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Jesus came from Galilee (which lay to the north of Judea)
into the coasts of Judea; and from thence, in his way to
Jerusalem, he went through Jericho, 20:17,29,)
which lay at the distance of sixty furlongs, or seven miles
and a half from Jordan, to the western side of it. See Joseph.
WAR, book iv. chap. 8. sect. 3. It seems, therefore, most
probable, that the course of Christ's journey led him by
the side of the river Jordan, not beyond it. That
the Greek word (οις Is it lawful-for every
cause? Made them male and
female And they twain shall be one
flesh? The finest allegorical representation of the marriage union
I have met with, is that antique gem representing the marriage
of Cupid and Psyche, in the collection of the
duke of Marlborough: it may be seen also among Baron
Stoch's gems, and casts or copies of it in various
other collections. 1. Both are represented as
winged, to show the alacrity with which the
husband and wife should help, comfort and support each ether;
preventing, as much as possible, the expressing
of a wish or want on either side, by fulfilling it
before it can be expressed. 2. Both are
veiled, to show that modesty is an inseparable
attendant on pure matrimonial connections. 3. Hymen or
Marriage goes before them with a lighted torch, leading them
by a chain, of which each has a hold, to show that they are
united together, and are bound to each other, and that
they are led to this by the pure flame of love, which at the
same instant both enlightens and warms them. 4. This
chain is not iron nor brass, (to intimate
that the marriage union is a state of thraldom or
slavery,) but it is a chain of pearls, to show
that the union is precious, beautiful, and
delightful. 5. They hold a dove, the emblem of conjugal
fidelity, which they appear to embrace affectionately, to show
that they are faithful to each other, not merely through
duty, but by affection, and that this fidelity
contributes to the happiness of their lives. 6. A
winged Cupid, or Love, is represented as
having gone before them, preparing the nuptial
feast; to intimate that active affections,
warm and cordial love, are to be to them a
continual source of comfort and enjoyment; and
that this is the entertainment they are to meet with at
every step of their affectionate lives. 7. Another
Cupid, or genius of love comes behind, and places
on their heads a basket of ripe fruits; to intimate
that a matrimonial union of this kind will generally be
blessed with children, who shall be as pleasing to all
their senses as ripe and delicious
fruits to the smell and taste. 8. The
genius of love that follows them has his wings
shrivelled up, or the feathers all curled,
so as to render them utterly unfit for flight; to
intimate that love is to abide with them, that
there is to be no separation in affection, but that they are
to continue to love one another with pure hearts fervently.
Thus love begins and continues this sacred
union; as to end, there can be none, for God hath yoked
them together.
A finer or more expressive set of emblems has never, I
believe, been produced, even by modern refined taste
and ingenuity. This group of emblematical figures is engraved
upon an onyx by Tryphon, an ancient Grecian artist. A fine
drawing was made of this by Cypriani, and was engraved both by
Bartolozzi and Sherwin. See one of these plates
in the second volume of Bryant's Analysis of Ancient
Mythology, page 392.
A writing of
divorcement From the beginning it was not
so In this discourse, our Lord shows that marriage, (except in
one case,) is indissoluble, and should be so:-
1st, By Divine institution, Matthew
19:4.
2dly, By express commandment, Matthew
19:5.
3dly, Because the married couple become one and the
same person, Matthew
19:6.
4thly, By the example of the first pair, Matthew
19:8; and
5thly, Because of the evil consequent on
separation, Matthew
19:9. The importance of this subject will, I hope,
vindicate or excuse, the length of these
notes.
Our word husband comes from the Anglo-Saxon,
hus and band: the bond of the
house, anciently spelt housebond,-so in my old
MS. Bible. It is a lamentable case when the husband, instead
of being the bond and union of the family,
scatters and ruins it by dissipation,
riot, and excess.
It is not good to
marry. So born from their mother's
womb For the kingdom of heaven's
sake. He that is able to
receive The great ORIGEN, understanding the latter clause of this
verse (which I have applied to the Essenes)
literally-O human weakness!-went, and literally
fulfilled it on himself!
That he should put his
hands Good, to the conduct, spirit, and
question of this person.
1. He came running, 10:17,)
for he was deeply convinced of the importance of his business,
and seriously determined to seek so as to find.
2. He kneeled, or caught him by the knees, thus
evidencing his humility, and addressing himself only to
mercy. See Matthew
17:14.
3. He came in the spirit of a disciple, or
scholar, desiring to be taught a matter of the
utmost importance to him-Good teacher.
4. He came in the spirit of obedience; he had worked
hard to no purpose, and he is still willing to work, provided
he can have a prospect of succeeding-What good thing shall
I do?
5. His question was the most interesting and important that
any soul can ask of God-How shall I be saved?
Keep the
commandments. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself From my youth
What lack I yet?
He had great
possessions. There is an expression similar to this in the Koran.
"The impious, who in his arrogance shall accuse our doctrine
of falsity, shall find the gates of heaven shut: nor shall he
enter there till a camel shall pass through the eye of a
needle. It is thus that we shall recompense the wicked."
Al KORAN. Surat vii. ver. 37.
It was also a mode of expression common among the Jews, and
signified a thing impossible. Hence this proverb: A camel
in Media dances in a cabe; a measure which held
about three pints. Again, No man sees a palm tree of gold,
nor an elephant passing through the eye of a
needle. Because these are impossible things. "Rabbi
Shesheth answered Rabbi Amram, who had advanced
an absurdity, Perhaps thou art one of the Pembidithians who
can make an elephant pass through the eye of a
needle; that is, says the Aruch, 'who speak things
impossible.'" See Lightfoot and
Schoettgen on this place.
Go through To forsake all, without following Christ, is
the virtue of a philosopher. To follow Christ in
profession, without forsaking all, is the
state of the generality of Christians.
But to follow Christ and forsake all, is the
perfection of a Christian. What shall we have
therefore? The regeneration, (οις Judging the twelve
tribes Judging, κρινοντες. Kypke has shown that
κρινεσθαι is to be understood in the sense of governing,
presiding, holding the first or most
distinguished place. Thus, Genesis
49:16, Dan shall JUDGE his people, i.e.
shall preside in, or rule over them; shall
occupy a chief place among the tribes. It is well known
that the Judges among the Jews were moderators,
captains, chief, or head men. The sense
therefore of our Lord's words appears to be, that these
disciples should have those distinguished seats in
glory which seem to belong peculiarly to the first confessors
and martyrs. See 1 Thessalonians
4:14,16, and particularly Revelation
20:4-6.
The last-quoted passage brings into view the doctrine of
the Millennium, when Jesus, after having formed the new
heavens and the new earth, shall reign here gloriously among
his ancients 365,000 years; for the thousand years
referred to above are certainly prophetical years, in
which, it is well known, each day stands for a
year.
Others, of no mean note, are of opinion that the
regeneration means the conversion of men by the
preaching of the Gospel-that sitting on twelve
thrones signifies the state of eminent
dignity to which the apostles should be raised-and that
judging the twelve tribes of Israel, means no
more than exercising authority in the Church, and
dispensing laws to the people of God. But I confess I
do not see the propriety of this application of the terms, as
the following verse seems to fix the meaning mentioned above.
Additional Resources
Bibliography
Information
• Key
SRB = Scofield References
SRB = Introduction
JFB = Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary
JFB = Introduction
AC = Adam Clarke Comentary
AC = Chronology by Adam Clarke
OU = OUtline of St. Matthew
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Matthew Chapter 19
by Adam Clarke
Verse
1. Beyond Jordan
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Or, by
the side of Jordan. Matthew begins here to give an account
of Christ's journey (the only one he mentions) to Jerusalem, a
little before the passover, at which he was crucified. See Mark
10:1; ; Luke
9:51.
),
, especially with a genitive case
as here, has sometimes this signification, see on John
6:22; see also Bp. Pearce.
Verse
2. Great multitudes followed him
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Some to be instructed-some to be healed-some
through curiosity-and some to ensnare him.
Verse
3. Tempting him
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Trying what
answer he would give to a question, which, however decided by
him, would expose him to censure.
Instead of (οις),
, fault,
cause, reason, three MSS. and the Coptic
version read αμαρτιαν, sin or transgression:
this was probably the original reading-the first syllable
being lost, αρτιαν alone would remain, which a subsequent
transcriber would suppose to be a mistake for αιτιαν, and so
wrote it; hence this various reading. What made our Lord's
situation at present so critical in respect to this question
was: At this time there were two famous divinity and
philosophical schools among the Jews, that of SHAMMAI,
and that of HILLEL. On the question of divorce, the
school of Shammai maintained, that a man could not
legally put away his wife, except for whoredom. The
school of Hillel taught that a man might put away his
wife for a multitude of other causes, and when she did not
find grace in his sight; i.e. when he saw any other
woman that pleased him better. See the case of
Josephus, mentioned in Clarke's note on "Mt
5:31", and Calmet's Comment, vol. i. part ii. p. 379. By
answering the question, not from Shammai or
Hillel, but from Moses, our blessed Lord
defeated their malice, and confounded their devices.
Verse
4. He which made them at the
beginning
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When Adam and Eve were the first
of human kind.
Merely through the design of
matrimonial union, that the earth might be thus peopled. To
answer a case of conscience, a man should act as Christ does
here; pay no regard to that which the corruption of manners
has introduced into Divine ordinances, but go back to the
original will, purpose, and institution of God.
Christ will never accommodate his morality to the
times, nor to the inclinations of men. What was done at
the beginning is what God judged most worthy of his
glory, most profitable for man, and most
suitable to nature.
Verse
5. For this cause
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Being
created for this very purpose; that they might glorify their
Maker in a matrimonial connection. A man shall leave
((οις),
, wholly give up) both father and
mother-the matrimonial union being more intimate
and binding than even paternal or filial affection;-and shall
be closely united, προσκολληθησεται, shall be firmly
cemented to his wife. A beautiful metaphor, which most
forcibly intimates that nothing but death can separate
them: as a well-glued board will break sooner in the
whole wood, than in the glued joint. So also the
Hebrew word debak implies.
Not only meaning, that they should
be considered as one body, but also as two souls in one
body, with a complete union of interests, and an indissoluble
partnership of life and fortune, comfort and support, desires
and inclinations, joys and sorrows. Farther, it appears to me,
that the words in Genesis
2:24, lebasar achad, for one flesh, which our Lord
literally translates, mean also, that children,
compounded as it were of both, should be the product of the
matrimonial connection. Thus, they two (man and woman)
shall be for the producing of one flesh, the
very same kind of human creature with themselves. See the note
on Genesis
2:24.
Verse
6. What therefore God hath joined
together
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(οις),
, yoked together,
as oxen in the plough, where each must pull
equally, in order to bring it on. Among the ancients,
when persons were newly married, they put a yoke upon
their necks, or chains upon their arms, to show that
they were to be one, closely united, and pulling
equally together in all the concerns of life. See KYPKE in
loco.
Verse
7. Why did Moses then command to give a writing
of divorcement?
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It is not an unusual
case for the impure and unholy to seek for a justification of
their conduct from the law of God itself, and to wrest
Scripture to their own destruction. I knew a gentleman, so
called, who professed deep reverence for the sacred writings,
and, strange as it may appear, was outwardly irreproachable in
every respect but one; that was, he kept more women
than his wife. This man frequently read the Bible, and was
particularly conversant with those places that spoke of or
seemed to legalize the polygamy of the patriarchs!
See the form of it in
Clarke's note on "Matthew 5:31".
Verse
8. Moses, because of the hardness of your
hearts
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It is dangerous to tolerate the
least evil, though prudence itself may require it: because
toleration, in this case, raises itself insensibly into
permission, and permission soon sets up for command. Moses
perceived that if divorce were not permitted, in many cases,
the women would be exposed to great hardships through the
cruelty of their husbands: for so the word
(οις),
, is understood in this place by some learned men.
The Jews named the books of the law from
the first word in each. Genesis they always term
Bereshith, which is the first word in it, and
signifies, In the beginning. It is probable that our
Lord speaks in this way here, In Bereshith it was not
so, intimating that the account given in Genesis is
widely different. There was no divorce between Eve and
Adam; nor did he or his family practise
polygamy. But our Lord, by the beginning, may
mean the original intention or design.
Verse
9. Except it be for
fornication
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See on Matthew
5:32. The decision of our Lord must be very unpleasant to
these men: the reason why they wished to put away their wives
was, that they might take others whom they liked better; but
our Lord here declares that they could not be remarried while
the divorced person was alive, and that those who did marry,
during the life of the divorced, were adulterers; and
heavy judgments were, denounced, in their law, against such:
and as the question was not settled by the schools of
Shammai and Hillel, so as to ground national
practice on it therefore they were obliged to abide by the
positive declaration of the law, as it was
popularly understood, till these eminent schools had
proved the word had another meaning. The grand subject of
dispute between the two schools, mentioned above, was the word
in Deuteronomy
24:1, When a man hath taken a wife-and she find no
grace in his sight, because of some UNCLEANNESS,
eruath:-this the school of Shammai held to mean
whoredom or adultery; but the school of
Hillel maintained that it signified any corporeal
defect, which rendered the person deformed, or any
bad temper which made the husband's life uncomfortable.
Any of the latter a good man might bear with; but it appears
that Moses permitted the offended husband to put away the wife
on these accounts, merely to save her from cruel
usage.
Verse 10. If the case of the
man
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(οις),
, of a husband, so I
think the word should be translated here. The Codex
Bezae, Armenian, and most of the Itala, have
τουανδρος, which, perhaps, more properly signifies a
husband, though both words are used in this sense.
That is, if a man have not the
liberty to put away his wife when she is displeasing to him.
God had said, Genesis
2:18, It is not good for man to be alone, i.e. unmarried.
The disciples seem to say, that if the husband have not the
power to divorce his wife when she is displeasing to him,
it is not good for him to marry. Here was a flat
contradiction to the decision of the Creator. There are
difficulties and trials in all states; but let marriage and
celibacy be weighed fairly, and I am persuaded the former will
be found to have fewer than the latter. However, before we
enter into an engagement which nothing but death can
dissolve, we had need to act cautiously, carefully
consulting the will and word of God. Where an
unbridled passion, or a base love of money, lead
the way, marriage is sure to be miserable.
Verse 11. All-cannot receive this
saying
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A very wise answer, and well suited
to the present circumstances of the disciples. Neither
of the states is condemned. If thou marry, thou dost well-this
is according to the order, will, and commandment of God. But
if thou do not marry, (because of the present necessity,
persecution, worldly embarrassments, or bodily infirmity,)
thou dost better. See 1 Corinthians
7:25.
Verse 12. Eunuchs
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(οις),
, from ευνηνεχειν, to have the care of
the bed or bedchamber; this being the principal
employment of eunuchs in the eastern countries,
particularly in the apartments of queens and princesses. These
are they whom our Lord says are made eunuchs by men,
merely for the above purpose.
Such as are naturally incapable of
marriage, and consequently should not contract any.
I believe our Lord here alludes to
the case of the ESSENES, one of the most holy and pure sects
among the Jews. These abstained from all commerce with women,
hoping thereby to acquire a greater degree of purity, and be
better fitted for the kingdom of God: children they had
none of their own, but constantly adopted those of poor
people, and brought them up in their own way. PHILO, JOSEPHUS,
and PLINY have largely described this very singular sect; and
Dean PRIDEAUX, with his usual fidelity and perspicuity,
has given the substance of what each has said. CONNEX. vol.
iii. p. 483, edit. 1725. The account is very interesting, and
well worthy the attention of every Christian. Among the
rabbins we find these different kinds of eunuchs, not only
mentioned, but circumstantially described, saris chama,
eunuchs of the sun, i.e. eunuchs by the hand of
God; men born impotent. saris Adam, eunuchs
of men, those who were castrated. And they add a
third sort; those who make themselves eunuchs,
abstain from marriage, that they may give themselves UP to
the study of the Divine law. See many examples in
Schoettgen.
(οις),
. These words are
variously translated: he who can take; let him take it;
comprehend, let him comprehend it: admit,
let him admit it. The meaning seems to be, Let the man
who feels himself capable of embracing this way of
life, embrace it; but none can do it but he to whom it is
given, who has it as a gift from his mother's womb.
Verse 13. Then were there brought
unto him little children
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These are termed
by Luke, Luke
18:15, (οις),
, infants, very young children; and
it was on this account, probably, that the disciples
rebuked the parents, thinking them too young to receive
good. See on Mark
10:16.
It was a common custom among the
Jews to lay their hands on the heads of those whom they
blessed, or for whom they prayed. This seems to have been done
by way of dedication or consecration to God-the person being
considered as the sacred property of God ever after. Often God
added a testimony of his approbation, by communicating some
extraordinary influence of the Holy Spirit. This rite has been
long practised among Christians, when persons are appointed to
any sacred office. But this consecration of children to God
seems to have grown out of use. It is no wonder that the great
mass of children are so wicked, when so few, are put under the
care of Christ by humble, praying, believing parents. Let
every parent that fears God bring up his children in that
fear; and, by baptism, let each be dedicated to the holy
trinity. Whatever is solemnly consecrated to God abides under
his protection and blessing.
Verse 14. Of such is the kingdom of
heaven.
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Or, the kingdom of heaven
is composed of such. This appears to be the best sense of
the passage, and utterly ruins the whole inhuman diabolic
system of what is called non-elect infants' damnation; a
doctrine which must have sprung from Moloch, and can only be
defended by a heart in which he dwells. A great part of God's
kingdom is composed of such literally; and those only
who resemble little children shall be received into it: see on
Matthew
18:3. Christ loves little children because he loves
simplicity and innocence; he has sanctified their very age by
passing through it himself-the holy Jesus was once a little
child.
Verse 15. He-departed
thence.
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That is, from that part of Judea
which was beyond Jordan, Matthew
19:1; and then went to Jericho. See Matthew
20:29.
Verse 16. One came
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Instead of εις one, several MSS., the Slavonic version,
and Hilary, read (οις),
, a certain young
man.
Verse 17. Why callest thou me
good?
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Or, Why dost thou question
me concerning that good thing? (οις),
.
This important reading is found in BDL, three others,
the Coptic, Sahidic, Armenian, Ethiopic, latter
Syriac, Vulgate, Saxon, all the Itala but
one, Origen, Eusebius, Cyril, Dionysius Areop.,
Antiochus, Novatian, Jerome, Augustin, and
Juvencus. Erasmus, Grotius, Mill, and
Bengel approve of this reading. This authority appears
so decisive to Griesbach that he has received this
reading into the text of his second edition, which in the
first he had interlined. And instead of, None
is good but the one God, he goes on to read, on
nearly the same respectable authorities, ειςεστινοαγαθος.
There is one who is good. Let it be observed also that,
in the 16th verse, instead of διδασκαλε αγαθε, good
teacher, διδασκαλε only is read by BDL, one other, one
Evangelistarium, the Ethiopic, three of the Itala,
Origen, and Hilary. The whole passage therefore may
be read thus: O teacher! what good thing shall I do
that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why
dost thou question me concerning that good thing? There
is one that is good. (Or he who is good is one.)
But If thou art willing to enter into that life, keep
the commandments. This passage, as it stood in the
common editions, has been considered by some writers as an
incontrovertible proof against the Divinity or Godhead of
Christ. A very learned person, in his note on this place, thus
concludes concerning it: "Therefore our Saviour cannot be GOD:
and the notion of, I know not what, a trinity in
unity, THREE Gods in ONE, is here proved beyond
all controversy, by the unequivocal declaration of JESUS
CHRIST HIMSELF, to be ERRONEOUS and IMPOSSIBLE." Not so. One
of the greatest critics in Europe, not at all partial
to the Godhead of Christ, has admitted the above
readings into his text, on evidence which he judged to be
unexceptionable. If they be the true readings, they destroy
the whole doctrine built on this text; and indeed the utmost
that the enemies of the trinitarian doctrine can now expect
from their formidable opponents, concerning this text, is to
leave it neuter.
From this we may learn that
God's great design, in giving his law to the Jews, was to lead
them to the expectation and enjoyment of eternal life. But as
all the law referred to Christ, and he became the end of the
law for righteousness (justification) to all that believe, so
he is to be received, in order to have the end
accomplished which the law proposed.
Verse 18.
Thou shalt do no murder, commandments are not binding
on us. Vain, deceived men! Can a murderer, an
adulterer, a thief, and a liar enter into eternal life? No.
The God of purity and justice has forbidden it. But we are not
to keep these commandments in order to purchase eternal
life. Right. Neither Jesus Christ, nor his genuine messengers,
say you are. To save your souls, Christ must save you
from your sins, and enable you to walk before him in
newness of life.
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Verse 19. Honour thy father and
thy mother
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(οις),
thy, is omitted by
almost every MS. of respectability.
Self-love, as it is
generally called, has been grievously declaimed against, even
by religious people, as a most pernicious and dreadful evil.
But they have not understood the subject on which they spoke.
They have denominated that intense propensity which
unregenerate men feel to gratify their carnal appetites and
vicious passions, self-love; whereas it might be more
properly termed self-hatred or self-murder. If I
am to love my neighbour as myself and this "love
worketh no ill to its neighbour," then self-love, in
the sense in which our Lord uses it, is something excellent.
It is properly a disposition essential to our nature, and
inseparable from our being, by which we desire to be
happy, by which we seek the happiness we have not, and
rejoice in it when we possess it. In a word, it is a uniform
wish of the soul to avoid all evil, and to enjoy all good.
Therefore, he who is wholly governed by self-love,
properly and Scripturally speaking, will devote his whole soul
to God, and earnestly and constantly seek all his peace,
happiness, and salvation in the enjoyment of God. But
self-love cannot make me happy. I am only the
subject which receives the happiness, but am not the
object that constitutes this happiness; for it is that
object, properly speaking, that I love, and love not
only for its own sake, but also for the sake of the happiness
which I enjoy through it. "No man," saith the apostle, "ever
hated his own flesh." But he that sinneth against God wrongeth
his own soul, both of present and eternal salvation, and is so
far from being governed by self-love that he is the
implacable enemy of his best and dearest interests in both
worlds.
Verse 20. All these have I
kept
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I have made these precepts the rule of
my life. There is a difference worthy of notice between this
and our Lord's word. He says, Matthew
19:17, (οις),
, keep, earnestly, diligently, as
with watch and ward; probably referring not only to the
letter but to the spirit. The young man modestly
says, all these (εφυλαξα) have I observed; I have paid
attention to, and endeavoured to regulate my conduct by them.
I have kept them in custody.
Several MSS., versions, and fathers, leave out these
words. Grotius and Mill approve of the omission,
and Griesbach leaves them in the text with a note of
suspicion. Perhaps the young man meant no more than that he
had in general observed them, and considered them of continual
obligation.
He felt a troubled conscience, and a mind unassured of the
approbation of God; and he clearly perceived that something
was wanting to make him truly happy.
Verse 21. If thou wilt be
perfect
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(οις),
, To be
complete, to have the business finished, and all
hinderances to thy salvation removed, go and sell
that thou hast-go and dispose of thy possessions, to which
it is evident his heart was too much attached, and give to
the poor-for thy goods will be a continual snare to thee
if thou keep them; and thou shalt have treasure in
heaven-the loss, if it can be called such, shall be
made amply up to thee in that eternal life about which thou
inquirest; and come and follow me-be my
disciple, and I will appoint thee to preach the kingdom of God
to others. This was the usual call which Christ gave to
his disciples. See Matthew
4:19;; 8:22;;
9:9; ;
Mark
2:14; and it is pretty evident, from this, that he
intended to make him a preacher of his salvation. How many, by
their attachment to filthy lucre, have lost the honour of
becoming or continuing ambassadors for the
Most High! See on Mark
10:21.
Verse 22. Went away
sorrowful
• AC Top
SRB
JFB
OU
Men undergo great agony of mind
while they are in suspense between the love of the world and
the love of their souls. When the first absolutely
predominates, then they enjoy a factitious rest through a
false peace: when the latter has the upper hand, then they
possess true tranquillity of mind, through that peace of God
that passeth knowledge.
And what were these in
comparison of peace of conscience, and mental rest? Besides,
he had unequivocal proof that these contributed nothing to his
comfort, for he is now miserable even while he
possesses them! And so will every soul be, who puts worldly
goods in the place of the supreme God. See on Mark
10:22.
Verse 23. A rich man shall hardly
enter
• AC Top
SRB
JFB
OU
That is, into the spirit and
privileges of the Gospel in this world,
and through them into the kingdom of glory. Earthly
riches are a great obstacle to salvation; because it is almost
impossible to possess them, and not to set the heart upon
them; and they who love the world have not the love of the
Father in them. 1 John
2:15. To be rich, therefore, is in general a great
misfortune: but what rich man can be convinced of this? It is
only God himself who, by a miracle of mercy, can do this.
Christ himself affirms the difficulty of the salvation of a
rich man, with an oath, verily; but who of the rich
either hears or believes him!
Verse 24. A camel
• AC Top
SRB
JFB
OU
Instead of (οις),
, camel, six MSS. read καμιλον,
cable, a mere gloss inserted by some who did not know
that the other was a proverb common enough among the people of
the east.
But
instead of διελθειν, about eighty MSS. with several versions
and fathers, have εισελθειν, to enter in; but the
difference is of little importance in an English translation,
though of some consequence to the elegance of the Greek text.
Verse 25. Who can be
saved?
• AC Top
SRB
JFB
OU
The question of the disciples seemed
to intimate that most people were rich, and that
therefore scarcely any could be saved. They certainly must
have attached a different meaning to what constitutes a
rich man, to what we in general do. Who is a rich
man in our Lord's sense of the word? This is a very
important question, and has not, that I know of, been
explicitly answered. A rich man, in my opinion, is not
one who has so many hundreds or thousands more
than some of his neighbours; but is one who gets more
than is necessary to supply all his own wants, and those of
his household, and keeps the residue still to himself,
though the poor are starving through lack of the necessaries
of life. In a word, he is a man who gets all he can,
saves all he can, and keeps all he has gotten.
Speak, reason! Speak, conscience! (for
God has already spoken) Can such a person enter into
the kingdom of God? ALL, NO!!!
Verse 26. With men this is
impossible
• AC Top
SRB
JFB
OU
God alone can take the
love of the world out of the human heart. Therefore the
salvation of the rich is represented as possible only
to him: and indeed the words seem to intimate, that it
requires more than common exertions of Omnipotence to save a
rich man.
Verse 27. We have forsaken
all
• AC Top
SRB
JFB
OU
"A poor all," says one, "a
parcel of rotten nets." No matter-they were their ALL,
whether rotten or sound; besides, they were the
all they got their bread by; and such an all as
was quite sufficient for that purpose: and let it be observed,
that that man forsakes much who reserves nothing
to himself, and renounces all expectations from this world,
taking God alone for his portion. See Matthew
4:20.
(οις),
, What
REWARD shall we get? This Kypke proves to be the
meaning of the words from some of the best Greek writers.
Verse 28. Ye
which have followed me, in the regeneration, when the
Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory,
punctuation which I have observed here, is that which is
followed by the most eminent critics: the regeneration
is thus referred to the time when Jesus shall
sit on the throne of his glory, and not to
the time of following him, which is utterly
improper.
• AC Top
SRB
JFB
OU
),
. Some refer this to
the time in which the new heavens and the new earth
shall be created, and the soul and body united. The
Pythagoreans termed that παλιγγενεσια, when, according to
their doctrine of the transmigration or metempsychosis, the
soul entered into a new body, and got into a new
state of being. Clement, in his Epistle to the
Corinthians, calls the restoration of the world, after the
deluge, by the same name.
From the parallel place, Luke
22:28-30, it is evident that sitting on thrones,
and judging the twelve tribes, means simply
obtaining eternal salvation, and the distinguishing
privileges of the kingdom of glory, by those who continued
faithful to Christ in his sufferings and death.
Verse 29. Shall receive a
hundredfold
• AC Top
SRB
JFB
OU
Viz. in this life, in
value, though perhaps not in kind; and in the
world to come everlasting life. A glorious portion for a
persevering believer! The fulness of GRACE here, and
the fulness of GLORY hereafter! See on Mark
10:30.
Verse 30.
But many that are first, Jews, who have
been the first and most distinguished people of
God, will in general reject the Gospel of my grace, and be
consequently rejected by me. The Gentiles, who have had
no name among the living, shall be brought to the
knowledge of the truth, and become the
first, the chief, and most exalted people
of God. That this prediction of our Lord has been
literally fulfilled, the present state of the Christian
and Jewish Churches sufficiently proves. To illustrate this
fully, and to demonstrate that the Jews and Gentiles were now
put on an equal footing by the Gospel, our Lord speaks
the following parable, which has been unhappily divided from
its connection by making it the beginning of a new
chapter.
• Key
SRB = Scofield References
SRB = Introduction
JFB = Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary
JFB = Introduction
AC = Adam Clarke Comentary
AC = Chronology by Adam Clarke
OU = OUtline of St. Matthew
• Burton
Coffman
• Barnes'
New Testament
• Darby's
Synopsis
• Gill's
Exposition
• Geneva
Study Bible
• David
Guzik's Commentaries
• Jamieson,
Fausset, Brown
• John
Lightfoot Commentary
• Matthew
Henry Complete
• Matthew
Henry Concise
• People's
New Testament
• Robertson's
Word Pictures
• The
Fourfold Gospel
• Treasury
of Scripture
• Wesley's
Explanatory Notes
Copyright Statement
The Adam Clarke Commentary is a derivative of an
electronic edition prepared by GodRules.net.
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary
on Matthew 19". "The Adam Clarke Commentary".
<http://www.studylight.org/com/acc/view.cgi?book=mt&chapter=019>.
1832.
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