The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 5

verb to which it ie joined (eo in tbe original corruptio ma.na.t in a.urea et oculos : per JlO.Bsnge of Ieniah, nnd perho.pe in Mo.rk; oculoe et a.urea sa.nitas pervenit o.d cor." eompnre aleo "seeing'' in the next verse), And should be oonverted ; and shoul,d turn but 1ue to be taken eepa.mtely, i.e." Though again (Revised Version, ,.,,.,.,..,.p,,j,r,,<1,) ; for they ha.ve powers of seeing und of hearing, "to be converted" has acquired too technical they nevertheless do not eo uee these powers a. meaning. And I shouid heal them (,cai as to see o.nd hear" (for the thought, cf. J er. l&noµri, aii-ro6s). The verb is still dependent v. 21; Ezek.xii. 2). 1'huein meaning, though on the lul (of. eh. v. 25; vii. 6), but the not in form, ea compnred with the next verse, future brings out the certainty of God's seeing is equivalent to "seeing ye she.II healing them on their turning, etc. see ; " they see 11ot, to "and shall in no wiee Vera. 16, 17.-Para.llel passage: Luke x. perceive;" heaf'ing, to "hearing ye shall hea.r; " they hear not, to " aml shall in no 23, 24, o.fter the return of the seventy, and wise understand." immediately following our eh. xi. 25, 27. Ver. 14.-A.nd in them; and unto them The ver.;es stand there, that is to say, in (Revised Version); i.e. with reference to close connexion with the other great them (cf. Jude 14). Is fulfilled. Completely utteranc.e contra.sting God's revelation of (6.vri,r>..71poii-ra.1; cf. 1 'l'hess. ii. 16). The present, because the process is still going spiritual things to some and his !tiding on. The prophecy of Eso.ia.s, which sa.ith them from others. Possibly he spoke the (Isa.. vi. 9, 10). Not quoted in this form in verses only once (cf. the repetitions in the the parallel pa.sso.ges; for Ma.rk iv. 12 Prophets), but, in view of the frequency and Luke viii. 10 a.re really nearer our with which Christ's utterances a.re placed ver. 13. The quotation is to.ken verbally out of their original connexion, the assump- from the LXX., a.nd so in Acts xxviii. 26, 27. But John xii 40, on the contrary, is tion should be the other way. If he really nearer the Hebrew. By hearing ye shall only spoke them once, we c.a.nnot be eure hear (il:,coff il:,coo<1,-r<). A too literal tro.nsla.- which the occasion wa.e, but the possibility tion of the Greek attempt to reproduce the that they do not properly belong here is Hebrew idiom, which is rather "hear ye increased by the doubt whether also ver. 12 indeed" as a. continued a.clion (1110111 lJ7Crt>). was origin:i.lly spoken now. And shall not understllil.d (eh. xi. 25, note); and seeing ye shall see, and shall not per- Ver. 16.-Bnt blessed (eh. v. 3, note) a.re ceive. You may gaze at the object, but you your eyes. Christ now returns to emphasize shall not really see it. So with the bodily ver. Ila. For they see (6-r, 13;i...,.,,ou(J'1v). eye, a.n image may be formed in the retina, This may refer to the disciples being a.hie yet no impression conveyed to the bra.in. to eee spiritual truths before God's special Ver. 15.-For this people's heart is waxed grace given them by way of reward to this gross. There a.re two ways of understanding effect, but this hardly suits the context this verse as it comes lierc. (I) It states from the phrase, "it is given" (ver. 12). the reason why God pronounced the judg- It is, therefore, better to understand the ment of ver. 14. The people'd heart had verse to refer to their seeing and hearing already become fat, lest (µ:/1 .,,• .,.. will then things by virtue of grace given in reward for express the effect from the Divine point of e:i.rlier faithfulness. Edersheim (' Life,' i. view) they should eee, etc. (2) It merely 594) gives a striking illustration of the enlarges tbo statement of ver. 14, expanding thought of this verse from the • Pesiqta. • its meaning (for this force of -yd.p, cf. Mark ii. (edit. Duber, p. 149). 15; Lulrn xviii. 32) : their heart is waxed Ver. 17.-For verily (eh. v. 18, note). fat (by God's judgment for preceding sins), Not in the parallel pa.ssuge; it is much lest they should see, etc. This second ex- more common in Matthew than Lnke. Our planation is preferable, for it a.lone suits the Lord contrasts bis disciples' "blesseJness" imperative found in the Hebrew (cf. tlrn not only with the state of their contem- transitive verbs in John xii. 40), and is poraries, but with thut of their predecessors strictly parallel to the introductory vers. in faith. I sa.y unto you, Tha.t ma.ny prophets 11-13, which do not dwell upon the ea.uses a.nd righteous men. Those who were spe- of God's judgment. And their ea.rs a.re dull cie.Uy favoured with insight into Go<l'11 of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; methods, and those who approached most lest at an:, time ( eh. iv. 6, note) the:, closely to his standard of ri;:(hteousncss. ahould see; p61•ceive (Revised Version)-to Righteous men; "kings" in Luke. Sl recall the same word in vor. 14. With their Luke's readers would probably not appre- eyes, and hear with their ears, and should ciate the force of the term, "righteous men." understand with their hurt. Dengel ea.Us to the same degree that St. Ma.tthew's would. a ttcntion to the order ; first came heart, Have desired (i,reOvµ71<111v). By reading -ears, eyes ; here, eyes, ears, heurt. " A corde '1re6vµ71<1a., thi~ saying hu been u.tt.ributed  6 THE oosrEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [en. XIII. 1-68.