this 
 work of the apostles, though he alluded to 
 it as a part of his own work. (John 10: ie.) The 
 Jewish mind required slow preparation (as 
 the history in Acts plainly shows) for the 
 idea that Gentiles were to share freely the 
 benefits of the Messianic reign ; and the Jews 
 would have been irritated and utterly repelled 
 (Lutteroth), if their Messiah had at once 
 begun a great work among the Gentiles. 
 Jesus was induced to make an exception to 
 the rule by this woman's great faith and 
 humble importunity, as the prophets had 
 sometimes done. (LOU 4: 25-27.) There is no ob- 
 jection to supposing him overcome by im- 
 
 portunity. But, in fact, this was hardly an 
 exception, for her great faith brought her in 
 some sense within the limits of his mission. 
 (Gai. 3= 7.) Notice that v. 23 f. is found in Matt, 
 only, who wrote .especially for Jews, and de- 
 sired to show that Jesus was the Messiah. 
 Mark's Gentile readers would not at first 
 have understood such a saying as v. 24, and 
 would have been repelled by it. 
 
 25-27. The woman herself now comes. 
 Worshipped him, bowing before him, prob- 
 ably prostrating herself, but not probably as 
 to a Deity (comp. on 2 : 2 ; 8:2). The Greek 
 imperfect tense (correct' text) not only states 
 that she did this, but describes her as so doing. 
 Jesus puts before her the same idea he had 
 just stated to the disciples, that the Messianic 
 benefits were designed for the Jews, and pur- 
 posely employs harsh expressions which will 
 develop her faith and humility. He had pro- 
 duced a similar effect in the centurion by an 
 opposite course. (8:7.) The Jews looked upon 
 themselves as God's 'children'; and spoke 
 contemptuously of the Gentiles as 'dogs,' un- 
 clean and vile. (Comp. on 7: 6.) The Gentiles 
 around were accustomed to this, and therefore 
 the expression here was not altogether so 
 offensive and painful as it would seem to us. 
 So the Mohammedans call Christians infidel 
 dogs. It is not meet, or good, proper 
 (kalori), pleasing to the sense of propriety. 
 Wye., Kheims, Tyn., Gen., say 'good'; 
 Cran. gave 'mete.' The woman's reply not 
 only shows a high degree of faith and humil- 
 ity, but also does credit to her shrewdness and 
 prompt intelligence perhaps stimulated by 
 maternal affection and solicitude for she 
 gives the harshly expressed refusal an admir- 
 able turn in her favor. Truth (or yes) Lord, 
 yet (for) the dogs eat of the crumbs. She 
 does not present an idea opposed to what he had 
 said, as the incorrect rendering of Com. Ver., 
 ' yet,'' would indicate, but a confirmation of it. 
 Yes, Lord, it is not proper to take the children's 
 
 i Wye., Cran., Gen., have ' for,' Rheims exactly ' for 
 . . . also.' Tyn. gave ' nevertheless,' and so Com. Ver. 
 yet.' All but Rheims overlook the 'also.' B. and 
 
 Peshito omit the ' for,' apparently because the meaning 
 was not perceived. In Mark 7 : 28 it is also omitted by 
 several other MSS. and versions, probably for the same
 
 CH. XV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 343 
 
 27 And she said, Truth, Lord : yet the dogs eat of the 
 crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 
 
 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, 
 great is thy faith: belt unto thee even as thou wilt. 
 And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. 
 
 27 it to the dogs. But she said, Yea. Lord : for even 
 the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their 
 
 28 masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto 
 her, O woman, great is thy faith : be it done unto 
 thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was 
 healed from that hour. 
 
 bread and throw it to the dogs, for the dogs too 
 eat of the crumbs that fall from their master's 
 table; they also have their lowly place, 'under 
 the table' (Mark), and the : r lowly portion. 
 The Jewish people, she is aware, have a 
 special mission in the world, and special priv- 
 ileges ; and of these they need not be deprived 
 by her request, for a despised Gentile also may 
 have an humble share of Messianic blessing. 
 He is not now healing any in Israel, and the 
 chosen people will lose no Messianic good by 
 this one act of pity for her. (Comp. Maid., 
 Weiss.) Luther: "Was not that a master 
 stroke ? She snares Christ in his own words." 
 In Mark, what our Lord had said to her is 
 introduced by the words, 'Let the children 
 first be filled ; ' implying that afterwards the 
 dogs might get something. This furnished 
 all the more natural occasion for the turn 
 she gave to her reply. The Greek term in v. 
 26 f. and Mark 7 : 27 f. is a diminutive, and 
 leads us to think of smaller dogs, allowed 
 to run freely about the house and under the 
 table. The diminutive must have been inten- 
 tionally used here, for it is found nowhere 
 else in the Greek Bible, while the common 
 word occurs five times in New Test, and 
 thirty-three times in Sept. Everywhere in 
 the Bible dogs are spoken of as objects of dis- 
 like. In Tobit5: 16, a dog is a companion, 
 a thing very rarely the case in the East. 
 where dogs run wild. It is hardly proper to 
 suppose that 'little dogs' is here a term of 
 affection ; and Weiss' notion of lap-dogs, the 
 children's pets, is a strange anachronism. 
 This heroine of faith is an example to all 
 persons who are spiritually seeking Christ. 
 Some after awhile grow despondent, and even 
 fretful, as if badly treated, in that they do not 
 succeed as others do. Let them learn from 
 her humble perseverance. 
 
 28. O woman, more expressive than 
 simply 'woman.' Great is thy faith. The 
 world is ever admiring and lauding greatness, 
 but it is great intellect or imagination, great 
 
 ambition or force of character, beauty or 
 amiability, great learning or discoveries, pos- 
 sessions or conquests ; here is the noblest praise 
 for the truest greatness. The centurion's faith 
 likewise excited the wonder of Jesus (see 
 on8 : 10), and he too was a heathen. Be it unto 
 thee, or let it come to pass for thee; the same 
 phrase as in 8 : 13 and 6 : 10. The expression 
 in Mark 7 : 29 may have immediately followed 
 that given in Matt. As thou wilt. Trench: 
 "He who at first seemed as though he would 
 have denied her the smallest boon, now opens 
 to her the full treasure-house of his grace, 
 and bids her to help herself, to carry away 
 what she will. He had shown to her for 
 awhile, like Joseph to his brethren, the as- 
 pect of severity ; but, like Joseph, he could 
 not maintain it long or rather he would not 
 maintain it an instant longer than was need- 
 ful, and after that word of hers, that mighty 
 word of an undoubting faith, it was needful no 
 more." Our Lord does not speak of her 
 humility, though so remarkable, for that was 
 a result of her faith. Perhaps the earliest off- 
 spring of unbelief is pride (i Tim. 8:6), while 
 faith at once gives birth to humility ; and in 
 both cases, the progeny reinforces the parent. 
 So, too, her faith had led to perseverance a 
 perseverance which may be compared with 
 that of Jacob, in wrestling with the same 
 Eternal Word (Gen. .12:2*), who was now per- 
 manently incarnate as Jesus. From that 
 very hour, comp. 8: 13; 9: 22. The so-called 
 Clementine homilies (end of second century), 
 in telling this story, call the woman Justa, 
 and her daughter Bernice, which names may 
 have been either invented or traditional. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 21. Jesus withdrawing. 1> From what? 
 fa) From the jealousy of Herod, (b) From 
 the machinations of the Jewish rulers, (c) 
 From the fanatical designs of some who 
 counted themselves his followers. 2) In whtvt 
 spirit? Personal prudence. Patient forbear- 
 
 reason. Why should it have been inserted if not origi- 
 nally present in either Gospel ? How then should W II. 
 bracket ' for ' in Matt.? Yet It may be spurious in Mark. 
 
 The Greek word means in English either 'also' (too), 
 or 'even,' according to the connection.
 
 344 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XV. 
 
 29 And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh 
 unto the sea of Galilee ; and went up into a mountain, 
 and sat down there. 
 
 30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with 
 them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and 
 many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and 
 he healed them : 
 
 29 And Jesus departed thence, and cauie nigh unto 
 the sea of Galilee ; and he went up into the uioun- 
 
 30 tain, and sat there. And there came unto him 
 great multitudes, having with them the lame, blind, 
 dumb, maimed, and many others, and they cast 
 
 ance. 3) Still everywhere doing good, 14: 14; 
 15: 28-30; 17: 18. 4) At last, when his hour 
 is come, he will withdraw no longer, John 12: 
 23. V. 22-28. The Canaanitish woman. 1; 
 Believes in the Jewish Messiah, v. 22. 2) 
 Humbly submits to be harshly spoken to by 
 him, v. 26. 3) Shrewdly converts refusal 
 into a new plea, v. 27. 4) Gains her cause, 
 and wins the highest possible commendation. 
 v. 28. V. 28. Great faith. 1) Seen in a 
 heathen; compare centurion. (8:io.) 2) At- 
 tended by great humility (comp. Luke 18: 
 13), and producing great perseverance. (Comp. 
 Luke 18: 7). 3) Recognized and rewarded by 
 him who knows the heart. John 2: 24 f. V. 22. 
 A mother making her child's case her own. 
 V. 23. Disciples seeming kinder than their 
 Lord. HENRY : " There may be love in 
 Christ's heart while there are frowns in his 
 face." V. 24. HALL: "We need no other 
 rule of life than the intention of our several 
 stations ; and if he that was God would take 
 no further scope to himself than the limits of 
 his commission, how much doth it concern us 
 frail men to keep within compass." V. 25. 
 CHRYS. : "She was the more instant. But it 
 is not so with us; rather, when we fail to ob- 
 tain, we desist; whereas it ought to make us 
 the more urgent." THEOPHYL. : "Consider 
 that even if holy men pray for us, as the apos- 
 tles did for her, yet we ourselves, praying for 
 ourselves, accomplish more." V. 27. Ma- 
 ternal shrewdness turning the Saviour's argu- 
 ment against him. HENRY: "Unbelief is 
 apt to draw dismal conclusions even from 
 comfortable premises (Jndg. w-.nr.)- but faith 
 can find encouragement even in that which 
 is discouraging, and get nearer to God by 
 taking hold on that hand which is stretched 
 out to push it away." V. 23-28. Jesus glad 
 to be overcome, by intercession, by personal 
 entreaty, by argument. 
 
 15 : 29 to 16 : 4. JESUS FEEDS THE FOUR 
 THOUSAND, SOUTHEAST OF THE LAKE, AND 
 RETURNS TO GALILEE. 
 
 This is found also in Mark 7: 31 to 8: 13. 
 And Jesus departed from thence. We 
 have no means of knowing how long he 
 
 stayed in the country of Tyre ; certainly not 
 very long, for all the journeys of ch. 15 to 18 
 occupied less than six months. (See on 15: 1, 
 and on 19: 1.) Mark (7: si) says, in the cor- 
 rect text, that, 'he went out from the borders 
 of Tyre, and came through Sidon unto the Sea 
 of Galilee, through the midst of the borders 
 of Decapolis.' This shows that in leaving the 
 territory of Tyre lie went northwards through 
 the territory of Sidon, or through the city 
 itself, the expression being in this case am- 
 biguous. We have no information concern- 
 ing the rest of his sojourn in Phoenicia. Next, 
 he must have passed eastward across the 
 Jordan, and then southward, until, going 
 through the district of the Ten Cities, Decapo- 
 lis (see on 4: 25), he came to the shores of the 
 lake, somewhere on its southeastern border. 
 (For description of the Lake of Galilee, see 
 on 4 : 18.) This? region also was out of Herod's 
 jurisdiction, like those to which he had previ- 
 ously withdrawn. (H: is; is: 21.) The desire to 
 keep out of Herod's territory at that time may 
 have caused him to take the circuit just de- 
 scribed, instead of going direct from Tyre 
 through Galilee and crossing the lake. He 
 appears not to have stopped in the neighbor- 
 hood of Cesarea Philippi, probably through 
 desire to revisit the environs of the lake; but 
 soon the malignant attack of the Pharisees 
 and Sadducees will make him go away again. 
 (is: 4.) He was now in the vicinity of Gadara 
 (one of the Ten Cities), the same region in 
 which he had healed the two demoniacs, and 
 suffered the legion of evil spirits to destroy the 
 swine. (8:28tr.) This time his ministry pro- 
 duces a greater impression, perhaps through 
 the testimony of the restored demoniac. (Luke 
 8:39.) Persons from Decapolis had followed 
 him long before. (* = s.) And went up into 
 a (the) mountain, the mountain range 
 running along east of the lake. (Comp. John 
 6:3.) The mountain of Matt. 5: 1 was on 
 the western side of the lake. The more north- 
 ern part of this easterly range was the place 
 of feeding the Five Thousand (see on 14: 13', 
 and now a similar miracle is wrought on its 
 more southern part. And sat down there,
 
 CH. XV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 345 
 
 31 Insomuch that the multitude* wondered, when 
 they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, 
 the lame to walk, and the blind to see : and they glori- 
 fied the God of Israel. 
 
 32 Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, 
 I have compassion on the multitude, because they con- 
 tinue with me now three days, and have nothing to 
 eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they 
 faint in the way. 
 
 33 And his disciples say unto him, Whence should 
 we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so 
 great a multitude? 
 
 34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves 
 have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. 
 
 35 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on 
 the ground. 
 
 31 them down at his feet: and he healed them: inso- 
 much that the multitude wondered, when they saw 
 the dumb speaking, the maimed whole, and the lame 
 walking, and the blind seeing: and they glorified 
 the God of Israel. 
 
 32 And Jesus called unto him his disciples, and said, 
 I have compassion on the multitude, because they 
 continue with me now three days and have nothing 
 to eat: and I would not send them away fasting, 
 
 33 lest haply they faint in the way. And the disciples 
 say unto him, Whence should we have so many 
 loaves in a desert place, as to till so great a multf- 
 
 34 titude ? And Jesus saith unto them, How many 
 loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few 
 
 35 small fishes. And he commanded the multitude to 
 sit down on the ground ; and he took the seven 
 
 the usual posture of a teacher. (See on 5 : 
 1.) 
 
 3O f. Here, seated on a point in the moun- 
 tain range, probably in view of the lake, he 
 wrought many miracles of healing, and again 
 fed the multitudes. In this case a large pro- 
 portion of those present must have been Gen- 
 tiles, as the Ten Cities were more a Gentile 
 than a Jewish district. He must have spent 
 at least several days in this region, since it re- 
 quired some time for his presence to become 
 generally known, and the Four Thousand had 
 been 'three days' (v. *i) in close attendance on 
 his ministry. Great multitudes, literally, 
 ninny crowds, as in so many other passages. 
 "VVe have here another general account of 
 numerous miracles. (Comp. 4: 23; 8: 16; 9: 
 80; 12: 15 f. ) One of those wrought at this 
 time and place was the healing of a deaf and 
 dumb man, described by Mark alone. (7:32-37.) 
 The order of the words lame, blind, etc. 
 (. so), varies greatly in different documents, 
 having doubtless been affected by v. 31; but 
 this is a matter of no consequence. The word 
 rendered maimed signifies crooked, bent, 
 contracted; it is sometimes applied to cases of 
 mutilation, the loss of some part of the body 
 (18:8), which is the meaning of our word 
 maimed, but is not often so used, and probably 
 the best English word here would be 'crip- 
 pled.' Malchus' ear (: M) is the only recorded 
 instance of our Lord's miraculously restor- 
 ing a missing part of the body. And mnnv 
 others. The kinds of diseases were so nu- 
 merous that they could not all be named. Mat- 
 thew appears to have selected those associated 
 with predictions of Messiah. (See on 11: 5.) 
 
 Cast them down at his feet, implies not 
 carelessness, but hurry and bustle amid the 
 crowd of applicants. 'His feet' was easily 
 changed by copyists into ' the feet of Jesus.' 
 (Comp. on 14: 14. ) The dumb to speak; 
 speaking, etc., is the literal translation. (So 
 Wye.) And they glorified the God of 
 Israel. In 9 : 8 it is simply ' and they glori- 
 fied God.' But it was natural to mention that 
 these heathen people glorified ' the God of 
 Israel.' 
 
 32-38. Comp. on the similar feeding of the 
 Five Thousand, 14: 15-21. I have compas- 
 sion, as in 9: 36. Three days. They had 
 no doubt brought some food with them, which 
 was now exhausted. They showed great zeal 
 to see and hear and be healed, remaining so 
 long in the thinly inhabited region, sleeping 
 on the ground two nights in the open air, 
 living on the food brought with them, and 
 slow to leave when it was gone. And I will 
 not (or am not wilting to) send them away 
 fasting. ('I would not.' Rev. Ver., is hardly 
 an improvement upon ' I will not ' : it removes 
 a possible ambiguity, but seems to suggest a 
 condition.) Some of them were from a dis- 
 tance. (Miirk8:s.) His (the) disciples (T. ss), 
 ' his ' being easily added from v. 33. So much 
 bread, literally, so mnny loaves, for the Greek 
 is plural. In the wilderness, or a desert 
 place, a wild country with few inhabitants, 
 see on 14: 13 and 3: 1. Only a region con- 
 taining large towns could at short notice fur- 
 nish food for such a multitude, and this wild 
 country was a good many miles from the 
 nearest cities of D'capolis. A few little 
 fishes. The diminutive form emphasizes the 
 
 ''The multitude' (v. an is changed in most docu- 
 ments into 'the multitudes,' evidently because the par- 
 ticiple rendered ' when they saw ' is plural (following a 
 
 ifestly altered reading Is given by B, which also omits 
 ' for" in v. 27 and ' now ' In v. 32 three unquestionable 
 errori! in close connection. In like manner the correct 
 
 singular "noun of multitude"), and because 'great reading Is, ' the multitude ' in v. 35, but ' the multitudes' 
 multitudes ' have been mentioned in v. 30. This man- ' in v. 36, and much confusion arose in the copies.
 
 346 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XV. 
 
 30 And lie took the seven loaves and the fishes, and 
 gave thanks, and brake thi'in, and gave to his disciples, 
 and the disciples to the multitude. 
 
 37 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they 
 took up of the broken meat that was leit seven baskets 
 full. 
 
 38 And they that did eat were four thousand men, 
 beside women and children. 
 
 36 loa ves and tlie fishes; and he gave thanks and brake, 
 and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the 
 
 37 multitudes. And they did all eat, and were filled: 
 and they took up that which remained over of the 
 
 38 broke'u pieces, seven baskets full. And they that 
 did eat were four thousand men, beside women aud 
 
 fact that the supply was meagre ; in v. 86 it is 
 the common word for ' fishes.' Here again 
 the people are commanded to recline on the 
 ground, and probably in companies and rows 
 as before (Mark 6: 39 r.), though nothing is here 
 said of it. Seven baskets full. In this case 
 the number of baskets corresponds to the 
 number of loaves; in the previous case (M:*O) 
 to the number of apostles. Euthym : "Show- 
 ing that it is easy for him to do as he wishes." 
 In Mark 8 : 19 f. our Lord seems to treat it as 
 a matter of importance that such a quantity of 
 broken pieces remained in each case. Beside 
 women and children, mentioned by Matt. 
 only, as before in 14 : 21. 
 
 This miracle is recorded both by Matthew 
 and Mark, and the former miraculous feeding 
 by all four of the Evangelists. And shortly 
 after (ie: 9), we find it recorded both by Matt. 
 and Mark that our Lord referred to the two 
 miracles as separately teaching the same les- 
 son. This conclusively shows that strikingly 
 similar events did occur in our Lord's history, 
 a thing to be remembered with reference to 
 the two visits to Nazareth, the two instances 
 of cleansing the temple, the two women who 
 anointed Jesus, the parable of the pounds and 
 that of the talents, etc, where it happens that 
 the two events or discourses are recorded only 
 by different Evangelists; and some expositors 
 jump to the conclusion that they are nothing 
 but varying and conflicting accounts of the 
 same matter. If the feeding of five thousand 
 with five loaves had been recorded only by 
 one Gospel, and that, of seven thousand with 
 four loaves only by one or two others, it would 
 have been most confidently asserted that these 
 were the same miracle. Let us neither be 
 nervous harmonizers, nor eager to assume 
 that harmonizing is impossible. It is worth 
 observing how natural in these two miracles 
 are the points of agreement, and how striking 
 are some of the differences. It was natural 
 that the situation should in both cases be the 
 wild country, where sufficient food could not 
 be obtained from ordinary sources; that the 
 kind of food multiplied should be that which 
 
 was common on the shores of the lake; that 
 Jesus should ' bless ' or ' give thanks ' before 
 breaking the bread, according to custom, and 
 should distribute the food by the help of the 
 disciples, a matter of obvious convenience and 
 propriety. On the other hand, the precise 
 locality in the wild country is different in the 
 two cases ; there is now, in the parched sum- 
 mer, no mention of reclining on the grass, as 
 Matthew, Mark, and John, all mention in the 
 former case, when it was spring ; the supply of 
 food is here greater than before, while the 
 number of persons is smaller; the people here 
 have remained three days ; in the other case 
 only one day. There is also a slight, but quite 
 remarkable difference as to the word rendered 
 'basket.' This is kophinos in all four Gos- 
 pels in the first miracle, and spuris (or sphuris) 
 in both Gospels here; and in the subsequent 
 mention of these miracles (16: 9 r. ; Marks : 19 1.) it is 
 again in both Gospels kophinos with reference 
 to the first, and spuris with reference to 
 the second miracle. We do not know the 
 precise difference between the two words, but 
 the careful observance of the distinction 
 throughout, strikingly shows how entirely 
 distinct the two miracles were. Origen and 
 Chrys. suppose that the spuris was somewhat 
 large, and this seems confirmed by its use in 
 lowering Paul from the wall of Damascus 
 (Acts 9: 25), while the kophinos appears to have 
 been a small provision basket, such as a Jew 
 on a journey commonly carried with him 
 (see on 14: 20). The disciples may have now 
 had these large baskets because they had been 
 making a long journey. 
 
 The strange thing about this second miracle 
 is the fact that the apostles do not recur (v. 33) 
 to the former miraculous feeding, which 
 took place but a short time before. Many 
 critics have thought this utterly inexplicable, 
 and on this ground have denied the reality of 
 the second miracle, though explicitly and 
 repeatedly affirmed. But let us remember. 
 Our Lord had sternly rebuked the crowd who 
 shared in the previous feeding for following 
 him the next day with the hope of being fed
 
 CH XVL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 39 And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, \ 39 children. And he seut away the multitudes, and 
 and came into the coasts of Magdala. entered into the boat, and came into the borders of 
 
 Magadan. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and 
 tempting desired him that he would shew them a 
 sign from heaven. 
 
 1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and try- 
 ing him asked him to show them a sign Iroui heaven. 
 
 again (John 6: 28), and had been much displeased 
 at the popular determination produced by 
 that miracle to make him a king. Nay, he 
 had hurried the disciples themselves unwill- 
 ingly away, partly, it is probable, because 
 they sympathized with this popular design. 
 (See on 14 : 22. ) In this state of things the dis- 
 ciples might naturally doubt whether he 
 would repeat a miracle which had been for- 
 merly attended by such undesirable results, 
 and might at any rate feel great delicacy 
 about suggesting the idea that he should do 
 so. (Comp. Mark 9: 32, "were afraid to ask 
 him.") But as soon as he intimates such an 
 intention, by asking how many loaves they 
 have, they express no surprise nor doubt, but 
 go on to carry out the details. 
 
 And he sent away the multitudes, see 
 on 14 : 22 f. And took ship, literally, entered 
 into the boat, see on 4 : 21. The boat which 
 they were accustomed to use may have been 
 brought from Capernaum, while they were 
 staying here on the S. E. side. Into the 
 coasts of .>Ia ml ;il a, or borders of Magadan. 1 
 This is unquestionably the correct reading, 
 which was early changed to Magdala, a fa- 
 miliar name, easily connecting itself with 
 Mary Magdalene. The position of Magadan 
 is unknown, as is that of Dalmanutha. 
 (urk8:io.) They appear to have been on the 
 
 western side of the lake, being reached by 
 boat from the other side, and especially 
 because from them the party crossed to the 
 northeastern side. (i6:5;Mark8: is.) 
 
 Ch. 16 : 1. That which follows occurred at 
 Magadan, somewhere on the western side of 
 the lake. The Pharisees also, with the 
 Sadducees. Here, as in 3: 7, there is but one 
 article (literally, the Pharisees and Saddu- 
 cees), presenting the Sadducees as accompany- 
 ing the Pharisees, and perhaps as of less im- 
 portance ; so also in 16 : 6, 11 f. The Saddu- 
 cees appear only three times in the Gospel 
 history ; (1) witnessing the baptism of John, 
 3 : 7, (2) tempting Jesus here, (3) tempting 
 him, not at the same time with the Pharisees, 
 but separately, in 22: 23. (Mark 12 = 18; Luke -20 : .; 
 They are also spoken of by Jesus in 16: 6, 11 f., 
 and are mentioned nowhere else in the Gospels. 
 Only a few weeks before, and not more than 
 a few miles away, Jesus had severely censured 
 the Pharisees as hypocrites and violators of 
 God's word (is : 6,7) and had spoken of them 
 as blind guides of the people, unworthy of 
 notice. Yet the dissembled hostility here in- 
 dicated was not first awakened by that censure, 
 for they had already accused him of being in 
 league with Beelzebub. (12:24.) Some critics 
 think it incredible that Sadducees should 
 
 1 Magadan is read by X B, D, Old Syriac, and Jerus. 
 Syriac, Old Latin (majority of copies), and Vulgate, and 
 by Jerome and Augustine. The reason for changing to 
 Magdala is obvious, while we can imagine no reason 
 for a change in the opposite direction to an unknown 
 name. So Herod. II. 159 (conip. Rawlinson, "Great 
 Empires," III. 48 n.) changes Megiddo into Magdolon, 
 a natural Greek form of Magdala. As meaning ' tower,' 
 this word would very readily become the name of a 
 town (Exod. 14:2; Joh. 15 : 37 : ID : ss), comp. Magdala, the 
 present capital of Abyssinia. There is now a place 
 called Mejdel (containing a few huts), on the western 
 shore of the Lake of Gal., which was probably (he home 
 of Mary. The Heb. Migdol, Aram. Magdala, Arab. 
 Megdel (g, soft), are exactly characteristic forms for the 
 three languages. Magdalan, found In C., Memph., etc., 
 seems to have been an intermediate "Alexandrian" 
 alteration of Magadan, and Magdala the "Syrian" 
 
 alteration. In Mark (8: 10) Dalmanutha is in a good 
 many documents changed to Magadan, and in a few 
 to Magdala. Caspar! would identify Magadan and 
 Dalmanutha with a Wady and town far down the 
 Jordan valley. But in both Gospels the party came by 
 boat to those places, and presently go from them by 
 boat " to the other side" (northeastern side) ; how can 
 these expressions suit places some twelve to twenty 
 miles south of the lake? Canon Cook argues ("Bib. 
 Conim.," followed by Edersh.) that Dalmanutha was 
 not in Gal., because the Phar. came forth (Mark 8: n) to 
 seek a sign, viz., out of their district (Gal.) into another 
 district. But it more naturally means, out of their 
 town or dist. to meet him as he approached, comp. 25 : 
 1 ; 26 : 55 ; Luke 8 : 35 ; 15 : 28 ; John 18 : 4. Nothing is 
 known about the statement of Ens. and Jerome 
 ("Onom.", with express reference to this passage) that 
 "there is now the district of Magedane nearGerasa."
 
 348 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVI. 
 
 2 He answered and said unto them, When it is even- 
 ing, ye say, It vill be lair weather : for the sky is red. 
 
 :> Ami in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: 
 for i lie sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye 
 can discern the face of the sky ; but can ye not, discern 
 the signs of the times? 
 
 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after 
 a sign ; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but 
 the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and 
 departed. 
 
 2 But he answered and said unto them, 1 When it is 
 evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the 
 
 3 heaven is red. And in the morning, It trill be foul 
 weather to-day : for the heaven is red and lowering. 
 Ye know how to discern the face of the heaven ; 
 
 4 but ye cannot discern the signs of the times. An 
 evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign ; 
 and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the 
 sign of Jonah. And he left them, and departed. 
 
 1 The following words, to the end of ver. 3. ar 
 
 jtted by some of the most ancient and other important authoi itie 
 
 have come with Pharisees. But they were ! 
 temporarily united by common hostility to : 
 Jesus. Comp. Herod and Pilate, Luke 23: . 
 12, and Psalm 2: 2. Tempting (Ameri- 
 can Revisers would render 'trying him'), \ 
 testing him (comp. on 4: 1, 7), with the hope 
 that he will not stand the test, will not be able ; 
 to show the sign; comp. 19: 3; 22: 18, 35. The 
 Scribes and Pharisees had asked a sign from 
 him in 12: 38, and were refused. Now the 
 Pharisees and Sadduce s make a similar de- j 
 mand specifically for a 'sign from heaven ' (so [ 
 also Mark 8: 11), and get (v. 4) exactly the i 
 same refusal as before. (i2:sw.) They might 
 be thinking of such signs as when Moses gave 
 bread from heaven (Pim7: -as. : John 6: so f.) 
 Joshua made the sun and moon stand still, 
 Samuel brought thunder and rain in time of 
 harvest, Elijah repeatedh 7 called down fire 
 from heaven, and at Isaiah's word the shadow 
 went back on the dial; comp. Joel 2: 30 ff. 
 Origen conjectures that they regarded signs 
 on earth as wrought in Beelzebul. (12:24.) 
 Probably some Jews really expected celestial 
 signs of Messiah's approach ; but the present 
 request was made from bad motives. Jesus 
 promised "great signs from heaven" in con- 
 nection with his second coming (24: wf.; Luke 21: 
 11. 25; comp. RCT. 15: i), and predicted that the false 
 Christs would show great signs. (2*: 24.) 
 
 2 f. This passage (except the opening words, 
 He answered and said unto them), is 
 quite certainly not a part of Matt. It is 
 
 wanting in a number of the earliest docu- 
 ments (MSS., versions and Fathers); 1 no reason 
 can be imagined for its omission, and it may 
 readilj 7 have come from Luke 12: 54-56, where 
 the closing and principal expression is sub- 
 stantially the same, and the difference consists 
 simply in using other signs of the weather. 
 As the passage is retained by Rev. Ver., we 
 mention that Wet. cites from Greek and Ro- 
 man writers, these and various other signs 
 of the weather; and that these signs hold good 
 in England and in our country, being ex- 
 pressed by the saying, "Red sky at night is 
 the shepherd's delight; Red sky in the morn- 
 ing is the shepherd's warning," which prob- 
 ably came to us from England. The signs of 
 the times (seasons) would be the various indi- 
 cations then observable that the Messianic 
 epoch was at hand, indications in the civil and 
 religious condition of Israel, the fulfillment 
 of Messianic prophecies, and the miracles 
 wrought by Jesus and his followers. The 
 other terms of the passage as inserted in Matt, 
 call for no explanation. Even of the docu- 
 ments containing the passage, several of the 
 best omit hypocrites (v. 3), evidently drawn 
 from Luke 12 : 56. 
 
 4. This repeats his former reply to a similar 
 demand, 12: 38-40, and so on probably a later 
 occasion, Luke 11 : 29 f. Some critics cannot 
 believe that Jesus would several times repeat 
 the same thing; but see Int. to ch. 5. Of the 
 prophet Jonas, or, Jonah. To Jonah was 
 
 1 Wanting in X B, V, X, r, and a dozen cursives, in Old 
 Syriac, Memph. (a codex), and Armenian. Origen, the 
 great critic, in his commentary on Matt., begins the 
 reply of Jesus with our v. 4, making no allusion to any 
 such passage as that in question. Jerome says, " This 
 is not found in the majority of copies." Nobody, 
 orthodox or heretic, could have had any objection to 
 the passage. We cannot well suppose it omitted by 
 assimilation to Mark (Meyer), for the copyists usually 
 assimilated by inserting. Morison fancies it omitted 
 by some copyist who did not find thes? signs of weather 
 holding good in bis locality ; but this essentially im- 
 
 probable notion will not' account for its absence in so 
 many documents from different parts of the world. 
 There is no difficulty in supposing it to have come from 
 Luke (where all documents have the corresponding pas- 
 sage), when we observe that the main statement is the 
 same, and only the particular signs of the weather have 
 been altered by the memory of the student who first 
 placed it on the margin of Matt., whence it would creep 
 into the text. It is therefore quite unnecessary to sup- 
 pose i,Hort) a separate saying of Jesus preserved by tra- 
 dition.
 
 CH. XVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 349 
 
 5 And when his disciples were couie to the other 
 side, they had forgotten to take bread. 
 
 6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware 
 of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 
 
 5 And the disciples came to the other side, and for- 
 
 6 got to take ' bread. And Jesus said unto them, 
 Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Phari- 
 
 easily added ' the prophet ' (common Greek 
 text) from 12: 39. Mark (8: 12) records only 
 the general refusal to give a sign, without 
 mentioning the exception, the sign of Jonah, 
 and states that in replying he " sighed deeply 
 in his spirit." Jesus is beginning to find it 
 hard to endure such perverse and malignant 
 opposition (comp. 17 : 17). Left them and 
 departed (comp. 21: 17). Bengel : "Just 
 severity." One of our Lord's reasons for pre- 
 viously withdrawing from Galilee had been 
 the hostility of the Pharisees (see on 15: 21). 
 So now again he withdraws to the neighbor- j 
 hood of Cesarea Philippi, the region farthest j 
 removed from Jerusalem and its hypocritical 
 and malignant parties (i:i). It is not likely 
 that he remained at Magadan longer than a 
 day or two. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PBACTICAL. 
 
 V. 29-31. New fields and new labors ; comp. 
 Acts 10: 38. V. 32. KYLE: " It is a curious and 
 striking fact that of all the feelings expressed 
 by our Lord upon earth, there is none so often 
 mentioned as compassion. His joy, his sor- 
 row, his thankfulness, his anger, his wonder, 
 his zeal, are all occasionally recorded. But 
 none of these feelings are so frequently men- 
 tioned as compassion." HENRY: "Our Lord 
 Jesus keeps an account how long his followers 
 continue their attendance on him, and takes 
 notice of the difficulty they sustain in it. 
 (Her. 2: 2.)" V. 33. HENRY : "Forgetting 
 former experience leaves us under present 
 doubts." Ch. 16:1. ORIOEN: "Often now also 
 we see persons who hold the most discordant 
 opinions in philosophy or other matters, seem- 
 ing to harmonize that they may mock at and 
 war against Jesus Christ in his disciples." V. 
 1, 4. Signs. 1) Even our Lord's early signs 
 convinced Nicodemus and his friends. (Johns: 2.) 
 
 2) The many signs of the next two years did 
 not satisfy malignant opposers (* 1), and were 
 even ascribed by them to Beelzebul. (12:24.) 
 
 3) Captious demands for special signs he al- 
 ways refused. (*. ; comp. Loke4: 2.1.) 4) Even the 
 sign of Jonah (*.), when it came in his resur- 
 rection, while a conclusive proof, was rejected 
 
 by many. (28 : 15 ; ACM 25 : w.) 5) Even years af- 
 terwards the Jews demanded fresh signs, but 
 the ' called ' found Christ crucified the power 
 
 Of God. (iCor. 1: 2i ff.) 
 
 16: 5-2O. JESUS WITHDRAWS TO THE 
 NEIGHBORHOOD OF CESAREA PHILIPPI. 
 PETER'S GREAT CONFESSION. 
 
 This is found also in Mark 8: 13-30, and 
 the latter part in Luke 9 : 18-21. Luke has 
 passed over everything since the feeding of 
 the five thousand, and here also is very brief. 
 This is the last and most important of our 
 Lord's four withdrawals from Galilee during 
 the last six months of his ministry in that 
 region (comp. 14: 13; 15: 21, 29), and will 
 continue to 17: 20. 
 
 I. 5-12. CONVERSATION ON THE WAY. 
 To the other side, of the lake, as in 8: 18-28; 
 14: 22, always meaning the eastern side. 
 Mark presently mentions (8: 22) that they 
 came to Bethsuida (viz., Julias), and after- 
 wards went to Cesarea Philippi. So the first 
 point reached by boat was on the northeast- 
 ern side of the lake. Forgotten: rather for- 
 got (Wye., Rheims), is the literal translation, 
 natural here in English and still more so in 
 Greek. It probably means that they forgot 
 in preparing the boat, and on reaching the 
 other side became aware of the forgetting; or 
 it may mean that upon landing they forgot to 
 supply themselves for the journey. To take 
 bread or loaves except a single one (Mark , 
 which amounted to nothing. The seven great 
 baskets of fragments from the miracle were 
 probably given to the multitude for future 
 use, or to the poor of Magadan. After dis- 
 covering their negligence and destitution, the 
 disciples felt an annoyance which led them to 
 a singular blunder. Jesus meantime was think- 
 ingof the Pharisees and Sacldureos, from whose 
 obduracy and malignity he had just with- 
 drawn. ( i: ) These great politico-ro'ig ious par- 
 ties ^see on 3: 7) had immense influence. The 
 disciples had been reared to respect them, and 
 S' Jesus takes occasion to give a warn ing against 
 their teachings and influence. The leaven 
 of the Pharisees and of the Saddnci-es, 
 Mark has (:i&) 'the leaven <jf the Phiir., and
 
 350 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. XVI. 
 
 7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, // i 
 because we have taken no bread. 
 
 ,s Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O 
 ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, 
 because ye have brought no bread ? 
 
 9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the 
 five loaves of the five thousand, and how many bas- 
 kets ye took up ? 
 
 7 sees and Sadducees. And they reasoned among 
 
 8 themselves, saying, 1 We took no * bread. And Jesus 
 perceiving it said, O ye of little faith, why reason 
 ye among yourselves, because ye have no * bread ? 
 
 9 Do ye not yet perceive, neither remember the five 
 loaves of the five thousand, and how many 8 baskets 
 
 1 Or, Ii is because tc took no bread 2 Gr. loaves 3 Basket In ver. 9 and 10 represent* different Greek word* 
 
 the leaven of Herod.' Some have "inferred" 
 that Herod Antipas was a Sadducee, notwith- 
 standing in 14: 2 he expressed belief that 
 John the Baptist was risen from the dead. 
 But Mark has also omitted the Sadducees in 
 8 : 11, as to asking a sign from heaven, and in- 
 deed mentions them only in 12: 18. This fact 
 will account for his omitting them here. We 
 thus understand that besides the Phar. and 
 Sadd. Jesus spoke also of Herod, whose jeal- 
 ousy (i* = 2) had been one cause of his repeat- 
 edly withdrawing from Galilee, even as now 
 again he is going to the dominions of the 
 tetrarch Philip. Mark's expression indicates 
 the leaven of Herod as distinct from that of 
 the Phar. Matthew by not repeating ' leaven,' 
 and by having only one article (see on 16: 1), 
 suggests something common to the Phar. and 
 Sadd., not necessarily some common tenet or 
 specific teaching, but a common hurtful ten- 
 dency. It is therefore idle to say that Jesus 
 is here represented as confounding the rival 
 parties. Nor is this passage in conflict with 
 23 : 3, for much of what the Scribes and Phar. 
 taught was correct, and proper to be observed. 
 Leaven was regarded in the law as symboli- 
 cally impure (Exod.s4:i!5; Levit.2:ii), and hence 
 the figure in 1 Cor. 5: 6 f. and here; see also 
 Luke 12 : 1, where it is used in a different 
 connection, and probably on a later occasion. 
 The disciples were in no mood for figurative 
 and spiritual meanings of words (comp. John 
 4: 10 ff. ; 6: 26). They took it all literally, 
 supposing that the Master had observed their 
 lack of bread, and was cautioning them not to 
 purchase any loaves made with the kind of 
 leaven used by the Phar. and Sadd. This 
 seems to the modern mind a strange and al- 
 most impossible notion ; but it was just such a 
 matter as the Rabbis made much of. The Tal- 
 mud contains discussions as to whether it was 
 right to use Gentile leaven. (Lightf.) 1 So the 
 
 disciples reproach themselves. Because we 
 have taken no bread (loaves), is an abrupt 
 phrase natural to persons disconcerted. The 
 word rendered in Com. Ver. (and Rev. Ver. 
 margin) 'because' is very often the mere 
 'that' after a verb of saying, which in Eng- 
 lish is not used when the exact words are 
 quoted. It is best so to understand here 
 (Rev. Ver.) but the marginal rendering is 
 quite possible, and is preferred by Meyer. 
 
 8-12. The Master rebukes them for suppos- 
 ing that he was concerning himself about 
 kindsof food. A few weeks or months before, 
 he had said (is- 1), " Not that which entereth 
 into the mouth defileth the man " ; how then 
 could he be laying stress on a particular kind 
 of leaven? And the repeated miracles of 
 feeding vast multitudes from a very little food, 
 and leaving a large surplus, ought certainly 
 to have showed them that the mere lack of 
 bread would cause him no concern. Onl3 T be- 
 cause they were of little faith (6:*> : 8:26; u-.si) 
 did they imagine sut-h a thing. Mark gives 
 still sharper expressions. Notice the connec- 
 tion here between faith and spiritual percep- 
 tion, (v. sr.) "With stronger faith in him they 
 would have been lifted above temporal anx- 
 iety, and in better condition to understand his 
 spiritual instructions. Ye have (v. s) was easily 
 changed into 'ye took' (rendered by Com. 
 Ver. 'ye have brought'), to make it like v. 7. 
 Not yet, comp. 15: 16; and Mark 6: 52. 
 Understand (or perceive), v. 9-11 (Tyn., 
 Gen.,) as in 15: 17; in v. 8 it represents an- 
 other word, which is awkward, but in this 
 case cannot well be helped, for the literal 
 'knowing' or 'having known' would be mis- 
 understood. In v. 11 the text in Rev. Ver., 
 which is that of the earliest documents, 
 seemed abrupt, and was variously changed, 
 finally, into the form given in Com. Ver. In 
 the true text, after rebuking them for failing 
 
 JKeim coolly sets aside the story, saying, "This gross 
 and altogether inconceivable misunderstanding could 
 not have occurred." One might have thought that such 
 
 arrogant and superficial criticism could not have oc- 
 curred, in the case of an able, learned, and earnest 
 man.
 
 CH. XVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 351 
 
 10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, 
 and how many baskets ye took up ? 
 
 11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake 
 it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware 
 of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 
 
 12 Then understood they how that he bade them not 
 beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of 
 the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 
 
 13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Cesarea Phil- 
 ippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say 
 that I, the Son of man, am? 
 
 10 ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four 
 
 11 thousand, and how many 'baskets ye took up? How 
 is it that ye do not perceive that I spake not to you 
 concerning 2 bread? But beware of the leaven of 
 
 12 the Pharisees and Sadducees. Then understood 
 they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven 
 of 2 bread, but of the teaching ol the Pharisees and 
 Sadducees. 
 
 13 Now when Jesus cnme into the parts of Csesarea 
 Philippi he asked his disciples, saying, Who do men 
 
 1 Baskets in ver. 9 and 10 represents different Greek words 2 Gr. lonvei. 
 
 to perceive, he repeats the counsel, in order 
 that they might now look at it and under- 
 stand ; and so they did. Understood (v. 12), 
 as in 15: 10, 16. Doctrine literally teaching 
 see on 7 : 28 and 8: 19, not simply their 
 dogmas, as ' doctrine ' would now suggest, hut 
 the whole spirit and tendency of their teach- 
 ing. The Pharisees and Sadducees taught 
 ideas concerning religious truth and duty in 
 general, and in particular concerning the 
 Messianic reign, which to the apostles would 
 "be misleading and corrupting. Herod repre- 
 sented a certain type of politico-religious 
 opinion, accepted by the Herodians, which 
 would also be quite misleading for proclaimers 
 of the spiritual Messianic reign. This warn- 
 ing, while suggested hy the recent demand of 
 the Pharisees and Sadducees (is; i), was a prep- 
 aration for the great approaching instruc- 
 tion concerning Messiah's true mission. 
 
 After crossing the lake Jesus came to Beth- 
 saida (see on 14 : 13), and there healed a hlind 
 man ; a very interesting case, recorded by 
 Mark alone. (8:22-6.) 
 
 II. 13-2O. PETER'S GREAT CONFESSION, 
 AND OCR LORD'S SIGNAL RESPONSE. Here 
 Luke comes in (; is), though both he and 
 Mark are brief, and fail to give the response. 
 The narrative in Matt, and Mark goes right 
 on, and there is no reason to question the con- 
 tinuity of events. Into the coasts (parts.) 
 Wyclif here hud 'partis,' but Tyn. introduced 
 the erroneous 'coasts,' see on 15: 21. Mark 
 (8:27) has the more definite expression 'the 
 villages of Cesarea Philippi' ; he was tarry- 
 ing in the suburban villages. Cesarea 
 Philippi was at the nothern end of Palestine, 
 being near Dan ("from Dan to Beer- 
 sheba"). It lay beside the eastern and 
 least copious of the two chief springs of 
 the Jordan ; at the other spring, two and a 
 half mile? west was Dan ; below the junction 
 of their streams there comes in another, not 
 mentioned by Josephus, which has flowed 
 
 many miles from far up the slope of Hermon, 
 and is really the remotest source of the river. 
 The town was in an elevated plain, one thou- 
 sand one hundred and fifty feet above the level 
 of the Mediterranean, and near the foot of 
 Mount Hermon, which rises seven or eight 
 thousand feet higher still. A mile east (Mc- 
 Garvey), stands " a precipitous rock, at least 
 a thousand feet above the town," crowned by 
 a singularly strong fortress, dating from before 
 the time of Christ, and in its present dimen- 
 sions from the Saracens and the Crusaders. 
 Stanley and others imagine that our Lord was 
 led by this to use the phrase, "On this rock I 
 will build my church." The plain or terrace 
 on which the city stood is very beautiful. 
 Porter: "It is covered with oaks and olive- 
 trees, having green glades and clumps of haw- 
 thorn and myrtle." Many travelers speak <>f 
 encamping under noble shade trees just north 
 of the town. Tristram (in Edersh.) : "Every- 
 where there is a wild medley of cascades, mul- 
 berry-trees, fig-trees, dashing torrents, fes- 
 toons of vines, bubbling fountains, reeds, and 
 ruins, and the mingled music of birds and 
 waters." The fields between and around the 
 sources of the Jordan are very fertile, pro- 
 ducing bread-stuffs and rice; and (Keim) "in 
 summer the whole district is a sea of flowers, 
 whence the bees gather a rich harvest." Jo- 
 seph us ("Ant.," 15, 10, 3) calls the fountain 
 Pnnion, showing that the Greeks here wor- 
 shiped Pan, whose worship was often asso- 
 ciated with caves and grotto? ; and there are 
 Greek inscriptions on the face of the cliff to 
 the same effect. Probably the Phoenicians 
 had here worshiped one of the forms of Baal, 
 for Robinson arzues that here was the town 
 of "Baal-gad, in the valley of Lebanon, under 
 Mount Hormon." (JMH. HMT.) Herod the 
 Groat built, near the fountain, a temple of 
 white marble, in honor of Augustus. Philip, 
 the tetrnrch (see on 2: '20 and 11 : (>), enlarged 
 the town and called it Cesarea, in honor of
 
 352 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVI. 
 
 14 And they said, Some fay thai thov art John the 
 Baptist ; some, Elias ; and others, Jereuiias, or one of 
 the prophets. 
 
 14 say i that the Son of man is ? And they said, Some 
 say, Johu the Baptist; some, Elijah ; "aud others, 
 
 1 Manv ancient authorities read, that I the Son of man am. See Mark viii. 27 ; Luke ix. 18. 
 
 Tiberias. To distinguish it from the great sea- 
 port it was called Ces. Philippi, "Philip's 
 Cesarea." Some coins give it as Ces. Paneas, 
 a name derived from Pan, and this survives 
 in the modern Banias. 1 Our Lord must in 
 his youth have often gazed at Herinon from 
 the lofty hill west of Nazareth (see on 2 : 23), 
 and so during his ministry must have looked 
 at the snow-clad line of Lebanon from the 
 Lake of Galilee. 2 It was doubtless a great 
 pleasure to him and the disciples in midsum- 
 mer to leave the hot shores of the lake, far 
 below the level of the Mediterranean, and 
 visit this cool and delightful mountainous re- 
 gion. There was also the advantage of being 
 in the dominions of Philip (as in 14:18; 
 15: 29), who was a comparatively just ruler, 
 and had no such occasion for suspicious jeal- 
 ousy of Jesus as Herod Antipas. (i*: i ff.) They 
 must have remained here some weeks or even 
 months, as the series of withdrawals (H: is; 15: 
 21,29; 16: it) occupied nearly six months. But 
 the matters recorded in connection with this 
 sojourn are near together in time ; for 16 : 21- 
 28 seems to occur on the same daj 7 as Peter's 
 confession, and 17: 1-20 about a week after- 
 wards. From 16 : 13 it is natural to suppose 
 that all this took place shortly after he reached 
 that region, and the rest of the time remains 
 a blank. 
 
 The inhabitants of Cesarea Philippi and 
 vicinity were largely heathen, and while 
 sometimes attended by crowds (Murk 8: 34), and 
 ready to heal (17 = 14), our Lord occupied him- 
 self mainly with the private instruction of the 
 twelve disciples as to his approaching ex- 
 traordinary experiences (16:21) and the true 
 nature of the Messianic work. His own con- 
 templation of his approaching rejection and 
 death was accompanied by prayer. (Luke 9: is.) 
 In order to prepare the minds of the disciples 
 
 for these new views of the Messianic mission, 
 he draws from them the confession that he is 
 the Messiah, which Peter makes as spokes- 
 man. (T. 13-15.) This occurred 'on the road' 
 (Mark 8: 27), probably from one village to an- 
 other; he had withdrawn a little, and was 
 alone with his disciples (Luke9:is); afterwards 
 he would naturally return to the road, and 
 here came in contact with a great number of 
 other persons. (Marker.) In drawing out the 
 confession, he skillfully begins with an in- 
 quiry as to popular opinion concerning him, 
 and then advances to ask their own opinion. 
 The former was important as to any hope of im- 
 mediate general usefulness; the latter far more 
 important as to the whole future of the Mes- 
 sianic movement. Whom (who)Ao men say. 
 'Whom' (all the early English versions) is a 
 sort of attraction of the relative into the case 
 that would be required by the nearest word, 
 'say.' This use of the relative is also found in 
 Shakespeare, but abandoned in modern Eng- 
 lish. That I, the Son of man, am? This 
 should read ''the Son of man is.' The change 
 arose from assimilation to Mark and Luke. 
 The phrase 'the Son of man' (see on 8: 20, and 
 comp. John 12: 23) really implied that he 
 was the Messiah, but did not distinctly affirm 
 it. He had already declared that the Son of 
 man was Lord of the Sabbath (12:8), that he 
 had authority on earth to forgive sins ( 9 =6), 
 that he shall send forth his angels for the final 
 harvest. (i:.) He had also (Lutteroth) 
 often spoken of God as his Father. ( Johns: 
 
 13-18; 5: 25-27; Matt. 7: 21 ; 10: 32 ; 11 : 27; 15 : 13.) 
 
 14. Popular opinion varied. John the 
 Baptist, see on 3: 1. This would suppose 
 John to have risen from the dead, as Herod 
 Antipas thought. (H: 2.) Elias, instead of the 
 Hebrew form Elijah, see on 1 : 2. The Jews 
 very generally expected Elijah to come to 
 
 J In modern Arabic the sounds of b andp are both 
 represented by b (the Arabic p having always the sound 
 of our ph or /), and are often hard to distinguish. 
 Thus Bashaw and Pasha are two European attempts to 
 represent the same word, and Nabulus is the Arabic for 
 Neapolis, English Naples. 
 
 * One afternoon in March, 1871, we stood before our 
 tent near Tubariyeh (Tiberias), and watched a black 
 
 cloud as it came rolling up the Jordan valley and over 
 the southern end of the lake, till it hung above us like 
 a mighty pall. Looking northward we saw a wonder- 
 ful play of jagged lightnings about the upper end of 
 the lake, and then far in the north there gleamed out 
 upon us the long line of Lebanon, with its snows inde- 
 scribably brilliant in the evening sun. It was one of 
 the sights of a lifetime.
 
 CH. XVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 353 
 
 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 15 Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He saith unto 
 
 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art 16 them, But who sav ye that I am? And Siuiou Peter 
 ic Christ, the Son of the living God. | answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of 
 
 th 
 
 life again (see on 11 : 14), many supposing he 
 would be a forerunner of Messiah. (Mai. 4:5f.) 
 And those who held that Jesus was Elijah, 
 probably thought that he was a forerunner of 
 Messiah. And others, Jeremias (Jeremiah}. 
 'Others' is here a different Greek word from 
 the foregoing, and denotes (comp. Gal. 1: 6) an- 
 other class or kind of persons, i. e., persons who 
 turned away from the popular expectation of 
 Elijah. Jeremiah was in the time of our Lord 
 greatly venerated among the Jews. They had 
 a legend that he appeared in a vision to Judas 
 Maccabeus and encouraged him (zsiacc. 15 : 7, 
 iff.); also that when the temple was de- 
 stroyed, Jeremiah hid the tabernacle, the ark, 
 and the altar of incense in a cave of Mount Pis- 
 gah, and promised that they should one day 
 be restored (2 MWO. 2 : 4 ff.) ; and a very late Jew- 
 ish writer says, that Jeremiah would himself 
 appear to restore these sacred objects. Some 
 Rabbinical writers hold Jeremiah to be the 
 prophet promised by Moses (Deut. 18: 15). 
 We now think of Isaiah as the. great prophet, 
 because he is so often quoted in the New Test. 
 as predicting the Messiah ; but the Jews in 
 the time of Christ reckoned Elijah and Jere- 
 miah as foremost. Or one of the prophets. 
 There was great confusion of opinion as to the 
 circumstances of Messiah's approach, some 
 thinking there would be a series of forerun- 
 ners (see on 11 : 3). The last class here men- 
 tioned were disposed to be non-committal as 
 to identifying Jesus with any particular an- 
 cient prophet, but thought he must be some 
 one of them. To many minds, now that be- 
 lief in a resurrection had become vivid, the 
 idea of some former revered prophet re-ap- 
 pearing was more natural and credible than 
 that of a new prophet; yet some counted 
 John the Baptist a prophet (i4:5;ii:), and 
 others already thought Jesus a new and great 
 prophet (Luke?: i; John8:i4), as many did at a 
 later period. (Jotm7:40; Matt. zi:46.) But no class 
 of the people at this time regarded him as be- 
 ing the Messiah. How could they, when in 
 their view Messiah was to be a splendid con- 
 queror and king? 
 
 15 f. But whom (Rev. Ver., who] say ye 
 that I am? Observe 'ye,' plural, and by 
 position in the Greek exceedingly emphatic 
 
 in contrast with the discordant popular opin- 
 ions. The question is addressed to all, and 
 Peter answers as their spokesman, just as he 
 does in many other cases. (John e : 67-70 ; Matt. 
 
 15: 15 f.; 19: 25-28; Luke 12: 41; Mark 11 : 20-22; Matt. 26: 40; 
 
 Acts 2: 37 r. ; 5: 29, etc.) Chrys. : " Peter, the ever 
 fervent, the leader of the Apostolic choir 
 (Coryphaeus)." His impulsive nature, which 
 sometimes brought him into trouble (H: 29; 26:51) 
 helped to tit Peter for this post of spokesman, 
 and a better qualification was his strong faith 
 and ardent love for the Master. The fact that 
 the others remained silent and left him to 
 speak does not show that none of them fully 
 shared his sentiments; comp. 19: 28; 26: 40; 
 etc. Thou art the Christ, as in v. 20. The 
 early Eng. versions, including the first and 
 several succeeding editions of K. James, gave 
 'Christ' without the article; it is not ascer- 
 tained when the article was introduced into 
 the Com. Ver. It has also the article in the 
 parallel passage, Mark 8 : 29. For the mean- 
 ing of the word ' Christ' see on 1 : 1. "We feel 
 the force of it better in this and many pas- 
 sages of the Gospels, by using the Hebrew 
 word Messiah (see on 2: 4). 'Thou' is ex- 
 pressed in the Greek, and therefore emphatic. 
 The Son of the living God is a very solemn 
 expression. The gods of the heathen were 
 lifeless; Jehovah the God of Israel, the one 
 true God, was living. So Paul at Lystra 
 (Acti4:i5R. v.): "that ye should should turn 
 from these rain things unto the living God.' 1 
 Mark (8:29) records simply ' thou art the 
 Christ (Messiah)',- Luke (;) 'the Christ 
 (Mesxiah) of God.' The earliest disciples of 
 Jesus, including Simon Peter, at once con- 
 cluded that he was the Messiah. (John 1:41,49.) 
 But ho proceeded to act so differently from 
 what they had been reared to expect of 
 Messiah, that they would naturally become 
 greatly perplexed about his Messiahship, 
 even as John felt in his prison (.ee on 11 : 3). 
 Again and again, however, some work or word 
 would persuade them afresh. Thus in 7: 22 
 he declares, "Many will sy to me in that 
 day, Lord, Lord," etc. In 11 : 6 f. he refers 
 the messengers of John to his Messianic 
 miracles and preaching to the poor. In 
 14: 33 the persons in the boat say, "of a
 
 354 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVI. 
 
 17 And Jesus nnrwered and said unto him, Blessed 
 art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not 
 n-voalril it unto thee, but uiy Father which is ill 
 heaven. 
 
 17 the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto 
 him, Blessed art thou, Sinion Bar-Jonah: for flesh 
 aud blood hath not revealed it uuto thee, but my 
 
 truth thou art the Son of God." In John 6: 
 69, R. V., Peter says (as spokesman): "We 
 have believed and know that thou art the 
 Holy One of God." (This last the copyists 
 changed into "thou art the Christ, the Son of 
 the living God," by assimilation to our pas- 
 sage of Matthew.) Now, two or three years 
 later than their first early persuasion, they 
 have become established in the conviction, 
 though so in conflict with their life-long con- 
 ceptions, that their Master is the Messiah. 
 We thus see that there is no contradiction, 
 such as many critics have alleged, between 
 the statements of Matt., Mark., and Luke at 
 this point, and that of John 1 : 41. Nor do 
 we read that he had ever distinctly told the 
 disciples that he was the Messiah, though he 
 had said so to the woman of Samaria. (John*: 
 K, 29.) A few months later, the noble Martha, 
 who receives scant justice in many pulpits, 
 made tho same confession for which Peter is 
 here so commended. (John ii: 27.) We under- 
 stand the importance of this confession when 
 we hear a Jew of the present time announce 
 his new-found conviction that Jesus of Naz- 
 areth is the Messiah. Does this confession 
 of Peter represent the Saviour as divine ? 
 Not necessarily, if it stood alone without any 
 later revelation. (Comp. on 14: 33.) But sub- 
 sequent apostolic teaching, guided by the 
 Holy Spirit, employs kindred phrases to set 
 forth his divinity, which may therefore be 
 regarded as implicitly contained in the lan- 
 guage here used. 
 
 17. This response, v. 17-19, is given by Matt. 
 only. Our Lord seems to speak joyfully. 
 Here at last the disciples have reached the 
 strong conviction, the clear faith, necessary to 
 prepare them for comprehending and estab- 
 lishing his spiritual Messianic reign. Blessed, 
 more exactly happy, see on 6: 3, and com p. 
 11 : 6; 13 : 16. God has greatly favored him, 
 
 in bringing him to this perception and convic- 
 tion, and so he is a happy man. Why does 
 Jesus say this to Simon Peter alone, and not 
 to all those whose opinion he had asked, and 
 for whom Peter had spoken ? Partly, no 
 doubt, because he wishes to refer in what 
 follows to the meaning of the name Peter, 
 and partly because Peter is to have a certain 
 leadership in the founding of the king- 
 dom, and so what is about to be said 
 will apply especially, though by no means ex- 
 clusively, to him. Simon Bar-jona. The 
 Hebrew Ben (Benjamin, Benhadad, etc.), and 
 the Aramaic Bar, signifies 'son' ; e. g., Bar- 
 Jesus, Barabbas 0:i), Bartholomew (io = i),* 
 Bartimens, Barnabas, etc. Comp. John-son, 
 Robin-son, etc., and kindred terms in many 
 languages. The word Bar-jonah (Bar-iona in 
 Com. Ver. is the Greek form) does not occur 
 elsewhere in the New Testament; in John 1 : 
 42; 21:15, we find (R.V.) 'Simon, son of John,' 
 and there is reason to suppose that Jona in Mutt, 
 is a contraction of Joana, which would be a 
 genitive case, meaning 'of John,' 1 so that Bar- 
 iona means not son of Jonah, but son of John. 
 Flesh and blood, viz., humanity, on its 
 feeble corporeal side, as distinguished from the 
 incorporeal or spiritual side, which is relatively 
 strong (Bleek). The phrase is found first in 
 Ecclus. 14: 18; 17:31; it occurs repeatedly in 
 
 NeW Test. (Oal. 1:16; Eph. 6:12 ; Heb. 2:14, etc.), and 
 
 is very common in the Talmud. The Old 
 Test, makes a similar use of 'flesh.' (Gen. 6:3, etc.) 
 Uevealed. No one around had the fixed 
 conviction that Jesus was the Messiah ; Peter 
 and the disciples for whom he spoke had not 
 derived that conviction from any human 
 teaching, nor from their own unaided reflec- 
 tion. My Father which is in heaven, see 
 on 6: 9. None but the Father knows the 
 Son. (ii:27.) To lift them out of all the per- 
 plexed conceptions due to their education and 
 
 iln Luke 3 : 27 Joanan (Heb. Jochanan, John) Is in 
 various documents written Jonan, and in 3: 30 Jonam 
 or Jonan is in some documents Joanan. So in the Sept. 
 Jodnan frequently appears as Jonan. Therefore it is 
 quite possible that in Matt. Jona is only a contraction 
 of Joana, which would be genitive of Joan as, a Doric 
 form of Joannes or Joanes, and Doric forms of proper 
 names are common in the New Test. ; thus Bar-jona 
 
 would be son of John. In John 1 : 42; 21 : 15, the true 
 text has Joanou, the Attic genitive, which was early 
 changed by some copyists to Jona through assimilation 
 to Matt. Bishop Lightfoot (on Rev., p. 137) gives a 
 quotation showing that the "Gospel of the Hebrews" 
 explained Bar-iona as a Jewish name, meaning son of 
 John.
 
 CH. XVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 355 
 
 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, j 18 Father who is in heaven. And I also say unto thee. 
 and upon this rock 1 will build my church; and the that thou art l Peter, and upon this - rock I will 
 gates of hell shall not prevail against it. build my church ; and the gates of Hades shall not 
 
 1 Or. Petrol. 2 Gr. Petra. 
 
 environment, and fix them in the conviction 
 that one without sceptre or army or even 
 home, is the Messiah, required revelation from 
 ttje Father (comp. John 6: 44). 
 
 18 f. Here are four main points to be con- 
 sidered, (1) the rock, (2) the church, (3) the 
 gates of Hades, (4) the keys of the kingdom, 
 and the power to bind and loose. And I say 
 also unto thee, as thou hast just said some- 
 thing to me which is so important. Weiss 
 and others understand, "as the Father has 
 given thee this great revelation, I also give 
 thee a great distinction." But thus to con- 
 trast his gifts with the Father's would be quite 
 foreign to the tone of our Lord's discourses; 
 and the emphatic position of 'unto thee' (in 
 the Gr.) forbids such a view. That thou art 
 Peter, 'thou' being expressed in the Greek, 
 and therefore emphatic. This is not for the 
 first time giving him the name, as some de- 
 structive critics hold in order to make out a 
 contradiction between Matthew and John, but 
 naturally implies that he has it already. (10:2.) 
 He who long before gave the surname (John 
 i:) now refers to it as significant. Chrys : 
 "See throughout all, his own authority; I 
 say unto thee, I will build the church, I will 
 give the keys." 
 
 A. Upon this rock. As Peter means rock, 
 the natural interpretation is that 'upon this 
 'rock' means upon thee. No other explana- 
 tion would probably at the present day be at- 
 tempted, but for the fact that the obvious 
 meaning has been abused by Papists to the 
 support of their theory. But we must not 
 allow the abuse of a truth to turn us away 
 from its use ; nor must the convenience of re- 
 ligious controversy determine our interpreta- 
 tion of Scripture teaching. The other inter- 
 pretations which have been proposed are, that 
 the rock is Peter's confession (or his faith), 
 and that the rock is Christ. 
 
 Now apart from the Romish perversion, cer- 
 tain other objections are made to the natural 
 interpretation. Some hold that such a play 
 upon words, "thou art Rock, and on this 
 rock," is unworthy of our Lord. But there is 
 a play upon words, understand as you may. 
 It is an even more far-fetched and harsh play 
 
 upon words if we understand the rock to be 
 Christ; and a very feeble and almost un- 
 meaning play upon words if the rock is Peter's 
 confession. Nor is there any real objection 
 to supposing paronomasia. Such expressions 
 are very common in Old Test. (e. g., Gen. 17: 
 5; 32: 28), and in New Test., especially in 
 Paul. See Winer, ?68, and Bp. Lightfoot on 
 Revision (in Schaff, on Rev., p. XV. ff.). 
 
 The fact that ' rock ' elsewhere in Scripture 
 is often applied to God and never to man 
 (Wordsw., Alex.), maybe offset by the fact 
 that our Lord himself gave this man the name 
 rock (John 1.-42), and here takes pains to call 
 him by that name, which he does nowhere 
 else save in Luke 22: 34; and perhaps even 
 the exception is significant, for he was then 
 predicting the shameful fall so unworthy of 
 one whom he had named rock. Late Jewish 
 writings (Wiin.) speak of Abraham as the 
 rock, or of the patriarchs as the rocks, on 
 which God laid the foundation of the world. 
 
 Many insist on the distinction between the 
 two Greek words, thou art Petros, and on this 
 petra, holding that if the rock had meant Pe- 
 ter, either petros or petra would have been 
 used both times, and that petros signifies a 
 separate stone or a fragment broken off, while 
 petra is the massive rock. But this distinc- 
 tion is almost entirely confined to poetry, the 
 common prose word instead of petros being 
 lithos ; nor is the distinction uniformly ob- 
 served (see Lid. and Scott). It is worthy of 
 notice, too, that Jesus himself is called lithos 
 in 1 Pet. 2: 5 ff. Again \fpetros had been 
 used both times in the Greek, it would have 
 meant, "thou art Peter, and on this Peter," 
 without distinctly showing the play upon 
 words; and it would not have been 
 natural for Matthew to write, ' thou 
 art petra' (feminine), when he has 
 been constantly writing the apostle's name 
 Simon Petros (masculine). But the main 
 answer here is that our Lord undoubtedly 
 spoke Aramaic, which has no known means 
 of making such a distinction. The Peshito 
 (Western Aramaic) renders, " Thou art kipho, 
 and on this hipho." The Eastern Aramaic, 
 spoken in Palestine in the time of Christ,
 
 356 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XVI. 
 
 must necessarily have said in like manner, 
 "Thou art kepha, and on this kepha." 
 (Comp. Buxtorf. ) Beza called attention to 
 the fact that it is so likewise in French : 
 "Thou art Pierre, and on this pierre" ; and 
 Nicholson suggests that we could say, "Thou 
 art Piers (old English for Peter), and on 
 this pier." Lightf. supposes (followed by 
 Wordsw.) that "he pronounced it Cephas 
 after the Greek manner" because he "could 
 not have been understood if in both places he 
 had retained the same word." How, then, 
 has the Pe^hito been understood ? Edersh. 
 finds the words petros and petra borrowed in 
 the late Rabbinical language, and thinks that 
 Jesus, while speaking Aramaic, may have 
 borrowed those Greek words here. But this 
 is -grossly improbable, and the suggestion 
 looks like a desperate expedient ; nor has he 
 shown that the late Eabbis themselves mako 
 the supposed distinction between the two 
 words. 
 
 Let it be observed that Jesus could not here 
 mean himself by the rock, consistently with 
 the image, because he is the builder. To say, 
 "I will build, .... I am the rock on which 
 I will build," would be a very confused image. 
 The suggestion of some expositors that in say- 
 ing 'thou art Peter, and on this rock' he 
 pointed at himself, involves an artificiality 
 which to some minds is repulsive. The at- 
 tempts to show that the demonstrative, 'on 
 this rock,' could not refer to the speaker, or 
 could not refer to the person addressed, are 
 alike futile. 
 
 But the great objection on the part of many 
 to the natural interpretation is the apparent 
 concession to Popery. Let us see how this 
 matter stands. 
 
 The early Fathers, who are for us only very 
 useful aids in interpretation, are for the 
 Roman Catholic an authority, only second to 
 that of Scripture. For him, though not for 
 us, it is a grave difficulty that some of the 
 most distinguished Fathers interpret the rock 
 otherwise. Chrys. expressly says on our 
 
 passage, "On this rock; that is, on the faith of 
 his confession." He often elsewhere gives the 
 same interpretation and never any other. 
 Once he remarks, " He did not say upon Peter, 
 for it was not upon man, but upon his faith." 
 Maldonatus would have trouble in applying 
 to this expression his "reverent" interpreta- 
 tion that those Fathers who say the church 
 was built on the faith and confession of Peter 
 really meant on Peter, because of his faith 
 and confession. Chrysostom's explanation is 
 also given by his contemporaries Gregory of 
 Nyssa and Isidore of Pelusium, and the Latin 
 Father Hilary, and by the later Greek Fathers 
 Theodoret, Theophanes, Theophylact, John 
 of Damascus. Probably these Fathers were 
 all aware of a tendency to pervert the more 
 natural interpretation which made Peter the 
 rock (that of Origen, Cyprian, Basil, Gregory 
 Naz., Ambrose, Jerome, Cyril Alex., etc.), 
 into a support for the growing claims of the 
 Roman Bishop, Augustine in his "Retracta- 
 tions" (I. 21) says that in an early work against 
 the Donatists he stated that the church was 
 founded on Peter as on a rock ; but that very 
 often since he has interpreted the language as 
 meaning that the rock was Christ; and that 
 Simon confessing him as all the church does 
 was therefore called Peter. He adds that the 
 reader may choose which of these opinions is 
 more probable. 1 We repeat that Chrys., 
 Augustine, and the rest, are notable authorities 
 for the Roman Catholic, and grievously in the 
 way of his building on the natural interpreta- 
 tion of the passage. 
 
 But grant that the rock is Peter, and con- 
 sider what the Roman Catholic will then have 
 to show in order to establish the claims of the 
 Papacy. 
 
 1. He must show that Peter alone was to be 
 the founder of Christianity. Of this there is 
 no evidence but the obviously figurative ex- 
 pression before us. Against it (a) we find 
 various express declarations, especially Ephes. 
 2 : 20, " Built upon the foundation of the apos- 
 tles and prophets," etc. (b) The history in 
 
 1 Some other Fathers were uncertain, and have inter- 
 preted the passage differently in different writings; 
 but most of the examples of this cited by Suicer (The- 
 saurus Eccles.) are misunderstood by him, and some of 
 them mistranslated. Stier states that " Lannoy, 
 Doctor of the Sorbonne, out of seventy-seven sayings 
 of the most famous Church Fathers and Church writers, 
 
 had found only seventeen which explain Peter himself 
 as the rock, forty-four on the contrary understand the 
 faith, and sixteen Christ himself." But such numerical 
 statements can be but little relied on, unless one could 
 have the citations and know something of their 
 sources.
 
 CH. XVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 357 
 
 Acts and the Epistles is also opposed to this 
 notion ; especially in Acts ch. 15, where Peter 
 does not at all act separately or appear to be 
 supreme (though he is a leader), and it is 
 really James that suggests the measure adopt- 
 ed by the brethren ; also in Gal. ch. 2, where 
 Peter is one of the three pillars, James being 
 named first, and where Peter is publicly re- 
 buked by Paul for acting contrary to his own 
 convictions. Think t>f a Romish bishop re- 
 buking the Pope to his face "before all." (c) 
 The promise as to binding and loosing here 
 made to Peter, is made in 18: 18 as to the ac- 
 tion of all the apostles or any church. A 
 partly similar promise is made in John 20: 
 22 f. to the ten apostles and others (as shown 
 by the comparison of Luke), (d) This saying 
 is omitted by Mark and Luke, though they 
 give what precedes and what follows it. Now 
 according to the Romanist view they have 
 omitted the very heart of the passage, and 
 well-nigh the most important thing Jesus ever 
 said. Thus H. J. Coleridge: "This confes- 
 sion of St. Peter, and the magnificent bless- 
 ing which it drew from our Lord, may be said 
 to be the very central point of our Lord's 
 ministry. All before it leads up to it, and all 
 that follows it in some sense takes its color 
 from it." And yet Mark and Luke have both 
 come right up to this transcendently import- 
 ant saying, and then passed it by, giving the 
 words which in Matthew immediately follow. 
 The argument from silence must always be 
 carefully used, but this is certainly a very 
 strong case. 
 
 2. He must show that Peter not only was 
 the sole founder of Christianity, but that he 
 was vicegerent of God and the sovereign of all 
 Christians. No Scripture testifies this at all, 
 unless the present passage does; and the whole 
 tone of the New Testament is against it. Nor 
 do the Fathers who understand the rock to be 
 Peter indicate the notion of his having any 
 such position or power as the modern Pope. 
 
 3. He must show that this supposed au- 
 thority of Peter's was transmissible, of which 
 there is no particle of evidence in the New 
 Test. ; and it is strangely inconsistent with the 
 very image of a corner-stone, or foundation 
 rock, to suppose it frequently removed and a 
 new one substituted. 
 
 4. He must show that Peter lived and died 
 at Rome, which is probably true but not cer- 
 
 tain ; and that he was, rather than Paul, the 
 head of the church at Rome, of which there 
 is no evidence at all, and Irenaeus and Euse- 
 bius agree in making Linus first bishop of that 
 church. 
 
 5. He must show that Peter's supposed 
 transmissible authority was actually trans- 
 mitted to the leading official of the church at 
 Rome. Of this there is no evidence but com- 
 paratively late tradition. And against it is 
 the general history of the earliest churches, in 
 which the church at Rome (e. g., in Clement's 
 Ep. to the Corinthians) does indeed appear as 
 influential (a natural thing from its being in 
 the imperial city), but there is not the slightest 
 indication that it was supreme, or had any 
 sovereignty, recognized or claimed. And 
 why should a special office or authority be 
 transmitted to a church official at Rome rather 
 than at Antioch or Jerusalem? Notice too 
 (Gloag, "Exege. Studies"), that on the Papal 
 theory the great apostle John was, after the 
 death of Peter, completely subject to the 
 bishop of Rome. 
 
 The Protestant reluctance to admit that the 
 rock means Peter really plays into the hands 
 of the Romish controversialists. It favors the 
 impression that conceding that point would 
 be conceding all that the Romanist claims, 
 when, as we have seen, the hopeless burden of 
 his argument comes afterwards. Now to take 
 Peter as the rock is certainly the most natural 
 and obvious meaning. And to make this the 
 life or death issue is to give the Romanist a 
 serious polemical advantage. In general, it is 
 a great principle in Biblical interpretation to 
 take the most obvious meaning of any phrase, 
 unless it would thus yield a sense hopelessly 
 in conflict with the unambiguous teaching of 
 other passages. 
 
 To understand that Peter is here the rock is 
 not forbidden by the fact that otherjjiiages 
 are drawn from the same source. In 1 Cor. 
 10 ft"., Paul speaks of himself as master- 
 builder (architect), and other teachers also as 
 builders, Christ being the only foundation. 
 In Eph. 2: 19 if, he makes the apostles and 
 prophets the foundation, with Christ as corner- 
 stone. So in Rev. 21 : 14 the names of the 
 twelve apostles are engraved on the twelve 
 foundations of the city walls, which makes 
 the apostles in one sense the entire foundation. 
 Inl Peter 2: 4 if. all Christians are living stones
 
 358 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVI. 
 
 builtupintoaspiritual house, with Christ as the 
 chief corner stone. In the present passage 
 Christ is the builder, and the apostles tire the 
 foundation, as represented by Peter, who 
 Bpoke for the rest, and had a recognized leader- 
 ship among them. There are many other cases 
 of an image variously applied. In v. 19, Peter 
 is promised the keys, while in Kev. 1 : 18; 3: 
 7, Jesus has the keys. So in 5 : 14, Christians 
 are the light of the world, while in John 9: 5 
 Christ is the light of the world. That Peter 
 was a leader among the apostles, is seen 
 already from his standing at the head in each 
 of the four lists. (See on 10 : 2.) He appears 
 as markedly prominent in Acts 1 : 15 ff. ; 2 : 
 14 ff. ; 2 : 37 f. ; 3:1 ff. (with John) ; 3 : 11 f. ; 
 4 : 8 ff. ; 4 : 19 (with John) ; 5 : 8, 15, 29 ; 8 : 
 14 (with John). Observe especially the desig- 
 nation of Peter to receive a special revelation 
 and take special action concerning the Gen- 
 tiles, Acts JO : 9 ff. ; 11 : 17 ; 15 : 7 ; also the 
 prominence of Peter and James in the decision 
 of the conference at Jerusalem (Acts 15 = 7ff.), 
 where Paul says that James, Cephas, and 
 John were reputed to be pillars ( 0*1.2: 9), an 
 architectural image somewhat akin to that 
 which here makes the apostles the foundation. 
 Notice in particular that Peter was leader in 
 converting many Jews on the great Day of 
 Pentecost, and was also the first instrument 
 in the conversion of Gentiles who had not 
 become Jews. In all this there is nothing at 
 all to show that his leadership amounted to 
 supremacy, but in fact, much to the contrary. 
 He appears everywhere as primus inter pares, 
 the first among equals. The disciples after 
 this time dispute who shall be greatest, (w-.i: 
 LnkeM:24.) I n so doing they certainly did 
 
 not understand that Peter was greatest, nor 
 did Jesus intimate that in replying. We 
 find also (Gloag) that Peter, instead of send- 
 ingtheother apostles is sent by them (AOUS:H^ 
 
 ' and is called to account by the apostles and 
 brethren. (Aciii:i-i8.) If then it be supposed 
 that our Lord's language applies to Peter in 
 some peculiar sense not true of the other 
 apostles, still it cannot possibly mean that 
 he is thereby made sovereign over the rest. 
 Jesus here means that the apostles are 
 
 the foundation on which he will build his 
 church, and Peter is mentioned in par- 
 
 , ticular because of his significant name, 
 appropriate character, spokesmanship on 
 
 this occasion, and recognized leadership in 
 general. That the rock here means Peter is 
 held among Protestant expositors by Bengel, 
 Doddridge, Macknight, Fritzsche, Bleek, 
 Meyer, De Wette, Alford, Stier, Keim, 
 Grimm, Weiss, Geikie, Farrar, Hansel, 
 Gloag. 
 
 B. I will build. The image is that of a 
 house, as seen also in 'gates' and 'keys.' To 
 build an assembly was atombination of images 
 easy to the Jewish mind, because the congre- 
 gation of Israel was often also called the 
 house of Israel. The word church is used 
 also in 18: 17, but nowhere else in the Gos- 
 pels, and the discussions connected with it 
 belong chiefly to the Acts and Epistles. The 
 Greek word ekklesia signified primarily the 
 assembly of citizens in a self-governed State, 
 being derived from ekkaleo, to call out ; 
 i. e., out from their homes or places of busi- 
 ness, to summon, as we speak of calling 
 out the militia. The popular notion that 
 it meant to call out in the sense of separation 
 from others, is a riiistake. In a secondary 
 sense ekklesia denoted any popular assembly 
 (Acts 19: 39.) This Greek term seems to have 
 been applied directly to an actual congregation 
 or assembly of Christians, what we now call 
 a local church, as in 18: 17, and usually in the 
 Acts and Epistles, sometimes to an (appar- 
 ently) informal, unorganized meeting, (Rom. 
 
 16:5; Col.4:15; Philem. 2.) But in the SeptUagillt it 
 
 is often used to translate the Hebrew qnhal 
 (for example, Deut. 18: 6; 23: 1 ff.,; Judg. 21: 
 8 ; Psa. 22 : 22, etc. ), which is also derived from 
 a root meaning to call, to convoke, and so 
 signifies a convocation, a congregation, assem- 
 bly. This and another Hebrew word of 
 equivalent meaning are used in all parts of 
 the Old Test, to denote the congregation of 
 Israel (comp. Acts 7: 38; Heb. 2: 12). In the 
 New Test, the spiritual, Israel, never actually 
 assembled, is sometimes conceived of as an 
 ideal congregation or assembly, and this is de- 
 noted by the word ekklesia. So in Eph. 1 : 22, 
 and often throughout that Epistle, in Col. 1: 
 18, 24; Heb. 12: 23, etc. This seems to be the 
 meaning here. All real Christians are con- 
 ceived of as an ideal congregation or assem- 
 bly, and this is here described as a house or v 
 temple, built upon Peter (and the other apos- 
 tles), as in Eph. 2: 19-22, it is a temple "built 
 upon the foundation of the apostles and pro-
 
 CH. XVI] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 359 
 
 phets." There is a third use of the term ekkle- 
 sia, widely diffused throughout Christendom, 
 in which it is made to denote the aggregate of all 
 
 formally professing Christians, or all outward 
 organizations of Christians, or else some one 
 outward organization which is alone recog- 
 nized by the persons using the term as being 
 really "the church." This aggregate of pro- 
 fessed Christians is in modem parlance called 
 "the visible church," as distinguished from 
 "the invisible church," which denotes as 
 above, the ideal assembly of real Christians. 
 But the word is not used in the New Test, to 
 denote a congregation, actual or imaginary, 
 of all professed Christians, unless it be in Acts 
 9: 31 (correct text), and in 1 Tim. 3: 15. In 
 the former the word probably denotes the 
 original church at Jerusalem, whose members 
 were by the persecution widely scattered 
 throughout Judea and Galilee and Samaria, 
 and held meetings wherever they were, but 
 still belonged to the one original organization. 
 When Paul wrote to the Galatians, nearly 
 twenty years later, these separate meetings 
 had been organized into distinct churches; 
 and so he speaks (oai. i : w), in reference to that 
 same period, of "the churches of Judea which 
 were in Christ." In 1 Tim. 3: 15, "the 
 church" is naturally the particular local 
 church with which one is connected. If 
 these two passages be not relied on for the 
 purpose, there is no New Test, authority for 
 the sense of "the visible church," and there- 
 fore the word ought not to be so understood 
 here. As to the English word 'church,' see 
 on 18: 17. 
 
 C. The gates of hell, or Hades. The 
 word Hades (see on 11 : 23), denotes the invis- 
 ible world, the abode of the departed. The 
 Hebrew word Sheol has substantially the same 
 meaning. Such was also the original sense of 
 the English word hell, the hidden or unseen 
 place ( Anglo Saxon helan, 'to hide,' Skeat), 
 which was therefore in early English a correct i 
 translation of Hades and Sheol. But it has 
 gradually come to denote exclusively the 
 place of torment, as so many other words 
 have become restricted to the bad sense, and 
 is now only a translation of Gehenna (see on 
 6: 22), while Hades has to be borrowed in 
 
 Rev. Ver. of New Test. In Com. Ver. 
 
 of Old Test., Sheol was translated either 
 'hell,' 'the grave,' or 'the pit.' In Kev. 
 
 Ver. the Hebrew Sheol has been often 
 borrowed, and this ought assuredly to have 
 been done in all cases, as urged by the 
 American Revisers. Neither Hades nor 
 Sheol ever denotes distinctively the place of 
 torment. Farrar claims for this sense Luke 
 16: 23; 2 Pet. 2:4; Matthew 11 : 23. But in 
 Luke 16: 23 the place of torment is in Hades, 
 and so is Abraham's abode separated by an 
 impassable gulf, but within sight and hearing. 
 So the rich man in torment was in Hades, but 
 the gates of Hades (whether meaning entrance 
 or power) cannot be distinctively the gates of 
 the place of torment, the abode of Satan. In 
 2 Pet. 2: 4 the term Hades is not used, but a 
 verb derived from the Greek word Tartarus, 
 which was in Greek usage exclusively a place 
 of torment; and this word occurs nowhere 
 else in the Greek Bible. In Matt. 11: 23 
 (see note) the arrogantly aspiring city, which 
 dreams of reaching heaven, is to be brought 
 down to Sheol or Hades, conceived of as far 
 underground, i. e., to utter destruction; and 
 the idea of future torment does not even enter 
 into the connection. There is nowhere any 
 warrant for understanding Hades as denoting 
 distinctively the place of torment, the abode 
 of Satan ; it is the abode of the departed, and 
 through its gates pass all who die. To argue 
 that Abraham and Lazarus must have been 
 in heaven, and therefore wholly separated 
 from Hades, is beside the mark ; for the con- 
 ception of heaven as the abode of the blessed 
 is entirely distinct from that of Hades, and 
 the two cannot be combined into one local 
 image. 
 
 The 'gutes of Sheol ' (Hades) are spoken 
 of in Isaiah 38: 10; Wisdom 16: 13; 3 Mace. 
 5: 51; Psalms of Solomon 16: 2; Gospel of 
 Nicodemus 21 ; and in this passage; the 'bars 
 of Sheol' in Job 17: 16; the 'gates of Death ' 
 in Job 38: 17; Ps. 9:14(13); 107: 18, and the 
 ' keys of death and of Hados' in Rev. 1 : 18. 
 So in "Iliad" IX., 312, Achilles says, "For 
 hateful to me, like the gates of Hados, is the 
 mtin who hides one thing in his breast and 
 says another." In "Iliad" VI., 546, Tlepole- 
 ms: " But subdued by me you will traverse 
 the gates of Hades." In "Odyssey" XL, 
 277, " But she went to the abode of the strong 
 gate-keeper, Hades" (the deity presiding over 
 that region). In ^chylus, " Agam." 1291, 
 Clytemnestra addresses the gates of Hades,
 
 360 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVI. 
 
 and prays that she may have a speedy and 
 easy death. In Euripides, "Hecuba" 1, 
 Hecuba says, "I come, leaving the hiding- 
 place of the dead and the gates of darkness, 
 where Hades dwells apart from the gods." It 
 will be seen that in all the passages from 
 Hebrew writings, and most of those from 
 Greek writings, the gates of Hades are passed 
 through by the dying. In the passage from 
 Euripides a person is conceived as corning 
 back through the gates of Hades, and there 
 are some other passages of Greek authors to 
 the same effect. It would be possible, though 
 not most natural, so to understand Rev. 1: 18. 
 
 Prevail against, or 'overcome,' literally, 
 be strong against, 'be too strong for' The 
 Greek word is found also in Luke 23: 23, and 
 is an intensive compound of that used in Acts 
 19: 16. It might in the Greek grammatically 
 refer to the rock or to the church ; the con- 
 nection shows plainly that the latter is meant, 
 but there is no substantial difference. Some 
 able commentators understand "shall not 
 surpass it in strength," without the notion of 
 conflict; but this is contrary to the etymology 
 and use of the verb, and seems strained. 
 Because 'gates' has in Greek no article, 
 "Weiss takes it to mean ' Hades-gates,' i. e., 
 gates of that class or kind shall not surpass it 
 in strength. But the indefinite word gates is 
 made definite by appending Hades, this being 
 a definite and single locality a use of the ap- 
 pended genitive that is quite common in 
 the New Test. (Winer, 125 [155], Buttman, 
 88, 118'. 1 
 
 ' The gates of Hades shall not prevail against 
 it' may now be seen to have three possible 
 senses, (a) It most naturally means, accord- 
 to the Hebrew uses, that the gates of Hades 
 shall not swallow up the church. All earthly 
 things go down through those dread gates, 
 but Christ's church, for which he gave him- 
 self, will never cease to exist; there will 
 always be Christians in the world. This was 
 a bold prediction for a homeless teacher, with 
 a handful of followers (comp. 28: 18-20). (b) 
 Or, taking the occasional Greek, but not He- 
 brew use, together with the possible meaning 
 of Rev. 1 : 18, we shall have the sense, the 
 
 gates of Hades shall not prevent my people 
 from rising again (Meyer. ) (c) ' Gates ' may be 
 taken, though it is an unusual sense, as a sym- 
 bol of power, because strong gates completed 
 the fortifications of a city (Qeu. 22: 17; Psa. 127:5), 
 or because judges often sat, kings administered 
 justice, and garrisons gathered, in the gates. 
 Comp. "the Sublime Porte," and the Eu- 
 ropean use of " Court," as connected with the 
 court-yard of a palace. Then the expression 
 would mean, the power of Hades shall not 
 be too strong for my church, a sense loosely 
 equivalent to (a. ) Yet this is harsh ; for while 
 ' gates ' might well represent defensive power, 
 it is hardly congruous to take them as repre- 
 senting aggressive power. As to the wide- 
 spread notion that it means the power of 
 Satan, there is no authority whatever for so 
 understanding 'the gates of Hades.' Satan 
 rules over one part of Hades; but how can 
 he control, or be represented by, the gates of 
 Hades, through which the blessed pass in 
 dying, as well as the wicked? This notion 
 has been diffused through Christendom from 
 two causes. The conception of heaven as the 
 abode of the blest rapidly supplanted the idea 
 of the blest as dwelling in Hades, and Hades 
 came to be thought of only in the bad sense. 
 Accordingly the Latin term infernus (in- 
 ferni, inferna, inferi), which originally meant 
 substantially the same as Hades, gradually 
 became restricted in Christian usage to the 
 place of torment (Italian inferno, French, 
 enfer, English adjective, infernal), just as has 
 happened with the English word hell. Thus in 
 the Vulg. portae inferoriitn 'inferi }, like ' gates 
 of hell' in modern English, readily came to 
 suggest the power of Satan. The other cause 
 is that this notion suited the conception of 
 Christ's 'church' as a visible organization, 
 which the power of Satan vainly strives to 
 overthrow, (d) Ewald thinks of the gates 
 of Hades as opening to let monsters issue from 
 them (Rev. 9: i ff.), and these monsters shall not 
 overcome the church ; but this is far-fetched 
 and highly unnatural. 
 
 The passage then seems to mean either, my 
 church shall not be swallowed up in the gates 
 of Hades (or possibly shall not be overcome 
 
 >This matter of the appended genitive, upon which f noun that the complex idea becomes definite, then the 
 Winer and Butt, make many distinctions, may be re- speaker or writer may, if he chooses, omit the article 
 duced to a single statement. Where the noun appended with the first noun, and yet expect the phrase to be 
 iu the genitive is in its nature so related to the other understood as definite.
 
 CH. XVI] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 361 
 
 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the king- 
 dom of heaven : and whatsoever thou shall bind on 
 ean lii-liall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou 
 shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 
 
 19 prevail against it. I will give unto thee the keys of 
 the kingdom of heaven: aud whatsoever thou shall 
 bind on earth shall be bound in heaven : and what- 
 soover thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in 
 
 by its power), shall not cease to exist there 
 shall always be Christians in the world; or, 
 my people shall rise again. The former is 
 much the more probable meaning, because 
 it follows the general Hebrew usage. Then 
 the question will turn simply on the word 
 church (see above), whether it means an out- 
 ward organization of professed Christians (or 
 the aggregate of many such organizations), 
 or means an ideal assembly of all true Chris- 
 tians. 
 
 D. I will give unto thee the keys of the 
 kingdom of heaven. That copyists should 
 prefix and was very natural. At first sight it 
 seems to be required, though upon closer ex- 
 amination the statement is seen to be more 
 expressive without it, as a parallel to 'I will 
 build.' The image here changes, in part. 
 There is still a house, but he who was before 
 the foundation of the house now receives the 
 keys. Alexander: "The abrupt transition 
 may be urged as an objection to the supposi- 
 tion that the rock of v. 18 is Peter. It is cer- 
 tainly no natural association of ideas thilt the 
 keys of the building should be given to the 
 rock on which it rests. Yet it is quite as in- 
 congruous for the rock to give the keys us to 
 receive them." He who hud the keys of a 
 city or palace determined whether any given 
 person should enter or be shut out. (Eev. : 1 1. , 
 zo: i-s.) This would suggest a general authority 
 and control, varying in extent according to 
 the nature of the case. There seems to be al- 
 lusion hereto the high steward of the palace 
 of David, Isa. 22: 15, 22; and in Rev. 1: 18; 
 8: 7, a similar but spiritual function is ascribed 
 to Jesus himself. The Talmud makes like use 
 of the phrase. Coinp. also in Luke 11 : 52, 
 "Ye took away the key of knowledge; ye 
 entered not in yourselves, and them that were 
 entering in ye hindered." In our passage, 
 however the rock may be understood, all 
 must agree that our Lord gives the keys to 
 Peter, i. e., the power of admitting (e. </., 
 Acts 11: 17), or denying admission (e. 7., 
 Acts 8: 21), into the Messianic kingdom. Yet 
 it is not given to him in any exclusive sense, 
 for th ft closely connected power of binding 
 and loosing was not long after given to any 
 
 church (is: is), and the included power of for- 
 giving sins was given to the ten apostles and 
 others. (John 20: 23.) As to the 'kingdom of 
 heaven,' see on 3 : 2. There seems to be no refer- 
 ence here or anywhere in the use of this term to 
 an outward organization of Messiah's subjects. 
 His reign is a spiritual reign, and admission 
 into his kingdom isa spiritual admission. Peter 
 and the other apostles would admit or deny ad- 
 mission, as they would forgive sins or retain 
 them, by teaching the spiritual conditions of 
 admission or forgiveness, and by their in- 
 spired power of discerning and declaring a 
 man's spiritual condition {e. g., Acts 5: 3; 8: 
 21; 13: 10). The legend of Peter sitting at 
 the gate with the keys assumes that the king- 
 dom of heaven here denotes heaven as the 
 abode of the blest. It corresponds to, and 
 perhaps grew out of, a Talmudic legend that 
 Abraham sits at the door of Gehenna, and 
 will let no circumcised person go down. 
 
 Bind and loose, in the Talmud and other 
 Rabbinical writings (Lightf., Wet., Wun., 
 Edersh. ), signify to interpret and apply the 
 law and traditions on any subject with strict- 
 ness or with laxity, and hence in general to 
 forbid or allow. The strict school of Sham- 
 mai is represented as binding many things 
 which the school of Hillel loosed. Comp. on 
 19: 3. In Rabbinical phrase it would be said 
 that in Acts 15: 10 Peter advocated loosing 
 what the Judaizers wished to bind. Diod. Sic. 
 tells (I. 27) of an image of Isis with the in- 
 scription, "I, Isis, am the queen of all the 
 land, and whatever I shall bind no one 
 can loose." These uses seem to leave no 
 doubt as to the meaning of the terms here. 
 Our Lord declares that whatever Peter should 
 forbid or allow, should declare to be wrong or 
 right, would be sanctioned by divine au- 
 thority, approved in heaven. As Peter was 
 the spokesman of all the apostles, we should 
 naturally understand that the same would be 
 true of all the inspired teachings (com p. John 
 K'c 13) ; they would have Heaven's approval. 
 And this included forgiving or retaining sins 
 (John 20: M), which was promised to the apostles 
 and others present. (Comp. Luke.) Similar 
 in that case is the expression ' loosed us from
 
 362 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVI. 
 
 20 Then charged he his disciples that they should 
 tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. 
 
 21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his 
 disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and 
 sutler munv things of the elders and chief priests and 
 scribes, and be kulel.and be raised again the third day. 
 
 20 heaven. Then charged he the disciples that they 
 should tell no man that he was the Christ. 
 
 21 From that time began 1 Jesus to shew unto his 
 disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and 
 suffer many things of the elders and chief priests 
 and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be 
 
 1 Some ancient authorities road. Jti 
 
 our sins,' Rev. 1: 6 (correct text), and the 
 same phrase in Isa. 40: 2 (Sept.); Ecclus. 
 28: 2. In 18: 18 exactly the same promise as 
 to binding and loosing is made to all the per- 
 sons addressed ('ye'), meaning either the 
 apostles in general, or more probably the ac- 
 tion of any church. From the abuse of 16: 
 19; 18: 18; and John 20: 23, arose the Eomish 
 doctrine of priestly absolution, which some 
 Protestant persuasions retain in a modified 
 form. Ministers may teach the conditions of 
 forgiveness, but they have no inspired power 
 of discerning a person's spiritual condition, 
 and their declarations of absolution are of no 
 value beyond stating the conditions. 
 
 20. Then charged he his (the) disciples. 
 ' His ' was added by copyists, as in v. 5. The 
 plural shows that they shared the conviction 
 which Peter as their spokesman had expressed. 
 That he was Jesus the Christ. 'Jesus' 
 was inserted by copyists. Until their own 
 views of his Messianic work were greatly cor 
 reeled, as the Master at once began to do 
 (16: si), any statement by them that he was 
 Messiah would have done harm rather than 
 good. It would have brought him prema- 
 turely into open antagonism to the Jewish 
 rulers, and might have awakened the fanati- 
 cism of the masses, who would take it for 
 granted that the Messiah must collect an 
 army for conquering, and this would have 
 excited the jealousy of the tetrarchs and the 
 Roman government. (Comp. on 14: 22 and 
 8: 4.) After he had suffered and died 
 (Luke9:2i r.), they could tell everybody that he 
 was the Messiah, and could then give correct 
 ideas of the Messianic work. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 6. False ideas in religion. 1) False ideas 
 are often advocated by worthy and even dis- 
 tinguished people. 2) False ideas are apt to 
 ' diffuse themselves through the whole mass of 
 one's religious thinking. 3) False ideas will 
 inevitably affect religious character and life. 
 4) Therefore we must beware of adopting the 
 religious errors of eminent and admirable 
 
 persons. The leaven of error in high places 
 of position and culture. 1) The leaven of the 
 Pharisees represents for us ritualism, formal- 
 ism, hypocrisy. 2) The leaven of the Sad- 
 duces represents skepticism, "rationalism," 
 ''liberalism." 3) The leaven of the Herodians, 
 secularism and the subordination of religion 
 to politics. V. 9. HENRY: "We are there- 
 fore perplexed with present cares and dis- 
 trusts, because we do not duly remember our 
 former experiences of divine power and good- 
 ness." 
 
 V. 13-17. Opinions about Jesus. 1) What 
 men think of Jesus is a matter of great im- 
 portance for their own good, and therefore 
 of great concern to him, v. 13. 2) Men are 
 often very ingenious in devising other theories 
 in order to avoid a view of Jesus which 
 offends their prejudices, v. 14. 3") Those 
 who wish to know the truth about Jesus must 
 be ready to break, if necessary, with popular 
 opinion, v. 15. 4) The only true view of 
 Jesus regards him as the Divine Redeemer, 
 v. 16. 5) Thoroughly correct views of Jesus 
 are drawn only from revelation, v. 17. 
 HENRY : " It is possible for men to have good 
 thoughts of Christ and yet not right ones, a 
 high opinion of him and yet not high enough." 
 V. 17. ORIGEN: "If we say as Peter did, 
 "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living 
 God," not flesh and blood having revealed it to 
 us, but light having shone in our heart from 
 theFatherin heaven, then we also become such 
 as Peter was, happy like him and for the same 
 reason." V. 18. Christ building his church. 
 1) The spiritual church of Christ includes all 
 real Christians. 2) Christ himself builds his 
 church, using his apostles as foundation, and 
 all who believe on him through their word 
 (John 17: 20) as materials. 3) Christ guarantees 
 that his spiritual church shall never cease to 
 exist there will always be true Christians on 
 earth. 
 
 16 : 21-28. JESUS BEGINS TO FORETELL 
 HIS DEATH. 
 
 This is alo found in Mark 8: 31 to 9: 1; 
 Luke 9 : 22-27. It is closely connected with
 
 CH. XVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 363 
 
 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, 
 saying, Be it far from thee, Lord : this shall not be 
 unto thee. 
 
 22 raised up. And Peter took him, and began to re- 
 buke him, saying, l Be it far from thee, Lord : this 
 
 Peter's great confession, and from the connec- 
 tion in Luke (9:2ir.) may have been spoken 
 immediately after. The place is in the neigh- 
 borhood of Cesarea Philippi. (ie: is.) 
 
 21. From that time forth began. Being 
 now fully convinced that he was the Messiah, 
 the disci pies must be restrained from endeavor- 
 ing to carry out their erroneous notions of the 
 Messianic reign, and could be taught more 
 correct ideas without destroying their faith. 
 But the instruction here begun had to be con- 
 tinued from time to time, (n: s, wr ; 20: isf. ; 26: 
 
 2, 12, 31 f. ; comp. John 12 : 23 ff.) Filled with the popu- 
 
 lar Jewish conceptions, it required frequent 
 repetition to make real to their minds the 
 amazing thought that the Messiah was to be 
 put to death. Indeed, they were unprepared 
 after all; their hopes were crushed by his 
 death, and they forgot his promise of rising 
 again. This point, at which he begins dis- 
 tinctly to foretell his death, constituted a new 
 epoch (Meyer) in our Lord's ministry, like 
 that of 4 : 17, where the same expression is 
 used, ' from that time began.' This important 
 epoch is considerably more than six months, 
 probably eight or nine months, before the cru- 
 cifixion. It must not for a moment be sup- 
 posed that Jesus only now began himself to 
 foresee his sufferings and death. (See John 
 2: 19; 3: 14; Matt. 9: 15; 10: 38; 12: 40. 
 Jesus, should, as in the margin of Rev. Ver., 
 be 'Jesus Christ.' This phrase occurs no- 
 where else in the Gospels except in the be- 
 ginning of Matt. (i;i, is) and Mark (i; i), and 
 in John 17: 3. It is here very appropri- 
 ate in opening a new section of the Gospel, 
 and when the disciples have just formally 
 recognized Jesus as the Christ. 1 The designa- 
 tion 'the Christ' has been already applied by 
 Matt, to Je;us in 11: 2; 16: 20. How that, 
 obsolete ; we say ' that.' He must, as neces- 
 sary to carry out his mission and accomplish 
 his work (H:64;W*:lj/oh:H.) Go unto 
 Jerusalem. This is mentioned here by 
 Matthew alone ; comp. at the transfiguration, 
 Luke 9 : 31. Jesus is now at the greatest dis- 
 
 tance from Jerusalem that was possible in 
 Palestine. At Jerusalem the opposition to 
 him was most bitter, through the conservatism 
 of learning and of office. (John a : 48.) Those 
 who had assailed him most fiercely in Galilee 
 came from Jerusalem. (Murks: 22 ;MU. is: i.) He 
 stayed away from the last preceding Passover 
 because the Jews at Jerusalem sought to kill 
 him. (John 7:i.) From this time on the thought 
 of going to Jerusalem and facing all that 
 awaits him, is prominent in his mind. What 
 is to befall him cannot happen elsewhere, 
 Luke 13: 22; comp. also Matt. 20: 18, and 
 the parables in Mark and Luke. And suffer 
 many things. So also Mark and Luke. 
 This general expression was natural in the 
 distance; but shortly before the crucifixion 
 he made more specific statements, 20: 19; 
 Mark 10:34. Of the elders and chief 
 priests and scribes, the three classes which 
 constituted the Sanhedrin, see on 26 : 59. One 
 article for the three nouns indicates their close 
 connection. Mark and Luke add, 'be re- 
 jected by the elders,' etc. And be killed. 
 The Jews expected the Messiah to conquer 
 and reign ; there is no intimation in their in- 
 terbiblical or later writings of any other per- 
 suasion, for 2 (4) Esdras 7 : 28 f. is evidently 
 a Christian interpolation, and, indeed, the 
 original work is probably post-Christian. 
 The third day, so Luke; Mark's 'after three 
 days' is equivalent, see on 27 : 62. This pre- 
 diction of rising the third day had been ob- 
 scurely given to his enemies, John 2: 19; 
 Matt. 12 : 40, and is now distinctly given to 
 the disciples, and repeated on two subsequent 
 occasions, 17 : 23 (also Mark) ; 20: 19. (Also 
 Murk and Luke.) He also predicts his resur- 
 rection without mentioning the three clays in 
 17: 9 (with Mark); 26: 32, (with Mark.) 
 Mark (8:32) adds, 'And he spake the saying 
 openly,' as opposed to the previous obscure 
 expressions. The disciples evidently could 
 not take in the idea that he was to rise again. 
 They believed in a resurrection at the last 
 day (John n :2), but that could not be meant 
 
 i 'Christ' is added in the first hand of N and of B, and for its omission by copyists, while its appropriateness 
 in Metnphitic. The rarity of the title readily accounts here appears only to the thoughtful student.
 
 364 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cu. XVI. 
 
 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee be- 
 hind me, Satan : thou art an offence unto rue: for 
 thou savtmrcst not the things that be of God, but those 
 that be of men. 
 
 23 shall never be unto thee. But he turned, and said 
 unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art a 
 sturubliiigblock unto me: for thou mitidest not the 
 
 here, for how then should he do the work of 
 Messiah? They hud seen persons raised from 
 the dead, as the daughter of Jairus and the 
 son of the widow of Nain ; but this was done 
 by Jesus, and who was to raise him ? The 
 only way in which they could conceive of a 
 person's coming to life again was that some 
 miracle-worker should bring him to life. 
 They understood clearly the statement of 
 Jesus that he was to die; the horror of that 
 thought would increase their confusion of 
 mind, and so they did not see what his resur- 
 rection could mean (comp. on 17: 9), prob- 
 ably thinking it must be figurative, and 
 thus of little personal interest to them in 
 connection with the thought of his death. 
 This state of things appears sufficient!} 7 to 
 account for their failing to remember these 
 predictions when his death and resurrection 
 occurred. 
 
 22 f. Peter was probably elated by the 
 commendation and promises of 16: 17-19, 
 and his native ardor and self-confidence 
 thereby encouraged into an attempt to direct 
 the Master's conduct. Took him, literally, 
 took him to himself ; so also Mark. He drew 
 Jesus aside (Chrys. ), to make a personal and 
 private remonstrance. Comp. at a later 
 period, John 11 : 8. Began, seems to be here 
 merely a descriptive touch (see on 11 : 20), not 
 meaning (as in v. 21) that he afterwards did 
 the same on other occasions, but making us 
 see him as he begins this utterarice. Rebuke 
 implies distinctly that Jesus is in the wrong. 
 Peter did not appreciate the ' must ' in v. 21, as 
 denoting a necessity of the case. He believed 
 Jesus to be the Messiah, and according to all 
 his ideas it was out of the question that the Mes- 
 siah should suffer and be killed at Jerusalem. 
 Be it far from thee, or literally, (as Rev. 
 Ver., margin), '(God) have mercy on thee.' 
 The course contemplated seems so perilous or 
 so wrong as to excite a prayer that God will 
 be merciful and prevent it. Notice that the 
 divine name is omitted (comp. on 5: 34). 
 
 Such an expression if lightly made would be 
 profane, but might be properly used on ade- 
 quate occasion. It is not found elsewhere in 
 New Test., but several times in Sept.; in 1 
 Chron. 11: 19, David says (Sept.), "God be 
 merciful to me! that I should do this," Heb. 
 "a profane thing to me from my God," 
 equivalent to Eng. "God forbid." Comp. 
 also 1 Mace. 2: 21. Tyndale and Cran. ren- 
 der ' favor thyself; ' Gen., ' look to thyself; ' 
 Com. Ver., margin, 'pity thyself,' supposing 
 (Jerome) the Greek to mean, ' (Be) merciful 
 to thyself; ' but the Heb. and Sept. seem to 
 forbid this view. The Rabbis have (Edersh.) 
 an equivalent phrase, 'mercy to thee.' 
 Comp. also Paul's favorite expression, me 
 genoito, 'may it not be,' rendered 'far be it,' 
 ' God forbid.' This shall not be unto thee, 
 ' not ' being the doubled and very strong neg- 
 ative, 1 as in 5: 18; 10: 42; 15: 5; 18: 3; 26: 
 29,35, and often. 'Never' in Rev. Ver., is 
 not an exact translation, for it introduces an 
 additional idea, as does 'in no wise,' v. 28; 
 John 6: 37; the Greek being simply a strong 
 negation. So Jelf. 748, obs. 4. Peter is sure 
 that this ought not to be, and is persuaded that 
 Jesus will follow his advice, and so it certainly 
 will not be. But he turned and said, might 
 mean turned sharply upon him (Alex.), or 
 turned away from him (Mey., Weiss) ; Mark, 
 'turning and seeing his disciples,' decides 
 for the latter. As Peter had rebuked him, 
 so he now severely rebukes Peter (Mark 8: ss), 
 calling him 'Satan,' and using the same 
 phrase of repulsion and abhorrence that he 
 used to Satan himself in 4 : 10. The ardont 
 disciple was playing the tempter's part, in 
 fact repeating Satan's temptation, in trying 
 to restrain the Son of God (comp. 16 : 16 with 
 4 : 3, 6) from going forward in his appropriate 
 and appointed path. So a few months earlier 
 (john6:7or.), our Lord had called Judas Iscariot 
 a 'devil' (diabolos), i. e., a Satan. (See on 
 4:1.) To translate Satan by 'adversary' as 
 the meaning here (Maid.), is forbidden by the 
 
 1 When the two negatives were united, ou me, it was 
 natural that the following verb should be in the sub- 
 junctive, agreeing with the negative nearest to it. Tn 
 later (including Biblical) Greek, the subjunctive, which 
 
 by its doubtful affirmation suggests futurity, is often 
 replaced by the future indicative ; thus hina and ou me 
 both frequently have this construction in New Test.; 
 and ean several times. Comp. 15 : 5 ; 18 : 19 ; 26 : 35.
 
 CH. XVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 365 
 
 24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man 
 will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up 
 his cross, and follow me. 
 
 24 things of God, but the things of men. Then said 
 Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come 
 after me, let him deny himself, and take up his 
 
 fact that in New Teat, it is always a proper 
 name. Alas! the rock, Cephas, has become 
 a stone of stumbling ; he who had just made 
 the divinely-taught confession (16: 17), is now 
 Satan, tempting him whom he had confessed. 
 Thou art an offence (a stumbling block) 
 unto me (see on 5: 29), meaning either an 
 obstacle to going forward in duty (Mey., 
 Alex.), or more probably, a snare, a tempta- 
 tion to do wrong. (Keim.) Thou savour- 
 est (mindesf) represents a very expressive 
 Greek word used often by Paul, but nowhere 
 else in New Test, save "here and Acts 28 : 22, 
 for which we lack an exact equivalent, (a) 
 Its leading use is most nearly expressed by 
 'think' and 'mind.' Thus in 1 Cor. 13 : 11, 
 ' I thought as a child ' ; Acts 28 : 22, ' to hear 
 of thee what thou thinkest,' what is thy type 
 of religious thought; Romans 12: 16, and 
 Phil. 2 : 2, 'be of the same mind,' think the 
 same thing, (or the one thing.) In all such 
 cases it suggests one's characteristic way of 
 thinking, (b) In other uses it means to direct 
 the mind towards, or set the mind on, some 
 object. Thus in Col. 3:2, R. V., 'Set your 
 mind on the things above'; Rom. 8: 5-7, 
 ' They that are after the flesh mind the things 
 of the flesh,' etc. In our passage, (and Mark 
 8 : 33), it may signify as in (b), thou dost not 
 direct thy mind towards the affairs (plans, 
 interests, etc.) of God, but those of men, (so 
 Phil. 3: 9) ; or better, as in (a), thou dost not 
 think God's thoughts, but men's; thou hast 
 not God's way of thinking, but that of men. 
 Comp. Isa. 55: 8, "For my thoughts are not 
 your thoughts," etc. According to God's 
 purposes and predictions it was necessary 
 that the Son of God should suffer and die 
 before entering into his glory, Luke 24: 26; 
 1 Peter 1: 11. 'Savourest,' in the common 
 and early Eng. versions, was always a defect- 
 ive translation, derived from the Vulgate 
 sapitis, French savourer and savoir (Eng. 
 savour), meaning think or know. 
 
 24. Then would not make us sure that it 
 followed immediately (comp. on 3: 13), but 
 Mark leaves no doubt: 'And he called unto 
 him the multitude with his disciples, and said ; 
 unto them,' etc. This also shows that the 
 notable saying which follows was addressed, 
 
 not to the disciples only, but to a great throng; 
 so Luke 9: 23, R. V., 'he said unto all.' He 
 has come away from the place at which he 
 had been praying alone (Luke9:i8), and now a 
 crowd is near ; but as to persons or locality we 
 have no information. If any man. Not 
 only is Jesus himself determined to go for- 
 ward in a path which leads to suffering and 
 death, undeterred by Peter's remonstrance, 
 and not only must his twelve disciples be will- 
 ing to follow in such a path, but this holds 
 true of any and every one who wishes to be 
 his follower at all. Will (or ivishes to) come 
 after me. 'Will come' is ambiguous, and 
 at the present day almost certain to be mis- 
 understood ; ' would come ' gives a slight color 
 not present in the original (comp. on 15: 32). 
 As he designs to go forward like a man bear- 
 ing his cross to the place of crucifixion, so 
 any one who wishes to come along behind him 
 must do likewise. There is here no substan- 
 tial difference between 'come after' and 'fol- 
 low.' The familiar use of the phrases deny 
 himself and 'take up his cross,' the frequent 
 application of them to petty actions and suf- 
 ferings, has gradually enfeebled their mean- 
 ing in our conception, and it requires an effort 
 to return to their original force. The phrases 
 (a) to deny a statement, and (b) to deny a 
 request (both classical), have an obvious 
 meaning ; (c) to deny a person (a sense found 
 only in New Test.), is to deny that we have 
 the relations to him which others are suppos- 
 ing, or which circumstances might seem to in- 
 dicate (10:83; 26:84), or else to deny that one is 
 what he claims to be, and hence to reject him 
 (Acts:i<; 7:35); and there are various other 
 shades of meaning. In some of these uses 
 the Greek has the simple verb, as here in 
 Luke ; others have it compounded with ;i 
 preposition, as here in Matthew and Mark, 
 giving a slightly increased force, (d) To deny 
 an object or practice is to refuse, reject, or re- 
 nounce it; as 'denying impiety and worldly 
 
 desires.' (TI.J:ll. Ber.Ver.,comp.2Tlm. 3:5 ) (fi)To 
 
 deny himself, a phrase not found in classical 
 Greek, but characteristic of Christianity, 
 might seem to connect itself in menning 
 with (b); as a man denies a beggar, so 
 he denies himself, t. < ., refuses to grunt his
 
 366 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVI. 
 
 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and 25 cross, and follow me. For whosoever would save 
 whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his 
 
 own requests (Chrys., Mey.) This is the 
 sense, but much weakened, in which the 
 expression is now widely used. But does 
 it not, as here used by our Lord, rather con- 
 nect itself with (c), meaning that a man re- 
 nounces himself? As the Jews denied the 
 Messiah (Aotss:H), so his follower denies self, 
 will not have self for his ruler or his aim. He 
 determines not to live according to his own in- 
 clinations, but to do and bear whatever may 
 be necessary in the course he has undertaken. 
 He must resolve to live not for pleasure, but 
 usefulness ; not for inclination, but duty ; not 
 for self, but for God. (Comp. Rom. 14: 7-9; 
 15:2f.) Tyndale, Cran., Gen., translate 
 'forsake himself.' And take up his cross. 
 The Jews had long been familiar with the 
 punishment of crucifixion, which was used in 
 Egypt and all Western Asia, and from an 
 early time in Italy. More than a hundred 
 years before our Lord's ministry, King Al- 
 exander Janneus crucified eight hundred 
 rebels at Jerusalem, while he was feasting in 
 public (JM. " Ant.," is, u, 2), and even under Anti- 
 ochus Epiphanes, many Jews were crucified. 
 (u,5,4.) For a revolt which followed the death 
 of Herod the Great, the proconsul Varus 
 crucified two thousand Jews. And yet a 
 Jewish Rabbi of to-day has said that the say- 
 ing here ascribed to Jesus is an anachronism, 
 for the disciples could not have understood an 
 allusion to cross-bearing till after his crucifix- 
 ion. It was common to make the condemned 
 person carry to the place of execution the cross 
 on which he was to suffer (cornp. on 27 : 32) ; 
 and so the disciples would readily understand 
 the Master's allusion. He was going forward, 
 like one marching to crucifixion, appointed 
 to suffering and death ; and any one who 
 wished to come after him must prepare him- 
 self for the same experience. The disciples 
 and the multitude would not necessarily infer 
 
 from this that he was to be crucified. It was 
 not till a few days before its occurrence that 
 he foretold the precise mode of his death. 
 (20:19.) They would understand that he was 
 like a person going to be crucified, and they also 
 must be ready for suffering and death. Chrys : 
 "He saith also how far one ought to renounce 
 oneself, that is, unto death, and that a re- 
 proachful death." Jerome: "And follow 
 their teacher morientium animo." Jesus 
 used the same impressive image on two other 
 
 Occasions. (10: SB: Luke 14:27; in Mark 10: 21, It is spurious.) 
 
 It was plain enough at the time, and 
 after he was himself actually crucified it 
 became all the more vivid and solemn, 
 as was the case with many other parts of 
 his teachings. Luke 9: 23 adds 'daily.' 
 Every day must his follower consent and 
 determine afresh to go forward through 
 suffering and even unto death. Chrys : " Bear 
 about this death continually, and day by day 
 be ready for slaughter." Follow, com p. on 
 4: 19. There they were to follow with an 
 especial view to instruction ; here they must 
 follow in a path of suffering, follow even to 
 dying; comp. John 12: 23-26. 'Follow' is 
 also used in Com. Ver. for another word, 
 which Rev. Ver. more exactly renders by 
 
 'imitate,' (' Thess. 1:6; 2: 14; 2Thess. 3: 7, 9; 1 Cor. 4: 16; 
 11: 1; Eph. 5: 1; Heb.6: 12; 13: 7; 3 John 11), thus bring- 
 ing out more distinctly the great duty of imi- 
 tating Christ. 
 
 25. Notice the repeated for (v.ss, 26, 27), each 
 sentence supplying that which precedes with a 
 proof or a motive. In v. 26 our Lord passes 
 from bodily to spiritual life, from temporal to 
 eternal life. There is a similar transition in 
 'leave the dead to bury their own dead,' 8: 
 22; comp. John 4: 10; 6:27. He also passes 
 in v. 25 f., from the vital principle of the body 
 to the immortal principle. The English word 
 ' soul ' * was formerly used for both of these, 
 
 1 In Greek and Latin, in Heb. and in Eng. there are 
 two sets of words, older and more recent, both derived 
 from roots signifying to breathe ; (a) psyche, anima 
 (ant'mtw), nepheth, tout, (b) pneuma, spiritux, ruach, 
 ghost. The latter set are derived from roots still used 
 in the samp language, for even to ghost corresponds 
 ptist. The former set are from roots no longer ur,ed in 
 the language in question to denote breath or wind, and 
 some of them found at all only in kindred languages. 
 
 Thus psyche corresponds to psucho, ' to cool," by blowing 
 the breath, etc. Anima (animus) corresponds to Greek 
 anemos, 'wind,' Sanskrit an, 'to breathe,' Latin an-fielo, 
 'to gasp,' breathe with difficulty. Nephe.sh answers to 
 Arabic naphasa, ' to breathe.' Soul, Anglo-Saxon sawul, 
 sawl.saul, Gothic saiwala, is evidently from a root sav 
 or sva, corresponding (Toy) to Sanskrit root su, and 
 probably to Sanskrit suka, wind. Is is thus plain that 
 the first set of terms are older. These were long used
 
 CH. XVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 367 
 
 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the 
 whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a 
 man give in exchange for his soul ? 
 
 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his 
 Father with his angels; and then he shall reward 
 every man according to his works. 
 
 26 life for my sake shall find it. For what shall a 
 man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, 
 and forfeit his life? or what shall a man give in ex- 
 
 27 change for his life? For the Son of man shall come 
 in the glory of his Father with his angels; and 
 then shall he render unto every man according to 
 
 and so in our earlier translations of Scripture, 
 but is in other English usage now confined to 
 the immortal principle. Thus any possible 
 translation of the present passage into current 
 English is necessarily defective. The Com. 
 Ver , by changing to 'soul ' in v. 26, conceals 
 the close verbal connection between the two 
 sentences. The Rev. Ver., by retaining the 
 same word 'life' in both, makes it less plain 
 to the modern reader that the reference in the 
 second sentence is to the spiritual and eternal 
 life. Yet the latter translation is certainly 
 best, for it only requires the reader to observe 
 a transition which the Greek actually makes. 
 So in 10: 39; Luke 17 : 33 (comp. Luke 14: 
 26) ; John 12: 25; and a kindred idea in Acts 
 14: 22; 2 Tim. 3: 12. Will save, or wishes 
 to save, as in v. 24. Whosoever wishes to 
 gave his bodily, temporal life shall lose his 
 spiritual, eternal life. For my sake. Mark, 
 * for my sake and the gospel's.' 
 
 26. What shall a man be profited, read by 
 the earliest documents, was easily changed by 
 copyists into what is a man profited, by 
 assimilation to Luke; in Mark also the docu- 
 ments vary much between present and future. 
 Either point of view is obviously possible. 
 And lose (Rev. Ver., forfeit). The Greek 
 verb is derived from the noun rendered 'loss' 
 as opposed to 'gain ' in Phil. 3: 7, and is itself 
 used in Phil. 3: 8, 'I have suffered the loss of 
 all things.' It frequently denotes a fine or 
 forfeit (Lidd.and Scott), and so Geneva here, 
 'be condemned to pay his soul'; but the 
 image here is more probably that of profit and 
 loss in business operations, where one subtracts 
 the total loss from the total gain to see what 
 profit he has made. The difficulty of trans- 
 lating the word in this sense as distinguished 
 from the other word 'lose' just before, may 
 
 have partly influenced the Revisers into pre- 
 ferring the other sense. Luke 9 : 25 gives 
 both terms, 'and lose or forfeit his own self.' 
 And notice that Luke has ' himself instead of 
 'his life'; for a man to lose his life, in the 
 highest sense of that term, is to lose himself. 
 Observe that the thought here is not directly 
 of what we call the loss or perdition of a soul. 
 The gain and loss in the great business trans- 
 action are compared, and the man's own life 
 in the spiritual and eternal sense is the loss; 
 what then will be the profit? In earthly 
 business, however, one may sometimes prosper 
 afterwards and purchase back the property he 
 has lost; but what shall a man give in r\- 
 change for his soul (life*, so as to purchase 
 it back? Bengel: "The world does not suf- 
 fice." The noun antnllngma denotes that 
 which by exchange takes the place of some- 
 thing else, whether as substitute (Ecciuseiis; 
 26: u), or as a ransom (i. : 8) ; here it is more 
 generally a purchasing equivalent. 
 
 27. We see that this great balancing of ac- 
 counts is not a mere figure of speech, but will 
 actually occur. The Son of man, see on 8: 
 20. This constantly suggests that he is the 
 Messiah (comp. on 16: 13), and indicates that 
 he is to be the final judge, as in 7: 22, and 
 hereafter in 25 : 31, 34. Shall come, not the 
 mere future tense, but a strong expression 
 like 'is going to come,' 'is about to come,' 
 and in the Greek made emphatic by its posi- 
 tion at the head of the sentence; he is coming, 
 and there is no mistake about it. This is be- 
 lieved to be the first distinct intimation of his 
 second coming. In the glory of his Fa- 
 ther. In the same glory amid which his Fa- 
 ther dwells. Comp. 26: 64. This glory he 
 had with his Father before the world was 
 (John 17: 5) ; he had voluntarily left it to come 
 
 when no clear distinction was made between the vital 
 principle of the body and the Immortal principle. At 
 a later period, when this distinction grew clearer, the 
 second net of terms were introduced, and applied , 
 almost exclusively (not Psa. 104: 29; Ecr.l. 3: 21) to the ; 
 spiritual, immortal principle, while the older terms. ; 
 though now chiefly restricted to the vital principle of: 
 the body, continued to be often used in the other .ense 
 also, and were necessary when the two senses were to 
 
 be united, or there was a quick transition from (he one 
 to the other. Thus there Is not an absolute distinction 
 between the two sets of words in Scripture use, a "Bib- 
 lical trichotomy," but only a generally observed prac- 
 tical distinction. It should be carefully noticed that 
 'soul ' very often In Old Test, and sometimes in New 
 Tost, denotes only the vital principle of the body. 
 Whether It means the other, or means both together, is 
 a question for consideration in every case.
 
 368 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVI. 
 
 28 Verily I sav unto you, There be some standing 
 here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the 
 Son of man coming in his kingdom. 
 
 his ideeds. Verily I say unto you. There are some 
 of them that stand here, who shall in no wise t;i*te 
 of death, till they see the 8on of man coming in his 
 kingdom. 
 
 1 Gr. doing. 
 
 on his present lowly mission (Ptn. 2:6 ff.), but 
 he would return to share it again, and in that 
 glory he would hereafter come. With his 
 angels (:; 2*: si; 25: ai). Luke (9:26) has 
 an expression which implies that their encom- 
 passing glory will enhance his glory. As to 
 the angels, see on 18: 10. According to his 
 deeds, or, more exactly, action, practice, 
 
 COUrSe Of life. (Col. 3 : 9 has the same word.) The 6X- 
 
 pressions seem to be suggested by Psa. 62: 
 12; Prov. 24: 12, quoted in Rom. 2: 6; 
 comp. Rev. 22: 12, and as to the thought, 2 
 Cor. 5 : 10. The fact of this coming retribu- 
 tion shows the importance of saving the soul ; 
 but there is special reference to the thought 
 of reward for doing and suffering in his ser- 
 vice (T. 24 r.). Mark 8 : 38 and Luke 9 : 26, 
 give the additional point that when he comes 
 he will be ashamed of every one that has been 
 ashamed of him. Matthew has before re- 
 corded this thought as uttered on a different 
 occasion (io: 33), and so he omits it here. 
 
 28. His coming is not only certain, but near. 
 Verily I say unto you, as in 5: 18, intro- 
 ducing a very important utterance. His 
 coming will occur before some of those present 
 will die. There be, old English where we 
 now say 'there are.' Some (of those) stand- 
 ing here, who were not only the Twelve, but a 
 crowd. (Mark 8: 34.) It is implied that not 
 many of them would live to witness what is 
 meant; and this shows that it was not any 
 event very near at hand. Shall not, the 
 strong double negative, as in 16: 22. Taste 
 of death. The image is that of a bitter cup 
 (20:22; 26:39), which all men must sooner or 
 later taste of, and is very common in Jewish 
 writings. Comp. Heb. 2: 9; in John 8: 51 f. 
 it is made the equivalent of ' see death ' (comp. 
 Luke 2: 26). Till they see, naturally, though 
 not necessarily (comp. on 1: 25), implies that 
 after the coming in question they will taste of 
 death ; and is so far an argument against 
 understanding our ~Lord.'sfinal coming to be 
 meant. The Son of man coming in his 
 kingdom, or kingnhip, royalty coming as 
 king (see on 3: 2). So in the robber's prayer 
 (r.nke23:42), and comp. as to the thought, Luke 
 
 21 : 31. In Mark 9:1; Luke 9 : 27, only the 
 coming of the kingdom is mentioned; but 
 that implies the coming of the Messianic King, 
 which Matt, expresses. How could Jesus say 
 that he would come as Messianic King in the 
 lifetime of some then present? Certain 
 rationalizing expositors at once say that Jesus 
 expected his final coming to judgment to take 
 place within that period. The language would 
 readily bear that sense, especially in such close 
 connection with v. 27; can it fairly have any 
 other sense? Since the Fathers of the third 
 century a good many have referred it simply 
 to the Transfiguration, in which Jesus ap- 
 peared as the glorious king. But (a) this is a 
 very unnatural and enfeebled sense of 'com- 
 ing in his kingdom ; ' (b) it occurred wiLhin a 
 week, during the lifetime not simply of 'some,' 
 but of probably all those present ; and these ob- 
 jectionsare fatal to that view. Many others con- 
 tent themselves with understanding a general 
 reference to the establishment of the spiritual 
 reign of Messiah ; some say on the Day of 
 Pentecost (Acts?), though that occurred within 
 less than a year and so conflicts with 'some; ' 
 others say throughout the following genera- 
 tion or the century. The most reasonable 
 explanation, especially when we comp. ch. 
 24, is to understand a reference to the destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem, forty years afterwards. 
 This providentially lifted the Messianic reign 
 to a new stage. It put an end to the sacrifices 
 and the whole temple ritual, and thus tsiught 
 the Jewish Christians that these need be no 
 longer observed, and to a great extent stopped 
 the mouths of the Judaizers who gave Paul 
 so much trouble. The withdrawal of the 
 Christians from Jerusalem before its destruc- 
 tion occasioned an alienation between them 
 and the Jewish people at large. In general, 
 the destruction of Jerusalem made Christi- 
 anity stand out as no longer even in appear- 
 ance a mere phase or mode of Judaism, but 
 an independent and universal religion. 
 (Comp. Bp. Lightfoot on Galatians, p. 300 ff.) 
 The sudden transition from the final coming 
 for judgment (*") to this nearer coming at 
 the destruction of Jerusalem, is repeatedly
 
 CH. XVIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 369 
 
 AND after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and 
 John his brother, and bringeth them up into a 
 high mountain apart, 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 1 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, 
 and James, and John his brother, and bringeth 
 
 paralleled in ch. 24; and the very phrase of | abundant proof deny the mystery of the 
 
 v. 28 by 24: 34, "This generation shall not 
 pass away, till all these things be accom- 
 plished." Plumptre : "That such words 
 should have been recorded and published by 
 the Evangelists is a proof either that they 
 accepted that interpretation, if they wrote 
 after the destruction of Jerusalem, or if we 
 assume that they were led by them to look for 
 the 'end of all things' as near at hand, that 
 they wrote before the generation of them who 
 stood by had passed away ; and so the very 
 difficulty that has perplexed men becomes a 
 proof of the early date of the three Gospels 
 that contain the record." 1 
 
 HOMILKTICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 22 f. The imperfectly instructed be- 
 liever. 1) Prejudice often prevents his un- 
 derstanding the plain teachings of revelation. 
 2) Conceit often leads him to set his own judg- 
 ment above God's teaching. (Cornp. 1 Cor. 
 4: 6.) 3) Presumptuous ignorance often 
 makes him hinder the cause he tries to help. 
 4) Strength of will and warmth of heart often 
 render his ignorance more harmful. 5) There- 
 fore his honest opinions and well-meant ad- 
 vice must sometimes be utterly rejected by 
 others. 6) Further instruction and experi- 
 ence may make him a pillar in the church. 
 (Gsi.2:9.) V. 23. BAXTER (in Morison) : 
 "Good men ofttimes do the devil's work, 
 though they know it not." There has always 
 been a tendency, and especially in our day, to 
 decide questions of religious truth and duty 
 
 cross? " 
 
 V. 24 f. Following Christ. 1) Method, (a) 
 In self-renunciation, (b) In cross-bearing. 
 2) Motives, (a) The loss in following him is 
 but temporal, the gain is spiritual and eternal, 
 (b) The loss in refusing to follow him is 
 remediless forever, (c) The love of Christ 
 ("for my sake") gives patience in loss, and 
 adds brightness to gain. CHRYS. : "If any 
 man will. I force not, I compel not, but eacb 
 
 one I make lord of his own choice. 
 
 But 
 
 him more. For soothing is a mightier thing 
 than force." HENRY: " We must deny our- 
 selves absolutely ; we must not admire our 
 own shadow, nor gratify our own humor; 
 we must not lean to our own understanding, 
 nor seek our own things, nor be our own 
 end." V. 25. CHRYS.: " On that side salva- 
 tion and destruction, and on this side salva- 
 tion and destruction, but how greatly the one 
 differs from the other." Comp. on 10: 38 f. 
 
 V. 26. Earth's greatest business transac- 
 tion. 1) The greatest possible earthly gain, 
 accompanied by the greatest possible earthly 
 loss. 2) The loss is utterly past remedy, and 
 will soon render the gain utterly useless. 3) 
 In this line of business we are all engaged, 
 and ought to consult our true profit. (Comp. 
 5: 29 f. ) Queen Elizabeth, when dying, said, 
 "Millions of money for an inch of time." 
 She had the money, but could not make the 
 exchange. V. 27. Christ came in lowliness, 
 53), in the form of 
 
 from the human rather than the divine point des P' sed and re J ected 
 
 of view. The Bible is judged exclusively " servant 'T^u tO J* T^ "^ "^ 
 from its conformity to human reason and its dle to atone 1 ' them ' he Wl11 come fl ^ am in 
 adaptation to human wants. Well-meaning 
 persons try to build up churches, or to fur- 
 ther public morality, by following the dic- 
 tates of worldly policy. But to think God's 
 thoughts, to look at things so far as we may 
 from his standpoint, is in religion the only 
 wisdom and safety. CHRYS.: "If the chief 
 apostle, even before he had learnt all dis- 
 tinctly, was called Satan for feeling this, 
 
 what excuse can they have, who after so 
 
 glory, and take his people to behold his 
 glory (John IT: 24), and to share it. (PMI.S:M.) 
 BENGEL: "The doctrine of the person of 
 Christ (i6:i6) is immediately followed by the 
 doctrine of the cross (), and this by the 
 doctrine of glory." (**?) 
 
 Ch. 17:1-13. THE TRANSFIGURATION. 
 This is described also in Mark 9: 2-13; 
 Luke 9 : 28-36. The scene of the Transfigu- 
 
 1 We here sadly take leave of Addison Alexander, was interrupted at this point by death. His previous 
 the foremost of American commentators, whose work commentaries were on Isaiah, Psalms, Mark, Acts. 
 
 Y
 
 370 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVII. 
 
 2 And was transfigured before them : and his face 
 did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the 
 light. 
 
 2 them up into a high mountain apart: and he was 
 transfigured before them : and his face did shine as 
 the sun, and his garments became white as the 
 
 ration is popularly supposed to have been 
 Mount Tabor, in Lower Galilee. This opin- 
 ion is expressed in the fourth century, and 
 Origen cites from the " Gospel according to 
 the Hebrews" a passage which probably re- 
 lates to the Transfiguration, and would show 
 that some held this view in the second cen- 
 tury. Yet the tradition is almost certainly 
 incorrect. The conversation (ie: 21-28) which 
 preceded the Transfiguration by six days was 
 very closely connected (see on v. 21) with Pe- 
 ter's great confession, and this occurred in 
 the district of Cesarea Philippi. It is of course 
 possible that in these six days Jesus should 
 have come back to Galilee and gone south to 
 Mount Tabor, but we know that he was at 
 this period keeping away from Galilee for 
 many important reasons (comp. on 16: 5). 
 Moreover, we find in Mark that from the 
 place of the Transfiguration they went forth 
 and passed through Galilee as privately as 
 possible to Capernaum (Mark9:u, so, 33), and 
 thence went towards Jerusalem. All this 
 leaves the hypothesis of a hasty journey to 
 Tabor and back violently improbable. Be- 
 sides, Kobinson has shown that there was a 
 fortified city on Mount Tabor at that time, 
 which must have rendered its narrow and 
 rounded summit anything else than a place 
 of seclusion. In view of these facts nearly 
 all recent writers agree that the Transfigura- 
 tion must have occurred in the neighborhood 
 of Cesarea Philippi. 
 
 1. Into ahigh mountain, might be any one 
 of the numerous spurs of the Hermori range 
 in the vicinity of the city. We can hardly 
 suppose one of the three highest peaks of 
 Hermon to be meant, because to climb any 
 one of them on foot and return is a fatiguing 
 journey of ten or twelve hours (McGarvey, 
 Thomson). And it would be too cold to spend 
 a night there without shelter. Conder found 
 it very cold in a tent. After six days. So 
 also Mark. Luke says ' about eight days,' i. e. } 
 about a week, which was often called eight 
 days, counting both the first and the last (see 
 on 12: 40), just as in the French and German 
 languages a week is frequently called "eight 
 days," and a fortnight "fifteen days." If 
 
 Matthew and Mark say 'six days' and Luke 
 'about a week,' there is certainly no conflict. 
 It is not well to suppose (Chrys., Jerome) that 
 Matthew and Mark give only the intervening 
 days, while Luke adds the first and last, for 
 this is supposing them to reckon in a way 
 quite unnatural for Heb. or Greek usage, and 
 such artificial harmonistic hypotheses are to 
 be deprecated. The real point to be observed 
 is that all three Evangelists declare the Trans- 
 figuration to have occurred only a few days 
 after the prediction that Jesus must suffer and 
 be killed. Jesus taketh with him, as in 
 2: 13; 4:5; 12: 45. Peter, James, and 
 John, alone were also admitted to see the 
 raising of Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:37), and to 
 be near the Master in Gethsemane. (26:37.) 
 They belonged to the first group of four 
 among the Twelve (see on 10: 2), and were 
 evidently received to a peculiar intimacy. 
 The conviction wrought in their minds by 
 what they witnessed would impart itself to 
 all, through their tone and general influence. 
 Apart. Such an unearthly, almost heavenly 
 scene must have no urisympathizing specta- 
 tors. Luke says (9:28, Rev. ver.) that he 'went 
 up into the mountain to pray' (comp. above 
 on 14: 23), and that the wonderful change of 
 appearance took place as he was praying. We 
 have several times found mention of special 
 seasons of prayer at great crises of our Lord's 
 
 history. (Luke 3 : 21 ; Mark 1 : 35; Luke 6 : 12 ; Matt. 14 : 23.) 
 
 As the three disciples were oppressed with 
 sleep during the scene (Luke), and his return 
 to the other disciples was 'on the next day ' 
 (Luke9:37), it seems clear that the Transfigura- 
 tion occurred at night. The shining of our 
 Lord's face and garments, and the bright 
 cloud, would thus be more manifest, and the 
 whole scene more striking. 
 
 2. And was transfigured, literally, his 
 form was changed, meaning however, so far as 
 we can see, merely a change in his appearance. 
 Before them, within their full view, so that 
 they could bear witness. His face did shine 
 as the sun, comp. as partially similar, Exod. 
 34:29; Acts6:15. And his raiment, or, 
 garments, was or, became white as the
 
 CH. XVII] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 371 
 
 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and 
 Elias talking with him. 
 
 4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it 
 Is good for us to be here : if thou wilt, let us make here 
 three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, 
 and one for Elias. 
 
 3 light. And behold, there appeared unto them Moses 
 
 4 and Elijah talking with hi'm. And Peter answered, 
 and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be 
 here: if thou wilt, I will make here three l taber- 
 nacles ; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for 
 
 light; 1 Mark, Kev. Ver., 'glittering, exceed- 
 ingly white,' Luke, 'white and dazzling,' 
 (comp. Matt. 28: 3). All this was a tempo- 
 rary and partial anticipation of the glory that 
 awaited him (John 12:23; n-.b-, ptu. s:2i); comp. 
 his appearance to one of these three disciples 
 in Patmos. (Rev. i : is-is.) 
 
 3 f. There are here (Godet) three distinct 
 points: the personal glorification of Jesus 
 (v. 2), the appearance and conversation of 
 Moses and Elijah (v-sr.), the theophany and 
 divine voice ( s). Moses, and Elias, 
 (Elijah), recognized at once (v. *), and doubt- 
 less by intuition, as a part of the supernatural 
 scene. Any question as to whether Moses ap- 
 peared in a resurrection body lies beyond our 
 knowledge and is idle. "The law and the 
 prophets were until John ; from that time the 
 kingdom of God is preached." (Lukei6:ie.) 
 Thus the Messianic reign is distinguished 
 from the dispensation of the law and the 
 prophets, though not intended to abrogate 
 them. (5: ".) Accordingly we find the found- 
 er of the law, and the great reforming pro- 
 phet, coming to attend on the Messianic 
 King; and as they disappear, a heavenly 
 voice calls on men to hear him. The Rabbis 
 frequently speak of Moses and Elijah to- 
 gether ; and a writer of several centuries after 
 Christ says they were to come together in the 
 days of the Messiah. Talking with him. 
 Luke says (; si), "spake of his decease which 
 he should accomplish at Jerusalem," the an- 
 nouncement of which, a few days before, had 
 so startled and pained the disciples. Plumptre: 
 " It is significant that the word for ' decease ' 
 (exodos) re-appears in this sense once only in 
 the New Test., and then in close connection 
 with a reference to the Transfiguration. 
 (2Petri: is.)" It is not clear whether the dis- 
 ciples heard this conversation ; at any rate it 
 was partly designed for the Saviour's own 
 benefit, that he might be supported in view of 
 
 the sufferings and death to which his mind 
 was now especially turning. (Luke 12: 50.) Then 
 answered Peter, not an answer to something 
 said to him, but a response to the suggestions 
 of the situation, an utterance called forth by 
 the impression made on his mind. (Comp. on 
 11 : 25.) Lord. Mark has Rabbi, and Luke 
 epistates, 'master,' see on 8: 19. It is good 
 for us to be here. Full of strange, bewil- 
 dered, but delightful feelings, Peter wanted to 
 stay there permanently, and not have the 
 Master go to Jerusalem for the predicted 
 sufferings and death. Keim fancies that Peter 
 wished to summon the other disciples and the 
 people from every direction to witness this 
 opening manifestation of the Messianic glory 
 which is pure hypothesis, but not impos- 
 sible. Meyer and Weiss imagine that Peter 
 means, "It is a good thing that we are here," 
 so as to take the necessary steps. The Greok 
 will bear this sense, but the tone of the narra- 
 tive will not. It was indeed good to be there, 
 but they could not stay. Down again must 
 Jesus and his disciples go, amid human sor- 
 row and sin (n:i5), down to witness distress- 
 ing unbelief (" : n), and presently to set out on 
 the journey towards" Jerusalem and the cross. 
 As Moses and Elijah were parting from Jesus 
 (Luke), Peter proposed to detain them by 
 making three tabernacles, or 'booth?,' 
 shelters formed of branches of trees, such as the 
 people were accustomed to make for the Feast 
 of Tabernacles at Jerusalem. In these their 
 glorious Lord and his heavenly visitors might 
 abide in comfort; as for the disciples them- 
 selves, they could remain without shelter, 
 being accustomed to the open air in hot 
 weather, even at night. This was a strange 
 proposal with reference to beings come from 
 the other world, and Mark adds, ' for he knew 
 not what to answer ; for they were (or became) 
 sorely afraid.' / will make, is read by the 
 earliest manuscripts, and was easily changed 
 
 ' The " Western " typo of text added a comparison to 
 mow in Mark 9: 3, and substituted it for 'light' in 
 Matt. It was doubtless derived from 28: 3; Paniel 
 7: 9. This addition in Mark was adopted in the "Syr- 
 
 ian " text, and came down to our common Greek text, 
 and Com. Ver. Being found spurious, it cannot be used, 
 as by Stanley, in considering the question of locality.
 
 372 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVII. 
 
 5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud over- 
 shadowed theni : and behold a voice out of the cloud, 
 which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom 1 am well 
 pleased ; hear ye him. 
 
 6 And wheu'the disciples heard it, they fell on their 
 face, and were sore afraid. 
 
 7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, 
 and be not afraid. 
 
 8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw 
 no man, save Jesus only. 
 
 y And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus 
 charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until 
 the Sou of man be risen again from the dead. 
 
 5 Elijah. While he was yet speaking, behold, a bright 
 cloud overshadowed them : and behold, a voice out 
 of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, in 
 
 6 whom I am well pleased ; hear ye him. And when 
 the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and 
 
 7 were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched 
 them and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And lift- 
 
 8 ing up their eyes, they saw no one, save Jesus only. 
 
 9 And as they were coming down from the moun- 
 tain, Jesus commanded them, saying, Tell the vision 
 to no man, until the Son of man be risen from the 
 
 by copyists to let us make, through assimi- 
 lation to Mark and Luke. It accords with 
 Peter's ardent and self-reliant character 
 (i6:), that he should propose to make them 
 himself. 
 
 5. A bright cloud. Clouds are usually 
 dark, but this was a cloud full of light (same 
 word as in 6: 22), which in the night must 
 have been a sublime spectacle. Comp. in Old 
 Test, theophanies, Exod. 33: 9; 1 Kings 8: 
 10. The three disciples seem to have been 
 outside of the luminous cloud; Luke, in the 
 correct Greek text, leaves this uncertain, as 
 Matt, does; but a voice out of the cloud 
 suggests that those who heard it were with- 
 out. Matthew repeats behold three times in 
 quick succession (. 5), the events being each 
 very remarkable. On two other occasions a 
 supernatural voice bore testimony to Jesus, 
 (s: 17; John 12: zs.) The words here spoken are 
 the same as at the baptism (see on 3: 17), ex- 
 cept the addition here (in all three Gospels) of 
 hear ye him, a solemn call to listen to his 
 teachings and submit to his authority. The 
 phrase, 'in whom I am well pleased,' is not 
 here given by Mark and Luke, and instead 
 of ' beloved ' the correct Greek text of Luke 
 (:35) is 'chosen.' Of course the words cannot 
 have been spoken in all these forms; an un- 
 questionable proof, if it were needed, that the 
 Evangelists do not always undertake to give 
 the exact words. (Comp. on 3: 17.) The words 
 'hear ye him' probably refer to Deut. 18: 15, 
 "aprophet. . . . like unto me; unto him ye 
 shall hearken." It may be that Peter re- 
 called them when he quoted that passage in 
 addressing the Jews. (Aotss:a.) 
 
 6-8. This solemn voice increased the awe 
 and terror with which the disciples were 
 overwhelmed. They fell on their face 
 (comp. Deut. 5: 25 f . ; Heb. 12: 19), and 
 were sore afraid, that fear which the super- 
 natural so readily excites. (Comp. on 14: 26.) 
 This fear is mentioned by Mark as explaining 
 
 Peter's mental confusion and strange proposi- 
 tion ; by Luke, as felt when they saw Jesus 
 with Moses and Elijah, entering the cloud; 
 by Matt., as felt when they heard the voice 
 out of the cloud. We readily understand 
 that it was felt throughout, and might be 
 emphasized at various points with equal pro- 
 priety. And Jesus came and touched 
 them, as the angel touched Daniel. (D. 8: is ; 
 io: is.) One can almost see the kindly Saviour 
 stooping to touch each of the prostrate forms, 
 so as to arouse them to attention, and saying, 
 Arise, and be not afraid. They looked up 
 (Mark, 'suddenly') the luminous cloud 
 was gone, and with it the bright forms of 
 Moses and Elijah they saw no man (or no 
 one) save Jesus only. This means simply 
 that the others were gone and Jesus was 
 alone; the wonderful scene was ended. It 
 is quite unwarrantable to "accommodate" 
 the words as a text in the way sometimes 
 adopted trust Jesus only, obey Jesus only, 
 take Jesus only as prophet, priest, and king 
 all correct in themselves, but by no means 
 here taught. 
 
 9. As they came (were coming) down from 
 the mountain, more exactly, out of the 
 mountain. People who live near a mountain 
 constantly say, "he is gone up in the moun- 
 tain," "when he comes down out of the 
 mountain" ; he is not in the earth composing 
 the mountain, but is in the mountain as a lo- 
 cality. The evidence is overwhelmingly in 
 favor of ek, ' out of,' in Matt., and probably 
 so in Mark 9:9; it was changed by copyists 
 to apo, 'from,' by way of assimilation to Luke 
 (9:37), just as it was changed in Mark 1 : 10 by 
 assimilation to Matt. 3: 16 (see note). This 
 descent in the summer morning must have 
 been accompanied by delightful reflections on 
 what they had witnessed. Here was new and 
 wondrous confirmation of their faith that Je- 
 sus was the Messiah. They would naturally 
 wish to speak of it to the other disciples and
 
 CH. XVII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 373 
 
 10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then 
 say the scribes that Elias must first come? 
 
 11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias 
 truly shall first come, and restore all things. 
 
 10 dead. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why 
 then say the scribes that Elijah must first come? 
 
 11 And he answered and said, Elijah indeed corneth, 
 
 all the people ; and were doubtless surprised 
 and disappointed when Jesus not only said to 
 them, but charged them, Tell the vision, 
 or sight (ACUT: si), the word meaning simply 
 something seen, to no man, more exactly, 
 to no one, until the Son of man, the Mes- 
 siah (see on 8: 20), be risen from the dead. 
 He is repeating what he had said a week be- 
 fore (i6: 21), that he must die and rise again. 
 But they do not understand. Mark says 
 (: 10), ' They kept the saying, questioning one 
 with another what the rising from the dead 
 should mean.' They were familiar with the 
 idea of a general resurrection, but could not 
 see how the Messiah was to be killed and 
 come to life again (see on 16 : 21). They 
 doubtless supposed it must mean something 
 figurative, and never thought of understand- 
 ing it literally. The other disciples would 
 naturally feel a similar difficulty concerning 
 the prediction as made before and repeated 
 afterwards (IT: M;SO: w); but some of them 
 mentioned that such a prediction had been 
 made, and when the rulers heard of it, they 
 thought only of a pretended literal resurrec- 
 tion, which they endeavored to prevent. 
 
 (lT:6f.) 
 
 In considering the design of the Transfig- 
 uration, we may be aided by this fact that it 
 was not to be made known till after the resur- 
 rection of Jesus, and by the question which 
 the disciples proceeded to ask (. 10), showing 
 a deep conviction that he was the Messiah. 
 The wonderful scene was suited to fix this 
 belief so firmly in the minds of these three 
 leading disciples that it would not be shaken 
 by the repeated prediction, nor utterly de- 
 stroyed by the heart-rending reality, of his 
 ignominious death. Henceforth, no disap- 
 pointment of their cherished Messianic expec- 
 tations, no humiliation instead of honor, and 
 death instead of triumph, could ever make 
 them doubt that he whom they had seen in such 
 a form of glory, and receiving such testimony, 
 was indeed the Messiah. Even when Peter 
 so mournfully fell, he did not utterly lose this 
 conviction, even as Jesus said the night be- 
 fore, 'I made supplication for thee, that thy 
 faith fail not.' (Loke w: sz, B.V.) This uncon- 
 querable conviction on the part of the three 
 
 foremost disciples would keep the rest also 
 from wavering, though they could not be told 
 what had occurred. When their lips were 
 unsealed, we may be sure that they delighted 
 to tell the sublime story, even as Peter speaks 
 of it in glowing terms in his last Epistle 
 (2 Pet. i: 16 tr.), and John perhaps alludes to it 
 in his Gospel (i:i). As to the effect of the 
 Transfiguration upon Jesus himself, see on v. 
 3. But why could it not be told until after 
 his resurrection ? He had forbidden the dis- 
 ciples to tell any one that he was the Messiah 
 (16:20). An account of this wonderful scene, 
 if given to the people in general, with their 
 mistaken conceptions of Messiah, would only 
 have excited fanaticism and precipitated the 
 crisis. When his resurrection and ascension 
 had put an end to the thought of a mere tem- 
 poral kingdom, and the minds of believers 
 had been lifted up to a just conception of 
 their exalted Lord, then the story could be 
 appreciated, and would do good and not harm. 
 10-13. His disciples, viz., the three. 
 (Mark 9: 2.). Why then? There is now no 
 doubt that he is the Messiah. Why then, 
 say the scribes that Elias (Elijah) must 
 first come? The thought of Elijah had been 
 suggested by his appearance on the Mount. 
 The Scribes were accustomed to teach that 
 Elijah in proper person would come before 
 the Messiah, and prepare the way for him by 
 a new work of reformation thus interpreting 
 literally the prediction of Mai. 4: 5 (comp. 
 on 16 : 14). Some of the Jews hold that Elijah 
 would anoint the Messiah. But here is Mes- 
 siah present beyond question, and no such 
 preparatory ministry of Elijah has occurred. 
 They ask him therefore to explain why the 
 Scribes say that Elijah must come before the 
 Messiah ; and this he proceeded to do. Meyer 
 and others suppose, with far 1C' s probability, 
 that the disciples took this appearance of Elijah 
 on the mount to be the predicted coming, and 
 were only perplexed that Elijah had not come 
 first, but after the Messiah had appeared. 
 And Jesus (he) answered and said. The 
 words 'Jesus ' and ' to them ' are not part of 
 the correct text ; nor is 'first ' in v. 11, though 
 genuine in v. 10. Elias (Elijah) truly shall 
 come. 'Indeed,' or 'truly,' expresses con-
 
 374 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVII. 
 
 12 But I say unto you, That Elias is coine already, 
 and thev knew him nut, but have done unto him whaU 
 soever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man 
 suitor of them. 
 
 13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto 
 them of John the Baptist. 
 
 12 and shall restore all things: but I say unto yon, that 
 Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but 
 did unto him whatsoever they listed. Even so shall 
 
 13 the Son ot man also suffer of them. Then under- 
 stood the disciples taat he spake unto them of John 
 the Baptist. 
 
 trust with something to follow, as in 9 : 37. 
 That Elijah cometh is the divine arrange- 
 ment, and the prediction of Scripture. (For 
 such uses of the present tense, see Winer, 
 p. 265 [332].) And restore all things. 
 Malachi predicted = 6) of Elijah, "he shall 
 turn the heart of the fathers to the children," 
 etc., viz., as a preparation for the great day 
 of the Lord. This 'shall turn' is translated 
 in the Sept. 'shall restore,' and hence doubt- 
 less (Bengel, Fritz.) the word here and in 
 Mark (; u). Elijah will effect a preparatory ref- 
 ormation, comp. Luke 1: 17, 'to make ready 
 for the Lord a people prepared.' Our Lord 
 means to say that so the prediction stands. 
 The future tense does not appear to mean, as 
 Chrys. and others have imagined, that there 
 was to be some other coming of Elijah still 
 future when our Lord was speaking. Elias 
 (Elijah) is come already, comp. 11 : 14. 
 Whatsoever they listed, or wished, the old 
 English listed being a modified form of lusted, 
 i. e., desired. 'They' is here impersonal ; a 
 very common use in Heb. of the third person 
 plural, like the Eng. 'they say.' The refer- 
 ence is to the way John had been treated by 
 the people in general, and by Herod in par- 
 ticular. John was not Elijah come to life in 
 his own proper person, but he was Elijah in 
 "spirit and power," (Luke 1 = 17), in character 
 and reforming influence, (comp. on 3 : 1). 
 Some of the rabbinical writers represent that 
 Elijah will bring back the ark, the pot of 
 manna, etc. ; Jesus regards him as coming to 
 effect a moral renovation or restoration. In 
 Acts 3 : 21. Peter points forward to a future 
 "restoration of all things " in connection with 
 the second coming of the Messiah. Likewise 
 shall also the Son of man suffer of them, 
 viz., at the hands of the people, not necessa- 
 rily the same persons who had maltreated 
 John, but the same generation. He here 
 recalls to the three the prediction of a week 
 before, which Peter had found it so hard to 
 bear. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 1-8. The Transfiguration. 1) The glo- 
 
 rious appearance. 2) The holy visitants. 3) 
 The Father's voice. 4) The effect upon the 
 disciples. 5) The lessons for us; (a) as to the 
 Saviour's glory, (b) his authority, (c) our ser- 
 vieeofhim. V. 3. HALL: " A strange oppor- 
 tunity! in his highest exaltation to speak of 
 his sufferings; when his head shone with 
 glory, to tell him how it must bleed with 
 thorns; when his face shone like the sun, to 
 tell him it must be spit upon; when his gar- 
 ments glistened with that celestial brightness, 
 to tell him they must be stripped and divided ; 
 when he was seen between two saints, to tell 
 him how he must be seen between two male- 
 factors." V. 4. HENRY : " We are out in our 
 aim, if we look for a heaven here upon earth. 
 It is not for strangers and pilgrims to talk of 
 building. Whatever tabernacles we propose 
 to make to ourselves in this world, we must 
 always remember to ask Christ's leave." V. 
 5. Hear him. 1) As completer of the law. 
 (5: 17.) 2) As last and greatest of God's 
 messengers. (Heb. 1 : 1 f.) 3) As the suffer- 
 ing Saviour. (16: 21.) 4) As destined to be 
 the final Judge. (16: 27.) V. 6. HENRY: 
 "Through the infirmity of the flesh, we often 
 frighten ourselves with that wherewith we 
 should encourage ourselves." V. 8. CHRYS. : 
 " If we will, we also shall behold Christ, not 
 as they then on the mount, but in far greater 
 brightness. For then, to spare his disciples, he 
 discovered so much only of his brightness as 
 they were able to bear; hereafter he shall 
 come in the very glory of the Father, not with 
 Moses and Elijah only, but with the infinite 
 host of the angels, not having a cloud over his 
 head, but even heaven itself being folded up 
 so that all men shall see him sitting, and he 
 will make answers to them by himself, ' Come 
 ye blessed of my Father,' 'Depart from me, ye 
 cursed.' " 
 
 V. 9. Tell the vision to no one. 1) It is a 
 difficult and important duty sometimes to keep 
 silence when we burn to speak. 2) Some points 
 of religious truth are best withheld from persons 
 not prepared to understand. 3) Delay in tell- 
 ing sometimes prepares us to tell more intelli- 
 gently and impressively.
 
 CH. XVII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 375 
 
 14 And when they were come to the multitude, there 
 runic to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and 
 saying, 
 
 15 Lord, have mercy on my son ; for he is lunatic, 
 and sore vexed : for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, 
 and oft into the water. 
 
 16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they 
 could not cure him. 
 
 17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and 
 perverse generation, how long shall I be with you ? 
 how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 
 
 14 And when they were come to the multitude, there 
 came to him a man, kneeling to him, and saying, 
 
 15 Lord, have mercy on my son : for he is epileptic, 
 and suffereth grievously : for oft-times he falleth 
 
 16 iuto the fire, and oft-times into the water. And I 
 brought him to thy disciples, and they could not 
 
 17 cure him. And Jesus answered and said, O faithless 
 and perverse generation, how long shall I be with 
 you ? how long shall I bear with you ? bring him 
 
 14-2O (21). JESTJS HEALS THE EPILEP- 
 TIC EOT. 
 
 Mark here gives (= 14-29) many vivid details 
 not found in Matthew or Luke (9: 37-43). 
 
 14-16. And when they, viz., Jesus, with 
 Peter and James and John (17 = 1.9), were 
 come to the multitude. The place was 
 near the foot of the Mount of Transfiguration 
 (Luke 9: 37), and so pretty certainly in the neigh- 
 borhood of Cesarea Philippi. (See on 17: 1.) 
 The great picture by Raffaelle, seizing upon 
 the close connection between the Transfigura- 
 tion and this scene, has taken the artistic 
 license of representing them as contempo- 
 raneous, the Master in glory on the Mount, the 
 nine disciples vainly attempting to heal the 
 demoniac boy at its foot. 'The multitude' 
 were surrounding the nine disciples (Mark), 
 and 'were greatly amazed,' probably at the 
 sudden appearance of Jesus after a night's 
 unexplained absence, and after this failure of 
 his followers.. Some think there was still a 
 light in his countenance, as when Moses de- 
 scended with dazzling face. But this would 
 have excited a curiosity which he and the 
 three could not gratify. (IT-. 9.) Mark adds 
 that the multitude ran to him and saluted 
 him ; they were perhaps curious to know 
 where he had been, and were doubtless eager j 
 to see whether he could heal when the disciples 
 had failed. It was probably in regard to this 
 point that 'Scribes' were 'questioning with 
 them.' The fame of Jesus' numerous heal- 
 ings in Galilee had long ago spread far and 
 wide. (<:24f.) A man, kneeling to him, in 
 humility and reverence, not in worship. 
 Lord, see on 8: 2. It is not clear what 
 amount of reverence the word here expresses. 
 On my son, an only son (Luke8:38), and still a 
 
 boy. (T. 18 ; Murk 9: 24; Luke V 42.) I, II II !l t i C , < >r >'//'- 
 
 leptic, as in 4: 24; the word does not occur 
 elsewhere in New Test. The symptoms de- 
 scribed, and more fully and vividly in Mark 
 (9: is-20), are those of epilepsy ; and the boy had 
 been so affected from childhood (Mark). The 
 
 epilepsy was in this case connected (v. is) with 
 possession by a demon (see on 8: 28), which 
 might either have caused the bodily ailment, 
 or taken occasion therefrom. In Mark (9: IT) 
 it is called 'a dumb spirit,' indicating that the 
 demoniacal possession had caused the child to be 
 dumb. I brought him to thy disciples, the 
 nine who had been left behind, and they could 
 not cure him. Mark and Luke, ' cast it out.' 
 They had doubtless repeatedly cast out demons 
 during their mission in Galilee the previous 
 winter or spring (io:i-s), and they might have 
 done so now but for weakness of faith, (v. 20.) 
 17 f. O faithless (unbelieving) and per- 
 verse generation. The terms are borrowed 
 from Deut. 32: 5, 20; comp. Phil. 2: 15. They 
 were not unbelievingthrough lack of evidence, 
 but through perverse neglect or rejection of 
 the evidence. The Greek word means thor- 
 oughly twisted, crooked, etc., and so does the 
 Latin perversus. (Comp. Eng. wrong from 
 wring.) Tyn., Cran., Gen., here render 
 'crooked.' The term 'generation' seems to 
 be used generally, not meaning specifically 
 the disciples or the Scribes, etc., as various 
 writers have supposed. The father, the nine 
 disciples, the crowd, the Scribes (Mark 9: u), 
 would all in varying degrees and ways sug- 
 gest that the current generation was unbeliev- 
 ing and perverse. SoZwingli, Bengel, Ewald, 
 Trench (see Morison). 'Unbelieving' does 
 not necessarily mean that no one in the 
 generation believed at all ; the disciples had 
 'little faith' (v. 20\ the father believed and 
 did not believe. This prevalence of perverse 
 unbelief made it painful to live amid such a 
 generation, and to suffer, or bear with, them. 
 He had shown keen distress at unbelief before, 
 Mark 8: 12 (see above on 16: 4); Mark 3 : 5 
 (see above on 12: 13). Our Lord's sensitive- 
 ness of feeling appears in many ways, but 
 only here is recorded as taking the form of 
 momentary impatience at dwelling amid such 
 an environment; it must have been all the 
 more distressing from the contrast with tho
 
 376 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVII. 
 
 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil ; and he departed out 
 of him : and the child was cured from that very hour. 
 
 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, 
 Why could not we cast him out? 
 
 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbe- 
 lief: for verily 1 say unto you, If ye have faith as a 
 grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, 
 Remove hence to yonder place ; and it shall remove : 
 ami nothing shall be impossible unto you. 
 
 21 Howbeit this kind goetu not out but by prayer 
 and lasting. 
 
 18 hither to me. And Jesus rebuked him; and the 
 demon went out from him: and the boy was cured 
 from that hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus 
 
 20 apart, and said. Why could not we cast it out ? And 
 he saith unto them, Because of your little faith : for 
 verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of 
 mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Re- 
 move hence to yonder place ; and it shall remove ; 
 and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 1 
 
 1 W:iuy authorities, some ancient, iusert ver. 21, But <*i kind goeth not out save by prayer and /ailing. See Mark i.\. 29. 
 
 scene of the Transfiguration, a few hours 
 before. How long ? literally, until when? 
 as if expecting a time of release. Yet he did 
 bear with that generation for yet many mouth* 
 (see on 19: 1), and did on this occasion, amid 
 all the disheartening and intolerable unbelief, 
 promptly recognize and bless a faith that was 
 confessedly weak. This confession was made 
 by the father in a touching dialogue recorded 
 by Mark. (9:20-25.) Bring him hither to me. 
 Even the disciples have been weak in faith, 
 and what they ought to have done must be 
 done by him. Aud Jesus rebuked the 
 devil, literally, Aim, the demoniac, which of 
 course means that he rebuked 'the unclean 
 spirit' (Mark and Lukej ; the rebuke doubt- 
 less related to his unlawful and malignant 
 possession. The apparent confusion of per- 
 sons in speaking to the child and the demon 
 is natural on the assumption of a real demon- 
 iacal possession, and repeatedly occurs in the 
 Gospels. Tyn. and his followers transposed 
 'the devil' into the first clause. The devil 
 should be the demon, see on 8 : 31. Departed 
 out of him, ek and npo being united, comp. 
 on 3: 16. The dispossession caused the child 
 frightful suffering, and presently he lay as if 
 dead till Jesus raised him up (Mark). The 
 child ; boy is the exact translation, and more 
 definite than ' child.' Was cured from that 
 very hour, at once and permanently, as in 
 15: 28; 9: 22. Luke adds (9:, H. v.), "And 
 they were all astonished at the majesty of God." 
 19, 2O (21). The disciples, viz.. the 
 nine who had tried and failed. Apart, Mark 
 (9:M), 'when he was come into the house,' 
 
 apparently that in which he and they had 
 been sojourning. Why could not we cast 
 him (it) out? 'we' being expressed in the 
 Greek, and thus emphatic ; he had authorized 
 them to cast out demons (10; i-s), and we can- 
 not doubt they had done so. (Comp. the 
 Seventy, Luke 10: 17). Because of your 
 unbelief, cor. text, little faith, 1 comp. 'ye of 
 little faith' in 6: 80; 8 : 26 ; 14 : 31; 16: 8. 
 To this corresponds the answer given in Mark. 
 'This kind can come out by nothing save by 
 prayer,' viz., as increasing their faith and 
 spiritual power. For gives a proof of the 
 preceding statement. Your failure must 
 have been on account of your weakness of 
 faith, for a very minute faith can work a very 
 great miracle. As a grain of mustard 
 seed, often used for anything very small (see 
 on 13:31); their faith must therefore have 
 been extremely minute, being less than this. 
 Unto this mountain. He probably pointed 
 to the mountain on which he had the night 
 before been transfigured ; so in 21 : 21 it is the 
 Mount of Olives. This faith that could re- 
 move mountains (comp. Luke 17 : 6 ; Matt. 
 21 : 21 f. ; Mark 11 : 23; 1 Cor. 13 : 2) was 
 proper and possible only in those to whom it 
 was granted to work miracles. For us to 
 attempt such a thing is folly. And nothing 
 shall he impossible unto you is of course 
 an exaggerated expression, such as all men 
 use, and all understand, and answers to what 
 he had just before said to the father (Mark 9: 23 \ 
 " All things are possible to him that be- 
 lieveth ;'' comp. also Phil. 4 : 13. 
 21. This verse is spurious, 2 having been 
 
 1 This is the reading of K B, the cursives 13, 124, 34fi, 
 which are known to have been derived from one old 
 uncial, and several other important cursives, the Old 
 Syriac, Memphitic and Sahidic, Armenian, .flSthiopic, 
 and it is quoted in Origen, Chrys., Hilary. The word 
 oliftopistian is not found in the classics nor elsewhere in 
 Biblical Greek, but sometimes employed by Greek 
 Fathers. It waseasily changed by copyists into ' unbe- 
 lief (apittian), a familiar term, implied in v. 17, and 
 
 seeming at first more in accordance with what follows. 
 Yet in fact Jesus has never accused the disciples of 
 having no faith, but repeatedly of having little faith 
 (oligopitloi). This fact is not likely to have occurred 
 to copyists, while the other considerations are obvious. 
 2 It is wanting in X (first hand) B, two copies of the 
 Old Latin, the Old and Jerusalem Syriac, Sahidic, and 
 a copy of Memphitic, and JEthiopic. The insertion by 
 copyists from another Gospel is natural and very coiu-
 
 CH. XVII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 377 
 
 22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto 
 them, The Son of mau shall be betrayed into the hands 
 of men : 
 
 22 And while they 1 abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto 
 them, The Son of man shall be delivered up into 
 
 1 Some ancient authorities read, were gathering themselves together. 
 
 added by copyists from Mark 9 : 29. Already, 
 before this was done, the passage had been en- 
 larged in Mark by adding 'and fasting,' due 
 to the asceticism among the early Christians. 
 A similar addition of ' fasting' was made by 
 copyists in Acts 10: 30; 1 Cor. 7: 5, and so 
 came into the common text. The word fast- 
 ing is genuine in Luke 2: 37; Acts 13: 2 f . ; 
 14: 23. For our Lord's instruction as to fast- 
 ing, see on 9: 15; 6: 18. 
 
 The events of 16 : 13 to 17 : 20 occurred within 
 a short time, apparently little more than a 
 week, and soon after Jesus reached the neigh- 
 borhood of Cesarea Philippi. He appears to 
 have stayed in that region, so far as our in- 
 formation enables us to judge, several weeks, 
 perhaps two or three months (comp. on 16: 
 13), but there is no record of further sayings 
 or doings. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 14 f. A father's remarkable experience. 
 1) The distressing calamity. 2) The dis- 
 heartening failure. 3) The struggling faith. 
 (Mark 9: 22-24.) 4) The great blessing. V. 14. 
 HENRY: "Sense of misery will bring people 
 
 to their knees Parents are doubly 
 
 concerned to pray for their children, not 
 only those that are weak and cannot, but much 
 more that are wicked and will not, pray for 
 themselves." V. 17. The Saviour grieving 
 at unbelief. 1) He felt an unbelieving at- 
 mosphere to be utterly uncongenial. 2) He 
 saw clearly the perverseness and general sin- 
 fulness of unbelief. 3) He considered what 
 blessings rnen were missing through unbelief. 
 4) He observed how attempts at usefulness 
 were marred by unbelief. 5) He was pained 
 by unbelief in him as a personal unkindness 
 
 and injustice. 6) He perceived that unbelief 
 is obstinate and hard to conquer. V. 19. 
 HENRY: "Ministers, who are to deal for 
 Christ in public, have need to keep up a pri- 
 vate communion with him, that they may 
 bewail the follies and infirmities of their pub- 
 lic performances, and inquire into the cause 
 of them." V. 20. Little faith. 1) It re- 
 stricts usefulness. 2) It hinders spiritual per- 
 ception. (16:8.) 3) It makes men timid amid 
 perils. (8:26.) 4) It leaves them consumed 
 with temporal anxieties. (e:so.) 
 
 22-27. RETURNING TO GALILEE, JESTJS 
 AGAIN FORETELLS HIS DEATH. HE PAYS 
 THE TEMPLE TAX. 
 
 Here are two matters. 
 
 I. 22 f. HE AGAIN FORETELLS HIS DEATH 
 AND RESURRECTION. Found also in Mark 9 : 
 30-32; Luke 9: 43-45. Mark tells how they 
 left the place of healing the demoniac boy, 
 near the Mount of Transfiguration, and 
 passed through Galilee. And while they 
 abode, etc., were gathering themselves to- 
 gether in Galilee (Rev. Ver., margin), is in all 
 probability the true text. 1 It implies that they 
 returned by different routes to a fixed point in 
 Galilee. Upon reflection, this is seen to agree 
 exactly with Mark's statement that Jesus 
 'wished no one to know' (comp. above on 
 16: 5) of the journey through Galilee, for a 
 natural expedient to this end would be the 
 separation of the Twelve into several parties, 
 taking different routes. We then understand 
 that at the rendezvous, as they were assem- 
 bling, Jesus made the statement that follows. 
 Mark's 'for' (:>') perhaps indicates (Alford) 
 that he wished to pass on unnoticed, because 
 he was engaged in privately teaching his dis- 
 ciples about his approaching death. Or it 
 
 mon, while we cannot imagine any reason for the 
 omission of the passage if originally present in Matt., 
 since no class of Christians in the early centuries would 
 have objected to it. The manuscripts and versions 
 which contain it have much verbal variation, a com- 
 mon thing in such borrowed passages. In Mark the 
 sentence is foil ml in all documents, but the words 'and 
 fasting' are there omitted by K (first hand), B, one 
 copy of Old Latin, and apparently by Clem. (W If.) 
 This evidence might seem slender, but there is no con- 
 ceivable reason for the omission of the words by copy- 
 
 ists or students, while their insertion is explained by 
 the asceticism prevalent among the early Christians, 
 and is paralleled in the common text of Acts 10: 30; 
 1 Cor. 7 : 5. So the case is clear. 
 
 ' It is the reading of X B, and the cursive 1 ; several 
 early versions show confusion and uncertainty in their 
 rendering. 'Abode' represents anastrefthomenon, and 
 ' were gathering themselves together' is sus/rephomenon. 
 The latter would strike copyists as strange, and be 
 easily changed into what seemed more simple. The 
 case is not certain, but highly probable.
 
 378 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVII. 
 
 23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he 
 shall be raised* again. And they were exceeding sorry. 
 
 24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they 
 that received "tribute money came to Peter, and said, 
 Doth not your master pay tribute ? 
 
 23 the hands of men ; and they shall kill him, and the 
 third day he shall be raised up. And they were ex- 
 ceeding sorry. 
 
 24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they 
 that received the l half-shekel came to Peter, and 
 
 a Called in the original didrachma, being lu value fifteen pence. See Ex. 30 : 12, and 38 : 26 1 Gr. didrachma. 
 
 may mean that he wished to avoid the fanati- 
 cal multitude, who, at his last recorded visit 
 to Capernaum, wanted to make him a king 
 after their own notion. (John 6: is.) The Son 
 of man, see on 8: 20. Shall be (or is going 
 to be, ) the same construction as in 16 : 27. Be- 
 trayed, or delivered up, into. So Com. Ver. 
 rightly in Mark and Luke, though rendering 
 'betrayed' in Matt. (comp. on 10: 4); and 
 we shall find similar inconsistency throughout 
 in translatingthe term. The words which really 
 mean 'betray' and 'traitor' occur only in 
 Luke 6: 16; Acts 7: 52. Into the hands of 
 men. In 20: 19 it becomes more definite, 
 'unto the Gentiles' ; 26: 45, 'into the hands 
 of sinners.' The idea of losing liberty and 
 being rudely handled by other men, is always 
 in itself painful. This being delivered into 
 the hands of men is the new idea here added ; 
 the rest is repeated from 16 : 21. (See note.) 
 And they were exceeding sorry, or exceed- 
 ingly grieved. Mark and Luke state that they 
 did not understand the saying (comp. on 17: 
 9), and feared to ask him about it probably 
 with that feeling which often restrains per- 
 sons from seeking more precise information 
 that would probably but increase their dis- 
 tress. The three who had witnessed the trans- 
 figuration must have been better able to bear 
 this renewed and painful announcement; but 
 they could not. tell the others what they had 
 seen and heard. 
 
 II. 24-27. PAYING THE TEMPLE Cox- 
 TRIBTJTION. Found in Matt, only, except 
 the statement in Mark (9=33), that 'they came 
 to Capernaum.' This seems to have been our 
 Lord's final visit to Capernaum, which had so 
 long been his abode (see on 4: 13), and was 
 probably short. (Comp. on 18: 1.) He had 
 just come from the neighborhood of Ces-nrea 
 Philippi. (See on v. 22.) They that re- 
 ceived the tribute money (half shekel). 
 The Greek didrachmon, rr double drachm, 
 was a silver coin equal to two Attic drachms, 
 and in the times of the New Test, and 
 Josephus was nearly equal to a half shekel, 
 or something over thirty cents. 'Tribute 
 money,' Cranmer and K. James, is too indefi- 
 
 nite; 'poll money,' Tyn., Gen., fails to sug- 
 gest that it was a specific poll-tax for the 
 temple. It is better in such cases to u*e the 
 definite term of the original, and let this be- 
 come matter of explanation. But as the Greek 
 didrachm or double drachm is unfamiliar, it 
 is convenient to use the half shekel, the 
 Hebrew shekel being familiar to us from 
 Old Test. Moses directed (Exod. so: n cr.) that 
 whenever the people were numbered, every 
 male over twenty years old should give a half 
 shekel, rich and poor alike, for the support of 
 the tabernacle. Upon this Josiah based his 
 demand for a special contribution to repair 
 the temple. (2 Chr. 24: e.) After the return from 
 the captivity, Nehemiah and his followers 
 "made ordinances" not as being required 
 by the law of Moses, but as a voluntary 
 agreement to pay every year the third p&rt of 
 a shekel (they were poor then), in order to pro- 
 vide sacrifices, etc., for the temple. (Neh. io:32f.) 
 In the Mishna, as here in Matt., we meet with 
 a well known contribution of a half shekel. 
 The Kabbis had kept Nehemiah's plan of 
 making it annual, but had returned to the 
 sum which the law of Moses required for the 
 occasional gift, and doubtless held that they 
 were but carrying out the law. The Mishna 
 has a separate treatise on this subject. Priests, 
 women, children, and slaves, were exempt, 
 but might give if they wished. The Jews in 
 Palestine were expected (Edersh. ) to give 
 before the time of the Passover; those in 
 foreign countries were allowed till Pentecost 
 or even Tabernacles, and there was a special 
 chest in the temple for contributions due 
 the previous year. Commissioners were 
 sent through Palestine to collect 'they 
 that received the half shekel,' distinct from 
 tlm publicans who collected the government 
 tax; in foreign countries the money was de- 
 posited by the leading Jews in some fortified 
 citj- till it could be escorted to Jerusalem. 
 ( jos. " Ant.," is, 9, i.) Cicero states that gold was, 
 every year, in the name of the Jews, exported 
 from Italy and all the provinces to Jerusalem, 
 and commends Flaccus for prohibiting this 
 exportation from Asia, i. e., the region of
 
 CH. XVII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 379 
 
 25 He saitb, Yes. And when he was come into the 
 house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest 
 thou, Simon ? of whom do the kings of the earth take 
 custom or tribute ? of their own children, or of stran- 
 gers? 
 
 26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith 
 unto him, Then are the children free. 
 
 said, Doth not your l master pay the - half-shekel? 
 
 25 He saith, Yea. And when he came into the house, 
 Jesus spake first to him, saying, What thinkest 
 thou, Simon ? the kings of the earth, from whom do 
 they receive toll or tribute? from their sons, or 
 
 26 from strangers? And when he said, From stran- 
 gers, Jesus said unto him, Therefore the sous are 
 
 1 Or, teacher 2 Gr. didrackn 
 
 which Ephesus was the chief city. (Cicero, 
 "forFlaccus," 28.) Josephussays ( Ant.,-3.8,2) 
 that the gift in Exod. 30: 11 was from men 
 between twenty and fifty years old, which 
 statement makes it likely that the age was 
 thus limited in his times, which were those of 
 the New Testament. After Titus destroyed 
 Jerusalem, Vespasian decreed that the Jews 
 everywhere "should bring two drachms every 
 year for the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, as 
 before they were wont to pay for the temple 
 at Jerusalem." (Jo*. -war,"?, 6,6.) Quite dis- 
 tinct from this yearly half shekel, which was 
 required by custom, if not by the law, were 
 the voluntary contributions made at the tem- 
 ple, which varied indefinitely in amount. 
 (Mart i2: ff.) Entirely distinct also was the 
 tax (22:17) to the Roman government in Judea 
 and Samaria, which two districts formed at 
 the time of our Lord's ministry a Roman 
 province. 
 
 It is not at all clear with what design the 
 collectors asked the question, but most likely 
 in a reproachful tone, as if he was slighting a 
 duty recognized by all devout Jews. Doth 
 not your master that is teacher (didaskalos, 
 see on 8 : 19) pay the half-shekel, as every- 
 body else does? The regular time for paying 
 was in the spring, while it was now near the 
 beginning of autumn. Jesus and his followers 
 had been long absent from Capernaum, and 
 the collectors now seized their opportunity, 
 perhaps wishing to send up all that was be- 
 hind to the Feast of Tabernacles. 
 
 25 f. Peter's ready answer, Yes, most natu- 
 rally suggests that Jesus had paid in previous 
 years, and so there was no doubt that he would 
 pay now. The fact that Matt, records this in- 
 cident without any explanation as to the nature 
 and design of the contribution, is one of the 
 many proofs that he wrote especially for Jewish 
 readers, to whom the matter would be famil- 
 iar. Into the house, probably the house ot 
 Peter, which Jesus usually appears to have 
 made his place of abode at Capernaum, (comp. 
 
 on 4 : 13 ; 8 : 14). Jesus prevented, that is, 
 spake first to, him, saying. The Greek 
 means to get before, anticipate, (coriip. on 
 12 : 28), and would be exactly translated now 
 by 'anticipated him, saying.' Tyn. and Gen. 
 gave 'spake first to him.' The Latin prevent 
 (originally 'to come before') was introduced 
 by Cran. and Rheims, and at that time was a 
 good translation ; but it has now lost that 
 meaning in Eng., and acquired a different 
 sense, which makes it very misleading, (e. g., 
 Ps. 119 : 147 f. ; 1 Thess. 4 : 15.) To avoid the 
 word 'anticipate,' which is not used in K. 
 James, the Rev. Ver. has returned to 'spake 
 first to him,' a rather inadequate rendering. 
 Jesus knew what had occurred without need- 
 ing to be told. (Comp. John 1 : 48). Custom 
 (rather toll), or tribute. The first Greek 
 word denotes taxes or tribute in general, the 
 second is the Latin word census, which, 
 from meaning a registration for the purpose 
 of taxation, might naturally in the provinces 
 be applied to the poll-tax ; its sense here 
 and in 22: 17. Of their o\vn children 
 (sons), or of strangers? The latter term 
 means those of other blood, of other than 
 the royal family. Then are the children 
 (sons) free, i. e., exempt. And so the Son of 
 God, as Peter had recognized Jesus to be 
 (i6: IB), ought to be exempted from paying tax 
 to the temple for the support of divine worship. 
 He uses the plural, 'sons,' because he is stat- 
 ing the inference from his previous argument 
 in a general form ; but the application is obvi- 
 ously designed to be to himself. The Roman- 
 ists in Europe have absurdly applied this to 
 the clergy, as showing that they ought to be 
 exempted from taxation, at any rate when it 
 is for religious purposes. When our Lord 
 adds, 'lest we cause them to stumble,' the 
 plural refers not to any notion that Peter was 
 exempt, but to the fact that Peter as well as 
 himself had not paid ; and he proceeds to di- 
 rect how Peter may pay both for the Master 
 and himself.
 
 380 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVIII. 
 
 27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go 
 thou to the sea, and cast a hook, and take up the fish 
 that first comeih up; and when thou hast opened his 
 mouth, thou shall find" a piece of money : that take, 
 and give unto t hem for me and thee. 
 
 27 free. But, lest we cause them to stumble, go thou 
 to the sea, and cast a hook, and take up the fish 
 that first cometh up ; and when thou hast opened 
 his mouth, thou shalt find a 1 shekel: that take, and 
 give unto them for me and thee. 
 
 CHAPTEE XVIII. 
 
 T the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, say- 
 L ing, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 
 
 1 In that hour came the disciples unto Jesus, say- 
 ing, Who then is 2 greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 
 
 a Or, a Hater. It is half an ounce of silver, in value 2s. 6d. after 5s. the.ounce 1 Or. stater 2 Gr. greater. 
 
 27. Lest we should offend them, or better, 
 cause them to stumble, give them an occasion 
 for objecting to my claims, and refusing to re- 
 ceive me. (See on 5: 29.) They would have 
 said that he did not keep the law, did not per- 
 form a recognized duty of every Israelite, and 
 so he certainly could not be the Messiah. Go 
 thou to the sea. The preposition is that 
 usually rendered 'into.' In a case like this it 
 signifies into the locality represented in a gen- 
 eral way by the sea, which would include its 
 shores. We are not at liberty to understand 
 it here in a stricter sense, such as would be 
 expressed in English by 'into the sea,' because 
 that would he manifestly inappropriate to the 
 action which Peter was to perform, viz., 
 catching a fish with a hook. (So in John 11 : 
 38; 20: 1.) Wherever it would not be dis- 
 tinctly and decidedly unsuitable to the action 
 in question, the natural and common sense of 
 'into' must be retained. (Comp. on 3: 16.) 
 The sea was of course the Lake of Galilee, on 
 which Capernaum was situated. (4: is.) Thou 
 shalt find a piece of money, (a shekel, 
 Greek stater,) an attic silver coin, equal 
 to four drachms, or two half- shekels. 
 For me and thee, is strictly, ' instead of 
 me and thee,' the notion being of a 
 substitution, which was the original and 
 proper meaning of tbis contribution (see 
 Exod. 30: 11-16). Jesus never wrought a 
 miracle for his personal benefit. If he had 
 procured the money for this purpose in an 
 ordinary way, it might have obscured the 
 fact of his extraordinary position as the Mes- 
 siah. Matthew probably recorded this inci- 
 dent to show his Jewish readers on the one 
 hand that Jesus felt himself entitled to the re- 
 spect due to the Messiah, and on the other, that 
 he was very careful to keep the law in all re- 
 spects, so that no Jew had a right to stumble 
 at him. Our Lord's disposition to forego a 
 privilege to which he was justly entitled, 
 rather than that men should have an excuse 
 for misapprehending him, was imitated by 
 
 Paul (icor. 9), and stands before us all as a 
 part of the example of Christ. A hook. 
 Fish-hooks. are mentioned elsewhere in the 
 Bible only in Isa. 19: 8; Amos 4:2; Hab. 1: 
 15; Job 41 : 1, etc., and are not now used in 
 the Lake of Galilee. Peter had previously 
 had experience of a miracle in catching fishes. 
 (Luke 5: * tr.) Commentators compare here the 
 story of the ring of Polycrates (Herod III., 
 39-42). 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 24-27. Jesus giving for the support of 
 the temple. 1) He takes pains to avoid being 
 misunderstood; (a) speaking so as to prevent 
 Peter from misunderstanding him ; (b) acting 
 so as to prevent the Jews. 2) While avowing 
 himself the Son of God, he performs every 
 duty of a good man (comp. 3: 15), including 
 that of taking part in religious contributions. 
 He relinquishes an avowed claim to exemp- 
 tion, lest his course should injure others. 
 Comp. 1 Cor. 8 : 13 ; 9: 12, 22. 
 
 Ch. 1-14. THE SUBJECTS OF THE MES- 
 SIANIC KEIGN MUST BE CHILDLIKE. 
 
 We are approaching the close of our Lord's 
 ministry in Galilee. (i9:i.) Convinced that 
 their Master is the Messiah (i6:u>), the disci- 
 ples begin to dispute which of them shall have 
 the highest office in the Messianic kingdom, 
 which they conceive of as secular rather than 
 spiritual. They bring him this question, and 
 he says at once that only by being childlike 
 can they have any place at all in the Mes- 
 sianic kingdom ; it follows that the childlike 
 ought to be received for Christ's sake, and 
 that any one incurs great guilt who causes 
 them to sin (-6-); and they must not be 
 despised, for the Saviour and the Father are 
 specially concerned for their salvation, v. 
 10-14. Comp. Mark 9: 33-50; Luke 9: 46-50. 
 
 I. 1-4. THE SUBJECTS OF THE MESSIANIC 
 REIGN MUST BE CHILDLIKE. At the same 
 time, or in that hour, is best taken strictly
 
 CH. XVIIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 381 
 
 2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set 
 him in the midst of them. 
 
 2 And he called to him a little child, and set him in 
 
 3 the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, 
 
 (io:i9; 26:45), but may mean more generally, at 
 that precise period. The time must be when 
 Jesus was in the house at Capernaum (IT: 25; 
 Mart 9: 33), and perhaps while Peter was gone 
 to find the shekel. Came the disciples 
 unto Jesus, saying. Luke, in his very 
 brief account, speaks only of Jesus as seeing 
 the reasoning of their heart. Mark says they 
 had 'disputed one with another in the way,' 
 apparently on the road from Cesarea Philippi 
 to Capernaum (comp. on 17 : 22), and that 
 when Jesus asked them about it they were 
 silent. Not, knowing all the circumstances, 
 we need not be nervously anxious to har- 
 monize these accounts ; but it is not difficult 
 to suppose that they came intending to ask 
 him the question, but hesitated ; that perceiv- 
 ing their thought (Luke) he inquired, and 
 they were at first silent (Mark), but at length 
 spoke (Matt. ). Who, literally, who then, who 
 in the state of things present to their minds, 
 implies some previous occurrence or conver- 
 sation which led to the inquiry, and this may 
 be the conversation to which Mark refers. 
 Is greatest in the kingdom of heaven, .-'. - . . 
 the Messianic kingdom (see on 3: 2). They 
 were thinking of it as a temporal kingdom, in 
 which there would of course be higher and 
 lower officials. 'Greatest' is literally 'greater,' 
 i. e., greater than all others, comp. on 11 : 11; 
 13: 32, and see Buttm. p. 84. Luke (9: 46) says 
 that the point in their thoughts was ' which of 
 them should be greatest' ; but they asked the 
 question in a more general form. Notice 
 that the dispute closely follows a prediction 
 that he would die (Mark and Luke), as in 
 similar cases afterwards. (20-. 20; Luke 22: 21.) 
 Convinced that he was the Messiah (i:i), 
 and not understanding how be could liter- 
 ally rise again (see on 17: 9), their minds 
 fastened exclusively upon the idea that 
 somehow or other he was about to set up 
 a Messianic kingdom. (16: 28.) And though 
 he had recently declared it impossible to 
 follow him save in self-renunciation (16:24), 
 they were intent on self-aggrandizement. 
 
 The statement in the Sermon on the Mount 
 (0:19) concerned a greatness which many might 
 attain ; here the question is, who shall have 
 the single highest place. Our Lord had 
 treated Peter, James, and John with 'marked 
 distinction, in permitting them alone to wit- 
 ness the Transfiguration. (;i.) Forbidden 
 to tell any one what they had seen ("=), 
 they would naturally say so to the other dis- 
 ciples when asked where they and the Master 
 had been. Besides, Peter was some time be- 
 fore addressed in the presence of the others in 
 a manner which gave him special promi- 
 nence. (i6:i7ff.) And just now Jesus has di- 
 rected that Peter's temple-contribution shall 
 be paid along with his own through a special 
 miracle, taking no notice of the others. About 
 six months later, we shall find James and 
 John, with their mother as spokesman, ac- 
 i tually requesting that they may have the two 
 | highest places in the kingdom (20 = 20), and the 
 other ten greatly displeased about it. And 
 the dispute will be renewed even on the night 
 before the crucifixion. As to the probable 
 grounds for individual claims of pre-emi- 
 nence, see on 19: 30. From all this it appears 
 that we here reach a turning-point, the dis- 
 ciples beginning a contention which will be 
 renewed unto the end. 
 
 2-4. A little child. The house was 
 probably that of Peter (": 25), and so 
 the child may have been Peter's child. 
 Called unto him, shows a child able to 
 walk; it could sit by his side (Luke), yet 
 was small enough to be naturally taken in 
 his arms (Mark), and so young as to be ap- 
 propriately a pattern, to afford an object-les- 
 son. It cannot therefore have been personally 
 a believer ("). A late tradition makes this 
 child Ignatius, martyred about A. D. 115, but 
 it is without authority, and evidently arose 
 from a fanciful misinterpretation of certain 
 phrases in his letters. Verily I say unto 
 you, indicating something very important, 
 see on 6: 18. Except ye be converted, or 
 turn, 1 viz., from your present sinful ambi- 
 
 1 The simple Greek verb ttrephn is everywhere else 
 in New Test., correctly translated by Com. Ver. 'turn.' 
 Thecompoimd epislrepho it renders 'convert' in 13: 
 15 (with Mark 4: 12; John 12: 40; Acts 28: 27); Luke 
 22: 32; ActsS: 19; James 3: 19 f. All the preceding 
 English versions bad given 'convert 'in Luke, John, 
 
 James, Acts 28: 27; in the other passages, Tyn. and 
 one or two of his followers gave the Anglo-Saxon 
 'turn.' (Comp. on 13: 15 and 3: 2.) 'Turn ' is in the 
 Greek a passive form, but used In the "middle" sense, 
 equivalent to the English active intransitive; soil is 
 properly translated 'turn,' aud not ' be turned.'
 
 382 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. XVIII. 
 
 3 And said, Verily I say unto vou, Except ye be con- 
 viTtnl, anil iR'come'as little children, ye shall not enter 
 into the kingdom of heuven. 
 
 4 XVIuisiK-vi-r therefore shall humble himself as this 
 littK- ohitil, the same is greatest in the kingdom of 
 heaven. 
 
 5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in 
 my name receiveth me. 
 
 Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye 
 shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven? 
 
 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this 
 little child, the same is the l greatest in the kingdom 
 
 5 of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little 
 
 1 Or, greater. 
 
 tion and jealousy. The Latin term ' convert,' 
 'be converted,' formerly expressed this mean- 
 ing exactly, but it has come to have an ex- 
 clusively technical sense in our religious 
 usage, which makes it quite misleading in 
 this and some other passages. Persons long 
 ago "converted" may often need to turn 
 from some wrong practice or disposition. 
 And become as little children. Like 
 other illustrations, this must not be rigor- 
 ously pressed. Little children are by no 
 means faultless, and they sometimes plainly 
 show envy and jealousy. But we naturally 
 regard a little child as a pattern (i. e., com- 
 pared with adults) of tender affections, con- 
 fiding trust, humility, docility, simplicity, 
 readiness to believe and obey. Chrys. : 
 " Both from envy the little child is pure, and 
 from vainglory, and from longing for the 
 first place; and he is possessed of the greatest 
 of virtues, simplicity, and whatever is artless 
 and lowly. . . . And the child which he 
 set in the midst I suppose to have been a very 
 young child indeed, free from all these pas- 
 sions." Origen suggests a child's readhiess to 
 cease from grief, fear, anger, and its disregard 
 of social distinctions among its playmates. 
 Theophyl. : " We must be children in humil- 
 ity of mind, not in childishness of thought; 
 in being without evil, not in being without 
 sense." Ye shall not, simply the strong 
 doubled negative (see on 16: 22), enter into 
 the kingdom of heaven (comp. on 5 : 20). 
 While they are disputing which is to have 
 the highest official position in the kingdom, 
 let them see to it that they get into the king- 
 dom at all. This interpretation of the object- 
 lesson is omitted here by Mark and Luke, 
 who however give the same thought as spoken 
 on a later occasion (Mark 10: is : Luke is : IT), 
 where Matt, omits it (is: 15). Nothing is 
 more natural than that so weighty a sentence 
 should have been uttered on both occasions. 
 Men had long been pressing vehemently into 
 the kingdom (11:12). Were the apostles at 
 this moment still entirely out of it, still un- 
 
 renewed (John s:) t essentially destitute of sav- 
 ing faith ? The} 7 would decide this question 
 by turning from their worldly ambition and 
 jealousy, and becoming childlike. Judas, for 
 example, did not do so (Joimiz: 4-6), for he was 
 not a child of God, but a 'devil.' (John6:7or.) 
 Whosoever therefore. Since in general, 
 they must resemble little children in order to 
 enter the kingdom, it follows that whosoever 
 shall humble himself as this little child 
 is humble, will be the greatest in the king- 
 dom. Humility is thus presented as the 
 principal thing in a child to be imitated by 
 Messiah's subjects, and in that the disciples 
 had just shown themselves particularly lack- 
 ing. Observe that the question was particu- 
 lar, 'who'; the answer is general, 'whoso- 
 ever.' 'Shall humble' is the same root as 
 'lowly' in 11: 29; comp. 23 : 12. 'As this 
 little child' humbles himself, would be gram- 
 matically possible, but is forbidden by the 
 connection. The same is (the) greatest, 
 with the article, because a definite person 
 (comp. v. 1). 
 
 II. 5-9. THESE LOWLY SUBJECTS OF 
 MESSIAH SHOULD BE KINDLY RECEIVED, 
 
 AND SHOULD NOT BE LED INTO SlN. This 
 
 is a kindred truth, suggested by the use of the 
 little child as an object lesson. In my name, 
 literally, upon my name (as in 24: 5 ; Acts 2: 
 38), Christ's name being the ground of the 
 reception receiving not on the ground of 
 distinction, wealth, personal agreeableness, 
 etc., but on the ground of Christ's name. 
 (Comp. on 28: 19.) One such little child. 
 So Mark, 'one of such little children.' These 
 expressions do not refer to the literal child 
 but to the childlike believer. (Comp. v. 6.) 
 Chrys.: "By a little child here, he mean; 
 the men that are thus simple and lowly, and 
 abject and contemptible in the judgment of 
 the common sort." If we bear in mind the 
 frequent association in Scripture language of 
 lowly spirit and lowly lot (5:s), it will seem 
 likely that this latter idea enters here, as it 
 certainly does in v. 10. The reference in
 
 CH. XVIIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 383 
 
 6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones 
 which believe iu me, it were better for him that a mill- 
 stone were hanged about his neck, and that he were 
 drowned in the depth of the sea. 
 
 6 child in my name receiveth me: but whoso shall 
 cause one of these little ones that believe on me to 
 stumble, it is profitable for him that l a. great mill- 
 stone should be hanged about his neck, and thai he 
 
 1 Gr. a mill-ttont turned by an i 
 
 Matthew and Mark then, is plainly to the 
 lowly believer. But Luke says (9:48, B.V.), 
 ' whosoever shall receive this little child in 
 my name.' Luke's account is very brief, 
 omitting the sayings of our v. 3 and v. 4. 
 The idea had become familiar to all Christian 
 minds that Jesus used a little child for an 
 object-lesson, and so it is likely that Luke 
 meant ' this little child ' representatively, the 
 lowly believer who is like this child. Ooster- 
 zee (Lange) : "It is self-evident that the ex- 
 pression is applicable, not to the child in itself, 
 but to the child as a type of childlike minds." 
 The usual interpretation is to this effect. If, 
 however, we understand receiving this little 
 child itself, the idea will still be to receive it, 
 not for its own sake, but 'in my name,' and 
 thus as the Saviour's pattern (Weiss) of what 
 his disciples ought to be, and that involves an 
 honest desire to be what the pattern proposes. 
 The disciples were in a jealous mood, not dis- 
 posed to be lowly themselves, nor to treat the 
 lowly with kindness. Jesus teaches that his 
 followers, though they possess no earthly 
 grandeur, no place of power and pride, should 
 be received in his name; that to receive the 
 lowliest Christian in character and condition 
 yea, to receive a little child as his appointed 
 pattern of such lowly character would be 
 receiving Christ himself ; and Mark and Luke 
 add, ' whosoever shall receive me receiveth 
 him that sent me.' (Comp. on 10: 40 f.; 25: 
 40.) Receiving here seems to denote, not 
 merely hospitality, but companionship, friend- 
 ship, etc. Those who are not personally or 
 socially attractive may be heartily received 
 as Christ's representatives. Observe 'one,' to 
 receive even a single such person is to receive 
 Christ. 
 
 6 f. At this point, as recorded by Mark 
 (:38) and Luke ( = ), John interrupted our 
 Lord. The idea of receiving in his name 
 
 suggested a recent occasion on which John 
 and other disciples, perhaps while coming in 
 a separate party from Cesarea Philippi (see 
 on 17 : 22), had seen a man casting out demons 
 in the name of Jesus and had forbidden him, 
 because he did not join them in following 
 Jesus about. The Master's beautiful and 
 instructive reply (with which comp. above 
 on 12: 30), is so managed as to come natu- 
 rally back to the subject he had just touched 
 upon before the interruption (comp. Mark 
 9: 41 with 42). Perhaps Matthew's reason 
 for omitting the incident was his anx- 
 iety to preserve the continuity of the dis- 
 course, v. 6 being closely connected with v. 
 5. In v. 6 the thought was of receiving one 
 such little child; here it is that of causing 
 such a one to sin; afterwards the discourse 
 passes by natural association of ideas to va- 
 rious persons and things that cause men to sin 
 (v. 7-9), finally returning (r. ioff.) to another 
 thought concerning childlike believers. One 
 of these little ones which believe in me 
 (see also in Mark 9 : 42), shows that the refer- 
 ence is certainly not to unconscious infants, 
 but to childlike believers; this would seem 
 to settle the question as to v. 5 and v. 10. 
 Comparatively young children are sometimes 
 believers, but infants cannot be (comp. Beza). 
 Offend or, cause to stumble, or to sin, see on 
 5 : 29. It Avere better (or is profitable) for 
 him, viz., in comparison with the fate that 
 awaits him. So on a later occasion. (Lukei7:2.) 
 A mill-stone. i The ordinary mill-stone, 
 turned by hand (24:), waa comparatively 
 small ; here it is (Rev. Ver., margin) ' a mill- 
 stone turned by an a?s,' which would be quite 
 large, and this makes the expression very 
 strong. Equally strong are the phrases 
 drowned, sunk, to the very bottom, and in 
 the depth of the sea, far from the shore, 
 where the sea is deep. Drowning was a pun- 
 
 1 Malo onikox, 'an ass mill-stone' was by a few docu- 
 ments here, and by many in Mark, changed to lil/ios 
 mu/iko*, ' a mill-stone,' through assimilation to Luke 
 17:2, where also many documents changed to mulox 
 oiikos, like Matthew and Mark. Such examples show 
 the habits of copyists. For the nouiiuul use of /Una. 
 
 and the subjunctive, ' that .... should be hanged,' 
 see on 5: 29. Meyer's attempt to make hina here ex- 
 press purpose, only shows the impossibility of maintain- 
 ing the ground that in the New Test, it always has that 
 sense.
 
 384 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVIII. 
 
 7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it 
 must needs be that offences couie; but woe to that man 
 by whom the offence couieth ! 
 
 8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut 
 them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee 
 to enter into lite halt or maimed, rather than having 
 two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 
 
 9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast 
 it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with 
 one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into 
 hull fire. 
 
 10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little 
 ones : for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels 
 do always behold the face of my Father which is in 
 heaven. 
 
 7 should be sunk in the depth of the sea. Woe unto 
 the world because of occasions of stumbling! for it 
 must needs be that the occasions come; but woe to 
 
 8 that man through whom the occasion coraeth ! And 
 it' thy hand or thy foot causeth thee to stumble, cut 
 i i off, and cast it from thee : it is good for thee to 
 enter into life maimed or halt, rather than having 
 two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. 
 
 9 And if thine eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it 
 out, and cast it from thee : it is good for thee to 
 enter into life with one eye, rather than having two 
 
 10 eyes to be cast into the i hell of fire. See that ye 
 despise not one of these little ones ; for I say unto 
 
 1 Or. Gehenna of fire. 
 
 ishment common among the Greeks and Bo- 
 mans, the Syrians and Phoenicians, and had 
 been once practiced, that we know of, in the 
 Lake of Galilee, in the early part of Herod's 
 reign. (Jo. Ant.," u, 15, 10.) Wicked men often 
 think it great sport to induce a Christian to 
 sin, especially one who seems very meek and 
 gentle. If they can make him violently an- 
 gry, or lead him into excessive levity, to say 
 nothing of gross vices, they are prodigiously 
 amused and gratified. Such persons ought to 
 remember these solemn and awful words of 
 the compassionate Saviour. Woe uuto the 
 world because of offences, of occasions of 
 stumbling (see on 6: 29) ; com p. 26: 24; Luke 
 17:1. Theophyl. : "In his philanthropy he 
 laments over the world, as destined to be 
 damaged by the stumbling-blocks. But why 
 not rather help ? We answer, that lamenting 
 is a sort of help. For often those whom our 
 exhortation did not profit, come to their senses 
 when we lament over them." For it must 
 needs be. Stumbling-blocks are a neces- 
 sary part of a state of probation and correct- 
 ive discipline, and God will not, prevent their 
 coming. Beza: "There is a distinction be- 
 tween necessity and compulsion." Comp. 1 
 Cor. 11:19. Chrys : "As though a physician 
 should say, it must needs be that this disease 
 should come on, but it is not a necessary con- 
 sequence that he who gives heed should be of 
 course destroyed by the disease." 
 
 8 f. Having shown the guilt of causing 
 lowly Christians to stumble, he adverts to 
 cases in which we become stumbling-blocks 
 to ourselves. Observe the pointed address in 
 
 the second person singular, thy, etc. ; comp. 
 v. 15 ff., and see on 6 : 2. For v. 8 f. see on 5 : 
 29 f., which is substantially the same. Cut it 
 off, is the correct Greek text, easily changed 
 to cut them off. Mark 9: 48-60 adds some 
 kindred solemn thoughts. 
 
 III. 1O-14. THESE LOWLY CHRISTIANS 
 MUST NOT BE DESPISED. The idea of child- 
 like or lowly character is here connected by a 
 natural suggestion with that of lowly station, 
 humble circumstances. The same association 
 of ideas is seen in 5 : 3 and 11 : 5, and probably 
 above in v. 5. Little ones here denote, not 
 little children, but childlike believers, as in 
 v. 3, 6 ; so the Fathers, so Calvin and Beza, 
 and nearly all modern commentators. i Men 
 are very apt to despise Christians on the 
 ground that they include so large a propor- 
 tion of persons in humble life, poor, and often 
 ignorant (i Cor. i: ze cr.j ; and their very humility v 
 though one of the loveliest of all human dis- 
 positions, is regarded \yy many proud, ungodly 
 people as nothing but mean spiritedness. To 
 prevent despising a single one of these little 
 ones, lowly in character and lot, our Lord 
 calls special attention to the reason which fol- 
 lows. 
 
 I say nnto yon, see on 5 : 18. However 
 humble in the estimation of wordly men, 
 believers have angels as their attendants, sent 
 forth to serve God for their benefit iHeb.i:!*), 
 and these angels of theirs enjoy in heaven the 
 highest dignity and consideration, like per- 
 sons admitted to the very presence of a mon- 
 arch, and allowed, not once, but continually, 
 to behold his face. The seclusion in which 
 
 1 Luther refers here to infant baptism, and holds that 
 this child of v. 2 is said to " believe " (v. 6) because it 
 hi* been circumcised and received into the number of 
 the elect. "And so through baptism children became 
 believers. How else could the children of Turks and 
 
 Jews be distinguished from those of Christians ? " Does 
 not this involve the notion that infants dying unbap- 
 tized are lost ? To find the very apostle of justification 
 by faith saying that a little child becomes a believer by 
 being baptized, is humiliating and disheartening. 

 
 Cn. XVIIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 385 
 
 11 For the Son of man is come to save that which 
 was lost. 
 
 you, that in heaven their angels do always behold 
 
 Oriental monarchs live made this image very 
 expressive ; see 1 Kings 10 : 8 ; 2 Kings 
 25: 19; Esth. 1: 14; Tob. 12: 15; Luke 1 : 19, 
 and comp. above on 5 : 8. Surely they who 
 have as their attendants these high and hon- 
 ored ministers of the court of heaven, are not 
 to be despised, whatever may be their earthly 
 condition. 
 
 There is in this no sufficient warrant for the 
 popular notion of "guardian angels," one 
 angel especially assigned to each individual; 
 it is simply said of believers as a class that 
 there are angels which are their angels ; but 
 there is nothing here or elsewhere to show 
 that one angel has special charge of one 
 believer. Daniel and Zechariah speak of the 
 angel of a particular country, as the angel of 
 Persia, the angel of Greece ; we know noth- 
 ing beyond the fact thus revealed, nothing 
 as to the nature or extent of the protection 
 or influence implied. But the Jews were not 
 satisfied with this idea of national influence or 
 guardianship, and advanced to the notion of 
 a guardian angel for each individual, as in the 
 beautiful story of Tobit, and in the Kabbin- 
 ical writings. Comp. the Greek fancy of a 
 guiding and protecting daimon, as spoken of 
 by Socrates, and especially by Epictetus (I. 
 14). The disciples who were praying for 
 Peter during his imprisonment, when the girl 
 insisted that he was at the gate, sprang to the 
 conclusion that he had just been put to death 
 and this was "his angel" (Aci2:i5), accord- 
 ing to a notion that a man's guardian angel 
 was apt to appear to friends just after his 
 death, with his form and voice. But the 
 views of these disciples were erroneous on 
 many subjects, and are not an authority for 
 us unless sanctioned by inspiration. It can- 
 not be positively asserted that the idea of 
 guardian angels is an error, but there is 
 no Scripture which proves it true, and 
 passages which merely might be understood 
 that way do not suffice for the basis of a doc- 
 trine. On the other hand it would appear 
 that not sufficient importance is popularly at- 
 tached to the agency of angels with reference 
 to Christians in general. They are repre- 
 sented as God's messengers (both the Hebrew 
 and Greek words signifying messenger), and 
 his agents in both ordinary and extraordinary 
 
 matters with reference to the bodies and the 
 souls of men. Theiragency is represented us both 
 concurring with, and controlling, the action 
 of physical causes. They minister to God es- 
 pecially for the benefit of them that shall 
 inherit salvation (Heb. 1: 14, where 'min- 
 ister for them ' really meant this, but is popu- 
 larly misunderstood as meaning minister to 
 them). They protect the human servant of 
 God when in danger and difficulty. (Psa. 91 : n ; 
 Matt. 4: 6.) They are present during our worship, 
 and we are enjoined to preserve decorum 
 through respect for them, (i cor. n : 10.) In the 
 judgment they will be agents in separating 
 the righteous from the wicked, (is: 41 ; 24: si.) 
 They can doubtless reach and affect our 
 minds in the same way as is done by Satan 
 and his subordinates, all of whom appear to be 
 merely fallen angels ; but like human teachers, 
 they can influence the mind to spiritual good 
 only by the help of the Holy Spirit, while our 
 fallen nature offers itself readily to the in- 
 fluence of the fallen angels. While avoid- 
 ing all mere sentimental fancies about the 
 angels, and everything that approaches to 
 worshiping them (Coi. 2: i8 ; Bev. 22: st.) we may 
 well feel for them a personal gratitude and 
 affection, as fellow-servants of God and ex- 
 alted friends to ourselves. The common 
 notion that human beings may become angels 
 after death, is utterly unscriptural. The re- 
 deemed in glory will "judge angels," in- 
 volving superiority over them, (icor.6: .) 
 The once popular Sunday-school song, "I 
 want to be an angel," is quite misleading. It 
 may be added that the word ' angel ' or 
 'messenger' has some other applications in 
 Scripture, as to prophets (Hug. i: is; Mai.s: i), to 
 priests (Mai. 2:7), and to the commissioner of 
 God put in charge of a particular church. 
 
 ( R.-V. 1 : 20; 2: 1, etc.) 
 
 (II) 12-14. There can be no doubt that v. 
 11 is spurious here, being omitted by the ear- 
 liest Greek manuscripts and several early ver- 
 sions and Fathers, and manifestly borrowed 
 by copyists from Luke 19: 10, where all docu- 
 ments contain it. In such a case there is 
 nothing lost to Scripture as a whole. Our 
 Lord here gives a further reason why no one 
 should despise his believing little ones. 
 (r. 10, u.) One of them may seem to men as
 
 386 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVIII. 
 
 12 How think ve? if a man have a hundred sheep, 
 and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the 
 ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and 
 seeketh that which is gone astray ? 
 
 12 the face of my Father who is in heaven. 1 How 
 think ye? if any man have a hundred sheep, and 
 one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the 
 ninety and nine, and go unto the mountains, and 
 
 1 Gr. Many authorities, some ancient, insert ver. 11. For the Son of man came to save that which u>a> lost. See Luke xix. 10. 
 
 unimportant as a single sheep gone astray 
 from a large flock ; but the kindty shepherd 
 goes after the wandering sheep, and God will 
 take pains to save the lowliest believer. The 
 same parabolic illustration was employed on 
 a later occasion. (Lukeio:4.) How think ye, 
 or, what do you think ? He appeals to their 
 own sense of propriety and judgment of prob- 
 ability, comp. 1 Cor. 11 : 13. And goeth in- 
 to the mountains. The Greek of the com- 
 mon text is ambiguous, and might mean 
 'doth he not leave the ninety and nine upon 
 the mountains and go and seek' ; and more 
 probably correct is the reading of several early 
 documents 'will he not leave the ninety and 
 nine upon the mountains,' etc. Of course the 
 substantial sense is the same. Between the 
 readings your Father and 'my Father' 
 (Kev. Ver. margin), it is difficult to decide, 
 as the latter, though strongly attested, may 
 have come from v. 10 ; the difference in mean- 
 ing would be slight. That in v. 14 represents 
 a peculiar Greek construction, explained on 
 6: 29. Observe 'one of these little ones,' as 
 in v. 12, 10, 6, 5. The application of the par- 
 able in v. 14 would be inexplicable if ' little 
 ones' meant infants as distinguished from 
 adults; and would be obscure if that phrase 
 meant simply believers regarded as humble in 
 character like little children (v. sf.), for such 
 believers in no sense correspond to the stray- 
 ing sheep. But when there has been intro- 
 duced the associated idea of lowly condition 
 (see on v. 10), with the ignorance and gross- 
 ness which so often attach to the lowest classes 
 of men and cause them to seem of little ac- 
 count, not worth caring for, then the applica- 
 tion becomes plain. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 1. The disciples contending who shall be 
 greatest. 1) This shows that they were like 
 us, and so that we may become like them. 
 2) It was an evil hard to cure in them, and it 
 will not easily be cured in us. 3) The Saviour 
 took great pains to correct it in them ; let us 
 learn from the lessons he taught them, v. 2-4; 
 Luke 18:_14; Matt. 20: 24-28; Luke 22: 24- 
 
 27; John 21 : 15. V. 2-4. Our Lord's object- 
 lessons. (Comp. the old prophets and Acts 
 21 : 11.) 1) The scourge of cords, John 2: 15, 
 comp. Matt. 21 : 12. 2) The little child, v. 2, 
 comp. 19: 13, 15. 3) The barren fig-tree, 21: 
 18 f. 4) Washing the disciples' feet, John 13: 
 3 if. 5) Baptism. 6) The bread and wine. 
 Christians must be childlike. 1) Not in mind 
 and speech, 1 Cor. 14: 20; 13: 11. 2) In 
 humility and freedom from jealousy, comp. 
 1 Cor. 14: 20. 3) In teachableness and sub- 
 mission to divine authority, comp. Eph. 6: 1. 
 VINET (in Lutter.) : "While in the world the 
 teacher says to the child, behave like a man, 
 Jesus Christ says to the man, behave like a 
 child." HKNRY : "Humility is a lesson so 
 hardly learned that we have need by all ways 
 and means to be taught it. When we look 
 upon a little child, we should be put in mind 
 of the use Christ made of a child." V. 4. 
 Our Lord's lessons in humility. 1) Precepts, 
 20:26f. ; 23: 12. 2) Illustrations, Luke 14: 
 7-11; 18: 9-14. 3) Object-lessons, v. 2-4; John 
 13: 3 ff. 4) His own character and example, 
 11: 29; Phil. 2: 8. CHRYS. : "Where envy 
 is and love of glory, there even sincere friend- 
 ship has no strength. For as those of the same 
 craft cannot love one another with a perfect 
 and genuine love, so is it with rivals in honor 
 also, and with them that long for the same 
 worldly objects." 
 
 V. 6. Leading Christians to sin. 1) Why 
 wicked men do this. For amusement, through 
 contempt (v. 10), to quiet their own con- 
 sciences, to promote their own sinful aims. 2) 
 How wicked men do this. By intentional 
 example, by pretended friendship, by argu- 
 ment, by flattery, by ridicule, by sudden 
 temptation of the senses, etc. 3) Wherein 
 lies the guilt of doing this, (a) It shows de- 
 light in sin, and makes one a willing helper 
 of Satan. (b) It shows hatred of holiness, 
 and open hostility to God. (c) It is doing 
 the greatest possible unkindness and injustice 
 to a fellow-creature, (d) It reacts upon one's 
 own soul to produce a yet more aggravated 
 wickedness. Thus may we partially see the 
 ground for the Saviour's awful warning.
 
 CH. XVIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 387 
 
 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you. 
 lie rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and 
 nine which went not astray. 
 
 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is 
 in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. 
 
 15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against 
 thee, go and tell him his fault between tliee and him 
 alone : if he shall hear tbee, thou hast gained thy 
 brother. 
 
 13 seek that which goeth astray ? And if so be that 
 he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth over 
 it more than over the ninety and nine which have 
 
 14 not gone astray. Even so it is not ! the will of 2 your 
 Father who is in heaven, that one of these little 
 ones should perish. 
 
 15 And if thy brother sin s against thee, go, shew 
 him his fault between thee and him alone: if he 
 
 1 Gr. a thing willed before your Fatter 2 Some ancient authorities read, my 3 Some ancient authorities omit, against thee. 
 
 Comp. 25: 45. V. 10. Despising Christians. 
 1) Why Christians are often despised. Many 
 of them are ignorant; most are poor; they 
 eschew fashionable vices; they will not de- 
 fend their honor by brute force; their seri- 
 ousness can be easily ridiculed ; their humil- 
 ity can be regarded as mean spiritedness; 
 their goodness can be represented as hypoc- 
 risy ; their faults attract attention by contrast 
 with general good conduct; they often incur 
 reproach through unwise action when their 
 intentions are good (coi. + : s). 2) Why Chris- 
 tians ought not to be despised. They are at 
 least trying to do what all ought to be doing ; 
 many of them are without reproach and 
 above suspicion, and some are the excellent 
 of the earth ; they render great service to so- 
 ciety (5; isr.) ; nil real Christians are children 
 of God, who sends angels from his own pres- 
 ence to care for them ; they will finally be- 
 come free from all fault, and glorious forever 
 (v. 14). CHRYS.: "See by how many things 
 he is urging the care of our mean brethren. 
 Say not then, such a one is a blacksmith, a 
 shoemaker, a ploughman, a fool and so de- 
 spise him." 
 
 18: 15-35. How TO DEAL WITH A BROTHER 
 WHO HAS WRONGED us. 
 
 This is found here in Matthew only, though 
 some of the expressions are paralleled on other 
 occasions in Luke. The disciples having 
 shown jealousy and selfish ambition ( 18:1 ), our 
 Lord urged upon them humility and mutual 
 kindness, and pointed out the great wicked- 
 ness of causing the humblest Christian to sin. 
 (r.s-u.) He now proceeds to give directions 
 as to what course one is to pursue towards a 
 fellow-Christian who has sinned. This is 
 divided into two parts, (1) efforts to win back 
 such a brother, v. 15-20; (2) readiness to for- 
 
 give great and often repeated offences, v. 
 21-35. 
 
 I. 15-20. EFFORTS TO WIN BACK A 
 BROTHER WHO HAS SINXKD. If thy 
 brother shall trespass, or sin. The ad- 
 dition in the common text against thee, 
 is wanting in several of the earlier docu- 
 ments, 1 and was doubtless brought in by 
 copyists from v. 21, just as in Luke 17: 3, it 
 was inserted from the next verse. In this 
 general form the directions of the passage 
 apply to all attempts to win back a brother 
 from sin. (Comp. James 5: 19 f. ; Lev. 19: 
 17.) To act quietly, and if possible privately, 
 is hardly less important in other cases than 
 when the sin was against ourselves. Still, the 
 following context suggests personal offences, 
 and that is still more plainly the case in Luke 
 17 : 3 f. The word 'sin' was by Tyn. and fol- 
 lowers translated 'trespass,' probably because 
 that word is used in 6: 14; and they translate 
 it likewise in Luke 17: 3 f. Notice ''thy 
 brother,' the following precepts being for in- 
 dividual action (v. 15-17), after which he returns 
 to the plural. (Comp. on 6: 2.) In 5: 23 the 
 injurer is addressed; here it is the injured. 
 'Brother' might mean any man (see on 5: 
 22), but here means a brother Christian, as 
 shown by the reference to the church in v. 
 17. Go and tell (show) him his fault. 
 'And' after 'go,' is omitted by the correct 
 text. The word means go right along, as in 
 4: 10; 5: 24; 13: 44, etc. 'Show him his 
 fault' is, more strictly, convict him of his 
 fault, as in John 8: 46; 16:8; James 2: 9. To 
 convince a man that ho has errod, especially 
 that he has wronged the person addressing him, 
 is a difficult and delicate task. Some wise 
 counsels were given in Ecclus. 19 : 13-17. A 
 famous Rabbi of later times said (Wiin.), "I 
 
 i Wanting in N B, three cursives, Thebaic, Origen, 
 Cyril, Basil. Internal considerations seem to settle the 
 question. The words were easily introduced from v. 
 21, and agree well with the connection. We cannot 
 
 conceive of a reason for their omission if originally 
 present. So we must regard them ns a spurious ad- 
 dition. In Luke 17: 3 the documents which oiuit are 
 much more numerous.
 
 388 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVIII. 
 
 16 But if he will not hear thee, tht.n take with thee, 
 one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three 
 witnesses every word may be established. 
 
 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto 
 the church : but if he neglect to hear the church, let 
 him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. 
 
 16 hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he 
 hear Ihee not, take with thee one or two more, that 
 at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word 
 
 17 may be established. And if he refuse to hear them, 
 tell it unto the J church : and if he refuse to hear 
 the ! church also, let him be unto thee as the Gen- 
 
 1 Or, congregation. 
 
 wonder whether there is any one in these 
 times that accepts reproof " (comp. above on 
 7:4). Another replied, "I wonder whether 
 any one nowadays knows how to give admo- 
 nition." Between thee and him alone. 
 Thus the injurer would be more likely to 
 acknowledge his fault than if approached in 
 company, so as to arouse his pride ; and thus 
 the difficulty if settled need never be known 
 at all. Thou hast gained thy brother,! 
 might mean only gained him for thyself, but 
 probably means also (Ewald, JkLeyer, Weiss) 
 gained him for God andsalvation. ( i Cor. 9 . 19-22 ; 
 
 1 Peter 3:1.). In, Ol % at, the HlOUth of tWO OF 
 
 three witnesses. It would seem to us more 
 natural to say 'two or three witnesses,' but 
 'two witnesses or three,' is the Greek order, 
 and so in 2 Cor. 13 : 1, both corresponding to 
 Deut. 17 : 6; 19: 15. Comp. John 8:17; 
 Heb. 10 : 28. There is nothing to forbid the 
 'one or two more' from also helping to con- 
 vince him. But with these as witnesses he 
 cannot afterwards deny, or profess to have 
 forgotten, what he had conceded. And if 
 the matter has at last to come before the 
 church, these witnesses can declare what 
 passed in the private interview. 
 
 17. Only as a third step, when the two 
 more private efforts have failed, must he tell 
 it unto the church. As to the general uses 
 of the word ekklesia, rendered 'church,' 2 see 
 on 16: 28. In the present passage it cannot 
 mean the Jewish synagogue (Calvin, Beza, 
 
 Fritz. ) ; for it is impossible that v. 18-20 
 should have been spoken with reference 
 to a Jewish synagogue. It must here 
 mean one of two things. (1) It may be 
 the body of Christ's disciples existing at 
 the time he speaks, including the apostles. 
 (T. is.) It seems to be intimated by this pas- 
 sage, together with 16: 18, that as the end of 
 his ministry approached, Jesus began to re- 
 gard and speak of his followers as a sort of 
 community or association, a thing which 
 would in itself appear not unnatural. The 
 twelve apostles seem to have been grouped in 
 companies of four (see on 10: 2). Yet we can 
 hardly suppose that they alone constituted the 
 ekklesia here spoken of, since there is no clear 
 analogy for applying the term to them, and 
 since v. 19 f. refers, by common consent, to 
 any gathering of believers, and not simply to 
 a gathering of apostles. Upon this view, 
 then, the word must denote a general com- 
 munity, including the apostles. The exact 
 constitution of this supposed community can- 
 not be determined. Some would liken it 
 more to the Jewish synagogues, others to the 
 churches described in Paul's Epistles; neither 
 side can prove its point. (2) The word 
 'church' may be used by anticipation for 
 one of the churches founded by the apostles. 
 It might be taken for granted from the general 
 analogy of the synagogues, that there would 
 be some sort of assembly or congregation to 
 which the person addressed in these instruc- 
 
 1 Wunsche, in his great desire to find Rabbinical paral- 
 lels to the sayings of Jesus.quotes here from Pirqe Aboth, 
 " He that has won many for good, through him no sin 
 is done." But the Heb. word hamezakkeh, means simply 
 'he that makes pure,' without any notion of winning 
 or gaining; the similarity is greatly increased by the 
 translation. There- are other instances of the same 
 sort in his useful collection. 
 
 *The English word church comes from the Greek 
 kuriakon, ' the Lord's (house),' soused to some extent 
 by the early Greek Christians (Skeat). The Teutonic 
 tribes, when converted to Christianity, adopted this 
 Greek word for the house of worship, and it is found 
 now in the German kirche, the Scottish kirk, Anglo- 
 Saxon cyrice, cirice, circe, from which comes the Eng- 
 
 lish church. The use of the word was gradually extend- 
 ed to the assembly meeting at the church, an exten- 
 sion similar, though in the opposite direction, to that 
 which has taken place in the words synagogue, parish, 
 school, etc. (See on 4: 23). Those who wish to avoid 
 the confusion which arises from applying the same 
 word to the building and the assembly, would be keep- 
 ing nearer to the history, at least, if they applied the 
 term church only to the building. The Greek Chris- 
 tians themselves are not known to have ever used 
 kuriakon for the assembly, and in modern Greek ek- 
 klesia is the only word in both senses. From this 
 through the Latin form ecclesia, came the French 
 eglise, our word ecclesiastical, etc.
 
 CH. XVIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 389 
 
 18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind 
 on earth shall be bouud in heaven ; and whatsoever ye 
 shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 
 
 19 Again I say unto you, That it' two of you shall 
 agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall 
 ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is 
 iu heaven. 
 
 18 tile and the publican. Verily I say unto you, What 
 things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound 
 in heaven : and what things soever ye shall loose 
 
 19 on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say 
 unto you, that if two ol you shall agree on earth as 
 touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be 
 
 tions would belong. Perhaps the two ideas 
 might be combined; 'the church' might 
 mean at the moment the existing loosely or 
 ganized community of Christ's followers, 
 then after the Day of Pentecost the one organ- 
 ized assembly at Jerusalem, and still later the 
 local assembly with which the persons in ques- 
 tion should be connected ; e.g., 'the church at 
 Corinth,' 1 Cor. 5: 12. This question is of no 
 great importance for the interpretation of the 
 passage before us, whatever interest it may 
 possess in general ecclesiastical theory. Tyn- 
 dale, Cran., and Gen., correctly translated 
 the word by ' congregation ' ; Wye. and 
 Rheims gave ' church ; ' and this was one of 
 "the old ecclesiastical words" which, by di- 
 rection of King James, his Revisers retained. 
 The Rev. Ver. of 1881 has placed ' congrega- 
 tion ' here in the margin, probably through 
 recognition of the fact that the meaning of the 
 original is in this case somewhat undefined ; 
 for the word congregation has become gradu- 
 ally modified in meaning by usage, and can 
 no longer be in general employed as the equiva- 
 lent of church. Let him be unto thee, etc. 
 The Rev. Ver. properly translates, as the 
 Gentile and the publican, one with whom you 
 have no communion or association, Rom. 
 16: 17; 2 Thess. 3: 14 (comp. on 5: 46 f.). 
 This does not distinctly teach what we call 
 excommunication, but contains the germs of 
 that which Paul afterwards clearly taught. 
 
 (l Cor. 5: -&) 
 
 18. Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth. 
 
 He is directly addressing the disciples alone 
 (i8:i), probably only the Twelve; but he has 
 just mentioned the action of a church, and so 
 the reference here seems to be not to apostolic 
 action, but to church action (Bleek, Keim). 
 Whatever Christ's people, assembled in their 
 organized congregation or church, may de- 
 cide, is ratified in heaven, i. e., by God 
 unless, of course, the decision be in itself 
 wrong. The point is that the church has 
 God's authority to decide. The reference 
 here is especially to the settlement of a diffi- 
 culty between brethren, but the statement is 
 
 a general one. The power some time before 
 given to Peter (i6;i9), is now clearly given to 
 others ; the only question being whether it is 
 to the apostles or to a church. 
 
 19 f. This is closely connected with the pre- 
 ceding. The church expresses the view, not of 
 an individual, but a number of Christians 
 concurring in an opinion, and so is more likely 
 to have the divine approval. He now adds 
 that any petition in which two Christians 
 unite, will he granted by God. Agree. The 
 Greek word sumphoneo is used primarily of 
 musical instruments that make the same 
 sound, then of harmony, symphony, where 
 the sounds agree, though not identical, then of 
 agreement in general. Origen on this passage 
 revels in the fancy of symphony in prayer. 
 But it is doubtful whether more is here in- 
 tended than the general idea of agreeing. 
 On earth, as in v. 18. You pray "on earth," 
 the "Father who is in heaven" answers. As 
 touching, or simply 'about,' 'concerning.' 
 Anything that they shall ask, not simply 
 any decision that a church shall make (v. is), 
 but any petition which even two shall agree 
 ir. offering. It shall be done, or 'shall come 
 to pass,' 'take place,' see on 6: 10. My Fa- 
 ther which is in heaven, as in 18: 10; he 
 gives his assurance concerning his Father (see 
 on 6: 9). This promise is of course under- 
 stood as limited, comp. on 7: 7. The words 
 'in my name' are naturally reflected back 
 from v. 20 upon the foregoing promise by the 
 connecting 'for,' so that we have here an im- 
 plied anticipation of John 16: 23. Men are 
 more influenced by the united request of many 
 persons than by the request of one; and this 
 holds of requests to God. It applies also not 
 merely to a large assembly, but to even two 
 or three, when gathered in the Saviour's 
 name, and agreeing in their petition. In my 
 name is here in Greek a different construction 
 from 18: 5, but without substantial difference 
 of meaning (see on 28: 19). They are assem- 
 bled with reference to Christ, arid not to some 
 other person or object assembled according 
 to his teaching, in reliance on him as their
 
 390 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XVIII. 
 
 20 For where two or three are gathered together in 
 uiy name, there am I in the midst of them. 
 
 21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft 
 shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him ? 
 till seven times? 
 
 -'_' Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until 
 seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 
 
 23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto 
 a certain king, which would take account of his ser- 
 vants. 
 
 20 done for them of my Father who is in heaven. For 
 where two or three are gathered together in uiy 
 name, there am I in the midst of them. 
 
 21 Then cauie Peter, and said to him, Lord, how oft 
 shall niy brother sin against me, and I forgive him ? 
 
 22 until seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not 
 unto thee, Until seven times; but, until 1 seventy 
 
 23 times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven 
 likened unto a certain king, who would make a reck- 
 
 1 Or, seventy times and seven. 
 
 Saviour, with desire to please him and to ad- 
 vance his cause. The pronoun I is not ex- 
 pressed in the Greek, and so is not emphatic, 
 though commonly so uttered in English. 1 
 The point is not that /am there, but that I 
 am there, in the midst of them. Theophyl. : 
 "There, not far away to be sent after and 
 waited for, but there." Our Lord here dis- 
 tinctly points forward to a time when he will 
 be corporeally absent but spiritually present. 
 So in some of the instructions in chap. 10, in 
 the farewell discourse of John ch. 14-17, and 
 in the parting words of Matthew 28: 20. 
 Notice that the language is perfectly general. 
 It is no longer ' two of you,' but in general 
 'two or three ' ; it is not ' there I shall be,' but 
 'there I am,' a general fact. And it holds, 
 not merely of a large assembly, but of the 
 smallest gathering in his name. He is there 
 to give authority to their action as a church 
 (-i8), by making it his action, and to give 
 efficiency to their petitions (v-'a), by adopting 
 them as his own. It shall be done for them 
 of my Father, for I am there. The Mishna 
 (Aboth) has a similar expression: "Where 
 two sit and occupy themselves with the law, 
 the Shekinah is between them. Mai. 3: 16." 
 
 II. 21-35. READINESS TO FORGIVE A 
 BROTHER WHO HAS WRONGED us. Comp. 
 on 6: 12, 14. Jesus had just been speaking of 
 the proper way to act when a brother "sins," 
 with special reference to personal offences, 
 (".is.) This suggests to Peter a practical in- 
 quiry, which he approaches the Master to 
 make. Then (v. 21) is therefore clearly to be 
 understood strictly. (Comp. on 3: 13.) Jesus 
 replies (*&), and then goes on to enforce the 
 duty of forgiveness by a parable. ( 22-35.) 
 
 Came, or approached, stepped forward 
 from the group of disciples and came close to 
 Jesus and asked him. Every person who at- 
 
 tempts to exercise a forgiving spirit towards 
 those who do him wrong, will sometimes have 
 occasion to feel that Peter's question was a 
 practical one. We bring ourselves up from a 
 sense of duty, to the point of forgiving; be- 
 hold! very soon the same man commits an 
 equal or greater wrong; and so, perhaps, 
 again and again. How long are we bound to 
 let this go on ? How oft shall my brother 
 sin against me, and I forgive him ? The 
 former clause is simply the basis of the latter ; 
 so in the much discussed passage, Rom. 6: 17, 
 and so perhaps in Luke 24: 18. Tyndale, 
 Cran., Gen., render, ' how oft shall I forgive 
 my brother, if he sin against me?' This ex- 
 presses the thought, but takes unnecessarj 7 
 liberties with the phrase. Until seven 
 times? He probably thought this a very 
 high number. Chrys. : "Peter supposed he 
 was saying something great." The Talmud 
 of Babylon says, " When a man sins against 
 another, they forgive him once, they forgive 
 him a second time, they forgive him a third 
 time, but the fourth time they do not forgive 
 him." 'Seven,' among its many uses, was 
 sometimes a round number, Lev. 26: 21; 
 Deut. 28: 25; Psa. 79: 12; Prov. 24: 16, etc. 
 So our Lord, when speaking of this subject 
 on a subsequent occasion, says, 'Seven times 
 in the day.' (Luken:4.) Seventy times seven 
 is the natural meaning of the Greek But it 
 may mean (Rev. Ver. margin) 'seventy-seven 
 times,' which some of the best expositors pre- 
 fer (Origen, Bengel, Ewald, Keim, Meyer\ 
 because precisely the same expression is 
 found in the Sept. translation of Gen. 4: 24, 
 where the Hebrew can signify nothing elsn 
 than 'seventy-seven times.' Comp. Moulton 
 in Winer, 314, n. Either way it is a general 
 expression, which practically removes all 
 limit to the repetitions of forgiveness. (Theo- 
 
 1 The pronoun in the nominative is more frequently phasis, but its absence does even more certainly (if 
 
 u-*ed in New Test. Greek than in classical Greek. 
 
 possible) than in classical Greek, show that there is no 
 
 Therefore its presence does not so certainly show em- I emphasis (conip. John 11:21, 32).
 
 CH. XVIIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 391 
 
 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was 
 brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand tal- 
 ents. 
 
 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord com- 
 manded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and 
 all that he had, and payment to be made. 
 
 26 The servant therefore fell down, and * worshipped 
 him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will 
 pay thee all. 
 
 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with 
 compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 
 
 24 oning with his 1 servants. And when he had begun 
 to reckon, one was brought unto him, who owed 
 
 25 him ten thousand 2 talents. But forasmuch as he 
 had not wherewith to pay, his lord commanded him 
 to be sold, and his wile, and children, aud all that 
 
 26 he had, and payment to be made. The l servant 
 therefore lell down and worshipped him, saying, 
 Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay'thee 
 
 27 all. And the lord of that ' servant, being moved 
 with compassion, released him, and forgave him, 
 
 a A talent is 750 ounces of nicer, which after fire 
 2 This talent was 
 
 shillings the ounce is 1871. 10s b. Or. besought Aim 1 Or. bondservant*. 
 
 ?robalily worih about IW 3 Gr. bondservant. 
 
 phyl.) Of course all this rests on the supposi- 
 tion that we believe the man sincerely re- 
 pents. (Lukeiv:*.) Otherwise we are not bound 
 to forgive even once, in thefull sense of restor- 
 ing to confidence and aifection. (See on 6 : 14). 
 23. Therefore. Since the Messiah re- 
 quires his followers to forgive, and no matter 
 how often (v. air.), therefore the Messianic 
 reign resembles the story about to be told ; 
 under that reign men will be severely dealt 
 with if they refuse to forgive (v. s\ The 
 kingdom of heaven, see on 3: 2. Is lik- 
 ened, or has been Likened, see on 13: 24. 
 Unto a certain king, literally, to 
 a man, a king. The action of the Di- 
 vine King is illustrated by that of a hu- 
 man king. Would take account, (wished 
 to make a reckoning). This and 'to reckon ' 
 in v. 24 are kindred expressions, and ought 
 not to have been differently rendered. Be- 
 sides, 'take account of,' is misleading, the 
 idea being to settle accounts with. His serv- 
 ants, literally slaves (doulos), see on 8: 6. 
 It has always been common in the East 
 to call the court officials the slaves of the 
 king. They are as dependent on his arbi- 
 trary will as a slave on his master, and with 
 the servility which despotism engenders, they 
 often seem even to delight in calling them- 
 selves by that name. This word doulos is 
 similarly used in 23: 2 ff., and in 1 Kings 1 : 
 47; the more common word in that sense is 
 pais (see on 14: 2). In a kindred but not 
 degrading spiritual sense Paul delights to call 
 himself a doulos of Jesus Christ, and so 
 James, Peter, Jude. In the parable, there- 
 fore, the king's 'servants' are the great offi- 
 cers of government, who received his reve- 
 nues and attended to their disbursement. It 
 was quite possible in one of the great Oriental 
 despotisms for a treasurer, or the satrap of a 
 province, to embezzle as much as twelve mil- 
 lions of dollars. Our Lord purposely sup- 
 
 poses a very strong case, in order the better 
 to illustrate the vast disparity between what 
 God forgives to us, and what we are called to 
 forgive to others. 
 
 24-27. Ten thousand talents. Besides 
 the difference between a talent of silver and 
 of gold, the gold talent varied greatly in 
 value for different countries and periods. 
 Archaeological exactness is here of no import- 
 ance. According to margin of Rev. Ver., 
 the ten thousand talents would amount to near 
 twelve million dollars. We may see how vast 
 the sum is by comparisons. The amount pro- 
 vided by David for building the temple was 
 three thousand talents of gold, and seven 
 thousand of silver, and the princes gave over 
 five thousand talents of gold and ten thousand 
 of silver (i chm n .29:4, 7), and the amount which 
 Hainan offered the King of Persia, for the 
 destruction of the Jews, was ten thousand 
 talents of silver. (Esuiers:9.) It is not neces- 
 sary to suppose that the parable narrates a 
 historical fact, but such things did happen. 
 (Comp. on 13: 3.) To be sold, and his 
 wife and children, and all that he had. 
 It is still common in Oriental countries to 
 inflict all this upon a man of the highest 
 station. The law of Moses allowed a man 
 himself to be sold for theft (Exod. -:s), or debt 
 
 (Lev. 25:39; 1 King. 4: 1.) \Yurslli |>|K'd , t In- pros- 
 
 tration before a monarch, see on 2: 11; the 
 Greek has here the imperfect tense, describing 
 him as engaged in this lowly homage. The 
 man only asked for indulgence, and he would 
 pay. Perhaps he really hoped to do so; for 
 men who go into vast fraudulent operations 
 are usually of very sanguine temperament. 
 Loosed (released') him, and forgave him 
 the debt. ' Loosed' (Com. Ver. ) would now 
 imply that he had been bound or imprisoned, 
 a thing not indicated nor prohahle; he was 
 'released' from arrest and from obligation. 
 'The debt' is here more exactly (Rev. Ver.,
 
 392 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XVIII. 
 
 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of 
 his fellow servants, which wed him a hundred pence: 
 ami he laid hands on him, and took Aim by the throat, 
 saying, P:iy me that thou owest. 
 
 Jit And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and 
 besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I 
 will pay thee all. 
 
 3u And he would not: but went and cast him into 
 prison, till he should pay the debt. 
 
 31 So when his fellow servants saw what was done, 
 thev were very sorry, and came and toid unto their 
 lord all that was done. 
 
 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said 
 unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all 
 that debt, because thou desiredst me : 
 
 33 Shouldest not thou also have bad compassion on 
 thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? 
 
 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the 
 tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto 
 him. 
 
 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto 
 you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his 
 brother" their trespasses. 
 
 28 the i debt. But that servant, went out, and found 
 one of his fellow-servants, who owed him a hun- 
 dred 'shillings: and he laid hold on him, and took 
 him by the throat, saying, Pay what thou owest. 
 
 29 So his fellow-servant fell down and besought him, 
 saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee. 
 
 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into 
 
 31 prison, till he should pay that which was due. So 
 when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they 
 were exceeding sorry, and came and told unto their 
 
 32 lord all that was done. Then his lord called him 
 unto him, and saith unto him, Thou wicked z serv- 
 ant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou be- 
 
 33 soughtest me: shouldest not thou also have had 
 mercy on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy 
 
 34 on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered 
 him to the tormenters, till he should pay all that was 
 
 35 due. So shall also my heavenly Father "do unto you, 
 if ye forgive not every one his brother from your 
 hearts. 
 
 1 The Komanpenny it the eighth part of an ounce, which aflerjlve shillings the ounce i terenpence halfpenny. Ch. 20: 2. 1 Gr. 
 
 loan J Gr. bondservant 3 Tue word in tbe Greek denote* a coin worth about eight pence halfpenny. 
 
 margin) 'the loan.' In his compassionate 
 mood the king chooses to speak of it as a loan, 
 not an embezzlement ; afterwards, in v. 32, 
 it is literally ' debt.' 
 
 28-30. One of his fellow-servants. 
 One of the other court-officials; from the 
 smallness of the debt we should think of him 
 as an inferior officer. A hundred pence, or 
 shillings. The Roman denarius, the word 
 always used where our English versions have 
 'penny,' varied in value at different periods; 
 if we take the estimate in margin of Rev. Ver., 
 'a hundred pence' will be seventeen dollars 
 of our money. See, then, the disparity of the 
 two debts twelve million dollars, seventeen 
 dollars. Or we could get the effect of round 
 numbers by saying ten million dollars and 
 ten dollars. This pictures the difference be- 
 tween the guilt of our sins against God and 
 that of a fellow-man's sins against us. Took 
 him by the throat, or more literally, went 
 to choking him. Pay that thon owest, or 
 pay, if thou owest anythiny; the debt is small 
 and hardly amounts to anything, but he is de- 
 termined to have it. The Roman law allowed 
 a creditor to seize his debtor and drag him be- 
 fore the judge, and Roman writers repeatedly 
 speak of a man's twisting the neck of his 
 debtor till the blood flowed from mouth and 
 nostrils. Fell down merely; at his feet 
 being an unwarranted addition. Besought 
 and would not (v.zsr.) are in Greek in the 
 imperfect tense, implying continued entreaty 
 and refusal. All, at end of v. 23 in Com. 
 Ver., was an addition by copyists from v. 26. 
 
 The similarity of the plea to that which had 
 just availed for himself failed to touch the 
 creditor's heart. 
 
 31-35. His fellow- servants, other court- 
 officials, high and low, saw what was done, 
 what took place. (See on 6: 10.) Told is in 
 the Greek a very strong word, signifying that 
 they gave a clear and complete account. His 
 lord, etc. . . . said, O thou wicked servant, 
 Chrys. : " When he owed ten thousand talon's 
 he did not call him wicked nor upbraid him, 
 but had compassion on him ; but when re- 
 garding his fellow-servant he was unforgiving, 
 then he says, wicked servant." Shouldst 
 not thou also have had compassion 
 (mercy) .... even as I had pity (mercy) 
 (v. ss), the same Greek word in both cases, and 
 not that of v. 27, but that of 17: 15; 5: 7. 
 Tormentors (^.34), not simply 'jailers,' as 
 Tyn., Cran., Gen, but strictly 'torturers'; 
 he was to be not now sold into slavery (.), 
 ; but imprisoned, and from time to time tor- 
 I tured. This fearful punishment suggests the 
 | torments of Gehenna: comp. 8: 29; Luke 16, 
 j 23, 28; Rev. 14: 10 f . ; 20: 10. So ... unto 
 you. The comparison of sins to debts was a 
 familiar idea to the Jewish mind. (See on 
 6: 12.) From your hearts comes in at the 
 close with emphasis. Their trespasses is n 
 useless addition by copyists, and so is unto 
 him, end of v. 34. Nobody would have cared 
 to omit either phrase if originally present, 
 yet both are wanting in a number of the 
 earliest documents. Forgive, see on 6: 12; 
 1 hearts,' see on 6: 21.
 
 CH. XIX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 393 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 AND it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished 
 these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came 
 into the coasts of Judea beyoud Jordan ; 
 
 1 And it came to pass when Jesus had finished these 
 words, he departed from Galilee, and came into the 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 15 ff. How to deal with a brother who 
 has wronged you. 1) Do not await his 
 coming, but go right away to him. 2) Make 
 loving, wise, and repeated efforts to gain him, 
 by personal interview, by the help of other 
 brethren, by the help of the church. 3) As 
 soon (Luke IT: s) and as often as he repents, for- 
 give him (v. 21 f.); and when tempted to be 
 unforgiving, remember how much is forgiven 
 you (v. 35). V. 15. CHRYS. : "He saith not, 
 'accuse,' nor 'charge him,' nor 'demand sat- 
 isfaction,' but 'tell him of his fault.' " AUG.: 
 (in Aq. ): "But why do you correct your 
 neighbor? If you do it from self-love, you 
 do naught ; if you do it from love of him, you 
 do most rightly." HENRY: "We should 
 think no pains too much to take for the re- 
 covering of a sinner to repentance." V. 16. 
 CHRYS.: "The physician, in like manner, 
 when he sees the malady obstinate, doth not 
 give up nor grow impatient, but then makes 
 the more preparation." V. 19 f. United 
 Christian prayer. 1) The prayer of many, 
 even of two, is more likely to be for right 
 objects. 2) The sympathy of common suppli- 
 cation promotes earnestness. 3) The Saviour 
 himself is in the midst, making it Ida prayer 
 to his Father. CYRIL : " For it is not the 
 number of those coming together, but it is the 
 power of their piety that will be effectual." 
 HENRY: "If there be no liberty and oppor- 
 tunity for large and numerous assemblies, 
 then it is the will of God that two or three 
 should gather together. When we cannot do 
 what we would in religion, we must do as we 
 can, and God will accept us." 
 
 V. 23-3-3. God's unforgiving servant. 1) 
 God forgives him an immense debt. 2) He 
 refuses to forgive his fellow-servant some 
 comparatively trifling debt. 3) God will 
 punish him with terrible severity. All turns 
 upon the ' if of v. 35; a true servant of God 
 will take warning and forgive. V. 32. 
 CFIRYS. : "Let us hearken, the covetous, for 
 even to us is the word spoken. Let us 
 hearken also, the merciless and the cruel, 
 for not to others are we cruel, but to our- 
 
 selves Let us not thrust the sword 
 
 into ourselves by being revengeful." V. 35. 
 Forgiveness. I) Who must forgive? 'Every 
 one.' 2) Why must we forgive? (a) Fit in 
 itself that they who wish to be forgiven 
 should be willing to forgive, (b) Clearly 
 taught that they who do not forgive are not 
 forgiven; this parable and 6: 14; James 2: 
 13. (c) A great privilege that we can thus 
 express to God our gratitude for his forgive- 
 ness, Col. 3: 13. 3) How must we forgive? 
 'From the heart.' BRUCE : "Obviously 
 Jesus has no sense of incongruity between 
 the Fatherhood of God and the strange work 
 of stern judgment on the unmerciful. Neither 
 was there room for such a feeling. Just be- 
 cause God is a Father, and because his in- 
 most spirit is love, he must abhor a spirit so 
 utterly alien from his own. It is only what 
 we should expect, that under the government 
 of a gracious God the spirit of mercilessness 
 should have judgment without mercy." 
 
 Ch. 19: 1-12. DEPARTURE FROM GALI- 
 LEE. INSTRUCTIONS AS to DIVORCE. 
 
 The greater part of this section is found also 
 in Mark 10: 1-12. Our Lord now leaves 
 Galilee, and comes into Perea. Matthew 
 and Mark make no mention of anything in- 
 tervening, and a little later both bring us to 
 the triumphal entry and the linal Passover. 
 But Luke, after completing his account, par- 
 allel to Matthew and Mark, of the ministry 
 in Galilee, describes Jesus (9:5i-56) us going 
 from Galilee not into Perea, but through Sa- 
 maria on the way to Jerusalem With this 
 agrees John's account (7:2-10) of his going in 
 secret from Galilee to Jerusalem to attend the 
 Feast of Tabernacles, six months before the 
 final Passover. Then Luke goes on in 10: 1 
 to 18: 14, with a longaccount of the Saviour's 
 sayings and actions, after which he again be- 
 comes parallel (u: is) with Matt. (i.i) and 
 Mark (10: is), and so continues to the end. We 
 have heretofore noticed that Luke greatly 
 condensed his narrative of the series of with- 
 drawals from Galilee, giving to it only 9: 10- 
 50, while Matt, gives 14: 13 to 18: 35, and
 
 394 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIX. 
 
 Mark gives 6: 80 to 9 : 50. It seems pluin that 
 Luke thus condensed in order to make room 
 for the mass of matter in reserve, which for 
 the most part is peculiar to him. Some of 
 the miracles and discourses he goes on to nar- 
 rate closely resemble several which Matthew 
 and Mark gave during the ministry in Gali- 
 lee before the withdrawals, and which Luke 
 did not there introduce; e. g., the blasphe- 
 mous accusation in Luke 11 : 14-36 resembles 
 Matt. 12: 22-45; Mark 3: 19-30, and the dis- 
 course against temporal anxiety in Luke 12: 
 22-31 resembles Matt. 6 : 25-34. In the present 
 state of harmonistic inquiry, we must choose 
 between two theories. (1) Luke in 10: 1 to 
 18: 14, must be supposed, with Kobinson's 
 Harmony and others, to give a loosely ar- 
 ranged mass of material, mainly falling be- 
 tween the last Feast of Tabernacles and the 
 last Passover, but partly belonging in fact to 
 the ministry in Galilee, where similar matters 
 were given by Matthew and Mark. This 
 loose arrangement is unlikely in itself, par- 
 ticularly in the case of one who expressly an- 
 dertook to write an orderly account. (Lukei ; 3.)i 
 (2) Wieseler has pointed out ("Chron. Syn.," 
 followed by Tischendorf s "Syn. Evang.," 
 Ellicott's " Lectures on Life of Christ," G. 
 ~W. Clark's ''Harmony of tbe Gospels") that 
 Luke in this large section three times speaks 
 of Jesus as going to or towards Jerusalem 
 (9:5i-53; 13:22; 17:11), and has proposed to take 
 the first of these three as parallel to our Lord's 
 going up for the Feast of Tabernacles (John?: 
 r-), the second to the journey for raising Laz- 
 arus (Johnii:i7f.), the third as beginning the 
 journey to the final Passover; and accord- 
 ingly to arrange a II this section of Luke, as 
 belonging to the last six months of our Lord's 
 ministry, and as located in Judea and Perea. 
 It thus becomes a ministry distinct from that 
 in Galilee narrated by Matthew, Mark, and 
 Luke, and the similar events and discourses 
 are to be regarded as not, identical but repeti- 
 tions, such as it is unquestionable that Jesus 
 often made (see above, beginning of ch. 5). 
 This view, well wrought out in Clark's Har- 
 mony, is followed in the present Com. as in- 
 volving fewer difficulties than any other, and 
 indeed as quite probably correct. At any 
 
 rate, it is clear, from the comparison with 
 Luke and John, that Matthew and Mark pass 
 over nearly all the last six months of our 
 Lord's ministry, just as both they and Luke 
 passed over that early ministry of probably 
 as great length in Judea which is recorded by 
 John (see above on 4: 12). Matthew and 
 Mark have in fact confined themselves en- 
 tirely to the ministry in Galilee and vicinity, 
 except the final Passover and a few incidents 
 oil the journey thereto. 
 
 1 f. Jesus goes from Galilee into Perea, and 
 exercises his ministry. Departed is not 
 simply 'went away,' but 'removed,' a rare 
 word used in New Test, only here and in 13: 
 53. It must not be here pressed to prove a 
 permanent removal, for in 13: 53 there was 
 only a temporary removal across the lake. 
 The statement that he departed from Galilee 
 when he had finished these sayings, would 
 most naturally mean that he left immediately 
 upon completing the discourse of ch. 18; 
 comp. the same phrase in 7: 28; 11: 1; 13: 
 53. We should then take this departure as 
 parallel to that of Luke 9: 51 if., viz., to at- 
 tend the Feast of Tab., and the gap of nearly 
 six months would have to fall between the 
 two adjacent words 'departed' and 'came.' 
 Wieseler holds that this departure was parallel 
 to Luke 17 : 11, where Jesus returns from 
 Judea through Samaria and a portion of 
 Galilee, and probably joins the pilgrims on the 
 way from Galilee through Perea to Jerusalem. 
 In this way 'departed' is followed naturally 
 by 'came,' but 'when 'he had finished these 
 sayings ' has to be understood loosely. Mark's 
 expression (10: i) agrees best with Wieseler' s 
 view. However much was to be omitted, we 
 could not expect a break in the narrative; see 
 remarks introductory to 4: 12. It is well to 
 observe that nothing in the interpretation of 
 what follows will depend upon this nice ques- 
 tion of chronology and harmony. 
 
 Matthew's account of the ministry in Galilee 
 has continued since 4: 12. That ministry ap- 
 pears to have lasted, if we take the feast of 
 John 5: 1 to be a passover, nearly two years, 
 the last six months, however, being nearly all 
 spent in the series of withdrawals to adjoining 
 districts. (H; utoiT: zo.) Matthew occupies him- 
 
 1 Andrews has a copious discussion and a different scheme, which will reward examination. A full dis- 
 scheuie, on the same general principles as that of Rob- cussion, or even statement, of the various theories 
 inson. Farrar also (ch. 42) gives an independent would here be out of place.
 
 CH. XIX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 395 
 
 2 And great multitudes followed him ; and he healed 
 them there. 
 
 3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, 
 and saving unto him, Is it lawful for a mail to put away 
 his wife for every cause ? 
 
 2 borders of Judaea beyond Jordan : and great mul- 
 titudes followed him; and he healed them there. 
 
 3 And there came unto him l Pharisees, trying him, 
 and saying, Is it lawful /or o man to put away his 
 
 authorities, soiue ancient, Insert the. 
 
 self especially with teachings concerning 
 the kingdom of heaven, while most of the 
 parables given in Luke ch. 13 to 18 refer only 
 to individual piety, and would thus not come 
 into Matthew's plan. 
 
 Into the coasts of Judea. Borders rather 
 than 'coasts,' see on 2: 16; 15: 22. Beyond 
 Jordan. The Greek construction is peculiar, 
 hut makes 'beyond Jordan ' state the route by 
 which he came into the borders of Judea. 
 Mark (10: i. correct text) has ' into the borders of 
 
 Jerusalem. (20:29; 21: i.) Many places of this 
 region are of great interest in Old Test, studies, 
 but none appear distinctly in the New Test, 
 save Machffirus (see on 14: 3), and 'Bethany 
 beyond Jordan,' 'the place where John was 
 at first baptizing' (Jouniizsr. ; io:*o), and this 
 last spot cannot be determined (comp. on 
 3: 13). We can therefore get no local color- 
 ing for 19: 3 to 20: 28. Like Galilee, Perea 
 had so few Jews in the time of Judas Macca- 
 baeus that he transferred them all to Judea 
 
 Judea and beyond Jordan.' Copyists and i for safe keeping (i Mace. 5: 23, ) ; but during the 
 early students saw that this differed somewhat j reign of Herod the Great the Jewish popula- 
 from Matt., and so some omitted Mark's ' tion of Perea evidently became considerable, 
 'and,' others changed 'and' into 'through' j which will account for the expressions in v. 2 
 
 (Com. Ver. ). Mark's expression thus gives a 
 twofold designation of the region into which 
 he came, viz., the borders of Judea, and 
 Perea. Matt, might seem to locate the fol- 
 lowing matters in Judea, after Jesus had 
 passed through Perea; Mark refers them in- 
 definitely to both districts; the Harmony (see 
 20: 17, 29) pretty clearly places the earlier 
 portion, certainly 19: 1-15, in Perea. The 
 region 'beyond Jordan,' i. e., east of the Jor- 
 dan (see on 4: 25), from its mouth to near the 
 Lake of Galilee, was in the Roman period 
 often 
 
 and John 10: 40-42; and this district was an 
 important part of the tetrarchy of Herod An- 
 tipas. For accounts of Perea, see especially 
 Schultz in Herzog, Art. "Palastina," 4); 
 Robinson' s"Phj's. Geog."; Tristram's "Land 
 of Moab" ; Merrill's "East of the Jordan" ; 
 but all are quite incomplete. 
 
 Great multitudes, see on 4: 25. Here, as 
 so often in Galilee, vast numbers of the people 
 throng and crowd around him. It is prob- 
 able (see in Clark's " Harmony ") that this 
 was subsequent to the sojourn beyond Jordan 
 mentioned in John 10: 41,42, when "many 
 
 called 'the beyond (district),' 'the 
 Perea,' the Greek word for beyond being j resorted unto him," and "many believed on 
 peran. The Galilean Jews preferred to go to ! him there." It is not necessary to suppose a 
 Jerusalem by way of Perea, so as to avoid the considerable stay in that region at this time, 
 unfriendly Samaritans (Luke9:5*f.); though in order to account for the collection of great 
 
 the direct route through Samaria was some- 
 times taken (comp. Josephus, "Life," 52). 
 
 crowds, for they probably consisted in part of 
 persons journeying to Jerusalem for the Pass- 
 
 Perea included the dominions of Sihon and | over. And he healed them there, as he 
 part of those of Og, or the districts later called i had often done in Galilee. 'Them ' of course 
 Gilead and part of Bashan. The Romans means not all of the crowds, but such as 
 
 separated Decapolis (see on 4 : 25) from this 
 district, and accordingly Josephus ("War," 
 3, 3, 3) says that Perea extended from Mach- 
 
 needed healing. Mark says 0<>:0, 'and, as 
 he was wont, he taught them again.' Thus 
 the Galilean ministry is reproduced in Perea 
 
 serus to Pella (nearly opposite the plain of I crowds, healing, teaching. And here isan- 
 Esdraelon and Bethshean). It was divided other instance of a general statement, which 
 
 into a rougher and very beautiful northern 
 portion, and a southern portion, which latter 
 comprised the plain immediately east of the 
 lower Jordan, and the high table-land beyond. 
 So far as we can judge, our Lord here appears 
 in Southern Perea, on his way to Jericho and 
 
 must be pondered in order to realize the ex- 
 tent of our Lord's work. (Comp. 4: 23; 9: 
 35; 14: 14; 16: 80.) 
 
 3. An inquiry as to divorce. Distinguish 
 the original question of some Pharisees, v. 3; 
 the answer, v. 4-6; an objection and his reply,
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. XIX. 
 
 v. 7-9 ; a doubting remark by the disciples 
 and his reply, v. 10-12. Mark's report (10:2-12) 
 omits the last portion, and gives the rest with 
 slight differences of expression and order, but 
 to the same general effect The Pharisees. 
 'The' in Com. Ver., also in Mark 10: 1, was 
 an addition by copyists, because ' the Phari- 
 sees ' are generally spoken of as a class. In 
 like manner, unto him after saying, and 
 unto them in v. 4 are wanting in the earliest 
 and best documents, and were very easily 
 added by copyists. As to the Pharisees, see 
 on 3 : 7. Tempting him, as in 16 : 1, putting 
 him to the test, (Amer. Revisers preferred 
 'trying him'), and hoping he would say 
 something they could use among the people 
 to his prejudice, by representing his teaching 
 either as intolerably severe, or as wanting in 
 fidelity to the law of Moses. Perhaps they 
 also hoped he would speak of divorce in a 
 way offensive to Herod and Herodias. (See 
 on 14: 3.) The place was not very far from 
 Machserus, and they might have remembered 
 the fate of the prophet John, the Baptizer. 
 The opposition of the Pharisees to Jesus ap- 
 pearing in 12: 2, 14, 24, 38, and continued in 
 15: 1 and 16: 1, is here renewed towards the 
 end of his ministry, and will be maintained 
 until the end. See other cases of testing him 
 with hard questions in 22 : 17, 35. Is it law- 
 ful, or permissible, as in 12: 10; 14:4. For 
 a man is naturally suggested, and so was 
 readily supplied by some early copyists, espec- 
 ially as it is genuine in the parallel passage of 
 Mark 10: 4; while we could not account for 
 its omission here in several of the earliest and 
 best documents, if originallj' present. To 
 put away his wife was understood as involv- 
 ing the right to take another the Jews knew 
 nothing of a mere legalized separation, with- 
 out right of re-marriage. Upon the general 
 subject of our Lord's teachings as to divorce, 
 see on 5: 31 f. These Pharisees in Perea 
 probably did not know of that former teach- 
 ing in Galilee. If the saying in Luke 16: 18 
 was distinct from this, it would appear 
 to have been uttered in this same Perean 
 district, and a little earlier than the pres- 
 ent occasion (Clark's "Harm.," Edersh.) 
 The reference is to Deut. 24: 1, "When 
 a man taketh a wife, and marrieth her, then 
 it shall be, if she find no favor in his eyes, be- 
 cause he hath found some unseemly thing in 
 
 her, that he shall write her a bill of divorce- 
 ment," etc. The euphemistic Heb. phrase 
 translated ' some unseemly thing,' has always 
 been obscure. It is literally (as in margin of 
 Com. Ver.), 'some matter of nakedness,' and 
 appears to mean derivatively, something in- 
 decent, shameful, disgraceful, hateful. The 
 Rabbis disputed much as to its exact mean- 
 ing and limitations. The Mishna has a whole 
 treatise on divorce, Gittin, but chiefly occu- 
 pied with minute directions as to the prepara- 
 tion of the document and conditions of its 
 validity. The last paragraph reads: "The 
 school of Shammai says, no one shall put away 
 a wife unless there has been found in her 
 something disgraceful (a phrase exactly cor- 
 responding to that of Deut. 24: 1), as written, 
 'because he hath found something unseemly 
 in her' ; the school of Hillel says, even if 
 she has burnt his food, as written, 'because 
 he hath found something unseemly in her'; 
 Rabbi Akiba says, even if he find another 
 more beautiful than she is, as written, 'if she 
 find no favor in his eyes.' " Maimonides ex- 
 plains (Note in Surenh. Mishna) that the 
 school of Sliammai rests on the term 'un- 
 seemly"; the school of Hillel on the term 
 "something." Rabbi Akiba took the phrase 
 he quotes to mean in respect to beauty. 
 Alas ! with what perverse ingenuity men 
 quibble to make the Bible mean what suits 
 their wishes. We see the folly of this prac- 
 tice in others, but are all in great danger of 
 doing likewise. Observe that in the Mishna 
 the school of Shammai use simply the general 
 phrase, something disgraceful or unseemly, 
 as in the law. A late Midrash on Numb. 5: 
 30, quoted in Wet., and two passages in the 
 Talmud mentioned by Edersh., state that the 
 school of Shammai recognized no ground but 
 unchastity. It is worth inquiry whether this 
 was anything more than an incorrect inter- 
 pretation afterwards put upon the language 
 of the Mishna. Joseph us, who was a Phari- 
 see, gives ("Ant., "4, 8, 23) a paraphrase of 
 thelaw which uses essentially the same phrase 
 as here: " If one wishes to be divorced from 
 his wife for any causes whatsoever (and many 
 such causes might happen among mankind), 
 let him give assurance in writing that he will 
 never more live with her," etc. It is evident 
 that in our Lord's eyes the expression 'some- 
 thing unseemly ' might extend to other faults
 
 CH. XIX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 397 
 
 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not 
 read, that he which made them at the beginning made 
 them male and female. 
 
 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father 
 and mother, and shall cleave to his wife : and they twain 
 shall be one flesh ? 
 
 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. 
 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man 
 put asunder. 
 
 7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command 
 to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her 
 away? 
 
 4 wife for every cause? And he answered and said, 
 Have ye not read, that he who 1 made them from 
 the beginning made them male and female, and said. 
 
 5 For this cause shall a man leave his lather and 
 mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the twain 
 
 6 shall become one flesh? So that they are no more 
 twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath 
 
 7 joined together, let not man put asunder. They 
 say unto him, Why then did Moses command to give 
 
 1 Some ancient authorities read, created. 
 
 besides unchastity, for otherwise there would 
 have been no occasion for what he says in v. 
 8. The Pharisees, by holding up before him 
 the Hillel view in it's most extreme form, 
 probably hoped to drive him to take the 
 Shammai view, which was extremely unpop- 
 ular. He did not side with either party, but 
 (as in 22: 21) cut into the heart of the matter, 
 reaching a fundamental and decisive prin- 
 ciple. 
 
 4-6. Reply to the Pharisees. Have ye not 
 read, comp. on 12 : 3. The Scribes and Phar- 
 isees boasted of their acquaintance with the 
 law, and he reproaches them with ignorance 
 of it. He makes first a reference to Gen. 1 : 
 27, and then a quotation from Gen. 2: 24. 
 That he which made them. 'Created' 
 (Rev. Ver. margin) is probably here the cor- 
 rect reading, 1 altered into 'made' to agree 
 with Sept., with the word here immediately 
 following, and with Mark 10: 6; but there is 
 obviously no substantial difference. The 
 words male and female have in the Greek 
 an emphatic position. From the beginning, 
 the race included the two sexes, and these 
 were to be united in marriage. And said, 
 viz., he who created them said, the words of 
 Adam in that exalted mood being taken as 
 expressing the will of the Creator. Leave 
 father and mother. Even the important 
 filial relation will give way to one higher still. 
 The twnin is given by the Sept., and several 
 other versions of Old Test., and only ex- 
 presses emphatically what the Heb. implies. 
 Shall be (or become) one flesh. The union of 
 aoul is expressed, and therefore intensified, by 
 a bodily union. Comp. Ecclus. 26: 26, "If 
 she go not as thou wouldst have her, cut her 
 off from thy flesh," break the bodily union; 
 
 Eph. 5: 28 if., "to love their wives as their 
 own bodies." In v. 6 the closing statement is 
 repeated for emphasis. And there our Lord 
 draws the conclusion that the two thus united 
 into one ought not to be separated. Joined 
 together is literally yoked together (so also in 
 Mark), an image frequently employed among 
 the Greeks for marriage. (Comp. 2 Cor. 6: 
 14; Lev. 19: 19.) Tyn. v Cran., Gen., here 
 render ' coupled.' Let not man. TheophyL: 
 "Showing what an interval there is between 
 God who joined together, and man who puts 
 asunder." Our Lord has thus laid down a 
 broad general rule that the bond of marriage 
 ought never to he broken. A little after (v. 9) 
 he mentions, as if incidentally, an exception 
 to this rule, about which there was no differ- 
 ence of opinion amonghis hearers, and which 
 is in fact only apparently an exception, be- 
 cause in that case the essential bond has been 
 broken. 
 
 7-9. The Pharisees raise an objection, very 
 naturally suggested, and our Lord replies. 
 Moses (in Deut. 24: 1) had certainly allowed 
 divorce, and they held that he had commanded 
 it ; how could the prophet of Nazareth declare 
 that divorce was contrary to the nature and 
 divine design of marriage? The Talmud of 
 Jerusalem even represents it as a peculiar 
 privilege of Israel, not shared by the Gen- 
 tiles. A writing of divorcement. The same 
 phrase is rendered bill of divorcement in Com. 
 Ver. of Mark 10: 4 and Deut. 24: 1, and 
 there ought to have been no difference in 
 translation. The Greek is slightly different 
 above in 5: 31. Moses .... suffered you. 
 Jesus speaks of the law in Deut. as coming 
 from Moses. It is very hard to reconcile this 
 with the fashionable theories as to a late dato 
 
 i It is found In B, several cursives of singular excel- 
 lence, Armenian, Origen (three time*), and several 
 other Fathers. It is much easier to suppose a change 
 to suit the Sept., the following word here and Mark, 
 
 than an opposite change to suit the Heb., which means 
 'created,' for copyists and .student* of the text-forming 
 period seldom knew Heb.
 
 398 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIX. 
 
 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness 
 of your hearts su til-nil you to put away your wives : liut 
 tri'in the beginning it was not so. 
 
 9 And I say uuto you, Whosoever shall put away his 
 wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry an- 
 other, couimiteth adultery : and whoso tuarrieth her 
 which is put away doth commit adultery. 
 
 8 a bill of divorcement, and to put her away? He 
 wiith unto them, Moses for your hardness of heart 
 suffered you to put away your wives: but from the 
 
 9 beginning it hath not been so. And I say uuto you, 
 Whosoever shall put away his wife, 1 except for 
 fornication, and shall uiarry another, committeth 
 
 1 Some ancient authorities read, laving for the 
 
 of/oi 
 
 aketli her an adultere 
 
 of Deuteronomy, and indeed of the whole 
 Pentateuch ; it is necessary to maintain either 
 that Jesus was mistaken, and this as to the 
 word of God, or else that he used the phrase- 
 ology of his time in a highly misleading 
 fashion. Many similar expressions of his are 
 given in the Gospels. (Com. on 22 : 43. ) The 
 Pharisees had said that Moses commanded ; 
 our Lord's reply. puts it, 'suffered.' But in 
 Mark 10: 3 f. he says 'command,' and they 
 answer 'suffer.' "We learu then that the law 
 did not require the wronged husband to put 
 away his unfaithful vVife; he might forgive her 
 upon repentance, as the prophets so often de- 
 clared Jehovah willing to do with his unfaith- 
 ful spouse, Israel. The law suffered him to 
 put away his wife, and commanded him in so 
 doing to give the formal writing. Because 
 of the hardness of your hearts. The 
 preposition (pros) translated 'because,' sig- 
 nifies 'looking to,' 'considering,' 'having re- 
 gard to.' It was wise not to attempt too much 
 in these civil regulations for such a people. 
 Remember that the Mosaic regulations as to 
 marriage and divorce were civil enactments, 
 though resting on an ethical basis. The nation 
 of emancipated slaves whom Moses brought 
 out of Egypt had no doubt fallen into 
 great laxity concerning marriage, as slaves 
 always do, and he was wise enough to 
 know that it would be a slow and difficult 
 task to lift them up to a high standard of 
 morality in this important respect. Yet he 
 placed serious restrictions upon the existing 
 facility of divorce (see on 5: 31 f.), and even 
 in this matter Jesus was only "completing" 
 
 the law by going further in the same direc- 
 tion (comp. on 5: 17). 'Hardness of heart' 
 (Bom. 2:5; Kocins. 16: 10) denotes not merely lack of 
 proper feeling, as we use the phrase, but lack 
 of proper perceptions and will (comp. on 
 6: 21). The Israelites who received the law 
 were not qualified for elevated ethical percep- 
 tions, dispositions, or conduct, and would 
 fiercely break over a severe enactment ; and 
 their descendants were still too much of the 
 same character. But the Messiah proposes to 
 lift them higher; and in this matter to return 
 to the original divine design of marriage. Our 
 Lord thus recognizes that the practical direc- 
 tion of the law of Moses in this particular 
 respect fell short of perfection. But we must 
 observe that he does n-.-t declare the Old Test, 
 as a whole to be imperfect even in this respect, 
 but simply goes back to its earliest teaching 
 on the subject, its great fundamental princi- 
 ples. Mai. 2: 14-16 speaks of divorces as 
 offensive to Jehovah ; but the Rabbis quib- 
 bled, some saying that this only forbade a 
 man's putting away his first wife. And I 
 say unto you,, solemnly calling their atten- 
 tion (comp. on 5: 18). Mark 10: 10 shows 
 that this was said 'in the house' we know 
 not what house where the disciples renewed 
 the conversation. Matthew joins it without 
 break to the foregoing, and it was really a 
 part of the discourse on divorce. Our Lord 
 gives his own authoritative statement on the 
 subject, applying the principle of v. 6, and 
 declares that divorce is not only not allowable 
 'for every cause' (v. s), but not allowable at 
 all except of course for unchastity. 1 See the 
 
 1 The reading of margin Rev. Ver. is evidently drawn 
 from 5: 32. The first part 'saving . . . fornication' 
 Is pretty clearly a "Western " correction, being found 
 in the characteristic Western documents D, Old Latin, 
 Old Syriac, but found also in B, the two Egyptian 
 versions, Origen, Basil. W H. have placed it in their 
 margin, and so it is in margin of Rev. Ver. But is 
 not this an instance of a " Western " alteration found 
 in B, etc., like 27: 28? The next clause, ' maketh her 
 an adulteress,' is also plainly taken from 5: 32. It is 
 not given by D, etc., but is given by B, with C (first 
 
 hand), N, two cursives, and one or two mixed Latin 
 copies, Memphitic, Origen, Aug. Here again B and 
 Memphitic are clearly wrong, though not in this case 
 " Western." The last clause ' and he that marrieth,' 
 etc., is doubtful. It would be easily inserted from 5: 32, 
 but it is here omitted only by the "Western" group 
 wit h L and some other MSS., the Egyptian versions and 
 Origen, most, of which are clearly wrong just above ; 
 and its omission might have originally been accidental, 
 through the similar ending of this clause to the fore- 
 going. The confusion arising in the text of two such
 
 CH. XIX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 309 
 
 10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man 
 be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. 
 
 11 But he said unto them, All men caunot receive 
 this saying, save they to whom it is given. 
 
 adultery: !and he that marrieth her when she is 
 
 10 put away com m f tie th adultery. The disciples say 
 unto him, 11' the case of the mail is so with his wile, 
 
 11 it is not expedient to uiarry. But he said uuto 
 them, All men cannot receive this saying, but they 
 
 1 Th following words, to the eud of toe verse, are omitted b.v some ancient authorities. 
 
 leading terms explained above on the similar 
 statement of 5 : 32. That was made in Galilee, 
 and we are now in Southern Perea, a year or 
 two later. It seems strange to modern readers 
 that the highly important exception our Lord 
 makes is so slightly mentioned, both here (v. ) 
 and in 5: 32, and that in Mark and Luke (on 
 a somewhat earlier occasion, 16: 18) it is not 
 recorded at all. The explanation is that 
 among the Jews there was no question on this 
 point. The strictest school of Rabbis, that of 
 Shammai, allowed divorce for unchastity, if 
 not for other disgraceful acts. So this matter 
 did not need to be dwelt on, hardly needed to 
 be mentioned, as it would be taken for granted 
 by all parties. But the question is naturally 
 asked, how could there be divorce for conju- 
 gal unfaithfulness, when the law punished 
 that offence with death? It is evident that 
 the law was not regarded as compelling the 
 husband to bring forth his adulterous wife for 
 the death penalty. Joseph was minded to put 
 Mary away privately, and was prevented only 
 by learning from the angel that her condition 
 involved no guilt. (i:ir.) In the doubtless 
 true story, though not belonging to Scripture, 
 of the adulterous woman brought before 
 Jesus (John 8:3-11), the Scribes and Pharisees 
 are represented as "tempting him" (just as 
 here) with the question whether the law is to 
 be enforced in her case, and he does not say 
 that it must be. And in the Talmud it is 
 perfectly plain that the Jews did divorce for 
 adultery instead of stoning, and no one 
 thought of condemning it. 
 
 In Mark 10 : 12 the statement is expressly 
 declared to hold of a woman also, who di- 
 vorces her husband. Everywhere in Old 
 Test., and everywhere else in New Test., 
 only the case of a man divorcing his wife is 
 presented, the opposite case being doubtless a 
 very rare occurrence in Oriental life. We 
 might take for granted that the same princi- ! 
 pies would apply to a woman divorcing her ' 
 husband, and this saying expressly enjoins | 
 such an application. It had become quite I 
 
 common for Roman women to divorce their 
 husbands and marry again, and this custom 
 had begun to affect the official and fashion- 
 able circles in Palestine as when Herodias 
 divorced her husband, Herod Philip, to marry 
 Herod Antipas (see on 14 : 3). This makes 
 it natural that our Lord should once refer to 
 that side of the question, and that Mark's 
 Gospel should take pains to report the saying, 
 as he wrote especially for Gentile, and per- 
 haps especially for Roman readers. 
 
 1O-12. A remark by the disciples and the 
 Master's reply. The fact that this was 'in 
 the house' (Mark), with only the disciples 
 present, accords well with the delicacy of the 
 subject. This naive remark shows that even 
 they shared largely the popular views and 
 feelings concerning marriage and divorce, and 
 thought that as an indissoluble union, marriage 
 was to be avoided. Similar (Plumptre) is 
 the view of Milton's "Doctrine and Disci- 
 pline of Divorce." If the case be so, and 
 the form of expression implies that they 
 accept the supposition as true. The word 
 rendered 'case' is rendered 'cause' in v. 3. 
 It seems here necessarily to mean 'case' 
 or 'matter,' and this sense is very generally 
 accepted, though it has not been established 
 by other usage. The Latin versions have 
 causa. Meyer's attempt to make it here 
 mean cause is not successful. It is not good 
 (or expedient) to marry, the term rendered 
 ' it is profitable ' in 18 : 6 ; 6 : 29 f . ; see also in 
 1 Cor. 6: 12; 10: 23. 
 
 Our Lord's roply is that marriage is some- 
 times not expedient. All men cannot re- 
 ceive this saying, viz., the saying that it H 
 not expedient to marry. What they have 
 said is true in some cases, and for a special 
 reason, quite different from the one intimated 
 by them. To understand 'this saying' as his 
 own saying, that marriage is indissoluble, 
 would make the Saviour contradict his own 
 argument, for he had argued from the divine 
 purpose in the creation of man. 'Receive' 
 does not here menu to accept a* true, but the 
 
 notable parallel passages, is natural. It is not likely or the latter would have been itself likewise altered 
 tnat the reading here haa been affected by Mark 10: 11, from Matt. ID some copies.
 
 400 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIX. 
 
 12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born | 12 to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs, that 
 oni their mother's womb: aud there are some eunuchs, were so born from their mother's womb : aud there 
 
 froi 
 
 which were matte eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs 
 which have luade themselves eunuchs for the king- 
 dom of heaven's sake. lie that is able to receive it, let 
 him receive i7. 
 
 are eunuchs, that were made eunuchs by men : and 
 there are eunuchs, that made themselves eunuchs 
 for the kingdom of heaven's sake, lie that is able 
 to receive it, let him receive it. 
 
 peculiar Greek word signifies to have space in 
 one's nature for something like a vessel 
 holding so much, comp. John 21 : 25 some- 
 times in the sense of capacity to know (Lid. 
 and Scott), here in the sense of capacity to 
 act out. ' Not all men have room (capacity) 
 for this saying.' The capacity depends on 
 physiological constitution and general tem- 
 perament, making it practicable to he happy 
 and useful without marriage. Some men are 
 naturally disqualified for marriage, and others 
 have been disqualified by human action. 
 Some voluntarily abstain from marriage for 
 the kingdom of heaven's sake, for the 
 sake of greater usefulness in proclaiming its 
 truths and promoting its establishment. Some 
 Rabbinical writers also use the phrase, "made 
 themselves eunuchs," as a figure for volun- 
 tary and entire sexual abstinence. The 
 phrase was, and would still be, natural enough 
 in Oriental speech, however repulsive to us. 
 It would probably never have been under- 
 stood literally by any one, but for well- 
 known practices among some heathen de- 
 votees in Asia Minor and elsewhere. Origen 
 took it literally in his youth and acted upon 
 it, but interprets it altogether spiritually in 
 his commentary on this passage. The Jew- 
 ish feeling regarded marriage as universally 
 desirable; Jesus says that for some persons it 
 is best to abstain. He thus distinctly intimates 
 that celibacy may give great advantages in 
 promoting Christianity, as the Apostle Paul 
 afterwards urged in 1 Cor. 7. Where a 
 man feels deeply moved to engage in some 
 form of religious work, with the prosecution 
 of which marriage would greatly interfere, 
 then it is well if he can be willing to remain 
 unmarried. So John the Baptist, and Paul. 
 But Paul by no means pressed celibacy upon 
 all, recognizing natural differences in regard 
 to it, and full liberty of personal decision. 
 And so the Saviour did, even repeating, He 
 that is able, etc. Observe that neither Jesus 
 nor Paul nor Scripture anywhere favors the 
 ascetic notion that marriage is impure, or es- 
 sentially less pure than celibacy; on the con- 
 trary, " Let marriage be had in honor among 
 
 all " (Heb. is: 4, Her. Vw.), and it was false teach- 
 ers of the worst type who were in later times 
 "forbidding to marry." (irim. 4: 1-3.) The 
 question is not of a more or less holy state, 
 but of greater or less usefulness, in promoting 
 the kingdom of heaven. Among the apostles 
 to whom Jesus said this, celibacy was not the 
 rule, but the exception. Simon Peter was 
 married (8:u), and when Paul wrote (i cor. . 
 5ff.,R. v.), "the rest of the apostles," and "the 
 brethren of the Lord," carried their wives 
 with them in their missionaryjourneys. Paul 
 himself remained unmarried for the sake of 
 giving himself without hindrance to his work, 
 (i Cor. 7:32 r.) The Romish rule of universal 
 celibacy in the priesthood occasioned a Prot- 
 estant reaction to the opposite extreme. 
 Protestant public opinion almost demands 
 that a minister shall marry. Yet how much 
 missionary work, in savage or sickly coun- 
 tries, or in home fields that cannot support a 
 family, could be far better done by unmarried 
 men. How many a young minister cuts short 
 his preparatory studies, or prosecutes them 
 amid great interruption and hindrance, or is 
 obliged to begin pastoral work in too exacting 
 a field, for the sake of an unnecessarily early 
 marriage. Every one must decide for him- 
 self; but he should decide in view of life as a 
 whole, and of the life to come. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 3. Tempting Jesus. 1) With hard ques- 
 tions, Luke 11: 16; Matt. 16: 1; 19: 3; 22: 
 18, 35. 2) By efforts to restrain him from 
 going forward to death, 16: 22 f., comp. John 
 12: 27 and Matt. 26: 36 ff. 3) By suggesting 
 positive sin, 4: 1-11. 
 
 V. 6. God and man as to marriage. 1) 
 All the fundamental relations of society are 
 based on human nature as originally created. 
 2) Marriage was designed by the Creator to 
 be a complete union of two into one, and 
 indissoluble; the one sin that justifies divorce 
 does so because it has essentially broken the 
 union. 3) Wherever man has violated God's 
 design, by separating the married for reasons 
 which do not break the essential bond, there
 
 CH. XIX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 401 
 
 13 Then were there brought unto him little children, 
 that he should put his bauds ou them, and pray : ami 
 the disciples rebuked them. 
 
 13 Then were there brought unto hiui little children, 
 that he should lay his hands on them, and pray : and 
 
 . follow great and ever growing evils. In such 
 cases re-marriage may seem to prevent adul- 
 tery, but it is itself adultery (v. 9). 4) It is 
 man's highest wisdom, interest, and duty 
 best for the parties concerned and best for 
 society to follow God's law of marriage, 
 strictly and faithfully. 
 
 13-15. LITTLE CHILDREN ARE BROUGHT 
 TO JESUS FOR HIS BLESSING. 
 
 Found also in Mark 10: 13-16; Luke 18: 
 15-17. Luke here again becomes parallel to 
 Matthew and Mark, and continues so to the 
 end, see above on 19: 1. The place of this 
 occurrence appears to have been Southern 
 Perea, in some house (Mark 10: 10), and the time 
 a few days before the triumphal entry, see on 
 19: 1. Then is naturally, though not of ne- 
 cessity (see on 3 : 13) v understood strictly, as 
 denoting the time of the foregoing conversa- 
 tion upon divorce. Mark has simply 'and.' 
 Were there brought. Mark has 'they 
 brought,' impersonal, like "they say ": Luke, 
 'they brought unto him their babes also,' 
 which shows that the parents brought them. 
 They were so moved by his teaching and heal- 
 ing as not only to seek a personal blessing, 
 but a blessing upon their babes also. Mark 
 and Luke have the Greek imperfect tense, de- 
 scribing them as engaged in bringing. And 
 they have ' rebuked ' in the same tense ; while 
 the parents were bringing and the disciples 
 were rebuking, Jesus spoke. Little chil- 
 dren, called 'babes' in Luke, and small 
 enough to be naturally taken in one's arms 
 (Mark). These terms forbid our understand- 
 ing children old enough to exercise faith. Put 
 
 tablish a personal relation between the good 
 man and the person blessed. See Gen. 48 : 14; 
 Numb. 27: 18; Acts 6: 6; 13: 3; comp. 
 Matt. 9: 18, 20. They came to Jesus as a 
 rabbi or a prophet; and he did what they de- 
 sired, took the children in his arms and blessed 
 them (comp. Mark 10: 16 1. And the disci- 
 ples rebuked them. This in Matt, might 
 mean rebuked the children or rebuked those 
 who brought them ; in Mark and Luke it is 
 clearly the latter, which is obviously appro- 
 priate. Jesus had just been speaking of a 
 highly important practical topic, viz., the 
 propriety of divorce, and the expediency of 
 marriage. The disciples had renewed the 
 subject after leaving the Pharisees (Mark 10: 10), 
 and the Master was pursuing it in private. 
 Perhaps (Wet.) they were just thinking of 
 other questions to ask on the subject. They 
 did not want the privacy of Messiah the King 
 to b interrupted, and these deeply interesting 
 instructions stopped, by what they regarded 
 as the mere trivial matter of bringing babes 
 for the teacher's blessing. Comp. 20: 31; 2 
 Kings 4 : 27. Our Lord not only spoke in 
 opposition to their rebuke, but (Mark) 'was 
 moved with indignation,' a strong word, the 
 same as in 20: 24; 26: 8. Why was he so 
 indignant? He warmly loved infant chil- 
 dren. All good men ought to feel a tender 
 affection for them, and it seemed that the dis- 
 ciples were in this respect deficient. This very 
 scene has so taught the Christian world to 
 love infant children that it is difficult for us to 
 realize the apparent feelings of the disciples. 
 They thought the infants and their parents 
 
 his hands on them, and pray. The Jews unworthy of the Messiah's notice; and he was 
 
 had always valued the "blessing" of a father, indignant at such a conception of chiluhood 
 
 a prophet, a great rabbi, or other venerable and of him. Moreover, while they were an- 
 
 person. The Talmud says they brought their noyed at the interruption of valued instruc- 
 
 young children to the synagogue for this pur- tion, they were forgetting that some months 
 
 pose. " After the father of the child had laid 
 his hands on his child's head, he led him to 
 the elders, one by one, and they also blessed 
 him, and prayed that ho might grow up 
 famous in the law, faithful in marriage, and 
 abundant in good works." (Buxtorf, in Gei- 
 kie. ) To lay hands on them, or (Mark and 
 Luke) 'touch them,' was the symbol of invok- 
 ing a blessing upon them, and seemed to es- 
 
 before (i: i f-) he had expressly used a little 
 child as an object-lesson to give them a de- 
 served rebuke for their selfish ambition and 
 jealous strife. This was one of the lessons 
 they most needed, and from that time forth 
 they ought never to have looked at a little 
 child without recalling the lesson and laying 
 it to heart afresh. But no. They have for- 
 gotten the lesson, and behold little children 
 
 A2
 
 402 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIX. 
 
 14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid 
 them not, to come unto me : for of such is the kingdom 
 of huuveu. 
 
 14 the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer 
 the little children, and forbid them not, to come 
 unto me: lor Ho such belongeth the kingdom of 
 
 1 Or, of such is. 
 
 without being reminded. In a day or two 
 they will again manifest (*>: MT.) the ambition 
 and jealousy he had used that illustration to 
 correot. There may have been other grounds 
 for the Master's indignation, and some of 
 these may not have been correctly conceived. 
 But we seem to perceive (a) a misapprehension 
 of him, for he tenderly loved little children; 
 (b) a defect in their own character, in that 
 they did not love them as he did ; (c) a griev- 
 ous forgetfulness, and persistence in wrong 
 dispositions he had taken such pains to cor- 
 rect; and it may also be that (d) he was dis- 
 pleased at their assuming the right to decide 
 who should approach him, without waiting to 
 know his wishes. More than once before he 
 has sharply reproved them for not under- 
 standing or not remembering his instructions. 
 
 (16:8-11,23: Uark6:52; Mail. 11:25; 7:21-23; comp. hereafter 
 20: 22; John 11 : 9.) 
 
 14. The repetition, suffer and forbid not, 
 
 is highly emphatic. It was vividly remem- 
 bered, for Matthew, Mark, and Luke gave 
 the same wards, with a slight difference 
 of order. ' Suffer ' is aorist tense, express- 
 ing the simple action without the notion 
 of continuance ; ' forbid ' is present tense, 
 do not be forbidding', or 'do not make a 
 practice of forbidding.' The distinction ob- 
 tains in Matthew, Mark, and Luke; and the 
 difference was felt, for the manuscript D has 
 in Matthew and Luke altered 'forbid' to 
 aorist. To come unto me is a general ex- 
 pression, not necessarily denoting either un- 
 aided locomotion or conscious spiritual ap- 
 proach, both of which are here forbidden by 
 the terms 'babes' and 'were brought.' The 
 disciples rebuked the parents and thus re- 
 pelled the children they were bringing; but 
 there must be free access to him. "What fol- 
 lows may grammatically be a reason for their 
 coming, or a reason why the disciples must let 
 them come, and not forbid them. The latter 
 seems to be the thought. For of such is the 
 kingdom of heaven. Here, as commonly, 
 Matthew has the Jewish phrase 'kingdom of 
 heaven,' Mark and Luke, 'kingdom of God' 
 (comp. on 3: 2); otherwise the phrase is iden- 
 tical in all three. For ' of such is,' the Amer. 
 
 Revisers give 'to such belongeth,' comp. 5: 3, 
 10; Luke 6: 20; James 2: 5. (So Meyer, 
 Grimm, Jelf.) But the difference is not im- 
 portant. 'Such' evidently means childlike 
 persons, as he had previously taught in 18 : 3. 
 The only question is whether it also means 
 children. To understand it in both senses at 
 the same time is very difficult. Morison 
 argues that it means simply and exclusively 
 children such as these, and not childlike 
 adults at all. There is plenty of warrant in 
 usage for so understanding the word 'such ' ; 
 but does not the connection here in Mark and 
 Luke absolutely require the sense of childlike 
 persons? They both add, 'whosoever shall 
 not receive the kingdom of God as a little 
 child, he shall in no wise enter therein.' This 
 is exactly what Jesus said on a former occa- 
 sion (18:3), when, as almost all commentators 
 agree, he was using the little child only as an 
 illustration. Morison's position is therefore 
 untenable in this case. 'Such' certainly 
 means childlike persons, and apparently does 
 not mean children at all. So the Memphitic, 
 "for persons of this sort, theirs is the king- 
 dom of heaven." And the Peshito takes great 
 pains, "for those who are like them, theirs is 
 the kingdom of heaven." All the Greek com- 
 mentators explain it as meaning the childlike, 
 none of them mentioning children as included, 
 and several expressly stating the contrary. 
 Nor does any Greek commentator, so far as 
 we can find, mention infant baptism in con- 
 nection with the passage, though they all 
 practiced that rite Origen speaks only of the 
 childlike; and so Cyril: "The new-born child 
 is a symbol of innocence; for the babe is as it 
 
 were a new creature Christ does not 
 
 wish us to be without intelligence when he 
 sa3~s. ' For to such belongs (or, of such is) the 
 kingdom of heaven,' but to be infants in evil, 
 and in intelligence perfect (full-grown)." 
 Chrys. : "Teaching them (the disciples) to he 
 lowly, and to trample under foot worldly 
 pride, he receives them, and takes them in his 
 arms, and to such as them promises the king- 
 dom ; which kind of thing he said before 
 also," i. e., in 18: 3 f. Theophyl. : "He did 
 not say 'these,' but 'such,' i. e., the simple,
 
 CH. XIX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 403 
 
 the guileless, the innocent.'' Euthym. ; "He 
 did not say 'to these belongs the kingdom of 
 heaven,' but 'to such,' those who imitate the 
 simplicity of these." Anon, takes the occa- 
 sion to exhort parents to bring their children 
 incessantly to the priests, that they may put 
 their hands on them and pray for them. Even 
 the great Latin commentator, Jerome (fol- 
 lowed by Bede), tells us: "He significantly 
 said 'such,' not 'these,' in order to show that 
 not age reigns, but character, and that the 
 reward is promised to those who should have 
 similar innocence and simplicity." But Tertul- 
 lian and Augustine do mention, not this clause 
 but that which precedes, in connection with in- 
 fant baptism. Tertullian (on Baptism, 18) ad- 
 vises delay of baptism till there has been pro- 
 per instruction, "delay according to each one's 
 condition and disposition and even age ; and 
 especially as to the little ones. . . . The Lord 
 does indeed say, 'Forbid them not to come 
 unto me.' Let them come, then, while they 
 are growing up ; let them come while they are 
 learning, while they are being taught whither 
 to come; let them be made Christians when 
 they have become able to know Christ. Why 
 does the innocent age hasten to remission of 
 sins?" He here shows, as throughout the 
 treatise, that baptism is regarded by him and 
 those he addresses, as securing remission and 
 making persons Christians. So Cyprian (" Ep. 
 to Fidus") and Origen (on Rom. ch. 5 and 
 Homily 14 on Luke ch. 2.) give as the reason 
 for infant baptism that the infants may re- 
 ceive remission of original sin, that the defile- 
 ment of sin may be washed away through 
 water and the Spirit, etc., but neither of them 
 mentions this passage, nor does Origen men- 
 tion infant baptism in his interpretation of 
 this passage. He says (on Rom.), "The church 
 received it as a tradition from the apostles, 
 to give baptism to little ones also." Augustine 
 ("Serm. 174") says: "Noone passes from the 
 first man (Adam) to the second (Christ) save 
 through the sacrament of baptism. In little 
 children born and not yet baptized, behold 
 Adam ; in little children born and baptized 
 and therefore born again, behold Christ. . . . 
 What is it that thou sayest, little children 
 
 have no sin at all, not even original sin? 
 What is it that thou sayest, but that they 
 should not approach to Jesus? But Jesus 
 cries out to thee, ' Suffer the little ones to come 
 to me.' " Aug. very frequently gives the 
 same reason for infant baptism, constantly 
 and vehemently assailing the Pelagians with 
 the argument that there is no propriety in 
 infant baptism unless infants are under the 
 guilt of original sin, but we have found no 
 other instance in which he associates with it 
 this passage. Calvin says "both children 
 and those who are like them." Alexander 
 (on Mark) : " More satisfactory is Calvin's 
 explanation of the sentence as referring both 
 to children (i. e., to believing children) and 
 to those who are like them in their childlike 
 qualities." But believing children are in the 
 same position as believing adults; so this is 
 virtually admitting that there is here no ref- 
 erence to infants who are incapable of belief. 
 Alexander adds, "The application of this 
 passage to infant baptism, although scornfully 
 rejected as absurd by its opponents, is entire- 
 ly legitimate, not as an argument, but as an 
 illustration of the spirit of the Christian sys- 
 tem with respect to children." Bengel says: 
 "Grant that such as are like infants are 
 meant, then much more infants themselves, 
 who are such, have the kingdom of God, and ' 
 should and can receive it by coming to 
 Christ." And he actually thinks it helps the 
 matter to add: "Many of those who were 
 then infants, afterwards when grown up be- 
 lieved on Christ Jesus." Meyer : " Not little 
 children, but men of a childlike disposition, 
 18: 3 f." ; and to the same effect Fritz., Bleek, 
 Lutter., Keim, Godet. Olsh. .- "Of that ref- 
 erence to infant baptism which it is so com- 
 mon to seek in this narrative, there is clearly 
 not the slightest trace to be found. The Sav- 
 iour sets the children before the apostles as 
 symbols of spiritual regeneration, and of the 
 simple childlike feeling therein imparted." 
 Gffikie : "Let the little children come to me, 
 and do not forbid them, for the kingdom of 
 heaven is given only to such as have a child- 
 like spirit and nature like theirs." 1 
 To sum up. (n) There is no good ground 
 
 iMaldonatiu: "The Calvinists \i. e., Reformed] have 
 no other testimony by which to prove that infants 
 
 clearest testimony by which the church has always 
 been led to baptize infants, 'except a man be born of 
 
 ought to be baptized, than that Christ says, 'Suffer the water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kintf- 
 little ones to come to me.' For that strongest and , doni of God,' they interpret not of baptism but of
 
 404 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIX. 
 
 15 And he laid Aw hands on them, and departed 15 heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and de- 
 theuce. parted thence. 
 
 for understanding 'such' as meaning child- 
 ren themselves, but only childlike believers 
 (as in 18 : 3.) No question is here made that 
 those dying in infancy are saved. They are 
 saved through the atonement of Christ and 
 the work of the Spirit, but this must hold 
 true of all alike, without reference to any 
 ceremony, and no matter whether their 
 parents were believers, unbelievers, or heathen. 
 The Messianic kingdom is always spoken of 
 in connection with, and seems naturally to 
 imply, persons capable of conscious submission 
 to Christ's reign. It is here said to belong to, or 
 consistof, thechildlike, and (accordingto Mark 
 and Luke) no others. If ' such' includes infants, 
 it includes all infants, not only those dying in 
 infancy, and those that live and become be- 
 lievers, but those that live a life of sin and are 
 finally lost; in what sort of sense does the 
 Messianic kingdom belong to (or consistof) 
 these? (b) If it were supposed that 'such' 
 does include literal children, it would not fol- 
 low that infants ought to be baptized. There is 
 here no allusion to baptism, and no one imag- 
 ines that Jesus caused these little ones to be 
 baptized. We know that at one period Jesus 
 was baptizing (through his disciples) very 
 many persons (John3:22; 4:if.), but no one 
 questions that they were baptized as penitent 
 believers in the Messianic reign. Infant bap- 
 tism seems to have arisen afterwards from the 
 belief that baptism was necessary to salvation, 
 being, in all the early references to it, asso- 
 ciated with that belief, and only as an after- 
 thought was ground for it sought in an in- 
 ference from this passage. In like manner 
 
 Zvvingli, in his controversies with the Ana- 
 baptists, introduced the argument from the 
 Abrahamic covenant.* 
 
 15. Laid his hands on them, of course 
 with the accompanying prayer ( is) that 
 they might be blessed. Mark adds that he 
 'took them in his arms,' apparently from the 
 arms of those who brought them, 'and blessed 
 them, laying his hands upon them' ; he must 
 then have been seated we have seen that he 
 was probably in a house. His blessing them 
 means that he prayed (v. 13) that they might 
 be blessed. We cannot possibly know what 
 results'followed to the infants from this bene- 
 diction. He prayed that his crucifiers might 
 be forgiven, and they were if they repented 
 and believed. And departed thence. Mark 
 10: 17 may perhaps indicate that he left sooner 
 than was expected. Was it because of his 
 indignation at the disciples ? 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 13-15. Jesus and infant children. 1) 
 Jesus tenderly loves infant children (comp. 
 Mark 10: 16), forhehasthe same feelings now 
 as when on earth. (Heb. is-.s.) 2) It is right 
 for parents continually to seek the blessing of 
 Jesus upon their infant children. 3) It is a 
 great mistake and a great fault to take no in- 
 terest in infants; they who do so are quite 
 unlike Jesus, and forget one of his most im- 
 pressive lessons. (Comp. 18:3.) 4) All fol- 
 lowers of Jesus ought to be childlike, i. e., 
 teachable, loving, free from selfish ambition 
 and jealousy, etc.; not only ought to be, but 
 absolutely must be childlike. (Mark 10: 15; 
 
 teaching ; so it comes to pass that as long as they wish 
 to be heretics and to resist the Catholic Church, they 
 disarm themselves, and cannot withstand the Anabap- 
 tists [i. e., rebaptizers], who deny that infants ought to 
 be baptized." Renss: "This word of Jesus, ' Let the 
 children come to me,' is wrongly cited by those who 
 attempt to establish the baptism of infants upon texts 
 of the New Test. It can be used to that effect upon 
 condition of forming a conception of baptism itself 
 different from that of John the Baptist, Jesus, and the 
 apostles, who demanded beforehand a conscious and 
 thoughtful faith." Plumptre : " The words and the act 
 have rightly been regarded, as in the Baptismal Office 
 of the Church of England, as the true warrant for in- 
 fant baptism. More than doubtful passages in the Acts 
 and Epistles ; more than the authority, real or sup- 
 
 posed, of primitive antiquity; more than the legal fic- 
 tion that they fulfil the condition of baptism through 
 their sponsors they justify the Church of Christ at 
 large in commending infants, as such, to the blessing 
 of their Father. The blessing and the prayer of Christ 
 cannot be regarded as a mere sympathizing compli- 
 ance with the fond wishes of the parents, and if infants 
 were capable of spiritual blessings then, why, it may 
 well be asked, should they be thought incapable now ? " 
 So "the true warrant for infant baptism " is fou nd in 
 a passage which very many of the ablest ancient and 
 modern writers who have practiced it declare to have 
 no connection with the subject. 
 
 iDr.W. H.Whitsitt, Prof, of Ch. Hist., Louisville, 
 knows of no earlier use of this argument.
 
 CH. XIX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 405 
 
 16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good 
 Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have 
 eternal life? 
 
 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good ? 
 there is none good but one, thai is, God : but; if thou wilt 
 enter into life, keep the commandments. 
 
 16 And behold, one came to him and said, 1 2 Master, 
 What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal 
 
 17 life? And he said unto them, 3 Why askest thou 
 me concerning that which is good ? One there is 
 who is good: out if thou wouldest enter into life, 
 
 1 Or, Teacher 2 Some 
 
 3 re:id. Good Matter. See Mark x. 17 ; Luke xvlii. 18 2 Snme ancient authorities read, Why 
 
 : good t Kone is good tave one. See Mark x. 18 ; Luke xviii. 19. 
 
 comp. 18 : 3 f. ; 1 Cor. 14 : 20.) This passage 
 can hardly be used in addressing Sunday- 
 school children as a proof that Jesus specially 
 loves them, for they are deeply conscious of 
 ein, and ought to ask from Jesus a new heart, 
 forgiveness, and help to live as his followers. 
 The lesson here is for adults, and the passage 
 is often so misused as simply to promote in 
 children a most hurtful conceit, to the effect 
 that they are greatly better than grown 
 people. 
 
 16-22. THE RICH YOUNG RULEB. 
 
 Found also in Mark 10: 17-22; Luke 18: 
 18-23. 
 
 Jesus has left the house in which he blessed 
 the babes (v. io; Markio:io), and is going forth 
 into the road (Markioin), doubtless on the way 
 towards Jerusalem (to-.n) for the last Pass- 
 over. The place is still pretty certainly in 
 South ern Perea. ( w : i ; 20 : 29. ) 
 
 16. One came. 'One' may be taken 
 loosely (see on 8: 19), as we in English often 
 use it, to mean some one, a certain one; but 
 is perhaps better taken strictly not now a 
 crowd (19;*), only a single person, but a very 
 interesting and important case. Matthew 
 tells us that he was a young man (v.zo-w), 
 Luke that he was a 'ruler' (18:18), not prob- 
 ably meaning one of the Sanhedrin (Jotm3:i), 
 but a ruler of the local synagogue (Matt. : is) ; 
 all three state that he was very wealthy. The 
 theory of Plumptre that this was Lazarus of 
 Bethany, rests entirely upon certain resem- 
 blances, as wealth, high standing, and the 
 fact that Jesus is said to have loved him, and 
 it must be regarded as a pleasant homi- 
 letical fancy, rather than even a probable 
 historical fact. The resurrection of Laza- 
 rus was almost certainly before this time. 
 For 'came to him, 1 Mark says vividly, 
 Rev. Ver., 'ran to him, and kneeled to 
 
 him.' Finding that Jesus had left the house, 
 and eager not to miss the desired instruction, 
 he runs to overtake him, and then kneels in 
 profound reverence. Good Master, i. e., 
 teacher (didaskalos), see on 8: 19. 'Good' is 
 wanting in the earliest and best documents, 
 and was manifestly brought in by copyists 
 from Mark and Luke. The same early docu- 
 ments, with many others of great importance, 
 read v. 17 as in Rev. Ver., which, especially 
 as the meaning is not obvious, would be 
 readily changed to agree with Mark and 
 Luke. 1 What good thing shall I do? He 
 has done many good things, what else? (v. 20.) 
 That I may have eternal lift-, comp. on 
 25: 46. He 'is sincerely and deeply desirous 
 of gaining it, as he has shown by his conduct 
 heretofore, and shows now by his eagerness to 
 learn from the Galilean teacher who is pass- 
 ing by. Contrast the lawyer of Luke 10: 25, 
 who quibbled, (v. 29.) 
 
 17. It is possible (Aug.) that Jesus used first 
 the expression in Mark and Luke, and after- 
 wards that in Matt. (Rev. Ver.) But the 
 Evangelists often report a saying in different 
 terms. (See on 3: 17.) Both forms here ex- 
 press truth, and they substantially agree. To 
 call him 'good' (Mark and Luke), was a sort 
 of flattery to one approached only as a Rabbi, 
 which he rebukes as improper; only God is 
 perfectly good keep that word for him. No 
 religious teacher would really like to be ac- 
 costed as "a good man." So here, to ask a 
 teacher concerning that which is good, what 
 good thing shall be done, must not be with 
 the notion that any mere human teacher is of 
 himself qualified to give the desired instruc- 
 tion. Only God is perfectly good; and les- 
 sons of goodness are not lessons of mere human 
 ethical wisdom, but of divine instruction. 
 This is a surpassingly important truth. Men 
 
 1 The other readings need not have been placed in the 
 margin of Rev. Ver., for there can be no question 
 that they are wrong. We cannot imagine any reason 
 for changing an easy reading which agreed with Mark 
 and Luke into an obscure one which strikingly differa, 
 
 while the change into assimilation is precisely such as 
 we constantly find in MSS. and versions. Origen-ex- 
 prcssly points out and dwells on the difference between 
 the text of Matt, and that of Mark and Luke.
 
 406 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIX. 
 
 18 Hesaith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt 
 do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou 
 shall not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness. 
 
 19 Honor thy father and thy mother : and, Thou shalt 
 love thy neighbour as thyself. 
 
 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things 
 have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 
 
 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and 
 sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt 
 have treasure in heaven : aud come and follow me. 
 
 18 keep the commandments. He saith unto him, 
 Which ? And .lesus said, Thou shalt not kill, Thou 
 shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, 
 Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy 
 
 19 father aijd thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy 
 
 20 neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto 
 him, All these things have I observed : what lack I 
 
 21 yet? Jesus said uuto him, If thou wouldest be 
 perfect, go, sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, 
 and thou shalt have treasure in heaven : and come, 
 
 in every age and country are prone to think 
 of mere human instruction in morals and 
 religion, and to forget that the highest relig- 
 ious wisdom must come from him who alone 
 is perfect wisdom and perfect goodness. But 
 if tli OH wilt, or wishest to (comp. on 15 : 32; 
 16: 24), enter into life (comp on 5: 20), 
 keep the commandments. Bengel: "Those 
 who feel secure Jesus refers to the law; the 
 contrite he consoles with the gospel." 
 
 18 f. Which, if strictly translated, would 
 be what sort of, what kind of commandments, 
 not inquiring as to particular precepts, hut 
 classes. Yet this Greek pronoun is used some- 
 what loosely in New Test., and may here mean 
 simply which. In Modern Greek it has that 
 meaning always. The ruler may have ex- 
 pected new commandments, or a special selec- 
 tion from those existing. The Rabbis would 
 have prescribed stricter attention to tradi- 
 tional observances. Jesus did not propose 
 new commandments, but a new spirit and 
 motive. The sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth 
 commandments are given, then the fifth, and 
 then Matt, alone adds the general precept 
 (Lev. 19: is) which sums up all the second table 
 of the law ; comp. on 22 : 39. Luke quotes 
 the same five commandments as Matt.; Mark, 
 likewise, but inserting 'do not defraud,' 
 equivalent to the tenth commandment. Thou 
 shalt do no murder (Rev. Ver., shalt not 
 kill). So also Com. Ver. in 5: 21; Mark 
 10: 19; Luke 18: 20; and Rom. 13:9. The 
 Old Test. Revisers, on the contrary, have 
 changed ' thou shalt not kill ' into 'thou shalt 
 do no murder,' Ex. 20: 13; Deut. 5: 17. The 
 Heb. and Greek verbs are frequently used for 
 unlawful killing, murder, but not uniformly. 
 
 20. All these things has the emphasis 
 here (according to the probable text) on 'all' ; 
 in Mark and Luke it is on 'these things.' 
 Have I kept. Rev. Ver. gives observed. So 
 
 Tyn. ami Gen. here, and all early English 
 versions in Mark 10: 20, while all give 'kept' 
 for the same word in Luke 18: 21. In v. 17 
 above, 'kept' represents a different word. 
 From my youth up is spurious in Matt., but 
 genuine in Mark and Luke, and so was 
 really said.i The speaker was still a 'young 
 man,' but it is quite common for young men 
 to look back to their youth, viz., boyhood, 
 and as a very remote period. He must have 
 been sincere in his profession, and really 
 blameless in outward conformity to law, for 
 'Jesus looking upon him loved him.' (Mark.) 
 What lack I yet? Mark and Luke give as 
 the beginning of the Saviours reply, ' One 
 thing thou lackest.' So the question here 
 must not be regarded as a mere self-righteous 
 expression. The only observance he had ever 
 thought of was external and superficial ; in re- 
 gard to this, he had been very careful and cor- 
 rect. The Talmud repeatedly mentions persons 
 as having kept the whole law, in one case " my 
 holy ones, who have kept the whole law, from 
 Aleph to Tau," like Alpha to Omega. The 
 Great Teacher does not stop for distinctions 
 between the external and the spiritual which 
 the young ruler would have found it difficult 
 to appreciate, but cuts through all his self- 
 delusion and self-complacency by an extraor- 
 dinary demand. 
 
 21. If thou wilt be, wishest to be, as in 
 v. 17. Perfect, so as to lack nothing, see on 
 5: 48. Go, go along, go promptly, as in 
 4: 10; 5: 24; 13: 44; 18: 15. Sell that 
 tli on hast (comp. 13: 46), a compre- 
 hensive expression, strengthened in Mark 
 by 'whatsoever,' in Luke by 'all.' To the 
 poor. Here again (see on 5 : 3 ; 11 : 5^ the 
 notion of 'beggars' is quite out of place; the 
 wisest giving is not always to beggars. The 
 Talmud (Wet.) speaks of a rabbi as saying 
 to some Gentiles who sought instruction, 
 
 1 It was easily added in Matt, by copyists, just as in 
 Mark some documents add to 10 : 20, ' what lack I yet,' 
 (which Mark really has just after in another shape), 
 
 and to 10: 21, 'if thou wishest to be perfect.' Such 
 patent errors show the habits of copyists, and help us to 
 group documents.
 
 CH. XIX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 407 
 
 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he 22 follow me. But when the young man heard the 
 went away sorrowful : for he had great possessions. saying, he went away sorrowful : for he was one 
 
 that had great possessions. 
 
 "Sell all that you have, and moreover you 
 ought to become proselytes." This was a 
 special test, exactly suited to the young ruler, 
 as appears from his sorrowful failure to meet 
 it. The principle involved is supreme devo- 
 tion to Christ. The test of this is different for 
 different people. Some find it harder to re- 
 nounce hopes of wordly honor and fame for 
 Christ's sake, than to renounce wealth; and 
 for others the hard trial is to abandon certain 
 gratifications of the various appetites or of 
 taste. Abraham left his native country at 
 God's command, but became rich and 
 famous. Moses gave up the distinction and 
 refined pleasures of court life, and tried 
 patiently to rule a debased and intractable 
 people. Elisha loft his property at the call of 
 God through Elijah. Paul abandoned his 
 ambitious hope of being a great rabbi. All 
 should be will ing even to die for Christ (i6:2iff.) ) 
 though not many are actually required to do 
 so. The Komanists build on this passage their 
 theory that for all persons and times volun- 
 tary and absolute poverty is a chief means of 
 securing the highest spiritual attainments. 
 But there is no intimation that Jesus requires 
 this of all his followers. He said nothing of 
 the kind to any but the Twelve, and a few who, 
 like them, were called to leave home and 
 travel about the country with him. Treasure 
 in heaven, see on 6 : 20. And come, fol- 
 low me, see on 4: 19. Many documents in 
 Mark, and one or two in Matthew add ' tak- 
 ing up thy cross,' borrowed from Mark 8 : 34; 
 Matt. 16 : 24. 
 
 22. He went away sorrowful. Mark 
 prefixes 'his countenance fell,' 'lie looked 
 gloomy,' dark-faced ; comp. a similar expres- 
 sion in Luke 24: 17 (correct text\ It was a 
 painful disappointment; his eager longing 
 and hope gave way to gloom he could not 
 give up his great possessions. Among all na- 
 tions, but especially among the Jewish higher 
 classes, the idea of falling from great wealth 
 to utter poverty would be extremely painful. 
 He went away, and appears no more in the 
 history. One would incline to the hopeful 
 persuasion that he afterwards became a true 
 Christian, since Jesus loved him. But the 
 story ends very sadly. And its lesson applies 
 
 very closely to many whose ' possessions ' are 
 by no means ' great.' 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 17-21. We need no new commandments, 
 but a new motive, supreme devotion to Christ. 
 So in Rom 8 : 1-17, there is presented the same 
 old law, but a new revelation of forgiveness 
 (v. 1), a new moral force (v. 2), a new motive 
 (v. 15). V. 16-22. The young ruler. 1) There 
 may be much religious earnestness, and a 
 lovable sincerity, without true Christian piety. 
 2) To become a thorough Christian requires 
 no new precepts, but a new spirit. 3) A com- 
 plete Christian character and life cannot exist 
 without complete submission to Christ. 4) 
 The tests of submission to Christ will be very 
 different in different cases, but must in every 
 case be squarely met. 5) Turning away from 
 Christ with regret and gloomy sadness, is yet 
 turning away. V. 17 (latter part). If tliou 
 wishest to enter into life. 1) The wish, (a) 
 None enter who do not wish, (b) None who 
 wish to enter need fail. 2) The way. (a) The 
 commandments must be kept not only out- 
 wardly, but inwardly, spiritually, (b) This 
 can be done through help of Christ and of the 
 other Comforter, (c) That help is received 
 only where there is supreme devotion to 
 Christ. V. 20. What lack I yet? 1) He 
 might seem to others to lack nothing; he has 
 wealth, honor, a blameless outward life, and 
 a deep sincerity and earnestness. 2) He is 
 conscious of lacking something, and eager to 
 supply the lack. 3) He really lacks every- 
 thing; for he has only kept the command- 
 ments outwardly, and thus altogether imper- 
 fectly. 4) He lacks one thing (Mark 10:21^ 
 without which all is inadequate, and with 
 which all will work toward perfection and 
 eternal life; and that one thing is supreme de- 
 votion to Christ. V. 22. He went away sor- 
 rowful. 1) Ho went away sorrowful. 2) lie 
 went away sorrowful. 
 
 Ch. 19: 2320: 16. HARD FOR TUB 
 RIOH TO BK SAVED. RKWARD OF SACRI- 
 FICES FOR CHRIST'S SAKE. 
 
 This section, except the parable, is found 
 also in Mark 10: 23-31; Luke 18: 24-30. In 
 both it is immediately connected as here with
 
 408 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIX. 
 
 23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say 
 nnto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the 
 kingdom of heaven. 
 
 24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel 
 to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man 
 to enter into the kingdom of God. 
 
 the story of the young ruler. Luke tells us, 
 4 And Jesus seeing him said ' ; Mark, ' Jesus 
 looked round about, and said.' While the 
 young man walked gloomily away, Jesus 
 looked at him and at his disciples, and spoke 
 to them the great lessons which follow. The 
 section divides itself into v. 23-26, v. 27-30, 
 and 20: 1-16. 
 
 I. 23-26. HARD FOR THE KICH TO BK 
 SAVED. Mark 10: 23-27; Luke 18: 24-27. 
 Verily I say unto you, calling special atten- 
 tion, see on 5: 18. A rich man shall hardly 
 enter. It is hard for a rich man (Kev. Ver.), 
 was the rendering of Tyndale and followers. 
 The Com. Ver. though more literal, would 
 now suggest improbability rather than diffi- 
 culty. The Jews inclined to think it much 
 easier for a rich man than for a poor man. 
 The former had in his very prosperity a proof 
 of the divine favor ; he was prima facie a 
 good man, and might feel very hopeful about 
 entering the kingdom. Our Lord had not 
 long before this spoken a parable (Lukei6:i9) ( 
 in which, contrary to what all Jews would 
 have expected, the beggar Lazarus went to 
 Abraham's bosom, and the rich man to tor- 
 ment. Much earlier (coinp. on 5 : 3) he had 
 shown that the kingdom of heaven belongs to 
 the poor, if they have the corresponding pov- 
 erty in spirit. Kingdom of heaven, see on 
 3: 2. He was far from meaning that all poor 
 men will be saved, and all rich men lost; for 
 Lazarus was carried to the bosom of Abra- 
 ham, who in life was very rich, as were also 
 Isaac and Jacob and Joseph, David and Solo- 
 mon, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, 
 and apparently the family of Bethany. On 
 the perils of riches, comp. 13: 22; 1 Tim. 6: 
 9 f. The expression in Com. text of Mark 
 10: 24, for them that trust in riches,' must be 
 omitted. 1 This strong statement our Lord 
 now repeats (> *), in a hyperbolical form 
 such as he so often employed to awaken atten- 
 tion and compel remembrance. (See on 5: 
 39.) It is easier for a camel to go 
 
 through the eye of a needle. So also 
 Mark and Luke. The camel was the largest 
 beast familiar to the Jews, and the needle's 
 eye was the smallest opening in any familiar 
 object. So the expression denotes an impos- 
 sibility, and it was so understood by the dis- 
 ciples, andso treated by Jesus just after, (v.26.) 
 A little later (23:24), our Lord will again use 
 the camel as the largest beast in another hy- 
 perbolical expression, "who strain out the 
 gnat and swallow the camel." In the Tal- 
 mud, for an elephant to go through a needle's 
 eye is several times employed as an expres- 
 sion of impossibility, the Jews in foreign 
 countries having now become familiar with 
 an animal even larger than the camel. Our 
 Lord may have bee'n using a proverb (comp. 
 on 7: 3), but there is no proof that such a 
 saying was current in his time. The Koran 
 (Sura VII, 38) borrows, as it often does, the 
 saying of Jesus: "Those who say our signs 
 are lies and are too big with pride for them, 
 for these the doors of heaven shall not be 
 open, and they shall not enter into Paradise 
 until a camel shall pass into a needle's eye." 
 The notion that the word means a cable, 
 found in Cyril on Luke, and in a scholium 
 ascribed to Origen (Tisch.), and mentioned 
 by Theophyl. and Euthym. as held by 
 "some," was merely an attempt to soften the 
 incongruity of the image; and the statement 
 of the late lexicographer Suidas and a 
 scholium on Aristophanes that kamelos is the 
 animal, kamilos a thick cable, probably arose 
 from that attempt. (Liddell and Scott.) The 
 Memph., Latin, and Pesh. versions give 
 camel. Origen understands the camel, and 
 takes the phrase as a figure for the impossible ; 
 so Chrys. and followers. Jerome explains 
 likewise, but adds that as Isaiah declares 
 (so: 6) that the camels of Midian and Ephah 
 come to Jerusalem with gifts, and though 
 curved and distorted they enter the gates of 
 Jerusalem, so the rich can enter the narrow 
 gate by laying aside their burden of sins and 
 
 1 It is wanting in several of the earliest and best 
 documents, and we readily account for its insertion as 
 
 by way of correspondence to the next verse, while w,e 
 can see no reason why copyists should have struck it 
 
 originally a marginal explanation of a difficulty, and [ out.
 
 CH. XIX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 409 
 
 25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly 
 amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 
 
 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With 
 men this is impossible: but with God all things are 
 possible. 
 
 27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, 
 we have forsaken all, and followed thee ; what shall we 
 have therefore ? 
 
 28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, 
 That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration 
 when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, 
 ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve 
 tribes of Israel. 
 
 25 than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of 
 God. And when the disciples heard it. they were 
 astonished exceedingly, say iug, Who tnen can be 
 
 26 saved? And Jesus looking upon them said to them, 
 With men this is impossible ; but with God all 
 
 27 things are possible. Then answered Peter and said 
 unto him, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee; 
 
 28 what then shall we have ? And Jesus said unto 
 them, Verily I say unto you, that ye who have fol- 
 lowed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man 
 shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit 
 upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of 
 
 all their bodily deformity which is only his 
 loose allegorizing upon a point not brought 
 into view %y the Saviour. A gloss to Anselm 
 (A. D. 1033-1109), given in Aquinas, says that 
 " at Jerusalem there was a certain gate called 
 the Needle's Eye, through which a camel could 
 not pass, save on its bended knees and after 
 its burden had been taken oft'; and so the 
 rich," etc. This is to all appearance a conjec- 
 ture suggested by Jerome's allegorizing re- 
 mark. Lord Nugent many years ago (quoted 
 in Morison, from Kitto) heard at Hebron a 
 narrow entrance for foot-passengers, by the 
 side of the larger gate, called "the eye of a 
 needle." Fish (p. 165), speaking of the Jaffa 
 gate at Jerusalem, says: "There is here a 
 small gate in the large one, bearing the name 
 Needle's Eye. My dragoman informed me of 
 this, and said it had always been so called. I 
 afterwards inquired of a Christian Jew, for 
 thirty years a resident in Jerusalem, who 
 verified the statement, and farther said that 
 any little gate like that, in a large one, in 
 both Palestine and Egypt, was called a 
 needle's eye (a fact which I have since ascer- 
 tained from other sources)." So far as this 
 usage really exists, it probably arose from the 
 saying in the New Test., the Talmud and the 
 Koran, together with Jerome's allegorizing 
 remark. It is perfectly evident that Jesus 
 was understood, and meant to be understood, 
 as stating an impossibility; and as to the in- 
 congruity of the image, it is no greater than 
 that of 23: 24, and employed an animal as 
 familiar to his hearers as the horse is to us. 
 25 f. The disciples were exceedingly 
 amazed, for this was contrary to all the no- 
 tions in which they were reared. Since 
 everybody believed that a rich man was shown 
 by his wealth to have God's favor, and could 
 secure further favor by his beneficence, and 
 since Jesus has declared that it is practically 
 impossible for a rich man to enter the Messi- 
 
 anic kingdom, they very naturally asked, 
 Who then can be saved? with emphasis on 
 'who' and 'can.' Their idea is that things 
 being as the Master has stated (which is the 
 meaning of the particle translated 'then'), 
 nobody can be saved. And to this he assents. 
 As a matter of human power, no one can be 
 saved; but with God all things are possi- 
 ble (comp. Luke 1 : 37 ; Job 42: 2; Gen. 18: 
 14), and the divine omnipotence may save 
 even a rich man. 
 II. 27-30. JESUS PROMISES KEWARD TO 
 
 THOSE THAT HAVE LEFT ALL FOR HIS SAKE. 
 
 Mark 10: 28-81; Luke 18: 28-30. Peter 
 speaks for his companions as well as himself 
 (see on 16: 16), and the answer is addressed 
 to them all, 'you' (v. 28). Behold, we, the 
 word 'we' being expressed in the Greek, and 
 thus emphatic; so also in Mark and Luke. 
 Have forsaken all, as the rich young ruler 
 had just refused to do. (i: ) And followed 
 thee, comp. on 4: 19 f. Luke 18: 28 has (cor- 
 rect text) 'have left our own,' i. e.. prop- 
 erty, while the young ruler would not leave 
 his. Some had left their calling as fishermen, 
 Matthew a public office, James and John 
 their parents, Peter his home and family. 
 What shall we have therefore? without 
 any special emphasis on 'we.' This clause 
 is not given by Mark or Luke, being obvious- 
 ly implied in Peter's foregoing statement. 
 The apostle's inquiry may be easily stigma- 
 tized as self-complacent or mercenary. But 
 Jesus evidently did not so regard it. They 
 had made real sacrifices, and were following 
 him in worldly destitution with dismal 
 worldly prospects, for they were now near 
 Jerusalem, where he would be rejected and 
 put to death. (16:21.) The situation was very 
 serious. Jesus solemnly promises great re- 
 ward to the Twelve ( >}, and extends it to 
 nil who have left anything for his sake (. ) ; 
 and then guards against all selfish and jealous
 
 410 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XIX. 
 
 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or | 29 Israel. And every one that hath left houses, or 
 brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or I brethren, or sisters, or father, or 1 mother, or chil- 
 childreu, or lauds, for my name's sake, shall receive a I dren, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive 2 a 
 
 1 Muu.v ancient authorities add, or wife : as la Luke xviii. 29 2 Some ancient authorities reud, manifold. 
 
 claims of superior reward in v. 30, illustrated 
 by the parable which follows. 
 
 28. He begins with a solemn assurance, as 
 in v. 23, Verily I say unto you, see on 5: 18. 
 This special promise to the Twelve is found 
 only in Matt., to whose Jewish readers it 
 would be of special interest. In the re- 
 generation. The Greek word here used 
 (palingenesia) is found nowhere else in New 
 Test, save Tit. 3 : 5, where it denotes the 
 spiritual new birth. Here it has a very dif- 
 ferent sense. Plutarch uses it for the ap- 
 pearance of souls in new bodies (Pythago- 
 rean doctrine of transmigration) ; M. Anto- 
 ninus speaks, according to a Stoic conception, 
 of "the periodical new-birth of the universe," 
 viz., in spring; Philo, according to another 
 Stoic conception, foretells a new-birth of the 
 world out of fire ; Cicero speaks of his " restora- 
 tion to dignities and honors" as "this new- 
 birth of ours" ; and a late Platonist says, 
 "Recollection is a new birth of knowledge." 
 These uses will illustrate our passage, which 
 has a kindred but profounder sense. "When 
 the Messianic reign is fully established, there 
 will be a new-birth of all things, called also a 
 "restoration of all things" ( Acts 3:21, Rev. ver.), 
 "new heavens and a new earth, wherein 
 dwelleth righteousness" (2 Pet. 3: 13; comp. 
 Rev. 21 : 1, 5), and the deliverance of the 
 whole creation from the bondage of corruption 
 at the revealing of the sons of God in redeemed 
 bodies. (Rom. 8:18-23.) The Pesh. here trans- 
 lates 'in the new world,' or new age, period. 
 (Comp. on 12: 32.) Understood thus, 'in the 
 regeneration' 1 is manifestly not connected 
 with ' ye that have followed me,' for it de- 
 notes not the beginning, but the consumma- 
 tion of the Messianic reign, when the Son 
 of man (see on 8: 20) shall sit in the 
 throne of his glory, comp. 25: 31; also 7: 
 22; 16: 27. All this high-wrought imagery 
 of a universal restoration, a new birth, a 
 new universe, must of course be inter- 
 
 preted as imagery, and must not be so un- 
 derstood as to exclude other facts of the 
 future which are plainly revealed, as in 25: 
 46. Ye also shall sit upon twelve 
 thrones, is of course an image. It is idle 
 to insist upon the exact number twelve (comp. 
 Rev. 21 : 12-14), and so to be troubled about 
 the fact that while Matthias took the place of 
 Judas, Paul made thirteen apostles. Judging 
 the twelve tribes of Israel certainly does 
 not mean that only Jews will be judged, or 
 that one apostle will judge one tribe. The 
 Oriental king, and the Roman emperor, was 
 also a judge, and when he sat on his throne in 
 public, it was usually for the purpose of hear- 
 ing petitions or complaints and giving judg- 
 ment. Such a monarch often had persons 
 seated near him (called by the Romans "as- 
 sessors"), to aid him in judging; comp. Rev. 
 4:4; "round about the throne were four and 
 twenty thrones." To this position of dignity 
 and honor will the Twelve be exalted at the 
 consummation of the Messianic kingdom; 
 comp. 1 Cor. 6: 2, "the saints shall judge 
 the world." Our Lord will use the same 
 image again on the night before the cruci- 
 fixion, Luke 22: 30. 
 
 29. Notonly the Twelve are to be rewarded, 
 but every one that hath forsaken (left) 
 anything for his sake ; 'every one' is in tho 
 Greek a very strong expression ; every one 
 whosoever. The enumeration is substantially 
 the same in Mark and Luke. But Luke, 
 Avhile condensing some of the other expres- 
 sions, has also 'or wife,' and this, as so often 
 happened in parallel passages, crept early into 
 many copies of Matt, and Mark. Being 
 omitted by fewer earlier copies of Matt, than 
 of Mark, the Rev. Ver. here places it in the 
 margin. Though not belonging to either 
 Matt, or Mark, we know from Luke that the 
 word was spoken. The list of objects is not 
 intended in any case to be complete; it men- 
 tions several principal things, and we under- 
 
 1 On this term see Trench, Synonyms. It means not 
 exactly a new birth, but a being born again, another 
 birth. In 1 Pet. 1 : 3, 23 the verb anagennao means ' to 
 beget over again,' not a second begetting or birth, but 
 going back and repeating the first process. So in John 
 
 3: 3, 'born anew,' over again. There is of course no 
 substantial difference between this image and that of 
 Tit. 3: 5. Other terms describe the same spiritual 
 process as a 'renewing,' (2 Cor. 4:16; Bom. 12: 2; Col. 3. 
 
 10; Tit. 3:5; Kph. 4 : 23.)
 
 CH. XIX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 411 
 
 hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 
 
 30 But many that are first shall be last ; and the last 
 ghall be first. 
 
 30 hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life. But 
 many shall be last that are first; and first that art 
 last. 
 
 stand that the same is true of anything else. 
 Houses may have been mentioned first 
 because some of the Twelve, as Simon Peter, 
 had left homes; lands last, because real 
 estate among the Jews was specially valuable 
 property, not to be alienated, comp. Acts 4: 
 34, 37. The most exactly similar case at the 
 present time is seen in the foreign missionary, 
 or in a converted heathen, who is cast out by 
 his kindred, and finds compensation in the 
 Christian affection and kind offices of the 
 other converts, and in the joy of serving 
 Christ, and hoping for eternal life. More re- 
 motely similar is the case of a worldly young 
 person in a Christian land, who becomes con- 
 verted, and forsakes worldly pleasures and 
 companionships. Shall receive a hundred- 
 fold. It is doubtful whether we should read 
 this as in Mark, or 'manifold' (Rev. Ver., 
 margin), as in Luke. The question is of no 
 practical importance. 1 We might in reading 
 Matt, think only of rewards after death. 
 Mark 10 : 30 says, 'a hundredfold now in this 
 time. . . . and in the world to come eternal 
 life' ; and such a distinction seems to be in- 
 tended in Matt. also. Jesus speaks of earthly 
 rewards first, but does not mean literally sim- 
 ilar things to those left, but equivalent things 
 blessings temporal or spiritual, that will 
 compensate many times over for all that was 
 abandoned. The expressions cannot possibly 
 be understood literally, because that would 
 be promising in Mark a hundred mothers, 
 and comp. Luke. 
 
 3O. But many that are first shall be 
 last, etc. Thisenigmatical saying is given also 
 by Mark 10: 31. In Matthew our Lord pro- 
 ceeds to illustrate it by a parable, at the close 
 of which (): i) he repeats the saying. In the 
 parable an employer pays, and asserts his 
 right to pay, the same wages to laborers who 
 began later in the day, as to those who bogan 
 early. Then Jesus is here speaking of the re- 
 wards that will be given his followers, and 
 declares that these will be given as a matter of 
 sovereignty, without recognizing any claim 
 to precedence. So the immediate application 
 
 It has considerable; scientific interest. The reading 
 Is certainly 'a hundredfold' in Mark (no variation at 
 all), probably 'manifold' in Matt., and quite possibly 
 
 of the saying to the Twelve is probably to the 
 order in which they became disciples. In 
 their disputes as to which should have the 
 highest place in the kingdom (comp. on 18 : 1), 
 now shortly to be renewed (20: 20), some of the 
 disciples might naturally urge that the high- 
 est places should be given to those who first 
 followed the Master. So far as we know, 
 these were John and Andrew, next Andrew's 
 brother Simon, and presently Philip and Na- 
 thanael. (John i : 35-51.) Now Simon and An- 
 drew, John and his brother James, were 
 afterwards together called to leave other em- 
 ployments and follow Jesus (*: 18-22), are re- 
 peatedly mentioned together as being in his 
 company (Mark i:3 ; 13:3), and constitute the 
 first four in every list of the Twelve (see on 
 10: 2). Peter, James, and John were alone 
 with Jesus during that night upon the moun- 
 tain (!7:i), of which they would give the 
 others no account (":), aa they had been on 
 a former interesting occasion. (Mk5:37.) And 
 presently James and John will ask through 
 their mother (20:20) for the two highest places. 
 These facts make it not at all unnatural to 
 suppose that the order of time entered into 
 their disputes. Our Lord then means that he, 
 or the Father (20:23), W U1 act as he shall think 
 proper (20=15) in respect to precedence, and 
 many who entered his service late will receive 
 greater reward than others who entered 
 earlier; he will recognize no claim on any 
 such ground. A notable instance would be 
 the Apostle Paul. But while immediately 
 designed to check disputes as to this ques- 
 tion of time, the principle is stated gener- 
 ally and may have other applications. It 
 is presupposed throughout, as already in- 
 volved in 19: 28 f., that Christ's servants 
 will be differently rewarded; we learn here 
 that this reward will not be regulated by 
 the mere outward conditions of the timo spent 
 in his service, or the results actually attained, 
 but will be conferred according to his own 
 judgment and sovereign pleasure. David, who 
 meant to build, will be rewarded ns truly, und 
 it may be as richly, as Solomon who built ; 
 
 ' sevenfold ' in Luke, though this last is found only in 
 the " Western " documents.
 
 412 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XX. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 FOR the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is 
 a householder, which went out early in the morn- 
 ing to hire labourers into his vineyard. 
 
 2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a 
 penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 
 
 3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw 
 others standing idle in the marketplace, 
 
 4 And said unto them : Go ye also into the vineyard, 
 and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they 
 went their way. 
 
 5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, 
 and did likewise. 
 
 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and 
 found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why 
 stand ye here all the day idle ? 
 
 1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man 
 that was a householder, who went out early in the 
 
 2 morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And 
 when he had agreed with the labourers for a !shil- 
 
 3 ling a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he 
 went out about the third hour, and saw others stand- 
 
 4 ing in the marketplace idle; and to them he said, 
 Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right 
 
 5 I will give you. And they went their way. Again he 
 
 6 went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and 
 did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went 
 out, and found others standing ; and he saith unto 
 
 1 See marginul note on cb. xriii. 28. 
 
 James who was early slain, as truly as his 
 brother who lived so long. The often re- 
 peated view of some Fathers that the refer- 
 ence was to Jews and Gentiles, is quite unten- 
 able. The equal reward of some who die 
 early is set forth by a somewhat similar 
 illustration in Talmud Jerus., Berach., ch. 
 II, 8 (Schwab), designed to give comfort in 
 regard to the early death of a rabbi. A king 
 hired many laborers, and seeing one who 
 worked remarkably well, took him apart after 
 two hours to walk with him to and fro. At 
 even he paid this man as much as the others, 
 and when they complained, he said, 'This 
 man has done more in two hours than you in 
 a whole day.' In like manner the young 
 rabbi knew the law better when he died at 
 the age of twenty -eight than any other 
 would have known it if he had lived to be a 
 hundred. Thus the resemblance to our Lord's 
 illustration is only partial, and the point of 
 application quite different, while in itself very 
 pleasing. 
 
 III. Ch. 20 : 1-16. PARABLE OF THE 
 LABORERS WHO RECEIVED THE SAME RE- 
 WARD. Found in Matt. only. It is designed 
 to illustrate the saying of 19: 30, which is 
 repeated at the close, as the outcome of the 
 illustration. (a>:i.) The terms of the para- 
 ble itself are for the most part plain. 
 
 1-6. The kingdom of heaven, the Mes- 
 sianic reign (see on 3: 2) is like, in some 
 respects resembles, the following story (comp. 
 on 13: 24.) Unto a man, that is a house- 
 holder. As the story is told in the past tense 
 throughout, the Amer. Revisers very natur- 
 ally wish to insert 'that was,' rather than 
 'that is,' as in 13 : 22, where the present tense 
 follows. 'Householder," or housemaster, is 
 
 the same word as in 10 : 25 (see note) ; 13 : 27, 
 52, and below in 21: 33; 24: 43. He owns 
 a house, and a vineyard, (v. 8.) A penny, 
 denarius, about seventeen cents, see on 18: 28. 
 This was the customary wages of a soldier or 
 a laborer; Plin. XXXIII, 3; Tac., "Ann." 
 I, 17; Tob. 5: 14; Talmud. The third 
 hour. The Jews divided the day, from sun- 
 rise to sunset, into twelve parts. At the 
 vernal and autumnal equinox these would 
 be exactly as long as an hour with us, but at 
 other seasons would be longer or shorter. The 
 sixth hour would always be noon, the third 
 and ninth would correspond loosely to our 
 9 A. M. and 3 p. M. ; the eleventh hour loosely 
 to an hour before sunset. In the market- 
 place, or public square, where people came 
 together for business or conversation. Go ye 
 also, 'ye' being expressed in the Greek and 
 thus emphatic. Whatsoever is right, no 
 definite bargain as with the first set. In the 
 supposed actual occurrence this might result 
 from haste, or from the fact that they would 
 now be glad to find employment at all, and 
 would trust the employer's justice without a 
 definite arrangement. As to the illustration, 
 this point prepares for the result, and the 
 peculiar application. About the eleventh 
 hour. Here 'hour' is not expressed in the 
 correct Greek text, but naturally suggested. 
 Others standing idle. The word 'idle' is 
 here wanting in very many of the earliest and 
 best documents, and was obviously drawn by 
 copyists from v. 3 and the end of v. 6. Why 
 stand ye here all the day idle? This is 
 often used homiletically as representing 
 persons who are slothful in neglecting to 
 work in Christ's vineyard. But such appli- 
 cation is unwarranted, and alien to the tone of 
 the parable. The reason given by these men
 
 CH. XX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 413 
 
 7 They say unto him, Because no man bath hired us. 
 He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and 
 whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. 
 
 8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard 
 saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them 
 their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 
 
 9 And when they came that were hired about the 
 eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 
 
 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they 
 should have received more ; aud they likewise received 
 every man a penny. 
 
 11 And when they had received it, they murmured 
 against the goodman of the house, 
 
 12 Saying, These last "have wrought but one hour, and 
 thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borue 
 the burden and heat of the day. 
 
 13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I 
 do thee no wrong : didst not thou agree with me for a 
 penny ? 
 
 14 Take that thine is, and go thy way : I will give 
 unto this last, even as unto thee. 
 
 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine 
 own ? Is thine eye evil, because I am good ? 
 
 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for 
 many be called, but few chosen. 
 
 7 them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They 
 say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He 
 
 8 saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard. And 
 when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith. 
 unto his steward, Call the labourers, and pay them 
 
 9 their hire, beginning from the last untothefirst. And 
 when they came that were hired about the eleventh 
 
 10 hour, they received every man a * shilling. And 
 when the first came, they supposed that they would 
 receive more; and they likewise received every inau 
 
 11 a Shilling. And when they received it, they mur- 
 
 12 mured against the householder, saying, These last 
 have spent but one hour, and thou hast made them 
 equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day 
 
 13 and the 2 scorching heat. But he answered and said 
 to one of them, Friend, I do thee no wrong : didst 
 
 14 not thou agree with me for a l shilling? Take up 
 that which is thine, and go thy way ; it is my will 10 
 
 15 give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not law- 
 ful for me to do what I will with mine own? or is 
 
 16 thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall 
 be first, and the first last. 
 
 a Or. have continued one hour only 1 See marginal note ou ch. xriii. 28. ...'2 Or, hot wind. 
 
 is treated as valid, and they are paid for a full 
 day's work. 
 
 7. Go ye also, 'ye' emphatic, as in v. 4. 1 
 Obviously this employer of labor acts very 
 peculiarly. (Comp. Bruce.) It is not neces- 
 sary to seek parallel cases, nor wise to propose 
 his course as a model in ordinary business (as 
 Euskin does in "Unto this last," the title 
 being drawn from v. 12.) The thing is 
 possible, and the story is meant as an illustra- 
 tion of God's course, who is other and higher 
 than man. (isa. 56: sr.) 
 
 8-12. His steward, same word in Luke 
 8: 3; Gal. 4: 2, is natural in the story of a 
 jreat employer; what good is done by saying 
 that the steward represents Christ? (Comp. 
 on 13: 3.) Beginning from the last was a 
 special direction given, in order that those 
 hired earlier might see that all were paid 
 alike. 
 
 11. Murmured, a strong word, more ex- 
 actly, grumbled. The Greek word, the Latin 
 murmur, and the English grumble, are all ono- 
 matopoetic. The tense is imperfect, describ- 
 ing the grumbling as in progress. 
 
 12. Have wrought but one hour. Spent 
 is the meaning, rather than 'wrought.' The 
 heat, the same word as in Luke 12 : 55; James 
 1 : 11. The Rev. Ver. renders ' scorching heat ' 
 in this v. and Luke, and 'scorching wind' in 
 James, and puts 'hot wind" in the margin 
 of Matt, and Luke. The word means 'burner,' 
 
 and is applied sometimes to burning heat in 
 general, but more frequently in Septuagint to 
 the burning east wind. (See Grimm.) The 
 order of the words, ' the burden of the day and 
 the scorching heat,' (kauson), as well as the 
 more frequent use in that sense, renders it 
 likely that the hot wind is here intended. 
 Mere heat is so common in Palestine that it 
 would scarcely be worth remark ; but the dry 
 and scorching east wind is something terrib'e. 
 Even in February (1871) this dry east wind, 
 having come across the desert sands and lost 
 all its moisture, in an hour so parched the 
 mouth and nostrils as to make breathing pain- 
 ful and speech difficult. The position of the 
 article in the Greek makes it impossible to 
 render, 'the burden and heat of the day ' (as 
 in Tyn. and followers.) 
 
 13-16. Friend, or 'comrade,' a familiar 
 and kindly term, as in 11: 16; 22: 12; 2G: 50. 
 14. Take, take up, or 'take away.' They 
 had received the pay, but perhaps had laid it 
 down again, or stood holding it in the hnml, 
 unwilling to go off with it. I will give. 
 The Rev. Ver., It is my will to give, von- 
 veys the meaning well. The Greek is ex- 
 pressed in English by 'will to' or 'wish 
 to' (is :.tj; i:24; i: K), according to the na- 
 ture of the case; comp. v. 15; 1 Tim. 2: 4; 2 
 Pet. 3: 9. 15 I s il not lawful, per- 
 missible. (See on 14: 4.) To do what I will 
 with mine own? The Saviour here illus- 
 
 i The final clause in the common Greek text, 'and account for it insertion from v. 4, and cannot account 
 whatsoever is right that ye shall receive,' is wanting for its omission if originally present; BO there is no 
 in the earliest and best documents. We can easily doubt that it is here spurious.
 
 414 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XX. 
 
 trates his sovereignty in the whole matter of 
 rewarding his followers. Or, Is thine eye 
 evil, here expresses jealousy and hate (Mark?: 
 ; Dem. KIT!!; Pro?. 2 : :), quite different from the 
 meaning in 6: 28. 'Or' is in the correct 
 Greek text. 16. The latter clause of this verse 
 in the common Greek text, for many be 
 (are) called, but few chosen, is wanting 
 in leading early documents, and evidently 
 brought in from 22: 14, where there is no 
 variation in the reading. Our Lord here re- 
 peats the saying of 19 : 30, which he introduced 
 the parable to illustrate. It is very natural 
 that it should be repeated in a general form, 
 without the restrictive 'many' of the first 
 statement. Some able writers (Meyer, Weiss, 
 others) urge that the parable and this state- 
 ment teach that in the consummated Mes- 
 sianic kingdom all will have an equal reward. 
 But this is inconsistent with the first state- 
 ment, and with the distinct intimation of 19: 
 28 f. that there will be difference of reward. 
 The general thought of the parable is that the 
 assignment of individual rewards will be a 
 matter of divine sovereignty, precisely as in 
 20 : 23, comp. Acts 1 : 7. We have seen on 
 19: 80 that this had a special application for 
 the disciples, but as a general principle may 
 be variously applied. It is very true, as some 
 commentators urge, and it may be properly 
 recalled here, that God will reward men 
 more according to aim and spirit than to 
 time spent or results achieved : but the 
 Saviour does not here say that, or distinctly 
 imply it. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 23-26. Salvation of the rich. 1) It is 
 hard, v. 23. (a) Many peculiar sins con- 
 nected with wealth, in procuring, loving, 
 using, retaining it. (b) Men find it difficult 
 to withdraw the heart from wealth (6:21), and 
 give it in supreme devotion to Christ (comp. 
 v. 21 f.); and without this there can be no 
 salvation. 2) It is not only hard, but im- 
 possible, v. 24, 26 ; yea, it is impossible for 
 any man to be saved, through human wis- 
 dom, power, or goodness. V. 23. EDTHYM. : 
 " If the rich man with difficulty, the covetous 
 man not at all ; for if he that does not give his 
 own possessions is condemned, much more he 
 
 that also grasps the possessions of others." 
 V. 25. Who then can be saved ? HENRY : 
 "Considering the many difficulties that are in 
 the way of salvation, it is really strange that 
 any are saved. When we think how good 
 God is, it may seem a wonder that so few are 
 his; but when we think how bad man is, it is 
 more a wonder that so many are, and Christ 
 will be eternally admired in them." V. 27. 
 Forsaking all. The all may not be much, 
 yet it is much to forsake all. CHRYS. : "The 
 forsaking was done for the sake of follow- 
 ing, and the following was rendered easier 
 by the forsaking." V. 27-30. Forsaking and 
 receiving. 1) Christ's servant must actually 
 forsake many things, and be willing to for- 
 sake all thin~gs, for the sake of him and his 
 work. 2) The negative forsaking must be 
 accompanied by positive following. 3) He 
 shall receive incomparably more than he has 
 forsaken both in time and in eternity. 4) 
 The rewards received by different servants 
 will be very different in degree, v. 28. 5) 
 But Christ himself must decide what each 
 one's reward shall be, v. 30, comp. 20: 1-16; 
 we must make no claims and no complaints. 
 V. 28. They who follow Jesus in this world 
 shall reign with him in the better world. V. 
 29. CYRIL: "He does not say that they shall 
 have many fathers or mothers in place of one, 
 or many fields in place of few, but that all 
 the earthly things will be incomparably ex- 
 celled by the heavenly, and the things that 
 are saved will be more valuable than those 
 that are lost." Ch. 20: 1-16. The laborers in 
 God's vineyard and their reward. 1) Unlike 
 many human employers, God cares as much 
 for the good of the workers as for the amount 
 of work done. 2) God's service is not repose 
 in a "Castle of Indolence," but hard work in 
 a vineyard ; self-denial and toil in promoting 
 our own piety and that of others. 3) God will 
 reward his workers richly in this life (19: 
 29, comp. Mark 10: 30), and in the life to 
 come. (v. 8; ch. 19: 21, 28.) 4) He will give 
 to none less than he had promised (v. 13), but 
 he will give to some much more than he had 
 promised; he will give as a sovereign (v. 15), 
 and his workers must recognize that he does 
 all things well. (v. 16, comp. 19: 30.) 
 
 1 It is wanting in X B, L, Z, 36, Thebaic, Memphitic, could be inserted, and can see no sufficient reason for 
 and a codex of the ^Ethiopia. We see at once how it its omission if originally present.
 
 Cn. XX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 415 
 
 17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve 
 disciples apart iu the way, and said unto them, 
 
 18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem ; and the Son of 
 man s.iall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto 
 the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, 
 
 19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and 
 to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he 
 shall rise again. 
 
 17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took 
 the twelve disciples apart, and in the way he said 
 
 18 unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem ; and the 
 Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests 
 
 19 and scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, 
 and shall deliver him unto the Gentiles to mock, and 
 to scourge, and to crucify : and the third day he shall 
 be raised up. 
 
 Ch. 20 : 17-28. JESUS AGAIN FORETELLS 
 HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION. AMBI- 
 TIOUS REQUEST OF JAMES AND JOHN. 
 
 Found also in Mark 10: 32-45; and (in part) 
 in Luke 18: 31-34. This passage seems in 
 Matt., Mark, and Luke to follow immediately 
 upon the foregoing matters (19 ; s u> to . is), and 
 to precede by only a few days the triumphal 
 entry. (21 = 1-) The phrase 'going up,' ' we go 
 up to Jerusalem,' does not prove that they 
 had crossed the river, and were now ascend- 
 ing from its valley, as in Luke 19: 28. Since 
 Jerusalem was reached by ascent both from 
 east and west, it became customary to speak 
 of 'going up' to Jerusalem from all parts of 
 the country, Luke 2: 42; John 2: 13; 5: 1; 
 11:55; Acts 15: 2; 25: 1; Gal. 1: 17 f. ; 2: 1. 
 It is after this that Jesus and his followers 
 reach Jericho, 20: 29; Mark 10: 46. The 
 scene is somewhat more likely to have been 
 in Perea, than between the river and Jericho, 
 which was only a few miles; but the question 
 cannot be determined, and does not affect the 
 exegesis. . This section contains two parts, v. 
 17-19 and v. 20-28. 
 
 I. 17-19. JESUS A THIRD TIME FORETELLS 
 HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION, comp. Mark 
 10: 32-34; Luke 18: 31-34. The two preced- 
 ing recorded occasions were just before and 
 just after the Transfiguration (16:21; 17:22), 
 and at least six months earlier than this. We 
 cannot judge whether he had spoken of it 
 distinctly in the mean time, but there is in 
 Luke 12: 49 ff., an indication that his own 
 mind had been all the while turning towards 
 what awaited him, turning with a feeling of 
 constraint and pressure, but not of grief or 
 discouragement. Going up to Jerusalem. 1 
 What follows was said in the way, on the ] 
 road. Mark (io: si; tells that his followers, 
 here meaning more than the Twelve, were 
 'amazed' and 'afraid' as they walked after 
 him along the road, probably because of what 
 he had said about the difficulty of saving the 
 
 rich (isrzsir.), and about the Messianic re- 
 wards for sacrifices in his service (19= 28 ff.) ; per- 
 haps also there was an absorbed and fixed 
 look in the Master's face as he pressed on to 
 his terrible baptism of suffering, that was 
 new, and filled them with wonder and alarm. 
 Took the twelve disciples apart, from 
 the throng that were accompanying him to 
 the Passover. (20: 2 ; Lukeis: 36.) Only the 
 Twelve were in the least prepared to under- 
 stand such predictions concerning the Mes- 
 siah. Even at Jerusalem, some six months 
 earlier, the people did not at all understand 
 "Yet a little while am I with you, and I go 
 unto him that sent me," John 7: 33-36, Rev. 
 Ver. We go up to Jerusalem, etc. Ori- 
 gen remarks that Paul exactly imitated 
 Christ when he went up to Jerusalem in full 
 view of peril. Acts 21 : 10-13. The predic- 
 tion our Lord here gives is substantially the 
 same as in 16: 21 (see notes). Some new 
 particulars are now added, as is natural in 
 the nearer approach to the event, and when 
 their minds have been somewhat prepared by 
 the previous predictions. The Sanhedrin will 
 formally condemn him to death; and not 
 only will he ' be delivered into the hands of 
 men,' as foretold on the second occasion 
 
 (17: 22, with Mark and Luke), bllt delivered tO the 
 
 Gentiles (Mark and Luke also), to mock, 
 and to scourge, and to crucify ; Mark and 
 Luke add 'spit upon,' and Luke generally 
 that he shall be 'shamefully treated.' Tyn- 
 dale, Cran., Gen., King James, all here ren- 
 der the same word, 'betrayed' in v. 18 mid 
 'deliver' in v. 19, a useless and misleading 
 variation, comp. on 17: 22, and 10: 4. Still, 
 after this renewed and detailed prediction, 
 the Twelve "understood none of these 
 things." (Luke 18:84.) It was utterly contrary 
 to all their ideas of Messinh and his work ; 
 these things could not bo literally true of the 
 king -what did it all moan? Notice how 
 Luke dwells upon their inability: "and this 
 
 ' W II. adopt the reading ' was about to go up," from 
 B, one cursive, Memph., Theb., Pesh , Driven (three 
 times). This might easily have been changed into 
 
 1 was going tip" by way of nssimilation to v. 18 and to 
 Mark ami Luke, and so is probably correct. There is 
 of course' no substantial dilFerenee.
 
 416 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XX. 
 
 20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children 
 with her sous, worshipping Aim, aud desiring a certain 
 thing of him. 
 
 21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith 
 unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the 
 one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy 
 kingdom. 
 
 20 Then came to him the mother of the sons of Zebe- 
 dee with her sous, worshipping him, and asking a 
 
 21 certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What 
 wouldest thou ? She saith unto him, Command that 
 these my two sons may sit, one on thy right hand, 
 
 saying was hid from them, and they per- 
 ceived not the things that were said." Comp. 
 on 16: 21. Hanna: " This only proves what 
 a blinding power preconception and miscon- 
 ception have in hiding the simplest things 
 told in the simplest language a blinding 
 power often exercised over us now as to the 
 written, as it was then exercised over the 
 apostles as to their Master's spoken, words . . . 
 They had made up their minds, on the best 
 of evidence, that he was the Messiah. But 
 they had their own notions of the Messiah- 
 ship. With these, such sufferings and such a 
 death as actually lay before Jesus were utterly 
 inconsistent. His expressions, then, must be 
 figurative, intended, perhaps, to represent 
 some severe struggle with his adversaries, 
 through which he had to pass before his king- 
 dom was set up and acknowledged." 
 
 II. 20-28. AMBITIOUS BEQUEST OF THE ! 
 MOTHER OF JAMES AXD JOHN. Mark 10: 
 36-45. Luke does not give this, though paral- 
 lei to Matt, and Mark, just before and just 
 after ; but he gives similar teaching on ! 
 another occasion, Luke 22 : 24-30. Mark rep- 
 resents James and John as themselves saying, | 
 in almost exactly identical words, what Matt. | 
 ascribes to their mother. The case is pre- 
 cisely like that of the centurion (see on 8: 5 
 ff.), and in accordance with the law maxim, 
 " He who does a thing through another, does it 
 himself." Our Lord so takes it, for he presently 
 addresses the sons themselves as making the 
 request, ye ' v. 22 f. Then came, does not 
 necessarily (see on 3: 13), but does naturally 
 indicate that this followed closely upon the 
 preceding; Mark simply 'and,' as in 19: 13. 
 The request seems to have been made pri- 
 vately, when the other ten apostles were not 
 present, v. 24. The mother of Zebedee's 
 children with her sons. Tyndale and fol- 
 lowers rendered ' Zebedee's children,' prob- 
 ably to avoid the immediate repetition of 
 'sons;' but the effect is to suggest that there 
 were other children besides the sons. As to 
 Zebedee and Salome, and their sons, see on 
 10: 2. We have no knowledge whether 
 Zebedee was in the company, or was still liv- 
 
 ing. It is clear that the mother here shares the 
 ambition of her sons, and so it is not unlikely 
 that from her it was inherited. If, as many 
 suppose (see on 27: 56), she was the sister of 
 the Saviour's mother, that would explain her 
 boldness in personally approaching him and 
 preferring so grave a request. Comp. Bath- 
 sheba coming to David for Solomon, 1 Kings 
 1: 11 ff. Worshipping him here evidently 
 means paying homage as to a king, (comp. on 
 2: 2), for it is precisely as such that they ap- 
 proach him. 'Worshipping' and 'asking' 
 are in the singular number, but it is implied 
 that the sons united with her. A certain 
 thing, or 'something,' Wye., Kheims, Bib. 
 Union, and so Meyer. Mark says they first 
 wished him to promise that he would do 
 whatsoever they should ask which was pre- 
 sumptuous indeed. Grant or command, 
 that, for the Greek construction see on 5 : 29. 
 She is thinking of the two highest places in an 
 earthly kingdom. Could not the solemn pre- 
 diction of his death and resurrection which he 
 had just before made correct their unspiritual 
 conception? Nay, even after the death and 
 resurrection had actually occurred, the 
 Twelve retained the same expectation. 
 (Acts i:6.) In fact the prediction seems on 
 several other occasions also to have been im- 
 mediately followed by a dispute as to great- 
 ness in the kingdom; see on 18: 1, and here- 
 after 26: 2. (Lnke-:2*.) They seem to have 
 lost sight of the suffering and death, and fixed 
 their minds only upon the thought that some- 
 how or other the splendid Messianic kingdom 
 was about to be established ; comp. Luke just 
 afterward (i:"), "they supposed that the 
 kingdom of God was immediately to appear." 
 Our Lord had shortly before (Ma. 19 : 28), per- 
 haps the same day, spoken of himself as the 
 Messiah who would ' in the regeneration sit on 
 the throne of his glory,' and had promised 
 that the Twelve should then occupy ' twelve 
 thrones.' Salome and her sons seem to have 
 fastened upon that thought. Why not ask 
 that her two sons may sit on the two chief 
 thrones? To place the most distinguished 
 persons on the right and left of a sovereign or
 
 CH. XX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 417 
 
 22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what 
 ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall 
 drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am 
 baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. 
 
 23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of 
 my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am 
 baptized with : but to sit on my right hand, and on my 
 left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for 
 whom it is prepared of my Father. 
 
 24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with 
 indignation against the two brethren. 
 
 22 and one on thy left hand, in thy kingdom. But 
 Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. 
 Are ye able to drink the cup that I am about to drink? 
 
 23 They say unto him. We are able. He saith unto 
 them, My cup indeed ye shall drink: but to sit on 
 my right hand, and on my left hand, is not mine to 
 give, but it "/<" then for whom it hath been pre- 
 24 pared of my Father. And when the ten heard it, 
 
 presiding personage was common among the 
 Greeks and Romans, as well as the Jews 
 (Wet.), and is practiced among us at ban- 
 quets, etc. As to the dignity of being on the 
 right hand, comp. Psa. 16: 11; 45: 9; 110: 1; 
 Mark 14: 52; Acts 7: 55 f., etc. Salome's two 
 sons, with Peter, have already been treated 
 with special distinction at the raising of Jairus' 
 daughter and at the Transfiguration, and 
 this might encourage their present high ambi- 
 tion. They had also shown a fiery and self- 
 assertive nature in forbidding the man who 
 followed not with them (Mark9:38), and in 
 wishing to call down fire from heaven on the 
 Samaritan village (Luke 9: M); comp. above on 
 10: 2. 
 
 22 f. Our Lord treats the request as that of 
 the sons themselves. Ye know not what ye 
 ask. To ask that they might reign with him 
 was asking that they might suffer with him; 
 comp. 2 Tim. 2: 12; Rev. 3: 21 ; Rom. 8: 17. 
 The cup that I shall drink, a familiar 
 image for great suffering, as in 26: 39; John 
 18: 11; Psa. 75: 8; Isa. 51: 17; Jer. 49: 12. 
 Be baptized with the baptism that I am 
 baptized, to be plunged in the same suffer- 
 ings, comp. Luke 12: 50, and see above on 
 3: 6. This comes from Mark 10: 38, and 
 was added to Matthew here and in 
 the next verse by many copies. 1 We 
 are able. This was excessive self-confi- 
 dence, but not mere arrogance. They were 
 ignorant what the cup would contain, but 
 sincere and resolute in their devotion, as they 
 afterwards showed. Probably (Alexander) 
 they thought of having to fight for the Mes- 
 sianic kingdom, and the ardent spirit of the 
 "Sons of Thunder" would swell at the 
 thought. Peter, the other of the three chosen 
 disciples, made a like confident expression 
 soon after, Luke 22: 33. Our Lord's reply is 
 not severe, but kind. Drink indeed of my 
 
 cup, the particle rendered 'truly' in 9:37, 
 and there explained, indicating that this state- 
 ment is placed in contrast with something to 
 follow. Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, 
 ... but, etc. They were not appointed to 
 suffer as profound mental anguish as the Mas- 
 ter, nor would their suffering have any aton- 
 ing character ; but in his service James would 
 die as the first apostolic martyr (Acts 12: 2), and 
 John would as a living martyr suffer persecu- 
 tion (Rev. i: 9), and sore trouble in conflict with 
 error (Epistles of John). The legends that 
 John was made to drink poison, and was 
 plunged in boiling oil, are likely (Meyer) to 
 have been suggested by this saying. Not 
 mine to give. Ho thus lifts their minds 
 away from the idea of a human sovereign 
 bestowing earthly honors to that of divine 
 gifts. He speaks of himself (comp. John 
 14: 28) as officially subordinate to the Father 
 in his office as the God-man, the Mediator, in 
 which he has derived all his authority and 
 power from the Father (28: is), and will at 
 length return it to him. (icor. 15:28). Comp. 
 24:36; Mark 13: 32. The English word 
 'but' might here seem to mean 'except' 
 " not mine to give except to those for whom 
 it has been prepared,' 1 but the Greek word 
 (alia] cannot have that sense. For whom it 
 is prepared of my Father. All the arrange- 
 ments of the Messianic kingdom have been 
 alread}' made by the Father, indeed made 
 "from the foundation of the world,' 1 25: 34, 
 romp. Acts 1 : 7. 
 
 24. When the ten heard it. They had 
 not been present at the time, but heard, ap- 
 parently soon after, what had occurred. 
 Moved with indignation against the 
 two brethren, not 'against' but concern- 
 ing, about their whole course in the matter. 
 Murk has the same expression. Their feeling 
 is more easily accounted for from the fact 
 
 It is here wanting (In both verses) in N B D L Z, 
 two cursives', Old Syriac, most copies of tho Old Latin, 
 
 twcen Matthew and Mark is expressly mentioned by 
 Origen. Such an enlargement of one Gospel from an- 
 
 Vulgate, Meniph., Theb., Aeth. ; and the difference be- other is extremely common. 
 
 2B
 
 418 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XX. 
 
 25 But Jesus called them unto Aim, and said, Ye know 
 that the princes of the Gentiles exorcise dominion over 
 them, and they that are great exercise authority upon 
 them. 
 
 26 But it shall not be so among you : but whosoever 
 will be great among you, let him be your minister ; 
 
 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him 
 be your servant: 
 
 _s Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered 
 unto, but to minister, and to give his lite a ransom lor 
 many. 
 
 25 they were moved with indignation concerning the 
 two brethren. But Jesus called them unto him, and 
 said, Ye know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it 
 over them, and their great ones exercise authority 
 
 26 over them. Not so shall it be among yon : but who- 
 soever would become great among you shall be your 
 
 27 l minister; and whosoever would DC first among you 
 
 28 shall be'your 2 servant: even as the Son of man came 
 not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to 
 give his life a lansom for many. 
 
 1 Or, tenant 2 bondtervnnt. 
 
 mentioned by Matthew, that the request was 
 made through Salome. Here was not only an 
 ambitious attempt to gain the advantage over 
 the rest, and to forestall matters by a promise 
 in advance, but it may have seemed an 
 unworthy thing to use a woman's plea; all 
 the more if she was near of kin to the future 
 sovereign. So near the end, and they arc still 
 thinking of a worldly kingdom, and full of 
 selfish scheming and unkindness. 
 
 25-28. What a sorrowful task for the 
 loving Saviour, to repress these ambitions and 
 asperities. Called them unto him. The 
 two may have been still with him, or all may 
 have been summoned together. He refers to 
 the fact that high places of authority and do- 
 minion belong to worldly kingdoms. It shall 
 not be so among yon, or more likely, not so 
 it is among you. 1 Will he, or wishes to become; 
 and so ' wishes to be.' For minister and 
 servant, or more exactly ' bond servant ' (Eev. 
 Yer. margin), comp. on 8 : 6. Alas I how 
 easily human ambition can use these very 
 words and yet retain its own spirit. The 
 "great ones" in a kingdom are called "min- 
 isters." Even the Christian "minister" will 
 sometimes 'lord it' over his charge (1 Pet. 
 5 : 3, same word as here) ; and the often 
 arrogant despot in the Vatican calls himself 
 "the servant of servants of the servants 
 of God." Even as the Son of man (see 
 on 8 : 20). the Messiah himself did not come 
 to enthrone himself in an earthly king- 
 dom, with higher and lower officials to wait 
 on him. How different from all this his life 
 had been they knew ; and he here declares 
 that such was the purpose of his coming. 
 Comp. Luke 22 : 27 ; Phil. 2:5; Horn. 15 : 3. 
 
 And now comes a phrase of the highest 
 moment, such as the Saviour has not before 
 employed. He has spoken repeatedly of his 
 
 approaching death (i : 21 ; IT : 22 , 20 : 19 ; comp. John 
 T : SH), but now it is added that his death will be 
 redeeming and vicarious, and that this was the 
 design of his coming. Mark 10:45 has pre- 
 cisely the same expression. This remarkable 
 statement must have been quite beyond the 
 comprehension of the disciples, till afterwards 
 brought to their remembrance by the Holy 
 Spirit (John H: 26). His life, comp. on 16:25. 
 A ransom (Greek lutron). The Greek 
 verb (luo) means to loose, release, e. g., 
 a prisoner, Acts 22:30. Lutron (termina- 
 tion iron] is the means or instrument of 
 releasing, and this in the case of a captive 
 is naturally a ransom. The word is often 
 used in the classics and the Sept. (Lid- 
 dell and Scott, Cremer) to denote a ran- 
 som in money, and in corresponding figur- 
 ative senses. So here Christ's life is given as 
 'a ransom,' serving to redeem men from cap- 
 tivity, from the power of sin and spiritual 
 death. From this word lutron are formed the 
 words translated in the New Test. ' redeem ' 
 and 'redemption.' Our English word ran- 
 som is the French ranQon, contracted from 
 the Latin redemptio, which we afterwards 
 borrowed separately as redemption. The 
 Old Latin and Vulg. here render redemp- 
 tionem] so Cranmer and Rheims, 'a redemp- 
 tion for many.' The preposition rendered 
 'for' (anti) necessarily means 'instead of,' 
 involving substitution, a vicarious death. 
 The preposition in Mark 14 : 24 and com- 
 monly employed by Paul in speaking of 
 Christ's death for us (comp. John 11 : 51) is 
 huper, which means 'in behalf of,' 'for the 
 benefit of,' and derivatively 'instead of wher- 
 ever the nature of the case suggests that 
 idea, wherever performing an action for 
 one's benefit involves performing it in his 
 stead. This derivative use of huper is frequent 
 
 i Several of the best documents here, and still more 
 in Mark, read esti, ' is,' rather than estai, 'shall be.' It 
 
 is difficult to decide, for the former corresponds to what 
 precedes, and the latter to what follows.
 
 CH. XX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 419 
 
 29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multi- 
 tude followed him. 
 
 29 And as they went out from Jericho, a great multi- 
 
 enough in the classics, and that Paul often 
 employs it to mean 'instead of is beyond all 
 reasonable question. "When objectors urge 
 that that is only a secondary meaning of 
 huper, and require us to prove otherwise that 
 Christ's death was vicarious, then it is well to 
 remember that here (and so in Mark) the pre- 
 position is anti, which no one can possibly 
 deny to have, and necessarily, the meaning 
 'instead of ; and in 1 Tim. 2 : 6, while 'for' 
 is huper, this same anti is prefixed to lutron, 
 " who gave himself a substitutionary ransom 
 for all." In 26 : 28 the preposition is peri, 
 'concerning.' For many, Christ's atoning 
 death made it compatible with the divine jus- 
 tice that all should be saved if they would 
 accept it on that ground ; and in that sense 
 he " gave himself a ransom for all" (i Tim. u -. e), 
 "tasted death for every man" (neb. 2:9), comp. 
 1 John 2:2; but his death was never ex- 
 pected, nor divinely designed, actually to 
 secure the salvation of all, and so in the 
 sense of specific purpose he came " to give his 
 life a ransom for many." Comp. 26:28; 
 Heb. 9: 28; Kom. 5: 15, 18; Isa. 53 : 12. 
 Henry: "Sufficient for all, effectual for 
 many." * 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 18. ORIGEN: "It is not proper that we 
 should always avoid perils, or always advance 
 to meet them ; one must be wise in Christ to 
 determine." V. 19. ANONYM.: "All the sal- 
 vation of men lies in the death of Christ." 
 Four discourses; Jesus predicting his pas- 
 sion (see on 16: 21); Jesus preparing for his 
 
 passion (Lukel2: 50; John 12: 27 ff.; Octhsemane) ; JeSUS 
 enduring his passion (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, 
 
 oomp. Heb. 12 : a) ; Jesus looking back upon his! 
 
 passion. ( Luke 24: 26 f., 44-48; Rov.l: 18.) V. 21 ff. i 
 
 CHBYS. : "Letno man be troubled at the apos- 
 tles being in such an imperfect state. For 
 
 not yet was the cross accomplished, not yet 
 the grace of the Spirit given. But if thou 
 wouldst learn their virtue, notice them after 
 these things, and see what manner of men they 
 became by grace." V. 20. f. HALL : " It is 
 not discommendable in parents to seek the 
 preferment of their children, so it be by law- 
 ful means, in a moderate measure. Oh, the 
 madness of those parents that desire rather to 
 leave their children great than good." V. 
 22. Ye know not what ye ask. 1) To ask for 
 special qualities of mind and character may 
 be asking for the usually attendant faults and 
 weaknesses, and the consequent perils and 
 distresses; poet, artist, orator, financier, 
 beauty, wit, strength of will, passion, san- 
 guine temperament. 2) To ask for worldly 
 wealth and honor is asking for great toil and 
 anxiety, asking to be envied and evil spoken 
 of, asking often for disappointment and bitter 
 sadness. 3) To ask even for eminent relig- 
 ious usefulness and reward is to ask for great 
 suffering, Col. 1: 24; 2 Cor. 11: 28; Eev. 1: 
 9; 2: 10; Eom. 8: 17. Then let us always 
 ask in subordination to God's will, 1 John 5: 
 14 f. . AUG.: "Give what thou bidst and 
 bid what thou wilt." HENRY: "We know 
 not what we ask, when we ask for the glory 
 of wearing the crown, and ask not for grace 
 to bear the cross in our way to it." V. 26. 
 Not so among you. 1) In worldly kingdoms 
 ambition eagerly seeks for authority and do- 
 minion. 2) In Christ's kingdom the only 
 greatness is usefulness, the only dominion is 
 service. 3) Our King himself came to be a 
 servant and a sacrifice. 4) Let these things 
 be a check to religious ambition, and a cure 
 for religious jealousy. 
 
 29-34. Two BLIND MEN HEALED NEAR 
 JERICHO. 
 
 Found also in Mark 10: 46-54; Luke 18: 
 35-43. Our Lord and his disciples and the 
 
 1 Here the " Western " documents, D, Old Syriac, 
 most copies of Old Latin and some Latin Fathers, add 
 (details varying) : " But do you seek out of little to in- 
 crease and out of greater to he less. And when you 
 enter in and have been invited to dine, do not recline 
 In the prominent places, lest a more honored than thou 
 come, and the host come and say to thee, Move still 
 lower, and thou shall be ashamed; but if thou recline 
 in the inferior place, and there come one inferior to 
 
 thee, the host will say to thee, Get up still higher, and 
 this shall be useful to thee." The latter sentence is 
 obviously a mere traditional corruption of Luke 14 : 8- 
 11. The former is likely enough based on a true saying 
 of our Ix>rd. For a collection of sayings ascribed to 
 Jesus in early MSS. and Fathers, and not given in 
 New Test., see Westcott's " Introduction to Study of 
 Gospels," App. C.
 
 420 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XX. 
 
 accompanying throng on the way to the Pass- 
 over, had crossed the Jordan, and were with- 
 in one day's journey of Jerusalem. They 
 had probably crossed by a ferry-boat several 
 miles higher up the river than the point op- 
 posite to Jericho. Such a ferry exists there 
 now, and existed in that vicinity at an early 
 day. ( sn. w: is.) The river just before the 
 Passover must have been comparatively high 
 and swift, and only the more adventurous of 
 the multitude would attempt to ford. As to 
 the Jordan, see on 3: 6. Jericho, as nourish- 
 ing and fortified with strong walls at the com- 
 ing of the Israelites, and as destroyed by 
 them, is well known from the Book of Joshua. 
 The curse of Joshua (6:26) was fulfilled 
 against the man who rebuilt it (i Kings IB -.34), 
 and may have been regarded by some as ex- 
 hausted in his case. The plain west of the 
 Jordan is there some eight miles wide, the 
 great fountain which bursts forth near the 
 ancient site is so copious as to irrigate sev- 
 eral square miles, there is another fountain 
 northward and streams from the moun- 
 tains lying west, while artificial irrigation 
 from fountains higher up the valley could 
 make all the lower plain richly produc- 
 tive. There were doubtless many dwellers 
 in that plain at all periods. (2 Sam. 10: 
 
 5; 2 Kings 2: 1-22; Neh. 7:36.) In the time of the 
 
 Maccabees, about B. c. 160, a Syrian general 
 ''repaired the fort in Jericho." (iMacc.9:50.) 
 Pompey, B. c. 63, destroyed two forts that 
 protected the entrance to Jericho. In speak- 
 ing of this, Strabo (16, 2, 41) describes Jericho 
 as a plain everywhere irrigated, filled with 
 dwellings, abounding in the finest palm trees 
 and other fruit trees, and says that here was 
 "the paradise of balsam," a bush whose co- 
 agulated juice was highly valued as a medi- 
 cine and the wood for its aroma, and which 
 was found here only. The plain is so far 
 below the level of the Mediterranean as to be 
 extremely hot. Josephus says that linen 
 clothes were worn at Jericho when there was 
 snow in Jerusalem ; and it may be added 
 (from personal experience) that mosquitoes 
 abound in the end of February. Accordingly 
 the productions were tropical in character 
 and in luxuriance. (Jos. "War," 4, 8, 3.) 
 The Koman allies of Herod plundered the 
 city in B. c. 39 ("War," 1, 15, 6)," finding 
 "the houses full of all sorts of good things." 
 
 The great revenues of Jericho, especially from 
 the balsam, were presented by Antony to 
 Cleopatra (Jos. "Ant.," 15, 4, 2), and at a later 
 period made the chief revenue officer notably 
 rich. (Luke is: 2.) Herod built a fortified palace 
 and a new town northward from the old site 
 ("Ant," 16,5,2), and died there ("Ant.," 
 17,6, 5). Eusebius says of Jericho ("Onom."): 
 "Which our Lord Jesus Christ thought 
 worthy of his presence. But when it also 
 was destroyed at the siege of Jerusalem on 
 account of the unbelief of the inhabitants, 
 there arose a third time another city which is 
 shown even now. And of the two former 
 also the traces are even now preserved." We 
 know not whether our Lord took any special 
 interest in the fact that his own genealogy in- 
 cluded Rahab of Jericho (1 = 6); but we may 
 be sure he delighted in the well-watered and 
 verdant plain, with the spring flowers and 
 fruits. " It was not the season of figs " on the 
 Mount of Olives yet (Mark 11 : is, E. v.), but they 
 were ripening at Jericho. The juicy green 
 almonds were delicious to the taste. The 
 "rose plants in Jericho" (Eocius. 24:14) were 
 famous through the land. Every sense was 
 gratified to the utmost as he and his followers 
 came up the successive terraces from the 
 river into this magnificent plain. And yon- 
 der precipitous rock mountain that overhangs 
 the city on the west, was it indeed the scene 
 of that forty days' temptation which began 
 the ministry now so soon to end? 
 
 Jesus spent the night at Jericho, and may 
 have stayed there longer. Luke gives a 
 deeply interesting account (i9:i-28) of Zac- 
 cheus, at whose house he abode, and of a par- 
 able he spoke to modify the supposition that 
 "the kingdom of God was immediately to ap- 
 pear," which parable in an altered form will 
 be repeated a few days later. (Matt. 25: u-so.) 
 
 As they departed from Jericho. So 
 Mark. But Luke, (18:35) 'as he drew nigh 
 unto Jericho.' This celebrated "discrep- 
 ancy" has not been explained in a thoroughly 
 satisfactory way. The older explanations 
 are very poor: as that he healed one man in 
 drawing near and two others in leaving, thus 
 making three in all ; or that Matthew has 
 thrown together the two cases described by 
 Mark and Luke ; that Jesus tarried some 
 days, and the healing occurred while he was 
 going in and out of the city; that 'draw
 
 CH. XX.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 421 
 
 30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way 
 side, wheu they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, 
 saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, tfiou Sou of David. 
 
 31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they 
 should hold their peace : but they cried the more, say- 
 ing, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 
 
 30 tude followed him. And behold, two blind men sit- 
 ting by the way side, wheu they heard that Jesua 
 was passing by, cried out, saying, Lord, have mercy 
 
 31 on us. thou son of David. And the multitude re- 
 buked them, that they should hold their peace : but 
 they cried out the more, saying, Lord, have mercy 
 
 nigh ' means simply to be near (which is not 
 true), etc. Our choice at present must be 
 between two possible views. (1) Calvin pre- 
 sents as his "conjecture," followed by Mal- 
 donatus, Bengel, Trench, "Wordsworth, El- 
 licott, Hackett, Morison, that the blind 
 man made his request as Jesus approached 
 Jericho (Luke), but was not heeded, in 
 order to develop his faith, as in 15: 23 ff., 
 and in the closely similar case 9: 27 ff. ; and 
 that he renewed the application as Jesus was 
 leaving Jericho, accompanied now by another, 
 and they were healed. Then we understand 
 that Luke, meaning to tell of Zaccheus and 
 the parable and so pass on to the ascent to 
 Jerusalem (Luke 19: 28), finishes the matter of the 
 blind man in connection with his original 
 application. Such prolepsis, or anticipation, 
 is common in all histories. (2) Farrarquotes 
 from Macknight the supposition, and Godet 
 quotes it from a German periodical of 1870, 
 that the healing occurred at a point between 
 the old and the new city, and so could be de- 
 scribed as occurring either when they went 
 out from Jericho or as they drew near to Jeri- 
 cho. The same view presented itself inde- 
 pendently on the spot a few years ago to Prof. 
 H. H. Harris, D. D., of Eichmond College, 
 Va. * Each of these explanations seems 
 labored, but either is entirely possible. It 
 will not do to say that the accounts are ir- 
 reconcilable, and therefore involveinaccuracy, 
 if the apparent conflict can be explained in 
 any reasonable way. These discrepancies in 
 the Gospels show the independence of the 
 narratives, and their verisimilitude, and thus 
 do not diminish but add to their historical 
 credibility, provided there be any reasonable 
 explanation. It may nowadays be affirmed that 
 nearly every case has received satisfactory ex- 
 
 planation. The present example, and a few 
 others, would probably be plain enough if we 
 knew some slight circumstances not men- 
 tioned; and maybe fully cleared up hereaf- 
 ter, as some have been by the discoveries and 
 researches of every recent generation. We 
 must not nervously insist on the adequacy of 
 our explanations in every case, nor arrogantly 
 assume that the difficulty cannot be removed. 
 A great multitude followed him. So also 
 when he was approaching the city. (Luke.) 
 They seem to have come with him from 
 Perea, perhaps many of them from Galilee 
 (comp. on 19 : 1), en route for the Passsover. 
 
 3O f. Two blind men. Luke 'a certain 
 blind man,' and Mark gives his name, 'the 
 son of Timeus, Bartimeus.' Here, as in 8: 28 
 (see notes), we have to suppose that one of the 
 two was more notable, and thus alone named 
 by Mark and Luke. The supposition is some- 
 what difficult, but certainly by no means im- 
 possible, and on every account far more prob- 
 able than that of a flat error. The balsam of 
 Jericho was "a wonderful remedy for head- 
 ache (neuralgia), and for incipient cataract, 
 and dimness of vision." (Strabo 16, 2, 41.) 
 But no balsam could open the blind eyes. 
 Sitting by the wayside, Luke 'bogging,' 
 Mark 'a beggar.' Heard that Jusus was 
 passing by, Mark and Luke 'Jesus of Naz- 
 areth,' a title by which the teacher and healer 
 had doubtless been heard of throughout the 
 land. Thou Son of David, so also Mark 
 and Luke, meaning that he was the Messiah, 
 comp. on 9: 27; 15 : 22; 22 : 42. We cannot 
 tell how they reached this conviction. As to 
 their particular request, they had doubtless 
 heard of his healing the blind elsewhere, per- 
 haps of cases in Galilee f:27), more likely of 
 the man born blind healed at Jerusalem six 
 
 1 Pr. Harris writes in a private letter, Richmond, 
 Virginia, September, 1885: "Suppose Jesus spent a 
 night as lie would likely do in the city of his fore- 
 mother Rahab, and that Zaccheus had his office in the 
 Roman town and his residence in the West End. Now 
 locate the healing at a bank on the roadside about half 
 way between the ruins of the two cities, where a beggar 
 might naturally sit. Matthew and Mark speak of it as 
 
 when 'he went out from Jericho,' i.e., the old city. 
 Hut Luke, a Gentile or Hellenist, and writing to a Gen- 
 tile, says 'as he drew nigh unto Jericho,' f. e., the Ro- 
 man town, and going on to tell about Zaccheus adds 
 ' he entered and was passing through Jericho.' " Dr. 
 Harris says he was not aware that this idea had been 
 suggested by others.
 
 422 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXI. 
 
 32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, 
 What will ye that I shall do unto you ? 
 
 33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be 
 opened. 
 
 34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched 
 their eyes : and immediately their eyes received sight, 
 aud they followed him. 
 
 32 on us. thou son of David. And Jesus stood still, and 
 
 33 called them, and said, What will ye that I should do 
 unto you ? They say unto hiui, Lord, that our eyes 
 
 34 may be opened. And Jesus, being moved with com- 
 passion, touched their eyes: aud straightway they 
 received their sight, and followed him. 
 
 CHAPTEK XXI. 
 
 AND when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were 
 come to Bettiphage, unto the mount of Olives, then 
 sent Jesus two disciples, 
 
 1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and 
 came unto Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives. 
 
 months before. (John9:iff.) The multitude 
 rebuked them. Luke 'they that went be- 
 fore,' Mark simply ' many.' They were 
 vexed that mere blind beggars should disturb 
 a procession, and annoy the principal person- 
 age, from whom they may have been eagerly 
 expecting further teaching. (Comp. 19: 13.) 
 Beggars in the East are almost always offen- 
 sive and often disgusting, and it is hard to feel 
 compassion for them, even when blind. Be- 
 cause, or, that they should, for the Greek 
 construction see on 5: 29; so also, that our 
 eyes may be opened. Hold their peace, 
 an old English phrase, the Greek being liter- 
 ally be silent. As they were needy and 
 hopeful, opposition only stimulated a louder 
 cry. The Greek word denotes a harsh cry, 
 comp. 8: 29; 9: 27; 15: 23, and Mark and 
 Luke have the imperfect tense, describing a 
 continued crying. 
 
 32-34. Called them. Mark gives vivid 
 particulars; Jesus directed those near him to 
 call ; they spoke cheeringly ; and Bartimeus, 
 " casting away his garment (his loose outer 
 garment, see on 5: 40), sprang up, and came 
 to Jesus." "We easily suppose that the other 
 and less noticeable blind man followed. 
 Jesus had compassion, see the Greek word 
 explained on 9 : 36. Touched their eyes, 
 not mentioned by Mark or Luke, a sign to 
 them that he was the healer, as in 9 : 29. 
 Mark and Luke relate that Jesus said, "thy 
 faith hath made thee whole," saved thee, 
 healed thee, as above in 9: 22, and comp. 
 9: 29. And they followed him, Mark 'in 
 the way,' Luke 'glorifying God.' They 
 probably accompanied him to Jerusalem. 
 Luke adds: "And all the people, when they 
 saw it, gave praise unto God." (Comp. Matt. 
 9:8; 15: 31.) Jesus here shows no desire to 
 prevent his miracles from becoming generally 
 known, as he did in 9: 30 and often. The 
 cri.*is of his ministry is now near at hand, and 
 publicity will make no difference. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 31. And the multitude rebuked them. 
 1) Men sometimes despise, as unfit to be 
 Christians, those whose case afterwards brings 
 great glory to God. 2) Religious decorum 
 must sometimes give way to intense earnest- 
 ness. 3) Attempted hindrance becomes for 
 earnest souls a stimulus to greater exertions. 
 4) Christ's followers may hinder when Christ 
 himself stands ready to hear. CHRYS. : "See 
 how not poverty, not blindness, not their 
 being unheard, not their being rebuked by 
 the multitude, not anything else, impeded 
 their exceeding earnestness." AUGUSTINE: 
 "When any Christian has begun to live 
 rightly, to be fervent in good works and de- 
 spise the world, in the very novelty of his 
 works he suffers blame and contradiction from 
 frigid Christians. But if he perseveres, and 
 overcomes them by endurance, and does not 
 fail in good works, then they turn and begin 
 to say, ' A great man, a holy man ' like that 
 crowd that were with the Lord." V. 34. The 
 objects of Christ's compassion. 1) They were 
 very needy. 2) They pleaded for pity. 3) 
 They believed in his mission. 4) They perse- 
 vered and grew more earnest. 5) They knew 
 just what they wanted. 6) They followed him 
 in gratitude and devotion. 
 
 Ch. 21 : 1-11. THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY. 
 
 Found also in Mark 11 : 1-11 ; Luke 19: 29- 
 44; John 12: 12-19. John has heretofore been 
 parallel to Matt, and Mark only at the early 
 departure from Judea to Galilee (Matt. 4: 12; John 
 *:!*), and at the feeding of the Five Thousand. 
 (utt. 14:13-21; John 6: i-u.) He appears to have 
 coincided with Luke several times in the last 
 six months. (See above on 19: 1.) Here he 
 once more becomes parallel to the others, and 
 will be so at the Bethany supper, probably at 
 the Paschal meal, clearly at the betrayal, and 
 at certain points of the Passion and Resurrec-
 
 MOUNT SCOPUS 
 
 . The figures denote elevations above 
 leveL 
 
 JERUSALEM.
 
 CH. XXL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 423 
 
 tion. Matthew, Mark, and Luke continue 
 from this time as generally and as closely 
 parallel as they were during the ministry in 
 Galilee. 
 
 We left our Lord at Jericho, Luke adding 
 that he " went before, going up to Jerusalem." 
 (Luke 19: 28, B. u. ver.) He doubtless climbed the 
 Roman military road, carefully graded and 
 paved with hewn stone, which came up from 
 Jericho past Bethany and across the Mount 
 of Olives to Jerusalem, and portions of which 
 are still clearly marked by patches of pave- 
 ment. There was no danger in this particular 
 journey that one would fall "among rob- 
 bers" (Luke io: so, Kev. ver.), since the multitude 
 formed a protection ; but there was usually 
 such danger, and one cannot safely travel that 
 road to-day without a guard from the sheik of 
 Lazariyeh (Bethany). The distance from 
 Jericho to Jerusalem is about seventeen miles, 
 or fifteen miles to Bethany; the difference in 
 elevation is some three thousand feet. Mat- 
 thew does not mention the arrival at Bethany 
 (see on 21 : 17), which John describes as occur- 
 ring "six days before the Passover" (Johui2: i), 
 probably on Friday afternoon. Here Jesus 
 appears to have spent the Sabbath, and we 
 may suppose him to have been the guest of 
 Martha and Mary and Lazarus. Hearing of 
 his arrival, many Jews came over from Jeru- 
 salem to Bethany to see him, and also Laza- 
 rus, whom he had raised from the dead (John 
 12: ) ; the time of their coming may have been 
 Saturday evening, or early next morning. 
 Mark and Luke mention Bethany, in connec- 
 tion with Bethphage, as reached before the 
 triumphal entry, but give no details of a 
 sojourn at Bethany. 
 
 1-3. And when they drew nigh unto 
 Jerusalem. The hills which form the site 
 of Jerusalem are really the somewhat lower 
 part of a space which gently slopes from the 
 northwest, and seems elevated only because 
 of the deep ravines which encompass it on 
 the east and west and south. Seen from a 
 real mountain five or six miles distant in the 
 northwest, Jerusalem seems to be in a valley, 
 with the high ridge of Olivet on the eastern 
 and part of the northern side, and with 
 another ranee of hills on the west and south. 
 Seen from Olivet, the city rises on an oppo- 
 site but lower elevation, with a deep and nar- 
 row ravine lying between them. Seen from 
 
 another deep ravine on the south, the hill of 
 Zion, or city of David, appears to be on a 
 lofty and exceedingly steep hill, which Joab 
 and his comrades found it hard to climb and 
 capture the supposed impregnable fortress of 
 the Jebusites. ( asam. 5: er. ; ichron. ii: of.) This 
 central space, which slopes narrowing down 
 from the northwest between its ever deepen- 
 ing ravines, is presently divided by a slighter 
 depression, having the same direction, into 
 somewhat separate ridges, the eastern ridge 
 being the temple hill, two hundred feet lower 
 than the other, which is Zion. The depres- 
 sion between them gradually deepens, con- 
 taining the pool of Siloam near its southeast- 
 ern end, and passing into the eastern ravine 
 before that forms a junction with the other 
 ravine which has come down on the west and 
 south of Zion. The northern part of the 
 temple elevation, higher than the site of the 
 temple itself, and outside of the city, is re- 
 cently with no small probability considered 
 to be Golgotha or Calvary. (See on 27: 33.) A 
 considerable space north and south of the 
 temple enclosure was occupied by dwellings, 
 but the greater part of the city lay on Zion, 
 and in the depression separating it from the 
 temple. The eastern wall of the temple en- 
 closure was part of the eastern wall of the 
 city, and just north of that enclosure appears 
 to have been the principal eastern entrance to 
 the city, now called Saint Stephen's gate, 
 from the tradition that Stephen passed through 
 it to his martyrdom. Through this gate, 
 Jesus and his followers probably entered in the 
 triumphal procession, and were at once quite 
 near the northern entrance to the outer court 
 of the temple. And every morning, as he 
 walked over the Mount of Olives from Beth- 
 any, he would enter the city and the temple 
 the same way. In the northern and shallow- 
 est part of the depression between Zion and 
 the temple ridge was doubtless, as now, the 
 great northern gate of the city. Out of this 
 it is most likely that our Lord was led to cru- 
 cifixion, Golgotha being perhaps the elevation 
 on the right after passing the outer gate. Pi- 
 late's official residence when visiting the city 
 (27:2) was doubtless on Zion, probably in 
 Herod' s palace. It would be hardly one-third 
 of a mile from that place to the northern 
 gate. Not far north of Herod's palace was 
 the principal western gate, probably about
 
 424 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XXI. 
 
 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against 
 you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a 
 colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 
 
 3 And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say. 
 The Lord hath need of them ; and straightway he will 
 send them. 
 
 2 then Jesus sent two disciples, saying unto them, Go 
 into the village that isover against you, and straight- 
 way ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her : 
 
 3 loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any one 
 say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath 
 need ol them ; and straightway he will send them. 
 
 the same place as the present gate leading to 
 Joppa. The city at that time doubtless ex- 
 tended considerably farther to the northwest 
 than now, but the whole space enclosed was 
 quite small, as compared with modern con- 
 ceptions of a great city. After allowing for 
 the fashion in which Asiatics have always 
 crowded together, as the Chinese do now, it 
 is hard to see how the regular population in 
 the time of Christ can have been more than 
 two or three hundred thousand. But vast 
 multitudes came to the Passover (Josephus 
 talks of three millions), sleeping in the streets 
 and public places, tenting in the surrounding 
 fields, swarming over the suburban villages 
 like Bethany for several miles around. 
 
 Were come unto Bethphage. To men- 
 tion the village and the mountain showed on 
 what side they approached Jerusalem, and 
 how near they were. Bethphage might seem 
 from the order of Mark and Luke to have 
 been reached before Bethany, but this infer- 
 ence is not necessary. The traditional site is 
 between Bethany and Jerusalem, on the east- 
 ern slope of the Mount of Olives. The village 
 is often mentioned in the Talmud, but not so 
 as to show its location, nor are there any 
 modern remains. It was at least near the 
 mountain on the eastern side, and most likely 
 on the Roman road from Bethany to Jerusa- 
 lem. The name signifies 'house of figs.' 
 
 The Mount Of OliveS (Z*: 3;26:30. 36; Zech. U: 4), 
 
 in Acts 1 : 12 ' Olivet,' is a low mountain or 
 long and lofty hill, which begins north of 
 Jerusalem and runs eastward, and then turn- 
 ing at a point nearly a mile northeast of the 
 city, runs southward until interrupted by the 
 outlet of the valleys which lie east and south 
 of the city, and send off their united streams 
 at the southeast in a deep ravine towards the 
 Dead Sea. The mountain evidently took its 
 name from its fruitfulness in olives. The 
 valley which separates it from Jerusalem is 
 "the brook Cedron" or Kidron, of John 18: 
 1. Looking from Jerusalem eastward across 
 this deep and narrow valley (comp. on 26: 36), 
 one sees that the central and highest part of 
 the ridge is some three hundred feet higher 
 
 than the temple hill, and about one hundred 
 feet higher than the hill of Zion ; but that the 
 summit lineand faceof the ridge are marked by 
 three slight depressions, descending so as nearly 
 to meet where they reach the valley of the 
 Kidron. Up the northern depression, as- 
 cending northeastward, went David in fleeing 
 from Absalom, "over the brook Kidron .... 
 up by the ascent of Mount Olivet .... 
 past the top," and so along a route still distin- 
 guishable east of the mountain in that direc- 
 tion. (-2 Sam. is: 23; 16: i,) The central depres- 
 sion runs nearly east and much steeper, almost 
 straight across the mountain and so towards 
 Bethany (see on 21 : 17), and is the direct way 
 for walking between that suburb and the cit3 T . 
 The southern depression ascends far southeast- 
 ward, giving a better grade and crossing at 
 considerably the lowest part of the summit- 
 line; over this gap, and skillfully graded 
 beyond it on the eastern slope of Olivet, is the 
 riding way from Jerusalem to Bethany, still 
 clearly indicated by patches of Roman pave- 
 ment. Along this road came in the triumphal 
 procession. 
 
 Then sent Jesus two disciples (so also 
 Mark and Luke); we know not which two, 
 but very likely Peter and John, as hereafter 
 in Luke 22: 8. The ' illage over against 
 you is not certainly known, but was probably 
 Bethphage, fronting them as from Bethany 
 they approached the eastern face of the 
 Mount of Olives. Straightway ye shall 
 find ; the description is quite definite. An 
 ass tied and a colt with her. Mark, Luke, 
 and John mention only a colt, which here 
 was the more important of the two. (Comp. 
 on 20: 80.) The object was to have Messiah 
 the King ride a young animal not previously 
 used, "whereon no man ever yet sat" (Mark 
 and Luke), as a matter of special honor 
 (comp. Deut. 21: 3; 1 Sam. 6: 7); and the 
 mother was probably led in front, to make 
 the colt move quietly. Processions often in- 
 clude led animals, besides those ridden. The 
 Lord hath need of them. We cannot tell 
 whether this would be understood by the 
 owners (Lake 19 : 33) as meaning that they were
 
 CH. XXL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 425 
 
 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which 
 was spoken by the prophet, saying, 
 
 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King 
 cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a 
 colt the foal of an ass. 
 
 4 Now this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled 
 which was spoken through the prophet, saying, 
 
 5 Tell ye the daughter of Ziou, 
 Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, 
 Meek, and riding upon an ass, 
 And upon a colt the foal of an ass. 
 
 wanted for the service of Jehovah, or defi- 
 nitely for the Lord Jesus; in the latter case 
 we might suppose owners who knew of Jesus, 
 and would gladly serve him, as in 26 : 18. 
 Doubtless the animals were restored that after- 
 noon, as there was no further use for them ; 
 it could be easily done in returning to Beth- 
 any. 
 
 4 f. All this was done, etc. better as 
 Rev. Ver., Now this is come to pass (in the 
 course of divine providence) that it might 
 be fulfilled which was spoken by the 
 prophet, comp. on 1 : 22. The Common 
 Text has 'all this,' evidently altered by 
 copyists so as to be like 1: 22 and 26: 56. 1 
 The quotation is from Zech. 9: 9, where the 
 prophet predicts a righteous and divinely 
 preserved king of Israel, coming to Jerusa- 
 lem in peace and meekness. The Jews re- 
 garded the passage as Messianic. The Tal- 
 mud of Babylon several times speaks of the 
 Messiah as riding upon an ass (Lightf. and 
 Wun. ), and some Rabbinical commentaries 
 apply this prophecy of Zechariah to the Mes- 
 siah. (Edersh.) Matthew aud John (t*:u-u) 
 distinctly declare the passage of Zechariah to 
 be Messianic, and Jesus so treats it; nor is 
 there anything in the connection of Zecha- 
 riah to forbid, but several expressions (zeoh. 9: 
 10,12) which are quite in keeping, while va- 
 rious other prophetic passages also represent 
 the Messiah under the figure of a king of 
 Israel. The Hebrew signifies (Toy), " Re- 
 joice greatly, daughter of Zion, shout, daugh- 
 ter of Jerusalem. Behold, thy king comes to . 
 thee; just and saved is he, meek and riding 
 on an ass, and on a colt the foal of an ass." 
 The Sept. differs but slightly. Matthew 
 omits 'just and saved,' as not important for 
 his purpose, and abridges and modifies the 
 opening clause without altering the substan- 
 tial sense (comp. on 2: 6), as John does in 
 another way. iSorne think that Matthew has 
 combined this passage with Isa. 62: 11. 
 Daughter of Zion, viz., Jerusalem, a com- 
 
 mon Hebrew figure by which a city was rep- 
 resented as the offspring of the locality. 
 Meek (comp. 11: 29), not a fierce warrior. 
 Upon is repeated before ' a colt ' by the cor- 
 rect Greek text. In v. 5, ass the second time 
 is literally (an animal) under the yoke, 
 draught-animal, beast of burden, a more 
 general term, but often used to denote the ass. 
 
 (2 Pet. 2: 16, and Sept.) Upon ail ass. and a COlt, 
 
 is a Hebrew parallelism of the peculiar kind 
 in which the second clause more precisely de- 
 fines the first; Rev. Ver. of Zechariah puts it 
 'upon an ass, even upon a colt.' The King 
 does not come on a chariot or on a war horse, 
 but riding as rulers did in time of peace. 
 
 (1 Kings 1 : S3 ; Judg. 5 : 10 ; Num. 22 : 23.) The trained 
 
 mule and donkey of Egypt and Syria are 
 very pleasant for riding, and have there no 
 ludicrous associations. In the imagery of 
 Rev. 19: 11 the Messiah appears again as a 
 conqueror on a white horse. It seems clear 
 that our Lord arranged to ride the young ass 
 into the city, as an intentional fulfillment of 
 the prophecy. The disciples quickly so re- 
 cognized, though not fully understanding 
 (John 12: IB), and communicated to the multi- 
 tude the idea that this was a Messianic entry 
 into the capital, as the shouts of v. 9 show 
 that all understood. Jesus has heretofore 
 carefully avoided (16:20) any public declara- 
 tion that he is the Messiah, because it would 
 be misunderstood and lead to political agita- 
 tion and fanatical disturbance, and because 
 the disciples themselves were not yet suffi- 
 ciently instructed as to the true nature of the 
 Messianic reign. Only two or three days be- 
 fore this he had spoken a parable at Jericho 
 (Luke 19: u), designed to show that he must go 
 away, and return at a later period to establish 
 his reign. The time has now come (J.hn7: ; 
 12:23) for declaring that he is the king Mes- 
 siah, but a lowly arid peaceful king. (Comp. 
 26: 3f.) 
 
 0-8. Mark hero describes in detail (ii:4-) 
 the finding of the animal according to direc- 
 
 1 B has this palpable error, and the " Western '' docu- 
 ments, with many others, have the correct text. To 
 ' prophet' a few copies add Zechariah, and two or three 
 
 add Isaiah, which is mentioned as illustrating the 
 ways of copyists.
 
 426 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXI. 
 
 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus com- 
 ma nded them, 
 
 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them 
 their clothes, and they set him thereon. 
 
 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments 
 in the way ; others cut down branches from the trees, 
 and strewed them in the way. 
 
 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that 
 followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David : 
 
 6 And the disciples went, and did even as Jesus ap- 
 
 7 pointed them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and 
 put on them their garments; and he sat thereon. 
 
 8 And the most part of the multitude spread their 
 garments in the way; and others cut branches from 
 
 9 the trees, and spread them in the way. And the 
 multitudes that went before him, and that followed, 
 cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David : Blessed 
 is he that coineth in the name of the Lord : Hosanna 
 
 tion. And put on them their clothes 
 
 (garments). An animal to be ridden by a 
 monarch was often covered with splendid 
 cloths. Lacking these, the disciples took off 
 their own loose outer garments (comp. on 5: 
 40), and put them as housings, not only on the 
 colt but on the mother ass also, as that was to 
 form part of the procession. And they set ; 
 and he sat is the text not only of the lead- 
 ing documents, but also of the majority. 1 
 Thereon, literally, on them, which naturally 
 means on the garments. Of course the words 
 could mean on the animals. Those who thus 
 take them may understand the phrase gener- 
 ally, like "the postillion rode his horses 
 hard," or "he sprang from the horses," when 
 of course the saddle-horse is meant. (Winer, 
 175 [219], Olsh., Schaff.) * But it is much more 
 natural to understand that he sat on the gar- 
 ments. We should not know from Matthew's 
 expression on which of the two animals he 
 rode, but the prophecy he has quoted shows, 
 as do the other Gospels. And a very great, 
 etc. And the most part of the multitude, is 
 the only natural meaning of the Greek, and 
 so Memph. distinctly. Tyn., Cran., Gen,, 
 ' many of the people ' ; K. James followed 
 Kheims, 'a very great multitude,' which 
 quite overlooks the Greek article. The phrase 
 indicates that a good many did not take part. 
 Besides some who had joined them at Jericho 
 and at Bethany, or had come over from Jeru- 
 salem (John 12: 9) and were returning, there 
 were doubtless persons among the crowd 
 that had followed Jesus from Perea, and 
 perhaps from Galilee, who did not yet 
 believe him to be Messiah, and so were not 
 prepared to treat him as a monarch enter- 
 ing his capital in triumph. Luke pres- 
 ently tells US (l9:39f.,Rev.Ver.) that " SOme of 
 
 the Pharisees from the multitude" spoke to 
 Jesus and complained of what was going on. 
 Spread their garments in the way, having 
 no magnificent carpets to spread on the road 
 over which the King was to ride, as was often 
 done in triumphal processions. Comp. 2 
 Kings 9 : 13. Wetstein quotes, from Greek, 
 Roman, and Jewish writers, accounts of car- 
 pets and garments spread under the feet of 
 some honored one moving in a procession. 
 Robinson tells of the Bethlehem peasants as 
 on a certain occasion spreading their outer gar- 
 ments on the road before the horse of the 
 British Consul, and entreating his help against 
 the exactions of the Turkish tax-gatherers. 
 And others, must not be taken as meaning 
 the rest of the multitude besides 'the most 
 part' ; but simply as an additional number of 
 friendly persons who offered another mark of 
 honor to the king. This second class is men- 
 tioned by Mark also, though not by Luke. 
 The tense of the verb 'spread' changes in 
 Matthew to the imperfect, and with that of 
 'cut' describes these persons as engaged in 
 cutting and strewing. Thus three things were 
 done; the disciples placed their garments on 
 the animal, most of the crowd spread their 
 garments on the road, and some spread 
 boughs of trees. The trees are naturally con- 
 ceived of as mainly olive-trees, which have 
 ample and accessible branches, and from 
 which the mountain took its name, but also 
 fig-trees and others. Mark's expression sug- 
 gests rather leaves than boughs. The leaves 
 were of course the main object, and they cast 
 in the road only such smaller branches as 
 would not embarrass locomotion for man and 
 beast. So we scatter flowers. 
 
 9. The multitudes that went before 
 and that followed, the honored King 
 
 1 ' And they set him ' (Com. Ver.) is not even found in 
 Stephens' third edition, usually followed by King 
 James' revisers ; Tyn. and followers had it, doubtless 
 influenced by the Vulgate ; so also (Morison) the fourth 
 edition of Stephens, and Beza, who so often influenced 
 King James' men. Luke 19 : 35 has an equivalent ex- 
 pression. 
 
 2 Strauss and some others have chosen to insist th;it 
 Matt, represents his Master as riding both the animals. 
 In this absurdly hypercritical fancy they were antici- 
 pated by the " Western " documents, which, with their 
 usual free handling, changed 'on them' (both times) to 
 ' on it ' or ' on the colt
 
 CH. XXI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 Blessed is he that comet h in the name of the Lord ; Ho- 
 sanna in the highest. 
 
 10 And wheu he was couie into Jerusalem, all the 
 city was moved, saying, Who is this? 
 
 11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet 
 of Nazareth of Galilee. 
 
 10 in the highest. And when he was come into Jeru- 
 salem, all the city was stirred, saying, Who is this? 
 
 11 And the multitudes said, This is the prophet, Jesus, 
 from Nazareth ot Galilee. 
 
 having an advance guard and a rear guard. 
 John speaks of a great multitude that had 
 come to the feast and went forth from Jerusa- 
 lem to meet Jesus, bearing branches of palm- 
 trees (comp. Lev. 23: 40), and crying "Ho- 
 sanna," etc. (Johai2:nr.) It is easy to sup- 
 pose that they met the procession and turned 
 back with those who preceded Jesus. From 
 this statement in John comes the phrase 
 "Palm Sunday." Cried, imperfect tense, 
 were crying, kept crying. Hosanna is a 
 word borrowed from the Hebrew, meaning 
 'save now,' 'O save,' in Psa. 118: 25. The 
 Hebrew form represented by Hosanna is a 
 slight and natural alteration of that occurring 
 in the Psalm. The Mishna (Succoth IV., 5) 
 says that every day during the Feast of Tab- 
 ernacles they encompassed the altar, repeat- 
 ing Psa. 118: 25. The Talmud shows that 
 this Psalm also formed a part of the series of 
 Psalms sung at the Passover (comp. on 26: 
 30), called by Jewish writers "the great Hal- 
 lei," Psa. 113-118. It was thus very natural 
 that the people should break out with this 
 expression and the following verse. To the 
 Son of David, recognized him as the Mes- 
 siah, comp. on 20: 30; 22: 42. The gram- 
 matical construction, 'Hosanna to the Son of 
 David' shows us that Hosanna had come to 
 be a formula of congratulation or expression 
 of good wishes, not unlike the English "God 
 save the king." He that cometh (see on 3: 
 11) in the name of the Lord (see on 28: 18), 
 from Psa. 118: 26, quoted again by our Lord 
 himself in 23: 39. Luke has 'Blessed is the 
 king that cometh in the name of the Lord,' 
 distinctly declaring him the Messiah; and 
 Mark, ' Blessed is the kingdom that cometh, 
 the kingdom of our father David.' Various 
 other expressions are given by the four Evan- 
 gelists, and in this case all may have been 
 employed by different persons (comp. on 3: 
 16). HoHanna in the highest, /'. < .. in the 
 highest (heavens', as in Luke 2: 14. It is an 
 
 appeal to God in heaven that he will save and 
 bless his people; and it here implies a joyful 
 recognition of evidence that he is about to do 
 so. Luke alone here introduces (w: 41-44) the 
 pathetic account of the Saviour as seeing the 
 city and weeping over it, 1 comp Matt. 23 : 
 37-39. 
 
 1O f. When he was come into Jerusa- 
 lem. Mark adds 'into the temple,' and that 
 he ' looked round about upon all things.' 
 All the city was moved, a strong word, ren- 
 dered 'quake' in 27:51; 28: 4, Rev. Ver., 
 'shaken' in Rev. 6: 13. The great procession 
 and the loud salutations as to the King Mes- 
 siah awakened general attention and agitated 
 all the people. (Comp. 2:3.) Who is this ? 
 It was plain that the multitudes who were ap- 
 plauding Jesus as 'the son of David,' as 'the 
 king that corneth in the name of the Lord,' 
 regarded him as being the Messiah. The 
 citizens inquired simply who was the person 
 thus regarded. And the multitudes, 
 plural, as in v. 9, said, imperfect tense, kept 
 saying, or said every time they were asked. 
 This is Jesus the prophet, (i.uxe 7: i ; jobue: 
 H; 7:40; 9:17.) There could in their opinion be 
 no doubt that he was a prophet; their convic- 
 tion that he was the Messiah they did not 
 care to assert in so many words. Of Naza- 
 reth of Galilee. For Nazareth, see on 2: 
 23; for Galilee, on 4: 12. Certainly some, 
 and probably many of the crowd had accom- 
 panied Jesus from Galilee (27:55), and would 
 take special interest in stating that he was 
 from that district. The Judeans insisted that 
 the Messiah would not be from Galilee, and 
 that in fact from Galilee arose no prophet. 
 
 (.MM. 7 : 41 f , 52.) 
 
 HOMILKTIOAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V' 1-3. Co- workers with Christ. 1) Jesus 
 needing the help of his followers. 2) Jesus 
 giving full directions for their work. 8) Jesus 
 promising them success (v. 3). 4) Jesus joy- 
 
 >The apparent contradiction in Luke between v. :17 i the ground j n both directions with Pcan Stanley 'shook 
 and v. 41 is fully explained by Stanley, "Sinai and Pal- ' in hand, and had no doubt remaining as to the correct- 
 
 estine," whose beautiful description of the triumphal en- 
 try ought to be read by all. It may be worth while to 
 
 ness of his explanation. A patch of Roman pavement 
 remains to determine within a few feet the point at 
 
 mention that the present writer and a friend went over I which Jesus " saw the city and wept over it."
 
 428 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXL 
 
 fully obeyed (v. 6f.) V. 3. The Lord hath 
 need of them. 1) The Lord often needs the 
 property of men. 2) The Lord's ministers 
 must inform men of this need. 3) The Lord 
 promises success in attaining what is needed. 
 V. 5. The peaceful King. 1) His charac- 
 ter is peaceful. 2) His methods and sur- 
 roundings are peaceful (comp. 12: 19 f.) 3) 
 His office is to bring men into peace with God 
 and with each other. (Luke2:i*.) 4) His ser- 
 vice may arouse the hostility of the ungodly 
 (io:S4ff.) i but its spirit and aim must still be 
 peaceful. (Hum. 12: is.) V. 7. Origen, Jerome, 
 and other Fathers made the ass represent the 
 Jews, accustomed to the yoke of the law, and 
 the colt the hitherto untamed Gentiles. 
 LANGE : "The old theocracy runs idly and 
 instinctively by the side of the young Church, 
 which has become the true bearer of the king- 
 dom of Christ." It is somewhat dangerous to 
 mention these conceits, even as a warning, for 
 there are persons unwise enough to adopt 
 them. Morison illustrates v. 8 by the famous 
 story of Sir Walter Raleigh's cloak. V. 8-11. 
 Popular applause. 1) It may be sincere even 
 when superficial. 2) It need not be despised 
 because so often temporary. 3) It may awaken 
 the attention of others, and thus do good 
 (v. 10,1. 4) It must not prevent sorrow over 
 the perishing. (Luke 19: 41 fr.) V. 10. HALL: 
 "Christ's being amongst us doth not make us 
 happy, but his welcome. Every day may we 
 hear him in our streets, and yet be as new to 
 seek as these citizens of Jerusalem, ' who is 
 this?'" JER. TAYLOR: "O holy King of 
 Zion, eternal Jesus, be pleased to enter into 
 my soul with triumph, trampling over all 
 thine enemies; and give me grace to enter- 
 tain thee with joy and adoration, lopping off 
 all my superfluous branches of a temporal 
 condition, and spending them in the offices of 
 charity and religion. Thou, to whose honor 
 the very stones would give testimony, make 
 my stony heart an instrument of thy praises ; 
 let me strew thy way with flowers of virtue, 
 and the holy rosary of Christian graces . . . 
 and let us at last follow thee into thy heavenly 
 Jerusalem with palms in our hands, and joy 
 in our hearts, and eternal acclamations on our 
 lips, rejoicing in thee, and singing hallelujahs 
 in a happy eternity to thee, O holy King of j 
 Zion, eternal Jesus. Amen." 
 12-17. CLEANSING THE TEMPLE. 
 
 Found also in Mark 11 : 15-19; Luke 19: 45- 
 48. It appears from the order of Mark, who 
 is nearly always chronological, that this did 
 not occur on the day of the triumphal entry, 
 but on the next day. Matthew, as so often 
 before, has grouped topics, without stopping 
 to indicate the time. Comp. on 21 : 20. 
 
 John (a: 13-2-j) has described a similar cleans- 
 ing of the temple, at the first Passover of our 
 Lord's ministry. Of course the destructive 
 critics at once assume that these are only con- 
 flicting accounts of the same event. But we 
 have seen (on 15: 38) that Jesus certainly did 
 perform some very similar miracles, as he 
 certainly repeated a number of sayings (see 
 at beginning of ch. 5). To make the two 
 cleansings the same is to treat either the 
 Fourth Gospel, or all the other three, as 
 grossly inaccurate in respect to historical 
 order. Matthew, as we have seen, sometimes 
 arranges topically rather than chronologically, 
 but so far as can be judged, the others are as 
 chronological as historians usually are. Cer- 
 tainly then we ought not to suppose that John 
 has placed a striking event at the first of 
 several passovers, and the other three have 
 placed it at the final passover, unless it be 
 impossible, or extremely difficult, to believe 
 that the act was repeated. Now it is perfectly 
 natural that the money-loving traders, who 
 had been temporarily driven out by a prophet's 
 stern rebuke, should quickly come back when 
 he was gone. Their fathers had often returned 
 to idolatry and gross vices very soon after the 
 reformation wrought by a prophet. Nobody 
 knew that the prophet from Nazareth would 
 interfere with them again. And what he had 
 done produced no great pecuniary loss, while 
 the opportunity for gain in this business was 
 enticing. After all, they might say, we were 
 worse scared than hurt. The prophet does 
 not kill nor imprison, nor impose fines, and 
 the temple authorities make no objection ; 
 why not go in again ? Nothing is more com- 
 mon than for reform, even when accompanied 
 by severe penalties, to need frequent renewal 
 on the part of civil as well as ecclesiastical 
 authorities. Even the second cleans! ng doubt- 
 less had only temporary results. The chief 
 importance of the act lies in the assertion of 
 prophetic authority (21:23) and its recognition 
 by all concerned, and in the symbolical lessons. 
 There is thus no difficulty at all in supposing
 
 CH. XXI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 429 
 
 12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast 
 out all them that bought and sold in the temple, and 
 overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the 
 seats of them that sold doves, 
 
 12 And Jesus entered into the temple l of God, and 
 cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple : 
 and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, aud 
 
 1 Many ancient authorities omit, o/ God. 
 
 a repetition of the cleansing. The first would 
 not be mentioned by Matt., Mark, and Luke, 
 because they give no account of that early 
 JuJean ministry with which it was connected, 
 and which John narrates; and the second 
 would be omitted by John, who introduced 
 very little already found in the other Gospels. 
 There are numerous other cases in which one 
 of the Gospels records a certain event or dis- 
 course, and omits the repetition of it which we 
 find in another Gospel. On this second occa- 
 sion of cleansing fewer details are mentioned 
 nothing of oxen and sheep, and nothing as 
 to a scourge of cords. 
 
 12. Jesus went into the temple. The 
 additional of God should probably be omitted 
 (Rev. Ver., margin), but the questio,n is diffi- 
 cult and the substantial sense not altered. 1 
 Though he had entered Jerusalem as the King 
 Messiah, he did not seek the palace of Herod 
 or the city of David, but we find him every 
 day teaching in the temple (Luke 19: 47); for 
 his Messianic reign was to be brought about 
 through spiritual instruction. 'Temple' is 
 here hieron (see on 4: 5), the general sacred 
 enclosure. Jesus is nowhere said to have 
 entered the naos, the sacred house, which 
 none but priests were allowed to enter. 
 (Comp. on 27: 5.) The sacred house was 
 situated on the top of a hill, and sur- 
 rounded by an enclosed space which, as 
 enlarged for Herod's temple, seems to have 
 been about six hundred feet square. The 
 house on the summit was near the western 
 side of this space. The large outer court, 
 with its great wall and inner colonnades (see 
 on 4 : 5), was considerably lower down the 
 hill. Into this, as more remote from the 
 
 sacred house and the altar, it had been cus- 
 tomary to allow the entrance of Gentiles, and 
 so it was called the Court of the Gentiles. 
 From this court went up grand steps, in two 
 flights with a landing between them, on the 
 north, east, and south, to the next enclosure, 
 called the Court of Israel, and a portion of it 
 separated as the Court of the Women. The 
 wall at the top of the steps had grand gates, 
 one of which was known as "Beautiful" 
 (Acts 3 : 2), and was perhaps the same that 
 Josephus glowingly describes in " War," 5, 5, 
 3. Along this wall were stone pillars, bear- 
 ing in Greek and Latin the inscription, " Lot 
 no Gentile enter here under pain of death" 
 (" War," 5, 5, 2) ; one of these is said to have 
 been found a few years ago. Again steps, and 
 gates at the summit, to the central Court of 
 the Priests, lying east of the sacred house, 
 with an enclosing wall of only two feet in 
 height. Just within this court on the eastern 
 side stood the great altar of burnt sacrifice- 
 probably built on the large rock which the 
 Mohammedans have enclosed in the Mosque 
 of Omar. Thus the worshiper could bring 
 his sacrifice up the steps and pass it in to the 
 priests, and could see plainly when it was laid 
 on the altar (5:23); and looking beyond 
 the altar could see into the eastern end of the 
 sacred house, where the priests entered at 
 certain times to burn incense. (Lukei:9f.) As 
 Gentiles were admitted into the large outer 
 court, it was very easy for Jewish traders to 
 conclude that they might properly sell here 
 the animals to be used in sacrifice. Wher- 
 ever purchased, these animals had to be led 
 through the courts up to the altar. All that 
 were brought in for sale would, it was hoped, 
 
 1 Omitted by N B L, several cursives, Memph., Theb., 
 one copy of Old Latin, Jerusalem Syriac, Arm., JEih., 
 and some Fathers. It is not found In the parallel pas- 
 sages of Mark and Luke, nor the similar passage of John 
 (: 14), but that fact, if observed by copyists, would have 
 been a reason, as wo may judge from their general prac- 
 tice, not for omitting it in Matt., but for inserting it in 
 some of the others. The expression would not be in- 
 trinsically objectionable to any one, and so we cannot 
 account for its omission on that ground. Some suppose 
 it to have been omitted because the phrase id rare The 
 
 Jews had little use for such a phrase, since for them 
 ' the temple ' could mean only one thing. But the addi- 
 tion would not strike a copyist as strange or unnatural. 
 And n similar phrase does occur, even in 26: 61, and 
 figuratively in 1 Cor. 3: 16 if. ; 2 Thess. 2: 4; Rev. 3: 
 12, etc., and 'temple of the Lord' in Luke 1: 9, the 
 word in all these cases being not Meron but naos, which 
 for our present purpose makes little difference. As the 
 internal evidence is Indecisive, it seems wisest to follow 
 the documents which so generally give the correct text. 
 (Comp. W H., App.)
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXI. 
 
 18 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall 
 be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a 
 den of thieves. 
 
 13 the seats of them that sold the doves; and he saith 
 unto them, It is written, My house .shall be called a 
 house ot prayer : but ye make it a den of robbers. 
 
 be purchased and sacrificed, and so they were 
 in a certain sense already sacred, and quite as 
 fit to be here as dogs of Gentiles. Worship- 
 ers from a distance would enter the courts, 
 pass up toward the altar, and feeling moved 
 to offer a sacrifice, would be glad to find a sup- 
 ply so conveniently near. Lightfoot says 
 (from the Talmud) that they also sold "wine, 
 salt, oil, and other requisites to sacrfiees." It is 
 natural that the practice of admitting traders, 
 not mentioned in Old Test., should have 
 arisen in a later time when so many Jews 
 came from foreign countries to worship. 
 Jerome suspects that the priests had a share 
 in the profits ; and probably (Morison) extor- 
 tionate prices were charged. At any rate we 
 know they derived gain from all sacrifices, 
 and these would be multiplied by having the 
 material convenient. PLumptre : " We must 
 picture to ourselves, in addition to all the stir 
 and bustle inseparable from such traffic, the 
 wrangling and bitter words and reckless oaths 
 which necessarily grew out of it with such a 
 people as the Jews. The history of Christian 
 churches.has not been altogether without par- 
 allels that may help us to understand how 
 such a desecration came to be permitted. 
 Those who remember the state of the great 
 Cathedral of London, as painted in the lite- 
 rature of Elizabeth and James, when mules 
 and horses laden with market produce were 
 led through St. Paul's, as a matter of every- 
 day occurrence, and bargains were struck 
 there, and burglaries planned, and servants 
 hired, and profligate assignations made and 
 kept, will feel that even Christian and Prot- 
 estant England has hardly the right to cast a 
 stone at the priests and people of Jerusalem." 
 Cast out. We do not know whether as 
 on the former occcasion ( Johns: u), he used 'a 
 gcourge of small cords ' as a symbol of au- 
 thority and punishment. Overthrew the 
 tables of the money changers. The 
 Greek word signifies those who make small 
 change. Comp. on 25: 27. One sees such 
 men now in Jerusalem, with various coins 
 piled in slender pillars on a table, ready for 
 a small premium to change foreign money 
 into such as would be more current. In our 
 Lord's time there was much demand for this 
 
 on the part of foreign Jews, whom custom 
 forbade to put any but Jewish coins into the 
 treasury of the temple. (Mark n-. .) As the 
 change was thus needed in order to a sacred 
 contribution, people easily persuaded them- 
 selves that it was proper to allow money- 
 changing for the special purpose to take place 
 in the outer court. That sold doves. These 
 were appointed as sacrifices in various cases, 
 and allowed in others as substitutes on the 
 part of the poor. (Luke -i\ 24.) There is here 
 (and so Mark and Luke) no mention of oxen 
 and sheep, as on the first occasion. It might 
 be inferred that the traders had not again be- 
 come bold enough to bring in these, but the 
 inference would be somewhat precarious, as 
 the account may have merely omitted them. 
 Mark adds (11 ; is, Rev. ver.), "and he would not 
 suffer that any man should carry a vessel 
 through the temple." The word rendered 
 'vessel' denotes all sorts of utensils and im- 
 plements (comp. above on 12: 29, 'goods'). 
 It had probably become common to go 
 through the courts for a short cut from the 
 great eastern gate of the city towards the 
 southern part of Zion, which was connected 
 with the temple by arched bridges over the 
 intervening depression. 
 
 13. It is Avritten, in Isa. 56: 7. Luke 
 quotes as here. Mark adds the prophet's 
 concluding words, 'for all the nations,' 
 which carry the emphasis in Isa., but are not 
 necessary here. The meaning and applica- 
 tion of this quotation are obvious. But ye 
 make it, as in leading early documents, was 
 easily changed to ye have made it, as in 
 Luke (and Mark). A den of thieves, or, 
 robbers, as in 27 : 38. They were worse than 
 'thieves,' they openly plundered, making 
 money out of the worship, in sight of the 
 altar. The phrase is borrowed from Jer. 7 : 
 11, where the prophet reproaches the people 
 with having a superstitious reverence for the 
 temple and its services, and yet living so im- 
 morally that they seem practically to regard 
 the temple as 'a den of robbers.' The Jews 
 whom Jesus reproached were reproducing 
 (Toy) the superstitious reverence for the tem- 
 ple and the wickedness that dishonored it. 
 On the former occasion (John 2 : is), Jesus had
 
 CH. XXL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 431 
 
 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the 
 temple ; and he healed them. 
 
 15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the 
 wonderful things that he did, and the children crying 
 in the temple, and saying, Uosanua to the Son of David ; 
 they were s-ore displeased. 
 
 16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? 
 And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, 
 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast per- 
 fected praise ? 
 
 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the teui- 
 
 15 pie: and he heuled them. But when the chief priests 
 and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did. 
 and the children that were crying in the temple and 
 saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were 
 
 16 moved with indignation, and said unto him, Hearest 
 thou what these are saying? And Jesus saith unto 
 them, Yea : did ye never read, Out of the mouth of 
 
 simply said, "Make not my Father's house a 
 house of merchandise." What led the 
 traders to obey? There must have been in, 
 our Lord a look and tone of superhuman au- 
 thority (ii: *3; John is: 5 f.) ; and then the traders 
 knew in their secret heart that they were 
 doing wrong. 
 
 14. This is mentioned by Matt. only. 
 Many afflicted persons were doubtless to be 
 seen in the temple courts, asking alms 
 (AS 3: 2), or seeking consolation in worship. 
 The miraculous healings, then and there, 
 served to establish Jesus' authority to cleanse 
 the temple, and in some sense (Weiss) re-con- 
 secrated the courts which had been pro- 
 faned. 
 
 15 f. The chief priests and the scribes 
 were perhaps representatives of the Sanhe- 
 drin (see on 26: 69); comp. 21: 23; 26: 3, 
 47; Mark 11: 18. Saw the wonderful 
 things that he did, not terata, 'prodigies,' 
 usually translated 'wonders' (see on 12: 38), 
 but the general term which means exactly 
 wonderful things. This doubtless includes 
 his cleansing the temple and his healing the 
 blind and the lame. And the children 
 crying; that were crying, Rev. Ver., repre- 
 sents the Greek of the leading manuscripts. 
 The words are masculine, meaning boys as in 
 2: 16, and not the general term children as 
 in 11 : 16. It would naturally be boys rather 
 than girls, for comparatively few even of 
 grown women went to the temple amid the 
 crowds. These boys had heard the dny bo- 
 fore the cries of the triumphal procession, 
 'Hosanna to the Son of David' (21=9), and 
 readily understood it to mean the Messiah ; 
 now observing the authority with which he 
 cleansed the temple and healed the blind and 
 the lame, they recalled that cry and were 
 loudly repeating it, even in the temple. 
 The older people who had said the same on 
 the Mount of Olives and in the streets of the 
 
 j city might have shrunk from making the bold 
 proclamation in this most public place and in 
 the very face of their religious rulers; chil- 
 dren are in such a case more ardent and more 
 fearless. They were sore displeased, or, 
 moved with indignation, same word as in 20: 
 24. They ought to have been led to earnest 
 inquiry whether he who thus asserted author- 
 ity and wrought miracles and allowed him- 
 self to be hailed as the Son of David was in- 
 deed the Messiah ; and his purification of the 
 temple might well have reminded them of 
 Mai. 3: 1-4. They rejected the idea without 
 inquiry, and were indignant at the apparent 
 claim. He was altogether different from their 
 notion of the Messiah, came from an obscure 
 village in distant Galilee (JoimT: 4ir.,6z), had 
 not asked the recognition of the Sanhedrin, 
 but seemed to be relying on mere popular re- 
 cognition (John 7: ); and as the Messiah was of 
 course to be a revolutionist and civil ruler, his 
 claim and its popular support might provoke 
 the Romans to crush out the "nation," and 
 deprive these Jewish officials of their "place," 
 as some of them had intimated not long be- 
 fore, (.lohnii: 47 r.) Hearest thou what 1 
 these are sayinpT They do not really doubt 
 that he hears, but mean to intimate surprise 
 that he does not stop a thing so improper as to 
 call him Son of David. So during the tri- 
 umphal procession (Luke 19: 39), "some of the 
 Pharisees from the multitude" openly called 
 on him to rebuke his disciples for language 
 implying that he was the Messiah, but he re- 
 fused. (Comp. above on 21 : 0.) It is idle for 
 critics to suppose this a mere inaccurate report 
 of that former case, for the place is different, 
 the persons making the outcry are here chil- 
 dren, and the Saviour's reply is also entirely 
 difrVront, and adapted to the testimony of 
 children. The Scribes complaining may have 
 been different, or may have included some of 
 the same persons, now still further outnigod 
 
 ' The simple Interrogative In Indirect question, hcie and in 10: 19; Mark 14: 36; Luke 17 : 8, is occasionally 
 used in classic Greek also, see Jelf, 377, Obs. 2.
 
 432 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXL 
 
 17 And be left them, and went out of the city into 
 Bethany ; and he lodged there. 
 
 17 babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise ? And 
 he left them, and went lorth out of the city to Ueth- 
 any, and lodged there. 
 
 by the renewed hosannas. Yea, he hears it, 
 and finds it unobjectionable and proper. 
 Have ye never read (see on 12: 3), implying 
 a blameworthy ignorance of what was meant 
 by a very familiar passage of those sacred 
 writings with which Scribes were supposed to 
 be so thoroughly acquainted; so also in 19: 
 4; 21: 42; 22: 31. Out of the mouth, etc., 
 from Psa. 8: 2 (3). Hebrew, 'out of the 
 mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast 
 established strength.' The Sept. has 'thou 
 hast prepared praise ' ; in several other pas- 
 sages (Toy) it has rendered the word for 
 'strength' by 'praise.' Matt, follows the 
 Sept., as he so often does where it expresses the 
 Heb. sufficiently for his purpose. (Comp. on 
 3: 3 and 12: 14.) The Greek word means 
 'prepared' or 'completely prepared,' and so 
 may be rendered 'perfected.' The first utter- 
 ances of very young children, showing admi- 
 ration of God's works, and ready recognition 
 of his existence, are a strong testimony to his 
 being and glory, and ought, the Psalmist adds, 
 to silence the enemy and the avenger, all the 
 "malignant railers against God." (Alexander 
 on Psalms.) Suckling was sometimes con- 
 tinued among the Jews till the child was three 
 years' old (ZMBCO. 7: 27;, and such a custom is 
 still reported by some travelers in the East. 
 What the Psalmist declared true of sucking 
 babes was also and still more true of these 
 boys crying hosanna. Toy says that the 
 meaning in which the words are bore used is 
 "substantially the same as that of the Psalm- 
 ist God had shown these children a truth 
 that the learned men did not see, and had 
 thereby made them instruments of praise and 
 strength." Our Lord's wise answer, while 
 not provoking, yet failed to restrain, the pur- 
 pose excited by the triumphal entry and his j 
 cleansing the temple, viz., to destroy him if j 
 possible; the popular recognition and en- 1 
 thusiasm made them fear him all the more, j 
 for they accounted him a dangerous rival to 
 their own position as religious instructors and 
 
 rulers. (Mark 11 : 18 ; Luke 19:47 f.) 
 
 17. And he left them, etc. Mark shows 
 that this was not on the day of the triumphal 
 entry, but on the day following. (Comp. 
 above on v. 12.) Indeed, Mark tells us (ii:i9, 
 Bey.ver.) that " every evening he went forth 
 
 out of the city " ; and Luke states in connec- 
 tion with the next day that " every day he 
 was teaching in the temple ; and every night 
 lie went out and lodged in the mount that is 
 called the Mount of Olives." (Luke 21 : 37, RCY. 
 ver.) This naturally enough means Bethany, 
 which lay on a spur of the mountain. Thus 
 the statements agree, and show us what course 
 he took on the three days of his public ap- 
 pearance, probably the first, second, and third 
 days of the week; he came "early in the 
 morning" (Lake : as) to the temple and taught, 
 and went out at night across the mountain to 
 Bethany. Many who had come to the feast 
 sought nightly lodgings in the surrounding 
 villages. Jesus would go out to seek repose 
 in the home of his friends (comp. on 26: 6), 
 and probably also to avoid an attempt to 
 arrest him, such as was successfully made the 
 first night he spent in the city. There is no 
 occasion to suppose, as some have done, that 
 he and his followers camped out near Beth- 
 any. His friends in the village were ap- 
 parently wealthy. 
 
 In leaving Jerusalem by the eastern gate 
 (comp. on 21: 1), Jesus and his disciples 
 would descend the steep declivity into the 
 narrow valley of the Kidron, and by a little 
 bridge would cross over the dry bed of the 
 stream, all covered with flat stones worn into 
 rounded shapes by the torrents of the rainy 
 season. Keaching the foot of the Mount of 
 Olives, they found near them a garden called 
 Gethsemane (see on 26: 36), doubtless occu- 
 pied by olive-trees and fig-trees, with prob- 
 ably flowers, and less probably vegetables. 
 It seems to have been a place open to the 
 public, and "Jesus ofttimes resorted thither 
 with his disciples" ( John is : 2), perhaps stop- 
 ping to rest under shade and among flowers 
 before climbing Olivet, or in the morning 
 before entering the hot and crowded city ; 
 for in April it is extremely hot in Jerusalem 
 in the daytime, though chilly towards morn- 
 ing. (John is: is.) Up the central depression in 
 the slope of the Mount of Olives (comp. on 
 21: 1) the path is steep and toilsome, some- 
 times clambering up ledges of limestone rock, 
 and gradually rising to a level with, and then 
 above, the city on the hills behind. At the 
 summit, from which could be seen the long
 
 CH. XXL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 433 
 
 18 Now in the morning, as he returned into the city, 18 Now in the morning as he returned to the city, he 
 he hungered. 
 
 eastern line of the high mountains of Moab, 
 with glimpses of the Dead Sea in a deep caul- 
 dron between, they were half way to Beth- 
 any. Some distance down the eastern slope 
 is a narrow neck of rocky soil between little 
 northern and southern valleys. This neck of 
 land connects with Olivet, a small rounded 
 outlying hill. Their path wound around the 
 northern part of this hill, while the Eoman 
 paved road from Bethany to Jerusalem passed 
 around its southern face. On the east this 
 rounded hill slopes down in a tongue of land 
 between two minute valleys, which presently 
 unite beyond it and go deepening down 
 towards the Dead Sea. On this little tongue of 
 land and in these shallow vaheys, amid olive 
 trees, figs, almonds, vines, and apric:>ts, and 
 patches of small, bright-hued flowers, gleamed 
 the white limestone dwellings of Bethany. 
 The place is now called Lazariyeh, from 
 Lazarus, or more exactly, in Arabic, el- 
 Aziriyeh, from cl-Azir. It is by the direct 
 path a mile and three quarters from Jeru- 
 salem, corresponding exactly to the fifteen 
 stadia (something less than furlongs) of John 
 11 : 18. The name Bethany appears to mean 
 either 'house of dates' or 'house of the poor.' 
 There was another Bethany beyond Jordan 
 (johni: ;), and in John 11: 1 this Bethany is 
 distinguished as "the village of Mary and her 
 sister Martha." 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 12. THIEME (in Stier) : " Once more he 
 goes the way which he had loved as a child, 
 up to the temple." V. 13. A place of wor- 
 ship becoming a den of robbers. 1) When 
 the worship is conducted by men who seek re- 
 ligious office for the money it yields. 2) When 
 the worship is supported, or the house of wor- 
 ship erected, by such measures as extortion in 
 "fairs," or covert gambling. 3) When per- 
 sons join a certain church in hope of gaining 
 custom, or otherwise promoting their worldly 
 
 interests. 4) When men wrong others through 
 the week, and try to atone for it by worship- 
 ing God on the Lord's Day. (Jer. 7:9-u.) 
 HENRY: "Lawful things, ill-timed and ill- 
 placed, may become sinful things. That 
 which was decent enough in another place, 
 and not only lawful but laudable on another 
 day, defiles the sanctuary and profanes the 
 Sabbath." HALL: "Yea, thus it became 
 thee, O thou gracious Redeemer of men, to 
 let the world see thou hast not lost thy jus- 
 tice in thy mercy ; that there is not more 
 lenity in thy forbearances, than rigor in thy 
 just severities ; that thou canst thunder as well 
 as shine." V. 15 f. Children crying in the 
 temple. 1) Would-be wise men often show 
 folly by despising the young. 2) Children 
 sometimes see religious truth more clearly 
 than prejudiced adults. 3) The praise of chil- 
 dren is thoroughly acceptable to God. 4) The 
 piety of children ought to touch hard hearts, 
 and silence malignant opposers of the gospel. 
 
 18-22. THE BARRKN FIG-TREE. 
 
 Found also in Mark 11 : 12-14 and 20-26. If 
 we had only Matthew, we should suppose that 
 all this occurred the morning which followed 
 the triumphal entry and the cleansing of the 
 temple. But Matthew does not at all contra- 
 dict the fuller account of Mark, viz., that 
 after the triumphal entry (probably on the 
 first day of the week) Jesus returned to 
 Bethany ; the next morning (Monday) on his 
 way to the city he pronounced a curse upon 
 the iig-tree, and afterwards cleansed the 
 temple ; and the following morning (Tuesday) 
 the disciples expressed their surprise that the 
 tree had at once withered. Matthew has 
 simply thrown together the whole matter of 
 the' fig-tree, just as in narrating the ministry 
 in Galilee he often arranges topically rather 
 than chronologically. 
 
 18. As he returned, or probably, upon re- 
 turning.' 1 He hungered. The first meal was 
 usually taken about the middle of the forc- 
 
 1 Aorist part, in X (first hand), B (first hand), L (fol- | the city, he had not entered It. There is thus only nn 
 lowed by Tisch. and W H.), 'upon returning,' ' after | apparent contradiction between this and Mark, 'when 
 returning,' 'having returned.' This, as the more diffl- ! they were come out from Bethany he won hungry.' It 
 cult reading, easily changed by copyists into the other, | was less than two miles from one place to the other, 
 has strong claims to adoption. Tho immediately fol- Buttmann would here translate ' put off' as It means In 
 lowing 'by the road' would show that the former ex- Luke 5: 3 f., thus making it 'after putting off to the 
 pression is meant loosely, that though he had reached city.' But it can hardly be shown that the word baa 
 
 B2
 
 434 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XXI. 
 
 19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to 
 It, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and 
 said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward 
 for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. 
 
 19 hungered. And seeing 'a fig tree by the way side, 
 he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves 
 only ; and he saith unto it, Let there be no fruif from 
 thee henceforward for ever. And immediately the 
 
 1 Or, a tingle. 
 
 noon. (Actsi:i5.) Comp. on 22: 4. The case 
 in John 21 : 12 is exceptional. Walking up 
 and down the steep mountain in the early 
 morning air would naturally awaken appe- 
 tite, especially in one who had eaten moder- 
 ately the evening before. There is no occa- 
 sion for the supposition that he had spent the 
 night in special prayer. 
 
 19. A fig-tree, or more probably, in the 
 strict sense (Rev. Ver margin), 'a single 
 fig-tree' (com p. on 8: 19), perhaps one that 
 stood apart, or that attracted attention by the 
 rich development of leaves which it alone pre- 
 sented. Pliny ("Natural History" XVI, 49) 
 says of the fig-tree, " Its leaf comes later than 
 the fruit, except a certain species in Cilicia, 
 Cyprus, and Greece." Tristram says ("Nat. 
 Hist, of the Bible") that in Palestine "the 
 fruit appears before the leaves." Dr. Cham- 
 bers (in Schaff ) denies this, but the conflict of 
 reports is accounted for by the statement of 
 Thomson ("Land and Book"): "The fig 
 often comes with, or even before, the leaves." 
 Mark's expression, "seeing a fig-tree afar off, 
 having leaves, he came," shows that the pres- 
 ence of leaves suggested the presence of fruit. 
 They had perhaps eaten new figs in the deep 
 plain of Jericho a few days before. And 
 though "it was not the season of figs" 
 (Mark ii: is, Rev. ver.), here on the mountain, yet 
 this appeared to be an exceptional tree, bear- 
 ing fruit earlier than usual. Thomson says 
 he has eaten very early figs on Lebanon in 
 May, and that fruits are there a month later 
 than in Jerusalem. So it was not impossible 
 that in some warm nook of the Mount of 
 Olives an exceptionally early variety might 
 have figs at the beginning of April. To sup- 
 pose that Jesus expected to find a few figs re- 
 maining from the fall and winter crop is en- 
 tirely unsuitable. Leaves would be no sign 
 
 of such remaining fruit; there would be no 
 occasion for finding fault, and no symbolical 
 lesson. The artificial translation of Mark 
 which some have proposed, "for the season 
 was not a good one for figs," is without war- 
 rant in grammar, and a mere expedient to 
 escape a difficulty. To take from a fruit tree 
 beside the road, or even to pluck ears of grain 
 in passing, was entirely in accordance with 
 law and custom, Deut. 23: 24 f., comp. above 
 on 12: 1. See the thorough humanity of our 
 Saviour hungry from a mountain walk, 
 seeking food from a tree beside the road, -and 
 disappointed in not finding figs when there 
 was such a show of leaves. His human mind, 
 which had grown in wisdom (Luke 2: 52), which 
 did not know the day and hour of his own 
 second coming (Mrk 13:32), was of necessity, as 
 a finite mind, unable to contain all knowledge. 
 We must beware of unchastened inferences 
 from this fact that he did not know some 
 things, remembering that in the unity of his 
 person dwelt a divine as well as a human na- 
 ture, and that the Holy Spirit was given him 
 without measure (John 3:34); but we must not 
 deny or becloud the fact, when distinctly set 
 forth. This is indeed a necessary part of a 
 real incarnation, and we must accept it as 
 a mystery. Maldonatus holds that Jesus 
 feigned to be hungry, and feigned to seek 
 what he knew he would not find which pain- 
 fully reminds us that the great commentator 
 was a Jesuit. Let no fruit grow on thee 
 henceforward forever. So Mark, and this 
 is what Peter called a curse. (Mark 11:21.) 
 To suppose that Jesus angrily uttered 
 imprecations against the inanimate object 
 is not only irreverent, but gratuitous and 
 silly. Our Lord sought illustration of re- 
 ligious truth from all sources ; food from 
 and water, patching clothes and bottling wine, 
 
 that exact sense, unless the phrase were ' after putting 
 off from Bethany.' The Aorist part, in Acts 25 : 13 
 which Scrivener says is "manifestly false" though read 
 by all uncials and some other good documents, and 
 which Hort regards as an instance of " prior corrup- 
 tion " of the text, may perhaps be explained as mean- 
 ing " they came down to Cesarea by way of greeting to 
 
 Festus," since the coming itself was a greeting as well 
 as the words spoken on arriving. This would be like 
 " You did well in reminding me " (anamnesas), Plato. 
 (Comp. below 25 : 3 ; 26 : 12 ; 27 : 4.) The present part, 
 would mean, " they came down while saluting." Comp. 
 on 23 : 20, as to the general theory ol the aorist.
 
 CH. XXL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 435 
 
 20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, 
 saying, How soon is the tig tree withered away ! 
 
 21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say 
 unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall no't 
 only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye 
 shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be 
 thou cast into the sea ; it shall be done. 
 
 20 fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw 
 it, they marvelled, saying, How did the tig tree iui- 
 
 21 mediately wither away? And Jesus answered and 
 said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have 
 faith, and doubt not, ye sha'll not only do what is 
 done to the fig tree, but even if ye shall say unto this 
 mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, it 
 
 sowing and reaping, and changes of weather, 
 birds and flowers, plants and trees, as well as 
 the doings and sayings of men around him, 
 all were made to teach lessons. And here was 
 an opportunity for a very striking lesson. The 
 tree gave by its leaves a false sign of possessing 
 fruit, and so would strikingly represent false 
 professions of piety without the effects thereof, 
 as so plainly seen in the contemporary Jews, 
 and alas ! not in them alone. By the curse 
 pronounced it became a symbol and a warn- 
 ing to all who should ever hear the gospel. 
 That withered fig-tree stands as one of the 
 most conspicuous objects in sacred history, an 
 object lesson forever (comp. on 18: 2). Its 
 lesson corresponded exactly to that of a para- 
 ble given some months earlier (Luke is : 6-9), and 
 corresponds generally to the lamentation over 
 Jerusalem the day before (Luke 19:42), to the 
 cleansing of the temple which immediately 
 followed, and to the long course of teaching 
 on the next day. (Matt. 21 : 28 to 23 : 39.) There was 
 among the Jews of the time great religiosity, 
 and little religion. Witness the trading in 
 the temple, the hypocrisy of the Scribes and 
 Pharisees, their refusal to believe John the 
 Baptist (*i:8), their rejection of the long ex- 
 pected Messiah. The fig-tree destroyed was 
 of extremely little value, as it bore no fruit. 
 It may be that standing ' on the road' it was 
 not private property. The Talmud often 
 distinguishes (Lightf. ) between the fruit of 
 trees that grew in commons, and the fruit of 
 trees that grew in gardens or fields. But that 
 aprophet, a "teacher come from God," should 
 destroy a piece of property of trifling value 
 for the sake of teaching a great lesson, would 
 seem to the Jews no ground whatever of com- 
 plaint; much less will it seem so to those who 
 believe in his divinity. Comp. the destruc- 
 tion of the herd of swine, 8 : 30 ff. Theophyl. 
 remarks that our Lord's other miracles were 
 all beneficent, and lest it should be thought 
 that he cannot punish, he wrought two that 
 were punitive : yet these were not upon men, 
 but upon the tree and the swine, and really 
 meant kindness toward men ; " he withers the 
 tree that he may chasten men." And pres- 
 
 ently (Kev. Ver., immediately) the fig-tree 
 withered away, does not necessarily mean 
 that the withering was completed in a moment. 
 And when Mark (n : 20, Rev. ver.) states that "in 
 the morning they saw the tig-tree withered 
 away from the roots," he indicates that the 
 withering had previously occurred. So there 
 is no contradiction. 
 
 2O. And when the disciples saw it, 
 which we learn from Mark was the following 
 morning. Matthew does not mention the 
 lapse of time, but does not deny nor exclude 
 it. How soon, etc., better, as in Kev. Ver., 
 How did the fig-tree immediately, etc. See 
 Winer, p. 276 [345]. The Greek cannot mean 
 'how soon,' for the word is 'immediately,' 
 just as in the preceding verse. The disciples 
 inquire how the immediate withering occur- 
 red. The process was justly characterized as 
 immediate, as there had been only twenty- 
 four hours, and it was withered from the roots 
 (Mark). The Master had not expressly sard 
 that the tree should wither at once, but only 
 that it should never bear fruit. We learn 
 from Mark (11:21) that Peter, so often spokes- 
 man, mentioned the matter to the Teacher, 
 but the answer was addressed to them all. 
 
 21 f. Our Lord indirectly answers their 
 question by telling how they too may work 
 not only such a miracle, but more wonderful 
 ones, and may obtain in prayer all that they 
 ask for, viz., through undoubting faith. Unto 
 this mountain would naturally be the Mount 
 of Olives, and into the sea would 'be the 
 Mediterranean or the Dead Sea. Mark has 
 both expressions the same. But the example 
 is evidently presented, not as a thing likely or 
 proper to be actually done, but as an extreme 
 case of a conceivable miracle (comp. 1 Cor. 
 13: 1), to illustrate more vividly the miracu- 
 lous possibilities presented to unwavering 
 faith. (Comp. on 17: 20.) In a similar expres- 
 sion not long before he spoke of rooting up a 
 tree and planting it in the sea. (Lnkei7:6.) The 
 Talmud of Bab., (Lightf.) frequently uses 
 "rooter up of mountains" as a figure to de- 
 scribe some teacher who had great power in 
 removing difficulties. Christians of the pres-
 
 436 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXI. 
 
 22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, 22 shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall 
 believing, ye shall receive. ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. 
 
 ent day have no reason to believe themselves 
 commissioned to work miracles, and the at- 
 tempt to do so is either irreverent trifling, or 
 a fanaticism injurious to themselves and re- 
 pulsive to thoughtful observers. Every true 
 prayer of Christian faith is taught by the 
 Spirit of God (Komans 8: 26 f.), and he will 
 never teach men a presumptuous prayer. 
 
 From the power which faith will give them 
 to work miracles, our Lord passes to its more 
 general power in prayer (v. "22], This in Mat- 
 thew is merely added; in Mark (11:24; it is 
 declared to follow as a consequence from what 
 precedes. If faith could work miracles, it fol- 
 lows that faith can secure whatever we pray for 
 (comp. James 5: 16). Believing, ye shall 
 receive. Of course this promise has limita- 
 tions; we shall receive what wo ask, or some- 
 thing which our Heavenly Father knows to 
 be better (comp. on 7: 7, 11). Mark has a yet 
 stronger and quite peculiar expression, "be- 
 lieve that ye receive (Kev. Ver., margin re- 
 ceived) them, and ye shall have them " ; from 
 the time of asking go on believing that your 
 prayer was heard, that you virtually received 
 when you asked, and you shall have the 
 things in- due season. Mark also adds (u: 25) 
 an injunction to forgive others when we are 
 praying for G-od's forgiveness; which Mat- 
 thew might omit from having recorded it as 
 also given in connection with the "Lord's 
 Prayer." (e:u.) 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 18 f. Nothing but leaves. 1) Profession 
 without practice is worthless. 2) Profession 
 without practice is offensive to God and man. 
 3) Profession without practice is in great dan- 
 ger of becoming perpetual. 4) Profession 
 need not be laid down if practice be taken up. 
 HALL: "That which was the fault of this 
 tree is the punishment of it, fruitlessness. 
 Woe be to that church or soul that is punished 
 with her own sin." V. 21 f. The power of 
 Christian faith. 1) In the time of Christ and 
 his apostles it could work miracles. 2) If we 
 suppose it can now work any miracle, it ought 
 to be able to work the greatest miracles. (John 
 H.-12.) 3) Its power in miracle-working as- 
 sures and illustrates its present power in 
 prayer (comp. James 5: 17 f. ; Luke 10: 20). 
 
 4) We cannot be sure that miracles would 
 now do good, but we know that the prayer of 
 faith in every age brings the richest blessings. 
 
 5) It enhances the privilege of prayer to be- 
 lieve that God will give what, we ask, or what 
 he sees to be better. 
 
 23-32. THE KULERS QUESTION CHRIST'S 
 AUTHORITY, AND ARE KEBUKED. 
 
 Found also in Mark 11: 27-33; Luke 20: 
 1-8. It occurred on the third day of our 
 Lord's appearance in the temple, which was 
 probably Tuesday. 
 
 23. The chief priests and. the elders. 
 Mark, ' the chief priests and the scribes and 
 the elders,' representing the three classes 
 which composed the Sanhedrin (see on 26: 
 59); it is not necessary to suppose a formal 
 deputation. They had already begun seek- 
 ing to destroy him (Lukei9: 47 f.), and even some 
 time sooner. (Joim ii: 53.) As he was teach- 
 ing. So Luke, Kev. Ver. ; Mark has ' as he 
 was walking in the temple,' probably in one 
 of the beautiful colonnades, as some months 
 earlier in John 10: 23. To teach while walk- 
 ing about was very common with the Kabbis, 
 as it was at Athens, where the followers of 
 Aristotle were from this specially called Peri- 
 patetics. To stop a teacher and ask him 
 questions, was also common. (22:16,23,35.) The 
 conversation between our Lord and the rulers 
 now goes on for a long time in the temple 
 court (21: 23 to 22: 46), the people thronging to 
 hear, their usual keen interest in rabbinical 
 discussions beingheightened by the triumphal 
 entry and other recent events. After that, 
 he turns from the baffled rulers to address di- 
 rectly the multitudes and his disciples (<*-2s), 
 and towards evening speaks to the disciples 
 on the Mount of Olives, (ch. 24 and 25.) By 
 what authority (seeon 9: 6), more exactly, 
 by what sort of authority ; so also Mark and 
 Luke. And who gave thee this authority? 
 The first question asks the nature of the au- 
 thority, the second asks its source. Did he 
 claim prophetic authority (21:11), Messianic 
 authority (21 = 15), or what? Did he claim au- 
 thority from man, or from God? Any Jew 
 was allowed to talk publicly about religious 
 questions (as in our social meetings), but if 
 he proposed to be a regular teacher (Rabbi), 
 he must be authorized by other Rabbis or by
 
 CH. XXI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 437 
 
 23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief 
 priests and the elders of the people came unto him as 
 he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest 
 thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? 
 
 24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also 
 will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I ill like 
 wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. 
 
 25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, 
 or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, say- 
 ing, If we shall say, Froin heaven ; he will say unto us, 
 Why did ye not then believe him? 
 
 26 But if we shall suy, Of men ; we fear the people ; 
 for all hold John as a prophet. 
 
 '11 And they answered Jesus and said, We cannot 
 tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by 
 what authority I do these things. 
 
 23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief 
 
 Eriests and the elders of the people came unto him as 
 e was teaching, and said, By what authority doest 
 thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? 
 
 24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will 
 ask you one l question, which if ye tell me, I likewise 
 will tell you by what authority I do these things. 
 The baptism of John, whence was it? trom heaven 
 or from men ? And they reasoned with themselves, 
 saying, If we shall say, From heaven ; he will sajr 
 
 26 unto us. Why then did ye not believe him? But if 
 we shall say, From men ; we fear the multitude; for 
 
 27 all hold John as a prophet. And they answered 
 Jtsus, and said, We know not. He also said unto 
 them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do 
 
 the Sanhedrin (comp. Edersh.). Jesus was 
 not only making it his occupation to teach, 
 but working miracles, cleansing the temple 
 as if a prophet, and apparently justifying his 
 followers in greeting him as the Messiah. It 
 was proper for the Sanhedrin to inquire into 
 his authority (comp. Acts 4: 7), if it had been 
 done in a proper spirit. These rulers ought 
 to have recognized his divine mission, as their 
 associate Nicodemus had done two or three 
 years before, just after the first cleansing of 
 the temple. (John 2: is.) 
 
 24-27. Jesus answers by asking them a 
 question. He did this not simply as a retort, 
 or to escape from a dilemma, but (comp. Ori- 
 gen) because his question tended to show 
 them the inconsistency of their position, and 
 lead, if possible, to self-searching and a better 
 mind (comp. 22: 41 ff.). If they would 
 squarely answer his question, their own ques- 
 tion would then answer itself. What sort of 
 authority did John have, and who gave it to 
 him? But John had testified to Jesus. The 
 baptism of John. This striking rite, from 
 which John was popularly called 'John the 
 Baptizer ' (comp. on 3 : 1), represented in the 
 popular mind his entire ministry, and our 
 Lord so uses it here. Comp. Acts 1 : 22; 10: 
 37; 13: 24. From heaven, was the same as 
 to say 'from God' (see on 3 : 2). And they 
 reasoned with themselves, may mean 
 either among themselves, or in their own 
 minds. Their embarrassment in argument 
 grew out of their practical misconduct, as 
 often happens. John's ministry had made a 
 great impression (comp. on 8: 5), and the 
 people had very naturally recognized that it 
 was from heaven, that he was a true prophet. 
 This feeling was doubtless deepened by nor- 
 row at his untimely death, so that the multi- 
 tude would not now tolerate any expression 
 
 of doubt as to his being a prophet. But the 
 rulers, after their first early interest (s = t), 
 had turned away from his ministry, and de- 
 clined his baptism (Luke T: so); hence their 
 present embarrassment. Why did ye not 
 then believe him? John constantly testi- 
 fied that the Messianic reign was near at 
 hand, and distinctly intimated to messengers 
 from the rulers that the Messiah would very 
 soon appear (Jotmi: 19, 26f.), and again in the 
 presence of a Jew that Jesus was the Messiah, 
 (joim 3: 26-so.) Long before, at Jerusalem, our 
 Lord had recalled this embassy to John, and 
 the testimony borne to himself. (John 5: .12-36.) 
 In the region of the baptizing this testimony 
 was well remembered. (Johnio: 4o-.) So then 
 to reject him, when by his actions and by 
 popular acclaim declared to be the Messiah, 
 was refusing to believe John ; they saw this 
 plainly, and knew that it would be said. 
 (v. s-i.) We fear the people, or multitude. 
 Luke adds, 'All the people will stone us.' 
 For all hold John as a prophet. So also 
 Mark and Luke. Herod had long feared to 
 put John to death for the same reason. (H: s.) 
 In Galilee Jesus took for granted, and strongly 
 encouraged, the popular persuasion that John 
 was a prophet. (See on 11 : 7.) We cannot 
 tell. We know not, is the literal and exact 
 meaning. So Wye. and Rheime. It was 
 Tyn. that introduced ' we cannot tell.' And 
 he, or he also, with a certain emphasis on 'he' 
 (see on 1: 21.) Neither tell I you. So also 
 Mark in Rev. Ver., and Luke. Not 'neither 
 do I know,' as they had said; in fact even 
 theirs was not really a failure to know, but to 
 tell. He wa released from all obligation to 
 tell them on the ground of courtesy, by their 
 declining to answer his question. He did not 
 choose to answer, because he did not wish to 
 make distinct and public proclamation of his
 
 438 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cir. XXI. 
 
 28 But what think ye ? A certain man had two sons ; 
 and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day 
 in my vineyard. 
 
 29 He answered and said, I will not ; but afterward 
 he repeuted, and went. 
 
 30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. 
 And he answered and said, I go, sir; and went not. 
 
 28 these things. But what think ye? A man had two 
 sons; and he came to the first, and said, 1 Son, go 
 
 29 work to-day in the vineyard. And he answered and 
 said, I will not: but afterward he repented himself, 
 
 30 and went. And he came to the second, and said 
 likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir : and 
 
 Messiahship till the moment of crisis came 
 (as: 83 r.) ; while they probably wished to entrap 
 him into some avowal for which he could be 
 accused before the Sanhedrin, as in 22 : 15 ff. 
 And he did not need to answer, for they 
 knew that John had testified to him as the 
 Messiah, and that he had suffered the people 
 to greet him as the Son of David. The 
 principle involved in his refusal is the 
 same as when he refused a sign from 
 heaven (is: 4), viz., (Alex.) "that no man has a 
 right to demand a superfluity of evidence on 
 any question of belief or duty, and that as the 
 call for such accumulated proof is a virtual re- 
 jection of that previously given, it is the law of 
 that divine administration to refuse it even 
 as a favor." (Comp. Luke 16: 31.) 
 
 Our Lord now rebukes the rulers by three 
 parables, the first and second being pointedly 
 applied to them, viz., v. 28-32, v. 33-46, ch. 
 22: 1-14. The first and third are given by 
 Matt. only. 
 
 28-30. Two sons, literally, children. 
 Perhaps we may suppose them to have been 
 boys, to whom the conduct in the two cases 
 would be especially natural. Son, child, as 
 an expression of affection (see on 9: 2). Go, 
 go along, said with a certain urgency, comp. 
 4: 10; 5: 24; 13: 44; 18: 15; 19: 21. In my 
 
 vineyard, the, not ' my,' according to the best 
 text. The father speaks of it as pertaining 
 to the family, not as distinctively his own. I 
 will not, 1 a rough and curt answer Repented 
 is the Greek word (metamelomai) which ex- 
 presses regret, and may or may not be fol- 
 lowed by change of purpose and conduct 
 (comp. 27: 3); quite different from the word 
 (metanoeo), used to denote repentance unto 
 lite. (See on 3: 2.) It is rendered ' repented 
 himself in Com. Ver..of 27: 3, and it is better 
 to give with Rev. Ver. the same rendering 
 here and in v. 32. In 2 Cor. 7: 8, 10, the 
 milder English term 'regret' is a sufficient 
 translation. I go, sir, with emphasis on 'I,' 
 as it is expressed in the Greek; a polite and 
 pretentious reply. So the Jewish rulers pro- 
 fessed that they served God, while others did 
 not. The same fault had been illustrated that 
 morning by the fig-tree, which made great 
 show of leaves, but had no fruit. Some un- 
 derstand the ' I ' as a Hebraistic expression 
 without emphasis, comparing Acts 9: 10; 
 Judg. 13: 11 ; but those cases are unlike this, 
 and even in those the 'I' is really emphatic. 
 A somewhat similar parable is given (Wun.) 
 in the Midrash (Jewish commentary) on Exo- 
 dus, probably of the eleventh or twelfth cen- 
 tury. A king wished to rent out some land; 
 
 1 Tnere is here a iainous and quite perplexing ques- 
 tion of text criticism, though fortunately it does not 
 materially affect the sense. W H. follow (as usual) B 
 and certain other documents in transposing the order 
 in which the conversation with the two sons is held, 
 and then in v. 31 reading ' the latter ' ; thus getting the 
 same sense as that of the common text. Lachm. and 
 Treg. follow the " Western " documents in keeping the 
 order of the common text and yet reading 'the latter.' 
 They preferred this as the more difficult reading, readily 
 accounting for the other two as alterations from it ; but 
 the difficulty here amounts almost to impossibility, for 
 Jerome's supposition that the Jews purposely said ' the 
 latter' through perverseness is excessively far-fetched. 
 Those who prefer the "Text us Receptus " at all hazards, 
 or who merely count authorities instead of grouping 
 them, decide at once for the common reading. W H., 
 on the other hand, declare B, the lost uncial repre- 
 sented by 13, 69, 124, and 346, with three cursives, the 
 Memph., Jerusalem Syr., Arm., and some codices of the 
 
 JElh., and some rather late Fathers, to be "far the 
 higher authority," which is surely far too strong a 
 statement. It is not easy to say whether the common 
 reading or that of B will best account for the others. 
 Perhaps the most satisfactory conjecture would be that 
 in some early copy of the " Western " type ' the latter ' 
 or ' the last' was substituted by a copyist's mistake, and 
 propagated ; and that then a correct or of the " Alexan- 
 drian" type (some such corrections we have already 
 found in B) removed the difficulty by transposing the 
 order of the two conversations, a transposition further 
 recommended to him by the fact that it puts first the 
 son who represents the rulers as opposed to publicans 
 and harlots, and (upon the interpretation of Origen and 
 other Fathers) the Jews as opposed to Gentiles, which 
 might seem the more natural order, and would corre- 
 spond to the order of allusion in v. 32. This theory is 
 certainly not more finespun than that of W H. in the 
 opposite direction. So far as it goes it will tend to sup- 
 port the common text.
 
 CH. XXL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 439 
 
 31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? 
 They say uuto hiui, The flrst. Jesus saith unto them, 
 Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the 
 harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 
 
 32 For John came uuto you in the way of righteous- 
 ners, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and 
 the harlots believed him : and ye, when ye had seen it, 
 repented not afterward, that ye might believe him. 
 
 31 went not. Whether of the twain did the will of his 
 father? They say, The flrst. Jesus saith unto them, 
 Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the 
 
 32 harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For 
 John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and 
 ve l>e)ieyed him not : but the publicans and the har- 
 lots believed him: and ye, when ye saw it, did not 
 even repent yourselves afterward, that ye might be- 
 lieve him. 
 
 several farmers declined ; one undertook it, 
 but did not work the land; the king will be 
 most angry with the last. This may have 
 been an imitation of that given by Jesus. 
 
 31 f. The application is not (as Origen and 
 other Fathers explain) to Jews in contrast to 
 Gentiles, as in the next parable, but expressly 
 (v. i) to the Jewish rulers and outwardly cor- 
 rect persons, in contrast to some who had 
 been grossly wicked. Com p. Luke's remark 
 (i:28f.)on an earlier occasion. Here for the 
 first time our Lord makes an open, personal 
 application of a parable to the Jewish authori- 
 ties. So also in v. 43 ff. The time has come 
 for speaking out unreservedly to them, and 
 also to the people concerning them, as he will 
 do later in the day. (ch.zs.) The publicans 
 were very unpopular, and often very wicked. 
 (See on 5: 46.) To these he adds the class 
 everywhere most despised, and too often re- 
 garded as beyond the reach of religious in- 
 fluence. The "woman which was a sinner" 
 of Luke 1 : 37 probably belonged to this class. 
 Bruce: "Publicans and harlots! why, the 
 phrase was proverbial to denote all that was 
 vile, loathsome, and alien to the feelings of 
 the pure, the respectable, and the patriotic. 
 The analogous phrase in Corea, another Judea 
 in exclusiveness, is 'pigstickers and harlot*.' 
 To tell the proud, self-satisfied zealots for 
 righteousness that the moral scurn of society 
 was nearer the kingdom of God than they, 
 was to offer them a mortal and unpardonable 
 insult/' Verily I say unto you, solemnly 
 calling attention, see on 6: 18. Into the 
 kingdom of God, the Messianic kingdom, 
 see on 3: 2 and 11: 12. Go before you (as 
 in 21: 9), or more probably 'lead you on' 
 (as in 2: 9; Mark 10: 32, and so in 26: 32; 
 28: 7). You not only do not lead them for- 
 ward, as you ought to do, but will not even 
 follow their lead. In the way of righteous- 
 
 ness, and not in any way of sin a man of 
 righteous behavior and righteous teaching. 
 Comp. 2 Pet. 2: 21; Prov. 8: 20; 12: 28; 
 Tobit 1 : 3. You cannot excuse your failure 
 to believe him by impugning his character or 
 his instructions. John showed no lack of 
 righteousness even as to the externals which 
 the Pharisees so valued, for he practiced fast- 
 ing (9:14:11:18), and made formal prayers. 
 (Luke ii:i.) Olsh. and Bruce seem to go too 
 far in making this last the sole thought. And 
 ye believed him not, comp. on 3 : 7. They 
 knew Jesus would charge this upon them, 
 (v. 25.) When ye had seen it, or saw, saw 
 that some of the vilest were believing John 
 and entering the kingdom. Repented not, 
 etc. Better, as in Rev. Ver., Did not even 1 
 repent yourselves afterward, that ye might 
 believe him. This does not mean that they 
 did not repent of their sins in general (me- 
 tanoeo), but that they did not even after see- 
 ing the effect produced in others, repent 
 (metamelomai) of their previous refusal to 
 believe John and enter the kingdom. The 
 terms 'repent yourselves'- and 'afterward' 
 are in the application borrowed from the 
 parable. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 24-26. A question answered by a ques- 
 tion. 1) It is sometimes proper to silence 
 captious inquiry by asking questions in return. 
 (Comp. 12 : 27 ; 22 : 41, 46.) 2) We are fre- 
 quently involved in logical and in practical 
 difficulties by our previous wrong-doing; 
 comp. Pilate. 3) One lias no right to decide 
 questions of truth and duty by considerations 
 of safety and popularity. 4) Yet public opin- 
 ion is often wiser than eminent rulers (comp. 
 John 7 :48 f. ). V. 25. " From heaven or from 
 men." 1) No religious teaching is authori- 
 tative unless it comes from God. 2) No relig- 
 
 1' Not even,' oude, rather than on, 'not' (com. text), 
 la read by B, several cursives, the Latin and Syriac ver- 
 sions, Mernph., JEth., and some Fathers. D and two 
 copies of the Old Latin put it ' repented afterward 
 
 because you did not believe," which shows early confu- 
 sion as to the text. 'Not even" would be readily 
 changed to ' not,' by copyists who did not see the force 
 of the argument, and is no doubt the correct reading.
 
 440 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXI. 
 
 83 Hear another parable: There was a certain house- 
 holder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round 
 about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, 
 and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far 
 country. 
 
 34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he 
 
 nt his servants to the husbandmen, that they might 
 
 eeive the fruits of it. 
 
 sent 1 
 recei 
 
 23 Hear another parable: There was a man that was 
 a householder, whicli'planted a vineyard, and seta 
 hedge about it, and digged a winepress in it, and 
 built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went 
 
 34 into another country. And when the season of the 
 fruits drew near, he sent his ' servants to the bus- 
 
 1 Gr. bondservants. 
 
 ious ceremony is obligatory unless it is com- 
 manded by God. 3) All teachings from God 
 should be believed, and all ceremonies ap- 
 pointed by him should be practiced. V. 27. 
 '' We know not.'' 1) Men often shrink from 
 knowing, because of a lurking fear that the 
 knowledge might not please them. 2) Men 
 often pretend they do not know, because it 
 would be embarrassing to tell what they 
 do know. 3) Men might often gain, by act- 
 ing up to what they know, some blessed in- 
 crease of knowledge. V. 30. "I go, sir." 
 
 1) It is right to profess, if we also practice. 
 
 2) It is wrong in professing to assume superi- 
 ority to others; comp. Peter (26 : 33). 3) It 
 is abominable to profess, and that loudly, 
 when one does not practice ; comp. the fig- 
 tree (21 : 19). 4) It is wise not to bring the 
 profession down to the practice, but to 
 bring the practice up to the profession. 
 V. 31 f. The decent and the vile. 1) The 
 vile who believe God's message and turn 
 from their sin are accepted ; the Prodigal 
 Son, Zaccheus, and the penitent robber. 2) 
 The decent who refuse to believe God, are 
 thereby guilty of great and ruinous sin ; Eve, 
 Caiaphas, Gallio. 3) The saved who were 
 once vile should stir penitent shame and 
 awaken new hope in the decent who have 
 been unbelieving. "Moral" persons ought 
 to set an example to the vicious of joyfully 
 accepting God's mercy; but, alas! they are 
 often self-righteous, and will not even follow 
 an example. CHKYS : "It is an evil thing 
 not at the first to choose the good, but it is 
 worse not to even change afterwards. . . . Let 
 no man then of them that live in vice despair; 
 let no man who lives in virtue slumber. Let 
 neither this last be confident, for often the 
 harlot will pass him by ; nor let the other 
 despair, for it is possible for him to pass by 
 even the first." 
 
 33-46. PARABLE OF THE WICKED HUS- 
 BANDMEN. 
 
 Found also in Mark 12: 1-12; Luke 20: 9- 
 19. 
 
 33 f. Hear another payable. Jesus ad- 
 dresses the Jewish rulers. (21:23.) Many of the 
 people also were listening. (Luke 20: .) He had 
 not called v. 28-30 a parable, but all per- 
 ceived that it was such. As to the term, and 
 the general principles upon which our Lord s 
 parabolic discourses must be interpreted, see 
 on 13: 3. In explaining certain points of the 
 story itself, we may sometimes for conveni- 
 ence anticipate the application. The imagery 
 here recalls Psalm 80: 8-16, and especially 
 Isa. 5: 1-7. Bruce: " Our parable is but an 
 old theme worked up with new variations. 
 Every one who heard it knew what the vine- 
 yard with its hedge, winepress, and tower 
 signified, and who the vine-dressers were, and 
 who the servants sent for the fruits. These 
 phrases belonged to the established religious 
 dialect of Israel." A certain householder, 
 see on 10: 25. A tower, in which guards stay 
 to protect the vineyard against robbery. Pul- 
 pit interpretation should beware of separately 
 "spiritualizing" the hedge, winepress, tower, 
 etc. Origen here especially cautions against 
 "torturing the parable," and then does it. 
 These details simply show that the owner 
 made all necessary arrangements, so that the 
 vineyard ought to have yielded a good return 
 (comp. Isa. 5 : 4). Let it out to husband- 
 men, the general term 'agriculturists,' here 
 applied to one particular department of agri- 
 culture. Went into a far country, literally 
 (in our colloquial) moved away. Luke adds, 
 'for a long time.' The time; season of 
 the fruits <&s in v. 41), not 'time,' see on 
 11: 21. His servants, ' bond - servants ' 
 (Rev. Ver. margin], doulous, see on 8: 6; 
 here they act as the master's agents. Mark 
 and Luke mention only a single servant each 
 time, but Mark adds 'and many others.' To 
 receive the fruits of it, or, his fruits. The 
 Greek may mean either; the connection 
 favors the latter, and so Mark and Luke. 
 The rent was sometimes paid in money 
 (Edersh.), but in this case in a certain portion 
 of the crop (see Mark 12: 2), which the agents
 
 CH. XXL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 441 
 
 35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat 
 one, and killed another, and stoned another. 
 
 36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first; 
 and they did unto them likewise. 
 
 37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, 
 They will reverence my son. 
 
 38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said 
 among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill 
 him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 
 
 39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the 
 vineyard, and slew Aim. 
 
 40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard comet h, 
 what will he do unto those husbandmen? 
 
 41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy 
 those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto 
 
 35 bandmen to receive ' his fruits. And the husbandmen 
 took his ^servants, and beat one, and killed another, 
 
 36 and stoned another. Again he sent other 2 servants 
 
 37 more than the first: and they did unto them in like 
 manner. But afterward he "sent unto them his son, 
 
 38 saying, They will reverence -my son. But the hus- 
 bandmen, when they saw the sou, said among theui- 
 
 39 selves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and 
 take his inheritance. And they took him, and cast 
 
 40 him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. When 
 therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what 
 
 41 will he do unto those husbandmen ? They say unto 
 him, He will miserably destroy those miserable men, 
 
 1 Or, the fruits of it. ...'I Or. bondservant*. 
 
 might then sell to the tenants or any one else, 
 or might carry away with them. This is 
 largely practiced at the present day in India 
 and in Italy, and to a considerable extent in 
 this country. 
 
 35. And beat one, more exactly, scourged, 
 literally, ''flayed.' Goebel: "For the bodily 
 ill-treatment of the prophets, the example of 
 Jeremiah maybe compared (Jer.20: 1 1.-, ST. 15; 
 M:6), and ofMioah (i Kings 22: 24); for the kill- 
 ing, the murder of the prophets in the time of 
 Elijah (i Kingsi8:4;i9:io), and of Urijah by Je- 
 hoiakirn (Jr- 26: 20 sr.) ; and for the stoning, the 
 example of Zechariah. (2 euro... 24: 21 r.) The 
 killing of the prophets collectively is men- 
 tioned in Old Test. (Jr.2: so-, Neh.9: a), and re- 
 ferred to by Jesus in 23 : 31, 35, 37 ; Luke 13 : 
 34; also in Acts 7: 52; Heb. 11: 36." And 
 stoned another may well follow 'killed,' 
 since it denotes a very wrathful and cruel way 
 of killing. Stoning did not necessarily kill 
 (ACHU-. 19), but was apt to do so. (Act7:59.) How- 
 ever it is not necessary to find regular progres- 
 sion in a series of terms in a style so familiar 
 as that of the Gospels. 
 
 36 f. Renewed and more urgent calls. 
 Goebel urges that the word translated more 
 (pleionas) here means more excellent (as in 
 Heb. 11 : 4), of higher dignity; but that use is 
 quite rare, and does not seem to be here called 
 for. His son. Mark and Luke add 'be- 
 loved.' They will reverence my son. Luke 
 prefixes ' it may be.' This indicates a hope 
 that was doomed to disappointment. Such a 
 detail could be applied to God only by anthro- 
 pomorphism, as when it is said that God re- 
 pented. And we may add that although God's 
 Son was slain, his mission did ultimately bring 
 fruits from "other husbandmen." 
 
 38. Let us kill him, and let us seize on 
 his inheritance. This was something not 
 likely to occur in such a case, but entirely 
 
 possible, and that is enough for an illustration ; 
 the conduct to be illustrated was itself extraor- 
 dinary. The owner in the story had been long 
 absent, and seems to have had no other son ; 
 he might not return for years, might die in a 
 distant land, and leave the vinej r ard perma- 
 nently in their possession. The property of a 
 continuous absentee is often very freely 
 handled by the occupiers. The story shows 
 serious defects in local government and out- 
 breaks of popular violence, such as we know 
 to have been not uncommon in Palestine at 
 that period. Alexander: "It is incongruous 
 to press the correspondence of the sign and 
 the thing signified, although this proposition 
 bears an evident analogy to the ambitious and 
 absurd attempt of the Jewish rulers in the 
 time of Christ to oust him from his heritage 
 and make their own provisional authority per- 
 petual. In every effort to continue the Mosaic 
 institutions beyond the time prescribed for their 
 duration, the Jews have been guilty of the 
 usurpation here projected by the husband- 
 men." 
 
 39. And cast him out of the vineyard. 
 Alexander: "The act of casting out denotes 
 the whole rejection of our Lord, but perhaps 
 with an allusion to the literal fact of his suffer- 
 ing without the holy city (Heb. 1.1:11-1:1), which 
 must not however be regarded as the whole 
 sense." For six months past Jesus has been 
 telling the disciples that the rulers at Jerusa- 
 lem would kill him (i:2i: IT: w; *>: is), and 
 now to the rulers themselves he intimates the 
 same through a " parabolic veil " so transpar- 
 ent that they do not fail to see. ( f.) Doubt- 
 less some of those who heard these sayings 
 were reminded of them a few weeks later by 
 Peter's words on the Day of Pentecost, and 
 all the more were pricked in their heart. 
 
 ( Act 2: 23, ST; 1: 14.) 
 
 41. He will miserably destroy those
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXL 
 
 other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits 
 in their seasons. 
 
 4'J Jfiiius .saith unto them, Did ye never read in the 
 Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the 
 sume i- become the head of the corner: this ia the 
 Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 
 
 and will let out the vineyard unto other husband- 
 42 men, that shall render him the fruits in their sea- 
 sons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in 
 the scriptures, 
 
 The stone that the builders rejected, 
 
 The same was made the head of the corner : 
 
 This was from the Lord, 
 
 And it is marvellous in our eyes? 
 
 wicked men. The Kev. Version preserves 
 the verbal assonance of the Greek ; but the 
 Greek describes them as wicked evil they 
 are and evil shall be their fate. Instead of 
 drawing out this reply from the rulers, so as 
 to condemn them out of their own mouth 
 (comp. Nathan and David), our Lord in Mark 
 and Luke makes the statement himself. We 
 may perhaps suppose (Maid.) that he repeated 
 their statement, so solemnly and pointedly as 
 already to indicate that it meant them; thus 
 leading them to say " be it not so. " (Luke 20: is, 
 Rev. ver., margin.} At any rate there is no substan- 
 tial difference (comp. on 3: 17). Goebel: 
 " On one side the rhetorical question (in Mark 
 and Luke) is still an appeal to the assent of 
 the hearers to the statement introduced by the 
 question; and on the other, the acceptance of 
 the answer of the Sanhedrists by the Lord (in 
 Matt. > is equivalent in substance to a state- 
 ment of his own of the same purport." In 
 destroying the husbandmen, the owner acts as 
 also a sovereign (comp. 22: 7). 
 
 42. Our Lord now pointedly and severely 
 applies his illustration to the Jewish rulers, 
 whom he has been addressing ever since 21 : 
 23, and to the nation in general, (v. 42-44.) The 
 nation of Israel, after being established by 
 special divine act in the land of promise, and 
 provided with everything necessary for right- 
 eous living, failed to render to God the fruits 
 of righteousness, when called on by provi- 
 dential dealings and by inspired messages; 
 they have insulted and sometimes killed his 
 messengers the prophets, and are now on the 
 point of slaying his Son (comp. Acts 7 : 52.) 
 Yet this will not end the matter. The re- 
 jected one is God's chief corner-stone for the 
 temple of human salvation. 
 
 Did ye never read in the Scriptures? as 
 in 12: 3; 19: 4; 21: 16. Mark's phrase 
 ( 11:10, Bev.ver.) makes still more pointed the re- 
 buke of their ignorance, ' Have ye not read 
 even this Scripture' ? The term 'Scriptures' 
 or ' Scripture ' (22: 29; 26: 54, 56, and through- 
 out the New Test.) had a technical sense 
 among the Jews of our Lord's time, (just as 
 
 among us), denoting a certain well-known 
 group of sacred books "We learn from 
 Josephus and the Talmud, from Melito and 
 Origen (see work on The Canon), that this 
 group comprised exactly our Old Test., 
 neither more nor less, and was recognized as 
 definite and fixed. The Talmud states, it is 
 true, that in what must have been the latter 
 part of our first century, some Rabbis ques- 
 tioned, on internal grounds, whether Eccle- 
 siastes was sacred, and some others as to Solo- 
 mon's Song; but the final decision supported 
 those books, and there is no hint of any ques- 
 tion as to the other books so that the excep- 
 tion proves the rule. When therefore Jesus 
 and the apostles spoke of 'the Scriptures' or 
 'Scripture' as sacred and authoritative, they 
 knew that their hearers would understand 
 them to mean that well-known group of 
 books; and they have thus stamped their seal 
 upon the entire Old Test. 
 
 Our Lord's quotation is from Psa. 118: 22 f., 
 just preceding the words borrowed in the ho- 
 sannas of the multitude during the triumphal 
 entry (see on 21 : 9). The quotation follows 
 the Heb. and the Sept. without any notice- 
 able difference. Mark has the same. The 
 second couplet, 'This was from the Lord,' 
 etc., is omitted by Luke, and also by Peter, 
 who quotes the passage both in addressing the 
 Sanhedrin (AOU*:II), and in his first Epistle. 
 (z:7.)Comp.in general Isa. 28:16. The stone 
 which the builders rejected. A few miles 
 northwest of Jerusalem, on the Roman road 
 to Gibeon, may now be seen in an old quarry 
 a stone set on end, say 8x3x2 feet. As ob- 
 served from the road it is a good stone, but 
 on riding around you find a great flaw that 
 destroys its value. This stone was quarried 
 and offered, but when lifted up for inspection 
 was rejected by the builders, and there it 
 stands. Imagine such a rejected stone to be- 
 come the chief corner stone in some grand 
 building. The tradition sometimes repeated 
 that such a thing actually occurred in build- 
 ing the temple, doubtless grew out of this 
 passage and is worthless. The corner stones
 
 CH. XXL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 443 
 
 43 Therefore say I uuto you, The kingdom of God i 43 Therefore I say unto you, The kingdom of God shall 
 shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bring- 
 ing forth the fruits thereof. 
 
 44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be 
 broken : but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind 
 him to powder. 
 
 be taken away from you, and shall be given to a ua- 
 44 tion bringing forth the fruits thereof. And he that 
 falleth on this stone shall be broken to pieces : but on 
 whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust. 
 
 1 Some ancient authorities omit ver. 44. 
 
 of ancient buildings were often of enormous 
 size, and therefore very costly, 'precious.' 
 (i Pet. 2:6.) Thus even now at the southeast 
 corner of what was the temple area is seen 
 above ground a stone nearly 24 x 5 x 3 feet, 
 and at the southwest corner one about 32 x 3 
 x 2 feet (comp. on 24: 1). The same is be- 
 come, or simply became.* The head of the 
 corner does- not show clearly whether it 
 stands as the foundation, or as the topmost 
 stone, or elsewhere. It seems to be called 
 'head' simply from its prominence and im- 
 portance. This was 2 from ike Lord, is the 
 literal translation. Tyndale's paraphrase, 
 * This is the Lord's doing,' is very pleas- 
 ing. In the Psalm, the date of which is un- 
 certain, but probably after the captivity, 
 Israel seems to be the stone, conquered, car- 
 ried away, and flung aside as of no use, but 
 divinely destined to a future of importance 
 and grandeur. But there is atypical relation 
 between the history of Israel and the Messiah 
 (see on 2: 15), and our Lord shows us in this 
 passage a prophecy at the same time of him- 
 self. 
 
 43. This is given by Matt, only, being of 
 special moment to his Jewish readers. The 
 kingdom of God, the Messianic reign (see 
 on 8: 2), with its privileges and benefits. 
 Shall be taken away from you. This was 
 fulfilled partly in the destruction of Jerusa- 
 lem and of the Jewish State, and partly in the 
 fact that most Jews through their unbelief 
 failed of the Messianic salvation. And given 
 to a nation shows distinctly that it was to be 
 
 taken away not merely from the Jewish 
 rulers, whom our Lord has been principally 
 addressing, but from the Jewish people in 
 general though, as we learn otherwise, with 
 many individual exceptions, and with a pros- 
 pect in the far future (Rom. ch. n), which our 
 Lord does not here indicate. This other na- 
 tion will be the spiritual Israel, called by 
 Peter "a holy nation." (iPet.2:.) Comp. 
 Acts 13: 46; 18: 5. Bringing forth the 
 fruits thereof (comp. 3: 8; 7: 16 ff.), 
 living as is required of Messiah's subjects. 
 The image changes from that of paying the 
 owner's share of the fruits, to the more famil- 
 iar one of producing the fruits. Or perhaps 
 it is meant that the husbandmen were not 
 only unwilling to pay the owner's share, but 
 had failed to make the vineyard duly pro- 
 ductive. 
 
 44 is here of doubtful genuineness, 8 as it is 
 wanting in some documents, and might easily 
 have been brought in from Luke 20 : 18, where 
 there is no variation at all, while, on the other 
 hand, we can see no reason for its omission 
 here if originally present. It is at any rate a 
 real saying of our Lord on this occasion, as 
 we know from Luke. The passage evidently 
 refers to Isa. 8: 14 f., which is borrowed in 1 
 Pet. 2: 8, along with the quotation from Psa. 
 118, which has here just preceded. Broken, 
 Rev. Ver., broken to pieces, the Greek being 
 stronger than the mere ' broken.' Will grind 
 him to powder. So Tyndale, Gen., and K. 
 James. This would strike any one at first 
 sight as being what the image calls for. But 
 
 i It is very doubtful whether the aorist passive of this 
 verb Is anywhere perceptibly different in force from 
 theaorist middle. 'The stone ' in Greek is an accusa- 
 tive, by an unusual, but not unnatural nor wholly un- 
 exampled form of attraction. 
 
 * ' This ' and ' marvelous ' are feminine in the Greek, 
 and might grammatically refer to ke/thale, ' head ' (Ori- 
 gen, Meyer) ; but Matt, only follows the Sept., and the 
 feminine seems there a mere literal rendering of the 
 Heb., which having no neuter, uses the feminine for 
 general ideas, so that 'this means this thing or this 
 occurrence, as it would naturally be taken in English. 
 There are other examples in Sept., as Psa. 20: 4; 102 : 
 
 9; 119: 36; Judg. 15: 7. So our passage is understood 
 by Buttm., Jelf, most commentators; Win. and Alex, 
 hesitate. 
 
 'Wanting in D, 33, several copies of the old Latin, 
 and passed without mention In Origen's copious com- 
 mentary on this passage. Eusebius and I re men s copy 
 v. 33-43, and would hardly have failed to add so striking 
 a concluding sentence. Yet as the authorities for omis- 
 sion are few, and represent mainly the "Western" 
 group, which has so much arbitrary alteration of the 
 text, the question must >* left doubtful. The sentence 
 is only brnckKie.d in Laclim., Treg. (margin), and W II., 
 and see margin of Her. Ver.
 
 444 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXI. 
 
 45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had 
 heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of 
 ttu-iu. 
 
 46 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they 
 feared the multitude, because they took him for a 
 prophet. 
 
 45 And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard 
 his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. 
 
 46 And when they sought to lay hold on him, they 
 feared the multitude's, because they took him for a 
 prophet. 
 
 the Greek word nowhere has that meaning. 
 By etymology and general use, it signifies to 
 'winnow,' to separate the chaff from the 
 wheat; and derivatively to 'scatter,' like 
 chaff or dust. Memph. and Pesh. both here 
 render 'scatter.' There is doubtless an allusion 
 to Dan. '2: 35, "Then was the iron, the clay, 
 the brass, the silver, and the gold broken in 
 piec-cs together, and became like the chaff of 
 the summer threshing-floors, and the wind 
 carried them away, that no place was found 
 for them " (Rev. Ver.), in reference to which 
 passage a little later (:) the Sept. (Theodo- 
 tion) uses the Greek word here employed by 
 Matt, and Luke. The idea then is not simply 
 that of crushing, but of scattering into noth- 
 ingness. What then is the thought of our 
 passage? He who in unbelief finds this stone 
 an obstacle, smites against it and falls (comp. 
 on 11: 6; 5: 29), will not. only be bruised by 
 the fall, but broken to pieces, (isa.8: u ; iPet. 2:8.) 
 If he stumbles over Jesus as unfit to be a 
 Saviour, all his religious hopes will be utterly 
 destroyed. In the second clause the image is 
 somewhat changed. The stone is here con- 
 ceived not as the foundation stone, but as 
 placed higher up in the corner, perhaps at the 
 top, and some one tries to pull it down from 
 its placa ; but it falls upon him, and scatters 
 him like a puff of dust. Jesus came to be the 
 Messiah ; the Jews reject him, and thereby 
 utterly lose the Messianic felicity. He is not- 
 withstanding placed by God as the corner 
 stone of salvation ; the Jews try to pull him 
 down, to defeat the divine plan by putting 
 him to death, but in falling he will scatter 
 like chaff their schemes and themselves*. They 
 will have not only the loss which comes from 
 stumbling at him, but the terrible destruction 
 which comes from pulling him down on their 
 heads; while he, divinely replaced, will for- 
 ever remain the corner-stone of human salva- 
 tion. 
 
 45 f. The chief priests and Pharisees, 
 correspond to the chief priests and the elders 
 of 21 : 23. The chief priests, certainly at this 
 period, were for the most part Sadducees, 
 comp. on 26 : 57 ; 27 : 62. As to the Pharisees, 
 
 see on 3: 7. Had heard his parables, this 
 and that of 21 : 28 ff., and perhaps others not 
 recorded. Mark and Luke, having only 
 given this one, say 'parable.' That he 
 spake of them, not of them as distinguished 
 from the people at large, but especially of 
 them as being the leaders. (Comp. on v. 43.) 
 When they sought. This would cover not 
 merely actual efforts, but plans and wishes. 
 The Sanhedriu had some weeks before formed 
 the purpose to kill Jesus. (John ii: 47-53.) They 
 feared the multitudes, just as with refer- 
 ence to John the Baptist. (21:26; u:5.) Took 
 him for a prophet, the expression being, in 
 the correct text, a little different from that of 
 21:26. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 37. Reverencing the Son of God. 1) He 
 deserves to be reverenced by all mankind. 2 N 
 He came to men, and his own chosen people 
 (John i:ii) rejected and killed him, v. 39. 3) 
 He is now rejected and dishonored by many 
 who ought most to admire and revere him. 
 4) He is crucified afresh (Heb. 6:6) by some who 
 have professed to show him reverence. 5) 
 Yet, though rejected and slain, he is risen and 
 ascended and reigning, and multitudes do 
 reverence and serve him. 6) In the great 
 day every tongue will confess that he is Lord. 
 (Phii. 2: 9-11.) V. 41. HENRY: "Many can 
 easily prognosticate the dismal consequences 
 of other people's sins, that see not what will 
 be the end of their own." V. 42. "Did ye 
 never rea 1 in the Scriptures? " 1) If we had 
 read the Scriptures aright, they would solve 
 for us many a now perplexing question of 
 truth and duty. 2) If we had read the Scrip- 
 tures aright, we should clearly perceive that 
 they condemn us. 3) If we had read the 
 Scriptures aright, we should see in them 
 Jesus Christ the corner-stone of human sal- 
 vation. V. 43. ORIGEN: "The kingdom of 
 God is not given to any one that is reigned 
 over by sin." V. 44. Use and misuse of 
 the corner-stone. 1) God gave his Son to be 
 the corner-stone of salvation to all who will 
 
 accept him. (Isa. 28: 16; 1 Pet. 2:6; Eph. 2: 20.) 2)
 
 CH. XXII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 445 
 
 CHAPTEK XXII. 
 
 AND Jesus answered and spake unto them again by 
 parables, and said, 
 
 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, 
 which made a marriage for his son, 
 
 1 And Jesus answered and spake again In parables 
 
 2 unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened 
 unto a certain kiug, who made a marriage feast iur 
 
 Many stumble against that stone instead of 
 
 building Upon it (Isa. S: U; Rom. 9: 31 ff. ; 1 Pet. 2:8; 
 
 Matt. 11:6), and are broken to pieces by the fall, 
 (a) Some believe nothing in the Bible, (b) 
 Others do not believe that Christ is the founda- 
 tion of salvation by his atonement, (c) Others 
 think the vicious may build on Christ, but 
 they can build on themselves. 3) On many 
 that stone will fall and utterly destroy them. 
 (a) He will destroy by his providence their 
 plans of opposition to his kingdom, (b) He 
 will destroy themselves to all eternity. (25: 46; 
 
 Heb.:2; 2 Then. 1:9.) CALVIN: " This teaching 
 
 partly instructs us that with tender and flexi- 
 ble heart we may gently yield ourselves to be 
 ruled over by Christ; partly also confirms 
 us against the contumacy and furious assaults 
 of the ungodly, for whom at last a fearful end 
 is waiting." V. 45. HKNRY: "A guilty con- 
 science needs no accuser, and sometimes will 
 save a minister the labor of saying ' Thou art 
 the man.' When those who hear the reproofsof 
 the word perceive that it speaks of them, if it 
 do not do them good it will certainly do them 
 hurt." V. 45 f. CALVIN: "The Evangelists 
 show us how little Christ accomplished, in 
 order that we may not wonder if to-day the 
 gospel does not constrain all to obey God." 
 
 Ch. 22: 1-14. MARRIAGE OF THE KING'S 
 SON. 
 
 This is found in Matt, only, but the first 
 part resembles a parable given by Luke as 
 spoken some time earlier. (Luke 14 : 16-24.) Some 
 critics at once assume that only one parable was 
 given. But any man who ever went to and 
 fro as a preacher will know that to repeat an 
 iilustration to a new audience with some mod- 
 ification is perfectly natural (comp. at begin- 
 ning of ch. 5). So later in this same day, ch. 
 25 : 14 ff. will repeat Luke 19 : 11 ff. There 
 are examples in the Talmud of a like repeti- 
 tion and reworking of an illustration by dif- 
 ferent Rabbis, and why not this be done by 
 the same Rabbi? It has been held that a 
 parable cannot have been spoken at this point, 
 between the rise of the feelings described in 
 21 : 45 f. and the consultation of 22 : 15. But 
 
 why not? It required only a few minutes. 
 And 21: 46 is a general statement, covering 
 much that followed. The supposed Rabbin- 
 ical parallels to this parable ( Wiin., Edersh.) 
 are in fact so little like it as not to be worth 
 stating. To derive illustration from a feast 
 would be a matter of course. 
 
 1. Answered, not to anything that had been 
 said, so far as we know, but responded to tho 
 feelings and wishes (i :*at.) which he knew 
 were entertained. And spake again by 
 parables. Only one is given; there may 
 have been others, or this may have been re- 
 garded as comprising two (2-10, IMS), or the 
 plural may be (Goebel) only that of category, 
 meaning that he spoke parabolically. This 
 parable is not expressly applied, like the two 
 foregoing, because the application is now suf- 
 ficiently obvious, especially since 21 : 43. 
 Bruce: " The parable of the yjne-dressers 
 exposes Israel's neglect of covenanted duty; 
 this, her contempt of God's grace. The two 
 are mutually complementary, and present 
 together a full view of Israel's sin." For the 
 term parable, and the general principles of 
 interpretation, see on 13 : 3. 
 
 2 f. The kingdom of heaven, see on 3: 2. 
 Is like unto, see on 13 : 24. Unto a certain 
 king. Note the leading differences between 
 the present parable and that of Luke 14: 16 ff. 
 There it was simply ' a certain man,' here it is 
 a king ; there merely a 'great supper,' here a 
 marriage feast for the king's son. There he 
 sent once to summon the invited, here twice. 
 There they made excuse; here they make 
 light </f it, and some shamefully treat and kill 
 the king's messengers, and the king destroys 
 them and their city. Then in both parables 
 other guests are invited wherever they can ho 
 picked up. It thus appears that this later 
 parable brings out much more clearly tho 
 wickedness of the Jews in not simply reject- 
 ing God's general invitations of love, but dis- 
 honoring his Son, and killing his servants ; and 
 that difference exactly suits the change of cir- 
 cumstances. Very naturally the parable in 
 Luke is oftenest used in our pulpits, as it does 
 not so distinctively relate to the conduct of the
 
 446 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXII. 
 
 3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were 
 bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 
 
 4 Auain, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell 
 them which ure bidden. Behold, I have prepared my 
 dinner: my oxen and my fallings are, killed, uud all 
 things are ready : come unto the marriage. 
 
 3 his son, and sent forth his 1 servants to call them 
 that were bidden to the marriage feast: and they 
 
 4 would not come. Again he sent forth other J ser- 
 vants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, Behold I 
 have made ready niy dinner : rny oxen and my 
 
 1 Or. bondtervanti. 
 
 Jews. But this also, especially with the ad- 
 dition of v. 11-13, is full of solemn instruction 
 for all times. Made a marriage feast. 
 
 Some render this simply J a feast,' because 
 gamos 'marriage,' is used by the Sept. to 
 translate the Heb. for 'feast' in Esther 1 : 6, 
 co nip. 9 : 22; and it may be added that Pesh. 
 here translates back into the same word 
 feast that is there employed in the Heb. But 
 as there is no other known example of such a 
 use of gamos, it is better to understand it here 
 in the literal and common sense, especially 
 since ' for his son ' means the Messiah (comp. 
 21 : 37), and the Messiah is elsewhere also 
 represented as a bridegroom (2o:t;9: i; Johns: 29; 
 
 Bev. 21 : t, 9 ; Eph. 5 : 25-32), just 88 in the prophets 
 
 Israel is often the spouse of Jehovah. The 
 Greek word is here in the plural, (gamous), 
 and so in v. 3 and 4 (and Luke 12 :se), while it is 
 singular in v. 8, 11 f. The plural of a word 
 denoting a festival was ofteti used to indicate 
 its several parts or stages (Buttm. p. 23); 
 comp. our word nuptials. Wyclif here imi- 
 tates the Greek plural, ' made weddings.' In 
 modern English we could say, ' made & wed- 
 ding,' but the singular is wanted for the 
 Greek singular in v. 8, and so ' made a mar- 
 riage feast ' is our best translation. His ser- 
 vants, literally slaves (doulous), see on 8 : 6 
 and comp. 14 : 2 ; 18 : 23 ; 21 : 34. To call 
 them that were bidden, literally, 'to call 
 ttie called.' The guests were invited in ad- 
 vance and then, being close together in a 
 crowded Eastern city, and not generally sup- 
 plied with convenient time-pieces, they were 
 notified when the feast was ready. Comp. 
 Luke 14 : 17 ; Esth. 6 : 8 and 6 : 14. 
 
 4. Again he sent forth other servants. 
 The king kindly renews the summons, and 
 remonstrates, urging that he has prepared a 
 grand entertainment, and they really ought to 
 come. So in the foregoing parable (21: 36) the 
 householder sent others and more in number. 
 I have prepared, or, made ready, the same 
 Greek root as 'ready ' just below. My din- 
 ner, ariston, found also in Luke 11 : 38, while 
 deipnon, 'supper,' is found in 23: 6 and often 
 
 elsewhere in New Test., and both occur to- 
 gether in Luke 14 : 12. The ariston seems to 
 have been usually taken about the middle of 
 the forenoon, sometimes earlier or later; the 
 deipnon at the close of the day, often after 
 dark. Josephus ("Ant.," 6, 4, 2) supposes 
 that Eglon's guards (Jud g . 3:24) were negligent 
 about midday, "both because of the heat and 
 because their attention was turned to dinner" 
 (ariston). This would indicate that in Jose- 
 phus' own time the ariston was sometimes 
 taken as late as noon ; on the other hand in 
 John 21 : 12, 15 it is taken shortly after dawn. 
 Vambery (in Morison) says of the Turks at 
 the present time, " There are only two meals 
 during the day, the smaller one between ten 
 and eleven o'clock in the morning, and the 
 second and larger one after sunset." Grimm, 
 Plump., and others seem to be wrong in sup- 
 posing that the Jews of our Lord's time took 
 a separate and slight meal on rising, as the 
 later Greeks did, and some among the later 
 Romans. There is no evidence that the Jews 
 had more than the two meals. (See Smith's 
 "Diet.," Art. "Meals.") In the time of 
 Elizabeth and King James, the principal 
 meal in England was taken some time before 
 noon, and called 'dinner,' and the slighter 
 meal taken at the close of the day was called 
 'supper.' Accordingly in the early English 
 versions ariston is rendered 'dinner,' and 
 deipnon 'supper,' which conforms to the time 
 of day, but quite misrepresents the real im- 
 portance of the two meals. In modern city 
 life the words breakfast and dinner, the 
 former occurring at 9 to 12 o'clock, the latter 
 at evening, would correspond quite closely to 
 ariston and deipnon in the New Test, but it is 
 too late to make a general change (see Rev. 
 Ver. of John 21 : 12, 15). The marriage feast 
 mentioned in this parable is an ariston, curi- 
 ously resembling the English "wedding- 
 breakfast," while the feast of Luke 14: 16 is a 
 deipnon, as entertainments usually were. But 
 here the feast is either protracted, or more 
 likely delayed, until after night, (v. is.) As 
 new guests had to be summoned and must
 
 CH. .XXII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 447 
 
 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one 
 to his farm, another to his merchandise: 
 
 6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated 
 them spitefully, and slew them. 
 
 1 But when the king heard thereof \\z was wroth : and 
 he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murder- 
 ers, and burned up their city. 
 
 8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, 
 but they which were bidden were not worthy. 
 
 9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as 
 ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 
 
 6 failings are killed, and all things are ready : come 
 to the marriage feast. But they made light of it, 
 and went their ways, one to his own farm, another 
 
 6 to his merchandise: and the rest laid hold on his 
 1 servants, and entreated them shamefully, and killed 
 
 7 them. But the king was wroth ; and he sent his armies, 
 and destroyed those murderers, and burned their 
 
 8 city. Then saith he to his l servants, The wedding 
 is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy. 
 
 9 Go ye therefore unto the partings of the highways, 
 and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage 
 
 1 Or. bondtervant*. 
 
 have time to assume festive apparel, it might 
 well be night before the festival was actually 
 in progress, and the king entered. Or the 
 nriston may have been intended as a pre- 
 liminary banquet, while the marriage would 
 occur at night. (25:6.) In 1 Cor. 11: 20, "the 
 Lord's deipnon " seems to give the idea of a 
 banquet to which the Lord invites. My oxen 
 and my fallings, beeves and fatted calves, 
 1 as in 2 Sam 6:13; 1 Kings 1 : 9, where Adoni- 
 jah made a royal feast. Come is the same 
 strong and urgent word as in 11 : 28. 
 
 5-7. They made light of it, a great insult 
 to a king, whose invitation was the highest 
 honor, and who was celebrating an occasion 
 of peculiar interest. These showed contempt 
 by going off to their every-day employments, 
 and those that remained showed even murder- 
 ous hatred, a spirit of rebellion against the 
 king and his son. (P. *:, 12.) One to his 
 farm. His own farm, is the exact meaning of 
 the Greek ; ' he was caring exclusively for his 
 own affairs. Another to his merchandise, 
 his mercantile business. The remnant, 
 rather, the rest, which is not only simpler but 
 a more exact translation. Took, or, seized, 
 a stronger term than is 21 : 35, 39. Entreated 
 them spitefully. Shamefully (so Cranmer) 
 is better than 'spitefully' ; we might say sim- 
 ply 'insulted them.' But the king was 
 wroth, a strong word. When . . . heard 
 thereof, is a spurious addition to the text. 
 Sent forth his armies. Our word 'armies' 
 now always suggests a large number of sol- 
 diers, which is not true of the Greek word; 
 Plump, proposes 'troops.' Destroyed those 
 
 murderers. They were also rebels. Goebel: 
 "The hitherto peaceful image of an invita- 
 tion to a marriage feast is now changed into 
 the warlike image of a military raid with fire 
 and sword against murderous rebels." And 
 burned up their city, which may be thought 
 of as among the suburbs of the capital where 
 the wedding feast occurred. There is no ne- 
 cessity for supposing that this order was carried 
 out before the king sent forth to invite other 
 guests. (-8.) An autocratic sovereign had but 
 to give the order, and could then turn his 
 attention to other things. 
 
 8-1O. Into the highways.* Lit. the part- 
 ings of the highways, colloq., 'the forks of the 
 roads,' where the roads leading out from the 
 city separated each into two or more roads. 
 There the country people coming in from dif- 
 ferent directions could all be seen and invited. 
 V. 10 has the simple term highways, which 
 is enough without repeating the precise direc- 
 tion. It is surely over-refinement to say 
 (Bishop Lightfoot on Revision), "In this 
 change of expression we seem to see a refer- 
 ence to the imperfect work of the human 
 agents as contrasted with the urgent and un- 
 compromising terms of the command" ; but 
 certainly the two phrases ought to be kept 
 distinct in the translation, which was not done 
 by Tyndale and followers, and imperfectly 
 done by Wye. and Rheims. In Luke 14: 
 21 if. the messengers were sent first into the 
 streets and lanes of the city, and afterwards 
 into the roads outside; here only the latter 
 are mentioned. Meyer oddly concludes that 
 the capital was the city burned, and none but 
 
 1 Winer, Buttm., Grimm, suppose that here and in 25 : 
 14, and some other passages idiot loses its proper sense, 
 and means not ' his own,' but simply his. But none of 
 the passages require this weakened sense, and therefore 
 it is not justified. 
 
 * The term rendered 'partings' is not found else- 
 where in the New Test. The frequent Sept. sense of 
 outlet' would answer here, if the expression were 
 
 " difzndoiu of the street*," but not when it \s"diexi- 
 dout of the roads." Is there any clear instance of htxio*, 
 ' way,' ' road,' being applied to the street of a city ? The 
 preposition dia here has its frequent force (In compound 
 words) of division, from the primary seuseof 'between.' 
 Many have been misled, here and elsewhere, by suppos- 
 ing that dia must necessarily mean ' through.'
 
 448 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXII. 
 
 10 So those servants went out into the highways, and 
 gathered together all as uiauy as they found, both bad 
 and good: and the wedding was furnished witli guests. 
 
 11 And when the kingcauie in to see the guests, he 
 saw there a mail which had iiot on a wedding gar- 
 ment: 
 
 10 feast. And those ' servants went out into the high- 
 ways, and gathered together all as many as they 
 found, both bad and good: and the wedding was 
 
 11 filled with guests. Hut when the king came in to 
 behold the guests, he saw there a man who had not 
 
 1 Or. bondiervanti. 
 
 country people could now be invited ; but 
 'their city' (v. 7), seems clearly to distinguish 
 it from the city in which the king lived. As 
 many as they found, both bad and good. 
 
 They do not stop to discriminate as to social 
 position or even moral character. This alludes 
 to the fact that some very wicked persons 
 would become Christians. The bad are men- 
 tioned first, so as to emphasize the king's 
 grace. And the wedding, or, according to 
 the more probable Greek text, the bridal-hall 1 
 was furnished, filled, the literal and exact 
 meaning, with guests, withpersons reclining, 
 viz., at table. See on 8: 11. 
 
 The meaning of the parable up to this point 
 is plain. The benefits and delights of the 
 Messianic reign are represented under the 
 image of a marriage feast in honor of God's 
 Son. The Jewish people had long before been 
 invited to enjoy the feast. God had sent his 
 servants the prophets from time to time (we 
 may include John the Baptist), to call them 
 to the wedding. But many had been utterly 
 indifferent, caring only for their worldly pur- 
 suits; and some had insulted and slain his 
 messengers. These murderers God will most 
 severely punish. Then his servants will go 
 forth and bring in, no longer the chosen peo- 
 ple originally indicated, but Gentiles, includ- 
 ing .ome very wicked persons, and these will 
 form the honored guests. If the destroyed 
 city of v. 7 be supposed to point specially to 
 the destruction of Jerusalem, then we may 
 understand that the new messengers of v. 8 
 are the apostles, sent forth to the Gentiles. 
 They began before Jerusalem was destroyed, 
 but not before its destruction had been fore- 
 told as inevitable and near at hand. (23:38; 
 *4: 15 ff.) The very Greek phrase ' not worthy ' 
 of v. 8 is applied by Paul to the Jews in Acts 
 
 1 In X B (first hand) L the word is not gamos ' wed- 
 ding,' but numphon, a rare word, meaning the place 
 where the bride is, and found elsewhere only in the 
 sense ' bride-chamber' (9 : 15 ; TobU 8 : 14, n). The obvious 
 inappropriateness of that sense here would account for 
 the change to gamos (from v. 8), while we could not ex- 
 plain the introduction of a word apparently so unsuit- 
 able. Etymologically it could easily signify 'bridal 
 
 13: 46, and rendered 'unworthy.' Thus 
 neglect and outrage on the part of the Jewish 
 nation will not prevent the Messiah from 
 having a people (John 6: 37), nor mankind from 
 enjoying the Messianic benefits, the feast of 
 salvation. This parable, therefore, repeats 
 the idea of the foregoing that the Jews will be 
 severely punished for slighting and slaying 
 God's messengers, but brings out more fully 
 the thought that others will enjoy the benefits 
 they have lost. (Comp. 21 : 41 with 21 : 7-10.) 
 Jesus here still looks sadly at the past and 
 present, but also looks hopefully to the future. 
 11-13 present a new feature of the parable, 
 having nothing like it in Luke 14 : 16-24. V. 
 10 makes the transition from the main para- 
 ble to this further lesson, as is shown (Goebel) 
 by the phrase 'those servants,' whereas 'the 
 servants' would have been natural in a mere 
 conclusion of the foregoing narrative. The 
 king's directions were carried out, and the 
 bridal hall filled with persons reclining at the 
 banquet; but they were not all suffered to 
 enjoy the feast. When the king came in to 
 see the guests, rather behold, not simply 'to 
 see,' but to look at them as a pleasing spec- 
 tacle. (:i; n ; 7.) This is not the forenoon me:il 
 originally intended or begun with, for it is 
 now night, (v. is.) A man. He represents a 
 principle (Bruce), and therefore a class; comp. 
 the one slothful servant in 25: 24. Had not 
 on a wedding garment, a dress suitable for 
 attending a wedding. We do not know of any 
 specific wedding dress, as distinguished from 
 that appropriate to other festive occasions ; 
 but the guests must come properly arrayed. 
 Oriental monarchs now frequently present 
 some elegant article of apparel to a visitor ; 
 and hence it has been widely supposed by 
 commentators that in this case the king had 
 
 hall,' the place of the wedding banquet, and so be en- 
 tirely appropriate. Yet the mere fact that ' was filled,' 
 suggests a room (comp. Luke 14: 23) would not account 
 for a change from the sufficiently suitable term gamos 
 to an apparently quite unsuitable word. Tisch., W H., 
 and Weiss read numphon, and Treg. (who had not K) 
 placed it in his margin.
 
 CH. XXII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 449 
 
 12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how earnest thou 
 in hither not having a wedding garment ? And he was 
 speechless. 
 
 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand 
 and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer 
 darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of 
 teeth. 
 
 14 For many are called, but few are chosen. 
 
 12 on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, 
 Friend, how caiues thou in hither not having a wed- 
 
 13 ding garment? And he was speechless. Then the 
 king said to the 'servants, Bind him hand and foot, 
 and cast him out into outer darkness; there shall be 
 
 14 the weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are 
 called, but tew chosen. 
 
 1 Or, ministers. 
 
 furnished suitable apparel, and this man had 
 refused or neglected to put it on. But the 
 evidence furnished for such a custom (e. g., 
 by Trench) is not adequate; and if the sup- 
 position be here made, it must be grounded on 
 the necessity of the case. There is, however, 
 no intimation that the man was poor. This is 
 uot a charitable feast to the poor (Lukei4:is), 
 but a grand entertainment in honor of the 
 king's son. A forenoon b:\nquet was origi- 
 nally proposed and it is now night, so that there 
 has been ample time for preparation. We 
 may then suppose either that the man ought 
 not to have come in at all if unable to dress 
 himself properly, or that he might have sought 
 help from the king under the peculiar cir- 
 cumstances if he had felt a proper anxiety to 
 be attired worthily of the occasion. At any 
 rate, his presence without proper dress was 
 tacitly admitted by himself to be quite inex- 
 cusable, and was regarded by the king as a 
 flagrant insult, deserving the severest punish- 
 ment. No light is gained by supposing a 
 reference to Zeph. 1 : 6 f., where the imagery 
 is quite differently used. Friend, or comrade, 
 see on 20: 13. And he was speechless. 
 This shows that he felt himself to be entirely 
 without excuse ; he fully knew what was 
 proper, and it was not beyond his reach. Our 
 pulpit interpretation had better hold fast to 
 this fact and not distract attention by discuss- 
 ing the question whether wedding garments 
 were furnished. Said to the servants, the 
 attendants (diakonois, see on 8: 6). including 
 others besides his slaves (T. s, e); Rheims 
 'waiters.' Bind him hand and foot, and 
 cast him. The inserted words take him 
 away and, are wanting in the best manuscripts 
 and nearly all early versions, and though 
 really useless the phrase is not objectionable, 
 so that it is clearly an addition of the copy- 
 iats. The binding would prevent his return to 
 the bridal hall, and would leave him helpless 
 in the darkness. Into (the) outer darkness 
 (see on 8: 12), which would be oppressively 
 
 dark by the contrast of the brilliantly lighted 
 palace. 
 
 What now is the application? Those who 
 repent and propose to be subjects of the Mes- 
 sianic reign must become righteous in charac- 
 ter and life or they cannot enjoy its benefits. 
 (5:20; Heb. 12:14.) It is not enough for a man 
 to place himself in outward relation to the 
 kingdom ; he must also develop the corre- 
 sponding character and conduct. There have 
 always been persons who desired the temporal 
 and eternal advantages which Christianity 
 offers, without caring to be and to do what it 
 requires. Those who accept God's bounty in 
 the gospel, the salvation that is not by works 
 but according to his mercy, must "be careful 
 to maintain good works" (Titus3:4-8) ; other- 
 wise they insult God, and disgrace the feast 
 of salvation, and will not be allowed to share 
 it yea, will be severely punished. The les- 
 son here taught is thus seen to be of the 
 greatest importance. But to bring in the 
 Pauline conception of imputed righteousness, 
 and understand the parable to teach that we 
 must " put on the wedding-garment of 
 Christ's righteousness," is altogether out of 
 place, and turns attention away from the real 
 lesson. 
 
 To leave no doubt as to what is meant by 
 'the outer darkness,' our Lord adds, there 
 shall be the weeping and gnashing of 
 teeth (see on 8: 12), the well known signs of 
 wretchedness in Gehenna, the place of eter- 
 nal punishment. (13:42; M:SO, 46, cmp. on5:K.)This 
 
 clause cannot be taken as spoken by the king, 
 and is easily understood as an addition made 
 by our Lord, like that which immediately 
 follows. 
 
 14. For many are called, but few are 
 chosen. This is a general fact added as ac- 
 counting for the particular fact described in 
 the parable (notice 'for'). Many are called 
 to share the Messianic benefits, but few are se- 
 lected actually to attain them: a large por- 
 tion of the called utterly refusing to accept, 
 
 2D
 
 450 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XXII. 
 
 15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how 
 they might entangle him in his talk. 
 
 15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how 
 
 and some even of those who profess accept- 
 ance not developing the corresponding char- 
 acter and life. This selection of the actually 
 saved may be looked at from two sides. From 
 the divine side, we see that the Scriptures 
 teach an eternal election of men to eternal 
 life, simply out of God's good pleasure. 
 From the human side, we see that those per- 
 sons attain the blessings of salvation through 
 Christ who accept the gospel invitation and 
 obey the gospel commandments. It is doubt- 
 ful whether our minds can combine both 
 sides in a single view, but we must not for 
 that reason deny either of them to be true. 
 This sentence is unwarrantably borrowed by 
 many documents (and the common text) as 
 an addition- to 20: 16. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 5. "They made light of it." 1) Manj; 
 men acknowledge no obligation to honor the 
 Son of God. 2) They take no pleasure in 
 contemplating his character and showing him 
 respect. 3) They are engrossed with their 
 own worldly possessions and pursuits, and 
 care for nothing that he offers. 4) They thus 
 deprive themselves of the highest benefit, and 
 offer him the grossest insult. V. 7. HENRY : 
 "Christ will have a kingdom in the world, 
 though many reject the grace and resist the 
 power of that kingdom." V. 8. God's for- 
 bearance and wrath. 1) He is not repelled by 
 refusal, but kindly urges the invitation, v. 4. 
 2) He chastises those who insult him and out- 
 rage his messengers, v. 7. 3) He condescends 
 to call many whom the world would have 
 thought unfit for such an honor, v. 8-10. 
 4) He punishes those who pretend to accept 
 his invitation, but dishonor him by utter in- 
 consistency, v. 11-13. V. 12. CHRYS.: "Rev- 
 erence the love of him who called you, and 
 let no one continue to have filthy garments, 
 but let each of you busy himself about the 
 clothing of your soul." V. 14. The called 
 and the chosen. 1) The many are called in 
 good faith, and it is their own fault if they 
 do not have part in the feast. 2) There are 
 various reasons why so large a number of the 
 called fail, (a) Some turn away in contempt- 
 uous neglect, through worldly engrossment, 
 v. 5. (b) Some hate him who calls and out- 
 
 rage even those who bring the call, v. 6. (c) 
 Some profess to accept it, but take no pains 
 to have the corresponding character and con- 
 duct, v. 11 f. 3). The few who are chosen 
 give proof of it by accepting the call and be- 
 having accordingly. 4) These enjoy the feast 
 of salvation, gladly honor the Son of God, 
 and humbly ascribe all to sovereign grace. 
 JEROME: "He sums up all these parables in 
 a brief sentence, to the effect that in working 
 the vineyard, and in building the house, and 
 in the marriage feast, not the beginning but 
 the end is the great matter." 
 
 15-46. QUESTION AND ANSWER IN THE 
 TEMPLE. 
 
 This is found also in Mark 12 : 13-37 ; Luke 
 20 : 20-44. 
 
 It was customary for any one who desired it 
 to ask questions of a Rabbi in public, even 
 interrupting him at pleasure. The Talmud 
 gives many examples, and sometimes the 
 Rabbi replied with further interrogation. So 
 with the Athenian philosophers, especially 
 Socrates, who reduced questioning to a science. 
 The leading priests and Scribes felt themselves 
 pointedly assailed by Jesus in the three para- 
 bles just given, especially in 21: 28-32,43-45. 
 It was determined upon consultation to attack 
 the Nazarene with hard questions before the 
 multitude, hoping to extract from him some 
 answer that would offend popular prejudice or 
 provoke the Roman authorities, and at any 
 rate hoping to show that he was not greatly 
 superior to other Rabbis. Accordingly, three 
 questions were successively proposed by rep- 
 resentative persons, the first by Pharisees and 
 Herodians united, the second by Sadducees, 
 the third by a Lawyer. To all these Jesus 
 made prompt and wonderfully wise replies, 
 and then finished by asking them a question 
 of the deepest importance, which they were 
 unable to answer. These four instances of 
 question and answer hang closely together in 
 the narrative, being all given in the same 
 order by Matthew and Mark, and all except 
 the third given also by Luke. They occurred 
 in the temple court, probably on Tuesday, 
 three days before the crucifixion. 
 
 I. 15-22. THE PHARISEES AND HERODI- 
 ANS ASK ABOUT TRIBUTE TO CESAR. Mark 
 12: 13-17; Luke 20: 20-26. Then does not
 
 CH. XXII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 451 
 
 16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with [ 16 they might ensnare him in fii-s talk. And they send 
 
 the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art 
 true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither 
 carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the 
 person of meii. 
 
 to niui their disciples, with the Herodians, saying, 
 1 Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest 
 the way of God in truth, and carest not for auy one ; 
 
 necessarily (see on 3: 13), but does naturally 
 indicate that this was on the same occasion as 
 the foregoing (comp. on 14: 1); Mark and 
 Luke have simply 'and.' Went, from where 
 Jesus was teaching, to some other part of the 
 temple courts. The Pharisees, see on 3 : 7. 
 Entangle. This literally means, to catch in a 
 snare or trap. Their disciples, see on 5: 1; 
 the leading Kabbis send some of their astute 
 pupils, while they themselves stand aloof to 
 watch the result, and so are not committed to 
 .any subsequent co-operation with the Herod 
 party. With the Herodians. When Ar- 
 chelaus (see on 2: 22) was in A. B. 6 deposed 
 from the ethnarchate of Judea and Samaria, 
 and those districts were placed under a Roman 
 governor (see at end of chap. 2), the Jews 
 were much divided in sentiment. Secular- 
 ists preferred the new arrangement, as giving 
 security to business and property; and with 
 these the Sadducees generally sympathized. 
 Many Pharisees bitterly opposed it on the 
 ground that Jehovah's people ought not to be 
 subject to heathen rulers. Some persons in- 
 sisted that another prince of the house of 
 Herod ought to be appointed over Judea and 
 Samaria, even as Herod Antipas was still per- 
 mitted to rule over Galilee and Perea; and it 
 was doubtless hoped that some prince of the 
 family would one day regain all the domin- 
 ions of Herod the Great, as was at length 
 done for a few years by Herod Agrippa. (ACU 
 12:1.) These persons gradually came to be 
 known as Herodians, i. e., partisans of Herod, 
 comp. Pompeians, Cesarians, Christians (Acts 
 ii: 26), the Latin termination anus being 
 used to denote a follower of a political .leader. 
 This political party probably had the sym- 
 pathy of the less rigorous Pharisees, as offer- 
 ing the only available alternative to direct 
 heathen rule; while the great body of the 
 Pharisees hated them, since the Herod princes 
 were, after all, only appointees and under- 
 lings of the Romans. (Comp. Smith'.-' 
 "Diet.") As Roman governors continued 
 to rule over Judea and Samaria, the Herod 
 party would gradually diminish, and accord- 
 ingly it is mentioned only here (with Mark 
 
 12: 13), and in Mark 3:6; not at all in Jose- 
 phus, the Talmud, or elsewhere whence it 
 follows that the above or any other theory of 
 their origin must be partly conjectural. When 
 Herod Agrippa became king of all Palestine 
 in A. D. 41, the lingering supporters of his 
 family in Judea must have greatly rejoiced, 
 but all men by that time saw that no politi- 
 cal position was longer possible except sub- 
 mission or hostility to the Romans, and so it 
 is natural that we should hear no more of a 
 Herod party. When the Pharisees united 
 Herodians with themselves in the effort to 
 ensnare Jesus, it was obviously through the 
 cohesive power of a common jealousy towards 
 one popularly regarded as the Messiah ; for if 
 recognized as such, they were sure he would 
 overthrow the Herod family everywhere, and 
 depose the present Jewish officials. On the 
 earlier occasion in Galilee, nearly two years 
 before this, according to most harmonists 
 (Mark 3:6), the Herodians could be relied on to 
 excite Herod Antipas against Jesus; here, 
 they represent Roman sympathies, since on 
 the Romans all Herodian hopes now really 
 depended. Luke (20: 20, R. v.) does not men- 
 tion Pharisees or Herodians, but says that the 
 Scribes and the chief priests sent 'spies,' or in 
 modern phrase detectives, 'which should feign 
 themselves to be just' which agrees with their 
 attempt at flattery in Matt. and wished to 
 find an excuse for delivering him to 'the 
 governor,' i. e., Pilate a design here repre- 
 sented by the Herodians. Master, or Teacher 
 (didaskalos], see on 8: 19. We know, with- 
 out emphasis on 'we.' They said it in a far 
 different spirit from Nicodemus (JoimS:i); 
 what they said was really true, but they 
 meant it only as flattery. By this flattery 
 they would embolden the teacher to speak 
 out against the Roman rule, for they well 
 knew in advance that only through the 
 Romans could they compass his deuth. The 
 way of (iod, the way in which God would 
 have men walk ; this would include the ques- 
 tion whether the people of God ought to do so 
 and so. Thou regardest not the person of 
 men. This is one of several Greek phrases
 
 452 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXII. 
 
 17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou ? Is it law- 
 ful to give tribute unto Cesar, or not? 
 
 18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, 
 Why tempt ye uie, ye hypocrites ? 
 
 17 for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us 
 therefore, what thinkest thou ? Is it lawful to give 
 
 18 tribute unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived their 
 wickedness, and said, Why try ye me, ye hypocrites? 
 
 representing a peculiar Hebrew idiom, which 
 probably signified originally (Morison) to lift 
 up the face of a prostrate suppliant, and so to 
 show him favor, and hence came to signify 
 regard for a person in the good sense, or in 
 the bad sense regarding the person rather j 
 than the justice of the cause ; in Hebrew and 
 Greek the term ' face ' was derivatively used j 
 for person. The flatterers meant that Jesus | 
 would follow principle and truth without 
 fear or favor. (Comp. Gal. 2- 6; Rom. 2: 
 11.) 
 
 17. Is it lawful, or permissible, allowable 
 (see on 14 : 4) ; there is no direct reference to 
 law, whether Jewish or Roman. Or not ; 
 they wish him to say yes or no, as when law- 
 yers try to corner a witness. Tribute. The 
 Latin word census is borrowed in the Greek 
 of Matt, and Mark, while Luke has the gen- 
 eral term 'tribute.' Census in Latin signifies 
 a registration of persons and property ^as we 
 borrow it in English), and hence a tax on 
 either. But here it signifies simply a poll-tax 
 (comp. on 17 : 25), Pesh. Syriac 'head-money.' 
 Of course the principle was the same, whether 
 the question concerned poll-tax or tribute in 
 general ; the former touched the poorest, and 
 was, as it is among us, a matter of greater 
 popular interest and complaint. Cesar is 
 the general term for the Roman imperator or 
 emperor, applied to Augustus in Luke 2 : 1, 
 Tiberius in Luke 3:1; Claudius in Acts 17 : 7 ; 
 Nero in Acts 25 : 8 ff. ; Phil. 4 : 22. The 
 family name of the great Julius thus became 
 a title, and in modern times (Kaiser, Czar) is 
 more honorable than even king. Paying the 
 head-tax to Roman authorities was the most 
 immediate and humiliating recognition of 
 subjection to the heathen. Judas of Galilee 
 (Jos. "Ant.," 18, 1, 1 and 6) headed a fierce 
 insurrection against the first Roman governor 
 (A. D. 6) for making a census with a view to 
 taxation, saying that God was "their only 
 Ruler and Lord," and that the census "was 
 leading them right straight into slavery." 
 He perished, and Gamaliel tells us that his 
 followers "were scattered abroad." (Acts 5 : 37, 
 Her. ver.) But the sentiment represented by 
 that movement still burned in many bosoms. 
 
 Josephus says that Judas the Galilean was 
 "the founder of a fourth philosophy," whose 
 followers agreed in all other things with the 
 Pharisees, but were fanatics for liberty, and 
 that this led to the insurrection (in A. D. 66) 
 which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem. 
 At that later period they were called Zealots, 
 and it is supposed that Simon the Zealot (iO: 4) 
 had belonged to the party, and also perhaps 
 Barabbas. (27:17.) We may therefore be sure 
 that among the easily excited crowds who 
 filled the temple courts when Jesus was 
 asked this question, there were many who 
 regarded paying the poll-tax as the very 
 badge of slavery to the heathen, and as trea- 
 son against Jehovah, the theocratic king of 
 Israel. 
 
 18-22. Jesus perceived their wicked- 
 ness, or as we should say, their villainy. 
 With smooth, flattering words they cgme, 
 asking a question which they thought would 
 prove a hopeless dilemma. He was desired 
 to say either yes or no. If he said yes, the 
 Pharisees would loudly proclaim, through all 
 the temple courts and every day, that the 
 Nazarene said it was proper to pay tribute to 
 Caesar, which showed that all notion of his 
 being the King Messiah must be ridiculous 
 and that in fact he was neither patriotic nor 
 pious. If he said no, the Herodians would go 
 straight to Pilate. The Romans cared noth- 
 ing for questions pertaining to the religion of 
 a subject nation (comp. Acts 25 : 18-20), and 
 interfered very little with local affairs, pro- 
 vided always the people kept the peace and 
 paid the taxes. So confident were the Jewish 
 rulers that this plea would be effectual before 
 Pilate that three days later with flagrant false- 
 hood they told him, " We found this man 
 forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and saying 
 that he himself is Christ, a king" (tuke23:2, 
 Rev. ver.). Why tempt ye me, testing him 
 with hard questions, in hope of drawing him 
 to say something injurious to himself. (Comp. 
 on 16 : 1 and 19 : 3.) Ye hypocrites (see on 
 6 : 2 and 15: 7) ; they were pretending great 
 admiration for him as a teacher, and pretend- 
 ing faithful allegiance to Cesar (John i: is), and 
 pretending a lofty patriotism and piety. Jesus
 
 Cn. XXII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 453 
 
 19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought 
 unto him a "penny. 
 
 20 And he saith unto them, Whose is. this image and 
 * superscription ? 
 
 21 They say unto him, Cesar's. Then saith he unto 
 them, Render therefore unto Cesar the things which 
 are Cesar's ; and unto God the things that are God's. 
 
 22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, 
 and left him, and went their way. 
 
 19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought 
 
 20 unto him a l denarius. Ancl he saith unto them, 
 
 21 Whose is this image and superscription? They say 
 unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Ren- 
 der therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's ; 
 
 22 and unto God the things that are God's. And when 
 they heard it they marvelled, and left him, and 
 went their way. 
 
 a la value sevenpence half peuoy : ch. 20 : 2. . . .4 Or. inscription. 1 See marginal note on cb. xviii. 28. 
 
 showed them by this term (Bengel) that he 
 was indeed ' true,' and ready to speak out. 
 Shew me the tribute money, the coin used 
 in paying the poll-tax. It was natural that 
 the Roman coin should be commonly used in 
 paying it, as there was no exact equivalent in 
 other coins. Hebrew shekels, etc., from the 
 days of the Maccabaean kings, and various 
 Greek coins 0? = , Bev. ver. margin), were also in 
 use. The Herod family and the procurators 
 were allowed to coin onty copper money 
 (Lutter. ) ; any new silver coins were of neces- 
 sity Roman. The emperors, down to Vespa- 
 sian, as a concession to Jewish feeling, had 
 coins made for that province without the 
 head of the emperor (Keim), which would 
 have been offensive as a "graven image." 
 But Roman coins from other provinces 
 would of course come into Judea, especially 
 at the festivals, and one of these hap- 
 pened (as we say) to be handed to Jesus. 
 A penny, properly 'a denarius,' a Roman 
 coin, equal to about seventeen cents of our 
 money. (Comp. on 18: 28.) This was the 
 price of a day's labor in the parable (20: 2), 
 and the daily wages of a Roman soldier (out 
 of which he paid for his food), and seems 
 also to have been the poll-tax at this time. 
 Image and superscription, or 'inscription.' 
 The former translation might suggest some- 
 thing written above the image, whereas the 
 Greek word means only something written 
 (or graven) on the coin. (Morison.) Many 
 such coins are still extant, bearing the head 
 of some emperor, with words giving his name 
 and the value of the coin. Lightfoot quotes 
 from the Talmud that "if a king's coin is 
 current in a country, the men of the country 
 do thereby evidence that they acknowledge 
 him for their Lord"; and there are various 
 other testimonies to the same effect. Wftnsche 
 tries to show the existence of an expectation 
 that the Messiah would declare the Roman 
 coins uncurrent, which expectation would be 
 
 an interesting illustration of this passage if 
 its existence were better established. 
 
 Our Lord's reply is one of those great say- 
 ings of his which cut into the heart of things 
 (comp. 15: 11; Mark 2: 27), clearing up dif- 
 ficulties that had long perplexed many honest 
 and devout Jews, and occasioned vain wrang- 
 ling without end. Under the theocracy, re- 
 ligious duties and civil duties were both duties 
 to the same Divine Ruler, and men had little 
 occasion to distinguish between them. There 
 was, indeed, as Geikie reminds us, a some- 
 what similar confusion of religion and civil 
 government among heathen peoples, as for 
 example the Roman emperor was always chief 
 priest. Now, however, that the Jewish civil 
 government was administered by heathen 
 rulers, the distinction between civil and re- 
 ligious duties was of great importance, but the 
 j people in general did not perceive that distinc- 
 i tion. Jesus holds up the coin, which be- 
 i longs to Cesar, which they use as furnished by 
 him, and thus vividly shows that there are 
 , duties to the civil ruler which are distinct 
 j from duties to God, and do not necessarily 
 I conflict with them. In another sense, every 
 duty to other men or to ourselves is at the 
 same time a duty to God, but that is not here 
 the point. Paul afterwards expressed the 
 j Saviour's teaching on the subject in definite 
 precept, when writing to Christians at the 
 (capital of the empire (Rom. is : 1,5) ; comp. 
 ! 1 Pet. 2: 13-17. This was another case of our 
 Lord's giving an object-lesson, like the child 
 (18:2), the fig-tree (":i), the feet-washing. 
 Render as in 16: 27; 21: 41, literally give 
 back, translated 'pay' in 5: 26; 18: 25, 28; 
 20: 8. The idea here seems to be, "You got 
 this from Cesar, pay it back to him." CHRYS. : 
 " For this is not to give (v. IT), but to give back." 
 The things which nre Cesar's, not merely 
 the tax, but all that citizens owe the civil 
 government, one matter here suggesting all. 
 The things that are God's, not simply the
 
 454 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XXII. 
 
 23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which 
 say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, 
 
 21 Saving, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having 
 no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise 
 up seed unto his brother. 
 
 i"> Now there were with us seven brethren: and the 
 first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and having 
 no issue, left his wife unto his brother: 
 
 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the 
 seventh. 
 
 27 And last of all the woman died also. 
 
 23 On that day there came to him Sadducees, 1 who 
 say that there is no resurrection: and they asked 
 
 24 him, say ing, - Master, Moses said, If a man die, having 
 no children, his brother 8 shall marry his wife, and 
 
 25 raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with 
 us seven brethren: and the first married and deceased, 
 and having no seed left his wife unto his brother; 
 
 26 in like manner the second also, and the third, unto 
 
 27 the * seventh. And after them all the woman died. 
 
 -1 Muuy ancient authorities read, saying 2 Or, Teacher 3 Gr. shallperfo 
 
 wife. Compare Deut. xxv. 5 4 Gr. seven. 
 
 the duty of a husband's brother to his 
 
 temple revenues, but all ceremonial and moral 
 duties. The notion that, like the coin, our souls 
 are stamped with the image of God, and must 
 therefore be yielded to his service (Tert., 
 Origen, and many), is a mere fancy. They 
 marvelled. With all their hostility they 
 could not help seeing that he had not only 
 escaped from the dilemma (comp. Luke 20: 
 26), but had wonderfully cleared up an im- 
 portant question. Yet when there was time 
 to reflect, they could not fail to perceive that 
 Jesus had distinctly declined the role of a 
 political and revolutionary Messiah, and this 
 would gradually alienate from him the 
 popular heart. (Comp. Weiss, "Life.") 
 
 II. 23-33. THE SADDUCEES ASK AS TO 
 THE RESURRECTION. Mark 12 : 18-27 ; Luke 
 20: 27-40. This is a second hard question 
 from a new source. V. 25-28. The same 
 day seems clearly to show the close connec- 
 tion with what precedes; Mark and Luke 
 again have simply 'and.' The Sadducees 
 (see on 3: 7). Omit 'the.' It was not 'the 
 Sadducees ' as a class, but some persons be- 
 longing to that party. Which say. The 
 participle without the article here probably 
 means indefinitely ( Jelf, $ 451, Obs. 2) ' persons 
 who say ' (as Mark, and as Origen paraphrases 
 Matt), while with the article it would 
 be 'those persons who say,' 1 as Luke. 
 That there is no resurrection, not only 
 doubting but denying. This particular nega- 
 tive tenet of theirs (Acts 23: a) is named to ex- 
 plain what follows. It must have been well 
 known that Jesus taught the resurrection of 
 thedead. (Johns: 29; Luke is -M.) Master, teacher, 
 as in 22 : 16. These priestly aristocrats prob- 
 
 ably felt contemptuous; but they were gentle- 
 men, and must be civil ; one seems to detect a 
 tone of polished scoffing in their attack. 
 Moses said, in Deut. 25: 5 f. The quotation 
 is condensed but without important alteration. 
 Mark and Luke have ' his brother shall take 
 his wife,' etc., as in Septuagint. Matt., writ- 
 ing especially for Jewish readers, takes pains 
 to transiate more exactly the Hebrew, as Sept. 
 does in Gen. 38 : 8. The Hebrew has a pecu- 
 liar verb representing this peculiar law, yeba- 
 mah yibbemah, 'her husband's brother shall 
 husband's brother her,' shall act the part or 
 perform the duty of a husband's brother to 
 her. (See margin of Rev. Ver. in Matt.) 
 From the late Latin levir, ' brother-in-law,' 
 this precept of Deut. is commonly called the 
 levirate law. A like usage exists now in 
 Arabia, the Caucasus, and elsewhere (Smith's 
 "Diet." Art. "Marriage"). It was an old 
 custom (Geu. 38:^8), which Moses did not abolish, 
 but regulated and restricted, as he did with 
 diVorce (see on 5: 32) and blood revenge. 
 N"o actual case is recorded in Old Test., but 
 the custom is alluded to in Ruth 1 : 11-13, and 
 a related practice in Ruth 4: 1 ff. In our 
 Lord's time the law was*but little observed, as 
 there was then less concern about maintaining 
 families and family estates. The right of the 
 husband's brother to decline (Deut.25: T ff.) is 
 declared in the Mishna (Edersh.) to take pre- 
 cedence of the obligation to perform, and 
 there was a growing disposition to limit the 
 practice. The case described here. by the 
 Sadducees need not be supposed to have 
 actually occurred. As in a parable, they tell 
 the story for illustration. Seven is natural in 
 
 iThe article is omitted by N B D M S Z, about fifty 
 cursives. JEtlt., and some Fathers. The participle 
 without it would at first sight seem to mean 'came to 
 him, saying,' which would be an incongruous and im- 
 probable sense, though it is so understood by Old 
 Syriac and Pesh. The difficulty would be easily removed 
 
 by copyists through the mere insertion of the article. 
 The indefinite use of the participle after an indefinite 
 noun, ' Sadducees, (persons) who say,' though infre- 
 quent is unquestionable. So with the reading of 
 W H. in 23 : 24.
 
 CH. XXII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 455 
 
 28 Therefore in the resurrection, whose wife shall she 
 be of the seven ? for they all had her. 
 
 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not 
 knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. 
 
 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor 
 are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in 
 heaven. 
 
 Jl But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have 
 ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, 
 saying, 
 
 28 In the resurrection therefore whose wife shall she be 
 
 29 of the seven? for they all had her. But Jesus an- 
 swered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing 
 
 30 the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the 
 resurrection they neither marry, nor Tire given in 
 
 31 marriage, but are as angels 1 iu heaven. But as 
 touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not 
 
 1 Many ancient authorities add, of God. 
 
 such a story as a round number. One ima- 
 gines they had often nonplussed the Pharisees 
 with the question, in the resurrection whose 
 wife shall she be ? The Pharisees generally 
 held that the resurrection life would be a mere 
 reproduction of this life, with all its relations 
 and conditions restored and made permanent. 
 The Cabalistic book Sohar, written late, but 
 with much early material, says, "The woman 
 who has married two in this world is in the 
 world to come restored to the former." Mai- 
 monides (twelfth century) taught that chil- 
 dren would be produced in the world to come. 
 Some Kabbis in the Talmud declare (Wet., 
 Won.) that in the world to come there would 
 be no eating and drinking, no trading, no 
 marriage and production of children. But it 
 is evident that the other opinion generally 
 prevailed. 
 
 29 f. Ye do err. He speaks with kindness 
 and decision. Not knowing the Scriptures, 
 nor the power of God. Bengel: "The 
 resurrection of the dead rests on the power of 
 God ; and our faith in a resurrection rests on 
 the Scriptures." These Sadducees were ac- 
 customed to deny that the Scriptures so 
 taught, and doubtless also maintained, as 
 skeptics in all subsequent times have done, 
 that a resurrection of the body is impossible. 
 But 'the power of God ' can accomplish it, 
 and that not by merely restoring the condi- 
 tions of this life, but by exalting to a different 
 and higher type of existence. For introduces 
 the explanation of the difficulty. In the res- 
 urrection, in the state of things represented 
 thereby, in the risen life. They neither 
 marry, etc., viz., in the sense of earthly 
 marriage, which under its physical aspects, 
 
 is necessarily an exclusive relation, so that a 
 woman cannot here be the wife of several 
 men at the same time. There is nothing in 
 this statement to forbid the persuasion, else- 
 where countenanced in Scripture, that the re- 
 lations of earthly life will be remembered in 
 the future state, the persons recognized, and 
 special affections cherished with delight; and 
 we can imagine that exalted and spiritualized 
 conjugal affections may then and there exist 
 towards more persons than one. The idea is 
 hard to accept now, only because we do not 
 realize how great changes of feeling will 
 accompany existence in the glorified body 
 
 (l Cor. 15: 44; Phil. 3: 21.) In heaven, the 1OV6 of 
 
 two that were successive husbands may be as 
 little mutually exclusive as the love of two 
 children or two sisters, and yet be intense, 
 peculiar, and delightful. This is another of 
 those sayings by which our Lord at one stroke 
 cut into the heart of some difficulty, and laid 
 it open. Comp. on v. '21. But are as the 
 angels in heaven,! viz., in being exalted 
 above merely physical conditions and rela- 
 tions. Luke's expression, 'are equal unto thn 
 angels,' amounts to the same thing. There is 
 nothing at all here to imply that the saints 
 become angels (comp. on 18: 10). Our Lord 
 at the same time teaches that tho Sadducees 
 are wrong in denying the existence of angels. 
 31*33. Having explained how they err 
 through not knowing 'the power of God,' 
 he now shows their ignorance of the Scrip- 
 tures on this subject. (*. ) Have ye not 
 read, comp. on 21 : 42; 12: 3. Spoken unto 
 you by God. God spoke thus to Moses 
 (E*.s:6), and presently (3: 15) bade him speak 
 likewise to the children of Israel. Matthew 
 
 !The addition'of God,' margin (Rev. Ver.) is wanting 
 in B D, two cursives, most copies of the Old Latin, Old 
 Syriac, Tlieb., Arm., and repeatedly in Origen. We 
 might regard this as a " Western " omission, followed 
 by B. and Orlgen (as does sometimes happen), but for 
 the fact that one sees nothing to cause the omission. 
 
 On the other hand, ' angels of God ' would be a natural 
 marginal note to explain 'angels in braven,' and might 
 then easily creep into the text. Several of the docu- 
 ments which add tho words here add them in Mark 
 also.
 
 456 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. XXII. 
 
 3'J I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, 
 and the God of Jacob ? Uod is uot the God of ths dead, 
 but of the living. 
 
 33 And when the multitude heard this, they were as- 
 tonished at his doctrine. 
 
 34 But wJien the Pharisees had heard that he had put 
 the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 
 
 read that which was spoken unto you by God, say- 
 
 32 ing, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, 
 and the God of Jacob? God is not the. God of the 
 
 33 dead, but of the living. And when the multitudes 
 heard it, they were astonished at his teaching. 
 
 34 But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had 
 put the Sadducees to silence, gathered themselves 
 
 and Mark quote from v. 6, Luke from v. 15. 
 Luke says, 'even Moses signified.' It was in- 
 ferred from this by Tert., Origen, Chrys., 
 Jerome, and has been often repeated, that the 
 Sadducees recognized none of the sacred 
 books as authoritative except the Pentateuch. 
 But there is no proof of more than that they 
 valued the Pent, more highly than the other 
 books, which was true in some degree of all 
 the Jews. Luke's expression is sufficiently 
 accounted for by the fact that apparent proofs 
 of the resurrection were familiar in the pro- 
 phets. Jesus means to say, not only have the 
 prophets shown it, but even Moses. The 
 God, v. 32, is in italics in Rev. Ver. ; it is 
 naturally understood to complete the sense. 
 The Sadducees denied a resurrection of the 
 body and any existence of spirits (Aets23:s) ) 
 which position would exclude a separate im- 
 mortality of the soul, and so there is no occa- 
 sion to doubt the statement of Joseph us 
 ("War," 2, 8, 14) that "they do away with the 
 continued existence of the soul, and the pun- 
 ishments and rewards in Hades." Indeed the 
 idea of separate immortality of the soul was 
 little present to the mind of the Palestinian 
 Jews, and the question lay simply between a 
 resurrection of the body, and no future ex- 
 istence ; so also in 1 Cor. ch. 15. If the pas- 
 sage of Exod. be taken in the superficial 
 sense, an objector might fairly deny that it 
 proves a resurrection of the dead. It might 
 mean simply, "I am he who was the God 
 of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob during their 
 life, and this is a pledge that I will be 
 the God of their descendants." We cannot 
 insist on the present tense 'am,' as many have 
 followed Chrys. in doing; for the verb is not 
 expressed at all in Murk nor in the Hebrew, 
 and therefore certainly cannot be emphatic. 
 But our Lord is the authority (7:29) for under- 
 standing the passage in a profounder sense, 
 even as he claimed to reveal God. (11:27.) God 
 here speaks of his covenant with the patri- 
 archs; and the Eternal One would not make 
 and avow such a covenant save with those 
 whose existence is permanent. Our Lord 
 then does not so much argue from the passage 
 
 in its obvious meaning, as authoritatively 
 expound it in a deeper sense. To explain in 
 this way the difficulty which the passage rep- 
 resents is not entirely satisfactory, but it is 
 certainly more natural and reasonable, on the 
 very lowest ground, than to suppose that 
 Jesus failed to see the fallacy which would 
 otherwise lurk in the argument. The Tal- 
 mud (Wiin.) tells of Rabbi Gamaliel (not 
 Paul's teacher, but a later Rabbi) as con- 
 vincing some Sadducee by arguing from 
 'them' in Deut. 11 : 9, "in the land which 
 the Lord sware unto your fathers to give 
 them " ; and of another Rabbi as proving the 
 resurrection from Exod. 6: 4, "to give them 
 the land of Canaan," viz., (T. s) to Abraham, 
 Isaac, and Jacob. These do not involve the 
 profound thought of the passage used by our 
 Lord, and even these (Edersh.) may have 
 been only poor imitations of his teaching. 
 The multitudes . . . were astonished as 
 in v. 22; 7 :28; 13: 54, at his doctrine, lit. 
 teaching, see on 7 : 28. Luke says that some 
 of the Scribes (not of the Sadducees) an- 
 swered, "Teacher, thou hast well said." 
 
 The story of the woman taken in adultery 
 (joim 7: 53 to 8: a), which certainly does not be- 
 long where the common tejct gives it in John, 
 is placed after Luke 21 : 38 by the lost uncial 
 represented by the four cursives, 13, 69, 124, 
 346. This would put it on the day of these 
 several attacks upon Jesus, which it strikingly 
 resembles both in aim and in result. As the 
 story is in all probability historically true 
 (see Hovey on John), it may perhaps be sup- 
 posed that the interview really occurred on 
 this day. Lange ("Life") and Ellicott 
 would place it at the point we have now 
 reached, Hitzig before the question of the 
 Sadducees, Weiss before the question about 
 tribute to Cesar; which latter view suits the 
 phrase " early in the morning." (Johns: i.) 
 
 III. 34-4O. A LAWYER ASKS WHICH is 
 THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. Mark 12 : 28-34. 
 Luke does not give this, probably because he 
 had given a similar teaching in connection 
 with the parable of the Good Samaritan, 
 some months earlier. (Lukeio: as or.)
 
 CH. XXII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 457 
 
 35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a 35 together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked liiui a 
 question, tempting hiiu, and saying, | 36 question, trying him, blaster, which is the great 
 
 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the 37 commandment in the law? And he said unto him, 
 law ? Thou shall love the Lord thy Uod with all thy heart, 
 
 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy 
 God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, aud with 
 all thy mind. 
 
 1 Or, Teaclter. 
 
 34-36. The rivalry between the Pharisees 
 and the Sadducees (see on 3 : 7) here appears. 
 The former, who had withdrawn (v. 22), were 
 doubtless pleased to find the Sadducees beaten 
 in argument, their perhaps celebrated and to 
 the Pharisees very perplexing question solved, 
 and the doctrine of the resurrection more 
 firmly established in the popular mind ; but all 
 the more was it important that they them- 
 selves should make a further attack upon the 
 Na/arene, lest his followers should think him 
 victorious over all. When the Pharisees 
 had heard. This may refer to the leading 
 Pharisees who had put forward the juniors. 
 (2-2:i6.) Put the Sadducees to silence. 
 The passive of the same verb is rendered 'was 
 speechless' in 22: 12. It signifies literally to 
 muzzle (,1 Cor. 9:9), then to silence, (i Pet. 2:15.) 
 They were gathered together, either for 
 consultation as to their next move (cornp. v. 
 15), or to give the weight of a large attendance 
 to the new enquiry. One of them ... a 
 lawyer. Mark, 'one of the Scribes.' The 
 Scribes, from being authorized copyists of 
 the law, and thus minutely acquainted with 
 the text, had come to be recognized as 
 authoritative expounders of its meaning, 
 (see on 2: 4). In this capacity they were 
 called 'lawyer*,' a term found also six times 
 in Luke, and in Titus 3: 13, and which may 
 have been applied only to such Scribes as were 
 particularly noted for their interpretations of 
 the law. Some of them acted as formal 
 ' teachers of the law' (law professors), Luke 
 6: 17; Acts 6: 34; 1 Tim. 1:7. As the law 
 of Moses united civil and religious precepts, 
 these lawyers must be described to the modern 
 mind as half lawyer, half theologian, corre- 
 sponding to the original and proper use of the 
 title LL. D., a Doctor of Laws, i. e., of both 
 civil law and canon law. They w. re looked j 
 up to as great authorities. But their citations i 
 anl interpretations of Scripture-law were j 
 often belittled by petty quibbling, and were 
 loaded with references to former decisions , 
 (comp. on 7 : 29), both of these being vices not ' 
 
 confined to the lawyers or theologians of any 
 one age. Tempting him. (Comp. on 22: 
 18; 16: 1). Putting him to the test, with the 
 hope that he would say something unpopular, 
 or perhaps that he might be drawn into a bit- 
 ter and wrangling discussion. This the law- 
 yer docs as representative, and apparently by 
 request, of the many Pharisees assembled. 
 Mark shows (12: 28), that the lawyer himself 
 had been favorably impressed by our Lord's 
 answer to the Sadducees, and was a man in- 
 clined to true devoutness. The apparent con- 
 flict between this and Matthew's statement is 
 removed by the supposition just made. To 
 understand 'tempting' here in the good sense 
 (Plump., Morison), is contrary to the nearly 
 uniform and very frequent use of the word in 
 the New Test., and does not harmonize with 
 the tone of Matthew's narrative. Which is 
 the great commandment in the law? 
 More literally this would be : What sort of 
 commandment is great in the law ? And such 
 is the exact sense in 19 : 18 ; 21 : 23. The Jews 
 were fond of classifying the commandments 
 as great and small, or weighty and light. (: 23.) 
 Wunsche thinks that the object of so doing 
 was to decide rightly in case of conflict between 
 several precepts and prohibitions, since the 
 rabbis taught that there was the same reward 
 for observing the light as the weighty. Some 
 held (Talmud Jer.) that "the words of the 
 Scribes surpass the words of the law; for the 
 words of the law aro weighty and light, but 
 the words of the Scribes are all weighty." 
 The special hope in asking this question may 
 have been (Keim) that he would take position 
 for or against the "oral law." Our Lord's 
 reply ( ) shows that he recognized a differ- 
 ence in the importance of the command- 
 ments. 
 
 37 f. Jesus said. 'Jesus' is wanting in 
 some of the best documents, and was readily 
 inserted by copyists (comp. on 14: 14). With 
 all thy heart, etc., literally, 't'n alt,' the love 
 dwelling in the heart. (Comp. on 3: 11). 
 The Hebrew (Deut. 6: 4f.) has heart, soul,
 
 458 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXII. 
 
 38 This is the first and great commandment. 
 
 39 And i he second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy 
 neighbour as thyself. 
 
 4U On these two commandments hang all the law and 
 the prophets. 
 
 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus 
 asked them, 
 
 38 and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This 
 
 :;'.i is t lie great and first commandment. 'And a second 
 
 like imto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as 
 
 40 thyself. On these two commandments haiigeth the 
 whole law, and the prophets. 
 
 41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, 
 
 1 Or, And a second it like unto it, Thou thalt love, etc. 
 
 might. We have repeatedly observed that in 
 Hebrew usage the heart is regarded as the 
 seat of thought and volition, as well as emo- 
 tion. (See on 6: 21). A kindred Greek use 
 is found only in Homer and the tragic poets 
 (Lid. and Scott) ; for late Greek prose some 
 other expression might seem to be needed. 
 Accordingly, in Sept. heart is here rendered 
 by a word equivalent to 'mind'; though in 
 2 Kings 23: 25 it translates literally 'heart, 
 soul, might,' and 'heart, soul' in Deut. 
 10 : 12 ; 30 : 6. Matthew retains ' heart 
 and substitutes 'mind' for the general term 
 ' might,' which of course here denotes mental 
 and not physical power; Mark and Luke give 
 both 'mind' and ' might,' and presently Mark 
 (i: 83) has the Scribe stating it as heart, under- 
 standing, might. All these amount to the 
 same thing, piling up different terms to show 
 that all our faculties and affections must be 
 occupied with love to Jehovah. The first 
 and great commandment, 1 greatest in im- 
 portance, and first in proper order of state- 
 ment. 
 
 39 f. After answering the immediate ques- 
 tion, Jesus further states what is the second'. 
 This is quoted from Lev. 19: 18, same in Heb. 
 and Sept. Like unto it, viz., like in na- 
 ture, as being a commandment to love, and 
 perhaps like as being also very important. 
 On these two commandments hang, etc. 
 Literally, as in Rev. Ver., hangeth the whole 
 law, the verb being singular in the correct 
 Greek text. Like the peg on which garments 
 hang, these great precepts upheld all the other 
 precepts of the law, yes, and of the prophets. 
 (Comp. on 7 : 12.) Every thing commanded 
 in the Old Test, may be included under one 
 or the other of these (comp. Romans 13: 8 f.) ; 
 and all the instructions and promises serve to 
 help in fulfilling these great precepts. A 
 Rabbi once said ( Wiin.), " Name a little say- 
 ing on which all essential teachings hang. 
 
 'In all thy ways acknowledge him.' (Prov. 
 3:6.)" Plutarch says (Wet.): '"Know thy- 
 self,' and 'Nothing in excess'; for on these 
 hang all the others.' " We see from Luke 
 10 : 27 that at least some of the ' lawyers ' were 
 wont themselves to combine these two great 
 commandments, as together telling what must 
 be done in order to "inherit eternal life"; 
 yet we may be sure they took a far less broad 
 and spiritual view of them than Jesus took. 
 The two are quoted from different books, but 
 our Lord declares them similar, and places 
 them in close relation. Some religionists in- 
 cline to dwell on the first and neglect the 
 other, some unbelievers eulogize the second 
 and care nothing for the first. But there is no 
 earnest and intelligent love to God without 
 love to our neighbor ; and the love of our 
 neighbor derives its fundamental and neces- 
 sary sanction from love to God. The second 
 precept cannot stand alone, even in theory. 
 Why should I subdue egoism and lift altruism 
 to a level with it? Certain skeptical philoso- 
 phers say that natural sympathy by frequent 
 exercise hardens into altruism. But suppose 
 this has not happened with me ; why should 
 I feel it my duty to sacrifice my interest or 
 inclination for the benefit of others? The 
 true and only sufficient answer is, that 
 supreme duty to God includes and authenti- 
 cates duty to man. Mark tells us (12:32,34) 
 that the Scribe fully recognized the pro- 
 priety of the answer, and the superiority of 
 these great ethical duties to all religious 
 ceremony ; and seeing that he answered sensi- 
 bly, Jesus said, " Thou art not far from the 
 kingdom of God." 
 
 IV. 41-46. JESUS QUESTIONS THE PHARI- 
 SEES AS TO DAVID'S SON AND LORD, Mark 
 12: 35-37 ; Luke 20: 41-44. Having answered 
 all the questions so as to command the ad- 
 miration even of his enemies, our Lord finishes 
 the conversation by turning on the Pharisees 
 
 i This was changed by many documents from 'great 
 and first' to ' first and great,' as smoother. We can see, 
 upon reflection, that the phrase properly begins with 
 
 'great,' because that was the point of the inquiry; but 
 copyists, like modern compositors, seldom had time to 
 reflect.
 
 CH. XXII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 459 
 
 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he ? 
 They say uuto him, The son of David. 
 
 43 He saith unto them,-How then doth David in spirit 
 call him Lord, saying, 
 
 42 Jesus asked them a question, saying, What think ye 
 of the Christ? whose son is he? They say unto 
 
 43 him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How 
 then doth David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying, 
 
 with a question which they cannot answer 
 (v. 46; comp. 21: 27), and which ought to 
 set them to thinking how defective are their 
 conceptions of the Messiah. He knew that 
 he would be condemned by the Sanhedrin for 
 saying that he was "the Christ, the Son of 
 God "(26: 63-66; comp. John 5: 18); and he 
 defends himself in advance (Godet) by point- 
 ing out that the Messiah cannot be a mere 
 man. He takes occasion for this while the 
 Pharisees were gathered together. (Comp. 
 v. 34.) What think ye of (We) Christ? What 
 is your opinion concerning the Messiah ? Pul- 
 pit interpretation of the Com. Ver. has often 
 treated 'What think ye of Christ?' entirely 
 according to our present use of the term 
 'Christ'; but with the article it evidently 
 means 'the Messiah.' (Comp. on 2: 4.) This 
 general question is then especially applied, if 
 not restricted, to the added inquiry, Whose 
 son is he? To this there could be but one 
 answer, according to universal Jewish opin- 
 ion and recognized Scripture teaching (comp. 
 9: 27; 12: 23; 15: 22; 20: 30; 21: 9, 15; John 
 7: 41 f.) ; in Mark and Luke our Lord refers 
 to the fact that the Scribes so taught. 
 
 43-45. Jesus here quotes the first verse of 
 Psalm 110 as said by David in (the) spirit, 
 and said concerning the Messiah. Certain 
 critics maintain that Psalrn 110 was not writ- 
 ten by David, and does not rela'te to the Mes- 
 siah. Now, if this be really so, let us all 
 recognize the fact, and modify accordingly 
 our conceptions as to the teachings of Jesus, 
 and as to inspired teaching in general; for 
 here would be the Saviour asserting two things 
 which are both untrue, and making them the 
 basis of his argument. This psalm is oftener 
 quoted in the New Test, as Messianic than is 
 any other portion of the Old Test. Besides 
 the quotation here, which is recorded by 
 Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it is quoted by 
 Peter in Acts 2: 33-35, by Paul in 1 Cor. 15: 
 25, in Heb. 1: 13; 10: 12 f. ; and is distinctly 
 alluded to as Messianic in Eph. 1: 20; Heb. 
 1: 3; 1 Pet. 3: 22; while v. 4 is made the 
 basis of a Messianic argument in Heb. 5: 6 to 
 7: 23. The psalm is expressly ascribed to 
 David by Jesus himself in all three Gospels, 
 
 and by Peter at the Pentecost, basing his ar- 
 gument on that fact; and 'David' certainly 
 cannot be here understood, as some wish to 
 understand it in several other passages, to 
 mean merely the book of Psalms; for the ar- 
 gument both of the Saviour and of Peter re- 
 fers to the man himself. The inscription, "A 
 Psalm of David," at least shows that such 
 was an early Jewish opinion. It was re- 
 garded as Messianic by Jewish expositors 
 (comp. Edersh., App. IX.) up to the tenth 
 century (Toy) ; the mediaeval Jewish writers 
 doubtless began to deny it in order to escape 
 the Christian argument. 
 
 On what grounds then do some assert that 
 the psalm was not written by David, and does 
 not refer to the Messiah ? The matter is of 
 such interest as to justify a detailed statement. 
 
 (1) It is urged that the ps-ilm cannot have 
 been written by David, because the writer 
 speaks of David as 'my Lord.' Therefore 
 some think it was written by a contemporary 
 I and addressed to David ; so Ewald, Meyer. 
 ! A divine oracle from Jehovah was given 
 ' David, as in v. 1, and the poet started from 
 this. But David may in high prophetic vision 
 be speaking immediately of the Messiah. 
 There is no certain example of this elsewhere 
 in the Old Test., unless Moses' prediction of a 
 prophet like himself (Deut. is: is) be thought nn 
 exception. It is always primarily David, or 
 Solomon, or Cyrus, or Israel, etc., and then 
 secondarily the Messiah. But our Lord says 
 that Abraham saw his day and rejoiced 
 (John : 56); and this being true, it is certainly 
 possible that David may have done likewise. 
 Jesus distinctly says that this is the case ; that 
 David does here address the Messiah as Lord. 
 If prophecy involves supernatural knowledge 
 of the future, this miy/it be, the moaning; if 
 Jesus possessed supernatural insight into 
 Scripture, this is the meaning. If the critic 
 assumes, as many destructive critics really do, 
 that neither prophet nor Saviour possessed 
 any truly supernatural knowledge, then the 
 argument may as well be dropped, or must be 
 transferred to another department of inquiry. 
 (2) Toy : "The psalm is an address to a king, 
 whose capital was Jerusalem, announcing his
 
 460 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXII. 
 
 coming victories over enemies, and his estab- 
 lishment in the dignity of priest. There is 
 nothing on its face to indicate that it referred to 
 any other person than the one addressed ; or 
 that this person was other than a contempo- 
 rary of the poet ; there is no such pointing 
 to a coining man as in Isa. 11, Mic. 5, and 
 other prophetic passages; it is a present mon- 
 arch to whom the psalmist speaks." But if 
 there is any real Messianic prophecy in the 
 Old Test., then it is natural that such a 
 prophecy should draw imagery from a king 
 at Jerusalem. There may be nothing on 
 the face of the psalm which without assist- 
 ance would have shown us that it is Mes- 
 sianic; but there is nothing to show that it is 
 not, and the Founder of Christianity in- 
 forms us that it is Messianic. As to the 
 use of present tenses, many prophecies de- 
 scribe future events as present or even as past. 
 In this second case also, the whole argument 
 really turns upon the question whether there 
 was a supernatural element in the teaching of 
 Jesus. (3) It is objected that most of the 
 psalm describes a conqueror and a temporal 
 sovereign, and so it cannot be an immediate 
 prediction of the New Test. Messiah. But 
 the Messiah is necessarily described through 
 images, and is in various other prophecies 
 conceived of as a king and conqueror. We 
 need not suppose that David or Abraham 
 foresaw the Messiah's offices and experiences 
 in all respects. (4) It is urged that the idea 
 of a Messiah-priest is foreign to the Old Test., 
 which knows only a Messiah-king, (Reuss). 
 But this is a Messiah-king, who is declared to 
 be also priest; and Jehovah recognizes that 
 there is no parallel in Israel by seeking one 
 in Melchize'dek. (5) Some say that to find in 
 the actual history a priest-king, we must 
 come down to Jonathan the Maccabee. Yes, 
 farther still, to Alexander Jannaeus (B. c. 
 105 to 78) ; and even Alexander's is not a par- 
 allel case, for he was a priest becoming king, 
 while the psalm has a king made also priest. 
 Even without the supernatural, certainly 
 ideas might arise in literature before the facts 
 occur in life. Besides, David and Solomon 
 
 sometimes offered sacrifice, assuming tempo- 
 rarily the functions of priest; and the psalm 
 speaks of its king as a priest forever. So the 
 idea is not impossible or unintelligible for the 
 men of David's time. And though supernat- 
 ural prophecy usually drew its imagery from 
 the actual, it certainly might make new and 
 easy combinations of existing objects or ideas. 
 (6) The language has been held to show a far 
 later time than that of David. Some critics 
 have laid stress on this argument and after- 
 wards silently abandoned it. Hitzig insists 
 that two words in the psalm clearly prove it 
 to have been written after the captivity. 1 But 
 Ewald says: "As also the language of the 
 song does not oppose, it is to be regarded as 
 certain that the king is David ; for king and 
 kingdom appear here at the highest point of 
 nobleness and glory." Hitzig's proofs from 
 language cannot be very strong, when Ewald 
 brushes them so unceremoniously aside. In 
 fact, they amount to practically nothing. 
 
 These are all the objections that are known 
 to have been adduced. Only the first and 
 second have any considerable force, and cer- 
 tainly they are very far from being conclu- 
 sive. Yet these are the grounds upon which 
 some even of reverent critics take the position 
 that Jesus has here based an important argu- 
 ment upon two downright errors. It is true 
 that the knowledge of our Lord's human 
 mind was limited (comp. on 21 : 19) ; but that 
 is a very different thing from saying that it 
 was erroneous, and that he used error as a 
 means of instructing and convincing others. 
 
 In (the) spirit. The Greek expression, if it 
 stood alone, would be ambiguous, for it might 
 mean, as all the early English versions here 
 render, 'in spirit,' viz., in his own spirit (as in 
 John 4: 23). But the term Spirit soon be- 
 came among the Christians equivalent to a 
 proper name, and so might be understood as 
 definite without an article, meaning the Holy 
 Spirit (as in John 3: 5). Now in the par- 
 allel passage of Mark (i2:36B.v.), it is 'in the 
 Holy Spirit.' We cannot always determine 
 the exact meaning of language from a parallel 
 passage. But here the connection is precisely 
 
 1 Tne word yaldulh, ' youth,' is found elsewhere only | geresh. But the very word migrash is used as a noun in 
 in Eccl., which it is taken for granted was written after Num. and Josh. And mishhar, though found only here, 
 the exile. The word mishhar, ' morning,' is held to be is a regular Hebrew formation, not characteristically 
 a late formation by addition, instead of the simple i Aramaic. So mishak. laughter, is found only in Hab. 
 thahar, like mesar, migrash, Ezek. 36: 5, instead of sar t 1: 10; and mlstar, dominion, only in Job 38: 33.
 
 CH. XXIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 461 
 
 44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sitthou on my right ! 44 
 hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool ? 
 
 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son ? 
 
 46 And no man was able to answer him a word 
 
 neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any 
 more questions. 
 
 The Lord said unto my Lord, 
 Sit thou on my right hand, 
 Till I put thine enemies underneath thy feet ? 
 45 If David then cutlet h him Lord, how is he his son ? 
 
 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, neither 
 durst any man from that day forth ask him any more 
 questions. 
 
 the same, and so Mark's expression may be 
 taken as defining that of Matt. Comp. ex- 
 actly the same Greek phrase in Rev. 1: 10; 
 4: 2, ?nd nearly the same in Rom. 9 : 1 ; 1 Cor. 
 12: 3. As to the idea here con veyed, comp. 
 Acts 4: 25; Heb. 3: 7 (quoting a psalm), 
 and 10: 15; also 9: 8, where the Spirit teaches 
 through a type, and 2 Pet. 1 : 21. These pas- 
 sages strongly assert that the Holy Spirit 
 speaks through David in Psalm 2 and 110; 
 also that he speaks in Psalm 95 and Jer. 31 : 
 33; and that he speaks through the prophets 
 in general. There is here no theory of inspi- 
 ration ; nothing taught as to the precise na- 
 ture or modus operandi of that influence of 
 the Spirit under which David spoke. But it 
 evidently means a supernatural influence. 
 
 The Septuagint here exactly translates the 
 Hebrew, and is closely followed in Luke, 
 Acts, Hebrews. But instead of 'as the foot- 
 stool of thy feet,' Matt, and Mark in the cor- 
 rect Greek text have simply 'underneath thy 
 feet,' which was readily changed by copyists to 
 agree with the Sept. 1 The Lord said unto 
 my Lord. In the Hebrew, 'Jehovah ( Ynh- 
 weh) said unto my Lord.' The later Jews 
 had a superstitious dread of pronouncing the 
 proper name of the God of Israel, and when 
 they came to it in reading would substitute, 
 as the Jews do to this day, Adonai, the Lord. ! 
 Accordingly the Sept. translators, who were ! 
 Jews, rendered the proper name by Kurios, \ 
 'Lord.' When the Massoretic scholars, some | 
 centuries after Christ, undertook to write ! 
 vowels under the consonants of the Hebrew 
 words, they gave to the proper name, J hv h\ 
 the vowels of the word Adonai which they ! 
 were accustomed to substitute, with a slight 
 modification of the first vowel which Hebrew 
 
 usage warranted. This has led to the modern 
 pronunciation Jehovah. But there can be 
 no doubt that the word was originally pro- 
 nounced with other vowels; and its sound was 
 probably Jahveh, or to represent it more ex- 
 actly in English letters, Yahweh. Our Eng- 
 lish versions of the Old Test, have always in 
 like manner represented this proper name by 
 ' the Lord,' and it has become common to 
 print' the Lord' in capitals in those cases to dis- 
 tinguish it from Adonai. There would be 
 great advantage in substituting Jehovah, as 
 preferred by American Revisers, see Appen- 
 dix, as showing that a proper name is really 
 meant ; and the mere matter of correctly rep- 
 resenting the Hebrew vowels would be of little 
 practical importance. The New Test, writers, 
 being accustomed to read and often to quote 
 the Sept., have followed its practice; and it 
 is sometimes not easy to determine whether 
 kurios means Jehovah, or simply Lord in the 
 more general sense. Sit thou on my right 
 hand. This was naturally the post of highest 
 honor at the court, where one could be con- 
 veniently consulted by the monarch in judg- 
 ing his people, comp. 19: 28; Psa. 45: 9. 
 Make thine enemies, etc., better as Rev. 
 Ver., put thine enemies underneath thy feet. 
 This is an image founded on the practice de- 
 scribed in Josh. 10 : 24; comp. Psa. 47 : 3. The 
 Messiah will share the divine reign and con- 
 quering power till all his enemies are com- 
 pletely subdued, and will then give back his 
 delegated Messianic dominion (SSMS) to the 
 Father, (i cn r .i5:2*.) 
 
 The question repeated and pressed in v. 45 
 was no catch-question, such as the Phar. and 
 Sadd. had addressed to him. (v. 17.28.) It 
 tended to show that the Messiah could not be 
 
 ''Underneath,' hnpokato, Is here read by KB, D, L, j clear that 'underneath' Is the true reading In Matt., 
 several other uncials, and some cursives, the Kgyptian | and pretty clear in Mark,(Rev.Ver. margin). This ' un- 
 and other versions. It was easily changed by copyists dorneath ' is probably a mere simplification, but may 
 into hupopodion, 'footstool.' Nothing is more common have come (Toy) from the Sept. of Psa. 8: 7. The news- 
 in the manuscripts of the New Test, than to find a quo- j paper critics who have ridiculed Kcv. Ver, in Luke, 
 tatlon altered in conformity with the Sept. In Mark j Acts, etc., for using such a phrase as ' footstool of thy 
 hupokato is given by B, D, the Egyptian versions, etc. feet,' did not know that they were ridiculing the 
 Hupoprxlion is read with slight variation in Luke, and originals, 
 without any variation in Acts and Hebrews. So it is
 
 462 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXII. 
 
 a mere temporal sovereign, nor in fact a mere 
 man. 
 
 46. No man was able to answer him a 
 word. (Comp. Luke 14:6.) According to 
 their conception of the Messiah the question 
 was unanswerable. It was afterwards answered 
 by one who was at that time a young Phari- 
 see, though we know not whether then study- 
 ing in Jerusalem or absent at Tarsus. This 
 Pharisee lived to gain such revelation of Jesus 
 the Messiah, and such understanding of the 
 Messianic Scriptures, as to perceive that he 
 was "made (born) of the seed of David accord- 
 ing to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of 
 God with power, according to the Spirit of 
 holiness, by the resurrection of the dead." 
 (Bom. i:3f.,com p .9:5.) The fact that no one durst 
 from that day forth ask him any more 
 questions is also stated by Mark and Luke as 
 the result of this same series of questions and 
 answers. Mark (12: 34) makes the remark at 
 the close of the lawyer's question to Jesus, 
 the last question of his enemies; and Luke 
 (20:40) at the close of the question by the Sad- 
 ducees, the last that he records. All the 
 select wisdom and ingenuity of the learned 
 and ruling classes, in both the great parties, 
 had brought their most puzzling questions to 
 the young teacher from Nazareth, who had 
 never studied in any of the schools (Joim-:i5ff.), 
 and he not only gave in every case an answer 
 of astonishing depth and clearness, which 
 sent the wisest men away in wondering reflec- 
 tion, but at length retorted by a question 
 which no one could answer, and which seemed 
 plainly to indicate that their views of the 
 Messiah were radically defective. Our Lord 
 "went right on discoursing, attacking the ruling 
 classes with the most outspoken and unsparing 
 severity (ch. 23), but they dared not any more 
 interrupt or inquire. They were helpless in 
 argument, and as usual with foiled and angry 
 disputants who will not be convinced, they 
 had no hope but in violence. At this point 
 Mark says (12; 37), 'And the common people 
 heard him gladly.' The people who thronged 
 the temple court had no position to lose, and 
 no pride of learning ; they were more hospit- 
 able to new truth, and were not sorry to see 
 arrogant rabbis and priestly aristocrats put to 
 shame. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 15. CHRYS. : "'Then.' "When? "When 
 
 most of all they ought to have been moved to 
 compunction, when they should have been 
 amazed at his love to man, when they should 
 have feared the things to come." V. 16. 
 Jesus praised by his enemies. 1) Acute flat- 
 terers may show what reputation a person 
 really desires. 2) What these flattering foes 
 said of Jesus we know from other sources to 
 have been thoroughly correct; (a) he was true, 
 (b) he taught the way of God in truth, (c) and 
 without fear or favor. 3) There are other 
 recorded instances of unwilling testimony to 
 Jesus. 4) The day is coming when every 
 tongue shall confess that he is Lord (Phii. 
 2:11.) Alexander: "Such adulation (as was 
 here offered to Jesus) has blinded the eyes 
 and warped the judgment of its thousands 
 and its tens of thousands among human sages, 
 and especially of those who glory in their in- 
 susceptibility of flattery." V. 17. It is much 
 to be desired that people shall often ask their 
 religious teacher concerning questions of truth 
 and duty. Even when questions are asked 
 with evil motives, as a test or a snare, it is well 
 to escape the snare by prudent answers (v. 46), 
 and to silence the evil-disposed (TU. i:ii), and 
 better still to give answers that will clear up 
 real difficulties (v. 21), and enlighten the well- 
 disposed, (v. 22; Mark 12: 7.) Human tempters 
 may often be not merely overcome, but won 
 to wiser judgments and kinder feelings. V. 
 18. ' Jesus perceived their wickedness.' He 
 knows to-day all that is in the hearts of those 
 who are openly trying to injure his cause and 
 dishonor his name, and of those who hypo- 
 critically pretend to be his friends. ' Hypo- 
 crites.' JEROME: "It is the highest excel- 
 lence in one who replies to know the mind of 
 the questioner." V. 21. Civil and religious 
 duties. 1) It is a religious duty to perform all 
 real civil duties. 2) It is not a civil duty to per- 
 form religious duties. Laws as to Sabbath ob- 
 servance, etc., can be based only on public 
 health and moral welfare, and the right of 
 worshipers to be undisturbed. 3) Careful ob- 
 servance of the distinction between civil and 
 religious duties is necessary to freedom of con- 
 science, and greatly promotive of genuine 
 piety. Here, as everywhere, liberty has its 
 embarrassments and perils, but on the whole it 
 is far best. Civil duties may still be binding 
 when the ruler is personally immoral and 
 tyrannical ; Cesar here was Tiberius, and when
 
 CH. XXIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 463 
 
 CHAPTEK XXIII. 
 
 T'HEN spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his dis- 
 1 ciples, 
 
 1 Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his 
 
 2 disciples, saying, The Scribes and the Pharisees sit 
 
 Paul and Peter urged obedience it was to 
 Nero. CHBYS. : " But thou when thou near- 
 est, 'render unto Cesar the things which are 
 Cesar's,' know that he is speaking only of 
 those things which are no detriment to godli- 
 ness; since if it he any such thing as this, such 
 a thing is no longer Cesar's tribute, but the 
 devil's." 
 
 V. 28 f. Skeptics often have favorite catch- 
 questions; but superficial and ridiculing in- 
 quiries are much better than silent neglect, 
 and they should usually be met with a kind 
 and thoughtful answer, and may sometimes 
 be made the occasion of establishing positive 
 truth. All skepticism as to Christian truth 
 results in part from ignorance of the Bible, 
 and of the divine attributes. V. 29 ff. The 
 resurrection of the dead. 1) It is taught in 
 the Bible, (a) even in the Pentateuch, (b) in 
 the Prophets, (c) in the New Test. (2 Tim. i : 10.) 
 2) It puts great honor upon the human body. 
 
 (Psa. 139: 14; Phil. 3:21.) 3) It gives vividnCSS to 
 
 our conceptions of eternal existence and 
 felicity. 4) It will exalt above much of the 
 narrowness and exclusiveness of earthly rela- 
 tions and affections. CHRYS. : "Since then 
 the resurrection is like this, come let us do all 
 things that we may obtain the first honors 
 there." 
 
 V. 36. All commandments of God are in 
 one sense equally binding, and the spirit of 
 obedience is tested by all ; but some relate to 
 matters intrinsically more important. " Those 
 commandments are greatest which are most 
 spiritual, most opposed to selfishness, most 
 comprehensive. Duty to God is in itself the 
 highest duty, and comprehends all other 
 duties. V. 37. Love is the attraction of gravi- 
 tation in the moral universe, binding moral 
 creatures to each other, and all alike to God. 
 Loving God and knowing God are mutually 
 dependent. Pascal remarks that in other 
 things we must know in order to love; in re- 
 ligion we must love in order to know. 
 Sources from which we may gain knowledge 
 of God from nature from human nature 
 from ' the image of the invisible God ' ("God 
 was made flesh, that flesh might sec that (;<><l 
 was love") from revelation in general from 
 
 observation of his providence, and commu- 
 nion with his Spirit. Keasons for loving God. 
 1) Because he is God. 2) Because he is our 
 God. Means of increasing our love to God 
 think of him much speak of him with rev- 
 erence cultivate delight in his worship see 
 him in history, and in our own life obey his 
 commandments strive to bring others to love 
 him too. V. 39. ' Thou shalt love thy neigh- 
 bor as thyself.' 1) Why should I love my 
 neighbor as myself? 2) Who is the neighbor 
 I must love as myself? 3) What is involved 
 in loving my neighbor as myself? 
 
 V. 42-45. The Messiah. 1) To account the 
 Messiah merely a man, is hopelessly incon- 
 sistent with Scripture. 2) The Jewish Messiah 
 is also the world's Messiah. 3) The Messiah 
 reigns now on the right hand of God. 4) Shall 
 we live as the Messiah's enemies, to be tram- 
 pled under foot, or as his loving subjects, to in- 
 herit the kingdom (25 : 34) ? V. 46. HENRY : 
 "Many are silenced that are not saved, many 
 convinced that are not converted." 
 
 Ch. 23: 1-12. WARNINGS AGAINST THE 
 SCRIBES AND PHARISEES. 
 
 Partly found also in Mark 12: 38 f. ; Luke 
 20: 45 f. This discourse probably belongs to 
 Tuesday, three days before the crucifixion. 
 The solemn intimations made early in the 
 day that he knew the Jewish rulers would 
 reject and kill him, and would be terribly 
 punished for it (iit*ni4), were followed by 
 the sharp questioning of 22: 15-46; and now, 
 having vanquished his opponents in question 
 and answer, Jesus speaks out plainly about 
 the Scribes and Pharisees, first warning the 
 people against them (ts:i-i2), and then de- 
 nouncing upon them a scries of mournful 
 woes, (is-39.) After that be will speak no more 
 in public, but will leave the temple, and give 
 the final discourse to his disciples on the 
 Mount of Olives. (chp. 24nn5.) All these dis- 
 courses follow each other in natural connec- 
 tion, and to all appearance were spoken on 
 the same day. The attempts of some critics 
 to scatter them upon different days are arbi- 
 trary and useless. Of these warnings and woes
 
 464 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXIII. 
 
 _> Saying, The scribes and the Pharieees sit in Moses' 3 on Moses' seat: all things therefore whatsoever 
 seal : 
 
 found in chap. 23, Mark and Luke give only 
 a very small portion. 
 
 1. Then naturally suggests, though it does 
 not necessarily mean (see on 3: 13), that the 
 following was oh the same day as the fore- 
 going. To the multitude and to his dis- 
 ciples. His previous discourses during tho 
 day were addressed mainly to the rulers and 
 the persons who came questioning though in 
 hearing of others. (i.uke20:9.) He now turns' 
 away from these leading persons and ad- ' 
 dresses himself to the people at large and 
 to his immediate followers, the latter being , 
 specially addressed in v. 8-12. Luke has 
 (20: 45, Rev. ver.), "In the hearing of all the 
 people he said unto his disciples"; which 
 does not materially differ. A year before 
 (comp. on 15: 7), Jesus had begun to censure 
 the Scribes and Pharisees with outspoken 
 severity; and within a few months, probably 
 in Perea, clearly not at Jerusalem, he had 
 denounced woes upon them and warned the 
 people against them. (Luke 11 : ST-M.) Now he 
 does the same thing at Jerusalem, in the 
 temple court, during the great feast of the 
 Passover; and these denunciations form the 
 climax and conclusion of his public dis- 
 courses. It is natural that he should have 
 thus spoken out earlier elsewhere than at 
 Jerusalem during the feast; and it is much 
 more reasonable to suppose such a repetition 
 under these changed circumstances (comp. at 
 beginning of chap. 5), than to suppose that 
 either Luke or Matthew has utterly displaced 
 these momentous teachings. Notice that Mark 
 and Luke both report at this same quarter 
 small portions of the discourse given by Mat- 
 thew. 
 
 I. 2-4. THE SCKIBKS AND THE PHARI- 
 SEES DO NOT PRACTICE WHAT THEY TEACH. 
 The Scribes, see on 2: 4; the Pharisees, 
 see on 3 : 7. Sit in Moses' seat, has in the 
 Greek sentence an emphatic position. Liter- 
 ally the verb is sat, 'have sat,' have taken a 
 seat there which leaves it to be understood 
 that they so remain ; comp. Heb. 8 : 1. Not 
 
 only the judge (Exod. i8:is) but in later times 
 the teacher, usually spoke in a sitting posture. 
 (5:i; 13:2; Luke4:2o ; Acts 22 : 3.) The Greek term 
 for 'seat' is kathedra, and as borrowed into 
 Latin gave the phrase " to speak ex cathedra,'' 
 i. e., "from the seat" of an authoritative 
 teacher. The Rabbinical writers speak of a 
 Rabbi's successor as sitting in his seat; so we, 
 as to a professor's "chair," which word is our 
 contracted form of cathedra (Skeat). Our 
 Lord means, then, that the Scribes and 
 Pharisees are in some sense successors of 
 Moses, teachers of the law as he was. They 
 claimed this, and to a certain extent the claim 
 was just, since most of their explanations were 
 substantially conformed to Scripture. The 
 time had not come for turning away from 
 their teachings to new and better teachers. 
 All therefore whatsoever they bid you is 
 set in contrast to their works. He meant in 
 a general way to commend their instructions 
 in religious duty as correct, and then to contrast 
 strongly their practice as wrong. We know 
 that he condemned the exaggerated import- 
 ance they attached to their traditions (15:3, e)^ 
 and their general spirit. (ie:6.) The common 
 Greek text has 'bid you observe,' but the 
 authority against adding 'observe' is over- 
 whelming. Observe and do, the verb being 
 in the tense of continued action continually 
 observe. They say, and do not. So he 
 had already declared in Galilee, (is : i-o) and 
 now repeats in Jerusalem on the n.ost pub- 
 lic occasion. For they bind, yea repre- 
 sents the correct Greek text. Heavy bur- 
 dens, (comp. 11 : 28) the strict requirements 
 of tradition as to ceremonial observances and 
 the details of moral duty ; comp. Luke 11 : 46. 
 Peter substantially repeated this statement in 
 Acts 15 : 10. The image is of binding fagots 
 of wood or bundles of grain ; the idea is of 
 combining many separate precepts or require- 
 ments until together they make a heavy load. 
 The term rendered grievous to be borne 
 does not belong here, but was brought in by 
 copyists from Luke 11 : 46. l Will not move 
 
 1 It is wanting in several early versions and some doubtless, spurious in Matt. W H. place it in their 
 MSS., and Origen on Matt, expressly mentions that margin here, apparently because B has it, and because 
 Luke adds this term. It might be easily inserted here the documents for omitting have an " Alexandrian " 
 from Luke, while on the other hand no one could have look, 
 any reason for omitting it if originally present ; so it is '
 
 CH. XXIIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 465 
 
 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, lhal 
 observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for 
 they say, and do not. 
 
 4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be 
 borne, and lay them on men's shoulders ; but they them- 
 talves will not move them with one of their fingers. 
 
 5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men : 
 they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the 
 borders of their garments, 
 
 6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the 
 chief seats in the synagogues, 
 
 they bid yon, these do and observe : but do not ye 
 
 4 after their works; for they say, and do not. Yea, 
 they bind heavy burdens, 'and grievous to be borne, 
 and lay them on men's shoulders ; but they them- 
 
 5 selves will not move them with their finger. But 
 all their works they do for to be seen of men : for 
 they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the 
 
 6 borders of their garments, and love the chief place 
 
 1 Many ancient authorities omit, and grievous to be borne. 
 
 them with one of their fingers does not heart as possible, fastening it with a mystically 
 
 mean that the burdens are easy to move, but 
 that they will not make the slightest exertion 
 to move them ; far less will they take them 
 on their shoulders. 
 
 II. 5-7. THE SCRIBES AND THE PHARI- 
 SEES ARE OSTENTATIOUS. Mark 12 : 38 f. ; 
 Luke 20: 46. To be seen of men, 'with a 
 view to be looked at by men,' the same phrase 
 as in 6: 1. The desire for human praise was, 
 and often is, a great hindrance to believing in 
 Christ, and confessing him. (John 5 : 44 ; 12 : 42 r.) 
 But. For they is the correct Gr. text, and in- 
 troduces the proof of the foregoing. They 
 make broad their phylacteries. In Exod. 
 13: 16; Deut. 6: 8; 11: 18, it was said to 
 Israel concerning the teachings of the law, 
 that they should be bound "for a token upon 
 thine hand, and for frontlets between thine 
 eyes." Here an image seems to be drawn 
 
 knotted string, and then covering it with the 
 sleeve. Small leather boxes must be made 
 from the skin of a "clean" animal, and col- 
 ored black. Phylacteries similar to those 
 thus described by the Rabbinical writers are 
 now worn by the stricter Jews, the details 
 slightly varying in different countries; and 
 those long used by some deceased Rabbi may 
 be bought in the shops of Jerusalem. These 
 little boxes with their contents are called by 
 the Targum of Onkelos and by the Rabbini- 
 cal writers tephillin, "prayers," because put 
 on before praying (see Buxtorf) ; they were 
 worn by men in general during public wor- 
 ship, but by the Pharisees worn continu- 
 ally. Matthew's term phylactery, found 
 nowhere else in the Greek Bible, signifies 
 in classical Greek a guarded post, then a safe- 
 guard, finally an amulet, as guarding against 
 
 from the old Egyptian practice of wearing j evils. The Rosetta stone speaks of "golden 
 amulets; the Israelites were to keep the law I phylacteries" worn by the kings of Egypt, 
 always near them, always in mind. In the i (Lid. and Scott.) The Rabbinical writings 
 interbiblical period we find the Jews convert- show that many Jews regarded the phy lac- 
 ing this figure into outward fact. They took teries as amulets; and it seems most likely 
 four passages adjacent to the thrice repeated j that the Greek term was commonly employed 
 
 injunction, viz., Exod. 13: 2-10, 11-17; Deut. 
 6: 4-9; 11 : 13-22, ar.d writing them on strips 
 of parchment, encased the folded strips in 
 minute leather boxes. These four boxes were 
 
 base, which was placed on the middle of the 
 forehead, and held there by a string tied 
 round the head with peculiar knots, which 
 had a mystical meaning. Four similar strips 
 were placed in a smaller single box, which 
 
 among the Jews in that sense (so Jerome), 
 and Matt, merely used it because it was 
 common. The term might etymologinilly 
 mean 'a place for guarding' the divine word 
 (Schottgen, Stier), but there is no usage fur 
 that sense. Justin Marty n tells Trj'pho (oh. 
 46) that Moses commanded the people to wear 
 a phylactery, but does not throw any light in 
 his connection upon the meaning of the term. 
 The Pesh. here translates by tephillin, the 
 
 was worn on the palm of the hand by the Sad- '' Rabbinical word. The Council of Laodice* 
 
 ducees, apparently because the hand is men- 
 tioned in the figurative injunction, but by the 
 Pharisees on the left arm near the heart, 
 because of Deut. 6: 6, "and these words 
 . . . shall be in (or upon) thy heart." They 
 placed the box on the bare arm, as near the 
 
 (fourth century) forbade cleric? to make phy- 
 lacteries, declaring (with a play upon the 
 word) that they are prisons of their souls, and 
 those who wearthem must be expelled from the 
 church. (Suicer. ) Chrys. compares the fact 
 that "many of our women now wear Gospels 
 
 ZH
 
 466 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXIII 
 
 7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of 
 men, Rubbi, Rabbi. 
 
 8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, 
 even Christ: and all ye are brethren. 
 
 7 at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and 
 the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called 
 
 8 of men, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi : for one 
 
 hungfrom their necks." Somemodern writers 
 have maintained that Moses intended these 
 literal frontlets and armlets to be worn as a 
 substitute for the superstitious Egyptian amu- 
 lets. But how could Moses fail to see that 
 they would themselves be worn as amulets? 
 We find no evidence of their use until the lat- 
 ter part of the interbiblical period, and the 
 general tendency to scrupulosity about exter- 
 nals would account for their appearance at 
 that time. The Karaite Jews (who arose in 
 the eighth Christian century) have always 
 understood these passages of the law as figura- 
 tive, holding that the hand represents pre- 
 cepts for action, and the head represents the 
 mental and spiritual. Comp. Prov. 3: 3; 6: 
 21; Ezek. 24: 17. Making their phylacteries 
 unusually broad would show every casual 
 observer that the Pharisees were remarkably 
 pious. The head being bare, or covered only 
 with a cloth, this cube of some two inches on 
 -every side, projecting from the centre of the 
 forehead, would attract great attention. En- 
 large the borders (of their garments). 
 These peculiar ' borders' were commanded to 
 be worn (Num. i5:8), and were worn by 
 Jesus. (See on 9: 20.) It does not follow 
 that he wore the phylacteries. Matthew's 
 Jewish readers would at once understand 
 'enlarge the borders'; but many copyists 
 thought it necessary for perspicuity to add, 
 'of their garments,' and this naturally crept 
 into the Common text. Love the upper- 
 most rooms (or chief place) at feasts. 
 The feast is here deipnon, see on 22 : 4. The 
 guests reclined on couches, see on 8 : 11. The 
 place of highest honor fora guest apparently 
 was to recline just in front of the host, so that 
 the head could be laid back in the host's 
 
 bosom. ( John 13: 23-25; Lnke 16: 22.) In general, 
 
 the most honorable places were those near the 
 host. Mark and Luke have the plural, 'chief 
 places'; all three use the same Greek word, 
 literally, chief reclining -place. The old ren- 
 
 dering, 'rooms,' really meant simply places, 
 but would now suggest apartments. ' Upper- 
 most ' was probably used here by Tyn., Cran., 
 K. J., because of the phrase ' come up higher' 
 (Luke u: 10), a nd the English expression, "the 
 upper end of the table." The chief seats 
 in the synagogues were the front seats near- 
 est to the place in which the rolls of the law 
 were kept. For 'synagogues,' see on 4: 23. 
 And greetings {salutations) in the mar- 
 kets, that is, the market places. They were 
 the general places of assembly, for men of all 
 pursuits. Indeed, the Greek word denotes 
 primarily a place of gathering or assembly, 
 the thought of buying and selling being sub- 
 ordinate. The Asiatics have always attached 
 great importance to profoundly respectful 
 salutations in public intercourse. Not in 
 Paris, but only in China, could one find such 
 elaborate courtesy as in an old-fashioned 
 sheik who meets you in Palestine, as he 
 touches his lips and forehead and breast, each 
 time bowing low, and saying, "Salaam to 
 you ! " And to be called of men, Rabbi, 
 the common Jewish word for teacher. (See 
 on 8: 19.) It means, etymologically, 'great 
 one' or 'superior,' like master from mag-ister, 
 and somewhat like "His Excellency," "Your 
 Highness," etc. The office and its title were 
 much coveted among the Jews in the time of 
 Christ and afterwards. Statements of later 
 writers make it probable (Herzog) that the 
 use, or at any rate the frequent use, of tho 
 title began in the time of Hillel and Sham- 
 mai, in the generation preceding the Christian 
 era.' 
 
 III. 8-12. CHRIST'S DISCIPLES MUST NOT 
 BE LIKE THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES. 
 Jesus turns from his account of the inconsist- 
 ent and ostentatious Jewish teachers to warn 
 his disciples (comp. v. 1) against doing like- 
 wise. Keim thinks it impossible that in an 
 address to the people (* 1) Jesus should have 
 introduced admonitions to the disciples con- 
 
 1 The doubling of Rabhi (common Greek text) is r so we cannot, with entire confidence, reject it. 'Even 
 against the earliest Greek MSS. and most of the early I (the) Christ'(v. 8), is no doubt spurious, added from v. 10; 
 
 versions. Yet the doubling accords with a frequent 
 Jewish practice (Lightf.), while to copyists, ignorant 
 of that practice, it would be apt to seem superfluous; 
 
 as also ' teacher ' was here changed by some documents 
 to ' guide,' the word in v. 10.
 
 CH. XXIIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 467 
 
 9 And call no man your father upon the earth : for 
 one is your Father, which is in heaven. 
 
 10 Neither be ye called masters : for one is your Mas- 
 ter, even Christ. 
 
 9 is your teacher, and all ye are brethren. And call 
 
 no man your father on the earth: for one is your 
 
 10 Father, ' even he who is in heaven. Neither be ye 
 
 called masters: for one is your master, even the 
 
 1 Or, the heavenly. 
 
 cerning their one Teacher the Messiah, and 
 should then have launched 'woes' against 
 the Pharisees, "as if he were speaking to 
 them." But what strange criticism is here. 
 With a heterogeneous crowd thronging 
 around him, nothing was more natural than 
 that an impassioned popular speaker should 
 turn from one class of his hearers to another. 
 After v. 12 it might even be supposed that 
 some of the Scribes and Pharisees, hearing in 
 the outskirts of the throng that he was warn- 
 ing the people against them, had pressed 
 their way through and were just then draw- 
 ing near with hostile looks, so as to furnish 
 an immediate occasion for his addressing 
 them. 
 
 Be not ye called Rabbi, with emphasis 
 on 'ye,' as the Greek indicates. Do not crave 
 the honor of being recognized as a religious 
 teacher. For one is your Master, teacher. 
 The Rabbis were independent, and any 
 one of them might found a distinct school. 
 But Christians are all pupils in one school of 
 Jesus, and among them is no difference of 
 dignity. So Ignatius addresses the Ephesians 
 (ch. s) as his "schoolmates." As Rabbi is 
 equivalent to the Latin Doctor, 'teacher,' 
 some literalists urge that to call a minister 
 "Doctor" is here definitely prohibited. But 
 the matter goes far deeper. What our Lord 
 prohibits is desire for the distinction involved 
 in being recognized as a religious teacher. 
 A man who shows great desire to be " invited 
 into the pulpit," or otherwise publicly treated 
 as a minister, is exactly violating this com- 
 mand. The title of Doctor of Divinity is 
 often so conferred, so sought, so borne, and 
 sometimes so declined, as fo come under this 
 head, but it is the spirit involved rather than 
 the phrase that should be condemned. It 
 would be better to have no distinctive titles, 
 Bceming to set one minister above others, for 
 there really is danger of forgetting that all 
 ye are brethren. Yet (Schaff) "our nd- | 
 dressing others by the usual titles is not for-, 
 hidden; pride taking the form of want of 
 courtesy cannot find shelter here." The folly ' 
 of mere verbal and litcrulistic interpretation 
 
 is seen in the fact that persons who vehement- 
 ly declaim against the use of "Doctor," as 
 being prohibited in v. 8, are often fond of 
 calling some venerable minister "Father," 
 which is equally prohibited in v. 9. The Jews 
 often addressed a religious teacher as 'Fa- 
 ther' (Buxtorf, comp. 2 Kings 2: 12), even us 
 the "sons of the prophets" and the "sons" 
 of the Pharisees were their pupils. (Comp. on 
 12: 27.) Romanists habitually call a priest 
 "Father," and the sovereign priest they call 
 "Holy Father." So Abbot is derived from 
 abba, 'father,' and Pope is the same word as 
 the English papa; in the Greek Church 
 papas is applied to any priest. In the Church 
 of England a bishop is sometimes formally 
 addressed as "Right Reverend Father in 
 God." While earnestly condemning all this, 
 we do well to remember that Stephen said, 
 " Brethren and fathers, hearken" (Act*T:); 
 comp. also 1 Cor. 4: 15. One is your 
 Father, which is in heaven, more exactly 
 as by Amer. Revisers, 'even he who is in 
 heaven,' literally 'the heavenly (one),' 
 comp. on 6: 9. 
 
 1O ff. Master is here kathegetes, guide, 
 instructor, see on 8 : 19. Even (the) Christ, 
 the Messiah, see on 2: 4. Jesus is not here 
 distinctly saying before tho hostile hearers 
 that he is the Messiah. . His disciples so un- 
 derstood him, but he did not publicly avow 
 himself as such until he appeared before tho 
 Sanhedrin. (28:64, comp. on 21 : ir..) He that is 
 greatest among you, etc., is repeated from 
 20: 26. 'Greatest' is here literally ' greater 
 (than all others),' as in 18: 1. In this matter 
 also there may be loud professions without 
 the realit3\ One who with strict and ostenta- 
 tious literalness calls himself "servant of ser- 
 vants of the servants of God," yet claims to 
 be sovereign of the Christian world. Who- 
 soever shall exalt himself, seeking to at- 
 tract human notice and praise. Shall be 
 abased. The Greek has humbled .... 
 humble; the early English versions, except 
 Rheirns, unnecessarily varied the translation, 
 e. g., Com. Version. Tho saying of v. 12 
 had been given before, probably a week or
 
 468 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXIII. 
 
 11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your 
 servant. 
 
 TJ And whosoever shall exalt hiraselfshall be abased; 
 and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. 
 
 11 Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall 
 
 12 be your * servant. And whosoover shalfexalt him- 
 self shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble 
 himself shall be exalted. 
 
 1 Or. greater. . . .2 Or, minuter. 
 
 two earlier, in Perea, Luke 18: 14. It is very 
 natural that any saying uttered at a distance 
 should afterwards be repeated in Jerusalem. 
 The lesson of humility is one peculiarly need- 
 ing to be often repeated. In one form or 
 another, Jesus has taught it many times; 
 comp. on 18: 4; and comp. Prov. 15: 33; 29: 
 23; James4: 6; 1 Pet. 6: 5. The Talmud 
 has similar sayings, especially one (Wtin.), 
 " Whoever humbles himself God exalts, and 
 whoever exalts himself God humbles," which 
 may have been borrowed from the Gospels, 
 or may have been built on Ezek. 21 : 26. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 Y. 2-4. Teaching without practicing. 1) A 
 very faulty man may give teaching that is 
 Scripturally correct. 2) A man who utterly 
 neglects his own duty is often very severe in 
 laying down the duty of others. 3) We must 
 often disregard a teacher's evil example, and 
 heed his correct precept. 4) Yet how much 
 better, for teacher and for hearers, when he 
 that says, also does. CHKYS. : "For what 
 can be more wretched than a teacher, when it 
 is the preservation of his disciples not to give 
 heed to his life." HENRY: "What greater 
 hypocrisy; can there be, than to press that 
 upon others to be believed and done, which 
 they themselves disbelieve and disobey ; pull- 
 ing down in their practice what they build up 
 in their preaching; when in the pulpit, 
 preaching so well that it is pity they should 
 ever come out; but when out of the pulpit 
 living so ill that it is pity they should ever 
 come in." 
 
 V. 5. A man's aims determine the moral 
 quality of his actions. The desire for popu- 
 lar applause may render a man very careful 
 about outward religious observances or formal 
 orthodoxy, but not about inward piety. V. 
 6-12. Ministerial greatness lies 1) not in dress, 
 or any outward display of pious punctilio ; 
 2) not in social honors, or public recognition ; 
 
 3) not in titles, or admiring followers ; but 4) 
 in humble service of others. V. 11 f. Humil- 
 ity. 1) Professed humility is often only covert 
 pride. 2) Effort to be humble in hope of ex- 
 altation may impose on ourselves, and on 
 many of our fellow-men, but cannot deceive 
 God. 3) True humility has not time to think 
 of self, because busy with serving others, by 
 speech and action. 4) Genuine humility will 
 lead to exaltation, in God's own good time 
 and way. (iPet. 5:6r.) 
 
 13-39. WOES DENOUNCED UPON THE 
 SCRIBES AND PHARISEES. 
 
 This is given by Matthew only. Luke re- 
 cords several similar woes (ii: 37-54), which ap- 
 pear to have been pronounced some months 
 earlier, comp. above on 22: 1 and on 19: 1. 
 Our Lord now ceases to address his disciples 
 and the people in general (23 = 1), and turns 
 back to the Scribes and Pharisees, pro- 
 nouncing upon them a series of mournful 
 woes, v. 13, 15, 16-22, 23 f., 25 f., 27 f., 29-36, 
 closing with an apostrophe to Jerusalem, 37- 
 39. In each case some special form of wicked- 
 ness is made the ground of this stern denunci- 
 ation, and the solemnly repeated address at 
 the opening of the successive paragraphs gives 
 them a rhythmical character, like strophes in 
 an ode. Keim: "In the seven woes, the first 
 place is given (first and second woes) to the 
 judgment against the foes of the kingdom of 
 God, whose proselyting zeal for their lost 
 cause stands in sharp contrast to the hin- 
 drances to the progress of the kingdom of 
 heaven. The third and fourth woes denounce 
 their false teaching of the law; the fifth and 
 sixth, the slovenly efforts after purity by the 
 ' pure ' ; the seventh definitely reverts to the 
 attitude of the Pharisees towards the prophets 
 the announcers and forerunners of Jesus 
 whose graves they build, and in doing so 
 prove themselves to be the sons of those that 
 murdered the prophets." 
 
 I. 13. 1 THEY SHUT THE KINGDOM. Woe 
 
 i W H., and also Stephens' third ed., which in Eng- 
 land is called the Textus Rectptut, put this as v. 14. The 
 spurious verse follows v. 12 in most of the documents 
 
 which contain it. The early English versions proba- 
 bly followed the Vulgate in giving the other order.
 
 CH. XXIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 469 
 
 13 But woe unto you. scribes and Pharisees, hypo- 
 crites ! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven 'against 
 men : for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye 
 them that are entering to go in. 
 
 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! 
 for ye devour widows' houses, and for a prete'uce make 
 long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater 
 damnation. 
 
 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! 
 for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte ; 
 and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the 
 child of hell than yourselves. 
 
 13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo- 
 crites ! because ye shut the kingdom of heaven 
 1 against men : for ye enter net in yourselves, neither 
 
 sutfer ye them that are entering in to enter.* 
 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! 
 Cor ye compass sea and laud to make one proselyte ; 
 and when he is become so ye make him twulokt more 
 a sou of 3 hell than yourselves. 
 
 1 Or. before 2 Some authorii 
 
 widows' houses, even while fa. 
 
 i Insert here, or after ver. 12, ver. 14 : Woe unto v ou, teribet and Pkariieet. Jtypocrilei ! for ye demur 
 i pretence ye make long prayers: therefore ye ihaU receive greater Condemnation. See MurR xii. 40 ; 
 Luke xx. 47.... 3 Or. Gehenna. 
 
 is a solemn warning and also an expression of 
 piJy alas for you. (is: 7.) With these eight 
 ' woes ' (the eighth given by Mark and Luke), 
 comp. six 'woes' in Isa. ch. 5, and five in 
 Hab. 2: 6 ff. Scribes, see on 2: 4; Phari- 
 sees, see on 3: 7; hypocrites, see on 6: 2; 
 kingdom of heaven, see on 3: 2. Our Lord 
 implies that the Messianic reign has already 
 begun, as he did even in 11 : 12. Ye shut. 
 These religious teachers ought to have set 
 men in general the example of promptly and 
 joyfully entering the Messianic kingdom, but 
 they actually prevented others from enter- 
 ing. Against men, literally before men (Rev. 
 Ver. margin), and so all English versions be- 
 fore K. James. The image is of the people at 
 large as moving towards the open gate of the 
 kingdom, and on the point of entering; but 
 their religious leaders, heading the procession, 
 refuse to enter themselves, and practically 
 shut the gate in the people's face. (Comp. on 
 16: 19.) They do this by denying that the 
 kingdom of heaven is at hand, and striving to 
 turn the popular mind away from the rising 
 persuasion that Jesus is the Messiah (21:9,15, 
 44 r.), and from entering the Messianic king- 
 dom through penitent faith. They paraded 
 themselves as leaders of the people, while 
 really (Weiss) they were misleaders. 
 
 14. This verse of Com. Ver. is here spuri- 
 ous, * but genuine in Mark 12: 40, and Luke 20: 
 47, so that it was actually spoken on this occa- 
 sion, though not included in Matthew's report. 
 Widows, being without a male representative 
 in business, have always been in Asia specially 
 
 exposed to fraud and other wrong. (Comp. 
 Luke 18 : 3 ; Acts 6:1; James 1 : 27. ) To seize 
 their property, even their homes, is in other 
 parts of the world also a common practice of 
 men who commend themselves by "making 
 long prayers" (comp. 6: 7) as extraordinarily 
 devout, and therefore trustworthy. The ex- 
 pression, "shall receive greater condemna- 
 tion," suggests degrees in future punishment, 
 a subject of very great practical importance. 
 See the Commentaries on Mark and Luke. 
 
 II. 15. THEY PROSELYTE WITH WRONG 
 AIMS. This saying is not elsewhere recorded. 
 Woe unto you, etc., see on v. 13. Hypo- 
 crites, because they pretend to be zealous for 
 the promotion of the true religion and for the 
 religious benefit of men, when they are really 
 aiming only to multiply partisans, and are 
 making them not better, but worse. Ye com- 
 pass sea and land, literally, the dry (land), 
 as so often in Old Test. The hyperbolical ex- 
 pression shows how zealous and active they 
 were in order that even a single Gentile might 
 become a Jew. An interesting example of 
 proselyting even beyond the Tigris, a few 
 years after our Lord said this, may be seen in 
 Jos. " Ant.," 20, 2, 2 ff. The same false zeal 
 appeared afterwards in the Judaizers who fol- 
 lowed Paul, Gal. 6 : 13. The notion of Chrys. 
 and others that Jesus reproaches the Pharisees 
 with the small results of their immense activ- 
 ity, is quite foreign to the connection. He is 
 speaking not of small results, but of hail 
 results. To make one proselyte. This 
 word is found elsewhere in New Test, only in 
 
 i It is wanting in the earliest and best Greek manu- 
 scripts, and several early versions, is evidently unknown 
 here toOrigen, and Eus, and Jerome, and was obviously 
 brought in from Mark and Luke. Being written on 
 the margin of Matt, by some student, and known by 
 subsequent copyists to be a real saying of Jetus, it 
 
 readily crept into the text, being placed in many copies 
 after v. 12, but in some niter v. 13. Such introduction 
 of an addition at two different points indifferent copies 
 In not infrequent, and (beds light on the treatment of 
 parallel passages by students and copyists.
 
 470 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXIII. 
 
 16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whoso- 16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, who sav, Whoso- 
 ever sba swear by the temple, it is nothing: but whoso- ever shall swear by the 1 temple, it is nothing ; but 
 ever shallswear by the gold of the temple, he isadebtor.' | whosoever shall swear by the gold of the 1 temple 
 e fools and blind: for whether is greater, the 17 he is * a debtor. Ye fools and blind: for whether is 
 gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold ? greater, the gold, or the 1 temple that hath sanctified 
 
 1 Or, sanctuary : as in ver. 35. 2 Or, bound by his oath. 
 
 Acts 2 : 10; 6 : 5; 13 : 43, but very often in 
 Sept. It signified originally an immigrant, a 
 foreigner who had ' come to ' a community for 
 the purpose of dwelling there; this is its com- 
 mon use in Sept., English 'stranger.' By an 
 easy transition it denoted a Gentile who be- 
 came a Jew, which is its use in New Test. 
 What is involved in ' make ' one proselyte ? 
 To convince him that Jehovah the God of 
 Israel is the ouly true God (Deut. e^r.), and 
 induce him to be circumcised and set out to 
 keep the law of Moses. (Exod. 12 : 48.) Those who 
 were convinced, but unwilling to submit to 
 this unpopular rite (Jos. "Ant.," 20, 2,4), 
 were called " proselytes of the gate," as if not 
 fully entering the city and becoming citizens, 
 but merely sitting in the gate; the others 
 were called "proselytes of righteousness," 
 righteous proselytes, who did their whole 
 duty. After the ceremony of circumcision, 
 the proselyte must of course give himself a 
 thorough purification, as he would after any 
 
 made, Rev. Ver., he is become so, or 'is be- 
 come (a proselyte),' as in 4: 13; 13: 32; 18: 3; 
 ' made : was here a bad rendering of the Greek 
 word, as it confounds this term with the term 
 ' make ' that precedes and follows ; it was an 
 imitation of the Vulgate. The child, a son 
 (Wyclif ) is the exact translation, as in 5:9 
 Rev. Ver. and 8 : 12, etc. Hell is here Ge- 
 henna, the place of torment, see on 5 : 22. 'A 
 son of hell' would be one having a hellish 
 character, as a child is apt to resemble the 
 parent (comp. on 8 : 12), and so suited to 
 dwell in hell. This, then, was the ground of 
 the woe ; not that they zealously made prose- 
 lytes, which was entirely proper if rightly 
 done, but that they made them bad men like 
 themselves, yea, doubly as bad. These prose- 
 lytes retained the essential faults of the 
 heathen, and took on the faults of the Phari- 
 sees. So some of our "civilized" Indians are 
 still savages, with the vices of civilization, 
 and comp. the heathen converts made by 
 
 other thorough defilement, before approach- j some Jesuit missionaries. In these proselytes 
 ing the altar with a sacrifice. In later times, the good was more superficial than in the 
 
 after the destruction of the temple by Titus, 
 and the consequent cessation of sacrifices, this 
 purification of the proselyte was the final act, 
 
 Pharisees who often retained some roots of 
 old convictions while the hypocrisy was not 
 less deep. Pupils in error and vice frequently 
 
 and came to be then regarded as a special rite, j surpass their teachers. Very likely also some 
 which by modern writers is called "proselyte became proselytes for the sake of gain. Yet 
 
 baptism," see on 3:6. Tyndale and Gen. 
 have here 'to bring one into your belief,' 
 which is not a bad paraphrase. A picture of 
 a real proselyte to the true faith is given in 
 1 Pet. 4:2-4. Talmud Bab. says that a 
 
 not all the proselytes of the time came under 
 the condemnation here uttered, for some of 
 them were among the early converts of the apos- 
 tles. (Acts 2:10 ; 6: 5; 10: 2; 13:43,50; 16:14; 17:4.17; 18:7.) 
 
 Other proselytes would naturally be very 
 
 heathen inclined to become a proselyte should j bitter against Christianity; and Justin Mar- 
 
 be told that "the Israelites are now enfeebled, 
 persecuted, and distressed." But this by no 
 means proves, as "Wun. and others argue, that 
 the Jews were never much given to proselyt- 
 
 tyr, after quoting this passage, says to Trypho 
 (ch. 122), "But the proselytes not only do 
 not believe, but twofold more than you they 
 blaspheme against his name." Proselytes are 
 
 ing. The attempt in later centuries to check often mentioned in the Talmud with suspicion 
 the influx of proselytes by speaking of the or contempt. Plump.: "The popular Jew- 
 then depressed condition of Israel, implies a ' ish feeling about them was like the popular 
 previous contrary course. Tacitus (" Hist.," } Christian feeling about a converted Jew. 
 V., 5) says that the Jews grew because all the ! Proselytes were regarded as the leprosy of 
 worst men left their national religions and j Israel, hindering the coming of the Messiah. 
 
 became Jews. See Juvenal, "Sat.," 14, 96- 
 106, and other statements to the same effect in 
 Wet., and comp. Edersh. And when he is 
 
 It became a proverb that no one should 
 trust a proselyte, even the twenty-fourth 
 generation."
 
 CH. XXIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 471 
 
 18 And, whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is 
 nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is 
 upon it, he is guilty. 
 
 19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the 
 gift, or the altar that sanctitieth the gift ? 
 
 20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, swear- 
 eth by it, and by all things thereon. 
 
 21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by 
 it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 
 
 18 the gold ? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, 
 it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear'by the gilt 
 
 19 that is upon it, he is l & debtor. Ye blind: for 
 w hether is greater, the gift, or the altar that saiicti- 
 
 20 fieth the gill? He therefore that swcarcth by the 
 altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 
 
 21 And he that sweareth by the 3 temple, sweareth by it, 
 
 i Or, debtor, or bound. 1 Or, bound by bis oalh ... .2 Or, tanctuary : m in ver. J5. 
 
 III. 16-22. BY FOOLISH DISTINCTIONS 
 
 THEY EXCUSE THE VIOLATION OF OATHS. 
 
 Tliis is found in Matt. only. As to the 
 general subject of oaths, comp. on 5: 33-37. 
 Here the Saviour confines himself to one 
 point, viz., that the Scribes and Pharisees 
 wickedly encourage the people to violate 
 oaths, by making untenable and silly dis- 
 tinctions between certain oaths as binding 
 and certain others as not binding. Woe unto 
 you, as in v. 13. Ye blind guides, see on 
 15: 14. A religious teacher who gives mis- 
 leading instruction is strikingly represented 
 by a blind guide. Our Lord does not in this 
 case call them hypocrites, as in the other woes. 
 The temple is here the naos, the sacred 
 house, see on 4: 5. The oath by the temple 
 would naturally be often used, and so would 
 be often violated, until men did not feel very 
 solemnly bound by it to speak the truth or 
 keep an engagement. Then a new oath was 
 invented, by the gold of the temple, and 
 this as being new was felt to be more binding. 
 This gold would mean the gold plates with 
 which much of the temple was covered (Jos. 
 "War," 5, 5, 3-6), and the golden vessels of 
 the temple (6, 8, 3) ; probably also the coin 
 from contributions. Jos. states (" Ant.," 14, 
 7, 1) that Croesus took from the temple eight 
 thousand talents of gold, say ten million dol- 
 lars. It is nothing. The Mishna on Vows 
 (Nedarim, 1, 3) speaks of vowing, "This 
 shall be to me as the lamb, as the wood, as the 
 fire, as the altar, as the temple, as Jerusalem; " 
 and adds "Rabbi Jehuda says, If one says 
 ' Jerusalem ' (i. e., not ' as Jerusalem '), he has 
 said nothing." (Comp. Wtin.) The Scribes i 
 and Pharisees had conformed to popular cus- | 
 torn and feeling by actually teaching that the 
 old and common oath by the temple was not 
 binding, but only the new-fashioned oath by < 
 the gold. The Saviour shows this to be an , 
 absurd distinction, since it was the temple 
 thpt gave to this gold such sacrednoss a. to j 
 make it the natural subject matter of an oath. 
 
 So as to the old oath by the altar, and the 
 new oath by the gift that is upon it. It 
 
 was only the altar that made the gift a holy- 
 thing, so as to render it natural that men 
 should swear by the gift. He adds (v. -20) that 
 to swear by the altar included swearing by the 
 gift, for the former suggested and involved 
 the latter In like manner, the old and 
 slighted oath 'by the temple' really involved 
 swearing by him that dwelleth therein, 
 who gives to the temple its sacredness. The 
 Jews would avoid literally taking in vain any 
 name of Jehovah their God, and when swear- 
 ing only by things associated with him, as the 
 temple, heaven, etc., they imagined that they 
 would not break the third commandment in 
 violating such an oath. The Mishna on Oaths 
 (Shebuoth, 4, 13) says if one adjures others by 
 heaven and by earth, they are not bound ; 
 but they are bound if he adjures them by a 
 d, representing Adonai (Lord), or by j, /, 
 representing Jehovah, or by Sabaoth (Jehovah 
 of hosts), or by any divine attribute or divine 
 name. The Gemara on this passage of the 
 Mishna explains (Wun.) that this is because 
 these terms must mean the divine being, while 
 heaven and earth can bo conceived of as mere 
 objects, without reference to the Creator. 
 This is exactly the notion that our Lord hen- 
 condemns. Heaven and earth, when used in 
 oaths, do suggest the Creator. So the Mo- 
 hammedans will take many oaths without 
 pretending to act accordingly, but n oath by 
 the Koran they must keep. The Bohemian 
 in "Quentin Durward" glibly utters many 
 profused oaths, but when required to swenr 
 "by the three kings of Cologne," and that 
 with his face turned towards the east, ho feels 
 bound. Comp. above, "Horn, and Pract.", on 
 5: :;:',-:;7. He is a debtor (T. 10) mean* that 
 he owes what ho has thus solemnly declared 
 or promised, and must pay it he is kotmitby 
 his oath (Hev. Ver. margin). The same Greek 
 word is used in v. 18, but Com. Ver., as so 
 often, muat needs vary tho translation, and
 
 472 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXIII. 
 
 22 And he that shall swear bv heaven, eweareth by [22 
 the throne of liod, and by him that sitteth tln-ivon. 
 
 _';> Woe unto you, seribes and Pharisees hypocrites ? 
 for ye pay tithe of mint and "anise and cumiuiu, and 23 
 have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judg- 
 ment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, 
 and not to leave the other undone. 
 
 '-'! }'i blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swal- 
 low a camel. 24 
 
 and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that 
 sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of 
 God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 
 
 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 
 for ye tithe mint and 1 anise and cummin, and have 
 left undone the weightier matters of the law, jus- 
 tice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to 
 have done, and not to have left the other undone. 
 Ye blind guides, who strain out the gnat, and swal- 
 low the camel. 
 
 i Gr. anethon. diU. 1 Or, dill. 
 
 give he is guilty. That hath sanctified, 
 
 is in v. 17 the correct Greek text; in v. 19 it 
 is that sanctifieth. The assimilation of the 
 former to the latter was a characteristic act 
 of copyists. 1 So with the addition of 'fools' 
 in v. 19 from v. 17. 
 
 IV. 23 f. SCRUPULOUS AS TO MINOR MAT- 
 TERS, BUT NEGLECTING GREAT MORAL DU- 
 TIES. Woe unto you, etc., see on v. 13. The 
 law required the Israelites to pay tithes of 
 agricultural products, including fruits (Lev. 27: 
 so; 0eut. 14:22 ff.) ; and these punctilious Phari- 
 sees took pains to tithe every product that 
 was edible and could be preserved. (Tal- 
 mud.) Our Lord mentions as specimens, 
 mint and anise and cummin; on the 
 former occasion he gave 'mint and rue and 
 every herb.' (Luke 11:42, R.V.) Com p. the boast 
 "I give tithes of all that I get." (Lake is: w, 
 B- v.) Some even gave tithes of what they 
 purchased for use. (Hausrath.) The Greek 
 word here used for mint means 'sweet-smell- 
 ing,' though the Greek also had the word 
 mintha; our words anise and cummin are 
 borrowed from the Greek. The leaves of 
 mint and the seeds of anise (or dill) were 
 
 used both for flavoring food and as valuable 
 carminative medicines; the seeds of cummin 
 were used for the former purpose. Judg- 
 ment, mercy, and faith, i. e., good faith, 
 fidelity (Rom. 3:3), the common classical sense 
 of the term. In Luke, it is 'judgment and the 
 love of God.' Cornp. Mic. 6: 8. The Ameri- 
 can Revisers properly urge that not 'judg- 
 ment,' but 'justice,' is the correct translation 
 here and in Luke, though the Greek word is 
 correctly rendered 'judgment' in v. 33, and 
 so rendered elsewhere. To render a Greek 
 term everywhere by the same word is very 
 desirable, but not always practicable. The 
 weightier matters of the law. We have 
 seen (on 22: 36) that the Kabbis called some 
 commandments of the law weighty and others 
 light. Jesus recognizes that such a distinc- 
 tion is legitimate, but draws the line very 
 differently from their teachings, for he makes 
 fundamental, ethical, and spiritual duties 
 (eomp. Luke) the weightier matters. Comp. 
 'oneof these least commandments.' (o-.is.) As 
 to th superiority of the ethical to the cere- 
 monial, comp. on 9: 11 and 12: 7. And not 
 
 1 ' He that sweareth ' in v. 20, 21, 22 Is the aorlst par- 
 ticiple, of which Meyer here gives a hopelessly artificial 
 explanation, and which none of the grammars treat 
 satisfactorily. It presents the simple notion of the 
 action without any such idea of continuance or repeti- 
 tion or custom as the present participle would give. In 
 general, the aorist tense (" second aorist ") is the origi- 
 nal root of the verb, presenting the unmodified action. 
 As various tense forms were devised, the present sys- 
 tem, the perfect system, etc., to express particular 
 modifications, the aorist continued to be used whenever 
 no one of these others was distinctly wanted. This i 
 history appears to explain the use of the aorist in the ' 
 suhj.. opt. .imperative, infinitive, and participle; the ao- 
 rist isin all these employed as a matter of course, unless 
 the distinctive sense of the present or perfect tense be 
 specially desired because the aorist is the original 
 verb. When the so-called " first aorist " form was sub- ' 
 sequently invented, it came to be used in the same , 
 sense as the old aorist. Apparent exceptions to this 
 theory of the aorit are believed to be only apparent. 
 
 If the aorist subjunctive is sometimes naturally trans- 
 lated by the Latin future perfect (as some would do in 
 v. 16, 18), this is merely suggested by the nature of the 
 case, just as when the aorist indicative is translated by 
 the pluperfect. So when the aorist participle denotes 
 an action antecedent to the time of the principal verb, 
 this is only through a suggested contrast to the present 
 participle, which would of necessity give an action 
 contemporaneous with that of the principal verb ; and 
 in a case like that before us the suggestion of such a 
 contrast is excluded by the nature of the case. Comp. 
 on 21 : 18. In the indicative mood the aorist bears the 
 same relation to the imperfect that it bears in the other 
 moods to the present. If these views of the aorist be 
 correct, there is no occasion for the various artificial 
 definitions of that tense which are given by many 
 grammarians and commentators. In v. 21 the aorist 
 participle for 'dwelleth,' given by many documents 
 .ir.d editors, is probably an alteration of the copyists to 
 make it correspond outwardly to the tense of ' sweareth.'
 
 CH. XXIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 473 
 
 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! 
 for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the 
 platter, hut within they are full of extortion and j platter, hut within they are full from extortion and 
 excess. 26 excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the iu- 
 
 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is 
 within the cup and platter, that the outside of them 
 mav be clean also. 
 
 side of the cup and of the platter, that the outside 
 thereof may become clean also. 
 
 to leave the other undone. The old Eng- 
 lish plural use of 'other' here creates mo- 
 mentary difficulty, as if referring to a singu- 
 lar, and there is no propriety in retaining it. 
 Our Lord beautifully adapts his two expres- 
 sions. They were strict as to the slightest exter- 
 nals, and left undone the ethical; he says that 
 the ethical duties ought to be done, and the 
 others not to be neglected. So Luke 11 : 42, 
 and eomp. above on 12: 7. He does not for- 
 bid the tithing of herbs, but sets in strong 
 contrast with this scrupulosity their neglect of 
 great moral duties. Ye blind guides, as in 
 v. 16, leading the people utterly astray by 
 false teaching and bad example. The image 
 in v. 24 expresses the same thing as v. 28. 
 The Talmud speaks (Wet.) of straining wine 
 in order to remove minute unclean creatures. 
 (Lev. ii:-4s.) The Buddhists in Ceylon strain 
 their wine for a similar reason. Gnats sip at 
 wine, and so may fall into it. Trench (on 
 Rev. ) tells of a soldier in Morocco who always 
 placed the end of his turban over the vessel 
 from which he drank water, avowedly for the 
 purpose of straining out the gnats, "whose 
 larvae swarm in the water of that country." 
 The gnat and the camel are put in contrast 
 as extremes in regard to size; the latter is 
 obviously a strong hyperbole, for the camel 
 was the largest animal familiarly known to 
 the Jews. (Comp. on 19: 24.) Observe that 
 it also was " unclean." (i*v. n : 4.) Thus these 
 persons carefully strain out the smallest 
 creature, and swallow the largest; they are 
 very scrupulous about the minutest matters 
 of ceremonial observance, and then neglect 
 the highest ethical duties enjoined by the 
 law. The translation strain at is generally 
 supposed to have been a mere misprint, in 
 the original edition of K. James' version, 
 for 'strain out,' which had been given by 
 Tyn., Cran., and Gen. The Greek means 
 
 'thoroughly filter,' thoroughly strain, ap- 
 plied to wine in Amos 6: 6, and here to that 
 which is removed by filtering wine. Alford 
 thinks that the K. J. revisers purposely gave 
 'strain at,' meaning 'strain (the wine) at (the 
 occurrence of) a gnat,' but this is highly im- 
 probable. 
 
 V. 25 f. CARING FOB OUTWARD PURIFI- 
 CATION BATHER THAN FOR TRUE MO- 
 RALITY. Comp. what Luke gives (n ; * .), 
 as spoken some time earlier. Woe unto 
 you, etc., see on v. 13. Of all the re- 
 quirements of the law, purification was that 
 on which the Pharisees seem to have laid 
 most stress; comp. on 15 : 2. There is here a 
 regular progression, oaths, tithes, purifications. 
 They were careful about not only the actual 
 cleaning, but the ceremonial cleaning of the 
 cup and the platter, Mark?: 4. 'Platter' 
 is in the Greek a rare word, denoting a side- 
 dish, some delicacy set on the side-table, and 
 only handed to the guests, and derivatively 
 the dish used for such dainties. Full of 
 From (Rev. Ver. ) extortion and excess, 
 or 'intemperance,' in the original sense of 
 that term. The contents of the cup and dish, 
 namely the wine and food, are the product of 
 extortion, and the cup and dish McfiUed in 
 consequence of desire for excess in eating 
 and drinking. The image seems to change 
 slightly, the full cup and platter being due in 
 one sense to extortion, and in another to ex- 
 cess. 1 Thou blind Pharisee, not now re- 
 proached as blindly leading others astray 
 (v. 18,24), but as blindly going astray himself. 
 Cleanse first that which is within. Let 
 the contents of the cup and dish be tho fruit 
 of honest industry and not of extortion, and 
 be used temperately and not in excess; then 
 your ceremonial cleansingof the vessols them- 
 selves, will bo real, and acceptable to God. 
 Cornp. on 6: 8. May be clean; llov. Ver. 
 
 1 This was not understood, and many manuscripts Reoeptu*. So, also, some documents omit the preponi- 
 have 'extortion and iniquity,' and several leading early lion rendered ' from,' because it was not understood, 
 versions have 'extortion and uncleanne*R ' ; both are [and the early English versions fail to translate il, jtlv- 
 obviously changes to remove the difficulty, and, for j Ing simply 'full of,' which Is correct in Luke 11: 39, 
 once, the simplification did not pass into the Textus I and below in v. 27.
 
 474 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXIII. 
 
 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! 
 for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed 
 appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead 
 men's bones, and of all uncleanuess. 
 
 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto 
 mm. but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 
 
 29 Woe uutp you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! 
 because ye build* the tonibs of the prophets, and garnish 
 the sepulchres of the righteous, 
 
 27 Woe unio you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 
 for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which out- 
 wardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of 
 
 28 dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so 
 ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but 
 inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 
 
 29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 
 for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and 
 
 May become clean is the exact meaning of the 
 Greek and suits the connection. 
 
 VI. 27 f. THEY ARK WHITED SEPUL- 
 CHRES. Comp. Luke 11: 44. The transition 
 from outward and inward purity of vessels to 
 outward and inward personal purity, is natu- 
 ral and immediate. Woe unto you, etc., 
 see on v. 13. Whited sepulchres. Tombs 
 of the better class about Jerusalem were 
 caves, or artificial chambers cut in the lime- 
 stone rock. ('27:60.) The exterior of these was 
 whitewashed, mainly to prevent persons from 
 touching them unawares and thus becoming 
 unclean (Num.i9: is), but also for agreeable ap- 
 pearance and perhaps for sanitary reasons. 
 The Mishna states (Shekalim 1, 1) that on the 
 15 of Adar (roughly answering to our March, 
 when the rains are over) people repair the 
 roads, and public baths and other public 
 works, and whitewash the tombs. The Jeru- 
 salem Gemara (tr. of Schwab) explains that 
 this is because the rain may have washed off 
 the lime. The Talmud also represents 
 (Lightf. ) that sometimes they whitened the 
 whole tomb, in other cases made on it the 
 figure of a bone or bones, and adds that 
 as the leper said, "Unclean, unclean" (Lev. 
 13:45), so here "unclean ness cries out to you 
 and says, 'Come not near.'" Our Lord is 
 speaking at the Passover, when the recent 
 whitening would be very noticeable. Which 
 appear beautiful outward, not simply 
 through the whitewashing, but architectural 
 ornament, as seen in tombs still remaining. In 
 Acts 23 : 3 Paul calls a hypocrite a ' whited 
 wall.' And of all uncleanness is a delicate 
 reference to the other products of the gradual 
 decay besides the hones. These products ac- 
 cording to the Mosaic law and Jewish feeling 
 produced the highest degree of ceremonial 
 uncleanness. In Luke 11 : 44, Rev. Ver., as 
 spoken on a former occasion, the image is 
 somewhat different, 'ye are as the tombs 
 which appear not, and the men that walk over 
 them know it not.' It is likely that the 
 masses of the people buried in the ground, as 
 
 we commonly do, and as is done with most of 
 the Jews now dying at Jerusalem; while the 
 sepulchres in the rocks would correspond to 
 our vaults and tombs above ground, though 
 much oftener employed. The different Greek 
 terms in Matthew and Luke do not suggest 
 any practical distinction, for that of Luke is 
 the same as the second term below in v. 29, 
 and as in John 11: 28. In v. 28, iniquity is 
 more exactly lawlessness, anomia, violation of 
 law, as in 7 : 23 ; 13 : 41 ; 24 : 12. This word is not 
 used by the other Gospels, but was a natural 
 term for a gospel addressed especially to Jews 
 and for Paul, while John particularly needs 
 it in 1 John 3: 4. Adikia, ' iniquity,' or ' injus- 
 tice,' is not used by Matthew, but several 
 times by Luke, Paul, and others, and Matthew 
 has its adjective in 5 : 45, and its verb in 20 : 
 13. Are full here represents a different word 
 from that of v. 25 and 27, but our language 
 cannot conveniently express the difference, 
 and it has no practical importance. 
 
 VII. 29-36. THEY RESEMBLE THEIR 
 WICKED ANCESTORS, WHO SLEW THK 
 PROPHETS. Comp. Luke 11 : 47-51, proba- 
 bly spoken some months earlier, see on 23: 1. 
 Woe unto you, etc., see on v. 13. There is no 
 practically important difference between the 
 sepulchres and the tombs. The word ren- 
 dered garnish, means literally, ado?-n, 'orna- 
 ment,' as in 12: 44; comp. 25: 7. The 
 prophets, . . . the righteous. (Comp. 
 10: 41; 13; 17). In 1 Mace. 13: 27-30, is 
 described a grand tomb which Simon the 
 Maccabee built for his father and brothers. 
 Josephus tells us ("Ant.," 16, 17, 1) how 
 Herod built a marble monument over the 
 tombs of David and Solomon, to atone for his 
 attempt to plunder them. It is very doubt- 
 ful whether the elaborate structures on the 
 lower slope of Olivet, southeast of the city, 
 which are now called "tombs of the pro- 
 phets," have any proper claim to that name; 
 but they appear to date from the time of the 
 Herods (Robinson, Thomson), and may thus 
 give an idea of the tombs referred to. One of
 
 CH. XXIIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 475 
 
 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, 
 we would not have been partakers with them in the 
 blood of the prophets. 
 
 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that 
 ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 
 
 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 
 
 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye 
 escape the damnation of hell ? 
 
 34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and 
 wise men, and scribes : and some of them ye .-hall kill 
 and crucify ; and some of them shall ye scourge in your 
 synagogues, aud persecute them from city to city : 
 
 30 garnish the tombs of the righteous, and say, If we 
 had been in the days of our fatheis, we should not 
 have been partakers with them in the blood of tho 
 
 31 prophets. Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, thut 
 
 32 ye are sons of them that slew the prophets. Fill ye 
 
 33 up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, 
 ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judg- 
 
 34 tin-lit of l hell? Therefore, behold, I send unto you 
 prophets, and wise men, aud scribes: some of ih'em 
 shall ye kill and crucify ; and some of them shall ye 
 scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from 
 
 1 Or. Gehenna. 
 
 them is now called the tomb of Zechariah, 
 with evident reference to v. 35. A little later 
 tlmn our Lord's time, we have account in 
 Josephus of several grand tombs, as that of 
 Annas, the High Priest (""War," 5, 12, 2), of 
 Philip, theTetrarch ("Ant.," 18, 4, 6), and of 
 Queen Helena, of Adiabene, and her son 
 with three pyramids ("Ant.," 20, 4, 3). 
 
 31. Wherefore, or more exactly so that. 
 Ye be witnesses unto, or, witness to your- 
 selves, i. e., in this case (Winer) 'against 
 yourselves,' it being a testimony to their 
 hurt. (Comp. James 5:3.) In the very self- 
 excuse of v. 30, they acknowledge themselves 
 the children of those who slew the prophets, 
 and our Lord intimates that here, as is usual, 
 the offspring resemble the parents (5:4o;Johu 
 B: 41,44), though they pretend the contrary in 
 their case. The rulers are already plotting to 
 murder Jesus (:46.) They are minded to do 
 as their fathers did in this very matter, and 
 piously pretending to be altogether different. 
 (Comp. Luke 11: 48.) " Ye are witnesses and 
 consent unto the worksof your fathers." (Corn p. 
 above on 21 : 39 ff., and see Acts 7 : 51 f., and 
 IThess. 2: 14,15.) 
 
 32. Fill ye up then, or literally, and do 
 ye fill up, the 'ye' being expressed in Greek, 
 and thus emphatic, viz., 'ye,' as set over 
 against your fathers. The expression is 
 gravely ironical (Winer), 1 a thing natural in 
 so impassioned and pointedly personal a dis- 
 course, which has kept growing in earnest- 
 ness. This generation ought to turn from 
 their fathers' sins, but instead of that they 
 were adding like sins, and the new divine 
 warnings did not stop them. So with mourn- 
 ful irony he bids them go on and fill the 
 measure full. (OQ. i5:i) 
 
 33. Ye serpents, ye generation (off- 
 spring) of vipers, see on 3 : 7; 12: 34. This 
 corresponds to v. 31 ; they are like their an- 
 cestors they are serpents and the offspring of 
 serpents. How can ye escape, or ' how are 
 you to escape', implying that it is impossible 
 to see any way. As they resemble their an- 
 cestors, and are busily filling up the measure 
 of their ancestors' sins, it is not possible that 
 they should escape. (Comp. 11: 22; John 
 3: 19.) The damnation (judgment) of hell, 
 i. e., the judgment which condemns to punish- 
 ment in hell, is a phrase also used several 
 times in the Talmud (Wiin.). 'Judgment' 
 is the correct translation of krisis; it is kata- 
 krisis that signifies condemnation, the idea 
 formerly expressed in English by 'damna- 
 tion.' This last word now denotes in English 
 the eternal penalty resulting from judgment 
 or condemnation, and while often necessa- 
 rily suggested, this is not what the Greek 
 terms themselves express. Accordingly, the 
 words 'damn' and 'damnation' must now 
 give way to 'judge,' 'condemn,' etc., leaving 
 the punishment to be suggested, as it is in the 
 Greek. (See Mark 3: 29; 12:40; 16: 16; 
 Luke 20: 47; John 5: 29; Rom. 3: 8; 13: 2; 
 14: 23; 1 Cor. 11: 29; 2 Thess. 2: 12; also 
 (Greek meaning, 'perdition') 2 Pet. 2: 1, 3.) 
 The changes thus made in the Revised Ver- 
 sion do not at all proceed from any change in 
 exegetical views or in theological opinion, hut 
 are simply required by the altered mean- 
 ing of an English word. Comp. as to 'hell,' 
 on 16: 18.) ' Hell' is here Gehenna, the place 
 of torment, as in v. 15, see on 5: 22. 
 
 34-36. Wherefore, behold, I wend onto 
 yon. The 'I' is expressed in Greek, and so 
 is emphatic. Jesus speaks as the divine rep- 
 
 The ironical imperative was not understood, and by | few other documents. W II. cling to B, and place It 
 the change of one letter mijjht be converted Into a fit- j in their margin, taough plainly a correction, 
 lure, 'ye will fill up,' which is read in B and a very
 
 476 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXIII. 
 
 :>."> That upon you may come all the righteous blood 
 shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel 
 uiiii) tin- blood of Zacharias son of Barachios, whom ye 
 slew between the temple and the altar. 
 
 35 city to city : that upon you may come all the right- 
 eous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel 
 the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of 
 Barachiah, whom ye slew between the sanctuary 
 
 resentative (Johns:*), as having plenary au- 
 thority in the whole matter of human salva- 
 tion (28.-18); he utters the divine decree, 
 which in the similar passage of Luke (ii:) 
 is referred to 'the wisdom of God.' 'Send' 
 in the present tense, because the mission is 
 arranged and on the* point of beginning. 
 Wherefore, or therefore, because they are like 
 their fathers, and will treat God's messengers 
 as their fathers did, he sends them messengers 
 to be persecuted ; it will thus become mani- 
 festly right that they should be held guilty 
 for their ancestors' sin and their own. (v. ss.j 
 God of course does not wish men to sin, but 
 he tests them, so as to show to themselves and 
 others their real character, and vindicate the 
 justice of their punishment. Wise men, and 
 scribes are Jewish terms, used because of 
 what precedes (v. 29 ana 23 = 2, 7), 'wise men' being 
 a common appellation of the Kabbis. But 
 they may be fulfilled in apostles and evangel- 
 ists also (comp. 13 : 52). The distinction be- 
 tween them should not here be insisted on. 
 The decree to send, and their treatment of 
 the persons sent, may include all the divine 
 messengers to that generation, from John the 
 Baptist to the destruction of Jerusalem. 
 (T. 36; 24:34.) Jesus intimates his knowledge 
 that they will not only kill him (21:88), but 
 also kill or maltreat his messengers hereafter 
 sent (comp. 1 Th ess. 2: 15). And crucify, 
 see on 27 : 35. This may include the case of 
 Jesus himself. It is a tradition that Peter 
 was crucified, and Simeon, a brother of Jesus. 
 Some of them shall ye scourge in your 
 synagogues, as he had already foretold to 
 his followers. (io= IT.) And persecute them 
 from city to city, comp. 10: 23; Acts 9: 
 2; 13: 50 f.; 14: 6; 17: 10 ff. That upon 
 you may come is the divine purpose, not 
 that of the Jews. (Comp. 2: 23, and see on 
 1: 22.) There here comes before us what 
 recent philosophical writers are fond of call- 
 ing "the solidarity of the race." Plump.: 
 " Men make the guilt of past ages their own, 
 reproduce its atrocities, identify themselves 
 with it ; and so, what seems at first an arbi- 
 trary decree, visiting on the children the sins 
 of the fathers, becomes in such cases a 
 
 righteous judgment. If they repent, they cut 
 off the terrible entail of sin and punishment ; 
 but if they harden themselves in their evil, 
 they inherit the delayed punishment of their 
 father's sins as well as of their own." The 
 Jewish multitude afterward voluntarily took 
 upon themselves and their children the blood 
 of Jesus. (27:25.) Notice here the solemn 
 threefold repetition of 'blood.' Shed is 
 present tense; the totality of the righteous 
 blood is conceived as in the process of being 
 shed, the whole past and present thrown to- 
 gether. 
 
 Zacharias, the son of Barachias. There 
 is here a well-known difficulty, which various 
 theories have attempted to remove. (1) Some 
 think that the prophet Zechariah is meant, 
 who was son of Berechiah (zeoh. i: i) ; but we 
 have no account of his being slain. (2) Some 
 Fathers supposed Zachariah the father of John 
 the Baptist to be meant, and had traditional 
 stories of his being killed for asserting the per- 
 petual virginity of the mother of Jesus ; but 
 all this is without historical foundation, ex- 
 cessively improbable, and very likely sug- 
 gested by the present allusion. (3) Aug. and 
 some others have supposed that our Lord is 
 predicting the death ef Zachariah son of 
 Baruch, killed in the temple during the subse- 
 quent siege of Jerusalem, as described by 
 Josephus. ("War," 4, 5, 4.) But the temple 
 is there only hieron, which means the general 
 enclosure, Baruch is quite a different name 
 from Barachiah, and our Lord is evidently 
 speaking of things already past ('ye slew'), 
 while this event was forty years later. (4) In 
 2 Chron. 24: 20-22, we read that a priest 
 named Zechariah was stoned " in the court of 
 the house of Jehovah." His dying words are 
 quite in accordance with the reference our 
 Lord here makes, "Jehovah look upon it and 
 require it," and correspond to the other case 
 of Abel's blood. (Gen. 4: 10.) In the ancient 
 Hebrew grouping of the books, as in Hebrew 
 Bibles now, the Chronicles seem to have stood 
 at the end; so that from Abel to this Zacha- 
 riah would include all the cases from begin- 
 ning to end of the sacred books. All these 
 circumstances fit exactly. Both the Jerusalem
 
 CH. XXIIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 477 
 
 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come 
 upon this generation. 
 
 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the pro- 
 phets, and stonest them w hich are sent unto tbee, how 
 often would I have gathered thy children together, 
 even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, 
 and ye would not ! 
 
 36 and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these 
 things shall come upon this generation. 
 
 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, 
 and stoueth them that are sent unto her ! how olteu 
 would I have gathered thy children together, even 
 as a hen gatuereih her chickens under her wings, 
 
 and the Babylon Talmud, as also some Midra- 
 shim (Lightt'., Wun.), contain wild legends 
 about the blood of this Zachariah as continu- 
 ing to bubble for more than two centuries 
 until the captivity which go to show that his 
 murder in the court of the priests was re- 
 garded as a notable event. But this Zachariah 
 is expressly described as son of Jehoiada, the 
 priest, whose kindness King Joash was thus 
 ill requiting. Some make haste to say that 
 Matt, has fallen into the error of confounding 
 this Zechariah with the prophet who was son of 
 Berechiah, while Luke gives no name of his 
 father. (Lukeii: 51.) But we ought certainly to 
 be very slow to remove difficulties by a suppo- 
 sition so improbable in the case of an inspired 
 writer. There are several possible ways of 
 explaining the matter. Zachariah's father, 
 Jehoiada, may have had the surname of Bere- 
 chiah, ' blessed of Jehovah,' a name borne by 
 six or seven persons'in the history, and which 
 might hstve been given to the great priest for j 
 saving his country. Or, Jehoiada, who had 
 just died at the age of one hundred and thirty 
 (2 chron. 24: io), may have been the grandfather of 
 Zechariah, and his father a Berechiah, not 
 otherwise mentioned. So the prophet is in 
 Zech. 1 : 1, called " Zechariah, the son of Bere- 
 chiah, thesonof Iddo," while in Ezra 6: 14, he 
 is called "Zechariah, the son of Iddo." Or it 
 may be (Lutter.) that there Was some other 
 murder near to the time of Jesus, and known 
 to his hearers. All these are unsupported 
 hypotheses, but they are certainly possible, 
 and so it is by no means necessary to suppose 
 that Matt, fell into an error. Not a few cases 
 that long appeared as difficult as this have 
 been cleared up by the progress of knowledge 
 within the present half century. 1 (Comp. on 
 20: 29.) Whom ye slew, viz., through your ! 
 fathers. They are held guilty of their fathers' 
 conduct because they have imitated it. The 
 temple is here naos, the sacred house, as in 
 
 v. 17, see on 4 : 5 ; the altar is the great altar 
 of burnt offering, which stood in the Court of 
 the Priests in front of the sacred house. ' Be- 
 tween the temple and the altar' would be a 
 natural expansion of the statement in Chron., 
 where Zechariah the priest stands" above the 
 people," in the Court of the Priests. Upon 
 this generation, comp. 11: 16, and see on 
 24: 34; the idea is kept up by v. 38 f. These 
 are our Lord's farewell words to the Jews at 
 large. 
 
 VIII. 37-39. A MOURNFUL APOSTROPHE 
 TO JERUSALEM. Our Lord's thoughts had 
 been turning sadly toward Jerusalem formore 
 than a half yea-r, comp. on 16: 21 ; 20: 18 f. 
 Now the conclusion of the series of woes hav- 
 ing pointed directly to dreadful and speedy 
 judgments upon the persons addressed, which 
 would be connected especially with the destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem, he breaks into a grieved 
 and compassionate apostrophe. That such 
 feelings should have taken this form when 
 speaking of Jerusalem at a distance (i<oke is :S4f.) t 
 again when coming in sight of the citj T during 
 tjhe triumphal entry ( Luke : 41-44), and now 
 again in closing his last address to the people, 
 is in every respect natural ; and thoro is not 
 the slightest occasion for supposing that the 
 saying has been displaced by one or the other 
 Gospel. The doubled address, and the fre- 
 quent changes of person, are also natural in 
 the language of passionate emotion: "Jeru- 
 salem, Jerusalem thou that killest . . . sent 
 unto thee . . . thy children . . . your house 
 . . . ye shall not see." Thou that killest 
 the prophets gives the point of connection 
 between this and the preceding pnrngrnph. 
 And stonestthem. The Zechnriahj list before 
 mentioned (according to the view preferred) 
 was stoned to death, How often implies fre- 
 quent visits to Jerusalem during his ministry, 
 and special efforts to save her people, nnd 
 this agrees with the Gospel according to John. 
 
 i The omission of Barachiali in X, and the change to I cult to believe that nil the words ai they stnnd hare 
 Jehoiada, which Jerome found in the (Josnel used by apostolic authority." Rut conjectural emendation Hi 
 the Nazarenes, are obviously mere attempts to get ril remove a patent difficulty, would of course be extremely 
 of the discrepancy. W H. nay ( App. p. 28-'), " It is dim- ; precarious.
 
 478 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cii. XXIII. 
 
 88 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 
 
 3i> Fur I say unto you, Ye shall not ree me hence- 
 forth, till ye shall say, Blessed -w he that cometh iu the 
 name of the Lord. 
 
 38 and ye would not ! Behold, your house is left unto 
 
 39 you 'desolate ! For I say unto you, Ye shall not see 
 me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed it he that 
 cometh in the name of the Lord. 
 
 1 Some ancient authorltie 
 
 Others would suppose that he speaks of the 
 frequent divine wish in past generations. As 
 a hen gathereth her chickens. This 
 beautiful comparison is the only passage of 
 the Bible, except 26: 34, etc., in which barn- 
 yard fowls are expressly mentioned, but see 
 probable allusion in Psa. 17:8; 91:4; Jer. 
 48: 40; comp. Deut. 32: 11; Psa. 36: 7, etc. 
 Wilkinson says they are not represented in 
 the old Egyptian paintings. Yet they are 
 now extremely common in both countries, and 
 must have been so from early times. There 
 was simply no occasion for more frequent ref- 
 erence to them. Proselytes are spoken of in 
 the Talmud (Wiin.) as taking shelter under 
 the wings of the Shechinah. How often 
 would I . . . and ye would not. 'I' and 
 ' ye ' are not separately expressed in the 
 Greek, and so cannot be taken as emphatic. 
 The reference here is to the divine wish and 
 not to the divine purpose. God's will of pur- 
 pose is always carried out; his will of desire 
 often fails, because the free will of men will 
 not yield; comp. on b: 10. Your house is 
 left, present tense, ' is now being left.' The 
 city, which is the house or dwelling of the 
 people, is now in process of being left deso- 
 late, causes are in operation that must have 
 this result. 1 Some think that 'house', means 
 the temple rather than the city. For intro- 
 duces the proof that this process of leaving 
 them desolate is going on, viz., in the fact that 
 the Messiah who has so often wished to gather 
 and save, is now on the point of turning 
 away. Ye shall not see me henceforth. 
 After the resurrection he was not seen by the 
 people at large, but only by chosen witnesses, 
 Acts 10: 40 f. Till ye shall say, viz., at his 
 second coming, of which he will presently 
 speak fully to his disciples (ch. 24 and 25.) At 
 the triumphal entry (21:9) some said this, but 
 the people of Jerusalem in general did not. 
 At the second coming all will sincerely, 
 
 though some most unwillingly and sadly, 
 recognize him as the Messiah, that cometh 
 in the name of the Lord, 24: 30 f., comp. 
 Kev. 1:7; Phil. 2: 9-11. From Horn. 11: 
 25 ff. we may hope that among those who then 
 joyfully recognize him will be many Jews. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 Y. 14. ORIGEN: "Two faults. 1) They do 
 not themselves enter the kingdom. 2) They 
 do not suffer those that are trying to enter. 
 These two sins are naturally inseparable ; he 
 who commits the one cannot refrain from 
 committing the other; he who refrains from 
 the one is sure to refrain from the other also." 
 What an evil thing it is by our teaching to 
 shut the gate of salvation in men's faces; 
 what a blessed thing to open the gate, and 
 lead men to enter. V. 15. False religious 
 teaching is very apt to make the pupils worse 
 than the teacher ; 1) more extreme in opinion ; 
 2) more sure they are right; 3) more unhesi- 
 tating in action ; 4) more uncharitable to those 
 who think otherwise. ORIGKN : "To the son 
 of Gehenna, Christ's teaching gives the right 
 to become the child of God." (John 1:12.) V. 
 16-22. Discrimination is an indispensable 
 element of sound judgment, in the sphere of 
 thought or of action ; but false distinctions are 
 one of the commonest means of self-deception. 
 The fact that oaths wear out is not a reason 
 for inventing new ones, but for refraining 
 from oaths, save when used on extraordinary 
 occasions and in a reverent spirit; comp. on 
 5: 34. V. 17. The Saviour calls these men 
 'fools,' notwithstanding what he said in 5: 22. 
 He infallibly knows them to be fools, and he 
 says it with perfectly right aims and feelings. 
 
 V. 23. The centre of gravity, even in the 
 Mosaic system, lay in the ethical and not in 
 the ceremonial, and still more is that the case 
 with Christianity ; but even apparently slight 
 matters of external observance, if divinely 
 
 11 Desolate' is omitted here by B, L, an Old Latin position accounts for all the phenomena. W H. omit 
 
 copy, and a quotation in Origen. In Luke 13: 35 it is it in Matt, also, placing it in the margin. But we have 
 
 omiited hy most documents, and its chief supports are found various instances in which B, with some other 
 
 there " Western." It seems pretty clear that the word documents, must be regarded as wrong, 
 is spurious in Luke and genuine in Matt., as this sup-
 
 CH. XXIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 479 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 AND Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: 
 and his disciples came to him for to shew him the 
 buildings of the temple. 
 
 1 And .TCSUS went out from the temple, and was 
 going ou bis way ; and his disciples came to him to 
 
 enjoined, should by no means be neglected. 
 ORIGEN applies this to persons who neglect 
 wholesome instruction, and care only for 
 rhetorical ornament; comp. 1 Cor. 1: 17. V. 
 "21. Blind guides. CHRYS. : "For if for a 
 blind man not to think he needs a guide be 
 extreme misery and wretchedness; when he 
 wishes himself to guide others, see to what a 
 gulf it leads." V. 25. Scrupulosity in re- 
 ligious ceremonial cannot atone for extortion 
 in business or for indulgence of appetite to 
 excess. Indeed, religious ceremonial is itself 
 unacceptable to God when performed by the 
 immoral. 1 Tim. 2:8; Prov. 15: 8; 21 : 27. 
 V. 28. ROCHEFOUCAULD: "Hypocrisy is a 
 sort of homage that vice pays to virtue." POL- 
 LOK: "He was a man who stole the livery of 
 the court of heaven to serve the devil in." 
 V. 30 f. It is very easy to condemn severely 
 the misconduct of others, while secretly guilty 
 of essentially the same sin. But "God is not 
 mocked," Gal. 6: 7. HENRY: "The deceit- 
 fulness of sinners' hearts appears very much 
 in this, that while they go down the stream of 
 the sins of their own day, they fancy they 
 should have swum against the stream of the 
 sins of former days; that if they had had 
 other people's opportunities, they would have 
 improved them more faithfully; if they had 
 been in other people's temptations, they would 
 have resisted them more vigorously; when 
 yet they improve not the opportunities they 
 have, nor resist the temptations they are in." 
 V. 32. Filling up the measure. 1) In one 
 sense men are accountable only for their own 
 sins; "the soul that sinneth it shall die," 
 Ezek. 18: 4. 2) Yet all men suffer the conse- 
 quences of the wrong doing of others ances- 
 tors, present kindred, rulers, neighbors. 3) 
 Human wickedness goes on increasing in lines 
 of descent or of other relation till there comes 
 a time of reckoning, till the full measure of 
 guilt overflows in destruction. 4) The only 
 escape is in really turning from the sin of 
 wicked ancestors, so as to interrupt the trans- 
 mission of wickedness and guilt; yea, in turn- 
 ing from all sin to the sin-hating and sin-par- 
 doning God. 
 
 24 : 1-36. DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM 
 AND COMING OF CHRIST. 
 
 Found also in Mark 13: 1-32; Luke 21: 5-33. 
 
 Our Lord's last public discourse has now 
 been ended. The day is probably Tuesday of 
 the Passover week (see on 21 : 18, 23). He 
 has been discoursing all day in the courts of 
 the temple, and before turning away he draws 
 instruction from the widow's touching gift to 
 the sacred treasury. (Mark 12 : ; Luke 21: i.) He 
 then leaves the temple, and seems never to 
 have entered it again. In this final departure 
 it was very natural that his thoughts should 
 dwell on the impending destruction of the 
 temple and the city. Moreover, as there is 
 no sufficient reason for departing from Mat- 
 thew's order (comp. on 23 : 1, 13), we see that 
 he had just before predicted the destruction 
 of Jerusalem and his own future coming. 
 (23:S8r.) Six months earlier (i6:r.) he had 
 declared that he would come again in the 
 glory of his Father, as the sovereign Judge 
 of mankind; and that some then present 
 would live to see him "coming in his king- 
 dom." We there found it necessary to under- 
 stand that the particular coming to which this 
 last phrase especially refers took place at the 
 destruction of Jerusalem, which made Chris- 
 tianity completely and manifestly distinct 
 from Judaism, and established the Messianic 
 kingdom in its permanent present state. The 
 prediction then briefly made by our Lord is 
 now more fully unfolded. He first declares 
 in leaving the temple that it is going to be 
 completely destroyed ("); and then, sit- 
 ting on the Mount of Olives, he gives the 
 great discourse of ch. 24 and 25. 
 
 This discourse certainly foretells in the out- 
 set the destruction of Jerusalem (e. 7., v. 15-21, 
 v. 34); and in the conclusion certainly fore- 
 tells the final coming of our Lord, with the 
 general judgment of mankind and the result- 
 ing permanent state of the good and the bad 
 to: si -46), in a way substantially equivalent to 
 the predictive description? afterward* given 
 by thn apostles. To refer that closing passage 
 to the destruction of Jerusalem is absurd and 
 impossible. So then the discourse begins
 
 480 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XXIV. 
 
 with the destruction of the temple and city, 
 and ends with the final coming to judgment: 
 how does it make the transition from the for- 
 mer to the latter topic? Every attempt to 
 assign a definite point of division between the 
 two topics has proved a failure. Place it after 
 v. 28, saying that up to that point only the 
 former topic is meant, and after that point 
 only the latter, and at once we see that v. 34 
 must refer to the destruction of Jerusalem. 
 Place it after v. 34 or 36 or 42, and we cannot 
 resist the persuasion that v. 30 f. (and v. 36) 
 must refer to the final coming for judgment 
 (cornp. 12 : 41-43 ; 2 Thess. 1:7-10). But if 
 the destruction of Jerusalem was itself in one 
 sense a coming of the liord, why may we not 
 suppose that the transition from this to the 
 final coming is gradual? Then much in 
 24: 3-36 may be taken as referring both to the 
 former and the latter topic, while some of the 
 expressions may refer exclusively to the one 
 or the other. In 24 : 37 to 25 : 13 the earlier 
 topic is sinking out of sight ; in 25 : 31-46 it 
 has completely disappeared, and nothing is in 
 view but the final coming to judgment. (Luke 
 and Mark are parallel only as far as 24: 42.) 
 Similar cases occur in Old Test., where a pre- 
 diction refers to some nearer event, and also, 
 by typical relation, to a kindred event in the 
 remoter future. This view does not rest on 
 the crude notion of a "double sense" in 
 Scripture words or phrases, but on the un- 
 questionable Scripture use of types, prophetic 
 as well as ceremonial. For example, in Isa. 
 ch. 41 : 8 to ch. 53, the predictions as to the 
 "servant of Jehovah" make a gradual tran- 
 sition from Israel to the Messiah, the former 
 alone being seen in 41 : 8 fF., the Messiah also 
 appearing to view in 42: 1 ff. (Matt. 12: 18-21), and 
 Israel quite sinking out of our sight in ch. 63. 
 (Act 8: 32-35.) Com p. above on 2: 15. All the 
 Scripture predictions remained obscure till 
 their fulfillment (comp. on v. 15). Accord- 
 ingly we may expect here to see somewhat 
 clearly the fulfillment in the destruction of 
 Jerusalem, but the other and yet future fulfill- 
 ment must remain still quite obscure, and we 
 should be "contented (Alex.) with a careful 
 explanation of the terms employed, according 
 to analogy and usage, and a reverential wait- 
 ing for ulterior disclosures by the light of 
 
 divine providence shining on the word." 
 Some zealous students of prophecy have 
 brought reproach on the Scripture by their 
 lack of moderation and reserve in the inter- 
 pretation. It should be frankly conceded 
 that grave difficulties attend the interpreta- 
 tion of this discourse in any of the methods 
 that have been suggested. The view above 
 described is believed to involve fewer diffi- 
 culties, and to yield better results, than any 
 other theory. 
 
 1 f. The temple is here hieron, the general 
 sacred enclosure, see on 4: 5. Jesus went into 
 the Court of the Gentiles and the Court of Is- 
 rael, but never into the central building (nnos) 
 and the surrounding Court of the Priests. 
 (Comp. on 21: 12.) The clause 'from the 
 temple' stand in the Greek (correct text) 1 
 between the participle rendered 'went out' 
 and the verb 'was going,' and could be con- 
 nected with the latter, as in Com. Ver., but 
 
 j is more naturally connected with the former, 
 as in Rev. Ver. The preposition 'from' 
 
 | makes the temple the point of departure ; the 
 other expression, 'going out,' shows distinctly 
 that he had been in the temple, which would 
 be plain from the nature of the case. (Comp. 
 on 3 : 16. ) Was going on his way ( Rev. 
 Ver.), doubtless returning towards Bethany, 
 whence he had come that morning (21 ; IT r. -, 
 Luke zi: 37); and the disciples interrupted his 
 progress to show him the buildings of the 
 temple (hieron). In Mark (13:2) they are ex- 
 pressly called 'great buildings,' and in Mark 
 and Luke special attention is directed to the 
 vast "stones" employed. Josephus says 
 ("Ant," 15, 11, 3) that Herod built the sanc- 
 tuary (naos) of stones that were "white and 
 strong," probably meaning a hard variety of 
 white limestone still, much used in Palestine, 
 and that they were about twenty-five cubits 
 long, eight in height, and twelve in breadth, 
 or in our feet about forty by twelve by twenty, 
 which is even larger than the stones now found 
 in the southern angles of Herod the Great's 
 outer wall. (See on 21: 42.) In "War," 5, 
 5, 6, Josephus even says that some of the 
 stones were forty-five cubits long (eighty-five 
 feet). Doubtless the inner walls also, and 
 pillars of the colonnades (see on 21 : 12), pre- 
 sented very large and 'beautiful' stones. 
 
 1 The earliest MSS. and nearly all the early versions give this order, and the internal probabilities are at 
 least not against it; so there need be no question.
 
 CH. XXIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 481 
 
 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these 
 things ? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left 
 here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown 
 down. 
 
 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disci- 
 ples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when 
 shall these things be ? and what shall, be the sign of thy 
 coming, and of the end of the world? 
 
 2 shew him the buildings of the temple. But he an- 
 awered and said unto them, See ye not all these 
 things? verily I say unto you, T.here shall not be left 
 here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown 
 down. 
 
 3 And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disci- 
 ples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when 
 shall these things be ? and what fhull be the sign of 
 
 (Luke 2i: 5, Bib. r/n. ver.) It is doubtful whether 
 any other pile of sacred buildings on earth 
 has been so vast or to contemporaries so im- 
 posing as Herod's temple. Talmud Bab. 
 says: "He that never saw the temple of 
 Herod, never saw a fine building." Luke's 
 other expression, 'the temple was adorned 
 with beautiful stones and offerings' (Bib. Un. 
 Ver.), recalls Josephus' statement that "fast- 
 ened all around the temple (hieron) were bar- 
 baric spoils, and all these King Herod offered 
 up, adding whatever he took from the Ara- 
 bians also." (Comp. Rev. 21: 26.) There 
 were doubtless also many votive tablets, and 
 other beautiful objects offered by the people, 
 to adorn all the courts and colonnades, as well 
 as the central sacred building. Tacitus says 
 ("Hist.," V., 8, 12), that it was " a temple of 
 immense wealth," and so constructed as to be 
 "an excellent fortress." Our Lord seems to 
 have been outside of the temple when his at- 
 tention was called by the disciples, but this 
 does not show that they were observing only 
 the stones of the outer wall, for the central 
 building rose high above the outer court and 
 its wall, and was visible to a great distance, 
 as Josephus states. ("Ant," 15, 11, 3.) Our 
 Lord's language in v. 2 shows that he is re- 
 ferring to the entire structure. And Jesus 
 said, etc. But he answered and said, is the 
 correct Greek text. The subsequent insertion 
 of the name 'Jesus' is a thing of frequent oc- 
 currence in the manuscripts, comp. on 14: 14. 
 See ye not all these things? This called 
 their attention to the vast and solid mass of 
 buildings, by way of preparation for the 
 statement that all would be overthrown, a 
 thing which then seemed in the highest de- 
 gree unlikely ; indeed, we know that Titus 
 fully" meant to preserve it. (Jos. " War.," 6, 
 4.) There shall not be left here one stone 
 upon another. So also in Mark and Luke. 
 Some stickle at the fact that several stones of 
 Herod's outer wall now remain in situ, e. g., 
 at the Jews' place of wailing, and at the 
 southeast and southwest corners; indeed, at 
 the southeast corner the recent English ex- 
 
 cavations reached foundation-stones supposed 
 to have been laid by Solomon. Our Lord's 
 language is of course popular, and such an 
 objection is trifling. Comp. Jer. 26: 18. In 
 fact, it is wonderful how literally the predic- 
 tion was fulfilled, for very seldom was a great 
 city so completely destroyed. Josephus says 
 ("War," 7, 1, 1) that Titus finally ordered 
 the whole city and the sanctuary to be razed 
 to its foundations, except three towers and 
 part of the western wall, and that all the rest 
 of the city wall "was so completely leveled 
 with the ground that there was no longer any- 
 thing to lead those who visited the spot to be- 
 lieve that it had ever been inhabited." 
 
 3. Going on towards Bethany, our Lord 
 climbs the steep base of the Mount of 
 Olives, see on 21 : 1, 17. Half way up the 
 walking path one is apt to feel tired on a hot 
 afternoon at the time of the Passover, and to 
 seat himself on some ledge of limestone rock 
 to rest. There he finds himself ' over against ' 
 (Mark) the site of the temple, at about the 
 same height above the ravine of the Kedron. 
 Our Lord may have sat here, or perhaps on 
 the summit, where he would look down upon 
 the whole city. The place at which some 
 days before he "saw the city and wept over 
 it 1 ' (Luke 19: 4i. RCV. ver.), was about half a mile 
 further south, on the riding road from Beth- 
 any. The time was now towards night, and 
 the evening sun kindled the white stone and 
 gold of the temple buildings into splendor. 
 The disciples. Mark says ("''), 'Peter 
 and James and John and Andrew,' who were 
 the first company of the Twelve (see above on 
 10: 2), and three of whom had been with the 
 Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration, (n: i.) 
 This fact might have led these particular dis- 
 ciples to suppose that ho would tell them 
 what he would not tell the rest of the Twelve ; 
 and Matthew's general expression might be 
 easily restricted to the four mentioned by 
 Mark. Or it may bo, as Kutliym. suggests, 
 that "they all came to learn, but four naked, 
 as having greater freedom of access." Pri- 
 vately, so also Mnrk, as opposed to the public 
 
 2F
 
 4S-_> 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XXIV. 
 
 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take 4 thy looming, and of 2 the end of the world? And 
 heed that no man deceive you. Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that 
 
 1 Or. pretence.... y Or, the contummation of the age. 
 
 discourses he had been giving all day in the 
 temple. Jesus would of course refrain from 
 speaking plainly in public of his future com- 
 ing as the Messiah, when he had not yet pub- 
 licly declared himself to be the Messiah. 
 And it would have been dangerous (Maid.) 
 to foretell openly the destruction of the tem- 
 ple (comp. John 2: 20), which in the case of 
 Stephen was reckoned blasphemy. (Acts e-.ut.) 
 When shall these things be ? So Mark and 
 Luke. The prediction that the entire temple 
 would be thrown down reminded them of 
 previous predictions that he would come 
 again as the Messiah (16: 27 f. ; Luke 19 : 11 ; Matt, is . 39), 
 for they might well suppose such an utter 
 destruction would occur only in connection 
 with the establishment of the Messianic king- 
 dom, which many Jews believed would be 
 attended by mighty changes. So the disci- 
 ples privately inquire as to the time of his 
 promised coming, and the sign of it. The 
 sign of thy coming, (parousia), presence 
 (Kev. Ver. margin), as in 2 Cor. 10: 10, or 
 'arrival' as in the phrase 'by the coming of 
 Titus,' 2 Cor. 7:6; the idea is of not merely 
 arriving but then remaining present, The 
 word suggests (Ewald) that Jesus will come 
 and stay with his people. This peculiar term 
 is used for the second coming of Christ four 
 times in the chapter (v. a, 27,37,39), and repeat- 
 edly by James, Paul, Peter; also in 1 John 
 2: 28. Other terms used in the Epistles are 
 manifestation, revelation, appearing, coming, 
 day. The word 'thy' has a certain emphasis 
 in the Greek. He has spoken of the Messiah's 
 coming (23 : 39 ; ie : 28) ; they are satisfied that 
 this means his coming. And of the end of 
 the world, or, as the Greek exactly means, 
 the consummation of the age (Rev. Ver. mar- 
 gin), see on 13: 39 f. There is here no refer- 
 ence to any such idea as that of the destruc- 
 tion of the material universe (Cosmos), but 
 only the consummation and termination of 
 the present aion, age, or state of things. A 
 common Jewish conception was that the ap- 
 
 pearing of the Messiah would close 'this age,' 
 and introduce 'the coming age' these 
 phrases often occurring in the Talmud. The 
 disciples would easily transform the concep- 
 tion into that of a future appearance of their 
 Master as the Messiah. Jesus had taught 
 them that at 'the consummation of the age,' 
 the end of the present state of things, the 
 Messiah would destroy the wicked (is: 41,49), 
 and they were now fully convinced that he 
 himself was the Messiah. Thus it was nat- 
 ural for them to ask these questions. It is 
 not wise to distinguish sharply between the 
 three clauses as if representing three entirely 
 separate points. Evidently the disciples did 
 not separate between his future coming and 
 the end of the present period ; nor has the 
 Saviour done so in his reply. They also then 
 supposed that the destruction of the temple 
 would coincide with his coming and the end 
 of the age ; the reply did not clearly show 
 that they would in fact be far apart, but it 
 left the way open for what has in this respect 
 turned out to be the case. The phrases ' com- 
 ing' and 'consummation of the age' would 
 be readily intelligible to the Jewish readers 
 contemplated by Matt., but not to Gentiles; 
 and accordingly Mark and Luke have simply 
 'and what is the sign when all these things 
 are going to be completed' (Luke 'to come 
 to pass'). 1 
 
 The Saviour's reply, so far as included in 
 our present section, divides itself into v. 4-14, 
 15-28, 29-31, 32-36; and this last is very close- 
 ly connected with what follows in the next 
 section. Observe that the whole discourse is 
 evidently designed, not to satisfy curiosity 
 about the future, but to save from misconcep- 
 tion, restrain impatience, and stimulate to 
 perpetual watchfulness (24.42) and faithful- 
 ness. (25:14ff.) 
 
 I. 4-14. MISLEADING SIGNS. Foundalsoin 
 Markl3:5-13; Luke21:8-19. Alexander: "The 
 divine wisdom of the Saviour and his knowl- 
 edge of the perils which beset his followers 
 
 1 Wflnsche here quotes a good deal from the Talmud, 
 and other Rabbinical writings, as to presages of the 
 Messiah's coming (i. e. what we call his first coming), 
 and descriptions of the Messianic time, but nothing 
 
 that would really help In understanding this discourse. 
 As to the wide difference between the Rabbinical con- 
 ceptions of "the last things," and those of the New 
 Test., see Edersh. II, 434, 445.
 
 Cn. XXIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 483 
 
 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am 
 Christ : and shall deceive many. 
 
 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wais: 
 see that ye be not troubled : for all these things must 
 come to pass, but the end is not yet. 
 
 5 no man lead you astray. For many shall come in 
 my name, saying, I am the Christ ;" aud shall lead 
 
 6 many astray. And ye shall hear of wars aud rumours 
 of wars : see that ye be not troubled : lor these things 
 
 are strikingly exemplified in this preliminary 
 warning against error and delusion, this ex- 
 posure of false signs before giving a descrip- 
 tion of the true. This method of proceeding 
 is the more remarkable because the course 
 suggested by fanatical excitement is the very 
 opposite, and even wise men who devote them- 
 selves to such inquiries are too prone to look 
 exclusively at what is positive in Christ's in- 
 structions, without heeding this preliminary 
 admonition, or even observing that his pur- 
 pose in this first part of his discourse is not to 
 tell what are but what are not the premoni- 
 tions of the great catastrophe to which he 
 here refers, whatever it may be." 
 
 (a) False Messiahs and other false teachers, 
 v. 4 f. ; also in Mark and Luke. Many shall 
 come in my name (see on 18: 5), here means 
 more than reliance on him, for they would 
 claim to be what he really was. (Comp. v. 
 23-25 and Jer. 14: 14.) We have no account 
 of any one who claimed to be the Messiah 
 between this time and the destruction of 
 Jerusalem. Tet there may very well have 
 been such persons. As the Jews expected the 
 Messiah to be a political deliverer, it was very 
 natural that men who set up for political de- 
 liverers should pretend to be the Messiah; 
 but as Josephus had interpreted the Messianic 
 predictions as fulfilled in Vespasian, 1 and 
 knew that any popular expectation of a native 
 ruler would be highly unacceptable to the 
 Romans, he would be likely to pass over such 
 claims without mention. Christ, the Chrixt, 
 with the article. (See on 2: 4.) Com. Ver. 
 itself gives the article in 26: G3. 
 
 (b) Wars, famines, earthquakes, affecting 
 the world at large, v. 6-8; so also Mark and 
 Luke, the latter expanding. These extraor- 
 dinary occurrences would become a false sign 
 
 by being misinterpreted, as such events often 
 are. Wars and rumors of wars, which 
 latter may turn out unreal. Both real wars 
 and such rumors were abundant before A. D. 
 70, as well as often since. Famines (ACU n : 28) 
 are often mentioned in Old. Test., and are 
 still frequent in Palestine ; earthquakes also 
 frequently occur, and there are many signs of 
 former volcanic activity. "We read in Jos. 
 and Tacitus of various famines and earth- 
 quakes in Palestine during the years preced- 
 ing the destruction of Jerusalem. Persons 
 caring to trace them out may refer to Alford 
 or "Bible Comm." Be not troubled. Luke, 
 'terrified.' Alexander: "As if these commo- 
 motions would necessarily imply the immi- 
 nence of some great catastrophe, or of the 
 final consummation. The necessity of this 
 caution, not to the first disciples merely, but 
 to their successors, is abundantly apparent 
 from the well-known fact that pious men in 
 every age have been continually falling into 
 the mistake of looking on national commo- 
 tions and collisions as decisive proof that the 
 world is near its end. The meaning is not that 
 such changes may not be immediately suc- 
 ceeded by the greatest change of all, but only 
 that they are no sign of it, and ought not to 
 be so regarded." For all these things 
 (rather, they)i must come to pass, the latter 
 term as in 6: 18. Why "must," or "must 
 needs?" (Rev. Ver.) We might simply say 
 (Meyer) that it was necessary according to 
 the divine purpose, the thought of which 
 might console the disciples, as it did the Sa- 
 viour. (2: M.) But does not the expression 
 mean that in the preparation for the complete 
 reign of the Messiah, conflict is unavoidable, 
 not simply individual and domestic variance 
 (io: Mtr.), but conflict of the races and nations, 
 
 1 See "War," 6,5,4, and conip. 3,8,9, with 4,10,7. The 
 often quoted statement of Suetonius ("Claudius" 2/5) 
 and Tacitus (" Hist." V, 13) as to an expectation " that 
 persons proceeding from .Tudea would gain dominion," 
 was to all appearance derived by them from Josephus< 
 for they both make the same application that he 
 does. 
 
 * Some documents inserted 'these things,' some 'all 
 
 things,' a few 'all these things;' the earlie.st MSS. and 
 several early versions are without any such expression 
 and the various phrases mentioned lire obviously addi- 
 tions made by students or copyists. In v. 7 ' and pesti- 
 lencos'ls added by many documents, but wanting in 
 the earliest MSS., and plainly inoeru-d from Luke 
 21: 11.
 
 484 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXIV. 
 
 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom 
 against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pes- 
 tilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 
 
 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 
 
 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and 
 shall kill you : and ye shall be hated of all nations for 
 my name's sake. 
 
 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall be- 
 tray one another, and shall hate one another. 
 
 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall de- 
 ceive many. 
 
 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of 
 many shall wax cold. 
 
 7 must needs come to pass: but the end is not yet, 
 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom 
 against kingdom : and there shall be famines and 
 
 8 earthquakes in divers places.. But all these things 
 
 9 are the beginning of travail. Then shall they de- 
 liver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill "you: 
 
 10 and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my 
 name's sake. And then shall many stumble, and shall 
 deliver up one another, and shall hate one another. 
 
 11 And many false prophets shall arise, and lead many 
 
 12 astray. And because iniquity shall be multiplied, 
 
 as afterwards depicted in the visions of John 
 in Patmos? Meyer sees in v. 6 f., "the first, 
 far off indirect prognostics of the second ad- 
 vent, like the roll of distant thunder." "With 
 the imagery of v. 7 comp. that of Isa. 19: 2. 
 In v. 8, the beginning of sorrows, or, 
 travail, and not the end, the consummation. 
 'Travail' is in the Greek a plural, meaning 
 the pains of labor, the birth-pangs (iThess. 5:3) 
 and often in Old Test. ; then any severe 
 pangs (Acts 2: 24.) These things will not be 
 merely the beginning of distresses, but of 
 labor-pains (comp. Horn. 8 : 22) ; and the 
 end of these will be the appearance of a bet- 
 ter state of things (comp. "the regeneration," 
 19: 28.) Edersh: "Jewish writings speak 
 very frequently of the so-called 'sorrows of 
 the Messiah' [the word meaning labor-pains.] 
 These were partly those of the Messiah, and 
 partly perhaps chiefly those coming on Is- 
 rael and the world previous to, and connected 
 with, the coming of the Messiah." The par- 
 ticulars mentioned vary greatly, and the 
 descriptions are quite fanciful. But they may 
 generally be characterized as marking a period 
 of internal corruption and of outward dis- 
 tress, especially of famine and war, of which 
 the land of Palestine was to be the scene, and 
 in which the people of Israel were to be the 
 chief sufferers; yet none of them refers to 
 desolation of the City and Temple as one of 
 the 'signs' or 'sorrows' of the Messiah. 
 
 (c) Things directly affecting the Christians 
 persecution, false prophets, multiplied trans- 
 gressions, v. 9-13. So Mark and Luke. But 
 they here also give a prediction that the dis- 
 ciples will be brought before Jewish and 
 heathen tribunals, with persecution and 
 scourging (comp. Acts 22 : 19 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 24 f. ) ; 
 and that they will be taught by inspiration 
 what to say in their defence, and need not be 
 anxious in advance on that point. (Comp. 
 Acts 4: 8-13.) Matthew has given a similar 
 passage in the discourse to the Twelve on send- 
 
 ing them out (see 10: 17-22), and therefore 
 (we may suppose) does not repeat it here. To 
 be afflicted, better, as Kev. Ver., to tribula- 
 tion, see the word explained on 13 : 21. For 
 instances of persecution, see Acts 4 : 1 ; 7: 59; 
 12: 1; Kev. 2: 10, 12. Ye shall be hated 
 of all nations. Comp. "as concerning this 
 sect, it is known to us that everywhere it 
 is spoken against." (Acts28: 22, R. v.) Tacitus 
 ("Annals" XV. 44) speaks of the Christians 
 as "a kind of men hated for their acts of 
 wickedness." And then shall many be of- 
 fended (stumble), comp. 13: 21, 57, and see 
 the term explained on 5: 29. Shall betray 
 (or deliver up) one another, represents a pe- 
 culiarly painful feature of the situation in 
 times of severe persecution. Tacitus in speak- 
 ing of the persecution of Christians by Nero 
 in A. D. 64, says, "At first those who con- 
 fessed were seized, afterwards upon their in- 
 formation a great multitude." And shall 
 hate one another. Remember how Paul 
 was hated by the Judaizers, and by various 
 parties at Corinth. 
 
 11 f. is found in Matt. only. There shall be 
 not merely persecution but false teaching. 
 (Comp. Acts 20: 29 f.; 2 Pet. 2: 1; 1 John 
 4: 1.) False prophets, comp. v. 24; 7: 15; 
 2 Pet. 2: 1. Shall deceive, or lead astray, 
 many, the same term as in v. 4 f. Iniquity, 
 more exactly transgression of law, see on 23 : 
 28. Shall abound, or be multiplied, as this 
 word is everywhere else rendered. The love 
 of (the) many, the general mass, excepting a 
 few individuals. (Comp. Winer.) 'Love' here 
 probably means love to Christ and to his people. 
 The great increase of the violation of God's 
 law among the wicked will gradually tone 
 down and chill the zeal and love of the great 
 mass of professed subjects of the Messiah. 
 The Epistle to the Hebrews seems aimed at 
 such a tendency, and similar periods have 
 often existed in Christian history. Tyndale 
 and followers greatly enfeebled this state-
 
 CH. XXIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 485 
 
 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same 
 shall be saved. 
 
 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached 
 in all the world for a witness unto all nations ; and then 
 shall the eud come. 
 
 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of 
 desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in 
 the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand :) 
 
 the love of the many shall wax cold. But he that 
 
 13 endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. And 
 
 14 ! this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the 
 whole - world for a testimony unto all the nations; 
 and then shall the end come. 
 
 15 When therefore ye see the abomination of desola- 
 tion, which was spoken of through Daniel the pro- 
 phet, standing in 3 the holy place (let him that read- 
 
 ; good tidings 2 Gr. inhabited earth 3 Or. a holy place 
 
 ment by neglecting the article, and making 
 it 'the love of many.' 
 13. He that shall endure unto the end, 
 
 that through life endures persecution (T.MI) 
 without flinching, and with multiplied trans- 
 gression all around him maintains warm Chris- 
 tian love (v. 12) ; comp. Kev. 2: 10. Or ' unto 
 the end ' may mean not through life, hut unto 
 the end of these trials. Luke gives (21: 19) the 
 kindred and remarkable expression, "in your 
 patience ye shall win your souls" (correct text 
 and translation), implying that men may gain 
 possession of their own spiritual nature 
 through patient endurance of the ills of life, 
 (d) A corrective to the false signs, v. 14 ; 
 Mark 13: 10. Notwithstanding the perse- 
 cution from without and the false teaching 
 and diminished love within, the gospel will 
 be everywhere preached; then, and not till 
 then, will the end come. This gospel of 
 the kingdom, the good tidings (Kev. Ver. 
 margin) that the Messianic kingdom or reign 
 is near (see on 4 : 23 ; 3 : 2), which the Sav- 
 iour was and long had been engaged in pro- 
 claiming. Comp. the beginning of our Lord's 
 preaching in Galilee, Mark 1 : 15. Preached, 
 kerusso, see on 4: 17. In all the world, 
 more exactly, in the whole inhabited (earth), 
 as in Kev. Ver. margin. This term, oikou- 
 mene, is repeatedly used in Luke (and Acts), 
 not elsewhere in the Gospels. From it comes 
 the modern Popish phrase, "an oecumenical 
 council," one whose members gather from all 
 the inhabited earth. This statement, that the 
 gospel shall be preached in the whole inhabi- 
 ted earth, and the following expression for a 
 witness unto all (the) nations, could be 
 regarded as a hyperbolical prediction of what 
 was fulfilled before the destruction of Jerusa- 
 lem, even as Paul wrote to the Colossians 
 (about A. D. 63), concerning "the gospel 
 which ye heard, which was preached in all 
 creation under heaven." (Col. i : , a. vr.) It 
 will evidently be fulfilled much more thor- 
 oughly before the second coming of Christ; 3 r et 
 Paul's phrase, and the apparent primary ref- 
 
 erence here to A. D., 70 as 'the end, : should 
 restrain theorizers from insisting that the sec- 
 ond coming of Christ cannot take place until 
 this has been fulfilled with literal complete- 
 ness. . For a witness, or, testimony, in order 
 that testimony may be offered them concern- 
 ing the Messiah and his salvation, such as 
 they may believe if they will. 
 
 II. 15-28. ONE GREAT SIGN AT JERU- 
 SALEM; also in Mark 13: 14-23; Luke 21: 
 20-24. In v. 15-22 the Saviour states what 
 they must do upon the occurrence of this 
 sign, and in v. 23-28 warns against misleading 
 pretensions and propositions. 
 
 (a) The sign, and what they must do, v. 15- 
 22. When ye therefore shall see. What 
 inference is expressed by 'therefore'? He 
 has said that the end is coming (*. u), and that 
 those who endure to the end shall be saved 
 (v. is) ; when therefore they see a certain sign, 
 let them promptly flee, in order to save them- 
 selves, (v. 16 ff.) 
 
 13. f., apparently refers both to the de- 
 struction of Jerusalem and to the final 
 coming of Christ; an inference from it in 
 the former sense is that which here fol- 
 lows. The abomination of desolation. 
 The Greek construction makes it the abomi- 
 nation characterized by desolation, which 
 might be as a tokon or as a cause of desola- 
 tion. This vague phrase is further described 
 by adding spoken of by (through) Daniel 
 the prophet, viz., spoken of by God through 
 the prophet, comp. 21: 4, and see on 1: 22; 
 2: 5. This addition is wanting in the correct 
 text of Mark (is:')t having been added in the 
 common text from Matt. It is stated in Dan- 
 iel (9:j6r.), that 'the anointed one,' the Mes- 
 siah, 'shall be cut off,' and 'the people of the 
 prince that shall come, shall destroy the city 
 
 and the sanctuary and he shall cause 
 
 the sacrifice and the meat-offering to cease; 
 and upon the wing of abominations shall 
 come one that mnketh desolate,' or (margin, 
 Rev. Ver.), 'upon the pinnacle of abomina- 
 tions shall be one that maketh desolate.' In
 
 486 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXIV. 
 
 16 Then let them which be in Judea flee into the I 16 eth understand), then let them that are in Judtea flee 
 mountains: 
 
 this last sense it was understood by the Sept., 
 which renders ' upon the temple (hieron) 
 (shall be) the abomination of the desolations.' 
 In Dan. 11: 31 and 12: 11 the Sept. has 
 'abomination of desolation,' as here. The 
 writer of 1 Mace, (i; 54) applied this phrase 
 to the heathen altar which in the time of An- 
 tiochus Epiphanes was set upon the altar of 
 Jehovah. It is evident that our Lord inter- 
 prets the prediction in Daniel as referring to 
 the Messiah, and to that destruction of the 
 city and the temple which he is now foretell- 
 ing; and his interpretation is authoratative 
 for us. What this predicted ' abomination 
 of desolation ' would be, was an obscure 
 question. Many a prediction of human ac- 
 tion was necessarily obscure till the fulfill- 
 ment came, because otherwise it would have 
 so influenced believers as to fulfill itself, and 
 would have thus failed to be valid as a super- 
 human prediction to strengthen faith in him 
 who spoke it. (John H: 29.) Our Lord cites this ob- 
 scure expression without explaining it, simply 
 pointing out that it demands attention from 
 the reader of Daniel let him that readeth 
 understand and implying that if really 
 understood it has -the reference he is indi- 
 cating. Some suppose the parenthetic remark 
 to be that of Matthew, addressing the reader 
 of the Gospel; but this is made improbable 
 by the fact that Mark gives the same paren- 
 thesis verbatim, for although Mark (in the 
 correct text) does not mention Daniel, yet the 
 peculiar and well-known phrase would sug- 
 gest its source in that book. Luke (21 . 20), 
 probably because the phrase was obscure and 
 difficult, paraphrases it by an expression (or 
 perhaps reports an additional expression, 
 comp. Luke 19: 42), which suggests to us the 
 interpretation : ' When ye see Jerusalem com- 
 passed with armies, then know that the deso- 
 lation thereof is near.' Literally, it is 'being 
 encircled by armies,' when you see the pro- 
 cess going on, then flee. Notice that Luke 
 retains the term 'desolation.' Now we cannot 
 always interpret the phraseology of a passage 
 from that of a parallel passage, but there is 
 always a strong probability that their mean- 
 ing is substantially the same. It is possible 
 that Luke describes an occurrence without the 
 city, and Matthew, some concurrent desecra- 
 
 tion of thetemple, represented by the abomina- 
 tion of desolation. But it is much more likely 
 that 'the abomination of desolation, standing 
 in the holy place ' means some object con- 
 nected with the Roman army under Titus 
 that encircled and captured Jerusalem, which 
 object foretokened speedy desolation. The 
 Roman military standard, with its eagle of 
 silver or bronze, and under that an imperial 
 bust which the soldiers were accustomed to 
 worship, standing anywhere in the holy city 
 (*: 5) would be a violation of the second com- 
 mandment, would be abominable in the eyes 
 of all devout Jews, would in itself desolate 
 the holy place, according to their feeling, and 
 would foretoken a yet more complete desola- 
 tion. Holy place cannot well mean dis- 
 tinctively thetemple in this case, for when the 
 Roman standards stood in the temple it was 
 too late for fleeing to the mountain. One or 
 two years before the Saviour thus spoke, 
 Pilate had outraged the Jews by bringing into 
 Jerusalem by night such military standards, 
 having on them the emperor's bust, and only 
 upon vehement and protracted entreaty did 
 he consent to remove them (Jos. "Ant.," 18, 
 3, 1). The masculine participle for 'stand- 
 ing' used by Mark (is:u, correct text) might re- 
 fer to the emperor whose bust the standard 
 bore, or to the general whose authority it rep- 
 resented. The term ' abomination ' is oftenest 
 used in Old Test, as denoting idols, or objects 
 connected with idolatry. The horror of civil 
 war in the temple (Jos. "War.," 4, 9, 11 f.) 
 would not so well account for this phrase, nor 
 correspond to the connection in Daniel. Some 
 prefer simply to understand the Roman 
 power, as abominable and desolating. 
 
 16. Then. The signs previously mentioned 
 will not show that the end is near ; but when 
 this sign is seen, then the followers of Christ 
 must at once leave Jerusalem and the entire 
 district of Judea. Flee into the mountains 
 seems to be a general phrase, not denoting any 
 particular mountains. In the Maccabean 
 time the Jews had become familiar with the 
 idea of hiding in ravines and caves of the 
 mountains. Eusebius states (" Hist." III., 5, 
 2 f.) that at the time of the siege by Titus the 
 apostles had gone to preach the gospel to all 
 the nations, and that the people (laity) of the
 
 CH. XXIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 487 
 
 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down 
 to take anything out of his house: 
 
 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back 
 to take his clothes. 
 
 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to 
 them that give suck in those days ! 
 
 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, 
 neither on the sabbath day : 
 
 17 unto the mountains: let him that is on the housetop 
 
 18 not go down to take out the things that are in his 
 house : and let him that is in the field not return 
 
 19 back to take his cloak. But woe unto them that are 
 with child and to them that give suck in those days ! 
 
 church in Jerusalem, in accordance with a 
 certain divine communication given by revela- 
 tion before the war, removed and dwelt in a 
 city of Perea named Pella. Epiphanius has 
 a similar statement. Merrill, "East of the 
 Jordan," leaves no reasonable doubt that 
 Robinson was right in identifying Pella with 
 the ruins called Fah'l, lying just across the 
 Jordan valley eastward from Bethshean, in a 
 beautiful and healthy situation. The ruins 
 indicate an important city. Epiphunius says 
 that when Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem, chang- 
 ing its name to ^Elia (A. D. 135), the Chris- 
 tians a second time withdrew to Pella. It is 
 not clear from Eusebius at what precise time 
 the Christians withdrew from Jerusalem ; it 
 may have been (so Plump, and Edersh. 
 think) in A. D 68, but it seems to have occur- 
 red after Titus took command, which followed 
 the death of Galba, A. D. 69 (see Jos. " War," 
 4, 9, 2). During the siege, in A. D. 70, Titus 
 allowed many Jews to withdraw from the city 
 ("War," 5, 10, 1), and the Christians may 
 have left then. Such an abandonment of 
 Jerusalem was not unprecedented, for after 
 the affair of Cestius, in A. D 66, "many of 
 the distinguished Jews left the city, as if 
 swimming from a sinking ship" ("War," 2, 
 20, 1). 
 
 17 f. The flight is to be prompt, immediate. 
 The top of an Oriental house is flat, with only 
 slant enough to carry off the rain, and with a 
 battlement or parapet to prevent persons from 
 falling. (Deut.Mrs.) Thia roof is usually reached 
 by steps from the inner court. (Mark 2 : 4.) In a 
 city, where the houses adjoin, one might go 
 along the roofs from house to house without 
 
 descending to the court and the street. Jo- 
 sephus ("Ant.," 13, 5, 3) represents some 
 Jewish soldiers as quelling a tumultuous re- 
 bellion in Antioch by going on the roofs of 
 the palaces to cast down missiles upon the 
 crowds in the streets, and then leaping from 
 house to house and setting fire to the dwell- 
 ings of the people. So here, he which is on 
 the housetop (. a ., ACUIO:) will find it the 
 shortest way to escape from the doomed city 
 to pass from roof to roof, and must not go 
 down to take anything out of his house. 1 
 In like manner, neither let him which is in 
 the field at work, and has laid aside his outer 
 garment (5; >), return to the place where he 
 laid it, but he must flee straightway. Origen 
 understands return to the city, but that would 
 take a long time, and the prohibition of it 
 would not indicate great haste; besides that 
 decorous persons would not leave the outer 
 garment at home, but would wear it in going 
 from the city to the field. These are strong 
 expressions such as the Saviour frequently 
 used, see on 5: 39 to show that the flight 
 must be extremely prompt, when the pre- 
 dicted sign appears. 
 
 19-22. Woe is here said compassionately, 
 while in 23: 13 it was denounced as a thing 
 deserved. A flight so prompt and hasty must 
 involve great hardship and difficulty for deli- 
 cate women, and for all if it should be in the 
 winter.* So the traditional law as to a Sab- 
 bath day journey, that it should be not more 
 than two thousand cubits, about ten hundred 
 and fifty yards, would prove overwhelmingly 
 inconvenient, if the flight should occur on 
 the Snbbath day. Some (Wiin.) held it 
 
 1 Literally 'to take awny the things that tire out of hi* l 
 house,' an abreviated expression for " to take out of the j 
 house the things that are in it." This Is undoubtedly 
 the correct reading here. The singular 'garment ' (or ! 
 'cloak') is read by all the earliest MSS. and many 
 others, and by nearly all the eariy versions ; this must ; 
 outweigh the probability of assimilation to Mark i:i: Ifi. ( 
 
 * It was a great mercy to the Southern people that j 
 the end of the Civil War (18T..5) cam in April, when if j 
 the men hurried home and weut immediately to work, 
 
 there was just time enough to plant corn, tobacco, cot- 
 ton ; this prevented disorder and violence, by engaging 
 all in hopeful Industry. So some Rabbinical writers 
 (Wet.) speak of It as a special nirrcy that the destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (t Kln*M: s-) oc- 
 curred at a season of t be year suit able for journeying 
 and exposure. And, according to Josephus, the army 
 of Titus reached Jerusalem in April (A. i>. 7u>, und 
 destroyed it in September.
 
 488 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXIV. 
 
 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was 
 not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, 
 nor ever shall be. 
 
 -_ And except those days should be shortened, there 
 should no tlfsh be saved: but for the elect's sake those 
 days shall be shortened. 
 
 j;i Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is 
 Christ, or there: believe it not. 
 
 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false pro- 
 phets, and shall shew great signs and wonders ; inso- 
 much that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the 
 very elect. 
 
 25 Behold, I have told you before. 
 
 20 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, 
 
 21 neither ou a Sabbath: for then shall be great tribu- 
 lation, such as hath not been from the beginning of 
 
 22 the world until now, no, nor ever shall be. And ex- 
 cept those days had been shortened, no flesh would 
 
 23 have been saved : but for the elect's sake those days 
 shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto 
 
 24 you, Lo, here is the Christ, or,Here ; believe it > not. 
 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, 
 and shall shew great signs and wonders; .so as to 
 
 25 lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I 
 
 1 Or, Aim. 
 
 lawful to violate this when in peril of life ; 
 and such a course our Lord would certainly 
 have approved (comp. on 12: 2 ff.); but it 
 would be to any strict Jew a painful and 
 embarrassing necessity. Moreover (Hessey, 
 in "Bible Coinm."), "it was no doubt con- 
 sidered wrong to assist the traveler, however 
 urgent his errand, in his movements on the 
 Sabbath day. All possible impediments there- 
 fore would be thrown in the way of the fugi- 
 tives by those who were still zealous for the 
 supposed requirements of the law." Our 
 Lord seems to imply that his Jewish followers 
 will be still scrupulous about the traditional 
 mode of observing the Sabbath up to the 
 destruction of Jerusalem. It was indeed this 
 event that first made the Jewish Christians 
 clearly understand the ceremonial law to be 
 no longer binding (comp. on 16: 28). Pray 
 ye that your flight be not is a non-final con- 
 struction, see on 5 : 29. 
 
 21. For, reason for the injunction of 
 v. 16, which was expanded by v. 17-20. This 
 reason is that the sufferings attendant 
 upon the destruction of Jerusalem, will be 
 without parallel in past or future his- 
 tory. (Comp. on v. 29.) We might regard 
 this also as the hyperbolical language often 
 used in prophecy (comp. Dan. 12: 1; Joel 
 2:1); yet in this case it may be taken liter- 
 ally, for certainly no recorded distresses have 
 been so vast, so prolonged, so terrible, as 
 those described by Josephus in the "Jewish 
 War." We are not surprised to find him say- 
 ing (5, 10, 5), "no other city ever endured 
 similar calamities, and no generation ever 
 existed more prolific in crime." Comp. his 
 Preface to the " War," 4. The elect (r. 22) 
 would seem to be the elect among the Jews 
 (i.6o:9), the Jewish Christians. If the de- 
 struction and desolation inflicted by the 
 Romans during the siege and overthrow of 
 
 the city, and afterwards at various points, had 
 been continued much longer, they would have 
 swept away all Jews who were then Christians, 
 and all who afterwards became Christians 
 yea, the whole Jewish race. Should be short- 
 ened, etc., Rev. Ver. Had been shortened, no 
 flesh would have been saved, is the necessary 
 meaning of the Greek; 'saved' means the saving 
 of the life, 9 : 21 f., comp. on 1 : 21. Mark 13 : 20 
 refers the shortening expressly to Jehovah. 
 That others should also be saved for the sake 
 of saving the elect, reminds of Gen. 18: 23 ff. 
 Luke adds (21:2*. E.V.) 'and they shall be led 
 away captive into all nations' (comp. Jos. 
 "War," Book 7), 'and Jerusalem shall be 
 trodden down by the Gentiles until the times 
 of the Gentiles be fulfilled.' 
 
 We cannot say that v. 15-22 does not at all 
 refer to the times just preceding our Lord's 
 final coming; but no such reference shows it- 
 self. The terms of v. 22 might readily be so 
 understood, but 'those days' can hardly mean 
 anything else than the days of the flight from 
 Judea. (v. ie-20.) 
 
 (b) False pretensions which must then be 
 guarded against, v. 28-38; so Mark 13: 21-23; 
 not in Luke. 
 
 23-25. Further cases of false Messiahs. 
 (Comp. v. 5.) A pseudo-christ, one who 
 falsely claimed to be Christ, must be distin- 
 guished from an anti-christ, an opposer of 
 Christ (Epistles of John) ; compare the some- 
 what similar designation in 2 Thess. 2 : 4. 
 Shall shew great signs and wonders, 
 comp. on 16: 1, and for the terms see on 12: 
 38. Shall deceive, or lead astray, same 
 term as in v. 4 f., 11, and in 18: 12 f. (Comp. 
 Deut. 13 : 1 ff. ; Rev. 13 : 13. ) Alexander : 
 "This prediction, in its strict sense, is among 
 the passages which seem to show that even 
 real miracles are not sufficient of themselves 
 to prove the truth of any doctrine, but only
 
 CH. XXIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 489 
 
 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he 
 is in the desert ; go not forth : behold, he is in the secret 
 chambers ; believe it not. 
 
 '21 For as the lightuing cometh out of the east, and 
 shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming 
 of the Son of man be. 
 
 28 For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the 
 eagles be gathered together. 
 
 2J Immediately after the tribulation of those days 
 shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give 
 her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the 
 powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 
 
 26 have told you beforehand. If therefore they shall 
 say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go 
 
 27 not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers : be- 
 lieve l it not. For as the lightning cometh forth 
 from the east, and is seen even unto the west ; so 
 
 28 shall be the 2 coming of the Son of mau. Where- 
 soever the carcase is, there will the 3 eagles be gath- 
 ered together. 
 
 29 But immediately, after the tribulation of those 
 days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall 
 not give her light, and the stars shall fall from 
 
 1 Or, them 2 Gr. pretence. . . .3 Or, vulture*. 
 
 one part of a complex demonstration, at once 
 sensible, rational, and spiritual." 
 
 26 f. The true Messiah's appearing will be 
 sudden and visible to all. The desert or 
 wilderness (*; i), and the secret chambers 
 (6: e), are contrasted. He will not be known to 
 have appeared else where, and will not be found 
 by searching in the wild, thinly inhabited 
 regions, or in the private portions of some city 
 house ; his appearing will be visible to all, as 
 a flash of lightning. (Comp. Luke 17: 23 f.) 
 The coining, comp. on v. 3. The Son of 
 man, the Messiah, see on 8: 20. Here 'the 
 coming of the Son of man' answers to 'thy 
 coming' in v. 3. 
 
 27 is closely connected by for with v. 26, 
 which last points to the destruction of Jeru- 
 salem. Yet the language of v. 27 seems spe- 
 cially appropriate to the final coming ; and it 
 may perhaps be understood as referring to 
 both. (Comp. on v. 3.) Also is an inade- 
 quately supported addition in the common 
 text. And shineth, or is seen, as in 6: 5; 
 not that the lightning goes to the west, as 
 'shineth' might suggest, but that its light is 
 seen even that far. The thought therefore 
 seems to be (Weiss) that the Messiah's coming 
 will be alike visible to all, and so there will 
 be no occasion for some to tell others where 
 he may be seen. 
 
 28. Comp. Luke 17 : 37, and the same image 
 in Job 39 : 30. Wheresoever the carcass 
 is, J there will the eagles be gathered 
 together. As the eagle proper rarely feeds 
 on carrion, the word probably here denotes a 
 carrion-kite, which Pliny classes with eagles 
 (Grimm), or a great vulture as large as tin- 
 eagle, which now abounds in Palestine, and 
 is called eagle by the natives (Thomson, III, 
 
 221). The meaning of the saying as here ap- 
 plied seems to be, that things will come to 
 pass when the occasion for them exists. When 
 Jerusalem is ready for destruction, the Roman 
 armies will gather and destroy it ; when the 
 world lies awaiting the final appearance of 
 Christ to judgment, he will come. Kcndrick 
 (in Olsh.) considers, with less probability, 
 that it means the swarming of the false 
 prophets to prey on the corrupt mass of 
 Judaism. Calvin, after some Fathers, under- 
 stands the children of God as gathering to 
 Christ and feeding on him, an idea repulsive 
 in itself, and out of harmony with the con- 
 nection, in which ("Bible Comm.") Christ 
 comes not in grace, but in judgment; yet 
 many later writers have unwisely adopted 
 this view. It is hardly possible, as formerly 
 fancied by some, that our Lord meant an 
 allusion to the Koman eagles. 
 
 III. 29-31. SIGNS IN HEAVEN. Mark 
 13 : 24-27; Luke 21 : 25-28. Immediately. 
 The phrase is not exactly 'immediately after'; 
 the adverb 'immediately' is connected with 
 'the sun shall be darkened,' etc. The sub- 
 stantial sense is however the same. So far us 
 this passage relates to the destruction of Jeru- 
 salem, we may suppose that the events it 
 indicates were to follow immediately after those 
 predicted in 15-28. As regards the ulterior 
 reference to the final parousia, there' may 
 prove to be in like manner some close conse- 
 cution, but only the fulfillment is likely to 
 show. After the tribulation of those days, 
 viz., the tribulation attending upon the destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem, see especially v. 21. The 
 English term tribulation is ofton regarded as 
 interesting, from its supposed connection with 
 the Latin tribulum, a threshing-sled with 
 
 ' For' is wanting in the earliest MSS. and most of | (or 'corpse') was here altered by sonio documents Into 
 the early versions, and would be very easily inserted the somewhat similar word meaning 'body,' which 
 by students or copyists. The word meaning ' carcass,' Luke has in 17 : 37 ; couip. above on 14 : 12.
 
 490 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXIV. 
 
 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man 
 in heaven : and then shall all the tribes of the earth 
 mourn, aud they shall see the Son of man coming in 
 the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 
 
 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound 
 of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect 
 from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the 
 other. 
 
 heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall he 
 
 30 shaken : and then shall appear the sign of the Son 
 of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of 
 the earth mourn, and they shall see the Sou of man 
 coming on the clouds of heaven with power and 
 
 31 great glory. And he shall send forth his angels 
 'with^a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall 
 gather together his elect from the lour winds, from 
 one end of heaven to the other. 
 
 1 Many ancient authorities read, i* itti a great trumpet, and they shall gather, etc 2 Or, a trumpet of great sound. 
 
 sharp .teeth to beat the grain out of the straw. 
 But the Greek certainly has no such associa- 
 tion, and means simply pressure, oppression, 
 affliction (e.g., 2 Cor. 1:3-8). Of those days, 
 is naturally but not necessarily the same period 
 as 'those days' in v. 19 and 22. The sun 
 shall be darkened, etc., comp. Joel 2 : 31; 
 3: 15; Amos 8 : 9; Isa. 13: 9 f. ; Ezek.32:7; 
 Rev. 6 : 12. These passages incline one to 
 understand the expressions as a mere image. 
 And so with the following expression, the 
 stars shall fall, meaning not some stars, but 
 the stars generally. Comp. Isa. 34 : 4. The 
 powers of the heavens, the forces which 
 dwell in the heavens and keep them stable ; 
 the shaking of which will disturb their stabil- 
 ity (Meyer). Luke condenses all this into 
 'there shall be signs in sun and moon and 
 stars,' and then adds some other striking 
 imagery, as ' the roaring of the sea and the 
 billows.' (Luke 21 : 25 r.,R. v.) Some Premillennial- 
 ist or Adventist writers hold (Hanna) that 
 with v. 29 begins the account of the introduc- 
 tion of Christ's personal reign on earth, ex- 
 tending to 25 : 30, and after that is described 
 the general judgment at the end of the 
 millennium. But it is extremely doubtful 
 whether we ought to introduce into the 
 Saviour's discourse such ideas supposed to be 
 drawn from the Apocalypse. 
 
 30. The sign of the Son of man in heaven. 
 The Jews had repeatedly asked for such a sign 
 (16: i; 12: 38; John 2: is), and the disciples had just 
 inquired as to the sign of his coming, (v. 3.) He 
 here tells the disciples when it will appear, but 
 does not tell them what the sign will be, nor 
 can we clearly perceive from the connection. 
 Some Fathers fancied that it meant the ap- 
 pearance of a cross in the sky, as in the 
 famous story of Constantino ; but this is quite 
 unwarranted. It may be (Calvin) that the 
 sign will be nothing more than the Saviour's 
 
 own coming on the clouds, as just afterwards 
 mentioned, and as predicted in Dan. 7: 13. 
 
 Then shall all the tribes of the earth 
 mourn. (Comp. Zech. 12 : 10, 12 ; Rev. 1:7.) 
 Not simply the Jews shall mourn, but all 
 men. This may have been true in some par- 
 tial sense at the destruction of Jerusalem. Is 
 it not probable that many Jews who had 
 heard the apostles preach, or who had read the 
 Gospel of Matt., did then remember the re- 
 jected Jesus, how he predicted all this calam- 
 ity and ruin, how they voluntarily assumed 
 the guilt of his blood (27: 25), and did mourn 
 bitterly ? But the prediction will doubtless 
 be completely fulfilled at the second coming 
 of Christ. Coming in the clouds of 
 heaven, etc. (Comp. 16: 27.) Com. Ver. 
 obscures the variation of this expression in 
 different passages. The Greek has 'on the 
 clouds' here, 26: 64; Rev. 14: 14-16; 'in 
 clouds' (Mark 13: 26; Luke 21: 27); 'with 
 the clouds' (Mark 14: 62; Rev. 1: 7; Dan. 
 7: 13.) 
 
 31. Send his angels (see on 13: 41.) A 
 great sound of a trumpet. With a trum- 
 pet of great sound (Rev. Ver., margin}, i. e., 
 with a loud-sounding trumpet (Buttm. ), is 
 the natural translation of the most probable 
 text. 1 It might possibly be translated as in 
 Com. and Rev. Ver., but not naturally, for so 
 the word rendered trumpet would have in the 
 Greek an emphatic position without any dis- 
 cernible reason (Weiss). The image is drawn 
 from a herald sounding a loud trumpet to an- 
 nounce the approach of a monarch, or of his 
 representatives, and to assemble the people 
 that they may hear his commands. From 
 this saying Paul probably derived the expres- 
 sions of 1 Cor. 15: 52. And they sha'I 
 gather together his elect, etc. Notice how 
 often this term ' the elect ' is used (v. 22, 24, 
 3D, and so Mark in each case. (Comp. above, 
 
 1 There is considerable documentary evidence for the 
 other reading in the margin of Rev. Ver., ' with a great 
 trumpet,' but only the " Western " documents support 
 that in the margin of Com. Ver., ' with a trumpet, and 
 
 a great voice (sound)', which is a manifest alteration. 
 The difference in any case is unimportant, as a great 
 trumpet would make a great sound.
 
 CH. XXIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 491 
 
 32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree ; When his 
 branch is yet tender, and puttelh forth leaves, ye know 
 that summer is nigh : 
 
 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, 
 know that it is near, even at the doors. 
 
 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not 
 pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 
 
 32 Now from the fig tree learn her parable : when her 
 branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its 
 
 33 leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh: even so 
 ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that 
 
 34 'he is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto 
 you, This generation shall not pass away, till all 
 
 22: 14.) From the four winds, a common 
 designation of what we now call the four 
 points of the compass. From one end of 
 heaven to the other, a phrase drawn from 
 the old conception of the earth as an oblong 
 phiin, bounded ut each end by the sky, the 
 horizon. Such familiar phrases are used 
 in Scripture as they are among us, without 
 becoming responsible for the conformity of 
 the conception they involve to the physical 
 fact. The meaning is that the elect will be 
 gathered from every part of the earth in 
 which they are found. 
 
 It is practically impossible to suppose that 
 v. 30 f. relates simply to the destruction of 
 Jerusalem. As the latter part of the discourse 
 (25: si-46) clearly refers to the second coining of > 
 our Lord, it seems unavoidable to suppose a 
 similar reference here; see also the corre- 
 sponding passage, 13: 41. But v. 34 will 
 presently declare that 'all' the foregoing 
 matter will occur during the existing genera- 
 tion. Then as we cannot believe (with Meyer 
 and others) that the Saviour mistakenly ex- 
 pected his parousia to be within that genera- 
 tion, it follows that v. 29-31 must refer to the 
 destruction of Jerusalem. The difficulty is 
 relieved by understanding a typical relation 
 between the destruction of Jerusalem and his j 
 final parousia, on the ground of which rela- j 
 tion v. 29-31 really points in some sense to 
 both events. (Comp. above on v. 3.) 
 .S IV. 32-36. THESE SIGNS WILL SUFFICE 
 ^~ *o SHOW. Mark 13: 28-32 (very nearly the 
 same words); Luke 21: 29-33. From the 
 fig tree, placed first in the sentence, and thus 
 emphatic. He may have looked at some fig 
 tree near them, just as in the same vicinity he 
 had five days before usod a fig tree for an ob- 
 ject-lesson. (21: so.) But the article, 'the fig 
 tree,' does not necessarily indicate a particu- 
 lar tree, but may mean only that kind of tree, 
 or that class of objects. Learn a parable 
 (Rev. Ver., her parable), or simply 'the 
 parable,' the one which the fig tree has to 
 teach. Everything in nature has its moral 
 
 analogies; Jesus has set us the example of 
 perceiving these and using them for religious 
 instruction. The word parable (see on 13: 3) 
 is here used in its general sense of an illustra- 
 tive comparison, as in 15: 15, there being here 
 no narrative such as we commonly mean by a 
 parable. When his branch ..... its 
 leaves. The 'his' is the old possessive of 
 'it,' which was originally 'hit,' and is still 
 often so pronounced by the vulgar. The 
 possessive its was just beginning to be used 
 when the K. James version was made. It is 
 found several times in Shakespeare, though 
 he commonly still employs his. (Schmidt, 
 "Shakesp. Lex.") Its never occurs in the 
 Com. Ver. We find his as neuter repeatedly 
 in Old Test. (e. g., Psa. 1:3; Exod. 25: 31; 
 36: 17, etc.), and several times in New Test. 
 (5:13; Acui2:io; i Cor. i5:8.) The parallel passage 
 in Com. Ver. of Mark has 'her branch,' 
 which Rev. Ver. adopts here, personifying 
 the fig tree as feminine (like the Greek), and 
 so in Rev. 6: 13; comp. 22: 2. Is yet tender. 
 The Rev. Ver., Is now become tender, gives 
 the exact meaning. 'Is yet tender,' Tyn. 
 and followers, suggests that the tenderness is 
 about to cease, when the Greek means that it 
 has just become complete. When ye shall 
 see all these things, probably those of v. 16 
 and v. 29 f. Know that it is near. (..) 
 The Rev. Ver. gives 'He is nigh,' or in mar- 
 gin, 'it is nigh,' viz., hiscoming (), or 'the 
 kingdom of God is nigh' (Luk*2i:3i), all ob- 
 viously amounting to the same thing. The 
 'he' is most naturally suggested by what pre- 
 cedes, and is supported by James 5 : 9. Kdorsh. 
 thinks "it can scarcely be supposed that Christ 
 would speak of himself in the third person" ; 
 but see in this very discourse v. 31 and 25 : 31 ff. 
 34. Verily, I say unto you (see on 5: 18), 
 calling attention to something of special im- 
 portance. This generation, as in 25: 30, 
 also 11 : 10; 12: 41 f. ; and compare Luke 17 : 
 25 with 21: 32. The word cannot have any 
 other meaning here than tho obvious one. 
 The attempts to establish for it the sense of
 
 492 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXIV. 
 
 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but uiy words 
 shall not pass away. 
 
 3ti But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not 
 the aiigels of heaven, but niy Father only. 
 
 35 these things be accomplished. Heaven and earth 
 
 shall 
 
 IHSS away, but my words shall not pass away, 
 that day and hour knoweth no one, not even 
 
 the angels of heaven, l neither the Son, but the Father 
 
 1 Many authorities, some ancient, omit, neither the Son. 
 
 race or nation have failed. There are some 
 examples in which it might have such a mean- 
 ing, but none in which it must, for in every 
 case the recognized meaning will answer, and 
 so another sense is not admissible. (Comp. on 
 3: 6.) Some of the Fathers took it to mean 
 the generation of believers, i. e., the Chris- 
 tians, etc., after the loose manner of inter- 
 preting into which many of them so often 
 fell. We now commonly make the rough 
 estimate of three generations to a century. 
 The year in which our Lord said this was 
 most probably A. i>. 30, and if so, it was forty 
 years to the destruction of Jerusalem. The 
 thought is thus the same as in 16: 28; and 
 comp. John 21 : 22 f. Till all these things 
 be fulfilled, or, more exactly, take place, 
 'come to pass,' see on 5: 18. The emphasis is 
 on 'all.' All the things predicted in v. 4-31 
 would occur before or in immediate connec- 
 tion with the destruction of Jerusalem. But 
 like events might again occur in connection 
 with another and greater coming of the Lord, 
 and such seems evidently to be his meaning. 
 (See on v. 3.) 
 35. Heaven and earth shall pass away, 
 
 etc. (see on 5 : 19), still Turther emphasizes the 
 importance of what he is saying, which was 
 introduced by ' Verily, I say unto you.' It 
 was hard for the disciples to believe that their 
 Master would come again and utterly destroy 
 the temple and the holy city (v. 2f.), and work 
 such great changes as have been indicated by 
 v. 29-31, within that generation ; and so he 
 asserts it very solemnly, comp. John 16: 7. 
 We learn also in 2 Pet. 3: 7 f. and else- 
 where that heaven and earth will pass away ; 
 not that they will cease to exist, but that they 
 will be changed into something entirely new. 
 36. The predictions he has made will re- 
 ceive a fulfillment within that generation 
 (v.st), to be witnessed by some then living 
 (16:28); this much he solemnly declares, but 
 the time he will not more exactly state, for 
 indeed the precise time no one knows but the 
 Father only. Of (concerning) that day and 
 hour. It is mere quibbling to say that still 
 we may ascertain the year and month. No, 
 not the angels of heaven, comp. on 18: 10. 
 The Rev. Yer. gives 'neither the Son.' It is 
 difficult to decide whether these words are 
 here genume.i They are certainly genuine in 
 
 1 Though of little practical importance, the ques- 
 tion is one of great interest to the science of text- 
 criticism. The clause is given here by N B D, by the 
 old uncial represented by 13, 124, 346, two other cur- 
 sives, some codices of the Old Latin and a few of the 
 Vulgate, Syriac of Jerusalem, ^Ethiopie, and Arme- 
 nian, Origen (who carefully discusses the phrase in 
 his commentary on Matt.), Chrys., Hilary, and the 
 Anonymous Comm. on Matt. Now if B were absent 
 from this list, the clause would be immediately re- 
 jected as a "Western" addition, obviously drawn 
 from Mark. We know (\V H., Int. 159) that ' 'in Ori- 
 gen, especially in some of his writings, Western 
 quotations hold a prominent place," e. g., see just 
 after this, v. 41. The ^Ethiopia is well known to 
 present " Western " readings in many passages, and 
 the Armenian gives them in v. 2: 25:1; Acts 8: 37; 
 Eph. 5: 30, and elsewhere. It is of course possible 
 (Tisch. and W H.) that the words were omitted be- 
 cause of the obvious difficulty they present ; but 
 then why are they omitted from Mark by no docu- 
 ments except X and one codex of the Vulgate ? It 
 is true that Matt, was more used than Mark, but the 
 difference in this respect will bear no comparison 
 with the immense difference between the documents 
 
 for omission in Matt, and in Mark, even after we 
 allow for the ready acceptance likely to be given to a 
 form of text that would remove a difficulty. Various 
 Fathers speak of the clause as wanting in Matt, and 
 present in Mark, but they do not regard that as les- 
 sening the doctrinal difficulty. On the other hand, 
 nothing would be more natural than the insertion of 
 the clause in Matt, by transcriptional assimilation to 
 ] Mark. Such assimilation of parallel passages occurs 
 I oftener than can be numbered ; while alteration to 
 ! avoid doctrinal difficulty is a thing of very rare 
 occurrence. How then can W H. maintain that the 
 I omission "can be no less, easily explained by the 
 I doctrinal difficulty" than their insertion by "assimi- 
 1 Ifltion to Mark"? This seems to be only because 
 they regard " the documentary evidence in favor" of 
 the clause as " overwhelming " ; and it is made over- 
 whelming by the concurrence of B with the other 
 documents. Now it is true that a group containing 
 ; B very commonly presents the original text, as W 
 I H. have convincingly shown in their genealogical 
 classification on the basis of internal evidence. But 
 j it is not true that such a group presents overwhelm- 
 ing evidence; for we have seen in this commentary a 
 good many cases in which a group containing B is
 
 CH. XXIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 493 
 
 Mark (M--&), and so were spoken by our Lord 
 on this occasion. In fact, the thought they 
 convey is implied in but my (the) Father 
 only, for otherwise we should have expected 
 'but God only.' Comp. 20: 23; Acts 1: 7. 
 The ' my ' of the common text is spurious. 
 
 This statement of our Lord as to himself 
 can be explained only by referring the igno- 
 rance to his human mind. "We read of him 
 at twelve years of age that he 'advanced in 
 wisdom and stature' (or 'age'). If he then 
 advanced in wisdom, he did not cease advanc- 
 ing at the age of twenty or of thirty. If his 
 knowledge was incomplete at twelve, it was 
 still incomplete at thirty. Indeed, a finite 
 mind could not contain all knowledge. If 
 there was to be a real Incarnation of the 
 Eternal Word, then the body he took must be 
 a real body, and the mind a real mind. How 
 his divine nature could be omniscient, and his 
 human mind limited in knowledge, both 
 being united in one person, is part of the 
 mystery of the Incarnation, which we need 
 not expect to solve. (Comp. Phil. 2 : 7.) But 
 to be limited in knowledge, does not neces- 
 sarily involve erroneous information or con- 
 ceptions. The human nature of the Incarnate 
 Deity was infallibly preserved from sin (comp. 
 on 4: 1), and so, we may believe, from error 
 of judgment. 
 
 So remarkable a statement seems much more 
 natural if it relates not simply to the destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem, but also, and mainly, to 
 the second coming of which our Lord goes on 
 to speak in the immediately succeeding verses; 
 and we have seen that the passage as a whole 
 appears to predict both events. This saying 
 ought to repress all curious inquiry as to the 
 precise time of his second coming, to prevent 
 reliance on any arithmetical calculations, and 
 also to foster confidence in him. The disci- 
 ples greatly wished to know the precise time; 
 in every age many have been eagerly seeking 
 
 to determine, and some fancying they have 
 ascertained it, only to be disappointed: but 
 he expressly warned against this from the out- 
 set, and impliedly bade us be reconciled to an 
 ignorance shared by the high angels, and 
 (Mark) by the Son himself. The humiliating 
 failures by so many well-meaning Christians 
 in this matter, should bring no reproach to 
 their Master, but cause him to be honored all 
 the more. And if the God-man, the Mediator, 
 left this and many other things (20 : 23 ), to the 
 Father alone, how cheerfully should we his 
 followers rest in ignorance that cannot be 
 removed, trusting in all things to our Heav- 
 enly Father's wisdom and goodness, striving to 
 obey his clearly revealed will, and leaning on 
 his grace for support. Whether this partic- 
 ular limitation upon the Saviour's knowledge 
 was removed after his resurrection (28: is), we 
 cannot undertake to judge. 
 
 HOMILKTICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 2. HENRY: "A believing foresight of 
 the defacing of all worldly glory will help 
 to take us off from overvaluing it." V. 4 f. 
 In times of great trial we must carefully avoid 
 false guidance and comfort. GRIFFITH : 
 " Men's first impulse under trouble is to catch 
 rashly at every person who seems to promise 
 relief." V. 6. HENRY:. "It is against the 
 mind of Christ, that his people should have 
 troubled hearts even in troublous times." 
 
 V. 12. Love waxing cold. 1) Through dis- 
 couragement from apparently fruitless efforts 
 to do good. 2) Through resentment at in- 
 gratitude and injustice. 3) Through general 
 influence of evil example and environment. 
 Happy the few who resist all such tendencies, 
 whose love is warm even amid surrounding 
 chill, for they shall bo useful to men, shall 
 honor Christ, shall themselves be saved, (r. is.) 
 V. 14. Preaching the gospel. 1) It is the 
 gospel of the kingdom. 2) It is adapted to all 
 
 certainly or probably wrong; and Dr. Hort himself 
 states that B " has a few widely spread wrong read- 
 ings in this Gospel " (App. on Matt. 13: 35.) For ex- 
 ample, W H. do not follow groups containing B, some 
 of them large groups, in 6 : 22 ; 19 : 9, 24 ; 20 : 27 ; 27 : 
 28,49. Comp. above on 19 : 9. In Mark 4: 21 X H, the 
 unctal represented by 13 and 09, with 33, nnd we may 
 now add 2, give a manifest clerical error, which Hort 
 says is "due to mechnnical repetition " There nre 
 various examples in the other Gospels which tend 
 to the same result. So the B groups, and even the 
 
 X B groups (as in several of the nbove instances) do 
 present a number of unquestionable, errors, even in 
 the Gospels, nnd W H. fully agree that B is repent- 
 pdly "Western' 1 in the Epistles of Paul. Accord- 
 ingly, the X B group in this case does not constitute 
 "overwhelming" evidence in favor of a clause want- 
 ing in the grent mass of document", and so readily 
 accounted for by asimilatlon to Mark. We think 
 that W H. ought to have confined it to their margin, 
 nnd that Rev. Ver. ought not to have noticed it here 
 nt nil. Comp. on 27 : 49.
 
 494 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXIV. 
 
 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the 37 only. And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the 
 coming of the Son of man be. 
 
 the world. 3) Christ commands his people to 
 preach it to all. (Comp. 28: 19.) 4) Christ 
 predicts that it will be preached to all. Are 
 we personally receiving it, and busy in pro- 
 claiming it? 
 
 V. 16. HENRY : " In times of imminent 
 peril and danger, it is not only lawful but our 
 duty, to seek our own preservation by all good 
 and honest means ; and if God opens a door of 
 escape, we ought to make our escape ; otherwise 
 we do not trust God, but tempt him." V. 20. 
 HENRY : "Though the ease of the body is not 
 to be mainly consulted, it ought to be duly 
 considered ; though we must take what God 
 sends, and when he sends it, yet we may pray 
 against inconveniences." V. 23. Faith is a I 
 characteristic of Christianity ; but belief of 
 truth involves stern refusal to believe in false- 
 hood. HENRY: "There is not a greater 
 enemy to true faith than vain credulity. 
 The simple believeth every word, and runs 
 after every cry." 
 
 V. 80 f. The final and glorious coming of 
 Christ. 1) It will be sudden, v. 27. 2) It will 
 be not in the form of a servant (Ptn. 2 : 7), but 
 as the Divine King, with power and great 
 glory. 3) It will cause mourning to all who 
 have rejected him. (Rev.i: T; Heb.6: e.) 4) It will 
 bring all his scattered people together in un- 
 speakable and eternal blessedness, comp. 2 Tim. 
 4: 8. HENRY: "Sooner or later, all sinners 
 will be mourners; penitent sinners look to 
 Christ, and mourn after a godly sort; impeni- 
 tent sinners shall look unto him whom they 
 have pierced, and though they laugh now, 
 shall mourn and weep in endless horror and 
 despair." V. 36. The great day. 1) There is 
 a definite day on which Christ will come to 
 judgment, comp. Acts 17: 31; 2 Tim. 1: 12. 
 2) The precise day is wholly unrevealed, and 
 known only to God the Father; attempts to 
 fix it by calculation are idle. 3) Our great 
 concern is to be ready when that day comes, 
 and we shall do this by constant and watchful 
 service of Christ, v. 42; comp. 25: 1-14. 
 
 24: 3725: 13. WATCH CONTINUALLY 
 FOR THE COMING OF CHRIST. 
 
 Only the early part of this section has a 
 parallel in Mark (13:33-37) and Luke (21:34-36); 
 but Luke has more extensive parallels in 
 earlier discourses. As to the general contents 
 
 and the divisions of this discourse on the 
 Mount of Olives, see at the beginning of 
 chap. 24. From the point we have now 
 reached, the destruction of Jerusalem sinks 
 rapidly out of view. The passage in v. 37-44 
 might be understood as having also a primary 
 reference to that event, regarded as a coming 
 of Christ, but it contains no expression re- 
 quiring to be so understood. Still less indi- 
 cation is there of such a reference in the two 
 illustrations of v. 45-51 and 25: 1-13. But 
 throughout this section everything naturally 
 suggests that final coming of Christ to judg- 
 ment, which is alone brought to view in the 
 closing paragraph of the great discourse, 25 : 
 31-46. There would be no profit in working 
 out a possible allusion to the destruction of 
 Jerusalem in some parts of this section, and 
 we may confine ourselves to its obvious and 
 supremely important teaching as regards 
 preparation for the final coming. Our Lord 
 first declares that his coming will be unex- 
 pected, as illustrated by the coming of the 
 flood and the coming of a thief, and bases on 
 this an injunction to watchfulness (v. 3?-); he 
 then further illustrates the same fact and con- 
 sequent duty by the supposed case of a good 
 and a bad servant (v. -5i), and by the parable 
 of the foolish and the wise virgins. (25:1-13.) 
 
 I. 37-44. WATCH, FOR HE WILL COME 
 UNEXPECTEDLY. Comp. Mark 13: 33 and 
 Luke in the earlier discourses he gives in 17: 
 26-35; and 12: 39 f. 
 
 (a) Illustration from the coming of Noah's 
 flood. 37-39. But as,Rev.Ver.,anrfrt. But 
 some of the best documents read 'for as,' 
 which would easily be changed by copyists 
 because somewhat obscure ; it is therefore 
 probably correct. (Lach., Treg., W H.) It 
 does not exactly give the reason why the 
 day and hour is unknown (24:36), but a con- 
 firmation of the statement that no one knows : 
 men will not even be thinking of it when it 
 arrives. Also is genuine in Luke 17: 26, but 
 not here, nor in v. 39. The coming, see on 
 24:3. The Son of man, see on 8: 20. On a 
 former occasion our Lord had added another 
 illustration to the same effect from the times 
 of Lot, Luke 17 : 28-32. Here, as often before, 
 the question arises whether we shall suppose 
 that Jesus used these illustrations only once,
 
 CH. XXIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 495 
 
 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they 
 were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in 
 marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark. 
 
 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them 
 all away ; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 
 
 40 Then shall two be in the field ; the one shall be 
 taken, and the other left. 
 
 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill ; the one 
 shall be taken, and the other left. 
 
 42 Watch therefore ; for ye know not what hour your 
 Lord doth come. 
 
 38 i coming of the Son of man. For as in those days 
 which were before the flood they were eating and 
 drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the 
 
 39 day that Noah entered into the ark, and they knew 
 not until the flood came, and took them all away ; so 
 
 40 shall be the l coming of the Son of man. Then shall 
 two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left: 
 
 41 two women xlmii be grinding at tne mill; one is 
 
 42 taken, and one is left. Watch therefore; for ye 
 
 1 Gr. pretence. 
 
 and one or other Evangelist has made a dis- 
 location ; or that he repeated. To one who 
 has had experience of itinerant preaching to 
 popular audiences, the supposition that an 
 illustration was repeated at some new place 
 and time seems so perfectly natural that there 
 is no occasion for the other hypothesis. The 
 coming of Christ will find men in general 
 busy with the ordinary pursuits of life, as in 
 the time of Noah ; only those who are pre- 
 pared as he was will escape the sudden and 
 unexpected destruction. It follows that our 
 Lord's coming certainly cannot be at the end 
 of a thousand years of universal and perfect 
 piety, for in that case all would know the 
 exact time, and all would be devoutly and 
 eagerly expecting the event. Comp. Luke 
 18: 8. Took them all away, with emphasis 
 on 'all.' 
 
 (b) Persons most intimately associated will 
 be separated by that unexpected coining. 
 40 f. Two (men). The Greek has only ' two,' 
 but the connected words are masculine, as 
 with the following 'two' they are feminine. 
 In the field, 1 in the cultivated district ap- 
 pertaining to some supposed city. One shall 
 be (lit., is) taken, taken along, perhaps by 
 the angels snnt to gather the elect. (z*:3i.) 
 The same Greek word is rendered 'receive' 
 in John 14: 3; for the idea, comp. 1 Thess. 
 4: 17. The Greek has here the present tense, 
 which is more vivid than the future would be. 
 Some understand the term to mean taken 
 along by the destroying agencies attending 
 Christ's appearance, as the flood carried all 
 away. In either view of this phrase the 
 main thought of the passage remains the 
 same; it shall be well with one and ill with 
 
 >This expression was interpolated into the text of 
 Luke 17: 36, and Luke 17 : 34 was interpolated here . in 
 both cases by the " Western " group of documents; the 
 former interpolation passed into some "Syrian " docu- 
 ments, and so into K. James and the Elzevir, the Tex- 
 
 tile other, and there will be no time then for 
 preparing. Two women grinding at the 
 mill. This domestic labor is still frequently 
 performed in Palestine by women, and was 
 observed there by the present writer. The 
 lower millstone, say twelve inches in diam- 
 eter, is placed on the ground and perhaps fixed 
 in it ; the upper stone is turned by a peg near 
 the outer edge. One woman sits on the 
 ground (ia.:ir.), so as to have the mill 
 steadied between her knees, the other crouches 
 on the opposite side. Sometimes the stone is 
 much larger, and each crouches on one side. 
 One pulls the peg towards her through half a 
 circle, the other seizes it above or below and 
 completes the circle; or else both retain their 
 hold, and one relaxes while the other pulls. 
 With the free hand one now and then puts a 
 little grain into the central orifice of the re- 
 volving stone. To the jerky motion of the 
 stone they keep time by a low, wailing chant. 
 " The sound of the grinding" (Ecci. 12: 4) may 
 be only the rumbling and ringing noise made 
 by the revolving stone, but more probably 
 refers to this chant. * The two women are apt, 
 in the nature of things, to be mother and 
 daughter, or older and younger sister, or 
 friendly neighbors, or slaves in the same 
 house. Yet even these will be "separated by 
 the Lord's second coming, the prepared one 
 being accepted, the other having then no time 
 to prepare. Some larger tnillstones were 
 turned by an ass (i8:), and others by water, 
 where this was available, as is now to be seen 
 in many places. "The Greek Anthology" 
 (Wet.) has a statement that "in ancient 
 times" women used to grind, before the art 
 of grinding by water was discovered. A 
 
 tux Keffjitiis on the Continent, though not found in 
 Stephens, the Teihut Ree.eptwi in Great Hritain. 
 
 * Dr. Ftobinson hoard no such chant, but we heard it 
 nt Kl .Til) (Uibeon). Laborers of many kinds all over 
 the world have certain cries or songs to accompany and 
 relieve monotonous work.
 
 496 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXIV. 
 
 43 But know this, that If the goodman of the house 
 had known in what watch the thief would come, he 
 would have watched, and would not have suffered his 
 house to he broken up. 
 
 44 Therefore be ye also ready : for in such an hour 
 as ye think not the Son of man coraeth. 
 
 45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his 
 lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them 
 meat in due season ? 
 
 43 know not on what day your Lord cometh. ' But 
 know this, that if the master of the house had 
 known in what watch the thief was coming, he would 
 have watched, and would not have suffered his house 
 
 44 to be 2 broken through. Therefore be ye also ready: 
 for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man 
 
 45 cometh. Who then is the faithful and wise 3 servant, 
 whom his lord hath set over his household, to give 
 
 1 Or, But thi* ye knoio 2 Or. digged through 3 Or. bondservant. 
 
 third illustration of the same kind is given in 
 Luke 17 : 34 as used on an earlier occasion, 
 viz., that of two men on one bed. 
 
 (c) Application of these illustrations. 42; l 
 Mark 13: 33. What hour. Rev. Ver., onwhat 
 day. This is read by many of the best doc- 
 uments, and was easily changed by copyists 
 into ' hour,' by assimilation to v. 44. Thus of 
 the two words in v. 36, we have one in v. 42 
 and the other in v. 44, and again both in v. 
 50 and 25: 13. Your Lord cometh. Else- 
 where he always says ' the Son of man com- 
 eth,' as inv. 44; comp. 24: 27, 30, 37, 39; 
 Luke 12: 40; 17: 24,26,30; 21: 36. The 
 expression 'your Lord cometh' connects it- 
 self closely with 'his Lord' in the illustration 
 that presently follows, v. 45-50, and so in 
 Luke. Probably this expression led to the 
 phrase "our Lord cometh," which was so 
 common a saying among the early Christians 
 that Paul quotes it in the Aramaic, Maran 
 atha (icor.i6:22) ; comp. Phil. 4: 5; James 5: 
 7; 2Thess. 2: 2; 2 Peter 1: 16; 3: 10. Tyn- 
 dale and Geneva use 'master' all through v. 
 42-50; Wye., Cran., Rheims, have 'lord,' 
 K. James ' Lord.' Wiinsche says the Rab- 
 bis also declare that the Messiah will come 
 when least expected ; so every one must ho)d 
 himself ready, and he who does not, will 
 have himself to blame if he is shut out. In- 
 deed, this is a principle applying to every- 
 thing which is certain to come, but at an 
 uncertain time. Hence it applies exactly to 
 our own death, for which we ought to make 
 ready in advance and to stay ready always. 
 
 (d) A further illustration and its applica- 
 tion. 43 f.; comp. Luke 12: 39 f. This illus- 
 tration was often repeated by the apostles, 1 
 Thess. 5: 2, 4; 2 Peter3: 10; Rev. 3: 3; 16: 
 15. Know this, or this ye know. The Greek 
 second plural has the same form in the indic- 
 ative as in the imperative, hence occasional 
 
 ambiguities, .as in John 5: 39; 14: 1. The 
 good man (master) of the house, see on 10: 
 25. In what watch. The night, from sun- 
 set to sunrise, was divided by the Jews in 
 earlier times into three, but under the Ro- 
 mans into four periods called "watches," 
 comp. Mark 13: 35, and see above on 14: 25. 
 Broken up, literally digged through (Rev. 
 Yer. margin), implying walls made of mud or 
 of sun-dried bricks, which are still common 
 in many parts of the world, comp. on 6 : 19. 
 Therefore (v. 44), the propriety of the injunc- 
 tion being inferred from the foregoing illus- 
 tration. Be, more exactly, become, get 
 ready; ye also, as the householder must do 
 if he would be ready whenever the thief 
 comes. The Son of man, as in v. 37, 39; 
 see on 8 : 20. 
 
 II. 45-51. LET HIS COMING FIND YOU 
 A GOOD SERVANT AND NOT AN EVIL ONE. 
 Mark 13: 34-37; Luke 21 : 34-36; comp. an 
 earlier discourse in Luke 12: 35-38, 42-46. 
 
 45-47. Servant, doulos, slave, see on 8 : 6. 
 Wise is not the general Greek word, but 
 means more exactly prudent, discreet, shrewd, 
 etc., with varying shades of good and bad 
 meaning, as in 7 : 24 ; 10: 16 ; 25 : 2 ff. ; Luke 
 16 : 8. It here probably signifies prudent and 
 judicious in the means and methods of faith- 
 fully serving the master ; or possibly, prudent 
 in subserving his own true interest by fidelity 
 to his master. Household. The Greek 
 word denotes the whole body of domestics. 
 The servant in question is the head steward, 
 charged with the special duty of regularly sup- 
 plying all the domestics with food ; along with 
 that he exercised a general control, observe, 
 made ruler, or set over,. and sometimes as- 
 sumed the right to punish (v.49.). Meat, food, 
 which was formerly the meaning of the Eng- 
 lish word 'meat.' In due season. To dis- 
 tribute the food regularly and promptly was 
 
 1 Persons learning a Bible lesson, at this point, may the whole discourse on 24: 3. Practical remarks on v. 
 find the connection traced on v. 37, and an outline of 42-51 will he found below, after 25: 13.
 
 CH. XXIV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 497 
 
 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he 
 cometh shall find so doing. 
 
 47 Verily I say uuto you, That he shall make him 
 ruler over all his goods. 
 
 48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, 
 My lord delayeth his coming ; 
 
 49 And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and 
 to eat and drink with the drunken ; 
 
 50 The lord of that servant shall coine in a day 
 when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is 
 not aware of. 
 
 51 And shall "cut him asunder, and shall appoint him 
 his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping 
 and gnashing of teeth. 
 
 46 them their food in due season ? Blessed is that l serv- 
 ant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so 
 
 47 doing. Verily I say unto you, that he will set him 
 
 48 over all that he hath. But if that evil l servant shall 
 
 49 say in his heart, My lord tarrieth ; and shall begin 
 to'beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink 
 
 50 with the drunken; the lord of that * servant shall 
 come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an 
 
 51 hour when he knpweth not, and shall 2 cut him 
 asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypo- 
 crites : there shall be the weeping and gnashing of 
 teeth. 
 
 a Or. cut Aim off. 1 Gr. bondservant 2 Or, tererely scourged him. 
 
 an important point of good management in a 
 steward. Blessed is more exactlj' happy, as 
 in 5:3 ff. ; another beatitude. His lord, 
 when he cometh, from some journey, or 
 some other place of residence. Shall find so 
 doing, faithfully and judiciously supplying 
 the domestics with food, i. e., performing the 
 special duties of his position. Verily I say 
 unto you, calling special attention, comp. 
 on 5 : 18. Will make him ruler (or set 
 him) over all his goods, over all his 
 property of every kind, and not simply over 
 his body of domestics. Comp. 25 : 21 ; Luke 
 19 : 17, 26. Our Lord here puts honor upon 
 those who serve him by comparing them, not 
 to a menial or ordinary slave, but to the intel- 
 ligent, faithful, and trusted head-slave of the 
 household, like Joseph in Potiphar's house. 
 Many have understood a specific reference to 
 ministers, and from this notion has arisen a 
 singular mixed text, widely current in the 
 language of devotional meetings, "a work- 
 man that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly 
 dividing the word of truth, and giving to each 
 his portion (Lukei2:) in due season " (but see 
 Rev. Vcr. of 2 Tim. 2 : 15). That our passage 
 really refers to all Christians is confirmed by 
 Mark 13: 37, "And what I say unto you I say 
 unto all, Watch." The passage maybe ap- 
 plied to ministers a fortiori, as having all the 
 ordinary responsibilities of Christian life, and 
 others that are extraordinary. 
 
 48-51. With the faithful diligence and 
 happy reward of the good head-servant (in 
 any supposed case) is now contrasted the 
 behavior and punishment of the head-serv- 
 ant in case he turns out an evil one. 
 Evil is opposed both to faithful and to 
 prudent, (r. 45.) But and if. So also in 
 Tyndale and all h'is followers. In Middle 
 English and was used in the sense of 'if 
 (Skeat), afterwards distinguished from the 
 
 copulative and by writing it an, as in Shakes- 
 peare's "an it please you," "anthou lovest 
 me," etc. When this conditional use of and 
 grew indistinct to the mind it was strength- 
 ened by adding if, so as to make in Shakes- 
 peare ' an if,' and here, ' but and if ; modern 
 usage omits the and, and the old phrase 'but 
 and if now looks very strange. Comp. Luke 
 12:45; 20:6; John 6: 62; 1 Cor. 7 : 11, 28; 
 1 Pet. 3 : 14 ; in the three last passages Eev. 
 Ver. unwisely retains 'and.' Shall say in 
 his heart, comp. 'to say within yourselves,' 
 in 3: 9. The heart, as always in Scripture, is 
 here the seat of thought as well as of feeling, 
 see on 6: 21. Delayeth his coming. Tar- 
 rieth expresses the correct Greek text. It 
 contained a delicate intimation to the disci- 
 ples that Jesus was not comingagain in a very 
 short time (comp. on 25: 19). Shall begin, 
 com. on 11 : 20. And to, rather, shall eat and 
 drink with the drunken, carousing at the 
 master's expense, instead of keeping the house- 
 hold in order and exercising a prudent econ- 
 omy. In a day, implies that he comes from 
 some distance; and in an hour, amplifies 
 and makes more impressive, us so often in 
 Heb. parallelism. Shall cut him asunder, 
 cut him in two. This is the exact meaning of 
 the term, and no other has any support from 
 Greek usage. The Old Latin translates by 
 dividet, 'will divide,' orjindct. 'will cleave'; 
 Pesh. 'will divide'; and Memph. takes 
 great pains, 'will divide him in his mid- 
 dle.' Such a severe punishment was practiced 
 among the Hebrews (z Sam. 12: si; Heb. ii: 37 ; 
 su.an.m 55) ; and Wet. gives various examples 
 from Greek and Roman writers. Some think 
 it must be here simply a hyperbole for severe 
 scourging, because of the followjng phrase: 
 And appoint his portion with the hypo- 
 crites. This makes a sudden transition from 
 the illustration to the thing illustrated. 'Cut
 
 498 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXV. 
 
 CHAPTEK XXV. 
 
 THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto 
 ten virgins, which took their lamps, aud went forth 
 to meet the bridegroom. 
 
 1 The^i shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto 
 ten virgins, that took their 1 lamps, and went forth 
 
 him in two' is the image, a severe temporal 
 punishment; 'his portion with the hypo- 
 crites' is in eternity. That hypocrites (see on 
 6: 2) are grossly offensive in God's sight, and 
 must be severely punished, was a thought fa- 
 miliar to the minds of the disciples (; 2, 5, 
 16; io: 7; 16: s), and just freshened through 
 the discourse of that same day. (a:ia-i.) 
 The good servant will be exalted to the high- 
 est position a servant can have ('.) ; the bad 
 servant, who drank with the drunken, shall 
 dwell with the hypocrites. Now if ' appoint 
 his portion' makes a transition from the 
 earthly punishment to the punishment of hell | 
 (25: 41, 46), there is no occasion for objecting to 
 the literal and only established sense of 'cut 
 him in two,' and no ground for the alterna- 
 tive rendering of Rev. Ver., margin. The 
 weeping and the gnashing of teeth (see on 
 8: 12.) 
 
 Luke having given a similar comparison tc 
 the good and bad steward in an earlier dis- 
 course (Luke 12: -46), does not here repeat it, 
 nor yet wholly pass it by, but sums up the 
 thought in the comprehensive and impressive 
 sentences of 21 : 34-36. 
 
 III. Ch. 25 : 1-13. PARABLE OF THE TEN 
 
 VIRGINS. Not found elsewhere. This beau- 
 tiful parable is a further illustration of the 
 variously illustrated injunction to 'watch' 
 (24: 42,44), which is repeated at its close (25: is), 
 in such a form as to recall also the great 
 statement of 24 : 36, and thus link all the dis- 
 course up to this point in the closest connec- 
 tion. Our Lord is still sitting on the Mount 
 of Olives, late in the afternoon of his last day 
 of public ministry (see on 24: 1, 3.) 
 
 1. Then, viz., at the time of the Saviour's 
 coming (24 : 42, 44.) The kingdom of heaven, 
 the Messianic Dispensation (see on 3:2.) 
 Be likened unto (see on 13 : 24.) The omis- 
 sion of certain details, and the desire of inter- 
 preters to prepare for this or that homiletical 
 application, have led to much difference of 
 opinion as to some points of this tender and 
 beautiful story. But scarcely any of these 
 
 seriously affect the main lesson of the para- 
 ble, and they should not be,allowed to occupy 
 much space in an expository sermon or Sun- 
 day-school lesson. It was the custom to hold 
 weddings after nightfall. The bridegroom 
 and some friends went to the house of the 
 bride, and after religious ceremonies there he 
 set forth towards his own abode in a grand 
 procession, which was illuminated by torches 
 or lamps in the hands of the participants, and 
 often preceded by musicians. In the utterly 
 dark street of an Asiatic city, every one who 
 goes forth at night is expected, and in modern 
 Jerusalem is strictly required by the author- 
 ities, to carry a light. (Comp. Psa. 119: 105.) 
 Other invited guests, who had not gone to the 
 bride's home, could join the procession at any 
 point, and enter with it into the bride- 
 groom's residence, to share in the festivities. 
 But without a burning lamp or torch they 
 could not march in the procession, and so 
 could not enter the house. In order to join 
 the procession conveniently, such persons 
 might assemble beforehand at different points 
 along the proposed route, and wait for the 
 bridegoorn's approach. Some recent commen- 
 tators urge that the bridegroom must here be 
 conceived as on his way to the bride's house, to 
 hold the festivities there, since in the applica- 
 tion Christ conies from heaven to earth to es- 
 tablish his kingdom; but it is useless for the 
 sake of a painful literalism, to imagine a de- 
 parture from custom. In 1 Mace. 9 : 39 only 
 the bridegroom is mentioned as coming forth, 
 with a grand procession and musicians; and 
 yet just above (-37) we see that they were 
 " bringing the bride." When the bridegroom 
 came from a distance, the festivities were 
 sometimes held at the residence of the bride, 
 as in Gen. 29: 22; Tobit 8: 20 ff. In that 
 case, however, the virgins would not have 
 lighted their lamps till news came that the 
 bridegroom was near, and after that the delay 
 on his part would be unnatural, whereas ac- 
 cording to the common view, the delay of the 
 wedding procession in setting out from the 
 bride's house is natural enough. In that case,
 
 CH. XXV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 499 
 
 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 
 
 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took 
 no oil with them : 
 
 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their 
 lamps. 
 
 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered 
 and slept. 
 
 2 to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were 
 
 3 foolish, and five were wise. For the foolish, when 
 
 4 they took their > lamps, took no oil with them : but 
 the wise took oil in their vessels with their ' lamps. 
 
 5 Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all slum- 
 
 also, not the bridegroom, but the father of the 
 bride, would have decided whether the five 
 should be admitted. It seems tolerably evi- 
 dent from v. 10-12 that the marriage feast is 
 at the house of the bridegroom. Still, the 
 general lesson remains the same in either 
 view of this particular. The "Western" 
 type of text has, with its usual free hand- 
 ling, made it read 'went forth to meet 
 the bridegroom and the bride,' in order that 
 the text might distinctly conform to custom. 
 The bride is really not mentioned throughout 
 the parable, doubtless because Christ's people 
 in this image are represented by the attend- 
 ants. 
 
 The story in itself considered has curious 
 points of naturalness and verisimilitude. 
 Young girls would be specially interested in a 
 wedding, prominent in its ceremonies, and 
 distressed at missing the festivities. Bridal 
 ceremonies are very apt to be delayed beyond 
 the time appointed. It is evident that great 
 delay is here supposed, for otherwise the 
 maidens would not themselves have been ar- 
 rayed and assembled so long beforehand as to 
 have time for all falling asleep while they 
 waited. 
 
 Ten may be regarded as merely a round 
 number, sufficiently large to show interest in 
 the occasion. Comp. Luke 19: 13. We learn 
 however from Lightfoot that the Jews "de- 
 lighted mightily in the number ten. A syna- 
 gogue must have at least ten present ; an 
 order or ring of men consisted not but of ten 
 at the least." Wiin. adds that ten men must 
 be present at a wedding, in order to utter the 
 requisite blessings. Comp. Ruth 4: 2. Jose- 
 phus says (" War," 6, 9, 3) that not less than 
 ten men must assemble to partake of a paschal 
 lamb. Morison reminds us how these uses of 
 the number might be suggested by the ten 
 fingers, as was the decimal basis of numeration. 
 
 The word for lamps is different from that of 
 5: 15, and regularly means a torch (Jobni8:; 
 Rev. 8:10), and we know that the Greeks and 
 Romans commonly used torches in marriage 
 processions; but here it seems to denote a 
 lamp fed with oil, though it might be a sort of 
 torch fed with oil (Rev. Ver. margin). In 
 processions, such a lamp was borne on a 
 wooden pole (Edersh.); and was doubtless 
 protected from the wind, probably (as now) by 
 a covering of wood, or of cloth supported by 
 a wire frame ^Smith's 'Diet."). These lamps 
 held but little oil, and would need to be re- 
 plenished. As the lamp was indispensable, 
 and the movements of a bridal procession 
 were uncertain, prudent persons would carry 
 with them vessels of oil, but these were very 
 unpleasant for persons in festive apparel to 
 carry, and the imprudent might conclude to 
 risk it with the oil in their lamps. They 
 would all set down the lamps and leave them 
 burning, because they were constantly ex- 
 pecting the approach of the procession. If we 
 conceive them as waiting at the bride's house, 
 it would have been silly to leave the lamps 
 burning, before there was any announcement 
 of the bridegroom's approach ; especially^ as 
 in that view he would be coming from a great 
 distance. Goebel maintains that the foolish 
 had empty lamps, the vessels being those 
 which formed part of the lamps. This fancy 
 is devised in order that the oil may mean 
 divine grace, without any hitch in the inter- 
 pretation ; but it makes the foolish virgins 
 simpletons. Wise 1 is the word meaning 
 prudent, etc., see on 24: 45. Tarried is the 
 same word as in 24: 48, and one of the links 
 of connection between the two illustrations; 
 com p. also 25: 19. Slumbered and slept is 
 lit., nodded and were sleeping. Persons sit- 
 ting up and overcome by drowsiness first nod 
 and presently begin to sleep continuously. 
 
 1 In v. 2 the ' foolish ' are named first in the best docu- 
 ments (and so in all English versions before K. James, 
 which probably followed Beza). This would seem to 
 
 prominent the cane of the unprepared. The change 
 made here by copyists led to a corresponding change 
 in v. 3 (almost exactly the game document*!, which 
 
 copyists an unnatural order, but really accords with j properly reads ' for the foolish,' introducing a proof of 
 the whole tone of the foregoing passage, which makes I their folly.
 
 500 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXV 
 
 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the 
 bridegroom cometh ; go ye out to'meet him. 
 
 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their 
 lamps. 
 
 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your 
 oil ; for our lamps are "gone out. 
 
 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so ; lest there be 
 not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them 
 that sell, and buy for yourselves. 
 
 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom eame; 
 and they that were ready went "iu with him to the mar- 
 riage : and the door was shut. 
 
 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, 
 Lord, Lord, open to us. 
 
 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, 
 I know you not. 
 
 6 bered and slept. But at midnight there is a cry, 
 Behold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet 
 
 7 him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed 
 
 8 their 1 lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, 
 Give us ot your oil; for our 1 lamps are going out. 
 
 9 But the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there 
 will not be enough for us and you : go ye rather to 
 
 10 them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while 
 they went away to buy, the bridegroom came ; and 
 they that were ready went in with him to the mar- 
 
 11 riage feast: and the door was shut. Afterward come 
 also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to 
 
 12 us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto 
 
 a Or, going out. 1 Or, torches. 
 
 Go ye out, or, come ye forth. The latter is 
 more probably the meaning than 'go ye out' ; 
 the Greek word oftener means come than 
 go, which is usually expressed in New Test. 
 by the word used in v. 9, comp. 3:5; 20: 29; 
 and the cry would naturally be made by per- 
 sons in the street who saw the procession ap- 
 proaching, rather than by persons in the 
 house ; nor would the latter have occasion for 
 making a loud, clangorous cry, such as the 
 Greek word denotes. There was a cry, or 
 more literally a cry has arisen, a vivid ex- 
 pression which transports us into the midst of 
 the scene. Behold, the bridegroom ! like 
 ' Behold, the Lamb of God ! ' (John i : se) ; but 
 many copyists added, as in Com. Yer., com- 
 eth. Trimmed is the word rendered 'gar- 
 nish ' in 12 : 44 and 23 : 29, and denotes adorn- 
 ing, beautifying; they poured in oil, trimmed 
 and drew up the wick, wiped off the lamp, 
 did everything that would make it beautiful 
 and bright. Our lamps are going out, the 
 Greek having the present tense and not the 
 perfect ; correctly translated in Tyn., Kheims, 
 and margin of Com. Ver. Lest there be 
 not, Rev. Ver. says peradventure, etc. The 
 wise kindly abstain from express refusal, and 
 only imply it by the words, 'Peradventure 
 there will not be enough for us and you, go 
 rather, etc.' (Comp. Plumptre.) In attempt- 
 ing to buy oil at midnight, they would find 
 few or no shops open, and would be much de- 
 layed. Bruce fancies that it was a second 
 folly to go after oil, when if they had but re- 
 mained they might have been admitted with- 
 out it. But (1) the whole tone of the story, 
 and all that we know of the wedding customs, 
 implies that a burning light was necessary. 
 Without it they would not have been showing 
 honor to the bridegroom, and could not have 
 been distinguished at the door from strangers 
 
 or other persons having no right to be admit- 
 ted. (2) The advice of the wise to go and 
 buy must, on Bruce's view, be taken as cruel 
 mockery, or possibly as dictated by the unre- 
 flecting selfishness of persons hurried and dis- 
 concerted ; either of which would seem exces- 
 sively incongruous and improbable. To the 
 marriage (feast), as in 22 : 2 ff. The door 
 was usually in the middle of one side of a 
 house, leading by a passage under the second 
 story to the inner court, upon which all the 
 rooms of the house opened. When this outer 
 door was shut, all connection with the outside 
 world was cut off. Persistent knocking, and 
 loud entreaty addressed to the bridegroom 
 personally, might at length bring him to the 
 door. Verily I say unto yon, a solemn as- 
 surance, comp. on 5: 18. I know you not. 
 They have no claim to be received as guests; 
 he does not even recognize them as acquaint- 
 ances (comp. 7: 23). 
 
 The application of this beautiful parable is 
 obvious, but is surpassingly tender and pa- 
 thetic. It teaches the same lesson as 24: 37- 
 42, and 43-51, that the only way to be ready 
 when Jesus comes is to be ready always. The 
 term 'virgins' must not be given a spiritual 
 significance, as if denoting pure Christians ; 
 for five of these represent persons not really 
 Christians at all. The division into two halves 
 must surely not be supposed to teach that at 
 the coming of Christ half the people in the 
 world or in any community will be ready to 
 meet him, and half not ready ; it was simply 
 the most natural division of the round num- 
 ber, there being no special reason for dividing 
 otherwise. The bridegroom tarried might 
 suggest to the disciples that their Lord would 
 not come immediately. (Comp. on 25: 19.) 
 The fact that all the ten were sleeping should 
 not be made a reproach to true Christians. It
 
 CH. XXV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 501 
 
 13 Watch' therefore: for ye know neither the day nor 13 you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know 
 the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. "not the day nor the hour. 
 
 was not wrong for the virgins to sleep under 
 the circumstances ; they were neglecting no 
 duty in so doing, provided they had thor- 
 oughly made ready for the bridegroom's 
 coming. To understand it as meaning that 
 the successive generations of mankind must 
 fall asleep in death (various Fathers and some 
 modern writers), is wholly unwarranted and 
 seems strangely unsuitable. Whether the 
 foolish virgins are to be considered as repre- 
 senting "church members," there is nothing 
 to show ; they are persons who profess, and 
 honestly think that they are Christ's friends, 
 and expect to meet him with joy. To take 
 lamps and no lasting supply of oil, suggests 
 that superficial and temporary interest in 
 divine things which is so often witnessed ; 
 comp. Hosea 6: 4. The hurried and fruitless 
 attempt, when the moment arrives, to make 
 the preparation which ought to have been 
 made in advance, is deeply pathetic, and 
 touches a sadly common fault in regard to 
 readiness for meeting Christ at his coining, or 
 for meeting the messenger whom he sends to 
 bear us away, even death. The inability of 
 the prudent virgins to help the foolish in 
 their extremity reminds us that piety in- 
 volves personal conditions and relations to 
 Christ that are not transferable. I know 
 you not. This will not be rejecting persons 
 who ask to be saved, but disowning persons 
 who claim to have been saved, to have been 
 ready and waiting for his coming. 
 
 To find some separate spiritual meaning in 
 the lamps, the vessels, the oil, and the sellers 
 of oil, etc., seems here worse than idle. (Comp. 
 on 13 : 3.) Maldonatus counts fifteen separate 
 items having spiritual significance, and Keach 
 thirteen. It is very unwise here to bring in 
 the idea of the bride as meaning "the church." 
 (Eph.i:zi.) The bride is not mentioned in the 
 parable, and, as already suggested, for the 
 obvious reason that Christians here appear as 
 friends waiting to join the procession. Bring 
 in the bride as the church, and you introduce 
 
 inevitable confusion of idea through a mix- 
 ture of distinct images. It ought to be every- 
 where carefully remembered that if " mixed 
 metaphors" are bad for rhetoric, they are 
 worse for exegesis. 
 
 Watch therefore, for ye know neither 
 the day nor the hour 1 repeats the sol- 
 emn refrain of 24: 42, 44, and 50. The 
 whole passage from 24: 36 to 25: 13 should 
 be read in worship as one, and this re- 
 frain brought out with special emphasis; just 
 as one reads Psalms 42 and 43, with the refrain 
 of 42: 5, 11 and 43: 5; or like the refrain in 
 Psa. 80: 3, 7, 19, and various other Psalms. 
 This is not saying that the passage before us is, 
 properly speaking, poetical ; it rather presents 
 an oratorical repetition of the practical theme, 
 after each separate illustration. " Watch " 
 does not here mean keep awake, as opposed to 
 the sleeping of v. 5, but be so needfully ex- 
 pectant as not to be caught unprepared. 
 
 HOMILKTICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 Ch. 24: 37-39. The flood, as a picture 
 of Christ's final coming. 1) Men knew not 
 when it would be, and did not really believe 
 it would ever be; comp. Luke 18 : 8. 2) Men 
 were too busy with ordinary affairs to stop and 
 think about God's merciful warning. 3) Men 
 in general were caught unprepared, and swept 
 into destruction. 4) Those men who believed 
 and made ready found themselves safe, and 
 had a blessed future. V. 40 f. The most inti- 
 mate associations of this life will in many 
 cases be severed, in a moment and forever, by 
 the coming of Christ. And so death, though 
 for none an eternal sleep, will be for many, 
 alas! an eternal separation. V. 42. The 
 coming of our Lord. 1) We know not when 
 he will come need not know cannot know 
 should not wish to know, comp. 24: 36. 2) 
 We shall be ready when he comes if we 
 are ready always, comp. y. 43 f. 3) We 
 should watch, not in dread but in hope, for 
 it will be our Lord's coming, comp. 2 
 
 1 ' Wherein the Son of man cometh ' is wanting in all 
 the early versions and the leading Greek copies, and 
 was easily added from 24: 44. In reality, the expres- 
 sion is more energetic without it, and amply perspicu- 
 
 ous to one who has read what precedes, since 24: 86. 
 The well meant but really enfeebling addition reminds 
 one of that ill 1 Cor. 6: 20.
 
 502 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cu. XXV. 
 
 Tim. 14: 8; Titus 2: 11-14 4) Thus are we 
 better prepared to serve him when he does 
 come; (a) with patience under trouble, comp. 
 James 5: 7; (b) with gentleness and forbear- 
 ance towards others, comp. Phil. 4: 5; (c) 
 with all holy living and piety, comp. 2 Peter 
 3: 11 f. ; (d) with efforts to make all men like- 
 wise ready to meet him, comp. 24: 14. V. 45- 
 47. A good servant of Christ. 1) He is aware 
 that the responsibilities of Christ's service re- 
 quire not only faithfulness, but prudence, dis- 
 cretion, good sense. 2) He is conscious of 
 duties to his fellow-men, and is exact and 
 punctual in performing them, as being also 
 duties to Christ. 3) He is always ready to 
 meet Christ, because always busily engaged 
 in Christ's service. 4) He will be rewarded 
 for serving Christ here by better opportunities 
 of serving him hereafter. V. 45-51. The 
 good and the bad servant contrasted. All 
 men are in one or another sense Christ's serv- 
 ants, and will be held by him to account, 
 comp. 2 Cor. 5: 10. 1) The good servant is 
 faithful and wise; the bad servant is unfaith- 
 ful and foolish. 2) The good servant is busy 
 in serving Christ by benefiting others; the 
 bad servant is unkind to others, and engrossed 
 with selfish gratifications. 3) The good serv- 
 ant will welcome the Lord at any moment; 
 the bad servant will be caught unawares. 4) 
 The good servant will be exalted to higher 
 honors and wider usefulness ; the bad servant 
 will be terribly punished, dwelling forever 
 amid hypocrites, and filled with bitter but 
 vain regrets. 
 
 25: 1-13. The Ten Virgins. 1) The coming 
 of our Lord ought to be thought of as a joy- 
 ful event. 2) The time of his coming is un- 
 certain and may be delayed, so that prepara- 
 tion for it must be permanent. 3) Not all 
 those who call themselves his friends, and 
 nominally await his coming, will be found 
 really ready when he comes. 4) Hurried at- 
 tempts to make ready then, will prove a 
 failure. 5) Oh the bitter grief and disap- 
 pointment of having meant, and professed, 
 and long appeared, to be his friends, and then 
 encountering the closed door and the solemn 
 voice of refusal. 
 
 " No light had we : for that we do repent : 
 And, learning this, the Bridegroom will relent. 
 'Too late, too late ! ye cannot enter now.' 
 No light, so late! and dark and chill the night! 
 Oh, let us in, that we may find the light ! 
 ' Too late, too late ! ye cannot enter now.' " 
 
 Tennyson. 
 
 V. 8. HENRY: "Those will see their need 
 of grace hereafter, when it should save them, 
 who will not see their need of grace now, 
 when it should sanctify and rule them." V. 
 11. JEROME: " What does it profit to invoke 
 him with the voice whom by works you deny ? ' ' 
 V. 12. HENRY : ' With regard to those that 
 put off their great work to the last, it is a thou- 
 sand to one that they have not time to do it 
 then. While the poor awakened soul ad- 
 dresses itself, upon a sick-bed, to repentance 
 and prayer, in awful confusion, it scarcely 
 knows which end to begin at, or what to do 
 first; and presently death comes, judgment 
 comes, and the work is undone, and the poor 
 sinner undone forever." V. 13. We need 
 not wonder at the frequent repetition, and 
 fourfold illustration, of " Watch, for ye know 
 not," seeing that human nature is so prone to 
 heedless sloth or to preoccupation with worldly 
 affairs. All these exhortations to watch, and 
 be ready, for the Lord's coming, will apply 
 without material alteration to the duty of 
 preparation for death, which will in an im- 
 portant sense summon us to meet Christ, and 
 will leave fixed and permanent the relation in 
 which we shall rise to meet him when he does 
 
 COme. (Jolm5:28r.) 
 
 14-3O. BE READY TO GIVE ACCOUNT AT 
 THK COMING OF CHRIST. 
 
 This is found in Matt, only, though a quite 
 similar parable is given by Luke (i9: 11-27), as 
 spoken at Jericho, some five or six days 
 earlier. On that occasion it had a special 
 design, to indicate that the consummated 
 reign o_f the Messiah would begin only at 
 his return after an absence, and that then he 
 would reward and punish men according to 
 their behavior during his absence; the illus- 
 tration in that form exactly corresponded to 
 the history of Archelaus. (See above, at close 
 of chap. 2.) Here those peculiar traits are 
 dropped, and we have not a returning king, 
 but simply a master, who returns from a long 
 journey to reward and punish. It must not 
 be inferred that Jesus is here taking pains to 
 avoid calling the Messiah a king, for he does 
 so immediately afterwards. (25:31,34.) Some 
 critics at once take for granted that Jesus 
 spoke only one parable of this sort, and that 
 either Luke or Matt, has reported inaccu- 
 rately. But we have already remarked many 
 times that such varied repetition on the part 
 1 of a preacher who journeys about is perfectly
 
 CH. XXV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 503 
 
 14 For the kingdom of heaven it as a man travelling into 
 a far country, w?u> called his own servants, and de- 
 livered unto them his goods. 
 
 15 And unto one he gave five "talents, to another two, 
 and to another one : to every man according to liis 
 several ability ; aud straightway took his journey. 
 
 14 For it it as when a man, going iuto another coun- 
 try, called his own ! servants, and delivered unto 
 
 15 them his goods,- And unto one he gave five talents, 
 to another two, to another one; to each according to 
 his several ability ; and he went oil his journey. 
 
 i A talent is ,187, 10s. ch. lb-24. 1 Gr. bondtervantt. 
 
 natural. Meyer thinks it would be unnatural 
 that the simpler should be the later form. It 
 is amusing to watch the current propensity to 
 explain every thing as an evolution from the 
 simple to the complex. Certainly in preach- 
 ing it is very common to produce a complex 
 illustration adapted to certain surroundings, 
 and on a second use in some other discourse 
 to make it simpler and more general. Edersh. 
 counts it difficult to believe that our Lord 
 would give a parable in the presence of his 
 disciples at Jericho, and then, a few days 
 later, repeat it to the disciples in private; but 
 theological instructors find frequent nee I of 
 repeating to a class in an altered form what 
 had been said in a sermon not long before. 
 
 14 f. For the kingdom of heaven is as a 
 man, etc., Greek, lit., for just as a man, etc. 
 The other member of the comparison is never 
 formally stated, but it is understood without 
 difficulty. Our Lord has given (since 24 : 37) 
 a series of illustrations to show the import- 
 ance of watchful preparation for his coming 
 the days of Noah, one taken and the other 
 left, the thief coming unexpectedly, the head- 
 steward and his returning master, the foolish 
 and the prudent virgins. In the latter case 
 he said expressly (:i) that the Messianic 
 reign shall resemble the case of these virgins 
 and the coming bridegroom, so he here goes 
 on without further stating the matter to be 
 illustrated. It is important to watch (), 
 for the Messiah's second coming is like the 
 case of a man, etc. See a similar expression 
 in Mark 13: 34. Travelling into a far conn- 
 try, as in 21 : 33; 'took, or went on, his jour- 
 ney,' v. 15, is the same Greek term. His own 
 servants, as in 22: 6, those that belonged to 
 him, doulous, slaves (see on 8: 6), from whom 
 he might require and expect care for his in- 
 terests. Trench: "Slaves in antiquity were 
 often artisans, or were allowed otherwise to 
 engage freely in business, paying, as it was 
 frequently arranged, a fixed yearly sum to 
 their master; or they had money committed 
 to them wherewith to trade on his account, or 
 with which to enlarge their business, and 
 
 bring in to him a share of their profits." A 
 similar course was sometimes pursued in our 
 Southern States, during the existence of 
 slavery. Five talents. A talent of gold, 
 see on 18: 24, would be near twelve thousand 
 dollars of our money, and with a purchasing 
 power at least ten times as great. It was as if 
 oneshould now put $60,000 in the hands of a 
 dependent to preserve and increase. In the 
 earlier parable (Luke 19) the sum stated is a 
 "mina," about $17, so that ten minas would 
 be one hundred and seventy, equal in pur- 
 chasing power to say two thousand dollars. 
 The sums used in the two illustrations are ob- 
 viously round numbers. As talents in the 
 parable represent whatever God gives us to 
 use and improve, and as beyond comparison 
 the most important of such gifts are our men- 
 tal powers, so it had become common in 
 English to call a man's mental powers his 
 ta/ents, and hence to speak of a man of 
 talent, or a talented man. A more or less 
 similar use is found in German and Dutch, 
 in French, Spanish, and Italian, even in mod- 
 ern Greek. To every man according to 
 his several ability, or 'his own ability,' 
 viz., his capacity for preserving and increas- 
 ing the funds intrusted to him. Comp. Rom. 
 12: 6; 1 Cor. 12: 11; Eph. 4: 11. In the 
 earlier parable this distinction was not made, 
 but to each was given the same sum. (!.* 
 
 19: 13.) 
 
 10-18. The trusted servants go to work. 
 Straightway should most probably be con- 
 nected with what follows, as in Com. Ver. 
 and Rev. Ver., rather than with what pre- 
 cedes, as in Com. Greek text. In Matt, this 
 Greek word (Weiss) always connects with 
 what follows it. The good and faithful serv- 
 ant (), feeling his responsibility, went to 
 work without delay. We naturally suppose 
 that likewise, said of the second servant, in- 
 cludes this feature. Traded, literally wnrkfd, 
 wrought. (Wye-.), as in 21: 28; 2f>: 10; then 
 in a technical sense, 'engaged in tmmnr**,' 
 and so 'traded.' The men who conduct large 
 business operations have to work indeed. One
 
 504 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. XXV. 
 
 16 Then he that had received the five talents went 
 and traded with the same, and uiauu them other five 
 talent:!. 
 
 17 And likewise he that had received two, he also 
 gained other two. 
 
 18 But he that had received one went and digged in 
 the earth, and hid his lord's money. 
 
 19 After a longtime the lord of those servants cometh, 
 and reckoneth with them. 
 
 20 And so he that had received five talents came and 
 brought other live talents, saying, Lord, thou deli veredst 
 unto me five talents: behold", I htive gained beside them 
 five talents more. 
 
 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, Ihou good and 
 faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few 
 things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter 
 thou into the joy of thy lord. 
 
 22 He also that, had received two talents came and 
 said, Lord thou deliveredst unto me two talents: be- 
 hold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 
 
 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faith- 
 ful servant : thou nast been faithful over a few things, 
 I will rnaks thee ruler over many things: enter thou 
 into the joy of thy lord. 
 
 16 Straightway he that received the five talents went 
 and traded with them, and made other five talents. 
 
 17 In like manner he also that received the two gained 
 
 18 other two. But he that received the one went away 
 
 19 and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. 
 Now after a long time the lord of those 1 servants 
 
 20 cometh, and maketh a reckoning with them. And 
 he that received the five talents came and brought 
 other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst 
 unto me five talents : lo, I have gained other five 
 
 21 talents. His lord said unto him, Well done, good 
 and faithful ^servant: thou hast been faithful over 
 a few things, I will set thee over many things: enter 
 
 22 thou into the joy of thy lord. And lie also that re- 
 ceived the two talents came and said. Lord, thou 
 deliveredst unto me two talents: lo, I have gained 
 
 23 other two talents. His lord said unto him, Well 
 done, good and faithful 2 servant; thou hast been 
 faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many 
 
 1 Gr. londicrvanti 2 Or, bondiervant. 
 
 of the popular delusions is shown in speaking 
 of "the working classes," as if brain-work 
 were not often far more intense and severe 
 than mere hand-work. But the term "busi- 
 ness men " proceeds on a like assumption that 
 no one else is really busy. In the other 
 parable (Luke 19= 13-15) the Greek word used 
 means directly 'engage in business,' which 
 was expressed in Old English by 'occupy' 
 (comp. Ezek. 27: 9, 22), used here also by 
 Cran. and Rheims, while Tyn. and Gen. in 
 Luke give 'buy and sell.' Made. It is hard 
 to decide whether we should read this word 
 or 'gained,' which has much better docu- 
 mentary evidence, but might easily here 
 come from v. 17, 20, while 'made' is also 
 found in Luke 19 : 18, Kev. Ver. There is ob- 
 viously no substantial difference. For lord, 
 meaning master, see on 8: 19. 
 
 19-23. The master returns and demands 
 an account. The two faithful servants. Af- 
 ter a long time. This was necessary in the 
 illustration for doubling the capital by any 
 safe business. In the application it intimates 
 that the final coming of the Messiah is remote, 
 but still the phrase is quite indefinite. There 
 was nothing in it to show that the coming 
 would not take place in their day, but only 
 enough to show that they must go on dili- 
 gently serving Christ under present condi- 
 tions. Bruce well compares the correction 
 addressed by Paul to those Thessalonians who 
 supposed the Lord was certainly coming im- 
 mediately, and inferred that it was useless to 
 engage any more in the ordinary duties of 
 
 life. (2 Thess. 3:10-12.) Well done is a good 
 translation, found first in the Geneva version ; 
 but stress cannot be laid on ' done ' in con- 
 trast to the 'well doing' of Gal. 6:9; for 
 'done' is not expressed in the Greek, but 
 only implied in the word 'well.' Tyndale 
 and Cran. translate simply ' well,' but this in 
 modern English would be inadequate and 
 ambiguous. Over a few things .... 
 over many things, implies that the master 
 had vast capital and many kinds of business 
 to be managed. We can hardly suppose 
 here a conception remaining from the former 
 parable, where a king was speaking (Luke 19: IT), 
 for there the reward was to be made governor 
 over ten cities ; the two parables seem to be 
 consistently distinct throughout. The joy 
 of thy Lord is in the story the rejoicing and 
 felicity consequent on the master's return to 
 his home (comp. Luke 15: 22 if.). But here 
 the application quite overpasses the limits of 
 the illustration. The noblest and purest 
 earthly delight could but dimly picture the 
 joy which will follow the Saviour's final com- 
 ing, for all that have been good and faithful 
 servants, a joy unspeakably heightened by the 
 fact that they will share in it with him ; 
 comp. Heb. 12: 2; Kom. 8: 17. 
 
 The rhythmical repetition in v. 22 f. of v. 
 20 f. reminds one of 7: 26 f., and of the par- 
 allelism which characterizes the Old Test, 
 poetry. But what is more important, it com- 
 mends and rewards the servant who has 
 faithfully used the two talents in the same 
 terms as the one who received the five talents.
 
 Cn. XXV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 505 
 
 24 Then he which had received the one talent came 
 and said, Lord, I knewthee that thou art a hard man, 
 reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where 
 thou hast not strewed : 
 
 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in 
 the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 
 
 26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked 
 and slothful servant, thou knewestthat I reap where I 
 sowed not, and gather where I have not strewed: 
 
 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put uiy money 
 to the exchangers, and then at my coming 1 should 
 have received mine own with usury. 
 
 24 things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. And 
 he also that had received the one talent came and 
 said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, 
 reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering 
 
 25 where thou didst not scatter : and I was afraid, and 
 went away and hid thy talent in the earth : lo, thou 
 
 26 hast thine own. But his lord answered and said 
 unto him, Thou wicked and slothful l servant, thou 
 knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather 
 
 27 where I did not scatter : thou oughtest therefore to 
 have put luy money to the bankers, and at my com- 
 
 1 Or, bondservant. 
 
 There will doubtless be different capacities for 
 sharing in the joy of our Lord, but every one 
 will enjoy to the full. In the other parable 
 the reward varies in exact accordance with 
 the profit made upon the original trust, ten 
 cities, five cities, as was natural in the case of 
 a king appointing governors. Even here the 
 wicked servant's talent is not divided between 
 the two others, but given to the first. In 
 v. 22 received is not expressed in the Greek, 
 according to some of 'the best documents, but 
 left to be understood ; beside them rests on 
 inferior evidence. 
 
 24-30. The wicked and slothful servant. 
 A hard man, the Greek word for hard hav- 
 ing metaphorical uses like our own. In 
 Luke 19 : 21 f. the Greek is substantially 
 equivalent, being austeros, rough, harsh, etc., 
 which we borrow through the Latin as aus- 
 tere, but now use in a somewhat more re- 
 stricted sense. The image in gathering 
 where thou hast not strewed, or scattered, 
 is not exactly the same as in reaping where 
 thou hast not sown, but seems to mean 
 the gathering of wheat that after it was cut 
 had been scattered, in order to become more 
 dry and ripe; or else gathering up from the 
 threshing-floor what another had scattered 
 there to be threshed. The servant knew, he 
 said, that his master was hard and grasping, 
 drawing gain from the labor of others. He 
 therefore pretends that he was afraid to in- i 
 vest the talent in business ; for if he should 
 make profit, the master would take it all (Goe- 
 bel); and if he should lose the principal, he j 
 would be harshly treated, sinc one who so j 
 grasped after gain would have no patience ; 
 under loss. So he returns the talent, as being 
 all that would really have belonged to his , 
 master even if he had engaged in profitable 
 business. He does not recognize his position 
 and duty as a servant, and tries to excuse 
 himself by attacking his master's character 
 
 and disposition. Alford: " The foolish vir- 
 gins failed from thinking their part too easy ; 
 the wicked servant fails from thinking his 
 too hard.'' Hid thy talent in the earth, 
 comp. on 13 : 44. In Luke 19 : 20 the servant 
 having a much smaller sum in charge simply 
 kept it "laid up in a napkin." There is a 
 sort of spiteful fling in the words lo, there 
 thou hast that is thine own, or thou 
 hast thine own, Rev. Ver. implying that the 
 master had no right to expect more. Thou 
 wicked and slothful servant. He wicked- 
 ly misjudged and slandered his master, and 
 tried to make that an excuse for his slothful 
 failure to do as he had been commanded. 
 The master retorts that his own excuse estab- 
 lished his guilt. Granting the master's char- 
 acter to be as represented, this would itself 
 have indicated the propriety of at least lend- 
 ing out the money on interest. So also in the 
 earlier parable, Luke 19: 23. Exchangers, or 
 I bankers. The Greek word is derived from the 
 word for bank or bench on which money used 
 to be received and paid out. These bankers 
 also changed money, but they were something 
 much higher than the small-change men of 
 21: 12. Plumptre : It was in the servant's 
 power "to take advantage of the banking, 
 money-changing, money-lending system, of 
 which the Phoenicians were the inventors, 
 and which at the time was in full operation 
 throughout the Roman Empire. The bankers 
 received money on deposit, and paid interest 
 on it, and then lent it at a higher percentage, 
 or employed it in trade, or (as did ihc publi- 
 cani at Rome) in farming tho revenues of a 
 province. This was therefore the natural re- 
 source, as investment in stocks or companies 
 is with u., for those who had not energy to 
 engage in business." The law of Moses forbade 
 Israelites to charge interest against each other. 
 
 (Ex. K : JS ; LT. a : Si-ST ; Dut. M : It. ) But DoUt. 23 : 
 
 20 allowed them to lend upon interest to Gen-
 
 506 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXV. 
 
 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it 
 uuto him which hath ten talents. 
 
 29 For unto everv one that hath shall be given, and 
 he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not 
 shall be taken away even that which he hath. 
 
 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant, into outer 
 darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of 
 teeth. 
 
 28 ing I should have received back mine own with in- 
 terest. Take ye away therefore the talent from him, 
 and give it unto hi'm that hath the ten talents. 
 
 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he 
 shall have abundance: but from him that bath not, 
 
 30 even that which he hath shall be taken away. And 
 cast ye out the unprofitable l servant into tlie outer 
 darkness : there shall be the weeping and gnashing 
 of teeth. 
 
 1 Or, bondservant 
 
 tiles, and we may suppose this to have been 
 a case of that sort, there being here no indi- 
 cation of nationality. Besides, the law was 
 no doubt often disregarded or evaded in the 
 dealings of Jews with each other, as we find 
 in the time of Nehemiah. (Neh. 5: 10-12.) Our Lord 
 draws his illustrations from the actual conduct 
 of men, sometimes from their wrong conduct 
 (e. g., Luke 16 : 1 ff. ; 18: 1 if.). Usury, in 
 Old English denoted simply what we now 
 call interest, being the sum paid for the useo{ 
 money, Latin usura ; but by degrees came 
 to signify exorbitant interest, as so many 
 words have from evil practices acquired an 
 evil sense. Our word 'interest' derives its 
 technical sense from the more general notion 
 of profit. The Greek word here employed 
 denotes what is born of money, what it brings 
 forth or produces. The translation ought to 
 be changed to ' interest,' throughout the Old 
 Test. P?a. 15: 5 refers to the law of Moses 
 above mentioned, which is not binding upon 
 Christians. 
 
 28. "Bib. Comm": " God's gifts are not left 
 unproductive, because one to whom they are 
 intrusted neglects his duty. So far as such 
 gifts are transferable, they are often, as a 
 matter of fact, taken away from him who does 
 not use them aright, and given to another. 
 Thus the kingly power which Saul misused 
 was taken from him and given to David. 
 Thus the kingdom of God was taken away 
 from the Jews, and given to a nation bring- 
 ing forth the fruits thereof." 
 
 29. Comp. Luke 19 : 26. See above on 13: 
 12. This is a principle of the divine govern- 
 ment having many applications. 
 
 As some would make hiding the talent in 
 the earth mean sinking the spiritual in the 
 carnal, or what not, so some understand put- 
 ting the money to the bankers to mean con- 
 tributing to charitable associations, etc. This 
 last might be suggested as one application of 
 the principle that persons who timidly shrink 
 from personal exertions may indirectly pro- 
 mote spiritual work; but a single practical 
 
 application of a general principle should not 
 be put forward as an interpretation. 
 
 3O. The unprofitable, or ' unserviceable,' 
 in colloquial phrase 'of no use '; before called 
 ' wicked and slothful.' If the man with one 
 talent was blameworthy for making no in- 
 crease, much more (Bruce) would that have 
 applied to persons having two or five talents. 
 Tims the guilt of uselessness holds true for 
 high and low. Alas ! how many professed 
 Christians are utterly useless. Into (the) 
 outer darkness, etc., (see on 22: 13), while 
 the faithful servants share their master's joy 
 in his brightly lighted' abode ; the applica- 
 tion of the image is to hell and heaven. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 15. 'To each according to his ability.' 
 1) Inequalities of human condition neces- 
 sarily result from the inequalities of human 
 character and conduct. 2) To have more of 
 property or of other talents than one can 
 manage for God's glory, would be a burden 
 and not a privilege. 3) The way to get a 
 larger portion is to make wise use of what we 
 have. 4) The best reward in eternity, will be 
 the ability and opportunity to do grander 
 work for Christ. 5) The faithful use of two 
 talents will receive as hearty commendation as 
 that of five ; and the cup of joy will in each 
 case be full. Yea, it would have been the 
 same with the servant who received one tal- 
 ent, had he faithfully used it. V. 21. ' Enter 
 tliou into the joy of thy Lord.' 1) A joy un- 
 alloyed by sorrow. 2) A joy which is the 
 reward of faithful service. 3) A joy which 
 consists not in idle resting, but in higher and 
 wider usefulness. 4) A joy shared with the 
 Lord himself. V. 23. Jewish comm. (Mid- 
 rash) on Exodus (Wet.): "God never be- 
 stows great things on men till he has first 
 tried them by little things; e.g., Moses, 
 David." V. 24. Calling God a hard master. 
 1) Men are often hard masters, but that does 
 not prove that God is. 2) God gives to everj T 
 servant some talent to improve only in pro-
 
 CH. XXV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 507 
 
 31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and 
 all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon 
 the throne of his glory : 
 
 31 But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, 
 and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the 
 
 portion as he has really sown does he claim to 
 reap. 3) It is the wicked and slothful servant 
 who complains of having a hard master. 
 4) To excuse our lack of service hy accusing 
 him whom we ought to serve, is but adding 
 insult to injury. 5) "We may delude our- 
 selves with flimsy excuses, hut we cannot 
 deceive God, nor escape aggravated punish- 
 ment V. 25. The hid talent. 1) It is "his 
 lord's money" (. is), entrusted for use and 
 increase, and the servant has no right to hide 
 it. 2) The reason for hiding may be profess- 
 edly prudent fear, but is really sloth, disobe- 
 dience, and lack of devotion to the master's 
 interests. 3) The risks involved in doing any- 
 thing whatsoever, form no sufficient reason for 
 doing nothing. 4) To return the hid talent is 
 not giving the master his own, for he has a 
 right to expect increase. ANON. : " One who, 
 receiving seed to sow, has at seed-time not sown 
 it, inflicts loss upon his master; although he 
 has not lost the seed, yet there is a loss in pro- 
 portion as there might have been gain if he 
 had sown at the fit time." V. 29. CHBYS. : 
 "He that hath a gift of word and teaching to 
 profit thereby, and useth it not, will lose the 
 gift also; but he that giveth diligence, will 
 gain to himself the gift in more abundance; 
 even as the other loseth what he had re- 
 ceived." V. 30. The unprofitable servant. 
 1) Unprofitable because slothful. 2) Unprofit- 
 able, and therefore wicked. 3) Unprofitable 
 and inexcusable (T. wr.); if shrinking from 
 one way, he might have been useful in some 
 other. 4) Unprofitable, and for this severely 
 punished. 
 
 V. 14-30. Parable of the Talents. 1) Chris- 
 tians should gladly recognize that they are 
 Christ's "own servants," and must bend 
 every energy to promote his cause in the 
 world. 2) Christ commits to us as talents to 
 be used in his service (a) our personal powers 
 of body of intellect, imagination, passion, 
 taste, conscience, will; (b) our attainments; 
 (c) our possessions, and capacities for further 
 acquisition; (d) our influence, through fam- 
 ily, social, and business relations. 3) When 
 Christ comes he will reward us for the faithful 
 use of all these by admitting us into intimate 
 and permanent intercourse with himself, and 
 
 by heightened resources for glorifying him. 
 (v. zs.) 4) In the case of failure to improve 
 our talents, many or few, complaints against 
 Christ will be a poor excuse, only aggravating 
 the offence. 5) To do no good in the world, 
 to be simply useless and worthless, is to sin 
 grievously against Christ; and only by inces- 
 sant efforts to do good can we avoid doing 
 positive evil. 6) The unprofitable servant 
 will be punished by taking away his neglected 
 resources for doing good (v-zs), and by griev- 
 ous and abiding suffering, (v. so.) 
 
 31-46. JUDUMKNT SCENE AT THE COM- 
 ING OF CHRIST. 
 
 The other Gospels have nothing at all paral- 
 lel to this solemnly beautiful passage. Mat- 
 thew has in various other instances given 
 much more of a discourse than Mark or Luke, 
 e. g., ch. 5-7, ch. 10, ch. 18, eh. 18; and so 
 here ch. 25 is all peculiar to Matt., except that 
 Luke has a parable given on a former occasion 
 that closely resembles the parable of the 
 Talents. The reference to the destruction of 
 Jerusalem, with which this great discourse 
 began, has now passed out of sight, and we 
 think only of the final coming of Christ. 
 (Comp. on 24: 3.) Our Lord had before inti- 
 mated that he was to be the final judge of men 
 
 (T: af.j 13: 40-43; 18: 27; John 5: 25-29); he ttOW de- 
 
 scribes the future judgment scene, in a way 
 strikingly appropriate for the conclusion of 
 his whole discourse on his coming. (Ch. 24 
 and 25.) Especially close is the connection 
 with the foregoing parable of the Talents, in 
 which the master returns to examine, and re- 
 ward or punish. Some expositors here intro- 
 duce elaborate discussions as to the relation of 
 this judgment to the "thousand years" of 
 Rev. 20: 2-7. But whatever may be re- 
 garded as the meaning of that obscure and 
 highly figurative statement in the visions of 
 Patmos, it seems out of place to bring in the 
 matter here, where there is no distinct room, 
 and no occasion whatever, for its introduction. 
 The passage obviously divides itself into v. 
 31-83, 34-), 41-46, and 40. Afford: "It will 
 heighten our estimation of the wonderful sub- 
 limity of this description, when we recollect 
 that it was spoken by the Lord only three days 
 before his sufferings.''
 
 508 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXV. 
 
 32 And before him shall be gathered all nation.-. : and 
 he shall separate them one from another, as a shep- 
 herd divideth his sheep from the goatc: 
 
 32 throne of his glory : and before him shall be gath- 
 ered all the nations: and he shall separate them one- 
 from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep 
 
 31-33. All men gathered uhd divided. 
 When, Rev. Ver., But when. It is very 
 doubtful whether the Greek particle ought 
 here to be translated 'but,' or ' now,' or to re- 
 main untranslated. This depends on the rela- 
 tion of what follows to what precedes, which 
 the particle itself does not at all determine. 
 Only if the following passage stands in some 
 sort of opposition to the foregoing, do we 
 properly render 'but,' otherwise the Greek 
 term is only a particle of transition, which we 
 render by 'now' or 'and,' or often leave quite 
 untranslated. This passage does not seem 
 clearly opposed to the parable of the Talents, 
 for that also, as we have seen, presents an ex- 
 amination followed by reward and punish- 
 ment. It would therefore seem better to leave 
 the particle untranslated, as in Com. Ver. 
 The Son of man, the Messiah, as so often in 
 this discourse ( .- 27, so, 37, 39, 44), and previously ; 
 Bee on 8: 20. Nowhere in the discourse does 
 Jesus say that this will be himself, but he is an- 
 swering the question of the disciples, ' whatshall 
 bethesignof thy coming?' (**:3); and indeed 
 he had long encouraged the disciples in the 
 belief that he was the Messiah. Shall come 
 in his glory, comp. 16: 27, 'in the glory of 
 his Father,' and 24 : 30, ' coming on the clouds 
 of heaven with power and great glory.' We 
 have little further information as to the nature 
 of this 'glory.' Just below is mentioned 'the 
 throne of his glory : ' and Paul speaks of 
 'flaming fire' (2Ti.e. i:8), and 'the trump of 
 God.' (i Thess. 4:i ; i cor. 15:52.) Nothing earthly 
 could furnish the images for an adequate 
 description. And all the holy angels with 
 him, like the splendid retinue of a king, 
 comp. 13: 41 ; 16: 27. No longer will he be a 
 homeless wanderer, with a handful of fol- 
 lowers. As to the angels in general, see on 
 18 : 10. ' Holy ' (Com. Ver. ) is a spurious ad- j 
 dition. 1 Sit upon the throne, as a king j 
 (V.M); comp. 19: 28. The Jews, includingthe 
 Twelve, expected the Messiah to sit on a | 
 throne of temporal dominion. Our Lord j 
 here shows the disciples that at his second j 
 coming he will sit on a throne of judgment, 
 
 making awards for eternity. He sits now 
 already on the throne of mediatorial author- 
 ity (asus), spiritually conquering and ruling. 
 
 (l Cor. 15: 25; Heb. 12 : 2.) 
 
 All (the) nations. Not only Jews, but 
 Gentiles, not only some nations, but all. The 
 ancients all inclined to think that every 
 nation must of course have its own deities; 
 but there is only one God for all nations, and 
 only one Mediator and final Judge (comp. 1 
 Tim. 2: 5). Though his personal mission was 
 exclusively to the lost sheep of the house of 
 Israel (15:2*), yet he was destined to draw all 
 men unto him (Joim 12 : w ), an <i the proclama- 
 tion of his work was to be made to all nations. 
 (28:19.) Bengel: "All the angels, all the na- 
 tions; how vast an assembly." Some com- 
 mentatators suppose that it means only the 
 Gentiles, who are most frequently meant by 
 'the nations.' Plumptre finds a striking dis- 
 tribution : the parable of the Virgins refers to 
 all Christians ; that of the Talents to those 
 "that hold any office or ministry in the 
 church"; and this passage to the heathen. 
 But the parable of the Talents does not admit 
 of the proposed limitation; and here, cer- 
 tainly the blessed for whom the kingdom is 
 prepared are Christians. Others, even Meyer, 
 understand that this judgment relates to Chris- 
 tians only; but that is made highly improb- 
 able by ' all the nations,' and seems impossible 
 in view of 'depart accursed' strange Chris- 
 tians ! As (the) shepherd, in any particular 
 case, like 'the sower,' 'the good man,' etc. 
 (12:35; 13:3.) Divideth, or separateth (Rheims), 
 same word as in preceding clause. Com. Ver. 
 follows Tyn., 'divideth,' an impropervariation 
 of the translation, comp. on v. 46. From the 
 goats. The Greek word properly means 'kids' 
 (Rev. Ver. .margin), as in ' Thou never gavest 
 me a kid,' Luke 15: 29. The Latin and Peshito 
 versions have the distinctive terms for kids; 
 Jerome expressly*mentions that it is not goats 
 but kids, and Anon, labors to show why the 
 term kids is more appropriate. The difference 
 is of course quite unimportant. Sheep and 
 goats are often found in one flock (Gen. so: 32 r.), 
 
 1 It is wanting in the earliest uncials, and in nearly 
 all the early versions. It was probably suggested by 
 way of contrast to ' the devil and his angels,' in v. 41, 
 
 or by " the Lord my God shall come, and all the holy 
 ones with thee," Zech. 14 : 5, Rev. Ver.
 
 CH. XXV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 509 
 
 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but 
 the goats on the left. 
 
 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right 
 hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the king- 
 dom prepared for you from the foundation of the 
 world : 
 
 33 from the 1 goats : and he shall set the sheep on his 
 
 34 right hand, but the > goats on the left. Then shall 
 the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, 
 ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom pre- 
 
 but sometimes do not feed well together, and 
 are kept apart while grazing. 1 The Scriptures 
 often employ sheep to denote those who trust in 
 God, and so the goats or kids are here naturally 
 taken to represent the worse side. Various 
 Fathers and some modern writers proceed 
 eagerly to trace minute analogies between the 
 wicked and kids or goats, and between the 
 righteous and sheep, in the way that has 
 brought so much reproach upon the interpret- 
 ation of Scripture. On his right hand . . . 
 on the left. Wet. quotes Greek and Koman 
 writers and the Talmud as putting the good on 
 the right hand of the judge and the bad on the 
 left hand. It is a perfectly natural symbol- 
 ism, connected with our preference for the 
 right hand in greetings, and in many ways. 
 
 (Luke 1:11; Mark 16: 5.) How far this predictive 
 
 imagery of a judgment scene will be literally 
 fulfilled by actual assembly in a locality, etc., 
 no one can tell. All descriptions and concep- 
 tions of things unseen and eternal are neces- 
 sarily dependent upon material analogies, 
 even as our own mental action can be defined 
 only in terms drawn from physical action. 
 We may be very sure that the spiritual and 
 eternal reality will be something far more 
 solemn and instructive than any conception 
 we are able to derive from the simplest or the 
 most sublime images. 
 
 34-40. The Kingand Judge speaks to those 
 on his right hand. The King. Our Lord 
 has been constantly speaking, throughout his 
 ministry, of the 'kingdom of heaven, 'and 
 'kingdom of God' (*: "; Johns: a, etc.), the fa- 
 miliar Jewish designation of the Messianic 
 reign (see on 3: 2). In like manner "King 
 M'iiah" was a familiar phrase among the 
 Jews. Had Jesus employed that expression 
 in speaking to the people, they would have 
 seized upon it as confirming their conception 
 of a worldly sovereign, conquering and 
 
 reigning in splendor at Jerusalem. So he has 
 preferred to designate the Messiah by the 
 plirase 'the Son of man' (see on 8: 20), which 
 would not encourage these popular miscon- 
 ceptions. In 16: 28 he predicted 'the Son of 
 man coming in his kingdom,' coming as king, 
 and in 19: 28 as sitting ' on the throne of his 
 glory' ; but in both cases he was talking with 
 the Twelve. And so here perhaps with only 
 four of them (see on 24: 3) ; the time is near 
 when he will avow himself before the Sanhe- 
 drintobethe Messiah and will take the foreseen 
 consequences. (26:63-68;j7:ii.) Observe too that 
 he distinctly speaks of h\a future coming, and 
 not of any present and temporal reign. It 
 must be remembered that an Oriental king, 
 indeed any ancient king, often acted as judge. 
 Come, in Greek the same emphatic expres- 
 sion as in 11: 28; as now he strongly and 
 warmly invites to loving trust and service, so 
 hereafter to blessed reward. Blessed, not 
 the word properly rendered ' happy ' (see on 
 5: 3), but another which exactly means 'bles- 
 sed,' persons whom God has blessed, who are 
 in a blessed state; as in 21: 9; 23: 39; Luke 
 1 : 42. Blessed of my Father means exactly 
 ' my Father's blessed one?,' denoting not 
 simply that they have been blessed by him, 
 but that they are his. Tyndiile unwarrant- 
 ably, 'blessed children of my Father,' and 
 this expression, though adopted by none of 
 his followers, was introduced into the Burial 
 Service of the Church of England. Our Lord 
 delights to connect his work in many ways 
 with that of the Father; see 10: 32 f. ; 11 : 26- 
 27; 16: 13; 16:17,27; 18:10,19; 20:23; 
 23:29,63; Lufce 2: 49; 22:29; 23:46, and 
 exceedingly often in John. Inherit, because 
 it is not merely theirs by gift, but theirs by 
 inheritance (so Chrys. and followers), their 
 Father's gift (Rom. SMI ; tur.n:T), designed from 
 all eternity to be theirs. So the literal sense 
 
 i The morning after reaching Palestine, when setting ! the flock. When a sheep came up, he tappod it with 
 out from Ramleh, across the plain of Sharon, we saw a his long staff on the right side of the head, and It 
 shepherd leading forth a flock of white sheep and black : quickly moved oft" to his right ; a gont hn tapped on the 
 goats, all mingled as they followed him. Presently he I other side, and It went to his left. Thus the Saviour's 
 turned aside into a little green valley, and stood facing image presented itself exactly Itcfore our eyes.
 
 510 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXV. 
 
 35 For I was a hungered, and ye gave me meat : I was 
 thirsty, and ye gave uie drink : I was a stranger, and 
 ye took me in : 
 
 36 Naked, and ye clothed me : I was sick, and ye 
 visited me : I WM in prison, and ye came unto me. 
 
 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, 
 Lord, when saw we thee a hungered, and fed thee t or 
 thirsty, and gave tfiee drink ? 
 
 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in ? or 
 naked, and clothed thee f 
 
 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came 
 unto thee? 
 
 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, 
 Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it 
 unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have 
 done //unto me. 
 
 35 pared for you from the foundation of the world: for 
 I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat : I was 
 
 36 thirsty, and ye gave me drink : I was a stranger, and 
 ye <ook me in ; naked, and ye clothed me : I was 
 sick, and ye visited me : I was in prison, and ye 
 
 37 came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer 
 him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, 
 
 38 and fed thee? orathirst, and gave thee drink? And 
 when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in ? or 
 
 39 naked, and clothed thee? And when saw we thee 
 
 40 sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the 
 King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say 
 unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these 
 my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me. 
 
 of the word seems appropriate here (comp. 1 
 Cor. 15: 50; Gal. 5: 21), and not the modified 
 sense found in 5 : 5, and perhaps in 19 : 29. But 
 this heirshipis proven to exist by their mani- 
 festing a Christian character and leading a 
 Christian life (2 Peter i : 10) - ( and particularly, as 
 here set forth, by their kindness to Christ's 
 people. The kingdom is here the Messianic 
 kingdom (see on 3 : 2) in its perfected heavenly 
 state. Prepared, not merely destined, but 
 made ready (Meyer); comp. John 14:2; 
 Heb. 11:16; James 2:5. Peter adds (i Pet. 
 i;*f.)that it is preserved for the heirs, and 
 they are guarded for the inheritance, so that 
 neither shall fail of the other. The eternal 
 fire also is 'prepared.' () From the 
 foundation of the world, comp. John 17 : 
 24; 1 Pet. 1: 20; Eph. 1 : 4, and above in 
 13 : 35. For introduces the proof that they 
 are blessed of the Father, and entitled to in- 
 herit the kingdom, viz., that they have ren- 
 dered service to the King's brethren, and thus 
 virtually to him. Ye took me in. The 
 Greek means led me with (you), viz., into 
 your houses (Grimm.). Naked, imperfectly 
 clothed. (ACM 19: IB.) These tender and beauti- 
 ful sentences are designed to impress the great 
 thought that the Messiah would recognize 
 himself as served in serving even the least of 
 his brethren, and neglected in neglecting 
 them, a thought for which the wa3 r has 
 already been prepared in 10 : 40 ff. ; 18 : 5 f. ; 
 comp. Heb. 6: 10; 1 John 3 : 16. It would be 
 a grave mistake to suppose that nothing will 
 be regarded in the judgment, nothing help in 
 determining a man's future, but the simple 
 question whether he has been benevolent 
 towards suffering Christians ; we are taught 
 elsewhere that each will "receive the things 
 done in the body, according to what he hath 
 done, whether it be good or bad."( 2Cor - 5:10 ' 
 Her. ver.) It is also a mistake to infer that only 
 
 actions will enter into the judgment. The 
 essence of the passage is that the actions in 
 question will be accepted as indicating per- 
 sonal relation to Christ ; and it is really per- 
 sonal relation to Christ, as acted out in the 
 life, that will fix eternal destiny. All this 
 directly applies only to those who have had 
 some knowledge of Christ's brethren and of 
 him ; the heathen who have had no such 
 knowledge will be condemned for neglecting 
 the light of nature, and the law of conscience. 
 (Bom. i:i8ff. ; 2:i2-i6.) Observe then that our 
 Lord is not expressly speaking of benevolence 
 to the poor and suffering in general, but of 
 kindness to his poor and suffering 'brethren' 
 for his sake. Yet he himself healed and fed 
 many who were not truly his; and we are 
 imitating and honoring him if for his sake we 
 minister to any and all who are needy or dis- 
 tressed provided always we minister wisely 
 in a truly helpful way, and not so as to pro- 
 mote professional beggary or other imposition, 
 nor the self-conceit of criminals in prison, etc. 
 
 37-39. The righteous answer in no self-de- 
 preciation, but in simple sincerity and humil- 
 ity ; they have not personally seen the Saviour 
 (iPet.^s), and how (Maid.) can they have 
 rendered him any personal service? They 
 will, when actually brought to judgment, 
 think and feel otherwise only in proportion as 
 they have understood and remembered the 
 lesson here given. 
 
 4O. Verily, I say unto you, calling solemn 
 attention. (Comp. on 5 : 18. ) With this reply 
 of the King we may well compare 6 : 4, Rev. 
 Ver., "that thine alms may be in secret; and 
 thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall recom- 
 pense thee." He knows and remembers every 
 act of modest charity, and is ready to accept 
 it as done to himself. One of the least of 
 these, or, even these least. Many of Christ's 
 followers were poor and of little apparent
 
 CH. XXV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 511 
 
 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, 
 Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting tire, pre- 
 pared for the devil and his angels : 
 
 42 For I was a hungered, and ye gave me no meat : 
 I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink : 
 
 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in : naked, 
 and ye clothed me not : sick, and in prison, and ye 
 visited me not. 
 
 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, 
 when saw we thee a hungered, or at hirst, or a stranger, 
 or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister 
 unto thee ? 
 
 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say 
 unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least 
 of these, ve did it not to me. 
 
 46 And" these shall go away into everlasting punish- 
 ment : but tbe righteous into life eternal. 
 
 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, 
 1 Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal tire 
 
 42 which is prepared for the devil and his angels : for 
 I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat : I was 
 thirsty, and ye gave me no drink : I was a stranger, 
 
 43 and ye took me not in ; naked, and ye cloched me 
 not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 
 
 44 Then shall they also answer, saying, Lord, when 
 saw we thee an hungred. or :LI hirst , or a stranger, or 
 naked, or sick, orin prison, and did not minister 
 
 45 unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying. 
 Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not 
 
 46 unto one of these least, ye did it not unto me. And 
 these shall go away into eternal punishment: but 
 the righteous into eternal life. 
 
 1 Or, Depart from me under a curie. . 
 
 importance; only a few were otherwise. 
 (joim7: *8; i Cor. i: 26ff.) He identifies himself 
 not merely with the distinguished, but with 
 those whom men would lightly esteem. Mori- 
 son : " When the Judge, as it were, points to 
 these his brethren, and then refers to the least 
 of them, it is not needful that we should sup- 
 pose that they are different from 'the sheep.' 
 ... In pronouncing sentence on each, he 
 could point to surrounding brethren who had 
 been loved and sympathetically helped." 
 
 41-45. Those on the left hand. Depart 
 from me, substantially the same expression 
 as in 7 : 23 ; but the added words are here 
 more awful. The participle rendered cursed 
 lacks the article in some of the earliest and 
 best MSS., 1 and in that form it could not mean 
 ye cursed, but depart accursed, 'depart from 
 me under a curse' (Rev. Ver., margin), the 
 curse resting upon them as a part of the sen- 
 tence. Everlasting, or, the eternal, lire, the 
 Greek having the article; that eternal fire 
 which was a familiar thought to the minds of 
 his hearers ; see the same phrase in 18 : 8, and 
 comp. 3: 12, and Mark 9: 48, 'the fire is not 
 quenched.' See on 5 : 22, ' the Gehenna of 
 fire,' and 13: 42, 50, 'the furnace of fire'; 
 also on 3: 11, 'baptize ... in fire.' (Comp. 
 Jude 7 ; Rev. 20 : 10 ff. ) The term ' eternal ' 
 is used instead of ' everlasting,' merely to keep 
 the translation uniform. (See on v. 46.) 
 Whether eternal punishment involves any 
 physical reality corresponding to fire, we 
 
 know not ; there will be something as bad as 
 fire, and doubtless worse, for no earthly image 
 can be adequate. (Comp. above on v. 31-33.) 
 For the devil, that is, Satan (see on 4: 1.) 
 We might say that by analogy to the angels 
 of God, Satan's attendants and helpers, the 
 demons (see on 8: 31), are called his angels. 
 But more than that appears to be true. The 
 demons are fallen angels. ( J<i e ; 2 Pet. : 4 ; Rev. 12: 7.) 
 We must beware of confounding what little 
 we know from Scripture concerning these 
 dreadful beings with the ideas of Milton in 
 Paradise Lost, or with popular traditions and 
 nursery tales. (Comp. on 4: 1.) Notice (Ori- 
 gen) that while it is the kingdom prepared for 
 you (v. 34), it is not the eternal fire prepared for 
 you, but prepared for the devil and his angels ; 
 the wicked go to share the dreadful doom of 
 the fallen angels, go of their own movement 
 into that which was prepared for others. And 
 they are not said to 'inherit' the eternal fire, 
 but incur the punishment through conscious 
 sin and through rejection of the Saviour. 
 
 42-45. This answers to 36-40, with the 
 beautiful Hebrew circumstantiality and paral- 
 lelism, comp. 25: 20-23; 7: 24-27. This pas- 
 sage presents a notable exemplification of shut 
 of omission. 
 
 46. We find here a remarkable instance of 
 that unnecessary and unwarranted variation 
 in translation which so abounds in the ver- 
 sions from Tyndale to King James. The 
 Greek here applies the same adjective to pun- 
 
 1 The article is omitted by K B L, 33, 102, Cyril. One 
 sees no ground for supposing it to have been struck out 
 as an "Alexandrian " correction (such as these docu- 
 ments sometimes give), since the reading with the arti- 
 cles is good and unobjectionable, corresponding exactly 
 to " come, ye blessed." But we can see obvious reasons 
 for the insertion of the article by copyists, both because 
 
 I of a certain obscurity without it, and from the desire 
 to make the two corresponding clauses exactly sym- 
 metrical. Therefore the reading without the article Is 
 quite probably correct. Ita distinctive meaning, though 
 one that might not readily occur to a copyist, in 
 thoroughly appropriate.
 
 512 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XXV. 
 
 ishment and life. The Latin and other early 
 versions translated hoth by the same word, 
 and Wye. and Rheims, following the Latin 
 Vulgate, render 'everlasting' in both cases; 
 but Tyn. and followers, 'everlasting pain . . . 
 life eternal.' The English language, as being 
 compounded of Anglo-Saxon and French 
 (Latin), has an extraordinary number of 
 words nearly synonymous; and this fact has 
 probably fostered a passion for variety of 
 expression. As a mere question of Eng- 
 lish literature, the early versions have no 
 doubt gained a certain beauty "of style by 
 diversifying their renderings; and King 
 James' translators, in their "Address to the 
 Reader," have expressly defended themselves 
 and their predecessors for this practice. But 
 they have thereby seriously obscured the 
 verbal connection throughout many a passage 
 and between different passages. The careful 
 student of the English Bible, using Concord- 
 ance and References for comparing Scripture 
 with Scripture, has been misled a thousand 
 times, either imagining two passages to con- 
 tain the same Hebrew or Greek word when 
 they do not, because the English has the same 
 word, or failing to learn, often in highly im- 
 portant cases, that two passages do contain the 
 same word in the original, because the Eng- 
 lish has rendered differently. It is of course 
 impossible to translate the same Hebrew or 
 Greek word in every case by the same English 
 word ; but wherever this can be done with due 
 regard to the meaning, it is a grave fault to 
 neglect it merely for the sake of gratifying a 
 certain fastidious taste in English style. 
 Among the many examples of this fault 
 which occur in the Common Version of Matt., 
 see5: 15 f. ; 14: 24; 18: 33; 19: 20; 20: 20; 
 25: 32. For some examples in other parts of 
 New Test., see Bp. Lightf. on Revision. As 
 to whether eternal or everlasting should here 
 be used in both cases, there is room for a slight 
 difference of opinion. Noyes, Amer. Bib. 
 Union, and Davidson give 'everlasting pun- 
 ishment . . . everlasting life ' (comp. Dan. 
 12: 2) ; Darby, 'eternal punishment . . . life 
 eternal.' Some would prefer to reserve the 
 
 term 'eternal' for that which is without be- 
 ginning as well as without end ; but that word 
 is necessary in several passages of the New 
 Test, to denote duration that is simply without 
 end. Upon the whole, the Revisers are be- 
 lieved to have acted wisely in uniformly ren- 
 dering this Greek word by eternal ; there is a 
 slight loss in some passages, but an important 
 gain upon the whole. It is difficult to estimate 
 how much would have been gained for the 
 English speaking world in the exact appre- 
 hension of the present important passage, if 
 the punishment and the life had been through 
 all these centuries described, in English as in 
 the Greek, not merely by substantially equiva- 
 lent words, but by exactly the same word. 
 
 Eternal punishment . . . life eternal. 
 It will at once be taken for granted, by any 
 unprejudiced and docile mind, that the pun- 
 ishment of the wicked will last as long as the 
 life of the righteous ; it is to the last degree 
 improbable that the Great Teacher would have 
 used an expression so inevitably suggesting a 
 great doctrine he did not mean to teach ; those 
 who deny the doctrine must establish here a 
 difference of meaning, and with an over- 
 whelming presumption against them. At- 
 tempts to set aside the obvious meaning have 
 been made in several ways, (a) It is pointed 
 out that the etymology of the term aionios, 
 ' eternal,' has not been clearly ascertained. 
 But it is now past question (Curtius, Lid. and 
 Scott, Cremer, Skeat) that aion, originally 
 aiwon, has the same root as aiei and aei, 'al- 
 ways'; the same as the Latin nev-um, from 
 which came ae(v)-ternus, borrowed by us in 
 the form eternal : the same as the Gothic aiivs, 
 aiw, the German ew-ig, 'everlasting,' 'eter- 
 nal,' and the English ev-er in everlasting, 
 forever, etc. And the words aion and aionios 
 in the Greek as well as in the other languages 
 mentioned certainly have the use in question, 
 whatever may have been the primary sense 
 of the root. You cannot persude those who 
 speak English that the meaning of everlasting 
 is doubtful, simply because philologers have 
 not determined the primary sense of the root 
 ev. 1 (b) It is urged that aion and aionios are 
 
 1 We do not know the original meaning of this root 
 aiw, or ev, whether It meant primarily unlimited dura- 
 tion, and was then weakened to denote definite periods, 
 or, more probably, meant a definite period, as a life- 
 
 definite period, or unlimited duration. But there Is no 
 
 often actually denote unlimited duration ; e. g., eis ton 
 aionn, ' forever,' ap'aionos, ' from everlasting,' etc., and 
 
 time, an age, and was then extended to denote an in- ' aionios, as often applied to God.
 
 CH. XXV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 513 
 
 in the Sept, frequently applied following the 
 Heb. word 'olam, to things finite, as "the 
 everlasting hills," "an ordinance forever." 
 Certainly, just as in English we say "to 
 have and to hold, unto him and his heirs for- 
 ever," or say "there is everlasting trouble in 
 that church." In the one c,ase we use a natu- 
 ral and perfectly intelligible hyperbole, in the 
 other the possession or the law really is of un- 
 limited duration, in a sense well understood, 
 and not restricted save by the nature of things. 
 Any terms that could possibly be employed 
 to describe future punishment as unlimited 
 would be equally subject to such processes of 
 "explaining away." 1 (c) It is affirmed by 
 some that while aionina here means 'eternal/ 
 that is a wholly different idea from everlast- 
 ing or endless. They say that 'eternal life,' 
 as in John 3: 36, Kev. Ver. ; 5: 39; 17: 3, 
 Rev. Ver., does not mean ' endless life,' but 
 simply the kind of life which is lived in eter- 
 nity, for it really begins in this life whenever 
 one becomes a Christian; and so they infer 
 that 'eternal punishment' means simply pun- 
 ishment suffered in eternity and not necessa- 
 rily endless punishment. But ' eternal life' 
 does in all the cases primarily and distinctly 
 denote the future and endless life, and it is 
 simply an added thought that the believer be- 
 comes already in this world a partaker of its 
 spiritual essence this added thought not at 
 all excluding or pushing out of view the pri- 
 mary sense. Of course then the inference as 
 to eternal punishment falls away. Others 
 turn attention to the Hebrew phrase 'this 
 'olam,' and 'the coming Wam,'(see above on 
 12: 32), and urge that aionian punishment 
 means only that which pertains to the corning 
 aion ('olam), age or period, after the day of 
 judgment, without saying that it is to be end- 
 less punishment. But the force of those Jew- 
 ish phrases, whether as used by the Rabbis or 
 in New Test, turned on 'this' and 'the com- 
 ing,' which terms are wanting in the phrase 
 aionian punishment.* Thus none of these at- 
 
 tempts have set aside or really weakened the 
 plain meaning of the word aionios, 'eternal,' 
 as hera describing both the punishment and 
 the life. Westcott and Hort suppose the ex- 
 pression to be derived by our Lord from Dan. 
 12: 2, 'some to everlasting life,' where the 
 Greek has exactly the same phrase as here, 
 ' and some to shame and everlasting con- 
 tempt,' where the adjective is the same. 
 
 The term kolasis, rendered punishment, 
 denotes primarily pruning (a tree, vine), and 
 hence checking, chastisement, castigation, 
 punishment. Aristotle says that this word is 
 different from timoria, vindication, vengeance, 
 revenge, "for punishment is for the sake of 
 the sufferer, but revenge for that of the per- 
 son inflicting it, in order that he may be sati- 
 ated'; and Plato joins kolasis with admoni- 
 tion, as opposed to irrational vengeance 
 (Trench "Syn."). So kolasis is the milder 
 term, implying the absence of vengefulness. 
 It is therefore naturally employed hereto de- 
 note punishment inflicted by God, and so 
 also in 1 John 4: 18, not ' torment' Com. Ver., 
 but 'punishment' ROT. Ver., and theverbiu 
 2 Pet. 2:9; while tho severer term timoria is 
 used only in Heb. 10: 29, for the punishment 
 of very aggravated sin. But that the distinc- 
 tion made by the philosophers was not abso- 
 lute, that kolasis really meant penal infliction, 
 is seen from the use of the verb in Acts 4 : 21, 
 "finding nothing how they might punish 
 them," compared with Paul's use of the 
 stronger term timnreo in Acts 22: 5; 26: 11, to 
 describe the persecutions he had inflicted on 
 the Christians; also from such classic phrases 
 as "punish (kolazein) with death" and from 
 the conjunction of the two words knlazfin 
 timoriais (Lid. and ScottV It is therefore 
 vain to say that the use of this term hero for- 
 bids us to understand tho punishment as 
 penalty, and without end. 
 
 With this passage agree the general teach- 
 ings of Scripture on tho subject, including 
 even some corresponding expressions, as 'into 
 
 i Farrar says ("Mercy and Judginent,"p.388) that a*i, 
 ' always,' " would have been regarded as decisive," and 
 that aneu MOM, ' without end,' " would preclude all con- 
 
 Thus we sec that the term 'endless' coukl be explains! 
 away in the same fashion. 
 * Farrar even says (p. 395) that the phrnw used here 
 
 troversy." Yet aianio* ha* the same root as aft, and as by the Peshlto Kyrlac means 'the punishment of th< 
 aidiof, which he mentions in the same connection : and world to come 1 : whereas the ' toconie, 1 Is entirely want- 
 Farrar himself, in quoting Ovid's expression, " Eternal Ing, and the Syrlac plainly mean. 'the punishment 
 civil wars," remarks (p, 390, n.), " So we say, ' It will be that is forever,' using the same phrase ax the Hebren 
 an endless business ;' ' This led to endless trouble,' etc." -'olam, (ireek eit aiona. 
 
 211
 
 514 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXV. 
 
 the eternal fire,' v. 41, Rev. Ver. (comp. Jude 
 7), 'into the unquenchable fire,' Mark 9: 43, 
 Rev. Ver. (comp. Matt. 3: 12), and 'where 
 their worm dieth not, and the fire is not 
 quenched,' Mark 9: 48. This last phrase i- 
 obviously derived from Isa. 66: 24, but it 
 does not follow that our Lord means by it 
 only what the prophet had in view, for it is 
 not a quotation, but a mere use of the 
 prophet's terms. Comp. also John 3: 36, Eev. 
 Ver., "He that believeth on the Son hath 
 eternal life; but he that believeth not the 
 Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God 
 abideth on him," where the last phrases dis- 
 tinctly indicate a penalty without end; also 
 John 5: 28 f., etc. 
 
 But certain more general objections are 
 brought against the obvious meaning of our 
 Lord's language. 
 
 (1) It is said (Farrar) that the Jews in our 
 Lord's time did not believe Gehenna to be a 
 place of eternal punishment, and that his 
 hearers would understand him according to 
 the common view, unless he stated the con- 
 trary. But this is an incorrect statement, see 
 Wiinsche, Edersheim (App. XIX.), and the 
 Talrnudic passages quoted in Surenh. Mish- 
 na, Vol. 2, p. 314. These make it manifest 
 that the great Jewish schools about the time 
 of our Lord did both believe in Gehenna as a 
 place of perpetual punishment for some per- 
 sons. And the Saviour here teaches that 
 such will be the case with the persons of 
 whom he is speaking. 1 
 
 (2) A metaphysical objection is sometimes 
 pressed, to the effect that suffering is neces- 
 sarily destructive, and so the sufferer must 
 sooner or later cease to exist. But this is not 
 proven. And surely he who caused to exist 
 could keep in existence. This is the most 
 probable meaning of the Saviour's solemn 
 word (Mark9:), ' Every one shall be salted 
 with fire.' Fire is usually destructive, but 
 this unquenchable fire will act like ,alt, pre- 
 serving instead of destroying. So Keble, 
 
 "Christian -Year, Fifth Sunday in Lent," 
 says of the Jewish race in their present con- 
 dition : 
 
 "Salted with fire, they seem to show 
 How spirits lost in endless woe 
 
 May undecaying live. 
 Oh, sickening thought ! yet hold it fast 
 Long as this glittering world shall last, 
 
 Or sin at heart survive." 
 
 (3) There are also "moral arguments" 
 alleged to show that the Saviour cannot have 
 meant to teach eternal punishment, (a) Some 
 maintain that it is inconsistent with the good- 
 ness of God. Thus John Foster said it was 
 useless to occupy oneself with the discussion 
 of texts, since the matter is decided by a great 
 moral argument. But if we have a revelation 
 from God, it is certainly our chief source of 
 instruction concerning things unseen and 
 eternal, and such lofty superiority to the dis- 
 cussion of texts is quite out of place. God is 
 certainly a better judge than we are, as to 
 what is consistent with his goodness. Perhaps 
 we have not an adequate sense of the evil of 
 sin, nor a full appreciation of the claims of 
 justice. Perhaps the humanity for which our 
 age is distinguished, has with many run into 
 a sentimental humanitarianism, which weakly 
 shrinks from the idea of suffering, and does 
 not sympathize with stern moral indignation 
 against wrong. Farrar argues that the doc- 
 trine of endless punishment has converted 
 many men into infidels. But many have also 
 declared themselves driven off by the doctrine 
 of atonement, or that of regeneration, or of 
 the divinity of Christ. Paul did not cease to 
 preach the cross because to the Jews it was a 
 stumbling-block, (b) Others sa5 T it is incon- 
 sistent with the justice of God to punish nil 
 alike, when their actual wrong-doing has been 
 so different, and their advantages likewise so 
 different. But it is expressly taught that the 
 eternal punishment will not be the same for 
 all. " That each may receive . . . according 
 to that he hath done." (2 Cor. 5:10.) "It 
 
 i The school of Shammai held there would be three 
 classes on the day of judgment, the perfectly right- 
 eous, the completely wicked, and an intermediate class. 
 The righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of 
 life; the completely wicked " are inscribed and imme- 
 diately sealed to Gehenna," according to (Dan. 12 : 2). 
 The Intermediate class "go down to Gehenna, and 
 moan, uud afterwards ascend," according to (Zach. 13 : 
 
 9). The school of Hillel held that in God's great mercy 
 the intermediate class do not go down. Of the thor- 
 oughly wicked, some go down and are punished twelve 
 month*, and are then destroyed. But heretics, inform- 
 ers, Epicureans, persons who deny the resurrection ot 
 the dead, and persons who cause many to sin, like Jero- 
 boam, "go down to Gehenna and are there punished 
 unto ages of ages."
 
 Cn. XXV.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 515 
 
 shall be more, tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, in 
 the day of judgment, than for you." (Matt. 
 11: 22, Rev. Ver.) Especially notice Luke 
 12: 47 f., Rev. Ver.: "And that servant, 
 which knew his Lord's will, and made not 
 ready, nor did according to his will, shall be 
 beaten with many stripes; but he that knew 
 not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be 
 beaten with few stripes. 1 ' This teaching has 
 been in many cases grievously overlooked. 
 Taking images literally, men have fancied that 
 the 'Gehenna of fire' (0:22) will be the same 
 place and the same degree of punishment for 
 all. But the above passages and many others 
 show that there will be differences. The de- 
 grees of punishment must, in the nature of 
 tilings, be exceedingly various, and the ex- 
 tremes of punishment must be as remote as 
 the east is from the west. All inherited pro- 
 clivities, "taints of blood," all difference of 
 environment, every privilege and every dis- 
 advantage, will be taken into account. It is 
 the Divine Judge that will apportion punish- 
 ment, with perfect knowledge and perfect jus- 
 tice and perfect goodness. This great fact, 
 that there will be degrees in future punish- 
 ment as well as in future rewards ought to 
 be more prominent in religious instruction. 
 It gives some relief in contemplating the 
 awful fate of those who perish. It might 
 save many from going away into Universal- 
 ism ; and others from dreaming of "a second 
 probation" in eternity, for which the Scrip- 
 tures give no warrant (comp. on 12: 32) ; and 
 yet others from unjustly assailing and reject- 
 ing, to their own ruin, the gospel of salvation. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 32. Separation of the righteous and the 
 wicked. 1) A necessary separation ; (a) neces- 
 sary to the vindication of God's justice; (b) 
 necessary to the blessedness of the righteous ; 
 (c) necessary to the punishment of the wicked. 
 2) An accurate separation no mistakes; self- 
 delusion, hypocrisy, strangely mingled char- 
 acters, nothing will prevent the assignment of 
 each as he really belongs. 3) A separation 
 leading to new companionships the righteous 
 with the Saviour and all the angels the 
 wicked with the devil and his angels. 4) A 
 separation without hope of reunion, v. 46 ; 
 
 Luke 16: 26. V. 35-40. Charity. 1) Varieties 
 of charity, v. 35 ; comp. James 1 : 27. 2) Reasons 
 for charity ; (a) for the sake of humanity ; (b) 
 for Christ' s sake. 3) Rewards of charity ; (a) the 
 joy of doing service to the Saviour ; (b) the 
 kingdom prepared. V. 40. Christ identified 
 with Christians. 1) Through them men may 
 learn concerning him, and be convinced as to 
 the divinity of his religion. 2) Inward union 
 with Christ should be expressed, and thus 
 strengthened, by an outward union with his 
 people. 3) Benefits conferred on his people as 
 such (comp. 10: 42), will be acknowledged 
 and rewarded as benefits to himself. 4) Un- 
 kindness to Christians as such is insulting re- 
 jection of Christ. V. 42. Sins of omission. 
 1) The neglect of any duty is in itself a great 
 sin. 2) The omission of right-doing turns all 
 our active powers towards the commission of 
 wrong. V. 40. LUTHER: "Whoever then is 
 minded to do works of compassion to Chris- 
 tians, because he believes he has in Christ a 
 faithful Redeemer who reconciles him to God ; 
 or himself suffers the opposition of the devil 
 and the world because of his faith let him be 
 cheerful and joyous, for he has already re- 
 ceived the joyous sentence, ' Come, ye 
 blessed.'" CALVIN: "Whenever we feel 
 slothful about helping the wretched, let the 
 Son of God come before our eyes; to refuse 
 him anj'thing is a dreadful sacrilege." V. 46. 
 LUTHER : " What shall become of those who 
 not only give nothing to Christ's poor, but 
 by fraud and extortion rob them of what they 
 have?" CALVIN: "Let believers be admon- 
 ished; for as we need promises to incite us to 
 zenl in living well, so also threatening! to 
 keep us in solicitude and fear." V. 31-46. 
 The judgment scene. 1) The Judge once a 
 homeless wanderer, now enthroned in glory 
 once despised and rejected, now accepting 
 or rejecting once subjected to unrighteous 
 judgment, now judging the world in right- 
 eousness. (ACU K: si.) 2) The grounds of this 
 j judgment the conduct of men to each 
 j other, as revealing their relation to God ; 
 I (a) benefiting Christ's brethren is accepted 
 ! by Christ as personal service to him ; (b) 
 neglecting them is regarded by him as per- 
 sonal neglect. 3) The results of this judg- 
 menteternal punishment eternal life.
 
 516 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXV] 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 AND it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all 
 these sayings, he said unto his disciples, 
 
 2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the pass- 
 over, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. 
 
 3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the 
 scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of 
 the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 
 
 4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by sub- 
 tilty, and kill him. 
 
 1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all 
 
 2 these words, he said unto his disciples, Ye know 
 that after two days the passover cometh, and the 
 
 3 Son of man is delivered up to be crucified. Then 
 were gathered together the chief priests, and the 
 elders of the people, unto the court of the high 
 
 4 priest, who was called Caiaphas ; and they took 
 counsel together that they might take Jesus by sub- 
 
 Ch. 26: 1-16. OUR LORD'S DEATH AP- 
 PROACHING. THE SUPPER AT BETHANY. 
 
 Found also in Mark 14: 1-11; Luke 22: 1-6; 
 John 12: 2-8. 
 
 Here begins what is commonly called the 
 history of our Lord's Passion. This is nar- 
 rated by all four Evangelists, but the matter 
 given in the Fourth Gospel is for the most 
 part distinct from that given in the others. 
 In Matt. 26 : 1-46 everything is preparation. 
 Jesus prepares the disciples for the speedy 
 coming of the long predicted end (* if.); the 
 rulers lay their plans (s t.) ; the anointing pre- 
 pares Jesus for burial (e-is) ; Judas arranges 
 to deliver him up (u-ie) ; Jesus further pre- 
 pares the disciples, warns the betrayer, and 
 institutes a memorial of himself for the future 
 (17-so) ; he then warns them of the approach- 
 ing trial to their own fidelity (31-35) ; and 
 finally he prepares himself by solitary prayer 
 for all that awaits him. (36-46.) 
 
 Our Lord has now ended his teaching in the 
 temple, and his great eschatological discourse 
 on the Mount of Olives, and goes on to Beth- 
 any (T. s) to spend the night as usual. He 
 reached there probably late on Tuesday after- 
 noon, or if it was after sunset, then in the first 
 hour of Wednesday. "We have here his final 
 announcement to the disciples of his approach- 
 ing death, with some account of the plans of 
 the Jewish rulers for killing him, v. 1-5; then 
 an account of the supper at Bethany, v. 6-13 ; 
 and finally of Judas' arrangement to deliver 
 Jesus for money, v. 14-16. 
 
 I. 1-5. OUR LORD'S DEATH APPROACH- 
 ING. Mark 14: 1 f. ; Luke 22: 1 f. Had fin- 
 ished all these sayings, meaning the dis- 
 course of ch. 24 and 25, and perhaps also in- 
 cluding the previous teaching on that day, 
 from 21 : 23 onward. He said nnto his dis- 
 ciples, probably all the Twelve, comp. on 
 24: 3. The three preceding recorded predic- 
 tions of his death are in 16 : 21 (comp. 17:9); 
 
 17: 22 f. ; 20: 18 f. The passover, see on 
 26: 19. Is, cometh, occurs, the word ex- 
 plained on 1 : 22, and very often used ; the 
 present tense signifies that the passover so oc- 
 curs according to the custom and the law, as 
 the disciples know. After two days (so 
 Mark 14: 1) must mean less than forty-eight 
 hours, or it would have been called three days 
 (comp. on 27: 63); the festival began on 
 Thursday afternoon with the slaying of the 
 larnh. The words may be naturally regarded 
 as uttered after sunset on what we should call 
 Tuesday, but according to the Jewish reckon- 
 ing, the beginning of Wednesday. (See 
 above.) The Son of man, the Messiah, 
 see on 8 : 20. Is betrayed, strictly, delivered 
 up (see on 10: 4; 17: 22), stated in the present 
 tense because it is near and sure to occur. 
 His enemies are planning it, and he is pre- 
 paring for it. Accordingly, the Latin ver- 
 sions translate by the future, and so did all 
 English versions before K. James. This 
 would from the construction of the sentence 
 be more naturally understood as a part of 
 what the disciples ' know,' but may be simply 
 appended to it. They knew that he was to be 
 crucified, and at Jerusalem (20:i / 8r.) ) but we 
 are not .informed of their knowing that it 
 would be at the Passover. To be crucified, 
 see on 27: 35. He does not in this case add 
 that he will be raised again, as he did in all 
 the previous announcements of his death. 
 Was it because his death would correspond 
 to the paschal offering (ioor. 6:T), or because 
 the shadow of the cross was now on him, and 
 his thoughts went no further? 
 
 3-5. Then naturally, though not necessa- 
 rily (see on 3: 13), means at the precise time 
 of what precedes. The night following his 
 great series of discourses in the temple 
 (21: 23 to 23: 30), which so defeated and silenced 
 the Jewish teachers, would have been the 
 natural time for this plotting ; see 21 : 45 f.
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 517 
 
 5 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an 
 uproar auiong the people. 
 
 6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of 
 Simon the leper, 
 
 5 tilty, and kill him. But they said, Not during the 
 feast, lest a tumult arise auiong the people. 
 
 6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of 
 
 The chief priests and the elders were two 
 of the classes 1 constituting the Sanhedrin, see 
 on 26: 57; also as to the high priest who 
 was called Caiaphas. There is doubt 
 whether we should translate the palace, or 
 the court, i. e., the inner court of the higli 
 priest's official residence, as in 26: 69, Rev. 
 Ver., or whether it means in general the resi- 
 dence, palace, as rendered in this place by 
 Grimm, Keim, Weiss, and so in 26: 58, and 
 as often used in later Greek. It is perhaps 
 better, with Rev. Ver., to use 'court' in all 
 three passages, there being no substantial dif- 
 ference. And consulted, took counsel to- 
 gether (comp. Psa. 2: 2; Acts 4: 24 ff.), 
 apparently not in an official meeting, but 
 only an informal consultation. They had 
 wished to apprehend him that morning in the 
 temple court, but "feared the multitudes'" 
 (2i:46, Eev. ver.) ; they had sent officers to seize 
 him at the feast of Tabernacles, six months 
 before, but the officers were awed by his 
 teaching. (Johni: w,*5r.) Now they propose to 
 take Jesus by subtilty. Com. Ver. ren- 
 ders the Greek word by "guile" in John 1: 
 47, and by a still different word "craft" in 
 the parallel passage of Mark 14: 1. Weiss: 
 "Thus the rulers were obliged to resort to 
 secrecy. It is not likely that they ever thought 
 of assassination, for Jesus was so constantly 
 surrounded by his disciples that such a deed 
 must have been discovered, and the odium of 
 it would have clung to the supreme Council. 
 The respect entertained for him by his fol- 
 lowers could only receive a fatal blow by a 
 public and shameful execution carried 
 through with all the forms of justice; and if 
 he were once safely in confinement, ways and 
 means for the execution would soon be found." 
 Not during the feast, which lasted seven 
 days. The rendering of Com. Ver., on the 
 feast-day, is a mistake. The rulers say 
 nothing as to the sacredness of the occasion, 
 but are only concerned lest thete be an up- 
 roar among the people. Of this there was 
 always special danger when vast crowds were 
 assembled for a great festival (comp. Mark 
 
 12: 12); and Pilate had taught them that a 
 popular tumult could become with him the 
 occasion of savage cruelties. The subsequent 
 proposition of Judas (v. is) led them to change 
 their plan, and take the risk ; and so the Sav- 
 iour's death came at least a week earlier than 
 they had calculated, and at the time he pre- 
 dicted. (*) 
 
 II. 6-13. THE SUPPER AT BETHANY. 
 Mark 14:3-9; John 12: 2-8. Bethany, see 
 on 21: 17. As to the time, no one of the three 
 accounts gives any decisive statement. Mark 
 agrees with Matt, in mentioning the supper 
 immediately after the consultation of the au- 
 thorities as to seizing Jesus; and Mark's 
 narrative runs on without any break, so that 
 it would be very difficult to remove his para- 
 graph about the supper to an earlier chrono- 
 logical position. Luke does not speak of the 
 supper, perhaps because he had described a 
 somewhat similar anointing in Galilee 
 (Luke 7 136-50), but he gives immediately after 
 the consultation the proposition made to the 
 authorities by Judas, which in Matt, and 
 Mark follows in the same order, with the sup- 
 per between. On the other hand, John men- 
 tions the supper just after telling of our Lord's 
 arrival at Bethany before the triumphal 
 entry, which would place it three or four 
 days earlier. Either John, or Matt.and Mark, 
 must be supposed to have given the event out 
 of its chronological position. Several consid- 
 erations support the opinion that it occurred 
 where Matt, and Mark mention it. (a) The 
 rebuke of Jesus to a suggestion about the poor 
 which really came from Judas (Joimii:*) 
 would be the natural occasion of his deciding 
 to carry out the design which may have been 
 previously meditated, viz., to deliver the 
 Master to the authorities; and this agrees with 
 the order of Matt., Mark, and Luke, (b) The 
 outspoken indication that our Lord's death is 
 at hand ( u), agrees greatly better with a 
 time following his intimations in 21 : 38 f. and 
 23:39, his eschatological discourse in ch. 24 
 and 25, and his definite prediction hern in 26: 
 2, than with a time preceding the triumphal 
 
 1 The Com. text inserts also the 'scribes,' hut thin I was evidently interpolated by copyists from Mark and 
 term is wanting in the earliest MSS. and versions, and > Luke.
 
 518 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVI. 
 
 7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster 
 box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his 
 head, as he sat at meat. 
 
 7 Simon the leper, there came unto him a woman 
 having l an alabaster cruse of exceeding precious 
 ointment, and she poured it upon his head, as he sat 
 
 1 Or, aftatk. 
 
 entry, (c) This also better accounts for the 
 idea that the devout woman was preparing 
 him beforehand for burial, (d) We can see 
 a reason for John's mentioning the supper by 
 anticipation, viz., because he has just spoken 
 of Bethany, and he will speak of it no more. 
 On the other hand, Mark at least has men- 
 tioned Bethany before the triumphal entry 
 (Mark ii : i), and we see no reason why he 
 should have dislocated the supper. John is 
 in general more chronological than Matt., as 
 some have here urged, but not more so than 
 Mark ; here Matt, and Mark exactly agree, 
 and to a certain extent Luke also. John's ex- 
 pressions, 12: 2, 12, would naturally suggest 
 that the supper occurred at the point of time 
 at which he speaks of it, but they do not at 
 all require that view. The great majority of 
 recent writers follow John's order, usually 
 without giving reasons. On the other side 
 are Robinson, (but Riddle otherwise), Hack- 
 ett, G. W. Clark, McClellan, Geikie, and 
 others. It is impossible to settle the question, 
 but the event seems to fit much better into the 
 situation presented by Matt, and Mark. The 
 notion of Origen and Chrys. that there were 
 two different feasts of Bethany, with a similar 
 anointing and conversation, only three or four 
 days apart, is out of the question. The as- 
 sumption of many that the anointing in Gali- 
 lee described by Luke 7 : 36-50 was the same 
 as this, will not bear investigation. The only 
 points of resemblance are (a) anointing by a 
 woman, (b) at a feast, (c) in the house of Si- 
 mon. But Luke is closely chronological in 
 ch. 5 to 9, if not throughout, and he places 
 his anointing at a much earlier time, and not 
 at Jerusalem, but in Galileo. There the wo- 
 man was "a sinner," here there is no such 
 intimation, and in John's account it is the 
 beloved Mary of Bethany. There the host 
 scorned the woman, here (John) her brother 
 is one of the guests, and her sister assisting the 
 family. There we find nothing whatever an- 
 swering to the complaint of the disciples and 
 the Saviour's rebuke, justification, and won- 
 derful promise; and on the other hand we 
 find there the parable of the two debtors, and 
 a very different assurance to the woman. The 
 
 distinct allusion to his death is possible only 
 here, and there is nothing to account for 
 Luke's removing the story so far away in time 
 and place. An anointing might certainly 
 take place more than once, being a very nat- 
 ural way, according to their customs, of ex- 
 hibiting reverential affection. (Luke 7: 4.) The 
 Talmud of Bab. reports it (Wiin.) as a custom 
 in Babylon at a wedding for women to pour 
 fragrant oil upon the heads of the rabbis pres- 
 ent. A feast where the guests reclined on 
 couches, was a very natural occasion for 
 anointing the feet. The name Simon was very 
 common. Thus the differences between the 
 two cases are many and serious, while the few 
 points of resemblance are easily accounted 
 for. This question is important ; for to sup- 
 pose that Luke had transported this story to 
 Galilee, and so long before, would cut us off 
 from all reliance upon his chronological order, 
 and to suppose that the other Gospels have 
 transformed the event in Galilee 'into the so 
 different occurrence they here describe, would 
 make the whole history unreliable. As to 
 the occurrence of similar events in various 
 cases, comp. above on 13: 54; 15: 38; 21: 12. 
 
 In the house of Simon the leper, (so 
 also Mark), who is not otherwise known. 
 Doubtless his leprosy had been healed (comp. 
 on 8: 2), either by natural causes or by the 
 Saviour's supernatural work, and he merely 
 retained a distinctive name he had long 
 borne; comp. Matthew the publican, Simon 
 the zealot. It would have been a violation 
 of the law of Moses for Jesus and his disciples 
 to recline at table with an unhealed leper. 
 A woman. Matt, and Mark give no name. 
 John states that the woman who anointed was 
 Mary, that Lazarus was one of the guests, 
 and Martha "served," i. e., took part with 
 the women of the household in preparing and 
 presenting the food. It seems clearly not 
 true, as even Meyer holds, that John repre- 
 sents the supper as given by the well-known 
 family ; for in that case the expressions used 
 in regard to Lazarus and Martha would be 
 quite unsuitable. The notion that Simon was 
 the deceased father of this family is idle. The 
 sisters here present the same difference of
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 519 
 
 8 But when his disciples saw it, they had iudiguation, 
 saying, To what purpose is this waste ? 
 
 8 at meat. But when the disciples saw it, they had 
 indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? 
 
 character as when Luke first mentions them 
 (Luke 10 : 38-42), and at the raising of Lazarus 
 (John ch. a), the one showing love by bustling 
 activity, the other delighting in unpractical 
 and delicate manifestations of affection. True 
 Christian piety does not alter one's funda- 
 mental type of character, but brings out its 
 distinctive excellencies. It has been conject- 
 ured that the silence of Luke about Lazarus, 
 and of Matt, and Mark about the whole 
 family, was caused by the jealous hatred of 
 the Jewish rulers, who might have revived 
 their desire to put Lazarus to death (John 12 : 10), 
 if the family had been brought to their notice 
 in the oral and written accounts given by the 
 apostles ; but when the family had all passed 
 away, and the Jewish State had been de- 
 stroyed, John could speak of them without 
 reserve. Comp. on 26:51. An alabaster 
 box, or crime. Some kinds of alabaster are of 
 delicate and richly varied hues, and are ex- 
 tremely beautiful and costly. 1 The Jews, like 
 all the other civilized ancient peoples, made 
 much use of fragrant ointment, often rare 
 and of great price; and the flasks which 
 contained it were of great variety as to mate- 
 rial and shape. John says this flask con- 
 tained 'a pound,' viz., of twelve ounces. It 
 was, with its contents, a tasteful and costly 
 object, such as a woman would delight in pos- 
 sessing. Very precious ointment. Mark 
 and John tell the kind of ointment, using the 
 same terms. But one of the terms is of un- 
 certain meaning, as stated in margin Rev. 
 Ver. of Mark 14: 3, " Gr. pistic nard," pistic 
 being perhaps a local name. Others take it 
 to mean genuine; others, liquid. Yet this 
 uncertainty does not affect the substantial 
 meaning; it was ointment of extraordinary 
 value. Pliny (" Nat. Hist." XII. 26) tells of 
 many kinds of precious nard. And poured 
 it on his head. Mark says, (Rev. Ver.) 'she 
 brake the cruse and poured it.' The flask, or 
 cruse, probably had a long neck arid a small 
 mouth, to prevent evaporation, and the pre- 
 cious ointment was ordinarily extracted in 
 small quantities. Being a thick, viscid mass, 
 
 it could not be made to flow freely through 
 the opening, and so in her eagerness she 
 'thoroughly crushed' the cruse, and poured 
 its contents lavishly upon one so honored and 
 loved. A thin flask of delicate alabaster 
 could be crushed by the pressure of the hands. 
 As he sat at meat, lit. as he reclined, see on 
 8: 11. John (12:2) describes it as a special en- 
 tertainment in the Saviour's honor: "So they 
 made him a supper there." John makes the 
 apparently conflicting statement that she 
 "anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped off 
 his feet with her hair." To anoint the head 
 (Matt, and Mark) was the more common ser- 
 vice of friendship or honor, but Mary went 
 further and anointed even his feet. It is plain 
 from the Saviour's expressions about the sim- 
 ilar anointing in Galilee (Luke 7: 44.46), that to 
 anoint the feet was an act of greater humility 
 and profound respect. Observe (Morison) 
 that Matt, and Mark simply say 'poured 
 upon his head,' without inserting 'it'; so 
 there is no difficulty in supposing that she 
 used a part of the contents otherwise, and even 
 that much still remained in the crushed flask 
 (see below on v. 10). John adds "and the 
 house was filled with the odor of the oint- 
 ment." Upon this scene, see Tennyson, "In 
 Memoriarn," xxxi., xxxii. 
 
 8 f. Complaint as to such waste. His dis- 
 ciples. Mark says simply 'some.' John tells 
 us that Judas Iscariot said, " Why was not 
 this ointment sold," etc. It is easy to suppose 
 that Judas first said this, and others of the 
 Twelve approved and so repeated the saying 
 (Mark), which was plausible, and might seem 
 to them proper enough, though Judas himself 
 had suggested the idea through very un- 
 worthy motives (John 12: .) Dicks<m( Morison): 
 "One murmurer may infect a whole com- 
 pany." Pliny remarks that indulgence in 
 costly perfumes is more luxurious than in 
 gems and garments, because the former per- 
 ish in the moment of using. Most of the 
 apostles had little familiarity with such costly 
 luxuries, and the waste might seem to them 
 frightful. The word 'ointment' is not pres- 
 
 'SuMas defines alabantron "an oil-vessel having no 
 handle*." Some think (Humphry) that the word 
 
 afterwards used to denote the material from which such 
 flunks were often made. Hence the rendering a ' flank ' 
 
 meant primarily a II ask without handles (labr) and was , in margin Kev. Vcr.
 
 520 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVI. 
 
 9 For this ointment might have beeu sold for much, 
 and given to the poor. 
 
 10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why 
 trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good 
 work upon me. 
 
 11 For ye huve the poor always with you ; but me ye 
 have not always. 
 
 I. Fur in that she hath poured this ointment on my 
 body, she did a for my burial. 
 
 9 For this ointment might have been sold for imicli. 
 
 10 and given to the poor. But Jesus perceiving it, said 
 unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she 
 
 11 hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have 
 the poor always with you ; but me ye have not al- 
 
 12 ways. For in that she l poured this ointment upon 
 
 ent in the correct Greek text of v. 9, but is 
 naturally suggested. Alight have been sold 
 lor much. John: ' for three hundred dena- 
 ries'; Mark: 'for above three hundred dena- 
 ries.' The Koman denary, about seventeen 
 cents (see on 18: 28), was the common price of 
 aday'slabor. (See on20: 2.)" So the ointment 
 was worth more than three hundred days' la- 
 bor, and omitting Sabbath and feast-days, this 
 would be a year of labor. Pliny (XIII, 4), 
 says that some unguents cost more than four 
 hundred denaries a pound. "We see at once 
 that the sisters must have been wealthy. A 
 poor young woman could not have possessed 
 a flask of perfumery worth a man's labor for 
 a whole year; or if by inheritance or extra- 
 ordinary gift possessing it, she would have 
 had no right to expend so large a sum in an 
 utterly unpractical expression of affection. 
 The inference that they were rich is supported 
 by the fact that many of the Jews came out 
 from Jerusalem to this suburban village to 
 comfort the sisters after their brother's death 
 (John ii: 19); and it explains the propriety of 
 Mary's leaving Martha "to serve alone" 
 (Luke io: 40), which would have been wrong if 
 they had been poor and unable to secure 
 domestic helpers. The Talmud shows (Edersh. ) 
 that wealthy Jewish women often spent large 
 sums for perfumery. And given to the 
 poor, without article (in correct text) to poor 
 people. It has the article in v. 11. Jerusalem 
 abounded in poor people, and many others 
 doubtless came to the passover, as they come 
 now to Jerusalem at Easter, who were needy 
 and dependent on assistance. Within two 
 miles of the supper-table were thousands of 
 the really poor. 
 
 10-12. Jesus rebukes the censurers, and 
 vindicates the loving act. When Jesus 
 understood it, or, perceiving it, exactly as 
 in 16: 8, Kev. Ver. The complaints had 
 doubtless circulated in a low tone. The Com. 
 Ver. has given an unfortunate rendering, for 
 it would suggest that a considerable time in- 
 
 tervened, and the Greek does not. Why 
 trouble ye the woman? The Greek ex- 
 pression is quite strong; see in Mark also, 
 and in Luke 11: 7; Gal. 6: 17. She hath 
 wrought a good work upon me, is pres- 
 ently explained by saying, she did it, etc., 
 (as in Kev. Ver.) did it to prepare me for 
 burial. So Mark, Kev. Ver.: "She hath 
 anointed my body aforehand for the burying.' 
 John (12 = 7), Rev. Ver., abcording to the cor- 
 rect text and most natural translation, has, 
 'Suffer her to keep it against the day of my 
 burying,' which may mean that she had been 
 interrupted, and much of the costly ointment 
 still remained in the broken flask. See an- 
 other possible translation in margin of Rev. 
 Ver. of John. Ye have the poor always 
 with you. And Mark adds, 'and whenso- 
 ever ye will ye may do them good.' (Comp. 
 Deut. 15: 11. ) But me ye have not always, 
 i. e., in bodily presence ; he would be with his 
 people spiritually. (28:20; John 14:21-2;*.) Extra- 
 ordinary occasions may justify extraordinary 
 expenditures. We may suppose (Keim) that 
 at an earlier period he would have declined 
 the proposed service, and directed attention to 
 the poor. But openings for ministry to the 
 poor would never cease; while their opportu- 
 nity for personal services to him would soon 
 be at an end. And this apparently useless 
 and wasteful service possessed in fact a special 
 significance and timeliness in connection with 
 that foreseen death which was now so near. 
 (v. 2.) It was an interesting, gratifying, com- 
 forting token of affection, as a sort of anticipa- 
 tion (Mark) of the usual anointing when pre- 
 paring a body for interment; comp. the large 
 quantity of costly spices brought by Nicode- 
 mus for the actual interment. (John 19: 39.) To 
 receive this loving preparation might help the 
 Saviour to look forward with less pain to the 
 suffering and shame which awaited him. It 
 is not necessary to conclude that Mary so 
 designed her action; but it is very natural to 
 suppose she did, as they were all thinking
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 521 
 
 13 Verily I say unto you. Wheresoever this gospel ! 13 my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Verily 
 shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also I say uuto you, Wheresoever Uhis gospel shall be 
 
 this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial 
 of her. 
 
 14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went 
 uuto the chief priests, 
 
 preached in the whole world, that also which this 
 woman hath done shall bespoken of for a memorial 
 of her. 
 14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Is- 
 
 1 Or, tkct* good tidings. 
 
 much of his intimations that he would soon 
 die ; at any rate, he so accepted it, and that 
 must have been an unspeakable joy to her. 
 ''She hath done what she could" (Mrki4:8); 
 and she finds that she had really done some- 
 thing extremely grateful to the Master. She 
 could not prevent his approaching death, but 
 she could manifest devoted love for him. 
 Feminine intuitions, kindled by intense affec- 
 tion, might pierce through all preconceptions 
 and accept it as a fearful reality that the Mes- 
 siah was to be literally killed. This came as a 
 new and startling announcement to her, with- 
 out time for the mystical interpretations which 
 the disciples appear to have placed upon it. 
 (See on 16: 21.) Whatever fitly manifests, 
 and by reaction strengthens, devout affection 
 true religious sentiment is in itself accept- 
 able to Christ and useful to us; for these sen- 
 timents are a necessary part of developed and 
 symmetrical Christian character. Norshould 
 they be hastily condemned as unpractical, 
 for they stimulate to corresponding action. 
 This unpractical gift, and the Saviour's com- 
 mendation of it, have themselves caused 
 richer gifts to the poor in all ages than the 
 whole wealth of Jerusalem would have 
 equaled. Twice did Mary incur human cen- 
 sure, and yet, for the same act, received divine 
 commendation. (Luke 10=40.) Poured, in v. 12, 
 is not the ordinary word of v. 7, but means 
 threw, cast, flung, a profuse and lavish pouring. 
 13. This gospel, the good news of the Mes- 
 sianic reign, as in 24: 14; and comp. 11: 5. 
 In the whole world. He here anticipates 
 the universal spread of his teachings and influ- 
 ence. (Comp. 28: 19.} This very remarkable 
 promise concerning the woman was already in 
 process of fulfillment when John wrote his 
 Gospel, probably sixty years afterwards; for I 
 he distinguishes this Bethany from the one 
 beyond Jordan (JoimirM) by calling it (John j 
 u: ir.) the village of Mary (placed first) and; 
 her sister Martha; and then makes all definite 
 and clear by adding, "it was that Mary who 
 anointed the Lord with ointment," etc. He 
 has not yet in his Gospel told the story of the I 
 
 anointing, but he assumes that it is familiar 
 to all Christian readers. Chrys. : "For lo! 
 what he said is come to pass, and to what- 
 ever part of the earth thou mayest go, thou 
 wilt see her celebrated." Alexander: "One 
 of the most glorious distinctions ever conferred 
 upon a mortal, a distinction which instead of 
 fading with the lapse of time, grows daily 
 brighter, and to which, as one has well said, 
 even unfriendly critics and interpreters con- 
 tribute, as it were, against their will and in the 
 very act of doubt or censure." 
 
 III. 14-16. JUDAS PROPOSES TO DELIVER 
 JESUS TO THE CHIEF PRIESTS. Mark 14: 
 10 f. ; Luke 22: 3-6. Then does not neces- 
 sarily (see on 3: 13), but does naturally in- 
 dicate that what follows in the narrative oc- 
 curred immediately after what precedes. 
 Mark and Luke have simply said 'and,' but 
 place the matter in the same connection as 
 Matthew. The rebuke Judas had received 
 (see on v. 6), may have brought to a crisis 
 those wrong feelings towards the Master 
 which he had more or less consciously enter- 
 tained for a long time. (John6:7or.) Even 
 after this, when he had made the bargain, and 
 Wits awaiting an opportunity, Satan took still 
 stronger possession of him upon its becoming 
 manifest that Jesus understood him. (John is: IT.) 
 Jtidas Iscariot, see on 10 : 4 and 27 : 3. One 
 of the twelve is a phrase given by all four 
 Evangelists, doubtless because this fact showed 
 how peculiar was his wickedness. The chief 
 priests, see on 2: 4. What will you, etc. 
 What are you willing to give me, is the exact 
 translation. This was expressed in old Eng- 
 lish by ' what will you give me,' but that is 
 now understood as a mere future tense, as in 
 the following words. And I will deliver 
 him, the Greek making the 'I' emphatic. 
 He knows they wish to get Jesus in their 
 hands, and he will gratify them if they are 
 willing to give enough. 'Deliver' is hore 
 correctly translated in Com. Ver (see on 10: 
 4; 17: 22), but in v. 10, and in Murk and 
 Luke, they translated it 'betray,' with that 
 passion for variety in rendering which murks
 
 522 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVI. 
 
 15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I 
 will deliver him unto you ? And they covenanted with 
 him for thirty pieces of silver. 
 
 ir> And from that time he sought opportunity to be- 
 tray him. 
 
 15 cariot, went unto the chief priests, and said, What 
 are ye willing to give me, and I will deliver him 
 unto you? And they weighed unto him thirty 
 
 16 pieces 'of silver. And from that time he sought op- 
 portunity to deliver him unto them. 
 
 the early English versions. Comp. on 25: 46. 
 They covenanted with him. Rev. Ver., 
 weighed unto him. The word means literally 
 placed (in the balance), and is used for weigh- 
 ing money in the classics and the Septuagint, 
 e. y., Zech. 11 : 12, "So they weighed for my 
 hire thirty pieces of silver." The word in 
 Matt, might be translated, 'appointed unto 
 him,' or 'covenanted with him,' and these 
 were preferred by the early English versions 
 because Mark says they ' promised,' Luke 
 1 covenanted,' to give him money. But Mark 
 and Luke use other terms, and there can be 
 little doubt that Matt, is referring to Zecha- 
 riah. Coins had certainly been iu use from 
 the time of Simon the Maccabee, B. c. 140 
 (i Maoc. 15:6) ; but it may have been still not 
 uncommon to weigh the coins, being of vari- 
 able value, and this especially on the part 
 of religious functionaries, who usually retain 
 old customs. Matthew's expression does not 
 require us to understand that they paid it at 
 the moment of his proposition, but that they 
 paid it in advance. Some have plausibly 
 suggested that this sum was only earnest 
 money, and more was to follow. A traitor is 
 seldom trusted with his entire reward in ad- 
 vance. The thirty pieces of silver were 
 probably shekels, worth in our Lord's time 
 something over sixty cents, comp. on 17 : 24. 
 Thirty shekels was appointed by the law as 
 damages for the killing of a slave by an ox. 
 (Exod. 21:32.) He sought opportunity. Luke 
 adds "without a throng." This plan Judas 
 skillfully carried out, finding him at night, 
 and without the city. Jerome: "Unhappy 
 Judas! the loss he thought he had incurred 
 by the pouring out of the ointment, he wishes 
 to make up by selling his Master." 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 Ch. 26. 1. HENRY: "So Christ's witnesses 
 die not till they have finished their testimony." 
 V. 8, 9. EDERSH. : "It is ever the light 
 which throws the shadows of objects and this 
 deed of faith and love now cast the features of 
 Judas in gigantic dark outlines against the 
 scene. He knew the nearness of Christ's be- 
 trayal, and hated the more; she knew of the 
 
 nearness of his precious death, and loved the 
 more." HENRY : "It is no new thing for bad 
 affections to shelter themselves under specious 
 covers ; for people to shift off works of piety 
 under color of works of charity." 
 
 V. 10. "Why trouble ye the woman?" 1) 
 A woman's love will sometimes be wiser than 
 a man's judgment. 2) A devout heart will 
 often build better than it knew. 3) An act 
 plausibly censured at the moment may be 
 destined to everlasting honor. HENRY: "It 
 is a great trouble to good people to have their 
 good works censured and misconstrued ; and 
 it is a thing that Jesus Christ takes very ill." 
 A good work. 1) A good work, though due 
 to the unaided promptings of a loving heart. 
 2) A good work, though severely censured by 
 some good men. 3) A good work, though 
 wholly unpractical. 4) A good work, though 
 under ordinary circumstances it would have 
 been wasteful and wrong. 5) A good work, 
 which gained the Saviour's approval, and will 
 be honored for evermore. It has been re- 
 marked that the only two persons Jesus is 
 recorded as commending for the*ir gifts wre 
 women, one poor, the other rich. V. 11. 
 Jesus and the poor. 1) By helping the poor 
 we may always honor Jesus. 2) By honoring 
 Jesus we do alwaj's help the poor. Charity 
 to the poor. 1) Charity is not our only dut3\ 
 2) Charity must not be made an excuse for 
 neglecting other duties. 3) Charity is greatly 
 promoted by loving devotion to Jesus. V. 
 14-16. CHRYS. : "Hearken, all ye covetous, 
 and beware of\ the calamity. For if he that 
 was Avith Christ, and wrought signs, and had 
 the benefit of so much instruction, because he 
 was not freed from this disease, was sunk into 
 such a gulf; how much more sr.all ye, who do 
 not so much as listen to the Scriptures, who 
 are constantly riveted to the things present, 
 become an easy prey to this calamity, unless 
 ye have the advantage of constant care." 
 V. 15. BISHOP HALL: "If Judas were 
 Christ's domestic, yet he was Mammon's 
 servant; he could not but hate the Master 
 whom he formerly professed to serve, while 
 he really served that master which he pro- 
 fessed to hate." HENRY: " The greater pro-
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 523 
 
 17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread ] 17 Now on the first day of unleavened bread the dis 
 
 the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where 
 wilt thou that we prepare 1'or thee to eat the passover? 
 
 18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and 
 say unto him, The Master suit h, My time is at hand ; I 
 will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. 
 
 ciples came to Jesus, say iug, Where wilt thou that 
 18 we make ready for thee to eat the passover? And 
 he said, Go iuto the city to such a man, and say unto 
 him, The l Master saith, My time is at hand: I keep 
 
 1 Or, T.arln,: 
 
 fession men make of religion, and the more 
 they are employed in the study and service of 
 it, the greater opportunity they have of doing 
 mischief, if their hearts be not right with 
 God." 
 
 17-35. THE PASSOVER MEAL AND THB 
 LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 Found also in Mark 14: 12-31 ; Luke 22: 
 7-39; comp. John 13: 1 to 18: 1. Mark is 
 here quite closely parallel to Matthew ; Luke 
 adds a good deal. John introduces the feet- 
 washing, and the great farewell discourse, 
 which belong to this same evening, and pre- 
 sent several not very distinct points of contact 
 with the narrative of the other Gospels. Our 
 Lord seems to have remained in seclusion at 
 Bethany from Tuesday evening (beginning 
 of the Jewish Wednesday) to Thursday after- 
 noon ; comp. on 26 : 1. Judas would natu- 
 rally go the morning after the supper at 
 Bethany to Jerusalem, and make his arrange- 
 ment with the rulers. Jesus stays away from 
 Jerusalem till his "hour is come." It was 
 proper for every devout Jew to eat the pass- 
 over, and Jesus was careful to " fulfil all right- 
 eousness " (see on 3: 15). So he returned to 
 Jerusalem for this purpose, though foreseeing 
 the consequences (v. si r.-, John is : i) ; and he sent 
 two disciples in advance to prepare for the 
 feast. This section may be divided into v. 
 17-19, 20-25, 26-30, 31-35. 
 
 I. 17-19. THE DISCIPLES PREPARE FOR 
 THE PASSOVER MEAL. Mark 14: 12-16; 22: 
 7-13. On the first day of unleavened 
 bread. Mark adds, Kev. Ver., 'when they 
 sacrificed the passover,' which .Matthew's 
 Jewish readers would not reed to be told. 
 The law required the Jews to begin to use un- 
 leavened bread with the fifteenth day of the 
 month Nisan. (LT. 23:6; Num. 28:17.) But Exod. 
 12: 18 suggested that all leavened bread be re- 
 moved in the afternoon of the fourteenth day; 
 and the Talmud (Lightf. on Mark 14 : 12) says 
 they removed it at noon. Accordingly Jose- 
 phus in one place puts the beginning of the, 
 feast on the fifteenth ("Ant.," 3, 10, 5), and 
 in another place on the fourteenth ("War," 
 
 5, 3, 1), and elsewhere says ("Ant.," 2, 15,1), 
 " We keep a feast for eight days, which is 
 called the feast of unleavened bread." With 
 all this Mark agrees, and Luke is equivalent. 
 In Exod. 12: 6 ; Num. 9: 3, they were directed 
 to kill the lamb ' between the two evenings' 
 (Rev. Ver. margin*, which the Jews of our 
 Lord's time understood to mean the middle of 
 the afternoon, beginning at 3 p. M. ; and they 
 would continue killing lambs till the going 
 down of the sun. (Deut. ie: 6.) Josephus 
 (" War," 6, 9, 3) says, " they slay the sacrifice 
 from the ninth hour* to the eleventh," from 3 
 to 5 P. M.,and mentions the number of lambs 
 slain on some occasions as 256,500. After the 
 fifteenth day began, i. e.. after sunset, they ate 
 the paschal lamb. (KOU. rt-.s-. Num. 33 -.3.) So the 
 disciples probably went to the city about noon, 
 to procure a room, take a lamb to the temple 
 court and slay it, roast the flesh with bitter 
 herbs (Exod. 12: sr.), and provide bread and wine 
 for the meal. The disciples came to Jesus, 
 at Bethany. Prepare, or, make ready same 
 Greek word as in v. 19. It may very well be 
 that the lamb had been procured the day be- 
 fore, as was common; what they inquire 
 about is the place. And he said, Go into 
 the city. Mark says (Rev. Ver.) ' he sendeth 
 two of his disciples and saith unto them, Go 
 into the city' ; and Luke, ' he sent Peter and 
 John,' who from this time are frequently 
 mentioned together (John is: 24; i:i5 t.-. m: r.; 
 Aot.s: i ; 8: 14. et.) ; even as they and James were 
 the only disciples accompanj'ing the Master 
 on several occasions. To such a man. 
 This may mean that Jesus indicated who the 
 man was, but Matthew does not give the 
 name. Some however suppose that Jesus 
 gave no name because ho did not wish Judas 
 to learn the place in advance, being aware of 
 his treacherous designs, and desiring to re- 
 main uninterrupted till a later hour. With 
 this agrees the fact that Mark and Luke tell 
 how they were to find the person in question. 
 In the city they will meet a man bearing a 
 pitcher of water, and following him home 
 they must deliver a message to the good man
 
 524 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [CH. XXVI. 
 
 19 And the diisciples did as Jesus had appointed 19 the passover at thy house with mv disciples. And 
 th=m ; and they made ready the passover. the disciples did as" Jesus appointed them ; and they 
 
 of the house, substantially the same as that 
 recorded by Matthew. All this would seem 
 to involve supernatural knowledge, like the 
 prophetic direction in 1 Sam. 10: 1-8; but 
 some think that Jesus had arranged with the 
 householder for such signs. The Master 
 saith, shows that this man would prove to be 
 a disciple of Jesus, if not in the full sense, yet 
 so far that he would gladly render him this 
 service ; com p. Nicodemus and Joseph of 
 Arimuthea, and comp. above on 21 : 3. ' Mas- 
 ter' is didaskalos, 'teacher,' see on 8: 19. My 
 time, kairos, set time, special time, season, 
 see on 11 : 25, meaning here the time of his 
 death; comp. the use of 'hour' in John 12: 
 23; 17 : 1, and often. I will keep, or, I keep, 
 the present tense 1 indicating an intention 
 about to be carried out. At thy house, has 
 in the Greek an emphatic position. The 
 householders at Jerusalem were accustomed 
 to receive into their houses without charge 
 such family groups as wished to eat the pas- 
 chal lamb (Edersh. and others) ; but they 
 would of course exercise some choice. In 
 Mark our Lord adds, "And he will himself 
 show you a large upper room furnished and 
 ready" ; the householder would show respect 
 by going himself, the room would be large, 
 and in all respects prepared for use. It is 
 still common in Oriental houses to have the 
 principal rooms in the second story (comp. 
 Acts 1 : 13). And they made ready the 
 passover, as described above; and at even 
 Jesus came and ate it. ( ) So also Mark 
 and Luke. 
 
 Thus Matt., Mark, and Luke distinctly state 
 that Jesus ate the paschal meal, and that 
 would place his death at 3 p. M. on the fif- 
 teenth of Nisan. But there are several pas- 
 sages in John which at first seem inconsistent 
 with the idea that he ate the paschal meal. 
 If John really meant that he did not, then 
 there is a hopeless conflict between him and 
 the other three Evangelists, one side or the 
 other being in error; unless, indeed, we adopt 
 the highly artificial supposition of some 
 writers that Matt., Mark, and Luke refer to 
 
 an anticipation of the paschal meal twenty- 
 four hours in advance. But this we cannot do ; 
 for besides the difficulty of supposing that the 
 Saviour would thus violate the law in the act 
 of observing it, who can believe that the 
 temple authorities would have knowingly al- 
 lowed the slaying of the paschal lamb before 
 the time, or that Peter and John would have 
 slain it clandestinely? A number of recent 
 writers contend orassumethat John's language 
 does forbid our believing that Jesus ate the pass- 
 sover. Most of these writers, it should be ob- 
 served, are quite willing to recognize errors in 
 the Scriptures as to matters of fact; and some of 
 them are anxious to point out such errors upon 
 every possible occasion. Others of us are very 
 unwilling to admit the existence of such 
 errors, and earnestly strive to remove the ap- 
 pearance of contradiction in the sacred 
 writers, whenever it can be fairly done. 
 Neither side in such a case can claim superior 
 exemption from the influence of theoretical 
 prepossessions ; and it becomes every writer to 
 state his views with due respect for those who 
 differ with him. 
 
 There are five passages of the Fourth Gos- 
 pel which have been regarded as showing that 
 Jesus did not eat the passover. (Comp. espe- 
 cially Robinson's "Harm., ''Clark's " Harm.," 
 Andrews, Milligan.) Do these passages really 
 thus teach? (1) John 13: 1, Rev. Ver.," Before 
 the feast of the passover, when Jesusknew,"etc. 
 This is held to show that the supper described 
 in John 13 occurred before the paschal supper, 
 and consequently twenty-four hours before it. 
 But observe that 13 : 2 is not ' supper being 
 ended,' but (in the correct text) 'during sup- 
 per.' Then may we not understand that 
 'before the feast' refers to the feet-washing, 
 which occurred after they had reclined for 
 supper, but before they actually partook of 
 the feast? Is not this more probable than 
 that Matt., Mark, and Luke are in downright 
 error? (2) John 13:27, "That thou doest, 
 do quickly." It is added that some thought 
 this meant, "Buy what things we have need 
 of for the feast," Rev. Ver. But if the pas- 
 
 1 This is one of the cases as to which it used to be said 
 that in New Test. Greek, the present tense is used for 
 the future. Comp. 26; 2,45; John 10: 32; 11: 47. Ac- 
 
 cordingly, Tyndale and followers here render ' T will 
 keep ! ' But no one now talks about present for future. 
 See Winer and Buttmann.
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 525 
 
 2*1 Now when the even was come, he sat down with 20 made icady the passover. Now when even was come, 
 the twelve. he was sitting at meat with the twelve disciples ; 
 
 ancient, omit disciples. 
 
 chal feast was twenty-four hours oif, what 
 possible propriety would there have been in 
 hastening out that night to make purchases 
 for it? It is much easier to suppose that they 
 thought of hurried purchases to complete the 
 feast then in progress. But the new difficulty 
 arises that upon this supposition there had 
 already begun the first day of the paschal 
 festival, and this being a holy day, purchases 
 would not have been lawful. Now the 
 Mishna, "Sabbath," 23, 2, says that if the 
 day before the passover be a Sabbath, one 
 may buy a lamb, even leaving his garment in 
 pledge, and then settle after the feast. Prom 
 this Edersh. and others fairly argue that if a 
 purchase of something needed for the feast 
 could be made even on the Sabbath, much 
 more on the first day of a feast when not a 
 Sabbath. (3) John 18: 28, Rev. Ver., "They 
 themselves entered not into the Praetorium 
 (palace), that they might not be defiled, but 
 might eat the passover." This seems at the 
 first glance distinctly to show that the paschal 
 supper was yet to come when our Lord was 
 before Pilate. But in fact the passage fur- 
 nishes an argument in the other direction. 
 If this had been the morning before the pas- 
 chal meal, then the defilement incurred by 
 entering a Gentile's dwelling could have 
 been removed at sunset by washing with 
 water. (SeeLev. i5:5-n,i6-i8; : 6-7.) Edersh. : "In 
 fact, it is distinctly laid down (Jerus. Talmud, 
 Pes. 92 b.) that the ' bathed of the day,' that 
 is, he who had been impure for the day and 
 had bathed in the evening, did partake of the 
 Paschal Supper, and an instance is related 
 (Pes. 36 b.), when some soldiers who had 
 guarded the gates of Jerusalem 'immersed,' 
 and ate the Paschal Lamb." It is not neces- 
 sary to explain with certainty the meaning j 
 of the phrase ' eat the passover' as here em- 
 ployed, It may be a general expression for j 
 observing the paschal festival, or may refer to 
 the Chagigah, or feast-offering which was 
 offered on the morning of the first paschal 
 day ; and various other suggested meanings 
 are possible. If the passover festival had 
 already commenced, the rulers would wish 
 not to be cut off from its privileges during the 
 day upon which they had entered. At any 
 
 rate this passage as a whole agrees best with 
 the idea that the paschal meal was not still in 
 the future. (4) John 19 : 14, " Now it was the 
 Preparation of the passover." This was the 
 day of the crucifixion, and many argue that 
 the day of the crucifixion was not on the first 
 day of the paschal festival, as Matt., Mark, 
 and Luke represent, but on the day of prepara- 
 tion for the passover. But "the Preparation " 
 wasalreadyan established phrase for "the day 
 before the Sabbath," as distinctly shown by 
 Mark 15:42, Matt. 27:62; and the Greek 
 term here employed has from an early period 
 been the regular word for Friday in the 
 whole Greek speaking world. This passage 
 of John may therefore easily mean that it was 
 the Sabbath eve, or Friday, of the passover 
 week ; and observe that John himself so uses 
 the term Preparation in 19: 31, 42. (5) 
 John 19: 81, "For that Sabbath day was a 
 high day," has been supposed to mean that 
 the first day of the passover festival on that 
 occasion coincided with the weekly Sabbath. 
 But the weekly Sabbath during the great an- 
 nual festival would have been without that 
 a notable occasion, " a great day." 
 
 It thus appears that no one of these five pas- 
 sages at all requires us to understand that 
 Jesus did not eat the paschal supper on the 
 night before his crucifixion, and the second 
 and third distinctly tend in the contrary di- 
 rection. Grant that the first impression pro- 
 duced by reading these passages in John 
 would be as claimed ; grant that gome of the 
 explanations above given are not obvious nor 
 certainly correct, yet how can one say that 
 the total result is to furnish sufficient ground 
 for accusing the other three Gospels of uniting 
 in a definite error? 'Among the writers who 
 hold that John's expressions do not contra- 
 dict the express statements of the other Gos- 
 pels are Robinson, Andrews, Wieseler, Tho- 
 luck, Ebrard, Clark, Milligan, Plumptre, 
 McClollan, Schaff, Morison, Edersheim. On 
 the other side are Neander, Ewald, Ble>k, 
 Meyer, Ellicott, Alford, Pressensd, Godot, 
 Farrar, Westcott, Weiss. 
 
 II. 20-25. WHILE EATING THE PAHS- 
 OVER, JESUS DKCLARES THAT ONE OF THE 
 TWELVE WILL DELIVER HIM UP. Mark
 
 526 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVI. 
 
 21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, 
 that one of you shall betray uie. 
 
 21 aud as they were eating, he said, Verily I say unto 
 
 14: 18-21; Luke 22:21-23; John 13: 21-30. 
 When the even was come, after sunset (see 
 on v. 17) ; no particular hour of the evening 
 was fixed by the law or by custom. He sat 
 down, etc., Rev. Ver., he was sitting at meat, 
 reclining, as in 26 : 7, see on 8 : 11. It was origi- 
 nally directed (Kxod. 12:11) that the passover 
 should be eaten in a standing posture, "with 
 j-our loins girded, your shoes on your feet, 
 and your staff in your hand ; and ye shall eat 
 it in haste," representing the circumstances of 
 its first observance. This posture and haste 
 had been disused, probably because the cir- 
 cumstances no longer seemed to call for it. 
 The Talmud of Jerusalem says, "It is the 
 manner of servants to eat standing, but now 
 let them (the Israelites) eat reclining, that 
 they may be known to have passed out of 
 slavery into liberty." We have to conclude 
 that the matters of posture and haste really 
 were of no importance, and so Jesus con- 
 formed to custom. Reclining at table at all 
 was an indolent practice, but it was not nec- 
 essarily wrong; and in this, as in dress and 
 various other matters, Jesus was content to 
 follow custom. With the twelve disciples. 
 'Disciples' was omitted by some early and 
 many later documents, probably by way of 
 assimilation to Mark 14: 17; the word is im- 
 plied if not expressed. Twelve made a party 
 of about the usual size. Josephus says 
 ("War" 6, 9, 3), that the company partaking 
 of a paschal lamb consisted of not less than 
 ten men, and sometimes reached twenty. It 
 was necessary to have a good many, in order 
 to consume the entire larnb. (Kxod. 12:4, 43-45.) 
 On the several steps in the observance of the 
 Passover, as described in the Rabbinical writ- 
 ings, see Lightf., Meyer, and a highly inter- 
 esting account in EdersTieim. It is not certain 
 how far this round of observances already 
 existed in the time of Christ. Nor do they 
 throw any clear light on our Lord's appoint- 
 ment of bread and wine. Though instituted 
 on the occasion of the paschal meal, and out 
 of its materials, the Christian ceremony is in 
 no way dependent, for its meaning, import- 
 ance, or proper observance, upon the Jewish 
 ceremony. Luke reports (22 = 14-16), our Lord's 
 expressions of gratification in eating the pass- 
 over with his disciples. He also states 
 
 ( Luke w : 23-30, R. v.), that "there arose a conten- 
 tion among them, which of them is accounted 
 to be greatest," as above in 18: 1; Mark 9: 
 34. Our Lord rebukes this spirit, in terms 
 similar, first (Luke 22 = 23-27) to that uttered after 
 the ambitious request of James and John, 
 Matt. 20: 25-27; Mark 10: 42-44, and secondly 
 (Luke 22: so), to that recorded by Matt, alone in 
 19: 28. It is thus possible that Luke, who 
 has no record of those sayings, gives here 
 what was spoken then. But it is much more 
 likely that on a new occasion Jesus rebukes 
 the same fault in similar terms, as we have 
 often found him doing (comp. on 21 : 12). The 
 contention as to who was greatest might have 
 been suggested in this case by questions of 
 precedence at table, about which Orientals 
 and even Europeans show an outspoken solici- 
 tude which in America we can hardly ima- 
 gine. The Mishna (" Sabbath " 23, 2) speaks 
 of drawing lots to determine the place at 
 table, even among the members of a family. 
 Luke passes at once from the opening paschal 
 cup to tell of our Lord's institution of the 
 memorial broad and wine ; then narrates the 
 allusion to Judas, the contention among the 
 disciples, and so arrives at the warning to 
 Peter. This contention also suggests a very 
 natural occasion for the feet-washing of John 
 13.: 1-17, as another object-lesson in humility, 
 answering exactly to that of Matt. 18: 2. As 
 they Avere eating (v. 21 and 26), two things oc- 
 curred: Jesus (a) foretold that one of them 
 would deliver him up, and (b) established the 
 ordinance of bread and wine. 
 
 21 f. The strong expression betray me, 
 seems to be necessary to our feeling through- 
 out this passage (v. 21, 23, 24), partly because we 
 are accustomed to it; yet the Greek really 
 means simply deliver me up, precisely as in 
 Rev. Ver., 26: 2, 15 f. The Evangelists speak 
 with compassionate moderation of Judas, 
 comp. on 17: 22. Began is not mere Hebrew 
 circumstantiality (comp. on 11: 20), but sug- 
 gests that the process of inquiry was con- 
 tinued by one after another. Lord, is 
 it I ? with an interrogative particle in the 
 Greek which strongly implies expecta- 
 tion of a negative answer, as in 7: 9 f.; 
 9: 15; 11: 23 R. V. The nearest English 
 equivalent would be, 'It is not I, Is it?'
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 527 
 
 22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began 
 every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? 
 
 23 And he answered and said, He that dippeth his 
 band with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 
 
 24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him : but 
 woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is be- 
 trayed ! it had teen good for that man if he had noi 
 been bi>m. 
 
 25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and 
 said. Master, is it I ? lie said unto him, Thou hast 
 said. 
 
 22 you, that one of you shall betray me. And they 
 were exceeding sorrowful, and began to say unto 
 
 23 him every one, Is it I, Lord? And he answered and 
 said, He that dipped his baud with uie in the dish, 
 
 24 the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth, 
 even as it is written of him : but woe unto that man 
 through whom the Son of man is betrayed! good 
 
 23 were it ' for that man if he had not been born. Aud 
 Judas, who betrayed him, answered and said, Is it I, 
 
 1 Gr./or Aim if that m<m. 
 
 Jerome: "The eleven, believing the Master 
 more than themselves, and fearing their own 
 weakness, sadly ask about a sin of which they 
 had no consciousness." The answer in v. 23, 
 He that dippeth, or dipped (Rev. Vcr.), 
 his hand with me in the dish (so also 
 Mark), might seem only a general description, 
 as doubtless all the Twelve did so. Knives and 
 f>rks were not used in eating, and any person 
 would help himself from the dish before him. 
 Our Lord might appear here not to be identi- 
 fying Judas, but merely showing the enor- 
 mity of his offence : the man that ate from the 
 same dish with me will deliver me up. 
 (Comp. Psa. 41: 9; John 13: 18.) 'He that 
 dipped' does not necessarily mean before the 
 time of speaking, but just as well before that 
 of delivering up. So it does not materially 
 differ from ' he that dippeth ' in Mark 14: 20, 
 Rev. Ver. It is thus possible to regard this 
 saying as different from the identification de- 
 scribed by John ; see below on v. 25. The 
 Son of man, our Lord's common designation 
 of the Messiah, see on 8: 20. Goeth, present 
 tense because the going is certain and near at 
 hand ; so with is betrayed. As it is writ- 
 ten of him, apparently not a reference to 
 any particular prediction, but to the general 
 tenor of Messianic prophecy, viz., that he 
 should die. Some compare Isa. 53: 7-9; Dan. 
 9: 26; see also Luke 24: 46. Luke has here 
 (22:22. Rev. Ver.), ' as it hath been determined,' 
 viz., in the divine purpose. Plump.: "It was 
 appointed that the Christ should suffer, but 
 that appointment did not make men less free 
 agents, nor diminish the guilt of treachery or 
 injustice. So, in like manner, as if taught by 
 his Master, Peter speaks of the guilt of Judas 
 in Acts 1 : 16-18, and of that of the priests and 
 Scribes in Acts 4: 27, 28." Woe unto may 
 express not only wrath (zs: is IT.), but nt the 
 same time compassion ( : i-) By, or through, 
 whom, the person through whose action a 
 thing comes to pass. It does not seem proper 
 
 to find here (with Winer) a hint that Judas 
 was merely the instrument of other men. He 
 appears to have acted of his own motion. 
 Origen thinks it represents him as the tool of 
 Satan. Betrayed, delivered up. (See on v. 
 21.) It had been good for that man, etc. 
 This is a popular expression. If he had never 
 lived, then, while losing all the good of life, 
 he would have escaped the dreadful guilt he 
 is incurring, and the horrors of future retri- 
 bution. For him life was not " worth living." 
 25. Judas, see on 27: 3. Answered. He 
 had not been directly addressed, but he felt 
 himself concerned in the pointed sayings just 
 uttered, (v. 21-24.) As all the others were ask- 
 ing, he probably thought it necessary to ask 
 also, lest silence should betray him. Master, 
 is it I? with the same interrogative particle 
 as in v. 22, implying the expectation of a 
 negative answer. He does not say 'Lord,' 
 like the others, but literally, Rabbi, and so in 
 26 : 49 ; but the difference must not be pressed, 
 for the disciples often addressed Jesus as 
 Rabbi. (Comp. on 8: 19.) Thou hast said, 
 i. e., hast said what is true. This was a com- 
 mon form of affirmative reply, found also in 
 26: 64, and occurring in the Talmud. It here 
 solemnly repels the suggestion of a negative 
 answer, and treats his question as a virtual 
 confession (Lutter.) This is the moment repre- 
 sented in Leonardo Da Vinci's fresco of the 
 " Last Supper," of which everybody has seen 
 some engraving; Judas has just received the 
 affirmative answer. Of course wo must not 
 think of the guests as sitting, according to 
 that picture, for we know that they reclined. 
 See an ingenious representation of the prob- 
 able scone, with a plan of the table, in Kdersh., 
 II., 494. This question of Judas and the an- 
 swer in Matt, (not found in Mark orLukn) is 
 recorded in terms so general as not to show 
 whether the answer was also known to others. 
 John has a full account of apparently the 
 same matter, differing in form, but not in sub-
 
 528 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cri. XXVI. 
 
 26 And 'as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and 
 blessed it and brake it and pave it to the disciples, and 
 oaid, Take, eat; this is my body. 
 
 26 Rabbi? He saith unto him, Thou hast said. And 
 as they were eating, Jesus took 1 bread, and blessed, 
 aud brake it ; and he gave to the disc pies, and said, 
 
 i Many Greek copies have, Gave thanks. Ste M:irk 6: 41. 1 Or, a loaf. 
 
 stance, from Matthew's summary statement. 
 He says the disciples were at a loss whom 
 Jesus was speaking about, and that Peter 
 beckoned to John, who was reclining in the 
 bosom of Jesus, to inquire who it was. Then 
 Jesus replied, apparently in a low tone, that 
 it WHS he for whom he would dip a sop and 
 give it to him; and presently he dipped, and 
 gave it to Judas, who immediately went out 
 into the night. In connection with this sign 
 to John, our Lord may have given an oral 
 answer to the question just asked by Judas, as 
 in Matt.; or the facts maybe harmonized in 
 other ways. 
 
 According to the order in Matt, and Mark, 
 Judas went out before the memorial of bread 
 and wine was instituted. Luke seems to 
 place things otherwise; but we have seen that 
 he appears to relate the institution of the 
 bread and wine immediately after mentioning 
 the first paschal cup (Luke 22: 17-20), and then to 
 return to speak of the false disciple; if so, 
 Luke does not teach that Judas was present at 
 the institution, and partook of the loaf and 
 the cup. The case is not certain, but this is 
 the most natural way of combining the ac- 
 counts. So there is no propriety in under- 
 standing that here a flagrantly wicked person 
 was knowingly admitted to take part in the 
 ordinance. 
 
 III. 26-30. THE LORD'S SUPPER. Mark 
 14: 23-26; Luke 22: 19, 20; 1 Cor. 11: 23-25. 
 John gives no account of the institution of the 
 Lord's Supper. Paul says, " I have received 
 of the Lord," and judging from his similar 
 expressions elsewhere, we understand him to 
 mean by direct revelation, which would make 
 this an independent account. It resembles 
 that of his companion Luke. 1 and Matt, and 
 Mark form another pair. The place is an 
 
 upper room in the house of some friend (v. is), 
 and the time apparently some hours after sun- 
 set, on the evening before the crucifixion. A s 
 they were eating, comp. v. 21; this is the 
 second thing described as occurring in the 
 course of the meal; so Mark 14: 18, 22. 
 Jesus took bread, or a loaf (Kev. Yer. 
 margin); the common Greek text has an arti- 
 cle, but wrongly. The word is singular in all 
 four accounts. It is sometimes employed col- 
 lectively for bread in general (*= *; 6: n ; is: 2,26), 
 but more commonly for a loaf or cake of bread 
 
 (*: 3; 12: 4; 14: 17.19; 15: 33 ff. ; 16: 5-12), and probably 
 
 so here. This is more likely to have been 
 what we should call a cake than a loaf (see 
 Smith's "Diet.," Bread); such flat cakes the 
 Jews at Jerusalem now eat at the passover. 
 It was unleavened, of course, as required by 
 the law at the passover (Exod. 12: 15 ; is-. 3, i\ Deut. 
 ifi: 3) ; but our Lord makes no reference to this, 
 and it is not wise to insist on using only un- 
 leavened bread in the Lord's Supper. And 
 blessed, naturally means blessed the loaf, that 
 being the object of the preceding and the two 
 following verbs. Luke and Paul, however, 
 have 'gave thanks,' viz., to God, as below, v. 
 27 ; J and so some would here understand it to 
 mean blessed God. But in Luke 9: 16 it is 
 distinctly 'he blessed them,' viz., the loaves 
 and fishes. This shows that the idea of bless- 
 ing the loaf is not repugnant to Scripture, 
 and as the connection naturally indicates that 
 idea here, it should be preferred Comp. 1 
 Cor. 10: 16, "The cup of blessing which we 
 bless." To bless a loaf is of course to invoke 
 God's blessing upon it, to ask that God will 
 make it a means of blessing to those who par- 
 take. And brake it. Hence the observance 
 of this ordinance came to be described as ' the 
 breaking of bread.' (Acts2: 42,46; 20: i; comp.i cor. 
 
 1 If indeed W H. are not right in holding that all in 
 Luke, after ' body,' being absent in the " Western " 
 group of documents, is really an interpolation from 
 Paul ; and that v. 17 f. is Luke's account of our Lord's 
 giving the cup, the order of the cup and the loaf being 
 simply transposed. The question of text is very diffi- 
 cult, but the arguments for exclusion seem to grow 
 npon one with renewed consideration. The omission 
 of that portion of Luke would, however, take away 
 
 nothing from the total information possessed by us, as 
 it is all given in Paul. 
 
 * The reading 'g.-ive thanks,' in v. 2', mentioned in 
 margin Com. Ver., is supported only by later docu- 
 ments; the earliest unciiils, and nearly everyone of 
 the early versions, give ' blessed, 1 and the change to the 
 other is at once explained as an assimilation to v. 27, 
 and to Luke and Paul.
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 529 
 
 io: is.) And gave, is according to the most prob- 
 able Greek text 1 in the imperfect tense, which 
 may mean that he went on giving, himself 
 breaking a piece for each one, to be passed on 
 to those out of his reach ; while as to the cup 
 it is aorist, since he simply gave the cup, and 
 they passed it to each other. But the imper- 
 fect in such a case might only describe him as 
 engaged in giving, and so would not substan- 
 tially differ from the aorist. Take, eat. 
 Mark has simply 'take' ; Luke and Paul in 
 Rev. Ver. have neither. This is my body. 
 4 This' is neuter, while the masculine would 
 be needed to agree with ' bread ' ; it means, 
 this object represents my body. Paul (i cor. 
 11:24, Eev. ver.) has 'This is my body, which is 
 for you,' where 'broken' was early inserted, 
 probably suggested by 1 Cor. 10 : 16. The 
 phrase current among us, "broken for you," 
 is thus not a Scripture expression. 'That is 
 for you ' means ' for your benefit ' ; we should 
 lovingly take what represents the body that is 
 for us. Luke, Rev. Ver., has 'this is my 
 body which is given for you,' which amounts 
 to the same thing. Weiss: "Not as a dark 
 fatality were they to regard the death which 
 he was now to meet, but as the way by which 
 God would make them sharers in his greatest 
 gift of salvation ; and that gift was not to be 
 for mere contemplative purposes, but for per- 
 sonal appropriation." 
 
 Four different views as to the meaning of 
 the phrase, 'this is my body,' now prevail in 
 the Christian world. Two of them take the 
 expression literally, the others figuratively. | 
 (1) Transubstantiation, which represents the 1 
 Roman Catholic view, mea.n< that the bread 
 ceases to be bread, and its substance is changed j 
 into the substance of the glorified boijy ofj 
 Christ. This notion arose from combining 
 the expression before us with John 6: 48-58, 
 the images there used being taken literal!}'. 
 In Justin Martyr, "1 Apol. " 66, Irenseus, 
 4, 18, 5, and even in Ignatius, Sm. 6, are ex- 
 pressions which do not in fact mean transub- 
 stantiation or real presence, but which tend in 
 that direction, and doubtless helped to prepare 
 the way for the doctrine subsequently devel- 
 oped. There is nothing of the sort in the "Di- 
 
 dache." The question need not be here argued. 
 The language seems evidently figurative, as in 
 "I am the door," " I am the vine," "and the 
 rock was Christ," "the field is the world," 
 etc. We must remember that in Hebrew or 
 Aramaic the copula 'is' would not be ex- 
 pressed at all. (2) Consubstantiation, the 
 term invented by Luther, and still used by 
 some of his followers, means that with the un- 
 changed substance of the bread is united the 
 substance of the glorified body of Christ. 
 Luther : " What is now the sacrament of the 
 altar? Answer : It is the true body and 
 blood of the Lord Christ, in and under the 
 bread and wine, which we Christians are 
 through Christ's word commanded to eat and 
 to drink . . . but how the body is in the bread, 
 we know not." His followers have compared 
 it to iron, with heat superadded, or more re- 
 cently to iron magnetized. But the whole 
 notion is obviously a mere makeshift of per- 
 sons unwilling to give up the literal sense of 
 'is,' and the mystical notion of Christ's real 
 presence. And how could the glorified body 
 be invisibly dwelling in the bread, and the 
 blood of that same glorified body be sepa- 
 rately dwelling in the wine? They could be 
 symbolized separately, but how could they 
 exist separately? (Comp. Meyer.) (3) The 
 view of Calvin, now held by Presbyterians, 
 Methodists, and many Episcopalians, appears 
 to be that to the partaking of the bread is at- 
 tached by divine appointment a special spirit- 
 ual blessing, which is received by all who 
 take the bread in faith, and which cannot be 
 had without taking it. Hence, they some- 
 times feel aggrieved that other Christians who 
 do not invite them to partake of the bread and 
 wine are denying them the opportunity of tt 
 spiritual blessing, not to be otherwise enjoyed 
 at that time. Some High Churchmen have 
 receded from the Calvinian view, and main- 
 tain the "Real Presence" of Christ in the 
 Sacrament, without undertaking to explain in 
 what way or in what sense it exists. (4^ Tin- 
 view of Zwingli, now almost universally held 
 by Baptists, is that the bread is simply ap- 
 pointed as the symbol or memento, which wo 
 take in remembrance of the Saviour's body, 
 
 > The aorist (participle) here Is read by X B I> L Z f I of v. 27, and of (ho parallel-. M to the lof In Murk and 
 some important cursives, and tho Mf-mphitie, ftrong Luke, and we see ro renson for the counter change ; 
 evidence. Bui we fee at once how the imperfect niiht therefore the imperfect is probably correct. 
 h:ive been changed into correspondence with the aorist 
 
 .1
 
 530 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVI 
 
 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave 
 it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it: 
 
 28 For this is niy blood of the new testament, which 
 is shed for many for ihe remission of sins. 
 
 27 Take, eat ; this is my body. And he took 1 a cup, 
 
 28 and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink 
 ye all of it ; for this is my blood of the 2 covenant, 
 
 1 Some ancient authorities re:id the cup 'I Many ancient authorities insert new. 
 
 and that the natural effect of such a memento 
 or symbol in vividly reminding of the Sav- 
 iour, and kindling grateful affection toward 
 him, is blessed to the devout participant. A 
 memento of the departed may be a very sim- 
 ple thing, and yet deeply move the heart. 
 But the blessing thus receeived is not supposed 
 to be essentially different in kind from other 
 spiritual blessings, or to be associated by 
 mere divine appointment with this particular 
 means of grace. Hence no spiritual loss is 
 necessarily inflicted by failing to invite to this 
 ceremony persons who have made a credible 
 oral profession of faith, but have not yet sub- 
 mitted to the prerequisite ceremony. 
 
 27. Took the cup ; a cup, is the correct 
 text in Matthew and Mark, while it is 'the 
 cup' in Luke and Paul. There was a cup on 
 the table for drinking wine according to the 
 custom of the paschal meal ; 'a cup' does not 
 say there were others. The paschal wine was 
 usually mixed with a double quantity of water 
 (Edersh.). Gave thanks. From the Greek 
 wordthus translated comes 'the Eucharist, i.e., 
 the Thanksgiving,' as a phrase for taking the 
 bread and wine. It is used by Ignatius and the 
 "Didache" to denote the taking of bread and 
 wine in connection with an agape, or 'love- 
 feast' (Judeiz), just as Paul seerns to use his 
 phrase 'the Lord's Supper.' (tcor.ii:20.) But 
 the connection with a regular meal in common 
 
 is not made a duty by Paul, nor the connec- 
 tion with the passover by our Lord. What 
 he directs is not to eat the passover, or to eat 
 a supper, not to eat in the evening, or at a 
 table, or in a reclining posture, but to eat 
 bread and drink wine. Protestants unite in 
 declaiming against the Komish practice of 
 withholding the wine from the laity, because 
 the Saviour enjoined both the eating and the 
 drinking; and exactly what the Saviour en- 
 joined we should do. So as to baptism, there is 
 no command to baptize "in living water," 
 as the ''Didactic" declares preferable, or in 
 any particular place, time, circumstances, or 
 manner; the thing enjoined is to baptize 
 (as: 19), viz., in water (s-.u), and we should 
 insist on nothing but water and the bap- 
 tizing. (Comp. on 3: 6.) Drink ye all of 
 it. It would seem unnecessary to say that 
 this means all of you, and not all of it, as the 
 Greek places beyond question ; yet some have 
 misunderstood. Mark records, not the com- 
 mand, but the performance, 'and they 
 all drank of it.' For, what follows being a 
 reason for drinking. This is my blood , i. e., 
 this wine represents my blood, like 'this is my 
 body.' Of the new covenant; the correct 
 reading here, 1 and in Mark, does not contain 
 " new.' 1 It was added by copyists from Luke 
 and Paul. (Comp. Jer. 31: 31: Heb. 8: 8.) 2 
 Moses at Mount Sinai "took the book of the 
 
 i ' Covenant,' without ' new ' in X B L Z, 33, 102, The- 
 baic, Cyril ; in Mark, X B C D L, Theb. and Memph., 
 and k of the Old Latin. We see at once that the ' new ' 
 might have been interpolated in Matt, and Mark from 
 Luke and Paul (and conip. v. 29), while we see no rea- 
 son why it should have been omitted if originally pres- 
 ent. So the internal evidence supports this important 
 group -of documents. Notice the constant correspond- 
 ence in this narrative between Matt, and Mark, and 
 between Luke and Paul. 
 
 2 The word diatheke signifies both covenant, an ar- 
 rangement between (dia) two parties, and testament, an 
 arrangement of things at intervals (dia), each in its 
 proper place, a deposition of one's affairs. The former 
 is clearly the sense in most passages of the New Test., 
 but the two ideas are blended in Heb. 9: 15-20, because 
 the new covenant was made in and through Christ's 
 death, and its benefits are, as it were, an inheritance 
 from him. This sense of testament early took hold of 
 
 the Christian mind. ' The Old Latin and Vulgate ver- 
 sions everywhere translate dialheke by lestamenlum, 
 which in many passages is flagrantly inappropriate (as 
 Luke 1 : 72 ; Acts 3 : 25 ; Heb. 8 : 8 etc.), and nowhere 
 needed except in Heb. 9: 16 f. The Old Covenant and 
 the New Covenant thus gave names to the two great 
 divisions of the Bible under the form of Old Test, and 
 New Test., which names cannot now be shaken off, 
 though Covenant would be far more expressive. The 
 domination of this idea made it hard for early English 
 translations to break away from the rendering 'testa- 
 ment.' Wye. and Kheims of course follow the Vulgate, 
 and give testament everywhere. Tyn., Cran., Gen., and 
 K. J., all give testament in the four passages pertaining 
 to the Lord's Supper, in 2 Cor. 3:6, 14, and throughout 
 Heb. 9: 15-20 (Gen. has covenant in 9 : 15 only) ; and all 
 give covenant in Luke 1 : 72 ; Acts 3 : 25 ; 7:8; Rom. 9 : 
 4; 11 : 27; Tyn. and Cran. have testament, but Gen. and 
 K. J. covenant, in Gal. 3: 15, 17 ; Eph. 2: 12; Heb. 8: 6-
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 531 
 
 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of 
 this fruit of the vine, until that day when 1 drink it 
 new with you in my Father's kingdom. 
 
 29 which is shed for many unto remission of sins. But 
 I say unto you, I shall not drink henceforth of this 
 fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new 
 with you in my Father's kingdom. 
 
 covenant and read in the audience of the 
 people," and they promised to obey. Then 
 he "took the blood" of oxen just slain, "and 
 sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold 
 the blood of the covenant." (Exod. 24:3-8 ;comp. 
 Heb. 9:i9f.) So the new covenant predicted by 
 Jer. 31 : 31-35 is about to be ratified by the 
 Saviour's own blood as the "blood of the cov- 
 enant." (Comp. Heb. 10: 29; 13: 20.) For 
 world-wide symbolism of blood as sealing a 
 covenant, and its participation as denoting 
 vital union, see Trumbull : " The Blood 
 Covenant," especially p. 271-286. Which is 
 shed, present tense (in Mark also), express- 
 ing what is near and certain, on the point of 
 taking place, like 'is delivered,' 26: 2, Rev. 
 Ver., and 'I keep,' 26: 18, Rev. Ver. For 
 many, so Mark. In Luke, if v. 20 be genu- 
 ine, it is 'for you.' The 'many' (coin p. 20: 
 28) is simply a general expression (probably 
 derived from Isa. 53 : 12, " he bare the sin of 
 many," comp. 52: 15), not necessarily indi- 
 cating that some are omitted. In one sense, 
 Jesus "gave himself a ransom for all" 
 (i Tim. 2:6), and to " taste death for every 
 man" (Heb. 2:9; comp. i John 2: 2), making salva- 
 tion objectively possible for all ; in another 
 sense, his atoning death definitely contem- 
 plated the salvation of the elect. Euthym. 
 understands that whereas the blood of the 
 sacrifices was shed for Jews only, i. e., few, 
 this blood is shed for many, i. e., for Gentiles 
 also. The preposition here rendered 'for' 
 means 'concerning' (peri), and so 'for the 
 benefit of,' as in John 16: 26; 17: 9, 20; Heb. 
 5:3; 11:40. This preposition would not of 
 itself suggest the idea of substitution. That 
 idea would be readily, though not necessarily, 
 suggested by Mark 14: 24, huper (which copy- 
 ists easily changed by assimilation to Matt. ; 
 and so the common Greek text of Mark has 
 peri) ; and substitution is necessarily the 
 meaning of anti, see on 20 : 28. For, or n<, 
 
 remission of sins, in order that sins may be 
 remitted. (Heb.9:.) This is the natural and 
 most probable meaning of the preposition and 
 its case, and is here entirely appropriate. 
 (Comp. on 3: 11.) The bread and wine sym- 
 bolize objectively the Saviour's bqdy and 
 blood ; our eating and drinking these symbol- 
 izes our personal union with Christ, and feed- 
 ing our spiritual nature upon him; and our 
 doing this together with others will, from the 
 nature of the case, like any other action in 
 common, promote Christian fellowship and 
 unity where these already exist. Yet this 
 last is a subordinate and incidental effect of 
 the ceremony, and the presence of some in 
 whose piety we lack confidence should not 
 prevent our eating the bread and drinking the 
 wine in remembrance of Christ. The Lord's 
 Supper is often called "the Communion," 
 through a misunderstanding of 1 Cor. 10: 16, 
 where the word communion really means 
 'participation,' as in Rev. Ver., margin. 
 This wrong name for the ordinance has often 
 proved very misleading. (See T. G. Jones, 
 "The Great Misnomer," Nashville, Tenn.) 
 Few have ever questioned that the apostles 
 had all been baptized before this ordinance 
 was established ; some urge that being the 
 baptism of John, this was not Christian bap- 
 tism, and so they curiously infer that Chris- 
 tian baptism is not a prerequisite to the Lord's 
 Supper. But if John's baptism \VRS essentially 
 distinct from Christian baptism, then how as 
 to the baptism administered by Christ him- 
 self (Johns : K. 2), i. e., through his disciples 
 C John 4: if.), at the same time with John, and 
 upon the same gonoral teaching (Mrki:is)? 
 If the baptism performed by Christ was not 
 Christian baptism, then what was it? (Comp. 
 on 11: 11.) 
 
 20. I Avill not drink, should bo, 'I shall 
 not drink,' as preferred by Amer. Revisers. 
 This fruit of the vine. One of the prayers 
 
 10- 9: 4- 11: IB, 20; 13: 20; Tyn., Cran., and K. . I., have and all but Darby thorn explain In the margin that the 
 testament, though Gen. has covenant, in Heh. 7: 22; j Greek word means both ; Rev. Ver. also puts teMnmont 
 
 in the mnrtjln of cevoral other passages, including thoim 
 relating to the I/rd's Supper, l>iit the American Ilevls- 
 rightly desired to omit this marginal alternative 
 
 Rev. 11: 19; Tyn., Cran., and Gen., testament, hut K. .1. 
 covenant, in Heb. 12: 24. Coming out of all this con- 
 fusion, Bih. Un., Noyes, Darhy, Davidson, and Rev 
 Ver. give covenant everywhere except in Heb. 9: 16 {., 
 
 rendering.
 
 532 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVI. 
 
 30 And when they had sung a hymn," they went out 30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out 
 into the mount of Olives. unto the mount of Olives. 
 
 used at the Passover was (Lightf. ) : "Blessed 
 art thou, Jehovah our God, who hast created 
 the fruit of the vine." Drink it new with 
 you in my Father's kingdom. He has 
 
 gradually succeeded in making it plain to 
 them that he will not establish a temporal 
 kingdom, such as the Jews expected the Mes- 
 siah to found. He is going to die, will soon 
 leave them. But there will be a future king- 
 dom of God, not a temporal but a spiritual 
 kingdom, in which all things will be new. 
 (Rev. : 5.) In that new kingdom, founded on 
 the New Covenant, he will meet them again, 
 and drink with them _a new kind of wine 
 ( Lutter. ) This can hardly be understood other- 
 wise than as a figure, even by those who ex- 
 pect a quasi-temporal reign of our Lord at 
 Jerusalem after his second coming. (Comp. 
 Luke 22 : 16, 30. ) In his present state of sub- 
 mission and suffering, our Lord does not speak 
 of his own kingdom (as in 16: 28; 25 : 31, 34), 
 but of his Father's kingdom, in which he, as 
 the Son, will rejoice with his friends. Yes, 
 and all who shall have believed on him 
 through the word of the apostles, will be with 
 him there. (John 17:20,24.) Matthew and Mark 
 have not stated that the taking of the bread 
 and wine was established by Jesus as a perma- 
 nent institution. But Paul makes it clear by 
 recording the words, "this do ye, as oft as ye 
 drink it, in remembrance of me," and add- 
 ing, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and 
 drink this cup, ye shew the Lord's death till 
 he come." And we see the apostles practicing 
 it in Acts 2: 42; 20: 7. 
 
 30. When they had sung a hymn, liter- 
 ally, if our idiom would allow, after hymn- 
 ing. The Greek word humnos was properly a 
 song of praise ; and with this agrees the Sept. 
 and New Test, use of the word, Acts 16 : 25; 
 Heb. 2: 12. "We learn from the Talmud that 
 the Jews were accustomed in connection with 
 the paschal meal to sing Psalms 113 to 118, 
 which Psalms they called "the great Hallel " 
 (praise) ; it was sung in two parts, 113, 114, 
 and 115 to 118; the singing here was probably 
 the second of these parts, or possibly 136, 
 which the Jews now sing at the close of the 
 passover meal. It is interesting to read these 
 
 Psalms in this connection, remembering that 
 Jesus himself took part in the singing. The 
 psalms were written in the Hebrew form of 
 poetry, viz., parallel clauses; to translate 
 them into metre, which is the ordinary Eng- 
 lish form of poetry, is therefore appropriate. 
 The term ' hymn ' must not be here taken in 
 our common sense as differing from a psalm, 
 nor is there any radical distinction between 
 the two in Col. 3 : 16 ; Eph. 5 : 19. The music 
 was a very simple chant ; something probably 
 quite similar may now be heard in an old- 
 fashioned (not "reformed") Jewish syna- 
 gogue. They went out, viz., out of the 
 house and the city. There was light in many 
 dwellings, and movement in the streets, till 
 long after midnight, at which hour the feast 
 was required to end. Before leaving the 
 house, our Lord must be supposed to have 
 given the great farewell discourse, and the 
 prayer of John ch. 14-17. It is not unlikely 
 that ch. 14 was spoken before singing the 
 latter part of the great Hallel ; then Jesus 
 said, "Arise, let us go hence" (Johnu:3i) r and 
 after making arrangements for leaving the 
 room, they sung the psalms, and he went on 
 with ch. 15, 16, and the sweet and solemn 
 prayer of ch. 17, after which we read (John 
 i8:i. Rev. ver.), "When Jesus had spoken these 
 words, he went forth with his disciples over 
 the brook Kidron, where was a garden," and 
 hither Judas came, with the soldiers and offi- 
 cials. This answers to the present sentence of 
 Matt., and the parallels in Mark and Luke. 
 Into the mount of Olives, see on 21 : 1. 
 They would naturally go through the eastern 
 gate north of the temple area, which is now 
 called St. Stephen's Gate; then down the 
 steep declivity into the valley, presently 
 crossing the bed of "the brook Kidron," 
 probably on a low bridge as now, and in not 
 many steps further would reach the foot of 
 the mountain. It was late, perhaps midnight 
 or later; but the city gates were open all night 
 during the great feasts. The paschal full 
 moon shone upon them from exactly over- 
 head, lighting up the bottom of the deep 
 ravine. 
 IV. 31-35. OUR LORD FORETELLS THE
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 533 
 
 31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be of- j 31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be > of- 
 fended because of me this night: fi.r it is written, I I fended in me this night: for it is written. I will 
 
 will smite the Shepherd, ana the sheep of the flock 
 shall be scattert-d abroad. 
 
 32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you 
 into Galilee. 
 
 smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall 
 32 be scattered abroad. But alter 1 am raised up, I will 
 
 1 Or, cautcti to Humble. 
 
 DISPERSION OF THE TWELVE, AND THE FALL 
 OF PETKR. Mark 14: 27-31 ; Luke 22 : 31-38; 
 John 13: 36-38. The passage occurs in Mark 
 in the same order as here, but neither of them 
 compels us to understand that the warning 
 was given after leaving the room. That re- 
 corded by John is distinctly placed by him 
 just after the commencement of the farewell 
 address for that address really begins with 
 John 13: 31. Luke seems also to put the 
 warning before they left the house (22:39), but 
 his order in 22: 21-38 is, as we have seen, 
 pretty clearly not chronological. It is more 
 difficult to suppose the report in John to be 
 out of its chronological position than those of 
 Matt, and Mark. Clark's "Harm." supposes 
 two distinct warnings, that given in Luke and 
 John occurring before they left the house, and 
 that of Matt, and Mark after they went out. 
 This is an improbable supposition, though 
 presented by Greswell and Oosterzee, and by 
 Kiddle in Robinson's "Harmony." Differ- 
 ent as are the terms employed in Luke, we 
 more naturally understand the warning as 
 the same in all four Gospels, for its repetition 
 during the same evening is highly improb- 
 able. It is therefore best to suppose, with 
 most harmonists, that Matt, and Mark have 
 here introduced the warning a little later than 
 its chronological position, in order to avoid 
 breaking the connection of v. 20-29. It is 
 likely that more was said than any of the 
 Gospels give, or all of them together; as in 
 the Sermon on the Mount, and often. All ye 
 shall be offended because of (in) me, or 
 shall find in me occasion of stumbling, as in 
 11: 6, and see on 5: 29. They will find in 
 him some obstacle to continued devotion, and 
 so will turn away and forsake him. This 
 night. He has during more than six months 
 repeatedly foretold that he should be put to 
 death in Jerusalem and rise again ; see 10: 21 ; 
 17 : 22 f. ; 20 : 18 f. At the close of his public 
 teaching, he declared that he should at the 
 passover be delivered up nnd crucified, 20: 2. 
 Now he is perfectly definite as to the time. 
 For it is written, stands on record, a com- 
 
 mon formula of reference to the Old Test. 
 Scriptures, as in 2: 5; 4:4, etc. Neither our 
 Lord nor the Evangelist says that this wus 
 fulfilled in the present occurrence, and it 
 might be enough to understand that our Lord 
 merely borrows the language to indicate that 
 he will be killed, and the disciples will leave 
 him and disperse. Still, his introducing the 
 quotation by 'for' (so also Mark 14: 27), indi- 
 cates it as proving or as requiring that which 
 he has just foretold; and it is entirely possi- 
 ble to understand Zech. 13 : 7 as really point- 
 ing forward to this event. As to the form of 
 the quotation Matt, and Mark follow the He- 
 brew, except in changing 'smite' (singular) 
 into 'I will smite' ; while the Sept. (B and X) 
 is quite different, 'smite (plural) the shepherds 
 and draw forth the sheop.' This is a clear 
 case of Matthew's following the Hebrew 
 rather than the Sept. (Comp. on 8: 3.) To 
 take the passage as referring to the Messiah, 
 corresponds to the idea of the Messiah as king, 
 since kings were often described as shepherds. 
 Then the flock will here be Israel, nnd the pre- 
 diction is that Israel will be scattered, the first 
 stage of which was the scattering of the 
 Twelve when the Shepherd was smitten. It 
 is, however, difficult to connect Zech. 13: 7, 
 thus understood, with what there precedes. 
 (. 1-6.)' There is of course no absolute neces- 
 sity for supposing such a connection. But the 
 idea maybe that in the coming time (.), 
 idolatry and false prophets shall cense (which 
 was true just before the coming of Christ), 
 and yet there shall be great wickedness, and 
 the Shepherd shall be smitten and Israel 
 scattered, and only a third (. . i finally puri- 
 fied and saved. Many writers insist that the 
 idea of a shepherd ht're must bo essentially 
 like thatof Zech., chap! 11, no thnt thU is a bnd 
 shepherd, t. e., a bad king of Israel, whom 
 God will remov. That is a possible interpret- 
 ation, if we leave the New Tost, out of view, 
 but not at all a necessary one. 
 
 32. After I am rinen attain, or raintd up. 
 He ha. in ovory CUSP, except 20: 2. promised 
 that after being killed he would rise again.
 
 534 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVI. 
 
 33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all 
 men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never 
 be offended. 
 
 34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That 
 this night, be lore the cock crow, thou shall deny me 
 thrice. 
 
 35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with 
 thee. yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all 
 the di>ciples. 
 
 33 go before you into Galilee. But Peter answered 
 and said unto him, If all shall be ' ofiended in thee, 
 
 34 J will never be l offended. Jesus said unto him, 
 Verily I say unto thee. that this night, before the 
 
 35 cock crow, thou shall deny me thrice. Peter saith 
 unto him, Even if I must die with thee, yet will I 
 not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. 
 
 1 Or. caused to Humble. 
 
 I will go before yon into Galilee, liter- 
 ally, will lead you forward, see on 21 : 31 ; pos- 
 sibly with reference to the figure of a shepherd 
 here just preceding. So Mark, and below, 
 28 : 7. His chief appearance to them was to 
 be in Galilee (& ie), which had been the prin- 
 cipal field of his ministry. 
 
 33-35. Though all. ... I never. The 
 peculiar Greek construction (two indicative 
 futures) implies the assumption that all will. 
 Here is the beginning of that self-confidence 
 which led step by step to Peter's dreadful fall. 
 And here is the distinct assumption that he 
 loves the Master " more than these "( John21:15 ), 
 indeed more than any one whatsoever loved 
 him. When bitter experience had chastened 
 him, he made no more comparisons, but said 
 only, '' Thou knowestthat I love thee." Verily 
 I say unto thee, calling attention to some- 
 thing solemnly important (see on 5 : 18). 
 This night, as in v. 31. Before the cock 
 crow. Mark (H: 30,72) has 'before the cock 
 crow twice.' The cock was apt to crow about 
 midnight, and again a few hours later. The 
 second crowing was the one more apt to be 
 observed as indicating the approach of morn- 
 ing ; and so this alone is mentioned by Matt., 
 Luke, and John. Alexander : " The differ- 
 ence is the same as that between saying 
 ' before the bell rings ' and ' before the second 
 bell rings' (for church or dinner), the refer- 
 ence in both expressions being to the last and 
 most important signal, to which the first is 
 only a preliminary. The minute recollection 
 of this reference to the first cock-crowing 
 also would be natural in Peter, and there are 
 many things in the second Gospel to support 
 the very early tradition that Mark wrote 
 
 down what he heard Peter say.(Comp. 1 Pet. 
 5: 13.) Some have made a difficulty of the 
 fact that one passage of the Mishna forbids 
 rearing fowls in Jerusalem, because the 
 worms they scratch up would be Levitically 
 defiling. But Wiin. and Edersh. show that 
 the cock-crow is repeatedly mentioned in the 
 Talmud, and produce from it a story of a 
 cock stoned to death in Jerusalem because it 
 had killed a child. So the Kabbinical rule 
 did not exist in the time of Christ, or else was 
 not strictly observed. Palestine seems par- 
 ticularly well suited to fowls, and they are 
 very numerous there now. Deny, see on 
 16 : 24. 1 Even if I must die, is the exact 
 translation; that of Com. Ver., Though I 
 should die, is inadequate. Peter is so ex- 
 tremely self-confident through consciousness 
 of real and honest attachment, that even the 
 Master's own warning cannot make him think 
 it possible that he would do such a thing. 
 And encouraged by his ardor and positive- 
 ness the other disciples make similar assur- 
 ances. Com p. the proposal of Thomas some 
 weeks before (John ii: is), "Let us also go, 
 that we may die with him." We have no 
 reason to believe that any of the ten did 
 formally deny their Lord, though they all 
 left him and fled, Peter and John pres- 
 ently returning. (26:56.) All four of the ac- 
 counts of the warning to Peter include the 
 cock-crowing and 'deny me thrice.' But in 
 Luke and John the confident expressions of 
 Peter are called forth by sayings of our Lord 
 quite different from each other, and from that 
 recorded by Matthew and Mark. In John, 
 Peter wishes to go with the Master now, and 
 asserts that he has no fear of perils : "I will 
 
 Jin 1885 was published, see "Theolog. Literaturzeit- 
 ung," 13 June, a papyrus fragment in Greek, brought 
 from Egypt to Vienna, which forms a shorter parallel to 
 v. 31-34, and Mark 14: 27-30. As completed and trans- 
 lated, it reads, " [And after] eating, as they were going 
 forth: I will smite the [shepherd and the] sheep will be 
 scattered. Upon Peter's [saying], even if all, no[t I, he 
 
 said to him], the cock will crow twice, and thou first 
 (i. e. before that) wilt thrice deny me." Harnack thinks 
 this shorter account is from a gospel earlier thun Matt, 
 and Mark. But it is easier to suppose, with Warfield 
 and Hort, that this is a mt>re abridgement of the gos- 
 pel story, given from memory in some homily or prac- 
 tical treatise. The reasons cannot be here presented.
 
 Cn. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 535 
 
 3r> Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called 
 Gethseuiane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here 
 while I go and pray yonder. 
 
 36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto ' a place called 
 Gethseuiane, and saith unto his disciples, Sit ye 
 
 1 Or. an enclosed piece of ground. 
 
 lay down ray life for thy sake." In Luke, 
 Jesus speaks of Satan's asking for the disci- 
 ples that he might sift them ; he says he has 
 made special supplication for Peter, and adds 
 an injunction that after turning again he must 
 stablish his brethren. Peter repels the impli- 
 cation that he will go wrong and have to turn, 
 saying, "Lord, with thee I am ready to go 
 both to prison and to death," Rev. Ver. In 
 each case, our Lord replies by substantially 
 the same warning as in Matthew and Mark. 
 It is not necessary for us to consolidate orcon- 
 catenate all these distinct occasions for the 
 warning. Probably the conversation was 
 more extended than any of the narratives 
 would indicate. And a few missing points of 
 information might harmonize all the accounts. 
 
 HOMILKTICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 17-19. The externals of religious ser- 
 vice. 1) They should be observed with fore- 
 thought and propriety. 2) They are a proper 
 subject of request for the Lord's guidance. 
 3) They offer many opportunities of honoring 
 the Lord with our substance, v. 18. 4) Yet, 
 alas ! they are sometimes shared by one whose 
 heart is set on worldliness and wickedness, v. 
 21 ; comp. Phil. 3: 18. V. 21-25. The betrayal 
 foretold. 1) Consciousness of good intentions 
 cannot always save us from fear of commit- 
 ting great sin, v. 22 ; 1 Cor. 10: 12. 2) The 
 most affecting associations and solemn warn- 
 ings may not prevent desperate wickedness. 
 3) One whose heart is set on the darkest crime 
 may sometimes talk calmly and with affected 
 modesty, v. 25. 4) A bad man may be unin- 
 tentionally accomplishing some exalted pur- 
 pose of God, v. 24; (comp. Psalm 76: 10). 6) 
 The fact that an evil action is overruled for 
 good does not lessen its guilt and penalty, v. 
 21. 6) It is possible for human wickedness to 
 make human existence a curse, v. 24. V. 26- 
 28. The bread and wine. 1) Jesus has bidden 
 us commemorate, not his birth, his miracles, 
 his triumphal entry, but his death. 2) His 
 death sealed a covenant of salvation (comp. 
 Heb. 9: 19 f. ), making atonement for sin, and 
 purchasing forgiveness for sinners. 3) To eat 
 and drink these simple emblems of his body 
 
 and blood should awaken .grateful remem- 
 brance of him (i cor. ii : 24 f.), and stir the strong 
 desire to live for him who died for us. V. 28. 
 HENRY: "1) 'It is my blood of the covenant.' 
 2) It is shed for many. 3) Unto remission of 
 sins." V. 33. HENRY : "Those are often least 
 safe that are most secure." 
 
 36-56. THE AGONY IN GETHSEMANE AND 
 THE ARREST OF JESUS. 
 
 Found also in Mark 14: 32-52; Luke 22: 39- 
 53; John 18: 1-12. The time of this section is 
 between midnight and morning. Gethsemane 
 is here called a place, Rev. Ver., margin, an 
 enclosed piece of ground ; comp. the same word 
 in John 9 : 5. The name Gethsemane means 
 'oil-press.' But the place was not simply an 
 oil-press, for John calls itagarden or orchard, 
 probably containing fruit trees and flowers, 
 as well as vegetables. Gethsemane is now 
 shown as a small enclosure lying just where 
 the three roads across the Mount of Olives 
 branch off at its base (see on 21:1), and 
 between the central and southern roads, both 
 of which lead to Bethany. This enclosure is 
 of somewhat less than an acre, and contains 
 several very old olive trees, looking at a dis- 
 tance like large old apple trees. These iden- 
 tical trees appear to be traced back for many 
 centuries. But they cannot have existed in 
 our Lord'stime, for Joscphus tells us ("War." 
 6, 1, 1), that the Romans, in order to build 
 their mounds about the walls, cut down all 
 the trees for ten or twelve miles around the 
 city, so that the region that had been so beau- 
 tiful with trees and gardens (paradises) was 
 now desolate on every side, and a pitiable, 
 mournful spectacle. And even before this 
 ("War." 5, 12, 2), they had drawn around 
 the city a wall which is described as passing 
 south along the foot of the Mount of Olives to 
 a point opposite Siloam, and must therefore 
 have passed exactly where the present en- 
 closure stands. The real Gethsemane was 
 prohably quite near this enclosed place. As 
 "Jesus oft-times resorted thither with his dis- 
 ciples." so that Judas "knew the place" 
 (John i8:i), we naturally think of it as near tho 
 way to and from Bethany. If not a small 
 public garden or park, it was owned by a
 
 536 
 
 MATTHEW. ' 
 
 [Cn. XXVI. 
 
 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sous of 
 Zebedee, aud began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 
 
 38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding 
 sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, aud watch 
 with me. 
 
 39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, 
 and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let 
 this cup pass from me: nevertheless, nut as I will, but 
 as thou wilt. 
 
 37 here, while I go yonder and pray. And he took 
 with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and 
 
 38 began to be sorrowful and sore troubled. Then saith 
 he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even 
 unto death: abide ye here, and watch with me. 
 
 9 And he went forward a little, and fell on his face, 
 and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, 
 let this cup pass away from me : nevertheless, not 
 
 public-spirited man who allowed visitors to 
 enter at will, particularly during the great 
 festivals, or else by some friend of Jesus, like 
 the owner of the house in which he had eaten 
 the passover. In 1871, a party of Americans 
 went forth from Jerusalem one night at Easter 
 to visit Gethsemane. Passing through what 
 is traditionally called St. Stephen's Gate, we 
 wont along a winding path far down the steep 
 descent into the narrow valley of the Kidron 
 (which has there no water except in the rainy 
 season), and crossing, were almost immedi- 
 ately at the modern stone wall which encloses 
 the old olive trees. The paschal full moon 
 for us too shone bright on the scene. It was 
 late at night, and all was still ; and at several 
 different points we kneeled, a little company 
 from a distant land, and one or another of us 
 prayed with choked utterance, for we knew 
 that we could not be far from the spot at 
 which the Saviour kneeled down, and fell 
 prostrate, and prayed in his agony. 
 
 This section divides itself into two parts, the 
 Agony and the Arrest. 
 
 I. 36-46. THE AGONY IN GETHSEMANE. 
 Mark 14: 32-42; Luke 22: 40-46. John does 
 not record this, but he records (Alf.) a some- 
 what similar utterance on the previous day, 
 John 12: 28-33, and other passages which re- 
 veal mental suffering, John 13:21; 16:32. 
 Sit ye here, apparently outside of the en- 
 closure. Peter and the two sons of Zebe- 
 dee. These three belong to the first group 
 of four among the Twelve (see on 10: 2) ; they 
 alone had accompanied Jesus when he raised 
 Jairus' daughter to life, and up into the 
 Mount of Transfiguration. Began, and con- 
 tinued for some time (see on 11 : 20). Very 
 heavy; sore, troubled is a better translation 
 than 'very heavy.' Mark has the same pecu- 
 liar Greek term. My soul is exceeding 
 sorrowful. The phrase, which resembles 
 Psa. 41 (42) : 6 in Sept., can only denote a 
 real human mind; comp. John 12:27. The 
 ancient fancy which some are trying to re- 
 vive, that in the Incarnation the divine nature 
 
 took the place and fulfilled the functions of a 
 human soul, is incompatible, not only with 
 this scene and the temptation of 4 : 1 ft'., but 
 with the whole history of Jesus. Whatever 
 anthropomorphic expressions may be neces- 
 sarily used in speaking of God, it is evident 
 that the divine nature could not, in any proper 
 sense of the term, suffer agony. How his 
 human soul could suffer apart from his divine 
 nature, is a part of the mystery of the Incar- 
 nation, like his temptation, his increasing in 
 wisdom (Luke 2: 52), and his not knowing the 
 day nor the hour. (Mark is : 32.) Nor is it wise 
 to make trichotomist distinctions between 
 'soul' here and 'spirit' in v. 41 ; see on 16: 25. 
 Even unto death. Comp. Isa. 38: 1. The 
 time is now nearer than on the occasion de- 
 scribed in John 12 : 27, and his suffering is 
 more intense. Alford: "Our Lord's whole 
 inmost life must have been one of continued 
 trouble of spirit he was a man of sorrows, and 
 acquainted with grief but there was an ex- 
 tremity of anguish now, reaching even to the 
 utmost limit of endurance, so that it seemed 
 that more would be death itself." Tarry ye 
 here. He had brought the three to some 
 point removed from the other eight. And 
 watch with me. The idea seems to be that 
 they were to guard his season of exceeding 
 and deadly sorrow from intrusion, and also to 
 give him the support of knowing that sympa- 
 thetic friends were close by. In any season 
 of extraordinary sorrow, one likes to be much 
 alone, and yet to have some dear friends near, 
 so that he may go to them when the craving 
 for sympathy becomes uppermost. Alford: 
 "He does not say pray with me, for in that 
 work the Mediator must be alone." 
 
 39-41. He withdraws the first time. He 
 went a little further. Luke says ' about a 
 stone's cast,' say fifty yards. This might be 
 from the eight disciples, as Luke does not 
 mention the special three; but from compar- 
 ing his whole connection we see that it more 
 likely means the three. Jesus doubtless 
 sought the most secluded spot in the enclo-
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 537 
 
 40 And he cometh unto the dis.-iples, and findeth ! 40 as I will, but as thou wilt. And he couieth unto the 
 them asleep, and *aith unto Peter, Wnat, could ye not 
 
 watch with me one hour? 
 
 41 Wntch and pray, that ye enter not into tempta- 
 tion : the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh w 
 weak. 
 
 disciples, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto 
 Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 
 41 HVutch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: 
 the spirit indeed is willing, but the liesh is weak. 
 
 1 Or, Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not. 
 
 sure, and probably withdrew from the light 
 of the full moon to the shade of trees. Fell 
 on his face. Luke says 'kneeled,' which 
 would naturally be followed, in an agony of 
 distress, by complete prostration. And 
 prayed, the tense (in Mark and Luke also) 
 denoting continued action. The Saviour evi- 
 dently spent much time in prayer, and par- 
 ticularly on any special occasion. At his 
 baptism (Luke3:2i), before choosing the twelve 
 (Luk6:i2), when the multitudes wanted to 
 make him king (Matt, u: 23; John 6: 15), when the 
 disciples were just becoming satisfied that he 
 was the Messiah (Luke 9: i8) 7 when on the Mount 
 of Transfiguration (Luke 9: 28), and upon other 
 occasions, there is special mention of his pray- 
 ing, sometimes for many hours, even a whole 
 night. So his praying here, long and repeat- 
 edly, is no new thing in his experience. O, my 
 father. Mark gives the Aramaic word Abba, 
 which our Lord doubtless actually employed, 
 mid then adds the Greek word, making 
 'Abba, Father' ; so Paul in Rom. 8: 15. If 
 it be possible, i. e., morally possible, con- 
 sistent with the Father's purpose of saving 
 men. The God-man speaks according to his 
 suffering human nature, referring all to the 
 Father (com p. 20: 23 ; Mark 13: 32). In 
 Mark (u:36) the expression is stronger, 'All 
 
 things are possible unto thee but 
 
 what thou wilt' he refers it to the Father's 
 will. This cup, a common image for great 
 suffering, like some allotted bitter draught. 
 See on 20 : 22. Let this cap pass from me. 
 So Mark. But Luke, in the common and 
 probably correct text, 'If thou art willing to 
 let this cup pass away from me' the sen- 
 tence remaining unfinished, an aposiopesis, as 
 
 Jin Luke 13:9; 19:42; Acts23:9 (Winer, 
 I 599 f. [750]). We have seen that the words 
 J spoken from heaven at the baptism and the 
 Transfiguration (s-.i7;i7:5) are not reported in 
 precisely the same terms by the different 
 Evangelists, which conclusively shows that 
 they did not undertake to give in all cases the 
 exact words spoken. But there is no substan- 
 tial difference. 1 Not as I will, but as thou 
 wilt. Comp. John 5: 30; 6: 38; Phil. 2: 8. 
 Many months earlier, when he first spoke to 
 the disciples of his approaching death, he in- 
 dicated that such was God's thought and 
 purpose, (us; 23.) He cometh unto the dis- 
 ciples, the three. And findeth them 
 asleep. Luke adds 'for sorrow.' They felt 
 a dull, depressing sorrow at the intimation 
 that their Master was about to leave them, 
 was about to be killed. They saw nothing to 
 be done by themselves, and could not realize 
 that the danger was so imminent and perilous 
 as the result showed. Such a state of mind 
 often superinduces heavy sleep; and it was 
 now long past midnight. These same three 
 disciples were " heavy with sleep" during the 
 Transfiguration. (Luk9:s2.) And saith unto 
 Peter, who was the recognized leader, in 
 some sense, of the Twelve, see on 16: 16. No- 
 tice that the following verbs are all plural ; 
 he addresses all three through Peter. What, 
 could ye not, is a good English equivalent to 
 the peculiar phrase of the original, ' were ye 
 thus unable,' were ye as unable as this? 
 Watch with me one hour. The expression 
 is doubtless only general and not to be pressed, 
 but it shows that he had been alone no little 
 time. ' Watch ' refers primarily to keeping 
 awake, but also suggests mental alertness. It 
 
 1 After v. 39, the old uncial represented by 13, fin, 124, 
 some Greek lectionaries, and the Syriac of Jerusalem 
 introduce the account of the bloody sweat and the 
 angel's appearing, taken from Luke '1'i: 43 f., and, of 
 course, not genuine here. A number of important doc- 
 uments omit that passage from Luke. But the omission 
 on be more easily accounted forthnn the insertion. 
 All the Gnostic heretics of the second century would 
 dislike the passage intensely, and many orthodox peo- 
 
 ple might think It derogatory. Kpiphanlus remark* 
 that "orthodox person* removed the pasage. becnu*e 
 th'V were afraid, and did not understand Its design and 
 extreme importance." We think, therefore, that It 
 ought to be retained in Luke. In combining the Gos- 
 pels, this passage is more naturally connected with the 
 first season of prayer, than with the second or third, 
 when his agony seems to have been less severe.
 
 538 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVI. 
 
 42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, 42 Again a second time he went away and praved sav- 
 saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away 1 ing, O iny Father, if this cannot pass awav except" I 
 Irorn me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 
 
 became a favorite term with the apostles; 
 com p. 24:42; 25:13; 1 Thess. 5: 6; 1 Cor. 
 16: 13; Kom. 13: 11; Col. 4: 2; 1 Peter 5: 8. 
 That ye enter not, may be connected with 
 both 'watch and pray,' or with only 'pray,' 
 as in Rev. Ver. margin, and so Origen ("On 
 Prayer," page 557, Migne), Chrys., Theophyl., 
 Euthym. In Luke 22: 40 it is simply 'pray 
 that ye enter not,' etc.; and in 22: 46 Rev. 
 Ver., 'rise and pray lest ye enter into,' the 
 latter connection is much the more natural of 
 the two. 1 Temptation, comp. on 4: 1. Ob- 
 serve that it is not merely "that you may 
 overcome temptation," or "that you may be 
 supported under temptation," but "that you 
 may not come into temptation," may avoid 
 being tempted. Comp. on 6: 13, and see 
 Luke 22: 31. The Com. Ver., through over- 
 sight or in its passion for variety (see on 25: 
 46), translates by 'lest ye enter' in Mark and 
 Luke. In the following clause it gives in 
 Mark, 'the spirit truly is ready,' but in Matt. 
 where the Greek has exactly the same words, 
 it translates, the spirit indeed is will- 
 ing, the word 'indeed' being used to trans- 
 late the Greek word men, a particle which 
 merely indicates that to its clause something 
 else will presently be brought in contrast; 
 comp. on 3: 11 or 9: 37. The emphasis is on 
 'spirit,' not at all on 'indeed.' This is given 
 as a general proposition, suggested by their 
 case. The flesh means not simply the body 
 as opposed to the mind, but the body as rep- 
 resenting our sin fulness, being so used because 
 bodily sins are patent; while the spirit repre- 
 sents what is better in us, regarded as pro- 
 duced by divine influence. Comp. a similar 
 contrast between body and spirit, or flesh and 
 spirit, frequently occurringin Paul's Epistles. 
 This statement was not added by way of ex- 
 cuse, as some have imagined, but of warning 
 and incentive. The fact that while the spirit 
 is willing the flesh is weak forms a reason why 
 we should watchfully and prayerfully strive 
 to keep out of temptation, lost it take advan- 
 tage of our weakness and overcome us. Eu- 
 
 thym. : "Do not look to the soul's readiness 
 and be bold, but look to the flesh's weakness 
 and be humble." 
 
 42-44. He withdraws the second and third 
 times. He went away again the second 
 time. When one is in very bitter grief, and, 
 after being for some while alone, comes back to 
 his friends, it is natural, especially if they do 
 not seem very sympathetic, that presently a 
 great wave of sorrow should come afresh over 
 his soul, and he must again seek to bear it 
 alone. It this cup may not pass away. 
 Correct text omits 'cup.' The Rev. Ver. has 
 more literally cannot. 'May not' is a quite 
 different and feebler expression, the ques- 
 tion being not merely as to the permissible, 
 but the possible, as in v. 39. Mark (Rev. 
 Ver.) says, 'and prayed, saying the same 
 words.' They are, as given by Matt., substan- 
 stantially the same as the first time, and yet 
 we note a certain progress. He does not now 
 begin by asking that the cup may pass away, 
 and afterwards attain resignation; he begins 
 with the assumption that it cannot be other- 
 wise (which the Greek phrase implies), and at 
 once expresses resignation. The third time, 
 Matthew also has, 'saying the same words.' 
 This was very different from the "vain repe- 
 titions" condemned in 6: 7. Impassioned 
 feeling sometimes makes repetition natural. 
 Thy will be done, the same phrase as in the 
 model prayer, 6 : 10. Asleep again. Alas! 
 not even from ardent Peter, and the impas- 
 sioned "disciple whom Jesus loved," could 
 he find sympathy in this terrible time. Mark 
 adds (Bib. Un. Ver.), 'and they knew not 
 what to answer him.' Their minds were con- 
 fused at the thought of the Messiah dying, of 
 the miracle-worker slain, of the Master for- 
 saking the disciples, and this increased their 
 dull drowsiness. Luke does not mention his 
 withdrawing three separate times, but makes 
 one general statement (Luke 22: 40-46), substanti- 
 ally equivalent to the more detailed narrative 
 of Matthew and Mark. Again. The Greek 
 word for this (palin) occurs twice in v. 44, ac- 
 
 1 If connected with both terms, the dependent clause 
 is final; if taken only with 'pray,' it is non-final, see 
 on 5: 29. Origen, Chrys., etc. use the infinitive (and so 
 Luke 22 : 40), which is the classical construction to con- 
 
 vey the idea often expressed in 'later' Greek by hina 
 non-final; and the infinitive in this connection could 
 not be taken with ' watch.'
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 539 
 
 43 And became and found them asleep again: for 
 their eyes were heavy. 
 
 44 And he left them, and went away again, and 
 prayed the third time, saying the same words. 
 
 45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto 
 them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the 
 hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed iuto 
 the hands ot sinners. 
 
 46 Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that 
 doth betray me. 
 
 47 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the 
 twelve, came, and a great multitude with swords and 
 staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. 
 
 43 drink it, thy will be done. And he came again and 
 found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 
 
 44 And he left them again, and went away, and prayed 
 
 45 a third time, saying again the same words. Tueu 
 cometh he to the disciples, and saith unto them, 
 Sleep on now, and take your rest : behold, the hour 
 is ai hand, and the Son of man is betrayed unto the 
 
 46 hands of sinners. Arise, let us be going: behold, 
 he is at hand that betray eth me. 
 
 47 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, 
 came, and with him a great multitude with Mvords 
 and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the 
 
 cording to the best documents. The third 
 time. Yet again the wave of sorrow came 
 rolling over his soul. It must have been 
 something awful and overwhelming, if Jesus 
 found it so hard to bear. Was this dread cup 
 merely the bodily pains and the shame of 
 approaching crucifixion ? Was it merely the 
 interruption of a good man's course of self- 
 denying and loving usefulness? Why, many 
 of his followers have faced impending death, 
 even at the stake, without once praying that 
 they might, if possible, be spared the trial ; 
 have in the very midst of the torturing flames 
 been found " rejoicing that they were counted 
 worthy to suffer" all this for him. Were they 
 sustained by conscious innocence? He alone 
 was perfectly innocent. Were they supported 
 by. the remembrance of good already done, 
 by unselfish devotion to human welfare and 
 to God's glory, by the indwelling Spirit? In 
 all respects, he much more. The agony of 
 Gethsemane, and the cry of the forsaken on 
 Calvary, can be accounted for, in one of 
 strong and sinless character, only when we 
 remember how it is said, "Him who knew no 
 sin he made to be sin on our behalf/' "He was 
 wounded for our transgressions, he was 
 bruised for our iniquities"; "Who his own 
 self bare our sins in his body on the tree." 
 
 (2 Cor. 5: 21, Bev. Ver. ; Isa. M : 5 ; 1 Pev. 2 : 24, Her. Ver.) The 
 
 effect of these agonizing supplications is re- 
 ferred to in Heb. 5 : 7-9, Rev. Ver. He was 
 " heard for his godly fear," and while the cup 
 did not pass away, he became through suffer- 
 ing completely fitted to sympathize and to 
 save. (Heb. J:i8;4:i5;5:7 a.) We need not then be 
 surprised that our prayers also are often an- 
 swered by granting, not what we at first 
 asked, but something better. 
 
 45 f. His final return. Sleep on now, 
 and take your rest. This is a "permissive 
 imperative." (Winer, 311 [391], Ellicott, 
 "Hist. Lect."). He has no further need of 
 their keeping awake; his struggles in the soli- 
 
 tude close by are past. So fur as concerns the 
 object for which he desired them to watch 
 (v. M), they may now yield to sleep without 
 any effort to resist. But the close of his sea- 
 son of struggle is promptly followed by the 
 approacli of a new experience for him and for 
 them. It may be (Hackett) that just after 
 saying 'sleep on now,' his eye caught the 
 gleam of the torches descending the steep 
 declivity beyond the ravine of Kidron and 
 coming towards them. Behold, calling at- 
 tention, as so often in Matt. The hour is at 
 hand, has coi/ie near, the same expression as 
 in 3: 2; and so in v. 4G. The Son of man, 
 the Messiah, see on 8: 20. Is betrayed, 
 present tense, because just on the point of 
 occurring. The word really means 'is deliv- 
 ered,' comp. on 26: 23. Into the hands of 
 sinners. The Greek has no article, but 
 means, 'into sinners' hands,' indicating not 
 the particular persons, but the kind of per- 
 sons. The reference is not to the mere officials 
 sent to lay hands on him, but to the wicked 
 authorities, the Sanhedrin. Rise, let us be 
 going, looks to what is just beginning, as 
 'sleep on now,' based itself on what had just 
 ended. He does not propose to go away and 
 avoid those who are approaching, but to go 
 forth from the enclosure and meet them. 
 (joimi8:4ff.) Other proposed explanations of 
 the apparent conflict between v. 45 and v. 40 
 may be found copiously discussed in Morison. 
 II. 47-56. JESUS DKLIVKKEU UP BY 
 JUDAS, AND SEIZED BY THE SOLDIERS. 
 (Mark 14: 43-52; Luke 22: 47-53; John 18: 2- 
 12.) And while he yet spake. So Murk 
 and Luke, and comp. John 18: 4. Ho fore- 
 saw not only 'the hour,' but thn moment. 
 Judas, see on 10: 4; 27 : 3. He had probably 
 gone to the house whore the supper was eaten, 
 and not finding them there, had come on to 
 the well-known garden. (John is . i r.) A great 
 multitude, with swords and staves. So 
 Mark. John (licv. Ver. margin), says that
 
 540 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVI. 
 
 48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, say- 
 ing, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; hold 
 him last. 
 
 49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, 
 Master; mid kissed him. 
 
 50 Aud Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art 
 thou come ? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, 
 and took him. 
 
 48 people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a 
 sign, saying, Whomsoever I "shall kiss, that is he: 
 
 49 take him. And straightway ho came to Jesus, and 
 
 50 said, Hail, Rabbi ; and * kissed him. And Jesus said 
 unto him, Friend, do that for which thou art come. 
 Then they came and laid hands 011 Jesus, and took 
 
 Judas received 'the cohort' of soldiers, which, 
 if full, would be several hundred men, and 
 the extreme solicitude of the Jewish rulers 
 lest the Galilean crowds attending the feast 
 should rescue Jesus might well account for so 
 large a force; but the word may be used gen- 
 erally for a 'band' of men. The article sug- 
 gests the particular cohort or band then gar- 
 risoning the temple. It was commanded by 
 a chiliarch, or military tribune, a rank higher 
 than our colonel. (Jobni8:i2;comp. Acts 21: si ff.) 
 Edersh. suggests that so large a force and so 
 high an officer commanding would hardly 
 have been furnished without the knowledge 
 of Pilate, arid this might account for the anx- 
 ious dream of Pilate's wife. (27:19.) It was 
 common to strengthen the garrison of the 
 C:istle of Antonia at the time of the great 
 feasts, in order to restrain the throngs in the 
 city and in the temple courts (Acts 21: si ff.), justas 
 the Turks do now at Easter. This ' band ' can- 
 not have been Jewish soldiers, for the Romans i 
 would not have allowed bodies of armed 
 natives in what was now a regular Roman 
 province. The 'great multitude' may have 
 included many followers through curiosity, 
 as people were moving about through the 
 whole of the passover night. Whatever was 
 the number of soldiers, there was at any rate 
 a military force to support the officials sent to 
 make the arrest, which was not the case at the 
 attempt of six months earlier. (John 7: 32.) Be- 
 sides the weapons, John says the party had 
 'lanterns and torches.' The moon was full, 
 for the passover came at the middle of the 
 month, and the month began with the new 
 moon, but the officials might expect to have 
 occasion for search in dark places, and for 
 assured identification. From the chief 
 priests and elders. Mark adds, 'the ! 
 Scribes,' thus showing more plainly that the 
 Sauhedrin is meant, see on 26 : 59. We learn 
 presently from Luke 22: 52 that some of these 
 dignitaries were themselves among the multi- 
 tude. So there were soldiers (John), temple 
 officials (Luke, John), at least one servant of 
 
 the high-priest (Matt., Mark, Luke), and 
 some of the chief-priests and elders (Luke) ; 
 altogether ' a great multitude ' (Matt., Mark, 
 Luke). 
 
 48-50. Jesus is pointed out and seized. 
 Gave them a sign, gave it when they set out 
 together. All the better instincts of human 
 nature revolt at the treacherous disciple's 
 kiss. The kiss was a common form of saluta- 
 tion, but only between friends. And Judas 
 seems to have pretended a very marked friend- 
 liness; for both Matt, and Mark, in saying 
 'and kissed him' (. 49), do not use the simple 
 verb as before, but compound it with a prepo- 
 sition, so as to mean kissed frequently, eagerly, 
 warmly. (Rev. Ver., margin.) There is the 
 same change from the simple to the compound 
 verb in Luke 7 : 45 f., where the latter denotes 
 warm affection; comp. also the prodi- 
 gal's father (Luke 15=20), an d Paul's friends. 
 (Acis20:37.) The distinction is recognized by 
 Mej r er, Ellicott, Grimm, Alford, Morison, 
 Edersh. Comp. Prov. 27: 6, Rev. Ver. 
 "The kisses of an enemy are profuse." 
 Hold him fast, take him, the same word 
 as in v. 4, 60, and 55, and the translation 
 ought not to be varied. Our Lord is described 
 by John as coming voluntarily forward to 
 the multitude and avowing himself to be the 
 person they were seeking; and this while 
 Judas was standing with them. We may 
 perhaps suppose that Judas, to fulfill his con- 
 tract and earn his reward, stepped forward 
 notwithstanding and gave the appointed sign. 
 And the occasion for this may have been 
 afforded by the fact that the multitude, over- 
 awed by the calm majesty of the Saviour as 
 he avowed himself, " went backward and fell 
 to the ground." (John is : 6.) Moreover, the 
 Roman officer might not know but that some 
 other person was pretending to be the one 
 whom he sought, and would naturally wait 
 for the sign agreed upon. Master, or Rabbi. 
 This term was often used by the disciples in ad- 
 dressing Jesus, comp. on 8: 19. Friend is not 
 the common Greek term, but signifies compan-
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 541 
 
 51 And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus j 51 
 stretched out hi* hand, and drew his sword, and struct 
 a servant of the high priest, and smote off his ear. 
 
 52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword 
 into his place: for all they that take the sword shall 
 perish with the sword. 
 
 53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my 
 P'ather, and he shall presently give me more than 
 twelve legions of angels ? 
 
 him. And behold, one of them that were with Jesus 
 stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and 
 smote the ' servant of the high priest, and struck off 
 his ear. Then saith Jesus unto him. Put up again 
 thy sword into its place : for all tney that take the 
 sword shall perish with the sword. Or thinkcst 
 thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and he shall 
 even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? 
 
 1 Or, bondservant. 
 
 ion, 'comrade,' as in 20: 13. He had long been 
 an every-day associate, and Jesus reminds him 
 of this fact. (Do that) for which thou art 
 come. This is the natural meaning of the 
 Greek, and not, Wherefore art thou come ? 
 The Greek pronoun used is not an interroga- 
 tive, but a relative, which as very often in 
 Greek and Latin suggests its antecedent, 
 ' (that) for which thou art come.' We then 
 have to supply a verb, which might be ' tell ' 
 (Morison, 'say'), 'mind' (Meyer), or better 
 'do.' (Euthym.) This accords with the say- 
 ing given by Luke, 'Judas, betrayest thou the 
 Son of man with a kiss?' and with John 
 13 : 27, Bib. Un. Ver., ' What thou doest, do 
 quickly.' ' Wherefore,' in Com. Ver., would 
 imply that Jesus did not know, and would 
 seem to conflict with Luke. '(What is that) 
 for which thou art come,' is also a possible 
 way of supplying the gap. 1 Laid hands on 
 Jesus and took him. ThebindingiJobnisna) 
 seems to have occurred a little later, when 
 they were about to lead him away. 
 
 51-54. The disciple's rash attempt at de- 
 fence. One is the numeral, notsimply 'some 
 one.' John tells (i:io) that it was Simon 
 Peter, and gives also the name of the man 
 smitten, Mulch us. The names were perhaps 
 omitted by Matt., Mark, and Luke because 
 Peter was still living when they wrote, and 
 might have been seized on this pretext in any 
 season of special persecution by the Jews 
 (comp. Acts 21 : 27) ; while when John wrote, 
 Peter was dead. Comp. on 26 : 7. Stretched 
 out his hand and drew his sword, details 
 all the circumstances, as in 5:1 f. and often. 
 Luke says (22:) that others of the Twelve in 
 sympathy with Peter united wit!) him in ask- 
 ing, 'Lord, shall we smite with the sword?' 
 And one of them (rash Peter) did not wait 
 
 for the answer, but smote. A (the) servant 
 of the high priest. The word is doulon, 
 ' slave,' see on 8: 6. But a slave of the high- 
 priest would have, under the circumstances, a 
 sort of official character. All four Evangel- 
 ists mention this, for it was an important cir- 
 cumstance, greatly increasing the peril of 
 Peter's position. His invincible self-confi- 
 dence had made him fall asleep notwithstand- 
 ing the Masters warnings. Now, suddenly 
 awakening, he saw the new comers laying 
 hands on the Master, and with a sudden im- 
 pulse he attacked and wounded a person hav- 
 ing official importance. Smote off his ear, 
 having evidently intended to smite his head a 
 deadly blow. Peter came very near (Alf. ) 
 being like Barabbasand his followers, "who 
 in the insurrection had committed murder." 
 (Mark is: 7.) Luke and John mention that it 
 was the right ear, and we can see exactly how 
 the blow missed Return thy sword into his 
 place. 'His' is the original possessive of it 
 (hy t), see on 24 : 32. Notice that Jesus does not 
 bid him throw away the sword. All they that 
 take the sword, etc. Comp. Rev. 13: 10. 
 Christ's followers are not to carry on his work 
 with carnal weapons. Lutter. : "Christ has 
 no other sword than the sword of his mouth. 
 (Ber. j:i6.) Those who wish to fight for him 
 must in like manner have no other." Even 
 as a matter of general human prudence, men 
 who carry weapons in a civilized country am 
 on the whole in much greater danger than 
 men who do not. Thinkest thou, etc., lit., 
 or if this consideration does not restrain you, 
 take another view of the matter (comp. on 
 7: 9), thinkcst thou that f cannot beseech my 
 Father, ia the exact translation, not simply 
 'pray/ Now (rather even now), in the com- 
 mon Greek text is connected with 'beseech,' 
 
 i Winer, Buttm., and Grimm, and many comments- j probable in itelf. The examples collected by Moulton 
 tors, take the pronoun as used interrogatively, being In his Winer, 207 f., are all readily explained as rcla- 
 influenced by a traditional interpretation (from the ', tivp with the autccedent understood, or as attracted 
 Vulgate). But there are no clear examples of such a relative, 
 use of the relative /ion (comp. Meyer), and il is highly im- '
 
 542 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVI. 
 
 54 But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that 
 thus it in us! be? 
 
 .V> In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, 
 Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and 
 staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in 
 the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. 
 
 56 But all this was done, that the Scriptures of the 
 prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples for- 
 sook him, and fled. 
 
 54 How then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that 
 
 55 thus it must be? In that hour said Jesus to the 
 multitudes, Are ye come out as against a robber with 
 swords and staves to seize me? I sat daily in the 
 
 56 temple teaching, and ye took me not. Hut all this 
 is come to pass, that the scriptures of the prophets 
 might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples left him. 
 and fled. 
 
 but in it B L, and most of the early versions 
 it is connected with 'shall send' as in Rev. 
 Ver. Give, or supply, furnish. More than 
 twelve legions of angels. To protect 
 twelve men (himself and the eleven), he 
 might have twelve legions and more of de- 
 fenders. If a cohort seemed formidable, he 
 might have legions. A full Roman legion at 
 that day contained some six thousand men. 
 Of course the expression is general, a round 
 number, and stated strongly. He is not help- 
 lessly submitting through lack of strength and 
 of protection (comp. 2 Kings 6: 17), but is 
 voluntarily yielding himself to thpse who de- 
 sign putting him to death. He could easily 
 avoid all that is coming, but how then shall 
 the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it 
 must be? viz., that the Messiah must be 
 despised and rejected, must suffer and die 
 (comp. Luke 24: 25 f.). 'The Scriptures,' a 
 technical term among the Jews, denoting the 
 collection of books which we call the Old 
 Testament, see on 21 : 42. Only Matt, gives 
 here the reference to prophecy, a matter in 
 which he took peculiar interest, as writing 
 especially for Jewish readers; but Mark also 
 g'ves the parallel to v. 56. John (i8:ti) re- 
 cords another expression in harmony with v. 
 52-54, " The cup which my Father has given 
 me, shall I not drink it " ? Just after, or just 
 before, thus speaking to Peter, he spoke also 
 (Lnke22:5i) to the persons who were arresting 
 him, "Suffer ye thus far"; suffer the resist- 
 ance of the mistaken but well-meaning fol- 
 lower to go thus far without punishing him. 
 Then immediately healing the ear by a mi- 
 raculous touch, he induced them to let the rash 
 disciple alone. 
 
 55 f. Having rebuked the disciple, and con- 
 ciliated the persons immediately engaged in 
 arrpsting him, Jesus now turns to the multi- 
 tudes that thronged around. Luke shows 
 (:52) that among them were chief priests 
 and captains of the temple and elders, who 
 might naturally enough, in their extreme 
 solicitude, come along to see that the perilous 
 
 arrest was surely and safely made. In that 
 same hour (comp. 18: 1), viz., at the time 
 when they were engaged in arresting him ; 
 but it is not easy to see why this more em- 
 phatic expression is used instead of the simple 
 'then.' Perhaps the following words were 
 well known among the Christians to have 
 been spoken by Jesus, and Matt, means to 
 say that this was the time of their utterance. 
 Mark and Luke have a simple 'and.' Are 
 ye come out as against a thief, etc. Bet- 
 ter as in Rev. Ver., as if against a robber are 
 ye come out with swords and staves to seize me ? 
 Not a 'thief,' but the quite different Greek 
 word meaning 'robber,' see on 27: 38. A 
 thief would try to escape by flight, a robber 
 was likely to resist, and they must bring 
 weapons to apprehend him. ' Seize' is in the 
 Greek a stronger term than that of v. 48, 50, 
 and end of 55 ; Mark makes exactly the same 
 distinction. Jesus reproaches the multitudes 
 with coming against him as if a man of vio- 
 lence. There had been abundant opportunity 
 of arresting him without difficulty. I sat, 
 imperfect tense, continued or habitual action. 
 This posture, which was common for a teacher 
 (5:i), would have made it easy to seize him, 
 and also indicated quiet innocence. Daily, 
 for several days of the preceding week; pos- 
 sibly it points back also to earlier periods of 
 teaching at Jerusalem, recorded only in the 
 Fourth Gospel. With you, is wanting in some 
 of the best documents. In the temple, 
 hieron, the general sacred enclosure and edi- 
 fices (see on 4: 5) ; he taught in the Court of 
 the Gentiles and the Court of Israel ; not 
 being of the tribe of Levi, we may be sure he 
 never entered the naos, nor the Court of the 
 Priests. And ye laid no hold on me. He 
 thus reminds them that he had given no 
 occasion for their treating him as violent and 
 dangerous, nor for their arresting him at all. 
 But all this was done, is come to pass 
 (comp. on 1: 22), still the Saviour's words, 
 as clearly shown by Mark 14: 49. In the 
 course of Providence this plotting and arrest-
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 543 
 
 ing had all taken place, that the Scrip- 
 tures might be fulfilled; though the hu- 
 man actors had no such design. The Scrip- 
 tures of the prophets, because the reference 
 is especially to the predictive portions of 
 Scripture, the Messianic prophecies; comp. 
 at the crucifixion, John 19: 28. Luke records 
 the additional saying, in harmony with that 
 given here, " But this is your hour, and the 
 power of darkness." The purpose of redemp- 
 tion now permitted that great wrong, which 
 was to he wonderfully overruled for good. 
 Then all the disciples forsook him and 
 fled. In judging them, we must remember 
 that the Master had forbidden all resistance, 
 and had distinctly said he was about to leave 
 them. Mark adds (u:5ir)an account of a 
 certain young man who left his solitary gar- 
 ment when he was seized by the captors, and 
 fled. The mention of this slight incident may 
 be sufficiently accounted for by the fact that 
 it shows how great was the terror felt by the 
 followers of Jesus. Some think, however, 
 that it is to be regarded as a personal remin- 
 iscence, the youth being Mark himself, 
 whose mother is found living at Jerusalem a 
 dozen years later (Acts 12: 12) ; and it is sug- 
 gested (Weiss, Edersh.) that the youth had 
 followed Jesus and the disciples from the 
 house in which they had eaten the passover, 
 and so that the hospitable householder was 
 Mark's father. There is very slight ground 
 for this conjecture, or for the notion that it 
 was Lazarus of Bethany. We find afterwards 
 that Peter and John must have speedily re- 
 turned. (M:58; John is: is.) They might be 
 regarded as exceptions to the general state- 
 ment that all fled; but the Saviour had 
 also made a general prediction (:, B.V.), 
 'All ye shall be offended because of me this 
 night.' So the officials and the soldiers led 
 Jesus away (John is: is); and mean time 
 ( Weiss, "Life"), "Jerusalem slept in peace, 
 and did not know what had happened." 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 37. The three disciples in Gethsermine. 
 1) How hard to realize the significance of 
 great crises in life. 2) How imperfect is nil 
 human sympathy with the Divine Redeemer. 
 3) How readily does human infirmity weiifh 
 down the willingspirit. 4) How watchful we 
 should be in all times of special trial. 6) How 
 
 great the privilege of praying that we may 
 not come into temptation. Three witnesses of 
 three scenes. 1) Their Master's power, Mark 
 5: 37. 2) Their Master's glory, Matt. 17: 1. 
 3) Their Master' s agony. V. 89. Three pray- 
 ers of Jesus. 1) The prayer he taught his 
 disciples to pray. 2) The prayer he offered 
 in behalf of his disciples, John 17. 3) The 
 prayer he made in his own behalf. ALFORD: 
 ''All conflict of the holy soul is prayer; all 
 its struggles are continued communion with 
 God. When Abraham's faith was to be put 
 to so sore a trial, he says, ' I and the lad will 
 go yonder and worship.' Our Lord (almost 
 on the same spot) unites in himself (Stier) 
 as the priest and victim, Abraham's faith 
 and Isaac's patience." The three gardens, 
 Eden, Gethsemane, Paradise. The fall of 
 man in Eden made necessary the agony of 
 man's Saviour in Gethsemane, and this made 
 possible the admission of man into the Para- 
 dise on high. V. 40 f. Even in this season of 
 special suffering he has time to counsel his 
 disciples; so on the cross he prays for his 
 murderers, provides for his mother, and an- 
 swers the request of his companion in suffer- 
 ing. V. 41. Safety as regards temptation. 
 
 1) Temptation is dangerous because the flesh 
 is weak. 2) Our only real safety is in avoid- 
 ing temptation. 3) In order to this, let us be 
 watchful and prayerful. V. 42. PRESSENSE: 
 "Not thy will but mine be done, changed 
 Paradise into a desert; not my will but thine 
 be done, changed the desert into Paradise, 
 and made Gethsemane the gate of glory." 
 V. 43. Their eyes were heavy. BENOEL: 
 " Such slothfulness often holds the pious 
 when it is least becoming." V. 45 f. Rest 
 and arise. It is often the case that when ono 
 cause of anxiety has ceased and loft us a 
 moment's rest, in the next moment some new 
 trouble comes, and we must arise to face it. 
 V. 47-64. The betrayal of Jesus. 1) The trai- 
 tor's kiss, and the Saviour's calm response. 
 
 2) The rash disciple's blow, and the Saviour's 
 mild rebuke. 3) Tho Saviour's determina- 
 tion, though he could escape in a moment, to 
 fulfill the Scriptures and work out the world's 
 salvation. 
 
 57-08. JESUS SENTENCED BY THE SAN- 
 
 ItKDRIN. 
 
 This is found also in Mark 14: 53-66; Luke 
 22: 64, (W-G6; John 18: 12-14, 19-24.
 
 544 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XXVI. 
 
 57 And thev that had laid hold on Jesus led him 57 And they that had taken Jesus led him away to 
 away to Cuiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and i the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the 
 the elders were assembled. 
 
 The trial of our Lord may be divided into 
 two main parts, the Jewish and the Roman 
 trial. Each of these must be subdivided. 
 (1) The Jewish trial comprises (a) The exami- 
 nation before Annas, John 18: 12-14, 19-23; 
 (b) The sentence by an informal session of 
 the Sanhedrin, Matt. 26: 57-68; Mark 14: 53- 
 65; (c) The formal trial before the Sanhedrin, 
 which sends him to Pilate for sentence, Matt. 
 27: If.; Luke 22: 66-71. (2) The Roman 
 trial includes (a) The first examination before 
 Pilate, 27: 11-14; John 18: 28-38; (b) The 
 reference to Herod, Luke 23: 6-12; (c^ The 
 final appearance before Pilate, 27: 15-31 ; John 
 18 : 39-19 : 16. It is noticeable that John gives a 
 good deal as to the Roman trial that is not 
 found in the other Gospels, particularly as to 
 Pilate's private inquiries. Mark continues to 
 resemble Matt. Luke has some matter not 
 found in the others. 
 
 Our present section contains the trial before 
 an informal session of the Sanhedrin. It 
 may be divided into v. 57 f. ; 59-63a; 63b- 
 66 ; 67 f. 
 
 I. 57 f. Jesus is brought before Caiaphas 
 and the Scribes and Elders. Peter follows 
 and looks on. (Mark 14 : 53 f. ; Luke 22 : 54 ; 
 John 18: 15, 24.) They that had laid hold 
 on Jesus, at Gethsemane. Led him away 
 to Caiaphas, the high priest. The ap- 
 pended ' where' implies that this means to the 
 house of Caiaphas, and that is distinctly 
 stated in Luke. Caiaphas was the son-in-law 
 of Annas, Ananus, or Hanan, who had long 
 before been high priest himself, and among 
 the numerous changes of the time, was suc- 
 ceeded by five sons and this son-in-law (Jos., 
 "Ant.," 18, 2, If.; 20, 9, 1.) The family 
 were all Sadducees (Jos., Talmud), and were 
 specially odious to the Pharisees, the "house 
 of Annas" becoming a by-word (Talmud). 
 Joseph Caiaphas was deposed shortly after 
 Pilate lost the procurators!) ip, A. D. 36 
 ("Ant.," 18, 4, 2f.) The time when he was 
 made high priest depends on an obscure state- 
 ment of Jos. ("Ant.," 18, 2, 2.) His expres- 
 sions leave hardly more than four years 
 between Annas and Caiaphns. Either Annas 
 officiated about A. D. 7-21, and then Caiaphas 
 A. P. 25-36, or Annas A. D. 7-14, and then ! 
 
 Caiaphas A. D. 18-36. The son Eleazar came 
 between Annas and Caiaphas; Jonathan and 
 Theophilus (Keim) A. D. 36 f. ; Matthias A. D. 
 42 f. ; Annas, junior ("Ant.," 20, 9, 1) A. D 
 63. This makes the last a different person 
 from the high priest Ananias of Acts 23: 2; 
 24: 1, A. D. 58. The character of Caiaphas 
 appears from John 11: 49-52, and from the 
 trial of Jesus, to have been shrewd, self-seek- 
 ing, and unscrupulous. Where the scribes 
 and the elders were assembled. Mark 
 mentions also (u: M) ' all the chief priests,' and 
 these are expressly mentioned just after by 
 Matthew, v. 59. These were the three classes 
 composing the Sanhedrin (see on v. 59.) In- 
 stead of 'were assembled ' (Com. Ver. \ it is 
 better to translate were gathered together, 
 for the former would indicate a formal session 
 of the Sanhedrin, while the Greek term is 
 neutral on that point. Mark's phrase is 
 simply 'there come together with him,' and 
 the fact seems to be that this was an informal 
 gathering before dawn, whereas, a formal 
 session could not be held till ' morning was 
 come.' ('":!.) 
 
 It was apparently while the dignitaries were 
 gathering at that unseasonable hour, that Jesus 
 was first questioned by Annas. (John 18:12-14.) 
 Annas and Caiaphas were both regarded as 
 high priests (Lukes : 2), the former still in pop- 
 ular estimation holding the office as long as 
 he lived, while the latter only was recognized 
 by the Romans. So in 1 Kings 4: 4, Zadok 
 and Abiathar are mentioned as priests, it hav- 
 ing been stated in 2: 35 that the king put 
 Zadok in the room of Abiathar. An action 
 would be valid in the eyes of both the people 
 and the Romans if known to have the ap- 
 proval of both Caiaphas and Annas. This was 
 easier from the fact that Caiaphas was son-in- 
 law to Annas; and the supposition (Euthym. 
 and various recent writers') that Annas at this 
 time lived with Caiaphas in the high priest's 
 official residence, each having his own recep- 
 tion room, will account for all the statements 
 in the several Gospels. It is also a plausible 
 conjecture (Wieseler, Ewald), that Annas 
 moy have been at this period president (Nasi) 
 of the Sanhedrin. John distinctly states that 
 they "led him to Annas first; for he was
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 545 
 
 58 But Peter followed him afar off unto the high 58 scribes and the elders were gathered together. But 
 priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, j Peter followed him afar oft, unto the court of the 
 to see the end. | high priest, and entered in, and sat with the officers, 
 
 father-in-law to Caiaphas, who was high 
 priest that year." (Rev. Ver. ) Then after 
 mentioning some things about Caiaphas and 
 about Peter, John states that "the high 
 priest" questioned Jesus "of his disciples, 
 and of his teachings" (Rev. Ver.); but the 
 Saviour declined a response, saying that he 
 had taught publicly, and those who had 
 heard him could be asked. Then John adds 
 (correct text, Rev. Ver.), "Annas therefore 
 sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest." 
 This seems to leave no doubt that the high 
 priest who first vainly interrogated Jesus was 
 Annas. Many of the ablest recent writers 
 have taken this view, while not a few still 
 think otherwise. 1 Thus understood, this was 
 not a trial, but a mere personal interrogation 
 by an aged ex-high priest. John gives no 
 account of the trial before Caiaphas and the 
 Sanhedrin, that having been fully described 
 by the earlier Gospels. Indeed, it may be 
 (Weiss, " Life") that John mentions this pre- 
 liminary examination only because of its con- 
 nection with the first of Peter's denials. 
 
 But Peter followed him afar off, viz., 
 followed him from Gethsemane (comp. on 
 26: 56). Really attached to the Master, and 
 still self-confident, he was yet alarmed by the 
 probable consequences of his smiting the high 
 priest's servant, and so he took a middle 
 course; John went along with the party who 
 conducted Jesus; the other disciples fled; 
 Peter followed at a distance. Alexander : 
 "However unexpected the fact here recorded, 
 there is probably no reader who, as soon as it 
 is stated, does not feel it to be perfectly in 
 keeping with what he knows already of the 
 character of Peter, who would scarcely seem 
 to be himself if he continued in concealment, 
 and whose re-appearance on the scene, and 
 subsequent performance there, exhibit just 
 the strength and weakness which together 
 constitute the native temper of this great 
 apostle." Unto the high priest's palace, see 
 
 on 26 : 3. The building was doubtless four- 
 square, surrounding an open court. Upon 
 this court opened the rooms, one of which 
 formed the audience room of the high priest, 
 and probably another that of Annas. John 
 gives the further details that Peter reached the 
 house only after the procession had all en- 
 tered and the gate was closed ; and that he 
 (John), being "known unto the high priest," 
 
 went out "and spake unto her that 
 
 kept the door, and brought in Peter." And 
 sat with the servants, or officers. Tyndale, 
 etc., 'servants,' Greek huperetes, see on 8: 6. 
 John adds (18:8) that "the servants (douloi) 
 and the office rs stood there, who had made a 
 fire of coals; for it was cold." At the time 
 of the passover it is quite hot in Jerusalem 
 at mid-day, but frequently grows cold towards 
 morning. As to the fact that Matt, says 'sat,' 
 and John 'standing,' it is easy to meet so tri- 
 fling a difficulty by remembering that they 
 would be likely to change posture. To see 
 the end.. He was anxious as to the matter, 
 and determined to see it through, but not 
 humble, watchful, and prayerful (M:or.), or 
 he would not have become involved in such 
 difficult3 r . The further account of Peter see 
 below in 26: 69-75. Bcngel : "Here mid-way 
 between courage (-*i) and cowardice. (T.TO.)" 
 II. 59-63 a. Vain attempts to convict 
 Jesus by false witness. Mark 14: 55-59. 
 Luke does not mention this informal gather- 
 ing of the Sanhedrin, but only the formal 
 session "as soon as it was day." (i.uk:6; 
 comp. Mmtt. 27:i.) Many expositors identify the 
 two meetings; but the supposition of a pre- 
 vious informal meeting is natural in itself, us 
 many of the rulers would be anxiously await- 
 ing the result of Judas' expedition, and this 
 supposition accounts for all tho phenomena of 
 the narrative; accordingly it is adopted by 
 Wieseler, Alford, Godet, Keim, and various 
 other recent writers. Edersh. insists that 
 neither of these was a regular pes.ion of the 
 
 i Vedder (" HIM. Sac.," Oct. 1882), calls it a "clumsy 
 and improbable hypothesis," and nays, " There is some 
 thing ludicrous in the statement, ' Now Annas sent him 
 
 (he "/". falling to notice that ttelln Is not lined in New 
 Tent, (except twice In the middle voice), and a/o.t/c//o Is 
 frequently employed where there In no distinctive no- 
 
 away bound to Caiaphas,' if the sending away consisted tlon of sending mray. Moreover, lending from one 
 In a removal from one apartment to another in the same | audience room to another, across a large court, was not 
 house" But he has laid an unwarranted stress upon a trifling removal. 
 
 2 K
 
 546 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Ce. XXVI. 
 
 59 Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the 59 to see the end. Now the chief priests and the whole 
 counril, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him i council sought false witness against Jesus, that they 
 to death; 
 
 60 But found none: yea, though many false witnesses 
 came, yet found they none. At the last came two false 
 
 60 might put him to death ; and they found it not, 
 
 witnesses, 
 
 Sanhedrin, and tliere was no formal condem- 
 nation of Jesus by that body ; but his line of ar- 
 gument is far from convincing. Geikie adopts 
 the same view from the Jewish writer Jost. 
 Chief priests, and elders, and all the coun- 
 cil, or Sanhedrin. The phrase suggests that the 
 chief priests formed a part of the Sanhedrin, 
 and that this was a full meeting. While no 
 exception is here mentioned, we know from 
 Luke (23:5or., R. v.) that Joseph of Arimathea 
 "had not consented to their counsel and 
 deed," and we infer the same as to Nicodemus 
 from the accounts in John. It would not be an 
 improbable supposition that the rulers had 
 avoided informing Nicodemus of this meeting 
 (comp. John 7 : 50-52). A quorum of the San- 
 hedrin was twenty three (Lf. ), but this was 
 " all the Sanhedrin," a very full meeting. 
 
 The Sanhedrin was in the time of our Lord 
 the highest court of the Jews. Our knowl- 
 edge of its constitution and functions is but 
 fragmentary. It arose during the Greek or 
 the Maccabaean period. The very name is a 
 mere Hebrew spelling of the Greek sunedrion 
 ('sitting together'), the h of hedra, lost in the 
 Greek compound, being restored in the trans- 
 literation, as has frequently happened. The 
 Mishna supposes that the Sanhedrin was a 
 survival of the council of seventy formed by 
 Moses (Num. iiiie), and infers that it also must 
 have contained seventy members, or adding 
 one for Moses, then seventy-one. It is prob- 
 able that this was the number, but we cannot 
 certainly determine. The constitution of the 
 body is not described by the Talmud, but the 
 
 New Test, shows (27:1; Xarkl5:l; Lake 22: 66) that 
 
 it consisted of chief priests, elders, and scribes, 
 though we know not in what proportions, nor 
 what sort of elders were included. As to the 
 chief priests and the scribes, see on 2: 4. The 
 chief priests are usually mentioned first, and 
 would naturally be the ruling section of the 
 body. They were for the most part Saddu- 
 cees, while the scribes were probably all 
 Pharisees. The presidency of the body seems 
 to have been elective, but the high priest was 
 commonly the person elected. The Sanhe- 
 drin tried (Schurer) all the more important 
 
 secular and religious, civil and criminal 
 causes, the less important being tried by in- 
 ferior local tribunals. It seems highly prob- 
 able, though not certain (see the difficulties 
 well stated by Vedder, p. 666 ff. ), that the 
 Sanhedrin' s death-sentence could at this 
 period be executed only by the procurators 
 permission. In John 13: 31, the Jews say to 
 Pilate, " It is not lawful for us to put any man 
 to death." Some argue that the Romans had 
 taken away this power when Judea first be- 
 came a province, as they are known to have 
 done in some other provinces. The Jems. 
 Talmud says (Sanh. i, 1; vii, 2), "Forty 
 years before the destruction of the temple, 
 judgments upon life and death were taken 
 away from Israel." This date is probably 
 given (Schurer) in a round number, as was 
 natural three hundred years later. The cru- 
 cifixion was probably in the forty-first year 
 before the destruction of the temple. The 
 stoning of Stephen was a tumultuary pro- 
 ceeding, and probably occurred at a time 
 when there was no procurator. The regular 
 place of meeting of the Sanhedrin was at a 
 hall either in or near the temple area (Jos. 
 and the Mishna differ). It is stated in the 
 Talmud that forty years before the destruc- 
 tion of the temple the Sanhedrin ceased to 
 meet in its hall, and met in shops ; these may 
 have been in the outer court of the temple, 
 which the Saviour more than once cleansed. 
 At any rate, a special meeting at the high 
 priest's residence would not be surprising in 
 such an emergency as the trial of Jesus, when 
 in various ways they were departing from 
 custom. Moreover, it may have been only 
 the informal meeting that was held at the 
 high priest's house; the formal session of 27: 
 1, may have been at their hall notice espe- 
 cially 'led him away' in Luke 22: 66 (Rev. 
 Ver., correct text). 
 
 Sought false witness, imperfect tense, 
 describing them as engaged in seeking. To, 
 or, that they might, put him to death. They 
 must have sufficient evidence for sentencing 
 him to death, in order that they might gain 
 the Roman governor's authority to execute
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 547 
 
 61 And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy 
 the temple of God, and to build it in three days. 
 
 62 And the high priest arose, and said unto'him, An- 
 swerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness 
 against thee ? 
 
 61 though many false witnesses came. But afterward 
 came two, and said, This man said, I am able to de- 
 stroy the i temple of God, and to build it in three 
 
 62 days. And the high priest stood up, and said unto 
 him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which 
 
 1 Or, sanctuary : as iu ch. xxiii. 35 ; xxvll. 5. 
 
 the sentence. Though many false wit- 
 nesses caine.i This was easy to bring about 
 through the continued exertions of influential 
 men, comp. Acts 6: 11; in fact, they had no 
 doubt been for some time hunting up wit- 
 nesses. (26: 4f.) Anywhere in Asia, not to 
 speak of other countries, there are hangers on 
 about the courts ready to sell testimony. 
 Mark explains (H: se) that 'their witness agreed 
 not together.' The Sanhedrin could not 
 afford to disregard the ordinary forms of 
 judicial procedure. Their proceedings could 
 not be permanently kept secret. The law ex- 
 pressly forbade the death penalty upon the tes- 
 timony of a Single witness. (Num. 35:30; Deut.l7:6.) 
 
 Here there were many witnesses, each making 
 a separate accusation, but not two to the same 
 count. It is vain to conjecture what were the 
 various and conflicting false testimonies. At 
 the last (afterward) came two. The Com. 
 text adds 'false witnesses,' from the preceding 
 verse. We might suppose that these two 
 agreed in their testimony; but Mark (i: 59, 
 Rev. vc*.) says, "and not even so did their wit- 
 ness agree together," probably meaning that 
 it did not so agree concerning the circum- 
 stances and terms of the alleged statement as 
 to be credible. The Mishna, treatise 'Sanhe- 
 drin,' gives detailed directions concerning wit- 
 nesses, one of which is ("Sanh.," V., 1) that 
 each witness must be asked seven questions as 
 to the alleged offence, viz., in what period of 
 seven years (counting from the Sabbatical 
 year) it occurred, in what year of the period, 
 in what month, day of the month, day of the 
 week, hour of the day, and at what place; 
 and the limits are indicated within which two 
 witnesses may differ upon one or another 
 question, without invalidating their testi- 
 
 mony. (Comp. Wunsche, or "The Criminal 
 Code of the Jews," London, 1880J Observe 
 that in Mark (u:os) the witnesses declare, 
 "We heard him say," etc., with emphasis on 
 " we " ; and so they could be required to give 
 time and place. We of course do not know 
 how far these strict rules were actually ob- 
 served two centuries before the Mishna was 
 written down. But while the Sanhedrin was 
 bent on conviction, it would for that reason be 
 all the more careful to observe customary 
 forms. Notice that there seems to have been 
 no call for evidence in Jesus' defence, though 
 he had intimated to Annas (John is : 20 r.) that 
 such evidence might be easily found. The 
 mediaeval Jewish fables tried to remove this 
 obvious injustice by declaring that heralds 
 made proclamation for forty days, and no 
 witness appeared in Jesus' behalf. It is 
 hardly necessary to say that Jewish writers do 
 not now claim any respect for these fables, 
 though some of them try to soften the guilt of 
 the Sanhedrin. This fellow (rather, man) 
 said. The Greek for 'this' does not in itself 
 carry such contempt as Tyndale, etc., ex- 
 pressed ~by ' fellow.' I am able to destroy. 
 Mark has 'I will destroy,' substantially 
 equivalent; and so as to the other slight dif- 
 ferences between Matt, and Mark. 'Destroy' 
 is literally, 'pull down,' same word as in 5: 
 17. The temple, is here naon, the central 
 house, see on 4:6. In three days, or, more 
 correctly, after three days, literally, ' with an 
 interval of three days,' 1 as in Acts 24: 17; 
 Gal. 2: 1. This alleged statement was evi- 
 dently a perversion of what Jesus had said at 
 the first passover of his ministry (John 2: 19), 
 14 Destroy this temple, and in three days I 
 will raise it up." He did not even suggest 
 
 1 The common text here presents an interesting ex- 
 ample of a "conflate reading." True text, 'and they 
 found it not, though many false witnesses came.' Uev. 
 Ver., some documents, 'and though ninny false wit- 
 nesses came they found it not.' Conflate text, 'and 
 they found it not, and though many false witnesses 
 came they found it not.' Any body can see that the 
 last was formed by combining the other two; and there 
 
 are many such readings fn the Common Greek text 
 (cotup. \V H., Int. g 132 ff.). 
 
 * Meyer and many are here misled by taking dia in 
 the sense of 'through,' and overlooking its primary 
 sense of 'between,' from which one derivative sense was 
 that of Interval. In 27: 40 and John 2: 19 the phrase 
 employed literally means ' in three days."
 
 548 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVI. 
 
 63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest 
 answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living 
 God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the 
 Son of God. 
 
 63 thess witness against thee? But Jesus held his 
 peace. And the nigh priest said unto him, I adjure 
 thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether 
 
 the idea of himself destroying the temple, 
 which the Jews would naturally call impious; 
 and we know, as the Sunhedrin might have 
 learned from him if they had desired, that he 
 meant the expression in a merely figurative 
 sense. But we find the same conception still 
 cherished among the Jews in Acts 6: 14. It 
 might be (Edersh. ) a good pretext to use with 
 Pilate, that Jesus would encourage popular 
 violence against public and sacred buildings. 
 The Egyptian of Acts 21 : 38 promised his 
 followers that from the Mount of Olives they 
 would see the walls of Jerusalem fall at his 
 command, and could inarch in. But this 
 could hardly be seriously treated as a ground 
 for sentence of death ; so the high priest 
 eagerly urges Jesus to answer the accusation, 
 hoping that thus he will somehow criminate 
 himself. This eagerness is indicated by the 
 fact that he arose, or stood up, Mark like- 
 wise, and also by the second question, what 
 is it, etc., by which he seeks to arouse the 
 accused into attention and response. It is 
 much more natural to understand the Greek 
 as two questions than as one. But Jesus 
 held his peace, literally, was silent, comp. 
 Isa : 53: 7. He knew that no explanation or 
 self-defence would be heeded, that his con- 
 demnation and sentence was a foregone con- 
 clusion ; comp. on 27: 14. He was fully pre- 
 pared for the foreseen result ( 2 : ), and now 
 awaited it in calm silence. Origen remarks 
 that the utter failure, notwithstanding dili- 
 gent etfort, to find anything against Jesus, 
 shows that his life was most pure and wholly 
 irreprehensible. 
 
 III. 63b-66. Jesus is condemned upon his 
 own testimony. Mark 14: 60-64. Luke, who 
 gives no account of the informal meeting, 
 presently introduces much the same matter 
 into his account of the formal session held 
 "as soon as it was day." (Lake 22 : ee-n.) It is 
 very improbable that this was all repeated in 
 the formal session (Clark's "Harmony"), and 
 very easy to understand that Luke has thrown 
 all the examination together, while some 
 portions of it would very likely be repeated. 
 
 The only matter of great practical importance 
 was that Jesus was condemned by the Sanhe- 
 drin, and upon his own confession. Finding 
 that the false testimony does not suffice for a 
 conviction, and that the accused will not dis- 
 cuss it, the high priest essays a bold stroke. 
 He demands a categorical answer, upon oath, 
 to the question whether Jesus is the Messiah. 
 And the high priest answered and said 
 unto him. The Com. text seems to be here 
 right in its reading. The 'answered' means 
 responded to the situation presented by 
 the persistent silence of Jesus (comp. on 11 : 
 25). I adjure thee, means exactly 'I put 
 thee on oath.' See the same Greek term in 
 Gen. 24: 3, 'I will make thee swear by the 
 Lord,' and comp. Lev. 5: 1 (Kev. Ver.), 
 where it is declared to be a sin if one who has 
 witnessed a matter "heareth the voice of ad- 
 juration" and does not tell what he knows. 
 Comp. also 1 Kings 22: 16. The high priest 
 used the most solemn form of oath, by the 
 living God. If one answered after such an 
 adjuration, he answered on oath ; the mere 
 ceremony of putting on oath is conventional, 
 as in some parts of our country men take an 
 oath by pointing to heaven, in other parts by 
 kissing the Bible. So then Jesus spoke on 
 oath before a court of justice, which shows 
 conclusively that he did not mean to condemn 
 all such oaths when he said, "Swear not at 
 all" (see on 5: 34); that he spoke of oaths 
 familiarly used in conversation. That thou 
 tell us. The peculiar Greek construction is 
 explained on 5: 29. Whether thou be the 
 Christ, the Messiah, see on 2:4. Here 
 (Mark and Luke also) K. James rightly in- 
 serted the article, though Tyn., Cran., Gen., 
 had simply 'Christ,' as K. J. has in many 
 other places. Luke here gives only ' the 
 Christ' ; Mark adds 'the Son of the Blessed' ; 
 Matt., the Son of God. It is evident from 
 John 19: 7 that 'the Son of God ' was under- 
 stood to mean the Messiah, and that claiming 
 to be the Son of God was considered blas- 
 phemy. B,ut it does not follow that the Jews 
 used or understood the phrase as denoting di- 
 
 1 Answered' is omitted by X B L, Memph., Origen, "Alexandrian" alteration due to ihe apparent incon- 
 Cyril, and various documents ; but it may well be an gruity of answering one who was silent.
 
 Cn. XXVL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 549 
 
 64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said : neverthe- 
 less I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of 
 man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in 
 the clouds of heaven. 
 
 65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He 
 hath spoken blasphemy: what further need have we 
 of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blas- 
 phemy. 
 
 G4 thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith 
 unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto 
 you, Henceforth ye shall see the Sou of man sitting 
 at the right hand of power, and coming on the 
 
 65 clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his 
 garments, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy : what 
 further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye 
 
 vinity, since they spoke of blasphemy quite 
 loosely (see on v. 65), and there is no indica- 
 tion in the Jewish books that the Messiah was 
 expected to be divine. According to our 
 ideas and legal usages, very different from 
 those prevailing in many other countries, it 
 is unjust to call on an accused person to give 
 testimony against himself; and so it is often 
 said that the high priest dealt unjustly in 
 calling on Jesus to testify. The law of Moses 
 provided that in some cases of uncertainty 
 the accused should take an oath upon the 
 matter; see Exod. 22: 10 f.; Num. 6: 19 ff.; 1 
 Kings 8: 31 f. Thus the high priest's course 
 was not formally illegal, though in spirit and 
 intent it was unjust. It is of late coming to 
 be provided in our laws that an accused per- 
 son may testify in his own behalf, but cannot 
 be required to criminate himself. 
 
 64. Jesus knew that the question was de- 
 signed to secure a ground of conviction. But 
 he was no longer silent. Now that the crisis 
 had arrived, that his 'hour' was come, he 
 would not decline to say distinctly, before the 
 highest Jewish tribunal, that he was the Mes- 
 siah. He had long urged the disciples to 
 "tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ," 
 or the Messiah (see on 16: 20), because the 
 crisis must not be precipitated before his work 
 of teaching and healing in every district of 
 the Holy Land was completed. Only a few 
 days before the end he had quietly avoided 
 saying to the rulers that he was the Messiah, 
 while allowing the people to think so (see on 
 21 : 15 f. ). But he will not pass to his death 
 as "despised and rejected" without having 
 borne distinct public testimony that he is the 
 Messiah. Thou hast said, viz., hast said 
 what is true, a formula of affirmative answer 
 found also in the Talmud (comp. above on 21 : 
 4 f.). In Mark it is directly ' I am.' In Luke 
 (w:67f.)the answer is preceded by a censure 
 of their unbelief and unfairness. Neverthe- 
 less. Although they now scorn his claim to 
 be the Messiah, and reject all the evidence in 
 his teachings and his works, yet they will 
 henceforth see his Messiahship indubitably 
 
 manifested. Hereafter, henceforth is the 
 real meaning. So Luke 22: 69, the Greek in 
 both cases being literally 'from now.' The 
 word refers to something that would be true 
 onward from the time of speaking. The Sav- 
 iour's death, resurrection, and ascension, the 
 miracles wrought by his apostles and other 
 gifts of the Spirit, the spread of the gospel 
 and its beneficial effects, would go on mani- 
 festing him to be the Messiah, sitting on the 
 right hand of power; and finally they 
 would behold his second coming in, cm, the 
 clouds of heaven. For the phrase, 'the 
 Son of man,' see on 8: 20. This expression 
 would remind the rulers of Dan. 7 : 13. By 
 this title Jesus had long virtually claimed to 
 be the Messiah, though not distinctly assert- 
 ing it in public. 'Power' (so Mark and 
 Luke) is the abstract for the concrete 
 (Meyer); Talmud and Midrash (Gill, Wiin.) 
 sometimes use the term 'power' to denote 
 God, as "The Ten Commandments came from 
 the mouth of power." In 22 : 42-45 Jesus had 
 spoken of sitting on the right hand of God as 
 a definitely Messianic phrase, and derived 
 from Psa. 110. As to 'coming on the clouds 
 of heaven,' comp. on 24: 30; that was said to 
 the disciples in private ; this to the Sanhedrin. 
 65 f. The high priest has accomplished 
 his object and proceeds to make much of the 
 confession. Rent his clothes, the usual 
 expression of grief, horror ( Acts u-. 14), or other 
 violent and uncontrollable emotion. The 
 custom, which existed also among the early 
 Greeks and Romans, doubtless originated 
 (Bengel) in the fact that excited emotions 
 often cause one's garments to seem confining. 
 'Rent' is a compound verb, thoroughly 
 rent to pieces; comp. 2 Kings 18 : 57; 19: 1. 
 Mark has the more specific term which de- 
 notes the undor-garments, of which several 
 were sometimes worn ; see on 5 : 40. The 
 Talmud directs(Lightf) that when the judgos 
 in a case of blasphemy rend their garments, 
 they must not be sewed up again. Maimon- 
 ides shows thnt at least in his time even this 
 expression of uncontrollable emotion was
 
 550 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVI. 
 
 66 What think ye? They answered and said, He is 
 guilty of death. 
 
 67 Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him ; 
 and others suiote tiiin with the palms of their hands, 
 
 66 have heard the blasphemy : what think ye ? They 
 
 67 answered and said, He is 1 worthy of death. Then 
 did they spit in his face and buffet him : and some 
 smote him * with the palms of their hands, saying, 
 
 1 Or, liable to. . . .2 Or, with rods. 
 
 formulated by custom; a man rent all gar- 
 ments except the innermost and outermost; 
 and rent from the front of the neck down- 
 wards to the length of a hand. The high 
 priest was forbidden in the law ( LT. 10 : is ; 21:10) 
 to rend his clothes; but this was in mourning 
 for the dead, because such mourning unfitted 
 him for the performance of official duties, and 
 it was not understood as prohibiting the prac- 
 tice on other occasions; see examples in 
 1 Maccabees 11:71; Jos. "War," 2, 15,4. 
 He hath spoken blasphemy. It is not 
 entirely clear, but seems probable, that the 
 high priest here understood the phrase 'the 
 Son of God' as claiming divinity; comp. 
 Luke 23:70. At any rate Jesus had dis- 
 tinctly claimed it in the added words about 
 sitting at the right hand of power, etc. Tn 
 John 5: 18, R.V., he was accused of " making 
 himself equal with God," because he "said 
 God was his Father," and in John 10: 50, for 
 saying " I and my Father are one," the Jews 
 sought to stone him, "because that thou, 
 being a man, rnakest thyself'God." It is very 
 hard to determine how much the Jews really 
 meant by these charges, as accusatory expres- 
 sions are apt to be stronger than would be 
 used in calm declaration. Nor is the question 
 important to us, since the Saviour left no 
 doubt as to the meaning of his answer, and 
 the New Test, as a whole teaches that Jesus 
 Christ is the Son of God in the highest and 
 fullest sense. And certainly, if Jesus had 
 only been a human teacher, he would surely 
 now have explained himself to that effect. 
 What think ye ? This was the regular Greek 
 phrase for putting any question to the vote. 
 They answered and said. They took no 
 formal vote, but decided by acclamation. 
 He is guilty of death, or liable to death 
 (Rev. Ver. margin), as in 5: 21 f., ' in danger 
 of.' So Tyn., Cran., Gen., 'worthy to die' ; 
 K. James followed Wye. and Rheims,' guilty 
 of death,' comp. Num. 35: 31. The same 
 term is here used in Mark. Death was the 
 legal punishment of blasphemy. (tev.Miie.) 
 The Mishna requires ("Sanh." v, 5) that where 
 a vote would condemn to death, the matter 
 
 must be postponed to the next day, when after 
 the night's reflection any of those who voted 
 to condemn may change, but not contrari- 
 wise. If this rule existed in the traditional 
 law at the time of our Lord, we can image 
 the Sanhedrin evading it by construing that 
 they had virtually voted to condemn Jesus 
 some time before (John n : 47-53), or that the meet- 
 ing after dawn (2^:1) was virtually another 
 session, with a portion of night for reflection 
 which would have been a device quite after 
 their fashion. It is, however, probable, as 
 Edersh. and Schiirer remark, that the#e were 
 largely ideal regulations, expressing what the 
 Rabbis thought ought to be done, nd by no 
 means strictly followed. 
 
 IV. 67 f. Jesus spit upon, buffeted, and 
 mocked. Mark 14 : 65 ; Luke 22 : 63-65. Ob- 
 serve that while Luke has transferred the 
 examination and condemnation to the regular 
 session after dawn, he puts this outrage and 
 mocking first, in the same order as Matt, and 
 Mark. Then did they spit in his face. 
 This would most naturally mean the members 
 of the Sanhedrin, mentioned in the preceding 
 sentence, but might mean (comp. 27 : 2) the 
 subordinate officials who had Jesus in custody, 
 and so Luke has it (22:63), "the men that 
 held Jesus." Mark's statement (H:65, Rev. ver.) 
 "some began to spit on him the offi- 
 cers received him with blows of their hands," 
 explains that some members of the Sanhedrin 
 joined the subordinates in these outrages. 
 (Comp. Acts 7 : 57 ; 23 : 2.) They would be 
 encouraged (Keim) by finding tr.at they 
 could with impunity smite him whose reported 
 miracles had often made them tremble. Buf- 
 feted him, smote him with the fist. So Tyn., 
 Cran., 'buffeted hym wyth fistes.' Smote 
 him with the palms of their hands, as in 
 5:39, and so Latin Versions, Memph., and 
 j Gothic; or perhaps(Rev. Ver. margin], 'smote 
 him with rods,' as Geneva. The same two 
 terms occur in Mark 14: 65. Luke says 
 (w:6sB. u. ver.) they " mocked him, beating 
 him." Prophesy, meaning, speak by divine 
 inspiration, not necessarily, nor even most 
 commonly in Scripture, involving a predic-
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 551 
 
 68 Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he 68 Prophesy unto us, thou Christ: who is he that 
 that smote thee ? struck thee ? 
 
 tion. Here, with his face covered (i^e and Mark), 
 he would need superhuman knowledge to 
 tell who smote him, and such knowledge the 
 Messiah might be expected to have. Matt, 
 alone gives ihe taunting address, thou 
 Christ, or simply ' Christ.' Luke adds, Rev. 
 Ver., "And many other things spake they 
 against him, reviling him." Here the Jews 
 mock Jesus as a pretended prophet; in 27: 
 27 ff., the Romans will mock him as a pre- 
 tended king. Amid all these insults of word 
 and deed he was still silent. Comp. 1 Peter 
 2: 23. 
 
 HOMILKTICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 58. JEROME: "Following afar, on the 
 road to denial." BKNGEL: "Sat with the 
 officers, inopportune good-fellowship." 'To 
 see the end.' HKNRY: " It is more our con- 
 cern to prepare for the end, whatever it may 
 be, than curiously to enquire what the end 
 will be. The event is God's, but the duty is 
 ours." V. 59. Jesus condemned, but right- 
 eous. After the failure of false witnesses, he 
 could be condemned only through his confes- 
 sion of what should have been a reason for 
 reverencing him. The traitor confessed him 
 to be righteous. (n--*-) Pilate found no fault 
 in him. (Luke23:u.) The centurion at the cross 
 declared him righteous. (Lukej3:47.) The day 
 is coming when every tongue will confess that 
 he is Lord. (PIUI. 2:11.) V. 61. BENGEL: "By 
 no great change of words is often made a 
 great calumny." V. 63. ORIGEN : "We 
 learn from this passage to despise the utter- 
 ances of calumniating and false witnesses, .not 
 holding them worthy of reply or of resistance, 
 when 03' their contradictions they resist each 
 other. It is a greater thing to maintain a 
 brave and self-respecting silence, than to de- 
 fend oneself to no purpose." V. 64. HENRY : 
 "He thus confessed himself, for example and 
 encouragement to his followers, when they 
 are called to it, to confess him before men, 
 whatever hazards they run by it." V. 66. 
 HALL: "O Saviour, this is not the last time 
 wherein thou hast received cruel dooms from 
 them that profess learning and holiness. What 
 wonder is it, if thy weak members suffer that 
 which was endured by so perfect an head." 
 
 69-75. THE FALL OF PETER. 
 Found also in Mark 14: 66-72; Luke 22: 56- 
 62; John 18: 15-18, 25-27. 
 
 Peter's three denials of his Lord evidently- 
 occurred during the progress of the Jewish 
 trial, which seems to have lasted two hours or 
 more. (Luke22:59.) We see from John (comp. 
 above on 26 : 58) that the first denial was made 
 while Annas was questioning Jesus; and it 
 is clear from comparing all the narratives 
 that the second and third were made while 
 Jesus still remained at the high priest's house 
 and Peter in the court, and probably during 
 the trial by the informal meeting of the San- 
 hedrin. (26:57-68.) Now Matt, and Mark do 
 not record the examination by Annas; accord- 
 ; ingly they only mention at the outset that 
 Peter followed Jesus afar off and entered the 
 high priest's court, and then, after narrating 
 the trial by the informal meeting, they de- 
 scribe Peter's three denials. Luke does not 
 give either the examination by Annas or the 
 informal trial ; accordingly, as soon us he 
 brings Peter into the high priest's court, he at. 
 once tells of the three denials. John has no 
 account of the Jewish trial except the exami- 
 nation by Annas; so he gives the first denial 
 in connection with the appearance of Jesus 
 before Annas, and then, after narrating the 
 interrogation and telling how Annas sent 
 Jesus to Caiaphas, he speaks at once of the 
 second and third denials. Thus the apparent 
 dislocation of this narrative in the several 
 Gospels is satisfactorily accounted for. Minute 
 discrepancies as to the exact place and time of 
 the different denials need not surprise us. The 
 | accounts are extremely brief, the numerous 
 | persons in the court were moving about and 
 much excited, the questions addressed to Peter 
 may in one case or another have been re- 
 peated by several persons, and the denial 
 variously made to each of these (comp. on 
 'began' in v. 74), while yet there were three 
 distinct and separate denials, as indicated in 
 each of the Gospels. It is not even necessary 
 to suppose that they all give the three in the 
 same order. To make out (McClcllan and 
 some others) five or six separate denials, and 
 thereby harmonize the details, is to diverge 
 from the Saviour's express prediction, "thou
 
 552 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVI. 
 
 69 Now Peter sat without in the palace: and adauisi-1 
 caiue unto biui, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of 
 Galilee. 
 
 70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not 
 what thou sayest. 
 
 71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another 
 maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This 
 fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 72 Aud again he denied with an oath, I do not know 
 the man. 
 
 73 And after a while came unto him they that stood 
 by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them ; 
 for thy speech bewrayeth thee. 
 
 uenieu wun an oaiu, i Know not tne man. And after 
 a little while they that stood by came and said to 
 Peter, Of a truth'thou also art one of them ; for thy 
 
 shalt deny me thrice," and to disregard the 
 stress laid by all four narratives upon three 
 denials. Surely much more is lost than gained 
 by such painful harmonizing. 
 
 FIRST DENIAL. 69 1'. Peter sat without 
 in the palace, or court, viz., in the court of 
 the high priest's house (26:58); 'without' is 
 said in contrast with the audience room in 
 which Jesus was appearing before the author- 
 ities. Peter was not in this room, but out in 
 the open air of the court; and this was 'be- 
 neath,' on a lower level than the audience 
 room. A damsel, viz., maul-servant; and 
 literally, 1 'one maid,' as distinguished from 
 'another,' in v. 71. So, Mark 14: 66, 'one of 
 the maids of the high priest.' Came unto 
 him, as he sat in the court, beside the fire of 
 charcoal ; so Mark and Luke. John says 
 that the maid, who was the doorkeeper, and 
 who was induced by John to admit Peter, 
 asked him the question ; and this might seem 
 in conflict with the other accounts. But 
 John's brief statement does not necessarily 
 mean that she asked him at the moment of 
 admitting him. She would very naturally 
 close the door and return to the fire herself, 
 and might then ask the question. With 
 Jesus of Galilee, a very natural expres- 
 sion in the high priest's servant, feeling every- 
 thing at Jerusalem to be immeasurably supe- 
 rior to the provinces. Mark, B. IT., 'with Jesus 
 the Nazarene,' and so Matt, in v. 71, Rev. 
 Ver. We have often seen that the Evangelists 
 do not undertake in all cases to give the exact 
 words spoken; we are concerned only with 
 any such discrepancy of statement as might 
 
 seem to impair credibility. I know not what 
 thou sayest. So Mark; Luke 'I know him 
 not' ; in John she asks if he is one of this man's 
 disciples, and he answers 'I am not.' There 
 is here no substantial conflict. 
 
 We must remember Peter's situation. 
 Over-confidence in himself, notwithstanding 
 the Masters warning (26:33-35), had led to lack 
 of watchfulness (26:40f.); suddenly awaking, 
 he committed a rash action (si), which he 
 might very reasonably fear would be avenged 
 if he were discovered; so when suddenly 
 asked, he was startled, frightened, and hastily 
 denied. Then he was deeper in trouble than 
 ever. We are not called to extenuate his con- 
 duct, but only to observe that it was pgychco- 
 logically not unnatural. 
 
 SECOND DENIAL. 71 f. When he Avas 
 gone out into the porch, the open gateway 
 passing under the middle of one side of the 
 house into the court; Mark calls it 'the fore- 
 court.' 2 Luke gives at this point no note of 
 place. John gives the second denial a* made 
 while Peter was standing and warming him- 
 self. Possibly the first and second denials are 
 by him given in reverse order. Observe that 
 he here says generally 'they said,' while 
 Matt, has 'another' (feminine), Mark 'the 
 maid,' Luke 'another' (masculine), i. e., 
 another person. The terms of address and 
 denial slightly differ as before. 
 
 THIRD DENIAL. 73 f. And after a \vhile. 
 Mark says 'a little after,' while Luke says 
 more definitely, 'about the space of one hour 
 after.' Came they that stood by, and said 
 to Peter. So in effect Mark, but Luke says, 
 
 Jit is not certain that 'one' ever becomes in New 
 Test, a mere indefinite article; the most likely exam- 
 ples in Matt, are 8: 19; 21: 19, (Rev. Ver. margin). 
 In the present passage the Latin versions and Gothic 
 have ' one,' Memph. ' a,' Pesh. ambiguous. Ronsch 
 holds that t/mu is sometimes a mere indefinite article; 
 but many of his examples are clearly forced, and none 
 of them (including this" passage) seem conclusive. 
 
 2 The statement in Com. text of Mark at this point, 
 ' and the cock crew,' is probably spurious, as it is want- 
 ing in X B L, one Evang., Memph., and one copy of the 
 Old Latin, and might be very naturally placed on the 
 margin here (and creep into the text), as explaining 
 'twice' in Mark 14: 30, 72, and 'the second time' in 
 72. See a very interesting discussion in W H., App. 
 JJ323.
 
 CH. XXVI.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 553 
 
 74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I 74 speech bewrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and 
 know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. to f. wear, I know not the man. Aud straightway 
 
 'another (person),' and John, Rev. Ver., 
 'one of the servants of the high priest, being 
 his kinsman, wtiose -ear Peter cut off,' which 
 would be a specially alarming fact, especially 
 when he a.sked, " Did I not see thee in the 
 garden with him ? " Now we may either sup- 
 pose that a question asked by one person was 
 taken up and repeated by others, which would 
 be very natural, or that the three denials are 
 given in different order by the several Gos- 
 pels. Matt, and Mark have (a) a maid in the 
 court, (b) another maid in the court, (c) the 
 bystanders, apparently in the court. Luke 
 has (a) a maid as he sat by the fire, (b) an- 
 other (person), place not indicated, (c) some 
 other (person), place in the court, as indicated 
 by Luke 22: 60 f. John has (a) the maid that 
 kept the door, (b) plural, apparently the per- 
 sons with whom he was standing and warm- 
 ing himself (J-hn is: is, 23), (c) one of the serv- 
 ants of the high priest, place not indicated. 
 It may be that John has mentioned the second 
 denial first, because suggested then by his ac- 
 count of the admission of Peter, or on the 
 other hand, that Matt, and Mark have 
 changed the order. John's (b) agrees as to 
 the plural with the (c) of Matt, and Mark. 
 The vague 'another person' and 'some other 
 person' of Luke, treat the details as compar- 
 atively unimportant. We need not insist on 
 any particular theory for exactly harmonizing 
 the several statements. There is nothing in 
 the group of details to weaken the credibility 
 of the narratives, but their evident independ- 
 ence strengthens their credibility, as persons 
 accustomed to compare the testimony of sev- 
 eral witnesses will readily see; and we may 
 be content to notice one or another possible 
 mode of combining all the facts. In preach- 
 ing or Sunday-school teaching, it would be 
 better to pass lightly over the mere harmoniz- 
 ing of details, and dwell on the general facts 
 which are the same in all the Gospels, and 
 which yield lessons of so groat importance. 
 
 This third denial was the most vehement of 
 all. Peter had involved himself by the first 
 in the apparent necessity, so sadly familiar to 
 human observation and experience, of adher- 
 ing to an initial falsehood. Now the bystand- 
 ers insist and argue. Surely, of a truth, i. e., 
 thou also art one of them. They are sure 
 of it. I^>r thy speech bewrayeth thee, 
 literally, makes thee manifest (evident). The 
 English word bewray meant primarily to ac- 
 cuse, and is of Teutonic origin. The entirely 
 distinct word betray is connected with traitor, 
 of French and Latin origin. (See Skeat. ) 
 Mark and Luke have ' for thou art,' (Luke 
 'he is') a Galilean.' Mark would be more 
 exactly 'for even thy speech,' or ' for thy 
 speech also,' as in 8:9. Perhaps (Piump. ) 
 his excitement and confusion made the local 
 peculiarities of speech more marked. i Then 
 began he (see on 11 : 20), suggests that it was 
 continued some time, as does the tense of the 
 verbs ' to curse ' and ' to swear.' This implies 
 various expressions of denial, perhaps ad- 
 dressed to different persons (comp. on v. 69). 
 He had already used an oath in the second 
 denial, (v. 72.) Cursing would, in such a cas:, 
 be invoking a curse upon himself if he were 
 speaking falsely, and so would be even 
 stronger than an oath. The Jews were much 
 given to a careless use of oaths (see on 5 : 33), 
 and it may be, as Alexander supposes, that 
 Peter relapsed under the excitement into an 
 early habit, which he had abandoned through 
 the Saviour's teaching. Alas! for human na- 
 ture; the Word made flesh was rejected by 
 the great mass of his own people, was betrayed 
 by one of his own followers, and by the very 
 leader of them was basely denied, again and 
 again, with oaths and curses. See 1 Cor. 10: 
 12. And immediately, or straightway, the 
 cock crew. Mark, Rev. Ver., and John 
 Rev. Ver. 'straightway': Luke ' immediately, 
 while he yet spake.' The Greek noun has 
 no article; it does not mean some particular 
 
 i Galilean peculiarities of speech are repeatedly men- 
 tioned in the Talmud. They consisted of (a) inter- 
 change of the gutterals Aleph and Ayin, or fheth and 
 Ayiu, which cannot t>e illustrated from our language; 
 (b) Interchange of the palatals Kaph and Qoph, a little 
 like the negligent fashion in which some now pro- 
 nounce quote, quota, quorum, as if writieu with a k; 
 
 (c) interchange of s or sh and th, like our lisp, and the 
 French change of ourth to s or z; (d) difference of some 
 vowel sounds, like English home, Scotch hamo, etc. 
 Examples are given from the Talmud in Wetst<-m, Hux- 
 torf, etc. As early as Judges 12 : fi, the local change of 
 shibboleth to sibboleth was marked and invariable.
 
 554 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVI. 
 
 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which 
 said unto him. Before the cock crow, thou shall deuy 
 me thrice. Ami he went out and wept bitterly. 
 
 75 Ihe cock crew. And Peter remembered the word 
 which Jesus had said, Before the cock crow, Thou 
 shall deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept 
 bitterly. 
 
 fowl, and our English article only denotes 
 the well-known sign of coming day. Murk, 
 'a second time,' corap. above on 26: 34; 
 see there also as to the Talmudic statement 
 that barn-yard fowls were not allowed in Je- 
 rusalem. Aud Peter remembered. Luke 
 prefixes "and the Lord turned and looked 
 upon Peter." The Saviour may have been 
 in the high priest's audience chamber, either 
 undergoing the informal trial, or kept there 
 till the dawn should allow a formal session. 
 This chamber might be open to the inner 
 court : and the lights in the room, and the fire 
 in the court, would make the pitying Master 
 and the fallen disciple visible to each other. 
 Otherwise we may suppose that the attendants 
 were just then leading Jesus across the court. 
 See Mrs. Browning's two sonnets, "The 
 Look," and "The Meaning of the Look." 
 And he went out, into the great entrance 
 as before, or more probably, quite out of the 
 building. At such a moment one would nat- 
 urally long to be alone. And wept bitterly. 
 So Luke; comp. I?a. 22: 4. Peter is seen no 
 more in the history till after our Lord's resur- 
 rection, but seems to have sojourned with his 
 friend John (John 20: 2, 10). Some of the early 
 Latin hymns allude to a legend that through 
 life he never heard a cock crow without 
 weeping. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 Peter's fall and rising again. (1) Steps 
 downward, (a) Self-confidence, and loud 
 professions, 26: 33; (b) Lack of watchful- 
 ness, v. 40 f.; (c) Taken off his guard, he 
 does a rash deed, v. 51; (d) Alarmed, yet 
 still self-confident, he takes a middle course 
 and follows at a distance, v. 58; (e) Cour- 
 ageous enough to venture into danger, though 
 wanting courage to overcome it, v. 58; (f). 
 Suddenly asked, he denies; ,(g) Feeling 
 bound by this denial, and frightened by the 
 repeated inquiry, he denies a rain and again, 
 with oaths and curses. Alas, alas! (2) 
 Climbing upward, through God's help, (a) 
 The Lord had prayed for him (Luke 22: 32), and 
 now looked upon him (Luke 22: si), and he felt 
 genuine grief and shame; (b) The risen Lord 
 
 appeared to him alone (Luke 24 : 34), a most 
 touching occasion of confession and forgive- 
 ness; (c) The Lord afterwards delicately re- 
 minded him of his loud professions, and 
 while no longer claiming superiority toothers, 
 he earnestly avowed his love, John 21 : 15 ft'.; 
 (d) Helped by the Pentecostal Spirit, he bold- 
 ly confessed Christ before the Sanhedrin and 
 the nation, Acts 4: 10. 
 
 CALVIN : "The fall of Peter is a mirror of 
 human infirmity, and a memorable example 
 of God's goodness and compassion. Peter 
 acted inconsiderately in entering the high 
 priest's court. It was proper to follow the Mas- 
 ter, but he had been warned of his coming 
 defection, and he ought to have avoided the 
 occasion. Often thus under the appearance 
 of virtue do believers fling themselves into 
 temptation. Conscious weakness should not 
 hinderus from going whithersoever God calls 
 us; but it ought to restrain rashness and stim- 
 ulate to prayer." V. 69. CALVIN: "He who 
 has thrown away the fear of God, may trem- 
 ble at the fall of a leaf. . . . The more emi- 
 nent one is, the more should he be careful ; 
 because he cannot fall from his high place 
 without damaging others." V. 70. WEISS 
 ("Life"): "When Peter vowed so confi- 
 dently that he would go with his Master to 
 death, he was thinking, no doubt, of a solemn 
 testimony to him for whom he was read3' to 
 sacrifice everything. But a great deed of 
 heroism is often easier than loyalty in small 
 things." V. 74. Contrast Peter in his great- 
 confession (16: 16), wishing to stay on the 
 Mount of Transfiguration (17: 4), and making 
 grand promises only a few hours before this 
 (26:33). V. 75. (1) Seeing that Peter fell, 
 let him that thinketh he standeth take heed 
 lest he fall, 1 Cor. 10: 12. (2) Seeing that 
 Peter was forgiven and became so useful, let 
 him that knows he has fallen rise up in earn- 
 est repentance. LUTHER: "No article of 
 the Creed is so hard to believe as this : I be- 
 lieve in the forgiveness of sins. But look at 
 Peter. If I could paint a portrait of Peter, 
 I would write on every hair of his head for- 
 giveness of sins."
 
 CH. XXVII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 WHEN the morning was come, all the chief priests 
 and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus 
 to put him to death : 
 
 2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, 
 and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. 
 
 1 Now when morning was come, all the chief priests 
 and the elders of the people took counsel uguiust 
 
 2 Jesus to put. him to death: and they bound him, 
 and led him away, and delivered him up to Pilate 
 the governor. 
 
 Ch. 27:1-10. JESUS FORMALLY SEN- 
 TENCED AND DELIVERED TO PILATE. SUI- 
 CIDE OF JUDAS. 
 
 This section divides itself into v. If., and 
 v. 3-10. 
 
 I. 1 f. The formal meeting of the Sanhe- 
 drin. Mark 15:1; Luke "22 : 66-71. It seems 
 greatly best to suppose, as we have been 
 doing, that while the real trial and condem- 
 nation of Jesus had already occurred (26:57-6s), 
 a formal session of the Sanhedrin was held 
 after daybreak, when the morniug was 
 come. So Mark 'in the morning,' and Luke 
 ' as soon as it was day.' The Mishna (" Sanh." 
 IV., 1) expressly provides that criminal cases 
 c in be decided only in the day time, and that 
 while a sentence of acquittal may be made 
 the same day, a sentence of condemnation 
 must be postponed to the next day. We have 
 seen (on 26: 66) how the latter provision 
 might have been evaded, but the former seems 
 to have been here regarded, being in fact 
 harder to evade. Luke has not described the 
 informal meeting and sentence, but he has 
 just before mentioned the indignities offered 
 to Jesus, which we know from Matt, and 
 Mark to have followed that sentence. It is 
 natural that Luke, in describing the formal 
 session should include some things that oc- 
 curred in the previous investigation, since 
 this made no difference as to tho general re- 
 sult; nor can we tell how far the formal 
 meeting would repeat the processes of the 
 other. Whatever view may be adopted as to 
 the several examinations of our Lord by the 
 Jews, we see clearly that it was public action, 
 on the part of the highest national authorities, 
 and was afterwards approved even by the 
 popular voice. (27:25.) The place of this ses- 
 sion may have been the high priest's resi- 
 dence, as before, but more probably was the 
 regular hall for meetings of the Sanhedrin 
 (see on 26: 59); notice especially that Luke 
 
 22 : 66 says, " they led him into their council," 
 the Sanhedrin. 
 
 Took counsel against Jesus to put him 
 to death. They had already voted that he 
 deserved to die (26:66;, and would only need to 
 repeat that vote in the formal session. But 
 there was a further question as to how they 
 could actually put him to death, as the 
 Romans had taken from the Sanhedrin (see 
 on 26: 59) the right to inflict capital punish- 
 ment, and this could be managed only 
 through Pilate the governor (see on 27: 11), 
 who had come from his usual residence at 
 Cesarea to Jerusalem, in order to insure order 
 at the great feast, and attend to any adminis- 
 trative points that might come up. They 
 probably then agreed to make before Pilate 
 the accusations they actually did make, viz., 
 that Jesus claimed to be a king, and forbade 
 paj'ment of tribute to Cesar (Luke 23: 2), and 
 that he stirred up the populace. (Luke 23 = 5. u.) 
 The further charge of blasphemy (Johni9:7) 
 they would hold in reserve. The Com. text 
 has 'Pontius Pilate,' as in Luke 3: 1; Acts 
 4: 27; 1 Tim. 6: 13; but 'Pilate' alone is 
 probably correct, according to some of the 
 best documents. 1 As to Pilate, and the term 
 'governor,' see on 27: 11. When they had 
 bound him. So Mark. He had also been 
 bound when they arrested him at Gethsemane, 
 John 18: 12, 24, but the bonds would naturally 
 be at least in part removed while they kept him 
 in the house. The persons who bound Jesus 
 and led him away are naturally understood 
 to be not the chief priests and elders ^v. i), but 
 the officials who did their bidding. The 
 Mishna directs ("Sanh.," VI., 1) that sen- 
 tence shall be followed by leading away to 
 execution, while the court remain in session 
 so as to hear any new evidence that may be 
 brought in the criminal's behalf, or any rea- 
 sonable appeal he may make, while on the 
 way, for a new trial. But here "the whole 
 
 1 B L 2, 33, 102, Memph., Theb., Pesh., Origen. j wise Insert it In Mark, Luke, and John ? In the ab- 
 We might suppose Pontius struck out here because | sence of decisive internal considerations, it is safest to 
 wanting in the other Gospels ; or Inserted because fa- follow documents so generally right, 
 miliar to the early Christians ; but then why not like-
 
 556 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVII. 
 
 3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw 
 that he w:i- condemned, repented himself, and brought 
 again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and 
 elders, 
 
 4 Saying. I have sinned in that I have betrayed the j 
 innoee'nt blood. 
 thou to that. 
 
 And they said, What is that to us? see 
 
 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, 
 and departed, and went and hanged himself. 
 
 3 Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that 
 he was condemned, repented liim.-dr, and brought 
 back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests 
 
 4 and elders, saying, I nave sinned in that I betrayed 
 1 iu accent blood. But they said, What is that to us? 
 
 5 see thou to it. And he cast down the pieces of silver 
 into the sanctuary, and departed ; and he went away 
 
 1 Mauy ancient authorities read, righteout. 
 
 company of them rose up, and brought him 
 before Pilate." (Lukezs: i, Rev. ver.) He was not 
 yet on the way to execution, and they need 
 not keep the Sanhedrin in session. 
 
 II. 3-IO. The sad fate of Judas. Not 
 found in the other Gospels, but comp. Acts 
 1 : 16-19. 
 
 (a) Judas returned the money and hanged 
 himself, (v. 3-5.) Judas, which had betrayed 
 him, see on 10: 4 as to his earlier history. 
 When he saw that he was condemned, 
 viz., that Jesus was condemned by the Sanhe- 
 drin. Perhaps he literally saw the procession 
 to Pilate's abode, and understood it to mean 
 that the Sanhedrin had condemned him. 
 This must have occurred before the cruci- 
 fixion, as only the condemnation is men- 
 tioned. It is most natural to follow Matthew's 
 order, placing it before the trial by Pilate. 
 Yet that is not a necessary view, since Matt, 
 might record the scene here to avoid.a break 
 in the subsequent narrative. The chief 
 priests and elders in general went with the 
 procession to Pilate (Luke zs : i), but some of 
 them may have gone at once to the Court of 
 the Priests, in order to oversee the morning 
 preparations for worship. The chief priests 
 and elders are mentioned in v. 3, with one 
 article for both names (correct text), probably 
 because the two classes were closely associated 
 in the Sanhedrin and otherwise. In v. 1 the 
 article in the original is repeated because of 
 the added words ' of the people.' Repented 
 himself, deeply grieved over and regretted 
 his conduct, the word being metamelomai^ 
 quite different from metanoeo, which is used 
 for repenting unto salvation, see on 3: 2; 21 : 
 
 29. Brought again the thirty pieces of 
 silver, see on 26: 15. In that I have be- 
 trayed, delivered up, as in v. 2, see on 10 : 4 
 and 17: 22. Innocent blood. The Ilev. 
 Ver., margin, 'righteous blood' J is probably 
 correct, but there is no important difference. 
 The reply of the rulers was scornful. Comp. 
 Acts 18: 15. In the temple, Rev. Ver., into 
 the sanctuary. But the Com. text, 'in the 
 sanctuary' is more probably correct. 2 The 
 sanctuary is naos, the central building or tem- 
 ple proper, see on 4 : 5 and 21 : 12. Some have 
 attempted to establish an occasional loose use 
 of naos for the whole sacred enclosure, but 
 without success. Not being a priest, so far as 
 we have any reason to believe, Judas had no 
 right to enter this building, or even the Court 
 of the Priests that surrounded it. He must 
 have felt desperate and reckless, so that he 
 rushed into the Court of the Priests, or into the 
 building itself, a"nd flung the coins ringing on 
 the floor of the sanctuary. If we read 'into,' 
 he must at any rate have entered the court, 
 which was equally forbidden. And went 
 and hanged himself. See the same word 
 in 2 Sam. 17 : 23 ; Tobit 3 : 10. As to the fur- 
 ther statements in Acts 1 : 18 f., see below. 
 
 In connection with what has been said of 
 Judas in 10: 4; 26: 14, 24, it may be remarked 
 that our Lord gave Judas a position for which 
 he appears to have been by nature specially 
 fitted. That is for any man the bestproviden- 
 tial assignment, and can only turn out other- 
 wise through his own grievous fault. (Comp. 
 Edersh.) Some modern critics and literary 
 men, in view of Judas' remorse and suicide, 
 have tried to construct for him a noble char- 
 
 i It is read by B'(second hand) L, Memph., Theb., Old 
 Latin, and Vulg., Syriac of Jerus., Arm., ^Ethiopic, 
 Origen, and other Fathers. The Sept. has 'innocent 
 blood' fifteen times, 'blameless blood' three times, 
 ' righteous blood' four times; but in only one of these 
 is that expression found in the Hebrew. So 'righteous 
 blood ' is a rare expression, and more likely to have 
 been changed into the common ' innocent blood ' than 
 
 contrariwise. In New Test, 'righteous blood' is found 
 only in Matt. 23 : 35 ; ' innocent blood ' not at all. 
 
 *' In ' might easily be changed to ' into,' ny persons 
 who knew that Judas had no right to enter the sanc- 
 tuary. It is probably an " Alexandrian " alteration, 
 being found in X L, Origen, Bus. : and W H. would 
 doubtless call it such but for its being found also in B.
 
 CH. XXVIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 557 
 
 6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and 
 said, It is uot lawful for to put them into the treasury, 
 because it is the price of blood. 
 
 7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the 
 potter's fieldj to bury stangers in. 
 
 8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, 
 unto this day. 
 
 6 and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the 
 pieces of silver, and said, It is not lawful to put 
 them into the 1 treasury, since it is the price of blood. 
 
 7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the 
 
 8 potter's field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that 
 field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. 
 
 1 Or. Corbanas 
 
 ; is, sacred treasury. Compare Mark vli. 11. 
 
 acter being apparently influenced partly by 
 love of paradox, partly by pity and charity, 
 and partly, it is to be feared (Olsh.), by a low 
 estimate of sin. They say that Judus, like 
 the other apostles, was expecting Jesus to set 
 up a worldly kingdom, in which, whoever 
 was otherwise greatest, he might hope to be 
 Treasurer. This hope would feed at once his 
 ambition and his covetousness. Seeing that 
 the Master shrank from establishing a worldly 
 kingdom, he is supposed by these writers to 
 have resolved upon a diplomatic stroke; he 
 would betray him to the rulers, and then 
 Jesus would be obliged to deliver himself by 
 force, perhaps by miracle, and would no 
 longer delay to assume the Messianic throne. 
 It was the unexpected and mortifying failure 
 of this high scheme that wrought in him such 
 intolerable remorse. Now that such alone 
 was the aim of Judas, is a fancy forbidden by 
 the express statement of John that he was "a 
 thief" (John 12 : 6) ; and of Jesus, long before, 
 that he was "a devil" (John 6: 70) ; and by the 
 Saviour's awful words (26 : 24, Rey.ver.), " Woe 
 unto that man through whom the Son of 
 mail is betrayed! Good were it for that man 
 if he had not been born." One may some- 
 times incline to think it possible that, along 
 with the low avarice which accepted a small 
 reward for treachery, there may have been 
 connected in his mind vague hopes that some- 
 how Jesus would escape, and it would all turn 
 out well. See an excellent article in this 
 direction by Park in Smith's "Bib. Diet.," 
 Amer. Ed., vol. 2, page 1498 ff. But it is dif- 
 ficult to suppose the elevated aims above indi- 
 cated to have been cherished by a thief and a 
 traitor; and most of the critics in question 
 have felt it necessary for their theory to dis- 
 parage the Gospel statements. It seems much 
 more probable that, taking literally the Sav- 
 iour's predictions that he would be crucified, 
 and perceiving the growing enmity and fixed 
 purpose of the rulers, Judas was minded to 
 save what he could out of the wreck, as the 
 end of his course of petty peculation, and as 
 some consolation for blasted hopes in regard 
 
 to the kingdom and its treasury. It may also 
 be that he was angered by the rebuke during 
 the supper at Bethany (see above on 26: 10 f. ), 
 and long before dissatisfied at gradually per- 
 ceiving how Jesus proposed self-renunciation 
 and cross-bearing instead of worldly self-ag- 
 grandizement. As to his end, we know that 
 men often lay plans for some vile act in a 
 dreamy, or a moody, sullen fashion, and 
 when it has been consummated, awaking to 
 realize what they have done, are filled with 
 vain regret and remorse. It might easily 
 have been so with Judas, and thus his 
 remorse and suicide are not in the least 
 inconsistent with his having been a low 
 thief and a shameful traitor. What mourn- 
 ful scenes of evil encompass the awful tragedy 
 of the crucifixion, Caiaphas and Pilate, 
 Peter and Judas. Let these help us to 
 understand the sinfulness of human nature 
 and the dreadful guilt of sin, and we can bet- 
 ter appreciate the necessity, significance, and 
 power of the cross. 
 
 (b) How the money was disposed of. (T. e-io.) 
 To put them into the treasury, the kor- 
 banas (Hebrew word borrowed in the Greek), 
 where every korban (see on 15: 5) or conse- 
 crated article was deposited. (Comp. Jos. 
 "War," 2, 9, 4.) It is not lawful .... 
 because it is the price of blood. This is 
 supposed to have been inferred from Dent. 
 23 : 18. The money had already dishonored 
 the temple by being thrown on its floor. 
 And they took counsel, probably some 
 hours or even days later, when they had more 
 time to think of so small a matter. The pot- 
 ter's field, spoken of as known by that name. 
 To bury strangers in. This was a contemp- 
 tuous charity, probably referring to Gentiles 
 who died at Jerusalem, as they would have 
 been unwilling to bury any Jew in a place 
 having a taint of desecration. The field of 
 blood. Acts gives also the Aramaic term 
 Aceldama. The tradition fixing the place of 
 Aceldama in the side of the valley of Hin- 
 nom, on the south of Jerusalem, goes back as 
 far as Jerome ("Onom."), while Eus. seems
 
 553 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVII. 
 
 9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jer- 
 emy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty 
 pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom 
 they of the children of Israel did value; 
 
 9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through 
 Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And I they took the 
 thirl y pieces of silver, the price of him that was 
 priced, '* whom certain of the children of Israel did 
 
 1 Or. I took 2 Or, whom they priced on the part o/the ion of Israel. 
 
 to locate it on the north. Comp. Robinson, 
 " Bibl. Res.," and a striking description in 
 Hackett's " Illustrations of Scripture." Unto 
 this day, shows that this Gospel was written 
 a good many years after the crucifixion ; it 
 would be much more natural in A. D. 60 than 
 in A. D. 40. 
 
 The account in Acts 1 : 18 f. differs in vari- 
 ous points from that here given. (1) Matt, 
 says the chief priests ' bought the field ' ; Acts, 
 ' this man purchased (acquired) a field.' The 
 latter is a high wrought expression, perfectly 
 intelligible all that he acquired by his 
 treachery was a field. The money bought 
 him a burial-place ; that was to him tbe sole 
 financial outcome of the iniquitous transac- 
 tion. i2) Matt, says he 'hanged himself; 
 Acts, 'falling headlong, he burst asunder in 
 the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.' 
 Why should these be called inconsistent state- 
 ments? Suppose that he hanged himself in 
 the potter's field probably an unenclosed 
 spot, from which potter's clay had often been 
 obtained, like a brickyard, and therefore not 
 costly; and suppose that the rope, or a limb 
 of a tree, broke; and the statements are all 
 accounted for. (3) Matt, ascribes the name 
 field of blood to the fact that it was bought 
 with the price of blood ; Acts, to the fact that 
 his own blood was poured out there. All the 
 circumstances (McClellan) must have become 
 known to the Christians, who resided at Jeru- 
 salem for years after their occurrence, and 
 would feel a painful interest in the entire 
 story. One of the reasons for that name does 
 not exclude the other. These several explana- 
 tions are artificial, but not highly so, and are 
 certainly all possible; and therefore it cannot 
 be fairly said that the accounts are incredible 
 because contradictory, nor that the writers 
 were erroneously informed. 
 
 9. Then was fulfilled. For the term 
 'fulfilled,' see on 1: 22; and for the phrase 
 'then was fulfilled,' instead of 'that it might 
 be fulfilled,' comp. on 2: 17. It was natural 
 to shrink from referring so horrid a crime in 
 any sense to the divine purpose. Spoken by, 
 through, Jeremiah, viz., 'by God through 
 
 Jeremiah,' see on 1: 22; 2: 17. Price . . . 
 was valued . . . did value. The same word 
 is used throughout in the Greek ; the repeti- 
 tion being painfully impressive. Com. Ver. 
 must of necessity vary the translation, 'price,' 
 'valued,' ' did value' ; but it did better than 
 Tyn,, Cran., Gen., which had 'price,' 
 'valued,' 'bought.' 
 
 The prophecy is evidently derived from 
 Zech. 11 : 13, and yet is here referred to Jere- 
 miah. There can be no doubt as to the text. 
 Augustine already remarks that the few 
 (Latin) copies which omitted the name (as 
 also Peshito does), or substituted Zechariah, 
 were evidently trying to remove a difficulty. 
 This difficulty has been the subject of immense 
 discussion. The principal theories are as fol- 
 lows: (1 ) Error on the part of Matthew. This 
 is apparently a very easy solution of Luther, 
 Beza, etc., and is popular now with many, 
 even Keil and Wright (on Zechariah). But 
 some have surely failed to consider the conse- 
 quences involved in such an admission. Per- 
 sons who earnestly seek another solution, or 
 who admit they cannot find one and are 
 quietly recognizing an unsolved difficulty, 
 may be jugt as honest and truth-loving as 
 those who with reckless bravery cut the knot. 
 (2) Origen and Eus. suggested, and many 
 have repeated, that it might be a mistake of 
 an original copyist, which is of course a mere 
 assumption, but quite as likely as a mistake of 
 the Evangelist. Morison ingeniously com- 
 pares "strain at a gnat" in 23: 24, which 
 appears to have been a slip of the pen or a 
 typographical error in the original edition 
 of King James. (3) The notion (Origen, Je- 
 rome, Ewald. and others), that it was taken 
 from some Apocryphal writing ascribed to 
 Jeremiah, is arbitrary and hardly worth dis- 
 cussing. (4) Mede suggested, followed by 
 Turpie, Wright, and others, that Jeremiah 
 may have been the author of Zech. ch. 9-11. 
 This would partly fall in with the recent 
 theory as to a divided authorship of that book ; 
 but the theory holds, for internal reasons, 
 that the author must have belonged to the 
 time of Micah and Isaiah. Mede's view is
 
 CH. XXVII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 559 
 
 barely possible. Morison well says that it 
 would be "a critical anachronism" to sup- 
 pose Matthew indicating in this fashion the 
 composite authorship of the book. (5) Light- 
 foot quotes the Talmud as saying that, in the 
 ancient orJer of the prophetic books, Jere- 
 miah stood first. So he thinks Matthew has 
 quoted from the general prophetic collection 
 as the Book of Jeremiah ; comp. the Psalms 
 of David, the Proverbs of Solomon. This is 
 very ingfnious. But no similar quotation is 
 foun-1 in New Test. Hengstenberg and Cook 
 ("Bib. Cornm.") notice the fact that only 
 Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Daniel are quoted by 
 name in the Gospels, Zech. being several 
 times quoted or referred to in the Gospels, 
 and many times in New Test., but never 
 named. (6) Hengstenberg thinks that as the 
 later prophets often reproduce earlier predic- 
 tions, so Zech. was here really reproducing 
 Jt-r. 18: 2 and 19: 2, and Matt, intentionally 
 refers to the original source, though adopting 
 mainly the later form. This theory is ably 
 argued in Hengst.'s "Christology," and Klie- 
 foth lias a similar though distinct theory (see 
 Wright). Beside the above-mentioned fact 
 that Zech. is so often quoted but never 
 named, Hengst. notices also that Mark 1 : 2 f . 
 refers to Isaiah what comes partly from Mal- 
 achi, giving the older and greater prophet 
 credit for the whole, the two predictions 
 being akin. On the whole this last seems the 
 most nearly satisfactory theory; but some of 
 the others are possible, even plausible. If 
 not quite content with any of these explana- 
 tions, we had better leave the question as it 
 stands, remembering how slight an unknown 
 circumstance might solve it in a moment, and 
 how many a. once celebrated difficulty has 
 been cleared up in the gradual progress of 
 Biblical knowledge. Comp. on 20: 29; 23: 35. 
 In Zechariah 11 : 13 the prophet in vision is 
 n representative of Jehovah acting as shep- 
 herd of Israel. The flock so misbehave that 
 the shepherd calls for his wages to quit. The 
 people (flock) show him contempt by valu- 
 ing him at thirty shekels, the price of a slave. 
 Jehovah says to the shepherd, "Fling it to 
 the potter, the glorious price at which I was 
 priced by them." The prophet adds, "And I 
 took the thirty pieces of silver, and I flung it, 
 in the house of Jehovah, to the potter." In 
 like manner, Jesus is contemptuously valued 
 
 by the representatives of Israel at thirty shek- 
 els, and this is flung away in the house of Je- 
 hovah, and goes to a potter for the purchase 
 of his field. The two cases are similar inter- 
 nally as well as in striking external points, 
 and the Evangelist declares them to have a 
 prophetic relation. Comp. on 1: 23; 2: 17 f. 
 Ewald, Bleek, Meyer, and others, hold that 
 the Hebrew does not mean 'potter/ but 
 'treasury.' They change the vowels, and 
 make an unknown word, and think that this 
 is required by the subsequent words ' in the 
 house of Jehovah.' It is enough to say that 
 the money flung in the temple did go to the 
 potter. Some have suggested the artificial 
 but not impossible hypothesis of a potter who 
 had a shop in the temple courts and supplied 
 the temple, and who owned the piece of land 
 that was bought. 
 
 As to the form of the quotation, Matt, here 
 leaves the Sept. and makes considerable 
 changes in the expressions of the Hebrew, 
 but only such as bring out more clearly the 
 meaning which, if we consider the passage as 
 prophetic, is really conveyed by the Hebrew. 
 Comp. on 2: 6. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 3. Downward course of one who began 
 as a teacher and an apostle. 1) Avarice, 2) 
 Thievery, John 12: 6, 3) Betrayal, 4) Ke- 
 morse, 5) Suicide, 6) His own place, Acts 1 : 
 25. Peter and Judas. 1) They both, and 
 they only, are called Satan, 16: 23; John 6: 
 70. 2) They both, and they only, turned 
 openly against the Master at the end. 3) 
 They both sorrowed deeply, but in one it was 
 remorse, in the other it was humble and lov- 
 ing repentance. 4) One committed suicide, 
 the other found forgiveness and lived along 
 life of usefulness. How the traitor was 
 treated. 1) Eagerly welcomed, and promptly 
 paid, '26: 15. 2) Solemnly warned, but in 
 vain, 26:24. 3) Diligently assisted, 26:47; 
 John 18: 3. 4) Scorned and slighted, 27: 4. 
 5) The price of his treachery made a monu- 
 ment of his ignominy forever. 
 
 V. 4. "I have sinned." Spurgeon has a 
 sermon that introduces seven different persons 
 in Scripture, each saying, "I have sinned." 
 
 What is that to us?" It was really much 
 to them ; for if Judas had betrayed a righteous 
 man, they had condemned him. They could
 
 560 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVII. 
 
 10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord 
 appointed me. 
 
 11 And Jesus stood before the governor : and the gov- 
 ernor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the 
 Jews? And Jesus said uuto him, Thou sayest. 
 
 10 price; and Hhey gave them for the potter's field, 
 as the Lord appointed me. 
 
 11 Now Jesus stood before the governor: and the 
 governor asked hiui, saying, Art thou the King of 
 
 1 Some ancieut authomie 
 
 "I, Iga 
 
 not shift their guilt upon Judas, as Pilate 
 could not shift bis upon the Jews. (27:24.) 
 HEXRY : "It is folly for us to think that the 
 sins of others are nothing to us, especially 
 those sins that we are any way accessory to, 
 or partakers in. ... Sinners, under convic- 
 tions, will find their old companions in sin 
 but miserable comforters. It is usual for those 
 that love the treason to hate the traitor." 
 V. 5. How often does gain gotten by crime 
 become a torment. V. 6. Scrupulosity and 
 injustice. 1) They would pay the price, but 
 would not put the price of blood in the treas- 
 ury. 2) They would not enter the governor's 
 abode for fear of defilement (Johnis^s), but 
 they would manoeuvre and lie t' make the 
 governor murder the righteous. 3) They 
 were horror-struck at a claim to be the Mes- 
 siah (26: 6of.), and they would bribe Roman 
 soldiers to a false report to prevent the claim 
 from being believed, (as = 12.) V. 10. EUTHYM. : 
 "Let the money-lovers consider how Judas 
 1) committed the sin, 2) did not enjoy the 
 money, 3) lost his life." LUTHER: "In Ju- 
 das we see two things; how sin at first easily 
 slips in, but afterwards makes such a horrible 
 end." 
 
 11-31. JESUS TRIED BY PILATE. 
 
 Found also in Mark 15: 2-20; Luke 23: 2- 
 25 ; John 18 : 28-19 : 16. Luke here gives a 
 good deal, and John still more, of matter not 
 found in Matt, and Mark ; while Matt, has 
 two remarkable points not found in the 
 others, viz., v. 19 and v. 24 f. This section in 
 Matt divides into v. 11-14, 15-18, 19, 20-23, 
 24 f., 26, 27-31. 
 
 I. 11-14. Pilate finds no grounds of 
 condemnation. And Jesus stood before 
 the governor, viz., Pilate. (27 = 2.) The time 
 was early morning. (27 : i; John is : 28.) The place 
 was either in the Castle of Antonia, at the 
 northwest corner of the temple area, or at the 
 grand palace of Herod the Great, on the 
 western side of the city, near the present 
 Jaffa gate ; it does not seem possible at pres- 
 ent to decide between the two localities. The 
 Greek word translated "governor" is a gen- 
 eral term signifying leader, ruler, governor in 
 
 general, as in 10: 18; 1 Peter 2: 14, and fre- 
 quently applied to a Roman procurator, as 
 throughout this and the following chapters, 
 and in Acts ch. 24-26; so sometimes in Jo- 
 sephus. 
 
 When Archelaus was banished in A. D. 6 
 (comp. above, end of ch. 2), Judea and Sama- 
 ria were made a Roman province, governed 
 by a procurator, who resided at Cesarea as 
 the political capital, and visited Jerusalem 
 upon occasion, especially at the time of the 
 great feasts. The sixth procurator, A. D. 26- 
 36, was Pontius Pilatus, who, besides New 
 Test, and Jos., is mentioned by Tac'.tus 
 ("Ann.," 15, 44), " Christus, in the reign of 
 Tiberius, was executed by the procurator 
 Pontius Pilatus." We know nothing of 
 Pilate's history before entering upon office. 
 In the probably four years he had now been 
 holding it, he had made himself very odious 
 to the Jews, by disregarding their religious 
 convictions and feelings. We find mention 
 of four instances, all apparently belonging to 
 this early period, (a) In removing his army 
 from Cesarea to Jerusalem for winter quar- 
 ters, he sent in by night some ensigns bearing 
 busts of Cesar, while former governors had 
 used other ensigns in entering Jerusalem, out 
 of regard for Jewish feeling against graven 
 images. Multitudes of the people went to 
 Cesarea and continued for five days and 
 nights their incessant entreaties for the re- 
 moval of these images, which he refused 
 because it would seem an insult to Cesar. On 
 the sixth day he let in soldiers threatening the 
 suppliants with slaughter ; but they prostrated 
 themselves and bared their throats before the 
 drawn swords, saying that they would gladly 
 die rather than allow transgression of the 
 law; so he yielded, and ordered back the im- 
 ages (Jos., "Ant.," 18, 3, 1; "War," 2, 9, 
 2-4). (b) Philo, in urging upon Caius Ca- 
 ligula the example of Tiberius, tells that 
 Pilate once offered up in the palace of Herod 
 some golden shields, without figures, but in- 
 scribed, and after long obstinately refusing 
 the entreaties of the people, received orders 
 from Tiberius at Rome to remove them.
 
 Cn. XXVII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 561 
 
 12 And when he was accused of the chief priests and 
 elders, he answered nothing. 
 
 13 Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how 
 many things they witness against thee ? 
 
 12 the Jews ? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. 
 And when he was accused by the chief priests'and 
 
 13 elders, he answered nothing. Then saith Pilate unto 
 him, Hearest thou not how many things they wit- 
 
 See that curious work, written soon after 
 A. D. 40, Philo's "Embassy to Caius," ? 38. 
 (c) He used the sacred treasure called Cor- 
 ban (Mark 7: n), to build an aqueduct near 
 fifty miles long. On his return to Jeru- 
 salem the people gathered about his tribunal 
 with loud clamors, and he sent among them 
 soldiers, who beat them savagely with staves, 
 killing many, while others were trodden to 
 death in the flight; and so in that case he tri- 
 umphed (Jos. " War," 2, 3, 9). (d) He slew cer- 
 tain Galileans while engaged in offering sacri- 
 fices at the temple, so that their blood min- 
 gled with the blood of their sacrifices to 
 Jewish feeling a horrible combination of 
 cruelty and profanation. (Lukeis: i.) We need 
 not wonder that Jos. has no account of 
 this, for Philo speaks of Pilate's "successive 
 murders without trial," declaring that he 
 feared any appeal to Tiberius, lest the embassy 
 should also accuse his "acceptance of bribes, 
 plunderings, outrages, and wanton insults, 
 continual and most grievous cruelty," and 
 characterizing him as " unbending, self- 
 willed, harsh, and malignant." These facts 
 and statements will prepare us to understand 
 the relations of the accusers and the judge in 
 the trial of Jesus before Pilate. It should be 
 added that six years later the proconsul of 
 Syria, who was the procurator's superior, 
 upon complaint of his cruelty towards certain 
 Samaritans, ordered him to Rome, where he 
 arrived after the death of Tiberius ("Ant." 
 18, 4, 1 f.). Eusebius says ("Hist." 11,7), 
 that "in the time of Caius (A. D. 37-41) Pilate 
 fell into so great misfortunes that he commit- 
 ted suicide." It is stated by Justin Martyr, 
 Tertullian, and Euseb., that Pilate made an 
 official report to Tiberius concerning his trial 
 of Jesus; but this is now represented only by 
 jinquestionably spurious writings. 
 John relates how Pilate came out from the 
 
 Pilate knew that they designed a grave accu- 
 sation. He must have repeatedly heard of 
 Jesus during the last three years, of the great 
 crowds that followed him, and the reported 
 miracles, but also that he seemed to have no 
 political aims. Luke (Rev. Ver. ) tells that 
 they said, "We found this man perverting 
 our nation, and forbidding to give tribute to 
 Cesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a 
 king." They kept the purely religious ques- 
 tion in reserve (John 19: 7), and put forward 
 political accusations, such as alone properly 
 concerned a Roman governor (comp. Acts 18: 
 12-17), and these of the most serious kind. Now, 
 in Roman trials (Keim), great importance 
 was attached to a confession by the accused. 
 Accordingly, Pilate asked the question given 
 by Matt., Mark, and Luke, and John, Art 
 thou the king of the Jews? This in Matt, 
 and Mark requires something said by the 
 Jews as accounting for it, which John and 
 Luke afford. ' Thou ' is emphatic, being sep- 
 arately expressed in the Greek. Thou say- 
 est, viz., sayest what is true (comp. on 26: 25). 
 John shows that this question and answer 
 were spoken in private within the praetorium 
 (John 18: 33), and that Jesus explained, "My 
 kingdom is not of this world." We have seen 
 on 25:34 how our Lord had of late been 
 speaking of himself to the disciples as king, 
 and on 26: 64 how before the Sanhedrin he 
 avowed himself the Messiah, and thus a king. 
 It is probably to this confession that he was 
 the king of the Jews that Paul refers in 1 
 Tim. 6:13, Rev. Ver.: "Christ Jesus, who 
 before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good con- 
 fession." 
 
 When he was accused, or, 'while he was 
 being accused.' By the chief priests and 
 elders, first one speaking, and then another. 
 This was probably both before and after Pi- 
 late's private interview with him. To never, 
 
 prsetorium, because the rulers were unwilling j or, not even to one word, is the literal transla- 
 
 te enter, and inquired "What accusation 
 bring ye against this man?'' They replied 
 that he was an evil-doer. Upon Pilate's bid- 
 ding them take him and judge him them- 
 selves, they said " We (emphatic) are not per- 
 mitted to put any one to death"; and so 
 
 2L 
 
 ti>n. Pilate's remonstrance (v. 13) appears 
 to have been kindly meant. The utter silence 
 of the accused seemed wonderful, (v. u). A 
 Roman writer say.*, "Silence is a kind of con- 
 fession." Did Jesus mean thus to confess the 
 charge as true? There was something about
 
 562 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVII. 
 
 14 And he answered him to never a word: insomuch 
 that the governor marvelled greatly. 
 
 15 Now at f/mf feast the governor was wont to release 
 unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. 
 
 1C And they had then a notable prisoner, called Bar- 
 abbas. 
 
 17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pi- 
 late said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto 
 you? Barubbas, or Jesus which is called Christ ? 
 
 14 ness against thee? And he gave him no answer, not 
 even to one word: insomuch that the governor mar- 
 
 15 veiled greatly. Now at 1 the feast the governor was 
 wont to release unto the multitude one prisoner, 
 
 16 whom they would. And they had then a notable 
 
 17 prisoner, called Barabbas. When therefore they 
 were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom 
 will ye that i release unto you ? Barabbas, or Jesus 
 
 1 Or, a /east. 
 
 him which disinclined the governor to think 
 so. How many things. The Greek may 
 mean either how many or how great, indeed 
 may include both what a mass of things. 
 Can we see reasons for this remarkable si- 
 lence, before the Roman as well as the Jew- 
 ish tribunal (26: 63)? (1) He has already been 
 condemned by the Sanhedrin for blasphemy. 
 His death is a foregone conclusion with them, 
 and Pilate is fettered by his own past wrong- 
 doing, and must yield to their wishes. It will 
 do no good to speak ; it would be casting 
 pearls before swine. The only charge that 
 needed explanation to Pilate he did explain 
 to him in private. (2) The crisis of his minis- 
 try has arrived, his ' hour' is now come. For 
 two years he has prudently avoided exciting 
 the hostility of his enemies, and the fanati- 
 cism of his friends. But there is no occasion 
 for further delaying the inevitable collision. 
 He has finished his work of teaching, his life 
 of humiliation, and the hour is come that he 
 should be glorified. (John 12: 23; IT:*.) (3) His 
 death is not only inevitable, but necessary, 
 and he now voluntarily submits to it. (John 
 io: n r.) One prayer to the Father might 
 stop it, but he will not so pray. (John 12: 27; 
 Matt. 26:53.) The thought of this hour has long 
 been a burden to his soul (Luke 12: so), and last 
 night its approach cost him a long and pain- 
 ful struggle in the garden; but now he is 
 ready to endure the cross, despising the 
 shame, for the joy that is set before him. (HD. 
 
 12: 2.) 
 
 Luke and John here relate that Pilate de- 
 clared he found no fault in the accused. (Luke 
 23: t ; John is: ss.) So the trial before him was 
 thus far a failure. Rut the Jewish rulers 
 (Lnke23:5, R. v.) " were the more urgent, saying, 
 He stirreth up the people, teaching through- 
 out all Judea, and beginning from Galilee 
 even unto this place." Thus Pilate learned 
 that the accused was a Galilean. He seized 
 upon this fact as affording a prospect of an 
 escape from this unpleasant trial, and at the 
 
 same time of conciliating Herod Antipas, the 
 tetrarch of Galilee, with whom he had been 
 at enmity. So he sent Jesus to Herod, who 
 had come to Jerusalem for the feast. ( Luke 2: 7-12.) 
 This formed the second stage in the Roman 
 trial. But while he succeeded in conciliating 
 Herod, the governor failed to escape the re- 
 sponsibility of the investigation. Jesus was 
 utterly silent before Herod also, and was sent 
 back, nothing having been accomplished. 
 
 II. 15-18. Pilate attempts to release Jesus. 
 Mark 16: 6-10; Luke 23: 13-16; John 18: 39 f. 
 Summoning the rulers and the people, the 
 procurator declared (Luke) that he, and like- 
 wise Herod, had found no fault in this man 
 concerning the matters of accusation. So he 
 proposed p sort of compromise, " I will there- 
 fore chastise him, and release him." He hoped 
 that this amount of punishment might satisfy 
 the hostility of the accusers. At that feast, 
 Rev. Ver., the feast, feast by feast, whenever 
 a feast occurred ; but the reference is probably 
 to the passover, and not all the feasts. The 
 governor was wont to release unto the 
 people, multitude. This was more likely a 
 Roman than a Jewish custom, but its origin 
 is quite unknown. Despots have often found 
 some release of prisoners to be popular with 
 the many. A, one, prisoner. This is clearly 
 a numeral, and not an indefinite article, comp. 
 on 26 : 69. They had, viz., the governor and 
 those associated with him in such matters. 
 Barabbas. The insurrection against the 
 Romans when a procurator was first appointed 
 had left some popular robber?, who were re- 
 garded as patriots (comp. on 22: 17). It is not 
 unlikely that Barabbas was one of those. He 
 was not only "a robber" (Johni8:40), but had 
 excited an insurrection in the city, during 
 which he and his followers had committed 
 murder. ( Mark io: 7; Luke 23: 19.) These facts oc- 
 count for Matthew's calling him a notable 
 
 j prisoner, or 'a prisoner of mark.' It is also 
 probable that the two robbers crucified with 
 
 1 Jesus were Barabbas' followers, so that the
 
 CH. XXVII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 563 
 
 13 For he knew that for envy they had delivered 
 him. 
 
 19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his 
 wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do 
 with that just man : for I have suffered many things 
 this day in a dream because of him. 
 
 20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the 
 multitude that they siiould ask Barabbas, and destroy 
 Jesus. 
 
 18 who is called Christ? For he knew that forenyy 
 
 19 they had delivered him up. And while he was sit- 
 ting on the judgment-seat, his wife sent unto him, 
 saying, Have thou nothing to do with that righteous 
 man : for I have suffered many things this day in a 
 
 20 dream because of him. Now the chief priests and 
 the elders persuaded the multitudes that they should 
 
 Saviour literally took his place. Jesus was 
 falsely accused of sedition, and a man really 
 guilty of sedition was released. The name 
 Burabbas occurs frequently in the Talmud, 
 and signifies 'son of Abba,' or 'son of a 
 teacher,' it being common to call a rabbi 
 'father.' (23:9.) Comp. Barjonah (is: n), Bar- 
 tholomew. (10:2.) The name might mean 
 simply 'son of his father,' but not so probably. 
 A few documents give in v. 16 and 17, or in v. 
 17 alone, 'Jesus Barabbas.' Everyone feels 
 this to be an interesting reading, but the evi- 
 dence is too slight to warrant accepting it, as 
 is done by Fritz., Meyer, Farrar, and others. 
 Tregelles has shown how it might have arisen 
 through a mistake in copying; see also Tisch. 
 and W H., App. Whom will ye that I re- 
 lease unto you ? John also states, and Luke 
 implies, that Pilate suggested the release of 
 Jesus. Mark (i5:s) at first seems to make it 
 come from the people. But he only states 
 that the thronging multitude at that point 
 reminded Pilate of the custom, a very natural 
 thing upon coming before the tribunal early 
 on the first day of the feast, and Pilate took 
 up the idea and asked whether they wished 
 him to release Jesus. For envy they had 
 delivered him. Mark carefully distinguishes 
 Pilate addressed "the multitude," and "per- 
 ceived that for envy the chief priests had de- 
 livered him up," K. V. Their jealousy arose 
 from the fear that a person claiming to be the 
 Messiah would interfere with their popularity 
 and power. Pilate might well enough sup- 
 pose that the multitude would have little 
 sympathy with this feeling. Or Jesus, 
 which is called Christ. We usually find 
 'the Christ,' the Messiah, see on 2: 4; but 
 here, as in 1: 1, 10, and probably in 16: 20, it 
 is simply 'Christ,' a proper name. 
 
 III. 19. Message from Pilate's wife. This 
 is found in Matt. only. The judgment seat 
 was a special chair, often carried about by a 
 Roman official of rank, and placed as a seat 
 of justice in front of his tent or house, upon 
 an elevated 'pavement,' tesselated or mosaic. 
 
 The Romans were ostentatious of publicity in 
 trials, as opposed to secret investigations. 
 Comp. (Keim) the case of the procurator 
 Florus, who in A. D. 66, after spending the 
 night in Herod's palace, " the next d&y 
 placed in front of the palace a judgment seat, 
 and sat down ; and the chief priests and men of 
 power arid all that was most distinguished in the 
 city stood beside the judgment seat." (Jos., 
 "War," 2, 14, 8.) This curious interruption 
 from Pilate's wife gave time for the rulers to 
 move about among the crowds and persuade 
 them to ask for Barabbas. (v. 20.) It is sug- 
 gested by Edersh. (comp. above on 26: 47) 
 that so large a force as a cohort, commanded 
 by a chiliarch, could not have been furnished 
 to the rulers for the apprehension of Jesus 
 without authority from Pilate. This would 
 account for the fact that Pilate's wife knew 
 what was going on, and felt distressed and 
 anxious. Have thou nothing to do with 
 that just man; the same Greek construction 
 as in 8: 29; John 2: 4. This day in the Jew- 
 ish sense, beginning at sunset. There is noth- 
 ing here to indicate a divine influence in 
 connection with the dream, and it can be ac- 
 counted for by natural causes. The message 
 would naturally increase the governor's re- 
 luctance to condemn the accused. A tradition, 
 with but slight support, gives to Pilate's wife 
 the name of Procla, or Claudia Procula. In 
 like manner, the two robbers, the centurion, 
 etc., have received traditional names, which 
 interest some minds, but are of no real value. 
 In A. D. 21, it was proposed in the Roman 
 Senate that no provincial magistrate should 
 be accompanied by his wife, as had been grow- 
 ing common ; but the motion failed. Tacitus 
 ("Ann.," III., 33-35) gives a summary of ar- 
 guments on both sides. 
 
 IV. 20-23. The people choose Bnrabhas 
 rather than Jesus. Mark 15: 11-14; Luke 
 23: 18-23; John 18: 40. The chief priests 
 and elders persuaded the multitude, 
 while Pilate was occupied with the message 
 from his wife. Notice that great throngs of
 
 564 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [On. XXVII. 
 
 21 The governor answered and said unto them, 
 Whether of the twain will ye that I release uuto you? 
 They said, Barabbas. 
 
 22 Pilate saith unto them, Wh;it shall I do then with 
 .lesus which is called Christ ? They all say unto him, 
 Let him be crucified. 
 
 23 Aud the governor said, Why, what evil hath he 
 done ? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him 
 be crucified. 
 
 24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, 
 but. that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and 
 washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am 
 innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. 
 
 21 ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. But the gov- 
 ernor answered and said unto them, Whether of the 
 twain will ye that I release unto you? And they 
 
 22 said, Barabbas. Pilate saith untothem, What then 
 shall I do unto Jesus who is called Christ? They 
 
 23 all say, Let him be crucified. And he said, Why, 
 what evil hath he done? But they cried out ex- 
 
 24 ceedingly, saving, Let him be crucified. So when 
 Pilule saw that he prevailed nothing, but rather 
 that a tumult was arising, betook water, and washed 
 his hands before the multitude, saying, I am inno- 
 
 people were gathered in front of the prseto- 
 rium. The Jews have always been skillful 
 politicians. The popular zeal about Jesus as 
 the Messiah had evidently cooled, and prob- 
 ably because now for five days since the tri- 
 umphal entry he had done nothing towards 
 establishing himself as king. The wily dema- 
 gogues could say that the highest court had 
 tried Jesus, and found him an impostor and a 
 blasphemer, who deserved to die, and they 
 hoped Pilate would crucify him. If Barab- 
 bas was associated with patriotic traditions, as 
 we have supposed (on v. 16), it was easy to 
 excite popular good-will towards him. Comp. 
 the modern Greek robbers under Turkish 
 rule. Mark, Rev. Ver., says, " the chief priests 
 stirred up the multitude," a strong term, indi- 
 cating that they roused them to excited feel- 
 ing, for Barabbas or against Jesus, or probably 
 both. ' Persuaded that they should ask', is a 
 non-final construction, explained on 5 : 29. 
 Alexander : " This deliberate preference of a 
 bad man to a good one, of a justly condemned 
 criminal to one whom even Pilate recognized 
 as innocent, would have been enough to brand 
 the conduct of the priests with infamy. But 
 when to this we add that they preferred a 
 murderer to the Lord of life, a rebel and a 
 robber to a prophet, to their own Messiah, 
 nay, to the incarnate Son of God himself, 
 this perverseness seems almost incredible and 
 altogether irreconcilable with rectitude of 
 purpose and sincere conviction." Comp. the 
 striking statement by Peter in Acts 3 : 13-15. 
 In consequence of this skillful persuasion 
 from the rulers, the multitudes ' cried out' 
 ( Luke and John), shouted the request. What 
 shall I do then with Jesus which is called 
 Christ? He wishes them to observe (Alex.) 
 that the effect of their choosing Barabbas is to 
 leave Jesus in danger, hoping that this 
 thought may lead them to change the request. 
 They all say unto him, Let him be cru- 
 cified. The hint to this effect had probably 
 
 been given the crowd by the rulers. They 
 could thus make his death ignominious, so as 
 to break his hold on popular admiration ; and 
 could also have an excuse for saying in future, 
 if complained of, that it was not their act but 
 that of the Romans as some Jews anxiously 
 maintain now. They knew not that under 
 an overruling Providence they were bring- 
 ing about a form of death most suitable to 
 atonement, as involving "shedding of blood," 
 and causing wounds that would be marks of 
 identification after resurrection, without the 
 distressing mutilations caused by stoning. 
 As to the term, 'crucified,' see on 16:24, 
 and 27 : 35. Why, what evil hath he done ? 
 Pilate had no liking for the rulers, and un- 
 j derstood their jealousy of Jesus, (v. is.) And 
 where his own ititorests or passions were not 
 involved, he had some sentiment of Roman 
 justice. So he remonstrates with the crowd. 
 Luke tells us that he declared, "I find no 
 cause of death in him," B. U. Ver., and a 
 second time proposed (Luke 23 : ie, 22), as a sort of 
 compromise that might satisfy the enemies of 
 Jesus, " I will therefore chastise him and let 
 him go." All this, as Chrys. says, was weak 
 and unmanly conduct ; see below on v. 24. 
 But they cried out the more, or exceed- 
 ingly. An excited throng is often more bois- 
 terous in proportion as it has less reason. 
 Comp. Acts 19 : 34. 
 
 24. Pilato tries to shift the responsibility, 
 and the people assume it. This is recorded 
 by Matt. only. Saw that he could prevail 
 nothing, that he did no good by his sugges- 
 tions. Why was the man of power thus 
 powerless? Why could he not say, Fiatjus- 
 titia, runt caelum ? Let justice be done, if the 
 heavens fall. He was evidently very anxious 
 to avoid condemning the innocent, for he 
 made in all six distinct efforts to escape the 
 difficulty: (1) sending Jesus to Herod; (2) 
 suggesting that he might be released accord- 
 ing to the custom ; (3) proposing to compro-
 
 CH. XXVII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 565 
 
 25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood 
 be on us, and on our children. 
 
 26 Then released he Barabbas unto them : and when 
 he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. 
 
 cent J of the blood of this righteous man: see ye 
 
 25 to it. And all the people answered and said, His 
 
 26 blood be on us, and on our children. Then released 
 he unto them Barabbas: but Jesus he scourged and 
 delivered to be crucified. 
 
 1 Some ancient authorities read, of this blood ; see ye, etc. 
 
 raise by scourging and releasing, Luke 23: 22 f.; 
 (4) washing his hand- and disclaiming respon- 
 sibility ; (5) proposing to turn the case over to 
 the Jewish rulers, John 19: 6; (6) appealing 
 and remonstrating before he pronounced 
 judgment, John 19 : 14 f. Pilate was not a 
 man of heroic mould, but he was "self-willed 
 and obstinate." Why could he not do what 
 he so greatly desired? He was entangled by 
 his own previous wrong-doing, see on v. 11. 
 He had made rulers and people hate him 
 thoroughly, so that they would be glad of an 
 excuse for reporting him to Tiberius ; and 
 he knew that the suspicious and jealous em- 
 peror would be slow to pass over the charge 
 that he let go one who claimed to be king. 
 Pilate was weak now because he had formerly 
 been wicked. Like many a politician, his 
 record was in the way of his conscience. A 
 tumuli was made, or, was arising. The 
 Romans desired two things in the provinces, 
 tribute and peace. A successful governor was 
 one who kept everything quiet, and popular 
 tumult was greatly disliked, as being trouble- 
 someand expensive, if not dangerous. Washed 
 his hands before the multitude. The law 
 of Moses had directed this ceremony in a 
 peculiar case of real innocence (Deut.2i:6-9) ; an 
 image was drawn from it in Psa. 26 : 6. Pilate 
 might easily become acquainted with this 
 Jewish custom, which was in itself a very 
 natural symbol. Innocent of the blood of 
 this just person, or righteous man. The 
 shorter text of margin Kev. Ver. is quite 
 probably correct, 'innocent of this blood'; 
 there is no important difference, for Pilate 
 elsewhere declares him to be righteous, Luke 
 23: 14; John 19: 4. But the governor was 
 not innocent. Plump.: "One of the popular 
 poets of his own time and country might have 
 taught him the nullity of such a formal 
 ablution 
 
 4 Too easy souls, who dream the crystal flood 
 Can wash away the fearful guilt of blood.' 
 
 Ovid, ' Fa*t: U. 45." 
 
 And he himself felt that he was not inno- 
 
 cent, for it was afterwards that he made the 
 two new efforts in John 19 : 4-16 to overcome 
 the opposition of the Jews. Then answered 
 all the people. Not simply some; it was a 
 general cry. His blood be on us and on our 
 children. Jerome: "A fine inheritance the 
 Jews leave to their children." Josephus tells 
 that in the insurrection against Floras, about 
 A. D. 65, " many of the Jews were apprehended 
 and brought before Florus, who first scourged 
 and then crucified them." And Titus, during 
 the siege, A. D. 70, caused many captured fugi- 
 tives, sometimes five hundred a day, to be 
 "scourged and tortured in every form, and 
 then crucified in front of the ramparts. . . . 
 And so great was their number that there was 
 no space for the crosses, nor were there crosses 
 for the bodies." ("War," 2, 14, 9; 5, 11, 1.) 
 
 VI. 26. Jesus delivered to be crucified. 
 Mark 15: 15; Luke 23: 24 f. ; John 19: 1. 
 Scourged. The terrible Roman scourging 
 carried with it into the provinces the Latin 
 word, which is here borrowed into the Greek 
 of Matt, and Mark, and so into the Syriac 
 (Pesh.) and Coptic (Memph. ) Jerome here 
 remarks that it was according to the Roman 
 laws that one who is crucified shall first be 
 scourged. Wet. quotes Greek, Roman, and 
 Jewish writers as showing that it was common 
 to scourge before crucifying; comp. Jos. 
 above. The sufferer was stripped and bound 
 to a pillar or post, bending forward so as to 
 expose his back completely; the heavy whip 
 or strap often contained bits of bone or metal, 
 and tore the quivering flesh into one bloody 
 mass. The law of Moses had provided 
 (Dent. 23:3), that a scourging should not exceed 
 forty stripes, and Jewish custom made sure 
 of this by stopping at "forty save one" 
 (2 cor. 11:24) ; but the Roman scourgers were 
 restricted by nothing but strength and inclina- 
 tion. We ought to feel a shuddering grati- 
 tude at our inability to conceive the conse- 
 quences of this cruel infliction. Delivered, to 
 some of his soldiers. (.) 
 
 VII. 27-31. Jesus mocked by the soldiers,
 
 566 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVII. 
 
 27 Then the soldiers of the "governor took Jesus into 
 the common hall, and gathered uuto him the whole 
 baud of soldiers. 
 
 .'S And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet 
 robe. 
 
 29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, 
 they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand : 
 and they bowed the kn e before him, and mocked him, 
 saying, Hail, King of the Jews ! 
 
 30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and 
 smote him on the head. 
 
 31 And after that they had mocked him, they took 
 the robe oft" from him, and put his own raiment on him, 
 and led him away to crucify him. 
 
 27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into 
 the i Praetoriurn, and gathered unto him the whole 
 
 28 2 band. And they 8 stripped him, and put on him a 
 
 29 scarlet robe. And they plaited a crown of thorns 
 and put it upon his head, and a reed in his right 
 hand ; and they kneeled down before him, and 
 
 30 mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And 
 they spat upon him, and took the reed and smote 
 
 31 him on the head. And when they had mocked him, 
 they took off from him the robe, and put on him 
 his garments, and led him away to crucify him. 
 
 a Or, governor's house. 1 Or, palace.. . .2 Or, cohort 3 Some ancient autborities read, clothed. 
 
 and led away to be crucified. Mark 15: 16- 
 20; John 19: 2-16. The soldiers of the 
 
 governor, the Roman soldiers in immediate 
 attendance. These were seldom Italians 
 (Acts io: i), but drawn from all parts of the em- 
 pire. They may in this case have been Syr- 
 ians, or may have been Germans. Took 
 Jesus into the common hall. In Rev. 
 Yer., palace was used by English Revisers. 
 This is not the word rendered 'palace' in 
 Com. Ver. of 26: 3, 58, 69, but another term, 
 the Roman prsetorium (borrowed in the Greek), 
 denoting the prater's tent or abode, the gen- 
 eral's head-quarters. The American Revisers 
 wisely preferred to render prcetorium. The 
 trial and the scourging had taken place in 
 front of the praetorium, in a broad open space 
 where the judgment seat was placed and the 
 crowds assembled. The mocking that follows 
 occurred within the praetorium, and after- 
 wards the sufferer was again led out by Pilate, 
 for another appeal to the people. (John 19 : 5, is.) 
 And gathered unto him the whole band, 
 or 'cohort' (margin, Rev. Ver.), comp. on 
 26: 47. The expression (Meyer) is of course 
 popular, not necessarily implying that every 
 soldier of the cohort was present ; but it was a 
 large number. And they stripped him. 
 There can be little doubt that this is the cor- 
 rect text; that of margin, Rev. Ver. (differing 
 in the Greek by only one letter) would mean 
 that having previously stripped him for the 
 scourging (Acts 16:22), they now replaced his 
 garments and then put round him the scarlet 
 cloak. A scarlet robe. Mark and John, 
 'purple.' The ancients did not so carefully 
 discriminate colors as we do, and royal purple 
 is believed to have included all tints from sky- 
 blue to crimson. The term here rendered 
 Tobe' denotes a short red cloak worn by 
 Roman military and civil officials. The sol- 
 diers would naturally take this as a mocking 
 
 substitute for a king's purple robe ; indeed, a 
 Roman emperor might wear it. A crown of 
 thorns. So Murk and John. The crown 
 would simply be a garland. The plant em- 
 ployed cannot certainly be determined, but 
 was most probably the nubk of the Arabs, "a 
 tree which is found in all the warmer parts of 
 Palestine, and about Jerusalem. . . . The 
 flexible boughs are tough, and well suited to 
 form a garland, and the thorns are numerous 
 and sharp" (Tristram, "Nat. Hist."). The 
 thorns were of course unpleasant to the brow, 
 but not excessively painful, and were probably 
 used more in derision than in cruelty. A 
 reed in his right hand, as a mock sceptre. 
 Hail, King of the Jews! The Jews had 
 mocked him as a pretended prophet (26:68) ; 
 here the Romans mock him as a pretended 
 king. Spit upon him (Mark likewise), as the 
 Jews had done in their mocking. (26:67.) And 
 took the reed and smote him on the 
 head. So Mark. The tense of 'smote' is 
 imperfect, a continued smiting, and so in 
 Mark as to the spitting also. Then restoring 
 his own garments, they led him away to 
 crucify him. So Mark, Luke, John. John 
 interposes an account not given by the other 
 Evangelists, of a renewed effort made by 
 Pilate once and again, to excite popular com- 
 passion and change the result. But the wily 
 Jewish rulers knew his weak point and their 
 advantage, and said (John 19: 12), "If thou let 
 this man go, thou art not Cesar's friend : who- 
 soever maketh himself a king speaketh against 
 Cesar." "We have seen (on v. 24) why Pilate 
 felt helpless in presence of this thought. And 
 so his last efforts had failed. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. If. HENRY: "Many oppose Christ's 
 holy religion, upon a mistake of the nature 
 of it ; they dress it up in false colors, and they
 
 CH. XXVIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 - 32 
 
 1 Gr. impreeted. 
 
 fight asainst it." GRIFFITH: "bo alway a 
 true heart will speak out boldly, indifferent tc 
 circumstances,-will not endeavor to clip and 
 tear and file the form of its utterances, i 
 order to avoid collision with misconception 
 and prejudice."-V. 14. There is a time t 
 speak and a time to be silent.-V. 19. HENRY: 
 -It is an instance of true love to our friends 
 and relations to do what we can to keep them 
 from sin."-V. 21. Barabbas. 1) The son of 
 a reli-ious teacher sometimes becomes very 
 wicked. 2) People often choose some ev, 
 person or thing in preference to Christ. , 
 A man guilty and condemned may escape 
 death because of Christ's dying in his .place. 
 _V 22. Alas! for the fickle multitude who 
 shout "Hosanna" to-day, and ere a week has 
 passed cry out, "Crucify him." The t>o*j>o/>- 
 uli is sometimes voxdiaboli. V. 23. HENI 
 "The Lord Jesus suffered as an evil-doer, yet 
 neither his judge nor his prosecutors could 
 find that he had done any evil. -V. . 
 CHRYS "Passion and wicked desire suffer 
 not men to see anything of what is right. 
 For be it that ye curse yourselves; why d 
 you draw down the curse upon your children 
 also?" CALVIN: "There is no doubt that 
 the Jews felt secure in devoting themselves 
 supposing their cause to be just in the Bight c 
 God- but inconsiderate zeal drives them 
 headlong to cut off from themselves all hope 
 of pardon for their wickedness. Hence we 
 learn how anxiously in all judgments we 
 should avoid headlong rashness. -V. Jb. 
 Lessons from the case of Pilate. 1) Skepti- 
 cism and superstition often go together 
 " What is truth ? " and the dream. 2) bkep- 
 ticism will sometimes turn away from the 
 richest sources of instruction and the amplest 
 evidence. 3) A man feebly anxious t 
 right may be sorely embarrassed by previous 
 wrong doing. 4) A man cannot make a de- 
 cision and evade the responsibility of i 
 Others may voluntarily share a man s 
 and not lighten it-The greatest of all in- 
 stances of God's bringing good out of ev 
 the fact that because of Judas, Caiaphas, 
 Pilate, and Barabbas, the Divine Redeemer 
 
 was lifted up that he might draw all men unto 
 
 himself. , 
 
 3-2-56. CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS, *ouna 
 also in Mark 15: 21-41; Luke 23: 26-49; 
 John 19: 17-37. In their accounts ot the 
 crucifixion, Matt, and Mark most nearly 
 aaree in the selection and order of the mate- 
 rial as they have been doing since 19: 1. 
 Luke gives much that they do not contain, 
 and John's narrative is nearly all additional 
 to the other three. Matthew's account di- 
 vides itself into v. 32-34, 35-38, 39-44, 45-50 
 51-56 The time of the crucifixion was beyon 
 question from about 9 A. M. to 8 p. M., and 
 probably A. D. 30; if so, the day of the month 
 was probably April 7 (Wieseler, p. 355, 
 Clark's "Harm." p. 291). As to the place, 
 see below on v. 33. 
 
 I 32-34. He is led to the place of cruci- 
 fixion, and refuses the stupefying draught. 
 And as they came ont, not out of the prse- 
 torium, but out of the city, as shown by the 
 statement of Mark and Luke that Simon was 
 "coming out of the country." It was cus- 
 tomary and natural to go out of the city for 
 
 executions. (Nun,. IS : 35 f. ; 1 Kings *1 : H i Act, 7 : 
 
 A man of Cyrene. Cyrene was a 
 Greek settlement on the coast of Africa, 
 mmediately south of Greece, and west of 
 Alexandria. Being a place of much trade 
 it contained many Jews; the second 
 Book of Maccabees (:) was originally 
 written by one Jason of Cyrene. The c ity is 
 mentioned in Acts 2 : 10 ; 6 : 9 ; 11 : 20 ; 13 : 1, 
 all going to show that Cyrenean Jews were 
 numerous; and often seen in Jerusalem and 
 vicinity. Simon by name. The name 
 shows that he was a Jew. Mark adds, the 
 father of Alexander and Kufus," who must 
 for some reason have been well known 
 among the Christians at the time when Mark 
 wrote We cannot say whether this was the 
 Kufus of Rom. 16: 13, the name being very 
 common. Mark and Luke state that Simon 
 was "coming out of the country," just enter- 
 ing the city as the procession went out of the 
 rate- there was no objection to journeying 
 on the feast-Sabbath (see on v. 39). Com-
 
 568 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVII. 
 
 33 And when they were come unto a place called 33 with them, that he might bear his cross. And when 
 Golgotha, that is to say, a pl.tce of u skull, they were coiue unto a place called Golgotha, that is 
 
 pelled, more exactly impressed (Rev. Ver. 
 margin), a peculiar word employed by Mark 
 also, and explained above on 5: 41. To bear 
 his cross. We have seen on 16: 24 that it 
 was customary to make the condemned carry 
 his cross to the place of crucifixion. Meyer 
 shows that this was usually the upright post, 
 the transverse piece or pieces being carried 
 separately and fastened on after reaching the 
 place; in some instances (Kei in) the accused 
 bore the transverse portion, perhaps in rare 
 instances the whole. John says (19; i7,E.v.j 
 that Jesus went out, bearing the cross for 
 himself. So we must suppose that the burden 
 proved too great for one who had spent a 
 sleepless and troubled night, including the 
 supper and farewell discourse, the agony in 
 Gethsemane, the apprehension and series of 
 trials, the repeated mockings and terrible 
 Roman scourging; and when he fell under 
 the burden or walked too slowly for their 
 convenience, the soldiers used their power of 
 impressing the first stout man they met. 
 Luke says they "laid on him the cross, to 
 bear it after Jesus." Some think this means 
 that Simon walked behind Jesus, bearing one 
 end of the piece of timber; but the more ob- 
 vious view is probably correct. On the way, 
 Jesus was accompanied (i-uke 23: 27-32, R.V.) by "a 
 great company of the people, and of women," 
 who were bewailing him; and in tender com- 
 passion he broke his calm silence to say, 
 " Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, 
 but weep for yourselves, and for your chil- 
 dren," and went on with an intimation of 
 coming national calamities, which we now 
 readily understand as referring to the destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem. 
 
 Unto a place called Golgotha, that is 
 to say, A place of a skull. In Hebrew 
 gulgoleth is 'skull,' from a root meaning to 
 roll, indicating the globular form of a skull. 
 This in Aramaic would be gulgoltha, which 
 is found in the Syriac of Jerusalem, and | 
 easily contracted, by omitting either I, into | 
 
 gugoltha (Syriac, Pesh., and Hark.), or gol- 
 gotha, the form found in most documents. 
 Thus the word means simpl}' skull, and so 
 Luke (M: sa, Rev. ver.) sa ys, " unto the place 
 which is called The skull," while Matt., 
 Mark, and John have literally 'skull-place.' 
 The notion was early suggested (Jerome) that 
 this denoted a burial-ground, or a place of exe- 
 cution, marked by a skull or skulls lying on 
 the surface.! But the Jewish law did not 
 allow bones to remain unburied, and this 
 would have been carefully observed near the 
 city. So it must have been (Cyril of Jerus. ) 
 a round hill or rock, somewhat resembling a 
 skull in shape. Mark, Luke, and John all 
 have the Greek definite article, ' unto the 
 place,' indicating that it was known by this 
 name. It is common among us to call a 
 rounded mountain-top or hill-top a head, as 
 "Cesar's Head" in the Blue Ridge; comp. 
 headland. 
 
 It was suggested in the last century (Her- 
 zog), and has been fairly established by 
 Robinson (" Biblical Researches") and others, 
 that this cannot have been the place dis- 
 covered at the request of Helena, the mother 
 of Constantine, and now covered by "the 
 Church of the Holy Sepulchre." Golgotha 
 was "without (or outside) the gate" (Heb. 13:12), 
 while "nigh to the city" (John 19 . 20) ; but the 
 Church of the Holy Sepulchre is far within 
 any probable position of the city wall at the 
 time of the crucifixion. The reverence many 
 feel for whatever has been believed for fifteen 
 hundred years has caused earnest resistance 
 to this conclusion, but in vain; see results 
 of recent English explorations in Conder. I, 
 pages 361-371. The site of Golgotha has for a 
 generation and more been apparently quite 
 unknown. But Thenius, A. D. 1849, ar.d 
 independently Fisher Howe, pamphlet on 
 "The True Site of Calvary" (New York, 
 Randolph, 1871), suggested a theory which 
 has of late been adopted by many. The 
 northern extension of the Temple Hill, beyond 
 
 1 Accordingly, Tyn., Cran., Gen., rendered ' a place which meant skull, and gave us Calvary. Tertullian 
 of dead men's sknlls,' though the Greek is singular, ' a already began to treat this Calvarin as the name of a 
 place of a skull.' So they did also in Mark. But in place. Jerome mentions the notion of some that Adam 
 
 Luke (23: 3'!) this rendering was impossible, and so 
 they fell back -upon the Latin translation Calvaria, 
 
 was buried in Golgotha, and Christ's blood dropped 
 upon his tomb ; and says the people liked to hear it.
 
 CH. XXVIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 569 
 
 34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with 34 to say, The place of a skull, they gave him wine to 
 
 gall : and when he had tasted thereof, he would nut 
 drink. 
 
 35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, 
 casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken 
 by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, 
 and upon my vesture did they cat lois. 
 
 drink mingled with gall: and when he hud tasted 
 35 it, he would not drink. And when they had cruci- 
 fied him, they parted his garments among them, 
 
 tho walls, rises into a rounded hill resembling 
 the top of a skull, and some sixty feet above 
 the level of the surrounding ground. A cut 
 across the ridge to protect the wall from being 
 commanded by an enemy's military engines, 
 gives to this rounded hill a perpendicular 
 southern face, in which is the entrance to a 
 cave called the Grotto of Jeremiah. Seen 
 from the Mount of Olives and other points of 
 good view, this hill looks strikingly like a 
 skull, with a great eyeless socket. The cut 
 across the ridge must have been ancient, from 
 military necessity, and the cave is probably 
 ancient too. The theory is that this hill was 
 Golgotha or Cavalry. The site fulfills all the 
 conditions. It is outside the great northern 
 gate, and near. The hill rises beside, and its 
 summit is in full view of, the great northern 
 road, which accounts for passers by (v. 39, Mark 
 15:29); and the Romans were accustomed to 
 crucify in a conspicuous place, to make 
 the lesson more notable. It is in a region 
 abounding in ancient tombs, which accounts 
 for Joseph's garden and tomb. And this site 
 accounts for the tradition of a hill, "Mount 
 Calvary," which is traced back to the fourth 
 century. A Jewish tradition points to this 
 hill as "the place of stoning," i. e., the reg- 
 ular place for executions. And a Christian 
 tradition makes it the scene of Stephen's 
 death, afterwards by tradition located else- 
 where. This theory was adopted by the 
 late Bishop Gobat of Jerusalem, by General 
 (Chinese) Gordon, " Reflections in Palestine," 
 1883, and by Professor Sir J. W. Dawson, 
 "Syria and Palestine," 1885. It is favored 
 by Schaff, "Through Bible Lands," and 
 Conder, both publishing in 1878, and is advo- 
 cated by Edersh. Dr. Selah Merrill, Amer. 
 Consul at Jerus., in " Andover Review," 
 Nov. 1885, says that "for some years past 
 there has been a growing conviction " to this 
 effect and that " hundreds of Christian tour- 
 ists visit the place every year, and few of 
 them go away unconvinced that both the 
 arguments and the strong probability are in 
 favor of" this view. 
 CJave him vinegar (or wine) to drink, 
 
 mingled with gall. Mark, ' wine mingled 
 with myrrh.' The correct text in Matthew 
 is clearly 'wine;' it was probably changed 
 in many documents to agree with v. 48 below; 
 and with Psa. 69: 21. Talmud Bab. says 
 (Lightf. ) that to criminals on the way to exe- 
 cution was given a drink consisting of wine 
 mixed with a bit of frankincense to stupefy 
 them, and that according to tradition, the 
 noble women of Jerusalem furnished this at 
 their own expense. This may be connected 
 in our minds with the "daughters of Jerusa- 
 lem," who had sorrowfully accompanied the 
 procession. (Luke 23: 27.) The term 'gall' in 
 Matt, must be used generally to denote any 
 bitter and nauseous substance, which in this 
 case would be some bitter vegetable narcotic. 
 It would seem (Keim, Plump.), that Mat- 
 I thew's word sometimes denotes wormwood; 
 see Sept. of Deut. 29: 18; Prov. 5: 4. Keim : 
 "The drink might have been prepared from 
 poppies or wormwood. Simpson, the discov- 
 erer of chloroform, thought of hashish, the 
 Indian extract of hemp." Dr. A. Coles, "Life 
 of our Lord in Verse," (New York, Apple- 
 ton), suggests mandragora, mandrake, "which 
 is said to have been employed by the ancients 
 as an anaesthetic in surgical operations." 
 
 II. 35-38. He is crucified between two 
 robbers. Mark 15: 24-27; Luke 23: 32 f. ; 
 John 19: 18-22. And they crucified him. 
 For the different kinds of cross, see the Bible 
 Dictionaries. There can be no doubt that tho 
 Saviour's cross was of the shape with which 
 we are familiar, an upright post with a trans- 
 verse piece some distance below the top, the 
 inscription being placed "above his head." 
 But the cross was not so high as the ordinary 
 representation, the person being usually but 
 a foot or two above the ground, and this would 
 especially be the case in Palestine, where tim- 
 ber was scarce. The hands were nailed to the 
 transverse beam. This sometimes extended 
 across the post at right angles; but in other 
 cases consisted of two parts sloping upward 
 from the post, so that the body seemed to 
 hang by the hands, though it was really sup- 
 ported by a projecting peg. The feet were
 
 570 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 36 And sitting down they watched him there; 
 
 37 And set up over his head his accusation written, 
 THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 
 
 [Cn. XXVII. 
 
 30 casting lots: and they sat and watched him there. 
 37 And they set up over his head his accusation writ- 
 
 usunlly nailed to the post, we do not know 
 whether together or separately ; but more 
 probably the latter. They were sometimes 
 drawn up so that the soles rested against the 
 post, but in other cases stood upon a projec- 
 tion. It has been maintained by Paulus and 
 others that the feet of Jesus were not nailed, 
 but bound to the post or left loose. But the 
 risen Saviour identified himself by showing 
 "his hands and his feet" (Luke 24: 39 r.), and 
 certain supposed ancient evidence that only 
 the hands were nailed in crucifixion is indis- 
 tinct, and far out-weighed by contrary state- 
 ments. (See Meyer, Smith's "Bib. Diet." 
 Amer. ed., "Crucifixion," or Keim). It can- 
 not be determined whether the sufferer was 
 fastened to his cross before or after its eleva- 
 tion; the method appears to have varied. The 
 physical suffering produced by crucifixion 
 was fearful. The constrained and immovable 
 posture of the body and arms would grad- 
 ually produce violent aching and cramps; the 
 pierced limbs became inflamed, producing 
 fever and thirst; the circulation of the blood 
 being hindered, it gathered in the head and 
 lungs, causing great distress; the body would 
 gradually grow stiff, and the vital powers 
 sink from exhaustion. (See Kichterin Schaff.) 
 Our Lord's mental suffering (v. 46) must have 
 been greater still ; but we should not under- 
 rate the physical. 
 
 A cross mark of various shapes appears as a 
 symbol in several ancient religions. But this 
 has really nothing to do with Christianity, 
 into which the cross did not enter as a symbol, 
 but as a historical fact. Persons interested in 
 the doubtful symbolisms referred to may find 
 an account of them in Baring-Gould's "Me- 
 diaeval Myths," and a condensed statement in 
 "Homiletic Review," Jan., 1886, p. 76 ff. 
 
 Mark tells us (10:25) that the crucifixion 
 began at " the third hour," which soon after 
 the equinox would be almost exactly 9 A. M. 
 John 18: 14 long seemed hopelessly to contra- 
 dict this, by saying " it was about the sixth 
 hour" when Pilate was ending the' trial. But 
 the view of Wieseler and Ewald is now widely 
 
 adopted, that the Fourth Gospel counts the 
 hours as we do, making the sixth hour 6 A. M., 
 and we could easily suppose that the prepara- 
 tions consumed the intervening three hours. 
 This view is strenuously opposed by Farrar 
 (App. to "Life of Christ"), but he is answered 
 by McClellan, p. 737 ff. ; see also Westcotton 
 John. All the passages of John in which 
 hours of the day are mentioned may be read- 
 ily understood in this way, and it seems to \>e 
 necessary for John 20: 19, when compared with 
 Luke 24 : 29, 36. At this point Luke mentions 
 (23: M) that Jesus said, " Father, forgive them ; 
 for they know not what they do." Every one 
 feels that these must be words of Jesus, and 
 they are most probably genuine as a part of 
 Luke's Gospel, though it is hard to account 
 for their absence from some important early 
 documents. 
 
 And parted his garments among them, 
 casting lots. John explains in detail that 
 they "made four parts, to every soldier a 
 part," there being a quaternion or group of 
 four soldiers detailed to crucify and guard 
 each prisoner (comp. Acts 12: 4), who natu- 
 rally took his clothing as their perquisite. 
 John also adds that his 'coat,' or tunic, the 
 undergarment (see above on 5: 40), "was 
 without seam, woven from the top through- 
 out," apparently a costly garment, and no 
 doubt a gift of affection, and that being un- 
 willing to "rend" this, they cast lots for it; 
 and that this occurred in the course of provi- 
 dence "that the Scripture might be fulfilled 
 (comp. above on 1 : 22), which saith, They 
 parted my garments among them, and 
 upon my vesture did they cast lots. This 
 quotation from Psa. 22: 18 was introduced 
 by some copyists into Matt., being given in 
 v. 35 by documents of no great value. Jew- 
 ish feeling reauired (Mishna, Sanh., VI, 3) 
 that the person of one stripped when about to 
 be stoned should not be left wholly exposed ; 
 and though the Roman custom for crucifixion 
 was otherwise, we may perhaps suppose that 
 Jewish feeling was in this case regarded. 
 
 And they set up 1 over his head his accu- 
 
 1 Some grammarians and commentators have earn- to he rendered like a pluperfect, ' had set up," because 
 estly discussed the question whether this aorist ought they think the inscription must have heen put up be-
 
 CH. XXV II.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 571 
 
 38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him; 
 oue on the right hand, and another on the left. 
 
 39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging 
 their heads, 
 
 33 ten, THIS is JESUS THE KINO OF THE JEWS. Then 
 are there crucified with him two rubbers, oue on the 
 
 39 right hand, and one on the left. And they that 
 passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, uud 
 
 sation written, it being common to put over 
 a crucified man a statement of his crime. We 
 know not whether in this case, as in one de- 
 scribed by Suetonius, the title was borne 
 before the criminal in the procession. John 
 ssiys (19: 20, correct text), "it was written in 
 Hebrew, and in Latin, and in Greek." The 
 first (Aramaic) was the language of the people, 
 the second that of the civil rulers, the third 
 that of general intercourse throughout that 
 part of the world. A pillar was dug up at 
 Jerusalem not many years ago, bearing an 
 inscription in these three languages. The in- 
 scription on the cross is given in different 
 terms by the four Gospels. We have seen 
 that the same is to some extent true of the 
 words spoken from heaven at the baptism 
 and the transfiguration, so as to show beyond 
 question that the Evangelists are not solicitous 
 to give always the exact words. It is very 
 likely that the inscription was verbally differ- 
 ent in the three languages ; and it has been in- 
 geniously suggested (Westcott, "Int." p. 328) 
 that John, who says carefully, 'and it was 
 written,' etc., gives the exact Greek form, 
 'Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,' of 
 which Mark gives only the special point of 
 accusation, 'the King of the Jews' ; and that 
 then Matt, has the Hebrew, and Luke the 
 Latin form. This is possible, but the matter 
 is of little importance, as the inscription is 
 substantfally the same in all the forms. John 
 adds that Pilate himself wrote the inscrip- 
 tion, and curtly refused tc alter it it when re- 
 quested. He had been compelled to yield the 
 main point, and he was determined not to 
 yield here ; see as to his character on 27 : 11- 
 
 Then were there two thieves (robbers} 
 crucified with him. It is quite likely that 
 these were comrades of Barabbas (S7:i6), who 
 would have been here between them had not 
 Jesus taken his place. Our Lord had said 
 the night before (i.nkeM:T), "This that is 
 written must yet be fulfilled in me. And he 
 was reckoned among the transgressors'. " (i- 
 63:".) This was substantially fulfilled by 
 
 punishing him as if for transgression ; but all 
 the more strikingly by associating him with 
 actual transgressors. Wetstein give? passages 
 of ancient writers which show that crucifixion 
 was the regular punishment for robbery. The 
 Greek language has two words, kleptes ' thief,' 
 and leistes 'robber,' differing very much as 
 our words do. The former occurs sixteen 
 times in New Test., and in Com. Ver. is 
 always correctly rendered 'thief ; the latter 
 is four times correctly rendered ' robber,' 
 but eleven times 'thief; including all the 
 references to the two persons crucified with 
 Jesus, and also Matt. 21 : 13; 26: 55. In John 
 10: 1, 8 the distinction is observed in Com. 
 Version. One evil result of this irregular 
 translation has been that people would read 
 "Barabbas was a robber" (Joimi8:40), and it 
 did not occur to them that these two were like 
 him. Besides, a robber would be more likely 
 than a thief to exhibit the character shown by 
 the penitent on the cross. Rev. Ver., and 
 other recent versions, observe the distinction 
 throughout, as there is no difficulty whatever 
 in doing. Luke has here a general term, 
 'malefactors' or evil-doers; John simply 
 'two others.' 
 
 III. 39-44. On the cross he is mocked 
 and reviled. Mark 15: 29-32; Luke 23: 35-43. 
 Crucifixion itself was the most disgraceful 
 punishment in use, being appointed by the 
 Romans for slaves, and expressly forbidden 
 for Roman citizens while the law of Moses 
 (Deut. 21 .- 28) declared one "accursed " who even 
 after being killed was hanged on a tree. In 
 this case all that could bethought of was done 
 to aggravate the disgrace. Several different 
 classes of persons joined in railing and mock- 
 ing at Jesus. We must remember the similar 
 treatment when he appeared before the San- 
 heclrin (M:6Tf.), before Herod (Luke 2S:ii), and 
 before Pilate. (27:27-31.) 
 
 (a) They that passed by, probably along 
 a road leading into and out of the city, which 
 according to the above-stated theory concern- 
 ing Golgotha (on v. 33) would be the great 
 
 fore they parted the garments. This is mere learned 
 trifling. Any animated writer, in narrating a series 
 ot occurrences, would consult convenience as to taking 
 
 up this or that point. Besides, who knows that the 
 soldiers would nail up the title before they divided the 
 plunder 1
 
 572 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVII. 
 
 40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and 
 bnilik-st it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the 
 Son of God, come down faom the cross. 
 
 41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking htm, with 
 the scrihes and elders, saM, 
 
 42 He saved others : himself he cannot save. If he 
 be the King of Israel, let him now couie down from the 
 cross, and we will believe him. 
 
 43 He trusted in God ; let him deliver him now, if he 
 will have him : for he said, I am the Sou ot God. 
 
 40 saying, Thou that destroyest the l temple, and bulki- 
 est it in three days, save thvself : if thou art the Son 
 
 41 of God, come down from the cross. In like manner 
 also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes 
 
 42 and elders, said. He saved others; a himself he can- 
 not save. He is the King of Israel; let him now 
 come down from the cross, and we will believe on 
 
 43 him. He trusteth on God : let him deliver him now, 
 if he desireth him : for he said, I am the Son of God. 
 
 1 Or. sanctuary 2 Or, can he not save himself t 
 
 northern road. Some have inferred that this 
 must have been a working day, and not the 
 first day of the passover, which would be a 
 Sabbath; but Edersh. says that "traveling, 
 which was forbidden on Sabbaths, was not 
 prohibited on feast-days," adding that "this 
 is distinctly stated in the Talmud." Reviled 
 him. The Greek word is borrowed as 'blas- 
 phemed' in 9: 3; 26: 65, and explained 
 above on 12: 31. Com. Ver. translated it 
 'railed on him' in the parallel passages, 
 Mark 15: 29, Luke 23: 39. Thou that de- 
 stroyest the temple, etc. This accusation 
 (see on 26: 61) the rulers had probably spread 
 while persuading the crowds to prefer Barab- 
 bas. Save thyself. The word is used (see 
 on 1 : 21) both of bodily and spiritual saving. 
 If thou be the Son of God, as in 4: 3, 6. 
 The form of expression assumes that he is the 
 Son of God, but their whole tone and manner 
 showed that they meant the contrary. It is 
 not clear that the Jews understood this ex- 
 pression to carry the idea of Deity (comp. on 
 26: 63) ; they certainly understood that one 
 who assumed it claimed supernatural power. 
 
 (b) The chief priests ... with the 
 scribes and elders. Of these three classes 
 the Sanhedrin was constituted (see on 26: 59) ; 
 so all classes of the rulers took part in the 
 mocking. "While the other mockers all ad- 
 dress Jesus, the rulers do not condescend to 
 speak to him, but speak contemptuously 
 about him in his presence. Notice Mark 15: 
 31, R.V., "mocking him among themselves"; 
 and Luke has the same difference. The rulers 
 make three distinct taunts. (1) He saved 
 others, probably refers to bodily healing. 
 The other clause may be either an assertion 
 or a question (margin. Rev. Ver.), as the 
 Greek in this class of expressions makes no 
 difference; the substantial meaning is the 
 same either way. (2) If he be the King of 
 
 Israel. This is said in irony, derision. He 
 had that morning claimed before them to be 
 the Messiah (26: ear.), and the Messiah was of 
 course to be king; the inscription also de- 
 clared him to be the King of Israel. Eutkym.: 
 " For as they could not change the inscription, 
 they try to prove it false." The irony not 
 being understood, 'if was inserted, like v. 40, 
 and passed into most documents, but is want- 
 ing in some of the earliest and best. 1 And 
 we will believe him, or, on him. They 
 would have done no such thing. He had 
 wrought miracles even more wonderful, and 
 upon learning it they were only the more de- 
 termined to kill him. (John ii: 47-53.) Our Lord 
 never responded to any demand for signs of 
 his mission. (3) He trusted in God, prop- 
 erly perfect tense, has placed his trust on God 
 and keeps it there. 'Trusted,' past tense, 
 Com. Ver., is an erroneous translation ; ' on ' 
 here and in v. 42 is the literal meaning of the 
 Greek preposition. The similar words of 
 Psa. 22 : 8 probably occurred to the rulers 
 through general familiarity as expressing 
 their thought a sort of unconscious Messi- 
 anic quotation (comp. below on v. 46), like 
 the unconscious Messianic prediction of Caia- 
 phas in John 11 : 51 f. Edersh.: "These jeers 
 cast contempt on the four great facts in the 
 Life and Work of Jesus, which were also the 
 underlying ideas of the Messianic Kingdom : 
 the new relationship of Israel's religion and 
 temple ('thou that destroyst the temple and 
 buildest it in three days') ; the new relation- 
 ship to the Father through the Messiah, the 
 Son of God ('if Thou art the Son of God ' 
 R. V.) ; the new all-sufficient help brought to 
 body and soul in salvation ('He saved others'); 
 and finally, the new relationship to Israel in 
 the fulfillment and perfecting of its mission 
 through its King ('He is the King of Israel, 
 R. V.')." 
 
 i Wanting in X B D L, 33, 102, Theb. If originally present there would have been no objection to it.
 
 CH. XXVIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 573 
 
 44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, 
 o hour there was darkness over 
 
 all the land unto the ninth hour. 
 
 44 And the robbers also that were crucified with him 
 
 45 sio was darUness over 
 
 (c) Luke states ( = ) that "the soldiers 
 also mocked him," offering him the sour wme 
 they were drinking. At a later period, thi. 
 was given him in kindness. (John 19:29.) 
 
 <df The thieves also; better as in Rev. 
 Ver the robbers (see on v. 38) also that were 
 crucified with him, cast upon fum the same 
 reproach, viz., that he had professed to trust 
 in God and claimed to be the Son of God 
 and yet was not now delivered. Cast the 
 same in his teeth, is a vigorous image 
 Com. Ver., but not presented by the ( 
 Mark makes a similar statement, they tt 
 were crucified with him reproached him. 
 But in Luke we find a striking difference 
 Tlie re (L.k. a :-), "one of the malefactors 
 railed on him," as pretending to be the Mes- 
 sTah, while the other believed that he was 
 the Messiah; yea, more discerning than th< 
 Twelve he believed that though now despise 
 and rejected he would come again as king 
 even as he had of late been teaching ^>> 9: 
 ?,r ,il :), and in humble petition 
 said "Jesus, remember me when thou com- 
 es In thy kingdom," B. V. How he learned 
 o muchf and" understood so well, we do not 
 know; but the Saviour, who made no 
 sponse to taunts and reviling* from whatso- 
 ever source, answered the first word o 
 petition, and promised more than he had 
 asked Not merely shall the penitent robber 
 be remembered when the crucified comes 
 again as king, but " To-day .halt thou be with 
 tin Parud!e."-Now thequert.on has been 
 nuch discussed, and cannot be solved with 
 certainty, how we are to reconcile Luke s ac- 
 count with that of Matt, and Mark 
 prevailing view is that both the robbers at 
 fir!t revilfd, and afterwards one of them, im- 
 pressed by the Saviour's aspect and 
 prayer for the crucifiers, and perhaps recall- 
 pearlier knowledge of his teaching, and 
 trades, became now convinced that he was 
 indeed the Messiah. This makes it all the 
 more wonderful that he should understand so 
 thoroughly, though of cour,e not hnpombto 
 under special divine influence, 
 and Mark may be understood, w.th many 
 expositors, as merely including in general 
 
 ihe Saviour's fellow-sufferers among the 
 different classes of revilers, without d.s 
 tinguishing between the two, which would 
 have required a full account of a matter they 
 did not undertake to narrate. If it be asked 
 how they could omit this, the same question 
 arises as to their giving only one of the seven 
 words .on the cross, and so in many other 
 cases In this view the penitent robber may 
 have become a believer in Jesus as the Mes- 
 siah on some earlier day, since his crime, yet 
 hardly since his sentence, for among the Jews 
 that was quickly followed by execution (see 
 on 27:1). However this may be regarded, 
 we must remember the general and impress- 
 ive fact that Jesus was reviled by many 
 classes of persons, by the people at large, the 
 rulers (all sections of the Sanhedrm), the 
 soldiers; and even participation in suffering 
 did not prevent reviling. This mocking and 
 railing probably began when he was first 
 lifted on the cross, and continued from time 
 to time. Observe that all the verbs here, 
 1 'railed,' 'said,' (*.), 'reproached' (.", Rev. 
 ver. ), are in the Greek imperfect tense, denot- 
 ing continued or repeated action. At some 
 point during the first three hours occurred the 
 pathetic incident of John 19:25-37, "Behold 
 thy son," and " Behold thy mother." Thus 
 the Saviour spoke three times that we know 
 of during the first half of the crucifixion. 
 
 IV 45-50. He cries out in the darkness, 
 and dies. Mark 15: 33-37; Luke 23: 44-46; 
 John 19 : 28-30. From the sixth hour .... 
 unto the ninth hour (comp. on 20: 3), from 
 twelve o'clock to about three P. M Darkness, 
 supernatural. It cannot have been an eclipse 
 of the sun, because the Passover was at the 
 middle of the month, and the month always 
 began with the new moon, so that the moon 
 was now full, i. e., on the opposite side of the 
 earth from the sun. Thus all the long discus- 
 sion about the account of an eclipse said to 
 have been given by Phlegon, a writer of the 
 second century, is beside the mark, for this 
 was not an eclipse. 'The sun's light failing,' 
 Rev. Ver., Lnkn 23: 45 (correct text), need 
 not mean what is technically called an eclipse, 
 but simply states that the sun failed, without
 
 574 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVII. 
 
 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud 
 voice, savin-;, Eli, Eli, lama subaehthaui ? that is to 
 say, My (r<><l. my i ;<><!, why hast thou forsaken rue? 
 
 47 sx>me of them that stood there, when they heard 
 that, said, This man calleth tor Elias. 
 
 40 all the l land until the ninth hour. And about the 
 ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, 
 KM, Eli, lamasabachthani? that is, My God, my'God, 
 
 47 2 why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them 
 that stood there, when they heard it, said, This man 
 
 1 Or, earth '2 Or. toAy didst thou forsake me t 
 
 indicating the cause. All men feel alarmed 
 by any sudden and great darkness. The Rab- 
 bis said ("VViin..) that such an occurrence was 
 a bad sign for the world, and was to be ex- 
 pected upon occasion of certain great crimes 
 or misfortunes. Wetstein has many passages 
 from Greek and Latin authors showing* a sim- 
 ilar feeling. 'Over all the land, viz., of 
 Palestine. The word might mean ' earth ' 
 (margin Rev. Ver.), comp. on 5: 5; but it 
 was dark, naturally, over half the earth, and 
 a miraculous darkness over all the enlight- 
 ened half is improbable, seeing that so large 
 a proportion of the persons involved would 
 not know its meaning, and so it would be a 
 useless miracle. The supernatural darkness 
 was an appropriate concomitant, and may be 
 regarded as a sort of symbol of the Saviour's 
 mental suffering, which at last found expres- 
 sion in his loud cry. Through nearly all this 
 period he seems to have continued silent. He 
 must have been enduring a dark sorrow, a 
 crushing grief, even greater than in Getbsem- 
 ane, seeing that he speaks here in more im- 
 passioned distress ; and here, as there (see on 
 '26: 44), it can be explained only by the fact 
 that "he was wounded for our transgressions," 
 was "made sin for us," "gave his life a ran- 
 som for many" (comp. on 20: 28). Cried 
 with a loud voice, showing great suffering. 
 Eli, Eli, lama sabacthani. The original 
 words are given, because Eli, explains the 
 supposition of 'some' (Mark likewise) of the 
 bystanders, that he was calling for Elijah. 
 The first words are here given in the Hebrew, 
 like the Psalm, but by Mark in the Aramaic 
 Eloi, which Jesus had doubtless spoken. The 
 last word is given by both in the Aramaic (so 
 in the Targum, Buxtorf), the Hebrew having 
 another term l of the same sense. Our Lord's 
 borrowing the phraseology of Psa. 22: 1, does 
 not show that Psalm to be Messianic; comp. 
 his borrowing in Luke 2%: 46 from Psa. 31: 5, 
 and his answering each of Satan's three 
 special temptations by quoting from Deut. 
 
 chap. 6-8. Still, as Psalm 22 : 13, was a Mes- 
 sianic prophecy (John 19:24), we may suppose that 
 22 : 1 was designed by the Spirit of inspira- 
 tion to be used by the Messiah on the cross. It 
 is commonly said that Psa. 22 was not regarded 
 by the Jews as Messianic. Edersh. (App. IX) 
 gives two references to it (v. ^, is) as applied to 
 the Messiah in a collection made in the thir- 
 teenth century, but believed to consist of 
 ancient material. Tertullian thought that 
 Psa. 22 "contains the whole passion of 
 Christ." Why hast thou forsaken me? A 
 more literal translation would be, Why didst 
 thou forsake me (margin Rev. Ver.), but it 
 would amount to the same thing. 'Why' is 
 not here ' for what cause,' but ' to what end ' ; 
 yet the distinction must not be pressed (comp. 
 9: 4'. If the question be asked in what sense 
 the Father forsook the Son, the answer is that 
 we really do not know. In himself the Sav- 
 iour was still well-pleasing to the Father, in 
 voluntarily laying down his life that he might 
 take it again (Jobnio:m.) ; it must have been 
 as our substitute, because he " bare our sins in 
 his own body on the tree," that he was for- 
 saken. If it be asked how he could feel him- 
 self to be forsaken, we must remember that a 
 human soul as well as a human body was here 
 suffering, a human soul thinking and feeling 
 within human limitations (Markups), not psy- 
 chologically unlike the action of other devout 
 souls when in some great and overwhelming 
 sorrow. Comp. W. N. Clarke on Mark 15 : 34. 
 Hanna : " It was the sensible comfort only of 
 the divine presence and favor that was for the 
 time withdrawn ; the felt inflowings of the 
 divine love that were for the time checked. 
 But what a time of agony must that have 
 been to him who knew, as none other could, 
 what it was to bask in the light of his Father's 
 countenance; who felt, as none other could, 
 that his favor indeed was life ! On us so 
 little do we know or feel what it is to be for- 
 saken by God the thought of it, or sense of 
 it, may make but a slight impression, produce 
 
 1 Hebrew 'azavthani, which some " Western " documents have endeavored to reproduce here by changing 
 into zapfuhani and similar forms; so also in Mark.
 
 CH. XXVII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 575 
 
 48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a 
 BpoUe and tilled it with vinegar, and put U on a reed, 
 
 aD 4 d 9 fee re"t saifl'et'be, let us see whether Elias will 
 C0 5o e je sus, V when he had cried again with a loud voice, 
 yielded up the ghost. 
 
 48 calleth Elijah. And straightway one of them ran. 
 and look I sponge and filled it with ^megar and 
 
 49 put it ou a reed, and gave him to drink. And .the 
 rest said, Let be ; let us see whether Elijah comet 
 
 50 to save him.i An d Jesus cried again with a loud 
 
 ced to *., nd tU 
 
 but little heartfelt misery; but to him it was 
 the consummation and concentration of all 
 woe, beyond which there was and could be no 
 deeper anguish for the soul." 
 
 This man calleth for Elias, or Eiyah. 
 The grand figure which Elijah made in the 
 history, and the promise of his coming in Mai. 
 4: 5 f., caused him to stand out in the JewisI 
 mind as the greatest of the prophets. There 
 was a general expectation, derived from Mai., 
 that he would work various wonders (comp. 
 on 16: 14). It is not easy to determine whether 
 this utterance was a mocking misrepresenta- 
 tion by Jews, or a misunderstanding by 
 Roman soldiers. Jews can hardly have really 
 misunderstood, for the opening vowel of 
 E,i has to the Oriental ear a very different 
 sound from that of Elijah. Soldiers, if long , 
 resident in Palestine, might have become 
 acquainted with the popular expectations 
 concerning Elijah. Gave him to drink, is 
 imperfect tense, probably describing the 
 kindly soldier as repeatedly applying the 
 sponge to the suiferer's parched lips. The 
 rest said, imperfect tense, describing them 
 as en-aged in saying. Bengel: "After the 
 dreadful darkness they returned to scoffing. 
 Let be, let things stay as they are; do not 
 give him any aid or comfort-see if Elijah 
 will hear his prayer; for if so, all his wants 
 will be supplied. They seem to have amused 
 themselves with the thought that this pre- 
 tended Messiah was in his helpless extremity 
 c-illing on the predicted forerunner of Messiah 
 to come and help him. Whether Elias, or 
 Elijah, will come,' or is coming. As 
 spelling Elijah, instead of Elias, see on 1 : 2. 
 
 The reed probably means in general a staff 
 for walking, which we in like manner call a 
 cane. From John 19: 29 it appears to have 
 been made from a stalk of hyssop; and Tris- 
 tram ("Nat. Hist.") says that the caper, 
 which is probably the Biblical hyssop, would 
 furnish a stalk three or four feet in length. 
 The vinegar was probably a sort of sour wine, 
 though vinegar itself (no doubt diluted with 
 water) was used as a cooling drink. (**:!,) 
 It was given mercifully, to refresh the sufferer's 
 parched mouth. John shows (:) that U 
 was done in consequence of his saying 
 thirst." He had refused the stupefying 
 draught at the beginning, but asked for this 
 slight refreshment when near the end. Then 
 he uttered a third word (John), "It is fin- 
 ished," and finally a fourth (Luke), " Father 
 into thy hands I commend my spirit." So 
 there were four sayings close together, and 
 near the end; and with the three uttered 
 during the first three hours, we find in all 
 seven sayings on the cross, of which one is 
 recorded by Matt, and Mark only, three by 
 Luke only, three by John only. 
 
 Cried again with a loud voice, Mark 
 likewise. This seems to denote great bodily 
 suffering. The sayings just quoted from Luke 
 and John can hardly be here meant, for they 
 were not of such a nature as to be uttered in a 
 loud voice; it must have been a cry of pain 
 or distress. This great outcry in the moment 
 ! of dying was not a natural result of mere 
 ': death by crucifixion, which would produce 
 i gradual exhaustion. Taken in connection 
 I with the blood and water brought forth by 
 [the soldier's spear (John i9-.su), it has been 
 
 iThe addition in margin Rev. Ver.,'And another 
 took a spear and pierced his side, and there came out 
 water .,nd blood,' must be regarded a* an insertion from 
 John 19: 34. It is found In K B C L U r a few cur- 
 sives, and less important versions, Chrys., Cy 
 only shows, as we have seen in several other ca 
 (comp. on 24: 36), that X B, even with other support 
 present some distinctly erroneous readings. It might 
 be urged that the words were omitted because they 
 repre-eut the pierung as preceding the Saviour's 
 
 death, whereas John makes it follow; but thatdifler- 
 
 ' eiice would only have been a reason for removing the 
 
 i pasanpe 10 the "close of v. 50 or 54 or 56, or else there 
 
 would have r-ecn some tampering with the position of 
 
 the passage in John, which is not the cane. The pas- 
 
 1 sage of John was written by some student on the mar- 
 
 ; gin of Matt, from memory, an.l by a copyist awkwardly 
 
 introduced Into the text. No critic would question 
 
 this, but for the persuasion of some that B C L " can 
 
 do no wrong."
 
 576 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVII. 
 
 51 And, behold, the vail of the temple was rent in 
 twain from the top to the bottom ; and the earth did 
 quuke, and the rocks rent ; 
 
 52 And the graves were opened ; and many bodies of 
 the saints which slept arose, 
 
 ;">:> And came out of the graves after his resurrection, 
 and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 
 
 51 voice, and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the 
 veil of the 1 temple was rent in twain from the top to 
 
 52 the bottom ; and the earth did quake ; and the rocks 
 were rent; and the tombs were opened ; and many 
 
 53 bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were 
 raised; and coming forth out of the tombs a'1er his 
 resurrection they entered into the holy city and 
 
 1 Or, sanctuary. 
 
 thought to show that our Lord died from a 
 bursting of the heart. This is argued with 
 great force by Stroud, " Physical Cause of the 
 Death of Christ," republished in New York, 
 and by Hanna, App. to "Life of Christ." 
 The question possesses a certain kind of inter- 
 est, but cannot be settled. Let us beware of 
 spending too much thought upon the sur- 
 roundings and physical conditions of our 
 Lord's death. The great matter is that he 
 "died for our sins," "tasted death for every 
 man." Yielded up the ghost (spirit). The | 
 closing expiration seems a natural indication 
 of letting the immaterial in us, which is 
 oftenest called spirit, go forth from the body 
 "unto God who gave it." 'Gave up the 
 ghost ' was good in old English, but we do not 
 now use 'ghost' in that sense. 
 
 50-55. Portents following his death, and 
 the effects. Mark 15 : 38-41 ; Luke 23 : 47-49. 
 The vail of the temple (nrtos, see on 4: 5), 
 was a richly wrought and heavy curtain which 
 hung between the "Holy Place" and the 
 "Holy of Holies." (Exod. 26: 31-35.) There are 
 some Talmudic statements to the effect that 
 this vail was double in the second temple, 
 but that is a matter of no consequence; nor 
 have we an3"thing to do here with an outer 
 vail (Grimm), which hung between the porch 
 and the Holy Place. Once a year the high 
 priest lifted a corner of this heavy curtain and 
 passed into the Holy of Holies, carrying sac- 
 rificial blood which he sprinkled on the mercy 
 seat, and made supplication for the forgive- 
 ness of his own sins and those of the people. 
 (Heh. 9:7.) The sudden rending of this vail 
 from the top to the bottom (Mark likewise, 
 showing that it was not done by human 
 agency) symbolized the complete opening for 
 all of a way of access through Christ to the 
 throne of divine mercy. Christ, our high 
 priest, has entered the true Holy of Holies in 
 heaven, offering once for all the all-sufficient 
 atoning sacrifice of his own blood (Heb. 9: n-zs) ; 
 and now in his name we may look without 
 
 dread upon the very throne of God, and come 
 with boldness to the throne of grace. (Heb. 4 : ie : 
 10:19.) The other portent is mentioned b}- 
 Matt. only. Earthquakes are common in 
 Palestine, and this earthquake need not be- 
 thought supernatural. The earthquake might 
 naturally rend rocks and open tombs not 
 graves like ours, but tombs in the rock. (Comp. 
 on 27 : 61.) But the rising of the dead was of 
 course supernatural. Notice that they were 
 bodies of the saints. The clause after his 
 resurrection is ambiguous, as it may be con- 
 nected with what precedes or what follows. 
 It is more naturally connected with what fol- 
 lows ; then we understand that they rose at 
 the time of Christ's doath, when the earth- 
 quake opened the tombs, but appeared only 
 after he appeared. It may be that they ap- 
 peared only to believers, who knew that 
 Jesus had risen. The conjecture of Plump. 
 concerning this matter is of some interest. 
 He holds that the tombs opened by the earth- 
 quake were near Jerusalem, and as the term 
 "saints" was almost from the first applied to 
 Christians, he thinks that these saints were 
 believers in Jesus who had died before his 
 crucifixion. On this supposition, we see some 
 reason for their appearing to Christian friends 
 and kindred, in order to show that they were 
 not shut out from a share in the kingdom. 
 (Comp. 1 Thess. 4 : 13 f.) "The statement that 
 they did notappear till after our Lord's resur- 
 rection, is from this point of view significant. 
 The disciples were thus taught to look on that 
 resurrection, not as an isolated phenomenon ; 
 but as the 'first fruits' of the victory over 
 death (i Cor. 15:20), in which not they them- 
 selves only, but those also whom they had 
 loved and lost were to be sharers." The holy 
 city, com p. on 4 : 5. 
 
 Our Lord's death is described as specially 
 
 impressing three classes of persons, (a) The 
 
 Roman centurion, or as we should say, captain 
 
 (see on 8: 5), and also his soldiers who con- 
 
 | ducted the crucifixion, were convinced that
 
 CH. XXVIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 577 
 
 54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with 
 him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those 
 things that were done, they ieared greatly, saying, 
 Truly, this was the Son of God. 
 
 55 And many women were there, beholding afar off, 
 which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto 
 him; 
 
 56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary 
 the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of 
 Zebedee's children. 
 
 54 appeared unto many. Now the centurion, and they 
 tliat were with him watching Jesus, when they saw 
 the earthquake, and the things that were done, 
 feared exceedingly, saying, Truly this was l the Sou 
 
 55 of God. And many women were there beholding 
 from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, 
 
 56 ministering unto him: among whom was Mary 
 Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and 
 Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. 
 
 1 Or, a ton of God. 
 
 Jesus was what he claimed to be. When . . . 
 they saw the earthquake, and those 
 things that were done, were taking place 
 (correct text), or coining to pass (corap. on 
 1: 22), apparently referring to the long-con- 
 tinued supernatural darkness, and perhaps 
 also to the Saviour's aspect and expressions, 
 they feared exceedingly. (Kev. Ver. ) Well 
 they might fear; for they had been engaged 
 in putting to an ignominious death one who, 
 as they now felt sure, was not a criminal, not 
 an impostor nor a fanatic, but truly the Son 
 of God. Was, because his life had ended. 
 Mark has the same expression as Matt. Luke 
 gives "Certainly this was a righteous man." 
 If so, he was what he claimed to be, and he 
 had claimed to be the Son of God. So the 
 difference is only apparent, and in fact we 
 may in this case suppose that he used both 
 expressions. The Greek might mean ' a son 
 of God,' and some suppose that the heathen 
 centurion thought only of one among many 
 demigods. But this Greek phrase is very 
 often used as definite, determined by the con- 
 nection, and here it is easy to suppose that he 
 had borrowed the phrase from the Jews, and 
 understood it in their sense, which was more 
 or less vague. (Comp. on 26: 63.) 
 
 (b) "All the multitudes that came together 
 to this sight," the throngs of Jewish specta- 
 tors (Luke 23: 48, Rev. Ver.), " returned smitingtheir 
 breasts," satisfied that a great wrong had been 
 done, and fearing that they would suffer for it. 
 
 (c) Many of his own followers beheld his 
 death, with the deepest grief. Many women. 
 But Luke mentions also men "all his ac- 
 quaintances" (Luke -.13:49), nominative plural, 
 masculine. Beholding afar off, through 
 timidity, and through delicacy. The only 
 women of his following who came near the cro*s 
 were his mother and her sister, Mary the wife 
 ofClopas, and Mary Magdalene. (Joimi9:zs.) 
 Ministering unto him. They personally 
 brought and prepared food ; and they also 
 
 furnished money wherewith to purchase food 
 and to pay for cooking it all this being sug- 
 gested by the term and circumstances, comp. 
 Luke 8: 2 f. 
 
 .Mary Magdalene, i. e., from Magdala, 
 probably the place now called Mejdel, on the 
 western shore of the Lake of Galilee (see on 
 15: 39, where the correct text is Magadan.) 
 Mary Magdalene has received scant justice in 
 Christian literature and art. The heavy afflic- 
 tion of being possessed by "seven demons," 
 from which it was doubtless Jesus that deliv 
 ered her, does not prove that she had been ex- 
 ceptionally wicked. A late tradition identi- 
 fied her with the " woman that was a sinner," 
 in Luke 7 : 37 ff. This tradition is first men- 
 tioned in Jerome and Ambrose, was probably 
 nothing but an inference from the severe de- 
 moniacal possession, and was never received 
 in the Greek Church. The identification is 
 not only unsupported by anything in Scrip- 
 ture, but rendered highly improbable by the 
 way in which Luke just afterwards mentions 
 Mary Magdalene as a new personage. (Luke 8:2.) 
 Next.it was taken forgranted that the " woman 
 that was a sinner" had been guilty of unchas- 
 tity, and upon this foundation only, this highly 
 improbable tradition, and this uncertain 
 supposition, it long ago became common to 
 call an abandoned woman a Magdalen. The 
 celebrated paintings of the Magdalen are his- 
 torically an abomination, and religiously quite 
 hurtful. There is at Dresden a painting "of 
 the School of Titian," which represents her as 
 a woman of middle age, once very beautiful, 
 with deep lines of suffering in hf-r face but 
 over it all a look of gentleness, peace, and un- 
 utterable gratitude. This conception is his- 
 torically reasonable. Christ did savo persons 
 of the class to which she is usually referred 
 (21:82), and will save such persons still if they 
 repent and believe him ; but that is no reason 
 for involving this special friend of his in un- 
 deserved dishonor. The usage about Mary 
 
 2M
 
 57* 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXV J I. 
 
 cannot now be wholly corrected, but it may 
 be personally avoided. With this list of three 
 women, 'Mary Magdalene, and Mary the 
 mother of James and Joses, and the mother 
 of the sons of Zebedee,' conip. Mark's three 
 (is: *o, Bev. Ver. ; 16: i), "Mary Magdalene, and 
 Mary the mother of James the Little, and 
 of Joses, and Salome.'' This leaves little 
 doubt that the mother of Zebedee' s sons was 
 Salome. Again, in John (i'^), the women 
 present are "his mother, and his mother's sis- 
 ter, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Mag- 
 dalene." Here his mother's sister might be 
 Mary the wife of Clopas. But it is not likely 
 that two sisters would be named Mary ; and if 
 we understand that here are four distinct 
 persons, then they fall into two groups, the 
 first group being two unnamed persons, the 
 second two named persons and this rhythmi- 
 cal form of statement (Westcott on John) re- 
 sembles the style of the Fourth Gospel. Now 
 it is generally agreed that John's " Mary the 
 wife of Clopas" is the same as "Mary the 
 mother of James the Little and of Joses" in 
 Mark and Matt. (Com p. on 10: 3.) Leave 
 aside then the mother of Jesus in John's list, 
 with Mary Magdalene, who is the same in all, 
 and it becomes highly probable that Salome, 
 the mother of Zebedee' s sons, was the sister of 
 our Lord's mother. This theory helps to ac- 
 count for the prominence of James and John, 
 and for the ambitious request of their mother 
 in 20:20. Then also John's omission of his 
 mother's name would be (Westcott) exactly 
 like his constant omission of his own name. 
 These devout and loving women, and (Luke) 
 some men with them, saw for themselves that 
 the Master really died, and where he was 
 buried. ( ei.) 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 Sermons and devotional books often give 
 overwrought descriptions of the crucifixion. 
 The feelings excited by contemplating it 
 ought to be natural and genuine, and not gal- 
 vanized. It is better to imitate the reserve 
 
 and simplicity of the Evangelists, making our 
 narration and description quiet and inelabo- 
 rate. Any other course is injudicious, in 
 questionable taste, and really irreverent. 
 
 V. 32. Simon of Cyrene. 1) A man shar- 
 ing undeserved reproach. 2) A man render- 
 ing involuntary service to Christ. 3) Yet, 
 let us hope, learning to walk voluntarily after 
 Christ, bearing his own cross ('6 = 2*), as we 
 know that his two sons did. (Mark 15 : 21.) CALVIN : 
 "In the sight of men, this task brought him 
 to the lowest degradation ; but God turned it 
 into the highest honor." 
 
 "Shall Simon bear thy cross alone, 
 
 And other saints be free ? 
 Each saint of thine shall find his own, 
 And there is one forme." 1 
 
 Y. 33. Because of Gethsemane and Golgo- 
 tha, we sinners may hope for Paradise. 
 V. 35. SHAKESPEARE: 
 
 "In those holy fields 
 
 Over whose acres walked those blessed feet, 
 Which fourteen hundred years ago were nailed, 
 For our advantage, on the bitier cross." 
 
 V. 40. "Save thyself." How easily he 
 could have done so ! But his object was still 
 to save others (v. 41) ; he was dying that men 
 might live. V. 42. EUTHYM : "And he 
 would have come down, if it had been true 
 that they would believe. Like them are 
 many now who propose their own conditions 
 of believing, but really would not believe on 
 any condition." CALVIN: " It is too common 
 with the impious to measure the power of God 
 by present appearances, so that whatever he 
 does not do, they think he cannot do." V. 46 
 1) He is my God, yet he has forsaken me. 
 2-) He has forsaken me, yet he is my God. 
 MRS. BROWNING: 
 "Yea, once Immanuel's orphaned cry his universe 
 
 hath shaken. 
 
 It went up single, echoless, ' My God, I am forsaken ! ' 
 It went up from the Holy's lips umid his lost creation, 
 That, of the lost, no son should use those words of 
 
 desolation." 
 
 V. 47. HENRY : " It is no new thing for the 
 
 1 Recent hymn books have : 
 
 " Must Jesus bear the cross a'one," etc. 
 Having in youth heard it sung with "Simon" in- 
 stead, we have long been satisfied, on principles of 
 text criticism, that this was the original form. A 
 friend who has given much attention to hymnolojry, 
 recently stated that the stanza in the above-quoted 
 
 form is taken from the "Penitential Cries "of Rev. 
 Thomas Shepherd, of Braintree, Essex, England, pub- 
 lihed in 1692. The hymn in its now common shape 
 has borrowed only this one stanza from the original. 
 It is credited in some collections to Prof. G. N. Allen, 
 18512, who wrote the familiar tune, and may have made 
 the changes and the additions.
 
 CH. XXVII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 579 
 
 57 When the even was come, there oaiue a rich man 
 of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself was 
 Jesus' disciple: 
 
 57 And when even was come, there cauie a rich man 
 from Arimathsea, named Joseph, who also himself 
 
 most pious devotions of the best men to be 
 ridiculed and abused by profane scoffers. 
 V. 50. JER. TAYLOK: "O holy and immacu- 
 late Lamb of God, who wert pleased to suffer 
 shame and sorrow, teach me to apprehend the 
 baseness of sin, in proportion to the greatness 
 of those calamities which my sin made it nec- 
 essary for Thee to suffer, that I may hate the 
 cause of Thy sufferings, and adore Thy mercy, 
 and imitate Thy charity, and copy out Thy 
 patience and humility, and love Thy person 
 to the uttermost extent and degrees of my af- 
 fections." Through the cross of Christ may 
 the world be crucified unto us, and we unto 
 the world (Gal. 6: 14.) V. 51. Our "great 
 High Priest, Jesus the Son of God," has 
 passed through the vail of the heavens into 
 the true sanctuary, and there ever lives to in- 
 tercede; let us therefore come with boldness. 
 (Heb. 4 :i4-i; 7: 25.) V. 54. If men will but look 
 candidly at the life and death, the teachings 
 and claims of Jesus Christ, must they not 
 acknowledge him to be more than a mere 
 man? V. 55. CALVIN: "When the disciples 
 had fled hither and thither, yet some women 
 from their company had been kept by God as 
 witnesses ; more brightly then shone out their 
 piety towards the Master." 
 
 57-66. JESUS BURIED AND KEMAININQ 
 IN THE TOMB. 
 
 Found also in Mark 15 : 42-47 ; Luke 23 : 
 60-56 ; John 19 : 31-42. 
 
 Before the interment comes the proposition 
 of the Jews (John) to break the legs of the 
 three crucified persons, which was usually 
 followed (Edersh.) by giving them a death- 
 stroke. The object of the proposition was 
 that they might die and be removed before 
 sunset, when the great Sabbath of the Passover 
 week would begin. The soldiers were sur- 
 prised to find Jesus dead already, as persons 
 usually remained alive on a cross more than 
 twenty-four hours, and sometimes even for 
 three days; and one of them pierced his side 
 with a spear, bringing out blood and water. 
 John appeals to this as seen by himself, prob- 
 ably because it proved that Jesus had a real 
 human body, in opposition to the Docetic 
 notions referred to in 1 John 4:2; 2 John 7, 
 and that he was really dead. 
 
 I. 57-61. The burial. Luther: "From 
 this conclusion of the history of our Lord's 
 passion we see what the death of our dear 
 Lord Christ has effected, both with his friends 
 and his enemies. The enemies become un- 
 quiet and fearful, and evidently fall deeper 
 into sin. But those who love the Lord Christ, 
 although they are feeble, fearful folk, are yet 
 through the death of Christ consoled and con- 
 fident, and venture now upon what before 
 they would not have dared to think about." 
 We see that the Father, who appeared to have 
 "forsaken" Christ, is exercising a special 
 providence over his death and interment, 
 with reference to his speedy resurrection. 
 His bones were not broken like those of the 
 robbers, nor his body flung into a public re- 
 ceptacle, but while "numbered with trans- 
 gressors" he " was with the rich in his death" 
 (isa.53:9-i2) ; his tomb was in a conspicuous 
 place, was occupied by no other body, closed 
 with the government seal and guarded by 
 Roman soldiers. When the even was 
 come, towards sunset, which at that season 
 would be about 6 p. M. A rich man of Ari- 
 mathea, a place not otherwise known. The 
 name is obviously formed upon Ramah,'high 
 place,' dual Ramathaim, the name of several 
 cities in Palestine. Luke says it was " a city 
 of the Jews," which probably means of Judea. 
 Eusebius and Jerome ("Onom.") held it to 
 be the Ramathaim of 1 Sam. 1 : 1, which was 
 Samuel's birth-place, apparently a few miles 
 northward from Jerusalem; the Sept. calls 
 this place Armathaim, and Jos. ("Ant.," 5, 
 10, 2) Armatha. The fact that Joseph was 
 rich explains his owning grounds near the 
 city, and also adds importance to the marks 
 of respect he paid to Jesus. Mark and Luke 
 say he was " a councillor," i. e., a member of 
 the Sanhedrin, and Luke adds "a good man 
 and a righteous he had not consented to 
 their counsel and deed." John says, "in the 
 place where he was crucified there was a 
 garden, and in the garden a new tomb.' 1 
 Joseph may have stood in his garden, which 
 perhaps occupied a slope of the hill on whose 
 summit the crosses stood (see on 27: 33), and 
 his eye falling on the unoccupied tomb, he 
 determined upon his course. Who also him-
 
 580 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVII. 
 
 58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. 
 Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. 
 
 59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped 
 it in a clean linen cloth, 
 
 60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had 
 hewn out in the rock : and he rolled a great stone to 
 the door of the sepulchre, and departed. 
 
 58 was Jesus' disciple : this man went to Pilate, and 
 asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate coru- 
 
 59 manded it to be given up. And Joseph took the 
 
 60 body, and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid 
 it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in 
 the rock : and he rolled a great stone to the door of 
 
 self was Jesus' disciple (comp. on 5:1), 
 John adding "but secretly, for fear of the 
 Jews." He the more readily became a dis- 
 ciple because (Mar*) he was " looking for the 
 kingdom of God." Went to Pilate, Mark 
 adding " boldly." It required courage to 
 offer so much honor to one whom his asso- 
 ciates of the Sanhedrin had sentenced for 
 blasphemy, and who had died an ignomin- 
 ious death. He had shrunk from declaring 
 himself a disciple, but now, when all the 
 world had turned against Jesus, he came 
 out boldly. As the execution was by the 
 Koman authorities, their permission was 
 naturally required in order to take charge 
 of the body. The Romans often left the 
 bodies of crucified persons on the cross 
 till they decayed or were devoured by birds of 
 prey, just as in England and the American 
 colonies bodies used to be hung in chains ; but 
 the law of Moses required that a dead body 
 hung on a tree should notremain over night, as 
 it would defile the land. (Dent. 21 : 23.) Jos. says 
 I" War," 4, 5, 2), " The Jews are so attentive 
 to the rites of sepulture as to take down even 
 those who have undergone the sentence of 
 crucifixion, and inter them before sunset." 
 Begged. Asked is the exact meaning, not 
 'begged,' as in Com. Ver. Mark relates that 
 Pilate wondered if he had died so much sooner 
 than was common with the crucified, and sent 
 to ask the centurion in charge. This message 
 (though the distance was small), and the va- 
 rious purchase?, took a considerable part of 
 the time between three and six o'clock, and 
 made it needful to act promptly, and for- 
 tunate that "the tomb was nigh at hand" 
 (John). Commanded the body to be de- 
 livered, not requiring money, as was so com- 
 mon when favors were asked from the Eoman 
 governors. (Ac24:26.) Mark says in effect, 
 "made a present of the corpse to Joseph." 
 'The body,' after 'commanded,' is wanting 
 in several of the best early documents, and 
 was easily added from the preceding sentence. 
 It was, perhaps, some little comfort to Pi- 
 late to see respect shown the remains of one 
 
 whom he had so reluctantly yielded to an 
 undeserved punishment. 
 
 Took the body, Mark and Luke 'took 
 down,' which was the "descent from the 
 Cross," so often represented in pictures. They 
 of course washed off the stains of blood. 
 Wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, which 
 Mark mentions his purchasing. John adds, 
 "There came also Nicodemus, he who at the 
 first came to him by night, bringing a mix- 
 ture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred 
 pound weight." The hundred pounds (prob- 
 ably of twelve oz. each) could be easily borne 
 by two servants. In the funeral procession 
 of Herod the Great, five hundred domestics 
 and freedmen bore spices (Jos. "Ant," 17, 8, 
 3; "War," 1, 33, 9). A rabbinical writing 
 says (Wet. on John) that at the funeral of 
 Gamaliel the elder, a proselyte burned more 
 than eighty pounds of balsam. Nicodemus 
 doubtless recalled with deep emotion, as he 
 aided in taking down the body, what Jesus 
 had said in their conversation of three years 
 before (John3:-u): "As Moses lifted up the 
 serpent in the wilderness, even so must the 
 Son of man be lifted up." The linen cloth, 
 in consequence of their haste, was probably 
 not torn into many narrow strips, as in the 
 case of Lazarus (John 11 : 44), but into several 
 pieces, and these are called cloths (plural) in 
 John 19: 40; 20: 5-7; Luke 24: 12. There 
 was also a napkin, or as we should say, hand- 
 kerchief (John 20: 7), probably put under the 
 chin and tied over the head, so as to keep the 
 features in position, (comp. John 11 ; 44). In 
 his own new tomb. It was a special honor 
 to occupy a new tomb, like riding the ass's 
 colt, " whereon no man ever yet sat," see 
 above on 21 : 2; and all the more that it was 
 the tomb of a wealthy member of the San- 
 hedrin. Comp. Isa. 53: 9. Which he had 
 hewn out in the rock (Mark and Luke 
 likewise), a better kind of tomb than a cave 
 (John n : so), less subject to dripping water, and 
 to decay of the walls. The rock tombs now 
 found around Jerusalem usually present a 
 number of recesses in the walls, each large
 
 CH. XXVIL] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 581 
 
 61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other 
 Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. 
 
 62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the 
 preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came to- 
 gether unto Pilate, 
 
 3 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, 
 while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise 
 again. 
 
 61 the tomb, and , departed. And Mary Magdalene 
 was there, aud the other Mary, sitting over against 
 the sepulchre. 
 
 62 Now on the morrow, which is the day after the 
 Preparation, the chief priests aud the Pharisees were 
 
 63 gathered together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we re- 
 member that that deceiver said, while he was yet 
 
 enough to hold one body. Rolled a great 
 stone, too large to lift; comp. Mark 16: 3, 
 and below 28 : 2. This was designed to keep 
 out beasts and birds of prey, and petty thieves. 
 The Talmud (Keim) often mentions the golal, 
 'roll-stone,' in describing interments. One 
 large tomb now exists, half a mile or so north 
 of the city, which has a circular stone, like a 
 millstone on edge, cut from the solid rock, 
 with the channel in which it revolves (see 
 engraving in Clarke on Mark, or Hovey on 
 John), and originally furnished with a secret 
 fastening, doubtless in the hope of keeping 
 out robbers, who might plunder the spices, 
 costly linen, jewelry. Mary Magdalene, 
 and the other Mary, sitting over against 
 the sepulchre; comp. 27: 56. Luke adds 
 that they "beheld the tomb, and how his 
 body was laid," so that they knew whither to 
 go on the next morning but one. They would 
 naturally keep at some distance (27:55) while 
 the body was preparing for the tomb, and 
 thus might not know how amply Nicodemus 
 had anticipated them in providing spices; or, 
 they may have wished to complete a process 
 which they knew had been hastily performed. 
 Com. Ver. quite confounds two Greek words, 
 both signifying a tomb. The difference is of 
 no great practical importance, but they ought 
 to be kept distinct, as in Rev. Ver., which 
 consistently gives 'tomb' in v. 52 f., 60, and 
 so in 8: 28; 23: 29, and 'sepulchre' in v. 61, 
 64, 66 and 28: 1, and in 23: 27, 29; so in the 
 other Gospels. 
 
 II. 62-66. The sepulchre sealed and 
 guarded. This is narrated by Matt, alone. 
 Next day, etc. ; Rev. Ver., the morrow, 
 which is the day after the Preparation. The 
 Preparation usually meant the day of prepa- 
 ration for the Sabbath. This curious circum- 
 locution for the Sabbath may have been used 
 (Plump.) because the term 'Sabbath' would 
 in this case have been ambiguous, as the day 
 of the crucifixion was itself observed as a 
 Sabbath, being the first day of a feast. 
 The chief priests and Pharisees. The 
 chief priests were at this time mostly Sad- 
 
 ducees, and so the two parties were uniting 
 in the matter. Comp. 21: 45; 22: 16, 23, 34. 
 We remember, literally, we remembered, at 
 some time since the crucifixion. That de- 
 ceiver. They can now assume that he was a 
 deceiver (comp. John 7: 12), since he has been 
 put to a disgraceful death. The world is 
 much disposed to judge character by circum- 
 stances and outward results. After three 
 days I will rise again. The present tense 
 (Rev. Ver.) gives an assured fact, comp. 2: 4; 
 26: 2. There is record of his predicting this in 
 16:21; 17:23; 20:19. We do not know how 
 the rulers learned that he had made such a pre- 
 diction ; possibly from Judas, when he first 
 came to them. (26:15.) How can we account 
 for the fact that the rulers remembered, while 
 the disciples seem to have forgotten the 
 prediction? It is probable that the latter 
 regarded the whole idea of the Messiah's 
 being killed and rising again as something 
 figurative. Peter, James, and John, being 
 directed to tell no man of the Transfiguration 
 "save when the Son of man should have 
 risen again from the dead," were accustomed 
 to "question one with another what the ris- 
 ing from the dead should mean." (Mark9:9r.) 
 They could not believe that the glorious King 
 Messiah would be literally killed and literally 
 rise again. Comp. on 17: 9. Men are much 
 disposed to "interpret spiritually" when the 
 literal sense conflicts with their fixed opinions. 
 If taken as only meaning something figura- 
 tive, the prediction would be more readily 
 forgotten, till the literal fulfillment brought it 
 to mind. So the angels said to the women 
 (Luke 24:6), "Remember how he spake unto 
 you when he was yet in Galilee, saying that 
 the Son of man must . . . the third day rise 
 again." The rulers, on the other hand, when 
 they heard of such a prediction, would think 
 of it only in a literal sense, and so they re- 
 membered it. 
 
 After three days has been insisted on by 
 some as showing, here and in Mark 9: 31 
 (correct text), that Jesus must have lain sev- 
 enty-two hours in the tomb, which they sup-
 
 582 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVII. 
 
 64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made 64 
 sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by 
 night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He 
 is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse 
 than the first. 65 
 
 60 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch : go your 
 wav, make it as sure as ye can. 66 
 
 66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, seal- 
 ing the stone, and setting a watch. 
 
 alive, After three days I rise again. Command 
 therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the 
 third day, lest haply his disciples come and steal 
 him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from 
 the dead: and the last error will be wors than the 
 first. Pilate said unto them, 1 Ye have a guard : go, 
 2 make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made 
 the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, the guard being 
 with them. 
 
 1 Or, Take a guard. . . .2 Or. make it sure, at ye know. 
 
 pose to be confirmed by ' three days and three 
 nights ' in Matt. 12 : 40. But the only natural 
 way to understand 'after three days' in the 
 mouth of Jew, Greek, or Roman, would be 
 (comp. on 26: 2) to count both the first and the 
 last day, so that it would mean any time on 
 the third day. The phrase ' on the third day ' 
 is employed in seven independent statements 
 about our Lord's resurrection; (1) in 16:21 
 
 (and Luke 9: 22) ; (2) in 17: 23 (and Mark 9: 3. common 
 
 text); (3) in 20: 19 (andLukei8::) ; (4) in Luke 
 24: 7; (5) in Luke 24: 21; (6) in Luke 24: 46; 
 (7) in 1 Cor. 15 : 4. There is then an appar- 
 ent conflict between these seven statements 
 and Matt. 12: 40, while the other expression, 
 'after three days,' distinctly sides, according 
 to known usage, with the former, and is in- 
 deed parallel in Mark 9 : 31 (correct text) to 
 the former in Matt. 16: 21; Luke 9: 22, and 
 in Mark 10 : 34 to Matt. 20 : 19 and Luke 18 : 
 33 ; comp. here also v. 64 with 63. Now ' the 
 third day,' so often used, cannot possibly mean 
 after seventy-two hours, while the single state- 
 ment ' three days and three nights ' can be 
 understood as meaning three onahs or night- 
 day periods of twenty-four hours, any part of 
 such a period being counted, according to the 
 Tal m ud, as a whole onah (see on 12 : 40). Th ere 
 is therefore no propriety whatever in saying 
 that our Lord remained in the grave seventy- 
 two hours. And the narratives show that it 
 was in fact a very small portion of one day, 
 all of a second, and less than half of a third 
 daj r . Lest his disciples come. By night 
 is given in none of the earliest manuscripts 
 and few of the early versions, and was ob- 
 viously added from 28 : 13. Ye have a watch, 
 or, take a guard (margin, Rev. Ver.). The 
 Greek is ambiguous, and either the indicative 
 or the imperative idea will suit the connection, 
 the former being somewhat more probable. 
 Make it as sure as ye can. As sure as ye 
 know (how to do), is a more literal translation 
 (margin, Rev. Ver.), and would indicate such 
 measures as they understood and actually 
 proceeded to take. So they went, not prob- 
 
 ably a Sabbath day's journey, though in their 
 present mood that would not have restrained 
 them. Setting a watch, or as Rev. Ver., 
 the guard being with them. The guard were 
 present and united with the rulers in sealing 
 the stone ; and then of course remained to 
 watch the sealed tomb. (Comp. 28: 11.) To 
 break a seal fixed by government authority 
 would be a high crime, bringing condign pun- 
 ishment. (Comp. Dan. 6: 17.) A cord was 
 probably drawn across the stone which closed 
 the door, and its ends were fastened by seals 
 to the walls. This labor was contrary to all 
 the Jewish ideas of Sabbath observance, and 
 would be performed by the chief priests and 
 Pharisees only in some extraordinary emer- 
 gency, even as they had on the first day of 
 the feast condemne 1 the Saviour and secured 
 his execution. We may suppose ("Bib. 
 Comm.") that they had expected Pilate him- 
 self to take all these steps, and when he simply 
 authorized them to do so, they could not 
 draw back. It is difficult to suppose they did 
 the sealing after sunset, when the Sabbath 
 was ended, for that would not be ' on the mor- 
 row' (v. 62) after the crucifixion and inter- 
 ment. 
 
 HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 57. Joseph of Arimathea. 1) A mem- 
 ber of the Sanhedrin, who had refused to go 
 with the current. 2) A man of high official 
 and social position, who at a crisis was ready 
 to risk all. 3) A wealthy man, whom the 
 governor would listen to, and who could 
 offer the most honorable burial to the body of 
 the crucified. 4) A man who looked for the 
 kingdom of God and knew it when he found 
 it. 5) A disciple of Christ, whosetimidity we 
 must not judge harshly, since he came out so 
 grandly at last, HENRY: "Worldly wealth, 
 though it is to many an objection in religion's 
 way, yet in some services to be done for Christ 
 it is an advantage and an opportunity, and it 
 is well for those who have it, if withal they 
 have a heart to use it for God's glory.'
 
 CH. XXVIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 583 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 IN the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward 
 the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene 
 and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 
 
 1 Now late on the sabbath day, as it began to dawn 
 toward the first day of tne week, came Mary Magda- 
 
 " Resting from his work to-day, 
 In the tomb the Saviour lay ; 
 Still he slept, from head to feet 
 Shrouded in the winding-sheet, 
 Lying in the rock alone, 
 Hidden by the sealed stone. 
 
 "Let me hew thee, Lord, a shrine 
 In this rocky heart of mine, 
 Where, in pure embalmed cell, 
 None but thou may ever dwell. 
 
 " Myrrh and spices will I bring, 
 True affection's offering ; 
 Close the door from sight and sound 
 Of the busy world around ; 
 And in patient watch remain 
 Till my Lord appear again." 
 
 T. WHYTEHEAD, 1842. 
 
 V. 66. CHKYS. : "They who seized him 
 when living, are afraid of him when dead. 
 And yet if he had been a mere man, they had 
 reason to have taken courage. But that they 
 might learn, that when living also he endured 
 of his will what he did endure; behold, both 
 a seal, a stone, and a watch, and they were 
 not able to hold him." 
 
 Ch. 28: 1-15. THE RESURRECTION OF 
 JESUS. 
 
 Found also in Mark 16: 1-11; Luke 24: 1- 
 12; John 20: 1-18. Comp. 1 Cor. 15: 1-8. 
 The five narratives of our Lord's resurrection 
 and appearances differ much as to the details, 
 but only in the way common when there are 
 several independent and brief accounts of the 
 same series of events. If the narratives nre 
 found to agree substantially, then the differ- 
 ences of detail show them to be independent, 
 and really strengthen their credibility. The 
 details in this case can all be harmonized by 
 reasonable suppositions. If t some points 
 the only explanations thus far offered seem 
 artificial and strained, we must remember that 
 the total information given on the suhject is 
 quite limited and yet embraces a great variety 
 of distinct matters, and it could not be ex- 
 pected that the relations between these would 
 be everywhere made perfectly clear; also that 
 the progress of research is in every generation 
 clearing up seme question that was long con- | 
 
 sidered difficult. The sacred writers do not 
 treat their Lord's resurrection as a doubtful 
 point, needing to be established by their state- 
 ments, but as an unquestionable fact. Each 
 of them gives such information concerning it 
 as bears upon the design of his particular 
 writing. Thus in Matt, the earthquake con- 
 nects itself with that of 27 : 51 ; the report of 
 the guard bears upon a story current among 
 the Jews; the prominence given to Galilee 
 accords with the large space occupied in this 
 Gospel by the Galilean ministry; and the 
 Great Commission shows the true nature of 
 the Messianic reign, as spiritual, and destined 
 to be universal. 
 
 This section of Matt, divides itself into v. 
 1-4, 5-7, 8-10, 11-15. 
 
 I. 1-4. Certain devout women find the 
 stone rolled away from the sepulchre. In 
 the end, etc. The Rev. Ver. begins with now, 
 the Greek de, the usual particle of transition. 
 It might here be rendered 'but,' expressing 
 an opposition between the precautions of the 
 rulers and the events which here follow. 
 End of the Sabbath, (Rev. Ver., late on the 
 Sabbath day,} as it began to dawn toward 
 the first day of the week. This opening ex- 
 pression is not easy to interpret. 'Late on the 
 Sabbath day' is the only natural and well- 
 supported meaning. But the Jewish Sabbath 
 ended at sunset, while Matthew's account 
 indicates, and the other Gospels distinctly 
 declare, that our Lord's resurrect! on occurred 
 in the early morning. The other expression, 
 'as it began to dawn/ might refer to the be- 
 ginning of the new day after sunset, as it 
 apparently does in Luke 23 : 54. There are 
 three ways in which Matthew's opening 
 phrase may be understood, so as not to con- 
 flict with the other Gospels, (a) It may per- 
 haps mean 'after the Sabbath,' and many in- 
 sist that this is made necessary by what follows 
 and by the other accounts. It is not clearly 
 made out, but is maintained by such author- 
 ities as Fritzsche, Grimm, Godot, and others, 
 that the Greek phrase ran have this meaning, 
 (b) ' Lute on the Sabbath day' may perhaps 
 reckon the following night as a part of the
 
 584 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVIII. 
 
 2 And, behold, there" was a great earthquake: for the 
 aiiijt'l uf the Lord descended from heaven, aud cuuie 
 and rolled back the stone from thedoor, and sat upon it. 
 
 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his rai- 
 ment white as snow : 
 
 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and 
 became as dead men. 
 
 2 lene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And 
 behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel 
 of the Lord descended from heaven, and came aud 
 
 3 rolled away the stone, and sat upon it. His appear- 
 ance w:is as lightning, and his raiment white as 
 
 4 snow : aud for fear of him the watchers did quake, 
 
 a Or, had been. 
 
 Sabbath, departing from the Jewish usage. 
 This interpretation is given by Meyer, and 
 vigorously stated by Morison : " The difficulty 
 vanishes if we suppose that the method of 
 adding diurnally the night to the day, rather 
 than the day to the night, had got more or 
 less into common use among the Jews, so that 
 there were two ways of reckoning complete 
 astronomical days; namely, first by night- 
 days, and secondly by day-nights. Here the 
 Evangelist was thinking of day-night (see next 
 clause), and hence ' late in that day-night' 
 would mean about the end of the night that 
 followed the day of the Sabbath." This ex- 
 planation is possible, but is certainly strained, 
 (c) ' Late in the Sabbath ' may be taken in its 
 ordinary sense of before sunset, and we may 
 understand, with McClellan and Westcott on 
 John, that Matt, here mentions a previous 
 visit by the two women, quite distinct from 
 the visit of next morning. This also is pos- 
 sible, but difficult; for 'the women' of v. 5 
 are almost necessarily understood to be those 
 of v. 1 ; and after seeing the guard, if not the 
 seal, on the previous visit, how could they 
 expect admission into the tomb? Thus no 
 one of the explanations is easy, and entirely 
 satisfactory ; but as each of them is possible, 
 it will not do to say that Matt, is here in irre- 
 concilable conflict with the other Gospels. If 
 compelled to select, we should prefer (b), and 
 understand that Matthew's opening statement 
 refers to the morning dawn. Mark has it, 
 ' very early on the first day of the week .... 
 when the sun was risen,' which may mean 
 only the first rays of morning light, which 
 really come from the sun ; Luke says, ' at 
 early dawn' ; John 'while it was yet dark.' 
 The Orientals have always been accustomed 
 to early rising. The gates would be closed at 
 sunset and opened at dawn. The first day 
 of the week is, in Greek, a peculiar expres- 
 
 j sion, answering to a well-known Kabbinical 
 j phrase (Lightf.), but there is no doubt as to 
 I its meaning. Came Mary Magdalene and 
 the other Mary ; the mother of James (he 
 Little and of Joses, 27 : 56 ; Mark 15 : 40. 
 Mark adds (IBM) Salome; Luke (2i;.io) adds 
 Joanna (comp. Luke 8: 3), and indicates that 
 there were yet others. There may have been 
 two different parties, that of Joanna and 
 others coming later; so Westcott, Edersh. 
 To see the sepulchre. The verb means to 
 behold, as a spectacle ; so in 27 : 55, and a 
 kindred term in 6: 1. They designed also, if 
 it should appear practicable and appropriate, 
 to 'anoint him' (Marki6:i), and brought with 
 them spices (Luko 24 .- 1) which they had provided 
 the evening before, when the Sabbath was 
 
 past. (Mark.) As they Went (Mkl6:3, Rev. Ver.), 
 
 they were concerned about the question, "Who 
 shall roll us away the stone from the door of 
 the tomb?" for they knew from observation 
 of the interment that "it was exceeding great" 
 
 (Mark 16 : 4, Rev. Ver., comp. Matt. 27 : 60), and a man's 
 
 strength would be necessary. 
 
 And behold. Matthew often thus intro- 
 duces matter of special wonder; and here it 
 was peculiarly appropriate. The account in 
 v. 2-4 is found in this Gospel only. The great 
 earthquake is here distinctly supernatural, 
 but that does not prove that the same was true 
 in 27: 51.- 1 As to angels, see on 18: 10. The 
 comparison of the angel's appearance to 
 lightningand his raiment to snow, recalls the 
 Transfiguration. The general term rendered 
 "appearance" (R. V. ) was unwarrantably 
 restricted by Tyn.and successors to the counte- 
 nance, perhaps from comparison of Dan. 10: 5. 
 The keepers, or watchers, same word as in 
 27: 54. Shake, quake, same Greek root as in 
 the word rendered 'earthquake.' Matthew's 
 j language would allow, but does not require 
 I us to believe, that the women saw the angel 
 
 JThe margin of Com. Ver. here gave 'had been' for ] lating the aorist by the pluperfect. It is only the con- 
 ' was ' to indicate that the earthquake, etc., preceded nection in the Greek that shows one action to be prior 
 their coming. But Matthew's connection leaves that to the other, and the connection can show it in 
 doubtful. There should be great caution about trans- ' English.
 
 CH. XXVIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 585 
 
 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, 
 Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was 
 crucified : 
 
 6 He is not here : for he is risen, as he said. Come, 
 see the place where the Lord lay. 
 
 5 and became as dead men. And the angel answered 
 and said unto ilie women, fear not ye: 1'or I know 
 
 6 that ye seek Jesus, who hath been crucified. He is 
 not here : for he is risen, even as he said. Come, 
 
 roll away the stone; 1 Murk shows the con- 
 trary, for while discussing, as they approach, 
 the question who shall roll it away, ' looking 
 up,' they see that it is rolled back (perfect 
 tense), they see the result, not the process; 
 and so Luke and John. They "were per- 
 plexed" (Luke) by finding the sepulchre 
 open, but it does not occur to them that the 
 Lord has risen. See below v. 5 f. 
 
 The Fourth Gospel, which gives an account 
 of the movements of Mary Magdalene, says 
 that seeing the stone taken away she ran to 
 Peter and John and said, " They have taken 
 away the Lord out of the tomb, and we know 
 not where they have laid him." Observe 
 that 'we' accords with the statement of Matt, 
 that she had gone in company. She had evi- 
 dently no idea that the Lord had come to life. 
 (Com p. also John 20: 13.) Peter was probably 
 at John's place of residence in the city. 
 (John i: -27.) They appear to have been old 
 friends (comp. on 26: 17) ; John had secured 
 Peter's admission to the court of the high 
 priest, where the mournful fall occurred, and 
 now received Peter, penitent and ashamed, 
 to his own abode. So Peter and John set 
 forth, running towards the tomb (Johu20:sr.) ) 
 followed by Mary Magdalene. 
 
 II. 5-7. An angel tells them that Jesus is 
 
 risen. (Mark 16: 5-7; Luke 24: 4-8.) The HllgCl is 
 
 here obviously the one that had rolled away 
 the stone. Mark, who has not told how the 
 stone was rolled away, says that "entering 
 into the tomb they saw a young man sittingon 
 the right side, arrayed in a white robe," Rev. 
 Ver. As this young man said what Matt. 
 ascribes to the angel, we understand that he 
 was the angel. Luke says "tw>men stood 
 by them in dazzling apparel," Kev. Ver., and 
 gave them the same information. Some un- 
 derstand that this was at a later point, and 
 that is possible. But we have had several in- 
 stances of one person mentioned in a narra- 
 tive, and two persons in another narrative of 
 
 the same event. (Comp. on 8: 28; 20: 30.) We 
 have only to suppose here, as in those cases, 
 that one of the two was more conspicuous and 
 acted as spokesman, and the variety of state- 
 ment becomes natural. John also tells that 
 Mary Magdalene presently saw "two angels 
 in white sitting, one at the head, and one at 
 the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain." 
 The images used in the several narratives to 
 describe the appearance of the angel or angels, 
 differ precisely as at the Transfiguration. The 
 different positions and postures mentioned 
 are readily understood as obtaining at differ- 
 ent times during the rapid series of events. 
 Such slight points of disagreement only add 
 to the naturalness and verisimilitude of the 
 total report. 
 
 Answered (comp. on 11 : 25), responded to 
 their look of perplexity, amazement, and fear 
 (Mark and Luke). Luke says that in affright 
 they "bowed down their faces to the earth," 
 Rev. Ver. And said unto the women. 
 We know from John that Mary Magdalene 
 had now left, but we have seen that Salome 
 and Joanna, and apparently others, were 
 present with 'the other Mary.' Fear not 
 ye, with emphasis on 'ye,' as it is separately 
 expressed in the Greek; not so in v. 10. The 
 guard might well be alarmed (T. +), but these 
 who came to seek Jesus had no cause for fear. 
 For I know. This gives a remedy for fear 
 by telling the great reason they have for joy ; 
 comp. v. 8. Jesus, which was crucified, 
 or simply 'Jesus the crucified.' For he is 
 risen, as he said. In Luke (2+:Br.) they are 
 bidden to remember how when still in Galilee 
 he predicted that he would be crucified and 
 rise again the third day. Come, see the 
 place where the Lord lay. 'Where he 
 lay' (margin, Rev. Ver.) is probably correct." 
 John vividly describes (m-.&tt.) the appearance 
 of the tomb, as seen (a little later) by himself 
 and Peter; and intimates that the orderly 
 disposition of the linen cloths and the hand- 
 
 1 ' The stone ' stands without addition in X B D, sev- j Mcmph., Arm., JF.th., Origen, and some other Greek 
 eral cursives. Old Latin, and Vulg., JEtk,, Origen. Fathers. 'The Lord* would be easily inserted from 
 Many documents added ' from the door,' and somo also some student's marjrina' noto, but was not liltcly to be 
 added 'of the tomb,' by assimilation to Mark lfi:3. omitted. The addition la what W II. call "Western 
 
 sit is found without 'the Lord' in N B, 33, 102 and Syrian."
 
 586 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVIII. 
 
 7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is 
 risen froui the dead ; and, behold, he goeth hel'ore you 
 into Galilee ; there shall ye see him : lo, I have told 
 you. 
 
 8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with 
 fear and great joy ; and did run to bring his disciples 
 word. 
 
 9 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus 
 met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held 
 him by the feet, and worshipped him. 
 
 7 see the place ' where the Lord lay. And go quickly , 
 and tell his disciples, He is riseu'froni the dead; and 
 lo, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye 
 
 8 see him: lo, I have'told you. And they departed 
 quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and 
 
 9 ran to bring his disciples word. And behold, Jesus 
 met them, saying, All hail. And they came and 
 
 1 Many ancient authorities read, where he lay. 
 
 kerchief, showing that here was no work of 
 robbers, nor removal of a dead body to 
 another tomb, caused him to "believe," viz., 
 that the Master was alive again. This same 
 impressive situation the women beheld. And 
 go quickly, and tell his disciples. 
 "Quickly," so that they may the sooner have 
 opportunity to rise out of their distress and 
 despair. And behold, same word as 'be- 
 hold ' in v. 2 and v. 9. He goeth before you 
 into Galilee, as Jesus had promised in 
 26: 32; and the same verb is used here as there, 
 meaning ' he goes before and leads you,' as a 
 shepherd his flock. (Jonnio:*.) The present 
 tense represents the action as sure and near. 
 There shall ye see him. This does not 
 necessarily exclude the possibility of their 
 seeing him elsewhere, before or after, and we 
 know from Luke and John that they saw him 
 in Jerusalem and vicinity, both before going 
 to Galilee and after returning. But the em- 
 phasis here laid on their seeing him in Galilee 
 accords well with the view (comp. below on 
 v. 16), that on a certain mountain in Galilee 
 was to be the great meeting, where many dis- 
 ciples should receive the Great Commission, 
 thus differencing this coming event from the 
 appearances on that same day at Jerusalem to 
 a comparatively small number. Notice 
 Luke's statement (24:9, E.V.) that the women 
 "told all these things to the eleven, and to all 
 the rest." Did they not then understand a 
 message to 'the disciples' as not merely to 
 the eleven but to all the known disciples then 
 present at Jerusalem? Now most of these 
 had come from Galilee, and when the feast of 
 the Passover was over it would be natural that 
 they should 'depart into Galilee.' ( 10.) Re- 
 member, too, that already on the evening 
 before the crucifixion Jesus had promised to 
 meet them in Galilee. (26 :.*_>.) There is also 
 force in the suggestion (McClellan) that in 
 Galilee their minds might be more rapidly 
 weaned away from the notion of a temporal 
 
 kingdom, which partially reasserted itself 
 afterwards when they returned to Jerusalem 
 before the ascension. (Acts i = 6.) Lo, I have 
 told you. Here Mark, who has agreed with 
 Matt, almost word for word through several 
 line.*, has 'even as he told you.' Some "West- 
 ern " documents changed Mark to be like 
 Matthew. 
 
 IV. 8-1O. Jesus meets them as they hasten 
 away. Mark 16: 8 Quickly, as the angel 
 bade them, v. 7; and did run. The word 
 sepulchre, Rev. Ver., tomb, changes from 
 that of v. 1 (comp. on 27: 61), though there is 
 no important difference in substantial mean- 
 ing. With fear and great joy. The fear 
 (v.5) has not ceased, but it has become mingled 
 with great joy. Mark (16:8. R. v.) says strongly, 
 "for trembling and astonishment had come 
 upon them." He adds, " and they said noth- 
 hig to anyone; for they were afraid." i. e., 
 they spoke to no one they met on the way, 
 being too much occupied with the fear pro- 
 duced by what had occurred. To bring his 
 disciples word. The most of the disciples 
 were not at the same place as Peter and John. 
 It has been suggested that they probably re- 
 tired to Bethany, as they and the Master had 
 been wont to do every evening. ^Lukesiis-.) 
 Jesus met them saying, All hail. This is 
 simply the common Greek salutation, ren- 
 dered ' hail ' in 26 : 49; 27 : 30, and there is no 
 reason for rendering it otherwise here. The 
 'all' was introduced by Tyndale. The com- 
 mon text prefixes 'as they went to tell his 
 disciples,' but this is a mere explanatory ad- 
 dition brought in from the margin. Held 
 him, literally, seized or 'grasped,' the action 
 showing great humility and veneration. This 
 was not censured, and yet the Saviour said to 
 
 Mary Magdalene (John 20: 17, Rev. Ver., margin), 
 
 "Take not hold on me; for I am not yet as- 
 cended unto the Father." The most probable 
 explanation of the difference is that Mary 
 supposed this was only the Master's "spirit,"
 
 Cn. XXVIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 587 
 
 10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell 
 my brethren that they go iuto Galilee, aud there shall 
 they see me. 
 
 11 Now when they were going, behold, some of the 
 watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief 
 priests all the things that were done. 
 
 10 took holl of his feet, and worshipped him. Then 
 suit h Jesus unto them, Fear not: go tell my breth- 
 ren that they depart into Galilee, and there shall 
 they see me, 
 
 11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the 
 guard came into the city, and told unto the chiftf 
 
 as the disciples did the same evening (Luke 24: 37), 
 and was proposing to test the reality of the 
 bodily appearance, which experiment Jesus 
 rebuked. Worshipped. Bengel: "Jesus 
 before his passion was worshipped by others 
 rather than his disciples." Go tell, my 
 brethren. It was special kindness thus to 
 speak of them (cornp. 12: 50; 25: 40; John 
 20: 17), when they were likely to feel special 
 humiliation at the thought that they had all 
 forsaken him, and one of them denied him. 
 It was apparently for the same purpose that 
 the angel had expressly added the name of 
 Peter (Markie:7), lest the sadly fallen one 
 should fear to think that a message to the dis- 
 ciples of Jsus could any longer be regarded 
 as a message to him. 
 
 Meantime Peter and John arrived at the 
 tomb, saw it empty, and returned home, 
 (joim 20: 3- 10.) Mary Magdalene remained be- 
 hind, standing without, weeping. And pres- 
 ently Jesus appeared to her, in that affecting 
 interview which John describes in 20: 11-18. 
 If the expression ' he appeared first to Mary 
 Magdalene' (Marki6:9) be regarded as genuine 
 and chronological, then it may be thought 
 that as she departed to tell the disciples 
 (Joim20: is), Jesus also departed, and overtook 
 the other women. As he suddenly appeared 
 that evening in a room with closed doors 
 (John 20: 19), there was already, from the resur- 
 rection onward, something supernatural in his 
 bodily condition and movements, and so it may 
 be that he overtook them, though they were 
 running. But if Mark 16: 9-20 be considered 
 spurious, 1 or if 'first' be there understood 
 to mean simply the first of the three appear- 
 ances which that passage describes, then we 
 can dispense with the supposition just made 
 as to locomotion, and suppose that Jesus ' met ' 
 the other women a few moments after their 
 departure, and then, returning to the tomb, 
 appeared to Mary Magdalene. 
 
 The question has been frequently discussed, 
 
 why these angelic appearances, and first ap- 
 pearances of the Lord himself, were made 
 only to women. The women went early, and 
 being the first believers present, gained the 
 first knowledge of what had occurred. But 
 why did neither the angels nor the Lord ap- 
 pear to Peter and John? If we adopt the 
 simpler view as above, that Jesus appeared 
 first to the women on their way (perhaps to 
 Bethany), and then returning appeared to 
 Mary Magdalene, it might be enough to sup- 
 pose that he did not reach the tomb till after 
 Peter and John left. As to the angels, it 
 would be a question whether the women re- 
 ceived the angelic communication because of 
 their faith, or needed it in order to faith. 
 John believed, merely from observing the 
 order that prevailed in the empty tomb; and 
 Peter was the first person to whom the Lrd 
 afterwards appeared in the course of the day. 
 
 (Luke 24: 34.) 
 
 V. 11-15. False report by some of the 
 guard. This is found in Matt. only. It was 
 natural that he, rather than the other Evan- 
 gelists, should give it, because he wrote es- 
 pecially for Jews, among whom this report 
 had spread, (v. is.) When they were going. 
 The events were exciting, and nobody de- 
 layed. Some of the watch came into the 
 city ; perhaps the rest remained until officially 
 authorized to leave. And shewed unto the 
 chief priests. These had taken them out to 
 the sepulchre (n:65f.), and very likely stated 
 their fear that the disciples of the buried one 
 would come and steal him away. At any 
 rate, the chief priests had stationed them, by 
 Pilate's permission, and to the chief priests 
 they reported. According to Roman disci- 
 pline, they were liable to very severe punish- 
 ment for losing what they guarded. They 
 thought that an account of the angelic appear- 
 ance and the stone rolled away would have 
 influence with the Jewish authorities, and so 
 their crime as soldiers might somehow be for- 
 
 iThis is a question which, in the present state of 
 knowledge, it is very hard to determine. Hut the ex- 
 
 strong (see W H., Appendix, p. 28-51), that we think it 
 should not now be appealed to for proof texts, nor in- 
 
 ternal and internal evidence against the passage is so , sisled on in harmonizing the Gospels ut this point.
 
 588 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVIII. 
 
 12 And when they were assembled with the elders, 
 and had tikeu counsel, they gave large money uuto 
 the soldiers. 
 
 13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and 
 stole him away while we slept. 
 
 14 And if this come to the governor's ears, we will 
 persuade him, and secure you. 
 
 15 So they took the money, and did as they were 
 taught : and this saying is commonly reported among 
 the Jews until this day. 
 
 12 priests all the things that were come to pass. And 
 when they were assembled with the elders, and had 
 taken counsel, they g;ive large money unto the sol- 
 
 13 diers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, 
 
 14 atid stole him away while we slept. And if this 
 icome to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, 
 
 15 and rid you of care. So they took the money, and 
 did as they were taught: and this saying was spread 
 abroad among the Jews, and conlinuetft until this day. 
 
 1 Or, come to a hearing be/ore the gave 
 
 given. Accordingly, they told the chief priests 
 all the things that uric come to pass. 
 
 The story must have excited great surprise 
 and alarm, biit it wrought no repentance. 
 Alas! for these bad men, they were now, like 
 Pilate, so entangled by previous wickedness, 
 that it seemed they must go forward. They 
 had said, " Let him now come down from the 
 cross, and we will believe on him" (27: 42; Rev. 
 ver.); behold, he has done something still 
 more wonderful, yet they do not believe, no, 
 nor make further inquiry, but simply bribe 
 the witnesses to report a stupid falsehood. 
 Large money, or 'quite a number of silver 
 (pieces),' which would mo#t naturally mean 
 shekels, 26: 15. His disciples . . . stole 
 him away while we slept. The statement 
 is absurd on its face, for if asleep they did not 
 know it, and if one of them knew, he could 
 have awaked the others. It also confesses on 
 their part a criminal breach of discipline. If 
 this come to the governor's ears ; so Tyn., 
 Cran., and K. James. It much more likely 
 means, with Geneva and mnrgin, Rev. Ver., 
 'come to be heard before the governor, '1 be 
 tried before him. (See Buttrn., p. 336.) We 
 will persuade him ('we' being emphatic), 
 not simply by argument and .personal influ- 
 ence, but by the consideration they had just 
 brought to bear upon the soldiers themselves. 
 "Wet. gives several passages of Greek authors 
 in which mention is made of persuading 
 men by means of money. Philo expressly 
 states (see on 27: 11) that Pilate was a bribe- 
 taker, as we know was true of Felix. (Acts 24: 26.) 
 And secure you, literally, and make- you to 
 be. without anxiety, the same root as in 6: 25 ft'. 
 And did as they were taught. The rulers, 
 doubtless, kept quiet until after Pentecost, 
 when the disciples began to declare and to 
 prove that Jesus was risen, and then made the 
 soldiers tell their false story. Until this day, 
 
 the time when Matt, wrote his Gospel, comp. 
 on 27 : 8. Justin Martyr says to the Jew 
 Tryphon (ch. 108), "You (the Jews) selected 
 men and sent them into all the world, pro- 
 claiming that a certain atheistic and lawless 
 sect has arisen from' one Jesus, a Galilean de- 
 ceiver, whom we crucified, but his disciples 
 stole him by night from the tomb, and deceive 
 men by saying that he has risen from the dead 
 and ascended into heaven." The absurd and 
 blasphemous mediaeval Jewish legend called 
 "Toldoth Jeshu" expands this allegation. 
 
 Attempts are still made, by men whose the- 
 ories cannot be otherwise maintained, to set 
 aside the fact of our Lord's resurrection. No 
 intelligent critic now holds that Jesus did not 
 really die, or that he died, but his resurrection 
 was a mere imposture on the part of his disci- 
 ples. The now common theory of unbelieving 
 critics is that it was a vision, or, in some way, 
 an illusion, on their part. These men are not 
 mere disinterested inquirers after truth, as 
 they sometimes assert; they have to account 
 for Christianity, as having in it, according to 
 them, nothing supernatural, and yet as a great 
 power in the world; as affording the noblest 
 ethical teachings, and presenting the unri- 
 valed character of Christ, and as unquestion- 
 ably based by its propagators on belief in a 
 risen Saviour. Of course, men so ingenious 
 will make some plausible show of explaining 
 away the evidence, or flinging around the 
 subject some appearance of doubt, as skillful 
 lawyers know how to do with the weakest 
 case. See an examination of their theories in 
 Milligan, Lect. Ill, and brief and vigorous 
 discussions in Godet, Weiss ("Life"), and 
 Edersh.; see also a curious and powerful refu- 
 tation of these skeptical theories by Keim, on 
 grounds as rationalistic as their own. The 
 great fact stands. Westcott ("Gospel of the 
 Res."): "It has been shown that the resur- 
 
 J B has here a "Western" reading, found in B D, 'be heard by the governor,' which was manifestly in- 
 and Latin versions, hupo instead of epi, making it mean troduced for simplification.
 
 CH. XXVIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 589 
 
 rection is not an isolated event in history, but 
 at once the end and the beginning of vast de- 
 velopments of life and thought; that it is the 
 climax of a long series of divine dispensations 
 which find in it their complement and expla- 
 nation; that it has formed the starting-point 
 of all progressive modern society, ever pre- 
 senting itself in new lights, according to the 
 immediate wants of the age." Then after re- 
 stating the evidence, he adds, " Taking all the 
 evidence together, it is not too much to say 
 that there is no single historic incident better 
 or more variously supported than the Resur- 
 rection of Christ." And let it be remem- 
 bered how much this great fact carries with 
 it. The resurrection of Christ establishes the 
 divine origin of his mission and teachings; it 
 gives God's sanction to all his claims, and he 
 claimed to be the Messiah, to speak by divine 
 authority, to be one with God. Rom. 1 : 4. 
 Hannn: "Jesus had publicly periled his 
 reputation as the Christ of God, on ( the occur- 
 rence of this event. When challenged to give 
 some sign in support of his pretensions, it was 
 to his future resurrection from the dead, and 
 to it alone, that he appealed. (John 2:20; Matt. 12: 
 38-.) Often, and that in terms incapable of 
 misconstruction, had our Lord foretold his 
 resurrection. It carried thus along with it a 
 triple proof of the divinity of our Lord's mis- 
 sion. It was the fulfillment of a prophecy, as 
 well as the working of a miracle; that miracle 
 wrought, and that prophecy fulfilled, in an- 
 swer to a solemn and confident appeal made 
 beforehand by Christ to this event as the 
 crosvning testimony to his Messiahship." 
 
 HOMILKTICAL AND PRACTICAL. 
 
 V. 5. Seeking the Crucified, finding the 
 Risen One. V. 7. "Go quickly." 1) Relig- 
 ious excitement should prompt to religious 
 exertion. 2) Where others are sorrowing, we 
 tell twice if we tell quickly, the news that will 
 cheer them. "Lo, I have told you." HKNRY: 
 " Those messengers from God that discharge 
 their trust faithfully, may take the comfort 
 of that, whatever the success be. Acts 20: 20 f." 
 V. 8. EUTHYM. : " With fear, at the strange 
 things they saw ; with great joy, at the good 
 news they heard." V. 9. It was while they 
 were hastening to honor the Saviour and re- 
 joice his disciple.*, that he mot them. V. 10. 
 The Saviour recognizes the importance of 
 
 repetition in giving instruction. (Comp. v. 7.) 
 "My brethren." 1) This suggests humility, 
 at our utter un worthiness of the honor. 2) It 
 encourages return if we have forsaken him. 
 
 3) It stimulates to diligence in doing the will 
 of God, 12 : 50. 4) It reminds us that we can 
 serve him by serving the least of his brethren, 
 25:40. HALL: "Beloved Jesus, how dost 
 thou raise the titles of thy followers with 
 thyself! At first they were thy servants, then 
 disciples, a little before thy death they were 
 thy friends ; now, after thy resurrection, they 
 are thy brethren." V. 11-15. The chief priests 
 and the guard. 1) No multiplication of evi- 
 dence will convince those who are stubbornly 
 resolved not to believe. 2) Think of religious 
 teachers serving God by a purchased lie. 3) 
 Bribery required further and heavier bribes; 
 first a trifle to Judas, now large money to the 
 soldiers, and presently, perhaps, the governor. 
 
 4) A falsehood will be long-lived if it suits 
 men's prejudices, (v. is.) 5) Efforts against the 
 truth sometimes help its progress; the seal 
 and the guard only make it more clear that 
 the Saviour rose from the dead. V. 13. 
 SCHAFF : " Men in the infatuation of unbelief 
 will believe any story, however improbable." 
 V. 15. CHRYS. : " Seest thou again the dis- 
 ciples' love of truth, how they are not ashamed 
 of saying even this, that such a report pre- 
 vailed against them." 
 
 The resurrection of Christ is not only a pil- 
 lar of Christian evidence, but has important 
 theological and practical relations, (a) It 
 completed his work of atonement, and stamped 
 it with divine approval ; Rom. 4: 24 f. ; 8: 44; 
 2 Cor. 5: 15. (Rev. Ver.) Accordingly, to 
 believe that God raised the Lord Jesus from 
 the dead is to believe the gospel ; Rom. 10: 9. 
 See Milligan, "Lect. " IV. (b) It is the 
 ground and pledge of his people's resurrection. 
 (1) Of their spiritual resurrection, to walk in 
 newness of life; Rom. 6:4; Col. 2: 12 f. ; 
 3:1-4. See Westcott, "The Gospel of the 
 Resurrection"; Liddon, "Easter Sermons," 
 2 vols., 1885, (treating numerous aspects and 
 relations of our Lord's Resurrection). (2) Of 
 the resurrection of the body; 1 Cor. 15: 20; 
 1 Thess. 4 : 14 ; Phil. 3 : 10 f. See Candlish, 
 "Life in a Risen Saviour" (Lectures on 
 1 Cor. 15) ; Liddon. (c) It is represented in 
 baptism ; Rom. and Col. (as above), (d) It 
 is celebrated on the Lord's Day.
 
 590 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVIII. 
 
 16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, 16 But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto 
 into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. the mountain where Jesus had appointed i linn 
 
 16-20. JKSUS APPEARS TO THE DISCI- 
 PLES AND GIVES THEM A COMMISSION. 
 
 Found also in Mark 16: 9-20; Luke 24: 13- 
 53; John 20: 19 to 22 : 25; 1 Cor. 15:1-8. 
 Combining the four Gospels and Paul's ac- 
 count we find recorded ten appearances of our 
 Lord between the resurrection and the ascen- 
 sion ; comp. the Harmonies of Robinson and 
 Clark, and that of Augustine, III, # 83 ; also 
 "Westcott on John, beginning of chap. 20. (1) 
 To the women ; in Matt. (2) To Mary Mag- 
 dalene; in John [and Mark]. (3) To Simon 
 Peter; in Luke and Paul. (4) To the two 
 going to Emmaus; in Luke [and Mark]. (5) 
 To theapostles, exceptThomas ; in Luke, John 
 [and Mark]. These five appearances were 
 on the day of the resurrection, and at or near 
 Jerusalem. (6) To the apostles, including 
 Thomas, a week later at Jerusalem ; in John 
 and Paul. (7) To seven disciples at the Sea 
 of Galilee; in John. (8) To the apostles, and 
 probably at the same time to above five hun- 
 dred brethren, on a mountain in Galilee; in 
 Matt, and Paul. (9) To James; in Paul. 
 (10) To the apostles, just before the ascension ; 
 in Luke; (Acts) and Paul. Then comes the 
 Ascension ; in Luke, Gospel and Acts [and 
 in Mark]. Of these ten appearances Matt, 
 records but two, viz., 1 and 8; Luke records 
 four; John four; Paul five; Mark (if 16: 9- 
 20 be genuine), three. Thus the events fol- 
 lowing the resurrection are to be sought much 
 more in the other narratives than in Matt. 
 But the one appearance and commission here 
 given must be regarded as of very great 
 interest and importance. 
 
 As to our Lord's appearances in general, 
 certain points may be noted, (a) He appeared 
 under a great variety of circumstances; as to 
 places, times of day and night, number of 
 persons. This seemed to leave no doubt of 
 the fact that he had risen, and to make his 
 followers thoroughly familiar with it. (b) He 
 took great pains to show that here was a real 
 body, of "flesh and bones," not "a spirit"; 
 and that it was the same body, with the marks 
 of crucifixion, (c) Yet he appeared only ten 
 times that we know of, in forty days. And 
 he never remained long in their company. 
 He was thus preparing them to live without 
 him. See Hanna and Geikie. (d) He ap- 
 
 peared suddenly in a room with closed doors 
 (John -20-. ae), go that sometimes he was not at first 
 recognized. (Luke 2*: 16; John 21 :*.) "With this 
 agrees the expression of Mark 16: 12, "in an- 
 other (that is, in a changed) form." It would 
 seem that his body was already partially trans- 
 formed, as it were beginning to be glorified. 
 This, with the foregoing, would prepare his 
 followers for thinking of him aright after his 
 ascension ; comp. Ellicott, Hanna. Yet he 
 was not, as some have thought, fully glorified, 
 completely changed into a "spiritual body, 1 ' 
 at the resurrection, for he afterwards ate food, 
 (e) He appeared only to his disciples, though 
 once to above five hundred of these. (1) Per- 
 haps they were alone able to appreciate the 
 change in him; comp. Westcott, "Gosp. of 
 Res."; Milligan, " Lect. I." (2) Had he 
 appeared to others, we can see that the mul- 
 titude would have blazed with fanaticism, 
 worse than ever; and the rulers would have 
 furiously sought to slay him afresh, as they 
 proposed with reference to Lazarus. (John 12 : 
 10.) It was necessary to lift friend and foe to 
 the thought of his spiritual work ; and this 
 would have been defeated by his bodily ap- 
 pearance to the multitudes at this time. 
 
 Then, or but, in opposition to what the sol- 
 diers and the chief priests did, the eleven dis- 
 ciples carried out the Saviour's direction. 
 The Greek could be rendered "now," as a 
 particle of transition, though the connection 
 here indicates the other idea of opposition ; 
 but 'then,' as in Com. Ver., would suggest a 
 notion quite foreign to the Greek. The 
 eleven disciples went. Matthew gives no 
 means of judging how soon. But we see from 
 John 20: 26 that it was more than a week 
 after the resurrection, and from Acts 1 : 3 that 
 it was within forty days thereafter. It is 
 commonly taken for granted that the commis- 
 sion of v. 19 was given shortly before the 
 ascension, and hence the arrangement of the 
 Harmonies as above indicated. But this is by 
 no means certain, for in John 20: 22 ff., we find 
 a commission given on the very day of the 
 resurrection. So we cannot decide at what 
 point in the four weeks preceding the ascen- 
 sion the appearance recorded by Matt, oc- 
 curred. And if Matthew's record seems to 
 suggest that the disciples went promptly to
 
 CH. XXVIII] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 591 
 
 17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: 1 17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but 
 but some doubted. 
 
 Galilee (after the week required by John 20: 
 26), and that this appearance and commission 
 came not many days after their arrival in 
 Galilee, there is nothing to forbid the adop- 
 tion of that view. If we suppose that above five 
 hundred were present, it would require sev- 
 eral days to circulate the private invitation. 
 Into Galilee. See description of the district 
 on 4: 12, 23. Matthew's account of our Lord's 
 ministry, except the last week or two, is con- 
 fined to the ministry in Galilee. (*: 12-18: 35.) 
 That is probably the reason why he seized 
 with exclusive interest upon the direction 
 to go to Galilee (28: 7,10; comp. 26:32), with 
 the appearance and commission which fol- 
 lowed accordingly. Comp. on 28: 7. Luke 
 tells only of appearances in Jerusalem and 
 vicinity ; John gives appearances both in Je- 
 rusalem and in Galilee. When it is said that 
 Matt, appears to exclude all other appear- 
 ances than those he has described, it may be 
 answered that from Luke, ch. 24, one might 
 understand our Lord's Ascension to have 
 taken place on the day of the resurrection, 
 while from Luke's statement in Acts 1: 3, we 
 know that forty days intervened. 
 
 Into a (the) mountain where Jesus had 
 appointed them. We have not been told of 
 a mountain, or other particular place in Gali- 
 lee, as appointed for the promised meeting. 
 But Matt. (R. V.) speaks of it as ' the moun- 
 tain,' one definitely appointed or assigned; 
 and there is nothing in the other accounts to 
 conflict with this representation. We have 
 no means of judging what particular moun- 
 tain it was, and conjecture is idle. A very 
 late and very silly tradition makes it mean 
 the northern part of the Mount of Olives, 
 said to have been called 'Galilee'; such a 
 meaning in v. 7, 10, and in 26: 32, is out of the 
 question. The selection of a mountain, which 
 would be a retired place, and the formal ap- 
 pointment of the meeting at that place, sug- 
 gests something more than a mere meeting 
 with the eleven, such as we know from John 
 to have been held once and again before leav- 
 ing Jerusalem. Now Paul (icor. 15 :e) gays 
 that Jesus appeared to "above five hundred 
 brethren at once, 1 ' the greater part of whom 
 remained as living witnesses some twenty- 
 seven years later. The supposition that this 
 
 appearance is to be connected with the one in 
 Matt., accounts for the retired place and the 
 formal appointment. It also helps to explain 
 why this meeting was to be in Galilee, both 
 because Galilee contained a larger number of 
 pronounced and trustworthy disciples of Jesus 
 than Judea or Perea, and because it was far- 
 ther from the watchful jealousy of the rulers 
 at Jerusalem. This accounts also for the stress 
 laid at the outset on going to Galilee and there 
 seeing him ; there was to be the great meeting 
 with many disciples, and the giving of the 
 Great Commission (comp. on v. 7). These 
 two appearances are placed together in the 
 Harmonies of Robinson and Clark, and by 
 many very able recent expositors, including 
 Ellicott, Godet, Weiss. They worshipped 
 him. This was not merely homage to a king 
 (as in 2: 2; 9: 18, a-nd often), but probably 
 involved the conviction that he was divine. 
 Thomas had already expressed his personal 
 conviction to this effect. (J"tm20:28.) Even the 
 Saviour's bodily appearance seems to have 
 been, since the resurrection, so altered and 
 spiritualized (see above), that they felt more 
 inclined than formerly to worship him, be- 
 sides the awe with which he was invested by 
 the fact of having raised himself from the 
 dead. (John 10: is.) But some doubted. The 
 peculiar Greek construction is the same as in 
 26 : 67. The subject of doubt must have been 
 whether this was their Lord really come to 
 life. From Matt, alone we should naturally 
 understand that the doubters were some of the 
 leven, and this is in itself entirely possible, 
 even as at first they "disbelieved for joy" 
 i-uke 2* : 4i. R. v.), or from previous despondency. 
 
 Luke 24: 21; John 20: 25.) Such Continued dotlbt is 
 
 more intelligible if we suppose this to have 
 occurred in the early part of the forty days. 
 The accounts all go to show that the apostles 
 were by no means swift to accept the great 
 and amazing fact of their Master's resurrec- 
 tion, and that they became all fully convinced 
 nt last only because of multiplied and varied 
 evidence a fact which makes their final con- 
 viction and testimony all the more valuable 
 to us. Jerome: "Their doubting increases 
 our faith." If we suppose the "above five 
 hundred" to have been present on the same 
 occasion, then 'some doubted' may mean
 
 592 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVIII. 
 
 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All 
 power is given unto nit- in heaven and in earth. 
 
 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing 
 them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
 of the Holy Ghost : 
 
 18 some doubted. And Jesus came to them, and spake 
 unto them, saying, All authority hath been given 
 
 19 unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, 
 and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them 
 into the name of the Father and of the Sou and of 
 
 some of the five hundred, though not of the 
 eleven. We should in that case suppose Matt, 
 to be writing simply as an eye-witness, men- 
 tioning persons whose presence his narrative 
 has not accounted for. Whoever the doubters 
 were, we may feel confident that their doubts 
 were removed by the words that follow, and by 
 the ascension and the Pentecostal gift. Some 
 take the phrase, and Jesus came, as sug- 
 gesting that he suddenly appeared at a dis- 
 tance, and the doubting continued only until 
 he came near. And spake unto them. We 
 may well suppose that he first said many other 
 things. What is here given divides itself into 
 three parts; (a) The assertion of authority, v. 
 18; (b) The commission, v. 19 f . ; (c) The 
 promise, v 20 b. 
 
 (a) 18. All power. Jesus claims universal 
 authority. We have seen on 9: 6 that the 
 Greek word denotes permission, privilege, 
 right, authority, and it sometimes suggests 
 the power naturally attendant upon author- 
 ity, or necessary to enforce it. In this pas- 
 sage 'authority ' is the correct translation, and 
 the idea of corresponding power is suggested. 
 All power (authority) in heaven and in 
 earth, evidently denotes complete and uni- 
 versal authority. Calvin: "He must have 
 supreme and truly divine dominion, who 
 commands eternal life to be promised in his 
 name, the whole world to be reduced under 
 his sway, and a doctrine to be promulgated 
 which is to subdue every high thing and bring 
 low the human race. And certainly the apos- 
 tles would never have been persuaded to at- 
 tempt so arduous a task, had they not known 
 that their Protector and Avenger was sitting 
 in the heavens, to whom supreme dominion 
 had been given." But by the very fact of 
 saying 'in heaven and in (or on) earth,' the 
 Saviour showed that he did not mean the 
 authority of a temporal king, such as even 
 the disciples so persistently believed that the 
 Messiah would be. Is given, more literally, 
 was given, without saying when, and leaving 
 
 it to be understood that the authority thus 
 given is still possessed. We might suppose a 
 reference to the councils of eternity, but more 
 likely the gift was at his incarnation, as in 
 11: 27, Rev. Ver., "all things have been de- 
 livered unto me of my Father," and perhaps 
 was consummated at his resurrection. Comp. 
 in general Dan. 7: 13 f. The giver was God 
 the Father; comp. especially John 13: 3 and 
 17: 2, also Matt. 9: 8; 20: 23; 21: 23; John 
 5: 27; 12: 49. We learn elsewhere that this 
 authority given to the God-man, the Medi- 
 ator, is a temporary gift. When he shall have 
 subjected to himself all opposing authority 
 among men, then he will deliver up this dele- 
 gated authority of the King Messiah to God, 
 even the Father, and his special mediatorial 
 dominion will be re-absorbed into the univer- 
 sal and eternal dominion of God (1 Cor. 15 : 
 24-28). It is on the basis of this mediatorial 
 authority, in heaven and on earth, that the 
 Saviour issues his commission to his followers. 
 Go ye therefore. This 'therefore' * should 
 never be overlooked when we think of the 
 commission (comp. 'therefore,' in Heb. 4: 16). 
 It was a despised Galilean, a wandering and 
 homeless teacher, that gave this audacious 
 command ; but it was a teacher just raised 
 from the dead, and endowed by God with 
 universal authority. Hanna : "When Jesus 
 said, 'Go, make disciples of all nations,' he 
 announced in the simplest and least ostenta- 
 tious way the most original, the broadest, the 
 sublimest enterprise that ever human beings 
 have been called upon to accomplish." 
 
 (b) 19 f. Jesus gives direction that all the 
 nations shall be discipled unto him, and 
 taught to keep his commandments. If the 
 "above five hundred" were present (see above 
 on v. 16), then this commission was not ad- 
 dressed to the Eleven only; and it is plain 
 from Acts 8: 2, 4, that the first Christians all 
 set themselves to carry it out. Judaism in 
 general was not a missionary religion. It was 
 willing for Gentiles to come, as the prophets 
 
 i The reading is not certain ; the word is omitted by 
 many documents, and may have been inserted to bring 
 out the relation between this and the foregoing clause. 
 
 But that relation evidently exists, whether expressed 
 by a particle or not.
 
 CH. XXVIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 593 
 
 had predicted they would, but it had no 
 thought of going. The later Judaism had 
 developed a zeal in proselyting, which in it- 
 self would have been comir.endable ; but it 
 proselyted to mere formalism and hypocrisy ; 
 (comp. on 23: 15). Christianity is essentially 
 a missionary religion, analogous to the great 
 conquering nations, the Komans, English, 
 Russians. It must spread, by a law of its 
 nature ; it must be active at the extremities, or 
 it becomes chilled at the heart; must be en- 
 larging its circumference, or its very centre 
 tends to be defaced. "We learn from Luke 
 (24: 47-49) that they were not to go immediately, 
 but to tarry at Jerusalem for the promised 
 gift of the Holy Spirit's power. This came 
 in a very short time, and jet they tarried 
 long, apparently several years ; for the great 
 Pentecost was probably in A. D. 30, and the 
 death of Stephen in A. D. 36 or 37. It re- 
 quired persecution at last to scatter them, and 
 then they " went about preaching the word." 
 
 (ActaS: 4, Bev. Ver.) 
 
 Teach, Rev. Ver., make disciples o/, or 
 more exactly, disciple. We greatly need an 
 English verb 'disciple,' for this passage, and 
 for 13 : 52 and Acts 14 : 21. In John 4 : 1, the 
 literal translation is 'makes disciples.' The 
 Syriac (Pesh.) here exactly reproduces the 
 Greek, by means of a causative form, prob- 
 ably devised for the purpose, and quite dis- 
 tinct from 'teach' in v. 20. The Latin and 
 the Coptic were unable to make the distinc- 
 tion, and the Latin failure extended itself to 
 the early English and German translations. 
 Some later Germans have rendered 'make 
 disciples of,' as in several recent English ver- 
 sions. The verb 'disciple' is found once 
 in Shak. ("All's Well," 1, 2, 28), once in 
 Spenser's "Faery Queene," b. iv., c. 1), also 
 in Hammond (d. A. D. 1660) ; it is culled ob- 
 solete by Webster, but recognized by Richard- 
 son, Worcester, Stormonth, etc. There may 
 be doubt as yet about introducing it into a 
 popular version, thougb employed here by 
 Am. Bib. Un. and by Davidson, but it may be 
 used in religious discourse with great advan- 
 tage. 'Teach,' in all early English versions, 
 was a very imperfect translation, confounding 
 this term with that in v. 20, which really 
 
 instruction (11:29), accepting what he says as 
 true because he says it, and submitting to his 
 requirements as right because he makes them. 
 Towards a mere human and uninspired 
 teacher we can properly feel and act thus 
 only within narrow limits; but the Great 
 Teacher has perfect wisdom and unlimited 
 authority. We see then that Christ's inti- 
 mated authority (v. is) is not only the basis of 
 our duty to disciple others, but the basis of all 
 true discipleship. His teachings and require- 
 ments are perfectly wise and righteous and 
 good, and we may see this to some extent at 
 the outset, and more and more as we go on in 
 the disciple's life ; but we accept them at once, 
 and set about conforming to them, because he 
 has a perfect right to be believed and obeyed. 
 As to the noun 'disciple,' see on 5: 1. We 
 know from other Scriptures that in order to 
 men's beco:ning true disciples to Christ, there 
 is needed, not merely human instruction and 
 influence, but a special work of the Holy 
 Spirit of God. 
 
 All (the] nations, the Greek having the 
 article. Not merely the contiguous, or tho 
 kindred nations, not merely the most culti- 
 vated, but all the nations. Disciploship to 
 Christ is possible to all, necessary to all. Our 
 Lord bus already predicted that the good 
 news shall be preached in the whole world 
 (.(6:13), and that when he finally comes for 
 judgment "before him shall be gathered all 
 the nations." (25:32.) So in the latest commis- 
 ion, given just before the ascension, "and 
 that repentance and remission of sins should 
 be preached in his name unto all the nations, 
 beginning from Jerusalem." (Luke24:47. R.V.) 
 And if Mark 16 : 9-20, R. V., be accepted as 
 genuine, the commission there given reads, 
 "Go ye into all the world, and preach the 
 gospel to the whole creation." In Matt. 
 10: 5, Rev. Ver., the Twelve were forbidden 
 to go "into any way of the Gentiles"; but 
 that was a temporary and limited mission ; 
 tho final and permanent mission made them 
 begin with the Jews (Luke 24:47), but go into 
 every way of the Gentiles, disciple all the 
 nations. The idea of one religion for all the 
 world then seemed very strange. Liddon (II, 
 247): " No existing religion could a'm at it, 
 
 means 'teach.' To disciple a person to Christ since the existing religions were believed to 
 is to bring him into the relation of pupil to ho merely the products of national instincts 
 
 uid aspirations 
 
 teacher, "taking his yoke" of authoritativ 
 
 2N 
 
 each religion was part of the
 
 594 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [C'H. XXVIII. 
 
 furniture of a nation, or at most of a race. 
 Celsus, looking out on Christianity in the 
 second century of our era, with the feelings 
 of Gibbon or of Voltaire, said that a man must 
 be out of his mind to think that Greeks and 
 Barbarians, Romans and Scythians, bondmen 
 and freemen, could ever have one religion. 
 Nevertheless this was the purpose of our 
 Lord." 
 
 Baptizing them. See the term explained 
 on 3 : 6. It is here the present participle, 1 
 as is 'teaching' in the next clause. This con- 
 struction might grammatically mean, if called 
 for by the natural relation between the actions, 
 or by the connection here, or by the known 
 relations as elsewhere set forth, ' disciple by 
 baptizing ... by teaching' ; and so many 
 understand it. But the general teachings of 
 Scripture do not allow us to think that disci- 
 pling can be effected by a ceremony and asub- 
 sequent course of instruction in Christ's pre- 
 cepts. We must therefore understand that the 
 present participles give baptizing and teach- 
 ing as in a general way concomitants of dis- 
 cipling, the ceremony attending it promptly 
 and once for all, the instruction in precepts 
 beginning immediately, and continued with- 
 out limit, from the nature of the case. 
 
 In, or (Rev. Ver.) into, the name, is the 
 most obvious and commonest translation of 
 the Greek phrase (eis to onoma). The same 
 preposition and case are found after baptize 
 in Acts 8: 16; 19: 5; 1 Cor. 1: 13, and (with 
 other nouns) in Gal. 3: 27; Rom. 6: 3 (twice) ; 
 1 Cor. 10: 2; comp. also Matt. 10: 41 f. ; 
 18 : 20. Now if we take this obvious sense 
 'into,' the question will arise whether the 
 ceremony actually brings the person into the 
 name, into Christ, into Paul, Moses, etc., or 
 whether it only represents, symbolizes, the 
 relation thus indicated. Those who believe 
 in baptismal regeneration, or in baptism as 
 constituting regeneration, will of course take 
 the phrase in the former sense; others will 
 understand that the ceremony only represents 
 the person's introduction into the name, into 
 Christ. In either case the idea denoted by 
 'into' seems to be a highly important, and 
 with those who believe in baptismal regene- 
 ration, etc., an essential element in the signifi- 
 
 cance of the ceremony. Now it is to be 
 observed that Luke in Acts, while twice using 
 'into the name' (eis to onoma) (as above 
 cited), in 2: 38 has epi toi onomati (so also in 
 Matt. 18:5; 24:6), 'upon the name,' upon 
 this as basis or ground of the ceremony, and 
 in 10:48 en toi onomati, 'in the name,' 
 within the limits of it, with relation to it and 
 it alone. If then the idea attached to 'into ' 
 be highly important, or even essential, how 
 do we account for the fact that Luke uses 
 these other expressions, which may with some 
 effort be construed as equivalent, but will 
 quite fail to indicate the important conception 
 in question? It would seem clear that Luke, 
 when recording the action of the apostles in 
 carrying out the commission, did not regard 
 the distinctive notion of 'into' as essential or 
 highly important, or he would not have used 
 that phrase twice, and twice the other phrases. 
 And those who insist on the most obvious 
 translation of eis by 'into,' must beware of 
 treating any particular interpretation of the 
 expression as very important, in the presence 
 of Luke's usage. The question may also arise 
 whether it is r.ot better, with the great gram- 
 matical commentators Fritzsche and Meyer 
 (comp. also Weiss) to understand eis to onoma 
 as meaning in all these cases ' unto the name,' 
 with reference to the name, as that to which 
 the ceremony is restricted. Then it becomes 
 plain at once that Luke's other phrases give 
 substantially the same sense, and we see why 
 he has varied the expression at will. This 
 rendering is felt by all to be necessary in 1 
 Cor. 10: 2, 'baptized unto Moses,' which only 
 Davidson ventures to translate 'into Moses.' 
 Noyes says 'into the name,' but 'to Moses' ; 
 Darby 'to the name' and 'unto Moses.' 
 And in Gal. 3: 27; Rom. 6: 3, 'unto' gives 
 a thoroughly appropriate conception, 'bap- 
 tized unto Christ,' with distinct and exclu- 
 sive reference to him ; i. e., the ceremony 
 does not refer to Moses, or to Paul, but to 
 Christ. And note especially the appropriate, 
 ness in Rom. 6: 3, " all we who were baptized 
 unto Christ Jesus were baptized unto his 
 death." Our baptism in referring to Christ 
 Jesus referred especially to his death. "We 
 were buried therefore with him through the 
 
 1 The aorist participle is read by B D, without other support, and in obvious assimilation to the aorist par- 
 ticiple and verb which precede.
 
 CH. XXVIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 595 
 
 baptism unto death," etc. "We believe then 
 that it would be a decided improvement to 
 render baptize eis everywhere by 'unto.' If 
 this be not done, it would be less misleading 
 to retain the customary baptismal formula 'in 
 the name,' and thus avoid suggesting a con- 
 ception which Luke's usage clearly forbids. 1 
 Or if ' into ' be employed as the most obvious 
 translation, then we should beware of treating 
 the distinctive notion it suggests as essential 
 or important, when Luke has evidently not 
 so considered. 
 
 In Hebrew thought and feeling, the name 
 of God was peculiarly sacred, as representing 
 him. It must not be spoken irreverently, 
 and later Jewish feeling exaggerated this into 
 a rule that the proper name Yahweh must 
 not be pronounced at all, but another word 
 substituted. (Comp. on 22: 44.) The name 
 of God must not in an oath be taken in vain, 
 but the oath by that name must be solemnly 
 taken and sacredly kept. In numerous pas- 
 sages of the Old Testament, the name of God 
 solemnly represented himself; to perform any 
 action with express reference to his name gave 
 the action a sacred character. And so in the 
 New Testament use, ' hallowed be thy name,' 
 'did we not prophesy by thy name,' 'in his 
 name shall the Gentiles hope,' 'where two or 
 three are gathered together in my name,' 
 ' many shall come in my name,' etc. In such 
 phrases a great variety of specific ideas will 
 arise according to the natural relations of the 
 particular objects and actions, and the con- 
 nection of the statement; but in all cases the 
 name is a sacred representative of the person. 
 Thus 'baptized unto the name of Paul' is an 
 impressive way of saying ' baptized unto 
 Paul,' like 'baptized unto Moses' ; 'baptized 
 unto the name of the Lord Jesus' (Aot8:i6; 19:5) 
 and 'baptized on (in) the name of Jesus 
 Christ' (Act2:S8; io:48), are an impressive 
 equivalentfor 1 baptized unto Christ' (oai.s:27; 
 Rom. 8:s); and 'baptize unto the name of the 
 Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit' 
 is a solemn way of saying 'unto the Father, 
 and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.' 
 
 Baptism then is here enjoined as to be per- 
 formed with express reference to the Holy 
 
 Trinity. Comp. 2 Cor. 13: 14. From this, no 
 doubt, arose the quite early practice of baptiz- 
 ing three times, a practice still maintained in 
 the Greek Church, and in Germany and 
 America by the Tunkers or Dunkards, and 
 some others. It is not an unnatural concep- 
 tion, and not in itself particularly objection- 
 able, but it has no warrant in Scripture; and 
 indeed, the form of expression here employed, 
 'unto the name' being used only once, is 
 distinctly unfavorable to that practice. It 
 should also be discouraged as tending to exalt 
 the ceremonial element, while New Test. 
 Christianity has the minimum of ceremony. 
 
 It is very natural that Christians should 
 everywhere employ in baptizing this phrase, 
 'unto (into, in) the name of the Father and 
 of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,' and we see 
 no reason for departing from it. But it is of 
 doubtful propriety to call this a law, and to 
 insist that baptism would not be "valid " 
 without the use of this particular phrase. For 
 it must be remembered that baptize is no- 
 where else in the New Test, associated with 
 this particular expression. In Acts and the 
 Epistles we find only 'the Lord Jesus,' or 
 'Jesus Christ,' or simply 'Christ.' We may 
 well enough understand that this is a com- 
 pendious expression, which touches the main 
 point or peculiarity of the great Christian 
 purification. We could not wisely infer from 
 that usage that it is improper or undesirable 
 to employ the full expression given by Matt., 
 but we are bound to understand that it is not 
 indispensable. There would be nothing gained 
 in practice by using one of the shorter phrases 
 given in Acts and Paul, but there is some- 
 thing gained in just conception if we abstain 
 from regarding the expression in Matt, as 
 having the character of a law, about which 
 we should then have to suppose that Luke 
 and Paul had been strangely negligent. 
 Plumptre fancies (after Cyprian, "Ep. 73," 
 c. 17, 18) that it was enough for Jewish con- 
 verts "to be baptized into the name of Jesus 
 as the Messiah," while heathen converts, who 
 "were without God in the world," and had 
 not known the Fnthor, needed the other and 
 fuller formula. But Paul has not used it, 
 
 1 Tertulllan gives in nomrn, but the Latin versions In 
 all forms, and numerous Latin Fathers quoted by Saba- 
 tier, give in nomine. The Memphitic seems to be equiv- 
 
 alent to in nomen ; the Syriac cannot well make the 
 distinction.
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 [Cn. XXVIII. 
 
 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I 
 have commanded you : and, lo, I am with you alway, 
 even unto the end of the world. Amen. 
 
 20 the Holy Spirit : teaching them to observe all things 
 whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with 
 you i alway, even unto 1 the end of the world. 
 
 1 Or. all t\e days. . . .2 Or, consummation of the age. 
 
 and his converts were mainly heathen. 1 It 
 was probably this passage and the great ben- 
 ediction of 2 Cor. 13: 14 that made the Eng- 
 lish Kevisers unwilling to adopt the sugges- 
 tion of their American associates, and change 
 'Holy Ghost' into 'Holy Spirit' (comp. on 
 1 : 18). The former will, no doubt, long con- 
 tinue to be employed in certain phrases of 
 devotion ; but it would be a gain to uniform- 
 ity and clearness of rendering, if the latter 
 were everywhere used in the translations. 
 
 The design of Christian baptism seems to be 
 indicated as threefold. (1) The element em- 
 ployed represents purification; "arise, and be 
 baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on 
 his name." (AS 22: is, R.V.) This meaning it has 
 in common with the Old Testament purifica- 
 tions of every kind, being a very impressive 
 kind of purification, because "the putting 
 away of the filth of the flesh " (i Pets .-21; is in 
 this case so complete. (2) The action per- 
 formed symbolizes burial and resurrection, 
 the actual burial and resurrection of Christ, 
 and the spiritual death and resurrection of 
 the believer in union with Christ. (Hom.6:sff.; 
 Oai. 3:27.) (3) To have this ceremony per- 
 formed upon ourselves in the name of Jesus 
 Christ, or in the name of the Father and of 
 the Son and of the Holy Spirit, is a sort of 
 oath of allegiance or pledge of devotion to 
 him as our Savionr, and our God ; we are 
 not baptized unto Moses or unto Paul, but 
 unto Christ, unto the Trinity. Hence it was 
 a pleasant fancy of the early Latin Christians 
 to call baptism a sacramentum, the Roman 
 soldier's oath of absolute devotion and obedi- 
 ence to his general ; though the word sacra- 
 ment afterwards came to be gradually em- 
 ployed in applications and senses quite foreign 
 to the New Testament. 
 
 Teaching them to observe all things 
 whatsoever I have commanded yon. Bap- 
 tism is a mere ceremonial and initial act of obe- 
 dience to Christ, which should be followed by 
 a lifelong obedience to all his commandments. 
 
 The person who is discipled and baptized is 
 only started in a course of Christian living. 
 Notice that it is not simply teaching them the 
 commandments of Christ, but teaching them 
 to observe his commandments. They who 
 disciple and baptize men must teach them the 
 duty of obeying Christ in all things ; and the 
 Christian instructor has still fallen short of 
 his task unless those whom he is called to in- 
 struct have both learned what Christ's com- 
 mandments are, and have learned to observe 
 them. Notice also the emphatic and compre- 
 hensive terms, 'all things whatsoever I have 
 commanded you.' The risen Redeemer looks 
 back upon his now finished work of teaching 
 and speaks of it all in the past tense, as he 
 already often did in the prayer of John 17, on 
 the night before the crucifixion. These com- 
 pleted commandments would be hereafter 
 brought fully to the remembrance of the 
 disciples by the new Paraclete who would 
 soon take the Saviour's place as their instruc- 
 tor and counsellor (Johnu:i6, 26), and this whole 
 mass of sacred instruction and duty, without 
 omission or alteration, they must teach those 
 whom they disciple to observe. Liddon : 
 "This is not the least noteworthy feature of 
 our Lord's words, that he does not foresee a 
 time or circumstances when any part of his 
 teaching will become antiquated or untrue, 
 inappropriate or needless." 
 
 How vast is the range of thought presented 
 or suggested by this saying of our Lord. (1) 
 
 ! Theology, the doctrine of the Trinity, and 
 the Mediatorial authority of Christ. (2) Dis- 
 
 ] cipleship, and the work of discipling others. 
 (3) The great missionary idea, 'all the na- 
 tions.' (4) The ceremonial element of Chris- 
 tianity. (5) Christian ethics. (6) Christ's 
 perpetual spiritual presence with those who 
 serve him. (7) Christ's final coming. 
 
 (c) 20 b. Jesus gives assurance of his per- 
 petual spiritual presence with all engaged in 
 discipling others and in observing his com- 
 mandments. Obedience to the Great Com- 
 
 1 In the "Didache," ch. 7, and in Justin Martyr, 
 "Apol. I," chap. 61, the formula of Matthew is given, 
 as if a matter of course. There was no little dispute 
 
 among the Fathers as to whether baptism in the name 
 of Jesus would suffice. See Herzog, " Taufe," 4).
 
 CH. XXVIII.] 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 597 
 
 mission is based on his universal and complete 
 authority (-is), and encouraged by the 
 promise of his unfailing and sustaining pres- 
 ence. And this clearly applies, not merely 
 to the apostles, but to disciples of every period, 
 even to the end ; comp. 18: 20. True Chris- 
 tian workers may be despised by skeptical 
 philosophers and some pretentious men of 
 science or men of letters; but history has 
 shown that they are a power in the world, 
 and that power is explained by the perpetual 
 presence of their Lord and Redeemer. 
 
 Many things in this Gospel have been intro- 
 duced by lo or behold, calling attention to 
 what follows as wonderful ; but surely none 
 more fitly than this its marvelous and blessed 
 closing word. I is separately expressed in the 
 Greek, and is therefore emphatic. Alway is 
 literally (margin, Rev. Ver. ), all the days; 
 days of strength and of weakness, days of suc- 
 cess and of failure, of joy and of sorrow, of 
 youth and of age, days of life and day of 
 death all the days. (Comp. Westcott, " Reve- 
 lation of the Risen Lord.") The end of the 
 
 world is literally (margin, Rev. Ver.), the 
 consummation of the age, or of the world- 
 period (comp. on 13: 39; 24: 3), viz., of that 
 world-period which was introduced by the 
 Messiah's coming, and will be consummated 
 by his second coming. Then his spiritual 
 presence will become a visible presence, but 
 none the less spiritual, sustaining, and delight- 
 ful ; then we shall see him whom not having 
 seen we love, and shall know even as also we 
 were known. 
 
 Jesus, the very thought of thee 
 With sweetness fills my breast ; 
 
 But sweeter far thy face to see, 
 And in thy presence rest. 
 
 May every heart confess thy name, 
 
 And ever thee adore ; 
 And seeking thee, itself inflame 
 
 To seek thee more and more ! 
 
 Grant me, while here on earth I stay, 
 
 Thy love to feel and know ; 
 And when from hence I pass away, 
 
 To me thy glory show. 
 
 BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, TR. BY CASWELL.
 
 INDEX I. 
 
 AUTHORS QUOTED OR REFERRED TO. 
 
 Much space has been saved by giving only an author's name, frequently abbreviated. 
 This seems to create a necessity fur an explanatory list, and some elementary information 
 about authors and the works quoted is added for the benefit of junior students, and of 
 general readers anxious to know the country, age, and religious positions of the authori- 
 ties adduced on some question in which they feel interest. Those mentioned only once 
 are there sufficiently described, and usually not included in this list. The early Chris- 
 tian authors are called Fathers, without observing the Romish distinction between fathers 
 and writers. Where no date is given, the author is supposed to be still living (1886). 
 German authors will be understood to be Protestant, unless otherwise stated. Only such 
 works of an author are mentioned as have been quoted or referred to in the Commentary 
 The titles are all given in English, and the original language mentioned where a work 
 is not known to have been translated. The books of reference employed in making this 
 list are Herzog, Schaff-Herzog, Smith's Dictionary, the general Cyclopedias. 
 
 ABOTH, Pirque Aboth, 'Chapters of Fathers.' 
 a section of the Mishna. Translation with 
 notes by C. Taylor, "Sayings of the Jew- 
 ish Fathers." 
 
 ACHELIS, Germany. The Sermon on the 
 Mount. 1875. 
 
 AESCHYLUS, (B. c. 525-456). 
 
 JEiH., ./Ethiopia version of the New Test., 
 probably made in Fifth century. 
 
 ALEXANDER, J. Addison, (1809-1860). Pres- 
 byterian Theological Prof, in Princeton. 
 Commentaries on Mark, Matthew, Isaiah, 
 Psalms. 
 
 "ALEXANDRIAN" text, see Westcott and 
 Hort's Introduction. 
 
 ALK., Alford, Henry, (1810-1871). Dean of 
 Canterbury. Greek Testament. 
 
 AMER. APP., American Appendix to the 
 Revised English Version of 1881. The 
 Revised text given in this Commentary 
 is one conformed to the preferences ex- 
 pressed in that appendix. 
 
 AMER. BIB. UN., or Bib. Un., the Revised 
 New Test., published in 1865, by the 
 American Bible Union; now published 
 by the American Baptist Publication 
 Society. 
 
 ANDREWS, S. J., Episcopal clergyman. Con- 
 necticut. Life of Our Lord. 
 
 ANON, or Anonymous, an unfinished and 
 anonymous Latin Commentary on Mat- 
 thew, printed in the works of Chrysostom 
 (Migne. vi.); usually called Opus Imper- 
 fectum in Matt. 
 
 ANTHOLOGY, Greek. A collection of short 
 Greek poems and poetical sayings. 
 
 ANT., or Antoninus, M. Aurelinus (A. D. 
 121-180). Roman Emperor. Medita- 
 tions. 
 
 APOLINARIUS, (in Cramer). Fragments of a 
 Greek Christian writer, probably one who 
 died A. D. 390. 
 
 AQUILA, (Second century, first half). Jewish 
 Proselyte. Fragments of Greek transla- 
 tion of Old Test. 
 
 AQ., or Aquinos, Thomas of Aquino (1227- 
 1274). Scholastic Theologian. Catena 
 Aurea, a Commentary on the Gospel.*, 
 composed of extracts from Fathers and 
 later writers. 
 
 ARM., Armenian version of the New Test., 
 probably made in Fifth century. 
 
 AUNOLDI. Germany. Roman Catholic. 
 Commentary on Mii/thew (in Gorman). 
 599
 
 600 
 
 INDEX I. 
 
 ARNOT, William (1808-1875). Scotland. Pres- 
 byterian minister. On tlie Parables. 
 
 AUG., or Augustine (A. D. 353-430). Latin 
 Father. Harmony of the Gospels. Ser- 
 mon on the Mount (Trench's ed). 
 
 BAFT. QUARTERLY, Philadelphia, 1867-1877 ; 
 Bapt. Quarterly Review, New York, from 
 1885. 
 
 BARNES, Albert (1798-1870). Philadelphia. 
 Presbyterian minister. Notes on the 
 Gospels. 
 
 BARTLETT, S. C. Congregational minister. 
 President Dartmouth College, New Hamp- 
 shire. From Egypt to Palestine. 1879. 
 
 BEDA (674-735). England. Commentary on 
 Matthew. 
 
 BENGEL, John Albr. (1687-1752). Germany. 
 Gnomon of the New Testament. 
 
 BIB. COMM., Bible Commentary, called in 
 England Speaker's Comm. On Matthew, 
 by Mansel, completed by the editor, 
 Canon Cook. 
 
 BIB. UN., or B. U., see Amer. Bib. Un. 
 
 BIB. SAC., Bibliotheca Sacra, Quarterly Re- 
 view, formerly published at Andover, 
 Mass., now at Oberlin, Ohio. 
 
 BLEEK, Friedrich, (1793-1859). Germany. 
 Synoptical Explanation of the three first 
 Gospels (in German). Introduction to 
 the New Test. 
 
 BLYTH, F. C., Church of England. Thoughts 
 on the Lord's Prayer. 
 
 BOARDMAN, G. D., Philadelphia. Baptist 
 Minister. The Mountain Instruction. 
 The Model Prayer. 
 
 BOYCE, J. P., President South. Bapt. Theol. 
 Sem., Louisville. A brief Catechism of 
 Bible Doctrine. 
 
 BRUCE, Alex. B., Glasgow, Scotland. Pres- 
 byterian Prof. The Training of the 
 Twelve. The Parabolic Teaching of Christ. 
 
 BUTTM., or Buttmann, Alex. Germany. 
 Grammar of New Testament Greek. 
 
 BUXTORF (1564-1629). Switzerland. Hebrew 
 and Chaldee Lexicon (in Latin). Jewish 
 Synagogue (in Latin). 
 
 CALDERWOOD, H., Scotland. Prof. Moral 
 Philosophy. The Parables of our Lord. 
 
 CALVIN, (1509-1564). Commentary on the 
 New Test. 
 
 CASPARI, Ch. Edwd. Germany. Chronol. 
 and Geograph. Introduction to the Life 
 of Christ. 
 
 CHRYS., or Chrysostom. (347-407). Greek 
 Father. Homilies on Matt. The "fol- 
 lowers" of Chrys., often mentioned with 
 him, are Theophylact and Euthymius. 
 
 CICERO, (B. c. 106-43). 
 
 CLARK, G. W., New Jersey. Baptist minis- 
 ter. Harmony of the Gospels. Commen- 
 mentary on Matt. Both published by 
 Amer. Bapt. Pub. Soc. 
 
 CLARKE, W. N., Toronto, Canada. Prof, in 
 Baptist College. Commentar}' on Mark., 
 Amer. Bapt. Pub. Soc. 
 
 CLEM. AL., or Clement Alex. Clement of 
 Alexandria ^flourished about A. D. 200). 
 Greek Father. Works partly translated 
 from Greek. 
 
 COLERIDGE, H. J. English Jesuit. The 
 Life of our Life. 
 
 COM. VER. The Common English Version 
 of the Bible, often unwarrantably called 
 "Authorized Version." 
 
 CONANT, Thos. J., Brooklyn. Baptist Theo- 
 log. Prof. Revision of Matt., with Notes. 
 On Baptizein. Amer. Bapt. Pub. Soc. 
 
 CONDER, Claude R., English Engineer, en- 
 gaged in Survey of Palestine. Tent 
 Work in Palestine. 
 
 CORN. A LAP., see Lapide. 
 
 COVERDALE, (1488-1569). Church of England. 
 English translation of the Bible (1535). 
 
 CRAMER, John Anthony, formerly Professor 
 in Oxford. Catena of Greek Fathers to 
 the New Test. (1844). 
 
 CRAN., or Cranmer (1489-1556). Archbishop 
 of Canterbury. An English translation 
 of the Bible, see "Great Bible." 
 
 CREMER, Hermann. Germany. Biblical- 
 theological Lexicon of New Testament 
 Greek. Second edition translated, third 
 and fourth editions enlarged. 
 
 CURTIUS, George (1820-1885). Germany. 
 Classical Prof. Principles of Greek Ety- 
 mology. 
 
 CYPRIAN (Third century). Latin Father. 
 Works. 
 
 DARBY, John Nelson (1801-1882). Church of 
 England, afterwards leader among the 
 Plymouth Brethren. A New Translation 
 of the New Test. London. Morrish.
 
 INDEX. I. 
 
 601 
 
 DEMOPHILTTS, a Greek Pythagorean philoso- 
 pher, date unknown. 
 DELITZSCH, Franz (born 1813). Germany. 
 
 "A Day at Capernaum," 1873. 
 DE WETTE (1780-1849). Germany. Exegeti- 
 
 cal Hand-book to New Test, (in German). 
 DIDACHE. The so-called Teaching of the 
 
 Twelve Apostles, written in the Second 
 
 century (probably latter part). 
 DIOD. Sic, Diodorus Siculus (flourished about 
 
 Christian Era). Universal History (in 
 
 Greek). 
 DOLLINGER, I. Germany. "Old Catholic." 
 
 The First Age of Christianity and the 
 
 Church. 
 
 DOTJAY version, see Kheims. 
 DYKES, J. Oswald. London. Presbyterian 
 
 minister. " The Manifesto of the King." 
 
 (Sermon on the Mount). 
 
 EBRARD, John Hen. Aug. (born 1818). Ger- 
 many. Criticism of the Gospel History, 
 1842, 1850. 
 
 ECCE HOMO. Anonymous work on Life of 
 Christ, but written by Prof. J. K. Seeley, 
 London. 
 
 ECCLITS., Ecclesiasticus, Wisdom of Jesus the 
 son of Sirach, a book of the Old Testa- 
 ment Apocrypha, written about B. c. 190. 
 
 EDERSH., Edersheim, Alfred. Church of 
 England. Life and Times of Jesus the 
 Messiah. Sketches of Jewish Social Life. 
 The Temple. 
 
 EGYPTIAN VERSIONS: (1) Memph., or Mem- 
 phitic, in Lower (Northern) Egypt. (2) 
 Theb., or Thebaic, in Upper (Southern) 
 Egypt. Both were probably made late in 
 the Second, or early in the Third cen- 
 tury. 
 
 ELLICOTT, Chas. John. (1819). Bishop of 
 Gloucester and Bristol. Historical Lec- 
 tures on Life of Christ. On Kevision. 
 Commentaries on Galatians to Philemon. 
 New Test. Commentary for English Read- 
 ers, edited\>y Ellicott, see Plurnptre. 
 
 EPICTETUS (flourished A. D. 90). Stoic Phi- 
 losopher. Discourses, etc. 
 
 2 ESDRAS, one of the Old Test. Apocryphal 
 books. 
 
 EURIPIDES (B. c. 480-406). 
 
 Bus., Eusebius (about A. D. 200-3401 Greek 
 Father. Ecclesiastical History. Com- 
 mentary on the Psalms. 
 
 EUSTATHIUS (died A. D. 337). Bishop of An- 
 tioeh. 
 
 EUTHYM., Euthymius Zygadenus (Twelfth 
 century). Byzantine Greek writer. Com- 
 mentaries on the Four Gospels. 
 
 EWALP, Henry Geo. Aug. (1803-1876). Ger- 
 many. History of Christ and His Times. 
 Three first Gospels. 1830. 
 
 EXPOSITOR, The, monthly. London. 
 
 FAIRBAIRN, Patrick (1805-1874). Scotland. 
 Presbyterian minister. Hermeueutical 
 Manual. 
 
 FAIRBAIRN, A. M., England. Independent 
 College principal. Studies in the Life of 
 Christ. 
 
 FARRAR, F. "W., Church of England. Life 
 of Christ. Mercy and Judgment. 
 
 FISH, H. C. (1820-1877). New Jersey. Bapt. 
 minister. Bible Lands Illustrated. 
 
 FRITZ., or Fritzsche, Karl Fred. Aug. (1801- 
 1846). Germany. Commentaries on Mat- 
 thew, 1826, and on Mark, 1830 (both in 
 Latin). 
 
 GEIGER, Abraham (1810-1874). Germany. 
 
 Jewish rabbi. Judaism and Its History. 
 
 Sadducees and Pharisees. (Both in Ger- 
 man). 
 GEIKIE, C. Church of England. Life and 
 
 Words of Christ. 
 GEN., or Geneva, an English version of the 
 
 Bible (1557). 
 
 GILL, John (1697-1771). London. Bapt. min- 
 ister. Commentary on the Bible. Body 
 
 of Divinity. 
 GLOAG, P. J., Scotland. Presb. minister. 
 
 Exegetical Studies. 
 GODET, Frederic (born 1812). Switzerland. 
 
 Commentaries on Luke and on John. 
 
 New Testament Studies. 
 
 GOEBEL. Germany. The Parables of Jesus. 
 GOODWIN, W. W., Prof, of Greek in Harvard 
 
 University. Greek Moods and Tenses. 
 GOTHIC, Version of New Test., made in 
 
 Fourth century. 
 GREAT BIBLE, an English version in a large 
 
 volume (1539), second ed. with preface by 
 
 Cranmer, and hence often called Cran- 
 
 mer's Bible. 
 GREG. NAZ., Gregory Nazinnzen (A. D. 330- 
 
 390). Greek Father. Works (in Greek 
 
 and Latin).
 
 602 
 
 INDEX I. 
 
 GRIFFITH, Thomas. Church of England. 
 Studies of the Divine Master. 
 
 GRIMM, C. L. Wilibald (born 1807). Ger- 
 many. Lexicon of the Greek Test, (in 
 Latin), 2d ed., 1879. (Thayer's Lexicon, 
 1886, translates Grimm entire, and makes 
 valuable additions.) 
 
 GROTIUS, Hugo (1583-1645). Holland. An- 
 notations upon the Old and New Testa- 
 ments (in Latin). 
 
 GUKRIN. France. Description of Palestine 
 (in French). 7 volumes. 
 
 HALL, Bp. Hall (1574-1656). Joseph Hall, 
 Bishop of Norwich. Contemplations 
 upon the New Testament. 
 
 HANNA, Win. (1808-1882). Scotland. Presb. 
 minister. Life of Christ. 
 
 HARRIS, John (1802-1858). England. Inde- 
 pendent minister. The Great Com- 
 mission. Mammon. 
 
 HASE, Karl Aug. (born 1800). Germany. 
 Life of Jesus. (Fifth ed., 1865, in Ger- 
 man.) 
 
 HATTSRATH, Adolph (born 1837). Germany. 
 History of New Testament Times. 3d 
 ed., 1879. 
 
 HENGSTENBERG, Ernest Wilh. (1802-1869). 
 Germany. Christology of the Old Testa- 
 ment. 
 
 HENRY, Matthew (1662-1714). England. In- 
 dependent minister. Exposition of the 
 Old and New Testaments. 
 
 HERMAS (Second century). Book called "The 
 Shepherd"; among the so-called Apos- 
 tolic Fathers. 
 
 HER., Herodotus (B. c. 484-420). History. 
 
 HERZOG, John Jacob (1805-1882). Germany. 
 Theological Encyclopaedia (in German). 
 Second Ed. chiefly used, 18 volumes out. 
 
 HERVEY, Lord A. England. The Genealo- 
 gies of our Saviour. 
 
 HESIOD. Early Greek poet, date unknown. 
 
 HESSEY, Jas. Aug. (born 1814). On the 
 Lord's Day, Bampton Lectures, 1860. 
 
 HILL, General D. H. North Carolina. Pres- 
 byterian layman. The Sermon on the 
 Mount. 
 
 HILLEL (died about Christian era). Jewish 
 Rabbi. Sayings preserved in Talmud. 
 
 HOMILETIC REVIEW, monthly, New York, 
 10 Dey Street. 
 
 HORT, see Westcott and Hort ; also articles 
 in periodicals by F. J. A. Hort. 
 
 HOVEY, A. Massachusetts. Baptist Presi- 
 dent Theological School. On John. 
 1885. On the Scriptural Law of Divorce. 
 Both published by the Amer. Bapt. Pub. 
 Soc. 
 
 HUMPHRY, Wm. Gilson (1815-1880) Church 
 of England. Commentary on Rev. Ver. 
 of New Test, (explaining changes). 
 
 IGNATIUS. Greek Father. Martyred about 
 A. D. 110 (Bishop Lightfoot). Seven 
 Epistles. 
 
 ILIAD. 
 
 INDEPENDENT, THE, weekly religious paper, 
 New York. 
 
 IREN^EUS (flourished Second century, latter 
 half). Greek Father. "Against Here- 
 sies.' 1 
 
 IRVING, Edward (1792-1834). Scotland and 
 England. Minister. Sermons on John 
 the Baptist (in Works). 
 
 JELF, W. E. Church of England. Greek 
 Grammar, two volumes, fourth edition. 
 
 JEROME (about A. D. 340-420). Latin Father. 
 On Matthew. Latin Translation of Eu- 
 sebius on Names of Places, see Eusebius. 
 
 JONES, Tiberius G. Virginia. Baptist min- 
 ister. " The Great Misnomer" (Com- 
 munion), Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 JOSEPHUS (born A. D. 37 or 38, died after 
 A. D. 100). "Ant.", Antiquities (Ancient 
 History) of the Jews; "War," History 
 of the Jewish War; "Life," Autobiog- 
 raphy; "ag. Ap.", Against Apion. 
 
 JULIAN (A. D. 331-363). Roman Emperor, 
 called "the Apostate." Works (in 
 Greek). 
 
 JUSTIN, Martyr (flourished Second century, 
 middle). Greek Father. Two Apologies. 
 Dialogue with Trypho. 
 
 KEBLE, John (1792-1866). Church of Eng- 
 land. The Christian Year. 
 
 KEIL, Karl Fried, (born 1807). Germany. 
 Commentary on Matthew fin German). 
 
 KEIM, Theodore (1825-1878). Germany. Je- 
 sus of Nazara. 
 
 K. J., or K. James, the English version made 
 for King James, published 1611. The 
 Com. Ver. as now printed, differs in 
 many slight details. 
 
 KIMCHI (1160-1240). France. Jewish Rabbi. 
 Hebrew Commentaries.
 
 INDEX L 
 
 603 
 
 KIRTLEY, J. A. Kentucky. Baptist min- 
 ister. On the Design of Baptism. Cin- 
 cinnati. 
 
 KITTO, John (1804-1864). English Layman. 
 Daily Bible Illustrations. Cyclopaedia of 
 Biblical Literature. 
 
 KOHLER. Germany. John the Baptist (in 
 German). 
 
 LACHMANN, Karl (1793-1851). Germany. Pro- 
 fessor of Philology. Text of Greek Testa- 
 ment. 1831, 3 ed. 1846. 
 
 LAP., or a Lapide, Cornelius a Lapide (1568- 
 1637). France and Kome. Roman Cath- 
 olic. Commentary on the Gospels. 
 
 LANDOR, Walter Savage (1775-1864). Eng- 
 lish Man of Letters. 
 
 LANGB, John Peter (1802-1880). Germany. 
 Commentary on Matthew. Life of Christ. 
 
 LATIN VERSIONS: (1) Old Latin version or 
 versions, made first in Second century, 
 and new or revised versions in several 
 following centuries. (2) Latin Vulgate, 
 made at end of Fourth century. 
 
 L. and S., or Lid. and Scott. H. G. Liddell 
 and Kobert Scott. Church of England. 
 Greek-English Lexicon, sixth and seventh 
 editions. 
 
 LIDDON, H. P., Canon of St. Paul's. Easter 
 Sermons. 
 
 LJT., or LIGHTF., John Lightfoot (1602-1675). 
 Church of England. Works. 
 
 BP. LIGHTF., J. B. Lightfoot, Bishop of Dur- 
 ham. "Rev.", on a Fresh Revision of 
 the English New Testament. Commen- 
 taries on Galatians, Philippians, Colos- 
 sians; also on Clement of Rome, and on 
 Ignatius and Polycarp. Articles in Con- 
 temporary Review. 
 
 LORIMER, G. C. Chicago. Baptist minister. 
 Jesus the World's Saviour. 
 
 LUTHER, Martin (1483-1546). Exposition of 
 the Gospels, collected from his works. 
 (In German). 
 
 LUTT., LUTTER., Lutteroth, Henri. France. 
 Exposition of the Gospel, according to 
 Matthew (in French). 
 
 LYNCH, W. F. (1801-1865). American naval 
 officer. U. S. Expedition to the River 
 Jordan and the Dead Sea. 
 
 MACCABEES, First, Second, Third, Fourth. 
 Among the Old Test. Apocryphal books. 
 
 MAIMONIDES (1135-1204). Jewish scholar in 
 Spain, etc. Commentary on the Mislma. 
 
 MAL., Maldonatus (1533-1583). Spain and 
 France. Jesuit. Commentary on the 
 Four Gospels (in Latin). 
 
 MANSEL, Henry Longueville (1820-1871). 
 Church of England. Commentary on 
 (part of ) Matthew, in "Bible Comm." 
 
 MARGOLIOUTH, Moses. Church of England. 
 The Lord's Prayer. 
 
 MAUNDRELL. English. Traveler in Pales- 
 tine about 1690. 
 
 MCCLELLAN, J. B. Church of England. 
 
 New Test., with Notes, etc., Vol. 1. 
 MCGARVEY, J. W., Kentucky. Disciples, 
 or Christians. Minister and Professor. 
 Lauds of the Bible. 
 
 MEMPH., Memphitic, see Egyptian versions. 
 
 MERRILL, Selah. American Consul at Jeru- 
 salem. Congregational minister. Gali- 
 lee in the Time of our Lord. East of the 
 Jordan. 
 
 MEYER, Hein. Aug. Wilh., (1800-1873). Ger- 
 many. Commentary on New Testament. 
 His own latest edition on Matthew has 
 been used, not that edited by Weiss, whose 
 views were taken from his ow"n works. 
 
 MIDRASH, plural, MIDRASHIM. Jewish 
 Commentaries on several books of Old 
 Test. Usually later than Talmud. 
 
 MILL, W. H. Church of England. On the 
 Mythical Interpretation of the Gospels. 
 
 MILLIGAN, Win. Scotland. Presb. Theolog. 
 Prof. Articles in Contemporary Review 
 for Aug. and Nov., 1868. Lectures on 
 the Resurrection of our Lord. 
 
 MISHNA, Jewish traditions written down to- 
 wards end of Second century. Latin 
 Translation by Surenhusius; English 
 translations of some portions by Barclay, 
 and by Sola and Raphall. 
 
 MONTET, Ed., France. Origin of the Pharisee 
 and Sadducee parties (in French). 
 
 MOULTON.W. F. English Wesleyan Theolog. 
 Prof. Translation of Winer, with copious 
 footnote*. 
 
 MULLACH, F. W. A. Germany. The Speech 
 of the (modern) Greek Common People 
 (in German). 
 
 NICODEMUS, Gospel of. An apocryphal 
 writing of the Second or Third century.
 
 604 
 
 INDEX I. 
 
 NICOLL, Wm. Kobertson. Scotland. Presb. 
 minister. Editor of the Expositor (1885). 
 The Incarnate Saviour. 
 
 NOTES, G. R. (1798-1868). Prof, in Harvard 
 University. Unitarian. New Test, trans- 
 lated (1868). 
 
 ODYSSEY. 
 
 OLSH., or Olshausen, Hermann (1796-1839). 
 
 Germany. Commentary on New Test. 
 ONOM. Onomasticon, seeEusebiusand Jerome. 
 OPTATUS, (Fourth century). Donatist. On 
 
 the schism of the Donatists. 
 ORIGEN, (about A. D., 185 about 254). Greek 
 
 Father. On Matthew. On Luke. On 
 
 Prayer. Other works, and extracts in 
 
 Cramer. 
 
 PARKER, Joseph. London. Independent 
 minister. "These Sayings of Mine." In- 
 ner Life of Christ. 
 
 PASCAL, Blaise (1623-1662). France. Ko- 
 man Catholic (Jansenist). Thoughts. 
 
 PHILO, Philo the Jew (an old man in A. D. 
 40). Alexandria. Works. 
 
 PIRQE ABOTH, see Aboth. 
 
 PLATO (about B. c., 428-347). 
 
 PLINY (A. D., 23-79). Natural History. 
 
 PLUTARCH (flourished latter part of First 
 century). Greek. Parallel Lives. Mor- 
 als, or Miscellaneous Writings. 
 
 POLLOK, Robert (1799-1827). Scotland. The 
 Course of Time. 
 
 PORTEUS, B. (1731-1808). English Bishop. 
 Works. 
 
 PSALMS of Solomon, so called, probably 
 written about B. c. 45. 
 
 PYTHAGORAS (Sixth century B. c.)- Greek 
 philosopher. Fragments. 
 
 QUESNEL, Pasquier (1634-1719). France. Ro- 
 man Catholic. New Testament, with 
 moral reflections. 
 
 QUINTILIAN (about A. D. 40 118). Roman 
 writer on Rhetoric. 
 
 RABANUS (about 776-856). French abbot. 
 Quoted from Aquinas. 
 
 RAWLINSON, George (born about 1815). 
 Church of England. Seven Great Em- 
 pires. 
 
 RECOVERY OF JERUSALEM, see Warren and 
 Wilson. 
 
 REFLECTIONS. Practical Reflections on every 
 verse of the Gospel. By an English 
 Clergyman. 1881. 
 
 REUSS, Ed. Strassburg, Germany. Synopsis 
 of the three first Gospels. 
 
 REYNOLDS, H. R. England. Independent 
 College President. On John the Bap- 
 tist. 
 
 RHEIMS, a translation of the New Test, into 
 English (1582), made from the Latin Vul- 
 gate by Roman Catholics at Rheinis in 
 France.. The Old Test, in 1609, at 
 Douay, called Douay Version. 
 
 RIDDLE, M. B. Connecticut, Presb. Theolog- 
 ical Prof. New Editions of Robinson's 
 Harmonies. 
 
 RITTER, Karl (1779-1859). Germany. On 
 the Geography of Palestine. 
 
 ROBINSON, Edward (1794-1863). New Eng- 
 land and New York. Presb. Theological 
 Professor. Greek Harmony of the Gos- 
 pels, and English Harmony (new editions 
 by Riddle). Lexicon of New Test. 
 Greek. Biblical Researches in Egypt, 
 Arabia Petraea, and the Holy Land. 
 Physical Geography of Palestine. 
 
 ROBINSON, Thomas. England. The Evan- 
 gelists and the Mishna (1859). 
 
 ROCHEFOUCAULD (1613-1680). France. Moral 
 Maxims (in French). 
 
 RONSCH. Hermann. Germany. The Italic 
 (Old Latin), and the Vulgate ; a gram- 
 matical treatise (in German). 
 
 ROST AND PALM. Germany. Greek lexi- 
 con (in German). 
 
 RUSKIN, John (born 1819). England. The 
 Lord's Prayer. Other works. 
 
 SCHAFF, Philip. New York. Presb. Theolog. 
 Prof. Commentary on Matthew. Com- 
 panion to the Revised Test. Church His- 
 tory (second ed.) On the Person of 
 Christ. On Revision (including the trea- 
 tises of Ellicott, Lightfoot, and Trench). 
 
 SCHNECKENBURGER, Matthias. Germany. 
 How old is the Jewish Proselyte Bap- 
 tism ? (in German). 1828. 
 
 SCHOTTGEN, Christian (1687-1751). Germany. 
 Hora3 Ebraicae et Talmudicae (Illustra- 
 tions of the New Test, from the'Talmud). 
 (In Latin.) 
 
 SCHURER, Emil, Germany. History of the 
 Jewish People in the Time of Christ.
 
 INDEX I. 
 
 605 
 
 SCHWAB, M. French Jew. Talmud Jeru- 
 salem translated into French, nearly 
 finished ; into English, begun. 
 
 SCRIVENER, F. H. A. Church of England. 
 Introduction to the Criticism of the New 
 Test. (Third ed., improved). 
 
 SENECA (died A. D. 65). Eoman Stoic. Works. 
 
 SEPTUAGINT, the familiar Greek translation 
 of the Old Test, made by different per- 
 sons, probably between B. c. 285 and 130. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE (1564-1616). 
 
 SIRACH, see Ecclus. 
 
 SKEAT, W. W. Prof, in Cambridge Univer- 
 sity, England. Etymological Diet, of the 
 English language. 
 
 SMITH'S DICT., or Smith, Bib. Diet., Smith, 
 William. Church of England. Diction- 
 ary of the Bible; American edition, en- 
 larged by Hackett and Abbot. Diet. Chr. 
 Ant., Dictionary Christian Antiquities. 
 
 SMITH, Philip. Church of England. Manual 
 of New Testament History. 
 
 SPURGEON, C. H. Sermons. 
 
 STANFORD, Charles. England. Baptist min- 
 ister. The Lord's Prayer. 
 
 STANLEY, A. P. (1815-1881). Dean of West- 
 minster. Sinai and Palestine. 
 
 STEINMEYER, F. L. Germany. The Mira- 
 cles of our Lord. 
 
 STIER, Rudolph. (1800-1862). Germany. 
 Words of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 STRABO (nourished about Christian Era). 
 Geography (Koman Empire). (In Greek). 
 
 SUETONIUS (nourished early part of Second 
 cent.). Roman. The Twelve Caesars. 
 
 SUIOER (1620-1684). Ecclesiastical Thesau- 
 rus (in Latin). 
 
 SUIDAS (probably Tenth century). A Greek 
 Lexicon. 
 
 SYMMACHUS (Second century, latter half). 
 Samaritan, Jewish proselyte, or Judaiz- 
 ing Christian. Translated Old Test, into 
 Greek; fragments remain. 
 
 SYRIAC versions: (1) Old(Curetonian) Syriac, 
 probably made in Second Cent. (2) Pe- 
 shito, a revision in the Third cent. (3) 
 Harklean, made in the Sixth cent., and 
 revised in the Seventh. (4) Jerusalem 
 Syriac, Gospel "Lessons," of unknown 
 date, but with an early form of text. 
 
 "SYRIAN" text, according to the theory of 
 Westcott and Hort, see their Introduc- 
 tion. 
 
 TACITUS (nourished about A. D. 100). Roman. 
 Annals. History. 
 
 TALMUD OF JERUSALEM (Third century, 
 compare Mishna). Quoted from Schwab, 
 or at second hand. 
 
 TALMUD OF BABYLON (Fifth century, com- 
 pare Mishna). Quoted at second hand, 
 or from German translation by Wunsehe. 
 
 TAYLOR, Jer., Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667). 
 English Bishop. Life of Christ. 
 
 TENNYSON. Alfred Lord (born 1809). Eng- 
 land. 
 
 THEB., Thebaic, see Egyptian versions. 
 
 THEOD. MOPS. Theodore of Mopsuestia (about 
 A. D. 556-429). Greek Father. Frag- 
 ments of Commentary on Gospels. 
 
 THEODOTION. (Second century, middle). 
 Greek, Jewish proselyte. Translated 
 Old Test, into Greek ; fragments remain. 
 
 THYEOPHYL., Theophylact. (Eleventh cen- 
 tury). Greek Commentator. On the 
 Gospels. 
 
 THOLTTCK, Friedrich Aug. (1799-1877). Ger- 
 many. The Sermon on the Mount. Com- 
 mentary on John. 
 
 THOMAS, D. English Independent minister. 
 Homiletical Commentary on Matthew- 
 
 THOMSON, W. M. Amer. Presb. minister and 
 missionary to Syria. Some references to 
 first ed. "Land and Book." Others to 
 enlarged ed., by pages of Volumes I., 
 II., III. 
 
 TISCH., or Tischendorf, L. F. C. (1815-1874). 
 Germany. Greek Testament (Eighth 
 larger edition). Synopsis Evangelica 
 (Harmony of the Gospels). 
 
 TOY, C. H. Prof, in Sou. Bapt. Theol. Sem., 
 now in Harvard University. Quotations 
 in the New Testament. Articles in peri- 
 odicals. 
 
 TREG., Tregelles, Samuel P. (1813-1875). 
 England. Plymouth Brethren. Greek 
 New Test. 
 
 TRENCH, R. C. (1807-1886). Archbishop of 
 Dublin. On a Revision. Synonyms of 
 the New Test. Miracles of our Lord. 
 Parables of our Lord. Studies in the 
 Gospels. Translations of Augustine's Har- 
 mony of the Gospels, and Sermon on the 
 Mount. 
 
 TRISTRAM, H. B. Church of England. Nat- 
 ural History of the Bible. The Land of 
 Moab.
 
 606 
 
 INDEX I. 
 
 TYNDALE, William (1484-1536). New Test. 
 
 translated into English (1525). 
 TYREE, C. Virginia. Baptist minister. "The 
 
 Living Epistle." 
 TURPIE, D. M. Scotland. Presb. minister. 
 
 The Old Test, in the New. 
 
 ULLMANN (1796-1865). The Sinlessness of 
 
 Jesus. 
 UPHAM, F. W. New York. The Wise Men. 
 
 VAN DE VELDE. Officer in Dutch Navy. 
 Map of the Holy Land, and accompany- 
 ing Memoir (1858). 
 
 VEDDER, H. C. New York. Baptist minis- 
 ter. Article on "The Trial of Christ," 
 in Bibl. Sacra, Oct. 1882. 
 
 WARFIELD, Benj. B. Pennsylvania. Presb. 
 Theolog. Prof. Articles in periodicals. 
 
 WARREN. English Captain of Engineers. 
 Excavations at Jerusalem (in "Kecovery 
 of Jerusalem "). 
 
 WAYLAND, Francis (1796-1865). Baptist. 
 President Brown University. University 
 Sermons. 
 
 WEISS, Bernhard. Germany. Life of Jesus. 
 The Matthew- Gospel (in German). 
 
 WELLHAUSEN, Julius (born 1844). Germany. 
 Pharisees and Sadducees (in German). 
 
 WESTCOTT, B. F. Church of England. Com- 
 mentary on John (in Bible Comm.). In- 
 troduction to Study of the Gospels. The 
 Gospel of the Eesurrection. Eevelation 
 oftheKisen Lord. Articles in Smith's 
 Diet. Bib. See also W H. 
 
 W H., or Westcott and Hort. Church of 
 England. Greek Testament, Vol. I, 
 Greek text ; Vol. 2, Introduction and 
 Appendix. Int. by Hort. 
 
 "WESTERN" text, according to the theory 
 of Westcott and Hort, see their Introduc- 
 tion. 
 
 WET., Wetstein. Holland. Greek Testa- 
 tament, with numerous extracts from 
 
 Greek and Koman, and from Jewish 
 writers. (In Latin and Greek). 
 
 WIESEI.ER, Karl. Germany. Chronological 
 Synopsis of the Life of Christ. 
 
 WILLIAMS, Wm. K. (1801-1884). New York. 
 Baptist minister. The Lord's Prayer. 
 
 WILSON. English Captain of Engineers. 
 Survey of Jerusalem and Sea of Galilee. 
 (In "Recovery of Jerusalem.'') 
 
 WIN., or Winer, Geo. Benedict. (1789-1858). 
 Germany. Grammar of the New. Test. 
 Diction ; the references are to the pages of 
 Thayer's translation, with those of Moul- 
 ton's translation added in square brackets ; 
 where no page is given, the student can 
 find it by consulting Winer's Index of 
 Passages. Bible Dictionary (in German). 
 
 WISDOM OF SOLOMON. An apocryphal book 
 of the Old Test., written at Alexandria, 
 probably not long before the Christian 
 era. 
 
 WOOLSEY, T. D. Congregational minister, 
 formerly President of Yale College. On 
 Divorce. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. English Bishop. Commen- 
 tary on the Bible. 
 
 WORDSW., or Wordsworth, C. (died about 
 1884). Bishop of Lincoln. The Holy 
 Bible, with Notes. 
 
 WRIGHT, C. H. H. Church of England. 
 Zechariah and his prophecies. (Bampton 
 Lectures, 1879.) 
 
 WTJN., or Wunsche: Germany. Illustration 
 of the Gospel- from Talmud, and Midra- 
 shim (in German). One volume of Ger- 
 man translation of Talmud of Babylon. 
 
 WYC., or Wyclif, John (about 1317-1384). 
 Roman Catholic and Reformer. English 
 translation of the Bible (1380). 
 
 YOUNG, ED-WARD. (1684-1765). Church of 
 England. Night Thoughts. 
 
 ZWINGLI. (1484-1531). Switzerland. Works. 
 
 Information as to text-criticism may be had from any of the following : (1) More elaborate 
 works. Scrivener's "Introduction to Text-criticism of the New Test.," third edition (conserv- 
 ative). Westcott and Hort' s "Introduction," in Vol. II (progressive). (2) Shorter works. 
 Mitchell's "Critical Hand-book." SchafFs "Companion to the Revised Version," or 
 Schaff's "Introduction to Westcott and Hort," in Vol. 1 (American ed.) (3) For readers 
 not acquainted with Greek, Scrivener's "Six Lectures." Milligan and Roberts, "The Words 
 of the New Test." (progressive).
 
 INDEX II. 
 
 TOPICS DISCUSSED, TERMS EXPLAINED, PERSONS AND PLACES DESCRIBED, IN THE COM- 
 MENTARY ON THE PASSAGES NAMED. 
 
 ALMS, 6: 2. 
 
 ANDREW, 10: 2. 
 
 ANGELS, and the Belief in Guardian Angels, 
 18: 10. Angels at the Tomb, 28: 5, 10. 
 
 ANSWER, 11 : 25. 
 
 ANXIETY, 6: 25. 
 
 APOSTLES, the Twelve, 10: 2. 
 
 APPEARANCES of Jesus after his Resurrec- 
 tion, 28: 16. 
 
 APPARITION, 14: 26. 
 
 ARCHELAITS, 2: 22, and end of 2: 23. 
 
 ARIMATHEA, 27: 57. 
 
 ARTICLE, Indefinite, 8: 19. 
 
 AUTHORITY, 9: 6; 28: 18. 
 
 BARABBAS, 27: 16. 
 
 BANKERS, 25: 27. 
 
 BAPTISM, Design of, 28: 19; 3: 14. 
 
 BAPTIST, The, 3: 1. 
 
 BAPTIZK, 3:6; in Water, 3: 11; in the Holy 
 
 Ghost and Fire, 3: 11; in (unto, into) 
 
 the Name, 28: 19. 
 BAR-JONAH, 16: 17. 
 BARTHOLOMEW, 10: 3. 
 BED, 9: 2. 
 BEELZEBUL, 12: 24. 
 BETHANY, 21 : 17. 
 BETHLEHEM, 2: 1. 
 BETHPHAGE, 21 : 1. 
 
 BETHSAIDA, 11: 21. Bethsnidn Julias, 14: 34. 
 BIND AND LOOSE, 16: 19; 18: 18. 
 BLASPHEMY against the Holy Spirit, 12: 
 
 31, 32. 
 
 BLESSED, 5: 3. 
 BOTTLES, Skins, 9: 16. 
 BREAD, 4:3; 7:9; 26: 26. 
 BRETHREN of the Lord, 12: 46; 13: 65. 
 BUDDHA, Temptation of, 4: 11. 
 
 C.ESAR, 22: 17. 
 
 CESAREA PHILIPPI, 16: 13. 
 
 CAIAPHAS, 26: 57. 
 
 CALVARY, 27 : 33. 
 
 CAMEL Through needle's eye, 19: 24. 
 
 CANAAN, 15: 21. 
 
 CANAANITE, Properly Cananite, or Canan- 
 
 aean, 10: 4. 
 CAPERNAUM, 4: 13. 
 CELIBACY, 19: 11. 
 CENTURION, 8: 6. 
 CHIEF PRIESTS, 2: 4. 
 CHILD, as an Object-lesson, 18: 3. Christians 
 
 must be Childlike, 18: 5, 10; 19: 14. 
 CHORAZIN, 11 : 21. 
 CHRIST, 1:1; the Christ, 2: 4. 
 CHURCH, 16: 18; 18: 17. The English word 
 
 Church, 18: 17. 
 
 CLEANSING the Temple, 21 : 12. 
 CORBAN, 15: 5. 
 CORN, 12: 1. 
 
 CROSS, Take up, 16: 24; 27: 32. 
 CRUCIFIXION, 27: 35. 
 GYRENE, 27 : 32. 
 
 DAMNATION, 23 : 33. 
 
 DANCING, 14: 6. 
 
 DAY OF JUDGMENT, 7: 22; 11 : 22; 25: 81. 
 
 DECAPOLIS, 15: 29. 
 
 DEFILE, 15: 11. 
 
 DEGREES of Future Punishment, 11: 22; 12: 
 
 41 ; 23 : 13 ; 25 : 46. 
 DEMON, 8: 31. 
 DEMONIAC, Demoniacal Possessions, 8: 31; 
 
 12: 43. 
 DEVIL, 4: 1. Hurtful conceptions of him, 
 
 4: 1 (Horn, and Pract. ). Possessed with 
 
 Devils, see Demoniac. 
 DINNER, 22: 4. 
 DISCIPLE, Disciples, 4: 18; 5: 1. Disciples of 
 
 John, 9: 14. To disciple, 28: 19. 
 DISCREPANCIES, Remarks as to Explaining, 
 
 1: 12, 17; 2: 23; 3: 17; 4: 12; 9: 10, 14; 
 
 20: 29; 23: 35; 27: 9. 
 DIVORCE, 5: 31, 32; 19: 8, 9. 
 
 607
 
 608 
 
 INDEX II. 
 
 DOCTOR, 23:8. .' - 
 
 DOGS, 7: 6; 15: 26. 
 
 DOVE, Representing the Holy Spirit, 3: 16. 
 
 DREAMS, 1 : 20. 
 
 EAGLES, 24 : 28. 
 
 EGYPT, 2: 13. 
 
 ELIJAH, 11 : 14; 17: 11; 27: 47. 
 
 EMMANUEL, 1: 23. 
 
 ENEMIES, Love of, 6: 44. 
 
 ERA, Christian, 2: 16, 19. 
 
 ESSENES, 3 : 7. 
 
 ETERNAL PUNISHMENT, 25: 46. 
 
 EVENING, 14: 15. 
 
 EVERLASTING, 25: 46. 
 
 EVIL, or the Evil (one), 5 : 37 ; 6 : 13. 
 
 FARTHING, 5: 26. 
 
 FASTING OF JESUS, 4 : 2. Conditions of our 
 
 Fasting with Propriety, 6: 17; 9 : 15. 
 FATHER, 6: 9. 
 FEEDING THE MULTITUDE, 14: 13-21: 15; 
 
 32-38. 
 
 FIG TREE, Barren, 21 : 19. 
 FIRSTBORN SON, 1 : 25. 
 FOOL, 5 : 22. 
 FORGIVENESS, 6: 12. 
 FORNICATION, 5 : 32. 
 FOURTEEN, Three sets of Names, 1 : 17. 
 FULFIL, 1:22; 5: 17. 
 
 GADARENES, Gerasenes, Gergesenes, 8: 28. 
 
 GALILEE, 4: 12, 23. Sea of Galilee, 4: 18. 
 Our Lord making Circuits of Galilee, 
 4 : 23. Galilean Peculiarities of Speech, 
 26: 73. On the Mountain in Galilee, 28: 
 16. 
 
 GARMENTS, Jewish, 5: 40; 27 : 35. 
 
 GEHENNA, 5: 22. 
 
 GENEALOGIES, 1: 1. Genealogies of Christ 
 in Matthew and Luke, 1 : 17. 
 
 GENNESARET, Plain of, 14: 34. 
 
 GETHSEMANE. 26: 36. 
 
 GHOST, and HOLY GHOST, 1 : 18. 
 
 GIFTS, 2: 11. 
 
 GOLDEN RULE, 7 : 12. 
 
 GOLGOTHA, 27 : 33. 
 
 GOSPEL. 1 : 1. Gospels, Relations of the Four, 
 2:23. 
 
 HADES, 11:23; 16: 18. 
 HAPPY, 5: 3. 
 
 HARMONIZING the Gospel Narrative, see Dis- 
 crepancies. 
 
 HEALING, Extent of our Lord's, 4: 23. 
 
 HEART, 6: 21. 
 
 HELL, 5: 22; 11: 23; 16: 18. 
 
 HEM OF GARMENT, 9 : 19 ; 23 : 5. 
 
 HEROD THE KING, 2: 1. His Successors, 2: 20. 
 
 HEROD ANTIPAS, 2: 20; 14: Iff.; 16:6. 
 
 HERODIAS, 14 : 1, 4, 6, 11. 
 
 HERODIANS, 22: 16. 
 
 His, For Its, 24: 32. 
 
 IMMANUEL, 1 : 23. 
 
 INCARNATION, 1 : 25 (Horn, and Pract.). 
 
 INTEREST, 25 : 27. 
 
 JAMES THE SON OF ALPHEUS, 10: 3. 
 
 JAMES THE SON OF ZEBEDEE, 10: 2. 
 
 JEHOVAH, Yahweh, 22: 44. 
 
 JEREMIAH, 16: 14. 
 
 J ERICHO, 20 : 29. 
 
 JERUSALEM, 21 : 1 ; 23 : 37 ; 24 : 1. 
 
 JESUS, The Name, 1 : 21. Youth of Jesus, at 
 
 the end of 2: 23. 
 JOHN THE APOSTLE, 10 : 2. 
 JOHN THE BAPTIST, 3:1 ff. ; 4: 12; 9: 14ff. ; 
 
 11: 2-19; 14: 1-13; 17: 10-13; 21: 25, 32. 
 JOHN'S BAPTISM. Its Relation to Christian 
 
 Baptism, 11 : 11. 
 
 JONAH AND THE SEA-MONSTER, 12: 40. 
 JORDAN, 3: 6. Beyond Jordan, 4: 15. Region 
 
 about Jordan, 3 : 5. 
 JOSEPH the Husband of Mary, 1 : 18 ; End of 
 
 chap. 2 ; 13 : 55. 
 JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA, 27: 57. 
 JUDAIZING CHRISTIANITY, 9 : 17. 
 JUDAS OF GALILEE, 22: 17. 
 JUDAS ISCARIOT, 10: 4; 26: 14; 27: 3, ff. 
 JUDEA, 2: 20. 
 
 KINGDOM, Kingdom of Heaven, 3:2; 6:. 10. 
 
 Keys of the Kingdom, 16: 19; Coming in 
 
 His Kingdom, 16: 28. 
 KNOW, 7 : 23. 
 
 LAMPS, 25 : 1. 
 
 LAWYER, 22 : 35. 
 
 LEAVEN, 16: 6. 
 
 LENDING, 5 : 42. 
 
 LEPROSY, 8: 2. 
 
 LIFE, Soul, Spirit, 16: 25. 
 
 LILIES, 6 : 28. 
 
 LIMESTONE Rock in Galilee, 7 : 24; 13: 6. 
 
 LOCUSTS, 3: 4. 
 
 LUST, 5: 28.
 
 INDEX II. 
 
 MACH^ERUS, 11 : 2 ; 14 : 3. 
 
 MAGADAN, 15: 39. 
 
 MAGDALA, 14 : 34. 
 
 MAGI, 2 : 1. 
 
 MAMMON, 6: 24. 
 
 MARIAMNE, 2 : 1. 
 
 MARRIAGES, Levirate, 22: 24. 
 
 MARY, the Mother of Jesus, 1 : 18 ; 12 : 46-50. 
 
 MARY MAGDALENE, 27 : 56. 
 
 MASTER, Different words so Translated, 8: 
 19. 
 
 MATTHEW, 9: 9; 10: 3. 
 
 MEASURE, 13 : 33. 
 
 MILL-STONE, 18: 6^24: 41. 
 
 MIRACLES of Jesus, 4 : 23 ; 12: 38. 
 
 MOUNTAIN, the, 5:1; 14: 23. A High Moun- 
 tain, 17: 1. The Mountains, 24: 16. 
 
 MUSTARD, 13 : 31. 
 
 MYSTERIES, 13: 11. 
 
 NAME of God, 28: 19. 
 
 NAMES, having Different Forms in 0. T. and 
 
 N. T., 1 : 2. 
 
 NATHANAEL, see Bartholomew. 
 NAZARETH, 2: 23; 13: 54. 
 NETS, Different Kinds, 13 : 47. 
 NON-RESISTANCE, 5 : 39. 
 
 OATHS, 5 : 33, 34 ; 23 : 18 ff. ; 26 : 63. 
 OFFEND, 5: 29. 
 OLIVES, Mount of, 21 : 1. 
 
 PALESTINE, 2 : 20. 
 
 PARABLE. Meanings of the Word, our Lord' s 
 Design in using Parables, Groups of Para- 
 bles, Interpretation of Parables, 13: 3. 
 
 PARALLELISM in Hebrew Poetry, 4: 16. 
 
 PASSOVERS of Our Lord's Ministry, 12: 1. 
 
 PEARLS, Costly, 13: 46. 
 
 PENITENCE, Penance, 3: 1. 
 
 PERFECT, 5 : 48. 
 
 PEREA, 19: 1. 
 
 PETKR, a Married Man, 8: 14; General ac- 
 count of Peter, 10: 2; Peter the Rock, 16: 
 18; Peter's Denials, 26: 69 ff. 
 
 PHARISEES, 3: 7; 16: 1. 
 
 PHILIP, the Apostle, 10: 3. 
 
 PHILIP, the Tetrarch, 2 : 20. 
 
 PH<ENICIA, 15: 21. 
 
 PHYLACTERIES, 23: 6. 
 
 PILATE, 27 : 11, 24. Pilate's Wife, 27 : 19. 
 
 PLAY upon Words, 8: 22; 16: 18, 25. 
 
 POOR, 6: 3. 
 
 POSSESSED with Devils, see Demoniacs. 
 
 POWER, 9:6; 28 : 18. 
 
 PRAYER, Secret, 6:6. The Lord's Prayer. 
 6:9. 
 
 PREACH, the Different Greek words so Trans- 
 lated, 4 : 17. 
 
 PRIESTS, Chief, 2 : 4. 
 
 PROPERTY, Our Lord's Destroying, 8: 32; 
 21 : 19. 
 
 PROPHET, Prophesy, 7 : 22 ; 13 : 57. 
 
 PROSELYTE, 23 : 15. Proselyte-baptism, 3: 6. 
 
 PROVERBS, Used by Our Lord, 7:6, 6, 12; 
 13: 3. 
 
 PUBLICANS, 5: 46. 
 
 PUNISHMENT, 25 : 46. 
 
 QUOTATIONS FROM OLD TEST. Explained, 
 1: 23; 2: 5, 15, 17, 23; 3: 3; 4: 4, 6, 7, 
 10, 14; 6: 33, 38, 43; 8: 17; 11: 10; 12: 
 17, 40; 13: 14, 35; 15: 7; 19: 7; 21: 4, 
 42; 22: 32, 43; 23: 35; 24: 15; 26: 31; 
 27: 46. 
 
 RANSOM, 20: 28. 
 
 REGENERATION, 19 : 28. 
 
 REPENT, 3 : 1 ; 27 : 3. 
 
 REPETITIONS in our Lord's Teaching, 5 : 1. 
 
 RESURRECTION, 22 : 29 ff. Fact of our Lord's 
 Resurrection, 28: 15. 
 
 RIGHTEOUSNESS, 6: 6; 6: 33. 
 
 ROCK, 16 : 18. 
 
 SABBATH, 12 : 8. 
 
 SACKCLOTH AND ASHES, 11 : 21. 
 
 SADDUCEES, 3: 7; 16: 1, 6; 22: 31. 
 
 SAINT, 1 : 1. 
 
 SALOME, the Daughter of Herodias, 14 : 6 ff. 
 
 SALOME, Probably the Wife of Zebedee, 
 27: 66. 
 
 SALT, 5: 13. 
 
 SALUTATIONS, 23: 7. 
 
 SAMARIA, Samaritans, 10: 5. 
 
 SANHEDRIN, 26: 69. 
 
 SAVE, 1: 21. 
 
 SCOURGING, 27 : 26. 
 
 SCRIBES, 2: 4; 7: 29; 13: 62. 
 
 SEA OF GALILEE, see Galilee. 
 
 SEPULCHRES, 23: 27. 
 
 SERVANT, Different Greek words so Trans- 
 lated, 8: 6; 18: 27. 
 
 SIIEBA, 12: 42. 
 
 SHEEP AND GOATS, 25: 32. 
 
 SHKWBREAD, 12: 4. 
 
 SHIP, 4: 22. 
 
 20
 
 610 
 
 INDEX II. 
 
 SIMON THE CANANITE, 10: 3. 
 
 SIMON OF GYRENE, 27 : 32. 
 
 SIMON PETER, 10: 2. 
 
 SINNERS, 9 : 10. 
 
 SITTING at Meat, or Keclining, 8 : 11. 
 
 SODOM, 11 : 24. 
 
 SON OF GOD, 4: 3. Son of Man, 8 : 20. Sons 
 
 of the Kingdom, 8 : 12. Sons of the 
 
 Bride-chamber, 9: 15. 
 SOUL, 16 : 25. 
 
 STAR of the Wise Men, 2 : 2. 
 STONES, 21 : 42 ; 24 : 1. 
 STRAIT, 7: 13. 
 
 STUMBLE, Stumbling-block, 6: 29. 
 SUPPER, 22 : 4. 
 SYNAGOGUES, 4: 23. 
 SYROPHENICIAN Mother, 15 : 22. 
 
 TALENT, 18: 24; 25: 15. 
 
 TARES, 13 : 25. 
 
 TEACH, 28: 19. 
 
 TEMPLE, two Greek words so Translated, 4: 
 
 5. The Temple Described, 21 : 12; 24: 1. 
 
 Veil of the Temple, 27 : 51. 
 TEMPT, 4: 1. How Could Jesus be Tempted? 
 
 4: 1. Tempting God, 4: 7. Bring us Not 
 
 into Temptation, 6: 13. 
 TETRARCH, 2: 20. 
 THADDEUS, 10: 3. 
 
 THEN, a Favorite Word with Matthew, 3: 13. 
 THIEF, Which should be 'Kobber,' 27: 38. 
 
 The Penitent Thief (robber j, 27: 44. 
 THOUGHT, 6 : 25. 
 
 THREE Days in the Tomb, 27: 63. 
 TIME, Season, Opportunity, 11 : 25. 
 
 TRADITION, 15 : 2 f. 
 
 TRANSFIGURATION, its Design, 17 : 4, 9. 
 TREASURE, Hid, 13 : 44. 
 TRIBULATION, 13: 21. 
 TRIBUTE-MONEY, 17: 24; 22: 17, 19. 
 TRIUMPHAL ENTRY, 21 : 4, 6. 
 TRUST, and Hope, 12 : 21. 
 TYRE and Sidon, 11 : 21 ; 15 : 21. 
 
 UNCLEAN Spirits, 12 : 43-45. 
 UNDERSTAND, 13 : 19. 
 
 VARIED Translation of the Same Word, 25: 46. 
 
 VIRGIN, 1 : 23, 25 ; 25 : 1. 
 
 VOICE From Heaven, 3: 17; 17: 5. 
 
 WASH, 15 : 2. 
 
 WATCHES of the Night, 14 : 25. 
 
 WATKR, Baptize in, 3: 11. 
 
 WEDDINGS, 25: 1. 
 
 WILDERNESS of Judea, 3: 1; 4: 1. 
 
 WINE, 11: 18. 
 
 WISE, 7: 24; 10: 16. 
 
 WISE Men, see Magi. 
 
 WOES, 23: 13. 
 
 WOMEN Grinding, 24 : 41. 
 
 WOMEN Named in the Genealogy of Christ, 
 
 1: 3. 
 WORLD, End of, 13: 39; 24: 3; 28: 20. 
 
 YOKE of a Teacher, 11 : 29. 
 
 ZACHARIAH, Son of Barachiah, 23: 35. 
 ZEALOTS, At the end of 2: 23; 10: 3.

 
 
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