\T-  VriMn, 
 
 1673 
 
GNOMON 
 
 OF 
 
 THE   NEW   TESTAMENT 
 
 JOHN   ALBERT  BENGEL. 
 
 NOW    FIRST    TRANSLATED    INTO    ENGLISH. 
 
 WITH 
 
 ORIGINAL  NOTES  EXPLANATORY  AND  ILLUSTRATIVE. 
 
 REVISED  AND  EDITED  BY 
 
 REV.  ANDREW  E.   FAUSSET,   M.A., 
 
 OF  TRINITY  COLLEGE,  DUBLIN. 
 
 VOL.  I. 
 
 "to  give  scbtiltt  to  the  simple,  to  the  young  man  knowledge  and  dis- 
 cretion. A  WISE  MAN  WILL  HEAR,  AND  WILL  INCREASE  LEARNING;  AND  A  MAN  OF 
 UNDERSTANDING  SHALL  ATTAIN  UNTO  WISE  COUNSELS." — PROV.  I.  4,  5. 
 
 EDINBURGH: 
 T.   &   T.   CLARK,   38,    GEORGE   STREET. 
 
 MDCCCLXXIII. 
 
PRINTED   BY   MURRAY   AND   GIBB, 
 
 FOR 
 
 T.   &  T.    CLARK,    EDINBURGH. 
 
 LONDON,      ....      HAMILTON,  ADAMS,  AND  CO. 
 DUBLIN,        ....       JOHN  ROBERTSON  AND  CO. 
 NEW  YORK,      .      .      .      C.  SCRIBNER  AND  CO. 
 
GNOMON 
 
 THE    NEW   TESTAMENT 
 
 JOHN   ALBMT   BENGEL. 
 
 ACCORDING  TO  THE  EDITION  ORIGINALLY  BROUGHT  OUT  BT  HIS  BON, 
 
 M.    EENEST    BENGEL; 
 
 AND  SUBSEQUENTLY  COMPLETED  BT 
 
 J.  C.  F.  STEUDEL. 
 
 WITH  CORRECTIONS  AND  ADDITIONS  FROM  THE  ED.  SECUNDA  OF  1759. 
 
 VOLUME    I. 
 
 CONTAINING  THE    AUTHOR'S  PREFACE,   THE  NOTES  ON 
 ST  MATTHEW,  TRANSLATED  BY 
 
 REV.  JAMES  BANDINEL,  M.A., 
 
 OF  WADHAM  COLLEGE,  OXFORD. 
 
 ANI>  THE  NOTES  ON  ST  MARK,  TRANSLATED  BY 
 
 REV.  ANDREW  ROBERT  EAUSSET,  MA., 
 
 TRINITY  COLLEGE,  DUBLIN. 
 SEVENTH  EDITION. 
 
 EDINBURGH: 
 T.    &    T.   CLARK,    38,    GEORGE    STREET. 
 
 MDCCCLXXIII. 
 
EDITOR'S  PEEFACE. 
 
 It  is  quite  superfluous  to  write  in  praise  of  the  Gnomon  of 
 Bengel.  Ever  since  the  year  in  which  it  was  first  published, 
 A.D.  1742,  up  to  the  present  time,  it  has  been  growing  in  esti- 
 mation, and  has  been  more  and  more  widely  circulated  among 
 the  scholars  of  all  countries.  Though  modern  criticism  has 
 furnished  many  valuable  additions  to  our  materials  for  New 
 Testament  exegesis,  yet,  in  some  respects,  Bengel  stands  out 
 still  "  facile  princeps"  among  all  who  have  laboured,  or  who  as 
 yet  labour,  in  that  important  field.  He  is  unrivalled  in  felicitous 
 brevity,  combined  with  what  seldom  accompanies  that  excel- 
 lence, namely,  perspicuity.  Terse,  weighty,  and  suggestive,  he 
 often,  as  a  modem  writer  observes,  "  condenses  more  matter  into 
 a  line,  than  can  be  extracted  from  pages  of  other  writers." 
 
 This  condensation  of  style  requires  that  the  reader  should 
 have  his  attention  always  on  the  alert,  and  never  presume  that 
 any  remark  is  without  point.  Bengel's  parallel  references  to 
 Scripture  are  never  common-place  and  superficial,  and  ought  to 
 be  in  all  cases  looked  for,  as  being  often  equivalent  to  an  able 
 and  lengthened  comment.  His  use  of  italics,  for  the  most  part, 
 has  relation  to  the  ipsissima  verba  of  the  text  or  context.  Deeply 
 imbued  with  a  holy  reverence  for  all  the  Written  Word,  he  em- 
 ploys quotations  of  it  in  a  way  which  opens  out  to  the  diligent 
 student  new  and  rich  mines  of  thought  in  the  Sacred  Volume. 
 The  notes  are  not  to  be  read  isolated  from  their  connection : 
 they  form  a  continuous  thread,  guiding  the  earnest  arid  prayerful 
 reader  through  the  pleasant  pastures  of  the  Word,  and  by  the 
 still  waters  of  comfort. 
 
VI  editor's  preface. 
 
 In  the  passages  wliich  form  the  subject  of  controversy  be- 
 tween Calvinists  and  Arminians,  Bengel  takes  the  \'iew  adopted 
 by  the  latter,  and  in  this  respect  I  do  not  concur  with  him. 
 But  whilst  he  thus  gives  an  undue  prominence,  as  it  would 
 seem  to  me,  to  the  responsibility  and  fi-eedom  of  man  in  these 
 passages,  yet,  in  the  general  tenor  of  his  work,  there  breathe 
 such  a  holy  reverence  for  God's  sovereignty,  and  such  spiritual 
 miction,  that  the  most  extreme  Calvinist  would,  for  the  most 
 part,  be  unable  to  discover  to  what  section  of  opinions  he  at- 
 tached himself,  and  as  to  the  controverted  passages  would  feel 
 inclined  to  say,  "  Quum  talis  sis,  utinam  noster  esses." 
 
 If  all  were  able  to  read  Latin  notes  fluently,  it  would  not  be 
 desirable  that  Bengel's  povv^erful  language  should  be  diluted  by 
 transfusion  into  another  tongue.  But  as  there  are  many  who 
 read  Latin  imperfectly,  to  whom  much  of  Bengel's  meaning  is 
 lost,— and  as  there  are  still  more  who  cannot  read  Latin  notes 
 at  all,  and  yet  are  diligent  Bible-students, — I  trust  that  the  re- 
 ligious public  will  consider  that  a  debt  is  due  to  the  spirited 
 publishers  of  the  present  work.  Three  able  scholars — Eev.  J. 
 BandineV  M.A.,  of  Wadham  College,  Oxford,  Rev.  James 
 Bry-ce,  late  of  Aberdeen,  and  Rev,  Dr  Fletcher,  Head  Master 
 of  the  Grammar  School,  Wimborne,  Dorsetshire, — have,  along 
 with  myself,  executed  the  translation  with  all  possible  pains 
 and  accuracy.  The  Rev.  James  Bandinel  has  translated  the 
 Preface,  and  Notes  on  St  Matthew  ;  Rev.  J.  Bryce  has  trans- 
 lated fi'om  Romans  to  Hebrews  inclusive  ;  and  Rev.  Dr 
 Fletcher  from  James  to  Revelation  inclusive ;  and  my  portion 
 of  translation  has  been  from  Mark  to  Acts  inclusive.  I  have 
 revised  carefully  and  edited  the  whole,  and  hold  myself  respon- 
 sible for  the  substance  of  all  that  is  in  the  present  work,  even  in 
 those  parts  not  translated  by  me,  but  only  corrected,  and  where 
 the  language  is,  generally  speaking,  that  of  my  fellow-translators. 
 
 I  have  introduced  additional  notes  of  three  kinds  :  I.  Brief 
 
 1  Author  of  "  Sermons,"  Devotional  and  Practical,"  "  Lufra,"  and 
 "  Milton  Davenant." 
 
EDITOR  S  PREFACE.  rd 
 
 notes  explanatory  of  Bengal's  meaning,  where,  avoiding  difFuse- 
 ness,  lie  falls  into  the  opposite  error,  "  Brevis  esse  laboro,  Ob- 
 scurus  fio."  n.  Wliere  he  differs  from  the  Eeceived  Text,  I 
 have  given  the  authorities,  viz.  MSS.  Versions  and  Fathers  on 
 both  sides,  leaving  the  decision  to  the  reader,  except  where  I 
 have  thought  the  probabilities  on  one  side  decided.  III.  Wliere 
 Bengel  gives  differences  of  Greek  synonyms,  I  have  stated  what 
 I  conceive  to  be  the  true  distinctions,  by  a  comparison  of 
 Bengel's  views  with  those  of  able  writers  of  more  recent  date. 
 
 As  to  the  second  class  of  notes,  affecting  the  Greek  Text,  it  is 
 remarkable  how  Bengel,  with  intuitive  sagacity,  discerned  the 
 high  value  of  the  Vulgate,  and  laid  hold  of  the  true  principle  of 
 textual  criticism,  so  generally  now  recognised,  whereby  the  few 
 ancient  authorities  are  preferred  to  the  numerous  MSS.,  etc., 
 which  support  the  "  Textus  Receptus."  It  is  true  the  passages 
 in  question  are  few,  yet  the  more  firmly  that  we  uphold  the 
 plenary  inspiration  of  all  Scripture,  the  more  does  it  become  us 
 to  seek  by  all  legitimate  means  to  make  the  closest  approxima- 
 tion possible  to  the  very  words  of  the  Sacred  Autographs. 
 
 The  Edition  of  the  Gnomon  which  the  present  Translation 
 follows,  is  that  brought  out  originally  by  Ernest  Bengel,  the 
 son  of  J.  Albert  Bengel,  our  author,  and  subsequently  revised 
 by  J.  C.  F.  Steudel.^  The  initials  E.  B.  mark  the  notes  of 
 Ernest  Bengel ;  V.  g.  mark  the  notes  extracted  fi'om  the  Ger- 
 man Version  of  the  Gnomon  ;  Harm.,  those  from  the  Harmony 
 of  the  Evangelists  ;  Not.  Crit,  those  from  the  "  Notulse  Criticse" 
 (Appar.  crit.  Ed.  ii.  p.  4,  No.  14) ;  Ed.,  my  own  original  notes  ; 
 (J.  B.),  the  notes  of  the  Translator  of  St  Matthew :  B.  G.  V., 
 Mr  Bandinel's  translation  from  the  German  Version,  and 
 B.  H.  E.,  those  from  the  Harmony. 
 
 The  technical  terms  and  figures,  which  recur  so  frequently  in 
 
 ^  Several  misprints  in  this  Edition  I  have  corrected  from  the  2  Ed.  quarto, 
 published  at  Tubingen,  1759 ;  also  misprints  in  the  Latin  translation  of  pas- 
 sages extracted  from  the  German  Version,  I  have  corrected  by  the  help  of 
 the  German  original. 
 
viii  editor's  PREFACE. 
 
 the  Gnomon,  are  not  a  mere  empty  parade  of  scholastic  termi- 
 nology to  confound  the  unlearned,  but  are  really  notes  con- 
 densed into  a  word,  to  save  periphrasis  and  attain  brevity.  The 
 reader  will  do  well  to  consult  the  Appendix  at  the  end,  which 
 explains  fully  the  force  of  these  terms.  The  sketch  of  the  life 
 of  Bengel  (in  the  5th  Vol.  of  this  translation),  drawn  up  by 
 me,  partly  from  that  written  by  Ernest  Bengel,  partly  from 
 other  sources,  will,  I  trust,  be  read  with  interest  by  all  who 
 revere  devoted  piety,  combined  with  profound  scholarship. 
 
 May  He,  for  whose  glory  this  work  was  originally  written, 
 bless  the  present  translation  of  it,  to  the  promotion  of  sound 
 Scripture-criticism  and  practical  edification  among  the  many 
 in  England  who  have  heretofore  been  deprived  of  the  benefit 
 of  it  by  the  language  in  which  it  was  veiled  I 
 
 I  append  an  Index,  First,  of  the  MSS.  quoted  by  me  in  the 
 notes.  They  are  all  uncial,  i.e.  written  in  capitals,  not  in  cursive 
 characters ;  the  latter  being  of  comparatively  modem  date. 
 Secondly,  an  Index  of  the  Versions,  all  of  a  date  as  early  as 
 about  the  first  five  centuries,  and  some  of  them  as  far  back  as 
 the  second  century — centuries  before  our  oldest  Greek  MS. 
 They  follow  literally  not  only  the  words,  but  for  the  most  part 
 the  very  order,  of  words  of  the  Greek  text.  They  are,  therefore, 
 an  accurate  reproduction  of  the  Greek  text  of  the  MSS.  which 
 they  then  used.  It  is  strikingly  confirmatory  of  the  correctness 
 of  the  few  old  MSS.  we  have,  as  contrasted  with  the  host  of 
 modern  MSS.  on  which  the  received  text  is  based,  that,  the 
 more  fully  we  have  restored  the  genuine  text  of  the  Versions 
 (as  in  the  Vulgate  by  the  Amiatinus  Codex ;  the  pre-Jerome 
 Latin  by  the  Vercellensis  MS. ;  and  the  Syriac  by  the  Cure- 
 tonian  MSS.),  the  more  does  their  text  agree  with  that  of  the 
 old  Greek  MSS.  in  our  possession,  rather  than  with  the  more 
 recent  MSS.  and  the  received  text.  Thirdly,  the  Fathers  of  the 
 first  four  centuries  quote  nearly  all  the  Greek  text,  as  they  the7i 
 had  it.  Even  though  some  quotations  be  from  mere  memory, 
 jet  others  must  be  trustworthy,  viz.  where  they  expressli/  and 
 
F.DITOR  S  PREFACE.  Ix 
 
 avowedly  quote  the  words,  in  such  a  way,  that  the  point  of  their 
 argument  rests  on  the  verbal  accuracy  of  their  quotation.  The 
 old  MSS.  differ  often  among  themselves ;  but  this  very  difference 
 makes  their  witness,  where  they  all  agree,  the  more  forcible 
 against  the  received  text.  Their  differences  are  a  surer  test  of 
 genuineness,  than  the  suspicious  universal  agreement  of  the 
 multitude  of  modem  MSS. :  the  agreement  of  the  latter  is  pro- 
 bably the  result  of  their  mutually  copying  one  another^  the  dis- 
 agreements being  in  course  of  time  removed,  so  as  to  present 
 the  uniform  text,  which  is  found  in  the  Constantinopolitan 
 MSS.  The  "threefold  cord"  of  the  restorers  of  the  true  text — 
 such  as  Lachmann,  Tischendorf,  and  Tregelles,  of  whom  Bentley 
 and  Ben  gel  were,  in  some  degree,  forerunners — is  the  acrreeincj 
 testimony  of  three  classes  of  independent  witnesses,  the  oldest 
 Greek  MSS.,  the  oldest  Versions,  and  the  earliest  Fathers.^ 
 ANDREW  EGBERT  FAUSSET,  M.A. 
 
 Formerly  Sch.  and  Sen.  Classical  Moderator,  Trin.  Coll., 
 
 Dubl.,  Editor  of  Terence,  Homer's  Iliad,  I.-VIII. 
 
 Livy,  I-III.,  now  Stipendiary  Curate  of 
 
 Bishop  Middleham,  Co.  Durham, 
 
 July  1,  1857. 
 
 '  The  Edition  of  Tischendorf  referred  to  in  this  work  is  that  of  Leipsic, 
 1849.  Recently  he  has  published  an  Edition,  in  which  he  goes  back  to  many 
 of  the  readings  of  the  more  modern  MSS.  and  of  the  Rec.  Text.  It  is  argued, 
 that  some  older  readings  than  those  of  the  oldest  extant  MSS.  may  be  pre- 
 served in  the  modern  MSS.  It  is  true  that  thay  may.  But  the  question  is, 
 can  we  find  any  satisfactory  test  of  such  readings  ?  Is  it  not  better  to  aim  at 
 that  which  is,  in  a  great  degree,  positively  attainable,  viz.  the  text  as  it  stood 
 in  the  4th  century  (at  latest,  and  probably  much  earlier),  rather  than  con- 
 jecture as  to  a  text,  which  we  have  now  no  solid  means  of  establishing,  viz. 
 that  of  the  autographs  themselves  ?  Tischendorf  has  perplexed  the  question 
 by  bringing  in  quotations  of  authorities  comparatively  modern  and  void  of 
 weight.  I  have,  therefore,  adheTed  rather  to  the  few  oldest  authorities 
 given  in  Lachmann ;  adding,  however,  the  very  ancient  Syriac,  Memphitic  or 
 Coptic,  and  Thebaic  or  Sahitic  Versions,  which  Lachmann  does  not  notice. 
 A  fault  also  in  Tischendorf,  which  I  have  avoided,  is  his  not  referring  to  the 
 precise  passages  of  the  authors  whom  he  quotes.  The  Edition  of  Lachm. 
 which  I  use  is  that  of  Berlin  1842,  in  2  vols.  8vo. 
 
GREEK  MSS. 
 
 GREEK  MSS. 
 
 A  =  the  Alexandrine  MS. :  in  Brit.  Museum  :  fifth  century  ; 
 
 publ.  by  Woide,  1786-1819  :  O.  and  N.  Test,  defective. 
 B  =  the  Vatican  MS.,  1209  :  in  Vat.  libr.,  Rome  :  fourth  cent. : 
 
 O.  and  N.  Test.  def. 
 C  =  Ephr^emi  Rescriptus  :  Royal  libr.,  Paris  :  fifth  or  sixth  cent. : 
 
 publ.  by  Tisch.  1843  :  O.  and  N.  T.  def. 
 D  =  Bezse,  or  Cantabrig. :  Univ.  libr.,  Cambridge  :  fifth  cent. : 
 
 publ.  by  Kipling,  1793  :  Gospels,  Acts,  and  some  Epp. 
 
 def. 
 A  =  Claromontanus  of  Paul's  Epp. :   Roy.  libr.,  Paris  :   eighth 
 
 cent. :  marked  D  by  Tischend. :  A  by  Lachm. 
 E  =  Laudianus  :  Bodl.  libr.,  Oxford  :  seventh  or  eighth  cent. : 
 
 publ.  1715  :  Acts  def. 
 G  =  Boernerianus  :  Elect,  libr.,  Dresden  :  ninth  cent. :  publ.  by 
 
 Matthsei,  1791  :  Paul's  Epp.  except  Hebrev^^s. 
 H  =  Coisliniana  fragmenta :  Roy.  libr.,  Paris :  Paul's  Epp.  def. : 
 
 sixth  cent.  :  publ.  by  Montfiiucon. 
 P  and  Q  =  Guelpherbytana :  libr.  Wolfenbuttel :  Gospels  def. : 
 
 sixth  cent. :  publ.  by  Knittel,  1763. 
 T  =  Borgiana :   Veletri :  part  of  John  :  fourth  or  fifth  cent. : 
 
 publ.  by  Georgi,  1789. 
 Z  =  Dubliniensis  rescr. :  Trin.  Coll.,   Dublin  :  Matthew  def. : 
 
 sixth  cent. :  publ.  by  Barrett,  1801. 
 
 SECONDARY  AUTHORITIES. 
 
 L  =:  Cod.  Reg.,  Paris,  of  the  Gospels  :  the  text  akin  to  that  of  B : 
 
 edited  by  Tisch. 
 X  =  Cod.  Monacensis,  fragments  of  the  Gospels. 
 
VERSIONS,  xi 
 
 A  =  San  Gallensis  :  in  the  libr.  of  St.  Gall :  the  Greek  and 
 Latin  of  the  four  Gospels.  It  and  G.  Boernerianus  of 
 Paul's  Epp.  are  severed  parts  of  the  same  book. 
 
 B  =  Cod.  Basilianus  (not  the  B.  Vaticanus)  :  Revelation  :  in 
 the  Vatican  :  edited  by  Tisch.,  who  assigns  it  to  the 
 beginning  of  the  eighth  century. 
 
 VERSIONS. 
 
 a  =  Vercellensis  of  the  old  '  Itala,'  or  Latin  Version  before 
 Jerome's,  probably  made  in  Africa,  in  the  second  cen- 
 tury :  the  Gospels. 
 b  =  Veronensis,  do. 
 c  =  Colbertinus,  do. 
 
 d=  Cantabrigiensis,  do. :  the  Gospels,  Acts,  and  3d  Ep.  John 
 e  =  Laudianus,  do. :  Acts. 
 /=  Claromontanus,  do. :  Paul's  Epp. 
 ff=  Sangermanensis,  do.  do. 
 g  =  Boernerianus,  do.  do. 
 h  =  Primasius  in  Apocalypsin. 
 F  =  Fuldensis  MS.  of  Jerome's  Vulgate  :  done  at  the  request 
 
 of  Damasus,  Pope  of  Rome,  383. 
 V  =  Do.,  corrected  by  Victor,  Bishop  of  Capua. 
 L  =  Laurentianus  or  Amiatinus.     These  three  I  do  not  spe- 
 cially quote,  except  very  occasionally,  where  they  mu- 
 tually differ,  but  simply  quote  '  Vulg.'  in  general,  as 
 correctly  given  by  Lachmann  from  these  MSS.  in  his 
 Greek  Test. 
 Memph.  =  the  Memphitic,  or  Coptic  Version  from  Egypt :  third 
 
 cent. :  publ.  by  Wilkins  at  Oxford,  1716. 
 Theb.  =  the  Thebaic,  or  Sahidic  do. :  publ.  by  Woide  and  Ford, 
 from  MS.  Alex,  at  Oxford,  1799. 
 
xil  FATHERS. 
 
 Syr.  =  the  Peschito  Syrlac  Version  :  second  cent. :  publ.  and  cor- 
 rected by  Cureton,  from  MS.  of  fifth  cent. 
 
 Later  Syr.  =  a  second  Syriac  Version,  by  Polycarpus,  in  a.d. 
 508. 
 
 FATHERS. 
 
 Irenaeus  (of  Lyons,  in  Gaul :  born  about  130  a.d.,  and  died 
 
 about  the  end  of  the  second  century).     The  Editio  Eenati 
 
 Massueti,  Parisinse,  a.  1710. 
 Origen  (born  about  186  a.d.,  died  253  a.d.,  a  Greek  father : 
 
 two-thirds  of  the  N.  Test,  are  quoted  in  his  writings). 
 
 Ed.  Vine.  Delarue,  Paris.     1733,  1740,  1759. 
 Cyprian  (in  the  beginning  and  middle  of  the  third  centuiy :  a 
 
 Latin  father).     Ed.  Steph.  Baluzii,  Paris.     1726. 
 Hilarius  Pictavensis    (a   Latin   father :    died  368  A.D.)      Ed. 
 
 Maurinorum,  Paris.     1693. 
 Lucifer  of  Cagliari   (a  Latin  father :    died   about  370  a.d.) 
 
 J.  Dom.  et  Jac.  Coletorum,  Venetae,  1778. 
 
JOHN    ALBEET    BENGEL'S 
 
 GNOMON 
 
 OF 
 
 THE   NEW   TESTAMENT, 
 
 IN    WHICH, 
 
 PROM  THE  NATURAL   FORCE  OP   THE    WORDS, 
 
 THE  SIMPLICITY,  DEPTH,  CONSISTENCY,^ 
 
 AND  SAVING  POWER 
 
 OP  THE  DIVINE  REVELATION  THEREIN  CONTAINED 
 
 IS  INDICATED.' 
 
 '  "  CoNCiNNiTAS-j^SENSUUM  c(ELESTiuM,"  literally,  "The  symphonious 
 harmony — of  the  heavenly  meanings  — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  "  Indicatur." — In  allusion  to,  and  explanation  of  the  title  Gnomon.-^ 
 See  Preface,  sect,  vii.,  and  note. — (I.  B.) 
 
 YOI,.  I. 
 
THE  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 
 
 WRITTEN  AT  THE  COLLEGE  OF  HERBRECHTINGEN,  20TH  MARCH 
 A.D.  1742,  AND  AFTERWARDS  REVISED. 
 
 SUMMARY. 
 
 I.  The  Word  of  God,  written  in  the  books  of  the  Old  and 
 
 New  Testaments,  is  the  greatest  of  all  His  gifts. 
 II.  It  should  be  rightly  handled. 
 
 III.  Commentaries  were  not  necessary  in  primitive  times. 
 
 IV.  How  far  they  are  useful  in  later  times. 
 
 V.  The  several  ages  of  Scriptural  Exegesis  distinguished. 
 VI.  The  origin  of  the  present  work. 
 VII.  The  title,  "  Gnomon  Novi  Testamenti,"  explained ;  with 
 
 some  account  of  the  author's  object  and  design. 
 VHI.  Suggestions  as  to  how  to  distinguish  the  pure  and  genuine 
 Text  of  the  New  Testament,  and  to  combine  it  pru- 
 dently with  the  Textus  Receptus. 
 IX.  The  "  Crisis"  of  Gerard  von  Maestricht  examined. 
 X.  The  Text  carefully  revised,  the  foundation  of  the  present 
 
 Exegesis. 
 XI.  And  the  same  Text  divided  into  Sections,  and  correctly 
 
 punctuated. 
 XII.  The  Style  of  the  Apostolic  Writings  vindicated  from  mis- 
 representation. 
 Xin.  The  Books  of  the  New  Testament  reduced  into  Synoptical 
 Tables. 
 
i  THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACF,. 
 
 XIV.  The  inherent  force  of  toords  considered  ;  especially  of 
 
 the    Gi'eek  words,    and   that   with    due   regard    to 
 
 Hebraism. 
 
 XV.  The  feelings  [afFectus,  mental  affections']  and  tone  of 
 
 mind  [mores,  ^'^rj,  manners]  of  the  Sacred  Writers 
 
 considered. 
 
 XVI.  The  various  methods  of  Annotation  derivable  from 
 
 these  considerations. 
 XVII.  Previous  writers  are  seldom  cited  in  the  present  work. 
 XVIII.  What  has  been  contributed  in  the  present  work  espe- 
 cially towards   the  elucidation  and  illustration  of 
 each  of  the  Gospels  f 
 XIX.  What  towards  that  of  the  Acts  and  Epistles  ? 
 XX.  Tlie  Apocalypse  again  treated  of:  Dr  JoacJiim.  Lange's 
 agreement   and   disagreement   with    the    authors 
 views  thereon  :  the  Ordo  Temporum. 
 XXI.   The  Author's  Orthodoxy. 
 
 XXII.  His  desire  to  assist  those  also,  who  do  not  understand 
 Greek. 
 
 XXIII.  The  Style  employed  in  the  present  work. 
 
 XXIV.  The  Technical  Terms  introduced. 
 
 XXV.  The  usefulness  and  moderate  size  of  the  Gnomon, 
 XXVI.  Concerning  the  Author's   German   Interpretation  of 
 the  New  Testament. 
 XXVn.  An  exhortation  to  the  constant  and  diligent  study  of 
 Holy  Scripture. 
 
GRACE  AND  PEACE  BE  MULTIPLIED  TO  THE 
 CHRISTIAN  READER. 
 
 I. 
 
 The  word  of  the  living  God,  which  formed  the  rule  of  faith  and 
 practice  to  the  primitive  patriarchs,  was  committed  to  writing  in 
 the  age  of  Moses,  to  Avhom  the  other  prophets  were  successively 
 added.  Subsequently,  those  things  which  the  Son  of  God 
 preached,  and  the  Paraclete  spake  through  the  apostles,  were 
 written  down  by  them  and  the  evangelists.  These  writings, 
 taken  together,  are  termed  ^^  Holy  Scripture ;"  and,  how  great 
 soever  is  their  dignity  and  value,  are,  in  conjunction  with  this 
 very  title  of  theirs,  their  own  best  encomium ;  for  they  are  called 
 "  Holy  Scripture"  because  they  contain  the  utterances  of  God, 
 and  constitute  the  Lord's  own  Book.  "  The  word  of  our  God," 
 exclaims  the  prophet,  "  shall  stand  for  ever." — (Isaiah  xl.  8.) 
 "  Verily,  I  say  unto  you,"  says  the  Saviour  Himself,  "  Till 
 heaven  and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass 
 from  the  law,  till  all  be  fulfilled."— (Matt.  v.  18.)  And  again, 
 "  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away ;  but  My  words  shall  not 
 pass  away."— (Ibid.  xxiv.  35.)  The  Scriptures,  therefore,  of 
 the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  form  a  most  sure  and  precious 
 system  of  Divine  testimonies.  For  not  only  are  the  various 
 writings,  when  considered  separately,  worthy  of  GoD,  but,  also, 
 when  received  as  a  whole,  they  exhibit  one  entire  and  perfect 
 
THE  xVUTHOR's  preface. 
 
 body,  unencumbered  by  excess,  unimpaired  by  defect.  The 
 '  Bible  is,  indeed,  the  true  fountain  of  wisdom,  which  they,  who 
 have  once  actually  tasted,  prefer  to  all  mere  compositions  of 
 men,  however  holy,  however  experienced,  however  devout,  or 
 however  wise.' 
 
 II. 
 
 It  follows,  therefore,  that  those  who  have  been  intrusted  with 
 such  an  inestimable  gift,  should  make  a  right  use  of  it.  Scrip- 
 ture itself  teaches  what  that  use  is,  namely,  to  perform  it.  In 
 order  to  perform  it,  we  require  knowledge,  knowledge  which  is 
 open  to  all  who  possess  rectitude  of  heart.^ 
 
 in. 
 
 Myi'iads  of  annotations  were  not  written  in  the  Chui'ch  of  the 
 Old  Testament,  althouo;h  the  measure  of  liwht  vouchsafed  was 
 far  more  scanty  then  than  now  ;  nor  did  learned  men  think,  that 
 the  Church  of  the  New  Testament  required  to  be  immediately 
 laden  with  such  helps.  Every  book,  when  first  published  by  a 
 prophet  or  an  apostle,  bore  in  itself  its  own  interpretation,  clear 
 by  its  inherent  light,  being  accommodated  to  the  then  existing 
 state  of  things.  The  text,  which  must  have  been  continually  in 
 the  mouth  of  all,  and  read  by  all,  maintained  itself  its  own  per- 
 spicuity and  integrity.  The  saints  did  not  employ  themselves 
 in  diligently  selecting  the  berries,  as  if  the  other  portions  of 
 Holy  Scripture  were  fit  only  for  the  pruning-hook ;  nor  did  they 
 occupy  their  time  in  accumulating  the  encumbrances  of  com- 
 mentaries. They  had  the  Scriptures  [and  they  found  them  all- 
 sufficient].  The  unlearned  could  refer  for  oral  instruction,  to 
 those  who  were  learned  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments. 
 
 1  We  may  add  ;  They  who  have  not  tasted  it,  give  the  precedency  before 
 it  to  all  compositions  of  mere  men,  however  profane,  however  vain,  however 
 wanton,  however  foolish.     "  Hinc  ilia;  lacrymee." 
 
 2  Comp.  Ps.  XXV.  14,  Matt.  xi.  25,  John  vii.  17;  1  Cor.  ii.  14.  Fur 
 there  is  not  one  of  those,  who  possess  rectitude  of  heart,  that  will  allow  the 
 saving  power  of  those  passages  to  he  snatched  from  himself  hy  any  hermeneutic 
 arts  whatever 
 
THE  author's  preface. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Writings  and  commentaries  are  chiefly  available  for  the  fol- 
 lowing purposes :  to  preserve,  restore,  or  defend  the  purity  of 
 the  text ;  to  exhibit  the  exact  force  of  the  language  employed  by 
 any  sacred  writer;  to  explain  the  circumstances  under  which 
 any  passage  was  uttered  or  written,  or  to  which  it  refers ;  to 
 remove  errors  or  abuses  which  have  arisen  in  later  times. — The 
 first  hearers  required  none  of  these  things.  Now,  however,  it 
 is  the  office  of  commentaries  to  effect  and  supply  them  in  some 
 measure,  so  that  the  hearer  of  to-dai/,  when  furnished  with  their 
 aidj  may  he  in  a  condition  similar  to  that  of  the  hearer  in  primeval 
 times  tvho  made  use  of  no  such  assistance.  There  is  one  point  in 
 which  the  moderns  have  an  advantage  over  the  ancients,  namely, 
 that  they  can  interpret  the  prophecies  more  clearly  by  the  sub- 
 sequent event.  Whatever  things,  of  whatsoever  kind,  indivi- 
 dual readers  themselves  derive  from  the  study  of  Holy  Scrip- 
 ture, they  can  and  ought  all  to  communicate  to  each  other, 
 especially  by  word  of  mouth,  and  also  by  written  compositions  ; 
 in  such  a  manner,  however,  as  neither  to  diminish,  super sede^  or 
 interfere  with,  the  perpetual  use  of  Scripture  itself. 
 
 V. 
 
 Scripture  is  the  foundation  of  the  Chiu-ch  :  the  Church  is 
 the  guardian  of  Scripture.  When  the  Church  is  in  strong 
 health,  the  light  of  Scripture  shines  bright ;  when  the  Church 
 is  sick,  Scripture  is  corroded  by  neglect ;  and  thus  it  happens, 
 that  the  countenance  of  Scripture  and  that  of  the  Church, 
 are  wont  to  exhibit  simultaneously,  the  appearance  either 
 of  health,  or  else  of  sickness ;  so  that  it  comes  to  pass  that 
 the  treatment  of  Scripture  corresponds,  from  time  to  time, 
 with  the  condition  of  the  Church.  That  treatment  has  had 
 various  ages,  fi'om  the  earliest  times,  down  to  the  present  day. 
 The  first  may  be  called  Native  or  natural ;  the  second,  Moral ; 
 the  third,  Dry ;  the  fourth,  Revived ;  the  fifth,  Polemic,  Dog- 
 matic, Topical ;  the  sixth,  Critical,  Polyglott,  Antiquarian,  Homi- 
 letic.     That  mode,  therefore,  of  examining,  expounding,  eluci- 
 
8  THE  author's  PREFACE. 
 
 dating,  and  illustrating  Scripture  which  is  offered  by  Scripture 
 itself,  has  not  as  yet  prevailed  to  any  great  extent  in  the  Chui'ch. 
 Our  rankly-abundant  discrepancies  of  opinion,  our  dulness  of 
 sight  in  interpreting  prophecy,  prove  this  beyond  all  question. 
 We  are  called  upon,  then,  to  advance  further,  till  we  arrive  at 
 such  a  proficiency  in  the  study  and  treatment  of  Scripture,  as  is 
 worthy  of  men  and  of  kings,  and  corresponds  with  sufficient  close- 
 ness, to  the  perfection  of  Scripture  itself.  Men  must,  however, 
 be  prepared  for  this  by  passing  previously  through  the  ordeal  of 
 (hfficulties.^  The  history  and  description  of  those  ages,  would 
 furnish  fitting  matter  for  an  accurate  and  useful  treatise ;  but 
 other  things  are  more  necessary  in  this  place. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Whosoever  desires  to  render  any  help  in  interpreting  Scrip- 
 ture, should  examine  himself,  and  ascertain  by  what  right  he 
 ventures  to  do  so.  As  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  did  not  apply  my 
 mind  to  writing  commentaries  fi*om  any  previous  confidence  in 
 myself;  but  unexpectedly,  by  little  and  little,  under  the  Divine 
 guidance,  I  have  been  led  on  to  the  present  undertaking.  The 
 nature  of  my  public  office,  which  imposed  on  me  for  more  than 
 twenty-seven  years,  the  duty  of  expounding  the  Greek  New 
 Testament  to  studious  youth,  induced  me  in  the  first  instance 
 to  make  some  observations  [on  that  Sacred  Volume].  As  their 
 number  increased,  I  determined  to  commit  them  to  paper,  and,  at 
 the  suggestion  of  a  certain  venerable  Prelate,^  to  put  the  finishing 
 hand  to  them.  Exegesis  was  accompanied  by  revision  of  the  text ; 
 in  revising  the  text  for  the  interpretation  of  the  Apocalypse,  I  was 
 led  on  to  investigate  successively  different  various  readings.  The 
 harmony  of  the  Evangelists,  commenced  in  the  mean  time,  and 
 the  Exegesis  of  the  Apocalypse,  produced  the  Ordo  Temporum. 
 Now  all  these  having  been  in  turn  carefully  examined,  are 
 corrected,  filled  up,  and  blended  together  in  the  same  Exegesis 
 
 ^  Whatever  to  the  contrary  those  '  literati'  may  think,  who,  relying  on  their 
 oton  powers  alone,  suppose,  that  nothing  is  ejected  towards  the  understanding 
 of  Scripture  by  trials  a?id  by  prayer  but  all  by  mere  meditation.     It  is 
 
 TltOUBLKS  [vcxatio]  THAT  GIVE  UNDERSTANDING. 
 
 2  Christopher  Zeller,  prelate  of  Lorch.—  (I.  13.) 
 
THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE.  9 
 
 of  the  New  Testament.  I  shall  have,  therefore,  to  repeat  some 
 things  which  I  have  already  said,  concerning  each  of  these 
 writings,  and  to  add  some  remarks,  which  are  entirely  new,  so 
 that  this  work,  now  reduced  to  a  single  whole,  may  be  rendered 
 more  complete  and  unassailable,  by  the  addition  of  this  preface,^ 
 armed,  as  it  were,  to  the  teeth. 
 
 VII. 
 
 I  have  long  since  given  the  name  of  Gnomon,  a  modest,  and, 
 as  I  think,  appropriate,  title,  to  these  Exegetical  Annotations, 
 which  perform  only  the  office  of  an  Index ;"  and,  I  should  have 
 chosen  the  term  Index,  as  the  title  of  my  work,  but  for  the  mis- 
 conception which  would  have  arisen,  in  the  minds  of  most 
 persons,  from  the  ordinary  and  technical  use  of  that  term  [i.e., 
 a  Registry  or  Table  of  Contents~\.  It  is,  in  short,  my  intention, 
 briefly  to  point  out,  or  indicate,  the  full  force  of  words  and 
 sentences,  in  the  New  Testament,  which,  though  really  and 
 inherently  belonging  to  them,  is  not  always  observed  by  all  at 
 first  sight,  so  that  the  reader,  being  introduced  by  the  straight 
 road,  into  the  text,  may  find  as  rich  pasture  there  as  possible. 
 The  Gnomon  points  the  way  with  sufficient  clearness.  If  you 
 are  wise,  the  text  itself  teaches  you  all  things.^ 
 
 vin. 
 
 Human  selections  of  sayings  and  examples,  taken  from  Scrip- 
 ture, have  their  use  ;  the  study,  however,  of  the  Sacred  Volume, 
 should  not  end  here  ;  for  it  should,  both  as  a  whole,  and  in  its 
 several  parts,  be  thoroughly  studied  and  mastered,  especially  by 
 those  who  are  occupied  in  teaching  others.  In  order  fully  to 
 accomplish  which,  we  ought  to  distinguish  the  clearly  genuine 
 words  of  the  Sacred  Text,  from  those  which  are  open  to  doubt  or 
 
 *  Prologus  galeatus,  lit.  "Helmeted"  Prologue.  A  prologue,  in  which  a 
 person  defends  himself  against  the  opponents  of  a  book.  Thus,  Jerome  calls 
 the  preface  to  his  edition  of  Holy  Scripture. — See  Riddle. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  In  the  sense  of  pointer  or  indicator,  as  of  a  sun-dial,  etc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  In  the  original  the  last  sentence' is  expressed  by  the  following  distich, 
 -     Nonnihil  Indicii  satis  est  in  Gnomone  factum : 
 
 Omnia  te  Textus,  si  sapis,  ipse  docet. — (I.  B.) 
 
10  THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE. 
 
 question,  from  the  existence  and  authority  of  various  readings, 
 lest  we  should  either  pass  by,  and  thus  fail  to  profit  by  the 
 words  of  the  apostles,  or  treat  the  words  of  copyists  as  if  they 
 were  those  of  the  apostles.  I  have  endeavoured  to  frirnish  such 
 a  text,  with  all  care  and  fidelity,  in  my  larger  edition  of  the 
 Greek  New  Testament,  published  at  Tubingen,  and  in  the  smaller 
 one  published  at  Stuttgardt.  Both  of  them  appeared  in  the  year 
 1734  :  and  the  small  one  was  republished,  with  a  new  prologue 
 (admonitiori)  in  the  year  1738,  and  lastly,  entirely  revised,  in 
 the  year  1753. — For,  I  considered  it  my  duty  not  to  suppress, 
 but,  on  the  contraiy,  publish  before  my  death,^  those  things 
 which  the  experience  of  a  long  intervening  period,  had  supplied. 
 Those  who  desire  either  to  know,  or  to  state,  what  wiy  Re- 
 vision contains,  on  any  passage,  must  refer  to  one  of  these  edi- 
 tions, and  not  to  any  other.  He  who  has  been  accustomed  to 
 the  first  of  the  smaller  editions,  will  easily,  and  advantageously, 
 observe  the  differences  in  the  latter  edition.  The  New  Testa- 
 ment, as  revised  by  me,  has  come  to  be  considered  as  one  edition 
 with  this  Gnomon,  just  as  if  they  had  been  published  in  one 
 volume.  This  will  appear  more  clearly  in  the  progress  of  the 
 present  preface,  especially  in  the  eleventh  Section.  My  re- 
 cension has  obtained  the  approval  of  many  ;  some  of  whom  have 
 partially  adopted  it  in  translations.^  It  has,  however,  met  vnth 
 some  impugners,  especially  two:  for  Andreas  Buttigius'^  pre- 
 
 ^  During  his  last  illness  he  was  occupied  in  correcting  the  proof-sheets  of 
 his  German  Version  of  the  New  Testament,  and  the  preface  he  had  written 
 for  the  Old  Testament  Gnomon  of  his  son-in-law,  Ph.  D.  Burk. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  In  1745  when  the  authorized  Danish  version  was  revised  by  order  of  the 
 King  of  Denmark,  the  text  of  Bengel  was  preferred  as  the  standard,  for  that 
 purpose. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Andreas  Buttigius  brought  out  an  edition  of  the  Greek  New  Testament 
 in  1737— entitled 
 
 'n  xxiuYi  oia.^'/i>cyi.  Novum  Testamentum  Grsecum,  ita  adornatum  ut  textus 
 probatarum  editionum  medullam,  margo  variantium  lectionuni  in  suas  classes 
 distributarum,  locorumque  parallelorum  delectuni  exhibeat,  curante  Andrea 
 Buttigio.     Lipsiaj  ex  ofttcina  Weidmaniana.     md.cc.xxxvu. 
 
 Le  Long  subjoins  it  to  his  Editiones  Benffelii,  with  the  following  obser- 
 vations— 
 
 Jungimus  prseccdentibus  mcrito  banc  cditionem,  qua;  nil  nisi  iterata  est 
 textus  Bengeliani  editio,  quod  ipse,  qnamvis  in  rubro  Bengelii  nomen  silentio 
 prsetermissum  sit,  in  prsefationc  fatetur  editor.     Textus  idem  est.  sed  more 
 
THE  author's  PREFACE;  11 
 
 face  agrees  for  the  most  part  with  my  views,  and,  where  it  differs, 
 I  have  given  the  explanations  in  the  Prologue,  which  I  have  just 
 mentioned.  Wliat,  however,  others  have  said  upon  individual 
 readings,  we  shall  examine  in  their  proper  places.  To  those 
 two,  therefore  (whose  names  I  need  not  mention  on  the  present 
 occasion),'  I  have  put  forth  two  defences.  One  was  printed  in 
 German,  with  the  Harmony  of  the  Evangelists,  a.d.  1736,  at 
 Tubingen,  and  afterwards,  in  a  separate  and  more  convenient 
 form,  in  Latin,  with  some  additions,  a.d.  1737,  at  Leyden.  In 
 this,  I  showed  that  I  had  not  acted  timidly ;  in  the  other,  that  I 
 had  not  acted  with  temerity.  That  other,  was  written  in  answer 
 to  an  attack  upon  truth,  exceedingly  prejudicial  in  the  case  of 
 the  ignorant,  and  inserted  a.d.  1739,  in  the  New  Tubingen  Mis- 
 cellany.^ It  was  reprinted  in  a  separate  form  the  same  year,  and 
 again  at  Ulm,  A.D.  1745.  "The  former  defence  has  become  now 
 nearly  obsolete  :  for,  he  against  whom  it  was  directed,  has  made 
 the  "  Crisis  Mastrichtiana,^'  so  far  as  he  has  coiTected  it,  entirelv 
 conformable  to  my  views  ;  and  the  learned  LilienthaP  states,  in 
 his  Bibliotheca  Exegetica,  pp.  1263,  1264,  what  is  the  opinion 
 entertained  by  others,  of  the  matters  in  dispute,  between  us.  So 
 much  the  more,  therefore,  do  I  wish  that  they  who  are  desirous 
 of  avoiding  temerity,  yet  of  ascertaining  the  truth,  would  care- 
 fully examine  my  second  Defence.  All,  at  least,  by  whom  I  know 
 that  pamphlet  to  have  been  read,  acknowledge  that  I  have 
 exerted  myself  laboriously,  and  in  a  religious  spirit,  to  obtain 
 a  pure  text  of  the  New  Testament.     And  that  very  society,  in 
 
 consueto  in  versiculos  distinctus  et  bipartilis  columnis  inscriptus.  Variantes 
 lectiones  a  majori  editione  mutuo  sumptse  sunt,  appositis  notis  valorisearuni, 
 et  tabula,  qua  signa  ipsa  explicantur.  Loca  parallela  editor  ex  eodem  opere 
 descripsit. — Bibliotheca  Sacra,  Pt.  I.,  cap.  II.,  sec.  I.,  §  62,  n.  7. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  The  first  of  these  was  J.  J,  Wetstein,  Bengel's  great  critical  rival — the 
 other  an  anonymous  writer,  probably  John  George  Hager,  m.a.  of  Leipsic, 
 whose  attack  was  inserted  in  "Early  Gathered  Fruits." — See  p.  12,  f  n.  1. 
 -(IB.) 
 
 ^  A  periodical  publication,  entitled,  iVew  Literary  Notices  from  Tubingen. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Michael  Lilienthal,  a  Lutheran  divine,  a  learned  historian  and 
 philologist,  and  an  able  writer,  born  in  1686  at  Liebstadt,  in  Prussia,  mem- 
 ber of  the  Academy  of  Berlin,  and  honorary  professor  of  that  of  Petersburg ; 
 he  established  himself  at  Konigsberg,  where  he  was  pastor  and  professor  up 
 to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1750.— (I.  B.) 
 
12  THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE. 
 
 whose  name  my  censor  previously  acted,  lias  not,  as  far  as  1 
 know,  though  repeatedly  challenged  by  me  to  do  so,  brought 
 forward,  in  "  The  Early  Gathered  Fruits"-^  one  single  instance,  in 
 which  I  have  altered,  by  innovation,  even  a  syllable  of  the  Sacred 
 Text.^  This  silence  furnishes  the  desired  proof  of  admitted  truth. 
 Part  of  my  Defence  is  reprinted  in  the  present  work,  at  the  com- 
 mencement of  my  annotations  on  the  Apocalypse. 
 
 Most  learned  men  entirely  neglect  the  spirit,  and,  conse- 
 quently, do  not  treat  even  the  letter  rightly.  Hence  it  arises, 
 that  up  to  the  present  time,  the  most  confused  and  contradictoi'y 
 opinions  prevail,  as  to  the  mode  of  deciding  between  conflicting 
 readings,  and  on  the  method  of  combining  such  decision  with 
 the  Received  Text.  One  relies  on  the  antiquity,  another  on  the 
 number  of  Manuscripts,  nay,  even  to  such  an  extent,  as  to 
 exaggerate  their  number  :  one  man  adduces  the  Latin  Vulgate, 
 another  the  Oriental  Versions :  one  quotes  the  Greek  Scholiasts, 
 another  the  more  ancient  Fathers  :  one  so  far  relies  upon  the 
 context  (which  is  truly  the  surest  evidence),  that  he  adopts 
 universally  the  easier  and  fuller  reading  :  another  expunges,  if 
 so  inclined,  whatever  has  been  once  omitted  by  a  single  Ethiopic 
 — ^I  will  not  say  translator,  but — copyist :  one  is  always  eager  to 
 condemn  the  more  received  reading,  another  equally  determined 
 to  defend  it  in  every  instance.  Not  every  one  who  owns  a  harp 
 can  play  upon  it.^  We  are  convinced,  after  long  and  careful 
 consideration,  that  every  various  reading  may  be  distinguished 
 
 ^  The  following  remarks  had  occurred  in  a  journal  bearing  that  name 
 (No.  4  of  the  year  1738) 
 
 "  If  every  bookmaker  is  to  take  into  his  head  to  treat  the  New  Testa- 
 ment in  this  manner,  we  shall  soon  get  a  Greek  text  totally  diflerent  from  the 
 received  one.  The  audacity  is  really  too  great  for  us  not  to  notice  it,  especi- 
 ally as  such  vast  importance,  it  seems,  is  attached  to  this  edition.  Scarcely 
 a  chapter  of  it  has  not  something  either  omitted,  or  inserted,  or  altered,  or 
 transposed.     The  audacity  is  unprecedented." — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  With  some  exceptions,  in  the  Apocalypse,  a  book  peculiarly  circum- 
 stanced, he  had  not  admitted  into  the  text  a  single  syllable,  which  had  not 
 been  already  eml)odied  with  it  in  printed  editions.  This  is  accounted  for, 
 and  explained  afterwards. — See  Section  X.  of  this  Preface. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  "Non  omnes,  qui  citharam  habent,  sunt  citharajdi."  This  proverb  is  of 
 very  ancient  date.  It  is  quoted  by  Varro,  who  died  B.C.  28,  in  his  treatise 
 de  Re  Bustica,  lib.  II  ,  cap.  1. — (I.  B) 
 
THE  author's  preface.  13 
 
 and  classified,  by  due  attention  to  the  following  suggestions 
 (Monita)  : — 
 
 1.  By  far  the  more  numerous  portions  of  the  Sacred  Text 
 (thanks  be  to  God)  labour  under  no  variety  of  reading  deserving 
 notice. 
 
 2.  These  portions  contain  the  whole  scheme  of  salvation,  and 
 establish  every  particular  of  it  by  every  test  of  truth. 
 
 3.  Every  various  reading  ought  and  may  be  referred  to  these 
 portions,  and  decided  by  them  as  by  a  normal  standard. 
 
 4.  The  Text  and  Various  Readings  of  the  New  Testament 
 are  found  in  ^Manuscripts  and  in  Books  printed  from  Manu- 
 scripts, whether  Greek,  Latin,  Grseco-Latin  (concerning  which 
 I  have  expressed  the  same  opinion  in  my  Apparatus  Criticus,^ 
 pp.  387,  642  [Second  Edition,  pp.  20,  319,  320],  as  Ludolf 
 Kuster^  has  of  the  Boernerian,^  the  most  important  of  them  in 
 
 1  "Patria  eoruin  est  Britannia."— App.  Crit.  p.  20.— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Ludolf  Kuster  reprinted  Mill's  Greek  New  Testament,  with  alterations 
 at  Rotterdam,  1710.— (I.  B.) 
 
 3  The  Codex  Boernerianus  derives  its  name  from  Dr  Christian 
 Frederick  Boerner,  to  whom  it  once  belonged  :  it  is  now  deposited  in  the 
 royal  library  at  Dresden.  It  contains  St  Paul's  Epistles,  with  the  exception 
 of  that  to  the  Hebrews,  and  is  written  in  Greek  and  Latin;  the  Latin,  or  old 
 ante-Hieronymian  version  being  interlined  between  the  Greek,  and  written 
 over  the  text,  of  -which  it  is  a  translation.  Semler  supposed  that  the  Latin 
 was  Avritten  since  the  Greek ;  but  Professor  Matthsei,  who  published  a  copy 
 of  this  manuscript,  suggests  that  the  uniformity  of  the  handwriting,  and 
 similarity  in  the  colour  of  the  ink,  evince,  that  both  the  Greek  and  Latin 
 texts  proceeded  from  the  same  transcriber.  It  frequently  agrees  with  the 
 Codex  Claromontanus.  The  time  Avhen  this  manuscript  was  written,  has 
 not  been  determined  with  precision.  That  it  is  ancient,  appears  (says 
 Michaelis)  from  the  form  of  the  characters,  and  the  absence  of  accents  and 
 marks  of  aspiration.  It  seems  to  have  been  written  in  an  age  when  the 
 transition  was  making  from  the  uncial  to  small  characters ;  and,  from  the 
 correspondence  of  the  letters  r,  s,  and  t  in  the  Latin  version,  to  that  form 
 which  is  found  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  alphabet,  Bishop  Marsh  infers,  that  this 
 MS.  was  written  in  the  west  of  Europe,  and  probably  between  the  8th  and 
 9th  centuries.  Kuster,  who  first  collated  this  MS.,  supposed  it  to  be 
 British ;  Doederlein,  Irish.  The  learned  reviewer  of  Matth^i's  edition  of  this 
 MS.,  in  the  Jena  Literary  Gazette,  decides  that  it  could  only  be  written  in 
 Germany  or  France ;  because,  in  the  margin,  many  passages  are  noted  contra 
 yodliaKx'Kx.ou,  apparently  because  they  are  contradictory  to  the  opinion  of 
 Gottschalk,  a  celebrated  monk,  who  disputed  concerning  predestination,  in 
 the  9th  century,  but  whose  tenets  excited  little  attention,  except  in  those  two 
 
14  THE  author's  PREFACE. 
 
 his  preface  to  the  New  Testament),  Syriac,  etc.,  Latinizing 
 Greek,  or  other  languages,  the  clear  quotations  of  Irenceus,  etc., 
 according  as  Divine  Providence  dispenses  its  bounty  to  each 
 generation.  We  include  all  these  under  the  title  of  Codices, 
 which  has  sometimes  as  comprehensive  a  signification. 
 
 5.  These  codices,  however,  have  been  diffused  through 
 Churches  of  all  ages  and  countries,  and  approach  so  near  to  the 
 original  autographs,  that,  when  taken  together,  in  all  the  multi- 
 tude of  their  varieties,  they  exhibit  the  genuine  text. 
 
 6.  No  conjecture  is  ever  on  any  consideration  to  be  listened  to. 
 It  is  safer  to  bracket  \tutius  seponitur]  any  portion  of  the  text, 
 which  may  haply  appear  to  labour  under  inextricable  difficulties. 
 
 7.  All  the  codices  taken  together,  should  form  the  normal  stand- 
 ard, by  which  to  decide  in  the  case  of  each  taken  separately. 
 
 8.  The  Greek  Codices,  which  possess  an  antiquity  so  high, 
 that  it  surpasses  even  the  very  variety  of  reading,  are  ver}'  few 
 in  number  :  the  rest  are  very  numerous. 
 
 9.  Although  versions  and  fathers  are  of  little  authority,  where 
 they  differ  from  the  Greek  Manuscripts  of  the  New  Testament ; 
 yet,  where  the  Greek  Manuscripts  of  the  New  Testament  differ 
 from  each  other,  those  have  the  greatest  authority,  with  which 
 versions  and  fathers  agree. 
 
 10.  The  text  of  the  Latin  Vulgate,'  where  it  is  supported  by 
 the  consent  of  the  Latin  Fathers,  or  even  of  other  competent 
 witnesses,  deserves  the  utmost  consideration,  on  account  of  its 
 singular^  antiquity. 
 
 countries.  The  writer  in  question  thinks  it  probable  tliat  this  MS.  was 
 written  by  Joannes  Scotus,  who  lived  at  the  court  of  Charles  the  Bald, 
 King  of  France,  and  Avas  the  most  celebrated  opponent  of  Gottschalk.  The 
 MS.,  however,  could  not  have  been  written  later  than  the  9th  century  ;  for, 
 in  the  beginning  of  the  10th,  the  Gottschalk  dispute  had  lost  all  its  import- 
 ance. There  is  a  transcript  of  this  MS.  in  the  library  of  Trinity  College, 
 Cambridge,  among  the  books  and  MSS.  left  by  Dr  Bentley,  who  probably 
 procured  it  for  his  intended  edition  of  the  Greek  Testament.  Professor 
 Matthffii  published  a  copy  at  Meissen,  in  Saxony,  in  1791,  in  quarto,  which 
 was  reprinted  at  the  same  place  in  18IS,  also  in  quarto. — (I.  B  ) 
 
 '  The  Latin  Vulgate  was  corrected  with  the  help  of  ancient  Greek  MSS., 
 then  in  existence,  by  Jerome,  in  the  fourth  century,  from  a  version,  known 
 as  the  Vctus  Itala,  supposed  to  have  been  executed  in  the  second  century. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Singular  is  here  used  in  its  strictest  sense,  q.  d.  nnujuc. — (1.  B.) 
 
THE  author's  preface.  J5 
 
 11.  The  Number  of  witnesses,  who  support  each  reading  of 
 every  passage,  ought  to  be  carefully  examined  :  and  to  that  end, 
 in  so  doing,  we  should  separate  those  Codices  which  contain  only 
 the  Gospels,  fi'om  those  which  contain  the  Acts  and  the  Epistles, 
 with  or  without  the  Apocalypse,  or  those  which  contain  that 
 book  alone ;  those  which  are  entire,  from  those  which  have  been 
 mutilated ;  those  which  have  been  collated  for  the  Stephanie^ 
 edition,  from  those  which  have  been  collated  for  the  Compluten- 
 sian,^  or  the  Elzevirian,'  or  any  obscure  edition ;  those  which 
 are  known  to  have  been  carefully  collated,  as,  for  instance,  the 
 Alexandrine,* — from  those  which  are  not  known  to  have  been 
 
 ^  The  Stephani  (called  in  French  Etienne,  or  Estimne,  in  English 
 Stephens)  were  the  most  famous  and  learned  printers  of  their  day.  Henry 
 Stephens  had  three  sons,  Robert,  born  a.d.  1503;  Francis,  and  Charles. 
 Robert  had  also  a  son  named  Henry,  born  a.d.  1528.  They  were  perse- 
 cuted at  Paris  by  the  Sorbonne,  and  ultimately  forced  to  fly  to  Geneva,  in 
 1552.  Robert  published  his  first  edition  of  the  Greek  New  Testament  in 
 1546,  a  second  in  1549,  and  a  third  in  1551,  to  which  his  son  added  another 
 in  1569.— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  i.e..  The  Si.xth  Volume  of  the  Complutensian  or  Alcala  Bible,  so  called 
 from  Alcala,  in  Spain,  where  it  was  printed.  The  full  title  of  the  work  is, 
 "  Biblia  Sacra  Polyglotta,  complectentia  Vetus  Testamentum,  Hebraico, 
 Grseco,  et  Latino  Idiomate  ;  Novum  Testamentum  Grsecum  et  Latinum ;  et 
 Vocabularium  Hebraicuni  et  Chaldaicum  Veteris  Testamenti,  cum  Gram- 
 matica  Hebraica,  nee  non  Dictionario  Grseco  ;  Studio,  Opera  et  Inipensis 
 Cardinalis  Francisci  Ximenes  de  Cisneros.  Industria  Arnaldi  Gulielmi  de 
 Brocario  artis  impressorife  magistri.  Compluti  1514,  1515,  1517.  6  Vols. 
 Folio."     It  cost  the  Cardinal  Ximenes  50,000  ducats. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  Printed  at  Leyden,  at  the  celebrated  Elzevir  press.  The  first  edition 
 appeared  in  1624,  the  second,  which  is  considered  the  best,  in  1633.  The 
 Elzevir  text  claimed  to  itself,  par  excellence,  the  title  of  Textus  Receptus ;  a 
 phrase,  however,  which  is  not  always  confined  to  that  recension.  In  the 
 preface  to  the  edition  of  1633,  occurs  the  arrogant  assertion  :  "  Textiim, 
 ergo  habes  nunc  ab  omnibus  receptum ;  in  quo  nihil  immutatum  aut  cor- 
 ruptum  damus." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  The  CODEX  ALEXANDRINUS,  now  in  the  British  Museum,  a  manu- 
 script of  the  fourth  or  fifth  century.  A  facsimile  of  it  has  been  published 
 by  G.  Woide,  1786.  This  codex  consists  of  four  folio  volumes;  the  three 
 first  contain  the  whole  of  the  Old  Testament,  together  with  the  Apocryphal 
 Books,  and  the  fourth  comprises  the  New  Testament,  the  first  Epistle  of 
 Clement  to  the  Corinthians,  and  the  Apocryphal  Psalms,  ascribed  to  Solomon. 
 It  was  sent  as  a  present  to  King  Charles  i.,  from  Cyrillus  Lucares,  a  native 
 of  Crete,  and  Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  by  Sir  Thomas  Rowe,  Ambassador 
 from  England  to  the  Sublime  Porte,  in  the  year  1628 (I.  B.) 
 
16  THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE. 
 
 carefully  collated,  or  wliich  are  known  to  have  been  carelessly 
 collated,  as  for  instance  the  Vatican  MS.,^  which,  otherwise, 
 would  be  almost  without  an  equal. 
 
 12.  And  so,  in  fine,  more  witnesses  are  to  be  preferred  to 
 fewer ;  and,  which  is  more  important,  witnesses  who  differ  in 
 country,  age,  and  language,  are  to  be  preferred  to  those  who 
 are  closely  connected  with  each  other ;  and  which  is  m.ost  im- 
 portant of  all,  ancient  witnesses  are  to  be  preferred  to  modern 
 ones.  For,  since  the  original  autographs  (and  they  were  WTitten 
 in  Greek),  can  alone  claim  to  be  the  well-spring,  the  amount 
 of  authority  due  to  codices,  di'awn  from  primitive  sources,  Latin, 
 Greek,  etc.,  depends  upon  their  nearness  to  that  fountain-head. 
 
 13.  A  reading,  which  does  not  allure  by  too  great  facility, 
 but  shines  with  its  own  native  dignity  of  truth,  is  always  to  be 
 preferred  to  those  which  may  fuirly  be  supposed  to  owe  their 
 origin  to  either  the  carelessness  or  the  injudicious  care  of 
 copyists. 
 
 14.  Thus,  a  corrupted  text  is  often  betrayed  by  alliteration, 
 parallelism,  or  the  convenience  of  an  Ecclesiastical  Lection," 
 especially  at  the  beginning  or  conclusion  of  it ;  from  the  occur- 
 rence of  the  same  words,  we  are  led  to  suspect  an  omission ; 
 from  too  great  facility,  a  gloss.  Where  a  passage  labours  under 
 a  manifold  variety  of  readings,  the  middle^  reading  is  the  best. 
 
 15.  There  are,  therefore,  five  principal  criteria,  by  which  to 
 determine  a  disputed  text.  The  Antiquity  of  the  witnesses,  the 
 Diversity  of  their  extraction,  and  their  Multitude ;  the  apparent 
 Origin  of  the  corrupt  reading,  and  the  Native  colour  of  the 
 genuine  one. 
 
 1  The  CODEX  VATICANUS,  No.  1209,  in  the  Vatican  Library  at 
 Rome,  a  manuscript  of  the  fourth  or  fifth  century.  No  accurate  colhition  ot 
 it  has  yet  been  published.  Originally  this  MS.  contained  the  entire  Greek 
 Bible,  including  both  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  At  present  the  Old  Tes- 
 tament wants  the  first  forty-six  chapters  of  Genesis,  and  thirty-two  Psalms  ; 
 and  the  New  Testament  wants  the  latter  part  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews, 
 and  also  the  whole  of  the  Epistles  to  Timothy,  Titus,  and  Philemon,  and  the 
 entire  Book  of  Revelation. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  i.e.,  a  portion  of  Scripture  appointed  to  be  read  in  any  Church  Service. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 *  "  Ubi  non  modo  duplex,  sed  multiplex  occurrit  lectio,  media  est  optima. 
 Ex  hac  enim  una  tanquam  ex  centre  discessum  est  in  ceteras,"  etc. — App 
 Crit.,  p.  17.— (I.  B.) 
 
THE  author's  preface.  IT 
 
 IG.  When  these  Criteria  all  concur,  no  doubt  can  exist, 
 except  in  the  mind  of  a  sceptic. 
 
 17.  When,  however,  it  happens  that  some  of  these  Criteria 
 may  be  adduced  in  favour  of  one  reading,  and  some  in  favour 
 of  another,  the  critic  may  be  drawn  sometimes  in  this,  some- 
 times in  that  direction  ;  or,  even  should  he  decide,  others  may 
 be  less  ready  to  submit  to  his  decision.  When  one  man  excels 
 another  in  powers  of  vision,  whether  bodily  or  mental,  discussion 
 is  vain.  In  such  a  case,  one  man  can  neither  obtrude  on 
 another  his  own  conviction,  nor  destroy  the  conviction  of 
 another ;  unless,  indeed,  the  original  autograph  Scriptures 
 should  ever  come  to  light. 
 
 18.  It  is  not  the  best  style  of  criticism,  which  may  be  resolved 
 into  the  following  shape, — "  Erasmus,  and  the  Stephani,  and 
 almost  all  the  printers,  have  printed  it  thus  :  thus,  therefore,  it 
 must  remain,  even  to  the  end  of  time,  without  the  minutest 
 variation.  Monuments  of  antiquity,  as  far  as  they  support  this 
 reading,  are  to  be  admitted ;  as  far  as  they  call  it  in  question, 
 with  hoAvever  universal  consent,  they  ought  to  be  rejected." 
 We  must  speak  the  truth :  this  is  a  most  summary  and  unsatis- 
 factory kind  of  criticism,  and  entirely  unworthy  of  men  who 
 have  reached  years  of  discretion.  It  encourages  an  obstinate 
 and  credulous  attachment  to  the  more  received  text,  and  a  per- 
 vei'se  and  jealous  distrust  of  ancient  documents.  They  who 
 declare  that,  without  such  support  as  this,'  the  safety  of  those 
 portions  of  the  sacred  text,  which  are  free  from  all  variation, 
 and,  consequently,  of  Scripture  and  Christianity  itself,  would 
 be  endangered,  are  themselves  dangerous  thinkers,  and  know  not 
 the  meaning  of  faith.  We  have  recorded  in  our  Apparatus^ 
 (p.  401  ;  i.e.,  Ed.  ii.,  p.  35,  Obs.  xix.)  the  most  just  judgment 
 of  Calovius,"  far  removed  from  the  typographical  superstition, 
 
 '  sc  "ModernosGniecos  codd.  quorum  integritatem  asserimus,non  esse  prae- 
 cise  editiones  Graecas  neotericas,  hujus  vel  illius  opera  divulgatas,  seclusis 
 codicibus  niauuscriptis  antiquioribus  et  probatioribus :  sed  respici  hie  universos 
 cod.  Graecos  et  manuscriptos  et  tjpis  editos.     Crit.  saer.,  p.  492." — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Abraham  Calovius,  a  celebrated  Lutheran  divine,  one  of  the  ablest 
 opponents  of  the  Socinians.  He  was  born  at  Morungen,  in  Brunswick,  a.d. 
 1612:  studied  at  Konigsberg  and  Rostock,  and  became  successively  Pro- 
 fessor at  Konigsberg,  Rector  at  Dantzic,  and  Professor  of  Theology  at  WiS- 
 temberg,  where  he  died,  1686.— (I.  B.) 
 
 VOL.  I.  B 
 
18  THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE. 
 
 which  some  at  the  present  clay  entertain.  Even  before  the 
 invention  of  printing,  Scripture  was  entire ;  nor  has  Divine 
 Providence,  ever  watchful  over  Holy  Scripture,  bound  itself 
 down  to  the  typography  of  the  sixteenth  century,  the  era, 
 within  whose  narrow  limits,  the  whole  of  the  text  defended  by 
 these  zealots,  was  collected  and  defined. 
 
 19.  We  maintain,  however,  the  purity  and  integrity  of  nearly 
 the  whole  of  the  'printed  text,  not  because  it  has  gained  authority 
 by  its  prevalent  use,  but  because  it  excels  in  those  Criteria 
 which  we  have  here  laid  down  ;  and  we  rejoice  that  such  is  the 
 case. 
 
 20.  The  text  of  the  Greek  New  Testament,  which  was  printed 
 by  Frobenius,^  and,  after  Luther's  death,  by  the  Stephani  and 
 Elzevirs,  differs  frequently  from  Luther's  version  ;  as  may  be 
 seen,  by  referring  to  the  table  of  passages  from  the  New  Testa- 
 ment, added  to  the  Hebrew,  Greek,  and  German  Bibles,  pub- 
 lished at  Zullichau.^  It  is  allowable,  however,  to  embrace  the 
 genuine  text  with  delight,  wherever  it  agrees  with  that  of 
 Luther.  We  ought,  indeed,  laying  aside  all  party  feeling,  to 
 seek  for  an  entire  and  unadulterated  text ;  which  many,  how- 
 ever, disgraceful  though  it  be,  care  less  for  than  a  patched 
 glove. 
 
 21.  It  would  be  highly  desirable  to  produce  an  edition  of  the 
 Greek  Testament,  in  which  the  text  itself  should  in  every  in- 
 
 ^  Frobenius,  or  Froben,  was  a  famous  German  printer.  He  was  a  great 
 friend  of  Erasmus,  and  printed  his  works,  as  also  some  of  the  fathers, 
 Jerome,  Augustin,  etc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Muthman  and  Steinbart  had  agreed  to  pubhsh  at  Ziillichau,  a  German 
 original  Bible,  with  the  Greek  New  Testament,  according  to  Bengel's  re- 
 vision, annexed,  and  had  announced  their  intention,  in  proposals  dated  1st 
 Oct.  1738  :  but  they  were  so  violently  attacked  from  various  quarters,  re-  ' 
 specting  this  appendage,  that  tlioy  changed  their  purpose,  and,  instead  of 
 the  text  of  Bengel,  chose  that  of  Rcineccius.  By  the  appearance,  however, 
 of  Bengel's  defence,  the  alarm  was  so  far  allayed,  that  they  applied  to  him 
 to  compose,  for  their  work,  a  tabular  index,  displaying,  in  parallel  columns, 
 the  more  important  variations  between  the  text  of  Luther,  the  Greek  text 
 of  Reineccius,  and  that  of  Bengel.  This  table  was  very  serviceable  in 
 showing  the  correctness  of  Bengel's  revisions ;  so  that  none  could  help 
 seeing,  that  they  supported  Luther's  version  much  more  closely,  than  did 
 the  readings,  which  had  hitherto  been  most  commonly  adopted. — (L  B.) 
 
THE  author's  preface.  19 
 
 stance  clearly  exhibit  the  genuine  reading,  and  leave  not  a 
 single  passage  in  dispute.  The  present  age,  however,  cannot 
 accomplish  this ;  and  the  more  nearly  any  one  of  us  has  ap- 
 proached to  primitive  genuineness,  so  much  the  less  does  he 
 obtain  the  assent  of  the  generality. 
 
 22.  I  have  determined,  therefore,  in  the  meanwhile  (until 
 a  fuller  measure  of  light  be  vouchsafed  to  the  Church),  to 
 constnict  as  genuine  a  text  as  possible,  by  a  judicious  selection 
 from  approved  editions.  In  the  Apocalypse  alone^  I  have 
 introduced  some  readings  here  and  there  from  MSS.  [as 
 opposed  to  printed  editions'],  the  reason  of  which  I  have  fre- 
 quently stated. 
 
 23.  Some  very  few  passages,  however,  of  the  Textus  Receptus, 
 I  have  separated  by  brackets  from  the  rest  of  the  text,  as  being 
 either  doubtful  or  corrupt ;  and  thus  they  are  noticed  as  such  in 
 the  text  itself,  witliout  any  injury  to  truth. 
 
 24.  These  passages  being  excepted,  and  only  for  a  while,  as 
 it  were,  sequestrated,  even  the  unlearned  may  rely  firmly  on, 
 and  use  for  his  salvation,  the  whole  of  the  rest  of  the  text. 
 
 25.  On  the  other  hand,  some  most  precious  readings,  drawn 
 out  from  their  previous  obscurity,  are  recognised  as  genuine,  to 
 the  advantage  and  increase  of  truth. 
 
 26.  Readings  which  are  not  to  be  found  in  the  Textus  Re- 
 ceptus,  whether  equally  probable  or  evidently  genuine,  should 
 not  be  introduced  immediately  into  the  text  itself,  but  indicated 
 in  the  margin,  especially  if  they  are  not  supported  by  many 
 codices. 
 
 27.  This  [marginal]  indication  of  readings  may  be  accurately 
 exhibited,  if  the  various  marginal  readino;s  be  divided  into 
 classes.  For  every  various  reading  (so  far  as  the  question  can 
 be  decided  at  any  particular  time)  must  have  claims,  which  are 
 either  equal,  superior,  or  inferior  to  those  of  its  rivals,  and  this 
 again,  with  either  a  greater  or  less  amount  of  marked  difference. 
 All  readings,  therefore,  firm,  plausible,  or  doubtful, — whether 
 placed  in  the  text  or  the  margin,  may  be  reduced  analytically  to 
 five  degrees,  though  I  consider  it  an  ascertained  fact,  that  other- 
 wise [if  minutely  defined,  just  as  in  the  relative  magnitude  of  the 
 
 ^  See  Section  X. 
 
«0  THE  author's  PREFACE. 
 
 stars,   etc.]  tliey  are  innumerable.      I  have  therefore  denoted 
 these  degrees  by  the  Greek  letters,  a,  (3,  y,  d,  e. 
 
 No  one,  I  conceive,  can  be  so  obstinately  hostile,  or  so  slavishly 
 devoted  to  the  more  received  text,  as  to  object  to  these  sugges- 
 tions (Monita).  Some  of  them  are  more  fully  explained  here- 
 after, with  the  addition  of  examples,  in  various  parts  of  the 
 epistle  to  the  Romans,  that  of  St  James,  and  the  Apocalypse. 
 I  do  not,  however,  advance  anything  new.  I  have  always  en- 
 tertained and  expressed  the  same  views.  Theophilus  a  Veritate^ 
 says,  that  the  warnings,  which  the  learned  have  found  it  necessanj 
 to  give  against  my  edition  of  the  New  Testament,  are  loell  known. — 
 See  his  Beleuchtung,  p.  27.  I  suppose  he  means  those  learned 
 men,  to  whom  I  replied  in  my  Second  Defence.  I  wish,  there- 
 fore, that  he  would  weio;h  it  careftillv,  and  also  refer  to  and  ex- 
 amine  my  edition  with  regard  to  those  charges,  which  he  brings 
 against  me  in  p.  58,  and  at  the  end  of  p.  64.  He  will  then 
 discard  the  exception,  which  he  employed  in  declaring  his  can- 
 dour towards  me.  I  do  not  think  that  I  need  or  ought  to  defend 
 myself  very  laboriously  for  the  future,  lest  I  should  seem  to  prize 
 inadequately  the  support  of  those  men,  distinguished  by  their 
 piety,  zeal,  orthodoxy,  and  literary  eminence,  who  defend  me 
 by  their  well-known  judgments  and  vindications,  and  repel  and 
 vanquish  those  who  are  otherwise  disposed,  whilst  I  remain 
 quiescent.  And  now  I  will  rather  proceed  to  show  tlie  real 
 value  of  those  guides,  whom  most  men  follow. 
 
 IX. 
 
 In  the  year  1711,  there  appeared  at  Amsterdam,  together 
 with  the  Greek  New  Testament,  the  Crisis  of  Gerard  von 
 Maestricht,"  in  which  he  undertook  to  decide  every  various 
 
 '  Count  Zinzendorf  had  made  a  translation  of  the  New  Testament,  and 
 had  issued  printed  specimens  of  it,  in  which  he  acknowledges  that  he  had 
 availed  himself  of  Eengel's  revised  Greek  text  as  his  principal  standard  for 
 the  work.  This  acknowledgment  provoked  a  great  outcry  against  tlie 
 Count's  new  version,  especially  through  a  publication  entitled  Theophili  a 
 Veritate,  or  Biblical  Scandal,  given  by  Zinzendorf. — (I.  B.) 
 
 i!  The  title  in  full  was  H  KAINU  AIAC-)IIK1I,  Novum  Tkstamf.ntum, 
 
THE  author's  preface.  21 
 
 reading  by  Forty-three  Critical  Canons.  This  Crisis  received 
 the  highest  tributes  of  praise  from  the  learned,  not  only  in  Ger- 
 nian}^,  as  fi'om  J.  G.  Baier,^  in  his  dissertation  on  the  Use  and 
 Abuse  of  the  Various  Readings  of  the  New  Testament  (p.  18, 
 etc.),  but  also  in  other  countries,  as  from  the  Englishman,  An- 
 thony Blackwall,^  in  his  "  Sacred  Classics  Defended  and  Illus- 
 trated,"— (pp.  6,  17,  etc.)  I  have  shown,  however,  in  my 
 Apparatus,  pp.  440,  441,  442 -[Ed.  ii.,  pp.  76,  77,  78],  that  the 
 Crisis,  taken  as  a  wJiole,  is  far  removed  from  the  truth ;  and 
 when,  in  the  year  1735,  that  same  Crisis  reappeared  at  Amster- 
 dam, with  a  few  alterations,  I  instituted  a  second  examination  of 
 it  in  my  former  Defence,  already  mentioned,  s.  s.  xxvi.,  xxx., 
 xxxiii.,  xxxvii.  It  is  right  that  they,  who  place  reliance  on  the 
 Crisis,  should  examine  my  Apparatus  and  Defence.*  In  that 
 Defence,  published  in  Latin,  I  added  these  words  :  "  We  shall, 
 at  a  future  time,  examine  those  celebrated  forty-three  Canons  of 
 Gerard  von  Maestricht,  singly,  in  order,  modestly,  and  truly." 
 Now,  I  almost  repent  of  my  promise,  and  would  gladly  be 
 spared  the  trouble  of  such  an  examination  at  the  present  day,  as 
 I  know  that  there  are  some  who  will  like  this  work  of  mine  the 
 more,  the  less  that  it  contains  of  the  Crisis.  But,  since  maiii/  are 
 still  caught  by  those  Canons,  and  I  do  not  know  of  a  more  suit- 
 able occasion  for  discussing  them  than  the  present,  I  will  do  so  at 
 
 post  priores  Steph.  Curcellaei,  turn  et  D.D.  Oxonensium  labores ;  quibus 
 parallela  Scripturfe  loca  nee  non  variantes  lectiones  ex  plus  C.  MSS. — 
 Codd.  et  antiquis  versionibus  collectae  exhibentur. — Accedit  tantus  locor  : 
 parall :  numerus,  quantum  nulla  adliuc,  ac  ne  vix  quidem  ipsa  profert  praes- 
 tantiss :  Editio  Milliana ;  variantes  praeterea  ex  MS°.  Vendobonensi ;  ac 
 tandem  Crisis  perpetua,  qua  singulas  variantes  earumque  valorem  aut  origi- 
 nem  ad  XLIII  Canones  examinat  G.D.  T.  M.D.  cum  ejusdem  Prologomenis, 
 et  Notis  in  fine  adjectis.  Omnium  Indicem  quaere  ad  calcem  Praefationis 
 Amstelaedami,  ex  Officina  Wetsteniana  clolo  CCXI.  The  text  was  that  of 
 the  Elzevir  Editions.— (I.  B.) 
 
 '  John  William  Baier,  son  of  the  distinguished  writer  of  the  same  name,  was 
 born  in  1675,  and  died  in  1 729  :  he  was  a  Lutheran  divine,  and  learned  Philo- 
 logist of  the  Academy  of  Altorf, — and  author  of  many  learned  works. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Anthony  BlackwalL— See  1st.  fn.  to  Section  XI.— (I.  B.) 
 
 3  It  forms  number  IV.  of  the  Appendix  or  Fourth  Part  of  the  App.  Crit. : 
 Ed.  II.  It  is  thus  entitled  there  :  "  Defensio  Prior,  excusa  cum  Harmonia 
 Evangelistarum,  Germanice,  Tuhingae,  A.  1736,  et  Latine,  scorsum,  com- 
 modius  pauUo  auctior,  A.  1737,  Lugduni  Batavorum.—  {\.  B.) 
 
22  THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE. 
 
 once,  quoting  the  Canons  themselves  in  full  (by  which  I  sliall 
 assuredly  obtain  the  favour  of  those  who  admire  them),  accom- 
 modating my  observations  to  both  editions  of  the  Cnsis,  endea- 
 vouring to  be  both  easy  and  brief,  and  taking  heed  not  to  lose 
 sight  of  becoming  moderation,  amongst  the  thorns  [i.e.  whilst 
 employing  pointed  arguments]  which  are  required  to  arouse 
 some  persons  from  sleep. 
 
 Canon  1.  Various  Readings,  as  all  must  admit,  result  from 
 the  negligence,  carelessness,  haste,  oy  foul  play  of  transcribers.  A 
 Various  Reading  is,  in  our  opinion,  a  departure  of  a  transcriber 
 from  Scripture,  or  from  the  meaning  of  the  author  whom  he 
 transcribes.  This  general  description  recognises  eveiy  depart- 
 ure from  the  original,  even  that  of  the  least  letter,  as  a  various 
 reading.  It  would  be  better  to  refer  the  former  sources  of 
 various  readings  rather  to  error,  the  latter  one  to  design,  which 
 may  therefore  be  considered  as  a  various  reading.  For  not 
 every  departure  from  Scripture  involves  necessarily  a  departure 
 fi-om  the  mind  of  the  author  :  which  by  far  the  greater  part  of 
 these  Various  Readings  {in  the  Oxford  Edition  of  the  New  Testa- 
 ment, A.D.,  1675,^  and  thence  in  the  Amsterdam  Edition),  nay,  I 
 may  venture  to  say,  three-fourths  of  them,  will  prove  to  demon- 
 stration. 
 
 Observation  on  the  above.  We  acknowledge  this  to  be  true, 
 with  the  caution  (which  will  be  given  when  we  consider  the 
 eighth  Canon)  concerning  the  meaning  or  mind  of  the  sacred 
 writer.  These  remarks,  however,  do  not  furnish  any  criterion  by 
 wliich  to  give  the  preference  to  one  reading  of  a  passage  over 
 
 1  Dr  John  Fell,  Bishop  of  Oxford,  published  in  1675,  a  small  edition  of  the 
 Greek  New  Testaniant,  with  the  various  readings  at  the  foot  of  the  page, 
 with  the  authorities  by  which  they  were  supported ;  those  taken  from  Cur- 
 cellaeus,  of  course,  had  only  the  abbreviation  of  his  name  as  their  authority. 
 Besides  MSS.,  the  margin  contains  citations  from  the  Coptic  (Mcmphitic) 
 and  Gothic  versions.  Bishop  Fell  gave  the  readings  of  some  MSS.  previously 
 uncollated,  and  in  his  appendix,  he  added  what  has  been  called  the 
 Barberini  collection  of  various  readings  from  twenty  MSS.  This  collation 
 was  found  by  Poussin  in  the  Barberini  library  at  Rome  ;  and  he  published 
 it  at  the  end  of  a  Catena  on  St  Mark,  in  1G73.  In  it  the  ]\ISS.  are  not 
 cited  separately,  but  merely  so  mavy  as  agreeing  in  any  particular  reading. 
 The  collation  had  been  made  by  Caryophihis  of  Crete,  about  fifty  years 
 before— (I.  B.) 
 
THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE.  23 
 
 another.  Never,  to  my  remembrance,  is  this  canon  cited  by  the 
 author  in  his  margin,  although,  hke  many  others,  it  deserves  the 
 name  rather  of  an  observation,  than  a  Canon. 
 
 2.  Transcribers  have  frequently  erred,  through  carelessness, 
 fancying,  when  repetitions  of  words  occin:red  either  in  the  same 
 or  in  the  following  verse,  that  they  had  transcribed  the  preceding 
 or  the  succeeding  words.  Hence  have  arisen  omissions,  or  else 
 variations,  the  intervening  or  following  word  or  sentence  having 
 been  left  out.  The  same  thing  might  arise  when  a  copy  is  made 
 from  dictation. 
 
 A  good  Canon,  and  one  which  ought  to  be  frequently  em- 
 ployed, but  one  which  has  seldom  been  employed  by  the  author. 
 It  ought  to  have  been  adduced,  for  example,  in  favour  of  the 
 marginal  readings  in  Luke  x.  11,  and  1  John  ii.  23. 
 
 3.  Hence  also  arise  sometimes  interpolations,  or  the  repetition 
 of  a  word  or  sentence,  which  ought  only  to  occur  once,  when  the 
 transcriber's  eye  has  fallen  again  upon  the  same  word  or  sen- 
 tence, or  has  passed  over  any  thing. 
 
 A  good  Canon,  which  ought  to  be  fi-equently  employed,  but 
 has  seldom  been  employed  by  the  author.  The  cause  of  error, 
 which  is  mentioned  in  it,  produces  not  only  interpolations,  but 
 also  changes  of  words.  It  ought,  therefore,  to  have  been  ad- 
 duced, for  example,  in  support  of  the  marginal  reading  in  2  Pet. 
 ii.  2. 
 
 4.  Transcribers  frequently  made  a  mistake,  or  introduced  a 
 various  reading,  when  they  had  written  a  word  before  that  which 
 preceded  it,  and  were  unwilling  to  erase  it  lest  they  should  im- 
 pair the  beauty  of  the  Manuscript.  Hence  has  arisen  the  trans- 
 position  of  words  which  ought  not  to  produce  a  various  reading, 
 if  the  sense  remain  uninjured.  The  same  thing  has  happened, 
 when  they  had  omitted  a  word,  which  they  were  afterwards  un- 
 willing to  insert. 
 
 A  true  observation  :  but  we  must  determine  from  other  sources 
 which  reading  is  genuine. 
 
 5.  Transcribers  had  frequently  read  a  sentence,  and  having 
 forgotten  the  original  word  or  words  of  the  text,  substituted  an 
 equivalent,  or  almost  equivalent  word  or  phrase,  or  some  other,  or 
 omitted  it  altogether,  and  have  afterwards  been  unwilling  to 
 change,  erase,  or  supply  it,  lest  they  should  blot  the  copy.     Thia 
 
2i  THE  author's  PREFACE. 
 
 must  not  be  considered  as  a  various  reading,  nor  is  the  text  to  be 
 altered  on  such  a  ground. 
 
 When  equivalent  phrases  occur,  this  observation  does  not  en- 
 able us  to  determine,  which  is  that  of  the  original  autograpli, 
 which  that  of  the  Greek  copyist  or  paraphrast,  nor  does  it  dis- 
 tinguish an  omission  from  an  addition. 
 
 6.  Transcribers  have  often  been  guilty  of  chanmncr  or  omittinir 
 single  letters,  especially  those  consisting  of  only  one  member ; ' 
 also  of  interchanging  si/llables,  which  resembled  each  other  in 
 sound  (an  alteration  which  frequently  occurs  in  t^ansfemn'^'' 
 proper  names  from  one  language  to  another)  ;  and  as  these 
 changes  frequently  left  the  sense  intact,  they  were  unwilling  to 
 correct  them  for  fear  of  marring  the  neatness  of  the  copy.  This 
 again  ought  not  to  be  considered  as  a  Various  Reading,  but  as  a 
 neglect  of  the  transcriber.  Such  must  also  be  our  decision,  when 
 changes  have  occui'red  in  the  instance  of  tenses,  moods,  verbs, 
 cases,  genders,  etc. 
 
 This  observation  touches  indeed  the  origin  of  the  vai-iation, 
 but  not  so  as  to  arrive  at  a  solution  of  it. 
 
 7.  Transcribers  have  often  been  guilty  of  omitting,  adding,  or 
 varying  particles,  pronouns,  adverbs,  prepositions,  etc, — a  mal- 
 practice which  has  frequently  occurred  also  in  the  case  of  cono- 
 pound  verbs. — This,  however,  does  not  constitute,  nor  ought  it  to 
 be  considered,  a  various  reading :  A  thousand,  and  a  thousand 
 times  has  this  error  been  committed. 
 
 The  same  remarks  apply  to  this,  as  to  the  Canon  innnediately 
 preceding. 
 
 8.  That  reading  which,  whether  by  addition,  subtraction,  or 
 mutation  of  words,  or  even  by  variety  of  construction,  does 
 not  alter  the  sense  of  the  passage,  is  not  (even  though  it  be 
 found  in  three  or  four  MSS.),  to  be  considered  as  a  various 
 reading,  nor  even  allowed  a  hearing,  in  opposition  to  the  very 
 many  other  MSS.  of  good  or  better  mark.  For  we  are  not 
 bound,  in  such  a  case,  to  prefer  the  various  reading  to  the 
 received  text. 
 
 AVhen  you  have  once  exceeded  the  number  of  tliree  or  four 
 MSS.  (which  we  shall  consider  when  examining  Canon  11), 
 
 '  Such  for  example  .ts  /. — (I.  B.) 
 
THE  AUTHOR  S  FUEFACE.  26 
 
 this  observation  does  not  in  any  case  give  the  preference  to  one 
 reading  over  another.  It  must  also  be  remarked,  that  those 
 instances  are  few  indeed,  where  addition,  subtraction,  or  muta- 
 tion leave  the  seitse  precisely  the  same.  If  I  perceive  no  diffe- 
 rence, it  is,  perchance,  perceived  by  another :  if  I  see  it  not 
 to-day,  I  may  have  seen  it  yesterday,  or  I  may  see  it  to-morrow. 
 If  there  be  no  difference  as  to  doctrine,  there  may  be  as  to 
 elegance,  simplicity,  emphasis,  connection,  or  some  kind  of 
 parallelism. 
 
 9.  A  single  manuscript  does  not  establish  a  various  reading, 
 because  it  argues  merely  the  carelessness  of  the  transcriber, 
 especially  in  the  case  of  omission ;  provided  only  that  the  received 
 reading  is  according  to  the  analogy  of  the  faith, — otherwise. 
 Canon  22  comes  into  play. 
 
 In  Canons  9—12,  and  40—43  (compare  his  Prolegomena 
 n.  108),  our  author  treats  of  the  number  of  manuscripts.  But, 
 in  the  first  place,  the  antiquity  and  diverse  origin^  of  MSS.  is 
 
 ^  "  Bengel,"  says  Tregelles,  "  clearly  observed  the  difference  existing  in 
 MSS.  and  versions,  so  that  he  saw  that  in  a  general  manner  they  belonged 
 to  two  different  families.  The  one  embraces  the  most  ancient  documents 
 whether  MSS.  or  versions,  the  other  comprises  the  greater  part  of  those 
 that  are  more  recent.  It  was  thus  that  a  ground-plan  of  a  division  into 
 Alexandrian  and  Byzantine  families  was  laid  down :  these  were  termed  by 
 him,  African  and  Asiatic." 
 
 Bengel  thus  expresses  himself  in  his  App.  Crit.  Ed.  II  ,  pp.  425,  426, — 
 
 "•  1.  Codices,  Versiones,  et  patres  in  duas  discedunt  farailias,  Asiaticam, 
 et  Africanam. 
 
 '•  2.  Ex  Africana  est  cod.  Ai.  psene  solus  ;  (quia  codices  Africani  fere  deleti 
 sunt),  at  quamlibet  multis  par :  cum  versione  JEth.  Copt.  Lat.  Ex  Asia- 
 tica  ceteri  fere  testes.  Latinse  versioni  subordinantur  cod.  Grsecolatini  et 
 Latinizantes. 
 
 "  3.  Lectio  familise  Africanse  semper  antiqua  est,  sed  tamen  non  semper 
 genuina  :  prsesertim  ubi  aberratio  in  proclivi  erat. 
 
 "  4.  Codices  Asiatici,  quamvis  multi,  exiguum  ssepe  pondus  habent :  nulla 
 prsesertim  antiqua  versione  stipati. 
 
 "  5.  Africana  lectio  ssepius  excessum  Asiaticum  redarguit :  Asiatica  lectio 
 interdum  medetur  hiatui  Africano. 
 
 "  6.  Consensus  plurium  vel  certe  prsecipuorum  testium  ex  utraque  familia 
 magnum  est  genuinse  lectionis  criterium. 
 
 "  7.  Prseclarum  esset  adjumentum,  si  duo  testes,  insignis  codex  Grajcus,  et 
 insignis  aliqua  versio,  sumerentur :  quorum  consensio  primum,  deinde  dis- 
 erepantia  non  ipsam  quidem  ubique  decisionem  daret,  sed  tamen  iter  ad 
 
26  THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE. 
 
 of  more  importance  than  their  number^  which  he  adopts  in- 
 discriminately ;  and,  in  the  second  place,  he  leaves  the  very 
 number  in  great  obscurity  and  confusion — in  one  instance,  sup- 
 posing that  there  are  in  support  of  a  reading  many  MSS., 
 where  there  are  few  or  scarcely  any — in  another  instance,  that 
 there  are  few,  when  in  reality  there  are  a  sufficient  number, 
 or  more,  or  even  very  many  in  its  favour.  For  most  of  the 
 codices  (a  list  of  which  is  prefixed  to  his  Canons)  contain  only 
 the  Gospels,  a  few  the  Acts  and  Epistles,  a  very  few  the 
 Apocalypse;  in  addition  to  which  they  are  occasionally  im- 
 perfect, not  examined  with  equal  care,  collated  with  editions 
 which  are  at  variance  with  each  other ;  but  our  author  is 
 accustomed  to  attribute  to  the  readino;  of  his  marmn  only 
 the  MSS.  expressly  cited  in  the  margin,  whilst  he  ascribes 
 almost  all  the  remaining  MSS.  (which  he  enumerates)  in 
 such  a  manner  to  his  text,  as  though  he  supposed  it  to  be 
 supported  by  hundreds  of  MSS.,  even  in  the  case  of  the 
 Apocalypse. 
 
 The  second  edition  of  the  "  Crisis'^  rightly  denominates  this 
 a  manifest  and  great  error ;  and  the  formula,  therefore,  concern- 
 ing hundreds  of  MSS.,  etc.,  has  been  expunged ;  but  the  rest 
 of  its  tenor  remains  unaltered.  So  much  the  more  necessary, 
 therefore,  is  it  to  warn  those,  who  fancy  that  this  Crisis  has 
 been  now  purged  of  all  its  errors.  Anthony  Blackwall  has 
 committed  a  similar  error  in  his  "  Sacred  Classics  Illustrated," 
 p.  594,  where  he  has  cited  a  hundred  and  twenty  MSS.  on 
 Acts  ii.  24,  and  1  John  iv.  3  ;  though,  before  his  time,  not  so 
 many  as  forty  MSS.  had  been  collated  for  the  Acts  and  Epistles 
 of  St  John ;  and  he  has  also  mistaken  the  sixteen  ISISS.  of 
 Stephens  (for  I  suppose  he  would  have  it  read  thus,  not  sixty), 
 
 earn  paulalim  patefaccret.  Duo  huiusmodi  testes  debebant,  1.  (otum  coni- 
 plectiN.  T. ;  2.  antiquitate  excellere  ;  3.  et  de  lectionibus  eorum  liquido 
 constare.  Ex  versionibus  nulla  est,  quai  cum  Latino  conferri  possit.  Nam 
 etiam  Sjriaca  diversis  temporibus  est  adornata :  et  de  ceteris  abstrusioribus 
 multa  sunt  ambigua.  Latina  versio  est  ex  familia  Africana  :  cui  si  unus 
 aliquis  codex  Graicus  Asiaticus  jungi  posset,  plus  esset  facilitatis.  Nunc 
 quum  ejusmodi  nullus  prajsto  est,  Alexandrinus  tantisper  adsciscendus  venit. 
 Iluic  unum  Vaticanum  opponi  passim  video  :  sed  id  judicium  vanum  esse, 
 ostendi  in  Gnom." — (I.  B.) 
 
THE  author's  preface.  27 
 
 wliicli  embrace  different  parts  of  the  New  Testament,  for  MSS. 
 of  the  whole  New  Testament,  pp.  600,  617,  618,  636.  In  the 
 Oxford  Excerpts,^  which  Maestricht  has  subjected  to  his  Crisis, 
 one,  two,  three,  or  fom:  MSS.  are  often  said  to  have  a  read- 
 ing, which  is  in  reality  supported  by  many  witnesses.  With 
 Maestricht  himself,  the  reading  of  the  text,  however  weak,  can 
 never  lose — that  of  the  margin,  however  genuine,  can  never 
 gain — the  cause. 
 
 As  far  as  the  Ninth  Canon  is  separately  concerned,  in  cases 
 where  the  number  of  MSS.  is  small,  a  single  MS.  may  make  a 
 various  reading ;  nay,  as  in  the  case  of  Erasmus's^  edition  of  the 
 Apocalypse,  a  single  MS.  has  been  known  to  sustain  the  whole 
 text.  The  greater,  however,  that  the  number  of  MSS.  is,  the 
 more  rarely  can  a  single  MS.  support  a  Various  Reading  with 
 any  show  of  probability.  Maestricht  has,  however,  frequently 
 mentioned  only  one  MS.  when  in  reality  there  are  many.  This 
 Canon  is  cited,  for  instance,  on  Matt.  xxvi.  35,  and  Mark  ix.  40, 
 though  the  marginal  reading  in  those  passages  is  supported  not 
 merely  by  07ie  MS.,  but  by  nearly  all.  In  Rev.  iii.  12,  all  the 
 MSS.  known,  and  all  the  editions  printed  before  Beza,^  have 
 vau) ;  those,  therefore,  who  have  compared  the  ]\ISS.,  have  not 
 indicated  any  vaiious  reading  in  this  place.  In  Beza's  edition 
 A-a'T)  was  substituted  for  vaw  by  an  error  of  the  press  :   Beza 
 
 '  "  Wetstein  and  Smith,  publishers  and  printers  at  Amsterdam — in  the  year 
 1711  had  brought  out  an  edition  of  the  Greek  Testament,  in  which  a  selec- 
 tion of  the  various  readings  [called  by  Bengel  Excerpta  Oxoniensia]  given 
 by  Mill  and  Kiister  were  repeated ;  and  at  the  end  an  attempt  was  made  to 
 repudiate  the  greater  part  of  them,  as  not  worthy  of  notice  by  means  of 
 the  application  of  certain  canons  of  Gerard  von  Maestricht,  the  editor." — 
 Tregelles. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Erasmus's  first  edition  of  the  Greek  New  Testament  appeared  1st 
 March  1516.  For  the  Apocalypse  he  had  but  one  mutilated  MS.,  bor- 
 rowed from  Reuchlin,  in  which  the  text  and  commentary  were  intermixed 
 almost  unintelligibly.  And  thus  he  used  here  and  there  the  Latin  Vulgate 
 for  his  guide,  re-translating  into  Greek  as  well  as  he  could.  This  was  the 
 case  with  regard  to  the  last  six  verses,  which,  from  the  mutilated  condition 
 of  his  MS.,  were  wholly  wanting. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  Theodore  Beza,  the  successor  of  Calvin  at  Geneva,  was  bom  at  Vezelay, 
 in  France,  a.d.  1519.— His  first  edition  was  published  at  Geneva  in  1555, 
 and  was  repeated  in  1576.  A  third  appeared  in  1582,  a  fourth  in  1589,  and 
 a  fifth  in  1598.— (I.  B.) 
 
28  THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE. 
 
 observed,  and  subsequently  corrected,  the  mistake  :  one  Huiss, 
 however,  who  collated  the  Codex  Alexandi'inns  with  a  copy  of 
 Beza's  edition  printed  with  the  mistake  Xap,  noted  mw  as  a 
 various  reading  of  the  Codex  Alexandrinus.  On  which  gi'ound 
 Maestricht  has  by  this  Canon  condemned  the  reading  vaw,  as  if 
 it  were  fomid  in  only  one  MS.,  though  it  is  really  found  in  all, 
 and  is  undoubtedly  the  true  reading.  These  mistakes  could 
 not  have  been  committed  by  Maestricht,  unless  his  Crisis,  takeii 
 as  a  whole,  were  erroneous.  The  last  words  of  this  Canon,  "  pro- 
 vided the  Received  Text,"  etc.,  needlessly  imperil  the  reading 
 of  the  Received  Text. 
 
 10.  Nor  should  tivo  Codices  establish  a  Various  Reading,  in 
 opposition  to  the  reading  received  and  published  and  of  sound 
 sense  :  since  it  merely  argues  the  carelessness  of  two  tran- 
 scriptions, executed  by  two  transcribers,  or  perhaps  by  the 
 same  hand.  This  holds  good,  more  especially  in  the  case  of 
 omission,  when  it  is  generally  sufficient  to  say,  "  it  has  been  left 
 out." 
 
 This  Canon  is  cited  on  Rev.  xiv.  1  and  xvii.  4,  though  the 
 marginal  reading  of  those  passages  (which  refiites  the  mistake 
 introduced  by  Erasmus,  and  received  by  the  Stephani  and  so 
 many  others)  is  supported  not  by  merely  two,  but  by  all  ^lanu- 
 scripts.  And  yet  there  are  those,  who  dare  to  limit  the 
 exercise  of  Divine  Providence  in  preserving  the  integrity  of  the 
 New  Testament  exclusively  to  the  Stephanie  Press,  and  cease 
 not  to  bring  the  charge  of  audacity  against  all,  who  endeavour 
 to  employ  earnestly  and  reverently,  for  the  common  edification, 
 all  the  helps,  which  Divine  Providence  has  vouchsafed  to  the 
 age  in  which  they  live. 
 
 11.  Nor  should  three  or  four  MSS.  establish  a  Various 
 Reading  (especially  in  the  case  of  an  omission)  in  opposition  to 
 twenty  or  more  MSS. 
 
 This  Canon  is  cited,  for  example,  at  Luke  xiii.  35  ;  but  the 
 marginal  reading  in  that  passage  is  supported,  not  by  three  or 
 four,  but  by  very  many  witnesses,  and  those  too  of  high  character. 
 Thus  in  Matt.  ii.  11  and  xxviii.  19,  the  marginal  reading  is 
 supported,  not  by  merely  three  or  four  MSS.,  but  by  so  many, 
 that  the  reading  of  the  Text  is  not  firmly  su])portcd  by  the  tes- 
 timony even  of  one. 
 
THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE.  29 
 
 Where  Mill^  (says  Maestricht  in  the  last  section  of  his  pro- 
 legomena) adduces  many  Manuscripts,  Versions,  or  Fathers, 
 there,  by  a  slight  change  in  the  number  of  Codices,  three  or  four 
 may,  for  example,  be  increased  to  six  or  seven  :  but  not  even  that 
 number  ought  to  establish  a  various  reading,  in  opposition  to  a 
 hundred  (Ed.  ii,,  the  vast  majority  of)  other  MSS.  or  witnesses. 
 We  have  already  spoken  of  his  "  hundred"  or  "  vast  majority." 
 The  difference  is  very  trifling  between  three  or  four  and  six  or 
 seven  :  but  the  difference  is  in  reality  far  greater,  as  any  reader 
 may  learn,  by  comparing  Maestricht's  marginal  readings  with 
 our  Apparatus  Criticus,  on  any  disputed  passage. 
 
 12.  A  great  number  of  MSS.  (twenty  or  more,  for  example), 
 establishes  beyond  question  the  common  reading  of  the  Textus 
 Receptus,  provided  it  be  of  sound  sense.  This  holds  good 
 especially  in  the  case  of  omission. 
 
 A  Reading  "  of  sound  sense,"  generally  received  before  the  in- 
 vention of  printing,  or  even  fi'om  that  time  forward,  is  confirmed 
 by  a  just  number  of  MSS. ;  but,  from  various  causes,  a  just 
 number  may  consist  sometimes  of  more,  sometimes  of  fewer 
 MSS. :  and  the  antiquity  of  witnesses,  together  with  the  diversity 
 of  their  origin,  is  of  more  weight  than  their  mere  number. 
 
 13.  The  Various  Readings  adduced  by  Stephen  Courcelles" 
 must  not  be  admitted  as  Various  Readings,  because  he  does  not 
 indicate  the  Codices  from  which  they  are  obtained,  or  whether 
 they  are  obtained  from  MSS.  or  fi'om  printed  copies.  They 
 may  even  be  considered  as  a  single  Codex. 
 
 I  have  spoken  of  Stephen  Courcelles  in  my  Apparatus  Criti- 
 cus, p.  440  (Ed.  ii,,  p.  76).^     Maestricht  expresses  his  astonish- 
 
 '  John  Mill,  D.D.  A  learned  divine.  Born  at  Shap,  Westmoreland, 
 1645.  Entered  as  Servitor  of  Queen's  College,  Oxford,  1661.  Became 
 Rector  of  Blechington,  Oxon.,  1681,  Principal  of  St  Edmund's  Hall, 
 1685,  and  Prebendary  of  Canterbury,  1704.  He  died  1707,  the  same  year 
 in  which  his  edition  of  the  Greek  New  Testament,  which  had  occupied  him 
 for  thirty  years,  was  published. —  (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Stephen  Courcelles,  known  also  as  Stephanus  Curcellaeus,  was  born  at 
 Geneva,  a.d.  1586.  He  became  a  follower  of  Arminius.  After  residing 
 some  time  in  France,  he  settled  at  Amsterdam,  where  he  succeeded  Epis- 
 copius  as  Divinity  professor.  He  died,  a.d.  1658.  He  was  an  able  writer, 
 and  a  great  linguist. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  s«.  Courcelles  has  seldom  admitted  anything  into  his  margin,  which  has 
 
80  THE  author's  PREFACE. 
 
 ment,  in  liis  Notes  on  1  Cor.  vi.  5,  that  Courcelles  should  alone 
 have  been  cited  by  the  Oxford  Editors,  altliough  Mill  was  in 
 possession  of  thirty  Manuscripts.  It  escapes  him,  therefore,  that 
 such  things  occur  frequently,  as,  for  example,  on  ^latt.  v.  48,  and 
 James  ii.  18.  Those  even,  who  are  devoid  of  the  sense  of  sight, 
 may  ascertain,  by  the  touch,  that  the  Oxford  Excerpts,  which 
 Maestricht  has  subjected  to  his  Canons,  are  utterly  unsuit- 
 able to  them  ;  and  also  that  he  has  not  collated  the  editions  with 
 proper  care.  For  he  imagines  that  Courcelles  is  cited  alone,  or 
 almost  alone,  where  Courcelles  quotes  the  text  of  printed 
 editions,  and  sometimes  the  best  text,  as  in  Kom.  vii.  6,  1 
 Peter  ii.  21,  and  Kev.  xxii.  15. 
 
 14.  Even  the  most  ancient  versions,  when  differing  from  edi- 
 tions and  Manuscripts,  should  not  establish  a  Various  Reading,  as 
 neither  should  printed  books  ;  but  they  rather  show  the  careless- 
 ness of  the  translator,  or  the  corruptness  of  the  copy,  which  he 
 employed.  The  first  Complutensian  Edition,  that  of  1514,  being 
 extremely  exact,  and  printed  from  various  MSS.  (resembling 
 even  in  its  type  the  ancient  MSS.  of  Scripture),  is  of  nearly 
 as  great  authority  as  an  actual  Manuscript :  on  which  account 
 its  various  readings  are  indicated  in  the  Oxford  edition  of 
 1675. 
 
 What  may  be  the  weight  of  Versions,  where  they  agree  with 
 editions  and  Manuscripts,  vnth.  some  of  them  at  least,  we  do 
 not  leani  from  this  Canon.  They  certainly  far  surpass  in  an- 
 tiquity the  Greek  MSS.  which  we  at  present  possess,  and 
 scarcely  ever  agree  in  su])porting  a  manifestly  corrupt  reading. 
 They  are  therefore  of  the  ver}'  greatest  weight  Avhere  the  Greek 
 MSS.  differ  from  each  other.  The  Oxford  margin  cites  a  single 
 Coptic  version,  with  some  Gothic  fragments,  and  that  only  to  the 
 Gospels.  This  is  a  great  defect.  Nor,  again,  should  prijited 
 books  be  denied  the  privilege  of  establishing  a  various  reading, 
 
 not  already  been  given  by  tlie  first  editors,  or  Grotius.  Wherever  he  has  in- 
 troduced anything  new,  he  may  be  supposed  to  have  obtained  it  from  the  MSS. 
 which  he  mentions  in  his  preface.  He  phaced.  however,  his  conjectures  not 
 in  the  Mart/in,  but  in  the  Appendix,  certainly  in  his  first  edition,  and  dis- 
 tinguished them  from  various  readings.  He  is,  therefore,  very  unjustly 
 accused  of  having  ])laced  them  on  a  footing  of  equality,  or  mixing  them 
 together —(I.  Ii.) 
 
THE  author's  preface.  31 
 
 where  it  is  ascertained  that  their  editors  made  use  of  Manu- 
 scripts. The  author  of  the  Canons  approves  of  the  Compluten- 
 sian  edition  ;  but  he  very  frequently  rejects  its  best  readings. 
 
 15.  From  the  character  of  the  Manuscripts  we  must  observe 
 the  character  of  the  transcribers  and  their  transcriptions,  whether 
 they  are  accustomed  to  err  by  omission,  or  by  addition.  See 
 also  Canons  30  and  31. 
 
 This  character  does  little  towards  the  actual  Decision ;  since 
 that  never  depends  on  the  character  of  one  MS. 
 
 16.  But  if  other  words,  or  changes  of  words,  inflexions,  etc., 
 occur  in  the  parallel  passages  of  the  other  Evangelists,  as  dis- 
 tinguished from  the  Evangelist  whose  text  is  under  consideration, 
 it  is  probable,  that  the  various  reading  has  crept  in  from  thence. 
 
 This  Canon  has  nothing  different  from  Canon  24. 
 
 17.  Citations  hy  the  Fathers  of  the  Text  of  the  New  Testa- 
 ment ought  seldom  to  establish  a  Various  Reading,  because, 
 quoting  as  they  frequently  do  from  memory,  they  often  employ 
 not  the  very  words,^  but  such  as  are  equivalent  to  them. 
 
 There  is  not  a  single  citation  fi"om  the  Fathers  in  the  Oxford 
 Marmn  :  this  17th  Canon  therefore,  and  the  three  that  follow 
 it  in  this  Crisis,  remain  dormant.  The  Fathers  too  are  seldom 
 cited  even  in  the  Notes  :  another  great  defect.  For  though, 
 where  the  Fathers  differ  from  the  MSS.,  their  words  are  not  to 
 be  pressed,  yet  where  the  MSS.  differ  fi'om  each  other,  those 
 MSS.  have  the  greatest  weight,  which  agree  vdth  the  Fathers  : 
 and  the  more  ancient  the  Fathers  are,  the  greater  weight  is  due 
 to  their  support.  It  is  frequently  difficult  to  ascertain,  what 
 was  the  reading  of  the  text,  which  the  Fathers  employed  :  it  is 
 often  clear  beyond  question.  The  distinction  is  explained  in  the 
 Apparatus  Criticus,  pp.  389,  390  (Ed.  ii.  p.  23). 
 
 18.  Thus  the  Fathers  frequently  omit,  what  does  not  bear 
 upon  their  present  purpose. 
 
 In  such  a  case,  no  man  of  sense  will  reject  what  the  Fathers 
 omit. 
 
 19.  The  Fathers  also,  from  slip  of  memory,  ascribe  sometimes 
 tc  one  writer,  what  really  belongs  to  another. 
 
 '  For  some  very  interesting  information  on  tliis  and  kindred  subjects,  see 
 H.  Wk:stcott  on  the  Canon  of  Scripture,  pp.  154-169. — (I.  B.) 
 
82  THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE. 
 
 No  genuine  reading  has  ever  yet  sustained  injury  from  any 
 such  sHp  of  memory. 
 
 20.  The  Fathers  also  very  frequently  quote  passages,  which 
 are  not  anywhere  to  be  found. 
 
 Let  your  reliance  in  each  case  depend  upon  the  quoter.^ 
 
 21.  Those  which  are  considered  as  real  Various  Readings  by 
 the  Critics,  and  which  alter  the  sense, — are  not  to  be  examined 
 or  decided  by  these  Canons  :  but  their  origin,  their  cause,  and 
 their  character  are  to  be  examined  and  discovered  :  to  which 
 investigation  the  reader  is  directed  by  the  twenty-third  Canon. 
 
 This  is  a  methodical  scholium,  not  a  Canon. 
 
 22.  A  Reading  which  is  absurd,  and  which  is  convicted  of 
 absurdity  by  the  context,  either  immediately  preceding  or  fol- 
 lo^^^ng,  must  be  rejected. 
 
 A  Reading,  which  is  manifestly  absurd,  has  seldom  the  su]>- 
 port  of  more  than  one  MS. :  so  that  this  Canon  is  superfluous. 
 Sometimes  the  absurdity  is  not  in  the  MS.  itself,  but  in  the 
 misquotation  from  it  {e.g.  Matt,  xviii.  20,  collated  by  Mill),  or  in 
 the  mistranslation  of  a  various  reading,  as  in  Matt.  xxi.  32, 
 where  according  to  the  Cambridge  MS.,"  in  opposition  to  tlie 
 interpretation  of  others,  the  Pharisees  repented  of  believing. — 
 Often  also  that  Reading  is  really  absurd,  which  does  not  appear 
 so ;  that  Reading  not  really  absurd,  Avhich  does  appear  so. 
 Amongst  the  twelve  Canons,  vnth  which  Pfafi'^  concludes  his 
 dissertation  on  the  Various  Readings  of  the  New  Testament,  the 
 eighth  is  remarkable,  "  A  Reading,  which  appears  at  first  sight 
 
 '  "  Fides  semper  esto  penes  citantem" — a  similar  ])hrase  to  that  of  Pliny, 
 "  Penes  auctores  sit  fides" — which  Coopcri  Thesaurus  renders,  "  I  reporte 
 nice  to  the  autlioures  whether  it  be  true  or  no.  As  for  the  truth  thereof  I 
 refer  you  to  the  authoures." — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  The  Codex  Bez^,  or  Codex  Cantabrigiensis,  is  a  Greek  and  Latin 
 MS.,  containing  the  greater  part  of  the  four  Gospels  and  the  Acts  of  the 
 ,\postles.  It  is  deposited  in  the  Public  Library  of  the  University  of  Cam- 
 bridge, to  which  it  was  presented  by  the  celebrated  Theodore  Beza,  in  1581. 
 It  is  conjectured  to  have  been  written  in  the  sixth  or  seventh  century.  A 
 fac  simile  was  published  in  fulio  by  Kipling,  at  Cambridge,  in  1793. 
 -(L  B.) 
 
 '  Christopher  Matthew  Pfaff,  D.D.,  a  learned  Lutheran  divine,  was  born 
 at  Stuttgard  in  1G86,  Professor  of  Divinity  at  Tubingen  in  1717,  and  died 
 in  17G0  — (L  B.) 
 
THE  author's  preface.  33 
 
 absurd,  is  not  to  be  immediately  rejected,  nor  one,  which 
 carries  with  it  an  obscurity  of  style  :  for  such  Readings  are  not 
 wont  to  be  manufactured." 
 
 23.  See  the  Notes. 
 
 See  the  Apparatus  Criticus ;  for  there  we  have  considered 
 these  Notes,  as  far  as  was  necessary. 
 
 24.  Whenever  the  origin  of  the  Various  Reading  is  known, 
 the  Various  Reading  itself  generally  falls  to  the  ground  :  as  for 
 instance,  when  an  expression  or  a  sentence  has  been  introduced 
 from  one  Gospel  into  the  parallel  passage  of  another,  which  was 
 not  an  uncommon  practice,  with  the  view  of  making  the 
 accounts  of  the  different  Evangelists  consistent  with  each  other. 
 
 A  remarkable  Canon.  It  should  have  been  adduced  in  favoiu' 
 of  the  marginal  reading  in  Luke  iii.  19,  etc.,  and  also  in  other 
 parts  of  the  New  Testament  as  well  as  the  Gospels,  as  e,  g.  in 
 Eph.  V.  9. 
 
 25.  A  glo?s.^ 
 
 This  is  contained  in  Canon  35,  to  which  the  Reader  is  there- 
 fore referred. 
 
 26.  Transcribers  have,  frequently,  for  the  sake  of  brevity 
 omitted  words,  which  they  considered  as  superfluous,  or  un- 
 necessary, especially  where  the  omission  did  not  change  or 
 disturb  the  sense.  Such  omissions  must  not  be  admitted  as 
 Various  Readings,  but  imputed  to  the  audacity  of  the  trans- 
 cribers. 
 
 Omission  is  generally  the  result  of  chance,  seldom  of  design, 
 as  Hauber^  rightly  judges,  whose  criticism  in  other  respects 
 agrees  with  the  spirit  of  this  Canon,  as  we  have  observed  on 
 Acts  XV.  34.  By  what  means,  however,  omissions  are  to  be  dis- 
 tinguished from  additions,  the  author  of  the  Crisis  does  not 
 indicate  :  so  that  the  matter  is  lefb  still  in  uncertainty. 
 
 27.  On  the  other  hand,  when  the  memiing  of  a  passage  ap- 
 peared to  the  transcribers  elliptical,  obscure,  or  imperfect,  they 
 frequently  supplied  the  noun,  verb,  or  pronoun,  etc.,  from  the 
 context.     This  also  is  audacity. 
 
 '  "Glossema."  The  meaning  is,  that  where  Canon  25  is  cited  in  the 
 Crisis,  the  author  considers  the  reading  in  question  a  gloss. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Eberhard  David  Hauber,  a  learned  Lutheran  divine  of  the  last  century, 
 was  author  of  "  Harmonie  der  Evangelisten." — (I.  B.) 
 
 VOL.  I.  C 
 
U  THE  author's  PREFACE. 
 
 This  Is  also  contained  in  Canon  35,  to  which  the  reader  is 
 therefore  referred. 
 
 28.  It  fi'equently  occurred,  that  when  transcribers  had  changed 
 a  previous  expression,  verb,  number,  case,  or  tense,  being  unwill- 
 ing to  erase  what  they  had  wTitten,  and  thus  blot  the  copy, 
 they  have  adhered  to  their  mistake  tlu'oughout  the  whole  pas- 
 sage. Innumerable  examples  of  such  continuous  alteration 
 occur. 
 
 The  principle  of  this  Canon  is  identical  with  that  of  the 
 fourth,  to  which  the  reader  is  therefore  referred. 
 
 29.  The  ReadincT  of  the  Received  Text  is  to  be  the  more 
 effective. 
 
 The  genuine  reading  is  always  the  most  effective :  but  effi- 
 ciency, the  companion  of  native  simplicity,  must  be  distinguished 
 from  that  false  colouring  so  pleasing  to  the  Greeks.  Thus,  in 
 Matt,  xxiii.  8  ;  2  Cor.  viii.  8  ;  Rev.  xi.  17,  this  Canon,  though 
 brought  by  ^laestricht  in  defence  of  the  Text,  fights  bravely  in 
 support  of  the  marginal  reading. 
 
 30.  Every  Manuscript  usually  omits  something. 
 
 An  useless  Canon.     It  is  clearly  contained  in  Canon  9. 
 
 31.  Every  Manuscript  usually  adds  something. 
 A  Canon  of  the  same  value. 
 
 32.  Differences  of  punctuation  (or  commas  and  full  stops 
 placed  differently),  as  well  as  the  conjunction  or  di\asion  of 
 words,  which  occur  in  MSS.,  do  not  amount  to  a  diversity  of 
 reading,  because  in  ancient  MSS.  the  text  is  frequently  un- 
 punctuated,  and  the  words  run  into  each  other.  Hence  have 
 frequently  arisen  the  fusion  of  two  words  into  one,  or  the  division 
 of  one  word  into  two.  But  this  belongs  rather  to  the  inter- 
 preters and  explainers  of  the  text,  than  to  criticism. 
 
 This  is  not  a  Canon  at  all. 
 
 33.  An  omission  or  variation  has  frequently  occuiTed,  when 
 the  construction  of  a  verb  or  preposition  might  be  equally  ap- 
 plied to  the  words  farther  off,  or  to  the  nearer  words.  Trans- 
 cribers have  frequently  erred  from  this  cause. 
 
 As  far  as  Vanation  is  concerned,  this  Observation  does  not 
 determine,  which  is  tlie  genuine  Reading.  We  have  already 
 spoken  of  omission,  when  considering  the  twenty-sixth  Canon. 
 
 34.  Refer  also  the  number  or  numbers  of  the  Canons,  which 
 
THE  author's  preface.  35 
 
 are  affixed  to  this  (sc.  the  thirty-fourth)  Canon,  to  the  imme- 
 diately preceding  Reading,  and  from  that  Canon,  or  those 
 Canons,  deduce  the  value  of  that  Reading.^ 
 
 The  author  rightly  calls  this  a  Monitum.     It  is  not  a  Canon. 
 
 35.  Transcribers  have  frequently  wished  to  express  some- 
 thing more  clearly  than  it  stands  in  the  Received  Text.  Such 
 readings  must  not  be  too  hastily  adopted.  This  error  has  very 
 often  occurred.  These  should  generally  be  considered  as 
 glosses. 
 
 This  Canon  is  by  far  the  most  excellent ;  but  om*  author  has 
 neglected  to  employ  it,  where  it  was  most  wanted,  e.g.  Mark  vii.  2, 
 and  Acts  x.  21 ;  xxiii.  9  :  nay,  he  has  too  often  adduced  the  op- 
 posite Canon  26,  instead  of  it,  as  in  Matt.  iv.  12,  and  Mark  xii.  32. 
 Greek  copyists  have  often  interpolated  'o'lj^troDf  and  other  words, 
 especially  at  the  beginning  of  an  ecclesiastical  lection.  There 
 is  much  weight  in  what  Reineccius^  says,  in  the  preface  to  his 
 tetraglott^  New  Testament, — "  The  great  importance  of  the 
 matter  in  hand  demands  the  utmost  attention  and  circumspec- 
 tion, lest  any  of  the  words  of  God  should  be  rejected  amongst 
 the  scholia  of  men,  or  any  of  these  words  of  men  be  circulated, 
 as  the  words  of  God."  And  dangerous  as  it  is  to  take  away, 
 it  is  still  more  dangerous  to  add  anything,  as  I  have  shown  in 
 my  Apparatus,  Part  I.,  section  21  (Ed.  ii.  p.  17)  :  wherefore  I 
 consider  it  essential  to  inculcate  also  this, — "  A  bland  facility  of 
 style,  adopted  by  many  transcribers,  but  those  only  of  modern 
 
 1  i.e.,  when  this  Canon  is  cited,  such  is  the  course  to  be  pursued.  See 
 note  on  Canon  25. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Christian  Reineccius  was  born  in  Saxony,  a.d.  1668.  He  studied  at  the 
 Universities  of  Rostock  and  Leipsic.  He  afterwards  became  Rector  of  the 
 Gymnasium  and  Councillor  of  the  Consistory  at  Weissenfels.  He  died  a.d. 
 1752.     He  was  a  man  of  great  learning  and  wrote  many  works. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  The  full  title  of  the  work  is — Biblia  Sacra  Quadrilinguia  Veteris  Testa- 
 ment! Hebraici,  cum  versionibus  e  regione  positis,  utpote  versione  Grseca 
 Lxx  Interpretum  ex  codice  manuscripto  Alexandrino,  a  J.  Ern.  Grabio 
 primum  evulgata — Item  versione  Latina  Sebast.  Schmidii  noviter  revisa 
 et  textui  Hebraeo  accuratius  accomodata,  et  Germanica  beati  Lutheri,  ex 
 ultima  beati  viri  revisione  et  editione  1544-45,  expressa.  Adjectis  textui 
 Hebraeo  Notis  Masorethicis  et  Gra^cae  Versioni  Lectionibus  Codicis  Vati- 
 cani  ;  notis  philologicis  et  exegeticis  aliis,  ut  et  summariis  capitum  ac  locis 
 parallelis  locupletissimis  ornata.  Accurante  M.  Christ.  Reineccio.  Lipsia?, 
 1750.     3  vols,  folio.     Hartwell  Home  speaks  of  it  in  high  terms. — (I.  B.) 
 
8A  THE  AUTHOli's  PREFACE. 
 
 date,  is  frequently  the  sign  of  a  reading,  that  has  been  tampered 
 with  :  brevity  of  style,  together  with  antiquity  of  witnesses,  is 
 indicative  of  a  genuine  text."  The  men  of  this  generation  are 
 so  averse,  and,  in  their  own  opinion,  rehgiously  opposed  to  con- 
 demning glosses,  that  there  is  considerable  danger,  lest  many 
 should  reject  the  genuine  text  of  the  New  Testament  in  very 
 important  passages,  from  a  desire  to  amend  it,  and  hear  and 
 follow  any  of  Maestricht's  Canons,  rather  than  this  golden  one. 
 But,  though  it  be  of  little  use,  to  warn  writers,  many  of  whom 
 give  themselves  little  space  for  thinking,^  each  sensible  reader 
 should  exercise  more  caution  and  prudence  in  his  own  quiet 
 nook. 
 
 3G-  Changes  of  tenses,  cases,  moods,  numbers,  and  degi'ees 
 of  comparison,  occur  so  frequently  in  executing  a  copy,  that  this 
 cause  has  given  rise  to  the  great  majority  of  Various  Readings. 
 This  may  be  referred  also  to  Canon  6,  except  that  the  present 
 is  stricter. 
 
 This  observation  also  does  not  enable  the  reader  to  decide 
 between  two  readings  of  the  same  passage. 
 
 37.  Something  is  frequently  omitted  in  a  Manuscript,  be- 
 cause the  transcriber  thought  that  it  had  been  already  suffi- 
 ciently expressed,  either  actually  in  the  passage  itself,  or  in  the 
 context. 
 
 Transcribers  have  often  erred  fi'om  this  cause,  especially  the 
 more  learned  ones. 
 
 See  my  remarks  on  Canon  26,  as  this  diflPers  nothing  from 
 that. 
 
 88.  When  any  Various  Readings  are  discovered  or  observed, 
 let  not  any  of  tliem  be  introduced  into  the  Text,  but  let  the 
 Reading  of  our  printed  copies  remain  intact,  especially  that  of 
 the  Comptutensian  or  Stephanian  editions.  The  Various  Read- 
 ing should  be  indicated  in  the  Notes  of  the  Commentator. 
 
 This  is  not  a  Canon  enabling  the  reader  to  decide  on  a  con- 
 troverted text :  the  author  calls  it  a  '  3IonitumJ 
 
 39.  When  the  text  of  the  printed  editions  exhibits  no  Various 
 Reading,  but  yet  there  a])pears  a  difficulty  in  the  meanmg,  on 
 account  either  of  the  language,  or  the  subject, — the  question  is 
 
 ^  But  on  that  very  account,  so  much  the  greater  hccnse  hi  judging. — E.  B. 
 
THE  author's  preface.  37 
 
 one  ratliei'  for  the  commentator  to  expound  and  reconcile,  than 
 for  the  critic  to  decide. 
 
 My  last  observation  applies  to  this  also.  There  are,  however, 
 many  important  Readings,  no  trace  of  which  is  to  be  found  in 
 Maestricht's  Edition.  See  my  Apparatus,  p.  142  (Ed.  ii.  p.  78), 
 where  I  have  drawn  attention  to  Mark  x.  14,  and  other  pas- 
 sages. 
 
 40.  This  Canon  indicates,^  that  Various  Readings  may  be 
 found  in  the  greatest  part  of  those  MSS.  which  have  hitherto 
 been  discovered  and  collated. 
 
 In  no  instance,  that  I  am  aware  of,  has  this  Canon  been 
 cited  by  the  author ;  though  it  might  have  been  cited  verv 
 frequently,  very  usefully,  and  very  rightly,  in  favour  of  tlie 
 marginal  Reading.  And,  instead  of  it,  he  cites  passim  Canons 
 41,  42,  43,  nay,  12,  11,  and  10,  nay"  even  9.  In  not  a  single 
 instance,  does  the  author  of  the  Crisis  ascribe  the  true  number  of 
 manuscripts  to  a  genuine  Reading,  whether  of  the  Elzevir  Text 
 (which  happens  to  be  that,  which  he  employs)  or  of  the  ISIargin. 
 But,  in  every  case,  where  it  is  in  the  Text,  he  claims  for  it  too 
 many  MSS.,  where  in  the  Margin  too  few. 
 
 41.  This  Canon  indicates,  that  an  equal  number  of  MSS. 
 may  support  the  Published  and  the  Various  Reading. 
 
 This  Canon  might  frequently  have  been  employed  with  ad- 
 vantage ;  but  it  is  seldom  adduced.  It  is  cited,  indeed,  ex.  gr. 
 on  Matt.  xxvi.  74 ;  but  there  the  MSS.  with  the  greatest  un- 
 animity, supjDort  the  marginal  Reading. 
 
 42.  This  Canon  indicates,  that  the  third  part  of  the  MSS. 
 known  to  us,  say  thirty  or  more  than  thirty,  may  support  the 
 Various  Reading. 
 
 Frequently  in  this  work  is  that  accounted  only  a  third  part  of 
 the  MSS.  which  is  in  reality  a  far  greater  number,  as  in  Matt. 
 xvii.  14 ;  Mark  vi.  33  ;  Luke  viii.  43  ;  Acts  xxiv.  20 ;  Gal.  v, 
 7  ;  Phil.  i.  23. 
 
 43.  This  Canon  lastly  indicates,  that  a  fourth  or  lesser  part 
 of  the  MSS.  known  to  us,  say  twenty  or  less  than  thirty,  may 
 support  a  Various  Reading. 
 
 In  fine,  that  is  frequently  in  this  work   accounted  as  only 
 
 '  For  this  and  the  two  following  Canons,  see  notes  on  Canons  25  and  34. 
 -(1.  B.) 
 
38  THE  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 
 
 the  fourth  part,  or  even  less,  which  is  so  far  fi'om  being 
 less,  that  it  is  really  much  greater,  e.g.,  Acts  xx.  28,  and 
 xxi.  15. 
 
 Such  being  the  case,  it  is  evident,  what  little  value  can  be 
 attached  to  that  examination  of  Various  Readings  on  Matt,  xxv., 
 which  the  author  of  the  Crisis  has  given  as  a  specimen,  in  his 
 Prolegomena,  Nos.  94-98.  Nothing  ought  to  be  more  severely 
 examined  than  JRuIes ;  for  all  other  things  depend  upon  them. 
 This  Crisis,  then,  which  we  have  been  examining,  (1)  rests 
 upon  an  utterly  false  number  of  MSS. ;  (2)  passes  by  the  most 
 important  witnesses  to  the  genuine  Text ;  (3)  applies  its  Canons 
 to  passages,  where  they  are  not  applicable,  and  neglects  to  apply 
 them,  where  they  were  of  the  most  value,  etc.  I  do  not  wish  to 
 injure  the  reputation  of  a  distinguished  man  :  his  Crisis  is,  how- 
 ever, "an  unsatisfactory  defence  of  the  more  received  text, 
 where  sound,  and  a  vast  hindrance  to  its  purification,  where 
 corrupt."  Oh  that  they,  who  follow  this  Crisis,  like  an  unrea- 
 soning herd,  would  at  length  awake,  so  as  to  use  their  own 
 senses.  They,  who  treat  the  whole  subject  of  criticism  with 
 contempt  (provided  they  do  not  do  so,  from  contempt  of  the 
 Divine  Word  itself),  are  far  more  endurable,  than  those,  who 
 esteem  the  critic's  vocation  highly,  yet  both  exercise  it  ill  them- 
 selves, and  keep  others  in  ignorance,  or  lead  them  into  error. 
 Here  also  "  overweening  confidence  is  the  principal  means,  by 
 which  a  bad  cause  is  defended,  and  eked  out." 
 
 Daniel  Whitby^  also  has  laid  down  certain  Rules  in  his  ex- 
 amination of  the  Various  Readings  of  Mill  (Preface,  fol.  8), 
 quoted  by  J.  G.  Carpzov'^  in  his  preface  to  the  critical  commen- 
 
 1  Daniel  Whitby,  d.d.,  was  born  A.n.  1038,  at  Rusliden  or  Rusden,  in 
 Northamptonshire  ;  admitted  at  Trinity  College,  Oxford,  1653,  elected 
 Scholar  1655,  and  Fellow  1664.  He  became  Prebendary  of  Salisbury  in 
 1688,  and  Precentor  in  1672. 
 
 He  obtained  also  the  Rectory  of  St  Edmund's  Church,  Salisbury.  He 
 died  1726.  He  was  a  man  of  great  learning  and  untiring  industry.  In  his 
 last  days  he  became  an  Arian,  lie  wrote  numerous  works,  amongst  which 
 was  "  A  Paraphrase  and  Commentary  on  the  New  Testament,"  in  the  first 
 volume  of  which  is  to  be  found  his  "  Examen  variantium  Icctionum  Johannis 
 Jlillii  ill  Novum  Testamentiun." — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  John  Gottlob  Carpzov  (known  also  as  J.  G.  Carpzovius),  was  born  at 
 Dresden  1079,  and  died  1707.— (I.  B.) 
 
THE  4UTH0Il's  PREFACE.  39 
 
 tary  of  Eumpaeus.^  As  far  as  these  rules  treat  of  the  value  of 
 ancient  authorities,  they  are  excellent :  but  the  author  does  not 
 always  decide  rightly  in  the  case  of  particular  passages  of  the 
 N.  T.  He  frequently  blames  ^lill  with  justice,  but,  as  often 
 happens,  falls  himself  into  the  opposite  extreme.  From  not  ob- 
 serving this  distinction,  many,  who  admire  Whitby,  make  a  bad 
 use  of  him.  To  use  him  rightly,  you  should  always  hear  the 
 other  side,  i.e.  IMill.  We  have  made  some  remarks  also  on 
 Whitby,  in  our  Apparatus,  pp.  443,  787,  788  (Ed.  ii.,  pp.  79, 
 498,  499),  and  in  our  Second  Defence.  Very  lately,  Charles 
 Gottloh  Hofman'  has  published  eight  Canons,  of  considerable 
 merit,  on  Fritz's^  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  the  New  Testa- 
 ment, cap.  29.  The  substance  of  these  Canons,  as  well  as  that 
 of  others  by  different  authors,  is  contained  in  the  Monita, 
 which  we  have  given  in  Section  VIII. 
 
 X. 
 
 All  good  men  will,  I  trust,  acknowledge  the  principles  of  my 
 revision  to  be  unassailable.  And  though,  in  some  of  the  most 
 difficult  passages,  opposite  conclusions  may  be  drawn  from  those 
 principles— yet  in  the  case  of  by  far  the  greater  number  of 
 various  readings,  a  clear  and  unhesitating,  decision  may  be 
 arrived  at  by  their  means.  For  although  I  have  reserved  to 
 myself  the  liberty  of  changing  my  opinion,  it  has  seldom  re- 
 quired to  be  changed.  Some  such  instances  will  be  easily 
 found  in  this  Gnomon  by  those  who  think  it  their  interest  to 
 find  them. 
 
 Most  of  the  Readings,  however,  which  we  approved  formerly, 
 we  still  maintain.  The  Text  of  my  Revision  (which  must  again 
 and  again  be  asserted,  in  opposition  to  unfounded  suspicions), 
 adheres,  loitlwut  the  change  of  a  single  letter,  in  the  Apocalypse 
 
 ^  Justus  Wesselus  Rumpaeus,  a  Lutheran  divine  of  the  last  century,  must 
 not  be  confmnded  with  Rumphius,  the  Dutch  botanist. — (I.  B.) 
 
 -  Charles  Gottlob  Hoflfmann,  a  Lutheran  divine,  and  learned  Philologist, 
 born  1703,  died  1774.— (L  B.) 
 
 2  John  George  Pritz  (called  also  Pritius),  a  learned  Lutheran  divine, 
 was  born  at  Lcipsic  in  1662,  died  at  Frankfort  in  1732.— (I.  B.) 
 
40  THE  author's  PREFACE. 
 
 to  the  most  and  best  MSS.,  in  the  other  Books  of  the  N.  T. 
 to  the  best  printed  editions.  But  the  Exegesis  (which  is  the 
 subject  at  present  principally  under  consideration),  is  based,  and 
 that  rightly,  upon  the  genuine  Reading,  as  far  as  it  can  be  as- 
 certained up  to  the  present  time,  whether  I  have  placed  that 
 Heading  in  the  Text  or  the  Margin  :  which  was  what  I  under- 
 took to  show  in  Sections  VIII  and  IX.  On  the  other  hand,  a 
 true  Exegesis  will  show,  that  the  selection  of  an  edition  of  the 
 Greek  New  Testament,  with  a  text  correctly  revised,  is  not  a 
 question  of  mere  curiosity. 
 
 XI. 
 
 There  is  great  advantage  in  distinguishing,  without  dividing, 
 the  text  into  greater  and  smaller  sections,  which  was  first  made 
 clear  by  Anthony  BlackwalV  and  his  laborious  editor,  Christo- 
 pher Wollius.^ — See  Sacred  Classics,  Vol.  II.  Part  ii.,  chap.  i. 
 With  that  view  I  have,  in  my  edition,  distinctly  marked  the 
 beginnings  of  the  greater  Sections,  whilst  leaving  the  Sections 
 themselves  continuous,  and  unbroken.  I  have  revised  with 
 great  care  the  full  stops,  colons,  commas,  accents,  and  breathings 
 (concerning  which  I  have  made  some  very  essential  remarks  in 
 my  annotations  on  Eev.  i.  5),  according  to  the  meaning  of  the 
 words  themselves.  Many  editors  promise  these  things,  few  perform 
 them.  Hence,  as  I  fancy,  it  arises,  that  no  reliance  is  now 
 placed  even  on  the  word  of  one,  who  affirms  it  with  truth.  He 
 who  has  fairly  observed,  in  the  daily  use  of  my  edition,  the 
 gi'eater  and  lesser  divisions  (examples  of  Avhich  are  to  be  found 
 in  the  sixth  section  of  the  Preface  to  my  small  edition  of  the 
 
 1  Anthony  Blackwall,  an  elaborate  and  learned  writer,  was  born  in  Derby- 
 shire, 1674,  and  educated  at  E.  College,  Cambridge,  where  he  took  his 
 degree  of  m.a.  in  1G98.  Soon  afterwards,  he  became  master  of  the  Free 
 School,  Derby,  and  in  1772  of  the  Grammar  School,  Market  Bosworth. 
 lie  became  Rector  of  Clapham,  Surrey,  in  1726,  and  died  1730.  The  work 
 here  alluded  to,  is,  "  The  Sacred  Classics  Defended  and  Illustrated  ;  or  an 
 Essay  proving  the  Tiirity,  Propriety,  and  True  Eloquence  of  the  Writers  of 
 the  New  Testament."     2  vols.  8vo,  1727-1731. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Christopher  Wollius,  a  Lutheran  divine,  and  philologist,  born  at  Leipsic 
 1700,  died  1761.— a.  B  ^ 
 
THE  author's  preface.  41 
 
 Greek  New  Testament)  will  perceive  that  this  statement 
 has  not  been  made  without  reason,  and  will,  I  trust,  derive 
 thence  very  great  advantage.  I  should  be  unwilling,  however, 
 that  any  one  should  estimate  my  edition  of  the  Greek  New 
 Testament  from  that  which  has  been  printed  in  imitation  of  it 
 beyond  the  limits  of  Wirtemburg  :^  for  the  verses  are  very 
 differently  disjoined  and  conjoined  in  that  edition  from  what 
 they  are  in  mine.  We  scarcely  ever  give  a  different  punctua- 
 tion in  the  present  work  from  that  which  we  have  given  before  : 
 sometimes,  however,  we  have  done  so,  and  drawn  attention  to 
 the  fact,  as  in  the  remarkable  passage,  Rom.  viii.  31. 
 
 XII. 
 
 The  first  requisite  for  making  a  Commentary  is  a  knowledge, 
 and  appreciation  of  the  style,  employed  by  the  writers  of  the  New 
 Testament.  On  this  subject  there  has  long  existed  a  great  diversity 
 of  opinion,  and  John  Lamius^  has  collected  and  digested  much 
 information  regarding  it,  in  his  book  on  the  Learning  of  the 
 Apostles.  We  shall  say  what  is  necessary.  The  wisdom  of 
 God  employs  a  style  undoubtedly  worthy  of  God^  even  when 
 
 ^  The  edition  here  alluded  to  is  that  brought  out  in  1737,  at  Leipsic,  by 
 Andreas  Buttigius.     See  p.  10,  f.n.  3. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Giovanne  Lami,  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  in  the  University  of 
 Florence,  and  keeper  of  the  Recordi  Library,  born  in  1697,  died  1770,  was 
 a  scholar  of  great  research,  and  author  of  many  learned  works. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  "  Some  appear  to  disparage  the  style  of  Scripture,  as  barbarous.  Some 
 apologize  for  it,  as  the  work  of  illiterate  and  unlearned  men.  Surely  these 
 notions  are  false  and  dangerous.  The  diction  of  Scripture,  it  is  true,  is  not 
 the  language  of  any  other  composition  in  the  world.  The  Greek  of  the  New 
 Testament  is  not  the  Greek  of  Xenophon,  Plato,  or  Demosthenes.  It  is  a 
 language  of  its  own.  And  we  need  not  scruple  to  affirm,  that  in  precision  of 
 expression,  in  pure  and  native  simplicity,  in  delicacy  of  handling,  in  the 
 grouping  of  words  and  phrases,  in  dignified  and  majestic  sublimity,  it  has  no 
 rival  in  the  world.  The  more  carefully  it  is  studied,  the  more  clearly  will 
 this  appear.  '  Nihil  otiosum  in  sacra  Scriptura'  (Origen).  Every  sentence 
 — we  might  almost  say,  every  phrase — is  fraught  with  meaning.  As  it  is  in 
 the  Book  of  Nature,  so  is  it  in  the  pages  of  Holy  Writ.  Both  are  from  the 
 same  Divine  Hand.  And  if  we  apply  to  the  language  of  Holy  Scripture,  the 
 same  microscopic  process,  which  we  use  in  scrutinizing  the  beauties  of  the 
 
42  THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE. 
 
 by  means  of  His  instruments  He  accommodates  Himself  to  the 
 grossness  of  our  perceptions.  It  is  not,  however,  our  part 
 arrogantly  to  define,  but  humbly  to  believe  what  is  worthy  of 
 God,  1  Cor.  ii.  1,  and  xiv.  21.  The  holy  men  of  God,  both  in 
 the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  exhibit,  not  only  an  exact  know- 
 ledge .of  the  Truth,  but  also  a  systematic  arrangement  of  their 
 subject,  a  precise  expression  of  their  meaning,  and  a  genuine 
 strength  of  feeling.  Beyond  these  three  requisites  nothing  need 
 be  desired.  The  result  of  these  three  qualifications  was,  that 
 the  writers  of  the  New  Testament,  however  unlearned,  wrote 
 always  in  a  style  becoming  their  subject,  and,  raised  far  above 
 the  technical  rules  of  Greek  Rhetoricians,  produced  an  eloquence 
 truly  natural,  and  devoid  of  all  study  after  mere  effect.  We 
 shall  describe  these  characteristics  one  by  one,  indicating  at  the 
 same  time  what  has  been  observed  concerning  them  in  the 
 present  work. 
 
 XHI. 
 
 The  arrangement  of  subjects,  contained  in  each  book,  is  exhi- 
 bited in  the  several  Tables,  which  I  have  prefixed  to  each  of 
 them ;  not  merely  with  the  view  of  assisting  the  reader  s 
 memory,  but  that  I  might  also  show  the  plan  of  the  sacred 
 writer,  as  accm'ately  as  possible.  Any  one,  who  has  impressed 
 those  tables  upon  his  mind,  will  perceive  their  utility.  No  one 
 would  have  wished  for  an  argument  of  each  chapter,  at  its  com- 
 mencement. The  division  of  the  New  Testament  into  chapters, 
 now  in  use,  was  made  in  the  dark  ages,  after  the  selection  of 
 portions  for  ecclesiastical  readings,  which  frequently  thei'efore 
 run  on  from  one  chapter  into  another.  That  division  frequently 
 separates  things  which  are  closely  connected,  and  joins  together 
 things  which  are  really  distinct.  The  ai'guments  of  the  chap- 
 ters, therefore,  are  more  rightly  to  be  sought  for  in  the  tables, 
 
 natural  world,  and  which  reveals  to  us  exquisite  colours,  and  the  most  grace- 
 ful texture  in  the  petals  of  a  flower,  the  fibres  of  a  plant,  the  plumage  of  a 
 bird,  or  the  wings  of  an  insect,  we  shall  discover  new  sources  of  delight  and 
 admiration  in  the  least  portions  of  Holy  Writ."— Ciiuistopiier  WoHoa- 
 
 WORTH. — (I.  B.) 
 
THE  author's  preface.  43 
 
 alt'eady  mentioned,  which  do  not  preserve  that  division.  Where 
 the  divisions  given  in  the  tables  are  rather  large,  subdivisions 
 (but  not  too  many  in  number),  are  supplied  in  the  notes.  The 
 tables  at  once  utterly  confute  the  ignorance,  in  some  cases 
 impious,  of  those  who  maintain  that  the  Apostles  gave  im- 
 mediate utterance  to  whatever  chanced  to  occur  to  them,  with- 
 out any  plan  or  design.  In  the  Works  of  God,  even  to  the 
 smallest  plant,  there  is  the  most  entire  symmetry :  in  the  Words 
 of  God  there  is  the  most  systematic  perfection,  even  to  a  letter. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 It  is  the  especial  office  of  every  interpretation,  to  exhibit 
 adequately  the  force  and  signification  of  the  words  which  the 
 text  contains,  so  as  to  express  every  thing  which  the  author  in-  \/ 
 tended,  and  to  introduce  nothing  which  he  did  not  intend  to 
 express.  The  two  chief  excellences  of  a  good  style  are  depth,  /"^'-^"^ 
 and  ease  (facilitas).  They  are  seldom  combined  in  the  case  of 
 human  authors :  and,  as  each  man  writes  himself,  so  do  others 
 seem  to  him  to  write  also.  He,  who  himself  weighs  every  word, 
 is  in  danger  (when  studying  the  work  of  another)  of  fancying 
 liere  and  there,  that  he  discovers  a  meaning  which  the  author 
 did  not  design  ;  he,  who  writes  with  less  precision  himself,  in- 
 terprets the  words  of  others  too  vaguely.  In  the  Divine  Scrip- 
 tures, however,  the  greatest  depth  is  combined  with  the  greatest 
 ease  {facilitas) ;  we  should  take  care,  therefore,  in  interpreting 
 them,  not  to  force  their  meaning  to  our  own  standard;  nor,  because 
 the  sacred  writers  are  devoid  of  anxious  solicitude,  to  treat  their 
 words  as  if  employed  without  due  consideration.  The  Divine 
 language  far,  very  far,  surpasses  all  human  elegances  of  courtly 
 style. 
 
 God,  not  as  man,  but  as  God,  utters  words  worthy  of  Himself. 
 Deep  and  lofty  are  His  thoughts :  His  words,  which  flow  from 
 them,  are  of  inexhaustible  efficacy.  In  the  case  also  of  His  in- 
 spired interpreters,  although  they  may  not  have  received  human 
 instruction,  their  language  is  most  exact.  The  expression  of 
 their  words  corresponds  exactly  with  the  impression  of  the  things 
 in  their  minds ;  and  it  is  so  far  fi'om  being  beneath  the  compre- 
 
44  THE  author's  PREFACE. 
 
 Kcnsion  of  those  who  hear  it,  that,  rather,  they  seldom  attain  tc 
 its  entire  meaning.  The  Apostles  frequently  deduce  conclu-J| 
 sions,  more  weighty  than  the  world  itself,  from  an  epithet,  fi*om 
 a  grammatical  accident,  or  even  an  adverb,  as  we  have  shown 
 in  our  Apparatus,  Part.  I.,  Section  I.  Chrj^sostom  interprets 
 the  particle  xa/  with  emphatic  precision  in  the  writings  of  St 
 Paul,  and  he,  as  well  as  the  other  fathers,  render  many  other 
 things  in  a  similar  manner,  as  we  have  remarked  upon  his  book 
 on  the  Priesthood,  §§  136,  441.  It  is  right  to  follow  these 
 traces.  In  this  spirit  Luther  says,  Tlie  science  of  theology  is 
 notliing  else,  hut  Grammar,  exercised  on  the  words  of  the  Holy 
 Spirit;^ — a  sentiment  which  has  often  been  repeated  since  then 
 by  other  theologians.  This  observation  involves  the  examina- 
 tion of  emphatic  expression,  in  which  the  original  signification  of 
 the  words  sometimes  increases,  sometimes  decreases  in  intensity. 
 Many  modes  of  expression  were  emphatic  in  Greek,  which  are 
 not  so  in  German,  as,  for  example,  the  employment  or  omission 
 of  the  personal  pronouns,  seldom  omitted  by  us,  frequently  so 
 by  the  Greeks  ;  middle  verbs,  too,  which  are  unknoAvn  in  Ger- 
 man or  Latin,  but  which  are  distinctively  expressed  in  Greek  ; 
 and  verbs  simple  or  compound,  such  as  yivusy.uj'  and  i-riyivuxrxu,' 
 which  are  expressed  by  one  word  in  Latin  or  German,  but 
 which  are  different  words  in  Greek  ;  and  the  article,  which  has 
 no  existence  in  Latin. 
 
 On  the  other  hand,  it  fi-equently  happens,  that  the  apparent 
 exceeds  the  real  emphasis,  as  oh  i^ri^  with  the  subjunctive  ;  as  in 
 the  verb  £7.(3dXXM,*  as  in  the  preposition  ivrhg,^  as  in  the  com- 
 
 ^  "Nil  al'md  esse  T/ieologiam,  atque  G rammaticam,  in  SpiriUis  Sancti 
 verbis  occupatam." — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  yivuax,u  —  to  know,  to  he  aware  of,  etc.  For  a  full  explanation  of  all 
 the  meanings  and  shades  of  meaning  of  the  simple  and  compound  verbs, 
 see  Schleusneri  Lexicon  in  voc,  where  the  first  occupies  five,  and  the  latter 
 two  columns. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  ov  f^Yi  a  double  negative  frequent  in  classical  as  well  as  Scriptural  Greek. 
 With  Fut.  Indie,  it  forbids  :  with  the  Subjunctive,  it  denies  ;  but,  in  Eccle- 
 siastical Greek,  often  less  emphatically.  See  Buttman,  Matthia;i,  Kiihner, 
 etc.,  on  the  subject. — Ed. 
 
 ■*  iKlixXhu  =  lit.  to  cast  forth,  often  no  ninve  than  "  to  ■put  forth." 
 —Ed. 
 
 *  £*T&c  =  toithin,  often  used  in  a  weaker  se:isc,  than  the  literal. — Ed. 
 
THE  author's  preface.  45 
 
 pounds  r/.'7:iipd'(^CA),  r/.Topvsvui,  li'i-ivocvrlo;,  i--o6iixvv/j!,i,  x.r.x.,  the  mean- 
 ing of  which  does  not  in  the  Septuagint  differ  fi-om  that  of  the 
 simple  verbs,  from  which  they  are  derived.  Any  degree  what- 
 ever of  acquaintance  with  the  Greek  New  Testament  is  useful 
 and  laudable  :  but  they,  who  are  less  expert  therein,  frequently 
 see  false  instances  of  emphasis,  seize  on  them  with  eagerness, 
 and  publish  them  abroad,  whilst  they  pass  by  those  which  are 
 genuine.  This  renders  it  the  more  necessary  that  we  should 
 all  help  each  other  in  turn.  Even  dull  eyes  can  make  use  of 
 light  for  the  chief  purposes  of  life  :  but  he,  who  has  a  peculiarly 
 strong  sight,  perceives  many  things  more  accurately  than  others 
 do.  Thus  is  it  also  in  Scripture  :  all  see  [or  may  see]  as  much 
 as  is  necessary  to  salvation,  but  the  clearer  that  the  believer's 
 sight  is,  the  greater  is  his  profit  and  delight :  and  that  which 
 one  believer  once  sees,  others  who  of  themselves  saw  it  not,  are, 
 by  his  direction,  enabled  to  perceive.  I  have  exposed  the  fallacy 
 of  many  instances  of  supposed  emphasis,  brought  forward  by 
 other  writers ;  many  others  I  have  passed  over  in  silence : 
 genuine  instances,  which  offer  themselves  spontaneously,  I  have 
 not  neglected.  If,  however,  I  should  be  thought  to  dwell  at 
 times  too  minutely,  and  too  long,  upon  these  matters,  I  shall  be 
 readily  acquitted  by  those  who  have  observed  the  perpetual 
 analogy  of  accurate  and  universally  self-consistent  expression, 
 which  pervades  alike  every  portion  of  Scripture. 
 
 In  order  to  weigh  precisely  the  force  of  the  words,  it  is  essen- 
 tial to  observe  the  Hebraism  with  which  the  language  of  the 
 Greek  New  Testament  is  tinged.  It  is  beyond  question,  that 
 the  Apostles  and  Evangelists  were  accustomed  to  speak  and 
 write  in  such  a  style  as  was  especially  suited  to  the  Helleniz- 
 ing^  Jews  resident  in  Asia  and  elsewhere,  who  had  introduced 
 the  spirit  of  the  Hebrew  language  into  their  ordinary  Greek 
 
 •  For  the  convenience  of  those  readers  who  are  unacquainted  with  Greek, 
 it  may  be  as  well  to  explain  that  sKTrsipccl^a  and  the  words  which  follow  are 
 derived,  respectively,  from  'urstpxi^u,  to  tempt ;  -Tvopuivu,  to  debauch  or  prosti- 
 tute;  kvuuTt'og,  over  against;  on'icvvfct,  to  show. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  i.e.  those  who  from  having  resided  for  some  generations  in  countries 
 where  Greek  was  the  common  medium  of  intercourse,  spoke  that  language 
 (with  some  idiomatic  peculiarities)  as  their  mother  tongue :  they  are  spoken 
 of  in  Acts  vi.  1,  as  "Hellenists,"  which  E.  V.  renders  "  Grecians.'" — (I.  B.) 
 
46  THE  author's  PREFACE. 
 
 discourse,  and  to  whom  the  Greek  translation  of  the  Old  1  esta- 
 nient  (which  Hebraizes  to  a  very  great  degree)  was  evidently 
 familiar, — that  translation,  which  acted  in  subservience  to  the 
 Divnne  design  of  making  the  Greek  language  the  vehicle  of  the 
 Divine  Word.  The  Apostles  and  Evangelists,  therefore,  were 
 right  in  introducing  into  the  style  of  the  New  Testament  what- 
 ever peculiarities  of  idiom  existed  in  the  translation  of  the  Old 
 Testament,  or  in  the  spoken  Greek  of  the  Hellenizing  Jews  : 
 and  the  more  familiar  that  the  reader  of  the  Greek  New  Testa- 
 ment is  with  the  Septuagint,  and  the  Hebrew  Syntax,  the 
 greater  proficiency  will  he  attain  to  in  his  sacred  studies.  The 
 Paraclete  conferred  the  most  copious  facility  of  speaking  lan- 
 guages on  the  holy  men  who  wrote  the  Scriptiu*es  of  the  New 
 Testament :  but  it  was  necessary  that  they  should  descend  to 
 the  level  of  their  immediate  auditors  and  earliest  readers.  It 
 any  of  the  Apostles  were  sent  to-day  to  Barbarians  or  Greeks, 
 he  would  (wisely,  as  I  think)  employ  the  most  rugged  tongues 
 of  the  Barbarians,  or  the  present  vernacular  Greek,  however 
 corrupt  it  be.  The  style  of  the  New  Testament  has,  in  different 
 passages,  phrases  which  agree  with  the  most  approved  Greek 
 writers,  even  where  you  would  least  expect  it.  But  the  whole 
 and  perpetual  spirit  of  the  language  employed  by  the  writers  of 
 the  New  Testament  is  distinctively  Hebraizing,  and  differs  in 
 this  respect  decidedly  from  the  style  of  other  Greek  authors, 
 though  here  and  there  resemblances  are  to  be  found :  nor  is  this 
 to  be  wondered  at,  since  the  volume  of  the  New  Testament  is 
 so  small  when  compared  with  the  vast  mass  of  profane  Greek 
 writings;  besides  that  even  these  authors  have  sometimes  let 
 fall  expressions  which  might  not  altogether  please  them,  and 
 which  are  eagerly  caught  at  by  philologists  of  much  reading,  and 
 compared  with  the  style  of  the  Greek  New  Testament.  See 
 also  my  notes  on  John  vi.  37,  and  xii.  6  ;  and  Rev.  xi.  5. 
 
 Such  being  the  case,  I  have  not  had  far  to  go  to  ex])lain  the 
 language  of  the  Greek  New  Testament,  for  I  have  generally 
 found  an  explanation  close  at  hand.  Thus,  for  example,  in  any 
 passage  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  I  have  compared  it  first 
 with  the  immediate  context,  then  Avith  the  remainder  of  the 
 Epistle,  then  with  the  other  Epistles  of  St  Paul,  then  Avith  the 
 Greek  Fathers,  who,  being  themselves  Greeks,  studied  both  tlif> 
 
THE  author's  preface.  47 
 
 Greek  New  Testament  and  the  ancients ;  lastly,  and  that  very 
 rarely,  with  profane  authors.  Where  passages  of  the  Old 
 Testament  are  cited  in  the  New,  I  have  given  in  full  the  words 
 of  the  Lxx.,  especially  those  from  which  the  New  Testament 
 differs,  that  the  comparison  might  be  the  more  easy.  Where 
 any  difficulty  has  been  experienced  as  to  the  interpretation  of 
 words  in  the  New  Testament,  which  occm'  also  in  the  Septua- 
 gint,  I  have  compared  them  with  the  corresponding  expressions 
 in  the  original  Hebrew :  ^  by  which  method  I  have  ascertained 
 the  true  meaning  of  Tpcrro(popiTv,^  WoiiMaaia^^  %i<paXig  (3ij3xloijy'^  x.r.X. 
 I  have  endeavoured,  indeed,  to  introduce  into  these  annota- 
 tions, as  many  explanations  and  illustrations  as  can  be  derived 
 from  the  lxx.  No  one  will  expect  to  find  in  the  Gnomon  what 
 can  be  obtained  from  a  Grammar  or  Lexicon  of  the  Greek 
 Tongue.  Sometimes,  however,  when  anything  of  moment  is 
 involved,  or  when  others  labour  under  a  hallucination,  we 
 descend  to  such  matters, 
 
 // 
 
 XV 
 
 Earth  produces  nothing  which  can  be  compared  with  holy 
 feelings.^  They  comprehend,  however,  what  the  Greeks  call  ra 
 ^'^^,^  which  w^e  are  obliged  to  express  in  Latin  by  the  less  suit- 
 
 ^  i.e.  where  there  is  any  doubt  or  difficulty  about  the  meaning  of  a  word 
 used  by  any  of  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament  (whether  in  a  quotation 
 fi-ora  the  Old  Testament,  or  in  any  other  case),  which  word  is  used  also  by 
 the  LXX.,  Bengel  has  examined  the  passages  of  that  version  in  which  it 
 occurs,  and  compared  it  in  each  instance  with  the  Hebrew  word  for  which  it 
 stands. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  See  Gnomon  on  Acts  xiii.  18,  19. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  See  Gnomon  on  Ephes.  vi.  15. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  See  Gnomon  on  Heb.  x.  7.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  The  words  of  the  original  are— "Cum  affectihus  Sanctis,  quod  comparari 
 possit,  terra  nihil  alit." — (I.  B.) 
 
 «  Every  student  of  Aristotle  has  probably  shared  the  difficulty  which 
 Bengel  frankly  acknowledges.  Twining,  in  the  notes  to  his  translation  of 
 the  Poetics,  says,  "  The  word,  sjS/i,  taken  in  its  utmost  extent,  includes 
 everything  that  is  habitual  and  characteristic;  but  it  is  often  used  in  a 
 limited  sense,  for  the  habitual  temper  or  disposition."     It  might  be  para- 
 
♦8  THE  author's  preface. 
 
 able  word  "J/or^s."^  The  Feelings,  absolutely  so  called,  are 
 vehement :  the  "  Mores'^  are  calmer  feelings  quiet  and  composed. 
 I  would  recommend  the  reader  to  peruse  on  this  subject,  Quin- 
 tilian  VI.  2  :  for  the  whole  disquisition  cannot  be  introduced 
 into  this  Preface.^  The  styles  of  the  Avriters  of  the  New  Testa- 
 ment have,  in  common  with  all  other  styles,  their  own  peculiar 
 Subjects,  Feelings,  and  ^' Mores"  Every  one  treats  of  the  Sub- 
 jects ;  those  who  are  wiser  and  endued  with  spiritual  experience 
 pay  due  regard  to  the  Feelings;  the  ^' Mores"  (let  me  say  it 
 without  offence),  have  been  almost  entirely  lost  sight  of,  except 
 jj^  that  the  Modesty^  of  Scripture  has  been  sometimes  mentioned. 
 
 And  yet  these  '^  Mores"  pervade  in  a  wonderful  manner  all  the 
 discourses  and  epistles  of  the  New  Testament,  forming  a  certain 
 continual  recommendation*  of  him  who  acts,  speaks,  or  writes, 
 and  realizing  in  a  pre-eminent  degree  the  ^' Decorum"^     We 
 
 phrased  here  by  "  Moral  sentiments,"  "  Subjective  moral  principles,"  or  ex- 
 pressed chemically  as  "  Moral  principles  held  in  solution,"  or  rendered,  per-    /^^ 
 haps,  "  Moral  tone ;"  but  none  of  these  phrases  are  the  exact  counterparts 
 of  the  original. — (I.  B.) 
 
 1  The  word  Mores^  when  used  as  it  is  by  Bengel  in  the  present  passage, 
 is  as  impossible  to  render  as  the  expression  which  it  is  intended  to  represent : 
 the  expression  "  ies  >noe?<r5,"  with  the  force  which  it  frequently  has  in 
 French  philosophical  writings,  comes  probably  as  near  to  it  as  any  modern 
 phrase.  Montesquieu  (Esprit  de  loix  xix.  16),  says,  "  II  y  a  cette  difference 
 entre  les  Loix  et  les  Moeurs,  que  les  Loix  reglent  plus  les  actions  du 
 Citoyen,  et  que  les  Moeurs  reglent  plus  les  actions  de  I'homme.  II  y  a  cette 
 difiference  entre  les  Moeurs  et  les  Manieres  que  les  premieres  regardent  plus 
 la  conduite  interieure  ;  les  autres  I'exterieure."  I  give  this,  however,  rather 
 as  an  illustration  than  an  explanation. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  I  cannot,  however,  forbear  quoting  the  following  passage  : — "  Quare  in 
 lis  quse  verisiinilia  esse  volemus  simus  ipsi  similes  eorum,  qui  verc  patiuu- 
 tur,  affectibus  ;  et  a  tali  animo  proficiscatur  oratio,  qualem  facile  judiceni 
 volet.  An  ille  dolebit,  qui  audiet  me,  cum  hoc  dicam,  non  dolentem  ?  Iras- 
 cetur,  si  nihil  ipse  qui  in  iram  concitat,  idque  exigit,  simile  patietur  ?  Siccis 
 agenti  oculis  lacrymas  dabit?  Fieri  non  potest.  Nee  incendit  nisi  ignis, 
 nee  madescimus  nisi  humore,  nee  res  ulla  dat  alteri  colorem  quern  ipsa  non 
 habet.  IVimum  est  igitur,  ut  apud  nos  valeantea  quai  valere  apud  judicem 
 volumus,  afficiamusque  antequam  atRcere  conemur.     Quint.  VL  2,  §  3. —   . 
 
 (I.  B.) 
 
 3  See  the  Gnomon  on  Acts  ii._30,  and  Rom.  i.  26^— (L  B.) 
 
 •*  See  Aristotle  on  the  Ttiart;  ii^iKy,,  Rhet.  r27§§"3,  C,  II.  1,  §  6,  etc.— (I.B.) 
 '  Decorum,  the  neuter  of  the  adjective  Decorus^  a,  itm  ;  derived  from  the 
 
THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE,  49 
 
 have  dropped  sometliing  on  this  subject  in  our  App.  Crit.  p. 
 372  (i.e.  Sect.  1  of  the  Introduction  to  the  Criticism  of  the  New 
 Testament,  Ed.  II.,  pp.  4,  5),  and  more  in  our  Harmony  of  the 
 Four  Evangelists,  pp.  57,  108,  111,  214,  216,  242,  278,  281, 
 282.  (Ed.  ll.,  A.D.  1747,  pp.  5{i,  (51),  171,  183,  340,  342,  380, 
 382,  451,  454,  455)  :  but  in  the  present  work  I  have  bestowed 
 fuller  consideration  on  the  ^'  Moves"  as  well  as  the  Feeline:s. 
 These  ^^  Mores"  are  for  the  most  part  of  such  a  kind,  that  you 
 can  more  easily  reach  them  by  a  perception  of  the  heart  than  by 
 a  circuit  of  words.  And  this  will  be  a  principal  reason  why  our 
 Commentary  may  be  considered  frequently  too  subtile,  frequently 
 too  frigid.  I  doubt  not,  however,  that  those  who  have  by  de- 
 grees become  accustomed  to  it  will  agree  with  me  in  my  admira- 
 tion of  the  language  of  the  sacred  writers.  The  painter  by  the 
 most  delicate  stroke  of  his  brush,  the  musician  by  the  swiftest 
 touch  of  fleeting  notes,  exercises  the  highest  skill  of  his  art :  and 
 in  the  perfection  of  anything  whatever,  those  minute  particulars 
 which  escape  the  ears  and  eyes  of  the  ignorant  and  unrefined, 
 bestow  the  most  exquisite  delight  on  those  who  are  capable  ot 
 appreciating  them, — a  delight  springing  from  the  very  root  and 
 essence  of  the  thing  itself  Such  is  the  case  with  Holy  Scrip- 
 ture. Let  each  one,  then,  take  in  what  he  is  capable  of  re- 
 impersonal  verb  Decet,  it  becomes,  or  is  becoming :  used  in  the  sense  ot 
 Aristotle's  TO  nPEIION,  which  signifies  that  which  is  becoming,  proper, 
 or  suitable,  to  the  person,  character,  office,  condition,  or  circumstance,  under 
 consideration. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '<  Id,  quod  Grsece  Trpivrov  dicitur,  decorum  dici  Latine  potest ;  hujus  vis  ea 
 est,  ut  ab  honesto  non  queat  separari." — Cic.  OflF.  I.  27. — (Ed.) 
 
 "  Caput  artis  est,"  says  Quinctilian,  "  decere."  "  The  first  principle  ot 
 art  is  to  observe  decorum."  No  one  should  ever  rise  to  speak  in  public, 
 without  forming  to  himself  a  just  and  strict  idea  of  what  suits  his  own  age 
 and  character ;  what  suits  the  hearers,  the  place,  the  occasion  ;  and  adjust- 
 ing the  whole  train  and  manner  of  his  speaking  on  this  idea.  All  the 
 ancients  insist  much  on  this.  Consult  the  first  chapter  of  the  eleventh  book 
 of  QuinctiUan,  which  is  employed  wholly  on  this  point,  and  is  full  of  good 
 sense.  Cicero's  admonitions  in  his  Orator  ad  Brutimi,  I  shall  give  in  his 
 own  words,  which  should  never  be  forgotten  by  any  who  speak  in  public : 
 "  Est  Eloquentiae,  sicut  reliquarum  rerum,  fundamentum,  sapientia ;  ut 
 enim  in  vita,  sic  in  oratione  nihil  est  diflacilius  quam  quod  deceat  videre," 
 etc.— Blair,  Lecture  XXVII. 
 
 See  also  Explanation  of  Technical  terms  in  voc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 VOL.  I.  D 
 
r 
 
 6C  THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE. 
 
 reiving,  and  abstain  from  meddling  with  what  he  is  unablo  to 
 comprehend. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 There  are  many  classes  of  those  who  undertake  to  illustrate 
 the  Sacred  Books  by  Commentaries  :  and  it  sometimes  happens 
 that  they  despise  each  other's  plans  and  love  only  their  own. 
 For  my  part,  I  do  not  act  exclusively  as  a  Paraphrast,  a  Gram- 
 marian, a  Scholiast,  an  Antiquary,  a  Logician,  a  Doctrinal 
 Expositor,  a  Controversialist,  or  an  Inferential  Commentator ; 
 but  I  take  all  these  characters  by  turns,  without  stint  or  distinc- 
 tion. Each  of  these  indeed  has  its  own  use  :  when  that  use  is 
 carried  too  far  it  degenerates  into  abuse  :  and  this  abuse  may 
 again  be  remedied  by  a  just  estimation  and  judicious  employ- 
 ment of  all  the  means  at  our  disposal.  I  do  not  pass  by  without 
 notice  decisions,  the  authority  of  which  has  been  generally  re- 
 ceived (Dicta  Classica) ;  I  do  not  ignore  difficulties  which  are 
 the  subject  of  wide  discussion ;  but  I  examine  with  equal  care 
 the  rest  of  Scripture,  which  is  equally  worthy  of  consideration. 
 In  each  individual  case  I  employ  that  kind  of  annotation  which 
 the  part  or  passage  under  consideration  may  require  to  exhibit  its 
 force,  to  explain  its  words  and  phrases,  to  draw  attention  to 
 the  habit  of  mind  of  those  who  speak  or  of  those  whom  they 
 address,  to  bring  out  the  true  or  refute  the  false  doctrine,  to 
 elicit  those  maxims  of  piety  or  Christian  prudence  which  are  in- 
 volved or  suggested  by  the  sacred  text,  to  examine  quotations 
 fi'om  the  Old  Testament,  occuri'ing  in  the  New,  and  other 
 parallel  passages, — or  to  indicate  the  weight,  and  unravel  the 
 connection  of  the  arguments  employed  by  the  sacred  writer. 
 And  all  these  things  are  laid  before  the  reader  in  such  a  manner, 
 as  to  give  him  the  opportunity  and  inducement  to  pursue  the 
 train  of  thought  ftirther  himself.  At  each  separate  annotation 
 the  Gnomon  must  be  supposed  to  say  "  The  Text  runs  thus,  not 
 otherwise.  This,  and  no  other,  is  the  noun  ;  this,  the  verb  ; 
 this,  the  particle  ;  this,  the  case  ;  this,  the  tense  ;  this  is  the 
 arrangement  of  the  words ;  this  is  the  repetition  or  interchange 
 
THE  author's  preface. 
 
 of  words  ;  tlds,  the  succession  of  arguments  ;  this^  the  emotion 
 of  the  minds,  etc." 
 
 XVII. 
 
 He  who  comprehends  the  intention  of  this  work,  will  not  ex- 
 pect to  find  differences  of  opinion  carefully  enumerated  and 
 laboriously  refuted,  with  the  names  of  their  advocates  and  the 
 titles  of  their  works.  It  is  expedient  indeed  that  some  should 
 undertake  that  office,  and  deduce  the  histor}'-  of  Scriptural  inter- 
 pretation from  century  to  century ;  few,  however,  possess  the 
 opportunity  or  the  capacity  for  performing  such  a  task ;  though 
 there  are  many  who  can  search  out  and  bring  together  many 
 particulars  for  the  general  advantage.  It  is  better,  however,  for 
 the  weak  to  be  wholly  ignorant  of  opinions  which  are  in  them- 
 selves foolish,  and  would  scarcely  enter  into  the  mind  of  any  one, 
 than  to  have  them  recorded  in  connection  with  the  passages  to 
 which  they  refer  [even  though  in  each  instance  they  be  carefully 
 and  successfully  refuted].  |  We  should  fare  badly,  if,  in  order  to 
 ascertain  the  royal  road  of  truth,  it  were  necessary  for  us  to  obtain 
 an  accurate  knowledge,^  and  make  a  personal  survey  of  all  the 
 tracks  which  lead  away  from  it. — In  fact,  the  true  interpretation 
 is  more  fi'equently  buried  than  assisted  by  a  multitude  of  con- 
 flicting opinions.  )  I  have,  however,  guarded  the  reader  against 
 some  erroneous  interpretations  of  modern  date,  without  either 
 naming  the  authors  or  quoting  their  words.  The  reader  who  is 
 unacquainted  with  them  will  not  perceive  the  allusion,  nor  is  it 
 necessary  that  he  should  do  so  ;  whereas,  he  who  is  acquainted 
 with  them  will  understand  what  I  mean.  I  touch  also  upon 
 some  rather  probable  interpretations  as  yet  little  discussed ;  and 
 where  my  own  opinion  might  appear  paradoxical,  I  support  it 
 by  the  consent  of  others,  especially  the  ancients. 
 
 ^  "  In  numerate  habere,"  Quint.  VI.  3,  iii.,  "  To  have  in  readiness."— ^t>. 
 Said  to  be  an  expression  of  Augustus.  The  phrase  originally  refers  to 
 "  numeratum  argentum" — i.e.  money  paid  doiV7i — actually  counted  out. — See 
 Andrews,  Ainsworth,  Riddle,  etc. — (I.  B.) 
 
a  THE  author's  preface. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 Nothing  is  more  frequent  in  commentaries  than  the  title 
 "  Harmonia  Evangelical  Under  this  title,  however,  I  have  felt 
 it  necessar)^  to  produce  something  exceedingly  different  from  the 
 generality  of  com])ositions  which  have  hitherto  appeared  with 
 this  name.  The  basis  of  my  Harmony  is  the  recognition  of  the 
 fact  that  there  were  Three  Passovers,  and  Three  only,  between 
 our  Lord's  Baptism  and  Ilis  Ascension, — a  fact  frequently  ac- 
 knowledged by  the  ancients,  and  of  late  years  by  Timotheus 
 Philadelphus  ;  ^  though  most  A\Titers  of  recent  date  lay  down  a 
 greater  number  of  Passovers.  I  have  combined  and  arranged  the 
 Four  Gospels  in  accordance  with  the  determining  standard  of 
 the  Three  Passovers  in  my  Harmony  of  the  Four  Evangelists, 
 published  first,  a.d.  1736,  and  again  with  emendations,  a.d. 
 1747  :  and  the  consideration  of  the  separate  Gospels  in  the  pre- 
 sent work  is  intimately  connected  with  that  treatise.  I  will, 
 therefore,  quietly  repeat  the  points,  which  are  most  necessary  for 
 my  purpose. 
 
 1.  The  Nativity  of  our  Lord  cannot  be  placed  later  than  two 
 months  before  the  death  of  Herod  the  Great. 
 
 2.  The  death  of  Ilerod  the  Great  cannot  be  placed  sooner  or 
 later  than  the  month  of  Februarj^,  in  the  third  year  before  the 
 Dionysian  Era.^  This  is  proved  by  the  eclipse  of  the  moon, 
 mentioned  by  Josephus,  and  the  events,  which  he  relates,  as 
 
 ^  Author  of  a  work,  published  in  12mo,  at  Stuttgard,  a.d.  1728,  and  en- 
 titled— 
 
 "  Grundveste  der  wahren  Kirchen." 
 
 Bengcl,  in  the  Preface  to  his  Exposition  of  the  Apocal}pse,  says — "  All  the 
 systems  we  have  of  the  Apocalypse  may  be  divided  into  these  six  classes  ;  of 
 each  of  which  I  will  subjoin  one  example — 1.  Some  go  in  a  metaphysical  Siml 
 theosophkal  way  ;  for  instance,  Timotheus  Philadelphus." — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  The  Dionysian  Era,  now  in  general  use,  so  called  from  Dionysius 
 Exiguus,  a  native  of  Scythia,  who  published  his  chronological  system  about 
 the  year  532.  He  is  considered  to  liave  placed  the  birth  of  Christ  four 
 years  too  late ;  so  that  to  obtain  the  exact  number  of  years  which  have  at 
 any  time  elapsed  since  that  event,  we  must  add  four  years  to  the  date  of  the 
 current  year. — (I.  B.) 
 
THE  author's  preface.  53 
 
 having  happened  between  that  phenomenon  and  the  Passover  of 
 that  year. 
 
 3.  The  fifteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  Tiberius  cannot  begin 
 before  the  month  Tisri/  of  the  twenty-seventh  year  of  the 
 Dionysian  Era. 
 
 4.  Our  Lord,  wlien  He  was  about  thirty  years  old,  was  bap- 
 tized, and,  after  forty  days,  tempted  of  the  Devil,  some  time 
 before  the  Passover  of  the  twenty -eighth  year  of  the  Dionysian 
 Era. 
 
 5.  In  that  same  year,  and  no  other,  could  the  Temple  have 
 been  said  to  have  been  forty-six  years  in  building. — See  John 
 ii.  20. 
 
 6.  Our  Lord  was  crucified  in  the  thirtieth  year  of  the  Diony- 
 sian Era  ;  lor  this  particular  year,  and  not  one  of  the  years  29, 
 iU,  or  32,  had  the  Passover  at  the  end  of  the  week  :  but  the 
 year  33  is  too  late,  and  is  refuted  by  all  the  opinions  of  the 
 Ancient  Church. 
 
 7.  Therefore  the  whole  course  of  events  recorded,  from  the 
 Passover  mentioned  in  John  ii.,  to  that  mentioned  in  John  xviii., 
 is  included  in  the  28th,  29th,  and  30th  years  of  the  Dionysian 
 Era. 
 
 This  makes  three,  and  only  three  Passovers. 
 
 These  statements,  if  taken  singly,  may  possibly  appear  to 
 leave  the  matter  in  doubt :  but,  when  taken  together,  they  are 
 clear  and  unquestionable;  and  necessarily  prove,  that  there  Avere 
 only  three  Passovei's.   ) 
 
 My  Harmony  has  found  a  most  courteous  opponent  in 
 Hauber,^  of  whose  present  opinions  on  the  subject,  I  am  entirely 
 ignorant :  but  certainly,  in  his  great  work,  which  is  entitled 
 Deutsche  Original  Bihel  (German  Original  Bible),  he  has 
 adopted  the  main  features  of  my  Harmony,  adding  his  own  view 
 of  the  details.     And  very  lately  Walchius,^  in  his  observations 
 
 ^  The  month  Tisri  comprehended  part  of  September  and  October,  though 
 corresponding  nearly  with  the  latter. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  See  r.n.  1,  p.  39.— (I.  B.) 
 
 '  John  Ernest  Immanuel  Walchius  was  born  at  Jena  in  1725,  and  attain- 
 ed to  a  high  station  in  the  University  there.  In  1749  he  published  at  Jena 
 his  "  Einleitimg  in  die  harmonie  dcr  Evangelisten.'  He  died  in  1778. — 
 (I.  B.) 
 
54  THE  author's  preface. 
 
 on  the  Life  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  frequently  finds  fault 
 with  me  ;  but  neither  of  them  has  brought  into  play  the  chrono- 
 logical mainsprings  of  the  Gospels. 
 
 The  Gospel  chronology  has  been  studiously  treated  ofj  in  our 
 day,  by  Campegius  Vitringa,^  Peter  Allix,^  Count  Camillus  de 
 Sylvestris,^  Nicasius,^  J.  J.  Hottinger,^  C.  G.  Hoffman,* 
 Leonard  Offerhaus,^  etc.  These  all  differ  widely  from  each 
 other,  but  if  you  compare  them  together,  and  abridge  them  into 
 one,  you  ^\^ll  find,  that,  whatever  truth  is  contained  in  any  of 
 them,  confirms,  at  times  against  their  will,  the  ternarian  hypo- 
 thesis (that,  namely,  which  supposes  three  Passovers,  and  three 
 only)  :  nor  can  they,  who  pretend  four,  not  to  say  more  Pass- 
 overs, avoid  doing  violence  to  those  chronological  data  so  em- 
 phatically laid  doAATi  by  the  Evangelists  themselves.  The 
 quaternarian  hypothesis,  (that,  namely,  which  supposes  four 
 Passovers),  doubles,  or  even  trebles,  with  manifest  inconvenience, 
 the  long  series  of  passages  from  the  fourth  to  the  thirteenth 
 chapters  of  St  Matthew  (repeated  in  the  parallel  passages  of  St 
 
 ^  Campegius  Vitringa,  a  learned  Protestant  divine,  born  in  Friesland 
 lfi59,  died  1722.  became  successively  Professor  of  Oriental  Languages, 
 Divinity  and  Sacred  History,  at  Franckaer (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Peter  Allix,  a  learned  French  divine,  born  at  Alen^on  1641,  was  suc- 
 cessively minister  of  the  Protestant  Church  at  Rouen,  and  at  Charenton. 
 At  the  revocation  of  th.e  edict  of  Nantes,  he  retired  to  England,  where  he 
 became  Canon  of  Windsor,  and  Treasurer  of  Salisbury  Cathedral.  He  died 
 in  1717.— (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Count  Camillus  de  Sylvestris,  a  learned  writer,  was  born  at  Padua  in 
 1645,  studied  at  Rovigo,  and  became  honorary  member  of  most  of  the 
 Universities  of  Italy.     He  died  in  1719.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  The  writer  apparently  intended  is  ('laud  >«icaise,  born  at  Dijon  in  1623, 
 and  died  at  Velay  in  1701.  He  took  orders  in  the  Roman  Church,  and  be- 
 came a  learned  Philologist  and  Archajologist. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  John  James  llottinger,  eldest  son  of  the  celebrated  John  Henry  Hettin- 
 ger, was  born  at  Zurich  in  tlie  sixteenth  century,  published  various  works  in 
 1706,  1708,  1720,  etc.,  and  died  in  1735.— (I.  B.) 
 
 0  See  f.n.  4,  page  39.— (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Leonard  Offerhaus,  a  celebrated  scholar,  was  born  at  Ham,  in  West- 
 phalia, in  1699.  In  1720,  he  gave  the  first  earnest  of  his  future  cele- 
 brity in  a  disputation  on  the  public  and  private  life  of  our  Lord.  He 
 died  at  Groningen  in  1779,  after  having  tilled  for  more  than  half  a 
 century    the    chair    of   eloquence    and    history    there   with   distinction. — 
 
 (1.  u.) 
 
THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE.  .-.3 
 
 ISTark  and  St  Luke),  the  identity^  of  which  is  recognised  by  the 
 Three  Passover  system.  The  ternarian  hypothesis  admits,  in 
 the  history  of  merely  a  very  few  months,  the  principle  of  chrono- 
 logical transposition,'^  either  in  Matthew,  or  in  Mark  and  Luke, 
 especially  the  two  latter,  and  that  with  great  advantage  :  the 
 quaternarian,  under  the  appearance  of  order,  introduces  confu- 
 sion. Lightfoot,  in  his  Chronicles^  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
 ment (although  he  advocates  the  four  Passover  system),  labours 
 advisedly  to  show,  that  chronological  transpositions  occur  in  the 
 Gospels  and  other  parts  of  Scripture.  The  teraarian  hy|)othesis 
 agrees  exactly  with  the  seventy  weeks  of  Daniel,  and  with  the 
 Lessons  from  Moses  and  the  Prophets,  read  in  the  synagogues  on 
 Sabbath  and  Holy  days — lessons  which  are  clearly  and  frequently 
 alluded  to  by  the  EN'angelists  ;  and  it  attributes  to  the  Saviour's 
 course  a  suitable  rapidity  :■*  the  quaternarian  hypothesis  oblite- 
 rates all  these  things.  A  fuller  demonstration  of  these  points  is 
 to  be  found  in  my  Harmony,  sect.  12,  and  Ordo  Temporum, 
 ch.  5.  Hence,  I  with  justice  draw  the  following  conclusion, — 
 WJiosoever  places  more  than  three  Passove?'s  between  the  baptisin 
 and  ascension  of  our  Lord,  his  labour  on  the  Gospels,  as  far  as  it 
 relates  to  a  Harmony  of  them,  and  to  the  life  of  our  Saviour, 
 ought  to  be  considered  utterly  vain  and  held  in  little  honour,  by 
 all  who  do  not  swallow  error  as  readily  as  truth.  The  Gnomon 
 refers  the  reader,  here  and  there,  to  the  Harmony  framed  on  the 
 basis  already  mentioned,   and  to  the    Ordo    Temjjorum,  which 
 
 ^  And  singleness  [as  opposed  to  the  series  being  regarded  as  twofold  or 
 threefold.]— Ed. 
 
 -  ^'Trajectio"  as  for  example  in  the  accounts  of  our  Lord's  temptation,  in 
 one  of  which  there  must  be  a  chronological  transposition. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  The  works  referred  to  are,  "  Chronicle  and  Harmony  of  the  Old  Testa- 
 ment, with  Notes," — and,  "  Harmony,  Chronicle  and  Order  of  the  New  Testa- 
 ment. The  Text  of  the  Four  Evangelists  methodized,  the  Story  of  the 
 Acts  of  the  Apostles  analyzed,  the  Order  of  the  Epistles  manifested,  the 
 Times  of  the  Revelation  observed,  all  illustrated  with  a  variety  of  observa- 
 tions, etc." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  "  Cursuique  Salvatoris  celeritatem  convenientissimam  tribuit" — i.e.  does 
 not  represent  the  time  of  our  Lord's  Ministry  as  having  been  longer  than  it 
 really  was ;  represents  Him  as  reaching  His  goal  with  sufficient  fleetness. 
 A  metaphor  taken  from  the  race-course.     Cf.  1   Cor.  ix.   24,  25,  etc. — 
 
 a.  B.) 
 
56  THE  author's  PREFACE. 
 
 render  the  remaining  consideration  of  the  Gospels  so  much  tlie 
 easier.  The  Harmony  has  a  table  (a  Monotessaron '  as  it  were), 
 compiled  fi'om  all  the  Evangelists ;  but  the  Gno3ION  exhibits  the 
 separate  Gospels  in  the  tables,  severally  accommodated  to  them. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 The  Acts  of  the  Apostles  are  intimately  connected  with  the 
 Epistles,  especially  those  of  St  Paul,  and  are  principally  illus- 
 trated by  them.  In  the  Epistles,  our  annotations  are  not  con- 
 fined to  those  portions  which  are  more  abundantly  full  of 
 doctrine :  but  they  are  carried  on  equally  throughout,  and  are 
 almost  perpetual.  The  sum  and  series  of  events  is  given  in  the 
 Ordo  Temporum,  cap.  6. 
 
 XX. 
 
 The  principles,  upon  which  we  have  treated  the  Apocalypse, 
 are  stated  in  the  annotations  to  that  book,  as  well  as  in  the 
 Procemium  prefixed  to  it.  For  as  our  exposition  of  it  exists 
 separately  in  German,  so  is  it  also  added  at  the  end  of  this  work. 
 The  celebrated  theologian,  Dr  Joachim  Lange,'"*  has  lately  issued 
 a  critical  examination  (Beurtheilung)  of  the  German  edition  :  and 
 Frederick  Eberard  Rambach,   has  added  it  to  W.  Sherlock's* 
 
 '  It  is  subjoined  to  the  end  of  tlie  Iliirmonv,  and  occupies  twenty-five 
 pages. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Joachim  Lange  was  born  in  1G70,  in  the  territory  of  Brandenburgh.  lie 
 was  a  distinguished  theologian,  philologist,  and  historian,  of  the  Academy  of 
 Halle.     He  died  in  1744.— (I.  B.) 
 
 '  William  Sherlock,  d.d.,  Dean  of  St  Paul's,  must  not  be  confounded  with 
 his  son,  Thomas  Sherlock,  Bishop  of  London,  nor  with  Dr  Richard  Sherlock, 
 author  of  "  The  Practical  Christian."  He  was  born  in  Soutlnvark  about 
 1641,  educated  at  Eton,  and  thence  removed  to  Peterhouse,  Cambridge, 
 1657.  He  became  Rector  of  St  George's,  Botolph  Lane,  London,  in  16G9  ; 
 after  which  he  was  made  successively  Prebendary  of  St  Pauls,  Master  of  the 
 Temple,  Rector  of  Therlfield,  Hertfonlshire,  and  in  1691  Dean  of  St  Pauls. 
 He  died  a.d.  1707.  He  was  a  learned  divine,  a  clear,  polite,  and  forcible 
 writer,  and  an  eloquent  jireacher.— n.  B.) 
 
THE  author's  preface.  67 
 
 "  Preservative  against  Popery,"  which  he  has  translated  into  the 
 vernacular  tongue,  under  the  title  of  "  Mantissa^  Apocalyptical 
 The  "  Critical  Examhiation"  however,  coincides  with  what  the 
 author  has  said  on  the  subject  in  his  Latin  Commentary  on  the 
 Glory  of  Christ.  I  have  thought  it  expedient,  therefore,  to  take 
 the  present  opportunity,  to  examine  the  principal  sinews  of  his 
 commentary,  and  reply  to  his  "  Critical  Examination."  As  soon 
 as  I  heard  of  the  appearance  of  that  "  Critical  Examination,"  I 
 determined  to  yield  to  truth,  if  established  by  that  most  accom- 
 plished commentator,  with  no  less  delight  than  that  with  which 
 I  should  defend  it,  if  found  on  my  own  side.  Having  made 
 myself  master  of  the  treatise,  I  found  some  things  culled  from 
 my  work  and  touched  upon,  which  either  pleased  or  displeased 
 this  author.  I  in  my  turn  will  explain,  in  what  portion  that 
 distinguished  man  has  delighted  me  by  his  assent,  or  by  his  dis- 
 sent invited  me  to  reconsider  my  opinion ;  and  as  he  has  exer- 
 cised the  greatest  courtesy  towards  me,  so  will  I  maintain  the 
 greatest  respect  towards  an  old  man,  \fhose  hospitality  I  shared 
 in  1713,  and  whose  friendship  I  have  enjoyed  ever  since. 
 
 1.  He  disagrees  with  me  especially  concerning  the  Beast,  and 
 the  Whore.—See  pp.  371-405. 
 
 Answer. — There  is,  I  grant,  a  great  difference  between  them : 
 but  in  what  that  difference  really  consists,  we  have  considered 
 in  our  annotations  on  Revelation  xiii.  1. 
 
 2.  He  infers  thence  (referring  the  reader  to  his  former  com- 
 mentaries), that  I,  no  less  than  Vitringa,  am  generally  mistaken 
 in  the  interpretation  of  the  Seven  Seals,  and  Seven  Trinnpets, 
 and,  therefore,  of  the  whole  book. — See  p.  405. 
 
 Ansicer. — My  interpretation  of  the  Beast  and  the  Whore, 
 being  vindicated,  reciprocally  supports,  and  is  supported  by  the 
 remaining  portions  of  my  exposition.  There  are  many  things, 
 of  which  the  "  Critical  Examination"  has  given  plausible  ex- 
 planations (pp.  371,  sqq.,  394,  sqq.,  400,  sqq.),  but  they  do  not 
 interfere  with  me  ;  for  I  myself  acknowledge  them  as  true.  A 
 discussion  of  the  mattei's  in  dispute  would  have  been  much  more 
 desirable.  I  find,  however,  something  which  astonishes  me.  1 
 had  examined  in  my  book,  pp.  500-504,  the  main  features  of 
 the  Apocalyptic  system  set  forth  by  Dr  Lange,  mentioning  the 
 *  Mantissa,  a  Tuscan  word  :  a  mahe-weight,  and  so,  a  gain. — Ed. 
 
68  THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE. 
 
 author  by  name,  and  I  had  written  there  these  words — "  Whoso- 
 ever  seeks  the  truth,  should  most  diligently  examine  this"  And 
 yet,  he  is  entirely  silent  on  the  whole  of  that  my  examination, 
 nor  does  he  even  touch  upon  pp.  107,  108,  123,  124,  214,  215, 
 285,  295,  and  by  far  the  greater  part  of  those,  which  I  had  col- 
 lected in  the  seventh  section  of  my  Preface.  He  says,  that  he 
 has  read  the  book  through  :  otherwise,  I  should  have  thought  it 
 cleai*,  that  he  had  only  gleaned  some  portions  of  it  in  a  cursory 
 manner.  I  indeed  desire,  that  those  passages,  referred  to  above, 
 should  be  considered  as  entirely  and  formally  reasserted  on  the 
 present  occasion  :  for  they  presuppose  that  I  had  carefully  ex- 
 amined the  commentaries  of  this  distinguished  author,  and  dili- 
 gently avoided  the  errors  which  he  refutes  in  Vitringa.  Besides 
 which,  I  have  temperately  stated  in  my  annotations  on  the 
 Apocal}'pse,  contained  in  the  present  work,  what  is  the  nature 
 of  that  distinguished  man's  interpretation  on  the  Seals,  the 
 Trumpets,  and  the  other  parts,  where  it  possesses  any  sineu'. — See 
 the  Notes  on  iv.  1,  etc. 
 
 3.  He  thinks  (j).  400),  that  I  have  placed  the  commencement 
 of  the  three  woes,  especially  of  the  third  woe,  too  early. 
 
 I  have  answered  this  objection  in  the  Notes  on  Rev.  viii,  K>. 
 
 4.  He  agrees  with  me,  on  the  Two  Witnesses,  the  Great  Citi/, 
 and  the  Kingdom. — See  pp.  406,  seqq. 
 
 5.  He  approves  of  my  exposition  of  ch.  xii.,  as  far  as  regards 
 the  future  :  as  far  as  regards  the  past  he  does  not  (p.  408)  ap- 
 prove of  it. 
 
 Concerning  the  past,  see  my  Notes  on  xii.  5. 
 
 6.  He  cordially  adopts  (pp.  409-421)  my  views  on  the  Con- 
 version of  the  Axitio7is,  the  Futui^e  Millennium  (though  he  only 
 admits  one)  and  the  First  Resurrection.  And  in  this  part  espe- 
 cially, he  has  freed  the  prophecy  from  the  Equuleus  Ilermeneu- 
 flcus,^  which  he  so  frequently  speaks  of  lie  seeks,  however,  to 
 vindicate  the  consistency  of  the  language,  used  in  Scripture  con- 
 cerning the  last  times  (which  are  described  both  as  bad  and 
 good),  by  asserting  a  twofold  advent  of  Christ ;  conceiving,  that 
 
 ■  Equuleus  IIerme7ieuticus — A  quaint  expression  signifying  literally  "  An 
 instrument  of  torture  applied  to  the  interpretation  of  prophecy."  Tl.e 
 Equuleus  was  so  called  from  its  being  shaped  like  a  horse. — (I.  B.)  The 
 iiiterjjreter's  rack. — Ed. 
 
THE  author's  preface.  59 
 
 tliG  bad  will  be  before  the  first  of  these  two  advents,  the  good  in 
 the  ISiillenninm  (see  his  commentary  on  the  Apocah^se,  p.  239) : 
 although  that  consistency  cannot  be  maintained  (if  we  are  to 
 retain  our  belief  in  the  unity  of  Christ's  advent),  except  by 
 supposing  two  periods  of  a  thousand  years  each,  concerning  which, 
 see  my  Notes  on  Eev.  xx.  4. 
 
 7.  He  says  (p.  421),  that  he  cannot  understand  what  I  have 
 said  on  the  other  periods  of  time,  compared  with  that  of  a  thousand 
 years. 
 
 He  has  forgotten  the  results  of  my  exposition  (pp.  127,  644, 
 etc.),  obtained  by  a  correct  analysis  of  the  different  periods. 
 Those,  who  acknowledge  the  accuracy  of  this  analysis,  perceive 
 that  the  examination  of  prophecy  is  especially  necessary  for  the 
 present  age  (cf.  Beiirtheilung,  pp.  409,  410) :  those  who  do 
 not  acknowledge  the  acciu'acy  of  that  analysis,  float  about  [with- 
 out chart  or  compass]  in  a  long  expanse  of  ages  :  for  that  hypo- 
 thesis, which  is  chiefly  maintained  by  the  Theologian  of  Halle, 
 involving  the  notion,  that  the  forty-two  months  of  the  Beast 
 denote  three  and  a  half  common  years,  defers  those  three  and  a 
 half  years,  and  the  subsequent  floirrishing  state  of  the  Church, 
 two  centuries  and  more. — See  ErHdrung  Offenharimgs,  pp.  oOo, 
 504.  Were  such  an  expectation  well-founded,  it  would  be  more 
 profitable  as  yet  to  meditate  upon  other  points,  and  to  give  our 
 attention  to  those  prophecies,  which  refer  to  the  present  time. 
 
 8.  The  venerable  theologian  has  condescended  to  quote  long 
 passages  from  my  book  concerning  those  chapters,  in  which  he 
 finds  that  I  agree  with  him,  and  justly  declares  the  victory  of 
 truth. — See  p.  422.  That  it  is  not,  however,  an  examination  of 
 my  whole  work,  the  heads  just  mentioned  clearly  show :  for  they 
 deal  with  very  few  chapters  of  the  Apocal;ypse,  and  leave  the 
 remainder  almost  untouched.  He  was  at  liberty  to  take  his  own 
 course  in  the  matter ;  but  it  is  the  reader's  interest  to  know  that  I 
 have  treated  there  of  many  other  subjects,  such  as  The  Flux  of 
 things  from  the  Invisible  to  the  Visible,  and  their  Reflux  from  the 
 Visible  to  the  Invisible;  the  difference  of  the  Seven  Angels,  Churches, 
 Seals,  Trumpets,  Phials;  the  Division  of  the  Septenaries  into  Fours 
 and  Threes ;  the  Progress  of  affairs  from  East  to  West,  etc.  On 
 account  of  the  subjects  so  ably  handled  by  the  venerable  divine  in 
 question,  I  should  not  myself  have  published  an  exposition  of  tho 
 
60  THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE. 
 
 Apocalypse,  had  I  not  felt  sure  that  somewhat  had  trickled  fi'om 
 the  inexhaustible  fountain  of  Apocalyptical  Wisdom  into  my 
 channel,  which  it  became  my  duty  to  communicate  to  the  world 
 at  large. 
 
 9.  With  singular  kindness  he  declares  his  opinion  (p.  428), 
 that  I  may  be  able  to  produce  something  towards  interpreting 
 the  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament.  He  adds,  hoAvever,  and 
 I  acknowledge  it,  that  my  system  requires  to  be  more  carefully 
 finished  off.  By  the  assistance  of  the  Apocalypse,  which  is  not 
 sealed,  Daniel  who  was  sealed,  and  the  other  prophets,  who 
 described  the  mystery  of  God,  will  be  laid  open.  But  those 
 particulars,  which  he  thinks  I  ought  to  retract,  will  never  prevent 
 the  true  comparison  of  that  book  with  the  prophecies  of  the  Old 
 Testament. 
 
 10.  I  am  the  more  firmly  convinced  of  this  by  my  Ordo  Tem- 
 porum,  which  he  so  warmly  welcomed.  That  compendium  has 
 an  intimate  connection  with  both  my  expositions  of  the  Apoca- 
 lypse, having  been  published  between  the  two,  exhibiting,  as  it 
 does,  one  chain  of  historic  and  prophetic  periods,  perpetually 
 intertwined  with  each  other. 
 
 I  have  evoked  all  my  iu-Tn'/'^sia  and  docility,  that  I  might  be 
 ready  even  now  to  abandon  with  a  good  grace  any  error  AA'hich  the 
 aged  interpreter  should  prove  me  to  have  adopted.  I  find  myself 
 unable,  however,  without  flattery,  which  I  know  him  to  abhor, 
 to  change  my  opinion :  and,  if  such  be  the  will  of  God,  I  will 
 hereafter  submit  for  his  consideration  some  observations,  in  the 
 German  language,  which  we  have  both  of  us  made  use  of, 
 together  with  the  Latin.  For  there  is  a  just,  and  shortly  to  he 
 satisfied  expectation,  of  certain  things,  by  which  the  application  of 
 prophecy  to  our  age  will  he  rendered  more  distinct,  and  a  facility 
 he  afforded  of  combining  many  useful  things  in  one  composition. 
 We  lioth  search  sincerely  for  truth :  his  affection  for  me,  and 
 my  reverence  for  him,  are  augmented  instead  of  being  diminished, 
 by  the  candour  of  the  one,  and  the  foi'bearance  of  the  other. 
 Nor  is  our  very  disagi'eement  on  the  interpretation  of  certain 
 chapters  without  its  advantage :  for  in  proportion  as  our  adher- 
 ence to  our  several  opinions,  whore  they  differ,  is  the  more  wn- 
 bending,  so  much  the  more  ought  our  agreement  on  other  points 
 to  induce  the  spectators  of  this  most  friendly  contest  to  examine 
 
THE  AUTHOR  S  PREFACE.  61 
 
 the  whole  matter  in  question  ;  and  whosoever  shall  consider  tlie 
 arguments  of  this  veteran  interpreter  to  be  satisfactory  in  this 
 instance,  will  be  the  less  easily  terrified  by  the  attacks  of  others 
 on  my  Apocalyptical  views.  The  matter  will  become  clearer 
 hereafter  as  I  had  said  ^  in  sec.  xv.  of  the  Preface  to  the  work 
 under  consideration.  In  the  meantime  I  wish  fi^om  my  heart, 
 that  the  Theologian  of  Halle  in  his  Biblia  Parenthetica,  or  any 
 other  subsequent  commentaries,  may  by  the  grace  of  God  be 
 enabled  to  explain,  in  accordance  with  the  Divine  meaning,  these 
 portions  of  prophecy.  And  I  wish,  since  so  many  depend  on  his 
 authority,  that,  after  considering  the  matter  more  maturely,  as 
 far  as  his  precious  hours  permit,  he  would  declare  whether  he 
 wishes  to  be  considered  by  a  more  enlightened  posterity,  as  the 
 assailant  or  supporter  of  those  parts  of  my  system,  which  he  has 
 condemned  in  his  Beurtheilung.  I  am  not  influenced  in  this 
 matter  by  any  spirit  of  ambitious  contention,  but  by  the  gravity 
 and  urgency  of  the  matter.  He  will  deserve  as  well  of  the 
 Church  by  writing  a  single  sentence,  as  a  volume  on  this  ques- 
 tion. I  shall  feel  no  shame  at  the  triumph  of  truth.  In  co]i- 
 clusion,  I  will  put  forward  a  thing,  which  alone  will  be  sufficient 
 to  decide  the  matter  :  his  too  eager  interpretation  of  the  half- 
 hour,"  for  a  millennary  period  (firmly  established  in  its  proper 
 place),  has  plainly  introduced  the  whole  system,  of  which  the 
 Theologian  of  Halle  is  so  strenuous  a  defender.  If  that  inter- 
 pretation falls  to  the  ground,  this  system  will  yield  to  truth. 
 
 The  opinions,  which  others  have  expressed  with  regard  to  my 
 commentary  on  this  book,  are  exceedingly  various.  With  some, 
 I  shall  scarcely  be  able  to  redeem,  by  my  other  labours,  the  blame 
 which  they  consider  me  to  have  incurred  by  my  prophetical  re- 
 searches. Some  are  said  to  be  dissatisfied  with  my  calculations : 
 they  seek,  forsooth,  mathematical  prae-excellence^  and  soar  far 
 above  our  humble  path  :  for  we  are  satisfied  with  the  rudiments 
 
 ^  "  A  greater  degree  of  knowledge  awaits  posterity.  To  them  much  that 
 is  now  made  little  account  of  will  serve  for  a  foundation  on  which  to  build 
 more  ;  much  that  is  now  current  will  no  longer  pass  ;  and  many  proofs  that 
 to  most  men  seem  not  sufficient  now,  will  then  be  more  than  enough." — 
 Loc.  cit.  Robertson\  Translation. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  See  Rev.  viii.  I (I.  B.) 
 
 2  In  the  original, — "Sublimitatem  videlicet  mathematicara  quserunt." — 
 (I.  B.) 
 
62  THE  AUTUOR's  PREFACE. 
 
 of  Aritlimetic,  provided  the  fractions  be  carefully  observed. 
 Many  others,  nay  by  far  the  greater  number,  laying  aside  the 
 labour  of  investigation,  proceed  with  greater  ease  and  celerity, 
 and  fancy  that  they  are  riding  in  port,  when  in  reality  they  are 
 at  sea  with  their  eyes  shut.  Let  them  consider  well  what  they 
 are  about ;  Truth  is  of  too  noble  a  nature  to  force  herself  upon 
 the  notice  of  mankind.  I  have  nothing  new  to  say  on  her  be- 
 half. I  still  employ  this  defence ;  Pray,  place  the  Holy  Scrip- 
 ture before  you  on  the  desk  of  your  heart,  and  acquaint  yourself 
 with  the  WHOLE  matter,  before  you  arrive  at  a  decision.  "  Happy 
 is  he,  that  speaketh  in  the  ears  of  them,  that  will  hear." — Eccle- 
 siasticus  xxv.  9. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 No  one  has  as  yet  called  my  orthodoxy  in  question.  Who- 
 ever has  examined  my  writings,  must  acknowledge  that  I  have 
 followed  Scripture,  not  only  in  doctrines,  but  even  in  words,  Avith 
 a  religious  exactness,  which  even  to  good  men  seems  scarcely 
 removed  from  superstition.  For  I  consider,  that  no  aberration 
 from  the  line  of  Truth  laid  down  in  Scripture,  hoAvever  slight, 
 is  so  unimportant,  but  that  the  full  and  simple  recognition  of 
 the  Truth,  corresponding  with  the  knowledge  of  God,  expressed 
 according  to  His  direction,  and  agreeable  to  His  glorj^,  is  to  be 
 prefen-ed  to  it. — Truth  is  one;  [incapable  of  diminution,  or 
 division]  and  consistent  with  itself  in  its  greatest,  and  in  its 
 least  parts.  It  is  the  reader's  duty,  therefore,  to  think  well  of 
 me,  until  I  am  proved  guilty  of  error  by  some  one  who  does  not 
 err  himself  in  accusing  me.  It  too  frequently  happens,  that  one 
 man  attributes  to  another  a  pernicious  opinion,  which  both 
 equally  abhor,  and  thus  by  a  short  and  hasty  assertion  places  a 
 stumbling-block  in  the  way  of  a  thousand  others.  What  I  con- 
 sider the  reader's  duty,  what  my  own,  in  such  a  case,  I  have 
 declared  in  sect.  xiii.  of  the  preface  to  my  German  Exposition 
 of  the  Apocal}^se. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 Those,  who  have  learnt,  or  are  learning  Greek,  cannot  fail  to 
 derive  great  advantage  from  the  present  work.     I  wish,   how- 
 
THE  ATTTIIOR  S  PKEFACE.  Gr, 
 
 ever,  to  be  of  service  also  to  other  lovers  of  truth.  And  they 
 will  see,  that  I  have  endeavoured  to  hinder  them,  as  little  as 
 possible,  by  the  introduction  (at  times  necessary)  of  Greek  words. 
 For  I  have  prefixed  the  Greek  words  of  the  text,  without  the 
 Latin,  to  those  annotations  only,  which  are  of  a  merely  verbal 
 class  ;  whereas  I  have  introduced  the  Latin,  as  well  as  the  Greek, 
 where  they  concern  the  subject :  in  some  instances,  the  Latin 
 words  are  put  instead  of  the  original  Greek,  in  some  instances 
 added  to  explain  it.  The  Latin  words  of  the  text  have  been 
 taken  from  the  Vulgate  and  other  translations,  or  employed  now 
 for  the  first  time  to  express  those  of  the  original,  and  they  are 
 generally  put  in  that  case,  which  the  Latin  context  requires, 
 although  it  be  different  in  the  original  Greek : — and  I  have 
 selected  such  words  and  phrases,  as,  even  with  some  derogation 
 from  pure  Latinity,  would  render  the  native  force  of  the  Greek, 
 as  closely  as  possible.^ 
 
 xxni. 
 
 In  the  rest  of  my  language,  throughout  this  work,  I  have  used 
 tliat  form  of  Latin  expression,  which  seemed  best  suited  to  this 
 kind  of  commentary,  without  either  too  rude  a  contempt  or  too 
 servile  a  devotion  to  Latinity,  which  is  frequently  violated  by 
 those  who  profess  to  cultivate  it  most  fondly,  to  the  extreme 
 disgust  of  those  who  are  at  all  really  acquainted  with  classical 
 Latin.^ 
 
 ^  I  have,  when  it  seemed  advisable,  put  the  Greek  words  where  Bengel 
 had  put  only  Latin,  and  in  every  case  where  it  was  possible  to  do  so,  I  have 
 given  an  English  translation  of  the  Greek  words  even  when  no  translation 
 is  given  by  Bengel.  In  these  cases  I  have  derived,  as  elsewhere,  great  as- 
 sistance from  Bengel's  own  German  version  of  the  New  Testament,  which  I 
 succeeded  in  obtaining  after  a  long  search.  In  these  as  well  as  other  in- 
 stances, it  has  been  my  endeavour  to  render  the  word,  phrase,  or  particle, 
 not  as  I  should  render  it,  but  as  Bengel  would  have  done.  I  have  also 
 added  interpretations  to  the  Hebrew  words,  etc.,  cited  by  Bengel,  where  he 
 has  omitted  to  do  so,  and  in  every  instance  I  have  selected  those  renderings 
 which  appeared  most  in  accordance  with  Bengel's  own  meaning  and  inten- 
 tion, without  the  slightest  regard  to  the  opinions  of  other  commentators. — 
 (I.  B.) 
 
 *  In  the  original, — "  Qui  aliquid  vcrnaculse  latinitatis  olfecerunt.'' — (I.  B.) 
 
64  THE  AUTHOR  S  TREFACE. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 Technical  terms'  occur  tlirougliout  this  work,  such  as  Antliy- 
 pophora,  Apodioxis,  Asyndeton.,  h  dia  dvoTv,  Epiplionema,  Epitasis, 
 Ethopoeia,  Hypallage,  Litotes,  Mimesis,  Oxymoron,  Ploce,  Upo- 
 '^ipuTs/a  xcci  'E-TTi^spavila,  Prosopopoeia,  Sejugat'io,  Zeugma,  etc.  : 
 in  which  cases,  the  reader  must  be  warned,  not  to  pass  by  with- 
 out consideration  an  annotation,  reduced  to  a  compendious  form 
 by  technical  terms,  but  more  useful  than  he  supposes  :  as  for 
 example  that  on  John  x.  27,  28.  Especial  advantage,  however, 
 is  obtained  from  a  consideration  of  the  oratio  concisa,  or  semidu- 
 plex  derived  from  the  Hebrew  style,  and  the  yjacihli;,  which  is  of 
 the  greatest  service  in  explaining  the  economy  of  the  whole  e})istl(' 
 to  the  Hebrews.  The  Index  contains  examples  of  both  figures. 
 It  would  have  taken  too  much  space  to  have  expressed  such 
 things  in  every  instance  by  a  periphrasis.  Those,  therefore, 
 who  are  at  fault  with  any  figure,  must  seek  for  its  meaning  else- 
 where. The  Annotations  are  written  either  in  the  person  of  the 
 author  {i.e.  of  him,  whose  words  are  contained  in  the  text),  or 
 in  that  of  the  commentator. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 Where  there  is  any  difficulty,  I  am  sufficiently  difiPuse  :  for 
 the  most  part,  however,  I  am  brief,  because  the  subject  is  fre- 
 quently plain  and  easy,  especially  in  narratives, — because  I 
 usually  introduce  observations  illustrative  of  many  passages,  not 
 in  every  passage  to  which  they  apply,  but  in  the  first  which 
 occurs, — because  I  have  already  treated  elsewhere  of  many 
 things,  which  it  was  unnecessary  to  repeat  here  (See  Sections 
 
 ^  I  have  endeavoured  to  get  rid  of  them  wherever  I  could  do  so  consis- 
 tently with  conciseness  and  accuracy,  as  they  often  serve  only  to  encumber 
 the  text,  and  would,  I  fear,  remind  the  general  reader  of  the  Bourge<.is 
 Gentilhomrae's  astonishment  at  finding  that  he  had  been  all  his  life  speakiiii,' 
 prose. 
 
 A  full  explanation  of  all  the  technical  terms  which  occur  in  the  course  of 
 the  work  is  given  in  the  Appendix  to  the  last  volume.— (I.  B.) 
 
THE  author's  preface.  65 
 
 viii.,  xix.,  xxi.), — because  many  tliin^rs,  which  relate  to  the  division, 
 connection,  and  punctuation  of  the  Text,  may  be  discovered  bv 
 merely  looking  at  the  Text  itself,  or  my  revision  of  it  (See  Sect, 
 xi.), — because  those  things,  which  regard  the  Analysis  of  each 
 book,  are  clearly  set  forth  in  the  tables  prefixed  to  them,  and 
 cannot  be  easily  repeated  in  the  notes  (See  Sect,  xiii.), — because 
 I  usually  declare  the  simple  truth,  without  a  labyrinth  of  many 
 opinions  (See  Sect,  xvii.), — because  many  things  are  compressed 
 into  small  compass  by  the  aid  of  technical  terms  (See  Sect.  xxiv.). 
 Hence  it  comes  to  pass,  that  this  volume,  though  intended  to 
 illustrate  the  whole  of  the  New  Testament,  is  small  in  size,  and 
 less  in  weight,  than  many  commentaries  on  single  books  of  the 
 New  Testament.  I  have  not  thought  it  necessary  to  subjoin 
 Practical  applications,  ^'usvs,"  as  they  are  termed,  to  each 
 chapter ;  for  he  who  submi*- j  himself  to  the  constraining  influence 
 of  Divine  Love  in  the  search  after  Divine  Truth,  imbibes  from 
 the  Divine  Words,  when  he  has  once  perceived  their  meaning, 
 all  things  profitable  for  salvation,  without  labour,  and  without 
 stimulus.  They,  however,  who  read  rightly,  that  is  to  say,  so  as 
 carefully  to  weigh  all  things,  and  are  simply  occupied  with  tho 
 Text,  instead  of  being  led  away  fi'om  it,  will  find  some  assistance, 
 Ave  trust,  from  this  work,  in  arriving  at  the  full  meaning  of 
 Scripture,  and  more  especially  with  regard  to  those  matters, 
 w^hich  we  have  spoken  of  in  sect.  iv.  Nor  will  the  Indexes  at 
 the  end  of  the  work  be  without  their  use.  I  will  not  add  more, 
 either  in  commendation,  or  excuse  of  my  work.  I  will  only 
 make  this  one  reqviest  to  you,  Reader  ; — if  you  should  ever  meet 
 with  an  exegetical  commentary  on  the  whole  New  Testament, 
 or  any  part  of  it,  beside  which  our  Gnomon  appears  to  you 
 superfluous,  compare  the  two  works  together  on  a  si7igle  portion 
 or  chapter,  e.g.  Matthew  xxiv. ;  Acts  xiii. ;  Romans  xii. ; 
 Hebrews  xii. ;  1  Peter  iii. ;  or  Revelation  x. ;  and  then,  and  not 
 till  then,  form  your  judgment.  I  n.ust  mention  in  tliis  place 
 Philip  David  Burk,^  who  has  not  only  greatly  assisted  me,  both 
 
 ^  This  individual  (author  nf  the  Gnomon  to  the  twelve  minor  propl'i'fs, 
 published  at  Heilbronn  in  1753,  and  at  present  pastor  of  the  Church  of 
 Markgriiningen,  and  special  superintendent  of  the  neighbouring  parishes) 
 has  revised  this  second  edition  of  tlie  Gnomon  of  the  New  Testament,  lias 
 added  the  autlior's  latest  labours  from  his  manuscript  slieets,  carefully     ■•  .i- 
 
 VOL.  I.  E 
 
66 
 
 THE  author's  preface. 
 
 by  neatly  transcribing  my  Apocalyptical  Treatise,  Ordo  Tem- 
 porum,  and  Gnomon,  and  by  bis  dexterity  in  making  researcbes 
 and  solving  difficulties,  so  tbat  I  bave  been  enabled  to  explain 
 many  tilings  witli  more  facility,  tban  I  otherwise  sbould  bave 
 done ; — but  wbo  lias  also  become  so  fully  acquainted  with  my 
 thoughts  and  feelings,  by  the  daily  intercourse  of  many  years, 
 that  he  is  fully  competent  to  answer  in  my  stead  as  Ico-^uy^og,^  on 
 various  subjects,  if  applied  to  even  after  my  departure  by  those 
 who  will  perhaps  take  a  greater  interest  in  them  then,  than  they 
 do  now. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 In  the  Preface  to  my  Larger  Edition  of  the  New  Testament, 
 I  thought  it  advisable  to  divide  my  Exegetical  Notes  so,  as  to 
 explain  philological  questions  in  Latin,  practical  matters  in  Ger- 
 man. I  have  since  found  that  the  one  class  of  subjects  could 
 not  be  separated  from  the  other,  without  great  difficulty  and 
 inconvenience  :  and  I  have  therefore  joined  them  together  in 
 this  Gnomon.  It  is  consequently  less  necessary  for  me  to  hurry 
 the  publication  of  the  German  work,  which  I  have  in  contem- 
 ])lation  :  for  I  have  determined  to  bring  out  in  German,^  anno- 
 tations on  the  whole  New  Testament,  suited  more  exclusively 
 ibr  mere  edification.  What  may  be  the  progress,  what  the  result 
 of  this  undertaking,  whether  I  live  or  sleep, — I  commit  to  GoD. 
 As  to  the  rest,  I  should  not  now  venture  to  commence  any 
 new  work  of  length.     Many  examples  have  lately  occuri'cd  of 
 
 mined,  and  introduced  through  the  work  many  valuable  annotalicins  from 
 the  Clavicula  which  the  New  Prologue  to  the  New  Testament  had  pro- 
 mised :  lie  now  commends  this  work  to  the  grace  of  God  and  the  kind  and 
 careful  consideration  of  the  Christian  reader. — 2Gth  February  1759. — Note 
 to  the  Edition  o/'1759. 
 
 The  Clavicula  Novi  Testamenti,  literally  Little  Key  of  the  New  Testament, 
 is  published  as  number  XIII.  of  the  Appendix  or  fourth  Part  of  the  Second 
 Edition  of  the  Apparatus  Criticus. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  laotpvxo; — from  i'aog  equal,  and  ^pv^cvi,  soul— i.e.,  one  whose  soul  is  equiva- 
 lent to  my  own. — (I.  B.) 
 
 -  This  German  version  of  the  New  Testament  with  annotations  suited 
 rather  for  mere  edification,  was  published  at  Stuttgard  A.D.  IToS,  shortly 
 after  his  death. — Note  to  the  Edition  o/Kr/J. 
 
THE  author's  preface.  67 
 
 men,  who,  after  a  life  spent  in  literary  avocations,  have  been 
 overtaken  by  imbecility.  Whatsoever  remains  to  me  and  my 
 contemporaries  of  life  or  strength,  I  recognise  as  a  debt  overdue, 
 and  I  adopt  the  words  of  David — "  Grant  that  I  may  recover 
 myself,  before  I  go  hence,  and  he  no  more."" 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 The  multifarious  abuse,  or  I  should  rather  say  nefarious  con- 
 tempt of  Holy  Scripture  has,  in  our  days,  reached  its  climax,  and 
 that  not  only  with  the  profane,  but  even  with  those,  who  in  their 
 own  opinion  are  wise,  nay  spiritual.  The  rE'rPAIlTAI,  "It  is 
 WRITTEN,"  wherewith  the  Son  of  GoD  Himself,  in  His  single 
 combat  with  Satan,  defeated  all  his  assaults,  has  come  to  be  held 
 so  cheap,  that  those,  who  feed  upon  Scripture  wJiole  and  alone,  are 
 considered  to  dote  or  to  want  soul.  Thus  will  the  False  Prophet, 
 at  his  coming,  find  the  gates  standing  open.  And  well-inten- 
 tioned writers  too  emulously  produce  practical  treatises,  prayers, 
 hymns,  soliloquies,  religious  tales.  Singly,  they  may  be  exceed- 
 ingly useful :  but  the  mass  of  them  when  taken  together,  draws 
 away  many  from  the  Book  OF  GoD,  that  is  the  Scripture,  which 
 in  itself  combines,  in  the  utmost  plenitude  and  purity,  all  that 
 is  serviceable  to  the  soul's  health.  Let  those,  who  prove  all 
 things  that  are  best,  preserve  the  Heavenly  Deposit,  which  God, 
 by  writings  gradually  increasing  in  clearness  and  explicitness, 
 has  given,  not  in  vain,  fi-om  the  time  of  Moses  doAvn  to  that  of 
 the  Apostles.  Then,  if  any  one  thinks,  that  he  has  received  from 
 this  work  of  mine  any  aid  towards  the  saving  treatment  of  Scrip- 
 ture, let  him  employ  it  for  the  glory  of  God,  for  his  own  edifica- 
 tion and  that  of  others, — and  pray  for  a  blessing  upon  me. 
 
 END  OF  THE  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 
 
 TEANSLATOE'S  NOTE. 
 
 N.B. — I  have  very  great  pleasure  in  acknowledging  my  obli- 
 gations to  the  following  very  valuable  works,  fi'om  which  I  have 
 translated,  copied,  abridged  or  compiled  many  of  the  Foot-notes 
 
m  translator's  note. 
 
 appended  to  The  Author's  Preface  and  The  Commentary  on  St 
 Matthew. 
 
 DiCTioNNAiRE  Historique,  Critique,  Chronologique,  Geogra- 
 phique  et  Literal  De  La  Bible.  Calmet.  4  vols.  4to. 
 Geneva,  1730. 
 
 BiBLioTHECA  Sacra.    Le  Long.   4vo1s.  4to.    Halle,  1781. 
 
 Christophori  Saxii  Onomasticon  Literarium,  sive 
 Nomenclator  Historico-Criticus.  7  vols.  8vo.  Maest- 
 richt,  1790. 
 
 DiCTioNNAiRE  Universel,  Historique,  Critique,  et  BlB- 
 LiOGRAPHiQUE.  Keuvieme  Edition.  20  vols.  8vo.  Paris, 
 1810. 
 
 A  Memoir  of  the  Life  and  Writings  of  John  Albert 
 Bengel.  By  the  Rev.  John  Christian  Frederick  Burk, 
 translated  from  the  German  by  Robert  Francis  Walker. 
 8vo.     London,  1837. 
 
 An  Litroduction  to  the  Critical  Study  and  Knowledge  of  the 
 Holy  Scriptures.  By  Thomas  Hartwell  Horne.  Ninth 
 Edition.     5  vols.  8vo.     London,  1846. 
 
 The  Life  and  Epistles  of  St  Paul.  Lewin.  2  vols.  8vo. 
 London,  1851. 
 
 Cyclopaedia  Biblographica.    Darling.    London,  1854. 
 
 It  would  be  \\Tong  to  mention  this  admirable  work  without 
 acknowledging  the  promptitude  and  courtesy  with  which  !Mr 
 Darling  has  allowed  me  the  use  of  his  valuable  and  extensive 
 library. 
 
 Tregelles  on  the  Printed  Text  of  the  New  Testa3IENT. 
 London,  1854. 
 
 The  New  Testament  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
 Christ  in  the  Original  Greek,  with  Notes.  By  Chr.  AVords- 
 WORTH,  D.D.  Part  I. — The  Four  Gospels. — 4to.  London, 
 1856. 
 
 Wherever  I  have  derived  my  information  or  remarks  from 
 other  quarters,  I  have  acknowledged  them  specifically,  except 
 ■where  they  have  been  furnished  from  private  sources  or  are  the 
 result  of  my  own  studies. — (I.  B.) 
 
THE 
 
 GNOMON   OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT. 
 
 The  name  of  New  Testament  is  sometimes  given  to  that  collec- 
 tion of  sacred  writings,  in  which  the  New  Testament,  strictly  so 
 called,  is  described.  AYhat  the  New  Testament,  strictly  so 
 called,  really  is,  we  have  explained  in  our  notes  on  Matthew 
 xxvi.  28.  This  collection  may  be  divided  into  two  parts,  one  of 
 which  contains  the  writings  of  the  Evangelists  and  Apostles, 
 whilst  the  other  consists  singly  of  the  Apocah^se  of  Jesus  Christ. 
 The  former  exhibits  firstly,  the  history  of  our  Lord  from  His 
 coming  in  the  flesh,  to  His  ascension  into  heaven ;  secondly,  the 
 external  and  internal  history  of  the  Church,  as  constituted  by 
 the  apostles  after  the  ascension.  In  the  latter,  a  revelation, 
 which  stands  entirely  alone,  teaches  us  the  future  history  of 
 Christ,  the  Church,  and  the  whole  world,  even  to  the  consum- 
 mation of  all  things.  In  brief,  there  are  the  Evangelists,  the 
 Acts  and  Epistles  of  the  Apostles,  and  the  Apocalypse.  The 
 connection  and  relation  which  exist  between  these  various 
 writings,  afford  a  satisfactory  proof  of  their  perfection.  We 
 have  shown  in  our  Ordo  Tewporimi,  at  about  what  time  each 
 of  them  was  written. 
 
ANNOTATIONS 
 
 GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST  MATTHEW. 
 
 The  Evangelists  contain  the  rudiments  of  the  New  Testament. — 
 (See  John  xvi.  12.^)  Concerning  their  authority,^  see  Ephes. 
 iv.  11  ;  and  1  Peter  i.  12.  They  are  fonr  in  number— two  of 
 them,  namely  John  and  Matthew,  were  themselves  apostles,  and 
 took  part,  therefore,  in  the  things  which  they  relate :  the  other 
 two,  Mark  and  Luke,  afford,  in  their  own  persons,  an  example 
 of  faith,  having  derived  their  sure  and  accurate  knowledge  of 
 the  Gospel  fi'om  others.  Mark,  however,  presupposes  the  exist- 
 ence of  Matthew,  and,  as  it  were,  supplies  his  omissions  ;  Luke 
 does  the  same  for  both  of  them  ;  John  for  all  three.  (  Matthew, 
 an  apostle  wrote  first,*  and  thus  established  an  authority  for  both 
 Mark  and  Luke.     John,  also  an  apostle,  wrote  last,*  and  con- 
 
 1  The  Evangelists,  from  the  earliest  days  of  Christianity,  were  reckoned 
 to  he  four ;  very  many  pseudo-evangelists,  whose  writings  were  not  in  con- 
 sonance with  the  pure  faith,  having  been  rejected.  Those,  who  choose  to 
 apply  the  four  cardinal  rivers  of  Paradise,  and  many  such-like  fourfold 
 types,  especially  that  one  which  has  the  sanction  of  hoar  antiquity,  viz.,  the 
 Lion,  Ox  [or  calf],  Man,  and  Flying  Eagle  [the  Cherubim,  Rev.  iv.  7],  as 
 typical  of  the  fourfold  Gospel,  are  entitled  to  have  the  credit  of  the  sug- 
 gestion, whatever  amount  of  credit  is  due.  If  you  desire  an  exact  definition 
 of  an  Evangelist,  my  definition  would  be  a  holy  man  of  God,  who  publicly, 
 and  with  an  irrefragable  testimony,  sets  forth  to  men  a  history  of  Jesus 
 Christ,  either  by  word  of  mouth  or  in  writing. — Harm.  Ev.,  Ed.  ii.,  p. 
 34,  etc. 
 
 2  « In  which  they  are  inferior  to  the  Apostles  and  Prophets,  but  superior  to 
 Pastors  and  Teachers." — Harm.,  p.  35. 
 
 3  u  ^  fact,  which  is  evident  from  this,  that  the  title  i)yB,cci)v,  expressed  by 
 Luke  once,  ch.  iii.  1,  but  never  by  the  rest,  is,  in  the  history  of  the  passion, 
 continually  assigned  by  Matthew  to  Pilate." — Harm.,  p.  37. 
 
 *  "  And  yet,  as  is  plain  from  his  ch.  v.  2,  John  did  not  defer  writing  till 
 so  late  as  after  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem." — Harm.,  p.  38. 
 
73  BENGEL's  GNO^ION. 
 
 tirmecl  to  mankind,  more  fully,  the  works  of  Mark  and  Luke, 
 already  sufficiently  firm  in  themselves.^  ^Matthew  wrote  especi- 
 ally to  show  the  fulfilment  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  and 
 to  convince  the  Jews.  Mark  produced  an  abridgement  of 
 Matthew,  adding  at  the  same  time  many  remarkable  things 
 which  had  been  omitted  by  his  predecessor,  and  J^^ying  particu- 
 lar attention  to  the  noviciate  of  the  apostles.  Luke  composed  a 
 narrative  of  a  distinctly  historical  character,  with  especial  refer- 
 ence to  our  Lord's  office  as  Christ.  John  refuted  the  impiigners 
 of  His  divinity.  All  which  is  recorded  by  either  of  these  Four, 
 was  actually  done  and  said  by  Jesus  Christ.  But  they  severally 
 drew  from  a  common  treasury  those  particulars,  of  which  each 
 had  the  fullest  knowledge,  which  corresponded  to  his  own 
 spiritual  character,  and  which  were  best  suited  to  the  time  when 
 he  wrote,  and  to  the  persons  whom  he  primarily  addressed. 
 Chrysostom,  at  the  commencement  of  his  second  homily  on  the 
 Epistle  to  the  Eomans,  says, — Moses  has  not  prefixed  his  name 
 to  the  five  booh  which  he  wrote.  Nor  have  Matthew,  John,  Luhe, 
 nor  Mark,  to  the  Gospels  written  hy  them.  Why  so  f  Writing,  as 
 they  did,  for  those  who  ivere  present,  it  was  not  necessary  for 
 them  to  indicate  themselves,  being  also  present. 
 
 The  term  Gospel  has  several  significations,  which,  though 
 cognate,  are  not  identical.  (1.)  The  Good  Neics  itself  concern- 
 ing Jesus  Christ,  which  was  communicated  by  Jesus  Christ 
 Himself,  His  forerunner,  His  apostles,  and  other  witnesses,  first 
 to  the  Jews,  then  to  the  whole  human  race.  (2.)  The  whole 
 office  and  system  of  propagating  that  Good  News,  either  by 
 preaching  or  writing  :  in  which  sense,  for  example,  we  find  the 
 expression  "  my  Gospel,"  sc.  that  of  Paul,  in  2  Timothy  ii.  8. 
 
 1  "  Ahhougli  there  is  a  yenerallj^  prevalent,  but  not  well  enough  established 
 opinion,  that  Matthew  ivrote  in  the  eighth  year  after  the  Ascension,  Mark  in 
 the  tenth,  Luke  in  the  fifteenth ,  and  lastly  John,  in  the  thirty-third."— Harm., 
 
 p.  37. 
 
 -  Moreover,  if  you  join  together  the  testimonies  of  John  and  Matthew, 
 and  also  those  of  Mark  and  Luke,  you  will  have  the  full  range  of  the  whole 
 conversation,  acts,  and  words  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  beginning,  progress,  and 
 end,  as  also  all  the  alternations  [vicissitudines],  which  one  may  observe,  in 
 the  disciples,  in  the  people,  in  His  adversaries,  and,  owing  to  the  different 
 treatment  these  needed,  in  the  Saviour  Himself,  if  only  you  pny  attention  to 
 method.— //an».,  pp.  38,  39. 
 
ST  MATTHEW.  T8 
 
 (3.)  By  a  still  further  metonymy/  the  written  remains  of  those 
 who  have  committed  the  Gospel  narrative  to  writing.  If  yon 
 wish,  in  Greek,  to  name  at  once  the  four  books,  which  Tertullian 
 styles  the  Gospel  Engine  {JEvangelicum  Instrumentum),  yon  ought 
 in  strictness  to  make  use  of  the  singular  number,  and  say,  rb  xard 
 Mar^aTbv,  xara  Mdp-/,ov,  x.r.X.  E-JOcyyiXiov  (the  Gospel  according  to 
 Matthew,  according  to  Mark,  etc.^),  not  in  the  plural  (ra  x.t-./.. 
 EvayysXia,  the  Gospels),  except  perhaps  for  the  sake  of  brevity. 
 For  the  subject  of  all  four  is  one  and  the  same ;  though  treated 
 in  one  manner  xara  Mar^aTov,  i.e.,  as  far  as  Matthew  is  concerned, 
 according  to  Matthew,  by  Mattheic,  as  Matthew  treated  it ;  in  an- 
 other manner  -/Mra  Mdpxov :  etc. — Cf.  -/.ard,  Acts  xxvii.  7,  fin. — 
 Nevertheless,  as  in  Genesis,  the  first  word  which  occurs  is 
 Bereschith  (which  was  afterwards  adopted  as  the  title),  so  the 
 first  word  written  by  Matthew  was  jS/'/SXog,  Book,  or  Roll  (see 
 Gnomon  on  ISIatthew  i.  1) ;  by  Mark  dpyji,  the  Beginning  (see 
 Gnomon  on  Mark  i.  1),  and  so  on.  The  appellation,  however, 
 of  Gospel,  as  a  title  for  the  book  itself,  occurs  in  the  most 
 ancient  fathers.  By  the  same  authorities,  Matthew  is  said  to 
 have  written  his  Gospel  in  Hebrew.  Why  should  he  not  have 
 written  the  same  woriv,  the  same  Avithout  the  slightest  varia- 
 tion, in  Greek  as  well  as  in  Hebrew,  even  though  he  did  not, 
 strictly  speaking,  translate  it  from  the  one  language  into  the 
 other  ? — Cf  Jeremiah  li.  63,  xxxvi.  28,  and  the  annotations  of 
 Franzius''  on  that  passage  (De  Interp.  S.S.,  p.  504);  see  also 
 La  Vie  de  Madame  Guion,"  pt.  ii.,  p.  229. — We  now  proceed 
 to  frive  the  followinfr 
 
 o  o 
 
 ^  See  explanation  of  technical  terms.  See  also  Home's  Introduction, 
 vol.  ii.,  pp.  454-46].— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  i.e..  There  is  but  one  Gospel,  with  s,  fourfold  aspect. — Ed. 
 
 3  Franzius,  Wolfgang,  D.D.,  a  Lutheran  divine.  Born  1564.  Educated  at 
 Frankfort-on-the-Oder,  and  afterwards  removed  to  Wittemberg,  where,  in 
 1598,  he  was  appointed  Professor  of  History,  and  afterwards  of  Theology. 
 Died  1628.  He  wrote,  besides  other  works,  Tractatus  de  Interpretatio7ie  S. 
 Scripturarum. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Her  life  is  said  to  be  written  by  herself,  but  believed  to  have  been 
 compiled  from  her  papers  by  the  Abbe  de  Brion.  Querard  says  of  her,  in 
 La  France  Litteraire,  "  Guyon  (Mme.  Jeanne-Marie  Bouvieres  de  la  Mothe) 
 celebre  par  sa  mysticite  et  plus  encore  par  la  dispute  qu'elle  fit  naitre  entro 
 Bossuet  et  Fenelon  sur  le  quietisme:  nee  i  Montargis  en  1648,  raorte  a 
 Blois  le  9  Juin,  1717.— (I.  B.) 
 
SYNOPSIS 
 
 GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST  MATTHEW. 
 
 1.   The    Nativity,    and   tlie    matters  immediately 
 following. 
 
 a.  The  Genealogy :      .              .  .         Cli.  i.    1-17 
 
 /3.  The  Generation :    .             .  .                    18-25 
 
 7.  The  Magi :              .             .  .               ii.    1-12 
 
 h.  Tlie  Flight  and  Retiu-n. 
 
 II.  Our  Lord's  Entrance  on  His  Ministry. 
 
 a.  John  the  Baptist : 
 
 /3.  The  Baptism  of  Jesus  : 
 
 7.  His  Temptation  and  Victory. 
 
 III.  The  deeds  and  words,  by  ichich  Jems  proved 
 Himself  to  he  Christ. 
 
 'At  Capernaum  :  . 
 
 Where  must  be  remarked, 
 
 1.  His  Preaching, 
 
 2.  The  Call  of  Peter,  Andrew,  James, 
 and  John, 
 
 3.  His    Preaching    and    Healing,    the 
 conflux  of  Multitudes, 
 
 4.  The  Sermon  on  the  Mount,      .        v.- 
 
 5.  The  Leper, 
 
 6.  The  Centurion  and  his  servant, 
 
 7.  Peter's  mother-in-law, 
 1^8.  Many  sick  persons. 
 
 /S.    TThe  voyage  across  the  sea;  the  two  in- 
 
 dividualswarned  concerning  following 
 
 Christ ;  the  command  exercised  over 
 
 the   wind    and    the  sea :    the    devils 
 
 L  ^  [migrating  from  men  into  swine.    . 
 
 13-23 
 
 iii.    1-12 
 
 13-17 
 
 iv.    1-11 
 
 12-16 
 17 
 
 18-22 
 
 -vn. 
 viii. 
 
 23-25 
 
 1-4 
 
 5-13 
 
 14,  15 
 
 16,  17 
 
 18-34 
 
ST  MATTHEW. 
 
 75 
 
 X. 
 
 Again  at  Capernaum, 
 
 1.  The  Paralytic,  .  .       Ch.  ix. 
 
 2.  The  call  of  Matthew,  Intercourse 
 with  Sinners  defended,  .  9, 
 
 3.  Fasting, 
 
 4.  The  girl  dead,  and,  after  the  heal- 
 ing of  the  woman  who  had  an  issue 
 of  blood,  restored  to  life, 
 
 5.  The  Two  Blind  Men, 
 
 6.  The  Demoniac ; 
 
 7.  Our  Lord  goes  through  the  cities 
 and  villages,  and  commands  labourers 
 to  be  prayed  for, 
 
 8.  He  sends  and  instructs  labourers, 
 and  preaches  Himself: 
 
 9.  John's  message  to  our  Lord  : 
 
 10.  Our  Lord  praises  John,  denounces 
 woe  against  the  refractory  cities, 
 invites  those  that  labour  : 
 
 11.  The  ears  of  com  rubbed : 
 
 12.  The  withered  hand  healed  : 
 
 13.  The  Pharisees  lay  snares  :  Jesus 
 departs :         . 
 
 14.  The  Demoniac  is  healed:  the  people 
 are  amazed :  the  Pharisees  blas- 
 pheme :  Jesus  refutes  them,  . 
 
 15.  He  rebukes  those  who  demand  a 
 sign,  .  .  . 
 
 16.  He  declares  who  are  His, 
 ^17.  He  teaches  by  Parables,         .  :> 
 'At  Nazareth, 
 
 At  other  places 
 
 1.  Herod,  after  the  murder  of  John, 
 
 hearing  of  Jesus,  is  perplexed:  Jesus 
 departs,  and  is  sought  by  the  people, 
 
 2.  He  heals  ;  and  feeds  five  thousand  : 
 
 3.  The  sea  voyage,  and  cures   in  the 
 ;        land  of  Genesareth, 
 
 1-3 
 
 10-13 
 14-17 
 
 18-26 
 27-31 
 32-34 
 
 xn. 
 
 XIV 
 
 35-38 
 
 1-42 
 
 1 
 
 2-6 
 
 7-30 
 
 1-8 
 
 9-13 
 
 14-21 
 
 22-37 
 
 38-45 
 
 46-50 
 
 1-52 
 
 53-58 
 
 ,   1-13 
 14-21 
 
 22-36 
 
78 
 
 bengel's  gnomon. 
 
 4 
 5-12 
 
 c  4.  Unwashen  hands ;      .  .       Cli.  xv.    1-20 
 
 5.  The  woman  of  Canaan ;  .  21-28 
 
 6.  Many  sick  healed ;      .  .  29-31 
 
 7.  Four  thousand  fed ;     .  .  32-38 
 
 8.  In  the  coasts  of  Magdula,  those  who 
 demand  a  sign  are  refuted ;  39— xvi 
 
 9.  The  warning  concerning  leaven, 
 
 IV.   Owr  LorcCs  Predictions  of  His  Passion  and 
 Resurrection. 
 
 The  First  Prediction. 
 
 1.  The  preparation  by  confirming  the 
 primary  article,  that  Jesus  is  the 
 Christ: 
 
 2.  The  Prediction  itself  delivered  ;  and 
 the  interference  of  Peter  rejected. 
 
 fThe  Second  Prediction. 
 
 1.  The  Transfiguration  in  the  Mount; 
 silence  enjoined ; 
 
 2.  The  Lunatic  healed  ; 
 
 3.  The  Prediction  itself; 
 
 4.  The  Tribute-Money  paid  ; 
 
 5.  Who  is  the  greatest  ? 
 ^6.  The  duty  of  forgiving  injuries. 
 
 T)ie  Third  Prediction. 
 
 1.  The  Departure  from  Galilee  ; 
 
 2.  The  question  concerning  Divorce  ; 
 
 3.  Kindness  to  little  children, 
 
 4.  The  Eich  ^Man  turning  back ; 
 ;       And  thereupon  discourses, 
 
 On  the  Salvation  of  the  Rich, 
 
 On  the  rewards  of  following  Christ, 
 
 On  the  Last  and  the  First.  xx 
 
 5.  The  Prediction  itself; 
 G.  The  request  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee  ; 
 
 humility  enjoined. 
 a  V.  7.  The  two  Blind  Men  cured. 
 
 xvu. 
 
 xvni. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 13-30 
 
 21-28 
 
 1-13 
 14-21 
 22,23 
 24-27 
 
 1-20 
 21-35 
 
 1,2 
 
 3-12 
 
 13-15 
 
 16-22 
 
 23-26 
 
 27-30 
 
 1-16 
 
 17-19 
 
 20-28 
 
ST  MATTHEW. 
 
 77 
 
 a  V.   The  Events  at  Jerusalem  immediately  lefore 
 the  Passion. 
 '  a.  r     Sunday  : 
 
 .;  1.  The  Regal  Entry,        .  .     Ch.  xxl.    1-11 
 
 L2.  The  Cleansmg  of  the  Temple  ;  12-17 
 
 /3.   (     Monday: 
 
 JThe  Fig-tree.       .  .  .  18-22 
 
 7.  Tuesday.     Occurrences — 
 
 A.  In  the  Temple  : 
 
 1.  The  Interference  of  the  Chief  Priests, 
 i.  Repulsed, 
 
 a.  By  the  Question  concerning 
 John's  Baptism,  .  23-27 
 
 b.  By  two  Parables  : 
 
 (1)  The  Two  Sons,       .  28-32 
 
 (2)  The  Vineyard,        .  33-44 
 ii.  Proceeds  to  lay  snares  for  Him.          45-46 
 
 2.  The    Parable    of    the    Marriage 
 Feast:  .  .  .         xxii.    1-14 
 
 3.  The  Questions  of  our  Lord's  Ad- 
 versaries— 
 i.  Concerning  Tribute,  .  15—22 
 
 ii.    the  Resurrection,  23-33 
 
 iii.  the  Great  Command- 
 ment:      .  .  .  34-40 
 
 4.  Our  Saviour's  question  in  return 
 concerning  David's  Lord,  41-46 
 
 His    warning    concerning   the 
 
 Scribes  and  Pharisees,  xxiii.    1-12 
 
 His  denunciation  against  them,  13-36 
 
 And  against  the  city  itself : —  37-39 
 
 .B.  Out  of  the  Temple. 
 
 The  Discourse  concerning  the  De- 
 struction of  the  Temple  and  the 
 End  of  the  World.  .  xxiv.  xxv. 
 
 < 
 
78 
 
 bengel's  gnomon. 
 
 a  VI.   The  Passion  and  Resurrection, 
 A.  The  Passion,  Death,  and  Burial. 
 
 a.  Wednesday, 
 a.  Our  Lord's  Prediction,  Ch.  xxvi.    1,  2 
 /3.  The  Deliberation  of  the  Chief 
 
 Priests,  .  .  3—5 
 
 7.  The  agreement  of  Judas,  of- 
 fended at  the  anointing  of  our 
 Lord,  to  betray  Him.        .  6-16 
 
 b.  Thursday. 
 a.  By  Day ; 
 
 The  Passover  prepared.     .  17-19 
 
 /3.  At  Evening. 
 
 1.  The  Betrayal  indicated,  20-25 
 
 2.  The  Lord's  Supper.       .  26-29 
 7.  By  Night. 
 
 1.  The  offence  of  Peter  and  the 
 Disciples  foretold ;  .  30-35 
 
 2.  The  Agony  in  Getlisemane  ;  36-46 
 
 3.  Jesus  is  taken,  forbids  the 
 employment  of  the  sword, 
 rebukes  the  crowd,  is  de- 
 serted by  His  disciples  :  47—56 
 
 4.  Is  led  to  Caiaphas  :  false  wit- 
 nesses are  unsuccessful :  con- 
 fesses Himself  to  be  the  Son 
 of  God  :  is  condemned  to  die : 
 is  mocked.  .  .  57—68 
 
 5.  Peter  denies  ;  and  weeps.  69—75 
 
 c.  Friday. 
 The  Passion  consummated. 
 
 i.  In  the  Morninji. 
 
 1.  Jesus  is  delivered  to  Pilate,    xxvii.  ],  2 
 
 2.  The  death  of  Judas.  3-10 
 
 3.  The    kingdom   of   Jesus : 
 His  silence.  .  11-14 
 
 4.  Pilate  ;  warned  in  vain  by 
 his  wife  releases  Barabbas, 
 
ST  MATTHEW. 
 
 TO 
 
 BThe 
 
 I 
 
 c 
 
 •  d  e      and   delivers   Jesus   to   be 
 
 1       crucified.     . 
 
 15.  Jesus  is  mocked  and  led  forth. 
 
 15-26 
 
 27-32 
 
 ii.  The  Third  Hour. 
 
 The  Vinegar  and  Gall :  the 
 
 Cross :    the    Garments   di- 
 
 vided: the  Inscription  on  the 
 
 Cross :    the   two   Thieves  : 
 
 the  Blasphemies. 
 
 33-44 
 
 iii.  From  the  Sixth  to  the  Nintli 
 
 hour :  the  Darkness  :  the  De- 
 
 sertion. 
 
 45-49 
 
 /3.  The  Death. 
 
 The  Vail  Rent,  and  the  great 
 
 Earthquake. 
 
 50-53 
 
 The    Centurion    wonders :     the 
 
 Women  behold. 
 
 54-56 
 
 y.  The  Burial. 
 
 57-61 
 
 ji.  Saturday. 
 
 The  Sepulchre  guarded, 
 
 62-66 
 
 Eesurrection : 
 
 a.  Announced  to  the  Women. 
 
 1.  By  the  Angel,                 .         xxviii.    1-8 
 
 2.  By  the  Lord  Himself,    . 
 
 9,  10 
 
 /3.  Denied  by  His  Enemies, 
 
 11-15 
 
 7 
 
 .  Shown  to  His  Disciples. 
 
 18-20 
 
I 
 
ST  MATTHEW. 
 
 CHAPTER   I. 
 
 1.  Bij3}.o;  Tiv'iGiug — the  Booh,  or  Roll,  of  the  Generatioii)  A 
 phrase  employed  by  the  LXX.  in  Genesis  ii.  4  and  v.  1.  The 
 books  of  the  New  Testament,  however,  being  written  at  so 
 early  a  period,  abound  with  Hebraisms  :  and  the  Divine  Wis- 
 dom provided,  that  the  Greek  version  of  the  Old  Testament 
 should  prepare  the  language,  which  would  be  the  fittest  vehicle 
 for  the  teaching  of  the  New.  This  title,  however,  the  genealogy,^ 
 refers,  strictly  speaking,  to  what  immediately  follows  (as  appears 
 from  the  remainder  of  the  first  verse),  though  it  applies  also  to 
 the  whole  book,  the  object  of  which  is  to  prove  that  Jesus  is  the 
 Christ,  the  Son  of  David,  etc.,  \in  whom,,  as  being  the  promised 
 Messiah,  the  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament  have  received  their 
 fulfilment.  Hence  it  is  that  from  time  to  time  the  evangelist  fre^ 
 quently  repeats  the  formula,  "■  That  it  might  be  fulfilled." — Vers, 
 Germ.]  See  ver.  20,  and  ch.  ix.  27,  etc.  For  Scriptui'e  is  wont 
 to  combine  with  genealogies  the  reasons  for  introducing  them. 
 See  Gen.  v.  1  and  vi.  9. — 'ItjcoD  Xpicroj,  of  Jesus  Christ)  The 
 compound  appellation,  Jesus-Christ,  or  Christ-Jesus,  or 
 the  simple  one  of  Christ,  employed  by  antonomasia,'  came  into 
 use  after  the  Pentecostal  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The 
 four  Gospels,  therefore,  have  it  only  at  their  commencement,^ 
 
 '  Recensio  Ortiis.  Tahuloe  recensionis  was  an  expression  applied  to  the 
 Censor's  Register.  Ortus  signifies  both  origin  by  descent  and  birth. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 -  See  Appendix  on  this  figure.  The  substitution  of  an  appellative  term 
 of  designation,  instead  of  a  proper  name. — Ed. 
 
 VOL.  I.  F 
 
Si  ST  Matthew  i.  i. 
 
 and  conclusions,  the  other  writings  everywhere. — See  Notes  on 
 Rom.  iii.  24  and  Gal.  ii.  16.  Comp.  ver.  16  below. — v'lov  Aau/6/ 
 ■j'loij  'AjSpad/M,  the  Son  of  David,  the  Son  of  Abraham)  Our  Lord  is 
 called  the  Son  of  David  and  the  Son  of  Abraham,  because  He 
 was  promised  to  both.  Abraham  was  the  first,  David  the  last 
 of  men  to  whom  that  promise  was  made ;  whence  He  is  called 
 the  Son  of  David,  as  though  David  had  been  His  immediate 
 progenitor. — (See  Rhenferd'  Opera  Philologica,  p.  715.)  Both 
 of  these  patriarchs  received  the  announcement  with  faith  and 
 joy  (See  John  viii.  56 ;  and  Matt.  xxii.  43).  Each  of  those 
 mentioned  in  the  following  list  was  acquainted  with  the  names 
 of  those  who  preceded,  but  not  of  those  who  came  after  him. 
 Oh,  with  what  delight  would  they  have  read  this  genealogy,  in 
 which  we  take  so  little  interest !  An  allusion  is  here  made  by 
 anticipation  to  the  three  Fourteens  (afterwards  mentioned  in  the 
 17th  verse),  of  which  the  first  is  distinguished  by  the  name  of 
 Abraham,  the  second  by  that  of  David,  whilst  the  third,  com- 
 mencing, not  like  the  others  with  a  proper  name,  but  with  the 
 Babylonian  Captivity,  is  crowned  with  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ 
 Himself:  for  the  first  and  the  second  Fourteen  contain  the  pro- 
 mise, the  third  its  fulfilment.  The  narration,  however,  in  the 
 first  verse  goes  backward  from  Christ  to  David,  from  Da\4d  to 
 Abraham.  And  so  much  the  more  conveniently  is  Abraham 
 put  here  in  the  second  place,  because  he  comes  on  the  scene 
 immediately  again  in  the  following  verse.  St  Mark,  however, 
 in  the  opening  of  his  Gospel,  calls  Jesus  the  Son,  not  of  David, 
 but  of  GOD,  because  he  begins  his  narration  with  the  baptism  of 
 John,  by  whom  our  Lord  was  pointed  out  as  the  Son  of  God. 
 Thus  each  of  these  evangelists  declares  the  scope  of  his  work  in 
 the  title.  The  former  part  of  this  verse  contains  the  sum  of  the 
 New  Testament — the  latter  part,  the  recapitulation  of  the  Old. 
 
 '  E.  M.  A«/3(0. — This  variation  occurs  all  through,  and  will  not  there- 
 fore be  noticed  again.  Bcngel  ahray  writes  Aat^io. — Tlio  Exemplar  Millia- 
 num  always  has  A«/3io. — Tregellcs  and  Tischcndorf  prefer  A«i/(3. — Lach- 
 mann,  A«v6/o. — Wordsworth  also  writes  the  word  A«i/(0. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  James  Rhenferd,  a  celebrated  Oriental  scholar,  born  at  Mulheim,  in 
 Westphalia,  1654.  Educated  at  the  College  of  Meurs,  in  the  Duchy  of 
 Cleves.  Rector  of  the  Latin  College  in  Francker,  1658;  removed  to 
 Amsterdam  1680.  Professor  of  Oriental  languages  at  Francker,  1688. 
 Died  1712.— (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.  2-6.  83 
 
 2.  'A/S^aa/i,  Ahraliam)  St  Matthew,  in  enumerating  our  Lord's 
 ancestors,  adopts  the  order  of  descent  (though  he  employs  that 
 of  ascent  in  ver.  1),  and  begins  also  from  Abraham,  instead  of 
 Adam,  not  however  to  the  exclusion  of  the  Gentiles  (of.  xxviii. 
 19),  since  in  Abraham  all  nations  are  made  blessed. — xa/  roiig 
 ddiXtpovg  avTov,  and  his  brethren)  These  words  are  not  added  in 
 the  case  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  or  Jacob,  though  they  also  had 
 brethren,  but  only  in  that  of  Judah :  for  the  promises  were 
 restricted  to  the  family  of  Israel. 
 
 3.  xal  Tov  Zapa,  and  Zara)  the  twin-brother  of  Pharez. — Ix 
 TTig  0a/i,ap,  of  Tliamar)  St  Matthew,  in  the  course  of  his  genea- 
 logy, makes  mention  of  women  who  were  joined  to  the  race  of 
 Abraham  by  any  peculiar  circumstance.  Thamar  ought  to  have 
 become  the  wife  of  Shelah  (see  Gen.  xxxviii.  11,  26),  and 
 Judah  became  by  her  the  father  of  Pharez  and  Zara  :  Rahab, 
 though  a  Canaanitess,  became  the  wife  of  Salmon  :  Ruth  was 
 a  Moabitess,  yet  Boaz  married  her.  The  wife  of  Uriah  became 
 the  wife  of  David. 
 
 4.  Naaffcwi',  Naasson)  Contemporary  with  Moses.  The  silence 
 regarding  Moses  presen'^ed  throughout  this  pedigree  is  re- 
 markable. 
 
 5.  rh  Boo^  1%  TTjg  'Fa^djS,  Boaz  of  Hahab)  Some  think  that 
 the  immediate  ancestors  of  Boaz  have  been  passed  over ;  but  it 
 stands  thus  also  in  Ruth  iv.  21  :  nor  can  the  first  Fourteen,  the 
 standard  of  the  two  others,  admit  of  an  hiatus.  More  correct 
 is  their  opinion,  who  maintain  that,  in  such  a  length  of  time, 
 some  of  the  ancestors  mentioned  lived  to  a  m-eat  ane.  The 
 definite  article,  ri^g,  placed  before  the  proper  name  'Fa^djSj 
 shows  that  Rahab  of  Jericho  is  here  meant ;  nor  does  the 
 orthography  of  the  word  '  Pa;)^a/S  interfere  with  this  hypothesis  : 
 for  both  'FadjS  (Raab  or  Rahab)  and  'Fa'^d(3  (Rachab)  are 
 written  for  3m.  See  Killer's^  Onomasticon  Sacrum,  p.  695. 
 The  Rahab  of  Jericho  was  very  young  when  she  hid  the  spies 
 (Josh.  vi.  23)  :  she  outlived,  however,  Joshua  and  the  elders 
 (Ibid.  xxiv.  29,  30) ;  and  her  marriage  Avith  Salmon  must  have 
 taken  place  still  later,  as  it  is  not  mentioned  in  that  book,  thougli 
 
 ^  Matthew  Hiller,  a  Lutheran  divine  and  learned  Orientahst,  born  at 
 Stuttgard,  1646.  Successively  Professor  at  various  universities  with  great 
 reputation.     Died  1725.— (I.  B.) 
 
84  ST  MATTHEW  I.  6-8. 
 
 It  is  recorded  that  she  dwelt  iii  Israel  (See  Josh.  vi.  25).  In 
 Ruth  i.  1,  the  earliest  times  of  the  Judges  seem  to  be  meant,  so 
 that  the  verb  tODC'  (which  might  otherwise  be  supposed  redun- 
 dant) may  have  an  inceptive^  force,  as  in  like  manner  170'  often 
 signifies  he  took  the  kingdom,  or  began  to  reign :  and  Naomi  must 
 have  gone  into  Moab,  before  the  Moabite  domination  mentioned 
 in  Judges  iii.  12.  Kahab  might  therefore  have  been,  as  she 
 actually  was,  the  mother  of  Boaz.  He  did  not  many  Ruth 
 till  he  was  far  advanced  in  life  (see  Ruth  iii.  10)  ;  and  their 
 grandson,  Jesse,  was  very  old  (see  1  Sam.  xvii.  12,  14),  when 
 he  became  the  father  of  David. — Cf.  concerning  Jehoiada, 
 2  Chron.  xxiv.  15. 
 
 6.  Aavib  hi  6  ^asiXijg,  but  David  the  King)  The  appellation 
 0  ^aciXivc,  (the  King),  has  been  omitted  by  some  early  editors,  but 
 wrongly.®  The  kingship  of  David  is  twice  mentioned  here,  as 
 is  the  Babylonian  captivity  afterwards.  The  same  title  is  under- 
 stood, though  not  expressed,  after  the  names  of  Solomon  and  his 
 successors,  as  far  as  ver.  11.  David  is,  however,  called  especially 
 the  King,  not  only  because  he  is  the  first  king  mentioned  in  this 
 pedigree,  but  also  because  his  throne  is  promised  to  the  Messiah. 
 — See  Luke  i.  32. 
 
 7.  syhvrici,  begat)  Bad  men,  even  though  they  are  useless 
 to  themselves  in  their  lifetime,  do  not  exist  in  vain  ;  since  by 
 their  means  the  elect  even  are  brought  into  the  world. 
 
 8.  ^lupu/M  ds  syivvriSi  rov  'o^lav,  but  Jorain  begat  Josiah) 
 Ahaziah  (who  is  the  same  as  the  Joahaz  of  2  Chron.  xxi. 
 17,  and  xxii.  1),  Joash,  and  Amaziah  (mentioned  in  1  Chron. 
 iii.  11,  12),  are  here  passed  over :  so  that  the  word  sytwriai 
 {begat)  must  be  understood  mediately^  instead  of  immediately : 
 as  frequently  happens  with  the  word  xj'iog  {son),  as  in  the  first 
 
 '  Bengel  means,  that  a-jitrr;  yri  (translated  in  the  E.  V.  the  Judges 
 ruled,  niarg.  judged)  ought  to  be  rendered  t/ie  Judges  began  to  judge,  so  as 
 to  indicate  with  greater  exactness  the  date  of  the  event,  at  the  commence- 
 ment of  the  era  of  the  Judges (1.  B.) 
 
 2  "^'s  "'"'?'• — (1)  to  rctgn,  to  be  king  ;  (2)  to  become  ling,  2  Sam.  xv.  10, 
 Tcvi.  8 ;  1  Kings  xiv.  2. — Gesenius. — (I.  B  ) 
 
 3  B,  the  best  MSS.  of  Vulg.,  tlie  Memi)h.  and  Theb.  and  Syr.  Versions 
 omit  0  (ia.di'hiv;.  But  Aac  agree  with  Kec.  Text  and  Beng.  in  retaining  the 
 words. — Eu. 
 
 *  i.e.,  There  being  mediate  or  intervening  persons. — Eu 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.  8.  85 
 
 verse  of  this  chapter,  where  our  Lord  is  called  the  Son  of 
 David,  who  was  His  remote  ancestor.  In  like  manner  Joram  is 
 here  said  to  have  begotten  Josiah,  who  was  his  2;reat-2randson, 
 — that  is  to  say,  he  was  his  progenitor.  Thus,  by  referring  to 
 1  Chron.  vi.  7,  8,  9,  we  find,  that  six  generations  are  left  out  in 
 Ezra  vii.  3,  between  Azariah  and  Meraioth.  St  Matthew 
 omitted  the  three  kings  in  question,  not  because  he  was  ignorant 
 of  their  having  existed  (since  the  whole  context  proves  his 
 familiar  acquaintance  with  his  subject),  but  because  they  were 
 well  known  to  all :  nor  did  he  do  so  with  any  fraudulent  inten- 
 tion, since,  by  increasing  the  number  of  generations,  he  would 
 have  confirmed  the  notion  that  the  JNIessiah  must  have  already 
 appeared.  Nor  did  he  omit  them  on  account  of  their  impiety, 
 for  he  has  mentioned  other  impious  men,  as  e.g.  Jechonias,  and 
 him  with  especial  consideration,  and  he  has  2:)assed  over  several 
 pious  ones.  But,  as  in  describing  roads  and  ways,  it  is  neces- 
 sary to  be  especially  careful  with  regard  to  those  points  where 
 they  branch  off  in  different  directions,  whereas  a  straight  road 
 may  be  found  without  any  such  direction,  so  does  St  Matthew 
 in  this  genealogy  point  out  with  particular  care  those  who  have 
 had  brothers,  and  who,  in  contradistinction  to  them,  have  propa- 
 gated the  stem  of  the  Messiah.  He  has  indeed  carried  this  so 
 far  that,  having  a  reason^  for  not  naming  Jehoiakim,  he  has 
 assigned  his  h^others  to  his  only  son ;  whilst  he  has  passed  over, 
 without  inconvenience,  Joash,  who  was  the  only  link^  in  his 
 generation,  together  with  his  father  and  son.  Furthermore,  as 
 in  geography  the  distances  of  places  from  each  other  are,  Avith- 
 out  any  violence  to  truth,  described  sometimes  by  longer,  some- 
 times by  shorter  stages, — so  is  it  with  the  successive  steps  of 
 generations  in  a  pedigree ;  nor  is  the  practice  of  Hebrew  gene- 
 alogists an  exception  to  the  general  custom  in  this  matter.  The 
 MTiters  of  the  New  Testament  are  accustomed  also  rather  to 
 imply  than  assert  circumstances  already  well  known  on  the 
 authority  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  not  liable  to  be  mistaken, 
 employing  a  brevity  as  congenial  to  the  ardour  of  the  Spirit,  as 
 
 1  See  Jer.  xxii.  30.— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  In  the  original,  "  qui  unica  sui  temporis  scintilla  fuerat." — (I.  B.) 
 "  The  only  spark  in  his  generation  to  prevent  the  line  being  extinguished." 
 —Ed. 
 
86  ST  MATTHEW  I.  II. 
 
 desirable  on  other  grounds. — See  Gnomon  on  Acts  vii.  16. 
 Oziah  was  previously  called  Azariah,  but  by  the  omission  of 
 one  Hebrew  letter  (i>  R)  his  name  becomes  Oziah. 
 
 11.  'Judi'ag  di  sysvvr^es  rov  ^Is^oviav,  But  Josiah  begat  Jechoniah) 
 Many  transcribers  both  in  ancient  and  in  modem  times,  and  those 
 principally  Greeks,  have  inserted  Jehoiachim  here,  because, 
 firstly,  the  Old  Testament  had  that  name  in  this  situation,  and 
 secondly,  the  number  of  fourteen  generations,  from  David  to  the 
 Babylonian  captivity,  given  by  St  Matthew,  seemed  to  require 
 the  insertion.  Jehoiachim,  however,  must  not  be  inserted :  for 
 history  would  not  suffer  Jehoiachim  to  be  put  without  his 
 brothers,  and  brothers  to  be  thus  given  to  Jechoniah,  who  had 
 none.  Some  have  sought  for  Jehoiachim  in  St  Matthew's  first 
 mention  of  Jechoniah;  Jerome^  has  done  so  especially,  when 
 answering  Porphyry's"  objections  to  this  verse  on  the  ground  of  the 
 hiatus.  No  transformation,  however,  will  produce  Jechoniah  (in 
 the  LXX.  'li-)(oviag)  from  the  Hebrew  D''p''ins  the  'luaxiTi/j  (Joakim) 
 of  the  LXX.,  so  as  to  make  them  one  and  the  same  name :  nor 
 have  we  any  more  reason  for  supposing  that  Jehoiachim  and 
 Jechoniah  are  intended  by  the  repetition  of  the  former,  than 
 that  two  separate  individuals  are  intended  by  the  repetition  of 
 Isaac's  name  ;  and  so  on  with  the  other  names  in  the  genealogy. 
 The  same  Jechoniah  is  t^vice  introduced  under  his  own  name  : 
 he  was  descended  from  Josiah  through  Jehoiachim,  whose  name 
 is  omitted.  St  Matthew  calls  Jechoniah's  uncles  his  brothers 
 (cf.  Gen.  xiii.  8),  and  that  with  great  felicity  ;  for  Zedekiah  came 
 to  the  throne  after  the  commencement  of  the  captivity,  to  the 
 exclusion  of  the  sons  of  Jechoniah,  whom  he  succeeded,  and 
 who,  though  his  nephew,  was  born  eight  years  before  him.  The 
 brothers,  therefore,  of  Jehoiachim,  of  whom  Zedekiah  was  chief, 
 
 '  One  of  the  most  celebrated  Fathers  of  the  Christian  Church,  born  of 
 Christian  parents  at  Stridon,  on  the  borders  of  Pannonia  and  Dalniatia,  in 
 the  year  3IU.  Educated  at  Rome  under  the  best  masters.  After  travellinf; 
 through  France,  Italy,  and  the  East,  he  adopted  the  monastic  life  in  Syria 
 in  his  31st  year,     lie  died  a.u.  422.— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  A  Platonic  philosopher,  born  at  Tyre,  a.d.  223.  Studied  under  Lon- 
 ginus  and  Plotinus.  lie  was  a  man  of  great  talent  and  learning,  and  one  of 
 the  most  able  opponents  of  Christianity.  He  died  in  the  reign  of  Dio- 
 cletian—(I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.  12,  13.  8T 
 
 who  is  expressly  called  the  brother  m  2  Chron.  xxxvi.  10,  and 
 2  Kings  xxiv.  17,  instead  of  the  uncle  of  Jechoniah,  are  appro- 
 priately mentioned  after  Jechoniah  as  his  brothers.^ — l-Ki  rrig 
 fisroixsfflag,  about  the  time  of  the  migration^)  The  preposition  It/, 
 which  is  contrasted  with  /iira  {after)  in  the  twelfth  verse,  is  also 
 employed  sometimes  to  denote  the  immediate  sequence  of  that, 
 dm'ing  or  about  the  time  of  which  something  else  takes  place. — 
 See  Gnomon  on  Mark  ii.  26.  The  Hebrew  prsefix  2  has  the 
 same  force  in  Gen.  x.  25.  The  birth  of  Jechoniah  was  followed 
 immediately  by  the  removal  to  Babylon^ — which  is  called  by  the 
 LXX.  both  airoixid'ta  (the  emigration),  and  f/^sroixiela  [the  migra- 
 tion, immigration,  or  sojourning) ;  the  former  wuth  reference  to 
 Palestine,  the  latter  with  reference  to  Babylon. — Ba^uXuvog,  of 
 Babylon)  i.e.  to,  or  into  Babylon.  In  like  manner  66og  Aiyhirro-j, 
 in  Jer.  ii.  18,  signifies  the  loay  into  Egypt. 
 
 12.  fiira,  after)  sc.  after  he  had  migrated  to  Babylon. — laXa- 
 ^triX  hi  iyivwiGi  rov  ZopojSd^iX,  but  Salathiel  begat  Zorobabel)  i.e., 
 was  the  progenitor  of ;  Pedaiah  being  the  son  of  the  former,  and 
 father  of  the  latter.  St  Luke  (iii.  27)  mentions  another  Sala- 
 thiel and  Zorobabel,  father  and  son,  who  must  have  lived  about 
 the  same  time  with  these.^ 
 
 13.  ''Ey'evvriGi  rov  ' AjSioud,  begat  Abiud)  This  is  the  same  as 
 Hodaiah,*  who  was  in  like  manner  descended  from  Zorobabel, 
 through  several  intervening  ancestors  (see  1  Chron.  iii.  19,  24), 
 as  Hiller  explains  in  his  Syntagmata,  pp.  361,  sqq.,  where  he 
 shows,  that  the  Jews  acknowledged  the  genealogy  in  the  said 
 passage  of  Chronicles  to  be  that  of  the  Messiah  :  nor,  indeed, 
 was  it  necessary  that  any  other  genealogy  should  have  been 
 carried  further  down  there  than  that  of  the  Messiah.  There 
 can,  therefore,  be  no  doubt  but  that  the  passage  in  question  was 
 
 ^  Irenceus,  218,  writes,  "Ante  hunc  Joachim  (Joseph  enim  Joachim  et 
 Jechonise  filius  ostenditur,  quemadniodurn  et  Matthseus  generationem  ejus 
 exponit)."  So  M  Cod.  Reg.  Paris  of  9th  century,  and  U  Cod.  Venetus  of 
 same  date,  in  opposition  to  the  ancient  authorities,  insert '  luayaiy.. — Ed. 
 
 2  sc.  to  Babylon.— (I,  B.) 
 
 3  D.  Crusius  explains  the  causes  of  this  fact  I.  c.  p.  369,  370,  showing 
 that  the  Zorobabel  of  Luke  was  a  prince  of  Juda,  and  the  associate 
 {av^vyov)  of  Joshua  in  the  restoration,  lohereas  the  Zorobabel  of  Matthew 
 was  a  private  individual. — E.  B. 
 
 *  Or  Hodajah,  as  in  Bengel. 
 
88  ST  MATTHEW  I.  16. 
 
 particularly  well  known  to  the  Jews  :  and  there  was,  conse 
 quently,  the  less  need  that  St  Matthew  should  repeat  it  in  extenso. 
 In  this  generation,  then,  concludes  the  scripture  of  the  Old  Tes- 
 tament. The  remainder  of  the  genealogy  was  supplied  by  St 
 Matthew  fi'om  trustworthy  documents  of  a  later  date,  and,  no 
 doubt,  of  a  public  character. 
 
 16.  Toe  civhptt.  Mapiag,  the  husband  of  Mart/)  This  turn  of  the 
 genealogical  line  is  evidently  singular  ;  *  and  in  this  place,  there- 
 fore, I  must  advance  and  substantiate  several  important  assertions. 
 
 I.  Messias  or  Christ  is  the  Son  of  David. 
 
 This  is  admitted  by  all. — See  Matt.  xxii.  42,  and  Acts  ii.  30. 
 
 II.  Even  in  their  genealogies  both  Matthew  and  Luke  teach  that 
 Jesus  is  the  Christ. 
 
 This  is  clear  from  Matt.  i.  16,  and  Luke  iii.  22. 
 
 III.  At  the  time  when  Matthew  and  Luke  wrote  the  descent  of 
 Jesus  from  David  had  been  placed  beyond  doubt. 
 
 Both  Matthew  and  Luke  wrote  before  the  destruction  of  the 
 Temple  of  Jerusalem,  when  the  frill  genealogy  of  the  house  of 
 David,  preserved  in  the  public  records,  was  easily  accessible  to 
 all :  and  our  Lord's  adversaries  did  not  ever  make  any  objection, 
 when  Jesus  was  so  fi'equently  hailed  as  the  Son  of  David. 
 
 IV.  The  genealogy  in  St  Matthew  from  Abraham,  and  that  in 
 St  Luke  from  the  creation  of  man,  to  Joseph  the  husband  of  Mary,  is 
 deduced,  not  through  mothers  but  fathers,  and  those  natural  fathers. 
 
 This  is  evident  in  the  case  of  all  those  ancestors,  whose  names 
 St  Matthew  and  St  Luke  repeat  from  the  Old  Testament. 
 AVherefore  it  is  not  said,  whether  Ivuth  had  been  the  wife  of 
 Mahlon  or  Chilion ;  but  Obed  is  simply  said  to  be  the  son  of  his 
 real  father  Boaz  by  Ruth  [though  his  legal  father  was  INIahlon. 
 — See  Ruth  iv.  10,  etc.]  From  Abraham  to  David  the  same 
 ancestors  are  evidently  mentioned  by  both  Matthew  and  Luke  : 
 so  that  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  both  Evangelists  intend 
 not  mothers  but  fathers,  and  those,  fathers  by  nature,  from  David 
 to  Joseph.  Thus,  in  the  books  of  Kings  and  Chronicles,  as  often 
 soever  as  the  mother  of  a  king  is  mentioned  alone,  it  is  a  si^n 
 that  he  whom  her  son  is  said  to  have  immediately  succeeded  was 
 his  natural  father. 
 
 '  '  Singularis,'  i.e.,  unique. — (I.  BJ 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.  16.  89 
 
 V.  The  genealogy  in  Matthew  from  Solomon,  and  that  in  Luke 
 from  Nathan,  is  brought  down  to  Joseph,  not  with  the  same,  but 
 with  a  different  view  [respectu,  relation,  regard^] 
 
 This  is  clear  from  the  preceding  section. 
 
 VI.  Jesus  Christ  teas  the  Son  of  Mary,  but  not  of  her  husband 
 Joseph. 
 
 This  is  evident  from  Matt.  i.  16. 
 
 VII.  It  was  necessary  that  the  genealogy  of  Afary  should  be 
 drawn  out. 
 
 Without  the  genealogy  of  Mary,  the  descent  of  Jesus  from 
 David  could  not  be  proved,  as  follows  from  what  has  just  been 
 said. 
 
 Vm.  Joseph  was  for  some  time  reputed  to  be  the  father  of  the 
 Lord  Jesus. 
 
 The  mystery  of  the  Redeemer's  birth  from  a  virgin  Avas  not 
 made  known  at  once,  but  by  degrees ;  and,  in  the  meanwhile, 
 the  honourable  title  of  marriage  was  required  as  a  veil  for  that 
 mystery.  Jesus,  therefore,  was  believed  to  be  the  Son  of  Joseph, 
 for  instance,  after  His  baptism,  by  Philip  (John  i.  45)  ;  in  the 
 time  of  His  public  preaching,  by  the  inhabitants  of  Nazareth 
 (Luke  iv.  22  ;  Matt.  xiii.  b^),  and  only  a  year  before  His  Passion 
 by  the  Jews  (John  vi.  42).  Many  still  clung  to  this  opinion 
 even  after  our  Lord's  Ascension,  and  up  to  the  time,  there- 
 fore, wdien,  a  few  years  subsequently  to  that  event,  St  INIatthew 
 A\Tote  his  gospel. 
 
 IX.  It  teas  therefore  necessary  that  the  genealogy  of  Joseph 
 also  should  in  the  meanivhile  exist. 
 
 It  was  necessary  that  all  those  who  believed  Jesus  to  be  the 
 Son  of  Joseph,  should  be  convinced  that  Joseph  was  descended 
 from  David.  Otherwise  they  could  not  have  acknowledged 
 Jesus  to  be  the  Son  of  David,  and  consequently  could  not 
 acknowledge  Him  to  be  the  Christ.  When  therefore  the  angel 
 first  appeared  to  Joseph,  and  commanded  him  to  take  unto  him 
 his  wife,  he  called  him  (ver.  20)  the  son  of  David :  because,  for- 
 sooth, the  Son  of  Mary  would  for  a  time  have  to  bear  that  name 
 as  if  derived  from  Joseph.  In  like  manner,  not  only  was  Jesus 
 in  truth  the  first-born  (Luke  ii.  7,  23)  of  His  mother,  but  it 
 behoved  also  that  He  should  be  reputed  to  be  the  first-born  of 
 Joseph  •  those,  therefore,  who  are  called  the  brethren  of  Jesus, 
 
M  ST  MATTHEW  I.  16. 
 
 were  His  first  cousins,  not  His  half-brothers.  It  is  needless  to 
 attempt,  as  some  have  done,  to  prove  the  consanguinity  of  Joseph 
 and  Mary  from  their  marriage  :  for  even  if  David  be  their 
 nearest  common  ancestor,  St  Matthew's  object  is  attained.  St 
 Matthew  then  has  traced  the  genealogy  of  Joseph,  but  still  so 
 as  to  do  no  violence  to  truth  :  for  he  does  not  say  that  Jesus  is 
 the  Son  of  Joseph,  but  he  does  say  tliat  He  was  the  Son  of 
 Mary ;  and  in  this  very  sixteenth  verse  he  intimates,  that  this 
 genealogy  of  Joseph,  which  had  its  use  for  a  time,  would  after- 
 wards become  obsolete.  Mary's  descent  fi'om  David  was  equally 
 well  known  at  that  time,  as  appears  from  St  Luke. 
 
 X.  Either  Matthew  gives  the  genealogy  of  Mary,  and  Luke  that 
 of  Joseph;  or  Matthew  that  of  Joseph,  and  Luke  that  of  Mary. 
 
 This  clearly  follows  from  the  preceding  sections. 
 
 XI.  The  genealogy  in  Matthew  is  that  of  Joseph ;  in  Luke,  that 
 of  Mary. 
 
 St  Matthew  traces  the  line  of  descent  fi'om  Abraham  to 
 Jacob  :  he  expressly  states  that  Jacob  begat  Joseph,  and  ex- 
 pressly calls  Joseph  the  husband  of  Mary.  Joseph  therefore  is 
 regarded  throughout  this  genealogy  as  the  descendant  of  those 
 who  are  enumerated,  not  on  Mary's  account,  but  on  his  own. 
 Matthew,  indeed,  expressly  contradistinguishes  Joseph  from 
 Mary  as  the  son  of  Jacob  ;  but  in  St  Luke,  by  a  less  strict  mode 
 of  expression,  ^e/i  (Luke  iii.  23)  is  simply  placed  after  Jos^j^/i. 
 Since,  then,  Joseph  is  described  in  Matthew  as  actually  the  son 
 of  Jacob,  St  Luke  cannot  mean  to  represent  him  as  actually  the 
 son  of  Ileli.  The  only  alternative  which  remains,  therefore,  is 
 to  conclude  that  he  is  the  son  of  Heli,  not  in  his  own  person, 
 but  by  virtue  of  another,  and  that  other  his  wife.  IVfary,  then, 
 is  the  daughter  of  Heli.  The  Jewish  writers  mention  a  certain 
 'hv  ri3  D''"io,  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Ileli,  Avhom  they  describe  as 
 suffering  extreme  torments  in  the  infernal  regions. — See  Light- 
 foot^  on  Luke  iii.  23,  and  Wolfius"  on  Matt.  i.  20.     St  Luke 
 
 '  John  Lightfoot,  D.D.  Born  in  Staffordshire,  1G02.  Educated  at 
 Christ  Church,  Cambridge.  One  of  the  Assembly  of  Divines  during  the 
 Commonwealth.  In  1G4S  was  made  Master  of  Catherine  Hall,  Cambridge, 
 and  served  tlie  office  of  Vice-Chancellor  :  and  died  in  1675.  He  excelled 
 in  rabbinical  learning. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  John  Christopher  Wolfuis,  a  learned  Lutheran  divine,  pastor  and  Pro- 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.  16.  91 
 
 does  not,  however,  7iame  Mary  in  his  genealogy ;  for  it  would 
 have  sounded  ill,  especially  to  Jewish  ears,  had  he  written 
 "  Jesus  was  the  Son  of  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Heli,  the  son  of 
 Matthat,"  etc. — on  which  account  he  names  the  husband  of 
 Mary,  but  that  in  such  a  manner  that  all  may  be  able  to 
 understand  (from  the  whole  of  his  first  and  second  chap- 
 ters), that  the  name  of  Mary's  husband  stands  for  that  of  Mary 
 herself. 
 
 XII.  T7iat  in  St  Luke  is  the  primary,  that  in  St  Matthew  the 
 secondary  genealogy. 
 
 When  a  genealogy  is  traced  through  female  as  well  as  male 
 ancestors,  any  descent  may  be  deduced  in  many  ways  fi-om  one 
 root ;  whereas  a  pedigree,  traced  simply  from  father  to  son,  must 
 of  necessity  consist  only  of  a  single  line.  In  the  genealogy, 
 however,  of  Jesus  Christ,  Mary,  His  mother,  is  reckoned  with 
 His  male  ancestors,  by  a  claim  of  incomparable  precedence.  In 
 an  ordinary  pedigree  ancestors  are  far  more  important  than 
 ancestresses.  Mary,  however,  enters  this  genealogy  with  a 
 peculiar  and  unrivalled  claim,  above  that  of  every  ancestor 
 whatever  of  the  whole  human  race  ;  for  whatever  Jesus  derived 
 from  the  stock  of  man — of  Abraham,  or  of  David — that  He 
 derived  entirely  fi'om  His  mother.  This  is  the  One  Seed  of 
 Woman  without  Man.  Other  children  owe  their  birth  partly  to 
 their  father,  partly  to  their  mother.  The  genealogy  of  Mary, 
 therefore,  which  is  given  in  St  Luke,  is  the  primary  one.  Nor 
 can  that  of  Joseph,  in  St  Matthew,  be  considered  otherwise  than 
 secondary,  and  merely  employed  for  the  time,  until  all  should 
 become  fully  convinced,  that  Jesus  was  the  Son  of  Mary,  but 
 not  of  Joseph.  St  Matthew  mentions  Jechoniah,  although  he  is 
 passed  by  in  the  primary  genealogy. — See  Jer.  xxii.  30;  and  cf. 
 Luke  i.  32,  33. 
 
 XIII.  Whatever  dijiculty  yet  remains  regardiiig  this  whole 
 matter,  so  far  from  weakening,  should  even  confirm  our  faith. 
 
 The  stock  of  David  had,  in  the  time  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
 dwindled  down  to  so  small  a  number  (see  Rev.  xxii.  16),  that 
 on  this  ground  also  the  appellation  "  Son  of  David"  was  used  by 
 
 fessor  of  Oriental  Languages  at  Hamburgh.  Born  1683.  Died  1739. 
 Author  of  Bibliotheca  Hebrjea,  Curse  Philologicse  et  Criticje  in  Novum 
 Testamentum. — (I.  B.) 
 
92  ST  MATTHEW  I.   16. 
 
 Antonomasia^  for  "  The  Messiah."  And  that  family  consisted  so 
 exclusively  of  Jesus  and  His  relatives,  that  any  one  who  knew 
 Him  to  belong  to  it  could  not  fail,  even  without  the  h ght  of  faith, 
 to  acknowledge  Him  as  the  Messiah,  since  the  period  foretold  by 
 the  prophets  for  His  manifestation  had  already  arrived,  and  none 
 of  our  Lord's  relations  could  be  compared  w^ith  Himself.  Our 
 Lord's  descent,  therefore,  from  the  race  of  David,  as  well  as  His 
 birth  at  Bethlehem,  were  less  publicly  known ;  nay,  rather  He 
 was  in  some  degree  veiled,  as  it  Avere,  by  the  name  of  Nazarene, 
 that  faith  might  not  lose  its  price.^ — See  John  vii.  27,  41,  42. 
 And  thus  men,  having  been  first  induced  on  other  grounds  to 
 believe  that  Jesus  was  the  Messiah,  concluded,  on  the  same 
 grounds,  that  He  must  be  the  Son  of  David. — See  Matt.  xii.  23. 
 The  necessary  public  documents,  however,  were  in  existence, 
 whence  it  came  to  pass,  that  the  chief  priests,  though  employing 
 every  means  against  our  Lord,  never  questioned  His  descent 
 from  David.  Nay,  even  the  Romans  received  much  information 
 concerning  the  Davidical  descent  of  Jesus. — See  Luke  ii.  4. 
 Of  old  the  facility  with  which  His  descent  could  be  traced, 
 showed  Jesus  to  be  the  Son  of  David  :  now  the  very  difficulty 
 of  so  doing  (caused  as  it  is  by  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and 
 all  the  public  records  which  it  contained),  affords  a  proof,  against 
 the  Jews  at  least,  that  the  Messiah  must  long  since  have  come. 
 Should  they  acknowledge  any  other  as  the  Messiah,  ttiey  must 
 ascertain  his  descent  from  David  in  precisely  the  same  manner 
 that  we  do  that  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  As  light,  however,  ad- 
 vanced, the  aspect  of  the  question  has  not  a  little  changed. 
 Jesus  was  called,  on  various  occasions,  "  The  Son  of  David"  by 
 the  multitude  (ch.  xii.  23,  xxi.  9),  by  children  (xxi.  15),  by  the 
 blind  men  (ix.  27,  xx.  30),  by  the  woman  of  Canaan  (xv.  22): 
 but  He  never  declared  to  His  disciples  that  He  was  the  Son  of 
 David,  and  they,  in  their  professions  of  faith,  called  Him,  not 
 "  The  Son  of  David,"  but  "  The  Son  of  God."  He  invited,  also, 
 those  who  called  Him  the  Son  of  David,  to  advance  further. — 
 
 '  Tlic  substitution  of  an  appellative  designation  for  a  proper  name. — Kd. 
 
 See  explanation  of  technical  terms  in  Appendix. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  "  Ut  pretium  fidci  maneret."     Faith  was  allowed  to  remain  attended 
 
 ■with   seeming  difficulties,  at  tlie   cost   of  surmounting  which,  men  were 
 
 appointed  to  attain  to  it. — Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.  IG.  98 
 
 See  xxii.  42,  43,  and  ix.  28.  In  the  first  instance  our  Lord's 
 descent  from  David  was  rather  a  ground  of  faith,  afterwards  it 
 became  rather  an  obstacle  to  faith.  No  difficulty  can  now  be  a 
 hinderance  to  them  that  believe. — See  2  Cor.  v.  16.  Jesus  is  the 
 root  and  the  offspring  of  David,  and  the  bright  and  morning  star} 
 
 XIV.  Matthew  and  Luke  combine  idterior  objects  and  advan- 
 tages with  the  genealogy. 
 
 If  the  Evangelists  had  merely  vdshed  to  show  that  Mary  and 
 also  Joseph  were  descended  from  David,  it  would  have  been 
 sufficient  for  their  purpose,  had  they,  taking  the  genealogies  as 
 they  exist  in  the  Old  Testament  for  granted,  commenced  at  the 
 point  where  these  conclude,  namely,  with  Zorobabel,  or  at  any 
 rate  with  David  himself,  and  traced  the  line  through  Nathan  or 
 Solomon  down  to  Jesus  Christ.  St  Matthew,  however,  begins 
 further  off,  viz.  with  Abraham,  and  descends  through  David  and 
 Solomon.  St  Luke,  on  the  other  hand,  ascends  to  Nathan  and 
 David,  and  thence  beyond  Abraham  to  the  first  origin  of  the 
 human  race.  Each  of  them,  therefore,  must  have  had  at  the 
 same  time  a  further  object  in  view. 
 
 St  Luke,  as  is  evident  at  first  sight,  makes  a  fiill  recapitulation" 
 and  summary  of  the  lineage  of  the  whole  human  race,  and  ex- 
 liibits  with  that  lineage  the  Saviour's  consanguinity  to  all  Gen- 
 tiles, as  well  as  Jews :  St  Matthew,  writing  to  the  Hebrews, 
 begins  with  Abraham,  thus  reminding  them  of  the  promise  which 
 had  been  made  to  that  Patriarch.  Again,  St  Luke  simply 
 enumerates  the  whole  series,  through  more  than  seventy  steps, 
 Avithout  addition  or  comment :  whereas  St  Matthew,  besides 
 several  remarkable  observations  which  he  introduces  in  particu- 
 lar cases  concerning  the  wives  and  brothers  of  those  whom  he 
 mentions,  and  the  Babylonian  Captivity,  divides  the  whole  series 
 into  three  periods  ;  and,  as  we  shall  presently  consider,  enume- 
 rates in  each  of  these  periods  fourteen  generations.  And  hence, 
 also,  we  perceive  the  convenience  of  the  descent  in  Matthew, 
 and  the  ascent  in  Luke  :  for  in  this  manner  the  former  was  en- 
 abled more  conveniently  to  introduce  those  observations  and 
 divisions;  the  latter,  to  avoid  the  stricter  word  symn'^s,  begat,  and 
 
 ^  Rev.  xxii.  16.— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  See  explanation  of  technical  terms  in  voc.  Anakephalaeosis.  The 
 word  is  used  by  Quintilian (I.  B.) 
 
94  ST  MATTHEW  I.  17. 
 
 take  advantage  of  the  formula  w?  hoixiZ^iro,  as  was  supposed,  and  in 
 an  exquisite  manner  to  conclude  the  whole  series  with  God. — 
 6  'Kiyojiivoc,  XpiGTog,  who  is  called  Christ)  St  Matthew  is  dealing 
 with  the  Jewish  reader,  who  is  to  be  convinced  that  Jesus  is  the 
 Christ,  by  such  means  as  His  genealog}'.  And  accordingly  he 
 here  and  there  [throughout  his  Gospel]  expresses  and  establishes 
 what  the  other  Evangelists  take  for  granted.  The  force  of  the 
 navae  Christ  recalls  especially  the  promise  given  to  David  con- 
 cerning the  Kingdom  of  the  Messiah  :  and  the  force  of  the  name 
 Jesus  recalls  especially  the  promise  given  to  Abraham  concern- 
 ing the  Blessing.^ 
 
 17.  Uaffai  ouv  a'l  yevsal,  x.t.7^.,  So  all  the  generations,  etc.)  An 
 important  summing  up  (ingens  symperasma),"^  the  force  of  which 
 we  exhibit  by  the  following  positions. 
 
 I.  aS^  Matthew  introduced  this  clause  with  the  most  deliberate 
 design. 
 
 The  Messiah  was  really  descended  from  David  through  Nathan : 
 the  genealogy,  however,  in  Matthew,  descends  fi-om  David 
 through  Solomon  to  Joseph.  Therefore,  those  who  ah-eady 
 knew  that  Jesus  was  not  the  Son  of  Joseph,  paid  little  heed  to 
 Joseph's  pedigree ;  St  Matthew,  therefore,  traces  this  genealogy 
 in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  serviceable  to  all  who  either  believed 
 that  Jesus  was  the  Son  of  Mary,  but  not  of  Joseph,  or  thought 
 that  He  was  the  Son  of  Joseph  also,  and  so  to  lead  both  classes 
 to  Christ,  the  Son  of  David. 
 
 II.  St  Matthew  makes  three  fourteens.  We  exhibit  them  in 
 the  following  table  : 
 
 1.  Abraham.  David.  Jechoniah. 
 
 2.  Isaac.  Solomon.  Salathiel. 
 
 3.  Jacob.  Rehoboam.  Zorobabel. 
 
 4.  Judah.  Abijam.  Abiud. 
 
 ^  The  Greek  Xpiarog,  and  the  Hebrew  'n'^vn,  means  Anointed,  i.e.,  King. 
 Jesus  is  the  proper  name  of  our  Lord :  [the]  Christ  is  a  surname  [cog- 
 nomen], implying  Ilis  office.  The  ancients  were  expecting  the  Christ, 
 before  the  birth  of  Jesus  :  when  Jesus  had  been' born,  a  demonstrative  proof 
 was  given  that  this  very  Jesus  is  the  Christ ;  and  when  tliat  demonstration 
 of  His  being  the  Clirist  was  subsequently  made  more  widely  known,  the 
 appellation,  Jesus  Christ,  became  the  prevalent  one. —  Vers.  Germ. 
 
 *  See  Appendix  on  the  figure  Symprra^ma. — Eu. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.  17. 
 
 96 
 
 5.  Pharez. 
 
 Asa. 
 
 Eliakim. 
 
 6.  Hezrom. 
 
 Jehoshaphat. 
 
 Azor. 
 
 7.  Aram. 
 
 Jehoram. 
 
 Sadoc. 
 
 8.  Aminadab. 
 
 Ahaziah. 
 
 Achin. 
 
 9.  Naasson. 
 
 Jothara. 
 
 Eliud. 
 
 10.  Salmon. 
 
 Ahaz. 
 
 Eleazar. 
 
 11.  Boaz. 
 
 Hezekiah. 
 
 Matthan. 
 
 12.  Obed. 
 
 Manasseh. 
 
 Jacob. 
 
 13.  Jesse. 
 
 Amon. 
 
 Joseph. 
 
 14.  David. 
 
 Josiah. 
 
 Jesus,  who  is  called  Christ. 
 
 III.  St  Matthew,  therefore,  lays  down  three  periods. 
 
 St  Luke  enmnerates  every  step,  ascending  even  to  GoD.  Yet, 
 so  far  from  counting  the  steps  in  each  period,  he  does  not  di^-ide 
 his  genealogy  into  periods  at  all :  St  Matthew,  however,  dis- 
 tinguishes three  periods, — the  first  fi'om  Abraham  to  David,  the 
 second  from  David  to  the  captivity,  the  third  from  the  captivity 
 to  Christ ;  and  in  each  of  these  periods,  as  we  shall  presently 
 see,  he  mentions  fourteen  steps. 
 
 IV.  St  Matthew  reduces  each  period  to  fourteen  generations. 
 Matthew  does  not  mention  all  the  ancestors  of  Joseph  who 
 
 occur  in  the  direct  line,  and  yet  he  reduces  those  whom  he  does 
 mention  to  a  set  number.  Some  seek  here  a  division  into  sevens ; 
 the  Evangelist,  however,  does  not  mention  sevens,  but  fourteens. 
 Again,  he  does  not  bring  these  fourteens  together  into  a  sum 
 total,  for  he  does  not  say,  that  they  amount  in  all  to  40,  41,  or 
 42  :  nor  is  it  our  business  to  do  so.  As  in  the  reigns  of  the 
 kings  of  Israel,  the  last  year  of  the  preceding  is  frequently 
 reckoned  as  the  first  of  the  succeeding  sovereign,  so  must  we 
 admii;  that  St  Matthew  has  acted  on  the  same  principle,  since 
 the  fact  itself  leaves  no  doubt  of  the  case.  Thus  David  un- 
 doubtedly'- is  both  the  last  of  the  first  fourteen,  and  the  first  of 
 the  second  fourteen.  He  is  reckoned  in  the  first ;  for  it  Avould 
 otherwise  comprise  only  thirteen  generations.  He  is  reckoned 
 in  the  second,  because  as  the  first  begins  inclusively  irom  Abra- 
 ham, and  the  third  inclusively  from  Jechoniah,  so  must  the  second 
 begin  inclusively  fi'om  David.  Jechoniah,  however,  is  not 
 reckoned  in  the  same  manner  as  the  last  of  the  second  fourteen, 
 because  the  fourteen  generations,  which  commence  with  David, 
 
9fi  ST  MATTHEW  I.  17. 
 
 are  counted  not  to  Jeclioniah,  but  to  the  Babylonian  captivity. 
 Vallesius^  (p.  454)  thinks  Jechoniah,  as  it  were,  a  double  person  ; 
 you  might  assert  that  with  greater  correctness  of  David. 
 
 V.  In  each  case,  his  object  was  to  prove  that  Jesus  teas  truly 
 called,  and  was,  the  Christ. 
 
 He  proceeds  in  a  marked  manner  from  the  name  Jesus  to  tlie 
 surname  Christ,  in  verses  16,  17,  18  ;  and  he  marks  the  dis- 
 similarity in  the  character  of  the  periods,  and  the  equality  in  the 
 number  of  the  generations.  That  dissimilarity,  and  that  equality, 
 whether  taken  apart  or  together,  tend  to  the  one  object  of 
 ])roving  Jesus  to  be  the  Christ,  as  we  shall  immediately  perceive. 
 
 VI.  The  three  penods  are  dissimilar  to  each  other. 
 
 If  St  Matthew  had  merely  intended  to  compose  a  genealog}', 
 he  might  have  omitted  all  this  Congeries^  of  names,  or  at  any 
 rate,  have  confined  himself  to  the  mention  of  proper  names,  and 
 said,  "  From  Abraham  to  David,"  "  from  David  to  Jechoniah," 
 "  from  Jechoniah  to  Jesus."  Instead  of  so  doing,  however,  after 
 the  other  matters  preceding,  he  says,  "  to  the  Captivity ;"  and 
 again,  '■^  From  the  Captivity  to  Christ."  The  land-mark,  limit, 
 standing-point,  therefore,  of  the  first  period  is  David,  of  the 
 second  the  Captivity,  of  the  third  Christ.  The  first  period,  then, 
 is  that  of  the  Patriarchs ;  the  second,  that  of  the  Kings ;  the 
 third,  for  the  most  part,  of  piivate  individuals. 
 
 VII.  This  dissimilarity  strihingly  proves  that  Jesus  is  the 
 Christ. 
 
 The  different  heads  under  which  St  Matthew  reduces  the 
 three  periods,  show,  that  the  time  at  which  Jesus  was  born,  was 
 the  time  appointed  for  the  birtli  of  the  Christ,  and  that  Jesus 
 Himself  was  the  Christ.  The  first  and  the  second  fourteen  have 
 an  illustrious  commencement ;  the  third  has  one,  as  it  were, 
 blind  and  nameless.  Hence  is  clearly  deduced,  and  brilliantly 
 shines  forth,  the  end  and  goal  of  the  third,  and  all  the  periods, 
 namely,  the  Christ.  The  first  period  is  that  of  promise,  for  in 
 it  Abraham  stands  first,  and  David  last,  to  each  of  whom  the 
 
 '  Vallesius,  or  Valles,  Francis,  a  native  of  Spain,  physician  to  Philip  II. 
 He  wrote  a  treatise,  "De  iis  quaj  scripta  sunt  physice  in  libris  sacris,  sive 
 de  sacra  philosophia." — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  See  Appendix  on  this  figure.  T1"»  '^numeration  of  the  parts  of  a 
 Whole.— Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.  17.  97 
 
 promise  was  given ;  the  second  is  that  of  adumbration,  by  means 
 of  the  Davidical  sovereignty,  and  the  fact  that  it  is  considerably 
 shorter  than  either  of  the  others,  fkrnishes  a  reasonable  ground 
 for  expecting  that  the  kingdom  of  David,  as  fulfilled  in  Christ 
 (see  Luke  i.  32),  will  be  far  more  glorious  hereafter,  and  more 
 lasting.  The  third  period  is  that  of  expectation.  The  most  dis- 
 tinguished personages  in  the  first  period  are  Abraham  and  David, 
 who  stand  respectively  first  and  last  in  it.  The  most  distin- 
 guished personage  in  the  second  period  is  the  same  David,  who 
 is  now  found  standing  first.  The  first  name  which  occurs  in 
 the  third  period  is  that  of  Jechoniah,  so  called  also  in  1  Chron. 
 iii.  17,  who  was  hound  with  chains,  to  whom  no  heir  was  promised 
 of  his  throne  ;  nay,  further,  against  whom,  as  well  as  against  his 
 uncle  and  father,  all  other  woes  were  denounced  (Jer.  xxii.  11, 
 18,  25),  so  that,  though  he  was  not  actually  without  offspring, 
 yet,  as  a  warning  to  posterity,  he  should  be  written  ''"T'ly,  child- 
 less (Jer,  xxii.  28,  30),  without,  that  is  to  say,  an  heir  to  his 
 throne  ;  and  it  was  with  reference  to  these  three  kings  that  the 
 earth  was  invoked  thrice,  "  O  earth,  earth,  earth,  hear  the  word 
 of  the  Lord"  {Ibid.  ver.  29).  Hence  it  arises  that,  when  stating 
 the  boundary  between  the  second  and  \\\\v^fourteens,  St  Matthew 
 does  not  name  Jechoniah  ;  but,  instead  of  so  doing,  mentions  the 
 Babylonian  Captivity.  Much  additional  weight  accrues  to  this 
 argument  from  the  words  of  Jeremiah  ;  for  in  the  time  of  Moses, 
 midway  between  Abraham  and  David,  a  covenant  was  made 
 with  the  people  of  Israel,  which  was  abrogated  about  the  time 
 of  the  captivity  of  Jechoniah. — See  Jer.  xxix.  1,  xxxi.  31  ;  Heb. 
 viii.  8,  13.  Li  the  times  of  Abraham  and  David,  Christ  was 
 promised ;  after  the  time  of  David,  the  Davidical  sovereignty, 
 which  was  overthrown  at  the  Babylonian  Captivity,  did  not  last 
 so  long  as  the  preceding  period,  that,  namely,  between  Abraham 
 and  David.  Then,  indeed,  it  was  that  a  new  covenant  was  pro- 
 mised, the  author  and  surety  whereof  should  be  Christ.  The 
 state,  therefore,  of  the  Jewish  nation  after  the  Captivity,  could 
 not  but  tend  to,  and  end  in  the  Christ.  In  the  Psalms,  and 
 other  predictions  delivered  during  the  time  of  the  Kings,  the 
 cacred  writers,  as  the  march  of  prophecy  moved  onward,  gene- 
 rally compared  the  present  with  the  future ;  whereas,  after  the 
 Babylonian  Captivity,  they  contrasted  the  one  with  the  other, 
 
 VOL.  I.  ^ 
 
^  ST  MATTHEW  I.   17. 
 
 whilst  contemplating  the  futm'e  as  coming  nearei'  and  nearer 
 their  own  times.' 
 
 VIII.  St  Matthew  makes  the  three  periods  equal  with  each  other. 
 This  is  evident  from  his  repeating  the  number  fourteen  three 
 
 times  with  the  utmost  deliberation. — See  Section  IV. 
 
 IX.  lie  makes  up  both  the  third  and  the  second  Fourteens  hi/ 
 omitting  several  links  in  the  pedigree :  in  the  first,  however,  he 
 makes  no  such  omission. 
 
 In  the  second  period,  he,  after  Jehoram,  passes  over  Ahaziah, 
 Joash,  and  Amaziah,  and,  after  Josiah,  he  leaves  out  Jehoiakim : 
 in  the  third  period,  after  Salathiel,  he  omits  Pedaiah.  Nor,  in- 
 deed, was  Zorobabel  the  immediate  father  of  Abihud ;  for, 
 whereas  his  sons  are  Mesullam  and  Hananias,  each  of  these  two 
 names  differs  from  Abihud.  Hiller  enumerates  nine  links  omitted 
 after  Zorobabel,  and  shows  that  Hodaiah  and  Abihud  are  the 
 same  individual.  The  descendants  of  David  fi'ora  Solomon  to 
 Hodaiah  are  enumerated  in  1  Chron.  iii.  5,  10-24.  Now, 
 since  neither  the  second  nor  the  third  Fourteen  consist  in  them- 
 selves of  exactly  fourteen  generations,  the  first  must  of  necessity 
 have  that  number :  for  otherwise  the  number  Fourteen,  by 
 which  the  three  periods  are  arranged  and  represented  as  equal, 
 would  be  without  any  foundation  in  fact,  and  the  number  Jif teen, 
 or  some  greater  still,  would  have  to  be  substituted  for  it.  Four- 
 teen generations  are  clearly  enumerated  in  the  Old  Testament 
 from  Abraham  to  David. — See  1  Chron.  i.  34,  ii.  1,  4-15. 
 "Whence  Eabbi  Bechai^  s^js,  that  King  David  was  the  four- 
 teenth from  Abraham,  according  to  the  number  of  the  letters  of 
 his  name  111,  which  make  fourteen.^  In  early  ages  men  gene- 
 rally became  ftithers  at  a  more  advanced  period  of  life,  than  they 
 did  in  later  times.  Hence  it  is  that  the  first  Fourteen  stands  on 
 its  own  foundation,  the  second  is  produced  by  a  less,  the  third 
 by  a  greater  omission.     And  though  some  generations,  with 
 
 ^  The  original  runs  thus:  '-In  psalmis  et  in  aliis  proplietiis  re<i;um  tem- 
 pore latis  sernio  fere  per  comparationem  status  prscsentis  et  futuri  incede- 
 liat :  sed  post  migrationcm  Babylonis  potius  per  oppositionem  incedit, 
 futura  prospiciens  subinde  propius." — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Rabbi  Bcchai.  There  were  two  Rabbis  of  the  name  of  Bechai  ;  one 
 flourished  about  1100,  the  other  about  1290  ;  both  were  natives  of  Spain. — 
 see  De  Rossi. — (I.  B.) 
 
 »  Sc.  n  =  4,  1  =  6,  n  =  4  :  therefore  n  -f  i  -|-  n  =.  14.~(I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.   17.  99 
 
 which  we  are  already  acquainted  from  the  Old  Testament,  are  in 
 St  Matthew  passed  over  and  left  to  be  understood,  the  Evangelist 
 has  not  omitted  in  the  New  Testament  a  single  generation,  which 
 was  subsequent  to  those  that  are  mentioned  in  the  Old  :  and  in  the 
 Old  Testament,  not  a  single  generation  is  omitted.  The  first  i^^oMr- 
 teen,  therefore,  is  so  in  fact,  the  second  and  third  are  so  in  form. 
 
 X.  TJie  number  of  generations  which  St  Matthew  omits,  accords 
 with  the  numbers  which  both  he  and  St  Luke  mention. 
 
 Between  Jehoram  and  Abihud,  St  Matthew  omits  in  all 
 fourteen  generations,  see  Sect  IX. ;  and  though  he  only  mentions 
 three  Fourteens  for  the  sake  of  the  number  of  the  periods  from 
 Abraham  to  Christ,  he  nevertheless  implies,  in  accordance  with 
 his  system,  that  there  were  really  four.^  In  this  way  Matthew 
 has  by  implication,  fi-om  Abraham  to  the  birth  of  Christ,  fifty- 
 five  generations.  St  Luke  expressly  enumerates  fifty-six  genera- 
 tions to  the  time  when  Jesus  was  thir'ty  years  of  age.  They 
 therefore  agree. 
 
 XL  The  equality  of  the  Fourteens  is  not  ftdfilled  in  the  actual 
 number  XIV.,  by  which  they  are  distinguished. 
 
 The  Talmudists  are  fond  of  reducing  the  proximate  numbers 
 of  different  things  to  actual  equality.  Lightfoot  has  collected 
 examples  of  this  in  illustration  of  the  present  passage,  and  they 
 afford  a  satisfactory  reply  to  the  Jews,  when  they  sneer  at  the 
 Fourteens  of  St  Matthew.  He  defends,  however,  somewhat  too 
 slackly  the  actual  truth  of  the  Fourteens.  What  James  Rhen- 
 ford  adduces  on  this  passage  is  far  more  to  the  purpose,  viz», 
 that  the  fifteen  generations  before  Solomon,  and  the  fifteen  after 
 him,  were  so  enumerated  by  the  Jews,  as  to  correspond  with  the 
 days  of  the  increasing  [waxing]  and  waning  moon.     But  this 
 
 ^  The  words  in  the  original  are,  "  Omnino  'KlY .  ffe?ieration{s  inter  Jorain 
 et  Abihud  prseterniittit  Matthseus,  §  ix.  Concinneque  ab  Abraham  ad 
 Christum  tessaradecadas,  tribus  pro  numero  periodorum  expressis,  quatuor 
 tamen  innuit."  The  meaning  is,  that  though  St  Matthew  mentions  thrice 
 fourteen  as  the  number  of  generations,  he  means  that  there  were  three 
 periods  of  fourteen  generations,  and  implies,  that  to  make  up  the  num- 
 ber of  actual  generations,  another  Fourteen,  or  fourteen  generations  more, 
 must  be  added,  q.d.  the  Fourteens  of  generations  express!]/  mentioned 
 by  St  Matthew  are  periods  of  Fourteen  ages ;  to  make  up  the  sum  total  of 
 actual  generations,  the  number  Fourteen,  which  is  the  normal  regulator  of 
 the  system,  must  be  brought  into  play  once  more.     Cf.  §  §  Sqq. — (I.  B.) 
 
100  ST  MATTHEW  I.  17. 
 
 line  of  argument  also  is  somewhat  weak.  St  ^lattliew  did  not 
 follow  any  technical^  or  masoretic'*  aid  to  the  memory,  or  any- 
 thing else  of  the  kind.  For  what  great  purpose  could  it  serve  to 
 retain  in  the  memory  the  names  and  number  of  these  ancestors, 
 in  preference  to  those  which  are  omitted,  or  to  adopt  a  method 
 never  before  employed  in  the  many  genealogies  and  other  im- 
 portant chapters  of  the  Old  Testament,  for  impressing  them 
 more  fully  on  the  minds  of  the  Jews,  who  retained  them  in  their 
 memory  accurately  enough  of  themselves.  But  if  he  had  wished 
 to  secure  the  integrity  of  this  enumeration  by  a  kind  of  Masora, 
 it  would  have  been  better  for  the  purpose  to  have  made  one  sum  of 
 all  the  generations.  In  the  last  place,  it  would  have  ill  suited  the 
 grave  character  of  an  apostle  and  evangelist,  first  to  enumerate 
 the  generations  as  suited  his  own  convenience,  and  then  admire 
 the  equality  of  the  Fourteens.  The  number  FouHeen  is  not  men- 
 tioned for  its  own  sake,  but  for  the  sake  of  something  else  :  it  is 
 not  an  end,  but  a  means  to  obtain  an  end  of  greater  importance. 
 
 XII.   The  Equality  here  intended  is  Chronological. 
 
 The  apostles,  looking  back  from  the  New  to  the  Old  Testa- 
 ment, have  great  regard  to  the  fulness  of  the  times ;  and  the 
 Jews  are  wont  to  describe  the  chief  divisions  of  chronology  by 
 numbers  of  generations,  as,  for  example,  in  Seder  01am.*  St 
 Matthew,  therefore,  skilfully  propounds  to  the  reader  a  Chrono- 
 logy under  the  garb  of  a  Genealogy,  combining  both  in  this 
 summary.  The  particle  oh  (therefore)  has  an  inferential,  and 
 the  article  a)^  (the)  a  relative  force,  indicating  that  those  identi- 
 cal generations  are  intended,  which  have  been  just  enumerated 
 
 ^  Mnemonicum — subsidiuni,"  i.e.  anything  resembling  a  memoria  technica. 
 -([.  B.) 
 
 ^  Masora  means  tradition.  The  Masoretes  continued  the  labours  of  the 
 Talmudists,  whom  they  imitated  in  counting  the  words  and  letters  of  the 
 Old  Testament,  finding  imaginary  mysteries  in  the  very  letters  as  well  as 
 words  of  Scripture  ;  stating,  also,  such  minute  particulars  as,  which  was  the 
 central  word  and  letter  of  the  whole,  etc.,  etc.  They  have  thus  aflbrded  us 
 a  guarantee  for  the  accuracy  of  the  Hebrew  text,  even  though  we  have  extant 
 no  llebr.  MS.  older  than  the  I2th  century.  The  Masoretes  flourished  from 
 the  6th  to  the  11th  century. — Ed. 
 
 3  D?''y  ITD.  a.  chronological  work  of  high  reputation  amongst  the  Jews. — 
 (IB.) 
 
 *  Definite  Article,  nominative  plural,  femiuine. — (1.  B.) 
 
ST   MATTHEW  1.   17.  101 
 
 in  the  preceding  verses.  Each  clause,  moreover,  of  this  verse 
 lias  the  word  yinat  {generations),  both  in  the  subject  and  predi- 
 cate. In  the  subject  it  corresponds  with  the  Hebrew  m^n,^  as  in 
 Genesis  xxv.  12,  13 ;  but  in  the  predicate  it  corresponds  with 
 the  Hebrew  in?^  and  has  a  chronological  force,  as  is  evident 
 from  the  addition  of  the  numeral  fourteen '^ — Cf.  Gen.  xv.  IG. 
 In  the  Greek  there  is  an  instance  of  Antanaclasis,^  one  Greek 
 word  performing  the  part  of  two  Hebrew  ones  :  so  that  we  may 
 paraphrase  the  verse  thus — All  those  genealogical  generations, 
 therefore  (never  mind  the  tautology),  reduced  for  the  sake  of 
 method  to  fourteen,  are  actually  fourteen  chronological  genera- 
 tions,— from  Abraham  to  David,  etc.  Such  being  the  case,  we 
 perceive  a  sufficient  cause  for  St  Matthew's  reducing  to  such 
 numbers  the  genealogy,  which  would  have  been  in  itself  iiiucji 
 plainer  without  such  an  enumeration.  Well  does  Chrysostom* 
 say,  that  St  Matthew  enumerates  generations,  times,  years,  and 
 lays  them  before  the  hearer  as  subjects  for  further  investigation. 
 — See  Chrys.  Hom.  iv.  on  St  Matthew.  Let  us,  however,  con- 
 sider wherein  the  chronological  equality  consists.  It  does  not 
 consist  in  the  number  Fourteen  which  is  employed  in  all  the 
 three  periods  for  the  sake  of  method  ;  see  Sect.  XI. :  nor  in  the 
 years  of  generations  in  the  Fourteens  taken  separately ;  for  in  the 
 first  Fourteen  the  generations  are,  for  the  most  part,  much  longer 
 than  in  the  second  and  third :  but  it  consists  in  the  periods  them 
 selves.     Consider  the  following  scheme  : — 
 
 ^  riVin  f,  pi.  (from  the  root  """"') — {I.)  generations,  families,  races.    Gese- 
 
 NIUS.— (I.  B.) 
 
 -  -I'lT  m. — (1  )  an  age,  generation  of  men.  Gesenius. — (I.  B.) 
 ^  See  Appendix :  the  same  word  put  twice,  but  in  a  twofold  sense. — Ed. 
 *  John  Chuysostom  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  Fathers  of  the 
 Ancient  Church.  To  his  wonderful  eloquence  he  owed  the  name  of  Chry- 
 sostom,  or  the  golden-mouthed,  by  which  he  is  generally  known ;  and  his  Com- 
 mentaries on  Scripture  are  replete  with  learning,  piety,  and  practical  power. 
 He  was  born  at  Antioch,  a.d.  354,  of  heathen  parents.  After  studying 
 rhetoric  under  Libanius,  he  embraced  Christianity,  and  was  ordained  a 
 reader  in  his  native  city.  Having  entered  on  the  monastic  life,  he  spent 
 four  years  in  the  Desert;  but,  returning  to  Antioch,  was  ordained  deacon  in 
 381,  and  priest  in  386  ;  he  became  Bishop  of  Constantinople  in  897.  He 
 died  in  exile  in  407. — (I.  B.) 
 
102  ST  MATTHEW  I.  17. 
 
 ANXO  MUNDI 
 
 1946  Birth  of  Abraham. 
 
 2016  Tlie  Promise,  I.  [characteristic  of  the  first  period  J. 
 
 2121  Death  of  Abraham. 
 
 2852  Birth  of  David. 
 
 2882  David  becomes  King,  II.  [characteristic  of  the  second 
 
 period]. 
 2923  Death  of  David. 
 3327  Birth  of  Jechoniah. 
 3345  Jechoniali    Bound,    III.    [characteristic   of    the    third 
 
 period]. 
 3939  Birth  of  Christ. 
 3969  Baptism  of  Christ. 
 
 Now,  in  tlic  first  phice,  take  the  sum  of  tlie  years  in  each 
 Fourteen,  and  divide  them  by  fourteen,  wliich  is  the  number  of 
 (fenerations,  and  you  will  obtain  the  length  of  the  single  genera- 
 tions in  each  period  :  so  that,  in  the  first  period,  a  generation 
 will  contain  sixty-two,  in  the  second,  thirty-three,  and  in  the 
 third,  forty-two  years.  The  mean  length  will  be  about  forty-six 
 years  :  this,  however,  I  Avill  not  press.  Take,  in  the  second 
 place,  which  is  more  to  the  purpose,  the  nine  hundred  and 
 twenty-three  years  from  the  promise  given  to  Abraham  till  the 
 birth  of  Christ,  and  divide  them  by  tlcree,  which  is  the  number  of 
 tlie  periods  :  the  mean  length  of  the  periods  will  not  come  up  to 
 that  of  the  first,  will  exceed  that  of  the  second,  but  will  agree 
 admirably  with  that  of  the  third.  The  third  therefore  stands  as 
 the  primary  period  (to  which  the  two  others  are  subservient), 
 between  the  excess  of  the  first  and  the  defect  of  the  second, 
 which  mutually  compensate  each  other.  And  the  Evangelist 
 has  acted  as  geographers  do,  who,  when  wishing  to  express  the 
 distance  between  two  cities,  enumerate  the  stations  interposed 
 between  them,  in  such  a  manner,  that  they  add  to  one  stage  the 
 paces  which  they  take  from  another,  and  thus  produce  more  con- 
 veniently the  real  total  without  any  violence  to  truth.  In  fact, 
 the  Evangelist  has  done  that,  which  every  chronologer  does, 
 when  he  enumerates  the  years  in  his  canons  so  as  to  absorb  the 
 excesses  and  defects  of  the  months  and  days.  In  short,  the 
 year?  of  the  first  and  second  period,  taken  together,  are  exactly 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.  17.  103 
 
 double  those  of  the  third  period.  On  the  same  principle,  Moses 
 has  reduced  the  times  of  Isaac,  Jacob,  Levi,  Kohath,  Amram, 
 Moses,  which  might  have  exhibited  more  or  fewer  genealogical 
 generations  in  this  or  that  family,  to  four  chronological  genera- 
 tions, or  four  centuries,  those  years  only  being  omitted,  in  which 
 Levi,  Kohath,  and  Amram  became  parents.  It  is  difficult  to 
 represent  in  words  the  design  of  Moses  or  Matthew ;  nor  can 
 the  interpretation  of  such  a  matter  appear,  at  first  sight,  other- 
 wise than  crude  and  harsh  :  if,  however,  it  be  frequently  pondered 
 upon,  the  acerbity  will  disappear. 
 
 XIII.  The  chronological  equality  of  the  three  periods,  is  a 
 proof  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ. 
 
 There  is  a  perpetual  analogy  between  the  periods  of  time, 
 defined  by  Divine  Wisdom;  and  these  three  most  important 
 periods  correspond  remarkably  with  each  other.  From  the 
 Captivity  to  Christ,  are  Fourteen  generations,  says  St  Matthew ; 
 just  as  Gabriel,  when  revealing  to  Daniel  the  seventy  weeks, 
 said,  that  the  city  should  be  built  ["  in  seven  weeks,  and  three- 
 score and  two  weeks  from  the  going  forth  of  the  command- 
 ment"] unto  the  Messiah  the  Prince. — See  Dan.  ix.  25.  And 
 St  Matthew  had  that  same  system  of  times  in  his  mind.  The 
 Captivity,  the  revelation  which  was  vouchsafed  to  Daniel,  the 
 Return,  the  actual  commencement  of  the  Seventy  Weeks,  are 
 separated  by  short  but  remarkable  intervals.  From  that  point 
 downwards,  the  Seventy  Weeks,  throughout  their  long  course, 
 accompany  this  the  last  Fourteen,  until  Christ  completes  both, 
 and  the  Fourteen  before  the  Weeks.  The  Seventy  Weeks  con- 
 sist of  less  than  560  years,  as  I  have  shown  in  the  Ordo  Tem- 
 porum,  and  comprise  about  twelve  generations,  each  of  them 
 (as  we  have  observed  in  Section  IX.)  being  about  forty-six 
 years  in  duration.  It  behoved  that  Christ  should  come  within 
 the  Seventy  Weeks.  The  expectation  of  Israel,  therefore,  could 
 not  be  delayed  for  moi^e  than  fourteen  generations  after  the 
 Captivity. 
 
 XIV.  The  dissimilarity  of  the  three  periods,  and  the  equality 
 of  the  Fourteens,  when  taken  together,  confirm  this  important  con- 
 clusion still  more,  hy  a  cumulative  argument. 
 
 If  any  one  will  compare  together,  and  combine  what  we  have 
 said  in  the  Seventh  and  Thirteenth  Sections,  he  will  perceive 
 
t04  ST  MATTHEW  I.  17. 
 
 that  these  two  arguments  reciprocally  strengthen  each  other. 
 The  first  and  second  periods  were  far  more  glorious  than  the 
 third,  which  could  not  therefore  fail  to  have  the  conclusion  most 
 desired,  after  so  long  a  cessation  of  both  the  Promise  and  the 
 Kingdom.^ 
 
 In  the  Treatise  on  the  hirth  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  published  a.d. 
 1749,  hy  Dp  S.  J.  Baumgarten,^  in  the  name  of  the  Academy  of 
 Plalle,  my  Gnomon  is  openly  assailed  in  three  places. 
 
 In  the  first  place,  after  refuting  the  opinion  of  William  Read- 
 ing, w^ho  concluded  from  the  right  of  Jesus  Christ  to  the  Jewish 
 kingdom,  that  Joseph  had  had  no  sons  before  his  birth,  he  says 
 (p.  20),  that  I  appear  to  maintain  the  same  view.  I  however 
 only  showed  (p.  10,  Sec.  IX.)  that  Jesus  must  have  been  re- 
 puted to  be  the  first-born  of  Joseph,  just  as  much  as  He  was 
 reputed  to  be  his  Son.  I  said  nothing  there  concerning  His 
 right  to  the  kingdom. 
 
 The  second  passage,  which  occurs  soon  afterwards,  runs 
 thus  : — "  They  double  and  wonderfully  increase  the  difficulty, 
 who  consider  that  Phaidaiah  has  been  passed  over  by  St 
 ^Matthew,  so  as  to  make  Zorobabel  the  grandson  of  Salathiel, 
 and  the  great  grandson  of  Jechoniah  ;  a  view  which  has  found 
 favour  with  many  interpreters,  although  Phaidaiah  is  expressly 
 called  (1  Chron.  iii.  18,  19)  the  brother  of  Salathiel,  and  the 
 son  of  Jechoniah.  This  opinion,  however,  is  far  more  tolerable 
 than  that  put  forward  by  Matthew  Ililler,  in  the  third  chapter 
 of  his  dissertation  on  the  true  meaning  of  the  words  which 
 composed  the  inscription  on  our  Lord's  Cross  {Syntagmata  Her- 
 meneutica,  pp.  361-363).  Bengel,  however,  in  the  eighth  and 
 fourteenth  pages  of  his  Gnomon,  has  gone  still  further,  declaring 
 that  the  Abiud  of  Matthew  is  the  same  with  the  Hodaiah  or 
 Hodauihu  mentioned  in  1  Chron.  iii.  24,  as  the  tenth  from 
 Zorobabel.  By  which  immense  leap,  he  has  so  far  pleased  him- 
 self,   as   seriously  to  think   that  Matthew  has  purposely  and 
 
 ^  "  Post  tantam  promissionis  regnique  pausam,"  i.e.  after  the  voice  of  pro- 
 phecy liad  been  so  long  silent,  the  royalty  of  David's  throne  remained  so  long 
 in  aheyance. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  A  Lutheran  divine,  liistorian,  and  philologist  of  the  Academy  of  Halle; 
 born  170G  ;  died  17o6.     His  works  were  very  numerous. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.   17.  105 
 
 deliberately  passed  over  an  entire  Fourteen,  wliich  is  made  up 
 of  these  nine  descendants  of  Zorobabel,  of  the  father  of  the  same 
 Phaidaiah,  of  three  descendants  of  Joram,  and  of  the  father  of 
 Jechoniah,  and  that  this  is  not  without  mystery  for  the  con- 
 struction of  the  three  periods  of  time,  which  he  then  computes 
 according  to  his  own  pleasure.  We  will  give  his  own  words. 
 '  Between  Jehoram  and  Abiud,  St  Matthew  omits  in  all  fourteen 
 generations  ;  see  section  IX. ;  and  though  he  only  mentions  three 
 fourteens  for  the  sake  of  the  number  of  the  periods  from  Abraham 
 to  Christ,  he  nevertheless  implies,  in  accordance  with  his  system, 
 that  there  were  really  four.' ' 
 
 "  Greatly  and  sadly  do  we  fear  lest  the  credit  of  Holy  Scripture 
 should  be  brought  into  danger  by  this  fictitious  systematizing,^  a 
 danger  not  to  be  averted  by  any  distinction  between  implied  or 
 expressed  meaning.  Even  if  the  Book  of  Chronicles  expressly 
 mentioned  Abiud,  this  hypothesis  would  still  be  inadmissible 
 (since  many  men  have  undoubtedly  borne  the  same  name)  ; 
 and  it  will  appear  utterly  inexcusable  to  any  one  who  carefully 
 considers  with  himself,  both  what  tortures  must  be  employed 
 to  transform  Abiud  into  Hodaiah,  and  also  how  very  much  the 
 divine  credit  of  the  Book  of  Chronicles  must  be  imperilled,  if  it 
 be  laid  down  (the  only  argument  by  which  the  conjecturers 
 support  their  improbable  opinion),  that  no  genealogy  is  carried 
 further  in  that  book,  than  the  genealogy  of  the  Messiah,  of 
 which  the  writer  of  Chronicles  must  certainly  have  been  igno- 
 rant without  a  special  revelation." 
 
 What  follows  in  the  Programm^  has  nothing  to  do  with  me. 
 To  the  objections  quoted  above,  I  reply : 
 
 (1.)  I  have  computed  the  three  periods  of  time,  not  according 
 to  my  oivn  pleasure,  but  from  the  observations  which  occur  in 
 the  text  of  St  Matthew.     For  the  first  and  second  periods  are 
 
 ^  See  §  X.,  and  footnote. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  "  Ficta  concinnitate,"  alluding  to  Bengel's  use  of  the  cognate  adverb, 
 "  concinne."     See  §  x.,  and  footnote. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  "  Programm"  (Programma)  must  not  be  confounded  with  "  Programme\' 
 it  is  used  here  in  a  peculiar  and  technical  sense,  and  signifies,  "  An  introduc 
 tory  dissertation,  ffenerally  on  some  religions  or  classical  subject,  read  by  the 
 Hector,  Sub-rector,  or  some  Professor  of  a  German  Uiiiversxty,  at  the  conir- 
 mencement  of  their  lectures. — (I.  B.) 
 
lOG  ST  MATTHEW  I.  17. 
 
 divided  by  "  Da^■id,  tlie  King^^  who,  in  the  mere  genealooy  of 
 Ruth  iv.  22,  is  not  called  "  the  king  :"  the  second  and  third  are 
 divided  by  the  Bahjlonian  Captivity,  which  is  not  a  generation, 
 but  an  epoch.  Dr  Baumgarten's  Pj^ogramm  itself  (p.  24)  does 
 not  differ  much  from  this. 
 
 (2.)  I  am  more  doubtful  now  tVian  I  was  formerly  whether 
 St  Matthew  has  passed  over  Jehoiakim  :  it  is  certain,  however, 
 that  he  has  passed  over  three  generations,  viz.,  Ahaz,  Joash,  and 
 Amaziah  ;  and  my  Gnomon  suggests  one  reason,  his  Programm 
 another,  why  the  Evangelist  should  have  passed  over  these  three 
 rather  than  any  others.  It  ought,  therefore,  to  be  carefully  con- 
 sidered, whether  the  observations  which  are  made  in  that  Pro- 
 gramm against  the  other  generations,  which  have  also  been 
 omitted,  do  not  bring  the  credit  of  the  sacred  writers  into  danger. 
 The  Programm  also  lays  it  down  (p.  18)  that  six  generations 
 are  omitted  in  Ezra  vii.  3. 
 
 (3.)  Whether  it  was  one  man,  called  indiscriminately  Hodaiah 
 and  Abiud,  or  Avhether  two  individuals  are  represented  respec- 
 tively by  these  names,  Hiller  has  assuredly  demonstrated  that 
 the  meaning  of  both  is  the  same,  whose  modes  of  eliciting  the 
 truth  ^  many  would  find  serviceable,  if  they  would  condescend  to 
 employ  them, 
 
 (4.)  I  now,  however,  acknowledge  that  Hodaiah  and  Abiud 
 were  distinct  individuals  ;  but  I  am  induced  to  do  so  by  the 
 single  argument,  that  the  nearer  Abiud  is  to  Christ,  the  farther 
 he  must  be  from  the  ancient  times  of  the  Chronicles,  and  of 
 Hodaiah  himself.  I  have  nowhere  said  that  the  genealogy  of  the 
 ^lessiah  or  Joseph  is  carried  farther  in  Chronicles  than  the  other 
 genealogies,  neither  have  I  had  any  cause  for  so  saying. 
 
 (5.)  The  number  of  Fourteen  generations  which  Hiller  has 
 specified  as  being  omitted  by  St  INlatthew,  received  a  certain  ad- 
 ditional appearance  of  probability  from  their  accordance  with 
 the  three  Fourteens  of  generations  mentioned  by  the  Evangelist, 
 
 (G.)  Where  the  Programm  in  question  abruptly  concludes 
 with  those  words  of  mine  concerning  St  Matthew,  there  the 
 Gnomon  goes  on  immediately  to  say,  "  St  Luke  expressly  enume- 
 
 '  "  Fidiculis,"  alluding  to  the  invidious  term  applied  by  Baumgarten  to 
 Bcngel's  modes  of  proving  the  identity  of  Abiud  and  Hodaiah. — Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  J.  17.  107 
 
 rates  fifty-six  generations  from  Abraham  to  the  time  when  Jesus 
 was  thirty  years  of  age.  They  agree,  therefore."  On  consider- 
 ing this  passage,  it  will,  I  think,  become  evident,  that  the  anti- 
 thesis between  the  words  "  implied'^  and  "  expressed''^  is  perfectly 
 harmless  ;  and  that  the  apparent  difference  in  the  numbers  of 
 generations  mentioned  by  the  two  evangelists  can  be  satisfac- 
 torily reconciled  by  means  of  those  which  St  Matthew  has 
 omitted. 
 
 (7.)  If  St  Matthew  has  omitted  rather  fewer  generations,  this 
 does  not  detract  from  the  remainder  of  my  explanation. 
 
 (8.)  Since  the  Progy^amm  (p.  13)  touches  on  the  passage  in 
 Luke  iii.  23,  we  shall  offer  some  observations  also  on  it.  In  these 
 words,  cSr,  uc  svofxi^sro,  u'log  ''icasrif,  rov  'HXsi,  -a.t.X.  (being,  as  was 
 supposed,  the  son  of  Joseph,  which  was  the  son  of  Heli,  etc.), 
 Baumgarten  expunges  the  comma  after  ivo/A/^fro  {teas  supposed), 
 so  as  to  make  "  ws  ho/j,i^iTo  v'/hg  'loosritp  (as  ivas  supposed  the  son 
 of  Joseph)  a  parenthesis ;  though  the  word  svofj.i'(sro  (was  sup- 
 posed) belongs  rather,  without  any  diminution  of  truth,  to  the 
 whole  genealogy,  as  I  have  shown  in  the  present  work.  I  re- 
 mark by  the  way — on  the  passage  in  question,  that,  when  our 
 Lord  is  said  to  have  been  about  thirty  years  of  age,  some 
 latitude  is  ascribed  to  the  year  xxx.  by  the  word  ug  (about),  so 
 that  there  may  have  been  an  excess,  or  rather  a  defect,  of  some 
 days,  without  detriment  to  the  precise  number  of  thirty  years. 
 Baumgarten,  however,  in  his  Church  History,  Sec.  i.  p.  105, 
 introduces  some  few  years  above  thirty :  a  license  which  is  quite 
 unallowable,  since  in  this  manner  the  most  important  calcula- 
 tions of  time  which  occur  in  the  evangelists,  are  put  entirely  out 
 of  joint.  Scripture  records  many  and  various  ages  of  men,  and 
 introduces  odd  numbers  of  years,  such  as  21  and  29,  although 
 they  approach  very  nearly  to  round  numbers,  such  as  20  and  30. 
 We  ought  not,  therefore,  to  imagine  that  the  most  important  of 
 all,  namely,  the  age  of  Jesus,  can  have  been  left  in  doubt. 
 
 The  third  passage  occurs  at  p.  26,  and  runs  thus  : — "  They  who 
 attempt  to  produce  any  other  equalization  or  comparison  of 
 these  periods,  seek  to  serve  unwisely  the  interests  of  a  good 
 cause,  which  is  not  benefited  by  crude  and  harsh  fimcies,  such 
 as  Bengel  himself  confesses  that  his  own  opinion  (of  the  chrono- 
 
108  ST  MATTHEW  I.  17. 
 
 logj  Avhich  he  imagines  to  be  concealed  in  this  genealogy,  and 
 to  be  conducive  to  the  exposition  in  his  Gnomon)  must  appear  at 
 first  sight.  We  at  least  have  not  experienced  that  Avhich  he 
 thought  would  be  the  case,  namely,  that  it  would  grow  less 
 harsh  by  being  more  frequently  thought  over ;  for  though  we 
 have  read  it  again  and  again  at  least  ten  times,  and  thought  it 
 over  diligently,  it  has  by  this  process  become  more  and  more 
 repugnant  to  us :  in  fact,  we  are  clearly  convinced,  that  what- 
 ever is  by  means  of  arithmetical  operations  made  out  of  the 
 numbers  which  we  meet  with  in  the  sacred  history,  ought  not 
 to  be  attributed  to  the  sacred  writers,  and  cannot  be  referred  to 
 their  meaning,  unless  we  wish  to  excel  even  Je"\nsh  ingenuity 
 by  our  cabalistic  sagacity." 
 
 Others  have  followed  and  added  to  this  censure.  For  at 
 Leipsic  there  has  appeared  both  a  certain  academical  exercise 
 and  the  revision  of  an  academical  exercise,  in  which  these  words 
 are  applied  to  me, — "  He  almost  surpasses  the  fabrications  of 
 Jews  and  Cabalists,  since  he  introduces  his  raw  fancies  into 
 the  sacred  chronology."  But  I  return  to  the  Hallian  censure. 
 The  author  of  that  censure  should  take  care  lest  the  last  words 
 which  I  have  quoted  from  it  strike  the  sacred  writer  himself, 
 whose  meaning  is  placed  at  a  far  greater  distance  above  mere 
 accommodation  to  Jewish  tastes  than  the  Programm  either 
 acknowledges  or  permits  to  be  acknowledged.  If,  however, 
 another  sufficient  interpretation  be  given,  I  will  willingly  give 
 up  my  own.  It  has  not  happened  to  the  author  of  the  Pro- 
 gramm to  find  my  opinion  grew,  upon  consideration,  less  harsh  : 
 it  does,  however,  happen  to  others,  who  weigh  well  my  notes  on 
 ver.  16,  17.  For,  in  fact,  I  am  neither  the  only  one  nor  the 
 first  who  have  asserted  that  the  Evangelist  propounds  a  chro- 
 nology under  cover  of  the  genealogy.  I  have  already  cited 
 Chrysostom,  at  p.  30.  I  must  add  Daniel  Chamier,^  who  says 
 that  thrice  fourteen  chronological   ages   are  intended   by  the 
 
 1  A  French  Protestant  writer  of  considerable  ability,  born  in  the  sixteenth 
 century. 
 
 He  was  appointed  in  \(\\'2  Professor  of  Divinity  at  Monfauban,  and  during? 
 the  siege  of  that  town  by  Louis  XIII.,  was  killed  by  a  cannon-ball  in  1621. 
 He  is  supposed  to  have  had  great  part  in  composing  the  Edict  of  Nantes. — 
 (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.  18.  109 
 
 genealogical  steps,  which  were  really  more  numerous  than  those 
 mentioned.  See  by  all  means  his  Panastratiae  Catholics, 
 vol.  iii.  b.  18,  ch.  2.  Very  lately  also  John  Frederick  Frese- 
 nius  has  produced  a  commentary  on  the  thrice  fourteen  gene- 
 rations of  Matt,  i.,  which  not  only  exists  in  a  separate  form,  but 
 has  also  been  inserted  by  his  brother  with  equal  advantage  into 
 his  fifth  pastoral  collection  from  John  D'Espagne.-^  The  very 
 Programm  itself  employs  words  which  accommodate  themselves 
 to  my  opinion  in  spite  of  their  author  ;  for  at  p.  24  he  says, — 
 "  By  the  gradual  evolving  of  the  Divine  promise,^  the  complete 
 time  which  had  elapsed  from  God's  entering  into  covenant  with 
 Abraham  was  divided  into  three  periods,  nearly  equal  in  length, 
 if  vou  reckon  that  length  by  ages  of  men."  He  is  right  in 
 employing  the  word  Ages  (Aetates) ;  for  the  equality  consists 
 properly  in  the  number  of  ages  intimated  by  the  number  of 
 generations  expressed ;  whereas  the  actual  number  of  genera- 
 tions, some  of  which  are  expressed  and  some  omitted,  is  some- 
 what larger  than  that  of  those  which  are  expressed.  Such 
 being  the  case,  the  numbers  stated  in  Holy  Scripture  invite  the 
 diligent  reader  to  arithmetical  calculations,  nor  can  they  safely 
 be  treated  with  contempt  where  they  accord  with  the  matter 
 under  consideration.  The  Hebrews  fi'equently  express  numbers 
 of  years  by  generations.  Away  with  Jewish  Ingenuity  !  away 
 with  Cabalistic  Sagacity!  Christian  research  will  rightly  endea- 
 vour, if  not  to  attain  to,  at  least  to  follow  after,  the  sagacity  of 
 the  Evangelist,  mentioned  in  the  Programm  (p.  25.)  It  may 
 easily  be  supposed  that  the  Programm,  delivered  on  a  solemn 
 occasion  in  a  celebrated  spot,  must  have  found  many  more 
 readers  than  this  my  explanation.  I  trust,  however,  that 
 it  may  confer  some  little  advantage  on  some  few  readers ; 
 and  it  is  better  to  induce  even  one  man  to  search  after 
 truth,  than  to  estrange  many  from  a  single  trace  of  it,  however 
 slight. 
 
 18.  Toil  01  XpiSTou  i]  y'lmYiGig  q-jtuc,  v,  The  generation,  however,  of 
 
 1  John  d'Espagne  lived  in  the  17  th  century. 
 
 He  wrote,  besides  other  works,  Essay  des  raerveilles  de  Dieu  I'harmonie  des 
 temps,  published  at  Geneva,  1671. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  "  Promissionis  Divinoe  Gradatione,"  literally,  "  Bi/  the  Gradation  of  the, 
 Divine  Promise,"  i.e.  by  the  several  stages  of  its  evolution  to  fulfilment. 
 
no  ST  MATTHEW  I.  18. 
 
 Christ  was  on  this  wise)  By  this  most  ancient  reading^  the  text 
 refers  to  ver.  17,  and  the  advent  of  the  Messiah,  expected  for  so 
 many  generations,  is  declared  and  exhibited  (exserte  demon- 
 stratur)  to  the  reader.  Thus,  too,  the  words,  iyivrz-'^n,  (was 
 rjenerated),  and  yswriffi?,  (generation),  refer  mutually  to  each  other. 
 The  particle  ds  (Jiowever)  subserves  both  references.  In  Uke 
 manner,  the  name  "  Jesus"  is  repeated  in  cli.  ii.  1,  from  eh.  i. 
 25.  In  later  ages,  most  of  the  Greek  copyists  have  added  'irisov^ 
 (the  genitive  case  of  ^r/jffou;,  Jesus)  before  Xpisrou  (the  genitive 
 case  of  XpiGTog,  Christ),  according  to  which  reading,  the  expres- 
 sion would  refer  with  less  force  to  either  the  first  or  sixteenth 
 verse  indifferently.  It  was  the  Christ  whom  Mary  had  in  her 
 womb  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  whom  Joseph,  afterwards,  by  the 
 command  of  the  angel,  called  Jesus.  Elegantly,  and  in  ac- 
 cordance with  the  order  of  events,  the  name  Jesus  is  reserved 
 till  ver.  21,  25. — Cf.  Gnomon  on  Luke  ii.  11.  The  word  yiwrjeig 
 (generation)  includes  (ver.  18—25)  both  the  Conception  (cf. 
 yivvrj^v,  conceived,  ver.  20)  and  the  Nativity  (cf.  yswri^svTog, 
 having  been  horn,  ii.  1).  For  ver.  18  contains  the  introductory 
 statement  (propositionem)^  of  those  matters  which  follow,  to 
 which,  also,  the  o'Jrwg  (thus,  or  on  this  wise)  refers  :  and  the  con- 
 junction yap  (for)  commences  the  handling  of  the  subject  (trac- 
 tationem),  which  corresponds  with  the  introductory  statement. 
 — Cf.  the  use  of  ydp  in  Heb.  ii.  S.'*  The  particle  oiircoj  guards  us 
 from  thinking,  on  account  of  the  preceding  genealogy,  that 
 Joseph  was  the  natural  father  of  Jesus. — /ji.vrieriu'^iiarig  yap  rr,g 
 
 '  In  jMatt.  i.  18,  we  know  how  it  was  read  in  tlie  second  century  from 
 Irenajus,  wlio  (after  having  previously  cited  the  words,  "  Christi  autemgene- 
 ratio  sic  erat")  continues,  "  Ceterum  potuerat  dicere  MatUueus,  Jesu  vero 
 generatio  sic  crat  ;  sed  prajvidens  Spiritus  Sanctus  depravatorcs,  ct  prienni- 
 niens  contra fraudulentiam  eoruni,  per  Mattha^um  ait :  Christi  aittan  generatio 
 sic  erat."—(C.  II.  lib.  iii.  16,  2.)     Trkgelles.— (I.  B.) 
 
 PZ  and  Rec.  Text  read  'irjaou  Xpiarov,  which,  therefore,  Lachniann  pre- 
 fers. B,  and  Origen  3,  965d  read  Xpiarov  'lYjaov.  But  Iren.  191,  204,  and 
 abed  Vulg.  read  only  Xpiarov,  which  Tischendorf  prefers. — Ed. 
 
 2  Such  is  the  reading  of  E.  M.,  viz.,  roi  oe  'lmoi>  Xpiarov,  x.t.X. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Proposilio  and  IVactatio  are  terms  regularly  used  by  Bengel  in  his 
 Introductory  Synopses  in  the  technical  and  rhetorical  sense. — Eu. 
 
 *  Lachmann  omits  yoip  witli  WLahc  Vulg.  Iren.  'H)i.  Tischendorf,  with 
 less  weight  of  authorities,  retains  it,  viz.,  of  the  oldest,  IV. — Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.  I'J.  Ill 
 
 firiiphg  AvTov  Mapiag,  For  after  His  mother  Mary  had  been  be- 
 trothed) The  LXX,  render  the  Hebrew  tnx  (to  betroth)  by  fivr,- 
 arsuo/xai  in  Deut.  xx.  7,  etc. — -Trplv  jj  (rwsX^ini  avrovg,  before  they 
 came  together)  Joseph  had  not  yet  even  brought  Mary  home  (see 
 ver.  20) ;  but  in  these  words,  and  the  more  firmly  on  that  ac- 
 count, the  comynercium  ton  is  specifically  denied,  in  order  to 
 assert  her  pregnancy  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Nor  does  the  expres- 
 sion, 'TTpiv  7]  (before),  imply  that  they  came  together  after  our 
 Lord's  birth. — sOfi^jj  h  yaffrpi  'iyji-oSoL  1%  TlviXJiMarog  ' Ayiou,  she  teas 
 found  with  child  of  the  Holy  Ghost)  There  can  be  no  doubt  but 
 that  Mary  disclosed  to  Joseph  (perhaps  when  he  proposed  to 
 consummate  their  marriage)  the  sacred  pregnancy,  which  she  had 
 concealed  from  every  one  else. — Jx,  of)  The  expression  i-/.  Hvvj- 
 l^oLTog  'A7/0U  (of  the  Holy  Sjnrit)  occurs  again  at  ver.  20.  See, 
 also,  John  iii.  6. 
 
 19.  dixaiog,  just^)  It  is  disputed  in  what  sense  this  epithet  is 
 applied  to  Joseph.  The  thing  is  clear.  Joseph  wished  to  put 
 away  Mary,  and  he  also  wished  to  put  her  away  privately.  The 
 Evangelist  indicates  the  cause  of  both  wishes.  Why  did  he  wish 
 to  do  it  privately  ?  Because  he  was  unwilling  to  publish  the 
 matter,  and  exact  the  penalty  which  tlie  law  permitted  in  the 
 case  of  M'omen  guilty,  or  suspected,  of  adultery,  and  thus  to 
 make  an  example  of  one,  whose  sanctity  he  had  in  other  re- 
 spects so  greatly  revered.  But  why  did  he  wish  to  put  her  away 
 at  all?  We  learn  from  the  context.  Because  he  was  just 
 (Justus),  and  did  not  think  it  reputable  {honestmii)  to  retain  as 
 his  wife  one  who  appeared  to  have  broken  her  conjugal  faith. 
 His  thoughts  were  many  and  conflicting  ;  his  mind  was  in  doubt. 
 St  Matthew  expresses  this  with  great  beauty,  by  a  phraseology 
 somewhat  ambiguous  in  this  its  brevity :  for  Greek  participles 
 may  be  resolved  into  the  corresponding  verbs  with  the  conjunc- 
 tions although,  because,  or  since  :  [and  ij^ri  ^sXwv,  therefore,  may  be 
 rendered  either  although  he  was  univilling,  because  he  loas  un- 
 loilling,  or  since  he  did  not  wish'].  Elsewhere  hixaiog  is  some- 
 times found  with  the  signification  of  yielding  and  kind,  as  in- 
 
 1  In  Bengel,  "Justus"  which,  as  well  as  the  original,  oUuiog,  signifies,  and 
 is  translated,  either  jws?  or  righteous^  as  the  case  may  require.  In  Bengel's 
 own  German  version,  it  is  rendered  in  the  present  instance  Gerecht,  which 
 is  equally  ambiguous. — (I.  B.) 
 
112  ST  MATTHEW  I,  20. 
 
 Justus^  (which  signifies  primarily  unjust  or  unrighteous)  with  that 
 of  severe. — 'xa^ahnyiiariGa.ij  to  make  an  example  of)  Thus  the  LXX. 
 in  Num.  XXV.  4,  have — Uapadiiy/Mdnffov  avrovg  rSJ  Kupl'M,  xarivavTi 
 rov  rjXiov,  Make  an  examjyle  of  them  to  the  Lord  before  the  sun  : 
 M-here  the  expression  is  used  of  persons  executed  by  hangintr. 
 The  simple  form,  dny/Marl'c^s/v,  occurs  in  Col.  ii.  15:  for  both  duy/xa 
 and  'zapddsiyfia  [from  which  the  verbs  are  respectively  derived] 
 denote  that  which  is  exhibited  as  a  public  spectacle. — Xd^pa, 
 jmvili/)  i.e.  without  a  public  trial,  without  even  a  record  of  the 
 reason  on  the  writing  of  divorcement.  Two  witnesses  were  suf- 
 ficient.— d'TTo'kvsaT,  to  put  her  away)  fearing  to  take  her. 
 
 20.  ihou,  behold)  He  was  not  left  long  in  doubt.' — xa-'  ovap,  in 
 a  dream)  Dreams  are  mentioned  also  in  Acts  ii.  17,  in  a  quota- 
 tion from  the  Old  Testament.  With  this  exception,  St  Matthew 
 is  the  only  writer  of  the  New  Testament  who  has  recorded 
 dreams ;  viz.,  one  of  Pilate's  wife,  cli.  xxvii.  19  ;  one  of  the  Magi, 
 ch.  ii.  12  ;  one  of  Joseph,  in  this  passage  ;  a  second  in  ch.  ii.  13  ;  a 
 third  in  ch.  ii.  19  ;  and  a  fourth  in  ii.  22.  This  mode  of  instruc- 
 tion was  suitable  to 'those  early  times  of  the  New  Dispensation.* 
 — avTui,  to  him)  In  the  first  instance,  Gabriel  was  sent  to  Mary  , 
 afterwards  the  remaining  particulars  were  revealed  to  Joseph. 
 Thus  all  things  were  made  sure  to  both  of  them. — 'luioricp,  Joseph) 
 In  visions,  those  to  whom  they  are  vouchsafed  are  generally 
 addressed  by  name,  as  if  already  well  known  [to  the  speaker]. — 
 See  Acts  ix.  4,  10,  and  x.  3,  13. — rrapaXalSsTv,  to  take  unto  thee) 
 sc.  to  the  companionship  of  life  and  board,  under  the  naine  of 
 Avedlock  :  on  which  ground  the  angel  adds  the  words,  ttjv  yvmTy.d 
 ■f!(A)  {thy  wife). — Mapidfi,  Mary)  This  tennination  was  more  usual 
 in  early  times  (from  the  example  of  the  Hebrew  and  the  LXX.) 
 thm  the  Greek  form  Map/a,  which  soon,  however,  prevailed.  St 
 Matthew,  therefore,  uses  Mapiafj,  here,  in  the  angel's  address,  for 
 the  name  of  our  Lord's  mother;  but  Maplu;  [the  genitive  case  of 
 the  Greek  form  Mapla]  when  speaking  of  her  (ver.  IG,  18)  in  his 
 <ywn  person ;  and  in  like  manner,  he  employs  the  Greek  form 
 
 1  Ex.  pr.  Virsr.  Eel.,  "  Injusta  noverca." — Ed. 
 
 ■2  Thus  God  guides  His  own,  and  teaches  them  at  the  right  time,  what 
 tley  have  to  do. — B.  G.  V. 
 
 '•^  Shortly  after  men  ])rophcsied  concerning  Christ  ;  as  also  Christ  Himself 
 acted  the  part  of  an  interpreter  of  their  prophecies. —  Vers.  Qerm. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.  21.  113 
 
 wlien  mentioning  other  women  of  the  same  name.  And  St 
 Luke  does  mostly  the  same.  Miriam,  according  to  Hiller,  sig- 
 nifies Rebellion,  sc.  of  the  Israelites  in  Egypt.  Scripture  teaches 
 us  to  look  to  the  etymology  of  the  name,  not  of  Mary,  but  of 
 Jesus. — rh  yap  h  avrri  ysv^jj^sc,  for  that  ivJiich  is  conceived  in  her) 
 The  foetus,  as  yet  unborn,  is  usually  spoken  of  in  the  neuter 
 gender. — Cf.  note  on  Luke  i.  35. 
 
 21.  Tsgsra/,  shall  bring  forth)  The  word  coi  (to  thee),  which  is 
 added  (Luke  i.  31)  concerning  Zachariah,  is  not  introduced  here  ;^ 
 — xaXsffug,  thou  shalt  call)  By  the  use  of  the  second  person 
 sincnilar,  the  duties  and  oblio-ations  of  a  father  are  committed  to 
 Joseph.  St  Matthew  records  more  particulars  than  the  other 
 evangelists  regarding  him ;  afterwards,  when  men  had  become 
 acquainted  with  the  truth,  the  first  place  is  given  (in  Luke  i.  31) 
 to  Mary. — 'irjgovv,  Jesus)  Many  names  of  the  Messiah  were  an- 
 nounced in  the  Old  Testament ;  but  the  proper  name  "Jesus" 
 was  not  expressly  announced.  The  meaning  and  force  of  it 
 are,  however,  proclaimed  everywhere,  namely,  Salvation  ;  and 
 the  name  itself  was  divinely  foretold  in  this  passage  before  our 
 Lord's  birth,  and  in  Luke  i.  31,  even  before  His  conception. 
 The  name  y^C'l  (Jeshua),  which  occurs  in  Neh.  viii.  17,  is  the 
 same  as  '!Mh'^\  or  V^'\'^\  (Jehoshua,  commonly  called  Joshua): 
 both  of  which  are  rendered  'irjooui  (Jesus)  by  the  LXX.  And  in 
 so  far,  learned  men  have  been  right  in  declaring  that  the  name 
 Jesus  contains  the  Tetragrammaton,  [niiT']  or  ineffable  name  of 
 God. — See  Hiller's  Syntagmata  Hermeneutica,  p.  337,  where 
 the  name  of  Jesus  is  thus  interpreted,  He  who  is  is  Salvation  : 
 yea,  the  angel  interprets  it  ATT02  snsEI  (He  shall  save),  where 
 Alrog  (He)  corresponds  with  the  Divine  Name. — Cf.  Gnomon  on 
 Heb.  i.  12.  Nor  does  the  name  Jehoshua  differ  from  the  original, 
 Hoshea  (See  Num.  xiii.  16)  in  any  thing  else,  except  the  ad- 
 dition of  the  Divine  Name,  which  transforms  the  name  from  a 
 prayer,  Save  {Salva),  into  an  affirmation,  Jehovah  Salvation. 
 And,  since  the  name  Emmanuel  mentions  God  most  expressly 
 together '  with  Salvation,  the  name  Jesus  itself,  the  force  of 
 which,  the  Evangelist  of  the  Old  Testament,  Isaiah  (whose  own 
 name  signifies  the  same  thing)  clearly  indicates  by  the  synonym 
 Emmanuel,  requires  much  more  the  mention  of  the  Divine  Name : 
 
 '  i.e.  Because  our  Lord  was  not  the  child  of  Joseph. — (I.  B.) 
 VOL.  I.  H 
 
114  ST  MATTHEW  I.  22. 
 
 for  Emmanuel  and  Jesus  are  equivalent  terms. — See  notes  on 
 vv.  22,  23.  Nay,  even  if  the  ""  in  JJItJ'''  be  considered  as  merely 
 the  sign  of  the  third  person,  still,  as  is  frequently  the  case  with 
 Hebrew  names,  "  God"  must  be  understood,  and  here  with 
 especial  force. — Aurog,  He^  The  pronoun  auroj,  in  the  nominative, 
 's  always  emphatic  ;  here  it  is  peculiarly  so.  In  the  oblique  case, 
 it  is  frequently  a  mere  relative. — cuiisn,  shall  save)  As  often,  there- 
 fore, as  the  words,  "  to  save,"  "  Saviour"  "  salvation"  "  salu- 
 tary,^" occur  with  reference  to  Christ,  we  ought  to  consider, 
 that  the  name  of  Jesus  is  virtually  mentioned. — rlv  Xahv,  Avtov, 
 His  people)  sc.  Israel,  and  those  who  shall  be  added  to  the  fold 
 of  Israel.^ — AuroS,  His)  and  at  the  same  time  God's. — Cf. 
 ch.  ii.  6. 
 
 22.  TouTo  dh  oXov,  y'syoviv  ha,  But  the  whole  of  this  came  to  pass, 
 that)  The  same  phrase  occurs  in  ch.  xxvi.  56.  There  are  many 
 particulars,  in  which  St  Matthew  observes  that  the  event  an- 
 nounced by  the  angel  corresponded  exactly  with  the  prediction  of 
 Isaiah.  (1.)  A  virgin  pregnant  and  becoming  a  mother  ;  (2.)  A 
 male  child  (Cf.  Rev.  xii.  5);  (3.)  The  Nomenclature  of  the  child  : 
 (4.)  The  Interpretation  of  the  Name. — iVa  '!rXr,pcu'^r],  that  it  might 
 Se  fulfilled)  The  same  phrase  occurs  in  ch.  ii.  15,  17,  23,  iv.  14, 
 viii.  17,  xii.  17,  xiii.  35,  xxi.  4,  xxvii.  9,  35.  Those  things  have 
 been  fulfilled  in  Jesus,  not  only  which  He  performed  Himself 
 (and  which  might  therefore  appear  to  the  unbelieving  to  be  open 
 to  suspicion),  but  those  also  which  were  done  to  Him  by  others. 
 Wherever  this  phrase  occurs,  we  are  bound  to  regard  and 
 recognise  the  character  and  dignity  of  the  Evangelists,  and 
 (however  dull  our  own  perception  may  be  in  the  matter)  to 
 believe  that  they  mention  an  event,  not  merely  corresponding 
 [accidentally]  with  some  ancient  prophecy,  but  one  which  in 
 consequence  thereof,  and  agreement  therewith,  could  not  have 
 failed  to  occur  at  the  commencement  of  the  New  Dispensation, 
 on  account  of  the  Divine  Truth  which  was  pledged  to  its 
 fulfilment.     The   evangelists,  however,   frequently   quote   pro- 
 
 1  Salutare — conducive  to  healthy  whether  of  body  or  soztl :  it  is  frequently 
 difficult,  sometimes  impossible,  to  give  at  once  the  full  and  exact  force  of 
 these  words  in  an  English  translation. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  The  gathering  in  of  the  Gentiles  to  the  Church  was  at  that  time  a 
 mystery  even  to  the  angels. — Vers.  Germ. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.  23.  115 
 
 phecies,  the  context  of  which  must,  at  the  time  that  they  were 
 first  deHvered,  have  been  interpreted  of  things  then  present,  and 
 that,  too,  according  to  the  Divine  intention.  But  the  same 
 Divine  intention,  looking  forward  to  remote  futurity,  so  framed 
 the  language  of  prophecy,  that  it  should  apply  with  still  greater 
 specialty  to  the  times  of  the  Messiah.  And  this  hidden  inten- 
 tion (some  portion  of  which  the  learned  observe  to  have  oozed 
 out  even  to  the  Jews)  the  apostles  and  evangelists,  themselves 
 divinely  taught,  teach  us  :  and  we  are  bound  to  receive  their 
 statements  concerning  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy  in  a  teachable 
 spirit,  on  account  of  the  correspondence  between  the  predictions 
 which  they  adduce,  and  the  events  to  which  they  apply  them. 
 This  is  enough  for  the  defence  of  the  Evangelists,  until  any  one 
 is  led  to  acknowledge  their  authority  on  other  grounds.  Their 
 sincerity  is  clearly  evidenced  by  the  fact,  that  they  have  ampli- 
 fied, as  far  as  possible,  the  number  of  prophecies  relating  to  the 
 Messiah,  and  therefore  the  labour  (delightful  indeed !)  of  proving^ 
 that  Jesus  is  the  Christ.  The  Jews,  on  the  other  hand,  en- 
 deavour as  eagerly  to  turn  aside  in  any  other  direction  whatever, 
 everything  which  the  prophets  have  predicted  concerning  Christ, 
 so  that  it  is  wonderful  that  they  still  believe  that  there  either  is, 
 or  ever  will  be,  a  Messiah. — dta  tou  vf>o(p/iTou,  hy  the  prophet)  St 
 Matthew  quotes  the  prophets  with  especial  frequency,  to  show 
 the  agreement  between  the  prophecies  and  the  events  which  ful- 
 filled them  :  the  other  Evangelists  rather  presuppose  that  agree- 
 ment.^— XiyovTog,  saying)  This  should  be  construed  with  'xpo<priro\j 
 {prophet)',  see  ch.  ii.  17.  Isaiah  is  not  mentioned  by  name. 
 The  ancients  were  studious  readers ;  there  was  less  need,  there- 
 fore, in  those  times,  to  cite  books  and  chapters. 
 
 23.  'iSoi)  7]  'TTap'^ivog  h  yctCTpi  s^si  xai  rit,iTai  Tihv,  xat  xaXeffouai 
 TO  ovofia  Avrou  ' E/x/jjavovrjX — Behold  the  virgin  shall  have  in  her 
 womb  [or  conceive],  and  shall  bring  forth  a  Son,  and  they  shall 
 
 ^  The  onus  probandi. — Ed. 
 
 2  SS.  Mark  and  Luke  have  at  times  noted  down  these  prophecies,  which 
 our  Lord  himself  quoted  ;  but  they  have  been  more  sparing  of  their  own 
 spontaneous  appeals  to  the  Old  Testament,  since  they  were  looking  forward 
 to  readers  becoming  now  continually  more  and  more  established  in  the  Chris- 
 tian faith.  John,  the  last  of  the  Four,  added  one  or  two  prophecies,  and 
 their  subsequent  fulfilment. — Harm,,  p.  49. 
 
116  ST  MATTHEW  I.  23. 
 
 call  his  name  Emmanuel. — The  Lxx.  render  Isaiah  vii.  14,  thus 
 — ^ihoi)  7}  Tap^svog  sv  yaeTpt  X^-^/sra/  Tihv,  xai  xaXeeng  x.r.X. — JBe- 
 hold  the  virgin  shall  conceive  in  her  womb  a  Son,  and  thou  shall 
 call,  etc. — ihoii,  Behold  !) — a  particle  especially  adapted  for  point- 
 ing out  a  Sign. — See  Isa.  vii.  14. — i]  vap^hoi,  the  virgin)  In  the 
 original  Hebrew,  the  word  employed  is  nopyn  •,^  and  n07y  de- 
 notes a  virgin ;  ^  whether  you  derive  it  from  D?y,^  so  that  it  may 
 be  one  who  has  escajjed  the  notice  of  man,*  who  has  not  been 
 known  by  man  (cf.  ver.  25,  and  Luke  i.  34),  for  D?y:  (to  be  hidden, 
 to  lie  hid,  to  escape  the  notice  of),  and  JTV  (to  knoiv,  etc.),  are 
 opposed  to  each  other,  both  in  their  general  signification,  as  in 
 Lev.  V.  3,  4,  and  also  in  this  special  one  :  or  whether  noSy  (the 
 verb  cognate  with  which  the  Syriac  translator  has  employed  to 
 represent  rjx/iaffsv^  in  Rev.  xiv.  18),  signify  dx/j^dia,  in  the  flower 
 of  her  age.  The  Hebrew  article  n  (the),  pi'efixed  in  the  original 
 to  the  word  under  consideration  (concerning  which  article  cf. 
 Gnomon  on  ch.  xviii.  17),  points  out  a  particular  individual  visible 
 on  the  mirror  of  Divine  prescience.  For  the  prophet  is  speak- 
 ing of  a  Sign,  and  introduces  it  by  the  word  "  Behold,"  and  then 
 immediately  addresses  the  Virgin  herself,  ^vith  the  words,  Thou 
 shalt  call,  etc.  Isaiah  indicates,  in  the  first  instance,  some  woman 
 who  lived  at  the  time,  and  whose  natural  fecundity  was  con- 
 sidered doubtful,  who,  from  a  virgin,  was  to  become  a  mother, 
 and  that  of  a  son  :  she,  however,  as  the  sublimity  of  the  prophet's 
 words  clearly  show,  was  a  type  of  that  Virgin,  who,  still  a  virgin, 
 brought  forth  the  Messiah  ;  so  that  the  force  of  the  Sign  was 
 twofold,  applying  to  that  which  was  close  at  hand,  and  to  that 
 which  was  far  distant  in  the  future. — See  Alexander  More.'' 
 
 1  n«:'-;j'n  is  r.i2by  with  the  article  prefixed.— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  "  The  ancient  version,  which  gave  a  different  rendering,  did  so  for  party 
 purposes,  while  the  lxx.,  who  could  have  no  such  motive,  render  it  virgin 
 in  the  very  passage  where  it  must,  to  their  minds,have  occasioned  a  difficulty." 
 S.  P.  TllEGELLES.— (I.  B.) 
 
 3  n'jjiJ  ^0  hide,  to  conceal:  the  Niphal  of  which  is  n}y3_fo  be  hidden,  to  lie 
 hid.—\\.  B.) 
 
 *  "  Quae  latuit  virnm." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  iiKi^otaiu,  is  full}/  ripe. — (I.  B.) 
 
 6  Alexandek  More  (or  Morus)  Avas  born  a.d.  1616,  at  Castres,  in  the 
 south  of  France,  where  his  father,  a  Scotchman  by  birtli,  was  Principal  of  a 
 Protestant  college.     lie  was  a  man  of  considerable  talents  and  great  attain- 
 
ST  MATTHEW  I.  23.  117 
 
 The  virginity  of  our  Lord's  Mother  is  not  fully  proved  by  the 
 words  of  the  prophet  taken  alone  ;  but  the  manifestation  of  its 
 fulfilment  casts  a  radiance  back  on  the  prophecy,  and  discloses 
 its  fiill  meaning, — Tibv,  a  Son)  sc.  the  Messiah,  to  whom  the 
 land  of  Israel  belongs. — See  Isa.  viii.  8. — xaXecovei,  THEY  shall 
 call)  Both  the  Hebrew  and  the  Lxx.  have  "  Thou  shalt  call," 
 i.e.,  "  Thou  Virgin-Mother." — "  Thou  shalt  call"  occurs  also  in 
 ver.  21,  addressed  to  Joseph  :  whence  is  now  substituted  "They 
 shall  call"  i.e.,  all,  thenceforth.  The  angel  says  to  Mary,  in 
 Luke  i.  28,  The  Lord  is  with  thee.  Not  one  or  the  other  of 
 His  parents  however,  but  all  who  call  upon  His  name,  say, 
 "  with  us." — Cf.  Luke  i.  54. — Those  words  deserve  particular 
 attention  in  which  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament  differ  from 
 the  LXX.,  or  even  from  the  Hebrew. — to  ovo/ia,  the  name)  This  does 
 not  mean  the  name  actually  given  at  circumcision,  but  yet  the 
 true  name  (cf.  Isa.  ix.  5),  aye,  the  proper  name  too,  by  which  he 
 is  called,  even  by  his  parents  (cf.  Isa.  viii.  8),  and  which  is  even 
 especially  proper  to  Him,  inasmuch  as  it  is  synonymous  with  the 
 name  Jesus. — See  an  example  of  synonymous  names  in  the  note 
 on  ver.  8.  Many  of  the  faithful  actually  address  the  Saviour 
 by  the  name  of  Emmanuel,  as  a  proper  name,  though  it  would 
 have  been  less  suitable  in  Jesus  to  call  Himself  Godr-with-us. — 
 0  £6Tt  ii,i^ip[iriVi\j6iJjivov,  Ms^  ^/iwi/  6  Qiog — which  is,  being  interpreted, 
 God  with  us).  This  interpretation  of  a  Hebrew  name  shows, 
 that  St  Matthew  wrote  in  Greek.  Such  interpretations  sub- 
 joined to  Hebrew  words  show  that,  the  writers  of  the  New  Tes- 
 tament do  not  absolutely  require  that  the  reader  of  Holy  Scrip- 
 ture should  be  acquainted  with  Hebrew.  The  Son  of  Sirach 
 also  nses  the  word  [j^i^tpiMivivcat  (to  interpret)  in  his  preface.  The 
 name  God-with-us,  in  itself,  so  far  as  it  involves  an  entire  asser- 
 tion, is  not  necessarily  a  Divine  name  (See  Hiller  Onomasticon 
 Sacrum,  p.  848)  ;  and  it  was,  therefore,  given  also  to  a  boy  who 
 was  born  in  the  time  of  Isaiah ;  and  the  same  is  the  case  with 
 the  name  Jesus :  but  in  the  sense  in  which  each  of  them  applies 
 exclusively  to  Christ,  it  signifies  Qidv^puvog  or  God-Man.  For 
 the  union  of  the  Divine  and  human  natures  in  Christ  is  the 
 
 ments.  He  became  professor  of  Greek  at  Geneva  when  only  twenty  years 
 of  age,  and  successively  occupied  other  professorial  chairs  there  and  else- 
 where.    He  died  at  Paris  in  1670.— (I.  B.) 
 
118  ST  MATTHEW  I.  24,  25. 
 
 foundation  of  the  union  of  God  with  men,  nor  can  any  one  con- 
 sider the  latter  apart  from  the  former,  especially  when  treating 
 of  the  birth  of  Christ. 
 
 24.  'EToInsiv,  did)  sc.  without  delay. — ug  x.t.X.,  as,  etc.)  Hence 
 the  command  of  the  angel  and  the  performance  of  Joseph  are 
 described  in  the  same  words  in  this  passage,  and  in  ch.  ii.  13,  14, 
 and  20,  21. — 'TrapiXafSs  rriv  yvvaiTca  avrov,  took  unto  him  his  wife) 
 sc,  with  the  same  appearance  to  those  without,  as  though  they 
 lived  together  according  to  common  custom. 
 
 25.  Kal,  and)  St  Matthew  says  "  anc/,"  not  "  but."  He  took 
 her,  and  knew  her  not :  both  by  the  command  of  the  angel. — 
 ou/c  syhctiffxsv  avrrjv,  sue  ou,  knew  her  not  until)  It  does  not  follow 
 from  this  m;  {until)  that  he  did  so  afterwards.  It  is  sufficient 
 however,  that  her  virginity  should  be  established  up  to  the  time 
 of  her  delivery.  With  regard  to  the  remainder  of  her  married 
 life,  the  reader  is  left  to  form  his  own  opinion.  The  angel  did 
 not  expressly  forbid  Joseph  to  have  conjugal  intercourse  with 
 her :  but  he  perceived  such  a  command  to  be  implied  by  the 
 very  nature  of  the  case. — f&j;  oS  'inxi  rn  vibv,  imtil  she  brought 
 forth  the  Son)  A  very  old  Egyptian  version  has  only  these  words, 
 without  the  addition  of  "her  first-born  :^  according  to  which 
 reading,  the  address  of  the  angel,  the  declaration  of  the  prophet, 
 and  the  act  of  Joseph  [in  naming  Him  as  the  angel  directed] 
 are  expressed  in  words  which  exactly  correspond  together. — sc, 
 "  She  shall  bring  forth  a  son,  and  thou  shalt  call  his  name  Jesus," — 
 "  She  shall  bring  forth  a  Son,  and  they  shall  call  his  name  Jesxis," 
 — She  brought  forth  TON  T'lhv,  the  Son,  and  he  [Joseph]^  called 
 His  name  Jesus.  The  article  TON  (the)  has  a  relative  value 
 here,  and  refers  to  ver.  21  with  the  same  meaning,  "  until  she 
 brought  forth  THAT  Son"  The  same  reading  is  found  in  Codex 
 Barberini  I.  (by  which  name  we  suppose  the  celebrated  Vatican 
 MS.  to  be  intended  in  this  place),  and  we  have  assured  our- 
 selves that  beyond  doubt  such  must  have  been  originally  that  of 
 the  Latin  Vulgate.     For  Helvidius,''  and  Jerome  in  the  com- 
 
 ^  The  disputed  words  are  found  in  E.  M.  Tregclles  favours  the  omission. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 ^  See  Text  v.  25,  "  He  called  his  name  Jesus." — Ed. 
 
 '  A  famous  Arian  disciple  of  Auxentius.  He  lived  in  the  fourth  century. — 
 (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MA.TTHEW  I.  25.  J 19 
 
 mencement  of  his  book  against  him,  thus  quote  the  words  of 
 St  Matthew — et  non  cognovit  earn,  donee  peperit  Jilium  suum,  i.e., 
 and  he  knew  her  not  till  she  brought  forth  her  Son ;  but  more  com- 
 monly they  quote  thus  donee  pepent  jilium,  i.e.,  until  she  brought 
 forth  {a  or  the)  Son,  without  the  addition  of  either  suum  (her) 
 or  primogenitum  (^first-born)  ;  nor  can  it  be  argued,  that  they 
 have  in  these  instances  intended  to  abridge  the  text,  since 
 Jerome  in  one  place  thus  quotes  the  passage  in  full,  "  Exurgens 
 autem — accepit  uxorem  suam  et  non  cognovit  earn,  donee  peperit 
 fliuyn :  et  vocavit  nomen  ejus  Jesum^''  i.e.,  But  on  rising  from  sleep 
 — he  received  his  wife,  and  knew  her  not  until  she  had  brought 
 forth  [the]  Son  :  and  he  called  His  name  Jesus.^ 
 
 Both  these  writers,  after  a  long  dispute  upon  this  passage  of 
 St  Matthew,  seek  for  a  fresh  argument  grounded  on  the  appel- 
 lation 'irpuroToy.og,  first-bom,  not  fi'om  this  passage  of  St  Matthew, 
 but  solely  from  Luke  ii.  7.  If  the  Codex  Barberini  i.,  and  the 
 Coptic  version  already  mentioned,  obtained  this  reading  from 
 Greek  MSS.,  their  testimony  is  on  that  ground  of  great  weight ; 
 if,  on  the  other  hand,  they  obtained  it  from  Latin  sources,  they 
 greatly  corroborate  the  genuine  reading  of  the  very  ancient 
 Latin  version.  The  words  ahrrig  rh  '7rp(tiroroxov,  "  her  first-bom^'' 
 appear  to  have  been  introduced  into  St  Matthew,  from  the 
 parallel  passage  in  St  Luke  already  cited :  and  the  very  idea 
 of  the  Son  of  a  Virgin,  implies  that  He  must  have  been  the  first- 
 born in  a  pre-eminent  and  strictly  singular  manner.  [Such  as 
 He  is  expressly  declared  to  be  in  Luke  ii.  7,  Vers.  Germ.'\ 
 
 Li  some  passages  our  criticism  takes  a  different  view  of 
 matters  from  what  it  did  formerly.  Yet  no  one  can  fairly  ac- 
 cuse me  of  inconstancy ;  for  I  do  not  confine  myself  to  those 
 views,  which  have  gained  acceptance  by  long  usage  (though  I 
 do  not  reject  such  assistance  where  truth  requires  it)  :  but  I 
 proceed  to  draw  forth,  by  degrees,  from  their  concealment,  those 
 things  which  have  been  buried  out  of  sight. 
 
 'ExdXies,  he  called)  i.e.,  Joseph  did  so ;  as  we  learn  from 
 ver.  21. 
 
 >  BZ.  Memph.  Theb.  b.c.  read  only  viov  (without  the  article  or  the  words 
 following),  bd.  and  Vulg.  read  as  the  Rec.  Text.  Lachmann  and  Tischen- 
 dorf  follow  the  former  reading,  as  resting  on  the  weightiest  authorities. — Ed. 
 
ISO  ST  MATTHEW  II.  1. 
 
 CHAPTER  11. 
 
 1.  'Ev  Bj)SX£5/i  Trig  lovdaiag,  in  Bethlehem  of  Judaea)  It  is  thus 
 distinguished  from  Bethlehem  of  the  Zabulonites,  mentioned  in 
 Josh.  xix.  15. — 'Hpuodou,  of  Herod)  i.e.  Herod  the  Great,  a  native 
 of  Ascalon,  a  foreigner  by  descent,  the  sceptre  being  just  on  the 
 point  of  departing  fi-om  Judah.  Amongst  his  sons^  were  Arche- 
 laus,  mentioned  in  ver.  22,  the  Herods  Antipas  and  PhiHp, 
 mentioned  in  the  14th  chapter  of  St  Matthew  and  the  23d  of 
 St  Luke,  and  Aristobulus,  the  father  of  Herod  Agrippa,  who 
 is  mentioned  in  Acts  xii. — Jdov,  behold)  This  particle  frequently 
 points  to  a  thing  unexpected.  The  arrival  of  the  Magi  at 
 !  Jerusalem  had  not  been  announced.  —  Mayo/,  Magi)  Mdyog 
 I  occurs  frequently  in  the  Septuagint  version  of  Daniel  for  the 
 Hebrew  PIC'S,  and  signifies  with  the  Persians  a  wise  man  or  a 
 philosopher.     St  Matthew  considers  it  sufficient  to  denote  them 
 
 '  The  following  genealogy  of  the  Ilerodian  Family,  extracted  from  Lewin's 
 Life  of  St  Paul  will  be  useful  to  the  student : — 
 
 THE  FAMILY  OF  THE  HEKODS. 
 
 Antipater 
 m,  Cyprus, 
 d.  U.C.  43. 
 
 Joseph.        Fheroras. 
 
 Dorli  Mariamne  Fallas,  Phaedra,  Marlamne,  Halthace,  Cleopatra,  Elpis, 
 
 D.  of  Alexander  |  I  D.  of  Simon.  <<.  B.C.  4  I  | 
 
 Antipater  |  Fhaeael.  Roxana. 
 
 d.  BO.  4. 
 
 Aristobulus      Aleiandor,  Herod,  Salampso,  Cyprus, 
 m.  Uernice,     m.  GInphyra 
 J.  B.C.  6.  </.  B.C.  6. 
 
 6aIoin« 
 
 HEROD  ruiLIP 
 
 Tetrarch  of  Traciionitls, 
 
 d.  A.D.  34. 
 
 Tigranes,    Alexander, 
 
 ARCHKLAU.S,  ANTIP.\S,  Olympla. 
 
 Tigranes,  king  of  Armenia,     Ethnnreh  of  Judea  Tetr.ireli  ulMJnlilee" 
 
 I  Deposed  A.D.  «.    m.  1.  D.  of  Aretis  ;  -J.  Herodiat. 
 
 Alexander,  king  of  Cilicia.  Deposed  A.D.  40. 
 
 AGUirPA  I.  Hero,!,  Aristolinlus,  liercKlias.  Miiri.imne 
 
 KingofJudea,     KinK  of  <  halcifl  m.  Jotape.   m.  1.  I'liillp,  nlina     m.  Antipater 
 
 i>4.  Cyprus.  D.  of     m.  1.  MHri.\nine;  2.  Bernico  UeroU  ,  2.  Antipus. 
 
 ijampso;  tf.  A.D.  48.  I 
 
 d.  A.D.  44.  I  / 
 
 I  Aristobulus  Uernicius.  Hyrcanus 
 
 Druslus,         AGRIPPA  II.  Bernic*  M.irlnmno  Drusilln. 
 
 rf.  young,    king  of  Trachonitls,  m.l.  Marcus;  m.  1.  Arclietaus  ;  in.  1.  Azinis; 
 d.  A.D.  93.                         2.  HiTod  oiChalcis;          2.  Dcinetriui.  2.  Felix. 
 
 Tlu  iMl  <if  Iht  Heroii.  >.  Puleino.  I 
 
 (IB.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  II.  1.  121 
 
 by  this  their  condition ;  he  does  not  define  either  the  rest  of 
 their  dignity  or  their  number,  nor  whether  or  no  they  had  ever 
 been  addicted  to  curious  arts,  nor  in  what  part  of  the  East  they 
 were  born ;  by  which  last  omission  he  intimates  the  unrestricted 
 universahty  of  this  great  salvation.  Magus  is  a  word  of  ambi- 
 guous signification  and  of  wide  extent  in  the  East.  These 
 Magi  appear  to  have  been  descendants  of  Abraham,  but  not  of 
 Jacob  ;  for  the  name  of  Magi  does  not  apply  to  Jews,  and  the 
 mention  of  gold  and  fi'ankincense  directs  our  attention  to  Isa. 
 Ix.  6,  where  he  speaks  of  the  coming  in  of  the  Gentiles,  so  that 
 in  this  place  already  are  seen  the  preludes  of  the  Messiah  being 
 received  rather  by  the  Gentiles  than  by  His  own  people.  (See 
 Luke  iv.  26,  etc.)  The  King  of  the  Jews,  they  say,  not,  our 
 king,  showing  thereby  that  they  were  not  themselves  Jews.  If 
 you  make  two  classes,  the  one  of  those  who  received,  the  other 
 of  those  who  rejected  our  Lord,  and  observe  the  variety  of  men 
 on  either  side,  you  will  be  able  to  draw  many  useful  observa- 
 tions fi'om  the  whole  of  the  New  Testament. — aero  ai/aroXwv, 
 from  the  East)  cf  ch.  viii.  11.  The  north  and  the  south  occur 
 in  Greek  only  in  the  singular  number.  The  east  and  the  west 
 occur  also  in  the  plural.  The  rationale  of  this  is  clear :  when 
 we  look  either  due  north  or  due  south,  our  eyes  are  always 
 turned  toward  one  precise  spot,  the  North  or  South  Pole,  which 
 is  not  the  case  when  we  look  eastward  or  westward,  since  there 
 is  no  stationary  point  of  east  or  west  longitude. — Tapeyivovro, 
 arrived)  After  He  had  received  the  name  "  Jesus,"  and,  con- 
 sequently after  His  circumcision.^ — itg  Upoao'k-Jiia,  at  Jerusalem) 
 
 '  Nay  even  we  have  no  reason  to  doubt,  that  the  arrival  of  the  Magi,  and 
 the  flight  into  Egypt,  which  was  intimately  connected  with  it,  took  place  after 
 His  Trxpxarxai;,  presentation,  as  recorded  in  Luke  ii.  22,  23.  And,  more- 
 over, this  very  order  of  events,  whereby  the  Trxpiarxats  in  the  temple,  the 
 arrival  of  the  Magi,  and  the  departure  to  Egypt,  are  in  continuous  succession, 
 affords  us  most  useful  consequences.  For  1)  the  poverty  of  Jesus' parents, 
 (a  fact,  which  is  proved  by  their  sacrifice  in  accordance  with  the  law,  Lev. 
 xii.  6,  8,  concerning  those  unable  to  make  the  more  costly  offering)  was  re- 
 lieved by  the  Fatherly  providence  of  God,  through  the  gifts  of  the  Magi,  so 
 that  they  were  thereby  supplied  with  the  means  of  livelihood  during  their 
 exile. — 2.)  We  may  observe  the  various  features  of  Propriety  ["Decorum"] 
 which  characterise  this  series  of  events.  First  of  all  Jesus,  as  being  the 
 First-begotten,  was  presented  to  the  Lord :  then  next,  the  first-fruits  of  the 
 
122  ST  MATTHEW  II.  2. 
 
 It  was  natural  to  suppose,  that  the  metropolis  would  be  the 
 place  where  the  truth  would  be  most  easily  ascertained,  and 
 they  conceived,  no  doubt,  that  the  King  had  been  born  there. 
 
 2.  Uov,  ivhere  f)  They  are  so  sure  of  the  event  and  the  time, 
 that  they  oi}ly  ask  xchere  ?  The  Scribes  only  knew  the  place.  It 
 was  incumbent  on  them  to  learn  the  time  from  the  Magi,  or  to 
 avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity  of  learning  it.  The  know- 
 ledge of  time  and  of  place  are  both  necessary  in  this  instance, — 
 6  Tiy^kig  (SaffiXsvi,  He  who  is  horn  king)  They  affirm  His  birth  as 
 having  already  taken  place,  and  His  right  to  the  kingdom  com- 
 bined with  it,  and  contrary  to  their  expectation,  find  it  to  be  a 
 subject  of  terror  to  Herod.  One  is  said  to  be  born,  who  from 
 His  veri/  birth  is  King.    As  in  the  Septuagint  version  of  1  Chron. 
 
 Gentiles  presented  themselves  to  Jesus  Himself.  In  His  T^xpccaTctaii  He  was 
 Himself  made  manifest  to  the  Israelites  of  Jerusalem,  and  a  short  while  after- 
 wards to  the  Gentiles  also.  We  may  conjecture,  from  the  words  of  the 
 Magi,  in  which  they  draw  the  conclusion  as  to  the  birth  of  the  King  of  the 
 Jews,  from  the  Star  which  they  had  seen,  and  also  from  the  age  of  the  little 
 children  slain  by  Herod,  in  accordance  with  the  time  which  he  had  ascer- 
 tained from  the  Magi — that  the  star  was  seen  by  them  at  the  time  of  Christ's 
 conception,  and  that  it  was  by  it  their  long  journey  was  directed;  so  that  at 
 the  time  most  suitable,  namely  after  the  lapse  of  six  months  from  the  na- 
 tivity, they  arrived  and  paid  their  adorations. — 3.)  Simeon  foretold  of  Jesus, 
 that  He  was  to  be  a  Light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles,  immediately  subjoining 
 the  statement  as  to  the  Cross.  Both  truths  were  to  His  parents,  at  the  time 
 of  presentation,  as  a  communication  strange,  and  such  as  they  had  not  here- 
 tofore realised  ;  therefore  it  was  not  till  afterwards,  though  not  long  after- 
 wards, that  the  one  prophecy  began  to  be  fulfilled  by  the  arrival  of  the  Magi, 
 the  other  by  the  flight  into  Egypt. — 4.)  The  presentation  was  made  in  the 
 temple  on  that  very  day  of  the  week,  which  was  subsequently  called  the  Lord's 
 day. — 5.)  It  is  most  easy  to  understand  how  it  was  that  the  King  of  the 
 Jews  remained  unknown,  all  along  from  His  birth  to  His  presentation  in  the 
 temple,  to  King  Herod,  inasmuch  as  that  king  was  at  the  time  aged,  sick, 
 torn  with  anguish  on  account  of  his  sons,  and  hated  by  the  Jews,  and  did  not 
 become  known  to  him  sooner  than  through  the  Magi.  In  fact,  it  was 
 similarly  that  Herod  the  Tetrarch  heard  nothing  of  tlie  miracles  which 
 Jesus  performed  before  tlie  beheading  of  Jolm,  notwithstanding  the  length 
 of  the  interval  from  the  beginning  of  the  Lord's  miracles. — G.)  If  you  place 
 the  departure  into  Egypt  before  the  vapotaToiaig,  you  must  suppose  the  former 
 to  have  been  accomplished  wholly  in  the  winter  :  but  tlie  true  order  of  events 
 leads  to  the  inference  which  is  more  in  accordance  with  suitability  of  seasons, 
 viz.  that  the  flight  occurred  at  the  approach  of  spring,  and  the  return  at  the 
 spring  season  itself. — Harm,  p.  63,  55,  66. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  II.  2.  123 
 
 vii.  21j  we  read  o'l  ny^^hn;  h  rri  yr\,  who  loere  horn  in  the  land. — 
 Tojv  'louddiooi>,  of  the  Jews)  The  name  of  Jews  after  the  Baby- 
 lonian Captivity  included  all  the  children  of  Israel,  being  op- 
 posed to  Greeks  or  Gentiles.  Whence  it  is  given  also  to  Galileans 
 in  Luke  vii.  3  ;  John  ii.  6  ;  Acts  x.  28,  etc.  The  Jews,  how- 
 ever, or  Israelites,  called  Christ  the  king  of  Israel,  the  Gentiles 
 the  king  of  the  Jews.  See  ch.  xxvii.  29,  37,  42  ;  John  i.  50, 
 xii.  13,  xviii.  33. — s'ldofxiv  yap  x.r.X.,  for  we  have  seen,  etc.) 
 Prognostics  both  true  and  false  occur,  especially  in  the  case  of 
 nativities. —  Autou  rhv  darfpa,  His  star)  His  own.  In  proportion 
 as  the  Magi  were  better  acquainted  with  the  ordinary  course  of 
 the  stars,  so  much  the  more  easily  were  they  able  to  appreciate 
 the  character  of  the  extraordinary  phenomenon,  and  the  refer- 
 ence of  the  star  which  was  seen  to  this  King  who  was  born. 
 What  was  their  principle  in  either  case,  who  can  now  decide  ? 
 The  star  was  either  in  itself  new,  or  in  a  new  situation,  or 
 endued  with  a  new  or  perhaps  even  a  various  motion.  Whether 
 it  still  exists  or  be  destined  to  appear  again,  who  knows  1  The 
 Magi  must  have  undoubtedly  had  either  an  ancient  revelation 
 from  the  prophecies  of  Balaam,  Daniel,  etc.,  or  a  new  one  by  a 
 dream,  cf.  ver.  12. — 'The  Magi  are  led  by  a  star;  the  fisher- 
 men by  fishes,  to  the  knowledge  of  Christ.  Chalcidius,^  in  his 
 Commentaries  on  Plato,  has  mentioned  a  tradition  concerning 
 this  star. — sv  rri  dvaroXri,  in  the  East)  They  mean  to  indicate  the 
 quarter  from  whence  they  have  come ;  for  the  article  rJj  shows 
 that  the  east  country  is  intended.  These  words  should  therefore 
 be  construed  with  uboiMiv  (loe  have  seen),  for  whilst  they  were 
 in  the  east  they  had  seen  the  star  to  the  west,  over  the  geogra- 
 phical situation  (clima)  of  Palestine.  See  ver.  9. — m'posxwrisai 
 AiiTuj,  to  worship  Him)  The  verb  vpoezuvsTv  (to  worship)  in  the 
 New  Testament  as  well  as  with  profane  authors,  governs  mostly 
 a  dative,  though  it  sometimes  admits  an  accusative.  The  Magi 
 acknowledged  Jesus  as  the  King  of  Grace,  and  as  their  Lord. 
 See  Luke  i.  43.      All    things    must   however   be   interpreted 
 
 '  The  methods  of  Divine  revelations  not  unfrequently  are  disclosed  only  to 
 those  to  whom  they  are  vouchsafed. —  Vers.  Oerm. 
 
 *  He  flourished  in  the  third  or  fourth  century,  and  wrote  a  commentary 
 on  the  Tiraseus  of  Plato.  Considerable  doubt  exists  as  to  his  religious  opi- 
 nions.— (I.  B.) 
 
124  ST  MATTHEW  II.  ?,,  4. 
 
 according  to  the  analogy  of  these  beginnings.  It  was  certainly 
 not  on  any  political  grounds,  that  after  having  undertaken  and 
 performed  so  long  and  arduous  a  journey,  and  being  so  soon 
 about  to  return  home,  they  worshipped^  a  King  distant  and  an 
 infant,  and  that  too  without  paying  the  same  homage  to  Herod : 
 nor  did  Herod  (in  ver.  8)  profess  an  intention  of  paying  Him 
 political  homage.  That  the  Magi  actually  did  worship  Ilim,  we 
 learn  from  ver.  11. 
 
 3.  'Erapax^ri,  was  troubled)  The  king,  now  seventy  years  old, 
 might  be  troubled  all  the  more  easily,  because  the  Pharisees,  a 
 short  time  before,  had  foretold  (as  we  learn  from  Joseplms, 
 Antiquities  xvii.  3),  that  the  kingdom  was  about  to  be  taken 
 from  the  family  of  Herod.  The  trouble  of  the  king  is  a  testi- 
 mony against  the  carelessness  of  the  people.  If  Herod  fears, 
 why  do  not  the  Jews  inquire  ?  why  do  they  not  believe  ? — caffa, 
 all)  sc.  'To'Aig,  the  city'' — /j^ir  auroZ,  with  him)  The  people,  who  had 
 been  long  accustomed  to  the  king,  followed  his  lead.  Men  are 
 frequently  overset  by  the  sudden  announcement  of  even  good 
 tidings. 
 
 4.  udvTag,  all)  i.e.,  all  who  were  in  Jerusalem  at  that  time. — 
 apyjipil',,  chief  priests)  The  writers  of  the  New  Testament 
 seldom  speak  of  hpu;,  priests,  but  generally  of  dpyjiptTg,  chief 
 priests.  This  word  had  distinct  significations  in  the  singular 
 and  plural  number :  the  singular  b'Apx'ipivg  signifies  tlie  High 
 Priest ;  the  plural  dpxnpug,  either  with  or  without  the  definite 
 article,  signified  those  priests  who  were  more  nearly  related  to 
 the  High  Priest,  and  had  from  that  circumstance  greater  infiu- 
 ence  than  the  rest. — See  Acts  iv.  6. — ypa/j./jbanTg  rou  XaoD,  scribes 
 of  the  people)  With  the  LXX.  ypa/ji/iarsug  {scribe)  corresponds 
 to  the  Hebrew  "itDLi*;^  in  which  sense  rovg  ypajMiMUTiTg  rov  Xaou  (the 
 
 1  The  verb  'TvpouKwiu  signifies  either  religious  worship,  civil  homage,  or 
 any  other  lowly  manifestation  of  extreme  respect.  Cf.  the  various  meanings  of 
 the  English  word  "  worship." — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Which  had  been  so  long  standing  in  a  posture  of  expectation,  awaiting 
 the  Messiah's  coming. —  Vers.  Germ. 
 
 '  i.e.  ""cs  a  scribe  (lxx.  ypx/n/aoiTevi,  ypot/x^uxroeiaxyuytv;)  ;  hence  from 
 the  art  of  writing  having  been  especially  used  forensically,  a  magistrate,  pre- 
 fect of  the  people :  specially  cyj©  is  used  of  the  prefects  of  the  people  of 
 Israel  in  Egypt,  Ex.  v.  6-19,  ard  in  the  desert,  Num.  xi.  IG  (used  of  the 
 ueventy  elders),  Deut.  xx.  9,  "tc,  etc.;  magistrates  in  the  towns  of  Palestine, 
 
ST  MATTHEW  II.  5,  G.  125 
 
 Kcribes  of  the  people),  occurs  in  1  Mace.  v.  42,  cf.  also  Deut.  xx.  5. 
 They  render  also  "iSD^  by  yfa/A/iarsi)?.  And  that  signification 
 suits  also  the  present  passage,  where  a  Theological  Reply  is  spoken 
 of.  The  scribes  of  the  people  are  spoken  of  in  contradistinction 
 to  the  chiefs  of  the  priests :  and  were  private  men  or  doctors, 
 well  versed  in  the  Scriptures  ;  cf.  note  on  ch.  xxii.  35. — s'xvv^d- 
 viTo,  inquired.  He  ought  to  have  done  so  before. — -roD  6  Xpierhg 
 ysvvarai,  where  Christ  is  horn)  He  makes  the  question  of  the 
 Magi  his  own.  The  present  tense  of  the  verb  yi'jvarai  (is  born), 
 accords  with  the  general  expectation  of  the  coming  of  the  Mes- 
 siah, which  prevailed  at  that  time. 
 
 5.  Brj^Xehfj,,  Bethlehem)  The  knowledge  which  the  scribes,  who 
 do  not  go  themselves,  have  derived  from  their  ancestors,  is  of 
 service  to  the  Magi,  who  are  seeking  for  Christ. — ovtu  yap  ysypaT- 
 rai  d/a  rou  Tpotprjrov,  for  thus  it  is  written  by  the  prophet)  This 
 reason  was  alleged  by  the  council ;  but  St  Matthew  has  stamped 
 it  with  his  approval. 
 
 6.  Ka/  ffij  B?j3X£=/i,  X.T.X.,  and  thou  Bethlehem,  etc.)  The  passage 
 referred  to  is  in  Micah  v.  2,  thus  rendered  by  the  LXX.,  xai  eu 
 E?5^X££j«,  6  o'lxog  'E.hfpa^a,  oXiyidTog  it  rov  shcci  h  yjkiaGtv  'louBa'  ix 
 Sov  iMot  l^sXfL/fffra;,  rov  ihai  ilg  apyovra  roZ  'lepariX.  On  which 
 passage  see  Hallefs  Notes."  Let  the  following  be  accepted  as 
 a  paraphrase  of  both  the  Prophet  and  the  Evangelist.  And  thou 
 Bethlehem  Ephrata,  or  district  in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  art  small, 
 niTi?,  to  be,  in  other  words,  inasmuch  as  thou  art  (quce  sis) 
 (consult  on  ?  Noldii®  Concordantiae  Particularum,  p.  458),  among 
 
 Deut.  xvi.  18,  etc.,  etc.  ;  used  of  the  superior  magistrates,  Prov.  vi.  7. — 
 Gesenius. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  i.e.  ^sa  a  scribe,  Psalm  xlv.  2,  Ezra  ix.  2,  3 ;  specially  (a)  the  king's  scribe ; 
 2  Sam.  viii.  17,  xx.  25;  2  Kings  xii.  17,  xix.  2,  xxii.  3,  4  ;  (6)  a  military 
 scribe  who  has  the  charge  of  keeping  the  muster-rolls,  Jer.  xxxvii.  15,  lii. 
 25 ;  2  Kings  xxv.  19  ;  (c)  in  the  later  books  a  person  skilled  in  the  sacred 
 •writings,  ypccfificcnv^,  1  Chron.  xxvii.  32 ;  Ezra,  vii.  6,  etc.,  etc.;  or  ""to  (1) 
 a  scribe,  a  royal  scribe  accompanying  a  satrap  or  governor  of  a  province, 
 Ezra  iv.  8,  9,  17,  23  ;  (2)  ypxpcfixrivs—oue  skilled  in  the  sacred  books,  Ezra 
 vii.  12,  21.— Ibid.— {I.  B.) 
 
 '  Joseph  Hallet,  a  dissenting  minister,  born  at  Exeter,  1692  ;  died 
 1744.— (I.  B.) 
 
 3  Christian  Noldius,  author  of  "  Concordantise  Particularum  Hebrseo- 
 Chaldseorum,"  was  an  eminent  Dutch  divine,  born  1626,  died  1683. — (I.  B.) 
 
12fi  ST  MATTHEW  II.  6. 
 
 the  thousands  of  Judah,  if  this  dignity  which  is  not  otlierwise 
 to  be  despised,  and  which  far  exceeds  thy  proportion  and  measure, 
 be  compared  with  that  dignity  exclusively  thine  own,  by  virtue 
 of  which  thou  art  by  no  means  the  least,  but  altogether  the 
 greatest  among  the  princes  and  thousands  of  Judah,  sc,  that 
 from  thee  shall  go  forth  for  Me,  nvn?,  one  who  is  to  be  (qui 
 sit)  the  Ruler  in  Israel.  A  similar  mode  of  expression  occurs 
 in  2  Sam.  vii.  19  ;  Isaiah  xlix.  6.  The  greater  honour  obscures 
 and  absorbs  the  less. — y^  'loj^a,  a  land  of  Judah.  The  land  or 
 district  is  put  by  Synechdoche,^  for  the  township,  as  in  Luke  ix. 
 12,  fields  for  cantons  :  Judah  was  the  tribe  of  the  Messiah. 
 Both  words  supply  the  place  of  Epiirata  in  the  Hebrew.  The 
 LXX.  have  in  Joshua  xv.,  either  between  ver.  58  and  59,  or 
 between  ver.  59  and  60,  the  following  passage :  Qixu  xai 
 'E(ppa'^d'  aurri  iGri  Bri^XiifL  x.r.X. — Theko  and  Ephrata,  which  is 
 Bethlehem,  etc.  If  this  passage  (instead  of  having  fallen  out  of 
 the  Hebrew  text  from  coming  between  two  which  have  the 
 same  ending),  be  redundant  in  the  Septuagint,  it  affords  a 
 proof,  that,  at  the  time  when  the  land  of  Canaan  was  divided 
 amongst  the  tribes  of  Israel,  Bethlehem  was  not  even  reckoned 
 among  the  cities ;  Cf.  John  vii.  42.  It  must,  however,  have 
 been  so  reckoned  as  early  at  any  rate  as  the  reign  of  Rehoboam, 
 as  we  learn  from  2  Chron.  xi.  6.  Micah  addresses  it  in  the 
 masculine  gender,  with  an  implied  reference  to  D''D?X,  thousands, 
 families,  Cf.  ''S?^^,  ^  x,'^'"-^  l^"^')  *^W  thousand,  i.e.,  my  family,  in 
 Judges  vi.  15.  Wherefore  St  Matthew,  after  putting  s>.a-xjGrr,, 
 least,  in  the  feminine  gender  (to  agree  with  yn,  land,  understood), 
 mentions,  instead  of  the  thousands  themselves,  the  princes  of 
 thousands  (for  vS  a  thousand,  family,  etc.,  and  tl1PX>  a  chief, 
 leader,  etc.,  are  cognate  words)  over  whom  he  places  one  prince 
 (rjyov/j.ivov),  even  Christ :  nor  does  he  so  much  give  the  prefer- 
 ence to  this  city  or  thousand  over  the  other  cities  or  thousands 
 of  Judah,  as  to  the  Prince  who  came  forth  thence,  over  the 
 other  Princes  of  Thousands. — ix.  sou  TA'P  s^iXivasrai,  FOR  from 
 thee  shall  go  forth)  The  LXX.,  as  we  have  seen,  have,  from 
 the  Hebrew  ex  eoZ  MOI  i^iXivsirai,  from  thee  shall  go  forth 
 FOR  ME,  a  reading  which  is  followed  by  the  Codex  Basiliensis 
 
 ^  See  Explanation  of  Technical  Terras  in  Appendix. — (1.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  II.  6.  127 
 
 jS,'  and  the  Aldlne  reprint  of  Erasmus'  first  edition.^  Others 
 combine  both  readings  thus,  Jx  cov  TAP  MOI  lt,i'KivgsTai — FOR 
 from  thee  shall  go  forth  FOR  ME.^  The  pronoun  MOI  (to,  or  for, 
 me)  evidently  represents  God  the  Father,  speaking  of  Christ 
 as  His  Son. — See  Luke  i.  32,  and  Cf.,  ver.  13.  But  the 
 conjunction  yap  (for  or  because)  points  out  the  birthplace  of 
 Christ  more  significantly.  The  word  yiwarai,  shall  be  born 
 (nascetur),  which  occurs  in  ver.  4,  is  synonymous  with  the 
 s^iXsuffirai,  shall  go  forth,  of  the  present  passage.  The  N!*""  of 
 the  Hebrew ;  the  derivative  of  which  nS!»"iD  (rendered  by  the 
 LXX.,  i^odoi,  goings  forth)  ought  also  to  be  understood  of  birth 
 or  generation,  and  that  from  everlasting :  Cf.  NVIIO  in  Job 
 xxxviii.  27,  and  Numbers  xxx.  13.  The  LXX.  render  D''SVXV 
 more  than  once  by  Ts-/.m,  children. — Tjyov/Mivog  oang  croz/xai's^  a 
 prince  who  shall  shepherd)  In  1  Chron.  xi.  2,  concerning  David, 
 the  LXX.  have  Su  -roz/^ai'S/j  rhv  Xaov  Mou,  rh  'lepa'/jX'  xai  ffu  iffri  siq 
 ^you/isvov  i-ri  rhv  Xaov  Mou  rhv  'igparjX,  thou  shalt  shep>herd  My  people 
 Israel,  and  thou  shalt  he  for  a  prince  over  My  people  Israel. 
 Concerning  the  expression  to  shepherd,  see  Ps.  Ixxviii.  71,  72. 
 It  is  indeed  a  word  worthy  the  kingly  office,  and  at  the  same 
 time  according  with  the  pastoral  youth  of  David  at  Bethlehem. 
 By  the  word  itoiij^anl  (He  shall  shepherd)  the  evangelist  in- 
 cludes also  and  condenses  the  third  [fourth]  verse  of  the  chapter 
 of  Micah  already  cited,  where  the  LXX.  have  the  same  expres- 
 sion.— rhv  }m6v  Moy,  MY  people)  which  corresponds  with  the 
 expression  in  Micah,  Mo/  it,iXiuGirai,  shall  go  forth  for  ME,  i.e., 
 God. — rhv  'ispanX,  Israel)  The  article  is  added  to  the  name  of  a 
 man,  when  put  for  that  of  a  people.  Israel,  i.e.,  all  the  tribes 
 of  Israel.  In  the  subsequent  narrative  no  further  mention 
 occurs  of  Bethlehem,  so  that  it  may  be  doubted  whether  our 
 Lord  ever  returned  thither. 
 
 7.  Aa^/'a,j3niJi7?/)  lest  anything  should  transpire.     This  argues 
 insidious  designs  on  the  part  of  Herod. — TjKpijSuss,  enquired  dili- 
 
 1  A  MS.  in  the  Basle  Library,  entitled  there  B.  vi.  25  ;  but  designated  as 
 /8  by  Bengal,  for  the  sake  of  convenience.— See  App.  Crit.,  p.  90. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  See  Tregelles  on  the  printed  text  of  the  Greek  New  Testament,  pp. 
 19-26.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  The  only  very  ancient  authority  for  yoip  y.ot  e^t'K.  is  C.     Theodoret  and 
 the  Armen,  Vers,  follow  it;  but  Z  (and  probably  B)  and  D,  and  Vulg.  omit 
 
128  ST  MATTHEW  II.  8,  !). 
 
 gently)  even  to  the  smallest  particle  of  time.  Hence  we  perceive 
 the  craft  of  Herod/  and  the  simplicity  of  the  Magi. — (pam/Mmu, 
 appearing)  The  Present  Tense.  Herod  enquired  the  time 
 at  which  the  star  which  was  now  visible,  had  first  become 
 so.^ 
 
 8.  'E^sraffars  axpi^Zg,  enquire  diligently)  others  read  ar.pt(5ojg  s^srd- 
 ffarg/  diligently  enquire.*  The  variation  is  of  no  consequence, 
 especially  as  it  occurs  in  the  words  of  Herod.  Let  us  pass  by 
 such  things  without  comment.  The  same  phrase  occurs  in  the 
 Septuagint  Version  of  Deut.  xix.  1 8  [where  w' e  read  "  xal  s^ird- 
 ff'jjffiv  01  -/.pirai  d/c^//3wc,"  "  and  the  judges  shall  enquire  diligently."] 
 — so-di/  0?,  but  i/y  The  use  of  the  particle  gives  an  antithetical 
 force  to  the  succeeding  words. — See  Luke  xi.  22,  34.  Herod 
 did  not  accept  the  intelligence  of  the  Magi  as  true,  though  he 
 considered  it  as  possible  ;  it  is  not,  therefore,  to  be  wondered  at 
 that  he  did  not  immediately  go  wuth  them  to  worship. 
 
 9.  O/  di  axoueavng,  roZ  (SaffiXeug,  But  when  they  had  heard  the 
 king)  The  king  ought  rather  to  have  heard  and  assisted  them. 
 The  Magi,  however,  obtained  the  answer  which  they  desired." — 
 xa/  tbo-j  6  dffrrjp,  x.r.X,  and,  lo,  the  star,  etc.)  During  the  whole  of 
 their  journey,  they  had  not  seen  the  star. — sXSwv,  having  come) 
 It  may  be  conjectured,  from  the  use  of  this  verb,  that  the  star 
 
 '  So  great  enmities  did  that  monarch  indulge  in  and  foster,  although  he 
 did  not  esteem  as  a  fable  the  doctrine  concerning  Christ,  but  was  by  this 
 time  aware  of  the  time  and  place  of  His  nativity. —  Vers.  Germ. 
 
 2  In  the  original  the  passage  stands  thus — "  Prsesens  tempus,  quo  conspici 
 coepta  esset  stella,  quce  appareret,  quaesivit  Herodes."  This  is  evidently  a 
 misprint  for — "  Prsesens.  Tempus  quo  conspici  coepta  esset  stella,  quce  ap- 
 pareret, quaesivit  Herodes." 
 
 In  his  German  Version  Bengel  renders  the  passage  "  und  vernahm  von 
 ihnen  die  Zeit,  da  der  Stern  erschienen,"  i.e.  "and  ascertained  accurately  from 
 them  the  Time  when  the  Star  appeared."  In  his  Harmony  he  renders  it — 
 "  und  erlernte  mit  Jlcis  von  ihtien  wann  der  Stern  erschienen  ware,"  i.e. 
 "  aiid  learnt  with  diligence  from  them,  token  the  star  made  its  appearance." 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 3  This  is  the  reading  of  E.  M.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  BC  (corrected  later)  D  ahc,  Vulg.  read  with  Beng.  i\iT«.aa.ri  oiy.pi^us. 
 The  reading  of  Rec.  Text  is  without  very  ancient  authority. — Ed. 
 
 *  Engl.  Vers.    And  when. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Nor  were  they  at  all  affected  by  the  torpor  and  apathy  of  the  scribes  or 
 of  the  Jews. — Vers.  Germ. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  II.  10-12.  129 
 
 was  subject  to  the  guidance  of  an  intelligent  cause. — Cf.  sh'^ijv, 
 in  ver.  8. 
 
 10.  'idovTig,  x.r.X.,  icJien  theij  saw)  It  must  have  been  night. — 
 Tov  asTBpa,  the  star)  Both  Scripture  and  the  star  show  them  the 
 time  and  the  place :  Scripture,  indeed,  indicates  the  time  with 
 some  latitude,  in  accordance  with  the  general  way  in  which  the 
 expectation  of  the  Messiah's  coming  then  universally  prevailed. 
 
 11.  eJBov,  they  saw)  Sweetly  is  expressed  the  increase  and  pro- 
 gress of  their  joy  from  that  of  seeing  the  star  to  that  of  seeing 
 the  King  Himself.  The  inferior  reading,  ilpov^  {they  found), 
 corresponds  with  the  words  of  Herod,  "  Enquire  diligently,  and 
 when  ye  have  found"  etc.  But  the  star,  by  becoming  stationary, 
 spared  the  Magi  the  labour  of  enquiring.  They  did  not  so  much 
 find  as  see.  -  Cf.  Luke  ii.  17,  20,  26,  30. — 'xpoaxwrisav  Aurw,  they 
 worshipped  Him)  Mary  was  not  an  object  of  worship  to  the  Magi. 
 If  she  had  been  conceived  without  sin,  as  the  greater  portion  of 
 the  Roman  Church  has  now  decided,  why  should  she  not  then 
 have  been  worshipped  as  well  as  now  ?  for  she  was  then  already 
 the  Mother  of  the  King,  who  was  to  be  worshipped. — rovg  ^jjirau- 
 poug  a-jTuiv,  their  treasures)  or  receptacles  of  treasures.  The 
 Hebrew  "li'lX,  which  is  rendered  by  the  LXX.  ^-/laauphg  in  Prov. 
 viii.  21,  etc.,  signifies  a  storehouse,  a  repository,  even  a  portable 
 chest  or  casket. — Tpos/jv.')  y.av,  they  offered)  as  to  a  King.  They 
 were  not  offended  by  His  present  poverty. — ^puffof,  xai  Xl^avov, 
 xai  g/ivpvav,  gold,  and  fixmkincense,  and  myrrh)  from  the  produc- 
 tions of  their  own  country.  There  was  a  prediction  concerning 
 gold  and  frankincense  in  Isaiah  Ix.  6.  These  first  fruits  showed 
 that  all  things  were  to  belong  to  Christ,  even  in  the  mineral  and 
 vegetable  kingdoms,  etc. — See  Haggai  ii.  8. 
 
 12.  XpYifj.aTKr'^hrsg,  being  warned  of  God)  sc.  either  each  of 
 them  separately,  or  all  of  them  through  one  of  their  number. 
 Thus  they  had  wished  or  prayed  :  for  Xpriij.arieiJ.hg  signifies  an 
 oracular  answer,  [and  an  answer  implies  a  preceding  question.] 
 The  same  word  occurs  at  ver.  22. — m  avaTtdiM-^ai,  not  to  return) 
 They  had  therefore  thought  of  doing  so. — ai/£;^wp>j<rav,  they  de- 
 parted) by  a  road,  which  led  in  another  direction. 
 
 1  BCDa  read  ililo'j.  he,  Vulg.  and  Rec.  Text,  with  less  authority,  sJjoi/.— 
 Ed. 
 
 VOL.  I.  •   J 
 
180  ST  MATTHEW  II.  13-15. 
 
 13.  'Eyip'^iic,  rising)  i.e.  immediately. — to  vaihiov,  the  child) 
 Greater  regard  is  paid  to  Him  than  to  His  mother.^ — lug  civ,  x.r.X., 
 until,  etc.)  Thus  the  faith  of  Joseph  was  exercised  ;  all  things 
 were  not  revealed  to  him  at  once ;  he  was  to  await  the  time  of 
 returning  [till  it  should  please  God  to  direct  him  to  do  so] :  nor 
 did  the  angel  speak  to  him  in  the  meanwhile. — 'UpiLdrtg,  Herod) 
 of  whom  Joseph  appears  to  have  hoped  well  from  the  discoui'se 
 of  the  Magi. 
 
 14.  'Nv/.Tog,  hy  night)  The  benefit  of  night  is  great  in  times  of 
 persecution. 
 
 15.  Aiyovrog,  saying)  This  must  be  construed  with  roZ  'n-poiprirov, 
 the  prophet,  and  so  also  in  ver.  17. — e^  AlyoTTou  v/.dXica.  rhv  v'tov 
 Mov,  out  of  Egypt  have  I  called  my  Son)  Thus  Hosea  xi.  1,  in  the 
 original  Hebrew,  though  the  LXX.  render  it,  J^  A/'/urrou  iJ.irvA.a- 
 7.isa  TO.  Tsxva  avrov,  out  of  Egypt  have  I  called  for  (summoned)  his 
 children.  Aquila,^  however,  renders  it  d-^h  Alyv'Trrov  ixaXica  tIv 
 vihv  Mou,  From  Egypjt  have  I  called  [him]  My  son.  The  meaning 
 of  the  passage  in  Hosea  is,  "  Then  when  Israel  was  a  child,  I 
 loved  him  :  and  from  the  time  that  he  was  in  Egypt,  I  called 
 him  my  son."  This  is  evident  from  the  parallelism  of  either 
 clause.  And  the  expression,  "from  the  land  of  Egypt,"  occurs 
 in  the  same  sense  in  Hosea  xii.  9,  and  xiii.  4 ;  and  from  the 
 Egyptian  era,  Israel  began  to  be  called  the  son  of  God ;  see 
 Exod.  iv.  22,  etc.  And  God  is  always  said  to  have  led  forth, 
 never  to  have  called,  His  people  out  of  Egypt.  In  like  manner, 
 St  Matthew  also,  when  interpreting  the  passage  of  the  Messiah, 
 and  that,  too,  of  Him  when  a  child,  connects  the  quotation  with 
 His  sojourn  in,  rather  than  His  return  from,  Egypt. — Cf.  Isa. 
 xix.  19.  Jesus,  from  His  birth,  was  the  Son  of  God;  and  im- 
 mediately after  His  nativity,  He  dwelt  in  Egypt.  It  behoved, 
 however,  that  the  Messiah,  as  w^ell  as  the  people,  should  return 
 from  Egypt  into  the  land  of  promise,  for  the  same  reason,  viz., 
 because  God  loved  each  of  them,  and  called  him  His  Son.    The 
 
 '  And  it  is  rather  towards  the  name  and  kingdom  of  Christ,  than  towards 
 any  power  external  to  Clirist,  that  the  world  bears  a  grudge. —  Vers.  Germ. 
 
 2  A  native  of  Sinope,  in  Pontus,  of  Jewish  descent,  who  flourished  in  the 
 second  century  of  the  Christian  sera.  Having  renounced  Christianity,  he 
 undertook  to  execute  a  new  translation  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  into  Greek. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  II.  16-18.  131 
 
 sojourn  of  Christ  in  Egypt  was  the  prelude  to  the  Christianiza- 
 tion  of  that  country ;  see  Deut.  xxiii.  7.  In  the  first  ages  of 
 Christianity,  the  Egyptian  Church  was  greatly  distinguished : 
 perhaps  it  will  be  so  again  hereafter :  cf.  Isa.  xix.  24,  25.  Con- 
 cerning the  double  fulfilment  of  the  single  meaning  of  a  single 
 prophecy,  cf.  Gnomon  on  ch.  i.  22.  In  short,  God  embraced 
 in  one  address,  as  with  one  love,  both  the  Messiah  Himself,  in 
 whom  is  all  His  good  pleasure,  and  His  people  for  His  sake.  The 
 Messiah  resembles  His  people  in  His  adversity ;  His  people  re- 
 sembles the  Messiah  in  its  prosperity.  The  head  and  the  body  are 
 the  whole  Christ.  Moreover,  when  His  people  was  in  Egypt, 
 Jesus  Christ  was  there  also  in  one  of  those  patriarchs  who  are 
 enumerated  in  ch.  i.  4. — Cf.  Heb.  vii.  10. 
 
 16.  ' 'Eviirai-^ri,  was  mocked)  Such  was  the  king's  impression, 
 entirely  at  variance  with  the  spirit  of  the  Magi.  They  did, 
 however,  hold  the  royal  authority  at  nought  in  compari- 
 son with  the  Divine.  Herod  did  not  know  what  might  be 
 doing  [and  he,  therefore,  became  anxious  and  infuriated]. — 
 dvosTiiXag,  having  sent)  sc.  murderers,  and  that  suddenly. — 
 dviTXi,  he  slew)  This  was  a  sin  crying  to  Heaven  for  vengeance ; 
 cf.  ver.  18. — ravras,  all)  "  Of  whom,"  says  Feu- Ardent^  on 
 Irenseus  iii.  18, — "  Christ,  whilst  yet  Himself  a  child,  conse- 
 crated fourteen  thousand  as  martyrs,  by  the  unutterable  cruelty 
 of  Herod,  as  the  Ethiopians  record  in  the  Liturgy  left  to  them  by 
 St  Matthew,  and  the  Greeks  preserve  in  their  calendar." — roi); 
 Ta/Sas,  the  hoys)  not  girls;  cf.  Exod.  i.  16. — a-ro  disrovg,  from  two 
 years  old)  The  adjective  is  put  in  the  masculine,  as  rpnrovg  in 
 2  Chron.  xxxi.  16 ;  cf.  the  Hebrew  original,  xard  rhv  yjidvov^ 
 x.r.X.,  according  to  the  time,  etc.)  The  time  indicated  by  the  Magi 
 was,  perhaps,  a  little  beyond  a  year :  and  Herod  laid  down, 
 therefore,  two  years  as  the  limit  of  massacre. 
 
 18.  ^uvri  Jv'Pa/za  Jixouff^?;,  df/jvog  xai  xKauQi^hg  xai  odvp/Ji>oi  'TToXug, 
 'Fa^rjX  xXaiouffa  to.  rixva,  aur/jg'  xai  oux  ijdsXi  '^rupaxXrj&rivai,  x-t.a. — 
 A  voice  was  heard  in  Rama,  lamentation  and  weeping  and  much 
 mourning :  Rachel  bewailing  her  children,  and  would  not  be  com- 
 forted, etc.)  The  passage  is  thus  rendered  by  the  lxx.,  Jer. 
 
 ^  Francois  Feu-Ardent,  a  Cordelier,  was  born  at  Coutance  in  1541,  be- 
 came Doctor  of  the  Sorbonne  in  1576,  and  died  at  Bayeux  in  1610.  He  pub- 
 lished an  edition  of  Irenseus,  with  an  original  commentary,  in  1575. — (I.  B.) 
 
183  ST  MATTHEW  II.   18. 
 
 xxxi.   (xxxviii.)  15 : — ^uv^  sv  'Pa/z,a  (Cod.  Alex,  h  rrj  v-^r^y.ri) 
 
 ruiv  v'lojv  alrr,g'  xcc!  ovx,  ridiXi^cis  rrapuxXriSi^vai,  x.r.X. — A.  voice  was 
 heard  in  Rama  (Cod.  Al.  on  higli)  of  lamentation  and  weepinrj 
 and  mourning  :  Rachel  bewailing  herself  on  account  of  her  sons, 
 and  woidd  not  be  comfoi'ted,  etc. — r,-/.o{jffdri,  was  heard)  so  that  it 
 reached  the  Lord.  Jeremiah  both  prefixes  and  subjoins,  Thus 
 saith  the  Lord. — Sp^vog  xal  •/.'Kav&n,hg  xai  odvp^ahs  croXuf/  lamentation 
 and  xoeeping  and  much  mourning^  The  LXX.  have  Qpriyoxj  -/.ai  xXavS- 
 /jjov  -/.ai  odup/xoij,  of  weeping,  and  of  lamentation,  and  of  mourning. 
 The  original  Hebrew,  however,  is  D^"i'non  ^22  Ti: — lamentation, 
 weeping  of  bitteimesses,  (i.e.,  lamentation  and  bitter  xoeeping').  The 
 shorter^  reading  of  St  Matthew,,  supported  by  so  many  versions, 
 viz.,®  KXavd/Ug  %ai  iidvpfji^hg  m-oXug,  weeping  and  much  mourning,  agrees 
 with  this  so  as  to  express  the  Hebrew  plural  ^''"'3'^'p^,  bitternesses, 
 by  the  Greek  epithet  -roXOg,  much.  I  used  to  suspect  that  the 
 translators  who  omitted  6p7^vog  xai,  lamentation  and,  had  done  so 
 from  the  poverty  of  their  language :  but  you  might,  with  equal 
 justice,  say  that  the  Greek  copyists  added  these  words  from  the 
 LXX.,  fi-om  not  duly  weighing  the  force  of  the  adjective  -^oXvt;, 
 much,  which  is  not  found  in  the  LXX. 
 
 The  Hebrew  words*  and  accents^  declare  the  matter  more  gra- 
 dually (rem  gradatim  magis  declarant),  and  exhibit  successively, 
 
 '  In  his  Apparatus  Criticus,  Bengel  writes,  in  loc. — 
 
 "18  ( — '^pr,vo;>ccit.i)  yEth.  Arab.  Copt.  Lett,  (et  inde  Barb.  I.  vol  etiam  Cj/pr. 
 et  Colbert,  n.  2467),  Pers.  Syr.  ex  inopia  synonymoruni;  Hieron.  ncscio  an 
 Justmus  Martyr.  Extat  non  solum  apud  LXX.,  sed  etiam  in  Hebrseo."  He 
 then  goes  on,  "  Inopia  synonymorum  hiborasse,"  etc.,  as  in  the  Gnomon,  and 
 concludes  by  referring  the  reader  to  that  work. — (I.  B.) 
 
 -  E.  M.  has  the  longer  reading. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ■'5  So  BZaJc  Vulg.  Hilary,  CI 3.  D  is  the  only  very  ancient  authority  for 
 the  ."^jiii/of  X.UI  of  the  Rec.  Text. — Ed. 
 
 4  "'Sernio."— (I.  15.) 
 
 *  "  The  design  of  the  accents  in  general  is,  to  show  the  rhythmical  members 
 of  the  verses  in  the  Old  Testament  text.  But,  as  such,  the  use  is  twofold — 
 viz.,  a.  To  show  the  logical  relation  of  each  word  to  the  whole  sentence ;  b.  to 
 mark  the  tone  syllable  to  each  word.  In  respect  to  the  former,  they  serve 
 2l^  signs  oi  interpunction ;  in  respect  to  the  latter,  as  signs  of  the  tone  or 
 accent.  .  .  .  The  use  of  the  accents  as  signs  of  interpitnction  is  some- 
 what complicated,  since  they  serve  not  merely  to  separate  the  meml)crs  of  a 
 sentence,  like  our  period,  colon,  and  comma,  but  also  as  marks  of  connection." 
 — Gesenius,  Heb.  Gr.  sec.  15,  q  v.  —  (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  II.   18.  133 
 
 — (1.)  Shrill  grief  indefinitely:  her  who  mourns,  and  those  whom 
 she  mom'ns,  (2.)  refusing  the  consolation  offered  to  her;  and 
 the  cause  why  she  refused  it. — The  thii'ty-first  chapter  of  Jere- 
 miah is  prospective  to  a  great  degree  of  the  times  of  the  New  Tes- 
 tament ;  and  so  does  this  passage  refer  to  this  event  in  the  New 
 Testament  history,  whether  Jeremiah  regarded  at  the  same  time 
 the  Babylonian  Captivity  or  not ;  a  greater  and  less  event  of 
 distinct  periods  may  correspond  with  the  single  meaning  of  a 
 single  prediction,  until  the  prophecy  is  exhausted. — 'Fa-^ri'/., 
 Rachel)  put  antonomatically  for  the  individual  daughters  of 
 Rachel  and  other  mothers,  who  thus  had  sons  of  pangs  [Benoni]. 
 — Cf.  Gen.  XXXV.  18.  The  sons  of  Rachel  are  named :  the  sons 
 of  other  mothers  are  understood  at  the  same  time,  as  in  1  Cor. 
 X.  1,  the  Gentiles  are  also  included  under  the  fathers  of  the  Jews. 
 The  infants  of  Bethlehem  might  also  be  called  "  sons  of  Rachel," 
 on  account  of  the  tomb  of  Rachel  mentioned  in  Gen.  xxxv.  19, 
 as  being  near  that  town :  just  as  the  Samaritans  (John  iv.  12) 
 called  Jacob  their  father,  because  they  lived  in  the  same  place 
 where  he  had  formerly  dwelt.  But  liama  did  also  belong  to  the 
 tribe  of  Benjamin  (see  Josh,  xviii.  25),  who  was  the  son  of 
 Rachel.  It  is  quite  conceivable  that  the  assassins  despatched  so 
 suddenly  by  Herod  to  Bethlehem,  may  have  proceeded  even  as 
 far  as  Rama,  as  the  towns  were  very  near  together :  see  Judg. 
 xix.  2,  9,  13;  Ezra  ii.  21,  26:  from  which  circumstance  Jere- 
 miah, a  priest  from  the  land  of  Benjamin,  pointed  it  out  as  the 
 limit  of  the  massacre. — xXalovffa,  weeping)  i.e.,  -/.Xaki,  weeps,  a 
 Hebraism. — ovx  rikXi  'n-apaxXridl^vai,  refused  to  receive  consolation) 
 A  phrase  which  expresses  intense  grief. — ohx  ilei,  they  are  not) 
 Thus,  in  the  S.  V.  of  Gen.  xlii.  36,  we  read'lwffj^p  o-m  hn,  "Eu/muv 
 o-jx,  sgti,  Joseph  is  not,  Simeon  is  not) ;  and  in  1  Kings  xx.  40, 
 olrog  ovx.  rjv,  he  was  not)  in  the  Hebrew  IJrs,  he  is  not,  in  the 
 singular  number  used  distributively.  The  mothers  mourn  each 
 especially  their  own,  or  even  their  only  sons  ;  for  even  only  chil- 
 dren would,  in  this  case,  be  expressed  in  the  plural  number : 
 the  slaughtered  infants  were  of  two  years  old,  or  a  little  under, 
 so  that  a  single  mother  could  not  easily  be  deprived  of  more 
 than  one.  The  event  was  accurately  foretold.  Others  refer  the 
 singular  number  to  the  Messiah,  whom  they  suppose  the  women 
 to  have  imagined  slain,  or  mourned  as  banished. 
 
134  ST  MATTHEW  II.  20-23. 
 
 20.  Eic  yriv  'lapa/;}.,  into  the  land  of  Israel)  Joseph  was  allowed 
 to  choose  the  town  or  district,  but  not  the  country  of  thc.r  abode  ; 
 since  it  behoved  that  Emmanuel  should  come  to  years  of  man- 
 hood (adolescere)  in  His  own  land. — nOv^Kaffi,  tJipy  are  dead) 
 The  plural  concisely  signifies,  that  Plerod  is  dead,  and  that  there 
 are  not  any  others  who  entertain  evil  designs.^ — o/  ^»]ToDi/r£5  rr)V 
 '■\^yyjiv,  irho  sought  the  life)  literally,  loho  sought  the  soul.  A 
 phrase  employed  by  the  Lxx. 
 
 22.  BasiXsvsi,  is  reigning)  Archelaus  was  reigning,  whether 
 with  or  without  the  name  of  king. — s(po(2rj6ri,  icas  afraid)  Anxious 
 about  the  child,  fearful  lest  Ai'chelaus  should  emulate  his  father's 
 hatred. — szu,  thither)  The  Hebrew  nOK^,  thither,  is  frequently 
 rendered  h.iThj  the  LXX. — 0.^1X61^,  to  depart)  Mary  and  Joseph 
 also,  without  doubt,  had  previously  dwelt  at  Nazareth. — sig  rit 
 fji'ipri,  into  the  parts)  From  hence  may  be  inferred  the  poverty  of 
 Joseph,  who  had  not  a  fixed  abode  which  he  could  return  to  as 
 a  matter  of  course. — r^s  TaXiXa!ag,  of  Galilee)  This  did  not 
 prevent  attentive  souls  from  knowing  the  real  birthplace  of 
 Christ. 
 
 23.  'EX6cijv  xaruixfiCBv  iig,  he  came  to  and  took  up  his  abode  at) 
 [E.  v.,  he  came  and  dwelt  at'],  i.e.,  he  came  to  dwell  at,  or  he 
 dwelt  at.  The  same  mode  of  expression  occurs  at  ch.  iv.  13. 
 Thus,  in  Gen  xiii.  18,  the  LXX.  have  iXdobv  xaT-wx?;^  crs^/  Tr,v  dpvv,  he 
 came  and  dicelt  by  the  oak. — Na^a^sr,  Nazareth)  In  Hebrew,  mfj- 
 The  final  T\  is  rendered  in  Greek  by  T. — Na^w^a/bg,  a  Nazarene) 
 Our  Lord  spent  His  private  life — that  is,  by  far  the  greatest 
 portion  of  His  years — in  the  town  of  Nazareth,  from  whence  the 
 surname  of  Nazarene  was  given  to  Him  in  the  common  speech 
 of  men,  whether  devoted  or  hostile  to  Him,  and  in  the  title  on 
 the  cross.  This  is  what  the  pro])hecy  here  cited  by  St  Matthew 
 had  lonn;  acjo  intimated.  Some  seek  for  the  whole  force  of  this 
 prediction  in  an  allegorical  interpretation  of  the  etymology  of 
 the  word  Nazareth ;  and  this  indeed  should  clearly  be  sought 
 for  in  "ITJ,  a  diadem,  etc.,  not  from  1V3,  to  keep  or  hide^  Avhich 
 Jewish  animosity  employs  maliciously;  for  the  Hebrew  V  (Tzade) 
 
 ^  What  a  vast  host  of  enemies  rising  against  Christ,  from  then  till  now, 
 has  perished  utterly. — B.  G.  V. 
 
 '  See  Prov.  vii.  10,  where  a  harlot  is  spoken  of  as  s's  n-nas,  suhtU  of  heart. 
 -.(I.E.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  II.  23.  136 
 
 is  always  rendered  by  the  Greek  2  (Sigma),  whereas  the  Greek 
 z  (Zeta)  universally  corresponds  to  the  Hebrew  T  (Zayin),  as  it 
 does  also  in  the  word  Na^w^S/oc.  This  rule  is  universal,  which 
 no  one  can  rightly  oppose  without  bringing  forvvard  examples 
 to  the  contrary.  Consider  what  the  sound  and  learned  Hiller 
 says  on  this  subject,  Syntagm.  hermen.  p.  347,  etc.,  and  Onom. 
 Sacr.,  pp.  695,  701,  893 ;  and  compare  his  remarks  with  I.  H., 
 a  Seelen,^  medit.  exeg.,  p.  632.  This  belongs  to  the  etymology 
 of  the  name  Nazareth ;  it  does  not,  however,  establish  the  alle- 
 gory. For  neither  is  there  any  reason  why  we  should  ascribe 
 the  character  of  a  Levitical  Nazarite  to  Christ  (see  Matt.  xi. 
 19),  nor  why  we  should  think  that  the  scope  of  the  prophecy  is 
 exhausted  by  any  signification  of  the  word  nzr,  "iT3. 
 
 It  was  predicted  by  [Micah,  that  Christ  should  go  forth  from 
 Bethlehem  :  Bethlehem,  DHP  n\3,  signifies  house  of  bread,  and 
 Christ  is  the  Bread  of  Life.  But  who  would  have  said  that  the 
 prophecy  of  Micali  was  ftilfilled  by  Christ  being  the  bread  of 
 life?  We  know  that  the  town  where  Christ  was  born  was  in- 
 tended by  the  pro])hecy  ;  in  like  manner,  the  town  where  He 
 grew  up ;  and  the  common  surname  which  thence  arose  was  in- 
 dicated by  the  prediction,  "  Na^wpa/bg  xXTj^^crsra/,"  "  He  shall  he 
 called  a  Nazarene  C  and  therefore  the  particle  or/^  is  prefixed  by 
 the  evangelist,  as  is  the  custom  in  citing  testimonies.  Although 
 at  what  time  that  prophet  flourished  by  whom  this  prediction 
 was  uttered ;  whether  the  town  of  Nazareth,  of  which  no  other 
 mention  occurs  in  the  Old  Testament,  was  then  of  any  account 
 or  not ;  whether  that  prophet  was  himself  a  Nazarene,  and  de- 
 posited this  remarkable  verse  at  Nazareth,  or  whether  he  left 
 it  to  posterity,  conveyed  by  word  of  mouth  alone,  or  also  com- 
 mitted to  writing,^  whence  St  Matthew  obtained  it,  who  knows  % 
 what   signifies  it  to  know  ?     In  heaven,    some  stars  illumine 
 
 1  John  Henry  a  Seelen,  an  historian  and  philologist  of  the  Academy  of 
 Lubeck,  born  in  the  year  1688.  lie  published  his  Meditationes  Exegetkoe  a.i 
 Lubeck,  1732.— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  The  literal  meaning  of  on  is  that ;  but  in  cases  like  the  present  it  has,  by 
 tlie  Greek  idiom,  merely  the  force  which  inverted  commas  have  in  English. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 ^  For  the  prophets  have  uttered  many  things  which  were  not  inserted  in 
 their  public  writings. — B.  G.  V. 
 
136  ST  MATTHEW  II.  23. 
 
 either  hemispliere,  some  both,  some  have  various  risings  and 
 settings ;  on  earth,  rivers  sometimes  withdraw  themselves  from 
 the  sight  of  men,  until  by  hidden  ways  they  reach  the  place 
 \vhere  they  again  burst  forth.  Thus  the  Divine  Oracles  are 
 dispensed  with  admirable  variety ;  a  singular  example  of  which 
 is  afforded  by  the  passage  in  St  John,  concerning  the  three  who 
 bear  witness  in  heaven,  of  which  the  Eastern  Church  was  for 
 many  ages  in  ignorance,  whilst  the  Western  and  African 
 Churches  maintained  it  always,  though  not  everywhere.  Tliis 
 prediction,  indeed.  He  shall  he  called  a  Nazarene,  was  not 
 known  or  understood  by  most  persons  ;  otherwise  Galilee  and 
 Nazareth  itself  would  not  have  been  so  much  despised  (see 
 John  i.  47,  and  vii.  52).  And,  rightly,  many  have  long  since 
 denied  that  this  verse  exists  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testa- 
 ment. Its  condition,  therefore,  is  the  same  as  that  of  the 
 prophecy  of  Enoch,  introduced  at  length  by  St  Jude  into  the 
 Scriptures  of  the  New  Testament,  and  thus  stamped  with  the 
 seal  of  inspiration ;  the  same  as  tliat  of  the  apothegm,  which, 
 though  delivered  by  our  Lord,  does  not  occur  in  the  Gospels, 
 but  is  quoted  by  the  mouth  of  St  Paul,  and  the  pen  of  St 
 Luke,  Acts  xx.  35.  Nor  have  the  Jews  any  ground  of  accusa- 
 tion, because  anything  is  quoted  in  the  New  Testament  which 
 does  not  exist  in  the  Old  ;  for  they  relate  many  ancient  things 
 which  equally  are  not  to  be  found  there.  Where  lay  hid  the 
 Proverbs  of  Solomon  from  ch.  xxv.  1 ;  the  prophecy  of  Aza- 
 riah  (2  Chron.  xv.  2,  etc.)  ;  the  epistle  of  Elijah  (2  Chron. 
 xxi.  12),  until  they  were  inserted  in  the  books  of  the  Old  Tes- 
 tament, many  ages  after  they  were  delivered  ?  Certainly,  there 
 was  no  sufficient  reason  why  St  Matthew  should  frame  ^  this,  if 
 it  had  been  a  perfect  novelty  in  his  own  time.  By  such  a  pro- 
 ceeding, he  would  have  more  injured  than  advantaged  the 
 whole  Christian  cause.  lie  had  sufficiently  numerous  examples 
 of  prophecies  fulfilled  in  Jesus  of  Nazareth  without  this.  Those 
 who  interpret  this  important  verse  more  vaguely,  so  as  to 
 make  out  that  it  is  contained  here  or  there  in  the  Scriptures  of 
 the  Old  Testament,  in  truth  take  awav  one  from   the  ancient 
 
 ^  i.e.,  It  would  serve  no  purpose  to  insert  this  prediction,  if  it  had  been  a 
 mere  figment. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  II.  23.  137 
 
 prophecies ;  whereas  those  who  consider  rh  prt&h  (that  which  was 
 uttered),  "  He  shall  be  called  a  JVazarene"  to  have  been  expressly 
 uttered  of  old,  recognise  a  homogeneous  portion  of  the  entire 
 testimony  of  prophecy,  and  thus  in  truth  maintain  the  integrity 
 and  defend  the  simplicity  of  Scripture  (Cf.  Calovius's  Biblia 
 Illustrata,  and  llus's'  HarmoniaEvangelistarum,p.284).  WHO 
 Avas  to  have  the  surname  of  Nazarene,  is  not  added  in  the  verse  : 
 for  wherever  anything  occurs  in  the  prophecies  which  is  not 
 foreign  to  the  Messiah,  that  should  be  understood  of  the  Messiah, 
 although  there  be  no  express  mention  of  His  name.  It  is,  how- 
 ever, probable  that  more  words  than  these  two  ma}'  have  existed 
 together  with  them  in  a  very  short  prediction.  The  long  con- 
 cealment of  this  monument  of  antiquity  was  agreeable  to  the 
 manner  of  Christ's  private  life,  spent  in  the  retirement  of  Naza- 
 reth, and  calculated  to  try  the  faith  of  saints,  and  condemn  the 
 falsehood  of  sinners.     (See  John  i.  46,  etc.,  and  vii.  41,  etc.) 
 
 Now  that  we  have  proved  that  the  peculiar  and  primaiy  force 
 of  the  name  Nazarene,  is  to  be  found  in  the  town  itself  of  Naza- 
 reth, we  proceed  to  lay  down  as  a  corollary,  that  the  etymology 
 of  the  country,  and  surname  of  Christ  thence  derived,  is  not 
 unimportant.  Christ,  the  Son  of  David  the  Bethlehemite,  was 
 not  called  a  Bethlehemite  :  therefore,  in  the  etymology  of  the 
 town  of  Bethlehem,  a  mystery  is  not  equally  sought  for.  Christ 
 was  called  a  Nazarene.  This  was  indeed  effected  by  the  dis- 
 course of  men  ;  but  not  without  the  overruling  providence  of 
 God.  It  was  not  by  mere  accident  that  Pilate  inscribed  cate- 
 gorically, in  the  three  cardinal  languages,  Jesus,  King  of  the 
 Jews,  and  retained  what  he  had  written :  it  did  not  by  mere 
 accident  happen  that  Pilate  at  the  same  time  inscribed  "  the 
 Nazarene,"  and  that  others,  both  before  and  after,  used  the 
 expression  with  reference  to  our  Lord.  The  names,  "  Jesus," 
 "  Christ,"  "  Emmanuel,"  etc.,  intimate,  that  that  which  is 
 implied  by  their  sound  is  actually  being  exhibited  :  you  would 
 rightly  deny  that  the  surname,  "  Nazarene"  alone  should  be 
 
 ^  John  Reinhard  Rus,  a  learned  Lutheran  divine  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
 tury. The  title  of  the  work  is  "  Harraonia  Evanj^elistarum,  ita  adornata,  ut 
 investigata,  sedulo  textus  cohserentia,  nullus  versus,  sive  trajiciatur,  sive 
 praetereatur  sine  brevi  ac  succincta  explicatione,  quse  justi  commentarii  loco 
 esse  queat."   Jente  1727-1730.— (I.  B.) 
 
138  ST  MATTHEW  II.  23. 111.  1^  2. 
 
 without  a  mystical  meaning  :  IT:,  a  diadem,  is  the  token  of  a  king  s 
 head,  and  mo  is,  according  to  Hiller,  a  town  which  crowns  the 
 summit  of  a  mountain ;  the  name,  therefore,  of  Nazarene,  may 
 thus  be  expressed  in  German,  "Zu  Cronberg  hat  der 
 Geceonte  gewohnet," — "  The  crowned  one  hath  dwelt  on  the 
 summit  of  a  hill." — SeePs.  cxxxii.  18.  Tlie  names  of  places  are 
 frequently  put  for  the  thing  itself  which  is  signified  :  we  pass 
 by  the  Veronenses,  Placentini,  Laudiceni,  of  the  Latins.  The 
 meaning  of  Scripture  is  deeper  :  Simon  the  Canaanite  was  also 
 called  Zelotes,  both  from  his  country  and  his  distinguishing 
 virtue. — See  Matt.  x.  4,  and  Luke  vi.  15.  See  especially  Is 
 Ixiii.  1. 
 
 CHAPTER  IIL 
 
 1.  'Ev  raTi  ri/xspaig  sxejvaig,  in  those  dai/s)  In  the  Evangelistaries^ 
 this  formula  merely  denotes  the  commencement  of  an  extract ; 
 but  in  the  Gospels  it  has  a  more  definite  meaning.  In  the  pre- 
 sent case  it  signifies,  "  whilst  Jesus  was  dwelling  at  Nazareth." 
 — See  ch.  ii.  23.^  An  interval  of  time  is  denoted  between  the 
 events  last  recorded  and  those  now  mentioned,  not  short,  yet 
 not  remarkable  for  any  great  change. — Tapaymrai,  cometh)  This 
 word  is  pleasantly  repeated  at  ver.  13  :  the  LXX.  frequently  in- 
 troduce it  in  the  present  tense. — Kr,p{jsffojv,  preaching)  sc.  loudly. 
 The  expression  in  ver.  3,  (puvrj  fSouivrog  (the  voice  of  one  crying), 
 agrees  with  this.  The  words  6  fSwrriarris,  the  Baptist,  and  xrip-ja- 
 ccav,  preaching,  declare  the  two  parts  of  John's  office. — sv  rfj  ip^/iw, 
 in  the  wilderness)  See  ver.  3. 
 
 2.  MsravoiTn,  repent  ye)  A  lovely  word  (see  verses  8,  11),  im- 
 
 ^  The  Evangelistaria  were  selections  of  ecclesiastical  readings  from  tlie 
 Gospels.— (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  At  the  time  that  John  entered  on  his  public  life,  Joseph  was  probably 
 no  longer  in  the  land  of  the  living.  Therefore,  in  the  words  of  the  text,  the 
 reference  is  to  Ilim,  of  whom  it  was  said  by  the  prophets,  He  shall  be  called 
 a  Nazarene.  Jesus  sojourned  at  Nazareth  from  His  return  out  of  Egypt  up 
 to  the  time  of  John's  entrance  on  his  ministry. — Harm.,  p.  63. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  III.  3.  139 
 
 plying  change,  your  disposition,  put  on  a  disposition  royal, 
 heavenly,  worthy  the  kingdom  of  heaven.^  Thus  Jesus  Christ 
 Himself,  thus  His  apostles  commenced  their  preaching  :  thus 
 the  Lord  commanded  John  to  write  at  the  commencement  of 
 the  Apocalypse. — n  fSotaiXila,  the  kingdom)  See  Gnomon  on  ch. 
 iv.  17. — Tuv  ovpoi,vu)v,  of  the  Heavens)  expressed  in  the  plural 
 number  agreeably  with  the  Hebrew  W^^.^  This  phrase  rj 
 ^asiXsia,  Toov  oupavcjv,  the  kingdom  of  the  Heavens,^  is  peculiar  to 
 Matthew,  who  employed  it  that  he  might  cure  the  Jews,  for 
 whom  he  was  writing,  of  the  notion  of  an  earthly  kingdom. 
 
 3.  Ouroc,  x,.r.X.,  this,  etc.)  There  are  many  circumstances  re- 
 corded in  the  New  Testament,  which  had  been  predicted  in  the 
 Old. — yap,  for)  The  reason  why  it  was  necessary  that  John 
 should  thus  arise  at  that  time  (as  is  described  in  verses  1,  2), 
 was,  that  it  had  been  so  predicted. — <puvri,  x.t.X.,  a  voice,  etc.) 
 See  Gnomon  on  Luke  iii.  4.  "  A  voice,"  i.e.,  "  it  is  a  voice." 
 — j3oZ)VTo;,  of  one  cri/ing*)  i.e.,  of  John.  An  analogous  phrase 
 occurs  in  Rom.  x.  15,  viz.,  o/  mdig  ruiv  svayyiXi^ofi'muv,  the  feet  of 
 them  that  preach. — iv  rfi  eprj^/^oj,  in  the  loilderness)  Not  in  the 
 temple,  or  the  synagogues.  Some  construe  this  passage  thus, 
 "  Prepare  ye  in  the  tvilderness,  etc,"  because  the  accents"  in  the 
 original  Hebrew  of  Isaiah  require  it  to  be  so  construed  there. 
 But  if  such  had  been  the  evangelist's  meaning,  he  would  sub- 
 sequently have  expressed,  in  equivalent  terms,  the  parallel  phrase 
 nmya,  in  the  desert.'^  As  the  passage  stands,  the  expressions, 
 ^^  preaching  in  the  ivilderness,"  in  ver.  1,  and  "  a  voice  of  one 
 crying  in  the  ivilderness,"  in  ver.  3,  correspond  with  each  other. 
 It  comes  to  the  same  thing  :  for  where  there  is  the  voice,  there 
 
 1  In  the  original,  "  regnuni  coelorum,"  "  the  kingdom  of  the  heavens." — See 
 f.  n.  3,  infra.— (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  See  Genesis  i.  1.,  etc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  E.  v.,  "  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven."  I  have  generally  rendered  it  thus, 
 as  being  a  phrase  more  familiar  to  the  English  reader. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  "  Clamantis  " — crj/ing  out,  uttering  with  a  loud  voice — not  weeping. — 
 (I.  B.) 
 
 «Seep.  132,  f.n.  5.— (I.  B.) 
 
 «ln  Isaiah  xl.  3,  the  passage  stands  thus  :  "  The  voice  of  him  that  crieth 
 in  the  wilderness,  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lokd,  make  straight  in  the 
 desert  a  highway  for  our  God;"  where  the  phrases,  in  the  wilderness,  and  in 
 the  dfisert,  are  in  parallelism  to  each  other. — (I.  B.) 
 
140  ST  MATTHEW  111.  4. 
 
 also  are  the  liearers  who  are  commanded  to  prepare  the  way,  and 
 there  is  the  Coming  of  the  Lord.  St  Matthew,  also,  in  ch.  iv.  15, 
 contains  something  different  from  the  Hebrew  accents. — Cf. 
 Gnomon  on  Heb.  iii.  7. — rnv  odhv,  the  waij)  There  is  one  primary 
 way,  and  this  includes  many  tracks,  rpllSovg. — Kvpiov,  of  the  Lord) 
 The  Hebrew  nin"',  Jehovah,  for  which  the  Hebrews  of  later  ages 
 substituted  ''jnx,  Adonai,  is  rendered  by  the  LXX.  K-upioz,  Lord. 
 In  this  passage  Christ  is  intended.  The  appellation  Kvpioc, 
 Jjord,  when  applied  to  Christ  in  the  New  Testament,  has 
 various  meanings,  according  to  the  variety  of  circumstances, 
 times,  and  speakers.  In  passages  quoted  fi'om  the  Old  Testa- 
 ment it  frequently  corresponds  to  the  names  niH''  and  ''31S,  of 
 which  the  one  expresses  His  majesty  as  the  Son  of  God,  the 
 other.  His  glory  also  as  the  Messiah.  Men  amongst  whom  He 
 walked  addressed  Him  thus  with  various  purport,  according  to 
 the  various  extent  of  their  faith.  From  that  time  forward,  the 
 apostles,  and  the  faithful  in  general,  frequently  employed  this 
 appellation  with  reference  to  His  dominion  and  authority  over 
 His  own  followers,  and  over  all  things  beside,  even  in  His  state 
 of  humiliation,^  but  rather  in  His  state  of  exaltation  :  in  which 
 cases  the  pronoun  "  »i?/"  is  sometimes  added,  which  is  never 
 joined  with  the  tetragrammaton  mn\ — ii'^ilag)  straight. 
 
 4.  A'lrhg  d$  6  ^ludvvrig,  x.r.X.,  A7id  the  same  John,  etc.)  A  re- 
 markable description.  Even  the  dress  and  food  of  John  preached, 
 being  in  accordance  with  his  teaching  and  office.  Such  as 
 should  be  that  of  penitents,  such  was  always  that  of  this  minister 
 of  penitence. — Cf.  Gnomon  on  ch.  ix.  14,  and  xi.  18. — a-6 
 rpi-^fiv  %a[M7]7.o-j,  of  camels  hair)  His  dress  M'as  mean,"  and  rough, 
 
 ^  "  Exinanitionis  ;"  literally,  of  being  emptied  out :  a  phrase  of  frequent 
 occurrence,  suggested  by  the  words  in  Phil.  ii.  7,  iavrou  ix.ivo>ai.  He  emptied 
 Himself — rendered  in  E.  V.,  made  Himself  of  no  rejiutation. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  "  Parabilis."  It  is  curious  to  see  the  changes  which  took  place  in  the 
 meaning  of  this  word.  In  classical  Latin,  it  signified  (1)  procurable,  (2) 
 easy  to  be  procured,  (8)  ordinary,  cheap,  not  costly,  mean. — (See  Aiiisworth, 
 in  voc.)  In  the  middle  ages,  as  we  learn  from  the  Glossariiim  Manuale  ad 
 Scriptores  Media;  et  Infimoe  Latinitatis,  it  had  a  very  ditferent  signification. 
 The  abhreviator  of  Da  Cange  writes  thus:  "  Pakabilis.  Testamentum 
 Pcrpetui  Episcojii  Turonensis:  Equum  meum  Parahilem,  et  viulum  qucm 
 elejeris  do,  lego,  I'^quus  forte  qui  Gallis  dicitur  Chcval  de  parade,  ad  poin- 
 pam,  ad  apparatuni." — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  III.  5-7.  141 
 
 and  coarsely  woven. — Cf.  Mark  i.  6. — xal  'i^mriv  lifij^arUnv  mpirr^v 
 hsipxjv  avrov,  and  a  girdle  of  skin  around  his  loiyis)  Thus  the  LXX. 
 in  2  Kin<Ts  i.  8,  of  Elijah,  xai  t,^vriv  dip/j.a.T!vriv  'jipiiZ,M6n,hog  rr^\,  otrcpvv 
 auTov,  and  girt  around  his  loins  ivith  a  girdle  of  skin.  The  girdle 
 of  John,  like  that  of  Elijah,  was  not  of  leather,  but  of  skin  rudely 
 dressed.  It  is  not  without  object  that  Scripture  records  the  dress 
 of  many  saints,  of  the  Baptist,  and  of  Jesus  Christ  Himself — 
 Tpof>7i,  food)  We  gather  the  nature  of  his  drink  from  Luke  i.  15. 
 — axpihig,  locusts)  In  Lev.  xi.  22,  the  LXX.  render  33n  (an  animal 
 which  the  Jews  were  permitted  to  eat),  by  ay.pig,  locust. — /aeX/ 
 aypiov,  ivild  honey)  flowing  spontaneously. — See  1  Sam.  xiv.  25. 
 — Locusts  might  sometimes  fail. 
 
 5.  JJaffa,  all)  i.e.,  from  all  parts. 
 
 6.  '  EjSa'Trrl^ovro,  received  baptism)  The  verb  is  in  the  middle 
 voice. — s^o/MoXoyov/xivoi,  confessing)  The  preposition  l|  denotes  that 
 they  confessed  their  sins  freely  and  ea"pressly,  not  merely  in  the 
 ear  of  John.  A  true  confession  mentions  even  individual  sins 
 (as  formerly  in  the  case  of  sin-oflFerings),  although  it  does  not 
 enumerate  them  one  by  one.  It  holds  the  just  mean  between  the 
 lax  abuse  of  a  general  formula  and  the  narrow  strictness  of 
 auricular  confession.  Thus  it  relieves  the  soul.  At  the  Baptism 
 of  Eepentance  men  confessed  their  sins,  at  the  Baptism  of  Christ 
 they  confessed  Christ. 
 
 7.  IIoAXoO?,  x-r.X.,  many,  etc.)  of  whom  some  adhered  to  their 
 purpose  of  receiving  the  baptism  of  John  ;  some,  deterred  by  his 
 just  denunciations,  appear  to  have  gone  back.  By  far  the  greater 
 number  did  not  come  at  all. — See  ch.  xxi.  25,  and  Luke  vii.  30. 
 — Tuv  >t>apisaiaiv  xai  'Saddouy.aiojv,  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees) 
 Differing  sects. — avToTg,  to  them)  i.e.,  to  the  Pharisees  especially, 
 but  also  to  the  people,  before  baptizing  them. — See  ver.  11,  and 
 Luke  iii.  7.  It  frequently  occurs,  that  words  are  mentioned 
 after  the  act  which  they  accompany  or  precede.  -  See  2  Sam. 
 i.  16, 15. — yivvriiMaTa,  broods)  Various  families. — s^iovciv,  of  vipers) 
 This  is  said  in  opposition  to  their  boasting  of  their  descent  from 
 Abraham. — rig,  x.r.X.,  who?  etc.)  As  though  he  had  said,  "You 
 appear  to  be  showing  the  way  to  others,  but  who  showed  it  to 
 you?"  He  imphes  that  wrath  was  in  store  for  them;  that  there 
 was,  close  at  hand,  a  means  of  escaping  it,  but  that  the  Phari- 
 sees and  Sadducees  were  stranc:ers  to  it. — i/ffeSs/tev,  hath  shoioed) 
 
142  ST  MATTHEW  III.  8,  9. 
 
 The  compound  verb  has  the  same  meaning  as  the  simple  hi'iMviti, 
 He  approves  of  their  coming,  but  with  an  important  condition. — 
 (pvyiTv,  to  flee)  SC.  by  baptism. — aero  rJjc  /MiX/.o-ljer^g  opyrjg,  from  tJte 
 wrath  to  come)  which  they  will  incur,  rejecting  the  kingdom  of 
 Heaven  by  their  impenitence.  That  same  wrath  is  afterwards 
 spoken  of,  in  1  Thess.  i.  10,  as  r^g  ipyjtiMhrii,  ivhich  is  coining.  At 
 the  same  time,  the  error  of  the  Sadducees  in  denying  the  resur- 
 rection is  refuted.  That  wrath  was  to  come  upon  them  at  the 
 destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the  last  Judgment. 
 
 8.  HoiriSan,  produce — xaprrov  a^iov,  worths/  fruit)  Origen  re- 
 marks, that  in  St  Matthew  worthy  fruit  is  required  in  the  sin- 
 gular number  from  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees;  whereas,  in  St 
 Luke,  worthy  fi-uits  are  required  in  the  plural  number  fi-om  the 
 people.  I  do  not  myself  see  what  difference  it  makes  in  the 
 matter.  The  singular  xap'xhg,  fruit,  is  often  used  collectively ;  and 
 in  the  preaching  of  St  John  it  may  be  opposed  to  barrenness  :  in 
 the  plural  number,  it  implies  fecundity.  Men  are  here  repre- 
 sented as  trees ;  and  the  fi'uitis,  therefore,  their  repentance. — r^; 
 u-iravoiag,  of  repentance)  Construe  these  words  with  zaprrbv.^  Thus, 
 in  Acts  xxvi.  20,  we  read  a^/a  t^j  fj^iTcivolag  epya. — /Msrdvoia,  re- 
 pentance, is  an  entire  change  of  character,-  and  a  renunciation 
 of  all  that  is  evil,  by  which  renunciation  we  wish  that  evil  void 
 or  undone. 
 
 9.  Mrj  0(j^r,Ti,  think  not)  The  verb  bo7.u,  to  appear  or  imagine 
 (in  the  same  manner  as  (pdoxu,  to  allege  or  suppose,  the  particle 
 uig,  as;  and  the  Latin  expressions,  prge  m.Q^QXO,to  prof  ess ;  ostendo, 
 to  declare ;  puto,  to  suppose ;  videor,  to  seem ;  apparct,  it  appears ; 
 species,  appearance),  sometimes  denotes  a  thing  which  is  true, 
 and  at  the  same  apparent ;  sometimes  an  empty  appearance, 
 which  any  one  presents  to  liimself  or  others.  And  thus  the 
 meaning  in  this  passage  is,  "  You  may  indeed  say  this,  in  some 
 degree,  with  truth,  but  you  nmst  not  plume  yourselves  upon  it."  ^ 
 
 '  Bengel  would  apparently  render  the  passage  tlius  :  worthy  fruit  of  re- 
 pentance ;  and  so  in  the  passage  immediately  cited  from  the  Acts,  worthy 
 u'orks  of  repentance.  E.  V.  has,  in  the  one  passage,  fruits  meet  for  repent- 
 ance;  in  the  other,  works  meet  for  repentance. —  (I.  B.) 
 
 2  This  scarcely  expresses  i\\G  ori^maX  ^' transmutatio  mentis."  Ainsworth 
 gives  us  the  first  signification  of  MiiNS — "  That  part  of  the  rational  soul  which 
 is  the  seat  of  natural  parts  and  acquired  virtues." — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Tiiere   is  nothing   that  men    will    not   rake   together,   especially  self- 
 
ST  MATTHEW  III.  10,  11.  143 
 
 . —  "keyitv,  to  say)  i.e.  with  safety. — rh  'A/3faa/A,  Ahr'aliam)  as  there 
 is  no  lack  of  his  posterity. — Xiyu  yap  xiijlTv,  for  I  say  unto  you)  A 
 most  solemn  formula,  employed  by  a  great  man,  on  an  occasion 
 of  the  highest  importance. — Cf.  Gnomon  on  ch.  v.  18. — d-jmrai, 
 is  able)  The  Jews  supposed  that  they  could  not  fall  utterly  away. 
 — I-/,  Tuv  Ai^uv  TovTuiv,  fvom  tkcse  stones)  and  from  any  other  mate- 
 rial, as  He  produced  Adam  from  the  clod.  God  is  not  tied  to 
 the  law  of  succession  in  the  Church. — rovrojv,  these)  The  stones 
 to  which  John  pointed  were  perhaps  those  which  had  been  placed 
 there  in  the  time  of  Joshua,  that  they  might  be  for  a  testimony 
 that  the  people  of  Israel  had  crossed  the  river  Jordan,  and 
 entered  the  Land  of  Promise,  and  that  they  owed  the  land,  not 
 to  themselves,  but  to  God.  The  words  sound  like  a  proverbial 
 expression,  as  well  as  those  in  Luke  xix.  40. — rizva,  children)  i.e. 
 according  to  the  spirit.  They  were  indeed  children  according  to 
 the  flesh,  who  are  called  nevertheless  broods  of  vipers. 
 
 10.  "Hdri  di,  hut  noiv)  Placed  in  opposition^  to  /MiXX6v(r^c,  which 
 is  to  come,  in  ver.  7. — xai,  x.t.X.,  also,  etc)  Where  grace  mani- 
 fests itself,  there  also  is  wrath  shown  to  the  ungrateful.  It  is  not 
 only  possible  that  you  should  be  punished,  but  also  punishment 
 is  nigh  at  hand. — rrjv  piZ.a.v,  the  root)  The  axe  was  aimed  not 
 merely  at  the  branches,  but  at  the  root  itself. — rojv  divdpuiv,  of  the 
 trees)  i.e.  the  Jews  (see  Luke  xiii.  7-9),  in  comparison  with 
 whom  the  Gentiles  were  mere  stones. — xs/ra/,  lies)  Although  the 
 blow  has  not  yet  begun  to  be  struck. — kjcoVrsra/,  is  being  cut 
 down)  The  present  tense  is  used,  to  show  that  there  will  be  no 
 delay. — 'xZp,fire)  See  Heb.  vi.  8. 
 
 11.  u^aag,  you)  John,  therefore,  did  not  exclude  the  Pharisees 
 from  baptism. — h  vhan,  in  water)  The  conclusion  of  the  verse 
 corresponds  with  this  part  of  it.  John,  however,  depreciates  not 
 so  much  his  baptism  as  himself.  And  again,  in  this  place  alone, 
 is  that  fire  mentioned  in  contradistinction  to  water,  whereas  the 
 Holy  Spirit  is  mentioned  in  every  case. — ilg  i^iravoiav,  for  repent- 
 ance) This  portion  of  the  verse  corresponds  with  ver.  12. — 5s,  hut) 
 The  contrast  does  not  apply  only  to  those  who  confer,  but  to 
 
 justiciaries,  in  order  to  claim  God  as  their  own,  even  after  they  have  re- 
 jected repentance  toward  God. —  Vers.  Germ. 
 
 '  In  ver.  7  he  spoke  of  the  vv'rath  of  God  as  future,  as  yet  to  come;  he  now 
 speaks  of  it  as  already /»rcse)??,  or  close  at  hand. — (I.  B.) 
 
U4  ST  MATTHEW  HI.    12. 
 
 those  also  who  receive  baptism  (See  Acts  i.  5,  but  ye  shall  be 
 baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost),  and  also  to  the  different  times. — 
 oT/'cw  /xoy,  after  me)  It  was  fitting  that  John  should  be  born  a 
 little  before  the  Messiah. — sp'^o/xBvog,  that  cometli)  sc.  immediately; 
 see  ver.  13. — Iff^vporspog  /xov,  mightier  than  /)  One  whom  you 
 ought  to  fear  and  to  worship,  rather  than  me,  who  am  feeble. 
 John  teaches,  both  here  and  in  ver.  12,  that  his  power  is  not 
 great ;  whereas  that  of  Christ,  as  God,  is  infinite.^  He  does  not 
 say  directly,  "  Messiah  cometh  after  me,"  but  expresses  it  by  a 
 paraphrase  more  obscurely,  and  yet  more  augustly.  John,  more- 
 over, said  this  at  the  time  when  he  possessed  the  greatest  power ; 
 see  Acts  xiii.  25. — fSasrdsai,  to  bear)  As  a  servant  bears  the 
 shoes,  wdiich  his  master  has  either  called  for,  or  commanded  to 
 be  taken  away. — Of.  Psa.  Ix.  8. — Aurhg,  He)  Believe  on  Him: 
 see  Acts  xix.  4. — u,6!,aj,  you)  sc.  as  many  as  shall  receive  Him. — 
 (3aTTiff!i,  shall  baptize)  i.e.  abundantly  impart ;  see  Titus  iii.  6  ; 
 Acts  ii.  3,  4,  17,  and  x.  44  ;  and  shall  thereby  show  Himself  the 
 mightier.  The  Holy  Spirit  and  fire  have  the  greatest  powei*. — 
 sy,  jc.r.X,  in,  etc.)  This  was  the  difference  between  John  and 
 Christ;  see  »Tohn  i.  33.  —  Uvivf^ari '  Ayiu),  the  Holy  Ghost)  See 
 Gnomon  on  Luke  iii.  16. — xai  -rvpi,  and  ivithjire)  St  Luke  has 
 these  words,  though  St  Mark  has  not :  even,  therefore,  were  the 
 reading  doubtful  in  St  Matthew,  there  would  be  no  danger  ;^  it 
 is  certain,  however,  that  he  also  wrote  xat  rrvpt.  The  Holy  Spirit, 
 with  which  Christ  baptizes,  has  a  fiery  power,  and  that  fiery 
 power  was  manifested  to  the  eyes  of  men  ;  see  Acts  ii.  3. 
 
 12.  oS,  ivhose)  This,  and  Aut-oD,  His,  being  placed  emphati- 
 cally thrice,  shows  the  power  of  Christ,  ol — auroD  is  a  Hebraism. 
 — TO  'aTvo)/,  the  fan)  i.e.  the  Gospel. — h  rr)  yjipi  A-jtow,  in  His 
 hand)  even  now.  The  whole  of  John's  harangue,  and  therefore 
 the  commencement  of  the  Gospel,  agrees  entirely  with  the  last 
 clause  of  Old  Testament  prophecy,  in  Mai.  iii.  19-24,  where 
 the  connection  of  things  from  Moses  to  the  conclusion  of  ancient 
 prophecy,  and  thence  to  Christ's  forerunner  and  Christ  Himself, 
 
 '  A  power,  which  there  is  no  one  wlio  shall  not  experience,  either 
 exercised  for  salvation,  or  else  in  terrible  vengeance. —  J^ers.  Oerin. 
 
 ^  Orig.  4,  131e,  132c,  Iren.  321,  Cypr.  Ilil.  Vnlg.  have  x«i  xyj/.  It  is 
 only  some  more  recent  uncial  MSS.  (ESV  in  Tischend.  Gr.  Test.)  and  Syr. 
 of  Jerus.,  which  have  omitted  tlie  words. — Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  111.  It.  145 
 
 and  the  clay  of  His  universal  judgment,  is  exquisitely  and  solemn- 
 ly declared. — AuTov,  His)  Neither  His  forerunner,  nor  any  of 
 His  apostles,  had  this  fan  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Lord  Jesus 
 Himself.  The  consolation  of  His  ministers  in  their  weakness  is, 
 "  The  Lord  will  do  it."  Their  wrath,  though  void  of  strength, 
 is  not  vain. — rrjv  akma,  AuroD,  His  thresliing-Jloor)  The  wayfarers 
 are  in  the  threshing-floor,  the  conquerors  in  the  garner.^ — AuroD, 
 His)  See  Heb.  iii.  6. — xa/  ffwd^n  rhv  cTtov  Avrov  iig  TTjv  uTo^Tixriv, 
 and  will  gather  His  wheat  into  the  garner)  Aurou,  His,  must 
 either  be  omitted  or  construed  with  a'xo^r]xrtv,  garner  f  cf.  Matt, 
 xiii.  30,  rhv  b'i  gTtov  evvaydysTi  iig  rriv  dTo^rixi^v  Mou,  but  gather  the 
 wheat  into  My  garner.  The  Same  is  Lord  of  the  tvheat  as  of  the 
 garner :  the  Same  of  the  garner  as  of  the  threshing-Jloor.  See 
 Luke  iii.  17. — axu/jov,  chaff)  The  chaff"  is  held  of  no^  account.^ — 
 Tup/,  with  fire)  Every  one  must  be  either  baptized  with  fire  here, 
 or  burned  with  fire  hereafter :  there  is  no  other  alternative. — 
 ac/SsoTw,  unquenchable)  See  therefore  that  your  sins  be  first 
 blotted  out.  In  Job  xx.  26,  the  lxx.  have  crDp  a/cauoroi,  in- 
 combustible fire  [i.e.  fire  that  cannot  be  burnt  out]  shall  consume 
 the  ungodly :  or,  rather,  from  the  Cod.  Alex.,  ac^isrov,  un- 
 quenchable, xmextinguishable  (Avhich  word  would  otherwise  not 
 be  found  in  the  LXX.),  so  as  to  render  nB3  N?  {;•{<,  fire  lohich  can 
 never  be  extinguished. 
 
 14.  A/fxw?.i/£v,  forbade^  John  had  not  yet  known  that  this  was 
 the  Messiah.  He  had  known,  however,  that  the  Messiah  was 
 close  at  hand,  and  that  He  would  come  to  his  baptism,  and  be 
 indicated  by  a  clear  sign  ;  see  John  i.  33.  In  the  meanwhile, 
 as  soon  as  he  sees  Jesus,  from  that  sympathy  by  which  he  had 
 been  moved  in  the  womb,  and  from  His  most  gracious  aspect,  he 
 judges  that  this  candidate  for  baptism  must  be  the  Messiah,  and 
 skilfully  declares  his  conviction  by  a  previous  protest.^     See 
 
 '  One  cannot  well  express  in  English  the  contrast  implied  in  the  very 
 rhythm  of  Bengel's  Latin,  "  In  area  sunt  viatores,  in  horreo  victores." — Ed. 
 
 ^ "  Which  Luther  has  rightly  done."— Not.  Grit. 
 
 ^  Cf.  Gnomon  on  chap.  xiii.  49. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Although  at  times  it  is  not  unlike  the  wheat. —  Vers.  Germ. 
 
 ^  By  this  protest,  precaution  was  becomingly  taken,  on  the  part  of  Provi- 
 dence, that  the  humiliation  wherewith  Christ  condescended  to  undergo 
 biiptism,  should  not  prove  at  all  derogatory  to  His  dignity.—  Vers.  Garin. 
 VOL  I.  K 
 
146  ST  MATTHEW  III.   15. 
 
 Luther's  Kirchen  Postille,  on  this  passage,  Fest.  Epiph.,  Part  II., 
 ed.  Spen.,  fF.  95,  96. — l/w,  /)  It  is  probable  that  John  himself 
 had  not  been  baptized  :  see  Luke  i.  15,  fin. — yjiio^v,  need)  For 
 it  is  elsewhere  the  part  of  the  greater  to  baptize,  of  the  less  to 
 be  baptized,  and  to  come  on  that  account  to  one  who  baptizes. — 
 vm  2oD  jSccrrrK^^vai,  to  be  baptized  by  Thee)  sc.  with  Thy  baptism 
 of  the  Spirit  and  of  fire.  If  either  of  us  is  to  be  baptized  by 
 the  other,  I  am  he. — 2-j  ip^T^  ;  comest  Tliou  ?)  sc.  seeking  to  be 
 baptized. 
 
 15.  "A^£5,  permit)  He  courteously  reduces  John  to  silence. 
 The  word  a<pin<!iv,  he  permits,  at  the  end  of  the  verse,  refers  to 
 this. —  apri,  now)  sc.  without  delay,  this  once. — o'l^rw,  thus)  as  I 
 have  come  to  thee. — ct^stov,  becoming)  That,  which  did  not  to 
 John  appear  becoming,  was  in  reality  especially  so,  because  it 
 was  righteous.  The  propriety  Avliich  is  manifested  in  all  the 
 counsels  and  works  of  God,  claims  our  attention  and  admira- 
 tion. See  Heb.  ii.  10,  vii.  26.  The  discourses  and  actions  of 
 Christ  are  pre-eminently  conspicuous  for  that  propriety,  which, 
 so  well  expressed  by  the  Evangelists,  affords  a  proof  that  they 
 wrote  under  the  impulse  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  since  it  could  not 
 have  been  the  product  of  human  genius,  however  exalted. — 
 r,[MTv,  to  us)  Our  Lord  speaks  as  if  He  were  not  yet  fully  known 
 by  John.  It  becomes  Me,  as  the  principal ;  thee,  as  the  minister. 
 In  the  mind  of  Jesus  it  might  also  have  this  sense,  "  It  becomes 
 Me  and  My  Father  that  I  should  fulfil  all  righteousness."  See 
 v.  17,  and  cf.  Heb.  ii.  10. — crXTj^wtra/,  to  ful/il)  all  righteousness. 
 This  is  effected,  not  by  John  and  Jesus,  but  by  Jesus  alone,  who 
 undertook  that  very  thing  in  Ilis  baptism  ;  whence  the  ap])ella- 
 tion,  "  baptism,"  is  transferred  also  to  His  passion,  Luke  xii.  50. — 
 <ff5.ffaii  diKaioa-ovrjv,  all  righteousness)  i.e.  all  the  component  parts  of 
 righteousness  ;  and  therefore  this  part  also,  the  earnest  of  the 
 other  greater  parts.  In  accordance  with  the  par^i'cuZa?'  view  of 
 righteousness,  it  would  seem  that  John  should  be  baptized  by 
 Jesus:  in  accordance  with  the  universal  compass  of  righteousness, 
 the  matter  was  inverted.    Jesus  uttered  the  words  here  recorded. 
 
 Subsequently,  by  reason  of  tlie  sign  which,  in  accordance  with  the  promise 
 of  God,  was  added  after  tlie  baptism,  John  was  so  Much  the  more  confirmed 
 and  fitted  for  bearing  testimony  of  Jesus  being  the  Son  of  UoD. — Harm., 
 p.  146. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  111.  16-17.  147 
 
 instead  of  that  which  others  who  were  baptized,  being  sinners, 
 confefiped  concerning  their  sins.  Such  a  speech  suited  none  save 
 the  Messiah  Himself.  In  matters  even  the  most  humble,  the 
 Son  of  God  watches  over  the  right  of  His  own  majesty.  See 
 John  xiii.  7,  seqq.,  xiv.  30,  xviii.  5,  xx.  36. — toVe,  then)  so.  forth- 
 with. 
 
 16.  ' Avil^Yi  i-J^xjc,  loent  up  immediately)  There  was  nothing  to 
 detain  Him  longer.  Thus  also  He  rose  immediately  from  the 
 dead. — ihov,  x.r.X.,  lo,  etc.)  A  novel  and  great  occurrence. — 
 AuTui,  to  Him)  This  implies  far  more  than  if  the  Evangelist 
 had  said  "  above  Him." — oi  oJfavo/,  the  heavens)  in  the  plural 
 number. 
 
 16,  17.  Ka/,  X.T.X.,  and,  etc.)  A  most  glorious  manifestation  of 
 the  Holy  Trinity,  and  a  proof  of  what  occurs  when  we  are 
 baptized,  since  Christ  was  not  baptized  for  Himself.  And  He 
 received  the  Holy  Spirit  to  baptize  us  with.  See  John  i.  33. — 
 oiOii  'XipiSTipav,  like  a  dove)  See  Gen.  viii.  10,  11. 
 
 17.  'Pojvri,  Ti.T.X.,  a  voice,  etc.)  A  most  open  manifestation  of 
 God,  such  as  those  recorded  in  Acts  ii.  2,  3  ;  Exod.  xix.  4,  9, 
 16,  xl.  34,  35  ;  Num.  xvi.  31,  42  ;  1  Kings  viii.  10,  11,  xviii. 
 38. — olroc  sdTiv,  This  is)  St  !Mai'k  and  St  Luke  record  that  it  was 
 said,  "  2-j  SI,"  "  Thou  art."  St  Matthew  has  expressed  the  mean- 
 ing. The  words,  "  ouro'j — iudoKrjca,"  occur  again  in  xvii.  5. 
 Faith  assents,  declaring,  "  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God,"  as  in  xvi. 
 16. — 0,  the)  The  article  introduced  twice  has  great  emphasis. — 
 T/k,  So7i)  See  John  i.  18,  and  iii.  16 — ciyx-nrK,  beloved)  This 
 might  a})pear  to  be  a  proper  name  (ci.  ch.  xii.  18),  so  as  to  pro- 
 duce these  two  predications:  (1.)  Tills  is  My  Son;  (2.)  He  is 
 the  Beloved,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased.  It  is  clear,  however, 
 from  Luke  iii.  22,  •  i.ut  Beloved  is  an  epithet.  Love  is  something 
 natural,  because  This  is  the  Son ;  good-pleasure,  something,  as 
 it  were,  additional,  because  He  does  the  things  which  please  the 
 Father.  Re  is  the  Beloved,  the  only  one ;  He  shares  not  the 
 Father's  love  with  another.^Jv  w,  in  tvhom)  The  preposition  iv, 
 in,  indicates  especially  the  object,  and  then  also  the  cause  of  the 
 Father's  good-pleasure.  The  Son  is  of  Himself  the  object  of  the 
 Father's  good-pleasure,  and  in  the  Son,  all  persons  and  all  things. 
 A  phrase  of  the  LXX. ;  cf.  Gnomon  on  Col.  ii.  18. — ivdoycnffcc,  I 
 am  well  pleased)  The  verb  ivdoxu,  to  be  well  pleased,  and  the  noun 
 
148  ST  MATTHEW  IV.  1,  2. 
 
 11/ 00x1  a,  good-pleasure,  are  employed  when  one  is  pleased  either  by 
 what  one  has,  or  does  ones's  self,  or  by  that  which  another  has 
 or  does.  Both  parts  of  this  notion  agree  with  the  present  pas- 
 sage concerning  the  good-pleasure  of  the  Father  in  the  Son  ;  for 
 there  is  an  eternal  cropyn  (natural  affectiori)  towards  the  only- 
 begotten,  a  perpetual  graciousness  towards  the  Mediator,  and  in 
 Him  towards  us,  the  sons  of  reconciliation.  In  ch.  x\ai.  5,  are 
 added  the  words,  "  Airou  axoisrs,"  "  Hear  Him ;"  for  then  He 
 was  about  to  speak  of  His  passion  :  now  they  are  not  added  ;  for, 
 at  the  commencement  of  His  ministry,  He  only  taught  that 
 which  the  Father  spake,  "  TJiis  is  My  Son" 
 
 CHAPTER  IV. 
 
 1.  t6t$,  then)  sc.  on  His  baptism. — dvrj^^ri,  He  was  led  up)  sc. 
 towards  Jerusalem,  by  an  inward  impulse. — e/'s  rrjv  'iprnj^ov,  into  the 
 wilderness)  a  wilder  part  than  that  mentioned  in  ch.  iii.  1. — uto 
 ToZ  TLviu/Marog,  hy  the  Spirit)  sc.  the  Holy  Spirit;  see  ch.  iii.  16. 
 — irvpa(^n\iai,  to  he  tempted)  This  temptation  is  a  sample  of  our 
 Lord's  whole  state  of  humiliation  (exinanitionis),  and  an  epitome 
 of  all  the  temptations  (not  only  moral,  but  still  more  especially 
 spiritual),  which  the  devil  has  contrived  from  the  beginning. — 
 hrrh  rod  A/a/3o'Xoy,  by  the  Devil)  The  Lxx.  generally  render  the 
 Hebrew  p'^i  Satan  or  Adversary,  by  Aid(3oXog,  Devil  or  Accuser ; 
 only  in  1  Khigs  xi.,  and  there  twice  or  thrice,  they  translate  it 
 Ictrdv,  Satan. 
 
 2.  NTjffrrjo-ac,  ichen  He  had  fasted)  no  doubt  by  virtue  of  His 
 baptism.  Fasting  implies  also  abstinence  from  drink. — rifJi'Spocs, 
 days)  In  these  days,  during  this  retirement,  matters  of  the 
 j^reatest  importance  passed  between  God  and  the  Mediator. — 
 Tiseapaxovra,  forty)  A  celebrated  measure  of  time,  also,  in  the 
 lives  of  Moses  and  Elijah.  But  the  condition  of  Moses,  when 
 without  food,  was  one  of  glory  ;  that  of  Christ  (which  is  more  to 
 be  wondered  at),  one  of  humiliation.  An  angel  brought  food  to 
 Elijah  before  his  fast  commenced ;  many  angels  ministered  to 
 Christ  after  His  fast  ended.     Jesus  passed  forty  days  before  He 
 
ST  MATTHEW  IV.  3,  4.  149 
 
 appeared  in  public :  forty  days,  as  if  for  the  sake  of  preparation 
 before  His  ascension. — jOTspov,  afterwards)  up  to  this  point  it  had 
 not  been  so  much  a  temptation  as  a  preparation  for  it :  cf.  the 
 beginning  of  the  following  verse. — J-rE/vaCf,  He  hutigered)  Hunger 
 is  a  very  bitter  temptation  ;  thirst  He  experienced  in  His  passion. 
 This  temptation  may  be  compared  with  that  which  is  described 
 in  Gen.  iii. :  the  Tempter  employed  the  same  arts ;  but  that  cause, 
 which  the  first-fonned  pair  of  the  human  race  had  lost,  Christ 
 restored. 
 
 3.  UpociX^uv  Avrui,  having  come  to  Hini)  sc.  in  a  visible  form. 
 The  Tempter  watched  his  time.' — 6  'xupdZ^uv,  the  tempter)  who 
 did  not  wish  it  to  be  known  that  he  was  Satan :  yet  Christ  at 
 the  conclusion  of  the  interview,  and  not  till  then,  calls  him,  in 
 ver.  10,  Satan,  after  that  Satan  had  plainly  betrayed  his  satanity, 
 i.e.,  pride,  his  peculiar  characteristic.  Thus,  by  Divine  skill, 
 He  defeated  his  infernal  skill.  The  tempter  seems  to  have 
 appeared  under  the  form  of  a  ypa[/.fiaTihc,  scribe,  since  our  Lord 
 thrice  replies  to  him  by  the  word,  ysypairrai,  "  It  is  written." — 
 it,  if)  Thus  also,  in  ver.  6,  Satan  both  doubts  himself,  and  en- 
 deavours to  produce  doubt,  to  take  away  that  which  is  true,  to 
 teach  that  which  is  false.  He  solicits  our  Lord,  stating  that 
 hypothetically,  which  had  been  (iii.  17)  declared  categorically 
 from  heaven. — s/Ve,  k.t.x.,  command,  etc.)  The  tempter  acknow- 
 ledges that  He  who  is  the  Son  of  God  must  be  Almighty. — 
 0/',  X.T.X.,  these,  etc.)  i.e.,  that  some  one  of  these  stones  become 
 bread  [or  a  loaf]  :  see  Luke  iv.  3,  [where  it  is,  "  Command  this 
 stone  (sing.)  that  it  be  made  bread."] — Xl^oi,  stones)  q.  d.,  "  You 
 are  in  the  wilderness,  which  has  hard  stones,  but  no  bread." 
 Nay,  on  very  different  grounds  shalt  thou  become  convinced, 
 O  Tempter,  that  this  is  the  Son  of  God.  Soon  will  He  com- 
 mence the  work  of  thy  destruction.     See  Luke  iv.  34,  41. 
 
 4.  V'iypa'KTai,  it  is  written)  Jesus  does  not  appeal  to  the  Voice 
 from  heaven :  He  does  not  reply  to  the  arguments  of  the 
 Tempter :  against  those  arguments  He  employs  the  Scripture 
 alone,    and   simply  cites  its   assertions.     He   declines  to  state 
 
 ^  Our  Lord  spent  that  season  of  the  year  in  the  wilderness,  in  which  the 
 nights  are  longer,  the  wild  beasts  more  ravenous,  the  weather  more  incle- 
 ment, and  when  there  was  no  means  of  obtaining  food  either  from  trees  or 
 herbs. — See  Harm.  Evang.  149. 
 
150  ST  MATTHEW  IV.  4. 
 
 whether  He  be  the  Son  of  God  or  not.  When  addressing  man- 
 kind, our  Lord  seldom  quoted  Scripture,  but  said,  "  /  say  unto 
 you."  He  says  that  only  in  answer  to  Satan,  "  It  is  xcriften ;" 
 i.e.,  "  Whoever  I  am,  I  assuredly  keep  to  that  which  is  written." 
 All  the  statements  which  He  thus  advanced  were  in  them- 
 selves indisputable  :  and  yet  He  keeps  to  that,  "  it  is  rvritten." 
 By  doing  which.  He  declares  that  He  is  the  Destined  One  who 
 should  fulfil  Scripture ;  and  at  the  same  time  shows  the  high 
 authority  of  Scripture  itself,  irrefragable  even  to  Satan. — oux  Jr 
 dprw  /xov'jj  ZyiGirai  civ^puiTog,  aXX'  It/  Tavri  pruiari  h^Topsvofjiyhw  hia  gto- 
 IMarog  QioZ,  Man  shall  not  live  hy  bread  alone,  hut  by  every  tvord 
 that proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God)  The  lxx.  (Deut.  viii.  3) 
 prefix  the  definite  article  6  to  civ'^pu-rrog  {man),  and  repeat  after 
 ©sou  (of  God)  ZyjOirai  6  av^po'Trog  {shall  man  live).  Even  in  the 
 wilderness,  the  Israelites  had  felt  the  force  of  these  Avords.  The 
 sixth  chapter  of  the  same  book  is  cited  in  ver.  7  and  10  :  so  that 
 the  two  paraschae,*  pnriNI  and  3pJ?,  contain  the  three  sayings 
 propounded  to  the  Israelites  in  the  wilderness,  and  in  the  wil- 
 derness employed  by  Christ  as  a  sword  against  the  tempter. 
 At  the  same  season  of  the  year"  at  which  Moses  had  uttered 
 them,  Jesus  employed  these  sayings  against  the  tempter. — 
 ^rioiTat,  shall  live,  etc.)  Jesus  had  experienced  this  during  these 
 \  forty  days.  It  is  equally  easy  to  live  without  bread,  or  to  make 
 bread  out  of  stone.  This  is  truly  avrapKua,^  constant  tranquillity 
 of  mind  {prtrsens  animi  quies),  to  require  notliing  besides  life. 
 JesTis  knew  that  He  should  live. — av^pwxog,  man.     He  does  not 
 
 ^  The  Pentateuch  is  divided  into  50  or  54  Paraschioth,  or  larger  sections, 
 according  as  the  Jewish  lunar  year  is  simple  or  intercalary;  one  of  which 
 sections  was  read  in  the  synagogue  every  Sabbath-day.  This  division  many 
 of  the  Jews  suppose  to  have  been  appointed  by  Moses ;  but  it  is  by  others 
 attributed,  and  with  greater  probability,  to  Ezra.  These  paraschioth  were, 
 as  in  the  instances  referred  to  by  Bengel,  called  by  the  Hebrew  words  with 
 which  they  happened  to  begin ;  they  were  further  subdivided  into  smaller 
 sections,  termed  Siderim,  or  orders. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Gkeswell  gives,  as  the  date  of  our  Lord's  being  led  up  into  the  wilder- 
 ness (v.  1),  Sebat  28,  Jan.  24,  Fer.  1  (i.e.  Sunday);  and  of  Satan's  coming 
 to  Him  (v.  3),  Veader  9,  Martii  5,  Fer.  6  (i.e.  Friday).— See  his  Harmonia 
 Evangelica. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Literally,  self-svfficingness — a  word  which  sometimes  signifies  independ- 
 ence, at  other  times  has  the  force  of  entire  contentedness. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  IV.  5.  151 
 
 reply  to  the  tempter  with  reference  to  the  appellation,  "  Son 
 of  God,"  but  speaks  as  if  one  of  many,  who  were  bound  to  the 
 Written  Word.  And  already  in  the  time  of  Moses,  Divine 
 Wisdom  had  expressed  all  this  testimony  in  those  words  with 
 which  the  Saviour  was  to  smite  the  tempter.  Jerome  says, 
 "  Propositum  erat  Domino  humilitate  Diabolum  vincere,  non 
 potentia," — "  The  Lord  had  determined  to  overcome  the  Devil,  ' 
 not  by  power,  hut  bi/  hianiliti/." — sr/  TavTi  p-t^ij^an  sx'rropsvo/j^svw  dice 
 ffroficcTog  &io\J,  by  every  ivord  that  proceedeth  out  through  the  mouth 
 of  God)  Thus  in  Psalm  Ixxxix.  (Ixxxviii.)  34,  the  LXX.  have, 
 concerning  a  Divine  promise,  tk  BTi-TropiuoiMiva  bia  ruv  ^nX'soiv  Mou 
 — the  things  ichich  proceed  out  through  My  lips.  Cf.  concerning 
 vows:  S.  V.  of  Num.  xxx.  13,  and  Deut.  xxiii.  23:  Cf.  also 
 Jer.  xvii,  16,  and  Num.  xxxii.  24. — That  tvhich  goeth  forth  out 
 of  the  mouth  (exitus  oris),  is  put  by  Metonomy  for  that  ivhich  is 
 lettered  by  the  mouth. — dia  gTo/j^arog,  through  tJie  mouth)  and,  there- 
 fore, from  the  heart. 
 
 5.  Tors,  then)  St  Matthew  describes  the  attempts  of  Satan  in 
 the  order  of  time  in  which  they  were  made ;  see  Gnomon  on 
 verses  8,  10 :  St  Luke  observes  a  gradation  in  the  places,  and 
 mentions  successively  (iv.  1,  5,  9)  the  desert,  the  mountain,  the 
 temple  ;  which  change  of  order,  not  only  harmless  but  beneficial, 
 is  a  proof  that  the  one  evangelist  did  not  copy  fi'om  the  other. 
 Perhaps,  also,  the  tempter  assailed  our  Lord  with  something  of 
 the  third  temptation  before  the  second,  and  appeared  in  various 
 disguises. — TapaXa/j.lSdvsi,  taketh  along  with  him^)  An  abbreviated 
 mode  of  expression^  for  he  takes  and  leads.  The  same  word  is 
 used  with  the  same  force,  in  ver.  8.  St  Luke,  iv.  9,  5,  uses  the 
 words  iiyaysv,  led  [Him], — dvayayiUjv,  leading  [Him]  up.  A 
 marvellous  power  was  granted  to  the  tempter,  until  our  Lord 
 says  to  him,  in  ver.  10,  "  Depart."  "  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  \ 
 at,"  says  Gregory,  "  that  Christ  should  permit  Himself  to  be  led 
 about  by  the  Devil,  since  He  permitted  Himself  to  be  crucified 
 by  the  Devil's  members."  Satan  tempts  everywhere. — Cf.  on 
 the  change  of  place.  Num.  xxiii.  13,  27.  Christ  was  tempted 
 everywhere,  in  all  places  where  afterwards  He  was  to  exercise 
 
 1  See  Blonifield  in  loc— (I.  B.) 
 
 -  See  Appendix  on  Concisa  Oratio. — Ed. 
 
163  ST  MATTHEW  IV.  C,  7. 
 
 His  office. — iig  r^v  kylav  '!:oV.tv,  into  the  holy  city)  where  an  angelic 
 guard  might  have  seemed  especially  to  be  expected. — e't/  upon) 
 Our  Lord  was  as  truly  on  the  pinnacle,  and  on  the  mountain,  as 
 He  was  in  the  desert. — impvyiov,  pinnacle)  to  which  the  ascent 
 was  far  more  easy  than  the  descent  from  it.  Wliat  this  pinnacle 
 was,  antiquarians  doubt.^  Christ  was  tempted  by  height  and 
 depth. 
 
 6.  Tiypa'TTTai,  it  is  written)  A  most  specious  temptation,  which 
 appears  to  quote  Scripture  appositely.  There  is  no  doubt 
 but  that  Satan  must  have  often  felt  the  force  of  this  saying,  from 
 the  protection  which  the  angels  extended  to  the  godly  against 
 him. — on — mpi  aou  %ai  It/,  %.r.X.)  lie  shall  give  his  angels  charge 
 concerning  thee,  and  hi  their  hands  they  shall  hear  thee  up,  lest 
 at  any  time  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone.  The  LXX.  render 
 Ps.  xci.  (xc.)  11,  12, — 07-/ — 'TTipi  GOV,  ToZ  dia(pu\d^ai  a  iv  'irdaaig  rajg 
 odoTc  GOV  iiTi,  K.r.X.,  He  shall  give  his  angels  charge  over  thee,  to 
 keep  thee  in  all  thy  way :  they  shall  bear  thee  up  in  their  hands,  lest 
 thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone.  The  fraud  of  Satan  consists 
 rather  in  false  application,  than  in  omission. — s-rri  yjipSjv,  in  their 
 hands)  That  is,  they  shall  guard  Thee  with  great  circumspection. 
 — Xidov,  a  stone)  i.e.,  one  of  those  of  which  the  Temple  was  built. 
 The  tempter  applies  the  psalm  speciously. 
 
 7.  UdXiv  y'iypa'XTai,  it  is  written  again)  Although  Satan  re- 
 torted the  phrase,  "  It  is  written,"  Jesus  does  not  suffer  it  to  be 
 forcibly  taken  from  Him  as  something  trite,  but  employs  it  three 
 times.     Scriptm-e  is  to  be  interpreted  and  reconciled  by  Scrip-  / 
 
 '  TO  TTTipCytov.  The  article  to  indicates  something  single  of  its  kind  ;  and, 
 therefore,  itTipvyiov  cannot  mean  a  porticus  or  corridor ;  nor  would  there  be 
 any  special  eminence  in  Trnovytov  so  understood.  It  rather  signifies  the  apex 
 of  the  fasti(/ium,  dhupcct,  or  tympanum  of  the  Temple.  Cf.  the  use  of  the 
 word  (to  ■7;riripvytov  toD  npov),  also  toD  vxov^  by  Ilegcsippus  (in  Euseb,  ii.  23, 
 and  Routh,  U.S.  i.  210,  339),  in  his  account  of  the  martyrdom  of  St  James. 
 There,  also,  it  is  evidently  a  pointed  eminence  ;  and  it  would  seem  that  a 
 ])erson  there  standing,  would  be  visible  and  audible  to  a  large  concourse  of 
 people,  such  as  we  may  suppose  collected  in  the  court  of  the  Israelites." — 
 Wordsworth  in  loc.  "  The  general  opinion,  that  our  Lord  was  placed  on 
 Herod's  royal  portico,  described  Jos.  Ant.  xv.  11,  5,  is  probably  right.  Thai 
 portico  overhung  the  ravine  of  Kedron  from  a  dizzy  height." — Alfurd'm  loc. 
 Various  other  suppositions  have  been  speciously  supported  and  illustrated. 
 — (I.B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  JV.  8-10.  153 
 
 ture. — oux  ixriipdciig,  z.T.A.)  thou  shall  not  tempt,  etc. — Thus  the 
 Lxx.  in  Deut.  vi.  16.  According  to  the  usage  of  those  interpre- 
 ters, ex'zsipdt^im  is  not  a  word  of  stronger  signification  than  'Tr-cipd- 
 ^iiv. — Jesus,  liowever,  means,  "  It  is  not  Mine  to  provoke  God  by 
 tempting  Him." — Kvptov,  the  Lord)  This  is  put  as  a  proper 
 name. 
 
 8.  XlaX/f,  again)  This  was  the  third  and  last  conflict,  as  is  evi- 
 dent from  the  expression  "  Depart"  ver.  10. — opog,  a  mountain) 
 A  new  theatre  of  temptation. — dfixnaiv,  shows)  To  His  eyes  those 
 things  which  the  horizon  enclosed :  the  rest,  perhaps,  by  enume- 
 ration and  indication.     Satan  is  a  subtle  spirit. 
 
 9.  Aoiffw,  /  IV ill  give)  But  the  Son  is  the  heir  of  all  things,  and 
 whatever  authority  Satan  possessed  on  account  of  man's  defec- 
 tion from  God,  that,  Christ,  stronger  than  he^  took  from  him, 
 not  by  compact,  but  by  conquest.  What  the  devil  could  not 
 persuade  Christ  to  do  in  his  temptation,  that  he  will  effect  by  his 
 vassal  the  Beast,  see  Rev.  xiii.  2.  And  what  he  offered  to 
 Christ,  he  will  give  to  that  adversary  of  His,  viz.,  the  kingdoms 
 of  the  world. — lav,  x.r.X.,  if,  etc.)  Vast  pride,  to  offer  all  the  king- 
 doms of  the  earth  as  a  gift,  in  return  for  one  act  of  adoration 
 acknowledging  that  gift.^  Without  doubt,  he  appeared  in  an 
 august  form. 
 
 10.  "Titayi,  depart)  "  Get  thee  behind  Me,  Sata7i,"  said  the  Lord 
 to  Peter,  when  he  took  Him  and  endeavoured  to  dissuade  Him 
 from  undergoing  His  passion  ;  thus  commanding  Peter  to  retire  t 
 into  the  proper  place  of  a  disciple,  i.e.,  behind  Him.  But  to 
 Satan  He  said,  Depart,  Satan  :  go,  not  behind  Me,  but  plainly 
 from  Me. — 2arai/a,  Satan)  q.d.  "  Thou  hast  tried  to  discover  who 
 I  am,  and  I  tell  thee  who  thou  art."  He  calls  the  tempter, 
 when  he  wished  to  appear  specially  gracious  to  Him,  Satan.^ — 
 Kvpiov — rrpo(!-/.vvyi(Xiig,  x.r./,..  Thou  shalt  ivorship  the  Lord  thy  God, 
 and  Him  only  shalt  thou  serve)  In  Deut.  vi.  13,  the  LXX.  have 
 Kvpiov — (pojSrid^grj,  x.r.X.,  Thou  shalt  fear  the  Lord,  etc.  Jesus 
 substitutes  worship  aptly  for /ear. — Cf.  ver.  9. — /movm,  ojily,  alone) 
 
 1  Luke  xi.  21,  22.— (I.  B.) 
 
 =  "  What  the  angel  did  not  permit  John  to  do,  that  the  tempter  demands 
 of  Jesus,  the  Lord  of  all  (Rev.  xxii.  8,  9)." — Vers.  Oerm. 
 
 2  For  he  had  plainly  showed,  by  his  pride,  that  he  was  Satan. —  Vers. 
 Germ. 
 
15i  ST  MATTHEW  IV.  11,  12. 
 
 Thus  the  LXX.  have  it,  who  have  inserted  ihLwc,  also  in  Gen. 
 iii.  11,  17,  without  doing  violence  to  the  meaning. 
 
 11.  "  AyyiXoi,  angels)  Who  had  probably  witnessed  the  contest. 
 Cf.  1  Cor.  iv.  9  ;  1  Tim.  iii.  16. — diT^Ttovow,  ministered)  Un- 
 doubtedly, by  doing  that  which  was  then  necessary,  sc.  bringing 
 Ilim  food. — Cf.  1  Kings  xix.  5,  6. 
 
 12.  'Axovaag  ds  oti,  x.t.X.,  but  having  heard  that,  etc.)  The  name 
 of  Jesus  is  expressed  in  ver.  17.  It  is  not  expressed  in  ver.  12,^ 
 because  this  passage,  verses  12— IG,  when  taken  in  connection 
 with  what  precedes  it,  intimates  in  what  manner  John  made 
 room  for  the  Lord.  But  in  ver.  17,  etc.,  is  described  the  actual 
 commencement  of  the  Lord's  preaching,  in  which  is  included  the 
 vocation  of  the  two  pairs  of  brothers.  Wherefore,  in  ver.  18, 
 6  'irjffoug,  Jesus,  is  again  understood,  but  not  expressed. — irapiBoSyi, 
 was  delivered  up)  sc.  to  confinement  in  prison  (in  custodiani). — 
 See  ch.  xi.  2.     As  John  decreased,  Jesus  increased.^ — dvsxi^prjgsv, 
 
 1  So  BC*DZ  Mempli.  Vulg.  (MS.  Amiat.)  Orig.  3,  502c,  4,  Ulc.  Rec. 
 Text  with  fewer  very  ancient  authorities,  viz.,  Fabc.  flil.  620,  reads  o'lyiaov^. 
 — Ed.     E.  V.  renders  it,  "  Now  when  Jesus  had  heard." — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Most  fittingly  the  imprisonment  of  John  is  mentioned  as  it  were  in  pass- 
 ing, and  the  death  of  the  same,  in  chap.  xiv.  3,  not  as  (when)  the  fact 
 occurred,  but  as  (wlien)  it  reached  the  ears  of  Jesus.  And  yet  a  long  inter- 
 val cannot  have  elapsed  between  the  beginning  of  John's  imprisonment  and 
 the  report  of  it  reaching  Christ.  In  John  iii.  24,  the  Baptist  was  not  yet 
 imprisoned,  but  yet  he  was  on  the  point  of  '  decreasing,'  ver.  29,  30.  And  not 
 even  at  chap.  iv.  1  is  mention  made  of  his  imprisonment;  and  at  chap.  v. 
 35  he  is  no  doubt  said  ''to  have  been  ('was')  a  burning  and  shining  lamp," 
 but  it  does  not  follow  from  this,  that  he,  at  that  time,  when  Christ  asserted 
 this  of  him,  was  already  confined  in  prison  (for  not  even  in  that  state  did  he 
 altogether  cease  to  be  a  burning  and  shining  lamp).  In  fact,  John  is  men- 
 tioned in  the  past  tense  (John  v.  35),  in  respect  to  the  fact  that  the  Jews 
 had  already  become  sated  and  weary  of  the  joy  which  they  had  derived  from 
 John,  and  The  True  Light,  Jesus  Christ,  by  His  infinite  splendour,  had  all 
 but  eclipsed  John,  who  was,  at  it.  were,  but  a  wax-light  lamp.  Besides,  we 
 must  take  into  account,  that  the  Saviour  foreknew  the  imprisonment  and 
 subsequent  death  impending  over  John.  Therefore  the  latter  must  have 
 been  cast  into  prison  almost  six  months  after  the  commencement  of  his 
 public  ministry,  about  Tentccost,  and  about  a  full  year  elapsed  from  that 
 time  till  his  death.  They  who  maintain  that  more  than  three  Passovers 
 intervened  between  our  Saviour's  baptism  and  His  death,  must  of  necessity 
 assign  two  years  to  John's  imprisonment,  which  is  less  suitable  to  the 
 general  requirements  of  the  case.     For  John  ought   rather  to  have  passed 
 
ST  MATTHEW  IV.  13-16.  I8S 
 
 he  departed)  The  same  verb  occurs,  ch.  xiv.  13,  from  a  similar 
 cause.' — ilg  rr^v  TaXiXatav,  into  Galilee)  and,  indeed,  into  that 
 part  of  Galilee  which  was  farthest  from  Herod  and  the  prison 
 of  John.  St  Matthew  speaks  of  the  whole  of  Galilee  in  opposi- 
 tion to  Judea,  where  the  temptation  had  taken  place.  Jesus 
 then  came  forth  from  private  into  public  life.^ 
 
 13.  Na^apsr,  Nazareth)  where  He  had  hitherto  resided. — 
 vapaSaXaesiav,  which  is  upon  the  sea-coast)  See  vv.  15,  18. 
 A  place  much  ft-eqnented. 
 
 15,  16.  r^  ZajSouXuv  xai  yr\  Nf^^a^.sz/x,  obh  daXaffStji  -^spav  rou 
 'lopddvov  TaXiXaia  ruv  sSvuiv,  6  Xahg  6  'XopBvofMsvog^  h  cxoni  s78i  (pug 
 wiya,  xai  roTg  zaSrifJiBvoig  sv  ^upcf,  xai  dxiS,  davdrov,  <pug  dvsTuXiv 
 auroTg,  The  land  of  Zahdon,  and  the  land  of  Nephthalim,  by  the 
 way  of  the  sea,  beyond  Jordan,  Galilee  of  the  Gentiles;  the 
 people  which  walketh  in  darkness  saw  great  light ;  and  to  them 
 which  sat  in  the  region  and  shadow  of  death  light  is  sprung  up) 
 The  LXX.  thus  render  the  passage  in  Is.  viii.  23  and  ix.  1  :* 
 yupa,  Za(3ovXcluv,  yj  <yr\  'iii'-(p&aXii[i,,  xai  oi  XofTToi  oi  rr\v  vapaKiav,  xai 
 rspav  Tov  'lopddvov  TaXiXaioc  rojv  idvuv.  'O  Xaog  6  rropsvofx^svog  sv  cxoVe/, 
 "dsTS  (pug  fisya,'  o'l  xocToixouvrec  sv  yjlipci  xai  exia.  Savdrov  <pcog  XdfM-^ii  s(p 
 vfxac, — Country  of  Zabidon,  the  land  of  Nephthalim,  and  ye  the 
 rest  who  inhabit  the  region  situated  by  the  sea,  and  bounded  by' 
 the  Jordan,  thou  Galilee  of  the  Gentiles  !  Thou  people  which 
 walketh  in  darkness,  behold  ye  a  great  light :  ye  who  dwell  in  the 
 country  and  shadow  of  death,  a  light  shall  shine  upon  you.  The 
 two  verses  are  in  Isaiah  most  closely  connected  together,  on 
 which  ground  the  Evangelist  takes  part  of  the  topography  from 
 
 over  the  scene  quickly,  even  including  his  imprisonment.  The  One  Great 
 Prophet,  Jesus,  passed  the  principal  part  of  His  appointed  time  alone  in  His 
 Office.— //arm.,  p.  183,  184. 
 
 1  Our  Lord  now  departed  on  account  of  the  imprisonment,  He  afterwards 
 did  so  on  account  of  the  death,  of  the  Baptist. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Viz.,  that  of  Galilee.— (I.  B.) 
 *E.  M.  Ka.6'/iiA,iuos.—(l.  B.) 
 
 4  This  is  the  Hebrew  notation.  In  the  Lxx.,  the  Vulgate,  and  the  Eng- 
 lish Version,  the  extract  is  contained  in  Isaiah  ix.  1,  2. — (I.  B.) 
 
 5  I  have  rendered  Tvipctu  bounded  by,  instead  of  beyond,  in  accordance  with 
 the  remarks  which  immediately  follow  on  the  -as  of  the  original  Hebrew. 
 I  may  add  in  illustration,  that  Liddell  and  Scott  say  of  -^^ipct  and  vipetv, 
 "  They  are,  no  doubt,  the  dative  and  accusative  of  an  old  substantive— <» 
 x£o«  =  TTiipcip,  TTslpoii,  Tfipxi,  cud,  boundory ." — (I.  B.) 
 
156  ST  MATTHEW  IV.  16. 
 
 the  former  [to  explain  the  apphcation  of  the  latter].  Many  of 
 the  apostles  were  from  this  region.  See  Ps.  Ixviii.  28 ;  Acts  i.  11, 
 ii.  7. — 7^5  land,  and  >.ahc,  people,  are  placed  in  opposition.— 
 obov,  the  way)  The  LXX.  render  "liT  {way)  by  iohv  {way).  We 
 must  here  understand  xara,  hy.  The  exactness  of  the  pro- 
 phetical topography  is  marvellous,  minutely  accurate  both  in 
 latitude  and  longitude. — ^aXccfftrjjg,  of  the  sea^)  See  ver.  18. — 
 rtipav  ToiJ'Jopbdvov,  beyond  the  Jordan)  The  Hebrew  "lij?,^  rendered 
 in  the  present  passage  by  the  Greek  'zipav  {beyond),  is  used  with 
 reference  to  a  boundary  considered  in  reference  to,  not  only 
 the  farther  side,  but  the  hither  side  also. — TaXiXala  r^v  i^vciv, 
 Galilee  of  the  Gentiles)  Galilee,  though  inhabited  by  Israelites, 
 was  conterminous  to  the  Gentiles,  especially  as  far  as  the  tribes 
 of  Zabulon  and  Naphthali  were  concerned. — See  Miller's  Ono- 
 mata  Sacra,  p.  816.  Galilee,  previously  to  the  time  under  con- 
 sideration, was  behind  Judaea  in  the  cultivation  of  sacred 
 learning :  the  citadel  of  the  Levitical  worship  was  at  Jerusalem  : 
 the  Jews  therefore  ought  to  have  acknowledged  our  Lord  more 
 readily  than  the  Galilaeans,  to  whom  a  compensation  is  now 
 made  for  their  previous  disadvantages. 
 
 16.  'O  'TTopBvo/Mvog,    that  walketh)    There    is   here  a   threefold 
 ascending  climax.^ 
 
 First  Clause. 
 The  people  that  Walketh 
 
 In  Darkness 
 Hath  seen  a  Great  Light. 
 
 Second  Clause. 
 
 And  on  those  sitting 
 
 In  the  Region  and  Shadow  of 
 
 Death, 
 
 A  Liffht  hath  arisen. 
 
 It  is  worse  to  sit,  detained,  in  darkness,  than  to  walk  in  it.'* — 
 iJdi,  hath  seen — <pug,  aLight^)  No  one  is  saved  except  he  be  illu- 
 minated [by  that  Light].    See  Acts  xiii.  47. — /.a/  roTg  xu^rifievac, 
 
 1  Sc.  of  Galilee.— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Commonly,  The  region  beyond. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  i.e.  The  throe  expressions  used  in  the  latter  clause  of  this  sentence  are 
 respectively  stronger  than  those  used  in  the  former  clause. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Unfortunately  for  this  remark,  there  is  no  very  ancient  authority  for 
 ■7ro^iv6f.iii/o;.  All  the  oldest  MSS.  and  versions,  Vulg.,  etc.,  read  Kotdy}f<,fvi(. 
 Lachm.  and  Tischend.  do  not  even  notice  the  former  reading. — Ed, 
 
 *"  Wb-ch  illumines  the  whole  world." — B.  G.  V. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  IV.  17.  157 
 
 x.r.?..,  and  to  those  sitting,  etc.)  The  LXX.  in  Ps.  cvii.  (cvi.)  10, 
 have  xa^rj/Msvouc  h  exorit  -/.at  cxia  Savarou,  sitting  in  darkness  and 
 the  shadow  of  death.  The  verb  to  sit  aptly  denotes  a  sluggish 
 solitude. — X'-^pa.  xa/  G-/.ia,  region  and  shadoio)  one  thing  expressed 
 bj  two  words.^  The  natural  situation  of  the  country  was  low, 
 and  such  was  also  its  spiritual  condition. — avWu'Kiv  ahroT;,  hath 
 Hsen  upon  them)  In  the  original  Hebrew  it  is  njj,  shines,  upon 
 them.  This  increased  force  of  expression  corresponds  with  the 
 epithet  [J^iya,  great,  in  the  preceding  clause. 
 
 17.  "Hp^aro,  beganY  A  word  of  frequent  occurrence.  It  indi- 
 cates the  commencement  of  an  action  to  be  often  repeated,  or  of 
 one  deliberate  and  ample,  or  even  of  long  continuance. — i]  ^asi- 
 y.iia,  the  kingdom)  It  is  an  example  of  elegance  in  the  Divine 
 style,  that  first  the  kingdom  should  be  said  to  have  come  in  the 
 abstract,  then  the  King  or  Messiah  in  the  concrete.  The  former 
 mode  of  expression  suits  the  hidden  beginnings,  the  latter  the 
 triumphant  consummation,  [of  the  Gospel  Dispensation]. — Cf. 
 Gnomon  on  Luke  i.  35,  and  2  Thess.  ii.  3. — ?j  (SaciXiia  ruv  oupa- 
 i'uiv,  the  kingdom  of  the  Heavens)  i.e.,  the  kingdom  of  God  (cf.  ch. 
 V.  3,  with  Luke  vi.  20);  for  it  is  called  also  thus  by  St  Matthew, 
 sometimes,  as  his  book  proceeds,  and  is  always  thus  denominated 
 in  the  other  books  of  the  New  Testament,^  e.g.  Acts  i.  3,  xxviii. 
 
 ^  In  the  original,  iv  ltd  Ivoh.  See  Explanation  of  Technical  Terms. — 
 (I.  B.) 
 
 2  "  Jesus  had  indeed  begun  to  teach  in  the  schools  at  Nazareth  before  He 
 had  come  thence  to  Capernaum  (see  Lukeiv.  16),  but  now  raising  His  voice, 
 He  betook  Himself  to  K'yjpv/f/.x  also,  or  proclaiming  the  kingdom  of  God. 
 The  King  Himself  acted  as  His  own  herald." — B.  H.  E.,  p.  190. 
 
 2  The  Kingdom  oftheJieavens,  Repentance,  and  the  Gospel,  are  three  terms 
 which  are  found  most  frequently,  not  only  in  St  Matthew,  but  also  in  SS. 
 Mark  and  Luke ;  but  never  in  the  Gospel  of  John.  But  the  latter  propounds 
 the  same  truths  substantially  by  very  graceful  modes  of  expression.  He  no 
 doubt  uses  the  phrase,  the  Kingdom  of  God,  in  accordance  with  the  custom 
 of  the  rest  of  the  Evangelists,  but  only  in  the  conference  with  Nicodemus ; 
 indicating  that  same  truth  by  implication,  when  Jesus  is  described  as  the 
 Sun  of  God,  as  the  Life,  as  the  Light,  as  the  Bridegroom,  as  He  into  whose 
 hands  the  Father  hath  given  all  things,  to  whom  He  hath  committed  power 
 over  all  flesh,  as  also  all  judgment ;  who,  in  fine,  is  to  draw  allmen  to  Himself, 
 and  such  like  declarations.  John  intimates  Repentance,  when  he  urges  on 
 us  the  hirthfronx  above,  the  need  of  coming  to  Jesus,  and  having  faith  in  Him, 
 etc.     That  which  he  delights  in  terming  the  Testimony,  is  the  same  thing 
 
168  ST  MATTHEW  IV.  18-21. 
 
 31,  and  Rom.  xiv.  17.  The  Metonomy  by  which  Heaven  is  sub- 
 stituted for  God,  is  of  frequent  occurrence,  and  very  suitable  to 
 the  first  times  of  the  Gospel. — See  ch.  iii.  2.  By  the  expression, 
 "  The  Kingdom  of  the  Heavens^''  which  is  almost  peculiar  to 
 the  books  of  the  New  Testament,  the  hope  of  an  earthly  king- 
 dom was  cut  away,^  and  all  were  invited  to  Heavenly  things. 
 It  is  thus  called  with  a  regard  to  its  final  consummation. — See 
 Luke  xxi.  31,  and  Acts  i.  3. 
 
 18.  Qa'kaeau.v  T^g  TaXaXa/ac,  Sea  of  Galilee)  See  verses  15,  23. 
 — li^ma,  Simon)  Simon,  the  first  who  followed  on  this  occasion, 
 was  the  first  to  remain. 
 
 19.  Aivre,  come  ye)  This  word  has  the  force  of  calling  com- 
 bined with  the  idea  of  the  present  moment ;  see  xi.  28,  xxi.  38, 
 etc.  This  is  evident  from  the  singular  dsvpo,  hither. — rroiriaoo,  x.r.?v., 
 /  will  make,  etc.)  The  authority  of  Jesus  Christ  [is  here  asserted]. 
 — aXuTg,  fishers)  See  Jer.  xvi.  16. 
 
 20.  Evdeuc,  straightway)  A  promptitude  and  quickness  in  fol- 
 lowing our  Lord  is  denoted  in  James  and  John,  in  ver.  22, 
 where  rjDiug  occurs  again.  The  same  quickness  is  denoted  in 
 ver.  19,  in  the  case  of  Peter  and  Andrew,  by  the  word  AsCirj, 
 whether  you  read  iuS'su:.  or  not.  Li  the  very  ardour  of  doing 
 their  daily  work,  they  received  the  call.  Thus  also  ^latthew 
 ch.  ix.  9,  blessed  moment ! — rixoXo-jSriffav,  they  followed)  Ingenu- 
 ously, without  any  immediate  stipulation  concerning  reward. — 
 See  ch.  xix.  27. 
 
 21.  MiTa  Zi^ioaiou,  with  Zehedee)  They  were  therefore  youths  ; 
 their  father  Zebedee  being  still  in  his  prime,  and  both  their 
 parents  alive.  John  lived  seventy  years  longer.  James  was  the 
 first  of  the  apostles  who  died ;  John  survived  him  a  long  time.^ 
 — ■/.araprll^ovrac,  adjusting  for  work)  This  word  is  said  of  a  vessel 
 or  tool,  which  is  cither  prepared  for  work  or  repaired  after  work. 
 The  first  meaning  is  more  suitable  to  this  passage.  The  sons 
 of  Zebedee,  as  well  as  those  of  Jonas,  on  more  than  one  occa- 
 
 as  the  Gospel.  These  his  variations  of  phraseology  are  calculated  to  edify 
 the  attentive  reader,  provided  only  that  \\c  do  not  fasten  wholly  on  the  mere 
 words,  but  admit  their  power  to  pervade  the  inmost  recesses  of  the  heart. — 
 Harm.,  p.  190,  191. 
 
 •  "Priccidebatur."— (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  These  two  are  more  frequently  joined  together  in  the  New  Testament 
 tlian  Peter  and  Andrew. — IJ.  G.  V. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  IV.  23,  24.  159 
 
 sion,  abandoned  the  work  in  wliicli  they  were  respectively  en- 
 gaged with  the  greatest  promptitude  and  obedience. 
 
 23.  Kai  iTipiriyiv,  jc-r.X.,  And  Jesus  tveiit  about,  etc.)  Thus,  also, 
 clearly  in  ch.  ix.  35.^ — xriphsam,  preachwg)  His  teaching  in  the 
 synagogues  was  public,  but  His  preaching  more  public  still. — See 
 ch.  X.  27,  and  xi.  1 ;  comp.  also  Luke  viii.  39  ;  John  iii.  2,  4. — rh 
 ivayysXiov,  the  Gospel)  The  chief  teaching  of  CJirist  was  the 
 Gospel :  the  other  things  which  He  taught  concerned  only  the 
 removing  impediments  [to  its  saving  reception]. — Tr,g  (SaaiXsla;, 
 of  the  Mngdom)  sc.  of  God.  In  Holy  Scripture  God  is  the  per- 
 petual object  of  contemplation. — -raffai/,  every)  No  one  sick  or 
 dead,  whom  Jesus  met,  remained  in  sickness  or  death. — vCaov, 
 disease)  voeoc,  signifies  a  disease  of  the  whole  body  :  ^aXax/a,  an 
 infirmity  of  any  particular  part,  attended  with  pain  :  (Sdcavog 
 (ver.  24),  a  torture,  or  malady  accompanied  by  excruciating 
 pain  :  /xdant,  (Luke  vii.  21),  a  scourge. — iv  rip  Xau>,  among  the 
 people)  Among  the  people  of  Israel :  and  it  was  among  the  people, 
 [i.e.,  in  public,]  that,  as  the  sick  were  promiscuously  brought  to 
 Him,  even  those  were  healed  whose  disease  was  a  matter  of 
 public  notoriety;  see  John  ix.  8,  and  Acts  iii.  10.  But  in  the 
 case  of  miracles  of  later  times,  men,  or  dumb  images,  to  whom 
 they  are  pretended  to  have  happened,  are  thrust  forth  from  some 
 obscure  nook  or  other  by  collusion. 
 
 24.  'A^y^X^iv,  went  Old  thence)  sc.  afar. — dzorj,  fame)  The  LXX. 
 frequently  render  nyoc-  by  dzon. —  '2,upiav,  Syria)  The  province 
 of  which  Palestine  was  considered  apart. — 'Ttpoaviviy/.av  Avrip,  they 
 brought  unto  Him)  Even  the  Syrians  did  so. — rcvg  %ay.Zic,  lyovTac,, 
 those  who  ivere  ill)  ^  The  miracles  of  Jesus  Christ  were  performed 
 for  the  good*  of  men. — See  John  vi.  2 ;    Matt.  xi.  5  ;    Acts 
 
 '  See  also  Mark  vi.  6  ;  Acts  x.  38,  etc.  It  ^vas  by  this  system  that  He, 
 in  so  short  a  ministry,  benefited  a  vast  multitude  of  men  by  His  teaching 
 and  miracles;  thereby  lie  the  more  trained  His  disciples;  and,  moreover, 
 produced  this  effect,  that  men,  so  far  from  being  weary  of  Him,  even  from 
 time  to  time  conceived  the  stronger  yearning  desire  after  Him. — Harm.,  p. 
 235,  236. 
 
 2  r.'jro-j  and  r.rpv  prop,  that  which  is  heard  ;  hence  (1).  a  message,  tidings, 
 whether  joyful  or  sorrowful,  especially  a  message  sent  from  God:  hence  (2), 
 i.q.  instruction,  teaching  doctrine;  (3),  rumour. — Gesenil'S. — (I.  B.) 
 
 •■'  "  Male  habentes." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Salutem,   health  or   salvation— i.e,  they  were   [with   rare   exceptions] 
 
160  ST  MATTHEW   IV.  25.- V.   1,  2. 
 
 X.  38. — bai/jjOvtZpiMivo-jg,  possessed  lo'ith  devils)  The  sick  and  the 
 possessed  are  frequently  mentioned  together. — See  Acts  v.  16. 
 
 25.  "OyXoi,  multitudes)  The  plural  is  vised  on  account  of  the 
 various  places  from  which  they  came. —  AsxaToXswc,  from  Deca- 
 polis)^  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Jordan.  Samaria  is  not 
 mentioned  in  this  enumeration. — Ttpav,  heyond)  i.e.,  airh  rng  Tlpav 
 — Jrom  the  country  beyond. 
 
 CHAPTER  V. 
 
 1.  'ihuiv,  seeing)  sc.  afar  off. — opoi;,  mountain)  and  moreover  the 
 higher  part  of  the  mountain.  There  He  prayed  and  selected 
 His  apostles ;  see  Mark  iii.  13-19  ;  Luke  vi.  12-16.  After- 
 w^ards  he  came  half  way  down  the  mountain  ;  and,  as  He  was 
 coming  down  with  His  disciples,  He  met  the  people  coming  up, 
 and  sat  down  there  to  teach ;  see  note  on  Luke  vi.  17.^  A 
 mountain,  as  being  a  lofty  part  of  the  earth,  and  thereby  nearer 
 to  heaven,  is  best  suited  for  the  most  holy  actions. — rrpocrj^Jov 
 AvTui,  came  unto  Hini^)  The  close  admittance  and  docility  of 
 recent  disciples. 
 
 2.  'Avo/^as,  x.r.X.,  having  opened,  etc.)  A  beginning  studiously 
 made  is  great  part  of  a  great  matter.  In  commencing  narra- 
 tions of  great  and  deliberate  affairs.  Scripture  uses  the  phrases, 
 
 miracles  of  mercy,  the  effect  of  wliich  was  to  improve  the  condition  of  those 
 on  whom  they  were  performed. — (I.  ]5.) 
 
 1  The  region  called  Decapolis  comprehended  the  ten  cities  of  Scythopolis : 
 Hippos,  Gadara,  Dios,  Pella,  Philadelphia,  Gerasa,  Canatha,  Capitolias,  and 
 Abila.— fF.  Hughes.— {\.  B.) 
 
 *  The  night,  which  is  mentioned  in  Luke  vi.  12,  succeeded  to  [followed 
 immediately  after]  miracles,  as  appears  from  Mark  iii.  10,  and  preceded 
 miracles,  according  to  Luke  vi.  18.  What  is  said  in  the  beginning  of 
 Matt.  V.  is  suited  to  the  even-tide,  which  put  a  close  to  both  classes  of 
 miracles,  viz.,  Scemj  the  nmltitudcs,  He  loent  i/p  into  a  mountain :  the  day 
 following  will  thus  claim  to  itself  the  rest  of  I  lis  proceedings,  viz.,  JVhcn  He 
 was  set  (seated),  i.e.,  after  the  cures  recorded  in  Luke,  which  he  had  per- 
 formed standing, — His  disciples  came  unto  Him. — Harm.,  p.  242. 
 
 »  Not  only  the  twelve.— B.  G.  V. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  V.  3.  161 
 
 He  turned  Ms  sJioulders,  He  moved  his  feet,  He  raised  his  eyes, 
 He  opened  His  mouth.  See  Acts  x.  34.  Here  the  fountain 
 began  to  pour  forth  water.  Cf.  Matt.  xiii.  35. — sdldacy.sv,  He 
 taught)  He  instructed  by  doctrine,  by  consolation,  by  exhorta- 
 tion, by  precept. — auTovg,  them)  the  disciples.  For  He  addresses 
 these,  in  the  hearing  of  the  multitudes  ;^  see  vii.  28.  The  Evan- 
 gelists have  transcribed  at  full  length  two  discourses  of  our  Lord, 
 as  models  of  all  the  rest ;  the  one  delivered  publicly  at  the  com- 
 mencement of  His  ministry,  that  namely  which  we  are  now 
 considering ;  the  other  privately  at  its  conclusion,  recorded  in 
 John  xiii.— xvi.  Our  Lord's  object  in  the  present  discourse  is  to 
 teach  true  righteousness  (see  Isa.  Ixiii.  1)  :  and  He  also  declares 
 at  the  same  time,  that  He  came  to  establish  the  Law  and  the 
 Prophets,  and  exposes  the  spurious  character  of  the  righteous- 
 ness of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees.  In  the  exordium,  there  is 
 firstly,  ver.  3,  4,  a  sweet  invitation  to  the  fellowship  of  true 
 righteousness,  and  therein  of  blessedness ;  secondly,  ver.  13,  14, 
 to  the  communication  of  it  to  others.  From  ver.  17  to  vii.  12, 
 there  is  a  treatise,  the  end  of  which  corresponds  with  the  begin- 
 ning, even  to  a  word.  The  conclusion  of  this  discourse,  firstly, 
 ch.  vii.  13,  14,  points  out  the  gate  of  righteousness  ;  secondly, 
 ch.  vii.  15,  16,  warns  against  false  prophets,  who  go  themselves, 
 and  lead  others,  into  all  kinds  of  error  ;^  and  thirdly,  vii.  24,  25, 
 exhorts  us  to  fulfil  these  precepts  of  righteousnesss.  The  im- 
 pression produced  by  the  Heavenly  Teacher's  discourse  on  those 
 who  heard  Him,  is  described  in  the  two  last  verses  of  the  same 
 chapter. 
 
 3.  Ma-z-dpioi,  blessed)  This  initial  word,  so  often  repeated,  indi- 
 cates the  object  of  Christ's  teaching.^  By  means,  however,  of 
 striking  paradoxes,  blessedness  is  proposed  not  only  by  itself, 
 but  inasmuch  as,  in  Christ  now  present,  it  is  within  the  reach  of 
 all  who  are  capable  of  receiving  Him.  There  were  some  such 
 amongst  our  Lord's  auditors,  though  undistinguished  by  the  eye 
 of  man  (see  ch.  ix.  36,  37,   xi.  28  ;    Isa.  xxix.  19),  although 
 
 '  [He,  however,  addressed  the  latter  also  at  the  same  time;  v.  17. — V.  g."] 
 
 2  In  alia  omnia  ducentibus  et  euntibus — literally,  "leading  and  going  into 
 all  other  things" — sc.  other  than  the  strait  gate. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  The  first  word  of  this  discourse  announces  its  whole  scope ;  a  great 
 blessedness  is  here  placed  before  us  by  the  Lord. — See  Heb.  ii.  3.— 
 B.  G.  V. 
 
 VOL.  I.  L 
 
162  ST  MATTHEW  V.  3. 
 
 compared  with  the  rest  they  were  not  many  in  number  :  for  the 
 epithet  blessed  frequently  imphes  both  the  excellence  and  raiity 
 of  a  thing  (as  in  Eccius.  xxxi.  8),  from  which  the  expressions, 
 theirs,  they,  etc.,  exclude  those  otherwise  disposed  :  cf.  Luke  vi. 
 24,  25,  26,  where  the  woes  are  denounced.     Seven  however  of 
 the  u^axapigfLoi,  or  predications  of  blessedness,  are  absolute,  declar- 
 ing the  condition  of  the  godly,  as  far  as  regards  themselves ; 
 two  are  relative,  having  respect  to  the  conduct  of  men  towards 
 them.     In  both  cases  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  placed  first,  as 
 embracing  the  whole  of  the  beatitudes.     All  are  enumerated  in 
 a  most  beautiful  order.     With   these  may  be  compared  the 
 matter   and   order  of  the  eight  woes,    which    are   denounced 
 against  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  in  ch.  xxiii.  13—16,  23,  25, 
 27,  29.      In  both   cases  mention  is  made  of  the  kingdom  of 
 heaven,  here  ver.  3,  there  ver.  13  ;  of  mercy,  here  ver.  7,  there 
 ver.  23;  o{  purity,  here  ver.  8,  there  ver.  25;  and  of  persecu- 
 tion, here  ver.  10,  11,  and  there  ver.  29,  30  :  and  undoubtedly 
 the  other  clauses  may  also  be  respectively  compared  with  each 
 other.     In  the  subject,  the  saints  are  described  as  they  are  now 
 in  this  life ;  in  the  predicate,  as  they  will  be  hereafter  on  that 
 day  :  see  Luke  vi.  25,  23.      Our  Lord,  however,  frames  His 
 words  in  such  a  manner,  as  at  the  same  time  to  intimate  the 
 blessedness  of  individual  saints  already  commencing  in  the  pre- 
 sent life,  and  to  signify  prophetically  the  blessedness  of  the  holy 
 people,  which  will  hereafter  be  theirs  also  upon  earth :  see  ver.  5. 
 — 0/  nrruyo),  the  poor)  A  vocative,  either  expressly  or  such  in 
 meaning  (cf.  ver.  11,  and  Luke  vi.  20).     Nor  does  the  pronoun 
 avTuv,  theirs,  oppose  this  view.  Cf.  Gnomon  on  xxiii.  37.  Poverty 
 is  the  first  foundation.     lie  is  poor,  who  has  it  not  in  his  power 
 to  say,  this  is  mine ;'  and  who,  when  he  has  anything  for  the 
 present,  does  not  devise  what  he  will  have  for  the  future,  but 
 depends  on  the  liberality  of  another.     The  riches  which  are  dis- 
 claimed by  such  poverty,  are  either  spiritual  or  natural,  and  are 
 either  present  or  absent.    Such  cardinal  and  fundamental  virtues 
 are  despised  by  the  world  :  whereas  those  which  the  world  ad- 
 mires as  such,  are  either  no  virtues,  or  false  ones,  or  merely  the 
 offshoots   and   appendages   of  Christian    virtues. — rrviv/xari,    in 
 
 *  i.e.,  Has  nothing  which  he  can  call  his  own. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  V.  4,  5.  IfiJ 
 
 spirit)  i.e.  in  their  inmost  self.  This  word  is  to  be  understood 
 also  in  the  following  passages  as  far  as  ver.  8,  where  the  words 
 rri  Ka^dlci,  in  heart,  occur. —  or/,  because)  Each  kind  of  blessed- 
 ness which  is  predicated  corresponds  Avith  the  previous  descrip- 
 tion of  [the  character  or  condition  which  is]  its  subject/  and  is 
 taken,  either  (1.)  from  the  contrary  (for  the  works  of  God,  2  Cor. 
 iv.  6,  vii.  6,  xii.  9,  are  effected  in  the  midstof  their  contraries);^ 
 or  (2.)  regulated  by  a  law  of  benignant  retribution  or  exact 
 conformity*^ — 'isriv,  is)  sc.  already.  The  present  in  this  verse,  and 
 the  future  in  those  which  follow,  mutually  imply  each  other. — 
 i]  ^aaiXiia  tmv  ovpavuv,  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  literally,  the  king- 
 dom of  the  heavens),*  which,  promised  in  the  Old  Testament,  is 
 actually  conferred  by  the  Messiah. 
 
 4  and  5.  O/  'revdouvrsg,  x.t.X.)  they  that  mourn,  etc. — o'l  'TrpcciTg,  x.r.X., 
 the  meek,  etc.)  Most  of  the  Latins  transpose  these  verses,  and 
 certainly  the  third  and  fifth  verses  correspond  with  each  other. 
 Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of 
 HEAVEN  ;  blessed  are  the  MEEK,  for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth. 
 ""iV  = 'Trror/^h;,  poor,  )}]}  =  'Tpau5,  meek,  especially  in  Ps.  xxxvii.  11, 
 where  the  inheritance  of  the  earth  is  spoken  of,  and  ibid.  ver.  14. 
 But  this  does  not  interfere  with  our  order  of  the  verses;  for  ver.  4 
 is  subordinate  to  ver.  3,  and  ver.  6  to  ver.  5.®     Mourning  has  a 
 
 '  Sc.  of  the  present  state  of  the  subject.  Ex.  gr.  •'  Blessed  are  they  that 
 mourn :  for  they  shall  be  comforted." — Ed. 
 
 2  In  the  original,  "  in  mediis  contrariis,"  the  full  force  of  which  it  is  diffi- 
 cult to  give  by  a  single  phrase.  Bengel's  meaning  is  best  obtained  by  a  re- 
 ference to  the  texts  which  he  gives. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  In  the  original,  "  a  talione  benigna  proximave  convenientia,"  where 
 talio  (talion)  is  used  in  a  sense  cognate  with  its  original  derivation  from 
 talis,  such,  but  unknown  (as  far  as  I  am  aware)  to  classical  usage.  It  is 
 one  of  those  peculiar  adaptations  of  words  frequently  occurring  in  Bengal, 
 and  sanctioned  (in  its  principle)  by  no  less  an  authority  than  Horace. — See 
 his  Ars  Poetica,  ver.  47,  48.  For  an  example  of  Bengel's  meaning,  of  ver.  7, 
 8  of  this  chapter. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  This  expression,  the  hmgdom  of  the  heavens,  marks  the  commencement 
 of  the  discussion  (tractatio)  in  this  verse,  as  it  also  marks  the  close  of  the 
 discussion  in  ver.  10. — Vers.  Germ. 
 
 5  For  the  arrangement,  whereby  the  beatitude  of  oi  'tt^u.u?  comes  before 
 that  of  Oi  TTivdoivn;,  there  are  Dae  Vulg.  Orig.  3,  740(7,  Euseb.  Caiion. 
 Hilary  621c:?,  G22a.  For  the  arrangement  of  the  Rec.  Text,  oi  vivd.—oi 
 TFpetfi;,  there  are  of  very  old  authorities  B6.— Ed.     By  the  word  xvroi  it  is 
 
1(54  ST  MA.TTHEW   V.  4-6. 
 
 more  widely  extended  signification  than  sorrowing  for  ones  own 
 sins.     See  Gnomon  on  1  Cor.  v.  2. 
 
 4.  UapaKXriS/jSovrai,  shall  be  comforted)  The  future  tense  indi- 
 cates promises  made  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  now  to  be  per- 
 formed;  see  Luke  xvi.  25,  and  2  Thess.  11.  16.  The  poor  and 
 the  meek  are  joined  together  in  ver.  3,  5,  as  in  the  frequently- 
 occurring  p"'3N1  '':j?,  poor  and  needy,  cf.  also  ch.  xi.  29. 
 
 5.  O/  '^rpcf.iT:;,  the  meek)  Those  are  here  named  for  the  most  part, 
 whom  the  world  tramples  on. — ■■zpaoi  is  connected  with  the  Latin 
 pravus,  which  has  frequently  the  meaning  of  segnis,  slow,  slug- 
 o-Ish,  etc. — x,Xr}povo/jb7iffouei,  shall  inherit)  the  future.  The  meek 
 are  seen  eveiywhere  to  yield  to  the  importunity  of  the  inhabi- 
 tants of  the  earth ;  and  yet  they  shall  obtain  possession  of  the 
 earth,  not  by  their  own  arm,  but  by  inheritance,  through  the  aid 
 of  the  Father :  cf.  Eev.  v.  10.  In  the  mean  time,  even  whilst 
 the  usurpation  of  the  imgodly  continues,  all  the  produce  of  the 
 earth  Is  ordered  for  the  comfort  of  the  meek.  In  all  these  sen- 
 tences, blessedness  in  heaven  and  blessedness  on  earth  mutually 
 imply  each  other.  See  Ps.  xxxvil.  (xxxvi.)  11, — 0/  d';  '^rpcceT; 
 xXripovo/irjaovGi  yr^v,  -/.ai  7.aTaTp-j:fri6o-j(Siv  it!  -TrXrjdsi  siprjvrii;,  But  the  meek 
 shall  inherit  the  earth,  and  shall  delight  themselves  in  the  abund- 
 ance of  peace.  This  is.  Indeed,  the  subject  of  that  whole  Psalm ; 
 see  ver.  3,  9,  22,  29,  34. 
 
 6.  0/  'Xii)iZi\rig  xat  bi-^ujvni,  x.r.X,  uiho  hunger  and  thirst,  etc.) 
 who  feel  that  of  themselves  they  have  no  righteousness  by  which 
 they  may  approve  themselves  either  to  God  or  man,  and  eagerly 
 long  for  it.  Faith  is  here  described,  suitably  to  the  beginning  of 
 the  New  Testament. — tyjv  hixaioa\jvr,v,  inghteousness)  Our  Lord 
 plainly  declares  Himself  here  to  be  the  author  of  righteousness. 
 That  which  is  signified  here  is  not  the  right  {jus)  of  the  human, 
 but  of  the  Divine  tribunal.  This  verse  Is  the  centre  of  this  pas- 
 sage, and  the  theme  of  the  whole  sermon.  Our  Lord  does  not 
 say.  Blessed  are  the  righteous,  as  he  presently  says.  Blessed  are 
 the  merciful,  etc.;  but.  Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after 
 righteousness.  Pure  righteousness  will  become  their  portion  in 
 due  time.  (See  2  Pet.  lil.  13;  Is.  lx.21.) — y^praatJiisovrai,  they  shall 
 
 implied  that  the  contraries  to  these  beatitudes  shall  be  the  portion  of  those 
 oppositely  disposed. — Vers.   Germ. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  V.  7-11.  165 
 
 he  filled)  with  righteousness ;  see  Rom.  xiv.  17.  This  was  the 
 meat  of  Jesus  himself:  see  John  iv.  34  ;  cf.  Matt.  iii.  15. 
 This  satisfying  fuhiess  He  proposes  to  His  followers  in  the  whole 
 of  this  sermon,  and  promises  and  offers  them  in  this  very  verse. 
 
 7.  ''EXiniJ.oviCj  the  merciful)  The  Greek  word  sXsos,  ruth,  from 
 which  eXir/Movsg  is  derived,  corresponds  to  the  Hebrew  "lon,^  and 
 does  not  refer  merely  to  miserable  objects. 
 
 8.  O/  '/.adapoi  rrj  zapdicc,  the  pure  in  heart)  Ceremonial  purity  is 
 not  sufficient.  Jesus  requires,  and  teaches,  the  virtue  of  the 
 heart.  Purity  of  heart  includes  both  chastity  and  fi'eedom  from 
 the  other  defilements  of  sin. — rhv  Qshv  o-^ovTai,  shall  see  God) 
 A  clear  knowledge  of  God  is  promised  even  now,  but  in  words 
 which  will  be  more  literally  fulfilled  in  life  eternal :  see  1  John 
 iii.  2,  3,  6 ;  cf.  concerning  the  opposite  to  purity,  1  Thess.  iv.  5. 
 
 9.  'EiprivoToioi,  peacemakers)  They  who  make  all  lawful  peace 
 between  those  who  are  at  variance,  at  discord,  or  at  war. — viol, 
 sons)  How  great  is  this  dignity! — Qsov,  of  God)  who  is  the  God 
 of  peace. — xXridriffovTai,  shall  be  called)  i.e.,  shall  be  in  name  and 
 in  reality. 
 
 10.  0/  hhiuyiLhoi,  they  xoho  endure  persecution)  In  the  next 
 verse,  dsdtuy/j.ivoi  signifies.  Those  who  have  offered  themselves  to 
 undergo  persecution.  Our  Lord  already  announces  the  treat- 
 ment which  He  and  His  followers  will  receive  from  the  world. 
 He  unfolds  this  truth,  however,  gradually.  He  speaks  of  His 
 yoke  in  ch.  xi.  29  ;  of  His  cross  in  xvi.  24.  By  comparing  Mark 
 viii.  34,  and  Matt.  x.  38,  it  appears  that  He  speaks  of  His  cross  to 
 His  disciples  alone. — mxiv  hixaioaijvrii,  for  righteousness^  sake) 
 In  the  next  verse.  He  says,  for  My  sake ;  cf.  ch.  x.  39,  42,  xvi. 
 25,  xviii.  .5,  xix.  12,  29. 
 
 11.  ' Oveidiauffiv,  shall  revile)  sc.  in  your  presence:  understand 
 dDdpdJToi,  men.  They  inflict  insult  by  words,  persecution  in  fact. 
 — vfjbug,  you)  Jesus  speaks  sometimes  in  the  first  person  plural 
 of  Himself,  and  mankind,  taken  collectively,  when  the  matter 
 treated  of  is  one  plainly  external  (see  John  xi.  7),  or  when  He 
 speaks  as  one  unknown  (see  ch.  iii.  15,  John  iv.  22)  ;  but  mostly 
 
 ^  ""5^  .  .  (1)  in  a  good  sense,  zeal  towards  any  one,  love,  kindness,  spe- 
 cially (a)  of  men  amongst  themselves,  benignity,  benevolence,  as  shown  in 
 mutual  benefits ;  mercy,  pity,  when  referring  to  those  in  misfortune  :  Gen. 
 xxi.  23  ;  2  Sam.  x.  2.     Lxx.  often  sXeof. — Gesenius. — (I.  B.) 
 
166  ST  MATTHEW  V.  12-14. 
 
 uses  the  second  person,  to  signify  that  lie  is  not  on  a  ]iar  witli 
 others.  See  ver.  12,  13,  20;  John  vi.  49,  x.  34,  xiv.  9,  xx.  17. 
 — E/Vwo-/,  shall  say)  sc.  in  your  absence. 
 
 12.  XaipsTf,  rejoice)  Joy  is  not  only  a  feehng,  but  also  a  duty 
 of  the  Christian  (see  Pliil.  iv.  4)  ;  and  in  adversity,  the  highest 
 grade  and  very  nerve  of  patience. — dya'/./.iairilB,  be  exceeding  glad) 
 so  that  others  also  may  perceive  your  joy. — on,  x.r./.,  because,  etc.) 
 You  may  therefore  rejoice  on  account  of  your  reward, — 6  /j^iefog, 
 the  reward)  sc.  of  grace.  The  word  Beward  implies  something  fui'- 
 ther  beyond  the  beatitudes,  which  spring  fi'om  the  very  disposi- 
 tion of  the  righteous.  Therefore  it  is  said.  Rejoice. — rovg  TrpopyiTa^, 
 the  prophets)  who,  by  bearing  witness  to  Christ,  have  encountered 
 hatred  (see  Acts  vii.  52),  whose  reward  you  know  to  be  great. 
 Persecution  has  not  occurred  only  in  the  case  of  barbarous  nations 
 whilst  they  were  being  converted  to  the  Gospel,  but  always  in 
 the  times  of  both  the  Old  and  New  Testament:  see  1  John  iii. 
 12,  13. 
 
 13,  14.  'T/MiT;,  you)  sc.  the  first  disciples  and  hearers  of  the 
 Messiah.  Salt  and  light  are,  in  nature,  things  essential,  and  of 
 widest  use.  Frequently  in  Scripture  the  same  thing  is  first  de- 
 clared by  metaphorical  expressions,  that  our  attention  may  be 
 excited  ;  and  then,  when  we  have  not  understood  it  as  we  ought, 
 and  in  the  meanwhile  have  perceived  our  blindness,  it  is  disclosed 
 in  plain  words. — rrjg  yjjc,  of  the  earth). — tov  xoefiov,  of  the  world) 
 The  earth  of  itself  is  without  salt,  the  world  without  light. — 
 Jai/,  x.r.X.,  if,  etc.)  It  is  not  affirmed  in  this  passage,  that  salt  does 
 lose  its  savour ;  but  it  is  shown  what,  in  such  a  case,  would  be 
 the  lot  of  the  Salt  of  the  earth. — /xw^a^^Ji,  shoidd  lose  its  savour) 
 Galen,^  in  his  observations  on  Hippocrates,  explains  fM/jLupu/Msna 
 (the  perf.  pass.  part,  of  this  verb)  by  ra  uva'asOnTa,  i.e.,  xohich  have 
 iw  feeling;  in  !Mark  ix.  50,  we  find  ava7.ov  yhrirai,  become  saltless. 
 It  is  the  nature  of  salt  to  have  and  to  give  saA  oui*;  and  to  this 
 savour  are  opposed  saltlessness,  Avant  of  taste,  value  lost. — 
 af.isOr,(Sirat,  shall  it  be  salted)  Impersonal.     Keither  can  the  salt 
 
 ^  IIip|iocratcR,  the  greatest  physician  of  antiquity,  was  born  at  the  island 
 of  Cos  in  the  80th  Olympiad,  and  flourished  during  the  time  of  the  Pelo- 
 ponnesian  War.  Galen,  second  only  to  Hippocrates,  was  born  at  Peijianuis, 
 in  the  Lesser  Asia,  about  the  year  131. — See  ENCYCLOPJiDiA  Bkitannica. 
 -(I  B.J 
 
ST  MATTHEW  V.  14-17.  167 
 
 (see  Mark,  cited  above)  nor  the  earth  be  seasoned  from  any  other 
 source. — gfw,  out  of  doors)  far  from  any  household  use. — xa/, 
 a7id)  sc.  and  therefore. — xaracrars/ir^a/,  to  be  trodden  under  foot) 
 There  is  nothing  more  despised  than  one  who  wishes  to  be 
 esteemed  divine,  and  is  not  so.^ — uto  ruv  dv^pw-rwv,  bi/  7nen)  i.e., 
 by  all  who  come  in  its  way.    This  is  the  force  here  of  the  article 
 
 TUV. 
 
 14.  ^"Opovg,  a  mountain)  Appositely,  cf.  ver  1.  Concerning  the 
 thing  itself,  see  Rev.  xxi.  10. 
 
 15.  Kaiovffi,  do  they  light)  Impersonal,  o/'  xaiovng,  those  loho 
 light  must  be  understood,  cf.  vii.  16. — Wi,  vender)  i.e.  behind.  In 
 Luke  viii.  16,  we  find  'vzoxdru,  underneath. 
 
 16.  "E/ji,'7rpo(f<}iv  rSiv  avdpdJ'Truv,  before  men)  sc.  all  men. — oTwg,  in 
 order  that)  The  force  of  this  particle  does  not  so  much  refer  to 
 the  verb  Uojaiv  {they  may  see)  as  to  do^dsuai  (may  glorify). — vfj,uv 
 — ipya,  your  loorks)  Your  works,  not  yourselves.  The  light,  not 
 the  candle.' — tov  Hare  pa,  v/muv,  your  Father)  Who  has  begotten 
 you  like  unto  Himself.  In  the  whole  of  this  address,  the  Son 
 shows  God  to  us  as  our  Father,  and  that  more  richly  than  all 
 the  prophets  of  old. 
 
 17.  Mn  vo/xlsriTi,  Do  not  think)  An  elliptical  mode  of  speech  by 
 Metonomy  of  the  Consequent.*  Do  not  think,  fear,  hope,  that 
 I  am  a  teacher  like  those  teachers  to  whom  you  have  been  ac- 
 customed, and  that  I,  like  them,  shall  set  aside  the  law.  He 
 who  thinks  the  former,  thinks  also  the  latter. — rikdov,  I  have  come) 
 Our  Lord,  therefore,  existed  before  He  came  upon  earth,  which 
 is  implied  also  in  ch.  viii.  10,  by  ilipov,  I  have  found. — xaraXvcai,  to 
 destroy,  to  abrogate)  To  the  compound  verb,  xaraXuuv,  to  unloose 
 or  dissolve,  is  opposed  -xXrjpouv,  to  fulfil ;  to  the  simple  verb  Xunv, 
 to  loose,  combined  with  bibas/iuv,  to  teach,  is  opposed  to/s/V,  to  do, 
 
 ^  The  mere  man  of  the  world  is  not  so  much  disgraced  by  his  vanity  as  is 
 such  a  one. — Vers   Germ. 
 
 2  By  the  words  ov  Ivvoltxi,  it  is  impHed  that  there  is  no  need  of  a  con- 
 strained feigning  to  be  what  we  are  not  ;  so  also,  a  light  or  lamp,  provided  it 
 is  not  stifled,  cannot  but  shine. —  Vers.  Germ. 
 
 3  So  there  follows  [That  men  may  See]  Your  Father;  not  yourselves : 
 comp.  ch.  vi.  2. —  Vers.  Germ. 
 
 *  The  consequent — that  I,  like  them,  shall  set  aside  the  law  :  the  antecedent 
 ■ — that  I  am  a  teacher  like  those  to  whom  you  are  accustomed. —  (I.  B.) 
 
168  ST  MATTHEW  V.  18. 
 
 or  perform,  joined  with  the  same  verb  diddcxiiv :  from  which  the 
 relative  force  of  the  words  appears ;  those  are  said  of  the  whole 
 law,  these  of  the  separate  precepts.  KaraXvuv,  to  unloose,  and 
 Xvnv,  to  loose,  both  signify  to  render  void.^ — rhv  v6/j,ov  n  ro-jg  rrpo(p7i- 
 rag,  the  law  or  the  prophets)  Many  of  the  Jews  esteemed  the 
 prophets  less  than  the  law.  They  are  joined  also  in  ch.  vii.  12. 
 — 'TrXripoJgai,  to  fulfil)  By  My  deeds  and  words,  to  effect  that  all 
 things  should  be  fulfilled  which  the  law  requires.  See  the  con- 
 clusion of  the  next  verse.^  The  Rabbins  acknowledge  that  it  is 
 a  sign  of  the  Messiah  to  fulfil  the  Avhole  law. 
 
 18.  'Afiriv,  Amen,  verily)  Jesus  alone  employed  this  word  at 
 the  commencement  of  His  addresses,  to  give  them  greater  force 
 and  solemnity.  No  apostle  did  so.  Wagenseil,^  in  his  Sota,  p. 
 379,  says,  that  this  word  had  sometimes  with  the  Jews  the  force 
 of  an  oath.  And  wherever  ''JN  Ti  (/,  living)  occurs  in  the 
 Hebrew,  the  Chaldee  Paraphrast  has  Wp  NJX,  /,  constant :  and 
 DV,  to  confirm,  etc.,  is  found  there  passim  for  y3t^3,  to  swear.  See 
 Louis  le  Dieu  on  this  passage ;  and  Kimchi  interprets  |DK,  amen, 
 itself  by  DVp,  stability ^ 
 
 In  the  New  Testament,  however,  it  is  not,  strictly  speaking, 
 an  oath  :  for  it  corresponds  with  vai,  yea,  and  uy.n&ug,  truly ;  cf. 
 Luke  :d.  51,  xxi.  3,  with  Matt,  xxiii.  36,  and  Mark  xii.  43.  It 
 is,  however,  a  most  grave  asseveration,  exclusively  suitable  to 
 Him  who  asseverates  by  Himself  and  His  own  truth,  and  from 
 the  dignity  of  the  Speaker,  is  equivalent  to  an  oath,  especially 
 when  it  is  uttered  twice,  sc.  "  verily,  verily  :"  see  note  to  John  i. 
 
 *  The  Latin  verb  solco,  which  is  used  in  this  passaj^e,  represents  the  Greek 
 "hvu  far  more  fully  and  accurately  than  any  I'^nj^^lisli  Avord  can.  x.a.rcc'hvu  is 
 also  more  adequately  rendered  by  dissolvo  tlian  by  any  English  word. — (I.  B.) 
 
 -  He  was  not  the  founder  of  a  new  law  ;  but,  by  His  own  obedience,  Him- 
 self fulfilled  the  law,  and  showed  how  it  should  be  fuUilled  by  His  disciples. 
 —  Vers.  Germ. 
 
 2  John  Christopher  Wagenseil  was  born  at  Nuremberg  in  1633,  and 
 educated  at  the  University  of  Altdorf,  where  he  was  appointed  Professor  of 
 History  in  1667,  and  of  Oriental  Languages  about  1675.  He  died  in  1705. 
 The  full  title  of  the  work  referred  to  in  the  text  is,  Sota,  hoc  est  liber  Mix- 
 lenicus  de  uxore  adulterii  suspecta,  una  cum  libri  ex  Jacob  excerptis 
 Gemarre,  versione  Latina  et  connnentario  pcrpetuo,  in  quo  multa  sacraruni 
 literarum  ac  Hehraioruni  Scriptorum  loca  oxplicantur. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Firmitas,  stabililas.  duratio. — Bu.x'roaF. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  V.   18.  109 
 
 52.  The  Hebrew  word  is  preserved  in  all  languages.^ — Asyoj 
 l/M?v,  I  say  unto  you)  This  formula,  frequent  and  peculiar  to  the 
 Lord,  possesses  the  highest  authority,  and  denotes  frequently  a 
 matter  declared  by  Him,  which,  for  special  reasons,  is  neither 
 written  expressly  in  the  Old  Testament,  nor  can  be  clearly 
 proved  from  any  other  source,  but  is  first  produced  by  Himself 
 from  the  secret  treasuries  of  wisdom  and  knowledge,  so  that  the 
 assent  of  the  hearers  may  rest  on  His  sole  affirmation,  and  the 
 dull  in  heart  may  be  deprived  of  all  excuse  for  the  future.  The 
 prophets  were  wont  to  say  in  the  third  person,  D^?^^  saith  the 
 Lord;  the  apostles.  It  is  written;  but  Christ,  in  the  first  person, 
 I  say  unto  you ;  see  ver.  20,  22,  26,  28,  32,  34,  39,  44,  ch.  vi.  2  ; 
 John  iii.  3,  xiv.  12,  25,  etc.  Cf.  notes  on  John  iv.  21,  andxiv. 
 25.  St  Paul,  when  again  and  again  compelled  to  speak  in  the 
 first  person,  takes  especial  care  not  to  trench  on  the  Divine  pre- 
 rogative. See  Eom.  xii.  3 ;  1  Cor.  vii.  6.  Faith  is  the  corre- 
 lative  of  this,  "  /  say  unto  you^''  and  by  this  formula  is,  suit- 
 ably to  that  time  (  'pro  moclo  ilUus  temporis),  placed,  as  it  were,  as 
 the  foundation  on  the  very  threshold  of  the  New  Testament. 
 Christ  seldom  quotes  passages  of  Scripture,  and  not  except  for 
 some  special  reason  :  He  befittingly  rests  on  His  own  authority. 
 — soog  civ  'xapsXS'fi,  until  pass  aioay)  The  verb,  rrapiXSri,  leaves  un- 
 determined the  maimer  of  the  end  of  the  world. — 6  ovpavhg  xal  n 
 y^.  Heaven  and  earth)  The  whole  system  of  nature. — iura,  jot) 
 iota,  yod.  Yod,  the  smallest  and  most  elementary  letter  in  the 
 Hebrew  alphabet,  and  one  in  which  Keri  and  Kethib^  very  fre- 
 
 '  And  it  (the  Hebr.  ame7i)  ought  to  be  retained  in  translation,  as  in  the 
 end,  so  also  in  the  beginning  of  sentences.  The  same  principle  holds  good 
 of  other  Hebrew  words. — Not.  Crit. 
 
 2  "  BS3  .  .  to  mutter.,  to  murmur,  to  speaJc  in  a  low  voice;  specially  used 
 of  the  voice  of  God,  by  which  oracles  were  revealed  to  the  prophets.  By  far 
 the  most  frequent  use  is  of  the  part.  pass,  constr.  in  this  phrase,  Jl  nw 
 rr:-;  ns3,  n'lsn-^.  '  The  voice  of  Jehovah  (is)  ;'  or  (so)  hath  Jehovah  revealed. 
 This  tile  prophets  themselves  were  accustomed  either  to  insert  in  the  dis- 
 course, like  the  Lat.  ait.,  inquit  Dominus,  Am.  6  :  8,  14  ;  9  :  12,  13,  or  to  add 
 at  the  end  of  a  sentence." — Gcscnius. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  QeRI  and  KeTHIBH. 
 
 "  The  margin  of  the  Hebrew  Bible  exhibits  a  number  of  various  readings 
 of  an  early  date,  called  ""^p  (to  be  read),  because,  in  the  view  of  the  Jewish 
 critics,  they  are  to  be  preferred  to  the  reading  of  the  text,  called  a^■7^ 
 (written).    Those  critics  have  therefore  attached  the  vowel  signs,  appropriate 
 
rl70  ST  MATTHEW  V.  19. 
 
 quently  differ,  so  that  it  almost  appears  to  be  indiscriminately 
 absent  or  redundant.  In  the  course  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures, 
 66,420  yods  are  numbered.  The  Greeks  frequently  write  the 
 iota  below,  or  omit  it  altogether. — xipala,  a  tittle)  An  appendage 
 to  a  portion  of  a  letter,  a  mark  by  which  one  letter  is  distin- 
 guished from  another,  as  3,  Beth  (B),  from  3)  Kaph  (K),  or  "ii 
 Resh  (R.),  from  n?  Daleth  (D),  or  one  sound  from  another,  as  a 
 vowel  point  or  an  accent ;  in  short,  anything  which  in  any  way 
 belongs  to  the  signification  of  the  Divine  will,  or  assists  to  declare 
 that  signification  as  revealed  in  the  law. — o-j  /^r,,  a  double  nega- 
 tive) ov  [in  always  has  a  subjunctive,  and  its  emphasis  ought  not 
 to  be  stretched  too  far ;  cf.  ver.  20,  26. — ou  ij^ri  crapiXd'/j,  shall  not 
 pass  away)  From  hence  may  be  inferred  the  entireness  of  Scrip- 
 ture ;  for,  unless  the  Scripture  were  entire,  it  could  not  be  entirely 
 fulfilled. — aao  70V  vojMov,  from  the  lata)  Understand  and  supply, 
 "  or  from  the  jyrojyhetsJ'  The  smallest  portion  of  the  law  is  con- 
 trasted with  the  whole  world. — lug  av,  x.r.X.,  until,  etc.)  For 
 righteousness  shall  dwell  in  neio  Heavens  and  a  new  Earth.  See 
 2  Pet.  iii.  13. — ■Ta^^a,  all  particulars)  sc.  of  the  law.  Observe 
 the  contrast  between  this  and  //-/av,  one,  in  the  next  verse." — yin,- 
 rai,  he  fulfilled)  They  have  been  fulfilled,  and  they  are  being 
 fulfilled  by  Jesus  Christ,  [not  only  in  Himself,  but]  even  in 
 Christians  :  they  had  not  been  fulfilled  before  His  coming. 
 
 19.  Avari,  shall  break)  The  antithetical  word  to  this  is  'ffo/^<r;), 
 shall  do,  which  occurs  further  on  in  this  verse.  The  Scribes,  who 
 thought  themselves  "  great,^^  were  in  the  habit  of  breaking  them. 
 The  same  verb,  Xuw,  occurs  in  John  vii.  23,  and  x.  35. — rovruv, 
 of  these)  those,  namely,  which  follow  in  ver.  22,  28,  etc—Tuv 
 eXa^igruv,  of  the  least)  These  precepts,  "  Thou  shalt  not  Jcill,^'  etc., 
 are  not  essentially  the  least,  for  in  them  the  whole  law  is  con- 
 to  the  marginal  reading,  to  tlie  consonants  of  the  corresponding  word  in  the 
 text;  e.ff.  in  Jer.  xlii.  6,  the  text  exhibits  ".is,  the  margin  ""p  "^:s.  Here  the 
 vowels  in  the  text  belong  to  the  word  in  the  margin,  whicli  is  to  be  pro- 
 nounced iJ^JS  ;  but  in  reading  the  text  "s,  the  proper  vowels  must  be  sup- 
 plied, making  'iss.  A  small  circle  or  asterisk  over  the  word  in  the  text  al- 
 ways directs  to  the  marginal  reading." — Ocsc7iius,  FIcb.  Gr,  Sect.  17. — 
 (I.  R.) 
 
 ^  In  the  original,  "  Antithcton,  lumm^  in  v.  soq."  I  have  endeavoured  in 
 this,  as  in  other  instances,  to  give  such  a  rendering  as  shall  convc}'  BengeFs 
 meaning  to  the  general  reader. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  V.  20.  171 
 
 tained.  But  they  are  so  only  inasmuch  as,  when  rightly  ex- 
 plained, they  regulate  even  the  most  subtile  affections  and 
 emotions  of  the  soul,  and  the  slightest  movements  of  the  tongue, 
 and  thus,  when  compared  with  other  precepts,  appear  to  men  to 
 be  the  least. — sXd^isrog,  least)  Referring  to  the  preceding  sXayna- 
 Tuv.  An  instance  of  Ploce}  As  we  treat  the  Word  of  God,  so 
 does  God  treat  us;  see  John  xvii.  6,  11  ;  Rev.  iii.  10.  "^ 
 little'^  signifies  " almost  nothing"  whence  " the  least"  comes  to 
 mean  "  none  at  all"  (for  they  considered  anger,  for  instance,  as  of 
 no  consequence  whatever) ;  cf.  in  ver.  20,  "  ye  shall  not  enter." 
 ixd'/jsrog  has  a  different  force  in  this  passage  from  that  which  6 
 /xixpoTipog  {the  least)  "  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven"  has  in  ch.  xi.  11. 
 — h  Tji  jScx.Gi'kiicf,  ToJv  ovpavoov,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven)  which  cannot 
 endure  the  presence  of  the  unrighteous. — voirisri  %ai  bibdt,ri,  shall 
 do  and  teach)  The  same  order  of  words  occurs  in  Acts  i.  1. — 
 ToiyjS/i,  shall  do  them,  sc.  all ;  for  it  is  not  lawful  to  break  or 
 neglect  even  one  of  them. — oZrog,  this  man,  he)  A  pronoun  used 
 emphaticall}^  Comp.  with  this  use  of  olrog,  ch.  vii.  21  (Latin 
 Version^);  Luke  ix.  24;  John  vii.  18. — /J^'syag,  great)  All  the 
 commandments  are  of  great  account  to  him,  especially  in  theii* 
 full  compass^  (see  ver.  18) ;  therefore  he  shall  be  called  great. 
 
 20.  'Eccv  /a^  -TTipKXSsvsp  rj  dixaioffuvrj  v/jbujv,  except  your  righteousness 
 shall  exceed)  Our  righteousness,  even  though  it  should  satisfy-, 
 could  never  exceed,  the  requirements  of  the  law ;  but  the  Scribes 
 and  Pharisees  thought  that  theirs  did  so.  We  are  bound  to  sur- 
 pass their  righteousness.  Cf.  the  force  of  'XipiGGihart  (abound,  or 
 exceed),  with  that  of  vipisshv  {more  than  others,  exceeding  the  gene- 
 ral standard),  in  ver.  47.  We  must  surpass  both  Pharisees  and 
 publicans  :  see  ver.  48. — u/iwi/  ^  hxaioeitvri,  your  righteousness) 
 The  pronoun,  iJ/awc  {your),  being  placed  first,  is  opposed  with 
 
 ^  See  Appendix.  The  same  word  employed  twice  :  in  the  first  instance, 
 expressing  the  simple  idea  of  the  word  itself;  and  in  the  second,  an  attribute 
 of  it.— Ed. 
 
 2  See  Gnomon  on  vii,  21,  and  notes.— (I.  B.)  The  Vulgate,  referred  to, 
 thus  renders  the  olros,  etc.,  which  abc  Hil.  and  Cypr.  read,  but  which  BZ 
 omit,  "  Qui  facit  voluntatem  patris,  etc.,  ipse  intrabit,"  etc. — Ed. 
 
 3  "  Prtesertim  in  complexu  suo," — i.e.  when  considered  with  reference  to 
 all  that  they  involve,  as  explained  bv  our  Lord  in  this  discourse,  v.  21,  etc. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
172  ST  MATTHEW  V.  21. 
 
 greater  emphasis  totlie  righteousness  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees.* 
 Others  read  rj  Bixaioavvri  v/xoov.^  That  righteousness  is  intended, 
 of  which  specimens  are  given  in  ver.  19,  22,  23.  This  Lino-uage 
 does  not  make  void  the  rio-hteousness  of  faith ;  but  the  laniiuafie 
 of  Jesus  Christ  before  His  ascension,  keeps,  as  it  were,  the  mean 
 between  Moses  and  the  apostles. — tXsTov  tujv  ypa/j./z^arBuy,  -/..r.K, 
 more  than  the  Scribes,  etc.)  i.e.  'zXiTovrrig  Bizaioa-jvrjs  ruv  'ypa/j,ijbaTiMv, 
 X.7-.X.,  more  than  the  righteousness  of  the  Soibes,  etc. — rcuv  ypa,'jy- 
 Ijjariciv,  of  the  Scribes)  Our  Lord  does  not  command  the  righte- 
 ousness of  His  followers  to  be  greater  than  the  righteousness  of 
 Moses,  as  if  the  law  of  Moses  had  been  imperfect,  which  promised 
 life  to  those  who  performed  it,  and  was  (see  Rom.  vii.  12,  14) 
 just,  holy,  good,  and  spiritual ;  but  greater  than  the  righteous- 
 ness (which  word,  however,  is  elegantly  omitted)  of  the  Scribes 
 and  Pharisees,  who  observed  ceremonial  and  legal,  but  neglected 
 moral  righteousness.  The  Pharisees  urged  traditions ;  the  Scribes, 
 or  Karaei,^  the  letter,  which  was  Avritten,  and  constantly  read  out. 
 It  seemed  to  be  especially  the  part  of  the  Scribes  to  teach  ;  of  the 
 Pharisees  to  do.  Our  Lord  does  not  name  Moses  ;  but  He  says 
 impersonally,  It  has  been  said. — oh  n,y\  ilsiXSrirs,  ye  shall  not  enter) 
 See  ch.  xviii.  3  ;  John  iii.  5 ;  1  Cor.  xv.  50. 
 
 ^  Which  was  esteemed  in  those  days  as  superlatively  good. —  Vers.  Germ. 
 
 ^  Lachm.  and  Tischend.,  with  the  oldest  MSS.  Vulg.,  etc.,  read  ij  oiKnioaCur. 
 vfiZv.  For  the  order  Cf/,Mv  ii  oix..  there  are  of  good,  though  later  authorities, 
 only  L  A. — Ed. 
 
 ^  Bengal's  words  are,  "  scribce  sive  ^arcrf,  literam,  qufe  crat  scripta  et  lecti- 
 tabatur  ;"  where  '■'scripta  erat"  (was  written)  refers  to  "scribce''  (scribes), 
 derived  from  the  Latin  verb  scribo,  to  write  :  and  lectitabatur  {icas  constantly 
 readout)  refers  to  '■'■  karcei,'''  derived  from  the  Hebrew  verb  k",  of  which 
 Gesenius  says,  "  (4)  to  recite,  to  read  aloud  (from  the  signification  of  crying 
 out, — see  No.  1)  anything,  with  an  ace,  Exod.  xxiv.  7;  Josh.  viii.  34,  35; 
 2  Kings  xxiii.  2  ;  also  ^?23  N"^p  ,  to  read  what  is  written  in  a  book.  .  .  . 
 Neh.  viii.  8,  18,  ix.  3;  Isa.  xxxvii.  14.  scqq.  .  .  .  Hence  generically 
 to  read,  Deut.  xvii.  19 ;  2  Kings  v.  7,  xix.  14." 
 
 The  Karaites,  a  sect  which  existed  before  the  destruction  of  the  Temple 
 of  Jerusalem,  have  been  called  tlic  Protestants  of  Judaism.  Their  name  is  de- 
 rived from  the  Hebrew  ='J«"P,  which  signifies,  according  to  Calniet,  "  people 
 perfected  in  the  study  of  Scripture  ;  people  attached  to  the  text,  and  to  the 
 letter  of  Scripture."  They  are,  of  course,  diametrically  opposed  to  the 
 Rabbinists,  who  zealously  maintain  the  Rabbinical  traditions.  For  an 
 account  of  their  history  and  tenets,  see  Mihnan's  History  of  the  Jews,  and 
 Calmet  in  voc. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  V.  21.  178 
 
 21.  'Hxouffars,  ye  have  heard)  From  public  readings,  to  which 
 you  have  given  your  assent.  In  the  New  Testament  the 
 teachers  are  referred  to  their  reading  of  the  law,  the  people  to 
 their  hearing  of  it.  See  John  xii.  34 ;  Rom.  ii.  13,  18. — 
 or/  sppsdri,  that  it  has  been  said)  An  impersonal  form  of  speech,  to 
 which  is  elegantly  opposed,  /  sai/.  Moses  said  it  truly ;  the 
 interpreters  of  Moses  said  it  with  altered  meaning :  the  hearers 
 did  not  distinguish  the  meaning  of  Moses  fi'om  that  of  his  in- 
 terpreters. The  name  of  Moses  occurs,  but  with  a  less  forcible 
 contrast,  in  ch.  xix.  8,  9,  sc.  Moses  permitted,  hut  [/]  say  unto  you, 
 where  1  is  not  expressed  in  the  original,  for  there  is  no  conten- 
 tion between  Moses  and  Christ :  the  Jews  had  departed  from 
 both  Moses  and  Christ.  The  language  of  Christ  does  not 
 exceed  the  law  of  Moses  (see  ch.  vii.  12)  ;  for  concupiscence,  pro- 
 scribed in  ver.  28,  is  also  prohibited  by  the  law  :  see  Rom.  vii. 
 7.  He  hov/ever  restores  the  truths  which  the  Scribes  had  taken 
 from  the  law,  and  clears  away  the  falsehoods  which  they  had 
 added  ;  see  ver.  43.  The  phrase,  "  But  I  say^''  is  an  antithetic 
 formula,  by  which  Christ,  as  if  Moses  had  never  existed  (for 
 the  servant  gives  place  to  his  Lord),  orders  all  things  simply, 
 not  in  the  guise  of  a  Legislator  or  Interpreter,  but  as  the  Son 
 declaring  the  will  of  His  Father :  see  ch.  vii.  21,  and  cf.  ch.  iii. 
 17.  The  law  is  perfect :  whatever  the  Saviour  prohibits  or 
 commands  in  this  passage,  the  law  had  previously  prohibited 
 or  commanded  :  it  judges  the  secrets  of  the  heart  (see  Rom. 
 vii.  14)  ;  but  on  account  of  the  hard  heart  of  the  people, 
 it  more  frequently  expresses  outward  acts.  Therefore  the 
 Lord  says,  "  But  I  say  unto  you,"  not,  "  Moses  hoicever  said 
 unto  you."  The  Jews  were  in  many  things  otherwise  cir- 
 cumstanced in  the  time  of  the  Pharisees  than  in  the  time  of 
 Moses. —  roTg  apyjcioic,  to  them  of  old  time^)  sc.  the  fathers  in 
 the  time  of  Moses.  The  Scribes  vdshed  to  appear  to  be  in 
 conformity  with  the  ancient  and  primitive  rule.  Antiquity 
 should  be  maintained,    but  it    should   be   genuine  antiquity.^ 
 
 1  E.  V.  by  them  of  old  time.— (I.  B. ) 
 
 *  In  fact,  it  was  not  in  the  time  of  Moses,  and  to  the  ancients  ["  to  them 
 of  old  time"],  that  the  rather  lax  interpretation  of  the  law  was  set  forth,  but 
 in  the  time  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  and  to  the  men  of  that  age.  The 
 Scribes  themselves  were  the  persons  who  crusted  over  with  the  plea  of  anti- 
 
174  ST  MATTHEW  V.  22. 
 
 — -Jfj-Tv,  to  you)  This  word  is  antithetic^  to  roT;  apyjxmg^  from 
 "svhence  it  is  evident,  that  rati  apyaioig  {antiquis)  is  not  in 
 the  ablative,  but  in  the  dative  case ;  and  the  construction  is 
 more  easy  if  we  render  the  passage  thus,  "  it  was  said  TO  them 
 of  old  time,  than  thus,  "  it  teas  said  BY  them  of  old  time." — 
 o-j  <pon{j6iig,  thou  shalt  not  kill)  Our  Lord  begins  with  the  clearest 
 precept. — rfj  xpien,  to  the  judgment)  The  Hebrew  P"n,  rendered 
 xpiatg,  was  the  inferior  tribunal  existing  in  the  several  towns,  and 
 consisted  of  twenty-three  judges,  who  had  the  power  of  life  and 
 death.  The  dative,  Tr\  xpiesi,  signifies,  as  far  as  belongs  to^  the 
 iudgment,  or  municipal  tribunal :  in  like  manner,  in  the  next 
 verse  rui  Gvnhpiw  signifies  as  far  as  belongs  to  the  Sanhednm:  for 
 £i/o;/og,  criminal,  is  here  used  absolutely. 
 
 22.  Hag,  X.T.X.,  every  one,  etc.)  This  is  opposed  to  the  lax  rule^  of 
 the  Scribes. — 6  6p'yit,6fisvog,  who  is  angry)  either  with  a  lasting 
 feeling  or  a  sudden  emotion. — rOj  ah'k(pu)  aurov,  with  his  brother) 
 This  appellation  shows  the  unworthiness  of  anger. — s/'x^,  ivithout 
 a  cause)  This  gloss*  evidently  betrays  its  human  origin.*  He 
 who  is  angry  without  a  cause  is  superfluously  angry :  not  even  the 
 Pharisees  taught  that  it  was  lawful  to  be  angry  without  a  cause. 
 Even  if  there  be  a  cause  for  being  angry,  there  ought  to  be  no 
 anger.  God  also  forbids  us  to  hate  even  with  cause,  in  that  He 
 commands  us  to  love  our  enemies. — Tertullian  de  Spectaculis, 
 ch.  xvi.  On  the  other  hand,  the  magistrate,  in  killing  those 
 who  ought  to  be  killed,  does  rightly,  and  yet  it  is  never  said, 
 Thou  shalt  not  kill  without  a  cause. — hoyjac.  larai  rri  xplgii,  shall 
 be  cnminal   as  far  as    belongs    to   the  judgment    or   municipal 
 
 quity  their  own  innovations,  as  generally  happens  in  religious  controversies, 
 or  wlien  morals  are  being  corrupted. — Vers.  Germ. 
 
 ^  See  Explanation  of  technical  terms  in  Appendix. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  In  the  original,  "  quod  ad  judicium  att'mct"  where  in  the  phrase,  "  quod 
 aftinet,"  generally  rendered  "  with  respect  to,"  ^^'■as  regards,"  etc.,  attinct  seems 
 to  have  its  own  more  peculiar  and  precise  force  of  pertains; — and  to  signify, 
 "is  the  province  of,"  "comes  under  the  jurisdiction  of;" — a  meaning  which 
 appears  to  coincide  with  Bengel's  observations  on  the  next  verse. — (I.  r>.) 
 
 *  In  the  original  "sanctione,"  a  somewhat  peculiar  expression. — (I.  B.) 
 *"  Which  Luther  rightly  omitted."— Not.  Crit. 
 
 '  It  is  retained  by  E.  M. — (I.  B.)  B  Vulg.  Origen,  omit  it,  and  Lachm. 
 and  Tisch.  read  accordingly.  But  ]^abc  Iren.  242,  247,  Cypr.  30G,  Lucf. 
 12 Ij  and  after  opyi^of^.,  Iren.  105,  Hilary  128  (625)  retain  ux,ii. — Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  V.  22;  176 
 
 tribunal)  i.e.  lie  is  a  murderer.  Cf.  ver.  21.^  As  he  who  looks 
 upon  a  woman  to  lust  after  her  is  an  adulterer,  so  he  that  hateth 
 his  brother  (1  John  iv.  15)  is  a  murderer.  This  verse  does  not 
 indicate  three  degrees  of  human  or  temporal  punishment ;  for 
 neither  was  it  the  part  of  the  municipal  tribunal  and  the  Sanhe- 
 drim to  punish  the  emotion  of  anger  or  the  utterance  of  Raca, 
 nor  was  the  valley  of  the  son  of  Hinnom  the  place  for  any 
 punishment,  much  less  for  any  punishment  inflicted  by  any  other 
 power  than  that  of  the  municipal  tribunal  or  the  Sanhedrim, 
 still  less  for  punishment  on  account  of  the  abusive  epithet  of 
 Fool.  The  judgment,  therefore,  and  the  council,  are  assigned 
 to  the  emotion  of  anger  and  the  utterance  of  Raca,  as  to  the 
 first  and  second  degree  of  murder,  deserving  the  first  and 
 second  degree  of  punishment  in  hell:  and  the  fiery  Gehenna" 
 is  appropriately  assigned  to  the  third  degree  of  murder,  the  abu- 
 sive epithet  of  Fool,  and  indicates  a  more  fiery  punishment  in 
 hell.  There  is,  therefore,  a  metonymy  of  the  consequent  for  the 
 antecedent.  "  He  is  criminal  as  far  as  belongs  to  the  tribunal," 
 etc. ;  signifying,  he  is  a  murderer  in  the  first,  second,  and  third 
 degree.  Civil  guilt  denotes  spiritual  guilt,  both  as  to  the  fault 
 and  the  punishment. — I'lvri,  shall  say)  in  his  heart  or  with  his 
 lips  once  or  continually. — 'Paxa,  Raca)  A  Hebrew  word,  fre- 
 quently used  by  Hebrews  according  to  Lightfoot,  the  force  of 
 which  no  Greek  word  expresses.  It  denotes  a  sort  of  middle 
 term  between  anger  and  the  appellation  of  Fool.^  Chrysostom 
 on  this  passage  says,  that  Raka  denotes  in  Syriac  the  same  as 
 "  thou"  uttered  contemptuously :  others  derive  it  from  the  Syrian 
 
 1  For  whatever  is  repugnant  to  meekness  and  love,  is  a  principle  rising 
 up  against  life,  and  so  breathes  the  spirit  of  murder Vers.  Qerm. 
 
 2  "  yiivyoi.v — ij";!  (valHs),  3"';^  Hiiinom,  the  valley  at  the  foot  of  Moriah, 
 and  in  which  Siloa  flows  {Jerome  on  x.  28),  on  the  east  of  Jerusalem,  dese- 
 crated by  the  idolatrous  fires  of  Moloch  (Jer.  vii.  31;  Isa.  xxx.  33),  and 
 called  Topheth,  from  Tuph,  the  tympanum  used  to  drown  the  cries  of  chil- 
 dren there  immolated." —  Wordsworth  in  loc. 
 
 "  Josiah  therefore  polluted  it  (2  Kings  xxiii.  10)  ;  and  thenceforward  it 
 was  the  place  for  casting  out  and  burning  all  oSal  and  the  corpses  of 
 criminals  ;  and  therefore  its  name,  ^  ykuva.  rov  Trvpo;,  was  used  to  signify  the 
 place  of  everlasting  punishment." — Al/ord  in  loc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Dreamy  indolence  (oscitantia)  was  the  reproach  usually  meant  to  b» 
 conveyed  by  it,  or  else  a  headlong  and  hasty  mode  of  action. — Vers.  Germ. 
 
176  ST  MATTHEW  V.  23. 
 
 "  Rak,"  he  spits.  An  old  English  Version  renders  it  Fie. 
 Light  persons  are  called  D''p''"i  in  Judges  ix.  4,  xi.  3 ;  2  Chron. 
 xiii.  7 ;  and  xivlg,  empty  or  vain,  is  thus  used  in  James  ii.  20. 
 Reproof  should  reach  even  the  trivial  expressions  and  common 
 manners  of  mankind,  and  that  specifically ;  see  ver.  34,  35, 
 etc. ;  1  Cor.  xv.  32  ;  James  ii.  3,  iv.  13. — ru/  swidpiu,  the  San- 
 hedrim) or  Great  National  Council  of  seventy-two  Judges,  which 
 was  held  at  Jerusalem,  and  decreed  the  more  severe  punish- 
 ments.— Muph,  thou  fool)  A  most  harsh  taunt  denying  common 
 sense,  without  which  a  man  is  incurable  and  utterly  deplorable ; 
 cf.  fj.ojpav6fi  in  ver.  13,  and  the  note  upon  it.  The  lxx.  used  the 
 word  /j,upog  very  sparingly,  the  Son  of  Sirach  frequently. — 'ivoy^i 
 sffToci  ilg  riiv  yhi/vav  rou  rrvpoc,  he  shall  be  criminal  for  the  fiery 
 Gehenna)  An  elliptical  mode  of  speech^  for,  so  that  he  may  he 
 consigned  to  the  fiery  Gehenna — sc.  the  valley  of  the  Son  of 
 Hinnom,  where  carrion  and  carcases  lie  unburied,  and  at  length 
 are  burnt.  The  word  yhvm,  Gehenna,  does  not  occur  in  the  Sep- 
 tuagint :  in  the  New  Testament  it  is  used  bv  St  Matthew,  St 
 Mark,  St  Luke,  and  St  James ;  but  not  by  either  St  John,  St 
 Paul,  St  Peter,  or  St  Jude.  Hiller  (in  his  Onomata  Sacra,  p. 
 811)  derives  it  from  the  Hebrew  "'Sn  '•p,  the  Valley  of  Lamentation. 
 Concerning  the  fire  of  that  valley,  see  Jer.  vii.  31,  32,  etc. — ug, 
 etc.,  is  used  with  the  same  force  as  in  the  expression  ilg  -/.LpaxoLiy 
 to  the  ravens.'^ 
 
 23.  'Eav  ovv,  X.T.X.,  if  therefore,  etc.)  Reconciliation  is  not  said 
 to  be  only  then  necessary,  for  the  word  h.iT,  there)  indicates  that 
 you  ought  to  have  remembered  it  before ;  but  the  meaning  is. 
 Whatever  you  are  doing,  even  if  you  have  already  undertaken 
 the  best  and  most  holy  and  most  necessary  matter,  leave  every- 
 thing until  you  have  been  reconciled  to  your  brother :  see  Eph. 
 iv.  26.  They  sin  who  do  not  make  it  up  with  their  brother, 
 until  they  are  just  about  to  receive  the  Holy  Supper.  Yet  re- 
 conciliation is  especially  necessary,  and  an  examination  of  the 
 conscience  especially  imperative  on  those  who  are  about  to  per- 
 form the  most  solemn  act  of  devotion. — et/,  to)  For  it  was  the 
 
 ^  See,  on  the  Locutio  Concisa,  Appendix. — Ed. 
 
 2  A  phrase  used  by  the  Greeks  to  denote  not  only  the  disgrace  of  the 
 fallows,  but  the  still  greater  one  of  remaining  unburied. — Lidddland  Scott. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  V.  24-27.  177 
 
 part  of  the  priest  to  offer  on  the  altar,  and  afterwards  occurs  the 
 expression,  'ifi'^posdiv  rou  haiasTripiou,  before  the  altar. — xa!  ixsT /j,vris~ 
 (ijjc,  aiid  there  o^ememherest)  The  word  of  God  portrays  the  most 
 hidden  secrets  of  the  human  heart.  In  the  performance  of  a 
 sacred  rite,  the  remembrance  of  offences  arises  more  naturally, 
 than  in  the  noise  of  human  affairs. — 'iyji,  hath)  as  having  been 
 offended  [by  thee]. 
 
 24.  "T--ayi,  -TTpujrov,  go  thy  ivay,  first)  placed  antithetically  to 
 TOTS  BXdoijv,  then  having  come, — biak'kdyri&i  rOj  adiX(pw  ff'p,  he  recon- 
 ciled to  thy  brother^  that  thou  mayest  be  reconciled  to  God. 
 —  iXSm,  coming)  not  returning ;  for  the  first  going  being  in  vain 
 is  not  reckoned. 
 
 25.  "iffSi  i-ovoMv,  be  friendly)  Seek  kindly  feeling  by  showing  it 
 yourself. — tOj  dvndiKui,  icith  the  adversary)  to  whom  you  owe 
 money. — Cf.  ver.  26.  The  language  is  parabolical,  it  applies 
 principally  to  an  adversary  who  entertains  grave  animosity  even 
 beyond  death. — '""%i),  quickly)  The  pride  of  the  human  heart  is 
 slow  in  deprecation  and  satisfaction. —  ev  rfi  65w,  in  the  way)  sc.  to 
 the  tribunal. — /xir  auroD,  with  him)  The  plaintiff"  used  himself  to 
 apprehend  the  defendant. — at  rrapadui,  deliver  thee)  Great  is  the 
 power  of  the  adversary.  God,  as  Judge,  prosecutes  the  demand 
 of  him  who  pleads  for  justice. — fiuXazrjv,  ward)  where  thou  thy 
 whole  self  wilt  be  the  pledge  of  payment  for  the  debt. 
 
 26.  "Ew;  civ,  until)  The  debtor  is  left  to  himself ;  see  ch.  xviii.  34. 
 It  is  strange  that  the  expression,  jw$  av,  should  have  been  urged 
 by  those,  who  hence  infer  the  possibility  of  payment,  rather  than 
 rov  Isyarov  -/.o^pavrriv,  the  last  farthing. — Tcv  'U-^utov,  the  last)  Thus 
 does  Divine  justice  exact  everything,  not  a  single  farthing  more 
 or  less  than  you  owe.' — ■/.oBpdvr'^v,  qiiadrantem)  Substantives 
 which  express  foreign  articles  are  very  irequently  transferred 
 from  one  language  to  another,  instead  of  being  translated." 
 
 27.  'Epp'sdr,,  it  has  been  said)  Murder  and  adultery  are  equally 
 
 1  O  the  vain  and  most  deceitful  persuasion  of  the  old  man,  whereby  he 
 supposes  that  God  will  only  lightly  exact  the  debts  due  to  Him.  Nay,  unless 
 remission  interpose  so  as  to  remove  utterly  one's  countless  faults,  the  utter- 
 most avarice  of  man  does  not  exercise  as  great  rigour,  as  the  divine  justice 
 Justly  and  deservedly  maintains. — Vers.  Germ. 
 
 2  The  quadrans,  the  fourth  part  of  an  asse,  about  a  farthing  and  a  half  of 
 our  money. — (I.  B.) 
 
 VOL.  I.  M 
 
178  ST  MATTHEW  V.  2S,  '_'9. 
 
 sins  against  our  neighbour,  and  so  is  revenge,  and  tlicrefore  the 
 Avords,  roT^  r/.p'/aioi;,  to  them  of  old  time,  are  not  expressed  but 
 understood  in  ver.  27,  31,  38,  43,  fi-om  ver.  21.  They  are, 
 however,  expressed  in  ver.  33,  wliere  our  Lord  treats  of  oaths, 
 and,  therefore,  of  our  duty  to  God. 
 
 28.  'O  /SXe^wv,  that  looketh)  Kefer  to  this  expression  the  right 
 eye  mentioned  in  the  next  verse. — t^o?,  to)  This  particle  deter- 
 mines the  character  of  tlie  looking. — r/dri,  already)  by  that  verv 
 act. 
 
 29.  'O  di^ihc,  the  right)  The  right,  strictly  speaking  in  the  case 
 of  the  hands,  is  most  useful  and  most  precious,  thence  also,  it  is 
 mentioned  in  the  case  of  the  eyes,  feet,  etc. — See  Zech.  xi.  17  ; 
 Exod.  xxix.  20. — e%a\i8a}xl^i/,  is  a  stumbling-block  to)  so  that  you 
 should  see  wrongly  ;  as  in  the  case  of  your  haiid,  so  that  you 
 should  act  wrongly. — j^eXe  avrhv,  j^lttck  it  out)  not  the  eye  abso- 
 lutely, but  the  eye  which  is  a  stumbling-block,  i.e.,  make  all 
 things  hard  to  thyself,  until  it  cease  to  be  a  stumbling-block  to 
 thee.  Not  the  organ  itself,  but  the  concirpiscence  which  animates 
 the  eye  or  hand  is  meant :  for  this  is  the  soul  of  the  eye  where 
 that  organ  proves  a  stumbling-block ;  in  like  manner  as  soon 
 afterwards  the  body  is  said  for  the  [whole]  man  [soul  as  well  as 
 body].  He  who,  Avhere  his  eye  proves  a  stumbling-block,  takes 
 care  not  to  see,  does  in  reality  blind  himself.  On  the  other  hand, 
 a  man  might  pluck  out  his  material  eye,  and  yet  cherish  con- 
 cupiscence within.  A  similar  mode  of  expression  occurs  in 
 Coloss.  iii.  5,  where  the  apostle  says — Mortify,  therefore,  your 
 members  ichich  are  itjwn  the  earth ;  fornication,  etc.  A  negative 
 maxim  is  frof|uc'ntly  expressed  by  affirming  the  opposite. — See 
 ver.  39, 40,  and  ch.  vi.  17. — I3a}.e,  cast)  with  earnestness.  The  ex- 
 pression I3xri6r),  be  cast)  in  the  next  verse  has  reference  to  this. — 
 Gv//,(pspii,  it  is  profitable)  to  thy  salvation.  Not  only  is  it  not  hurt- 
 ful, but  also  it  will  be  glorious. — a-oXjira/,  should  perish)  True 
 self-abnegation  is  not  of  less  amount  tlian  the  loss  of  an  eye,  etc.: 
 and  it  is  so  necessary  that  it  is  better  to  be  deprived  of  an  eye 
 itself,  than  to  sin  with  the  eye,  unless  the  sin  may  be  separated 
 from  the  eye.  An  eye  which  is  actually  plucked  out,  as  in  the 
 case  of  a  martyr,  will  be  restored  in  the  resuiTcction. — 'iv  -r^jv 
 ai'f.uiv  gov,  one  of  thy  members)  Many,  indeed,  have  been  destroyed 
 bv  neglecting  the  mortification  of  one  member,  as,  fur  example, 
 
ST  MATTHEW  V.  30-34.  ll'.f 
 
 the  gullet. — oXov  TO  aufod  aov,  thy  ivhole  body)  If  one  member  sin, 
 the  whole  man  sins  and  pays  the  penalty. — ykwav,  hell)  of  eternal 
 fire. — See  ch.  xviii.  8,  etc. 
 
 30.  Xhp,  hand)  The  matter  proceeds  from  sight  to  act. 
 
 31.  "Os  av  d'zcXvgrj,  lohosoever  shall  put  away)  They  held  di- 
 vorce to  be  an  arbitrary  matter.^ — d'rtosrdsm^  a  divorce)  i.e.  a 
 writing  of  divorcement.  A  metonymy  which  occurs  in  ch.  xix. 
 7,  and  is  also  employed  by  the  Lxx. 
 
 32.  Ao'you,  for  the  cause)  The  Hebrew  "i3n  corresponds  to  the 
 Greek  Xoyog  in  the  sense  of  a  cause,  why  anything  may  be 
 rightly  done.^ — TonTaurriv  /Mi^asdai,  makes  her  to  commit  adultery) 
 sc.  by  other  nuptials  into  which  the  divorce  permits  her  to 
 enter. — d'xoXiXuij.hriv,  one  that  has  been  divorced). 
 
 33.  ' A'zob<Jj(Sug,  thou  shalt  render)^  Pei^'ury  therefore  is  the 
 non-performance  of  promises  attested  by  an  oath.  Christ, 
 therefore,  especially  forbids  promissory  oaths,  since  men  by  them 
 asseverate  concerning  future  things,  none  of  which  is  in  their 
 power,  see  ver.  36.  The  human  oaths  concerning  which  Moses 
 gives  regulations,  or  which  holy  men  have  sworn,  have  more 
 frequently  reference  to  confirming,  more  rarely  to  promising, 
 and  in  fact  more  persons  perjure  themselves  with  regard  to 
 future,  than  past  matters.  Wherefore  the  Romans  prudently 
 preferred  binding  with  oath  their  magistrates  at  the  conclusion, 
 rather  than  at  the  commencement  of  office. — op-/.ovc,  oaths,)  sc. 
 things  promised  by  oath. 
 
 34.  Mri  oiMoeai  oXug,  not  to  swear  at  all)  The  oAwj,  at  all,  ex- 
 tends this  prohibition  to  swearing  truly  as  "well  as  falsely  :  it 
 does  not,  however,  universally  prohibit  all  true  swearing.  The 
 right  employment  of  oaths  is  not  only  like  divorce  permitted 
 but  clearly  established  by  the  law,  nor  is  it  here  abolished  by 
 Christ;  see  ver.  17.  But  the  abuse  of  oaths  was  extremely 
 frequent  with  the  Jews  of  that  age,  to  the  destruction  of  their 
 legitimate  use,  as  is  clear  from  the  f:)i'ms  of  swearing  cited  in 
 
 ^  loro)  does  not  indicate  a  command  but  a  permission.  \^He  may  (/ive.] 
 They  seemed  to  think  Moses  had  nothing  in  view  save  the  observance  of 
 certain  formalities. — Vers.  Oerm. 
 
 "^  These  words,  -TrxpsKTo;  T^oyov  Tropuiiu?,  apply  also  to  the  following  clause 
 ««(  0?  ixu  oLttoKiK.  yof.ct,  and  are  to  be  supplied  in  it. —  Vcn.  Germ. 
 
 3  E.  V.  "  Thou  shalt  perform."— (I.  B.) 
 
180  ST  MATTHEW  V.  34. 
 
 this  passage;  nor  did  they  tliink  him  guilty  of  peijury  who 
 called  only  creatures  to  witness  in  his  oath,  however  falsely  he 
 might  swear.  See  Samuel  Petit/  Variae  Lectiones,  ch.  xvd. 
 The  followincp  decree  of  the  Jews  is  to  be  found  in  Elle 
 Schemoth  Rabba,"  section  44,  As  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass 
 aicai/,  so  shall  the  oath  pass  away  which  calls  them  to  witness. 
 There  is  clearly,  however,  a  prohibition,  whilst  the  prevalent^ 
 abuse  of  oaths  is  forbidden,  and  their  true  use  restored.  [Many 
 of  the  ancient  Christians  received  this  command  simply  and 
 literally,  and  so  much  the  more  readily  declined  the  heathen 
 oaths  which  they  were  commanded  to  take.  See  however, 
 Rev.  X.  6 ;  Jer.  xxiii.  8  ;  Is.  xlv.  23,  the  last  of  which  passages 
 refers  to  Christian  times.  On  the  contrary,  there  is  now-a-days 
 a  great  danger  lest  a  very  small  proportion  of  the  number  that 
 are  made  be  true,  and  of  the  true  a  very  small  proportion  neces- 
 sary, and  of  those  that  are  necessary  a  very  small  proportion  free, 
 fruitful,  holy,  and  joyful.  Many  are  employed  for  show,  for 
 calumny,  for  silencing  just  suspicions. —  sv,  by)  That  which  is 
 sworn  by  is  offered  in  pledge  :  it  should  therefore  be  in  the  power 
 of  him  who  swears.  He  who  swears  wrongly  (ver.  34,  36)  is 
 guilty  of  sacrilege.  Therefore,  in  this  sense  a  man  ought  not  to 
 swear  by  God,  because,  in  case  of  his  swearing  falsely,  he  pledges 
 himself  to  renounce  God.  This,  however,  it  is  not  in  his  power  to 
 do.  But  we  must  swear  in  that  manner  which  is  sanctioned  in 
 the  Divine  law  itself,  so  that  our  oath  should  be  an  invocation  of 
 the  Divine  name.  Even  the  customary  fornmla,  So  help  me  God, 
 is  not  to  be  taken  in  the  former  but  in  the  latter  sense,  so  that 
 tlie  emphasis  should  fall  upon  the  word  God.  This  interpreta- 
 tion is  at  any  rate  luvourable  to  him  who  swears,  and  makes  the 
 matter  rather  easier. — rip  ohpavifi,  by  heaven)  How  much  greater 
 is  their  sin  who  swear  by  God  Himself! — "^povog,  throne)  How 
 great  is  the  majesty  of  God  !  God  is  not  enclosed  by  heaven, 
 but  His  glory  is  especially  manifested  there. 
 
 '  A  celebrated  scholar,  born  at  Nisnies  in  1594,  studied  at  Geneva,  raised 
 at  an  early  age  to  the  Professorship  of  Theology  and  of  Greek  and  Hebrew 
 in  that  city.     Died  1645.    A  man  of  vast  and  profound  erudition. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '^  i.e.  "  Mystical  Commentary  on  Exodus,"  a  rabbinical  work  in  high  esti- 
 mation among  the  Jews. — (I.  B.) 
 
 •  "  Grassatus,"  a  word  used  of  a  fiercely  raging  epidemic— (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  V.  35-38.  181 
 
 35.  E/s,  upoii)  There  is  a  difference  between  this  and  h  (puY 
 used  in  the  last  verse.  The  Jews  were  accustomed  to  pray 
 for  all  blessings  upon  Jerusalem.  The  meanings  of  the  formula 
 therefore  was — So  may  the  city  be  in  safety^  as — So  may  it  light 
 upon  the  city,  as^ — toX/j,  the  city)  the  royal  abode. — roD^ 
 MiydXov  BagiXsug,  of  that*  Great  King),  (see  Ps.  xlviii.  2),  i.e. 
 of  the  Messiah  whom  (ver.  34,  35)  heaven  and  earth  obey.  It 
 is  not  unbecoming  in  Him  to  speak  thus  of  Himself.  See  ch. 
 ix.  38,  and  xxii.  43. 
 
 36.  Ki(paXfi,  head)  Their  sin  is  still  graver  who  swear  by  their 
 life  or  their  soul. — /i/ai/  rp/p/a  XivKnv  ri  i^iXaivav  'TtoTriGai,  to  make  one 
 hair  [thereof]  lohite  or  black)  The  dye  of  human  art  is  not 
 real  whiteness  or  blackness.  Not  merely  is  a  single  hair,  but 
 even  the  colour  of  a  single  hair,  beyond  the  power  of  man. 
 
 37.  'o  Xoyog  \j[x,m,  your  conversation)  your  daily  ordinary  speech. 
 va/,  vaK  oi),  ou,  yea,  yea ;  nay,  nay)  Let  "  y&a^  or,  "  it  is,  be 
 employed  to  affirm  what  is  true, — "  N^ay,"  or,  "  it  is  not,"  to 
 deny  what  is  false.^  Cf.  Gnomon  on  2  Cor.  i.  17,  18,  and  James 
 V.  12. — <xipiffffov,  exceeding,  that  xohich  exceeds)  Excess  is  faulty.— 
 Ix  roZ  Tovripov,  of  evil) ;  the  word  is  here  in  the  neuter  gender, 
 [and  signifies  evil  in  the  abstracti  :  see  ver.  39. 
 
 38.  'Oc^aXaov,  an  eye)  sc.  Thou  shalt  require.  In  Exod.  xxi. 
 24,  the  LXX.  have  6(p6aX/Mov  dvri  df>6aX/jjOv,  obovrct  dvri  ohovroc,  eyc 
 for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth.  The  lex  talionis  was  most  suitable  for 
 punishments,  as  in  the  greater  injury,  murder,  and  in  the  less, 
 theft,  so  also  in  that  which  stood  midway  between  them.  See 
 Lev.  xxiv.  20.  Mutilation  was  frequent  in  punishments  without 
 reference  to  the  principle  of  the  lex  talionis ;  why  then  should 
 it  not  be  used  to  carry  out  that  principle  itself?  Cf.  Jud.  i.  7.'' 
 Penalties  would  avail  more,  if  human  judgment  did  not  depart 
 
 1  E.  v.  renders  both  words  "  hy" — sc.  "  by  Heaven,"  "  by  Jerusalem,'"' 
 etc.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Perhaps  it  may  refer  to  the  Jewish  custom  of  praying  with  the  face  to- 
 wards Jerusalem,  Daniel  vi.  10. — Ed. 
 
 2  The  article  has  a  magnifying  force. — Not.  Crit. 
 
 *  Magni  illius  regis.     E.  V.  renders  it  "of  the  Great  King." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Lit.  Let  the  "  It  is"  of  fact  be  also  the  "  It  is"  in  your  words  :  let  the 
 "  It  is  not"  of  fact  be  also  the  "  It  is  not"  in  your  words. — Ed. 
 
 6  What  had  been  prescribed  to  the  magistrate,  that  the  Scribes  allotted 
 to  private  vengeance. — B.  G.  V. 
 
182  ST  MATTHEW  V.  39-41. 
 
 SO  far  from  the  wisdom,   the  equity,  and  the  severity  of  the 
 Divine  law. 
 
 39.  Mri  a^rtSTrtvai,  not  to  resist)  The  infinitive  is  governed  by 
 Xiyu  ,  I  say,  as  in  Rev.  xiii.  14.  To  resist  evil  is  to  return 
 injury  for  injury. — a,XX\  but)  Our  Lord  gives  examples  of  pri- 
 vate, legal,  and  political  wrong,  ver.  39,  40,  41. — pwrrlau,  shall 
 i^/nite)  elsewhere  pa-rll^siv  is  to  strike  loith  rods,  but  in  this  passage 
 as  the  cheek  is  mentioned,  it  means  to  smite  with  the  open 
 hand. — rr]v  di^idv  gov  Giayom,  the  right  cheek)  or  the  left  either. 
 See  Luke  vi.  29.  An  instance  o^  Synedoche} — erp's-^ov,  turn)  It 
 is  sometimes  advisable  to  do  so  literally."  The  world  says,  on 
 the  other  hand.  Assert  thy  courage  by  a  duel.  Those  who  are 
 able  ought  ere  this  to  have  made  a  stand  against  this  evil,  this 
 disgrace  of  the  Christian  name,  and  to  have  given  all  diligence 
 that  they  might  do  so  effectually.  One  man  who  becomes  a 
 nmrderer  by  a  duel  involves  a  whole  camp  in  his  guilt.  Many, 
 so  far  dilute  and  extenuate  the  lessons  here  given  by  the 
 Saviour,  that  thev  slide  down  to  a  level  with  the  rii^hteousness 
 of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  or  even  below  it. 
 
 40.  Xirouva,  the  tunic)  or  inner  garment. — 'iimoltiov,  the  vest)  or 
 outer  robe.  These  are  inverted  in  Luke  vi.  29.  (Cf.  in  the 
 same  chapter,  ver.  44,  with  Matt.  vii.  16,  for  a  similar  inversion 
 in  the  case  of  the  grapes  and  the  figs.)  The  sense  remains  the 
 same  ;  sc.  Give  up  both.  The  ifidncv  was  more  precious  than  the 
 ^iTMv.     See  Mark  xiii.  16. — aov,  thine)  by  right. 
 
 41.  ' Ayyapiuau)  A  word  of  Persian  origin.''  They  who  tra- 
 velled on  the  public  business  could  press  a  person  into  service. 
 See  Vriemoet  on  this  passage.* 
 
 '  See  Explanation  of  Technical  Terms  in  Appendix. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Spiritual  prudence  will  teach  the  children  of  God,  when  they  ought  to  do 
 so.  The  words  of  Christ  are  not  words  belonging  to  the  mere  luinian  and 
 natural  life,  but  to  the  eternal  life.  What  seems  folly  to  the  world,  appears 
 in  a  quite  different  light  in  tlie  eternal  Life. —  Vers.  Germ. 
 
 '  "Ayyoipo;,  a  Persian  word  for  a  royal  courier,  who  had  authority  to 
 l)ress  horses,  etc.  into  his  service  in  execution  of  his  mission.  The  word 
 s^-j3s  (angaria)  (whence  avania  and  avanic'm  Ital.  and  Fr.)  is  used  in  the 
 Talmud  for  any  forced  work.  Connected  with  this  is  the  Hebrew  r^Js  {ig- 
 pereth),  a  letter." —  WordswortJi  in  loc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Kmo-Lucius  Vriemoet,  born  at  Embden,  in  Friesland  in  1699,  became 
 l'rofes.sor  of  Oriental  languages   and    Ilcbrow  antiquities  at  Francker,  and 
 
ST  MATTHEW  V.  42-44.  183 
 
 42.  AiToZvTiy  to  him  that  asketh)  who  wishes  you  to  give  to  him 
 gratuitously,  even  though  he  do  not  ask  with  the  best  claim. — 
 618ov,  give)  as  God  does  ;  see  Luke  xi.  10. — rhv  diXoi/ra,  him  that 
 loould)  even  though  he  does  not  venture  tu  beseech  thee 
 vehemently. — fj^n  d':rosrpa(p^c,  turn  not  thou  away)  although  you 
 have  a  specious  pretext  for  so  doing. 
 
 43.  Tov  'x'kriGiov,  Thy  neighbour)  Gataker^  in  his  Adversaria 
 miscellanea  posthuma,  ch.  x.  f.  527,  remarks,  that  in  Sophocles 
 and  Aristotle,  all  men  are  indiscriminately  called  o/  -reAag.^ — 
 IMisriSiK;  TOV  ey^dpov  aov,^  thou  shalt  hate  thine  enemy)  The  Jews 
 abused  the  precept  which  had  been  given  in  reference  to  certain 
 accursed  nations,  as  in  Deut.  xxiii.  7  ;  for  they  had  also  been 
 commanded  to  love  even  their  enemies.  Christopher  Cart- 
 wright*  cites  decrees  of  the  Jews  concerning  the  hatred  of 
 enemies. — See  Book  2  ;  Mellif.  Heb.  ch.  1. 
 
 44.  ' Aya<7tari,  love  ye — iuAoyiTn,  hless  ye — xaXui  'TronTn,  do  ye 
 good  to — '/.ai  -TTpoGixj-xtG&i  (j-yrip,  and  pray  ye  for)  Here  are  four 
 clauses,  the  second  and  third  of  which  are  wanting  in  some  of 
 the  ancients — the  second  in  the  Vulgate,  the  third  in  Tertullian,^ 
 De  Patientia,  ch.  vi.  Four  clauses  ought,  therefore,  to  be  read, 
 although  the  third  is  almost  contained  in  the  first,  and  the  second 
 in  the  fourth  by  Chiasmus:^  on  which  account  St  Luke  trans- 
 poses them.''     In  ver.  46,  the  verb  d/acraw,  to  love,  occurs  again, 
 
 published  many  learned  works  on  these  subjects.  He  died  in  1764. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Thomas  Gataker  was  born  in  London  1574  ;  became  Preacher  of  Lin- 
 coln's Inn  in  1601,  Rector  of  Rotherhithe  1611,  and  died  1654.  He  was  one 
 <»f  the  most  learned  theologians  of  his  time.  He  subscribed  the  Covenant, 
 but  declared  in  favour  of  Episcopacy,  and  during  the  Commonwealth  pre- 
 ferred the  Presbyterians  to  the  Independents.  His  works  are  many  and 
 various. — (I.  B.) 
 
 "  i.e.  neighbours. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  A  most  vile  gloss. — B.  G.  V. 
 
 *  Christopher  Cartwright,  a  learned  English  divine;  born  1602;  died 
 1658.  The  work  here  cited  is  Mellificium  Hebraicum,  sive  observationes  ex 
 Hebraeorura  antiquiorum  monumentis  desumptse. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Quintus  Septimius  Florens  Tertullianus,  a  native  of  Carthage,  where 
 lie  became  a  Presbyter,  the  earliest  of  the  Latin  fathers,  flourished  in  the 
 third  century.— (I.  B.) 
 
 "  See  explanation  of  technical  terms  m  Appendix. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  Vulg.  Memph.  Versions,  Orig.  4,329c ;  351a  ;  Cypr.  248,  260,  319,  Hil. 
 
184  ST  MATTHEW  V.  45-47. 
 
 and  in  ver.  47,  the  word  uaTaffrisds,  salute,  corresponds  with  £u?^o- 
 yi/Ti  in  the  present  verse. — rZv  srrTjpia^ovruv  u,aac,  thetyi  xchich 
 despitefully  use  you)  iTripua,  [the  substantive  from  which  the 
 verb  ETjjfja^w  is  derived]  signifies  an  injuiy  inflicted,  not  for  the 
 benefit  of  the  injurer,  but  for  the  damage  of  the  injured  pai'ty. 
 — See  my  notes  to  Chrysostom  on  the  Priesthood,  p.  429.  It 
 is,  therefore,  a  sign  of  extreme  hatred.  A  striking  contrast. 
 Pray  for  such  persons  as  these  :  obtain  by  your  prayers  blessings 
 for  those,  who  take  blessings  from  you. 
 
 45.  "Otw;  ysvriGds,  that  ye  may  become)  When  they  love  their 
 enemies,  they  become  His  sons  [but]  in  such  a  manner  as  [not 
 to  contravene  the  fact],  that  they  already  previously  have  Him 
 for  their  Father.^  An  instance  of  Ploce  :^  Sons  become  sons,  as 
 disciples  become  disciples. — Cf.  John  xv.  8.  Thus,  the  God  of 
 Israel  became  the  God  of  Israel ;  2  Sam.  vii.  24.  Great  is 
 God's  condescension  in  not  disdaining  to  invite  His  sons  to  imi- 
 tate Him.  or/,  '/..r.X.,  for,  etc.)  Such  is  the  principle  upon  which 
 the  Father  is  to  be  imitated.  As  God  treats  and  rules  us,  so 
 ought  men  to  treat  and  rule  each  other. — rhv  'ri).m  Avrov,  Ilissun) 
 A  magnificent  expression.  He  both  made  the  sun  and  governs 
 it,  and  has  it  exclusively  in  His  own  power. — avariXku,  maketh 
 to  rise. — l^piyji,  raineth,  sendeth  rain)  It  is  the  part  of  piety  to 
 speak  of  natural  things  as  received  from  God,  rather  than  to  say 
 impersonally.  It  rains,  it  thunders. — See  ch.  vi.  26,  30 ;  Job 
 xxxvi.  27,  28,  and  chapters  xxxvii.-xli.;  Ps.  civ.,  etc.  Franzius 
 urges  this  strongly  in  his  treatise  on  the  Interpretation  of  Scrip- 
 ture, pp.  83,  632.     Eain  is  a  great  blessing. 
 
 46.  Tiva  /xiffDhv,  lohat  reicard)  God  seeks  in  us  an  occasion  for 
 giving  us  a  reward. — riXoJvai,  publicans)  who  refer  all  things  to 
 gain  ;  but  have  none  in  Heaven. 
 
 47.  EaV  aarraanek,  if  ye  salute)  contrasted  with,  bless  ye,  etc., 
 in  ver.  44.     The  very  verb  ayuTduj,  to  love,  is  re])eated  in  ver. 
 
 303  omit  £vXoy£?T£  t.  KUTxpufiivov;  v/iix;,  kuKoi;  votint  toI;  fAiaovatu  vfiS,;. 
 Dcd  Lucif.  insert  these  words  with  Rec.  Text  (which,  however,  has  r. 
 fAiaovuT*;.) — Ed. 
 
 1  i.e.  lie  first  loves  thcni,  and  is  their  Father  already  ;  but  they  become 
 Ilis  sons,  and  prove  their  sonship  afterwards,  wlicn  they  love  their  enemies, 
 even  as  lie  loved  them  when  still  enemies. — llu. 
 
 '  See  Appendix. — Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  V.  48.-VI.  1.  185 
 
 46  from  ver.  44  ;  but  as  the  heathens  do  not  also  bless  and  pray, 
 the  verb  to  salute  is  put  here  instead  of  either  blessing  or  pray- 
 ing.— rohg  adiXipoug  v/j^uv,  your  brethren  ^ — sdvixoi,  the  heathen)  The 
 Publicans  regard  their  own  interest,  the  Heathens  perform  also 
 offices  of  kindness  towards  their  connections  and  friends,  and 
 more  especially  towards  their  blood  relations.  In  ver.  46,  there- 
 fore, the  example  of  the  Publicans  is  cited ;  in  ver.  47,  that  of 
 the  Heathens. — r!  'rspicahv,  tohat  remarkable  thingY  such  as  befits 
 the  sons  of  God.^ 
 
 48.  'TfiiTc,  you)  In  honourable  contradistinction  to  them. — 
 rO.hoi,  perfect^  sc.  in  love  towards  all.* 
 
 CHAPTER   VI. 
 
 1.  llpo<Si-)(iTi,  take  ye  heed)  The  hortatory  address,^  Tfocsp^e  siavr^, 
 take  heed  to  thyself  was  familiar  to  the  early  Christians  ;  since 
 the  Hebrew  "iDK^n  ^  (which  occurs  so  frequently  in  Deuteronomy), 
 was  thus  rendered  by  the  LXX. — rriv  dixaioffuvriv/  u/mojv,  your  right- 
 eousness) This  depends  upon  /xri  vonTv,  not  to  do.^ — dixaioa-jvriv, 
 righteousness)  The  treatment  of  the  subsequent  divisions  relating 
 to  almsgiving,  prayer,  and  fasting,  exhibits  such  an  exact  analogy 
 that  from  a  comparison  of  them  it  becomes  evident,  that  the 
 
 *  The  margin  of  Beng.  Ed.  -^  and  Vers.  Germ,  prefer  tply^ovg  to  cc^i7^(povg : 
 But  not  so  the  larger  Edition  of  u.  1734.  Lucifer  reads  amicos,  also  of  se- 
 cond rate  Uncial  MSS.  L  A.  But  the  oldest  MSS.  and  Vulg.  dle7^q)ov;, 
 fratres. — Ed. 
 
 -  E.  V.  What  do  ye  more  than  others  f — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  He  who  does  nothing  but  what  is  customary  ought  to  stand  in  fear 
 (soil  hi  Sorge  stehen.) — B.  G.  V. 
 
 *  See  Col.  iii.  14.— (I.  B.) 
 
 '  Celeusma,  from  the  Greek  x-ihsva/nx — properly  an  exhortation  to  any 
 work ;  especially  of  sailors :  Either  the  cry  of  sailors  for  encouraging  one 
 another,  or  a  beating  of  time  to  the  rowers. — See  Riddle. — (I.  B.) 
 
 6  E.  V.  Take  heed,  etc.— See  Deut.  xii.  13,  etc.— (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  E.  M.  T'/jv  ihirif^OfrvvYiv. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  i.e.  rviv  "hix-eiiQavunv  is  the  accusative  after  ^vj  Troiiiv — so  that  the  passage 
 must  be  rendered  "  Take  heed  that  ve  do  not  your  rvjhteousness"  etc.— 
 (LB.) 
 
186  ST  MATTHEW  VI.  2,  3. 
 
 warning  contained  in  this  verse  does  not  apply  solely  and  exclu- 
 sively to  the  first  division,  but  has  the  force  of  a  general  proposi- 
 tion. The  design  of  the  whole  discourse  is  to  teach  true  righteous- 
 ness ;  (see  ch.  v.  6,  10,  20,  and  vi.  33);  and  this  reading  accords 
 with  that  design.  Others  read  sXiri;j.oevvrtv,^  almsgiving.^  liighteous- 
 ness  is  the  whole  (cf.  Gnomon  on  ch.  v.  G),  three  divisions  of  which 
 follow  immediately  ;  viz.,  almsgiving,  as  being  our  especial  duty 
 towards  our  neighbor — prayer,  as  occupying  the  same  position 
 \\  ith  regard  to  God — fasting,  as  holding  the  same  place  with  re- 
 ference to  ourselves.  These  three  relations,  to  God,  to  ourselves, 
 and  to  our  neighbour,  are  frequently  enumerated  in  Holy  AYrit; 
 see  Eom.  ii.  21,  22-vii.  12-xiv.  17  ;  1  Cor.  vi.  11-xiii.  5,  6, 13; 
 Eph.  V.  9 ;  1  Tim.  i.  13;  Tit.  i.  8-ii.  12  ;  Heb.  xii.  12,  13.— 
 ^ga^^ra/,  to  he  seen  as  a  spectacle)  Theatre  and  hypocrite''  (spoken 
 of  in  the  next  verse)  are  words  of  cognate  meaning. 
 
 2.  Mn  caAcr/ffjjs  ifL'zpoa'^iv  aov,  do  not  sound  a  trumpet  before  thee) 
 This  aft'ected  and  insolent  ostentation  of  actually  sounding  a 
 trumpet  is  not  inconsistent  with  the  practices  of  hypocrites  among 
 the  Jews  of  that  age  :  cf.  ver.  5,  16.  The  poor  would  be  easily 
 summoned  by  a  trumpet :  hypocrisy,  therefore,  employs  it  as  a 
 means  of  display. — &/  uToxp/ra/,  the  hypocrites)  Hypocnsy  is  the 
 combination  of  actual  vice  with  apparent  virtue,  by  means  of 
 which  a  man  deceives  either  himself  or  others. — a.cij^i/,  assuredly) 
 our  Lord  [by  virtue  of  His  essential  and  pro])cr  divinity]  knows 
 the  secrets  of  the  Divine  counsels. — d-~s'/^ou(!i  rhv  (JjigOov  a'jruv,  they 
 have  their  reward^)  An  example  of  metonymy  of  the  antecedent 
 for  the  consequent,  i.e.  they  will  not  receive  any  reward  here- 
 after at  the  hands  of  their  Heavenly  Father  ;  see  ver.  1. 
 
 3.  isin  y\CiTu  yj  apia-ipa,  y..r.K.,  let  not  thy  left  hand  knoiv,  etc.) 
 So  far  from  holding  a  trumpet,  let  it  not  even  know  what  thy 
 rio-ht  hand  doeth.  Do  not  thou  even  consider  over  again  the 
 o-ood  that  thou  doest. 
 
 1  See  f.  n.  7  to  last  page— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  BDabc  Vulg.  Hilary  read  liKuioavunv.  But  Z  supports  ihiYiy-oavu/.u,  the 
 reading  of  the  Rec.  Text. — Ed. 
 
 3  Tlie  word  originally  signifies  one  who  answers,  thence,  07ie  icho  takes 
 part  in  a  dramatic  dialogue,  thence,  one  who  assumes  a  feigned  character. — 
 (LB.) 
 
 *  Which  consists  in  the  praise  of  men. — B.  G.  V. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VI.  4-7.  187 
 
 4.  'E;  r(L  Tipu-TTTuJ,  in  secret)  The  godly  shine,  but  shine  in  secret. 
 — 0  llarrip  Gov,  tliy  Father)  Jolm  Despagne  observes,  that  to  em- 
 ploy the  possessive  pronoun  of  the  first  person  singular,  and  say, 
 "  My  Father,''  is  the  exclusive  privilege  of  the  Only  Begotten  ; 
 but  "  Thy  Father'  is  said  to  the  faithful  also  ;  Father,  or  Our 
 Father,"  hy  the  faithful;  see  John  xx.  17. — h  rw  xp^tttm,  in 
 secret)  He  is  Himself  in  secret,  and  performs  His  works  in  secret, 
 and  approves  most  those  things  which  are  done  in  secret.  The 
 whole  essential  being  of  things,  has  its  existence  in  secret. — 
 a-TToduffsi,  shall  reward)  This  word,  without  the  addition  of  Avrog 
 (Himself),  expresses  a  reward  awarded  by  God  and  not  man. 
 This  reward  is  sure  :  see  ver.  1.  The  Aurog  (Himself),  appears 
 to  have  been  inserted  here,  and  the  sv  ru>  (pavspQj  (openly)  in 
 ver.  4,  6,  18,  from  a  fear  that  the  words  might  have  otherwise 
 been  rendered,  "  Thy  Father,  who  seeth  that,  shall  reward  thee 
 in  secret."^ 
 
 5.  ^tXoZsiv,  x.r.X.,  they  love,  etc.)  and,  therefore,  make  a  prac- 
 tice of  doing  so. — h  raTg  ymiaig,  in  the  corners)  sc.  where  the 
 streets  meet. — idrung,  standing)  in  order  that  they  may  be  the 
 more  conspicuous. 
 
 6.  El/  ru)  x.pu'Trrui,  ill  secret)  God  both  is,  and  sees,  in  secret. 
 
 7.  Mri  ^arroXoyrisriTs,  use  not  vain  repetitions)  Gattakerhas  col- 
 lected from  antiquity  many  persons  called  Battus,  celebrated  for 
 their  stammering,  and  thence  for  their  frequent  repetition  of  the 
 same  word  (tautologia),  and  deriving  their  name  from  that  cir- 
 cumstance. Hesychius'^  renders  (SarroXoyia  by  dpyoXoyia  (idle 
 talking),  dxaipoXoyia  (unseasonable  talking)  :  he  says,  " (Sarrapl^irj 
 appears  to  me  to  be  derived  from  an  imitation  of  the  voice,"  etc., 
 and  he  explains  ^arrapia/u^oi  by  (pXuapiai.*     It  is  clear,  therefore, 
 
 ^  In  the  original,  "  Pii  lucent  sed  latent." — (I.  B.) 
 
 -  Rec.  Text  has  ccvTOi  with  D.  But  BLZaic  Vulg.  Memph.  Versions,  and 
 Cyprian  omit  it.  So  also  lu  ru  (pxvspu  added  in  Rec.  Text  with  abc,  is 
 omitted  in  BDZ  Vulg.  Memph.  Versions. — Ed. 
 
 *  Hesychius.  There  were  several  distinguished  men  of  this  name.  The 
 individual  here  intended  was  a  celebrated  grammarian  and  lexicographer  of 
 Alexandria,  who  lived  somewhere  about  the  fourth  century. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  fixTToipta/ico;  signified  either  originally  stuttering,  or  derivatively  idle 
 prating  :  (pKvxpt'x,  sillj/  talk,  nonsense,  foolerj/.  It  is  used  also  in  the  plural. 
 The  kindred  adjective  (pAvctpot  is  rendered  tattlers  in  1  Tim.  v.  13,  and  the 
 cognate  participle  (pjwxpuv,  prating  in  3  John  10  by  the  Eng.  Ver.— (I.  B.i 
 
188  ST  MATTHEW  VI.  8,  9. 
 
 that  (SarroXoytTv  means  the  same  here  which  coXvy-oyia  (much 
 speaking)  does  immediately  afterwards,  sc.  when  the  same  things 
 are  repeated  over  and  over  again,  as  is  the  case  with  stammerers, 
 who  endeavour  to  correct  their  first  utterance  by  a  second. — 
 wfTTsp  0/  sSvi-Koi,  as  the  heathen  do)  In  all  things  the  practice  of 
 hypocrites  is  to  be  avoided,  in  prayer  that  also  of  the  heathen. — 
 sv  771  iToXv^oyicf.  aurwv,  in  their  much  speahing)  i.e.  whilst  they  say 
 many  words.  They  think  that  many  words  are  required  to  in- 
 form their  deities  what  they  want  of  them,  so  that  they  may  hear 
 and  grant  their  requests,  if  not  at  the  present,  at  some  future 
 time.  Cf.  on  the  other  hand,  "  your  Father  knoweth,"  etc., 
 ver.  8.  The  same  word,  irokuKoyia,  (much  speaking)  occurs  in  the 
 S.  V.  of  Proverbs  x.  19.  Ammonius^  says,  [laxpoKoyog  is  one 
 who  utters  many  words  concerning  few  things,  iroh.v'Koyog,  one  who 
 utters  many  xvords  concerning  many  things.  Christ  commands 
 us  to  uHqv  few  loords,  even  when  praying  for  inany  things;  see 
 ver.  9—13. — iJaaxova'^riaovrai,  shall  be  regarded.  The  Hebrew 
 njy,  to  ansiver,  is  rendered  by  the  LXX.  iiaaxovuv.  God  answers 
 substantially;^  see  ch.  vii.  7. 
 
 8.  Uph  x.T.X.,  before,  etc.)  We  pray,  therefore,  not  with  the 
 view  of  instructing,  but  of  adoring,  the  Father. 
 
 9.  OuTug,  thus)  i.e.  in  these  words,  with  this  meaning;  sc. 
 with  a  short  invocation  of  the  Father,  and  a  short  enumeration 
 of  the  things  which  we  require.  To  have  truly  prayed  thus,  is 
 sufficient,  especially  in  meaning,  one  portion  being  employed  at 
 one  time,  another  at  another,  to  express  our  desires ;  and  thus 
 also  in  words.  For  this  formula  is  given  in  opposition  to  much 
 speaking,  has  words  best  suited  to  the  things  which  they  express, 
 a  most  perfect  arrangement,  and  a  fulness  combined  with 
 brevity,  which  is  most  admirable ;  so  that  the  whole  discourse 
 may  be  said  to  be  contained  in  it.  The  matter  of  this  prayer  is 
 the  basis  of  the  whole  of  the  first  epistle  of  St  Peter ;  see  Gnomon 
 on  1  Peter  i.  3. — Ud-Tip,  Father.  An  appellation  by  which  God 
 is  never  addressed  in  the  Old  Testament :  for  the  examples  which 
 
 '  Ammonius  the  f;ramniarian  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  author  of 
 the  Ammonian  Sections.  He  was  a  native  of  Alexandria,  and  flourished  in 
 the  fourth  century.  The  work  here  alluded  to  is  his  treatise  De  differentia 
 dictionum. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  In  the  original  "  Deus  respondit  solide." — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VI.  9.  18» 
 
 Lightfoot  has  adduced,  are  either  dissimilar  or  modern,  and 
 prove  no  more  than  that  the  Jews  spoke  of  God  as  their  Father 
 in  Heaven,  a  formula  to  which  Christ  now  gives  life.  The  glory 
 of  the  faithful  in  the  New  Testament  is  thus  to  pray.  In  this 
 place  is  laid  the  foundation  of  praying  in  the  name  of  Christ : 
 see  John  xvi.  23.  He  who  is  permitted  to  address  God  as  his 
 Father,  may  ask  all  things  from  Him  in  prayer. — ^^^awv,  our)  The 
 children  of  God  individually  pray  for  all  His  children  collectively: 
 but  even  their  prayers  are,  by  this  little  word  our,  declared  to  be 
 more  acceptable  when  offered  in  common  :  see  ch.  xviii.  19. — 
 6  =1/  7o7g  o-jpavoTg,  which  art  in  the  Heavens)  i.e.  Maxime  et  optime^ 
 (Almighty,  and  All-good) ;  see  ch.  vil.  11.  Shortly  afterwards  we 
 find  in  ver.  10. — h  ohpavSj,  in  Heaven ;  nor  is  it  without  cause 
 that  the  number^  (which  is  elsewhere  frequently  used  promiscu- 
 ously, as  in  ch.  xxii.  30,  and  xxiv.  36),  varies  in  so  short  a  passage 
 as  the  present :  ovpavhg  (in  the  singular  number),  signifies  here 
 that  place,  in  which  the  will  of  the  Father  is  performed  by  all, 
 who  wait  upon  Him ;  o-lipavoi  (in  the  plural)  signifies  the  whole 
 Heavens  which  surround  and  contain  that  one  as  it  were  lower 
 and  smaller  Heaven  :  cf.  note  on  Luke  ii.  14. — ayiaaQriru,  hal- 
 lowed he)  The  petitions  are  seven  in  number  and  may  be  sepa- 
 rated into  two  divisions,  the  former  containing  three  petitions 
 which  relate  to  the  Father,  "  Thy  Name,  Thy  Kingdom,  Thy 
 Will,"  the  latter  containing  four  which  concern  ourselves.  In 
 the  former  we  declare  our  filial  affection  subscribing  to  the  right, 
 the  dignity,  and  the  good  pleasure  of  God,  after  the  manner  of 
 the  angelic  chorus  in  Luke  ii.  14  :  but  in  the  latter  we  both  sow 
 and  reap.  In  both  divisions  is  expressed  the  struggle  of  the  sons 
 of  God  from  Earth  to  Heaven,  by  which  they  as  it  were  draw 
 do^vn  Heaven  to  Earth.  The  object  of  the  first  petition  is  the 
 sanctification  of  our  Divine  Father's  Name.  God  is  holy :  i.e. 
 He  is  God.  He  is  sanctified  therefore,  when  He  is  acknow- 
 ledged and  worshipped  and  celebrated  as  He  really  is.  The  mood^ 
 
 ^  The  mode  in  which  the  ancients  addressed  the  Supreme  God. — (I.  B.) 
 *  i.e.  ovpotvo;  Heaven  in  the  singular — ovpocvol  heavens  in  the  plural. — 
 (I.  B.) 
 
 3  i.e.  all  the  three  verbs  are  in  the  same  mood,  the  Imperative,  and  have 
 the  same  precatori/  force.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  remind  the  general 
 •■eader  that  the  Imperative  Mood  tntreats  as  well  as  commands. —  (I.  B.) 
 
190  ST  MATTHEW  VI.  10,  11. 
 
 in  aytaG^r^TOi  (Ji allowed  be),  has  the  same  force  as  in  l>3£rw,  coine 
 and  y^vyi^rjTu  (be  done):  it  is,  therefore,  a  prayer  and  not  an  ex- 
 press doxology. 
 
 10.  'EXSsrw — ysvi^^TiTu  x.r.X.,  come — be  done,  etc.)  TertulUan 
 has  transposed  these  two  petitions  for  the  sake  of  his  plan.  For 
 ni  his  book  on  prayer,  after  he  has  treated  of  the  petition,  "  Bal- 
 lowed  be  Thy  name,'''  he  says,  "  according  to  this  form,  we 
 add,  '  Thy  will  be  done  in  the  heavens  and  on  the  earth.''"  And 
 he  then  refers  the  coming  of  God's  kingdom  to  the  end  of  the 
 Avorld. — 7}  ^aeiXsla  Sou,  Thy  kingdom)  See  Gnomon  on  ch.  iv.  17, 
 and  Rev.  xi.  15,  17.  The  sanctification  of  God's  name  is  as  it 
 ■were  derived  fi'om  the  Old  Testament  into  the  New,  to  be  con- 
 tinued and  increased  by  us ;  but  the  coming  of  God's  kingdom 
 is  in  some  sort  peculiar  to  the  New  Testament.  Thus  with 
 these  two  petitions  respectively,  Cf.  Rev.  iv.  8,  and  v.  10. — rh 
 '.YiXr,iJ.a  Sou,  Thy  will)  Jesus  always  kept  His  Father's  will  before 
 His  eyes,  for  His  own  performance  and  for  ours.  See  ch.  vii.  21, 
 xii.  50. — uc,  x.r.X,  as,  etc.)  "  It  will  be  the  part  of  the  pastor  to 
 admonish  the  faithful,  that  these  words,  '  as  in  heaven  so  on 
 earth,'  may  be  referred  to  each  of  the  (three)  first  petitions  as, 
 '  Hallowed  be  Thy  name,  as  in  heaven  so  on  earth,'  also,  '  Thy 
 kingdom  come  as  in  heaven  so  on  earth,'  in  like  manner,  '  Thy 
 will  be  done  as  in  heaven  so  on  earth.'" — Roman  Catechism.^ 
 The  codices  however  which  in  Luke  xi.  2  omit  the  words, 
 "  Thy  will  be  done,"  omit  also  the  words,  "  As  in  heaven  so  on 
 earth." — sv  ovpavip,  in  heavoi)  We  do  not  ask  that  these  things 
 may  be  done  in  heaven  :  but  heaven  is  proposed  as  the  normal 
 standard  to  earth — earth  in  which  all  things  are  done  in  dift'e- 
 rent  ways.^ 
 
 11.  Thv  cipTov,  the  bread)  sc.  nourishment  of  the  body;  see 
 ver.  19,  etc.,  25,  etc.,  from  which  it  is  evident  that  the  disciples 
 were  not  yet  raised  above  the  cares  of  this  life.     This  short 
 
 ^  sc.  that,  issued  Tinder  the  sanction  of  the  Council  of  Trent. — (I.  B.) 
 *  In  the  original  "in  qua  ahter  alia  fiunt  omnia." — Lit.:  "in  which  all 
 things  are  done,  someone  way,  some  another." — i.e.  The  unvarying  unifor- 
 mity of  Heaven,  Avhich  conforms  itself  undeviatingly  to  the  Divine  Will, 
 should  be  the  standard  by  which  to  correct  the  multiform  variety  of  Earth, 
 the  infinite  diversities  of  which  are  none  of  them  in  strict  accordance  with 
 that  Will.— (L  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VI.  11.  191 
 
 petition  is  opposed  to  the  much  speaking  of  the  heathen,  men- 
 tioned in  ver.  7,  which  principally  referred  to  the  same  object  ;^ 
 and  it  is  placed  first  amongst  those  petitions  which  refer  to  our- 
 selves, because  the  natural  life  is  prior  to  the  spiritual.  Every 
 want  of  ours  is  cared  for  in  this  prayer. — ri[j.ojv,  of  or  heloiigimj 
 to  us)  our,  sc.  earthly.  But  the  spiritual  bread  is  the  bread  of 
 God,  i.e.  that  which  is  [given]  by  God,  and  [cometh  forth]  from 
 God. — s'xio-jsiov,  daily)  This  adjective  is  derived  a.'Tro  tyu  sirio'jsr,;, 
 from  the  folloioing  day,  and  is  composed  of  st;  and  loZea.'^  For 
 from  s/'/x/,  to  he  (from  which  also  comes  'mpio-jcio;)  or  from  ohsla, 
 essence  or  pj'ivate  iwoperty,  would  be  composed,  i'-c-jirio:,  in  the 
 same  manner  as  iToupdvioc,  etc.  :  since  although  s-rri  does  not 
 always  lose  the  /  in  composition  before  a  vowel,  it  does  lose  it  in 
 i'TTSffriv,  as  also  in  s'tsi/mi  from  which  this  adjective  must  be  ori- 
 ginally derived  according  to  this  hypothesis.  Our  heavenly 
 Father  gives  each  day  what  is  needed  each  day.  Nor  is  it  — 
 necessary  that  He  should  give  it  before.  This  His  paternal 
 and  providential  distribution  suggests  the  expression  s-~io{jeioc, 
 for  the  coming  day.  The  continuance,  therefore,  of  our  indi- 
 gence, and  of  God's  fatherly  beneficence  as  from  year  to  year, 
 so  from  day  to  day,  is  denoted  by  this  phrase.  Cf.  2  Kings 
 XXV.  30. — Xoyov  Tj/Mspag  h  'hiJ^ipci,  aurou,  the  proportion  for  the  day 
 on  its  day.  Cf.  Acts  vi.  1,  diaxovia  xadri/Mf.prjrj,  daily  ministration. 
 The  bread,  as  a  whole,  is  appointed  us  for  all  our  days ;  but  the 
 "  giving"  of  it  is  distributed  through  the  several  days  of  our  life, 
 so  as  to  take  place  each  day.  Both  these  ideas  are  expressed 
 by  the  word  k'xiohetoi.  What  was  necessary  for  the  support  of 
 my  life  on  any  particular  day,  needed  not  to  be  given  me  on  the 
 day  before  that,  but  on  that  very  day ;  and  what  was  necessary 
 on  the  following  day,  was  given  soon  enough  on  that  day,  and 
 so  on.  The  sense  therefore  of  sTioUiog  extends  more  Avidely 
 with  regard  both  to  the  past  and  the  future,  than  that  of  "  cras- 
 tinus,"  to-morrow's. — 67i>Mspov,  to-day)  In  Luke  xi.  3,  we  find  rh 
 \%§  rjfiepav,  day  by  day.  Day  by  day  we  say  and  pray,  "  to- 
 day." Our  confidence  and  contentedness  {a-jrdpxna)^  are 
 thus   expressed.      Thus    in    James   ii.    15,   we   have   itpri/Mspog 
 
 ^  viz.  the  cares  of  this  life. — Ed. 
 
 '  The  feminine  of  iuu^  the  participle  present  of  eT/^tt  to  go. — (I.  B.) 
 
 »  See  p.  150  and  f.n.  3.— (I.  B.) 
 
192  ST  MATTHEW  VI.  12,  13. 
 
 rpo(pri,  daily  food.     Cf.  also  Prov.  xxx.  8.     Tims  was  manna 
 given. 
 
 12.  Kai,  and)  The  three  remaining  petitions  regard  the  com- 
 mencement, progress  and  conclusion  of  our  spiritual  life  in  this 
 world ;  and  those  who  utter  them  confess,  not  only  their  own 
 need,  but  also  their  guilt,  their  peril,  and  their  difficulties. 
 ^\lien  these  have  been  removed,  God  is  all  in  all  to  them,  by 
 virtue  of  the  three  first  petitions. — o(piii.riij.ara,  debts)  In  ver.  14 
 we  find  'japa'TTTC/'j/j^ara^  lapses.  In  Luke  xi.  4,  we  have  cc/Maprlag, 
 sins.  Cf.  Matt,  xviii.  24.^ — wc,  as)  Before  it  was  "  as  in  heaven, 
 SO  on  earth"  now  it  is  "  SO  in  lieaven  AS  on  earth." 
 
 13.  Mj5  si  Sim  iy  7171  g  hiJ'S.g,  Lead  US  not  into)  Temptation  is  always 
 in  the  way :  wherefore  we  pray,  not  that  it  may  not  exist,  but 
 that  it  may  not  touch  or  overpower  us. — See  ch.  xxvi.  41 ;  1  Cor. 
 X.  13. — dXka,  hut)  The  sixth  and  seventh  petitions  are  so  closely 
 connected  that  they  are  considered  by  many  as  forming  only  one. 
 — pZsai,  deliver)  See  2  Tim.  iv.  18. — a.'zh  roZ  Trovr^poZ,  from  the  evil 
 one)  i.e.,  from  Satan. — See  ch.  xiii.  19.  38. 
 
 "Or/  cou  sffTiv  7}  ^aaiXiia  '/.at  i)  dvva/jui;  -/.ai  ij  5&^a  iig  rovg  a/uvag. 
 'A/j^rjv,  For  thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  for 
 ever  and  ever.  Amen)  This  is  the  scope  of  the  Lord's  Prayer, 
 that  we  may  be  taught  to  pray  in  feio  words  (ver.  8),  for  the 
 things  which  Ave  require  ;  and  the  prayer  itself,  even  without  the 
 doxology,  involves  the  praise  of  God  in  all  its  fulness  (summam 
 laudis  Divinae  imbibit).  For  our  Heavenly  Father  is  sanctified 
 and  glorified  by  us,  when  He  is  invoked  as  our  Heavenly  Father, 
 when  things  of  such  magnitude  are  asked  of  Him  alone,  when 
 to  Him  alone  all  things  are  referred.  We  celebrate  Him,  how- 
 ever, in  such  a  manner  as  should  content  those  who  are  fishtine 
 the  fight  of  their  salvation  in  a  foreign  land.  When  the  whole 
 number  of  the  so]is  of  God  shall  have  reached  their  goal,  a  simple 
 (mera)  doxology  will  arise  in  Heaven,  Hallowed  he  the  name  of 
 our  God.  His  kingdom  has  come  :  His  loill  has  heen  done.  He 
 has  forgiven  us  our  sins  :  He  has  hrought  temptation  to  an  end : 
 He  has  delivered  us  from  the  evil  one.     His  is  the  Jdngdoni,  and 
 
 '  We  ought  not  merely  in  general  to  pray  for  deliverance  from  guilt  con- 
 tracted by  our  sins ;  but  whoever  offends  God  in  this  or  any  other  peculiar 
 manner,  is  bound  also  specially  to  acknowledge  and  pray  for  deliverance  from 
 such  offences,  and  so  to  give  liim  the  honour  due  to  llim. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VI.  13.  198 
 
 the  power,  and  the  glory,  for  ever  and  ever.  Amen.  A  prayer 
 was  more  suitable  than  a  hymn,  especially  at  the  time  in  which 
 our  Lord  prescribed  this  form  to  His  disciples.  Jesus  was  not 
 yet  glorified  :  the  disciples  as  yet  scarcely  comprehended  the  full 
 extent  of  these  petitions,  much  less  the  amount  of  thanksgiving 
 corresponding  thereto.  In  fine,  no  one  denies  that  the  spirit  of 
 the  whole  clause  is  pious  and  holy,  and  conformable  to  the  doxo- 
 logies  which  frequently  occur  in  Scripture :  but  the  question  is 
 whether  the  Lord  prescribed  it  in  this  place  in  these  words. 
 Faithful  criticism  regards  little,  in  doubtful  passages,  what  may 
 happen  to  be  the  reading  of  the  majority  of  Greek  MSS.  now 
 extant,  which  are  more  modern  and  less  numerous  than  is  gene- 
 rally supposed :  the  question  under  consideration  is  rather, 
 what  was  the  reading  of  the  Greek  MSS.  of  the  first  ages,  and 
 therefore  of  the  spring  itself,  i.e.  the  first  hand.^  The  Latin 
 Vulgate,  which  is  certainly  without  this  clause,  stands,  and  will 
 continue  to  stand,  nearest  in  antiquity  to  the  spring :  but  the 
 force  of  its  testimony  is  not  appreciated  till  after  long  experience. 
 In  this  passage,  however,  Greek  witnesses,  few  indeed,  but  those 
 of  high  authority,  support  the  reading  of  the  Vulgate.  I  wish 
 what  I  have  said  on  this  subject  in  my  Apparatus^  to  be  carefully 
 considered.^     Nothing  has  occurred  since  I  published  that  work 
 
 1  BDZo5c  Vulg.  Memph.  Origen,  Cypr.  (who  adds  "  Amen  ")  omit  the 
 doxology.  Orig.  Nyssen,  Cyril,  Maximus  all  omit  it  in  giving  expressly  an 
 explanation  of  the  prayer.  So  all  the  Latin  Fathers.  It  rather  too  widely 
 separates  ver.  12  and  14,  which  are  connected  together.  Moreover  Jesus 
 was  not  yet  glorified  when  He  gave  the  prayer :  it  therefore  was  hardly 
 then  appropriate.  It  was  probahly  added  after  the  kingdom  had  been 
 foimded  by  the  Holy  Ghost  on  Pentecost.  Ambrose  de  Sacram.  vi.  5  im- 
 plies that  the  doxology  was  recited  by  the  priest  alone,  as  a  response 
 {iTT i(pai/yifc»)  after  the  people  had  repeated  the  Lord's  prayer.  Alford,  from 
 2  Tim.  iv.  18  where  similarly  ^j/o-sra/  cctto  Trovnpov  is  followed  by  the  doxology, 
 argues  that  some  such  way  of  ending  the  prayer  existed  at  that  time. — Ed. 
 
 2  He  has  devoted  more  than  eight  pages  to  the  subject :  See  App.  Crit.  pp. 
 101-109.— (L  B.) 
 
 3  E.B.  and  those  who  have  adopted  his  text,  add  here  "especially  §  x.  on 
 this  passage."    It  runs  thus  : — 
 
 De  tota  re,  lector  judicet. 
 
 Prsetermisit  clausulara  Lutherus,  in  Agendis  Baptismi,  eisque  renovatis  ; 
 in  Tract,  de  Decalogo,  symbolo  Apost.  et  oratione  Dominica ;  in  Catechismo 
 utroque,  et  Hymno  :  ubi  etiam  Amen  cum  Hieronymo  ad  rogationes  refert 
 
 VOL  I  I^ 
 
1&4  ST  MATTHEW  VI.  13. 
 
 to  weaken  the  arguments  which  I  there  brought  together  on  this 
 point,  whereas  something  has  occm'red  to  confirm  them  very 
 greatly:  I  allude  to  a  passage  in  Enthymius,  who  flourished  at 
 the  beginning  of  the  twelfth  century.  For  when  inveighing 
 against  the  Bogomili^  for  not  using  this  clause,  he  does  so  only 
 on  the  ground  that  it  was  an  addition  of  the  Fathers,  calling  it 
 TO  "Trapa  roov  Dilojv  <puGr'/jpuv  '/.at  rr^g  sx.-/,Xr}ffiag  za^riy/jTuv  'TrpoanCh  dy.po- 
 TiXivTiov  £cr/pwv>jjaa.  The  choral  conclusion  added  by  those  who  were 
 the  divine  illuminators  and  guides  of  the  Church.  La  Croze,^ 
 relying  on  this  testimony,  clearly  prefers  in  this  passage  the 
 Latin  to  the  Syriac  version ;  see  his  Histoire  du  Christianisme 
 des  Indes,  p.  313.  One  thing  ought  to  be  considered  again  and 
 again  :  the  more  that  any  one  diminishes  the  authority  of  the 
 Vulgate  on  this  passage,  so  much  the  more  does  he  injure  his 
 own  cause  if  he  maintains  the  genuineness  of  that  most  import- 
 ant passage  in  1  John  v.  7  :  for  it  at  present  rests  solely  on  the 
 
 lion  ad  clausulani,  quanquara  in  Homil.  ad.  capp.  v.  vi.  vii.  Matth.  earn 
 tractat.  Appendicem  earn  esse  persuadent  nobis  rationes  §  ix.  collectae ;  quan- 
 quam  margo  noster  in  suspense  rem  reliquit,  dum  rationes  fuissent  expositae  : 
 et  plane  pro  appendice  habet  Brentius;  Hunnius  vel  pro  appendice  vel  pro 
 epilogo,  ciijus  moderationem  recte  sequentur,  qui  nil  certi  secuni  hie  possunt 
 constituere.  Liberum  saltern  est  privatim  vel  Matthaji  receptani,  vel  Lucte 
 lectionem  in  orando  scqui :  quin  etiam  publice,  in  choro  coenobiorum  Wir- 
 tembergicorum,  et  alibi  hodienum  prajtermitti  solita  est  clausula.  Cavenduni 
 vero,  ne  idiotaj  intempestivis  de  hac  clausula  sermonibus  perturbentur.  Hac 
 quoque  in  re  et  veritati  et  paci  inserviendum  est.  "  Sincera  crisis,"  etc.,  as 
 in  the  Gnomon  Ed.  mdcclix,  which  is  followed  in  this  translation. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  The  BoGOMiLES  were  a  sect  of  heretics  which  arose  about  the  year 
 1079.  Their  founder  was  Basilius,  a  monk,  who  was  burnt  at  Constantinople 
 in  the  reign  of  Alexius  Comnenus.  He  maintained  that  the  world  and  all 
 animal  bodies  were  formed,  not  by  the  Deity,  but  by  an  evil  demon  who  had 
 been  cast  down  from  heaven  by  the  Supreme  Being.  Hence  that  the  body 
 was  only  the  prison  of  the  soul,  and  was  to  be  enervated  by  fasting,  contem- 
 plation, etc.,  that  the  soul  might  be  gradually  restored  to  its  primitive 
 liberty.  Marriage  therefore  was  to  be  avoided.  Basilius  also  denied  the 
 reality  of  Christ's  body,  which  he  considered  to  be  only  a  phantom,  rejected 
 the  law  of  Moses,  and  maintained  that  the  body  on  its  separation  by  death 
 returned  to  the  malignant  mass  of  matter,  without  possibility  of  a  future  re- 
 surrection to  life  and  felicity. — See  Moshe'un. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  Mathurin  Veyssiere  de  la  Croze,  a  di.stinguislied  Oriental  scholar, 
 born  at  Nantes  in  ICGl.  In  the  course  of  his  life  he  abjured  Romanism,  and 
 died  at  Berlin  in  1739.— (I.  li.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VT.  14-21.  196 
 
 single  testimony  of  the  Latin  Interpreter,   and  rests  upon  it 
 firmly. 
 
 14.  Tap,  for)  referring  to  the  twelfth  verse.  See  of  how  much 
 account  it  is  to  forgive  our  neighbour.  Of  the  seven  petitions, 
 one  alone,  the  fifth,  has  a  certain  condition  or  restriction,  as  we 
 also ;  the  reason  of  this  is,  therefore,  added  in  the  present  verse. 
 
 15.  Ta  rrapa'xrdJ/Mara  ahrojv,  their  trespasses)  The  cojDies  which 
 omit  these  words,  elegantly  intimate  that  the  sins  of  men  against 
 us,  if  compared  with  our  sins  against  the  Father,  will  vanish 
 away.  Some  Latin  writers  omit  also  the  words  roTg  avdpdoiroic, 
 men. 
 
 16.  "Oral/  rjjffrrjjjrs,  wlien  ye  fast)  Fasting  also  ought  to  be  of 
 great  account  with  us ;  it  is  not  a  part  of  the  ceremonial  law. — 
 a(paviZ^ov(Si,  they  disfigure)  By  neglecting  the  daily  attention  to 
 the  person  of  washing  and  anointing.     An  exquisite  oxymoron, 
 
 17.  " AXii-^ai — v'l-^at,  anoint — ivash)  Both  verbs  are  in  the 
 middle  voice  ;  [the  meaning  therefore  is]  anoint  and  wash  alone 
 (solus  unge  et  lava).  It  was  customary  for  the  Jews  to  be 
 anointed  on  feast  days.^ 
 
 18.  Tw  Uarpt,  to  thy  Father)  sc.  thou  mayest  be  known. 
 
 19. "  OmVfWhere)  i.e.  on  earth.  This  has  a  causative  force,^  being 
 equivalent  to  because  there. '^ — ^pojais,  corrosion)  This  word,  in 
 opposition  to  moth,  expresses  rust,  and  every  evil  quality  by 
 which  anything  can  become  useless. —  xai  xXsirrouffi,  and  thus 
 steal. 
 
 21.  QnsoLvpog  ufjbuv — xapdia  v/muv,^  your  tt'easure — your  heart) 
 Others  read  6rjffavp6c  cdv — xaphia.  aou,  thy  treasure- — thy  heart.^ 
 The  objects  which  are  mentioned  in  ver.  22,  23  (consequentia) 
 
 1  i.e.  a  play  upon  these  words,  dcpxvt^a  being  the  privative  transitive 
 formed  from  (poivZ),  to  appear. — (I.  B.) 
 
 -  The  sense  is,  Abstain  from  all  rather  severe  exercises. — V.  g. 
 
 '  Aetiology.     See  Appendix. ^ — Ed. 
 
 *  Such  is  the  principle  of  the  life  of  not  a  few  men,  that  they  seem  to  exist 
 in  the  world  only  for  the  purpose  of  amassing  an  abundance  of  earthly  pos- 
 sessions.— V.  g. 
 
 The  particle  11  in  ver.  20  indicates  that  both  cannot  at  the  same  time 
 stand  together. — V.  g. 
 
 »  Thus  E.  M.— (I.  B.) 
 Qnaetvpoi  sov — Kuplix  aov  is  the  reading  of  Babe  Vulg.  Memph.  Theb. 
 
19a  ST  MATTHEW  VI.  22,  23. 
 
 are  in  the  singular,  those  which  are  mentioned  in  ver.  19,  20 
 (antecedentia),  with  which  this  verse  is  connected,  are  in  the 
 plural  number.  The  plural  therefore  must  stand  in  this  verse. 
 The  singular,  "  thesaurus  tuus"  "  thy  treasure^'  easily  crept  into 
 the  Latin  Vulgate,  and  was  convenient  to  the  Greeks  for  ascetic 
 discourses.  The  treasure  which  YOU  collect  is  called  in  Lulce 
 xii.  34  6  ^riGaupo;  v/mujv,  YOUR  treasure. — icrai,  xoill  he)  sc.  in 
 heaven  or  in  earth  respectively. 
 
 22.  'o  ofOaXixdc,  the  eye)  This  is  the  subject  of  the  proposition.^ 
 — lav  GUI',  if  therefore)  The  particle  oh  {therefore)  agrees  exactly 
 ■with  the  scope  of  the  passage,  and  has  been  easily  left  out  by 
 some  who  have  understood  it,  though  they  omitted  it.^  We  will 
 not  linger  on  such  matters. — acrXoL/g,  single,  simple)  The  word 
 simplicity  never  occurs  in  the  sacred  writings  in  a  bad  sense. 
 a-ir'KoZg  signifies  here  simple  and  good,  singly  intent  on  heaven, 
 on  God.  Here  is  an  antithesis  between  dTXoi/c,  single,  in  this 
 verse,  and  huai,  two,  in  ver.  24.  That  which  is  propounded 
 figuratively  in  ver.  22,  23,  is  declared  in  plain  words  in  the  fol- 
 lowing verses. — (purimv,  full  of  light)  As  if  it  were  all  eye. 
 
 23.  Uovnpog,  evil)  sc.  shifting,  double,  inconsistent,  imbued 
 with  self-love. — ro  fug,  the  light)  which  the  lamp  should  give. — 
 TO  (SKorog,  the  darkness)  How  great  darkness  must  be  the  darkness 
 of  the  whole  body !  ^ — 'xdaov,  hoio  great)  As  great  as  the  body. 
 
 Cypr.  '239,  303.  The  change  to  Sing,  from  Plur.  ver.  20,  is  perhaps  to  im- 
 ply that  the  heart  of  each  individually  is  to  be  given  to  God. — El). 
 
 Such  is  the  reading  supported  by  Bengel  in  his  German  Version,  where 
 he  writes,  "  Denn  wo  dein  Schatz  ist,  da  wird  auch  dcin  Her::  scyn."  "For 
 where  Thy  treasure  is,  there  will  Thy  heart  be  also."  He  explains  dein 
 Schatz  (thy  treasure)  by  "  Thy  possession  (dt,in  Gut),  on  which  thy  Anxiety 
 is  set  night  and  day."  In  his  App.  Grit  he  supports  the  reading  of  the  Re- 
 ceived Text,  and  speaks  of  aou  as  having  crept  in  from  the  next  verse. — 
 (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Not  as  in  E.  V.  "  Tiik  TiiGur  of  the  ho'li/  is  (he  eye"  but  "  The  Eye  is 
 tTie  light  of  the  >todi/.''—i^D. 
 
 -  i.e.  Those  who  omitted  the  word  actually  when  copying  in  the  text  must 
 have  supplied  it  mentally  when  reading  it. — (I.  B.) 
 
 Ovv  is  the  reading  oi  \l;b  has  enim  ;  ac  Hil.  520  omit  it. — Ed. 
 
 3  In  tlie  original  the  passage  runs  thus — 
 
 '■'■  Tencbroi  totius  corporis,  quanl;u  erunt  tenebnT}!"  and  then  proceeds, 
 "  Singularis  ^c?it'6ra,  veteribus  non  ignotus,  a  niultis  Theologis  in  loco  ad- 
 hjbitus,  sajpius  couveuiret  simplicitati  hcrmencu'.ic;i.\" — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VI.  24,  25.  197 
 
 24.  Kuploic,  masters)  Gocl  and  Mammon  in  sooth  act  as  master 
 to  tlieir  servants,  but  in  different  ways. — dovXiUiVy  to  serve)  i.e} 
 to  he  a  servant  of. — ?;  yap,  for  either)  Each  part  of  this  disjunc- 
 tive sentence  has  xa/  (and)  with  a  consecutive  force,  viz.  The 
 heart  of  man  cannot  be  so  free  as  not  to  serve  either  God  or  a 
 creature,  nor  can  it  serve  them  both  at  once  f  for  it  either  still 
 remains  in  enmity  with  God  or  it  takes  God's  part.  In  the  one 
 case,  then  (xai)  it  cannot  but  love  Mammon  ;  in  the  other,  then 
 (yiui)  it  cannot  but  despise  Mammon,  This  statement  may  be 
 inverted,  so  that  the  clause  referring  to  the  laudable  state  of 
 mind  may  precede  the  other.  Cf.  ver.  22,  23.  Attachment 
 and  a  desire  to  please  are  consequent  upon  either  servitude. 
 See  ver.  21. — ©sw  bouXsus/v,  to  serve  God)  Which  is  described  in 
 Luke  xii.  35,  36.^ — /j^a/^oiva,  Mammon)  Mammon  does  not  only 
 mean  affluence,  but  external  goods,  however  few.  See  ver.  25.* 
 Augustine^  tells  us,  that  both  in  Phoenician  and  Chaldee  mam- 
 mon  signifies  gain. 
 
 25.  M;^  ixipitj^vaTi,  take  no  care  for)  The  disciples  had  left  all 
 things  which  could  be  the  source  of  care  to  them. — rfi  -^vyji,  the 
 soul)  The  soul  is  supported  by  food  in  the  body,  which  itself 
 lives  on  food :  the  body  alone  is  covered  by  raiment. — xa/  r/ 
 T/'Tjrf,  and  zvhat  ye  drink)  This  has  been  easily  omitted  by 
 copyists,  or  is  easily  understood  (subauditur)  by  us.  The  31st 
 verse  requires  the  express  mention  of  drinking  rather  than  the 
 
 1  With  one's  full  powers. — V.  g. 
 
 2  Although  very  many  think  themselves  thoroughly  versed  in  this  art  of 
 combining  both. — V.  g. 
 
 3  The  servants  of  Mammon,  in  obedience  to  their  natural  instincts,  hate 
 Him,  who  alone  is  good. — V.  g. 
 
 *  Yea,  even  the  commonest  necessaries  of  life.  Comp.  ver.  32.  But  if 
 even  such  a  service  of  Mammon,  as  affects  the  mere  necessaries  of  life,  is  op- 
 posed to  the  service  of  God,  what  then  are  we  to  suppose  it  to  be  to  serve 
 God.  It  is  this :  to  be  borne  towards  Him  with  the  full  tide  of  love,  and  with 
 uninterrupted  regard. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  AuRELius  AuGUSTiNUS,  One  of  the  most  celebrated  fathers  of  the  Western 
 Church,  was  born  at  Tagasta,  in  Africa,  in  354.  His  mother  Monica  was  a 
 holy  Christian  woman  :  his  father  a  heathen,  in  which  religion  he  was  edu- 
 cated. His  early  career,  though  one  of  extreme  brilliancy,  was  disfigured 
 by  profligacy.  At  length,  however,  he  embraced  Christianity;  was  baptized 
 by  St  Ambrose,  Bishop  of  Milan,  in  387 ;  ordained  priest  in  391 ;  and  con- 
 secrated in  395  Bishop  of  Hippo,  where  he  died  in  430. — (I.  B.) 
 
198  ST  MATTHEW  VI.  26-30. 
 
 present,  for  in  it  the  careful  are  introduced  as  themselves  speak- 
 ing, whereas  in  the  present  verse  our  Lord  speaks  in  His  own 
 person/ — t)  •^'^x'^ — ''^  <ra}/ia,  tJie  soul — the  body)  Both  of  which 
 God  gave  and  cares  for.     See  the  latter  part  of  ver.  30.^ 
 
 26j  28.  ra  <!!iTiiva  toZ  ovpavcu — to,  xpha  rou  dypoiiy  the  fowls  of  the 
 air — the  lilies  of  the  field)  which  men  do  not  take  care  of,  often  in 
 fact  destroying  them  ;  as  for  example  the  ravens,  mentioned  in 
 Luke  xii.  24.^ 
 
 26.  Ohhi  cuvdyo-jGiv,  neither  do  they  collect)  as  for  example  by 
 piurchase,  for  the  future.^ — i//iwv,  your)  He  says  your,  not  their. — 
 fiaXXov,  more)  i.e.  you  more  excel  as  sons  of  God,  than  other 
 men  do,  or  than  you  who  indulge  in  such  care  (anxiety)  con- 
 sider. The  word  //jccXXovj  therefore,  is  not  redundant.  Li  this 
 verse,  the  argument  is  from  the  less  to  the  greater;  in  ver.  25, 
 from  the  greater  to  the  less. 
 
 27.  Tig — It,  v/j^uv,  which — of  you)  A  mode  of  speaking  frequent 
 with  Christ,  full  of  majesty,  and  yet  suited  for  popular  use. — 
 riXiKiav,  stature)  See  Gnomon  on  Luke  xii.  25,  26. — cr^%yi',  a 
 cubit)  So  as  to  become  of  gigantic  height. 
 
 28.  TLug  av^dvii,  how  th-ey  grow)  sc.  to  a  great  height. — oi 
 xoT/a,  they  toil  not)  Toil  is  remotely,  spinning  intimately  connected 
 with  procui'ing  raiment,  as  solving  and  reaping  are  with  food. 
 
 29.  Asyw,  I  say)  Christ  truly  knew  the  dress  of  Solomon. — 
 ug,  as)  sc.  is  clothed,  or  is. — h,  one)  any  one,  not  to  say  a  whole 
 garland.^ — toutuv,  of  these)  The  pronoun  is  used  demonstratively. 
 
 30.  Af,  but)  Used  epitatically.'^  Garments  are  objects  of 
 comeliness,  as  well  as  necessity.     The    mention    of  the    lilies 
 
 ^  ab  Vulg.  Hil.  Bas.  Epiph.  Jerome  (who  says,  however,  it  was  added  in 
 some  MSS.)  omit  jj  t/  -x-r/iTe.  But  BC,  Orig.  l,711c?Memph.  read  the  words. 
 Rec.  Text  has  k»1  instead  of  »j,  the  reading  of  the  oldest  authorities. — Ed. 
 
 *  There  is  nothing  so  small  and  insignificant,  which  His  omniscience 
 neglects,  ver.  32. — V.  g. 
 
 *  The  ant  (Prov,  vi.  6)  is  an  example,  which  we  may  apply  as  an  antidote 
 to  slothfulness  ;  the  hirds  of  heaven,  to  anxious  cares. — V.  g. 
 
 *  "  Into  barns :"  or  even  into  other  repositories  of  food,  as  we  may  see 
 instanced  in  other  animals — V.  g. 
 
 *  Kings  were  wont  to  wear  white  robes  ;  but  these  are  surpassed  by  the 
 whiteness  of  the  lilies. — V.  g. 
 
 *  See  Append,  on  Epitasis.  It  implies  some  word  or  words  added  to  « 
 previous  enunciation  to  give  augmented  force. — Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VI.  30.  199 
 
 with  the  verb  '^ipi^dXXssSai,  to  he  arrayed,  refers  to  the  former ; 
 that  of  grass  with  the  verb  a,/x,(phvvusdai,  to  be  clothed,  to  the 
 latter  notion. — yjtprt^v,  grass,  blade)  as  for  example  that  of 
 growing  wheat. — See  ch.  xiii.  26.  An  instance  of  Litotes} — 
 oriiMipov  ovTa,  which  to-day  is)  i.e.,  which  endures  for  a  very 
 short  time.^ — avpiov,  to-morrow)  After  a  short  interval,  the  grains 
 having  been  thrashed  out,  the  straw  serves  for  the  fire. — -/.XljSavov, 
 the  oven)  To  heat  it. — See  Lyranus.^  Pliny*  says,  "rinds 
 beaten  from  the  flax  are  useful  for  ovens  and  famaces." — B.  19, 
 ch.  1.  It  is  not  said,  into  the  fire,  as  in  John  xv.  6  (cf.  1  Cor. 
 iii.  12),  but  into  the  oven.  Not,  therefore,  for  the  sake  merely 
 of  being  burnt,  but  of  some  utility. — dfi(p  tvwm,  clothe,  dresseth) 
 The  dress  is  properly  that  without  which  the  body  is  naked  : 
 grass,  although  it  has  no  external  clothing,  yet,  because  it  is  not 
 naked,  but  is  covered  with  its  own  surface,  is  itself  its  own  dress, 
 especially  in  its  highest  and  flowering  part,  of  which  it  is  divested 
 when  it  dries  up. — toXXw  [moXKov,  much  more)  In  this  life  few 
 attain  to  the  adornment  of  Solomon,  not  to  mention  that  of  the 
 lilies  ;  our  Lord's  words,  therefore,  regard  the  certainty,  not  the 
 degree  of  adornment :  but  in  the  life  to  come  we  shall  be  more 
 adorned  than  the  lilies.  We  ought  not,  however,  altogether  to 
 reject  adornment  in  things,  however  perishable. — oX/j-GV/crro;,    0 
 
 ^  See  explanation  of  technical  terms  in  Appendix. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  E.  B.  quotes  here  C.  W.  Ludecke,  "  At  Pentecost  all  these  regions  are 
 clad  in  green  verdure ;  but  when  the  south  wind  suddenly  arises,  in  24 
 hours,  or  two  or  three  days  at  most,  there  is  nothing  that  does  not  become 
 white  and  blanched." 
 
 8  The  individual  thus  denominated  was  Nicolas  de  Lyre,  so  called  from 
 the  place  of  his  birth,  a  small  village  in  Normandy.  He  is  supposed  by  som* 
 to  have  been  of  Jewish  extraction  :  he  was  born  in  the  thirteenth  century : 
 he  assumed  the  habit  of  the  Franciscan  order  in  1291.  He  was  a  man  of 
 great  learning,  and  especially  versed  in  Hebrew  :  he  wrote  several  treatises 
 in  defence  of  Christianity  against  the  Jews,  and  a  series  of  Postills  or  small 
 commentaries  on  the  whole  of  the  Bible.  He  died  in  1340,  He  was  known 
 in  the  schools  by  the  surname  of  Doctor  utilis.  So  great  was  the  effect  of 
 his  labours,  that  it  gave  rise  to  the  proverb,  "  Si  Lyra  non  lyrasset,  Lutherus 
 non  saltasset,"  i.e.  "  If  Lyre  had  not  played  on  the  lyre,  Luther  would  not 
 have  danced." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Caius  PLmi0S  Secundus,  commonly  called  the  elder  Pliny,  born,  it  is 
 supposed,  at  Verona,  about  a.d.  23  ;  died  a.d.  79.  He  was  a  man  of  inde- 
 fatigable study,  and,  though  holding  high  oflBces  in  the  state,  published,  be- 
 sides other  works,  a  natural  history  in  thirty-seven  books. — (1.  B.) 
 
200  ST  MATTHEW  VI.  32,  33. 
 
 ye  of  little  faith)  "Want  of  faith  was  clearly  unknown  and  ab- 
 liorred  by  Christ ;  for  He  had  known  the  Father.  He  teaches 
 faith  in  this  passage.^ 
 
 32.  Ilavra  yap  raDra,  x.t.'k.,  for  all  these  things,  etc.)  and  no- 
 thing else. — ra  i&vri,  the  gentiles)  the  heathen  nations.  The  faith- 
 ful ought  to  be  free  from  the  cares,  not  only  of  the  covetous 
 among  the  heathen,  but  of  all  heathens ;  many,  however,  in  the 
 present  day  fall  short  of  the  heathen  in  this  matter.^ — imZrinT, 
 seek  after)  as  though  a  difficult  matter.  This  word  is  followed 
 by  the  simple  verb  l^r,Ti7Te,  seek  ye. — oldi  yap  6  rrarrjp  v/muv  6  o-jpd- 
 viog,  for  your  Heavenly  Father  knoweth)  An  argument  from  the 
 omniscience,  the  goodness,  and  the  omnipotence  of  God. — lij^uiv, 
 your)  sc.  who  is  your  Father  in  a  pre-eminent  degree  in  prefer 
 ence  to  the  heathen.^ 
 
 33.  ZriTitTs,  seek  ye)  the  kingdom  which  is  nigh  at  hand,  and 
 not  difficult  of  acquisition. — rrpurov,  frst)  He  who  seeks  that  first, 
 will  soon  seek  that  only. — BaaiXtiav,  kingdom. —  dixaioavvriv,  right- 
 eousness) Heavenly  meat  and  drink  are  opposed  to  earthly,  and 
 thus  also  raiment ;  and,  therefore,  St  Luke  in  his  twelfth  chapter 
 leaves  raiment  to  be  understood  at  ver.  29,  and  righteousness  at 
 ver.  31,  although  righteousness  also  filleth ;  see  ch.  v.  6.* — aCroD, 
 his)  sc.  righteousness. — See  the  note  on  Rom.  i.  17. — raZra, 
 these  things)  An  instance  of  Litotes,^ — rrpoanQriarai,  shall  he  added 
 unto)  These  things  are  a  'zpoe&rixn  or  appendage  of  the  life  and 
 body  (see  ver.  25);  and  still  more  so  of  the  kingdom  (see  Luke 
 xii.  32). 
 
 ^  This  is  the  only  mode  of  address,  which  Jesus  employed,  when  wishing 
 to  censure  the  disciples  :  chap.  viii.  26,  xiv.  31,  x\i.  8. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  In  the  original,  "  At  multi  hodie  non  earn,  quam  gentes,  habent  uvrxp- 
 Kiiecv"  Bengel  in  Gnomon  on  ch.  iv.  4  defines  uvToi.py,iia.  as  " Prcesent 
 a?imi  quies.^^     See  p.  150  and  f.n.  3. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  In  the  original  all  this  is  expressed  by  two  words,  " prce  etJinicis." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Sc.  "  Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after  kighteousness,  for 
 they  shall  be  filled."     See  also  Gnomon  in  loc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  The  word  used  in  the  original  is  rccTreii/coai;,  concerning  which  John 
 Albert  Burk  says,  in  his  Explanation  of  the  Technical  Terms  employed  in 
 the  Gnomon — 
 
 "LITOTES,    Meiutric,    Tamivutn;,    EXTENUATIO,   quse   siiiguloe  in 
 Gnomone  passim  allegantur,  vix  ac  ne  vix  quidem  differunt." 
 For  explanation  and  examples,  see  Appendix. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  YI.  34.-VI1.  1.  201 
 
 34.  'H  avpiov,  x.r.X.,  tJie  morroiv,  etc.)  A  precept  remarkable 
 for  Asteismus,^  by  which  care,  though  apparently  permitted  on 
 the  morrow,  is  in  fact  forbidden  altogether ;  for  the  careful 
 make  present  cares  even  of  those  which  are  future,  wherefore,  to 
 put  off  care  is  almost  the  same  as  to  lay  it  aside.  There  is  also 
 a  personification  of  the  morrow  (cf.  Ps.  xix.  2) :  "  the  day,"  says 
 our  Lord,  {not  you)  "  shall  take  care."  He  who  has  learnt  this, 
 will  contract  his  cares  at  length  from  the  day  to  the  present  hour, 
 or  altogether  unlearn  them. — /MBpifiv/jon  lavTfi,^  shall  taJce  care  for 
 itself)  A  Dativus  Commodi,^  as  in  ver.  25,  firi  ij^ipiixvan  Tr\  -vj^ux^ 
 — [inhs  Tu)  Chilian,  x.r-X.,  take  no  care  for  your  LIFE — nor  yet  for 
 your  BODY,  etc. — apy.irov,  sufficient)  God  indeed  distributes  our 
 adversity  and  prosperity,  through  all  the  periods  of  our  life,  after 
 a  wonderful  manner,  so  that  they  temper  each  other. — ^  xaxla, 
 the  evil)  i.e.  the  sorrow;  therefore  there  were  no  cares  in  the  be- 
 ginning.— xaxia,  though  originally  meaning  badness  (icickedness), 
 signifies  here  sorroiv ;  just  as  the  Hebrew  3112  {ayadhc,  good) 
 means  joyful  in  Prov.  xv.  15. — aur^c,  thereof)  Although  it  be 
 not  increased  by  the  sorrow  of  either  the  past  or  the  coming 
 day. 
 
 CHAPTER  VII. 
 
 1.  Mn  -/.phiTs,  Judge  not)  i.e.  without  knowledge,  charity,  or 
 necessity.  Yet  a  dog  is  to  be  accounted  a  dog,  and  a  swine  a 
 swine ;  see  ver.  6. 
 
 1  i.e.  For  skilfully  conveying  a  stern  truth  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to 
 repel,  offend,  or  startle  the  hearer  :  in  the  original,  "  monitum  mire  danlov.'' 
 — (I.  B.)     See  on  Asteismus  in  the  Append. — Ed. 
 
 ^  The  Ed.  Maj.  regarded  iuvTri  as  a  less  reliable  reading  than  rx  ixvr^;. 
 But  Gnom.  Ed.  1  (1742  A.D.)  and  Marg.  Ed.  2,  and  Vers.  Germ,  prefer 
 ixvTn. — E.  B. 
 
 SoUicitus  erit  sibi  ipse.     Vulg. 
 
 BGLa6c  Vulg.  Cypr.  210,  307,  Hil.  635,  read  i^apifivmst  ixvTYi?.  Rec. 
 Text  has  t«  kxvrris,  evidently  a  correction  to  introduce  the  more  usual  con- 
 etruction  of  piipifcvau  ivith  the  accusative. — Ed. 
 
 '  See  explanation  of  Technical  Terms. — (I.  B.) 
 
203  ST  MATTHEW  VII.  2-G. 
 
 2.  'Ev  w  /^irpw,  with  wliat  measure)  The  principle  of  the  lex 
 talionis} 
 
 3.  'Ev  rw  cxpSaXfiui,  in  the  eye)  In  that  part  of  the  body  which 
 is  the  most  noble,  the  most  delicate,  and  the  most  conspicuous. — 
 iv  Tw  6w,  in  thine  own)  See  Rom.  ii.  21,  23. 
 
 4.  TLug,  how  ?)  i.e.  How  is  it  fitting  for  you  to  do  so  ? 
 
 5.  A/a/SxI-vj/s/j,  thou  shalt  see  beyond)  now  that  the  beam  has 
 been  taken  out  of  the  way,  and  no  longer  interposes  itself  be- 
 tween you  and  your  brother's  eye,  and  that  your  own  is  relieved 
 of  the  incumbrance.  He  who,  having  first  corrected  himself, 
 seeks  to  correct  another,  is  not  a  perverse  judge.^ 
 
 6.  Mn  daiTi,  give  not)  Here  we  meet  with  the  other  extreme  ; 
 for  the  two  extremes  are,  to  judge  those  who  ought  not  to  be 
 judged,  and  to  give  holy  things  to  the  dogs.  Too  much  severity 
 and  too  much  laxity.^ — Kvei,  xoipuv,  dogs,  swine)  Dogs  feed  on 
 their  own  filth,  swine  on  that  of  others.  See  Gnomon  on 
 2  Pet.  ii.  22  ;  Phil.  iii.  2.  The  holy  and  dogs  are  put  in  oppo- 
 sition to  each  other  in  Exod.  xxii.  30  ;*  a  dog  is  not  a  wild  beast, 
 but  yet  it  is  an  unclean  animal. — v/muv,  your)  An  implied  anti- 
 theton.^  That  lohich  is  holy  is  the  property  of  God  ;  pearls  are 
 the  secret  treasures  of  the  faithful,  intrusted  to  them  by  God. — 
 pri^caeiv,  rend)  This  also  appears  to  refer  to  the  swine.*' — ij/xa;, 
 you)  From  whom  they  expected  something  else,  husks,  etc. 
 
 *  So  it  is  not  hard  to  judge,  what  retribution  hereafter  each  one  is  likely 
 to  have. — V.  g. 
 
 "  For  what  man  is  there,  who  does  not  gladly  allow  a  straw  [thorn]  to 
 be  extracted  from  his  finger,  not  to  say  from  his  eye,  by  a  skilfully  applied 
 hand  ?  The  principle  is  the  same  as  in  the  gnat  and  the  camel,  chap,  xxiii. 
 24.— V.  g. 
 
 '  This  admonition  especially  has  regard  to  our  daily  conversation.  When 
 such  things  are  set  before  them  in  public,  such  persons  lightly  pass  over 
 them. — V.  g. 
 
 *  This  is  the  Hebrew  notation.  In  the  Septuagint,  Vulgate,  and  English 
 Version  it  is  reckoned  as  the  thirtieth.  It  runs  thus — "  And  ye  shall  be 
 HOLY  men  unto  me ;  neither  shall  ye  eat  any  flesh  that  is  torn  of  beasts  in 
 the  field:  ye  shall  cast  it  to  the  dogs." — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  Sc.  between  you  and  swine. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  Swine  attack  the  pearls  with  their  feet,  the  saints  with  their  tusk.  A 
 well-disposed  man  is  more  than  once  apt  to  suppose,  that  what  seems  sacred 
 and  precious  to  him,  ought  to  seem  so  to  others  also,  until  he  learns,  by  cx- 
 peiience  of  the  contrary,  to  act  with  more  caution. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VII.  7-11.  20S 
 
 7.  AiTUTi,  ash)  Ask  for  gifts  to  meet  your  needs. — ^jjriTrt, 
 5^^^)  sc.  the  hidden  things  which  you  have  lost,  and  return 
 from  your  error. — xpoviTB,  knock)  sc.  ye  who  are  without,  that  ye 
 may  be  admitted  within.  See  2  Cor.  vi.  17,  fin.  Ask,  seek, 
 knock,  without  intermission.^ 
 
 8.  lias,  every  one)  that  asketh,  even  from  man,  much  more 
 from  God. 
 
 9.  "H,  An  interrogative  particle,  corresponding  to  the  Latin 
 an.^ — sg  vfiojv,  of  you)  Parables  are  especially  popular,  when 
 they  are  addressed  ad  hominem. — a.vdpwTro;,  a  man)  One,  that  is, 
 who  is  not  clearly  devoid  of  humanity.^ — ciprov,  bread)  A  stone, 
 which  is  useless  for  food,  resembles  outwardly  a  loaf  or  roll.  A 
 snake,  which  is  noxious,  resembles  a  fish.  A  child  can  more  easily 
 do  without  fish  than  bread,  and  yet  he  obtains  even  a  fish  by 
 asking  for  it.  Fishes  were  given  then  to  children,  as  apples  are 
 now. — /xjj  Xihv,  a  stone  ?)  Lat.  num  lapidem,  [such  must  be  the 
 force  of  /JLT]^  in  this  place] ;  for  the  parent,  when  asked,  will  not 
 refuse  to  give  either  bread  or  a  stone. 
 
 11.  'TfiiTg,  you)  Christ  rightly  excepts  Himself,  and  no  one 
 else.^ — The  v/ji^sT;  here  refers  to  J^  v/xZv,  of  you,  in  ver.  9. — 
 'TovTipoi,  evil)  An  illustrious  testimony  to  the  doctrine  of  original 
 sin.     Cf.  the  evil  one,^  vi.  1 3.    The  Panegyric  of  Gregory'^  Thau- 
 
 ^  Never  cease,  I  pray  thee,  Reader,  to  turn  such  a  promise  to  thy  advan- 
 tage, as  often  soever  as  the  opportunity  presents  itself. — V.  g. 
 
 *  The  second  part  of  a  disjunctive  interrogation. — Ed. 
 
 2  The  arrangement  of  the  words  in  the  original  brings  this  idea  strongly 
 out.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  The  interrogative  particle,  which  expects  a  negative  answer, — "  He  will 
 not  give  a  stone,  will  he?" — Ed. 
 
 ^  What  man  of  you,  ver.  9,  implies  that  all  but  Himself  are  included  in  His 
 words. — (Ed.) 
 
 *  Men  who  are  devoid  of  a  godly  disposition  imitate  him. — B.  G.  V. 
 
 In  the  original  the  expressions  used  are.  Mains,  malitiam,  male  audit. — 
 As  the  first  of  these  =  the  Evil  One,  I  have  rendered  the  others  so  as  to  cor- 
 respond with  it (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Gregory,  surnamed  Thaumaturgus,  or  the  wonder-worker,  was  born 
 at  Neo-Csesarea,  in  Cappadocia.  He  was  originally  a  heathen,  and  highly 
 educated,  in  the  learning  of  the  ancients.  He  afterwards  embraced 
 Christianity,  and  studied  under  Origen.  Having  taken  orders,  he  was 
 ordained  Bishop  of  his  native  city  about  239.  He  died  between  264  and 
 271 .     He  was  a  man  of  high  attainments  and  great  piety.     Several  valuable 
 
204  ST  MATTHEW  VII.  12. 
 
 maturgus  (p.  20,  146),  has  a  similar  confession  of  the  evilness  of 
 human  nature,  ■with  an  emphasis  rare  in  that  age.  Man  is 
 addressed  as  evil  in  the  Scriptures.  See  ch.  x.  17,  and  John  ii. 
 25.^  It  is  wonderful  therefore  that  Holy  Scripture  should  have 
 ever  been  received  by  the  human  race.  Bread  and  fish  are 
 good  things  ;  man  is  evil,  prompt  to  commit  injury.^ — o'/dars,  ye 
 know)  Distinguishing  bread  from  a  stone,  etc.  It  is  wonderful 
 that  this  understanding  (  intelligentiam)  has  remained  in  us. 
 We  are  so  evil.  Cf.  Job.  xxxix.  17*  with  the  preceding  verses. 
 — aya^A,  good  things)  both  harmless  and  profitable  things.* — roTg 
 Tsxvoig  ii/Mujv,  to  you?'  children)  especially  when  they  ask  you. — 
 6  sv  roT;  oupavoTc,  ichich  is  in  the  heavens)  In  whom  there  is  no  evil. — 
 ToT;  airoijffiv,  to  them  that  ask)  sc.  His  children ;  for  where  true 
 prayer  begins,  there  is  Divine  sonship. 
 
 12,  Ouv,  therefore)  The  sum  of  all  that  has  been  said  from  the 
 beginning  of  the  chapter.  He  concludes  [this  portion  of  the 
 discourse],  and  at  the  same  time  returns  to  ch.  v.  17.  The  con- 
 clusion corresponds  with  the  commencement.  And  we  ought  to 
 imitate  the  Divine  goodness,  mentioned  in  ver.  11. — d£Xr,ri  ha 
 rroiujsiv,  ye  would  that  they  should  do)  "  Ye  icould  :^'  this  is 
 pointedly  said  (notanter)  :  for  men  often  do  otherwise  [than 
 what  ye  would  that  they  should  do].  We  are  not  to  follow 
 their  example.  Sc.  by  benefiting,  not  injuring. — o/  av^pu-zci, 
 men)  The  indefinite  appellation  of  men,  frequently  employed  by 
 the  Saviour,  already  alludes  to  the  future  propagation  of  His 
 teaching  throughout  the  whole  human  race. —  ouru,  thus)  The 
 same  things  in  the  same  way :  or  thus,  as  I  have  told  you  up 
 to  this  point. — olroc,  this)  The  law  and  the  prophets  enjoin  many 
 other  things,  as  for  example  the  love  of  God  :  but  yet  the  law 
 and  the  prophets  also  tend  to  this  as  their  especial  scope,  viz. 
 
 works  of  his  are  still  in  existence  ;  that  alluded  to  here,  is  his  Panegyric  on 
 his  master  Origen,  edited  by  Bengel,  a.d.  1722. — (I.  B.) 
 
 1  E.  B.  and  the  later  editions  add  Matt.  xvi.  23,  Rom   iii.  4,  etc.  —(I.  B.) 
 
 2  It  is  in  fact  wonderful  that  a  human  father,  when  his  son  asks  him  for 
 a  fish,  does  not  offer  him  a  serpent. — V.  g. 
 
 2  Where  the  Vulgate  lias — I'rivavit  cnim  cam  Deus  sapientia  necdedit  illi 
 inteUigentiam — and  E.  V.  "  Because  God  hath  deprived  her  of  wisdom, 
 neither  hath  He  imparted  to  her  understanding." — (1.  15.) 
 
 *  And  therefore  also  the  Good  Spirit  Himself.     V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VII.  13,  U.  205 
 
 whatsoever  ye  would,  etc.,  and  he  who  performs  this,  performs 
 all  the  rest  more  easily  :  see  ch.  xix.  19. 
 
 13.  'EieiXdiTi,  enter  ye  in)  Make  it  the  object  of  your  constant 
 and  earnest  endeavours  (Id  agite)  really  to  enter.^  This  pre- 
 supposes that  they  are  attempting  to  walk  on  the  narrow  way. 
 Observe  the  antithetical  relation  between  "  flsiXdsn"  "  e7ifer  ye 
 in"  [in  the  first],  and  "  o/  tlci^iyjjij.iwi''' — "  tliey  which  go  i7i"  [in 
 the  last  clause  of  this  verse]. — ersv^g,  strait)  sc.  of  righteous- 
 ness.— tliXj],  the  gate)  This  is  put  before  the  way;  the  gate 
 therefore  in  this  verse  signifies  that,  by  which  a  man  begins  in 
 any  manner  to  seek  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul ;  as  in  the  next 
 verse  the  gate  is  that,  by  which  true  Christianity  is  received. — 
 ccTrdyoiKja,  tvhich  leadeth  away)  from  this  short  life.  So  also 
 in  the  next  verse. — -rroXXoi,  many)  See  2  Esdras  ix.  15,  17. — 
 0/  ilsipyJiMivoi,  they  ivhich  go  in)  There  is  no  need  that  they  should 
 find  it,  for  they  spontaneously  fall  into  destruction.  Cf.  v.  14. 
 — di  avrrig,  through  it)  sc.  the  gate. 
 
 14.  "Or/  GTivfi,  x.r.x.,  because  straight,  etc.)  Many  read  ri  Gnvn, 
 ■/..T.'K.,'  now  straight,  etc.,  as  in  the  S.V.  of  2  Sam.  vi.  20,  wdiere  HD^ 
 is  rendered  by  rl — sc.  rl  biho^acsrat  6^/J,ipov  6  ^aeiXiug^IeparjX — HOW 
 glorious  was  the  king  of  Israel  to-day  !  But  there  the  expres- 
 sion is  ironical. — The  true  reading  is  undoubtedly,*  6V;  TAars/a — 
 on  cnvfi,  x.T.X. — BECAUSE  broad — BECAUSE  straight.  Thus  in 
 1  Kings  xxi.  15,  ''3^  (rendered  6V/  by  the  Lxx.)  occurs  twice. — 
 (in  oh-A.  Un  Na/SoutJa/  Z,i^v,  on  rs^vr,Ki  :  i^or,  Naboth  is  not  alive,  but 
 dead.^     The  last  ""i:  has  the  force  of  but ;    and  is  thus  rendered 
 
 ^  Into  life,  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. — V.  g. 
 
 -  Lachm.  reads  ri  arsv/i,  with  B  corrected  by  a  second  hand,  CLA  bcYvlg. 
 Syr,  Cypr.  But  Tiscliend.  on,  with  B  corrected  by  the  first  hand,  X,  Orig. 
 3,  527^,  and  Memph.  T/  for  u;  is  a  Hellenistic  idiom,  Ps.  viii.  1 ,  where  for 
 the  LXX.  ug  dxvfcixijrou  other  versions  have  t/  ^syx.  The  ri  may  be  a  gloss 
 on  on  taken  with  the  positive,  as  it  is  often  with  superlatives,  intensively 
 (oTt  ■TTAiiarog,  etc.)  :  so  in  Plato  or<  rxxvg,  valde  celeriter.  However  Bengel 
 makes  on^  as  before  T^T^xnia,  so  to  be  repeated  before  anuii  in  the  sense  sed^ 
 '  but.'— Ed. 
 
 s  What,  or  how.—{i.  B.) 
 
 *  Thus  also  E.  M.— (I.  B.) 
 
 "  For  a  full  account  of  this  word  and  its  meanings,  see  Gesenius's  Lexicon 
 in  voce. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Literally — "  Because  Naboth  is  not  living,  because  he  has  died. — (I.  B.> 
 
206  ST  MATTHEW  VII.  15,  16, 
 
 by  the  Lxx.  in  Dan.  ix.  18,  and  2  Chron.  xx.  15.  See  also 
 Heb.  viii.  10,  11.^ — auTr,v,  it)  sc.  the  gate.  Cf.  the  commence- 
 ment and  conclusion  of  ver.  13. 
 
 15.  upoasx^Ts,  beware  of)  There  are  many  dangers  :  therefore 
 we  are  frequently  warned. — See  ch.  vi.  1,  xvi.  6,  xxiv.  4 ;  Luke 
 xii.  1,  15,  etc. — ds,  but)  Whilst  you  are  endeavouring  yourselves 
 to  enter,  beware  of  those  who  close  the  gate  against  you.  See 
 ch.  xxiii.  13. — ^^EuSoTfo^Tjrwi',  false  prophets)  whose  teaching  is 
 diiferent  from  that  of  true  j^rophets.  See  ch.  v.  17.  [comp. 
 ver.  12.  He  who  works  iniquity,  however  he  may  prophesy  in 
 the  name  of  Christ  (ver.  22),  is  ?ievertheless  a  false  prophet.  In 
 our  day,  they  loho  delight  in  casting  against  others  the  taunt  of 
 being  Pharisees  and  false  prophets,  are  themselves  that  which 
 they  lay  to  the  charge  of  others. — V.  g.] — lvSu,wagi  rrpo^drm,  in 
 slieep's  clothing)  i.e.  in  such  clothing  as  they  would  wear  if  they 
 were  sheep. 
 
 15,  16.  Olrivsg  'ipy^ovrai — I'XiyviJjaieh  aurou;,  who  come — ye  shall 
 knoio  them)  a  very  similar  passage  occurs  in  Luke  xx.  45—47.^ 
 
 16. '  Ato^  tu)v  xap'zm  avTuv,  x.T.X.,from  their  fruits,  etc.)  This  de- 
 claration is  solemnly  repeated  at  ver.  20. — xapTuv,  fruits)  The 
 fruit  is  that,  which  a  man  like  a  tree  puts  forth,  from  the  good 
 or  evil  disposition  which  pervades  the  whole  of  his  inward 
 being.  Learning,  compiled  from  every  quarter,  and  combined 
 Avith  language,  does  not  constitute  fi'uit ;  which  consists  of  all 
 that  which  the  teacher  puts  forth  from  his  heart,  in  his  language 
 and  conduct,  as  something  flowing  fi'om  his  inner  being,  like  milk, 
 which  the  mother  gives  from  her  own  breast :  see  ch.  xii.  33, 
 34,  35.  This  is  the  true  force  oi  touT,  produces,  in  ver.  17-19  : 
 cf  ver.  21,  23,  24,  26.  It  is  not  his  speech  alone  which  con- 
 stitutes the  true  or  the  false  prophet,  but  his  whole  method  of 
 leading^  himself,  and  others  with  him,  by  the  one  or  the  other 
 
 1  E(V  Tijw  ^uviv  is  tlic  expression  used  of  the  future  life  of  blessedness  :  for 
 the  present  life  is  not  life  at  all. — V.  g. 
 
 '  True  judgment  looks  to  the  imoard  character  of  persons  and  things 
 ["  inwardly  they  are  ravening  wolves"]. — V.  g. 
 
 '  However  the  margin  of  Ed.  ii.  of  N.  Test,  more  readily  allows  the  omis- 
 sion of  this  particle  than  the  larger  edition. — E.  B. 
 
 Bah  nil.  1245  read  xtto  :  but  c  Lucif  '  ex,'  Vulg.  '  a.'— Ed. 
 
 *  See  ver.  14,  "  hadeth."— Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VII.  19-21.  207 
 
 road  or  gate  to  life  or  death  (see  cli.  xv.  14, 13)  ;  whence  it  arises 
 that  doing  and  saying  are  closely  connected  in  ch.  v.  10.  The 
 fruits  indeed  are  the  tokens  (Gnorismata)  or  evidence  of  the 
 truth  or  falsehood  of  the  prophet,  and  therefore  also  of  the 
 doctrine  set  forth  by  the  prophet.  The  doctrine,  therefore,  is 
 not  the  fruit  by  which  the  prophet  is  known  ;  but  it  is  the  form 
 of  the  true  or  false  prophet  which  constitutes  him  the  one  or  the 
 other,  and  is  itself  known  from  its  fruit.  The  goodness  of  the 
 tree  itself  is  truth  and  inward  light,  etc  ;  the  goodness  of  the 
 fruit  is  holiness  of  life.  If  the  fruit  consisted  in  doctrine, 
 no  orthodox  teacher  could  be  damned  or  be  the  cause  of 
 another's  destruction. —  See  Schemer,^  Theol,  Moral,  p.  252. — 
 uTo  d/tavSuv,  of  thorns)  although  their  berries  resemble  grapes, 
 as  the  heads  of  thistles  do  figs.  In  Luke  vi.  44  the  same  com- 
 parison is  differently  turned,  for  axai/^a,  the  thorn,  and  ISdrog, 
 the  bramble,  are  very  closely  allied.  The  grape  therefore  (cra^uXT^) 
 is  denied  to  each  of  them.  Certain  thorns  (cixavdai)  also  have 
 large  shoots  :^  figs  therefore  can  be  denied  to  them  as  well  as  to 
 thistles. 
 
 19.  Asvdpov,  a  tree)  The  allegory  is  continued. 
 
 21.  Ou  vag,  X.T.X.,  not  every  one,  etc)  for  all  in  some  manner 
 say,  and  shall  say  so  ;  see  ver.  22,  and  cf.  Luke  ix.  57,  59,  61. — 
 6  'ksyuiv,  that  saith)  Put  in  opposition  to  6  cro/wv,  that  doeth  :  cf. 
 1  Cor.  ix.  27,  xiii.  1,  2. — Mo/,  unto  Me)  The  meaning  is,  "  unto 
 Me  and  My  Father;"  and  again  J  "My  Father's  Will  and  Mine." 
 — Kvpis,  Lord)  Jesus  acknowledged  that  this  Divine  appellation 
 was  due  to  Him.  Many,  even  men  of  high  rank,  called  Him 
 Lord  :  He  called  no  one  so,  not  even  Pilate. — 6  miuv,  z.r.X.,  he 
 that  doeth,  etc.)  There  is  an  antithesis  between  this  and  oi  ipyaZp- 
 l^voi  (that  loorh),  in  ver.  23. — to  SlXjj/o-a,  x.r.X.,  the  will,  etc.)  sc. 
 tliat  which  I  preach,  the  righteous  will,  which  is  declared  in  the 
 Law :  cf.  v.  19. — rou  sv  ovpavoTg,^  which  is  in  heaven^)  No  one, 
 therefore,  who  is  contrary  to  God  will  enter  heaven. — aXX'   6 
 
 '  Justus  Chkistopher  Schomer,  a  celebrated  Lutheran  divine,  was 
 born  at  Lubeck  in  1648,  and  died  in  1693,  professor  of  Theology  at  Rostock. 
 In  1690  he  published  his  celebrated  work,  Theologia  Moralis  sibi  constans^ 
 quoted  in  the  text. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  i.e. — resembling  figs  in  some  measure. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  The  word  is  in  the  plural  number. — (I.  B.) 
 
S08  ST  MATTHEW  VII.  22. 
 
 rroiutv  TO  ^iXri/icc  roD  Uocrpog  Mov  tou  sv  oupavoTg,^  ourog  tiaiXtuairai  ii; 
 TTjv  ^aaiXiiav  rojv  oupavcov,^  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  My  Father 
 which  is  in  Heaven^  he  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  ^) 
 These  last  words,^  "ipse  intrabit  in  regnuni  coelorum/'^  "/ig 
 shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven^^  are  found  in  that  most 
 ancient  authority,  the  Latin  Vulgate,'  and  from  it  in  both 
 Hebrew  editions*  of  St  Matthew,  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  Version,' 
 in  Jerome,  and  in  Lupus,^  Ep.  84,  and,  perhaps  from  another 
 version,  in  Cyprian.  The  copyists  of  later  times,  slipping  fi'om 
 o-jpavoTs  to  oupavuv,  have  omitted  the  clause.  In  antithetical  pas- 
 sages of  this  character,  the  sacred  writers  frequently  employ  the 
 figure  entitled  Pleniis  SermoJ 
 
 22.  noXXo/,  many)  even  of  those,  perhaps,  whom  posterity  has 
 canonized  and  commanded  to  be  accounted  blessed  and  saints  ; 
 many,  certainly,  of  those  who  have  had  rare  gifts,  and  have  shown 
 at  times  a  good  will  (see  Mark  ix.  39),  who  apprehend  the  power 
 and  the  wisdom,  but  not  the  mercy  of  God. — IpoZei,  shall  say) 
 flattering  themselves  in  their  own  persuasion.  Many  souls  will 
 retain  the  error,  with  which  they  deceive  themselves,  even  up  to 
 that  day:®  [_A  miserable  expectation,  previously,  is  theirs:  an 
 aivful  judgment,  sid)sequ€ntly ! — V.  g.]  see  ch.  xxv.  11.  Hence 
 may  be  illustrated  the  doctrine  of  the  state  after  death.  In  the 
 Judgment  all  things  will  at  length  be  made  known  :  see  Rom. 
 
 '  The  word  is  in  the  plural  number. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  They  are  not  fouud  in  E.  M.— (I.  B.) 
 
 3  Seep.  14,  f.  n.  1.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  See  Le  Long,  Bibliotheca  Sacra,  pt.  II.  Sect.  1,  §§  4,  5,  6  ;  andBengel's 
 App.  Crit.  pt.  I.  Sect.  32,  Obs.  6.— (I.  B.) 
 
 Vulg.  ahc  Cypr,  Ilil.  add  "  ipse  intrabit  in  regnum  coelorum :"  they 
 moreover  must  read  ai/roj  ipse,  not  as  Beng.  has  it,  Idc,  ovto;.  BZ  and  most 
 of  the  oldest  authorities  omit  the  clause. — Ed. 
 
 *  Supposed  to  liave  been  executed  in  the  eighth  century.  See  Hartwdl 
 Honie,vol  II.  Pt.  I.  chap.  3,  Sect.  iii.  §  4.— (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Lupus  Servatius  (or  Servatus),  a  native  of  France,  and  disciple  of  the 
 celebrated  Aldric,  who  sent  him  to  Fulda  to  study  the  Holy  Scriptures  under 
 the  famous  Rabanus  Maurus.  lie  became  Abbot  of  Ferriere  a.d.  842,  and 
 distinguished  himself  both  as  a  scholar  and  a  theologian.  His  character 
 stands  high  both  as  a  man  and  an  author. — (I.  B  ) 
 
 '  i.e.  give  the  words  in  full,  even  though  any  reader  might  have  readily 
 supplied  them. — Ed. 
 
 *  Sc.  the  day  of  judgment. — d.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VII.  23-25.  209 
 
 ii.  16 ;  1  Cor.  iii.  13. — h  hsivri  rfi  rj/x^spa,  on  that  day)  that  great 
 day,  in  comparison  with  which  all  previous  days  are  nothing. — 
 2w,  Thy)  The  emphasis  and  accent  fall  upon  this  word  in  each  of 
 the  three  clauses:  Thy,  sc.  that  of  the  Lord. — '7rpo2(pr]rivmfMiv,  we 
 have  prophesied)  We  have  openly  proclaimed  the  mysteries  of  Thy 
 kingdom.  Add  also:  We  have  written  commentaries  and  exege- 
 tical  observations  on  books  and  passages  of  the  Old  and  New 
 Testament,  we  have  preached  fine  sermons,  etc. — dai/j,6via,  devils) 
 It  is  not  said  diaiScXoug,  because  did(3oXog  is  only  used  in  the  sin- 
 gular number.^ 
 
 23.  Tors,  x.r.x.,  then,  etc.)  although  they  had  not  thought  so 
 before. — o/xoXoyrjau,  I  will  profess)  sc.  openly.  Great  was  the 
 authority  evinced  by  this  saying  :  see  ver.  29. — ou^sffOT-e,  x.t-.a., 
 never,  etc.)  although  you  cite  My  Name. — o'l  IpyaXjiiis^oi,  X'T.'k., 
 that  tvork,  etc.)  Not  even  then  will  their  iniquity  have  been 
 changed.^ — avo;uav,  iniquity)  how  much  soever  they  may  boast 
 of  the  Law?  Unbelief  exclusively  damns  (Infidelitas  proprie 
 damnat)  ;  and  yet  in  the  Judgment  the  Law  is  rather  cited  ;  see 
 ch.  XXV.  35,  42  ;  Rom.  ii.  12,  because  the  reprobate,  even  then, 
 when  they  see  Christ  visibly  manifest,  will  not  comprehend  the 
 true  nature  of  faith. 
 
 24.  'O,ao;w(rw,  I  will  liken)  In  ver.  26  it  is,  he  shall  he  likened. 
 God  refers  salutary  things^  to  Himself;  He  removes  evil 
 things^  fi'om  Himself;  cf.  ch.  xxv.  34,  4L — (ppou/xw,  prudent) 
 True  prudence  spontaneously  accompanies  true  righteousness ; 
 cf.  ch.  xxv.  2. 
 
 25.  Kai — zui — xat — n.r.'k.,  and — and — and — etc.)  In  the  last 
 days  of  a  man  and  of  the  world,  temptations  throng  together  to 
 the  attack  (concurrunt),  sc,  rains  on  the  ix»of,  ?'it'«rs  at  the  base, 
 
 1  Sc.  with  its  technical  meaning :  for  lixfioM;,  in  its  original  sense  of 
 accuser,  may  be  used  indiscriminately  in  all  three  numbers. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  He  means  that  our  Lord  will  address  them  as  even  then  working  iniquity 
 with  hearts  still  unconverted. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  There  is  a  play  upon  the  words  dvofilx,  the  state  or  conduct  of  those 
 who  are  without  law,  and  6  vo,uo;,  the  Law,  on  which  they  self-righteously  and 
 delusively  relied. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  i.e.  things  connected  with  salvation,  as  ex.  gr.  the  building  on  the  rock. 
 —Ed. 
 
 »  As  ex,  gr.  the  building  on  the  sand ;  therefore  it  is  here,  "  lie  shall  be 
 likened,"  not  "  I  will  liken."— Ed. 
 
 VOL.  I.  ^ 
 
JIO  ST  MATTHEW  VH.  26-29, 
 
 tDi7ids  at  the  sides  [of  our  spiritual  edifice].' — n  i^poyj^,  the  rain) 
 The  presence  of  the  article  denotes  that  the  rain  will  not  be 
 deficient. — vpoa'i'Tneov,  fell  upon)  i.e.  to  try  its  power  of  endur- 
 ance. In  ver.  27,  we  have  '^fos'r/.o-^av,  beat  upon,  as  though  at 
 random  and  without  object. 
 
 26.  'O  axovuv,  he  that  heareth)  He  who  neither  Jiears  nor  does, 
 clearly  does  not  build  at  all. — i-xi  rriv  a/i/xov,  on  the  sand)  which 
 frequently  looks  Kke  the  rock,  but  is  not  of  the  same  con- 
 sistence. 
 
 27.  Ka!  ^v  7]  rrrojcsig  aur^g  fLsydXri,  and  great  was  tJie  fall  of  it) 
 It  was  great  indeed,  for  it  was  entire.  We  see,  from  the  present 
 example,  that  it  is  not  necessary  for  all  sermons  to  end  in  a 
 consolatory  strain. 
 
 28.  ^uviriXiaev,  concluded)  The  Lord  did  nothing  abruptly : 
 see  ch.  xi.  1,  xix.  1,  xxvi.  1. — l^i'xXyieciovTo,  were  astonished)  The 
 attractions  of  true  teaching  are  genuine ;  those  of  profane,  futile. 
 You  may  wonder,  perhaps,  why  our  Lord  did  not  in  this  dis- 
 course speak  more  clearly  concerning  His  own  Person.  But 
 (1)  He  explained  His  teaching  so  excellently,  that  from  thence 
 His  auditors  might  judge  of  the  excellence  of  the  Prophet  who 
 thus  taught ;  (2)  His  person  had  been  already^  sufficiently 
 declared;  (o)  in  the  discourse  itself,  He  sufficiently  mtimates 
 who  He  is,  namely,  "He  that  cometh^^^  i.e.,  the  Son  of  God, 
 the  Judge  of  all ;  see  ch.  v.  11,  17,  22,  vii.  21-27. 
 
 29.  'ns  s^ovciav  'iyjtiv,  as  one  having  authonty)  They  could  not 
 withdraw  themselves  away.*  It  is  the  mark  of  truth  to  constrain 
 minds,  and  tliat  of  their  own  free  will.  See  examples  of  our 
 Lord's  authority  (i^ovaia)  in  the  Gnomon  on  cli.  v.  3,  18-20,  vii. 
 22,  23,  and  also  viii.  19,  and  John  vii.  19. — ^pa.a/xarE/^-,^  scribes) 
 
 I  All  kinds  of  judgments  archcre  intimated;  but  especially  the  last  judgment. 
 It  is  indeed  scarcely  that  the  righteous  man  is  saved,  yet  however  he  is 
 saved  [1  Pet.  iv.  18].— V.  g. 
 
 »  e.^r.  Matt.  iii.  17.— (I.  B.) 
 
 «  See  ch.  xi.  3.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Thci/  felt  the  majesty  of  the  Teacher,  and  the  power  of  His  word. — 
 V.  g. 
 
 *  The  arginof  Edit.  A.D.  17o3  regards  the  fuller  reading,  o/ 7/!5«,w^«T£<f 
 eti/Tuv  x.»l  oi  'l^ccpiaccloi,  as  almost  equal  in  probability  to  this  shorter  one. — 
 E.  B. 
 
 Lachm.  adds  the  words  with  C  corrected  by  the  first  and  second  later 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VIII.   1-4.  211 
 
 to  whom  the  people  were  accustomed,  and  who  had  no  at*- 
 ihority. 
 
 CHAPTER    VIII. 
 
 1  ^  Uxo'kov&'/ieav,  followed)  They  did  not  immediately  leave 
 Him. 
 
 2.  Ae-rrphc,  a  leper)  The  most  grievous  diseases  were  leprosy 
 (cf.  with  this  passage  2  Kings  v.  7),  paralysis  (cf.  Mark  ii.  3  with 
 ver.  6)  and  fever  (see  ver.  14).  It  is  probable  that  the  leper^  had 
 listened  to  our  Lord's  discourse  from  a  distance. — lav,  x.r.X.,  ify 
 etc.)  the  leper  does  not  doubt  our  Lord's  power,  but  he  humbly 
 rests  the  event  upon  His  will  alone.  Faith  exclaims,  if  Thou  wilt, 
 not,  if  Thou  canst;  see  Mark  ix.  22. — duvacai,  Thou  canst)  At  the 
 commencement  of  His  ministry,  the  chief  object  of  Faith  was 
 the  omnipotence  of  Jesus.  This  faith  the  leper  might  have  con  - 
 ceived  from  His  discourse. 
 
 3.  Triv  xitpa,  His  hand)  to  which  the  leprosy,  that  would  have 
 polluted  others,  was  compelled  to  yield. — 6iXu,  I  will)  corres- 
 ponding to,  //  thou  wilt.  A  prompt  echo  to  the  matured  faith  of 
 the  leper.  The  very  prayer  of  the  leper  contained  the  words  of 
 the  desired  reply.  The  expression,  /  will,  implies  the  highest 
 authority.  Our  Lord  performed  His  first  miracles  immediately, 
 that  He  might  not  appear  to  have  had  any  difficulty  in  perform- 
 ing them  :  but  after  He  had  established  His  authority,  He  fre- 
 quently  interposed  a  delay  salutary  to  men. 
 
 4.  Mvibivi,  to  no  one)  sc.  before  you  have  gone  to  the  priest, 
 lest  the  priests,  if  they  had  heard  of  it  before,  should  deny  that 
 the  leprosy  had  been  really  cleansed  ;  sc.  to  ?jo  one  of  those  who 
 had  not  witnessed  the  miracle. — Giaurhv,  thyself)  not  by  means 
 of  another. — ug  iMapTbpiov,  for  a  testimony)  See  John  v.  36.   Thus 
 
 hand,  ac  Vnlg.  Hil.  640,  Euseb.  «7roS.  276  :  b  also,  adding  uvruv.     However 
 the  weighty  authority  of  B  is  against  the  additional  words. — Ed. 
 
 1  Whose  cure  Matthew  places,  in  the  correct  order,  betioeen  the  Sermon 
 on  the  Mount  and  the  cure  of  the  centurion's  servant. — Harm.,  p.  252. 
 
212  ST  MATTHEW  VIII.  5-7. 
 
 the  LXX.  use  the  word  iMctpTyptov  in  Ruth  iv.  7/  The  priests  did 
 not  follow  our  Lord :  He  sends  the  leper  to  them  from  Galilee 
 to  Jerusalem  :  He  was  much  in  Galilee  at  that  time. — ai/ro/i, 
 to  them)  that  a  testimony  might  be  exhibited  to  them  of  the 
 Messiah's  presence,  and  of  His  not  derogating  from  the  law,  and 
 that  they  too  might  thus  be  enabled  to  give  testimony  to  these 
 facts. 
 
 5.  UpoariXdiv  'AvtQj  ixocTovrap^og,  There  came  unto  Him.  a  centu- 
 rion) The  centurion  did  not  actually  come  to  Him  in  person  ; 
 nor  would  our  Lord  have  praised  him,  as  He  did  just  afterwards, 
 in  his  presence. — See  ver.  10,  and  cf.  ch.  xi.  7.  Others,  indeed, 
 were  praised  by  our  Lord  in  their  presence,  but  not  until  after 
 previous  humiliation,  and  not  so  singularly  and  in  comparison 
 with  others  as  the  centurion  is  here  praised  in  contradistinction 
 to  all  Israel.  And  the  same  reverence,  which  induced  the  cen- 
 turion to  declare  himself  unworthy  that  our  Lord  should  come 
 under  his  roof,  prevented  him  from  going  to  Him  in  person. — 
 See  ver.  8,  and  Luke  vii.  7,  10.^  He  appears  to  have  come  out 
 of  his  house  in  the  first  instance,  but  to  have  gone  back  before 
 he  had  reached  our  Lord.  The  will,  therefore,  on  his  part 
 was  held  in  Divine  estimation  as  equivalent  and  even  pre- 
 ferable to  the  deed :  and  this  estimation  is  nobly  expressed 
 by  St  Matthew  in  the  sublime  style  of  a  divine  rather  than  a 
 human  historian.  Jesus  and  the  centurion  conversed  truly  in 
 spirit. 
 
 6.  Aiyuv,  sayincj)  cf.  ch.  xi.  3,  and  Luke  xiv.  18. — rrapaku- 
 Tixhg,  a  paralytic)  Paralysis  is  a  disease  difficult  to  Physicians. 
 
 7.  'EX^wi/,  coming)  In  His  Divine  wisdom,  our  Lord  puts  forth 
 those  addresses  by  wdiich  He  elicits  the  profession  of  the  faith- 
 ful, and  thus  as  it  were  anticipates  them  :  which  is  the  reason 
 why  men  of  those  times  received  a  swifter,  greater,  and  more 
 frequent  effect  from  heavenly  words  than  they  do  now.  He 
 declares  Himself  ready  to  come  to  the  centurionHs  servant.  Pie 
 does  not  promise  that  He  will  do  so  to  the  nobleman^s  son.     By 
 
 ^  Sc.  x«i  rovro — vju  /axprvpiov  iv  '  lapx-/;?^. — E.  V.  And  this  was  a  testimony 
 in  Israel.— (I.  B.) 
 
 '  D.  Hauber  /las  fnJly  proved^  in  den  harnion.  Anmerk.  p.  72,  that  th« 
 history  here  given  in  Matthew  is  one  and  the  same  as  that  in  Luke. — Harm, 
 p.  266. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VIII.  8,  9.  213 
 
 each  method  He  arouses  faith,  and  shows  that  He  is  no  respecter 
 of  persons. 
 
 8.  ^Tsyrjv,  roof)  Although  not  a  mean  one,  cf.  Luke  vii.  5. 
 There  were  others  whose  reverence  did  not  prevent  them  from 
 seeing  and  touching  the  Lord,  see  ch.  ix.  18,  20.  The  same  in- 
 ternal feeling  may  manifest  itself  outwardly  in  different  modes, 
 yet  all  of  them  good. — s/Vs  Xoyu),  command  by  word).  Thus  does 
 the  centurion  declare  his  belief  that  the  disease  will  yield  to 
 our  Lord's  command.  Some  few  copies  have  rather  more  care- 
 lessly, ii'x'i  Xoyov,^  say  the  ivord. — ladriaBrai,  shall  be  healed)  The 
 centurion  replies  by  this  glorious  word  :  our  Lord  had  said 
 modestly,  "  kpcfjilxS'j}^^  Iioill  cure?' — 6  Ta/$  /iou,  my  boy)  A  kinder 
 mode  of  speech  than  if  he  had  said  o  bou'kog  /aou,  viy  slave. 
 
 9.  Ka!  yap  iyoJ,  for  I  also)  Reason  might  object,  "  The  slave 
 and  the  soldier  hear  the  command  without  difficulty;  not  so 
 the  disease."  The  wisdom  of  faith,  however,  shining  forth 
 beautifully  from  the  military  abruptness  with  which  it  was 
 expressed,  does  away  with  this  objection,  and  regards  rather 
 those  considerations  which  confirm,  than  those  which  might 
 destroy  (fi'angant)  hope ;  those,  namely,  which  arise  from  the 
 supreme  dominion  and  jurisdiction  of  Christ,  who  issued  His 
 injunctions  to  the  sea,  and  the  winds,  and  diseases  ;  see  ver.  26  ; 
 Luke  iv.  39.  He  commands :  the  thing  is  done.  The  cen- 
 turion can  command  soldier  and  slave,  but  not  disease ;  the 
 Lord,  however,  can  order  the  disease,  and  that  more  easily, 
 humanly  speaking,  than  the  will  of  man,  who  is  frequently  re- 
 bellious.— uvdpco--6g  iifxi  v'xh  B^'ovsiav,  I  am  a  vian  under  authority) 
 He  does  not  say,  /  am  a  military  officer,  but  since  he  is  obliged 
 
 ^  BCbc  Orig.  4,278(?  and  "Vulg.  read  T^oya.  Rec.  Text,  without  good 
 authority,  has  Ao'yov. — Ed. 
 
 ^  The  word  used  hy  the  centurion  was  confined  to  the  notion  of  healing, 
 and  cognate  with  that  which  denoted  a  physician :  that  employed  by  our 
 Lord  had  also  the  signification  of  attending  upon,  and  was  cognate  with 
 one  which  denoted  an  attendant.  Bengel's  remark  applies  not  to  our  Lord's 
 meaning,  but  to  the  mode  in  which  lie  expressed  it. — (L  B.) 
 
 '  Tittmann,  Syn.  ii.,  distinguishes  the  words  thus:  SrspccTrsvu  txoy.on  difTe- 
 runt  ut  nostra :  (Germ.)  helfen  et  Iieilen.  ^epnTviviada.i  cLti-o  roiu  duhvuau, 
 liadxi  rov; oiadivoZvrxg.ii.e.  ^tpaTrevo^cti  rekrs  to  the infii^tnities cured,  ixadxi 
 to  the  persons  cured.  QspxTrtvu  seems  to  me  to  mean,  to  tt^eat  a  case,  to 
 tend,  to  minister  to:  Ix(j6xi,  to  heal. — Ed. 
 
214  ST  MATTHEW  VIII.  10,  II. 
 
 to  mention  that  others  are  subject  to  him,  lie  says  with  great 
 dehcacy/  /  myself  am  subject.  There  is  also  a  concealed  anti- 
 thesis,^ sc.  Jesus  is  supreme  Lord,  souverain. — uto — ycr,  under 
 — under)  Such  persons  are  at  present  called  subalterns. 
 
 10.  'E^ai/Aao-s,  wondered)  Faith  and  unbelief  were  both  the 
 objects  of  Christ's  wonder ;  see  Mark  vi.  6.  Our  Lord  praises 
 His  friends  warmly,  where  there  is  an  opportunity  for  so  doing. 
 See  ch.  xi.  7,  xv.  28,  xxv.  35,  xxvi.  10;  Luke  vii.  44,  xxi.  3. — 
 Iv  Tu)  ^IgpariX,  in  Israel)  sc.  the  people  of  Israel.  Neither  the  cen- 
 turion nor  the  woman  of  Canaan  were  of  Israel ;  but  with 
 regard  to  the  latter,  our  Lord  may  seem  to  have  given  a  higher 
 testimony,  because  she  came  openly  from  the  coasts  of  the 
 Gentiles,  whereas  the  former  had  dwelt  in  Israel :  and  the 
 centurion  himself  anticipated  that  objection  (id  occupavit),  when 
 he  declared  himself  to  be  unworthy,  and  interposed  the  elders 
 of  the  Jews  between  himself  and  our  Lord. — rocaurjjv,  so  great) 
 especially  as  the  centurion  had  had  much  less  intercourse  with 
 our  Lord  [than  His  brethren  according  to  the  flesh].  His 
 faith  was  an  example  and  earnest  of  the  faith  by  which  the 
 Gentiles  would  surpass  the  Jews. — rriSTiv,  faith)  From  this  first 
 mention  of  faith  in  the  New  Testament,  we  may  gather  that 
 faith  (as  well  as  unbelief)  is  in  both  the  understanding  and  the 
 will,  heincr  the  result  of  deliberation  and  free  choice.^  See  the 
 concordances  on  the  word  crg/Bw.'*  Of  all  the  virtues  evinced  by 
 those  who  came  to  the  Lord,  He  is  wont  to  praise  faith  alone. 
 See  ch.  xv.  28  ;  Luke  vii.  50.® — ovds — evpov,  I  have  not  found) 
 though  I  have  come  to  seek  it. 
 
 11.  UoXXoi,  many)  who,  being  not  Jews,  are  similar  to  the 
 centurion.     This  is  intended  to  awaken  the  emulation  of  the 
 
 ^  UprjhjjUTriloe.,  avtkipatory  precaut>077;  lest  his  mention  of  soldiers  being 
 under  him  should  ofl'end  against  humility,  he  puts  first  the  mention  of  his 
 being  himself  under  the  authority  of  others.  See  Append,  (m  the  figure. — 
 Ed. 
 
 2  See  Explanation  of  Technical  terms  in  Appendix. — (I.  R.) 
 
 '  Deliberation  being  the  province  of  the  Uiuhrstdnding;  Free  Choice^  the 
 offspring  of  the  Will.— {I.  B.) 
 
 •*  vsiBu,  to  persuade,  etc.,  the  verb  from  which  Trian:,  faith  is  derived. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 '  In  proportion  to  (he  greatness  of  humility^  js  the  greatness  of  faith.^- 
 See  ver.  8,  and  Luke  xvii.  5-10. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VIII.  12.  215 
 
 Jews. — ocTTo  avaTaXoov,  from  the  east)  see  ch.  ii.  1, — from  the  east 
 and  from  the  tvest ;  an  euphemism  for  "  from  the  Gentiles." — 
 ri^ovst,  shall  come)  A  prophecy :  they  shall  come  in  spirit  [and  hy 
 faith. — ^V.  g.] — /i-ara,  together  tvith)  see  Heb.  xii.  23.^ — iv  tt] 
 $a<jiXsia,  in  the  kingdom)  sc.  in  this  life,  and  in  that  which  is 
 to  come. 
 
 12.  0/  hi  v'loi  TTjg  ^asiXsiac,  but  the  children  of  the  kingdom)  i.e. 
 nearest  heirs  to  the  kingdom.  The  same  title  is  employed  with 
 another  meaning  in  ch.  xiii.  38. — exorog,  darkness)  Whatever  is 
 without  the  kingdom  of  God  is  outer :  for  the  kingdom  of  God 
 is  light,  and  the  kingdom  of  light.  That  darkness  will  envelope 
 not  only  the  eye,  but  also  the  mind,  with  the  grossest  obscurity. 
 — B^uiTipovy  outer)  the  unbeliever  has  internal  darkness  in  him- 
 self already,  and  obtains,  therefore,  external  darkness  also  as 
 his  fitting  home.  And  the  nearer  that  any  one  might  have 
 approached  [to  the  Divine  presence],  so  much  the  further  will 
 he  be  cast  forth  into  the  depths  of  darkness. — Ui?',  there)  at 
 length  [even  though  not  here  and  now].  Without  the  brilliant 
 scene  of  the  feast  [the  marriage  supper  so  often  mentioned]. — 
 6)  a  remarkable  article,  used  emphatically.^  In  this  life,  grief  is 
 not  yet  really  grief. — yiXau&iMg,  iceeping)  Then  will  weep  heroes 
 now  ashamed  to  weep,  from  grief  at  the  good  they  have  lost, 
 and  the  evil  they  have  incurred.  Oh  horrible  sound  of  so  many 
 wretched  beino;s !  how  far  more  blessed  to  hear  the  sounds  of 
 heaven  ! — See  Rev.  xiv.  etc. — jSpuy/ji^hg  roov  odovrojv,  gnashing  of 
 teeth)  from  impatience  and  bitterest  remorse,  and  indignation 
 against  themselves,  as  being  the  authors  of  their  own  damna- 
 tion.^ Self-love,  indulged  on  earth,  will  then  be  transformed 
 into  self-hate,  nor  will  the  suiferer  be  ever  able  to  depart  from 
 himself.  Nor  is  this  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth  combined 
 with  darkness  only,  but  also  with  fire,  etc. ;  see  ch.  xiii.  42,  50  ; 
 Luke  xiii.  28.  Another  exposition  is,  the  soft  will  weep,  the 
 stern  will  rage.     The  same  phrase  occurs  in  Acts  vii.  54.^ 
 
 1  With  the  Fathers  in  the  faith,  Heb.  xi.  9— V.  g. 
 
 ^  As  though  this  were  the  true  ideal  of  sorrow — the  normal  standard  of 
 suffering — the  archetypal  reality  of  agony. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  As  also  from  a  spiteful  and  malignant  feeling  against  others,  to  whom 
 they  enviously  grudge  the  salvation  which  those  others  have  obtained. 
 Comp.  Ps.  cxii.  10.- — V.  g. 
 
 *  Sc.  they  gnashed  upon  him  [Stephen]  with  their  teeth. — (I.  B.) 
 
316  ST  MATTHEW  VIII.  13-16. 
 
 13.  'fl;  sriffTivsa;,  as  thou  hast  believed)  A  bountiful  con- 
 cession. 
 
 14.  Usvdspav,  mother-in-law)  Peter  had  not  long  before  mar- 
 ried a  wife,  and  they  are  guilty  of  a  mistake  who  paint  him  with 
 white  hair  ;^  for  all  the  disciples  were  young,  and  had  a  long 
 course  to  perform  in  this  world  ;  see  John  xxi.  18.^  This  must 
 be  well  kept  in  mind  in  every  Evangelical  History.^ — vvpsasovsav, 
 sick  of  a  fever)  in  the  actual  paroxysm. 
 
 15.  AirjKovii  AvTo^,  waited  upon  Him)  She  performed  the  duty  of 
 the  house-mother  (mater-familias),  as  a  joyful  sign  of  her  entire 
 restoration  to  health.  St  Mark  and  St  Luke  mention  the  dis- 
 ciples as  preferring  the  request  in  favour  of  Peter's  mother-in- 
 law,  and  therefore  add — hriy.mi  alroT;,  she  ivaited  upon  them, 
 sc.  the  Lord  and  His  disciples.  St  Matthew  mentions  only  the 
 Lord,  and  therefore  wrote  Aurw.  The  erroneous  reading,  aliToT;, 
 has  been  introduced  from  the  other  Evangelists.'' 
 
 16.  'o-\yiac,  evening)  of  that  day  on  which  so  much  had  been 
 said  and  done.  Diseases  are  wont  to  be  more  oppressive  at 
 eventide. — to,  itviljiiara^  the  spirits)  i.e.  the  devils. — ao'/w,  ivith  a 
 
 '  Although  it  is  not  improbable  that  he  was  older  than  the  other  dis- 
 ciples —B.  H.  E.  p.  257. 
 
 2  You  may  gather  that  concerning  Judas  Iscariot  from  Ps.  cix.  8,  9  ; 
 Zebedee  and  Salome,  the  parents  of  James  and  John,  were  likewise  both 
 still  living.— B.  II.  E.   p.  258. 
 
 '  For  whoever  will  carefully  weigh  the  youthful  age  of  the  disciples,  and 
 their  original  family  connections  and  former  condition,  will  readily  make 
 allowances  for  several  errors  which  were  committed  by  them  in  their  state  of 
 discipleship,  and,  having  regard  to  this  consideration  of  the  time,  he  will  not 
 require  from  them  more  than  is  reasonable,  and  so  will  find  himself  extri- 
 cated from  not  a  few  difficulties. — Harm.  1.  c. 
 
 ♦  Those  who  are  anxious  to  avoid  Transpositions,  maintain  the  opinion, 
 that  the  mother-in-law  of  Peter  was  delivered  from  a  fever  more  than  once. 
 But  in  the  case  of  sick  persons  healed  by  the  Saviour,  the  danger  that  im- 
 pended over  them  was  not  from  the  return  of  their  disease,  but  from  some 
 greater  evil.  Nor  did  the  Lord  warn  the  mother-in-law  of  Peter,  as  He  did 
 others,  on  that  head :  and  if  she  had  been  attacked  by  fever  anew,  it  would 
 have  happened  at  a  most  brief  interval  after  the  former  cure,  and  therefore 
 in  that  case  the  disciples,  who  were  as  yet  but  novices,  might  have  doubted, 
 along  with  others,  whether  the  fever  (a  disease  liable  to  alternations  and  in- 
 termissions more  than  all  other  diseases)  had  been  really  and  complelelj 
 removed. — Harm.  p.  257. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VIII.  17-20.  217 
 
 word^)  by  that  alone?' — cratra^,  all)  without  exception  :  some  men 
 are  said  to  have  a  heaUng  power  in  the  case  only  of  certain  special 
 diseases. 
 
 17.  "O'TtM;  TXripudri,  that  it  might  be  fulfilled)  It  behoved  that 
 the  Physician  of  the  soul  should  also  remove  bodily  complaints 
 ft'om  those  who  came  in  His  way.^  In  this  manner  also,  there- 
 fore, was  fulfilled  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah.  Body  and  soul 
 together  form  one  man  :  the  corrupting  principle  of  both  soul 
 and  body  is  one  [namely  sin]  ;  one  and  the  same  aid  was  given  to 
 both  by  this  great  Physician,  as  the  case  required. — sXa/Sj,  took) 
 i.e.  removed  fi*om  us. 
 
 18.  ' A'xOJuv,  to  depart)  Thus  Jesus  sought  repose,  and  gave 
 to  the  people  time  to  bear  fruit  from  His  teaching,  and  kindled 
 their  interest  in  Himself  for  the  future. 
 
 19.  E/s  ypaij^fj^arfog,  x.r.X.,  one  Scribe,  etc.)  Out  of  so  great  a 
 multitude,  this  man  alone  exhibits  such  an  emotion.  Yet  he 
 seems  to  have  been  fond  of  comfort,  a  Scribe  less  hardy  than  the 
 fishermen.     The  Scribes  came  often  to  tempt  our  Lord. 
 
 19-21.  El-iv,  said)  The  doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ  is  clearly 
 opposed  to  the  natural  will  of  man.  He  wisely  sent  away  those 
 who  endeavoured  to  follow  him  wrongly  or  unseasonably ;  see 
 Mark  v.  18.  Those  who  showed  a  hesitation  in  following  Him, 
 He  commanded  to  follow  Him.  He  treated  the  Scribes  in  one 
 way,  the  disciples  in  another ;  see  Luke  ix.  57—62. — AiddszaXi, 
 Teacher*)  Jesus  did  not  address  those  as  Rabbi  and  Lord,  who 
 w^ere  called  so  by  human  law  or  custom,  but  he  was  deservedly 
 addressed  as  such  by  them.  See  Mark  v.  35  ;  John  iii.  2,  iv. 
 49  ;  Matt.  viii.  6.  The  apostles  addressed  their  hearers  as 
 brethren  and  fathers :  our  Lord  never  did  so. 
 
 20.  Kai  }.=yu  avrui  o  'Itjcoj;,  z.r.X.,  and  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  etc.) 
 Our  Lord  does  nut  repulse  this  man,  but  he  proposes  a  condition 
 by  which  to  correct  the  view  with  which  he  made  the  ofifer 
 respecting  comfort  or  wealth,   or  even   the  power  of  working 
 
 ^  That  such  is  Bengel's  meaning  is  clear  from  his  German  Version,  where 
 he  renders  it  "  mit  eiucm  toort."     E.  V.  has  "  By  His  word." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  "  Solo,"  i.e.  without  using  any  other  means. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  And  of  whom  the  extraordinary  numbers  are  from  time  to  time  noticed, 
 Matt.  iv.  23,  ix.  35,  36  (Luke  iv.  21),  xii.  15,  xv.  30,  xxi.  14  —Harm,  p.  259. 
 
 *  E.  V.  Master. 
 
?18  ST  MATTHEW  VIII.  21,  22. 
 
 miracles. — o  T'thg  roD  dvOpui'rou,  the  Son  of  man)  See  Gnomon  on 
 ch.  xvi.  13. — o-jK  iyji',  x.r.X,  liatli  not,  etc.)  O  admirable  poverty 
 and  endurance,  combined  with  perpetual  pilgrimage.^ 
 
 21.  Ma^jjrwi',  of  the  disciples)  of  those,  namely,  ^vho  were  not 
 always  present. 
 
 22,  ToOg  vixpoiig,  the  dead)  An  expression  urgently  connnand- 
 ing  the  man  to  follow  Him,  and  therefore  embracing  many 
 things.  Both  the  dead  icho  are  to  he  buried,  and  the  dead  loho 
 are  to  hury  them^  must  come  under  consideration.  The  dead 
 ■\vho  are  to  be  buried,  are  without  doubt  those  literally  dead, 
 whether  the  father  of  this  disciple  was  already  then  dead  or 
 old,  and  near  to  death,  and  with  only  this  one  son.  Cf.  Tobit 
 xiv.  12.  The  dead  tcho  hury,  or  those  to  whom  the  burial  of 
 the  dead  should  be  left,  are  paj'iZ^/  those  who  are  also  about  to 
 die,  mortals  bound  to  the  law  of  death  (cf.  Rom.  viii.  10),  as 
 distinguished  from  the  hope  of  a  better  life — that  hope,  however, 
 being  not  altogether  taken  away.  The  appellation  is  to  be 
 limited  by  the  context :  as  in  Luke  xx.  34,  they,  who  never- 
 theless are  capable  of  being  saved,  are  called  the  children  of  this 
 world  ;  so  they  are  called  dead,  who  are  more  fit  for  burying 
 than  for  announcing  the  kingdom  of  God.  As  in  ch.  ix.  24,  the 
 girl  is  called  not  dead,  who  soon  shall  live  (cf.  John  xi.  4),  so 
 they  are  called  dead,  who  soon  shall  die."  In  the  time  of  pesti- 
 lence, the  dead  are  buried  by  those  who  soon  themselves  die. 
 Nor  is  the  case  very  different  with  successive  generations  of 
 mortals  in  the  course  of  ages.  Partly,  they  are  already  dead  ; 
 and  with  regard  to  them  the  expression  is  hypothetical,  with  this 
 meaning — Do  thou  follow  ^Ic,  and  leave  the  burial  of  the  dead 
 to  the  dead  themselves  ;  i.e.  Let  the  dead,  as  far  as  you  are  con- 
 cerned, remain  unburied.  A  similar  mode  of  expression  occurs 
 in  Exod.  xxi.  14,  Jjct  the  murderer  he  taken  from  the  altar:  i.e.  let 
 him  he  slain,  even  if  he  has  fled  to  the  altar.  The  apjiellation, 
 therefore,  of  the  dead  zcho  hury,  is  abrupt,  and  suitable  to  a  com- 
 
 ^  Neither  had  He  a  house  of  His  own,  nor  a  fixed  duelling  anywhere, 
 iMark  i.  45.  The  Scribe  regarded  it  as  an  easier  matter  than  it  really  was, 
 to  follow  Ilim  wliithersoever  lie  was  going. — Ilann.,i).  269. 
 
 2  The  dead  are  in  their  histing  hor.ie,  and  the  mourners  are  not  far  off 
 from  the  same,  but  continue  wandering  all  around  it,  until  they  themselves 
 also  enter  it. — See  Eccles.  xii.  5. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VIII.  23-28.  219 
 
 mand  which  could  brook  no  delay — a   command  which  had 
 sacred  grounds,  and  flowed  from  the  divine  perception  of  the 
 Saviour.     We  ought  to  surrender  ourselves  wholly  and  imme 
 diately. — ro^jg  ia-oT^^v,  their  own)  sc.  relatives.     See  Gen.  xxiii.  4 
 It  was  the  duty  of  this  disciple  to  deny  his  father.^ 
 
 23.  To  TAo/bv,  the  vessel)  The  article  refers  by  implication  to 
 ver.  18.  Jesus  had  a  moving  school :  and  in  that  school  His 
 disciples  were  instructed  much  more  solidly  than  if  they  had 
 dwelt  under  the  roof  of  a  single  college,  without  any  anxiety  or 
 temptation. 
 
 24.  2s/ff/^oj  /i-j/a?,  a  great  tempest)  The  faith  of  the  disciples 
 was  greatly  exercised  by  these  maritime  perils. — ■/.a}.v--ris6ai,  ivas 
 covered)  the  danger  reached  the  highest  pitch  :  then  came  the 
 succour. — ly.dh-jdi,  slept)  No  fear  fell  on  Jesus.  Nay,  in  ver. 
 26,  He  marvelled  at  the  fear  of  men,  even  in  the  utmost  peril. 
 He  slept,  wearied  by  the  various  labour  of  the  day. 
 
 25.  SwcoK,  save)  An  abrupt  prayer. — drroXXufMOa,  ice  pensh) 
 It  is  a  proof  of  candour  in  the  disciples  to  have  recorded  their 
 own  weaknesses :  this  was  not,  however,  difficult  to  them,  since 
 after  the  coming  of  the  Paraclete  they  had  become  other  men. 
 
 26.  ^A£/>wO/ — I'Kiyd'riGToi,  fearful — of  little  faith)  Synonymous 
 terms.  Cf.  Mark  y.  36.  Our  Lord  does  not  find  fault  with  the 
 disciples  for  their  importunity  in  distiu'bing  His  rest,  but  for 
 their  timidity.^ — roVg,  then)  Jesus  calmed  first  the  minds  of  His 
 disciples,  then  the  sea. — Im-i/Mriffs,  rebuked)  Satan  probably  had 
 ruled  in  this  tempest. 
 
 27.  ' T-ay.ovo-jGiv  Autm,  obey  Him)  Cf.  Mark  i.  27.  The  winds 
 and  the  sea  acknowledge  no  other  control.* 
 
 28.  Tipysffrivuv,^  of  the  Gergesenes)  Gerasa  (said  for  Gergescha) 
 
 1  The  winds  and  the  sea,  on  this  occasion,  sooner  obeyed  the  will  of  Christ 
 than  did  men.— Harm.  269,  270. 
 
 2  K«(  y^iyet,  And  He  saith)  Being  not  at  all  discomposed  or  agitated.— V.  g. 
 
 3  In  the  whole  life  of  Christ,  never  is  there  any  fear  of  any  creature 
 evinced  in  all  the  incidents  which  occurred  to  Him.~V.  g. 
 
 ^  In  the  original,  "  Venti  et  mare  alias  libera."— Bengel  is  very  fond  of 
 the  adverb  "  alias,"  and  frequently  employs  it  emphatically. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  This  reading,  which  Michaelis  supposed  to  rest  on  the  mere  conjecture 
 of  Origen,  is  estimated  by  the  Margin  of  Beng.  more  highly  in  this  passage 
 than  in  the  parallels,  Mark  v.  1,  and  Luke  viii.  26. — E.  B. 
 
 BCA,  Syr.  (Peschito)  and  Hard,  (txt.)  Syr.  read  YuoxprrjZ-j.     Lachm. 
 
220  ST  MATTHEW  VIII.  29-31. 
 
 and  Gadara  were  neighbouring  cities.^  See  Killer's  Onomata 
 Sacra,  pp.  807,  812. — ex  rcLv  [M^rtiniuv,  from  the  tombs)  The  pos- 
 sessed avoid  human  society,  in  which  the  exercises  of  piety 
 flourish.  Invisible  guests  also  have  their  dwelling  in  sepulchres 
 (See  Mark  v.  3) ;  those  which  are  malignant,  especially,  I 
 believe  in  the  sepulchres  of  the  impious. — rraf^i'/Ji?^,  pass  hy)  not 
 even  pass  by. 
 
 29.  T/  ^/a,/!/  xal  cot,  what  have  ice  to  do  loith  Thee?)  A  formula 
 of  declinino;  interference  or  intercourse.  See  S.  V.  1  Kinn;s  xvii. 
 18  ;  Judges  xi.  12  ;  2  Kings  iii.  13.  They  confess  in  this 
 address  their  despair  and  horrible  expectation,  and  at  the  same 
 time  they  seem  to  add,  "  we  desire  to  have  dealings,  not  with 
 Thee,  but  with  men  liable  to  sin." — T/'s  rou  &iov,  Son  of  God) 
 Men  seeking  aid  addressed  Him  with  confidence  as  the  Son  of 
 David ;  devils  with  terror,  as  the  Son  of  God. — Sih,  hither)  The 
 devils  claimed,  as  it  were,  some  right  in  that  place,  and  espe- 
 cially over  the  swine  in  that  place. — 'z:ph  -/.aipov,  before  the  time) 
 This  may  be  construed  either  with  ^>j£c,  hast  Thou  come,  or 
 with  ^asavlaai,  to  torment,  or  with  both.  Jesus  came  indeed 
 when  the  world  was  ripe  for  His  coming,  and  yet  sooner  than 
 the  enemy  desired.  Thus  in  Rom.  v.  6,  we  read  Xpiarhg — xara 
 xutpov — d'xsOavi,  IN  DUE  TIME  Christ  died. — (Saaaucai,  to  torment) 
 It  is  torment  for  the  devils  to  be  without  the  bodies  of  man  or 
 beast,  which  they  ardently  desire  to  possess,  that  they  may 
 thereby,  for  the  time  being,  extinguish  that  fire  with  which  they 
 are  always  burning.  See  ver.  31.  This  was  a  prelude  to  their 
 being  hereafter  placed  in  subjection  under  the  feet  of  Jesus. 
 
 30.  Xclpojv,  of  sicine)  The  owners  of  the  swine  were  either 
 heathens  dwelling  among  the  Jews,  or  Jews  greedy  of  gain. 
 
 31.  UapixdXouv,  besought)  It  is  one  thing  to  ask  in  an  ordinary 
 way  (in  which  manner  natural  men,  and  even  devils,  have  been 
 
 reads  TipeiuYjvuv  with  bed  Vulg.  Hilar.  G45,  and  D  apparently  (its  Latin 
 having  this  reading).  Tipyea/ii/uv  has  but  second-rate  authorities,  LX.  etc. 
 Mcnipli.  Goth.  The  variety  jjrobably  arose  from  the  parallel  passages  being 
 altered  from  one  another.  Tregelles  (Printed  Text  of  N.  T.  p.  192)  lias 
 shown  Origen,  iv.  140,  Yepxariuoii/,  does  not  refer  to  Matthew  exclusively,  but 
 to  the  Gospel  narration  generally.  It  proves  the  name  was  sometimes  read 
 Ycihoi.pni'rA,  sometimes  YipoLanvol^  and  that  Ytpyianvol  was  vot  a  then  known 
 reading,  bnt  was  his  mere  conjecture. — En. 
 
 ^  See  Bloomfield's  Greek  Testament  in  loc. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  VIII.  32-34.  221 
 
 ere  now  able  to  obtain  something^),  and  another  thing  to  pray 
 in  faith.  Even  Satan  himself  sometimes  obtains  his  request,  as 
 we  learn  from  the  first  chapter  of  Job. — iJ,  n.r.X.,  if,  etc.)  They 
 perceived  already  that  they  must  change  their  abode. — I'zirps-^ov 
 niJ^Tv,  K.T.X.y  suffer  us,  etc.)  The  mischief  should  be  ascribed  to 
 the  devils,  not  to  the  Lord ;  and  who  would  compel  Him  to 
 hinder  the  devils  ? 
 
 32.  'A'ttiXDov,  they  were  come  out)  Our  Lord  performed  one 
 miracle  by  which  He  inflicted  punishment  on  a  tree,  namely,  a 
 fig  tree  ;  another  on  swine  ;  another  on  men  buying  and  selling  in 
 the  temple.  A  specimen  of  future  vengeance.  His  other  mi- 
 racles were  full  of  grace ;  and  even  in  these  benefit  was  pro- 
 duced, as,  for  example,  in  the  present  case,  a  road  rendered 
 safe,  a  region  freed  from  spirits  to  which  it  was  liable,  by  their 
 being  driven  into  the  sea,  the  possessed  liberated,  an  excessive 
 quantity  of  animal  existence  removed  which  was  forbidden  to  be 
 eaten,  and  in  this  case  liable  to  be  possessed  by  devils.  And 
 the  Gergesenes  were  guilty,  and  deserved  to  lose  the  herd. 
 The  circumstance  shows  indisputably  the  right  and  the  authority 
 of  Jesus. — d-TTi^avov,  died)  It  seems  that  a  possessed  brute  can- 
 not live  long.  That  men  who  are  possessed  do  not  thus  perisli 
 immediately,  is  an  especial  mercy  of  God. 
 
 33.  O;  jSodzovTsg,  they  icho  fed)  Although  they  were  not  pro- 
 fessedly herdsmen  by  occupation. — i(puyov,  fled)  The  devils  could 
 not  overtake  them. 
 
 34.^  UapizaXiaav,  they  besought)  Those  who  are  held  fast  by 
 concern  about  their  property,  more  easily  and  readily  repel  than 
 pursue.  Even  avarice  is  timid.  Or  perhaps  they  besought  our 
 Lord  with  no  evil  feeling.^     See  Luke  v.  8.* 
 
 1  Comp.  Mark  v.  10,  12.— E.B. 
 
 *  Uxast  -^  xo'X/;,  the  whole  city)  Such  great  commotion  do  earthly  interests 
 cause  ! — V.  g. 
 
 3  At  all  events,  though  the  Gergesenes  besought  Him  with  such  a  request, 
 as  did  also  their  neighbours  the  Gadarenes,  yet  He  left  behind  a  leading  one 
 of  those  who  had  been  possessed  (Luke  viii.  35,  viz.  the  man  whom  the  men 
 of  the  city  had  found  "  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  clothed,  and  in  his  right 
 mind")  as  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel  to  them.  This  one  may  have  been  a 
 Gadarene,  and  the  other  a  Gergesene. — Harm.  p.  274. 
 
 *  Where  Peter,  from  humility  instead  of  malignity,  exclaims,  "  Depart 
 JROM  ME,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  0  Lord." — (L  B.) 
 
222  8T  MATTHEW  IX.  1-4. 
 
 CHAPTER  IX. 
 
 1.  Aii'TTspads,  He  crossed  over)  Being  asked  to  do  so  by  the 
 Gergesenes.  The  Lord  does  not  force  His  blessings  on  the 
 unwilling.' — /3/av,  His  own)  sc.  Capernaum,  exalted  by  this 
 inhabitant. 
 
 2.  llpoGifipov  hhrijj,  they  brought  to  Him)  Many  such  offerings 
 were  made  to  the  Saviour,  and  they  were  pleasing  to  Him. — riii 
 TiffTiv  avruv,  their  faith)  i.e.  of  him  who  was  borne,  and  of  them 
 who  bare  him. — Oupffn,  tb-avov.  Son,  he  of  good  cheer')  "  Neither 
 thy  sins  nor  thy  disease  shall  stand  in  thy  way."  Thus,  at  ver. 
 22,  Sdpgu,  dvyanp,  daughter,  be  of  good  comfort.  "  Be  of  good 
 comfort ;"  neither  thy  sins  shall  prevail  against  thee,  nor  thy 
 disease.  Thus  also,  ^^  Be  of  good  comfort,  daughter^^  in  ver.  22. 
 — dpswi/ra/  aot,  are  forgiven  thee)  Without  doubt,  great  was 
 the  sense  of  great  sins  in  that  man." — aol  has  here  both  emphasis 
 and  accent,  but  in  ver.  5  the  same  words  are  repeated  after  the 
 manner  of  a  quotation,  and  eoi  or  gov  is  enclitic* 
 
 3.  'EJirov  Ev  iavroT;,  olrog  ^XacKprt'MT,  said  within  themselves,  this 
 man  blasphemeth)  Blasphemy  is  committed  when  (1.)  things  un- 
 worthy of  God  are  attributed  to  Him  ;  (2.)  things  worthy  of 
 God  arc  denied  to  Him;  (3.)  when  the  inconnnunicable  attri- 
 butes of  God  are  attributed  to  others. 
 
 4.  BidoJc,  knowing)  Besides  many  Greek  codices,  which  Mill 
 first  befjan  to  notice  on  this  passao;e,  the  Gothic  version  and  the 
 margin  of  Courcelles  reads  thus. — /^o/u^  appears  to  have  bccnin- 
 
 '  And  by  that  very  fiict  He  excited  in  men  the  more  ardent  desires  after 
 llim,  inasmuch  as  He  did  not  make  too  long  deUiys  in  tlie  one  phice. — 
 Harm.,  1.  c. 
 
 '  The  word  used  by  Bengel  is  "  confide"  which  is  repeated  each  time  in 
 the  remarks  which  foHow. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  This  was  the  principal  benefit,  by  occasion  of  which  cliiefly  the  thoughts 
 of  the  men  present  there  were  thrown  open  and  made  nuinirest,  ver.  3,  8. 
 — Harm.  p.  276. 
 
 ''  Never  had  that  voice  been  heard  put  forth  in  this  way,  from  the  lime 
 that  the  earth  had  borne  men  on  it — V.  g. 
 
 *  Lachmann  reads  tiou;  with  li,  Goth  Vers,  and  probably  a.  Dbc  and 
 Rec.  Text  read  louv.     Vulg.  "  Cum  vidissci." — Ei>. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  IX.  5-8.  223 
 
 troduced  by  some  persons  fi'om  ver.  2.  St  Mark  and  St  Luke 
 have  e'Tr/vovg  in  the  parallel  passages.  Thus  too  we  find  stdug  in 
 ch.  xii.  25. — v/xi7g,  you)  The  pronoun  is  expressed  for  the  sake  of 
 emphasis.^ 
 
 5.  T/  yap,  for  which  ?)  In  itself  either  is  the  sign  of  Divine 
 authority  and  power ;  and  the  connection  between  sin  and 
 disease  is  in  itself  most  close  :  the  power  which  removes  both 
 is  one.  According  to  human  judgment,  it  is  easier  to  say,  "  Thy 
 sins  are  remitted ;"  and  he  who  can  say  "  Anse"  which  appears 
 greater,  can  also  say  this,  which  appears  less. 
 
 6.  Eidrjrs,  ye  may  know)  This  word  also  breathes  authority.^ — 
 Ivi  Trig  y?55,  on  earth)  This  is  exclusively  the  place  where  sins 
 are  committed  and  remitted.  Earth  was  the  scene  of  Christ's 
 w^orks  from  the  beginning.^  See  Pro  v.  viii.  31  ;  cf.  the  two 
 clauses  in  Ps.  xvi.  3  ;  see*  Jer.  ix.  24 ;  John  xvii.  4  ;  Luke 
 ii.  14.  I  have,  says  He,  all  authority  in  heaven,  much  more 
 on  earth ;  see  ch.  xvi.  19,  xxviii.  18.^  This  speech  savours  of  a 
 heavenly  orighi. — s^ovffiav,  authority)  The  argument  from  power 
 to  authority  holds  good  in  this  passage. — Xiyn,  He  saith)  A 
 similar  cliange  of  person  between  the  protasis  and  apodosis 
 occurs  in  Num.  v.  20,  21,  and  Jer.  v.  14. 
 
 8.  'E^oufT/ac  roiaxjrriv,  such  authority)  sc.  to  heal  and  save  (see 
 ver.  6),  and  that  close  at  hand  in  the  man  Jesus  Christ. — roTg 
 avdpojToig,  to  m£n)  so  long  afflicted  with  sin.^  An  expansive  ex- 
 pression (lata  oratio),  as  in  ver.  6.'^  They  rejoiced  that  there 
 was  one  of  the  human  race  endued  with  this  authority. 
 
 ^  Often  one,  -whilst  he  is  arraip;ning  others  for  their  sins,  is  sinning  him- 
 self. And  indeed  the  most  heinous  sins  can  be  committed  even  in  the  heart 
 alone. — V.  g. 
 
 2  Bengal  just  below  translates  i^ovaiocv  (rendered  in  E.  V.  power)  by 
 "  authority,''  and  refers  to  it  by  anticipation.— (I,  B.) 
 
 3  Nay  more,  it  is  the  wrestling  arena  between  sin  and  grace. — V.  g. 
 
 •*  E.  B.  inserts  here  "  Gen.  vi.  5,"  which  has  been  adopted  by  the  later 
 editions. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  We  also  in  our  turn  may  now  say  :  Seeing  that  He  had  that  power, 
 when  sojourning  on  the  earth,  why  should  He  not  also  have  the  same,  now 
 that  He  has  been  raised  from  the  dead  and  taken  up  into  heaven  ?  Acts  v. 
 31.— V.  g. 
 
 ^  A  Dativus  Commodi. — V.  g.     i.e.  for  the  good  of  men. — Ed. 
 
 '  Beng.  seems  to  me,  not  to  take  dv6po>7rotg  as  Engl.  V.,  "  God  who  had 
 given  such  power  to  men,"  but,  as  the  Dative  of  advantage,  "  Who  had  be- 
 
224  ST  MATTHEW  IX.  9. 
 
 9.  MardctTov,  Matthew)  A  Hebrew  by  nation,  and  yet  a  publican. 
 In  St  Mark  and  St  Luke,  he  is  called  Levi.'  It  is  possible  that 
 Matthew  did  not  like  the  name  which  he  had  borne  as  a 
 j)ublican. — za^rj/xsvov,  sitting)  actually  employed  in  the  business 
 of  his  calling.  And  yet  Matthew  followed.  A  great  miracle 
 and  example  of  the  power  of  Jesus.  A  noble  instance  of  obedi- 
 ence^ \_productive  of  eternal  joy. — V.  g.] 
 
 stowed  such  power  (in  the  person  of  the  man  Christ  Jesus) /or  the  benefit  of 
 men,  so  long  afflicted  as  they  had  been  with  sin.  Thus  the  meaning  of 
 Bengel's  "  lata  oratio,  uti  v.  6"  is,  that  the  words  "  on  earth,"  in  ver.  6,  im- 
 ply the  same  wide  range  of  the  Saviour's  power  for  the  good  of  men  as 
 ccvSpu-TToig  here. — Ed. 
 
 ^  J.  D.  Michaehs,  Einleitung  T.  ii.  p.  m.  932,  etc.,  conjectures  that  Levi 
 was  the  chief  of  the  publicans,  and  INIatthew  his  subordinate  assistant.  But 
 it  is  not  likely  that  either  Matthew,  consistently  with  his  modesty,  would  have 
 omitted  to  record  the  obedience  of  Levi  to  the  Lord's  call — Levi  being,  by  the 
 hypothesis,  Matthew's  principal  and  also  host  at  the  large  entertainment 
 given  on  the  occasion — or  that  Mark  and  Luke  should  have  omitted  the  call 
 of  Matthew,  who  was  more  distinguished  than  Levi  on  account  of  his 
 apostlesliip.  It  is  no  objection,  that  Matthew  is  not  mentioned  by  the  men 
 of  Nazareth,  Matt.  xiii.  55,  among  the  four  sons,  i.e.  sister's  sons  of  Mary  : 
 for  not  even  Levi  (who  in  Mark  ii.  14  is  explicitly  made  the  son  of  Al])heus) 
 is  reckoned  among  those  four.  What  suppose  we  say  that  Levi,  or  Matthew, 
 was  the  son  of  Alpheus,  though  not  by  Mary,  but  by  a  different  wife,  and  so 
 connected  with  the  Saviour  by  no  tie  of  blood.  At  all  events,  the  very  ety- 
 mological root  of  the  names  seems  to  establish  the  identity  of  the  persons. 
 For  ■^'.■5  (Levi)  is  from  ni'-s  adhered,  attached  to,  and  T'l  or  'pn*;  (Matthew) 
 is  from  the  Arab,  word  'tt'o,  he  formed  a  tie  of  connection  or  propinquitij . 
 Moreover :  in  the  same  way  as  Saul,  from  that  period  of  time  in  which,  after 
 being  solemnly  set  apart  to  the  work  of  preaching,  he  gained  over  Sergius 
 Paulus  as  the  first-fruits  of  his  mission,  and  so  became  superior  to  Barnabas, 
 was  distinguished  by  the  name  of  Paul,  even  by  Luke  himself  (Acts  xiii.  2, 
 9):  so  also  Levi  (Luke  v.  27),  from  the  moment  in  which  by  solemn  election 
 he  was  enrolled  among  the  Apostles,  obtained  the  name  of  Matthew  even  in 
 Luke  (c.  vi.  15).  These  considerations  will  enable  the  reader  to  decide  the 
 question. — E.  B. 
 
 ■^  This  may  be  supposed  to  have  been  the  series  of  the  events :  Matthew 
 a  short  while  before  went  to  Jesus  as  a  publican,  and  even  then,  at  that  early 
 time,  beyond  all  that  he  could  have  conceived,  was  called  to  the  apostolic 
 office,  Matt.  v.  1,  Luke  vi.  15  (comp.  Num.  xi.  26) :  whereby  is  evinced  the 
 extraordinary  clemency  of  the  Saviour  towards  this  publican,  thus  selected 
 out  from  the  rest  of  his  fellows.  He  was  present,  as  an  apostle  freshly- 
 appointed,  at  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount :  where  there  is  no  doubt  but  that 
 the  words,  Do  not  even  the pttblicans  the  samel  recorded  by  Matthew  him- 
 
ST  MATTHEW  IX.  10.  225 
 
 10.  'E^  rfi  oix'tcc,  in  the  house)  Cf.  ver.  28 ;  or,  if  you  take  it 
 of  Matthew's  house,  Mark  ii.  15 ;  Luke  v.  29.  Matthew  ap- 
 j^ears  in  this  feast  to  have  bid  adieu  to  his  former  companions,^ 
 
 self,  cli.  V.  46,  made  the  deepest  impression  on  his  mind.  He  did  not, 
 however,  on  that  very  day  commence  follovi'ing  the  Lord  daily,  but  had  still 
 some  occupation  in  levying  taxes,  therein  without  doubt  being  observant  of 
 that  righteousness  which  is  commanded  in  Luke  iii.  13.  There  was,  on  the 
 part  of  the  Jews,  a  great  abhorrence  of  publicans,  even  though  they  were 
 themselves  Jews;  and  it  is  to  this  abhorrence  that  the  Saviour  adapted  His 
 language.  Matt,  xviii.  17.  However,  the  publicans  were  not  altogether  ex- 
 cluded from  the  temple,  Avhether  they  had  the  same  degree  of  access  to  it 
 open  to  them  as  the  Pharisees  had,  or  an  access  more  remote  :  Luke  xviii. 
 13.  John  admitted  the  publicans  to  baptism,  on  condition  that,  in  the  dis- 
 charge of  their  office,  they  would  allow  themselves  to  be  stirred  up  to  the 
 duty  of  justice :  nay  more,  not  even  did  the  Saviour  command  them  altogether 
 to  leave  their  employment,  but  to  "  make  to  themselves  friends  of  the  Mam- 
 mon of  unrighteousness,"  Luke  xv.  1,  xvi.  1,  9.  Neither  Christ  nor  His  fore- 
 runner were  bound  by  the  Jewish  traditions,  which  excluded  publicans  from 
 church-communion.  And  besides,  it  is  probable  that  the  Jews,  from  malice 
 against  Christ,  subsequently  established  more  severe  enactments  as  to  pub- 
 licans. Accordingly  Matthew,  being  called  to  the  apostleship,  and  not  as  yet 
 at  that  time  ordered  to  leave  the  receipt  of  customs,  may  have  discharged 
 this  duty  up  to  the  time  that  he  was  called  to  follow  Jesus.  But  if  Matthew 
 did  the  same  as  Zaccheus,  before  his  conversion,  he  was  in  duty  bound  to 
 make  amends  to  those  whom  he  had  defrauded  on  the  same  principle  as 
 Zaccheus,  or  even  to  compare  and  make  up  all  accounts  whatever  with  the 
 other  publicans.  Jesus,  therefore,  when  he  saw  him  sitting  at  the  receipt  of 
 custom,  saith.  Follow  Me.  And  he  arose  and  followed  Him.  Independently 
 of  the  general  crowd  of  hearers  and  disciples,  coming  to  Him  and  going  away 
 from  time  to  time,  Jesus  admitted  CGxi^iin  followers  to  daily  intimacy  (Luke 
 ix.  59,  xviii.  22;  Acts  i.  21),  and  twelve  apostles,  i.e.  extraordinary  messen- 
 gers of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Peter  and  Andrew,  James  also,  with  John, 
 were  made  followers  before  that  they  were  made  apostles :  Matthew  was 
 called  to  the  apostolic  dignity  sooner  than  he  was  admitted  to  the  intimacy 
 of  daily  following  the  Lord,  although  not  even  this  could  have  been  put  off 
 for  long,  and  in  matter  of  fact  was  not  delayed  for  more  than  a  few  days. 
 At  all  events,  he  was  not  present  in  the  journey  to  the  country  of  the  Ger- 
 gesenes,  who  perhaps  knew  him  well  as  a  publican  ;  but  he  may  have  been 
 a  spectator  of  the  other  acts  of  the  Lord  at  Capernaum  previous  and  subse- 
 quent to  that  journey.  Even  though  he  were  ever  so  much  behind  the 
 other  apostles  in  following  Christ :  yet  he  followed  soon  enough  for  attaining 
 the  object  proposed,  as  an  apostle.  Acts  i.  21. — Harm.  281,  etc. 
 
 1  He  seems  also  hereby  to  have  afforded  them  an  opportunity  of  going  to 
 the  Lord,  such  as  would  hardly  have  been  given  to  so  great  a  number  of  such 
 characters  at  any  other  time.     Shortly  'ifter.  Matthew  came  to  know  the 
 
 VOL.  I.  1' 
 
226  ST  MATTHEW  IX.  11-13. 
 
 nor  does  he  call  the  house  any  longer  his  own. —  nXuvai  xai 
 afiaprvXcij  publicans  and  sinners)  who  had  sinned  grievously 
 against  the  sixth  and  seventh  [seventh  and  eighth]  command- 
 ments.— suvavexuvro,  sat  down  togetlier  with)  Kind  and  condescend- 
 ing was  the  intercourse  of  Jesus.^ 
 
 11.  To?;  fiadrtraTg,  to  the  disciples)  The  Pharisees  acted  in  an 
 oblique  manner,  wath  cunning,  or  at  least  with  cowardice ;  to 
 the  disciples  they  said.  Why  does  your  Master  do  so  ?  to  the 
 Master,  Why  do  your  disciples  do  so  ?  see  ch.  xii.  2,  xv.  2  ; 
 Mark  ii.  16,  18. — diar!,  x.t.x.,  why^  etc)  The  sanctity  of  Jesus 
 was  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all,  even  His  adversaries. 
 See  Luke  xix.  7. 
 
 12.*  Xpilccv,  need)  yjua-i-,  needs,  are  to  be  seen  everywhere. — 
 ^xaxws,  ill)  Such  is  indeed  the  case  with  sinners.* 
 
 13.  Uop'iukvng,  having  gone)  sc.  into  the  synagogue,  where 
 you  may  refer  to  Hosea  [sc.  vi.  6.]  Our  Lord  often  said  to 
 those  who  were  not  His  own,^  "-ropsjou,"  ^^  depart"  see  John 
 viii.  1 1.  His  style  of  quoting  the  Scriptures  is  full  of  suitableness 
 and  majesty,  and  diflPerent  from  that  of  the  apostles ;  for  He 
 does  it  in  such  a  manner  as  not  Himself  to  rest  upon,  but  to 
 convince  His  hearers  by  their  authority ;  and  He  employs  it 
 
 glory  of  Jesus  by  His  acts,  and  especially  by  the  raising  of  Jairus'  daughter, 
 ch.  ix.  19;  and  he  was  sent  forth,  at  no  long  interval  afterwards,  with  the 
 rest  of  His  apostles:  on  which  occasion  he  has  called  himself  Matthew  the 
 publican,  ch.  x.  3;  and^  from  the  deepest  sense  of  gratitude  (as  is  natural),  has 
 recalled  to  remembrance  with  what  marvellous  tijjecd  grace  transferred  him 
 from  his  state  as  a  publican  (ch.  xviii.  17)  to  an  Apostolic  embassy  which 
 was  distinguished  by  miracles. — Harm.  p.  282. 
 
 ^  For  whose  sake  tlie  banquet  was  given,  to  which,  without  any  command 
 on  His  part,  publicans  aiid  sinners  came.  Therei'ore  the  objection  of  the 
 Pharisees,  even  looking  at  it  in  a  mere  external  point  of  view,  was  void  of 
 all  justice. — V.  g. 
 
 2  Jesus,  as  a  faithful  master,  brings  help  to  his  disciples. — V.  g. 
 
 *  Dost  thou  feel  infirmity  (o/  kukoj;  'ixovri;),  as  opposed  to  strength  (ol 
 l<rx,i^i^is)^  In  tliat  case  betake  thyself  to  the  Physician,  and  seek  His  help. 
 -V.  g. 
 
 *  In  the  original,  "  Sic  sane  habcni  pcccatores."  There  is  a  play  here  on 
 the  word  habent,  sc.  XP-'""-^  ix^'^'^'" — y-m-y-u;  'ixovr(;. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  In  the  original  "  Alieniores," — an  expression  which  is  used  several  times 
 by  Bengel  in  the  course  of  this  gospel  aJid  which  it  is  easier  to  understand 
 than  to  translate. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  IX.  14.  227 
 
 more  towards  His  adversaries  than  towards  the  disciples  who 
 believed  on  Him. — /zdkrs,  learn  ye)  ye  who  think  that  ye  are 
 already  consummate  teachers. — 'iXsov  dsXu,  I  will  have  mercy)  A 
 few  read  with  the  LXX.  in  Hos.  vi.  6,  with  whom  the  other 
 words  in  this  passage  agree,  iXiog  6iXo)}  The  LXX.  more  com- 
 monly use  rl  iXsoc  in  the  neuter,  as  in  Hos.  vi.  4.  Sometimes, 
 however,  6  h.iog,  like  the  ancient  Greeks.  Is.  Ix.  10,  Ixiii.  7 ; 
 Dan.  i.  9,  ix.  20  ;  Ps.  ci.  1 ;  1  Mace.  ii.  57,  iii.  44 ;  and  especially 
 in  the  minor  prophets,  Jonah  ii.  9  ;  Mic.  vi.  8  (which  passage 
 is  also  parallel  with  the  evangelist),  Ibid.  vii.  20  ;  Zech.  vii.  9  ; 
 Hos.  xii.  6.  Thus  6  'iXiog  occurs  in  the  present  passage,  in 
 Matt.  xii.  7,  xxiii.  23 ;  Tit.  iii.  5 ;  Heb.  iv.  16 ;  but  to  eXsog 
 occurs  frequently  in  St  Luke,  St  Paul,  St  James,  St  Peter,  St 
 John,  and  St  Jude ;  and  in  Mic.  vii.  18,  the  LXX.,  have  hXn^'^g 
 iX'sovg  sffTiv,  He  is  a  wilier  of  mercy.  We  have  here  an  axiom  of 
 interpretation,  nay,  the  sum  total  of  that  part  of  theology  which 
 treats  of  cases  of  conscience.  On  mercy ^  cf.  ch.  xxiii.  23.  The 
 word  ^yff/av,  sacrifice  (victimam),  is  put  synecdochically.^  It  is 
 an  act  of  mercy  to  eat  with  sinners  for  their  spiritual  profit.^ — 
 ^X^ov,  I  have  come)  sc.  fi'om  heaven. — xaXisai,  to  call)  Such  is 
 the  mission,  such  the  authority  of  Christ. — ccfiapTuXoug,  sinners) 
 The  word  is  pui'posely  and  emphatically  repeated  by  our  Lord. 
 Cf  ver.  11. 
 
 14.  ToVg,  the7i)  At  the  time  of  the  Feast.* — vpoasp^ovrai  Aurp, 
 come  to  Him)  of  set  purpose. — o'l  fia^rira]  'ludwov,  the  disciples  of 
 John)  They  were  half-way  between  the  Pharisees  and  the  dis- 
 ciples of  Jesus,  and  appear  on  this  occasion  to  have  been  insti- 
 gated by  the  Pharisees.^ — Cf.  Luke  v.  33. — 2oD  fiadnral,   Thy 
 
 ^  So  BC  corrected  later,  D.  This  is  the  Hellenistic  form,  as  to  vT^ovro;, 
 TO  ^ijAoj,  found  in  lxx.  and  oldest  MSS.  of  N.  T.  for  o  -ttMvto;,  6  ^ifho;. 
 Rec.  Text  has  sAsof,  the  classic  form. — Ed. 
 
 2  A  part  for  the  whole  of  positive  performances. — Ed. 
 
 ^  So  far  ought  you  to  be  from  despising  repentance  ;  for  repentance  is  in 
 fact  the  curing  of  the  soul. — V,  g. 
 
 K«i  oil  dvaixv)  This  is  one  portion  of  the  rigorous  observance  of  those 
 things,  which  are  contained  in  the  Law. — V.  g. 
 
 *  It  was  also  the  day  of  the  public  fasts,  as  it  appears,  which  were  cele- 
 brated not  by  the  enactment  of  divine  Law,  but  according  to  the  private  will 
 of  certain  individuals. — Harm.,  p.  283. 
 
 •  For  Matthew  in  this  passage  mentions  the  disciples  of  John;  Mark  (ch.  ii. 
 
228  ST  MATTHEW  IX.  15-17. 
 
 disciples)  They  proceed  modestly,  and  do  not  enquire  concerning 
 John  or  Jesus  Himself. 
 
 15.  Kai,  and)  Our  Lord  replies  calmly  and  cheerfully  :  He 
 draws  joyful  parables  from  the  garments  and  the  wine  (which 
 were  being  employed  in  the  Feast)  to  condemn  the  sadness  of 
 those  who  questioned  Him. — o'l  viol  rov  vvfi,(pujvog,  the  children  of  the 
 hridechamher)  The  companions  of  the  bridegroom.^  Parables 
 and  riddles  are  suited  to  feasts  and  nuptials,  and  are  employed 
 to  illustrate  this  nuptial  period.^ — mvkTv,  to  mourn)  Mourning 
 and  fasting  are  joined  together. — sXguffoi/ra/,  shall  come)  He  means 
 His  departure,  which  should  take  place  at  a  future  period. — xa/ 
 roVe,  and  then)  Neither  before  nor  after.^ — wiGnxjco-jGiv,  they  shall 
 fast)  necessarily  and  willingly.'* 
 
 16.  Ovds!g,  no  one)  Our  Lord  chose,  as  His  disciples,  men  who 
 were  unlearned,  fresh  and  simple,  and  imbued  with  no  peculiar 
 discipline. — See  ch.  xv.  2  ;  cf.  Gnomon  on  Luke  vii.  20.  The  old 
 raiment  was  the  doctrine  of  the  Pharisees ;  the  new,  that  of 
 Christ. — alpsi,  taketh  away)  both  itself  and  more. — uvtou,  his) 
 The  word  is  here  in  the  masculine  gender.^ — x^^P"^  '^yj'^l^^  jinrat^ 
 the  rent  becomes  worse)  Therefore,  there  was  before  some  rent. 
 A  ragged  garment,  altogether  ragged,  is  intended. 
 
 17.  'Affxous,  leather  bottles)  which  were  used  instead  of  casks. 
 The  old  bottles  are  the  Pharisees;  the  new,  the  disciples;  the  wine, 
 the  Gospel.— acroXoDi'ra/,  loill  2?erish)  So  that  they  can  neither 
 hold  that,  nor  any  other  wine  henceforward. — aiLfortpoi,  both) 
 masculine,  as  rig  in  ch.  xxiii.  17. 
 
 18)  mentions  the  same  persons  in  company  with  the  Pliarisees  ;  Luke  men- 
 tions the  Scribes  and  Pharisees. — Harm.  1.  c. 
 
 1  The  Bridegroom  Himself,  if  you  except  the  forty  days  in  the  wilderness, 
 is  nowhere  recorded  as  having  fasted. — V.  g. 
 
 2  Bengel  means  to  say,  the  period  when  our  Lord  was  with  His  disciples. 
 _([.  B.) 
 
 *  Bengel  means,  neither  whilst  the  Bridegroom  was  with  the  Church  on 
 earth,  nor  when  the  Church  should  be  with  the  Bridegroom  in  heaven. — 
 (L  B.) 
 
 ■*  This  is  the  very  characteristic  aspect  of  Christianity  :  At  one  time  is  the 
 nuptial  and  festive  season ;  at  another  time,  the  season  for  fasting  and  sor- 
 row.— V.  g. 
 
 *  Rosenmullcr  more  naturally  refers  xvrov  to  pocKov;,  "  pannus  impexus  a 
 vestimcnto  vetustate  contrito  aliquid  anfert  "  Beng.  seems  to  take  ocinov  with 
 ■s-T^tjpu^x,  as  "  the  portion  put  in  6r/  him  to  fill  up  the  rent." — Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  IX.  18-22.  229 
 
 18.  Upoffsytwsi,  icorshipped)  Although  in  outward  appearance 
 Jairus  was  greater  than  Jesus. — hiXiurrigiv,  is  dead)  Thus  he 
 said  from  conjecture,  or  after  he  had  received  intelh'gence  of  his 
 daughter's  death,  whom  he,  in  the  great  strength  of  faith,  had  left 
 at  the  point  of  death. — See  Mark  v.  23. — BXd&iv,^  coming)  cf.  John 
 iv.  47. 
 
 20.  Tvv^,  a  looman)  Eusebius^  narrates  that  the  statue  of  this 
 woman  and  of  the  Lord  healing  her  was  still  in  existence  in  his 
 time. — H.  E.,  Bk.  vii.,  c.  17. — oV/tr^sv,  from  behind)  sc.  out  of 
 modest  humility. — rov  -/.paffTidov,  the  hem  or  fringe)  See  Num. 
 XV.  38,  S.  V.  Our  Lord  performed  even  that  part  of  the  law. 
 There  is  no  valid  argument  from  the  di'ess  which  our  Lord  then 
 wore  to  the  efficacy  of  relics. 
 
 21.  Toy  '//Mariov  Avrou,  His  garment)  The  woman,  from  the  sense 
 of  her  own  impurity,  acknowledged  the  absolute  purity  of  Jesus. 
 — ffudriffo/ji^ai,  I  shall  be  made  whole)  The  expression  in  ver. 
 22 — ffseuz's  ffs,  hath  m,ade  thee  ichole — sweetly  replies  to  this 
 thought.^ 
 
 22.  Qvyarsp,  daughter)  She  was,  therefore,  not  advanced  in 
 years.* — ^  cr/Vr/j  gov  esffooxi  cs,  thy  faith  hath  placed  thee  in  a  state  of 
 health  or  salvation^)  Our  Lord  was  wont  to  say  thus  to  those  who, 
 of  themselves,  as  it  were  drew  the  health  of  their  body  and  soul 
 to  themselves;^  see  Luke  vii.  50,  xvii.  19,  xviii.  42;  by  which 
 
 1  Lachm.  with  BCDabcd  Vulg.  Hil.  reads  elg,  and  with  BLUaftc  Vulg. 
 ('  accessit')  ■zpoai'hduu.  Tischend.  has  eiaiXduv  ;  Beng.  and  Griesb.  ugi'h6uv. 
 Both  these  last  two  readings  are  equally  tenable,  as  the  letters  are  not 
 separated  in  diflferent  words  in  MSS.:  CDXA  support  either  reading. 
 Matth.  often  uses  ugas  nMx  =  rtg;  ch.  viii.  19,  xix.  6. — Ed. 
 
 2  A  celebrated  ecclesiastical  historian  ;  born  about  a.d.  267  ;  became 
 Bishop  of  Cassarea  in  Palestine,  a.d.  313  or  315  ;  and  died  a.d.  338  or  340. 
 -(LB.) 
 
 ^  It  is  to  a  wonderful  degree  profitable  to  do  simply,  and  without  round- 
 about methods,  whatever  the  spirit  of  faith  and  love  teaches;  ch.  xxvi.  7. — 
 V.  g. 
 
 *  Our  gracious  Saviour  did  not  at  all  censure  her  on  the  ground  that  she 
 neglected  to  offer  a  prayer  to  Him,  and  as  it  were  stole  help  from  Him. — 
 V.  g. 
 
 s  E.  V.  Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole.— (I.  B.) 
 
 6  In  the  original,  "  qui  salutem  corporis  et  animse  ad  se  ultro  quasi 
 attraxere" — "  attrazere,"  "  by  their  own  instrumentality;"  "  ultro,"  "  of  their 
 own  accord."     See  Reff. — (I.  B.) 
 
230  ST  MATTHEW  IX.  23-27. 
 
 words  He  shows  that  He  knew  the  existence  and  extent  of  their 
 faith  ;  He  praises  and  confirms  their  faith  ;  He  ratifies  the  gift, 
 and  commands  it  to  remain ;  and  at  the  same  time  intimates, 
 that  if  others  remain  without  help,  unbeHef  is  the  only 
 cause.^ 
 
 23.  Tovg  avXriTocg,  the  fiute-players)  It  was  the  custom  to  em- 
 ploy flutes  at  funerals,  especially  those  of  the  young. — rh  lyXov^ 
 the  crowd)  See  Luke  vii.  12. 
 
 24.  ^ Avayjdpf^Tn,  depart)  That  is,  you  are  not  needed  here. 
 Our  Lord  proceeds  without  hesitation^  to  perform  the  miracle, 
 cf.  ch.  xiv.  19. — ou  yap  dvsSavi  rh  xopdciov,  for  the  damsel  is  not 
 dead)  Jesus  said  this  before  He  entered  where  she  was  lying 
 dead.  The  dead  all  live  to  God ;  see  Luke  xx.  38  ;  and  the 
 girl,  on  account  of  her  revival,  which  was  to  take  place  soon, 
 quickly,  surely,  and  easily,  was  not  to  be  numbered  amongst  the 
 dead  who  shall  rise  hereafter,  but  amongst  those  that  sleep. — 
 xarsyiXuv  Avrou,  they  laughed  Him  to  scorn)  This  very  circum- 
 stance confirmed  the  truth  of  both  the  death  and  the  miracle. 
 They  seem  to  have  feared  the  loss  of  their  funeral  dues. 
 
 25.  'Hy'ip&ri,  she  was  raised)  Jesus  raised  the  dead  from  the 
 bed,  fi'om  the  bier,  fi'om  the  grave ;  in  this  instance,  in  Luke 
 vii.  14 ;  in  John  xi.  44.  It  would  be  inquisitive  to  speculate 
 concerning  the  state  of  the  souls  which  had  been  separated  for  a 
 short  time. 
 
 26.  'H  (pri/J'ri,  the  fame)  see  ver.  31. — r^v  yr,v  ixshriv,  that  land) 
 St  Matthew,  therefore,  did  not  write  this  book  in  that  land.  See 
 ver.  31,  ch.  xiv.  34,  35,  iv.  25. 
 
 27.  TvpXoi,  blind  men)  Many  blind  men  received  faith,  and 
 afterwards  sight.  Without  doubt  they  sought  for  sight,  more 
 especially  on  the  ground  that,  being  alive  at  that  time,  they 
 might  see  the  Messiah  ;  and  tliey  did  see  Him  Avith  joy  in 
 credible. — iXir,(fov  ^,aaj,  have  mercy  upon  us)  An  expressive 
 formula,  containing  a  confession  of  misery,  and  a  prayer  for 
 free  mercy.     Even  those  who  are  without  have  employed  this 
 
 ^  It  more  than  once  happened,  that  a  person  came  to  knoAv  that  he  had 
 faith  only  when  the  Saviour  announced  the  fact  to  him,  and  not  before. — 
 
 2  In  the  original,  "certus  ad  miracuhini  acccdit" — a  phrase  whidi  lose* 
 half  its  force  in  the  translation. — (I.  D.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  IX.  28-36.  231 
 
 form  of  prayer.^ — vis  Aavid,  son  of  David)  that  is,  Christ.     See 
 ch,  i.  1  and  xxii.  42.^ 
 
 28.  'KkQciVTiy  ivhen  he  loas  come)  They  persevered  in  praying. — 
 b-jvaiJbai,  I  am  able)  The  object  of  faith. 
 
 29.  Kara,  according  to)  He  says  this  by  way  of  affirmation, 
 not  of  hraitation. — yivn&riru,  let  it  he  done,  or  let  it  become)  cor- 
 responding with  the  Hebrew  ''n\® 
 
 30.  ' Knwy&fiGav,  were  opened)  The  same  verb  is  used  also  in 
 the  case  of  ears,  Mark  vii.  34,  35,  and  of  the  mouth,  Luke  i.  64. 
 — In^piij^risaro,  straitly  charged)  perhaps  lest  an  opportunity 
 might  be  given  to  the  Pharisees.  Cf.  ver.  34.* — opare,  see) 
 A  word  used  absolutely ;  for  neither  does  the  following  impera- 
 tive depend  on  this. 
 
 32.  llpoffrjviyxcx,v  Aurp,  x.t.X,,  they  brought  to  Him,  etc.)  One 
 who  could  scarcely  come  of  his  own  accord. 
 
 33.  'laparjX,  Israel)  In  the  nation  in  which  so  many  wonder- 
 ful things  had  been  seen. 
 
 34.  'Ev  Tuj  cip^ovTi,  through  the  prince)  The  Pharisees  could 
 not  deny  the  magnitude  of  our  Lord's  miracles ;  they  ascribe 
 them,  therefore,  to  a  great  author,  though  an  evil  one.^ 
 
 35.  T?i5  ^astXsiag,  of  the  hingdorn)  sc.  of  God. — •:ra(rav,  x.t.'a., 
 every,  etc.)  sc.  of  all  who  were  brought  to  Him. 
 
 36.  ''E(S'7r'kay)(yiG&ri,  He  loas  moved  loith  compassion)  The  dispo- 
 sition of  Jesus  was  most  fruitful  in  works  of  mercy." — iffKvXfisvoi, 
 
 ^  For  instance,  the  woman  of  Canaan,  the  father  of  the  lunatic,  the  ten 
 lepers,  etc. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  It  was  distressing  to  them,  that,  though  living  at  that  very  time,  in 
 which  the  Son  of  David,  who  had  been  so  long  looked  for,  was  living  in  the 
 world,  they  were  yet  not  permitted  even  to  see  Him. — V.  g. 
 
 3  Used  in  the  celebrated  passage,  Genesis  i.  3,  "And  God  said,  'Let 
 there  be  Light :' — and  there  was  Light." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  It  would  have  been  better  for  them  to  have  obeyed  llis  injunction  of 
 silence:  and  yet  their  conduct  is  not  without  affording  us  means  of  inferring, 
 how  great  is  the  effect  which  the  power  of  Christ  has  on  those  who  have 
 experienced  it. — V.  g. 
 
 5  At  a  subsequent  period  they  even  more  wantonly  poured  out  bitter  re- 
 marks of  this  kind.  Yet,  however  great  their  wickedness,  they  were  at  least 
 more  clear-sighted  than  those,  who  acknowledge  the  reality  of  neither 
 demons,  nor  demoniacal  possession,  nor  expulsion. — V.  g. 
 
 *  It  was  a  striking  work  of  mercy  to  bring  wretched  souls  to  a  state  of 
 spiritual  soundness  by  praying  or  teaching. — V.  g. 
 
232  ST  MATTHEW  IX.  37,  38. 
 
 tired  out)  walking  with  difficulty  ;  a  word  especially  suitable  to 
 this  passage,  concerning  which  see  the  Gnomon  Mark  v.  35. 
 The  reading,  iyJ.i'Avfisvoi,  is  clearly  deficient  in  authority.^ — 
 sppi/j^/xsvoi,  cast  down)  i.e.  lying  down.  A  further  step  in  the  path 
 of  misery,^  and  yet  such  a  condition  is  already  the  prelude  of 
 approaching  help.  Cf.  concerning  the  harvest,  John  iv.  35. — 
 uffii  -ffpc^ara  /jbrj  'iyjjvra  rroi/xeva,  as  sheep  not  having  a  shepherd^ 
 Cf  Num.  xxvii.  17,  S.  V. — wcs/  vpo^ara  oTg  ovx  'icTi  •roi/jLrjv,  as 
 sheep  for  whom  there  is  not  a  shepherd. — 'Troifj.r^v  is  properly  a 
 shepherd  of  sheep.     Concerning  sheep,  cf.  ch.  x.  6. 
 
 37.  'O  fMv  kpiaiMog,  X.T.X.,  lite  harvest  indeed,  etc.)  He  repeated 
 the  same  words ^  to  the  Seventy ;  see  Luke  x.  2. — hpiofihc, 
 harvest)  i.e.  in  the  New  Testament,  for  in  the  Old  Testament  it 
 was  the  time  for  sowing.  See  John  iv.  35,  36.  And  again, 
 the  present  time  is  the  season  of  so^ving ;  the  end  of  the  world 
 the  harvest. — rroXug,  plenteous)  See  ch.  x.  23. — ipydrai,  labourers) 
 Fit  persons  to  whom  the  work  should  be  entrusted. 
 
 38.  Asy}Sr,ri,  pray  ye)  See  of  how  great  value  prayers  are. 
 The  Lord  of  the  harvest  Himself  wishes  Himself  to  be  moved 
 by  them.  More  blessings,  without  doubt,  would  accrue  to  the 
 human  race,  if  more  men  would,  on  men's  behalf,*  meet  the 
 ever  ready  will  of  GoD.  See  Gnomon  on  1  Tim.  ii.  3.  The 
 reaping  and  sowing  is  for  our  advantage.  The  Lord  Himself 
 exhorts  us  to  entreat  Him.  He  prevents  us,  that  He  may 
 teach  us  to  prevent  Him.^     (Cf.  John  xvi.  5.)     And  forthwith, 
 
 ^  E.  M.  iK^o.v/yJuoi.—(I.  B.) 
 
 BCDabc  (' vexati')  Vulg.  Hil.  read  tax.v'hf^iuoi'.  d,  '  fatigati.'  Rec.  Text 
 has  ix.'hi'hvi/,ivoi,  evidently  a  marginal  gloss  to  get  rid  of  the  strange  expres- 
 sion, hx.v'h/^ii/oi.  'S.x.v'A'hu  Th.  aali'hov^  torn  off  skin,  as  exuvice  from  exuo. 
 Here,  worn  out,  as  tired  sheep,  with  the  (popriM.  of  the  Pharisees. — Ed. 
 
 2  In  this  condition  properly  are  those,  who  are  destitute  of  the  knowledge 
 of  Christ.— V.  g. 
 
 3  After  the  lapse  of  a  year.— B.  H.  E.  p.  288. 
 
 *  Those  who  are  nearer  to  God  praying  in  behalf  of  those  who  are  further 
 removed  from  Him. — V.  g. 
 
 *  Prevent  is  here  used  in  the  old  Engl,  sense  of  anticipate,  be  he/ore  a7iot/ier 
 in  doing  a  thing ;  as  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  "  Prevent  us,  O  Lord, 
 in  all  our  doings  with  thy  most  gracious  favour."  God  would  have  us  also, 
 as  it  were,  prevent  Ilim,  or  be  the  first  to  ask  those  things,  which  lie  really 
 knoweth  and  willeth  to  give  us  before  we  either  desire  or  ask  them,  Isu 
 xli.  21,  xliii.  26.— Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  X.  1.  JS3 
 
 wliilst  He  is  commanding  us  to  pray,  He  implants  the  desire, 
 to  which  it  is  He  too  that  hearkens.  See  ch.  x.  1.  These 
 same  persons  who  are  commanded  to  pray  [for  labourers],  are 
 presently  appointed  labourers  themselves  (ibid.)  —  Kuplov,  the 
 Lord)  see  ch.  x.  1,  xiii.  37.  Christ  is  the  Lord  of  the  harvest. — 
 6Vj5  s7i(3dXXri,^  to  send  forth)  sajSakXiiv"  does  not  always  imply 
 force,  as  it  does  in  ver.  33. 
 
 CHAPTER  X. 
 
 1.  Kai,  and)  This  is  clearly  connected  with  the  end  of  ch.  ix., 
 as  the  repeated  mention  of  sheep  indicates.  He  sends,  before 
 He  is  greatly  entreated  to  do  so. — 'xposxaXiediMivog,  having  called 
 to  Him)  solemnly.^  All  did  not  hear  and  see  all  things  toge- 
 ther.—  roug  duidizn,  fLo^rirdg,  the  twelve  disciplesY  In  the  following 
 verse  they  are  called  the  twelve  apostles.  Matthew  the  apostle 
 calls  them  apostles  once,  sc.  in  the  present  passage,  where  they 
 
 '  E.  M.  s>c(ixXyi.—(l.  B.) 
 
 ^  See  Author's  Preface,  Sect.  xiv.  and  footnotes. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  This  is  that  remarkable  embassy  or  mission,  to  which  the  Lord  appeals 
 in  Luke  xxii.  35.  He  sent  forth  the  Seventy  also  without  purse,  scrip,  and 
 shoes,  Luke  x.  4.  But  in  Luke  xxii.  35  He  is  speaking  not  of  the  Seventy, 
 but  of  the  Apostles.  We  have  the  return  of  the  Apostles  recorded  in  Mark 
 vi.  30,  Luke  ix.  10.  In  the  intervening  period,  the  Lord  is  represented  more 
 than  once  as  having  had  the  disciples  present  with  Him,  Matt.  xii.  1,  49, 
 xiii.  10  ;  Mark  vi.  1.  I  feel  well  persuaded,  that  no  considerable  portion  of 
 that  time  elapsed,  without  the  Saviour  having  had  present  with  Him  at  least 
 some  of  His  Apostles,  as  witnesses  of  those  most  important  things,  which  He 
 during  that  time  both  spake  and  performed.  Nor  even  was  the  whole  body 
 of  the  Apostles  long  away  from  Him  ;  comp.  ver.  23.  Meanwhile  they  re- 
 turned one  after  the  other :  in  which  way  it  may  have  happened  that  some 
 individuals  out  of  the  Twelve  are  named  o!  '^aoix.a  ;  or  even  it  may  have  been 
 that,  coming  and  going  from  time  to  time,  they  took  their  turns  with  the 
 Lord,  when  making  His  journeys,  until  at  length  it  was  the  privilege  of  them 
 all  to  be  with  Him  together  again.  It  seems  indeed  to  be  tacitly  intimated 
 in  Luke  ix.  10,  that  their  actual  return  took  place  somewhat  earlier,  their 
 narration  or  report  of  their  proceedings  following  subsequently  more  than 
 once. — Harm.,  p.  292. 
 
 *  The  election  of  whom  as  Apostles,  the  sacred  writer  takes  for  granted 
 as  having  taken  place  before  the  sermon  on  the  mountain. — V.  g. 
 
234  ST  MATTHEW  X.  2. 
 
 are  first  sent  forth  ;  St  Mark  does  so  once  (vi.  30),  and  that 
 when  they  just  returned  from  that  mission ;  John,  the  apostle, 
 never  does  so ;  for  in  ch.  xiii.  16  he  uses  the  word  in  its  gene- 
 ral, not  its  particular  meaning ;  St  Luke  does  so  in  his  Gos- 
 pel particularly,  but  only  on  occasions,  and  those  the  same  as 
 Matthew  and  Mark,  or  subsequently,  for  other  weighty  reasons : 
 see  Luke  vi.  13,  ix.  10,  xi.  49,  xvii.  5,  xxii.  14,  xxiv.  10.  For  they 
 were,  during  the  whole  of  the  period  which  the  Gospels  embrace, 
 disciples,  i.e.  scholars,  and  are  therefore  so  called.  But,  after 
 the  advent  of  the  Paraclete,  in  the  Acts  and  Epistles  they  are 
 never  called  disciples,  but  apostles.  In  the  Acts,  those  only  are 
 called  disciples,  who  had  either  learnt  with  the  apostles,  or  were 
 then  learning  from  the  apostles,  and  were  apostolic  men,  and 
 the  seed  of  all  Christian  posterity ;  see  Acts  vi.  1,  xxi.  16.  After 
 which  last  passage  the  word  disciple  does  not  occur  again  in  the 
 New  Testament :  but  they  are  called  brethren,  Christians,  be- 
 lievers (fideles),  saints,  etc. — Uuxiv,  x.r.X.,  He  gave,  etc.)  The 
 apostles  made  gradual  progress.  Great  is  the  authority  of  con- 
 ferring authority.^ — avroTg,  to  them)  The  disciples,  when  in  the 
 Lord's  presence,  were  employed  in  miracles  only  to  a  certain 
 extent,  as  in  ch.  xiv.  19  and  xvii.  27  ;  but  they  did  not  them- 
 selves perform  miracles  (see  ch.  xvii.  18),  unless  when  sent  forth 
 by  Christ  (see  Luke  x.  17),  or  after  the  departure  of  Christ; 
 see  John  xiv.  12. — wivfiaruv,  of  spirits)  i.e.  against  spirits. — 
 dxa'^dpruv,  unclean)  A  frequent  epithet :  sometimes  they  are 
 called  itvvjiidra  'TTovi^pd,  evil  spimts. — ^ipa'TriUiv,  to  heal)  sc.  in  His 
 name  :  see  ch.  ix.  35. 
 
 2.  Ta  hliiiard,  the  names)  Scripture,  in  enumerations  of  this 
 kind,  preserves  an  accurate  order.  See  Gen.  xlviii.  20 ;  Num. 
 xii.  1 ;  and,  "  Noah,  Daniel,  and  Job,"  in  Ezek.  xiv.  14,  20. 
 Therefore  the  plan  which  is  observed  in  the  list  of  the  apostles, 
 princes  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  is  of  fir  graver  import  tlian 
 any  precedence  of  the  kings  of  the  world  (as,  for  example,  Peter 
 is  named  first,  not  without  an  indication  of  rank)  :^  nor  is  there 
 
 '  i  e.  His  great  authority  is  evinced  in  the  fact  of  His  being  able  to  give 
 them  authority  to  do  all  these  miracles. — En. 
 
 2  In  tlie  original,  "non  sine  indicio  ordinis."  In  the  notes  to  his  German 
 Ycrsion  he  says,  on  the  words  "  Dcr  erste"  "  the  first,"  In  der  That  war 
 Simon  den  andern  ilberlegcn:  wkwol  das  der  Siuhl  zu  Rom  nichts  angehet," 
 
ST  MATTHEW  X.  2. 
 
 335 
 
 anything  foituitous  in  it.  It  is  not  said,  "  BariJiolomew,  Peter, 
 Jude,  John,  Andrew,  Matthew,"  etc. :  and  the  foar,  as  it  were, 
 locations  of  them,  are  deserving  of  observation  : — 
 
 (I.)  Matthew  x.  2. 
 
 1.  Simon, 
 
 2.  And  Andrew, 
 
 3.  James, 
 
 4.  And  John, 
 
 5.  Philip, 
 C.  And  Bartholo- 
 mew, 
 
 7.  Thomas, 
 
 8.  And  Matthew, 
 
 9.  James  the  son  of 
 
 Alphaeus, 
 
 10.  And  Lebbaeus, 
 
 11.  Simon  the 
 
 Canaanite, 
 
 12.  And  Judas  Is- 
 
 cariot. 
 
 (II.)  Mark  iii.  16. 
 
 1.  Simon^ 
 
 2.  And  James, 
 
 3.  And  John, 
 
 4.  And  Andrew, 
 (See  also  lb.  xiii,  3.) 
 
 5.  And  Philip, 
 
 6.  And  Bartholo- 
 
 mew, 
 
 7.  And  Matthew, 
 
 8.  And  Thomas, 
 
 9.  And  James  the 
 son  of  Alphaeus, 
 
 10.  And  Thaddaeus, 
 
 11.  And  Simon  the 
 
 Canaanite, 
 
 12.  And   Judas   Is- 
 
 cariot. 
 
 (III.)  Luke  vi.  14. 
 
 1.  Simon, 
 
 2.  And  Andrew, 
 
 3.  James, 
 
 4.  And  John, 
 
 6.  Philip, 
 
 6.  And  Bartholo- 
 
 mew, 
 
 7.  Matthew, 
 
 8.  And  Thomas, 
 
 9.  James  the  son  of 
 
 Alphaeus, 
 
 10.  And  Simon  Ze- 
 
 lotes, 
 
 11.  Judas  the   bro- 
 
 ther of  James, 
 
 12.  And  Judas    Is- 
 
 cariot. 
 
 (IV.)  Acts  i.  13,  26. 
 
 1.  Peter, 
 
 2.  And  James, 
 
 3.  And  John, 
 
 4.  And  Andrew, 
 
 5.  Philip, 
 
 6.  And  Thomas, 
 
 7.  Bartholomew, 
 
 8.  And  Matthew, 
 
 9.  James  the  son  of 
 
 Alphaeus, 
 
 10.  And  Simon  Ze- 
 
 lotes, 
 
 11.  And  Judas   the 
 brother  of  James . 
 
 12.  Matthias. 
 
 The  first  and  the  third  arrangements  enumerate  them  by  pairs, 
 the  second  singly,  the  fourth  mixedly.  The  first  and  third 
 arrangements  correspond  generally  to  the  time  of  their  vocation, 
 and  the  conjunction  of  the  apostles  in  twos ;  the  second,  to  their 
 dignity  before  our  Lord's  passion  ;  the  fourth,  to  their  dignity 
 after  His  ascension.  All  the  arrangements  may  be  divided  into 
 three  quaternions,  none  of  which  interchanges  any  name  with 
 either  of  the  others.^  Again,  Peter  stands  always  first  in  the 
 first  quaternion,  Philip  in  the  second  (cf.  John  i.  42,  44,  xii.  22), 
 James  the  son  of  Alphaeus  in  the  third ;  though,  within  their 
 several  quaternions,  the  other  apostles  exchange  their  relative 
 position  [in  the  different  lists].     The  traitor  stands  always  last. 
 
 *•  Simon  tms  in  reality  superior  to  the  other  [apostles],  though  that  [fact]  does 
 not  in  any  way  concern  the  See  o/'Rome." — See  Gnomon  below  on  TrpZ-i-og. — 
 (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  i.e.  No  one  of  the  three  quaternions  allows  a  name  found  in  it  to  be 
 exchanged  for  a  name  found  in  one  of  the  other  two  quaternions  ;  though  the 
 names  are  varied  as  to  their  order  in  the  same  quaternion  by  the  different 
 writers. — Ed. 
 
S86  ST  MATTHEW  X.  3. 
 
 Tlie  plan  of  the  first  and  third  quaternions  is  contained  in  what 
 I  have  just  said  :  in  the  second,  Matthew  places  himself  modestly 
 after  his^  Thomas,  thus  proving  himself  to  be  the  writer  of  the 
 book ;  for  both  Mark  and  Luke  put  Thomas  after  Matthew, 
 although  St  Luke,  after  the  confirmation  of  Thomas's  fiiith 
 (John  XX.  27,  28),  puts  him,  in  the  Acts,  even  above  Bartho- 
 lomew, and  associates  him  with  Philip.  From  the  first  quater- 
 nion we  have  the  writings  of  Peter  and  John  ;  from  the  second, 
 that  of  Matthew  ;  from  the  third,  those  of  James  and  Jude,  or 
 Thaddeus.  St  John  has  not  enumerated  the  apostles  in  his 
 Gospel,  but  he  has  done  so  by  implication  in  the  Apocalypse  ; 
 see  Kev.  xxi.  19,  20,  and  my  German,  Exposition  of  it. — 
 rrpuTog,  first)  On  the  primacy  of  Peter,  see  Luke  viii.  45,  ix. 
 32  ;  John  i.  42  ;  Matt.  xvi.  16 ;  John  xxi.  15  ;  Acts  i.  15,  ii. 
 14,  viii.  14,  X.  5,  xv.  7.  He  was,  however,  first  among  the 
 apostles,  not  placed  over  the  apostles  :  in  the  apostolate,  not 
 ahove  it.  What  is  this  to  the  Pope  of  Rome  %  Not  more  than  to 
 any  other  bishop  ;  nay,  even  less. — 6  "kiydiuvog  Tiirpog,  who  is 
 called  Peter)  A  surname  which  became  afterwards  better 
 known  .^ 
 
 3.  'o  rov  ZijSidalov,  the  SOU  of  Zehedee)  To  distinguish  him  from 
 James  the  son  of  Alphaeus. — 6  nXuvng,  the  publican)  A  humble 
 confession  of  the  Evangelist  concerning;  himself.  He  does  not 
 call  Peter,  Andrew,  etc.,  the  fishermen  :  but  he  does  call  himself 
 the  publican. 
 
 A£/3,i3a/bc,  Lebbaeus)  According  to  Ililler,  Thaddacus,  derived 
 from  the  Chaldee  in,  bosom,  and  Lebbaeus,  from  the  Hebrew 
 3?)  heart,  are  synonymous  terms,  and  denote  a  man  of  much 
 heart  :^  see  Onomata  Sacra,  p.  123.  So  Thomas  means  the 
 same  thing  as  Didymus.  Those  copies'*  which  have  in  this  pas- 
 sage only  Ai3l3aToc,  are  supported  by  the  list  of  the  apostles  which 
 
 1  "Thoniain  suum,"  ?iis  Thomas,  i  e.  liis  associate  in  tlie  lists;  RIattliew 
 and  Thomas  being  placed  to^jctlicr  in  all  of  them.- — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  i.e.  better  known  tlian  the  9iame  "  Simon,"  which  he  had  received  at  his 
 circumcision. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  "  Hominem  pectorosum,"  lit.  in  classical  Latin,  a  man  of  broad,  large, 
 or  high  breast. — (1.  B.) 
 
 *  The  reading  of  E.  M.  is  "  x,ul  Acfilixh;  6  i7r/xX>i.^s<V  Qeihl»ios." — 
 (I.  B.) 
 
 So  the  margin  of  Bengel's  larger  Ed.,  though  in  the  text  there  stood  t)«^ 
 
ST  MATTHEW  X.  S.  237 
 
 Cotelerius^  has  published  with  the  apostoHcal  constitutions,  and 
 by  Hesychius  in  tlie  article  'lapa.^  As  this  reading  is  shorter  and 
 middle,^  it  appears  to  be  the  right  one.  Some  persons  having 
 appended  the  disputed  clause  from  the  parallel  passage  of  Mark 
 as  a  gloss,  others  introduced  it  into  the  text  from  the  same 
 source.  Their  reading  considers  Thaddaeus  as  a  surname,  and 
 Lehhaeus  as  the  name  of  this  apostle  :  His  name,  however,  in 
 reality  was  Judas  the  brother  of  James  :  but  he  was  called  Leb- 
 baeus  by  name,  as  it  were  to  distinguish  him  from  Judas 
 Iscariot.* 
 
 oxtos-  The  first  Ed.  of  the  Gnomon  gives  the  palm  to  the  shorter  reading, 
 \e/S(3xtog.  So  marg.  of  Ed.  2  and  Vers.  Germ.,  leaving  it  however  to  the 
 decision  of  the  reader,  whether  the  words  o  iTriyj^nSih  0«S3«<o.c  are  to  be  ac- 
 cepted or  rejected.  Michaelis,  in  his  Einleitung,  T.  ii.,  p.  m.  1687,  etc., 
 shows,  by  many  proofs,  that  Judas  the  brother  of  James  is  the  same  as  Thad- 
 deus  and  Lebbeus,  and  was  called  among  the  Syrians  Adai  or  Adseus. — 
 E.  B. 
 
 '  CoTELERius,  alias  Jean  Baptiste  Cotelier,  born  at  Nismes  in  1627, 
 was  one  of  the  most  eminent  critics  of  modern  times.  As  a  mere  child, 
 he  was  considered  a  prodigy  of  learning  ;  and  he  sustained  this  reputation  at 
 the  Sorbonne,  where  he  took  the  degree  of  Batchelor.  In  1667  the  great 
 Minister  Colbert  selected  him,  together  with  the  celebrated  Du  Cange,  to 
 examine  and  catalogue  the  Greek  MSS.  of  the  Royal  Library.  The  able 
 manner  in  which  lie  performed  this  task  procured  him,  in  1676,  the  Profes- 
 sorship of  Greek  in  the  Royal  College  at  Paris.  His  labours  were  many  and 
 valuable.     He  died  in  1686.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  The  passage  referred  to  does  not  really  occur  under  "I«p«,  but  under 
 'lax(i)/3of,  which  is  by  mistake  placed  out  of  its  alphabetical  order.  The  ar- 
 ticle on  "letpct  consists  of  a  single  line,  viz.  "Ictpx  ou^ee.  vj  i^olpec. 
 
 Then  follow  immediately  the   Avords   referred  to   by   Bengel  :  'Ixku^o: 
 
 Asfi/ixiog.  TTxpciZi  AovKx,    loi^Bat? 'l«xw/3oy. 
 
 In  the  note  on  Hesychius  (Ed.  Lugd.  Bat.  1776),  vol.  xi.  col.  10,  are  these 
 words — 
 
 NuUus  dubito  quin  diversos  hie  confuderit  GIossjb  hujus  insititise  auctor, 
 ex  male  intellecto  Veteris  cujusdara  Scriptoris  apostolicorum  nominum 
 laterculo,  qualem  ex  MS.  codice  Bibliothecse  Regise  protulit  Cotelerius  ad 
 lib.  ii.  Constitut.  Apostol.  c.  63,  p.  264,  ed.  Cleric. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  "Media."     See  Author's  Preface,  viii.  14,  and  footnote  in  voc. — (I,  B.) 
 
 *  Lachm.  with  Be  Vulg.  reads  Kc*i  Qot-llothi;.  Tischend.  with  D  and 
 MSS.  in  August,  reads  K«(  As/3/3«(o?.  ab  have  Judas.  Mill  attributes  the 
 reading  Aififiothg  here  to  some  one  wishing  to  call  attention  to  the  fact,  that 
 Mark  and  Luke  call  Matthew  Aiv'i;  Levi.  It  seems  hard  to  account  for  the 
 introduction  of  such  a  reading,  if  not  genuine :  and  yet  the  weight  of  autlio- 
 
238  ST  MATTHEW  X.  4-7. 
 
 4.  *lsxapi(!iTrig,  Tscariot)  so  called  from  tlie  village  of  Iscariot 
 in  the  tribe  of  Ephraim,  as  Jerome  says  on  the  beginning  of 
 Isaiah  xxviii.  Louis  de  Dieu,  on  Acts  i.  16,  says,  "  In  the 
 ^thiopic  language,  I  find  p^'^^  ^^^  ^  ^^9  ^^  pouch  to  carry 
 money  in :  for  thus  the  translator  has  rendered  rh  yXuaaoKo/Mov 
 (the  bag)  in  John  xii.  6,  and  xiii.  29. — Hence  may  be  derived, 
 without  any  impropriety,  Nn"i''"i3ti'S  (Iscariota),  6  sy^uv  yXusffoxo/j.ov, 
 he  who  hath  the  bag. — 6  xai,  who  also)  The  word  also  implies  that 
 Judas  was  best  known  and  most  easily  distinguished  by  the  be- 
 trayal.— 'rapadovg,  betrayed)  By  the  mention  of  his  treason,  it  is 
 silently  intimated  that  Matthias,  whom  St  Luke  mentions  by 
 name  in  the  Acts,  was  his  successor  in  the  apostolate. 
 
 5.  6.  'Odov — mXiv — o/xov,  ivay — city — Aowse)  The  apostles  Avere 
 sometimes  oblio;ed  to  tread  the  roads  of  the  Samaritans  in  their 
 journeys  ;  ^  but  there  was  the  less  need  for  them  to  enter  their 
 cities,  and  stay  there,  because  the  Lord  had  preached  to  them  in 
 His  journey  (see  John  iv.),  and  the  apostles  also  were  afterwards 
 to  come  to  them.  The  first  of  these  injunctions  regards  this 
 first  legation  ;  most  of  the  rest  apply  equally  to  the  whole  office 
 of  the  apostolate,  to  which  the  twelve  are  introduced  on  the  pre- 
 sent occasion ;  cf.  ver.  18.  Our  Lord  gave  nearly  the  same  com- 
 mands to  the  seventy  disciples;  Luke  x.  1—11. 
 
 6.  upoiSara,  sheep)  See  ch.  ix.  3G. — a-roXwXoVa,  lost)  He  uses 
 this  expression  in  preference  to  led  astray :  cf.  ch.  xviii.  12,  14. 
 The  apostles  would  find  sufficient  occupation  in  attending  to 
 these. —  lcpar\>.,  Israel)  from  which  the  Samaritans  had  departed. 
 
 7.  Uopivofisvot,  as  ye  go)  Answering  to  'xopi\ji<f^i  {go  ye),  in 
 ver.  6. — xripueeirs,  preach  ye)  Here  were  the  disciples  going  forth 
 like  students  in  theology,  who  practise  the  rudiments  of  the 
 ministry  and  perform  the  functions  of  curates,  and  afterwards 
 return  to  receive  further  instruction.^ — riyyiTnv,  is  at  hand)  This 
 
 rities  are  for  Ketl  Qxolxlo;  here,  which  otherwise  might  well  be  a  transcriber's 
 or  harmonist's  correction  from  Mark  iii.  18;  AefiiSctio;,  as  the  less  open  to 
 suspicion  of  transcribers'  corrections,  being  accounted  as  the  genuine  reading. 
 Jerome  calls  him  Tpiuvvf^o;,  triple-named  ;  so  that  in  his  day  Ijcbbeus  must 
 have  been  a  recognised  name  eitiier  here  or  in  Mark,  as  well  as  Thaddeus 
 and  Judas. — Ed. 
 
 ^  Inasmuch  as  Samaria  was  situated  between  Judea  and  Galilee. — V.  g. 
 
 '  T^2y  themselves,  in  fact,  were  as  yet  destitute  of  perfect  knowledge  of 
 Jesus  Christ,  who  not  until  afterwards  instructed  them  more  dislinctljf  con- 
 
ST  MATTHEW  X.  8-11.  239 
 
 was  to  be  the  burden  and  sum  of  their  discourses;^  cf.  Mark 
 vi.  12. 
 
 8.  ^  ASivovvTag — dai/Movia,  sick — devils)  An  ascenduig  gradation : 
 cf.  ver.  1,  where  the  highest  grade  is  put  first. — dupeav,  gratui- 
 tously) This  is  not  inconsistent  with  the  conclusion  of  ver.  10. 
 Hire  is  due  for  labour,  but  miracles  and  gifts  of  grace  ought 
 not  to  be  sold. 
 
 9.  Mri  xTTjarjo^e,  x.r.X.,  do  not  procure,  etc.)  Thus  they  were 
 taught  apostolic  contentedness.^  They  were  permitted  to  use 
 what  they  already  possessed,  but  not  to  procure  any  thing  new. 
 — y^pushv — dpyvpov — ^aXx.ov,  gold — silver — brass)  i.e.,  money,  large 
 or  small. — e/g  rag  ^u)vag,  into  your  girdles)  which  served  also  for 
 purses. 
 
 10.  liripav,  scrip)  in  which  bread  and  other  articles  of  food 
 were  kept ;  see  Mark  vi.  8. — iJ^n^l  pdBBov,  nor  staff)  In  Mark 
 vi.  8,  we  read  "  hut  one  staff. ^^  He  who  had  no  staff,  was  not  to 
 care  about  procuring  one,  for  our  Lord  says  "  do  not  procure ;" 
 he  however  who  possessed  a  staflP,  might  take  it  with  him,  for 
 convenience,  not  defence. — a'^iog  yap  6  spyarr\g,  k.t.'k.,  for  the 
 labourer  is  worthy,  etc.)  On  the  other  hand,  the  hire  is  worthy 
 of  the  labourer. — rpo<p7jg,  food)  This  word  includes  all  the  articles 
 which  are  enumerated  in  ver.  9,  10. 
 
 11.  'E^erdsan,  search  out)  sc.  by  asking  others,  and  by 
 spiritual  examination.  The  godly  are  easily  discovered  by  the 
 godly,  and  in  like  manner  the  ungodly  by  the  ungodly. — 
 d^iog  idri,  is  xoorthy)  sc.  of  being  your  host. — ytd-utT  ixihan,  and 
 there  remain)  sc.  in  the  house  of  that  man,  until  you  leave  the 
 
 cerning  His  passion,  death,  and  resurrection.  In  the  meantime,  their  preach- 
 ing, confirmed  as  it  was  by  very  many  miracles,  prepared  the  minds  of  men, 
 so  as  that  they  subsequently,  without  difficulty,  yielded  themselves  up  to 
 obey  Him,  on  His  advent  among  them,  of  whom  the  hope  had  been  pre- 
 sented to  them  by  this  preparatory  announcement.  Comp.  ver.  23.— 
 Harm.,  p.  293. 
 
 1  Which  exhorted  to  repentance. — V.  g. 
 
 2  "  Sic  didicere  otvrupKuxv  apostolicani."  The  word  oi.i/rcipx.iix,  implies  not 
 merely  the  patient  endurance  of  penury  or  privation,  but  such  a  state  of  mind 
 and  habit  of  acting  and  judging  as  would  actually  render  the  individual  suf- 
 ficiently fed,  clothed,  etc.,  and  fully  satisfied  with  that  which  would  not  meet 
 the  exigencies  of  another.  The  sense  of  Independence,  so  frequent  in  the 
 classical  writers,  is  not  wholly  abandoned. — (I.  B.) 
 
240  ST  MATTHEW  X.   12-14. 
 
 city.^     A   change  of  houses  might   have   the   appearance   of 
 fastidiousness.^ 
 
 12.  'AtTTacraoOE,  solute)  i.e.  say  Dw,  peace,  mentioned  in  ver. 
 13,  i.e.  salvation.  Our  Lord  adopted  formulae  and  ceremonies 
 already  observed,  but  He  elevated  them  to  a  higher  use. 
 
 13.  'Eav  fjbh,  x.T.X.,  if  indeed,  etc.)  i.e.  if  they  receive  you. — 
 iXSeru — s'TriarpaipriTCt},  let  it  come — let  it  return  to)  The  imperative 
 may  here  be  taken  in  its  strict  sense.  If  you  pray  for  it,  let  it 
 come.  If  you  are  not  unwilling,  let  it  return.  So  bear  yourselves, 
 that  [in  the  one  case]  it  may  come  [upon  the  house],  that  [in 
 the  other]  it  may  return  [to  you~\.  Impart  your  salutation  to 
 them  with  ready  good-will,  or  take  it  back  to  yourselves.^ — 
 r;  elp/ivrj  v/mcuv,  your  peace)  sc.  that  of  which  you  are  the  mes- 
 sengers.— ia-./  dt,  X.T.X.,  but  if,  etc.)  contrary  to  your  expecta- 
 tion.— Tphg  vfj.ag  i'T/ffrpap^rw,  let  it  return  to  you)  By  a  testimony 
 of  duty  performed,  and  an  increase  of  tranquillity  and  spiritual 
 power.  That  which  has  once  gone  forth  from  the  wealth  of 
 God,  has  not  gone  forth  in  vain,  but  assuredly  finds  some  one 
 whom  it  may  reach.  A  consolation  for  ministers  who  appear  to 
 themselves  to  produce  no  edification.  The  Lord  says  to  theni 
 thus,  "  They  have  despised  it ;  have  it  yoiu'selves."  ■* 
 
 14.  "Og  iav,  whosoever)  whatever  householder  or  magistrate. 
 — i$£^%oA('£i'o/,  when  ye  depart)  The  ignorance  of  men  was  not 
 yet  invincible.  At  present,  in  a  greater  multitude  of  labourers 
 and  hearers,  it  is  not  necessary  to  depart.'^ — ^',  or)  If  you  should 
 
 '  A  distinguishintj  privilege  was  thereby  granted  to  those  who  were  their 
 "  first-fruits"  in  each  city. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  In  the  original,  "  potuisset  prajbere  speciem  hominuni  delicatorum," 
 where  it  is  difficult  to  find  an  exact  equivalent  to  "delicatorum  :"  though 
 one  is  naturally  reminded  of  Luke  vii.  25,  q.  v. —  (I.  B.) 
 
 2  This  was,  as  it  were,  a  prelude  to  the  loosing  and  binding  (c.  xviii.  18). 
 -V.  g. 
 
 ■•  In  his  German  Version  he  says,  "you  must  not  distress  {kranken)  your- 
 selves. That  which  others  reject  becomes  thereby  a  greater  blessing  to  you." 
 -(I-B.) 
 
 *  Beng.  seems  to  mean.  There  was  not  then,  as  yet,  the  invincible  ignor- 
 ance of  men  to  contend  with,  tliat  there  is  now  :  it  was  wilful  unbelief;  and 
 in  such  a  case  it  was  their  duty  not  to  waste  time,  as  the  spiritual  labourers 
 were  few,  but  to  depart.  In  our  day,  on  tlie  other  hand,  where  the  numbers 
 of  both  spiritual  labourers  and  their  lioarers  are  many,  it  is  not  the  duty  of 
 the  former  to  depart,  though  many  loUfuUt/  harden  themselves,  for  there  are 
 
ST  MATTHEW  X.  15,  16.  241 
 
 not  be  admitted  into  any  house  of  the  city. — xdvioprhv,  dust)  Be- 
 cause punishment  (ver.  15)  would  overtake  the  very  dust  of  the 
 land  trodden  by  the  feet  of  the  impious,  from  which  the  apostles 
 would  wish  to  be  altogether  free ;  see  Acts  xiii.  51 ;  cf.  Matt, 
 xviii.  6 ;  Mark  vi.  11.  That  seeing  your  determination,  they 
 may  know  it  has  been  said  to  them  as  a  testimony  against  them. 
 The  action  combined  with  the  word  moves  both  spectators  and 
 auditors ;  see  Neh.  v.  13. — ruiv  TodoJv,  your  feet)  This  depends 
 upon  UTivu^ari,  shake  off  from.  Guilt  is  supposed  to  adhere  to 
 the  feet  or  shoes ;  see  I  Kings  ii.  5.  Therefore  the  apostles 
 ought  to  declare,  by  shaking  the  dust  fi'om  their  feet,  that  the 
 fault  of  those  who  did  not  listen  has  been  removed  from  them. 
 
 15.  '  AviXTOTipov,  more  tolerable)  Therefore  it  is  worse  not  to 
 believe  the  Gospel,  than  to  imitate  the  men  of  Sodom ;  see  ch. 
 xi.  22,  24.  There  appears  to  be  an  hypallage,  viz. :  that  city 
 shall,  on  the  day  of  judgment,  undergo  a  heavier  punishment 
 than  the  land  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrha  either  endured  of  old, 
 or  shall  receive  at  the  judgment.  If  merely  a  briefs  repulse  shall 
 be  so  heavily  punished,  what  shall  be  their  fate  who  resist  more 
 obstinately. 
 
 16.  'l5oi),  behold)  Behold  is  frequently  used  for  pointing  out  a 
 thing  which  is  present. — J/w,  I)  your  Lord.  Do  not  hesitate. 
 I  give  you  a  safe  conduct. — T^o/3ara,  sheep)  unarmed. — iv  fjjiau), 
 in  the  midst)  not  into  the  midst,  for  you  are  already  among 
 wolves. — Xuxwv,  of  wolves)  who  will  be  unwilling  that  the  lost 
 sheep,  mentioned  in  ver.  6,  be  brought  back  ;  cf.  ch.  vii.  15,  con- 
 cerning false  prophets,  although  here  the  appellation  "  wolves'^ 
 has  a  wider  signification. — yhech,  become  ye)  In  exhortations 
 this  word  is  frequently  used  rather  than  'iars,  be  ye.  Go  forth 
 as  such,  and  show  yourselves  to  be  so. — ug  o'l  opig,  as  serpents) 
 The  godly  often  appear  to  the  ungodly  as  serpents,  and  thus 
 
 others  who  labour  under  ignorance,  and  it  is  the  minister's  duty  to  labour  to 
 overcome  that  ignorance,  which,  though  invincible  in  itself,  can  be  overcome 
 by  the  Spirit  of  God. — Ed. 
 
 '  In  the  original,  "  Si  perbrevis  repulsa  tarn  graviter  punietur :"  where 
 '■'■  perbrevis,"  "very  short"  does  not  imply  that  the  impenitence  and  unbelief 
 of  the  persons  indicated  was  of  short  continuance,  but  that  their  actual  re- 
 fusal to  receive  the  Gospel  occupied  only  the  same  time  as  the  brief  visit  of 
 the  Apostles  whom  they  rejected. — {L  B.) 
 
 VOL.  I.  Q 
 
242  ST  MATTHEW  X.   17-li^. 
 
 vanquish  the  old  serpent. — -/.al,  and)  Thus  David  was  at  the 
 same  time  prudent  and  simple  towards  Saul.^ — dy.tpaioi,  without 
 horm)  hoof,  tooth,  or  sting ;  both  actively  and  passively  harm- 
 less. Many  words  of  this  kind  have  at  the  same  time 
 both  an  active  and  a  passive  signification ;  cf.  Gnomon  on  Rom. 
 xvi.  19. 
 
 17.  Upoai'/^irs  di  a-z-h  rcov  avdp'M-rm,  hut  heware  of  men)  The  ex- 
 pression used  in  the  last  verse,  "  Be  ye  wise,"  is  now  explained  ; 
 and  the  force  of  the  injunction  is  extended,^  for  the  word  men 
 '"i  of  general  signification  ;  cf.  John  ii.  24.^ — amehpia — ewaya/- 
 ya/c,  councils — synagogues)  The  councils,  where  the  chief  men 
 assemble;  the  synagogues,  where  the  people  also  resort. — I) 
 raTg  evvayuyuTg,  in  the  synagogues)  They  will  consider  the  action 
 so  holy,  that  it  may  be  performed  even  in  the  synagogue,  which 
 is  put  in  opposition  to  the  council ;  see  ch.  xxiii.  34. — iMasny- 
 uxso'jffiv,  they  shall  scourge)  Hard  things  are  foretold,  yet  they 
 were  actually  endured  by  the  apostles,  and  even  by  our  Lord 
 Himself. 
 
 18.  As,  hut)  The  particle  is  here  used  epitatically,*  to  denote  a 
 further  step  in  the  subject  announced. — ayj^eick,  ye  shall  he 
 brought)  The  apostles  did  not  come  ultroneously  to  the  rulers, 
 they  were  brought. — avToTg,  against  them)  sc.  the  Jews,  in  con- 
 tradistinction to  the  Gentiles  mentioned  immediately  afterwards. 
 — xa!  ToT;  UviCiv,  and  the  Gentiles)  This  chapter  therefore  already 
 contemplates  matters  more  remote,  and  refers  to  the  apostolate 
 after  our  Lord's  ascension. 
 
 19.  Mr\  ixipi'MYianri,  Be  not  careful)  Your  only  care  must  be  to 
 be  without  care.  We  are  not  forbidden  by  this  passage  fi'om  all 
 preparation  ;  see  1  Tim.  iv.  15,  cf.  Luke  xxi.  14  ;  1  Cor.  xiv.  26. 
 
 ^  It  not  seldom  happens  that  one  finds  others,  as  it  were,  altogether  the 
 counterpart  of  one's  self.  But  it  is  of  use  to  remember,  that  many  are  worse 
 than  yourself,  and  some  perhaps  better. — V.  g. 
 
 *  In  the  original,  "Declaratur  to  j^rudcntcs :  acceditque  moniti  extensio." 
 _(I.B.) 
 
 3  How  strong  are  the  reasons  for  being  on  our  guard  against  men,  is  es- 
 pecially then  made  manifest,  when  one  has  to  be  conversant  (to  have  inter- 
 course) with  them  at  a  time  of  their  being  under  the  constraint  of  no  external 
 consideration. — V.  g. 
 
 ■*  See  Append,  on  Epitasis.  An  emphatic  addition  to  an  enunciation  al- 
 ready made. — Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  X.  20-23.  243 
 
 But  on  a  sudden  emergency,  even  in  these  times,  a  faithful  pro- 
 fessor should  not  be  anxious  as  to  what  he  has  to  say. — jj,  or) 
 Care  is  elegantly  mentioned;  where,  however,  the  "what"  {quid, 
 Ti)  is  supplied,  there  the  "  how"^  (quomodo,  vug)  is  not  wanting. 
 The  "  Iwiv  or  what"  includes  whatever  can  fall  under  the  idea 
 of  care  ;  therefore,  especially  also  the  words,  concerning  which 
 many,  who  have  the  matter  ready,  are  wont  to  be  over  anxious. 
 The  Spirit  does  not  speak  without  words  ;  see  ver.  20 :  and  in 
 Luke  xxi.  15,  we  read,  "  I  will  give  you  a  mouth  and  wisdom." 
 Analogous  combinations,  under  other  circumstances,  occur  in 
 John  viii.  28,  xii.  49,  50;  Rom.  viii.  26;  1  Pet.  i.  11.  The 
 doctrine  of  verbal  inspiration  is  not  inferred  from  the  difference 
 of  the  words  hoio  and  what,  but  from  the  promise  itself. — Iv  sxtlv/^ 
 rri  upa,  in  that  hour)  even  though  not  before.  Many  feel  most 
 strongly  their  spiritual  power  when  the  hour  arrives  of  impart- 
 ing it  to  others. — r/,  ivhat)  for  o,  that  which. — Cf.  ch.  xv.  32,  and 
 Luke  xvii.  8. 
 
 20.  0/  XaXouvrsg,  that  speak)  A  similar  use  of  the  article  occurs 
 in  John  vi.  63. — h  v/jlTv,  in  you)  As  instruments. 
 
 21.  ' AhiXfhg,  the  brother)  Those  who  are  most  near,  are 
 most  easily  divided. — damruffovcriv,  shall  cause  to  be  put  to 
 death)  By  an  atrocious  death,  even  by  the  agency  of  the 
 magistrates. 
 
 22.  A/a  rh  hoiMo,  Mov,  for  My  name^s  sake)  which  the  world 
 hates. — oZrog,  x.r.X.,  this  man,  etc.)  timly.  This  is  one  of  the 
 apothegms  which  our  Lord  uttered  more  than  once. — See 
 ch.  xxiv.  13. 
 
 23.  T'/^f  ciXXriv — 3cav  S/t  ravrrig  diuiKUSiv  \JiJ,ag  (pivjiTi  vg  Ir'spav,  the 
 other^ — and  if  they  persecute  you  from  this  city,  flee  ye  into  another) 
 This  is  the  most  ancient  Latin  reading,^  and  also  that  of  Origen* 
 contra  Celsum  (p.  51,  Ed.  Hoesch.^),  where,  instead  of  "  ftityin 
 fig  rriv  aXXjji'"  [as  in  E.M.],  we  find  "  (ptuyin  i'lg  rriv  sripav  xav  iv  rfi 
 
 ■•  Referring  to  "  how  or  what  j/e  shall  speak." — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  E.  V.  awother.— (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  The  words  kx> — iripctu  are  not  found  in  E.  M. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ■*  Origen  was  born  at  Alexandria,  in  Egypt,  about  a.d.  185  ;  and  died  at 
 Tyre,  about  a.d.  254.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  David  Hoeschelius,  born  at  Augsburgh  1556.  He  was  a  laborious 
 and  successful  Editor.  Among  the  authors  he  edited  were  Origen,  Philo- 
 Judteus,  Basil,  and  Photius.     He  died  1617. — (I-  B.) 
 
244  ST  MATTHEW  X.  23, 
 
 iTspcc  diuxudi,  rrdXiv  fuLyire  ilg  ryjv  aXXriv."  Flee  ye  into  the  Other ;^ 
 and  if  they  persecute  you  in  that  other,  jiee  ye  again  into  the 
 other. ^  Francis  Lucas ^  of  Bruges  quotes  old  Latin  Codices  in 
 favour  of  that  reading.  Thence,  too,  the  Anglo-Saxon  version 
 lias — "  and  thonne  hi  on  thoere  eovv  ehtath,  fleoth  on  tha  thryddan;^^ 
 i.e.  "  and  when  they  persecute  you  in  that  [city],  fiee  to  the  third." 
 Ambrose*  also,  in  his  treatise,  De  Fugd  Seculi  (ch.  4),  says, 
 "  But  if  they  shall  persecute  you  in  one,  flee  ye  into  another." 
 And  Juvencus^  renders  the  passage  thus  : — 
 
 "  Profugite  e  tectis  quae  vos  sectabitur  urbis 
 Inde  aliam,  mox  inde  aliam,  conquirite  sedem." 
 "Flee  from  the  roofs  of  the  city  which  persecutes  you;  thence 
 seek  another,  and  then  again  another  abode."  Thus  Augus- 
 tine ;  thus  the  Armenian  Version. "  The  Codex  Cantabrigiensis, 
 the  Codices  Colbertini  2467  and  3947,  Parisiensis  6,  and  the 
 Codex  Stephani  >!  (to  which  some  add  the  Codex  Gonvillianus), 
 contain  this  passage  in  various  forms  of  words.  The  variety  of 
 the  Greek  words®  suggests  the  suspicion  that  this  verse  has  been 
 
 ^  rrii/  iripuv. — irspog  signifies  originally,  other  in  opposition  to  07ie,  though 
 it  has  also  the  force  oi  other  in  opposition  to  many. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  rriv  oi.'k'Krtv. — oLXhoi;  signifies  originally,  other  in  opposition  to  many, 
 though  it  is  used  also  to  represent  other  in  opposition  to  one.  Here  tsj;/ 
 oiXM"  appears  to  have  the  force  oi  the  former. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  Fkancis  Lucas  was  born  at  Bruges  in  the  sixteenth  century.  lie 
 studied  under  Arius  Montanus,  and  became  a  Doctor  of  Louvain,  and  Dean 
 of  the  Church  of  St  Omer.  He  was  profoundly  skilled  in  the  Greek,  He- 
 brew, Syriac,  and  Chaldee  languages,  and  is  considered  a  judicious  critic. 
 He  died  in  1619.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Born  at  Treves  a.d.  340;  consecrated,  in  374,  Bishop  of  Milan,  where 
 he  died  in  397.  He  was  an  eloquent  preacher,  and  an  able  and  voluminous 
 writer. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  C.  Aquilinus  Vettius  (al.  Vectius,  or  Vestius)  Juvencus,  a  Spanish 
 priest  of  good  famil),  who  flourished  in  the  fourth  century.  He  wrote,  be- 
 sides other  works,  a  history  of  our  Lord  in  good  hexameter  verse,  considered 
 both  poetical  and  faithful,  and  published  it  about  330. — (I.  B.) 
 
 «  Lachm.  reads  'iTipccv,  with  V,d  Orig.  1,295;  380;  3.473c;  709;  cod. 
 4,398.  But  Tischend.  oL'KMu,  with  Dabc  Vulg.  Origen  3,  709,  and  Rec. 
 Text.  Lachm.  adds  in  brackets,  kccv  h  t>5  kripx  oiux-aatv  v^a.;,  (ptvyirt  li; 
 riiv  olXT^Yiu,  with  DL  {ix.  rivrng  i)cOiu^uaiv — r.  m/)«v)  ai  Orig.  1,2956  ;  380o; 
 Hil.  056.  But  Be  Vulg.  and  Rec.  Text  omit  these  words.  Probably  they 
 come  from  a  transcriber  who  fancied  that  iftv-ycTt  d;  Triveripuv,  sc.  "a second 
 city,"  was  incomplete  without  a  clause,  "  And  when  they  persecute  you  in 
 
ST  MATTHEW  X.  25.  245 
 
 rendered  from  Latin  into  Greek :  on  the  other  hand,  the  anti- 
 quity and  celebrity  of  the  Latin  text  is  proved  by  the  very  mul- 
 titude and  discrepancy  of  these  Greek  codices.  The  omission 
 appears  to  have  arisen  from  the  carelessness  so  frequently  mani- 
 fested by  transcribers,  where  similar  words  recur :  the  facility 
 M'ith  which  the  mistake  may  occur,  appears  from  the  fact  that 
 Gelenius,  in  his  Latin  version  of  Origen,  omits  this  very  clause 
 [which  undoubtedly  exists  in  the  original].  Athanasius  more 
 than  once  substitutes  irspav  for  aXXjjv,  as  is  at  present  the  case 
 with  the  Codex  Colbertinus,  and  from  which  you  may  conjec- 
 ture, that  another  omission^  might  soon  be  made  by  other 
 transcribers. 
 
 Ou  /in  TiXsgrirs,  ye  shall  not  Jlnish^)  cf.  n73,^  in  2  Chron.  xxxi.  1 . 
 — rag  voXug,  the  cities)  not  to  say,  i;i7^a^gs,  of  Israel. — Seever.  6. 
 Our  Lord  tells  them  that  there  was  no  fear  of  their  not  having 
 where  to  preach,  and  that  they  were  not  to  remain  long  in  one 
 place,  as  they  would  have  the  opportunity  of  remaining  longer 
 in  other  places. — 'iug  av  eX^jj  6  lihg  roZ  ctv^puiTov,  until  the  Son  of 
 Man  be  come)  Concerning  this  coming,  see  ver.  7,  and  xi.  1.* 
 
 25.  'O  douXog,  X.T.X.,  the  servant,  etc.)  i.e.  'ha  o  douXog  yivi^rai  ug 
 6  xvpiog  avTov,  dpxirov  avTuj  sarlv,  that  the  servant  be  as  his  lord,  is 
 sufficient  for  him.  An  instance  of  Zeugma. — oixodiff'zorriv,  master 
 of  the  household^)  Jesus  was  indeed  the  Master  of  a  household, 
 
 that  second  city,  flee  into  another,  i.e.  a  third  city."  To  avoid  the  need  for 
 this,  I  believe  the  reading  «AX>ji/  for  iripccv  arose.  The  shorter  is  generally 
 preferable  to  the  longer  reading,  as  it  was  the  tendency  of  transcribers  to 
 insert  all  added  matter,  lest  their  copy  should  be  incomplete. — Ed. 
 
 ^  "  hiatus,"  hiatus,  gap.  See  Author's  Preface  viii.  14,  and  App.  Crit. 
 Part  I.  §  xxii.,  obs.  xxvii.,  etc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  E.  V.  Ye  shall  not  have  gone  over. — (LB.) 
 
 '  n'53 — (1)  To  be  completed,  finished. — Gesenius. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  To  wit,  there  is  here  meant  that  very  advent,  whereby,  through  His  full 
 presence,  beneficence,  and  preaching,  the  preparatory  announcement  of  H'is 
 ambassadors  in  those  days  Avas,  as  it  were,  completed  and  fulfilled  by  Him, 
 whom  it  behoved  to  come,  to  proclaim  the  Gospel,  and  to  see  that  it  was 
 proclaimed  by  others,  Matt.  xi.  3,  5.  In  a  similar  manner,  He  commanded 
 the  Seventy  disciples  also  to  announce  the  approach  of  the  divine  kingdom, 
 and  followed  up  that  announcement  by  His  own  very  presence  in  those  same 
 places,  Luke  x.  1,  9. — Harm.,  p.  293. 
 
 *  In  the  original  the  word  used  is  pater-familias,  which  is  employed 
 throughout  the  whole  sentence. — (I.  B.) 
 
246  ST  MATTHEW  X.  26. 
 
 and  brought  up  a  large  family  of  disciples  (see  Luke  xxii.  35), 
 
 affording  tlie  most  perfect  example  of  a  domestic,  as  well  as  a 
 solitaiy  life ;  and  He  is  also  Master  of  the  household  of  the 
 whole  Church. — BssX^s/SoiX,  Beelzehul)  Beelzebub  was  a  god  of 
 Ekron ;  see  2  Kings  i.  2.  As  the  Greeks,  however,  seem  to 
 have  been  unable  to  pronounce  the  word  Beelzebub,  the  Lxx. 
 rendered  it  BaaX//,v7av  (Baalmwian)  :  and  the  Evangelists  also 
 wrote  it  in  Greek  with  a  X  (I),  instead  of  a  /3  (b),  as  the  final 
 letter,  on  account,  apparently,  not  of  the  derivation,  but  the 
 pronunciation ;  just  as  the  LXX.  wrote  M£X;^iX  (Melchol)  for 
 Michal.  As  this  reason,  however,  did  not  hold  good  in  other 
 languages,  translators  have  restored  the  original  sound  of  the 
 Hebrew  word.  The  Jews,  however,  frequently  employ  the 
 term  ?2t,^  in  contempt  of  idols ;  but  the  compound,  ?2r?l}2,  is 
 not  found  in  Hebrew,  although  it  is  credible  that  the  Hebrews 
 who  spoke  Greek  may  have  said  BsiXt^i^ovX  for  BssX^s/Sou/S  the 
 more  willingly,  on  account  of  its  resemblance  to  7)2].^  Ter- 
 tullian,  when  quoting  Luke  xi.,  in  his  work  against  Marcion, 
 book  iv.,  ch.  26,  writes  it,  Beelzebub  —  sTidXiaav,  x.t.X.,  have 
 called,  etc.)  See  ch.  ix.  34  and  IVfark  iii.  22.  They  called  Him 
 Beelzebub,  that  is,  the  ally  of  Beelzebub. — ■^oVw  /j^aXXov,  how 
 much  more)  The  world  hated  Christ  most  and  first ;  and  it  was 
 the  duty  of  His  disciples  to  feel  that  they  ought  much  more  to 
 endure  that  hatred,  much  less  to  refuse  it.^ — ro-jg  oiKiazoog  auTov,his 
 domestics)  i.e.  they  shall  call  them  the  domestics  of  Beelzebub. 
 
 26.  oZv,  therefore)  although  you  will  be  hated. — ovhh,  nothing) 
 Cf.  Mark  iv.  22  ;  Luke  xii.  2.— yap,  x.r.X,  for,  etc.)  The  world 
 will  not  so  quickly  destroy  you,  by  whom  truth  will  be  propa- 
 gated far  and  wide. — y.sy.aXuijL/x'nioM,  covered)  i.e.  removed  from 
 sight. — dcToxaXup^^fl-sra/,  shall  be  uncovered)  especially  in  the 
 time  of  the  Messiah. — xporrTov,  hidden)  i.e.  removed  from  hear- 
 ing :  cf.  ver.  27. 
 
 •  h'zi — (1)  properly  in  my  opinion,  \  q.^-^-!  to  he  round,  to  male  round, 
 wlience  the  Talmudic  ^^t,  '';st,  round  or  globular  dung,  such  as  that  of  goats 
 or  camels. — Gesenius. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  VaT  with  the  Kibbuts  =  Vim  with  the  Shureq.— (I.  B.) 
 
 3  Those  of  Christ's  household  have  less  of  the  power  which  characterized 
 their  Master ;  and  besides,  they  are  not,  as  ITe  was,  without  blemishes,  and 
 these  last  the  world  knows  well  how  to  upbraid  thcni  with. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  X.  27-29.  247 
 
 27.  Ous,  ear)  sc.  one,  secretly. — It/  tuv  bu/idrov,  on  the  house- 
 tops) A  flat  place,  where  men  might  converse,  or  even  assemble 
 as  an  audience  :  cf.  2  Sam.  xvi.  22} 
 
 28.  Ka/  i^n  fojSn'^T^rs,  x.r.X.,  and  he  not  afraid  of,  etc.)  The 
 connection  is  as  follows :  He  who  publicly  preaches  hidden 
 trath,  him  the  world  afflicts  :  he  who  fears  God,  ought  to  fear 
 nothing  except  Him :  he  who  does  not  fear  God,  fears  every- 
 thing except  Him :  see  1  Pet.  iii.  14,  15.^ — airo,  of)  This  pre- 
 position is  not  repeated.  /  fear  Him,  is  a  stronger  phrase  than 
 /  am  afraid  of  Him? — ccToxrsvoi/rwi','*  xoho  kill)  From  the  root 
 ■KTiu  are  derived  zrivca,  xnUu,  xrhvoj.  See  Eustathius. — rhv  6um- 
 //.ivov,  Him  who  is  able^)  and  that  too  with  the  highest  ability 
 and  authority  (see  Luke  xii.  5),  that  is,  God  ;  see  James  iv.  12. 
 — zai  -^v^nv  x,ai  tfw/o-a,  both  soul  and  hody)  the  two  essential  parts 
 of  man. — a-KoXiaai,  to  destroy,  to  ruin)  It  is  not  said  to  hill :  the 
 soul  is  immortal. — sv  Tssvi/p,  in  hell)  It  is  not  easy  to  preach  the 
 truth ;  and  to  none  are  severer  precepts  given  than  to  the 
 ministers  of  the  Word,  as  is  evident  from  the  epistles  to  Timothy 
 and  Titus.  The  most  efficacious  stimulus  is  on  this  account 
 employed.  Many  witnesses  to  the  truth  have  been  first  ex 
 cited,  and  afterwards  led  on,  by  the  most  fearful  teiTors  fi'om 
 God. 
 
 29.  Auo  ffrpov^ioc  dcsapiov,  two  sparrows  for  a  farthing)^  Ir»- 
 Luke  xii.  6,  we  read,  five  sparrows  for  tioo  farthings.  A  rea- 
 son why  men  are  not  to  be  feared. — sv,  one)  sc.  one  in  preference 
 
 1  He  desires  them  to  banish  all  fear  from  their  minds. — V.  'g. 
 
 2  The  world  admires  the  magnanimous  spirit  of  those  who  fear  nothing-, 
 and  regards  such  a  spirit  worthy  of  heroes  and  great  men.  And  yet  the  fear 
 of  God  is  the  only  heroism  truly  worthy  of  the  name ;  and  in  the  absence  of 
 it,  all  presence  of  mind,  as  it  is  called,  is  false,  and  only  indicates  reckless 
 rashness. — V.  g. 
 
 3  i.e.  Bengel  would  render  the  passage  thus — "  Be  not  afraid  of  them 
 (fivi  WopiYi^viri  oi%Q  Tuu)  which  kill  the  body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul : 
 but  rather /mr  Him  ((^o/itidyirs  tov)  which  is  able,"  etc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *     E.  M.  CCVOKTSIVOVrUl/, — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  In  the  original  there  is  a  play  on  the  words  potest  and  j)otestas,  which 
 cannot  be  preserved  in  the  translation.  The  passage  runs  thus — "  Eum  qui 
 potest,  et  quidem  cum  summa  sfoyc/a,  potestatey — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  The  daaxptou^  called  T^iirrou  in  Mark  xii.  42,  and  rendered  mite  in 
 that  place  and  elsewhere  by  the  E.   V.,  was  about  33^  of  a  farthing. 
 
 —CI- 15.) 
 
248  ST  MATTHEW  X.  30-33. 
 
 to  another.^ — ou  visutoli,  shall  not  fall)  To  fall  on  the  ground  is 
 to  die.  The  use  of  the  future  tense  implies  a  condition  :  if  it 
 falls,  it  does  not  fall  without  your  Father's  permission. — aviu  roZ 
 '^iXriixarog  rov  Uarphg  vfim,  without  the  will  of  your  Father)  This 
 is  the  reading  of  Irenasus,  Tertullian,  Novatian,  Cyprian,  Hilary, 
 Augustine,  Cassiodorius ;  also  of  the  Italic,  Coptic,  Arabic, 
 Gothic,  and  Persic  versions.  It  is  therefore  an  ancient  reading, 
 and  one  too  widely  received  to  be  accounted  for  on  the  hypo- 
 thesis of  its  being  a  paraphrase,  especially  since  the  sense  would 
 be  complete  without  the  contested  words  "  rov  ^gX^/iaro?"  (the 
 will  of),  as  the  LXX.  in  Isa.  xxxvi.  10^  write  aviv  Kvplov,  without 
 the  Lord,  and  the  Hebrews  say,  N''Ot;>  ''ly?2D,  without  heaven. 
 The  later  Greeks  omitted  these  words,  rou  ^iXii/iaTog,  from  the 
 recurrence  of  the  article  rou.  The  numbered  hairs  of  the  faithful, 
 mentioned  in  the  parallel  passage  of  Luke  xii.  7,  correspond  to 
 this  "  will."^ — vu,uv,  your)  not  their  Father. 
 
 30.  'T/ioii',  your)  used  antithetically. — a'l  rpiy^ic,  the  hairs) 
 which  you  yourselves  care  little  about.  Who  cares  about  the 
 hairs  once  pulled  out  by  the  comb  ?  A  proverbial  saying  con- 
 cerning a  very  small  matter. 
 
 31.  lloXXwi',  many)  opposed  to  one  in  ver.  29. — ^,af?r,  ?/ou)  even 
 each  of  you  individually. 
 
 32.  'Ei/,  in,  on)  i.e.,  when  the  question  is  raised  concerning 
 Me.  This  "  b  'E/io/,"  "  on  Me,''  differs  from  "  M£,"  "  Me,''  and 
 "  avTov,"  "  him,"  in  the  next  verse  ;  cf.  Luke  xii.  8,  9. — acSfoicwi., 
 7nen)  Our  Lord  is  speaking  especially  of  persecutors. 
 
 33.  ^ Apvrjffo/Mai  %a.yu  auro:,*  I  also  icill  deny  him)  This  order  of 
 the  words,  sc.  "  I-will-deny  even-I-also  him,"  which  expresses 
 more  exactly  the  law  of  retribution,  jus  talionis  (as  in  ver.  32), 
 is  supported  by  the  Latin  and  Gothic  versions,'  by  the  Codex 
 
 '  Bengel  means,  that  this  is  a  proof  of  God's  individual  providence  even 
 in  matters  relating  to  the  brute  creation. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  In  the  Hebrew  also,  "  without  Jehovah." — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  BD  Orig.  (omitting  vf/.u'j)  Vulg.  and  Rec.  Text,  have  clviv  toS  Trxrpoi 
 vfAuv.  But  "sine  voluntate"  is  added  by  ahc  Ilil.  667,  831  Iren.  Cypr.  82, 
 121  (omitting  'vestri'  before  *  patris'). — Ed. 
 
 *  E.  M.  ccpuy;(rofAeti  etvroi/  Koiyu. — (1.  B.) 
 
 '  The  Gothic  version  uf  the  Bible  was  made  from  the  Greek,  both  in  the 
 Old  and  in  the  New  Testament,  by  Ulphilas,  a  celebrated  bishop  of  the 
 Majso-Goths,  who  assisted  at  the  Council  of  Conbtantinople  in  359,  and  was 
 
ST  MATTHEW  X.  34-33.  249 
 
 3yzantinus,  and  perhaps  by  other  MSS.  Such  matters  have 
 been  generally  neglected  by  the  collators  of  Codices.  Others 
 read  apvri6o,u.ai  auTov  xayu? 
 
 34.  Eiprjvriv,  peace)  sc.  of  the  righteous  with  the  wicked. — 
 /jbd'^aipav,  a  sword)  i.e.,  violent  division  (called  dia/^ipiff/j^hv  in 
 Luke  xii.  51,  xxii.  36),  proceeding  from  the  discord  of  famihes, 
 mentioned  in  ver.  35,  to  wars  and  murders. 
 
 35.  Ai^dsai,  to  separate)  A  necessary  consequence  of  what 
 precedes. — civ'^pwrov,  a  man)  sc.  a  son  who  loves  Me ;  see  ver. 
 37. — xara,  against)  In  this  passage  those  are  put  in  opposition, 
 who  are  otherwise  naturally  most  attached,  to  each  other. 
 
 36.  ^EyJ^poi,  enemies)  A  man  shall  have  them  of  his  household — 
 his  relations,  servants,  and  acquaintances — for  enemies,  if  he  be- 
 lieves in  Me  ;  see  Micah  vii.  6. 
 
 37.  *0  (piXSov,  X.T.X.,  he  that  loveth,  etc.)  from  aversion  to  the 
 sword  just  mentioned.  An  ascending  climax:  to  prefer  Christ 
 to  parents,  children,  and,  in  the  next  verse,  himself. 
 
 38.  Tov  aravpov,  his  cross)  The  cross,  which  was  unused  by  the 
 Jews  as  a  punishment,  was  not  employed  proverbially  to  denote 
 
 sent  on  an  embassy  to  the  Emperor  Valens,  about  the  year  378.  He  is  said 
 to  have  embraced  Arianism,  and  to  have  propagated  Arian  tenets  among  his 
 countrymen.  Besides  translating  the  entire  Bible  into  the  Gothic  language, 
 Ulphilas  is  said  to  have  conferred  on  the  Mseso-Qoths  the  invention  of  the 
 Gothic  characters.  The  character,  however,  in  which  this  version  of  the 
 New  Testament  is  written,  is,  in  fact,  the  Latin  character  of  that  age ;  and 
 the  degree  of  perfection  Avhich  the  Gothic  language  had  obtained  during  the 
 time  of  Ulphilas,  is  a  proof  that  it  had  then  been  written  for  some  time. 
 The  translation  of  Ulphilas  (who  had  been  educated  among  the  Greeks)  was 
 executed  from  the  Greek ;  but,  from  its  coincidence  in  many  instances  witli 
 the  Latin,  there  is  reason  to  suspect  that  it  has  been  interpolated,  though 
 at  a  remote  period,  from  the  Vulgate.  Its  unquestionable  antiquity,  how- 
 ever, and  its  general  fidelity,  have  concurred  to  give  this  version  a  high  place 
 in  the  estimation  of  biblical  critics  ;  but,  unfortunately,  it  has  not  come  down 
 to  us  entire.  The  only  parts  extant  in  print  are,  a  fragment  of  the  book  ot 
 Nehemiah,  a  considerable  portion  of  the  four  Gospels,  and  some  portions  of 
 the  apostolic  epistles.  The  most  distinguished  manuscript  of  the  Gothic 
 version  of  Ulphilas  is  the  justly  celebrated  Codex  Argenteus,  now  pre- 
 served in  the  Library  of  the  University  of  Upsal,  in  Sweden." — Hartwell 
 Home,  vol.  ii.  p.  240. — (I.  B.) 
 
 1  The  order  nocyu  xvrou  is  supported  by  BDA  Vulg.  abc  Orig.  1,  29Sd, 
 3,5435,  Hil.  985,  Cypr.  But  Rec.  Text  ecvrov  Kdyu,  with  Orig.  1,2966.  Orig. 
 3,5436  puts  the  dpi/riao/^cxi  after  etvTo;/. — Ed. 
 
250  ST  MATTHEW  X.  39-42. 
 
 extreme  adversity :  our  Lord  therefore,  in  this  passage,  alludes 
 to  Plis  own  Cross,  which  He  was  already  bearing  in  secret. — 
 Xa/x^dvii,  taketh)  so.  willingly. 
 
 39.  fvxriv,  soul)  i.e.,  man  with  respect  to  his  natural  life, 
 himself;  cf.  Luke  ix.  24,  25. — mziv  'E/aoD,  for  My  sake)  Many 
 lose  their  soul  for  the  sake  of  the  world. 
 
 40.  'T/zag,  you)  A  descending  gradation  :  sc.  you  (apostles), 
 a  prophet,  a  righteous  man,  a  little  one. — 'E/xs,  Me)  It  is  not 
 only  of  the  same  aA^ail  as  if  he  received  Me,  but  he  actually  does 
 receive  Me. 
 
 41.  E/'s  IvoiJja,  x.r.x,  in  the  name,  etc.)  i.e.,  on  this  ground,  and 
 on  no  other.^ — 'ffpoipr^rnv — hixatov,  a  prophet — a  righteous  man)  A 
 prophet  is  one  who  speaks,  a  righteous  man  one  who  acts,  in  the 
 name  of  God,  and  is  distinguished  for  his  remarkable  righteous- 
 ness ;  see  ch.  xiii.  17,  xxiii.  29;  Heb.  xi.  33. — fj^ia^hv,  hire, 
 reward)  for  he  shows  himself  as  obedient  to  God  as  if  he  were 
 a  prophet  himself.  It  may  be  asked  how  he  who  is  not  righteous 
 himself  can  receive  a  righteous  man  as  a  righteous  man  ?  The 
 reply  is  easy :  Such  a  man,  by  the  very  act,  abandons  his  evil 
 way,  and  ceases  to  be  the  enemy  of  righteousness. 
 
 42.  MixpSJv,  little  ones)  (see  ch.  xi.  11,  and  Zech.  xiii.  7).  A 
 sweet  epithet  for  disciples  (cf.  ver.  41,  for  the  double  mention 
 of  prophet,  etc.)  The  world  cares  not  for  such  as  these. 
 From  these  little  ones  are  made  prophets  and  righteous  men. — 
 ■^^XP"^}  o/  cold  luater)  This  is  without  expense,  and  may  be 
 done  even  on  the  road.  A  proverbial  expression,  and  con- 
 trasted with  lie  that  receiveth."^ — /in  a':ro}Jicn,  shall  not  lose)  A  con- 
 solation which,  arising  from  former  good  deeds,  cheers  the 
 disciple  even  in  the  midst  of  subsequent  dangers.^ — alrov,  his) 
 i.e.,  of  the  little  one,  or  rather  his  oion.  It  is  more  to  receive 
 any  one  than  to  give  him  to  drink,  and  therefore  it  has  a  greater 
 reward. 
 
 •  So  the  French  Version,  published  in  Geneva  in  1744  a.d.,  "  En  qualite 
 de  Prophete."     The  Latin  expression,  Frophcfce  nomine,  is  similar. — E.  B. 
 
 2  i.e.  to  receive  any  one  into  the  house  as  a  guest — this  is  an  act  of  hot- 
 pitality,  whereas  to  give  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  a  wayfarer  is  merely  an  act 
 oi  kindness. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  O  the  boundless  riches  of  God,  who  both  has  it  in  Ilis  power  and  delights 
 to  pay  in  full  such  great  rewards. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XI.  1-6.  251 
 
 CHAPTER  XL 
 
 1.  ^Er'sXiasv,  concluded)  Our  Lord  did  nothing  abruptly.  See 
 Gnomon  on  cli.  xxvi.  1  ;  and  Luke  vii.  1. — -/.ripuGsnv,  to  preach)  sc. 
 everywhere.  Cf.  John  iii.  2,  etc' — abrojv,  of  them)  the  Israehtes 
 [the  people,  namely,  who  were  deserving  of  His  "  compassion,' 
 ch.  ix.  36.— V.  g.] 
 
 2.  ToD  XpiffTov,  of  Christ)  Those  works  which  it  was  the  part 
 of  the  Messiah  to  perform.^ — iMaQriruv  aurov,  of  His  disciples)  whom 
 He  wished  to  confirm  and  resign  to  Christ.^ 
 
 3.  'O  if/Jjiiiwg^  he  that  should  come)  cf.  Ps.  xl.  7  ;  Heb.  x.  37. — 
 r,,  Ti.r.x.,  or,  etc.)  There  was  not  at  that  time  any  other,  for 
 John  excludes  himself  by  this  disjunctive  particle. — sTipov, 
 another)  They  recognise  as  a  certain  fact  that  there  is  some  one 
 who  should  come. — <ffpoff8oxu/MsVf  must  we  await)  sc.  with  longer  • 
 delay.* 
 
 4.  "a  aKouiTi  x.al  (SXs'mrf,  those  things  which  ye  do  hear  and 
 see)  The  testimonies  of  facts  of  seven  kinds,  enumerated  in  ver. 
 5,  6.  The  miracles  which  our  Lord  performed  had  been  fore- 
 told ;  they  were  beneficent,  many,  and  various.^ 
 
 5.^  EuayysX/^ofra/,  a7'e  evangelized)  The  word  is  passive ;  cf. 
 Luke  xvi.  16.     For  the  works  of  our  Lord  Himself,  which  the 
 
 ^  The  verb  ^io»ax,iiv  implies  private  instruction,  as  K^^vaanv  implies  public 
 instruction. — V.  g. 
 
 2  Jesus  had  done  similar  works  before  John  was  imprisoned  ;  but  now  He 
 did  such  works  in  much  greater  numbers. — V.  g. 
 
 3  He  does  not  seem  to  have  entertained  any  doubt  himself  as  to  Christ. 
 
 ~v.g. 
 
 *  The  time  of  waiting  in  expectation  was  now  by  this  time  coming  to 
 an  end  ;  for  the  Seventieth  week  of  Daniel  was  close  at  hand. — V,  g, 
 
 *  Sight  in  other  cases  is  wont  to  precede  hearing ;  but  the  word  of  Christ 
 [heard  by  them]  answered  more  closely,  as  it  were,  to  the  desires  of  faith 
 than  the  works  of  Christ  [seen  by  them],  John  xiv.  11.  Even  in  this  place, 
 Jesus  speaks  humbly,  as  in  ch.  xii.  17,  41,  42.  He  does  not  say,  Those 
 things  which  I  speak  and  do. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  Tv<p7^ol  u,vx(i'Kk7rov(ji)  At  that  very  moment  (period  of  time)  such  miracles 
 were  being  performed  (Luke  vii.  21),  which  were  the  very  miracles  reserved 
 for  the  Christ.  In  ancient  times,  sinners  used  to  be  punished  with  blindness, 
 leprosy,  and  death.— >.'y,;)oJ  iyslpovrxi)  A  miracle  which  had  been  very  re- 
 cently performed  in  the  case  of  the  young  man  of  Nain,  Luke  vii.  14. — V.  g. 
 
252  ST  iMATTHEW  XI.  6,  7. 
 
 disciples  of  John  then  saw  and  heard,  are  meant ;  cf.  Luke  iv. 
 18,  concerning  the  prediction  of  this  work.^  Nor  did  all  poor 
 men  as  yet  preach  the  Gospel,  but  only  the  apostles.  See 
 Matt.  X.  7. 
 
 6.  Maxdpiog,  blessed)  A  rare  felicity.  That  very  circumstance, 
 that  many  should  be  offended  in  Him,  was  foretold  as  a  sign  of 
 the  Messiah. 2  He  loaded  others  with  benefits  ;  He  Himself  was 
 weak,  poor,  despised. — og  eav,  whosoever)  especially  of  the  dis- 
 ciples of  John,  who  saw  the  difference  between  his  mode  of 
 living  and  that  of  our  Lord.     See  ver.  18,  19. 
 
 7.  Uopevofjb'svuv,  as  they  departed)  Otherwise  they  might  have 
 become  puffed  up.  The  world  praises  to  the  face,  reviles  be- 
 hind the  back.  Divine  truth  does  the  opposite. — vp^aro,  began) 
 The  multitude  would  not  have  begun,  had  He  not  done  so  first. 
 — vepi  'ludvvov,  concerning  John)  The  state  of  John  is  described 
 in  ver.  7,  8,  9,  with  reference  to  men,  to  himself,  to  God. — 
 kdaacSni,  to  see  as  a  spectacle)  idly.  See  John  v.  35. — xaXa/Aov, 
 a  reed)  The  ford  of  Jordan  abounded  with  them.  They  would 
 have  wished  John  to  be  such  in  conduct  as  they  liked  to  be 
 themselves,  and  as  they  are  described  in  this  verse  and  the  fol- 
 lowing. They  sought  a  man  of  easy  disposition,  and  one  ready 
 to  second  their  desires,  whom  they  would  not  themselves  style 
 a  reed  ;  but  Jesus  calls  a  reed,  a  reed.  For  often  does  truth 
 attribute  to  man  a  speech,  not  such  as  he  frames  himself,  but 
 such  as  expresses  the  reality.  See  Jer.  xviii.  12.  The  people 
 themselves  did  not  sufficiently  know  why  they  had  gone  forth. 
 On  the  other  hand,  the  character  of  John  is  described  (cf.  ver. 
 18),  and  at  the  same  time  the  stumbling-block  is  taken  away, 
 which  might  have  arisen  from  the  imprisonment  of  our  Lord's 
 precursor. — dvifiou,  by  the  wind)  of  favour  (by  his  having  been 
 supposed  to  be  the  Messiah)  or  persecution. — caXiuofiivov,  agitated) 
 The  word  is  here  in  the  middle  voice,  and  signifies  permitting 
 himself  to  be  agitated.  This  opinion  is  not  refuted  like  those 
 which  follow,  because  it  refutes  itself. 
 
 '  Which  was  peculiarly  a  work  of  the  Christ,  who  was  anointed  for  that 
 very  purpose,  Isa.  Ixi.  1. — V.  g.     Comp.  Luke  iv.  1. — Ed. 
 
 2  Isa.  lii.  14.  That  very  fact  M'as  an  argument  likely  to  be  ea.sily  ap- 
 preciated, especially  by  the  disciples  of  John.  See  ver.  18,  with  which  comp. 
 ver.  19.— V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XI.  8-10.  283 
 
 8.  'AXXa,  but)  The  conjunction  is  employed  to  show  that  the 
 preceding  hypothesis  has  been  dismissed. — h  /iaXaxo/'s  i/xarloii 
 rjfiipisafisvov,  clothed  in  soft  raiment)  They  would  have  wished  the 
 forerunner,  and  the  Messiah  Himself,  to  have  been  such. — ra,  the) 
 The  article  refers  to  the  preceding /iaXaxo/g.* — (popouvng,  who  wear) 
 John,  if  he  had  wished  it,  might  have  been  a  courtier. — o'/xoigj 
 houses)  Not  in  the  desert  or  the  prison. — roov  jSaaiXiiuv,^  of  palaces) 
 See  Esth.  iv.  2.  The  Lxx.  have  ra  ^asiXila,  in  Esth.  i.  9,  ii.  13. 
 — oiTcoi  Tuiv  ^aoikiim  zm  the  halls  of  the  palace. 
 
 9.  TipofTirriv,  a  prophet)  For  a  long  time  they  had  had  no  pro- 
 phets.^— vaij  yea)  A  prophet,  I  say  unto  you,  and  something 
 greater  than  a  prophet. — 'zipiaaoTspov,  more)  Neuter,  as  in  ri, 
 what:  sc.  when  ye  went  out  ye  saw  something  more,  etc.,  althougli 
 ye  did  not  know  it. — -TrpopTjrov,  than  a  prophet)  For  a  prophet 
 announces  only  distant  events. 
 
 10.  OuTog  yap  iffri,  yf..r.\.^  for  this  is  he,  etc.)  This  makes  John 
 much  greater  than  that  what  is  spoken  of*  in  ver.  7,  8,  could. — 
 iboi)  iyu  a.'XoaTi'k'ku  rov  ayysXov  Mov  T^o  'Trpoau'^roij  "^ov,  og  xctTaexivdon 
 rriv  odov  2oo  'ifivpoffdsv  Sou,  behold  I  send  my  messenger  before  Thy 
 face,  which  shall  prepare  Thy  way  before  Thee)  In  the  S.  V.  of 
 Mai.  iii.  1,  we  read,  Ido-j  s^a'rrosriXu  rhv  ayyeXov  Mov,  xai  S'rz/SXs'vj/s- 
 rai  6^01'  vpo  <7rpo<Su<Ko\i  Mou,  xa/  £^ai(pvr}g  v^st,  x.r.X.,  behold  I  will  send 
 forth  My  messenger,  and  he  shall  survey  the  road  before  My  face, 
 and  suddenly  shall  arrive,  etc. — 'Eyw,  /)  The  Father  addressing 
 the  Son. — rhv  ayyiXov  Mov,  My  messenger)  John  was  sent  by 
 God  as  a  messenger,  after  whom  came  the  Messenger  of  the 
 Covenant  Himself. — t^^  cr^o^wTou  Sou,  before  Thy  face)  Immedi- 
 
 ^  Thus  identifying  f6oc'KxK»  with  ftetXetKol;  tfietrtoi;,  and  showing  that  the 
 fAccT^xxx,  '■^  soft  things,"  now  spoken  of  are,  as  in  E.  V.,  "  soft  clothing." — 
 (I.B.) 
 
 2  E.  M.  has  "  TO?f  oiKoii  tuu  ^aaCKkm"  which  E.  V.  renders  "  Kings' 
 Palaces."— (I.  B.) 
 
 The  reading  tZ>u  jixai'Kiluv  is  regarded  as  equal  to  the  other  in  the  margin 
 of  the  larger  Ed. :  but  the  margin  of  Ed.  2,  as  well  as  the  Germ.  Vers.,  pre- 
 fer p,at.(jCKiuv. — E.  B.  All  the  primary  authorities  read  ^a,aiKkuv.  But 
 Griesb.  and  Scholz,  with  some  inferior  Uncial  MSS.,  read  ^cMihtiuv  or 
 fixai'Aiiuv. — Ed. 
 
 3  He  cannot  be  accounted  as  such,  unless  he  were  one  far  removed  from 
 (reed-hke)  fickleness  and  (courtier-like)  effeminacy. — V.  g. 
 
 *  viz.  His  being  "  a  reed  shaken  by  the  wind,"  or  "  a  man  clothed  in  soft 
 raiment.'' — See  Gnomon  in  loc. — (I.  B.) 
 
254  ST  MATTHEW  XI.  11. 
 
 ately  before  Thee.  The  Lxx.  have  e^ai^vrig  {immediately)  in  the 
 passage  just  quoted.  John  was  not  a  prophet  of  distant  events. — 
 See  Luke  i.  76.  The  advent  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  are  the 
 same,  and  so  is  the  language  which  applies  to  them.  It  is  one 
 of  the  strongest  arguments  for  the  divinity  of  Christ,  that  those 
 things  which  are  said  of  Christ  in  the  New  Testament  are  quoted 
 from  the  Old  Testament,  where  they  are  predicated  as  exclu- 
 sively belonging  to  God. — See  Gnomon  on  John  xii.  41 ;  Acts 
 ii.  33 ;  Eom.  ix.  33,  xiv.  11 ;  1  Cor.  i.  31,  x.  9 ;  Eph.  iv.  8  ; 
 Heb.  i.  6,  8,  10,  11 ;  Eev.  i.  8,  17. 
 
 11.  Ovx,  syyjyspTai,  there  has  not  arisen)  or  there  hath  not  been 
 raised  up  as  yet.  The  verb  kyiipicdai,  denotes  an  office  conferred. 
 — iv  yivvTiToTg  yvvaixSiv,  among  them  that  are  born  of  women)  An 
 expression  of  universal  extent.  Thus,  Iv  ywal^iv,  among  women, 
 of  the  blessedness  of  Mary,  Luke  i.  28. — ij^utjjiv,  a  greater,  sc. 
 jorophet)  See  Luke  vii.  28,  and  i.  15,  even  if  he  be  compared 
 with  Enoch,  Moses,  and  Elias. — rou  (SwrTieTov,  the  Baptist)  He 
 was  already  then  distinguished  by  this  surname,  on  account  of 
 the  novelty  and  magnitude  of  the  matter,  not  merely  afterwards 
 to  distinguish  him  from  John  the  apostle. — 6  di  fiiTtponpog,  but  the 
 least)  The  comparative  with  the  article  has  the  force  of  a  super- 
 lative. As  far  as  John  excels  every  one,  even  the  greatest  of 
 the  ancient  prophets,  so  far  is  John  himself  excelled  by  eveiy 
 one,  even  the  least,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  whether  he  be 
 a  preacher  of  Christ,  or  merely  a  citizen  thereof.  John  himself 
 was  not  yet  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  he  preceded  it  [as  a 
 herald].^  Jesus  is  not  the  least  IN  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but 
 is  the  King  Himself;  and  He  Himself  is  implied  by  the  kingdom 
 of  heaven,  which  John  announced. — See  ver.  10  and  3,  and 
 eh.  iii.  11.  And  the  less  and  the  greater  are  here  spoken  of  as 
 they  are,  not  in  the  opinion  of  men,  but  in  reality,  in  the  know- 
 ledge of  the  revealed  Christ.— See  1  Pet.  i.  12.  The  idea  of 
 external  appearance,  in  ver.  6,  does  not  come  in  here.  Jesus 
 was  despised  and  unknown  amongst  men,  but  He  was  not  the 
 least,  as  far  as  the  kingdom  of  heaven  was  concerned ;  all  the 
 citizens  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  already  acknowledged  Ilim 
 
 1  Even  at  that  time  the  Apostles  themselves  already  were  superior  to  John 
 in  their  baptizing  and  teaching,  John  iv.  2  ;  Matth.  x.  7,  etc.— //«nn.,  p. 
 299,  at  the  end. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XI.  12.  255 
 
 as  their  Eang. — Cf.  the  phrase  in  ch.  v.  19.  He  is  never  called 
 less  than  John,  nor  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  The  least 
 in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  is  the  least  of  the  citizens  of  the  king- 
 dom. In  that  THIRD  point  ^  in  which  John  is  greater  than  others, 
 the  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  less  than  the  other  citizens 
 of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  John  did  not  yet  know  all,  which  at 
 present  even  catechumens  know  from  the  Apostles'  Creed.  A 
 noble  climax — prophet,  John,  apostle  or  Christian.  It  is  greater, 
 in  this  kind  of  comparison  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  to 
 know  things  present  than  things  future,  however  brief  be  the  in- 
 terval which  separates  them  from  the  present ;  ^  but  in  another 
 point  of  view,  the  knowledge  of  futurity  is  an  especial  distinction 
 conferred  by  God. 
 
 12.  Ae,  hut)  Used  antithetically  in  this  sense — viz.,  although 
 John  is  less  than  the  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  yet  even 
 from  the  beginning  of  the  days  of  John  the  Baptist,  the  Idng- 
 dom  of  heaven  exercises  force.  The  kingdom  of  heaven  came 
 not  in  John,  but  immediately  after  John. — /S/a^sra/,  pushes  itself 
 forward  as  it  ivere  ly  violence)  Consider  attentively  ch.  xiii. 
 32,  33,  and  Luke  xiv.  23.  The  Lxx.  frequently  use  {Sid^o/Mai 
 to  signify,  to  employ  force.  John  calls  in  a  mournful,  Jesus  in 
 a  joyful  strain.3  And  there  is  a  metonymy  of  kingdom  for 
 King,  i.e.  the  Messiah.  See  Ghiomon  on  ch.  iv.  17. — /S/aora/, 
 they  who  employ  force)  See  Luke  xiii.  24.  There  is  no  com- 
 plaint here  of  hostile  force,  for  the  complaint  begins  at  ver.  16. 
 Bid^iTai  and  iSiaora!  are  correlative.* — ap'rd^ousiv,  seize)  in  order 
 that  by  seizing  it  with  swift  force,   all  obstacles  having  been 
 
 ^  Beng.  seems  to  me  to  use  Tertium  here  in  the  logical  sense  of  the  inter- 
 mediate term,  affording  a  point  of  comparison  between  the  other  two  :  as 
 here  John  stands  midway  between  the  Old  Test,  covenant  and  its  prophets, 
 on  the  one  hand,  and  the  N.  Test,  kingdom,  and  its  preachers  and  members, 
 on  the  other. — Rd. 
 
 *  In  the  original,  "scire  prtesentia  quam  futura,  quamvis  proxime  futura  ;" 
 lit.  "  to  know  present  than  future  [things],  although  most  closely  future"  i.e. 
 "  to  know  the  things  that  are,  thaii  those  that  are  to  he  hereafter^  however 
 close  that  hereafter  may  be  to  the  present." — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  In  the  original,  "Johannes  lamentatm*;  Jesus  canit," — lit.  "John 
 laments  ;  Jesus  sings." — (I.  B.) 
 
 4  It  is  in  this  way  that  the  work  goes  on  briskly,  and  advances  as  success- 
 fully as  one  could  wish. — V.  g. 
 
256  ST  MATTHEW  XI.  13-15. 
 
 broken  through,  they  may  obtain  the  blessing  which  is  offered 
 them.^     See  Luke  vii.  29. 
 
 1 3.  Tap,  for)  Now  is  fulfilled  that  which  had  been  predicted 
 up  to  the  time  of  John. — -rrpof^rai — vSfiog — ^  ludvvov,  prophets — law 
 — Jolm)  Cf.  Mai.  i.  1,  iii.  22,  23;  and  see  Gnomon  on  Matt.  iii.  12. 
 There  were  prophets  also  before  Moses ;  and  the  law  being  put 
 in  the  second  place,  makes  a  regular  gradation  ;  for  Moses  was 
 the  greatest  of  the  prophets  of  the  Old  Testament.  The  law 
 also  is  mentioned  in  this  passage  on  account  of  its  prophetic  office. 
 Wliere  the  Old  Testament  concludes  at  the  end  of  Malachi, 
 there  the  New  Testament  commences  at  the  beginning  of  Mark. 
 This  phrase,  therefore,  even  until  John,  holds  good  of  Scripture. 
 Its  application  extends  also  beyond  JSIalachi,  even  to  the 
 father  of  John.  See  Luke  i.  67.  Even  until,  without  change. 
 Here  was  the  boundary  of  prophecy  and  of  the  Old  Testament 
 dispensation  ;  thenceforward  is  the  fulfilling. — 'rpoKprjnvgav,  pro- 
 phesied) This  was  the  whole  of  their  office,  to  bear  witness  to 
 future  things.     John  was  something  more.     See  ver.  9. 
 
 14.  E/'  6sXiTi,  if  ye  will)  It  is  your  interest  that  is  at  stake. 
 The  expression,  ^lasrai  (used  in  the  last  verse),  is  explained  :  it 
 is  the  willing  only  who  are  compelled.  All  is  prepared :  it  only 
 remains  that  you  should  be  willing. — 'lix/a;,  Elias)  The 
 absence  of  the  article  shows  that  the  word  is  used  antonomati- 
 cally."^  John  makes  (Btaarai  of  both  fathers  and  children.  Cf. 
 hi,  but,  in  V.  16.^  The  prophecy  of  the  Old  Testament  con- 
 cludes with  this  Elijah  at  the  end  of  Malachi.  John  is  called 
 Elias  on  account  of  the  office  of  forerunner,  which  he  had  in 
 common  with  the  Tishbite. — 6  /x^eXXuv  ip^esCai,  who  is  about  to 
 come)  The  language  is,  as  it  were,  that  of  one  looking  forward 
 from  the  Old  Testament  into  the  New.* 
 
 15.  "^iira  ax-ouiiv,  ears  to  hear)  Thus  the  Lxx.  in  Deut.  xxix. 
 
 1  Just  as  happens   in   the  case  of  wares  exposed  for  sale  in  public. 
 
 2  See  Append.  Antonomasia  here  applies  the  name  Elias  to  John,  not 
 literally,  but  analogously  ;  as  Elias  was  in  the  O.  Test.,  so  John  in  prepar- 
 in<?  for  the  coming  N.  Test,  kingdom. — Ed. 
 
 •''  i.e.  John  I  have  likened  to  Elijah  ;  but  to  whom  shall  I  liken  this  gene- 
 ration?— Ed. 
 
 *  Moreover  John  is  not  called  abso'utely  6  (/.i'KKuv  ioxtuixi,  but  'Hx<«j  6 
 
 fiihTiUV  tD)(,i(f6*l. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XI.  16-19.  257 
 
 4 ;  cf.  Rom  xi.  8.  "  He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear^^ 
 was  a  form  of  commanding  attention  peculiar  to  our  Lord,  and 
 indicates,  that  the  other  things  which  might  be  said  more  ex- 
 pressly, are  contained  in  those  which  have  just  been  uttered. 
 
 16.  Tj^i/  yinav  ravryiv,  this  generation)  the  evil  men  of  this 
 best^  time. ^Taidapioii,^  children)  Jesus  compared  not  only  the 
 Jews,  but  also  Himself  and  John,  in  different  ways,  to  children, 
 with  a  condescension,  in  His  own  case,  most  wonderful. — 
 dyopaTg,  market-places)  A  large  city  has  often  many  market- 
 places.    The  preaching  of  John  and  Jesus  was  public. 
 
 17.  HuXyiffa/xsv,  ive  have  piped)  i.e.,  played  on  the  pipe.  See 
 ver.  19. — sdprjVTiga/Msv,  we  have  mourned)  See  ver.  18.  An 
 instance  of  Chiasmus.^ 
 
 18.''HX^f,  came)  A  striking  instance  o£  Anaphora  ;*  cf.  ver.  19. 
 — /M-^Ts  ssSiuv,  neither  eating)  John  did  not  eat  with  others,  nor 
 even  in  the  presence  of  others.  His  mode  of  life  agreed  with 
 the  character  of  his  teaching,  and  so  did  that  of  Christ  [with 
 the  character  of  His  teaching.]  Therefore  the  one  is,  as  it 
 were,  implied  by  the  other. — /xj^rs  '^rlvuv,  nor  drinking)  See  Luke 
 i.  15. — Xsyouai,  they  say)  The  world  disparages  virtue,  repre- 
 senting it  as  the  extreme ;  it  advocates  the  cause  of  vice, 
 representing  it  as  the  mean. — hatiiuvm,  a  devil)  in  common  par- 
 lance, a  familiar  spirit. — h/ii,  He  has)  A  reproach  common  to 
 the  Jews,  by  which  they  denoted  one  who  was  mad,  or  silly,  or 
 proud.  They  Avho  abstain  from  the  society  of  men,  easily  incur 
 this  suspicion. 
 
 19.  " Av&pu'rog  (pdyog,  x.r.X.,  a  gluttonous  man,  etc.)  They  dis- 
 tinguish Him,  as  one  out  of  many,  by  a  distinction  opposed  to 
 that  mentioned  in  the  preceding  verse.— twv  r'r/.mv,  children) 
 We  have  shown,  in  the  Apparatus,^  that  rujv  'ipyuv — works — 
 
 '  "  Hujus  optimi  temporis" — so  called  because  it  was  that  of  our  Lord's 
 Ministry.— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  The  margin  of  both  Editions,  as  also  the  Germ.  Vers.,  seem  to  prefer 
 'xot.ihioig. — E.  B.  So  BCDZ.  The  vxioxpioig  of  Rec.  Text  is  not  supported 
 by  the  primary  authorities. — Ed. 
 
 ^  See  Explanation  of  Technical  Terms  in  Appendix.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  See  Append.  The  same  word  repeated  in  the  beginnings  of  sentences 
 or  sections,  in  order  to  mark  them. — Ed. 
 
 *  In  the  Apparatus,  p.  ]  17,  he  says — 
 
 "  19)  rsKi/cuv)  operibus  notat  Hieroiiymus  in  Evangeliis  quibiisdam  legi, 
 VOL.  I.  R 
 
258  ST  MATTHEW  XI.  19. 
 
 was  anciently  a  widely  received  reading.  Ambrose,  on  Luke 
 vii.  35,  says : — "  Therefore  wisdom  is  justified  of  all  her  chil- 
 dren.' It  is  well  said  '■of  all^  because  justice  is  observed 
 towards  all  \i.e.  in  God's  dealings  with  all],  so  that  the  faithful 
 may  be  accepted,  the  unfaithful  rejected.  Very  many  of  the 
 Greeks  adopt  the  reading,  '  Wi&dovi  is  justified  of  all  her  works^ 
 because  it  is  the  work  of  justice  to  observe  the  due  measure 
 towards  the  merit  of  every  single  individual."  He,  however, 
 appears  to  mean  the  codices  of  St  Matthew,  not  those  of  St 
 Lulie,  for  he  is  in  the  habit  of  recurring  to  them  from  time  to 
 time,  although  he  is  commenting  on  St  Luke.^ — air^e^) 
 Valla''  thinks  that  this  refers  to  ysi-sas ;  but  see  Luke  vii.  35, 
 where  there  are  more  remarks  on  the  jiresent  passage.  Cf.  ver. 
 31.  [No  doubt  Christ  is  the  Wisdom  meant.  The  children  of 
 Wisdom  are  those  who  suffer  themselves  to  be  gathered  by 
 her  into  her  company.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  Wisdom  is 
 blamed   on  the   ground  of  too  simple  and  ready  indulgence 
 
 in  Conira.  ad  li.  1.  sic  vero  etiam  JEth.  Copt.  Pers.  Sj/r.  Videtur  Grsecus  lib- 
 rarius  antiquissimus  pro  ruu  tskuuu  in  maxima  literarum  similitudine,  legisse 
 TU)v  'ipyuv.  Qua;  strictura  docere  nos  possit,  ex  Gra>co  Mattli^i  Evangelio 
 deductum  esse  Evangelium  Nazarenorum  [an  apocryphal  gospel  so  called], 
 quippe  quod  hoc  loco  sine  dubio  respexit  Hieronj'mus.  Euiidem  varietateni, 
 ex  Hieronynio,  ut  apparet,  notavit  Ilafenrefferus  in  edit,  sua  N.  T," — (I.  B.) 
 '  The  first  sentence  is  not  quoted  by  Bengel,  but,  on  referring  to  the 
 original,  I  considered  the  meaning  so  much  plainer  with  it  than  without  it, 
 that  I  took  the  liberty  of  inserting  it.    The  passage  in  Ambrose  stands  thus: — 
 
 '■'•  Juslificata  est  ergo  Sapientia  ab  omnibus  JilUs  suis.  Bene  ab  omnibus, 
 quia  circa  onmes  justitia  servatur :  ut  susceptio  fiat  fidelium  rejectio  per- 
 fidorum.  Undo  plerique  Grajci  sic  habent :  Justificata  est  Sapkntia  ah  oinnibus 
 operibus  suis ;  quod  opus  justitite  sit,  circa  unius  cujuscunque  meritum  ser- 
 vare  mensuram." — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Luke,  vii.  35,  adds  vocurav.  B  corrected  later,  reads,  as  the  MSS. 
 alluded  to  by  Ambrose,  tuv  hyuv :  so  MSS.  in  Jerome,  both  Syriac  and 
 Meniph.  Versions.  But  Dae  Vulg..  Orig.,  Hil.  and  Rec.  Text,  read  Tix-vuv. 
 —El). 
 
 ^  Gen.  fern.  sing,  of  »iirog.  E.  V.  renders  it  her,  sc.  Wisdom's.  Valla 
 would  render  it  of  it,  sc.  of  tliis  (/cneratio7i. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Laukentius  Valla,  one  of  tlie  most  distinguished  Latin  scnolnrs  of  the 
 fifteenth  century.  Born  in  Rome  about  1406  ;  became  Professor  of 
 Eloquence,  first  at  Pavia,  ami  afterwards  at  Milan  ;  went  to  Rome  in  1443, 
 and  became  canon  of  St  John  the  Lateran,  Died  1457.  He  published, 
 besides  many  other  works,  annotations  on  the  N.  T. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XI.  20-23.  2E9 
 
 towards  sucli  persons,  and  she  is  therefore  thus  compelled  at 
 last  to  justify  herself.     Luke  xv.  1,  2,  etc. — V.  g.] 
 
 20.  Tors  '/ip^aro,  then  He  began)  He  had  not  previously  up- 
 braided them.  This  upbraiding  is  the  prelude  to  the  Last 
 Judgment.  Every  hearer  of  the  New  Testament  is  either  much 
 more  blessed  (v.  11)  or  much  more  miserable  than  them  of  old 
 time. — dwdfj^s/g,  mighty  loorhs)  See  ver.  5.  [Repentance  and  the 
 knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ  are  always  conjoined. — V.  g.] 
 
 21.  Ohai,  woe)  This  interjection  is  not  imprecatory,  but 
 enunciatory.  See  ch.  xxiv.  17.  Its  opposite  is  blessed.  This 
 should  be  observed  everywhere. 
 
 21.  23.  'T//.?j — CO/,  you — thee)  Two  cities  in  the  neighbourhood 
 are  compared  with  two  mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament  history, 
 and  one  more  miserable  than  the  former  is  compared  to  one 
 more  miserable  than  the  latter. — '^rdXai,  long  ago)  In  that  ancient 
 time,  in  which  it  was  more  difficult  to  repent.  See  Acts  xvii. 
 30.  We  must  not  say,  "  What  doest  thou  ?"  Cf.  Ezek.  iii.  6. 
 — IV  ffaxxifj,  in  sackcloth)  understand  sitting,  dr  some  such  word. 
 
 22.  ' AviXTOTipov,  more  tolerable)  Because  they  were  less  im- 
 penitent, and  would  have  repented,  and  have  already  been 
 punished. — -/.pkiug,  judgment)  The  Judge  will  be  the  very  same 
 in  whom  they  were  then  offended. 
 
 23.  Ka-TTspvaoi/'/jb,  Capernaum)  This  city  had  been  more  highly 
 blessed  than  Chorazin  and  Bethsaida,  but  from  its  sin  became 
 more  miserable.  It  is  therefore  compared  with  Sodom,  not 
 with  Tyre  and  Sidon. — sojg  rov  ohpavou,  even  unto  heaven)  For  the 
 Lord  from  heaven  had  come  to  dwell  there,  and  in  bringing 
 Himself,  had  brought  heaven  thither.^ — v-^uhTaa,  exalted)  In 
 the  sight  of  God,  of  Christ,  and  of  the  angels. — ^Bov,  hell) 
 Which  is  lowest  in  the  nature  of  things. — s/xs/fav  dv,  they  tcould 
 have  remained)  Instead  of  having  been  destroyed.  Great  is  the 
 effect  of  the  conditional  form.^  The  same  verb  occurs  in  John 
 xxi.  22. 
 
 '  For  specimens  of  this  exaltation,  see  John  ii.  12,  iv.  47  ;  Matt.  iv.  13- 
 xiii.  53  ;  John  vi.  24  ;  Matt.  xvii.  24. — Harm.,  p.  301. 
 
 2  For  they,  in  that  case,  either  would  not  have  perpetrated  the  enormities 
 ■which  they  did,  or  else  would  have  repented  of  having  committed  them :  in 
 which  case  they  would  not  have  been  destroyed,  either  then  or  subsequently. 
 
260  ST  MATTHEW  XI.  25,  26. 
 
 25.  'A'TToxpikig,  ayiswering)  Sc.  to  those  things  which  He  was 
 considering  concerning  His  Father's  design,  His  own  thoughts, 
 and  the  character  of  His  disciples.^ — it.ofj^oXoyovfj.ai,  I  praise) 
 Nothing  can  be  predicated  with  praise  of  God,  which  is  not  so 
 in  fact :  min,  praise,^  is  predication.'*  Jesus  returned  thanks  to 
 His  Father  afterwards  in  the  same  words,  when  the  seventy 
 disciples  had  well  performed  the  work  which  He  had  appointed 
 them. — Ilarsp,  Kufti  rov  ovpavov  y.ai  r^s  7^5,  Father,  Lord  of 
 heaven  and  earth)  He  is  frequently  called  the  Father  of  Jesus 
 Christ,  sometimes  also  His  God ;  never  His  Lord,  but  the  Lord 
 of  heaven  and  earth.  Let  us  learn,  from  the  example  of  Jesus 
 Christ,  to  apply  to  God  those  titles  which  are  suitable  to  the 
 subject  of  our  prayers.  The  Jews  also  forbid  to  cumulate 
 divine  titles  in  prayers.  The  address  in  this  passage  is  indeed 
 most  magnificent. — on  a'^ixpu-^ag — -/mI  ccTrsxaXv^ag,  x.r.X.,  be- 
 cause Thou  hast  hid — and  revealed,  etc.)  A  double  ground  of 
 
 '  He  uttered  the  words  which  follow  with  an  exulting  spirit. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  The  word  used  by  Bengel  is  "  Confiteor"  which  occurs  in  the  Vulgate, 
 both  here  and  in  1  Chron.  xvi.  35  with  the  same  sense.  That  such  is  his 
 meaning,  is  clear  from  his  employing  in  his  German  Version  the  phrase, 
 Ich  preise  Dick,  which,  when  applied  to  God,  signifies  "  /  praise  or  mag- 
 nify T/iee."  Bengel  employs  the  word  ''Conjlteor"  in  preference  to  any 
 other,  because,  like  the  Greek  l^o^oTioyoJ^a/,  it  signifies  both  generically, 
 with  an  accusative,  to  confess,  acknowledge, proclaim,  etc. ,  and  specifically,  with 
 a  dative,  to  laud,  praise,  or  magnify  [Gou].— See  Riddle  and  ScJdeusner  in 
 voce. — E.  V.  renders  i'^oi/.o'hoyovi^oi.i,  I  thank. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  The  word  used  by  Bengel  is  "  Confessio,"  which  he  employs  with  direct 
 reference  to  his  previous  "  Confiteor"  on  which  see  preceding  footnote. 
 
 On  the  meaning  of  m'-p,  Gesenius  says: — (1.)  Confession,  Josh.  vii.  19; 
 Ezr.  X.  11.  (2.)  Thanksgiving,  Vs.  xxvi.  7,  xlii.  5.  ~"P  ^=;[  to  offer  praise 
 to  God  (for  a  sacrifice),  Ps.  1.  14,  23,  cvii.  22,  cxvi.  17  (where  the  jdirase  is 
 not  to  be  taken  as  though  jiroper  sacrifices  were  spoken  of),  m'-in  nsT,  Lev. 
 xxii.  29;  n^*: "?"  •'^""'^  i"?.!,  Lev.  vii.  13,  15,  comp.  12,  and  ellipt.  ni*.'^,  a 
 sacrifice  of  thanksgiving,  Ps.  Ivi.  13.  (3.)  A  choir  of  givers  of  thanks,  prais- 
 ing God,  Neh.  xii.  31,  38,  40.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  And  conversely,  therefore.  Predication  is  Praise.  They  are  the  two 
 sides  of  an  eternal  and  immutable  equation.  Much  to  the  same  cflect, 
 Bengel  says  elsewhere  (ch.  vi.  9),  "  Deus  est  sanctus,  i.e.,  Deus  sanctifi- 
 catur  ergo,  quamlo  ita,  ut  est,  a'^noscitur  et  colitur  et  celebratur."  Conse- 
 quently, in  confessing,  acknowledging,  and  prorlaiming,  or  in  any  other  mode 
 I'KKiMCATiNi;  the  truth  cunoerning  Guu  (and  not  otherwise),  we  puaise  Him. 
 -O.B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XI.  26,  27.  261 
 
 praise.  For  ccxv/tp-o-^ag,  Thou  hast  kept  concealed^  cf.  ver.  27  ; 
 for  dTsxaXu'4/as,  Thou  hast  revealed,  cf.  again  ver.  27,  at  tlie 
 end. — ravra,  these  things)  Concerning  the  Father  and  the  Son, 
 concerning  the  kingdom  of  heaven. — ao(pci^v,  the  wise)  i.e.  those 
 who  arrogate  to  themselves  the  character  of  wisdom.' — guviruv, 
 prudent)  i.e.  those  who  arrogate  to  themselves  the  character  of 
 prudence.^  Cf.  1  Cor.  i.  19. — d'TrexaXv-^ag,  Thou  hast  revealed) 
 See  ch.  xvi.  17. — vri'Trioig,  to  infants)  Such  as  the  twelve  apostles 
 and  seventy  disciples  were  :  See  Luke  x.  21  ;  they  were  veri/ 
 young,  for  they  bore  witness  for  a  long  time  afterwards.  They 
 were  infants,  as  being  readv  to  believe  and  simple-minded ;  see 
 Matt,  xviii.  3. 
 
 26.  Na/,  yea)  Even  so.  Jesus  assents  to  the  good  pleasure  of 
 the  Father.  "  Even  so,  oh  Father  !"  is  an  epitome  of  filial  con- 
 fession.— 0  -xartip  is  in  this  passage  more  significant  than  iranp 
 would  have  been.^ — Bvdoxia  'iiJ.TpoG&tv  lou,  well-pleasing  in  Thy 
 sighf)  The  will  and  the  intellect  of  God  put  forth  His  decrees. 
 His  good  pleasure  is  the  highest  limit,  beyond  which  we  are  not 
 permitted  to  go,  in  examining  the  causes  of  the  Divine  decrees. 
 Thus  presently,  concerning  the  Son,  we  find  the  expression, 
 jSouXjjra/,  may  will,  Lat.  voluerit. 
 
 27.  Udvra,  all  things)  Here  our  Lord  changes  the  direction 
 of  His  words,  and  accosts  His  human  auditors.  After  His  re- 
 surrection. He  more  expressly  said  that  all  things  in  heaven  and 
 in  earth  were  delivered  to  Him ;  see  ch.  xxviii.  18 ;  but  in 
 the  present  passage  the  same  truth  is  implied;  cf  ver.  2b. 
 All  things  are  delivered  unto  Him  ;  also  the  authority  to  reveal 
 them.  All  things  are  delivered  unto  Him  ;  and  therefore  all 
 men.  See  John  xiii.  3,  xvii.  2  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  25,  27. — irapiU&ri, 
 
 1  Beng,  attributes  to  the  aa(po\  the  "  habitus  noeticus;"  to  the  avvtrtA,  the 
 •'  habitus  dianoeticus ; "  the  same  difference  as  between  vovi  and  lixvoiot, 
 mind  and  discriminative  intelligence  or  discernment. — Ed, 
 
 2  The  latter,  a  simple  vocative  ;  the  former,  in  form,  a  nominative  with  the 
 article  prefixed,  in  effect,  an  emphatic  vocative  of  a  peculiar  character,  similar 
 to  the  analogous  o  ©soV. — (I.  B.) 
 
 "Thou,  who  art  the  Father"  (par  excellence). — Ed. 
 
 ^  In  the  original,  "  Benfplacitum  coram  Te."  It  is  difficult  to  render 
 Beneplacitum  in  this  place  so  as  to  show  its  intimate  connection,  or  rather 
 identity,  with  '•  Beneplacitum  "  a  few  lines  below,  where  I  have  rendered  it, 
 as  e\seYi\iQre,  good  pleasure. — (I.  B.) 
 
2«2  ST  MATTIinW  XI.  28,  29. 
 
 have  been  delivered)  The  Father  reserved  nothing  for  Himself 
 which  He  did  not  oive  to  the  Son.  Cf.  John  xiii.  3 ;  Matt, 
 xxviii.  18.  The  intimate  relation  of  the  Father  and  the  Son 
 is  implied  in  ver.  25-27,  John  vi.  39,  40,  and  so  throughout 
 the  Apocalypse.  See  my  exposition  of  the  Apocalypse,  p.  65. — 
 ovhi; — ohbi,  no  one — neither)  On  the  order  of  the  words,  cf.  John 
 viii,  19. — ii  fjsn  0  Tarrip,  except  the  Father)  He  does  not  add,  "  and 
 he  to  vohonnaoever  the  Father  chooses  to  reveal  Him"  because  He 
 has  said  that  in  ver.  25,  and  here  He  is  teaching  us  what  tho 
 Father  has  delivered  to  Him.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  not  ex- 
 cluded ;  He  is  not,  however,  mentioned  here,  because  His  office 
 was  not  as  yet  so  well  known  to  men. — jSo-jXrirat,  may  will)  shall 
 choose.  To  whom,  however,  He  wishes  to  do  so,  is  clear  from 
 the  followino;  verse. 
 
 28.  AiuTs,  come  ye)  sc.  immediately. — See  Gnomon  on  ch.  iv.  19. 
 — --rpcg  Ms,  unto  Me)  Since  the  Pharisees,  and  even  John  himself, 
 cannot  satisfy  you. — Tavnc,  all)  Let  not  the  limitation  in  ver. 
 27  deter  you. — o'l  x.o'moovTig,  that  labour)  Kefer  to  this  ^vyhv  and 
 Zyyhg,  yoke,  in  ver.  29,  30. — 'TnpopTifffiivoi,  heavy  laden)  To  this 
 should  be  referred  iJ^dkn,  learn,  in  ver.  29,  and  <popr!ov,  burdeyi, 
 in  ver.  30.  The  Hebrew  Nt^'0  signifies  a  burden,  i.e.,  doctrine, 
 discipline. — xayw,  and  F)  Though  you  have  sought  elsewhere  in 
 vain,  you  will  find  it  with  Me,  ver.  29. — ava-rravau,  I  will  make 
 you  rest)  Tliis  is  explained  in  the  next  verse. — on,  x.t.}..,  because, 
 etc.)  "  /  will  make  you  rest,"  and  "  ye  shall  find  rest,"  are  cor- 
 relative. 
 
 29.  "  ApoLTi,  take  ye)  To  take  the  yoke  of  Christ  upon  us,  is  to 
 give  oneself  up  wholly  to  His  discipline. — on,  x.r.X.,  because,  etc.) 
 Hence  it  appears  why  we  should  willingly  learn  from  Jesus. 
 Our  meekness  and  lowliness  are  consequent  upon  our  so  doing. 
 — rrpaog  iifjbi  zal  raTsivbg,  x.r.X.,  /  am  meek  and  lowly,  etc.) 
 Although  His  language  is  fearful  in  ver.  20,  24.  Meekness 
 produces  easiness  of  yoke  ;  lowliness  of  heart,  lightness  of  bur- 
 den. The  Pharisees  were  austere  and  proud.  Condescension 
 (Demissio)  is  a  much  to  be  admired  virtue  of  God,  which  is 
 described  as  fully  as  possible,  although  it  is  not  named  in  Scrip- 
 ture, by  one  word;  whose  likeness,  humility,  is  found  in  the 
 saints  ;  whose  opposite,  pride,  in  Satan  and  the  wicked.  For  it 
 is  condescension,  that  that  highest  Majesty  should  have  deigned 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XL  30.-XII.  1,  2.  263 
 
 at  all  to  make  creatures,  and  especially  men,  however  contemp- 
 tible, however  mean,  and  to  look  on  them  without  disdain,  and 
 to  unite  them  to  Itself.  And  the  Son  of  God  in  a  most  con- 
 spicuous manner  manifested  His  humility  in  our  flesh. — See 
 Ps.  xxxiv.  7,  cxiii.  6;  Lukei.  48,  52,  53,  xii.  37,  xxii.  27;  John 
 xii.  26,  xiii.  14;  Phil.  ii.  8;  Heb.  xi.  16. — rfi  %aphia,  in  heart) 
 Lowly  does  not  by  itself  express  a  quality  of  the  heart,  which 
 meeh  does ;  therefore  in  heart  refers  rather  to  loicly  than  to  meek. 
 The  word  -/.apdia  completes  the  expression :  see  Rom.  ii.  5. — 
 xal,  and)  y.ai  is  introduced  as  in  xayw,  and  /,  in  ver.  28.  Thus 
 the  LXX.  in  Jer.  vi.  16,  xa/  iiiprjSsn  ayvis/Mov  raTg  -^v^aTg  I/JjOiv,  and 
 ye  shall  find  purification^  for  your  soids.  Rest  flows  from  the 
 heart  of  Christ  into  our  souls;  see  ver.  29. — thprisin  ava'rroi.vetv,  ye 
 shall  find  rest)  as  yet  unknown  to  you,  but  sought  for  and 
 desired. 
 
 30.  Zvyog  Mou,  My  yoke)  In  one  point  of  view,  Scripture  speaks 
 of  the  cross,  in  another  of  the  yoke  of  the  godly,  see  ch.  x.  38. — 
 ■XjpriSToc,  easy)  for  I  am  meek. — iXa<pphv,  light)  for  I  am  lowly. 
 
 CHAPTER  XII. 
 
 1.  'Ev  hiivuj  rw  xaip'jj,  at  that  time)  The  Pharisees  interrupted 
 Him  even  at  that  most  unseasonable^  time. — iip^avro  riXXsiv,  be- 
 gan to  pluck)  The  Pharisees  interrupted  Him  immediately.  It 
 required  some  labour  to  shake  out  a  sufficient  number  of  grains 
 from  the  ears  to  appease  their  hunger. 
 
 2.  'idou,  K.T.X.,  behold,  etc)  They  mean  to  say,  "  The  Master 
 ought  to  be  accountable  for  what  the  disciples  do  in  His  very 
 presence."  Behold!  They  wish  Him  to  issue  an  immediate 
 prohibition. — 6  ovx  t^sffri,  that  which  is  not  lawful)  They  do  not 
 put  the  matter  doubtfully,  and  they  are  therefore  rebuked 
 severely  in  ver.  3,  5,  7.     The  proposition  [may  be  put  either 
 
 ^  In  E.  V.  it  is,  "  And  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls."— (I.  B.) 
 "  "  Alienissimo,"  i.e.  most  foreign  to  the  subject. — (I.  B.) 
 
2C4  ST  MATTHEW  XII.  3-5. 
 
 affirmatively  or  negatively],  "  It  is  lawful,'''  or  "  It  is  not  lawful.^ 
 A  false  reproof  was  more  common  at  that  time,  than  a  true  one 
 is  now. — <7ro/iTv,  to  do)  referring  not  to  the  eating,  but  the  pluck- 
 ing.— £v  ffajSiSdruj,  on  a  Sabbath)  The  subject  of  the  Sabbatli 
 occupies  great  part  of  the  Evangelic  history. 
 
 3.  Ouz  dvsyvuTs,  have  ye  not  read)  They  had  read  the  letter, 
 without  perceiving  the  spirit.  Our  Lord  convicts  them  of  error 
 by  the  authority  of  the  Old  Testament. — Aavib,  David)  whose 
 conduct,  in  this  instance,  you  do  not  find  fault  with. — on  lini- 
 Mudiv,  ivhen  he  was  hungry)  This  is  left,  in  1  Sam.  xxi.  3,  to  be 
 understood  by  the  reader. — /zsr  avroZ,  with  him)  See  ibid.  ver.  4. 
 
 4.  Thv  ohov  rov  &io\J,  the  house  of  God)  That  which  might  have 
 been  considered  as  a  ground  of  hesitation  is  exhibited  in  full 
 force  by  this  expression  ;  the  tabernacle  is  meant,  as  the  temple 
 was  built  somewhat  later. — roug  apTovg,  the  loaves)  There  is  much 
 of  a  ceremonial  character  in  the  Sabbath :  otherwise  no  argu- 
 ment could  have  been  derived  from  the  shew-bread. — rl^g  rrpo^i- 
 aiuj;,  of  the  laying  before,*  Lat.  propositionis)  rr  Hebrew  D''JS.^ — 
 f/  iJ^n,  except)  i.e.,  for  any  except. 
 
 5.  "h,  or?  Lat.  an?) — iv  rui  vLil'm^  in  the  Law)  He  proceeds  step 
 by  step  to  a  more  stringent  argument,  from  the  example  of  the 
 Prince,  which  the  priest  had  approved,  to  the  Law  itself;  from 
 the  prophets,  even  the  earlier,  parts  of  whom  were  read,  to  the 
 Law,  all  of  which  was  read ;  and  from  the  sacred  food  to  the 
 sacred  day,  concerning  which  the  dispute  arose. — o/'  'npiTg,  the 
 priests)  who  ought  especially  to  maintain  the  law,  yet  in  this 
 matter  are  especially  excepted.  Thus  also,  the  priests  of  Christ 
 are  less  bound  to  the  Sabbath  than  the  remaininxr  multitude. 
 — £1/  ru)  lipu),  in  the  temple)  Whilst  they  are  employed  in  sacred 
 rites. — ^ilSrjXoiisi,  profane)  (verb) ;  the  adjective  (^i^^Xov,  profane, 
 
 ^  This  is  expressed  in  English  by  the  descriptive  syllable  Shew :  so  that, 
 instead  of  saying  with  the  Greeks  and  Latins — The  bread  of-the-Ia>/W(jhefore, 
 we  say  the  Shew-Bread.  Both  idioms  represent  the  same  idea,  viz.,  the 
 bread  that  was  laid  before,  or  exhibited  to,  God. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  D-32  ztrh,  shew-bread,  lit.  bread  of  faces.  Patrick  on  Exod.  xxv.  30,  in 
 voc.  shew-bread,  says,  "  In  ih^  Hebrew,  bread  (f  the  face  or  presence,  because 
 it  was  set  before  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  where  God  was  present. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  At  tliat  very  time  of  year  Leviticus  was  being  read  on  the  Sabbaths, 
 the  l)()ok  in  wliich  there  occur  so  nr.iny  precepts  as  to  sacrifices,  which  wore 
 required  to  be  performed  even  on  llic  Sabbath. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XII.  C-10.  265 
 
 IS  opposed  to  ciyiov,  sacr&I,  nor  does  it  always  imply  impurity  or 
 guilt. — See  Lev.  x.  10,  and  1  Sam.  xxi.  4. 
 
 6.  A'syu,  I  say)  This  form  of  speech  expresses  great  autho- 
 rity.— rov  ifpov,  the  temple)  In  which  the  priests  minister.  The 
 Temple  gives  way  to  Christ,  the  Sabbath  (ver.  5)  to  the 
 Temple  ;  therefore  the  Sabbath  (ver.  8)  to  Christ. — 'icnv  uhy 
 there  is  here)  He  does  not  say,  "  I  am  greater."  Jesus  was  lowly 
 in  heart.  See  ver.  41,  42,  ch.  xi.  4,  5.  Thus  too  in  Luke  iv. 
 21,  He  says.  This  day  is  this  Scripture  fulfilled  in  your  ears ; 
 and  again,  ch.  xix.  9,  This  day  is  salvation  come  to  this  house. 
 See  also  Matt.  xiii.  17  ;  John  iv.  10,  ix.  37. 
 
 7.  'EyvdoKsiTs,  ye  ivould  have  knoivn)  The  pluperfect  tense. — 
 i'Aiov,  mercy)  See  ch.  ix.  13.  The  disciples  accorded  mercy  to 
 themselves,^  and  the  Pharisees  had  violated  it  by  their  rash 
 judgment. — &-joia,v,  sacrifice)  More  sacred  than  the  Sabbath.  See 
 ver.  5. — ou;c  av  xaridizdaari,  ye  would  not  have  condemned)  Rashly, 
 quickly,  cruelly.^  By  this  argument  an  answer  would  have 
 been  given,  if  any  one  had  doubted  whether  it  were  lawful  to 
 pluck  the  ears  before  the  Passover. 
 
 8.  Kvpiog,  Lord)  The  innocence  and  liberty  of  the  disciples 
 is  guaranteed  by  the  majesty  of  Christ,  and  the  authority^  of 
 the  Son  of  Man  manifests  itself  in  mercy. — ffa(3j3drov,  of  the 
 Sabbath)  The  Lord  of  the  Temple,  and  of  all  things  else,  is 
 undoubtedly  the  Lord  of  the  Sabbath ;  nor  has  He  merely  that 
 right  which  David  had.* 
 
 10.  "Avdpu':rog  ^v,  x.r.X.,  there  was  a  man,  etc.)  He  had  either 
 come  thither  of  his  own  accord,  that  he  might  be  healed,  or  else 
 he  had  been  brought  by  others  with  an  insidious  design. — ha 
 ■>f.arriyopr,(Su)(Siv  avrov,  that  they  might  accuse  Him)  As  if  He  had 
 
 '  Imitating  David  in  this  respect. — V.  g. 
 
 2  By  indulgence  in  condemning  thoughts,  one  often  falls  into  sin  himself 
 unawares,  whilst  he  is  arraigning  another  as  guilty  of  sin. — V.  g. 
 
 2  "Dominatio" — domination,  lordship.  There  is  a  play  on  the  words 
 dominus  (lord)  and  dominatio,  which  cannot  be  preserved  in  English.  It 
 might  be  expressed  by  sovereign  and  sovereignty. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Ver.  9.  Kml)  This  was  eight  days  after  those  things  which  have  been  just 
 mentioned  (V.  g.),  and  eight  days  before  the  Passover.  In  this  brief  interval 
 very  many  events  happened  of  the  greatest  moment.  The  people  were  now 
 getting  ready  for  the  feast.  Hence  a  large  (abundant)  opportunity  of  doing 
 good  presented  itself  to  the  Saviour. — Harm.,  p.  309. 
 
26fi  ST  MATTHEW  XII.  11-18. 
 
 broken  the  Sabbath,  which  was  then  greatly  respected  even  by 
 courts  of  law.     See  ver.  14. 
 
 11.  Up6(3aTov  iv,  one  sheep)  The  loss  of  which  was  not  ^rreat. — 
 ov^i  y.parrjsii,  ivill  he  not  take  hold  of)  A  verb  also  suited  to  the 
 healing  of  the  hand.  In  our  Saviour's  time  this  was  permitted, 
 since  then  it  has  been  forbidden  by  the  Jews. 
 
 12.  ToTg  ffd^jSaffi,  on  the  Sabbaths)  For  a  good  deed  is  not  to  be 
 procrastinated. — xaXwg  to/s/V,  to  do  well)  sc.  to  either  a  man  or  a 
 sheep,  nay,  to  a  man  much  more  than  to  a  sheep.^  We  must 
 not  on  the  Sabbath-day  perform  daily  wonted  tasks  for  hire, 
 although  we  may  do  those  things  which  time  and  place  suggest 
 to  us  for  the  good  of  our  neighbour  and  all  other  living  creatures, 
 and  especially  for  the  honour  of  God.^ 
 
 15.  'Avs^u)p7}aiv,  He  departed)- ^his,  is  especially  referred  to  in 
 ver.  19.     Our  Lord  avoided  noise. 
 
 16.  "ha  iMTi,  that  they  should  not)  Such  was  the  authority  of 
 Jesus,  even  commanding  silence  to  the  multitude.^ 
 
 18.  ihou  6  TlaTg  Mou,  ov  fipiriffw  6  ayaT^jro;  Mou,  sig  ov  i\jho-/.riBiv  r, 
 •^v^yi  Mow  &r}(Sc>}  rh  irvivijua  Moi»  sV'  Aurof,  xai  xpisiv  roTg  idvsffiv  ocTuy- 
 yeXtr  outc  spiSn  ovds  xpavydffeij  ov8s  dxovsn  rig  sv  ra7g  ':T'ka7iiaig  t-/,^ 
 <puv^v  AuTou'  KciXa/xov  SvvrBrpi/MijAvov  oh  Tiarid^ii,  xai  }Jvov  7-j(p6ix,ivov  ou 
 e^Bgir  'iug  civ  sy.lSd}.-/]  tig  vTxog  rr^v  xpiffiV'  xai  ev  rui  ovofxari  Aurou  idvr, 
 iX'TTioZsi, — Behold  My  Servant,  whom  I  have  chosen ;  My  Beloved,  in 
 whom  My  soul  is  ivell  pleased;  I ivill  put  My  Spirit  upo7i  Him, 
 
 ^  Some  one  may  think  that  there  was  danger  in  delay  as  regards  tlie 
 sheep,  hut  that  a  man  affected  with  a  hodily  infirmity  for  such  a  length  of 
 time,  might  easily  he  put  off  for  once  from  one  day  to  another  day.  But  the 
 answer  is,  it  was  the  fitting  time  that  the  relief  should  be  given,  when  the 
 patient  met  the  ])hysician.  A  larger  crowd  of  men  was  assembled  together 
 on  the  Sabbath,  who  were  thus  enabled  to  be  spectators  of  the  miracle,  and 
 to  be  profited  (won  over)  by  it. — V,  g. 
 
 2  Ver.  14.  oi  os  <-\>(icpttjuhi)  It  was  not  with  the  same  laborious  exertion  as 
 is  needed  in  order  to  pluck  ears  of  corn,  and  to  draw  out  a  sheep  from  a  pit, 
 that  Jesus  had  effected  the  cure,  but  by  mere  words  spoken.  It  was  a  pure 
 undiluted  benefit  conferred  without  difficulty  (pains) :  and  yet  blind  men, 
 notwithstanding,  were  regarding  His  act  as  if  the  Sabbath  were  profaned  by 
 it.-V.  g. 
 
 ^  Ver.  17.  oV&i;  7r7.-/ipud^)  The  calm  (placid)  and  most  salutary  mode  of 
 action,  which  Jesus  employed,  is  intimated  by  these  words. —  Vers  Oerm. 
 How  widely  does  this  in  truth  differ  from  the  ways  and  modes  of  action  of 
 His  adversaries! — Harm.,  p.  olO. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XII.  18.  267 
 
 CTid  lie  shall  announce  judgment  to  the  Gentiles.  He  shall  not 
 strive  nor  cry;  neither  shall  any  man  hear  His  voice  in  the  streets. 
 A  bruised  reed  shall  He  not  break,  and  smoking  Jlax  shall  He  not 
 quench,  till  He  send  forth  judgment  unto  victory.  And  in  His 
 name  shall  the  Gentiles  trust.  The  LXX.  thus  render  Is.  xlii. 
 1—4, — 'lay.oj^  6  Ta/J  Mou,  dvri'krj-^oiiai  abroii'  "'isparik  o  s-/.Xs-/.r6g  Mov, 
 Tptffsds^ocTO  avTov  '/]  -^v^rj  Mov,  idaixcc  rh  miufid  Mou  it'  avTov,  xpla/v  roTg 
 idvesiv  s^o'isir  oh  xpd^irai,  ouSs  avriGn,  ovb'i  dxovaSriSirai  s'^w  i]  (puvr) 
 aurov'  KuXoc/jbov  6uvTsdXa(f/ji,svov  ov  ffuvrpl-^si,  zal  Xivov  xaTvi^o/j^svov  ou 
 ao'sGii,  dXkd  slg  d'Arjhiav  k^oidii  xpigiv,  K.r.X.^  Jacob  is  My  servant ; 
 J  loill  defend  him.  Israel  is  my  chosen ;  My  soul  has  accepted 
 him:  I  have  given  my  Spirit  upon  him;  he  shall  bear  forth  judg- 
 ment to  the  Gentiles.  He  shall  w*t  cry,  nor  lift  up  \liis  voice]  ; 
 nor  shall  his  voice  be  heard  without.  A  bruised  reed  shall  he  not 
 crush,  and  smoking  flax  shall  he  not  quench  ;  hut  he  shall  bear 
 forth  judgment  unto  truth. — 6  m-aTg  /mov,  iny  servant  =  the  Hebrew 
 ''"inj?,-  in  Is.  xhi.  1.  And  the  LXX.  frequently  express  that  He- 
 brew word^  by  ^aTg,*  e.g.  where  Moses,  or  even  the  Messiah,  is 
 spoken  of.  Cf.  Acts  iii.  13,  26,  iv.  27,  30.  For  it  is  not  again 
 repeated  in  the  New  Testament  concerning  the  Messiah,  either 
 because  neither  the  Greek  vaTg,  or  any  other  word,  corresponds 
 sufficiently  to  that  Hebrew  word,  which  the  apostles  also  used 
 in  the  be^inninix,  or  else  because  neither  of  them  is  suitable  to 
 our  Lord's  state  of  glorification.    The  words,  servant  and  beloved, 
 
 '  In  E.  V.  it  stands  thus — "  Behold  my  servant,  whom  I  uphold  ;  mine 
 elect,  in  whom  my  soul  delighteth :  I  have  put  my  Spirit  upon  him  ;  he  shall 
 bring  forth  judnjment  to  the  Gentiles.  He  shall  not  cry,  nor  lift  up,  nor 
 cause  his  voice  to  be  heard  in  the  street.  A  bruised  reed  shall  he  not  break, 
 and  the  smoking  flax  shall  he  not  quench :  he  shall  bring  forth  judgment 
 unto  truth."— (I.  B.) 
 
 -   Sc.  "sy  servant,  with  the  pronominal  suffix  '',  my. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  ~"J,  i.e.  a  servant:  the  minister  or  ambassador  sent  by  God  for  accom- 
 plishing some  service  :  also  a  familiar  servant  chosen  and  beloved  of  God  on 
 account  of  his  piety  and  approved  fidelity ;  also  a  term  especially  applied  to 
 the  Messiah.     See  Gesenius,  etc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  •r«;j.  According  to  Schleusner,  (1)  a  child  in  age  ;  (2)  a  child  in  relation 
 to  its  parents ;  (3)  one  pre-eminently  beloved  ;  (4)  a  servant  ;  (5)  the 
 minister  of  a  king,  etc.  According  to  Liddel  and  Scott,  (1)  a  child  in  rela- 
 tion to  its  parents  ;  (2)  a  child  in  age ;  (3)  a  servant.  The  passages,  how- 
 ever, in  these  writers  are  too  long  for  insertion,  and  cannot  be  adequately 
 abridged.— ri.  B.) 
 
268  ST  MATTHETV  XII.  10,  20. 
 
 are  parallel ;  and  also,  /  liave  cJwsen,  and  /  cnji  well  pleased. — 
 fipsTiffa,  I  have  chosen — a'ipirr(^fiv  =  a}ps7hv  opi^Biv,  to  set  apart  as 
 chosen. — s/g  h,  towards  ichorn)  The  preposition  slg  denotes  the 
 perpetual  tendency  of  the  Father's  mind  towards  His  Beloved 
 [Son].  See  2  Pet.  i.  17. — xplciv,  judgment)  salutary  to  men. 
 See  ver.  20,  and  John  xvi.  11. — -/.plffig,  judgment,  is  the  separa- 
 tion of  sin  and  righteousness.— ro/j  Unm,  to  the  Gentiles)  when 
 He  shall  have  departed  from  the  Jews. — a.':rayyiXir,  He  shall 
 announce)  He  both  performed  and  announced  it.  The  future 
 tense  is  employed  here ;  but  the  past  afterwards  by  St  Paul, 
 Eph.  ii.  17  [with  reference  to  the  same  matter]. 
 
 19.  <^uvriv  avrov,  His  voice)  sc.  from  the  house.  This  example 
 of  the  lowliness  and  meekness  of  Jesus  aptly  precedes  the  mani- 
 festation of  His  severity  in  ver.  34  ;  thus  also  He  wept  when 
 about  to  enter  Jerusalem,  and  then  expelled  them  that  bought 
 and  sold  from  the  temple. 
 
 20.  KdXa/xov,  a  reed)  In  Hebrew  HJp.^  Jerome  ad.  Alga- 
 siam,^  qusest.  2,  interprets  the  bruised  reed  of  Israel ;  and  the 
 smoking  Jlax,  of  the  people  congregated  from  the  Gentiles,  who, 
 the  fire  of  the  natural  law  being  extinguished,  were  enveloped  in 
 the  errors  of  a  most  bitter  smoke,  which  is  hurtful  to  the  eyes,  and 
 of  a  thick  darkness.  Whom  He  not  only  forbore  to  extinguish 
 and  reduce  to  ashes,  but  also,  on  the  conti^ary,  from  the  spark, 
 which  was  small  and  all  but  dying,  aroused  great  flames,  so  that 
 the  whole  world  should  bum  with  that  fire  of  our  Lord  and  Sa- 
 viour which  He  came  to  send  upon  earth,  and  desires  to  kindle 
 in  the  hearts  of  all. — ou  xared^n,  ov  ojSiffn,  shall  He  not  break, 
 shall  He  not  quench)  An  instance  of  Litotes  for  "  He  shall 
 especially  cherish."  Cf.  ver.  7,  ch.  xi.  28  ;  Isa.  xlii.  3,  Ixi.  1-3. 
 — sz^aKri,    send  forth,   extend)  In  the  Hebrew  X"':^"'    and    W^i^. 
 
 ^  ~5p,  a  reed — evidently  the  original  of  the  word  cane,  which  has  found  its 
 way,  I  believe,  into  every  European  language.  Gr.  x.u.vvx,  x.a.vvn  or  nocvrt. 
 Lat.  Canna;  Fr.  Cane;  Span.  Cana ;  Port.  Cana  or  Canna.  Cf.  also  the 
 German  Kaneie. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  An  epistle  written  by  St  Jerome  to  an  Eastern  lady  of  the  name  of 
 Algasia,  who  had  propounded  twelve  questions  to  him.  He  begins  by  a 
 quaint  and  courteous  proeniium,  iti  which  he  fancifully  compares  her  to  the 
 Queen  of  Sheba,  and  then  proceeds  to  answer  lier  questions  in  order. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XII.  20.  2G<i 
 
 In  the  S.  V.  both  verbs^  are  commonly  rendered  by  h^dxXuv, 
 to  extend. —  £/';  v?xog,  unto  victori/)  The  LXX.  frequently  render 
 nifj?  (for  ever)  by  s/'s  vTxog,  which  is  the  force  of  the  phrase  in 
 this  passage  ;  i.e.  so  that  nothing  may  resist  them  for  ever. 
 
 20,  21.  KpiGir  Ttai  T'jj,  /c.r.x.)  After  -KpiGiv  the  lxx.  have  ai/a- 
 /.a/i,-\]/£/  y.ai  ouSpavsiyiffirai  iug  av  &r\  Jt/  r'/jg  y^s  xpfdjv,  y.ai  hiri  ruj  hvoiJ^ari 
 aurou  sdi/ri  fX-r/oDcr/i/,  lie  shall  shine  forth,  and  He  shall  not  he 
 hrohen,  until  He  estahlish  judgment  on  the  earth  :  and  in  His  name 
 shall  the  Gentiles  trust.  And  on  this  verse  of  Isaiah  (viz.  xlii.  4) 
 Jerome  thus  comments :  "  But  that  which  follows,  '  He  shall 
 shine,  and  shall  not  he  consumed,  until  He  establish  judgment  on 
 the  earth,^  Matthew  the  evangelist  has  not  inserted.  Or  else 
 the  words  between  'judgment^  and  'judgment'  have  been  lost  by 
 the  error  of  a  transcriber,  for  which  we  have  given  this  interpre- 
 tation, '  He  shall  not  be  sad  nor  turbulent,  but  shall  always  pre- 
 serve an  equability  of  aspect.''  Aquila  and  Theodotion  have  in- 
 terpreted it.  He  shall  not  darken,  and  He  shall  not  flee,  until  He 
 establish  judgment  on  the  earth.  And  the  meaning  is,  He  shall 
 repel  none  by  the  sadness  of  His  aspect,  nor  be  hasty  to  punish, 
 since  He  has  reserved  the  reality  of  judgment  (veritatem  judicii) 
 jor  the  last  time."  The  intervening  passage  in  the  Hebrew  runs 
 thus  :  t2Qti'0  p«2  D'^t^''  IV  pi''  i^^l  ^^^'^  nS  rendered  in  the  E.V. 
 He  shall  not  fail  nor  be  discouraged  (margin,  be  broken).  Jan- 
 sen^  rejects  the  suspicion  of  Jerome  of  the  chasm  admitted  by 
 the  transcriber,  but  Drusius^  adopts  it,  not  undeservedly.  More- 
 
 1  Sc.  s"'::'"r!  the  Hiphil  of  s::",  and  Q^b.  Bengel  does  not  mean  to  say  that 
 the  LXX.  render  them  so  in  this  passage  (which  is  not  the  case  with  either  of 
 them),  but  that  they  do  so  elsewhere  ;  and,  consequently,  that  St  Matthew  is 
 justified  in  doing  so  here. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Cornelius  Jansenius  {major),  Bishop  of  Ghent,  must  not  be  con- 
 founded with  his  celebrated  namesake,  the  Bishop  of  Ypres.  He  was  born 
 at  Hulst,  and  became  Professor  of  Divinity  at  Louvain.  He  attended  the 
 Council  of  Trent;  became  Bishop  of  Ghent  in  1568;  and  died  1576.  He 
 published,  besides  other  works  "  Commentarii  in  suam  concordiam  ac  totain 
 historiam  evangelicam."     Folio,  Louvain,  1572. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  John  Van  den  Dkiessche,  commonly  known  as  Johannes  Drusius,  was 
 born  at  Oudenard,  in  Flanders,  in  1550.  He  was  educated  at  Ghent  and  Lou- 
 vain, after  which  he  studied  Hebrew  at  Oxford,  where  he  became  Professor 
 of  Oriental  Languages  in  1572.  In  1576  he  returned  to  Louvain,  and  studied 
 Law.  He  became  Professor  of  Oriental  Languages  at  Leyden  in  1577,  and 
 of  Hebrew  at  Francker  in  1585,  where  he  died  in  1616.     His  critical  labours 
 
270  ST  MATTHEW  XII.  i;i-24. 
 
 over,  since  the  Evancrelist,  in  the  whole  of  this  passage,  differs 
 widely  from  the  words  of  the  Lxx.,  you  \vill  not  easily  discover 
 by  what  Greek  words  the  Hebrew  hemistich  of  Isaiah  has  been 
 expressed  in  St  Matthew.  The  sentence  itself,  indeed,  most 
 becomingly  expresses  the  placid  and  moderate  action  of  the 
 Messiah.     See  Apparatus,  p.  474^  [2d  Edition,  p,  118]. 
 
 21.  Ka/,  x.r-?..,  and,  etc.)  Jerome  ad.  Algasium,  in  the  passage 
 cited  above,  refers  to  these  words  those  of  Isaiah.  He  shall 
 shine,  and  shall  not  he  broken,  until  He  establish  judgment  on  the 
 earth:  so  that,  says  he,  the  light  of  His  preaching  shall  at  length 
 shine  forth  in  the  world,  and  [He]  be  consumed  and  overcome  by 
 the  deinces  of  no  one,  until  He  establish  judgment  on  the  earth, 
 and  that  be  fulfilled  which  teas  written.  Thy  will  be  done,  as  in 
 heaven  so  on  earth. — hdiiart,  name)  In  the  Hebrew  the  word  is 
 min,  law.  The  whole  Gospel  is  a  discourse  on  the  name  of 
 Christ. 
 
 22.  Aai[Movi^tiisvog,  one  possessed  with  a  devil)  extremely  miser- 
 able.— xai  Xaki7\i  xai  (SXitiiv,  both  spake  and  saw)  The  order  of 
 the  miracle  appears  to  be  thus  expressed. 
 
 24.  '  Axohaavrig,  when  they  heard)  sc.  what  the  people  said. — 
 olroe,  this)  man.     A  contemptuous  mode  of  expression.^     [E.V. 
 
 are  highly  esteemed,  and  he  was  honoured  by  the  approval  of  the  great 
 Scaliger.— (I.  B.) 
 
 The  margin  of  the  larger  Ed.  holds  the  proposed  insertion  of  the  words 
 (Jerome's)  doubtful.  The  margin  of  the  2d  Ed.  and  the  Germ.  Vers,  alto- 
 gether omit  them. — E.  B. 
 
 '  In  the  Apparatus  he  says,  "  Ob  recurrens  judicii  vcrbum  [i.e.  x.pt'aii/], 
 colon  Jesajaj  hoc  loco  ])er  errorem  cxcidisse  putat  Hicronj/mus,  dissenlionte 
 .Tansenio,  asscntiento  Drusio  ;  et  in  Evang.  Ilebr.  [the  Gospel  according  to 
 the  Hebrews  :  an  Apocryphal  production  so  called]  plena  prophetfe  pcriocha 
 reponitur :  quanquam  hoc  colo  Eusehiita  caret.  Certe  hajc  sententia  magno- 
 pere  congruit  cum  sensu  Matthaji,  sive  ipse  eam  rcpetiit,  sive  ex  Jesaja  re- 
 petendam  innuit :  nee  vero  sine  ea  videtur  repetiturus  fuisse  ulterius  illud. 
 Et  in  ejus  nomine  gentes  sperabunt."  Bengel  has,  however,  omitted  the 
 clause  in  his  own  German  Version (I.  B.) 
 
 Grotius  rightly  opposes  the  insertion  of  the  words.  Wliat  Isaiah,  xlii.  3, 
 repeated  twice,  \\z.  "bring  forth  judgment  unto  truth,"'  ver.  4,  "set  judg- 
 ment on  the  earth  ;"  Matthew  omitting  the  poetic  pleonasm,  condenses  into 
 one,  and  takes  the  '  until'  from  ver.  4,  and  "  bring  forth  judgment  to  victory" 
 from  ver.  3.  He  also  expresses  the  sense  of  the  last  clause  of  verse  3  ("  bring 
 forth  judgment  unto  truth")  more  fully. — Ed. 
 
 '  Of  what  great  moment  a  very  few  words  may  be. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XII.  25-27.  271 
 
 This  felloiv]. — it  iM'fi,  except)  A  vehement  affirmation. — h  rw 
 BseXi^e/Soi/X  apy^ovri  rSjv  dai/xoviMv,  hy  JBeelzebuh  the  prince  of  the 
 devils)  They  call  Satan  thus.  In  the  Old  Testament  this  was 
 the  name  of  an  idol.     Cf.  1  Cor.  x.  20. 
 
 25.  ^Evdu/jj/isiig,  thoughts)  most  bitter  ones ;  cf.  ver.  34,  35. — 
 —  /Satr/Xf/a,  kingdom)  First  the  kingdom  of  Satan  is  treated  of, 
 then  his  house,  and,  in  ver  26,  Satan  himself;  whose  kingdom 
 contains  wicked  men,  whosehouse,  devils. — ou  ffradrjgirai,  shall  not 
 be  established,  shall  not  be  made  to  stand)  sc.  by  its  master  or 
 lord.  Ammonius^  says  :  ffra97ivai  [Xj'sv  Ian  to  \j<p^  srspov  errivoci  ds,  TO 
 xar  lolav  pdoiMr,v,  %cci  'Trpoa'ipiGiv,  i.e.  GTaQrtvai  is  to  stand  by  means  of 
 another,  but  CTrivai  is  to  stand  by  its  own  strength  and  will. 
 
 26.  E/'  6  laTcivai;  rov  laTavav  sz^aXXst,  if  Satan  cast  out  Satan) 
 Satan  or  the  devil  is  one.  I,  says  our  Lord,  cast  out  Satan. 
 In  the  kingdom  of  darkness  there  is  none  greater  than  Satan. 
 If  therefore  your  words  are  true,  it  must  be  Satan  who  casts  out 
 Satan.  But  this  is  clearly  absurd  :  one  kingdom,  one  city,  one 
 house,  is  not  divided  against  itself;  neither  is  one  spirit  divided 
 against  himself.  The  noun  is  used  for  the  reciprocal  pronoun 
 (savTov)  as  in  Exod.  xvi.  7  ;  Lev.  xiv.  15,  26  ;  1  Kings  viii.  1,  x. 
 13,  xii.  21 ;  2  Kings  xvii.  31.  This  does  not  however  prevent 
 the  supposition,  that  the  accusative  tov  ^aTamv,  Satan,  is  put  by 
 synecdoche  for  his  comrades.  Thus,  for  example,  you  might 
 say,  "  The  Gaul  destroyed  himself,"  if  at  any  time  one  Gallic 
 cohort  should  put  another  to  the  sword.  Thus  Satan  would 
 cast  himself  out,  i.e.,  Satan,  the  prince,  who  is  one,  would  cast 
 out  those  whom  he  knew  to  be  his  own,  his  comrades. — -/Sac/Xf/a, 
 kingdom)  which  is  however  very  stable.  Satan  is  said  to  have 
 a  kingdom,  and  yet  he  is  never  called  a  king,  for  he  is  an  usurper. 
 
 27.  28.  E/— £/'  bi,  if— but  if)  A  dilemma. 
 
 27.  O/  -j'toi  -oiLojv,  your  sons)  whom  you  cannot  but  accuse,  says 
 Jesus,  if  you  calumniate  Me.  See  also  Mark  ix.  38,  and  cf. 
 Acts  xix.  13. — v/j^uv,  your)   whom  you  do  not  harass  in  this 
 
 '  Not  the  author  of  the  Ammonian  Sections,  but  Ammonius,  the  son  of 
 Hermias,  a  Peripatetic  philosopher,  disciple  of  Procl us,  who  flourished  in  the 
 sixth  century.  His  work,  De  differentia  dictionum,  is  to  be  found  in  a  Greek 
 dictionary,  published  in  folio  at  Venice  in  1497  ;  and  it  is  also  printed  ir  a 
 collection  of  ancient  Grammarians  which  appeared  in  quarto  at  Leyden  in 
 17S9.— (I.B.) 
 
272  ST  MATTHEW  XII.  28-31. 
 
 manner,  since  they  are  of  your  own  race  and  discipline. — lx/3aX- 
 Xouff/,  cast  out^)  See  ch.  vii.  22,  and  Mark  ix.  38. — avTol,  they) 
 emphatically. 
 
 28.  E/',  x.T.X.  if,  etc.)  The  first  portion  of  the  dilemma  having 
 been  dismissed,  this  particle  has  the  force  of  since. — f/i(3d.XXu,  I 
 cast  out)  Jesus  in  eveiy  way  destroyed  the  kingdom  of  Satan. — 
 apa,  therefore)  The  expulsion  of  Satan,  together  with  his  belong- 
 ings, is  the  mark  and  token  of  the  kingdom  of  God  ;  for  this 
 was  reserved  for  the  Messiah. — 'ifSaeiv,  has  prevented)^  This 
 word  is  used  here  in  its  strict  and  proper  sense,  and  intimates 
 something  important ;  cf.  'zpuirov,  first,  ver.  29. — rj  ^asiXiia 
 roZ  &iou,  the  kingdom  of  God)  in  contradistinction  to  that  of 
 Satan,  mentioned  in  ver.  26. 
 
 29.  7],  or  e/se  ?)  =  Latin,  a?i  ?  A  disjunctive  interrogation. — 
 oJxIav,  house)  The  world  was  the  house  of  Satan. — rou  kyjjpoZ, 
 of  the  strong)  sc.  of  any  one  who  is  strong ;  cf.  Ileb.  ii.  14. — 
 itpZiTov,  first)  Jesus  bound  Satan  :  then  took  his  spoils. — brtcn^ 
 shall  have  hound)  by  superior  strength. — diap-rrdsn,  shall  sjyoil) 
 See  Gnomon  on  Mark  iii.  27. 
 
 30.  'O  fj.r)  uiv,  x.r.X.,  he  that  is  not,  etc.)  The  latter  part  of  the 
 dilemma  contained  in  ver,  27,  28,  is  confirmed  by  ver.  29  ;  tlie 
 former  by  ver.  30,  with  this  meaning,  your  sons  are  not  against 
 Me,  nor  do  they  scatter  abroad ;  therefore  they  are  with  Me,  and 
 gather  with  Me.  There  is  no  neutrality  in  the  kingdom  of 
 God ;  that  activity  which  is  natural  to  man  is  exercised  either 
 in  good  or  in  evil,  especially  in  the  case  of  those  who  hear  the 
 word  of  God.  The  work  and  cause  of  Christ  is,  however, 
 simple  and  pure ;  and  though  it  has  so  many  enemies  and  ad- 
 versaries, it  overpowers  them  all,  nor  does  it  enter  into  collusion 
 with  them  :  see  Luke  xii.  5L  This  verse  forms  a  Divine 
 axiom. — awdyuv,  that  gathereth)  The  work  of  Christ  and  of 
 Christians  is  to  gather;  see  ch.  xxiii.  37,  John  xi.  52.  This 
 word  corresponds  with  the  Hebrew  npnp,''  one  that  gathereth,  or 
 a  preacher. 
 
 ^  In  My  name. — V.  g. 
 
 •  ProecenH.  Wesley,  who  avowedly  copied  from  Bengel,  explains  the  pas- 
 sage, "  The  Kingdom  of  God  is  come  upon  you — unawares,  hefore  you  ex- 
 pected:  so  the  word  implies."  Bengel  himself  renders  it,  "/^o  ist  je  das 
 Reich  Gottes  bereils  iiber  euch  kotnmen." — (1.  Ii.) 
 
 *  ^~~^,  Kohckth  is  the  appellation  by  which  Solomon  is  designated  in  the 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XII.  31,  32.  273 
 
 31.  B'ka6(pYiij/ia,,  blasphemy)  The  most  atrocious  kind  of  sin. 
 He  who  insults  the  majesty  of  an  earthly  king  by  injurious 
 language,  is  much  more  severely  punished  than  he  who  steals 
 many  thousands  of  gold  pieces. — a<pi&riaiTai,  shall  he  forgiven)  so 
 that  the  punishment  may  be  remitted  to  the  penitent. — n  too 
 Tlv-ufiaTog  (SXaacprifila,  the  blaspheme/  against  the  Holy  Ghost)  Sin 
 against  the  Holy  Spirit  is  one  thing,  blasphemy  against  the 
 Holy  Spirit  is  another.  The  word  a^u^aprla,  sin,  is  not  repeated 
 here.  The  sinner  injm-es  himself  by  sin  ;  the  blasphemer  affects 
 many  others  with  irreparable  harm.  And  the  Pharisees  blas- 
 phemed the  Holy  Spirit,  not  in  a  mere  ordinary  holy  man,  but 
 in  the  Messiah  Himself. 
 
 32.'  ToL/  viov  Tov  ' AvSpw-Tov,  the  Son  of  Man)  This  expression  is 
 used  in  accordance  with  our  Lord's  condition  as  it  appeared  to 
 men,  inasmuch  as  He  was  then  conversing  with  them  on  an 
 equal  footing,  see  Phil.  ii.  7,  as  He  is  described  in  ch.  xi.  19  ; 
 cf.  also  Gnomon  on  ch.  xvi.  13.  It  is  not  therefore  easy,  in  these 
 times,  to  say  anything  against  the  Son  of  Man  :  it  is  more  easy 
 to  commit  blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Spirit.^ — oun — cron,  x.r.X., 
 
 book  which  bears  this  name,  viz.  Ecclesiastes.  On  the  signification  and  de- 
 rivation, see  Gesenius  in  voc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Kxl  o;  eccv,  and  whosoever)  The  words  immediately  preceding  are  hereby 
 further  explained  and  illustrated. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  Therefore  their  words  were  directed  against  the  Son  of  man,  when  they 
 spake  insultingly  concerning  Him  on  account  of  His  connection  with  Naza- 
 reth, on  account  of  His  lowly  bearing  and  conversation,  etc.  ;  but  it  was 
 against  the  Holy  Spirit  that  those  words  of  theirs  were  directed,  whereby 
 they  brought  allegations  against  His  miracles,  which  were  performed  by  the 
 instrumentality  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  ascribed  them  to  the  powers  of  dark- 
 ness. It  was  at  that  time  especially,  when  Christ  was  sojourning  in  the 
 midst  of  them,  that  men  were  able  to  incur  the  guilt  of  both  kinds  of  sinful 
 speeches.  But  what  is  the  present  state  of  those  who,  in  our  time,  bring 
 criminations  against  the  good  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  His  instru- 
 ments ?  Christians,  no  doubt,  for  their  part  have  the  Spirit,  and  besides  His 
 presence,  are  not  without  their  own  blemishes.  If,  then,  any  one  brings 
 charges  against  some  Christian,  perhaps  he  in  a  great  degree  sees  only  the 
 blemishes  of  that  Christian,  and  so  in  a  less  degree  observes  the  good  that 
 is  in  him ;  and,  therefore,  he  does  not  blaspheme  against  the  Spirit  in  others, 
 however  grievously  he  sins  in  other  respects.  Christ  Jesus,  being  endued 
 with  the  Spirit  beyond  all  measure,  had  no  foreign  element  at  all  intermixed  ; 
 therefore  the  blasphemies  with  which  He  was  assailed,  were  much  more 
 enormous  sins. — V.  g. 
 
 VOL.  I.  » 
 
274  ST  MATTHEW  XII.  33-36. 
 
 neither — neither,  etc.)  i.e.,  lie  shall  in  both  drain  to  the  dregs  the 
 most  sure  and  most  grievous  punishment.  See  Chrysostom  on 
 this  passage. 
 
 33.  Kal,  and)  Understand  again  'xoiriean,  make ;  resolving  the 
 imperative  into  the  future. — -/.aXhv,  good)  The  Jews  wished  to 
 be  a  good  tree  with  bad  fruit,  though  they  plainly  knew  it  to 
 be  contrary  to  the  truth. 
 
 34.  Tris  Kaf>diag,  to  UTo/j^a,  of  the  heart,  the  mouth)  See  ch. 
 XV.  18 ;  Kom.  x.  9  ;  2  Cor.  iv.  13. 
 
 35.  &'/](ravpov,  treasure)  There  is  truly  treasure  and  hidden 
 abundance  in  every  man.^ — to,  dyaSa — vovnpa,  the  good  things, 
 evil  things)  The  article  has  frequently  a  relative  value  :  I  have 
 therefore  sometimes  thought  that  it  was  on  that  account  added 
 to  dyada,  good  things,  as  being  already  mentioned  in  ver.  34, 
 and  not  to  -Trovripd,  which  does  not  there  occur.  But  many  have 
 either  written  or  omitted  the  article  too  promiscuously.^  The 
 ancient  Cambridge  MS.  has  dyaiJd  without  an  article.^ 
 
 36.  'P^/xa,  word)  A  nominative  absolute,  as  in  Luke  xxi.  6  ; 
 John  xvii.  2;  Acts  vii.  40;  Eev.  iii.  12,  21,  and  in  the  S.  V. 
 of  Ps.  xvii.  (xviii.)  31. — dpyov,  idle)  not  only  evil.     Goodness  of 
 
 ^  This  word  treasure,  which  plainly  implies  abundance,  proves  that  also 
 in  the  preceding  ver.  the  word  ^X-/j/)w^«  is  not  to  be  too  readily  understood 
 as  fulness  (Germ.  Ucherjluss)  :  although  in  its  own  proper  place  it  may  be 
 understood,  by  a  Hebraism,  simply  as  a  thing  contained,  s'';'o.  Luther  himself 
 does  not  translate  it  Was  im  Herzen  ist,  what  is  in  the  heart,  but,  Wess  das 
 Herz  voLii  ist,  that  with  which  the  heart  «>full.  Conip.  Luke  vi.  45,  wliere 
 Bmctvpo;  is  explained  by  Triplaasvfix.  See  Ernesti  Neueste  Theol.  Bibl.  T.  i., 
 p.  809.— E.  B. 
 
 2  See  f.  n.  on  Maestricht's  twenty-second  Canon,  quoted  in  Section  ix.  of 
 the  Author's  Preface. — (L  B.) 
 
 ^  In  his  App.  Crit.  in  loc.  Bengel  writes — 
 
 "  'ret  ante  Trovnpa.)  Er.  lias.  oi..il.y.^  etc.,  t«  Comp.  Aug.  2.  Byz.  Par.  6, 
 vel  plures  ;  Chrys.  Articulus  in  priore  colo  lectus,  in  altero  non  lectus,  medium: 
 et  articulus  saipe  vim  rehitivam  habct :  idco  ad  rcc  dyctScc  versu  34  laudata, 
 non  ad  Trovnpu,  ibidem  non  memorata,  adhiberi,  aliquando  mihi  visus  est, 
 unde  alii  bis,  alii  ne  semel  quidem,  alii  posteriore  tantum  loco  scribendum 
 putarint.     Sed  nimie  promiscue,  etc.,"  as  in  Gnomon. — (I.  B.) 
 
 In  the  margin  of  Ed.  2,  and  in  Vers.  Germ.,  the  article  t«  is  omitted. — 
 E.  B. 
 
 BD  omits  rd.  before  dyudx.  Perhaps  the  r«  of  Rec.  Text  crept  in  from 
 the  TO  dyadov  of  Luke  vi.  35,  through  tlie  Harmonies.  LA  read  aLiO  T«i 
 roympcc.     J5ut  the  primary  authorities  oppose  this  reading. — Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XII.  37-40.  275 
 
 treasure  does  not  produce  even  anything  idle.^ — avohuxrousi 
 Xoyov,  they  shall  render  accou7it)  i.e.,  they  shall  pay  the  penalty 
 of.     A  metonymy  of  the  antecedent  for  the  consequent. 
 
 37.  ''Ejc,  x.r.x.,  by,  etc.)  Words  exhibit  the  righteousness  or 
 unrighteousness,  which  is  in  the  heart. 
 
 38.  ^  A'xv/.p'i&ridciv,  Ti.r.X.,  answered,  etc.)  As  though  they  would 
 not  otherwise  believe  the  words  which  they  had  just  heard. — 
 6iXofiiv,  we  wish)  Why  do  we  wish  ?  Because  it  so,  pleases  us. 
 They  thus  deny  the  signs  which  our  Lord  had  already  per- 
 formed.— d'Trh  dov,  from  Thee)  i.e.  from  Thee  Thyself,  as  in  ch. 
 xvi.  1 — £7t  Tov  oupavov,  frvm  heaven. 
 
 39.  Tsvia,  a  generation)  A  race  of  the  same  age  and  disposi- 
 tion.— iMQiyjxkig,  adulterous)  i.e.  strictly  so  speaking  :  see  ch.  v. 
 32 ;  and  also,  by  synecdoche,  very  guilty ;  see  James  iv.  4. — 
 cnij^uov,  a  sign)  and  one  too  of  a  certain  special  kind.  This  word 
 is  thrice  repeated  here  with  great  emphasis ;  cf.  2  Cor.  xi.  12, 
 where  the  meaning  is,  They  wish  for  an  occasion,  and  no  occa- 
 sion is  given  them;  which  resembles  what  is  said  here.  They 
 seek  for  a  sign,  and  no  sign  shall  be  given  them. — l-r/^jjT-e/^  seeketh 
 in  addition)  i.e.  beyond  those  which  it  has  already  seen,  it 
 requires  further  signs,  as  if  it  had  seen  none  yet. — to  e-niMim 
 'loovot,  the  sign  of  Jonah)  that  is  such  a  one  as  w^as  given  in 
 Jonah. 
 
 40.  'iwvas,  Jonas)  Jonas  did  not  then  die,  but  yet  it  was  as 
 much  believed  that  he  would  not  return  from  the  fish,  as  it  was 
 that  Jesus  would  not  return  fi-om  the  heart  of  the  earth  ;  yet 
 both  of  them  did  return. — sv  ryj  %01'kicf,  toZ  xijTovc,  in  the  belly  of 
 the  zchale)  We  ought  not  to  doubt  that  Jonah  was  in  the  belly 
 of  the  whale,  on  account  of  the  narrow  throat  of  some  animals 
 
 *  I  can  hardly  think  that  it  can  be  proved  by  the  Arabic  idiom,  that  this 
 precept  of  our  Lord  ought  to  be  restricted  to  lies ;  for  the  words  'Xiya  U 
 vfM'j  not  obscurely  intimate  that  the  language  of  Christ  moves  in  a  descend- 
 ing climax,  and  that  from  evil  words,  mentioned  in  ver.  35,  He  goes  down 
 also  to  idle  words.  Compare  the  similar  Epitasis  (successive  increase  in  the 
 force  by  the  descending  climax)  in  alaxporrig,  f^upo'hoyicc,  ivrpctTn'hici,  Eph. 
 v.  4.  Let  us  weigh  well  the  caution  which  is  found  in  Matt.  v.  19,  and 
 which  can  never  be  too  much  recommended  to  all  Critics,  Teachers,  and 
 Sacred  Orators,  when  about  to  enter  on  the  investigation  of  the  force  of  ex- 
 pressions and  phrases,  especially  in  morals. — E.  B. 
 
 »  "Ev  iif^epcf.  Kolaiug,  in  the  day  of  judgment)  Oh!  what  a  great  day !— V.  g. 
 
276  ST  MATTHEW  XII.  40. 
 
 of  that  kind.  For  there  are  various  sorts  of  whales,  and  in 
 these  days,  the  bodies  of  men  are  found  in  their  stomachs ;  and 
 even  if  such  were  not  the  case,  we  must  suppose  tliat  fish  espe- 
 cially made  for  the  occasion ;  see  Jon.  ii.  1. — 'idTat,  shall  be)  A 
 sign  for  the  future,  as  in  John  ii.  19,  vi.  62,  39. — yJjj,  of  the 
 earth)  From  thence  shall  they  have  a  sign,  and  not  one  from 
 heaven  before  that,  although  they  sought  it  thence ;  cf.  Luke 
 xl.  16.  Nq  signs,  except  such  as  were  exhibited  from  the  earth, 
 and  performed  for  the  good  of  men,  were  suitable  to  the  Mes- 
 siah's state  of  humiliation.  They  did  not  know  that  the  sign  of 
 that  time  was  suitable  to  that  time ;  see  ch.  xvi.  3.  After- 
 wards signs  were  shown,  and  shall  be  shown  from  heaven :  see 
 Acts  ii.  19  ;  Matt.  xxiv.  30. — rpiT'g  ruisfag  xal  rpiTg  vvxrag,  three 
 days  and  three  nights)  No  one  doubts  that  Jesus  was  in  the 
 heart  of  the  earth  th7re  days. — He  remained  there  how^ever  only 
 two  nights,  as  far  as  night  signifies  the  darkness  interposed  be- 
 tween day  and  day  (cf.  Mark  xiv.  30);  and  yet  the  calculation 
 of  three  days,  and  the  same  number  of  nights,  holds  good  if  you 
 do  not  interpret  it  with  astronomical  exactness,  but  resolve  it 
 by  synecdoche.  For  three  days  and  three  nights  are  the  peri- 
 phrasis of  a  single  idea,  and  have  the  force  of  a  single  word  and 
 term,  if  such  existed,  by  which  the  remaining  of  Jesus  in  the 
 sepulchre  is  expressed,  as  if  you  should  say  a-space-of-three-days- 
 and-nights  (triduinoctiun),),  or  three-nights-and-days  (tria  noctidua). 
 Three  days  might  have  been  simply  expressed,  but  this  is  the 
 idiom  of  the  saci'ed  style,  that  in  indicating  continuous  time  the 
 intervening  nights  are  added ;  see  ch.  iv.  2  ;  Gen.  vii.  4 ;  1 
 Sam.  xxx.  12,  13  ;  Job  ii.  13.  And  then  it  sounds  better  to  say^ 
 three  days  and  three  nights,  than  three  days  and  two  nights,  al- 
 though the  Lord  was  buried  on  the  actual  day  of  the  prepara- 
 tion, not  on  the  night  preceding  and  joined  to  it,  and  the  s])ace 
 of  twenty-four  hours  is  regarded  simply  as  a  natural  day  with- 
 out the  change  of  darkness  and  light ;  and  in  fact  the  first  night- 
 and-day,  used  synecdochically,^  was  from  about  the  tenth  hour 
 of  the  Friday   up  to  the  night  exclusively;"  the  second  and 
 
 '   In  the  original,  "concinnius  dicittir,"  i.e.  it  sounds  more  sys^cmad'c,  it 
 sounds  more  uniform,  to  say. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  See  Appendix  on  the  figure  Synecdoche. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  The  ni;:ht  not  bein,<r  included. — Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XII.  40.  277 
 
 fullest,  from  the  beginning  of  that  night  up  to  the  end  of  the 
 Sabbath  and  beginning  of  the  following  night ;  the  third,  strictly 
 speaking,  from  the  beginning  of  the  following  night  up  to  the 
 resurrection  of  the  Lord,  and  the  rising  of  the  sun  on  Sunday 
 morning.  Two  nights,  therefore,  were  certainly  joined  with  two 
 days  ;  nor  does  one  night  taken  from  one  day,  i.e.  the  first,  aflPect 
 the  truth  of  the  language,  which  denominates  the  thing  in  ques- 
 tion from  its  superior  part  (locutionis  a  potiori^  rem  denominan- 
 tis).  In  fine,  there  were  not  two  nights  and  days,  nor  four; 
 therefore  there  were  three.  The  Hebrew  mode  of  expression  is 
 agreeable  to  this ;  concerning  which,  see  Lightfoot  and  Wolfe 
 on  this  passage,  and  Michaelis  on  Josh.  ii.  16.  Although  what 
 I  have  here  said  may  satisfy  a  reader  who  is  not  unreasonable, 
 I  would  also  further  observe,  that  the  synecdoche  does  not  belong 
 so  much  to  tJie  three-day s-and-tliree-nights  as  to  the  actual  re- 
 maining in  the  heart  of  the  earth.  Scripture  indeed  frequently 
 defines  a  certain  time,  and  expresses  not  the  whole  matter 
 which  commensurately  and  exactly  occupied  that  time,  but  a 
 part  of  the  matter  longer  in  duration  than  the  other  parts ;  as, 
 for  example,  the  four  hundred  and  thirty  years  of  the  sojourning 
 in  Egypt,  Ex.  xii.  40  ;  and  thus  passim  the  whole  book  of 
 Judges.  In  this  passage,  therefore,  the  remaining  in  the  heart 
 of  the  earth,  i.e.  in  the  sepulchre,  is  expressed,  but  at  the  same 
 time  the  whole  period  of  the  Passion  is  implied,  certainly  from 
 the  agony  in  Gethsemane,  when  Jesus  fell  on  the  earth  which 
 He  was  the  next  day  to  enter,  and  from  the  capture  by  which 
 the  Jews  commenced  their  undertaking  to  destroy  that  Temple 
 (as  Erasmus  thinks,  Annot.  F.  134).  Nay,  the  glorious  beginning 
 of  the  three  days  on  Thursday  is  clearly  intimated,  in  John  xiii. 
 31  [comp.  Harmon.  Evang.  p.  310,  366],  as  dating  from  the 
 time  when  the  Jews  bargained  for  the  Saviour,  who  was  to  be 
 committed  to  the  earth.  The  remaining  in  the  earth,  taken  in 
 a  wider  signification,  includes  all  these  things ;   see  Ps.  Ixxi.  20. 
 
 ^  "  A  potiori"  implies  that  the  whole  twenty-four-hour-day  (the  first  of 
 the  three  in  question)  is  denominated,  not  only  from  a  part,  but  also  from 
 the  superior  ^diXi.!  viz.  the  part  which  had  the  daylight,  and  which  is  regarded 
 as  superior  to  the  part  during  which  darkness  prevailed,  viz.  the  night  pre- 
 ceding Friday,  and  attached  to  it,  according  to  the  Jewish  mode  of  counting. 
 —Ed. 
 
i!78  ST  MATTHEW  XII.  41. 
 
 For  the  Son  of  Man  was  a  sir/n  to  that  generation,  not  only  in 
 His  sepulchre,  but  most  especially  in  His  passion  ;  see  John 
 viii.  28.  In  this  manner,  the  three  days  and  three  nights  are  ex- 
 actly completed  from  the  dawn  of  Thursday  to  the  dawn  of 
 Sunday.  The  time  of  the  death  of  the  two  witnesses  is  exactly 
 defined,  Eev.  xi.,  to  be  three  and  a  half  days ;  therefore  we 
 ought  to  consider  that  the  three  days  and  three  nights  of  our 
 Lord's  remainintr  in  the  middle  of  the  earth  have  been  also  ex- 
 actly  defined.  The  middle,  or  heart,  of  the  earth  should  not  be 
 precisely  sought  for ;  but  these  phrases  are  opposed  to  the  earth 
 itself,  on  the  surface  of  which  Christ  dwelt  for  more  than  thirty 
 years. 
 
 41.  " A^vhfii  N/vgu/ra/,  men  of  Nineveh)  whose  example  was  fol- 
 lowed by  their  wives  and  children.  In  the  following  verse,  the 
 example  of  one  woman  is  added,  who  heard  a  wise  man,  though 
 it  might  seem  more  natural  for  the  weaker  sex  to  seek  projjhecy 
 than  wisdom, — dvaffrrjeovrai,  shall  rise)  In  the  next  verse,  we  find 
 lyip&riairai,  shall  he  raised  up ;  cf,  in  Luke  xi.  32,  31  ;  shall  rise 
 of  their  own  accord,  shall  be  raised  up  by  the  Divine  volition. 
 The  force  of  each  word  is  contained  in  the  other. — iura,  with — 
 xaraxpivovdiv,  shall  condemn)  Cf.  Rom.  ii.  27.  Therefore,  at  the 
 Last  Judgment,  those  whose  conduct  is  similar  or  opposite,^  will 
 be  pitted  in  turn  against  each  other. — i}g,  at)  The  faith  of  the 
 Ninevitesis  hereby'^  asserted  (proprie  dicitur). — See  Jonah  iii.  5. 
 Cf.  the  use  of  ug,  in  Rom.  iv.  20. — -/.ripuyiJLa,  preaching)  Avithout 
 miracles.^ — 'iwva,  of  Jonah)  who  was  mentioned  also  in  ver.  39. 
 The  messengers  of  salvation  are  prophets,  wise  men,  and  scribes; 
 see  ch.  xxiii.  34.  It  did  not  become  the  Lord  to  act  the 
 Scribe ;  see  John  vii.  1 5,  and  cf.  Gnomon  on  Luke  iv.  16:  but 
 He,  the  greatest  Pi'ophet,  from  the  race  of  pro])hets  selects  him 
 who  best  suited  this  occasion,  namely  Jonah ;  and,  being  wisdom 
 itself,  He,  from  the  race  of  wise  men,  selects  that  distinguished 
 wise  man,  Solomon  ;  and  declares  that  Something  Greater  than 
 either  of  them  was  then  present.    Both  of  them  had  been  believed 
 
 '  "  Quorum  par  <aut  opposita  est  ratio," — wlio  stand  on  a  like,  or  a  con- 
 trasted and  opposite  footing,  in  relation  to  the  judgment. — Ed. 
 
 '  The  ilg  implies  the  faith  whereby  they  turned  <o,  and  believed  in,  the 
 preaching  of  Jonah. — Eu. 
 
 •*  As  in  the  case  of  Solomon,  ver.  42. — V.  g 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XII.  42-45.  279 
 
 without  signs. — UXiTov,  Something  Greater)  He  who  is  rather 
 to  be  heard.^ — ude,  here)  close  at  hand,  of.  in  the  following 
 verse. — ix  ruiv  mpdruv  rr^c  yr^c,  from  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
 earth. 
 
 4:2.  NoVou,  of  the  south)  from  Arabia-Felix. — TlXiTov  "^aXo/zuvog, 
 Something  Greater  than  Solomon)  Solomon  was  wise,  but  here  is 
 Wisdom  itself. — See  Luke  xi.  49. 
 
 43.  "Oraf,  x.T.X.,  ivhen,  etc.)  Having  rebuked  and  dismissed 
 the  interruption  of  the  Pharisees,  Jesus  pursues  those  matters 
 which  depend  upon  ver.  30 ;  cf.  Luke  xi.  23,  24. — £§£?^^>7,  has 
 gone  out)  as  had  been  said  in  ver.  29. — Bisp^irat,  he  goeth  through) 
 one  after  another. — avvdpuv,  without  water)  Where  there  is  no 
 water,  men  do  not  dwell ;  see  Ps.  cvii.  35,  36. — avuTavm,  rest) 
 Rest  is  wished  for  by  every  created  being.  The  devils  think 
 that  man  is  their  proper  resting-place. — ou;)^  ivpisxei,  fndeth  none) 
 sc.  except  in  man.  It  is  miserable  always  to  seek  and  never  to 
 find  it. 
 
 44.  o7x.6v  /MOV,  my  house)  What  the  enemy  had  once  occupied, 
 he  considers  as  a  portion  of  his  property. — s^riXdov,  I  came  out) 
 He  speaks  as  if  he  had  not  been  cast  forth  See  the  pride  of  the 
 unclean  spirit,  which  shows  itself  not  merely  in  this  word,  but 
 from  his  whole  speech,  as  though  it  had  been  at  his  option 
 either  to  co7ne  out  or  to  return.  Our  Lord  uses  the  same  word 
 without  any  pai'ticular  emphasis  in  ver.  43.  The  same  word 
 may  either  have  emphasis,  or  be  without  emphasis,  in  different 
 speeches,  according  to  the  different  condition  and  mind  of  the 
 speaker. — i7Mv,  when  he  is  come)  for  the  sake  of  reconnoitering, — 
 sipiffxu,  x.r.x.,  he  finds,  etc.)  Therefore,  the  house  was  not  so  be- 
 fore the  enemy  had  been  cast  forth. — e^oXd^ovra,  vacant)  Tran- 
 quillity, although  in  itself  good,  is  not  far  distant  from  peril. 
 The  same  verb  e^oXd^iiv  occurs  in  the  S.  V.  of  Ex.  v.  8,  17,  for 
 ns"),  to  be  idle. — esgapu/zivov,  sivept)  i.e.,  cleared  from  evils. — xsxog- 
 ILYi/Mhov,  adorned)  sc.  with  good  things  ;  see  ver.  28.  The  enemy 
 seeks  especially  clean  places  to  rest  in,  not  that  they  may  remain 
 clean,  but  that  he  may  render  them  also  unclean 
 
 45.  Tors,  then)  sc.  when  he  has  reconnoitred  it  — sTra,  seven) 
 Therefore,  counting  him,  there  are  eight.     The   fatliers  have 
 
 '  Who  is  Himself  about  to  be  the  Judge. — V.  g. 
 
280  ST  MATTHEW  XII.  46   49. 
 
 numbered  also  eight  deadly  sins  :  see  Colurabanus/  and  Gol- 
 dastus^  on  him;  also  Ephraem  Syrus,^  f.  ux/3.  The  seven,  how- 
 ever, differ  from  that  one  in  wickedness,  perhaps  also  among 
 themselves.  The  greater  number  includes  the  lesser  numbers 
 also  disjunctively  ;  cf.  Luke  viii.  8,  with  Matt.  xiii.  8.  There- 
 fore, six  spirits  may  occupy  one,  five  another,  four  another,  etc. 
 — 'TTovripoTipa,  more  evil)  i.e.,  operating  with  greater  subtilty,  not 
 by  violent  paroxysms.  There  are,  therefore,  unclean  spirits  who 
 are  yet  less  evil  than  others ;  and  there  are  other  spirits  exceed- 
 ingly malignant. — }iaror/.fT,  inhabit)  make  their  habitation  more 
 perseveringly  than  before. — yi'ipom,  worse)  Seven  times  worse 
 and  more. — xal,  also)  That  which  happened  to  the  man  in  his 
 body,  shall  be  done  to  this  generation  spiritually.'' 
 
 46.  MrjTrjp,  mother)  It  is  clear  that,  on  this  occasion,  the 
 thoughts  and  feelings  of  Mary  were  not  in  unison  with  those  of 
 her  Son. — "Aurw,  unto  Him)  as  if  for  His  sake.*' 
 
 48.  Tig  sariv,  x.r.X.,  who  is,  etc.)  He  does  not  scorn  His  mother, 
 but  He  places  His  Father  before  her  (see  ver.  50)  :  and,  with 
 reference  to  this  principle,  He  does  not  acknowledge  His  mother 
 and  brethren  ;  and  uses  this  form  of  words  to  convey  a  reproof. 
 
 49.  Ka/,  x.T.X.j  aiid,  etc.)  The  greatest  gentleness  and  sobriety 
 
 ^  St  Columbanus  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  flourished  towards  the 
 close  of  the  sixth  and  commencement  of  the  seventh  century.  He  was  cele- 
 brated for  his  writings,  theological  and  poetical,  as  well  as  fur  the  extent  and 
 success  of  his  missionary  labours. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Melcuiou  Goldastus  von  Haimensfeld,  a  Swiss  by  birth,  edited  the 
 works  of  St  Columbanus,  and  others,  in  1604.  He  was  a  laborious  anti- 
 quarian and  philologist.     Born  in  167G  or  1578  ;  died  in  1G35. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Ephraem  Syrls  was  an  eminent  father  of  the  Church,  who  flourished  in 
 the  fourth  century.  He  was  born  at  Nisibis,  where  he  became  a  pupil  of 
 St  James,  the  celebrated  bishop  of  that  place.  He  went  to  Edessa  a.d. 
 363,  and,  embracing  a  monastic  life,  retired  to  a  cavern  in  one  of  the  adjacent 
 mountains,  where  he  is  said  to  have  composed  most  of  his  works,  which  are 
 very  numerous.  Some,  however,  are  attributed  to  him,  of  which  he  was  not 
 the  author.  He  obtained  a  high  character  for  sanctity,  and  died  in  378  or 
 379. 
 
 *  Inasmuch  as  this  generation  has  had  so  great  a  deliverance  vouchsafed 
 (oflered)  to  it  by  the  power  of  Christ. — V.  g. 
 
 *  0/  cioeh(pot  uvTov)  These  were  not  sons  whom  Joseph  had  brought  to 
 Mary  at  their  marriage  ;  for  Christ,  as  He  was  accounted  the  Son  of  Joseph, 
 so  was  accounted  as  absolutely  his  first-begotten  Son. — V.  g. 
 
 *  Their  intention  was  to  interrupt  him  ;  Mark  iii.  21,  31. —  V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XII.  50.-XIII.  2,  3.  281 
 
 are  here  combined  with  the  greatest  severity.^ — idov,  hehold)  cor- 
 responding to  the  same  word  in  ver.  47. 
 
 50.  YLoiTisriy  shall  do)  He  does  not  say  does,  but  He  speaks 
 somewhat  conditionally. — to  SiXruxa,  the  will)  by  which  we  are 
 born  again.^ — ahrhg,  he)  This  man,  and  he  only. — adiXiphg, 
 brother)  This  word  is  said  for  the  third  time  with  great  force. — 
 zai  ddiX(pn,  and  sister)  The  plural  appellation  of  brethren  in 
 ver.  46,  47,  48,  49,  includes  sisters  also. — mttip,  mother)  The 
 climax. 
 
 CHAPTEE   XIII. 
 
 2.  To  <jrXo/bv,  the  vessel)  The  article  indicates  a  particular 
 vessel  which  was  wont  to  be  had  there. — xa/,  x.t.a.,  and,  etc.)  sc. 
 when  the  people  saw  Him. — cciyiaXhv,  beach)  Hesychius  renders 
 aiytaXog  by  6  <rapa^a\aeaioi  h  tdtw  "vj/a/i/tw^s/  r}  •^r,(pidag  £%wi', — 
 i.e.  "  the  seaside  in  a  sandy  place,  or  abounding  with  pebbles." 
 
 3.  'Ev  rrapa^o'kaTg,  in  parables)  The  Evangelist  here  indicates 
 a  remarkable  period  of  Christ's  teaching  to  the  people  in 
 Galilee,  as  to  the  chief  priests  and  elders  of  the  people  in 
 Jerusalem.  See  Mark  xii.  1, —  Ji^garo  avroTg  sv  <7rapa^oKaTi 
 X'synv,  He  BEGA^  to  speak  to  them  in  parables.'^  Parables  are 
 frequent  in  the  East :  but  our  Lord  had  previously  taught 
 much,  in  both  places,  without  parables.  The  parables  in  the 
 present  passage  are  seven  :  four  addressed  to  the  people,  in  ver. 
 3,  24,  31,  33 ;  and  three  to  the  disciples,  in  ver.  44,  45,  47.^ 
 
 1  The  reason  for  this  severity  is  to  be  found  in  the  parallel  passage,  Mark 
 iii.  21,  as  Michaelis  shows  in  the  Einleitung,  etc.,  T.  ii.,  p.  m.  1162. — E.  B. 
 
 2  James  i.  18.— E.  B. 
 
 s  Compare  Matt.  xxi.  23.    [Qy.  28].— E.  B. 
 
 *  The  parable  concerning  the  four  different  kinds  of  soil  the  Saviour  ex- 
 plained to  His  disciples,  at  their  request,  before  that  He  returned  to  the 
 house — all  other  witnesses,  however,  being  out  of  the  way- — whether  His  ex- 
 planation was  given  on  the  sea  or  on  land,  ver.  10 ;  with  which  comp.  Mark 
 iv.  10.  Then  next  He  set  forth  the  rest  of  the  parables  before  the  multi- 
 tude, Mark  iv.  33 ;  and,  returning  to  the  house.  He  cleared  up  also  the  parable 
 
282  ST  MATTHEW  XIII.  3; 
 
 The  first  four  and  the  last  three  form  several!  v  two  gi'oups, 
 which  are,  respectively,  intimately  connected  together.  The 
 former  are  connected  by  the  formula,  "  another  parable ;"  the 
 latter,  by  the  formula,  ^^  Again  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like." 
 And  since  the  seventh  refers  more  than  any  of  the  others  to  the 
 end  of  the  world,  which  the  first  does  not  refer  to  at  all,  but 
 applies  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah  to  the  people  at  the  time  of  our 
 Lord's  teaching, — these  seven  parables  have  a  most  recondite 
 meaning  (see  ver.  35),  applying  especially  to  distinct  periods  of 
 the  Church's  history-  and  condition,  besides  the  common  and 
 universal  principles  which  they  teach  concerning  the  course  and 
 administration  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  and  this  in  such  a 
 manner,  that  each  begins  successively  to  be  fulfilled  after  that 
 which  preceded  it,  though  no  preceding  one  concludes  before 
 the  beginning  of  that  which  follows.  The  first  and  second,  and 
 only  these  two,  were  explained  to  the  apostles.  In  the  first, 
 before  the  explanation — in  the  second,  after  it — occurs  the 
 formula,  "  lie  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear.  The  first, 
 indeed,  was  fulfilled,  as  we  have  already  observed,  in  the  first 
 age — namely,  that  of  our  Lord's  ministry ;  the  second,  in  that 
 of  His  apostles,  and  thenceforward,  for  then  men  began  to 
 sleep  (see  ver.  25) ;  the  third  and  fourth  denote  the  propaga- 
 tion of  the  kingdom  of  God  among  princes  and  the  whole 
 human  race ;  the  fifth  describes  the  darker  condition  of  the 
 Church  ;  the  sixth,  the  state  of  the  kingdom  of  God  when 
 esteemed  above  all  things ;  the  seventh,  the  condition  of  the 
 Church  in  the  last  days,  greatly  mixed.  It  may  be  asked, 
 whether  these  seven  parables  extend  through  the  whole  period 
 of  the  New  Testament  dispensation  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
 three  latter  begin  from  the  goal  of  the  four  former ;  or  whether 
 those  four  extend  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  and  also  these 
 three "?  On  the  settlement  of  these  questions  depends  a  more 
 accurate  distribution,  which  I  leave  to  be  decided  by  the  wise, 
 [merely  subjoining  the  following  sketch]  : — 
 
 of  the  tares  for  the  discij)les,  who  begged  Ilini  to  do  so,  ver.  36  ;  with  which 
 comp.  Mark  iv.  34.  After  the  setting  forth  of  these  parables,  of  which 
 several  are  derived  from  the  tillage  of  land,  within  the  lapse  of  a  few  days 
 the  barley  harvest  began.  In  like  manner  the  parable  of  the  net  (ver.  47) 
 cast  into  the  sea,  was  put  forth  close  by  the  sea. — Harm.,  p.  322. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XIII.  4-10.  284 
 
 1.  The  time  of  the  apostles,                .             .         ver.  16 
 
 2.  After  the  decease  of  the  apostles,                .  25 
 
 3.  Constantine,          .                          .             .  32 
 
 4.  Nine   centuries    under   the   trumpet  of   the 
 
 seventh  angel,    ....  33 
 
 5.  The  kingdom  of  the  Beast,  and  the  Keforma- 
 
 tion,       .....  44 
 
 6.  The  kincrdom   of « God   esteemed    above    all 
 
 things,  Satan  being  bound,         .  .  46 
 
 7.  The  last  confusion,  .  .  .  47 
 O  ff-Trilpuv. — He  that  soiveth)  in  the  present  tense ;  i.e.  Christ. 
 
 4.  Uapa  Tr\v  odov,  hy  the  wayside)  when  the  field  and  the  road 
 touch  each  other. 
 
 5.  UsTpu)dri,  rocky)  This  expression  does  not  indicate  stones  ly- 
 ing scattered  over  the  field,  but  a  continuous  bed  of  rock  under 
 the  ground,  with  only  a  slight  covering  of  soil. — oux  eJ^i,  had 
 not)  We  must  understand  aXXa,  other,  in  the  nominative  plural. 
 <!roXXr\v  =  the  Hebrew  31)  7nuch  :  it  sometimes  signifies  too  much; 
 here,  sujiciently  much. — st,avsrsi'Ki,  grew  up  high)  not  merely 
 aviTsiXs,  sprang  up. 
 
 6.  'Exau/Aar/ffS?],  they  were  scorched)  sc.  in  a  less  degree  from 
 without. — s^rjpdv^ri,  they  were  dried  up)  sc.  utterly  fi'om  within.^ 
 
 7.  *Avs^riGav  cc'i  cixav^ai,  the  thorns  sprang  up)  beyond  the  crop 
 itself.  They  bad  not  before  then  grown  so  high.  Those  who 
 have  heard  the  Word,  yet  do  not  grow  in  good,  turn  their 
 strength  to  increase  in  evil. 
 
 8.  KaXriv,  good)  sc.  soft,  deep,  clean  (purgatam,  i.e.  cleared  of 
 stones, thorns, and  weeds).^ — o  /xh — o  8s — o  ds,  some — some — some) 
 referring  to  ciXXa,  other,  at  the  commencement  of  the  same  verse. 
 
 9.  'o  £xwv,  he  that  hath)  Cf.  ver.  11,  12, 13.^  Let  him  that 
 heareth,  hear :  to  him  that  hath  shall  be  given. 
 
 10.  Atari,  X.T.X.,  why  ?  etc.)  It  seemed  a  new  thing  to  the 
 disciples  ;  see  ver.  3. 
 
 *  A  man,  to  whom  any  degree  of  good  begins  to  adhere,  is  liable  to  the 
 loss  of  it,  even  though  he  may  not  lose  it  all  at  once.^V.  g. 
 
 '  Soft  or  friable,  deep,  and  cleared  of  weeds  and  thorns,  are  respectively 
 opposed  to  the  hard  stiff  soil  of  the  wayside,  the  shallow  soil  spread  over  the 
 underlying  rock,  and  the  thorny  ground. — Ed. 
 
 »  E.  B.  adds  43. 
 
284  ST  MATTHEW  XIII.   11-14. 
 
 11.  "On,  because)  This  maybe  referred  to  the  preceding  hiari^ 
 why  f  Cf.  in  ver.  13,  dia.  rovro,  therefore. — iz/i/V,  to  you)  who  have. — 
 TO,  fiusrripta,  the  mysteries)  This  term  is  appHed,  not  to  all  things 
 which  all  ought  to  know  from  revelation,  but  to  those  things 
 which  they,  to  whom  secret  things  are  revealed,  know  beyond 
 those  who  know  only  what  is  strictly  necessary. — ixilvoic,  to  them) 
 who  are  without,  in  contradistinction  to  v/^n,  you,  who  are  within.^ 
 ov  bihrai,  it  is  not  given)  sc.  to  comprehend  mysteries  fully  and 
 clearly.^ 
 
 12.  "e%£/,  hatli)  to  have,  signifies  to  be  rich.  He  who  hath 
 rejoices  in  this  as  his  distinguishing  criterion,  viz.  that  he  is  one 
 that  hath,  and  becomes  day  by  day  more  sure  of  perseverance. — 
 'Xipi(SGi\j^ri(SiTai,  he  shall  he  rende7'ed  more  abundant^)  and  shall 
 surpass  his  former  self."* — oV/g  oux  'iyji,  ichosoever  hath  not)  The 
 conjunction  on  (because),  in  ver.  13,  refers  to  this,  and  firi'Tron 
 (lest  at  any  time),  in  ver.  15,  to  dp'^rjserui  (shall  be  taken  away). — 
 xai  0  'i^ii,  even  that  which  he  hath)  shall  be  taken  away. — dp'^ri- 
 arai,  shall  be  taken  away)  Even  though  he  hear,  yet  he  shall 
 not  hear ;  and  that  which  he  hath  heard  shall  at  length  (un- 
 doubtedly after  the  judgment)  be  so  taken  away  from  him,  that 
 lie  shall  be  as  if  he  had  never  heard  an^'thing.  The  damned 
 shall  be  tortured  with  ignorance,  and  the  thirst  for  knowledge. 
 
 13.  "On,  X.T.X.,  because,  etc.)  Our  Lord,  therefore,  did  not  speak 
 to  the  people  in  parables  without  a  cause.  And  nevertheless 
 He  had  often  before  spoken  to  them  without  parables,  out  of  com- 
 passion (see  ch.  ix.  36,  and  Mark  vi.  34),  and  they  had  not  pro- 
 fited [by  His  teaching]. — ohoi  auviooai)  neither  do  they  understand. 
 
 14.  Kai,  and)  therefore. — d\/a'-7^-npoZToi,i,  is  7^ow  being  refuljilled^) 
 
 ^  In  the  original,  "hoc  vim  habet  rcmovendi."  I  liavc  paraphrased  it,  so 
 as  to  express  Bcngcl's  meaning  in  a  manner  intelligible  to  the  Enghsh 
 reader. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '■^  In  the  original,  "  nosse  niysteria  nuda."  Literally,  to  know  mysteries 
 naked,  i.e.  fully  revealed,  without  concealment  or  obscurity. — (I.  B.) 
 
 "  Mysteria  nuda,"  mysteries  without  the  clothing  of  the  parabolic  form  or 
 gtiise. — Ed. 
 
 '  E.  V.  Shall  have  more  abundance. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  "  This  is  the  case  in  things  temporal,  and  much  more  so  in  things 
 spiritual." — B.  G.  V. 
 
 »  E.  V.  "is  fulfilled."- (I.  B.) 
 
 "  Is  receiving  its  compkte  {full  measure  of)  fulfilment." — Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XIU,   15.  285 
 
 This  word  differs  from  the  simple  verb  rrXnpoiiTai  (is  now  being 
 fulfilled),  which  is  employed  elsewhere  in  citing  prophecies.  The 
 saying  of  Isaiah  (vi.  9)  was  being  fulfilled  in  his  own  days,  and 
 in  the  ages  which  followed,  and  also  clearly  and  especially  in 
 the  days  of  the  Messiah. — a-Aori,  x.r.X.,  by  hearing,  etc.)  i.e.  by 
 however  little  you  come  short,  yet  you  shall  come  short  [of 
 understanding  what  ye  hear  to  the  salvation  of  your  souls]. 
 
 15.  ' 'E'Traynjv^n  yap  rj  xapdla  rou  Xaou  tovtov,  FOR  this  peopUs 
 heart  is  loaxed  gross)  It  stands  thus  in  the  S.  V. ;  but  in  the 
 Hebrew  there  is  no  word  cori-esponding  to  the  Greek  yap,  for. 
 The  language,  however,  rapidly  tm'ns  itself  away  from  them.^ — 
 7]  xapbia,  the  heart,  roT;  ajsi — rovg  6(p^aXfj,oug,  with  their  ea7's,  their 
 eyes)  These  three  occur  again  immediately  in  the  opposite  order  : 
 "  with  their  eyes,"  "  with  their  ears,"  "  with  their  heart."  The 
 heart  is  the  first  in  the  beginning,  the  last  in  the  end.  From 
 the  heart  corruption  flows  into  the  ears  and  eyes ;  through  the 
 eyes  and  ears  health^  reaches  the  heart. — Jxa/i^ucav — f/,r]'7roTs — 
 ld(joj,aai  avrolig,  they  have  closed,  lest  at  any  time  I  should  heal 
 them)  God  therefore  had  wished  to  heal  them ;  and  it  is  clear  that 
 healing  was  close  to  them,  if  they  had  only  turned  to  it.  In 
 Mark  iv.  12,  we  read  "  xai  dps^Jj  ahruTg  ra  aiJ,aprri[MaTa  ;"  i.e.  "  and 
 their  sins  be  forgiven  them."  Cf.  Ps.  ciii.  3. — awuigi,  should  un- 
 derstand) The  seat^  of  sdvigig,  understanding,  and  voYisig,  percep- 
 tion, is  the  heart,  not  the  brain  :  this  is  equally  true  of  Tupusig, 
 hardening  (see  John  xii.  40),  and  of  ffTtoraff/Mg,  darkening  (see 
 Rom.  i.  21) ;  as  also  of  dr/ffr/a,  unbelief,  and  'xigng,  faith,  which 
 is  followed  hy  i'marpofpri,  conversion.'^ 
 
 ^  "  Sermo  autem  celeriter  se  ab  iis  avertit."  This  is  one  of  many  in- 
 stances where  it  is  impossible  to  find  an  English  equivalent  to  the  Latin 
 "  Sermo."  Bengel's  meaning  is,  that  whereas,  in  ver.  9,  God  had  commanded 
 the  prophet  to  go  and  speak  to  the  Jews,  saying,  "  Hear  ye  indeed,  but 
 understand  not ;  and  see  ye  indeed,  but  perceive  not,"  in  ver.  8,  He  sud- 
 denly changes  the  Sermo,  i.e.  the  mode  of  speech,  the  direction  of  His  words ; 
 and,  instead  of  desiring  Isaiah  to  address  the  people,  turns  from  them,  as  it 
 were,  and  gives  an  injunction  to  the  prophet,  regarding  them,  it  is  true,  but 
 not  addressed  to  them  :  sc.  "  Make  the  heart  of  this  people  fat,  etc." — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  "  Sanitas,"  lit.  soundness,  an  expression  applied  indifferently  to  mind  or 
 body,  as  in  the  well-known  passage  of  Juvenal : — 
 
 "  Ut  sit  mens  sana  in  corpere  sano." — (1.  B.) 
 
 •  ''  Subjectum  quo." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  "  The  Hebrew  accents  undoubtedly  connect  the  words  k»\  iirnnpi-d/udt 
 
286  ST  MATTHEW  XIII.  16-21. 
 
 16.  'op^aX/io/ — Sira,  eyes—ears)  i.e.  those  of  your  body,  above 
 the  saints  of  the  Old  Testament ;  those  of  your  soul,  above 
 the  people  now  present.  Their  eyes  and  ears  were  the  subject 
 of  which  blessedness  could  be  predicated.^ 
 
 17.  Upotpnrai,  prophets)  See  Gnomon  on  1  Pet.  i.  10,  12. — 
 I'ffsSi/xjjffav,  have  desired)  And  that  desire  was  pious  and  precious 
 in  the  sight  of  God :  see  Gnomon  on  John  viii.  56. — oux  ilhov^ 
 have  not  seen)  See  Heb.  xi.  13,  39. 
 
 18.  'T/i£/s,  i/ou)  in  contradistinction  to  the  people. — rou  evti- 
 povrog,  of  the  Sower)  i.e.  so  called  from  the  Sower. 
 
 19.  Mrj  evvievrog,  understandeth  it  not)  The  verb  euvhvai  signifies 
 to  understand.^  The  Evil  One,  or  devil,  who  especially,  rather 
 than  his  angels,  is  meant  by  the  fowls  of  the  air,  has  less 
 power  over  those  things  which  have  entered  into  the  cvneig,  or 
 understanding. — a^Ta^E/,  catcheth  away)  sc.  with  violence  and 
 quick  cunning,  like  a  bird  of  prey ;  see  ver.  4. — iv  rJj  xapdici,, 
 in  his  heart. — o  C'xapiig,  he  that  is  sown)  i.e.  as  a  fann  is 
 sown. 
 
 20.  'O  Bs,  x.r.X.,  but  he,  etc.)  In  every  individual  soul  one  dis- 
 tinguishing characteristic  is  especially  conspicuous. — iv^vg,  imme- 
 diately) Too  great  haste  and  joyfulness  is  not  always  the  best 
 sign,  when  the  whole  strength  pours  itself  forth  in  outward  de- 
 monstrations, and  consumes  itself  in  them. — iura  xa-pag  haiJr- 
 ^dmv,  with  joy  receiving)  see  Gal.  iv.  14,  15. 
 
 21.  'P/^av,  root)  which  is  plainly  necessary,  and  springs  fi'om 
 the  word  itself. — rtpoay.aipog  sen,  is  temporary)'^  He  believes 
 whilst  the  time  inclines  him  ;  see  Luke  viii.  13.     The  adjective 
 
 {and  should  be  converted)  more  closely  with  awuai  (should  understand)  than 
 with  ia.aupt,a.t  (I  should  heal).  And  in  many  passages  of  the  Old  Testament 
 which  are  quoted  in  the  New,  the  Hebrew  accents  agree  more  accurately 
 with  the  force  of  the  exact  words  of  the  Inspired  original  than  the  punctua- 
 tion employed  by  the  Greeks  :  e-ff.  Matt.  iv.  15,  xix.  5,  xxi.  5 ;  Luke  iv.  18  ; 
 Acts  vii.  6,  viii.  32 ;  Ileb.  i.  12,  iii.  9,  xii.  26,  xiii.  G.  And  yet  these  Greeks 
 were  Christians.  We  ought  not,  therefore,  to  think  that  the  Hebrew  accents 
 have  originated  with  the  modern  Jews  left  to  their  blindness.  Their  origin 
 is  far  more  ancient,  far  more  sublime." — App.  Crit.,  Ed.  II.,  p.  120. 
 
 '  "  Subjectum  quo  beatitudinis." — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  That  such  is  Bengel's  meaning  is  clear  from  his  own  German  Version, 
 where  he  renders  /^'/j  avvUvro;  by  "  und  nicht  vcrnimmt." — (I.  B.) 
 
 »  E  V.  "dureth  for  a  while."— (I-  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XIII.  22,  23.  287 
 
 Tposxaipog,  taken  alone,  expresses  somewhat  good,  but  without 
 perseverance ;  it  is  therefore  followed  here  by  the  adversative 
 particle  di,  but,  and  in  Mark  iv.  17,  by  Jra,  afterioards. — 
 SX/'xJ/swj,  affLiction)  generally. — dicuyf/^ou,  persecutioii)  specifically.^ 
 — bia  Tov  Xoyov,  because  of  the  word)  when  it  is  propagated  by  the 
 mouth  and  expressed  by  the  life. — iv^ug,  immediateli/)  That 
 which  is  quickly  produced,  perishes  quickly.^ 
 
 22.  'H  a^rccT-jj  TQ\J  '^-Xo-jTov,  the  deceitfulness  of  riches)^  Kiches 
 remove  the  soul  from  that  tranquillity  which  is  here  opj^osed  to 
 the  care  of  this  ivorld.* — axap'Trog  jmrai,  hecometh  unfruitful)  sc. 
 the  word  in  man  becometh  so  (see  Mark  i\.  19) ;  i.e.,  the  word 
 in  him  who  hears  it  does  not  arrive  at  good  and  jDerfect  fruit  fit 
 for  use :  the  man  bringeth  no  fruit  to  perfection,  oh  Tz\i6(pop-ci, 
 Luke  viii.  14.  Thomas  Magister  ^  says,  ixj^apira  divSpa,  ojv  o 
 xap'xog  i6ri  yj>ri<siiiog  dv^pui'Troig  tig  rpo(p7]V'  ay.apira,  ro  svavriov,  uv  roTg 
 xapiroTg  ou  ^pMVTai  o'l  uii'^pu'^ror  axap':rov  Bs,  to  /mtj  'ttoiovv  xap'xh,  Tap 
 oudivi  Tuv  'itaXaiZiv  i\)pr\rai :  i.e.,  "  Trees  which  are  styled  s-oxap'Tra, 
 are  those,  the  fruit  (^xapcrog)  of  which  is  serviceable  for  food  to 
 men  :  axap-xa,  on  the  other  hand,  are  those,  the  fruit  of  which  men 
 do  not  use  for  food  :  but  axap'rrov,  in  the  sense  of  having  no  fruit, 
 is  not  found  in  any  of  the  ancients." 
 
 23.  "Og,  loho)  sc.  the  hearer;  cf.  Mark  iv.  20:  otherwise  og 
 might  also  be  referred  to  tov  Xoyov,  the  word.  — xap'ro(pops7,  beareth 
 fruit)  sc.  perfect  fi'uit. — o  /^b — o  3? — o  d),  some — some — so7ne) 
 The  pronoun  c!  is  clearly  here  in  the  accusative  neuter ;  for  the 
 
 ^  Persecution  can  be  brought  to  bear  against  one  either  by  an  unkind  side 
 look,  or  by  a  jesting  speech  added  in  the  way  of  mockery. — V.  g. 
 
 2  Ix.ctsiOoe.'hi^iTXi)    He  is  offended,  and  therefore  relapses  into   unbelief. 
 
 -v.g. 
 
 3  Which  is  manifold  in  its  varieties  of  form,  and  which,  though  it  de- 
 ceives men  in  an  awful  manner,  yet  scarcely  ever  seems  to  them  worth  while 
 being  taken  into  consideration  at  all. — V.  g. 
 
 *  ItVf^Tvviyii,  choke)  Many  engage  in  the  discussion  (treating)  of  the  Word 
 of  God  in  such  a  way  as  if  the  heart  were  not  a  field  in  which  the  seed  is  to 
 remain  and  grow,  but  a  granary  which  can  contain  at  one  time  less  stores, 
 at  another  time  more — at  one  time  something,  at  another  time  nothing. 
 -V.  g. 
 
 *  Thomas  Magister,  surnamed  Theodulus  (0EOAOTAO2,  The  Servant 
 of  God),  was  alSIonk  and  a  Grammarian,  who  flourished  at  the  beginning  of 
 the  fourteenth  century.  Saxius  describes  him  as  "  vocum  Atticarum  ma- 
 gister."—(I.  B.) 
 
288  ST  MATTHEW  XIII.  23. 
 
 subject^  oc,  which  occurs  here  in  the  singular  number,  cannot 
 possibly  be  divided  into  three  classes  of  good  hearers  of  the 
 word  by  6  fiiv — 6  bi — 6  ds  (one — another — a  third),  which  is  the 
 common  reading.^  Moreover  the  protasis  has  o  in  ver.  8,  and 
 the  parallel  passage  in  Mark  iv.  8,  20,  has  h  also  twice  over.^  A 
 single  hearer's  plentiful,  moderate,  and  less  plentiful  progress 
 from  three  several  grains,  so  to  speak,  is  signified  by  a  hundred, 
 sixty,  and  thirty.*  As  there  are  three  degrees  of  hearing  with- 
 out fruit,  so  there  are  also  three  degrees  of  fruitfulness  ;  which  is 
 not,  however,  restricted  precisely  to  the  proportions  an  hundred, 
 sixty,  and  thirty  fold :  for  another  grain  might  also  produce 
 forty,  fifty,  seventy,  eighty,  ninety  fold,  etc. :  since  there  is  a 
 greater  distance  between  the  numbers  one  hundred  and  sixty, 
 than  there  is  between  sixty  and  thirty.  To  him  that  hath  shall 
 be  given. 
 
 '  The  word  "  Subject"  is  used  here  in  its  logical  sense,  viz.  the  Subject  of 
 the  Proposition,  i  e.  the  person  or  thing  concerning  which  something  else  is 
 predicated  or  asserted. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Such  is  the  reading  of  E.  M.  In  his  App.  Crit.  Bengel  writes :  "  o  ter) 
 codd.  nonulli  vetusti  apud  Siapulensem,  vel  etiam  alii  apud  Jius  T.  i.,  HarTn. 
 Evang.  p.  1047  ;  Ephrcm  Syrus  f.  s.k.o.  in  vita  Abrahaiuii ;  Jsidorus  Pelus. 
 1.  2,  ep.  144.  Lat.  Ncogrcec.  vel  plures  nee  non  Syr.  (o  ter)  edd.  Aug.  1. 
 By:.,  etc.,  perinde  ut  versu  8,  o  pro  o,  et  Marc.  iv.  8,  kv  pro  iv,  non  nulii 
 habent  codices." — (I.  B.) 
 
 Beng.  does  not  seem  to  me  to  speak  of  a  different  reading,  hut  of  the 
 common  interpretation,  that  there  are  liere  three  classes  of  good  hearers. 
 He  plainly  understands  there  to  be  the  one  and  the  same  good  hearer,  who 
 bears  fruit  from  the  same  seed  in  different  degrees  at  different  times.  Hence 
 Luke  viii.  8  gives  the  one  degree  only,  viz.  the  hundredfold,  as  the  normal 
 state  of  the  believer's  fruitfulness.  However,  in  opposition  to  Beng.,  the 
 transition  from  o;  to  S  yJv,  o  It,  neut.  nominative,  would  not  be  unnatural 
 (whether  taken  of  one  and  the  same  good  hearer,  or  of  difl'erent  classes  of 
 good  hearers),  as  the  individual  becomes  in  a  manner  identified  ivith  the  seed 
 in  process  of  time,  just  as  the  nutritive  elements  of  the  soil  become  identified 
 with,  and  taken  up  into,  the  young  germ  :  hence  aTrupel;,  he  who  is  soum  (ap- 
 plicable to  the  seed,  but  liere  also  to  the  person),  occurs  in  ver.  19,  and  oi/\'ha., 
 ver.  8,  is  nominative  neuter,  and  plural,  followed  by  o  (A.iv,  o  It.  Tlieri'  is 
 no  notable  variety  of  rc'idings  in  the  case. — En. 
 
 '  i.e.  the  iv,  which  occurs  three  times  in  Mark  iv.  8,  is  repeated  as  many 
 times  in  ver.  20. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ■*  When  such  a  hearer  turns  the  one  and  tlie  same  doctrine,  on  the  oppor- 
 tunity of  hearing  it  being  given  him  even  a  hundred  times,  to  his  own  profit 
 and  that  of  others. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XIII.  24,  25.  289 
 
 24.  Uaps^rixBv  ahrot:,  He  set  before  tJiem^)  as  food  is  set  before 
 a  guest.^ — h  rui  dypui,  in  the  field)  sc.  that  in  which  He  Himself 
 is  :  for  it  is  said  "  /w,"  not  "  into"  His  field. 
 
 25.  Touc  av'^pui'Tovg,  the  men)  sc.  those  whose  business  it  was 
 to  watch  the  field.  The  Lord  Himself  does  not  sleep. — AuroC, 
 His)  it  is  not  said  their  enemy. — ^/^av/a,  zizans^)  This  word 
 does  not  occur  in  the  LXX.  nor  in  the  more  ancient  Greek  writers ; 
 it  is  therefore  evidently  formed  from  the  Hebrew  pv,  a  flower. 
 Many  flowers  which  are  noxious  to  the  husbandman  grow 
 among  the  corn. — dvd,  x.r.'k.,  throughout,  etc.)  everywhere  among 
 the  wheat. — d'r^>w^£i',  departed^)  on  which  account  the  zizans  * 
 remained  for  some  time  unnoticed. 
 
 1  E.  V.  "  put  He  forth  unto  them."— (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  'H  fictat'Kiloc  roiv  ovpxvav,  the  kingdom  of  heaven)  As  often  soever  as  men- 
 tion is  made  of  this  in  the  discourses  and  parables  of  our  Lord,  this  very  ex- 
 pression is  to  be  regarded  as  a  succinct  recapitulation  of  the  whole  Gospel. 
 -V.  g. 
 
 *  E.  V.  "  Tares." — "  Apparently  the  darnel  or  bastard  wheat  (lolium 
 album),  so  often  seen  in  our  fields  and  by  our  hedgerows ;  if  so,  what  follows 
 will  be  explained,  that  the  '  tares'  appeared  when  the  wheat  came  into  ear, 
 having  been  previously  not  noticeable.  It  appears  to  be  an  Eastern  word, 
 expressed  in  the  Talmud  by  Q^J'it.  Our  Lord  was  speaking  of  an  act  of  malice 
 practised  in  the  East ;  persons  of  revengeful  disposition  watch  the  ground  of 
 a  neighbour  being  ploughed,  and  in  the  night  following  sow  destructive  weeds." 
 (Roberts'  Oriental  Illustrations,  p.  541,  cited  by  Trench  on  the  Parables, 
 p.  68.)  (The  practice  is  not  unknown  even  in  England  at  present.  Since 
 the  publication  of  the  first  edition  of  this  Commentary,  a  field  at  Gaddesby, 
 in  Leicestershire,  was  maliciously  sown  with  charlock  [sinapis  arvensis]  over 
 the  wheat.  An  action  at  law  was  brought,  and  heavy  damages  obtained 
 against  the  offender.)  "Jerome  inloc.  says: — 'Inter  triticum  et  zizania 
 quod  nos  appellamus  lolium,  quamdiu  herba  est,  et  nondum  culmus  venit  ad 
 spicam,  grandis  similitudo  est,  et  in  discernendo  nulla  aut  perdifficilis  dis- 
 tantia.'  Jerome,  it  must  be  remembered,  resided  in  Palestine." — Alfokd  in 
 loc.  Wordsworth  says,  that  it  was  a  degenerate  wheat,  and  which  may  also 
 be  reclaimed  into  wheat.     See  also  footnote  5. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  He  went  his  way,  in  order  that  he  might  not  be  observed. — V.  g. 
 
 *  Dk  Kitto,  in  his  Illustrated  Commentary,  says,  "  The  Darnel,  called 
 Zuwan  by  the  Arabs  and  Turks,  and  Zizanion  by  the  Spaniards,  is  described 
 by  Dr  Russell  and  Forskal  as  well  known  to  the  people  of  Aleppo,  as  often 
 growing  abundantly  in  their  corn-fields.  If  its  seeds  remain  mixed  with  the 
 meal,  it  is  found  to  occasion  dizziness  and  other  injurious  effects  upon  those 
 who  cat  of  the  bread :  the  reapers  in  that  neighbourhood,  however,  do  not 
 separate  the  plant,  but,  after  the  threshing,  reject  the  seeds  by  means  of  a 
 
 VOL  I.  '^ 
 
290  ST  MATTHEW  Xlll.  26-32. 
 
 26.  Tots,  then)  Where  the  good  grows,  there  the  evil  becomes 
 at  length  more  apparent. 
 
 27.  Kvpii,  Lord)  The  name  of  the  Son  of  Man  ;  see  ver.  37. 
 — ToSfv,  X.T.X.,  whence  ?  etc.)  The  servants  did  not  know  who  had 
 done  it,  or  when. — ^/^awa,  zizans)  Zizans  have  a  greater  resem- 
 blance to  wheat  than  thistles  and  thorns  have  ;  the  toleration 
 therefore  of  the  former,  does  not  involve  as  a  consequence  that 
 of  the  latter.  They  often  not  only  pass  themselves  off  for  wheat, 
 but  also  attempt  to  root  out  the  wheat  as  if  it  were  zizans. 
 
 29.  Ou,  no)  The  zeal  of  the  godly  against  the  zizans  is  not 
 blamed,  but  yet  it  is  reduced  to  order. — d[ia)  at  the  same  time. 
 — rhv  ffhov,  the  loheat)  which  you  might  mistake  for  zizans. 
 
 30.  :s.vmv^dn<^ai,  grow  together)  Growth  in  good  and  evil 
 takes  place  simultaneously,  sometimes  in  the  case  of  individuals, 
 and  generally  in  that  of  men  taken  collectively ;  and  the  further 
 that  ages  proceed,  the  more  conspicuous  do  they  both  become. 
 — £v  rw  xatpw,  X.T.X.,  in  the  time)  Then  it  will  at  length  be  the 
 right  time  to  do  so. — -Trpurov,  first)  that  the  godly  may  behold  the 
 punishment  of  the  ungodly ;  the  ungodly  not  see  the  glory  of 
 the  godly.  Thus  in  ch.  xxv.,  though  the  Judge  addresses  the 
 righteous  first,  yet  afterwards  in  the  last  verse  the  ungodly  are 
 banished  into  eternal  fire  before  [the  godly  are  admitted  into 
 heaven]. — degfiag,  bundles)  As  from  cra^i^hg  (a  standing  place, 
 station,  etc.)  comes  CTu'^firi  (a  carpenter^s  rule,  etc.),  and  from 
 XD/ict  {physical  or  moral  filth,  etc.)  comes  Xu/ijj  {outrage,  etc.),  so 
 from  bidiMi  (a  hand  or  bond)  are  derived  ^k/xa  (a  bond),  and 
 bidfir^  (a  bundle) ;  see  Eustathius.  They  will  have  no  choice : 
 those  of  like  kind  will  be  joined  together. — xaraxaDtfa/,  to  hum 
 utterly)  They  will  be  burned,  and  that  utterly. — hi,  but)  Then  the 
 separation  will  have  been  effected. — auvctyayiTi,  collect)  and  bring. 
 
 31."Av3pwTog,  a  man)  The  similitude  is  here  taken  from  a  man, 
 as  in  ver.  33,  from  a  woman ;  cf.  Luke  xv.  4,  8. 
 
 32.  "O,  which)  sc.  seed:  for  xoxxog  {grain)  is  masculine. — 
 //.ixpoTipov,  the  least)  i.e.  not  absolutely,  but  in  the  proportion 
 which  the  seed  bears  to  the  plant.  It  was  a  well-known 
 kind    of   seed,    used    proverbially;    see   ch.    xvii.    20. — avip- 
 
 van  or  sieve.  We  are  also  informed  that,  in  other  parts  of  Syria,  the  plant 
 is  drawn  up  hy  hand,  in  time  of  harvest,  along  with  the  wheat,  and  is  then 
 gathered  out,  and  bound  up  in  separate  bundles." — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XIII.  33.  291 
 
 ttccrwi;,  of  seeds)  The  world  contains  various  seeds  of  wisdom, 
 power,  and  virtue ;  the  Christian  faith  has  surpassed  them  all, 
 having  been  propagated  through  the  whole  world.  The  king- 
 dom of  heaven  is  like  a  grain  ;  and  so  is  the  whole  of  Christianity, 
 faith,  etc.  These  things  may  be  variously  expressed.  The 
 faith  here  intended  is  that  of  all  those  behevers,  who  embrace  it 
 before  others :  the  others  are  those  who  believe  afterwards — 
 nations,  kings,  etc. — /nT/^ov — Xa^dvuv — bivdpov,  greater  herbs — 
 tree)  two  classes  of  vegetables.  Tremellius,^  on  this  passage  in 
 the  Syriac  Version,  adduces  examples  of  such  immense  trees. 
 — It  became  a  tree,  one  may  say,  in  the  time  of  Constantine.^ 
 — ra  TiTiiva,,  the  birds)  see  Ezek.  xvii.  23. — xXadois,  branches)  sc. 
 widely  spreading. 
 
 33.  ^ Evsxpv-^iv,  concealed)  The  Lxx.  in  Ezek.  iv.  12,  render 
 the  Hebrew  Jiy^  {to  bake)  by  syzpu'Trru  (to  conceal^),  whence  is 
 derived  sy/,pv(piag,  a  cake. — edra^  Tpla,  three  measures)  As  much 
 as  was  generally  carried  by  a  man,  or  taken  for  baking,  at 
 once  ;  see  Gen.  xviii.  6. — l^v/j.uj'^ri,  was  leavened)  I  would 
 rather  refer  this  to  the  propagation,  than  the  corruption  of 
 the  Church.  The  leaven  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  itself,  in- 
 cluding both  the  gaspel  and  the  apostles.^ — iiXov,  the  whole)  sc. 
 
 1  Emmanuel  Tremellius  was  born  in  the  sixteenth  century  at  Ferrara,  of 
 Jewish  parents.  He  rendered  himself  master  of  the  Hebrew  hinguage,  and 
 secretly  embraced  Protestantism.  He  became  Professor  of  Hebrew  at  Heidel- 
 berg, from  whence  he  went  to  Metz,  and  thence  to  Sedan.  He  made  him- 
 self known  by  his  Latin  Version  of  the  Syriac  New  Testament.  He  died  in 
 1580.— (I.  b:) 
 
 2  The  kingdom  of  Christ  is  being  extended  now  throughout  the  whole 
 world, — V.  g. 
 
 3  "5iy,  (1.)  prop.  io<7o  in  a  c«Vcie.  .  .  .  Hence  "J^  and  ;""^  a  round 
 cake.     .     .     . 
 
 (2.)  denom.  from  -;?  to  bake  bread  or  cake,  Ezra  iv.  12." 
 «  r.yj  and  nis  (l  Kings  xix.  6  ;  Ezek.  iv.  12),  fem.  a  cake  baked  under  hot 
 cinders,"  etc.,  Gesenius. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  i.e.,  in  the  passage  from  Ezekiel,  to  cover  with,  sc.  hot  embers  ;  E.  V., 
 bake.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  ty>ipv<ptx;,  ov,  0,  cLprog  iyx..,a  loaf  baked  in  the  ashes,  Hipp.  Luc.  Dial. 
 Mort.  20,  4,  etc.     Liddell  and  Scott. — (I.  B.) 
 
 «  "  Cujus  rationes  et  evangelium  et  apostolos  complectuntur." — (I.  B.) 
 No  necessity,  in  fact,  compels  us  to  take  the  leaven  in  a  bad  sense:  hence, 
 
 as  the  word  does  not  necessarily  imply  censure,  bad  leaven  is  termed  the 
 
 old  leaven  in  1  Cor.  v.  7. — V.  g 
 
292  ST  MATTHEW  XIIl.  35-41. 
 
 flour.'  A  strong  expression.  This  appears  to  refer  to  the 
 whole  human  race,  which  consists  of  three  measures,  having 
 spread  over  the  earth  from  the  three  sons  of  Noah. ^ 
 
 35.  T^  pri&h,  which  was  spoken)  viz.  Ps.  Ixxviii.  2 — avoi^oj  fv 
 '!rapa(3oXa7g  rh  ffro/xa,  /aou,  <p&sy^o[iai  "rpolSXri/Jjara,  d-TT  dp'^^g,  I  will 
 open  my  mouth  in  parables,  I  will  utter  [things  which  have  been] 
 problems  from  the  beginning. — '7rpo(pr]Tov,  prophet)  who  was  the 
 author  of  that  psalm.  The  Spirit  of  Christ  was  in  the  prophets  ; 
 therefore  the  prophets  could,  after  their  manner,  predicate  of 
 themselves  those  things  which  were  afterwards  most  richly 
 fulfilled  in  Christ. — dvoi'^co,  I  will  open)  which  before  had  not 
 been  done. — Ipil^oixat,  I  will  fitter)  in  Hebrew  nyax,  I  will  pour 
 out,  which  the  LXX.  elsewhere  render  spthyoij^at  in  Ps.  xix.  3,  and 
 s^ipvjyo^ai  in  Ps.  cxix.  171,  and  cxlv.  7.  Hesychius  renders 
 spi-jyirai  by  dmjSdXXei,  throws  up,  i.e.  as  a  spring  does  w-ater.  He 
 also  renders  spihyiro  by  BlSpu^iro,  roared,  'i^pviv,  was  overflowing 
 with ;  but  (3pu^iiv  is  said  of  the  noise  of  the  floods,  and  the  roaring 
 of  the  lion.  Therefore  the  verb  ipevyc/xai  denotes  a  gushing 
 spring,  which  resounds  by  reason  of  the  abundance  and  impetu- 
 osity of  its  waters;  whence  the  LXX.  put  iptvyiffSai  also  for  JXti', 
 to  roar. — xara,3oXrig,  foundation)  It  does  not  mean  only  the 
 foundations,  but  also  the  building ;  see  2  Mace.  ii.  29. 
 
 36.  <tpdcov,  explain)  The  disciples,  being  teachable,  ask  for 
 further  instruction. 
 
 38.  olroi,  these)  Of  whom  most  account  is  taken  ;  or  especially 
 the  disciples  then  present. — rou  irovripoZ,  of  the  luicked  one)  The 
 word  is  in  the  masculine  gender. 
 
 39.  IviirsXiia — dyyiXoi,  consummation — angels)  They  form  the 
 predicate  here,  the  subject  elsewhere. — auvrsXna  in  ver.  49,  is  the 
 meeting  or  combination  of  the  ends  (rwv  nXuv)  ;  see  1  Cor. 
 X.  11. 
 
 41.  AvTou,  His — AvTou,  His)  Such  is  the  majesty  of  the  Son  of 
 Man.     His  are  the  angels  (see  the  end  of  ver.  39)  ;  His  is  the 
 
 '  A  little  leaven,  as  in  evil,  Gal.  v.  9,  so  in  good,  leavens  the  whole  mass. 
 -V.  g. 
 
 2  This  conjecture  will  not  be  thought  ridiculous  by  him,  who  remembers 
 that  there  may  be  not  merely  one  reason  for  a  particular  circumstance  or 
 expression  (as  tlie  reason  already  given  in  the  note  above  on  vccrxTpiac,  which 
 Bee),  but  several  reasons. — E.  B. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XIII.  42-45.  293 
 
 kingdom  of  heaven;  His  is  the  world  ;  cf.  ver.  24,  with  ver.  38. 
 — jSagiXsias,  the  kingdom)  which  is  the  kingdom  of  grace. — 
 SKavSaXa,  stumbling -hlocks)  obstacles,  which  had  hindered  the 
 good  seed  even  in  the  case  of  others.  The  punishment  of  these 
 is  pecuharly  great.^ 
 
 42.  Kai  ^aXousiv,  and  they  shall  cast)  This  is  repeated  in  the 
 same  words  in  ver.  50. 
 
 43.  Ton,  then)  After  the  ungodly  have  been  removed. — 
 BTtXa/M-^ovcjiv,  they  shall  shine  forth)  They  shall  not  burn  as  the 
 ungodly,  but  they  shall  shine  forth,  singly,  and  much  more, 
 collectively.^  The  same  word  is  employed  by  the  LXX.  in  Dan. 
 xii.  3. — Tou  HaTpog  alruv,  of  their  Father)  who  is  righteous  and 
 glorious.  How  great  is  the  difference  of  the  righteous  from  the 
 children  of  the  wicked  one  !  see  ver.  38. — o  £%wi'  wra,  x.r.x.,  he 
 that  hath  ears,  etc.)  A  formula  suited,  not  only  to  the  people,  but 
 also  to  the  disciples. 
 
 44.  QrjgavpOj,  treasure,  store)  Not  of  corn,^  but  of  gold,  gems, 
 etc.— x£x^i;,«,,«.lvw — 'Upv-^i,  hidden — he  hid)  It  had  escaped  the 
 notice  of  him  who  found  it ;  then,  when  he  found  it,  he  con- 
 cealed it  from  others.  He  hid  it  in  the  same  field  in  which  he 
 found  it.  Such  are  the  earnestness  and  prudence  of  the  saints ; 
 see  Prov.  vii.  1.  They  find  the  things  which  are  hidden  ;  they 
 hide  them  when  found.  The  finding  the  treasure  does  not  pre- 
 suppose the  seeking  for  it,  as  in  the  case  of  the  pearls,  which  are 
 found  by  diligent  search. — Xft-po-it  for  joy)  Spiritual  joy  is  an 
 incentive  to  deny  the  world. — ahrov,  of  it)  i.e.  the  treasure ;  or 
 else  it  is  an  adverb.* — uTdyu,  departeth)  In  the  present  tense,  as 
 TwXe/j  he  sells — ayopd^n,  he  buys.  In  ver.  46,  the  preterite  is 
 put.     The  state  follows  the  act.^ 
 
 45.  Ovpa.vuiv — dvdpui'Trw,  of  the  heavens — to  a  m,an)  Comparisons 
 of  heavenly  from  human  things.     See  ver.  52  ;  ch.  xviii.  23,  xx. 
 
 '  Tyju  dvo/ictxv,  iniquitj/')  for  their  part — to  the  utmost  of  their  ability,  and 
 as  far  as  in  them  lies. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  What  can  be  sweeter,  even  to  think  of,  than  this  ? — V-  g. 
 3  Cf.  Jer.  xli.  8.— B.  G.  V. 
 
 *  Meaning  "  there."  In  which  case,  instead  of  "for  joy  thereof,"  the 
 passage  would  be  rendered  "ybr  the  joy  which  he  has  found  or  stored  up 
 there,  sc.  in  the  field." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  ToV  dypou  iicuvov,  that  field)  with  the  treasure.  If  thou  art  influenced  by 
 the  desire  of  true  gain,  follow  this  parable. — V  g. 
 
»4:  ST  MATTHEW  XIII.  4G-52. 
 
 1,  xxii.  2. — si/.'Tropw,  a  merchant)  The  word  sfju'Tropog  denotes  one  who 
 travels  and  voyages  for  the  sake  of  merchandise. — iiapyapiTag, 
 pearls)  The  plural  passes  to  the  singular  in  the  following  verse. 
 
 46.  "Era,  one)  An  incomparable  one ;  that  is,  the  kingdom 
 of  heaven  itself.^ 
 
 47.  ^ Ex  Tavr'og  ysvovg,  of  every  kind)  See  John  xxi.  11,  and 
 Gnomon  thereon. 
 
 48.  'E-7r}.r!puidri,  was  filled)  The  number  of  the  wicked  and  the 
 righteous  will  be  completed  in  the  last  days. — xai  xaSicavng,  and 
 having  sat  down)  Deliberately,  with  the  purpose  of  performing 
 their  task. — xaXa — eavpa,  good — putrid)  Individuals  out  of  every 
 kind  of  fishes.^ — l^w,  without)  sc.  the  net. 
 
 49.  UovTipoug,  the  wicked)  and  unrighteous. — Ix  /^scrot;,  fro7n  the 
 midst)  The  wicked,  although  they  are  more  in  number,  are 
 not  accounted  of  any  value  f  cf.  ver.  30. — rwv  hxa'iuv,  of  the 
 righteous)  and  good."* 
 
 51.  ITai/ra,  all  things)  Our  Lord  was  ready  to  explain  the 
 other  parables  also  to  His  disciples  ;  but  they  understood  them, 
 if  not  perfectly,  yet  truly. 
 
 52.  na$  ypa[iiJja.Ti\)g,  every  scribe)  Jesus  Himself  is  neither 
 ypaiMfManug,  a  scribe,  nor  /x,adrirsvdilg,  discipled,  i.e.  iyistructed  as  or 
 made  a  disciple  (initiatus).  He  speaks  therefore  in  the  present 
 instance  of  His  disciples ;  and  that  which  had  previously  been 
 said  to  the  disciples  in  plain  words  (ver.  12),  is  now  (that  they 
 have  made  such  advance  in  learning  as  to  be  styled  even 
 scribes)  confirmed  to  them  by  a  parable.  A  scribe  is  a  man 
 imbued  with  the  doctrine,  or  even  the  letter,  of  the  Old  Testa- 
 ment ;  by  TaXa/ct  (old),  therefore,  are  meant  things  known  from 
 Moses  and  the  prophets.  This  is  the  genus  :  the  species'  is 
 supplied  by  the  clause  /MaOriTsv^sig,  x.t.X. — i.e.  a  man  instructed 
 
 ^  TLivpuKi^  sold)  This  is  indeed  to  renounce  .ill  tilings  whatsoever  thou 
 mayest  possess. — V.  g. 
 
 *  How  is  it  that  the  bad  man  does  not  loathe  himself? — V.  g. 
 ^  Cf.  Gnomon  on  oh.  iii.  12.  in  voc.  olxvpoy. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Ver.  50.  E<V  rnu  x-a-^.tvov  rov  Trvpog,  into  the  fiirnace  of  fire)  O  what 
 wretched  beings  are  they  who  are  tormented  in  that  fire! — V.  g. 
 
 *  The  words  genus  and  species  are  here  used  in  their  logical  sense.  Bengel 
 means  to  say  that  the  character  indicated  is  not  only  that  of  a  "scribe," 
 genericaUj/  (or  universally),  but  of  one  who  is  "  instructed  to  the  kingdom  of 
 heaven."- — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XIII.  52.  295 
 
 also  in  the  doctrine  of  the  New  Testament :  such  is  the  force  of 
 xaiva,  new — things  then  first  revealed  ;  see  ver.  35.  New  things 
 are  here  mentioned  before  old,  as  the  latter  receive  light  and 
 savour  from  the  former,  and  are  at  length  tempered  together 
 most  harmoniously.  See  1  John  ii.  7,  8. — fiadriTsv6iig,  instructed) 
 as  ^agiXivu  signifies  both  to  make  a  king,  and  to  act  the  king, 
 so  also  [ladriTihca,  to  make  disciples  (expressed  in  John  iv.  1  by 
 fi,tt.^y\rac;  To/s/i/),  and  act  or  he  a  disciple  ;  see  ch.  xxvii.  '57.  The 
 former  meaning  obtains  in  this  passage. — r?)  jSagiXelcc,  in  the 
 kingdom)  Others'  read  ilg  rriv  (SaaiXsiav,  unto  the  kingdom.  In 
 either  reading,  by  metonymy  or  prosopopoeia,  Christ  Himself  is 
 intimated,  as  in  ch.  xi.  12.  If  you  accept  the  latter  reading,  cf. 
 2  Cor.  xi.  3  ;  if  the  former,'^  ch.  xxvii.  57. — a\/6pu)'7ru),  unto  a 
 man)  Almost  all  the  parables  are  taken  from  human  affairs,  for 
 the  sake  of  perspicuity. — sxlSdWn,  bring eth  foi-th)  plentifully. — 
 6r}ffavpou,  treasure)  store,  sc.  of  corn. — xaiva  xai  vaXaid,  new  and 
 old)  a  proverbial  mode  of  speaking  of  a  great  plenty  from  the 
 last  and  the  present  year ;  see  Cant.  vii.  13. — The  new  things, 
 as  from  the  treasures  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  the  old  things. 
 
 ^  Such  is  the  reading  of  E.  M.  In  his  App.  Crit.  Bengel  writes :  "  ti;  riiu 
 QxatMixv)  edd.  Bas.  a.  /3.  Stap.  etc.  Ex  ftx^Kriv^tl;,  slg  facile  iteratura. 
 (t^  ^oc.ai'Aita.)  Bas.  y.  Cypr.  Par.  6,  8  /  Vsser,  2 ;  Origeties  constanter, 
 sajpe  ;  Cyrillus,  Procopius.  Placet  Heinsio.  Lectio  media,  unde  iv  rij  (iotat' 
 'h.iict,  Med.  Chrysost.  Ct/rilhts  alibi,  Lat.  Irenaeus,  latine  certe,  Cant. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  The  margin  of  both  Editions,  as  well  as  the  Germ.  Vers.,  prefer  the 
 Dative.— E.  B. 
 
 Tischend.  with  BC  Syr.  Orig.  8,  459  /,  reads  t>5  fixaihitee.  Lachm.  with 
 Dbc  Vulg.  Iren.  237,  Hil.,  reads  ev  rvi  fixciT^eix.  Lachm.  claims  C  for  h 
 TV!  (ia-a.  in  opposition  to  Tischend.  Rec.  Text,  tlgr.  (ia.ai'hiia.v,  is  not  supported 
 by  primary  authorities.  The  shorter  reading,  rv\  (iaat'Kiiix,,  is  coeteris  pari- 
 bus preferable  to  the  longer,  as  the  shorter  would  be  more  likely  to  originate 
 the  other  two,  the  longer  ones,  tig  r.  (iota,  and  h  r.  (ictrr.  (which  look  like 
 glosses  of  the  shorter),  than  either  of  them  to  originate  it ;  ch.  xxvii.  57 
 supports  it.  Besides,  it  is  not  simply  members  of  the  kingdom  who  are 
 here  spoken  of,  but  those  who,  being  already  in  it  themselves,  are  qualified 
 henceforth  to  be  teachers  for  it.  I  prefer,  with  Olshausen  and  Storr,  ex- 
 plaining it,  "  made  a  disciple  for  the  kingdom,"  i.e.,  for  its  benefit;  one  who, 
 being  instructed  himself,  is  capable  of  labouring  for  the  kingdom.  But 
 Beng.  takes  v>7  (ixai'Kiia.  as  a  Prosopopoeia — the  Kingdom  meaning  Jesus 
 Christ,  who  is  the  embodiment  of  the  Kingdom — "  made  a  disciple  to  the  King- 
 dom," i.e.  to  Jesus  Christ. — Ed. 
 
29G  ST  MATTHEW  XIII.  53-55. 
 
 as  a  scribe  from  the  scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament ;  cf.  ver. 
 
 53.  'ErsXsffjv,  finished)  These  parables  form  a  regular  and 
 perfect  whole,  which  He  is  therefore  said  to  have  finished ;  see 
 ch.  xi.  1.^  Thus,  in  Luke  vii.  1,  we  have  I'jtXripuGi,  He  completed. 
 These  parables  contain,  however,  besides  the  general  condition 
 of  the  Church  of  the  New  Testament,  a  more  special  account  of 
 future  events.  Cf.  Gnomon  on  ver.  3,  and  on  John  xvi.  13. — 
 /xsTTjpfv,  He  departed,  Lat.  migravity  Pie  ended  for  the  time  His 
 sojourn  at  Capernaum.*  Thenceforward  Jesus  did  not  remain 
 so  long  in  one  place,  being  harassed  by  Herod. 
 
 54."  2op/a,  wisdom — dvvd,(iiig,  mights/  works)  supernatural 
 powers :  See  1  Cor.  i.  24.  We  ought  to  be  carried  forward,  by 
 admiration  of  the  teaching  and  works  of  our  Lord,  to  a  believ- 
 ing (fidelem)  recognition  of  His  person ;  otherwise  admiration 
 ends  in  stupor. 
 
 55.  Tov  TixTovos — 71  /xTjTYip,  of  the  Carpenter — His  another)  Hence 
 
 '  The  new  things  already  have  the  palm  of  superiority. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  so.  iTiXi<nv  "biaTxaauv  roig  ^uhix.0!.. — Ed. 
 
 3  The  word  implies  change  of  abode  as  well  as  departure. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  In  the  same  manner,  the  same  word,  /iciriipev,  is  used  in  cli.  xix.  1  of  the 
 last  journey  of  the  Saviour  from  Galilee  to  Judea,  which  He  took  before  the 
 Passion. — Comp.  Jer.  xxxix.  9.  Therefore  that  verb  is  opposed  to  the 
 dwelling  which,  for  a  considerably  long  time,  Jesus  had  had  at  Capernaum, 
 ch.  iv.  13.  Not  long  after,  the  Saviour  returned  thither  afresh  ;  but  after 
 having  made  a  survey  [lustratione,  a  p%(rifyhig  examination :  see  John  vi. 
 66-71]  of  His  disciples,  He  presently  departed  again,  Jolin  vi.  22-71  [see  ver. 
 24,  59].  The  same  thing  happened  after  the  interval  of  nearly  a  year.  Matt, 
 xvii.  24 :  and  this  was  the  last  of  all  His  visits  there.  His  address  to  the 
 city  of  Capernaum,  Luke  x.  15,  was  delivered  at  a  distance  from  it,  when 
 He  had  already  finished  no  inconsiderable  part  of  the  journey  which  led  to 
 the  Passion  :  comp.  Luke  ix  51.  He  subsequently  addressed  Jerusalem  in 
 the  same  manner  from  a  distance,  Luke  xiii.  34. — Harm.,  p.  324. 
 
 *  E/f  Tijy  7r«T^/3a  ocvToi/)  In  the  same  way  as  He  had  gone  forth  into 
 public,  in  a  manner  which  was  clearly  "His  custom,"  at  Nazareth,Luke  iv.  16: 
 so,  having  left  Capernaum,  He  returned  afresh  to  Nazareth.  It  was  then 
 that  the  people  of  Nazareth  said  those  things  which  He  had  foretold  in  Luke  i  v. 
 23  they  would  say.  [See  Gnomon  there :  where  Beng.  explains,  "  Ye  will  say," 
 etc.,  thus:  This  feeling,  owing  to  which  ye  say  (ver.  22),  Is  not  this  Joseph's 
 Son  ?  will  wax  stronger,  when  ye  shall  hear  of  my  future  miracles,  whicli. 
 owing  to  your  unbelief,  shall  be  less  numerous  among  you  than  others:  You 
 will  then  say,  Physician,  heal  thyself. — Ei).]~JIarm.,  1.  cit. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  Xlll.  6C-58.-X1V.  1.  297 
 
 it  ma}  ^e  inferred  that  Joseph  had  long  been  dead,  and  that 
 Mary  had  Hved  in  obscurity. — Map/a/x — 'laxco/3oc,  Mary — James) 
 They  speak  of  them  thus  as  if  they  had  nothing  but  a  name,  by 
 which  name  they  were  well  known. 
 
 56.  'AdiXipai)  sisters)  These  they  do  not  condescend  even  to 
 name. 
 
 57.  ' EffxavdaXi^ovTo,  they  were  0 fended)  as  it  happens  with 
 those  who  observe  one  thing,  but  neglect  to  observe  another, 
 which  ought  rather  to  have  been  observed. — 'Trpo^/jrng,  x.t.'a.,  a 
 prophet,  etc.)  In  a  prophet  there  are  two  parts  :  the  one  which 
 he  possesses  in  common  with  others,  ordinary,  natural,  domestic ; 
 the  other,  which  is  peculiar  to  his  calling,  heavenly,  spiritual, 
 public.  Those  who  know  the  former  do  not  observe  the  latter. 
 Familiarity  breeds  contempt.  Such  is  the  case  in  our  own 
 country,  much  more  so  in  our  home. — ar//jt,og,  contemned)  The 
 contempt  which  a  prophet  meets  with  elsewhere,  is  not  con- 
 tempt if  it  be  compared  with  that  which  he  meets  with  in  his 
 own  country  ;  elsewhere  he  certainly  receives  some  honour. 
 
 58.  'AT/crr/av,  unbelief)  The  reason  why  many  miracles  are 
 not  performed  at  present,  is  not  so  much  planted  Christianity, 
 as  reigning  infidelity.^ 
 
 CHAPTEE    XIV. 
 
 1.  'Ev  ixiivu)  Tu)  KaipCj,  at  that  time)  It  was  now  about  a  year 
 from  the  commencement  of  our  Lord's  public  ministry. — rixoueiv, 
 heard)  The  ears  and  courts  of  kings  resound  with  news ;  but 
 spiritual  matters,  however  widely  published,  scarcely  ever  arrive 
 there.'' 
 
 1  In  the  original,  "  non  tam  est /(fe« plantata  quam  infidelitasregnans;  i.e. 
 it  is  not  so  much  that  Christianity,  having  been  already  planted,  does  not 
 require  the  aid  of  miracles,  as  that  the  wide  prevalence  of  unbelief  prevents 
 their  being  performed. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  And  if  they  do  reach  them  at  all,  they  appear  in  an  imperfect  form  and 
 blended  with  what  is  false  ;  nor  are  they  easily  turned  to  good  purpose. 
 •Nevertheless,  at  times,  a  joyful  exception  to  this  is  to  be.  met  with. — V.  g. 
 
298  ST  MATTHEW  XIV.  2. 
 
 2.  Uaiaiv,  servants)  The  friends  of  princes  are  for  the  most 
 part  young.^  In  time  of  fear,  the  great  speak  promiscuously 
 with  the  small. — olrog,  this)  Herod  was  tormented  by  his  con- 
 science.^ It  was  not  consistent  with  tlie  character  of  such  a 
 king  to  arrive  at  an  absolute  decision.  He  concluded,  but  with 
 doubt ;  see  Luke  ix.  7,  9.  Herod  was  a  Sadducee ;  but  Sad- 
 duceeism  wavers  when  anything  strange  occurs.  Reason  [mere 
 human  reason]  prefers  ascribing  marvellous  circumstances  to 
 ancient,  or  at  least  departed  saints,  rather  than  to  those  who 
 are  alive  ;  and  to  those  whom  it  has  once  begun  to  esteem  highly 
 rather  than  to  others.^ — 'Iwcch/tjc,  John)  Herod  had  not  heard  of 
 the  works  of  Jesus  before  the  death  of  John.  John  had  not 
 performed  any  miracles  during  his  life  ;  but  because  he  had 
 been  a  holy  man,  men  now  suppose  that  he  must  nevertheless 
 have  possessed  miraculous  power;  cf.  ch.  xvi.  14.  So  great 
 power  has  the  reputation  of  holiness  even  with  those  who  are 
 themselves  unholy.  Moreover,  as  the  actions  of  Christ  were 
 ascribed  to  John  even  when  dead,  it  was  necessary  that  he 
 should  decrease  in  order  that  Christ  might  increase.  The 
 Greeks  speak  much  and  often  of  the  things  which  our  Lord's 
 forerunner,  slain  before  Him,  announced  and  preached  to  the 
 dead ;  see  Leo  Allatius,'*  de  libris  ecclesiast.  Gr.  pp.  303,  304  ; 
 and  Wetstein^  on  the  dialogue  against  the  Marcionites,  p.  33. 
 
 ^  Alluding  to  two  of  the  meanings  of  valg,  the  one  implying  youth,  the 
 other  attendance  on  a  superior. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  So  far  was  he  from  speaking  thus  in  jest. — E.  B. 
 
 '  John  most  speedily  attained  the  consummation  of  his  course  ;  but  those 
 who  had  deprived  him  of  life,  subsequently  atoned  most  dearly  for  it. 
 -V.g. 
 
 *  Leo  Allatius  (or  Allacci).  A  laborious  and  indefatigable  writer,  ot  a 
 vast  memory,  whose  writings  display  great  reading.  Born  in  the  Isle  of 
 Chios,  of  Greek  parents,  1586.  Having  been  admitted  into  the  Greek  Col- 
 lege at  Rome,  he  embraced  tlie  Roman  Catholic  religion,  and  was  eventually 
 appointed  keeper  of  the  Vatican  library  by  Pope  Alexander  VII.  Died 
 1669.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  The  author  here  intended  is  not  J.  J.  Wetstein,  Bengcl's  great  critical 
 rival,  but  John  Rudolph  Wetstein,  son  of  the  author  of  the  same  name. 
 He  was  a  native  of  Basle,  and  became  a  theologian  and  philologist  of  that 
 Academy.  He  was  born  in  1G47,  and  died  in  1711.  He  published  at  Basic, 
 in  1674,  "  Origcn  against  the  Marcionites,"  in  Greek  and  Latin,  with  notes. 
 ^(LB 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XIV.  3.  299 
 
 So  do  the  Latins  also,  quoted  by  Ittigius^  in  his  dissertation  on 
 the  gospel  preached  to  the  dead,  §  xi. ;  see  also  Ambrose  on 
 Luke  i.  17,  and  Gerson's^  second  lecture  on  St  Mark. — o  jSa-ir- 
 Tiar/jg,  the  Baptist)  This  surname  is  given  to  John  even  by 
 Herod,  even  by  the  daughter  of  Herodias,  even  by  Josephus, 
 so  celebrated  was  it. — aurog,  he)  himself. — at  dwd/xi/g,  mighty 
 works)  He  speaks  of  them  as  objective  realities. — h  aurCj,  in  Him) 
 sc.  in  Jesus. 
 
 3-12.  'O  yap  'upoJdrig,  x.r.X.,  for  Herod,  etc.)  It  was  not  neces- 
 sary that  the  death  of  John  should  be  foretold  in  the  Old  Tes- 
 tament, or  be  described  professedly  and  in  order ;  because  he 
 did  not  die  for  us.  The  mention  of  him,  however,  is  gracefully 
 resumed  when  our  Lord  was  now  in  the  zenith  of  His  career. 
 
 3.  'Hpudidda,  Herodias)  This  princess  was  hostile  to  the  latter 
 Elias,  as  Jezebel  to  the  former. — rou  ddeX(po\J  avTou,  his  brother) 
 Most  authorities'  prefix  ^iXivrnv  from  St  Mark,  who  is  known 
 not  to  have  taken  all  things  from  St  Matthew  by  his  being 
 the  only  one  who  names  this  brother  of  Herod.  The  shorter 
 reading  of  St  Matthew  has  been  preserved  intact  by  the  Vulgate, 
 '  fratris,'  of  his  brother,  alive,  and  not  childless,  as  we  learn 
 from  Josephus,  xviii.  7  ;  but  it  was  sufficient  for  the  Evangelist 
 
 1  Thomas  Ittigius,  a  native  of  Leipsic,  of  which  Academy  he  became  a 
 theologian  and  historian;  was  born  1643,  and  died  1710.  He  was  the 
 author  of  many  learned  works. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  John  Geuson;  born  at  Gerson,  in  France,  in  1363 ;  educated  at  Paris, 
 where  he  became  Canon  and  Chancellor  of  the  Church.  He  greatly  distin- 
 guished himself,  at  the  Council  of  Constance,  by  many  speeches,  especially 
 by  one,  in  which  he  enforced  the  superiority  of  the  Council  over  the  Pope. 
 He  was  one  of  the  most  illustrious  men  of  his  time,  and  obtained  the  sur- 
 name of  Doctor  Christianissimus.  Cave  says  that  no  one  can  be  conversant 
 with  his  works  without  very  great  benefit.  His  writings  are  very  numerous. 
 -(I.  B  ) 
 
 3  Such  is  the  reading  of  E.  M.  In  his  App.  Crit.  Bengel  writes, — 
 "  (O/X/t-tov)  Lat.   plerique,   et   inde    Cant.  Angl.  Mag.  Augustin.    sed 
 
 habet  Sax.  ^i-Kivttov,  prsemittunt  plerique  ex  Marco.  Brevior,"  etc.,  as 
 in  Gnomon. — (I.  B.) 
 
 Lachm.  with  BZ  Orig.  3,  470b,  reads  ^iXIxtov — uvrov.  b  has  xvrcv 
 ^i-Ki'Tr'Ttov.  Tischend.  omits  <t><A/7r7rot/  with  Do  (?)  c  Vulg.  ^/X/VTrot;  looks 
 like  a  gloss  of  the  harmonies  from  Mark  vi.  17.  However,  the  omission 
 might  also  come  similarly  from  Luke  iii.  19. — Ed. 
 
 The  marg.  of  both  Editions  agree  with  the  Gnomon.  But  Vers.  Germ, 
 retains  ^i>.iTrTrc,v  in  this  passage. — E.  B. 
 
300  ST  MATTHEW  XIV.  4-9. 
 
 to  say  that  he  was  his  brother.     Herodias^  was  also  the  niece  of 
 both,  being  the  daughter  of  their  brother  Aristobulus. 
 
 4.  Oux  i^iSTi,  it  is  not  lawful)  John  did  not  break  the  force 
 of  bitter  truth  by  arguments  of  a  too  conciHatory  nature  ;  neither 
 his  words  were  soft,  nor  his  dress.  John  did  not  come  into 
 Gahlee,  but  yet  he  was  able  to  reprove  Herod. — co/,  to  thee)  Sins 
 even  of  kings  should  be  rebuked  in  the  second  person, — £%£/v, 
 to  have)  Theologians  must  not  give  up  questions  concerning 
 marriage  (see  ch.  xix.  3,  4),  since  it  is  their  duty  to  examine 
 everything  which  is  lawful  or  unlawful ;  cf.  ch.  xxii.  17. 
 
 5.  ' E(pol3rjdri,  feared)  They  often  fear  who  crush  the  witnesses  of 
 truth,  whilst  the  witnesses  themselves  fear  not  their  oppressors.* 
 
 6.  Teviulujv)  Either  the  day  on  which  he  was  horn,  as  the  LXX 
 use  the  word  in  Gen.  xl.  20,  or  that  on  which  he  began  to  reign. 
 Remarkable  days  of  high  festival  are  accompanied  with  great 
 danger  of  falling  into  sin.^ — up^rjearo,  she  danced)  A  light 
 matter ;  the  handle  of  a  most  weighty  matter. — Svydrrip,  daughter) 
 Salome  by  name. — h  tu  fisffuj,  in  the  midst)  in  the  sight  of  all 
 during  the  banquet. 
 
 7.  ' rtfjLoXiiyrigsv,  promised,  agreed)  The  girl  had  asked  by 
 dancing ;  and  the  king  appears,  even  before  this,  to  have  been 
 in  the  habit  of  giving  her  something  on  his  birth-day. 
 
 8.  UpofSi^aakTaa,  being  before  instructed)  i.e.  before  she  asked. 
 — ubi,  here)  Before  the  king  could  repent. — -jlvax.!,  in  a  charger) 
 which  perhaps  she  held  in  her  hand.  The  ungodly  know  how 
 to  propose  the  most  horrible  things  with  elegance  of  language 
 and  sweetness  of  sound. 
 
 9.  ' EXv-TTTiSri,  xoas  grieved)  Conscience  was  not  yet  entirely 
 banished  from  the  monarch's  breast.  The  sudden  necessity  of 
 executing  an  evil  purpose  startles  even  the  worst.  The  joys  of 
 this  world  are  accompanied  by  sadness. — 6  ^aeiXsiig,  the  king) 
 strictly  tetrarch ;  see  ver.  1. — amavaxitii,houc,  reclining  at  his 
 table)  The  king  feared  the  guests,  the  guests  the  king.     By  not 
 
 1  See  Genealogical  Table,  p.  120— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  An  evil  purpose,  which  has  been  scarcely  begun,  is  afterwards,  whenever 
 a  very  slight  opportunity  may  present  itself,  brought  forth  into  action. — V.  g. 
 
 '  Of  this  kind  are,  for  instance,  dedication-festivals,  market-days,  etc. ; 
 for,  when  these  are  celebrated  according  to  custom,  often  weariness  and 
 lamentations  succeed  to  vain  rejoicings.  And  yet  the  world  does  not  allow 
 itself  to  be  advi.sed  to  better  things. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XIV.   10-1,'..  3<)1 
 
 Interceding  as  they  ought  to  have  done  for  John,  they  became 
 accompHces  in  his  murder. 
 
 10.  'A-rexsipaX/ffg,  he  beheaded)  Even  this  kind  of  death  was  a 
 proof  that  John  was  not  the  Messiah  :  of.  John  xix.  36.'— 
 'ludnyiv,  Joliii)  a  sudden  and  violent  death,  even  by  decapita- 
 tion, is  not  always  miserable. 
 
 11.  Tri  finrpl  aurr,c,  to  her  mother)  who  without  doubt  treated 
 it  cruelly. 
 
 12.  To  (Tij/^a,  his  body)  without  the  head. —  sX&6vrs;,  ■/..r.'k., 
 coming,  etc.)  From  that  circumstance  the  death  of  John  was 
 advantageous  to  his  disciples.^ — airriyyiCkav,  announced)  It 
 is  not  said  with  what  manifestation  of  feeiino;  Jesus  received 
 this  announcement ;  doubtless  He  received  it  as  it  befitted  the 
 Lord. 
 
 13.  'AxoLKTag,  having  heard)  sc.  those  things  which  are  men- 
 tioned in  ver.  1—12.^ — aviy^u>pri<5iv,  departed)  The  murderer  of 
 the  Baptist  was  unworthy  to  hear  or  see  the  Lord  :  see  ch.  xxi. 
 23-27.  Afterwards,  indeed,  he  did  see  Plim  ;  Luke  xxiii.  8  ; 
 not,  however,  coming  of  His  own  accord,  but  forced  by  the 
 violence  of  His  enemies  ;  and  therefore  Herod's  seeing  Him,  on 
 that  occasion,  was  not  a  sign  of  favour.  Cf.  the  case  of  Samuel 
 and  Saul,  1  Sam.  xv.  35  and  xix.  24. — nar  idlav,  apart)  no  one 
 being  taken  with  Him,  except  His  disciples. — ■^s^^i,  on  foot)  See 
 Eustathius.'* 
 
 14.  'E^iXSijv,  having  come  forth)  sc.  from  His  retreat  into 
 public. 
 
 15.  'O-^iag,  evening)  The  evening  has  various  degrees;  see 
 ver.  23. —  j5  w^a,  the  hour)  sc.  for  dismissing  the  people,  of 
 taking  food  and  rest,  or  of  going  to  search  for  food. — sauroTg, 
 
 1  It  was  not  fittin<?,  to  wit,  that  even  a  bone  of  Christ's  body  should  be 
 broken,  much  less  His  head  taken  off. — V.  g. 
 
 *  That  is,  the  death  of  their  master  was  the  means  of  leading  them  to 
 Jesus — the  greatest  of  all  blessings. — Ed. 
 
 2  Namely,  that  the  fame  of  Himself  had  reached  Herod.  Comp.  John  iv. 
 13. — Harm.,  p.  331. 
 
 *  Eustathius,  the  grammarian,  who  flourished  in  the  twelfth  century,  was 
 Bishop  of  Thessalonica.  He  wrote  commentaries  on  Homer,  and  on  Diony- 
 sius  the  geographer.  He  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  amatory  writer, 
 Eumathius  the  Macremboliie,  who  wrote  under  this  name  in  the  fifteenth 
 century,  and  was  an  obscure  grammarian. — (I.  B.) 
 
803  ST  MATTHEW   XIV.   16-23. 
 
 for  tliemselves)  The  disciples  seem  sometimes  to  have  bought 
 food  for  them. 
 
 16.  Oi>  yjiiccv,  no  need)  We  should  not  labour  for  that  which 
 is  not  necessary. — iJ/x-f/i,  yov)  significantly.  The  disciples  already 
 possessed  the  rudiments  of  miraculous  faith.' 
 
 1 7.  "ApTovg,  loaves)  obtained  for  the  present  exigency  one  by  one. 
 
 19.  ' Ava7iXi6^vat,  to  be  seated)  The  faith  of  the  people  is  thus 
 exercised. — rovg  aprovc,  the  loaves)  sc.  whatever  was  there. — 
 ttvcx,l3Xs-^ac,  looking  up)  Jesus  referred  everything  to  the  Father 
 (see  John  xi.  41,  xvii.  1)  with  the  most  entire  confidence  :  far 
 diflferent  from  the  practice  of  sinners;  see  Luke  xviii.  13. — 
 0/  ht  [ladnrai^  hut  His  disciples)  A  prelude  to  their  futui'e  admi- 
 nistration.^    See  Acts  iv.  35. 
 
 20.  UdvTsg,  all)  How  much  more  can  all  partake  of  the  one 
 body  of  the  Lord  in  the  Holy  Supper. — xXaa/xdruv,  of  fragments) 
 of  most  excellent  bread ;  cf.  John  ii.  10.  A  most  substantial 
 miracle.  The  people  were  not  permitted  to  carry  any  away  for 
 the  sake  of  curiosity. — dudsxa,  twelve)  see  Gnomon  on  ch.  xvi. 
 9.  There  were  remnants  also  of  fishes ;  see  Mark  vi.  43. 
 They  were  preserved  for  future  eating,  not,  like  manna,  as  a 
 memorial. 
 
 21.  TvmiySjv  y.ai  craidluv,  women  and  children)  of  whom  no 
 doubt  there  was  a  large  number. 
 
 22.  Evd'eug,  straightway)  Our  consideration  ought  not  to  dwell 
 on  things  which  we  have  well  done. — r,\/dyy.aaiv,  constrained^ 
 compelled)  as  it  is  allowable  to  believe,  for  important  reasons. 
 They  did  not  willingly  sail  alone. — ro  crXo/bi',  tlie  vessel)  men- 
 tioned in  ver.  13. —  'iug,  x.r.X.,  until,  etc.)  He  is  not  said  to  have 
 told  them  that  He  should  pray.  He  gave  an  example  of  pray- 
 ing in  secret. 
 
 23.  To  opog,  the  mountain)  which  was  in  that  region.  Moun- 
 tains and  elevated  places  (see  Acts  x.  9)  are  especially  suited 
 for  prayer,  on  account  of  their  solitude,  and  their  being  open  to 
 heaven. — xar  idlav,  apart)  Not  even  the  disciples  being  present. 
 In  such  a  retreat,  matters  of  the  greatest  importance  took  place 
 
 1  In  the  original,  "  Rudimenta  fidci  niiraculorum  apud  discipulos" — i.e. 
 that  special  faith  which  is  required  for  the  performance  of  miracles. 
 -(I.B.) 
 
 '  Sc.  of  the  charities  distributed  to  the  needj  brethren. — Eu. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XIV.  25-31.  303 
 
 between  God  and  the  Mediator.  It  was  no  dramatic  represen- 
 tation that  interceded  for  us.^  What  passed  between  Christ  and 
 the  Father  may  be  inferred,  for  example,  from  Ps.  xvi.  and 
 Luke  xi.  2,  3.  Cf.  ver.  1  and  John  xvii. — -rrposeu^as^ai,  to  prai/) 
 beyond  midnight ;  see  ver.  25.  The  fruit  may  be  seen  in  ver. 
 33,  34. 
 
 25.  Tirdprr,,  fourth)  and  last.  The  Jews  also  divided  the 
 night  into  four  watches.  The  disciples  were  subjected  to  great 
 straits  for  some  time,  till  He  brought  them  help. — u'Tryj'kh,  He 
 departed)  His  prayers,  though  they  had  lasted  a  long  while, 
 being  as  it  were  broken  off",  He  departed  to  help  His  disciples. — 
 '^epiTa.ruv,  x.t.a.,  walking)  though  the  wind  blew  strong. 
 
 26.  'Erdpa^drisav,  they  were  troubled)  We  often  take  Christ 
 for  another  rather  than  for  Christ :  cf.  ver.  2.  The  disciples 
 now  feared  not  only  the  sea,  but  also  the  Lord. — (pavracfxa,  an 
 apparition)  (pdvTa,s/j,a,  and  ^uafia  are  identical  in  meaning.  See 
 Wis.  xvii.  15,  4.  Nor  does  (pavraela  greatly  differ  from  them. 
 Ibid,  xviii.  17. 
 
 28.  KsAsvffov,  command)  A  remarkable  exercise  of  faith. 
 Peter,  from  desire  for  Jesus,  leaves  the  vessel,  whether  he  has 
 to  walk  on  the  sea  or  to  swim  through  it.     Cf  John  xxi.  7. 
 
 29.  'Ea^£,  come)  More  is  required  of  him  who  offers  himself 
 spontaneously  to  Christ ;  he  is  more  greatly  tempted,  more 
 mightily  preserved. 
 
 30.  BXsiruv,  seeing)  Peter  both  felt  the  wind,  and  saio  it  on 
 the  waves. — rhv  civi/Mjv  the  wind)  The  wind  had  been  strong  be- 
 fore that,  but  had  not  been  so  much  observed  by  Peter. — s(po[3-^dr], 
 he  was  afraid)  Although  he  was  a  fisherman,  and  a  good  swim- 
 mer ;  see  John  xxi.  7.  They  who  have  begun  to  depend  on 
 grace  are  less  able  to  employ  nature. — xaTa-rom^sc^a/,  to  sink) 
 According  to  the  measure  of  his  faith,  he  was  supported  by  the 
 water  ;  just  as  the  Israelites  prevailed  according  as  the  hands 
 of  Moses  were  held  up. 
 
 31.  '  OX/yoV/ffrg,  0  thou  of  little  faith)  Even  great  faith  is  little 
 in  comparison  of  that  which  we  ought  to  have.  We  should  also 
 possesss  constancy. — vg  r!,  wherefore?  to  what  end?)  With 
 ■what  advantage  ?     He  is  not  blamed  because  he  came  out  of  the 
 
 ^  "  Non  intercessit  actio  scenica" — i.e.  our  Lord's  intercession  was  real, 
 genuine,  substantial;  not  mythical,  theatrical,  or  fictitious. — (I.  B.) 
 
30t  ST  MATTHEW  XIV.  3G.-XV.   I,  2. 
 
 vessel,  but  because  he  did  not  remain  in  the  firmness  of  faith. 
 He  was  right  in  exposing  himself  to  trial ;  but  he  ought  to  have 
 persevered. — idlsraffag,  didst  thou  doubt)  The  nature  of  faith  is 
 perceived  from  its  opposites,  doubt  and  fear.  See  Mark  v.  36  ; 
 Rom.  xiv.  23  ;  James  i.  6.^ 
 
 3G.  Mocov,  K.T.X,,  only,  etc.)  Such  was  their  pious  humility.'^ 
 
 CHAPTER    XV. 
 
 1.^  O/'  ccTo  'lipodoXhiMuv,  which  were  of  Jerusalem)  Who  ap- 
 peared to  excel  in  authority  and  zeal,  having  come  such  a  long 
 way."* 
 
 2.  Tojv  rrpic^^jTspoiv,  of  the  ancients)  The  word  irpio'l^unpog  some- 
 times denotes  a  dignity  or  office  ;  sometimes  it  is  opposed  to 
 youth  ;  sometimes,  as  in  this  place,  to  later  generations. — aprcv, 
 bread)  The  Jews  eat  other  kinds  of  food  without  washing  their 
 hands  more  readily  than  bread.  See  Wall's'  Critical  Notes, 
 p.  47. 
 
 *  Ver.  33.  0=oD  vio;  u.  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God)  Since  they  perceived 
 that  Jesus  was  such  by  reason  of  His  miraculous  wallving  on  the  sea,  they 
 ought  not  to  have  wondered  at  this  very  miracle  to  such  a  degree  as  to  be 
 lost  in  amazement.  It  is  for  this  reason  they  are  censured  by  Mark  vi.  51, 
 62.  For  the  mind,  which  faith  has  rendered  intelligent  and  sober,  unlearns 
 excess  of  astonishment. — Harm.,  p.  333. 
 
 Ver.  35.  (li  oivlpig,  the  men)  who  perhaps  were  engaged  in  labouring  in 
 the  fields.— V.  g. 
 
 *  "Odot  ^-tl/xuTo,  as  many  as  touched  Him)  Out  of  so  great  crowds  of  miser- 
 able men,  not  even  one  is  found  who  met  with  a  repulse  in  seeking  help  from 
 Jesus.  However,  those  who  were  ungrateful  were  subsequently  reproved,  and 
 those  who  needed  it  were  warned  to  avoid  new  acts  of  sin. — Harm.,  p.  337. 
 
 '  To't£,  then)  By  this  particle,  the  narration  of  the  events  which  liad  hap- 
 pened before  and  after  the  Passover  is  connected  together :  from  which  we 
 may  infer  that  Jesus,  at  that  time,  had  not  gone  up  to  Jerusalem. — Harm.y 
 p.  340.  It  was  at  a  time  most  unseasonable  that  the  hypocrites  made  an 
 oblique  attack  on  Ilim,  starting  a  question,  high  sounding,  no  doubt,  but 
 after  all  ending  in  mere  minutise. — V.  g. 
 
 *  After  the  feast  of  the  Passover  had  been  celebrated  at  Jerusalem. — 
 Harm.,  p.  340. 
 
 ^  William  Wall,  D.U.,  sometime  Vicar  of  Shoreham,  a  learned  divine 
 
ST  ^rATT^E^v  xv.  3-5.  sos 
 
 6.  Atari,  why)  He  replies  by  a  question  similar  in  form  to 
 tliat  whicli  they  had  proposed  in  ver.  2.' — xa/  u/iiTg,  ye  also) 
 Whether  My  disciples  transgress  or  not,  you  are  the  greatest 
 transgressors. —  dia,  x.-X.,  on  account  of,  etc.)  Traditions,  even 
 where  you  could  least  expect  it,  detract  from  the  commandments 
 of  God.^ — b/xuiv,  your)  They  had  said,  of  the  ancients  ;  Jesus  is 
 no  respecter  of  persons. 
 
 4.  'O  yap  Qsoc,  for  Gocf)  In  contrast  with  hij^ug  hi,  but  you,  in 
 ver.  5. — TifMa,  honour)  Honour  signifies  benefits  which  are  due 
 (see  Gnomon  on  1  Tim.  v.  3),  the  denial  of  which  is  the  greatest 
 insult.  Thus,  in  the  S.V.  of  Prov.  iii.  9,  riiMa  rh  Kvpiov  {honour 
 the  Lord)  occurs  with  reference  to  sacrifices.  An  instance  of 
 metonymy  of  the  antecedent  for  the  consequent.  In  Exod.  xx. 
 12,  S.V.,  it  stands  thus  : — r//xa  rh  rrarspa  gov  -/.a!  rriv  /u,r,r£pa  (Sov  : 
 lionour  thy  father  and  thy  mother.  The  second  gov  {thy)  is  not 
 expressed  in  the  present  passage. — o  xaxoXoycov,  he  that  curseth) 
 In  Exod.  xxi.  16  :  o  xaxoXoyuv  iraripa  avrou  ri  /JjriTspa  auroZ  davdr'jj 
 TiXsvrdroo  :^  he  that  curseth  his  father  or  his  mother,  let  him  die'*  the 
 death. — Life  is  assailed  by  curses,  and  childi'en  receive  their  life 
 through  their  parents. — Savdrw,  death)  Observe  this,  O  youth  ! 
 
 5.  'T/^f??  hi,  hut  you)  What  God  commands  are  the  offices  of 
 love  ;  human  traditions  lead  into  all  other  things.^ — hujpov,  a  gift) 
 i.e.  it  is  a  eift.  Whatsoever,  etc.,  is  Corhan.  The  formula  was 
 "p  7\ir^^  ''JN^J'  pip,  Let  all  that  by  which  I  might  be  serviceable  to 
 thee  in  any  way  whatsoever,  be  to  me  Corban ;  i.e.  Let  it  be  as 
 much  forbidden  to  me  to  benefit  thee  in  an}' thing,  as  it  is  un- 
 
 of  the  English  Church;  born  1645  or  1646  ;  died  1727-8.     The  work  here 
 alluded  to  is  entitled — 
 
 "  Brief  Critical  Notes,  especially  on  the  various  readmgs  of  the  New  Tes- 
 tament Books ;  with  a  Preface  concerning  the  Texts  cited  from  the  Old 
 Testament,  as  also  concerning  the  use  of  the  Septuagint  Translation.  8vo. 
 London,  1730."— (I.  B.) 
 
 1  The  truth  is  never  at  a  loss  for  questions,  which  it  may  put  in  opposi- 
 tion to  the  questions  of  hypocrites. — V.  g. 
 
 2  And  what  an  amount  of  injury,  from  time  to  time,  has  been  the  result 
 of  the  accumulation  of  such  traditions,  however  much  particular  ones  may 
 be  not  without  their  show  of  plausibility,  can  hardly  be  stated. — V.  g. 
 
 '  The  Vatican  MS.  reads  TsXivrtian  ^a-vctru. —  (I.  B.) 
 *  Lit.  "  Let  him  die  by  death."— (L  B.) 
 
 «  In  the  original,  "  in  alia  omnia  eunt,"  i.e.  into  all  things  whicli  are  of  a 
 different,  nay,  a  contrary  character. 
 
 VOL.  I.  U 
 
30G  ST  MATTHEW  XV.  6-9. 
 
 lawful  for  me  to  touch  the  Corbiin.  See  L.  Capcllus'  on  the 
 Corban.  Or  else,  to  avoid  the  appearance  of  avarice,  they  ac- 
 tually offered  to  the  Corban  what  was  due  to  their  parents : 
 as  many  persons  give  to  the  poor  or  to  orphans  those  things 
 which  they  grudge  to  others,  Avhich  they  extort  from  them,  or 
 deny  them. — o  lav,  x.r.X.,  ichatsoever  thou  migJitest  he  profited  by  me 
 — oj(psXri6rig,  thou  mightest  be  profited)  The  priests  used  to  say, 
 "17  run"",  It  be  useful  to  thee,^  when  the  people  offered  anything. 
 — xa/,  and)  This  particle  denotes  the  commencement  of  the 
 npodosis.^ — o\j  iiy\  TiiLrier^^  shall  not  honour)  The  decree  of  the 
 Pharisees  was,  such  an  one  shall  be  free  from  all  obligation  to- 
 u-ards  father  and  mother.  Our  Lord,  however,  expresses  this  in 
 Avords  which  bring  out  more  clearly  the  unrighteousness  of  the 
 Pharisees  in  opposition  to  the  commandment  of  God. 
 
 6.  Kai,  and  thus)  ha,  on  account  of)  The  heart  which  is  occu- 
 pied with  traditions,  has  no  room  for  the  commandments  of 
 God. 
 
 7.  Ylpoi(pr]ri\j(!i,  prophesied)  i.e.  foretold. 
 
 8.  'O  "kahg  ouTog,  z.r.X.,  This  people,  etc.)  In  the  S.  V.  of  Is. 
 xxix.  13,  it  stands  thus,  s/y/^s/  Mo/  6  Xahg  olrog  iv  ru)  ffro/xaT-/  avrou 
 ■/.a!  h  ToTg  yilXistv  avrojv  ri/jt,uiei  Me,  rj  d'l  xapdia — diddazovrsg  evTUA- 
 aara  dvOfui'TTuv  xal  hibaaTicOJag, —  Tliis  people  draioeth  nigh  unto  Me 
 with  their  mouth,  and  they  honour  Me  with  their  lips :  but  their 
 heart — teaching  precepts  and  doctrines  of  men. — oZrog,  this)  The 
 pronoun  here  implies  contempt ;  see  1  Cor.  xiv.  21. — Me,  Me) 
 sc.  God,  speaking  by  the  mouth  of  Isaiah. — xapdia,  heart)  by  the 
 approach  of  which*  (cujus  accessu)  God  is  truly  and  fiilly  wor- 
 shipped.'^ 
 
 9.  MuTYiv,  in  vain)  How  much  vanity  has  there  been   in   the 
 
 ^  LuDOvicus  Capkllus  was  born  at  Sedan  in  1586.  lie  became  a  theo- 
 logian and  philologist  of  Sauinur,  was  a  first-rate  Hebrew  scholar,  and  deeply 
 versed  in  llabbinical  learning.  His  writings  are  very  numerous.  He  died 
 in  1658.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Sc.  "It  {i.e.  the  offering)  be  profitable  to  thee."  A  form  of  benedic- 
 tion.—(I.  B.) 
 
 '  By  a  Hebraism,  which  however  is  also  found  in  Greek,  ex.  gr.  Demos- 
 thenes de  Cor.,  "  Whosoever  (when  any  one  soever)  shall  say,  etc. — then  {kui) 
 he  shall  not  (need  not)  honour,"  etc. — Ed. 
 
 Compare  a  similar  construction  occurring  Rev.  ii.  24. — K.  B. 
 
 *  i.e.  by  the  drawing  nigh  of  which,  as  well  as  with  the  lips. — Ed. 
 
 *  Most  stress  is  indeed  made  to  rest  on  the  heart.     See  ver.  19. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XV.   10  -15.  307 
 
 greatest  part  of  religions  throughout  so  many  ages  and  cHraates  ! 
 — ffs^ovrai,  they  wo7-ship)  They  paid  little  regard  to  the  command- 
 ments of  God,  and  that  little  they  defiled  by  observing  the  com- 
 mandments of  men. — di8a,<sxovris  diSasxaXlag,  teaching  doctrines) 
 laboriously,  constantly,  in  great  numbers,  cf.  Mark  vii.  13. — 
 IvTaXfictra,  precepts)  In  apposition  with  hthasxaXiag,  doctrines  : 
 these  JiraX/iara,  precepts,  were  unworthy  to  be  called  evroXai, 
 commandments.  Precepts  are  adorned  and  seasoned  by  doctrines. 
 — dv6pu)'7ruv,  of  men)  although  they  be  ancients  (ver.  2) ;  who 
 have  no  authority  in  religion. 
 
 10.  Upog-x.a'kiad/Mvog,  having  called  to  Him)  All  were  not  always 
 attentive.  The  Pharisees  were  not  worthy  that  this  should  be 
 said  to  them ;  see  ver.  14. — rhv  o'/y^ov,  the  ^nultitude)  Lest  they 
 should  be  deceived  by  the  speech  of  the  Pharisees. 
 
 11.  Ov,  x.r.X.,  not,  etc.)  Unless  such  were  the  case,  the  faith- 
 ful could  not,  without  the  greatest  disgust,  inhabit  a  world  sub- 
 ject to  vanity. — ro  ix'Tropwo/Mvov,  that  which  cometh  out)  Original 
 sin  is  evidently  here  implied. — tovto,  this)  used  demonstrativelyc 
 
 12.  OJdag,  knowest  thou^-  They  perceived  the  omniscience  f>f 
 Jesus. — iffxavdaXicdriffav,  were  offended')  Having  taken,  or  rather 
 laid  in  wait,  for  offence. 
 
 13.  (bunlcL,  plant)  Doctrine,  or  rather  man.  The  (purh  is  so  by 
 nature,  the  (pvnia  by  care. — Uarrip,  %.r.\.,  Father,  etc.)  See  John 
 XV.  1.  2. — hpiZ^M&fiSirai,  shall  he  rooted  up)  And  this  shall  be  the 
 result  of  their  being  offended  with  Christ.  Such  a  plant,  how- 
 ever fair  in  appearance,  is  without  Christ  {extra  Christum). 
 
 14.  " AfiTi  avTovg,  let  them  alone)  Do  not  regard^  them. — odriyoi, 
 guides)  see  Is.  ix.  16.* 
 
 15.  '  Amxpikig,  answering)  The  candour  of  sacred  historians  in 
 recording  the  errors  of  holy  men  is  remarkable  in  all  the  books 
 
 '  Rather  Thou  knowest:  for  tlie comment,  which  follows, shows  that  Beng. 
 did  not  read  these  words  with  an  interrogation. — Ed. 
 
 He  does  so,  however,  both  in  his  Greek  New  Testament  and  German 
 Version.— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  And  regard  Thee  with  aversion  in  consequence. — V.  g. 
 
 *  There  is  a  verbal  reference  to  atpere  ccvrov;  in  the  original,  "  nolite  cos 
 morari,'"''  which  cannot  be  preserved  in  the  translation — q.  d.,  Let  them  go ; 
 do  not  detain  them,  or  trouble  yourselves  about  them. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  ' hfA.ip6ripoi,  both)  In  the  case  of  senseless  men,  it  is  better  that  the  one 
 should  withdraw  from  the  other. — "V.  g. 
 
3C8  ST  M.VTTilinV  XV.   16-22. 
 
 of  the  Bible. — -xapa^oXh  rauTriv,  this  parable)  Our  Lord's  lan- 
 guage becomes  parabolic  in  ver.  13,  but  was  plain  and  literal  iu 
 ver.  10,  11.  Peter  therefore,  as  a  disciple,  speaks  incoiTectly. 
 Our  Lord,  iiowever,  does  not  expressly  find  fault  with  this.  So 
 that  they  held  fast  the  matter,  [He  excuses  the  manner.] 
 
 16.  'T[Mi7c,  you)  corresponding  with  ji/x7i/,  to  us,  in  ver.  15. 
 You,  not  only  the  Pharisees  and  the  multitude. — doivsro!,  with- 
 out understanding)  corresponding  with  awkn,  understand,  in 
 ver.  10. 
 
 17.  Oi/Tcu,  not  yet)  Although  you  have  been  instructed  in  ver. 
 11,  and  elsewhere,  in  the  whole  system  of  divine  morality,  from 
 which  you  might  have  inferred  this  matter  also. — voiTn)  perceive. 
 — iig,  into)  Into  is  repeated  thrice  without  any  mention  of  the 
 heart,  which  is  the  true  seat  of  real  purity  or  impurity. 
 
 19.  A/aXoy/o/Ao/  'ffovrjfol,  evil  thoughts)  such  as  the  Pharisees  en- 
 tertained. The  article  is  added  in  Mark  vii.  21. — <p6voi,  /j^oiy^iTai, 
 :'..r.X.,  7riurders,  adulteries,  etc.)  Sin  against  the  sixth  and  follow- 
 ing commandments.  The  plural  nmnber  increases  the  force. — 
 pKa(S(priiMiai,  curses)  sc.  against  our  neighbom*,  combined  with 
 false  witness.  In  such  enumerations,  the  absence  of  the  copu- 
 lative conjunction  has  often  the  force  of  etc.,  as  if  he  who  speaLs 
 Avished  to  add  more,  or  to  leave  more  to  the  imagination. — Cf. 
 Mark  vii.  22.^ 
 
 20.  Ou  y.oit^oTrbv  ci.vOpai'xov,  do  not  dejile  the  man)  Li  the  very 
 appellation  of  man,  is  contained  (latet)  an  argument :  for  the 
 spiritual  nature,  which  is  the  superior  part  in  man,  is  not  reached 
 by  outward  filth. 
 
 21.  Ta  i-Lifn,  2)arts)  i.e.  not  towards  the  whole  region. 
 
 22.  ^'E^iXSoveu,  K.T.X.,  having  come  forth,  etc.)  For  Jesus  did 
 not  enter  the  borders  of  the  Canaanites. — h.pavyaeev,  cned  out) 
 
 ^  The  filth  of  the  draught  is  not  so  great  as  is  that  of  a  human  heart  not 
 yet  cleansed.  Who  is  there  that  thoroughly  weighs  this  consideration  ?  who 
 strives  earnestly  after  true  purity  ?  But,  as  concerns  the  man  who  leaves 
 this  life  destitute  of  such  purity,  whither  is  lie  rushing?  Into  the  gulf  of 
 tire  and  brimstone.  Alas  !  wliat  a  mass  of  tilth  that  shall  be,  which  is  made 
 up  of  so  many  impure  beings !  Be  not  offended,  Reader.  Offensiveness  of 
 language  is  profitable  to  be  used  in  this  case.  Sec  that  thou  dost  conceive 
 a  loathing  of  the  thing  itself,  and  be  moved  to  tlee  from  impurity  of  heart. 
 -  -V.  g. 
 
 *  Xcciiixyxiu)  of  the  posterity  of  Cauaan V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XV.  23-25.  309 
 
 from  a  distance,  from  behind ;  cf.  ver.  23,  25.^ — lu,  me)  The 
 affectionate  mother  had  made  her  daughter's  misery  her  own; 
 see  ver.  25  and  28. — Tn  Aavld,  Son  of  David)  Tlierefore  the 
 woman  had  heard  of  the  Promise  either  long  ago  or  lately. 
 
 23.  As,  but)  It  was  fitting  that  this  declaration,  and  as  it  were 
 protestation  of  the  unworthiness  of  the  heathen,  should  precede 
 the  declaration  of  individual  worthiness  for  which  it  prepared  the 
 way :  nor  did  our  Lord  grant  help  so  much  to  the  prayers  of 
 the  Canaanitess  alone,  as  to  those  of  the  Canaanitess  and  the 
 disciples  together. — ou-/.  a'ri%pi&r\ — Xoyov,  ansive7-ed  not — a  word) 
 Thus  the  LXX.  in  Is.  xxxvi.  21 ;  1  Chron.  xxi.  12. — amAvaov, 
 dismiss)  An  instance  of  metonymy  of  the  consequent  for  the  an- 
 tecedent :  i.e.  Help  as  you  are  wont,  cf.  ver.  24  ;  for  our  Lord 
 was  not  wont  to  dismiss  those  who  called  upon  Him  for  aid  with- 
 out according  it. — xpd^si,  cries  out)  We  may  suppose  that  the 
 disciples  feared  the  judgment  of  men,  and  made  their  petition  to 
 our  Lord,  both  for  their  own  sake,  lest  her  crying  out  should 
 produce  annoyance,  and  for  the  sake  of  the  woman  herself. 
 
 24,  26.  E/  /zTt — ToTg  xuvapioig,  except — to  little  dogs)  Our  Lord's 
 language,  in  ver.  24,  contains  no  repulse,  as  explained  in  ver. 
 26,^  but  rather  suggests  hope  to  constant  faith.  The  twenty- 
 fourth  verse  is  to  be  understood,  not  with  reference  to  the  whole 
 mediatorial  office,  but  only  our  Lord's  preaching  and  miracles. 
 
 24.  '  AmerdXriv,  I  am  sent)  Our  Lord  referred  everything  to 
 His  Mission. — 'xpo^ara,  sheep)  Israel  is  the  Lord's  flock  (see  Ps. 
 xcv.),  Jesus  the  Shepherd. — o7xou  'itr^a^X,  the  house  of  Is7xieJ) 
 This  appeared  to  restrict  His  grace. 
 
 25.  'EX^cL/cra,  coming)  sc.  in  front  of  the  Saviour  from  behind 
 Him;^  although  He  appeared  to  have  given  a  repulse  CA^en  to 
 His  disciples. 
 
 ^  That  is,  ver.  23,  "  She  crieth  after  us,"  shows  she  was  in  the  rear,  behind 
 Him  ;  ver.  25,  "  Then  came  she,"  etc.,  shows  she  had  previously  been  at  a 
 distance. — Ed. 
 
 ^  Bengel's  words  are,  "  Sermo  in  thesi  expressus,  in  hypothesi  nullani 
 habet  repulsani :  sed  potius  spem  facit  fidei  constanti.  Thesis  autem  acci- 
 pienda  est,  non  de  officio  toto  mediatorio,  sed  de  praedicatione  et  miracuhs." 
 I  have  endeavoured  to  render  this  so  as  to  be  intelligible  to  the  general 
 reader. — (I.  B.) 
 
 s  Thereby  stopping  up  the  way  before  Him  [as  if  she  would  not  let  Him 
 go  farther  without  blessing  her]. — V.  g. 
 
310  ST  MATTHEW  XV.  26-28. 
 
 2G.  Tujv  rixvuv,  the  childreiis)  Our  Lord  spoke  severely  to  the 
 •lews  themselves,  but  honourably  of  them  [to  those  without]; 
 sue  John  iv.  22.  Thus  we,  concerning  the  Evangelic  Church. 
 y.-jvaploi:,  to  little  dogs^)  who  are  not  worthy  to  receive  it.  But 
 yet  xuvdpiov,  the  w^ord  employed  by  our  Lord,  is  a  diminutive, 
 and  Jesus  thereby  gives  a  handle  to  the  woman  to  take  hold  of 
 Him.  Midrasch  Tillim.^  says,  "  The  nations  of  the  world  are 
 Hke  dogs." 
 
 27.  Na/,  yea)  The  woman  seizes  upon  the  appellation  xwdpia, 
 for  she  says  immediately,  xa!  yap,  which  must  be  rendered,  for 
 even  (etenim).  The  particle  vai  partly  assents,  partly  as  it  were 
 places  on  our  Lord's  tongue  the  assent  to  her  prayers,  i.e.  prays. 
 The  word  is  thus  used  in  Philem.  ver.  20,  and  Judith  ix.  12.^ — 
 kdhi,  eat)  since  the  children  often  waste  their  bread. — drrh  ruiv 
 ■^lyjMv,  of  the  cimmhs)  She  does  not  say  the  morsels,  nor  the 
 bread. — rojv  '^ri'XTovruv,  which  fall)  in  opposition  to  \cciii7v  xat 
 ^aXiTv,  to  take  and  cast,  in  the  last  verse.  She  asks  for  it  as  a 
 favour,  essential  to  herself,  injurious  to  no  one. — a-ffo,  from) 
 She  does  not  ask  to  be  admitted  to  the  table,  but  implies  that 
 she  was  not  far  distant  from  it.  Her  nation  was  contiguous  to 
 Israel. — ruiv  xupiuv  avruiv,  of  their  masters)  This  indicates  the  pre- 
 rogative of  the  children,  and  yet  a  certain  tie  of  connection 
 (necessitudinem)  with  them  on  the  part  of  the  little  dogs.  The 
 language  of  the  Canaanitess  corresponds  with  the  curse  ad- 
 dressed to  Canaan,  Gen.  ix.  2G  :    " -A  servant  of  servants  shall 
 
 he  be,"  etc. 
 
 28.  ''Vi  yxivai,  0  woman)  Now  at  length  our  Lord  addresses 
 her.* — iiiyd'Kn,  great)  Modesty  does  not  interfere  with  greatness 
 of  faith  ;  see  ch.  viii.  8,  9. — wg,  as)  After  the  hard  struggle,  so 
 
 ^  Diminutives  are  used  as  terms  of  endearment.  Therefore  nvvxploic 
 probably  here  means  the  household  dogs — pel  dogs. — Ed. 
 
 Even  the  third  efibrt  was  seeming  Ukely  to  be  abortive.  Yet  she  did  not 
 ;;ive  over. — V.  g. 
 
 "^  i.e.  "Allegorical  Commentary  on  the  Psalms,"  a  Rabbinical  work  of  high 
 repute  among  the  Jews. — (I.  B.) 
 
 "  Such  modes  of  pleading  she  could  not  have  learned  from  books  by  anti- 
 cipation.    The  Spirit  of  faith  supplies  the  best  forms  of  prayer. — V.  g. 
 
 *  Assigning  to  her  no  ordinary  phrase,  with  which  there  was  no  danger  of 
 the  woman  being  inflated  on  account  of  her  extraordinary  humility  of  mind. 
 —V    i:. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XV.  l'0-30.  311 
 
 much  the  more  is  given. — 6iXng,  thou  loishest)  There  is  faith 
 even  in  wishing. — aro,  x.r.X.,  fro^n  that  very  hour)  The  sound- 
 ness which  followed  was  lasting;. 
 
 29.  'E-AadrjTo,  sat)  He  did  not  take  the  initiative  and  command 
 the  multitudes  to  approach,  but  He  awaited  them. 
 
 30.  'Erspoug,  others)  sc.  who  were  sick. — sfpi-^av,  cast)  since 
 they  pressed  upon  each  other.* 
 
 32.  lirXay/yi^o'Lat,  1  have  compassioii)  Whilst  the  people  for- 
 get hunger  in  admiration,  Jesus  pities  them,  and  is  not  aflFected 
 by  their  praise  of  His  miracles.  Glory  and  mercy  elsewhere 
 seldom  meet. — Tpoff/xsvouai  Mo/,  they  remain  with  Me^)  It  was  the 
 interest  of  the  people  to  remain  with  Jesus ;  and  yet  He  em- 
 braces that  as  a  reason  for  conferring  a  fresh  benefit  upon 
 them.  The  people  were  ready  to  remain  longer. — t-/,  what)  for 
 6,  that  which,  see  the  LXX.  in  Gen.  xxxviii.  25. — v/jffrsig,  fasting) 
 Our  Lord  never  dismissed  any  one  without  relieving  their 
 necessities. 
 
 33.  Uokv,  whence)  Of.  Num.  xi.  21  ;  2  Kings  iv.  43. — 
 rifi?!/,  to  lis)  The  disciples  already  understood  that  they  would 
 have  to  take  some  part  in  the  matter. 
 
 34.  'OXiya  i-)(^6\jbia,  a  few  little  fishes)  They  speak  disparag- 
 ingly of  their  provision,  for  in  ver.  36  the  diminutive  form  is 
 no  longer  employed. 
 
 36.  EhyjoipiGrriaag,  having  given  thanJcs)  It  is  right  to  gi'S'e 
 thanks  even  before  food  (see  Acts  xxvii.  35),  and  there  it 
 is  the  same  as  luXoy/a,  or  benediction,  for  it  is  an  acknow- 
 ledgment of  the  Divine  blessing  for  the  past  and  the  future. 
 Jesus  referred  everything  to  the  Father,  and  here  gave 
 thanks  for  the  loaves,  and  for  the  approaching  satisfving 
 of  the  people ;  cf.  John  xi.  41. —  iv^apiarsTv  is  a  verb  found 
 fault  with  by  Phrynichus,^  but  used  also  by  Diodorus  Si- 
 culus.* 
 
 ^  Ver.  31.    rou  Otou  ^lapocviK,  the  God  of  Israel)  See  ver.  24. — V.  g. 
 
 2  Fresh  patients  being  ever  and  anon  laid  doAvn  in  the  midst,  one  after 
 the  other. — V.  g. 
 
 '  Phkynicus,  a  rhetorician  and  sophist  of  Bythinia,  who  flourished  in  the 
 second  century  of  the  Christian  sera. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Diodorus  Siculus,  an  ancient  Greek  historian.  Born  at  Agyrinni  in 
 the  first  century  after  Christ. — (I.  B.) 
 
»12  ST  MATTHEW  XV.  39. -XVI.   1. 
 
 39.  ^'AvilSri  si;  to  'jt/mov,  He  again  loent  on  hoard  the  vessel)'  sc. 
 that  mentioned  a  little  before  in  eh.  xiv.  33.  The  word  dvsjBjj 
 occurs  with  the  same  force  in  Mark  vi.  51. 
 
 CHAPTER  XVI. 
 
 1.  O/  <t>api(xcci'oi  ■A.ai  '2aSSovxaToi,  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees) 
 The  common  people  were  mostly  addicted  to  the  Pharisees, 
 men  of  rank  to  the  Sadducees  (see  Acts  v.  17,  xxiii.  6)  ;  as  at 
 present  the  crowd  is  more  inclined  to  superstition,  the  educated 
 to  atheism,  the  two  opposite  extremes.  The  Evangelists  de- 
 scribe only  two  attempts  of  the  Sadducees  against  our  Lord 
 (the  first  of  which  occurs  in  the  present  passage),  for  they  cared 
 less  than  the  Pharisees  about  religion. — s-/.  rov  ovpavov,  from 
 heaven)  Miracles  had  been  performed  from  heaven  in  the  times 
 of  Moses,  Joshua,  and  Elijah.  The  reason  why  the  Pharisees 
 were  unwilling  to  accept  as  Divine  the  miracles  hitherto  per- 
 formed by  our  Lord,  seems  to  have  been  this  :  that  since  He 
 had  not  yet  produced  any  sign  from  heaven,  they  thought  that 
 the  others  might  proceed  even  from  Satan  (cf.  ch.  xii.  24,  38) ; 
 and  that  they  considered  that  a  sign  from  heaven  affecting  the 
 whole  creation,  Avould  be  greater  than  any  signs  performed  on 
 the  microcosm  of  man.  [Perhaps,  also,  they  were  relying 
 on  the  prophecy  of  Joel;  see  Acts  ii.  19. — V.  g.]  The 
 Sadducees,  who  disbelieved  the  existence  of  any  Spirit,  and 
 tiierefore  of  Satan  himself,  were  of  opinion  that  our  Lord's 
 ])()wer  extended  only  to  hunger,  and  the  diseases  of  the  body, 
 not   to    all   greater   matters.     Both   were   influenced   also    by 
 
 ^  Ver.  38.  Tirpu.x.i'jyJ'Ktoi,  four  thousand)  They  were  in  truth  mighty  mir- 
 acles, whereby  five  thousand  (ch  xiv.  21)  and  four  thousand  men  were  fully 
 satisfied  with  food ;  and  it  was  then  that  the  abundance  of  Jesus'  miracles 
 liad  reached  its  highest  point.  How  widely  Ilis  glory  ought  to  have  been 
 spread  abroad  by  so  many  thousands  of  witnesses ! — Harm.,  p.  344. 
 
 '  "  Signa  in  microcosmo,"  signs  performed  in  the  little  world,  the  limited 
 horizon,  of  which  man  is  the  centre. — Ed. 
 
 *  E.  V.  "  took  ship."  Bengel  would  give  another  force  to  theprcrosilion 
 al*«,  and  renders  dvifin-,  iterum  conscendit. — (1.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  2,  3.  313 
 
 another  motive,  namely,  the  desire*  to  witness  a  variety  of 
 miracles,  considered  merely  as  sights.  Their  lust'  (libido)  is 
 indicated  by  the  word  6sXo,imv,  we  wish,  in  ch.  xii.  38. 
 
 2.  'O-^iag,  'TTpcdi,  evening — morning)  Two  most  common  and 
 most  popular  signs  ;^  for  when  the  sky  is  red  in  the  evening, 
 the  coldness  of  the  night  astringes  the  thinner  vapours,  so  that 
 no  storm  occurs,  even  though  there  be  wind ;  on  the  other 
 hand,  when  in  the  morning  the  sky  is  red  and  dark,  the  thick 
 vapours  burst  into  a  storm  by  the  heat  of  the  sun. 
 
 3.  ^T'xonpirai,^  hypocrites)  The  hypocrisy  was  their  greater 
 ^kill  in  natural  than  in  spiritual  things ;  for  they  who  have  the 
 former  have  much  less  excuse  than  dull  men  for  being  wanting  in 
 the  latter,  although  they  are  often  wanting  in  it.  For  an  example 
 of  both  united,  see  ch.  ii.  2. — 'rpoau'TTov  rou  ohpavoZ,  the  countenance 
 of  the  sky)  not  face.  A  man's  countenance  varies,  his  face  is 
 always  the  same.  An  instance  of  Prosopopoeia,^  as  just  before 
 in  the  word  ort/yva^wi/,  lowering. — to.  ernMiTa  tujv  zaip^jv,  the  sig7js 
 of  the  times)  i.  e.,  those  which  are  suitable  to  (congruentia) 
 each  time.  Our  Lord  indicates,  that  not  only  are  times  to  be 
 distinguished  by  their  signs,  but  also  signs  by  the  character  of 
 the  times,  and  signs  and  the  kinds  of  them  from  each  other. 
 For  the  mode  of  God's  dealino;  with  man®  is  various  —bv  various 
 
 ^  The  Avortl  is,  of  course,  not  to  be  taken  in  the  literal  force  of  its  ordinary 
 signification,  but  rather  in  the  wider  sense  which  it  has  in  English  writers 
 of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries  (cf.  1  John  ii.  16,  and  Gal.  v.  17), 
 though  there  is  a  special  allusion  to  the  epithet  adulterous  in  Matt.  xii.  38, 
 ;;nd  infra  ver.  5,  and  to  the  common  source  of  the  various  manifestations  of 
 I  lie  (pp6vYtf/.x  axpKog. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Although,  from  the  different  relations  of  the  powers  of  nature,  they  are 
 not  applicable  to  all  climes. — App.  Crit.,  Ed.  ii.,  p.  124. 
 
 '  The  larger  Ed.  gave  more  weight  to  the  reading  of  this  word  than  the 
 margin  of  the  second  Edition:  however,  the  Ver.  Gei'tn.  has  not  rejected  it. 
 — E.  B. 
 
 Rec.  Text  has  v'Trox.piroe.l  with  h.  But  CDLA  ac  Vulg.  omit  it.  It  is 
 plainly  an  interpolation  through  the  harmonies  from  Luke  xii.  56.  Lachm. 
 reads  x«(  before  to  pcsu  with  C.  But  Tischend.  omits  it,  with  DLA  wc  Vulg. 
 —El). 
 
 ■♦  i.e.  Personification.  See  explanation  of  technical  terms  in  Appendix. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 *  "  Inflnxus  Dei  in  homines,"  the  infi.ix  of  the  Deity  into  and  among  men. 
 —  Ed. 
 
314  ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  4. 
 
 doctrines,  persons,  signs,  times — all  of  which  correspond  among 
 themselves :  wherefore  different  signs  suit  different  times.  Those 
 signs,  less  splendid  indeed,  but  such  as  were  altogether  beneficial 
 to  man  on  earth  (see  ch.  ix.  6),  were  suitable  to  the  Messiah 
 then  being  on  earth;  see  ch.  viii.  17,  Luke  ix.  54.  Wherefore 
 it  was  incumbent  upon  them  to  obtain  proofs,  not  from  heaven, 
 but  from  themselves :  see  Luke  xii.  57.  For  the  same  reason, 
 after  His  ascension  our  Lord  did  not  exhibit  signs  on  earth, 
 as  He  had  previously  done.^ — oO  h-jvaak ;  are  ye  not  able  ?)  sc. 
 to  distinguish  sign  from  sign  : — said  with  astonishment.  If  you 
 wished  it,  you  could  do  so  most  fully :  as  it  is,  you  are  pre- 
 vented from  doing  so  by  a  voluntary  blindness. 
 
 4.  Tivsa,  nation^)  Itself  the  sign  of  its  own  time  :  for  such  it 
 was  to  be  in  the  time  of  the  Messiah  ;  see  ch.  xi.  6. — "Trovripn,, 
 wicked)  and  perverse. — /j^oi^aXk,  adulterous)  accustomed  to 
 break  the  marriage  vow,  which  it  ought  to  have  preserved  in- 
 violate to  God. — ffjj/ig/bi/,  xal  ffrjfxsTov,  x.r.X.,  a  sign,  and  [no]  sign, 
 etc.)  A  weighty  repetition.  They  prescribe  the  kind  of  miracles 
 just  as  if  there  were  no  other  kind ;  therefore^  all  kinds  of 
 miracles  are  denied  to  them.  The  miracles  which  our  Lord 
 performed  afterwards,  w^ere  done  not  for  the  sake  of  such  as 
 these,  but  for  that  of  the  poor*  and  the  sick.^ — rh  crt/xiTov  'iwi/a, 
 the  sign  of  Jonah)  that  was  not  from  heaven,  but  fi'om  the 
 middle  of  the  earth.  Jonah  returning  fr'om  the  whale  proved 
 his  mission  to  the  Ninevites  ;  thus  by  the  resmrection  of  Jesus, 
 whom  they  had  not  before  believed,  a  proof  was  given  to 
 the  Jews,  that  He  was  the  Messiah.  He  silently  intimates, 
 moreover,  that  after  the  three  days  spent  in  the  middle  of  the 
 earth,  there  should  be  plenty  of  signs  from  heaven,  which  were 
 performed  by  His  ascension  into  heaven,  and  shall  be  performed 
 
 1  Nor  will  hereafter  signs  be  wanting  from  heaven. — B.  G.  V. 
 
 2  E.  V.  generation.— (I.  B.) 
 
 '  Being  weary  of  those  miracles,  which  in  great  numbers  they  had  seen 
 heretofore ;  and,  therefore,  once  and  again  demanding  signs  from  heaven. — 
 Harm.,  p.  345. 
 
 *  "  Popelli,"  "  the  lower  classes,"  of  conventional  phraseology. — (1.  B.) 
 
 *  And  of  these  miracles,  Matthew  mentions  subsequently  scarce  one ; 
 Mark  mentions  only  that  upon  the  blind  man  of  Bethsaida,  ch.  viii.  22.  But 
 as  regards  teaching,  Jesus  continued  it  without  intermission. — Harm., 
 p.  346. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  6.  315 
 
 at  the  destruction  of  the  heavens  ;  of.  ch,  xxiv.  30,  Acts  ii.  19. 
 Nay  more,  not  even  then  was  it  true  that  were  there  no  signs 
 fi'om  heaven;  see  ch.  iii.  16. — xai  y.ara'ki'zuv  auroug  ocTrrjXh,  and 
 He  left  them  and  departed)  Just  severity  ;  see  Tit.  iii.  10.  Our 
 Lord  never  left  the  people  in  this  manner. 
 
 6.  '  OpuTi,  take  heed)  It  is  necessary  to  he  careful  of  the  purity 
 of  doctrine. — ^v/jI'V?,  leaven)  The  language  is  metaphorical,  and 
 therefore  enigmatical ;  and  hy  it  our  Lord  tries  the  progress  of 
 the  disciples,  who  had  already  been  long  His  hearers.  The 
 metaphor,  however,  alludes  to  the  thoughts  with  Avhich  the 
 mind  of  the  disciples  was  then  overflowing  ;  q.  d.,  "  Do  not  care 
 about  the  want  of  earthly  bread,  but  about  the  perilous  aliments 
 which  the  hypocrites  offer  to  your  souls."  It  is  probable  that 
 the  disciples  had  forgotten  the  loaves,  because  the  controversy 
 raised  by  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  (ver.  1)  had  put  them 
 into  a  state  of  anxiety  and  temptation.  The  Pharisees  and  Sad- 
 ducees were  elsewhere  strongly  opposed  to  each  other,  but  yet 
 on  this  occasion  they  conspire  together  against  Jesus  (see 
 ver.  1)  ;  therefore  He  included  both  of  them  under  the  one 
 title  of  hypocrites  (ver.  3),  and  guards  His  disciples  at  once 
 against  both  in  this  passage.  And  their  hypocrisy  itself  was 
 this  leaven  (Luke  xii.  1),  induced  by  which,  they  did  not  ac- 
 knowledge the  very  sufficient  signs  of  the  present  time,  but,  on 
 the  contrary,  demanded  the  signs  of  another  time  ;  whence  the 
 plural  TtaipZv,  times,  is  used  in  ver.  3.^  The  believer  both  be- 
 lieves and  speaks ;  he  who  separates  either  of  these  from  the 
 other  is  an  unbeliever,  is  a  hypocrite ;  see  Gnomon  on  ch. 
 xxiv.  51.  Neither  therefore  is  he  free  fi'om  hypocrisy  who  has 
 little  faith ;  see  ver.  8.  The  disciples  are  most  opportunely 
 admonished  to  beware  of  this  leaven,  as  they  did  not  yet  under- 
 stand it  from  the  present  signs  ;  see  ver.  11.^ 
 
 ^  Nay  more,  every  error  of  all  sects  is  the  one  leaven,  which  the  old 
 man  cherishes. — V.  g. 
 
 2  There  is  also  in  this  a  suitableness  of  words  [His  mode  of  address],  inas- 
 much as  the  disciples,  who  had  been  present,  and  themselves  taken  a  part 
 in  the  proceedings,  on  the  occasion  of  the  divine  miracles  which  had  been 
 twice  performed  in  the  case  of  bread  a  short  time  before,  were  feeling  the 
 need  of  bread,  now  that  a  sudden  want  of  it  had  arisen.  For  that  reason, 
 they  might  have  the  more  deeply  been  mindful  of  spiritual  bread,  and  have 
 seen  clearly  the  need  of  sound  doctrine. — V.  g. 
 
S!8  ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  7-9. 
 
 7.  "  Aprou;,  loaves)  The  mode  of  living  in  the  family  of  Jesus 
 was  extremely  simple  and  frugal.  They  thought  that  they 
 should  have  to  buy  bread  in  the  place  to  which  they  were  now 
 coming,  and  that  there  would  not  be  a  sufficiency  of  bread 
 there,  which  could  be  ascertained  not  to  have  been  subjected  to 
 the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees.  Our  Lord  answers,  that  even  it' 
 no  other  bread  could  be  procured,  yet  that  He  would  feed  them 
 even  without  the  bread  of  the  Pharisees  or  any  of  that  whole 
 region. 
 
 8.  T/  SiccXoyi^KTOe,  why  reason  ye)^  Man  imputes  more  griev- 
 ously to  himself  a  defect  in  the  care  of  outward  things,  to  which 
 God  most  easily  accords  indulgence.  Faith's  mode  of  estimat- 
 ing is  of  a  higher  kind. — hy.tyo'XKSToi,  0  ye  of  little  faith)  It  is 
 easy  to  fall,  from  want  of  faith,  not  only  into  doubts  and  fears, 
 ])ut  also  into  errors  of  interpretation  and  other  mistakes,  and 
 even  forcetfulness.* 
 
 9.  O'Jffw,  not  yet)  The  fault  of  the  slow  learner  is  increased 
 by  his  having  heard  long  ago. — vosTn — /xvri/jbovsvsTi,  understand, 
 remember)  The  verb  voew  expresses  something  more  voluntary 
 than  guviri/Mi ;  see  ver.  12 ;  Mark  vii.  18 ;  2  Tim.  ii.  7.  Sin 
 affects  also  the  mind  and  the  memory.  They  ought  to  have 
 understood,  even  if  those  two  miracles  had  not  been  performed. 
 We  ought  to  remember  even  the  circumstances  of  Divine  works, 
 and  from  fonner  to  hope  for  further  help.® 
 
 9,  10.  Hoaovg  xocphovg,  'Trooag  ffrrupldag,  hoio  many  cophini — how 
 7nany  sjyyrides)  *  In  the  first  miracle,  as  the  number  of  the  loaves 
 
 ^  Men  pass  a  considerable  part  of  their  time,  day  and  night,  in  turbulent 
 thoughts. — V.  g. 
 
 '  By  the  setting  forth  of  tlie  caution  concerning  the  leaven,  the smallness  of 
 the  faith  of  the  disciples,  who  were  disquieted  concerning  bread,  was  be- 
 t  rayed  :  but  that  faith  the  Lord  subsequently  strengthened,  by  reminding 
 them  of  His  having  twice  fed  to  the  full  so  many  thousands. — Harm., 
 p.  347. 
 
 '  It  is  not  such  forgetfulncss  as  they  upbraided  themselves  with,  ver.  7, 
 but  one  altogether  distinct,  arising  from  unbelief  accompanied  with  stupidity, 
 that  is  here  attributed  to  them  as  a  fault. — V.  g. 
 
 *  On  the  distinction  between  Cophini  and  Spp'icles,  both  of  which  arc 
 rendered  baskets  in  E.  V.,  mucli  has  been  said  and  written  ;  some  maintain- 
 ing their  identity,  others  their  dissimilarity.  Much  difference  of  opinion  also 
 exists  as  to  the  derivation  and  original  force  of  the  words.  The  following 
 observations  of  the  able  and  indefatigable  Kitto  will  be  read  with  interest. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  3  317 
 
 corresponds  to  that  of  the  thousands,  so  does  that  of  the  cophmi 
 to  that  of  the  apostles  ;  so  that  each  of  them  had  the  cophinus 
 
 "  These  words,  although  the  same  in  our  version,  are  not  so  in  the  original. 
 That  is  to  say,  the  '  baskets '  in  which  the  fragments  were  deposited  on 
 these  two  occasions  are  denoted  by  different  words,  both  here  and  in  the 
 regular  narratives  of  the  transactions  to  which  our  Saviour  refers.  The  first 
 (K6(pivog),  was  proverbially  a  Jewish  travelling-basket,  and  is  mentioned  as 
 such  by  Juvenal  (iii.  15;  vi,  542),  where  the  word  rendered  'basket'  is 
 cophinus,  the  same  as  this  : — 
 
 '  Banish'd  Jews,  who  their  whole  wealth  can  lay 
 In  a  small  basket.' 
 "  The  other  passage  we  are  tempted  to  cite  entire,  as  it  applies  to  the  con- 
 dition of  the  Jews  after  the  desolation  of  their  city  and  temple,  and  the  ruin 
 of  their  nation ;  when  it  is  well  known  that  such  numbers  of  them  gained  a 
 wretched  subsistence  by  pretending  to  tell  fortunes,  that  '  Jew '  and  '  for- 
 tune-teller '  became  almost  synonymous  : — 
 
 '  A  gipsey  Jewess  whispers  in  your  ear, 
 
 And  begs  an  alms  :  a  high-priest's  daughter  siie, 
 
 Versed  in  the  Talmud  and  divinity, 
 
 And  prophesies  beneath  a  shady  tree. 
 
 Her  goods,  a  basket,  and  old  hay  her  bed, 
 
 She  strolls,  and,  telling  fortunes,  gains  her  bread  : 
 
 Farthings,  and  some  small  monies  are  her  fees ; 
 
 Yet  she  interprets  all  your  dreams  for  these.' 
 "  The  other  word,  also  rendered  basket,  in  ver.  10,  is  aTrvpi;:  it  appears, 
 from  the  citations  of  Wetstein,  to  have  been  a  kind  of  basket  for  storin<] 
 grain,  provisions,  etc. ;  and  therefore  larger  than  the  former,  probably  much 
 larger.  Campbell  translates  this  by  ^ maund,'  and  retains  '■basket^  for  the 
 former ;  and  observes,  that  although  these  words  are  not  fit  for  answerinf;- 
 entirely  the  same  purposes  as  the  original  terms,  which  probably  conveyed  the 
 idea  of  their  respective  sizes,  and  consequently  of  the  quantity  contained  : 
 still  there  is  a  propriety  in  marking,  were  it  but  by  this  single  circumstance, 
 that  there  was  a  difference." — Kittos  Illustrated  Commentary,  in  loc. 
 -(LB.) 
 
 It  is  a  remarkable  instance  of  undesigned  coincidence — one  of  the  best 
 indirect  proofs  of  genuineness — that  all  the  four  Evangelists  uniformly  apply 
 the  term  x.6(pivot  to  the  twelve  baskets  in  the  miracle  of  the  five  thousand 
 fed  ;  and  the  two  Evangelists,  who  record  the  miracle  of  the  four  thousand, 
 apply  the  term  cTivploig  to  the  seven  hampers  mentioned  in  that  miracle. 
 Matt.  xiv.  20;  Mark  vi.  43;  Luke  ix.  17;  John  vi.  13  (so  here  also  Matt. 
 xvi.  9,  10)  :  and  Matt.  xv.  37  ;  Mark  viii.  8.  Clearly,  the  two  miracles 
 were  distinctly  impressed  on  the  minds  of  the  Evangelists  as  distinct  and  real 
 events ;  the  circumstantial  particulars  peculiar  to  each  miracle  being  noted 
 with  the  accuracy  of  an  eye-witness,  even  to  the  shape  and  size  of  the  bas- 
 kets.    A  teller  of  the  tale,  at  third  or  fourth  hand,  would  have  lost  tl.iR 
 
S18  ST  MATTHEW  XVI.   10-12. 
 
 Avbich  they  carried  full ;  in  the  second,  the  number  of  spyndes 
 corresponds  to  that  of  the  loaves.  If  they  had  had  more  cophini 
 in  the  one  instance,  or  spyrides  in  the  other,  the  loaves  would 
 without  doubt  have  been  increased  in  quantity  (cf.  2  Kings 
 iv.  6),  that  the  baskets  might  be  all  filled;  see  Mark  viii.  20. 
 But  the  spyris,  rendered  in  Latin  sporta,  was  larger  than  the 
 copJdnus ;  an  ancient  gloss  renders  Kopivog,  corhis^,  co7'hula,  i.e., 
 a  twig  basket  or  pannier.  Juvenal^  speaks  of  needy  Jews, 
 whose  household  stuff  consisted  of  a  cophinus  and  some  hay ; 
 fi'om  which  it  is  evident  that  the  cophinus  was  xovtpdnpov,  ligliter; 
 so  that  it  might  be  carried  about  by  any  one  for  daily  use. 
 The  spyris  seems  to  have  held  the  proper  burden  for  a  porter  ; 
 cf  Acts  ix.  25.'' 
 
 10.  Twv  rsrpaTiia^iXiuv,  of  the  four  thousand)  That  which  any 
 one  enjoys  and  uses  may  be  said  to  be  his. — sXajSirs,  ye  took) 
 sc.  for  future  food,  as  a  compensation  for  the  five  and  seven 
 loaves  which  ye  spent. 
 
 11.  Hug,  how)  A  particle  expressing  astonishment. — Cf. 
 Gnomon  on  ch.  viii.  10. — oh  vipi  ciprov,  not  concerning  bread) 
 The  literal  meaning  is  frequently  more  true  and  more  sublime 
 than  the  meaning  of  the  letter ;  and  where  the  latter  treats 
 of  things  natural,  the  former  leads  to  things  spiritual.  In 
 things  spiritual,  heavenly  words  ought  to  be  taken  more 
 closely. 
 
 12.  '2v'jy;xa\/,  they  understood)  Our  Lord  still  left  something  to 
 be  understood  by  Ilis  disciples.  He  shows  them  what  leaven 
 did  not  mean  in  this  passage ;  it  was  their  part,  when  they 
 heard  what  it  was  not,  to  gather  what  it  nmst  be.  Thus  also 
 in  ch.  xvii,  13. — drrh  rrig  hihayjic,  from  that  of  the  doctrine^  SC. 
 
 delicate  mark  of  truth.  Accordingly,  our  translators,  who  were  not  wit- 
 nesses, have  lost  the  point,  their  attention  not  being  turned  to  the  dis- 
 tinction, by  rendering  botli  alike  baskets. — See  Blunt  Script.  Coinc,  p. 
 285.— Ed. 
 
 ^  See  preceding  footnote. — (I.  B.) 
 
 "  Quorum  cophinus  focnuriique  supellcx." — Juv.  iii.  14. 
 
 *  Where  we  read,  "Then  the  disciples  took  him  [I'aul]  by  night,  and  let 
 him  down  by  the  wall  in  a  basket  {tv  awplot). — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  In  E.  V.  the  verse  is  rendered,  "  Then  understood  they  how  that  lie 
 hade  them  not  beware  of  the  leaven  of  bread,  but  of  the  doctrine  of  the 
 Pharisees  and  of  the  Sadducees." — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVI.   13.  319 
 
 from  the  leaven  of  the  doctrine.'  The  word  doctrine,  in  oppo- 
 sition to  bread,  is  taken  in  a  wide  signification,  so  as  to  mean 
 even  hypocrisy.     The  leaven  was  this  hypocritical  doctrine. 
 
 13.  'EXdojv  6  'ijjffot;?,  x.r.A.,  Bid  when  Jesus  had  come,  etc.)  A 
 noticeable  interval  of  time  occurred  between  the  things  just 
 narrated  and  those  which  are  now  declared.^  The  connection, 
 therefore,  of  the  passages  is  not  close.  The  matters  which  fol- 
 low took  place  a  short  time  before  our  Lord's  Passion ;  and  the 
 shortness  of  this  interval^  assists  the  right  interpretation  of  the 
 promises  made  in  ver.  18,  28,  and  of  the  prohibition  uttered  in 
 ver.  20,  ch.  xvii.  9,  etc.* — Kaiaapiiag,  of  Ccesarea)  This  very 
 name,  which  had  not  heretofore  been  given  to  the  towns  of 
 Palestine,  might  have  warned  all  that  the  Jews  were  subject  to 
 Caesar,  that  the  sceptre  had  departed  from  Judah,  and  that 
 the  Messiah  had  therefore  come.  See,  however,  James 
 Alting/  Schilo,  pp.  147,  153.  In  Scriptural  exegesis,  the 
 reader  ought  to  place  himself,  as  it  were,  in  the  time  and  place 
 where  the  words  were  spoken,  or  the  thing  was  done,  and  to 
 
 ^  Of  which  a  specimen  occurs  in  ver.  1. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  Mark  and  Luke,  it  seems,  as  well  as  Matthew,  here  begin  a  new  section, 
 wherein,  with  a  common  design,  they  show  how  He  proceeded  upon  Ilis  last 
 journey  (tour  of  preaching),  replete  with  salvation,  in  the  northern  coasts  of 
 the  land  of  Israel.  Near  Cjeserea  Philippi,  He  asks  the  disciples,  when  He 
 was  alone  with  them,  "  Whom  do  men  say  that  I  am  ?"  and  then  He  informs 
 them  of  His  Passion.  Then  He  so  arranges  His  departure  (the  course  of 
 His  journey),  as  that  He  now  imbues  the  whole  land  of  Israel  with  the  good 
 seed.  After  having  exhibited  His  glory  on  the  mountain  of  Transfiguration, 
 He  returns  to  Capernaum,  directing  His  course  from  thence  through  the 
 midst  of  Samaria  and  Galilee  ;  then  onward  beyond  Jordan,  bending 
 His  course  towards  Judea,  He  bids  farewell  to  Bethabara  [John  x.  40,  comp. 
 with  i.  28],  and,  having  crossed  the  Jordan  afresh,  He  came  finally  to  Jericho 
 and  Bethany,  Matt,  xvi,  13-xx.  34,  etc. — Harm.,  p.  367. 
 
 *  Consisting  of  about  one  month  and  a  half.' — V.  g. 
 
 *  A  few  weeks  later,  all  the  details  of  the  truth  concerning  Him  were 
 published  on  every  side,  the  restraints  (which  He  had  imposed  on  them,  ver. 
 20)  being  removed.  The  sum  of  all  which  the  disciples  heretofore  learned 
 was  this,  Jesus  is  the  Christ:  This  is  repeated  and  confirmed,  ver.  16, 
 and  furthermore  on  it  this  additional  thesis  is  built,  Christ  shall  suffer, 
 etc.,  which  constitutes  the  sum  and  substance  of  the  rest  of  the  Gospel 
 history. — V.  g. 
 
 *  James  Alting  was  born  at  Heidelberg  in  1618:  he  studied  at  the 
 Academy  of  Groningen,  where  he  attained  distinction  as  a  divine,  a  Hebrew 
 philologist,  and  a  Syriac  scholar.     He  died  in  1679. — (I.  B.) 
 
S20  ST  MATTHEW  XVI.   13. 
 
 consider  the  feelings^  of  the  writer,  the  force  of  the  words,  and 
 the  context. — ri^g  ^/a/Vtou,  Philippi)  Thus  the  inland  Csesarea 
 is  distinguished  from  that  on  the  sea-shore.'^ — rha,  whom) 
 The  disciples  had  profited  by  listening  and  inquiry;  now 
 their  Master  examines  them  by  questioning,  and  gives  an  ex- 
 ample of  catechising. — rh  vihv  raxt  ' AvOpui'^rou,  the  So7i  of  Man) 
 i.e.  Me,  whom  I  myself  am  wont  to  call  the  Son  of  JSIan.  Peter 
 gives  the  right  antithcton  [in  his  reply  ^],  ver.  16  :  Thou  art  the 
 Son  of  tlie  living  God. — Cf.  John  v.  19,  27.  This  title,  the  Son  of 
 Man,  which  frequently  occm's  in  the  Evangelists,  should  be  care- 
 fully observed  :  no  one  was  so  called  but  Christ  Himself,  and  no 
 one,  whilst  He  walked  on  earth,  so  called  Him  except  Himself. 
 He  first  applies  this  appellation  to  Himself  in  John  i.  51,  when 
 they  were  first  found  who  acknowledged  Him  as  the  Messiah 
 and  the  Son  of  God  (ibid.  ver.  50),  and  thenceforth  very  fre- 
 (juently,  both  before  and  after  His  prediction  of  His  Passion. 
 For  they  who  expressed  their  faith  in  Him,  called  Him  the  Son 
 of  David.  The  Jews  rightly  suspected  (John  xii.  34),  that  by 
 this  title  He  claimed  to  be  the  Messiah.  For  as  the  first  Adam, 
 with  all  his  progeny,  is  called  Man,  so  the  second  Adam  (see  1 
 Cor.  XV.  45)  is  called  Son  of  Man,  not  with  that  notion  with 
 which  DlK  ''Jn  (filii  hominis),  i.e.  the  weak,  are  opposed  to 
 ^ii  ''pn  (filii  viri),  i.e.  the  powerful  (in  Ps.  xlix,  (xlviii.)  2) ;  or 
 that  in  which  men  are  called  generally,  sons  of  men  (filii  homt- 
 num),  as  in  Mark  iii.  28 ;  Eph.  iii.  5  ;  Ezek.  ii.  1,  etc. ;  but  with 
 the  article,  6  vihs  rou  ' Av6purrov.  The  article  appears  to  I'efer  to 
 the  prophecy  of  Daniel,  vii.  13.  This,  in  sooth,  is  that  One  Man 
 whom  Adam,  after  the  fall,  expected  by  promise  for  his  whole 
 race  :  o  div-ipog,  the  second  (1  Cor.  xv.  47),  to  whom  every  pro- 
 
 '  Affectua.  See  Author's  Preface,  Sect,  .w.,  and  Translator's  foot-notes 
 in  loc— (I.  B.) 
 
 -  Csesarea  Philippi,  previously  called  Paneas,  was  enlarged  and  adorned 
 by  the  Tctrarch  Philip,  who  gave  it  the  name  df  Cajsarea  in  honour  of  the 
 ICmpcror  Tiberias,  adding  the  cognomen  Philippi  to  distinguish  it  from 
 the  great  Caesarea,  the  Roman  metropolis  of  Judea.  For  further  particulars, 
 see  ICitto's  Scripture  Lands,  and  Lewln's  Life  and  IVritin^s  of  St  Paul. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 *  In  the  original,  "  I'etrus  anlitheton  tangit," — literally,  "Peter  touches  the 
 antitheton,"  a  metaphorical  expression  aj)parcntly  derived  from  shooting  at 
 a  target.— (I.  R.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  14.  321 
 
 phecy  of  the  Old  Testament  pointed,  who  holds  the  rights  and 
 primogeniture  of  the  whole  human  race  (see  Luke  iii.  23,  38), 
 and  to  whom  alone  we  owe  that  we  are  not  ashamed  of  the 
 name  of  man  :  see  Ps.  xlix.  (xlviii.)  20,  and  of.  Rom.  v.  15. 
 Moreover,  our  Lord,  whilst  walking  amongst  men,  by  this  appel- 
 lation, both  expressed,  and  as  suitable  to  the  circumstances  (pro 
 economia)  of  that  time,  concealed  amongst  men  (cf.  ch.  xxii.  45) 
 and  hid  from  Satan  the  fact  that  He  was  6  T'lhg,  the  Son,  abso- 
 lutely so  called,  i.e.  the  Son  of  God  promised  and  given  to  man, 
 Gen.  iii.  15 ;  Isa.  ix.  6  ;  and  sprung  from  man,  Heb.  ii.  11 ;  and 
 at  the  same  time,  as  it  were,  reminded  Himself  of  His  present 
 condition.  Matt.  xx.  28  ;  Phil.  ii.  7,  8.  In  the  same  manner, 
 He  expressed  both  His  cracifixion  and  His  ascension  by  one 
 word,  b-^adu,  I  be  lifted  up,  John  xii.  32.  Neither  is  this  appel- 
 lation suited  only  to  the  state  of  His  humiliation,  but  the  ex- 
 pression, the  Son  of  man,  is  used  for  every  conspicuous  situation 
 of  His,  either  in  humiliation  or  exaltation  ;  see  John  xii.  34, 
 and  compare  therewith,  in  the  following  verse,  the  light  is  ivith 
 you.  And  it  agrees  with  the  very  form  of  His  body,  as  imply- 
 ing youth ;  see  Dan.  vii.  13.  Consider  the  following  pas- 
 sages :— ver.  27,  28 ;  ch.  xii.  32,  xxiv.  27,  30,  37,  39,  44,  xxv. 
 31  ;  Luke  xvii.  22  ;  John  xii.  23-36,  v.  27  ;  Acts  vii.  56. 
 Therefore  also  this  appellation  does  not  once  occur  in  the  whole 
 of  the  twenty-one  apostolic  epistles,  but  instead  of  it,  the  appella- 
 tion, the  Son  of  God;  for  in  Heb.  ii.  6  the  article  is  not  added,  and 
 the  words  are  those  of  David,  not  of  St  Paul,  who  yet  frequently 
 calls  Christ  both  civSpcu'Trog  (homo),  and  civrip  (vir).  See  the 
 Gnomon  on  Rom.  v.  15.  And  even  in  the  Apocalypse  i.  13 
 and  xiv.  14,  as  long  before  in  Dan.  vii.  13,  that  appellation  is 
 only  alluded  to,  not  actually  applied  to  our  Lord.  The  agree- 
 ment of  the  apostles,  even  in  the  case  of  this  single  phrase, 
 shows  that  they  wrote  by  the  same  Divine  inspiration. 
 
 14.  0/  /A£i/ — oiXXoi  ds — 'iripot  di,  some — some — and  others)  It  is 
 not  sufficient  that  we  should  know  the  various  opinions  of  others, 
 we  ought  ourselves  to  have  a  fixed  faith,  which  then  may  make 
 progress,  even  by  the  opinions  of  others,  though  vain  in  them- 
 selves.— ^"iwavcjjv — y\  iva  rojv  'zpo<pr^rujv,  John — or  one  of  the  prophets^ 
 There  is  no  need  to  refer  this  to  the  notion  of  a  metempsychosis 
 believed  by  the  Pharisees  ;  for  they  expected  the  return  of  Elias 
 
 VOL.  I.  X 
 
322  ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  16,  17 
 
 himself  in  person,  -vvho  was  not  dead,  or  tlie  resun-ection  of  the 
 others  fi-om  the  dead  ;^  see  eh.  xiv.  2  :  Luke  ix.  8,  19. — 'Jsfe- 
 aiav,  Jeremiah)  who  was  at  that  time  expected  by  the  Jews. — 
 ha,  one)  i.e.  some  one  indefinitely.  They  did  not  think  that 
 anything  greater  could  come  than  they  had  already  had.  They 
 did  not  compare  Jesus  with  Moses. 
 
 16.  'A-jozpidslg,  answering)  Peter  everywhere,  from  the  warmth 
 of  his  disposition,  took  the  lead  among  the  apostles  in  speaking. — 
 1i[jb'j}v  Usrpog,  Simon  Peter)  On  this  solemn  occasion  his  name 
 and  surname  are  joined.  It  is  clear  that  Simon  acknowledged 
 the  Son  of  God  more  quickly  and  fully,  and  outshone  his  fellow- 
 disciples. — 2j  bJ,  Thou  art)  He  says  firmly,  Thou  art,  not  I  say  that 
 Thou  art.  It  behoved  that  Peter  should  first  believe  this,  and 
 then  hear  it  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration  ;  see  ch.  xvii.  5. 
 Peter  had  already  uttered  a  similar  confession ;  see  John  vi.  69  ; 
 but  tliis  is  mentioned  with  greater  distinction,  since  he  delivered 
 it  after  so  many  temptations,^  on  being  so  solemnly  interro- 
 gated.— 0  XpiffTog,  0  T'log  rou  Qiov  rov  '(fivrog,  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
 the  living  God)  These  two  appellations,  therefore,  are  not 
 exactly  synonymous,  as  John  Locke  ^  pretended,  though  the  one 
 is  implied  in  the  other  (see  Acts  ix.  20)  ;  and  there  is  a  grada- 
 tion here ;  for  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  as  the  Son  of  God  is 
 sublimer  than  that  of  Ilim  as  the  Christ. 
 
 17.  Mazdpiog,  hlessecl)  This  word  signifies  a  condition  not  only 
 blessed,  but  at  the  same  time  rare  ;  see  ch.  xiii.  16.  Jesus  had 
 not  previously  told  llis  disciples  explicitly  that  lie  was  the 
 Christ.  He  had  done  and  said  those  things  by  which,  through 
 the  revelation  of  the  Father,  they  might  recognise  Him  as  the 
 Christ. — S/'/xwv  Bap  'Jma,  Simon  Bar-jona)  This  express  naming 
 siiinifies  that  the  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  His,  and  recalls 
 to  Peter's  remembrance  that  sample  of  omniscience  which  had 
 been  given  to  him  in  John  i.  42  ;  cf.  ibid.  xxi.  15.'* — cap^  -/.a! 
 
 '  The  suspicion  they  frirmed  was  not  that  the  soul  of  Elijah  or  others  had 
 passed  into  the  body  of  Jesus,  according  to  the  Pythagorean  doctrine  of  me- 
 tempsychosis, but  an  actual  return  of  Elijah  in  person,  or  a  resurrection  of 
 the  others  named. — Ed. 
 
 "  John  vii.-x — E.  B. 
 
 '  Tlie  Autlior  of  the  Essay  concerning  "  The  human  understanding;" 
 born  at  Wrington  in  1G32,  died  in  1704.— (I.  B.) 
 
 ■*  Peter  himself  hardly  thought  that  he  was  so  acceptable  [before  God]. 
 
ST  ISIATTHEW  XVI.  18.  323 
 
 fljia,  Jlesh  and  blood)  i.e.  any  man  whatsover ;  flesh  and  blood 
 are  put  by  metonymy^  for  body  and  soul :  see  Eph.  vi.  12  ;  Gal. 
 i.  16.  No  mortal  at  that  time  knew  this  truth  before  Peter;  see 
 ver.  14. — ohx  drrv/AXw^i,  hath  not  revealed)  The  knowledge  of 
 Christ  is  not  obtained  except  by  Divine  revelation  ;  see  ch.  xi. 
 27. — 0  UaTTip  Mov,  x.r./..,  .Ml/  Father,  etc.)  By  these  words  the  sura 
 and  substance  of  Peter's  confession  is  repeated  and  confirmed. 
 The  heavenly  Father  had  revealed  it  to  Peter  by  the  teaching 
 of  Jesus  Christ,  and  thus  inscribed  it  on  the  apostle's  heart. 
 
 18.  2i)  iJ  Ilsrpo:,  thou  art  Peter)  This  corresponds  with  great 
 beauty  to  the  words,  Thou  art  the  Christ.^ — UsTpog,  rr'sTpa,  Peter — 
 rock)  rrBTpo;  elsewhere  signifies  a  stone ;  but  in  the  case  of  Simon, 
 a  rock.  It  was  not  fitting  that  such  a  man  should  be  called 
 U'iTpa,  with  a  feminine  termination  ;  on  the  other  hand,  St 
 Matthew  would  gladly  have  written  f-r/  roirw  tOj  -ttstpm,  if  the 
 idiom  would  have  allowed  it ;  wherefore  these  two,  rrerpa  and 
 '-iTpog,  stand  for  one  name  and  thing,  as  both  words  are  ex- 
 pressed in  Syriac  by  the  one  noun,  Kepha.  Peter  is  here  used 
 as  a  proper  name  ;  for  it  is  not  said.  Thou  shalt  be,  but.  Thou 
 art ;  and  yet  the  appellative  is  at  the  same  time  0]>enly  declared 
 to  denote  a  roch.  The  Church  of  Christ  is  certainly^  (Rev.  xxi. 
 14)  built  on  the  apostles,  inasmuch  as  they  were  the  first  be- 
 lievers, and  the  rest  have  been  added  through  their  labours ;  in 
 which  matter  a  certain  especial  prerogative  was  conspicuous  in 
 the  case  of  Peter,  without  damage  to  the  equality  of  apostolic 
 authority  ;  for  he  first  converted  many  Jews  (Acts  ii.),  he  first 
 admitted  the  Gentiles  to  the  Gospel  (Acts  x.*)  He  moreover 
 was  especially  commanded  to  strengthen  his  brethren,  and  to  feed 
 the  sheep  and  lambs  of  the  Lord.  Nor  can  we  imagine  that  this 
 Illustrious  surname,  elsewhere  commonly  attribvited  to  Christ 
 
 Blessed  is  the  man,  not  he  who  attributes  aught  to  himself  on  his  own  autho- 
 rity, but  whom  the  Lord  pronounces  to  be  blessed. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  See  explanation  of  technical  terms  in  Appendix. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Christ  addresses  His  own,  and  Christ's  own  address  Him  most  becom- 
 ingly throughout  the  whole  of  Stripture. — V.  g. 
 
 ^Eph.  ii.  20.— E.B. 
 
 *  And  the  same  apostle,  in  this  very  passage,  was  superior  to  the  rest  of  the 
 disciples  in  the  fact  of  his  knowledge  and  his  confession,  seeing  that  it  is 
 probable  that  none  of  them  would  have  answered  at  that  time  with  so  great 
 alacrity  as  did  Peter. — V.  g. 
 
321  ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  18. 
 
 Himself,  who  is  also  called  the  Rock,  could  without  the  most 
 important  meaning  have  been  bestowed  on  Peter,  who  in  the 
 list  of  the  apostles  is  called  first,  and  always  put  in  the  first 
 place  ;  see  Matt.  x.  2  ;  see  also  1  Pet.  ii.  4-7.  All  these  things 
 are  said  with  safety,  for  what  have  they  to  do  with  Rome?^  Let 
 the  Roman  rock  beware,  lest  it  fall  under  the  censure  of  ver.  23. 
 — xa/,  x.r.X.,  and,  etc.)  A  most  magnificent  promise,  including, 
 in  difi*erent  ways,  the  gates  of  hell,  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and 
 the  earth. — oixoSo/xrisij,  I  will  huild)  He  does  not  say,  on  this  rock 
 I  WILL  FOUND  ;  for  Peter,  nevertheless,  is  not  the  foundation. 
 The  wise  build  on  a  rock ;  see  ch.  vii.  24. — Mou  rr^v  sxxXr,s!av,  My 
 Church)  A  magnificent  expression  concerning  Jesus,  not  occur- 
 ring elsewhere  in  the  Gospels. — zuXai  adov,  the  gates  of  hell)  The 
 word  TL/Xa/  (gates)  occui's  here  without  the  article.  Heaven  is 
 in  the  next  verse  put  in  opposition  to  ruj  ^dri,  hell,  which  occurs 
 here,  as  in  ch.  xi.  23.  Hell  has  no  power  against  faith  ;  faith 
 has  power  with  reference  to  heaven.^  The  gates  of  hell  (as  else- 
 where, the  gates  of  death)  are  named  also  in  Isa.  xxxviii.  10  ; 
 Wis.  xvi.^3.  Hell,  a:dr,g,  is  exceedingly  strong  (see  Cant.  viii. 
 G) ;  how  much  more  its  gates  ?  The  metaphor  in  "  gates"  is  of  an 
 architectural  kind,  as  in  the  expressions,  "  /  will  huild,"  and 
 "  the  keys"  The  Christian  Church  is  like  a  city  without  walls, 
 and  yet  the  gates  of  hell,  which  assail  it,  shall  never  prevail. 
 The  defences  of  hell,  and  the  fortifications  of  the  world,  corre- 
 sponding to  them,  are  here  intended ;  as,  for  instance,  the  Otto 
 man  Porte,  and  Rome,  where  Erasmus  Schmidt'^  thinks  that 
 the  mouth  of  hell  is ;  that  it  was  opened  in  the  time  of  INIarcus 
 
 *  Whether  Peter  was  for  any  time  at  Rome,  and  that  too  not  in  imprison- 
 ment, is  a  matter  full  of  doubt.  Grant  even  that  he  was :  he  was  so  cer- 
 tainly in  no  other  way  save  as  an  Apostle ;  and  the  Church  planted  there 
 was  blessed  with  its  own  ordinary  ministers.  It  was,  therefore,  to  the  place 
 of  these  latter,  not  to  his  place,  that  the  Bishops  of  subsequent  ages  suc- 
 ceeded, who  afterwards  degenerated  into  Lords  and  Popes. — V.  g, 
 
 *  In  the  original,  "Contra  tidem  nil  potest  infernus:  fides  potest  in 
 coelum  :"  where  the  proposition  "  eV  implies  ulso  «ic/<io?«,  ox  progress  towards 
 heaven. — (I.  B.) 
 
 "•  Even  to  heaven." — Ed. 
 
 *  Erasmus  Schmidt  was  a  learned  Philologist,  born  in  Misnia  in  15G0. 
 lie  became  eminent  for  his  skill  in  Greek  and  in  Matliematics,  of  both  ot 
 which  he  was  Professor  at  Wittenberg,  where  he  died  in  IG37. — (I.  V>.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  19.  325 
 
 Ourtius,  and  will  be  opened  again  hereafter,  when  the  prophecy 
 in  Rev.  xix.  20  is  fulfilled.  "  Rome,"  he  says,  "  is  situated 
 very  near  those  parts  of  Italy  where,  before  the  foundation  of 
 Rome,  Homer  makes  his  Ulysses  descend  to  hell,  and  where, 
 after  the  foundation  of  Rome,  without  the  intervention  of  any 
 o-reat  distance,  Virgil  makes  his  ^neas  do  the  same.  But  lest 
 I  should  appear  to  wish  to  plead  on  poetical  credit  (although 
 tliese  poetical  assertions  may  be  regarded  like  the  prediction  of 
 Caiaphas),  attend  to  historical  testimony  : — In  the  middle  of 
 the  Roman  Forum,  once  upon  a  time,  if  we  are  to  credit  Livy 
 and  other  Roman  writers,  the  hell,  which  you  (Papists)  place  in 
 the  bowels  of  the  earth,  opened  its  mouth,  and  that  chasm  could 
 not  be  filled  up  with  any  amount  of  earth  thrown  in,  until 
 Marcus  Curtius,  armed,  and  on  horseback,  leapt  in — in  order, 
 forsooth,  that  as  the  heaven  received  Enoch  and  Elijah  alive,  so 
 liell  might  receive  this  Curtius  alive,  as  the  first  fruits,  by  these 
 gates  of  hell  then  opened  in  the  middle  of  the  Roman  Forum, 
 which  will,  without  doubt,  again  be  opened  by  Divine  power, 
 when  the  beast  and  the  false  prophet  shall  be  cast  alive  into 
 the  lake  of  fire  burning  with  sulphur,  as  is  foretold  in  Rev. 
 xix.  20." 
 
 19.  Awcw  soi,^  I  will  give  thee)  The  future  tense.  Christ  Him- 
 self, after  His  glorification,  received  the  keys  economically.^ 
 See  Rev.  i.  18,  and  German  exposition  of  the  Apocalypse.  Our 
 Lord  afterwards  gave  the  keys,  which  He  here  promised,  to 
 Peter,  not  alone,  but  first  in  order  of  time  (cf.  Luke  v.  10)  ; 
 since  Peter  was  the  first  who,  after  the  resurrection  of  Christ, 
 exercised  the  apostolical  office  ;  see  Acts  i.  15,  ii.  14.  If  the 
 keys  had  been  given  exclusively  to  Peter,  and  the  Bishop  of 
 Rome  after  him,  and  not  to  the  other  apostles  also,  even  after 
 the  death  of  Peter,  the  Bishop  of  Rome  should  have  acted  as 
 "pastor  to  the  other  apostles. — rag  xKiTg,  the  keys)  Keys  denote 
 
 I  The  margin  of  Ed.  2  makes  the  reading  aol  luau  equal  in  authority  to 
 oma  aol. — E.  B. 
 
 Ba,  Rec.  Text,  Origen  3,525a,  529(?,  530a,  support  llxru  uol.  D6c  Vulg. 
 Cypr.  support  aol  "homu. — Ed. 
 
 '-^  i.e.  As  Christ,  without  any  derogation  to  His  proper  Divinity. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  CEconomice,'  in  conformity  with  the  Mediatorial  economy,  which  ap- 
 pertains to  Ilim. — Ed. 
 
32G  ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  19. 
 
 authority.  Tertullian,  in  his  work  on  fasting,  ch.  15,  says, 
 Apostolus  claves  macelli  till  tradidit :  the  apostle^  has  given  thee 
 the  keys  of  the  meat  marlcet,  where  he  alludes  to  1  Cor.  x.  25. 
 The  keys  are  available  for  two  purposes,  to  close  and  to  open  ;  the 
 keys  themselves  are  not  said  to  be  two.^  One  and  the  same  key 
 closes  and  opens  in  Rev.  iii.  7.  The  Jews  declare  that  a  thou- 
 sand keys  were  given  to  Enoch.  See  James  Alting's  Hist,  pro- 
 mot,  acad.  Hebr.  p.  107. — r^s  jSaaiXelag  rZv  o\jpix\/ojv,  of  the  kingdom 
 of  heaven)  He  does  not  say  of  the  Church,  nor  of  the  kingdoms  of 
 the  world. — dyi<frig,  Ausr,:,  thou  shalt  hind — thou  shalt  loose)  The 
 keys  denote  the  whole  office  of  Peter.  By  the  expressions, 
 therefore,  of  binding  and  loosing,^  are  comprehended  all  those 
 tilings  which  Peter  performed  in  virtue  of  the  name  of  Jesus 
 Christ,  and  through  faith  in  that  name,  by  his  apostolic  autho- 
 rity, by  teaching,  convincing,  exhorting,  forbidding,  permitting 
 (see  Tertullian,  already  quoted),  consoling,  remitting  (see  Matt, 
 xviii.  18,  15;  John  xx.  23)  ;  by  healing,  as  in  Acts  iii.  7,  ix. 
 34 ;  by  raising  from  the  dead,  as  in  Acts  ix.  41  (cf.  ibid.  ii.  24)  ; 
 by  punishing,  ibid.  v.  5  ;  cf.  1  Cor.  v.  5  ;  he  himself  records,  in 
 Acts  XV.  8,  an  instance  of  a  matter  performed  on  earth  and 
 sanctioned  in  heaven.  It  is  advisable  to  compare  with  this 
 ])assage  that  in  Matt,  xviii.  18,  and  Avith  both  of  them  the  third 
 in  John  xx.  23.  In  this  passage,  to  Peter  alone,  after  uttering 
 his  confession  concerning  Jesus  Christ,  the  authority  is  pro- 
 mised, first  of  binding,  and  secondly  of  loosing  sins,  and  what- 
 soever is  included  under  that  authority ;  and  this  is  done  as  it 
 were  enigmatically,  it  not  being  expressed  what  things  were  to 
 be  bound  and  loosed,  because  the  disciples  were  not  yet  capable 
 of  understanding  so  wonderful  a  matter ;  see  Luke  ix.  54.  In 
 chapter  xviii.,   after  our  Lord's"  transfiguration,    the  disciples, 
 
 1  Sc.  St  Paul.— (I.  B.) 
 
 "  The  keys  of  the  market,"  i.e.  the  free  use  of  authority  to  buy  and  eat 
 \vhatever  meat  is  sold  in  it. — Ed. 
 
 -  More  keys,  in  fact,  may  be  accounted  to  have  been  delivered  to  Peter. 
 Hence  it  was  that  willi  so  great  efficacy  he  opened  the  entrance  into  the 
 kingdom  of  heaven  to  the  Jews  and  Gentiles.  Comp.  the  opposite  case  [of 
 the  Pharisees,  who  shut  tip  the  kingdom  of  heaven  against  men],  ch.  xxiii.  4, 
 13  ;  Luke  xi.  52.— V.  g. 
 
 '  These  words  as  to  binding  and  loosing  do  not  properly  apply  to  the  keys, 
 but  yet  have  a  close  connection  with  the  use  of  the  ki  y», — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  20.  327 
 
 who  had  made  some  progress  in  faith,  are  invested  in  common 
 with  the  authority,  first  of  binding,  and  secondly  of  loosing,  the 
 offences  of  their  brethren,  but  most  especially  of  loosing  them  by 
 prayers  in  the  name  of  Christ.  In  John  xx.,  after  His  resur- 
 rection, our  Lord  having  breathed  njyoii  His  disciples,  gives  them 
 the  authority,  firstly  of  remitting,  and  secondly  of  retaining 
 sins  ;  for  thus  are  the  words  and  their  order^  changed  after  the 
 opening  of  the  gate  of  salvation.  The  greatest  part  of  the 
 apostolic  authority  regards  sins  (cf.  Hosea  xiii.  12).  The  remain- 
 ing particulars  are  contained  in  this  discourse  by  synecdoche. 
 It  is  not  foreign  to  our  present  purpose  to  compare  a  passage  of 
 Aristophanes  as  to  the  use  of  the  verb  xUiv — Frogs  ;  Act  ii. 
 scene  6,  Epirrhema^  [Ed.  Dindorf,  691], — a/V/ai/  hJ-Tsi,  atsai 
 raj  'Tponpov  a/a,apr/aj  (xpjj) — i'C.  "  we  OUglit  to  forgive  (or  ixmit) 
 the  faults  of  those  who  explain  the  cause  of  them." 
 
 20.  Mnhivt,  to  no  one)  Jesus  had  not,  even  to  His  apostles, 
 said  that  He  was  the  Christ,  but  He  left  it  that  they  might  dis- 
 cover it  themselves  from  the  testimony  of  facts.  It  was  not 
 suitable,  therefore,  that  that  should  be  openly  told  by  the  apostles 
 to  others  before  His  resurrection,  which  was  to  coiToborate  the 
 ivhole  testimony  to  the  fact  of  His  being  the  Christ.^  For 
 iie  who  injudiciously  propounds  a  mystery  to  those  who  do  not 
 comprehend  it,  injures  both  himself  and  others.  Had  they  done 
 so,  those  who  believed  in  any  way  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ 
 might  have  sought  for  an  earthly  kingdom  with  seditious  up- 
 roar ;  whilst  the  rest,  and  by  far  the  greater  number,  might  have 
 rejected  such  a  Messiah  at  that  time  more  vehemently,  and  have 
 been  guilty  of  greater  sin  in  crucifying  Him,  so  as  to  have  had 
 the  door  of  repentance  less  open  to  them  for  the  future.  After- 
 wards,* the  apostles  openly  bore  witness  to  this  truth. — o  XpiSTog, 
 the  Christ)  Soon  after  the  disciples  had  acknowledged  and  con- 
 fessed that  Jesus  was  the  Christ,  He  exhibited  to  them  His 
 
 1  The  order  before  had  been — 1.  Binding  (answering  to  retaining);  2. 
 Loosing  (answering  to  remitting).     The  order  is  now  reversed. — Ed. 
 
 *  In  old  comedy,  a  speech,  usually  of  Trochaic  tetrameters,  spoken  by  the 
 Coryphaeus  after  the  Parabasis.     Liddell  and  Scott,  q.  v. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  Inasmuch  as  even  Peter  himself  could  hardly  have  reconciled  the  doc- 
 trine concerning  the  Son  of  Gon  with  that  of  His  Passion. — Harm.,  p.  369. 
 
 *  And  that,  too,  after  the  lapse  of  but  a  few  intervening  weeks, — Harm.i 
 p.  369. 
 
S2«  ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  21. 
 
 transfiguration  (ch.  xvii.  1-5),  and  openly  spoke  of  Himself 
 among  them  as  the  Christ ;  see  Mark  ix.  41,  and  John  xvii.  3. 
 21.  'Ato  r&Vf,  at  that  time  and  thenceforward — rif^aro,  y..r.A., 
 began,  etc.)  It  is  clear,  therefore,  that  He  had  not  shown  it 
 them  before.^  The  Gospel  may  be  divided  into  two  parts,  from 
 which  the  Divine  plan  of  Jesus  shines  forth.  The  first  pro- 
 position is,  Jesus  is  the  Christ;  the  second,  Christ  must  suffer, 
 die,  and  rise  again  (of.  John  xvi.  30,  31,  32),  or  more  briefly, 
 Christ  by  death  will  enter  into  glory.  Jesus  first  convinced  His 
 disciples  of  the  first  proposition  (de  snbjecto)  :^  in  consequence 
 of  which  they  were  bound  to  believe  Him  concerning  the  second 
 (de  prsedicato),  even  before  His  passion.  After  His  ascension, 
 the  people  first  learnt  the  second  proposition  (praedicatum),  and 
 thence  v^'ere  convinced  of  the  first  (de  subjecto) ;  see  Acts 
 xvii.  3.  As  soon  as  Jesus  had  persuaded  His  disciples  of  the 
 first  proposition  (ver.  16),  He  added  the  second.^  Afterwards 
 He  led  them  to  the  mountain  of  Transfiguration.*  The  order 
 of  the  evangelic  harmony  is  of  great  importance  with  regard  to 
 the  observing  of  these  things.  Men  frequently  teach  all 
 things  at  once  :  Divine  wisdom  acts  far  otherwise. — hixvUiv, 
 to  show),  i.e.  openly. — on  hu  Ahrh  aTsXdeTv,  that  He  must  go)  and 
 at  the  same  time  relinquish  that  mode  of  living  to  which  the 
 disciples  had  become  habituated. — '?ra6uv,  to  suffer)  When  aught 
 of  glory  accrued  to  Jesus,  as  in  this  instance  by  the  confession 
 of  Peter,  then  He  was  especially  wont  to  make  mention  of  His 
 approaching  passion.  This  first  announcement  mentions  His 
 passion  and  death  generally  ;  the  second,  in  ch.  xvii.  22,  23, 
 
 '  Except  in  covert  [enigmatical]  words. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  "  De  subjecto,"  "  de  praidicjito,"  lit.  "  of  the  subject,"  "  of  the  pradi- 
 cate."  I  have  ventured  to  render  the  passage  in  language  more  generally 
 intelligible— (I.  B.) 
 
 3  Viz.,  In  ver.  21,  etc.,  as  to  His  suffering,  death,  and  resurrection. — Ed. 
 
 *  Where  the  same  voice  sounded  from  heaven,  as  before  His  baptism, 
 "  This  is  my  Beloved  Son ;"  there  being  added  the  Epiphoncma,  or  appended 
 exhortation,  "  Hear  Him."  To  wit,  lie  was  to  be  heard,  or  given  heed  to, 
 especially  in  regard  to  those  things  which  had  constituted  the  main  subject 
 of  the  conversation  very  recently  held  on  the  mountain  (between  the 
 Lord  and  Moses  and  Elias,  Luke  ix.  31),  concerning  his  approaching 
 "  decease  at  Jerusalem" — concerning  His  Passion,  I  say,  His  Death  and  Ilia 
 Resurrection. — Harm..,  p.  370. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  22,  23.  S29 
 
 iidds  His  being  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  sinners ;  the  third, 
 in  ch.  XX.  17—19,  at  length  expresses  His  stripes,  cross,  etc. 
 The  first  was  nearer  in  point  of  time  to  the  second,  than  the 
 second  to  the  third. — -Trpsa^vrspuv,  ap^npsuv,  ypa/LL/MaTsuv,  elders — 
 'chief  priests — scribes)  Three  classes  of  those  who  ought  to  have 
 led  the  people  to  the  Messiah ;  corresponding  nearly  to  the 
 Council  of  Justice,  the  Consistory,  and  the  Theological  Faculty 
 of  modem  times. — sytpdnvai,  to  be  raised)  He  adds  nothing  yet 
 of  His  ascension.  By  degrees,  all  further  and  later  particulars 
 are  disclosed  ;  see  ver.  27. 
 
 22.  upoffXalSofiivog,  taking  hold  of)  as  if  he  had  a  right  to  do 
 so.  He  acted  with  greater  familiarity  after  his  declaration  of 
 acknowledgment.  Jesus  however  reduces  him  to  his  proper 
 level ;  cf.  Luke  ix.  28,  48,  49,  54,  55. — o  Jlirpog,  Peter)  The 
 same  mentioned  in  ver.  IQ}  Reason  endures  more  easily  the 
 general  proposition  concerning  the  person  of  Christ,  than  the 
 word  of  the  Cross.  Sudden  changes  occur  in  Peter,  in  ver.  IG, 
 22,  and  ch.  xvii.  4.  Thence  he  bears  witness  fi'om  experience  to 
 the  truth,  that  we  are  preserved  by  the  power  of  God  (1  Pet.  i.  5), 
 not  our  own. — rlp^aro,  he  began)  He  had  received  the  other 
 doctrines  without  making  any  objection. — i'Xswg  2o/,  propitious 
 unto  Thee)  sc.  May  God  be.  An  abbreviated  formulary.  Thus 
 in  1  Mac.  ii.  21,  we  meet  with  'iXsMg  n/jbTv  %a.Takii:i7v  vCimv,  God 
 forbid  that  we  should  forsake  the  law.  And  thus  the  LXX.  some- 
 times express  the  Hebrew  Tb'hn-^ 
 
 23.  "T'jayi,  depart)  It  is  not  your  place  to  take  hold  of  and 
 rebuke  Me.  By  how  much  the  more  He  had  declared  Peter 
 1)lessed,  by  so  much  the  more  does  He  now  reprove  him  who 
 was  previously  prepared  by  faith  to  digest  the  reproof^  in  order 
 that  He  may  both  correct  him  and  preserve  the  other  disciples  ; 
 see  ver.  24. — ot/Vco  Mov,  behind  Me^)  out  of  My  sight.  He  had 
 commanded  Satan  to  do  the  same  ;  see  ch.  iv.  10. —  "larava,  Satan) 
 
 1  There  being  thus  afforded  a  remarkable  specimen  of  how  easy  it  is  for 
 one  to  stumble  [to  be  offended  with  the  humbling  truths  as  to  Christ]  the 
 more  grievously  [in  proportion  as  one  had  the  more  boldly  avowed  the  truth 
 before]. — V.  g. 
 
 2  As  in  2  Sam.  xx.  20.— (I.  B.) 
 
 •"  It  becomes  thee  not  to  be  My  adviser,  but  My  follo'-ver  [ii^icu  llw\. 
 —V.  ". 
 
330  ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  24. 
 
 an  appellative.  Cf.  John  vi.  70,  where  our  Lord  says,  concern- 
 ing Judas  Iscariot,  xa/  s^  bfiSJv  iTg  did3o7,6;  icT/v,  and  one  of  you  it 
 a  devil. — But  cf.  Gnomon  on  Rev.  xii.  9. — Peter  thought  him- 
 self  very  kind  when  he  said  /"Xew^,  x.r.X.,  but  yet  he  is  called 
 Satan  for  so  doing.  Cf.  2  Sam.  xix.  22,  where  |d*c»  signifies  one 
 who  puts  himself  in  the  way  as  a  hinderance.^ — G-A.avoaXov  Moy, 
 My  stumbling-block')  i.e.  thou  dost  not  only  stumble  or  take  of- 
 fence at  My  words,  but,  if  it  were  possible,  thou  wouldst  furnish 
 Me  with  a  hurtful  stumbling-block  by  thy  words.  This  is  said 
 with  the  utmost  force,  and  declares  the  reason  of  our  Lord's 
 swift  severity  towards  Peter .^  If  anything  could  have  been 
 able  to  touch  the  soul  of  Jesus,  the  words  of  the  disciple  would 
 have  been  more  dangerous  than  the  assaults  of  the  tempter, 
 mentioned  in  the  fourth  chapter  of  this  Gospel.  Cf.  Gnomon 
 on  Heb.  iv.  15. — Rock  and  stumbling-block  (lapis  offensionis,]it. 
 stumbling  stone)  are  put  antithetically.  Our  Lord  sends  away 
 behind  Him  the  stumbling-block  placed  before  His  feet.— rd 
 ToZ  QioZ,  the  things  of  God)  sc.  the  precious  word  of  the  Cross. 
 The  perception  of  Jesus  is  always  divine.* — rwi/  d'JpdJ'ruv,  of  men) 
 the  same  as  flesh  and  blood  in  ver.  17. 
 
 24.  QsXsi,  K.T.X.,  wishes,  etc.)  No  one  is  compelled;  but  if  he 
 %vishes  to  do  so,  he  must  submit  to  the  conditions. — dm'gai  Mo-j 
 iXkTv,  to  come  after  Me)  This  denotes  the  state  and  profession, 
 as  dxoXovOsiTu  {let  him  follow)  does  the  duty,  of  a  disciple.'^ — d'zap- 
 V7}(rdffda,  let  him  abnegate,  or  utterly  deny)  Weigh  well  the  force  of 
 
 ^  Where  David  so  calls  the  sons  of  Zeruiah. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  E.  V.  «  An  offence  unto  Me."— (I.  B.) 
 
 '  In  this  way  the  Saviour  repelled,  at  the  very  moment  of  their  approach, 
 all  things  whatever  might  have  been  a  siiimhling-lloclt  or  offence,  ]ust  as  fire 
 repels  water  which  approaches  very  close  to  it,  but  which  cannot  possibly 
 mix  with  it. — V.  g. 
 
 *  The  Cross  is  a  stumbling-block  to  the  world  :  the  things  which  are  op- 
 posed to  the  Cross  were  a  stumbling-block  (offence)  to  Christ.  This  feeling 
 and  perception  concerning  the  '  suffering'  of  Christ,  and  of  those  who  belong 
 to  Christ,  and  concerning  the  'glory'  which  follows  thereupon  [1  Pet.  i.  II], 
 Peter  cherished  at  a  subsequent  time,  as  his  own  first  Epistle  abundantly 
 testifies. — V.  g. 
 
 *  "  Id  denotat  statuni  et  professionem ;  sequatur,  officium."  For  a  person 
 may  go  after  or  behind  another  without  fidlowing  in  his  steps.  In  the  one 
 case,  he  appears  and  professes  to  walk  in  his  steps  ;  in  the  other,  he  really 
 does  so:  the  one  implies  profession — the  other  involves  practice. — CI.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  25-27.  331 
 
 the  word  in  ch.  xxvi.  70.  To  abnegate  is  to  renounce  oneself. 
 Tims,  in  Tit.  ii.  12,  we  have  the  simple  word  apviTadai,  to  deny ; 
 in  Luke  xiv.  33,  a'Trordaais&ai,  to  set  apart  from  himself — to  hid 
 farewell  to,  or  forsahe.  These  expressions  are  contrasted  with 
 oij.o'koyicc,  confession,  or  accordant  prof ession ;  see  Heb.  x.  23.^ — 
 xal  dzoXovkiTUj  Moi,  and  follow  Me)  that  he  may  be  where  I  am. 
 
 25.  QiXp — ffojffa/,  shall  wish — to  save)  It  is  not  said,  "  shall 
 save" — ■^^ux'^'^y  soul)  The  soul  is  the  man  in  his  animal  and 
 human  capacity. — <sugai,  to  save)  sc.  naturally. — a-rroXseci,  shall 
 lose)  sc.  spiritually,  or  even  corporeally. — a^rroXsgri,  will  lose)  sc. 
 natui'ally,  having  cast  away  all  egoism^  by  self-abnegation.  It 
 is  not  said,  shall  wish  to  lose. — svithv  'E/mv,  for  My  sake)  This  is 
 the  object  of  self-abnegation  :  but  many  from  other  causes  lose 
 their  lives,  sc.  for  their  own  sake,  or  that  of  the  world. — i'oprt<Sii, 
 shall  find)  In  St  Mark  and  St  Luke  it  is  so^an,  shall  save,  shall 
 save  sc.  spiritually,  or  even  corporeally.  The  world  is  full  of 
 danger.  The  soul  that  is  saved  is  something  that  has  been 
 found. 
 
 2Q.  Toi/  x(j(SiJ.ov  oXov,  the  ivhole  world)  No  one  has  ever  yet 
 gained  the  whole  world  ;  yet,  if  he  should  gain  it,  what  would  it 
 profit  him  ? — 4'^x^'^}  soul)  True  wisdom  refers  everything  to 
 the  interest  of  the  soul ;  false,  to  that  of  the  body. — r/  duan, 
 what  shall  he  give  ?)  The  world  is  not  enough.^ — dvruX7^ay/j.a, 
 as  an  equivalent,  lat.  redhostimentum)  which  ought  not  to  be  of 
 less  value  than  the  soul  for  which  it  is  given. 
 
 27.  MsXXsi  ipyja&ai,  is  about  to  come)  A  stronger  expression 
 than  sXiudirai,  will  come.  As  the  teaching  concerning  the  per- 
 son of  Christ  is  immediately  followed  by  that  concerning  His 
 Cross,  so  is  the  latter  by  that  concerning  His  glory. — ron,  then) 
 
 ^  Peter  disowns  himself,  when  he  suffers  himself  to  do  that  which  he  had  done 
 in  the  disowning  of  Christ.  When  the  human  feelings  of  Peter  desire  this  or 
 that  thing,  Peter  retorts — I  do  not  know  Peter  any  longer ;  there  is  no  rela- 
 tionship at  all  between  me  and  him,  nor  is  it  evident  to  me  what  the  man 
 means  or  intends.  Whoever  has  gained  such  power  against  himself,  to  him 
 the  Cross  is  anything  but  irksome,  and  there  is  nothing  sweeter  than  the 
 following  of  Christ. — V.  g. 
 
 -'  "  Suitate."—(l.  B.) 
 
 »  The  whole  world  is  not  enough  as  a  ransom  to  redeem  the  one  soul  of 
 even  one  man.  But  what  a  vast  multitude,  in  truth,  Christ  redeemed  by  His 
 own  blood,  namely,  the  whole  world ! — V.  g. 
 
832  ST  MATTHEW  XVI.  28. 
 
 All  things  are  put  off  till  then. — uToduian  v/Aarw,  He  loill  reyider 
 to  each  individiial)  This  is  the  attribute  of  Divine  Majesty  ;  see 
 Rom.  ii.  6.' — '^rpa^iv,  action,  conduct,  doing)  The  word  is  put  in 
 the  singular,  for  the  whole  life  of  man  is  one  doing.^ 
 
 28.  Tivlg,  some)  Our  Lord  does  not  mention  them  by  name ; 
 and  it  was  profitable  for  them  not  to  know  that  they  were  the 
 persons  meant.^  Peter  then  scarcely  hoped  that  he  would  be 
 one  of  them. — wSs,  here)  A  strikingly  demonstrative  particle. — 
 £w?  av  "dijffi,  until  they  see)  Something  is  indicated  which  was  to 
 happen,  but  not  immediately  (otherwise  all,  or  nearly  all,  would 
 liave  lived  to  that  time),  but  yet  something  which  would  take 
 place  in  that  generation  of  men.  This  terin  (terminus)  or  period 
 has  various  intervals  :  the  vision,  or  seeing,  various  degrees  up  to 
 the  death  of  those  who  saw  it,  which  followed  at  various  times : 
 cf.  in  Luke  ii.  26,  the  expression  -r^/V  ri  '/dri,  before  he  had  seen, 
 used  with  regard  to  Simeon.  And  the  advent  of  the  Son  of 
 Man  advanced  another  step  before  the  death  of  James  (see  Acts 
 ii.  36,  and  passim  till  xii.  2,  and  cf.  Heb.  ii.  5,  6,  7)  ;  another 
 before  the  death  of  Peter  (see  2  Pet.  i.  14,  19,  and  Luke 
 xxi.  31)  ;  another,  and  that  the  highest,  before  the  death  of 
 John,  in  the  most  magnificent  revelation  of  His  coming,  which 
 the  beloved  disciple  has  himself  described  (see  Gnomon  on  John 
 xxi.  22) ;  a  revelation  to  which  the  event  foretold  will  corres- 
 pond ;  see  ver.  27,  and  ch.  xxvi.  64.  And  a  previous  proof  of 
 this  matter  was  given  in  a  week*  from  this  time  on  the  Mount 
 of  Transfiguration  ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  out  of  all  the  dis- 
 ciples those  were  chosen  who  should  most  especially  see  it.  It  is 
 beyond  question,  that  those  three^  who  witnessed  our  Lord's 
 transfiguration  were  peculiarly  favoured  with  reference  to  the 
 subsequent  manifestations  of  His  glory.  This  saying  of  our 
 Lord  appears  to  have  been  referred  to,  but  not  rightly  under- 
 
 1  There  is  most  frequent  recurrence  of  this  expression  in  Scripture. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  From  which,  according  as  it  is  subject  to  Christ  or  to  the  belly,  many 
 works  continually,  and  as  a  natural  consequence,  cither  good  or  else  bad,  come 
 forth  (result) V.  g. 
 
 ^  And  He  may  have  thereby  also  at  the  same  time  sharpened  others. 
 -V.  g. 
 
 *  "  After  six  days,"  chap.  xvii.  1. — Ed. 
 
 ■'  Of  whom  James,  in  the  year  44,  Peter  in  67,  John  in  102,  are  generally 
 said  to  have  died. — Harm.,  p.  372. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVII.  1,  2.  333 
 
 stood,  by  those  who  imagined  that  the  last  day  was  near  at  hand. 
 — rhv  T'tbv  Tou  '  AwdpuiTou  spy^u/xivov,  the  Son  of  Man  coming)  His  con- 
 spicuous coming  to  judgment  (see  Gnomon  on  ver.  13)  is  meant, 
 which  would  begin  to  follow  immediately  after  His  ascension. 
 
 CHAPTER   XVII. 
 
 1.  'H/J>ipag  sj,  aS^.^  days)  St  Luke  says,  ijcei  rj/Mspai  oxtoj,  as  it 
 were,  about,  eight  days ;  enumerating  the  days  both  of  the  word 
 and  the  deed.  This  definition  of  time  intimates  some  connec- 
 tion with  what  has  just  preceded.  The  teaching  concerning  the 
 Son  of  God,  and  His  departure,  or  Passion,  was  confirmed  bv 
 the  Transfiguration. — vapaXa/u^jSavti,  taketh  with  Him)  Our  Lord 
 knew  what  was  about  to  happen  on  the  Mount. — 6  'insou?,  Jesus) 
 As  the  name  of  Jesus  is  introduced  here  to  indicate  the  com- 
 mencement of  a  new  portion  of  the  Gospel  history,  it  is  clear 
 that  the  declaration  in  ch.  xvi.  28  does  not  refer  exclusively  to 
 the  Transfiguration. — rov  Hsrpov  xai  'laxw^Sov  xai  loodi/vriv,  rov 
 adsX<pov  auTov,  Peter  and  James,  and  John  his  brother)  St  Matthew 
 candidly  relates  those  circumstances  also  in  which  other  apostles 
 were  preferred  to  himself.  The  writings  of  Peter  and  John, 
 who  were  present  on  the  occasion,  are  extant :  the  former  men- 
 tions this  event  in  his  second  epistle  (2  Pet.  i.  17,  18)  :  the 
 latter  takes  it  for  granted,^  as  a  thing  well  known,  and  attested 
 by  sufficient  evidence.  Cf.  on  the  choice  of  the  three  apostles 
 here  selected,  ch.  xxvi.  37. — Spog,  a  mountain)  The  name  of  the 
 mountain  is  not  mentioned,  and  thereby  superstition  is  pre- 
 vented. Several  very  remarkable  divine  manifestations  have 
 been  made  on  mountains ;  see  Acts  vii.  30,  38.  The  opinion 
 which  regards  Tabor  as  the  scene  of  the  transfiguration  is 
 specious.     See  Jer.  xlvi.  18. 
 
 2.  Miri,'xop(puidri,  was  transfigured)  This  verb  implies  that  our 
 Lord  had  always  possessed  the  glory  within  Himself.    The  force 
 
 1  No  doubt  the  transfiguration  was  included  in  the  reference,  John  i.  ]  4, 
 "  We  beheld  His  ffloiy,  the  glory  as  of  the  Only  begotten  of  the  Father,  fiiU 
 of  grace  and  truth." — Ed. 
 
334  ST  MATTHEW  XVII.  3. 
 
 of  the  verb  ixiraGyjtiMaTi''(^ia&ai  is  different,  as  in  Phil.  ni. 
 21  and  2  Cor.  xi.  14 ;  cf.  also  the  distinction  between  /^opf  ii 
 and  6-/}\iJ^a.)  in  Phil.  ii.  6,  7,  8.^ — pSg,  liglii)  inferior  to  that 
 of  the  sun;^  for  His  garments  diluted  the  splendour  of  His 
 body. 
 
 3.  "flf  ^?;(rav,  appeared')  sc.  wdth  their  bodies. — Mwff^g  y.ai  'ivJac, 
 Moses  and  JElias)  The  departure  of  each  of  them  from  this 
 world  had  been  singular  :  each  of  them  was  remarkable  for 
 revelations  vouchsafed  to  him  on  Mount  Sinai  and  Horeb. 
 Both  of  them  are  mentioned  together  in  Mai.  iv.  4,  5.  It  is 
 probable  that  Moses  was  raised  to  life  immediately  on  his  death 
 and  burial,  so  that  he  was  not  dead  whilst  Elias  was  living  in 
 heaven  :  he  certainly,  after  his  decease,  entered  the  land  of  pro- 
 mise, in  which  this  holy  mountain  w^as  situated.  And  yet  Christ, 
 not  Moses,  is  the  aitapyji^  the  primitis,  the  first-fruits.  The 
 resuscitation  of  Moses  does  not  confer  life  upon  others  ;  that  of 
 Christ  does.  This  appearance,  however,  of  Moses  alive  from 
 the  dead,  is  full  of  mystery.  Yfho  will  venture  to  assert  that 
 he  had  already  obtained  immortality  (a^amff/a),  and  did  not 
 receive  any  advancement  in  bliss  (^(So.riuffig)  after  the  resurrec- 
 tion of  Christ  ?  ^   Oh,  how  many  things  there  are  in  the  world  of 
 
 ^  Sc.  ev  f^op(f:yi  ©foD  vTTo.px'''''' — f^op(p'hv  oov'Kov  Xxfiuv — x,oit  a'x,Yji/,»ri  lups^iis 
 us  olu^puTTO^. 
 
 Moo?)-^,  forma^  according  to  Beng.  1.  c,  expresses  something  absolute. 
 '^xviy.ct.^  habitus,  refers  to  the  aspect  and  feeling  (refertur  ad  aspectum  et 
 sensum).  I  think  as  habitus  is  from  haheo,  so  axyiy-cc  from  exu,  aycu ;  and 
 therefore  (jyji^u  is  the  whole  external  condition  of  man,  as  seen  in  his /or»i 
 {fiop(P'}i)-,  gesture,  and  gait, — the  bearing  and  state  of  a  man. — Ed. 
 
 2  Whereas  His  face  shone  as  the  sun^  His  raiment  was  only  white  as  the 
 light. — Ed. 
 
 ^  On  the  first  day  of  the  month  Adar,  according  to  Joscphus,  B.  IV.  Ant., 
 at  the  end,  Moses  died  (comp.  Dent,  xxxiv.  8 ;  Josh,  i,  11,  iv.  19).  Beng. 
 had  mentioned  this  in  Harm.  Ev.,  Ed.  i.  on  this  passage,  and  had  noticed  that 
 Clirist's  transfiguration  had  taken  place  at  the  same  time  of  year,  in  the  pre- 
 sence of  Moses ;  subjoining  a  caution,  that  though  this  remark  might  not  seem 
 to  have  much  weight,  yet  it  was  possible  it  might  be  of  rise  to  some  hereafter. 
 Shortly  after,  some  one  appealed  to  the  transfiguration  of  Clirist  as  having 
 occurred  in  the  month  of  September,  as  a  ground  of  expecting  the  coming  of 
 Moses  and  Elias  in  the  month  of  September  a.d.  1737  :  an  error  which  this 
 observation  of  Beng.,  however  minute  and  overstrained  it  may  seem  to 
 some,  might  have  served  to  refute.  See  Harm.  Ev.  Ed.  ii.,  pp.  375,  37C. 
 — E.  B. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVll.  4,  5.  S35 
 
 glory  above  our  comprehension  !  If  this  appearance  of  Moses 
 and  Elias  were  not  mentioned  in  the  canonical  Scriptures, 
 although  attested  by  other  sufficient  witnesses,  who  would  not 
 consider  it  as  a  fable  1 — /ast  Aut-ou  eDXXa7.oZ\irsc^  conversing  with 
 Hirri)  There  is  no  pleonasm.^  Each  of  them  conversed  with 
 Jesus.  A  conversation  of  the  highest  importance  (colloquiima 
 maximum).  Moses  stood  at  the  end  of  the  first  dispensation,^ 
 Elias,  in  the  middle  of  the  middle  dispensation  ;  Jesus,  on  tlie 
 threshold  of  the  last.  They  bear  witness  to  the  true  Messiah, 
 and  to  Him  only. — /xsr  Ahroy,  with  Him)  They  conversed  with 
 Him  only,  not  with  the  three  apostles. 
 
 4.  Ka?.ov,  good)  the  Hebrew  IILJ  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis. 
 — iTmt,  to  be)  i.e.  to  remain.  Nay,  something  very  different — 
 ■/.aXhv  yjv,  was  good  ["expedient  for  them"] ;  see  John  xvi.  7.  There 
 was  no  need  of  tabernacles  for  standing  (see  Luke  ix.  32),  nor 
 for  a  single  night  (see  ibid.  37.)^ — £/  diXng,  if  TJiou  ivilt)  A  good 
 and  necessary  condition. — rpsTg,  three)  not  six.  The  apostles 
 wished  to  be  with  Jesus. — Mw<r>j,  x.r.}..,  for  Moses,  etc.)  Peter 
 knew  Moses  and  Elias  in  that  light. 
 
 5.  "Er/,  yet)  with  but  little  delay. — XaXovvrog,  speaMng)  His 
 speech  had  clearly  not  been  suitable. — Iboit — loovy  behold!  behold!) 
 Mattel's  of  great  moment,  one  of  the  greatest  revelations. — vspsXjj, 
 a  cloud)  Human  nature  cannot  bear  the  glory  of  God  without 
 admixture  or  interposition.  Strong  medicine  is  diluted  with 
 fluid.  Sleep  must  be  added;  see  Luke  ix.  32.  Moses  and 
 Elias,  however,  were  permitted  to  enter  the  cloud  (ibid.  34)  :  a 
 great  admission !  The  Divine  majesty  is  frequently  conspicuous 
 in  clouds. — auroug,  them)  sc.  the  disciples ;  see  Luke  ix.  34. — 
 (puv^,  a  voice)  A  voice  came  from  heaven,  firstly,  ch,  iii.  17; 
 secondly,  at  this  central  period;    thirdly,  and  lastly,   a  little 
 
 ^  See  explanation  of  technical  terms  in  Appendix. — (I.  B.) 
 2  At  the  end  of  the  first  dispensation,  viz.  the  patriarchal ;  though  Moses 
 also  stood  at  the  beginning  of  the  second,  viz.  that  of  the  law.  In  this  latter 
 point  of  view,  as  Moses  stands  at  the  beginning  of  the  law  as  its  repre- 
 sentative, so  Elias  at  the  beginning  of  the  prophets,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  at 
 the  beginning  of  the  Gospel,  at  once  its  representative  and  embodiment. — 
 Ed. 
 
 '  Peter  no  longer  now  has  the  wish  that  he  had  continued  on  that  moun- 
 tain. It  is  now  his  privilege,  by  means  of  the  Cross,  to  pass  from  that  which 
 is  good  to  those  things  which  are  better. — V.  g. 
 
886  ST  MATTHEW  XVII.  7-10. 
 
 before  our  Lord's  Passion,  John  xii.  28.  After  each  of  these 
 voices  from  heaven,  fresh  virtue  shone  forth  in  Jesus,  fresh 
 ardour  and  fresh  sweetness  in  His  discourses  and  actions,  fresh 
 progress. — olrog  sanv,  x.r.X.,  This  is,  etc.)  This  speech  has  three 
 divisions,  which  regard  the  Psalms,  the  Prophets,  and  Moses, 
 fi-om  which  they  are  derived^ — Aut-oD,  Him)  In  contradistinction 
 to  Moses  and  Ehas.  This  command,  hear  Him,  was  not  uttered 
 at  His  baptism;  see  Matt.  iii.  17. — dxoUrs,  hear)  It  is  the  busi- 
 ness of  wayfarers  rather  to  hear  and  pubHsh  what  they  have 
 heard,  than  to  see  as  Peter  wished  to  do.  The  Father  sanc- 
 tioned all  things  which  the  Son  had  said  of  Himself  as  the  Son 
 of  God ;  and  what  He  was  about  to  say  even  moz'e  fully,  espe- 
 cially concerning  the  Cross.  For  the  Father  on  this  occasion 
 bore  witness  Himself  expressly  concerning  Him  as  His  Son  : 
 concerning  the  Cross,  His  Son  was  to  be  heard  more  and 
 more. 
 
 7.  'H-^aro,  touched)  They  were  prostrated  by  what  they  saw 
 and  heard ;  they  were  raised  again  by  His  familiar  and  effica- 
 cious touch. — /iJ5  ipo(3eT<rk)  cease  to  fear. 
 
 8.  ^iTjaouv  /Movov,  Jesus  alone)  Hence  it  is  evident  that  He  is 
 the  Son,  who  is  to  be  heard,  not  Moses,  nor  Elias. 
 
 9.  Mridsvi,  to  no  one)  not  even  to ,  their  fellow-disciples. — iu; 
 oS,  x.T.X.,  until,  etc.)  After  His  resurrection  they  did  men- 
 tion it;  see  2  Pet.  i.  18.  St  Matthew  also  recorded  it,  although 
 he  had  not  been  present. — dvaorfj,  have  risen)  The  gloiy  of 
 the  resurrection  rendered  this  previous  manifestation  more 
 credible. 
 
 10.  T/  oZv,  5C.T.A.,  how  then,  etc.)  To  the  mention  of  His  death 
 they  oppose  the  restitution  of  all  things  by  Elias,  whom  (see 
 ver.  31)  they  suppose  to  have  come  ;  and  they  think  that  this 
 fact  ought  not  to  be  concealed,  but,  on  the  contrary,  published 
 
 ^  Viz.,  "  I  will  declare  the  decree :  the  Lord  hath  said  unto  Me,  Thou  art 
 
 my  Son ;  this  day  have  I  begotten  Thee,"  Ps.  ii.  7.  "  Behold  My  Servant, 
 whom  1  uphold  ;  mine  IClcct,  in  whom  My  soul  delhjhtcth :  I  have  put  My 
 S])irit  upon  Ilim  ;  lie  shall  bring  forth  judgment  to  the  Gentiles,"  Isa.  xlii.  1. 
 "  The  Loud  thy  God  will  raise  up  unto  thee  a  Prophet  from  the  midst  of 
 thee,  of  thy  brethren,  like  unto  me  ;  unto  Ilim  ye  shall  hearlcn,'^  Deui.  xviii. 
 15.— (I.  B.) 
 
 And  not  long  before  his  decease,  Peter,  in  his  Second  Epistle,  appealed  to 
 this  Tery  testimony  which  declared  Jesus  glory. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVII.   11,   12.  S87 
 
 for  the  promotion  of  tlie  faith,  that  the  event  may  be  recognised 
 as  already  corresponding  to  the  expectation  of  the  Scribes. — 
 rpurov,  first)  sc.  before  tlie  Messiah's  kingdom. 
 
 11.  "'EpyiTai,  cometh)  The  present  tense,  midway  between 
 prediction  and  fulfilment  ;  and  the  ministry  of  John  was  effica- 
 cious also  after  his  death. — dToxaragrrjSii,  shall  restore)  The 
 same  verb  is  used  by  the  Lxx.  in  Mai.  iii.  24  [iv.  6].  And  this 
 office  of  restoring  all  things  furnishes  a  proof  that  the  prophecy 
 concerning  Elias  did  not  refer  to  his  brief  appearance  on  the 
 Mount  of  Transfiguration. — Taira,  all  things)  sc.  regarding 
 parents  and  children,  i.e.  seminally  ;^  see  John  x.  40,  41,  and 
 Acts  xix.  3. 
 
 12.  As,  but)  He  teaches  that  there  is  not  only  no  inconsist- 
 ency, but  also  an  actual  congruity,  between  the  coming  of  Elias 
 and  the  death  of  the  Messiah. — ovk  siriyvueav  ahrhv,  they  knew 
 him  not)  although  Jesus  (xi.  14)  had  openly  told  it  them." — oca. 
 e6sXrimv,  whatsoever  they  listed^)  The  death  of  John  is  not  as- 
 cribed to  Herod  alone ;  cf.  Gnomon  on  ch.  xiv.  9.  Jesus  asserts 
 that  Elias  has  come  in  the  person  of  John  the  Baptist ;  John 
 denies  it ;  both  truly,  if  you  compare  these  apparently  conflict- 
 ing statements  with  the  questions  to  which  they  were  replies. 
 The  Jews  asked  John,  whether  he  were  Elias  (cf.  ch.  xxvii.  49) — 
 he,  that  is  to  say,  wdio  was  to  come  before  the  second  advent,  or 
 great  and  terrible  day  of  the  Lord.  John  therefore  replies  in 
 the  negative.  The  disciples,  comparing  the  opinion  of  the 
 Scribes  with  the  discourses  of  Christ,  and  endeavouring  to  re- 
 concile them  together,  fancied  that  Elijah  the  Tishbite  would 
 
 1  "  Seminaliter,"  i.e.,  he  -will  sow  the  seed  of  these  things  :  he  will  initiate 
 them,  as  the  preparation  for  what  is  to  follow. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  The  world  either  altogether  disbelieves  the  truth,  or  else,  clinging 
 to  mere    expectations,    refuses    to    believe    the    actual  fulfilment  itself. 
 
 -V.  g. 
 
 3  Whatsoever  they  listed,  and  that  too  owing  to  their  evil  and  wanton  lust. 
 It  is  this  very  blind  perversity  of  the  world  which  causes  the  necessity  that 
 one  must  burst  through  so  many  obstacles  to  a  good  cause.  It  not  seldom 
 happens,  that  one  who  has  effected  some  good,  waits  in  expectation  of  most 
 splendid  recompences  from  the  world  on  that  account.  But  the  man  w.io 
 knows  God,  the  world,  and  himself,  cannot  long  persist  in  such  an  expecta- 
 tion. The  merits  which  receive  remuneration  of  this  kind  are  not  spiritual, 
 but  worldly. — V.  g. 
 
 VOL.  I.  '*' 
 
838  ST  MATTHEW  XVII.  14-  16. 
 
 come  before  the  first  advent ;  therefore  Jesus  replies,  that  he^  has 
 ah'cady  come  in  the  person  of  John  the  Baptist.^ 
 
 14.  Koct  iXOoiTuv  a-jTuv,  x.r.X.,  and  when  they  were  come,  etc.) 
 A  very  different  scene  is  here  opened  to  view  from  that  which 
 Peter  had  wished  for  in  ver.  4. — Whilst  Moses  was  on  the  moun- 
 tain, the  people  transgressed ;  see  Exod.  xxxii.  1 ;  whilst  Jesus 
 was  on  the  mountain,  matters  did  not  proceed  very  well  with 
 the  people. 
 
 15.  ^EXerjffov  [io\j  rhv  v'lov,  have  mercy  on  my  soti)  The  lunatic 
 might  have  said,  in  the  words  of  David  (see  Ps.  xxv.  [xxiv.] 
 16),  both  in  the  Hebrew  original  and  S.V.  :^  "  Have  mercy 
 upon  me,  for  1  am  an  only  son^  And  this  his  father  repeats. — 
 TO  'TTvp — TO  udujp,  THE  fire — THE  water)  The  article  impHes  that 
 the  nature  of  these  elements  universally*  is  intended  :  because 
 the  lunatic  is  more  liable  to  fall  into  the  paroxysm  when 
 near  fire  or  water:  but  in  Mark  ix.  22  (see  Gnomon)  fires 
 and  waters  are  mentioned,  and  that  indefinitely,  without  the 
 article. 
 
 16.  OuK  rihvwtdriaav,  ivere  not  able)  It  was  a  disgrace  for  the 
 disciples  to  be  accused  from  another  quarter.  Observe  the 
 candour  of  St  Matthew's  confession,  implicating  himself  in  this 
 
 '  i.e.,  TheliVms,  who  was  appointed  to  precede  the  first  advent. — Ed. 
 
 2  Ver.  13.  'TTipi  'Iciuuvov,  concerning  John)  not  concerning  that  Elias,  or 
 Elijah,  whom  they  liad  seen,  as  recorded  in  ver.  3. — V.  g. 
 
 2  Ps.  xxiv.  16,  LXX.  iTTifiMtpoi/  i'Tt  ifii  Kocl  i'hi/iaov  ^ae,  on  /novoyevris  slftt 
 kyu. — Ed. 
 
 *  Middleton  remarks  on  this,  "  Bevffcl  (in  Gnom.)  has  here  a  note  which 
 I  do  not  understand  :  he  says,  '■  Articulas  l'niveuse  iunuit  naiuram  horum 
 elemcntorutn,  quod  hmaticus  apiid  igncm  et  aquam  proclivior  sit  in  paroxi/n- 
 mum.^"  Tliough  it  savours  of  presumption  to  attempt  any  explanation  of 
 that  which  Middleton  did  not  understand,  I  would  venture  to  suggest,  that 
 Bengcl  means  to  say,  that  the  article  s\\o\\"a  that  the  element  of  fire  is  intended, 
 in  the  abstract,  and  consequently  every  presence  of  it  (universe),  in  the  con- 
 crete.—(I.  15.) 
 
 In  Mark  ix.  22,  fire  and  water  arc  not  used  in  the  general  sense  as  here 
 (Oft-times  he  fallcih  into  a  paroxysm,  wlicrever  fire  is  and  wherever  water 
 is," — this  is  the  efl"ect  which  tliese  elements  produce  on  him):  but  oi  parti- 
 cular fires  and  waters.  Timugh  the  .sing,  to  irip  is  used  there,  it  stands  for 
 the  plural,  as  the  accompanying  vOoirx  show  :  also  the  article  to  gives  the 
 same  force,  as  there  is  no  plur.  of  ^rvp,  else  roc  ■Trvpu  would  be  found.  How- 
 ever, BCD  alcd  reject  the  to  there  ;  but  A  supports  it Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVII     17-20.  33!) 
 
 charge.     It  is  wonderful  that  the  devil  did  not  injure  the  dis- 
 ciples; cf.  Acts  xix.  16. 
 
 17.  "At/otoc,  X.T.X.,  faithless,  etc.)  By  a  severe  rebuke  the  dis- 
 ciples are  reckoned  as  a  part  of  the  multitude. — sus  croVf,  hoic 
 long)  After  Jesus  had  received  an  accession  of  strength  on  the 
 Mount,  a  more  grievous  instance  of  human  unbelief  and  misery 
 demanded  and  obtained  His  succour  ;  cf.  Ex.  xxxii.  19.^ — sVo/Aa/, 
 x.r.X.,  shall  I  he,  etc.)  He  was  in  haste  to  return  to  the  Father ; 
 yet  He  knew  that  He  could  not  effect  His  departure  until  He 
 had  conducted  His  disciples  to  a  state  of  faith.  Their  slowness 
 was  painful  to  Him  ;  see  John  xiv.  9,  and  xvi.  31. — [j.i&'  bfiajv, 
 with  yoit)  Jesus  was  not  of  this  world. — avs|o,«,a/,  shall  I  suffer) 
 An  instance  of  Metonymia  Consequentis.^  The  life  of  Jesus  was 
 a  continued  act  of  toleration. 
 
 18.  'E-^rsr/^Tjcsv  airw,  He  rebuked  it)  as  an  enemy.— aurw,  it)  sc. 
 the  devil. — avrov,  of  1dm)  sc.  the  child. 
 
 19.^  Ka/  iIttov,  x.r.X.,  and  said,  etc.)  A  salutary  submission, 
 and  enquiry  as  to  the  cause. — biarl — ov7(.  riduvrjSrifMiv,  why — were  we 
 unable?)  They  had  been  already  in  the  habit  of  performing 
 the  miracle  in  question;  see  ch.  x.  1. 
 
 20.  'AT/oT/ay,  unbelief)  in  this  case. — '^tictiv  ws  xdxxoi/  sivd'Triui, 
 faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed)  contrasted  with  a  huge  moun- 
 tain. This  faith  is  contrasted  with  a  strong  faith,  and  one 
 stimulated  by  prayer  and  fasting  [see  ver.  21].  From  this  it  is 
 clear,  that  the  transportation  of  a  mountain  is  a  less  miracle  than 
 the  ejection  of  a  devil  of  the  kind  mentioned  in  the  text ;  for 
 the  devil  clings  more  closely  to  a  man  spiritually,  than  the 
 mountain  to  its  roots  physically ;  and  faith,  even  the  smallest, 
 is  mce  powerful  than  the  fixtui-e  of  a  mountain.     You  will  say. 
 
 ^  The  transfiguration  may  have  probably  been  the  most  delightful,  and  the 
 case  of  the  lunatic  the  most  painful,  of  the  events  which  befell  Jesus  whilst 
 sojourning  on  the  earth. — V.  g, 
 
 2  See  explanation  of  technical  terms  in  Appendix. — (I.  B.) 
 
 Here,  the  substitution  of  the  consequent  for  the  antecedent.  Jesus  puts 
 His  tuleration  of  them  (the  consequent)  instead  of  His  sojourning  with  them 
 (the  antecedent  of  the  former). — Ed. 
 
 3  0/  f^xSnrocl  the  disciples)  Not  even  Peter,  James,  and  John  being  ex- 
 cluded (excepted).  Otherwise,  one  would  think  that  the  expulsion  of  the 
 demon  should  have  been  committed  to  them  on  their  return  from  the  moun- 
 tain.— V.  g. 
 
340  ST  MATTHEW   XVII.  21-24. 
 
 "  Why  tlien  is  tliat  miracle  less  frequent  (than  the  other)  ? " 
 Answer.  It  has  nevertheless  been  performed  sometimes ;  but  it 
 is  not  necessary  that  it  should  be  performed  frequently,  although 
 the  opulence  of  faith  reaches  thus  far.  A  mountain  is  naturally 
 by  creation  in  its  proper  place  :  a  devil  is  not  so  when  possessing 
 a  man :  wherefore  it  is  more  beneficial  that  the  latter  should  be 
 east  out,  than  that  the  former  should  be  removed ;  cf.  on  faith, 
 Mark  xi.  22,  23,  24,  xvi.  17  ;  John  xiv.  12,  13.— l/?j7r£,  ye  shall 
 say)  i.e.  ye  are  able  to  say — ye  have  the  power  of  saying.  This 
 is  said  especially  to  the  apostles ;  for  all  have  not  the  gift  of  mi- 
 racles.— Tw  opti  TovTU),  to  this  tnountain)  sc.  that  mentioned  in  ver. 
 1  ;  see  also  ch.  xxi.  21.  Examples  of  such  miracles  are  not 
 wanting  in  the  history  of  the  Church  ;  see  one  of  them  in  Note 
 to  the  Panegyric  on  Gregory  Thaumaturgus,^  pp.  127,  128  ;  see 
 also  Le  Fevre's  Commentary,  f  78. — ixsT,  there)  Ye  shall  be 
 able  also  to  assign  a  place  to  a  mountain. — oubiv,  nothing)  not  even 
 if  the  sun  is  to  be  staid  in  his  course. 
 
 21.  ToZro  bi  TO  y'svo;,  x.r.X.,  but  this  kind,  etc.)  Our  Lord  does 
 not  in  this  passage  speak  of  the  ivhole  race  of  devils,  but  of  this 
 particular  kind  or  class  of  them ;  from  whence  it  appears  that 
 there  ai'c  more  than  one  kind  of  devils.  The  disciples  had  before 
 this  cast  out  devils  even  without  prayer  and  fasting  ;  ^  but  this 
 kind  of  devils  has  a  disposition  especially  opposed  to,  and  re- 
 ducible by,  prayer  and  fasting.  The  disciples  were  not  accus- 
 tomed to  fasting  (see  ch.  ix.  14)  ;  and  they  ap{)ear  to  have  been 
 somewhat  self-indulgent  (sobrietatem  .  .  .  minus  servai'e)  dur- 
 ing their  Lord's  absence. 
 
 22.^  Mt/.Xf/ — Tapadidoddai,  shall  he  betrayed — elg  yiTpac  dvOpuiTun, 
 into  the  hands  of  men)  What  a  grievous  condition  !  Thus  was 
 He  delivered  up  who  exhibited  such  great  authority  in  ver.  18. 
 
 24.  KaTipvao-jfi,  Capernaum)  where  Jesus  dwelt.'* — ra  hibpuy/Ma, 
 
 '  See  foot-note,  p.  187.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Since  by  [prayers  and]  fastin^js  faith  is  increased. — V.  g. 
 
 3  'El/  T>5  r«X/A«/os,  in  Oalilee)  As  yet  abiding  in  a  place  separated  by  a 
 long  distance  from  the  scene  of  Ilis  passion. — V.  g. 
 
 *  On  a  difterent  footing,  however,  from  vhat  lie  had  been  on  before:  for 
 He  was  now  dwelling  in  obscurity  with  His  disciples,  to  whom  He  gave  the 
 information  as  to  His  Passion,  Luke  i.\.  18,  etc.,  until  He  set  out  on  the 
 journey  which  was  to  end  in  His  I'assion ;  l^uke  ix.  51,  xiii  32. — Harm., 
 p.  380. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVII.  25.  341 
 
 the  didrachmsY  the  Hebrew  b^^-,  shekel,  is  frequently  rendered 
 bibpa-^ov  by  the  Lxx. — 0/  Xa/x^dvovTig,  they  that  received)  sc.  for 
 the  Temple.^ 
 
 25.  Na/,  yes)  It  is  clear  therefore  that  our  Lord  had  paid  it 
 the  previous  year.^ — on  ile'riXdsv  ilg  rr^v  olxiav,  when  he  was  come 
 
 '  "  In  the  original  [z.e.,  the  Greek  of  St  Matthew],  the  '  trihute-money' 
 which  was  demanded,  and  the  *  piece  of  money,'  of  twice  its  vakie,  wliich 
 Peter  was  to  find  in  tlie  mouth  of  the  fish,  are  discriminated  hy  their  proper 
 names.  The  former  is  called  didraclima,  or  'two  drachmge,'  and  the  latter 
 stater.  The  latter  was  of  equivalent  value  to  the  Hebrew  shekel,  and  was 
 equal  to  four  drachmpe  ;  and,  consequently,  two  drachmae  were  equivalent  to 
 half  the  stater  and  shekel.  Leaving  the  terms  untranslated,  Peter  is  asked 
 if  his  Master  paid  the  didraclima?  and  Peter  is  told  that  he  should  find  a 
 stater  in  the  mouth  of  the  fish.  The  stater  Avas  also  called  tetradrachmon,  from 
 its  containing  four  drachmae.  It  exhibited  on  one  side  the  head  of  Minerva, 
 and  on  the  reverse  an  owl,  together  with  a  short  inscription.  After  the  de- 
 struction of  the  Temple,  the  Jews  were  obliged  to  pay  this  tribute  to  the 
 Romans ;  and  the  passage  in  which  the  historian  relates  this,  affords  one  of 
 those  minute  incidental  corroborations  which  have  been  so  abundantly  ad- 
 duced in  evidence  of  the  verity  of  the  evangelical  narratives;  for  he  states 
 that  the  emperor  imposed  a  tribute  of  two  drachmae  (ovo  lpxxi^»j)  upon  the 
 Jews,  wherever  they  were,  to  be  paid  every  year  into  the  Capitol,  in  the  same 
 manner  as  it  had  been  previously  paid  into  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem — thus 
 concurring  with  the  Evangelist,  that  the  half-shekel  was  usually  paid  in  the 
 form  of  two  drachmae,  or  of  a  single  coin  of  that  value.  The  tax  continued  to 
 be  paid  to  the  Romans  in  the  time  of  Origen.  It  is  understood,  however,  that 
 the  Temple  tribute,  though  collected  in  heathen  coin,  was  to  be  exchanged 
 for  Hebrew  money  before  it  could  be  finally  paid  into  the  Temple — pro- 
 bably on  account  of  the  idolatrous  symbols  which  the  former  so  generally 
 bore.  Hence  the  vocation  of  the  money-changcrsj  whom  our  Saviour  drove 
 from  the  Temple.  They  were  accustomed,  on  and  after  the  fifteenth  of  the 
 month  Adar,  to  seat  themselves  in  the  Temple,  in  order  to  exchange  for 
 those  who  desired  it,  Greek  and  Roman  coins  for  Jewish  half-shekels." — 
 Kitto's  Illustrated  Commentart/,  in  loc. — See  also  Wordsworth,  in  loc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  The  exaction  of  this  Temple  tribute  usually  took  place  on  the  15th  day 
 of  the  month  Adar.  And,  in  accordance  Avith  this,  the  length  (interval)  of 
 time  admirably  corresponds  to  the  events  and  journeys,  as  frequently  re- 
 corded, from  the  feast  of  dedication,  Johnx.  22,  up  to  this  place,  and  further 
 in  continuation  up  to  the  Sabbath,  of  which  we  have  the  mention  in  John 
 xii.  1.  Both  the  Sabbaths  noticed,  Luke  xiii.  10,  xiv.  1,  occupy  the  middle 
 portion  in  that  time;  and  the  raising  of  Lazurus  took  place  a  few  days  before 
 the  solemn  and  triumphant  entry  of  our  Lord. — Harm.,  p.  380. 
 
 5  But,  meanwhile,  having  been  solemnly  recognised  as  the  Son  of  God, 
 He  most  becomingly,  at  this  time,  enters  this  protest  in  presence  of  Pete^ 
 in  vindication  of  His  own  dignity. — Harm..,  p.  380. 
 
342  ST  MATTHEW  XVII.  2G,  27. 
 
 into  the  house)  for  tliat  \"eiy  purpose. — TrposipSagiv,  preventedj  art" 
 ticipated)  Peter  was  wishing  to  ask  [when  Jesus  anticipated 
 him].  The  whole  of  this  circumstance  wonderfully  confirmed 
 the  faith  of  Peter.  Our  Lord's  majesty  shines  forth  in  the  very 
 act  of  submission. — S/jawv,  Simon)  An  address  as  it  were  domestic 
 and  familiar.^ — riXri  n  xrivgov,  custom  or  tribute,  lat.  vectigalia  aut 
 censum)  i.e.  land-tax  and  poll-tax. — dXXorpiMv,  strangers)  subjects 
 who  are  not  sons. 
 
 26.  ^EXivhpoi,  free)  The  argument  is  as  follows  :  Jesus  is  the 
 Son  of  God  (ver.  5),  and  the  heir  of  all  things  ;  but  the  Temple, 
 for  the  sake  of  which  the  didrachras  are  paid,  is  the  house  of 
 God  :  it  behoved  Jesus,  on  paying  the  didrachm,  to  do  so  under 
 protest.  They  who  received  the  tribute  were  not  capable  of 
 comprehending  (non  capiebant)  the  protest,  therefore  it  is  ad- 
 dressed to  Peter.  They  who  pertain  to  Jesus,  possess  also  the 
 right  of  Jesus. 
 
 27.  "iva  di  ijjT]  a-KavhaXiauiMiv  avrojg,  JBut  lest  ice  should  offend 
 them)  Our  Loi'd  even  performed  a  miracle  to  avoid  giving 
 offence;  cf.  ch.  xviii.  6,  7. — alrovg,  them)  who  Avere  ignorant  of 
 our  Lord's  claims.  Men  who  are  occupied  in  worldly  affairs, 
 most  easily  take  offence  at  the  saints  wdien  money  is  in  question. 
 -=-roi'  dvajBuvra  Tfirov,  that  first  cometh  up)  A  manifold  miracle 
 of  omniscience  and  omnipotence  :  1.  That  something  should  be 
 caught ;  2,  and  that  (juickly ;  3,  that  there  should  be  money 
 in  a  fish  ;  4,  and  that  in  the  first  fish  ;  5,  that  the  sum  should  be 
 just  so  much  as  was  needed ;  6,  that  it  should  be  in  the  fish's 
 mouth.  Therefore  the  fish  was  commanded  to  bring  a  stater, 
 or  four-drachm  coin,  that  very  moment  from  the  bottom  of  the 
 sea. — avrl  'E/j.o\j  -/.ai  ffou,  for  Me  and  thee)  A  pair  of  great  dis- 
 parity ;  for  what  was  Peter  compared  to  the  greatness  of  Jesus? 
 Peter  had  a  family  of  his  own  ;  the  other  disciples^  were  the 
 family  of  Jesus  (cF.  (inomon  on  Matt.  viii.  14);  therefore  they 
 said  t/o?/?',  not  th)/  Master,  ver.  24. 
 
 '  0/  fixtriMlg  risi  yyj;,  the  kitifjs  of  the  earth)  With  these  is  compared  the 
 Lord  Jehovah,  for  whose  worsliip  the  tribute  was  paid. — V.  g. 
 
 *  The  other  disciples,  as  we  may  reasonably  suppose,  had  not  yet  passed 
 their  twentieth  year;  and  therefore  were  not  yet  bound  to  pay  the  sacred 
 tribute. — V.  g. 
 
PT  MATTHEW  XVIII.  1-^.  843 
 
 CHAPTER    XVIII. 
 
 1 .  *Ev  exilr/j  Tr\  upcc,  in  that  Jiour)  when  they  had  heard  of  the 
 freedom  of  the  children,  declared  in  ch.  xvii.  26  (which  accounts 
 for  the  use  of  apa,  then,  in  this  passage) ;  and  when  they  had 
 seen  that  Peter,  James,  and  John  (ch.  xvii.  1),  had  been  all 
 summoned  to  the  Mount. — rig  cipa,  sc.r.X.,  icho  then,  etc.)  They 
 put  the  question  indefinitely  in  words,  but  in  their  own  hearts 
 they  think  of  themselves.^ — h  rri  (SasiXiicf,  tZv  ovpavuiv,  in  the  king- 
 dom of  heaven)  See  that  thou  enter  there  :  do  not  enquire  before- 
 hand what  are  the  several  portions  allotted  to  each  therein. 
 
 2.  JJaidlov,  a  little  child)  A  diminutive,  to  rebuke  the  disciples 
 who  sought  great  things.  It  is  said  to  have  been  Ignatius — 
 0  ^io(p6pog.^  Without  doubt  it  must  have  been  a  child  of  excel- 
 lent disposition  and  sweetest  appearance  who  was  then  present 
 by  Divine  appointment. — sv  /xscoj  aurojv,  in  the  midst  of  them) 
 see  Gnomon  on  Mark  ix.  36. 
 
 3.  Kal  u-iv,  and  said)  By  asking  loho  is  the  greatest  ?  each  of 
 the  disciples  might  offend  himself,  his  fellow-disciples,  and  the 
 child  in  question.  The  Saviour's  words  (ver.  3-20)  meet  all 
 these  offences,  and  declare  His  own  and  His  Father's  anxiety 
 for  the  salvation  of  souls.  We  perceive  hence  the  connection 
 between  the  different  portions  of  His  speech. — ug  ra  -ra/^/a,  as 
 little  children)  They  must  possess  a  wonderful  degree  of  humility, 
 simplicity,  and  faith  to  be  proposed  as  an  example  to  adults. 
 Scripture  exhibits  everywhere  favour  towards  little  children. — 
 oil  f/^ri  eiasXOrjTs,  ye  shall  not  enter)  So  far  from  being  the  greatest, 
 
 '  In  Mark  ix.  33,  34,  and  Luke  ix.  46,  47,  the  fact  is  stated  with  some 
 little  change  in  the  form  in  which  the  circumstances  appear;  namely,  the  dis- 
 ciples, after  that  they  had  disputed  on  the  way,  and  were  on  tliat  account  set 
 to  rights  by  our  loving  Saviour,  were  at  first  silent:  but  then,  all  having  been 
 convened  together  by  the  Saviour,  some  finally  proposed  the  question  to  Him. 
 Harm.,  p.  381,  382.  Comp.  Michaelis  in  der  Einleitung,  etc.,  T.  ii.,  p.  m. 
 911,  etc.— E.  B. 
 
 *  Considerable  difference  of  opinion  exists  as  to  the  meaning  of  this  word  : 
 some  rendering  it  "  one  who  teas  carried  bj/  God,"  in  allusion  to  the  circum- 
 stance mentioned  in  the  text ;  others  explaining  it  to  mean  "  one  who  carriad 
 God  always  about  with  him,  sc.  in  hia  hearth — (I.  B.) 
 
3*4  ST  MATTHEW  XVIU.  4-6. 
 
 ye  sliall  not  even  enter  therein.  He  does  not  say,  "ye  shall 
 not  remain,"  but,  "  ye  shall  not  enter,"  so  as  to  repress  their 
 arrogance  the  more. 
 
 4.  "Offr/j,  lohosoever)  No  answer  is  given  concerning  the  indivi- 
 dual whom  they  inquired  about. — oZrog,  this  man)  sc.  he,  I  tell  you. 
 
 5.  Asg>]ra/,  shall  receive)  sc.  humbly,  lovingly,  to  the  profit  of 
 his  soul,  as  appears  from  the  contrast  in  the  next  verse. — 
 ToioxJTov,  such)  For  little  children  also  are  sometimes  corrupt.^ — 
 The  same  termination  occurs  in  Acts  xxi.  25.^ — sv,  one)  God's 
 providence  is  exercised  also  on  individuals  ;  see  the  next  verse. 
 One  is  fi'equently  mentioned  in  this  chapter. — Jt;  tSj  oi/o/j^arl  ]\rou, 
 in  My  name)  Not  from  natural  or  political  causes. — ovo/xocn, 
 name)  see  ver.  20. — 'E/xe,  Me)  sc.  who  am  in  the  little  ones 
 which  believe  on  Me,  as  the  Father  is  in  Me.  In  like  manner 
 it  may  be  said  that,  in  Justification,  when  God  receives  a  believer, 
 He  receives  Christ. 
 
 6.  S/cavSaX/ffjj,  shall  offend)  sc.  by  putting  a  stumbling-block 
 in  the  way  of  either  his  faith  or  practice,  by  provoking  to  pride 
 or  strife,  by  calling  him  away  from  the  virtues  of  that  early 
 age.  The  greatest  reverence  is  due  to  a  child,  if  you  are  em- 
 ployed in  anything  which  is  wrong. ^  Children  arc  more  easily 
 impressible;  therefore  they  ax'e  more  easily  injured. —  ruiv  ria- 
 Tivovruv,  iclio  believe)  Jesus  paid  gi'eat  attention  to  little  children, 
 and  endued  them  with  faith  ;  see  ch.  xiv.  21,  xix.  13,  14,  and 
 xxi.  15,  16. — cviMfBpii  airw,  it  is  expedient  for  him)  i.e..,  it  is  his 
 interest — it  were  better  for  him;  for  drowning  is  far  less  horrille 
 than  the  fire  spoken  of  in  ver.  8,  or  the  lake  of  fire  mentioned  in 
 Rev.  xix.  20. — /MvXog  ovixog,  amillstoneY  An  appropriate  phrase  in  a 
 discourse  concerning  offence,  for  stumbling  is  produced  by  stonos. 
 — xaracro^r/ffi)^,  be  drowned)  A  frequent  and  horrible  punishmeni.^ 
 
 '  Therefore  lie  marks  out  one  endued  with  humbleness  of  heart. — V.  ^^. 
 
 *  TotouTo;,  rotxvTYi,  toiovto,  Att.  also  roiovrov,  which  however  is  also  found 
 in  Od.  vii.  309,  and  xiii.  330  ;  and  seems  to  prevail  in  Herodotus.  Lidddl 
 and  Scott. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  See  Juvenal  xiv.  47,  48. — (I.  B.) 
 
 "  Maxima  debet  ur  puero  reverentia,  si  quid 
 Turpe  paras." — Kn. 
 
 *  Literally,  an  ass  millstone — i.e.  the  millstone  of  a  mill  worked  by  an  a^a 
 and  therefore  larger  than  a  common  hand-mill. — (I.  B.) 
 
 "  1e  opposition  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XYIII.  7-9.  845 
 
 — -TreXayE/,  the  sea)  sc.  the  deep ;  see  Gnomon  on  Acts  xxvii.  5. — 
 rr^g  daXdaarig,  of  the  sea)  which  was  near  at  hand ;  see  ch.  xvii.  27.' 
 
 7.  To;  x6gfj.uj,  to  the  world)  offences  spread  far  and  wide, —  rut 
 exavdaXiav,  of  THE  offences)  TO,  <s-K(i.vbciKa,  THE  offences. — TO  GTtdv- 
 baXov,  THE  offence)  The  article  is  emphatic. — avdyxri^  yap  ienv 
 tXkTv  ra  gzdvda'ka,  for  it  must  needs  be  that  offences  come)  espe- 
 cially in  the  age  blessed  by  the  presence  of  the  Messiah  ;  just 
 as  insects  abound  in  summer.  The  disciples  were  near  offence : 
 how  much  nearer  must  others  have  been! — rrXrjv,  but)  used 
 emphatically.2  Woe  to  the  world  which  is  injured  by  offences  ; 
 but  woe  indeed  to  the  man  who  injures  it  by  offence. 
 
 8.  E/  ds,  Ti.T.X.,  but  if,  etc.)  He  who  is  not  careful  to  avoid 
 offence  to  himself,  will  cause  offence  to  others,  and  vice  versa. — 
 X^'Py  '^oug,  hand — foot)  In  the  impulse  of  sinning,  acting  ill, 
 going  where  we  ought  not,  the  hands  or  other  members  are 
 urged  on  by  the  animal  spirits  rushing  together  into  them :  and 
 there  is  great  propriety  in  the  expressions  employed  by  our 
 Lord :  for  the  imperative  sxtio-^ov  {cut  off),  holds  good  with 
 regard  to  the  hand,  in  as  far  as  it  is  thus  affected,  and  so  on 
 with  the  rest. —  t^curiv,  life)  opposed  to  eternal  fire. — ;/wXov  x.r.X., 
 lame,  etc.)  The  godly,  forsooth,  in  this  world  are  lame,  deaf, 
 dumb,  etc.,  both  to  themselves  and  others  ;^  see  Ps.  xxxviii.  14. 
 This  must  be  taken  of  the  time  of  mortification,  not  that  of 
 glorification  ;  for  those  members  which  have  been  most  mortified 
 will  shine  the  most  in  glory;  see  Gal.  vi.  17.  — aluJviov,  eternal) 
 The  word,  eternal,  signifies  sometimes  in  the  Old  Testament  a 
 finite  eternity  more  clearly  than  it  does  in  the  New. 
 
 9.  ' 0(p6aXfMog,  eye)  The  eye  offends  by  pride,  as  in  this  place ; 
 by  envy,  as  in  ]\Iark  vii.  22  ;  by  wantonness  [as  in  Matt.  v.  28, 
 29.]  There  is  a  gradation  here  ;  for  the  eye  is  dearer  than  the 
 hand  or  foot.  Frequently,  when  the  offence  of  one  member  has 
 been  conquered,  offence  ensues  from  another. — /j.ov6<p()aX//,ov,  with 
 one  eye)  fx,ov6pdaX/j,og  has  the  same  force  in  Matthew  and  Mark  as 
 ETjf  o'puaX/Aog  has  in  Ammonius. — rriv  r'uvmv,  hell)  eternal  fire:  see 
 the  preceding  verses. 
 
 ^  'AuxyKYi,  it  is  necessary)  On  account  of  the  frequency  of  unbelief. — V.  g. 
 '  Il'hm  being  added  to  the  previous  enunciation,  forms  an  'Epitasis,*  or 
 emphatic  addition.     See  Append. — Ed. 
 9  Comp.  Rev.  iii.  17;  1  Cor.  iv.  8-13.— Ed. 
 
R4C  ST  MATTHEW  XVIII.   10-12 
 
 10.  M^  Tiarafpo-jYieccrs,  do  not  despise)  They  appear  to  have 
 done  so  from  ver.  1,  2.  The  adult  frequently  exhibit  pride  to- 
 wards "  little  ones,"  by  whose  appearance  they  are  reminded  of 
 their  origin  :  whence  it  comes  to  pass,  that  they  hold  them  of 
 no  account,  and  pay  them  no  reverence.^  He  despises  them 
 who  corrupts  or  neglects  to  edify  them. — o'l  ayyiXoi,  the  angels) 
 whom  you  ought  not  to  offend,  but  imitate,  in  this  very  care  for 
 the  "  little  ones."— aurwi/,  of  them)  The  angels  take  care  of  the 
 "  little  ones,"  both  in  body  and  soul ;  and  so  much  the  more, 
 the  less  that  they  are  able  to  protect  themselves.  Grown-up 
 men  have  also  their  guardian  angels,  but  yet  they  are  in  some 
 sort  left  more  to  themselves. — ^Xs'rrougi,  see)  as  attendants.  And 
 this  concerns  not  only  the  dignity,  but  also  the  safety  of  the 
 "  little  ones."  Their  function  is  twofold ;  see  Heb.  i.  14. — to 
 ^pSs'jj'Trov,  the  face)  See  Ex.  xxxiii.  14—20,  and  Num.  vi.  25,  26. 
 
 11.  rap,  x.r.X.,  for,  etc.)  Infants  are  objects  of  Divine  care, 
 not  because  they  have  not  been  under  the  curse  like  others,  but 
 because  they  have  been  rescued  from  it. — to  ocxoXuXog,  that  which 
 was  lost)  The  human  race  was  one  mass  of  perdition,  in  which 
 infants,  even  those  of  better  disposition,  are  also  included,  on 
 account  of  original  sin,  but  the  whole  of  it  has  been  redeemed. 
 If  a  king  were  to  say  that  he  would  rebuild  a  city  which  had 
 been  consumed  by  fire,  he  would  not  wish  his  words  to  be  un- 
 derstood of  a  single  street.  The  loss  of  a  sinner  is,  in  the  sight 
 of  God,  something  as  it  were  contingent.  Therefore  foreknow- 
 ledge docs  not  imply  necessity. 
 
 12.  T/  ufiTv  do/iiT,  z.T.X.,  what  think  ye  ?  etc.)  A  gracious  in- 
 stance of  Commurdcatio.^ — vA.aTh,  an  hundred)  Otherwise  the 
 loss  of  one  out  of  so  great  a  number  would  be  easier.^ — eV,  one) 
 The  roundness  of  the  number  would  be  broken,  and  the  exact 
 Inuidred  diminished,  by  the  loss  even  of  one. — aftig,  leaving)  It 
 is  the  business  of  shc'])lierds  to  give  their  first  care  to  wandering 
 Bheep,  as  distinguished  I'rom  those  which  are  in  the  right  way. — 
 JT/  Tu  opr\,  into  the  mountains)  even  with  great  toil,  into  solitary 
 
 '  See  Gnomon  on  vcr.  G,  voc.  ax.a.'j%a.yAoY„  and  footnote. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  *'  A  fijiiirc  in  rhetoric,  wln'rel)y  the  orator  consults  the  audience  what  they 
 
 would  do  in  such  a  c:\Rv."--Ai)isworth.     It  is  used  in  this  sense  by  Cicero. 
 
 See  also  explanation  of  teclmicul  terms  in  Ap])endix. — (I.  B.) 
 '  i  e.  If  it  were  not  a  round  number. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVIII.   13-15.  347. 
 
 places.     The  discourse  appears  to  have  been  dehvered  on  the 
 shore  of  the  lake  of  Gennesareth.^ 
 
 13.  'Eai/  ysi'jjra/  ivpi/v,  if  it  happen  that  he  find  it)  The  finding 
 of  the  sinner,  therefore,  is,  in  the  sight  of  Grod,  a  something  as  it 
 were  contingent — If  it  happen  that  he  find  it:  cf.  on  the  loss 
 of  a  sinner,  ver.  11,  and  Gnomon  in  loc.  Therefore  grace  is 
 not  irresistible  ;  cf.  Luke  xv.  6,  9,  24,  and  xvii.  18. — a/^riv  Xsyca 
 v/j^ev,  verily  I  say  unto  you)  This  formula  refers  to  the  Apodosis,^ 
 as  in  Luke  xi.  8,  and  John  xii.  24  ;  cf.  the  Divine  adjuration 
 in  Ez.  xxxiii.  11. 
 
 14.  Ol/5£  icrt  &i7,riij,a,  it  is  not  a  wishy  or  anything  to  be  de- 
 sired (cf.  Ez.  xviii.  23).  The  article  is  not  added  in  the  present 
 passage ;  cf.  ^eX^j.aara,  wishes,  in  Acts  xiii.  22.*  We  ought  to 
 subserve  the  Divine  will  in  caring  for  the  salvation  of  all. — 
 'i/x,vposhv,^  in  the  presence  of)  ^The  Divine  intellect  is  intimated 
 as  discerning  what  things  please  His  will.'^ — ha,  x.r.X.,  that,  etc.) 
 i.e.  He  wishes  most  earnestly  that  all  should  be  saved. — sJg,  one) 
 The  disciples  had  asked  in  the  comparative  f  our  Lord  answers 
 specially  in  the  positive  degree. 
 
 15.  'Eav  di,  z.T.X.,  but  if,  etc.)  The  sum  of  this  chapter  is  as 
 
 '  Which  was  surrounded  by  mountains  — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  See  explanation  of  technical  terms  in  Appendix. — (I.  B  ) 
 
 3  E.  V.  "  It  is  not  the  will."  Middleton  renders  it,  "  There  is  no  wish." 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 *  Rendered  in  E.  V.  by,  "Which  shall  fulfil  all  My  will."— {I.  B.) 
 
 *  In  his  own  German  Version  Bengel  renders  the  passage  thus : — "  Also 
 ist  es  kein  Wille  vor  eurem  Vater,  dass,'^  etc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  E.  V.  renders  tlie  passage,  "  It  is  not  the  will  of  your  Father,"  etc. 
 Bengel  would  render  it  literally,  "  It  is  not  a  wish  in  the  presence  of  your 
 Father,"  etc.,  and  explain  it  as  representing  the  Divine  Intellect  as  survey- 
 ing all  possible  contingencies  (rendered  by  the  Divine  power  visible  to  the 
 Divine  perception),  and  distinguishing  between  those  which  are,  and  those 
 which  are  not,  agreeable  to  His  Will. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  Bengel  has  used  the  word  Voluntas  four  times  in  this  paragraph,  and 
 that  in  two  different  senses.  In  the  first  instance,  I  have  rendered  the 
 singular  by  Wish;  in  the  second,  the  plural  by  Wishes;  in  the  third  and 
 fourth,  the  singular  by  Will. — (I,  B.) 
 
 8  i.e.  The  disciples  had  asked,  "  Which  is  the  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of 
 Heaven  ?" — their  question  therefore  referred  to  the  comparative  degrees  of 
 glory.  Our  Lord's  reply  directs  their  attention  to  the  simple  notion,  the 
 vositive  degree  of  salvation  ;  the  universal  requisites  on  man's  part  to  attain 
 — the  universal  desire  on  God's  part  to  bestow  it. — (I.  B.) 
 
348  ST  MATTHEW  XVIII.   16. 
 
 follows :  Every  one  is  under  an  obligation,  not  to  place  obstacles 
 before  himself  and  others,  but  to  aid  both  on  the  way  of  salvation 
 Also :  we  ought  to  respond  to  the  Divine  will,  expressed  in  ver.  14, 
 Also  :  do  not  offend  thy  brother  ;  cure  thy  brother's  offence. — 
 ccfiapryjgri  tig  (Si,  Sin  against  thee)  sc.  by  giving  offence  ;  see  1  Cor. 
 viii.  12. — v'Trays,  go)  (cf.  'Tropiukig,  having  gone,  in  ver.  12).  That 
 will  be  derogatory  to  no  one.  Even  Christ  came  to  us  and 
 sought  us. — iXty^ov  avrhv,  reprove  hini)^  Afterwards  our  Lord 
 speaks  of  witnesses.  In  the  present  instance,  the  matter  takes 
 place  in  the  presence  of  only  two  [sc.  the  parties  themselves]  ;  in 
 the  latter,  of  more. —  avTov,  him)  sc.  thi/  brother.  He  is  reproved 
 and  forgiven  because  he  is  a  brother. —  //.ovov,  alone)  Solitary  re- 
 proof is  gracious. — ixipbnsac,  thou  hast  gained)  Therefore  thy 
 brother  had  previously  been  lost  through  his  sin.  A  gain,  and 
 a  blessed  one.  The  body  of  the  sick  man  does  not  become  the 
 property  of  the  physician  who  cured  it ;  the  burning  house 
 does  not  become  the  property  of  him  who  extinguished  the 
 fire  :  that  is,  they  are  not  gained.  But  the  man  whom  I  have 
 gained  becomes  in  some  sort  my  own,  as  amongst  the 
 Romans  a  conquered  people  became  bound,  by  the  ties  of 
 clientship,  to  the  general  who  had  conquered  them  ;  cf. 
 Luke  xix.  24,  17 ;  Philcm.  ver.  19,  and  Gnomon  on  1  Cor. 
 ix.  19. 
 
 IG.  "Eva  n  buo,  one  or  two)  so  that,  reckoning  thyself  the  com- 
 plainant, there  may  be  two  or  three  witnesses.  The  evidence 
 of  the  complainant  is  of  greater  weight. — iVa  scr;  arofxarog,  x.r.X., 
 that  in  the  mouth,  etc.)  referring  to  Deut.  xix.  15,  the  latter  part 
 of  which  the  LXX.  render :  et/  <!-6//,a.Tos  q-jo  fiaprvpuv  xal  i'lri  gt>- 
 jxocTog  rpiuiv  [Laprxjpoiv  (;Ta(ir,Gir(yj  'zav  prifia — at  the  mouth  of  two  toil' 
 nesses,  or  at  the  mouth  of  three  witnesses,  every  word  shall  he  estab- 
 lished.— <rrad>;  crav  prjMa,  every  word  may  be  established)  sc.  both 
 against  the  sinner  and  afterwards  to  the  Church.  This  passage 
 is  one  of  those  which  prove  that  the  principles  and  rules  of  the 
 
 1  E.  V.  "Tell  him  his  fault."— (I.  B.) 
 
 The  margin  of  both  Etlitions  observes  that  this  verb  is  brought  into  pro- 
 minence by  the  absence  of  the  copula  between  it  and  vTrxye,  '•  Go,  tell  him 
 his  fault."     This  has  not  been  noticed  in  the  Vers.  Germ. — E.  B. 
 
 Rcc.  Text  has  kxi,  with  abc  Vulg.  Hilary,  and  Lucifer.  But  BI)  Orig. 
 omit  x«! — Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVIII.  17.  349 
 
 forensic  law  of  Moses  are  not  entirely  excluded  from  the  polity 
 of  the  Church  of  Christ. 
 
 17.  UapaKo-jgrj,  do  not  ohey)  disregarding  the  reproof. — rjj 
 exxXriffia,  the  church)  i.e.,  which  is  in  that  place  where  thou  and 
 thy  brother  dwell.  The  church  is  opposed  to  two  or  three  in 
 about  the  same  proportion  as  two  or  three  are  to  one.  Amongst 
 the  Jews,  ten  men  are  considered  to  constitute  my,  a  church,^ 
 or  public  assembly  for  the  decision  of  private  disputes.  See 
 Khenfeixl  Opera  philologica,^  p.  729 ;  Buxtorf,^  Synagoga 
 Judaica,  ch.  xxv.,  where  the  same  things  are  prescribed  to  the 
 offender  which  our  Lord  prescribes  here  to  the  injured  party. 
 — Iffrw,  x.r.X.,  let  him  be,  etc.)  Cf.  Rom.  xvi.  17  ;  1  Cor.  v.  11 ; 
 2  Thess.  iii.  14;  2  Tim.  ii.  21 ;  Tit.  iii.  10;  2  John  ver.  10.— 
 ffoi,  to  thee)  Although,  perhaps,  not  to  the  witnesses  and  the 
 church.  Therefore  no  one  should  be  considered  as  a  stranger 
 before  he  has  been  reproved,  and  disregarded  the  reproof — 
 6  i^v/xoc,  THE  heathen)  (sing.)  We  take  this  opportunity  of  mak- 
 ing some  observations  on  the  Greek  Article.*  B.  Stolberg 
 rightly  remarks,  in  his  manuscript  collection  on  the  particles, 
 that  "  there  is  scarcely  an  instance  in  the  Scriptures  where  the 
 article  is  redundant."  It  is  nowhere  clearly  useless ;  it  is  never 
 added  without  an  object,  although  philologists  frequently  attri- 
 bute to  it  a  wrong  force  and  meaning.  It  is  equivalent  to  the 
 German  der  (the),  and  denote  less  than  hie  {this),  more  than 
 quidam  {some,  a  certain  one,  or  thing).  It  has,  therefore,  a  de- 
 terminating value  ;  and  it  determines  either  (1)  the  universality 
 
 '  See  Bloomjield  and  Kitto  in  loc,  and  Trench's  New  Testament  Synonyms 
 in  voc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 He  is  not  here  speaking  of  the  Catholic  or  universal  Church. — V.  g. 
 
 2  For  RuENFEUD,  see  p.  82,  f.n.  2.— (I.  B.) 
 
 3  John  Buxtorf,  the  elder,  one  of  the  greatest  Hebrew  scholars  of  modern 
 times.  He  was  born  at  Camen  in  1564,  and  died  in  1629.  He  devoted 
 himself  to  the  study  of  Hebrew  and  Chaklee  literature,  and  became  Professor 
 of  those  languages  at  Basle.  The  great  Scaliger  declared  that  he  was  the 
 only  person  who  understood  Hebrew  thoroughly.  The  work  cited  by  Bengal 
 is,  "  Synagoga  Judaica,  de  Judaeorum  fide,  ritibus,  ceremoniis,  tarn  publicis  et 
 sacris  quam  privatis ;"  a  third  and  enlarged  edition  of  which  was  published 
 by  his  no  less  celebrated  son,  at  Basle,  in  1661. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  1  have,  in  tlie  disquisition  which  follows,  inserted  in  extenso  the  passages 
 referred  to  by  Bengel.  For  a  full  consideration  of  this  important  subject, 
 •ce  that  inestimably  valuable  work,  Middleton  on  the  Greek  Article. — (I.  B.) 
 
So*^  ST  MATTHEW  XVllI.   18. 
 
 and  totality  of  the  subject,  as  in  Matt.  vi.  22,  'O  T^ux^og,  x.r.X., 
 THE  ligJd,  etc.,  q.d.  the  body  has  no  light  except  the  eye ;  or 
 (2)  the  whole  species,  as  in  Matt.  xv.  11,  TO  I'tdfyjjiiiwv^  that 
 which  entereth — TO  sK'!ropiv6/j.ivov,  that  which  cometh  out — and  in 
 Rom.  i.  17,  'o  hi  dlxaiog,  but  THE  just,  i.e.  he  that  is,  or  every 
 one  that  is,  just ;  or  (3)  the  singularity  and  oneness  [i.e.  the 
 definite  and  exclusive  individuality]  of  the  subject,  as  in  Matt. 
 i.  23,  'H  irapdhog,  THE  virgin — in  John  i.  21,  'O  Xpisrog,  THE 
 Christ,  'O  'xprj(priTric,  THE  prophet — in  John  xiii.  13,  'O  Aidda>taXog, 
 ■A.ai  'O  Kvpiog,  THE  Teacher,  and  THE  Lord;  or  (4)  the  restriction 
 of  the  whole  genus  to  a  particular  species,  as  in  Acts  xix.  17, 
 T0I2  zaTar/Mffi,  WHO  dwelt  at.  In  logic,  however,  universal 
 and  singular  propositions  are  equivalent ;  whence  (5)  it  has  fre- 
 quently a  relative  force,  and  that  even  in  partition,^  as  in  Luke 
 xviii.  10,  'O  iJg  (papieaTog  xai '  O  'inpog  nXwrig,  THE  one  a  Pharisee 
 and  THE  other  a  publican — and  in  Rev.  xvii.  10,  'O  iJc  isriv,  'O 
 aXXog  o'j'-M  YiXk,  THE  one  is,  THE  other  has  not  yet  come;  or  (6) 
 it  expresses  a  certain  peculiar  degree  of  a  thing  (rei  exquisitam 
 quandam  rationem),  as  in  Matt.  viii.  12,  'O  xAau^//,oc,  the^  weep- 
 ing, sc.  weeping,  compared  with  which  earthly  weeping  is  not 
 weeping.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  subject  which  deserves  to  be  more 
 carefully  examined  by  Philologists.'^  In  this  passage,  'O  s(}vixhi 
 signifies  the  whole  race  of  Heathens,  and  any  one  thereto  be- 
 lonfrinff.  Thus,  in  the  S.V.  of  Deut.  xxviii.  29,  we  have  'O 
 7v(pKog,  THE  blind. — %a/  6  ri'Kdj]/ng,  and  the  publican)  It  was  easy 
 for  the  Jews  to  consider  any  one  in  the  light  of  a  heathen, 
 therefore  this  clause  is  added  to  increase  the  force  of  the 
 language ;  for  the  publicans  dwelt  amongst  the  Jews,  but  were 
 shunned  by  them. 
 
 18.  "0<ra  lav,  whatsoever)  i.e.  all  things  with  regard  to  which 
 the  power  of  binding  and  loosing  holds  good,   especially  of- 
 
 1  i.e.  In  distinguisliing  between  divisions  of  a  whole,  classes  of  a  mass, 
 species  of  a  genus,  or  individuals  of  a  certain  description.  The  two  men 
 mentioned  in  the  example  both  answered  to  the  description  of  those  that 
 "  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray;" — here  their  similarity  or  affinity,  as 
 parts  of  a  whole,  or  members  of  a  class,  ceased  ; — the  article  separates  them 
 from,  and  contrasts  them  witli,  each  other.— (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Cf.  Gnomon  in  loc— (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Bengel  saw  the  want:  it  has  since  been  supplied  by  Middleton.— (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVIII.  19,  20.  361 
 
 fences.' — d^arin,  ye  shallhincT)  see  the  end  of  ver.  17. —  Xvarin,  ye 
 shall  loose)  see  the  end  of  ver.  15.  There  is  an  intimate  con- 
 nection between  the  retention  of  a  private^  and  that  of  a  public 
 offence,  and  so  also  in  tho  case  of  remission.  See  ver.  15—35. 
 Our  Lord  teaches  that  His  disciples  can  bind  and  loose  the  sins 
 of  their  neio;hbours  in  His  name  :  see  ver.  20.  Neither  is  it 
 totally  void  of  effect  when  they,  even  for  their  own  sake,  through 
 anger,  bind  and  hold  tlie  offences  of  their  brethren. 
 
 19.  YlaXiv,  again)  The  same  thing  is  repeated  in  somewhat 
 different  language.  The  particle  -xdXiv  is  itsed  epitatically,^  as 
 in  ch.  xix.  24,  and  Gal.  v.  3.  In  this  place,  our  Lord  speaks  of 
 His  disciples  as  acting  together ;  in  ver.  18,  in  their  individual 
 capacity.  Cf.  ch.  xvi.  19. — dvo,  two)  sc.  two,  if  not  more,  con- 
 trasted with  all ;  cf.  ver.  18 :  tioo,  e.g.  husband  and  wife. 
 Great  is  the  virtue  of  united  faith.  That  which  may  hinder  the 
 prayers  of  one  man,  from  his  own  weakness,  is  made  up  by  the 
 fellowship  (societas)  of  even  one  brother.  —  s-ttI  ty^;  yrii;  —  Ji 
 olpavoTg,  on  eartli — in  heaven)  The  same  antithesis  occurs  in 
 ver.  18. — ahrieuvrai,  shall  ask)  sc.  with  regard  to  binding  oi 
 loosing. 
 
 20.  oS  yap,  x.r.X.,  for  where,  etc.)  The  name  of  Jesus  gives 
 power  to  prayer. — dvo  n  rpsTg,  two  or  three)  see  Eccles.  iv.  12  and 
 the  preceding  verses.  Three  is  a  number  which  can  be  pro- 
 cured even  in  a  barren  age  of  the  Church  :  a  greater  number 
 is  not  so  easily  obtained,  and  is  accompanied  by  the  danger  that 
 a  hypocrite  may  be  present ;  yet  where  many  sincere  professors 
 are  together,  how  great  will  be  the  power  of  their  prayers. — iJg 
 TO  'E/jbov  ovofj^a,  in  My  name,  lit.  into  My  name^)  sc.  with  the 
 
 »  Christ  gave  this  power  to  His  disciples  then,  and  not  till  then,  when, 
 having  had  experience  of  the  gracious  will  of  our  Heavenly  Father  (ver.  14), 
 they  had  recognised  Himself,  i.e.  Jesus,  as  the  Son  of  God  (ch.  xvi.  16),  and 
 had  received  the  Holy  Spirit,  John  xx.  22. — V.  g. 
 
 *  FrivatfE, /irimte,  i.e.  not  one  privately  committed,  but  one  against  the 
 individual :  communis  public,  i.e.  not  one  committed  in  public,  but  one  of  a 
 public  character. — (I.   B.) 
 
 2  See  explanation  of  technical  terms  in  Appendix,  on  the  Cgure  Epitasis. 
 -(IB.) 
 
 *  E/,' — ovoi/,01,  is  not  identical  with  iv — ovoi^xri,  either  here  or  in  xxviii. 
 19  (Baptizing  them — not  in  the  name,  but  into  the  name,  etc.,  i.e.  into  the 
 
 fellowship  of  the  Father,  etc. — so  that  they  may  be  members  of  the  church 
 
3.-.2  ST  MATTHEW   XYUl,   21-24. 
 
 object  of  worshipping  it.  All  prayers  that  are  offered  in  the 
 name  of  Jesus  Christ  are  accepted  by  the  Father ;  see  ver.  19. — 
 ixu  eifx,!,  there  am  I)  and  all  grace  with  Me ;  see  ch.  xxviii.  20  ; 
 Acts  xviii.  10  ;  2  Tim.  iv.  17.  Where  the  Son  is,  there  is  the 
 Father  :  what  the  Son  wishes,  the  Father  wishes. 
 
 21.  noffax/g,  hoio  often?)  in  one  day,  or  my  whole  life.  Cf. 
 Luke  xvii.  4.  [This  question  arose  from  some  sense  of  super- 
 abounding  Divine  grace,  which  had  been  so  much  dwelt  upon  and 
 magnified  in  the  preceding  discourses. — V.  g. — a,aaprriffii,  shall 
 my  brother  sin  ?)  These  words  are  to  be  understood,  not  of  some 
 slight  offence,  ichich  excites  a  sudden  burst  of  indignation,  though 
 this  also  is  indeed  sinful,  yet  ready  to  forgive  of  its  own  accord, 
 but  of  some  more  heavy  offence  or  injury. — V.  g.] 
 
 22.  'E/35o/a,>3/covrax/c  i'ZTa,  seventy-seven^)  The  termination  y.i; 
 makes  the  whole  number  seventy-seven.  Thus  the  LXX.,  in 
 Gen.  iv.  24,  use  the  same  phrase  regarding  Lamech.^ 
 
 23.  A/a  Touro,  therefore)  understand,  "  I  say." — zikXriCi,  willed, 
 determined)  of  His  own  free  will,  by  His  supreme  authority. 
 
 24.  ' Ap^afi'svov,  when  He  had  begun)  Before  the  servant  knew 
 what  was  tlie  condition^  of  liis  fellow-servants.  —  ug  rrpnaryiyjri 
 AuTp,  there  was  bi^ought  unto  Him)  though  against  his  will. — uc, 
 one)  sc.  a  servant,  loho  owed,  etc.  How  great  must  be  the  debts 
 of  all,  if  that  of  one  is  so  great !  Every  one  ought  to  consider 
 himself  as  that  one ;  cf.  ver.  35,  12,  ch.  xx.  13 ;  for  the  con- 
 dition* of  all  is  equal. — fxvpluv  raXdvruv,  of  ten  thousand  talents^) 
 The  Greek  language  cannot  express  by  two  words,  as  a  distinct 
 
 bearinc:  the  name  of,  etc.).  The  words  probably  mean  "Gathered  together 
 unto  my  name  ;"  the  sense  which  Bengel  seems  to  imply — £<V,  "  Ut  nomcn 
 meum  colant." — Ed. 
 
 '  E.  V.  "  Seventy  times  seven."     Vulg.,  "  Septuagies  septies." — (I.  B.) 
 "If  Cain  be   avenged  sevenfold,  truly  Lamech  seventy  and  sevenfold;" 
 not  "seventy  times  seven;"  Lix.  iTTuaovTccKii  iz-rct. — Ed. 
 
 '  One  could  hardly  believe  that  so  great  dissension  could  arise  even  among 
 those  entertaining  the  worst  feelings  towards  others.  Therefore  there  is 
 required  a  willingness  to  forgive,  which  cannot  be  wearied  out  by  any  pro- 
 vocations, however  numerous. — V.  g. 
 
 *  "  Ratio,"  lit.  reckoning — i.e.  what  was  the  state  of  their  balance  or  deficit 
 m  the  debtor  and  creditor  account  with  thiir  JiOrd. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  "  Ratio."     See  preceding  footnote. — (I.  B.) 
 
 "  The  Jewish  talent  was  about  x;)4'2,  3s.  9d.  The  talent  of  gold  wiig 
 worth  about  £5475.-   (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVIII.  25-28.  353 
 
 and  continuous  quantity,  a  larger  sum  than  this.  If  we  ought 
 to  remit  an  hundred  denarii  to  our  brother,  i.e.  forgive  him 
 seventy-seven  times,  what  a  vast  amount  of  sins  does  the  Lord 
 forgive  us  in  remitting  ten  thousand  talents  !  A  talent  contains 
 about  six  thousand  denarii ;  therefore  a  thousand  talents  contain 
 sixty  million  denarii,  of  which  how  small  a  part  are  one  hundred 
 denarii !  For  six  denarii  make  a  florin,  and  nine  denarii  an  im- 
 perial dollar,  or  not  much  more ;  one  Hebrew  talent,  or  two 
 Attic  ones,  are  two  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty  florins.^ 
 
 25.  'EjiiXivGiv,  x.r.X.,  he  commanded,  etc.)  The  Lord  shows  His 
 right,  but  does  not  use  it :  the  servant,  however,  abuses  whatever 
 right  he  possesses.-^offa  iJ^s,  all  that  he  had)  The  peculium,^ 
 which,  indeed,  itself  belonged  to  the  Lord. 
 
 26.  MaKpo6v/j,rieov,  have  patience)  Do  not  act  hastily  towards 
 me. — TccvT-a,  all)  The  servant  could  not  procure  so  large  a  sum 
 in  the  whole  period  of  the  world's  existence ;  he  merely  exhibits, 
 therefore,  his  contrition. 
 
 27.  ^ ' A-Tre'Avffiv,  loosed)  as  the  servant  had  besought  him  to  do. 
 ap^xE,  forgave)  which  the  servant  had  not  dared  to  ask.  He  had 
 prayed  for  one  kindness  ;  and  he  obtained  two. 
 
 28.  'e^iXSuv,  having  gone  forth)  being  now  released  from  his 
 difficulties.     Before  the  accounts  had  been  examined,  he  treated 
 
 1  There  thus  results  a  sum  of  15,000,000  thalers,  or  22,500,000  florins. 
 If  even  one  servant  can  become  liable  for  such  a  debt — and  Peter,  as  also 
 the  other  Apostles,  ought  to  have  considered  that  servant  as  a  type,  each 
 one  of  himself — what  will  not  the  load  amount  to,  which  is  made  up  of  the 
 accumulated  debts  remitted  by  the  Lord  to  the  whole  collective  body  of  those 
 who  obtain  grace?  And  still  more  of  those  sins  which  must  be  atoned  for 
 in  the  place  of  torture  by  those  who  are  the  vast  majority,  whose  debt  is 
 not  remitted  in  any  measure. — V.  g. 
 
 '  Amongst  the  Romans,  slaves  had  a  certain  allowance  granted  them  for 
 their  sustenance,  commonly  four  or  live  pecks  of  grain  a  month,  and  five 
 denarii.  They  Mkewise  had  a  daily  allowance.  Whatever  they  saved  of 
 these,  or  procured  by  any  other  means,  with  their  masters'  consent,  was  called 
 their  peculium.  This  money,  with  their  masters'  permission,  they  put  out 
 at  interest,  or  sometimes  purchased  with  it  a  slave  for  themselves,  from  whose 
 labours  they  might  make  profit.  Such  a  slave  was  called  «ervi  vicarius,  and 
 formed  part  of  the  peculium,  with  which  also  slaves  sometimes  purchased 
 their  own  freedom.     See  Adams's  Roman  Aiitiquities  in  voc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 »  -2.7r>.xyxvi(rdBi:)  To  forgive  and  remit  constitute  the  highest  work  of  com- 
 passion.— V.  g. 
 
 VOL.  I  Z 
 
SB4  ST  MATTHEW  XVIII.  20-32.  ' 
 
 his  fellow-servant  more  tenderly;  the  very  joy  of  recovered  liberty, 
 or  restored  health,  etc.,  is  accompanied  by  a  greater  danger  of 
 sin:^  see  John  v.  14;  2  Kings  xx.  13.^ — izourov  br,vdpia,  a 
 hundred dfnarii)^  The  names  of  coins  are  neuter  in  Greek.  This 
 was  a  sufficiently  large  debt  for  a  fellow-servant :  but  nothing 
 in  comparison  with  even  a  single  talent,  and  ten  thousand  is  a 
 hundred  times  a  hundred. — aToSog,  x.t.X.,  pay,  etc.)  An  impor- 
 tunate demand. —  e/,  if)^  a  particle  of  some  force  for  since. 
 
 29.  Ilapi7(.d.7.ii,  besought)  Inver.  2G,  the  word  used  is  TposiKvvn, 
 worshipped. — }.eyuv,  saying)  sc.  in  the  same  words  Avhich  are 
 found  in  ver.  26. 
 
 30.  OOx  TikXiv,  would  not)  opposed  to  arrXay/jieklg,  being  moved 
 with  compassion,  in  ver.  27.' — u'm/Jijv,  having  departed)  sc.  to  the 
 officer. — ificcXiv,  x.r./..,  cast,  etc.)  By  which  act  he  invaded  the 
 right  of  his  Lord. 
 
 31.  ' 'E.Xxj'xriOriSav  a(p6dpa,  xa/  sXdovng  diBCuiprisav,  x-r.X.,  they  were 
 very  sorry,  and  came  and  told,  etc.)  Their  sorrow  and  their  infor- 
 mation were  righteous. — Xh-Trri,  sorrow,  frequently  includes  the 
 idea  of  indignation. 
 
 32.  AxjThv,  him)  singly;  for  in  ver.  24,  he  had  been  cited 
 in  company  with  the  rest- — bou'/.t  rrovripe,  thou  wicked  servant)  He 
 had  not  been  called  thus  on  account  of  his  debt.  Woe  to  him 
 whom  the  Lord  upbraids ;  see  ch.  xxv.  2G.     Mercilessness  is 
 
 '  So  that  it  is  even  then  in  particuhir,  that  one  becomes  liable  to  anger. 
 -V.g. 
 
 *  See  Jer.  xxxiv.  8-lG.— (I.  B.) 
 
 Elptv,  he  found)  After  you  have  experienced  the  divine  free  favour,  soon 
 the  opportunity  will  present  itself  to  thee  of  adopting  either  a  similar,  or  else 
 a  different  mode  of  action. — V.  g. 
 
 "Evx,  one)  It  sometimes  happens  that  one  wishes  well  to  all  (other)  men, 
 and  yet  remains  inimical  and  hostile  at  least  to  07ie  particular  person. — V.  g. 
 
 '  E.  V.  "  An  hundred  pence."  The  denarius  was  about  sevenpence  three 
 farthings.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Bengel  reads  u  n  c(pet\iig,  which  he  interprets,  if,  i.e.  since  tfioii  owcst 
 me  something.  E.  M.  has  o  ti  itfii'hitg — that  which,  or  whatsoever  thou  owest. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 BCD  Orig.  3,G22a  read  ti'  n.  But  abc  Vulg.  Lucifer  support  the  '6  rt  of 
 Rec.  Text— Ed. 
 
 *  Of  how  great  consequence,  frequently,  is  the  presence  or  absence  of  u'lVi'- 
 ingneas  (Velle-Nollc)  in  cases  whicii  are  not  in  themselves  of  the  greatest 
 weight.  —V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XVIII.  33-85. -XIX.  1.  355 
 
 peculiarly  wickedness. — sxslvriv,   that  [debt])  This  word  refers 
 with  peculiar  emphasis  to  the  former  occurrence. 
 
 33.  Ojtc  Uii ;  did  it  not  behove  ?)  It  did,  indeed,  by  the  highest 
 rule  of  equity.^ — tov  cw^ov'kov  gov,  thy  fellow-servant)  whom  thou 
 oughtest  to  have  pitied ;  My  servant,  by  injuring  whom  thou 
 hast  injured  Me. 
 
 34.  '  opyiffhig,  wroth)  He  had  not  been  wroth  before,  cf.  Luke 
 xiv.  21.  Those  who  have  experienced  the  mercy  of  God,  ought 
 to  be  very  careful  of  exciting  His  anger. — to7c.  ^affaviaraT;,  the 
 tormentors)  not  merely  jailors  (custodibus). — 'iug  ou,  until)  Such 
 is  the  enduring  character  of  guilt,  founded  on  the  inexhaustible 
 claim  of  God  over  His  servants.^ 
 
 35.  '  At^  raiv  xapdiSjv  v/j^uv,  from  your  hearts)  A  wrong  is  recalled 
 to  the  mind  :  it  must  be  dismissed  from  the  mind  and  from  the 
 heart.  Things  which  are  thus  done,  are  done  with  unwearied 
 fi'equency  [But  if  not,  whenever  the  debtor  unexpectedly  meets  us, 
 our  indignation  is  liable  to  revive. — V.  g.]  ;  cf.  csXay/yiG^ilc, 
 {being  moved  with  compassion)  in  ver.  27. 
 
 CHAPTER  XIX. 
 
 1.  'Et-sXscsv,  y^r.^.,  finished,  etc.)  All  the  discourses  addressed 
 to  the  people  in  Galilee  have  a  great  connection  with  each  other, 
 and  form  a  perfect  course.^ — f/^iT^psv,  he  departed^)  having  con- 
 cluded His  perambulation  through  Galilee.^ 
 
 ^  Usiarxv,  all)  Comp.  the  'ttSIv  in  ver.  34.  O  how  royal  is  as  well  His 
 lenity,  as  also  His  severity  ! — V.  g. 
 
 2  "  Servos."  The  word  is  used  with  special  reference  to  the  parable,  and 
 does  not  indicate  "  the  servants  of  God,"  in  the  usual  meaning  of  that  phrase, 
 but  all  those  who  were  formed  for  the  service  of  God,  i.e.  all  His  creatures. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 3  He  was  Avont  to  break  off  nothing  abruptly,  but  to  bring  all  things  to  a 
 complete  conclusion;  ch.  xxvi.  1. — V.  g. 
 
 *  "  3I?gravit."  Cf.  Gnomon  and  footnotes  on  ch.  xiii.  53,  where  the  same 
 word  occurs. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  We  may  reasonably  infer,  from  this  departure,  that  the  events  which 
 are  recorded,  Luke  xiii.  31 — xviii.  14  (for  Jesus  was  not  wont  to  stay  long 
 in  Samaria),  occurred  in  the  space  of  those  three  days,  of  which  mention 
 occurs  in  Luke  xiii.  32. — Harm.,  p   421. 
 
8f&  ST  MATTHEW  XIX.  2-5. 
 
 2.  'Ext?,  there)  In  many  places  a  number  of  cures  were  per- 
 formed at  once  by  our  Lord. 
 
 3.^  Uaaav,  every)  They  wished  to  elicit  from  our  Lord  a  uni- 
 versal negative,  which  they  thought  would  be  contrary  to 
 Moses. 
 
 4.  'O  mirjeag,  He  who  made)  sc.  them  ;  with  this  construction, 
 He  who  made  them  in  the  beginning,  made  them,  male  and  female. 
 6  voiriffag,  iiroiriaiv  {He  who  made,  made),  is  a  striking  example  of 
 Ploce."^ — ttTT  oLfyjig,  at  the  beginning)  In  every  discussion  or  inter- 
 pretation recourse  should  be  had  to  the  origin  of  a  Divine  insti- 
 tution ;  see  ver.  8  and  Acts  xv.  7. 
 
 5.  E/Vsv,  said)  sc.  God,  by  Adam. — 'ivsKsv  tovtov,  for  this  cause. 
 In  wedlock,  the  bond  is  natural  and  moral. — TcaraXsl'^ii,  x.r.X., 
 shall  leave,  etc.)  Therefore  already  at  that  time  the  same  woman 
 could  not  be  both  wife  and  mother  of  the  same  man.  Such  is 
 the  commencement  of  the  prohibited  degrees.  The  conjugal 
 relation,  to  which  alone  the  paternal  and  maternal  yield,  is  the 
 closest  of  all  ties. — varipa,  father)  Although  neither  Adam 
 had  yet  become  a  father,  nor  Eve  a  mother. — r^  ywaixi  avrou, 
 to  his  wife)  and  thus  also  the  wife  to  her  husband.  The 
 husband  is  the  head  of  the  family. — 'isovrai,  shall  be)  one 
 flesh  while  they  are  in  the  flesh. — o'l  dvo,  the  two^)  Thus 
 also  Mark  x.  8 ;  1  Cor.  vi.  16;  Eph.  v.  31;  the  Samaritan* 
 
 *  Ilttpa.!^(ivTii  ctvrov^  tempting  Him)  At  the  beginning;  of  His  career,  His 
 adversaries  questioned  the  Saviour  concerning  several  of  the  acts  committed 
 either  by  Himself  or  His  disciples.  But  when  He  had  left  nothing  still  re- 
 maining to  be  done  for  the  defence  of  His  own  cause  and  that  of  His  fol- 
 lowers, they  thenceforth  refrained  from  objections  and  interrogatories  of  that 
 kind,  and  the  more  for  that  very  reason  heaped  upon  Him  general  questions, 
 unconnected  with  any  immediate  act  of  His,  it  being  tin  ir  purpose  thereby 
 to  surprise  Him  when  off  His  guard  and  unprepared. — Harm.,,  p.  422. 
 
 *  See  Explanation  of  Technical  Terms  in  Appendix. — (I.  B.) 
 3  E.  V.  "They  twain."— (I   B.) 
 
 *  The  Samaritans  reject  all  the  Sacred  Books  of  the  Jews,  except  the  Pen- 
 tateuch. Of  this  they  preserve  copies  in  the  ancient  Hebrew  characters  ; 
 which,  as  there  has  been  no  friendly  intercourse  between  them  and  the  Jews 
 since  the  Babylonish  captivity,  must  unquestionably  be  the  same  that  were 
 in  use  before  that  event,  though  subject  to  such  variations  as  are  always 
 occasioned  by  frequent  transcribing.  Although  the  Samaritan  Pentateuch 
 was  known  to  and  cited  by  Eu.sebius,  Cyril  of  Alexandria,  Procopius  of 
 Oaiia,  Diodorus  of  Tarsus,  Jerome,  Syncellus,  and  other  ancient  Fathers,  it 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XIX.  6-8.  857 
 
 Pentateuch,  the  Septuagint,  and  the  Syriac^  version  of 
 Genesis. 
 
 6.  Ova.  'in  ilffi,  they  are  no  more)  They  are  now  no  longer  two, 
 as  they  were  before. — 6uo,  tioo)  We  should  not  understand  eapxig, 
 Jleshes  (carnes)  :  for  in  ver.  5  we  find  o/  bbo  (the  two,  they  twain). 
 — 0,  that  ivhich  (qiiod),  not  a,  those  lohich  (quae)  :  for  they  are 
 now  one  flesh. — auviZ^ivt,iv,  hath  joined  together)  hath  made  one. — 
 avdpuvog,  man)  see  ver.  3. — /m,  x.r.X.,  let  not,  etc.)  The  principle 
 here  involved  admits  of  a  widely  extended  application  :  what 
 God  hath  separated,  commanded,  conceded,  prohibited,  blessed, 
 praised,  loosed,  bound,  etc.,  let  not  Man  join  together,  prohibit, 
 forbid,  command,  curse,  blame,  bind,  loose,  etc.,  not  even  in  his 
 own  case  ;  see  Acts  x.  15  ;  Num.  xxiii.  8  ;  Rom.  xiv.  3,  20. — 
 ^upi^BTu,  put  asunder)  In  every  case  of  sexual  connection,  either 
 God  hath  joined  the  two,  or  He  hath  not  joined  them  :  if  He 
 hath  not  joined  them,  their  connection  is  unlawful ;  if  He  hath 
 joined  them,  why  are  they  separated  ? 
 
 7.  Aovmi,  to  give)  St  Mark  (x.  4)  has  ypu-^ai,  to  write. 
 Moses  employs  both  expressions. — fSi^Xlov  droeToifflov,  a  xoriting 
 of  divorcement)  the  LXX.  use  the  same  phrase. — xa/,  and)  sc. 
 thus. 
 
 8.  liphg,  for,  because  of^) — sTSTpi-^sv,  permitted)  not  evsnlXaTo, 
 
 afterwards  fell  into  oblivion  for  more  than  a  thousand  years,  so  that  its  very 
 existence  began  to  be  questioned.  Joseph  Scaliger  was  the  first  who  drew 
 the  attention  of  learned  men  to  this  valuable  relic  of  antiquity ;  and  M. 
 Peiresc  procured  a  copy  from  Egypt,  which,  together  with  the  ship  that 
 brought  it,  was  unfortunately  captured  by  pirates.  Archbishop  Usher,  how- 
 ever, procured  six  copies  from  the  East ;  and  Father  Morinus  printed  the 
 Samaritan  Pentateuch,  for  the  first  time,  in  the  Paris  Polyglott  (which  was 
 published  in  1645,  in  ten  volumes,  large  folio),  from  another  copy,  procured 
 by  the  French  Ambassador  at  Constantinople.  For  further  particulars,  see 
 Hartwell  Home  in  voc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Considerable  doubt  exists  as  to  the  origin  and  date  of  the  PEScniTO 
 Syriac  (or  literal  Syrian)  Version  of  the  Old  Testament.  It  was  printed 
 for  the  first  time  in  the  Paris  Polyglott.  For  an  account  of  the  various 
 opinions  entertained  regarding  the  date  and  authorship  of  this  celebrated 
 Version  (ranging  over  a  period  of  more  than  a  thousand  years),  and  of  the 
 arguments  by  which  they  are  supported,  see  Hartwell  Home  in  voc. 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 2  Tj5»  (SK'Knpox.a.p'h'tBtv^  the  hardness  of  heart)  So  great  is  the  perversity  of 
 the  human  mind,  that  there  are  not  a  few  things  by  which  it  ought  to  be  put 
 
358  ST  MATTHEW  XIX.  9-11. 
 
 enjoined,  except  in  that  sense  in  which  St  Mark  (x.  3)  employs 
 the  word. — a-r'  ap%^?,  in  the  beginning)  The  origin  of  wedlock 
 was  recorded  also  by  the  same  Moses,  from  whom  our  Lord  de- 
 monstrates the  matter. 
 
 9.  Mjj,  not^)  The  word  occurs  with  the  same  force  in  1  John 
 V.  16. — xa/  yaiMT]6ri,  and  shall  marry)  The  criminality  of  the 
 divorce  is  especially  aggravated  by  a  second  marriage. 
 
 10.  ToD  dvdpuj'jrov — /xfra  rrig  yuvar/.og,  of  the  man — ivith  the 
 tooman^  The  nouns  are  used  generically. 
 
 11.  'O  hi  sT-TTiv  avToTc,  x.r.X.,  But  He  said  unto  them,  etc.)  To  that 
 universal,  but  less  well-founded  reason  for  not  contracting  ma- 
 trimony, grounded  on  the  inconvenience  which  the  disciples 
 inferred  must  arise  from  its  indissolubility,  our  Lord  opposes  the 
 legitimate,  particular,  and  only  good  reason,  viz.  the  being  an 
 eunuch, — i.e.  the  being  exempted  by  any  exceptional  cause  fi'om 
 the  universal  law  of  contracting  matrimony. — oh  'Trdvng,  not  alt) 
 Our  Lord  opposes  these  words  to  the  universal  proposition  of 
 His  disciples  (sc.  ou  av/Mipspn  ya/xriaai,  i.e.  it  is  not  expedient  to 
 marry),  and  they  are  equivalent  to  "  none^ — Cf.  Eom.  iii.  9,  o\i 
 TuvTug,  not  at  all  [English  version,  "  No,  in  no  wise."]  The 
 important  exception  is  added. — aXX'  oTg  b'sdorai,  save  those  to 
 whom  it  is  given. — rovrov,  this)  This  pronoun  refers  also  to 
 what  follows.     Cf.  the  Epiphonema,^  in  ver.  12,  sc.  6  duvd/juivog, 
 
 to  the  blush,  as  the  Jews  ought  to  have  been  in  tlie  case  of  the  writing  of 
 divorcement,  but  which  it  abuses  to  a  preposterous  clearing  (justification)  of 
 itself.— V.  g. 
 
 '  Lachm.  reads  vupix-Tog  "Koyov  -Tropuiittg  with  BD  Orig.  3,647c,  648ac, 
 6496;  "  excepta  causa  fornicationis"  in  c.  CZ  read  f^vt  iTrl  Tropvu'x,  and  so 
 Tischend.  Rec.  Text  reads  the  same,  prefixing  el.  Vulg.  "  nisi  ob  fornica- 
 tionem,"  which  favours  Rec.  Text.  "  Nisi  ob  causam  fornicationis"  in  ab 
 seems  a  blending  of  the  two  readings,  t!  fcvi  and  T^oyov. — Ed. 
 
 Bengel  reads  05  xv  d-xtthvovi  ttiv  ywouKoe.  uvtov,  f4,vi  ivl  vopvilot,  whosoever 
 shall  put  away  his  wife  'SO'V  for  fornicatiun ;  ¥j.  1\I.  has  u  fiyj  t-irl  Tropvii'cc,  IP 
 NOT  (i  e.  except)  for  fornication.  The  meaning  is  the  same.  In  his  Ap- 
 paratus Bengel  writes,  in  loc — 
 
 "  j£4^)  Comp.  et  al.  edd.  Aufl.  1,  4,  Bas.  1,  Bj/s.  Cypr.  Gehl.  Med.  Mosc. 
 Steph.  omn.  Wo.  2,  et  sedecim  et  viginti  alii:  nee  obstat  Ca7it.  Colb. 
 8,  L.   Par.  6,   Arab.   Syr.    u  f/.^.      Er  et  al.  edd.   cum    pauculis  MSS." 
 
 -(^-  ^•>  . 
 
 '^  Epiphonema  is  an  exclamation  subjoined  to  the  narration,  or  demon- 
 stration of  an  important  subject.     See  Gnomon  on  Rom.  i.  15  in  voc  ovrc4. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XIX.  12,  13.  359 
 
 x.r.X.,  He  that  is  able,  etc. ;  and  yap,  for,  is  added  at  the  com- 
 mencement of  the  same  verse.^ 
 
 12.  E/ffi,  X.T.X.,  there  are,  etc.)  There  are  three  kinds  of 
 eunuchs  :  the  first  and  second  of  which  are  treated  indirectly, 
 the  third  directly,  in  this  passage.  For  the  two  former  are  either 
 produced  thus  by  nature,  or  made  thus  by  the  hand  of  man  :  to 
 the  latter  it  is  given  from  above,  although  they  may  have  been 
 endowed  with  a  body  capable  of  marriage.  And  these  (the 
 latter)  can  receive  the  saying  concerning  blessed  eunuchism  : 
 whereas,  of  those  (the  former),  it  can  only  be  said  that  they  can- 
 not receive  the  law  concerning  marriage  ;  although  they  too  may 
 accidentally  (per  accidens)  obtain  blessed  eunuchism. — uto  tuv 
 dv^pu)'7ruv,  by  men)  by  whose  art  they  are  castrated,  that  they 
 may  act  as  chamberlains,  singers,  etc.,  or  that  they  may,  on  some 
 other  ground,  be  prevented  fi'om  contracting  marriage,  of  which 
 they  had  been  previously  capable.  For  these,  also,  are  included 
 in  a  perfect  enumeration. — ihvoxjy^iaav  lavrojg,  have  made  themselves 
 eunuchs)  which  they  alone  can  do,  to  whom  it  is  given.  It  is 
 not  in  man's  power  thus  to  make  another  an  eunuch ;  see  1  Cor. 
 vii.  7. — \a\jrovg,  themselves)  sc.  by  a  voluntary  abstinence  from 
 marriage  ;  sometimes  having  even  relinquished  a  wife  for  the 
 name  of  Christ  (see  ver.  29),  and  adding  exercises  calculated  to 
 preserve  chastity,  and  subdue  the  fires  of  nature. — dia,  x.r.X., 
 for  the  kingdom  of  heaverHs  sake)  Not  because  they  can  only 
 be  saved  by  remaining  unmarried,  but  that  they  may  be  able 
 to  devote  themselves  more  entirely  to  the  contemplation  and 
 propagation  of  Divine  Truth  ;  see  1  Cor.  vii.  32,  ix.  12. — ■ 
 y^ctipiku,  let  him  receive)  A  precept  not  addressed  to  all, 
 but  only  to  those  who  are  able  to  receive  it.  Not  even  all 
 the  Apostles  seem  to  have  been  able  to  receive  it ;  see  1  Cor. 
 ix.  5. 
 
 13.  Upoan^i-x&n  A-jtui,  were  brought  unto  Him)  sc.  by  the  zeal 
 
 It  is  a  rhetorical  term  employed  by  Quinctilian.     See  in  Append.,  explana- 
 tion of  Technical  terms. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  As  in  Matt.  i.  18,  where  Tischend.  and  Rec.  Text  have  fivmrivdeiani 
 yxp  T*ii  fiYiTpog,  etc.  (Lachm.  omits  ya^  with  BZ  Vulg.,  Iren.,  etc.):  the 
 ydp,  as  here,  beginning  the  Discussion  (Tractatio)  which  answers  to 
 the  Statement  of  Subject  (Propositio  or  Thesis)  immediately  preceding. 
 —Ed. 
 
360  ST  MATTHEW  XIX.   14,  15. 
 
 of  those  who  were  older.^  And  the  disciples  blamed,  not  the 
 little  ones,  but  those  who  brought  them. — ha,  x.r.X.,  that,  etc.) 
 If  they  had  asked  for  baptism,  baptism  would,  without  doubt, 
 have  also  been  given  them. — oi  bs  ij.a.drira.],  hut  the  disciples)  The 
 greater  part  of  whom  appear  to  have  been  unmarried  :  and  un- 
 married men,  unless  they  are  humble-minded,  are  not  so  kind 
 (minus  comes)  to  infants,  inasmuch  as  they  remind  them  of  their 
 own  former  littleness :  and  the  disciples  who  had  left  all,  do  not 
 appear  always  to  have  sufficiently  favoured  the  admission  of 
 others ;  at  any  rate,  they  certainly  thought  that  the  care  of  little 
 children  was  inconsistent  with  their  Master's  dignity.  The 
 humanity  of  Jesus,  however,  descends  even  to  little  children  ;  of. 
 ch.  xviii.  2,  3,  etc. — i-Tin'/j^uv,  rebuked)  We  ought  not  to  be  de- 
 terred by  those  who  enjoin  an  unseasonable  timidity,^  cf.  ch. 
 XX.  31. 
 
 14.  E/Vei/,  x.r.X.,  said,  etc.)  Previously  He  had  defended  the 
 law  of  marriage ;  now  he  defends  the  rights  of  children. — a^^srs — 
 xal  fifj  xuX-jin,  permit — a7id  do  not  prohibit)  A  most  ample  per- 
 mission. The  verb  dtpiriiM  docs  not  always  mean  to  disndss,  but 
 frequently,  as  here,  to  permit;  see  Mark  xi.  16. — ra.  rtaihla,  the 
 little  children)  Ilaffenreffer  renders  it  infantidos,  little  infants. 
 — roiovruv,  of  such)  i.e.,  infants,  so.  such  infants,  especially  when 
 they  desire  to  come  to  Christ,  roiovrog  denotes  substance  com- 
 bined with  quality  ;  see  Acts  xxii.  22.  Grant  that  such  ai*e  in- 
 tended as  are  like  infants,  it  follows  of  necessity,  that  much 
 rather  the  infants  themselves,  who  are  such,  have  the  kingdom 
 of  God,  and  both  can  and  ought  to  receive  it  by  coming  to 
 Christ.  Many  of  those  who  then  were  infants,  afterwards  be- 
 lieved in  Christ  Jesus,  when  they  had  grown  up. — ^  BaaiXita  ruv 
 oupavSjv,  the  kingdom  of  heaven)  He  who  seeks  the  kingdom  of 
 God  must  come  to  Jesus. 
 
 15.  'ET/()£/g  auroTg  ru;  yjTpag^  having  laid  His  hands  upon  them) 
 as  He  had  been  asked  to  do  in  ver.  13.     The  imposition  of  the 
 
 ^  They  were  therefore  in  such  a  state  as  not  yet  to  be  able  either  to  seek 
 earnestly  after,  or  understand  anything,  of  tlieir  own  accord. — V.  g. 
 
 *  In  tlie  original,  "  intempestivam  verecundiam,"  lit.  unseasonable  bash- 
 fulness. — (I.  B.) 
 
 Nay,  but  tlie  desire  of  the  little  ones  was  tlie  more  enkindled  thereby. 
 -V.g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XIX.  16,  17.  361 
 
 hand,  and  more  particularly  of  the  hands,  was  employed  for 
 conferring  on,  and  propagating  to,  human  beings,  especially 
 children  and  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  bodily  blessings  and  spiritual 
 gifts  ;  see  Acts  ix.  12  ;  Heb.  vi.  2  ;  1  Tim.  v.  22  ;  2  Tim.  i.  6. 
 Our  Lord  is  not  said  to  have  prayed,  as  He  had  been  asked  to 
 do  in  ver.  13,  by  those  forsooth  who  were  not  fully  aware  of 
 His  oneness  with  the  Father. 
 
 16.  'idoi),  behold)  sc.  whilst  Jesus  is  opening  the  kingdom  of 
 heaven,  even  to  infants. — sTg,  one)  From  the  rank  to  which  he 
 belonged,  at  length  comes  one. — AiddoKaXs  ayads,  good  Teacher) 
 He  that  is  good  teaches  well  concerning  that  which  is  good  ;  see 
 John  vii.  12. — voirieoi,  shall  I  do  ?)  the  young  man  asks  about 
 doing ;  but  belief  goes  before. — ^uriv  aiuiviov,  eternal  life)  Eternal 
 life  was  known  under  the  old  dispensation,  as  we  are  assured  in 
 Pleb.  xi.  16  ;  and  it  is  explicitly  called  so  in  Dan.  xii.  2. 
 
 17.  T/,  K.T.X.,  why?  etc.)  He  who  [alone]  is  Good,^  should  be 
 asked  concerning  that  which  is  good.^  For  the  rest,  see  Gnomon 
 on  Mark  x.  18. — £/'  d's  'diXng,  but  if  thou  wishest)  as  thou  declarest. 
 The  expression  tl  WtXng  (if  thou  wishest)  occurs  again  at  ver.  21. 
 — rriprisov  rag  ivroXag,  keep  the  commandments)  Jesus  refers  those 
 
 •  In  the  original,  "  Qui  Bonus  est,  de  bono  interrogandus  est,"  where 
 "  Bonus"  is  used  as  a  substantive  (corresponding  to  the  German  "  der  Oute" 
 employed  by  Bengel  in  rendering  this  verse),  which  has  no  equivalent  in 
 English :  for  though  we  speak  of  "  the  Evil  One,"  we  cannot  say  "  the  Good 
 One."  The  passage  might  be  paraphrased  thus — "  He  who  is  personally  and 
 absolutely  good,  should  be  asked  concerning  that  which  is  abstractly  and  re- 
 latively good."— (I.  B.) 
 
 -  The  reading  is  here  meant,  which  the  margin  of  both  Editions  prefers 
 to  the  reading  7\iyiig — Qtog,  viz.  IpuToii  Trtpl  tov  oi'ycc6ov;  ug  lariv  6  dyxdog. 
 Comp.  the  margin  of  the  Vers.  Germ,  and  Michaelis'  Einleitung,  etc.,  T.  i., 
 p.  m.  224 —E.  B. 
 
 BDLa6c,  Vulg.  Memph.  Orig.  3,G646c,  read  t/ ^g  tpurcii  vipl  tov  uy»6ov 
 (D  and  Origen  3,664c  omit  rov).  T/  pa  'hiym  dyxSov  is  the  reading  of  Rec. 
 Text  with  Iren,  92,  Hil.  703,  994ac  (' vocas'  for  ■hiyni).  Origen  3,664c<f, 
 writes,  'O  fisv  MuTScclog,  ug  'prepi  dyxdov  'ipyov  ipurmSivrog  tov  "^curiipog  tv  tw  ti 
 oLyxSov  'TTOiYjcTU ;  cci>iypct\}/iv'  6  hi  MxpKog  x,xl  Aovx.xg  (focal  rov  '2urr,pct  itpyjxiucci, 
 ri  pes  "hiyug  dyctdov  ;  ovOilg  dyuSog  ii  pcYi  tig  6  &t6g.  BDaic  Vulg.  Orig.  Iren. 
 92  read  itg  taTiv  6  dycceig  (D  omits  6.  be  Vulg.  Memph.  add  6  &iog  ;  evidently, 
 as  I  think,  a  gloss  of  the  Harmonies  from  Mark  x.  18  and  Luke  xviii.  19. 
 Iren.  adds  "  pater  in  coelis").  Rec.  Text,  with  Hil.  994,  reads  ovhlg  ecy»66g 
 ti  pt,yi  iig  6  Qiog.  This  is  still  more  palpably  a  reading  copied  from  the  parallels 
 in  Mark  and  Luke. — Ed. 
 
S62  ST  MATTHEW  XIX.   18-21. 
 
 who  feel  secure  to  the  law  :  He  consoles  the  contrite  with  the 
 Gospel. 
 
 18.  Uoiag;  ivMch?)  There  was  no  need  to  ask  which,  as  our 
 Lord  had  said  the  [commandments]  rag.^ 
 
 18,  19.  Ou  <povvj6sig- — aya.-rrTjgi.'g,  x.r.X.,  thou  shall  not  murder — 
 thoushaltlove,  etc.)  Precepts  negative  and  affinnative.  The  duties 
 of  the  Second  Table  are  more  palpable  than  those  of  the  First. 
 
 19.  Ti/xa,  honour)  Honour  implies  somewhat  in  addition  to 
 love. — rhv  rraripot,,  tliy  father)  It  may  be  supposed  that  the  young 
 man  in  question  had  transgressed  this  more  than  the  negative 
 commandments  ;  on  which  ground  it  is  placed  last. — rhv  <xXr)alov, 
 thy  neighbour)  The  Jews  were  peculiarly  deficient  in  the  love 
 of  their  neighbour. — wg  asavrov,  as  thyself)  The  love  wherewith 
 God  loveth  us,  is  the  standard  of  the  love  wherewith  we  ought 
 to  love  one  another.  God  loves  Titius  as  He  does  Caius  :  there- 
 fore Caius  ought  to  love  Titius  as  he  does  Caius,  i.e.,  as  himself.^ 
 Yet  the  love  of  the  godly,  like  that  of  God,  is  not  without  discri- 
 mination of  the  good  and  the  bad.' 
 
 21.  "Ep>j  axjrw  6  'l^jffoDs,  x.r.X.,  Jesus  said  unto  him,  etc.)  As 
 the  young  man  asks  more,  and  binds  himself  to  more,  more  is 
 proposed  to  him. — r£?.£/oj,  perfect)  He  \s  perfect  to  whom  nothing 
 is  wanting  that  he  may  enter  into  life  eternal.  As  he  urgently 
 asks  it,  our  Lord  proposes  to  him  the  most  glorious  condition, 
 the  nearest  to  that  of  an  apostle. — vTayi — xa!  dtvpo,  axoXoiidn 
 Mo/,  go — and  come,  follow  Me)  sc.  immediately.  It  is  a  com- 
 mand, not  a  counsel  ;*  necessary,  not  optional  (cf.  ver.  24,  25)  ; 
 but  particular,  not  universal,  accommodated  to  the  idiosyncrasv' 
 
 ^  Tims  indicating  those  pre-eminently  so  called,  and  implying  the  neces- 
 sity of  keeping  all  of  them. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  He  who  is  endued  with  this  love  will  evince  it  even  to  the  child  of 
 beggars :  he  who  is  not  endued  with  it  will  prefer  himself  to  all  men  what- 
 soever, even  to  the  elect  of  God. — V.  g. 
 
 *  Ver.  20.  ix.  veoryirog  f<.ov^  from  my  youth)  The  reading  which  omits 
 these  words,  however  less  probable  it  be  declared  by  the  margin  of  both 
 Editions,  has  nevertheless  been  subsequently  received  into  the  Vers.  Germ., 
 the  reasons  on  both  sides  being  regarded  by  Bengel  in  a  different  light  from 
 what  they  had  been. — E.  B. 
 
 BL  Vulg.  Cypr.  Iren.  omit  the  words.  But  Vabc  Orig.  S.fifiOc?,  IIilar> 
 704,  retain  them  (D  omitting  fiov).  The  words  are  plainly,  I  think,  inter- 
 polated through  Harmonies  from  Mark  x.  20,  Luke  xviii.  21. — Ed. 
 
 *  As  opposed  to  the  Romish  doctrine  of  "  counsels  of  perfection,"  on  which 
 
ST  .MATTHEW  XIX.  22,  23.  3f;3 
 
 of  his  soul,  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  For  many  followed 
 Jesus,  to  whom  He  did  not  give  this  command.  He  may  be 
 perfect,  who  still  possesses  wealth ;  he  may  give  all  to  the  poor, 
 who  is  very  far  from  perfection.^  Our  Lord's  words  laid  an  ob- 
 ligation on  the  man  who  offered  himself  ultroneously,  and  that 
 so  unreservedly ;  although  to  him,  being  as  yet  somewhat  of  a 
 stranger,  it  was  not  expressly  enjoined,  but  rather  given  in  the 
 form  of  advice  to  one  seeking  advice.  In  the  case  of  others, 
 who  are  not  yet  able  to  receive  peculiar  commands,  a  compen- 
 sation is  made  by  the  leading  of  divine  Providence. — -jruXriaov, 
 x.r.X.,  sell,  etc.)  If  the  Lord  had  said,  Thou  art  rich,  and  art 
 too  fond  of  thy  riches,  the  young  man  would  have  denied  it : 
 wherefore,  instead  of  so  doing,  He  demands  immediately  a  direct 
 prooP  [of  the  contrary]. — i^sig,  x.r.X.,  thou  shalt  have,  etc.)  A 
 promise  inserted  in  the  command,  and  at  once  surely  guaran- 
 teed :  g.d.  Thou  shalt  have,  and  thou  shalt  know  that  thou  hast.^ 
 —  dnffavphv,  treasure)  The  inheritance  is  called  treasure,  in  oppo- 
 sition to  worldly  goods.  Dost  thou  wish  to  be  rich  ?  Seek 
 this  treasure. — axoXouhi  Mo/,  follow  Me)  Instruction  in  faith 
 would  not  then  be  wanting. 
 
 22.  AvTov/Mivog,  grieved)  sc.  because  he  could  not  at  the  same 
 time  both  retain  his  wealth  and  follow  Jesus.  Obedience  would 
 have  absorbed  grief. — xrrjj^ara,  possessions)  sc.  immoveable 
 goods;  cf.  sell  in  ver.  21.  These  are  referred  to  in  the  lands 
 spoken  of  in  ver.  29. 
 
 23.  Au<Jx.6Xug,  with  dijiculti/)  This  young  man,  when  he  had 
 his  foot  already  on  the  threshold,  withdrew  it  on  account  of  his 
 riches.     It  is  difficult  for  a  rich  man  to  relinquish  all  things.* 
 
 they  build  the  notion  of  works  of  *  supererogation' :  quoting  this  instance  in 
 support  of  their  theory. — Ed. 
 
 '  Zaccheus,  as  recorded  Luke  xix.  8,  when  distributing  one  half  of  his 
 goods  to  the  poor,  obtained  the  Lord's  commendation.  [He  was  not  required 
 to  give  all  that  he  had  to  the  poor  :  nay,  what  he  did  give  was  voluntarily, 
 not  by  command. — Ed.] — V.  g. 
 
 *  In  the  original  the  words  are,  "  ipsum  statim  documentum  postulat  j"  lit. 
 "  he  demands  the  vuiy  proof." — (L  B.) 
 
 *  For  already  now,  in  this  life,  those  things  which  are  needful  are  freely 
 held  out  to  believers  from  this  treasure,  ver.  29. — V.  g. 
 
 *  Nay,  it  is  not  even  readily  that  he  thinks  of  the  subject  of  obtaining 
 eternal  life  at  all. — V.  g. 
 
3G4  ST  MATTHEW  XIX.  24-26. 
 
 24.  KdfiriXov,  a  camel)  i.e.  the  animal  of  that  name  ;  cf.  ch. 
 xxiii.  24.  It  is  not  a  rope^  that  is  compared  to  a  thread,  but  the 
 eye  of  a  needle  to  a  gate. 
 
 25.  ^  AxousavTsc  6s  oi  fLaDrjTai  auTov,  x.r.X.,  but  when  His  disciples 
 heard  it,  etc.)  Scripture  everywhere  shows  a  middle  path  be- 
 tween excessive  confidence  and  excessive  timidity.  See  ver.  26, 
 28,  30 ;  1  Pet.  v.  7,  compared  with  6,  8. — r!g  apa,  x.r.x.,  who 
 then,  etc.)  The  disciples  were  anxious,  either  for  themselves, 
 lest  other  obstacles  should  equally  impede  them,  or  because  they 
 entertained  the  hope  of  acquiring  wealth  (see  ver.  27),  or  else 
 for  others  :  which  fear  is  far  more  laudable.     Cf.  Rev.  v.  4. 
 
 26.  'E^/SXE-vJ/ag,  having  looJced  upon)  in  order  to  fix  the 
 thoughts  of  the  terrified  disciples.  Jesus  taught  many  things 
 even  by  His  look  and  by  the  expression  of  His  countenance. 
 This  look  first  moved  Matthew,  once  a  publican. — ihiv,  said) 
 with  the  greatest  sweetness. — ddv^/arov,  impossible)  more  even 
 than  morally  impossible. — 'jravra,  all  things)  Therefore  even  this. 
 The  Divine  omnipotence  is  seen,  not  only  in  the  kingdom  of 
 nature,  but  in  those  also  of  grace  and  glory.  That  power  is 
 more  than  human  by  which  the  human  heart  is  led  away  from 
 earthly  things.  The  cause  of  the  rich  may  be  pleaded  with  the 
 greatest  effect  by  the  poor  and  the  scrupulous." — dward,  possible) 
 as  each  of  the  elect  will  know. 
 
 '  Bengel  alludes  to  a  reading  which  is  evidently  corrupt,  and  an  interpre- 
 tation which  is  manifestly  erroneous.  "  Some  ancient  and  modern  commen- 
 tators," says  Bloomfield,  '•  would  read  x.i/ai'hov,  a  cable,  rope;  or  take  kx/icyiaqii 
 in  that  sense.  But  for  the  former  there  is  little  or  no  manuscript  authority, 
 and  for  the  latter,  no  support  from  the  usiis  loquendi."  For  interesting  illus- 
 trations of  the  subject,  too  long  to  insert,  see  Kitto,  and  IFurdsworth,  in  loc. 
 -(I-  B.) 
 
 2  In  the  original,  "  timoratos."  In  illustration  and  explanation  of  this  bar- 
 barous word,  the  following  extract  will  not  be  unwelcome : — 
 
 "  TiMORATUS.  Wippo  de  Vita  Chunradi  Salici,  p.  428  :  In  Dei  seruttio 
 Timorata,  in  orationibus  et  eleemosj/nis  assidua.  Gesta  Innocentii  iii.  p.  77  : 
 Dcuotus  et  timoratus.  Ditmarus  lib.  2  :  FUiam  bene  Timoratam,  etc.  Ilumi- 
 liter  et  Timorate,  apud  eumdem  lib.  .S.  Fulbcrtus  Carnot.  Epist.  40  :  Haere- 
 bam  timorate  suspensus  et  e.rpcctufis,  etc.  Occurrit  non  semel :  Gallis 
 Timorn,  Dei  timidus  et  a  lenibus  culpis  auersus.  Timoratus  et  totus  pleuus 
 Deo,  in  Chronico  Noualic.  apud  Murator,  to.  2,  part.  2,  col.  735.  Adde  V.  2 
 de  Imit.  Cliristi,  c.  10,  n.  3,  etc."  Glossakiim  Manuale  ad  Scuu'Toui:s 
 MiiDi^  KT  Infim-e  Latinitatis  ex  magms  Glossariis  Cakou  Du  Fbesne, 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XIX.  27,  28.  365 
 
 27.  e7x£v,  said)  in  all  simplicity. — rifxsTg,  we)  not  like  that  rich 
 man. — crai/ra,  all  things)  His  few  things  are  as  much  all  to  the 
 workman,  as  his  many  things  to  the  satrap. — r!  upa  idrai  rifih ; 
 what  therefore  shall  there  be  for  us  ?)  Our  Lord  replies  by  ha- 
 rovTw^rXasiova,  Xri-y]^iTa,i,  he  shall  receive  an  hundredfold,  in  ver.  29, 
 and  8u)ffaj,  k.t.X.,  I  will  give,  etc.,  in  ch.  xx.  4,  2,  7,  etc. — rjfiTv,  for 
 us)  sc.  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 
 
 28.  'O  d'i'lriffovg  d'TTiv  avroTc,  x.r.X.,  but  Jesus  said  unto  them, 
 etc.)  Peter  had  joined  together  we  have  left  all,  and  we  have  fol- 
 lowed Thee.  Our  Lord  replies  to  these  things  separately ;  for 
 the  latter  (ver.  28)  was  peculiar  to  the  apostles  ;  the  former  (ver. 
 29)  common  to  them  with  others.  See  Ps.  xlv.  10,  11. —  i/^e/c 
 — xa/  i//i£/j,  ye — ye  also)  sc.  you  Twelve. — iv  t7\  'Kokiyyi^ic'ia,  in 
 the  regeneration)  This  is  to  be  construed  with  the  following, 
 not  the  preceding  words  :  for  the  following  after  Jesus  is  usually 
 mentioned  alone,  without  this  addition  :  by  which  the  time  of 
 the  session,  which  is  immediately  spoken  of,  is  suitably  marked. 
 There  will  be  a  new  creation,  over  which  the  second  Adam  will 
 preside,  when  the  whole  microcosm  of  hiiman  nature,  by  means 
 of  the  resurrection,  and  also  the  macrocosm  of  the  universe,  will 
 be  born  again  (genesin  iteratam  habebit).  Cf.  Acts  iii.  21  ; 
 Rev.  xxi.  5  ;  Matt.  xxvi.  29. — Regeneration  ('^aXiyyivsgla)  and 
 renovation  {amxaivuffig)  are  joined  together  in  Tit.  iii.  5. — Then 
 we  shall  be  sons  ;  see  Luke  xx.  36  ;  Rom.  viii.  23 ;  1  John  iii.  2. 
 — xaSioisk,  ye  shall  sit)  The  middle  voice  is  used  in  the  case  of 
 the  disciples,  the  active,  xaSlerj,  in  that  of  the  Lord.  At  the 
 beginning  of  the  judgment  the  disciples  will  stand  ;  see  Lidce 
 xxi.  36  ;  2  Cor.  v.  10 ;  afterwards,  having  been  absolved  from 
 all  charges  against  them,  they  will  sit  with  Him  ;  see  1  Cor. 
 vi.  2. — 6f>6)ioug,  thrones)  Another  has  taken  the  throne  of  Judas  ; 
 see  Acts  i.  20.  Concerning  the  thrones,  cf.  Rev.  xx.  4. — 
 Kplvovng,  judging)  In  the  time  of  the  Judges  there  was  a  theo- 
 cracy, concerning  which  see  my  exposition  of  the  Apocalypse, 
 p.  553.  Thus,  in  the  first  millennium,  restored  Israel,  its  ene- 
 mies having  been  destroyed,  will  have  judges  agam  ;  see  Is. 
 i.  26.  The  promise,  however,  given  to  the  apostles,  refers  to  a 
 still    more    distant    period. — dudtza,    twelve)    The   number   of 
 
 Domini  Dv  Cange,  et  Carpentarii  in  compendium  redactum  multisque 
 verbis  et  dicendi  formulis  auctum. — Tom.  vi.,  p.  563,  b. — (I.  B.) 
 
366  ST  MATTHEW  XIX.  29. 
 
 princes  in  Num.  viii.  2,  etc.,  and  of  apostles  in  Rev.  xxi.  12,  14, 
 corresponds  with  that  of  the  tribes  of  Israel. — (pvXag,  x.r.X.,  tribes, 
 etc.)  to  which  the  apostles  had,  in  the  first  instance,  been  sent. 
 
 29.  Kai  'Trag,  and  every  one)  Not  only  apostles,  .to  whom 
 Peter's  question  ought  not  to  have  referred  exclusively.  See 
 2  Tim.  iv.  8. — ajsJjxsv,  hath  relinquished)  If  the  Lord  so  com- 
 mand (as  in  iv.  19),  or  thus  guide  by  various  means. — o/yJag, 
 houses^)  This  is  placed  first;  cf.  concerning  it,  ver.  21,  27. — 
 St  Matthew,  in  the  present  instance,  and  St  Mark,  in  x.  29, 
 maintain  the  order  of  affection  in  the  enumeration  of  relations, 
 mentioning  them  by  pairs  in  an  ascending  scale,  lands  being 
 placed  last ;  whereas  St  Luke,  in  xviii.  29,  follows  the  order  of 
 time. — ii  yumhta,  or  wife)  i.e.  without  breaking  the  law  of  Moses  ; 
 see  ver.  9.  The  singular  number  of  this  word  {i.e.  wife)  should 
 be  remarked,  as  an  argument  against  polygamy ;  for  those 
 things  of  which  there  can  be  more  than  one,  brothers,  etc.,  are 
 put  in  the  pliiral  number  in  this  passage.  In  like  manner  in 
 Mark  x.  29,  olxia,  a  house,  is  also  put  in  the  singular  number. 
 A  man  may,  indeed,  have  more  than  one  house,  though  such  is 
 the  case  of  few ;  but  no  one  dwells  in  two  at  the  same  time,  so  as 
 to  be  able  to  leave  them  both  at  once. — ivi-z.iv  rov  dvo/xarog  Mov,  on 
 account  of  My  name)  sc.  on  account  of  confessing  and  preaching 
 the  name  of  Christ. — kxarovrwrXaeiom,  an  hundredfold)  i.e.  of  the 
 same  things  which  are  enumerated  in  this  verse ;  cf.  Mark  x.  30. 
 — Ajj-sj^era/,  shall  receive)  sc.  in  this  life :  for  the  future  life  is  an 
 hundredfold,  nay,  a  thousandfold  more  productive  in  its  returns  ; 
 
 1  Benf^.,  in  his  Appar.  Crit.  on  tliis  passajjc,  p.  482,  had  considered  tlie 
 singular,  oUi'civ^  had  been  derived  from  the  parallel  passages  in  the  other 
 Gospels.  Hence  also  in  the  Gnomon  (Ed.  ii.,  p.  128)  he  preferred  the  plural 
 number.  But  in  the  smaller  Ed.  of  N.  T.  Gr.,  a.d.  1753,  he  changed  his 
 opinion,  and  gave  the  superiority  to  the  singular,  oUt'xv,  by  appending  the 
 sign  j8,  and  with  this  the  Germ.  Vers,  of  the  passage  subsequently  corre- 
 sponds. In  this  view,  the  observation  in  the  Gnomon  which  immediately 
 follows,  has  the  more  force. — E.  B. 
 
 Tischend.  reads  oj  oix-iccc  after  5j  dypov;,  with  CL  IMemph.,  WSS.  of  Vulg, 
 Origen  1,  283c  ;  3fi8{)a.  Lachm.,  as  Kec.  Text,  reads  oUiot;  ij  before  oils'h- 
 (povj  with  BD.  The  oldest  M.S.  of  Vulg.  (Amiatinus)  reads  the  sing. 
 '  donium,'  and  puts  it  before  "vel  fratrcs  aut  sorores."  abed  Hil.  also  read 
 '  domum.'  Irenaeus,  "  agros  aut  domos  aut  parontes  {rj  yoveli)  aut  fratres 
 aut  filios."  The  «j  oUi'xv  first  in  the  enumeration  is  probably  drawn  from 
 Mark  viii.  29  and  Luke  xviii.  29. — Eu. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XIX.  30.  3G7 
 
 see  Luke  xix.  16,  17.  He  shall  receive  them,  however,  not  as 
 civil  or  personal  possessions ;  yet  he  truly  sliall  receive  them,  as 
 far  as  the  believer  needs  to  do  so,  and  he  does  so  in  the  person 
 of  others,  to  whom,  as  a  believei',  he  would  especially  wish  them 
 to  belong ;  cf.  Matt.  v.  5  ;  Acts  iv.  35 ;  1  Cor.  iii.  22. — The 
 unoodly  are  usurpers  ;  the  right  of  possession  belongs  to  God 
 and  His  heirs ;  they  receive  as  much  as  is  expedient  for  them. 
 The  word  Xri-^iTai  {shall  receive)  agrees  rather  with  the  notion  of 
 hire  or  wages  :  but  nXripovoiMr^gn  (shall  inherit)  implies  something  far 
 more  abundant.  Scripture  speaks  more  expressly  and  copiously 
 of  temporal  punishments  than  of  temporal  rewards,  and  of  eternal 
 rewards  than  of  eternal  punishments. — ^mv,  life)  see  ver. 
 16,17. 
 
 30.  UoXXoi  ds,  but  many)  in  opposition  to  -s-ag  {every  one),  in  ver. 
 29.  Perhaps  also  it  is  hinted  that  the  young  man  in  question 
 would  return  again,  and  fi'om  being  one  of  the  last,  become  one 
 of  the  first. — vpuroi,  first)  In  the  first  clause  of  the  verse  this 
 word  is  the  subject,  as  is  clear  from  its  attributive,  -roXAo/  {many), 
 which  absorbs  the  article ;  in  the  latter  clause  it  is  the  predi- 
 cate:  in  ch.  XX.  16  the  opposite  is  the  case.  In  the  present 
 instance,  therefore  (since  the  greatest  emphasis  is  placed  on  the 
 last  clause),  the  apophthegm  is  propounded  rather  by  way  of  en- 
 couragement, as  in  Mark  x.  31 ;  whereas  in  Matt.  xx.  16  and 
 Luke  xiii.  30,  by  way  of  warning.  In  both  cases  the  assertions 
 are  modified  by  the  addition  of  the  attributive  irokAoi  {many), 
 which  applies  especially  to  the  worse  class  ;  for  the  better  con- 
 tains but /eii;.  The  "  j^rsi"  and  '' Zasi"  differ ;  either,  (1),  in 
 kind,  so  that  the  former  means  those  who  are  saved,  the  latter 
 those  who  are  lost ;  or,  (2),  (which  is  preferable)  in  degree,  so 
 that  the  "  lasf^  may  mean  those  who  are  also  saved,  but  who 
 obtain  a  station  far  inferior  to  that  of  the  "  frst.'"  F.  S. 
 Loefler  (p.  106),  in  his  exposition  of  the  following  parable, 
 supposes  ug  (as)  to  be  understood  here,  so  as  to  produce  the  fol- 
 lowing meaning  :  The  First  shall  be  as  the  Last ;  and  the  Last 
 AS  the  First.  Nor  is  the  idea  of  such  an  ellipsis  in  itself  objec- 
 tionable :  but  this  interpretation  is  irreconcileuble  with  the  con- 
 text in  the  parallel  passages,  of  St  Mark  who  does  not  give  the 
 subsequent  parable,  and  of  St  Luke  who  records  this  saying 
 when  uttered  on  another  occasion.     Our  Lord  intimates  parti- 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XX.   1,  2. 
 
 cularly  the  change  of  relative  condition  which  was  to  occur  be- 
 tween the  Jews  and  the  Gentiles. — Cf.  ch.  viii.  10,  11,  12  ; 
 Luke  xiii.  28-30  (taken  in  connection  with  ib.  ver.  23—27),  and 
 Rom.  ix.  30,  31. 
 
 CHAPTER   XX. 
 
 1.  Tap,  for)  referring  to  the  last  verse  of  the  preceding 
 chapter.  There  is  a  similar  connection  of  a  parable  with  what 
 immediately  preceded  it,  in  ch.  xviii.  23.  Peter  is  taught  to 
 be  more  diffident  in  asking  questions  (cf.  ch.  xix.  27),  and  in 
 comparing  himself  with  others  ;  cf.  Luke  xvii.  5,  10,  where  we 
 see  that  they  think  more  rightly  who  consider  themselves  as 
 unprofitable  servants,  than  they  who  consider  themselves  better 
 than  others. 
 
 2.  '2v,a(puii^(^a,g,  when  he  had  agreed)  He  deals  with  the  first 
 labourers  more  by  legal  compact ;  with  the  latter,  more  by  mere 
 liberality,  even  in  the  hiring  them,  though  He  blames  them  for 
 standing  idle ;  see  ver.  4,  6,  7.  They  make  up  for  their  pre- 
 vious idleness  by  their  obedience,  without  stipulating  for  a  fixed 
 amount  of  wages.  The  day,  divided  into  twelve  hours,  signifies 
 not  the  whole  duration  of  the  world,  nor  that  of  the  New  Tes- 
 tament dispensation,  which  the  life  of  a  single  labourer  can 
 never  equal ;  neither,  as  it  seems,  does  it  represent  the  space  of 
 life  given  to  each  human  being,  in  which  one  labours  a  longer 
 and  another  a  shorter  time  from  his  call  to  his  death  :  although 
 one  who  came  before  us  niiglit  labour  only  one  hour  (i.e.  the  last), 
 and  another  who  comes  after  us  may  begin  at  the  first ;  so  that 
 in  this  passage  that  saying  should  hold  good,  "  In  any  hour  is 
 any  hour;^'^ — But  it  represents  the  space  of  time  from  the  first 
 calling  of  the  apostles  to  the  ascension  of  Christ  and  the  descent 
 
 '  "  Qiialibot  hora  est  qusclibot  lior:!."  In  every  liour  \vha(e\er,  there  is 
 the  hour  of  some  one  or  other  [some  liour  or  oilier,  wliiilsoever  that  hour  bej. 
 Any  hour  ol  labour  whatsoever  is  counted  to  the  labourer  as  such,  whensoever 
 it  be,  whether  at  an  earlier  or  later  date.  This  seems  to  me  Bengel's  mean- 
 injj,  though  the  words  arc  rather  ambii,'Uous. — Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XX.  3-8.  389 
 
 of  the  Paraclete.  The  denarius  is  that  one  amount  of  wages 
 in  the  present  and  future  life,  equally  oflPered  to  all,  mentioned 
 in  ch.  xix.  29,  21 ;  the  difference  of  which,  though  corresponding 
 with  the  difference  of  labours,  is  not  only  not  apparent  in  this 
 life,  but  fi'equently  appears  inverted  :  therefore  the  middle  term, 
 equahty,  is  here  assumed.-^  The  evening  is  that  time  when 
 each  one  is,  or  appears  to  be,  much  nearer  the  close  than  the 
 commencement  of  his  labours  ;  and  therefore,  in  the  case  of  the 
 disciples,  the  time  then  close  at  hand,  immediately  before  the 
 departure  of  our  Lord.  They  cast  their  own  evening  and  that 
 of  others  into  the  same  balance,  who  compare  themselves  with 
 others.  The  labourers  are  all  who  are  called,  not  only  the 
 apostles.  The  feeling  of  the  discontented  labourers  concerning 
 the  whole  day,  resembles  that  of  Peter,  when  he  alluded,  with- 
 out sufficient  discretion,  to  the  difference  between  himself  and 
 that  rich  man.  And  every  one  is  tempted  by  such  a  feeling 
 towards  those  whom  he  most  knows,  and  who  are  his  equals 
 He  who  has  a  wider  range  of  thought  is  liable  to  the  same 
 temptation  with  regard  to  those  who  are  more  remote. — iiitq. 
 ruiv  epyarujv,  with  the  labourers)  The  Householder  makes  an  agree- 
 ment with  the  labourers,  and  they  (see  ver.  13)  with  him.  The 
 one  ensures  the  payment  of  the  wages  ;  the  other  shows  what 
 the  labourer  should  be  contented  with. — r/,  drjvapiou,  for  a  dena- 
 rius) This  was  a  day's  wages,  as  it  is  commonly  at  present. 
 The  sx  (for)  is  not  repeated  in  ver.  13. 
 
 3.  "AXXovg,  others)  who  had  not  been  there  at  the  first  hour. 
 
 6.  T'Kv  svdixdrriv,  the  eleventh)  The  article  is  emphatic,  as  it 
 does  not  occur  in  the  case  of  the  ninth,  sixth,  or  even  third 
 hour. — oXr^v  T7iv  riiMipav,  all  the  day)  They  could  not  offer  them- 
 selves for  hu"e  elsewhere. 
 
 7.  'Ufiag,  us)  This  suits  the  Gentiles. 
 
 8.  '0-4//aj  8s  yivofisvrjg,  but  when  even  was  come)  A  prophetic 
 allusion  is  made  to  the  Last  Judgment.  The  evening  of  each 
 individual's  life  resembles  the  evening  of  the  world. — ao-o  ro)* 
 iffy^aTuv  sui  rouv  'xpuTuv,  from  the  last  unto  the  first)  They  were  all 
 
 '  Here  again  there  is  some  obscurity.  "  Ideo  medium,  paritas,  suniitur." 
 It  seems  to  me  to  refer  to  His  fixing  on  the  denarius  as  a  mean,  merging  the 
 various  diversities  of  reward  answering  to  the  diversities  of  lat  our,  not  noui 
 apparent,  in  the  one  common  sum  alike  and  equal  to  all. — Ed. 
 
 VOL.  I.  A  A 
 
870  ST  MATTHEW  XX.  9-U. 
 
 divided  into  these  two  classes  ;  for  all  are  reckoned  amongst  the 
 first,  who  came  before  the  eleventh  hour ;  see  ver.  9,  10. 
 
 9.  'Avu,  apiece)  See  John  ii.  6. 
 
 10.  0/  rrpuToi,  the  first)  The  intermediate  labourers  did  not 
 murmur ;  for  they  saw  themselves  also  made  equal  to  the  first. 
 He  who  is  liable  to  be  envied  himself,  is  less  likely  to  envy 
 others. — -rXf/om,  more)  sc.  denarii,  i.e.  tw^elve  denarii  for  twelve 
 hours. 
 
 11.  'Eyo'yyu^oi',  murmured)  Cf.  Luke  xv.  28-30. 
 
 12.  oSro/,  x.r.X.,  these,  etc.)  Envy  is  frequently  more  anxious 
 to  take  fi-om  another  than  to  obtain  for  itself.  They  en\y,  not 
 those  of  the  ninth,  sixth,  and  third,  but  only  those  of  the 
 eleventh  hour. — o'l  'iey^aTot,  the  last)  The  labourers  use  this  ex- 
 pression from  QTwy. — trrolrieav)  have  spent)  See  Acts  xv.  33.' — 
 r;fMTv,  to  lis)  They  speak  also  for  those  -who  had  come  at  the 
 intermediate  hours,  and  who,  though  they  had  borne  a  less 
 burthen  than  that  of  the  whole  day,  had  yet  endured  the  mid- 
 day heat. — jSdpog,  burthen)  internally,  of  labour. — ri^g  r;/i,epag,  of 
 ihe  day)  sc.  the  whole. — -/.avaum,  heat)  externally,  of  the  sun. 
 
 13.  'Evi,  to  one)  who  was  a  sample  of  the  rest  of  the  mur- 
 murers.  Cf.  concerning  one,  the  Gnomon  on  ch.  xxii.  11. — 
 traTps,  fAend)  An  expression  used  also  to  those  with  whom  w^e 
 are  not  on  friendly  or  intimate  terms.^ 
 
 14.  Th  60V,  that  lohich  is  THINE)  There  is  an  evident  contrast 
 intended  between  these  words  and  iv  roTg  J/io?g,  with  MY  OWN,  in 
 the  following  verse. — unrayi.  Depart)  This  expression  is  not  ad- 
 dressed to  those  who  came  at  the  eleventh  hour. — ^eXw,  /  will) 
 The  force  of  this  word  is  very  great.^     See  ver.  15,  and  cf. 
 
 1  'n.oir)axv7i; — xp^''^'-'^  Having  tarried  a  space :  as  Troda  is  here  taken  by 
 Beng.  and  the  margin  of  our  Engl.  Bible  of  continuance  of  time,  "  These  last 
 have  continued  one  hour  only." — Ed. 
 
 ^  "  kruipe,  at  first  sight  a  friendly  word  merely,  assumes  a  more  solemn  aspect 
 when  we  recollect  thai  it  is  used  in  ch.  xxii.  12,  to  the  guest  who  had  not 
 the  wedding  garment;  and  in  ch.  xxvi.  50,  by  our  Lord  to  Judas."  Alford 
 in  loc— (I.  B.) 
 
 OiiK  uoiKu  ai,  I  do  thee  no  wrong)  To  do  wrong  to  God  is  bad ;  but  it  is 
 even  worse  to  suppose  one's  self  wronged  by  God  :  and  this  happens  more 
 often  than  is  generally  supposed. — V.  g. 
 
 3  I.e.  denoting  the  absolute  freedom  of  God's  Grace,  and  the  entire  sove- 
 reignty of  His  Will.— (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XX.  15-17.  371 
 
 Gnomon  on  Mark  xii.  38. — tovtw  tZ  hy^arui,  to  this  last)  The 
 expression  is  repeated  from  the  speech  of  the  murmurer,  but 
 used  in  the  singular  number,  and  applied  to  the  last  of  the  last. 
 Ever)'  one  who  is  envious,  envies  some  one  individually. — aoi,  to 
 thee)  The  addition,  "  who  hast  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the 
 day,"  is  not  repeated. 
 
 If5.  'Of^aX/xoc,  eye)  The  mind  shines  forth  from  the  eyes. — 
 dyayos,  good)  He  is  good,  who  grants  more  than  justice  (see 
 ver.  4,  so.  whatsoever  is  tight)  requires.     See  Rom.  v.  7. 
 
 16.  Ourug,  in  such  a  manner)  The  conclusion  enunciated  in 
 ch.  xix.  30  is  inferred  again  from  the  parable,  though  somewhat 
 inverted,  and  at  the  same  time  limited  by  the  ovru;,  as  in  Rev. 
 iii.  16.  Not  all  who  are  first  shall  fail,  yet  all  require  to  be  on 
 the  watch,  lest  they  should  fail ;  and  all  do  fail  who  conduct 
 themselves  as  the  kraTpog  {'friend,^  or  comrade)  mentioned  in 
 the  parable.  Many,  also,  from  the  intermediate  ranks,  may  take 
 up  a  higher  or  a  lower  position. — 'iaovrat,  shall  he)  With  respect 
 to  the  apostles,  it  is  not  a  prediction,  but  a  warning. — oJ,  the) 
 The  article  is  here  the  sign  of  the  subject  (as  it  is  everywhere, 
 except  when  that  is  still  more  definitely  determined  by  a  proper 
 name  or  a  pronoun,  demonstrative  or  personal),  and  at  the  same 
 time  has  reference  to  ch.  xix.  30 ;  thus  showing  that  the  proposi- 
 tion is  not  to  be  taken  as  of  universal  application. — <7rpujroi,  first) 
 See  the  end  of  ver.  8. — 'roXXoi,  many)  sc.  of  the  first,  who  them- 
 selves are  many  (see  ch.  xix.  30) ;  and  moreover  of  o/  ss^aroi, 
 the  last. — xkriTot,  called)  The  term  xex^jj/xsifos  is  applied  to  a 
 labourer  who  has  been  invited,  even  though  he  should  not  enter 
 the  vineyard :  the  term  xXjjt-oc;  signifies  one  who  has  embraced 
 the  calHng.^ — kxXixroi,  chosen)  i.e.  selected  in  preference  to 
 others.  In  this  passage,  the  first  where  it  occui's,  the  word 
 seems  to  denote,  not  all  who  shall  be  saved,  but,  the  most  ex- 
 cellent of  human  beings.  See  Franck's  Sermons  for  Sundays 
 and  Holidays,  pp.  431,  432,  and  W.  Wall's  Critical  Notes, 
 p.  27. 
 
 17.  ^AvajSaivuv,  as  He  was  going  up)  A  very  memorable  jour- 
 ney, in  which  great  and  various  emotions  were  manifested. — 
 
 ^  'Ox/yo/j/ew)  who,  as  clinging  to  mere  [unmixed]  talih,  give  [cause]  more 
 honour  to  God,  than  the  most  zealous  workmen. — V.  g. 
 
372  ST  MATTHEW  XX.  18-21. 
 
 ■xapeXa^i,  x.t.x.,  He  took,  fctc.)  He  propounded  the  subject,  not 
 as  in  His  daily  conversation,  but  more  solemnly.^ 
 
 18,  19.  Uapaho^neirai — Tupaduicouci,  shall  be  delivered  up,  shall 
 deliver  up)  A  momentous  verb.     See  Luke  xxiii.  25. 
 
 18.  ^Apx'^piZai,  to  the  chief  priests)  This  appellation  seems  to 
 have  been  very  common  at  that  time. — ypaiMiianZai,  to  the 
 scribes)  whose  duty  it  was  to  examine,  as  of  the  priests  to 
 decide.^ 
 
 19.  ToTg  'i^visi,  to  the  Gentiles)  i.e.  to  the  Roman  nation,  which 
 was  the  chief  of  them  all. — J/ATa7f  a/,  to  be  mocked)  What  igno- 
 miny !  He  had,  on  two  previous  occasions,  foretold  His  passion 
 less  definitely  :  He  now  expressly  mentions  the  stnpes,  the  cross, 
 etc.,  as  in  ch.  xxvi.  2,  He  does  the  consummation,  namely. 
 His  crucifixion. 
 
 20.  Ton,  then)  at  a  most  inappropriate  time.^ — TpoaxwoZsa, 
 worshipping)  Him.  From  the  adoration  and  discourse  of  this 
 woman,  it  is  evident  that  she  entertained  a  high  idea  of  our 
 Lord's  majesty,  but  possessed  very  little  knowledge. — W,  some- 
 thing) She  asked  for  something,  indefinitely,  as  they  do  who 
 knew  that  a  refusal  would  not  be  unjust;  see  1  Kings 
 ii.  20. 
 
 21.*  "ivoL  y.a^i(su6iv,  that  they  may  sit)  She  seems  to  refer  to  the 
 promise  of  the  twelve  thrones  mentioned  in  ch.  xix.  28,  and  to 
 have  taken  occasion  to  apply  the  promise  more  especially  to  her 
 own  sons  from  the  appellation,  sons  of  thunde?;  which  our  Lord 
 
 ^  Viz.  in  this  His  third  announcement  of  His  coming  death,  etc. — V.  g. 
 Of  the  preceding  declarations  as  to  His  approaching  Passion,  the  one  had 
 been  made  after  the  confession  of  the  disciples,  the  other  after  the  Trans- 
 figuration on  the  Mount  (wliich  was  attended  with  an  imiversal  admiration 
 of  llis  works,  Luke  ix.  43,  44,  35 ;  Mark  ix.  15) :  a  third  is  now  added  of  His 
 own  accord,  more  solemn  than  the  rest. — Harm.,  p.  432. 
 
 2  Bengel's  very  sentences  have  a  rhythm,  which  brings  out  happily  the 
 antithesis  intended:  "  Scribis)  quorum  erat  scientia;  uti poniijlcumsententia." 
 The  province  of  the  former  was  knowledge  of  the  written  law  ;  of  the  latter, 
 to  decide  or  give  sentence  in  accordance  with  it. — Ed. 
 
 ^  '  H  firiTYip)  This  thought  seems  to  have  entered  the  mind  of  the  anxious 
 mother  altogether  sooner  than  it  did  that  of  her  sons  :  and  even  in  her  very 
 supplication  she  acted  the  part  of  an  intermediate  agent  or  intercessor. — 
 Ilaim.,  p.  433. 
 
 *  T/  diTiUs,  what  wilt  thou)  The  Saviour  does  not  act  hastily  in  promising. 
 -V.g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XX.  22.  373 
 
 had  bestowed  upon  them ;  see  Gnomon  on  Mark  iii.  17. — 'u/'o/ 
 iLov,  my  sons)  Natural  relationship  had  nothing  to  do  with  this. 
 — Jx  hi^icLv  ffou,  on  Thy  right  hand)  The  words  ra  ht,icc  signify, 
 passim,  the  light  hand,  foot,  and  side.  Before  then,  Jesus  would 
 have  others  on  His  right  and  left ;  see  ch.  xxvii.  38.^ — tJg,  one) 
 It  may  be  supposed  that  the  order  of  the  disciples  in  their  glory 
 will  correspond  to  the  order  in  their  office* 
 
 22.  E/OTi/,  said)  gravely,  and  with  pity. — ou-/.  o'l'dars,  ye  do  not 
 knoio)  Ye  do  not  know  what  My  glory  is,  what  it  is  to  sit  on  My 
 right  hand  and  on  My  left,  to  whom  it  is  given,  and  what  is  re- 
 quired beforehand. — ri  atnTeh,  what  ye  ask)  sc.  what  it  is  that 
 ye  ask.^ — huvack  ;  can  ye  ?)  He  replies  to  the  sons,  instead  of  the 
 mother.  Are  you  equal  to  this  ? — to  rrcrrjpiov,  the  cup)  In  St 
 Mark  He  speaks  also  of  "  the  baptism ;"  see  the  Gnomon  on 
 Mark  x.  38,  39.  Some  copies  of  Matthew  have  the  clause  con- 
 cerning baptism,  others  are  without  it.* — 6  syu,  which  I)  Jesus 
 already  as  it  were  then  dwelt  on  His  passion,  and  draws  His  dis- 
 course from  it ;  and  the  speech  of  those  two,  whom  He  thus  directs 
 to  follow  Him,  was,  as  it  were,  outstripping  not  only  their  ten 
 fellow-disciples,  but  also  the  Lord  Himself.^ — dvvd/xs6a,  loe  are 
 
 '  0/  "hvo)  She  seemed  to  herself  at  the  time  to  be  speaking  altogether  sea- 
 sonably.— V.  g. 
 
 2  Sc.  The  two  thieves  who  were  crucified  with  Him. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  One  ought  to  know  this,  who  wishes  to  ask. — V.  g. 
 
 *  In  his  Apparatus  Criticus,  Bengel  says  on  this  passage — 
 
 22  ;})  Comp.  Aug.  1,  2  ;  Colb.  5  et  Colb.  n.  4112  ;  Cypr.  Laud.  2,  4 ;  M. 
 1,2;  Wo.  I,  2,  et  e  Classe  ii.  undecim  alii,  pluresve,  Pers.  JRus.  Syr.  x.ot.1 
 Er.  et  al.  E.  Marco.  ^  vj  to  usq.  /3«7rT/(79'^v«/)  edd.  Mss.  Arab.  Hehr.  Peri'. 
 Pus.  Sj/r.  Chrys.,  Opus  imperf.  Basilms  Sel.  Theophyl.  {-—)  Origenes,  Epi- 
 phanius,  JEth.  Copt.  Lat.  et  inde  Cant.  Colbert,  n.  2467,  Steph.  n.  Sax. 
 Ambr.  Hilar.  Hieron.,  Tr.  de  Bapt.  inter  opera  Cypriani. — (I.  B.) 
 
 Rec.  Text  with  C  adds  after  vrivnv,  >j  {kx\)  to  (ixTTziai/.a,  6  iyu  (ix'TFTil^oi/.ce.i 
 ex'Trriadiivcci.  But  BDLZic  "Vulg.  Memph.  Theb.  Orig.  3,717c,  7196  (as- 
 cribing the  words  to  Mark),  Hil.  709,  omit  the  words. — Ed. 
 
 However  the  margin  of  Ed.  2  reckons  that  clause  concerning  the  baptism 
 among  the  readings  better  established  in  the  following  verse  than  in  thii 
 verse. — E.  B. 
 
 Rec.  Text  adds  in  ver.  23,  with  C,  xxl  to  fixTrnafix  6  lyu  fixTrri'^o/icxi 
 S:X7rrta6mia6i.  But  BDLZaSc,  and  the  others  quoted  in  note,  ver.  22,  reject 
 the  words. — Ed. 
 
 5  What  Beng.  seems  to  mean  is,  The  request  of  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee, 
 as  it  were,  went  before  even  Himself,  not  to  say  the  ten  disciples,  in  proceed- 
 
874  ST  MATTHEW  XX.  23-25. 
 
 able)  Tliey  did  not  even  know  sufficiently  what  they  were  an- 
 swering ;  the  Lord,  however,  bears  with  them,  and  accepts  their 
 confession  ;^  cf.  ch.  xxvi.  39,  37. 
 
 23.  To  ij.h  'joTTipiov,  K.T.X.,  the  cup  indeed,  etc.)  This,  together 
 with  the  parallel  passages,  has  been  ti'eated  with  singular  in- 
 dustry by  Thomas  Gataker  in  his  Adversaria  Miscellanea,  B. 
 i.  ch.  3,  of  which  we  shall  take  the  chief  points. — y.adlaai,  x.r.X., 
 to  sit,  etc.)  There  will,  therefore,  clearly  be  some  who  will  sit 
 on  the  right  and  left  hand  of  Christ. — dxx'  oTg,  x.r.x.,  except  to 
 those  for  xohom)  By  this  opposition  or  exception  (for  it  comes  to 
 the  same  thing)  Jesus  does  not  deny  that  it  is  His  to  give  (see 
 Rev.  iii.  21),  but  limits  and  declares  to  whom  He  will  give  it, 
 as  well  as  the  time  and  the  order,  referring,  as  is  His  wont, 
 all  things  to  the  Father.  Jesus  did  not  give  it  until.  His  pas- 
 sion having  been  suffered  and  concluded,^  He  had  sat  down 
 Himself  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Father.  It  is  neither  an 
 earthly  kingdom  in  which  He  gives  it,  nor  does  He  give  it  to 
 those  who  have  not  yet  suffered.  Under,  therefore,  the  very 
 appearance  of  a  repulse.  He  gives  a  promise  to  James  and  John. 
 
 24.  O'l  dixa,  the  ten)  Amongst  these  was  the  candid  Evangelist 
 himself. — rr/a.yay.7r^Ga.\,  were  indignant)  They  feared  lest  they 
 should  lose  something  *  [i.e.  lest  James  and  John  should  gain 
 something  at  their  expense], 
 
 25.  Upo(!xa,Xssu/j,i'jo;  auroug,  having  called  them  to  Him)  They 
 had  been  moved,  therefore,  with  indignation  when  their  Master 
 was  not  present.  He  avowedly  corrects  them. — o'lban,  x.r.x., 
 ye  know,  etc.)  Therefore  ye  think  that  it  will  be  the  same  in  the 
 kingdom  of  the  Messiah. — y.aTa.xuf>ii\jousiv  [E.  V.  exercise  dominion 
 over'\ — -/.ars^ouaid^ovsiv  pE.  V.  exercise  authority  upon^ — In  both 
 these  compound  verbs  the  xtcra  intensifies  the  signification  (see 
 S.  V.  of  Gen.  i.  28,  and  Ps.  Ixxii.  8),  and  in  this  passage  distin- 
 
 ing  to  the  Kingdom  at  once,  whereas  lie  was  dwelling  on  the  intermediate 
 Passion :  He  therefore  urges  them  to  follow  after  Him,  not  to  take  the  lead 
 of  Him,  and  to  bear  the  Cross  of  His  followers  before  receiving  the  Crown. 
 —Ed. 
 
 ^  Intending  subsequently  to  perfect  in  them  those  things,  which  at  that 
 time  were  above  their  own  comprehension — V.  g. 
 
 *  '  Exantlata,'  '  having  been  drained  to  the  dregs.' — (I.B.) 
 '  Luke  records  a  similar  dispute  as  having  arisen  at  the  Last  Supper,  ch, 
 xxii.  24. — i/arm  ,  p.  433. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XX.  26,  27.  375 
 
 guishes  between  the  legitimate  use  and  frequent  abuse  of  autho- 
 rity.— 0/  (liydXoi,  they  that  are  great)  sc.  ministers  of  state,  who 
 are  often  more  imperious  than  theh'  lords. 
 
 26.  Ohy^  ovTojg  ds  idrai  Iv  v/iTv,  but  it  shall  not  be  SO  among  you) 
 "  It  appears  to  me  not  at  all  natural  to  suppose  that  all  use  and 
 exercise  of  civil  authority  is  in  this  passage  utterly  forbidden  to 
 those  to  whom  these  words  apply,  and  much  less  so  that  our 
 Lord  meant  to  forbid,  by  these  words,  all  precedence  and  in- 
 equality amongst  His  followers,  since  He  Himself  both  expressly 
 recognises  degrees  amongst  them,  by  which  some  are  preferred 
 to  others,  as  greater  to  less  (see  Luke  xxii.  26),  and  also  pro- 
 poses Himself  to  them  as  an  example  (uad^s/y/xa)  ;  see  ibid.  27  : 
 Matt.  xs.  28.  Christ  therefore,  by  this  prohibition,  did  not 
 derogate  more  from  the  authority  of  His  followers  over  each 
 other,  than  He  did  fi'om  His  own  over  them." — Gataker  :  hier- 
 archically enough. — sv  vimTv,  amongst  you)  These  words  "  seem  to 
 apply  to  all  Christians,  whether  princes  or  plebeians." — Ibid. 
 "  Christ  teaches  that  His  kingdom  is  carried  on  upon  different 
 principles  from  those  of  this  world  ;  for  that  in  those  there  were 
 external  dignities,  princedoms,  and  satrapies,  which  the  respec- 
 tive kings  Avere  in  the  habit  of  conferring,  according  to  thein. 
 caprice,  upon  those  whom  they  wished  to  honour ;  but  that  in 
 His  kingdom  nothing  of  this  sort  was  to  be  found;  not  be- 
 cause those  things  were  not  to  be  met  with,  or  might  not  be 
 lawfully  exercised  in  the  Church  of  Christ  or  amongst  the  pro- 
 fessors of  the  Christian  name,  but  because  they  do  not  pertain 
 to,  or  arise  from,  the  spiritual  kingdom  of  Christ,  to  which  He 
 invites  His  followers.  Moreover,  that  there  was  no  reason  whv 
 any  one,  in  following  Him,  should  promise  himself  the  posses- 
 sion of  such  dignities,  since  He  neither  promised  such  things  to 
 any  one,  nor  took  or  exercised  them  Himself  :  that  He  professed 
 Himself,  by  practice  as  well  as  precept,  to  be,  not  the  dispenser 
 of  secular  dignities,  but  the  author  and  teacher  of  humility  and 
 spiritual  modesty.  He  exhorts  all  His  followers,  therefore,  that 
 (utterly  laying  aside  all  ambition)  they  should  conform  them- 
 selves to  these  virtues,  of  which  they  have  an  example  in  Him- 
 self."— Ibid. — f^syag,  great)  the  manister  of  a  great  king  is  him- 
 self great. 
 
 27.  Ilpu/rog,  chief. 
 
876  ST  MATTHEW  XX.  29-34. 
 
 28.  'CLoirip,  x.T.'k.,  even  as,  etc.)  The  greatest  example  which 
 could  be  adduced  or  imagined. — diay.ovriffai,  to  minister,  to  serve) 
 See  Rom.  xv.  8. — xal,  x.r.X.,  and,  etc.)  An  ascending  climax. — 
 rriv  -vj/u^j^v  Avrou,  His  sout)  i.e.  Himself;  see  Gal.  i.  4,  ii.  20. — 
 Xbrpov,  a  ransom. — avri  rroXXSJ^/,  for  many)  A  great  ministry,  and 
 one  of  vast  condescension.  That  for  which  a  price  is  given,  is  in 
 some  sort  more  an  object  of  desire  to  him  who  gives  the  price  than 
 the  price  itself.  And  the  Redeemer  spends  Himself  for  many, 
 not  only  taken  as  a  whole,  but  also  as  individuals. 
 
 29.  "Oy\og  'xoXxjc,  a  great  multitude)  which  had  been  in  that 
 city.^ 
 
 30.  Aho,  two)  St  Mark  (x.  46)  mentions  only  one,  Barti- 
 maeus,  the  most  distinguished  f  as  St  Matthew  in  the  next  chap- 
 ter mentions  both  the  ass  and  the  colt,  St  Mark  only  the  colt 
 which  was  actually  employed  by  our  Lord  ;  as  St  Luke  (xxiv. 
 4)  the  two  angels  who  appeared,  St  Matthew  and  St  Mark,  the 
 one  who  spoke. 
 
 3L  0/  bi,  x.r.X.,  hut  they,  etc.)  We  must  not  listen  to  those 
 who  inculcate  perverted  shame  or  noxious  decorum. 
 
 32.  T/  &s\iri ;  x.T.X.,  what  loill  ye  ?  etc.)  We  ought  sometimes 
 in  our  prayers  to  make  special  petitions. 
 
 34.  "^.-rXay/jiakii,  being  moved  loith  compassion)  The  compas- 
 sion of  Jesus  was  aroused  by  every  human  misery. — rixoXoudrtaav 
 Avrui,  they  folloiced  Him)  with  the  multitudes  mentioned  in  ch. 
 xxi.  8,  and  without  any  one  to  lead  them.^ 
 
 ^  And  were  subsequently  present  at  His  royal  entry. — V.  g. 
 
 2  The  same  one  is  meant  also  in  Luke  xviii.  35,  that  Evangelist  having  had 
 occasion  to  transpose  the  order  of  the  narration,  owing  to  the  fact  that  one 
 of  the  two  blind  men  made  acquaintance  with  the  Divine  Physician  on  the 
 way,  when  Jesus  was  entering  Jericho.  In  the  meantime,  whilst  the  Saviour 
 was  dining  or  rather  passing  the  night  with  Zaccheus,  the  other  of  the  two 
 blind  men,  whom  Matthew  adds  to  the  former  one,  joined  Bartimaeus. — 
 Harm.,  pp.  434,  435. 
 
 '  Sc.  as  formerly,  when  they  were  blind. —  Eo. 
 
6T  MATTHEW  XXI.  1-3.  377 
 
 CHAPTEE   XXL 
 
 1.  Kai  ore,  k.t.k.,  and  when,  etc.)  From  this  point  forward,  the 
 actions  and  contests  of  our  Lord  are  described  by  the  several 
 Evangehsts  with  great  falness  and  agreement. — ug  'IiposoXvfia,  to 
 Jemsalem)  which  they  were  about  to  enter. — tots,  x.t.x.,  then, 
 etc.)  not  before.  It  is  clearly  intimated,  that  the  event  ^  about 
 to  be  described  was  full  of  mystery.  Often  had  Jesus  entered 
 Jerusalem  f  now,  in  this  His  last  journey,  and  at  the  conclusion 
 of  it,  He  rides  for  the  only  time,  solemnly  taking  possession  of  the 
 Royal  City  (see  ch.  v.  35),  not  only  for  a  few  days,  but  on  account 
 of  that  kingdom  (see  Mark  xi.  10)  which  He  was  just  about  to 
 institute  ;  see  Luke  xxiv.  47,  i.  33,  and  the  conclusion  of  Zech. 
 ix.  10,  with  the  whole  context. 
 
 2.  Trjv  d'^rsvavTi  vfiaiv)  which  is  over  against  you. — iv6eug,  imme- 
 diately) The  word  is  repeated  in  the  next  verse.  All  things  are 
 easy  to  the  Lord. — dsbs/xsvTiv,  tied)  already  as  it  were  prepared. — 
 TuiXov,  a  colt)  The  colt  had  never  carried  any  one  before.  Jesus 
 liad  never  been  carried  before  by  any  animal,  except  perhaps  at 
 a  very  tender  age.  He  took  the  mother  from  the  village  for  a 
 short  way. 
 
 3.  'O  Kdpiog,  the  Lord)  The  owners  of  the  ass  were  devoted 
 to  Jesus.^ — s-ofsug  ds,  but  immediately)  i.e.  You  will  not  need 
 
 1  In  the  original,  "  Vectura  (a  being  carried  or  borne,  a  riding)  mysterii 
 plena  innuitur."     See  ver.  2-9. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  "  The  Saviour  had  come  to  Jerusalem—  (1),  in  infency  (Luke  ii.  22,seqq. ) ; 
 (2),  in  childhood  (Luke  ii.  42,  seqq.)  ;  (3),  in  His  temptation  (chap.  iv.  5)  ; 
 (4),  at  the  Passover  (John  ii.  23.)  ;  (5),  at  the  Day  of  Pentecost  (John  v.  1)  ; 
 (6),  during  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  (John  vii.  10)  ;  and  now,  for  the  seventh 
 time,  to  His  Passion.  After  the  entrance  (Einritte)  [described  in  the  fol- 
 lowing verses].  He  went  daily  to  and  from  Jerusalem,  until,  at  the  commence- 
 ment of  the  Friday,  [for  the  Jewish  days  began  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,] 
 He  was  carried  in  bound,  and  taken  forth  in  the  morning  to  Golgotha." — 
 B.  H.  E. 
 
 '  xptixv  ixit,  hath  need)  How  great  were  the  needs  of  so  great  a  Lord ! 
 ^V.  g. 
 
378  ST  MATTHEW  XXI.  5. 
 
 many  words. — ^  dTosTiXXn,  he  sendsf  The  present  tense  is  used 
 because  the  event  was  sure  and  speedy,  as  they  were  already 
 prepared  to  send  it :  cf.  Mark  iv.  29,  i-j&iug  d-zosrsh/.e!  to  dpi- 
 'ravov,  immediately/  he  sendeth  the  sickle. — See  ibid.  xi.  6,  xa/ 
 d(pri7(.av  avroug,  and  they  let  them  go. 
 
 5.  E/Va«,  X.T.K.,  tell  ye,  etc.)  This  passage  is  one  of  those 
 which  show  that  many  things  in  the  prophets  ought  to  be 
 received  by  us,  not  only  as  they  were  meant  by  them,  but  as  they 
 were  destined  to  be  meant  by  the  apostles.  This  part  occurs  in 
 Isa.  Ixii.  11  ;  the  rest  in  Zechariah,  whom  St  Matthew  quotes, 
 beginning  at  the  more  important  part ;  for  the  word  "  rejoice^' 
 is  thus  supplied.  At  the  time  of  its  fulfilment  it  is  to  be  told : 
 joy  then  arises  spontaneously.^  In  Zech.  ix.  9,  the  LXX.  have 
 XaTps  apohpa  '^uyaTip  S/wi/,  7irip\j6Si  ^uyarip  'isfouffaX^/x*  Idov,  6  Baffi- 
 AE^S  ipyirai  dot,  bixaiog  xa/  6uiZ,(>JV  Avrog'^  "^po-'^i  xa/  iyCt/Ss/Sjjxwg  i'xi 
 livo^vyiov  xa/  vuXov  vbov, — Rejoice  greatly,  daughter  of  Sio7i ;  shout,*' 
 
 ^  Such  is  the  reading  also  of  Griesbach  and  Scholz.  E.  M.  reads  d-Troars'/iii 
 (the  future),  rendered  therefore  in  E.  V.  "  he  will  send."  In  his  App.  Crit. 
 Bengel  writes — 
 
 "  ci'TroirTi'hXii)  Comp.  Er.  ed.  i.  et  seqq.  ;  Stop.  Aug.  i.  2  :  Bodl.  1,  2,  7  ; 
 Bu.  Byz.  Gov.  i.  Cj/pr.  Gal.  ;  Gehl.  Go.  Lavd.  1,2,  5;  Lin.  Lips.  Mont,  manu 
 prima,  M.  1,  Mosc.  N.  1,  Par.  1,  3,  4,  7,  8  ;  Per.  Roe.  Steph.  omn.  vss.  1, 
 2,  Wh.  1  nonnulli  codd.  upud  Er.  vel  etiam  Barb,  decern.,  et  Cam.  item  Chrj/s. 
 Theophj/l.  Cant,  latine,  Syr.  Accedunt  Evangelistaria,  Aug.  4  (in  quo  cum 
 verbum  hoc  jam  a  simplici  scriptum  fuisset,  A  alterum  est  suppletum),  Bodl. 
 4,  5,  Laud.  4,  WTi.  3.  Itaque  d'TroaTb.'kii  Matthsei,  et  dvoarsXsi  Marci  se 
 niutuo  confirmant,  nam  librarii  videntur  lectionem  ccz-oari'KT^it  ex  publica 
 Matthffii  recitatione  ad  Marcum  traduxisse,  et  aliquando  aTroaTsXg/  a  Marco 
 ;id  Mattha3um  retulissc.  Vid.  Gnom.  {d.Troazi'Ku)  Lat.  et  inde  Er.  vel  etiam 
 J'arisini  et  Seldiani  aliquot,  cum  Bodl.  6,  Ca7it.  grace,  Goii.  Hunt.  2  3Iagd. 
 et  perpaucis  aliis." — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  '  Avoan'Ku  is  the  reading  of  BDbc  Vulg.  Orig.  and  Rec.  Text,  and  so 
 Lachm.  and  Tischend,     '  A-TroariM-ii  is  read  by  CLXZAo?. — Eu, 
 
 ^  Beng.  seems  to  mean,  the  introductory  words  in  Zech.  ix.  9,  "  Rejoice 
 greatly,"  etc.,  "  Shout,"  etc.,  are  omitted  here,  on  the  occasion  of  the  passage 
 being  quoted  by  St  Matthew,  because,  at  the  time  of  the  fulfilment  of  the 
 prophecy,  all  that  was  needed  was  the  telling  (and  therefore  "  Tell  ye"  is  sub- 
 stituted from  Isa.  Ixii.  11,  "  Say  ye") :  the  joy  was  sure  to  arise  of  its  own 
 accord. — Ed. 
 
 *  The  Codex  Alexandrinus  reads  (ia/jt>.ii/;  aov. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  The  Oxford  Edition  of  1848  has  a  comma  after  au^uu,  and  omits  the 
 colon  after  Avro;. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  The  word  denotes,  in  the  orig.,  the  voice  of  a  herald  or  a  preacher. — (IB.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXI.  6-8.  379 
 
 daughter  of  Jerusalem :  behold  the  King  cometh  unto  thee ;  He  is 
 just  and  having  salvation :  ^  meek,  and  riding  on  an  ass,  even  a 
 young  colt. — rJj  'buyarpi  S/wf,  to  the  daughter  of  Sion)  put  synec- 
 dochically  for  Jerusalem. — BaffiXivg  aov,  thy  King)  and  also  Bride- 
 groom.— CO/,  to,  or  for  thee)  sc.  for  thy  sake  or  advantage. — 
 •T/)(^i}5  xa/,  •K.T.'k.,  meek  and,  etc.^)  The  same  thing  is  fi'equently  ex- 
 pressed in  the  same  passage  by  literal  and  metaphorical  words. 
 The  horse  is  a  warlike  steed,  which  the  King  of  Peace  did  not 
 make  use  of;  see  Zech.  ix.  10.  He  will  make  use  of  it  here- 
 after; see  Eev.  xix.  11. — hov,  an  ass)  not  a  she  ass.  In  Hebrew, 
 "IIDPI. — v'lov  IvoZuyiov,  the  male  foal  of  an  ass^)  who,  though  the 
 offspring  of  one  that  had  borne  the  yoke,  had  not  himself  yet 
 borne  it.  Our  Lord  rode  upon  the  foal,  but  employed  also  the 
 mother  as  a  companion  to  the  foal. 
 
 6.  Ka/  'n-oi/jffavTig,  and  ivhen  they  had  done. 
 
 7.  ^E'Tsxabiasv,*  He  sat  upon)  becomingly ;  His  disciples  at- 
 tending on  Him  f  see  Luke  xix.  35.  The  Persian  kings  were 
 rather  placed  by  others,  than  themselves  got  on  horseback.  See 
 Brisson. — s'xd.vu  auruv,  on  them)  though,  strictly  speaking,  on 
 the  foal ;  see  Mark  xi.  2,  3 ;  John  xii.  14,  15. 
 
 8.  'O  d't  'zXiToTog  o-x}-oc,  but  the  people,  who  were  in  great  num- 
 bers.— iv  TYi  odui,  in  the  way)  [i.e  in  the  midst  of  the  ivay  or  road^  ; 
 not  only  xara  rrjv  ibov,  by  the  side  of  the  way ;  for  St  Luke 
 (xix.  36)  uses  the  expression  v'TriOTpujnuov,  they  spread  them  mider, 
 [i.e.  so  that  He  should  ride  over  them]. — xXddoug,  branches)  It 
 was  customary  with  the  Jews  and  other  ancient  nations  to  mani- 
 fest their  public  joy  by  cutting  down  branches  from  trees. 
 
 1  Lit.  '■'■  Himself  saving. '^ — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  It  is  this  very  virtue  that  renders  both  her  King,  and  the  tidings  as  to 
 the  approach  of  her  King,  so  delightful  to  the  daughter  of  Sion. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  Literally,  the  son  of  one  who  bears  the  yoke  ;  rendered  accurately  by  the 
 Vulgate,  which  Bengel  has  followed  here,  filium  subjugalis.  He  has  not 
 been  equally  exact  in  his  German  Version. — (L  B.) 
 
 •*  BC  Origen  read,  as  Beng.,  sTriKocdiaii/,  He  sat ;  abed  also  have  '  sedebat :' 
 D  has  iKctdriTo.  Vulg.  has  imposuerunt ;  and  so  Rec.  Text  iviKtidiaci!',  thej/ 
 set  Him  thereon.  This  last  plainly  comes  through  Harmonists  from  Luke 
 xix.  35,  sTTi/itfixaoiu.,  they  set  Jesus  thereon. — Ed. 
 
 5  That  is,  His  disciples  helped  Him  to  mou7it,  which  harmonises  the  state- 
 ments, that  He  sat  upon  the  colt,  in  Matt.,  and  that  His  disciples  set  Him  on, 
 in  Luke. — Ed. 
 
S80  ST  MATTHEW  XXI.  9. 
 
 9.^  'rtffavva,  Hosannd)  ie.  W  nyenn,  Save,  I  pray.  The  LXX. 
 render  Psalm  cxviii.  (cxvii.)  25 — w  Kvpn  aucov  drj'  w  Kvpn  tvoBu- 
 cov  8r;, — 0  Lord,  do  save :  0  Lord,  do  give  prosperity.  The 
 words,  'irieovg  {Jesus)  in  ver.  11,  VK^i  (having  salvation)  in 
 Zechariah  ix.  9,  and  ugawSi,  in  the  present  verse,  are  all  cognate 
 terms. — rip,  x.r.X.,  to  the,  etc.)  We  sing  Hosanna,  say  they  (as 
 was  foretold  by  the  prophets),  to  the  Son  of  David.  Agreeable 
 to  the  account  given  by  the  Evangelists  of  our  Lord's  entry,  is 
 that  which  Isidore  Clarius  says  that  he  heard  from  a  certain 
 Jew,  viz.,  that  these  words,  "  Hosanna  !  Blessed  is  He  that 
 cometh"  etc.,  were  customarily  said  by  the  priests,  when  victims 
 were  offered  for  sacrifice.  And  the  formula,  Hosanna,  was  so 
 frequently  uttered,  that  they  even  gave  that  name  to  the 
 branches  which  were  carried  about  on  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles.' 
 — vjXoyrifihog,  x.r.X.,  blessed,  etc.)  Thus  the  LXX.  in  Psalm 
 cxviii.  (cxvii.)  26,  which  psalm  formed  part  of  the  Hallel,  or 
 Paschal  hymn,  which  they  would  have  to  recite  in  a  few  days' 
 time. — h  hoixcLTi,  in  the  name)  These  words  should  be  construed 
 with  euXoyri/xsvog  (blessed),  according  to  the  Hebrew  accents.' — 
 
 '  oi  TTpoxyovrig — dx.oXovdovvTSi,  that  went  before — and  that  followed)  Of 
 whom  the  former  had  gone  from  the  city  to  meet  Him ;  the  latter  had 
 gathered  themselves  together  to  Jesus,  either  at  Jericho  or  elsewhere,  as  He 
 was  passing  along. — V.  g. 
 
 2  Hartwell  Home  sajs  on  this  subject :  "  During  the  continuance  of  this 
 feast,  they  carried  in  their  hands  branches  of  palm  trees,  olives,  citrons, 
 myrtles,  and  willows  (Lev.  xxiii.  40  ;  Neh.  viii.  15  ;  2  Mace.  x.  7);  singing, 
 Hosanna,  save  I  beseech  thee  (Ps.  cxviii.  25);  in  which  Avords  they  prayed  for 
 the  coming  of  the  Messiah.  These  branches  also  bore  the  name  of  Hosanna, 
 as  well  as  all  the  days  of  the  FeasL  In  the  same  manner  was  Jesus  Christ 
 conducted  into  Jerusalem  by  the  believing  Jews,  who,  considering  Him  to  be 
 the  promised  Messiah,  expressed  their  boundless  joy  at  finding  in  Him  the 
 accomplishment  of  those  petitions  which  they  had  so  often  offered  to  God  for 
 His  coming,  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles.  (Matt.  xxi.  8,  9.)  During  its 
 continuance,  they  walked  in  procession  round  the  altar  with  the  above- 
 mentioned  branches  in  their  hands,  amid  the  sound  of  trumpets,  singing 
 Hosanna  ;  and  on  the  last,  or  seventh  day  of  the  Feast,  they  compassed  the 
 altar  seven  times.  This  was  called  the  Great  Hosanna.  To  this  last  cere- 
 mony St  John  probably  alludes  in  Rev.  vii.  9,  10,  where  he  describes  the 
 saints  as  standing  before  the  Throne,  "  clothed  with  luhite  robes,  and  palms 
 in  their  hands ;  and  saying,  Salvation  to  our  Ood,  tchich  sitteth  upofi  the 
 throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb.'" — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  i.e.  Bcngel  would  render  it,  "  Blessed  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  etcy    In 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXI.  10-12.  381 
 
 i\  7oTc  u-^isToi';,  in  the  highest)  Succour  [us],  O  Thou  who  art  in 
 the  highest. 
 
 10.  Aiyovea,  saying)  sc.  from  amazement. — rig,  ti.t.X.,  who  ? 
 etc.)  The  chief  personage  is  not  immediately  seen  in  a  large 
 concourse ;  nor  had  the  Jews  been  accustomed  to  see  Jesus 
 journeying  except  on  foot. 
 
 11.  'O  'rpoprjTTjg,  the  Prophet)  Jesus  was  first  acknowledged  as 
 a  Prophet,  then  as  Priest  and  King. — 6  am  Na^a^sr,  of  Naza- 
 retli)  This  was  a  customary  appellation  [for  Him]. 
 
 12.  'E^j/3aX£,  cast  outy  though  He  was  meek,  and  had  been  just 
 called  so  in  ver.  5.  In  the  early  part  of  His  ministry,  our  Lord 
 had  purified  the  temple  ;  see  John  ii.  14.  Those  who  profaned 
 it  had,  however,  returned ;  and  now,  when  near  the  end  of  Plis 
 course.  He  purifies  it  once  more,  though  it  was  soon  to  be  de- 
 stroyed ;  see  ch.  xxiii.  38. — -ravrag,  all)  A  great  miracle.  Even 
 a  large  body  of  soldiers  would  not  have  ventured  to  attempt  it. 
 — Toiig  iruXovvrag,  k.t.X.,  those  who  sold,  etc.)  They  had  wished  to 
 offer  every  accommodation  for  public  worship,  especially  at 
 the  time  of  the  Passover ;  but  by  degrees  they  appear  to  have 
 pushed  their  licence  further. — h  rip  Upwy^  in  the  temple)  and  in- 
 deed in  its  uttermost  part,  the  court  of  the  Gentiles ;  where  the 
 Gentiles  [or  nations']  were  wont  to  pray.     See  Mark  xi.  17. 
 
 a  note  to  liis  German  Version,  he  says,  "  That  is,  Let  hitn,  who  cometh  here, 
 be  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  blessed."  For  some  account  of  the  Hebrew 
 Accents,  see  p.  132,  f.n.  5. — (I.  B.) 
 
 But  Engl.  Ver.,  "  Cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  :"  joining  iu  6v6f4,xT, 
 with  ipy,6fi,ivog. — Ed. 
 
 1  This  casting  out  did  not  occur  on  that  very  day,  a  day  so  full  of  grace 
 and  joy  ;  but  when  men  refused  to  obey  the  intimation  conveyed  by  His  eyes 
 and  look  (of  which  Mark,  ch.  xi.  11,  makes  mention:  [in  the  'eventide'  of 
 the  same  day  "Jesus  entered  the  temple,  and  looked  round  about  upon  all 
 things,"  and  not  until  the  morrow  He  "began  to  cast  out  them  that  sold." 
 — Ed.]),  the  Lord  on  the  following  day  exhibited  more  severe  specimens  of 
 His  most  just  indignation.     Comp.  with  this,  Mark  xi.  15, — Harm.,  p.  447. 
 
 *  The  fuller  reading,  iu  ru  Up^  rov  Qtov,  which  the  larger  Ed.  had  pro- 
 nounced to  be  an  inferior  reading,  is  regarded  as  almost  equal  in  authority 
 to  that  of  the  text  by  the  margin  of  the  Ed.  2  and  the  Germ.  Vers. — E.  B. 
 
 There  is  no  primary  authority  for  the  fuller  reading  here.  El;  to  iepou, 
 omitting  Qsov  in  the  beginning  of  the  sentence,  is  read  by  Lachm.,  with  BLft 
 Orig,  Hilar.  713,  Memph.  and  Theb.  Versions.  Dae  Vulg.  and  Rec.  Text 
 add  70V  Qiov. — Ed. 
 
382  ST  MATTHEW  XXI.  13-16. 
 
 13.  'O  o/x&'j  Mou  oTxog  vpoeivy^ra  y.Xri^yjCiTccr  v/JbiTg  6b  airoi'  irrvrjeari 
 cvTi'kaiov  \ri6Tuiv,  My  house  shall  be  called  (a  or  the)  house  of 
 prayer ;  hut  ye  have  made  it  a  den  of  thieves. — The  LXX.,  in 
 Isaiah  Ivi.  7,  have — 6  yap  oTxog  Mo-j,  oJxog  Tpoaivyjr,g  xXr^fiSerai 
 rraffi  roTg  s'^vidiv,  My  house  shall  he  called  {a  or  the)  house  of 
 prayer  for  all  nations ;  and  in  Jeremiah  vii.  11,  ij^ri  Grrriy.aiov 
 /.r,(sru)v  6  oiKog  Mou ;  is  My  house  become  a  den  of  thieves  ? — 
 rrpo<siv)(rig,  of  prayer)  Prayer  is  the  principal  part  of  public 
 worship ;  see  1  Kings  viii. ;  therefore  prayer  is  put  before 
 the  apostolic  ministry  of  the  Word  in  Acts  vi.  4.  The 
 synagogues  also  were  places  for  teaching  and  houses  of  prayer 
 as  well.  In  the  temple  there  was  more  prayer,  in  the  syna- 
 gogues more  teaching. — s-'xriXaio  \ri<sruiv,  a  den  of  thieves)  A  se- 
 vere and  proverbial  expression,  used  of  a  place  which  admits  all 
 infamous  characters  and  all  profane  things.  He  does  not  say,  A 
 market-place.  In  a  den,  thieves  do  not  so  much  attack  others, 
 as  house  themselves. 
 
 14.  'Ev  tOj  hp'fi,  in  the  temple)  The  right  use  of  the  temple  ; 
 which  was  found  fault  with  by  His  adversaries,  who  tolerated 
 the  abuse  of  the  temple.  No  one  else  ever  performed  miracles 
 in  the  temple ;  this  was  peculiar  to  the  Messiah. 
 
 15.  Ta  Sau/zacr/a,  the  ivonderful  things)  see  ver.  12,  14. 
 
 16.  'Axovii;,  x.r.X.,  dost  Thou  hear?  etc.)  Every  thing  which 
 is  not  commonplace  and  traditional,  is  too  much  for  hypocrites.^ 
 — ^-/jXal^ovrui,  sucklings)  who  might  be  as  much  as  three  years 
 old.^     See  2  Maccabees  vii.  27. 
 
 ^  vYjTTtuv)  They  who  to  the  world  seem  still  infants,  may  notwithstanding 
 have  their  mouths  opened  to  utterance  by  Divine  power.  We  may  suppose 
 that  the  little  children  in  this  instance  caught  up  the  words  of  those  of  riper 
 age  (with  which  view,  comp.  ver.  9)  :  and  yet  that  circumstance  was  not 
 ■without  being  valued  in  the  sight  of  God.  Only  let  one  not  be  wanting  to 
 his  fellow  in  setting  a  good  example :  the  Lord  Mill  take  care  of  the  rest, 
 nay,  indeed  He  will  take  care  of  all  things. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  The  passage  in  Maccabees  runs  thus  : — "  0  my  son,  have  pity  upon  me 
 that  bare  thee  nine  months  in  my  womb,  and  ffave  thcc  suck  three  i/ears,  and 
 nourished  thee,  and  brought  thee  up  unto  this  age."  The  same  practice 
 still  prevails  in  the  Ea.st.  In  Persia,  male  children  are  often  kept  at  the 
 breast  till  three  years  of  age,  and  are  never  taken  from  it  till  two  years  and 
 two  months.  In  India  the  period  is  precisely  three  years.  In  2  Chron. 
 xxxi.  16,  no  provision  is  assigned  for  the  children  of  Priests  and  Lc^ntes  until 
 after  tliree  years  of  age,  which  gives  additional  weight  to  the  supposition  thut 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXI.  17-19.  383 
 
 17.  AuTous,  them)  Whose  perversity  has  just  been  mentioned. 
 
 18.  'Effs/vafff,  He  hungered)  though  He  was  the  King  of  Glor}' , 
 see  ver.  5.     Wondrous  humiliation  ! 
 
 19.  Si/x^f  /i/av,  a  certain  fig-tree)  the  only  one  in  that  place. 
 — TiX^iv,  He  came)  sc.  as  the  road  led  by  it.  The  fig-tree  appears 
 to  have  stood  in  a  place  of  public  resort.  Our  Lord's  par- 
 taking of  refreshment  in  public  is  illustrated  also  by  John 
 iv.  6,  7.  \i.e.  at  Jacob's  Well.  See  Gnomon  in  loc] — Jc 
 uhTYiv,  near  to  it^) — Xiysi,  x.r.X.,  says,  etc.)  By  that  very 
 act  He  meets  the  difficulty  which  some  might  have  otherwise 
 experienced  fi'om  astonishment  at  the  Lord's  being  hungry, 
 and  coming  to  a  tree  without  fruit.^  He  was  wont  to  display  at 
 the  same  time  the  greatest  proofs  of  both  His  manhood  and  His 
 Godhead ;  see  John  xi,  35,  40.^ — /xtixiti  I-/,  troD  ■/.ap'xhg  yivrjrai  ug 
 
 they  were  not  weaned  till  that  time.  Amongst  the  ancient  Greeks,  also,  it 
 appears  that  mothers  suckled  their  children  till  a  comparatively  late  period. 
 -(I-B.) 
 
 ^  ii  f^vi  (pvXhct  fiovov)  It  is  better  to  exhibit  and  produce  nothing  at  all, 
 than  merely  leaves.     Reflect,  O  man,  what  kind  of  a  tree  thou  art. — V.  g. 
 
 2  Viz.  That  as  God  He  should  be  hungry  at  all,  or  if  hungry,  that  He 
 should  not  create  fruit. — Ed. 
 
 2  Such  instances,  for  example,  were: — The  humble  condition  of  His 
 nativity,  on  the  one  hand  ;  the  testimony  of  the  angels,  on  the  other  : 
 
 His  circumcision,  and  yet  His  receiving  the  name  Jesus  (expressive  of  God- 
 head and  salvation)  : 
 His  purification,  and  yet  at  the  same  time  the  Hymns  of  Simeon  and  Anna  : 
 His  dwelling  at  despised  IJazareth,  and  yet  His  thereby  fulfilling  the  pro- 
 phecy : 
 His  obedience  to  His  parents,  and  yet  the  specimen  of  noble  gravity  ex- 
 hibited in  a  boy  twelve  years  old  : 
 His  baptism  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  protest  of  John,  the  very  becom- 
 ing reply  of  Jesus,  the  Voice  from  heaven,  the  Spirit  of  God  descend- 
 ing on  Him  : 
 The  Hunger  and  Temptation ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  ministry  of  angels : 
 His  informing  them  of  His  approaching  Passion,  followed  however  by  His 
 
 Transfiguration  on  the  Mount : 
 His  paying  the  tribute-money  at  Capernaum,  and  yet  His  declaration  as 
 to  the  Son's  being  free,  His  miracle  in  the  case  of  the  fish  and  the  coin  •■ 
 His  washing  the  feet,  yet  declaring  Himself  Master  and  Lord  : 
 His  being  taken  prisoner,  yet  declaring  I  am  He ! 
 His  Cross,  yet  the  royal  inscription  over  it : 
 
 His  death  and  burial,  yet  the  miracles,  accompanied  with  the  testimony  of 
 the  centurion. — Harm.  Gosp.,  p.  455. 
 
S84  ST  MATTHEW  XXI.  21-24. 
 
 rov  aiuiva,  let  no  fruit  grow  on  thee  henceforward  for  ever)  The 
 Old  Testament  contains  many  miracles  of  vengeance  :  the  evan- 
 gelical history,  at  its  close,  this  almost  alone ;  cf.  Gnomon  on 
 ch.  viii.  32. — xap'rog,  fruit)  And  therefore  it  was  not  to  receive 
 any  more  sap  in  vain.  Such  was  the  punishment  of  the  Jews ; 
 see  Luke  xiii.  6.  This  is  an  example  of  what  malediction  is. — 
 l^ripdv'^7],  was  dried  up)  Its  outward  appearance  was  changed  ; 
 its  leaves  shrivelled,  or  even  fell  off. 
 
 21.  '  A'Toxpi'^itg  ds  o'lTjffous  eJ'rsv,  x.t.X.,  but  Jesus  answering,  said, 
 etc.)  Our  Lord  frequently  led  the  disciples  from  admiration  of 
 miracles  to  things  more  profitable  for  salvation  ;  see  Luke  x.- 
 20. — Tiffriv,  faith)  The  nature  of  Faith  is  declared  by  its  opposite, 
 which  is  Doubt. — tSj  Ipn  rouruj,  to  this  mountain)  sc.  that  men 
 tioned  in  ver.  1  [i.e.,  the  Mount  of  Olives  |.  A  proverbial  expres- 
 sion.— rriv  SaXaffffav,  the  sea)  which  was  far  fi'om  Jerusalem, 
 Though  such  things  have  not  hitherto  been  fulfilled  ;  they  may 
 nevertheless  be  ftilfilled  hereafter. 
 
 22.  AlTTjgriTi  h  rrj  Tpodiuyjri,  ye  shall  ask  in  prayer^)  see 
 Mark  xi.  24.  Miracles  are  performed  by  the  prayers  of  the 
 faithful. — >.9}-4/£(T^£,  ye  shall  receive,  etc.)  sc.  as  a  gift.  Thus,  in 
 Mark  xi.  23,  24,  sVra/  aurSj,  X.T.X.,  he  shall  have,  etc. 
 
 23.  npoariX^ov  Avtw,  x.t.X.,  came  unto  Him,  etc.)  This  was  the 
 solemn^  question,  which  occasioned  the  final  trial. — o'l  apy^npsTg, 
 the  chief  priests)  who  considered  their  right  to  be  invaded. — 
 XiyovTic,  X.T.X.,  saying,  etc.)  The  morose  scepticism  of  His  adver- 
 saries now  at  length  demands  credentials  for  the  Son  and  Heir's 
 caring  for  His  vineyard ;  see  ver.  37,  38.  They  thought  that 
 Jesus  had  no  call  to  teach,  since  He  was  neither  a  Priest  nor  a 
 Levite. — 'rrolcc  st,ovcia;  by  what  authority?)  divine  or  human. — 
 raZra,  these  things)  sc.  teaching ;  cf.  diSdaxovn,  as  lie  was  teach- 
 ing, and  Mark  xi.  27.^ 
 
 24.  ' A'TToxpi'dsig  5s  6  'irjffoDg,  but  Jesus  answered,  etc.)  A  suitable 
 mode  of  answering  those  who  tempted  Him. — Ipojrrigu  u/Mug  xayim, 
 x.r.X.,  I  will  also  ask  you,  etc.)    Thus   also  in   ch.    xxii.  4L 
 
 '  The  relation  of  faith  to  prayer  is  the  same  as  that  of  fire  to  flame. 
 -V.  g. 
 
 '  Solennis  quaestio,  "  Their  customary  question."  Acts  iv.  7,  and  vii.  27. 
 — Ep. 
 
 *  T<V,  who)  viz.  of  the  order  of  the  cliief  priests,  or  other  rulers? — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXI.  25-27.  385 
 
 Moslieim  riglitly  observes,  "  Those  expositors  are  mistaken,  who 
 imagine  that  Christ  had  no  other  object  in  this  question  than  to 
 silence  His  adversaries." — Oration  oti  Christ  the  only  model  for 
 the  imitation  of  Theologians,  p.  17. — im,  one)  and  that  too  con- 
 nected with  your  own  question  ;  one,  after  you  have  asked  Me 
 so  many  things,  both  now  and  heretofore.  John  the  Baptist, 
 though  without  a  human  call,  could  be  and  was  a  prophet ; 
 therefore  also  Jesus.  If  they  had  acknowledged  the  baptism  of 
 His  forerunner,  they  would  have  acknowledged  the  authority  of 
 Christ ;  but  since  they  did  not  acknowledge  John  (see  ver.  32), 
 they  could  not  believe  in  Jesus.  Nor  did  they  deserve  that 
 any  further  communications  should  be  thrown  away  by  Him 
 on  their  pride  and  unbelief.  To  him  that  hath  is  given  ;  from 
 him  that  hath  not  is  taken  away. 
 
 25.  To  /Sacrr/c/Aa,  the  baptism)  i.e.  the  whole  mission  :  cf.  further 
 on  in  the  verse,  "  oix  i'TricTixjaanf  "  did  ye  not  believe?^' — s^  ovpavou, 
 from  heaven)  i.e.  from  God.  An  instance  of  Metonomy  of  a 
 reverential  character. — hnKoyil^ovro,  they  reasoned  ivith  themselves) 
 That  is  an  evil  mind  wdiich,  instead  of  looking  at  the  truth 
 in  a  divine  matter,  assumes  that  which  suits  its  purpose. — 
 a-jTui,  him)  sc.  bearing  witness  in  My  favour. 
 
 26.  *o/3oi//xs^a,  we  fear)  They  were  unwilling  to  confess  their 
 fear. — rh  o-xf^ov,  the  multitude)  The  multitude  was  scarcely  likely 
 to  proceed  at  once  to  the  extremity  which  the  chief  priests 
 dreaded,  yet  it  burned  with  ardent  zeal  in  favour  of  John.  And 
 the  Jewish  population  was  wont,  under  sudden  impulses,  to  as- 
 sail, with  the  utmost  violence,  those  who  uttered,  or  were  sup- 
 posed to  utter,  impious  things. — TpopriT'/iv,  a  jyrophet)  sent  from 
 heaven,  which  had  not  happened  for  a  long  while. 
 
 27.  Our.  o'lhaiMiv,  we  do  not  know)  A  forced  confession  of  most 
 disgraceful  ignorance.^ — ohhi,  x.r.X.,  neitlier,  etc.)  A  repulse  rare 
 and  just,  by  which  itself  Jesus  proves  His  divine  authority.^ — 
 {jim7\i,  to  you)  you  unbelievers,  who  do  not  ask  for  the  sake  of 
 learning.      He    gave    them    a   clue    by   which    to    ascertain 
 
 ^  In  which,  however,  the  proud  at  times  prefer  seeking  a  refuge,  rather 
 than  yield  themselves  up  to  the  truth.  The  Wicked  is  caught  in  (his  own) 
 snare. — V.  g. 
 
 2  It  would  not  have  been  becoming  that  more  should  be  given  to  one  who 
 hath  not. — V.  g. 
 
 VOL.  I.  B  B 
 
38G  ST  MATTHEW  XXI.  28-32. 
 
 that  authority;  see  ch.  xxii.  43.  He  had  often  told  them 
 before. 
 
 28.^  T'ixva  dvo,  two  sons)  A  specimen  of  two  classes.^ — -jpoa- 
 iX^uv,  having  come  to)  so.  kindly. — rw  'xpuruj,  the  first)  who 
 went  before  the  other;  see  ver.  31  ["  Go  into  the  kingdom  of 
 God  before  you]. 
 
 30.  Tw  iTipuj,  the  other)  Who,  in  a  different  point  of  view,  is 
 called  the  eldest  in  Luke  xv.  25. — uoavrug,  in  like  manner)  with 
 undoubtedly  the  same  spirit.  Their  calling  was  equal. — Jyw,  /) 
 sc.  v'!rdyu,  go ;  cf.  in  Acts  ix.  10,  the  reply  of  Ananias,  /dov, 
 syoj,  Behold,  I,  sc.  am  here;  and  in  S.  V.  of  Judges  xiii.  11,  that 
 of  the  angel  to  Manoah,  syu,  I,  sc.  am. — Kvpn,  Lord)  cf.  ch.  vii.  22. 
 
 31.^  E/g,  into,  or  as  regards)  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
 
 32.  'Ei'  ooi;  diKaiocvvrig,  in  the  way  of  righteousness)  "  The  way 
 of  righteousness"  expresses  more  than  "  A  righteous  way." — 
 
 '  rl  oi  vfilv  QOX.U,  But  what  think  ye  ?)  After  that  the  Jews  had  declined  to 
 commit  themselves,  by  expressing  an  opinion  concerning  the  baptism  of 
 John,  the  Saviour  defends  Himself  along  with  John,  thereby  reproving  the 
 unbelief  of  the  chief  priests. — Harm.,  p.  460. 
 
 2  In  the  dialogue  which  Athanasius  is  said  to  have  had  at  Nicsea  with 
 Arius,  the  First  Son  is  referred  to  the  Jews,  the  Second,  to  the  Gentiles. — 
 See  App.  Crit.,  ed.  ii.,  p.  131. — E.  B. 
 
 In  ver.  31,  Lachm.  reads  o  vanpog  with  B.  'O  'etTx»To;  is  read  by  T)abd, 
 MSS.  Amiat.  (the  oldest  existing),  and  Fuld.  and  Forojuliensis  of  the  Vulg. 
 However  Jerome,  though  editing,  as  appears  from  his  commentary, 
 '  novissimus,'  yet  states  that  good  copies  have  '  primus '  (6  -Trpuro;)  :  c  also, 
 and  some  less  ancient  copies  of  the  Vulg.,  agree  with  Rec.  Text,  6  Trpuro;. 
 But  liil.  717  has  'junior.'  The  6  vanpo;  or  £V;ii(ZToj-,  as  being  the  more  diffi- 
 cult reading,  would  be  more  likely  to  be  changed  by  a  corrector  into  6  ^pi-ror, 
 than  vice  versa.  Jerome  vii.  168c  explains  the  former  reading,  '  novissimus,' 
 thus : — "  The  Jews  understood  the  truth,  but  shrunk  back,  and  would  not 
 say  what  they  thought ;  just  as,  though  knowing  the  baptism  of  John  to  be 
 from  heaven,  they  would  not  acknowledge  in  words  that  it  was  so."  They 
 did  not  like,  I  think,  to  repeat  again  the  same  reply  as  before  in  ver.  27,  ovk 
 c/i'oxpciu,  therefore  they  doggedly,  in  spite  of  convictions,  replied,  o  varipoi:. 
 However,  the  words,  Ai-/ovoii>  6  iiari//o;  :  7Ayii  eivrol;  6  'IwoDf,  seem  to  be  an 
 interpolation  :  for  Origen,  who  seldom  passes  over  difficult  passages,  takes 
 no  notice  of  these  words  ;  and  besides,  vanpog,  as  an  adjective,  is  found 
 nowhere  in  the  New  Testanieiit  except  in  1  Tim.  iv.  1. — Ed. 
 
 3  0  -TrpuTo;,  the  first)  Work  without  words  is  better  than  splendid  words 
 unaccompanied  with  work :  and  also  it  is  better  to  adopt  a  praiseworthy 
 course  subsequently,  rather  than  not  at  all. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXI.  33,  34.  387 
 
 Ti'kumi,  publicans)  who  were  unjust. — «/  mpvai,  the  harlots)  who 
 were  unchaste. — It  may  be  asked  whether  these,  and  conse- 
 quently women  in  general,  and  also  infants,  were  baptized  by 
 John :  cf.  Acts  xvi.  15. — ou  /i=r£/a.sX^^^Tf,  did  not  alter  your  way 
 of  thinking} — '■j(Sripov,afterwards)yv\\e,n  you  had  seen  their  example. 
 
 33.  Oixohsirorng,  a  householder)  who  had  a  large  family  [sc. 
 of  servants,  labourers,  etc.] — a.ij.'irtXZjva^  a  vineyard)  i.e.  the 
 Jewish  Church. — (ppayfilv,  a  hedge)  i.e.  the  law." — Xrjvhv,  a  wine- 
 press) i.e.  Jerusalem. — vvpyov,  a  toiver)  i.e.  the  temple ;  see 
 ver.  23.^ — d-jidyj/jb^gev,  loent  into  a  far  country)  The  time  of 
 Divine  silence  is  meant,  when  men  act  according  to  their  own 
 will  and  pleasure  [pro  arbitrio]  :  c£  ch.  xxv.  14,  and  Mark  xiii.  34. 
 
 34.  "Org  hi  rijyiasv  6  zaipog  tujV  -AapTuiv,  3ut  when  the  season  of 
 the  fruit  drew  near)  Comp,  John  iv.  35.  Here  also  lurks  the 
 reason  why  the  Messiah  had  not  come  sooner. — roxig  dovXoug,  His 
 servants)  Servants  here  represent  the  extraordinary  and  greater 
 ministers  of  God ;  labourers,  the  ordinary.* — rovg  xap'xoug,  the 
 
 1  Bengel's  words  are,  non  mutastis  sententiam.  In  his  German  Version 
 he  renders  it,  "  habt  euch  hernach  nicht  anders  bedacht,"  "  have  not  after 
 that  changed  your  mind." 
 
 In  his  Harmony,  however,  he  renders  it,  "  thatet  ihr  dennoch  nicht  busse,''' 
 "notwithstanding  did  not  repent.''''  E.  V.  has  '■'repented  not  afterward." 
 -(I.  B.) 
 
 2  In  the  note  in  the  Germ.  Vers.,  Bengel  interprets  the  Hedge,  with  a 
 slight  change  of  the  figure,  of  the  separation  of  the  people  of  Israel  from  all 
 the  nations  of  the  earth,  including  at  the  same  time  the  idea  of  the  divine 
 protection  afforded  to  the  former  against  the  latter :  the  Winepress,  the  order 
 of  the  priesthood :  the  Tower,  the  Kingdom  (Theocracy).  "We  should  not, 
 however,  on  account  of  this  difference  between  his  former  and  his  latter 
 views  in  this  instance,  conclude  that  such  details  in  Parables  are  mere  empty 
 flowers  of  ornament.  The  parts  of  an  enigma,  however  abstruse,  are  not 
 idle.     Comp.  what  is  said  below: in  Gnomon  on  ch.  xxii.  11. — E.  B. 
 
 3  lliooro  aItov,  let  it  out)  This  is  the  ground  on  which  rests  the  power  of 
 the  Church.  The  vineyard  was  let  out  to  husbandmen.  They  who  preside  in 
 either  political  or  ecclesiastical  offices,  can  indeed  act  according  to  their  own 
 pleasure,  and,  like  the  holders  of  the  vineyard,  consult  only  their  own  private 
 interests :  they  can  maltreat  the  servants  of  the  Lord  :  they  can  wantonly 
 wrest  aside  the  laws  of  the  Church  according  to  their  caprice :  and  can  in  this 
 way,  though  not  now  as  then  kill  the  Heir  Himself,  yet  thrust  Him  out  for 
 some  time  from  His  own  proper  place.  But — the  time  of  Visitation  is  com- 
 ing at  last. — V.  g. 
 
 *  Of  whom  the  former  are  for  the  most  part  received  badly  by  the  latter. 
 
388  ST  MATTHEW  XXI.  35,  36. 
 
 fruits)  understand,  of  the  householder,  or  rather,  of  the  vine- 
 yard. 
 
 35.  "ESs/pav,  they  heat)  The  Lxx.  generally  put  JxS^sw,  to  skin 
 off,  only  once  hipta,  to  skin,  for  the  Hebrew  D^'B  in  the  sense  of 
 to  flay.  They  never  use  the  verb  otherwise.  The  Old  Vocabu- 
 lary renders  the  Latin  ^^  excorio"  {toskin)hj  the  Greek,  a.'rrobipM. 
 But  dalpo}  signifies  to  beat  in  Araan,  B.  iii.,  and  Epictetus,  eh. 
 xix.  and  xxii.  Whence  Suidas  and  Favorinus  di'aw  a  clear 
 distinction  between  the  two  verbs,  dspu  and  dalpu.  Hesychius 
 also  renders  dilpavns  by  h^iipavng,  and  'ionpav  by  i^sdnpav,  which 
 he  further  explains  by  s^edip/Mdrr^aav,  they  flayed.  Old  glosses, 
 however,  render  bipu  by  ruvru,  to  beat :  and  Aristophanes,  in 
 the  "Wasps  (ed.  Dindorf,  485),  says,  "h  hlhoy.rai  (moi  oipis^ai  x.ai 
 dipiiv  di'  rjfxipai,  "  I  have  indeed  determined  to  be  beaten,  and  to 
 beat  all  the  day  long," — where  the  Scholiast  says,  "  oipsa^ai  and 
 dipiiv"  are  for  ru-z'Tio^ai  (to  be  beaten).  In  fact,  the  verbs,  -/.KpaXaim 
 (to  capitate),  rpayjik'i'Qa  (to  jugidate),  yaffrplt^m  (to  stomachize),  and 
 thus  also  depu  (to  skin  or  hide),  have  a  wide  signification,  imply- 
 ing the  infliction  of  injury  on  the  head,  throat,  stomach,  or  skin 
 respectively,  either  by  removing  them  altogether,  or  else  by 
 strikins  them.  The  desire  to  avoid  ambio;uitv  induced  the 
 later  Greeks  to  write  either  hipra  or  baipu,  and  thence,  in  this 
 passage,  'ibripav} 
 
 "Eoeipav — d'Triy.Tiivav — sXi'^o^cXridav,  beat — sleio — stoned)  An  as- 
 cending climax,  in  which  the  third  degree  is  an  atrocious  species 
 of  the  second ;  cf.  Mark  xii.  3,  4,  and  Luke  xx.  10,  11,  12, 
 where  a  greater  number  of  intermediate  degi'ees  occurs. 
 
 36.^^  UXuomg,  more)  sc.  superior  (potiores),  like  the  Hebrew 
 CT)  (great  or  numerous)  :  superior,  certainly  in  number,  and 
 without  doubt  also  in  virtue,  dignity,  etc.  The  increase  of 
 calling^  is  no  sign  of  a  more  faithful  people. 
 
 inasmuch  as  these  take  it  ill  that  they  should  be  disturbed  in  their  quiet 
 holding  of  the  vineyard. — V.  g. 
 
 '  So  the  uncial  Cod.  U,  etc. — Ed, 
 
 *  TraX/K  d.viarii'Kiv  oLXMv;)  We  may  regard  the  servants  ^r^  sent  as  mean- 
 ing the  Prophets  of  the  middle  period,  which  is  called  that  of  the  Kings  , 
 the  servants  subsequently  sent,  as  meaning  those  who  flourished  about  the 
 time  of  the  Captivity  in  Babylon. — V.  g. 
 
 '  i.e.  An  increase  in  the  number  of  those  who  are  sent  to  call  men  to 
 repentance. — (I   B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXI.  37-42.  889 
 
 37  "TcTipov,  last  of  all)  Cf.  Hebrews  i.  1. — ii'Tparrrjao^rai,  they 
 will  reverence)  i.e.  they  were  in  duty  bound  to  do  so. 
 
 38.  olrog  iGTiv  0  KXrjpovofio;,  this  is  the  Heir)  They  might  have 
 known  Him  to  be  the  Heir,  and  yet  they  opposed  His  right. — 
 dsvTi,  a'TToxTuvufiiv  AuTov,  come,  let  us  kill  Him)  Thus  the  LXX. 
 in  Gen.  xxxvii.  20. — %ara.<5yZ)iJ.iv,  let  us  seize  upon)  They  thought 
 to  have  done  so  after  Christ  was  slain  :  see  ch.  xxvii.  63,  64. 
 
 39.  'E^siSa?.ov — nai  a-rrsxruvav,  they  cast  Him  out — and  slew 
 Him)  St  Mark  reverses  the  order  of  these  verbs.  They  rejected 
 the  Lord  Jesus  both  before  His  death,  by  denying  His  right 
 (ver.  23),  and  even  more  so,  by  dehvering  Him  up  to  a  Gentile 
 tribunal ;  and  also  after  His  death,  by  a  hostile  interference 
 with  His  sepulture ;  see  ch.  xxvii.  63,  64,  etc.^ 
 
 41.  KaKoiig  xaxoog  avoX'sffii  avrovg,  He  will  miserably  destroy 
 those  wicked  men'')  An  act  of  retaliation.^  He  will  do  so  miser- 
 ably with  reference  to  the  miserable  and  wicked  husbandmen  ; 
 cf.  in  Hebrews  x.  29,  ^upovog — rifLuplag  sorer  punishment. — 
 hduiaiToci,  will  let  out)  In  the  Church  gathered  from  the  Gentiles, 
 the  ministers  and  overseers  enjoy  great  liberty.'*  The  same 
 verb  occurs  in  ver.  33. — xaipoTg,  seasons)  sc.  different  seasons. — 
 avTuv,  their,  of  them)  referring  to  xap-Trovg,  the  fruits,  in  ver.  34. 
 
 42.  'Ev  TuTg  ypafaTg,  in  the  Scriptures,  Writings).  There  is 
 one  volume  which  deserves  the  name  of  "  Writing"^  (Scrip- 
 ture), and  "  Book."  The  rest  deserve  to  be  valued  only  so  far 
 as  they  aid  mankind  in  understanding  and  obeying  this  One 
 Book,  and  are  conformed  to  that  Archetype. — Xi'^ov — sv  cxp^aXfii/^ 
 ri/Mciv,  the  stone — in  our  eyes)  This  is  an  exact  quotation  from 
 Ps.  cxviii,^  22,  23,  as  rendered  by  the  LXX.     This  Psalm  was 
 
 '  Ver.  40.  tnxv  ovv  iT^S^)  This  coming  was  accomplished  in  the  destruc- 
 tion of  Jerusalem. — V.  g. 
 
 *  In  the  original  the  words  are,  "  KctKoii;  >cciKu; — male  malos,^^  which 
 cannot  be  rendered  in  English  so  as  to  give  the  full  force  of  the  words : 
 perhaps  "  ill  (adverb)  them  i^^  (adjective)"  is  about  the  nearest  approach  that 
 can  be  made — or,  He  will  wretchedly  destroy  those  wretches. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  Talio — i.e.  doing  ill  to  ill  doers. — (I.  B.) 
 
 4  Such  as  the  Jewish  Church  did  not  enjoy,  as  being  but  local  and  ele- 
 mentary — Ed. 
 
 5  In  Greek  and  Latin  the  same  word  signifies  both  Writings  and  Scrip- 
 tures.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Numbered  cxvii.  in  S.  V. — (I.  B.) 
 
300  ST  MATTHEW  XXI.  43-45. 
 
 particularly  well  known.  See  Gnomon  on  ver.  9  (comp.  ch.  xxvi. 
 30). — ccnhKiiMaaav,  rejected)  They  did  not  consider  Him  as  even 
 a  fit  stone  or  worthy  member  of  the  Church  at  all. — 'rrapa  Kuplov 
 sysvsTo,  is  the  Lord's  doing)  This  is  known  to  be  the  case,  from 
 the  importance  of  the  matter,  and  the  disagreement  of  the 
 builders. — avTri,  this  [Lat.  hcec,  Fr.  cettej)  The  feminine  for  the 
 neuter:  a  Hebraism.  This,  sc.  thing.  In  Psalm  cii.  19^  the 
 LXX.  render  nST  (this,  fem.)  by  avrri,  thus  preserving  the  gender 
 of  the  original :  as  also  in  the  analogous  phrases  in  Ps.  cxix.^  50, 
 56 ;  Judg.  XV.  7  and  xxi.  3,  where  lysi-j^^jj  aurri  {is  this  come  to 
 jMss)  occurs.  Cf.  1  (in  S.  V.  3)  Kings  iii.  18. — xal  Un,  and 
 is)  sc.  S''n,  it  (fem.),  i.e.  ps,  the  stone,  itself  is  wonderful. — 
 ^au/xaarn,  wonderful^)  sc.  on  account  of  the  great  glory  which  it 
 has  obtained.  The  Evangelist  uses  the  feminine,  because  he  was 
 unwilling  to  depart  from  the  LXX. — iv  o^3aX,ao?s  r./j^SJv,  in  our 
 eyes)  sc.  of  us  believers  [1  Pet.  ii.  7 J. 
 
 43.  Aur^j,  thereof)  sc.  the  kingdom.'' 
 
 44.  'Oinecijv  siri,  x.r.X.,  whosoever  shall  fcdl  on,  etc.)  He  falleth 
 on  this  Stone  (sc.  Christ  in  His  humiliation)  who  stumbles 
 (offendit)  by  not  believing,  whilst  the  Gospel  is  being  preached ; 
 but  this  Stone  (sc.  Christ  in  His  glory)  falleth  on  him,  who  is 
 crushed  by  His  sudden  coming  to  judgment.  Both  happen 
 especially  to  the  Jews,  and  also  to  the  Gentiles.  See  2  Thess. 
 i.  8,  and  Dan.  ii.  34,  45. — X/x/^jjffe/,  shall  scatter,  dissolve,  dis- 
 sipate, reduce  to  dust)  The  verb  XiK/xav  signifies  to  scatter,  as 
 when  chaff  is  given  to  the  winds.  See  the  lxx.,  who  employ 
 this  verb  in  Job  xxvii.  21  for  the  Hebrew  "lytJ',  to  sweep  aivay 
 in  a  storm ;  in  Dan.  ii.  44,  for  flDS,  to  destroy ;  and  repeatedly 
 elsewhere  for  mt,  to  scatter  or  disperse. 
 
 45.^  Asyii,  lie  is  speahhuj)  They  perceived  that  Jesus  had  not 
 yet  concluded  what  lie  had  to  say.     See  ch.  xxii.  1. 
 
 '  These  are  the  Hebrew  numbers.  In  S.  V.  it  is  ci.  18;  in  E.  V.  cii.  18. 
 -(I.B.) 
 
 2  Numbered  cxviii.  in  S.  V. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  Bengel  in  both  instances  uses  the  word  mirabilis,  which  implies  in  this 
 p\a.ce  admiration  as  well  as  wonder. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Even  though  thou  niaycst  be  a  good  tree,  yet  thy  fruit  is  not  thine  own, 
 but  that  of  the  vineyard.     Rom.  xi.  17. — V.  g. 
 
 *  ■;rsp(  »vTu)v)  as  being  the  'husbandmen'  and  the  'builders.' — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXIT.  1-5.  391 
 
 CHAPTER   XXII. 
 
 1. '  AToxpidiic,  ansioering)  Not  only  he  who  has  been  questioned, 
 but  he  also  to  whom  a  reason  for  speaking  has  been  given,  may 
 rightly  be  said  to  answer. — -raX/i/,  again)  construe  this  word  with 
 iv  vapafSoXaTg,  in  parables,  i.e.  with  the  design  of  putting  forth 
 more. 
 
 3.  KaXssai  roug  xsxXri/xsvovg,  to  call  those  that  had  been  called) 
 The  first  call  was  before  the  wedding ;  the  second,  on  the  day  of 
 its  celebration. 
 
 4.  "ApiGTov,  dinner)  sc.  with  regard  to  the  Jews  in  the  early  time 
 of  the  New  Testament  dispensation,  but  supper  with  regard  to 
 the  saints  at  the  actual  consummation  of  the  spiritual  marriage  : 
 see  Rev.  xix.  9.'  This  parable  embraces  the  history  of  the 
 Church  from  the  one  time  to  the  other. — -/iTol/j^aGa,  I  have  pre- 
 pared) Our  salvation  is  effected,  not  by  our  power,  but  by  that 
 of  God. — ctrisra,  failings)  a  general  word. — cravra,  all  things) 
 For  there  are  many  things  besides  oxen  and  fatlings. — hiun, 
 come)  sc.  forthwith. 
 
 5.  ^ AiitXridavTic,  making  light  of,  neglecting)  This  is  a  greater 
 offence  than  the  previous.   They  icould  not  come.     They  ought 
 
 ^  For  although  we  freely  grant  that  by  the  term  yk^og  at  times  is  meant, 
 according  to  the  Scripture  style,  any  solemn  feast  whatever  ;  yet  that  this 
 more  general  meaning  holds  good  in  this  passage,  is  by  some  concluded,  from 
 the  fact  that  mention  of  the  Bride  is  wanting  here,  with  more  confidence 
 than  is  warranted.  For  instance,  in  ch.  xxv.  1,  etc.,  where  the  Bridegroom 
 is  once  or  twice  mentioned,  the  mention  of  the  Bride  also  is  not  introduced 
 even  by  the  smallest  word.  Moreover,  1  feel  fully  persuaded  that  the  analogy 
 of  the  texts.  Matt.  xxii.  2,  13,  when  compared  with  Rev.  xix.  9,  20,  requires 
 the  more  strict  signification  in  tliis  place.  Nor  can  I  think  that  no  weight 
 is  to  be  rested  on  the  fact,  that  the  word  yxfio;  in  that  one  parable  is  re- 
 peated eight  times,  and  only  once  it  is  called  oipioTOv.  Finally,  oiya,6ot,i  ij/aspati 
 yxfiuv  x.cc\  ivcppoavi/Yii  (Esth.  ix.  22),  lead  to  the  meaning,  the  so-called 
 nuptial  (joyous)  life,  in  general,  more  readily  even  than  the  expression  here, 
 eTToi'ms  yct^avg  ru  viu  ctvrov;  not  to  mention  that  the  very  Feast  of  Purim, 
 mentioned  in  the  passage  of  Esther,  plainly  involves  a  remembrance  of  the 
 nuptials  (in  the  strict  sense)  celebrated  between  the  King  and  Esther.  Comp. 
 ch.  ii.  17,  18.— E.  B. 
 
393  ST  xMATTHEW  XXII.  C-S. 
 
 to  have  understood  (see  Acts  vii.  25),  and  to  have  watched.— 
 a-xriXk)/,  they  departed)  leaving  even  the  city,  which  was  there- 
 fore burnt ;  see  ver.  7.  He  who  does  not  answer  the  call,  loses 
 even  those  advantages  which  he  previously  had  possessed. — rh 
 "hiov — auTou,  Ids  own — Jiis)  Egoism.^ — aypov — s/i'7ropiav,Jield — mer- 
 chandise) The  one  busied  wath  immoveable,  the  other  with 
 moveable  goods ;  the  one  detained  by  a  false  contentment 
 {aiirdpKsia^),  the  other  by  the  desire  of  acquiring  more. 
 
 6.  0/  ds  \oirroi,  and  the  remnant)  Who  did  not  wish  to  appear 
 to  have  made  light  of  it.^ — vfSpicav,  treated  them  luith  insult  and 
 injury)  see  2  Chron.  xxx.  10  ;  1  Tim.  i.  13  ;  Heb.  x.  29. 
 
 7.  'A'/.ouffag  ds  6  jSaffiXivg,  but  when  the  king  heard  thereof)  The 
 transgression  of  the  disobedient  was  a  crying  sin.— rj^i'  •jo'kiv 
 avruv,  their  city)  sc.  that  of  the  murderers. — crpuTiviMara,  armies) 
 sc.  the  Roman  forces.* — <poviTg,  murderers)  The  chief  crime  pro- 
 vokes the  whole  punishment ;  see  Amos  ii. — aWc^v,  of  them)  viz. 
 of  those  murderers  and  despisers. 
 
 8.  Ton,  -A.T.X.,  then,  etc.)  see  Acts  xiii.  46. — Xiyu,  x.r.X., 
 saith  He,  etc.)  The  Lord  frequently  reveals  the  principles  of 
 His  counsel  to  His  servants. — sroiiMog  hnv,  is  ready)  and  will  not 
 be  dispensed  with  on  account  of  the  ingratitude  of  them  which 
 were  bidden.*' — oix  r^ffav  ci^iot,  were  not  worthy)  cf.  Acts  xiii.  4G. 
 No  one  is  considered  unworthy  until  the  offer  has  been  made  to 
 
 ^  In  the  original,  "  I'htav  uvrov,  proprmm :  suum)  Suitas.^^  This  is  one  of 
 those  passages  which  it  is  far  more  easy  to  understand  than  to  translate. 
 There  is  a  connection  between  the  expression  "  Suitas'  (a  word,  I  believe, 
 coined  by  Bengel  for  the  occasion)  and  suum  immediately  preceding.  The 
 meaning  is,  that  the  words,  <"o/oi/,  eturov,  both  refer  to  Set/,  and  imply  a  re- 
 cognition of  Self  as  the  object  of  thought  and  consideration,  apart  from, 
 independent  of,  in  contradistinction,  nay  in  preference  to,  God — in  fact,  a 
 state  or  feeling  the  very  opposite  to  that  involved  in  the  Apostle's  words  (1 
 Cor.  vi.  19,  20),  Yc  are  not  yolr  own  :  ye  are  bought  with  a  price.  There- 
 fore glorify  God  in  your  body^  and  in  yoxir  spirit,  which  ake  God's. — (I.  B.) 
 
 -  See  p.  150,  f.  n.  3,  and  on  Matt.  x.  9.— (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  And  who  did  not  attend  either  to  farming  or  merchandise.  To  wit, 
 those  who  have  less  of  hinderances  in  tlu'ir  way  not  rarely  sin  the  more 
 grievously  for  that  very  reason,  when  they  thrust  themselves  into  sacred 
 things,  by  their  perverse  mode  of  behaving  with  respect  to  them. — V.  g. 
 
 *  Who  were  let  loose  upon  Jerusalem  forty  years  from  this  time. — V.  g. 
 
 '  The  Wedding  is  truly  even  still  ready  for  tlie  guests  who  are  willing  to 
 come. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXII.  9-14.  393 
 
 and  refused  by  him  :  by  doing  which  he  betrays  himself.  The 
 past  tense,  were  not  worthy,  is  used  to  show  that  the  opportunity 
 of  the  unworthy  has  passed  away. 
 
 9.  Tecs  hiit,o^ovi,  the  cross  ways)  It  would  be  pleasant  to  see  a 
 map  of  the  journeys  of  all  the  apostles  through  the  world,  like 
 that  of  St  Paul's  Voyages  and  Travels. — hbhg  signifies  the  whole 
 road, — hiit,obot,  the  parts,  and  as  it  were,  branches  of  it. 
 
 10.  Sui/jjyayov,  brought  together)  partly  by  calling  them  as  they 
 had  been  commanded,  and  partly  by  employing  unjustifiable 
 compulsion. — Tovrjpoug  n  %ai  ayadoui,  both  bad  and  good)  A  pro- 
 verbial mode,  as  it  were,  of  expression.' 
 
 11.  "  Av&puvov,  a  man)  Some  remarkable  one  amongst  the 
 many  bad  who  were  called,  and  yet  not  chosen  ;  who  is  indivi- 
 dually a  sample  of  all  such,  one  whom  you  would  especially 
 suppose  to  be  chosen,  and  from  whose  not  being  chosen,  the 
 small  number  of  the  chosen  is  perceived.  The  singular  number 
 is  emphatic  ;  for  the  passage  would  otherwise  have  equally  ad- 
 mitted of  the  plural. — hbujia  ya^aoy,  a  wedding  garment)^  sc.  the 
 righteousness  of  Christ ;  see  Gnomon  on  ch.  vi.  33. 
 
 12.  'Era//??,  comrade)  A  word  of  ambiguous  meaning,  which 
 is  also  applied  to  those  with  whom  we  are  not  on  terms  of  inti- 
 macy or  friendship. — twj,  x.r.X.,  how,  etc.)  by  what  culpable  in- 
 dulgence of  the  servants  ?  by  what  audacity  on  thine  own  part  ? 
 — [_s<pifji,uidr},  he  was  speechless)  By  this  speechlessness  [implying, 
 as  it  does,  that  the  lost  perish  altogether  through  their  own 
 fiiult]  all  objections  whatever  that  are  directed  against  Christi- 
 anity are  dissipated. — V.  g.] 
 
 13.  Aiaxovoig,  attendants)  Servants,  hoZ7.oi,  are  sent  forth ;  at- 
 tendants, didxovoi,  wait  at  table ;  see  John  ii.  5. — Jx/SaXsrs  slg, 
 X.T.X.,  cast  him  into,  etc.)  This  will  take  place  a  little  before  the 
 nuptial  evening ;  see  Rev.  xix.  20. 
 
 14.^  UoXXoi  yap,  %.r.'k.,for  many,  etc.)    Our  Lord  adds  this 
 
 '  This  is  the  aspect  of  the  Church  in  the  present  day.  It  was  not  exactly 
 such  instructions  as  these  that  the  King  had  given  to  His  servants,  ver.  9. 
 No  one  is  good  before  his  call :  but  when  the  call  has  been  duly  accepted,  all 
 things  are  well.. — V.  g. 
 
 2  Beng.  states,  in  the  note  of  the  Oerm.  Vers,  on  this  passage,  that  the 
 persons  themselves  who  were  celebrating  the  marriage  feast,  distributed  such 
 garments  to  the  guests. — E.  B. 
 
 3  ix.l1  i'arxi — TToTiXoi  yxp  iiat  x,\r,rai)  Two  expressions  somewhat  frequently 
 
3!>4  ST  MATTHEW  XXII.   15-20. 
 
 remark  in  His  own  person  to  the  conclusion  of  the  king's 
 speech.  Cf  on,  x.t.X.,  for,  etc.,  in  Luke  xvi.  8. — yap,  x.r.K., 
 for,  etc.)  This  general  sentiment  is  a  proof,  that  this  man  with- 
 out a  wedding  garment,  and  all  who  are  like  him,  will  be  cast 
 forth. 
 
 15.  Tors  '7ropiv6svTsg  o'l  <i>ccpi6aToi,  x.t.X.,  then  went  the  Pharisees, 
 etc.)-  On  the  malignant  spirit  of  our  Lord's  adversaries,  see 
 Mark  xii.  12,  13  ;  Luke  xx.  20. 
 
 16.  Madyjrac,  disciples)  With  whom  they  thought  that  our 
 Lord  would  deal  less  cautiously,  and  whose  overthrow  they 
 thought  would  be  attended  with  less  disgrace  to  themselves. — 
 'Hpudiavouv,  of  the  Herodians)  who  were  especially  attached  to 
 the  party  of  Herod,  and  consequently  to  that  of  Caesar,  whicli 
 the  Pharisees  viewed  with  aversion  ;  see  Josephus  Antiq.  xvii. 
 3  ;  and  see  Mark  iii.  6  and  xii.  13.  There  might  be,  moreover, 
 a  variety  of  opinion  amongst  the  Herodians  themselves  con- 
 cerning holy  things,  Herod,  etc. — aXriSng — £v  a'Kri&iia,  true — in 
 truth)  Truth  should  be  known  and  spoken.  Truth  is  the  agree- 
 ment of  things  with  the  faculties  of  knowing,  willing,  speaking, 
 and  acting. — rriv  odhv  rou  Qsov,  the  icay  of  God)  A  part  of  which 
 way  is  the  doctrine  concerning  what  ought  to  be  given  to  God. 
 There  is  a  striking  antithesis  here  between  ©sou,  of  God — and 
 ttv9pu'7ruv,  of  men. — od  yap  fS/.s-TTsic  ug  rrpCawrrov,  for  Thou  regardest 
 not  the  person)  They  wished  Jesus  to  deny  that  tribute  ought 
 to  be  given  to  Caesar.*  Truth  truly  estimates  both  things  and 
 persons  ;  but  he  who  regards  persons  easily  betrays  truth. 
 
 17.  "E^eoT/,  is  it  laivful?)  They  do  not  merely  say,  is  it  m- 
 cumhent  ?  but,  is  it  laioful  ?  [not  7nust  xoe  ?  but  mai/  we  f]  i.e.  on 
 account  of  what  was  due  to  God. — ri  ov,  or  not)  They  demand  a 
 categorical  answer. 
 
 18.  Tuo-jg,  knowing)  sc.  without  delay,  or  instruction  from  any 
 one. — urroxpiral !  hypocrites  ')  Our  Lord  shows  Himself  to  them 
 true,  as  tliey  had  said  ;  ver.  16. 
 
 20.  Elxuv,  image,  likene^<s)  i-iypap^,  letters  inscribed. 
 
 repeated  by  tlie  Saviour,  and  tuerefore  nio;;t  worthy  of  consideration.— 
 Harm.,  p.  4G3,  4G4. 
 
 ^  Which  tribute,  either  a  short  while  before  (conip.  ch.  xvii.  24)  or  at 
 that  very  time,  namely  in  the  montlx  Nisam,  was  being  paid  according  to 
 custom. — Harm.,  p.  465. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXII.  21-25.  395 
 
 21.  'A'TTodors,  render)  sc.  as  it  is  just. — oLv,  therefore)  In  these 
 days  the  coins  of  one  country  are  used  promiscuously  in  others, 
 as  happens  with  French  money  in  Germany  ;  but  none  except 
 Roman  money  appears  to  have  been  current  at  that  time  in 
 Judea  But  if  the  Jews  had  not  been  subject  to  Csesar,  they  were 
 not  of  such  a  disposition  as  to  have  employed  foreign  coin,  espe- 
 cially when  stamped  with  heathen  likenesses  (imaginibus). — xal, 
 7C.T.X.,  and,  etc.)  The  one  duty  is  not,  as  you  suppose,  destroyed  by 
 the  other.  The  things  which  are  God's,  those  which  have  been  set 
 apart  and  dedicated  to  Him  are  not  Caesar's ;  but  the  things 
 which  are  Caesar's  are,  in  some  sort,  also  God's.^ — ra  rou  Qeov, 
 the  things  that  are  God's)  whose  cause  you  wish  to  appear  to 
 plead  ;  see  ver.  1 6. 
 
 22.  'Edau/Muffav,  they  marvelled)  And  showed  their  astonish- 
 ment at  His  safe  and  true  answer. 
 
 23.  '2.aMov/.a7ot,  Sadducees)  Towards  the  close  of  His  earthly 
 career  all  rise  together  against  Jesus.  The  Sadducees  are 
 seldom  mentioned  by  the  Evangelists  ;  on  that  day  not  even  the 
 Sadducees  remained  quiescent. — avaaraaiv,  resurrection)  It  is 
 clear  that  this  article  of  faith  was  w^ell  known  at  that  time,  from 
 the  Evangelist  not  having  added  the  words,  "  of  the  dead," 
 And  the  adversaries  of  this  article  contravene  it  in  various  de- 
 grees, some  by  denying^  altogether  the  immortality  of  the  soul, 
 others,  its  being  joined  again  to  its  former  body.  And  there  may 
 also  have  been  a  variety  of  error  among  the  Sadducees  them- 
 selves. 
 
 24.  Tsxva,  children)  sc.  a  son  or  a  daughter,  or  more,  see 
 Deut.  XXV.  5. 
 
 25.  llap  ri/j.Tv,  xoith  us)  The  Sadducees   raise  this  doubt  on  a 
 
 ^  Very  frequently  human  sagacity  fastens  only  upon  one  side,  whichever 
 side  it  be,  of  Duties  [having  a  twofold  side  or  aspect] :  true  wisdom  weighs 
 all  things  at  the  same  time  and  together.  These  hypocrites  were  thinking 
 thus  :  tribute  ought  to  be  given  either  to  God  for  the  use  of  the  Temple,  or 
 else  to  Csesar.  Jesus  saith,  It  is  right,  according  to  divine  law,  that  both  be 
 done.  So  also  the  Sadducees  were  thinking  thus  :  If  the  resurrection  be 
 admitted,  the  wife  must  be  given  back  either  to  the  first  brother,  or  to  the 
 second,  etc.  But  Truth  subjoins  the  reply,  She  is  to  be  given  back  not  even 
 to  any  one  out  of  them  all. — V.  g. 
 
 2  The  Wisdom  of  the  world,  like  the  barren  figtree,  fruitless  and  most 
 beggarly,  is  in  fact  for  the  most  part  occupied  in  negations. — V.  g. 
 
396  ST  MATTHEW  XXII.  28,  JO. 
 
 circumstance,  rare,  and  perhaps  long  since  canvassed,^  which 
 mii^ht  have  been  nearly  as  well  raised  from  the  case  of  any 
 woman  who  had  married  more  than  one  husband.  The  main- 
 tainers  of  eiTors  frequently  seek  for  a  colour  for  them  from 
 things  which  are  little  or  nothing  to  the  point. 
 
 28.  T/Vog,  whose)  She  will,  say  they,  be  the  wife  either  of  all 
 or  of  one :  but  none  of  them  has  a  superior  claim  to  the  rest. 
 Jesus  answers  (ver.  30)  she  will  be  the  wife  of  none.  The 
 Pharisees  also  had  divided  and  opposed  those  things  which  are 
 Caesar's,  and  those  which  are  God's  :  He  who  is  the  Truth, 
 affirms  both  in  His  reply  to  them  :  to  the  Sadducees  He  denies 
 both.  Earthly  wisdom  frequently  precipitates  itself  into  ab- 
 surdity from  an  imperfect  enumeration,  even  in  an  easy  matter, 
 of  parts,  not  one  of  which  escapes  heavenly  wisdom. — /x^  ildoreg, 
 x.r.X.,  not  knowing,  etc.)  This  twofold  ignorance  is  the  mother 
 of  almost  all  en'ors.  The  resurrection  of  the  dead  rests  on  the 
 power  of  God :  and  the  belief  in  the  resurrection  rests  on  the 
 Scriptm'es.  Jesus  refutes  their  Jii^st  and  fundamental  error 
 (t^oit-ov  -^iiidag)  :  which  they  did  not  suppose  themselves  to  labour 
 under  at  all.  He  first  answers  the  argument  by  which  they 
 opposed  the  truth  :  then  He  proves  the  truth  itself. — rag  y^a^ar, 
 the  Scriptures)  which  clearly  look  to  a  future  life ;  see  ver.  31, 
 32.  The  Sadducees  did  not  understand  Moses :  they  did  not 
 receive  the  prophets  who  explain  Moses. — rrtv  dvva/Mv  rov  Qiou,  the 
 power  of  God)  The  power  of  God  will  make  man  equal  to  the 
 angels ;  see  ver.  30.  To  be  ignorant  of  God  and  His  perfections 
 is  the  fountain  of  error ;  see  1  Cor.  xv.  34  [Kom.  iv.  17,  E.  B.] 
 
 30.  O'Jre  yoc/xovdiv,  neither  marry)  sc.  men  — o'jn  v/.yaiMiZpvrai, 
 nor  are  given  in  marriage)  sc.  women  ;  cf.  ver.  25. — wg  ay/O.oi 
 ToZ  0£oD,  as  the  angels  of  God)  The  absurdity  which  the  Sad- 
 ducees supposed  would  apply  to  the  righteous  rather  than  the 
 unrighteous,  as  no  one  could  imagine  that  tlie  unrighteous  would 
 enjoy  the  blessing  of  marriage.  Our  Lord  therefore  replies 
 only  concerning  the  righteous.  The  righteous  will  then  be  in 
 the  same  condition   as  the  angels  of  God,'^  without  wedlock, 
 
 '  But  which  had  not  heretofore  been  sufficiently  and  decidedly  cleared  up. 
 -V.g. 
 
 2  The  unrighteous  will  be  in  the  same  condition  as  the  sinful  and  fallen 
 angels. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXII.  SI,  32.  3i)T 
 
 meat  and  drink,  etc.  Elsewhere  it  is  said  that  those  who 
 obtain  the  life  to  come,  will  be  like  God :  but,  since  God  has 
 one  Son  and  many  sons,  in  this  passage,  where  there  is  question 
 concerning  begetting,  it  is  said  that  they  will  be  as  angels ;  and 
 simultaneously  the  existence  of  angels  also  is  defended  against 
 the  Sadducees  who  ignored  it. — g/V/,  are)  sc.  both  men  and 
 women. 
 
 31.^  'TimTv,  unto  yoii)  To  you  He  says,  not  to  us.  They  were 
 not  written  for  Christ.^     To  you  the  descendants  of  Abraham. 
 
 32.  'O  0foj,  the  God)  see  Ex.  iii.  6.  These  words  are  not 
 put  only  once,  but  three  times,  because  Jacob  did  not  hear  the 
 promise  of  God  merely  from  Isaac,  or  Isaac  merely  from  Abra- 
 ham, but  each  of  them  separately  also  from  God  Himself;  and 
 Abraham's  name  was  Divinely  changed,  Isaac's  Divinely  given, 
 that  of  Israel  Divinely  added  to  Jacob :  see  Gen.  xvii.  5,  19, 
 xxxii.  28. — oxjy.  'iari  &iog  vBzpaiv,^  He  is  not  God  of  the  dead)  i.e., 
 God  is  not  God  of  the  dead.  There  is  an  ellipsis  as  in  Rom. 
 iii.  29.  The  value  of  inferential*  reasoning  is  seen  by  this 
 example, — "  God  is  thifie."  This  phrase  expresses  both  a  Divine 
 gift  and  a  human  duty.  The  Divine  gift  (for  that  is  considered 
 in  this  passage)  thus  expressed,  is  infinite,  everlasting,  and  one 
 which  could  never  be  fully  realized  to  us  by  an  earthly  life, 
 however  long  or  happy  (see  Ps.  cxliv.  15,  and  Luke  xvi.  25), 
 much  less  by  a  pilgrimage  of  a  few  and  evil  days,  such  as  were 
 the  lives  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  above  all,  Jacob,  compared 
 with  those  of  their  ancestors,^  who,  nevertheless,  had  not  ob- 
 
 1  TTipl  OS  riii  dvctarxaico;)  Jesus  not  merely  refuted  the  objection  of  those 
 in  error,  but  also  demonstrates  the  truth  to  them. — V.  g. 
 
 2  Nor  were  they  written  even  for  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  who  had 
 lived  before  that  the  Vision  was  vouchsafed  to  Moses,  which  was  subse- 
 quently committed  to  writing. — V.  g. 
 
 5  The  reading  of  E.  M.  is  "  ovx.  hnv  6  ©soV  Qiog  vexpaiv"  rendered  in  E.  V. 
 "  God  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead." — (I.  B.)  BLa6c  Vulg.  omit  the  second 
 hog:  so  Iren.  Hil.  77,  484,  500,  722.  But  Orig.  3,8286;  8296  support  it, 
 with  the  Rec.  Text.— Ed. 
 
 *  Bengel  means  to  say,  that  we  are  bound  to  receive  not  only  what  is 
 actually  written  totidem  verbis  in  Scripture,  but  also  what  may  be  logically 
 inferred  from  the  words  of  Holy  Writ — not  merely  what  "  is  contained 
 therein,"  but  also  what  "may  be  proved  thereby." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Comp.  Gen.  xlvii.  9. — Ed. 
 
398  ST  MATTHEW  XXII.  32. 
 
 tained  that  promise.  For  it  is  not  said  wealth,  long  life,  secu- 
 rity, or,  in  short,  the  world  is  thine,  but,  God  is  tliine :  nor  is  it 
 said  God  is  thine  for  fifty,  an  hundred,  or  seven  hundi'ed  years, 
 but  simply  God  is  thine.  When,  therefore,  God  first  declared 
 Himself  to  Abraham  to  be  his  God,  He  conferred,  and  was 
 acknowledged  to  have  conferred,  upon  him  the  everlasting  com- 
 munion of  Himself  everlasting.  And  though  the  death  of  the 
 body  has  intervened  in  the  case  of  the  patriarchs,  it  cannot  last  for 
 ever,  nor  produce  a  long  delay,  long  in  comparison  with  ever- 
 lasting life.  For  Abraham  himself,  the  whole  man,  and  all  that 
 is  included  under  the  name  Abraham,  that  is,  not  only  his  soul 
 but  also  his  body,  which  also  received  the  seal  of  the  promise,  pos- 
 sesses  God.  God,  however,  is  not  the  God  of  that  which  is  not : 
 He  is  the  Living  God ;  they  therefore  who  possess  God  must 
 tliemselves  also  be  living,  and  as  to  any  portion  of  them  in  which 
 life  has  been  suspended,  must  revive  for  ever.  The  force  of  the 
 formula  is  shown  also  in  Gnomon  on  Heb.  xi.  16,  which  passage 
 is  chiefly  to  this  effect,  "  He  hath  prepared  for  them  a  city," 
 and  that  principally  in  eternity;  and  therefore  He  is  called 
 their  God.  And  this  reasoning  of  Christ  is  sound,  evident,  anc 
 then  heard  for  the  first  time  :  and  most  effectually  proves  both 
 the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  the  resurrection  of  the  body, 
 against  tlie  Sadducees,  who  denied  altogether  the  existence  of 
 spirits.  The  force,  however,  of  the  argument  does  not  consist 
 in  the  verb  f//*/,  /  am,  nor  in  the  use  of  its  present  tense  at  the 
 time  of  IVIoses  (for  though  it  is  expressed  by  St  Matthew,  it 
 is  not  found  in  the  parallel  passages  of  St  Mark  or  St  Luke, 
 or  the  original  of  Moses),  but  in  the  fornuda  itself.^  And  these 
 phrases,  l/y,  7'%,  His,  etc.,  GoD,  are  by  far  the  most  frequent. 
 This  passage,  however,  here  cited  against  the  Sadducees  is 
 furthermore  the  most  striking  of  all  of  them,  on  the  following 
 grounds  :  (1)  In  it  God  speaks  Himself,  an  irrefragable  proof 
 of  its  truth  ;  (2)  He  speaks  on  the  occasion  of  a  most  solemn 
 and  visible  manifestation  of  Himself;  (3)  He  speaks  of  Abra- 
 ham, Isaac,  and  Jacob  conjointly  ;  (4)  And  indeed  after  theii 
 death,  and  that  a  long  while  after,  at  the  very  time  of  perform - 
 
 ^  For  the  poesession  of  that  which  is  everlasting  implies  everlasting  pos- 
 session, and  everlasting  possession  involves  everlasting  duration. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXII.  35.  399 
 
 ing  the  promise  to  them,  even  in  the  persons  of  their  descend- 
 ants, which  was  a  proof  that  these  patriarchs  had  not  in  their 
 own  hfetime  themselves  obtained  the  promises.  And  thus,  as 
 we  are  told  in  Luke  xx.  37,  even,  KAI,  Moses  showed  the  resur- 
 rection of  the  dead,  even  Moses,  not  only  the  prophets,  in  pre- 
 ference to  whom,  Moses  was  read  publicly  before  the  time  of 
 Antiochus.^  At  the  same  time,  our  Lord  reduces  to  its  proper 
 shape  the  proverb  of  the  Jews,  who  said,  "  God  is  not  the  God 
 of  the  living  but  of  the  dead."  See  Axiom  ix.  of  Alexander 
 Morus,  and  the  Dissertation  of  E.  F.  Cobius,  on  the  force  of 
 this  passage. 
 
 35.  E7g  sB,  auTcJv,  one  of  them)  This  man  is  less  blamed  by  our 
 Lord ;  wherefore  he  seems  to  have  been  led  on  by  others. — 
 vo//,ix,og,  a  lawyer)  How  great  soever  he  was,  and  proud  of  that 
 abundance  of  knowledge  which  he  was  now  about  to  exhibit. — 
 
 ^  Hartwell  Home  says,  "  The  third  part  of  the  synagogue  service  was  the 
 Reading  of  the  Scriptures,  which  included  the  reading  of  the  whole  law  of 
 Moses,  and  portions  of  the  Prophets,  and  the  Hagiographa  or  holy  writings. 
 (1.)  The  Law  was  divided  into  fifty-three,  according  to  the  Masorets,  or, 
 according  to  others,  fifty-four  Paraschioth  or  sections :  for  the  Jewish  year 
 consisted  of  twelve  lunar  months,  alternately  of  twenty-nine  or  thirty  days, 
 that  is  of  fifty  weeks  and  four  days.  The  Jews,  therefore,  in  their  division 
 of  the  law  into  Paraschioth  or  sections,  had  a  respect  to  their  intercalary 
 year,  which  was  every  second  or  third,  and  consisted  of  thirteen  months ;  so 
 that  the  whole  law  was  read  over  this  year,  allotting  one  Parascha  or  section 
 to  every  Sabbath ;  and  in  common  years  they  reduced  the  fifty-tliree  or  fifty- 
 four  sections  to  the  number  of  the  fifty  Sabbaths,  by  reading  two  shorter 
 ones  together,  as  often  as  there  was  occasion.  They  began  the  course  of 
 reading  on  the  first  Sabbath  after  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles ;  or  rather,  indeed, 
 on  the  Sabbath-day  before  that,  when  they  finished  the  last  course  of  read- 
 ing, they  also  made  a  beginning  of  the  new  course ;  that  so,  as  the  rabbies 
 say,  the  devil  might  not  accuse  them  to  God  of  being  weary  of  reading  His 
 law.  (2.)  The  portions  selected  out  of  the  Prophetical  writings  are  termed 
 Haphtoroth.  When  Antiochus  Epiphanes  conquered  the  Jews,  about  the 
 year  163  before  the  Christian  fera,  he  prohibited  the  public  reading  of  the 
 Law  in  the  synagogues  on  pain  of  death.  The  Jews,  in  order  that  they 
 might  not  be  wholly  deprived  of  the  Word  of  God,  selected  from  other  parts 
 of  the  Sacred  Writings  fifty-four  portions,  which  were  termed  iiaphtoras 
 n-naEn  (HaPHTORoTH),  from  ■^-b  (PaTaR),  he  dismissed,  let  loose,  opened 
 — for  though  the  Law  was  dismissed  from  their  synagogues,  and  was  closed 
 to  them  by  the  edict  of  this  persecuting  king,  yet  the  prophetic  writings,  not 
 being  under  the  interdict,  were  left  open  ;  and  therefore  they  used  them  in 
 place  of  the  others." — (I.  B.) 
 
♦00  ST  MATTHEW  XXII.  37,  38. 
 
 vo/xi}ihs  =  'ypa/!Mfx,arivc,  a  scribe,  in  Luke  xi.  45,  44,  53  j  and  vo,ao- 
 didday.aXoc,  a  doctor  of  the  laic,  in  Luke  v.  17,  21. 
 
 37.  ' Aycccrriffsig,  x.r.'K.,  thou  shalt  love,  etc.)  !Moses  repeats  this  in 
 Deut.  vi.  8,  from  the  Decalogue  in  lb.  v.  10 ;  and  it  is  frequently 
 repeated  in  the  same  book,  of  which  it  is  the  sum,  the  last  time  with 
 a  most  solemn  adjuration;  lb,  xxx.  19,  20. — sv  oa?j  -/.apdia  eov  y.ai 
 sv  oXri  -^vyn^  cov,  xal  h  oXtj  t^  diavoia.  cou,^  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with 
 all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind.  Those  who  have  copied  or 
 collated  MSS.,  have  for  the  most  part  treated  the  article  with 
 indifference ;  but  as  far  as  can  be  gathered  from  MSS.  lately 
 collated,  St  Matthew  introduced  the  article  onlv  in  the  last 
 clause.  In  the  Hebrew  it  is  TTSD  ?031,  q.  d.,  and  with  all  thy 
 strength  {et  in  oimii  validitate  tud).  The  LXX.  render  it  -/.at  s^ 
 oKr,i  Trig  dwd/Miug  6ov,  and  with  all  thy  might.  In  St  ]\Iark  it  is, 
 ■/.ai  i^  oXjjg  rrig  dia)/oiag  aov,  %ai  l^  oXrjg  rrjg  icyjjog  Gov,  and  with  all 
 thy  mind  and  with  all  thy  strength.  In  St  Luke  x.  27,  it  is  xal 
 £^  oXjjg  Ttjg  te^uog  Gov  %ai  s^  oXi^g  rrig  btavoiac  6ou,  one  Hebrew  word, 
 ISD,^  being  expressed  by  two  Greek  ones.  [sc.  lex^^og,  strength, 
 and  hiavoiag,  mind,  or  understanding. ~\  Even  the  Hebrew  accents^ 
 cHstinguish  this  third  clause  from  the  two  previous  ones,  which 
 are  closely  united.  They  all  form  an  epitasis,*  Avith  which  St 
 JSIatthew's  introduction  of  the  article  only  in  the  third  clause 
 agrees.  John  James  Syrbius,  Philos.  primie,  Part  I.,  ch.  i., 
 §  1,  thus  expresses  himself, — "  Of  all  those  things  which  are 
 ever  found  in  man,  there  are  three  fundamental  principles,  idea, 
 desire,  and  emotion."  All  ought  to  be  animated  and  governed 
 by  the  love  of  God. 
 
 38.  UpuTrj,  first)  This  commandment  is  not  only  the  greatest 
 in  necessity,  extent,  and  duration,  but  it  is  also  the  first  in  na- 
 ture, order,  time,  and  evidence. 
 
 ^  E.  M.  has  iv  'd'hyi  rfi  Kuphltt  aov,  Kctl  iv  o'Kyj  t>5  ■^f;i>5  aov,  kxI  lu  oX*i 
 rjj  Oiocvoiec  aov. —  (I.  B.) 
 
 DZ.  support  the  articles  before  Kocodix,  and  before  oiuvoix  :  the  reading 
 of  B.  is  doubtful.     Only  inferior  uncial  MSS.  A.,  etc.,  omit  the  articles. — Ed. 
 
 2  is<»3 — (1)  subst.  m.  strength,  force^  from  the  root  -r-s.  No.  3,  Deut.  vi. 
 5,  "And  thou  shalt  love  Jehovah  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  with  all  thy 
 mind,  r-s*2  '53=1,  and  with  all  thy  strength,"  i.e.  in  the  highest  degree. 
 Gesenius. — (I.  B-) 
 
 '  For  some  account  of  the  Hebrew  accents,  see  p.  132,  f.  n.  5.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  See  explanation  of  technical  terms  in  Appendix  —  (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXII.  39-42.  401 
 
 39.  AeuTspa,  second)  Corresponding  with  'rpdort],  first.—  bfioia, 
 like)  sc.  of  that  same  cliaracter  as  contrasted  with  sacrifice  ; 
 see  Mark  xii.  33.  The  love  of  our  neighbour  resembles  tne 
 love  of  God  more  than  all  the  other  duties,  just  as  the  moon 
 resembles  the  sun  more  than  the  stars  do  :  see  Gen.  i.  The 
 law^^er  might  easily  omit  the  latter,  whilst  anxious  about  the 
 former.  Our  Lord  guai'ds  him  from  that  danger,  and  answers 
 more  than  he  had  asked. — w$,  as)  sc.  as  thou  lovest  thyself. 
 Self-love  needs  not  to  be  enjoined  separately.  He  who  loves 
 God  will  love  himself  in  a  proper  degree  without  selfishness. 
 God  loves  me  as  He  does  thee ;  and  thee  as  He  does  me :  there- 
 fore I  ought  to  love  thee,  my  neighbour,  as  myself;  and  thou 
 me  as  thyself:  for  our  love  to  each  other  ought  to  correspond  to 
 God's  love  towards  us  both. 
 
 40.  Kp'sfMarat — Ttai  oi 'Kpofr^rat,^  liangs^ — and  tlie  prophets.  The 
 Latin  Codices  have  pendet,  et  prophetce — hangs,  and  the  prophets: 
 whence  the  Canterbury  MS.  has  the  reading  -/.psfj^ara.!  xai  o'l  -rpo- 
 <pY}rai.  The  question  was  concerning  the  law :  the  reply  con- 
 cerns the  law  especially  :  see  ver.  36,  40.  The  Anglo-Saxon 
 version  has  not  %ai  oi  ';rpo<prirai ;  and  it  might  seem  a  gloss  from 
 ch.  vii.  12,  because  the  verb  zpsfxarai  is  in  the  singular  number, 
 and  the  disputed  clause  follows  afterwards.  The  fathers,  how- 
 ever, have  it,  including  even  TertuUian,  if  the  copies  of  him 
 are  not  corrupt.  And  again,  the  Anglo-Saxon  version  fre- 
 quently omits  something  which  is  found  in  the  Latin.  The 
 matter  requires  further  consideration,  y.pifxarai  is  an  elegant 
 verb.  He  who  takes  away  either  of  these  commandments,  takes 
 away  the  law.^ 
 
 41.  ^vvTjy/xsvuv  di  ruiv  <bapi6aim,  hut  while  the  Pharisees  were 
 gathered  together)  sc.  solemnly  ;  see  ver.  34. 
 
 42.  T/,  jc.r.X.,  tvhat  ?  etc.)  You  Pharisees,  says  our  Lord,  are 
 always  putting  questions  concerning  commandments ;  now  I  will 
 propose  to  you  something  else,  concerning  which  also  it  is  wjit- 
 
 ^  E.  M.  reads  x-oil  oi  -Trpotp^rxi  x,pefiecurot.i. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  E.  V.  has  "  hang"  which  agrees  with  the  reading  of  E.  M.,  q.  v.  supra. 
 _(I.  B.) 
 
 BDLZaic  Vulg.  Syr.  and  Hil.  read  x.pi(A,xrxi.  Orig.  3,  981i  supports 
 Rec.  text,  x-pif^avToci  after  ■7!-po(piirxt — Ed. 
 
 *  Which  comprises  so  many  commandnaents. — V.  g. 
 
 VOL.  I.  C  C 
 
403  ST  MATTHEW  XXII.  43,  44. 
 
 ten  {scriptum  est),  as  of  an  important  matter ;  that  you  may  seo 
 that  the  Gospel  is  as  much  to  be  sought  for  in  the  Sciipiures 
 (Scripturis)  as  the  Law  is.^ — v/mTv  doKii,  seems  to  yoxi)  \i.e.  is  your 
 opinion].  Jesus  employs  the  word  boxiT'^  {seems)  with  greater 
 right  towards  the  Pharisees  than  they  had  done  to  Him,  in  ver. 
 17.  Even  opinion  might  become  the  beginning  of  faith. — rlvog 
 v'log,  whose  son?)  Jesus  thus  gave  them  an  opportunity  of  acknow- 
 ledging Him  as  the  Messiah.  The  doctrine  of  the  Divine  Unity 
 (ver.  37),  is  illustrated  by  that  of  the  Trinity. — rov  Aavid,  of 
 David)  Human  reason  more  easily  accepts  moderate  views  con- 
 cerning Christ,  than  those  which  are  either  more  humble  or 
 more  glorious. 
 
 43.  'Ev  llvivij,ari,  in  Spirit)  and  therefore  tridy  :  see  1  Cor. 
 xii.  3. — Kvpiov  AvTov  %a.\iT,  calleth  Him  Lord)  a  sign  of  subjec- 
 tion :  see  Phil.  ii.  11 ;  cf.  1  Pet.  iii.  6.  It  was  a  higher  honour 
 to  have  Christ  for  his  Son,  than  to  be  a  king ;  and  yet  David 
 does  not  say  that  Christ  is  his  son,  but  rejoices  that  Christ  is  his 
 Lord,  and  he  Christ's  servant.  But  this  joy  has  also  been  pro- 
 cui'ed  for  us  :  see  Luke  i.  43  ;  John  xx.  28 ;  Phil.  iii.  [3],  8. 
 They  who  regard  the  Messiah  only  as  the  son  of  David,  regard 
 the  lesser  part  of  the  conception  of  Him.  A  dominion  to  which 
 David  himself  is  subject,  shows  the  heavenly  majesty  of  the 
 King,  and  the  heavenly  character  of  His  kingdom. 
 
 44.  eZtev  6  Kvpioc,  x.r.A.,  the  Lord  said,  etc.)  The  whole  of  this 
 verse  agrees  verbatim  with  the  S.  V.  of  Ps.  ex.  1. — rui  Kvpi'jj  fjbov, 
 to  my  Lord)  Therefore  He  was  David's  Lord,  before  the  Lord 
 said  to  Hiin,  "  Sit  Thou  on  My  right  hand,"  etc. — xatJou,  sit)  in 
 token  of  command ;  see  1  Cor.  xv.  25. — ex  di^iujv  /mv,  on  My  nght 
 hand)  in  token  of  power. — £wg  civ,  until)  The  eternity  of  the 
 session  is  not  denied  ;  but  it  is  denied  that  the  assault  of  the 
 enemies  will  inteifere  Avith  it.  The  warlike  kingdom  will  come 
 to  an  end  (as  in  earthly  wars  the  heir  of  a  kingdom  commonly 
 
 ^  The  sum  of  both  law  and  Gospel  is  set  forth,  in  this  concliuling  passage, 
 by  the  greatest  of  the  prophets.  The  first  discourse  of  Jesus  was  in  the 
 temple,  in  which  lie  professed  that  God  was  Ilis  Father :  Luke  ii.  49 ; 
 John  ii.  16.  And  now  this  last  question,  put  forth  in  the  temple  by  the 
 same  Jesus,  points  out  the  truth,  that  He  is  Himself  the  Lord  of  David.—- 
 Harm.,  p.  469. 
 
 2  T/  vf^h  loKU,  E.  V.  What  think  i/cf—{l.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXII.  45,  4b.-XXlII.   1-3  403 
 
 resigns  the  command  which  he  held  during  the  war,  when  the 
 enemy  has  been  conquered)  ;  the  peaceful  kingdom,  however, 
 will  have  no  end.  Cf.  1  Cor.  xv.  25,  etc.  Even  before  that, 
 the  Son  was  subordinate  to  the  Father,  but  did  not  then  appear 
 so,  on  account  of  the  glory  of  His  kingdom :  even  after  that. 
 He  will  reign,  but  as  the  Son,  subordinate  to  the  Father. — 
 &UJ,  ft.r.X.,  I  place,  etc.)  The  enemies  will  lie  prostrate. — k^6poug, 
 enemies)  and  amongst  them  the  Pharisees. — Sot;,  Thy)  i.e.  of 
 Thee.  The  hatred  of  the  enemies  is  directed  especially  against 
 the  First-born. — vTomdiov,  footstool)  The  enemies  will  themselves 
 be  the  footstool  of  Christ  by  right  of  conquest.  Cf.  Josh.  x.  24  ; 
 Ps.  xlvii.  4. 
 
 45.  E/  ovv  Aavid,  if  David  therefore)  It  was  the  duty  of  the 
 Jews  to  study  that  point  with  the  utmost  earnestness,  especially 
 at  that  time.  It  is  considerably  more  evident  of  Christ  that  He 
 is  the  Lord,  than  that  He  is  the  Son  of  David. ^ 
 
 46.  Aoyov,  a  word)  On  that  question  or  any  other. — 'Empu^ 
 •rrisai,  to  question)  sc.  with  the  object  of  tempting  Him  ;  the 
 disciples  questioned  Him  with  the  object  of  learning. — ouxsr/,  no 
 more)  A  new  scene,  as  it  were,  opens  from  this  point. 
 
 CHAPTER  XXIII. 
 
 1.  Tors,  then)  Having  left  His  adversaries  to  themselves. 
 
 2.  'Exa^/trai/,  x.r.X.,  sit,  etc.)  Representing  Moses,  reading  and 
 interpreting  his  law,  and  even  urging  more  than  he  enjoined. — 
 0/  TpoLiJ^iJ^anTg  %ai  o/  ^apigccToi,  the  Sc7'ibes  and  the  Pliarisees)  The 
 sins  which  are  here  enumerated,  did  not  belong  all  equally  to 
 both  of  these  classes  ;  but  they  had  many  in  common,  and  par- 
 ticipated in  many  ;   see  Luke  xi.  45.^ 
 
 3.  Olv,  therefore)  This  particle  limits  the  expression  "  what- 
 
 1  So  great  is  the  glory  of  the  Son  of  God !  David  as  well  as  Abraham 
 alike,  John  viii.  56,  saw  the  day  of  Christ,  the  last  great  day  we  may  sup- 
 pose, when  all  His  adversaries  shall  become  the  Lord's  footstool. — V.  g. 
 
 '  And  of  those  sins  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  specified  in  the  discour- 
 ses of  Christ,  which  are  described  more  fully  by  Matthew,  Mark  and  Luke, 
 
404  ST  MATTHEW  XXIII.  4-8. 
 
 soever  they  bid  you  observe,'''  so  that  the  people  should  not  think 
 tliat  they  were  bound  to  observe  the  traditions  of  the  Pharisees 
 equally  with  the  law  of  Moses  ;^  see  ver.  4. — rripsTrs,  observe)  sc. 
 mentally.^ — -TronTrs,  do)  sc.  actually.  An  imperative  correspond- 
 ed with  by  the  other  which  follows. — Xsyo-jsi,  they  say)  Mosaic 
 commands,  which  ought  to  be  "  observed "  and  " done" 
 
 4.  Asff/j.ivou(fi  yap,  for  they  bind)  This  explains  the  words,  They 
 say  and  do  not. — jSap'ia  xal  duffjSdsraKra,  heavy  and  grievous  to  be 
 borne)  epithets  suitable  to  the  doctrines  of  men.^ — w/xou; — 
 daxTuXuj,  shoulders — icith  the  finger)  There  is  an  evident  contrast 
 intended  between  these  words. — -/.ivrisai,  to  move)  much  less  to 
 bear.  Scripture  has  an  incomparable  felicity  in  describing  the 
 inner  characters  of  minds,  of  which  the  whole  of  this  chapter 
 affords  a  striking  instance;  see  also  Luke  xii.  16,  17. 
 
 5.  As,  but)  sc.  although  they  appear  to  do  many  good  things. 
 — ^uXax.T7jpia,  phylacteries)  see  Ex.  xiii.  9,  16;  Deut.  vi.  8,  xi. 
 18. — zpatfTTida,  fringes)  see  Numb.  xv.  38. 
 
 6.  <i>iXouffi,  Tc.r.X.,  they  love,  etc.)  Both  individually  and  for 
 their  order. 
 
 6,  7.  'Ev  roT;  dil-rvoig — ff-jvayuyrcTg — dyopocTg,  in  banquets — syna- 
 gogues— market-places)  public  places. 
 
 8.  Mn  ^'kn^nn,  be  ye  not  called)  i.e.  do  not  ye  be  thus  treated, 
 nor  seek  to  be  thus  treated. — sJj  ydp  sanv  v/j^ojv  6  AidaffxaXog,  for 
 one  is  your  Teacher*)  Others  read,  iJg  ydp  Isrtv  vimojv  6  KaOrjyrjTr.g, 
 6  XpiSTog,''  for  one  is  your  Guide,  even  Christ.    And  this  is  indeed 
 
 have  selected  those  sins  which  wouUl  most  clearly  show  to  the  untutored 
 populace  why  they  should  heivarc  of  the  Scribes — viz.,  their  haughtiness, 
 their  avarice,  and  their  hypocrisy. — Harm.,  p.  472. 
 
 ^  i.e.,  because  it  implies  that  their  claim  to  obedience  rested  on  their 
 sitting  in  Moses'  seat. — (I.  B.) — i.e.,  so  far,  and  only  so  far,  as  they  really 
 sat  in  Moses'  seat — viz.,  taught  only  what  Moses  in  the  written  law  com- 
 mands.— Ed. 
 
 *  Tx  fj^yx  ecvroiu)  Verse  5-7.  (  y  „ 
 
 ^.^  TToiuri)  Verse  8-12.        )      "  "' 
 '  Which  both  are  not  contained  in  the  law,  and  are  contrary  to  the  law. 
 
 -V.  g. 
 
 *  E.  V,  "  one  is  your  Master." — (I.  11.) 
 "  Such  is  the  reading  of  E.  M. 
 
 In  his  App.  Crit.  Bengel  writes  thus : — "  xa.'ijsynTr.c)  odd.  Bas.  ct.  /i.  y. 
 etc.  Ex.  v.  10  (h'icctjx.xhos),  Aitfj.  1.  4,  in  duabiis  pericopis,  Bodl.  7, 
 Colb   3,  Gal.  Go.  Lin.  Mont-  N.  1,  Par.  1.  4,  Roc.  Seld.  1,  Sieph.  e,  V's.fir. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXIIl.  9-11.  40:. 
 
 found  in  ver.  10 ;  in  the  present  instance,  however,  it  is  our 
 Heavenly  Father  vs^ho  is  spoken  of;  cf  eh.  xvi.  17;  John  vi. 
 45  ;  Acts  X.  28  ;  Gal.  i.  1,  15  ;  Eph.  i.  9  ;  Ps.  xxv.  12,  xxxii.  8. 
 Therefore  our  Lord  adds,  hut  all  ye  are  brethren,  which  principle 
 applies  also  to  the  ninth  verse,  that  we  should  neither  ourselves 
 be  called  masters,  nor  call  any  one  on  earth  father.  Christ  is 
 treated  of  in  verse  10,  and  verse  11  is  appropriately  subjoined. 
 Cf.  concerning  the  Father  as  Teacher,  and  Christ  as  Guide, 
 ch.  xi.  25,  27. — Isrl,  ye  are)  The  indicative  niood.^ 
 
 9.  narspa,  father)  This  also  was  the  grand  title  given  by  the 
 Jews  to  their  teachers,  especially  in  old  age. — fir^  xaXsgrin,  x.r.x., 
 do  not  call,  etc.)  Let  not  either  your  tongue  or  your  mind  as- 
 cribe infallibility  to  any  man. 
 
 10.  Ka&TiyriTai,  guidesY  i.e  leaders,  authorities.  There  is  a 
 gradation  in  these  phrases  :  Rabbi,  Father,  Guide.  They  were 
 titles  of  spiritual  eminence  amongst  the  Jews.  The  same  prin- 
 ciple is  enforced  in  1  Cor.  iii.  5,  6.^ 
 
 11.  'O  Ki  iMit^m,  but  he  that  is  greatest)  i.e.  he  who  wishes  to 
 
 2,  Wheel.  1,  et  alii  apud  Erasmum  et  Bezam  ;  Orig.  Chrysost.  ad  h.  1.  et 
 Homil.  77  in  loh.,  Arab.  Syr.  Probat  Beza,  Grotius,  Seldenus,  nee  non  L. 
 de  Dieu,  Rus. 
 
 "^  0  Xp;ffToV)  edd.  etc.  Ex.  v.  10  (  \  )  [i.e.  for  the  omission],  Bas.  unus, 
 y.  opinor.  Eph.  Med.  Vss.  1,  duo  apud  Bezam,  Aeth.  Arab.  Armen.  Copt. 
 Lat.  (et  inde  Qant.  quern  tamen  Beza  videtur  innuere,  Colb.  8),  Pers.  Syr. 
 Orig.  Chrysostonms  clare.      Theophyl.  in  coram.     Vid.  Gnom." 
 
 Tishendorf,  Lachmann,  and  Wordsworth  read  hlxajcocM;,  but  they  do  not 
 omit  0  Xptaro;. — (I.  B.) 
 
 'Ti^uv  6  lihot-aKxhog  is  the  reading  of  B  ;  "vester  doctor,"  d;  "vobis 
 magister,"  Cypr. ;  "  magister  vester,"  abc  and  Vulg.  But  vfx,uu  6 
 K.xdnyyjryiii  D  ;  to  which  Rec.  Text  adds  6  Xpiaro;. — Ed. 
 
 Some  one  of  the  learned  has  supposed  it  more  probable  that  the  term 
 xctdmyyir-/!?,  as  being  one  of  less  common  occurrence,  has  been  changed  by 
 transcribers  into  liOxaKoc'Xo;,  rather  than  that  Itloe.ay.ot.'hog  has  been  substi. 
 tuted  instead  of  fcxdnym*;;.  But  the  arguments  drawn  from  solid  criticism 
 have  more  weight  than  such  mere  conjectures ;  not  to  mention  that  the 
 other  conjecture,  by  which  xxdnymr'Kg  is  supposed  to  be  transferred  from  ver.  10 
 (as  to  which  there  is  no  dispute),  has  at  least  as  much  show  of  probabiHty. 
 Cf.  App.  Crit.  Ed.  ii.,  p.  133.— E.  B. 
 
 1  i.e.  not  the  imperative,  " Be  ye"  as  it  might  be  rendered. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  E.  V.  «  Masters."— (I.  B.) 
 
 5  In  the  original,  "  quse  destruitur  etiam  1  Cor.  iii.  6,  s. ;"  lit.,  "  which 
 fsc.  spiritual  eminence]  is  demolished  also  in  1  dr.  iii.  5,  6." — (I.  BJ 
 
406  ST  MATTHEW  XXIII.  12,  13. 
 
 be  tlie  greatest  (corresponding  with  the  Hebrew  m') ;  of.  ch.  xx. 
 26. 
 
 12.  "Oerig  di  v-^Jjffii  saurhv,  x.r.X.,  but  whosoever  shall  exalt  him- 
 self, etc.)  In  the  S.  V.  of  Ezek.  xxi.  26,  we  read  iT-aTs/vwcag  rh 
 v-^ri'kbv,  y.a,i  v-^ugag  to  raTiivov,  Thou  hast  humbled  that  which  id 
 exalted,  and  exalted  that  tvhich  is  humble.— v-^clJffsi  iaurhv,  shall  ex- 
 alt himself)  As  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  did. 
 
 13,  14.  Oval,  woe)  Woe  is  uttered  eight  times  in  this  passage:' 
 blessed  is  uttered  eight  times  and  more  in  Matt.  v.  fi-om 
 ver.  3,  where  see  Gnomon. — ouai  i/^Tv — xXihn  t'^v  [3aoiXsiav — xars- 
 (sdiiTi  rag  oixiag  rm  X'^P^^j  x.r.X.,  woe  unto  you — ye  shut  up  the 
 kingdom — ye  devour  widows'  houses,  etc.)  In  many  MSS.  these 
 words  are  transposed  f  but  that  must  come  first  in  which  the 
 
 ^  "  2'^  .  .  2.  great  .  .  specially  (a)  i.q.  powerful,  Psa.  xlviii.  3  ; 
 Isa.  Ixiii.  1.  PI.  O"'^":  the  mighty,  Job  xxxv.  9  ;  Isa.  liii.  12. — (b)  elder,  Gen. 
 XXV.  23.  PI.  Q^^l  the  old,  Job  xxxii.  9. — (c)  subst.  a  great  man,  leader, 
 i.q.  "1^,  especially  in  the  later  Hebrew.  .  .  — (d)  a  master,  one  who  is  skilled 
 in  any  art,  sX;j//m/,  Prov.  xxvi.  10.  Compare  Talmud.  =■;;  doctor,  excellent 
 teacher." — Gescnius.  Bengel  evidently  intends  to  refer  the  reader  to  Rabbi 
 in  verse  7,  on  which  Wordsworth  says  : — "  px/ifii]  ■'^■],  My  Master.  Rabbi, 
 from  root  31,  rab  =  great  ;  as  Magister  from  7nagnus,  ^syctf." — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Our  Saviour  had  used  various  degrees  of  argument  against  His  opponents 
 all  along  from  ch.  ix.  4  ;  but  now,  at  the  last,  moved  by  a  holy  fervour,  He 
 brings  forth  most  plainly  the  whole  fact  as  it  really  was. — Harm.,  p.  472. 
 
 3  Such  is  the  reading  of  E.  M. ;  but  E.  V.  supports  the  order  approved  by 
 Bengel.  In  his  Apparatus  Criticus,  Bengel  says  of  the  reading: — "  x.'Kiitn — 
 Kotna^iiri  " — "  Sic  Erasmus,  Bcza,  Bodl.  1.  2,  Ct/pr.  Laud.  1.  2,  Roe  et  sex  et 
 oc<oalii,veletiani  Cam.  {iiimU'dar.  Euthj/m.  Copt.  Lat.,  etiam  npnd  Jlieron.'^ 
 Of  the  order  "  Kxrea^iUre — x,?iiieTi,"  he  says : — "  Comp.  Stap.  Steph.  edd.  Aug. 
 1,  2,  4,  Bj/z.  Gehl.  Mosc.  Wo.  1,  2,  etc.,  Chrj/sost.  Theop/n/l..,  opus  imperf. 
 Arab.  Lat.  pauculi,  Si/r.  Qtdnque  Colbertinos  pro  ilia  lectione  citat  Millius, 
 a  silentio  amicorum,  qui  Bezain  adliibuerant  argumentatus ;  pro  hiic 
 Simonius  in  notis  ad  h.  1.  Vide  Gnomon :  quanquam  is  prior  videtur  esse 
 versus,  quem  scorsum  referunt  Marcus  et  Lucas." — (I.  B.) 
 
 BDLZ  a  Vulg.  (Amiat.  MS.)  omit  all  the  words  of  ver.  14,  oval — 
 x-xnaSiiri  r.  o'tKixs  r.  yc^potv  (Rec.  Text  adding  x.ou)  '7vpo<p»aii — Trpoaivx^i^iviji 
 S/«  toSto — Kpif^cc.  The  Canons  of  Euseb.  seem  to  omit  the  words  :  also 
 Origen,  who  speaks  of  "  the  second  woe  in  Matthew  "  being  oviti — ot< 
 'TrepixysTe  ritu  iuhttauctv,  etc.  4,  3.52a.  Therefore  hachni.  and  Tischend. 
 rightly  omit  them.  Tlie  words  seem  to  me  to  have  crept  in  from  Mark  xii.  40 
 and  Luke  xx.  47.  However  be  and  Hilary  Tlhd  and  89  supports  the  words 
 here. — Ed.  The  margin  of  Bengel's  Ed.  ii.  holds  the  omission  of  ver.  14 
 as  all  but  equal  to  the  Kec.  Text — E.  B. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXIII.  14,   13,  407 
 
 kingdom  of  heaven  is  mentioned ;  cf.  ch.  iv.  17,  v.  3,  etc/ — 
 vroxpi''al,  hypocrites)  The  characteristics  of  hypocrites  may  be 
 ascertained  from  this  indictment,  as  Thomasius  has  done  in  his 
 Cautions.  Woes  were  denoiinced  against  them,  not  because 
 they  were  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  but  because  they  were  hypo- 
 crites.— xXs/srg,  ye  shut  up)  i.e.  with  a  key  :  ye  shut  up  as  being 
 ignorant  and  blind. — s/MTpoahv  rSJv  avdpu-Truv,  before  mer?)  sc.  before 
 their  eyes,  when  they  were  just  close. — ou/c  i]6\f/i6^i^  ye  do  not 
 enter)  a  great  woe,  and  the  first ;  cf.  Matt.  v.  3,  on  the  first 
 degree  of  blessedness. — roiig  sidip^of/^svov;,  them  that  are  entering) 
 sc.  either  in  will  or  in  deed. 
 
 14.  Karsc^/srs,  X.T.X.,  ye  devour ,  etc.)  The  extreme  of  avarice. 
 To  devour  widows'  houses^  is  the  most  atrocious  species,  which 
 is  put  for  the  whole  class  of  rapacious  actions. — xa/,  even) — iMaxpa, 
 long)  The  word  has  here  the  force  of  an  adverb.'*  Some  MSS. 
 also  read  suitably  enough,  fiaxpa,  in  which  case  it  must  be  con- 
 strued with  'rpo<pdc!ii,  sc.  with  a  long,  or  great  pretence — i.e. 
 they  made  of  their  prayers  a  great  pretence,  pi^etext,  or  plea  for 
 devouring  widows'  houses.  Herodian  uses  the  expressions, 
 Tpo'^aff/;  oXr/ri,  svTiXrig,  fiixpd,  SC  a  small,  useful,  little  pretext  or 
 plea. — 'K'/i'^iGh,  x.r.X.,  ye  shall  receive,  etc.)  sc.  as  the  reward  of 
 such  prayers. — 'xspiaguTspov  zpi/jba,  more  abundant  damnation)  He 
 who  acts  ill  is  condemned ;  he  who  abuses  that  which  is 
 good,  to  adorn  that  which  is  bad,  is  condemned  to  sorer  punish- 
 ment. 
 
 15.  UspidyiTi,  x.r.X.,  ye  compass,  etc.)  A  proverbial  expression. 
 Ye  compass,  or  go  about,  as  Rabbis ;  see  ver.  7. — 'iva  'jrpo^ri'kvrov, 
 one  proselyte)  with  great  zeal,  but  little  efficacy ;  so  that  you 
 hardly  obtain  one. — v'lhv  Tiswrig,  a  child  of  hell)  i.e.  worthy  of  hell. 
 Thus  in  Deut.  xxv.  2,  nian  p^  is  rendered  by  the  lxx.  at,iog 
 
 '  Although  that  verse  seems  likely  to  come  first,  which  Mark  and  Luke 
 represent  as  spoken  separately. — App.  Crit.  Ed.  ii.  p.  134. 
 
 2  E.  V.  "  against  men." — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  Who  of  all  persons  ought  especially  to  be  spared,  but  who,  as  being 
 liable  to  be  easily  acted  on  by  persuasion,  are  most  open  to  oppression. — 
 
 v.g. 
 
 4  According  to  this  reading,  which  is  that  of  EM,  it  must  be  construed 
 with  TTpoasvxofAiuoi,  praying  ;  and  the  words  must  be  rendered,  "  who  pray 
 long" — i.e.  "  who  spend  a  long  time  in  prayer." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Literally,  "  a  son  to  be  beaten." — (I.  B.) 
 
408  ST  MATTHEW  XXIII.  16-23. 
 
 -rty.rrpjv^  xcortliy  of  stripes} — hi'xl.oripov,  tivofold  more)  on  account 
 of  his  greater  hypocrisy,^  though  he  might  have  attained  to  a 
 high  rank  among  the  people  of  God. 
 
 16.  '  Ooriyoi  7u<pXoi,  blind  guides)  Previously  they  were  styled 
 hypocrites,  and  that  again  and  again ;  now  the  appellation  is 
 changed  according  to  the  subject  in  hand.  The  two  appella- 
 tions are  combined  in  ver.  23,  24,  and  ver.  25,  2G.  The  de- 
 nunciation reaches  its  climax  in  ver.  33. — o-jbh  knv,  lie  is  no- 
 thingY  sc.  upiiXcriv,  Giving,  i.e.  he  owes  nothing. — iv  ru)  '/jvcX,  bij 
 the  gold)  with  which  the  temple  was  adorned. 
 
 17.  Mojpol  %al  Tu(pXoi,  fools  and  blind)  They  sinned  even 
 against  common  sense  ;  according  to  the  judgment  of  which 
 that  thing,  on  account  of  which  another  thing  is  of  a  certain 
 character,  must  be  much  more  so,  than  that  which  merely  de- 
 rives its  character  inferentially  therefrom. 
 
 18.  'Ev  tSj  duipuj,  by  the  gift)  The  error  originated  in  the  mis- 
 taken views  entertained  by  the  offerers  with  i*egard  to  their  own 
 righteousness.  They  esteemed  their  own  gifts  more  highly  than 
 the  Divine  institution. — Ecai-w  avrov,  iqjon  it)  sc.  the  altar. 
 
 20.  'Ei*  Taff/  ToTg  stuvoj  avrov,  by  all  things  thereon)  As  in  ver. 
 21  the  gold  of  the  temple  is  not  again  mentioned,  but  He  is  men- 
 tioned who  dwelleth  therein  ;  so  in  this  verse  the  expression,  all 
 things  which  are  upon  the  altar,  signifies  something  much 
 greater  than  the  gift  on  the  altar,  nay,  something  in  contrast 
 with  that  gift,  sc.  the  sacred  fire  and  the  whole  divinely  ap- 
 pointed ministry  of  the  priests,  who  stood  and  walked,  not  only 
 beside,  but  upon  the  altar. 
 
 23.  'AcroSexaroi/T-e,  x.r.X.,  ye  tythe,  etc.)  And  command  others 
 to  tythe;  cf.  in  vei'.  24  the  expression  ^^guidesT — rtduoe/jiov,^  mint) 
 not  only  grain  but  herbs. — xvfLmv,  cummin)  which  is  proverbially 
 a  small  thing. — a(prizari,  x.r.x.,  have  omitted,  etc.)  sc.  long  since; 
 or  also,  ye  have  remitted  to  others,  by  your  silence. — jSapvripu, 
 
 1  E.  V.  «  Worthy  to  be  beaten."— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Which  he  adopts  from  his  tcacliers,  independently  of  and  exceeding  his 
 licatlicn  corruptions,  which  he  has  not  hiid  aside. — V.  g. 
 
 »  E.  V.  "  It  is  nothing:'— {\.  B  ) 
 
 *  On  this  word  Bengcl,  in  his  Apparatus  Criticus,  has  the  remark  : — 
 ^wrs':  Ilcbr.  ex  Lat.,"  sc.  mentha  ;  from  which  also  our  Englisli  word,  m««( 
 —(I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXIII.  24.  405 
 
 weightier)  These  questions  belong  to  comparative  theology. 
 Three  weightier  matters  are  enumerated  in  contrast  with  three 
 smaller  matters.  Concerning  these  weightier  matters,  see  Ecclus. 
 iv.  He,  and  he  alone,  who  does  not  neglect  these,  may  judge 
 rightly  in  smaller  matters. — tyiv  xplaiv,  judgment)  by  which  men 
 distinguish  between  good  and  evil,  and  in  either  of  them  be- 
 tween weightier  and  smaller  matters  ;  see  the  Gnomon  on  ch. 
 xii.  18,  and  xvi.  3;  Luke  xii.  57;  1  Cor.  xi.  31;  Micah  vi. 
 8. — "h  iXicv,  mercy)  Seech,  ix.  13. — tyiv  <7riffriv,  faith)  sc.  since- 
 rit>/,  which  is  opposed  to  hypocrisy  :  for  those  who,  in  ch.  xxiv. 
 51,  are  called  hypocrites,  are  called  unbelievers  {injideles)  in 
 Luke  xii.  46.  Cf.  1  Tim.  iv.  2,  3.  There  are  clearly  these 
 three  principal  heads.  Judgment,  Mercy,  Faith :  and  divisions 
 of  theological  topics  ought  to  have  been  arranged  under  such 
 heads  as  those  which  Scripture  itself  lays  down,  as  in  John 
 xvi.  8  ;  Romans  iii.  27  ;  1  Cor.  xiii.  13  ;  1  Thess.  iv.  9,  v.  1  ;^ 
 Pleh.  vi.  1,  2. — fMYj  d(piimi,  not  to  omit)  corresponding  with 
 aprizart,  ye  have  omitted;  and  therefore  raZra,  these,  refers  to 
 mint,  etc. — jxsTva,  those,  to  judgment,  etc. ;  and  the  words,  raZra 
 sdii  'xoindat,  these  ought  ye  to  have  done,  express  approbation  of 
 their  conduct  in  this  matter ;"  whilst  the  words  Ka.-/.iTva  iiy\ 
 a(pnva.i,  and  7iot  to  leave  the  other  undone,  belong  to  the  indict- 
 ment. In  Greek  ouTog  and  sKuvog,  in  Latin  hie  and  ille  (this  and 
 that),  are  frequently  employed  with  reference,  not  to  the  order 
 of  the  words,  but  to  the  nature  of  the  things.  See  my  note  to 
 Chrysostom  on  the  Priesthood,  pp.  509,  510. 
 
 24.  Tov  ■/.uim'Tra,  the  gnat)  They  who  object  to  swallowing  a 
 camel  should  not  be  found  fault  with  for  merely  straining  a  gnat,^ 
 
 ^  There  is  evidently  some  mistake  in  the  references  to  Romans  and 
 Thessalonians — a  mistake  which  I  have  bestowed  much  labour  to  correct, 
 but  in  vain.  For  the  reference  to  1  Thess.  v.  1,  I  would  suggest  1  Thess. 
 V.  8.— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Truly,  even  in  the  smallest  things  remarkable  and  pre-eminent  grace 
 may  exhibit  itself,  Mark  xii.  42. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  The  clause  rendered  by  E.  V.,  "  who  strain  at  a  gnat,"  is  interpreted 
 more  correctly  by  Bengel,  "  who  strain  a  gnat,"  on  which  Alford  observes  in 
 loc,  "  The  straining  the  gnat  is  not  a  mere  proverbial  saying.  The  Jews 
 (as  do  now  the  Buddists  in  Ceylon  and  Hindostan)  strained  their  wine,  etc., 
 carefully,  that  they  might  not  violate  Levit.  xi.  20,  23,  41,  42  (and  it  might 
 be  added,  Levit.  xvii.  10-14).  The  camel  is  not  only  opposed  as  of  immense 
 size,  but  ^s  also  unclean." — (I.  B.) 
 
410  ST  MATTHEW  XXIII.  25-27. 
 
 such  being  far  from  our  Lord's  intention  :  for  no  one  can  safely 
 swallow  a  gnat,  which  may  choke  him.  A  beam  is  the  worse 
 of  the  two,  and  yet  a  chip^  is  not  disregarded,  even  in  the  hand, 
 much  more  in  the  eye.  See  ch.  vii.  5.  The  noun  xuivu-^  is  a 
 word  of  common  gender,  and  signifies  a  gnat,  properly  one  be- 
 longing to  wine,  which  easily  falls  into  a  strainer.^ 
 
 25.  Tb  s^ukv,  that  which  is  without)  sc.  the  external  surface. — 
 'i<su6iv  h'l,  hut  withhi)  Avhere  the  meat  and  drink  are. — jsimoxxsiv, 
 they  are  full)  sc.  the  cup  and  dish. — ap^ayjjs,  of  rapacity,  ex- 
 tortion) see  ver.  14.  — %ai  ay.^ae'iag,  and  excess)  Excess,  dxpaeia, 
 is  opposed  to  abstinence,  not  only  in  meat  and  drink,  but  also 
 m  money  and  gain.  With  this'  idea,  Aristotle  (Eth.  Nicom. 
 vii.  6)  says  that  the  particular  thing  should  be  mentioned  in 
 regard  to  which  any  one  is  remarkable  for  excess  or  the  oppo- 
 site ;  as  gain,  honour,  anger,  etc.  And  this  is  evident  in  the 
 present  passage,  fi'om  the  use  of  the  synonymous  term,  apTayrj. 
 Gregory  Nazianzen  says,  axpaaia  sfjboi  vav  rh  itifiTrlv  xal  uTip  Tr,t 
 ^psiav,  everything  ivhich  is  sujierfluous  and  more  than  necessary, 
 is,  in  my  opinion,  dxpasla. 
 
 26.  Kaddpiaov,  cleanse)  sc.  by  removing  rapacity  by  almsgiving. 
 See  Luke  xi.  4L — -rpurov,  K.r.X.,  frst,  etc.)  This  may  also  be 
 applied  to  the  matter  of  decorum. — ha,  x.t.'a.,  in  order  that,  etc.) 
 for  otherwise  that  outward  cleanliness  is  not  cleanliness. 
 
 27.  "On,  v-.t.'k.,  for,  etc.)  In  this  verse  the  especially  distinc- 
 tive characteristic  of  hypocrites  is  described  :  for  hypocrisy  is 
 named  in  ver.  28.     Cf  Luke  xi.  44  with  the  context. — xsxov/a- 
 
 '  In  the  original,  "  Festuca"  corresponding  to  the  English  word,  Mote  ;  the 
 meaning  of  which,  in  Matt.  vii.  3  (which  is  here  referred  to),  is  not  a  mote 
 such  as  we  see  in  sunbeams,  but  a  small  particle  of  straw.  I  know  of  no 
 English  word  that  iiow  corresponds  to  this  idea  :  it  is  something  between 
 a  chip  and  a  speck. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  The  wine-gnat,  according  to  Rosenmiiller,  is  found  in  wine  when  turn- 
 ing acid.  The  Jews  used  to  strain  out  their  wines  through  a  napkin  or 
 strainer,  to  prevent  tills  wine-gnat  being  swallowed  unawares.  See  Buxtorf 
 on  the  root  IJ.?.  Beng.  wishes  to  guard  us  against  the  abuse  of  this  passage, 
 whereby  it  is  often  said  to  those  wlio  are  careful  in  the  greater  duties,  when 
 particular  also  on  minor  points,  "  Oh  !  you  are  straining  at  a  gnat."  They  for- 
 get that  Jesus  does  not  object  to  tenderness  of  conscience  as  to  moral  gnats, 
 but  to  those  who,  whilst  scrupulous  as  to  gnats,  are  unscrupulous  as  to  moral 
 camels,  Eccles.  x,  1. — Ku. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXIII.  28-34.  411 
 
 fi'voif,  loMted)  The  Jews  used  to  whiten  their  sepulchres  with 
 chalk. 
 
 28.  'Afo/i/ag,  unrighteousness)  This  is  strictly  opposed  to 
 righteousness. 
 
 29.^  " On  oiKodoij^iTrs — ruv  'TrpofriTuv — KOS/JbiTn — ruv  diKaicov,  because 
 ye  huild — of  the  prophets — a7id  garnish — of  the  righteous)  (see 
 ver  35).  This  was  all  that  they  did  in  memorial  of  the  ancient 
 prophets  and  righteous  men,  without  observing  their  words  or 
 imitating  their  deeds ;  with  a  resemblance  to  their  fathers  in 
 their  dispositions ;  with  a  contempt  of  the  Messiah,  to  whom 
 those  prophets  had  borne  witness.  Understand,  therefore,  only, 
 as  in  ch.  xxiv.  38.  Scripture  is  wont  to  call  those  who  have 
 died  in  the  Lord  righteous,  rather  than  saints  f  see  Luke  xiv. 
 14,  and  Heb.  xii.  23. 
 
 30.  AijiTi,  ye  say)  By  your  public  protestation. — ohx  av  lixiv, 
 X..T.X.,  ive  would  not  have  been,  etc.)  Such  was  their  self-confidence. 
 
 3L  'Maprupirrs,  ye  bear  witness)  sc.  by  your  deeds,  ver.  29,  by 
 your  words,  ver.  30. 
 
 32.  Kai  v/MsTg  TXripuKfars,  Jill  ye  up  then)  The  pronoun  ii/j^i/'g, 
 you,  is  not  only  introduced  in  contrast  to  your  fathers,  but  also 
 shows  that  there  is  an  indicative  force  in  the  imperative  •^rXripdJ- 
 (jari,  Jill  ye  up ;  q.d.  ye  will  fill  up,  fill  ye  up  therefore ;  cf.  John 
 xiii.  27.  Fill  ye  up  whenever  ye  will,  be  ye  no  longer  hindered ;  be 
 ye  left  to  yourselves  :  perform  then  with  the  hand  that  which  you 
 cherish  in  the  heart. — to  [Mirpov,  the  measure)  As  there  is  a  measure 
 of  life  and  of  suffering,  so  is  there  also  of  sin,  when,  for  example, 
 to  three  transgressions  is  added  a  fourth ;  see  Amos  i.  3,  etc, 
 
 33.  ' 'E'x^ihvojv,  of  vipers)  Which  are  mentioned  in  ver.  30,  31, 
 32. — -TToog  (pbynn,  hoio  can  ye  escape)  The  subjunctive. 
 
 34.  A/a  roZro,  x.r.X.,  wherefore,  etc.)  A  corollary  of  the  eighth 
 woe. — 'Eyw,  2)  Li  the  parallel  passage  of  St  Luke,  xi.  49,  we 
 read,  diSt.  rovro  xal  ri  co(pia  rou  Qiov  sJtsv,  ' AvoeTiXui,  x.r.X.,  wherefore 
 also  said  the  wisdom  of  God,  I  will  send,  etc.  The  first  chapter 
 of  the  second  book  of  Esdras^  and  this  passage  have  a  wonder- 
 
 ^  on  oiKoTioiLislrs)  A  hypocrite  brings  guilt  on  himself,  even  in  respect  to 
 those  things  which  are  not  unrighteous  or  wrong  in  themselves. — V.  g. 
 
 2  In  Latin,  "  saint "  and  "  holy  "  are  both  expressed  by  the  same  word, 
 *'  sanctus." — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  In  the  original,  "  Liber  iv.  Esrae,  cap.  i." — (I.  B.) 
 
412  ST  MATTHEW  XXIII.  34. 
 
 fill  resemblance.  In  2  Es.  i.  30,  we  read,  "  I  gathered  you 
 together  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chicJcens  under  her  wings  ;"  in 
 ver.  32,  "  /  sent  unto  you  My  servants  the  prophets,  lohom  ye 
 have  taken  and  slain,  and  torn  their  bodies  in  pieces,  whose 
 hlood  I  will  require  of  your  hands,  saith  the  Lord :"  in  ver.  33, 
 "  Thus  saith  the  Almighty  Lord,  your  house  is  desolate."  That 
 book  of  Esdras  is  greatly  esteemed  by  many,  amongst  ■whom  of 
 ourselves  are  found  Schickardus  on  Tarich,^  p.  135,  and  Hain- 
 lin,  in  his  Sol^  Temporum ;  and  this  quotation  in  the  Gospel 
 gives  very  great  weight  to  it.  J.  C.  Scaliger  says  (Exerc.  308), 
 "  I  possess  an  admirable  and  divine  compendium  of  the  books 
 of  Esdras,  composed  in  the  Syrian  language  ;  they  contain  far 
 more  valuable  sentiments  than  the  harangues  of  their  base 
 calumniator."  That  Syrian  composition,  which  Scaliger  calls  a 
 compendium,  may  have  been  a  translation  of  the  original  He- 
 brew work,  the  longer  Latin  paraphrase  of  which  may  have 
 many  apocryphal  additions.  Such  appears  to  be  the  case  of  the 
 books  of  Wisdom  and  Ecclesiasticus,  which  at  one  time  show 
 evident  signs  of  a  Hebrew  origin,  and  at  another  have  a  purely 
 Greek  character, — dTosrsXXoj,  I  send)  The  present  tense.  God's 
 messengers  were  sent  when  wickedness  was  most  widely  preva- 
 lent among  His  people. — crpo^c^rag,  prophets)  Who  are  taught  by 
 special  revelation,  as  David.  These  alone  are  mentioned  with 
 reference  to  the  past ;  see  ver.  30.  Now  luise  men  and  scribes 
 are  added. — aofoijg,  wise  men)  who  have  an  habitual  sense  ^  of  the 
 true  and  the  good,  corresponding  with  the  Hebrew  D3n,  wise, 
 derived  from  "in,  i\\e palate,  or  sense  of  taste;  such  as  was  Solo- 
 mon. These  are  midway  between  prophets  and  scribes. — ypafi- 
 [MariT;,  scribes)  who  edit  and  illustrate  the  remains  of  the  pro 
 
 '  The  title  of  the  work  in  full,  as  edited  by  Schickardus,  is,  "  Tarich  ; 
 h.  e.  series  regiun  Pcrsiae  ah  Ardsdiir — Babekan  usque  ad  Jasdigerdem  a 
 chaliphis  expulsam^  ex  fide  MS.  vol.  aidhentici ;  vestita  comjn.,  etc.,  authore 
 W.  S.    4°.     Tubingen,  1G32."— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  A  chronological  work,  the  full  title  of  which  is,  "  Sol  Temporum  scit 
 chronologia  mystica  et  elenchus  chronologicus  per  totam  S.  Scripturam 
 deductus."  It  was  published  in  folio  at  Tubingen,  a.  d.  1040.  The  author 
 is  described  as  "  Ecclesise  Derendingensis  Pastor,  et  Vicinarum  Superinten- 
 dens."— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  'J'he  word  used  by  Bengel  is  gustum,  the  original  and  literal  senso  of 
 which  is,  taste. — (1.  B,-"* 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXIII.  35.  413 
 
 phets  and  wise  men,  as  Ezra  did.  In  these  last  the  character  is 
 for  the  most  part  acquired ;  in  wise  men,  innate ;  in  prophets, 
 inspired.^  Therefore  the  world  hates  and  despises  prophets 
 most,  wise  men  much,  scribes  less,  yet  not  little. — a-roxrEvs/rE,  ye 
 shall  kill)  as  James  [the  son  of  Zebedee]. — araupuxrsTi,  ye  shall 
 crucify)  as  Peter  and  Andrew,  although  Peter  suffered  martyr- 
 dom elsewhere. 
 
 35.  "ET-Jy],  may  come)  This  is  repeated  in  ver.  36,  sc.  n^n,  shall 
 come.  Cf.  Luke  xi.  50,  etc. — •Tzav,  all)  especially  that  of  the 
 Messiah  Himself.  Cf.  Luke  xiii.  33. — aJi^a,  blood)  This  word 
 occurs  thrice  in  this  one  verse  with  great  force. — Ixyyvoixi^ov^ 
 which  is  being  shed)  The  present  tense  is  used  to  show  that  the 
 blood-shedding  was  not  yet  concluded. — icr/  r^g  y^c,  on  the  whole 
 earth)  Cf.  Gen.  iv.  11. — Zay^aplou  viov  Baeayjou,  Zacharias  the 
 son  of  Barachias)  whose  prophecy  and  death  are  mentioned  in 
 2  Chron.  xxiv.  20—22.^  The  Jews  say  a  great  deal  about  him. 
 See  Lightfoot.^ — roZ  Nao3,  tlie  Temple)  Jesus  spake  these  words 
 
 ^   In  the  original,  infusus  ;  literally,  infused. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  And  who,  as  Michaelis,  in  derEinl.,  etc.,  T.  ii.,  p.  m.  1078, 1079,  shows 
 at  large,  is  called  in  the  Gospel  of  the  Nazai-enes,  according  to  Jerome's 
 statement,  not  the  Son  of  Barachias  (as  it  is  found  in  our  Greek  copies),  but 
 the  Son  of  Jehoiada.  Indeed  it  would  not  be  amiss  to  compare  this  with 
 what  S.  R.  D.  Crusius,  Hypomn.,  p.  i.  p.  301,  suggests,  viz.,  that  Jehoiada 
 [=  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord]  received  the  surname  from  the  Blessed 
 Jehovah,  because  that  he  had  preserved  the  house  of  David,  by  having 
 stealthily  saved  Joash  from  being  murdered,  and  by  having  subsequently 
 placed  him  on  his  father's  throne,  after  having  slain  Athaliah,  owing  to  which 
 meritorious  deed  he  was  ever  after  commonly  called  by  this  honourable  title. 
 — E.  B. 
 
 3  To  understand  these  words  of  a  certain  Zacharias,  the  son  of  Baruch,  a 
 person  of  proved  excellence,  who  was  killed  in  the  midst  of  the  temple  (as 
 Josephus  records)  a  short  while  before  its  destruction,  as  Kornmann  and 
 others  think,  we  are  not  bound  to  the  end  that  the  glory  of  Christ's  Omni- 
 science may  be  maintained  inviolate :  for,  in  fact,  this  propliecy  concerning 
 vengeance  impending  over  that  generation,  as  well  as  many  other  prophecies, 
 was  proved  by  its  fulfilment.  Luke,  in  the  passage  in  question,  is  speaking 
 only  of  Prophets :  but  the  Zacharias  of  Josephus  was  not  a  prophet.  Indeed 
 Christ  had  many  reasons  for  making  mention  of  the  former  Zacharias  above 
 others-.  It  is  such  personages  in  this  passage  (as  in  Ezek.  xiv.  14)  that  are 
 especially  referred  to  and  quoted,  who  have  their  names  recorded  in  Scrip- 
 ture :  and  that  ancient  Zacharias,  as  in  the  similar  instance  of  Abel,  was 
 accounted  by  the  Jews  without  dispute  as  a  Saint  and  Prophet ;  nay,  indeed 
 
Hi  ST  MATTHEW  XXIII.  36-38. 
 
 in  the  Temple :  in  the  Temple  especial  vengeance  was  to  Lp 
 executed  hereafter. 
 
 36.  Asyu,  I  say)  sc.  again.  Cf.  Gen.  xli.  32. — ^'fe/,  shall  come) 
 i.e.  as  far  as  the  beginnings  of  vengeance  are  concerned ;  for  its 
 consummation  extends  far  further ;  see  ver.  39. — cravra,  x.r.X, 
 all,  etc.)  He  who  commits  a  sin  becomes  a  partner  in  crime  with 
 all  who  have  committed  the  same  sin. — yEfsai',  generation)  see 
 Gnomon  on  ch.  xxiv.  34. 
 
 37.  'UpousocXri/M,  ' If pouaaXrifx,,  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem!)  A  most 
 solemn  repetition.^ — ij  d-roxTivcuffa,  thou  that  killest)  The  parti- 
 ciple has  the  force  of  a  noun.^ — Xi6o[3aXovga,  that  stonest)  Such 
 was  the  fate  of  Christ's  protomartjr,  Stephen,  recorded  in  Acts 
 vii.  58,  59. — rovg  dcrgffraX/z.fi'oug,  them  that  are  sent)  Although 
 ambassadors  are  considered  inviolable  by  the  law  of  nations. — • 
 irphi;  avrrjv,  to  her)  i.e.  vpoc,  ae,  to  thee.  Cf.  Luke  i.  45  ;  Isa.  xlvii. 
 10. — 'TToeaxig,  k.t.X.,  hoio  often,  etc.)  As  often  especially  as  Jesus 
 entered  Judea,  Jerusalem,  or  the  Temple.  See  my  Harmony  of 
 the  Four  Evangelists,  and  Gnomon  on  ch.  xxi.  1.  —  xa!  oux, 
 riDiXTjaari,  and  ye  would  not)  although  /  icas  willing.  Cf.  Isa. 
 XXX.  15. 
 
 38.  'idov,  afhrai,  Behold  [your  house]  is  left)  The  present  tense 
 twice  expressed.^  He  uttered  these  words  as  He  was  going  out 
 of  the  Temple.  See  ch.  xxiv.  1,  and  cf.  John  xii.  30. — 6  ohog 
 •j/j^oov,  your  house)  which  is  otherwise  called  the  house  of  the  Lord. 
 Thus,  in  Ex.  xxxii.  7,  God  says  to  Moses,  thy  people.* — '■sprifj'og, 
 desolate,  or  desert)  sc.  as  being  left  by  the  !Messiah.^  Even  after 
 His  ascension,  Christ  employed  the  Temple  in  a  remarkable 
 manner  with  His  disciples.  But  w'ith  regard  to  Judaism,  the 
 Temjjle  now  ceased  to  be  what  it  had  been,  and  for  this  reason 
 was  at  length  destroyed  ;  see  ver.  36.     Tlie  word  'iprj/Ji^og  is  often 
 
 the  guilt  incurred  in  his  case  was  not  altogether  obliterated  from  the  memory 
 of  the  Jews. — Harm,.,  p.  472. 
 
 '  "  I'jpizeuxis."     See  Appendix. — Ed. 
 
 Full  of  compassion  and  horror  alike. — V,  g. 
 
 *  i.e.  "  Thou  that  art  the  Murderess  of." — (I.  B.) 
 '    Tiiis  refers  to  d-Troari'h^u  in  ver.  .34. — (1.  B.) 
 
 *  Though  on  other  occasions  God  said  of  them,  "  My  people." — Ed. 
 
 *  For  when  the  Messiah  is  absent,  there  is  nothing  that  is  not  desolate 
 and  deserted. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXIII.  39.  415 
 
 employed  with  a  particular  reference.^  Thus  the  Forum  is  said 
 to  be  ipri/j^ov,  when  no  judicial  proceedings  are  being  carried  on 
 in  it. 
 
 39.  Asyu,  I  say)  See  Gnomon  on  Luke  xiii.  35. — 'Idrirs,  ye 
 shall  see)  sc.  you,  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem.  Cf.  Luke  xiii.  35. — 
 a."!:  apr/,  from  the  present  time"^)  The  short  interval  preceding  our 
 Lord's  death  (and  that  spent  without  the  Temple  3)  is  included 
 in  the  present  time  [the  apn  of  the  text]. — mc,  imtil)  sc.  after  a 
 long  interval. — shriri,  k.t.X.,  ye  shall  say,  etc.)  They  would  say 
 so  when  reciting  the  HalleP  at  the  Passover,  but  without  ap- 
 plying the  words  to  Jesus.  That  w4iich  is  here  foretold  will 
 actually  come  to  pass  at  the  appointed  time,  as  in  ch.  xxi.  9  was 
 performed  that  which  had  been  predicted  in  Luke  xiii.  35.  Our 
 Lord,  however,  does  not  add  "  again"  although  the  people  had 
 shouted  those  words  on  the  occasion  recorded  in  Matt.  xxi.  9. 
 For  neither  had  all  joined  in  this  acclamation  to  Him,  nor  had 
 they  who  did  so  understood  what  they  were  saying,  as  Israel 
 shall  understand  hereafter  :  and  soon  after  they,  as  it  were, 
 retracted  their  acclamation.  The  first  utterance  of  these  words 
 was  less  complete,  the  second  will  be  worthy  of  the  name.^  Cf. 
 Gnomon  on  the  omission  of  "  again"  in  Acts  i.  IL — ihXoyri^iwg, 
 x.r.'k.,  Blessed,  etc.)  With  this  verse  concludes  our  Lord's  public 
 discourse  to  the  Jews  :  with  this  verse  will  begin  their  repent- 
 ance. 
 
 '  i.e.  To  denote  the  absence  of  that  which  constituted  the  characteristic  or 
 excellence  of  the  object  under  consideration. —  (I.  B.) 
 
 2  E.  V.  Henceforth.— (I.  B.) 
 
 3  Within  which,  and  in  reference  to  which,  these  words,  ver.  38,  were 
 spoken. — Ed. 
 
 4  "  Lastly,"  says  Hartwell  Home,  in  describing  the  Jewish  Passover,  "  a 
 fourth  cup  of  wine  was  filled,  called  the  cup  of  the  Hallel  :  over  it  they  com- 
 pleted, either  by  singing  or  recitation,  the  great  Hallel,  or  hymn  of  praise, 
 consisting  of  Psalms  cxv.  to  cxviii.  inclusive,  with  a  prayer,  and  so  concluded." 
 _(I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Sc.  of  an  utterance  or  saying,  dictio,  referring  to  the  words,  "  Ye  shall 
 say."  Cf.  in  1  Cor.  xiv.  15,  "  I  will  sing  with  the  spirit,  and  I  will  sing  with 
 the  understanding  also." — (I.  B.) 
 
416  ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.  1.  2. 
 
 CHAPTER  XXIV. 
 
 1.  Kcc!  i^sX^ujv  6  lyiaoijg  dro  ro\J  'npou,  sTopiiuro,  and  Jesus  liaving 
 come  forth  from  the  temple,  loent  His  way)  Such  is  the  reading 
 of  the  Cohnsean  editions,  and  of  the  followintr  MSS.,  viz. : 
 Bunkleanus,  Cantabrigiensis,  Paris,  5,  6,  Stephanus  ?j  or 
 more ;  also  of  Chrjsostom,  and  the  -3^]thiopic,^  Arabic,  Latin, 
 Persian,  and  Syriac  versions  :  according  to  which  s'Tropsviro  (went 
 His  waif)  has  greater  force,  being  contrasted  M'ith,  and  in  an- 
 tithesis to,  ■/.a^rifji.ivoij  b'i  Al/tol/,  and  as  He  was  sitting?  Modern 
 transcribers  have,  as  though  it  mattered  nothing,  written  s'TropsuTo 
 dzb  ToZ  hpou,  He  went  His  way  from  the  temj^le.^  A  discourse, 
 which  embraced  even  the  end  of  the  world,  was  appropriately 
 held  in  tlie  open  air. — o/  fiaSriral,  the  disciples)  one  especially,  as 
 we  learn  from  Mark  xiii.  1. — fV/os/^a/,  to  shoiv)  It  is  possible 
 that  Jesus  had  never  looked  at  the  outside  of  the  temple,  for  He 
 was  not  curious  ;  cf.  Gnomon  on  Mark  xii.  15.  lie  had  looked, 
 and  that  deservedly,  at  the  inside  of  the  temple  ;  Ibid.  xi.  11. — 
 rag  oixoBofMuc,  the  hdldings)  The  separate  parts  were  in  them- 
 selves great  buildings :  even  at  that  time  the  building  was  being 
 carried  on,  which  is  mentioned  in  John  ii.  20.  And  perhaps  it 
 was  being  the  more  zealously  done,  on  account  of  the  proximity 
 of  the  Passover. — ro\J  'npov,  of  the  temple)  which  was  doomed  to 
 destruction  ;  see  ch.  xxiii.  38 ;  and  in  that  very  age,  too,  only  a 
 few  years  after  its  completion. 
 
 2.  udura  ravra,  all  these  things)  as  they  are  standing. — ol  //^n 
 
 '  That  portion  of  tlie  iEthiopic  or  Abyssinian  Version  wliich  contains  the 
 New  Testament,  is  supposed  to  have  been  executed  in  the  fourth  century  by 
 Frumentius,  who,  about  the  year  330,  preached  Christianity  in  Ethiopia, 
 -(I-B.) 
 
 *  The  verb  vopiiofAut,  %\gx\\if\\v^  progressive  motion^  corresponds  with  the 
 \j2iWn  progredior,  or  the  French  marcher. — (I.  B.) 
 
 lie  had  now  been  in  the  temjjle  for  the  last  time. — V.  g. 
 
 '  Such  is  tlie  reading  of  the  E.  M.,  and  of  Bengel's  own  Edition  of  the 
 Greek  Testament.  —  (I    B.) 
 
 BDaic  Vul;;.  place  the  'nvooivi-ro  last :  and  so  Ilil.  728.  Rec.  Text  puts 
 f'TTopiviTo,  without  good  authority. — Ed. 
 
'■-r- 
 
 ST  JIATTIIEW  XXIV.  3,  4.  417 
 
 )i?ifi,  x.r.X.,  there  shall  not  be  left,  etc.)  Jesus  makes  the  curious 
 thoughts  of  His  disciples  give  place  to  more  serious  considera- 
 tions.— Xtkg,  K.T.X.,  a  stone,  etc.)  A  proverbial  expression  imply- 
 ing the  utmost  devastation.  Even  the  very  soil  on  which  it 
 stood  was  ploughed  uj). 
 
 3.  'Et/  rov  opow;,  on  the  mountain)  Whence  the  temple  could  be 
 seen,  and  where  the  siege  operations  were  destined  to  commence. 
 — TO  ariixiTov,  the  sign)  Signs  have  frequently  been  added  to  pre- 
 dictions of  important  events ;  hence  arose  the  question  of  the 
 disciples  regarding  the  sign  of  that  time. — r^,-  arig  Tapovalag,  of 
 thy  coming)  The  disciples  appear  to  refer  to  ch.  xxiii.  39. 
 
 4.  Kai  dTOTipiSitg  o  'irjeovg  ihiv  avroTg,  %.r.X  ,  and  Jesus  answered 
 and  said  unto  them,  etc.)  The  disciples  had  asked  without  distin- 
 guishing their  questions — (1)  Concerning  the  time  of  the  destruc- 
 tion of  the  temple;  (2)  Concerning  the  sign  of  the  coming  of  the 
 Lord  and  the  end  of  the  world,  as  if  both  events  would  occur  simul- 
 taneously, and  consequently  have  a  common  time  and  a  com- 
 mon sign.  Our  Lord  answers  them  distinctly  [and  separately]  — 
 (1)  Concerning  the  destruction  of  the  temple  and  the  city,  and 
 the  signs  of  this  event,  in  ver.  4,  5,  15,  16  ;  (2)  Concerning  His 
 coming  and  the  end  of  the  world,  and  the  signs  of  that  event,  in 
 ver.  29—31;  (3)  Concerning  the  time  when  the  temple  was  to  be 
 destroyed,  in  ver.  32,  33  ;  (4)  Concerning  the  time  of  the  end  of 
 the  world,  in  ver.  36.  Thus  is  it  also  in  St  Mark,  and  St  Luke, 
 who  in  ch.  xxi.  11,  2b,  distinguishes  the  signs  of  each  event. — 
 /SxsTETs,  see)  i.e.  take  heed.  We  ought  to  inquire  concerning  future 
 events,  especially  those  of  the  last  days,  not  for  the  sake  of 
 gratifying  our  curiosity,  but  from  a  desire  to  fortify  ourselves. 
 All  things  in  this  discourse  must  be  referred  to  firmness  in 
 acknowledging  and  confessing  Jesus  Christ ;  for  the  drift  and 
 object  of  the  prophecy  is  to  enforce  this  duty  :  other  matters, 
 which  we  might  make  use  of  for  mere  knowledge,  are  mentioned 
 abruptly  and  obscurely.  A  thesis  on  the  perspicuity  and  per- 
 fection of  Scripture  might  be  suitably  illustrated  from  this  dis- 
 course of  our  Lord. — xiiJ^ag,  you)  This  is  said  not  so  much  to  the 
 apostles,  who  were  shortly  to  receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  to  the 
 whole  flock  of  believers  whom  they  then  represented,  lest  they 
 should  be  seduced  by  the  greater  perils  to  which  they  would  b 
 exposed.     The  beginning  is  Prudence ;  the  end,  Patience. 
 
 VOL.  I.  I>  D 
 
418  ST  MATTHEW  XXI V^  5,  6. 
 
 5.  TLoXXol  yap,  y..r.}..,  for  many,  etc.)  In  the  beginning  will 
 come  false  Christs  ;  in  the  middle,  false  prophets,  ver.  11  ;  in  the 
 end,  both  (22,  24).  A  twofold  climax.^ — i^r/  rui  IvCiMari  Mcu,  in  My 
 name)  They  will  not  only  say  that  they  have  been  sent  by  Me, 
 but  that  they  are  He  who  I  am. — 'KiyoMnr.,  lyi^  uiu  o  Xpiardg,  say- 
 ing, I  am  Christ)  Joachim  Camerarius  says,  "  Theophylact 
 has  recorded  that  a  certain  Samaritan,  Dositheus  by  name,  gave 
 out  that  he  was  the  prophet  foretold  by  Moses ;  that  Simon  the 
 Samaritan  also  (mentioned  in  the  apostolic  history  of  St  Luke) 
 called  himself  the  Great  Poioer  of  God,  i.e.  i]  Aum/x/g  Miya\ri :  the 
 prediction  seems  also  applicable  to  Theudas,^  and  "  the  certain 
 Egyptian,'"  and  another  pretender  mentioned  by  Josephus  (who 
 records  those  matters  in  the  eighteenth  book  of  his  Antiquities, 
 and  the  second  of  his  Conquest  of  Judea),  all  claiming  the 
 character  of  prophet,  though  being  in  reality  seditious  impostors. 
 And,  in  later  times,  Manes  even  dared  to  call  himself  Christ 
 and,  in  imitation  of  Him,  appoint  twelve  apostles. 
 
 6.  MiXXriSiTi  bs  axoditv,  hid  ye  shall  he  ahout  to  hear)  A  com- 
 pound future.  The  writings  of  the  Evangelists  having  been 
 published  before  the  fulfilment  of  this  prediction,  were  greatly 
 confirmed  when  it  took  place.  Ahout  to  hear :  Christians  rather 
 hear  of  than  wage  wars. — 'xoksiMoug,  wars)  sc.  close  at  hand. — 
 a-Aoag  'rroXs/Muv,  rumours  of  wars)  SC.  at  a  distance. — fj^n  6pni7sdi,  he 
 ye  not  trouhled)  A  case  of  metonymy  of  the  antecedent ;  i.e.  do 
 not  immediately  take  to  flight.  The  verb  &poso/xai  (to  be  troubled) 
 is  peculiarly  appropriate  in  this  place,  for  6p6og  ^  is  from  6psu,^ 
 which  signifies  a-jv  dopv[3ifj  ^oui  ri  XaXZ,  i.e.  to  cry,  or  speak  with 
 tumult. — dsT  yap -TTavra  yeviffDai,  for  all  these  things  must  come  to 
 pass)  This  is  the  ground  of  the  believer's  tranquility. — oOtw,  not 
 yet)  The  godly  are  always  prone  to  think  that  evils  have  reached 
 their  utmost  limit :  therefore  they  are  warned. — rh  TsXog,  the  end) 
 mentioned  in  ver.  2,  14,  is  not  yet ;  nor  is  it  yet  time  to  fly ; 
 
 ^  i.e.  The  presence  of  the  two  classes  together  will  be  a  greater  evil  than 
 th;it  of  either  of  them  alone. — (I.  B.) 
 2  See  Acts  v.  36.— (I.  B.) 
 5  Acts  xxi.  38.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  A  noise  as  of  many  voices,  ....  a  murmuring  of  discontented 
 people,     ....     a  report.    Lat.,  Rumor. — Liddell  and  Scott. — (I- B.) 
 
 *  Whence  comes  Bpy-jvo;,  a  dirge. — Eu. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.  7-12.  419 
 
 sen  vor.  15  and  18  ;  Luke  xxi.  20,  21.     The  beginning  is  only 
 mentioned  in  ver.  8. 
 
 7.  'Eyip&r]ffiTai,  shall  be  roused)  sc.  after  a  period  of  greater 
 peace. — 'idvo;,  z.t.X.,  nation,  etc.)  even  beyond  the  limits  of 
 Judea. — Xi'Moi,  xai  Xoi/Moi,  y.ai  (!iiG,mi,  famines,  and  pestilences,  and 
 earthquakes^  Almost  all  matters  treated  of  in  the  Novellas,  may 
 be  referred  to  one  or  the  other  of  these  classes,  though  historians 
 frequently  regard  such  things  less  than  the  deeds  of  men. — - 
 xara  rlrrov;,  in  divers  places)  There  always  have  been  pestilences, 
 etc.,  but  not  of  such  frequent  occurrence. 
 
 8.  ' Apyji,  the  beginning)  sc.  with  regard  to  the  Jews  ;  con- 
 trasted with  the  end  spoken  of  in  ver.  6,  14. — udhuv,  of  pangs) 
 which  precede  the  regeneration  [or  new  birth  of  the  world]  : 
 see  ch.  xix.  28,  and  Rom.  \T[ii.  22.  A  metaphor  taken  from 
 childbirth. 
 
 9.  '  AToxTsvoiJeiv  ii/jLoi;,  they  shall  hill  yon)  sc.  some  of  you  ;  see 
 Luke  xxi.  16.  The  Lord  does  not  point  these  out,  in  order 
 that  all  may  watch.  Before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  James 
 the  Greater  was  slain  by  Herod,  as  St  Luke  mentions ;  Peter, 
 by  Nero,  as  ecclesiastical  history  hands  down.  You  :  as  if  you 
 were  in  fault,  and  were  the  authors  of  the  misery  of  the  human 
 race.  This  is  the  last  consolation  of  the  world.  "Judgment 
 begins  with  the  house  of  God." — /MiffovfMvoi,  hated)  The  Christian 
 religion  has  something  peculiar,  hateful  to  the  corrupt  world, 
 which  tolerates  all  other  denominations. 
 
 10.  "ExavbaXiffSTsgovrai,  shall  be  offended)  sc.  shall  make  shipwreck 
 of  their  faith.^ — dXXiiXoug,  one  another)  This  is  the  saddest  of  all. 
 
 11.— 13.  Kk/  ':ioWoi,  x.r.X.,  and  many,  etc.)  Faith,  love,  and 
 hope  must  be  anxiously  preserved. 
 
 12.  Tj^v  dvo/Miav,  unrighteousness)  Unrighteousness  and  love  are 
 opposites  ;  for  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law.  Unrighteousness 
 involves  compulsion,  love,  as  it  w^ere,  something  natural. — 
 ■<^-jy7jeBTai,  shall  wax  cold)  It  is  the  character  of  love  to  burn. — 
 7]  aydrri,  love)  sc.  towards  God,  mankind,  our  neighbour,  and 
 ourself;  of  a  spiritual  and  also  natural  kind;  love,  which  is  the 
 svim  of  the  law. — aropyri  {natural  affection)  makes  parents  rejoice 
 in  the  birth  of  their  offspring :  when  iniquity  has  made  times 
 
 '  As  of  love,  V.  12. — V.  g. 
 
420  ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.   13-15. 
 
 hard,  they  rejoice  in  losing  their  offspring  or  having  none. 
 Ijove  is  the  ornament  and  very  life  of  Christians,  and  of  their 
 Avhole  condition  and  conduct,  .Phil,  i,  9  ;  2  Pet.  i.  7  ;  Rev.  ii.  4. 
 It  is  also  the  foundation  of  that  brro/xovri,  patience  or  endurance, 
 mentioned  in  the  next  verse. — r&Jv  'tto'k'kmv,  of  the  many)  i.e.  of 
 the  majority,  sc.  of  those  who  do  not  excel  in  love.  Unrighteous- 
 ness is  especially  practised  by  those  who  are  exceedingly  power- 
 ful or  excessively  poor :  whence  also  the  love  of  the  rest  waxes 
 cold.^  That  justice  which  is  called  particular,  being  violated, 
 that  which  is  called  universal,  languishes.^ 
 
 13.  'O  bs  imfisimg,  but  he  that  endureth)  By  constancy,  we 
 preserve  faith,  love,  and  hope. — ilg  r'sXog,  unto  the  end)  sc.  of  the 
 temptation. — oZrog,  this  man)  i.e.,  he,  I  say,  being  as  it  were 
 exempted  from  the  general  lot ;  see  ver.  22. — ffojdr;asrai,  shall  be 
 saved)  When  the  city  was  destroyed,  the  Christians  were 
 saved;  see  Luke  xxi.  28,  31. 
 
 14.*  ToDro  ro  EvayyVAiov  ring  BadiXiiag,  ThiS  Gospel  of  the 
 Kingdom)  sc.  which  Jesus  preached. — ri^ti,  shall  come)  The 
 verb  rixsiv  does  not  signify  merely  to  approach,  but  to  arrive,  nay, 
 actually  to  be  present.* — to  tbXc:,  the  end)  spoken  of  in  the  fol- 
 lowing verses,  on  which  account  we  find  ouv,  therefore,  in  the 
 next  verse.  Before  that  end,  Peter,  Paul,  and  others  alluded 
 to  in  ver.  9,  had  concluded  their  apostolate. 
 
 15.  To  (SbiXvy/jja  rrig  iprj/xojdsug,  the  abomination  of  desolation) 
 The  abomination  of  profanation  was  followed  by  the  abomina- 
 tion of  desolation.  Such  was  the  name  given  by  the  Jew^  to 
 the  Roman  army,  composed  of  all  nations,  the  standards  of 
 which  they  held  in  abomination  as  idols,  since  the  Romans 
 attributed  divinity  to  them.  See  Spizelii  Collatio  de  vaticin. 
 ang.,  p.  135. — Aaw)^X  7oZ  TpofirjTou,  Daniel  the  p^vphet)  Cf.  Ileb. 
 
 ^  Since  tlieir  power  and  means  of  doing  good  are  taken  violently  from 
 them  by  unrighteousness  or  injustice. — V.  g. 
 
 '  Universal  justice  comprehends  the  whole  of  our  duty  to  our  neighbour; 
 particular  justice  is  that  strictly  so  called.  See  Aristotle's  Nicomachaeau 
 Ethics,  Book  V.  passim. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  Kyipvy,6r,aiToe,t)  This  was  accomplished  before  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
 salem.    Col.  i.  23.— V.  g. 
 
 *  'ipYfl^u.1  denotes  progress  to,  or  arrival  at,  a  place ;  jjxii),  that  the  pro- 
 gress has  been  effected,  and  the  arrival  taken  place ;  so  that  »;x(y  must  bo 
 rendered,  not  I  come,  but  I  am  come. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.  15.  421 
 
 xi.  32-34  ^  with  reference  to  Daniel's  being  a  prophet,  although 
 by  many  of  the  Jews  he  was  not  considered  as  one  of  the 
 prophets.  A  slight  cause  may  frequently  produce  an  important 
 error.  In  the  Latin  Bibles,  the  apocryphal  writings  were  long 
 ago  mixed  with  the  canonical  books  according  to  the  connection 
 of  their  subjects,  and  were  distinguished  fi'om  them  in  the 
 index  of  books  by  certain  marks,  as  one  may  see  in  MSS. ;  in 
 process  of  time,  this  caution,  feeble  at  best,  having  been  neglected, 
 they  came  to  be  considered  canonical.  On  the  other  hand,  since 
 they  who  first  collected  the  books  of  the  Old  Testament  into 
 one  volume,  did  not  possess  the  book  of  Daniel,  that  book,  which 
 Avas  written  both  at  a  later  period  and  also  out  of  Palestine,  was 
 added  to  the  Hagiographa;  not  inappropriately  indeed,  since 
 the  weeks  predicted  by  Daniel  began  to  be  fulfilled  in  Ezra  iv. 
 24 ;  yet  from  this  circumstance,  some  persons  thought  that 
 Daniel  was  not  a  prophet  at  all,  as  he  was  not  placed  with  the 
 prophets,  and  as  they  furthermore  disliked  the  occupation  of  ex- 
 amining his  prophetical  periods.  The  Great  Prophet,  however, 
 confirms  his  claim  to  the  prophetical  character. — larug,  standing) 
 It  should  be  written  thus  (not  ssrhg),^  even  in  the  neuter :  for 
 s(rTug  is  contracted  from  ssrahg,  whence  also  we  find  iffrura  in 
 Luke  v.  2 — sviffTcijTa  in  Rom.  viii.  38,  etc.  It  must  be  referred 
 to  l36;XvyiiLix,  the  abomination — already  firmly  standing,  and  des- 
 tined long  to  stand.  An  instance  of  Prosopopoeia. — h  totm  aytui, 
 on  (or  in)  a  (or  tJie)  Jioly  place)  In  Dan.  ix.  27,  the  lxx.  have 
 f-/  TO  ifpcv,  on  the  holy  place  (or  the  temple).  The  time  of  flight 
 is  joined  in  Luke  xxi.  20  with  the  actual  moment  of  the  ap- 
 proach of  the  army ;  and  Eusebius  mentions  (H.  E.  iii.  5),  that 
 at  that  very  time  the  Divine  w^arning  to  fly  had  been  repeated. 
 The  holy  place,  therefore,  does  not  here  signify  the  temple,  or 
 the  holy  of  holies,  for  it  would  have  been  too  late  to  flee  after 
 tliat  had  been  profaned,  but  a  definite  place  without  and  near 
 
 1  "  The  Prophets,  who — stopped  the  mouths  of  lions  :"  with  which  com- 
 pare Dan.  vi.  22. — Ed. 
 
 2  Lachm.  and  Tisch.  read  laroc,  withB  corrected  later  (and  D  corrected?) 
 La.  The  rough  Alexandrine  forms  have  been  retained  in  the  best  editions 
 of  the  LXX.,  edited  from  the  Vatican  MS.  They  ought  to  have  been  also 
 retained  in  the  New  Testament  :  and  they  would  have  been,  had  the  latter 
 been  edited  from  the  oldest  MSS.  instead  of  from  those  inferior  ones  used  by 
 the  originators  of  the  Textus  Receptus. — Ed. 
 
^22  ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.  15. 
 
 the  Holy  City ;  in  short,  that  very  place  which  our  Lord  (as 
 He  had  often  done)  regarded  as  made  holy  by  His  presence, 
 whilst  He  was  uttering  these  words :  cf.  Acts  vii.  33.  We  learn 
 certainly  from  Josephus,  that  the  principal  strength  of  the 
 besieging  army  was  upon  the  Mount  of  Olives  :  "  They  were 
 commanded,"  says  he,  "to  encamp  on  the  mount  which  is 
 called  the  Mount  of  Ohves,  which  lies  over  against  the  city  on 
 the  east." — Wars  of  the  Jews,  vi.  3.  And  that  mount  was  con- 
 sidered holy  also  by  the  Jews,  because  the  neighbouring  temple 
 could  be  looked  into  therefrom ;  and  they  had  also  a  tradition 
 that  the  Shechinah  had  stood  there  for  three  years  and  a  half. 
 They  called  it  also  nn^D'DH  "in,  the  Mount  of  Unction.  Very  per- 
 tinent to  this  is  Zech.  xiv.  4,  where  the  very  mention  of  the 
 eastern  quarter  (plaga)  appears  to  denote  holiness.  And  there- 
 fore that  place  which  St  Matthew  designates  as  '^  holi/"  is 
 described  by  St  Mark  as  "  ivhere  it  ought  not."  Both  of  which 
 passages  refer  to  that  in  Dan.  ix.  27  ;  where  the  region  of  that 
 mount  is  said  to  be  W'i^p^f  ^22^  a  quarter  (plaga)  otherwise  holy, 
 liut  then,  on  account  of  the  idolatrous  besiegers,  ahominahle  : 
 because  there  the  DQK'  X"([>^i  the  abomination  that  maketh  desolate, 
 Dan.  xii.  11,  and  xi.  31,  was  to  stand.  For  ^133  signifies 
 also  a  quarter  of  the  world,  even  without  mention  of  the 
 wind,  as  in  Is.  xi.-12.  Punishment  generally  begins  in  the 
 more  holy  places,  and  thence  spreads  to  other  parts. — 6  dm- 
 yivuaxuv  voiiTu,  let  him  that  readeth  understand^  St  Mark  has 
 the  same  parenthesis  in  ch.  xiii.  14,  although  in  many  copies 
 that  clause  from  Daniel  is  not  to  be  found  there.  Both 
 Evangelists,  writing  before  the  siege  of  the  city,  warned  their 
 readers  to  observe  the  accurate  advice  of  the  Lord  concerning 
 tlie  place  and  the  rapidity  of  flight.  In  Dan.  xii.  10,  the  LXX. 
 have  0/  noTi/jjovig  ewneovci,  the  wise  will  understand :  and  the  Hebrew 
 has  yy^y  DvatJ'on,  the  wise  will  understand. — 6  dvayivuffjiuv,  he  that 
 readeth)  does  not  mean  the  public  reader  of  Daniel  (for  at  the 
 c-ommencement  of  the  siege,  the  j)ublic  lessons  in  the  Law  were 
 taken  from  Leviticus,  and  none  from  Daniel  w^ere  associated 
 with  them  or  with  any  others),  but  any  reader  either  of  Daniel 
 
 *  E.  v.  "  The  overspreading  of  abomitiations."     OLlier»ise,  piunacie  of. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.  16-20.  423 
 
 or  of  the  Evangelist,  especially  when  the  siege  was  approaching. 
 All  ought  to  understand :  and,  since  they  were  commanded  to 
 pray  that  their  flight  might  not  take  place  on  the  Sabbath  day, 
 why  should  the  Sabbath  reader  be  warned  more  than  others  ? 
 
 1 6.  Tots,  then)  This  answers  to  toVs,  luhen,  in  ver.  3.  The 
 word  "  then"  often  occui's  in  this  discourse, — oi  sv  rj]  'loudala., 
 those  that  are  in  Judea)  not  all  the  Jews,  nor  Christians  dwell- 
 ing elsewdiere  ;  but  those  who,  believing  the  word  of  Jesus, 
 should  be  in  Judea. — (psuysrugav,  let  themjiee)  without  hope  that 
 the  siege  might  be  raised. — scr/  ra  oprj,  into  the  mountains)  Safety 
 was  here  promised  in  the  mountains  :  and  it  was  afterwards 
 found  there  at  Pella.  See  Eusebius  H.  £.  iii.  5.  Jesus  warns 
 His  followers  not  to  think  that  they  would  be  safe  within  the 
 city,  in  opposition  to  the  persuasion  pertinaciously  maintained 
 during  the  actual  siege  by  the  carnal  prudence  of  the  Jews. 
 
 17.  M?5  xara/3a/vj7-(w,  let  him  not  come  down)  sc.  let  him  come 
 down,  not  by  the  inner,  but  by  the  outer  stairs.' — apai  n,  to 
 take  anything)  e.g.  victuals ;  corresponding  with  garments  in 
 the  next  verse. 
 
 18.  'Ev  rw  aypif),  in  the  field)  Husbandmen  go  lightly  clad 
 into  the  field. 
 
 19.  Ohai,  woe!)  This  is  not  put  by  way  of  imprecation,  but  of 
 indication.  Neither  is  it  an  interdiction  against  the  generating 
 of  children,  but  only  a  prediction  of  misery. — raTg  Iv  ya(Srpi 
 'f)(o\)6a.ig,  K.T.X.,  to  them  that  are  luith  child,  etc.)  Because  they 
 will  not  be  able  to  flee  quickly.  Godly  women  will  share  the 
 common  calamity  ;  see  Luke  xxiii.  29. 
 
 20.  UpoGihyji^i,  pray  ye)  ^lany  things  are  rendered  less 
 grievous  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  the  righteous.  They  did 
 pray,  and  their  flight  did  not  take  place  in  the  winter. — yjiiLomc,, 
 winter,  or  cold  and  tempestuous  weather)  Not  merely  the  time  of 
 the  year,  but  the  state  of  the  weather,  seems  to  be  intended  by 
 this  word ;  see  ch.  xvi.  3.^     The  event   certainly  occurred  in 
 
 '  The  roofs  of  Jewish  houses  could  be  reached  either  by  the  inner  stair- 
 case, which  communicated  with  the  interior,  or  by  the  outer  steps,  which  led 
 directly  to  the  ground  without. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Where  the  word  ;ii£/^wv  is  rendered  in  E.  V./oM^weafAer.  This  signi- 
 fication is  frequent  in  classical  authors. 
 
 The  Portuguese  word  inverno  has  the  same  double  force. — (I.  B.) 
 
42i  ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.  21-23. 
 
 spring ;  cf.  ver.  18  concerning  the  field. — ^ajS^druj,  on  the  Sah- 
 Lath  day)  Not  because  it  would  have  been  unlawful  to  flee  or 
 carry  burdens  on  the  Sabbath  day,  especially  for  Christians, 
 but  because  it  is  peculiarly  miserable  on  that  day,  which  is  given 
 to  joy,  to  break  off  the  rites  of  religious  worship  and  flee,  and 
 because,  being  less  prepared  for  flight,  each  hinders  the  other  in 
 attempting  it  by  crowding  the  doors  of  synagogues  or  the  gates 
 (if  cities  much  more  than  when  they  are  in  the  countiy  or  in 
 private  houses.  Ptolemy  Lagus,  according  to  Josephus,  took 
 Jerusalem  by  surprise  on  the  Sabbath  day  :  Ant.  xii.  1.  In 
 fine,  punishments  which  happened  to  the  Jews  on  the  Sabbath 
 day  were  more  grievous  than  others  :  see  Hainlin  Chronol.  Ex- 
 plan,  fol.  19,  20.  Their  enemies  also  were  more  truculent  on 
 that  day  than  on  any  other,  from  hatred  of  the  Sabbath.  At 
 tlie  time  when  sin  is  at  its  height,  punishment  arrives  ;  cf.  Hos. 
 iv.  7.  The  observance  of  the  Sabbath  did  not  wholly  expire 
 before  the  destruction  of  the  temple. 
 
 21.  'att'  afyjiZ  xoGiMov,  from  the  beginning  of  the  world)  in  the 
 time  of  the  Deluge,  etc. 
 
 22.  Oix  civ  eeui3ri,  would  not  he  saved)  They  would  be  excluded 
 by  premature  death  from  the  salvation  of  the  soul  w^hich  is  as- 
 cribed to  the  elect.  They  who  have  already  attained  salvation 
 will  utter  the  words  which  resound  in  Rev.  vii.  10. — 'jraca  cdpt,, 
 all  fiesh^)  in  itself  weak. — roi/g  r/.}.iy.rouc,  the  elect)  The  elect, 
 whether  already  converted  or  hereafter  to  become  so,  or  as  yet 
 unborn,  are  mingled  with  the  rest  of  mankind.  Where  the 
 force  of  temptations  exceeds  the  ordinary  strength  of  the  faithful, 
 election  is  mentioned — see  ver.  24,  31,  and  Luke  xviii.  7 — and 
 the  faithftilness  and  power  of  God ;  see  1  Cor.  x.  13  ;  1  Pet. 
 i.  5  ;  Rev.  xiii.  8. — -/.oXo^udrisovrai,  shall  be  shortened)  An  appro- 
 priate verb,  since  that  which  is  shortened  loses  the  entircness  of 
 its  parts,  yet  so  that  it  may  nevertheless  be  considered  as  the  whole. 
 
 23.  Tori,  then)  sc.  at  the  time  of  the  fall  of  Jerusalem. — /x?) 
 
 '  In  E.  V.  the  words  are  rendered,  "no  flesh  should  be  saved."  Tlie  dif- 
 ference is  one  of  idiom,  not  of  sense.  E.  V.  applies  tlie  negative  universally 
 to  the  subject ;  Bcngel,  translating  the  Greek  words  literally,  applies  the 
 negative  to  the  predicate :  sc.  all  flesh  would  nothe  saved — i.e.  all  flesh  would 
 come  under  the  category  of  ko(  being  saved;  in  other  words,  would  pejiah. 
 -(IB) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.  23-28.  425 
 
 iriarsLffriTs,  do  not  believe)  For  from  that  time  forth  the  Son  of 
 Man  will  not  be  seen  until  His  Advent.  His  coming  to  judg- 
 ment, therefore,  is  mentioned  incidentally  in  ver.  27,  and  pro- 
 fessedly in  ver.  29,^  30. — oJdi,  here)  sc.  where  any  one  is  who  calls 
 himself  the  Messiah. 
 
 24.  ^TjfjbiTa  y.ai  jlpara,  signs  and  prodigies)  Signs  affect  the 
 intellect ;  prodigies,  one  class  of  which  is  fearful  sights  (see 
 Luke  xxi.  11,  and  cf  Acts  ii.  19),  trouble  the  mind. — si  dwarhv, 
 if  [it  were]  possible)  This  clause  denotes  the  utmost  endeavovir, 
 yet  made  in  vain  ;  cf.  Acts  xxvii.  39.^ 
 
 26.  'El/  rrj  spnfj^^,  in  the  desert)  This  might  be  said  speciously 
 (cf.  ch.  iii.  3),  and  is  applicable  to  those  who  drew  crowds  and 
 bands  tumultuously  after  them ;  see  Acts  xxi.  38.  Therefore 
 our  Lord  adds,  "  Go  not  forthV — h  roTg  ra,a£/o/j,  in  the  secret 
 chambers)  This  applies  to  those  who  pretended  to  possess  hidden 
 treasures,  therefore  our  Lord  adds,  "  Believe  it  not." 
 
 27.  ' Aarpci'Tryi,  lightning)  It  is  not  all  lightning  that  is  meant, 
 but  that  which  sometimes  suddenly  fills  the  whole  horizon  without 
 previous  warning. — a-h  uvaroXuv,  from  the  east)  The  lightning 
 comes  also  from  the  other  quarters  ;  l)ut  in  tliis  passage  it  is  said 
 to  come  fi'om  the  east.  It  may  be  supposed  that  Christ's  Advent 
 will  take  place  from  the  east.  The  interval  which  is  to  elapse  be- 
 tween the  appearance  of  the  Lord's  Advent  (see  Gnomon  on  2 
 Thess.  ii.  8)  and  the  Advent  itself  enables  the  actual  Advent  to  be 
 sudden. — roZ  ThZ  ' Av'^puvov,  of  the  Son  of  Man)  From  this  place 
 to  ver.  44,  especially.  He  is  frequently  called  The  So7i  of  Man ; 
 cf.  ch.  XXV.  31. 
 
 28.  "Oto'j  yap  %.r.\.^for  where,  etc.)  This  adage  is  combined 
 here  with  the  mention  of  the  false  teachers  which  occurs  in  ver. 
 23  ;  but  in  Luke  xvi.  37,  31,  32,  with  that  of  sufferings  caused 
 
 ^  Bengel  means,  that  until  His  final  Advent,  which  all  must  recognise 
 when  it  takes  place,  Christ  shall  not  be  visible  ;  and  that,  therefore,  any  who 
 says  he  is  Christ  before  then,  is  ipso  facto  an  impostor.  The  coming,  ac- 
 cordingly, in  ver.  27,  is  not  a  personal  one,  but  a  virtual  coming  in  the  judg- 
 ments inflicted  on  Jerusalem  and  Judea :  therefore  it  is  only  incidentally 
 dwelt  on  as  His  coming.  But  the  coming,  in  ver.  29,  is  the  personal,  visible, 
 and  final  coming;  and  therefore  it  is  described  professedly  as  such:  "Then 
 shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  man — they  shall  seethe  Son  of  man." — Ed. 
 
 2  Trp'^iioYiKx)  Exercising  peculiar  faithfulness  and  divine  affection  towards 
 you.— V.  g. 
 
426  ST  MATTHEW   XXIV.  2<). 
 
 by  war.  The  carcase,  therefore,  must  be  carnal  Judaism,  de- 
 void of  that  life  by  which  the  body  of  Christ  is  sustained,  and 
 yet  boasting  some  appearance  of  a  body,  upon  which,  as  upon  a 
 carcase  left  to  them,  the  eagles  will  pounce  greedily  and  in  great 
 numbers. — (^ffwa^Srigovrai,  will  he  gathered  together — the  future 
 tense.)  Christ,  however,  who  comes  as  the  liohtning,  is  not  to 
 be  sought  for  at  that  carcase  ;  ver.  23,  27.  All  kinds  of  eagles 
 are  not  carnivorous,  but  only  some  species  ;^  cf.  Job  xxxix.  30. 
 These  eagles  are  partly  the  false  Christs  and  false  prophets, 
 partly  the  Roman  forces.  The  Romans  bore  an  eagle  on  their 
 standards,  and  were  not  the  first  nation  who  did  so ;  and  some 
 are  of  opinion  that  the  eagle  in  this  passage,  and  the  boar  in 
 Ps.  Ixxx.  14  (13)  allude  to  their  mihtary  standards ;  cf.  Hos. 
 viii.  1. 
 
 29.     El/^SWJ     di    fJjSTCC    TTiV     dXl-^IV     TUIV    7]fJi,ipUiV    iKilVUJV,     X.T.X.,    JjUt  IIH- 
 
 mediately  after  the  ajffliction  of  those  days,  etc.)  There  are  four 
 things  to  be  observed  in  this  passage.  (1)  Our  Lord  speaks  of 
 the  sun  being  literally  darkened,  etc.  And  this  phrase  fre- 
 quently occurs  in  the  prophets,  concerning  the  destruction  of  a 
 nation,  and  in  such  cases  has  a  much  more  literal  force  than  is 
 generally  supposed,  for  where  there  is  a  great  destruction  of  men, 
 the  beholders  of  the  sun  are  reduced  to  a  small  number ;  but 
 much  more  in  the  present  passage  has  it  a  literal  force,  for  the 
 whole  of  our  Lord's  language  on  this  occasion  is  strictly  litei'al ; 
 therefore  this  verse  must  be  also  understood  literally.  (2)  The 
 tribulation  indicated  will  be  that  of  the  .Icwish  people,  and  that 
 for  one  generation.  (3)  It  is  not  said,  after  that  tribulation,  nor 
 after  those  days,  but  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days,  as  in 
 Mark  xiii.  24. — h  sy.ihaig  raTg  r]/Ji,spaig  /jbsra,  rr^v  dXl-^/v  kxihriv,  in 
 those  days,  after  that  tribulation.  The  term,  "  those  days"  refers 
 to  ver.  22  and  19;  and  it  is  indicated  that  the  tribulation  will 
 not  be  long,  but  brief  in  duration;  ver.  21,  22,  34.  (4)  The 
 expression,  luS'sug,  quickly  (cito),  implies  a  very  short  delay,  since 
 oiwrw,  not  yet  (ver.  G)  i.e.,  ovx  euijiajg,  not  quicl'ly  (Luke  xxi.  9),  is 
 said  of  the  short  delay  which  must  precede  that  tribulation  ;  nay, 
 the  passage  already  cited  from  St  Mark  excludes  delay  altogether. 
 
 ^  Bengel  would  seem  to  mean,  they  do  not  all  feed  on  carrion,  as  vultures 
 do.  The  Greek  word  comprehends  both  tribes,  the  latter  of  which  are  pro- 
 bably meant  in  the  text. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.  29.  427 
 
 The  Engl.  Vers,  has  ^^  immediately T  You  will  say,  it  is  a  great 
 leap  from  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  to  the  end  of  the  world, 
 which  is  represented  as  coming  quickly  after  it.  I  reply — A 
 prophecy  resembles  a  landscape  painting,  which  marks  distinctly 
 the  houses,  paths,  and  iDridges  in  the  foreground,  but  brings 
 together,  into  a  narrow  space,  the  distant  vallej^s  and  mountains, 
 though  they  are  really  far  apart.  Thus  should  they  who  study 
 a  prophecy  look  on  the  future  to  which  the  prophecy  refers. 
 And  the  eyes  of  the  disciples,  who  had  combined  in  their  ques- 
 tion the  end  of  the  temple  and  of  the  world,  are  left  somewhat 
 veiled  (for  it  was  not  yet  the  time  for  knowing ;  see  ver.  36), 
 from  which  cause,  imitating  our  Lord's  language,  they  with  uni- 
 versal consent  declared  that  the  end  was  near  at  hand.  In 
 their  progress,  however,  both  prophecy  and  contemplation  {pro- 
 spectusY  more  and  more  explain  things  further  distant.  In 
 which  manner  also  we  ought  to  interpret  what  is  obscure  by 
 what  is  clear,  not  what  is  clear  by  what  is  obscure,  and  to  vene- 
 rate in  its  dark  sayings  that  Divine  M'isdom  which  always  sees 
 all  things,  but  does  not  reveal  all  things  at  once.  Afterwards  it 
 was  revealed  that  Antichrist  should  come  before  the  end  of  the 
 world ;  and  again  Paul  joined  these  two  rather  nearly  together, 
 until  the  Apocalypse  also  placed  an  interval  of  a  thousand  years 
 between  them.  The  advent  of  our  Lord,  however,  actually  took 
 place  (as  far  as  its  commencement  was  concerned;  see  Gnomon  on 
 John  xxi.  22)  after  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  presently, 
 too,  inasmuch  as  no  intermediate  event  was  to  be  mentioned  in  the 
 present  passage  ;  cf.  Gnomon  on  ch.  iii.  1.  The  particle  kvkui 
 {quickly  or  immediately)  refers  to  this  advent,  not  absolutely  to 
 the  darkening  of  the  sun  and  moon,  for  that  accords  with  the  ex- 
 tent of  our  Lord's  meaning;  so  that  the  meaning  is  "  soon  after  the 
 tribulation  of  those  days,  it  will  come  to  pass  that  the  sun  shall  he 
 darkened"  etc.    A  similar  connection  of  an  adverb^  with  a  verb 
 
 ^  Looking  further  forward,  as  in  the  landscape  already  alluded  to,  wherein 
 at  first  sight  all  the  parts  might  seem  projected  into  the  one  plane.  But  the 
 eye,  which  has  gradually  come  to  discern  perspective,  and  to  substitute,  by 
 the  judgment,  causes  for  the  visible  effects,  learns  to  look  further,  and  to 
 separate  by  wide  distances  the  foreground  a:id  background  of  the  picture. 
 —Ed. 
 
 »  Sc.  a'i^=  on  the  daij  that.— (I.  B.) 
 
428  ^T  MATTHEW  XXIV.  29. 
 
 occurs  in  Gen.  ii.  17  ;  in  the  day  on  which  thou  shall  eat  thereof, 
 it  will  come  to  pass  that  thou  shall  die  the  death ;  see  also  Gno- 
 mon on  ch.  xxvi.  64,  and  Luke  i.  48.  The  expression  may  also 
 be  referred  to  the  mode  of  speech,  so  as  to  mean  after  that  afflic- 
 tion (which  the  plan  of  this  discourse,  and  the  point  of  view  from 
 which  this  time  is  regarded,  permit  to  be  subjoined  immediately, 
 provided  it  be  indicated  that  the  other  things  will  intervene)  the 
 sun  shall  he  darkened,  etc.  It  frequently  occurs  that  adverbs, 
 as  in  this  passage,  Eu^Ewg,  immediately,  do  not  qualify  the  thing 
 itself,  but  the  language  in  which  it  is  expressed.  Thus,  in  Mark 
 A'ii.  9,  the  adverb  xa/.wg,  ivell,  and  the  verb  dSsr-Tn,  ye  abolish 
 [Engl.  Vers.,  ye  reject'],  are  joined  with  [a  part  of]  the  verb  to  say 
 [viz.  it  may  be  said  that],  understood  :  thus,  too,  in  Heb.  i.  6, 
 the  adverb  crd7.iv,  again,  is  joined  with  the  verb  ^'iyn,  He  saith. 
 In  fine,  St  Luke  (xxi.  24,  25)  separates  the  signs  in  the  sun, 
 etc.  [from  that  trihulatioii]  by  a  greater  interval.  Some  explain 
 suSswc  as  denoting,  not  the  shortness  of  the  interval,  but  the 
 suddenness  of  the  event  after  long  intervening  periods.  We 
 must,  however,  keep  to  our  first  interpretation,  so  indeed  that 
 the  particle  ih&ic^c,  be  understood  to  comprehend  the  whole  space 
 between  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  Titus  and  the  end  of 
 the  world.  On  such  passages  there  rests,  as  St  Antony  used 
 to  term  it,  a  prophetical  cloudlet.  It  was  not  yet  the  fit  time 
 for  revealiriir  the  whole  series  of  events  from  the  destruction  of 
 Jerusalem  down  to  the  end  of  the  world.  The  following  is  a 
 paraphrase  of  our  Lord's  words,  "  Concerning  those  things 
 which  will  happen  after  the  trilndaiion  of  those  days  of  the  de- 
 struction  of  Jerusalem,  the  nearest  event  which  at  present 
 it  suits  My  condition  to  mention,  and  j'-our  capacity  to  ex- 
 pect, is  this,  that  the  sun  xcill  be  darkened"  etc.  Furthermore, 
 it  does  not  follow  from  this  that  the  expression,  [urd  Tuvra,  after 
 these  things,  should  be  understood  loosely  in  Rev.  iv.  1.  When^ 
 quickness  is  presupposed  from  Rev.  i.  1.  Such  formula3  are 
 to  be  understood  according  to  the  analogy  of  the  passages  where 
 they  occur. — o  ^X/o?  cxons^rjeiTai,  the  sun  shall  be  darkened)  This 
 must  be  taken  literally,  of  a  calamity  different  from  those  which 
 have  been  described  before.  In  the  Old  Testament,  such  ex- 
 pressions are  used  metaphorically,  the  figure  being  derived  from 
 that  which  will  literally  happen  at  the  end  of  the  world. — ii  eiKiivr} 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.  30.  49,9 
 
 ov  d'JJGii  TCI  (p'syyog  avrrig,  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light)  sc.  as 
 she  is  wont  to  do  both  when  filKno;  and  waning.  According  to 
 the  course  of  nature,  the  sun  and  moon  are  eclipsed  at  different 
 times :  then,  however,  they  will  both  be  eclipsed  at  once. — airh 
 roD  ovpavov,  from  heaveti)  It  is  not  said  upon  the  earth ;  cf.  in 
 Mark  xiii.  25. — ix-TriTrravric,  falling  out.  They  shall  be  as  though 
 they  were  not,  sc.  without  light. — hwdiLn;,  powers)  sc.  those  firm 
 interchained  and  subtle  powers  of  heaven^  (distinct  from  the  stars) 
 which  are  accustomed  to  influence  the  earth.  They  are  thus 
 denominated  by  Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke. — GaXivSy^aovrai,  shall 
 he  shaken)  an  appropriate  metaphor  from  the  waves  of  the  sea." 
 30.  To  cniJ^ihv  Tou  T/ov  Tou  avSpuTou,  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  Man''") 
 This  is  a  more  special  sign ;  those  which  are  mentioned  in  Luke 
 xxi.  25  precede  it,  and  are  more  general.  The  very  appellation, 
 "  the  Son  of  Man,"  agrees  with  these  things  (cf.  Gnomon  on  ch. 
 xvi.  13) :  for  the  mourning  of  the  tribes  of  the  earth  is  joined  in 
 Rev.  i.  7,  with  their  seeing  Plim  in  person.  Our  Lord  means 
 therefore  to  say,  "  Do  not  seek  for  any  previous  sign  ;"  see  ver. 
 27.  He  Himself  will  be  His  own  sign,  as  in  Luke  ii.  12  ;  and 
 so  much  the  more  so,  because  conjointly  with  His  actual  appear- 
 ance, or  a  little  before  it  mankind  will  behold  a  triumphal  pro- 
 cession (jpompam)  in  the  clouds  :  unless  indeed  a  thick  darkness, 
 a  dazzling  glory,  the  form  of  the  cross,  or  some  star,  also  ap- 
 pear. Cf.  ch.  ii.  2.  Before  this  He  had  been  a  sign  which  was 
 spoken  against  (see  Luke  ii.  34)  :  then  He  will  be  a  sign  mani- 
 fest to  all.  A  Sign  denotes  something  very  remarkable  and 
 striking  to  the  eyes,  whether  it  contain  the  signification  of  some- 
 thing else,  or  of  itself;  see  Rev.  xii.  1.  The  sun,  moon,  and 
 stars,  having  been  extinguished,  that  sign  will  be  visible  in  the 
 brightness  of  the  Lord,  and  thence  in  that  of  a  cloud,  and  of 
 the   clouds.'*     In  short,   the   sign  (cf.  Mark  xiii.  26,  4)   is  the 
 
 "  Prov.  viii.  27.— E.  B. 
 2  Rev.  vi.  14— E.  B. 
 
 *  Herein  is  contained  a  reply  to  the  question  proposed  at  ver.  3. — V.  g. 
 
 *  Bengal's  expression,  "  nubis  ac  nubium,"  "  of  a  cloud  and  of  the  clouds,'' 
 evidently  refers  to  Luke  xxi.  27,  "  Then  shall  they  see  the  Son  of  Man  com- 
 ing IN  A  CLOUD,  with  power  and  great  glory,'''  and  to  the  words  which  occur 
 in  the  present  verse,  "  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man  coming  in  the  clouds 
 of  Heaven  icith  power  and  great  glory." — ( I.  B.) 
 
430  ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.  31-33. 
 
 triumphal  train  of  the  Son  of  man  comin£T  in  His  glory,  who  is 
 Himself  to  be  beheld  presently  after,  as  this  passage  tells  us. — 
 a'l  (pvXal,  the  tribes)  especially  of  Israel. — Z-^ovrai,  shall  see) 
 Cf.  Numb.  xxiv.  17. — svi  ruv  vftpsXuv,  on  the  clouds)  St  Luke 
 says,  sv  vi<pi'kri,  on  a  cloud)  He  will  be  attended  by  many 
 chariots  ;^  He  will  be  borne  on  a  very  magnificent  one. 
 
 31.  Toi)g  ayyi.'kovg  AuroD,  His  angels)  It  is  likely  enough  that  a 
 certain  number  of  angels  may  be  called  peculiarly  the  angels  of 
 Christ,  although  all  are  subject  to  Him. — cdy.'iriyyog,  of  a  trumpet) 
 Trumpets  are  employed  to  call  multitudes  together ;  that  trumpet 
 will  have  a  loud  voice  [Eng.  Vers,  great  soundly. — I'xiswd^oxja',  they 
 shall  gather  together)  Cf.  2  Thess.  ii.  1. — a.'rr  cixpuv  ovpavcijv,  from 
 the  extremities  of  the  heavens)  In  Mark  xiii.  27,  we  have  acr  dnpov 
 yrig,  from  the  uttermost  part  of  the  eartli. — ay.pov  signifies  any 
 extremity.  Where  the  earth  ends,  there  the  heaven  begms  : 
 whence  it  happens,  that  the  mountains  and  the  heavens  also 
 sometimes  represent  each  other  in  parallel  passages.  Cf.  2  Sam 
 xxii.  8  with  Ps.  xviii.  8  (7).  It  corresponds  with  the  Hebrew 
 t]33  (extremity).  In  Deut.  xxx.  4,  the  Lxx.  have  "  a.'z  ay.pryj  rotl 
 ()\jpa\ioZ  tug  axpou  rov  ovpavoij"  "  f'om  [the  one]  extremity  of  tlie 
 heaven  to  [the  other]  extremity  of  the  heaven  ;"  and  thus  also  in 
 Deut.  iv.  32. 
 
 32.  'AtJ  hi  Trig  cy^v?,  hut  from  tlie  fg-tree)  An  obvious  matter. 
 — rrjv,  the)  sc.  following. — 'xapa\io'Kiv^  parable)  a.  most  beauti- 
 ful one. 
 
 33.  TaDra  iraMra,  these  things  all)  The  order  of  words  ought  not 
 to  be  always  overlooked :  the  emphasis,  and,  in  speaking,  the 
 accent,  frequently  falls  upon  the  first  of  two  words.  The  present 
 is  the  first  passage  which  has  required  this  to  be  demonstrated  ; 
 we  will  therefoi'e  do  so  [by  the  following  examples]  : — (1.)  Luke 
 xi.  36,  £/'  oZv  rh  eui/MO.  6ov  'OAON  ^wte/vov,  jxri  e^^ov  ti  MEP02  ffxo- 
 rzivov,  eorai  <I>nTEINON  oXov,  wj  orav  6  y.xjyn/og  ttj  aerparrr]  tI>nTIZH 
 ffE,  if  then  thy  body  [be]  all  ligltt,  not  having  any  part  dark,  it 
 shall  be  LIGHT  all  over,  as  when  the  candle  by  its  shining 
 LiGHTETH  thee.  In  this  passage  oXov  (all,  the  ivhole,  Lat.  totum, 
 Fr  tout)  is  emphatic  before  ipunrnv  {light,  Lat.  lucidum),  in 
 opposition  to  iJ^ipog  {jpart)  :  and  (p'jjrtmov  is  emphatic  before  o/.ov, 
 
 *  As  is  usual  in  a  royal  procession.— V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW   XXIV.  33  431 
 
 its  emphasis  being  declared  by  the  verb  owW^^;  (Ughteth,  Lat. 
 ilhiminet.  (2.)  John  xiv.  2.  3,  'ropsvo/xai  iTotixaGcii  TOnON  u/z-7i/. 
 y.aT  lav  rropiuDui  xat  WoiiJ^dsoj  'TMIN  to'Xov,  x.r.X.  /  go  to  prepare 
 A  PLACE  for  you,  and  if  I  go  and  prepare  for  you  a  place,  etc. 
 Here  the  apparent  contradiction  is  removed  by  the  order  of  the 
 words,  "  A  PLACE  is  not  to  he  prepared  for  you,  since  it  is 
 already  prepared^'' ^  is  the  negative  proposition.  "  For  YOU  ?'s 
 to  he  prepared  a  place,  i.e.  the  entrance  into  that  place  is  to  be 
 rendered  sure,"  is  the  affirmative  proposition.  Both  are  equally 
 true.  (3.)  Eph.  ii.  1,  5,  'TMA2  hrag  ^r/.povg — ^"ONTAS  rj,'j.ag 
 vixpoug,  YOU  heing  dead — being  us  dead  [Fr.  vous  etant  morts, 
 ETANT  nous  ni07'ts'\.  Here  u,aa5  {you)  is  put  antithetically  to 
 fi/j^ag  (us),  in  Eph.  i.  19  :  and  then  ovrag  (heing),  denotes  the 
 past  state  of  death,  opposed  to  vivification.  (4.)  James  ii.  18, 
 ds7^6v  fjjoi  TTiV  ni2TIN  dou  i%  (others  read  -/jj^plg')  ruiv  'ipym  60-j, 
 y.ayoj  dsi^u  doi  sx,  ruv  'EPrXlN  fMV  rriv  TiSriv  (JjOxj,  ShoiO  me  thy 
 FAITH  hy  (others  read  without)  thy  "WORKS,  and  I  will  show  thee 
 hy  my  WORKS  my  faith.  Here  the  first  vicnv  (faith)  refers  to 
 the  Avords  cu  vlariv  'iyjig  (thou  hast  faith),  and  the  second,  'ipyav 
 (ivories),  to  the  words  xdyui  'ipya  lyjji  (and  I  have  ivorks).  These 
 instances,  extracted  fi'om  four  different  writers  of  the  New  Tes- 
 tament, will  suffice  for  the  present.  Now  let  us  return  to  St 
 Matthew.  As  the  best  MSS.  have  TATTA  -ravra,  these  things 
 all,  in  ver.  33,  and  IlANTA  raura,  ALL  these  things,  in  ver.  34 
 (although  others  confound  the  two  modes  of  expression)  f  the 
 first  rauTa  placed  before  Tavra  is  emphatic,  so  as  to  express 
 things  about  to  happen  next  (for  which  reason  in  the  parallel 
 passage,  Mark  xiii.  29  ;  the  crai/ra  is  omitted)  ;  and  this  emphasis 
 being  granted,  the  second  -ravra  expresses  all,  including  these, 
 things  which  were  to  come  to  pass  next,  in  that  generation. 
 The  pronoun  ravra  (these)  does  not  refer  to  the  whole  preceding 
 discourse  (for  the  previous  signs,  and  the  events  which  were  to 
 
 '  See  ch.  xxv,  34,  '■  Inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  {ijroifictai^iuyj!')  foryou 
 from  the  foundation  of  the  world." — Ed. 
 
 =*  Such  is  the  reading  of  E.  M.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Dabc  Vulg.  Syr.  Meniph.  with  Bengal,  read  rot-vra  vocurcc  in  ver.  33. 
 But  B  and  Rec.  Text,  ■Tci.wec  rccvrot,  and  so  Lachm.  Be  and  Aniiat.  MS. 
 of  Vulg.  read  -ttix.vtx  txvtx,  with  Lachm.,  Tisch.,  Beng.,  and  Rec.  Text,  in 
 ver.  24      But  DLa  read  rxyrx  Tniin*  — Ed. 
 
432  ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.  34. 
 
 follow  them  indicated  by  the  signs,  are  distinct  from  each  other), 
 but  to  the  beginnings,  which  are  compared  with  the  fig-tree,  in 
 contradistinction  to  the  summer  itself,  i.e.  the  approaching  king- 
 dom of  God.  Those  things  having  been  fulfilled  which  are 
 described  fi'om  ver.  4  to  ver.  28,  room  was  made  for  the  king- 
 dom of  God,  which  would  grow  stronger  and  stronger,  in  one 
 continuous  progress.  The  beginnings,  after  all  hindrances  had 
 been  removed,  were  equivalent  to  the  whole.'  Furthermore,  in 
 St  Matthew  and  St  Mark,  ravra  {these)  is  in  each  case  con- 
 trasted with  v/.u\n]g  (that)  in  ver.  3G,  with  the  following  sense  : 
 These  all  ivhich  concern  Jerusalem  shall  come  to  pass  before  this 
 generation  passes  away ;  hut  of  that  (remoter  and  last)  dau  (of 
 judgment)  hioweth  no  one,  etc.  This  observation  facilitates  the 
 interpretation  of  the  whole  of  this  discourse.  St  Luke  also  con- 
 trasts with  each  other  raZra,  these,  and  ixiiv^,  that.  See  Gnomon 
 on  Luke  xxi.  36. — yivuiaxin,  ye  know,  Lidicative)  :  Cf.  ver.  32, 
 or  knoio  ye.  Imperative. — iyyog,  near)  sc.  the  thing  itself  is. — 
 ivi  d-jpaig,  at  the  doors)  i.e.  extremely  near. 
 
 34.  r;vsa,  generation)  sc.  an  age  of  men.  This  notion,  which 
 agrees  with  the  event,  corresponds  most  properly  with  the 
 question,  ichen  ?  etc.,  proposed  in  ver,  3  ;  cf.  ver.  15,  20,  ch. 
 xxiii.  36  ;  Luke  xxiii.  38.  From  the  date  of  tliis  prediction  to 
 the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  was  a  space  of  forty  years,  and 
 from  the  true  year  of  our  Lord's  nativity  to  that  event  was  a 
 space  of  about  seventy-five  years.  The  Jews,  however  (as,  for 
 example,  in  Seder  01am),  reckon  seventy-five  years  as  one 
 generation,  and  the  words,  ov  fj^ri  Ta/igXi)*;,  "  shall  not  pass  away^^ 
 intimate  that  the  greater  part  of  that  generation,  but  not  the 
 whole  of  it,  should  have  passed  away  before  all  the  events  indi- 
 cated should  have  come  to  pass.  The  prediction  is  true  with 
 respect  to  either  the  forty  or  the  seventy-five  years.^  So  accu- 
 rately did  the  Evangelist  describe  it  many  years  before  the 
 event  took  place. 
 
 ^  Sc.  Wore  tantamount  to  a  pledge  that  the  whole  would  be  accomplished. 
 —Ed. 
 
 *  Various  things  [agreeing  with  our  Lord's  prophecy]  can  be  brought  for- 
 ward from  the  writers  of  the  Talmud,  which  are  reported  by  them  to  have  hap- 
 pened in  the  forty  years  before  the  destruction  of  the  temple  and  the  city, 
 and  which  thus,  with  sufficient  accuracy,  luirnionisc  with  the  history  of  the 
 1  asr.ion. — flarm.,  p.  481. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.  35-39.  433 
 
 35.  'O  ovpavog,  heaven)  The  motion  of  which  is  otherwise  regu- 
 lated by  the  most  unerring  laws. — 57  7^,  the  earth)  which  is 
 otherwise  most  firmly  founded. — Xoyoi  Mov,  My  ivords)  The 
 plural  number  is  employed ;  cf.  <7rdvra,  all,  ver.  34,  which  is 
 likewise  plural. — ou  [j^ri  TapiXduei,  shall  not  pass  away)  q.d.  My 
 words  shall  correspond  exactly  with  the  event ;  although  it  does 
 not  appear  so  to  men  immediately.  Heaven  and  earth  will  give 
 place  to  the  new  heaven  and  ncAV  earth,  which  are  described 
 by  My  words.  The  firmness  of  the  laiv  is  illustrated  in  a  similar 
 manner  in  ch.  v.  18. 
 
 36.  liipi  hi  rrig  rjfispai;  ixiivrig,  but  of  that  day)  The  Lord  shows 
 the  time  of  the  temple  and  the  city  in  ver.  32-34 ;  He  denies 
 in  this  verse  that  the  day  and  hour  of  the  world  are  known. 
 The  particle  ds,  but,  implies  a  contrast :  the  pronouns  ravra, 
 these,  aurri,  this,  refer  to  events  close  at  hand;  the  pronoun 
 sKifvyjg,  that,  to  that  which  is  distant.  If,  however,  the  former 
 time  is  defined  with  some  latitude,  that  day  and  hour  is  much 
 less  definitely  indicated  here  :  and  yet  He  does  not  speak  of  the 
 day  and  hour  without  cause.  A  day  is  a  whole ;  an  hour  is  a 
 part.  The  day  is  not  necessarily  unknown  because  the  hour  is  : 
 the  time  taken  with  somewhat  greater  latitude  is  not  necessarily 
 unknown  because  the  day  is.  And  that  which  was  unknown 
 when  this  discourse  was  delivered,  might  be  revealed  after  the 
 Ascension  of  the  Lord  and  the  Apocalypse  given  to  St  John  ;  and 
 as  the  sand  by  degrees  glides  away  in  the  hour-glass  of  time,^  it 
 may  be  known  more  nearly.  Otherwise,  the  last  day  and  the 
 last  hour  would  not  even  then  be  known  when  it  actually  ar- 
 rives. Our  Lord  goes  on  to  speak  of  the  day  in  ver.  37,  38,  of 
 the  hour  in  ver.  42,  43,  and  of  both  in  ver.  50. — ayyih.oi,  angels) 
 whose  knowledge  is  otherwise  great. — ruv  ovpavouv,  of  the  heavens) 
 The  plural  number. 
 
 38.  TpuiyovTsg,  eating)  This  includes  the  arts  of  cooker}",  con- 
 fectionary, and  other  matters  connected  with  luxury.  They 
 were  employed  in  this,  and  in  nothing  else. 
 
 39.  Oux,  ijvuffav,  kneio  not)  Their  ignorance  was  volun- 
 tary. 
 
 »  In  the  original,  "  clepsydra  sensitn  elabente."  The  ancients  measured 
 
 time  in  the  hour-glass,  not  by  sand,  but  by  water.  I  have  given  the  corre- 
 sponding idiom. — (I.  B.) 
 
 VOL  T,                                                                    '  E  E 
 
434  ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.  40-43. 
 
 40/  41.  UapaAaii^dnrai,  is  tokeii^)  sc.  into  safety,  under  pro- 
 tection ;  see  ver.  31. — d(plsrai,  is  left)  sc.  in  the  midst  of  the 
 dangers,  whatever  may  occur.^  The  present  tense  is  used  with 
 reference  to  the  time  of  the  ron,  then ;  and  the  matter  was  al- 
 ready present  to  the  Saviour's  eyes. 
 
 41.  ^AXridoueai,  grinding)  Grinding  was  an  occupation  of  women. 
 
 42.  TpriyopsTn,  tvatch*)  This  was  the  reason,  no  doubt,  that  the 
 names  Gregory  and  Vigilantius  were  so  common  in  the  ancient 
 Church.  You  may  ask  why  those  who  were  so  far  distant  from 
 the  last  day  were  exhorted  to  watchfulness  on  that  ground  ?  I 
 answer — (1.)  The  remoteness  of  the  event  had  not  been  indicated 
 to  them.  (2.)  Those  who  are  alive  at  any  particular  time  re- 
 present those  who  will  be  alive  at  the  end  of  the  world ;  see 
 Gnomon  on  1  Thess.  iv.  15.  (3.)  The  principle  of  the  Divine 
 judgments,  and  of  the  uncertainty  of  the  hour  of  death,  re- 
 sembles in  every  age  that  of  the  last  day  ;  and  the  hour  of  death 
 is  equivalent  to  the  liour  of  resurrection  and  judgment,  as  though 
 no  time  had  been  interposed.  (4.)  The  feeling  of  the  godly, 
 which  stretches  forward  to  meet  the  Lord,  is  the  same,  whether 
 with  the  longest  or  the  shortest  expectation.  (5.)  If  every  one 
 had  had  to  watch,  from  the  time  of  the  Apostles  to  the  Lord's 
 coming,  it  would  have  been  well  worth  the  trouble  of  so  doing. 
 — 0  Tiupiog  v/ji,uiv,  your  Lord)  called  in  ver.  44  the  Son  of  Man. 
 
 43.^  TivuisxiTi,  ye  knoiv/' — £/  f,dii,  if  he  had  knoivn)  He  would 
 have  watched  ;  and  that  care  on  his  part  would  not  have  been 
 much  to  be  wondered  at. — To/a  (pv7.ax.fi,  in  lohat  (Lat.  quail)  watch) 
 
 '  TCTS,  then)  at  the  actual  time  of  tlie  Advent,  ver.  39.  Comp.  cb.  xxv. 
 1— V.  g. 
 
 -  In  the  original,  assumitur. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  As  was  the  case  with  the  men  at  the  time  of  the  Deluge. — V.  g. 
 
 *  Latin,  "  vigilate"  from  which  verb  {vigih)  the  name  Vigilantius  is  derived ; 
 as  Gregorius  from  the  Greek  verb  employed  in  this  passage. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Three  parables  in  IMatthew  refer  to  ^vatchfulness,  or  else  careless 
 security ;  a  fourth  refers  to  faithfulness,  or  else  the  want  of  it. — Harm., 
 p.  484. 
 
 6  The  word  in  tlie  original  of  St  Matthew  may  be  either  Indicative  or 
 Imperative.  Bengel  renders  it  as  the  former  in  the  Gnomon,  by  "  scitis,"  and 
 in  his  German  Version  by  "  das  ist  euch  ahcr  hekannt."  E.  V.  in  the  latter, 
 by  "  know  yc  "  in  which  it  is  supported  l)y  tlie  Vulgate,  which  has  '^  scilote." 
 -{I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.  U,  45.  435 
 
 It  is  supposed  that  the  goodman  of  the  house  has  been  warned  of 
 the  coming  of  the  thief.  In  carnal  concerns  we  are  vigilant, 
 even  though  we  know  not  in  what  portion  of  the  night  our  goods 
 will  be  endangered,  if  we  know  only  that  the  danger  will  occur 
 either  on  this,  or  on  one  of  the  next  few  nights. — (puXaxfj,  watch) 
 although  a  watch  is  longer  than  an  hour. — o  ■/.Xs'Trryig,  the  thief) 
 The  last  temptation,  arising  from  the  concealment  of  that  hour, 
 accompanied  by  other  circumstances  of  difficulty,  is  the  most 
 severe.  For  the  nearer  that  the  actual  accomplishment  of  any- 
 thing approaches,  so  much  the  more  keen  become  both  hope  and 
 fear ;  and,  generally  speaking,  so  much  the  more  impatient  of 
 any,  even  the  least,  delay.  And  thus  will  it  be  with  those  who 
 live  during  the  last  small  portion  of  time,  when  the  other  events 
 which  precede  it  in  Rev.  xx.  shall  have  come  to  pass. — ovx  av 
 e/'acs,  Ti.r.X.,  he  loould  not  have  allowed,  etc.)  by  yielding  to  sleepi- 
 ness.— diopuyl^vai,  to  be  dug  through^)  which  would  take  some  time 
 to  accomplish. 
 
 44.  "Epx^rai,  cometh)  The  present  tense. 
 
 45.  T/;,  apa  sstIv,  k.t.X.,  who  then  is,  etc.)  Who  is  there  who 
 would  wish  to  be  such  ?  The  apa  (then)  in  Luke  xii.  42,  refers 
 to  the  question  in  the  preceding  verse ;  but  here  it  expresses  the 
 magnitude  and  rarity  of  the  matter. — t/oto?  xa/  (ppovifj^og,  faithful 
 and  prudent)  Two  cardinal  virtues  of  a  good  servant,  of  which 
 faithfulness  (fides)  is  more  frequently  praised,  because  it  is  seated 
 in  the  will,  and  has  as  its  associate,  prudence,^  given  from  above. 
 — dovXoc,  servant)  i.e.  pastor.  The  article^  is  emphatic. — ^spa'rnlag,* 
 houseJiold)  i.e.  flock. — rov  didovai,  to  give)  This  refers  to  the  epi- 
 thet/az'^/i/t^^.^  The  opposite  is  exhibited  in  ver.  49. — rriv  rpotp^v, 
 their  food)  in  just  quality  and  measure;  corresponding  with 
 the  expression   rh    ciroij^irpiov   (their  portion  of  meat)  in  Luke 
 
 1  E.  V.  "  broken  tip."— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Prudence  is  the  characteristic  of  those  who  do  not  live  from  day  to  day 
 (i.e.  making  no  preparation  for  the  morrow),  but  who  so  behave  themselves 
 as  they  would  wish  that  they  had  behaved  themselves  when,  sooner  or  later, 
 their  Lord  shall  come. — V.  g. 
 
 3  The  Greek  is  "6  Triaro;  lotJ'Kog  kxI  (Pp6vif<.og',"  lit.  "  The  faithftd  servant 
 and  prudent :"  rendered  in  E.  V.  "  a  faithful  and  imse  servant." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  So  D  and  Rec.  Text.  But  BLA,  olKireix;.  abcdYulg.  Hil.,  'familiam.' 
 —Ed. 
 
 *  i.e.  Faithful  in  respect  of  giving. — ^Ed. 
 
436  ST  MATTHEW  XXIV.  46-51. 
 
 xii.  42. — h   xaipujf  in  due  season)   This   refers  to  the  epithet 
 'pimdent. 
 
 46.  'EupTiGii,  shall  find)  Therefore  we  are  not  under  compul- 
 sion. 
 
 48.  'O  Kaxog  hoZXoc;  himg,  THAT  evil  servant)  whom  the  Lord 
 knoweth. — p^pof/^f/,  delay eth)  See  xxv.  5  [cf.  Eccles.  viii.  11]. 
 
 49.  I.vvdov'Aoug,  felloiu-seiTants)  They  are  called  fellow-servaiits, 
 to  bring  out  in  strong  relief  the  injurious  character  of  that  evil 
 servant's  conduct  towards  them  :  they  were,  however,  subject  to 
 him,  though  he  with  them  was  subject  to  their  common  Lord. — 
 ds,  but)  His  injmious  conduct  towards  his  fellow-servants,  and 
 his  own  self-indulgence,  are  put  in  strong  contrast  with  each 
 other. — /j^iTu  ruiv  (Mi^-jovruv,  ivith  the  drunken)  There  will,  therefore, 
 at  that  time  be  many  whose  whole  condition  and  character  will 
 consist  in  vicious  self-indulgence.  See  1  Thess.  v.  7.  A  similar 
 mode  of  speaking  occurs  in  Genesis  xlii.  5.,  where  the  LXX.  have 
 ^xSov  bi  01  u'ioi  'lepariX  /mbtu  rujv  sp^o/xsvMVy  i.e.  But  the  sons  of  Israel 
 came  with  them  that  came. 
 
 50.  'Bv  7][jjipc^  fi  o-j  'Trpoffdoxa,  ana  day  on  which  he  doth  not  expect) 
 sc.  Him  to  come,     Cf.  ver.  44. 
 
 51.  Aiy^oro/xTjdsij  shall  cut  him  in  ticain^)  A  punishment 
 frequent  in  ancient  times,  and  an  appropriate  one  for  those  who 
 were  bt-^byjii,  i.e.  double-rmnded.  The  Hebrew  nnJ  [to  divide 
 or  cut  in  pieces^  is  thus  rendered  by  the  lxx.  The  hypocrite 
 divides  his  soul  and  body  in  the  worship  of  God  ;  wherefore  his 
 soul  and  body  shall  be  divided  in  eternal  perdition.  Eternal 
 perdition  is  called  death  :  all  death,  however,  has  this  charac- 
 teristic, that  it  deprives  the  body  of  its  soul.  Then  neither  the 
 soul  shall  rejoice  in  the  companionship  of  the  body,  nor  the  body 
 in  that  of  the  soul,  but  it  shall  rather  increase  its  death.  Then 
 will  each  of  the  damned  be  able  to  say  with  truth,  "  /  a?n  torn 
 asunder"  {disrumpor)  :  cf.  Ileb.  iv.  12,  as  to  the  force  of  the 
 word  with  reference  to  the  wicked.  The  twofold  punishment 
 corresponds  to  the  twofold  offence ;  viz.,  the  cutting  in  twain  to 
 his  smiting  the  men-servants  and  maid-servants,  the  portion 
 with  the  hypocrites  to  his  gluttony  and  drunkenness. — \j-~o-/.piTuiv, 
 hypocrites)  Hypocrisy  is  a  moral  e^  il  :  the  punishment  of  hypo- 
 
 '  E.  V.  ''Sliall  cut  him  asimder:'—{l.  B  ^ 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXV.   1-3.  437 
 
 crites  is  a  specimen  of  punishment.  In  the  parallel  passage, 
 Luke  xii.  46,  we  find  a'Xisrojv,  unbelievers  or  faithless,  i.e.  those 
 Avlio  are  not  faithful ;  cf.  ver.  45. — ^riau,  shall  appoint)  by  a  judg- 
 ment, just,  severe,  and  irreversible. 
 
 CHAPTER    XXV. 
 
 1.  [ToVs,  then)  sc.  when  the  last  day  is  close  at  hand B.  G.V.J 
 
 — b'sza,  ten)  There  is  a  mystery  in  this  number,  employed  also 
 in  Luke  xix,  13,  and  in  its  division  here  into  two  equal  parts. ^ 
 The  bride  in  ancient  times  had  always  ten  virgins,  at  least, 
 as  bridesmaids.^  We  do  not  possess  many  remains  by  which  to 
 illustrate  this  parable  fi'om  Jewish  antiquities.  It  is  better  to 
 compare  it  with  Ps.  xlv.  and  the  Book  of  Canticles. — XaiLrrahac, 
 lamps)  i.e.  burning. — fg^xSov,  went  forth)  i.e.  engaged  to  go 
 forth ;  see  ver.  6. — rou  'Nvf^pku,  the  Bridegroom)  See  Luke 
 xii.  36. 
 
 2.  ^povi/Mi — fj^upai,  prudent — foolish)  See  ch.  vii.  24,  26. — 
 jca/  a/  Tsvrg  fLupa!,  and  the  five  other  foolish)  Their  condition  be- 
 comes better  understood  from  the  description  given  of  the 
 prudent.^ 
 
 3.  "EXaiov,  oil)  i.e.  except  that  with  which  the  lamps  were  then 
 burning  :  see  latter  part  of  ver.  8.  The  lamp  burning  is  faith ; 
 the  lamp  with  oil  beside  is  abundant  faith.* 
 
 ^  Either  because  the  number  on  both  sides  will  be  equal,  or  because  the 
 inequality  will  not  be  evident. — V.  g. 
 
 2  In  general,  at  least  among  the  Jews,  ten  constitute  a  society  or  company. 
 -V.  g. 
 
 ^  Both  characters  are  clearly  described  in  2  Pet.  i.  5-8,  9.  10,  11. — 
 B.  G.  V.  They  aimed  at  what  was  right,  but  not  consistently  and  steadily. 
 -V.  g. 
 
 *  Elsewhere  he  suggests  another  interpretation,  viz. :  "  In  a  Burning  Lamp 
 there  is  Fire  and  Oil.  By  the  Fire  is  here  signified  the  supernatural, 
 heavenly,  fiery  Spirit-power  {Geisteshraft)  which  is  bestowed  upon  the  soul 
 without  its  co-operation  {ohne  ihr  Zuthun)  :  see  2  Pet.  i.  3,  4  ;  and  by  the 
 Oil,  holy  Assiduity  {Fleiss)  on  the  part  of  man:  see  2  Pet.  i.  5.  And  of 
 this,  man  should  have  not  only  enough  for  the  exigencies  of  the  present  time, 
 but  also  an  abundant  supply,  see  2  Pet.  i.  8  [sc.  "if  these  things  be  in  jou 
 
438  ST  MATTHEW  XXV.  4-9. 
 
 4.  '  Ayyiloig,  vessels)  These  represent  the  recesses  of  the  heart. 
 
 5.  ^Etivora^av,  dozed)  The  Hebrew  verb  DIJ,  to  slumbe?' ov  doze, 
 is  rendered  by  the  LXX.,  vuffrdt^nv.  Dozing  takes  place,  either 
 after  sleep,  as  in  Pro  v.  vi.  10,  or  before  it,  as  in  Isa.  v.  27,  which 
 is  the  case  in  the  present  passage. — [jagai,  all)  The  prudent  also 
 fell  asleep,  and  that  not  without  peril ;  but  when  they  awoke, 
 they  had  still  oil  enough.  During  the  sleep  of  those,  who  have 
 not  previously  enough  thereof,  their  oil  comes  to  an  end. — 
 B.  G.  v.] 
 
 6.  MiffTjg  ds  vvxrog,  hut  at  midnight)  i.e.  during  the  deep  sleep 
 of  even  these  virgins. — zpavyri)  a  cry)  sc.  to  arouse  them, 
 accompanied  by  the  blast  of  a  trumpet.^ 
 
 7.  'Uyip^aav,  were  aroused)  sc.  from  sleep. — -jagai,  all)  Then 
 will  the  evil  and  the  careless  also^  awake.  All  things  will  be 
 awakened.  By  how  very  little  the  foolish  missed  of  entering  in, 
 and  yet  they  are  shut  out.^ 
 
 8.  '2l3svvuvTai,  are  being  extinguished^)  this  very  moment, 
 miserably. 
 
 9.  Afyovffai,  x.r.X.,  saying,  etc.)  In  this,  as  in  everything  else, 
 they  showed  themselves  prudent. — fir,TOTi,  x.r.X.,  lest,  etc.)  A 
 broken'^  sentence,  suitable  to  the  hurry  of  that  event. — ovx 
 apxiari,  there  he  not  sujicient)  sc.  for  both  you  and  us  :  i.e.  we 
 cannot  share  with  you  :  a  metonomy  of  the  consequent  [for  the 
 antecedent].  Every  one  must  live  by  his  own  faith. — ij/xTv,  for 
 us)  The  prudent  now  have  hardly^  enough  for  their  own  use. 
 
 and  abound"],  for  all  future  circumstances:  so  does  the  entrance  to  the 
 Wedding-House  become  sure  to  him,  and  abundant  besides,  see  2  Pet.  i.  11 
 [sc.  "  an  entrance  shall  be  ministered  to  you  abundantly  "].  The  foolish  virgins 
 did  not  even  remain  resting  only  on  their  own  unassisted  nature  :  they  too  had 
 something  of  grace  and  of  the  Spirit.  Nowhere  is  it  more  clearly  {deutlicher) 
 written  than  here  how  far  a  soul  can  advance  in  good,  and  yet  fall  through 
 (durch fallen)  :  see  ver.  8." — B.  G.  V.  in  loc. 
 
 '  Far  louder  than  earth's  loudest  artillery  :  see  1  Thess.  iv.  1 6. — 
 B.  G.  V. 
 
 -    Sc.  As  well  as  the  good  and  tlie  prudent. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  In  the  original,  "  et  tamen  cxcidunt,"  corresponding  with  the  "  durch- 
 falle.n^''  above. — (I.  B.) 
 
 <  E.  V.  "  are  gone  out." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  "  Not  so,"  is  not  expressed  in  the  original,  which  abruptly  begins  with 
 ";t4)j^o-s,"  "  lest  haply." — Ed. 
 
 •  '■'■  jEffre."     There  is  here  an  allusion  to  1  Peter  iv.  lb,  where  Bengel 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXV.  10-15.  439 
 
 You  ought  previously  to  have  follovv^ed  the  example  of  the  pru- 
 dent.— Tops-jgff^s,  x.r.X.,  go  ye,  etc.)  Let  us  do  in  time  what  will 
 then  prove  to  have  been  wise. — Tpog  rovg  TojXoZvTag,  to  them  that 
 sell)  although  they  are  not  traders  [i.e.  do  not  make  salvation  a 
 matter  of  traffic]. — dyopaffars,  huif)  See  Rev.  iii.  18. 
 
 10.  ' A':np-)(oiJ.ivm  bi  avraiv,  but  whilst  theij  ivere  going)  Their 
 danger  arose  from  the  circumstance  on  which  they  asked  ad- 
 vice.^— «/  'iroiiMai,  they  that  were  ready)  The  prudent  were 
 ready.^ 
 
 11.  A/  Xoi'-ai  Tap^svoi,  the  other  virgins)  To  whom  the  name  of 
 virgins  was  now  of  no  avail. 
 
 13.  VpnyopuTs,  watch  ye)  He  who  watches  will  have  not  only 
 his  lamp  burning,  but  also  oil  in  his  vessel :  he  who  has  oil  in 
 his  vessel  is  not  greatly  held,  even  by  sleep  ;  see  ver.  5. 
 
 14. — ' T-xap-xovTa,  goods)  For  the  distribution  of  them,  see  the 
 next  verse.  ^ 
 
 15.  "Ed(^-/.s,  %.r.x.,  gave,  etc.)  He  left  them  free  to  choose  their 
 method  of  trafficking  without  saying,  "  Give  to  the  bankers." — 
 TivTs — duo — h.  Jive — two — 0}ie)  A  parable  nearly  resembling 
 this  occurs  in  Luke  xix.  13,  where  one  pound  is  given  to  each 
 servant,  and  the  pound  of  the  first  produced  ten,  of  the  second 
 five,  of  the  third  none.  The  goods  which  God  gives  are  distri- 
 buted equitably  :  and  who  knows  whether,  in  all  their  inequality, 
 the  most  scantily  provided  is  surpassed  by  the  richest  more  than 
 
 renders  fioT^t;  (E.  V.  scarcely,  Vulg.  vix)  by  cegre.  See  Guomon  in  loc. — 
 (LB.) 
 
 ^  They  came  short  of  entering  by  but  a  Uttle,  yet  thev  did  come  short 
 
 V.  g. 
 
 2  'Ex.'Ksi'ffdYl,  was  shut)  Hardly  any  one,  whilst  the  door  is  still  open,  can 
 realise  by  thought,  how  great  will  be  the  lamentation  of  those  who  shall  stand 
 outside  when  the  doors  are  once  shut.  How  often  a  mere  trifle,  as  we  should 
 think,  forms  the  boundary  between  wisdom  and  folly  •  and  yet  the  decision  we 
 come  to  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  us.  There  are — 1 )  those  who  enjoy  an 
 abundant  entrance  into  the  eternal  kingdom  of  joy  :  2)  those  who,  as  it  were 
 rescued  from  shipwreck,  are  brought  to  shore:  3)  those  who  are  openly 
 hurried  along  on  the  broad  way  to  destruction :  4)  those  who,  though 
 having  been  very  close  to  the  obtaining  of  salvation,  yet  suffer  themselves 
 to  lose  it.  The  condition  of  these  last  is  lamentable  above  that  of  all 
 others. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  There  are  intimated  by  these,  spiritual  gifts,  temporal  resources,  time 
 itself,  and  finally  opportunities  of  every  kind. — V.  g. 
 
440  ST  MATTHEW  XXV.  18-24. 
 
 by  five  parts  ?  We  may  compare  with  this  the  circumstance, 
 that  Plato,  in  his  hook  on  Laws,  has  not  permitted  any  citizen 
 to  possess  an  income  more  than  fiA^e  times  that  of  the  poorest.  See 
 Arist.  Poht.  ii.  5.  A.  Ruimer,  the  Flemish  preacher,  was  of 
 opinion  that  the  Reformed  Church  had  five  talents,  the  Lutheran 
 two,  the  Eoman  one.  What  has  the  Greek  ?  What  have  other 
 churches,  ancient  and  modern  ?  What  has  posterity  ? — duva/xiv, 
 ability)  sc.  for  trafficking.  No  one  is  required  to  do  more  than  he 
 is  able  ;  therefore  he  is  rightfully  compelled  to  render  an  account. 
 — sv6sug,  immediately,  straightway)  See  the  two  following  chap- 
 ters. 
 
 18.  'ATsKpv^Sf  hid)  sc.  in  the  earth;  seever.  25. 
 
 19.  MsTo,  ds  -^povov  'TToXvv,  but  after  a  long  time)  So  that  there  had 
 been  time  enough  to  double  the  capital  entrusted.  The  quick- 
 ness of  the  Lord's  Advent  is  not  absolute. 
 
 20.  UpoffiXOijv,  coming  up  to  Him)  sc.  with  confidence.  The 
 bad  servant  did  so  with  diffidence ;  ver.  24. — 6  ra,  tsvts  rdXavra 
 Xa/Swi',  he  that  had  received  the  Jive  talents)  The  righteous  receive 
 sentence  before  the  wicked  :  cf.  ver.  34. — '/oi,  See  !)  The  fi'eedom 
 of  speech  of  a  good  servant. — et'  auroT;,  on  them)  The  servant 
 does  not  attribute  the  gain  to  himself,  but  to  his  Lord's  goods. 
 
 21.  e5,  well-done)  A  formula  of  praising.  This  praise  is  men- 
 tioned in  1  Cor.  iv.  5. — ayaSs,  good)  opposed  to  crovjjps,  bad,  in 
 ver.  26. — ticts,  faithful)  opposed  to  6-/.vT^ps,  slothful,  in  ver.  26. 
 Faith  drives  away  sloth. — oXh/a,  feiv)  If  five  talents  are  few,  how 
 great  will  be  the  amount  of  the  'ttoXXo,,  many  ! — xaraarT^coi,  I  loill 
 appoint)  Thou  art  fit  for  more,  thou  art  trusty  (frugi),  opposed 
 to  axP^/ov,  unprofitable, 'vn.\eY.?>Q. — uaXk,  enter  thou!)  opposed 
 to  ix^aktn,  cast  ye  forth,m\er.?>0. — X'^P"-^,py)  sc.  the  banquet, 
 the  feast  :^  hght,  laughter,  applause.     Cf.  ver.  30. 
 
 24.  "'E.yvm  ffs,  x.r.X.,  /  knew  thee,  etc.)  He  does  not  know  the 
 Lord  who  thinks  Him  hard.  God  is  love.^  Rifrhteousness 
 appears  unrighteousness  to  the  ungodly.     The  justice  of  God 
 
 '  In  the  original  the  passage  stands  thus  : — 
 
 "  Conv'w'mm,  festin :  lusum,  risum,  plausum  ;"  where  the  introduction  of 
 the  French  word  Festin  strikes  one  as  strange. — (I.  B.) 
 
 -  And  indeed  it  is  not  without  appearance  of  good  for  one  to  dwell 
 rather  much  in  thought  upon  the  Divine  severity ;  but  such  thoughts  are 
 not  void  of  all  danger. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXV.  25-29.  441 
 
 transcends  the  comprehension  of  the  creature. — ffxXriphg,  hard) 
 In  Luke  xix.  21,  we  find  auerriphg,  austere. — This  Lord  was  not 
 such  ;  but  let  tliose  eartlily  lords  who  really  are  so,  consider 
 what  servant  they  will  resemble  on  the  judgment  day. — ou  bi- 
 idzopTiffag,  thou  hast  not  straived)  Though,  in  reality,  God  bestows 
 all  things  liberally. 
 
 25.  ^ojSri^iig,  being  frightened)  Without  love,  without  confi- 
 dence ;  q.d.  "  fearing  that  I  should  not  satisfy  Thee,  that  I  might 
 be  compelled  to  spend  somewhat  from  my  own  stock,  that  I 
 might  vainly  endeavour  to  bring  aught  from  the  field  where  the 
 crop  did  not  seem  worthy  of  Thee,  into  the  barn  ivhence  nothing 
 of  Thine  appeared  to  have  been  strawed."  The  wicked  and 
 slothful  servant,  whilst  he  imagined  his  Master  to  be  one  who 
 would  require  excessive  gain,  beyond  the  strength  of  His  servant, 
 did  not  even  obtain  that  legitimate  profit  which  he  might  have 
 obtained.  Do  what  thou  canst,  and  what  thou  art  commanded ; 
 await  success,  and  thou  shalt  be  astonished  at  it. — 'ixpv^a,  I  hid) 
 Contrast  with  this  Ps.  xl.  10,  11.^ 
 
 27.  Ovv,  x.r.x.,  therefore,  etc.)  The  goodness  of  the  Lord  re- 
 mains unknown  to  the  wicked  servant,  by  whom  it  had  been 
 denied. — jSaXsTv,  to  have  put  out)  The  labour  of  digging  was 
 greater  than  this  would  have  been  ;  see  ver.  18. — rh  ^E,'j,hv,  Mine) 
 corresponding  with  rh  So'v,  Tldne,  in  ver.  25  ;  but  in  this  instance 
 the  words  cuv  ro'^w,  loith  interest,  are  added.^ 
 
 29.  Tw  yap  'iyjtvri  Tavri,  x.t.X.,  for  to  every  one  that  hath,  etc.) 
 So  that  the  more  he  has,  the  more  will  be  given  to  him. — 6  s;)/?/, 
 that  which  he  hath)  The  servant  actually  liad  had  the  talent ; 
 see  ver.  24. 
 
 '  A^er.  26.  KaJ  ox-vnai^  and  slothful)  Slothfulness  overpowers  the  mind  at 
 times  more  than  it  does  the  body.  It  would  certainly  have  cost  this  ser- 
 vant no  more  trouble  to  have  gone  to  the  money-exchangers  or  bankers, 
 than  that  which  he  expended  uselessly  in  digging,  ver.  18.  Had  the  ser- 
 vants been  ordered,  in  the  first  instance,  to  go  to  the  bankers,  without 
 doubt  he  also  would  have  obeyed  the  order.  But  in  that  case  the  servants 
 ■would  not  have  obtained  so  much  praise.  See,  therefore,  that  you  strenu- 
 ously employ  your  powers. — V.  g. 
 
 2  Ver.  28.  s'xovTt  rx  Hkx.,  who  hath  (he  ten)  "Who  was  not  even  bound 
 to  share  with  him,  who  had  the  five  talents.  See  herein  how  great  distinc- 
 tions in  retributive  rewards  and  punishments  shall  hereafter  be  made 
 manifest. — V.  g. 
 
442  ST  MATTHEW  XXV,  30-33. 
 
 30.  ' hyjiio'j,  uii'profitable)  ^c.  now  and  hereafter;'  cf.  Gnomon 
 on  ver.  21,  and  Luke  xvi.  ll.—axpim  is  in  Attic  Greek  writ- 
 ten ayjiiog,  according  to  Eustathius. — £x(3dXiTs,  -/..r.X.,  cast  forth, 
 etc.)  There  is  a  contrast  between  this  and  ver.  21.  The  Lord 
 Himself  commands  [the  good  servants]  to  enter ;  He  desires 
 His  attendants  to  cast  out  [the  unprofitable  one],  as  in  ch.  xxii. 
 13.^ 
 
 31.  'Ev  Tjj  oo'gT]  AvToj,  in  His  glory)  concerning  which  so  many 
 things  have  been  foretold. — xa;  m-avTig  o'l  dyioi  ajytkoi  ixiT  A.hTou, 
 and  all  the  Ivoly  angels  with  Him)  We  must  not  here  suppose 
 'iX&uGi,  shall  come,  to  be  understood  ;  but  the  nominative  must 
 be  taken  absolutely  according  to  the  Hebrew  idiom,  and  rendered, 
 all  the  angels  accompanying  Him. — "Trai/rgg,  all)  Add  all  nations 
 from  ver.  32.  All  angels  ;  all  nations-  How  vast  an  assembly! 
 — ron,  then)  As  has  been  foretold.  The  disciples  thought  that 
 this  would  take  place  immediately. 
 
 32.  'A(popiiT,  he  shall  separate)  The  separation  will  not  be  com- 
 plete before  then. 
 
 33.  'Ep/p/a,  kidlings)  A  diminutive.  Although  giants,  they 
 will  be  kidlings.  They  will  not  then  be  DvK,  mighty,  and 
 D''Tiny,  lie-goats.^ 
 
 '   Even  though  he  had  caused  no  loss  to  his  master. — V.  g. 
 
 '  \ycpuoi,  though  translated  by  Bengel,  unprofitahle,  useless,  is  not  to  be 
 confounded  with  oixpyi'^'^o;,  which  more  strictly  expresses  that  meaning.  A 
 slave  that  has  done  all  that  his  master  commands  is  dxpi'iog,  not  in  the 
 sense  that  he  is  worthless,  useless,  which  could  not  be  said  of  such  a  servant, 
 but  he  is  one  ol  ovk  lan  x^iloi.,  a  person  to  whom  the  master  owes  nothing, 
 with  whom  he  could  dispense,  Acts  xvii.  25.  God  receives  no  benefit  from 
 man  for  which  He  owes  a  return,  Luke  xvii.  10.  Here,  in  Matt.  xxv.  30, 
 though  the  servant  had  been  also  uxprnrog,  unprofitable,  useless,  and  sloth- 
 ful, yet  the  idea  conveyed  by  the  dxpuo;  is  not  this,  but  its  consequence : 
 for  he  wTio  is  useless  Jj/  domg  no  work  is  not  wanted  (the  latter  expressing 
 the  true  force  of  u.-/,p~'^i)-  The  olxp/idTog,  besides  being  useless,  causes  also 
 loss  to  his  master.     See  Tittm.  Syn.  Gr.  Test. — Ed. 
 
 2  Cf.  Gnomon  on  ch.  vii.  24.— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  This  play  upon  words,  on  such  a  solemn  subject,  appears  rather  extra- 
 ordinary in  a  man  of  Bcngel's  piety.  The  Hebrew  '"T'V  is  used  of  the  leader 
 of  a  flock,  and,  metaphorically,  of  the  leader  of  a  people. — (I.  B.) 
 
 Perhaps  Bengel's  language  will  not  appear  so  inappropriate  when  com- 
 pared with  that  of  Scripture,  to  which  he  evidently  alludes.  Lsa.  xiv.  11, 
 "  Hell  from  beneath  stirreth  up  the  dead  for  thee,  CTcn  all  the  chief  ones 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXV.  34,  35.  44S 
 
 34.  Tots,  x.r.X.,  then,  etc.)  cf.  this  address  with  that  to  the 
 kids  [Eng.  Vers.,  goats]  in  ver.  41. 
 
 Here,  Come :  There,  Depart  from  me  : 
 
 ye  blessed  of  my  Father :  ye  cursed : 
 
 inherit  the  kingdom  :  into  the  fire  : 
 
 prepared  for  you  :  prepared  for  the  devil 
 
 and  his  angels  : 
 from  the  foundation  of  the 
 
 world.  eternal,  (so  called  in  ver.  46). 
 
 — 6  BasiXi-og,  the  King)  an  appellation  full  of  majesty,  and 
 joyful  only  to  the  godly;  see  ver.  40. — roD  Ylarpog  Mov,  of  My 
 Father)  We  have  been  chosen  in  Christ. — x'krjpovo/j.rigars,  inherit) 
 Therefore  the  yap,  for,  in  the  next  verse  ought  not  to  be 
 pressed  too  much. — riroifMaff/^hriv,  prepared)  There  is  an  intimate 
 relation  between  this  verb  and  the  noun  xara^oXri,  foundation. 
 — IwTv,  for  you)  Therefore  elect  men  have  not  supplied  the 
 place  of  the  angels  who  sinned. — a.'xo  xaTa(3oXr}g  k6s/mu,  from 
 the  foundation  of  the  world)  The  preposition  aero,  from,  cor- 
 responds with  the  Hebrew  12,  which  signifies  before ;  cf.  Eph.  i. 
 4.  When  good  and  bad  are  compared  together,  good  is  fre- 
 quently described  by  eternity,  so  to  speak,  antecedent ;  bad,  by 
 its  hereafter  :  thus  it  is  in  this  verse  ;  cf.  ver.  41,  and  1  Cor.  ii. 
 7,  6.    ^ 
 
 35.  'E^wxaTs,  x.r.x.,  ye  have  given,  etc.')  Of  all  good  and  bad 
 actions,  those  will  be  especially  mentioned  which  have  been  per- 
 formed to  the  saints,  which  presuppose  faith  and  love  towards  Jesus 
 Christ  and  His  brethren,  and  involve  confession  of  His  name, 
 which  are  most  frequent,  and  remarkable,  and  conspicuous  ;  and 
 then,  from  the  manifest  glory  of  the  Lord,  the  dignity  of  His  bre- 
 thren, and  the  character  of  good  and  evil  actions  towards  them, 
 will  be  manifest ;  cf.  ch.  x.  40,  41.  This  discourse  exhibits  simul- 
 taneously the  former  misery  and  excellence  of  the  saints,  the 
 former  ability  and  wickedness  of  the  ungodly,  and  the  most 
 righteous  recompense  of  both.     Of  the  works  of  mercy,  however, 
 
 [Hebr.  leaders  ;  lit.  great  goats]  of  the  earth."  Comp.  Ezek.  xxxiv.  17  ; 
 Zech.  X.  3.— Ed. 
 
 1  Oh  what  a  vast  recompense  {Vergeltung)\  An  eternal  kingdom  in  re- 
 turn for  such  insignificant  acts  of  kindness  {gegeu  solche  Wohltaten)  1— . 
 B.  G.  V. 
 
444  ST  MATTHEW  XXV.  37-40. 
 
 those  only  which  have  been  done  to  the  body  are  mentioned,  which 
 are  both  more  despised  in  the  world,  and  will  then  be  a  more 
 evident  specimen  of  faith,  inasmuch  as  a  man  in  them  expends 
 somewhat  of  his  material  resources  and  trouble  (whereas  those 
 which  concern  the  spirit  are  without  expense),  and  will  come 
 more  sensibly  under  the  observation  of  the  wicked.  Nor  was 
 it  suitable  to  the  Judge  to  say  :  "  I  have  erred,  I  have  sinned, 
 and  you  have  recalled  me,"^  etc. — Mo/,  to  Me)  This  presupposes 
 faith,  for  the  faithful  perform  acts  of  kindness  on  this  ground. — 
 fhi-^ridci,  X.T.X.,  I  was  thirsty,  etc.)  Such  is  the  condition  of  the 
 faithftil  in  this  life  :  hunger,  thirst,  nakedness,  captivity,  etc. — 
 GuvnyayiTi,  ye  took  (Me)  in)  The  Lxx.  use  the  same  verb  in 
 Judges  xix.  15,  18. 
 
 37.  UoTi  2s  u'do,a,sv,  x.r.X.,  ivJien  saio  we  Thee,  etc.")  The  faithful 
 do  not  estimate  their  good  deeds,  nor  the  wicked  their  bad  (ver. 
 44),  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Judge. 
 
 40.  'Ep'  offov,  inasmuch  as,  in  as  far  as)  An  intensifying  par- 
 ticle. Without  doubt,  even  individual  acts  will  be  brought 
 forward. — hi,  unto  one)  All  things  are  accurately  reckoned  up  ; 
 nothing  is  omitted.  Even  a  solitary  occasion  is  frequently  of 
 great  importance  in  either  direction  ;  see  ver.  45. — rovrm,  of 
 these)  used  demonstratively. — rZv  ddiX(pujv  Mov,  My  brethren) 
 It  is  better  to  do  good  to  the  good  than  to  the  wicked  ;  yet  these 
 are  not  excluded  from  the  operation  of  Christian  love  (see  Matt. 
 V.  44),  provided  that  a  due  precedence  be  preserved  in  the 
 character  of  the  men  and  works.  Men,  the  more  that  they  are 
 honoured,  treat  so  mucli  the  more  proudly  those  with  whom 
 they  are  connected  (suos)  :  not  so  Jesus  :  at  the  commencement 
 of  His  ministry  He  frequently  called  His  followers  disciples ; 
 then,  when  speaking  of  His  cross  (John  xiii.  33),  He  once 
 called  them  little  sons,^  and   (John  xv.  15)  friends ;  after  His 
 
 '  That  is  to  say,  The  judge  decides  by  the  love,  or  absence  of  love,  which 
 existed  towards  Him.  lie  could  not  speak  of  spiritual  benefits  done  to 
 Him,  inasmuch  as  He  was  holy  and  sinless  :  He  therefore  mentions  tempo- 
 ral and  corporeal  benefits. — Ed. 
 
 ^  In  like  manner,  many  of  the  righteous,  who  have  conferred  benefits  on 
 each  other  in  this  world,  remain  mutually  unknown. — B.  G.  V. 
 
 '  Filiolos.  The  word  in  the  original  is  riKviu,  plural  of  Ttx-vtov,  which  is 
 the  diminutive  of  tikvoi/ — child  or  ojfspritig — derived  from  z'ktu,  to  bring 
 forth.— {I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXV.  41.  445 
 
 resurrection  (^Johii  xxi.  5),  Taidia,  childi^en^  and  brethren  (cf. 
 ch.  xxviii.  10 ;  John  xx.  17  ;  and  cf.  therewith  lb.  xiii.  1)  ; 
 and  this  appellation  He  will  repeat  at  the  judgment-day.  How 
 great  is  the  glory  of  the  faithful !  see  Heb.  ii.  10,  11,  12,  etc. 
 During  the  time  of  His  humiliation  (exinanitionis)  the  honour 
 of  Jesus  w  as  guarded,  lest  from  such  an  appellation  He  might 
 aj)pear  to  be  of  merely  common  rank ;  but  in  His  state  of  exal- 
 tation no  such  danger  exists.  Observe,  however — (1)  that  Christ 
 addresses  no  one  as  brother  in  the  vocative  ;  the  case  is  different 
 in  ch.  xii.  48,  49,  and  Heb  ii.  11,  12  ;  (2)  that  Scripture  does 
 not  call  Christ  our  brother  ;  and  (3)  that  it  would  not  have  been 
 suitable  in  Peter,  for  example,  to  have  said.  Brother,  instead  of 
 Lord,  in  John  xxi.  15,  20,  7  (see  Ibid.  xiii.  13).  Even  James, 
 called  by  others  the  Lord^s  brother,  calls  himself  the  servant  of 
 God  and  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  James  i.  1.  Jude  also,  in 
 the  first  verse  of  his  epistle,  calls  himself  the  servant  of  Jesus 
 Christ  and  brother  of  James ;  see  also  Matt,  xxiii.  8  ;  Luke 
 xxii.  32.  Amongst  mortals,  unequal  fraternity  is  so  maintained, 
 that  the  superior  friend  honours  the  inferior  by  the  title  of 
 brother ;  whilst  the  inferior  addi'esses  the  superior  by  his  title  of 
 honour.  Thus  also  the  heavenly  court  has  its  own  etiquette, 
 without  any  conflict  between  humility  and  confidence.  Thus, 
 also,  the  appellation  oi  friend  appears  one-sided,  so  that  the  Lord 
 calls  His  own,  'friends,^'  but  is  not  so  called  by  them  :  see  John 
 XV.  15.  We  must  except  the  faith  whose  freedom  of  speech  at- 
 tains to  that  of  the  Canticles. — ruv  ikayjsrm,  of  the  least)  sc. 
 outwardly,  or  even  inwardly.  A  certain  species  is  pointed  out 
 in  the  whole  genus  of  saints  :  there  are  some  who  have  received, 
 others  who  have  conferred  favours. — 'E/j^o/  moiri(SaTi,ye'have  done 
 it  unto  Me)  not  merely  to  Me  also,  but  TO  Me  absolutely ;  cf. 
 cud;  'E/xo/  iToiTiffars,  neither  have  ye  done  it  unto  Me,  ver.  45. 
 
 41.  Tors,  X.T.X.,  then,  etc.)  And  then  the  righteous  shall  im- 
 mediately, by  virtue  of  the  word  "  come,'"  sit  on  kingly  thrones 
 (regaliter)  as  assessors  in  the  judgment  on  the  cursed. — zb 
 y-jToifLadfLsvcv,  ichich  is  prepared)  Thus  is  Is.  xxx.  33.  At  the 
 time  of  this  judgment  the  devil  will  be  already  in  hell ;  see  Eev. 
 XX.  10-13 ;  cf.  2  Pet.  iii.  7,  fin. 
 
 ^  Puerulos — vuilioe,  being  the  plural  of  T^uiolav,  which  is  the  diminutive 
 of  ^«<V.— (I.  B.) 
 
446  ST  MATTHEW  XXV.  42-46. 
 
 42.   oOx,  x.r.'k.,  not,  etc.)  Sins  of  omission. 
 
 44.  Ka/  axjTot,  K.r.'k.,  theij  also,  etc.)  The  process  is  distinctly 
 described  :  they  will  answer  either  altogether  or  one  by  one. — 
 Tors,  X.T.X.,  when,  etc.)  The  ignorance  of  the  wicked,  and  their 
 endeavour  to  justify  themselves,  will  remain  up  to  that  time. 
 
 45.  Tourwv  rujv  WayJcTm,  of  the  least  of  these)  Our  Lord  does 
 not  add.  My  brethren,  as  in  ver.  40.  The  wicked  are  ignorant 
 of  the  relation  which  the  righteous  stand  in  to  Christ,  and  will 
 remain  so. 
 
 46.  'A-rs/Vfjcovra/,  shall  depart)  The  place  of  judgment  is  dis- 
 tinct from  the  places  into  which  the  two  classes  will  severally 
 depart. — xoXaaiv,  punishment^)  There  is  a  difference  between 
 Ti/Mupia,  vengeance,  and  KoXaaig,  pu7iishment ;  for  punishment  is 
 inflicted  for  the  sake  of  him  who  suffers  :  vengeance  for  the  satis- 
 faction of  him  who  inflicts  it;  see  Arist.  Rhet.  i.  10,  n.  31.^ — 
 arJiviov,  eternal)  Eternal^  signifies  that  which  reaches  and  passes  the 
 limits  of  earthly  time  :  cf.  Gnomon  on  Rom.  xvi.  25. — o'l  b),  x.r.X., 
 hut  the,  etc.)  Christ  the  King  shall  first  address  the  righteous,  in 
 the  hearing  of  the  unrighteous ;  but  the  unrighteous  shall  first 
 depart,  in  the  sight  of  the  righteous  ;  see  ch.  xiii.  49,  50.  Thus 
 the  damned  will  see  nothino;  of  eternal  life,  though  the  rio-hteous 
 will  see  the  vengeance  inflicted  on  the  damned. — d/xaioi,  righteous) 
 declared  to  be  so  by  this  very  judgment. 
 
 ^  "  Of  fire,  see  ver.  41.  Righteous  King,  grant  that  I  may  hereafter  find 
 myself  standing  on  the  right  hand." — B.  G.  V. 
 
 2  In  the  Oxford  edition  of  1833,  I.  10,  §  17.— I.  B. 
 
 '  The  Bible  has  no  metaphysical  distinctions,  therefore  it  has  no  o?3e  word 
 to  express  eternity  ;  this  it  expresses  by  long  periods  joined  with  one  another 
 indefinitely.  Aluve;  =  ^^^'^'J,  ceva:  very  long  periods,  which,  multiplied 
 indefinitely,  give  the  only  notion  we  can  form  of  eternity.  'Tipu  (Th.  opo;, 
 terminus),  a  definite  space  of  time:  x,a,tp6g^the  i\vac,i\\(i  fit  Xm\c:  xpovos, 
 time,  m  its  actuality,  marking  succession  :  ecluu,  an  indefinite  course  of  time, 
 without  the  notion  of  an  end.  See  Tittm.  Syn.  Gr.  Test.  'Att'  ociui/uv  = 
 from  all  eternity,  a  parte  ante.  Eig  rov;  ctiuvocg  =  to  all  eternity,  for  ages, 
 for  ever,  a  parte  post.  As  these  phrases  are  applied  to  the  eternity  of  God 
 Himself,  and  as,  moreover,  oclumo;  is  applied  to  ^w/j,  which  none  deny  to 
 mean  cverlasti^ig  life,  no  objections  (such  as  have  been  lately  raised),  from 
 the  meaning  of  mluv,  will  hold  good  against  the  everlasting  duration  or 
 punishment. — El). 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  1-S,  447 
 
 CHAPTEK  XXVL 
 
 1.  'Er'iXias  cravraj,  ended  all)  He  had  said  all  that  He  had  to 
 say.  He  did  not  enter  on  his  Passion  sooner,  or  defer  it  later 
 than  this  point.  A  regular  systematic  plan  of  our  Lord's  Dis- 
 courses may  be  produced  from  the  Harmony  of  the  Gospels. 
 
 2.  MsTcc  duo  v/Mspag,  after  tioo  days)  Our  Lord  foretold  His 
 death  by  various  measures  of  time.^  %ai,  and)  sc.  and  therefore, 
 as  this  time  is  suitable  for  the  transaction. — rrapccdidorai,  is  be- 
 trayed)  The  present  tense.  Our  Lord  was  preparing  Himself 
 entirely^  for  suffering,  and  His  enemies  were  labouring  to  effect 
 the  same  object :  see  Mark  xiv.  1. 
 
 3.  Ivvrjy^riaav,  were  gathered  together)  Thus  also  in  ver.  57,  and 
 ch.  xxvii.  1,  17,  27,  62 ;  cf.  Luke  xxii.  66 ;  Matt,  xxviii.  12 ; 
 Acts  iv.  5,  26,  27. — o'l  dpyjipiTg,  the  chief  priests)  They  took  the 
 principal  part  in  that  matter  ;  they  were  supported,  however,  by 
 the  scribes,  the  lawyers,  and  the  elders  of  the  people,  who  formed 
 the  remainder  of  the  Jewish  council. — roZ  Xsyo/^ivov,  who  was 
 called)  St  Matthew  wrote  for  readers  of  times  and  places,  in 
 which  the  names  of  Caiaphas  and  Judas  (see  ver.  14)  would  not 
 be  known  from  any  other  source.^ 
 
 '  Just  as  there  is  said  to  be  a  space  of  three  days  from  the  evening  of 
 Friday  to  the  dawn  of  light  on  the  Lord's  day  :  so  here  a  space  of  two  days 
 is  said  to  intervene  between  Wednesday  and  Thursday,  which  latter  was  the 
 day  of  the  Passover  and  of  unleavened  hread^  Mark  viii.  31,  xiv.  11,  12.  So 
 among  the  Romans  sometimes  the  expression  ante  diem  Secundum  Kalendas 
 means  the  same  as  pridie  Kal.  Matthew  narrates,  in  an  abbreviated  and 
 condensed  form,  the  delivering  up  of  Jesus  to  he  crucified.  His  being  de- 
 livered up  was  accomplished  step  by  step  :  through  the  instrumentality  of 
 Judas  on  the  night  of  Thursday ;  through  Caiaphas  on  the  following  morn- 
 ing ;  and  through  Pilate,  after  about  two  hours  having  intervened.  Thus  we 
 come  from  the  betrayal  to  the  crucifixion. — Harm.,  p.  487.  The  day 
 (Thursday)  which  intervened  between  this  speech  of  oiu:  Lord  and  the  cruci- 
 fixion is  mentioned  in  ver.  17. — V.  g. 
 
 2  In  the  original,  "  Totum  se  comparabat  Jesus  ad  patiendum. — (I.  B.) 
 '  This  remark  holds  good  rather  of  the  present  Greek  translation,  subse- 
 quently written  for  more  general  circulation,  than  of  the  original  Hebrew 
 
448  ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  4-7. 
 
 4.  A6/.W,  hy  craft)  An  unworthy  consultation. 
 
 5.  ' "Ev  r^  iopTri,  in  the  feast^)  Even  then!  They  wished  to 
 delay  the  matter  until  the  people,  who  were  then  collected  in 
 ijreat  numbers  on  account  of  the  Passover,  should  have  departed, 
 after  the  conclusion  of  the  festival.  But  as  the  traitor  offered 
 his  services,  they  cast  delay  aside.  Thus  the  Divine  counsel  was 
 fulfilled. — rw  'Ka'jj,  the  people)  who  acknowledged  Jesus  as  a  Pro- 
 phet, and  were  then  assembled  in  great  numbers. 
 
 7.  '  AXd^affrpov,  alabaster)  Eather  of  thin  stone  than  glass, 
 otherwise  it  could  not  have  been  (see  Mark  xiv.  3)  broken  with- 
 out inflicting  wounds. — 'iyjavea,  having)  She  had  one  alabaster- 
 box,  and  did  not  know  how  to  employ  it  better. — avay.BiiMhov,  as 
 He  reclined)  at  table.^ — Others  were  anointed  after   death ;  it 
 
 Gosp.  of  St  Matthew,  written  especially  for  the  Jews,  to  whom  the  names 
 Caiaphas  and  Judas  would  be  familiar. — Ed. 
 
 1  Ver.  6.  eu  BYidmuici,  in  Bethany)  No  doubt  the  banquet  or  supper,  with 
 its  attendant  circumstances,  and  the  anointing,  were  one  and  the  same, 
 which  are  specified  by  John  in  the  regular  order  of  time,  ch.  xii.  1,  etc.,  but 
 by  Matthew  and  Mark  merely  incidentally  in  passing.  The  anointing  ex- 
 cited the  indignation  of  Judas  ;  and,  after  he  had  cherished  it  in  his  bosom 
 for  several  days,  Satan  suggested  to  him  the  act  of  betrayal,  and  in  person 
 took  possession  of  the  wretched  man.  It  cannot  readily  be  supposed,  1)  that 
 it  was  some  other  woman  rather  than  Mary,  the  one  so  pre-eminently  be- 
 loved by  the  Saviour,  who  obtained  the  promise  of  her  deed,  nay,  even  her 
 own  self,  being  had  in  remembrance  [ver.  13] :  for,  in  fact,  of  no  other  woman 
 whatsoever,  save  Mary,  is  tlce  name  recorded  in  connection  with  this  event. 
 Also,  it  is  rather  hard  to  credit,  2)  that  the  pious  disciples  would  have  em- 
 ployed afresh  [ver.  8],  within  a  few  days  after,  the  pretext  [John  xii.  5,  6] 
 concerning  the  300  pence  which  might  have  been  given  to  the  poor  by  the 
 sale  of  the  ointment, — a  pretext  which,  when  employed  by  Judas,  our  Lord 
 liad  confuted  with  such  force.  Finally,  3)  Jesus  declared  the  very  day  of 
 the  anointing,  as  marked  by  John,  to  be  the  one  and  only  day  of  His  being 
 made  ready  thereby /or  His  burial:  there  cannot,  therefore,  be  any  second 
 day,  in  Matthew  and  Mark,  of  His  being  in  that  same  condition  [viz.  of  being 
 made  ready  for  burial].  Nor,  besides,  is  there  anything  to  forbid  the  sup- 
 position, that  all  things  which  John  records  happened  in  the  house  of  Simon 
 the  leper,  and  that  Mary  anointed  with  the  precious  ointment,  first  the  head, 
 then  also  the  feet  of  the  Saviour  ;  which  facts  John  states  in  an  altbreviated 
 form,  as  intending  to  record  the  wiping  of  His  feet  with  the  hairs  of  her 
 head. — Harm.,  p.  493,  etc. 
 
 -   E.Y.  As  He  sat  at  meat.— (I.  B.) 
 
 K«(  KXTix--^i  «"f^  ]>ovrcd  it  doivn)  The  mode  of  anointing  in  such  a  case 
 is  more  readily  understood,  when  it  is  taken  into  consideration  that  the  an- 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVI,  8-13.  449 
 
 behoved  Christ  rather  to  be  anointed  whilst  Hving :  after  His 
 death  it  was  needless. 
 
 8.  ' A'ru)Xiia,,  waste)  or  perdition. — Nay,  thou,  Judas,  art  [the 
 son]  of  Perdition  ;^  see  John  xvii.  12. 
 
 9.  'HdvvaTo,  might)  The  disciples  exhibit  in  this  instance  great 
 ignorance  of  comparative  theology. — roTg  •zruyjuc,^  to  the  'poor) 
 Which  is,  generally  speaking,  a  right  employment  of  our  means  ;* 
 see  ch.  xix.  21,  and  Luke  xix.  8. 
 
 10.  T/  xliiroxjg  ita^'i'^iTz  ttj  yvvaixi,  Why  trouble  ye  the  tvoman  f) 
 For  it  is  a  trouble  to  be  doubtful  in  one's  conscience,  not  only 
 concerning  a  thing  to  be  done  hereafter  (see  Rom.  xiv.  15),  but 
 also  concerning  a  thing  already  done. — rjj  yvmixt,  the  ivoman) 
 The  disciples  acted  with  incivility  towards  the  Lord  Himself; 
 but  this  He  finds  less  fault  with  than  the  annoyance  given  to 
 the  woman. — xaXov,  good)  Although  she  was  not  herself  aware 
 that  she  had  done  so  well.  The  simplicity  of  an  action  does  not 
 detract  fi'om  its  goodness.*  It  was  not  waste  with  regard  to 
 the  poor  (ver.  11)  nor  the  disciples  (Mark  xiv.  7,  middle  of 
 the  verse),  nor  the  woman  (ver.  13),  nor  the  Lord  Himself 
 (ver.  12). 
 
 12.  BaXoDffa,  in  that  she  hath  poured)  The  word  implies  pro- 
 fusion.— '!Tphg  TO  e]/Taipidsat  Ms,  for  My  burial)  These  words  inti- 
 mate that  His  death  was  certain  and  near  at  hand.  The  verb 
 ev-afiatitv  does  not  mean  "  to  place  in  the  sepulchre,^'  but  "  to 
 prepare  for  the  sepulchred  The  svra<piasfji.og  of  Jacob  (Gen.  1.  2, 
 S.  V.)  took  place  in  Egypt,  his  sepulture  afterwards  [in  Canaan]. 
 
 13.  To  ihayyi'ktov  rovro,  this  Gospel)  i.e.  which  Christ  preached.'' 
 —  XaXridrifferai,  shall  be  spoken  of)  And  so  it  is.  This  saying  of 
 our  Lord  was  both  heard  and  afterwards  committed  to  writing 
 by  St  Matthew.     Its  fulfilment  furnishes  a  proof  of  the  truth  of 
 
 cients  rather  lay  reclined  at  table  than  sat  at  it.  They  had  couches  fur- 
 nished with  cushions,  and  they  lay  in  such  a  posture  as  that  their  feet  rested 
 backwards. — V.  g. 
 
 '  In  the  original,  both  Greek  and  Latin,  the  same  word  is  used  to  express 
 Waste  and  Perdition. — (I.  B.) 
 
 2  And  that  such  was  the  practice  of  the  disciples  is  evident  from  this  very 
 passage. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  For  often  an  action  is  either  worse  or  better  than  the  agent  himself  had 
 supposed  ;  ch.  xxv.  38,  44  ;  Heb.  xiii.  2. — V.  g. 
 
 *  He  speaks  humbly  and  modestly. — V.  g. 
 
 VOL.  I.  F  F 
 
4S0  ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.   14-17. 
 
 Christianity.  No  earthly  monarch  can  bestow  immortality  on 
 any  action,  even  though  he  employ  all  his  wealth  and  power  to 
 do  so. — ^/ivjj^o'fft/vov,  a  memorial)  The  memory  of  the  godly  may 
 flourish,  even  though  their  names  be  unknown.' 
 
 14.  Uopevdsig,  departing^)  The  disciples  were  not  under  re- 
 straint.    The  wicked  could  depart  when  he  would. 
 
 15.  "Eerriffav,  they  weighed  out^)  The  lxx.  frequently  render 
 the  l^ehvQ^  bp^  (to  weigh  out,  or  pay)  by  'iaTnfiij  and  in  Zech. 
 xi.  12,  where  the  prediction  occurs  concerning  these  thirty 
 pieces  of  silver,  the  very  word  'iarriaav  is  found. —  rpiaxovra  dpyvpia, 
 thirty  pieces  of  silver)  Such  was  the  value  of  a  slave,  in  Exod. 
 xxi.  32  ;  that  of  a  freeman  was  double. 
 
 17.  T5j  di  -zpcLrTi  Tuv  a'i^v/jLuv,  now  Oil  the  first  day  of  unleavened 
 bread)  It  was  now  Thursday,  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  first 
 month  ;*  cf.  Exod.  xii.  6,  15. — vov,  where  ?)  They  ask  not 
 whether,  but  ivhere,  they  should  prepare  the  Passover.^     Jesus 
 
 ^  Comp.,  however,  John  xii.  3  [from  which  it  seems  the  name  of  the 
 woman  is  known,  viz.  Mary],  and  footnote  on  ver.  6  above,  extracted  from 
 the  Harm.  Ev.  :  and  again,  the  Gnomon  on  Luke  xxiv.  IS. — E.  B. 
 
 -  Judas  departed,  doubtless,  about  the  nightfall  of  Wednesday.  On  that 
 very  night,  being  possessed  by  Satan,  he  seems,  as  we  have  reason  to  think, 
 to  have  had  an  interview  with  our  Lord's  adversaries,  but  on  the  following  day 
 to  have  fixed  with  them  on  the  further  proceedings. — Harm.,^.  496. 
 
 *  In  the  original  Gnomon  no  rendering  is  given  for  eary.axv.  In  his 
 Harmony,  Bengel  renders  it  bieten — t/ict/  tendered,  or  proffered  ;  in  his  German 
 Version  schicsse)i— -which  seems  to  mean  "  t/iey  threw,  counting  it  as  they  threw 
 it."     Engl.  Vers,  has,  ^' they  cove7iantcd  with  him /or." — (I.  B.) 
 
 Beng.  seems  to  take  (armccv  in  the  sense  "  thej/  iveighed  out  to  him."  So 
 tarnf^i  is  found  used  in  Homer's  Iliad  xix.  24",  xxii.  350)  more  than  once; 
 lit.,  I  place  in  the  balance,  I  poise. — Ed. 
 
 *  Nisan  14,  April  4.     Greswell. — (I.  B.) 
 
 On  which  they  were  bound  to  put  away  all  leaven ;  and  so  the  consump- 
 tion of  the  paschal  lamb  could  not  be  put  oft'  beyond  24  hours,  to  the  even- 
 ing of  the  Friday. — Harm.,  p.  49!). 
 
 ^  Nor  even  do  tliey  say.  When  f  all  that  they  were  concerned  about  was 
 the  supper-room  where.  Moreover,  we  may  reasonably  infer  that  the  Jews 
 also,  and  not  Jesus  alone,  celebrated  the  panchal  feast  on  the  evening  of 
 Thursday,  from  the  fact — 1)  That  otherwise  the  disciples  would  undoubtedly 
 have  been  censured  by  the  Jews  at  the  close  of  the  Friday,  for  omitting  to 
 keep  the  Passover,  which  they  were  not  ;  and  2)  Because,  on  the  year  on 
 which  Christ  suffered,  the  conjunction  of  the  Moon  and  Sun,  before  the  Pass- 
 over, fell  on  Wednesday,  and  therefore  the  new  moon  and  Passover  itself 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  18-24.  451 
 
 was  wont  to  perform  all  things  which  were  enjoined  by  the  law. 
 — 2o/,  for  Thee)  Jesus  was  as  the  father  of  a  family,  surrounded 
 by  the  family  of  His  disciples. 
 
 18.  Toe  hu)ia,  a  certain  man)  This  word  is  put  instead  of  a 
 proper  name.^ — 6  Aihasxa'koi,  the  Master)  Therefore  the  host  in 
 question  was  a  disciple,  but  not  one  of  the  Twelve. — o  xaipog  Mo-j, 
 My  time)  which  I  have  long  foreseen  and  foretold,  when  I  shall 
 suffer. — -ro/w  to  rrdc'/ay  k.t.X.,  I  celebrate  the  Passover,  etc.)  A  cour- 
 teous mode  of  announcing  the  fact  to  that  ready  disciple  at 
 whose  house  the  Master  was  about  to  celebrate  the  Passover.  It 
 is  astonishing  that  some  learned  men  should  have  called  in  ques- 
 tion, or  denied  the  fact,  of  our  Lord's  having  then  celebrated  the 
 Passover;  see  ver.  17— 19,  the  commencement  of  ver.  30,  and 
 Luke  xxii.  7,  8,  12,  14,  15. 
 
 23.^  'O  l/x/3a-4^as,  he  that  clippeth)  The  use  of  the  same  small 
 dish,  of  which  there  were  several  on  the  table,  and  the  dipping 
 of  the  sop  in  it  at  the  same  moment  with  our  Lord,  was  to  be 
 the  distincti\e  mark  of  the  traitor  ;  see  ver.  25.  St  Mark  uses 
 BfjLfSuTrro/ji.ivog  (present  part,  middle)  to  denote  the  same  idea 
 which  St  Matthew  expresses  by  B,'j.l3d-^ag  (1st  Aor.  part,  act.)  ; 
 The  former  therefore  employs  the  present  in  an  indefinite 
 sense. 
 
 24.  'T'Trdysi,  goeth)  Through  Passion  to  Glory. — y.ai^cijc  yiypw^r- 
 rai,  as  it  is  ivritten)  And  therefore  the  woe  does  not  aftect  the 
 
 could  not  be  thrust  forward  to  the  Sahbath-daj/ .  There  is  to  be  added,  3) 
 the  consideration  that  the  supper,  which  is  recorded  even  by  John,  ch.  xiii. 
 1,  2,  was  celebrated  on  Thursday,  immediately  before  the  feast  of  the  Pass- 
 over.— Harm.,  p.  501,  502. 
 
 '  i.e.  Our  Lord  mentioned  the  man's  name,  though  St  Matthew  has 
 omitted  it.— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  Ver.  21.  xi/^h  'htyu  {/{/.Iv,  Verilj/  I  say  unto  you)  Our  Lord  inserted 
 His  complaint  as  to  the  approaching  treachery  and  uncleanness  [John  xiii. 
 10]  of  Judas  in  His  discourses  connected  with  the  washing  of  the  disciples' 
 feet,  and  with  the  Lord's  Supper,  on  the  following  day  ;  but  on  both  days 
 the  inquiry  of  the  disciples  as  to  the  traitor,  follows  immediately  after  that 
 complaint  which  He  uttered.  Both  the  complaint  and  inquiry  of  the  second 
 day  are  placed  in  Matthew  and  Mark,  before  the  Lord's  Supper  :  in  Luke 
 they  are  placed  after  it.  They  are,  therefore,  to  be  regarded  as  simul- 
 taneous with  it — that  is  to  say,  the  institution  of  the  Supper  held  a  middle 
 place  between  the  beginning  and  continuation  (progress)  of  the  complaint 
 and  inquiry. — Harm.,  p.  510,  511. 
 
452  ST   MATTHEW  XXVI.  25^  2<5. 
 
 Son  of  Man.  A  consolatory  consideration. — ouai  5e,  but  woe  !) 
 The  Divine  foreknowledge  of  the  traitor's  sin  does  not  diminish 
 its  heinousness. — szilvw,  to  that  man)  ;  concerning  which  very 
 man  also  it  has  been  loi'itten. — irapahiborat,  is  betrayecV)  By  this 
 word  something  further  is  added  to  uTdyn,  goeth. — u  oh-/. 
 lyivv^On,  if  he  had  not  been  born)  sc.  if  he  either  had  not  been 
 conceived,  or  had  died  before  his  birth;  see  Job  iii.  2,  10,  11. 
 This  phrase  does  not  necessarily  imply  the  interminable  eternity 
 of  perdition  :  for  it  is  a  proverbial  expression  ;  cf.  Luke  xxiii.  29  ; 
 Ecclus.  xxiii.  19  (Gr.  ver.  14).'  Judas  obtains  a  situation  of 
 exclusively  pre-eminent  misery  amongst  the  souls  of  the  damned. 
 For  so  long  a  time  he  accompanied  our  Lord,  not  without 
 sharing  the  sorrows  connected  therewith ;  a  little  before  the 
 joyful  Pentecost  he  died. — 6  avSpwTrog  h.uvog,  "  that"  man)  The 
 words,  "  that  man^^  might  seem  a  predicate.  That  is  the  de- 
 signation of  one  who  is  considered  already  far  off. 
 
 25.^  'Va^^ I,  Master)  It  is  not  recorded  in  Scripture  that  Judas 
 ever  called  Jesus,  Lord.— c;)  tl-rag,  thou  hast  said)  A  formula  of 
 replying  affirmatively,  first  to  those  who  affirm,  thence  also  to 
 those  who  enquire,  when  the  interrogation  is  taken  away  (as 
 though  it  were  a  mode)  and  the  sentence  is  left  categorical.* 
 The  question  is  asked,  "  Judas  is  the  traitor  V^  the  inteiToga- 
 tion  is  taken  away,  and  the  categorical  reply  remains :  "  Judas 
 IS  the  traitor."  A  similar  form  of  expression  is  found  in  Ex. 
 X.  29,  mm  p.  So  it  is  as  thou  hast  said;'*'  cf.  1  Kings  xx.  40, 
 and  Gnomon  on  ver.  64. 
 
 26.  ^'EaOiCvToiv  OS  alrujvj  And  as  theif  icere  eating)  As  in  ver.  21. 
 
 1  In  the  Lxx.  and  Kiig.  Vers,  it  stands  as  the  14th,  in  the  Vulgate  as  the 
 19th  verse.— (I.  B.) 
 
 A  degree  of  misery  is  here  awarded  to  him  greater  than  tliat  which  is  set 
 forth  in  eh.  xviii.  6. — V.  g. 
 
 2  fA-iiTi  iyc.)  u/Lii,  Is  it  I?  [Surely  it  is  not  I  ?]  Hypocrites  counterfeit  by 
 imitation  that  which  the  sincere-hearted  speak  under  the  influence  of  genuine 
 love. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  i.e.  a  simple  and  ab.soluto  affirmation. — (I.  B.) 
 
 Categorical,  naked,  and  absolute,  as  opposed  to  a  sentence  in  which  there 
 is  a  "  modus,"  i.e.  some  accompanying  expression  of  feeling,  thanksgiving, 
 &prai/er,  or  such  like.     See  Append,  on  Sermo  Modalis. — En. 
 
 *  S.  V.  VJio-fiKoi.;,  thou  hast  said. — E.  V.  T/iou  hast  spoken  well. — 
 (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  26.  453 
 
 Judas^  therefore  was  present ;-  cf.  the  crcli/rss,  x.t.x.  {all,  etc.)  in 
 Mark  xiv.  23,  and  irXriv,   x.r.X.  {hut,  etc.)  in  Luke  xxii.   21. — 
 
 1  i.e.  In  ver.  21  it  is  said,  "And  as  they  were  eating,  He  said, 
 "  Verify,  I  say  unto  you  that  one  of  you  (sc.  of  those  who  were  then  at  table) 
 shall  betray  Me."  The  repetition  of  the  expression,  And  as  they  were  eat- 
 iiiy,  implies,  in  Bengel's  opinion,  that  the  act  was  continuous,  and  that  those 
 spoken  of  in  ver.  21,  concerning  whom  it  was  said  that  one  of  them  should 
 betray  our  Lord,  were  all,  including  the  traitor,  still  present. — (I.  B.) 
 
 -  I  will  state,  in  a  summary  form,  the  arguments,  independent  of  the  one 
 given  above,  on  which  this  proposition  which  I  maintain,  rests : — 
 
 1.  If  Judas  had  departed  before  the  singing  of  the  hymn,  he  would  have 
 been  doing  the  same  as  if  one  in  the  present  day  were  to  depart  before  the 
 offering  of  the  grace  and  prayers  at  the  close  of  a  banquet,  and  would  have 
 thereby  the  more  disclosed  his  atrocious  design. 
 
 2.  During  the  continuance  of  our  Lord's  supplications  on  the  Mount  of 
 Olives,  Judas  had  no  lack  of  time  sufficient  for  bringing  the  cohort  to  effect 
 his  purpose. 
 
 3.  Luke,  ch.  xxii.  21,  immediately  subjoins  after  the  words  of  the 
 Institution,  these  words,  But,  nevertheless  (^Asjv),  behold  the  hand  of  him 
 that  hetrayeth  Me  is  with  Me  on  the  table  ;  and  as  this  very  complaint  is 
 placed  before  the  Lord's  Supper  by  Matthew  and  Mark,  these  speeches 
 [that  as  to  Judas,  and  that  in  which  the  Institution  took  place]  cannot  be 
 severed  from  one  another. 
 
 4.  To  explain  our  Lord's  words  (Luke  xxii.  21)  of  the  table,  in  the  sense, 
 the  counting-board  [of  the  chief  priests]  on  which  Judas'  hand  was  laid,  with 
 Jesus  as  the  merchandize  which  he  offered  for  sale,  is  out  of  place  ;  for  (1) 
 It  is  not  the  seller  that  is  said  to  be  with  the  merchandize,  but  the  mer- 
 chandize with  the  seller  [whereas  Jesus  says  that  Judas  is  with  Him] ;  (2) 
 Thirty  pieces  of  silver  was  not  so  large  a  sum  as  to  suggest  the  idea  of  a 
 counting-board  or  banking-table  ;  (3)  The  money  had  been  already  reckoned 
 out  to  Judas,  Matt.  xxvi.  15  ;  (4)  The  /Sov,  Behold.,  Luke  xxii.  21,  implies, 
 in  fact,  the  presence  of  the  traitor,  as  reclining  at  the  same  banqueting  table 
 with  Jesus  (comp.  Luke  xxii.  30,  xvi.  21),  and  dipping  his  hand  in  the 
 dish. 
 
 5.  The  words  tt'Atiu  i'hov,  But,  nevertheless,  behold,  being  taken  in  their 
 usual  sense,  are  we  to  say  that  the  traitor  was  driven  aivay  from  the  bread 
 and  the  cup  after  these  had  been  blessed  ?  But  Mark,  after  having  made 
 mention  of  the  twelve,  ch.  xiv.  17,  immediately  subjoins  the  statement,  that 
 they  ALL  drank  of  the  cup,  ver.  23,  with  which  comp.  Matt.  xxvi.  27. 
 
 6.  If  you  say,  the  traitor  was  known  to  John  or  even  to  Peter  already,  on 
 the  preceding  day,  how,  then,  is  it  that  they,  not  till  now,  one  by  one,  are 
 represented  as  having  said.  Is  it  I?  For,  in  fact,  when  John,  in  a  covert 
 way,  made  enquiry,  it  was  in  a  secret  manner  that  the  traitor  was  disclosed 
 to  him  :  and  as  to  his  having  informed  Peter  of  the  fact,  it  is  easier  to  sus- 
 pect than  to  affirm  this.    The  remaining  nine  disciples  did  not  even  observe 
 
454  ST  .AfATTHEW  XXVI.  26. 
 
 XaSuv,  tahimj)  sc,  in  His  hand.  This  implies  the  supreme  dig- 
 nity of  the  holy  supper  ;  cf.  John  iv.  2? — rhv  aprov,  the  bread) 
 which  was  at  hand.— suXo/jjs-a?,  having  blessed)  In  the  next 
 verse  we  find  ihyjipiarriaaf,  having  given  thanks  (corresponding  to 
 the  Hebrew  I"i3).  Each  verb  explains  the  other.  He  gave 
 thanks  to  the  Father,  and  at  the  same  time  blessed  the  bread 
 and  also  the  wine  by  the  act  of  giving  of  thanks  and  by  prayer ; 
 cf.  Luke  ix.  16;  John  vi.  11;  1  Cor.  xiv,  IG,  17. — sxXaffs, 
 brake)  after  blessing  it  (post  benedictionem)  :  which  is  incon- 
 sistent with  the  notion  of  transubstantiation.  For  an  accident, 
 as  the  Romanists  declare  the  bread  to  be  after  it  has  been  blessed 
 (post  benedictionem),  cannot  be  broken. — xai  sbldou,  and  gave) 
 Our  Lord  is  not  said  Himself  to  have  eaten  and  drunk  on  this  oc- 
 casion :  since  not  for  Himself  was  His  body  being  given,  nor  His 
 blood  being  shed. — Aa/Sers,  Take)  Who  could  have  taken  ("  re- 
 ceived") if  the  Lord  had  not  instituted  it?  Cf.  John  iii.  27. — 
 Tovro,  This)  sc.  in  opposition  to  the  shadows  of  the  Old  Dispensa- 
 tion ;  as  much  as  to  say,  you  have  Me,  My  actual  self;  This,  sc. 
 which  I  command  you  to  take :  for  it  is  immediately  followed 
 by  My  blood,  which  is  of  the  New  Testament.— 2w,aa,  Body, 
 must  be  taken  as  literally  as  AJ/xa,  blood.  The  separate  distri- 
 bution, however,  of  His  body  and  blood  represents  the  actual 
 death  ^  of  our  Lord,  in  which  His  blood  was  drawn  forth  fi'om 
 His  body.     The  benediction  preceded  and  precedes  the  utter- 
 
 the  nod  of  Peter  [beckonin;?  to  John  to  ask  the  Lord]  :  therefore  both  the 
 question  of  John  and  tlie  reply  of  the  Lord  escaped  their  notice,  John 
 xiii.  28. 
 
 7.  That  the  traitor  should  have  been  vouchsafed  the  washing  of  feet,  is  a 
 circumstance  almost  as  astonishing  as  his  being  admitted  to  the  Lord's 
 iSupper  :  nor  does  even  the  permission  of  the  kiss,  given  for  the  purposes  of 
 treachery,  move  us  to  less  astonishment.  As  to  the  rest,  we  are  here  treating 
 only  of  a  question  of  historical  truth :  nor  is  it  our  intention  ever  to  uphold 
 the  cause  of  unfair  adapters  of  facts  to  their  own  aims  (perfidorum  cecono- 
 morum.) — Harm.,  p.  .'ill,  etc. 
 
 '  It  is  there  said,  "  Jksus  Himself  baptized  not."    It  is  here  said,  "  Jesus 
 
 TOOK  BKKAD,"  etC.  —  (I.   B.) 
 
 '  The  memory  of  which  ought  to  be  perpetuated  till  His  coming  again. — 
 B.  G.  v.,  ver.  29. 
 
 In  the  very  moment  of  death  Christ  approached  that  state  which  is 
 different  from  the  life  that  He  lived  before  His  death  and  after  Ilis  resur- 
 rection, and  thenceforward  for  ever  — Harm.,  p.  510. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  27,  28.  455 
 
 ance  of  the  words,  This  is  My  body.  We  readily  allow  that 
 there  is  an  allusion  to  the  formula  of  the  Jews,  who,  in  cele- 
 brating the  Passover,  when  asked  by  their  children.  What  is 
 this  ?  replied,  IJI  HDQ  b\^  ^^i  nr,  This  is  the  body  of  the  Lamb 
 which  our  fathers  ate  in  Egypt. — rh  sojfid  Mov,  My  body)  un- 
 derstand here  "  to  hmp  vimuv  biboiMvov"  which  is  given  for  you, 
 words  implied  in  ver.  28,  and  expressed  in  Luke  xxii.  19. — The 
 Evangelist  describes  the  matter  briefly,  as  being  well  known 
 by  the  practice  of  those  for  whom  he  writes.  The  expression, 
 "  This  do  in  remembrance  of  3/e"  (which  is  recorded  by  St 
 Luke),  is  implied  in  ver.  29. 
 
 27.  To  rrorrjpm,  the  cup)  The  same  which  was  there  already, 
 from  which  they  had  all  drunk. — -ravTig,  all)  Hence  it  is  clear 
 that  even  if  one  species^  were  sufficient,  it  must  rather  be  the 
 wine  than  the  bread.  Thus  also  in  1  Cor.  xi.  25,  the  expression 
 osay.i;,  as  often  as,  is  employed  in  the  mention  of  the  cup  [as 
 well  as  of  the  bread^.^  Scriptm*e  expressed  itself  thus,  fore- 
 seeing (Gal.  iii.  8)  what  Rome  would  do.^  The  disciples  then 
 represented  the  "  many"  (icoWuv)  who  are  mentioned  in  ver.  28, 
 where  the  reason  of  the  injunction  is  given.  Thus  "  many" 
 and  "  all"  are  used  together  in  1  Cor.  x.  17.  The  Holy  Supper 
 ought  not  to  be  a  matter  of  indifference  to  Christians. 
 
 28.  TouTo,  this)  The  true  blood  of  Christ  is  shown  to  be 
 actually  present,  just  as  the  blood  of  the  victims  was  in  the 
 Mosaic  formula  cited  in  Heb.  ix.  20 ;  for  that  formula  is  here 
 referred  to, — r^g  xaiv^g,  of  the  New)  in  contradistinction  to  the 
 Old :  see  Ex.  xxiv.  8,  sc.  "  And  Moses  took  the  blood,  and 
 sprinkled  it  on  the  people,  and  said  "  Behold  the  blood  of  the 
 covenant"  etc. — diad/ix.rig,  testament,  disposition,  dispensation) 
 Many  theologians  of  the  Reformed  Church,  and  some  even  of 
 the  Evangelical  communion,*  endeavoured  in  the  last  genera- 
 tion to  reduce  the  whole  scheme  of  Christian  doctrine  to  the 
 form    of  a   covenant:  a   method   pre-eminently   suited   to   the 
 
 *  The  word  is  here  used  in  the  technical  sense  in  which  Theologians  em- 
 ploy it  to  denote  separately  the  bread  and  wine,  in  contradistinction  to  each 
 other.— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  After  eating  the  bread,  the  drinking  of  the  cup  is  not  left  as  a  matter 
 of  our  own  option  to  do  or  not  do  as  we  think  fit. — V.  g. 
 '  Sc.  refuse  the  cup  to  the  Laity,  etc. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  In  Bengel,  Reformed  =  Calvinistic  :    Evangelical  =  LuiherB.u. — (I.  B.) 
 
456  ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.   29. 
 
 Jewish  theolog}' ;  but  Scripture  expresses  the  New  divine 
 economy  in  this  case,  as  it  is  wont  in  other  cases,  by  a  word 
 beloniTinfT  to  the  Old  scheme,  although  employed  in  a  sense  not 
 exactly  coinciding  with  its  original  meaning:  nor  can  we 
 easily  speak  of  the  New,  bia&n^n,  or  Dispensation  (Dispositio), 
 except  in  contrast  to  the  Old,  either  expressed  or  implied.  In 
 short,  the  very  words  iTin  and  diad7}x.ri  [by  which  the  Old  and 
 New  Dispensation  are  severally  indicated]  differ  from  each 
 other,  and  their  difference  corresponds  wonderfully  with  the 
 actual  state  of  the  case.  For  the  word  IT'ia  accords  more  with 
 the  Old  economy,  which  had  the  form  of  a  covenant,  whereas 
 diaOrixri  accords  more  with  the  New  economy,  which  has  the 
 form  of  a  testament ;  on  which  account  the  Talmudists  employ 
 the  Greek  word  ''p''n''''n  [hiaQrixri,  written  in  Hebrew  characters] 
 as  not  having  a  Hebrew  word  whereby  to  express  it.  But  the 
 idea  of  a  covenant  does  not  so  well  agree  with  that  entire  son- 
 ship  which  exists  under  the  New  Testament  dispensation.  Even 
 the  very  notion  of  a  testament,  will  at  last,  as  it  were,  come  to 
 an  end,  on  account  of  our  intimate  union  with  God  :  see  John 
 xvii.  21,  22,  and  1  Cor.  xv.  28. — mXXuv,  many)  even  beyond 
 the  limits  of  Israel. — IxyjjvhiM^ov,  which  is  being  shed)  The  present 
 tense.  There  is  the  same  potency  in  the  Holy  Supper,  as  if 
 in  that  self-same  moment  the  body  of  Christ  was  always  being 
 given,  and  His  blood  being  shed. — cipsiv  d/Mo.p'nSjv,  remission  oj 
 sins)  the  especial  blessing  of  the  New  Testament  dispensation. 
 [Eph.  i.  7,  E.  B.] 
 
 29.  Ai/w,  /  say)  Concerning  tho  order  of  these  words,  and 
 those  that  immediately  precede  them  :  cf.  Luke  xxii.  15, 16, 17, 
 etc.^ — air  apTi,  from  henceforth)  A  phrase  suitable  to  taking 
 leave. — ytnriiJi.a.TOC  r^g  d/M'^riXov,  of  the  p7'oduce  of  the  vine)  A 
 periphrasis  for  wine,  somewhat  different  from  the  common  lan- 
 
 *  If  you  compare  the  order  of  tlie  events  narrated,  as  contained  in  Luke, 
 with  that  which  we  have  in  Matthew  and  Mark,  our  Lord  seems  to  liave 
 combined  the  promise  of  eating  in  the  kingdom  of  God  (Luke  xxii.  16)  with 
 tlie  lamb  of  the  Passover  supper;  and  the  promise  of  the  drinking  anew  in 
 the  kingdom  of  God  with  the  cup  of  Ilis  (the  Lord's)  Snppcr  (Matt.  xxvi.  29  ; 
 Luke  xxii.  18),  and,  therefore,  to  have  closely  jdimd  to  one  another  ihcse 
 mysteries  [t  e.  the  symbolical  institutions,  the  Passover  and  the  Lord's  Sup- 
 per].— Hai-m.,  p.  609. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  30  457 
 
 guage  of  the  inhabitants  of  earth,  and  tlierefore  the  more 
 suitable  to  the  meaning  of  the  Saviour  who  was  about  to  leave 
 the  earth. — yswjj/xa  and  jhTiiJ.a  occur  in  the  LXX.,  also  pro- 
 miscuously, when  wine  and  the  vine  are  spoken  of. — laz  7-^5 
 ri'/ipai;  sziivrig  x.r.X.,  iintil  that  day,  etc.)  Which  had  been  fore- 
 told :  see  Luke  xxii.  16,  18,  30.  Hence  St  Paul  (1  Cor.  xi. 
 26)  draws  the  inference  that  "  as  often  as  ye  eat  this  bread  and 
 drink  this  cup,  ye  show  forth  the  Lord's  death  till  He  come." — 
 ai/ro,  it)  referring  to  the  produce  of  the  vine,  i.e.  toine,  evidently 
 of  heaven. — ytaivh,  neiv)  sc.  in  the  full  consummation  of  the 
 New  Testament.  This  new  is  placed  above  the  new  spoken  of 
 in  ver.  28.  See  the  Prelude  to  this  in  John  xxi.  12.^  The 
 Jewish  Passover  was  superseded  by  the  Lord's  Supper,  this 
 will  be  again  succeeded  by  further  things  of  a  heavenly  nature. 
 Elsewhere,  in  ch.ix.  17,  instead  of  "  -Aamg,"  we  find  "  vsof,"  ofvog, 
 new  loine  [where  nog  denotes  newness  of  vintage,  not  novelty  of 
 kind]  ;  but  y.amv  in  this  passage  evidently  implies  a  newness  in 
 nature,  not  in  age." — h  rrj  (Saff/Xsicc  rou  Uarphg  Mov,  in  My  Father' s 
 kingdom)  see  1  Cor.  xv.  24;  Luke  xxii.  16,  30.  Thomas 
 Gataker  considers  new  (xamv)  wine  to  be  the  same  as  'inpov, 
 different  (cf  Mark  xvi.  17,  with  Acts  ii.  4),^  so  as  to  denote 
 wine  of  a  kind  entirely  different  from  that  which  the  Lord  was 
 then  taking  with  His  disciples. 
 
 30.  'T/Mv^savTBg,  having  sung  a  hymn  or  hymns)  sc.  they  either 
 sang  or  recited*  Ps.  cxiii.,  cxiv.,  cxv.,  cxviii.,  cxxxvi.,  in  which  the 
 
 ^  Our  Lord's  dining  with  them  after  the  resurrection  is  a  prelude  to  their 
 hereafter  eating  and  drinking  at  His  table  in  His  kingdom,  Luke  xxii.  30. 
 —Ed. 
 
 ^  Kxiuoi,  new,  is  opposed  to  that  which  has  existed  long  and  been  in  use, 
 ex.  Gr.  if^ocriou  vx.'hcciov.  Matt.  ix.  16.  But  viog,  recent,  is  opposed  to  that 
 which  was  originated  some  time  back,  as  (nva-  ivuKoi.161;,  Luke  v.  39.  K«/>(Jv 
 is  in  Matt.  xxvi.  29,  applied  to  yivvntA.a.  r^;  d,u7reXov,  because  He  refers  to 
 another  wine  than  that  then  poured  out — a  wine  not  recent  but  different. 
 See  Tittm.  Syn.— Ed. 
 
 ^  For  the  y'Kuaua.n;  'kxT^'^aovai)/  x-ciii/xi;  of  Mark  answers  to  the  'hocT^fiv 
 irsoxt;  y'Kuaaoi.ii;  of  Acts. — Ed. 
 
 *  After  the  recital  of  the  hymn,  and  not  previously,  followed  those  things 
 which  John  records  in  his  chapters  xv.,  xvi.,  xvii.  ;  for  the  hymn  is  closely 
 connected  with  the  Passover  supper;  and  such  is  the  formula  of  connection^ 
 John  xviii.  1,  that  the  prayers  of  Jesus,  John  xvii.,  cannot  be  separated  from 
 His  departure  out  of  the  city  by  the  hymn.     We  may,  not  without  good 
 
458  ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  31-33. 
 
 mystery  of  Redemption  is  notably  expressed.  The  Jiymn  also 
 contained  the  words  which  are  quoted  in  ch.  xxi.  9,  42.  Our 
 Lord  is  frequently  said  to  have  prayed  while  on  earth ;  never 
 to  have  sung. 
 
 31.  UdvTig  IfisTg,  all  ye)  Our  Lord  had  before  foretold  the 
 crime  of  a  single  traitor. — exavdaXtad'/jffssde,  shall  be  offended)  So 
 that  your  faith  in  Me  shall  totter  exceedingly.  The  same  word 
 occurs  in  Kom.  xiv.  21. — yiypa-rra/,  it  is  loritten)  The  disciples 
 might  conclude  that  the  prediction  was  about  to  be  fulfilled  that 
 night,  from  the  conjunction  of  the  smiting  of  the  shepherd,  and 
 the  scattering  of  the  sheep,  —rrardt.u,  I  will  smite)  sc.  icith  the 
 swoi'd,  put  by  metonymy  for  the  Cross,  concerning  which  it  was 
 not  the  part  of  the  prophets  to  write  more  expressly.  In  Zee. 
 xiii.  7j  the  LXX.'^  have  Tara^ov  rhv  rroifi'svu,  xa!  diagxopTiGDrtffirai  rd 
 TpoSara,  smite  the  Shepherd,  and  the  sheep  shall  be  scattered. 
 God  smote  Jesus,  since  He  delivered  Him  to  be  smitten. — 
 diasxopmaOriffsTai,  shall  be  scattered)  The  whole  protection  of  the 
 disciples,  before  the  advent  of  the  Paraclete,  consisted  in  the 
 presence  of  Jesus ;  who  being  smitten,  they  were  dispersed. — 
 rd  rTp6(3ara,  the  sheep)  The  disciples  were  representatives  of  the 
 whole  flock  which  they  were  afterwards  to  collect. 
 
 32.  Upod^u,  1  will  go  before)  As  a  shepherd.  A  pastoral  ex- 
 pression.— TaXiXaiav,  Galilee)  Where  His  appearance  was  to  be 
 exceedingly  solemn  to  His  sheep  again  collected  together.  Our 
 Lord  says  to  those  who  had  come  up  with  Him  from  Galilee, 
 "  Before  you  return  home  from  the  feast  I  will  rise  from  the 
 dead." 
 
 33.^   E/'  xai  'rrdvng,  x.t.X.,  Even  though  all,  etc.)  He  might  rather 
 
 reason,  suppose  that  tlie  hymn  was  recited  whilst  they  were  yet  in  the  sup- 
 per room  ;  but  that  the  words  of  Jesus,  in  chapters  xv.  and  xvi.  of  John,  and 
 also  the  prayers,  ch.  xvii.,  were  spoken  in  the  open  air  (ver.  1,  "Jesus 
 lifted  up  His  eyes  to  heaven"),  in  the  court  of  the  house  where  He  had 
 supped,  and  within  the  city. — Harm.,  p.  622. 
 
 *  So  the  Ed.  of  Grabe  and  Breitinpjer  from  the  Cod.  Alexandr.  The  text 
 of  Reineccius  has  Traralare  rov;  Troi/aivxg,  x.ctt  txaxaaars  roe  7rpci/3etT«. 
 — E.  B. 
 
 ^  The  word  y.xl  is  pronounced  by  the  marrjin  of  both  Ed.  spurious;  but 
 the  Germ.  Vers,  answers  to  the  Gnomon. — K.  B. 
 
 ABCD«ie  omit  x.»],  readinfj  only  d.  Vuls:.,  however,  has  "  etsi  ;"  and 
 Orig.  4,  412c  ;  437a,  Hil.  742'7  read  d  kxI.—V.v. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  .'!4-37.  450 
 
 have  said — "  Even  though  no  one  else  should  deny  Thee,  yet 
 I  will  do  so." — ovd's-TTOTs,  never)  Not  merely,  not  this  night. 
 
 34.  'Ev  ravTY]  TT]  vaxri  in  this  very  night)  It  was  already  night ; 
 and  it  was  more  wonderful  that  this  should  happen  by  night 
 than  by  day. — '-ph,  before  that)  A  considerable  portion  of  the 
 night  remains  after  cock-crow.  Peter's  never,  therefore,  is  utterly 
 refuted. — aXixropaj  the  cock)  The  bird  here  intended  is  that 
 strictly  so  called,  cf.  Mark  xiii.  35;  see  3  Mace.  v.  23.  There 
 were  some  of  them  in  Jerusalem,  though,  as  Lightfoot  says,  they 
 were  few  in  number,  at  least  with  the  Jews.  They  could  not, 
 however,  prevent  the  Romans  from  having  them  ;  and  so  miich 
 the  more  wonderful,  therefore,  was  our  Lord's  prediction. — ■ 
 <pmri6a,i,  crow)  St  Mark  adds  big,  tivice.  The  sense  in  St 
 Matthew  is.  Before  the  cock  crow  once  thou  shalt  deny  Me,  and 
 thou  shalt  deny  Me  thrice. — rpic,,  thrice)  The  Saviour  knows  us 
 much  better  than  we  know  ourselves. — dTapvriSy],  thou  shalt  deny) 
 The  sin  of  the  mouth  shall  be  added  to  the  offence  of  the  heart. ^ 
 
 35.  AiyBi,  says)  With  a  sufficiently  determined  mind. — ov  fir,, 
 by  no  means'^)  Peter  therefore  acknowledges  denial  to  be  sin.^ — 
 ilxov,  they  said)  The  Saviour's  lenity  makes  no  further  reply. 
 
 36.  AuroD,  here)  (an  adverb).  Thus  the  LXX.  in  Numb.  ix.  8, 
 xxxii.  6. — crriTi  aurov,  x.r.X.,  "  stand  ye  HERE,"  etc. ;  and  lb.  xxxii. 
 6. — xal  u/j,sTg  xadriaiffk  aurou  ;  "  and  shall  ye  sit  HERE  ?" — 'iug  ov 
 aTiXdajv  '7rpo(!i{iE,o}/Mai,  whilst  I  go  and  pray)  Our  Lord  expresses 
 only  that  which  is  less  distressing  ;  He  maintains  a  reserve  with 
 regard  to  that  which  is  more  painful ;  cf.  Gen.  xxii.  5.  In  ver. 
 38  He  says — ypnyopiTn  [Mir  'Efiov,  Watch  loith  Me  ;  in  ver.  41. — 
 ypriyopiTn  zai  Trposiiiyjak,  ivatch  and  pray :  but  He  nowhere  says, 
 Pray  with  Me.  The  disciples  could  not  join  (on  an  equality) 
 with  Him  in  prayer.     There  is  One  Son  :  one  Mediator. 
 
 37.  XlapaXa/Sw!/,  taking  witli  Him)  As  witnesses  the  three  whom 
 He  had  employed  in  the  same  capacity  in  ch.  xvii.  1. — rovg  dvo, 
 the  two)  who  had  offered  themselves,  ch.  xx.  20,  21. — np^aro,  He 
 began)  immediately. — XwriTa'^ai  xai  ddrnubovsTv,  to  be  sorrowful  and 
 
 ^  The  sin  of  the  mouth  is  hurtful  to  faith. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  Ne  qriaquam.     E.  V.  not. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  Ktai  ■Truvrig,  also  all)  Being  freed  and  acquitted  of  risk  of  betraying 
 their  Lord,  they  do  not  suspect  themselves  capable  of  being  offended  at 
 Him.— V.  g. 
 
I 
 
 460  ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  38,  39. 
 
 very  heaci/)  St  Mark  says,  s/iDafifjSiTs^ai  -/.ai  do/y/xo^s/i,  "  to  be  sore 
 amazed  and  to  be  very  heavy. ^^  Both  XvmTii^ai  and  ex.Oa/jt^lSii'sdoci  de- 
 note the  presence  and  effect  of  an  object  of  horror, — -ddri/MviTv, 
 the  loss  of  all  power  of  deriving  enjoyment  from  other  sources. 
 The  same  word  occurs  in  Phil.  ii.  26,  where  see  Gnomon. 
 Hesychius  explains  adrifnTv  by  Sav/Ma^nv  (to  be  astonied)  di-opin 
 (to  be  at  a  loss,  to  be  in  trouble,  to  be  at  onis  ivifs  end)  and 
 do'^jxovsTv,  the  word  which  occurs  in  the  text,  Eustathius  says, 
 dhrifiuv  signifies  one  who  is  overwhelmed  with  ahc,  irksomeness, 
 that  is  to  say,  by  satiety  or  grief. — a6'/J/Ao^a7^  signifies,  akintv  %ai 
 diLriyanyv,  i.e.  to  be  in  great  distress,  and  to  be  almost  beside  one's- 
 self  for  trouble. 
 
 38.^  "Ew5  davdrov,  even  unto  death)  Such  sorrow  as  might  have 
 led  an  ordinary  mortal  to  commit  suicide. — iMiivan  uds,  tarry  ye 
 here)  You  must  not  go  with  Me. — ,a£r  'E/ioi;,  ivith  Me)  In  great 
 trials  solitude  is  pleasing,  yet  so  that  friends  be  near  at  hand. 
 Jesus  commands  His  disciples  to  watch  with  Him,  though  He 
 knew  that  they  would  not  afford  Him  any  assistance. 
 
 39.  'Et/  vpoawrov,  on  His  face)  not  only  on  His  hiees^ — the 
 deepest  humiliation.^ — ndnp  Mov,  My  Father')  Jesus  prays  as  a 
 Son. — ii  duvccrov  idrt,  if  it  is  2'>ossible)  cf.  ver.  53,  from  which 
 verse  it  also  appears  how  promptly  and  perfectly  Jesus  sur- 
 
 ^  i]  i^vy,'/}  fcov,  my  soul)  How  great  must  have  been  the  emotions  and 
 thoughts  in  the  most  holy  soul  of  the  Saviour  in  reference  to  the  work  com- 
 mitted to  Him  by  the  Father,  as  also  in  reference  to  His  passion  and  His 
 glory,  especially  during  the  last  months,  days,  and  hours  before  His  death, 
 throughout  the  very  precious  alternations  which  befell  Him  ;  for  instance 
 when,  as  He  said,  "  He  must  be  about  His  Father's  business;"  when  He  re- 
 ceived baptism ;  when  He  overcame  the  Tempter  ;  when  He  put  forth  His 
 zeal  for  His  Father's  House  ;  when  He  rejoiced  in  the  "  revelation  made  to 
 infants  of  things  hidden  from  the  wise  and  prudent  j"  when  He  was  trans- 
 figured on  the  Mount  ;  when  He  set  His  face  stedfastly  toward  Jerusalem  ; 
 when  He  solemnly  entered  the  city ;  when  He  said,  "  Now  is  My  soul 
 troubled,"  etc.  ;  when  He  washed  the  feet  of  the  disciples  ;  when  He  st)ake 
 the  words,  "  Now  is  the  Son  of  Man  glorified  ;"  when  He  celebrated  the  last 
 supper  before  His  Passion  with  His  disciples.  And  also  in  this  very  place, 
 where  He  testifies  that  His  "  soul  is  sorrowful  even  unto  death."  Add  the 
 several  divine  sentences  whixili  He  uttered  on  the  Cross. — Harm.,  p.  526, 
 b'll. 
 
 2  Which  Luke  records. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  Such  as  occurs  in  His  history,  nowhere  else. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  40-42.  4fil 
 
 rendered  Himself  to  the  will  of  the  Father. — to  ■-orripiov,  the  cup) 
 offered  by  the  Father,  brimful  with  the  whole  draught  of  suffer- 
 ing.— d'iXoj,  I  ivill)  This  Will  of  Jesus  that  the  cup  might  pass 
 away  from  Him,  was  not  absolute  without  reference  to  His 
 Father's  Will.     Cf.  the  latter  part  of  John  xxi.  18.* 
 
 40.  'Ebpiazsi  -/.akvdovrag,  Jindeth  them  asleep)  The  disciples 
 should  have  been  differently  prepared.  In  this  sleep  they  for- 
 got the  promise  which  they  had  made  in  the  thirty-fifth  verse. — 
 rp  liBTpuj,  to  Peter)  referring  to  ver.  35.  Although  Peter  had 
 heard  that  he  was  about  to  fall,  he  is  nevertheless  commanded 
 to  watch  and  pray.— ol;rw;  ohz  iff^vaars,  have  you  proved  so  ut- 
 terly incapable  P)  You  who  promised  such  great  things  !  This 
 is  too  great  weakness  ;  see  ver.  41. — ixiav,  one)  Jesus  therefore 
 frequently  watched  alone  for  a  long  time  together. — yprjyopyjgai, 
 to  watcli)  Prayers  would  gush  forth  spontaneously,  if  they 
 watched ;  see  the  following  verse. 
 
 41.  "li/a  [xr^  iiasX&riri,  x.r.X.,  that  ye  enter  not^  etc.)  This  was  to 
 be  the  subject  of  their  prayer ;  see  Luke  xxii.  40 ;  cf.  ha  i^ri  in 
 ch.  xxiv.  20. — iic  '!:iipaqjjhv,  into  temjytation)  which  is  close  at 
 hand,  nay,  which  is  already  here. — to  /xh  msv/Ma,^  x.r.X.,  the  spirit 
 indeed,  etc.)  This  statement,  sin  only  excepted,  was  true  also  of 
 Jesus  at  that  time  ;  see  Heb.  v.  7.  Therefore  He  also  both 
 watched  and  prayed,  ver.  39,  40. — T^D/o-a,  spirit)  Thence  it  is 
 that  the  Apostles  mention  frequently  Jlesh  and  spirit. — <rccp':^, 
 Jlesh)  We  ought  to  take  this,  not  as  an  excuse  for  torpor,  but 
 
 as  an  incentive  to  watchfulness. — dohvrig,  loeak)  for  the  right 
 performance  of  the  matter  in  hand. 
 
 42.  'Edi/  ij.7i,  X.T.A.,  except,  etc.)  Whilst  Jesus  drank  the  cup 
 it  passed  away. — -/w,  /  drink)  And  now  by  this  very  utterance 
 of  that  word  He  brings  Himself  nearer  to  the  act  of  drinking. — 
 yivrfiriTM,  he  done)  The  prayer  of  Jesus  approached  now  nearer 
 to  suffering  ;  cf.  ver.  39.     Behold  His  obedience. 
 
 ^  Where  Peter's  flesh  is  represented  as  riot  willing  {o'ttov  ov  di'Kni;)  that 
 which  his  spirit  would  be  willing  to  bear.  The  not-willingness  is  not  absolute 
 without  reference  to  God's  will  and  glory.  His  flesh  would  wish  to  escape, 
 only  if  so  were  God's  will. — Ed. 
 
 =*  E.  V.   What?  could  ye  not?—(l.  B.) 
 
 '  TTpo^vfiot/ — da^ivi};,  willing — weak      See  ver.  33,  35,  and  cf.  ver.  40.- 
 B.  G.  V. 
 
4C2  ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  43-49. 
 
 43.  Tap,  X.T.A.,  for,  etc.)  The  cause  of  their  sleeping  a  second 
 time  ['  Aetiologia  ;'  see  Appendix], — j3i^apri/Mivoi,  weighed  down. 
 Such  slothfuhiess  frequently  overpowers  the  godly  when  it  is 
 least  becoming. 
 
 44.  'Ex  rplrou,  the  third  time)  The  third  and  last  time. — rhv 
 avTov,  the  same)  as  suitable  to  sorrow.  The  repetition  of  the 
 same  words  is  frequently  congenial  to  the  soul. 
 
 45.  KaOivdiTs  TO  Xoi'TTov,  sleep  on  now)  An  imperative,  leaving 
 the  disciples,  as  it  were  to  themselves,  wholly  given  up  as  they 
 were  to  sleep,  and  thus  exciting  them  so  much  the  more 
 urgently  by  tenderness  joined  with  severity.  It  is  not  an  in- 
 stance of  irony,  but  metonymy,  q.d.  "  You  do  not  listen  to  Me 
 when  attempting  to  rouse  you,  others  soon  will  come  and  rouse 
 you.  In  the  meanwhile  sleep,  if  you  have  leisure  for  so 
 doing."  In  St  Luke  (xxii.  46)  we  find  ri  zadiudiTs  "why  sleep 
 yeV  with  an  interrogation,  which  some  have  introduced  into 
 St  Matthew  and  St  Mark. — avavaUc^i,  take  your  rest),  as  Sleep 
 is  opposed  to  Watching,  so  Rest  to  the  labour  of  prayer. — n  uipa, 
 the  hour)  often  foretold.  In  ver.  18  He  had  said  less  definitely 
 "  My  time." 
 
 46.  '  O 'xapahioo'jc,  Me,  he  that  betray eth  Me)  Of  whom  I  have 
 already  spoken  :  "  that  betrayeth  Me,"  He  says,  not  "  you." 
 
 47.  SxjXuv,  staves)  as  in  a  sudden  tumult ;  see  ver.  55. 
 
 [48.  KpaTri(!a,Ti  Aurov,  seize  hold  of  Ilim)  Judas  feared  lest 
 Jesus  should  escape  on  the  present,  as  He  had  done  on  a 
 former  occasion. — %ai  sxparrisav  Aiirov,  and  they  seized  hold  oj 
 Him)  First  the  multitude  seized  upon  Jesus  ;  in  the  meantime 
 occurred  the  blow  and  the  miracle  on  Mulchus,  whose  ear  the 
 Saviour  touched  and  healed  ;'  then  they  surrounded  and  appre- 
 hended Him  as  an  actual  prisoner.  The  former  is  expressed  in 
 Matthew  and  Mark  by  the  verb  xpanTv,  to  seize  hold  of,  the 
 latter  in  Luke  [xxii.  54]  and  John  [xviii.  12],  by  auXXa,a^dviiv, 
 to  apprehend.  Then  they  moreover  bound  Him. — B.  H.  E.,  p. 
 530.] 
 
 49.  Karsp/AJio-E,  kissed  riim  repeatedly,  Jjat.  deosculatus  est)  He 
 kissed  Him  more  than  once  in  opposition  to  what  He  had  said 
 
 1  In  the  German  this  is  beautifully  expressed  by  the  words,  "  dessen  Ohr 
 der  IIeylanu  angeriihrct  und  oeulilet." — (1.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  50-54.  403 
 
 in  the  preceding  verse,  and  did  so  as  if  from  kindly  feeling. 
 He  violated  the  inviolable  countenance  of  Jesus  with  the  utmost 
 temerity. 
 
 50.  'EraTps,  comrade^)  Ammonious  says,  "  kraTpog  does  not  cor- 
 respond exactly  with  p/Xo$"  (a  friend)  "  and  sraTpor  (in  the  plural 
 number)  "  are  those  who  have  associated  together  for  a  long 
 time  in  conversation  and  employment."  In  Luke  xxii.  48  we 
 have  'louoa,  Judas ;  see  Ps.  Iv.  14,  and  Eccles.  xxxvii.  5,  with 
 ibid.  ver.  1—4. — ijj)  w  '^dpu,  for  which  thou  are  comer)  An  eliptical 
 mode  of  expression  for,  Is  this  the  object  for  which  thou  art 
 come  ?  Hesychius  renders  the  words,  "  With  what  aim  art 
 thou  present,  and  hast  come  here  1" 
 
 51.  E/g,  one)  St  Matthew  does  not  mention  Peter  by  name. 
 He  might  have  had  more  reasons  than  one  for  his  silence. 
 Danger  might  possibly  threaten  Peter  from  the  unbelieving 
 Jews. — rov  dovXov,  the  slave)  He  perhaps  acted  more  violently 
 than  the  rest  by  his  master's  desire. — to  urlov,  his  ear)  with  a 
 most  dangerous  stroke.  He  had  aimed  at  the  shoulder  of  the 
 principal  aggressor. 
 
 52.  '2.0V  rriv  /j^dyjcipav,  THY  sivord)  most  foreign  to  My  cause. — 
 TO'TTov,  place)  The  sword,  when  out  of  the  scabbard,  is  not  in  its 
 place,  except  when  it  ministers  to  the  wrath  of  God. — XalSovrsg, 
 they  who  take)  When  God  does  not  give  it  them. — h  (layjxipa, 
 hy  the  sioord)  Thus  the  LXX.  use  sv  /j^ayalpa  d-rro^vriGymv  {to  die  hy 
 the  sword) ;  2  Chron.  xxiii.  14,  and  Jer.  xxi.  9. — drtoOavovvrai, 
 shall  die)  This  word  implies  a  punishment  in  kind. 
 
 53.  "Apri,  noiv)  Even  noio. —  rhv  nar'spa  MoL/,  My  Father)  Jesus 
 even,  when  He  is  just  about  to  drink  the  cup,  retains  that  filial 
 disposition  which  He  had  previously  and  always  towards  the 
 Father  ;  see  ver.  42. — irXslovg  n  huihixa,  Xiyimag.,  more  tlian  tivelve 
 legions)  A  legion  consisted  of  six  thousand ;  twelve  legions 
 therefore  of  seventy-two  thousand.  A  legion  is  contrasted  with 
 each  of  the  twelve  apostles ;  a  thousand  angels  with  each  of  the 
 seventy  disciples.  The  angels  are  divided  into  their  numbers 
 and  ranks. 
 
 54.  n&jj  oh,  x.r.X.,  how  then,  etc.)  The  Saviour  altogether 
 voluntarily   undertakes    His    Passion. — on,    x.rJ..,    that  thus  it 
 
 1  Engl.  Vers.  "  Friend  ."—{I.  P..) 
 
 2  Engl.  Vers."  Wherefore  art  thou  come?" — (l.B.) 
 
4C4  ST  MA.TTHEW   A  AVI     55-f>0. 
 
 must  be)  The  Scriptures  liad  said  that  thus  it  must  be;  see  ver. 
 
 55.  ToT;  o'/Jkoiz,  the  multitudes)  Our  Lord  cahncd  their  vio- 
 lence, so  that,  even  though  now  under  the  influence  of  the  chief 
 men  they  did  not  return  to  sanity,  they  might  do  so  more 
 easily  at  a  future  period. — ojg  i-tti  Xriarriv,  as  against  a  thief) 
 against  whom,  in  a  sudden  tumult,  all  staves  are  used  for  arms. 
 — xat)'  riiMtpav,  daily)  Especially  from  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles, 
 to  that  of  the  Dedication  in  the  same  year. —  h  tQ)  Upuj,  in  the 
 Temjjle)  where  you  might  easily  have  laid  hold  of  Me. — oJx 
 sxparriSsTs  Mi, ye  laid  not  hold  on  Me)  An  instance  of  Metonvmia 
 Conseqiientis  ;  q.  d.  "  You  were  not  able  to  taKe  Me  before  •"' 
 cf.  Luke  xxii.  53.^ 
 
 56.  Touro  d;  o'aqv  ysyoviv,  but  all  this  icas  done)  8t  Matthew 
 appears  to  have  interwoven  this  periphrasis  with  our  Lord's 
 words  concerning  the  fulfihnent  of  the  Scriptures :  cf.  Mark 
 xiv.  49. — a/  ypafai,  the  Scriptu7'es)  in  the  plural  number.  His 
 Passion  was  the  confluence  of  their  fulfilments." 
 
 58.  'Ato  /xay.pchv,  afar  off)  Witli  doubtful  mind  and  the  sense 
 of  danger  midway  between  the  sj)irit,  displayed  in  ver.  51,  and 
 the  fear  evinced  in  ver.  70. —  'i-/.aOr,-o,  x.r.X.,  sat,  etc.)  An  un- 
 seasonable fellowship.* 
 
 59.  'E^^rouv,  sought)  Upon  tliis  arose  that  host  of  folse  wit- 
 nesses. No  greater  act  of  injustice  was  ever  committed  than 
 that  against  our  Lord :  in  respect  of  God,  however,  it  was  the 
 highest  exercise  of  justice."^ 
 
 ^  Jesus  ever  carried  with  Ilim  "  the  law  of  God  within  His  heart." — 
 V.  g.  [Fs.  xl.  8]. 
 
 2  You  took  me  not,  i.e.,  rebuking  their  insincerity,  "  Ye  were  afraid  oi  the 
 people  to  take  nie  openly."  So  Olshausen.  Beng.  seems  to  make  the  idea 
 implied  tliis — Ye  were  not  then  able  to  take  me,  for  "  your  hour  and  the 
 power  of  darkness"  were  not  then,  but  are  now.     Luke  xxii.  53. — Ed. 
 
 John,  for  a  considerable  time  before  his  being  beheaded,  was  kept  in 
 prison.  But  the  world  was  obliged  to  permit  Christ  to  walk  at  large,  and 
 discourse  unrestrictedly,  up  to  these  His  last  moments. — Jlarm.^  p.  532. 
 
 3  Luke  xxii.  53,  mentions  another  cause  of  so  sudden  a  change  on  the 
 part  of  the  Jews,  viz.  the  power  of  darkness  — Harm.,  p.  532. 
 
 *  In  the  original,  "co?»mMni<as  non  opportuna."  There  is  an  allusion  in 
 the  word  conimunitas  to  1  Cor.  xv.  33. — (L  B.) 
 
 ^  Inasmuch  as  the  holiness  of  God  demanded  such  an  awful  sacrifice  for 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  61-64.  465 
 
 61.  Auva/Mai  xaraXvffoci,  x.r.X.,  lam  able  to  destroy,  etc.^  He 
 had  not  said  so.  False  evidence  seizes  upon  some  true  par- 
 ticulars ;  and  a  great  calumny  may  frequently  be  produced  by 
 no  great  change  of  words.  They  distort  the  expression  used  by 
 our  Lord  three  years  before,  and  now  unconsciously  subserve 
 to  its  fulfilment. 
 
 62.  T/,  x.r.X.,  ivJiat  etc.  ?)  A  separate  interrogation. 
 
 63.  'O  T'log  Tou  &io\J,  the  Son  of  God)  Caiaphas,  in  common 
 with  the  rest  of  his  nation,  did  not  entertain  a  merely  political 
 idea  of  the  promised  Messiah. 
 
 64.  2:)  E/Vac,  Thou  hast  said)  "  With  regard  to  the  question  of 
 Caiaphas,  our  Lord  declares  that  He  is  the  Christ,  as  though 
 it  were  affirmed  in  the  words  of  the  interrogator.  Nor  is  this 
 form  of  speech  uncommon  in  ordinary  Greek  discourse.  In 
 the  Hyppolytus  of  Euripides,  we  find,  gou  rdK  ovx  s/mov  xXveig,^ 
 Thou  hearest  those  things  from  thyself  not  from  me.  And  in 
 the  third  book  of  Xenophon's  Memorabilia,  ahrcx;,  'i(pri,  toiito 
 Xsysig,  w  '^uizpuTs;,  Thou  thyself  said  he,  sayest  this,  0  Socrates^ 
 — Camerapjus. — -rrXriv,  nevertheless)  although  ye  do  not  believe 
 it. — rzXriv  as  well  as  aXka  is  frequently  used  epitatically.^ — dx' 
 apri,  pc.T.X.,  From  this  time  forward,  etc.^)  From  this  time  for- 
 ward, it  shall  come  to  pass  that  ye  shall  see  and  know,  by  visible 
 proofs,  that  I  am  He  who  shall  sit  on  the  right  hand  of  power, 
 and  come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven.  A  pregnant  mode  of  ex- 
 pression (sermo  complexus).  Henceforward  ye  shall  see  Me 
 sitting  and  COMING.*  The  return  to  judgment  is  combined 
 with  the  sitting  on  the  right  hand  :  and  after  the  Lord's  Passion 
 they  believed  (see  John  viii.  28),  that  which  hereafter  they 
 shall  see.  They  did  not  believe  in  the  past ;  therefore  Jesus 
 (as  He  frequently  did)  appeals  to  the  future.     Li  the  glory  of 
 
 the  sins,  sucli  a  precious  ransom  for  tlie  souls  of  men. — (I.  B.)     Rom.  iii. 
 26.— Ed. 
 
 1  Ed.  Dindorf,  line  352.— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  See  explanation  of  technical  terms  in  voe.  Epitasis. — (I.  B.) 
 
 3  In  the  original  a  modo,  which  is  found  in  the  Vulgate.  In  his  German 
 Version  Bengel  renders  it,  Von  nun  an,  i.e.  from  this  moment,  henceforth. 
 E.  V.  renders  it,  hereafter. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Ye  shall  soon  after  this  present  time  believe  in  my  being  the  Son  of 
 God,  and  in  this  sense,  by  faith  shall  see  me  sitting ;  and  thereby  shall  perceive 
 also  that  I  am  coming  as  Judge. — Ed. 
 
 VOL.  I.  G  G 
 
466  ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  Co-Cf). 
 
 Jesus  this  is  the  first  tiling,  that  He  is  the  Son  of  God :  that 
 He  will  come  to  judgment  is  the  last.  The  former  is  the  foun- 
 dation of  the  latter ;  the  latter  the  most  glorious  proof  of  the 
 former.  In  the  most  adverse  circumstances,  it  always  especially 
 consoles  the  sons  of  God  to  contemplate  the  consummation  of 
 all  things:  cf.  Gnomon  on  2  Cor.  xi.  15. — rhv  Tihv  roD  ' Avdpu'Trov, 
 the  Son  of  Man)  He  speaks  in  the  third  person,  modestly  but 
 openly. — xaS^/jcivov,  sitting)  Jesus  was  then  standing.  On  His 
 ascension,  He  sat  down  at  the  right  hand  of  God. — bk  di^(m, 
 Ti.T.X.,  on  the  right  hand,  etc.)  A  manifestation  of  the  deity  of 
 Christ. — bit,iojv,  the  right  hand)  The  neuter  plural,  ra  6s^/a,  is 
 used  in  this  sense. — rrig  bwdfjjicag,  of  power)  that  is  of  God.  The 
 Hebrews  often  call  God  mujn  [Poiver'].  Power  is  manifested 
 most  widely  and  openly  in  all  the  works  of  God. 
 
 65.  AisppTj^s,  rent)  as  if  his  garments  were  too  tight  for  the 
 intensity  of  his  feelings.  That  old  custom  had  some  suitableness 
 to  the  emotions  which  it  indicated. — yjiioiv,  need)  They  had  the 
 greatest  need,  because  the  innocence  of  Jesus  was  undis- 
 proved. 
 
 66.  T/  u/i,?i/  hoxiT,  what  think  ye  ?)  He  treats  the  matter  as 
 already  finished.  Moses  says,  ^^ Let  the  blasphemer  die;"" 
 Caiaphas  says,  "Jesus  is  a  blasphemer;^''  his  assessors,  from 
 these  premises,  draw  the  conclusion,  "  Let  Jesus  die."  St  ^lark 
 has  (ch.  xiv.  64)  ri  v/j.7v  famrai,  how  does  it  seem  to  you  ? — davaroi,, 
 of  death)  Such  is  also  their  declaration  to  Pilate.  See  John 
 xix.  7. 
 
 67.  Tore,  x.r.A.,  then,  etc.)  As  if  no  outrage  would  now  be 
 unjust  towards  Him.  The  elders  insult  Him  with  greater 
 sulDtlety,  the  multitude  more  grossly.  He  who  assails  the 
 honour  of  God,  deserves  every  contumely.  Such  an  one  they 
 considered  Jesus  to  be. — ho7.d(piffav,  they  struck  Him)  with  the 
 fist,  with  the  hand. — Ippd'xiaav,  they  smote  Him)  with  rods,  for 
 the  attendants  carried  these.  See  Mark  xiv.  65.  Chrysostom 
 observes,  ohhh  ravrrig  rrjg  tXtj/^s  ari/Morspov,  nothing  is  more  dis- 
 graceful than  this  blow. 
 
 68.  Asyovrig,  saying)  most  insolently. — rig,  x.r.X.,  who,  etc.  ?) 
 You  will  hereafter  each  of  you  see  Whom  you  have  smitten. 
 
 69.  M/a  vaibiffytrj,  one  maidservant)  The  temptation  was  not 
 great,  if  you  consider  only  the  interrogatrix ;  far  greater,  if  you 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  70-73.  467 
 
 consider  all  who  were  present.  [She  feared  lest  it  might  bring 
 her  into  trouble,  if  she  were  to  admit  any  one  of  our  Lord's 
 followers,  and  on  this  ground  she  took  Peter  to  task  ;  the  others 
 took  up  the  matter  after  her.  None  of  them  appear  to  have 
 intended  to  bring  Peter  into  danger.  Careless  worldlings  fre- 
 quently produce  gi'eater  harm  or  advantage  to  the  saints  than 
 they  suppose  or  intend  — B.  G.  V.] — -^ff^a,  for  the  ordinary  r]g, 
 thou  wast.     Thus  also  the  Lxx.  in  Ps.  ix.  14. 
 
 70.  Asyuv,  saying)  In  how  few  words  how  great  a  sin  may  be 
 committed  !     See  ch.  xii.  24,  and  the  close  of  Acts  v.  8. 
 
 71.  'E^sX^oi/T-a,  as  he  was  going  forth)  The  flying  from  temp- 
 tation, when  it  is  too  late,  involves  fresh  danger. — ciXXr],  another) 
 sc.  maid-servant ;  and  simultaneously  the  fonner,  who  instigated 
 this  other,  and  also  a  male  attendant.  See  Mark  xiv.  69,  and 
 Luke  xxii.  58.  The  denial,  made  under  one  impulse,  to  the 
 questions  of  more  than  one  interrogator,  is  considered  as  one  : 
 and  yet  he  is  said  to  have  denied  thrice  :^  [how  often,  therefore, 
 must  he  have  uttered  the  denial !] — 'l^j^oD  rov  Na^wpa/oj;,  Jesus 
 the  Nazarene)  the  surname  Nazarene  is  added  to  distinguish 
 Him  from  the  many  others  who  bore  the  name  at  that  time. 
 The  Son  of  God  bore  a  name  common  amongst  men. 
 
 72.  Ms^'  '6p-A.ov,  ivith  an  oath)  Oaths  do  not  seem  to  have  been 
 inconsistent  with  Peter's  former  habits. — rU  avdpoj-Trov,  the  man) 
 as  if  Peter  did  not  even  know  the  name  of  Jesus. 
 
 73.  E/",  thou  a7't)  The  present  tense.  The  temptation  in- 
 creases. Previously  they  had  said  rjffda,  thou  ivast,  ver.  69,  in 
 the  imperfect. — XaXia,  speech)  i.e.,  ^nanner  of  speaking,  dialect. 
 If  Peter  had  remained  silent,  he  would  have  been  in  less  danger 
 of  discovery  :  by  denying,  which  involved  speaking,  he  increased 
 the  danger.  Those  men  had,  how^ever,  stronger  proofs  by 
 w^iich  to  convict  Peter  (see  ver.  47  and  51) ;  but  the  world 
 generally  employs  the  weakest    arguments  of  all  against  the 
 
 1  The  threefold  denial  of  Peter  is  not  to  be  reckoned  by  the  distinctness 
 of  the  persons,  who  interrogated  him  indiscriminately,  nor  with  reference  to 
 the  variety  of  expressions,  several  of  which  were  comprised  in  one  denial ; 
 but  in  relation  to  the  diversity  of  place,  time,  and  degree,  characterizing  each 
 denial  respectively.  His  first  simple  denial  was  succeeded  by  an  oath,  and 
 this  was  succeeded  thirdly  by  curses  and  imprecations  added  to  the  former 
 protestations:  ver.  70,  72,  74. — Harm.,  p.  535. 
 
468  ST  MATTHEW  XXVI.  74,  7C. 
 
 godly,  especially  in  cases  of  misdirected  zeal.     Even  as  fur  back 
 as  the  days  of  the  Judges,  tribes  had  pecuhar  dialects.^ 
 
 74.  "Hpt,ccTo,  x.r.X.,  he  began,  etc.)  Hitherto  he  had  not  gone 
 so  far :  now  he  altogether  lost  command  of  himself. — ■/.ara.^iij.a- 
 riZiiv,^  to  curse)  others  read  naravaQiiMaril^iiv :  ^  that  double  com- 
 pound, however,  is  nowhere  to  be  met  with  :  whereas  Irenaeus 
 (Book  I.,  ch.  13,  §  2)  has  xaraSs/xar/Vai/reg  [the  participle  first 
 aorist  active  of  xaT-a^s/iar/^w],  Justin  Martyr  also  says,  "  xara- 
 Ss/xa  rh  (S-o'f^'sG'^ai  roTg  dva^iiMar'iZ^o-jCi^^  "  it  is  a  cursed  tiling  to  he 
 joined  with  them  that  curser  And  again  he  joins  together 
 a.va%fj.aTig/xog  [an  universally  recognised  word]  and  xara^sfiana/Mog 
 [a  derivative  of  xara^g/xar/^w].  CEcumenius,  on  Acts  xxiii.  12, 
 says,  "  y.ar  S'Triraeiv  ilpnrai  to  dva^ifMa  ug  xai  rh  xarou^i/J-a'  6vy/,a- 
 rariiiiTai  ydp  rui  ovri  rip  ivavriM  xai  GuyxaTabrKaC^iTai,^  i.e.,  "  The 
 word  dvd'^s/j.a,  is  used  with  an  intensive  force,  as  also  the  word 
 xard^c/xa  [from  which  ■/.ara^s/j.aTil^o}  is  derived]  :  for  it  is  placed 
 together  with  that  which  is  opposed,  and  is  condemned  together 
 with  it."  The  word  xatd^i^a  is  always  taken  in  an  evil  sense, 
 as  in  Rev.  xxii.  3  ;  whereas  dvd'^iiMa  is  also  used  in  a  good 
 sense. — rh  av^pwxov,  the  man)  compare  however  ch.  xvi.  16. — 
 ixf^suig,  immediately)  An  important  circumstance  (magna  circum- 
 stantia). — ef)djvr,6B,  oviced)  Sins  committed  in  the  early  morning 
 are  heinous. 
 
 75.  Ka/,  and)  tlien  at  last.  Unbelief,  fear,  sorrow,  bind  even 
 the  natural  faculties,  which  the  joy  of  faith  revives.  See  Luke 
 xxiv.  7,  8.^ — sIp'/ixoTog,  which  said)  A  participle  of  mighty  force. 
 
 ^  See  Judges  xii.  6,  where  the  Ephrainiites  are  discerned  by  the  test  of 
 Shibboleth.— (I.  B.) 
 
 2  In  his  App.  Crit.j  Bengel  says  in  loc.,  KUToi^s/nuri^eiv.  Comp.  Al.  Aug. 
 1,  2,  4:  Byz.  Cant.  Gehl.  Mosc.  Steph.  omn.  Wo.  1,  2 :  et  quindecim  el 
 viginii  qiiinque  alii,  Orig.  ut  videtur  (K»rxva.S^eficcri^eiv)  Er.  et  Al.  vid. 
 Gnom—{\.  B.) 
 
 ^  Such  is  the  reading  of  E.  M. — (I.  B.) 
 
 Koi,rx6iiJt,a.Tl^itv  is  supported  by  the  oMest  uncial  MSS.  ABCD  Vulg. 
 has  '  detestari  ;'  abc,  "  devotare  se  ;"  which  latter  probably  is  the  rendering 
 of  KctTotuothj^xTi'^iiu  of  the  Rec.  Text,  as  this  word  expresses  more  strongly 
 tiian  Kccrx6t,uctTt^tip.  extremis  diris  aliquem  devovere ;  '•  to  make  himself 
 anathema." — Ed. 
 
 *  i/xvyjadn,  remembered)  I'orgetfiilness  is  not  unattended  with  loss  and  in- 
 jury.    But,  nevertheless,  if  Peter  had  not  ceased  to  remembsr  the  words  of 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVII.  1-4.  4r,9 
 
 — 'TTixpoJc,  hitterli})  Tears  are  bitter  or  sweet,  according  to  the 
 emotion  from  which  they  spring.  Even  if  Peter's  weeping  was 
 not  of  long  duration,  his  grief  was  so  undoubtedly  :  see  Mark 
 xvi.  7.  [All  his  foryner  pr^esumption  ceased  then  and  for  ever. — 
 B.  G.  v.]  The  tears  of  the  godly,  even  of  merij  who  do  not 
 easily  weep  fi'om  any  other  cause,  furnish  a  gi'eat  proof  of  the 
 power,  and  consequently  the  truth,  of  Christianity. 
 
 CHAPTER  XXVII. 
 
 1.  Uavng,  all)  This  council  was  more  fully  attended  than  that 
 of  the  preceding  night ;  see  ch.  xxvi.  57. — uan  Savarwca/  avtov, 
 to  put  Him  to  death)  In  execution  of  the  sentence  which  had  been 
 passed  on  the  preceding  night. 
 
 2.  ' A'Tyiyayov  zai  'Trapihuxav  Aurov,  they  led  Him  away  and  de- 
 livered Him)  cf.  ver.  9,  and  Gnomon  on  the  latter  part. — tw 
 '/lyilj^ovi,  to  the  P^'ocurator). 
 
 3.  "Or/  -/.anxpi^ri,  that  He  was  condemned)  sc.  Jesus,  by  the 
 Priests. — /j:.srafj,sXr,^iig,  repenting  himself)^  Judas  had  not  antici- 
 pated this  catastrophe :  he  would  now  wish,  if  he  could,  to 
 render  that,  which  was  done,  undone.^ — a-TctGrpi-^ij  brought  again) 
 sc.  in  the  morning. 
 
 4.  "H/Js^aprov,  I  have  sinned)  Thus  also  the  damned  will  feel  in 
 hell.^ — a//xa  «3woi/,  innocent  blood)  Miserably  involved  in  his  own 
 darkness,  he  no  longer  acknowledges  Jesus  as  the  Messiah. — ri 
 rrphg  ri/xag,  ivhat  is  that  to  us  ?)  See  how  they  dismiss,  without 
 
 Jesus  in  the  very  act  of  his  denying  Him,  his  sin  would  have  been  even  still 
 more  heinous. — V.  g. 
 
 1  B.  G.  V.  "Eeute  es  ihn."    B.  H.  E.  «  Gereute  es  ihn."—{l.  B.) 
 
 2  Cf.  Gnomon  on  ch.  iii.  8,  voc.  furcti/oUc:. — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  And  O  that  the  friends  of  Christ,  moved  by  faith,  love,  and  hope,  would 
 confess  the  truth  as  openly  as  men  in  despair  are  wont  at  times  to  do,  when 
 they  feel  that  they  have  now  no  longer  any  opportunity  of  earning  merit  in 
 the  eyes  of  the  world! — Harm.,  p.  642. 
 
470  ST  MATTHEW   XXVII.  5-8. 
 
 remark,  the  question  as  to  the  innocence  of  their  Victim.' — a-j 
 o-^ii,  see  thou  to  that)  The  ungodly,  though  associating  in  the 
 commission  of  a  crime,  desert  their  associates  when  it  has 
 been  accomplished  :^  the  godly,  though  not  taking  part  in  the 
 crime,  endeavour,  after  its  commission,  to  save  the  sinner's  soul. 
 Comp.  ver.  24. 
 
 5.  'P/^l^as,  casting  down)  in  the  disquietude  of  his  mind.^ — sv 
 tS)  Naw,  in  the  Temple)  Judas  was  therefore  in  the  Temple,  with 
 the  chief  priests  and  elders  ;  and,  in  order  to  soothe  his  troubled 
 conscience  any  how,  attempted  to  give  his  money  to  the  Sacred 
 Treasury.  The  part  of  the  Temple  where  this  took  place  is 
 unknown.  The  word  vah;,  which,  strictly  speaking,  signifies  a 
 shrine,  is  employed  here  in  a  wider  signification,  for  'nph)i,  temple. 
 — aff^y^aro,  strangled  himself  tvith  a  noose)  which  is  usually 
 done  by  hanging.  The  same  expression  is  used  by  the  LXX.  in 
 2  Sam.  xvii.  23,  concerning  Ahitophel,  whom  some,  however, 
 suppose  to  have  died  of  the  quinsey  as  well  as  Iscariot.  Raphe- 
 lius  has  diligently  established  the  interpretation  of  hanging  from 
 Polybius,  etc. ;  see  also  Gnomon  on  Acts  i.  18. 
 
 7.  Tov  ayph  ro\J  xipa/Msuc,  the  Potter  s  Field)  The  article  denotes 
 that  it  was  well  known  as  such.  A  potter  may  have  used  it  to 
 obtain  clay  from. — elg  ra<priv  roTg  'E,ivoig,  to  hury  strangers  in)  Thus, 
 even  then  already  did  strangers  gain  more  of  a  footing  in  Jeru- 
 salem :  thus  also  the  first  possession  of  Abraham  had  been  a 
 burying-place. 
 
 8.  'ExX^Stj,  x.r.A.,  was  called,  etc.)  A  public  testimony  to  the 
 fact.  The  appellation  of  the  field,  though  originating  with  the 
 common  people,  was  not  fortuitous. — ut'iarug,  of  blood)  See  ver. 
 6. — 'iuig  Trig  eniMipov,  unto  this  day)  St  Matthew  wrote  some  time 
 atler  [the  events  which  he  recorded]  ;  cf.  ch.  xxviii.  15. 
 
 Adrichonius  says — "  This  soil  (namely,  that  of  the  Field  of 
 Blood)  possesseth  a  wonderful  virtue,   and  one  almost  passing 
 
 '  In  the  original,  "  Vide,  quani  transiliant  to  innocentem  ;''  literally,  "  See 
 how  they  leap  over  the  '  innocent ;' "  referring  to  the  words  of  Judas, 
 "Innocent  blood." — (I.  B.) 
 
 ^  But  still  punishment  at  last  awaits  all  severally,  according  to  the  part 
 which  each  took  in  the  deed. — V.  g. 
 
 *  "That  very  thing  which  had  previously  proved  a  bait  to  the  sinner, 
 subsequently  causes  him  the  deepest  sorrow." — 13.  G.  V. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVII.  0.  471 
 
 belief,  viz.,  that  within  four  and  twenty  hours  it  reduces  the 
 bodies  of  the  dead  to  dust,  which  virtue,  even  when  carried  into 
 other  regions,  it  still  preserves ;  for  when,  by  command  of  the 
 Empress  Helena,  as  much  earth,  they  say,  as  270  vessels  could 
 hold,  was  taken  from  this  field  to  Rome,  and  unloaded  close  by 
 the  Vatican  Mount,  on  to  that  which  the  inhabitants  call  Campo 
 Santo,  although  it  has  changed  its  country,  yet  daily  expe- 
 rience shows  that  it  retains  its  power  :  for,  rejecting  Romans,  it 
 admits  to  sepulture  only  the  bodies  of  strangers,  the  whole  sub- 
 stance of  whose  flesh  it  here  also  entirely  consumes  within  four 
 and  twenty  hours,  leaving  only  the  bones."  This  statement  is 
 partly  confirmed,  partly  denied,  by  recent  travellers. 
 
 9.  Tou  'xpo(pyiTov,  x.r.X.,  the  prophet,  etc.)  These  words  are 
 clearly  found  in  Zechariah,  whose  writings  were  well  known  to 
 St  Matthew ;  see  ch.  xxi.  4,  5 ;  cf.  App.  Crit.^  p.  493  (Ed.  ii. 
 pp.  141,  142). — -/.at  sXa^ov,  x.nX.,  and  they  took,  etc.)  In  Zech. 
 xi.  12,  13,  the  LXX.  have  xa/  spS)  irphg  avroi/g,  si  xaXov  svui-Tiov  Ijiijuv 
 sen,  dors  sryigavrsg^ .  rov  /Migdov  fzov,  rj  a.'TTsi-xaG&s'  zai  sSTriffav  rov  fj:,i(!d6<j 
 /JjOU  rpidxovra  apyvpoZg,  xai  si-rs  Kvpiog  'irpog  fis'  xddsg  avrovg  sig  to 
 y^o)vsvTr,piov,  zai  ffx,s-^o/j,ai  auro,  iJ  doxifcov  sdriv,  ov  rpo'xov  sdo-Ai/xdedriv 
 b-TTsp  ahruv'  %ai  sXajSor-roiig  rpidxovra  dpyvpoijg,  xai  svsjSaXov  auroug  sig 
 oixov  Kvpiov  sig  to  ^msuTrjpiov — A7id  I  will  say  unto  them,  if  it  is  good 
 in  your  sight,  weigh  and  give  me  m,y  price,  or  else  refuse  it;  and 
 they  weighed  my  price,  thirty  silver  pieces.  And  the  Lord  said 
 unto  me,  Cast  them  into  the  melting  furnace,  and  I  will  assay  it 
 
 ^  E.  M.  has  'lepifci'ov. 
 
 Beng.  shows,  in  his  Apparatus,  Ed.  ii.,  p.  141,  142,  493,  that  the  word 
 Ispi^iov  is  a  gloss,  and  that  many  modern  writers  wish  to  expunge  it. — 
 Not.  Grit. 
 
 But  the  oldest  authorities  are  against  the  omission.  B  reads 'Isos^/ov. 
 A  and  C  corrected, '  Inps/iciov.  Hil.  747,  Vulg.  and  c,  and  MSS.  quoted  in 
 Origen,  Euseb.,  and  Jerome,  read  Jeremiah.  It  is  only  the  later  Syr.  in 
 the  margin,  and  other  recent  authorities,  read  Z«;^s«p('oy.  ab,  however,  sup- 
 port the  omission  of  Jeremiah  or  Zechariah,  as  Beng.  would  read.  Comp. 
 Jer.  xviii.  2.  The  quotation  is  not  literatim  from  Zech.  :  Jerem.  xviii.  1,  2, 
 and  xxxii.  6-12,  may  have  also  been  in  the  mind  of  Matthew.  This  may 
 account  for  the  presence  of  the  name  'Ispefiiov.  Lightfoot  thinks  that  the 
 3d  division  of  Scripture,  the  Prophets,  began  with  Jeremiah  ;  and  that  the 
 whole  body  of  the  prophets  is  thus  quoted  by  the  name  Jeremiah,  he  refers 
 to  B.  Bathra  and  D.  Kimchi. — Ed. 
 
 *  The  Vatican  MS.  omits  the  word  aT^axwi;. — (I.  B.) 
 
472  ST  MATTHEW  XXVII.  10,  11. 
 
 {whether  it  he  good)  in  the  same  ?nanner  that  I  was  assayed  hy 
 them.  And  I  took  the  thirty  silver  pieces,  and  cast  them  into  the 
 house  of  the  Lord,  into  the  melting  furnace.  The  Evangelist  re- 
 gards the  scope  of  the  matter,  and  adds  a  paraphrase. — rriv 
 rifjijriv  fov  Ttfifjjri/Mivov,  ov  srifx^TjifavTo,  the  value  of  Him  that  was  valued, 
 lohom  they  valued)  The  force  of  the  words  is  great. — b  TiniMriiMiyogzz. 
 "'P.'l'j  precious,  although  in  the  Hebrew  Bible  it  is  "ipin,  a  price  ; 
 see  Louis  de  Dieu. — avh  vluv  ^l6parik,from  the  children  of  Israel, 
 or  of  the  children  of  Israel)  cf  Zech.  xi.  13 — UTxhvo,  of  them. 
 The  preposition  ccrrh,  from,  may  be  construed  either  with  sXa- 
 Sov,  they  received — or  rather  with  sTi;j.riffavTo,  they  valued.  The 
 Chief  Priests,  as  much  as  in  them  lay,  alienated  Christ  fifom  the 
 children  of  Israel. 
 
 10.  "Eda)-/.av,  they  gave)  In  Zechariah  it  is  'sduy.a,  I  gave ;  and 
 some'  have  introduced  it  from  the  Prophet  into  the  Evangelist, 
 and  Gebhardi  clearly  approves  it  on  Zech.  xi.  13.  In  this 
 passage,  however,  it  is  written  sdcuxav ;  and  the  force  of  s'owxa, 
 and  therefore  the  whole  difference  of  the  words  of  St  JSIatthew 
 from  those  of  Zechariah,  is  supplied  by  the  clause,  "  As  the 
 Lord  enjoined  me."^  The  Lxx.  have  the  same  formula  in  Exod. 
 ix.  12 — -/.aQa  ev/ira^s  Kvp/og  rui  'Muusf,,  as  the  Lord  enjoined 
 Moses.^ — (fuvsra^i,  enjoined)  sc.  to  write  or  to  say. 
 
 11.  '0[3affi>.svg  Tojv  'louoaim,  the  King  of  the  Lews)  Jesus  before 
 Caiaphas  confesses  Himself  to  be  Christ,  before  Pilate,  King. — 
 ci)  Aiyug,  thou  sayest)  An  open  and  holy  confession.*  Jesus 
 shows  that  His  subsequent  silence  would  not  be  from  Avant  of 
 freedom  of  speech,  and  immediately  answers  Pilate,  after  having 
 previously  informed  the  Jews  when  adjured  by  Caiaphas.  St 
 Mark  and  St  Luke  also  record  the  expression,  "  Thou  sayest;'* 
 
 '  In  his  Apparatus  Criticns,  Bcngel  says,  "jOcjxkj/)  'iouKX,  Aug.  4,  duobus 
 locis,  Sj/r.  Ex  Zacliaria.  Probat  Amama  Antibarb.,  p.  673,  et  versu  9  con- 
 struit,  £X«/3ov  osTTo,  ;c.t.a.  Sic  quoque  To.  Kaiserus  et  alii,  quos  notat  Eus.  T. 
 3,  Harm.  Ev.,  p.  1073,  accepi  a  filiis  Israel.  ifixMv  L.  Ambigue.  Vid. 
 Gnom.r—(i.  B.) 
 
 Tisch.  says  that  3  MSS.  and  both  Syr.  Versions  read  touy.a..  But  the 
 mass  of  authority  is  for  taux-uv. — Ed. 
 
 2  E.  V.  "  As  the  Lord  commanded  me."— (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Tlirs  is  the  reading  of  the  Codex  Alexandrinus :  the  Vatican  MS  omits 
 the  two  last  words. — i\.  B.) 
 
 ♦  Cf.  I  Tim.  iv.  13— E.  B. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVII.  13-17.  473 
 
 and  this  is  clearly  the  sum  of  all  that  St  John  records  to  have 
 been  said  by  our  Lord  to  Pilate  in  ch.  xviii.  34,  36,  37.^ 
 
 13.  Tors,  theyi)  Pilate  conducted  himself  moderately  at  first 
 in  the  judgment  of  the  cause. — Il/Xarog,^  Pilatus,  Pilate)  Non- 
 luis  shortens  the  middle  syllable ;  and  passim,  the  Greeks 
 sharpen^  the  long  vowel  of  the  Latins  in  ct^/'/aos,  Tovpy.ovaTog  Aev- 
 rdro;,  etc.  (primus,  Torqudtus,  Dentatus,  etc.) — ovk  d/.oviig,  Dost 
 thou  not  hear  ?)  A  separate  question  ;*  cf.  Mark  xv.  4. 
 
 14.  Uphg  oudi  IV  py][iM,  7iot  to  one  loord  even)  i.e.  as  far  as  con- 
 cerned answering  the  Jews  concerning  the  kingdom.  He  after- 
 Avards  once  answered  Pilate  concerning  another  matter,  John 
 xix.  11. — WOTS  docv/Mu^iiv  Tov  YiyiiMiva  Aiav,  so  that  the  Procurator 
 marvelled  greatly)  For  no  one  is  wont  to  remain  silent  when  his 
 life  is  at  stake,  especially  after  he  has  once  begun  to  speak. 
 
 15.  Kara,  oi  soprriv,  z.r.X.,  But  at  the  feast,  etc.)  This  [custom 
 of  releasing  a  prisoner  at  the  Feast]  accorded  with  the  deliver- 
 ance from  Egypt. — iopTriv,  feast)  St  John  calls  it  expressly  the 
 Passover. — Biuihi,  had  been  wont)  Even  political  customs  sub- 
 serve Divine  Providence. — ha,  one)  i.e.,  one,  and  not  more  than 
 one. 
 
 16.  ''ETisri;xov,7iotorious)  A  well-known  robber,  notorious  for 
 the  gravest  crime.^  And  yet  he  was  preferred  to  Jesus.  How 
 great  contempt !  Soon  after,  in  the  ignominy  of  punishment, 
 He  was  preferred  to  two  other  robbers. — XiyS/j.ivov  Bapa[36a\/, 
 called  Barahhas)  who  was  much  talked  about.  It  is  probable 
 that  Barabbas  survived  long  as  a  monument  of  the  history  of 
 Jesus.  Barahhas  signifies  "  son  of  his  parent ;"  he  had  been 
 longed  for,  loved,  spoiled,  by  his  parent. 
 
 17.  AiyoiJ^ivov  'KpiGTov,  called  Christ)  Therefore  Jesus  had  been 
 already  very  frequently  called  Christ. 
 
 '  Ver.  12.  ovliu  dTrntfilvxTo,  answered  nothing)  As  the  accusers  brought 
 forward  nothing  new,  the  silence  of  Jesus  was  a  subsequent  confirmation  of 
 those  things  which  He  had  already  said. — Harm..,  p.  547. 
 
 ^  Lachni.  and  Tisch.  write  it  lii'hoirog. — Ed. 
 
 ^  i.e.  They  distinguish  it  with  the  acute  accent. — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Although  joined  in  the  V.  G.  with  the  following  words.— E.  B. 
 
 *  One  who  was,  moreover,  guilty  of  that  very  crime  (treason)  of  which 
 Jesus  was  accused ;  nay,  even  guilty  of  a  worse  crime.  However,  it  was 
 by  the  death  of  Him  who  was  the  Just  One  that  those  very  persons,  who 
 had  deserved  death,  are  set  free. — Harm..,  p.  550. 
 
474  ST  MATTHEW  XXVII.  18-24. 
 
 18.  A/a  (pS6vov,for  envy)  They  envied  Jesus  because  the  people 
 had  adhered  to  Him. 
 
 19.  Ka^>;/x£vou  hi  aurov,  x.r.X,,  but  when  he  was  set  down,  etc.) 
 In  the  very  moment  of  urgent  business  and  impending  decision. 
 Warnings  of  a  strange  and  marvellous  character  ought  not  to  be 
 neglected  in  times  of  noisy  excitement. — Jt/  tov  (Sri/xarog,  on  the 
 judgment-seat)  Great  was  the  influence  of  the  dream,  the  pur- 
 port of  which,  however,  the  woman  understood  better  after  the 
 matter  had  begun  to  come  to  pass.  Perhaps  she  had  the  dream 
 when  Pilate  was  already  engaged  in  the  business. — Xsyovga, 
 x.r.X.,  saying,  etc.)  A  great  benefit  was  offered  by  this  warning 
 to  the  governor,  in  contradistinction  to  the  Jews,  who  had  been 
 sufficiently  warned  from  other  sources.^ — tSj  diy.aiui  sxihcfj,  to  that 
 righteous  man)  Thus  Pilate  also  calls  Him  in  ver.  24,  with  a 
 feeble  reference  to  these  words  of  his  wife. 
 
 20.  "E'Tnigav,  persuaded)  by  words  fair  in  appearance. — 'irjoouv 
 tt'ffoXssuffiv,  they  should  destroy  Jesus)  i.e.  they  should  demand 
 Jesus  to  be  killed. 
 
 22.  T/  ouv  'Troiyjgcij,  x.r.X.,  what  shall  I  do  then?  etc.)  Pilate  did 
 not  suppose  that  the  Jews  would  demand  any  very  severe 
 punishment  to  be  inflicted.  He  ought  not  to  have  asked.  It 
 would  have  been  safer  to  have  simply  dismissed  the  prisoner ; 
 cf.  Acts  xviii.  14,  15,  16. — eraupuOriro,  let  Ilim  be  crucified) 
 Barabbas  had  deserved  the  cross  :  hence  they  demand  that  Jesus 
 should  be  crucified. 
 
 24.  Ohhiv  ufO-iT,  he  availeth  nothing")  Why  not  Pilate  ?  This 
 practical  prejudging  is  desperate,  when  men  say,  "  We  do 
 nothing,"^ — oudh,  nothing,  is  in  the  nominative,  or  the  accusa- 
 tive ;  cf.  John  xii.  19. — /^a/./.ov,  rather)  not  greater.  He  feared 
 a  sedition. — X'lyuv,  x.r.X.,  saying,  etc.)  A  protestation  contrary  to 
 fact. — dizalou,  righteous)  Pilate  adopted  this  word  from  his 
 wife's  warning ;    ver.  19. — i^/i-s/j   'o-^sai)i,   see  ye   to  it)   As    the 
 
 ^  f^Y)Oev,  nothing)  saith  she,  in  one  word.  So  Pilate,  in  the  business 
 itself,  ouf^ht  to  have  taken  the  conscientious  course  without  delay. — V.  g. 
 [Vacillation  and  hesitancy  between  conscience  and  love  of  popularity  were 
 his  temptation  in  this  case. — Eu.] 
 
 2  E.  V.   He  prevailed  nothing.— (I.   B.) 
 
 ^  Sc.  We  make  no  progress,  we  are  eflecting  nothing ;  and  therefore  it 
 is  useless  to  persist  in  the  endeavour. — (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVII.  25-29.  475 
 
 Jews  said  to  Judas,  so  Pilate  says  to  the  Jews.     A  formula  of 
 rejection  ;  see  Acts  xviii.  15. 
 
 25.  Uag  6  Xahg,  x.t.x.,  all  the  people,  etc.)  An  argument 
 against  the  Jews  why  they  are  at  present  in  exile,  although  that 
 exile  is  somewhat  less  severe  than  formerly. — s<p  yifiag,  x.t.a., 
 upon  us,  etc.)  cf.  Deut.  xxviii.  18 ;  Ps.  Ixix.  24,  cix.  17.  They 
 mean,  "  We  will  be  accountable  for  it.'" 
 
 26.  ^paysXXdJgag,  having  scourged)  after  passing  sentence.^ 
 
 27.  "OXriv  rriv  G'XiTpav,  the  whole  hand)  sc.  even  those  soldiers 
 who  ought  not  then  to  have  been  present,  and  had  not 
 been  so  previously.^ — ffTsTpav,  band,  Lat.  spiram)  Elsewhere 
 the  Greeks  are  wont  to  put  a  simple  /  for  the  Latin  i  be- 
 fore a  consonant,  as  in  TliXdrog,  not  nsiXdrog,  etc. ;  they 
 wrote,  however,  cmTpa,  because  it  is  thus  nearest  to  'iriTpa.,  an 
 attempt ;  dTsTpu,  to  sow,  etc. ;  to  the  sound  of  which  they  were 
 accustomed. 
 
 28.  XXafivda  xoxxivriv,  a  crimson  robe)  They  make  sport  of 
 His  kingdom,  as  the  Jews  had  done  of  His  prophetical  dignity ; 
 ch.  xxvi.  68.  It  is  called  '!:op(pvpav,  purple,  in  Mark  xv.  17,  and 
 ifj^drwv  '7rop<pupovv,  a  purple  garment,  in  John  xix.  2.  Sometimes 
 these  words  are  used  promiscuously  ;  sometimes  they  differ,  as  in 
 Rev.  xvii.  4.  The  one  colour  also  used  formerly  to  be  super- 
 induced upon  the  other. 
 
 29.  'O  (3a<siXsvg  rojv  'loudai'jjv,  the  King  of  the  Jeivs)  They 
 treated  Jesus  as  a  madman  who  fancied  Himself  a  King. 
 
 1  They  bind  themselves  with  the  bonds  of  guilt,  but  yet  do  not  thereby 
 set  Pilate  free  from  it.  You  may  possibly,  in  a  single  moment,  commit  an 
 act  which  you  must  pay  the  penalty  of  throughout  your  whole  life,  nay,  even 
 throughout  eternity.  Nor  are  there  wanting  persons  who  have  much  less 
 hesitation  in  incurring  guilt  than  Pilate  had. — V.  g. 
 
 2  The  delivering  up  of  Jesus  to  the  will  of  the  Jews  was  immediately  con- 
 nected with  the  setting  of  Barabbas  free,  and  both  were  followed  by  the 
 scourging,  accompanied  with  the  mocking  of  our  Lord.  In  the  presence  of 
 Caiaphas,  it  was  not  till  after  the  capital  sentence,  that  the  mocking  fol- 
 lowed ;  and,  on  the  same  principle,  the  soldiers  could  not  at  pleasure  vent 
 their  wanton  ribaldry  on  Jesus,  before  that  Pilate  delivered  Him  up  to  the 
 will  and  pleasure  of  the  Jews. — Harm.,  p.   553. 
 
 '  Hereby  the  delivery  of  the  Saviour  into  the  hands  of  the  sinful  heathen 
 was  consummated. — B.  H.  E.,  p.  220. 
 
 Bengel  here  alludes  to  our  Lord's  words  in  Matt.  xx.  19,  and  xxvi.  45. 
 _(I.  B.) 
 
47G  ST  MATTHEW  XXVII.  31-30. 
 
 31.  Ka/  on,  -/..T./..,  and  wJien,  etc.)  When  the  mockery  was 
 concluded,  they  removed  also  the  crown  of  thorns.^ 
 
 32.  Kvpi^vam,  a  Cyrenimi)  There  was  neither  Jew  nor  Roman 
 who  was  willing  to  bear  the  burden  of  the  cross.  Men  were 
 present  at  that  time  from  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa.  Even  in 
 the  remotest  regions  Christ  has  since  found  those  who  would 
 bear  His  cross. — ha,  app,  to  hear)  Simon  is  not  said  to  have 
 borne  it  unwillingly.  Well  has  Athanasius  (Book  i.  fol.  10,  11^ 
 said,  in  his  sermon  on  the  Passion,  "  Simon,  a  mere  man,  bore 
 the  cross,  that  all  might  know  that  the  Lord  underwent,  not 
 His  own  death,  but  that  of  men." 
 
 33.  Kpaviov,  of  a  skull)  The  hill  w^as  called  so  from  its  shape.' 
 
 34.  "O^oj,  vinegar)  St  Mark  (xv.  23)  calls  it,  hfMvpvis/xiyov 
 ohov,  myrrlied  wine :  the  liquor  was  of  a  taste  between  sweet 
 wane  and  vinegar  (cf.  the  Gnomon  on  ver.  48),  seasoned  with 
 myrrh  from  custom,  adulterated  Avith  gall  fi'om  malice. — ovx. 
 ■^SiXs  miTv,  He  would  not  drinh)  for  that  behoved  to  be  deferred 
 to  the  end  of  His  sufferings  ;  see  John  xix.  30.  And  Jesus 
 wished  to  retain  His  senses  fully  undisturbed,  even  up  to  His 
 death. ^ 
 
 36.  'ETTipouv,  they  watched)  cf.  ver.  Co.* 
 
 '  Which  ought  to  be  therefore  omitted  in  pictures  representing  Ilim 
 crucified. — V.  g. 
 
 2  Not,  as  I  am  inclined  to  think,  from  the  skulls  of  malefactors  punished 
 •with  death,  which  lay  about  there;  for  Golgotha,  in  the  singular,  means  a 
 skull,  sc.  the  place  of  a  skull. — B.  II.  E. 
 
 From  all  quarters  in  the  circuit  of  the  cross  the  -whole  -world  might  be- 
 hold the  Son  of  God  suspended  thereon. — Harm.,  p.  562. 
 
 3  Ver.  35.  aTuvpuouvzic,  /«am«y  cri^c/^cc?)  Christ,  in  order  to  be  a  blessing 
 to  us,  was  made  a  curse.  Who  is  there  would  have  dared  to  assert  this,  had 
 not  the  Apostle  declared  it?  Gal.  iii.  13.  Let  the  passages  also,  Gen.  iii.  6, 
 John  iii.  14,  1  Pet.  ii.  24,  be  well  weighed. — Harm.,  p.  563. — lufitpiaxi/To 
 ru.  lp(.(x.Tix  uvroii,  they  parted  His  garments)  When  the  very  poorest  man  dies, 
 he  has  at  least  some  covering  on  his  body :  Jesus  had  none.  Not  even  are 
 His  garments  given  up  to  His  friends  and  relatives,  but  to  the  soldiers. — 
 Harm.,  p.  504. 
 
 •*  The  crucifixion  and  the  parting  of  the  garments  took  place  about  the 
 tldrd  hour ;  the  tumult,  therefore,  having  for  the  most  part  passed  away, 
 they  who  acted  as  guards  to  our  Saviour  had  sufficient  time  to  consider  what 
 was  the  real  nature  of  the  matter.  Prodigies,  however,  at  length  occurred, 
 by  which  those  men  were  brought  to  other  ("and  better]  thoughts.  See  verse 
 64.— B.  II.  E.,  p.  5G5. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVII.  37-44.  477 
 
 37.  'Egtiv,  is)  Yes;  He  truly  is  so  !  The  inscription,  perhaps, 
 remained  longer  on  the  cross  than  the  body  of  Jesus.^ 
 
 39.  O/  di  Trapa'7ropim[Miv(ji^  hut  they  that  were  passing  by)  Many 
 did  not  even  condescend  to  stand  still. — -/.iwZvrn;  rag  y.i(paXag, 
 shaking  their  heads)  The  gesture  of  one  who  refuses  to  acknow- 
 ledge something. 
 
 40.  As/ovrss,  K.T.'k.,  saying,  etc.)  Seven  scoffs  of  His  enemies 
 may  be  counted.^ — sv  rpialv  7i/j.ipaig,  in  three  days)  Yea,  it  was 
 already  now  the  first  of  them. — eo^jeov,  save)  They  use  in  mockery 
 the  name  of  Jesus  ;  then  that  of  "  The  Son  of  God,"  and  that 
 of  King,  ver.  42,  43,  and  His  own  words,  ver.  40. — s/  Tihg  u 
 rou  &=ov,  if  thou  art  the  Son  of  God)  cf.  ch.  iv.  3. 
 
 41.  'O/xo/cog,  -K.r.X.,  in  like  manner,  etc.)  Now  the  chief  men 
 imitate  the  populace  :  a  great  confusion  !  but  they  surpass  them 
 in  bitterness.^ 
 
 42.  Uiffnvffo/jbiv  AvtOj,  tve  loill  believe  Him)  We  [Christians] 
 believe  on  Him  for  that  very  reason,  that  He  did  not  imme- 
 diately descend  from  the  Cross,  but  on  the  contrary  consum- 
 mated His  work. 
 
 43.  riaTo/Ssi',  He  trusted)  cf.  the  end  of  the  verse. — sf-Ts  yap, 
 X.T.X.,  for  He  said,  etc.)  We  may  consider  that  this  was  either 
 uttered  by  those  who  were  passing  by,  or  added  by  the  Evan- 
 gelist for  the  sake  of  explanation.  The  LXX.  in  Psalm  xxii. 
 (xxi.)  8,  have  ^'Xt/Cev  ivi  Kupiov,  puada^M  Ahrov  euaaru  A\jrh,  on 
 '^iXii  Ahriv,  Fie  trusted  in  the  Lord,  let  Him  deliver  Him  :  let 
 Him  save  Him,  since  He  delighteth  in  Him. 
 
 44.  0/  "kriGrai,  the  robbers)  Some  conceive  that  the  plural  is 
 put  here  synecdochically  for  the  singular,  an.d  thus  except  the 
 converted  robber:  in   such    a  horrible  matter,  however,  there 
 
 1  ovo  Xrjdzoti,  two  robbers)  Matthew  and  Mark  mention  their  crucifixion 
 at  a  later  point  of  time  tluin  the  other  two  Evangelists  :  from  which  we 
 may  infer  that  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus  was  regarded  by  Pilate  and  his  sub- 
 ordinates as  the  principal  and  most  important  case. — Harm.,  p.  567. 
 
 2  The  most  heinous  robber,  Avhen  visited  with  capital  punishment,  is 
 scarcely  ever  reviled  besides ;  but  the  Son  of  God,  when  hanging  on  the 
 cross,  is  most  bitingly  insulted  by  word  of  mouth  and  by  writing,  on  the  part 
 of  the  rulers  and  the  common  people — the  Jews,  as  well  as  also  the  Gentiles. 
 — Harm.^  p.  568. 
 
 '  Such  persons  scarcely  at  any  other  time  betray  in  public  what  is  the 
 secret  feeling  which  they  cherish  inwardly. — V.  g. 
 
478  ST  MATTHEW  XXVII.  45,  46. 
 
 seems  to  be  no  place  for  Synecdoche;  nor  are  theie  wanting 
 instances  of  men  who,  in  the  course  of  dreadfiil  and  hngering 
 punishment,  have  at  first  blasphemed,  and  afterwards  been  con- 
 verted. 
 
 45.  nSirav,  all)  The  whole  of  our  planet  is  meant ;  for  the  sun 
 itself  was  darkened.' — ewe  upag  swdrrjg,  until  the  ninth  hour)  A 
 three  hours  full  of  mystery.  Psalm  viii.,  in  the  third  verse  of 
 which  the  omission  of  mention  of  the  sun  agrees  with  the  dark- 
 ness here  spoken  of,  may  be  aptly  compared  with  this  period  of 
 dereliction  and  darkness. 
 
 46.  Uspl  di,  X.T.X.,  but  about,  etc.)  From  this  connection,  it 
 may  be  inferred  that  the  darkening  of  the  sun  (at  the  full  moon") 
 represented,  not  so  much  the  malice  of  the  Jews,  as  the  derelic- 
 tion of  Jesus ;  which  lasted,  as  it  may  be  supposed,  the  whole 
 of  that  three  hours,  at  the  conclusion  of  which  He  uttered  this 
 exclamation.  St  Luke  (xxiii.  45)  joins  the  darkening  of  the 
 sun  with  the  rending  of  the  veil  without  mentioning  the  derelic- 
 tion. As  soon  as  the  dereliction  was  ended,  the  Holy  of  Holies 
 became  immediately  open  to  the  Mediator.^ — dvil36r,asv,  cried  out) 
 Both  this  cry  (repeated  in  ver.  50),  and  the  silence  which  preceded 
 it,  are  of  the  utmost  importance. — sa^ay^avt,  sabachthani)  i.e. 
 ''jnp35J>,  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me  ?  The  p  is  rendered  in  Greek  by 
 y^,  ch,  when  3,  th,  follows.  — 0£s  Mou,  My  God)  On  other  occasions 
 Pie  was  accustomed  to  say,  "  Father''^ :  now  He  says,  "  3Iy  God," 
 
 1  There  are  some  who  think  that  this  was  the  same  Eclipse  as  that  which 
 was  noted  by  Phlegon  [Traliianus]  and  others  of  the  ancients,  or  even  as 
 that  one,  the  traces  of  which  are  now  found  among  the  [traditions  of  the] 
 Chinese.  Whatever  degree  of  plausibility  there  may  be  in  this,  they  are 
 convicted  of  error  by  far  stronger  arguments,  since,  in  fact,  they  must 
 thus  thrust  forward  the  passion  of  Christ  beyond  the  thirtieth  year  of  the 
 Dionys.  era. — Harm.,  p.  571. 
 
 2  This  could  not  have  been  an  eclipse  of  the  sun,  for  the  passover  was 
 celebrated  at  the  time  of  full  moon,  when  the  moon  is  opposite  to  the  sun. 
 Luke  xxiii.  45  says,  "  The  sun  was  darkened." — Ed. 
 
 '  ivvct-rYiv  (lipocv,  the  ninth  hour)  Some  one  has  thrown  out  the  surmise  that 
 it  was  at  mid- day  the  definitive  sentence  was  pronounced  by  Pilate,  and 
 that  Ilis  being  led  forth  was  delayed  up  to  that  point  of  time,  so  that  the 
 crucifixion  would  thus  take  place  on  the  third  hour  from  mid-day  (3  o'clock), 
 at  the  time  of  the  evening  sacrifice.  Nay,  rather  His  death  occurred  at 
 that  time,  after  that  the  gracious  Saviour  had  hung  for  six  whole  hours  on 
 the  cross. — Harm.,  p.  571. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVII,  47.  479 
 
 as  being  now  in  a  degree  estranged ; '  yet  He  does  so  twice, 
 and  adds  "  My"  with  confidence,  patience,  and  self-resignation. 
 Christ  was  *i2y,  the  servant  of  the  Lord  r  and  yet  He  calls  Him 
 God,  not  Master  {hie'x6rr\\i).  In  Ps.  xxii.  (xxi.)  1,  the  LXX.  have  6 
 &iog  6  &i6g  f/,ov,  ir^Myjig  [loiy  ivari  ly/MTsXiirkg  /is  ;  ^^My  God,  My 
 God,  protect  Me!  Wliy  hast  Thou  forsaken  3Ief"  where  the 
 meaning  is  evident  from  the  remainder  of  that  and  the  following 
 verse.  He  does  not  only  say  that  He  has  been  delivered  by 
 God  into  the  hands  of  men,  but  also  that  He  has  suffered  some- 
 thing, to  us  ineffable,  at  the  hand  of  God. — ivarl,  why  f)  Jesus 
 knew  the  cause,  and  had  prepared  Himself  for  all  things :  but 
 yet  the  ivhy  expresses  that  the  Son  would  not  have  had  to  endure 
 the  dereliction  on  His  own  account,  but  that  it  happened  to 
 Him  for  a  new  cause,  and  would  last  but  for  a  short  time ;  after 
 which  His  yearning  desire^  towards  the  Father  would  be  again 
 gratified. — syxaTBAi-mg,  hast  Thou  forsaken)  The  past  tense.*  At 
 that  very  instant  the  dereliction  came  to  an  end,  and  shortly 
 afterwards  the  whole  Passion.  In  the  midst  and  deepest  moment 
 of  dereliction  He  was  silent.  He  complains  of  the  dereliction 
 alone.^ 
 
 47.  'HA/'ai/,  Elias)  It  is  impious  to  distort  sacred  words,  for- 
 mularies, and  prayers. 
 
 1  In  the  original,  "quasi  jam  alienior." — (I.  B.) 
 
 *  Isaiah  xlii.  1. — Ed. 
 
 2  In  the  original,  "  desiderium"  a  word  which  is  said  by  some  to  have  no 
 equivalent  in  any  other  language.  It  implies  here  longing  and  love  in  the 
 highest  and  fullest  degree,  accompanied  by  sorrow  for,  and  privation  of,  the 
 object  desired ;  and  corresponds  very  nearly  with  the  Portuguese  word 
 satidade,  which  I  believe  to  be  utterly  untranslatable. — (I.  B.) 
 
 The  Greek  ■Trodog. — Ed. 
 
 *  Some  recent  interpreters  render  it,  W/ii/  (How)  can  it  (ever)  come 
 to  pass,  that  thou  shoiddest  forsake  Mef  And  yet  that  interpretation,  how- 
 ever soothing  it  be  to  natural  weakness  (softness),  does  not  satisfy  the  de- 
 mands of  divine  rigorous  strictness  in  this  most  momentous  transaction.  We 
 may  term  it,  as  it  were,  a  filial  expostulation,  wherein,  if  we  may  be  per- 
 mitted to  express  the  sense  with  some  little  change  of  the  words,  the  be- 
 loved Son  speaks  thus  to  His  beloved  Father,  What  is  this  that  thou  hast 
 done  unto  Me  ?  In  truth,  the  best  of  deeds  !  Most  excellently  endured ! 
 A  brief  time  so  extraordinary,  that,  on  account  of  it,  He  is  to  have  [or  else 
 feeT]  everlasting  thanks. — Harm.,  p.  573. 
 
 *  Not  of  His  sufferings. — Ed. 
 
480  ST  MATTHEW  XXVII.  48-51. 
 
 48.  "o^ou;,  loith  vinegar')  The  soldiers  were  accustomed  to  drink 
 vinegar^  themselves,  as  Gataker  remarks,  Posthumous  Miscel- 
 lanies, ch.  vi. 
 
 49.  O/  OS  Xoi'jol,  but  the  rest)  i.e.  of  those  present,  opposed  to 
 those  whose  speech  and  conduct  is  related  in  ver.  47,  48.' — 
 t'Aiyov,  H.T.X.,  said,  etc.)  After  the  fearful  darkness,  they  return  to 
 their  scofts. — ciipsg,  let  be)  They  mean,  that  the  aid  of  their  com- 
 panion [who  offered  the  vinegar]  is  unnecessary,  as  Elias  has 
 been  summoned. 
 
 50.  Kpd^ag,  z.r.X.,  having  cried,  etc.)  A  free  laying  down  of 
 life.  He  was  not  deprived  of  life  by  the  power  of  the  cross  em- 
 ployed by  men  ;  see  Mark  xv.  44  ;  but  yet  they  are  rightly  said 
 to  have  killed  Him,  because  they  did  so,  as  far  as  lay  in  their 
 power. — ap^jcE  TO  'TrviijfMa,  He  gave  up  the  ghost)  The  Divine 
 history  records  the  death  of  Jesus  Christ  in  few  words ;  the 
 homilies  and  epistles  of  the  Apostles  preach  the  fruit  of  that 
 death  in  many  :  thus  the  Gospel  furnishes  the  wool,  the  Apostle 
 makes  the  dress ;  which  similitude  is  used  by  Macarius  in  his 
 Treatise,  de  Elevatione  mentis,  cap.  19.  The  word  xo///-aff^a;,  to 
 sleep,  is  never  employed  concerning  the  death  of  the  Saviour 
 (cf.  ver.  52),  but  a-ro&vrigxiin,  to  die,  which  verb  expresses  the 
 truth,  the  gravity,  the  brevity,  and  the  virtue  of  Christ's  death.^ 
 
 51.  ^'Eayjeiiri,  x.r.7..,  was  rent,  etc.)  Therefore  the  approach  to 
 the  Holy  Places  was  now  free.'' — i}  y7\,  the  earth)  i.e.  the  globe 
 
 '  Vinegar,  mixed  with  water,  and  drunk  by  the  soldiers,  was  called  posca 
 (pusca,  Veg.  Vet.  ii.  48).  PL  Mil.  iii.  2.  '23  :  Plin.  xxvii.  4,  12,  Th.  PO- 
 of  potus  ;  comp.  esca. — Ed. 
 
 ^  Not,  however,  excluding  tlie  man  who  presented  to  Jesus,  on  a  hyssop 
 stick,  the  spunge  filled  with  vinegar.  We  may  readily  suppose  that  tliis 
 man  was  a  Jew  enlisted  among  the  Roman  soldiery.  Comp.  with  this  view 
 Mark  xv.  3G. — Harm.,  p.  574. 
 
 2  By  it  God  was  reconciled.     Truly,  a  most  precious  moment ! — V.  g. 
 
 *  Matthew  and  Mark  place  this  rending  of  the  veil  after  the  death  of 
 Christ.  Luke  places  it  before  the  words.  Father,  into  thy  hands  1  com7ncnd 
 my  spirit.  IJoth  events  occurred  at  this  same  incomparable  moment.  Luke, 
 inasmuch  as  combining  the  darkness  of  the  three  hours  with  the  rending  of 
 the  veil,  indicates,  (1)  that  after  the  darkness  was  ended,  all  tlie  remaining 
 events,  up  to  the  death  of  the  Saviour,  nuitu.illy  succeeded  one  another  in 
 most  rapid  succession;  and  ('2)  tluil  the  rending  of  the  veil,  which  occurred 
 at  the  very  moment  of  His  death,  has  no  less  clo.se  connection  with  the 
 supernatural  darkness  than  with  the  subsequent  miracles.     To  be  left  bv 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVII.  52,  53.  481 
 
 (see  ver.  45),  but  especially  the  Land  of  Israel  and  the  vicinity 
 of  Jerusalem.^ — a/'  'j'srpai,  x.r./..,  the  rocks,  etc.)  Travellers  re- 
 late that  rents  in  the  rocks,  the  opposite  sides  of  which  corres- 
 pond to  each  other,  are  still  to  be  seen. 
 
 52.  Tuiv  xixoifiTifihuv  ayiuv,  of  the  saints  that  had  slept)  The 
 name  saints  belongs  equally  to  the  living  and  the  dead ;  yea, 
 in  the  mention  of  the  dead,  the  determining  clause  is  added, 
 "  who  had  slept."  And  these  saints  are  reckoned  such,  not  by 
 human,  but  Divine  Canon.  Of  the  Saints,  who  had  died  either 
 a  long  while  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  or  not  much  after  (see 
 Gnomon  on  John  xi.  25),  from  all  tribes  no  doubt.  The  ancients 
 appear  to  have  considered  Job  to  have  been  one  of  these  ;  for, 
 at  the  end  of  his  book,  the  lxx.  and  Theodotion  add  y'tyfaitrai 
 })z  avTov  rrdXiv  dvaarfidiGdai  fMS^  m  6  K-opiog  dv/gr^ffiv,  but  it  is  written 
 that  he  shall  rise  again  with  those  lohom  the  Lord  raises. 
 
 53.  'E^sXdovreg,  having  come  out)  i.e.  the  saints  whose  bodies 
 had  been  resuscitated,  in  stately  procession. — iurd  rr^v  'iyipciv  Autou, 
 after  His  7'esurrection)  This  clause  refers  to  the  verb  ■^y'^pdrj,  were 
 raised,  to  which  the  verbal  noun  syepffig  (the  act  of  being  raised), 
 which  does  not  occur  elsewhere  in  the  New  Testament,  is  fitted 
 in  this  passage ;  and  yet  this  same  clause  is  placed  between  the 
 egress  of  the  saints  from  the  tombs,  and  their  ingress  into  the 
 city.  This  intermingling  of  the  words  admirably  corresponds 
 with  the  facts.  Immediately  on  our  Lord's  death,  the  veil  was 
 rent  in  twain,  the  earth  shook,  the  rocks  were  rent;  and  St 
 Matthew  has  woven  together  the  other  circumstances  wnth 
 these  prodigies.  From  which  we  are  able  to  gather  that  there 
 was  one  continual  earthquake  from  the  death  to  the  resurrec- 
 tion of  our  Lord,  which  first  aroused  the  living  (ver.  54),  and 
 afterwards  the  dead.  There  cannot  be  assigned  any  noticeable 
 interval  between  the  resurrection  of  the  bodies  of  the  saints,  and 
 
 God  was  the  same  to  the  soul  of  Jesus,  as  to  die  was  to  His  body :  the 
 former  was  signified  by  the  darkness,  the  latter  by  the  rending  of  the  veil. 
 His  quickening  in  the  Spirit  followed  immediately  after  He  had  drunk  the 
 <rup  of  death  to  tht  uttermost  (1  Pet,  iii.  18),  and  that  quickening  pro- 
 duced the  greatest  effects  upon  things  visible  and  invisible  alike. — Harm., 
 p.  576. 
 
 ^  Those  great  commotions  in  created  things  went  on,  in  continuous  suc- 
 cession, from  the  moment  of  Christ's  death  to  His  resurrection,  exerting 
 their  influence  especially  in  the  kingdom  of  things  invisible. — Harm.,  I.  c. 
 
 VOL.  I.  H  H 
 
482  ST  MATTHEW  XXVII.  54-i8. 
 
 their  coming  forth  fi*om  the  tomb.  The  first  who  rose  from  the 
 dead  to  die  no  more  was  Christ ;  he  had  however  companions. 
 Aft;er  His  resurrection,  that  of  the  saints  also  took  place ;  but 
 it  is  recorded  that  their  egress  from  the  tombs,  and  their  ingress 
 into  the  Holy  City,  occurred  after  His  resurrection  ;  because 
 those  many  persons,  to  whom  the  saints  appeared,  knew  the 
 time  of  their  ingress  and  appearance,  but  had  not  seen  their 
 actual  resurrection.  The  silence  of  St  Paul,  in  1  Cor.  xv.  23, 
 does  not  prove,  as  Artemonius  has  inferred,  ad  Init.  JEv.  Joh.  p. 
 571,  that  the  bodies  of  the  saints  came  forth  from  the  tombs 
 without  their  souls,  and  that  their  souls  afterwards  ascended  to 
 heaven  without  their  bodies.  —  hi(paviadriffav,  ajypeared)  singly 
 to  individuals,  or  several  at  once,  to  more  than  one.  An  instance 
 of  real  apparition. 
 
 54.  TripovvTii;,  watching)  In  their  turn. — aXij^wg,  truly)  This 
 refers  antithetically  to  ver.  40,  43. — Qsov  T'lhg,  Son  of  God)  He 
 had  said  that  He  was  so,  and  they  acknowledge  the  truth  of 
 His  assertion  from  the  signs.^ 
 
 56.  'H  tou  'laxw/3ou  xai'lcosn  /J^yi'^yip,  the  mother  of  James  and 
 Joses)  When  St  Matthew  wrote,  the  sons  were  better  knovni 
 than  their  mother  ;  wherefore  she  Avas  denominated  from  them. 
 
 57.  "Og  y.ai  avrhg,  x.r.A.,  who  also  himself,  etc.)  As  well  as  those 
 pious  women. — siia^nn-jdi,  xcas  a  disciple)  and  was  anxious  to 
 make  disciples.^ 
 
 58.  'llTr,6aTo,  begged)  Then  the  power  of  the  Praetor  was 
 great  over  the  bodies  of  those  who  had  been  executed ;  cf.  in 
 Mark  xv.  45,  edup/jgaro,  he  gave  as  a  gift.  Buxtorf  in  his  Lexic. 
 Talm.  fol.  xix.  62,  says,  "  For  this  cause,  perchance,  did  Joseph 
 of  Arimathca  beg  that  the  body  of  Christ  might  be  given  to 
 him,  lest  it  should  be  committed  to  the  public  sepulchre  of  cri- 
 
 ^  Ver.  55.  ctTro  t*};  Vot.'hi'huiot.g,  from  Galilee)  The  journey  (of  Jesus  and 
 His  followers) /rom  Oaiilee  towards  Jerusalem  [His  last  journey],  recorded 
 in  Luke  ix.  51,  is  the  one  here  meant.  What  great  things  these  women, 
 equally  with  the  apostles,  saw  and  heard  in  so  short  a  space  of  time  !  These 
 ■women  already  make  up  for  His  being  deserted  by  the  apostles. — Harm.,  p. 
 678.  They  were  the  steady  attendants  of  Jesus  in  His  life  and  death. 
 Therefore  no  part  of  the  Gospel  history  is  destitute  of  eye-witnesses. — V.  g. 
 
 '  Beng.  takes  t/xxdrirevae  here  not  only  in  the  intransitive  sense,  He  was  a 
 disciple,  but  in  the  transitive  sense,  He  made,  or  wished  to  make  disciples,  as 
 in  ch.  xxviii.  19  ;  Acts  xiv.  21. — Ed. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVII.  59-62.  483 
 
 minals." — rh  au/j^a,  the  body)  All  the  Evangelists  use  this  word 
 for  our  Lord's  frame  when  dead,  since  it  would  not  have  been 
 becoming  to  designate  it  by  the  expression  corpse  {cadaver). 
 Such  is  the  Divine  propriety  of  style,  which  has  indeed  been 
 abandoned  by  human  commentators. — a-TroBodrivai,  to  be  restored^) 
 The  Jews  had  alienated  it ;  Joseph,  a  member  of  the  Sanhedrim, 
 as  it  were  in  the  public  name  received  it  from  the  Gentiles, 
 and  together  with  Nicodemus  restored  it  to  the  Jews ;  cf.  the 
 conclusion  of  John  xix.  40. 
 
 59.  'S.ivdovi,  a  very  fine  linen  or  muslin  cloth)  Such  as  had  not 
 hitherto  been  worn  by  our  Lord.  The  beginnings  of  honour^ 
 already  appear.  Joseph  is  called  in  Mark  xv.  43,  ih(!yn]ij.m 
 ^ouXsuT^g,  an  honourable  senator)  It  was  not  allowable  to  wrap 
 the  dead  in  anything  more  costly. 
 
 60.  Ka/vw,  new)  Which  had  not  been  polluted  by  any  corrup- 
 tion ;  and  also  lest  any  of  the  ancient  saints  should  be  said  to 
 have  risen  instead  of  Him,  or  to  have  given  Him  the  power  of 
 rising. — auroD,  his  oivn)  Jesus  Christ,  the  leader  and  guide  of 
 life,  was  placed  in  the  tomb  of  another.^ — rjj  '^vpct,,  the  door)  The 
 sepulchre  was  not  a  naiTow  trench,  but  a  crypt. — uTn^.^sv,  he 
 departed)  Not  hoping  those  things  which  soon  were  to  come  to 
 pass. 
 
 61.  Ka'^ri//.smi,  sitting)  A  holy  and  salutary  delay.* 
 
 62.  Tji  ds  sTavpiov,  but  on  the  morrow)  A  periphrasis  for  the 
 Sabbath  (cf  ch.  xxviii.  1),  which  St  Matthew  employed  for  an 
 important  reason  ;  perhaps  because  he  did  not  choose  to  call  the 
 Jewish  Sabbath  any  longer  The  Sabbath. — xai  o'l  ^apigaTbi,  and 
 the  Pharisees)  They  had  taken  no  part  in  the  actual  trial ;  see 
 ch.  xxvi.  3,  57,  yet  they  had  not  been  altogether  inactive ;  see 
 John  xviii.  3.  Perhaps  there  were  also  Pharisees  among  the 
 Scribes  and  the  Elders.  Perhaps  the  Pharisees,  from  their  ex- 
 treme zeal,  did  many  things  which  did  not  exactly  belong  to 
 their  office. 
 
 1  Engl.  Vers.  To  he  delivered. — (I.  B.) 
 
 "^  Cf.  1  Cor.  XV.  4.— E.  B. 
 
 ^  Implying  that  the  tomb  was  something  alien  and  strange  for  Him,  the 
 Lord  of  Life,  to  be  associated  with.  Therefore  He  had  no  tomb  of  His  own, 
 —Ed. 
 
 ♦  Kx]  i]  oixhYi,  and  the  other)  of  whom  ver.  66  speaks. — V.  g. 
 
4g4  ST  MATTHEW  XXVIl.  G3-66.-XXVIII.  1. 
 
 G3.  Aiyovreg,  -/.upis,  saying,  my  Lord)  They  cringe  to  Pilate : 
 they  had  not  addi'essed  him  so  before. — sxuvo;,  that)  They  al- 
 ready desired  Jesus  to  be  obliterated  from  the  memory  of  all. — 
 lyeipofMa:,  I  am  raised)  The  present  tense. 
 
 64.  ' A(rpaXi<^rivai,  to  be  made  sure,  to  be  secured)  They  igno- 
 rantly  minister  to  the  confirmation  of  the  truth.  No  human 
 dspdXiia.  (making  sure)  hinders  God ;  see  Acts  v.  23,  x\'i. 
 23-26. — roD  XaCj,  unto  the  people)  The  Pharisees  supposed  that 
 they  should  not  believe  it  themselves.  They  wish  (as  they  per- 
 suade themselves)  to  take  precautions  for  the  people. — y.ai  Urai 
 71  ss^drn  'xXdvTi,  K.T.X.j  and  the  last  error  shall  be,  etc.)  The  latter 
 victory  of  truth,  however,  spread  more  widely  than  the  first. — 
 v  sax,drn,  the  last)  A  similar  mode  of  expression  occurs  in  2 
 Sam.  xiii.  16. 
 
 65.  "Ex^ri,  X.T.X.,  ye  have,  etc.)  Pilate  gives  the  guards 
 quickly ;  and  yet,  as  it  were  with  indignation  (cf.  cli.  xxviii. 
 11,  12),  dismisses  the  calumniators  quickly  also. 
 
 QQ.  'Hs;paXicavro,  they  secured)  This  is  the  whole:  the  pai'ts 
 were  the  seal,  and  the  watch. 
 
 CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
 
 1.  '04'e,  afte)')  i.e.  after  the  Sabbath ;  cf.  Mark  xvi.  1.  E. 
 Schmidius  compares  with  this  expression  that  of  Plutarch,  o-4/s 
 roil/  (SaaiXBug  XP^^^'"}  '^fi^^'  ^^'^  times  of  the  king ;  and  that  of  Philos- 
 tratus,  o-vj/s  ruv  TpuiKuv,  after  the  Trojan  war.^  Now  with  the 
 new  week  very  different  matters  arise. — aa^fidruv — cct^jSdruv,' 
 genitive  plural  of  adj3,3a.Tov,  the  Sabbath)  The  Vulgate  has 
 Sabbati^Sabbati,  genitive  singular,  in  both  places,  and  it  does 
 not  stand  alone. — ca^lSdrou — sa^lSdruv,  the  first  in  the  genitive 
 singular,  the  second  genitive  plural,  is  the  middle  reading  be- 
 
 1  We  may  translate  the  Greek  words  thus: — "  On  that  day  which  com- 
 mences from  the  evening  after  the  Sabbath,  and  on  the  following  morning 
 dawns  upon  the  first  day  of  the  week."  This  was  Sunday,  very  early  in  the 
 morning. — Harm.,  p.  584,  etc. 
 
 '  This  too  is  the  reading  of  E.  M.— (I.  B.) 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  1.  485 
 
 Iween  these  two.^ — rf,  [sc.  ri/j'Spcf]  iff/pwcxoic?;,  as  it  began  to 
 daw7i)  When  the  period  of  death  had  elapsed,  our  Lord  rose 
 as  quickly  as  possible. — ilg  f^iav  [sc.  rifMpav]  on  the  Jirst  day,  i.e* 
 the  whole  daz/y  the  Jirst  of  the  week.  The  first  day  of  the 
 week  had  already  begun  on  the  preceding  evening ;  now  the 
 day,  as  opposed  to  the  night,  was  dawning  on  that  first  day. 
 Tlie  first  remarkable  mention  of  the  Lord's  day  is  combined 
 with  the  resurrection  of  our  Lord.  It  is  generally  called  tj  /x/a 
 (the  Jirst)  with  the  article:  see  Mark  xvi.  2;  Luke  xxiv.  1; 
 John  XX.  1,  19 ;  Acts  xx.  7,  and  on  the  other  hand  1  Cor. 
 xvi.  2.^ — ffal3l3dTU)v,  of  the  days  of  the  week)  ^XS«,  x.r.A.,  came, 
 etc.)  Such  offices  were  performed  by  those  who  were  not  con- 
 nected by  the  closest  relationship ;  so  that  it  is  not  wonderful 
 that  our  Lord's  mother  was  not  there  with  them.^ 
 
 1  In  the  original  the  passage  runs  thus  : — "  axlili/kruv — ax/ilixruv,  sabbati 
 — sabbati)  habet  Lat.  nee  solus,     ax/i/iocrov — axfi/ixrau,  lectio  media. 
 
 In  his  own  Greek  New  Testament  (4to  1734)  Bengel  has  actfiiSxru!) — 
 cx/i/ixTuv,  and  does  not  indicate  the  existence  of  any  various  reading.  In 
 his  App.  Crit.,  however,  he  writes  in  loc.  : — '■'■  axlljlxTui/  utrumque)  sabha- 
 tJii  habet  Lat.  (passim)  et  ahi. — (I.  B.) 
 
 Besides  Vulg.  sabbati,  sabbati  is  read  by  abc.  LA  and  Syr.  rend  axfifixru. 
 But  ABD  Orig.  1,440c  read  (jx(iliiTuv — axliliccruv  with  Rec.  Text. — Ed. 
 
 -  In  the  last  instance  the  omission  of  the  article  may  be  accounted  for  by 
 tlie  presence  of  the  preposition  kxtu.,  which,  as  is  frequently  the  case  in 
 similar  instances,  renders  ft,iccv  axjitSxTav  anarthrous.  See  Middleton  on  the 
 article,  who  observes  also,  that  if  two  nouns  be  in  regimen,  and  if  one  be 
 anarthrous,  the  other  will  be  so  too  ;  so  that  axfi[ixruv,  being  without  the 
 article,  causes  ^;W  to  drop  the  article,  which  it  otherwise  should  have. — 
 (IB.) 
 
 ^  It  seems  to  be  desirable  to  give  the  reader  here  a  succinct  history  of 
 this  first  Lord's  day,  framed  from  a  comparison  of  the  Evangelists  as  insti- 
 tuted by  Bengel,  in  such  a  way,  however,  as  that  the  arguments  are  left  in 
 their  own  places  to  be  investigated  by  the  reader.  The  summary  of  events 
 which  the  Harm.  Ev.,  p.  584,  etc.,  exhibits,  amounts  to  this  : — 
 
 The  preparations  for  anointing  Jesus,  which  had  been  begun  before  the 
 Sabbath,  having  been  continued  and  completed  by  the  women  after  the  end 
 of  the  Sabbath,  Mary  Magdalene  came  to  the  sepulchre  much  sooner  than 
 the  rest  of  the  women ;  (for  too  long  a  space  of  time  intervenes  between  the 
 time  preceding  day-break  [John  xx.  ]]  and  the  rising  of  the  sun  [Mark 
 xvi.  2]  to  admit  of  our  supposing  that  all  the  women  at  one  time  left  home 
 before  day,  and  only  reached  the  tomb  at  sunrise.  Meanwhile  the  angel 
 sent  down  from  heaven  rolled  away  the  stone  from  the  door  of  the  sepulchre, 
 ■whilst  an  earthquake  accompanied  his  action,  very  much  to  the  terror  of  the 
 
486  ST  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  2-5. 
 
 2.  'Ato  TTtQ  "^{jpag,  from  the  door)  sc.  of  the  sepulchre.  It  did 
 not  behove  that  the  sepulchre  should  remain  closed. — Ha^nro, 
 sat)  Afterwards  the  angel  arose  with  his  companion.  See  Luke 
 xxiv.  4  [where  it  is  said,  "  Behold  two  men  stood  by  them  in 
 shining  garments.] — kiravoi  avrou,  upon  it)  sc.  the  stone  :  so  that 
 no  one  could  roll  it  back  again  to  the  sepulchre. 
 
 3.  'idia,  appeara7ice)^  sc.  of  his  face. — Xiwov,  white)  Heavenly 
 messengers  are  not  before  this  occurrence  said  to  have  appeared 
 in  this  dress :  they  have  done  so  however  since :  see  Acts  i.  10, 
 X.  30.2 
 
 4.  'nasi  vixpoi,  as  dead  meii)  Not  even  military  daring  endures 
 the  power  of  the  inhabitants  of  heaven. 
 
 5.  Mn  <poj3iT(^i,  fear  not)  An  expression  used  at  the  com- 
 mencement of  visions,  which  tempers  fear,  arising  from  the 
 glorious  sight  overpowering  the  hearts  of  mortals,  which  promises 
 
 soldiers  on  watch.  Mary  Magdalene  is  the  first  of  all  who  perceived  the 
 stone  rolled  away,  and,  without  having  entered  the  sepulchre,  she  goes  to 
 tell  tidings  of  the  fact  to  Peter  and  John.  Whilst  these  things  are  being 
 carried  on,  the  rest  of  the  women,  having  entered  the  sepulchre,  are  thrown 
 into  a  state  of  anxiety  by  not  discovering  the  body  of  the  Lord,  and  upon 
 receiving  the  angel's  announcement  concerning  the  resurrection,  they  depart 
 quickly  [ver.  8].  Then  Peter  and  John,  coming  to  the  sepulchre,  and  hav- 
 ing seen  the  state  of  things  there,  believe  that  the  body  of  the  Lord  has 
 been  carried  away,  and  return  home.  But  Mary,  having  now  taken  her 
 stand  at  the  sepulchre  [John  xx.  11];  (for  she  had  followed  the  Apostles 
 hither  anew  after  her  first  visit  to  it),  gives  vent  to  her  tears,  and  after  hav- 
 ing beheld  the  two  angels,  to  whom  she  scarcely  pays  attention,  she  sees 
 Jesus  Himself,  who  presently  after  appears  to  the  rest  of  the  women  also, 
 as  they  were  preparing  to  carry  on  the  tidings  of  the  angels  to  the  disciples 
 also.  (Whilst  these  were  going  away,  the  soldiers  in  watch  of  the  sepulchre, 
 having  brought  to  the  priests  tidings  of  what  had  happened,  are  bribed 
 with  money.)  By  this  time  ]\lary,  attended  by  the  rest  of  the  women,  has 
 come  to  the  disciples  ;  but  not  even  on  the  part  of  Peter  does  she  find  faith 
 in  the  good  tidings  which  she  announces.  Our  Lord,  meantime,  appears  to 
 Cleophas  and  his  companion  (and  elsewhere  to  Peter  also).  But  not  even 
 to  these  announcements  do  the  disciples  give  faith,  before  that,  upon  the 
 intervention  of  the  apparition,  which  liad,  in  addition,  been  vouchsafed  to 
 Simon,  the  reports  were  confirmed  by  reports.  In  fine,  on  that  very 
 evening,  when  the  disciples  were  congregated  together,  and  were  conversing 
 with  one  another  on  these  subjects,  the  risen  Lord  presents  Himself  to 
 their  view. — E.  B. 
 
 *  Engl.  Vers.  "  countcna?ice." — (L  B.) 
 
 •  The  dress  corresponded  to  the  message  they  delivered  — Ilann..^.  589. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  6-12.  487 
 
 security,  and  conciliates  attention. — liiug,  ye)  Although  the 
 soldiers  are  left  to  their  fear. — olba,  I  know)  Thus  the  angel 
 impresses  his  words  on  their  heart. 
 
 6.  Oux  iSTtv,  %.r.>..,  He  is  not,  etc.)  This  verse  contains  short 
 clauses  which  are  exceedingly  appropriate  to  the  subject  matter. 
 — 6  K-jpioc,  the  Lord)  A  designation  of  honour. 
 
 7.  E/Vars  roTg  fj.a^riTaTg  aiiTov,  x.r.X.,  say  to  His  disciples,  etc.) 
 The  apostles  were  especially  bound  to  have  believed  before  they 
 saw ;  therefore  the  fact  is  announced  to  them  through  the 
 women,  and  their  faith  is  thereby  tried.' — riysp^ri,  has  been  raised) 
 The  message  to  the  disciples  extends  as  far  as  "  avrhv  o-^s(^i,  i.e.  ye 
 shall  see  Him;^  cf.  ver.  10. — IxiT,  there)  And  yet  the  kind  Saviour 
 showed  Himself  to  them  before  then.  The  appearance  in 
 Galilee  was  very  solemn  and  public  (see  ver.  10,  16),  and  had 
 been  promised  before  the  Lord's  death. 
 
 8.  Oo/Sou  xa/  yoLpaq  (j,iyaXr\g,  vnth  fear  and  great  joy)  These 
 emotions  can  coexist  in  spiritual  matters. 
 
 9.^  Ka/  iho-j,  and  behold)  An  elegant  expression,  denoting 
 something  sudden  and  unforeseen. — 6  ^IrisoZg,  x.r.X.,  Jesus,  etc.) 
 The  obedient  receive  a  further  revelation. — ya'ifin,  all  hail)  A 
 formula  of  frequent  occurrence,  which  is  employed  by  our  Lord 
 in  a  high  and  peculiar  sense. — '?rpoffs-/.{jvr,ffav  AvtSj,  they  worshipped 
 Him)  Before  His  passion,  Jesus  had  been  worshipped  by 
 strangers,  rather  than  by  His  disciples. 
 
 10.  ToTg  ahX<poTg  Mov,  to  My  brethren)  See  Gnomon  on  John 
 XX.  17. 
 
 11.  Tivig,  some)  The  rest  went  elsewhere,  or  at  any  rate  not 
 to  the  priests. — aVai/ra,  all  things)  From  all  these  things  they 
 gathered  that  Jesus  had  risen. 
 
 12.  ^Apyvpioc    ixava,    money    sufficient)    i.e.,    to    corrupt    the 
 
 ^  However,  it  was  a  pre-eminent  honour  conferred  on  these  women,  that 
 our  Lord  appeared  to  them  the  first  after  His  resurrection. — V.  g. 
 
 -  The  words  immediately  preceding,  &$■ — y.ahroug  oivrov,  are  no  doubt 
 expressed  in  the  Germ.  Vers.,  but  the  margin  of  both  the  Greek  Editions 
 prefers  their  omission. — E.  B. 
 
 A  supports  the  Rec.  Text,  in  reading  at  the  beginning  of  ver.  4,  ug  os 
 tTTopsvoi/ro  x.vay'yflXoc.i  ro7g  fioLdyircug  ctvrov.  But  BD  Vulg.  dbc  Memph.  Syr. 
 reject  the  words,  which  seem  to  me  to  have  originated  from  a  transcriber's 
 accidental  error  in  repeating  the  closing  words  of  ver.  8 — a  class  of  errors  of 
 frequent  occurrence. — Ed. 
 
488  ST  MATTHEW  XXVllI.  13-18. 
 
 Eoman  soldiers,  and  induce  them  to  lie  contrary  to  the  truth, 
 at  their  own  great  peril. ^ 
 
 13.  E/Varg,  x.T.X.,  say,  etc.)  The  priests  were  a  great  stumbliiig- 
 Llock  to  the  soldiers,  and  sinned  most  heinously  against  God. 
 — or/,  x.r.X.,  that,  etc.)  A  specimen  of  Jewish  perfidy  and 
 calumny. — vuxrlg,  hy  night)  They  instruct  them  how  to  lie 
 Bpeciously. 
 
 14.  'Eav,  -/..T.X.,  if,  etc.)  How  laboi'ious  is  the  warfare  of  fiilse- 
 hood  against  truth. — It/,  officially  before). 
 
 15.  AiB(p^f/.i(^7;,  has  been  commonly  reported)  There  are  many 
 things  of  this  kind  by  which  the  wretched  Jews  keep  themselves 
 in  error.^ 
 
 17.  O/  ds,  others,  or,  some)  sc.  of  the  Twelve.  The  day  of 
 Pentecost,  however,  removed  all  doubt  from  these,  if  any  re- 
 mained. The  slower  they  were  at  first  to  believe,  the  greater 
 credit  is  due  to  them  afterwards  as  witnesses.  Leo,  in  his  first 
 sermon  on  the  Ascension,  says,  "  They  doubted,  in  order  that 
 we  should  not  doubt." 
 
 18.  npoffB'k^uv,  having  come  unto)  And  by  that  very  circumstance, 
 producing  faith  even  in  those  who  doubted. — avroTg,  to  them)  i.e. 
 addressing  them. — sdo^ri  Moi,  has  been  to  Me)  especially  to  Me, 
 risen  and  ascending.  This  passage  contains  the  sum  of  those 
 things  which  the  Lord  declared  afterwards  more  fully  in  the 
 Apocalypse,  concerning  His  possession  of  all  authority,  and  Plis 
 presence  with  His  own ;  see  Rev.  i.  18,  13. — -am,  x.r.x.,  all, 
 etc.)  This  is  the  reason  why  Jesus  sends  His  disciples  into  all 
 the  world,  and  why  the  whole  world  ought  to  worship  Him,  and 
 
 '  The  groed  of  gold  has  more  power  with  them  than  their  fear  spoken  of 
 in  ver.  4. — V.  g. 
 
 2  And  how  signal  are  the  injuries  which  are  subsequently  given  birth  to 
 by  even  a  single  false  representation  ! — V.  g. 
 
 Ver.  16.  elg  tsji/  Tx'Ai'hocieiv,  into  Galilee)  This  very  appearance  Mas  the 
 most  solemn  of  all,  being  the  one  which  the  Lord  had  promised  before  His 
 passion.  And  it  is  not  without  good  reason  that  it  is  held  to  be  the  same 
 one  as  that  at  which  "  more  than  500  brethren"  were  present  "  at  once," 
 1  Cor.  XV.  6.  For  the  Lord  appeared  to  Paul  after  His  ascension :  but  the 
 rest  of  the  Apostles  (1  Cor,  xv.  7)  had  not  at  that  time  need  any  more,  as 
 Paul  had,  of  such  a  vision.  No  doubt  at  Jerusalem,  after  the  ascension. 
 only  120  disciples  are  reckoned  (Acts  i.  15).  But  Galilee  contained  far 
 more  disciples  than  that  number. — Harm.,  p.  611. 
 
ST  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  19.  48"J 
 
 why  He  institutes  baptism;^  see  Ephesians  cited  below. — h 
 (j\jpa,)iOj  y.ai  1-71  yrtg,  in  heaven  and  on  earth)  see  ch.  ix.  6,  xvi.  1. 
 Hitherto  He  had  been  on  earth,  now  He  ascends  to  heaven : 
 He  fills  all  things ;  see  Eph.  iv.  10,  with  the  preceding  and 
 following;  verses. 
 
 19.  ^Uopiv^svTsg  oji',  zrX.,  go  ye  therefore,  etc.)  This  injunction, 
 to  go  forth,  presupposes  the  waiting  for  the  Paraclete  mentioned 
 in  Luke  xxiv.  49.  It  is  the  sum  of  the  Acts,  which  may  wath 
 that  view  be  profitably  compared  with  the  Gospels,  the  sum  of 
 which  is  "  all  things  xohatsoever  I  have  commanded." — /ia^r}Tsvgari^ 
 — iSacrl^ovrsg,  discipulize — baptizing)  The  verb,  fia'^i^Tivnv,  signi- 
 fies to  make  disciples ;  it  includes  baptism  and  teaching ;  cf. 
 John  iv.  1,  with  the  present  passage. —  avroue,  them)  sc.  ra  £^v?j, 
 ilie  nations,  a  synthesis^  of  frequent  occurrence ;  see  ch.  xxv. 
 32,  etc.  The  Jews  who  had  been  already  brought  into  covenant 
 with  God  by  circumcision,  were  to  be  baptised  in  the  name  of 
 Jesus  Christ,  and  to  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  see 
 Acts  ii.  38.  It  is  plainly  commanded  by  these  words  of  Insti- 
 tution, that  the  Gentiles  should  be  baptized  "  In  the  name  of  the 
 Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;"  they  had  been 
 altogether  aliens  fi-om  God  ;  see  Gnomon  on  Eph.  iii.  6,  and  cf. 
 Gnomon  on  Acts  xi.  21.  The  Gentiles,  mentioned  in  Acts  x. 
 were  not  altogether  ignorant  of  the  God  of  Israel,  nor  altogether 
 aliens  from  Him.  The  Jews,  who  had  once  acknowdedged 
 Jesus  Christ  to  be  the  Son  of  God,  could  not  but  by  that  very 
 
 '  For  the  salvation  of  men,  to  be  converted  on  earth,  and  conducted  to 
 heaven. — B.  G.  V. 
 
 2  The  Saviour,  when  brought  back  from  the  dead,  very  frequently  en- 
 joined upon  His  Apostles  the  office  of  preaching  the  Gospel  (John  xx.  21, 
 xxi.  15).  The  Evangelists,  therefore,  might  present  a  summary  of  such 
 injunctions,  according  as  this  or  that  opportunity  presented  itself.  Matthew 
 connects  this  summary  with  His  appearance  in  Galilee  ;  Luke  records  it 
 after  that  appearing,  ch.  xxiv.  49,  nay,  at  Jerusalem,  up  to  and  upon  the  day 
 of  His  ascension.  Comp.  Acts  i.  2,  etc.  And  we  may  conjeeture  the  same 
 as  to  Mark,  from  ch.  xvi.  15,  19. — Harm.,.]).  612. 
 
 3  The  word  syiithesis  is  not  used  here  in  its  logical  or  mathematical  sense, 
 hut  as  a  technico-grammatical  term,  representing  the  figure  otherwise  called 
 synesis ;  i.e.  a  joining  together  of  words  with  respect  to  the  idea  conveyed, 
 and  not  to  the  Avord  by  which  it  is  expressed  :  see  Riddle  in  voce.  In  the 
 present  passage  rx  sBvn,  the  nations,  are  neuter  and  aggregate ;  xvrovi;,  them 
 mascuhne  and  individual.     This  is  Bengel's  meaning. — (I.  B  ) 
 
490  ST  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  20. 
 
 act  acknowledge  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the 
 Spirit  of  the  Son. — i!g  rh  oi/o/xa,  z.t.X.,  zVito  the  name,  etc.^)  This 
 formula  of  Baptism  is  most  solemn  and  important;  in  fact  it 
 embraces  the  sum  of  all  piety.^  After  our  Lord's  resurrection, 
 the  mystery  of  the  Holy  Trinity  was  most  clearly  revealed,  to- 
 gether with  the  relations  of  the  Divine  Persons  to  each  other  and 
 to  us  (see  Gnomon  on  Rom.  viii.  9)  ;  and  since  the  confession 
 of  the  Holy  Trinity  was  so  closely  interwoven  with  Baptism,  it 
 is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  that  it  is  not  frequently  put  thus  ex- 
 pressly in  the  Scriptures  of  the  New  Testament. 
 
 20.  Ahro-jg,  them)  The  disciples  had  been  instructed  in  order 
 that  they  might  instruct  others. — rripiTv,  to  observe,  to  keep)  as  it 
 becomes  the  baptized  to  do  by  virtue  of  faith,  not  merely  as  a 
 legal  performance.  John  often  speaks  thus.  This  verb  deserves 
 especial  attention,  from  its  occurrence  in  this  solemn  place. — 
 sviTii'kd[inv,  I  have  commanded)  These  commandments  are  to  be 
 found  in  Matt.  v. ;  John  xv.  etc. — /x£^'  Iimojv,  with  you)  even 
 when  you  shall  be  scattered  apart  through  the  whole  world. 
 This  promise  belongs  also  to  the  whole  Church,  for  our  Lord 
 adds,  "  even  to  the  end  of  the  world" — 'xdaa.g  rdg  7i/ji,spac,  always) 
 literally,  all  the  days,  i.e.,  every  single  day.  A  continual  pre- 
 sence, and  one  most  actually  present ;  see  Mark  xvi.  17, 19,  20.^ 
 • — 'iu]g  rrig  ffuvTsXsiag  roXi  atZmg,  unto  the  end  of  the  world)  For  then 
 we  shall  be  with  tlie  Lord  [as  He  is  even  now  with  us].  [To  Him, 
 therefore.  Reader,  commit  thyself,  and  remain  in  Him ;  so  will 
 it  be  best  for  thee  in  time  and  in  eternity. — B.  G.  V.] 
 
 1  Engl.  Vers.  "  Jn  the  name. — (I.  B.) 
 
 '  At  the  baptism  of  Christ  Jesus  Himself,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
 Holy  Ghost  manifested  themselves  [cf.  Gnomon  on  eh.  iii.  16,  17].  The 
 entire  Sum  of  Saving  knowledge  and  doctrine  is  bound  up  with  Baptism  : 
 and  all  the  Ancient  Creeds  and  Confessions  of  Faith  are,  in  fact,  a  Peri- 
 phrasis and  Working-out  \^Amfuhrung ^  rendered  by  E.  B.  £|£/)y«(7/«]  of  this 
 incomparably  momentous  Formula  of  Baptism. — B.  G.  V. 
 
 »  Therefore  the  Christian  Church  will  never  entirely  expire. — B   G .  V. 
 
COMMENTARY 
 
 GOSPEL  7\.CC0RDING  TO  ST  MARK. 
 
 CHAPTER   1. 
 
 1.  ^?yj\  ToZ  vjayyiXiov  'li^eou  XpiffTou  T/ou  toZ  0eoDj  the  beginning 
 cj  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  the  Son  of  God)  There  is  a  con- 
 siderable correspondence  of  Mark,  in  part  with  Matthew,  in  part 
 with  Luke.     There  is  described  by  Mark, 
 
 I.  The  beginning  of  the  Gospel. 
 
 1.  John  prepares  the  way,  .  .     Ch.  i.       1-8 
 
 2.  He  baptizes  Jesus,  who  is  thereat 
 proclaimed  the  SoN  OF  GoD,  .  9-1 1 
 
 3.  Satan  tempts  Jesus  :  angels  minister 
 to  Him,       .  .  .  .  12,  13 
 
 II.  The  Gospel  itself, 
 1.  In  Galilee.     Here  three  periods  are 
 
 to  be  noted : 
 r  A.  John  having  been  committed  to  prison  :  14 
 
 "a.  Summarily  and  Generally : 
 
 a.  The  place  and  subject-matter  of 
 i  His  preaching,  .  .  14,  15 
 
 13.  The  call  of  His  principal  apostles,  16-20 
 
 \^b.  Specially  : 
 
 a.  His  actions,  which  were  not  found 
 fault  with  by  adversaries. 
 
 1.  He  teaches  with  power,  .  21,  22 
 
 2.  He  casts  out  the  demon  from 
 one  possessed,  .  .  23-28 
 
 a  b 
 
492 
 
 ST.  MARK  I.  1. 
 
 3.  He  cures  the  mother-in-law  of 
 Peter,  as  also  many  other  sick 
 persons^ 
 
 4.  He  prays, 
 
 5.  He  teaches  everywhere, 
 
 6.  He  cleanses  the  leper. 
 Actions  of  His,  found  fault  with 
 
 by  adversaries,  and  graduaJiy 
 more  severely  so.  Li  this  class 
 are  to  be  reckoned, 
 
 1.  The  man  sick  of  the  palsy, 
 
 2.  The  call  of  Levi,  and  His  eat- 
 
 Ch.  i.  29-34 
 
 35 
 
 36-39 
 
 40-45 
 
 1-12 
 
 13-17 
 
 ing  with  publicans  and  sinners, 
 
 3.  The    question    as    to    fasting 
 
 answered,         .  .  .  18—22 
 
 4.  The  plucking  of  the  ears  of  corn,  23-28 
 
 5.  The  withered  hand  restored, 
 and  the  lying-in-wait  for  Him 
 
 of  His  adversaries,        .  .  iii.       1-6 
 
 The  Lord  withdraws   Himself; 
 and  His  acts, 
 
 1.  At  the  sea,       .  .  .  7-12 
 
 2.  On  the  mountain,  where  the 
 
 twelve  apostles  were  called,  13-19 
 
 3.  In    the   house ;    where,    after 
 
 having  refuted  the  most 
 atrocious  blasphemy  of  the 
 Scribes,  He  corrects  the 
 question  of  His  own  friends, 
 
 20,  21 ;  22,  23  ;  31-35 
 
 4.  From  the  ship,  to  the  people ; 
 
 and  apart  to   His   disciples, 
 
 iv.  1,2;  10,  11;  26,27 
 
 5.  On  the  sea,  and  beyond  the  sea,  35-41,  v.  1~20 
 
 6.  On  the  hither  side  of  the  sea 
 
 again :  where  Jainis  and 
 the   woman   with   the   issue 
 
 of  blood, 
 
 21-43 
 
 d 
 
ST.  MARK  I.  1.  493 
 
 d  7.  The  Nazarites  offended  at  Him,    Ch.  vi.      1-6 
 The     sending     forth    of    the 
 apostles,       .  .  .  7—13 
 
 B.     John  killed:  ...  14 
 
 1.  Herod  hearing  of  Jesus,  and  his 
 opinion  of  John,  whom  he  had 
 
 killed,  being  revived,        .  .  14-29 
 
 2.  The  withdrawal  of  our  Lord  with 
 
 His  apostles  on  their  return,         .  30,  31 
 
 3.  The  eagerness  of  the  people  :  the 
 compassion    of    the    Lord :    five 
 
 thousand  fed  abundantly,  31,  32  ;  33-44 
 
 4.  The  journey  by  sea,         .  .  45-52 
 
 5.  In  the  land  of  Gennesareth  He 
 
 heals  many,  .  .  .  53—56 
 
 and  shows  what  it  is  that  defiles 
 
 or  does  not  defile  a  man,     vii.  1,  2;  14, 15;  17, 18 
 
 6.  On   the    borders    of   Tyre   and 
 
 Sidon  a  demon  is  cast  out,  .  24-30 
 
 7.  At  the  sea  of  Galilee  He  cures 
 one  deaf  and   dumb  :    He  feeds 
 
 four  thousand,  .  31-37,  viii.  1-9 
 
 8.  He  comes  to  Dalmanutha,  and 
 
 answers  as  to  the  sign  from  heaven,  10—13 
 
 9.  In  the  ship,  He  warns  them  as 
 
 to  the  leaven  of  doctrine,  .  14-21 
 
 10.  At  Bethsaida  He  gives  sight  to 
 I  the  blind  man,  .  .  22-26 
 
 [  C.     Jesus  acknowledged  as  the  Son  of  God. 
 
 1.  On  Peter  confessing  Him  as  the 
 Chtrst,  He  enjoins  silence  on 
 the  disciples,  and  foretells  His 
 passion  :  reproves  Peter  :  re- 
 quires of  His  disciples  that  they 
 
 must  follow  Him,  .  .  27,  ix.  1 
 
 2.  On  six  days  after,  He  is  glorified 
 at  the  transfiguration ;  explains 
 the  reasons  fov  silence :  cures  a 
 
494 
 
 ST  MARK  I.  1. 
 
 lunatic ;  again  foretells  His  Pas- 
 sion,        .  .  .  Ch.  ix. 
 3.  Teaches  the  disciples  moderation, 
 
 leniency  [sequitatem],  and  concord,  33,  34 ; 
 2.  In  Judea : 
 
 a.  In  the  borders. 
 
 1. 
 2. 
 3. 
 
 2,3 
 
 24; 
 
 He  treats  of  divorce, 
 
 Of  little  children. 
 
 Of  obtaining  eternal  life,  and 
 of  the  hinderance  caused  by 
 riches,  .  17,  18 ;  23, 
 
 13.  On  the  way  to  the  city  : 
 
 1.  He  predicts  His  passion  a  third  time, 
 
 2.  He   answers   James   and  John, 
 
 and  corrects  the  remaining  ten,  35,  36  ; 
 7.  To  Jericho ;  on  the  way  He  gives 
 
 Bartimeus  his  sight,    . 
 d.  At  Jerusalem  ;       . 
 
 a.  His  royal  entry, 
 
 b.  On  the  following  day,  curses  to 
 barrenness  the  fig-tree, 
 
 The  temple  cleansed, 
 
 c.  On  the  following  day, 
 
 1.  Near  the  withered  fig-tree.  He 
 commends  the  power  of  faith, 
 
 2.  In  the  temple, 
 
 1.  The   authority  of  Jesus   is 
 vindicated, 
 
 2.  The  parable  of  the  vineyard 
 is  set  forth,  .  .  xii, 
 
 3.  The  question  as  to  the  law- 
 fulness of  the  tribute, 
 
 4.  As  to  the  resurrection, 
 
 5.  As  to  the  greatest  commandment, 
 
 6.  As  to  the  Lord  of  David, 
 
 7.  The  people   are  warned   to 
 beware  of  the  Scribes, 
 
 8.  The  widow's  mites  are  praised. 
 
 S 
 
 2-32 
 38-50 
 
 X.      1 
 
 10,11 
 13-16 
 
 28,29 
 
 32-34 
 
 41-45 
 
 46-52 
 xi.  1 
 2-11 
 
 12-14 
 15-19 
 
 20-26 
 
 27-33 
 
 1-12 
 
 13-17 
 18-27 
 28-34 
 35-37 
 
 38-40 
 41-44 
 
ST  MARK  I.  1. 
 
 495 
 
 d  c  3.  At  the  temple,  on  the  Mount 
 of  OHves,  He  predicts  the  end 
 of  the  temple,  and  of  the  city, 
 and  of  the  world,  Ch.  xiii.  1,  2  ;  o,  4 ;  14,  15 ; 
 24,  25  ;  28,  29  ;  33-37 
 
 d.  Two    DAYS   BEFORE   THE   PaSS- 
 
 OVER:    the   compact   between 
 
 His  adversaries  and  the  traitor,  xiv.  1—11 
 
 e.  The  first  day  of  unleavened 
 
 BREAD. 
 
 1.  The  two  disciples  get  ready 
 the  passover,    . 
 
 2.  At  evening  time,  the  supper,     17,  18 
 
 3.  After  the  hymn.  He  foretells 
 that  the  disciples  would  be  of- 
 fended at  Him,  and  Peter  deny 
 Him, 
 
 4.  In  Gethsemane, 
 a,  Jesus    prays ;     rouses     the 
 
 sleeping  disciples, 
 /S.  Is  betrayed;  taken;  deserted 
 by  His  disciples, 
 
 5.  In  the  hall  of  the  high-priest, 
 a.  Is  condemned  to  death, 
 jS'.  Is  denied  by  Peter, 
 
 /.  The  sixth  day  of  the  week.     His  acts, 
 a.  In    the    Pretorium   of    the 
 
 Governor, 
 
 XV.  1,  2 ;  6,  7 
 
 8.  On  the  way  to  crucifixion, 
 7.  In  Golgotha, 
 
 1.  His  drink, 
 
 2.  The  cross  itself,  and  part- 
 ing of  His  garments, 
 
 3.  The  inscription, 
 
 4.  The  two  malefactors, 
 
 5.  The  railings, 
 
 6.  The  darkness  for  three 
 hours ;  the  loud  cry  of 
 Jesus  ;  the  scoff  of  the  by- 
 
 12-lG 
 22,23 
 
 26-31 
 
 32-42 
 
 43-52 
 
 53-65 
 66-72 
 
 16-20 
 21 
 22 
 23 
 
 24,25 
 
 26 
 27,28 
 29-32 
 
496  ST  MARK  I.  1. 
 
 3  d  standers  ;  the  drink  ;   the 
 
 death  ;  the  rending  of  the 
 veil,  .  .  Ch,  XV.  33-38 
 
 7.  The  centurion's  remark ; 
 
 the  women  looking  on,      .  39-41 
 
 b.  The  evening  time,  the  burial,  Al2-^1 
 
 .  After  the  Sabbath,  the  resurrec- 
 tion of  oiu'  Lord,  announced, 
 a.  Bj  the  angel,  .  ,  xvi.    1-8 
 
 i5.  By  Himself, 
 
 1.  To  Mary  Magdalene,  .  9-11 
 
 2.  To  two  men  going  into  the 
 country,       .  .  .  12,  13 
 
 3.  To  the  eleven  as  they  sat 
 at  meat,       ...  14 
 
 ni.  The  Gospel, 
 
 1.  Committed   by    our  Lord,  after  His 
 resurrectvon,  to  the  apostles,  .  15-18 
 
 2.  And  confirmed  after  His  ascension,  19,  20 
 
 First,  in  the  very  term  the  beginning,  the  new  economy  is 
 (opened  out,  ver.  15.  On  this  account  the  time  specified  in 
 Luke  iii.  1,  is  marked  as  an  epoch  of  by  far  the  greatest  im- 
 portance. The  title,  as  we  may  see  in  the  opening  of  Malachi, 
 is  XB'Dj  "  The  burden ;"  but  now  in  the  present  case  it  is,  Tlie 
 beginning  of  the  Gospel.  Moreover,  this  title  has  in  it  some- 
 what of  an  abbreviated  mode  of  expression  :  for  the  beginning  of 
 the  Gospel  applies  to  [is  in]  John  the  Baptist ;  the  Gospel,  to 
 the  whole  book.  However,  Mark  terms  it  the  beginning,  not  of 
 his  o^^^l  book,  but  of  the  Gospel  facts  themselves,  as  appears 
 by  comparing  ver.  2,  as  Hosea  ch.  i.  2  \_The  beginning  of  the 
 word  of  the  Lord  by  Hosea].  The  commencement  of-  this 
 book  of  Mark  is  in  elegant  accordance  with  that  commence- 
 ment ;  and  at  the  same  time  answers  to  the  prophetical  clause, 
 quoted  from  the  close  of  the  Old  Testament,  written  by  Malaclii 
 [Mark  i.  2]  :  just  as  the  close  of  the  second  book  of  Chronicles 
 answers  to  the  beginning  of  Ezra.  The  proper  scope  of  this 
 Evangelist,  as  he  himself  professes  in  such  a  title  as  he  cmjiloys, 
 is  to  describe  the  originating  sources  [connnenceraents],  history, 
 
ST  MARK  1.  2.  497 
 
 principles  of  action,  course,  and  consummation  of  the  Gospel^ 
 concerning  Jesus  Christ  the  Son  of  God  (ver.  11,  God's 
 declaration  at  His  baptism,  "  Thou  art  my  beloved  Son" 
 etc.):^  ch.  i.  1,  14,  etc.,  viii.  35,  x.  29,  xiii.  10,  xiv.  9,  xvi. 
 15.  Hence  it  is  that  he  so  often  employs  the  term,  the  Gos- 
 pel :  hence  too  it  is  evident  that  the  last  portion  of  Mark' 
 is  genuine :  ch.  xvi.  15,  20.^  Hence  he  is  wont  to  make  such 
 particular  mention  of  Peter,  a  pre-eminent  preacher  of  the 
 Gospel. 
 
 2.  'rig,  as)  Mark  shows,  from  the  prophets,  that  the  beginning 
 of  the  Gospel  ought  to  have  been  such  as  it  actually  was ;  and 
 having  proved  that  point,  all  the  rest  is  proved.  The  Apodosis 
 is  at  verse  4.* — h  'Hcata  rw  '!rpo<p^rrj,  in  Isaiah  the  Prophet)  Mark 
 brings  forward  a  testimony  first  [ver.  2]  from  Malachi,  next 
 [ver.  3]  from  Isaiah.  Therefore  some  have  written  thus,  iv  roTg 
 Tpoipriraig,  in  the  prophets.  But  yet,  in  the  same  way  as  Matthew 
 in  ch.  xxi.  4,  5,  quotes  Zechariah  under  the  title  of  one  prophet 
 [That  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet, 
 Tell  ye  the  daughter  of  Zion,  Behold  thy  King  cometh  unto 
 thee,  meek,  etc.],  and  at  the  same  time  blends  with  Zechariah's 
 words  something  out  of  Isaiah  Ixii.  1 1  [*Say  ye  to  the  daughter  of 
 Zion,  Behold  thy  salvation  cometh,  etc.]  ;  and  as  Paul  also,  in 
 Romans  ix.  27,  quotes  Isaiah  by  name,  and  yet  has  interwoven 
 with  Isaiah's  words  something  out  of  Hosea  ii.  1  :  so  Mark 
 quotes  two  prophets,  and  yet  mentions  by  name  only  the  one, 
 
 ^  And  he  so  constructs  the  order  of  this  description,  as  that,  moving  for- 
 ward in  a  twofold  division  (dichotomia),  he  relates,  in  an  accumulated  series, 
 — I.  Those  acts  of  the  Saviour,  which  happened,  it  is  true,  at  different  times, 
 yet  in  one  place  (that  is,  at  Capernaum),  and  from  these  facts,  which  none 
 impugned,  gathers  the  inference,  that  Jesus  is  the  true  Messiah,  the  Holy 
 One  of  God,  ch.  i.  16-45.  II.  He  at  the  same  time  likewise  sets  forth  those 
 questions  and  objections  stated  by  his  adversaries,  which  similarly  were 
 brought  forward  at  different  times,  though  for  the  most  part  in  the  same 
 places,  until  their  actual  plotting  against  Him  followed,  ch.  ii.  1 — iii.  6 — 
 Harm..,  p.  203,  204. 
 
 ^  From  ver.  9  to  end  of  ch.  xvi.  Not  found  in  many  of  the  oldest  au- 
 thorities.— Ed. 
 
 3  It  is  quite  in  accordance  with  Mark's  style  of  frequent  and  emphatic  re- 
 ference to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel. — Ed. 
 
 *  As  it  is  written,  etc..  Behold  I  send  my  messenger,  so  "John  did 
 baptize,"  being  that  messenger. — Ed. 
 
 YOL.  I  II 
 
498  ST  MARK  I.   3-5. 
 
 the  prophet  Isaiah  (as  I  have  long  since  been  of  opinion)  :^  how- 
 ever it  is  not  without  show  of  probability,  that  Beza  conjectures 
 that  the  passage  of  Malachi  crept  from  the  blank  space  in  the 
 margin  [ex  albo]  into  the  context  of  Mark.  Isaiah  is  more 
 copious  and  better  known,  and  his  testimony,  which  has  been 
 quoted  by  Mark,  used  to  be  read  in  public  on  the  Sabbath  : 
 and  Mark  here  produces  the  testimony  of  Malachi  in  a  kind  of 
 parenthetic  way,  equivalent  to  a  supplement,  intending,  as  he 
 did  below,  to  omit  that  section  of  the  Gospel  histoiy  in  which 
 Malachi  is  properly  [in  the  peculiarly  appropriate  place]  quoted 
 in  Matt.  xi.  10,  and  Luke  vii.  27  :  whereas  the  quotation  of 
 Isaiah,  as  in  Matthew,  Luke,  and  John,  so  also  here  in  Mark, 
 is  peculiarly  appropriate  to  this  place.  John  the  Baptist  him- 
 self quoted  Isaiah,  not  Malachi,  concerning  himself. 
 
 3.  <l>w!/35,  tlie  voice)  see  Luke  iii.  4,  notes. — sv  rri  iprj/ubw,  in  the 
 wilderness)  This  is  repeated  in  the  following  verse,  where  pre- 
 sently after  also  that  expression,  preaching  {v.ripvasm),  answers 
 to,  the  voice  of  one  crying,  in  this  ver. 
 
 4.  ''Ey'sviTo,  came  forth  [not  the  same  as  ^v])  The  event  is 
 pointed  out  as  answering  to  the  prophecy. — y.rjpvff<ruv  ^a.':rris/ia, 
 preaching  the  baptism)  An  abbreviated  expression  for,  preaching 
 the  preaching  of  repentance,  and  baptizing  the  baptism  of  repen- 
 tance;  Luke  iii.  3. — s/g,  unto  l_for'])  Construe  with  the  baptis^n 
 of  repentance ;  Acts  ii.  38. — aipssiv,  remission)  without  [the  need 
 of]  Levitical  sacrifices. 
 
 5.  'lo-ubaia  ^w/"^,  the  land  of  Judea)  So,  rriv   lovdaiav  yrjV,  John 
 
 '  Porphyry,  an  infidel  of  tlie  tliird  century,  in  charging  Mark,  on  the 
 ground  that  he  has  ascribed  to  Isaiah  the  words  i^oii — Trpoauvrov  ctoD,  by  the 
 very  fact  of  this  charge  establishes  the  fact,  that  the  reading  at  that  early 
 date  in  the  Greek  or  Syriac  copies  was  ev  '  llacci'x  rw  Trpocp^Tfj,  and  therefore 
 that  it  was  not  a  reading  spuriously  reproduced  from  the  Latin  copies,  as  may 
 be  seen  at  greater  length  in  J.  D.  Michaelis'  Enleitung,  etc.,  T.  i.,  p.  m. 
 162,  586,  587— E.  B. 
 
 'Ev  T60  'JiiTccitx.  rft  '7rpo!f)>iT>i  is  the  reading  of  BD  (omitting  the  second  ru) 
 LA  Vulg.  be,  Syr.  Memph.  Origen,  Iren.  191  :  "  in  Eseiam  (Esaiam)  pro- 
 phetam"  in  ad.  But  Rec.  Text  iv  rot;  '7rpo(py)Tcing,  with  A  P,  and  Iren.  187, 
 205,  expressly.  Lachm.  from  Orig.  4,15c,  which  represents  Mark,  in  accord- 
 ance with  his  wonted  style,  abrujjtly  to  pass  from  "  the  beginning  of  the 
 Gospel,"  etc.,  ver.  1,  to  '  John,'  voi .  4,  is  of  opinion  ver.  2  and  3  were  inserted 
 by  pious  readers      See  Lachm.  Gr.  Test.,  vol.  ii.  p.  6. — Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
ST  MARK  1.  7-13.  499 
 
 iii.  22.^ — 01  ' lipodoKviuTOLi,  they  of  Jerusalem)  At  other  times, 
 capital  cities  are  not  readily  wont  to  follow  a  new  institution 
 p  new  mode  of  life  preached  for  the  first  time]. 
 
 7.  "'Ep-)(iTai,  there  comeili)  immediately,  and  even  now  present. 
 — 6  Isyuponpoi)  that  One,  who  is  mightier.  The  One  Christ  is 
 greater  than  John,  yea,  infinitely  greater. — Xvsai  rh  //^avra,  to 
 unloose  the  latchet)  We  usually  make  fast  our  shoes  with  buckles, 
 the  ancients  with  thongs  or  strings.  John  seems  by  this  pro- 
 verbial saying,  perhaps  unconsciously,  to  make  allusion  to  the 
 baptism  of  Jesus,  so  as  to  express  this  meaning :  I  am  not 
 worthy  to  unloose  His  shoe-strings,  much  less  to  impart  baptism 
 to  Him.  For  the  shoes  also,  as  w^ell  as  the  garments,  used  to 
 be  taken  off,  when  a  person  was  to  be  baptized. 
 
 9.  E/'s  rov)  in  the  river. 
 
 10.  E/Bs,  He  saiv)  i.e.  Jesus  saw  :  although  John  also  saw 
 it,  John  i.  32. — C'/^tZ^o/^'svoug,  rent  open)  ay^t^srai,  is  rent  open,  is 
 said  of  that,  which  had  not  previously  been  open.  Christ  was  I 
 the  first  who  opened  heaven. — avoiysiv,  to  open.  Matt.  iii.  16,  is 
 used  in  the  general  sense ;  whereas  in  the  special  sense  it  is 
 used  in  antithesis  to  [as  distinguished  fi.*om]  to  rend.  Acts  vii. 
 56.  See  on  the  difference  of  these  words.  Matt,  xxvii.  51,  52.^ 
 — 7-0  Tlviv/j,a,  the  Spirit)  with  which  Jesus  was  about  to  baptize. 
 
 12.  Evdsuc,  immediately)  So,  in  the  case  of  the  sons  of  God, 
 temptation  is  wont  speedily  to  follow  after  great  and  striking 
 testimonies  as  to  their  state  [their  standing  as  accepted  of  God]. 
 — ix^dXkii,  driveth  out)  The  present. 
 
 13.  Mira  ruv  ^Yjpiuv,  with  the  wild  beasts)  An  important  fact ; 
 comp.  Gen.  i.  26.  This  was  a  state  more  trying  than  the  mere 
 solitude  of  the  desert.  [Here  the  Saviour  ivas  removed  apart  from 
 angels  ayid  men ;  and  yet,  however,  not  liable  to  the  attacks  of  wild 
 beasts.  He  even  now,  in  the  very  height  of  His  humiliation  (self- 
 emptying),  exercised  over  the  beasts  the  dominion  which  Adam 
 had  so  soon  suffered  himself  to  lose ;  how  much  more  so,  when 
 exalted  !  Ps.  viii.  8. — V.  g.]  Mark  not  only  exhibits  in  a  more 
 compendious  compass  the  history  described  by  Matthew,  but 
 
 1  Two  Substantives  coming  together  in  apposition,  so  that  one  acts  as  an 
 Adjective.— Ed. 
 
 *  iaxi<rh  is  said  of  the  rending  in  two  of  the  veil :  whereas  civiux&motu  ia 
 said  of  the  opening  of  the  tombs. — Ed. 
 
500  ST  MARK  I.  U-16. 
 
 also,  as  it  were  in  the  manner  of  a  supplement,  some  particulars 
 of  considerable  value,  which  had  not  been  previously  recorded 
 by  Matthew,  but  which  were  calculated  to  afford  profitable  in- 
 struction to  believers,  who  by  this  time  had  become  proficients 
 in  the  truth.' 
 
 14.  Hapadodnvai,  was  imprisoned)  Mark  writes  as  of  a  fact 
 known  to  the  reader,  either  from  Matthew  or  from  some  other 
 source  of  information.  [Previously,  more  than  once  Jesus  had 
 visited  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  as  John  relates.  But  His  public 
 walk  in  Galilee,  and  that  a  continued  one  (uninterrupted  in  its 
 continuity)  did  not  commence  until  after  John  was  imprisoned. — 
 
 v.g.] 
 
 15.  JJivXripojrai  6  xaipog,  the  proper  time  is  fulfilled)  the  time, 
 of  which  Daniel  wrote,  viz.,  that  of  His  kingdom  coming :  the 
 time  which  ye  have  been  expecting.  Those  who  acknowledged 
 that  the  time  was  fulfilled,  had,  as  the  next  step  to  take,  either 
 to  embrace  the  true  Messiah  as  set  forth  here,  or  else  false 
 Messiahs  :  comp.  Luke  xxi.  8.  It  was  not  John,  but  our  Lord 
 Himself,  who  openly  declared  the  fulfilment  of  the  time. — 
 /MiravoiTn  -/.at  mariUrt,  repent  and  believe)  then  you  will  be  par- 
 takers in  the  Gospel. 
 
 16.  :;/>(,wi/a,  Simon)  Mark  writes  of  Peter  in  such  a  style,  and 
 with  such  fulness,  that  he  might  easily  seem  as  if  he  wrote  by 
 dictation  fii-om  the  mouth  of  that  apostle  [comp.  ver.  1,  last  note]. 
 — auroD  roZ  2/>wvo;)  Either  we  should  read  thus,^  or  only  roZ 
 ^i/jbuvog;  others,  only  auTov,  in  agreement  with  the  parallel  passages 
 in  the  other  Evangelists.^     Mark  sometimes  repeats  names,  ch. 
 
 '  Michadis,  in  the  Enleitung^  etc.,  T.  ii,,  p.  1154,  etc.,  has  tried  to  prove, 
 by  induction  of  particulars,  that  those  things  which  Mark  has  either  omitted 
 or  ^ipplied,  most  especially  accord  with  the  tradition  of  the  ancients,  which 
 represented  Mark's  aim  in  writing  to  have  been  with  a  view  to  the  conver- 
 sion and  edification  of  the  Romans. — E.   B. 
 
 ^  This  is  preferred  in  the  margin  of  both  Editions  of  Bengel,  to  the  omis- 
 sion of  the  reading  roZ  ll/^uvo;,  and  is  therefore  marked  M'ith  the  sign  t ;  with 
 which  also  the  Oerm.  Vers,  agrees  on  this  passage. — E.  B. 
 
 ABLo  have  'S.i^uuo;  (and  A  prefixes  zoii).  Dbc  Vulg.  and  Rec.  Text 
 read  ociiToZ.  Only  later  Uncial  MSS.  and  later  Syr,  Version  read  uvrov  to^j 
 1if*,uvog. — Ed. 
 
 *  See  Matt.  iv.  18,  the  Greek.  This  makes  xvtov  look  like  a  harmonist's 
 reading  here. — Eu. 
 
ST  MARK  I.   18-23.  601 
 
 iii.  1 7,  V.  37  ;  sometimes  he  adds  a  relative  pronoun  to  them, 
 ch.  ii.  20,  iii.  24,  etc.,  xvi.  14 ;  and  decidedly,  ch.  vi.  22,  ahrri; 
 
 rrig  'Hpoodiddog. — afifif^aXkovrag  afjb(pll3Xngrpov)  So  LXX.,  Hal),  i.  17: 
 a/jb(pil3aXi7  aiM(pi^Xri6rpov  in  the  best  MSS.  Wlience  Isa.  xix.  8, 
 o'l  a/ji.(pil3oXsTgy  the  fishermen. 
 
 18.  Eu(5swc,  immediately)  Happy  they,  who  quickly  follow. 
 
 20.  M/ff^wrcoc,  the  hired  servants)  It  is  probable  from  this  that 
 Zebedee  was  not  a  poor  man. 
 
 21.^  eWsws,  immediately  [straightway])  Mark  delights  in  this- 
 adverb.  It  has  the  effect  of  beautifully  characterizing,  especially 
 in  the  first  and  second  chapters,  the  rapid  career  of  Christ,  who 
 \vas  ever  tending  towards  the  goal,  and  the  opportunities  rapidly 
 ])resented  to  Him,  and  His  rapid  successes.  The  Saviour  did 
 not  in  His  acts  proceed  tardily.  The  particle  itaXiv,  again, 
 which  is  frequently  found  in  Mark,  has  a  similar  force. 
 
 22.  ^E^oufflav,  authority)  comp.  ver.  27.  [Mattheio  observes  the 
 same  fact  in  his  ch.  vii.  28.  General  truths  of  this  kind  are 
 related  hy  one  Evangelist  in  one  place  and  connection,  and  by 
 another  in  another  and  different  connection.  So  the  people  are 
 compared  to  "  sheep  left  without  a  shepherd,"  in  Matt.  ix.  36,  but 
 at  a  subsequent  time  in  Mark  vi.  34.  Mark,  however,  in  this 
 passage,  refers  to  the  sermon  on  the  mount ;  ivhence  it  is  evident 
 that  the  healing  of  the  mother-in-latv  of  Peter,  ivhich  Mark  trans- 
 poses, folloxved  the  sermon  on  the  mount,  as  ive  find  the  order  of 
 events  m  Mattheiv. — Harm.,  p.  235.] 
 
 23.  Kai,  and)  Mark,  in  the  beginning  of  his  history,  records 
 in  what  point  of  view  both  men  and  demons  regarded  Jesus. 
 [It  may  be  taken  for  granted  that  neither  Mark  nor  Luke  (ch.  iv. 
 33)  in  this  narrative  insist  on  the  historic  order  of  events. — 
 Harm.,  p.  256]. — avsxpd^i,  cried  out)  Most  persons  seem  not  to 
 have  previously  known  that  the  man  was  possessed.    The  power 
 
 ^  Keel  ilaTTopsvourot,!,  and  they  enter)  Luke,  in  the  parallel  passage,  ch.  iv. 
 31,  has  Kocl  x,ocr'/i'h6iv ,  and  He  came  down  to.  Nazareth  no  doubt  was  in  a 
 rather  elevated  position  ;  Capernaum  more  in  a  hollow,  towards  the  sea. 
 Those  particulars  which  Mark,  in  this  passage,  and  Matthew,  ch.  iv.  13,  re- 
 cord as  to  the  city  of  Capernaum,  Luke  combines  together  in  the  passage 
 (juoted  from  him  [viz.  the  coming  to  Capernaum  on  the  sea-coast,  peculiar  to 
 Matthew,  iv.  13 — and  the  teaching  in  the  synagogue  on  the  Sabbath,  peculiar 
 to  Mark. — Ed.] — Harm.,  p.  235. 
 
503  ST  MARK  I.  2i-34. 
 
 of  possession  must  have  been  great,  inasmuch  as  the  same  pre- 
 dicate is  often  assigned  both  to  the  man  possessed  and  to  the 
 demon  possessing  him:  ch.  iii.  11,  ix.  20;  Acts  viii.  7. 
 
 24.  "Ea,  permit)  that  is,  permit  us  to  speak,  [but  Engh  Vers., 
 Let  us  alone]  :  Luke  iv.  34,  41. — ri,  what)  A  most  miserable 
 state ;  that  he  should  desire  not  to  have  anything  to  do  with 
 Jesus  [comp.  Rev.  vi.  15]. — NaZ^aprivk,  of  Nazareth)  It  is  pro- 
 bable that  the  great  Enemy  had  very  closely  observed  what 
 Jesus  did  at  Nazareth  during  His  youth. — dTo'/.ssai,  to  destroy) 
 well  said !  comp.  1  John  iii.  8. — ri/xag,  usY  The  demons  have  a 
 common  cause  among  them  [one  common  interest]. — oJda,  I  know) 
 He  does  not  say,  we  know.  He  speaks  of  himself,  not  of  the 
 rest.  The  demons  who  were  in  those  possessed,  seem  to  have 
 perceived  sooner  than  the  rest  who  Jesus  was  \_yea,  sooner  even 
 than  most  of  the  men  with  whom  He  walked  at  that  time. — 
 Harm.,  p.  256]. 
 
 25.  ^^virliMYiGiv,  He  rebuked)  So  ch.  iii.  12.  Hence  it  is  evi- 
 dent that  the  hidden  excellency  of  Jesus  is  far  gi'eater  than 
 Socinians  suppose.  It  belongs  to  the  Lord  as  His  prerogative 
 to  '  rebuke,'  Jude  ver.  9. — (pifiuidriri,  be  silenced)  This  prohibi- 
 tion did  not  prevent  the  cry  of  the  unclean  spirit  when  going 
 out  of  the  man,  but  merely  the  utterance  of  articulate  words, 
 such  as  are  mentioned  at  ver.  24. 
 
 26.  S-ra/ia^av,  having  torn)  Our  enemies,  when  they  have 
 possessed  the  inmost  recesses  of  the  soul,  withdraw  unwillingly  ; 
 in  fact,  they  are  driven  out. 
 
 27.  Athayji,  doctrine)  with  which  these  miracles  were  con- 
 nected and  accompanied. — xa/,  even). 
 
 29.  EWsws,  forthwith)  Jesus  avoided  the  din  of  a  crowd. — rikOov, 
 they  came)  Jesus,  and  Simon,  and  Andrew. — ,u,iTa,  with)  Already, 
 after  having  left  one  home,  James  and  John  had  several  homes 
 [viz.,  those  of  their  fellow-disciples]. 
 
 32.  'O-^iag,  at  even)  Implying  the  assiduity  of  Jesus.  Comp. 
 ver.  35,  in  the  morning. — xa/,  and)  specially. 
 
 33.  "OXrij  the  whole)  the  sick,  the  bearers  of  them,  and  the 
 spectators. 
 
 34.  Ol/x  rjfis,  He  suffered  not)   So  ch.  xi.  16.     The   second 
 
 '  The  mark  of  interrogation  after  this  word  ought  to  be  reiuoveil. — Not. 
 Crit.     Both  Lachin.  and  TischonJ.  retain  it. — Ed. 
 
ST  MARK  I.  35-43.  503 
 
 aorist  of  the  verb  a^/sw,  as  Sylberg  shows  in  his  Not.  ad  Clenard., 
 p.  468. — on,  because)  Tliey  were  attempting  to  speak. 
 
 35.  "Evvvxov,  in  the  depth  of  night  [a  great  while  before  day]) 
 Day  and  night  He  was  on  the  watch  for  our  salvation.  Hence 
 also  is  evinced  the  eagerness  of  the  apostles  and  the  people  : 
 see  the  following  verses. — irpoffriv'^iro,  He  was  in  prayer)  specially 
 for  the  apostles  :  see  following  verse. 
 
 36.  'O  S/'/xiji'  xai  01  [MiT  auTou,  Simon  and  they  that  ivere  with 
 him)  Already  Simon  is  eminent  among  them.  So  Luke  viii. 
 45,  ix.  32.  It  is  not  said,  for  instance,  "  Thomas  and  they  that 
 were  with  him."     [Comp.  note  1  on  ver.  16]. 
 
 37.  EupovTsj,  when  they  had  found  Him)  He  therefore  had  not 
 told  them  whither  He  was  going.  [When  He  had  passed  the 
 greatest  part  of  His  years  in  solitude,  He  at  length  p7'esented  Him- 
 self to  be  beheld  in  public ;  yet  still  His  m,anifestation  was  subject 
 to  this  condition,  that  even  then  He  most  prudently  blended  secret 
 comnumion  zvith  His  heavenly  Father  along  with  His  public  in- 
 tercou7'se  ivith  men. — Harm.,  p.  259]. — -TrdvTsg,  all)  Why  should 
 not  we  also  ?  saith  Peter. 
 
 38.  'E)^6/ji,i'ja:,  lohich  come  next  in  our  way)  According  as 
 things  external,  whether  place  or  time,  present  themselves,  so 
 the  kingdom  of  God  introduces  [insinuates]  itself. — fXrjXvSa,  I 
 have  come)  The  first  and  earliest  words  of  Jesus  contain  some- 
 thing of  an  enigmatical  character  :  but  by  degrees  He  speaks 
 more  openly  of  Himself.  He  was  afterwards  about  to  speak  in 
 this  way,  I  ivent  out  ["  came  forth"] /iro?w  the  Father.^ 
 
 39.  KTipvssuv — sx/SaXXwi/,  preaching — casting  out)  Two  kinds 
 of  benefits. 
 
 43.^  Ei;()£W5,  forthwith)  lest  Jesus  should  seem  to  countenance 
 anything  derogatory  to  the  law, — i^slSaXsv,  made  him  go  aioayj 
 The  man,  when  healed,  was  ready  to  remain  with  Jesus,  and  to 
 stay  away  from  his  relatives.  Adversities  have  the  effect  of  trans- 
 ferring our  affections  from  natural  objects  of  affection  to  Christ. 
 
 1  John  xvi.  28.  But  here,  in  beginning  His  ministry,  he  does  not  add,  from 
 the  Father. —El). 
 
 ^  Ver.  41.  aTT'hoi'/xyiadili,  moved  with  compassion)  Mark  exercises  especial 
 assiduity  in  observing  the  holy  movements  of  feeling,  and  so  the  gestures 
 also  of  Jesus.  Whoever  will  pay  marked  attention  to  this  characteristic  of 
 Mark  in  reading  his  Gospel,  will  derive  from  it  no  little  delight. — V.  g. 
 
8C4  ST  MARK  I.  45  ;    II.  1-8. 
 
 45.^  MrjxtTi,  no  longer)  Christ  therefore  was  ready  to  teach 
 rather  in  the  cities,  than  in  the  place  to  which  the  men  were 
 going  out. 
 
 CHAPTER    II. 
 
 1.  TldXiv,  again)  Comp.  ch.  i.  21,  29. — 6/  rj/^'spuv)  After  some 
 days  had  intervened.  [^It  is  one  and  the  same  return  into  the 
 city  of  Capernaum,  of  which  Mark  makes  mention  in  this  place 
 after  the  healing  of  the  leper ;  Matthew,  after  the  return  from  the 
 region  of  the  Gergesenes,  in  his  ch.  ix.  1  :  it  is  also  the  same  man 
 sick  of  the  palsy,  whom  Mark  and  Luke,  after  Matthew,  treat  of. 
 —Harm.,  p.  276]. 
 
 2.  Mribs,  not  even)  Not  only  the  house  within,  but  not  even 
 the  hall,  could  contain  them. 
 
 3.  'f-Trh  Ttaaapuv,  hy  four)  He  was  then  full  grown,  though  not 
 far  advanced  in  years  :  comp.  ver.  5,  Son  [implying  he  was 
 not  old]. 
 
 4.  '  A'TTiCTByacav,  they  took  off  the  roof)  out  of  love,  A^-ithout 
 doing  injur}\  \_So  faith  penetrates  through  all  obstacles  (ver.  5) 
 to  reach  Christ. — V.  g.]  It  is  probable  that  it  was  a  cottage 
 [tugurium,  hut'],  not  a  large  house. — s^opv^avrsg,  digging  out)  the 
 ceiling,  beneath  the  tiles  of  the  roof,  so  as  to  make  a  large 
 aperture.  The  people  crowding  in  numbers,  had  caused  great 
 delay  in  reaching  Christ. 
 
 5.  UlffTiv,  their  faith)  So  painstaking. 
 
 8.  Tw  Tviv/j.ari  Aurov,  in  Tlis  Spint)  The  prophets  became  cog- 
 nisant of  things  through  the  Spirit  of  God,  but  not  with  their 
 own  spirit :  Christ,  with  His  own  Spirit,  which  is  omniscient 
 and  Divine ;  comp  ch.  viii.  12.  Moreover,  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
 not  called  the  Spirit  of  Christ  before  that  great  Pentecost  re- 
 corded in  Acts  ii.  The  conclusion  therefore  remains,  that  we 
 
 '  xYiDixTduv,  to  publish)  This  public  and  spontaneous  proclaiming  of  facts 
 Fcrved  to  give  speedy  publicity  to  facts  worthy  of  remembrance  :  see  ch.  v. 
 20.  Yet,  in  this  place,  it  would  have  been  better  for  the  man  to  have  obeyed 
 Clirist's  inhibition. — V.  g. 
 
ST  MARK  II.  14-21.  505 
 
 arc  to  understand  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  as  applying  to  His  Divine 
 nature,  which  had  its  dwelling  in  His  human  nature. — r/,  why) 
 An  allusion  to  their  Wliy  ?  in  ver.  7. 
 
 14.^   TfAoJviov,  the  receipt  of  custom)  At  the  sea;  ver.  13. 
 
 15.^  ^Ho-ai/  yap,  for  they  were)  The  Evangelist  hereby  explains 
 why  he  had  just  written,  with  Jesus  and  His  disciples  ;  for  they 
 were  many. 
 
 16.^  T/  07-;)  So  the  LXX. ;  Judg.  xi.  7,  etc. 
 
 18.  Nriffn-jovrsg,  fasting)  This  seems  here  to  imply  both  their 
 custom  and  their  actual  fasting  at  that  present  time  ;  comp. 
 note  on  Matt.  ix.  14. 
 
 20.*  'EXivsovrai,  shall  come)  This  is  the  first  intimation  of  His 
 Passion. — h  exuvyi  TTi  ij^ji'spa)  So  also  the  Gothic  version  reads. 
 Moreover,  the  plural,  which  is  substituted  by  some,  comes  evi- 
 dently from  Luke.^  There  is  but  one  day  of  the  Bridegroom 
 Iteing  taken  away;  many  days,  of  His  continuing  absent  after 
 liaving  been  so  taken  away.  £ut  the  days  will  come,  when  the 
 Bridegroom  shall  be  taken  away ;  and  then  shall  they  fast  in  that 
 day  (In  some  one  of  those  days,  to  wit,  especially  on  the  first  of 
 them).  So  in  Luke  xvii.  22  the  plural  number  is  used,  the  days 
 shall  come ;  and  in  ver.  31,  on  that  day,  in  the  singular  number, 
 with  a  force  having  relation  to  that  plural. 
 
 21.  A'l'pn  TO  crX^^w/xa  rh  xaivhv  roD  craXa/oD)  This  reading  is  a 
 mean  between  extremes,  brief,  and  likely  to  be  geniiine.®     The 
 
 ^  Comp.  on  this  history,  note  on  Matt.  ix.  9. — E.  B. 
 
 2  Aevh,  Levi)  called  also  Matthew. — V.  g. 
 
 '  Ver.  15.  Kxl  ii>ioy^ovdmoiv,  and  they  were  followinff)  Therefore  even  then 
 already  with  reformed  minds  they  were  holding  to  [entering  upon]  the  right 
 way.— V.  g. 
 
 "*  Ver.  19.  Tov  vof^(pa)uo;,  the  Bridegroom)  This  means  Jesus,  in  whose 
 absence,  they,  to  whom  He  is  known,  cannot  feel  the  day  joyful,  and  in  whose 
 jiresence  they  cannot  feel  the  day  sad. — V.  g. 
 
 ^  Through  Harmonists. — Ed. 
 
 The  Gnomon  and  margin  of  Ed.  2  and  Vers.  Germ,  prefer  the  Sing. 
 The  Ed.  Maj.  has  at  it  the  mark  o.— E.  B.  ABCD  and  Amiat,  Vulg.  sup- 
 port the  Sing.  :  abc  later  Vulg.  and  Rec.  Text,  the  Plural. — Ed. 
 
 ^  A  A,  later  Syr.,  whom  Tischend.  follows,  read  x'lpei  ax'  avrov  to  v'Kvipui^oe.. 
 B  reads  to  wX>5/5.  oi(^  iocvTov.  L,  whom  Lachm.  follows,  has  to  v'h'iio. 
 d-TT  avrov.  Dab  Vulg.  and  Rec.  Text  have  to  -K'Kvtpuy.a.  (to  which  Rec. 
 Text  adds  cthrw)  to  kuivou  x-ko  (omitted  in  Rec.  Text)  toD  -TretXecitiv, 
 —Ed. 
 
B06  ST  MARK  II.  26-28. 
 
 meaning  is  :  the  new  piece  put  in  to  patch  up  the  rent,  takes  away 
 with  it  some  of  the  old  cloth. 
 
 26.  'E'ff/  ^AjSiddap,  under  Abiathar)  Ahimelech  was  the  priest 
 who  gave  loaves  of  bread  to  David ;  but  on  his  being  put  to 
 death  for  that  very  act,  his  son  Abiathar  presently  after  suc- 
 ceeded to  him ;  and  afterwards  the  priesthood  of  Abiathar  and 
 the  reign  of  David  were  contemporary.  The  series  of  the 
 priests  was  very  well  known  among  the  Hebrews,  and  so  the 
 denomination  of  [the  mode  of  marking]  the  age  of  David  is 
 taken  from  the  priest  of  that  day ;  and  indeed  the  Evangelist 
 mentions  Abiathar,  in  whose  time  the  actions  of  David  seem  to 
 have  been  entered  in  the  sacred  records,  in  preference  to  Ahime- 
 lech ;  comp.  the  use  of  s-r/,  Matt.  i.  11.  Not  unlike  is  the 
 phraseology.  Gen.  ii.  2,  on  the  seventh  day  [God  ended  His 
 work ;  we  should  have  said,  at  the  close  of  the  sixth  dai/],  and 
 ch.  X.  25,  in  the  days  of  Peleg  (who  was  born  a  short  while 
 after)  the  earth  was  divided. 
 
 27."EXs'/Bv,  He  was  saying)  Again  beginning  to  address  them  ; 
 comp.  ch.  iv.  21,  24,  26,  30,  vii.  20,  ix.  1  ;  Luke  iv.  24,  v.  36, 
 vi.  5,  XV.  11  ;  John  i.  52. — ha^  for  the  sake  of)  An  axiom.  So 
 almost  similarly  2  Mace.  v.  19  :  oh  hia  rov  rc^rov  rh  Uvo^,  dX/.a  dia 
 TO  sdvog  rov  ro'jov  b  Kxipiog  i^sXe^aro — iyiviro,  was  made)  The  origin 
 and  end  of  things  is  to  be  kept  in  view.  The  blessing  of  the 
 Sabbath,  Gen.  ii.  3,  has  regard  to  man, 
 
 28.  "nare,  therefore)  The  more  obvious  sense  of  this  remark- 
 able enigmatical  aphorism  is,  Whatever  right  as  regards  the 
 Sabbath  any  man  hath,  I  also  have.  The  more  august  sense, 
 though  one  kept  hidden  [recondite]  then,  as  suited  to  the  rela- 
 tions in  which  that  time  stood  to  the  whole  divine  scheme,  is 
 this.  The  end  of  the  institution  of  the  Sabbath  is  the  salvation 
 [welfare]  of  man  as  to  his  soul  and  body.  The  Son  of  Man  is 
 bound  to  ensure  this  salvation  ;  and,  in  order  to  bring  about 
 this  end.  He  the  same  has  also  authority  over  all  things,  and 
 expressly  over  the  Sabbath,  inasmuch  as  it  was  made  for  man  ; 
 and  with  a  view  to  [in  accordance  with]  obtaining  this  end,  lie 
 regulates  ariijcht  the  whole  use  of  the  Sabbath. 
 
ST  MARK  III.  1-5.  507 
 
 CHAPTER    III. 
 
 1.  ndXiv,  again)  On  another  Sabbath  [which  preceded  the 
 feast  of  the  Passover  by  eight  days. — Harm.  p.  309].  Luke 
 vi.  6).^ — s^ripaii^u,svr}v,  withered)  not  from  the  womb,  but  through 
 disease  or  a  wound.     This  is  the  force  of  the  participle." 
 
 2.  UapsTripouv,  they  were  watching)  Obliquely  and  secretly.  On 
 the  immediately  preceding  Sabbath  they  had  heard  His  doctrine 
 concernincp  the  Sabbath. 
 
 o 
 
 3.  Asynj  He  saith)  In  order  that  the  misery  of  the  sick  man 
 might  so  much  the  more  move  the  compassion  of  all. — "yupai  tig) 
 An  abbreviated  expression  for,  arise,  and  go  forth  into  the  midst. 
 
 4.  "h,  or)  Not  to  save  is  to  destroy.  The  opposition  between 
 the  two  words  is  immediate  and  direct.  To  save  life  refers  to 
 the  whole  man ;  to  do  good,  to  a  part ;  and  so  in  the  respectively 
 antithetic  words — -^u^yi",  life)  of  man;  and  therefore  also  a 
 man's  hand. — ieiu'rm,  they  ivere  silent) ;  Luke  xiv.  3. — T]a'jyjx.6d\,, 
 They  had  nothing  to  say. 
 
 5.  Hipi^Xi-^afLivog,  looking  round)  The  expressions  of  Christ's 
 countenance  teach  us  many  lessons,  ver.  34  [comp.  ch.  x. 
 21,  27]. — suXXuTovfj^svog,  being  grieved)  In  the  case  of  the  Phari- 
 sees, their  grief  was  malignant ;  Jesus  grieves  with  holy  affec- 
 tion, individually  for  individuals.  Along  with  His  just  griei 
 was  combined  just  anger ;  see  note  ver.  2. — 'Trdopugu,  the  hard- 
 ness) The  habitual  disposition  of  the  heart  renders  the  percep- 
 tion of  the  truth,  and  of  its  conclusions,  either  difficult  or  easy. 
 — 'rcopuaig,  hardness,  which  destroys  the  use  of  the  senses,  for  in- 
 stance, the  sight  and  the  touch.  It  is  blindness,  not  to  see  ; 
 hardness,  not  to  perceive  ;  John  xii.  40. 
 
 '  e/f  T^j/  avuetyuyyit/,  into  the  sj/nagogue)  What  an  amount  of  wickedness  is 
 there  not  introduced  into   holy   assemblages,   and   perpetrated  in  them! 
 
 -v.g. 
 
 *  As  distinguished  from  the  adjective  ^npav,  had  it  been  used. — Ed. 
 Mark  groups  together,  in  ch.  i.,  those  acts  to  which  Jesus'  adversaries 
 made  no  opposition :  he  then  also  joins  together  those  which  they  assailed, 
 in  ch.  ii.  ;  until,  goaded  on  by  hatred,  they  began  laying  plots  for  our  Lord. 
 The  method  of  Luke  is  the  same. — V.  g. 
 
608  ST  MARK  111.  6-13. 
 
 6.  B-jD'sug,  straightway)  Their  hatred  increased ;  comp  v.  2  at 
 the  end  of  the  v. — 'Hpudiavuv,  the  Herodians)  although  they 
 j)erhaps  had  no  great  care  for  the  Sabbath.  Either  by  the 
 order  or  permission  of  Herod,  they  were  wishing  to  kill  Jesus. 
 
 7.  ' Avi^upriss,  He  withdrew)  He  avoided  plots  against  Him, 
 and  yet  He  did  not  flee  to  a  distance,  nor  in  a  fearful  spirit, 
 for  He  went  to  the  sea  [The  particulars  which  Mark  in  this 
 passage,  ver.  7-19,  records,  he  sets  forth  in  the  regular  order  of 
 the  narrative,  and  they  are  to  be  combined  with  Matt.  iv.  24, 
 etc.  But  the  events  which  go  before  and  follow  in  Mark,  are 
 parallel  to  the  xiith.  ch.  of  Matthew.  Mark  takes  occasion  [a 
 handle]  from  the  plots  laid  by  His  enemies,  to  record  the  with- 
 drawal of  the  Saviour,  ver.  7  ;  and  by  that  very  fact,  he  returns 
 in  the  meantime  into  the  regular  path  from  his  digression,  etc. 
 — -Harm., -p.  238.  The  sm  is  mentioned  in  this  verse;  the 
 house  in  ver.  19  ;  and  again  the  sea  in  ch.  iv.  1.  In  this  fashion 
 !Mark  combines  the  histories  of  different  times. — V.  g.]. 
 
 7.  8.  UX/jdos,  the  multitude)  There  were  two  multitudes;  the 
 one  was  following  Him  out  of  Galilee,  the  other,  from  most 
 diverse  quarters,  was  then,  for  the  first  time,  coming  to  Jesus  , 
 The  former  is  called  a  great  midtitude,  the  latter,  a  multitude  that 
 teas  great,  the  epitasis  (increase  of  force,  in  repeating  the  words, 
 see  Append.)  being  indicated  by  the  transposition  of  the  noun 
 [before  the  adjective,  instead  of  as  in  the  first  instance  after  it : 
 flToXt)  tX55^os — ir'Ar^Qog  croXu.] 
 
 8.  'lhvii,diag,  Idumea)  Therefore  Esau  was  not  altogether 
 *  hated'  pVIal.  i.  3  ;  Rom.  ix.  13]. — o)  mpi)  These  were  Israelites 
 living  near  Tyre  and  Sidon. 
 
 9.  TD^oiapiov,  a  small  ship)  Nominative. — 'xpoa-A.apripri,  should- 
 wait  on)  Not  merely  at  that  time  alone. — im  fj,ri,  that  not)  Having 
 thus  a  regard  to  His  due  convenience. 
 
 10. ' E'TTi'z-i'rrrsiv,  pressed  upon)  Illustrating  the  admirable  patience 
 and  benignity  of  our  Lord. 
 
 11.  "Otuv)  St  av  is  here  joined  with  a  past  tense  of  the  Indi- 
 cative, as  oVou  av,  ch.  vi.  56. 
 
 12.  "ivot,  1X7]  (paviph,  that  not  manifest)  It  was  not  yet  the  time, 
 nor  were  they  the  proper  heralds. 
 
 13.  VJg  TO  opog,  into  a  mountain)  Apart. — ovg  iihXiv  aurhc,  xchom 
 He  Himself  would)  He  had  unlimited  authority,  and  that  the 
 
ST  MARK  III.  14-17.  509 
 
 highest.  His  will  was  in  accordance  with  the  will  of  the  Father 
 [among  these  partly  the  Twelve,  just  mentioned,  were  included ; 
 partly  others,  for  instance,  Joseph  and  Matthias,  Acts  i.  23. — 
 V.  g.] — airri'kdov,  they  came  away)  leaving  all  things. 
 
 14.  Aw3fxa,  twelve)  The  characteristic  notes  of  an  apostle  were, 
 an  immediate  and  direct  call,  a  continuous  intercourse  with 
 Christ,  the  being  an  eye-witness,  the  right  of  preaching  univer- 
 sally [and  not  merely  restricted  to  one  locality],  the  gift  of 
 miracles. 
 
 16.  'Etts^jj^cs,  He  put  upon)  It  is  a  mark  of  Lordship  to  give  a 
 surname ;  this  He  gave  also  to  James  and  John  jointly,  ver.  17  ; 
 but  to  Peter  first  of  all  before  them.  So  in  the  catalogue  of 
 the  twelve  spies  of  the  land  of  Canaan,  mention  is  made  of 
 Joshua  receiving  that  name  instead  of  Hosea ;  Numb.  xiii. 
 4-16. 
 
 17.  'laxw/3oi/,  James)  Fie  calls  to  Him. — hvdiMara,  names)  The 
 plural  intimates  that  this  name  applied  even  to  each  of  the  two 
 separately  [Fers.  (re/vn.  maintains,  on  the  contrary,  that  it  was 
 only  conjointly  they  seem  to  have  been  honoured  with  this  sur- 
 name. This  is  the  only  passage  in  which  the  sru*name  of  James 
 and  John  is  mentioned,  whereas  that  of  Peter  occiirs  frequently]. 
 — jSoavspyeg,  Boanerges)  "  Without  doubt  Christ  by  this  name 
 alludes  (StJTl  ''Jn)  to  the  two  Scribes,  who,  in  the  Sanhedrim, 
 were  wont  to  sit,  one  on  the  right  hand,  the  other  on  the  left  of 
 the  high  priest,  of  whom  the  former  used  to  collect  the  votes  of 
 acquittal,  the  latter  those  of  condemnation,  and  Christ  applies 
 this  judicial  custom  of  the  Sanhedrim  to  His  spiritual  kingdom ;" 
 Mellant,  Sac,  p.  30,  37.  The  etymology  of  the  surname  is 
 somewhat  differently  traced  out  by  Hiller ;  Onom.,  p.  117,  699. 
 ^ —  bioi  jSpovr^g,  sons  of  thunder')  A  magnificent  appellation. 
 Thunder  in  Scripture  is  something  both  terrible  and  joyous. 
 So  also  the  Gospel  strikes  terror  into  the  world,  and  brings  joy 
 and  gain  to  the  godly.  John  in  his  mildness  has,  notwithstand- 
 ing the  hidden  force  of  thunder,  especially  in  his  testimony  as  to 
 the  Godhead  of  Jesus  Christ;  comp.  John  xii.  29,  28  ;  and  in 
 the  Revelation  he  has  written  out  the  account  of  very  many 
 thunders ;  and  he  himself  heard  utterances  of  thunders,  which 
 he  was  forbidden  to  write  out ;  Rev.  x.  3,  4.  Hiller,  in  the 
 passage  quoted  from  him,  says,  "  The  thunder-bolt  (lightning) 
 
610  ST  MARK  111.  20-23. 
 
 is  the  son  of  thunder,  inasmuch  as  it  accompanies  the  crashing 
 sound  which  proceeds  from  the  rent  clouds." 
 
 20.  [Eng.  Vers.  19']"Ep^ovTa/,  they  come)  Jesus  with  His  new 
 family  [This  relation  of  Mark  follows,  not  the  order  of  time,  but 
 the  change  o^  places ;  comp.  ver.  7,  13;  Harm.  p.  311]. — ih 
 oiKov  "  to  the  liouse"  rather  than  into  the  house ;  comp.  ver. 
 21,31. 
 
 21.  O;  'irup  a-jTov,  those  belonging  to  Hhn)  See  App.  Crit.  Ed. 
 ii.,  p.  150.  The  Gothic  Version  fra)n  answers  to  'Xipi  and  Ta^d.' 
 Who  these  were,  who  belonged  to  Him,  is  clear  from  ver.  31, 
 where  the  particle  olv,-  therefore,  refers  to  this  21st  verse,  after 
 the  intervening  parenthesis  22—30  has  been  as  it  were  cleared 
 out  of  the  way. — f^JjA^ov,  they  went  out)  Their  coming  in  ver.  31 
 followed  their  coing  out  here.  A  table  seems  to  have  been  laid 
 at  the  house;  see  end  of  ver.  20. — KparrjSai,  to  lay  hold)  to  put 
 a  restraint  on  him. — 'iXiyov,  they  were  saying)  the  messengers 
 fnot  the  relatives]  from  whom  his  relatives  heard  of  His  earnest- 
 ness.— on  s^'sarn.  He  is  beside  Himself)  By  this  word  they  were 
 attributing  to  Him  excess  of  ardour,  overwhelming  His  in- 
 tellect, but  it  was  falsely  that  they  attributed  this  to  Him,  as 
 Festus  did  to  Paul  ;  Acts  xxvi.  24,  Thou  art  mad.  Comp.  by  all 
 means  2  Cor.  v.  13  ;  comp.  lipivg  xa/  '7rpo(prirr,g  itidrridav  bia  rb 
 eixipa,  Heb.  13t^' ;  Isa.  xxviii.  7  ;  so  6  'jpo(pr,Trig  rrapi^isrri-/.uc, 
 Heb.  yitJ'O  ;  Hosea  ix.  7.  The  singular  number  does  not  admit 
 of  this  being  understood  of  the  people  ;  for  although  o^T^og,  a 
 multitude,  ver.  20  is  singular,  yet  after  an  interval  [between 
 o-)(y.oc,  and  the  verb,  if  tlie  latter  were  to  be  understood  of  the 
 former],  there  always  follow  the  pronoun  and  the  verb  in  the 
 plural. 
 
 23.  ^Upbc-KoKisaitivo:,  having  called  them  to  Him)  By  that  very 
 
 ^  AH  Vulg.  Rec.  Text  read  ycctl  ux-ovaavri;  o'l  vao  civrov  ;  but  Dabc  read 
 Kui  oTi  'ijKovaccv  TTipl  uiirov  oi  ypcc^pLot.Tiii  Kou  01  Tio/Vo/  (c  has  Pharissei.) — 
 Ed. 
 
 '  But  the  oldest  authorities  BCDG  Vulg.  abc  omit  ouu.  A,  however, 
 supports  it. — Ed. 
 
 ^  Ver.  22.  ol  xvo  tipoao'Kvf*.'->'j  KXTcc^xun;,  who  came  down  from  Jerusalem) 
 on  the  days  immediately  before  the  Passover,  when  by  this  time  all  other 
 men  were  going  up.  Jesus  had  been  away  from  Jerusalem  for  a  consider- 
 ably long  interval  of  time  :  therefore  at  this  particular  time  now  they  were 
 trying  to  restrain  [check]  Him  in  Galilee,  where  a  great  multitude  of  people 
 
ST  MARK  111.  1'6-31.  511 
 
 act  He  led  them  on   to  some   degree  of  attention. — laravuv, 
 Satan)  see  Matt.  xii.  26,  note. 
 
 26.  ' AncTT])  A  very  suitable  word;  rose  up,  that  is  to  say,  it 
 would  be  a  strange  thing  ! 
 
 27.  'Edv  ij^n — ^'ic??,  "«'  "Ton — diap'rdgei)  A  most  similar  con- 
 struction occurs ;  Deut.  xx.  5,  etc. — /J.r,  d'jroddv'fi  %ai  'inpog,  ey- 
 xa/v/i/;  also  Gen.  xxvii.  12  ;  Matt.  v.  25,  xxvi.  53,  xxvii.  64; 
 Rom.  xi.  25,  26,  35;  also  Mark  v.  23  at  the  end  of  the  verse; 
 Luke  xiii.  25,  xviii.  7  ;  John  xii.  35. 
 
 28.  To7g  v'loTi  tuv  dvdpu'Trujv,  to  the  sons  of  men)  Ordinary  sins 
 are  the  sins  of  man ;  but  blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
 the  sin  of  Satan. — xa/  a/  (SXctafrif/^iai)  The  omission  of  the  article 
 in  some  editions  gives  great  force  to  the  language.^ 
 
 29.  AJcjviov  dfxaprlag,  everlasting  guilt)  Sin  in  this  place  denotes 
 guilt ;  and  everlasting  sin  or  guilt  is  opposed  with  great  pro- 
 priety of  language  to  forgiveness  \It  therefore  carries  with  it  the 
 punishment  consisting  as  well  of  (in)  the  feeling  as  also  of  (in) 
 the  penalty  i^sg?/' (damnation).  V.  g. — 'Aiuviou  xplasojg  [the  reading 
 of  the  Rec.  Text]  is  a  gloss.^ 
 
 31.'  0/  ddiX<poi  xa/  ri  tJ^nrrip  alrou)  See  App.  Crit.  Ed.  ii.  on  this 
 passage.*  Mark  has  placed  the  brothers  first  in  order,  implying 
 that  the  brothers  had  made  the  first  move  in  seeking  Him,  and 
 the  mother  followed  them.  [_She  is  not,  however,  on  that  account, 
 to  be  held  free  from  all  blame  in  the  case. — V.  g.]  There  is  a 
 similar  account  to  be  given  for  the  order  of  the  words  in  Numb. 
 xii.  1,  10,  where  Miriam,  being  the  more  prominent  of  the  two 
 in  opposing  Moses,  is  placed  before  Aaron.  So  Rachel  and 
 Leah,  in  inverse  order,  Gen.  xxxi.  14 ;  Gad  and  Reuben,  Numb. 
 xxxii.  6.     She  who  was  "  blessed  among  women,"  suffered  less 
 
 was  flocking  around  Him,  that  multitude  being  free  from  other  concerns  at 
 the  time,  and  preparing  to  go  up  to  celebrate  the  Feast. — Harm.,  p.  314. 
 
 1  D  and  Rec.  Text,  which  Griesbach  and  Scholz  follow,  omit  the  xi.  But 
 ABC  are  against  the  omission. — Ed. 
 
 2  A,  however,  supports  it.  But  BL  Vulg.  and  Memph.,  and  bcd{'  delicti') 
 support  MiA,xi)T*ifi»ros.  D  reads  cipcxpri'x;  ;  and  so  a  and  Cypr.  have 
 '■  peccati.' — Ed. 
 
 3  ipx,ovTxi  ovv,  There  come  then)  This  expression  refers  us  back  to  the 
 i^vi'hSov,  ver.  21. — V.  g. 
 
 *  A  supports  Rec.  Text  in  this  order  of  the  words.  But  CDGLAaic 
 Vulg.  read  them  thus — ^  pt.T,Tno  xvtqv  kx)  o<  ot5£A(po(  xvroZ. — Ed. 
 
512  ST  MARK  III.  32-34  ;  IV.  1     12. 
 
 from  the  taint  of  human  infirmity  than  others,  yet  she  was  not 
 entirely  exempt  from  it. — 'i^u,  without)  outside  of  that  circle 
 ["  the  multitude  about  Him"],  ver.  32  ;  or  even  outside  of  the 
 house,  where  He  was  teaching. — (puvovvrsg,  calling  Him)  with  a 
 loud  voice. 
 
 32.  E/croi/,  they  said)  He  Himself  was  well  aware  of  it,  with- 
 out their  telling  Him. 
 
 34.  KuxXw,  in  a  circle  round  about)  With  the  utmost  sweetness. 
 
 CHAPTER  IV. 
 
 I.  "H/'gaTo,  He  began)  After  the  interruption. — rrapu,  near  [by 
 the  sea  side])  The  words  in  antithesis  are,  near  the  sea,  and  in 
 the  sea. 
 
 3.  'Axou£t£,  Hearken)  A  word  pronounced  in  a  loud  voice,  in 
 order  to  still  the  noise  among  the  people,  lest  the  beginning 
 itself  of  His  discourse  should  be  lost  '[Mark  especially  commends 
 the  hearing  of  the  ivord,  ver.  24,  25,  33. — V.  g.] 
 
 8  'Edidov,  yielded :  £<p(piv,  brought  forth)  The  subject  is  ciXKo, 
 some  :^  comp.  ver.  4—7.  —  a,m(3almTa,  springing  vp)  above  all 
 obstacles. 
 
 9.  "'EXijiv,  He  said)  Frequent  pauses  are  interposed  in  the 
 case  of  the  weightiest  discourses  like  this  :  ver.  13,  21,  24, 
 26,  30. 
 
 10.  O/  vipi  avrov,  they  that  were  about  Him)  Who  enjoyed  the 
 privilege  of  the  first  admission  to  His  presence  :  ch.  iii.  34. 
 
 II.  "E7.iyiv,  He  said)  With  hearty  good-will  [with  real  plea- 
 sure].— i'^u,  without)  outside  of  the  circle  of  genuine  disciple- 
 ship,  [/n  antithesis  to  ver.  10  (They  that  were  about  Him  with 
 the  twelve). — ^V.  g.] — y'mrai)  Fall  to  [are  done  as  concems] 
 them  as  parables. 
 
 12.  "ifa,  that)  They  already  before  saw  not,  Matt.  xiii.  13. 
 Now  there  is   added  [to  their  voluntary  blindness]  divinely — 
 
 ^  So  XBab  Vulg.  and  Lachm.  But  x/Jix.  BCfi  Memph.  Tiscliead. 
 —Ed 
 
ST  MARK  IV.  13-21.  BIS 
 
 sent  judicial  blindness.  —  iVa,  so  that:  Lxx.  Gen.  xxii.  14. — 
 xa!  a(psdyiffiTai  avroTg  ra  a/jLocprri/Mara,  and  their  sins  should  be  for- 
 given them)  This  is  the  true  healing,  spoken  of  Matt.  xiii.  15  ; 
 Ps.  ciii.  3. 
 
 13.  Ol/x  o'/dan,  do  ye  7iot  know)  Jesus  marks  with  reproof  the 
 question  of  the  disciples. — xa/  <t&j$,  and  how  then)  The  parable 
 concerning  the  seed  is  the  primary  and  fundamental  one  [the 
 foundation  of  all  the  others]. — Trccca?,  all)  constituting  and  com- 
 prising the  perfect  doctrine  of  Christ. 
 
 14.  'o  crrsipuv,  the  soioe.r)  Christ  is  the  sower.  Peter,  Paul, 
 and  others,  sow  the  seed  of  Christ,  and  are  servants  of  Christ. 
 
 15.  "Otou  CTstpsrai  6  Xoyog,  where  the  ivord  is  sown)  This  clause 
 is  rather  to  be  connected  with  what  follows. — ivdsojs,  imme- 
 diately) Satan's  most  favourite  time  for  lying  in  wait. — h  raTs 
 KapBiaig,  in  their  hearts)  This  means  more  than  into  their  hearts. 
 
 16.  17.  Eu^swg,  immediately)  Great  changes  can  take  place  in 
 the  soul  very  speedily. 
 
 19.  A/  "TTipi  Ta  Xor~a  i'l'ih/Miui,  the  lusts  of  Other  things)  the 
 pleasures  of  life,  in  Luke  viii.  14  :  in  one's  mode  of  living, 
 loves,  tastes  for  literature,  etc. — ilffTopsuo/j.ii/ai,  entering  in)  He 
 who  hath  received  the  word  of  God,  ought  to  see,  lest  the  cares 
 of  the  world  wax  strong  upon  him,  and  take  more  violent  hold, 
 than  even  before,  of  his  new-born  expansion  of  soul  and  his 
 mental  affections,  which  have  been  rendered  more  enlarged  by 
 means  of  the  word  of  God. — ymrai,  it  becometh)  viz.  the  word. 
 
 20.  "El/,  the  one)  Accusative. 
 
 21.  Kai,  and)  Ver.  24  is  closely  connected  with  ver.  20,  and 
 those  that  go  before  :  therefore  also  this  comes  in  between  paren- 
 thetically ;  comp.  Luke  viii.  16.  In  this  sense,  the  earth  covers 
 for  a  considerably  long  time  the  seed  committed  to  it ;  whereas 
 you,  on  the  contrary,  ought  to  put  forth  into  action  the  power 
 of  the  word,  which  you  have  heard,  immediately  upon  hearing 
 it. — 6  Xxjyjog,  a  candle  [torch-light])  So  also  Christ  comes,  together 
 with  His  Gospel,  as  the  true  light.  And  a  man  himself  ought 
 to  be,  not  the  bushel,  but  the  candlestick ;  comp.  Luke  viii. 
 16—18. — xXhriv,  a  couch  [not  as  Engl).  Vers.,  a  bed^)  where  food 
 is  taken. 
 
 ^  Lachm.  reads,  with  Rec.  Text,  ?»,  and  so  Vulg.     But  Tischend.,  with 
 nil  the  uncials  which  have  accents,  being  of  later  date,  Iv. — Ed. 
 VOL.  I.  K  K 
 
«14  ST  MARK  IV.  22-24. 
 
 22.  Ou  yap  sari  ti  xpuTrov — ovds  iy'inro  dToy.puipoi/,  for  there  is 
 nothing  hidden — nor  has  anything  become  concealed)  There  is  a 
 difference  both  in  the  verbs  is,  implying  that  it  was  so  natu- 
 rally, and  has  become,  implying  intentional  concealment,  and 
 also  in  the  nouns  [adjectives]  used ;  comp.  Tipurrra,  1  Cor.  iv.  5, 
 and  dTozpuipoi,  Col.  ii.  3  ;^  to  which  corresponds  the  difference 
 which  is  made  in  the  corresponding  antithesis,  between  ^anpudf,, 
 be  manifested,  and  sX^!^  ilg  (pavsphv,  come  to  be  manifested;  the 
 former  referring  to  manifestation  by  constraint,  the  latter  to 
 manifestation  of  its  own  accord,  when  it  is  ripe  for  manifestation. 
 Therefore  the  former  sentence  can  be  understood  of  what  is 
 bad,  the  second  sentence  of  what  is  good.  This  axiom  holds 
 good  of  the  things  in  nature,  of  the  feelings  and  actions  of  men, 
 whether  good  or  bad,  in  a  natural  condition  or  in  a  spiritual 
 condition  ;  as  also  of  the  divine  mysteries. — sy'iviTo,  has  become 
 ["  was  kept,"  Engl.  Vers.])  The  subject  is  rl,  anything,  to  be 
 repeated  from  the  previous  sentence :  the  predicate  is,  hidden  out 
 of  sight,  drr6xpv(pov. — i'/J-fi,  come)  of  its  own  accord  ;  comp.  John 
 iii.  21.  This  is  done  in  successive  stages  in  this  present  order 
 of  things ;  and  it  shall  be  done  fully,  when  the  light  shall  make 
 manifest  all  secrets  on  the  last  day ;  1  Cor.  iv.  5. 
 
 23.  E/  rig,  if  any  man)  Thez'efore  it  is  not  every  one  that  hath 
 them. 
 
 24.  BXl-TET-E  TI  dxoxjiTi,  Scc  [takc  heed'\,  ichat  ye  liear)  The 
 seeing  organ,  which  is  the  more  noble  sense,  directs  and  modifies 
 the  impressions  of  the  hearing  :  it  is  the  eye,  not  the  ear,  that 
 can  move  itself. — ri,  what)  We  are  hearing  the  word,  which  is 
 the  word  of  God ;  account  that  as  a  high  privilege :  Or  else  the 
 what  is  to  be  resolved  into  the  how  of  Luke  :  see  to  it,  what 
 kind  of  a  hearing  you  render  to  the  word. — b  w  i^i'rpf),  with 
 what  measure)  The  measure  alluded  to  is  the  heart,  with  its 
 capabilities,  desires,  anxiety  to  impart  blessings  received  to 
 others,  and  obedience — rrposnijrieirai,  it  shall  be  added  [more 
 shall  be  given])  That  ye  may  be  not  only  hearers,  but  par- 
 takers.— roTi)  as  concerns  the  hearers  ;^  comp.  on  Horn.  ii.  8,  as 
 
 *  So    Latin   conditus,    '  hidden^''    whether   undesignedly    or   otlicrwise  : 
 ttbsconditus,  '•'■hidden  out  of  siffht,"  by  design. — Ed. 
 
 '  The  margin  of  both  editions  had  left  the  reader  to  decide  as  to  the 
 
ST  MARK  IV.  26-30.  51S 
 
 respects  such  datives.    [Engl.  Vers,  makes  the  dat.  follow  'rrpoSTsd., 
 "  more  shall  be  given  to  you  that  fear."] 
 
 26.  "AvdpojTog,  a  man)  With  this  man  God  and  Christ  are 
 compared,  with  a  view  to  describe  the  several  ages  and  grades 
 [stages  of  progress]  of  the  whole  Christian  Church  ;  comp. 
 ver.  29. 
 
 27.  KaSivdri  xal  fyiiprirai,  should  sleep  and  rise)  With  these 
 two  verbs  are  connected  by  Chiasmus  [See  Append.]  the  nouns 
 night  and  day  [sleep  referring  to  night ;  rise,  to  day].  Moreover, 
 sometimes  night  is  wont  to  be  put  before  day,  as  in  Gen.  i.  [The 
 evening  and  the  morning  were  the  first  day,  ver.  5]. —  ouk  oJdiv 
 (throe,  he  hioioeth  not  himself)  After  the  safeguards  of  grace 
 have  been  conferred  on  men,  God  leaves  them  in  some  measure 
 to  themselves.  Yet  this  clause  may  be  made  to  refer  to  the 
 believing  man  himself;  and  then,  of  its  own  accord.,  in  ver. 
 28,  is  opposed  to  man's  care,  not  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
 earth. 
 
 28.  AliToiMurri,  of  its  own  accord)  This  is  not  to  the  exclusion 
 of  cultivation  of  the  land,  the  rain  from  heaven,  and  the  sun's 
 beams.  [But  there  is  also  intimated  a  freedom  of  increasing  and 
 growing,  either  in  good  or  evil,  granted  by  the  Lord  of  the  land 
 to  the  man. — V.  g.] — xoprov,  the  blade)  the  grass-like  young 
 shoot ;  so  in  the  commencement  spiritual  virtues  [graces]  are 
 scarcely  to  be  distinguished  from  natural  ones. — ura,  then  next) 
 Marvellous  is  the  process  of  the  successive  increase :  this  shall 
 hereafter  be  made  manifest. 
 
 29.  llapah'jj,  shall  have  yielded)  this  also  of  its  own  ac- 
 cord [ver.  28].  Supply  itself. — ivd'sojg,  immediately)  As  be- 
 fore he  did  not  put  in  the  sickle  too  soon,  so  now  he  does 
 not  put  it  in  too  late. — a.'zogTsXXsi,  He  sendetli)  An  abbre- 
 viated expression  for,  He  sendeth,  viz.  men  furnished  with  a 
 sickle  :  for  ai-ooTsXXicrdai  is  properly  applied  to  a  living  person 
 [agent]. 
 
 30.  T/vi  ofj^oiudM/Mv,  whereunto  shall  we  liken)  The  plural ; 
 comp.  John  iii.  11. 
 
 omission  of  this  clause,  to?s  tiix.ovovatu.     The  Gnomon  and  Vers.  Germ,  retain 
 it.— E.  B. 
 
 BCDGLAc  Vulg.  omit  it.  However  A,  -with  Rec.  Text,  supports  it. 
 —Ed. 
 
516  ST  MARK  IV.  31-38. 
 
 31.  'fi;  Koxxov,  as  a  grain)  viz.  let  us  compare  [ver.  30]  it.*— 
 fjbixporipog)  less. 
 
 31,  32.  "Orav  e'zapri,  when  it  has  been  soum)  This  clause,  being 
 placed  twice,  exactly  defines  that  time  when  the  grain  ceases  to 
 be  small,  and  begins  to  become  great  in  size.  In  ver.  31,  the 
 emphasis  in  pronunciation  is  to  be  laid  on  the  when,  and  in  ver. 
 32,  on  the  words,  it  has  been  sown. 
 
 33.  Kadcbg  TibvvavTo  axovsiv,  acco7'ding  as  they  were  able  to  hear) 
 They  did  not  admit  in  their  then  state  to  have  the  truth  more 
 openly  spoken  to  them. 
 
 35.  'Ev  sxiivri  rrj  ri/zspa,  on  that  day)  See  App.  Crit.  Ed.  ii.  on 
 this  passage.  The  pronoun  h.uvri,  that,  does  not  denote  pre- 
 cisely that  day  on  which  the  Saviour  put  forth  the  parables 
 of  the  sower  and  the  rest  of  the  parables,  as  Grotius,  besides 
 other  commentators,  acknowledge  ;  but,  with  less  definiteness,  is 
 to  be  referred  to  a  day  marked  in  the  former  course  of  this 
 gospel,  namely,  ch.  ii.  1.  So  Judg.  xiii.  10,  OV3,  lxx.  b  nt^ipce,, 
 or,  as  it  is  better  read  in  the  Cod.  Alex,  rri  \aspcc  Ixsivrj.  So 
 Matt.  xxiv.  48, 6  xaxbg  dovXog  sxiTvog.^  And  indeed  Mark  applies 
 exsnog  in  various  senses  ;  see  notes  ch.  ii.  20,  xiii.  24.  As  to  the 
 time  of  this  voyage,  comp.  Harmon.  Evang.  §  49. 
 
 36.  llapaXaiMBavovetv,  they  take  Him  with  them)  i.e.  they  to 
 whom  the  ship  belonged  took  Him  with  them  to  cross  the  lake. 
 — ug  riv,  as  He  ivas)  Without  any  sumptuous  j)reparation  [or 
 equipment] ;  Matt.  viii.  20.  So  the  lxx.,  aij  knv,  and  w;  r,eav, 
 2  Kings  vii.  7. — rrXcidpiUj  little  ships)  and  in  them  men. — /jbir 
 AvTov,  ivith  Him)  with  Jesus. 
 
 37.  AaiT^a-^)  i.e.  xlvrjCiig  vi<pu>v  xa.i  rapay^r\  fjjira.  evdlav,  x.r.X,,  A.71 
 agitation  and  commotion  of  the  clouds  after  a  calm  [fair  weather]. 
 — Eustathius. — I'Tri^a.Xiv,  dashed  into)  viz.  dashed  themselves 
 into. 
 
 38.  n^hfivri,  the  stern)  where  the  helm  is. — rh  rrpoaxKpdXaiov, 
 the  pillow)  This  was  a  part  of  the  ship,  as  one  may  infer  from 
 the  article  ;  it  was  of  wood,  as  Theophylactus  observes.     See 
 
 '  BDA  read  kokxu,  and  so  Tischend.  But  AC  Vulg.  be,  kokkov;  and  so 
 Lachm. — Ed. 
 
 ^  Where  the  more  immediate  antecedent  to  tKu^jo;  is  the  faithful  and  wise 
 servant,  and  the  antecedent  intended  must  be  supplied  from  the  course  of 
 the  previous  discourse,  ver.  38,  39,  etc — Eu. 
 
ST  MARK  IV.  39,  40.-V.  1-7.  817 
 
 Heupel.  on  this  passage. — ou  iMiXn  aoi,  it  is  not  the  case,  is  it  ? 
 that  thou  hast  no  care)  The  Lord  is  not  moved  to  anger  at  their 
 praying  in  a  rather  unseasonable  [importunate]  manner. 
 
 39.  S/wcra,  be  silent)  cease  fi'om  roaring. — 'XiftiMMdo,  he  still) 
 cease  from  violence  [i.e.,  the  c/wcra  refers  to  the  noise ;  TspZ/Awffo, 
 to  the  furious  violence  of  the  waves]. — yaXrivri,  a  calm)  of  the 
 sea ;  which,  under  other  circumstances,  would  have  continued 
 in  a  troubled  state  even  after  the  wind  had  lulled. 
 
 40.  Oux,  not)  His  expression  subsequently  was,  not  yet  [Do 
 ye  not  yet  understand  T\  Matth.  xvi.  9.  The  not  simply  implies 
 negation ;  the  not  yet  implies  that  they  already  before  had  had 
 good  grounds  afforded  them  for  believing. 
 
 CHAPTER  V. 
 
 1.  Tuv  Tadaprjvuv,  of  the  Gadarenes)  Gadara,  a  city  of  Grecian 
 origin  [or  Greek-like'],  subject  to  the  Jews  ;  wherein  it  may  be 
 inferred  that  many  Jews  dwelt,  from  the  fact  that  our  Lord 
 came  to  them.  [Doubtless  it  had  the  same  port  in  common  with 
 Gerasa  or  Gergesa. — V.  g.] 
 
 2.  ^hS'ivc,  immediately)  However,  the  man  was  preserved  from 
 casting  himself  into  the  sea  as  the  swine  did. — Iv,  in)  The 
 particle  contains  the  emphasis  of  the  clause. 
 
 3.  Karolxridiv,  divelling)  The  dwellers  among  the  tombs  were 
 of  various  descriptions.     See  ver.  5. 
 
 5.  "Opsdiv,  in  the  mountains)  in  solitary  places.  Mountains 
 Avere  in  the  locality,  as  we  find  in  ver.  11. — iavrlv,  himself)  In 
 the  case  of  the  possessed,  even  the  natural  and  proper  love  of 
 self  [law  of  self-preservation]  is  in  abeyance. 
 
 6.  "Edpa^/,s,  ran)  A  specimen  and  foretaste  of  the  Lordship  of 
 Christ.  The  man  possessed  ran  in  spite  of  the  demons,  as  may 
 readily  be  supposed. 
 
 7.  M^  fis  iSacavldi^g,  do  not  torment  me)  Whilst  the  demon  is 
 being  tormented,  the  man  possessed  is  tormented,  and  yet  he 
 
518  ST  MARK  V.  8-15. 
 
 fthe  latter]  is  set  free.     The  demon  deprecates  either  the  ex- 
 pulsion itself,  or  a  second  tormenting  added  to  the  expulsion. 
 
 8.  To)  The  language  is  so  framed,  as  if  it  were  of  only  one 
 demon ;  and  ver.  13,  9,  imply  there  were  many  demons,  who 
 rendered  obedience  to  one  superior,  as  a  legion  does  to  its 
 commander.  That  one  alone,  and  pre-eminently,  seems  to  main- 
 tain a  continual  and  uninterrupted  connection  with  his  own 
 legion,  inasmuch  as  they  are  comprehended  under  his  own  name. 
 
 9.  Asysujv,  Legion)  An  appellation  by  Synecdoche  [see  Ap- 
 pend., the  genus  for  the  species].  There  was  one  principal 
 leader  among  them,  and  the  rest  were  conjoined  Avith  him,  con- 
 stituting thus  the  legion  :  and  this,  whether  he  had  previously 
 borne  this  Latin  name,  before  that  he  entered  this  man,  or 
 then  first  assumed  it. — toXXo!  h/xsv,  we  are  many)  Luke  affirms 
 this  in  his  own  words  [not  in  the  man's  or  the  demon's],  ch 
 viii.  30.  If  in  one  nest  [dwelling]  there  can  be  so  many,  how 
 many  there  must  be  in  the  whole  aggregate  throughout  the 
 world !  \_Mere  number  in  itself  does  not  produce  protection 
 (patronage). — ^V.  g.] 
 
 10.  TLapixdXii,  he  besought)  The  singular  number ;  the  plural 
 occurs  in  ver.  12. — yjipac,  the  country)  which  they  loved,  and 
 were  then  dwelling  in.  \And  so,  therefore,  being  acquainted  with 
 the  men  of  that  country,  they  were  meditating  to  injiict  the  more 
 injury  by  means  of  their  acquaintance  with  them. — V.  g.]  But 
 it  is  marvellous  that  they  did  not  avoid  the  locality  in  which  the 
 Messiah,  the  destroyer  of  their  power,  was  sojourning. 
 
 12.  UdvTsg,  all)  with  one  consent. 
 
 13.  EuDiu;,  forthwith)  He  did  not  require  to  deliberate  in  any 
 case. — ug  biayjXiQi,  about  two  thousand)  The  name  legion  implied 
 a  number  exceeding  this. 
 
 14.  ' Av/]yyii\av,  announced  it)  to  those  to  whom  the  swine 
 had  belonged,  in  the  city  and  in  the  fields  [the  country]. 
 
 15.  Ka^3J/i,£^ov,  'i/jbarid/Zsvov,  GuippovoZvra,  sitting,  clothed,  in  his 
 sound  mind)  whereas  previously  he  had  been  without  rest, 
 clothes,  and  the  use  of  his  reason.  Those  who  had  witnessed 
 the  miracle  may  have  given  him  the  clothes.  He  put  forth  and 
 showed  his  possession  of  reason  in  his  actions. — rov  Xiyiojva,  the 
 legion)  This  name  seems  to  have  been  known  in  that  locality, 
 and  to  have  kept  the  inhabitants  in  a  state  of  fright.     For  there 
 
ST  MARK  V.  18-29.  519 
 
 is  not  any  other  apparent  cause  why  this  appellation,  which 
 describes  the  fact  as  they  found  it,  should  be  repeated.' 
 
 18.  Msr  aurou,with  Him)  The  cross  had  allured  the  man  by 
 its  sweetness  from  his  own  relatives.  The  powerful  influence 
 of  Jesus  had  possession  of  him.  [And  so  now  on  that  account 
 he  had  it  in  his  power  to  be  of  the  greater  use  to  his  relatives. 
 
 19.  Toug  eoug,  thine  own  people)  implying  the  obligation  by 
 which  we  are  bound  towards  relatives. — avdyyuXov,  announced) 
 There  is  a  time  for  speaking  ;  see  ver.  30  and  following  verses  ; 
 and  also  a  time  for  being  silent,  ver.  43. — 6  Kupiog,  the  Lord) 
 Jesus  ;  comp.  ver.  20  ['  Jesus.'] 
 
 20.  Krjpvtrffsiv,  to  publish)  So  they  [the  people  of  that  country] 
 were  not  without  a  testimony  among  them  to  the  glory  of  God  ; 
 although  Jesus,  by  their  own  request  [ver.  17],  went  away 
 quickly. — h  rJj)  not  merely  in  his  own  home,  which  had  been 
 all  that  Jesus  had  desired  him  to  do  ;  ver.  19. 
 
 22.^  'idsipog,  Jairus)  At  the  time  that  Mark  wrote  this,  Jairus 
 and  his  daughter  might  still  have  been  found  in  Palestine.  It 
 is  a  strong  proof  of  the  truth  of  the  Gospel,  that  the  very  proper 
 names  are  given  in  the  Evangelist's  narrative.^ — thiiv,  when  he 
 saw)  having  beheld  the  majesty  of  Christ. 
 
 23.  'Eff^drug  s^st,  is  at  the  point  of  death)  It  was  great  faith 
 which  impelled  Jairus  to  leave  her  when  just  breathing  her 
 last. — im,  that)  This  being  put  in  recitative  style,  shows  ivhat 
 was  the  mental  feeling  [intention]  which  led  Jairus  to  mention 
 the  sickness  of  his  daughter.  [Eng.  Ver.  loses  the  beauty  of  the 
 abrupt  /Va,  by  inserting,  I  pray  thee.^ 
 
 29.  'E^rjpdvSri  ■/}  <!rri'yn,  the  fountain  was  dried  up)  It  not  merely 
 decreased.  There  was  the  highest  degree  of  instantaneous 
 soundness  and  health. 
 
 >  The  larger  Ed.  is  not  so  much  in  favour  of  this  repetition  as  Ed.  2,  the 
 Gnomon,  and  Vers.  Germ.  ABLA  read  t6u  tax-  t-  "hiyioivct  (BLA,  T^iyiuva). 
 But  Dbc  Vulg.  Mempb.  Versions  omit  the  words. — Ed. 
 
 ^  ruv  oip-)ctiJvvo(.yuyuu^  the  rulers  of  the  Synagogue)  Who  were  overseers  of 
 the  doctors  and  teachers. — V.  g. 
 
 3  And,  in  the  case  of  Jairus  and  others,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  very  localities 
 where  the  name  was  a  prevalent  one.  Comp.  Num.  xxxii.  41  ;  Deut.  iii. 
 14  ;  Judg.  X.  3,  5  ;  1  Chron.  ii.  22.— Ed 
 
520  ST  MARK  V.  30-41. 
 
 30.  'EcTiyvavg,  perceiving)  Faith  even  acts. — i^OJouffav,  had  gone 
 out)  A  magnetic  power. 
 
 33.  <t>o^ri6iTsa,  fearing)  Sometimes  fear  follows  close  upon  a 
 good  action,  which  very  fear  subsequently  the  goodness  of  the 
 Lord  removes ;  Matt.  xxvi.  10. — iJ'zsv,  told)  publicly  ;  Luke  viii. 
 47 ;  after  having  laid  aside  all  unseasonable  shame  because  of 
 her  disease. — -rraffav,  all)  Rightly  done  ! 
 
 34.  " TntoLyz  i/g  ilprjvriv,  go  in  peace  [lit.  i7ito  peace])  comp.  Luke 
 vii.  50,  note. — "adi,  be)  permanently  so.  After  her  long  con- 
 tinued misery,  the  benefit  conferred  is  a  lasting  one. 
 
 35.  'Avhyfrom)  The  house  of  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue. — 
 Ti  'in,  ichy  any  further)  This  is  a  strong  affirmation  of  the  fact 
 of  the  daughter  being  dead.  They  suppose  the  ruler's  efibrts  to 
 be  vain  and  out  of  place. — ax.{jXXiig,  thou  troublest)  This  verb  is 
 properly  used  of  the  trouble  attending  a  journey  ;  Luke  vii.  6, 
 viii.  49.  Herodian  employs  it  of  the  difficult  [severe]  convey- 
 ance of  captives,  and  of  the  setting  out  of  an  army.  The 
 walkings  about  of  Jesus  were  then  a  perpetual  cxuX/xoc,  trouble 
 [harass]. — rh  BiddcxaXov,  the  Master)  There  were  therefore  dis- 
 ciples of  Jesus  in  the  family  of  Jairus,  and  Jesus  was  the  Teacher 
 of  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue. 
 
 36.  AaXovfLsvov,  that  was  spoken)  as  it  were  privately. 
 
 37.  Tiv  d8iX(pov,  the  brother)  Mark  wrote  his  Gospel  not  long 
 after  the  Ascension,  at  the  time  when  the  memory  of  James, 
 who  had  been  beheaded,  was  still  fresh  in  the  disciples'  minds, 
 so  that  he  was  better  known  than  even  John  himself. 
 
 38.  ' AXaXd^ovTag,  them  that  clianted  the  fuyieral  dirge)  in  order 
 to  diminish  and  soothe  the  sorrowful  thoughts  of  the  mourners. 
 
 40.  KanyiKm,  they  began  to  laugh  Him  doioii)  with  sorrowful 
 laughter,  fi'ee  from  insolence. — hISaXuv,  having  put  out)  Mar- 
 vellous authority  in  a  house,  as  one  would  have  thought,  judging 
 externally,  with  which  lie  had  no  connection.  Li  reality  there 
 was  in  the  house  its  true  Lord. — tIv)  Therefore  there  were  pre- 
 sent three  disciples,  and  three  of  the  family,  not  more ;  comp. 
 ver.  43. 
 
 4L  TaXi6d  xou{Mi,  Talitha  Cumi)  Peter  had  remembered  the 
 precise  words  used  by  the  Saviour ;  and  it  was  from  liis  mouth 
 [dictation]  that  Mark  is  said  to  have  written.  Talitha  was  used 
 but  once;  for  Jesus,  in  raising  the  dead,  did  not  employ  Epi- 
 
ST  MARK  V.  i2,  43.- VI.  1-3.  621 
 
 zeuxis  [repetition  of  the  same  word ;  see  Append.],  Luke  vii.  14  ; 
 John  xi.  43.  For  His  power  was  always  instantaneous  in  its 
 effect;  comp.  Num.  xx.  11. — <ro/  X'syu,  I  say  unto  thee)  This  is 
 not  contained  in  Talitha  Cumi,  and  yet  it  is  with  truth  added. 
 
 42.  'EvOsc/jg,  straightway)  It  was  not  by  degrees  that  at  last  she 
 regained  her  consciousness. — yap,  for)  She  returned  to  the  state 
 consonant  to  her  age. — ddodsKa,  twelve)  comp.  ver.  25.  It  was 
 at  one  and  the  same  time  the  woman  was  healed  [of  the  issue 
 of  twelve  years'  standing]  and  the  girl  [of  twelve  years]  was 
 raised  to  life ;  the  one  having  begun  life  at  the  same  time  that 
 the  other  had  begun  her  misery. 
 
 43.  A/soTE/'Xaro,  He  prohibited  strictly)  [The  crowd,  no  doubt, 
 who  were  not  unacquainted  with  the  fact  of  the  girl's  death, 
 might  have  both  known  the  miracle,  and  published  it  for  the 
 glory  of  God. — V.  g. — (payiTv,  to  eat)  She  was  by  this  time  alive 
 and  well,  and  not  needing  any  medicine, — V.  g.] 
 
 CHAPTER  VI. 
 
 1.^  'AxoAou^ojff/v,  folloio)  Although  they  were  not  all  admitted 
 to  see  the  raising  of  Jairus'  daughter. 
 
 2.  Tivoiiivov,  having  come)  When  the  arrival  of  Jesus  had 
 taken  place  not  very  long  before. — vokv — dohTsa,  ivhence — given) 
 But  indeed  He  is  Wisdom  itself — zai  dwd/xnc)  Understand  n, 
 what  [are  also  these  mighty  works]  1  how  [has  He  been  enabled 
 to  do  them]  1 
 
 3.  'O  riKTuv)  Son  of  the  carpenter,  or  even  Himself  a  carpenter; 
 for  they  add,  the  Son  of  Mary,  in  antithesis  to  the  Son  of  the  car- 
 penter. \_IIe  Himself  therefore  toiled  at  that  kind  of  labour,  which 
 was  corresponding  to  His  spiritual  work ;  Zech.  vi.  12. — V.  g.] 
 
 1  ix-ildiv)  from  thence :  this  term  has  a  wider  sense  in  this  passage  of  Mark 
 than  in  Matthew  xiii.  53,  and  has  respect  to  the  whole  sojourn  of  the 
 Saviour  at  Capernaum  and  the  adjacent  district.  Jairus  dwelt  in  Caper- 
 naum ;  and,  not  long  after  the  resurrection  of  his  daughter,  the  parables 
 recorded  in  Matt,  xiii.,  etc.,  were  put  forth  near  Capernaum. — Harm., 
 p.  325. 
 
622  ST  MARK  VI.  4-U. 
 
 4.  TLarpldi,  country)  ill  which  there  are  many  ties  of  relation- 
 ship. — Guyyiviei,  relatives)  having  many  houses  [each  one  having 
 his  own  house  or  family]. 
 
 5.  Oux  yjduvaro,  He  could  not)  That  is,  mujlity  loorks  could  not 
 be  done,  because  the  men  were  incapacitated  [for  the  benefit 
 through  unbelief]. — oXiyotg,  a  few)  implying  the  quantity. — 
 appuaToi:;,  infirm)  implying  the  quality. 
 
 6.  KlijcXw,  in  a  circle  round)  Yet  Jesus  conferred  a  benefit  on 
 His  own  country. 
 
 7.  "Hp^aro,  began)  After  that  they  had  made  some  progress. — • 
 duo  duo,  by  two  and  two)  six  pairs  ;  Matt.  x.  2,  3. — ■x.a.i,  and)  The 
 rest  of  His  instructions  are  evident  from  ver.  12,  13. 
 
 8.  9.  UapriyyuKiv)  Mark  uses  this  verb  with  a  threefold  con- 
 struction in  this  passage;  -rrapriyyuXiv — ha  [j^ribiv  alpuiGiv — aX/.' 
 •oirobibiijj'svoug  (viz.  ilvar) — %ai  iir\  hougriffSs.  So  also  the  construction 
 is  varied  in  ch.  xii.  38,  SiXovruv  vipi-janni  xa/  dsTaSfj^oug ;  where 
 the  infinitive  and  the  accusative  are  joined. 
 
 8.  "Iva,  that)  That  they  might  be  unencumbered,  unrestrained, 
 and  free  [comp.  note  on  Matt.  x.  10]. 
 
 13.^  'E^sjSaAAov,  they  began  casting  out)  The  demons,  without 
 doubt,  bore  their  expulsion  by  the  disciples  with  more  vexation 
 than  that  by  the  Lord  Himself. — ri>.ii(pov  sXaluj,  anointed  loith  oil) 
 This  anointing  differed  Avidely  from  that  anointing  which  is 
 called  extreme  unction.  They  did  not  carry  oil  about  with 
 themselves,  as  ver.  8  proves  ;  but  found  and  used  it  at  the 
 houses  of  the  sick.  The  miracle  was  on  that  accomit  the  more 
 unequivocal. 
 
 14.  <i>aviphv,  manifested  [spread  abroad])  Jesus  had  not  come 
 to  be  known  by  many  before  that  John's  death  became  known, 
 otherwise  they  would  not  have  supposed  Him  to  be  John. 
 This  observation  is  to  be  marked  in  opposition  to  those  who  ex- 
 tend the  length  of  the  times  after  the  baptism  of  John  too 
 much. — yap,  for)  Except  for  the  public  rumour,  Herod  would  not 
 have  known  of  Him.  A  palace  is  generally  late  in  hearing  of 
 spiritual  news. — sXeyiv,  he  said)  The  plural  is  given  in  Luke  ix. 
 7,  and  the  circumstances  of  the  case  even  in  Mark  require  that 
 number;  for  there  are  enumerated  the  opinions  of  men  con- 
 
 '  Ver.  10.  iKildiu,  from  thence)  out  of  the  city. 
 
ST  MARK  VI.   15-21.  523 
 
 kerning  Him,  one  of  wliich  in  particular  above  the  rest  is  indi- 
 cated in  fine  in  ver.  16,  as  having  seemed  probable  to  Herod. 
 Therefore  the  parenthesis,  if  it  be  desirable  to  mark  one  before 
 (pavipov,  ought  to  close,  not  at  auTov,  but  at  'Trpofrjruiv,  ver.  15,  so 
 that  the  ^'xoucsi/  of  ver.  14  should  be  evidently  resumed  in  the 
 axovffag  of  ver.  16.  Nor  should  Mark  thus  be  said  to  aspribe  to 
 Herod  twice,  although  to  others  not  even  once,  the  opinion 
 vv^hich  Herod  received  from  others,  especially  inasmuch  as  Herod 
 was  more  in  doubt  than  the  others.  Therefore  either  sXsyov,^ 
 they  were  saying,  ought  to  be  read ;  or  else  'iXzyiv,  he  said,  does 
 not  refer  to  Herod ;  but  the  participle  [one]  saying  is  to  be  sup- 
 plied in  an  indefinite  sense  to  that  verb,  as  <pri6iv,  said  one,  is 
 often  used,  viz.  6  uiruv,  one  saying  [the  sayer]  being  understood. 
 See  on  Chrysost.  de  Sacerd.,  p.  477  ;  Glass.  Can.  23,  de  Verbo ; 
 and  Hiller,  Syntagm.,  p.  325. 
 
 15.  "  A.\Xoi,  others^  The  variety  of  human  opinions  on  Divine 
 subjects  is  astonishing.  It  is  of  some  benefit  to  the  disciples  to 
 know  it,  ch.  viii.  28  ;  but  it  rather  agitates  than  benefits  Herod. 
 However  great  be  that  variety,  yet  often  the  truth  lies  outside 
 of  it. 
 
 16.  ^  Axoueag  hi,  hut  having  heard)  This  is  repeated  from  ver.  14. 
 
 19.  'Evs/^/si/)  had  an  inward  grudge  towards  him. 
 
 20.  'Epo/Sa/ro,  feared)  Holiness  makes  a  man  an  object  of 
 reverential  awe.  John  did  not  fear  Herod. — uboj^,  knowing) 
 This  affords  an  argument  for  the  truth  of  religion  :  the  fear  of 
 the  bad,  and  their  reverence  towards  piety.  [lie  did  not,  how- 
 ever, recognise  him  as  a  prophet.  The  estimate  formed  hy  men 
 of  the  world  does  not  reach  to  the  main  turning  point  of  the  truth. 
 Judas  himself,  ivhen  noio  overwhelmed  by  the  mists  of  despair,  did 
 not  call  Jesus  the  Christ,  but  the  innocent  blood. — V.  g.] — 
 euvsrripe/,  was  guarding  him  [but  Eng.  Vers,  observed  him]) 
 against  Herodias. — 'xoXka — ^'xouj,  many  things — heard)  And  yet 
 Herod  was  not  a  pious  man. 
 
 21.  Tivialoi;)  Fsnffia,  This  is  the  genus:  y^vj^X/a,  the  species. 
 The  latter  denotes  properly  a  birth-day  feast  [or  celebration] ; 
 
 ^  Tisch.  reads  'ikiyiv  with  ACGLA  Vulg.  c.  Laclim.  'iMyov  with  B  and  D 
 (tJ^iyoffotu)  ah. — Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
 The  Germ.  Vers,  does  not  follow  the  observation  of  the  Gnomon  in  tliis 
 place,  but  the  margin  of  both  editions,  preferring  the  reading  'i'Myiv. — E.  B. 
 
524  ST  MARK  VI.  22-37. 
 
 the  former,  any  anniversary  feast-day  whatever  ;  for  instance,  the 
 anniversary  of  entering  on  a  kingdom. — //.sy/ffT-ao/i',  the  great  men) 
 of  the  palace  and  of  the  court. — •^iXiupyjuij  chief  captains)  of  his 
 soldiery. — ro7g  ':rpujrotg,  the  nobles)  in  provincial  posts. 
 
 22.  'O  ^affiXiui  TU)  Tiopaaiw,  the  king  unto  the  damsel)  An  an- 
 tithesisi 
 
 25.  MiTu  c^roubng)  promptly. — SsXw  [I  will]  I  wish)  Boldness 
 of  speech. 
 
 27.  iTrsKouXdrupa,  an  executioner)  This  word  is  derived  from 
 "  specula,"  a  look-out,  a  watch-toiver.  The  Speculatores  exe- 
 cuted capital  punishments :  Sen.  1.  1,  de  ira,  c.  16. 
 
 29.  IlTu/uba)  So  n733  of  the  prophet  [Urijah],  Jer.  xxvi.  23, 
 Lat.  cadaver.  The  body  of  the  Saviour  is  not  so  termed. — h 
 fivrj/j^eioj,  in  a  tomb)  perhaps  that  of  his  father,  in  which  it  was 
 natural  for  him  to  be  laid,  as  his  oivn.  Jesus  Christ,  the  Prince 
 of  Life,  was  laid  in  the  sepulchre  of  another. 
 
 30.  Ixivayovrai,  gather  themselves)  together. — o'l  artLsroXoi,  the 
 apostles)  an  appropriate  appellation  in  this  place.— ':ra^7-a,  ah 
 things)  The  distribution  of  the  all  things  follows,  viz.  both  ichat 
 — and  what  {oaa — xai  oca).     A  most  noble  narration. 
 
 31.  'T/MiTg  auroi,  ye  yourselves)  also.  Often  the  Saviour  betook 
 Himself  alone  to  solitude  :  now  He  says.  Do  ye  also  seek  soli- 
 tude [a  desert  place]. — oX/yov,  a  little  while)  Solitude  and  inter- 
 course with  others  should  be  blended  together  by  the  godly. — ■ 
 ^cai',  tliey  were)  They  did  not  always  come  and  go  together. 
 
 33.  UporiKkv,  outwent  [got  before])  by  various  ways. — awriXSovy 
 came  together)  in  one  place. 
 
 34.  "llp^aro,  lie  begaii)  afresh,  as  if  He  had  not  taught  them 
 previously.  There  is  need  of  real  compassion,  to  enable  one  to 
 teach ;  and  compassion  is  the  virtue  of  a  good  teacher. 
 
 35.  Hoyj.rii,  far  spent)  Matth.  xx.  1,  etc. 
 
 36.  KuxXfjj,  in  a  circle  round  about)  For  there  was  not  a  suf- 
 ficiency of  food  for  them  in  merely  one  or  two  of  the  adjoining 
 districts  and  villages. 
 
 37.  ' Ayopdffufiiv,  are  we  to  buy)  The  disciples  intimate,  by  this 
 question,  that  there  is  on  their  part  no  want  of  the  will,  both 
 to  give  their  exertion  in  going  away,  and  their  money,  as  much 
 as  tliey  had,  in  buying  what  was  needod  ;  but  what  is  wanting 
 is  the  abihty  to  satisfy  such  a  multitude.     Therefoi'c,  in  their 
 
ST  MARK  VI.  40-55.  525 
 
 question,  they  fix  on  the  sum  two  hundred  denarii,^  not  so  much 
 according  to  the  supply  which  was  in  their  purse  at  the  time, 
 as  accordino;  to  the  number  of  the  multitude.  See  what  can 
 be  elicited  from  the  data  furnished  to  us  :  5000  men  is  to  200 
 denarii,  as  one  man  is  to  2^^^^  °^  ^  denarius,  i.e.  about  half  of 
 a  German  kreuzer  (halfpenny).  We  have,  besides  the  argu- 
 ment of  changing  the  old  money  [mintage]  into  new,  that  ex- 
 pression of  John  vi.  7,  "  that  every  one  of  them  may  take  a 
 little"  especially  at  that  time  of  year,  about  the  Passover, 
 John  vi.  4,  when  the  price  of  provisions  is  usually  higher ;  we 
 have  also  the  rational  computation  of  the  disciples,  whereby  in 
 contrast  on  the  opposite  side  is  illustrated  the  omnipotence  of 
 our  Lord.  The  sum  of  200  zuzoei,  or  denarii,  was  among  the 
 Hebrews  very  frequent  in  the  case  of  a  dowry  or  fine  :  but  this 
 does  not  oppose  the  analogy  of  the  200  denarii  and  5000  men. 
 
 40.  ^Avsmffov,  they  sat  down)  A  proof  of  faith  on  the  part  of 
 the  people. 
 
 41.  nafl-/,  all)  All  partook  even  of  the  accompaniment,  the 
 fish  :  even  of  it  also  remnants  were  left,  ver.  43  ;  [which,  as  ajish 
 consists  of  very  different  parts,  is  therefore  less  intelligible  to  mere 
 reason,  than  the  midtiplication  of  the  bread. — V.  g.] 
 
 45.  Uplg  'Qri^aaihav,  to  Bethsaida)  This  was  the  terminus,  not 
 of  their  whole  voyage,  but  in  part,  until  Jesus  was  about  to 
 come  to  them. 
 
 48.  E/osv,  He  saw)  And  yet  He  did  not  come  to  them,  before 
 that  it  was  the  full  [proper]  time. — r,(^iXi,  was  wishing  [would 
 have])  Comp.  Luke  xxiv.  28. 
 
 52.  Tap,  for)  They  ought  to  have  inferred  from  the  miracle 
 of  the  loaves  as  to  [His  power  also  over]  the  sea.  The  more 
 exercised  that  faith  is,  the  more  it  becomes  accustomed  to  the 
 spectacle  of  [to  seeing  and  discerning]  the  marvellous  works  of 
 God.  [Comp.  Matth.  xiv.  33.] — h  yap,  for  was)  Not  only  is 
 that  particular  time  denoted,  but  the  habitual  state  of  their 
 heart  during  their  then  pupillage  [early  training], 
 
 53.  Uposupfiiffdjjgav,  they  drew  to  the  shore)  promptly. 
 
 55.  'Ett/  ToTg)  The  dative  :  wi  beds,  as  they  had  been  lying. 
 
 '  Pence :  though  the  denarius,  originally  so  called  from  being  =  10  asses, 
 is  really  somewhat  more  than  7^  pence ;  or,  according  to  its  earlier  value, 
 82  pence. — Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
$9$  ST  MARK  VI.  56.-VII.   1-3. 
 
 56.  ['Ev  Ta?i  ayopaTi,  in  the  streets  [or  the  fora~\)  where  they 
 would  have  the  greater  certainty  of  meeting  Him,  and  where 
 the  greatest  number  might  obtain  rehef  at  once. — V.  g.] — Kaf) 
 This  particle  is  compounded  here,  not  of  xa/  and  sav,  as  it  is 
 usually,  but  of  xa/  and  av,  as  in  2  Cor.  xi.  16.  Comp.  note  on 
 Chrys.  de  Sacerd.,  p.  459. — a-^ojvrai,  tliey  might  touch)  after  the 
 example  of  the  woman  with  the  issue  of  blood  :  ch.  v.  27. — 
 avTov)  rov  xpocff'Tridov. 
 
 CHAPTER  VII. 
 
 1—5.  0/  ^apiaaToi — /doi^Tsg  rivag  ruv  /Mad/jTuiv  avrou  xonaTg  yipsi — 
 seDiovTag  apTOug  (o/  yap — kXivojv)  tVe/T-a  sTripuruGiv  ahrov  oi  ^apiffaToi, 
 x.T.X.)  The  construction  of  the  language  is  pendent :  from  not 
 observing  which,  some  inserted  ifi$,u.-^avTo  after  aprovg.  But 
 the  whole  period,  extended  by  the  parenthesis,  is  sustained  by 
 the  verb  i'ZipuTujffiv.  For  the  verb  is  either  repeated  at  the  end 
 of  the  parenthesis.  Acts  ii.  8,  11 ;  1  Cor.  viii.  1-4  ;  Judg.  ix. 
 16,  19  ;  2  Sam.  xxi.  2,  3,  4 ;  1  Kings  viii.  41,  42  ;  or  it  is  then 
 in  fine  [and  not  till  then]  set  down,  as  in  this  passage,  and  Eph. 
 iii.  1,  14,  and  the  connection  is  marked  by.  the  particles  xa/,  d't, 
 ovv,  and  in  this  passage  by  (.Vf/ra.'  Very  similar  is  the  section 
 of  Gregory  Thaumaturgus,  which  we  shall  give  in  a  more  con- 
 tracted form  than  the  original :  xaropOovTai  ^  4''^%'ij  '"'  wccrsp  iv 
 xarc'irTpw  kavrriv  ^suprjffaffa  (tA  aXoyov,  xui  'xdXiv  to  Xoyixov,  x.r./..) 
 EITA  raura  Iv  avrr]  xaraco^jcaffa,  ra  /jbh  yiipova  EKBAAAOI,  to. 
 ds  dya.6a  EKTPE*OI.  See  Pancg.  on  Orig.,  p.  70,  etc.,  ed. 
 Stutgard. — [aero  'lipoffoXvfiuv,  from  Jerusalem)  The  Passover 
 had  been  celebrated  there. — V.  g.] 
 
 2.  Tout  Uti,  that  is  to  say)  The  Evangelist  adds  an  interpre- 
 tation, as  in  ver.  11,  ch.  v.  41,  etc. ;  himself  not  regarding  un- 
 washed hands  as  defiled. 
 
 3.  UuyiJ/ri)  Yl\jyiiri,  the  fist. — "nDyiMri,   pIDH  ny,   up   to  tlic  wrist. 
 
 '  BDL  Vulg.  ahc  Syr.  Meniph.  read  in  ver.  5,  x.a.\  instead  of  tVs/Toe.  A 
 sujiports  the  iTriirx,  with  llec.  Text. — Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
ST  MARK  VII.  4-22.  527 
 
 See  Lightf. — 'Trapddoaiv,  the  tradition)  Its  correlative  is  -rapsXalSov, 
 they  have  received,  ver.  4. 
 
 4.  HiGTUjv,  pitchers  [larger  vessels])  Whence  the  contents  are 
 emptied  into  the  cups. — xKivZjv,  [tables,  Engl.  Vers.]  couches) 
 A^hich  were  used  by  persons  in  reclining  to  eat  at  table. 
 
 5.  ^E'TTipuToia/v,  ask  Him)  The  Pharisees  were  always  giving 
 their  whole  zeal  to  mere  questionings. — mpi'TraToiisiv,  walk)  "IPn  is 
 often  found  in  this  sense  among  the  Hebrews. 
 
 6.  'T'TToxpiruv,  hypocrites)  Indeed,  we  may  derive  from  this 
 passage  a  definition  of  hypocrisy.  These  Pharisees  were  a 
 sample  of  hypocrites  in  general. 
 
 8.  ^ AfiVTig,  laying  aside)  The  antithetic  word  to  hold.  The 
 terms  akin  are,  to  reject,  ver.  9,  and  to  make  of  none  effect,  ver. 
 13. — rriv  ivroXYjv,  the  commandment)  The  commandment  is  one, 
 even  as  virtue  is  one  and  uncompounded  ;  as  opposed  to  the 
 multiplicity  of  traditions. — rou  ©sou — rm  dvSpui'Truv,  of  God — of 
 7nen)  An  evident  antithesis. — Ba'Trrtsi^oug  ^iaruv,  the  washings  of 
 pitchers)  worthless  petty  observances. 
 
 9.  KaXuig  ddcTsTrs,  full  well  ye  reject)  2"'tDn,  for  which  the  LXX. 
 have  -/.akoig,  i.e.  it  is  well  said,  when  it  is  so  said  [It  is  a  true 
 saying  that  ye,  etc.]  Just  as  a  true  picture  of  a  conflagration 
 is  well  done.  And  also  they  had  supposed  they  were  doing  well 
 in  doing  so. — ha,  in  order  that)  This  is  a  true  accusation  against 
 them,  although  the  hypocrites  did  not  think  that  this  was  their 
 own  intention. 
 
 10.  MwffJjs,  Moses)  by  Divine  direction. 
 
 13.  ^H  'TTapidui/cars,  which  ye  have  delivered)  Ye  have  made  into 
 a  tradition  what  was  a  mere  custom  among  the  ancients. 
 
 14.  'Axoust-e,  heaj'ken)  An  admonition  salutary  to  all,  in  oppo- 
 sition to  the  prejudice  which  is  most  hostile  to  true  Divine 
 worship. 
 
 16.  B'l  Tig  £;/£/,  if  any  man  have)  Few  of  them  comprehended 
 what  Pie  had  said.     See  verses  following. 
 
 18.  "E^udiv,  from  without)  This  is  added  for  the  sake  of  ex- 
 planation. 
 
 19.  Kaddpi^ov)  not  polluting,  but  purging,  whilst  the  whole- 
 some nutriment  remains,  and  the  mere  refuse  so  purged  away 
 goes  out. 
 
 22.    JlAiovi^iai)   Il'kiovit,la,   'TrAiovUrrjg,    ■zAioniy.Tiu,    as   involving 
 
52S  ST  MARK  VII.  23-2G. 
 
 the  comparative  liy  implication,  denote  a  kind  of  mean  between 
 theft  and  rapine,  viz.,  when  you  aim  by  various  artifices  to 
 effect,  tliat  your  neighbour  of  himself,  but  with  injury  to  him- 
 self, may  unwittingly  or  unwillingly  offer,  concede,  and  assign 
 to  you  some  possession  which  it  is  not  right  you  should  receive. 
 Yet  it  approaches  nearer  to  theft,  and  is  more  opposed  to  ra])ine  or 
 open  violence  ;  and  it  is  a  sin  chiefly  characteristic  of  the  rich,  as 
 the  two  former  are  sins  of  the  poor ;  1  Cor.  vi.  10,  v.  10. — 
 dsiXyiia)  a  diffuse  wantonness  [lasciviousness]  of  mind.  Comp. 
 the  Syr.  Version.  This  and  an  evil  eye  are  contrary  to  the 
 ninth  and  tenth  commandments. — o(pSaXju,og  rrovripog,  an  evil  eye) 
 envy  and  joy  at  the  misfortunes  of  others. — d^ppoevvrj,  foolishness) 
 under  which  they  were  labouring,  who  are  refuted  in  this 
 passage  :  with  this  comp.  Ye  fools,  Luke  xi.  40.  This  is  the 
 reason  why  foolishness  is  placed  last  of  all,  inasmuch  as  being 
 that  which  renders  even  all  the  rest  incurable.  Human  cor- 
 ruption has  its  seat  not  merely  in  the  will  [but  in  the  imder- 
 standing  also.     Comp.  ver.  18.] 
 
 23.  Hdvra,  all  things)  O  how  impure  is  the  fountain  of  our 
 heart ! 
 
 24.  M£()oV'a)  the  common  boundaries. — ohhha,  no  man)  For 
 He  was  still  within  the  borders  of  the  land  of  Israel.^ 
 
 25.  'Axovaaca,  having  heard)  If  faith  could  thus  be  originated 
 by  a  mere  rumour,  how  much  more  ought  it  to  be  by  a  text  of 
 Scripture,  even  though  but  a  short  one  ! — ydp,  for)  Referring  to 
 the  words,  lie  could  not  be  hid,  ver.  24.  Jesus  put  Himself  in 
 her  way,  along  with  the  help  He  meant  to  give  her  :  but  He 
 so  controlled  the  affair,  that  He  seemed  to  have  acted  as  He 
 did  towards  this  Grecian  woman,  as  it  were  fortuitously,  whereas 
 He  had  undertaken  this  whole  journey  for  her  sake.  Comp. 
 Matth.  xviii.  12. — rh  ^vydTpiov,  young  daughter)  Boys  also  are 
 capable  of  being  the  subjects  of  demoniacal  possession,  ch.  ix. 
 21,  24:  as  also  heathens. 
 
 26.  'EX>.>]v/;,  a  Greek)  The  term  being  taken  in  a  wide  sense. 
 —  ivpo^pohicsa  tOj  yhit)  Clemens  Al.,  in  Protrept.,  makes  mention 
 
 '  ovx.  ^ovv/i@n  "KocSih.,  He  could  nut  remain  hid)  Things  wore  so  disjioscd 
 by  the  direction  of  God,  tliat  the  hencfit  seemed  to  have  been  as  if  at  ran- 
 dom, and  by  fortuitous  coincidence,  conferred  on  her  as  being  a  heathen 
 woman. — V.  s- 
 
ST  MARK  VII.  27-30.  639 
 
 of  Tojv  rnv  (Poi\iixr,v  '2vpuv  xutoixovvtuv.  Tertullian  mentions  Syro- 
 phcenice :  see  ad  Marcion :  also  Justin  M.  against  Trypho. 
 Juvenal  speaks  of  Syrophoenix  udus.  The  feminine  <i>oIviaffa, 
 which  Herodian  has,  is  formed  on  the  same  analogy  as  Kpnaffa, 
 Ai^uesa^  Qpagaa^  KiXidda. — [rh  daifioviov,  the  demon)  that  unclean 
 spirit  which  had  taken  possession  of  the  girl. — V.  g.] 
 
 27.  "a^2s  "xpajTov,  let  first)  He  does  not  give  her  a  decided  de- 
 nial ;  He  seems  to  mark  to  her  the  fact,  that  she  is  unseason- 
 ably importunate. — -xopTasSrivai,  he  filled)  It  would  have  been  to 
 derogate  from  the  rights  [privileges]  of  the  Jews,  had  Jesus 
 bestowed  more  time  on  the  Gentiles. — [oh  yap  -KaXoy  l<STi,for  it  is 
 not  becoming)  That  which  is  not  in  itself  becoming,  is  altogether 
 so  in  the  case  of  those  who  duly  pray. — V.  g.] 
 
 28.  'XToxarw  r^g  rpa'7ri^r]g,  under  the  table)  Arguing  great  sub- 
 mission on  the  part  of  the  woman.  Yet  she  alleges  as  an  argu- 
 ment the  nearness  [of  her  country  to  Israel ;  as  of  the  dogs  to 
 their  master's  table]. — rcijv  -raidiuv,  of  the  boys  [Engl.  Vers.,  losing 
 the  distinction  between  this  andriKvuv,  of  the  children'])  who  often 
 lavish  bread  wastely. — llaldia^  differ  from  rsx^a,  children,  ver. 
 27,  a  word  whereby  right  to  the  father's  bread  is  denoted. 
 
 20.  A/a  rovrov  rhv  Xoyov,  on  account  of  this  word  [saying])  This 
 word,  and  the  faith  exhibited  in  it.  There  may  be  understood, 
 /  say  to  thee.  [Often,  as  well  in  evil  as  also  in  good,  the  wlwle 
 power  of  the  soul  puts  itself  forth  in  one  word. — V.  g.] — s^sXrjXvSf, 
 ts  gone  out)  It  was  thus  that  Jesus  immediately  exhilarated  her 
 with  the  joyous  information.  [For  He  knew  what  had  been  done, 
 even  at  a  distance,  by  His  power. — V.  g.] 
 
 30.  ' AireAdovffa,  depar'ting)  in  faith. — tups  rrjv  ^vyaripa  (SiBXr- 
 WBVTiV  sTi  rrig  kXivyjc,  xai  rh  daifioviov  s^iXriXu'^og)  see  App.  Crit.  Ed.  ii. 
 on  this  passage."  The  position  of  the  daughter  lying  on  the 
 bed  was  showing  the  great  power  of  the  demon,  which  had 
 taken  possession  of  the  girl ;  and  also  the  greater  power  of  Jesus, 
 who  had  expelled  it.  The  daughter  had  previously  been  de- 
 prived of  all  rest.     The  mother,  however,  did  not  of  course  find 
 
 ^  Boys,  rot  necessarily  sons,  and  often  used  as  servants. — Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
 "  TO  'TToclZiou  (is/5\yif^euov  sttI  tjji/  k'K'iuyiv  koX  to  Oas/^t*.  l^fcX.  is  the  reading  of 
 BLA.  Tviv  °ivy»Tipx  /3£/3X.  is  substituted  by  D  Vulg.  be.  ka  support  llec. 
 Text,  TO  lui^ouiov  s^i'hny^vSog,  k»1  tvv  ^vyxTipoc,  (it(i'Krip(,iuriu  iiFt  TJjf  xX/i/j]f.— 
 Ed.  and  Tkansl. 
 
 VOL.  I.  L  L 
 
B80  ST  MAKE  Vll.  31-35. 
 
 tlie  demon  itself,  which  had  gone  out ;  but  she  found  that  the 
 demon  had  gone  out,  i.e.  that  such  was  the  state  of  affairs.  The 
 force  of  the  verb,  found,  rests  rather  on  the  participle,  e^eXrjXvdhg, 
 than  on  the  noun,  to  boniiovm. 
 
 31.  Tojv  (ipiuv,  the  boundaries)  That  is,  through  the  midst  of 
 Decapolis.  [The  region  comprising  Decapolis  was  situated,  for 
 the  most  part,  outside  of  Galilee  (Matt.  iv.  25),  beyond  Jordan, 
 and  some  ])ortion  of  it,  if  this  view  be  accepted,  on  the  southern 
 side  of  Galilee,  and  was  accordingly  chiefly  inhabited  by  Syrians 
 and  heathens.  To  this  region  appertain  Gadara  (Mark  v.  20) 
 and  Csesarea  Philippi.  There  is  frequent  mention  in  the 
 Evangelists,  about  this  time,  of  the  heathen  borders ;  whence  it 
 is  evident  that  the  Saviour  traversed  the  whole  land  of  Israel. — 
 Harm.  p.  343.]  [Ver.  32.  xwi^ov,  deaf)  The  narrative  of  this 
 deaf  man,  as  also  of  the  blind  man,  concerning  whom  ch.  viii. 
 22  treats,  is  recorded  in  Mark  alone. — V.g.] 
 
 33. '  AToXa/3o//,£voc,  taking  him  aside)  The  many  outward  acts  [cir- 
 cumstances] which  Jesus  employed  in  this  place,  and  the  looks 
 of  others,  who  were  healed,  stood  in  the  place  of  words  [a  sermon] 
 to  this  deaf  man,  until  he  began  to  hear,  inasmuch  as  Jesus  was 
 thereby  healing  his  soul  also.  \_IIe  imparted  to  the  deaf  man  His 
 healing  power  first  through  the  avenue  of  the  eyes,  then  next  of  the 
 ears. — Harm.  p.  343.]  Comp.  ch.  viii.  23  concerning  the  blind 
 man. — vruaag,  spitting)  The  saliva  is  clean  and  salutary  in  its  uses. 
 
 34.  'E(rr£i/a^£v,  He  groaned)  The  power  of  sighs  is  great  when 
 the  heart  is  straitened,  anvOj  [whence  gnvd^u].  He  who  groans, 
 yi/xsi.^  This  is  a  aa^'oc  [not  a  feeling  which  we  can  command  at 
 will ;  see  Append.]  ;  for  which  reason  we  never  find  it  said  in  the 
 Psalms,  /  will  sigh,  as  we  find,  /  will  pray,  I  will  cry  aloud,  I 
 ivill  lament  (flebo).  Even  sudden  tears  are  not  under  our  con- 
 trol. But  I  will  lament,  in  the  Psalms,  is  an  act  of  deliberate 
 purpose.  [That  groan  moved  the  wretched  sufferer,  andaxoakened 
 in  him  the  desire  of  relief. — V.  g.] — s(p(pa&a.,  Ephphatha)  The 
 first  word  heard  by  the  deaf  man. 
 
 35.  'Axoal)  that  is  to  say,  his  powers  of  hearing.  Not  merely 
 the  one  passage  for  sound  in  the  ear. 
 
 '  Tiy.u,  to  he  full  of  a  thing ;  Latin,  gemo.  Comp.  aTtvu,  to  straiten  by 
 over-fulness;  lience  io  groan.  Tliis  shows  the  connection  of  yifAu  and  gemo. 
 — Ed.  andTuANSL. 
 
ST  MARK  VII.  36,  37.- VIII.  2-7.  831 
 
 36.  AuroTc,  them)  Those  who  had  borne  the  dumb  man.  It 
 was  rather  the  part  of  the  spectators  to  pubHsh  it  abroad.  And 
 yet  the  former  [the  bearers]  also  published  the  fame  of  it,  ver. 
 37.  Silence  was  wont  especially  to  be  enjoined  on  those  who  had 
 been  cured  of  the  diseases. — [laXKov  inpicssoripov,  the  more  exceed- 
 ing ahundantly)  The  comparative  contained  in  the  iJ.aX7.ov,  more, 
 stands  in  antithesis  to  His  prohibition  :  that  in  the  'TripigaoTipov, 
 exceeding  abundantly,  stands  in  antithesis  to  the  publishing  of  it, 
 which  they  would  have  made,  had  there  been  no  prohibition  ; 
 comp.  Phil.  i.  23,  note. 
 
 37.  KaXojg  TsvoiriKe,  he  hath  done  well)  A  formula,  d'7ro3o;:^^g, 
 of  satisfaction ;  Acts  x.  33;  Phil.  iv.  14.  So  in  the  present, 
 2  Pet.  i.  1 9  ;  in  the  future,  3  John  ver.  6.  So  lxx.,  1  Kings 
 viii.  18.  A  similar  formula  of  assenting  occurs,  Mark  xii.  32, 
 Thou  hast  icell  said — roug)  this  deaf  man  and  others  [Matt.  xv.  30]. 
 
 CHAPTER    VIII. 
 
 2.  'U/i^spai,  days)  The  nominative  of  time,  there  is,  or  there 
 are,  being  understood,  forms  an  absolute  mode  of  expression, 
 Luke  ix.  28. 
 
 3.  Tiv'sg,  some  of  them)  Those  who  had  come  a  greater  dis- 
 tance were  more  in  want ;  and  it  is  on  account  of  these  that 
 even  the  rest  are  supplied  with  food.  [This  clause  is  also  a  portion 
 of  Jesus'  ivords. — V.  g.]  [/js^axpokv,  from  far)  impelled  by  a  re- 
 markable zeal. — V.  g.] — '/J-A.OUSI,  tliey  are  come)  The  verb  rfxw 
 sici'nifies,  in  the  present  time  [tense],  /  am,  already  come,  and  / 
 am  here,  rather  than  /  am  coming.  They  who  have  substituted 
 ^xatr/  in  this  passage,  do  not  seem  to  have  considered  this  force 
 of  the  verb  ;  see  on  Rev.  ii.  25.' 
 
 6,  7.  'E.hy^cipKsrriGai — ivAoy^sac,  giving  thanks — blessing)  Syno- 
 nyms. They  do  right  in  taking  food,  who  pray  over  the  several 
 courses. — %«/  aurd,  them  also)  Implying  the  liberal  bountiful- 
 ness  of  the  feast. 
 
 ^  Tisch.  reads  eiaiv  instead  of  tiMvirtu,  with  BLA  Memph. ;  but  Lachm. 
 ^Kxai  with  AD  ;  '  venerunt,'  abc  Vulg.-Eo.  and  Transl. 
 
532  ST  MARK  VIII.  11-23. 
 
 11.  "Hp^avro,  they  began)  after  a  temporary  cessation,  [vnpor- 
 ^ovng  avrhv,  tempting  Him)  to  try  whether  He  could,  after  hav- 
 ing exhibited  so  many  signs  on  the  earth,  perform  similar  signs 
 from  heaven  also. — V.  g.] 
 
 12.  'Ai/acTfi/agas)  When  He  has  betaken  Himself  to  [having 
 commenced]  sighing.  The  word  is  inchoative  or  inceptive,  as 
 dvu^odu,  etc.  And  yet  to  begin  to  groan  or  sigh  remains  a  vdDoc, 
 or  mental  emotion.^ 
 
 15.  Tuiv  <i>apieaim  x.a! 'Hpdodov,  of  the  Pharisees  and  Herod) 
 Two  opposite  extremes  of  religious  sects.  In  Matt.  xvi.  6, 
 where  see  note,  the  words  are,  "  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees" 
 Therefore,  instead  of  what  Matthew  has,  viz.  the  Sadducees, 
 Mark  has,  Herod.  The  leaven  common  to  them  all,  at  least  in 
 demanding  signs  on  various  pretexts  at  different  occasions,  was 
 hypocrisy  (Ilerod  is  called  "  the  fox,"  Luke  xiii.  31,  where  see 
 note).  As  to  Herod,  Luke  does  not  mention  that  indeed  (viz. 
 his  demanding  a  sign),  at  ch.  xii.  1,  but  he  does  at  ch. 
 xxiii.  8,  as  it  were  in  the  way  of  supplement.  For  although 
 Herod  approached  nearer  to  the  Pharisees  in  the  article  of  the 
 resurrection,  ch.  vi.  1 6,  yet  the  licentiousness  admitted  by  the 
 doctrine  of  the  Sadducees,  was  in  other  respects  more  suited  to 
 his  palace  and  court,  which  bent  religion  into  a  mere  species  of 
 political  expediency. 
 
 17.  [T/  6/a>.oy/^£(rJf,  x.T.X.)  The  sense  of  the  discourse  moves  for- 
 ward by  distinct  interrogations,  as  far  as  to  the  verb  f/.vri/j,ovsviTt, 
 ver.  18,  inclusive. — JVot.  Crit.'] — m'^-upufiivrivy  hardened)  Harden- 
 ing flows  on  from  the  heart  to  the  sight,  the  hearing,  and  the 
 memory ;  ver.  18." 
 
 22.  (bipouaiv,  they  bring)  The  blind  man  himself  does  not  seem 
 then  as  yet  to  have  had  knowledge  of  Jesus. 
 
 23.  'EmXaiSo/Mivog,  taking  to  Him)  Himself  was  leading  the 
 way,  illustrating  His  great  humility. — xw^>]g)  Bethsaida  is  called 
 
 '  Not  a  premeditated  act  of  tlic  mind :  though  to  begin  to  groan  might 
 seem  to  imply  it  was  the  latter. — Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
 *  Ver.  21.  -jTui  oil  avvUn ;  how  is  it  that yc  do  not  understand?)  viz.  that 
 there  cannot  possibly  be  with  Me  any  want  of  bread  for  you,  and  that,  therefore, 
 it  is  against  a  different  kind  of  leaven  I  am  warning  you. — V.  g.  Lachm. 
 reads  ttw?  ovt:u  with  A  Dae  Vulg.  Tisch.  reads  ov-ttu  without  vu{  with  CA. 
 B6'i  read  as  Rec.  Text  ov. — Eu.  and  Tkansi.. 
 
ST  MARK  VIll.  24-32.  533 
 
 voAig,  a  city,  John  i.  44.  It  was  a  xu/io-ttoXic,  a  village-town.  To 
 the  Wind  man,  on  recovering  sight,  the  aspect  of  heaven  and  of 
 the  Divine  works  in  nature  was  more  joyous  than  that  of  man's 
 works  in  the  village. 
 
 24.  'ris  d'svdpa,  •Kipi'Ka.TowTa.c^  as  trees,  toalking)  The  blind  man 
 says,  that  it  is  by  this  alone  [their  walking]  that  he  knows  they 
 are  men,  not  trees,  viz.  because  they  walk. 
 
 25.  'Ava/3X£-4/a/,  lift  up  his  eyes)  and  try  them. 
 
 26.  E/'s  Tov  o7x.ov — /j^ridi  sig  rriv  ■/.uifj.riv,  irdo  the  house — r)or  into  the 
 village)  His  house  therefore  was  in  the  remote  extremity  of  the 
 village. — !xrids  e/V?3c,  nor  tell)  Jesus  avoided  celebrity,  especially 
 at  that  time.  [For  this  miracle  is  the  last  in  the  Evangelists  before 
 the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  (and  before  the  discourses  recorded  in 
 John  ch.  vii.— X. — V.  g.)  ;  and  He  forbade  this  miracle  to  be  pub- 
 lished abroad,  just  as  He  did  the  healing  of  the  deaf  and  dumb 
 man,  ch.  vii.  36.  The  people,  after  having  celebrated  the  Pass- 
 over, repaired  to  their  country  employments :  Mis  adversaries  were 
 thenceforth  honoured  with  no  further  sign ;  and  whatever  effects 
 were  needful  to  be  produced  in  the  case  of  the  disciples  by  miracles 
 of  this  kind,  had  now  already  reached  their  highest  point.  Behold 
 the  year  of  grace  now  completed  in  Galilee! — Harm.,  p.  348.] — 
 Tivl,  to  any  one)  who  is  in  the  town. 
 
 27.  'Ev  rri  odip,  on  the  way)  He  held  pious  discourse  whilst  on 
 the  way. 
 
 31.  Tlv  T'lhv  Tou  av^puivov,  the  Son  of  Man)  He  calls  Himself  by 
 an  humble  title  :  after  the  resurrection,  He  says,  Christ  ought 
 to  have  suffered ;  Luke  xxiv.  26. — d'?rodo-/.i/jba6d7^vai,  to  be  rejected) 
 For  they  [the  elders,  etc.]  denied  that  which  Peter,  ver.  29, 
 had  confessed ;  ch.  xiv.  63,  64. 
 
 32.  Happrisia.,  freely  [openly])  Heretofore  He  had  only  in  an 
 indirect  manner  indicated  it,  Luke  iv.  23. — rh)  toutov. 
 
 32,  33.  'ET/r/^ai/ — s'TTSTifj.rige,  to  rebuke — rebuked)  Peter,  whilst 
 he  rebukes,  earns  a  rebuke  himself.  The  same  verb  occurs,  ver. 
 30,  svirl/j^riSiv. 
 
 ^  The  fuller  reading,  6V/  u;  Uvlpoe.  opZ  TrtpfTrctrovinxg,  was  preferred  by  the 
 marginof  the  Ed.Maj.,  but  the  Ed.  2  andVers.  Germ,  agree  with  theGnomon. 
 — E.  B.  ABC  corrected  later  GLXA,  have  oV/  and  opoi.  But  Da6c  omit  both. 
 Vulg.,  "  homines  vehit  arbores,"  The  Elzevir  Rec.  Text  omit  both. — 
 Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
034  ST  ArARK  Vlir.  33-.«, 
 
 [J^3.  To!;f  iLctOriTUi  auTou,  I/is  disciples)  wlio  niii^lit  have  been 
 very  quickly  carried  away  by  Peter's  objection,  so  as  to  embrace 
 views  merely  human. — V.  g.] 
 
 34.  Thv  o^Xov  auv  TO?;  /MccOrjruTg,  the  multilude  with  His  disciples) 
 The  doctrine  here  taught  was  'true  catholic  doctrine  [_which  is 
 even  inculcated  upon  the  crowd,  who  were  not  yet  quite  distinctly 
 instructed  as  to  Jesus  being  the  Messiah. — V.  g.]. — axoXooOeTru,  ht 
 him  follow)  in  the  death  of  the  cross. 
 
 35.  Ka!  roD  iuayyiXiov,  and  of  the  Gospel)  So,  and  of  My 
 words,  ver.  38.     \_Especially  those  concerning  the  cross. — V.  g.] 
 
 38.  'ETa/(r;>/ui/()>j,  shall  be  ashamed)  in  words  and  deeds.  \_It 
 is  by  the  undaunted  confession  of  Christ  itself  that  llis  own 
 life  is  brought  into  danger. — V.  g.] — Ms — 6  T'thg  roD  dvOpuvov,  Me — • 
 the  Son  of  Man)  concerning  tlie  present  time,  TTe  speaks  in  the 
 first  person  [il/e]  ;  concerning  the  future,  in  the  third  [the  Son  of 
 Man']. — Xoyovi,  words)  of  the  cross  [which  carry  with  them  the 
 need  of  taking  up  a  cross).  The  plural  implies,  that  one  may 
 confess  Christ  in  general,  and  yet  be  ashamed  of  this  or  that 
 word,  this  or  that  saying  of  His  ;  for  instance,  Matt.  v.  This 
 kind  of  shame  nnist  also  be  overcome. — ev  rJj  yevi^  ruvrrj,  in  this 
 generation)  To  this  there  stands  in  antithesis  the  general  as- 
 sembly of  tJie  last  day,  which  is  spoken  of  presently  after. — r^ 
 iLoiyjtXioi  xai  a/MapruXui,  this  adulterous  and  sinful)  which,  as  an 
 adulteress,  despises  Christ  •?  as  sinful,  despises  His  words  :  and 
 in  consequence  throws  out  in  the  way  of  those  wlio  confess  Him 
 all  kinds  of  threats  and  ])romises.  Such  a  crowd  ought  to  be 
 altogether  despised.  Who  need  fear  them? — who  regard 
 them'? — 6  T/'i;  dv(}p<Ji'7ro\j,  the  Son  of  Man)  He  had  just  now  said, 
 Me  and,  My  words,  not  the  Son  of  Man  and,  His  words ;  but 
 now  He  does  not  say,  /,  but  the  Son  of  Man,  which  appellation 
 has  a  peculiar  connection  with  His  glorious  and  visible  Advent. 
 Ijuke  ix.  20. — e'^aKr^wOriffiTai,  shall  regard  as  an  object  of  shame) 
 with  good  reason  :  and  so  shall  not  acknowledge  as  His,  but 
 shall  put  away  from  Him. — rou  Unrphi,  the  Father)  Therefore  His 
 glory  is,  as  of  the  Only-b(>gotten  of  the  Father,  John  i.  14. — 
 /Mird  Tojv  dyyeXcAjv  ruiv  ciyim)  This  is  tlu!  (ireck  reading,  and  that 
 of  the  Gotli.  Version,  etc.     See  A[)j).  (^lit.    Ed.  ii.  ou  this  pas- 
 
 '  Tlic  true  llusband  and  r)ri(k'";rooni  of  tlio  Clmrcli. — Ki).  and  TransLi. 
 
ST  MARK  IX.  1-11.  635 
 
 sage.     O  what  shame  !     To  be  regarded  as  an  object  of  shame 
 in  the  presence  of  God  the  Father,  of  Christ,  and  of  angels  ! 
 
 CHAPTER  IX. 
 
 1.  'Ei/  duvdfj^si,  with  power)  Rom.  i.  4;  2  Cor.  xih.  4. 
 
 2.  Kar  idiav,  apart)  In  antithesis  to  the  people  [viii.  341. — 
 fji^ovov;,  alone)  In  antithesis  to  the  nine  remaining  disciples. 
 
 3.  Xiuv,  snow)  The  production  of  nature. — Xivxavai,  make 
 white)  the  effect  of  art. 
 
 4.  sOv,  with)  The  appearance  of  Moses  had  been  less  antici- 
 pated by  the  disciples  than  that  of  Elias,  ver.  11. 
 
 5.  Ka/  vof^eofi.iv,  and  let  us  make)  So  also,  and  let  us  make,  Luke 
 ix.  33.  Ka/,  and  so  therefore,  represents  the  alacrity  of  mind  on 
 the  part  of  Peter  :  or  else  the  particle  is  that  of  the  Evangelists, 
 who  join  together  two  short  speeches  of  Peter ;  comp.  xa/,  cli. 
 iii.  22  ;  Luke  vii.  16,  or  even  Matt.  viii.  13;  John  xiii.  13. 
 
 6.  T/  XaX^ffai)  So  the  LXX.,  yivuiffKovng  ri  TO/^ca/  ^IgpariX,  1 
 Chron.  xii.  32,  where  also  some  have  made  a  subjunctive  of  the 
 optative. — 'Ufo^oi)  stricken  with  fear,  and  that  a  mild  kind  of 
 fear ;  for  otherwise  Peter  would  not  have  wished  to  remain  there. 
 
 [7.  AuroD  axoliiTi)  Hear  ye  Him  :  viz.  Jesus.  For  Moses  and 
 Elias  had  by  this  time  disappeared. — V.  g,] 
 
 8.  'e^mt/vk)  This  is  an  adverb  often  found  in  the  LXX. — [nd' 
 lauTuv,  with  themselves)  because  He  was  still  about  to  suffer. 
 
 10.  'Expdrnffav,  they  laid  hold  of)  They  received  with  atten- 
 tion, and  did  not  treat  with  neglect. — r/  sgn,  what  is)  They  did 
 not  so  much  feel  difficulty  respecting  the  thesis  [the  position  or 
 conclusion],  as  they  did  respecting  the  hypothesis  [the  founda- 
 tion or  assumption  on  which  the  conclusion  was  made  to  rest]. 
 \_Tn  fact,  to  those  who  had  no  idea  that  Christ  must  die,  any  dis- 
 course concerning  His  resurrection  seemed  out  of  place. — V.  g.] 
 
 11.  "On  Xsyouffiv,  they  say)  An  interrogation  by  implication.^ 
 [jrpurov,  first)  before  that  the  great  and  terrible  day  of  the  Lord 
 shall  come,  Mai.  iv.  5.     The  disciples  appear  to  have  supposed, 
 
 ^  "Or/,  for  t/  on,  is  often  found  in  lxx.    See  Mark  ii.  1 6.— Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
5S6  ST  MARK  IX.  12-15. 
 
 that  it  was  to  be  on  that  day  that  the  resurrection,  even  as  of 
 all  the  dead  of  every  class,  so  also  of  Christ,  since  even  He  must 
 die,  would  take  place  ;  and  that  it  is  for  that  reason  the  exceed- 
 ingly long  silence  is  imposed  on  them. — V.  g.] 
 
 12.  E/Vsv,  told)  In  this  discourse,  Jesus  acts  as  a  president 
 would  in  a  discussion,  allowing  its  just  weight  to  the  argument 
 of  the  opponent,  and  then  meeting  it  fully  in  His  reply. — TpSJTov, 
 drst)  This  is  construed  with  coming,  iXdoJv,  and  with  restoreth, 
 drnKadiSTdiii,  although  in  the  preceding  verse  it  is  joined  with 
 come,  iXhTv,  only.  For  so  also /or^r/  years  is  construed  in  a  double 
 connection,  Heb.  iii.  9  [^Tempted  and  SawMy  works  forty  years], 
 17  [was  He  grieved  forty  years]. — d-ro-Kadisra,  restoreth)  The  pre- 
 sent indefinite,  as  in  Matt.  ii.  4. — -/.ai  Trig,  and  how^)  That  is,  the 
 expectation  of  Elias  as  a  restorer  of  all  things,  and  the  Scripture 
 concerning  the  death  of  the  Messiah,  seems  to  you  as  not  capable 
 of  standing  together  [seem  irreconcileable]  :  but  yet,  for  all  that, 
 they  do  stand  together. — iVa,  in  order  that)  Because  it  was 
 written,  therefore  He  was  bound  to  suffer. — s^ovbimSv,  he  set  at 
 nought)  Isa.  liii.  3.  To  reason,  the  restoration  of  all  things  seems 
 not  possibly  compatible  with  this  setting  at  nought. 
 
 13.  "On  xai)  xccl,  even. — aurip,  to  him)  to  Elias.  See  by  all 
 means  Matt.  xvii.  12. — xadut,  even  as)  liefer  this  to  is  come. 
 He  intimates,  that  the  coming  of  Elias  rests,  not  upon  the 
 opinion  of  the  Scribes,  but  on  a  prophecy  of  Scripture,  which 
 was  less  known  to  the  disciples.  Nor,  however,  is  this  not  also  to 
 be  referred  to,  they  have  done  unto  Him  ivhatsoever,  etc.  For  our 
 Lord  quickly  followed  after  the  forerunner ;  therefore  the  fore- 
 runner made  room  for  Him,  being  quickly  taken  out  of  the  way. 
 
 14.  Tlip!  a-jroiig,  about  them)  Tliey  were  still  labouring,  though 
 alone. 
 
 15.  'E^i^a/M(ir,i)ri,  xvere  greatly  amazed)  They  were  affected  by 
 the  glory,  even  though  they  knew  not  what  had  taken  place  on 
 the  mountain  ;  comp.  ch.  x.  32  ;  Luke  xix.  11  ;  also  Exod.  iv. 
 
 >  En(?l.  Ver.  has  no  interrogation  at  ver.  12,  but  seems  to  mean  (  Yc  should 
 know)  how  it  is  written  of  the  Son  of  Man,  that  lie  must  stifer,  etc.  Laclmi. 
 puts  an  interrogation  at  dudpoiTov ;  and  so  in  Vulg.  :  and  {yet)  how  is  it 
 written  concerning  the  Son  of  Man?  {It  is  written)  that  He  must  suffer, 
 etc.  Tisch.  puts  tlie  interrogation  at  i^ovltwriSri;  and  {yet)  how  is  it  written 
 concerning  the  Son  of  Man,  that  He  must  suffer,  etc.  ? — Ed.  and  Tuansi.. 
 
ST  MARK  IX.  lC-23.  637 
 
 14,  xxxiv.  29,  30.  [  You  may  readily  perceive  that  there  follows 
 upon  secret  communion  with  God  a  greater  leaning  on  the  part  of 
 m,en  towards  you. — V.  g.] — -TrpoctTpi^ovng,  running  up  to)  eagerly. 
 ■ — rjSTd^ovTo,  began  saluting)  with  joy. 
 
 16.  AuTovg,  them)  This  is  not  reciprocal  in  the  present  in- 
 stance, but  is  to  be  referred  to  the  disciples,  ver.  14. 
 
 17.  E/g,  one)  Neither  the  Scribes  nor  the  disciples  were  ven- 
 turing to  speak. 
 
 18.  KaraXa/3>],  he  taketh  him)  The  term  [demoniacal]  posses- 
 sion, seems  too  narrow  to  express  the  idea  here. 
 
 20.  'idojv)  Others  read  Idbv,  which  is  to  be  referred  to  'rvev/xa. 
 Comp.  Heupelii  annot.  on  Mark,  p.  230.  'loijv  remains  the  esta- 
 blished reading,  i.e.  the  boy  seeing  Him,  viz.  Jesus  :  and  the  con- 
 struction is  conveniently  analysed  and  explained  by  Hyperbaton,^ 
 and  seeing  Him  and  falling,  etc. ;  wherein  the  straightway,  etc., 
 Interrupts  the  construction  the  less  violently,  inasmuch  as  it  is 
 all  the  same  as  if  he  were  to  say,  forthwith  he  ivas  torn  by  the 
 spirit.     A  similar  figure  of  speech  occurs,  ch.  iii.  17. 
 
 21.  Kai,  and)  Jesus  acted  wisely,  in  interposing  a  delay. 
 
 22.  Th  'TTuf)  This  noun  is  without  a  plural :  otherwise,  as 
 vhara,  SO  irupa  might  have  been  said  in  this  passage  :  but  the 
 place  of  the  plural  is  supplied  by  the  article. — 'ha  u'roXsg/i,  that  it 
 might  destroy)  either  because  it  was  promising  itself  power  even 
 over  the  dead  body  of  the  possessed,  or  else  lest  it  should  be  cast 
 out  by  Jesus :  for  otherwise  it  would  gladly  have  remained  in 
 a  human  body.  It  had  not  the  power  of  itself  to  destroy  a  man 
 without  water  or  fire. 
 
 23.  Th,  ii  dvvaeai  t/ ere i; era/,  this  (the),  if  thou  canst  believe)  The 
 expression  of  the  man,  if  Thou  canst  do  anything,  ver.  22,  is 
 given  back  in  reply  to  him.  The  father  seems  to  have  been 
 offended  at  the  disciples ;  ver.  18,  at  the  end.  Th  is  nominative, 
 and  stands  in  apposition  with.  If  thou  canst  believe.  The  predi 
 cats  is  the  verb  is,  to  be  understood,  as  in  Phil.  i.  22.  This,  if 
 thou  canst  believe,  is  the  thing  [the  point  at  issue]  :  this  is  the 
 question. — cracra,  all  things)  in  antithesis  to  anything,  in  if  Thou 
 
 '  Words  transposed  contrary  to  the  ordinary  and  natural  construction : 
 ^vsyKuu  avrov  (the  boy)  Tpo;  uvtov  (Jesus)  ;  kuI  iZuu  (the  boy)  cti/rou 
 (Jesus),  evdiu;  TO  -TUivfix  tav»poe.^iv  oiinou  (the  boy)  ;  icctl  Triaav  (the  boy), 
 etc. — Ed.  and  Tkansl. 
 
E3f  ST  MARK  IX.  24    31. 
 
 canst  do  anj/thing,  ver.  22. — TcJ)  'TrianvovTi,  to  him  that  believeth) 
 Faith  on  the  part  of  man,  as  an  instrument,  adapts  itself  to  the 
 Divine  omnipotence,  so  as  to  receive,  or  even  to  act.  [This  is  the 
 dative  of  advantage. — V.  g.] 
 
 24.  Borjhi  fMou  rji  ocTTiffTia,  help  Thou  mine  xinhelief)  by  remov- 
 ing mine  unbelief :  or  else  by  healing  my  son,  even  though  I 
 have  not  sufficient  faith.     Comp.  the  help,  ^o^drieov,  ver.  22. 
 
 25.  Ae,  but)  Jesus  everywhere  avoided  a  din. — dxaddpruj 
 — aXaXov — xwpo'i/,  unclean — dumb — deaf)  The  spitnt  made  the 
 wretched  boy  be  so,  or  else  even  the  spirit  itself  was  so  [unclean, 
 dumb,  and  deaf]. — lyu  <soi  s'jirdaeo),  I  charge  thee)  I,  in  antithesis 
 to  the  disciples,  who  had  not  been  able  to  cast  out  the  demon : 
 the  disciples  themselves  say,  we,  ver.  28  [Why  could  not  we  cast 
 him  out  ?].  This  illustrates  the  great  power  of  the  Lord.  The 
 spirit  was  only  the  more  exasperated  to  fury  by  the  inability  of 
 the  disciples. — /ajjxet/,  no  more  any  longer)  Those  who  in  the  be- 
 ginning of  life  have  undergone  continued  adversities,  sometimes 
 receive,  as  it  were,  a  greater  privilege  as  to  the  rest  of  their  life. 
 — sissXdrig,  enter  iyito)  The  spirit  would  have  wished  to  enter 
 again  into  him. 
 
 26.  Kpd^ccv,  having  cried)  although  it  would  have  preferred, 
 in  the  present  case,  to  have  been  altogether  dumb. — G-~apd^ai/, 
 having  rent)  In  the  vouchsafing  of  the  Divine  aid,  the  body  of 
 man  is  not  always  handled  softly.  A  violent  going  out  was  the 
 sign  of  a  more  permanent  deliverance. 
 
 27.  "Hyeipiv,  raised  him  up)  A  new  part  of  the  miracle. 
 
 28.  "Or/)  HD^  Lxx.  render  on,  Isa.  Iviii.  3 ;  1  Chron.  xvii.  6. 
 
 29.  Avvarui,  can)  That  is,  by  no  means  can  you  cast  out  this 
 class  of  enemies,  save  with  the  accompaniment  of  prayer  and 
 fasting. 
 
 30.  Uapimpsvovro,  they  were  passing  by)  not  through  the  cities, 
 but  going  past  [passiJig  by'\  them. — ouz  ijdiXiv,  ha  rig  yvui.  He 
 tvoidd  not  that  any  should  know)  Hence  may  be  inferred  the 
 reason,  why  the  Saviour  sometimes  forbade  Himself  to  be  spoken 
 of  abroad,  whilst  at  other  times  He  did  not  foi'bid  it :  ver.  31.^ 
 
 31.  ' 'E.hibaey.iv,  He  was  teaching)  Not  merely  in  a   few  words, 
 
 ^  Implies  that  His  reason  in  the  forinor  case  was,  that  He  did  not  wish 
 to  hurry  forward  His  crucifixion  before  the  due  time. — Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
ST  MARK  IX.  32-37.  639 
 
 wliich  would  be  soon  spoken,  whilst  they  and  He  were  re- 
 tired apart;  but  according  to  a  determined  plan. — yap,  for)  It 
 was  not  the  time,  in  which  others  [besides  the  disciples]  could 
 hear  His  words  as  to  the  passion  of  the  Messiah. — Tapadidorai, 
 is  delivered  up)  The  present :  it  is  already  being  plotted  [medi- 
 tated] that  He  be  delivered  up.  Comp.  John  vi.  70,  71. — 
 a-TToxravhlg,  after  having  been  killed)  This  word  is  emphatic  :  so 
 [dependent  on  the  event],  if  He  shall  be  killed,  He  shall  rise 
 again. 
 
 32.  ' E(po[3ouiiTo,  They  were  afraid)  They  ask  questions  of 
 Jesus  more  readily  concerning  anything  whatever,  ver.  28,  than 
 concerning  Himself.  So  it  generally  happens,  even  among  in- 
 timates. 
 
 33.  'Ev  TTi  olxia,  in  the  house)  A  change  having  in  some  degree, 
 simultaneously  with  the  change  of  place,  taken  place  in  their 
 state  of  feeling,  which  had  been  rather  excited  whilst  in  "  the 
 way."  [Comp.  Matt,  xviii.  1,  note]. — r/,  what)  We  must  render 
 an  account  of  all  things. 
 
 34.  'EfT/wTwi',  they  were  silent)  A  circumstance,  which  did  not 
 seem  bad  in  itself  at  the  time,  appears  in  its  true  character  such 
 as  it  really  is,  when  it  is  referred  to  the  judgment  of  God  and  the 
 knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ. — fj^sl^uv,  the  greater)  in  virtue  [or 
 'power~\  now  ;  and  therefore  about  to  be  the  greater  in  dignity. 
 
 35.  Kadisac,  s(puivriat,  Toug  hwhxa,  sitting  down.  He  called,  the 
 Tlrefcg)  solemnly. — 'ieyarog — hidxovog,  the  last — servant)  These  two 
 words  differ.  He  who  is  the  last  is  not  by  that  very  fact  proved 
 to  be  a  servant.  Therefore  the  ierai  has  rather  this  force,  he 
 ought  to  he,  than,  he  shall  he,  by  way  of  punishment.  For  a  ser- 
 vant [minister']  implies  something  of  a  voluntary  character. 
 
 36.  'Ei/  [Msaw  avruv,  in  the  midst  between  Himself)  and  His 
 disciples :  as  appears  by  comparing  Luke  ix.  47,  by  Himself 
 [He  set  the  child  by  Him]. — hayxaXisdiLivog,  having  embraced 
 him  in  His  arms)  Symbolical  of  the  intimate  union  between  Him 
 and  such  children.  Comp.  ver.  37  ;  ch.  x.  16.  By  that  very  act 
 He  conferred  grace  on  the  little  one  [and  how  great  was  the  sweet- 
 ness, with  which  the  child  was  thereby  bedewed,  is  not  hard  to  un- 
 derstand.— V.  g.].  So  dear  to  Him,  doth  He  teach  us,  that  the 
 lowly  are. 
 
 37.  Tmv  toioutuv,  of  such)  Little  children  ;  also  those  who  are 
 
640  ST  MARK  IX.  38-41. 
 
 such  in  heart. — j/ae,  Me)  Who  "  am  lowly  in  heart." — oix  liMi,  not 
 Me)  Tliat  is,  his  act  of  reception  does  not  terminate  with  this. 
 [  What  a  difference,  there  is  between  a  little  child  and  the  Supreme 
 God  !      Yet  they  are  joined  together  through  Christ. — V.  g.] 
 
 38.  '  A'XixpiHriy  answered^  The  connection  of  the  words  of  John 
 with  the  preceding  words  of  Jesus  is  manifold.  The  power  of 
 the  name  of  Christ  is  asserted  in  the  words  of  both,  ver.  37,  38,  41. 
 The  disciples  had  previously  discussed  with  one  another,  which 
 among  them  should  be  the  greater :  now  they  are  made  to  per- 
 ceive, by  the  teaching  of  our  Lord's  words,  that  they  are  not 
 even  to  despise  others.  If  Christ,  and  faith  in  Ilim,  has  place 
 in  little  children  [of  whom  not  even  the  one,  of  lohom  mention  is 
 made  in  ver.  36,  icas  following  Jesus. — V.  g.],  it  might  also  have 
 place  in  that  person,  whom  they  had  forbidden.  Hence  there  is 
 manifested  the  moderation  of  John  and  his  candour :  he  seems 
 to  have  carried  this  doubt  for  some  time  in  his  breast,  until  he 
 could,  at  a  suitable  opportunit}',  bring  it  forward. — ni^h — jj/it./V, 
 \is)  The  apostles,  in  subordination  to  Thee. 
 
 39.  M?i  JccoXi/£T£,  forbid  him  not)  Let  them  give  heed  to  these 
 words,  who  tie  down  spiritual  gifts  to  a  canonical  succession. 
 Forbid  not,  if  there  should  meet  you  again  cither  that  same 
 person,  or  another  like  him. — rayi),  hastily)  For  the  soul  is 
 secured  against  doing  so  by  the  sense  of  [His]  miraculous  power. 
 [After  the  lapse  of  some  interval  of  time,  it  may  be  possible  to 
 happen. — V.  g.] 
 
 40.  'Tfiuv — v/Muiv,  you — on  your  part)  Comp.  ver.  foil..  Matt.  xii. 
 27.  Jesus  spake  in  the  first  person  plural  as  to  external  things ; 
 Luke  xxii.  8  ;  xviii.  31  :  but  not  so  as  to  the  internal  principles 
 of  His  kingdom  [John  xx.  17].  He  thus  gently  corrects  the 
 we — us  of  ver.  38.' — 'iariv,  is)  He  is  speaking  of  those  who  under- 
 take something  for  Christ's  sake. 
 
 41.  "Os,  tcho)  Jesus,  after  that  He  has  satisfied  the  reverently- 
 proposed  difficulty  felt  on  the  part  of  John,  retm'ns  to  the  former 
 subject. — yap,  for)  All  things  are  accepted,  whereby  help  is 
 ministered  to  you,  even  the  smallest  things. 
 
 [Ver.  42.  xa/,  and)  After  the  reply  has  been  given  to  John, 
 
 *  Lachm.  agrees  with  Beng.  in  reading  vy.uv — v(/.uu  here,  ver.  40,  with 
 ADGaJc  Vulg.     But   Tisch.    ♦j/^iv — hi*(->y  willi   BCA   Mcmph. — Eu.  and 
 
 TUANSL. 
 
ST  MARK  IX.  43-49.  541 
 
 the  former  discourse  is  continued.  So  ver.  42  coheres  with  ver. 
 37. — V.  g.] — 'nrepixiiTai,  is  hanged  about)  The  present  of  the  in- 
 dicative has  here  an  emphasis. 
 
 43,  45,  47.  ElasXdiTv,  to  enter)  Thrice  put ;  to  which  there 
 stands  in  antithesis,  once,  a.'Xi'kkTy,  to  go  away  into  hell,  ver.  43  ; 
 and  twice,  (SXridrivai,  to  be  cast,  ver.  45,  47. — Big  to  rup  rh  afffSierov, 
 the  fire  that  cannot  be  quenched)  So  ver.  45  ;  and  with  a  little 
 variation,  ver.  47. 
 
 44,  46,  48.  'Omv,  where)  A  most  weighty  repetition.  The 
 allusion  is  to  the  carcases,  which  are  the  food  either  of  worms, 
 or  of  the  funeral  pile.  The  worm  expresses  corruption  ;  but  this 
 corruption  is  eternal,  2  Thess  i.  9. — (TxwX)]^,  the  loorm)  Of  the 
 soul. — axirojv,  their)  It  is  not  expressed  in  Mark  to  what  this  word 
 is  to  be  referred.  Therefore  it  is  a  quotation  from  Isaiah.^ — oO 
 TiXivra,  dieth  7iot)  The  present. — -rvp,  the  Jire)  of  the  body.  Here 
 we  are  to  supply  avTuv,  their. — oO  ajSiwurai,  is  not  quenched)  Ei- 
 ther because  it  surely  [certo]  blazes  [is  kindled]  ;  comp.  2  Kings 
 xxii.  17  :  or  because  it  blazes  [burns]  without  rest  day  and  night, 
 Rev.  xiv.  11,  XX.  10,  and  for  ever;  see  the  same  passage.  An 
 alternation  of  torments,  with  respect  to  the  degrees  of  torment, 
 may  be  inferred  fi-om  Isa.  Ixvi.  23,  24  :  but  yet  the  torments  shall 
 be  unceasing.^ 
 
 47.  'BadiXiiav  rou  ©sou,  the  kingdom  of  God)  Previously  He  had 
 twice  said  instead,  life :  but  the  mention  of  the  kingdom  of  God, 
 and  of  lifej  is  especially  appropriate  in  connection  with  the  eyes. 
 John  iii.  3  [see  the  kingdom  of  God],  36  [everlasting  life — not  see 
 life']  :  comp.  the  parallel.  Matt,  xviii.  9  [enter  life  with  one  eye]. 
 
 49.  nag,  every,  all)  Every  [alC]  is  here  put  without  the  noun 
 being  added.  Some  have  supplied  cipTog,  bread ;  others,  civOpuvog, 
 man.  They  seem  to  have  felt,  that  it  is  hardly  in  accordance  with 
 usage,  that  ^ag,  all  or  every,  should  be  put  thus  absolutely  in 
 the  masculine.  For  where  it  seems  to  be  put  absolutely,  the 
 determining  of  the  subject  is  left  to  be  sought  [gathered]  from 
 the  predicate.     Matt.  xiii.  19,  'Ttavrog  a,x.o{jovrog  rbv  Xoyov,  when  any 
 
 1  Ch.  Ixvi.  24,  which  furnishes  the  reference  of  the  uvruv  here  in  Mark; 
 •'  the  men  that  have  transgressed  against  me." — Ed  and  Tuansl. 
 
 2  Tischend.  omits  this  whole  ver.  44,  with  BCLA  Memph.  Lachm.  retains 
 it,  with  AD  abed  Vulg.  Iren.  165  [abed  Iren.,  however,  read  the  future  for 
 the  present,  nhivroi,  a^kvvvTui\. — Ed.  and  Transl 
 
642  ST  MARK  IX.  49. 
 
 (hearer)  heareth  the  word,  etc. ;  Luke  vi.  40,  xarripnafievog  b'i  ttS?, 
 x.r.X.,  every  (disciple)  if  he  shall  be  peifected,  shall  be  as  his 
 teacher ;  [Luke]  xvi.  16,  -rag  tig  a-orr^v  ^idZtrai,  every  one,  who 
 employs  violence,  by  the  employment  of  violence  enters  into  the 
 kingdom  of  heaven :  John  ii.  10,  Every  man  (who  hath  a  niar- 
 riagc-feast,  and  sets  forth  wine)  sets  forth  first  the  good  wine. 
 Phrases  of  this  kind  are  to  be  met  everywhere.  So  in  this 
 passage.  Every  one,  who  shall  be  salted  at  all,  shall  surely  be 
 udted  with  fire.  But  we  will  explain  the  idea  of  the  passage  a 
 little  moi*e  fully.  It  stands  in  position  midway  between  the 
 words  concerning  the  fire  which  is  not  quenched,  and  the  words 
 concerning  salt  and  its  goodness.  There  are  therefore  three 
 degrees  :  to  be  salted  with  salt ;  to  be  salted  ivithfire  ;  to  be  cast  into 
 the  fire  that  never  shall  be  quenched.  The  first  degree  is  the  most 
 desirable  :  the  third  is  the  most  bitter  of  the  three  :  the  second 
 is  intermediate,  corresponding  with  the  third  in  the  mention  of 
 the  fire  (which  in  this  passage  is  more  often  spoken  of  by 
 Ilomonymy,  i.e.,  the  calling  of  things  that  differ  in  nature  by  the 
 same  name  by  analogy  [Append.],  as  in  Matt.  iii.  10,  11,  12), 
 whilst  it  has  a  closer  correspondence  with  the  first  in  the  men- 
 tion of  tlie  salting.  Salting,  which  is  a  process  most  natural  and 
 suitable,  is  effected  by  means  of  salt :  this  salt  implies  the  Divine 
 discipline,  gently  training  us  to  the  denial  of  self,  and  to  the  cul- 
 tivation of  peace  and  harmony  with  others.  They  who  are  thus 
 salted  become  thereby  a  sacrifice  pleasing  to  God,  the  type  of 
 which  [spiritual  sacrifice]  existed  in  the  Levitical  sacrifices  ; 
 Lev.  ii.  13.  They  who  shrink  from  and  evade  the  salting  by 
 salt,  are  salted  by  fire  (for  even  salt  has  in  it  the  power  of  burning. 
 Dent.  xxix.  23  ;  and  again,  in  turn,  that  there  is  in  natural  fire 
 the  power  also  of  salting,  is  shown  even  by  flesh  that  is  roasted ; 
 and  in  Plutarch,  fire  is  said  to  be  ruv  ^dvau^aTuv  cipiarov  xai  rihtarov, 
 the  best  and  sweetest  of  modes  of  sweetening  or  seasoning) ;  i.e. 
 according  to  what  approaches  most  closely  in  analogy,  they  are 
 salted  by  a  Divine  discipline  of  a  severer  kind,  lest  through  the 
 stund)lingbl()ck,  occasioned  by  the  hand,  the  foot,  or  the  eye 
 waxing  stronger,  they  should  go  on  to  the  lire  that  cannot  be 
 quenched.  Therefore  the  connection  and  the  iilea  of  the 
 ])assage  stand  thus:  Without  a  nioniont's  delay,  and  casting 
 aside  all  self-indulgence,  meet   and   counteract  the  stumbling- 
 
ST  MARK  IX.  50.  5J?; 
 
 block  occasioned  by  the  hand,  the  foot,  or  the  eye  ;  for  otherwise 
 it  will  thrust  you  on  into  hell,  and  hell's  eternal  fire.  For  every 
 one,  who  is  about  to  be  salted  in  any  Avay,  and  who  is  by  that 
 salting  to  be  snatched  from  the  eternal  fire,  shall  be  salted,  if 
 not  by  salt,  the  milder  remedy,  but  by  fire,  the  more  severe  cure, 
 yet  still  in  this  life  [shall  be  so  salted,  not  in  the  life  to  come]  - 
 and  every  sacrifice  shall  be  salted  with  salt,  which  is  a  most 
 lenient  and  excellent  kind  of  saltino;.  Therefore  submit  to 
 [admit  within  you]  and  have  this  salt,  so  that,  every  stumbling- 
 block  [occasion  of  offence]  having  been  laid  aside,  peace  may 
 flourish  among  you.  You  are  certainly  about  [you  are  sure] 
 to  have  to  experience  the  salt  and  the  fire  :  see  that  ye  require 
 to  undergo  [defungamini,  perforni]  as  lenient  a  salting  as  pos- 
 sible.— a'ki(sOri(Sirat,  fihall  be  salted)  The  future  :  by  which  there 
 is  intimated  the  commandment  as  to  the  sacrifices  of  the  Old  Test, 
 [which  was  couched  in  the  future,  Lev.  ii.  13],  as  also  their 
 typical  bearing  in  reference  to  the  sacrifices  of  the  New  Test. — 
 xai  -xaacx.  Duaia  aXi  aXisDriffsrai)  This  is  extant  in  Lev.  ii.  13,  xa/ 
 Tai/  dupov  dudlag  u/jyoov  aXi  aAiffDriffirai.  Hence  the  sentiment  in  the 
 former  clause  of  the  verse  is  inferred,  -rag  yap  'xvpi  aXigO.,  which 
 is  more  universal,  inasmuch  as  the  being  salted  with  salt  is  now 
 in  fine  added  as  if  in  the  way  of  exception  [qualification]  to  Ovaiag, 
 with  the  limitation  standing  in  apposition  [i.e.  shall  be  salted  tvil/i 
 salt,  in  apposition  to  and  qualifying  the  more  universal,  shall  bj 
 salted  withjire], 
 
 50.  ViaXhv,  good)  Salt.  For  all  other  foods  are  seasoned  by  it. 
 — Jdv  bi  rh  dXag,  but  if  the  salt)  In  this  passage  the  disciples 
 themselves  are  called  "  the  salt,"  inasmuch  as  being  imbued 
 [endued]  with  the  salt  themselves,  and  salting  the  world. — 
 avaXov,  saltless  [insipid])  so  as  to  have  no  pllngenc3^  Pride 
 [referring  to  ver.  33  34,  the  dispute  about  who  should  be 
 greatest]  most  especially  makes  men  saltless  [savourless]. — ccvrh, 
 itself  [the  very  salt])  having  lost  its  primary  quality. — £%£T£, 
 Juive  ye)  To  have  '  fire,'  is  not  within  human  ability :  therefore 
 it  is  not  said,  have  fire.  liut  he  who  is  imbued  with  the  fire  is 
 desired  to  have  salt. — sv  savroTg,  in  yourselves)  In  antithesis  to, 
 among  one  another,  sv  aXXr,Xoig.  The  former  duty  is  in  regard  to 
 ourselves  ;  the  second,  towards  others. — aXag)  The  singular,  or 
 else  the  plural  from  aXc     The  salt  is  that  of  self-mortification, 
 
514  ST  MARK  X.   1-15. 
 
 whereby  pride  is  destroyed. — xai  ilprivivsTi,  and  have  peace)  or  else, 
 ye  shall  have :  comp.  ver.  34  :  viz.  by  removing  a  puffed  up 
 spirit,  which  is  the  source  of  quarrels  [ver.  33,  34]. 
 
 CHAPTER  X. 
 
 I.  Kai  v/.i7kv  avaarar.^  and  having  arisen  from  thence)  The 
 antithesis  is  not  so  much  to  Capernaum,  where  He  had  taught 
 sitting,  ch.  ix.  33,  35,  as  to  Galilee,  ix.  30. — dta  ro\j)  See  App. 
 Crit.  Ed.  ii.  on  this  passage.^ — ug  uuki,  as  He  had  been  wont) 
 The  habitual  acts  of  Jesus  are  well  worthy  of  observation  :  Luke 
 iv.  16. 
 
 5.  "'Eypa-^iv,  wrote)  viz.  Closes,  the  writer  of  the  Pentateuch  : 
 ch.  xii.  19. 
 
 6.  ' A.p-)(rig  xriaiug,  from  the  beginning  of  creation)  Therefore 
 there  was  not  any  creation  anterior  to  the  creation  described  in 
 the  beginning  of  Genesis. 
 
 [9.  'o  Qshg — av^puiToc,  God — man)  Whatsoever  God  doeth  and 
 ordaineth,  it  is  man's  part  to  regard  as  an  established  principle. 
 It  is  an  impiety  to  accept  as  authoritative  what  God  rejects  ;  oi 
 to  approve  of  what  God  censures. — V.  g.] 
 
 [10.  UaXiVj  again)  The  Saviour  had  given  the  reply  which 
 follows  to  the  Pharisees,  Matt.  xix.  9  ;  but  the  disciples,  by  re- 
 peating the  question,  called  forth  a  repetition  of  the  same  reply. 
 
 -V.  g.] 
 
 II.  'Et'  aur^v,  against  her). 
 
 13.  "A-^Tirai,  should  touch)  A  modest  request. 
 
 14.  'llyai'axrjjo'e,  was  much  displeased)  on  account  of  the  ob- 
 struction thrown  in  the  way  of  His  love  by  the  disciples. — Toiovrm 
 iffTiv,  of  such  is)  Of  such  as  these,  it  is  [to  such  belongs]  the 
 privilege  to  receive  the  kingdom  of  God,  ver.  15. 
 
 15.  "Os  luv,  whosoever)  This  He  did  to  mark  His  disapproval 
 of  that  very  feeling,  by  which  the  disciples  were  moved  to  put 
 
 '  Kxl  Tipa-v  is  the  reading  of  BC  corrected  later,  L,  Meniph.  But  DGA 
 he  Vulg.  omit  the  y.x'i.  Rec.  Text  with  A  reads,  3/«  toD  Tripctv. — Ed.  and 
 TliA^sL. 
 
ST  MARK  X.  16-18.  545 
 
 away  the  infants  from  Hira. — ds^rirai,  shall  receive)  for  it  is 
 offered  [to  allj. — ug  -Traldiov,  as  a  little  cJdld)  receives  :  for  it  re- 
 ceives the  kingdom  in  very  de^'l 
 
 16.  Kcc/,  and)  He  did  more  than  He  was  aslced,  ver.  13. 
 [rjXoys/  aura,  He  blessed  them)  By  that  very  act  conferring  on 
 them  the  blessings,  which  He  afforded  to  adults  by  the  media- 
 tion of  the  word. — V.  g.] 
 
 17.  ' Ey.'Tropsuo/ji.svou  ahrov,  as  He  loas  going  forth)  from  the  house, 
 ver.  10. — 'xpoffdpa/Mcov)  The  Vulg.  has  procurrens,  as  if  it  had  the 
 reading  TpoSpa/jbuv}  This  man  was  at  all  events  impelled  by  a 
 remarkable  den;ree  of  earnestness.  He  seems  to  have  been 
 eagerly  waiting  for  the  Saviour's  coming.  \_Sndden  impulses  of 
 this  kind  oftentimes  by  and  hy  grow  languid. — V.  g.] — yovuTiTTjaag, 
 falling  at  His  knees)  He  must  therefore  have  felt  great  ardour. — 
 cTor/jffo},  shall  I  do)  Those  who  are  in  spirit  little  children,  receive 
 not  the  kingdom  of  heaven  by  doing  :  ver.  15. 
 
 18.  Elrsv,  He  said)  The  Lord  replies,  I.  To  the  remarkable 
 title  which  the  young  man  had  addressed  to  Him  :  II.  To  the 
 question  which  he  proposed. — t1  Mi  Xiysig  dya&hv ;  ivhy  callest  thou 
 Me  good?)  There  were  many  things  in  Jesus,  viewing  Him 
 merely  externally,  by  reason  of  ■which  the  ignorant  would  not 
 form  the  best  opinion  concerning  Him  :  John  i.  47  ;  Matt.  xi. 
 6,  19  ;  Isa.  liii.  2,  etc.  Moreover  also  He  did  not  rest  on  Him- 
 self, but  ever  referred  Himself  wholly  to  the  Father.  He  acted 
 the  part  of  a  traveller  and  a  pilgrim  in  the  world ;  and  in  that 
 condition,  in  which  the  Psalms  describe  Him  as  loretched  and 
 needy,  He  was  ever  aiming  towards  the  eternal  good  and  the 
 eternal  joy,  concerning  which  this  youth  was  enquiring.  Ps. 
 xvi.  2,  5,  etc. :  My  goodness  \extendeth  not  to  thee,  Engl.  V.]  is  not 
 independent  of  thee.  Comp.  John  xiv.  28,  xvii.  5  ;  Heb.  v.  8,  9, 
 ix.  12.  He  did  not  "  know  Himself  according  to  the  flesh ;" 
 as  Augustine  preaches  [distinctly  states],  1.  i.  de  Doctr.  Christ., 
 c.  34.  For  good,  ayafog,  properly  applies  to  one  blessed.^  The 
 young  man  was  seeking  with  [by  application  to]  Jesus  happi- 
 
 '  So  also  a:  '  prsecurrens '  in  5 ;  '  adcurrit,' (f .  A  has  llou  rt;  ■x'hQvato^ 
 vpadhpa^^uv. — Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
 2  Beatum,  a  term  appropriate  in  the  full  sense  only  to  God. — Ed.  and 
 Tbansl. 
 
 VOL  I.  MM 
 
646  ST  MARK  X.  19-21. 
 
 ness,  in  a  too  pure  [unalloyed]  sense.  Jesus  informs  Him  that 
 he  will  not  find  this  with  Him :  Comp.  Luke  ix.  57,  etc. 
 Nevertheless  He  does  not  say,  /  am  not  good :  but,  TF/jy  dost 
 thou  call  Me  good  f  Just  as  in  Matt.  xxii.  43,  He  does  not  deny, 
 that  He,  the  Son  of  David,  is  at  one  and  the  same  time  also  the 
 Lord  of  David.  God  is  good :  there  is  no  goodness  without 
 Godhead.  The  young  man  perceived  in  Jesus  the  presence  of 
 goodness  in  some  degree ;  otherwise  he  would  not  have  applied 
 to  Him  :  but  he  did  not  perceive  it  in  its  full  extent ;  otherwise 
 he  would  not  have  gone  back  from  Him.  Much  less  did  he 
 perceive  [recognise]  His  Godhead.  Wherefore  Jesus  does  not 
 accept  from  Him  the  title  of  goodness  without  the  title  of  God- 
 head (Comp.  the  "  TF/ty  call  ye  me.  Lord,  Lord,"  Luke  vi.  46)  : 
 and  thereby  vindicates  the  honour  of  tlie  Father,  with  whom 
 He  is  one.  See  John  v.  19.  At  the  same  time  He  darts 
 [causes  to  enter]  a  ray  of  His  omniscience  into  tlie  heart  of  this 
 young  man,  and  shows  that  the  young  man  has  not  as  yet  the 
 knowledge  concerning  Himself,  Jesus  Christ,  worthy  of  so 
 exalted  a  title,  which  otherwise  is  altogether  appropriate  to  Him. 
 Wherefore  He  does  not  say.  There  is  none  good  save  one,  that  is, 
 My  Father ;  but.  There  is  none  good  save  one,  that  is,  God. 
 Often  our  Lord  proportioned  [qualified]  His  words  to  the  capa- 
 city of  those  who  questioned  Him,  John  iv.  22.  So  a  war- 
 like commander,  of  noble  birth,  might  answer  to  a  person,  who 
 knew  not  his  noble  birth,  though  knowing  the  fact  of  his  being 
 a  commander,  WJiy  do  you  call  me,  a  gracious  lord  ?  Jesus 
 manifested  His  goodness  to  the  disciples,  Luke  x.  23 ;  Rom. 
 xiv.  16. 
 
 19.  oJdag,  thou  hiowest)  Why  dost  thou  ask.  What  shall  I 
 do  ? — /XJ5  d'^oGTipiisyig,  defraud  not)  by  covetousness,  Exod.  xx.  17.^ 
 The  same  verb  occurs,  1  Cor.  vi.  8  :  see  note. 
 
 20.  Aioddy.uXi,  Master)  The  young  man  now  repeats  the  noun 
 [title  of  address]  without  the  epithet  [^oocZ].  And  yet  Jesus 
 loves  him. 
 
 21.  'E,a/3?.£%|/ag  avrSi  riyd'jrrtGiv  ahrh,  looking  earnestly  on  him, 
 loved  him)  He  expressed  love  with  the  earnest  look,  and  as  it 
 
 '  Otherwise  this  command  would  not  differ  from  the  previous,  "  Do  not 
 ^leal." — Ed.  and  Tkansl. 
 
ST  MARK  X.  22,  23.  547 
 
 were  smiling  expression,  of  His  eyes. — A  h  ha  hxjoTv,  He  lovingly 
 beheld,^  in  order  that  He  might  thereby  give  him  a  token  of 
 His  love  for  the  time  to  come,  if  he  would  follow  Jesus  :  and 
 that  He  might  counteract  his  '  sadness.'  The  antithetic  word 
 is  cruyvdaag,  loith  saddened  look  [countenance],  ver.  22.  It  is  for 
 this  reason  mention  is  made  in  Christ's  life  of  tears,  rather  than 
 of  laughter,  because  He  had  come  to  bear  our  sins.  Yet  be- 
 nignity and  joy  sometimes  shone  forth  from  His  countenance, 
 as  was  the  case  in  this  passage,  with  the  view  of  alluring  the 
 youth,  who  now  was  standing  on  the  threshold  of  following 
 Christ.  Comp.  ver.  16;  Luke  x.  20-24,  xii.  32.  A  similar  use  of 
 this  verb  occurs  in  Ps.  Ixxviii.  36,  iiyd'TrriSav  ahrh  h  rw  crofLaTi  dvrojv 
 and  2  Chron.  xviii.  2,  riyaTa  uhrhv  rov  avvava(37jvai :  SO  also  the  use 
 of  the  verb  sXnTv  (oi);  ds  iXidn  \j\iuTi\  ev  po/Sw),  Jude  ver.  22. — 
 h,  one  thing)  In  antithesis  to  ravra  Toci/ra,  all  these,  ver.  20.  [_The 
 faithful  Master  wished  to  render  the  business  (his  obtaining  eter- 
 nal life)  7nore  easy  and  delightful  to  the  man. — V.  g.]  This  one 
 thing  is  a  heart  freed  from  the  [idolatry  of]  creatures  :  the  selling 
 of  his  goods  was  intended  to  be  the  proof  of  his  freedom.  Gene 
 rally  speaking,  to  men,  severally  and  individually,  there  is  want- 
 ing some  one  thing,  this  or  that ;  and  by  the  want  of  that  one 
 thing  they  are  kept  back  from  Christ. — eravphv,  cross)  Viz.  that 
 of  poverty,  etc.  So  the  words,  vjith  persecutions,  ver.  30,  express 
 the  same  sentiment. 
 
 [22.  'O  8i,  but  he)  How  quickl}'^  do  men  refuse  the  happiest  of 
 all  conditions  ! — V.  g.] 
 
 23.  Uepi^Ai-^dij^svog,  having  looked  round  about)  AVe  have  often 
 the  look  [countenance]  of  Christ  described,  corresponding  as  it 
 did  to  His  inward  feeling,  and  adapted  to  the  inward  feelings  of 
 His  hearers  :  Comp.  v.  21,  27. — -rw?,  how)  The  proposition 
 stated  is,  A  rich  man  is  with  difficulty  saved :  the  subject  of  the 
 proposition  is  limited  in  ver.  24  \_They  that  trust  in  riches  being 
 substitvited  for,  they  that  have  riches]  :  the  predicate  is  enlarged 
 [amplified :  ver.  25  being  the  amplification  of  the  simple  predi- 
 cate, enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God].  They  [the  subject  and 
 predicate  of  the  proposition,  A  rich  man  is  with  difficulty  saved] 
 
 ^  Comp.  -with  these  remarks  what  D.  Ernesti  has  written  against  Oerh. 
 de  Haas,  in  der  Theol.  Bibl,  T.  I.,  p.  130,  etc.— E.  B. 
 
548  ST  MARK  X.  24-30. 
 
 difter  in  the  abstract ;  they  for  the  most  part  agree  in  the  con- 
 crete.'— 0/  T-a  y^pYiiMara.  i'/ovn;,  they  that  have  riches)  The  few  have 
 most  of  the  weakh  of  the  workl. 
 
 24.  Tsxva,  Children)  This  term  of  address  sliows,  that  Jesus 
 speaks  with  pity,  but  at  the  same  time  with  truth  :  and  that  He 
 freely  declares  the  fact  to  His  disciples. — Toig  'rs^oidorac,  those 
 that  trust)  puffed  up  thereby,  so  as  not  to  obey  the  word  of  God  : 
 ch.  iv.  19  ;  Ps.  Ixii.  10  ;  1  Tim.  vi.  17.  [The  number  of  those  icho 
 have  riches  is  not  much  greater  than  that  of  those  who  trust  in 
 them. — V.  g.] 
 
 26.  Ka/,  and  \i.e.  "  who  ^Aen?"])  This  particle  here  expresses 
 astonishment. 
 
 27.  ^a^^a,  all  things)  Ps.  Ixii.  12.  Comp.  in  that  passage 
 and  here  the  preceding  context. 
 
 28.  "H/j^aro,  began)  as  having  been  led  to  entertain  hope  from 
 the  words  of  the  Saviour. 
 
 29.  "h  ah'K<poui,  or  brethren)  The  goods  which  are  left  (for 
 Christ's  sake)  are  enumerated  disjunctively  ["  house  or  brethren 
 or  sisters,"  etc.]  :  the  goods,  which  are  granted  in  reward,  are 
 enumerated  copulatively  ["  houses  and  brethren  and  sisters," 
 etc.,  ver.  30]  :  See  following  verse.  Observe  the  rich  plentiful- 
 ness  of  the  reward,  illustrating  the  goodness  of  the  Lord. — sVezev 
 ki/,oZ,  for  My  sake)  whilst  I  am  in  the  world. — hixsv  rou  iua.yyiXlou, 
 for  the  sake  of  the  Gospel)  In  order  that  he  may  preach  My  name 
 after  My  ascension.  For  the  sake  of  the  world,  many  leave 
 many  things." 
 
 30.  'Euv  /MYj)  but  he  shall  [quin]. — y.ai  'jaripag  y.ai  /ji,7iTsf.ag,  both 
 fathers  and  mothers)  See  App.  Crit.  Ed.  ii.  on  this  passage.^ 
 Each  one  has  by  nature  but  one  father  and  one  mother  [favour- 
 ing the  Sing,  reading  of  Lachm.]  :  but  by  means  of  [having 
 regard  to]  benefits  received,  he  is  blessed  with  many,  who 
 fullows  Christ:*    Comp.  Kom.  xvi.  13.     There  is  not  added, 
 
 '  As  a  matter  of  fact,  and  not  reasoning  a  priori^  rich  men  are  with 
 difliculty  saved. — Kn.  and  Thansl. 
 
 2  How  mucli  more  ought  they  for  Christ's  sake ! — Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
 '  Tischend.  reads  only  kccI  f/.r,Tiox;  with  B  and  Vulg.  Lachm.  also  omit.s 
 TotTtpoic,  but  reads  y.oti  f/.Y,Ticci  with  ACI)  ah.  Only  more  modern  uncial 
 MSS.,  as  X.  etc.,  have  xeti  nrctTioct,  and  some  kou  7r«T£o«,-. — Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
 *  This  favours  the  plur.  reading  of  Ti.-;ch. — Eu.  and  Tkansl. 
 
ST  MARK  X.  31-38.  649 
 
 wives :^  for  that  would  sound  somewhat  inconsistent  with  pro- 
 priety.— i 'xva,,  children)  1  Cor.  iv.  14—17. — /^sra  hwyi^civ,  with 
 persecutions)  This  is  added  lest  the  disciples  should  look  for  [ex- 
 pect] external  prosperity.  Persecutions  shall  not  be  wanting  :  but 
 these  not  only  shall  not  prove  prejudicial,  but  shall  even  be  ad- 
 vantageous towards  his  receiving  an  hundred-fold,  preventing 
 him  in  the  interim  from  being  unduly  elated  by  that  '  hundred- 
 fold.'— alujvi,  in  the  loorld)  not  xaipQj,  in  this  time. — tOj  spyofievjj, 
 coming)  Already  that  tcorld  is  in  the  act  of  coming. 
 
 31.  "Eaovrai  Tpuiroi,  Jii'st  shall  be)  First  (^'xpoJroi),  is  the  subject ; 
 see  Matt.  xix.  30,  note. 
 
 32.  ' Eia,'ji,^o\j\/To,  they  tcere  amazed  [fear-struck])  They  knew 
 not  themselves  the  reason  why.  Often  something,  which  does 
 not  fall  under  the  vision  [the  ken]  of  the  mind  or  of  the  eye, 
 affects  another  sense;  Dan.  x.  7.  They  were  fear-struck  [shud- 
 dered with  amazement]  on  account  of  Jesus,  who  went  before  : 
 they  were  afraid,  on  account  of  their  own  selves,  who  were  fol- 
 lowing Him.  By  this  shuddering  amazement  and  fear,  they 
 were  divested  of  their  opinion  and  hope  of  earthly  things,  if  not 
 completely,  as,  for  instance,  in  the  case  of  James  and  John  [ver. 
 35,  etc.],  yet  in  part.  — r,p^aro,  He  began)  Already  He  had  begun 
 before,  ch.  viii.  31 ;  but  now  He  began  to  speak  more  fully  and 
 at  large.     And  this  even  as  yet  was  but  the  beginning, 
 
 35.  UpoC'ropsvovrai)  go  together  to  Him. — '^sXo/j.iv,  toi^gt^c,  ice 
 would  that  thou  shouldst  do)  So  in  the  following  ver.,  What 
 ivouldye  that  I  should  do  ^ — ToiTjffrig-  To/^car  dog,  that  thou  shouldst 
 do ;  that  I  should  do  f  Grant)  They  use  art  in  their  request ; 
 for  petitions  are  often  more  readily  asked  and  obtained,  which 
 consist  in  doing,  than  those  which  consist  in  granting  or  giving. 
 
 38.  To  rrory-jpiov — to  /Saar/c/xa,  the  cup — the  baptism)  To  drink 
 this  cup  was  difficult  (as  often  death  itself  is  taken  in  the  act  of 
 drinking).  Baptism  also,  among  the  Jews,  was  a  thing  to  be 
 shuddered  at,  inasmuch  as  the  whole  body  w^as  dipped  in  a 
 stream,  however  cold.  Accordingly,  by  both  words  the  passion 
 of  Christ  is  denoted  :  by  the  cup.  His  inward  passion ;  the  cup  is 
 therefore  placed  first :  by  the  baptism,  chiefly  His  externa^ 
 passion.    He  was  distended  inwardly  with  His  passion  [referring 
 
 ^  yvi/xlKu;.     Two  later  MSS.  add  xxl  yvvx^Kx. — Ed.  and  Tkansl.. 
 
550  ST  MARK  X.  41-4G. 
 
 to  the  cup ;  He  was  filled  with  the  cup  of  anguish]  :  He  was 
 covered  over  [as  a  person  baptized  is  with  water]  with  His  passion. 
 Moreover,  both  are  appropriately  employed  ;  for  they  who  take 
 the  sacraments,  are  partakers  of  the  baptism  and  the  cup  of 
 Christ ;  1  Cor.  xii.  13  :  and  the  baptism  of  Christ  and  our 
 baptism,  as  also  the  Holy  Supper,  have  a  close  connection  with 
 Christ's  passion  and  death,  and  with  ours  also. — Thok — /Sa-rr/ff^^- 
 aak,  ye  shall  drink — ye  shall  be  baptized)  James,  when  slain  with 
 the  sword,  drank  the  cup  [Acts  xii.  2]  ;  afterwards  John  w^as 
 baptized  in  boiling  oil,  as  Ecclesiastical  History  represents. 
 Boiling  oil  is  in  consonance  with  the  term,  baptism.  Our  Lord 
 Himself,  in  Gethsemane,  also  calls  His  suffering  of  death  a  cup. 
 It  is  in  consonance  with  this,  that  the  cup  is  placed  before  the 
 baptism.' 
 
 [41.  0/  Ssxa,  the  ten)  When  one  of  two  persons  seeks  some, 
 special  privilege,  the  other  takes  it  ill,  who  would  have  been 
 contented  of  himself. — V.  g.] 
 
 42.  AoxoDvrs;)  they  who  think  [ivhich  are  accounted,  Engl. 
 Vers.]  that  they  rule.  A  ^letonymy  of  the  antecedent  for  the 
 consequent ;  that  is,  they  who  strenuously  exercise  rule. 
 [  Worldly  princes  have  but  little  greatness  in  the  eyes  of  the  Divine 
 Majesty. — V.  g.J 
 
 44.  ndvTuiv,  of  all)  ver.  43,  of  you  [yonr].  Thus  there  is  an 
 Epitasis  in  this  verse. ^ 
 
 [45.  Aiaxovrisai,  in  order  to  minister)  AVho  is  there,  whom 
 the  Saviour's  incomparable  example  ought  not  to  put  to  the 
 blush,  and  sweetly  gain  over  to  Him  ? — V.  g.] 
 
 46.  Baprif^aiog,  JBartimceus)  A  proparoxyton  [accented  on  the 
 antepenult]  as  the  simple  name  Tif/,aiog.  TimiEus  seems  to  have 
 been  a  man  at  that  time  known  at  Jericho ;  and  Bartimseus 
 seems  to  have  been  made  a  beggar  only  by  reason  of  his  blind- 
 ness [and  not  previously]. — 6  rufiXh;,  blind)  This  epithet  had  be- 
 come an  equivalent  to  a  surname.  Bartimaius  was  very  well 
 known  in  the  time  of  the  apostles.     [_As  to  the  other  blind  man 
 
 '  Just  as  Jesus'  and  James'  cup  of  suffering  was  before  John's  baptism  in 
 sufferings. — Ed.  and  Tkansl. 
 
 *  i.e.,  An  emphatic  augmentation  of  force  added  to  a  previous  enunciation : 
 as  TciuTuv  is  liere,  when  compared  with  the  previous  ^,waiv.  See  Append. — 
 Ed.  and  Tuansl. 
 
ST  MARK  X.  47-52.- XI.   1.  5.51 
 
 associated  with  him,  see  the  note  Matt.  xx.  30.] — hUv,  the  way) 
 On  the  highway  to  Jerusalem  there  was  the  greater  opportunity 
 of  beffgino;. 
 
 47.  'O  T'thg  Aaxjih,  'iTjffou,  Thou  Son  of  David,  Jesus)  See  App. 
 Crit.  Ed.  ii.  on  this  passage.^  It  was  a  great  instance  of  faith 
 that  the  blind  man  calls  Him  Son  of  David,  whereas  the  people 
 announced  Jesus  to  him  as  Jesus  of  Nazareth. — [_BXsri<r6v  fii,  have 
 mercy  on  me)  This  is  the  very  marrow  of  all  real  prayers. — 
 
 49.  Qdpssi,  Be  of  good  comfort)  in  mind. — sysipai,  rise)  with 
 the  body.  An  elegant  asyndeton  [omission  of  the  copula]. 
 They  had  no  doubt  but  that  He  was  both  willing  and  able  to 
 help. 
 
 50.  'ATo/3aXwv,  casting  away)  through  eagerness  and  joy. 
 52.  'Ev  rri  od'jj,  in  the  way)  towards  Jerusalem. 
 
 CHAPTER    XI. 
 
 1.  E/'s  BYid(pa,'yri  xai  ByjSavia'j,  unto  Bethphage  and  Bethany) 
 See  App.  Ci'it.  Ed.  ii.  on  this  passage.^  Bethany  was  already, 
 by  the  time  that  the  Lord  commenced  these  things  [His  direc- 
 tions as  to  preparing  for  His  triumphal  entry],  in  His  rear  : 
 Bethphage  was  before  His  eyes ;  therefore  the  latter  is  placed 
 first,  not  according  to  the  geographical  order,  but  as  being  of 
 superior  consideration ;  and  at  Jerusalem,  as  it  appears,  they 
 
 1  Lachm.  reads  Tii  with  BCLA.  Tisch.  6  Tiog  with  AD,  Orig.  3,734 
 (except  that  the  two  last  authorities  omit  o).  L  and  Orig.  omit  'I/jo-oD. — 
 Ed.  and  Tkansl. 
 
 2  Lachm.  reads  kxI  d?  BviSscvlxv^  omitting  'Byidcpotyvi,  with  D  ahc  Vulg., 
 Origen  3,743a  expressly  (i'ou/^iv  le  Trspl  t^j  Byj^ipaysj  f^sv  icxrcc  Mccrdxioi/, 
 Brjdxviui  'hi  x,xra.  tou  Maipnov,  'Qyid^Poe.'/i]  Se  x,x\  Bridxi/ixg  x,xrcl  rov  Aovkxu)., 
 making  it  likely  the  B)7^<p«y^  was  interpolated  in  Mark  from  Luke  by  Har 
 monists  of  the  Ev.  But  Tisch.  reads  B>i^(p«yr,  on  the  weighty  authority 
 of  AB  Orig.  4,181<^. — Ed.  and  Transl.  In  the  Vers.  Germ.  Beng.  altoge- 
 ther omits  Bethphage,  in  accordance  with  his  Appar.  on  this  passage. — E.  B. 
 
552  ST  MARK  XI.  2-11. 
 
 were  wont  thus  to  name  the  two  places,  which  were  most  closely 
 joined,  Bethphage  and  Bethany. 
 
 2.  K'SjiMTiv,  village)  Bethphage. — .=p'  ov  ov^ig,^  upon  icJdch  no 
 man)  Not  readily  would  there  be  found  such  a  colt  at  one  and 
 the  same  time  and  place  ;  this  one,  therefore,  was  reserved  for 
 the  Lord.  Those  creatures  or  things  which  are  to  serve  Christ, 
 must  be  fi'ee  from  all  pollutions  of  sinful  bodies ;  see  Matt,  xxvii. 
 60.     This  colt,  though  untamed,  yet  bare  Him  as  a  sitter. 
 
 4.  '  AiM(p6dou)" Afjt,(podov,  a  icay,  a  broad  street  [Eng.  Vers,  rohere 
 two  ways  meet]. 
 
 10.  Tou  'jrarphg  7i/j.uiv  Aavid,  of  our  father  David)  Construe  with 
 the  kingdom  [^For  many  acknowledge  that  the  loords  sv  ov6iji,ari  Kvflo-j 
 have  been  repeated  from  the  preceding  verse. — Not.  Crit.'*  They 
 call  David  their  father,  as  being  the  king,  the  father  of  their 
 nation.  Yet,  however,  we  may  suppose  that  the  postej'ity  also  of 
 David  were  mixed  tip  loith  them.  The  throne  of  David  has  been 
 assigned  to  the  Messiah,  Luke  i.  32. — V.  g.] 
 
 11.  Tlipi^Ki-^diiivog,  having  looked  round  about)  His  visitation. 
 []F7at7t,  on  the  following  day.  He  followed  up  with  a  most  tceighiy 
 reproof.  For  if  His  e.rpidsion  of  the  money-changers  had  been 
 repeated  on  each  of  the  two  days,  Mar^k  would  use  the  verb  r,p^aro 
 with  less  propriety  in  ver.  15.  In  like  manner,  Duke  assigns  the 
 plucking  of  the  ears  of  corn  and  the  healing  of  the  icithered  hand 
 to  two  distinct  Sabbaths,  though  in  Matthew  and  Mark  that  dis- 
 tinctness of  the  Sabbaths  is  less  plainly  marked.  So  Matthew 
 sets  forth  at  the  same  time,  and  together,  all  that  happened  in  the 
 case  of  the  fig-tree ;  Mark  divides  the  incidents  resptecting  it  between 
 two  days :  so  Matthew  and  Mark  join  the  transfguration  tcith  the 
 account  of  the  lunatic  boy;  Duke  (ch.  ix.  37)  represents  the 
 lunatic  as  healed  on  the  following  day  after  the  Saviour  s  transfi- 
 guration.— Harm.,  p.  447,  448.] — Tai/ra,  all  things)  AA'hat  holy 
 
 ^  The  reading  ovxu  oi/hi;,  which  had  been  deemed  not  wortliy  of  approval 
 in  the  marg.  of  the  larger  Ed.,  is  judged  equal  to  that  of  the  text  in  Ed.  2, 
 and  is  even  approved  by  Vers.  Germ. — E.  B.  Lachm.  also  so  reads  with 
 BLA,  Orig.,  and  after  dvdpuvuv  C,  vuTrori  A,  6  Vulg.  "nemo  ad  hue." 
 Tisch.  omits  ovTrcj  with  Dae.  vuTon  evidently  is  an  interpolation  of  Har- 
 monists from  Luke  xix.  .SO. — Ed.  and  Tkansl. 
 
 ^  A  supports  the  tv  6u6i/.atrt  Kvo'iov  of  tlie  Bee.  Text.  But  BCD  alic 
 Vulg.,  Orig.  3,744,  4,lS2<t,  omit  these  words. — Eo.  and  Ti:A>bi.. 
 
ST  MARK  XI.  13,  U.  553 
 
 meditations  He  had  respecting  the  sacrifices,  and  the  types  about 
 to  be  so  soon  fulfilled  in  Himself. 
 
 13.  "E'/^ouaav  (pv7^Xa,  having  leaves)  And  on  this  account  pro- 
 mising fruit. — £/  apa,  whether  accordingly  [if  haply]  The  whole 
 question  as  to  the  kinds  of  fig-trees  may  be  set  aside  [dispensed 
 with].  The  leaves,  which  were  on  it,  gave  promise  ostensibly 
 of  an  abundance  of  fruit :  accordingly  the  Lord  approached  to 
 see,  whether  He  would  find  anything  more  than  leaves ;  but  He 
 found  nothing  hut  leaves,  and  not  also  figs  :  for  it  was  not  the 
 time  of  figs.  A  nearer  view  of  the  tree  showed  that  the  tree 
 was  not  such,  as  the  leaves  peculiarly  [extraordinarily]  promised 
 it  would  be ;  but  just  such  as  was  to  be  expected  fit'om  the  ordin- 
 ary season,  which  was  not  the  time  of  figs  (comp.  Matt.  xxiv. 
 32)  ;  that  time  either  refers  to  the  part  of  the  year-,  a  very  few 
 days  after  the  vernal  equinox,  ch.  xiii.  28,  or,  independently  of 
 the  time  of  year,  it  is  denoted  that  trees  of  that  kind  were  not  then 
 fruit-bearing.  Therefore  every  fig-tree  ought  either  to  have 
 not  even  leaves ;  or  else,  having  leaves,  to  have  had  fruit  also. 
 Other  fig-trees,  which  were  clad  neither  with  leaves  nor  fruits, 
 were  exempted  from  blame  :  this  fig-tree,  laden  as  it  was  with 
 leaves,  though  promising,  yet  in  fact  refused  the  fruit  which  it 
 promised.  Therefore  it  was  made  to  suffer  the  penalty. — yap, 
 for)  This  particle  intimates  the  reason  for  which,  both  on  a  tree, 
 though  laden  with  leaves,  yet  the  Lord  sought  fruit  in  particu- 
 lar, namely,  because  it  was  not  the  time  of  fruits  :  and  why 
 He  found  on  it  nothing  save  leaves.  [It  had  seemed  likely  that 
 at  least  unripe  fruits  would  be  found  on  it :  what  use  these 
 would  have  been  made  to  serve  by  our  Lord,  it  is  needless  to 
 inquire.  He  may  have  been  impelled,  by  the  promptings  of 
 hunger,  to  seek  for  fruits,  even  though  not  wishing  to  eat  such 
 food.  Nay,  even  unripe  eatables  relieve  at  times,  when  hunger 
 is  pressing.  And  He  who  had  turned  the  water  into  wine,  and 
 a  very  few  loaves  into  a  banquet,  sufficient  for  thousands  of  men, 
 — with  what  ease  may  we  suppose  that  He  would  have  been 
 likely  to  impart  instantaneous  ripeness  to  the  fruit. — Harm.,  p. 
 453].  This  clause  \_for  the  time  of  figs  teas  not  yet~\  applies  [is 
 intended]  for  the  explanation  of  the  whole  period,  as  the  yap, 
 for,  ch.  xvi.  4,  M'here  see  note. 
 
 14.  '  AToy.pikig,  answering)   To  the  tree  which  refused  food,— 
 
554  ST  MARK  XI.   15-25. 
 
 firidiig,  no  man)  Whatever  does  not  serve  Jesus  Christ,  is  unwor- 
 thy to  serve  any  one  of  mortals.  [Therefore  the  tree  was  doomed 
 to  the  curse  for  the  honour  of  the  Son  of  God.  — V.  g.] 
 
 15.  "Hp^aro,  began)  Men  ought  to  have  been  wise  [the  day 
 before'],  whilst  the  Lord  was  still  sparing  and  warning  by  mere 
 gestures  [In  the  temple,  "  He  looked  round  about  upon  all 
 things,"]  ver.  11. 
 
 1 6.  A;a  roZ  hpou,  through  the  temple)  As  if  through  a  street. 
 
 17.  'Edidaex.1,  He  taught)  The  addition  of  teaching  makes 
 punishment  salutary  in  its  effect. — 'rac/  roTg  Uviffi,  to  all  nations) 
 Construe  with  the  house  of  prayer.  Comp.  the  accents,  Isa.  Ivi.  7 
 [My  house  shall  be  called  an  house  of  prayer  for  all  people."] 
 
 18.  Ka/,  and)  They  either  had  approved  of  that  traffic  as 
 lawful,  or  as  a  source  of  gain  :  or  else  they  thought  that  it  ought 
 to  have  been  done  away  with  rather  by  their  agency  than  by 
 His. — sfo^oiivro,  they  feared)  Therefore  they  sought  for  artifices. 
 
 [19.  "On  o^/s  kyhiTo,  when  evening  was  come)  Mark  has  given 
 with  peculiar  and  extraordinary  distinctness,  the  description  of 
 these  last  walks  of  the  Saviour. — Harm,.,  p.  457.] 
 
 22.  "'E'/iTi,  have)  Hold  fast. — rrlanv  3soD,  faith)  Such  as  it  is 
 right  that  they  should  have,  who  have  God  [as  their  God]  :  faith 
 great  and  sincere,  which  believes  in  God,  and  believes  in  there 
 being  no  foundation  save  God  in  all  the  things  of  the  natural  world. 
 So  iv  T71  rrpodivyji  rou  ^£oD  in  prayer  of  God,  i.e.  to  God  in  solitude, 
 Luke  vi.  12.  So  the  kindness  of  God  is  used  of  the  kindness, 
 which  is  bestowed  on  the  orphan  [of  Jonathan]  from  a  regard  to 
 God  alone,  2  Sam.  ix.  3,  with  which  comp.  ver.  1.  So  the  cedars 
 of  God  are  trees  not  planted  by  human  hands.  The  mountains 
 [hills]  of  God,  those  which  human  culture  does  not  reach. 
 
 25.  Ka/  oTav,  and  ivhen)  The  coiniection  is,  We  must  pray 
 "  without  doubting  and  wrath,"  1  Tim.  ii.  8. — errixriri,  stand) 
 When  in  respect  to  the  very  attitude  of  your  body  you  have 
 laid  yourselves  out  for  prayer  :  com.  Jer.  xviii.  20.  To  stand 
 is  the  attitude  of  one  praying  with  confidence  [Luke  xviii.  11, 
 13]  :  to  lie  prostrate  is  that  of  one  praying  so  as  to  deprecate 
 vengeance.  er^x,u,  from  larrixa,  signifies  /  am  he  [one]  ivho  have 
 betaken  myself  to  standing ;  a  signification  which  admirably  suits 
 the  other  passages  also,  where  arrjv.u  is  read.  When  standing  we 
 touch  the  earth  with  as  small  a  part  of  us  as  possible  ;  for  which 
 
ST  MARK  XI.  2G,  27.-X1I.  2-17.  565 
 
 reason  it  is  an  apt  posture  for  those  who  pray ;  in  which  the 
 ascetics  forbid  '  appodiare.^^ — a.(pisrs,  forgive)  [Thus  an  especial 
 hinderance  (ver.  26)  to  beKeving  (faithful)  prayer  is  removed. 
 Sin  not  yet  forgiven  hinders  all  things  else. — V.  g.]  Jesus 
 cursed  the  fig-tree  :  the  believer  ought  not  to  curse  his  brother. 
 
 [26.  ^A(prj(!si,  neither  will  forgive)  And  so  will  also  refuse  to 
 give  ear  to. — V.  g.] 
 
 27.  HipiTarovvTog,  walking  about)  As  in  his  own  house. — 'ip-xovrai, 
 come)  A  weighty  and  solemn  interrogation  this  was,  made  by 
 men  of  different  ranks. 
 
 CHAPTER  XII. 
 
 2.  Tw  -Aatpu),  at  the  season)  Of  fruits,  Matt.  xxi.  34  ["  the 
 time  of  the  fi-uit"]. — ocirh,  [a  portion  of)  A  portion  of  the  fi'uits 
 was  allowed  to  the  husbandmen.  This  particle  is  appropriate 
 to  the  first-sent  servants,  who  were  expected  to  bring  a  specimen 
 of  the  fruits. 
 
 4.  'ExsipaXa/wcaf,  wounded  him  in  the  head)  So  yva&nZv,  yviouv, 
 similarly  constructed  forms  of  verb,  occur  in  Hesychius. 
 
 6.  "En,  as  yet)  Construe  with  having. — ha.  aya'xrirhv,  one — His 
 well-beloved)  These  two  words  do  not  altogether  signify  the  same 
 thing. 
 
 10.  Oubi,  Have  ye  not  even)  The  adverb  gives  Epitasis.  [See 
 Append.,  Increase  offeree.] 
 
 12.  l^'Eyvugav  yap,  for  they  knew)  Their  conscience  supplying 
 the  testimony  to  its  being  so. — V.  g.] — 'Trphc,  [Engl.  Ver.,  against!^ 
 in  reference  to)  So  'xphg  is  used,  Heb.  i.  7,  xi.  18. 
 
 14.  'axx\  but)  The  truth  is  not  consistent  with  having  re- 
 spect to  persons. 
 
 15.  "iva  /3w,  that  I  may  see)  The  Saviour  seems  [judging  by 
 the  /Va  '/du,  as  if  He  had  not  looked  at  one  before]  then  for  the 
 first  time  to  have  handled  and  looked  at  a  denarius  [penny]. 
 
 [17.  Ta  rou  koZ,  the  things  that  are  God^s)  All  things  are  God's, 
 
 ^  Lit.  ad  podium  stare,  podioque  inniti,  "  to  lean  upon  some  prop." — 
 Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
55G  ST  MARK  XII.  19-27. 
 
 heaven  and  earth,  all  men,  and  therefore  Caesar  himself.  Yet 
 nevertheless  He  hath  made  awise  distribution  as  regards  His  goods. 
 On  that  account  the  less  ought  He  to  be  defrauded  of  those 
 things  which  He  hath  peculiarly  reserved  to  Himself. — V.  g.] 
 
 19.  "Eypa-^iv,  wrote)  The  Sadducees,  though  sceptics,  ac- 
 knowledged Moses  to  be  the  writer  of  the  law. — on — I'va)  A 
 rare  phraseology  ;  comp.  cli.  v.  23. 
 
 22.  'Ett-cc,  seven)  The  fact  of  there  being  no  seed  left,  even 
 by  the  seventh,  increases  the  plausibility  of  the  question. 
 
 23.  "Orav  dvasruei,  token  the]/  shall  7nse  again)  viz.  the  brothers 
 and  the  wife. 
 
 24.  A/a  rouro,  on  this  account)  The  particle  strengthens  the 
 refutation  :  your  very  words  betray  your  error,  Lat.  atqui.  Ps. 
 Ixvi  (Ixv.)  19. 
 
 25.  'Ex  nxpuv,  out  from  the  dead)  The  Ix,  out  from  among, 
 implies  the  new  condition  of  the  saints  when  they  rise  again  out 
 of  the  state  of  the  dead,  at  the  same  time  that  it  does  not  set 
 aside  the  universality  of  the  resurrection. 
 
 26  Bi'jSXu,  the  book)  The  volume  of  Moses  is  mentioned  in 
 this  passage  ;  that  of  Isaiah  in  Luke  iii.  4  ;  that  of  the  Pro- 
 phets, Acts  vii.  42 ;  that  of  the  Psalms,  Acts  i.  20. — Mucsug,  of 
 Moses)  concerning  whom  you  have  spoken,  A'er.  19. — ecr/  rou 
 Sdrou,  in  the  hush)  A  formula  of  ([noting  a  section  or  division  of 
 Scripture,  frequent  with  the  Kabbins  [Comp.  Michai'Us  in  der 
 Einleitung,  etc.,  T.  i.  p.  m.  87. — E.  B.]  So  Pliny,  "Molybdge- 
 nam  in  plumho  dicendam,"  i.e.  in  the  clia]iter  concerning  lead 
 [plumbus].  Furthermore,  6  ^dro;  is  the  measure,  bath  ;  6  or  ^ 
 (3urog  (as  6  or  ?5  '■^d/xvoc)  not  an  unproductive  bramble,  but  a 
 valuable  shrubbery  [place  of  bushes],  at  least  in  Exodus.  A 
 noble  image  is  derived  from  this.  Dent,  xxxiii.  16  [the  good- 
 will of  Him,  that  dwelt  in  the  bush^. 
 
 27.  Oix  iffriv  6  0£O5  vixpuv,  aX/.a  '(wvruv)  This  is  a  reading  mid- 
 way between  the  extremes.^     Starting  from  it,  some  have  rc- 
 
 ^  The  marf^in  of  Ed.  2  supports  this  reading,  as  also  the  Germ.  Vers., 
 although  the  larger  Ed.  does  not  approve  of  it. — E.  B. 
 
 BDLA  omit  the  6  before  Qto;.  A  supports  it,  as  does  the  Rec.  Text. 
 Orig.  in  different  passages  gives  it  dilfirently.  ABCDabc  Vulg.  Orig. 
 .".,  829  ;  4,  €)9  ;  341  omit  the  ^to;,  inserted  in  15eo.  Text  before  ^"od/twv  without 
 any  adequate  authority. — Eu.  and  Tkan!?l. 
 
ST  MARK  XII.  23-29.  557 
 
 peateJ  Qshg  before  vixpcLv,  others  after  aXXa. — [pfMTg  oZv,  ye  there- 
 fore) viz.  ye  SadJucees,  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  is  the 
 primary  one. — V.  g.] — toXi)  greatly)  An  antithesis  to  this  fol- 
 lows at  ver.  34,  not  far  [from  the  kingdom  of  God]. 
 
 28.  KaXSj,  well)  Admirably.  The  admirable  character  of 
 Christ's  teaching  is  often  conspicuous,  even  to  those  who  do  not 
 comprehend  it  wholly  [in  all  its  parts].  To  this  we  are  to  refer 
 ver.  32,  xaXcJc,  toell. 
 
 29.  Upuirri  Taffujv  svroXr])  This  is  a  reading  midway  between 
 extremes,  and  answers  to  ver.  28.  The  editions  read  t^wtjj 
 rraGuv  rojv  zvtoXuv,  and  SO  the  Syr.  Vers.,  as  also  Greek  MSS. : 
 however,  for  rraaciv,  Al.  Byz.  Gehl.  Mosc.  Wo.  1,  2,  and  many 
 others,  have  -xavrm,  though  some  of  them  retain  'xaacLv  at  ver. 
 28.  rrdvTuv  has  originated  by  an  alliteration  to  [an  assimilation 
 of  letters  to  those  of]  T/Jwrjj,  and  sitoatj,  as  in  the  same  A  I.  uto 
 rrdvrm  roJv  svroXuv  in  Lev.  iv.  13,  27  [instead  of  the  genuine 
 reading,  cratrwi/].  Furthermore  ei/toXt),  not  ruv  svroXuv,  is  the 
 reading  of  Al.  GeJiL,  along  with  many  MSS.,  and  the  same 
 Nomin.  case  is  defended  by  the  Goth,  and  JLat.  versions.^  — 
 [_dzou£,  hear)  Even  this  word  is  a  portion  belonging  to  the  first 
 commandment. — V.  g.]  —  Ki/?/o$,  the  Lord)  This  is  the  foundation 
 of  the  first  commandment,  nay,  rather  of  all  the  commandments. 
 The  Subject  of  the  proposition  is,  the  Lord  our  God :  the 
 Lord,  I  say  (the  God  of  all) ;  the  Predicate,  =  "  is  One  (God)" 
 [not  as  Engl.  Vers.,  "  The  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord"]  ;  conip. 
 ver.  32,  in  order  that  the  proper  name  employed  twice  [Ku/j/o; 
 — K-jp/os]  may  signify  the  two  great  revelations  of  Jehovuh,  of 
 which  the  one  embraced  the  Jewish  people,  the  other  the  Gen- 
 tiles also  ;  comp.  Ps.  Ixxii.  18,  where  the  proper  name  is  put 
 once,  the  appellative  twice,  "Jehovah  God,  the  God  of  Israel" 
 [Engl.  Vers.,  The  Lord  God,  the  God  of  Israel^,  the  position  of 
 the  accents  being  the  same  as  occurs  also  in  1  Chron.  xii.  18, 
 Peace,  peace  be  unto  thee  !  From  this  unity  of  God  it  flows  as  a 
 consequence,  that  we  owe  the  whole  of  our  love  to  Him  alone. 
 
 '  Tisch.  omits  vuvr.  or  ttosj-.  roiv  hro'hZu,  and  reads  only  on  "Trpurin  itrrlv, 
 with  BLA  Memph.  Lachm.,  on  vpotTri  va.vzuv  [Iuto'Kvi  larlv]  with  ACc  Vulg. 
 (save  that  c  omits  ttolvtuv  ;  A  omits  imlv  ;  C  reads  lanu  dvr^.  Therefore 
 he  brackets  iuTO'hvi  iari'v).  Dabc  omit  OTt,  which  is  supported  by  AB  Vulj. 
 Dab  also  read  vxvruv  Trpinn.  — Ed.  and  Tkansl. 
 
658  ST  MARK  XII.  30-38. 
 
 30.  Kapdlag,  with  all  thy  heart)  Which  lives  and  loves. — 
 ■^uy^nSj  with  all  thy  soul)  which  enjoys  and  relishes. — diavoiac, 
 with  all  thy  mind)  which  is  that  ever-continuing  power  which 
 engages  itself  in  thoughts,  cvviaig  is  employed  in  ver.  33  ;  in 
 Luke  X.  27,  iex'^og — biavoiag} — idx^'^i')  with  all  thy  strength.) 
 the  abihty  which  carries  into  effect  the  volition  throughout  the 
 whole  body. 
 
 32.  KaXujg,  excellently  [well])  Construe  with,  lliou  hast  said: 
 for  His  "  saying  well"  is  made  to  rest  on  the  truth,  Icr'  uXrjhiac, 
 as  in  Luke  iv.  25  [£■/  aXvjdiiag  Xsyu,  I  say,  resting  on  the  truth, 
 "  I  say  of  a  truth"],  ifg  sen  xa/  oix  sgtiv  ciWog  'jzXriv  airoD,  there  is 
 One,  and  there  is  none  other  but  He)  There  is  One  [or  rather  He 
 is  One],  an  absolute  phraseology,  is  repeated  from  ver.  29,  that 
 is,  from  Moses'  writings ;  comp.  Zech.  xiv.  9.  The  subject, 
 &ilg,  God,  is  left  to  be  supplied,  by  a  striking  iuXdlSsia  of  lan- 
 guage [reverent  caution  is  needlessly  repeating  God's  name], 
 although  many  have  inserted  this  very  M'ord,  &ihg,  after  krl. 
 See  App.  Crit.  Ed.  ii.  on  this  passage.^ 
 
 33.  '  OXoxocuTM/idruv,  whole  hurnt-offerings)  The  most  noble 
 species  of  sacrifices. — ^uc/wv,  victims  in  sacrifice)  of  which  veiy 
 many  commandments  treat. 
 
 34.  0\j  ixay-fdv  %i,  thou  art  not  fai")  They  therefore  are/ar  from 
 the  kingdom  who  have  not  voZg,  intelligent  j^erception.^  \_Such, 
 for  instance,  were  they  who  were  still  clinging  to  sacrifices. — -V.  g.] 
 Seeing  that  thou  art  not  far  from  it,  enter  into  the  kingdom : 
 otherwise  it  would  have  been  better  for  thee  to  have  been  far  off. 
 
 3G.  'Aut-os,)  Himself. 
 
 37.  Tlo'kvg)  The  people,  who  were  many  [But  Engl.  Vers., 
 ''  The  common  people."] 
 
 38.  AuToTg,  unto  them)  Especially  to  the  disciples,  Luke  xx. 
 45.  [pxWiTi,  beware)  lest  ye  incur  the  same  condemnation, 
 ver.  40. — V.  g.] — ypaiJ^iiuTiuv,  the  Scribes)  An  open  accusation. 
 
 1  Tisch.  omits  lixvotx;  here  in  Mark,  as  perhaps  interpolated  by  har- 
 monists from  Luke,  with  Dc,  Cj'pr.  199,  213,  264.  But  AB  Vulg.  support 
 it. — Ed.  and  Tuansl. 
 
 2  AB  Vulg.  omit  Oto;.  Babe  and  Rec.  Text  (which  prefixes  6)  insert 
 &i6;. — Ed.  and  Tuansl. 
 
 ^  Referring  to  vovuixu;^  having  intelligence,  Th.  novw  ixnv,  to  have  intelli- 
 gence.— Eu.  and  Transl. 
 
ST  MARK  XII.  40-43.  559 
 
 — khovrm,  who  wish)  The  wish  or  intention  often  make  an  act, 
 which  is  in  itself  indifferent  [neither  good  nor  bad],  a  bad  one  : 
 but  the  verb  ^iXw,  /  loill,  or  wish,  often  includes  the  act  in  it, 
 whether  good.  Matt.  xx.  14,  or  bad,  Gal.  iv.  9.  And  it  is  a 
 characteristic,  even  in  the  present  day,  of  felse  theologians,  to 
 be  captivated  with  splendour  of  robes,  wdth  sustaining  the  lead- 
 ing parts  as  to  celebrity,  with  a  display  of  offices  and  honours, 
 as  also  of  their  intercessory  prayers  before  others. 
 
 40.  O/'  xanffdlovTsg,  tvho  devour)  Construe  with  the  following 
 words. 
 
 41.  ^Edsupsi,  beheld)  Christ,  in  our  worship  at  even  the  pre- 
 sent day,  beholds  all. — '^oXXol,  'xXohsioi,  many  rich  men)  The  state 
 was  then  flourishing. 
 
 42.  ''EXdoiKSa,  having  come)  Jesus  had  His  eye  chiefly  on  her. — 
 hiio,  two)  one  of  which  the  widow  might  have  retained.  [This 
 had  been  enacted  by  no  commandment :  but  the  intention  in  her 
 mind,  by  which  she  was  moved  was  good. — Y.  g.] 
 
 43.  UpoG-Ka'Asad/Msvog,  having  called  unto  Him)  As  being  about 
 to  speak  of  a  momentous  subject.  He  thus  gives  us  a  specimen 
 of  the  judgment  which  He  will  hereafter  exercise,  according  to 
 the  state  of  hearts. —  roijg  iMa&ri'^ag,  the  disciples)  who  had  not 
 estimated  the  widow's  gift  so  highly.  \Jt  is  for  this  reason  the 
 xapdioyvuiffTTig,  Knoioer  of  hearts,  prefaces  His  loords  ivith  Amen, 
 verily. — V.  g.] — tXsTov,  more)  not  in  mere  geometrical  propor- 
 tion, but  in  mind  [intention,  motive],  to  which  the  Lord  had 
 regard.  If  any  rich  man  had  contributed  all  his  resources,  the 
 act,  viewed  extrinsically,  would  have  been  greater,  in  so  far  as 
 two  pieces  of  money  are  more  readily  acquired  again,  than 
 many  :  but  yet  he  would  not  thereby  have  surpassed  the  mind 
 [influencing  motive]  of  this  poor  woman.  [That  praise,  where- 
 with Jesus  honoured  the  poor  widow,  altogether  exceeds  (to  what 
 an  amazing  degree  !)  all  the  acclamations  of  the  world.-'-Y.  g."j 
 
560  ST  MARK  XIII.  I-IO. 
 
 CHAPTER  XIII. 
 
 [_1.  Aiki — oi-/.ooo/j!,ai,  stones — buildings)  The  very  work  of  build- 
 ing was  at  that  time  going  forward  briskly :  thei'efore  many 
 stones  were  lying  scattered  apart  on  this,  and  on  that  side. — 
 
 V.  g.] 
 
 3.  Elg,  upon)  The  mountain.  The  wall  of  the  temple  was 
 rather  sunk  towards  the  [Mount  of  Olives  :  in  conseqvience  of 
 which  the  interior  of  the  temple  could  be  conveniently  seen. — 
 llBTpoc,  y..T./..,  Peter,  etc.)  James  and  Peter  were  about  to  die 
 sooner  than  the  rest :  and  yet  the  subject  of  inquiry  appertains 
 even  to  them  :  yet  still  more  to  John. 
 
 4.  Taura,  these  things)  viz.  as  concerns  the  temple. — crdvra, 
 raZra,  all  these  things)  viz.  as  concerns  not  only  the  temple,  but 
 also  all  other  things,  that  is,  the  whole  world. 
 
 5.  "Upt,a.To,  He  began)  Previously  He  had  not  spoken  much 
 concerning  these  things. 
 
 6.  'Eyw  £/,a;,  I  am)  The  Predicate  is  to  be  supplied,  viz.  tlie 
 Chnst ;  Matt.  xxiv.  5.     Hebrew  xin  ""jx,  Isa.  xliii.  10. 
 
 8.  Tapayjci,  troiihles)  in  the  great  and  lesser  world  [macro- 
 cosmo  ct  microcosmo]. 
 
 9.  As,  but)  Do  not  concern  yourselves  about  other  matters, 
 ver.  11 :  only  take  heed  to  yourselves. — 'irapa^'Jjcovei,  they  shall 
 deliver  you  up)  From  this  verse  to  ver.  13,  the  words  are  parallel 
 to  Matt.  X.  17,  18.  Therefore  Mark  is  not  an  epitomizer  of 
 Matthew. — ilg)  An  abbreviated  mode  of  expression  :  ye  shall 
 be  brought  into  the  synagogues,  amidst  stripes.  See  Glass, 
 canon  2  de  vcrbo.  Or  rather  £/;  is  for  iv,  as  in  ver.  16.  At 
 all  events  the  mention  of  stripes  is  consonant  with  the  synagogues, 
 ^latt.  X.  17,  xxiii.  34. — auroT:,  to  them  [against  them])  viz.  the 
 Jews. 
 
 10.  Ka/  iig,  and  among)  The  preaching  of  the  Gospel  was 
 helped  forward  by  the  very  persecutions,  ver.  9  ;  2  Tim.  iv.  17. 
 — TpuTov,  previously)  before  that  the  end  shall  come,  ver.  7. 
 \_When  Jerusalem  teas  being  destroyed,  already  a  church  teas  col- 
 lected from  among  the  Gentiles. — V.  g.] 
 
ST  MARK  XIII.  11-30.  561. 
 
 11.  Mn^s  /j^tXiToiri,  neither  do  ye  meditate)  Not  merely  you 
 have  need  of  no  anxiety,  but  not  even  of  premeditation. — tol/t-o, 
 this  very  thing)  the  whole  of  it,  and  without  fear.  [For  it  is 
 with  that  aim  it  is  supplied  to  you. — V.  g.] 
 
 14.  'O'TTov  o\j  bit,  where  it  ought  not)  Language  adapted  to  His 
 hearers'  modes  of  thought.  The  Jews'  mode  of  thinking  was, 
 that  it  ought  not.  And  indeed  it  ought  not,  in  so  much  as  the 
 place  was  the  holy  place ;  so,  "  speaking  things  which  they  ought 
 not"  1  Tim.  v.  13.  Comp.  also  Jer.  xlix.  12.  [It  was  from 
 that  place  that  the  Romans  invaded  the  city. — V.  g.] 
 
 20.  Ou?  s^sXi^aro,  whom  He  hath  chosen)  Herein  is  illustrated 
 the  power  of  prayer. — hoXo^uae,  He  hath  shortened)  by  His 
 decree. 
 
 22.  ^ A'TTo'TrXavav,  to  seduce)  by  error  [tXcci/jj,  wandering~\  from 
 the  right  path. 
 
 24.  'Ei/  sxsivaig  raTg  Ti/JLipaig  [ura,  rr^v  SXi-^iv  e>ciivr]v,  in  those  days 
 after  that  tribulation)  After  that  tribulation  shall  come  those 
 days.  Therefore  the  hshrjv,  that,  refers  to  a  different  thing  fi'om 
 sKiivatg,  those.  That  refers  back  to  the  whole  preceding  dis- 
 course ;  but  those,  looks  forward  to  the  last  events  of  all,  as  in 
 ver.  32.  For  the  question  of  the  disciples,  to  which  the  Lord 
 replies,  in  Mark  also,  ver.  4  [as  in  Matthew],  had  reference  by 
 implication,  to  the  end  of  the  world. 
 
 25.  "Effovrai  ixi:i'7:ro\irig,  shall  he  falling)  A  metaphor  fr'om  a 
 flower,  James  i.  11.     [The  flower  thereof  falleth.] 
 
 26.  Mera  8uvd/xiuig  ToXXl^g  %ai  ^o^rig,  with  great  power  and  glory) 
 The  adjective  in  the  middle,  applying  to  both  nouns.  Mark 
 frequently  employs  a  Zeugma  of  this  kind,  so  as  to  put  some 
 word  in  the  middle,  which  is  intended  to  be  connected  with  the 
 preceding,  and  also  with  the  subsequent  word  or  words.  See 
 ch.  iii.  26,  iv.  21,  v.  40,  42,  vi.  13,  vii.  2,  21,  x.  7. 
 
 27.  'At'  axpov)  This  is  an  abbreviated  mode  of  expression, 
 in  this  sense,  from  the  uttermost  part  of  the  heaven  (sky)  and 
 earth  in  the  east,  even  to  the  uttermost  part  of  the  heaven  and 
 earth  in  the  west.  [0  blessed  general  assembly,  of  which  who 
 would  not  desire  to  form  a  member  f — V.  g.] 
 
 [30.  'H  yivia,  generation)  These  words  were  spoken  in  the 
 30th  year  of  the  Dion.  Era,  and  it  was  in  a.d.  70  that  thev 
 came  to  pass.     Comp.  on  Matt.  xxiv.  34. — Not.  Cnt.l 
 
 VOL  I.  N  N 
 
662  ST  MARK  XIII.  32. 
 
 32.  Ovdi  0  v'log,  neither  the  So7i)  This,  which  had  been  omitted 
 in  Matthew,  has  been  recorded  by  Mark,  inasmuch  as  believers 
 being  by  this  time  confirmed  in  the  faith,  could  now  more 
 readily  bear  it  [than  they  could  have  borne  it  in  Matthew's 
 early  time].  [It  is  also  omitted  by  Luke,  who  seems  to  have 
 softened  down  several  passages  of  Mark,  with  which  Theophilus, 
 an  excellent  person,  but  a  noipurog,  novice,  might  have  been 
 readily  offended. — Harm.,  p,  481.]  Moreover,  both  in  the 
 twelfth  year  of  His  age  and  subsequently,  "  Jesus  increased  in 
 wisdom,"  [Luke  ii.  52]  :  and  the  accessions  of  wisdom  which 
 He  then  gained.  He  had  not  had  before.  Since  this  was  not 
 unworthy  of  Him,  it  was  also  not  even  necessaiy  for  Him  in 
 teaching  to  know  already  at  that  time  the  one  secret  reserved 
 to  the  Father.  Moreover  the  assertion  is  not  to  be  taken  abso- 
 lutely (comp.  John  xvi.  15),  but  in  reference  to  the  human  nature 
 of  Christ,  independently  of  [as  separated  fi'om]  which,  however, 
 He  is  not  denominated,  even  in  this  passage,  where  there  is  a 
 climax,  which  sets  Him  even  as  man  above  the  angels :  it  is  also 
 to  be  taken  with  reference  to  His  state  of  humiliation,  whence 
 the  language  which  He  employs  subsequently,  after  the  resur- 
 rection, is  different,  see  notes.  Acts  i.  7  :  in  fine,  both  the 
 human  nature  and  the  state  of  humiliation  in  respect  to  the 
 office  of  the  Christ  being  supposed.  His  words  may  be  under- 
 stood to  mean,  without  mental  reservation,  that  He  knows  not, 
 because  He  had  it  not  among  His  instructions,  to  declare  that 
 day ;  as  also  in  order  to  deter  His  disciples  fi'om  requiring  to 
 know  it.  An  apostle  was  able  both  to  know  and  not  to  know 
 one  and  the  same  thing,  according  to  the  different  point  of 
 view,  see  note,  Phil.  i.  25  :  how  much  more  Christ  ?  There  is 
 an  admirable  variety  in  the  motions  of  the  soul  of  Christ.  Some- 
 times He  had  an  elevated  feeling,  so  as  hardly  to  seem  to 
 remember  that  He  was  a  man  Avalking  on  the  earth  :  sometimes 
 He  had  a  lowly  feeling,  so  that  He  might  almost  have  seemed 
 to  foro;et  that  He  was  the  Lord  from  heaven.  And  He  was 
 wont  always  to  express  Himself  according  to  His  mental  feeling 
 for  the  timebeinir:  at  one  time  as  He  who  Avas  one  with  the 
 Father :  at  another  time  again  in  such  a  manner,  as  if  He  were 
 only  of  that  condition,  in  which  are  all  ordinary  and  human 
 saints.     Often   these  two    are  blended   together   in   wonderful 
 
ST  MARK  Xm.  34-37.-XIV.  1,  3.  563 
 
 variety.  He  speaks  most  humbly  in  this  passage,  and  thereby 
 quaUfies  [modifies]  the  feehng  of  His  glory,  which  His  discours( 
 concerning  the  judgment  was  carrying  with  it.  You  may  say, 
 Why  is  He  in  this  passage  called  the  Son,  a  denomination 
 which  is  not  taken  from  His  human  nature  ?  The  answer  is  : 
 In  enunciations  concerning  the  Saviour,  He  is  wont  to  join  a 
 lowly  Subject  with  a  glorious  Predicate  :  Matt.  xvi.  28  ;  John 
 i.  51,  iii.  13 ;  and  vice  versa,  a  glorious  Subject  (as  here)  with 
 a  lowly  Predicate  :  Matt.  xxi.  3 ;  1  Cor.  ii.  8  ;  moreover,  in 
 this  passage,  the  Son  is  in  antithesis  to  the  Father. — ii  firi  6  TLarrip, 
 hut  the  Father)  Illustrating  the  great  glory  of  His  omniscience. 
 Comp.  Acts  i.  7. 
 
 [34.  'a?  avdpuvog)  T>.  Hauber  has  ably  proved  that  this  pas- 
 sage is  parallel,  not  to  Matt.  xxv.  14,  but  to  ch.  xxiv.  45. — 
 Harm.,  p.  484]. — Tfjv  i^oualav,  authority)  This  He  gave  to  His 
 servants  conjointly,  as  is  evident  from  the  antithesis,  and  to  every 
 man)  xai  i-/.a;tru).  The  authority  so  assigned  was  a  great 
 authority :  Matt.  xxi.  33. — xa/)  also  [even]. — rw  6upup(p,  to  the 
 porter)  [He  gave  charge],  inasmuch  as  the  porter  is  one  who 
 keeps  watch  even  for  others,  and  whose  duty  it  is  to  rouse 
 them  up. 
 
 35.  TpnyopiTn,  watch)  Watchfulness,  the  foundation  of  all 
 duties,  is  enjoined  not  only  on  the  porter,  but  on  all  the  servants. 
 — fLisovuKTiov,  at  midnight)  Matt.  xxv.  6. 
 
 37.  Iloiffi,  unto  all)  Even  to  those  of  after  ages.  [ii/j^Tv,  unto 
 you)  In  antithesis  to  vaffi,  viz.,  the  Apostles,  and  their  contem- 
 poraries.— V.  g.} 
 
 CHAPTEE  XIV. 
 
 1 .  Th  leatsya,  the  passover)  This  is  said  in  a  strict  sense,  as  in 
 ver.  12  ;  for  ra,  ri^vfia,  "  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread,"  is  added. 
 — fMira,  dvo  r]/i,spag)  That  is  to  say  on  the  folloioing  day} 
 
 3.  II/ffr;x^j,   genuine)   French   veritable    [So  marg,    of  Eng. 
 
 ^  Two  days  before  the  Passover. — Ed.  and  Tbansii. 
 
P64  ST  MARK  XIV.  5-12. 
 
 Yers.,  pure,  or  else  liquid;  but  its  text,  ointment  of  spikenard"'}. 
 Pliny,  on  the  contrary,  mentions  Pseudo-nardum.  Nonnus 
 lengthens  the  middle  syllable  in  cr/(rr/x^5 ;  viz.  as  if  formed  from 
 Pista,  a  city  of  the  Indians  in  the  region  of  Cabul ;  a  region 
 from  which  most  of  the  aromatic  perfumes  even  already  at  that 
 time  used  to  be  derived ;  see  Lud.  de  Dieu,  in  Act,  p.  133. 
 But  rriffruiog  would  rather  be  the  form,  if  derived  from  the 
 proper  name,  [ewrpl-^aea,  having  broken)  That  none  of  the 
 ointment  might  remain  in  the  vessel,  which,  had  it  been  of 
 glass,  would  have  bm'st  asunder  into  a  number  of  fragments. 
 
 -V.  g.] 
 
 5.  'Ecafw  Tpia-Kociojv,  above  three  hundred)  It  may  be  doubted 
 whether  they  could  have  accurately  estimated  its  value.  It  is 
 a  phrase,  resembling  an  adage  [At  all  events  almost  5000  men 
 migJii  have  been  fed  for  two  hundred  denarii ;  therefore  one  may 
 judge  that  that  sum  was  to  be  estimated  as  of  much  higher  value. 
 
 -y-  g-] 
 
 7.  Tout;  'ffTux'^ug,  the  poor)  Whom  ye  speak  of. — orav,  if  [when- 
 soever]) ye  will,  as  ye  here  show  [by  your  very  remark  as  to 
 the  poor]. — bbvaok,  ye  can)  Never  is  there  any  one  so  needy,  as 
 to  be  able  to  give  nothing. — £%£'-£,  ye  have)  thus  present  with 
 you  as  now.  It  is  not  always  that  such  an  honour  can  be  con- 
 ferred on  me. 
 
 8.  "O,  What)  An  abbreviated  mode  of  expression ;  i.e.  What 
 she  had,  she  has  freely  bestowed ;  and  what  she  could,  she  hath 
 done;  or  else,  what  she  had^[it_iri_her  power]  to  do,  she  hath 
 done.  —  ai/r^,  she,  emphatically  coheres  \^'lth  i^x^v,  she  had. 
 Hardly  any  one  else  of  those,  who  were  in  attendance  on  Jesus, 
 had  so  costly  ointment.  It  was  divinely  designed  and  appointed 
 for  the  purpose  of  this  being  done. — cr^ osXa/Ss,  she  has  anticipated 
 [she  is  come  aforehand]  to)  It  would  not  have  been  becoming 
 for  the  body  of  Christ,  which  knew  not  corruption,  to  have  been 
 anointed  after  death  ;  on  this  account  it  was  anointed  before- 
 hand. 
 
 9.  Eig  oXov,  throughout  the  whole)  In  all  its  wide  extent. — 
 uuTn,  she)  Demonstratively. 
 
 11.  'Ey^dpriffav,  they  were  glad)  They  felt  joy,  and  they  testi- 
 fied it. 
 
 12.  Ti  Tdg'xa  iiuov,  they  killed  [sacrificed]  the  passovei)  viz. 
 
 1U  cO^  h-i^  ^^  -^  ''^-^-^  ^  ^.  ^^  ^^   -^^ 
 
ST  MARK  XIV.  13-23.  665 
 
 The  Jews,  according  to  the  commandment  of  the  law,    and 
 therefore  so  also  the  disciples,  were  killing  it. — V.  g.] 
 
 13.  'A-ravT-^ffE/,  there  shall  meet)  A  wonderful  sign  :  1)  that  a 
 person  is  about  to  meet  them :  2)  that  person  a  man  :  3)  that 
 man  alone  :  4)  that  too,  immediately  :  5)  he  should  be  bearing  a 
 vessel :  6)  and  that  vessel,  one  of  earthenware  [Kspd^iov]:  7)  and 
 containing  water :  8)  and  that,  too,  going  to  the  house  which 
 the  disciples  were  looking  for  [^It  ivas  in  deep  humiliation,  even 
 like  as  an  ordinary  Israelite,  that  Christ  ate  the  Passover  Lamb ; 
 wherefore  He  put  forth  His  glory  into  exercise  in  the  preparation 
 for  it. — V.  g.] 
 
 14.  TLov  ssTi,  where  is)  It  is  taken  for  granted  in  this  question, 
 that  there  is  some  guest  chamber  already  prepared  through  the 
 providence  of  the  Lord. 
 
 15.  'Amya/ov  iLija^  a  large  supper-room,  [upper  room])  It  is 
 probable,  that  Jesus  had  before  this  kept  the  passover  in  the 
 houses  of  other  inhabitants  of  the  city ;  but  this  Passover  Him- 
 self celebrated  [marking  it]  with  greater  solemnity. — Iffrpuixsm, 
 laid  out)  with  carpets.  This  householder  had  been  guided  by 
 Divine  Providence.  This  circumstance  illustrates  the  omni- 
 science of  Jesus,  more  than  if  it  had  been  laid  out  (paved)  with 
 precious  stones. — Iroif/^daotTs,  make  ready).  The  verb  is  neuter; 
 Luke  ix.  52. 
 
 16.  Evpov,  they  found)  Attended  with  [having  the  effect  of]  the 
 confirmation  of  their  faith,  their  admiring  wonder  and  joy. 
 
 19.  'ETg  KaOsTc)  So  John  viii.  9,  and  6  5s  xa&ug ;  Rom.  xii.  5. 
 — 0  xadsig  hs  ruv  ^iXuv ;  3  Macc.  V.  31.  From  xarri  (not  xai 
 uTo)  and  ilg  comes  xakh^  of  similar  formation  to  luhig,  ,u,riSiic, 
 unless  you  prefer  accenting  it  xahTg,  in  order  to  distinguish  it 
 from  the  participle   xaklg ;    xara  is  used    adverbially,   as  dvu 
 
 20.  ''EfL^aTToiJjivoc,  that  was  dipping  [but  Eng.  Vers.,  that 
 dippeth  m])  With  his  own  Land ;  this  is  the  force  of  the  middle 
 voice.  The  participle  is  in  the  imperfect  tense,  as  u}v  is  used 
 in  John  ix.  25,  and  Ip^ofuvog  in  2  John  v.  7. 
 
 22.  "ApTov,  bread)  Mark  does  not  add  the  article. — fiov,  my) 
 Understand,  which  is  given  for  you,  to  be  supplied  by  implica- 
 tion from  ver.  24  [My  blood,  which  is  shed  for  many"]. 
 
 23.  Ka/   'imov  i^  avrov  'xavng,  and  they  all  drank  of  it)  This 
 
5R6  ST  MARK  XIV.   27-3G. 
 
 clause  interposed  between  the  words  of  the  Lord  is  an  argument, 
 that  the  words,  This  is  My  body,  this  is  My  blood,  were  said, 
 during  the  time  whilst  they  were  eating,  and  whilst  they  were 
 drinking.  Whence  the  evangelists  either  prefix  or  else  subjoin 
 those  words  ;  comp.  note,  ^latt.  iii.  7.  All  drank,  even  Judas  ; 
 for  who  is  there  that  will  say  that  Judas  might  have  stolen 
 away  from  the  company  in  the  midst  of  the  supper  1  [Comp. 
 ver.  17,  18,  22]  [Nay,  even  in  ver.  31,  we  may  suppose  that, 
 under  the  word  all,  Judas  is  even  still  included.  It  is  not  un- 
 likely that  he  crossed  the  brook  Kedron  along  with  the  Saviour 
 and  the  disciples,  and  after  that  acted  as  conductor  to  the  armed 
 band  which  was  waiting  for  Him  in  the  neighbourhood. — Harm. 
 p.  528.] 
 
 27.  TiypuTTui,  it  is  written)  Comp.  Matt.  xxvi.  31,  note. 
 
 30.  2u,  thou)  In  antithesis  to  "  yet  will  not  /,"  ver.  29. — 
 n  dig,  before  that  twice)  A  very  striking  circumstance,  that  Peter 
 would  not  collect  [recover]  himself  at  the  first  cock-crowing. 
 [Comp.  note  on  Matt.  xxvi.  34.] 
 
 31.  'Ex  Tipiffffov  /xaXXov,  the  rather,  the  more  exceedingly).  Comp. 
 ch.  vii.  36,  note.  Peter,  in  this  passage,  rather  (.aa/./.oc)  spake 
 of  his  own  stedfastness,  than  trusted  [believed]  in  the  words  of 
 Jesus. 
 
 33.  ' Ex&afjbSiTaOai,  Hesychius  writes,  'ex.da/jbj3og,  'h'XArixrog.  Eus- 
 tathius,  ^a/jj^ih,   TO  iiTi   Sfsc  rivhg   sx.'zXrjmcidai.^ 
 
 [35.  TLap'iXOri  a.'x  axirou  7}  upa,  the  hour  might  pass  from  Him) 
 The  hour.  He  saith.  Jesus  knew  that  the  cup  would  speedily  be 
 drained,  and  His  passion  speedily  be  terminated  ;  and  as  hereto- 
 fore He  had  been  sure  of  the  issue  being  good,  so  not  even  now  had 
 He  any  room  for  doubting  it.  This  certainty  of  the  issue  does  not 
 in  any  degree  detract  from  the  love  either  of  the  Son  delivering 
 Himself  up,  or  even  of  the  Father  delivering  His  Son  up  for  us. 
 Yet  the  cup  and  the  hour  struck  Jesus  with  anguish  ;  for  which 
 reason  He  prayed  for  their  passing  from  Him,  subject  to  the 
 condition  of  the  Father's  will,  and  the  possibiUty  of  the  case. — 
 Harm.  p.  527.1 
 
 36.  'A/S/Sa  6  varnp,  Abba  FaOier)  Mark  seems  to  have  added 
 
 ^  6ocfifio:  is  akin  to  ^yjTru  9f«o^«<,  wonder  at  some  amazing  sight  being 
 the  connecting  idea;  as  in  Lat.  susvicio. — Ed.  and  Tkansl. 
 
ST  MARK  XIV.  41-54.  667 
 
 Father^  by  way  of  interpretation  :  For  Matthew,  ch.  xxvi.  39, 
 42,  says  that  what  was  said  by  Jesus  was  simply,  "  My  Father :" 
 Luke,  '  Father,'  ch.  xxii.  42.  On  the  cross,  He  said  Eli,  Eli. — 
 r/,  what)  The  question  in  the  case,  saith  He,  is  not  what  I  will, 
 but  ivhat  Thou  wilt. 
 
 41.  Ka/  sV%£7-a/,  and  He  cometli)  The  third  departure  [ver.  39, 
 "  He  weyit  away"~\  is  taken  for  granted,  as  well  as  the  third 
 offering  of  the  same  prayer. — xakhbin,  sleep  on)  Matt.  xxvi.  45, 
 note. — aT£;:^£/,  it  is  enough)  Sleep  has  its  turn  [the  office  which 
 it  sustains]  by  this  time  fully  served :  now  there  is  another  busi- 
 ness before  us  \_And  though  ye  do  not  rega7'd  my  efforts  to  awaken 
 and  rouse  you,  yet  your  rest  is  being  (must  now  be)  broken. — 
 
 44.  '  Ag(paXaig,  with  due  precaution  [safety])  The  traitor  was 
 afraid,  lest  Jesus  should  slip  from  their  hands  [Therefore  the 
 wretched  man  was  now  no  longer  anxious  merely  about  gaining 
 the  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  but  loas  hurried  along  by  a  deadly  hatred 
 against  Jesus. — ^V.  g.] 
 
 51.  2/v5ova,  a  linen  cloth)  He  was  therefore  rich.  Matt. 
 xi.  8. — J't/  yviMvou,  upon  his  naked)  viz.  body.  He  had  perhaps 
 by  this  time  gone  to  bed.  —  xparovetv,  lay  hold)  He  had  not  been 
 desired  to  follow.  No  one  tried  to  apprehend  the  disciples  : 
 this  young  man  was  apprehended  by  either  the  armed  men  or 
 others.^ 
 
 52.  ru/ivog  'i(p-jyiv,  fled  naked)  He  fled,  the  night  not  being 
 without  the  light  of  the  moon :  fear  overcame  shame,  in  the  case 
 of  such  great  danger. 
 
 53.  l-uvipyovrai  avTw,  are  assembled  with  him)  By  his  edict. 
 
 54.  Msra  Tuv  vvj^peruv,  with  the  attendants)  Often  a  fall  is 
 incurred  more  easily  in  the  presence  of  such  as  servants,  who 
 are  less  feared,  than  among  their  masters,  [the  great], — Se^/x,a/- 
 vofiiwg,  warmiiig  himself)  Often  under  care  for  the  body  the  soul 
 is  neglected. — ^wj,  the  light)  Appropriately  light  is  the  expres- 
 sion used  instead  of  fire :  Peter  was  recognised  by  the  light, 
 
 '  The  Germ.  Vers,  approves  of  the  omission  of  the  subject  o/  ueai/iocn,, 
 though  that  omission  has  been  less  approved  of  by  the  margin  of  the  larger 
 Ed.  and  of  Ed.  2.— E.  B.  It  is  omitted  in  BC  corrected  later,  DLAa« 
 Memph.  Syr.  Vulg.  However  AP  supports  the  words  with  Rec.  Text. — Ed 
 and  Transl. 
 
568  ST  MARK  XIV.  60-72. 
 
 when  under  other  circumstances  he  might  have  been  safer : 
 comp.  ver.  67. 
 
 60.  Oujc ;  t1  ;  answerest  thou  not  ?  What  is  it  that,  etc.  ?)  Two 
 distinct  interrogations.^ 
 
 61.  EvXoyr,ro\J,  of  the  Blessed)  *Ti"i3,  the  Blessed  God. 
 
 [62.  'Eyw  f//i/,  I  am)  Jesus,  when  His  enemies  spake  false  wit- 
 ness against  Him,  and  when  His  disciples  withdrew  themselves 
 from  the  confession  of  the  truth,  Himself  made  an  open  profes- 
 sion of  the  truth. — V.  g.] 
 
 65.  "Hp^avro,  began)  A  new  step  in  their  dealings  with  Him. 
 — iiTTiplTat,  the  servants)  who  used  to  have  in  their  hands 
 pd^doi,  rods? 
 
 66.  Karw,  beneath)  There  seem  to  have  been  a  flight  of  steps 
 there. 
 
 69.  'H  irath'ie^n,  the  maid  [not  as  Engl.  Ver.  a  maid])  That  same 
 maid  :  or  else  a  second  one,  so  that  the  craX/v,  again,  may  be 
 connected  with  the  participle  alone,  idoZaa,  having  seen  him.^ — 
 roTg  rrapsffTrjxoffiv,  to  them  that  stood  by)  She  said  it  then  in  the 
 spirit  of  joking,  not  with  intent  to  hurt  him  [Comp.  note  on 
 !Matt.  xxvi.  69]. — £^  ahr^v,  of  them)  The  expression,  of  them, 
 shows,  that  speaking  against  Jesus  and  His  disciples  was  most 
 common  and  frequent. 
 
 72.  ^E-TTi^aXuv  'hXais,  he  betook  himself)  To  weeping,  or,  as 
 Stapulensis  interprets  it.  He  broke  forth  into  weeping.  The 
 French  happily  express  it,  il  se  mit  a  pleurer  Theophr.  charact., 
 TTip}  XoyoToiiag^  ivOvg  spuirridai — xul  sTi^aXuv  spurav :  as  to  which 
 see  Casaubon  [Engl.  Ver.,  When  he  thought  thereon."] 
 
 1  But  Tischcnd.  has  but  one  interrogation  at  the  end  of  y^urxfcuprvpovaiv : 
 Lachm.  says  in  his  Preface  that  to  introduce  an  interrogation  after  oiSsv  (;) 
 here,  where  the  t/  is  used  for  the  relative,  is  subversive  of  the  sense.  B  reads 
 0  T/.  But  ADFd,  Tt.  Vulg.  "  non  respondes  quicquam  ad  ea  quoe  tibi  obji- 
 ciuntur." — Ed.  and  Tkansl. 
 
 *  So  marg.  of  Engl.  Ver.  translates  Matt.  xxvi.  67,  ippxTriaxv,  they 
 smote  Ilim  with  rods,  instead  of  "  with  the  palms  of  their  hands." — Ed.  and 
 Transl. 
 
 '  Tischend.  omits  -Trii.'htv,  with  B,  Memph.  and  Theb.  But  Lachni.  reads 
 il  with  ADoc  Vulg. — Ed.  and  Traksl. 
 
ST  MARK  XV.  7-20.  SCO 
 
 CHAPTER  XV. 
 
 7.  'Ev  ry]  erddii,  in  the  insurrection)  A  charge  most  offensive 
 in  the  eyes  of  Herod,  who  would  therefore  be  likely  to  punish 
 Barabbas  with  hearty  good-will. 
 
 8.  'AmjSofigag)  having  raised  a  cry.  It  is  to  this  the  reference  is, 
 ver.  13,  They  cried  out  again.  Formerly  the  Vulg.  read  ava/Sag; 
 or  even  other  paraphrasers  :  and  that  reading  is  consonant  with 
 Matt,  xxvii.  1 7,  therefore  ivhen  they  were  gathered  together.  Cer- 
 tainly both  the  people  gathered  themselves  together  to  the  chief 
 priests,  who  were  accusing  Jesus  in  an  invidious  manner,  for  the 
 purpose  of  praying  that  some  prisoner  should  be  given  up  to 
 them  :  and  an  ascent  to  the  Pretorium  [Governor's  Hall],  and 
 some  cry,  were  begun  by  the  people.  Whoever  will  compare 
 a.m(Boy;aag  with  the  words  following,  and  amj3ag  with  the  words 
 preceding,  will  perceive  that  either  reading  might  have  been 
 formed  from  the  other  by  alliteration.^  —  alnTe&ai,  to  desire) 
 Understand  from  the  context,  rronTv,  that  he  should  do.  Often 
 the  verb  is  omitted,  it  being  intended  that  it  should  be  repeated 
 from  the  following  clause.  John  v.  21,  vi.  32,  35,  xii.  25,  35  ; 
 Rom.  v.  16  ;  Phil.  ii.  1,  2  ;  Tit.  ii.  2,  note.  So  Lxx.,  2  Kings 
 ix.  27,  xa/ys  auro'v  (viz.  itard^arv)  %ai  I'^drat.sv  aurov.  Comp. 
 Glass.,  B.  iv.,  Tract.  2,  Observ.  5  and  12  all  through  :  and,  if 
 you  have  a  mind,  the  remarks  which  we  formerly  made  on  Cic. 
 Ep.,  p.  143. 
 
 9.  To;/  jSaeiXia  ruv  *IouSa/wv,  the  King  of  the  Jeivs)  A  ^Mimesis 
 [i.e.  a  using  of  the  words  of  an  opponent  in  irony,  or  in  order  to 
 refute  him.     See  Append.] 
 
 15.  To  izavhv  '^roirisai)  to  content,  or  satisfy. 
 
 16.  AvX^G,  the  hall)  The  Greek  word  is  put  before  its  Latin 
 synonym,  Prcetorium. 
 
 [20.  Ka/  l^dyovffiv,  avrh,  and  lead  Him  out)  What  is  the  mys- 
 tery which  lies  hid  under  the  fact,  that  our  gracious  Saviour  was 
 
 ^  «»«/3«?  is  the  reading  of  BDcc?  Vulg.  Memph.  Theb.  a  has  accenda. 
 A  supports  Rec.  reading,  di/xjSoiiax;. — Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
570  ST  MARK  XV.  21-25. 
 
 led  out  of  the  city,  no  mortal  man,  we  may  suppose,  would  have 
 been  likely  to  have  discovered,  not  to  say,  would  have  been  able 
 to  have  persuaded  others,  had  not  the  wisdom  of  the  apostle 
 instructed  us  on  the  subject,  Heb.  xiii.  11-14. — Harm.,  p.  559.] 
 
 21.  'Epyoiiivov,  coming)  either  in  order  to  be  present  at  the 
 Passover,  or  in  order  to  see  what  would  be  done  to  Jesus. — 
 air  aypeu)  Where  perhaps  he  had  his  home.  Happy  man,  in 
 that  he  was  not  present,  and  had  no  part  in  the  accusation  :  but 
 in  consequence  of  that  very  fact  he  was  the  less  agreeable  to 
 the  Jews. — ^AXe^uvdpou  %ai  'Pou(pov,  of  Alexander  and  JRufus) 
 These  two,  at  the  time  when  Mark  wrote,  were  better  known 
 than  their  father,  inasmuch  as  he  is  denominated  from  them 
 [instead  of  vice  versa]  :  They  were  distinguished  persons  among 
 the  disciples  (see  Kom.  xvi.  13  as  to  llufus,  who  also  is  set 
 down  in  that  passage  as  one  better  knowm  than  his  mother, 
 thouo-h  Paul  seems  to  have  regarded  her  as  his  mother  at  Jem- 
 salcm)  :  which  is  an  evidence  whereby  the  truth  of  the  whole 
 fact,  as  it  happened,  may  be  perceived. 
 
 22.  (l>spov(riv,  they  bring  [bear  or  take])  not  merely  lead. — 
 ToXyoSa)  The  genitive. 
 
 23.  Ovx  iXa^i,  He  took  it  not)  He  tasted,  but  did  not  drink  it. 
 Matt,  xxvii.  34  :  comp.  ch.  xxvi.  29. 
 
 24.  "EravpuKfavrss)  having  cinicified. — r/c  ri,  ichat,  and  ivJio  [ivJiat 
 every  man  should  take])  See  Bud.  Comm.  1349,  27. 
 
 25.  Tpirr],  third)  which  the  sLvth  and  7iiuth  hour  follows,  ver. 
 33.  Therefore  it  is  Jewish  hours  that  arc  here  marked. 
 However  the  case  stands  in  Mark  and  John  as  to  both  the  kind 
 of  hour  and  the  mode  of  enumeration  respectively  employed  by 
 them,  both  mean  the  one  and  the  same  portion  of  the  day,  viz. 
 in  the  forenoon.  Nor  is  there  any  reason  Avhy  we  should  desire 
 to  diminish  the  number  of  hours  of  His  remaining  on  the  cross. 
 Jesus  hung  upon  it  more  than  six  hours  :  for  even  six  hours, 
 from  the  third  to  the  ninth  hour,  were  in  themselves  a  longer 
 time  than  ordinary  hours  of  equal  length,  inasmuch  as  the  equi- 
 nox was  now  past :  for  they  were  wont  to  divide  the  day, 
 whether  it  were  shorter  or  longer,  into  twelve  hours  :  and  be- 
 tween the  close  of  the  supernatural  darkness  and  the  death  of 
 Jesus  many  events  intervened.  There  are  some  who  explain 
 this  verse  thus  :   ft  was  the  third  hour  from  the  time  that  they 
 
ST  MARK  XV.  28-30.  571 
 
 had  crucified  Him.  But  if  this  had  been  his  meaning,  Mark 
 would  have  said,  There  were  three  hours  ;  and  in  that  case,  pass- 
 ing by  the  hour  of  the  crucifixion  itself,  he  would  say,  what 
 occurred  three  hours  afterwards  [which  is  not  likely]  :  for,  both 
 the  casting  of  lots,  and  the  superscription  written,  were  acts 
 more  speedily  done  [than  the  act  of  crucifixion]. — xa/)  Ka/ either 
 is  used  in  its  strict  meaning,  and ;  in  order  that  Mark  may  inti- 
 mate, that  first  of  all  the  soldiers  nailed  Jesus  to  the  cross,  next, 
 that  they  divided  His  garments,  and  then  erected  the  cross  :  or 
 else,  rather,  the  xa/  has  a  relative  force,  so  that  the  hour  should 
 be  precisely  denoted,  to  which  the  mention  of  the  crucifixion 
 is  both  prefixed  and  subjoined.^  Comp.  John  xix.  14 ;  comp. 
 xa/,  ch.  ii.  15,  at  the  end  of  verse. — saravpusav)  elevating  the 
 cross. 
 
 28.  Kal  /Mira  avof^uv  I'koyia&ri)  Isa.  liii.  12,  LXX.,  %al  h  roT^ 
 av6[/.otg  sXoyiaSri.  The  fiera  has  a  stronger  force  than  iv :  He  suf- 
 fered Himself  to  he  reckoned  with  the  transgressors. 
 
 29.  Oua,  Ah!)  An  interjection  and  exclamation,  having 
 the  force  of  expressing  astonishment,  as  Franc.  Bernardinus 
 Ferrarius,  L.  3.  de  Acclam.  Vet.  c.  1 5,  shows  at  large.  In  this 
 passage,  it  has  the  force  of  expressing  wonder  along  with 
 irony. 
 
 32.  'O  Xpiffrbg  6  j3a(!iXiug,  Christ  the  King)  A  Mimesis  [an  al- 
 lusion to  the  words  of  an  opponent,  with  the  intention  of  refut- 
 ing them. — See  Append.]  The  expression,  Christ,  refers  to  the 
 proceedings  before  Caiaphas ;  the  expression.  King,  refers  to 
 those  before  Pilate. 
 
 34.  'EXuf)  Hebr.  NnSx,  as  "-^na  B£/>^£ax;,  m/3a/3/, ''^^?><. 'A/Ssffja, 
 etc. :  Hiller,  Onom.  p.  707.  For  not  even  ^"p  in  Greek  is  'S.apat, 
 Gen.  xvii.  15.  Matthew  has  -/iXi,  riXl-  and  so  the  Hebrew 
 Psaltery  [Ps.  xxii.  1]  :  Mark  has  iXut,  sXut,  and  so  the  Syriac 
 Psaltery,  as  John  Gregorius  observes. — slg  ri,  for  what  [why]) 
 See  Matt,  xxvii.  46,  note. 
 
 37.  'E5£■r^£!;«,  He  expired)  To  breathe,  is  conducive  to  the 
 good  of  the  body :  to  cease  to  breathe  [expire],  is  conducive  to 
 the  good  of  the  spirit. 
 
 [39.  O'uru  xpd^ag,  having  thus  cried  out)  Christ  was  not  ex- 
 
 "  It  was  the  third  hour  when  they  crucified  Him."— Ed.  andTKANSL. 
 
672  ST  MARK  XV.  41-45. 
 
 hausted  to  death  by  faintness,  but  most  voluntarily  laid  down 
 His  life.— V.  g.] 
 
 41.  ra? />«/«,  Galilee)  Here  it  was  that  He  had  sojourned  for 
 a  great  part  of  His  time  :  He  had  come  to  Jerusalem,  especially 
 at  the  times  of  the  festivals. 
 
 42.  lipocd(3l3ccTov,  the  day  before  the  Sabbath)  When  there 
 was  the  beginning  made  of  resting. 
 
 43.  'O  arrh  ^  Api/MuSaiac,  li'ho  loas  from  Anmathea)  The  article 
 shows,  that  this  had  become  a  surname  of  Joseph.  Matthew 
 does  not  employ  the  article,  because  he  wrote  before  Mark. — 
 vjey^7}iMuvj  honourable)  Distinguished  by  both  honour  and  dignity. 
 — ^ouXivrric,  senator)  of  the  Jerusalem  Sanhedrim. — roX/x^cac, 
 having  boldly  ventured)  A  praiseworthy  boldness.  [Not  un- 
 attended xoith  personal  risk. — V.  g.]  John  xix.  38.  An  elegant 
 and  effective  Asyndeton.''  [It  very  frequently  happens  in  the  case 
 of  those  making  such  bold  ventures,  that  their  efforts  succeed  better 
 than  you  would  have  supposed. — V.  g.] 
 
 44.  ^E6uv/ji,aafv,  marvelled)  In  fact,  it  was  not  the  mere  cross 
 that  deprived  Jesus  of  life.  [Tliose  crucified  sometimes  used  to 
 protract  life  for  a  considerably  longer  time.  Pilate  had  permitted 
 the  breaking  of  the  legs ;  but  the  fact,  that  Jesus  had  died  before 
 the  breaking  of  the  legs  {of  the  other  two),  came  to  Pilate's  know- 
 ledge through  Joseph,  and  not  until  then. — V.  g.] — craXa/) 
 Eustathius  has  showed  that  this  word  is  used  of  even  a  rather 
 short  interval  of  time. 
 
 45.  rvoi)c,  having  ascertained  the  fact)  that  Jesus  was  really 
 dead. — sduprjaaro,  he  gave  it)  The  body  of  Him  who  was  cruci- 
 fied had  been  at  the  disposal  of  the  judge.  [Therefore  the  body, 
 which  was  ordained  to  be  kept  free  from  cornipttion,  was  sidrject 
 to  the  disposal  of  a  man  who  was  a  heathen.  ]\[arvellous ! 
 Joseph,  it  is  to  be  supposed,  woidd  have  paid  for  it  no  small  sum 
 of  money. — V.  g.] 
 
 '  Omission  of  tlie  copula  between  i'>^9u]/  and  roT^ftyiaets. — Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
ST  MARK  XVI.  1-5.  673 
 
 CHAPTER    XVI. 
 
 1.  'Hyopaffav,  they  [hadi  bought)  On  the  day  before  the  Sab- 
 bath they  prepared  the  sweet  spices,  Luke  xxiii.  56,  xxiv.  1. 
 Therefore  it  must  have  been  then  also  that  they  had  bought 
 them :  for  on  the  day  following  the  Sabbath  they  could  not 
 have  bought  them  so  early  in  the  morning.  Accordingly,  either 
 oiayivo/ji.ivou  rov  ffa/S/Sarou  must,  by  Hyperbaton  [the  transposition 
 of  words  contrary  to  the  natural  order. — See  Append.],  be 
 joined  with  they  come  [ip^ovTui],  ver.  2  ;  or  else  the  sense  is,  the 
 Sabbath  having  been  kept  in  the  interim,  viz.  between  the  pre- 
 paration and  the  first  day  of  the  week. — a^w/iara,  sweet  spices ; 
 — aXu-\/u)(Siv,  they  might  anoint)  There  is  a  Synecdoche  [see  Ap- 
 pend.] in  both  words.^  They  were  wishing  to  sprinkle  the 
 body  with  the  sweet  spices,  and  to  anoint  it  with  ointments,  or  else 
 to  mix  together  the  sweet  spices  and  ointments. 
 
 2.  Aiav  -xput,  very  early  in  the  morning. — dvaniXavTog  rou  jjX/oy, 
 the  sun  having  arisen)  The  one  [the  first]  clause  applies  to  Mary 
 Magdalene,  John  xx.  1 ;  the  other  clause  to  the  rest  of  the 
 women, 
 
 3.  'Ejc,  from)  Therefore  the  sepulchre  had  been  very  securely 
 guarded.  The  women,  however,  were  not  aware  that  it  had 
 been  also  sealed  [Matt,  xxvii.  66]. 
 
 4.  Tap,  for)  The  particle  intimates  both  the  reason  why  the 
 women  were  in  anxiety  [ver.  3],  and  the  reason  why  they  per- 
 ceived that  the  stone  must  have  been  rolled  away  with  an  un- 
 usually great  power. 
 
 5.  Neav/crxov,  a  young  man)  A  style  of  appearance  appropriate 
 to  angels.  For  the  most  part,  they  appeared  in  the  form  of  a 
 man,  and  that  a  youthful  human  form  in  this  case  [Matt. 
 xxviii.  2]. — ev  ToTg  ds^ioig,  on  the  right  side)  The  minister  [at- 
 tendant angel]  is  thus  ready  at  hand  to  his  Lord,  fitly  minister- 
 ing to  Him. 
 
 '  The  eLpufiUToc,  sweet  spices,  including  also  ointments:  the  d^^efypatrtv, 
 anoint,  including  also  the  mixing  together  of  sweet  spices  and  ointments.— 
 Ed.  and  Transl. 
 
674  ST  MARK  XVI.  7-14. 
 
 7.  'aXa'  v'TayiTs,  but  go  your  way)  in  antithesis  to  [vcr.  6 J 
 He  is  not  here ;  [ver.  7]  there  shall  ye  see  Him. — xcc/  tOj  Uirpuj, 
 and  Peter)  who  subsequently  proclaimed  this  testimony  in  his 
 Acts  and  Epistles.  [How  great  must  have  been  the  refreshment 
 of  spirit,  as  we  may  suppose,  afforded  by  this  to  that  disciple, 
 overwhelmed  as  he  was  by  sorrow  ! — V.  g.] 
 
 8.  Tpo'Moc,  trembling)  of  body.  Comp.  1  Cor.  ii.  3,  note. — 
 izsraeig,  stupor  [amazement])  of  mind. 
 
 9.  Tlpoit,  early  in  the  morning)  Construe  with  etpavr],  He  ap- 
 peared. Comp.  ver.  12.  However,  it  was  on  that  very  day  the 
 Lord  arose,  before  the  dawn. 
 
 12.  'Eripcf.,  another  [different^  This  is  the  intermediate  step 
 of  His  revelation  between  His  announcement  of  the  fact  by  mes- 
 sengers, and  His  manifest  appearance :  just  as  the  number  two 
 [viz.  of  those  to  whom  He  here  appears]  is  intermediate  between 
 the  one  single  female  messenger  and  the  many  witnesses. — [iig 
 ayphv,  into  the  country)  towards  Emmaus. — V.  g.] 
 
 13.  ^ A<7rriyyii7Mv)  They  brought  back  word. — oudi  sxslvoig,  not 
 even  them)  Luke,  xxiv.  34,  affirms  they  did  believe.  Both  state- 
 ments are  true.  They  did  believe  :  but  presently  there  recurred 
 to  them  a  suspicion  as  to  the  truth,  and  even  positive  imbe- 
 lief.  The  faith  suddenly  arising  in  them,  and  entertained  at 
 first  with  a  joy  which  had  still  in  it  something  of  an  unwonted 
 and  ecstatic  character  blended  with  it,  was  not  faith,  as  compared 
 with  the  faith  which  followed,  cleared  as  the  latter  was  of  all 
 dregs  of  unbelief,  and  fully  satisfied  as  to  all  difficulties,  and 
 suitable  to  the  exigencies  of  the  apostleship.  Luke  xxiv. 
 37,  38;  John  xx.  25 ;  Matt,  xxviii.  17. 
 
 14.  "Tanpov,  lastly)  The  last  of  His  appearances,  not  absolutely, 
 but  of  those  which  Mark  describes  ;  [cmd  lohich  occurred  on  the 
 very  day  of  the  resurrection.  For  Mark  adds:  When  the  eleven 
 sat  at  meat ;  and  therefore  he  does  not  speak  of  the  appearance  on 
 the  mountain  of  Galilee,  which  He  Himself  touches  on  most  briefly, 
 in  ver.  7,  and  Matthew,  xxviii.  16,  expressly  records. — Harm.,  p. 
 604.] — amxiifMhoig,  as  they  sat  at  meat)  At  the  time  when  men 
 are  most  exhilarated  by  the  coming  of  those  whom  they  were 
 earnestly  wishing  for. — olItoTc,  themselves)  together. — uvildiai.  He 
 upbraided)  This  takes  for  granted  that  the  proofs  of  the  resur- 
 rection   were   undoubted.      [A    wholesome  putting  of  them   to 
 
ST  MARK  XVI.  15-17.  *'  675 
 
 shame. — V.  g.] — xa/  ffxXripoKapdiav,  and  hardness  of  heart)  Faith. 
 and  a  tender  heart  are  always  conjoined. 
 
 15.  Koff/xov,  the  world)  Jesus  Christ,  the  Lord  of  all,  [is  the 
 fitting  Giver  of  this  command  to  preach  in  all  the  world^. — Ta«r>j, 
 all),  ver.  20  .[eve7ywhere].  This  is  said  without  limitation.  If 
 all  men,  of  all  places  and  ages,  have  not  heard  the  Gospel,  [the 
 hlame  lies  with]  the  successors  of  the  first  preachers,  and  those 
 whose  duty  it  was  to  have  heard  it,  [who]  have  not  answered 
 the  intention  of  the  Divine  will. — xrlesi,  creature)  to  men  pri- 
 marily, ver.  16;  to  the  rest  of  creatures  secondarily.  As  widely 
 extended  as  was  the  curse,  so  widely  extended  is  the  blessing. 
 The  creation  of  the  world  by  the  Son  is  the  foundation  of  its 
 redemption  and  His  [coming]  kingdom  [reign]  over  it. 
 
 16.  Uiffrivaag,  he  that  believeth)  the  Gospel.  The  close  of  this 
 Gospel  corresponds  to  its  opening :  ch.  i.  15. — xai  (SaTrisSsig, 
 and  that  is  baptized)  Whosoever  once  believes,  is  wont  to  receive 
 baptism. — (xuSyjairai,  shall  be  saved:  xccTaxpiS^ffsrai,  shall  be  con- 
 demned) There  is  a  Synecdoche  in  both  verbs  :  shall  have  right- 
 eousness [the  antithetic  term  to  xaraxpi/j^a  involved  in  zaraxpi- 
 drjgBTai],  and  salvation;  shall  be  condemned,  and  perish  [the  anti- 
 thesis of  ffw^^jCEra/]. — a'7naTr,aag,  he  who  believeth  not)  Those  who 
 did  not  believe,  did  not  receive  baptism.     The  want  of  baptism 
 
 .^does  not  condemn,  unless  it  be  through  unbelief  [that  baptism 
 is  refused].  The  penalty  of  neglecting  circumcision  is  more 
 expressly  indicated.  Gen.  xvii.  14. 
 
 17.  To/5  T/ffrsicatf/,  in  the  case  of  them  that  believe)  by  the 
 instrumentality  of  that  very  faith,  of  which  ver.  16  treats  :  comp. 
 Heb.  xi.  33,  etc.  The  state  of  mind  [faith]  whereby  Paul  was 
 saved,  was  not  different  fi'om  that  whereby  he  performed  miracles. 
 Even  in  our  day,  faith  has  in  every  believer  a  hidden  power 
 of  a  miraculous  character :  every  effect  resulting  from  our 
 prayers  is  really  miraculous,  even  though  that  miraculous 
 character  be  not  apparent ;  although  in  many,  both  on  account 
 of  their  own  feebleness,  and  on  account  of  the  unworthiness  of 
 the  world, — not  merely  because  [as  some  say]  the  Church,  being 
 once  plonted,  needs  not  the  continuance  of  miracles,  though  no 
 doubt  the  early  miracles  of  the  New  Testament  have  '  made' 
 for  the  Lord  Jesus  "  an  everlasting  name "  (comp.  Isa.  Ixiii. 
 12), — ♦^hat  power  does  not  exert  itself  in  our  day.     Signs  were 
 
5'^ 6  *  ST  MARK  XVI.  18. 
 
 in  the  beginning  the  props  and  stays  of  faith  :  now  they  are 
 also  the  object  of  faith.  At  Leonberg,  a  town  of  Wirtemberg 
 [a.c.  1644,  thirteenth  Sunday  after  Trinity],  a  girl  of  twenty 
 years  of  age  was  so  disabled  in  her  limbs,  as  hardly  to  be  able 
 to  creep  along  by  the  help  of  crutches ;  but  whilst  the  Dean 
 [Raumeier  was  his  name]  was,  from  the  pulpit,  dwelling  on  the 
 miraculous  power  of  Jesus'  name,  she  suddenly  was  raised  up 
 and  restored  to  the  use  of  her  limbs.^ — raura,  these)  ^liracles 
 are  here  alluded  to  of  a  most  palpable  kind,  and  such  as  are 
 altogether  removed  from  eveiy  suspicion  of  trickery. — cra^axo- 
 Xoudrigsi,  shall  follow  in  the  train  of)  The  word  and  faith  precede 
 the  sicrns,  ver.  20. — h  rw  IvofiaTi  Mou,  in  My  name)  which  beHevers 
 call  upon. — xaimTg,  new)  Such  as  they  themselves  had  not  pre- 
 viously known  :  or  even  such  as  no  nation  had  previously 
 spoken  :  1  Cor.  xii.  10.  For  in  Acts  ii.  4,  the  tongues  of  the 
 Parthians,  Medes,  etc.,  are  called  other  tongues,  not  new  tongues. 
 "'Enpai,  other  tongues,  were  such  as  were  used  before,  viz.,  by 
 the  various  nations  :  but  xaivai,  new  tongues :  for  instance,  as 
 at  Corinth,  where  one  spake  in  the  tongue,  and  another  had 
 to  interpret  it,  although  there  was  no  one  present  who  used  the 
 foreign  tongue ;  a  proceeding  which  was  as  it  were  a  kind  of 
 prophetical  exercise. 
 
 18.  Qavdaiiiovy  deadly)  The  resurrection  of  dead  men  is  not 
 here  mentioned:  Jesus  Christ  performed  more  than  lie  promised. 
 But  we  read  of  only  Tabitha  being  raised  by  Peter,  and  Euty- 
 chus  by  Paul :  for  now  that  the  Saviour  has  entered  His  glory, 
 
 1  This  happened  in  the  presence  of  Duke  Eberhard  III.  and  his  courtiers, 
 and  was  committed  to  the  public  records,  which  are  above  all  suspicion. 
 However  D.  Ernesti,  Bihl.  Theol.  T.  ii.  416,  regards  the  whole  aflair  as  not 
 worthy  to  be  dignified  with  the  name  of  miracle.  The  very  words  of  the 
 Dean  are  given  by  E.  B.  in  his  Ed.  of  Beng.  Gnom.,  which  the  curious 
 reader  can  consult.  The  girl  had  been  for  nine  years  continuously  disabled. 
 E.  B.  tells  a  marvellous  tale  in  addition.  At  Lavingen,  in  the  year  1G06, 
 Nov.  26,  Joseph  Jenisch  was  born  of  the  noble  stock  of  the  Kellers  ;  he 
 was  destitute  of  a  tongue  from  his  birth,  but  in  consequence  of  the  earnest 
 prayers  of  his  parents  and  family,  when  he  had  not  yet  finished  his  first  year, 
 he  was  able  to  name  distinctly  the  several  members  of  the  family,  and  was, 
 therefore,  dedicated  to  the  service  of  the  ministry,  which  for  forty  years  he 
 discharged  at  Boblingen  and  Miinchingen  :  he  died  on  the  10th  of  April 
 1675. — Ed.  and  Tkansl. 
 
ST  MARK  XVI.  19,  20.  577 
 
 it  is  more  desirable  [more  to  be  wished  for]  to  wing  one's  flight 
 by  faith  out  of  this  world  into  the  other,  than  to  return  to  this 
 Kfe. 
 
 19.  'O  Kvpiog,  the  Lord)  A  magnificent  and  suitable  appella- 
 tion, ver.  20  [ch.  xii.  36]. — /j^ira  to  XocXr}gai  avro7g,  after  lie  had 
 spoken  to  them)  He  furnished  them  with  His  instructions,  not 
 only  on  the  very  day  of  the  resurrection,  which  has  been  so 
 copiously  described  by  Mark,  but  even  throughout  the  succeed- 
 ing days  \_Comp.  note  on  Matth.  xxviii.  19,  20]. 
 
 20.  Tlavra-)(o\J,  everywhere)  ver.  15.  At  the  time  when  Mark 
 wrote  his  Gospel,  even  then  already  the  apostles  had  gone  forth 
 into  all  the  world  ;  Eom.  x.  18  :  on  this  account  it  is  that,  ex- 
 cepting Peter,  James  the  Elder,  John,  James  the  Less,  and 
 Jude,  we  read  no  mention  in  the  books  of  the  New  Testament 
 of  any  apostle,  save  Paul,  after  the  second  or  fifteenth  chapter 
 of  the  Acts.  Each  one  became  most  known  in  that  place  and 
 country  where  he  preached.  The  name  of  no  apostle  was 
 celebrated  throughout  the  whole  world,  but  the  name  of  Jesus 
 Christ  alone. 
 
 ENl^  OF  "VOL.  i. 
 
 VOL.  I. 
 
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