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35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David?

36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, & The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.

h

38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,

39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts :.

k

40 Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation. 41 ¶ And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

f Matt. xxii. 41.

k Luke xxi. 1.

g Psalm cx. 1. h Matt. xxiii. 5. i Matt. xxiii. 14. * A piece of brass money. See Matt. x. 29.

Verse 35. How say the scribes, &c. See the notes on Matt. xxii. 41-45.

Verse 36. By the Holy Ghost. - The articles here are cancelled by Griesbach, Tittman, and others, on the authority of many of the best мss. But should the textual emendation be allowed, the sense is the same; for, not to urge that vevμa, and πνευμα αγιον, in the undoubted sense of the Holy Spirit, are often found in the New Testament, no meaning can be attached to the passage if the term be taken in any other sense. For what possible sense can be attached to David's calling the Messiah Lord in Spirit, unless this be meant of the Holy Spirit?

Verse 37. And the common people heard · him gladly.-They heard him with delight, both silence the learned objectors who came to dispute with him, whether Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, or scribes; and propose questions to them, as in the preceding verse, which they could not answer. For as these things

indicated the superiority of his wisdom,
so they gave weight and authority to
those salutary and heartfelt truths which
men of simple minds delighted to hear
from him, and which stood in so direct a
contrast to the vain and heartless doc-
trines which they had been accustomed
to hear from the scribes.

Verse 38. Beware of the scribes, &c.—
See the notes on Matt. xxiii. 5-7.
Long clothing.-Sweeping and stately
robes, στoλai.

Verse 40. Widows' houses.-See rotes on Matt. xxii. 14.

Verse 41. Over against the treasury.— In the second court of the temple there were thirteen chests placed to receive of ferings for sacred uses, and an inscription upon each, denoting to what the offering contained in it were to be applied. The name treasury, yagopuλakiov, was applied to that part of the court where the chess were placed. Every one was to cast int the treasury whatever he would, much e

42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

CHAPTER XIII.

1 Christ foretelleth the destruction of the temple: 9 the persecutions for the gospel : 10 that the gospel must be preached to all nations: 14 that great calamities shall happen to the Jews: 24 and the manner of his coming to judgment: 32 the hour whereof being known to none, every man is to watch and pray, that we be not found unprovided when he cometh to each one particularly by death.

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1 AND as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!

It is the seventh part of one piece of that brass money.

little, provided it was not less than two prutahs, the smallest Hebrew coin, and rendered by us mites.

How the people cast money.-The word is xaλkos, properly brass money, but sometimes used as a term for money in general. These offerings were principally made at the three great feasts; and on this occasion it is added, many that were rich cast in much.

Verse 42. Two mites.-The mite, λETTOV, was the Hebrew prutah, two of which was the lowest offering permitted to be made : the value was about three-halfpence of our money; but according to some calculations of the value of ancient coin, the mite was not equal in value to our farthing, so that the two would not be a halfpenny.

Verse 43. Hath cast more in, &c.-The reason is given in the next verse: the others had cast in of their abundance; it was a part only of a considerable superfluity which they offered to God; but she of her want, voτepnσews, her poverty, did cast in all she had, even all her living; that is, all she had to support her life for the day. Proportionably, therefore, her gifts

a Matt. xxiv. 1.

were greater than those of others; but greater also because, as springing from a more unequivocal principle of pious regard to the worship of God, indicating greater love, as being willing to sacrifice even the necessaries of the day to glorify God in his sanctuary, and greater faith in Providence to supply her wants, and not suffer her to perish.

CHAPTER XIII. In this chapter St. Mark gives an abridgment of the discourse delivered by our Lord, as recorded in the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of St. Matthew; on which, see the notes. On a few passages only, where variety presents itself, will it be necessary to add any remark.

Verse 1. What manner of stones.-Many of them were of white marble, twentyfive cubits long, eight broad, and twelve deep; the cubit being about twenty-two inches of our measure. And what buildings! Not merely the temple, but the edifices connected with it; and very probably the terraces built to enlarge Mount Moriah and support the temple, of three hundred cubits high.

2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,

4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?

5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you :

6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.

8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten : and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

10 And the gospel must first be published among all

nations.

11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take b Matt. xxiv. 3. * The word in the original importeth, the pains of a woman in travail.

c Matt. x. 19.

Verse 9. They shall deliver you up to councils. The sanhedrim, or great council, or the inferior councils of twenty-one, or that of three, attached to each synagogue.

In the synagogues ye shall be beaten. The synagogues were courts of justice as well as places of worship; and the punishment of "forty stripes save one" was inflicted in them. The more correct rendering of the verse, however, is, for they shall deliver you up to councils and to synagogues, and ye shall be beaten.

Rulers and kings.-Governors of provinces, as Felix and Festus ; and kings, as Herod, Agrippa, Nero, Domitian, &c. For a testimony against them, against their errors, idolatries, and persecuting cruelty; and even the very blood of the innocent cries out against an unjust judge. The fate of persecutors, whether individuals or nations, is a striking comment upon these words.

Verse 11. But when they shall lead you -Όταν δε αγαγωσιν υμας, a forensic phrase, signifying prosecute you, and arraign you

no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.

13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

d

14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judæa flee to the mountains:

15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:

16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.

17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.

19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.

20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:

22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall

d Matt. xxiv. 15.

before the bar. So agere, and actio, among the Latins.

Take no thought before hand.-See notes on Matt. x. 17, &c. These words, first used on a former occasion, but with reference to precisely the same circumstances, were here repeated.

e Matt. xxiv. 23.

Neither premeditate.-Meλerav signifies to compose a speech by previous study.

Verse 19. From the beginning of the creation which God created.-St. Matthew

says simply, "The beginning of the world." The meaning is the same, only more emphatic.

shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,

25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.

26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is

near:

29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.

30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.

31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

33 Take ye heed, watch and pray for ye know not when the time is.

34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey,

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Verse 32. But of that day and hour, &c. suffered to be idle; which may teach us -See note on Matt. xxiv. 36. that there is a work for each of us, and if we know it not, we are either blind or idle, but cannot be held guiltless upon our Lord's return. And, among the rest, the porter was commanded to watch, lest the mansion should be broken open, and the goods damaged or stolen. This was his employ. All the servants being thus appointed to their posts, as in a well ordered family, they were commanded to wairs, that is, to be always attentive to this cer

Verse 34. For the Son of man, &c.— This parable is in substance the same as several recorded by other evangelists; but differs somewhat in circumstances. Authority is given to the servants, that is, power to trade with and improve certain portions of the master's property; a usual mode of employing servants in the east, during the absence of the master and to every man his work, so that none was

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