The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 62

to diseases predominantly marked by loss of oiples to bring them " here" was in itsolf bodily power (' diuturno languoro toneri,' an aot of faith. Calvin), while the more oommon litT6,v.f,s is Ver. 19. -And he oommanded the multi- simply used to denote sickness g-enerally" tude; the tnultitudes (Revised Version). (Bishop Ellicott, on I Oor., l.oo. cit.). But in Hore also the plural (ver. 15), because they our passe.ge it is used without any suoh are thought of Ill! grouped over the ground. limitation (of. Luke, "And he healed them To sit down ; i.e. to reoline as u.t a meal that had need of healing"). Mark and John (ava.1<X19ijva,). On the graBB (<l,rl 'TOV x&eTou). do not speak of miracles of healing on this The addition of "green" (xx.,pos) in Mark occasion. suit.a the time of lhe Passover (vor.18, note), Yer. 15.-And when it waa evening. But but hardly of any luter feast, for the grass not as late rui the " evening" of 'l"cr. 23. would have been dried up. And took the (For a discussion upon the technioal division five loaves, and the two fishes. He used o.11 of two "e1·cnings," see Gescnius, 'Thesnu- the means there were. And looking np to ru-s,' p. 106+.) It appears that the first heaven. So also l\lark vii. 84; John xvii. 1. e'l"ening wns from the ninth to the twelfth He blessed. He may well have used the hour (our 8 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the equinoxes), blessing that is still used over bread and the second evening was for a short timP, (" Dlcssed art thou, Jehovah our God, King perhaps forty minutes, nfter sunset (cf. eh. of the world, that causest bread to come "'l"iii. 16, note). His (the, Revised Version) dis- forth from the earth "); for this can be appa• ciples came to him, saying. St. John alone reutly traced to the second or third century hn.s recorded our Lord's previun, oon vorsn.tion A.D., and is probably much older still (cf. with Philip (d. 5-7). This is a desert Edersbeim, 'Life,' i. 684; Zunz, 'Gottes- plaoe ; the place i• desert (Revised Version), dienstliche Vortriige,' p. 371, edit. 1882). which better marks the parallelism with the (For the habit of saying grace before meals, next clause. And the time is now ( already, ef. eh. xv. 86; xxvi. 26; Rom. xiv. 6; 1 dor. Revised Vcrsion) paa:t ( 71 C,pa. i,611 1ra.pij>..8,v) ; x. 80; 1 Tim. iv. 5; see also 1 Sam. ix. 18.) i.e. probably the hour at which he was ac- And brake, and gave the loaves to his customed to dismiss his audience. For he disciples, and the disciples to the multitude, wonld often have to consider their wish to That the people received the bread at the get home Lefore nightfall. Send the multi- hands of the disciples is not mentioned by tude away; the multitudes (Revised Ver- St. John. Perhaps because his chapter sion); for now again they are regar,lecl sep:i.- dwells so much on tLo need of direct .contact ratcly as ha"ring to go in different direc- with Christ. Dut Christ's work through tions. That they may go (go away) into his agents, both before o.nd after his time the vil.la.ges, &nd buy themselves victuals; on earth, is an important point with the food (Revised Version). One at lenst of synoptis ts. the disciples would have a keen eye for Ver. 20.-And they did all eat, and were the amount of the contents of the common fllled(lxop-rdtT971uav,ch. v. 6, note). And they. purse. Undefinecl, but seen from eh. xvi. 9; John Ver. 16.-Bnt 1esus said nnto them, They vi. 12, to have been the disciples. Took up need not depart ; they have no need to go of the fragments that remained ; that which afDay (Reviaed Version). Matthew only. remained o-oer of the broken piecea (Revised The Lord takes up tLe expression. There Version) ; i.e. of tha pieces broken by our is no need for them to move from this place, Lord for di!ltrihnliou (ver. 19). Twelve desert though it is. Give ye them to eat. baskets fnll. The disciples personally lost Y-e; emphatic. He throws upon his dis- nothing by the miracle (ver. 15, note), the ciples the duty of feeding them, and, strange provision basket that each al ways carried though the command seemed to them (cf. was now replenished. Bae1,eta; " cofyns " 2 Kings iv. 48), they carried it out. (Wickliffe); 1eocpl11ous (cf. Luke ix.17, note; Ver. 17.-And they HY unto him, We and the Talmudic saying, "He that has have here (Zi6,) but five loaves (eh. iv. 3, bread in his basket is not like him that has note), &nd two fishe1 (eh. vii. 9, note). St. not bread in his basket," Talm. Dab., Matthew omits the question," Shall we go 'Yoma,' 74b). 1rnd buy?" etc., which comes in Mark and Ver. 21.-And they that had eaten were Luke, and essentially in John (ver. 5). about five thonaand men, beside women and Ver. 18.-Matthew only. Re Hid, Bring children. Only M... tthew mentions the pre- them hither to me (q,.!pn• JJ.•• Zi6• a.u-rovs). sence of other thau men. We may assume 'H.1is gives the sense, but still more is im- that no great number of women and chil- 1,Hed. He takes up their Zi6,. " Yes," he dren were there; and this, considering the se.ye, "it is possible to feed them where we distance that roost had Leen obliged to go e.re, ancl especially 'll"here I am. For there (ver. 18), is what we should expect. "Ou- is uot the poverty of supply here that you serve here the diminutive ,ra,3(.,111 little tuin.k there is." Observe that for the dis- children, whom their mothers either ca.r•  r11. xiv. 1-3G.J THE GOSPJ~L ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 65