The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 414

sense in avoiding unnecessary da.nger, for to being only "dove "-like; but it is no wherever you go yon will find work t.o be wonder the.t the connexion with ver. 16 done (ver. 28). should be rather ho.rsh if the pe.ssa.ge be really ta.ken from e. later speech (" But take Ver. 16.-lSa, p&rallel pe.see.ge : Luke x. 8 ye heed," eto., Me.rk xiii. 9). Of men. (the seventy) ; 16b, Ma.ttbew only. Behold. Generioa.lly (-r,i,11 4116prI,,..,.,,), regarded as He calls their attention. I send you forth. one hostile body(cf. Meyer). Theoulmine.t- I ( l')'"' ), with the full consciowmess of a.ll ing point of that opposition to God which tha.t will befall yon; J, whose message yon is inne.te in fe.llen hume.nity is found in will carry, whose oha.racter yon will repre- the deifioa.tion of the Roman emperors (of. sent. In this I lies the germ ofvers. 40--42. Bishop Westcott'sessayon the Two Empires, As sheep in the midst of wolves. The• Mid- § 3, in hie Epistlee of St. John). For they rash ' on Esth. viii. 2 (Pa.rasha. x.) uses the will deliver you up to the (omit " the," same phrase of the position of Israel e.midet with the Revised Version) oounoils (dr a hostile world (cf. Edersheim, 'Life,' i. 645), uu11ilip,a., eh. v. 22, note); " Synedrie., nbi adding, " How great is that Shepherd who prooeres conveniunt; eynagogm, nbi etia.m delivers them e.nd vanquishes the wolves I" populus" (Bengel). And they will soourge • Clem. Rom.,' ii. § 5, he.s e.n interesting you in their synagogues (the order of the addition, "The Lord saith, Ye eha.ll be as words is reversed in the Revised Version). le.mbs in the midst of wolves. But Peter With this compare eh. xxiii. 34, where our answered and so.id unto him, What then, if Lord says, " Therefore, behold, I send the wolves should tea.r the le.mbs? Jesus flliol,, i-yi'., J.1ro<T-rlM&1: cf. ver. 16, note] unto se.ith unto Peter, Let not the lambs fear the you prophets . . . and some of them ye shall wolves after they [the lambs] a.re dead." Be scourge in yolll' synagogues, and (cf. ver. 23, ye therefore. Prove yourselves to be (.,,f,,.,. infra) persecute from city to city." Is our u9,). Wise. Prudent (,pp&11,µo,). As serpents. present passage e. reminiscence of this also? N•,with lgna.t., 'Polyc.,' § 2, has the singular, For the fulfilment of this prophecy cf. Acts perhe.ps ta.king it generically, or perhaps :n:ii. 19 (xxvi. 11). Farrar (' St. Paul,' i. not without reference to the phrase in Gen. App. xi.) thus summarizes the enactments iii. 1, "The serpent was more subtle," eto. on Jewish scourging as recorded in the (6 6f s,;, .. ~. ,Ppo11,µ.rl,-ra-ros, K.T.>...). The Mishna ('Makkoth'): "Evena. single Jewish prudence of the serpent is specially apparent scourging might well entitle e.ny man to be in the qnick:neea of its perception of danger regarded as a. martyr. Thirty-nine blows and the rapidity with which it escapes from were inflicted, unless, indeed, it was found it. Kiibel gives eh. xxii. 23, ,qq,, 34, sqq.; that the strellgth of the patient we.s too John ii 24; :ri. 9, 10, a.s examples of this mnch exhausted to admit of his receiving proper prudence in the ca.se of onr Lord, the full number. Both of his hands were And he.rmless a.a doves. Harm"le8s; rather, tied to what is sometimes ce.lled a. column, eimple, with Revised Version margin. for but which wa.s in reality e. stake a.cubit e.nd e. a.K<pcuos is literally "llnmix.ed," "llne.dul- half high. The public officer then tore down tera.ted" (cf. Bishop Lightfoot, on Phil. ii his robe until his breast we.a le.id bare. The 15), e.nd emphasizes the idea. of eimplicity executioner stood on e. stone behind the of cha.ra.cter. It is thus not active, but criminal. The scourge consisted of two passive. Comp. 'Shir. R.' (Cant. ii. H), thongs, one of which we.a composed_ of follr " With me they [Israd] are simple [□•o•on; strands of co.Ire skin, and one or two strands cf. the 'Etz Ya'akob, which refers to Hos. vii. of ass's skin, which pa.seed through e. bole 11 J as doves, but e.mong the nations of the in e. handle. The exeoutioner, wl!o was world they a.re subtle u serpentB" (cf. eh. ordinarily the Ohaszan of the synagogue, iii 16, note). could thus shorten or lengthen them at will, Ver. 17.-Vers. 17-22 e.re remarkable as so a.s not to strike too low. The prisoner being practically identical with Mark xiii. bent to receive the blows, which were in- 9-13, to which the parallels e.re Luke x.x.i. flicted with one hand, but with e.ll the force 12-19 and eh. xxiv. 9-H. It is hard to of the striker, thirteen on the breast, thirteen resist the conclusion that St. Matthew (1) on the right e.nd thirteen on the left shoulder. has ir,corporated into the present address of While the punishment was going on, the our Lord's on missionary work warnings cl1ief judge reu.d a.loud Deut. xxviii. 58, 59, a.ctua.lly given in his great address at Jeru- 'If thou wilt not observe to do all the words 1111.lew on the fa.II of the city e.nd the end of this law that are written in this book, of the world; and (2) to some extent re- that thou mayest fear this gloriolls and feo.r- peats these warnings in their proper place. ful name, the Lord thy God; then the Lord (For the further parallel of vers. 19, 20 to will make thy plagues [" strokes"] .wonder- Luke xiL 11, 12, vide in we.; cf. also the ful, and the plagues of thy seed.' He thon note on "and they will scourge," in this read Dent. xxix. 9, • Keep therefore the nrse.) But beware. Apparently in contrast words of this covenant, e.ud do them, that on. '.'I:, 1-42.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 411