ftad been good for us to know, it would have been told us. Sufficient for us to understand that when Nathanael thought he was alone and no eye upon him, the Lord Jesus, by His divine power of seeing and knowing all things, was perfectly acquainted with all that Nathanael said, thought, and did. His " eyes are in every place." (Prov. xv. 3.)
Chrysostom and Theophylact think that the expression only refers to the conversation between Philip and Nathanael about Jesus, which had taken place under a fig-tree. Grrotius takes the same view.
Grill mentions a tradition in the Syriac dictionary, "that Nathanael's mother had laid him under a fig-tree when the infants were slain at Bethlehem by Herod," (Matt, ii, 16,) and that our Lord showed His perfect knowledge by referring to this fact.
Heinsius thinks there is a reference to the prophecy of Zecha- riah, '' In that day ye shall call every man his neighbour, under the vine and under the fig-tree," (Zech. iii. 10,) and that hence Nathanael drew the inference that Messiah's days were come, and Messiah before him.
Augustine sees an allegory in the fig-tree, and gravely says, " that as Adam and Eve, when they had sinned, made themselves aprons of fig-leaves, fig-leaves must signify sins. Nathanael therefore being under the fig-tree, signifies being under the sha- dow of death ! " i9. — [Thou art... Son of God.. .King of Israel] These words are the outburst of a heart convinced at once that Jesus was the Mes- siah. They are a noble confession that our Lord was that divine Person who was promised to come into the world to redeem sin- ners, and that King who was prophesied of as the future Gather- er and Ruler of the tribes of Israel. Whether Nathanael clearly understood the nature of our Lord's kingdom at this time, may be reasonably doubted. But that he saw, like Peter, that He was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed, we cannot doubt. Tho restoring of the kingdom to Israel was a subject which we know from other pa siges of Scripture, was one of the last which the first disciples were able to understand aright. (Acts i. 6.)
The history of Nathanael's calling at this point should be compared with that of the woman of Samaria, in the fourth chapter of this G^ospel. It is striking to observe that a discovery and conviction of our Lord's perfect knowledge of the most se- cret things, was in both cases the turning point.
It should not be forgotten, that the title " King of Israel," was one which our Lord never refused during His ministry, though He never took to Himself His great power and actually reigned.