The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 449

eide of the Dee.d Se11 (cf. Tristre.m, 'N1ttural Luke (vii. 27), save for the omission of l-yrf,, History of the Bible,' p. f37, edit. 1889). is the same; Mark (i. 2) only omits /-yrf, IIDd To our Lord's question no a.newer we.s "before thee." Christ does not hesitate to needed. John ha.d rejected the overtures apply to himself II prophecy of the coming of the ne.tione.lists (John i. 19-21), a.nd he.d of God, nor did the early Chlll'ch shrink not fe11red to rebuke II king (eh. xiv. 4). from recording this of him. Snch an 11ppli- Ver. 8.-llehold, they tha.t wear soft cloth- ealiion of 11n Old Testament passage Bengel ing are in kings' houses. Mena.hem the clllls " IuculentiBBimum 11rgumentum Deita- Essone was by the wish of Herod the Grea.t tis Christi." (On this subject, cf. Bishop ma.de deputy to Hille! in the Sa.nhedrin, Westcott, Add. Note on Heh. iii. 7.) but 11fterwa.rds left his office. " Whither Ver. 11.-Verily. Matthew only. Thia did he go out ? Aba.i said, He went out to solemn asseveration (eh. v. 18, note) would deatruction. Ra.bb11 said, He went out for the more remind them of their dnty towards the service of the king. There is a.Iso 11 John; and, if its force may be extended to B11r11itha [i.e. an • unc11nonic11l' Miahna] to the next clause, call their attention the this effect, that Meno.hem went out for the more forcibly to his being only the herald service of the king, 11nd there went out with of better things. I say nnto you, Among him eighty pairs of disciples clothed in them that are born of women (Job xiv. 1) Syrian robes" (T11lm. Be.b., ' Cha.gigah,' there hath not risen. These last words have 16b, edit. Streane). II has been conjectured, the emphasis in the Greek, ouK l-yfi-y,p-ra,, though hardly on sufficient evidence, that i.e. to work 11nd energy 11B II prophet (Luke our Lord was thinking of this G&Se; but the vii. 16; eh. xxiv. 11, 24). A greater than Talmudio pe.ss11ge at least illustrates the John the :Baptist. This seems almost less gorgeousness of the apparel of the courtiers, praise than ver. 9. Bot our Lord probably e.nd suggests the Inx:ury of living tha.t St. intended to tacitly meet the objection that Luke speaks of(" They which are gorgeously Moses or Abraham was to be listened to apparelled, 11nd live delicately, are in kings' rather than John (cf. eh. iii. 9, note). Not- courts"). It is, however, only fair to Mena- withstanding (yet, Revised Version) he that hem to say that Gratz (' Geschichte der is least (but lit!le, Revised Version, d S~ µ<KO· Judiier,' iii. p. 230, edit. 1877) is able to -r,pos: cf. ,.,1(.,v, eh. xviii. 1) in the kingdom suppose that he merely went back again to of heaven is greater than he. The weakest his solitude. Christian is greater in privileges than the Ver. 9.-llut what went ye out.for to see 1 greatest of the Old Testament saints. John A prophet 1 But wlwr~Jore = t ye out f To could preach repentance, but the joys of 100 a proplietf (Revised Version). Yea, I redemption he knew nothing of. He is say unto you, and more than a prophet. therefore judged according to the rule, Our Lord accepts their estimate of John, but "Minimum waximi maju~ eat maximo ae.ys that it is insnfficient. He thus pusses minimi" (cf. Holtzm11nn, 'Hand-Commen• on to show the relation in which John stood tar,' p. 134). to himself. John was more the.n II prophet Ver. 12.-It is curious that in St. Luke's such as they thought of, for he was "the account of this speech of our Lord's he subject as well us the vehicle of prophecy" should omit our vers. 12-14 (on ver. 15, see (Alford), and was the immediate forerunner note there), thus leaving out all Christ's of the great King. More than ; much more pluiner 11nd more direct teaching about the than (Revised Version). n,p,crcr&npov is relation of John to himself. St. Luke probably neuter, for this not only agrees places (xvi. 16) our vers. 12 11nd 13 in what with TI, but emphasizes the lhought wore appears to be merely e. cento of sayings. than the masculine ( cf. eh. xii. 6, note). Possibly the origin11.l occasion has been Ver. 10.-For, Omitted in the Revised recorded by neither evangelist, but in Version. It is here an expl11n1ttory gloss, Matthew the passage certainly brings out though genuine in eh. iii. 3. This is he, of the thought upon which our Lord was in- whom it is written. Our Lord justifies his sisting on this occasion. And. Slightly assertion of John's nnique position. :Behold, 11dversative (o.), for there is II oh11nge of I send my messenger before thy face, which subject. Christ urges his hearers to wore shall prepare thy way before thee. Mai. iii. definitely r1111ge themselves under his l, not from the LXX., but freely from the banner. From the d117s of John the Hebrew, whieh runs," Behold, I send my mes- :Baptist until now. Yet this was not more sen aer, and he shall prepare the way before than II few monlhs I Possibly lhe sentence me.i Observe in Malthew (1) "thywuy" (2) he.cl bc,come modified in oral tc1tching, so aa "before thee,'' instead of "before me;" (3) to include many years, BIIY up to A.D. 50 er the first clause is made to end with nearly GO. St. Lulrn's a1rb .,.&,,.. is easy enough. the same phrase as the second, llfotthew'e Observe the implied success of John's work form is the more rhythmical, perhaps be- as herald. Ho so prepared the way ihat oauseofore.lrepetition (of. Introduction, p. ~). . wen were eager to enter the kingdom whiob  «6 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MAT'l'HEW. [oH, XI. 1-30,