INTRODUCTION TO JUDE 1 The writer of this epistle describes himself by his name, Jude; by his spiritual condition, "a servant of Christ"; and by his natural relation, "a brother of James"; and inscribes it to persons chosen of God, secured in Christ, and called by grace, Judges 1:1, whom he salutes... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDE, THE SERVANT OF JESUS CHRIST,.... The author of this epistle is the same who is elsewhere called Judas, Luke 6:16, who was one of the twelve apostles of Christ, whose name was also Lebbaeus, and whose surname was Thaddaeus, Matthew 10:3, the name is the same with Judah, Genesis 29:35, which com... [ Continue Reading ]
MERCY UNTO YOU, AND PEACE AND LOVE BE MULTIPLIED. In this salutation the apostle wishes for a multiplication of "mercy", from God the Father, by whom these persons were sanctified: mercy is a perfection in God; and shows itself in a special manner towards the elect, in the covenant of grace, in the... [ Continue Reading ]
BELOVED, WHEN I GAVE ALL DILIGENCE TO WRITE UNTO YOU,.... The apostle calls the persons he writes unto "beloved"; as they were of God, and by him and other saints; and he signifies his diligence in writing to them: and the subject of his writing was, OF THE COMMON SALVATION; which designs either th... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THERE ARE CERTAIN MEN CREPT IN UNAWARES,.... These words contain a reason why the doctrine of faith should be contended for, because of false teachers, who are described as being then upon the spot; the Apostles Peter and Paul had foretold that they would come, but Jude here speaks of them as in... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL THEREFORE PUT YOU IN REMEMBRANCE, THOUGH YE ONCE KNOW THIS,.... The Alexandrian copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version, read, "knew all things"; but rather it is to be restrained by the following instance of, God's vengeance on unbelievers; which with others is produced, to vind... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE ANGELS WHICH KEPT NOT THEIR FIRST ESTATE,.... Or "principality"; that holy, honourable, and happy condition, in which they were created; for they were created in perfect holiness and righteousness, stood in the relation of sons to God, and were, for the lustre of their nature, comparable to... [ Continue Reading ]
EVEN AS SODOM AND GOMORRHA, AND THE CITIES ABOUT THEM,.... Admah and Zeboiim, for Zoar was spared. This is a third instance of God's vengeance on sinners; and which, like that of the Israelites, and of the angels, was after great favours had been enjoyed: these places were delightfully situated, and... [ Continue Reading ]
LIKEWISE ALSO THESE FILTHY DREAMERS DEFILE THE FLESH,.... Which may be literally understood, either of the Jewish doctors, who pretended to be interpreters of dreams, as R. Akiba, R. Lazar, and others n; or of the false teachers in the apostle's time, and of their filthy dreams, and nocturnal pollut... [ Continue Reading ]
YET MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,.... By whom is meant, not a created angel, but an eternal one, the Lord Jesus Christ; as appears from his name Michael, which signifies, "who is as God": and who is as God, or like unto him, but the Son of God, who is equal with God? and from his character as the archangel... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THESE SPEAK EVIL OF THOSE THINGS WHICH THEY KNOW NOT,.... Which may more particularly refer to dignities, Judges 1:8; either angels, who are little known, and not at all, but by revelation, and yet were blasphemed, or evil spoken of by these men; either by ascribing too much to them, as the crea... [ Continue Reading ]
WOE UNTO THEM,.... This may be considered as a commiseration of their case, or as a denunciation of deserved punishment, or as a prediction of what would befall them. The Arabic version prefaces these words with an address to the saints, "O my beloved": that what was about to be said might be attend... [ Continue Reading ]
THESE ARE SPOTS IN YOUR FEASTS OF CHARITY,.... Or "love". The Jews speak סעודתיה דמהימנותא, "of a feast of faith" b. These here seem to be the Agapae, or love feasts, of the primitive Christians; the design of which was to maintain and promote brotherly love, from whence they took their name; and to... [ Continue Reading ]
RAGING WAVES OF THE SEA,.... False teachers are so called, for their, swelling pride and vanity; which, as it is what prevails in human nature, is a governing vice in such persons, for knowledge without grace puffs up; and this shows that they had not received the doctrine of grace in truth, for tha... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ENOCH ALSO, THE SEVENTH FROM ADAM,.... This was Enoch the son of Jared; his name signifies one "instructed", or "trained up"; as he doubtless was by his father, in the true religion, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and was one that had much communion with God; he walked with him, and... [ Continue Reading ]
TO EXECUTE JUDGMENT UPON ALL,.... Quick and dead, small and great, high and low, rich and poor, good and bad, righteous and wicked, sheep and goats; to pass the definitive sentence on each, that of absolution, life, and happiness, on his own people, and that of condemnation, death, and misery, on th... [ Continue Reading ]
THESE ARE MURMURERS,.... That is, at others; secretly, inwardly, in a muttering way, grunting out their murmurs like swine; to which, for their filthiness and apostasy, false teachers may be filly compared: and their murmurs might be both against God and men; against God, against the being of God, d... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT, BELOVED,.... Or "my beloved", as the Syriac and Arabic versions read; or "our brethren", as the Ethiopic version; the apostle addresses the saints in this manner, to distinguish them from the false teachers, and to show that he had a different opinion of them from them; and that be would have t... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW THAT THEY TOLD YOU THAT THERE SHOULD BE MOCKERS IN THE LAST TIME,.... 2 Peter 3:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
THESE BE THEY WHO SEPARATE THEMSELVES,.... Not from sinners openly profane; such a separation is commendable, being according to the will and word of God, to the mind and practice of Christ, and which tends to the good of men, and to the glory of God; but from the saints and people of God; it is pos... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT YE, BELOVED,.... Judges 1:17; BUILDING UP YOURSELVES ON YOUR MOST HOLY FAITH; some copies, and the Complutensian edition, read, "our most holy faith"; meaning the doctrine of faith in all its branches, which is holy, a most holy doctrine; which displays the holiness of God, and is a means of be... [ Continue Reading ]
KEEP YOURSELVES IN THE LOVE OF GOD,.... By which may be meant either the grace and favour of God, that love with which God loves his people; and then the exhortation to the saints to keep themselves in it is, to set it always before them, to keep it constantly in view, to exercise faith on it, firml... [ Continue Reading ]
AND OF SOME HAVE COMPASSION,.... That is, of such who have gone astray, being drawn aside; who are simple and ignorant, and out of the way; who sin through infirmity, and the force of temptation; and who are tractable and open to conviction, and whose mistakes are in lesser matters of religion; as a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND OTHERS SAVE WITH FEAR,.... Meaning false teachers, who lead others into errors, and such as give themselves over unto sin, whether teachers or hearers, and who are obstinate and irreclaimable; even such as these, means should be used to save, if possible, by sharp admonitions and severe language... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW UNTO HIM THAT IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU FROM FALLING,.... The people of God are liable to falling into temptation, into sin, into errors and mistakes, from an exercise of grace, or from a degree of steadfastness in Gospel truths, and even into a final and total apostasy, were it not for divine power;... [ Continue Reading ]
TO THE ONLY WISE GOD OUR SAVIOUR,.... By whom is meant, not the Trinity of Persons in general, nor the Father in particular; but the Lord Jesus Christ, who is truly God, though not to the exclusion of the Father and Spirit; and is the wisdom of God, and the author of all wisdom, natural and spiritua... [ Continue Reading ]