The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 415

ye may prosper in all ye do;• and lastly, to these Gentile rulers of what the gospel Ps. l:u:viii. 88, 89, 'But he, being fnll of really does for men, and of their consequent compassion, forgave their iniquity, and de- responsibility ; cf. eh. viii. 4, note: also the stroyed them not: yea, many a time turned parallel pe.ssage, Luke xxi. 13. Eusebius, he his anger away, and did not stir up all referring to our Lord's words, gives a strik- his wrath.' If the punishment we.s not over ing illnstra.tion in his 'Mart. Pal.,' vi. by the time that these three paBBages were Vera. 19, 20.-For these two verses, com- read, they were again repeated, and so timed pare (besides Mark xiii. 11; Luke xxi. 15; as to end exactly with the punishment itself. vide supra, ver. 17) Luke xii. 11, 12, with Meanwhile a second judge numbered the which there is donbtlese a common basis. blows, and a third before each blow exclaimed, As the two verses do not seem to have in • Hakkehu • (' strike him ').... The severity Luke xii. a very close connexion with their of the pa.in me.y best be estimated by the context, it is probable that there also, as brief addition, 'If the criminal die under the here, they are taken from a speech of later infliction, the executioner is not accounted date. Bnt when they deliver you np, take no gnilty unless he gives by mistake a single thought; be Mt anxious (Revised Version); blow too ma.ny,_in whichca.se he is banished."' eh. vi. 25, note. So also Luke xii. 11 ; but Ver. 18.-And; yeaand(Revised Version); Lake :u:i. 14 goes furtlier, a.ud forbids the ,ral . . . l'il. Ye shall be brought. Trans- disciples to "merlitate beforehand how to posed in the Revised Version with the follow- answer." Bengel says here, Una, non ing words, because the stress of Christ's ourandi, cura sit. How or what. The saying lies, not on his followers being brought geneml direction or the actual matter. Ye to trial, but on the high position of their shall speak-i.e. in defence, as defined in judges. This marks both the extreme im- Luke xii. 11; :u:i. 14-for it shall be given portance that their enemies will attach to you in that same (omit " same,'' with the them, and the lengths to which these will Revised Version) hour what ye shall speak. go.'z:Before governors; i.e., probably,repre- And if in simila.r extraordinary circumstances, sentatives of others in supreme power. Such the Christian may expect similar extraor- were Felix e.nd Festus, the praitors at dinary help. The omission of this clauso Philippi (hardly the polite.robs e.t Thessa- by some Western authorities is probably lonica., for this we.a a free city), and Gallio due to the fact that the next verse o.lsCl e.t Corinth. But perhaps -1,yeµ.,I,v is here begins with "for,'' and contains a promise used in the narrower sense of procurator, in that much resembles this. For it is not ye which ce.se of the above ne.mea only the first that speak, but the Spirit of your Father two ought to be mentioned, for Gallio we.a which epeaketh in you (cf. Gen. xii. 38). a proconsul (cb,801ra"Tos). And kinga. The Observe: (1) The thoughtful reminder, supreme· authorities themselves. So espe- "your Father,'' whose children you he.va cie.lly Nero (2 Tim. iv. 16), e.nd even Herod become (oh. v. 16, note), and whose protec- Agrippa II. (Acts :u:v. 13, sqq.), for he we.a tion you may look for. (2) It is not BRid autocratic in his kingdom, save the.the owed that the Father, but that the Spirit speo.ks e.llegiance to the power that gave it to him. (cf. Acts iv. 8: xiii. 9: e.nd, for Christ speak- :ror my sake (eh. v. 11, note). St. Peter ing, 2 Cor. xiii. 3). (3) The phre..se is (" for the Lord's sake . . . king . . , quite compatible with, but would ha.rdly governors," 1 Pet. ii. 13, 14) possibly refers have then been understood as expressing, to this utteronce, but by using the singulor, the personality of the Holy Spi.rit. (4) •• king," recalls more definitely the one Though the prorniso would doubtless hold political organization with which his readers good, nnd that in 11, special degree, for the would be brought into contact in Asie. Minor, most important of all "defences,'' the writ- the Roman emperor and his representatives. ing of Holy Scripture, yet even there it did .Fora.testimony against (to, Revised Version) not preclude the use of lrnmo.n weo.WJ them e.ud (to, Revised Version) the Gentiles. (Luke i. 3). Tl1em. Not the Jews (Dengel, Meyer, and Ver. 21.-The persecutors sho.ll be found perhaps o.lso the Revised Version), but the among those most closely connected with governors nnd kings. For (a) the pa.mile! you by blood and nritur:i.l affection. Observo passage, Me.rk xiii. 9, omits "the Geu tiles:" that our Lord docs not mention this until (b) the po.ra.llel passo.ge, eh. xxiv. 14 (vide he has reminded them tho.t they o.ro con- ,upra), runs, "This gospel of the kingdoIU nected by still deeper family ties with One sho.11 be preached in the whole world [possibly, above. 'l'he thought and po.rtly the lo.n- too, the word employed, oi,covµl,,.,,, he.s special guo.ge of vers. 21, 22 comes in 4 Esclr. vi. reference to the Roman empirel for II testi- 24, 25, "Et erit in illo tempore tl~bclbbunt mony unto e.11 the Gentiles," Both passc1gcs nmici o.micos ut iuiwici . . . et orit, ownis show tho.t the Lord i1 not here thinking of qui derelictus fuerit ex omnibus istis quibus the Jews, but only of the Gentiles o.nd rulers praitlixi tibi, ipse so.lvnbitur et videbit salu- from o.mong them. Against; to. A witneBB te.re meum et flnem sroculi mei [ v, 1. vestri].•  412 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [on:. x.1-42.