Matthew 23:1-36
Matthew 23:1-36. A PROPHETIC ODE, DENOUNCING THE PHARISEES AND THE RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY OF THE AGE Each division is marked by its special beauty of poetical form.... [ Continue Reading ]
Matthew 23:1-36. A PROPHETIC ODE, DENOUNCING THE PHARISEES AND THE RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY OF THE AGE Each division is marked by its special beauty of poetical form.... [ Continue Reading ]
STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS OF THE PHARISEES They are the successors of Moses, Matthew 23:2; but they say and do not, 3–7. Only a part of this discourse appears in the other Synoptics; for this portion cp. Mark 12:38-40; Luke 11:43-46; Luke 20:46-47.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΠῚ ΤΗ͂Σ ΜΩΫΣΈΩΣ ΚΑΘΈΔΡΑΣ ἘΚΆΘΙΣΑΝ. i.e. succeed him as teachers. For sitting as the posture of a teacher cp. ch. Matthew 5:1.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤΗΡΕΙ͂Ν, omitted after εἴπωσιν ὑμῖν. ΠΟΙΉΣΑΤΕ ΚΑῚ ΤΗΡΕΙ͂ΤΕ for τηρεῖτε καὶ ποιεῖτε. 3. ΠΟΙΉΣΑΤΕ. ‘Do the special act enjoined.’ τηρεῖτε, ‘continue to observe.’... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ δυσβάστακτα omitted after ΒΑΡΈΑ. The grounds of omission are not quite decisive. א (μεγάλα βαρέα) and L omit the words but BD and the majority of uncials and versions retain them. ΑΥ̓ΤΟῚ ΔῈ ΤΩ͂Ι ΔΑΚΤΎΛΩΙ ΑΥ̓ΤΩ͂Ν] The restoration of αὐτοὶ to the text emphasises the contrast. 4. ΔΕΣΜΕΎΟΥΣΙΝ … ΚΙ... [ Continue Reading ]
In _textus receptus_ τῶν ἱματίων αὐτῶν follows κράσπεδα. Rightly omitted. 5. ΤᾺ ΦΥΛΑΚΤΉΡΙΑ. Literally, ‘defences,’ and in late Greek ‘amulets’ or ‘charms.’ The Hebrew name, _tephillin_, which is still in use, signifies ‘prayers.’ They were slips of parchment inscribed with four portions of the Law ... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤῊΝ ΠΡΩΤΟΚΛΙΣΊΑΝ. The most honourable place at the triclinium. It was at this period the Jewish custom for men to recline at meals in Roman fashion on couches (triclinia), each containing three seats, and each seat having its special dignity. See Becker’s _Gallus Excursus_ 2., Hor. _Sat._ II. 8. ΤᾺΣ... [ Continue Reading ]
ῬΑΒΒΊ, twice in _textus receptus_ against best evidence. 7. ΤΟῪΣ�. The customary greetings. The article is disregarded in A.V. ῬΑΒΒΊ. Literally, my great [one], lord. This title, with which the great doctors of the law were saluted, was quite modern, not having been introduced before the time of H... [ Continue Reading ]
ΔΙΔΆΣΚΑΛΟΣ, for καθηγητής. All the leading editors against א*DL, and others following אcaB and a majority of codices. 8. ὙΜΕΙ͂Σ ΔῈ ΜῊ ΚΛΗΘΗ͂ΤΕ ῬΑΒΒΊ. The emphasis is on ὑμεῖς. Ye as Scribes of the Kingdom of Heaven must not be as the Jewish Scribes. ὙΜΕΙ͂Σ�. How completely the Church accepted her... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CONTRAST OF CHRISTIAN CONDUCT... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΑΘΗΓΗΤΉΣ. ‘A guide,’ then a dignified name for ‘a teacher,’ used in this sense by Plutarch of one who did not care to be called a παιδαγωγός and so adopted the more high-sounding title of καθηγητής· τροφεὺς Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ καθηγητὴς καλούμενος. Strabo, p. 674, says of one of the Stoic philosophers a... [ Continue Reading ]
Cp. ch. Matthew 20:26-27. Seven woes denounced against the Scribes and Pharisees. 13–36. The leading words are ὑποκριταί—τυφλοί—μωροί.... [ Continue Reading ]
The _textus receptus_ here inserts the words which stand for certain in Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47. Rejected on decisive evidence here.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΛΕΊΕΤΕ ΤῊΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΊΑΝ ΤΩ͂Ν ΟΥ̓ΡΑΝΩ͂Ν. In allusion to the symbolic ‘key of knowledge’ given to the Scribe on admission to the order. They use their keys to shut rather than to open the doors of the Kingdom.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΕΡΙΆΓΕΤΕ, ‘go about,’ ‘traverse.’ The word is used of our Lord’s ‘circuits’ in Galilee, ch. Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35. ΠΡΟΣΉΛΥΤΟΝ. Literally, one who approaches, hence, ‘a worshipper,’ (cp. Hebrews 10:1), ‘a convert.’ The word occurs in three other passages Acts 2:11; Acts 6:5; Acts 13:43. Elsewhe... [ Continue Reading ]
ὈΜΌΣΗΙ ἘΝ ΤΩ͂Ι ΝΑΩ͂Ι. In classical Greek the thing on which the oath is taken is in the accusative or genitive with κατά. (τι or κατά τινος.) ναός, the ‘holy place,’ not as in A.V. the temple. ἘΝ ΤΩ͂Ι ΧΡΥΣΩ͂Ι ΤΟΥ͂ ΝΑΟΥ͂, i.e. the offerings made to the Temple, called ‘Corban,’ or ‘devoted;’ the use... [ Continue Reading ]
ἉΓΙΆΣΑΣ for ἁγιάζων. The aorist, which is well established, gives a more accurate sense.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΘΥΣΙΑΣΤΗΡΊΩΙ, ‘altar of sacrifice.’ This word is an instance of the care taken to exclude certain heathen associations from Jewish and Christian religious thought. βωμὸς is used once only in N.T., Acts 17:22, and then of a pagan altar. In the LXX. θυσιαστήριον is used of the altar of Jehovah except... [ Continue Reading ]
ΜΩΡΟῚ ΚΑῚ before τυφλοί. The omitted words were probably inserted from Matthew 23:17. They occur in the important MSS. B and C.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤῸ ἜΛΕΟΣ for τὸν ἔλεον, ἈΦΕΙ͂ΝΑΙ for ἀφιέναι; and 30, ἬΜΕΘΑ for ἦμεν twice; 35, ἘΚΧΥΝΝΌΜΕΝΟΝ for ἐκχυνόμενον: all well supported changes. 23. ἈΠΟΔΕΚΑΤΟΥ͂ΤΕ ΤῸ ἩΔΎΟΣΜΟΝ ΚΑῚ ΤῸ ἌΝΗΘΟΝ Κ.Τ.Λ. ‘Mint and rue and all manner of herbs,’ (Luke 11:42). Zeal in paying tithes was one of the points of reform un... [ Continue Reading ]
ΔΙΫΛΊΖΟΝΤΕΣ. Wetstein quotes from Galen: εἶτα ἄρας�. The sense of contrast and the humour of the illustration are brought out by the antithetic position of the words. In the first respect the illustration, ch. Matthew 7:3-5, is somewhat similar; for the contrast of opposites cp. ch. Matthew 13:31 a... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΑΡΟΨΊΣ, ‘a side dish on which viands are served.’ The classical meaning is ‘a side dish’ in the sense of the viands themselves. See Lob. _Phryn._ 176. The word was introduced into Latin: ‘quam multa magnaque paropside cenat.’ Juv. _Sat._ III. 142. ἜΣΩΘΕΝ ΔῈ ΓΈΜΟΥΣΙΝ Κ.Τ.Λ. Observe how swiftly and... [ Continue Reading ]
ΦΑΡΙΣΑΙ͂Ε ΤΥΦΛΈ. The change to the singular number indicates a personal and individual self-examination. ΤΥΦΛΈ. Schöttgen notes that certain among the Pharisees veiled their faces in order that no glimpse of the wicked world or of evil men or of any other thing might tempt them to sin. Sometimes th... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤΆΦΟΙΣ ΚΕΚΟΝΙΑΜΈΝΟΙΣ. In Luke the comparison is to ‘graves that appear not,’ by walking over which men unconsciously defile themselves. To avoid this ceremonial defilement the Jews carefully whitewashed the graves or marked them with chalk on a fixed day every year—the fifteenth of Adar. The custom... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΟΣΜΕΙ͂ΤΕ ΤᾺ ΜΝΗΜΕΙ͂Α ΤΩ͂Ν ΔΙΚΑΊΩΝ. Lightfoot (_Hor. Hebr. ad loc._) quotes from the Jerusalem Gemara: ‘They do not adorn the sepulchres of the righteous, for their own sayings are their memorial.’ Yet it appears, on the same authority (Lightfoot, _Hor. Hebr._), that a portion of the Temple-offering... [ Continue Reading ]
ἬΜΕΘΑ. The same form occurs Acts 27:37 and Galatians 4:3 (אD*) and Ephesians 2:3 (אB). In the classics ἤμεθα is not found, and the instances of the sing. ἤμην (the usual form in N.T.) are rare and doubtful. See Veitch, p. 195.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΜΑΡΤΥΡΕΙ͂ΤΕ ἙΑΥΤΟΙ͂Σ. You call yourselves children, and indeed you _are_ children of those who slew the prophets. You inherit their wickedness in compassing the death of the Prophet of the Lord. See note ch. Matthew 3:7.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΑῚ nearly = ‘and so.’ See Dr Moulton’s note, Winer, p. 540, cp. Philippians 4:9; Philippians 4:12.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΓΕΝΝΉΜΑΤΑ ἘΧΙΔΝΩ͂Ν. See note ch. Matthew 3:7.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἈΠΟΣΤΈΛΛΩ … ΠΡΟΦΉΤΑΣ ΚΑῚ ΣΟΦΟῪΣ ΚΑῚ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΕῚΣ. Marking the continuity of the Christian with the Jewish Church. ἈΠΟΚΤΕΝΕΙ͂ΤΕ ΚΑῚ ΣΤΑΥΡΏΣΕΤΕ. Kill, directly as Stephen (Acts 7:59), indirectly as James (Acts 12:2), and crucify, by means of the Roman power, as Symeon, second Bishop of Jerusalem (Eus.... [ Continue Reading ]
The difficult words υἱοῦ Βαραχίου are omitted in א and in two or service books, viz. 6, 13 and in 59 first hand only, also by Eus. Jerome loc. says: ‘in Evangelio quo utuntur Nazareni Barachiæ filium Joiadæ reperimus scriptum.’ 35. ἘΚΧΥΝΝΌΜΕΝΟΝ. For the form see ch. Matthew 10:28 crit. notes. ἈΠῸ Τ... [ Continue Reading ]
ἹΕΡΟΥΣΑΛΉΜ, ἹΕΡΟΥΣΑΛΉΜ. From Luke 13:34, it appears that our Lord spoke these words in a different connection at an earlier period of His ministry. For the pathetic reiteration of the name, cp. ch. Matthew 27:46. ἹΕΡΟΥΣΑΛΉΜ. See note ch. Matthew 2:3. The Aramaic form for Jerusalem appears here only... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FATE OF JERUSALEM... [ Continue Reading ]
Ὁ ΟἾΚΟΣ ὙΜΩ͂Ν, i.e. Jerusalem, rather than the Temple. ὑμῶν, ‘yours,’ no longer God’s. ἜΡΗΜΟΣ. Omitted in the Vatican Codex, but too strongly supported to be removed from the text.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΓᾺΡ explains ἔρημος of Matthew 23:38. The Temple is desolate, for Christ, who is the Lord of the Temple, leaves it for ever. ἝΩΣ ἊΝ ΕἼΠΗΤΕ. Till, like the children in these Temple-courts, ye recognise Me as the Messiah. See ch. Matthew 21:15. The words of Jesus, and the place, and the anger of the... [ Continue Reading ]