The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 51

83. 8; ii. 7. 8). Joseph's fear of Arcbelaus connection than that implied by 1va.. a quite corresponds to the character given of might be falfilled whioh was spoken by the him by the Jewish 11mbaasadora before prophets, He shall be oalled (Revised Augustus. "He seemed to be afraid lest Version, that he ahould be called; 3n ,c>..118~- ·ke should not be deemed Herod's own son; u,-rru; cf. also the Oeneve.) a Nazarene. Tho -and so, without any delay, he immediately Revised Version expresses the fact that the let the nation understand hie meaning," i.e. quotation is not of words, but of substance, ,by the slaughter of the three thousand me.I- for although the recitative 3-r, is found in con tents above referred to (Josephus, • Aut.,' St. Matthew (vii. 23; ix. 18; xiv. 26; xxvii. :nil. 11. 2). He was in A.D. 6 deposed for 43, 47) and even before verbal citations from hie cruelty, and banished to Vienna, in Scripture after "Yfrpa:rra.,, (eh. iv. 6) e.nd Gaul. Did reign; Revised V crsion, wa.a 1,.,1-y,,,,,.,, (eh. xxi. 16, contrast 42), yet it reigning; an attempt to express the vivid does not occu:r after the formula -rb f,118lv present of the original, which recalls the ,c.-r.>... By t:he prophet,, Not " in the pro- very words he heo.rd. After Augustus'a phets" (Acts xiii. 40), which might h:i.rn decision, Arebela.us could not legally have preferred (yet cf. Heh. L 1) only to the book <mlled himself J3a,ri>..ws, but the title, espe- containing their writings, and then would cie.lly e.s implied in the verb, would have not in itself have implied more than one been customary in popular speech (cf. eh. passage there. The present phrase (8,d. -rwv xiv. 9). But it ie possible that the expression ,rpo</>71'Tw11) suggests personality rather than we.a used before Archele.us went to Rome, and writing, and implies either that two or at the time of his first grasp of power under more prophets were the agents by whom Herod's will. In J'udiea. 'l'he Revised Ver- the words were spoken. or, better, that in. sion (over Judma, /3a.u,,._,6u rijs 'lov5a.la.s) some we.y the whole company of the pro- rightly implies not only that he lived in phets (cf. Acts iii 25; Heb. L 1) spoke the Judiea, but that, unlike hie father, was not message now summe.rized. In I.his way the king of the whole of Palestine, but emphati- phrase will indicate that even if the follow- cally of J udiea. To this IdumlEI\ and Samaria. ing words a.re found in the nttemnces of were appendages. In the room of his fat.her only one prophet, they also represent a Herod. Had St. Matthew the same thought phase of teaching common to all .J. Na.za- as the Jewish ambassadors above? Ke was rene. Those interpretations which connect afraid to go thither; and presumably he this with "Trl (n.zr), (1) in the sense of told God his fears. Notwithstanding (only "separated" (Lightfoot, 'Hor. Hebr.'), (a) 31); Revised Version, and. Being warned generally ( cf. Ps. lxix. 7) ; (b) specifically as of God (ver. 12, note). For he does not "Ne.zarite" (i'll, Na.(71p11ior, so Tyndale to leave bis people in perplexity. In e. dream. Rheims); or (2) in the sense of "diaclem" No angel ie mentioned this time. Ke (1J,l, "Zu Cronberg [n-rri] bat der Gekronte turned aside ; Revised Version, he wit:hdrew gewobnet,'' Bengel); a.re inudmiesible in the (&v,xrI,p71u,11). Into the parts of Ge.lilee; light of the fact that, in Jewish writings, where Antipas wns tetrarch. The form (cf. both "Nazareth" (n~f; Neub., 'Geogr.,' eh. xv. 21; xvi. 13) seems to imply remove.I from one spot to another before finally p. 190) and "Ne.zlil'ene" (•,im) a.re from settling at Nazareth, and also the sub- 'U:l (ntsr). Thus the reference to the pro- .ordinate importance of the places visited, phets requires that they speak of Messiah by -compared with the more populous towns. some term belonging to this root, and not to Ver. 23.-And he came and dwelt in e. in (nzr). Wbo.t this term is may be guthered city called Nazareth. En-Na~fra, now of from the true text of Te.Im. Bab., 'So.nh.,' from five thousand to six thousn11d souls, in 43a (cf. • Levy,' a.o. 'U:l, and for the passage the hills on the northern edge of the Pie.in in full, Re.bbinowicz, 'Var. Leet.'), where, of Esdraelon, uot mentioned in the Old after enumerating five disciples of Jesus Testament or by Josephus. "Nazareth is e. the N o.zo.rena (•-r.:1i;i 1:,•), nmong them Ne- rose, and, like e. rose, has the same rounded tzer, e. summary is given of their trial Rnd form, enclosed by mountnins as the flower condemnation. Of Netzer it is so.id, "They by its leaves" (Quaresimus, in Stanley, brought Netzer up for trial: He s_aid t_o tho • Sinai and Pale~tine,' p. 365). Observe the judges, Shall Netzer be slo.m? It 1B wntten, (:) in the Revised Version, showing that the 'A bro.nch (nelzer, 'U:l) out of bis roots sho.11 following "fulfilment" is not to be con- bear fruit (Isa. xi. l).' They answered sidered as part of J oseph's intention. Dwelt; him, Yee., Netzer shall be slain. For it is settled down o.fter the exile life (cf. Acts vii. written, • But thou a.rt cast forth e.wuy from 4). That (81r.,r). The purpose lay in the thy sepulchre like an e.bominable branch'" Divine overruling of Joseph's action, .,,..,s (nctzer, Isa. xiv. 19). It docs not now with -.r>..71p.,8fi, eh. viii. 17 and xiii. 35 only. coucern us to inquire which, if uny, of the In each cnso it is used with referonce to twelve disciples is here spoken of by th& geneml statements, i.e. it marks II less close name of N dzcr. Ilut it is evident tho.l  38 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW, [cH. 11. 1-23.