Matthew 7:25

Floods] There are hardly any rivers in Palestine except the Jordan, but there are many watercourses or winter-torrents (Heb. nahal, AV 'brook,' Arab. wâdy). These are mostly quite dry in the summer, but in the winter are full of muddy torrent-water, which descends with great violence, and often overflows its banks: cp. Job 6:15.; The foolish man in the parable had built his house either in or close by the channel of one of these wâdys, without thought of the winter rains.

28, 29. Effect of the sermon.
29. Not as the scribes] RV 'not as their scribes': see prefatory remarks to Matthew 5. The scribe relied entirely on tradition. Hence he was compared to a cemented cistern which held every drop of water put into it. So enamoured were the Jews of tradition, that they would hear nothing else even from a man so great as Hillel. It is said that though Hillel discoursed of a matter all day long, yet his hearers received not his doctrine, till at last he said, 'So I heard from Shemaiah and Abtalion.'