The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 116

Jay (El-Kuds), And setteth; and he 1et mtmion with God (Pa. xci. 1), bids him (Revised Version, with manuscripts). The enjoy to the foll the promise of God's pro- right reading (ln11u•11, as in Luke) is pro- tection. There is no thought here of a bably B tt'Bce of the basis common to the "miracle of display" to the multitudes who two records. Possibly, however, it may were assembled, " M a matter of course," on here be a merely nccidentnl similarity with the temple e.ree. (l\Ieyer; cf. even Trench). Luke (who employs the aorist throughout Neither the devil's solicitation nor our Lord's the section), caueed by Matthew'11 desire to reply hint e.t anything else than Divine emphasize the momentariness of the devil's protection. If it be nrged tbat for this any act. Some think that, ae at the end of the one of the many precipices by the Dead Sea, temptation Christ is in the wilderness, this e.g. those of the Quarantana (ver. l, note) removnl to Jerusalem is solely mental, with- itself, would have been sufficient, the answer out any motion of bia body. Improbable; may be found in the fact that at the temple, for to make such a temptation real, our the scat of God's specie.I manifestation, nocl'3 Lord's mind must have suffered complete special protection might be looked for. illnsion. He must have thought that he was There is a slight doubt whether the 8n after "on the pinnacle." On a (the, Revised -,,-ypa.'ITTat is recitative (We,,tcott and Hort, Version) pinnacle of the temple (i:irl Tb and most) or part of the quotation (Rheims, 1tTepii-y,011 Tov lepoii). Wh:i.t is exactly meant Meyer, Weiss). In favoar of the latter view by this definite and evidently well-known is the fact that the recitative 3.... is not used term ie not easy now to determine. " Some elsewhere in this section (vers. 4, 7, 10), but understand this of the top or apex of the as in Luke iv. 10 it can hardly be other sanctuary (Tov vaov) [cf. Hegesippus, in than recitative (for another oT, is inserterl Eusebius, 'Hist. Eocl.,' ii. xxiii. 11, 12 before" on their haads "), the probability is (Hcinichen), where the Jews bid James that it we.a recitative in the ore.I source, and stand, l:irl Tb 1tTep{ry,011 Tov lepov, and it is therefore recitative here. In their bands ; efterwards said that they set him l,rl T~ Revised Version,on; /,rl X"P"'"· The thought trTep{ry,011 Tov vaov]; others of the top of is not so much of surrounding care as of Solomon's porch ; and others of the top of physical support through space. Lest at the Royal Portico " (Thayer). Of this Inst any time; Revised Version, lest haply; and Josephus (' Ant.,' xv. 11. 5) makes special so o.lways, for "in the New Testament use mention, saying, in hie exaggerated style, of this particle (JJ.{1 1r0Te) the notion of time that human sight could not reach from usual to 1toT< seems to recede before that of the top of it to the bottom of the ravine on contingency" (Thayer). whoso edge it stood. Edersheim (' Life,' Ver. 7.-It is written a.gain; i.e. in addi- etc., i. 303) thinks that possibly the term tion, not to our Lord's previous quotation means "the extreme corner of the • wing- (ver. 4), in which case we shoc:ld expect to like' porch, or ulam, whioh led into the find ..-ci.>..,11 in ver. 10, but to the devil'M Sanctunry." This last would suit e. possible appeal to Scripture, Bengel, "Scripturo. interpretation of Dan. ix. 27, as referring to per Scripturam ioterpretnnde. et concilio.nda" B part of the temple under the name of" the (cf. A.rt. XX., "Neither may it [the Chnrch] pinnacle,'' which had been used for bee.then so expound one place of Scripture that it be sacrifices, probably in the worship of the repugne.ut to another"). Thou she.It not sun. Cf. Rodscd Vorsion margin there, tempt (Deut. vi. 16, verbally from the LXX., with the l,rl Tb ieptlv of ThPodotion's version, e.ncl equivalent to tlie Hebrew, except that and also the LXX. itself (vide Field's the Hebrew verb is in tho plural). In Deu- 'Hcxapla '). teronomy the sentence continues, "l\3 ya Ver. 6.-If thou be the Son of God (ver. tempted him in Massah;" i.e. ye shnll not S, noto ). For it is written. Ps. xci. 11, I 2, test the reality of his pre~ence and the verbCllly from the LXX., but omitting the greatness of his power as yo did (Exo,I. xvii. clnuse, "to lreep thee in nil thy ways." 1-7) at Repbidim. The act propose,! to Luke omits ouly "in e.11 thy wa.ys." The our Lord would hnvo been precisely pamllel clnuse, according to eilher record, was to that sin of old (cf. Judith's words to omitted possibly because the devil shmnk the people of Dethulia that. by fixing a limit from reminding Jesus of "we.ye" which of clays for God to deliver them, they in he need not take; more probubly bccnuse reality tempted God [bmpcfuan Tbv e,611] "ways" hnrdly fittccl this case (cf. Weiss). Judith viii. 12; cl'. also Ps. lxxviii. -11). Trench (' Stu,lies,' p. 40), following St. "In this refuso.1 of Christ's are implicitly Berna.rd, says that the omission of the condemnecl o.11 who run befuro they uro sent, clause u.ltors the whole ohamcter of the who thrust themselv~ into perils to which quotation, considering thnt "we.ye" im- they are not called; all who would fain be plies w11y9 appointed by God. Dut this reformers, but whom God ha.s not rni:;cd up appears to be strained. 1'he devil, appeal- au<I equippCll for the work of r<cfonuation; ing to Jesus' coil.llcionsness of abiding com- and who therefore for the most part bring  106 THE GOSPEL ACOORDING TO ST. MA.T'l'HEW. [on. rv. 1-25.