The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 431

the people (Joaephus, 'Ant.,' xviiL 8. 1), to Imply that the application ie not at once and the aotunl setting up of these 1nsigne obvious, and needs spiritual insight tr, in the ennotuary, and the ereotion of the discern it. (How, in the face of this statue of Titus, were subsequent to the declaration of the Son of God, any believer capture of the oity nnd temple (' Bell. Jnd.,' can deny Daniel'e claim to be a prophet Jvi. 6. 1). Our Lord is plainly referring to and the utterer of authentic predictions, is oomething that transpired before the con- a curious case of mental obfuaca.tion or clusion of the siege, otherwise we might invincible prejudice.) recognize an allusion to the insurrection Ver. 16.-Then; i.e. when they she.II see of Bar-cochebo.s, which ended in the de- "the abomination of desolation," etc. Them struction of the partially rebuilt city, the which be in J'udma. Not only in Jerusalem, abolition of its old name, the erection of a but in its vicinity, as most eipoeed to temple to Jupiter on the site of the holy clanger from the in,e.ding army. Flee into place, and the placing of a statue of the ('1,rl, 01ler) the mountains. The Christiana emperor upon the altar, A.D, 135. What seem to have taken this advice when the the " abomination " was cannot now be city was attacked by Ceatius Gallus, about aconrately determined, though its ohamcter A. D. 66, some three or more years before may be divined from what has been said, the siege under Veepasia.n. Gallus had and it was probably some anticipation of appeared before the walla, and apparently the antichrist who is to appear before the had every hope of taking the city, when, final consummation, who " exalteth himself for some reaoon not certainly known (either above all that is called God, or that is owing to a supposed defeat, or ignore.nee worshipped; oo that he as God sitteth in of his own success, or the advice of bis the temple of God, showing himself th11t he generals), he suddenly withdrew his forces is God " (2 These. ii. 4, 8). Spoken of by (Josephus, • Bell Jnd.,' ii. 19. 6, 7). The Daniel the prophet, in three· passages (ix. Christians, bearing Cbriat's warning in 27; xi. 31; xii. 11), all obeoure and difficult, mind, and having, as we ma.y conjecture, and not necessarily referring to the same seen the predicted sign, took the opportunity events. Ohrist takes it for granted that of flight from the doomed city, and made his auditors understand the allusion. Stand their eecn.pe to Pella, a town of Decapolis, [,tanding] in the holy plaoe. Those who eonth-eaet of Bethshean, and the ruins of take "the abomination" to be the Roman which are known now by the name of army, explain this olause to mean "posted Fahil. Eusebius probably refers to this on the holy soil." But -rt/,ros 1£-y,os, with or migration (' Hist. Eccl.,' iii. 5), narrating without the article, is never used but in that, owing to a certain revelation given reference to the temple and its adjunots to holy men among them, the whole body {oomp. Acts vi. 13; xxi. 28; and in the of the Church, before the war, removed Beftuagint, Lev. x. 13; lea. Ix. 13; 2 Me.co. across the Jordan to Pella, and dwelt there viii. 17, eto.). Whatever the sign may be, in safety during those troublous times. We it is to be seen within the temple. (Whoso probably, however, do not know the exact -readeth, let him understand.) There are time of the flight, as we are ignorant of thr~ ways of regarding this parenthetical what was the warning of imminent danger clause: (1) Alford takes it ae "an ecclesi- which rendered this hurried proceeding astical note, which, like the doxology in necessary. ob. vi. 18, has found its way into the text." Ver. 17.-Honsetop. This was flat, and This is a mere conjecture which bas nothing nsed ns a place of rest, meditation, and to snpport it. (2) Others consider it to be familiar oonoourse ( eh. x. 27). Come down a remark of St. Matthew, intended to call .. , house. The roof was accessible by 1pecial attention to the warning; but such two staircases, one external lending from an observation is eutirely without precedent the street or the country, the other mounting in the synoptio Gospels, and it is found also from the apartments. The householder in the parallel passage of St.. IIIark. It is was not to descend by this latter to carry ·BOarcely probable th11t both these evangelists off anything from his chambers within, but would have given the Identical oaution, if to esoape at once by the outer staircase it arose from their own motion in respcot (comp. Luke v. 19). The flight was to be of those who should read tl.teir words before precipitate, like thl\t of Lot from Sodom the siege. (8) It seems more nature.I to (of. Luke xvii. 32). The warning WM take the olause as uttered by Christ him- necessary, as, when the Zealots and aesassina ·1elf with a silent reference to the words of had the upper hand, they allowed. no one lbe angel to Daniel, "Know theiefore and to lenve the city. The warning, however, llnderstand" (Dan. ix. 25; oomp. xii. 10). applied to dwellers in any part of Judma.. The Lord would point emphatioally to the Ver. 18.-In the field. People in the propheoy of Daniel, o.nd hie own bterpreta- open country would be in as grel\t dl\nger ,tion thereof (2 Tim. U. 7). He aeeme also RB those in the oity, the hostile troopa 436 TilE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [cu. ::x.:uv.1-6}.