Matthew 7:15

προσέχετε�. The classical constructions of προσέχειν (νοῦν) are τινί, πρός τι, πρός τινι: from the idea of attention to a thing comes that of caution about a thing, and ἀπὸ denotes the source of expected danger, cp. φοβεῖσθαι�. St Luke has this unclassical usage Luke 12:1, προσέχετε ἑαυτοῖς�, and Luke 20:46, ἀπὸ τῶν γραμματέων. The construction is not used in N.T. except by St Matthew and St Luke.

ψευδοπροφητῶν, who will not help you to find the narrow way.

ἐν ἐνδύμασιν προβάτων. Not in a literal sense, but figuratively, ‘wearing the appearance of guilelessness and truth.’

λύκοι ἅρπαγες. Cp. Acts 20:29, where St Paul, possibly with this passage in his thoughts, says to the presbyters of Ephesus, ἐγὼ οἶδα ὅτι ἐλεύσονται μετὰ τὴν ἄφιξίν μου λύκοι βαρεῖς εἰς ὑμᾶς μὴ φειδόμενοι τοῦ ποιμνίου. Cp. Ezekiel 22:27, οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτῆς ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ὡς λύκοι ἁρπάζοντες ἁρπάγματα τοῦ ἐκχέαι αἶμα κ.τ.λ. Such images as this contain implicitly a whole range of thoughts which would be present to the instructed disciples of the Lord—the fold of Christ—the Good Shepherd—the thief ‘whose own the sheep are not.’

Wolves are still common in Palestine. Canon Tristram observes that they are larger than any European wolf and of a lighter colour.