MODERN SPEECH EW TESTAMENT [ARD FRANCIS WEYMOUTH °Y2&LH°WM;wni&sinrY<> 1Q0S This book was digitized by Microsoft Corporation in cooperation with Yale University Library, 2008. You may not reproduce this digitized copy of the book for any purpose other than for scholarship, research, educational, or, in limited quantity, personal use. You may not distribute or provide access to this digitized copy (or modified or partial versions of it) for commercial purposes. THE MODERN SPEECH NEW TESTAMENT 0 The Modern Speech New Testament AN IDIOMATIC TRANSLATION INTO EVERY DAY ENGLISH FROM THE TEXT OF "THE RESULTANT GREEK TESTAMENT " BV THE I.ATE RICHARD FRANCIS WEYMOUTH FELLOW OF UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON, AND FORMERLY HEADMASTER OF MILL HILL SCHOOL, EDITOR OF " THE RESULTANT GREEK TESTAMENT" EDITED AND PARTLY REVISED BY ERNEST HAMPDEN-COOK, M.A. FORMERLY EXHIBITIONER AND PRIZEMAN OF ST. John's college, Cambridge NEW YORK THE BAKER AND TAYLOR CO. 33-37 EAST SEVENTEENTH STREET Butler & Tanner, The Selvvood Printing Works, frome, and London. CRITICISMS OF THIS TRANSLATION, AND SUGGESTIONS WITH REGARD TO FUTURE EDITIONS, WILL BE WELCOMED IF ADDRESSED TO THE EDITOR, MR. E. HAMPDEN- COOK, SANDBACH, CHESHIRE, ENGLAND. ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE NOTES Aorist. Dr. Weymouth's Pamphlet on the Rendering of the Greek Aorist and Perfect Tenses into English. A.v. Authorised English Version, 1611. Cp. Compare. i.e. That is. Lit. Literally. LXX. The Septuagint (Greek) Version of the Old Testament. n. Note. un. Notes. N.T. New Testament. O.T. Old Testament. K.v. Revised English Version, 1881-85. S. H. Sanday and Headlam's Commentary on ' Romans.' v.L. Varia Lectio. An alternative reading found in some Manu scripts ofthe New Testament. In accordance with modern English custom, ITALICS are used to indicate emphasis. Old Testament quotations are printed in small capitals. PREFACE THE Translation of the New Testament here offered to English-speaking Christians is a bona fide translation made directly from the Greek, and is in no sense a revision. The plan adopted has been the following. i. An earnest endeavour has been made (based upon more than sixty years' study of both the Greek and English lan guages, besides much further familiarity gained by continual teaching) to ascertain the exact meaning of every passage not only by the light that classical Greek throws on the language used, but also by that which the Septuagint and the Hebrew Scriptures afford ; aid being sought too from Versions and Commentators ancient and modern, and from the ample et cetera of apparatus grammaticus and theological and classical reviews and magazines — or rather, by means of occasional ex cursions into this vast prairie. 2. The sense thus seeming to have been ascertained, the next step has been to consider how it could be most accurately and naturally exhibited in the English of the present day ; in other words, how we can with some approach to probability suppose that the inspired writer himself would have expressed his thoughts, had he been writing in our age and country.1 3. Lastly it has been evidently desirable to compare the re sults thus attained with the renderings of other scholars, especi ally of course with the Authorized and Revised Versions. But alas, the great majority of even " new translations," so called, are, in reality, only Tyndale's immortal work a little — often very little — modernized ! 4. But in the endeavour to find in Twentieth Century English a precise equivalent for a Gretk word, phrase, or sentence there 1 I am aware of what Professor Blackie has written on this subject {.Aeschyl-us Pref., p. viii.) ; but the problem endeavoured to be solved in this Tran.s'ation is as above stated. c x PREFACE are two dangers to be guarded against. There are a Scylla and a Charybdis. On the one hand there is the English of Society, on the other hand that of the utterly uneducated, each of these patois having also its own special, though expressive, borderland which we name ' slang.' But all these salient angles (as a professor of fortification might say) of our language are forbidden ground to the reverent translator of Holy Scripture. 5. But again, a modern translation — does this imply that no words or phrases in any degree antiquated are to *ae admitted ? Not so, for great numbers of such words and phrases are still in constant use. To be antiquated is not the same thing as to be obsolete or even obsolescent, and without at least a tinge of antiquity it is scarcely possible that there should be that dignity of style that befits the sacred themes with which the Evangelists and Apostles deal. 6. It is plain that this attempt to bring out the sense of the Sacred Writings naturally as well as accurately in present-day English does not permit, except to a limited extent, the method of literal rendering — the verbo verbum reddere at which Horace shrugs his shoulders. Dr. Welldon, recently Bishop of Cal cutta, in the Preface (p. vii.) to his masterly translation of the Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle, writes, " I have deliberately rejected the principle of trying to translate the same Greek word by the same word in English, and where circumstances seemed to call for it I have sometimes used two English words to represent one word of the Greek ; " — and he is perfectly right. With a slavish literality delicate shades of meaning cannot be reproduced, nor allowance be made for the influence of interwoven thought, or of the writer's ever shifting — not to say changing — point of view. An utterly ignorant or utterly lazy man, if possessed of a little ingenuity, can wilh the help of a dictionary and grammar give a word-for-word rendering, whether intelligible or not, and print ' Translation ' on his title- page. On the other hand it is a melancholy spectacle to see men of high ability and undoubted scholarship toil and struggle at translation under a needless restriction to literality, as in intellectual handcuffs and fetters, when they might with advan tage snap the bonds and fling them away, as Dr. Welldon has done : more melancholy still, if they are at the same time racking their brains to exhibit the result of their labours — a splendid but idle philological tour de force — in what was English nearly 300 years before. PREFACE xi 7. Obviously any literal translation cannot but carry idioms of the earlier language into the later, where they will very prob ably not be understood ; 1 and more serious still is the evil when, as in the Jewish Greek of the N.T., the earlier language of the two is itself composite and abounds in forms of speech that belong to one earlier still. For the N.T. Greek, even in the writings of Luke, contains a large number of Hebrew idioms ; and a literal rendering into English cannot but parti ally veil, and in some degree distort, the true sense, even if it does not totally obscure it (and that too where perfect clearness should be attained, if possible), by this admixture of Hebrew as well as Greek forms of expression. 8. It follows that the reader who is bent upon getting a literal rendering, such as he can commonly find in the R.V. or (often a better one) in Darby's New Testament, should always be on his guard against its strong tendency to mislead. 9. One point however can hardly be too emphatically stated. It is not the present Translator's ambition to supplant the Ver sions already in general use, to which their intrinsic merit or long familiarity or both have caused all Christian minds so lovingly to cling. His desire has rather been to furnish a succinct and compressed running commentary (not doctrinal) to be used side by side with its elder compeers. And yet there has been something of a remoter hope. It can scarcely be doubted that some day the attempt will be renewed to produce a satisfactory English Bible— one in some respects perhaps (but assuredly with great and important deviations) on the lines of the Revision of 1881, or even altogether to supersede both the A.V. and the R.V. ; and it may be that the Translation here offered will contribute some materials that may be built into that far grander edifice. 10. The Greek Text here followed is that given in the Translator's Resultant Greek Testament, concerning which the reader will find information in a somewhat full notice at the end of this volume. 11. Ofthe Various Readings only those are here given which seem the most important, and which affect the rendering into English. They are in the footnotes, with v.L. (varia lectio) prefixed. As' to the chief modern critical editions full details ' 1 A flagrant instance is the " having iu a readiness " of 2 Cor. x. 6. A. V.. although in Tyndale we find "and are redy to take vengeaunce," and even Wiclif writes' " and we han redi to venge." xii PREFACE will be found in the Resultant Greek Testament, while for the original authorities — MSS., Versions, Patristic quotations — the reader must of necessity consult the great works of Lachmann, Tregelles, Tischendorf, and others, or the numerous mono graphs on separate Books.1 In the margin of the R.V. a distinction is made between readings supported by "a few ancient authorities," "some ancient authorities," "many ancient authorities," and so on. Such valuation is not attempted in this work. 12. Considerable pains have been bestowed on the exact ren dering of the tenses of the Greek verb ; for by inexactness in this detail the true sense cannot but be missed. That the Greek tenses do not coincide, and cannot be expected to coincide with those of the English verb ; that — except in narrative — the aorist as a rule is more exactly represented in English by our perfect with "have" than by our simple past tense ; and that in this particular the A.V. is in scores of instances more correct than the R.V. ; the present Translator has contended (with arguments which some ofthe best scholars in Britain and in America hold to be "unanswerable" and " indisputable") in a pamphlet2 On the Rendering into English of the Greek Aorist and Perfect, as to which once more the reader is referred to the end of the volume. Even an outline of the argument cannot be given in a Preface such as this. 13. But he who would make a truly English translation of a foreign book must not only select the right nouns, adjectives, and verbs, insert the suitable prepositions and auxiliaries, and triumph (if he can) over the seductions and blandishments of idioms with which he has been familiar from his infancy, but which, though forcible or beautiful with other surroundings, are for all that part and parcel of that other language rather than of English : he has also to beware of connecting his sentences in an un-English fashion. Now a careful examination of a number of authors (including Scottish, Irish, and American) yields some interesting results. Taking at haphazard a passage from each of fifty-six authors, and counting on after some full stop till fifty finite verbs — i.e. 1 Such as McClellan's Four Gospels ; Westcott on John's Gospel, John's Epistles, and Hcbre-ws ; Hackett on Acts ; Lightfoot, and also Ellicott, on various Epistles ; Mayor on James ; Edwards oni Corinthians and Hebrews ; Sanday and Headlam on Romans. Add to these Scrivener's very valuable Introduction to the Criticism of the N. T. 2 Published by Messrs. Houlston & Sons, London. Price is. nett. PREFACE xiii verbs in the indicative, imperative, or subjunctive mood — have been reached (each finite verb, as every schoolboy knows, being the nucleus of one sentence or clause), it has been found that the connecting links of the fifty-six times fifty sentences are about one third conjunctions, about one-third adverbs or relative and interrogative pronouns, while in the case of the remaining third there is what the grammarians call an asyndeton — no formal grammatical connexion at all. But in the writers of the N.T. nearly two-thirds of the con necting links are conjunctions. It follows that in order to make the style of a translation true idiomatic English many of these conjunctions must be omitted, and for others adverbs, etc., must be substituted. The two conjunctions^'' and therefore are discussed at some length in two Appendices to the above-mentioned pamphlet on the Aorist, to which the reader is referred. 14. The Notes, with but few exceptions, are not of the nature of a general commentary. Some, as already intimated, refer to the readings here followed, but the great majority are in vindication or explanation of the renderings given. Since the completion of this new version nearly two years ago, ill-health has incapacitated the Translator from undertaking even the lightest work. He has therefore been obliged to entrust to other hands the labour of critically examining and revising the manuscript and of seeing it through the press. This arduous task has been undertaken by Rev. Ernest Hamp den-Cook, M.A., St. John's College, Cambridge, of Sandbach, Cheshire, with some co-operation from one of the Translator's sons ; and the Translator is under deep obligations to these two gentlemen for their kindness in the matter. He has also most cordially to thank Mr. Hampden-Cook for making the existence of the work known to various members of the Old MlLLHILLlANS' CLUB and other former pupils of the Translator who in a truly substantial manner have manifested a generous determination to enable the volume to see the light. Very grateful does the Translator feel to them for this signal mark of their friendship. Mr. Hampden-Cook is responsible for the headings of the paragraphs, and at my express desire has inserted some addi tional notes. I have further to express my gratitude to Rev. Frank Ballard, M.A., B.Sc, Lond., at present of Sharrow, Sheffield, for some xiv PREFACE very valuable assistance which he has most kindly given in connexion with the Introductions to the several books. I Tiave also the pleasure of acknowledging the numerous valuable and suggestive criticisms with which I have been favoured on some parts of the work, by an old friend, Rev. Sydney Thelwall, B.A., of Leamington, a clergyman of the Church of England, whom I have known for many years as a painstaking- and accurate scholar, a well-read theologian, and a thoughtful and devout student of Scripture. I am very thankful to Mr. H. L. Gethin, Mr. S. Hales, Mr. J. A. Latham, and Rev. T. A. Seed, for the care with which they have read the proof sheets. And now this translation is humbly and prayerfully com mended to God's gracious blessing. R. F. W. Brentwood, Essex, England. July, 1902. THE BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT The probable order of time in which they were written. PAGR Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians (53 a.d.) . 495 Paul's Second Letter to the Thessalonians (54 a.d.) 505 Paul's Letter to the Galatians (53 a.d.) . . . 447 Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians (56 a. d.) . 3S7 Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians (56 a.d.) . 423 Paul's Letter to the Romans (between 53 and 58, a.d.) 349 Paul's Letter to the Philippians (61 or 62, a.d.). . 475 Paul's Letter to the Ephesians (62 or 63, a.d.) . . 461 Paul's Letter to the Colossians (63 a.d.) . . . 4S5 Paul's Letter to Philemon (63 a.d.) . . . -537 The Good News as recorded by Mark (between 63 and 70, a.d.) 83 The Good News as recorded by Luke (63, 80 or 100, a.d.) 129 The Acts of the Apostles (between 66 and 70, a.d., or between 80 and 90, a.d.) 269 Paul's First Letter to Timothy (66 a.d.) . . .511 Paul's Second Letter to Timothy (67 a.d.) . . .523 Paul's Letter to Titus (67 a.d.) 531 xvi THE BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT PAGE The Letter to the Hebrews (67 or 68, a.d.) . . 541 James's Letter (67 a.d., or between 44 and 50, a.d.) . 571 Peter's First Letter 583 John's First Letter 605 The Revelation of John (67 a d. , or 96 a.d. ) . . 631 The Good News as recorded by Matthew (between 70 a.d. and 90 a.d.) , 1 The Good News as recorded by John (between 80 a.d. and no a.d.) . . . . . 207 Jude's Letter 62c Peter's Second Letter rgc John's Second Letter 617 John's Third Letter 621 THE GOOD NEWS AS RECORDED BY MATTHEW There are ample reasons for accepting the uniform tradition which from the earliest times has ascribed this Gospel to Levi the son of Alphaeus, who seems to have changed his name to ' Matthew ' on becoming a disciple of Jesus. Our information as to his subsequent life is very scanty. After the feast which he made for his old friends (Luke v. 29) his name only appears in the New Testament in the list of the twelve apostles. Early Christian writers add little to our knowledge of him, but his life seems to have been quiet and somewhat ascetic. He is also generally represented as having died a natural death. Where his Gospel was written, or where he himself laboured, we cannot say. Not a little controversy has arisen as to the form in which his Gospel first appeared, that is, as to whether we have in the Greek MSS. an original document or a trans lation from an earlier Aramaic writing. Modern scholarship inclines to the view that the book is not a translation, but was probably written in Greek by Matthew himself, upon the basis of a previously issued collection of " Logia " or discourses, to the existence of which Jerome, Eusebius, Origen, Pantaenus, Irenaeus and Papias all testify. The date of the Gospel, as we know it, is somewhat uncertain, but the best critical estimates are included between 70 and 90, A.D. Perhaps, with Harnack, we may best adopt 75, A.D. The book was evidently intended for Jewish converts, and exhibits Jesus as the God-appointed Messiah and King, the fulfiller of the Law and of the highest expectations of the Jewish nation. This speciality of aim rather enhances than diminishes its general value. Renan found reason for pronouncing it "the most important book of Christendom — the most important book which has ever been written.'' Its aim is manifestly didactic rather than chrono logical. THE GOOD NEWS AS RECORDED BY MATTHEW The Names The Genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, i - of Christ's the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac ; Isaac of Jacob; 2 Jacob of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father (by 3 Tamar) of Perez and Zerah ; Perez of Hezron ; Hezron of Ram ; Ram of Amminadab ; Amminadab of Nahshon ; Nahshon of 4 Salmon ; Salmon (by Rahab) of Boaz ; Boaz (by Ruth) of Obed ; 5 (Obed of Jesse ; Jesse of David — the King. 6 David (by Uriah's widow) was the father of Solomon ; Solomon of Rehoboam ; Rehoboam of Abijah ; Abijah of Asa ; 7 Asa of Jehoshaphat ; Jehoshaphat of Jehoram ; Jehoram of 8 Uzziah ; Uzziah of Jotham ; Jotham of Ahaz ; Ahaz of Heze- 9 ikiah ; Hezekiah of Manasseh ; Manasseh of Amon ; Amon of 10 Josiah ; Josiah of Jeconiah and his brothers at the period ofthe 11 Removal to Babylon. After the Removal to Babylon Jeconiah had a son Shealtiel ; 12 Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel ; Zerubbabel of Abiud ; 13 Abiud of Eliakim ; Eliakim of Azor ; Azor of Zadok ; Zadok of 14 Achim; Achim of Eliud; Eliud of Eleazar; Eleazar of 15 Matthan ; Matthan of Jacob ; and Jacob of Joseph the 16 husband of Mary, who was the mother of JESUS who is called CHRIST. There are therefore, in all, fourteen generations from Abra- 17 ham to David ; fourteen from David to the Removal to Babylon ; and fourteen from the Removal to Babylon to the Christ. Both the A.V. and the R.V. head this first chapter, The Gospel according TO St. Matthew, a mistranslation of the heading found in the mass of later MSS., which should be rendered The Holv Gospel according to Matthew. And so in the other three Gospels. 1-17. Cp. Luke iii. 23-38. 1. Genealogy] Lit. ' Book of Generation." Or it may be rendered ' history ' (and so Baxter), as also may the corresponding expression in the Hebrew of Gen. ii. 4 ; xxxvii. 2. 3. Perez] Of this and other Old Testament proper names the forms here given are those which were adopted by the O.T. Revisers, 3 4 MATTHEW I.-II. The circumstances of the birth of Jesus Christ 18 ofejesulh were theSe" After his mother Ma,"y W3S betrothed to Joseph, before they were united in marriage, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. But Joseph 19 her husband, being a kind-hearted man and unwilling publicly to disgrace her, had determined to release her privately from the betrothal. But while he was contemplating this step, an 20 angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to bring home your wife Mary, for she is with child by the Holy Spirit. She will 21 give birth to a Son, and you are to call His name JESUS, for He it is who will save His People from their sins." All this 22 took place in fulfilment of what the Lord had spoken by the Prophet, ''Mark! the maiden will be with child and will 23 give birth to a son, And they will call His name Immanu-el" (Isa. vii. 14) — a word which signifies ' God with usJ (Isa. viii. 8, 10). When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had 24 commanded, and brought home his wife, but did not live with 25 her until she had given birth to a son. The child's name he called JESUS. -i-i_ w- -* Now after the birth of Jesus, which took place at r o The Visit J ' r A of the Bethlehem in Judaea in the reign of King Herod, iv ' l" excitement was produced in Jerusalem by the arrival 18. Of Jesus Christ] v.l. 'ofthe Christ.' Cp. verse 16. 19. Kind-hearted] See Hatch's Essays in Biblical Greek, p. 51. Or the clause may be rendered 'being an upright man, and yet not wishing ;' for 'and' in Hebrew (and the Greek of the New Testament abounds in Hebraisms) often connects adversative clauses where we use ' but,' as in Gen. ii. 17 ; xvii. 21. See also Aorist, PP- 54. 55- 20. Was contemplating} Lit. 'had conceived in his mind.' 21, Jesus] The Greek form of ' Joshua,' which latter (like ' Joram' 2 Kings ix. 14 for ' Jehoram ' 2 Kings ix. is ; ' Joash ' 2 Kings xii. 20, for ' Jehoash ' 2 Kings xii. 1 ; and ' J onathan ' most commonly for the ' Jehonathan * which we find in the Hebrew in 1 Sam.) is contracted from ' Jehoshua,' or rather ' Yehoshua.' In the Hebrew of the O.T. only the uncontracted form occurs, and (in 1 and 2 Chron., Ezra, and Neh.) the contracted but altered 'Jeshua,' which already approaches the later 'Jesus.' The full significance of the name 'Jesus ' is sefcn in the original ' Yeho shua,' which means 'Jehovah the Saviour,' and not merely 'Saviour,' as the word is commonly explained. See also ix. 21, n. ; xxi. 9, n. 22. Took place] The tense ofthis verb in the Greek implies— ' and remains, as it is, an accomplished fact.' Or it may be taken (Lightfoot) as 'is come to pass ' or 'has taken place,' the perfect tense being accounted for by the Evangelist's proximity in time to the events themselves. Fulfilment] Or 'illustration.' Cp. ii. 15. By] Or 'through.' 25. A son] v.l. 'her firstborn son,' an expression apparently transferred by the carelessness of copyists, trusting too much to memory, from Luke ii, 7, where the words undoubtedly occur. 1. In the reign] Lit. 'in the days.' A Hebraism. Excitement &°c] Lit. ' Io ! there came.' See viii. 24, n. ; xii. 18, n. Magians] A priestly caste among the Persians, not idolaters. MATTHEW II. 5 of certain Magians from the east, inquiring, " Where is the newly 2 born king of the Jews ? For we have seen his Star in the east, and have come here to do him homage." Reports of this soon 3 reached the king, and greatly agitated not only him but all the people of Jerusalem. So he assembled all the High Priests and 4 Scribes of the people, and anxiously asked them where the Christ was to be born. They replied, " At Bethlehem in 5 Judaea, for so it stands written in the words of the Prophet, 'And thou, Bethlehem in the land of Judah ! 6 By no me\ns the least honourable art thou among the princes of judah ; for from thee shall come a prince — one who shall be the shepherd of my people Israel'" (Mic. v. 2). Thereupon Herod sent privately for the Magians and ascer- 7 tained from them the exact time ofthe star's appearing. He then 8 directed them to go to Bethlehem, adding, " Go and make care ful inquiry about the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and do him homage." After 9 this interview they went to Bethlehem, while, strange to say, the star they had seen in the east led them on until it came and stood over the place where the babe was. When they saw the 10 star, fhe sight filled them with intense joy. So they entered ri tKe house ; and when they saw the babe with His mother Mary, they prostrated themselves and did Him homage, and opening their treasure-chests offered gifts to Him — gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But being forbidden by God in a dream to return 12 to Herod, they went back to their own country by a different route. When they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to 13 4. High Priests] See the Commentators. It is the same Greek word which both in the A.V. and the R.V. is sometimes rendered ' High Priest,' sometimes ' Chief Priest.' Anxiously asked] The tense (imperfect) in the original implies that he asked repeatedly, pressed the inquiry. 6. Bethlehem in the land of Judah] Lit. ' Bethlehem-land-Judah,' a Hebraism analogous to 'Jabesh-Gilead,' i.e. 'Jabesh of (or 'in') 'Gilead,' ' Kedesh- Naphtali," i.e. ' Kedesh of Naphtali.' In Hebrew the relation implied by our ' of is not expressed with the latter of the two related words, but with the former, or is often not expressed at all. Princes . . Prince] Or 'governors . . governor.' 7. Of the star s appeal ing] Lit. 'of the appearing star.' See Goodwin's Moods and Tenses, 829 (b). 8, n. Do him homage] Or perhaps ' worship ' See John ix. 38, n 9. Strange to say] Lit. ' lo ! ' See viii. 24, n. ; xii. 18, n. They had seen] See Aorist, p. 19. it. Saw] V.L. 'found.' With] Probably 'in the arms of.' 12. Forbidden by God] Lit. 'taught as by an oracle, not. 13. Gone ] Or ' returned. ' 6 MATTHEW II.-III. Joseph in a dream and said, " Rise : take the babe TtoeEgSypt!e and His mother and escape to Egypt, and remain there till I bring you word. For Herod is about to make search for the child in order to destroy Him." So Joseph 14 roused himself and took the babe and His mother by night and departed into Egypt. There he remained till Herod's death, 15 that what the Lord spoke by the Prophet might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt I called My Son" (Hos. xi. 1). -ru -ujj Then Herod, finding that the Magians had 16 The Children ' ° ° at Bethlehem trifled with him, was furious, and sent and mas- cruelly killed. sacretj aj[ tj,e boys un(Jer two years of age, in Bethlehem and all its neighbourhood, according to the date he had so carefully ascertained from the Magians. Then were 17 the words spoken by the Prophet Jeremiah fulfilled, "A voice was heard in Ramah, 18 Wailing and bitter lamentation : It was Rachel bewailing her children, And she refused to be comforted because they WERE NO MORE" (Jer. xxxi. 15). But after Herod's death an angel of the Lord ap- 19 fromREgypt Peared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20 " Rise from sleep, and take the child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who were seek ing the child's life are dead." So he roused himself and took 21 the child and His mother and came into the land of Israel. But hearing that Archelaiis had succeeded his father Herod on 22 the throne of Judaea, he was afraid to go there; and being in structed by God in a dream he withdrew into Galilee, and went 23 and settled in a town called Nazareth, in order that the words spoken by the Prophets might be fulfilled, " He shall be John the CALLED A NAZARENE." preaches About this time John the Baptist made his ap- 1 r- Judgement pearance, proclaiming in the desert of Judaea, *" Repentance. " Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is now close 2 15, 17, 23. Fulfilled] Or ' illustrated.' Sec E.B. Nicholson on Matt. ii. 15. 18. Bewailing] Or ' weeping aloud for.' See xxvi. 75, n. 22. By God] Cp. verse 12, where the same verb is used. 23. Nazarene] A form closer to the Greek would be ' Nazorsean.' And so every where except in Mark, and in Luke iv. 34. But the recognized English form is ' Nazarene. 1-10. Cp. Mark i. 1-6 ; Luke iii. 1-14. 2. Repent] Or ' change your minds.' Kingdom of Heaven] Lit. ' Kingdom of the Heavens,' and so wherever the phrase occurs in this Gospel. Matthew most com monly employs the plural ' Heavens,' following the Hebrew usage ; but he also uses the singular in many places, and that not merely of the atmosphere (vi. a6) or MATTHEW III. 7 at hand." He it is who was spoken of by the Prophet Isaiah 3 when he said, "The voice of one crying aloud, ' in the desert prepare ye a road for the lord : Make His highway straight'" (Isa. xl. 3). 4 This man John wore clothes of camel's hair, and a leather belt round his waist ; and he lived upon locusts and wild honey. Then large numbers of people went out to him — people from 5 Jerusalem and from all Judaea, and from the whole of the Jordan valley— and were baptized by him in the Jordan, making 6 full confession of their sins. But when he saw many of the 7 Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he exclaimed, " O vipers' brood, who has warned you to flee from the coming wrath ? Therefore let your lives prove your change of heart ; 8 and do not imagine that you can say to yourselves, ' We have 9 Abraham as our forefather,' for I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones. And already 10 the axe is lying at the root of the trees, so that every tree which does not produce good fruit will quickly be hewn down and thrown into the fire. I indeed am baptizing 1 1 He predicts , . . , the Appearing you in water on a profession ot repentance ; but ofdJesusk -^e w^° 's comln8' after me is mightier than I : His sandals I am not worthy to carry for a moment ; He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire. His winnowing-shovel is in His hand, and He will make a 12 thorough clearance of His threshing-floor, gathering His wheat into the garner, but burning up the chaff with unquench able fire." the visible sky (xvi. 2), and also of Heaven as the abode of God (v. 34) and of His angels (xxii. 30). 3. In the desert prepare] This is the punctuation preferred by Tregelles (see his note on Mark i. 3), and given in Isa. xi. 3 in the R. V., being required there both by the accents ofthe Hebrew and by the parallelism ofthe two clauses. 4. This man] Or ' the same.' Lit. ' and John himself.' Cp. Luke xxiii 40. n. 7 Brood] Lit. 'offsprings.' Warned you to flee from] Or possibly 'taught you how to escape.' 8. Change of heart] Or- ' change of mind.' Such is the exact meaning of the word commonly, and not wrongly, rendered ' repentance.' This is the only Scripture name for ' conversion.' 9. Do not imagine] Or ' do not flatter yourselves with the notion. ' To yourselves] Lit. ' within yourselves' or 'among yourselves.' To raise up] Lit. ' to wake up.' 11-12. Cp. Mark i. 7-8 ; Luke iii. 15-18. 11. In -water] Or possibly, 'with water' (Cp Acts i. 5; xi. 16), a Hebraism (compare ' with the sword,' lit. ' in the sword,' xxvi. 52 ; Rev. xiii. 10). And so at the end of the verse. On a profession of] Lit. 'into' (that changed cjndiliou), or ' unto ' (to teach the absolute necessity of). 18. Burning up] Lit. ' burning down,' to ashes. Chajf] Or ' broken straw. 8 MATTHEW III.-IV. Christ' Just at l^at time Jesus> cominS from Galilee to 13 double the Jordan, presents Himself to John to be baptized Baptism. by hjm john protested « It is i» he sajd, " who 14 have need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let it be so on this occasion ; for so we ought 15 to fulfil every religious duty." Then he consented ; Jesus was 16 baptized, and immediately went up from the water. At that moment the heavens opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him, while a voice 17 came from heaven, saying, " This is My Son, the dearly loved, in whom is My delight." His terrible ^l t'lat t'me Jesus was 'e\i. xvii. 1-7. 9. If you &c] The tense^ imply ' il" you will but do me one single act of homage ' MATTHEW IV. 9 " Begone, Satan ! for it is written, ' To the Lord thy God THOU SHALT DO HOMAGE, AND TO HlM ALONE SHALT THOU render worship'" (Deut. vi. 13). Thereupon the devil left 11 Him, and angels at once came and ministered to Him Now when Jesus heard that John was thrown 12 intoGafnee. >nt0 prison, He withdrew into Galilee, and leaving 13 Nazareth He went and settled in Capharnahum, a town by the Lake on the frontiers of Zebulun and Naphtali, in 14 order to make good the words of the Prophet Isaiah, "zebulun's land and naphtall's land; 15 The road by the lake ; the country beyond the Jordan ; Galilee of the Nations ! The people who were dwelling in darkness have 16 seen a brilliant light ; And on those who were dwelling in the region of the shadow of death, On THEM light has dawned " (Isa. ix. 1, 2). From that time Jesus began proclaiming : " Re- 17 preeachf"FourPenti f°r tne Kingdom of Heaven is now close at DiSnPrieS hand" And walking along the shore of the Lake 18 of Galilee He saw two brothers — Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew — throwing a drag-net into the Lake ; for they were fishers. And He said to them, " Come 19 and follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." So they 20 immediately left their nets and followed Him. As He went 21 further on, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zabdai and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zabdai mending their nets ; and He called them. Whereupon they 22 at once left the boat and their father, and followed Him. Then Jesus travelled through all Galilee, teach- 23 "an^Mi^ac'lef 'ng in tlle'r synagogues and proclaiming the Good throughout News of the Kingdom, and curing every kind of disease and infirmity among the people. Thus His 24 n. At once] Cp. viii. 24, n. 12-25. Cp. Mark i 14, 15 ; Luke iv. 14, 15. _ 12. Thrown into prison] Lit. 'delivered up ' (to the jailer). 13. Capliarnahuin] See E. B. Nicholson's note on Matt. iv. 13. 13,15. Lake] I.E. '.Sea of Galilee.' 15. Galilee of 1 he Nations] Or ' Heathenish Galilee ! ' 16. Dwelling] See Luke i. 79, n. Region of the shadow] Lit. ' region and shadow,' a hendiadys. 23. Travelled through] Or ' made circuits in.' The Good News of the King lorn] I.E. the good news that the Kingdom of Heaven was close at hand {verse 17). 24. Suffering from] Cp. Luke iv. 38 ; viii. 37, n. io MATTHEW IV.-V. fame spread through all Syria ; and they brought all the sick to Him, the people who were suffering from various diseases and pains — demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics ; and He cured them. And great crowds followed Him, coming from Galilee, from 25 the Ten Towns, from Jerusalem, and 'from beyond the district on the other side ofthe Jordan. Seeing the multitude of people, Jesus went up the 1 J T>netherHiii.n Hill. There He seated Himself, and when His disciples came to Him, He proceeded to teach 2 them, and said : " Blessed are the poor in spirit, for to them belongs the King- 3 dom of the Heavens. " Blessed are the mourners, for they will be comforted. 4 " Blessed are the meek, for they as heirs will obtain posses- 5 sion of the earth. " Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 6 for they will be completely satisfied. " Blessed are the compassionate, for they will receive com- 7 passion. " Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 8 " Blessed are the peacemakers, for it is they who will be 9 recognized as sons of God. " Blessed are they who have borne persecution in the cause 10 of righteousness, for to them belongs the Kingdom of the Heavens. 'Blessed are you when they have insulted and persecuted 11 1. The Hill] Or ' mountain.' Probably well known to the first readers of the Gospels. Seated Himself] Stapfer contends that this means that Jesus remained there for a time. " Y fit sa demeure," he renders it, comparing the sense of the same verb in Luke xxiv. 49 ; Acts xviii. 11. Cp. Matt. xv. 29. 2. Most of the difficulties arising from a comparison of this discourse with the ' Sermon on the Plain ' recorded in Luke vi. come from ignoring the fact that, like all other teachers and preachers, Jesus often repeated Himself, and in so doing somewhat varied His language. " Nolhing is so ductile as fine gold. So was it with the fine gold of the Saviour's doctrine, which yielded itself easily to be shaped and fashioned into new forms, as need might require " (Trench). 3-6. Cp. Luke vi. 20, 21. 3-11. Blessed] Or ' Happy.' An adjective in the original, not the past participle of the verb ' bless ' as in xxi. 9. ' Blessedness ' is, of course, an infinitely higher and better thing than mere 'happiness.' People who are blessed may oulwardly be much to be pitied, but from the higher and therefore truer standpoint they are to be envied, congratulated and imitated. Poor] Or ' beggars.' ' Mendici,' Tertullian. 4, 5. v. L. transposes these verses. 5. The meek] Men of a retiring, submissive, chastened spirit. The word ' meek ' is seldom used now, but there is no other to substitute for it. Luther renders bv die Sanftmiithigen, (the sweet-tempered, the tenderhearted), and similarly Welldon gives 'good-tempered' in his note on Aristotle, Nic. Ethics, lv. 11, but neither of these words adequately represents the meaning. 9. It is they who]. Some authorities do not so emphasize the 'they.' See also xiii. 38, n 11-12. Cp. Luke vi. 22-26. MATTHEW V. ii you, and have said every cruel thing about you falsely for my sake. Be joyful and triumphant, because your reward is great 12 in the Heavens ; for so were the Prophets before you persecuted. " You are the salt of the earth ; but if salt has 13 Light! become tasteless, in what way can it regain its salt- ness ? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown away and trodden on by the passers by. You are the 14 light of the world ; a town cannot be hid if built on a hill-top. Nor is a lamp lighted to be put under a bushel, but on the 15 lampstand ; and then it gives light to all in the house. Just so 16 let your light shine before all men, in order that they may see your holy lives and may give glory to your Father who is in Heaven. " Do not for a moment suppose that I have come 17 repealed.0* to abrogate the Law or the Prophets : I have not come to abrogate them but to give them their com pletion. Solemnly I tell you that until heaven and earth pass 18 away, not one iota or smallest detail will pass away from the Law until all has taken place. Whoever therefore breaks one 19 13. Cp. Mark ix. 50 ; Luke xiv. 34, 35. 13, 14. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the •wor'td] It must not be forgotten that these words were originally spoken to a Hebrew, rather than to a distinctively Christian audience. The purpose for which the Jewish nation ex isted was an unselfish one — that they might be a spiritual salt preserving the rest of mankind from utter corruption, and a spiritual light shedding over the whole earth a beneficent influence resembling that ofthe sun in the sky. The second sen tence of verse 13 is our Lord's first recorded prediction of the divine rejection of His fellow countrymen — a rejection then so near — consequent upon their failure to re spond to their divine election. Spoken originally to Jews the lesson is one which Christians in all ages sorely need to lay to heart. Tasteless] See E. B. Nicholson's note on Matt. v. 13. 16. Your holy lives] "Not yourselves; the shining, not the candle" (Bengel). 17. The Law] i.e. the moral and ceremonial Law of Moses, which remained bind ing upon all Jewish Christians until the Mosaic dispensation passed away at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70, a.d. Even St. Paul who so zealously con tended for the exemption of Gentile Christians from this Law seems never to have claimed a similar freedom for the Jewish believers of his day. See especially Acts xxi. 21, where the charge brought against him was, of course, a false one. 18. Cp. Luke xvi. 17. Solemnly] Greek 'Amen.' This is a Hebrew word, a verbal adjective, meaning ' firm,' ' solid,' ' immovable,' and so ' faithful,' ' true.' Its ordinary use is elliptical, the verb understood being either in the indicative (' it is immovably settled,* 'certainly true,'), as here, or in the optative ('may it be fixed and certain') as when it follows a prayer (1 Cor. xiv. 16). See also Rev. iii. 14, n. Heaven and earth] To our Lord's contemporaries the religious and social system under which they lived seemed almost as fixed and as eternal as the earth and sky. Indeed 'heaven and earth' appears to have been a name which they gave to the then-existing order of things in recognition of what they deemed its permanence and fixity. So both here and in xxiv. 35 the phrase seems to denote ' the Jewish dispensation,' the transitory and provisional character of which Jesus insisted on. In order to make the tran sition less abrupt and revolutionary, and forthe sake of their own spiritual education, the early Jewish adherents ofthe new faith were for a limited time to be left subject to an antiquated system of things. Not one iota or smallest detail] Or, as we Eng lish miyht say, ' not the dot of an i nor the cross of a t.' 19. Breaks . , teaches . practises . . teaches] Lit. * shall have broken &c* Others to break them] Lit. ' men so.' 12 MATTHEW V. of these least commandments and teaches others to break them, will be called the least in the Kingdom of the Heavens ; but whoever practises them and teaches them, he will be acknow ledged as great in the Kingdom of the Heavens. For I assure 20 you that unless your righteousness greatly surpasses that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will certainly not find entrance into the Kingdom of the Heavens. " You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 21 AMSuerder.d 'THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT MURDER (Exod. XX. 13), and whoever commits murder will be answerable to the magistrate.' But I say to you that every one who be- 22 comes angry with his brother shall be answerable to the magis trate ; that whoever says to his brother ' Raca,' shall be answer able to the Sanhedrin ; and that whoever says, ' You fool ! ' shall be liable to the Gehenna of Fire. If therefore when you are 23 offering your gift upon the altar, you remember that your brother has a grievance against you, leave your gift there 24 before the altar, and go and make friends with your brother first, and then return and proceed to offer your gift. Come to 25 terms without delay with your opponent while you are yet with him on the way to the court ; for fear he should obtain judge ment from the magistrate against you, and the magistrate should give you in custody to the officer and you be thrown into prison. I solemnly tell you that you will certainly not be re- 26 leased till you have paid the very last farthing. .. ,. " You have heard that it was said, ' THOU SHALT 27 Adultery and ' ' impure NOT COMMIT ADULTERY ' (Exod. XX. 14). But I tell 28 "s s' you that whoever looks at a woman and cherishes lustful thoughts has already in his heart become guilty with 20. Your 7-ighteousness] I.E. 'your scrupulous observance ofthe Law' — obser vance of its spirit as well as of its letter, of its letter as well as of its spirit. Greatly surpasses] Lit. ' shall have abounded more than.' Verses 21 to 48 of this chapter illustrate the way in which Jewish Christians were to observe the Law of Moses even more scrupulously than the Scribes and Pharisees did. 21. Yon have heard] "The people knew the Law only by the public readings" (Tholuck). The magistrate] See Deut. xvi. 18. 22. Angry with his brother] v.l. adds 'without just cause.' Raca] I.E. 'you empty man 1 ' Sa7ihedrin] The Supreme Court at Jerusalem. Fool] Or 'Impious rebel ; ' Greek more. " The mention of an Oriental word raca in the first clause, and of the Sanhedrin, where crimes of blasphemy were punished, makes it probable that there is a reference (in more) to the Hebrew mornh, apostate " (Wordsworth), Gehenna of Fire] Or 'Hell.' 'Ihe severest punishment inflicted by the Jews upon any criminal. The corpse (after the man had been stoned to death) was thrown out into the Valley of Hinnom (Gay- Hinnom) and was devoured by the worm or the flame (Alford). ' Gehenna' is rendered by McClellan 'The Burning Valley.' 25-26. Cp. Luke xii. 58, 59. 25. Come to terms] Or _' be reasonable and accommodating.' Officer] 1 e. ' police officer' or ' constable,' as in xxvi. 58. MATTHEW V. 13 regard to her. If therefore your eye, even the right eye, is a 29 snare to you, tear it out and away with it ; it is better for you that one member should be destroyed rather than your whole body be thrown into Gehenn.i. And if your right hand is a 30 snare to you, cut it off and away with it ; it is better for you that one member should be destroyed rather than your whole body go into Gehenna. _ „ . "Also it was said, ' If ANY MAN PUTS away his 31 The Sacred- ' J ness of Mar- WIFE, LET HIM GIVE HER A WRITTEN NOTICE OF Hage. divorcement' (Deut. xxiv. i). But I tell you that 32 every man who puts away his wife except on the ground of unfaithfulness causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries her when so divorced commits adultery. Si Die Truth- "' Again, you have heard that it was said to the 33 fulness of ancients, 'THOU SHALT NOT SWEAR FALSELY Speec . (Exod. xx. 7)] BrjT SHALT PERFORM THY VOWS TO THE Lord' (Num. xxx. ¦>. , Deut. xxiii. 21). But I tel' you not 34 to swear at all ; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne ; nor 35 by the earth, for it is the footstool under His feet ; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the City of the Great King And do not 36 swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your language be, ' Yes, yes,' or ' No, no ; ' any- 37 thing in excess ofthis comes from the Evil one. " You have heard that it was said, ' Eye for 38 forbidden56 EYE> TO0TH F0R TOOTH ' (Exod. xxi. 24) But I 39 tell you not to resist a wicked man, but if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well ; if any one wishes to go to law with you and to deprive you of 40 29, 30. Is a snare to you] Lit. ' is tripping you up,' I.E. causing you to stumble into sin. The same verb occurs 30 times in the N.T. ; 14 times in this Gospel. In every case it is translated in the A.V. by ' offend,' which is probably to be understood in the sense of the Latin verb ' offendere,' to stumble, or cause to stumble. See xv. 12, n. 32. Cp. Luke xvi. 18. 32. Unfaithfulness] Whether before marriage (see i. 18-25) or after. Her when so divorced] Or perhaps, generally, 'a divorced woman.' 34. On the subject of judicial oaths see xxvi. 63, n. 35. By Jerusalem] Lit. ' into,' implying the turning of the thoughts, and perhaps the face also, towards the City and the Temple. 37. Let your language be] V.L. 'your language shall be.' The Evil one] Or 'wickedness.' See 2 Cor. v. 10, n. 39-42. Cp. Luke vi. 27-30. 39. Strikes] Or 'slaps' or perhaps, 'strikes with a rod.' Cp. xxvi. 67. Cheek] Lit. 'jaw.' 40. In Palestine and the adjacent countries the common people to the present day wear, as the Greeks and Romans did of old, two garments only. These are a long cotton shirt or tunic (the Greeks and Romans, and doubtless the ancient Jews, wore wool), called by the Arabs kamise, and an outer mantle or cloak, square, with two holes in it for the arms to pass through, called an abba or abbdyeh. The latter, often more or less embroidered, is the more costly 14 MATTHEW V.-VI. your under garment, let him take your outer one also ; and 41 whoever shall compel you to convey his goods one mile, go with him two. To him who asks, give : from him who would 42 borrow, turn not away. " You have hea-d that it was said, ' THOU SHALT 43 ' LOw1ceked *he L0VE THY NEIGHBOUR Lev. xix. 18) and hate thine enemy.' But I command you all, love your 44 enemies, and pray for your persecutors ; that so you may be- 45 come true sons of your Father in Hea .en ; for He causes His sun to rise on the wicked as well as the good, and sends rain upon those who do right and those who do wrong. For if you 46 love only those who love voj, what reward have you earned ? Do not even the tax-gatherers do that ? Arid if you salute 47 only your near relatives, what praise is due to you ? Do not even heathens do the same? You however are to be complete 43 in goodness, as yojr Heavealy Father is complete. 'Do not " Be ' are of doing voir good actions in the sight 1 f parade your of men, in order to attract their gaze ; if you do, there is no reward for you with yo xx Father who is in heaven. " When you give in charity, never blow a 2 ' *n°OhiuMtyl*y trumPet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and streets in order that their praises may be sung by men. I solemnly tell you that they already have their reward. Eut when you are giving in charity, let not 3 your left hand perceive what your right hand is doing, that your 4 charities may be in secret ; and then your Father — He who sees in secret — will recompense you. 'And when praying, you must not be like the 5 " ' hypocrites. They are fond of standing and pray ing in the synagogues or at the corners of the wider streets, in order that men may see them. I solemnly tell you that tr.ey already have their reward. But you, whenever you pray, go 6 41. Convey] Namely on your mule or ass ; or perhaps, 'carry.' 44-4;. Cp. Luke vi 32-30. 1. G-:od a:tio7iz\ Lit. _' r.ghteousness.' This consisted, accorpag to the teaching jf the scribes, in a.msgiving 'see verse 21. pravtr (verse 5 , and iastir.z (verse i?t Hatch has some :n:ere=ting reu:ar>s OD lh± .,oru (Biblical Greek, p. soj, but he has forgoiten that there is no word iu the Hebrew 01 Oat O.i Testament that definitely signifies ' alms.' 2. Trumpet] See the Commentators. 2, 5. ibb fiuy airta-iy have :-P. r ' cward] .So too. in Luke vi. 24. The same verb is sinj-IaPy used in P.ou.. iv. iE ajid Pn.iem. 15. Granvi..e Peon's rendeiinau 'they are far fro no tneir rewar^.' is altogether ioadu-i-sible, whtu the -.ero as here is io. the active voice and governs the accusative. 2, 3. 4. Charity] Of course in our 20th cen; ~ry ^e^se of the » ord. 6. On.,: rOTtn] Lit. 'larder' or P;or=-cio^t.' MATTHEW VI. 15 into your Own room and shut the door : then pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father — He who sees in secret — will recompense you. "And when praying, do not use needless repe- 7 Repetitions!^ titions as heathens do, for they expect to be lis tened to for their multitude of words. Do not, 8 however, imitate them ; for your Father knows what things you need before ever you ask Him. " In this manner therefore pray : ' Our Father 9 Prayer.' S wl10 art '" Heaven, may Thy name be kept holy ; 10 let Thy kingdom come ; let Thy will be done, as in heaven so on earth ; give us to-day our bread for the day ; and 1 1, forgive us our shortcomings, as we also have forgiven those who have failed in their duty towards us; and bring us not 13 into temptation, but rescue us from the Evil one.' " For if you forgive others their offences, your 14 given^ssan Heavenly Falher will forgive you also ; but if you 15 absolute do not forgive others their offences, neither will Necessity. ° ' your Father forgive yours. 'Fast secretly " When any of you fast, never assume a gloomy 16 and cheer- look as the hypocrites do ; for they disfigure their y' faces in order that it may be evident to men that they are fasting. I solemnly tell you that they already have theirreward. But, whenever you fast, pour perfume on your hair 17 and wash your face, that it may not be apparent to men that 18 8, 23. However] See Aorist, pp. 51, 52. 8. Your Father] v.l. 'God your Father.' 9-10. Cp. Luke xi. 2. 10. Will] Or 'pleasure-' Cp. John vi. 38, n. 11-13, Cp. Luke xi. 3, 4. ir. For the day] More lit. 'for the day now coming on.' It should be remem bered that this prayer was taught by our Lord who was a Jew to His disciples who were Jews, and that according to Jewish reckoning the day begins at sunset. This petition is therefore not only appropriate in the morning, as referring to the supply of our necessities till nightfall, but also in the evening, as embracing all the time till the next evening. 12. Failed in their duty] Cp. Luke xi. 4, u. This, however, although negative, is an ' offence,' verse 15. 13. From the Evil one] Or possibly ' from evil ; ' but in that case ' out of,' as used with the same verb in 2 Pet. ii. 9, might have been expected rather than 'from.' Such is the usage of the Greek language. (See, for example, Herodotus i. 87.) As to the doxology which in later manuscripts is found at the end of the Lord's Prayer, the statement of Alford that " we find absolutely no trace of it in early times " is inexact : it does occur in an imperfect form in the one existing MS. of The Teach ing ofthe Apostles. (This most interesting book, however, had not been discovered when Alford wrote.) , Still the balance of evidence as to the authenticity of the doxology is overwhelmingly against it. 17. Perfume] The use of highly scented oil or pomade, sometimes very costly, was customary among the Greeks and Romans, and therefore not unusual among the Jews in the time of our Lord. " Christ's great command is to do the hardest things for His sake as if we liked them" (E. Thring). 16 MATTHEW VI. you are fasting, but to your Father who is in secret ; and your Father— He who sees in secret— will recompense you. " Do not lay up stores of wealth for yourselves 19 'inVHe>a«en.l'thon earth, where the moth and wear-and-tear de stroy, and where thieves break in and steal ; but 20 amass wealth for yourselves in heaven, where neither the moth nor wear-and-tear destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your wealth is, there also will your heart 21 be.., .. „ " The eye is the lamp of the bodv. If then your 22 Motives are of ' r ' .,, , ,, supreme Im- eyesight is good, your whole body will be well portance. ,jgllted . but ;f your eyesight is bad, your whole 23 body will be dark. If however the very light within you is dark ness, how dense must the darkness be ! "No man can be in the service of two masters ; for either 24 he will dislike one and like the other, or he will attach himself .,,,,, . to one and neglect the other. You cannot be ser- All Worry is ° forbidden to vants both to God and to gold. For this reason 2j Christians, j cjlarge you not t0 be 0ver-anxious about your lives, inquiring what you are to eat or what you are to drink, nor yet about your bodies, inquiring what clothes you are to put on. Is not the life more precious than its food, and the body than its clothing ? Look at the birds which fly in the air : 26 they do not sow or reap or store up in barns, but your Heavenly Father feeds them : are not you of much greater value than they? Which of you by being over-anxious can add a single 27 foot to his height ? And why be anxious about clothing? Learn 28 a lesson from the wild lilies. Watch their growth. They neither toil nor spin, and yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his 29 magnificence could array himself like one of these. And if 30 19-21. Cp. Luke xii. 33, 34. 19, 20. Wear-and-tear] So Alford. Or ' rust.' For the sense cp. Col. ii. 22, the parenthetical clause. Break in] Lit. ' dig through ' (the wall). 22-23. Cp. Luke xi. 34-36. 22, 23. Eyesight] Lit. 'eye.' 24. Cp. Luke xvi. 13. 24. Be in the service of] Lit. ' be the slave of.' Servants] Or ' slaves.' Gold] Lit. ' Mamon.' The word occurs also in Luke xvi. 9, 11, 13. 25. Cp. Luke xii 22, 23. 26-33. Cp. Luke xii. 24-31. 27. A single foot] Lit. 'one cubit.' In Hebrew and in Classical and Hellenistic Greek (as always in French and most modern European languages) the first cardinal numeral is sometimes used with a weakened force as equivalent to our indefinite article. Possibly however the true sense is ' can add a single moment to his ap pointed span of life.' Not one person in ten thousand wishes to add eighteen inches to his stature, but many would gladly poolong their lives. For ' foot,' cp. Luke xii. 25. 28. Lilies. Wati.h their growth] Lit. ' lilies— how they grow ' Toil] As men do. Spin] as women do. MATTHEW VI.-VII. 17 God so clothes the wild herbage which to-day flourishes and to-morrow is feeding the oven, will He not much more clothe you, you men of little faith ? Do not be over-anxious, therefore, 31 asking 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For all these are questions that 32 heathens are always asking ; but your Heavenly Father knows that you need these things — all of them. But make His King- 33 dom and righteousness your chief aim, and then these things shall all be given you in addition. Do not be over-anxious, 34 therefore, about to-morrow, for the morrow will bring its own cares. Enough for to-day are to-day's troubles. Criminals " JudSe not> that you may not be judged ; for I,2r( mustnotjudge your own j'udgement will be dealt — and your own Criminals. ' \ ° ^ , ._,,-, measure meted — to yourselves. And why do you 3 look at the speck in your brother's eye, and do not consider the beam of timber in your own eye ? Or how say to your brother, 4 'Allow me to take the speck out of your eye,' while the beam is in your own eye? Hypocrite, first take the beam out of your 5 own eye, and then you will see sufficiently clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. " Give not that which is holy to the dogs, nor throw your 6 pearls to the swine ; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and then turn and attack you. Prayer, a " ^sk, and it will be given to you ; seek, and you 7 three-fold wifl find ; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For it is always he who asks that receives, 8 he who seeks that finds, and he who knocks that has the door opened to him. Who is there, a man of your own number, 9 who if his son shall ask him for bread will offer him a stone ? Or if the son shall ask him for a fish will offer him a snake? 10 If you then, imperfect as you are, know how to give good gifts to 1 1 your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him ! Everything, therefore, be 12 31, 34. Over-anxious] The form of the verb in these two verses bears a meaning that differs by a shade from that in verse 25. In verse 25 the sense is ' not to_ cherish solicitude ; ' in verses 31, 34 ' Admit no solicitude,' that is, ' do not even begin to be anxious.' See Aorist vi. 6. 32. For . . but] Lit. ' for . . for.' See Aorist, Appendix A, 11. 1-2. Cp. Mark iv. 24 : Luke vi. 37. 3-5. Cp. Luke vi. 39-42. 3, 4, 5. Speck . . beam] A striking instance of oriental hyperbole. Consider] Or ' notice.' 6. Attack] Tearing you with their tusks. 7-11. Cp. Luke xi. 9-13. 7. Ask . seek . . knock] Or ' Keep asking . . seeking . . knocking.' 12. Cp, Luke vi. 31, C 18 MATTHEW VII. it what it may, that you would have men do to you, do you also the same to them ; for in this the Law and the Prophets are summed up. The Need of " Enter by the narrow gate ; for wide is the gate 13 intense and broad the road which leads to ruin, and many Earnestness. , , , - , .. there are who enter by it ; because narrow is the 14 gate and contracted the road which leads to Life, and few are those who find it. -r u » i„ " Beware of the false teachers — men who come to 1; Teachers to be J judged by you in sheep's fleeces, but beneath that disguise they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will easily 16 recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from brambles ? Just so every good tree produces good fruit, but a 17 poisonous tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad J 8 fruit, nor a poisonous tree good fruit. Every tree which does 19 not yield good fruit is cut down and thrown aside for burning. So by their fruits at any rate, you will easily recognize them. 20 _, ,. "Not every one who says to me, 'Master, Master ' 21 Real Obedi- ' J TT ' ' ' ence the only will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those Heaven w^° are obedient to my Father in Heaven. Many 22 will say to me on that day, 'Master, Master, have we not prophesied by Thy name, and by Thy name expelled demons, and by Thy name performed many mighty works?' And then I will tell them plainly, ' I never knew you : begone 23 from me, you doers of wickedness.' " Every one who hears these my teachings and 24 The utter Use- , ... , J ,, ¦ lessness of acts upon them will be found to resemble a wise mere Profes- man ^q b^idg his house upon the rock : and the 2? stons. r 7 j heavy rain falls, the swollen torrents come, and the winds blow and beat against the house ; yet it does not fall, for its foundation is on the rock. And every one who hears these 26 my teachings and does not act upon them will be found to 13. Cp. Luke xiii. -24. Is the gate] v.l. omits these words. 14. Because narrow] Or 'how narrow.' To Life] Or 'to the Life.' See xix. 16, n. 15. Teacliers] Lit. ' prophets.' See xi. 13, u. 16-21. Cp. Luke vi. 43-46. 16. Tlwrtis . . brambles] Approximate renderings. The plants referred to are not known in England by the^e names. 21. WiU enter] Better than ' shall enter,' for our Lord is not yet assuming the character and language of the Judge. 22-23. Cp. Luke xiii. 25-27. 23. Wickedness] Lit. ' lawlessness.' 24-27. Cp. Luke vh 47-49. 24. These] v.l. omits this word. 24, 26. Will be found &>c] Or ' will in the judgement of the intelligent universe be compared to.' Co. xi. 16 ; xiii. 24, n. MATTHEW VII.-VIII. 19 resemble a fool who builds his house upon the sand. The 27 heavy rain descends, the swollen torrents come, and the winds blow and burst upon the house, and it falls ; and disastrous is the fall." When Jesus had concluded this discourse, the crowds were 28 filled with amazement at His teaching, for He had been teaching 29 them as one who had authority, and not as their Scribes taught. Upon descending from the hill country He was 1 Q a'Lep'er"53 followed by immense cowds. And a leper came 2 to Him, and throwing himself at His feet, said, " Sir, if only you are willing you are able to cleanse me." So 3 Jesus put out His hand and touched him, and said, " I am willing : be cleansed." Instantly he was cleansed from his leprosy ; and Jesus said to him, " Be careful to tell no one, but 4 go and show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses appointed as evidence for them" (Lev. xiv. 4). A Roman After His entry into Capharnahum a captain 5 Soldier's slave came to Him, and entreating Him, said, " Sir, my 6 restored. servant at home is lying ill with paralysis, and is suffering great agony."* Jesus answered, " I will come and cure 7 him." The captain replied, "Sir, I am not a fit person to re- 8 ceive you under my roof : merely say the word, and my servant will be cured. For I myself am also under authority, and have 9 soldiers under me. To one I say * Go,' and he goes, to another ' Come,7 and he comes, and to my slave, ' Do this or that,5 and he does it.'' Jesus listened to this reply, and was astonished, 10 and said to the people following Him, " I solemnly declare to you that in no Israelite have I found faith so great as that. And I tell you that many will come from the east and from n the west and will recline at table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, while the natural heirs of the 12 28. Filled with] The tense (imperfect) implies more than 'full of.' They talked with one another with growing amazement about what they had been hearing. 1-4. Cp. Mark i. 40-45 ; Luke v. 12-16. 2, 6, 8, 21. Sir] Or according to the phraseology common in the East ' My Lord.' We must not imagine however that the divinity of Jesus was recognized even by His disciples till after His resurrection (John xx. 28). See John ix. 38, n. 5-13. Cp. Luke vii. i-io. 5. Captain] Namely in the Roman army. Cp. Mark xv. 39, u, 6, 8, 13. Servant] Lit. 'boy.' Cp. Luke vii. 7. 6. Suffering . . agony] In exceptional cases a paralytic patient may suffer pain ; if not actually caused by the paralysis, yet accompanying it. 8. A ft person, etc.] Or as in Luke vii. 8. Say the word] Lit. 'say by a word.' 9, v.l. inserts 'ranging myself between 'am' and ' under,' as in Luke vii. 8. 10. In no Israelite] Lit. ' with no one in Israel.' v.l. ' not even in Israel.' 11. Recline at table] Cp. Luke vii. 38 ; John xiii. 23. 12. Weeping and gnashing of te-.uli in tliis life are in comparison but child's play : there will be the weeping, the gnashing. The phrase occurs also Matt. xiii. 42, 50 ; 20 MATTHEW VIII. Kingdom will be driven out into the darkness outside : there will be the weeping aloud and the gnashing of teeth." And 13 Jesus said to the captain, " Go, and just as you have believed, so be it for you." And the servant recovered precisely at that time. Peter's After this Jesus went to the house of Peter, whose 14 Mother-in Lawmother-in-law he found ill in bed with fever. He 15 touched her hand and the fever left her : and then she rose and waited upon Him. Many other In the evening numbers of demoniacs were 16 Miracles, brought to Him, and with a word He expelled the demons ; and He cured all the sick, in order that the prediction 17 of the Prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled, "He Himself assumed OUR WEAKNESSES, AND BORE THE BURDEN OF OUR DISEASES " (Isa. liii. 4). New Disciples Seeing great crowds about Him Jesus had given 18 put to the directions to cross to the other side of the Lake, when a Scribe came and said to Him, " Teacher, I 19 will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered, " Foxes 20 have holes and birds have nests ; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Another of the disciples said to 21 Him, " Sir, allow me first to go and bury my father." Jesus re- 22 plied, " Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead." A storm re- Then He went on board a fishing-boat, and His 23 buked and disciples followed Him. But suddenly there arose 24 subdued. a gieat storm on the Lake, so that the waves xxii. 13 ; xxiv. 51 ; xxv. 30; and in Luke xiii. 28, These were terrible words to issue from the gentle lips of our blessed Saviour. 14-15. Cp. Mark i. 29-31 ; Luke iv. 38, 39. 14. Found] Lit. 'saw.' 15. Rose] Or 'roused herself.' Waited] Imperfect tense, implying prolonged action. She proceeded, as mistress of tlie house, to discharge ali the duties of hospitality towards her Guest. 16-17. Cp. Mark i. 32-34 ; Luke iv. 40, 41. 16. In the evening] It was the Sabbaih (Mark i. 2t, 29, 32) until sunset ; but after sunset people might bring their sick to be cured without violating either the Law or even the traditions ofthe Elders. 18. Cp. Mark iv. 35 ; Luke viii. 22. Great crowds) v.l. 'a crowd.' 19-22. Cp. Luke ix. 57-62. 19. A scribe] Lit. ' one scribe.' See vi. 27, ,,. 20. Nests) Or ' roosting-places.' 22. Dead . . dead) Spiritually dead . . naturally dead. See Luke ix. 59, u. 23-27. Cp. Mark iv. 35-41 ; Luke viii. 22-25. 24. Suddenly] Lit. 'seel' or 'behold!' In thc Hebrew of the O.T. we con tinually find the interjection hen or hinneh used in narrative in the sense of 'behold!' and it was natural that the N.T. writer:,, being Jews, should in this particular follow their native idiom. But this 'behold!' is an interjection, not a verb : see John i. 29, n. The word is rarely used by the Classical authors, and apparently by no prose writer among them. Nor does the English language tolerate this frequent use of the interjection, but such a word as ' suddenly ' will sometimes convey the true sense. As a rule we must simply omit it. MATTHEW VIII.-IX. 21 threatened to engulf the boat ; but He was asleep. So they 25 came and woke Him, crying, " Master, save us, we are drown ing ! " He replied, " Why are you so easily frightened, you 26 men of little faith?" Then He rose and reproved the winds and the waves, and there was a perfect calm ; and the men, 27 filled with amazement, exclaimed, " What kind of man is this ? (or the very winds and waves obey him ! " Two Qadarene On His arrival at the other side, in the country 28 Demoniacs 0f the Gadarenes, there met Him two men pos- cured. , . , , _ , sessed with demons, coming from among the tombs : they were so dangerously fierce that no one was able to pass that way. They cried aloud, '' What have you to do with 29 us, Son of God ? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Now at some distance from them a vast herd of swine 30 were feeding. So the demons entreated Him, " If you drive us 31 out, send us into the herd of swine." He replied, " Go." They 32 departed from the men and went into the swine, whereupon the entire herd instantly rushed down the cliff into the Lake and perished in the water. The swineherds fled, and went and told 33 Ihe whole story in the town, including what had happened to the demoniacs. So at once the whole population came out to meet 34 Jesus ; and when they saw Him, they besought Him to leave their country. Accordingly He went on board, and crossing over I < came to His own town. The Cure of a Here they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a 2 paralysed bed. Seeing their faith Jesus said to the paralytic, " Take courage, my child ; your sins are pardoned." "Such language is impious," said some of the Scribes among 3 themselves. Knowing their thoughts Jesus said, " Why are you 4 cherishing evil thoughts in your hearts? Why, which is easier ? 5 to say, ' Your sins are pardoned,' or to say ' Rise up and walk '? But, to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on 6 earth to pardon sins" — He then says to the paralytic, "Rise, 28-34. Cp. Mark v. 1-20; Luke viii. 26-39. 28. Frotn among] Or ' out of,' ' from within.' Cp. xxvii. 53 ; Phil. iii. 11. 32. Instantly] Cp. verse 24. ( 33. Swineherds] " Although they were not herdsmen by profession," says Bengel. IHit the term employed is the precise equivalent of the Hebrew word that commonly means ' shepherd,' being the present participle of a verb meaning ' to tend and feed,' which however is not applied exclusively to keepers of sheep, but also to keepers of goats (Cant, i 8), asses (Gen. xxxvi. 24), and cattle generally (Gen. xiii. 7, 8). 1-8. Cp. Markii. T-12 ; Luke v. 17-26. I. His own town] Capharnahum. See iv. 13 ; Mark ii. i. 2. Be,i] A mere mattress or thick rug. Cp. Mark ii. 4. 3. Amon-] Or 'within.' 4. Knowing] V.L. ' seeing.' 22 MATTHEW IX. and take up your bed and go home." And he got up, and went 7 off home. And the crowd were awe-struck when they saw it, 8 and ascribed the glory to God who had entrusted such power to a man. The Call of Passing on thence Jesus saw a man called 9 Matthew. Matthew sitting at the Toll Office, and said to him, ' Follow me." And he rose up and followed Him. And while 10 He was reclining at table, a large number of tax-gatherers and notorious sinners were of the party with Jesus and His disciples. This the Pharisees observed and inquired of His disciples, 11 "Why does your Teacher eat with the tax-gatherers and notorious sinners ? " He heard the question and replied, " It is 12 not men in good health who require a doctor, but the sick. But 13 go and learn what this means, ' It IS MERCY THAT I DESIRE, xot sacrifice' (Hos. vi. 6) ; for I did not come to appeal to the righteous, but to sinners." The Disciples' '^t '^at l'me John's disciples came and asked 14 Neglect of him, " Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not ': '-' Jesus replied, " Can the bride- 15 groom's party mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But other days will come (when the Bridegroom has been taken from them) and then they will fast Xo one ever mends an old 16 cloak with a patch of newly woven cloth ; if they did, the patch pjt on would tear away some ofthe old, and a worse rent would ensue. Nor do people pour new wine into old wineskins ; if 17 they did, the skins would split, the wine would escape, and the skins be destroyed ; but they put new wine into fresh skins, and both are saved." Jair's dead While He was thus speaking, a Ruler came up 18 Daughter. an(j profoundly bowing said, " My daughter is just 8. To a man] Lit. 'to men.' Entrusted] .As they saw ar.j* confessed- The same verb is usee in apparently the same sense in Gen. xxxix. i, LXX. It is possible however t ^ render it ' given,' as in John jcvii. 2. 7, 8. 9-1.-. Lp. Markii. 13-1; . Luke v. 27-32. 9. Z::::ng_ O . the groond, eicner wicrdn or iu fr-jnt of the hut or tenement that served as r..s o5:e. Follow me] Perhaps the real modem En;ph equivalent for this it ' Come with me.' 10. A: table] In Matthew's house, as »e learn from Luke v 25. Tax] Inclusive of t jPs, as well as of taxes levied on h justs. Ian is. and persons. 13. Go] To your teachers ofthe Law. The righteous] ~ee 1 Cor. i. 21, n. 14-17. Cp. Mark ii. u-22 : Luke v. 33—39. 14. Fast] v.l. adds ' often.' 16. If they did . . . would tear] Lit. 'otherwise . . . tears.' 17. Wineskins] Or ' leather bottles,' which were commonly made, as n - v >, <=-,Pn and many parts of the world, of goals' skins, iut sometimes of the si s f isses or camels. If they did - . would split] Lit. 'Otherwise . . spiirP W.:.:.i e::ape be destroyed] LiL 'escapes . . are destroyed.' 1B-2P Cp. Mark v. 21-45 " Luke viii. 4^56. i3. Ruler] Ofthe synagogue (Mark v. 22 . A Ruler) Lit. 'one Ruler.' See vi MATTHEW IX. 23 dead ; but come and put your hand upon her and she will return to life." And Jesus rose and followed him, as did also ig His disciples. A permanent But a woman who for twelve years had been 20 invalid cured, afflicted with haemorrhage came behind Him and touched the tassel of His cloak ; for she said to herself, " If I 21 but touch His cloak, I shall be cured." And Jesus turned and 22 saw her, and said, " Take courage, daughter : your faith has cured you." And the woman was restored to health from that moment. Jah-'s Child Entering the Ruler's house, Jesus saw the flute- 23 brought back players and the crowd loudly wailing, and He said, 24 "Go out of the room; the little girl is not dead, but asleep." And they laughed at Him. When however the 2*5 place was cleared of the crowd, Jesus entered, and on His taking the little girl by the hand, she rose up. And the report 26 of this spread throughout all that district. As Jesus passed on, two blind men followed 27 Teceiveslght. Him, shouting and saying, "Pity us, Son of David ;" and when He had gone indoors, they came to Him. 28 " Do you believe that I can do this ? " He asked them. They replied, " Yes, Sir." So He touched their eyes and said, 29 " According to your faith let it be to you ; " and their eyes were 30 opened. Then assuming a stern tone Jesus commanded them : " Be careful to let no one know." But they went out and 31 published His fame in all that district. And as they were leaving His presence a dumb demoniac was 32 27, n. Instead of 'one Ruler came up,' V.L. (omitting 'one') reads 'a Ruler entered.' Profoundly bowing] The verb is the same as in ii 2, 8, 11 ; xv. 25 ; John ix. 38 (where see note). 20. Touched] See Lev. xv. 19. Tassel] Or 'fringe.' See Num. xv. 38. 21, 22. Cured) The verb here employed is the same as is often rendered by ' save.' It signifies to deliver either (1) as here, from present evil of any kind, or (2) from impending or future evil. The former is the sense twice as frequently as the latter. In the interpretation, therefore, of i. 21, we shall probably be right in considering the thought of deliverance from sin itself— the abiding stain of its continued existence within us — as dominating (though doubtless not excluding) that of immunity from consequent punishment. It is this view of Christ as the Healer — of ' Salvator ' as meaning 'Healer' — that led the author of the old Westphalian poem The Heliland to celebrate our Lord's praises under that name, and that induced our Anglo-Saxon sires to translate the name Jesus into ' Se Haelend ' everywhere in the Gospels as well as in sermons and religious poems. 23, 25. The crowd] A great number of persons were in the house who had full opportunity of satisfying themselves that the little girl was dead, and thus became eye-witnesses ofthe miracle. Jesus while He often repressed mere gossip about His wonderful works, nevertheless desired that they should be seen by many witnesses, 25. Rose up] Lit. ' woke up.' 28. Sir] See viii. 2, 11. 32-34. Cp. Luke xi. 14, 15. 32. Dumb] Perhaps a deaf-mute. 24 MATTHEW IX.-X. A dumb brought to Him. When the demon was expelled, 33 Madman the dumb man could speak. And the crowds ex- cured' claimed in astonishment, " Never was such a thing seen in Israel." But the Pharisees maintained, " It is by the 34 Prince of the demons that he drives out the demons." And Jesus continued His circuits through all the 35 Christ's Com- , , ... ,. ., . passion for towns and the villages, teaching in their synagogues ^Peo^e1"10" and proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom, and curing every kind of disease and infirmity. And when He saw the crowds He was touched with pity for 36 them, because they were distressed and were fainting on the ground like sheep which have no shepherd. Then He said to 37 His disciples, " The harvest is abundant, but the reapers are few ; therefore entreat the Owner of the Harvest to send out 38 reapers into His field." Then He called to Him His twelve disciples I 1Q twelve and gave them authority over foul spirits, to drive Apostles. them out . ancj to cure every kind of disease and infirmity. Now the names of the twelve apostles were these : first, 2 Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew ; James the son of Zabdai, and his brother John ; Philip and Bartholomew, 3 Thomas and Matthew the tax-gatherer, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus ; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas 4 the Iscariot who also betrayed Him. ... . These twelve Jesus sent on a mission, after 5 Their Mission ..,,.. tothecommon giving them their instructions: People. " Go not," He said, "among the heathen, and enter no Samaritan town ; but, instead of that, go to the lost 6 sheep of Israel's race. And as you go, proclaim, 'The King- 7 dom of Heaven is close at hand.' Cure the sick, raise the dead 8 to life, cleanse lepers, drive out demons : you have received without payment, give without payment. 34. By] Lit. 'in.' See Luke xi. 15, u. 35-38. Cp. Mark vi. 6. 38. Field] Lit. 'harvest.' 1. Cp. Mark vi. 7 ; Luke ix. 1. 2. Apostles] The word occurs here for the first time. The meaning is ' those who were sent,' ' emissaries,' ' missionaries.' This noun (apostotos) is derived from the verb (apostello) that occurs in verse 5, and is there translated 'sent.' 4. Cananaean] This is a totally different word from ' Canaanite,' and probably means ' Zealot.' Iscariot] l.H. 'man of Kerioth ' (Josh. xv. 25). 5-15. Cp. Mark vi. 7-13 ; Luke ix. 1-6. 5. Sent] Probably two and two, like the Seventy at a later time (Luke x. 1}. fi. Lost Sheep] Or, as we should say, ' lapsed masses.' 8. Raise to life) Lit. ' wake.' MATTHEW X. 25 " Provide no gold or even silver or copper 9 Tphromiiedd t0 carry in yo[ir Pockets 5 n° handbag, nor io change of linen, nor shoes, nor walkingstick ; for the labourer deserves his food. "Whatever town or village you enter, inquire for n w^etoe|ohdege. some £ood man > and make his house your home till you leave the place. When you enter the 12 house, salute it ; and if the house deserves it, the peace you 13 invoke shall come upon it ; if not, your peace shall return to yourselves. And whoever refuses to receive you or even to listen 14 to your Message, as you leave that house or town, shake off the very dust from your feet. I solemnly tell you that it will be 15 more endurable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of Judgement than for that town. "Remember it is I who send you out, as sheep 16 Persecution into the midst of wolves ; prove yourselves as saga cious as serpents, and as innocent as doves. But 17 beware of men ; for they will deliver you up to appear before Sanhedrins, and will flog you in their synagogues ; and you 18 will even be put on trial before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness to them and to the nations. But when they have 19 delivered you up, have no anxiety as to how you shall speak or what you shall say ; for at that very time it shall be given you what to say ; for it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit 20 of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray 21 brother for death, and father, child ; and children will denounce their parents and put them to death. And you will be objects of 22 universal hatred because you are called by my name ; but he who holds out to the end — he will be saved. Whenever they perse- 23 12. Salute it] When the two apostles entered the building, they were to salute the household, doubtless in the words prescribed in Luke x. 5, " Peace to this house ! " 14. Shake off &*c] Cp. xviii. 17 ; Acts xiii. sr. From your feet] Or ' that is on your feet.' 16. Cp. Luke x. 3. Doves] Lit. 'pigeons.' 17-22. Cp. Mark xiii. 9-13 ; Luke xxi. 12-17. 17. Sanhedrins] Or ' High Courts of Justice.' See the Commentators. 19. The innocent seldom need to make the same elaborate defence as the guilty. They can afford to speak the simple truth and to rely upon God and the justice of their cause ! 20. Through you] Lit. ' in you.' 22. The End) This phrase also occurs xxiv. 6, 13, 14 ; 1 Cor. i, 8 ; Heb. iii. 6, 14 ; vi. 11; t Peter ii. 7 j Rev. ii. 26; and in a different sense 1 Cor. xv. 24. See also Heb. ix. 26, n. ; 1 Cor. x. 11. 23-25. Cp. Luke vi. 40. 23. Escape] "Preserving yourselves for further service" (Baxter). Before the Son of Man comes) Some have supposed that the reference is to a spiritual and judicial Coming of Christ at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70, a.d. Cp. xvi. 28 ; xxiv. 34. 26 MATTHEW X. cute you in one town, escape to the next ; for I solemnly tell you that you will not have gone the round of all the towns of Israel before the Son of Alan comes. "The learner is never superior to his teacher, 24 Master they and the servant is never superior to his master. would suffer. Enough for the learner to be on a level with his 25 teacher, and for the servant to be on a level with his master. If they have called the master of the house Baal-zebul, how much more will they slander his servants? Fear them not, 26 however ; there is nothing veiled which will not be uncovered, nor secret which will not become known. What I tell you in the dark, 27 speak in the light ; and what is whispered into your ear proclaim upon the roofs of the houses. " And do not fear those who kill the body, but 28 not b^afrakL cannot kil1 trie soul ; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Do not two sparrows sell for a halfpenny ? Yet not one of them 29 will fall to the ground without your Father's leave. But as for 30 you, the very hairs on your heads are all numbered. Away then 31 with fear ; you are more precious than a multitude of sparrows. Th . r " Every man who shall acknowledge me before 32 importance men I also will acknowledge before my Father 1 e ' y' who is in heaven. Him who disowns me before 33 men 1 also will disown before my Father who is in heaven. _ _. . " Do not suppose that I came to bring peace 34 Conflict must , , , , ¦ , precede to the earth : I did not come to bring peace but to eace' introduce a sword. For I came to set a man 35 against his father, A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW ; AND A 36 24, 25. Learner] Or 'disciple.' Servant] Or 'slave.' Master] Or 'owner.' 25. Baal-zebul) See 2 Kings i. 3, 6. 26-33. Cp. Luke xii. 2-9. 28. Fear him) i.e. the devil. Or 'fear Him.' i.e. God. Against the latter rendering it may be urged that the word translated ' power ' in the parallel passage, Luke xii. 5, usually denotes 'delegated authority,' 'power enjoyed on sufferance,' and that in Matt. x. 31 fear of the Heavenly Father is forbidden. See also Luke xxii. 53 ; John xix. n ; Acts xxvi. 18 ; Col. i. 13 ; Rev. xiii. 7. In Heb. ii. 14 the ' power of death' is expressly attributed to the Evil one, but a different word is used for 'power.' Soul) Or 'life.' Cp. verse 39. 29. Halfpenny) The coin named (the ' assarion ') was probably worth a farthing and four-fifths. Contrast Luke xii. 6 : " Are not five sparrows sold for a penny?" The birds were reckoned as being of such little value, that upon double the number being bought, an extra one was given gratis ! 31. Precious] Implying not merely worth, but high worth, great value. 32. Acknowledge me] Or ' avow his loyalty 10 me.' Lit. 'confess (confidence) in.' The expression occurs only in this verse and in Luke xii. 8. Will acknowledge] He shall find me on my part loyal to him. See Rom. iii. 3, n. 34-36. Cp. Luke xii. 51-53. 34. Bring peace to] Lit. ' cast peace upon.' MATTHEW X.-XI. 27 MAN'S OWN FAMILY WILL BE HIS foes (Mic. vii. 6). Any one yj who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and any one who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me ; and any one who does not take up his cross and follow 38 where I lead is not worthy of me. To save your life is to lose 39 it, and to lose your life for my sake is to save it. " Whoever receives you receives me, and who- 40 He gives the . . TT. ' Apostles divine ever receives me receives Him who sent me. Authority. £very one wh0 receives a prophet, because he is 41 a prophet, will receive a prophet's reward, and every one who receives a righteous man, because he is a righteous man, will receive a righteous man's reward ; and whoever gives one of 42 these despised ones even a cup of cold water to drink because he is a disciple, I solemnly tell you that he will not lose his reward." When Jesus had concluded His instructions to His twelve I 1 jj disciples, He left in order to teach and to proclaim His Message in the neighbouring towns. Now John had heard in prison about the Christ's 2 Baptizer's sore doings, and he sent some of his disciples to 3 Perplexity, inquire : " Are you the Coming One, or is it a different person that we are to expect ? " Jesus replied, " Go 4 and report to John what you see and hear. Blind eyes receive 5 siCTht and cripples walk ; lepers are cleansed, and deaf ears hear ; the dead are raised to life, and the poor have the Good News proclaimed to them ; and blessed is every one who does 6 not stumble and fall because of my claims." . , When the messengers had taken their leave, 7 Christs ° , . , Testimony as Jesus proceeded to say to the multitude concern- Cha0raJc°ter and ing John : " What did you go out into the desert Work. t0 gaze at ? A reed waving in the wind? But 8 37-38. Cp. Luke xiv. 26, 27. 38. Cross] Our Lord thus hints at His being about to die on the cross. See John 39. Cp. Luke xvii. 33. Life~) Or 'soul.' The literal rendering of the veiseis, ' He who shall have found his life shall lose it, and he who shall have lost his life for my sake shall find it.' Cp. v. 19 ; and see Aorist vi. 5. 40-41. Cp. Luke x. 16. 41, Prophet) Preacher or teacher ofthe truth. See 1 Cor. xiv. 3, n. 42. Cp. Mark ix. 41. Despised) Lit. 'little.' Possibly some children were present. Even] Lit. ' only.' 1. Proclaim His message] One word in the Greek. the exact sense ol the word (ke'russo) is to perform the function of a public herald or crier. 'Preach 'has associations which kerusso does not suggest. 2-6. Cp. Luke vii. 18-23. .. „ , 2 Some of] Lit. 'by.' We learn from Luke vn. 18 that the messengers were two in number. In Matthew, according to the four most ancient MSS., the number is not specified. .,,,-.. T- . 1 . 5. Receive] Cp. Luke vn. 22. Are raised to life) Lit. awake 7-19. Cp. Luke vii. 24-35. a8 MATTHEW XI. what did you go out to see ? A man luxuriously dressed r Those who wear luxurious clothes are to be found in kings palaces. But why did you go out ? To see a prophet ? Yes, I 9 tell you, and far more than a prophet. He it is about whom 10 it is written : 'SEE, I AM SENDING MY MESSENGER BEFORE THY FACE, AND HE WILL MAKE THY ROAD READY BEFORE THEE ' (Mal. iii. 1). I solemnly tell you that among all of woman born no greater n has ever been raised up than John the Baptist ; yet one who is of lower rank in the Kingdom of the Heavens is greater than he. But from the time of John the Baptist till now, the Kingdom 12 of the Heavens has been suffering violent assault, and the violent have been seizing it by force. For all the Prophets and 13 the Law taught until John. And (if you are willing to receive 14 it) he is the Elijah who was soon to come. Listen, every one 15 who has ears ! T. „ " But to what shall I compare the present 16 The Perversity . . , of the Jews generation? It is like children sitting in the then living. Qpen p[aceSj who cau tQ the;r playmates. 'We 17 have played the flute to you,' they say, ' and you have not danced : we have sung dirges, and you have not beaten your breasts.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they 18 say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and 19 drinking, and they exclaim, ' See this man ! — given to gluttony and tippling, and a friend of tax-gatherers and notorious sinners ! ' And yet Wisdom is vindicated by her actions." Then began He to upbraid the towns where 20 Bethsaida, most of His mighty works had been performed, Capharnahum. because they had not repented. "Alas for thee, 21 10. Messenger] Or _' angel.' 12-13. Cp. Luke xvi. 16. 12. The time] I.E. the early time of his ministry, John being still alive. Has been suffering . . have been seizing] These verbs are in the present tense in the Greek in accordance with the idiom of that language. See Aorist iii. 2, 3. 13. Taught] Lit. 'prophesied ;' but in modern English this verb is limited in its meaning to the mere prediction of future events, which is not the proper force of the Greek word. See the Commentators. 14. Was soon to come] Or ' is soon to come.' Cp. xvii. n. 15. Ears] V.L. adds ' to hear.' 16. To their playmates) V.L. ' to the other party,' the sense being the same. 19. Eating and drinking] Like other men, with no asceticism or austerity of diet. Is vindicated] Lit. (see Aorist iv. 4, 5) ' has been vindicated,' implying 'is wont to be.' Actions] v.l.. reads ' children,' as in Luke vii. 35. 20-24. Cp. Luke x. 1-16. 21. Alasfor] Or perhaps 'woe to.' "The interjection here is declarative, not imprecative " (Bengel). Cp. Luke vi. 24, n. Thee] Not ' you ; ' for even in 20th century English ' thou ' and ' thee ' might be used in an apostrophe such as this. Bethsaida] v.L. * Bethsai'dan ;' and so elsewhere. Both of you] Lit. ' you,' in the plural. MATTHEW XI.-XII. 29 Chorazin ! Alas for thee, Bethsaida ! For had the mighty works been performed in Tyre and Sidon which have been per formed in both of you, they would long ere now have repented, covered with sackcloth and ashes. Only I tell you that it will 22 be more endurable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of Judge ment than for you. And thou, Capharnahum, shalt thou be 23 exalted even to heaven ? Even to Hades shalt thou descend. For had the mighty works been performed in Sodom which have been performed in thee, it would have remained until now. Only I tell you all, that it will be more endurable for the land 24 of Sodom on the day of Judgement than for thee." About that time Jesus exclaimed, " I heartily 25 for trie'"6 praise Thee, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, Success of the tf,at Thou hast hidden these things from sages and men of discernment, and hast unveiled them to babes. Yes, Father, for such has been Thy gracious will. 26 "All things have been handed over to me by 27 A CMm"6 my Father, and no one fully knows the Son except the Father, nor does any one fully know the Father except the Son and all to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. " Come to me, all you toiling and burdened 28 A glorious ones ancl J will give you rest. Take my yoke 29 Invitation. ' e upon you and learn from me , for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For it 30 is good to bear my yoke, and my burden is light." About that time fesus passed on the Sabbath 1 1 O A charsre of , ,, '_ ; , TT. ,. . , , X Zl Sabbath- through the wheathelds ; and His disciples became breaking. hungry, and began to gather ears of wheat and eat 23. Hades] The unseen World, the abode of departed spirits. In the A.V. both this word and ' Gehenna ' are rendered ' Hell." Each occurs twelve times In this translation the two words are everywhere kept distinct. Descend] v.l. 'be caused to descend.' 24. You all) Lit. ' you ' in the plural, either as addressed to all three of the towns named, or parenthetically to the bystanders who heard these denunciations. 25-30. Cp. Luke x. 17-24. 25. About that time] See xii. r. n. Jesus exclaimed] A too literal rendering is "Jesus answered and said." There is no 'answer' here in the English sense of the word. The expression is simply a late Hebraism. In late Hebrew, under the influence of the Chaldee, the verb that had commonly meant ' to answer' came to signify ' to commence speaking ' (Gesenius). Father] This is our Lord's first public mention of God as His Father., Lord of heaven andof earth] " He does not address the Father as His Lord " (Bengel). 29. Gentle] Or ' meek.' Cp. v. 5. 30. It is good &>c] Lit. 'my yoke is good.' Cp. Lam. iii. 27. The 'good' conveys the idea not so much (as in the Vulgate) of easiness to bear, which is the thought in the next clause, as of actual benefit received from bearing it. 1-8. Cp. Mark ii. 23-28 ; Luke vi. 1-5. I. About that time] Lit. ' at that time.' The word ' time' here (as indeed often) 30 MATTHEW XII. them. But the Pharisees saw it and said to Him, "Look! 2 your disciples are doing what the Law forbids them to do on the Sabbath." " Have you never read," He replied, " what David 3 did when he and his men were hungry ? how he entered the 4 House of God and ate the Presented Loaves, which it was not lawful for him or his men to eat, nor for any except the priests (1 Sam. xxi. 1-6)? And have you not read in the Law how on 5 the Sabbath the priests in the Temple break the Sabbath with out guilt ? But I tell you that there is here that which is greater 6 than the Temple. And if you knew what this means, ' It IS 7 MERCY I DESIRE, NOT SACRIFICE' (Hos. vi. 6), you would not have condemned those who are without guilt. For the Son of 8 Man is the Lord of the Sabbath." . „ Departing thence He went to their synagogue, 9 A Paralytic r- n 1 o e, > 7 restored on a where there was a man with a shrivelled arm. 10 Day of Rest. And they quest;oneci jjim, "Is it right to cure people on the Sabbath ?" Their intention was to bring a charge against Him. "Which of you is there," He replied, "who, if 11 he has but a single sheep and it falls into a hole on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out ? Is not a man, however, 12 far superior to a sheep ? Therefore it is right to do good on the Sabbath." Then He said to the man, " Stretch out your arm." 13 And he stretched it out, and it was restored quite sound like the other. But the Pharisees after leaving the synagogue 14 A Pjesus.k'" consulted together against Him, how they might destroy Him. Aware of this, Jesus departed else- 15 where ; and great numbers followed Him, all of whom He cured. But He gave them strict injunctions not to blaze 16 abroad His doings, that the words of the Prophet Isaiah might 17 be fulfilled, signifies, not a definite minute or hour or even day, but a period including several days, one of which was a Sabbath. Moreover the verb is ' passed,' not " was pass ing : ' the action is regarded as a whole, i'he most idiomatic rendering would perhaps be, ' On one occasion about that time.' The same expression with the following verb in the same ten->e is found in xi. 25 ; xiv, 1. Became hungry] Or ¦ were hungry,' as in verse 3. On the 'plucking ' see Deut. xxiii 25 ; Lev xxiii. 14. 4. And ate] v.l. 'and they ate.' Nor for any except] Or ' but only.' Cp. Luke iv. 26, 27, n. 5. Break the Sabbath] Not so much by offering sacrifice; as by baking bread (Lev xxiv. 8 ; 1 Chron. ix. 32 ; 2 Chron. ii. 4). 6. That •which is greater] Or 'a Being greater.' 6. Cp. Mark ii. 27, 28. 9-14. Cp. Mark iii. 1-6 ; Luke vi. 6-n. 9. He went &c.] At another and perhaps distant place, and (Luk- vi. 9) * on another Sabbath.' 10. Arm] Rather than 'hand ' So Shadwell rightly, and see Aoris', <-, z. [; it right to cure] Or ( Is there any authority for curing.' MATTHEW XII. 31 "This is My servant whom I have chosen, 18 My dearly loved One in whom My soul takes pleasure. 1 will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will announce judgement to the nations. 19 He will not wrangle or raise His voice, Nor will His voice be heard in the broadways. A CRUSHED REED He WILL NOT UTTERLY BREAK, 20 Nor will He quench the still smouldering wick, Until He has led on Justice to victory. And on His name shall the nations rest their 21 HOPES " (Isa. xii. 8 ; xiii.. 1). He replies to At th,lt time a demoniac was brought to Him, 22 an infamous blind and dumb; and He cured him, so that the dumb man could speak and see. And the 23 crowds of people were all filled with amazement and said, " Can this be the Son of David?" Tne Pharisees heard it and said, 24 "This man only expels the demons by Baal-zebul, the Prince of the demons." Knowing their thoughts He said to them, 25 "Every kingdom in which civil war has raged suffers desola tion ; and every city or house in which there is internal strife will be brought low. And if Satan is expelling Satan, he has 26 begun to make war on himself: how therefore shall his kingdom last? And if it is by Baal-zebul's power that I expel the demons, 27 by whose power do your disciples expel them ? They therefore shall be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I 28 iS. 7 'his is] Tlie more lit. 'Behold!' is not the verb, but only an interjection of verbal origin. In French it might be rendered ' Voici ' or ' Voila.' See viii. 24, n ; John i. 29, n. Takes pleasure] On the tense see Aorist, p. 21. 20. A crushed reed] The idea is possibly that of a shepherd who picks up a reed in order to play a tune upon it. But discovering that it is bruised and crushed, and therefore little suited for his purpose, he breaks it in two and throws it away. Reeds seem also to have been used as pens to write with (3 John 13), and even as canes or light walking-sticks. Cp. Isa. xxxvi. 6 ; Rev. xi. 1, n. The first interpretation, however, yields the best sense. Christ, the chosen and dearly-loved Servant ofthe Lord, does not cast us away because our lives yield such imperfect music, and when our light burns dimly He trims instead of utterly extinguishing it. Led on Justice) Headed its charge through the host of foes and brought it clear of them all. 21. Rest their hopes] This is one of no fewer than 18 passages in the A.V. of the N.T. in which ' trust ' is erroneously used for 'hope.' 22-37. Cp. Mark iii. 19-30 ; Luke vi. 43-45 ; xi. 17-23. 22. Dumb] The word perhaps means a deaf-mute. 23. The Son of David] This litle had already been applied to Jesus (ix. 27) by persons who perhaps but dimly discerned its significance. 26. Begun] The tense implies this. See Aorist vi. 6. We may render 'has engaged in conflict with himself.' 27. Disciples] Lit. 'sons.' So 'the sons of the prophets' are repeatedly men tioned in the O.T. Your disciples] The disciples ofthe Pharisees (verse 24) and Scribes, who had come down from Jerusalem (Mark iii. 22). 28. Kingd.-m of God) Matthew here (.