Luke 21:19
Ver. 19. In your patience, possess ye your souls. By patiently bearing all afflictions, reproaches, indignities, and persecutions, enjoy yourselves; let nothing disturb or distress you; possess that peace and joy in your souls, which the world cannot take away; see Ro 5:3. The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions read, "ye shall possess": and the sense may be this; by patient continuance, or by perseverance in the ways of God, and the truths of Christ unto the end, ye shall be saved; shall find your lives, and enjoy your souls, as in Mt 10:22. Luke 21:20Ver. 20. And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies,.... The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Persic versions read, "with an army"; that is, with the Roman army, as it was by the army which Titus Vespasian brought against it, and besieged it with:then know that the desolation thereof is nigh; signifying, that there would be no deliverance to be expected, as when the Assyrian army under Rabshakeh appeared against it; but that whenever the Roman army besieged it, its destruction might be looked upon as inevitable; nor was the siege raised until it was destroyed, which was about four years after. Luke 21:21Ver. 21. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains,.... See Gill on "Mt 24:16".And let them which are in the midst of it; either of Judea, as the preceding clause seems to direct the sense; or in Jerusalem, and which indeed was in the midst of Judea; and this sense is favoured by the Persic version, which renders it, "within the city"; let them go out of it, as the Christians did to Pella, Mount Libanus, and other places:and let not them that are in the countries; either foreign countries, or in towns and villages;enter thereinto: either into Judea, or into Jerusalem; contrary to this advice, they came from all countries to the feast of the passover at Jerusalem, and were there shut up by the siege and destroyed {c}.{c} Joseph. de Bello Jud. l. 7. c. 17. Luke 21:22Ver. 22. For these be the days of vengeance,.... Of God's vengeance on the Jewish nation, for their rejection and crucifixion of the Messiah;that all things which are written may be fulfilled; as in Moses and the prophets; see De 28:20 Luke 21:23Ver. 23. But woe unto them that are with-child,....See Gill on "Mt 24:19".For there shall be great distress in the land; of Judea. The Greek word anagkh, here used, properly signifies "necessity", but here intends afflictions and distress; in which sense it is often used by the Septuagint, as in Ps 107:6 and it is also by the Targumists adopted into their language, and used in the same sense {d}: and indeed, the distress was very great, and such a time of tribulation, as was never known since the beginning of the world, nor never will be the like; what with the enemy without, and their seditions and divisions within, the robberies, murders, and famine, which prevailed and abounded, their miseries are not to be expressed:and wrath upon this people; of the Jews; even the wrath of God, as well as of man, which came upon them to the uttermost; and their own historian observes, that God, who had condemned the people, turned every way of salvation to their destruction {e}.{d} Vid. Targum in Gen xxii. 14. & xxxviii. 25. & Targum Sheni in Esth. v. 1. {e} Joseph. de Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 15. Luke 21:24Ver. 24. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword,.... Or "mouth of the sword", an Hebraism; see the Septuagint in Jud 1:8. The number of those that perished by the famine and sword, were eleven hundred thousand {f}:and shall be led away captive unto all nations; when the city was taken, the most beautiful of the young men were kept for the triumph; and those that were above seventeen years of age, were sent bound into Egypt, to labour in the mines; many were distributed through the provinces, to be destroyed in the theatres, by the sword or beasts; and those that were under seventeen years of age, were led captive to be sold; and the number of these only, were ninety-seven thousand {g}:and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles; the Romans, who ploughed up the city and temple, and laid them level with the ground; and which spot has been ever since inhabited by such as were not Jews, as Turks and Papists: and so it will be,until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled; that is, till the fulness of the Gentiles is brought in; until the Gospel is preached all over the world, and all God's elect are gathered in out of all nations; and then the Jews will be converted, and return to their own land, and rebuild and inhabit Jerusalem; but till that time, it will be as it has been, and still is possessed by Gentiles. The word "Gentiles", is left out in one of Beza's exemplars, and so it is likewise in the Persic version.{f} Joseph. de Belio Jud. l. 7. c. 49. & Euseb. Hist. Eccl. l. 3. c. 7. {g} Ib. Luke 21:25Ver. 25. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon,.... They shall be darkened, and suffer very strange and surprising eclipses:and in the stars; they shall fall from heaven, as in Mt 24:29 and so the Ethiopic version reads here: all which, as it may be understood in a literal sense, so it may likewise in figurative and mystical one, and be interpreted of the changes there should be in the Jewish state; See Gill on "Mt 24:29". So the Jewish writers {h} interpret the sun, the light, the moon, and stars, in Ec 12:2. By the "sun" they understand the kingdom of the house of David; by "the light", the law; by "the moon", the sanhedrim; and by the stars, the Rabbins; and the same seem to be designed by the stars here:and upon the earth distress of nations; upon the land of Israel; in the several nations and countries belonging to it; as Galilee of the nations, Judea, and the region beyond Jordan, shall be in great distress:with perplexity; of mind, not knowing what to do, which way to go, or step to take; the Syriac version, instead of it, reads "clapping, or pressing of the hands"; which is done by persons, when in an agony and great distress:the sea and the waves roaring; which design some unusual and extraordinary storms and tempests, and inundations in the sea of Galilee, or Tiberias, which would be so very terrible, as to cause great uneasiness, distress, and perplexity; and so some versions render it, "because of the sea", &c.{h} In Prefat. Echa Rabbati, fol. 38. 4. Jarchi in Eccles. xii. 2. Luke 21:26Ver. 26. Men's hearts failing them for fear,.... Of what these signs in the heaven, earth, and sea portend:and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; on the land of Judea:for the powers of heaven shall be shaken;See Gill on "Mt 24:29". Luke 21:27Ver. 27. And then shall they see the son of man,....See Gill on "Mt 24:30". Luke 21:28Ver. 28. And when these things begin to come to pass,.... When the first of these signs appears, or any one of them:then look up and lift up your heads; be cheerful and pleasant; do not hang down your heads as bulrushes, but erect them, and put on a cheerful countenance, and look upwards, from whence your help comes; and look out wistfully and intently, for your salvation and deliverance:for your redemption draweth nigh; not the redemption of their souls from sin, Satan, the law, the world, death, and hell; for that was to be obtained, and was obtained, before any of these signs took place; nor the redemption of their bodies at the last day, in the resurrection, called the day of redemption; for this respects something that was to be, in the present age and generation; see Lu 21:32 but the deliverance of the apostles and other Christians, from the persecutions of the Jews, which were very violent, and held till these times, and then they were freed from them: or by redemption is meant, the Redeemer, the son of man, who shall now come in power and glory, to destroy the Jews, and deliver his people; and so the Ethiopic version renders it, "for he draws nigh who shall save you". Luke 21:29Ver. 29. And he spake to them a parable,.... That is, to his disciples:behold the fig tree, and all the trees; that, or any other tree;See Gill on "Mt 24:32". Luke 21:30Ver. 30. When they now shoot forth,.... Their buds, branches, and leaves; the Vulgate Latin adds, "of themselves":ye see and know of your own selves; without any hint, or direction from others, the case is so plain and obvious; the Syriac and Arabic versions read, "of them"; the trees, by their putting forth their buds and leaves; the Persic and Ethiopic versions leave out the clause "of yourselves"; and none of the Oriental versions lead the word see:the summer is now nigh at hand: see Mt 24:32. Luke 21:31Ver. 31. So likewise when ye see these things come to pass,.... The signs before mentioned, in Lu 21:8.Know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand: a more visible and glorious display of the kingdom of the Messiah, in the destruction of his enemies, the Jews; see Mr 9:1. Luke 21:32Ver. 32. Verily I say unto you, this generation,....See Gill on "Mt 24:34".See Gill on "Mt 24:35". All the Oriental versions read here as there, "all these things"; before related. Luke 21:33Ver. 33. See Gill on "Lu 21:32". Luke 21:34Ver. 34. And take heed to yourselves,.... To your souls and bodies, to your lives and conversations; be upon your watch and guard:lest your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness; with excessive eating and drinking; for these, as they oppress and burden the stomach, and disorder the body, so they stupefy the senses, and make the mind dull and heavy, and unfit for spiritual and religious exercises; such as reading, meditation, and prayer:and cares of this life; concealing food and clothing, what you shall eat or drink, or wherewith ye shall be clothed; all such anxious and worldly cares, being that to the soul, as intemperance is to the body; for there is such a thing as being inebriated with the world, as well as with wine:and so that day come upon you unawares; the day of Jerusalem's destruction; and this suggests, that such would be the carnality and security of some persons, and so they would be surprised with ruin at once; see Lu 17:26. Luke 21:35Ver. 35. For as a snare shall it come,.... In which a bird is suddenly taken, and cannot get out again; the Persic version renders it, "as lightning and the splendour of the sun"; which break out at once, and enlighten the whole earth; so the destruction of the Jewish nation should be sudden and unavoidable, and universal; for it should comeon all them that dwell upon the face of the whole earth: or land of Judea; and so it was, for not only Jerusalem, but all Judea, and Galilee, suffered in this desolation. Luke 21:36Ver. 36. Watch ye therefore, and pray always,.... Watch against every sin, snare, and temptation; particularly, against the above things, surfeiting, drunkenness, and worldly cares; pray continually, for fresh supplies of grace:that ye may be counted worthy; not for watchfulness and prayer, but through the grace and goodness of God:to escape all these things that shall come to pass; the dreadful miseries and distress, that shall come upon the Jews:and to stand before the Son of man; with intrepidity, confidence, and pleasure; and meet him at his coming in this way, with joy and comfort; and likewise at death, and at judgment; see 1Jo 2:28. Luke 21:37Ver. 37. And in the day time he was teaching in the temple,.... That is, Jesus, as the Persic version expresses it; his constant method every day, till the feast of passover came, was to go up to the temple, and there openly and freely preach the Gospel to the people, who resorted thither in great numbers, for that purpose:and at night he went out; of the temple, and out of the city:and abode in the mount that is called the Mount of Olives; very likely to pray, both for himself and for his disciples, his time with them being short. Luke 21:38Ver. 38. And all the people came early in the morning,.... Not all the people in Jerusalem, every inhabitant of the city; this word "all", is often to be taken with a restriction, and here it designs a large number; the Persic version renders it, "vast multitudes": these, some out of curiosity, and others from a real love to him, and his ministry, rose betimes, and came early,to him in the temple, to hear him; which is said, in commendation of Christ's hearers, and is worthy of imitation; as the former verse is a commendation of the preacher, in his constancy and diligence in his work, and following it with his prayers.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.