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3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

Rashi

And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord—He shall be filled with the fear of the Lord. ed enos mera il luy in O.F., and he shall be enlivened.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see—For, with the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed be he, which is within him, will he know and understand who is innocent and who is guilty.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1SA 16:7

John Gill

But the Lord said to Samuel—By a secret impulse upon his mind, as if he had spoken with an articulate voice to him:

Do not look on his appearance—Which was comely and majestic:

Or on the height of his stature—Which was like that of Saul’s; and because the Lord had chosen him, who was superior to the people in this respect, Samuel thought he meant to have such an one now anointed king:

Because I have rejected him—Or it is not my pleasure that he should be king; though Ben Gersom thinks this refers to Saul, that the Lord had rejected him, though of an high stature, and therefore Samuel should not look out for such a person to be king; and Abarbinel refers it to the height of stature itself, that God had rejected that, and laid it aside as a qualification of a king, or as a rule to judge of a proper person to be a king; but no doubt it respected Eliab:

For the Lord sees not as man sees—Man only sees what is without, but the Lord sees what is within; only the outward visible form of the body is seen by man, but the inward qualifications and endowments of the mind are seen by the Lord:

Man looks on the outward appearance—The comeliness of a man’s person, the majesty of his countenance, the height of his stature, and size of his body, things which recommended men to be kings among the nations of the world (see Gill on 1Sa 9:2), or “to the eyes”; the liveliness, and briskness, and sharpness of them, thereby to judge of the sagacity and penetration of the mind, as physiognomists do; who guess at the disposition of men by them, when they are small or great, watery or dry, of this or the other colour;

But the Lord looks on the heart—And knows what is in that, what wisdom and prudence, justice and integrity, mercy and goodness, and other princely qualifications are in that. The Jewish writers conclude from hence that the heart of Eliab was not right; it may be, full of wrath, pride, envy which disqualified him for government.

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. JOH 7:24

John Gill

Do not judge by appearances—Or through respect of persons, and so as to please men, the scribes and Pharisees; who had condemned the action of Christ, in curing the diseased man on the Sabbath day, and sought to kill him for it:

But judge with right judgment—Give your sense and judgment of things, according to the truth and evidence of them; and do not find fault with that, which you yourselves allow of, and which Moses and his law, and your own practices, justify.

15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.

John Gill

You judge according to the flesh—According to their carnal affections and prejudices; taking the Messiah to be a temporal prince, and his kingdom to be of this world, they judged that Jesus could not be he; they looked upon him as a mere man, and seeing him in much outward meanness, in his human nature, they judged of him according to this outward appearance: or “you” that are “according to the flesh judge”; to which sense the Persic version agrees, “for you are carnal”; and so judged as carnal men, who are very improper persons to judge of spiritual things:

I judge no one—In the same way, according to the flesh, or in a carnal manner, nor according to outward appearances, according to the sight of the eyes, or the hearing of the ears: Christ did not take upon him to judge and determine in civil affairs, or in things pertaining to a court of judicature among men; this was not his province; an instance of this there is in the context, in not condemning the woman brought to him; nor did he judge the persons and states of men, or proceed to pass any sentence of condemnation on them; he came not to condemn, but save the world; this was not his business now; otherwise, all judgment is committed to him, and which he will exercise another day.

16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. JOH 8:15-16

4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Rashi

With equity—This is an expression of mildness and tenderness.

And he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth—As the Targum states: And he shall strike the sinful of the earth.

And with the breath of his lips—Jonathan renders: And with the speech of his lips.

So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people. 2SA 8:15

John Gill

So David reigned over all Israel—Not only over Judah, but over all the tribes of Israel, and over the whole land of Canaan, as promised to Abraham (Gen 15:18); reaching to the river Euphrates, as Syria did, now conquered by David:

And David administered justice and equity to all his people—When he returned from his wars, he heard and tried all causes impartially, brought before him, and gave sentence according to the law of God, and administered righteous justice without any respect to persons; all had justice done them that applied unto him, whether high or low, rich or poor; and indeed during his wars he was not negligent of the civil government of his subjects, and the distribution of justice to them by proper officers, in which he was a type of Christ; see Isa 11:5; Jer 23:5-6.

Rashi

And David administered justice and . . . Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army—David caused Joab to be successful over the over the army because he rendered justice and equity and Joab caused David to render justice and equity because he would judge and Joab would enforce and chastise for him. Another reason is that because Joab busied himself with the battles David was not preoccupied by them and his heart was able to be open to judge righteously.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. MAT 5:5

5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

and faithfulness the belt of his loins. ISA 11:3-5

Rashi

Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist—Jonathan renders: And the righteous shall surround him; i.e., they will cleave to him like a belt.

He put on righteousness as a breastplate,

and a helmet of salvation on his head;

he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,

and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. ISA 59:17

John Gill

He put on righteousness as a breastplate—Here the Lord is represented as a warrior clothed with armour, and as Christ is, and as he will appear in the latter day on the behalf of his people, and against their enemies, who is called faithful and true, and in righteousness will make war (Rev 19:11-13), he will proceed according to justice and equity in righting the wrongs and avenging the injuries of his people; and both in saving them, and destroying their enemies, he will secure the honour of his faithfulness and justice, and the credit of his name and character; which will be preserved by his conduct, as the breast and inward parts are by the breastplate:

And a helmet of salvation on his head—The salvation he will work out for his people will be very conspicuous; it will be seen by all, as the helmet on the head; and he will have the glory of it, on whose head are many crowns (Rev 19:12). The apostle has borrowed these phrases from hence, and applied them to the Christian armour (Eph 6:14, 17; 1Ti 5:8):

He put on garments of vengeance for clothing—Or, “he clothed himself with vengeance as a garment”; he wrapped himself in it, and resolved to execute it on his and his people’s enemies; the time being come to avenge the blood of his servants, by shedding the blood of their adversaries, with which his garments will be stained; and therefore is represented as having on a vesture dipped in blood (Rev 19:13):

And wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak—With zeal for his own glory, and the interest of his people, and against antichrist, and all antichristian worship and doctrine; and therefore his eyes are said to be as a flame of fire (Rev 19:12).

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, EPH 6:14

John Gill

Stand therefore—Keep your ground, do not desert the army, the church of Christ, nor his cause; continue in the station in which you are placed, keep your post, be upon your watch, stand upon your guard.

Having fastened on the belt of truth—By which is meant the gospel, and the several doctrines of it; see (Eph 1:13; 4:15); and to have the loins girt with it, shows, that it should be near and close to the saints, and never departed from; and that it is a means of keeping them close to God and Christ, and of strengthening them against the assaults and attacks of Satan; and is of great use in the Christians’ spiritual conflict with their enemies; the girdle is a part of armour, and so considerable as sometimes to be put for the whole (Isa 5:27); and here it is mentioned in the first place.

And having put on the breastplate of righteousness—In allusion to (Isa 59:17), meaning not works of righteousness done by men, though these are a fence when rightly used against the reproaches and charges of the enemy, as they were by Samuel (1Sa 12:3), but rather the graces of faith and love (1Th 5:8), though faith has another place in the Christian armour, afterwards mentioned; wherefore it seems best to understand this of the righteousness of Christ, which being imputed by God, and received by faith, is a guard against, and repels the accusations and charges of Satan, and is a security from all wrath and condemnation.

Because Jesus’ wisdom is far greater than any human’s, the way he enacts justice is also different. He is all-knowing and, therefore, knows all thoughts, motives, and desires of his creation. He also knows the situation of the poor, needy, and oppressed. The passage we read showed us the kind of justice Jesus would bring. This is not superficial or based on outward appearances. Based on true knowledge and wisdom, the justice Jesus will bring includes deliverance for the oppressed, punishment for the wicked, and restoration—righting what is wrong and restoring what is lost. Whether in our lifetime or not, God’s justice will prevail. How does this truth change the way you understand justice?

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

Rashi

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse—And if you say, “Here are consolations for Hezekiah and his people, that they shall not fall into his hands. Now what will be with the exile that was exiled to Halah and Habor, is their hope lost?’ It is not lost! Eventually, the King Messiah shall come and redeem them.

A shoot—This is symbolic of the royal scepter.

And a branch—An expression of a sapling.

And a branch from its roots shall bear fruit and the entire section, and at the end (v. 11), “In that day the Lord will extend his hand again . . . from Assyria . . . Hence, it is obvious that this prophecy was said to console those exiled to Assyria.

Sanhedrin 43a:24

Then they brought Netzer in to stand trial. He said to the judges: Shall Netzer be executed? But isn’t it written: “And a branch [netzer] from his roots shall bear fruit” (Isa 11:1)? They said to him: Yes, Netzer shall be executed, as it is written: “But you are cast out of your grave, like a loathed branch [netzer]” (Isa 14:19).

22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, “I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.”

23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. ACT 13:22-23

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. ISA 11:1-2

John Gill

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him—The rod and branch, the King Messiah, so qualifying him for his office, and the discharge of it. This shows that Christ’s kingdom is of a spiritual nature, and administered in a spiritual manner, for which he was abundantly furnished by the “Spirit of the Lord” resting on him; by whom is meant the third person in the Trinity, so called, not because created by him, for not any created spirit is meant, but because he proceeded from him; he is the one Jehovah with him, a divine person, truly God, yet distinct both from the Father and the Son; so that here is a clear proof of the trinity of persons. Christ was filled with the Spirit from the womb, and he descended and rested upon him at his baptism; he was anointed with him to be prophet, priest, and king, and received his gifts and graces from him without measure, which abide with him, and are designed in the following words:

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding—Which appeared in his disputation with the doctors; in his answers to the ensnaring questions of the scribes and Pharisees; in the whole of his ministry; and in his conduct at his apprehension, trial, condemnation, and death; as also in the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding he imparted to his disciples, and does more or less to all his people:

The Spirit of counsel and might—Of “counsel,” which fitted him to be the wonderful Counselor, and qualified him to give suitable and proper advice to the sons of men; and of “might” or “power,” to preach the gospel with authority; do miracles in the confirmation of it; bear the sins of his people, and the punishment due to them; obtain eternal redemption for them; and engage with all their enemies and conquer them:

The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord—And so as man had the “knowledge” of God the Father; of his mind and will; of the Scriptures, and things contained therein; of the law and gospel; all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge were hid in him, which he communicates to his saints; and “the fear of the Lord,” and so had a reverence of him, a strict regard to his will, and always did the things which pleased him; see Heb 5:7 this verse is also applied to the Messiah, both by ancient and modern Jews.

Sanhedrin 93b:6

The Messiah was blessed with six virtues, as it is written: “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord” (Isa 11:2); and it is written: “And his delight shall be the fear of the Lord. He shall neither judge by what his eyes see, nor decide disputes by what his ears hear” (Isa 11:3).

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; MAT 3:16

Jesus, our King, does not operate on human wisdom, which is limited. Like God the Father, he is all-knowing and his thoughts are higher than ours. His thoughts and ways are beyond us. Because of this, we can trust his plans, words, and promises. What does Isa 55:9-11 say about God and his word?

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

John Gill

For as the heavens are higher than the earth—Than which there cannot be conceived a greater distance:

So are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts—Which may denote the heavenliness of the ways and thoughts of God, the eternity and unsearchableness of them, and their excellency and preciousness; as well as the very great distance between his ways and thoughts and men’s which this is designed to illustrate.

Rashi

As the heavens are higher, etc.—That is to say that there is a distinction and a difference, advantages and superiority in my ways more than your ways and in my thoughts more than your thoughts, as the heavens are higher than the earth; you are intent upon rebelling against me, whereas I am intent upon bringing you back.

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds. PSA 36:6

Rashi

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens—Because of these wicked men, you remove your steadfast love from the earth creatures and raise up your faithfulness to the clouds to remove it from the sons of men.

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;” MAT 11:25

10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

Rashi

For as the rain and the snow come down and do not return empty, but do good for you.

Taanit 8b:2

Likewise, an expression of giving birth is stated with regard to a woman, and an expression of giving birth is also stated with regard to rain. Specifically, giving birth is stated with regard to a woman, as it is written in the case of Rachel, when God had mercy on her: “She conceived and gave birth to a son” (Gen 30:23). And giving birth is stated with regard to rain, as it is written: “For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven and does not return there but waters the earth, and causes it to give birth and sprout” (Isa 55:10).

9 As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever.”

John Gill

As it is written—In Psa 112:9 where it is said of the good and righteous man,

He has distributed freely—His riches, his substance, as the Chaldee paraphrase adds by way of explanation; not in a profuse extravagant manner, but with wisdom and prudence, and yet largely and liberally, according to his ability. Just as the sower scatters his seed here, and there, and in every place, with an open and wide hand, to the good man distributes to all in necessity, and makes them all partakers of his bounty; he gives not only to one, but to many, and not to all without distinction he meets with, whether necessitous or not:

He has given to the poor—This explains the former phrase, and points out the persons, the objects of the good man’s bounty and compassion:

His righteousness endures forever—This is not to be understood of his justifying righteousness, as if that consisted of, and was established upon his works of bounty and charity to the poor; nor of his fame among men on account of his liberality; nor of any reward in another world; but of his beneficence itself, it being common with the Jews to call alms, “righteousness” (see Gill on Mat 6:1) and the sense is, that what such a man bestows in charity on the poor shall not be lost, but shall be like the seed cast into the earth, shall spring up again, and bring forth fruit with increase, according to what follows.

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 2CO 9:9-11

11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. ISA 55:9-11

Rashi

So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth to inform you through the prophets, will not return empty, but will do good to you if you heed them.

26 who confirms the word of his servant

and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,

who says of Jerusalem, “She shall be inhabited,”

and of the cities of Judah, “They shall be built,

and I will raise up their ruins”;

27 who says to the deep, “Be dry;

I will dry up your rivers”;

28 who says of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd,

and he shall fulfill all my purpose”;

saying of Jerusalem, “She shall be built,”

and of the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ISA 44:26-28

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. MAT 24:35

John Gill

Heaven and earth will pass away—This is either an assertion, which will be true at the end of time; not as to the substance of the heavens and earth, which will always remain, but as to the qualities of them, which will be altered: they will be renewed and refined, but not destroyed; the bad qualities, or evil circumstances, which attend them through the sin of man, will be removed and pass away, but they themselves will continue in being: or is a comparative expression, and the sense is, that the heavens and the earth, and the ordinances thereof, than which nothing can be more firm and strong, being fixed and supported by God himself, shall sooner pass away, than anything asserted and predicted by Christ shall:

But my words will not pass away—Be vain and empty, and unaccomplished; which is true of anything, and everything spoken by Christ; and especially here regards all that he had said concerning the calamities that should befall the Jews, before, at, or upon the destruction of their nation, city, and temple; and the design of the expression, is to show the certainty, unalterableness, and sure accomplishment of these things; see Jer 31:36.

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

1 And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.

The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, PSA 2:2

Rashi

Kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel, etc.—Heb. רוזנים, senors (seigneurs) in Old French, lords.

Take counsel—Heb. נוסדו, an expression of counsel (סוד), furt konsilez in Old French (furent conseilles), they hold counsel (see below 55:15). And what is the counsel? . . .

2 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”

3 And the chief priests accused him of many things.

4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.”

John Gill

And Pilate again asked him—In the presence of the chief priests, who laid so many things to his charge; for the former question was put, when Jesus and he were alone in the judgment hall, whither the Jews would not enter for fear of being defiled; see Joh 18:28, 33;

Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you—The charges were many, and very heinous, and which Pilate thought called for self-defence (see Gill on Mat 27:13).

5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

6 Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked.

John Gill

Now at the feast—The Feast of the Passover, which was at that instant; see Joh 18:39. The Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read, “at every feast”; as if the following custom was used at every feast in the year, at the day of Pentecost and the Feast of Booths, as well as at the Passover; whereas it was only at the latter:

He used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked—Of this custom (see Gill on Mat 27:15).

7 And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas.

8 And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them.

John Gill

And the crowd came up—The Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions read, and when the “crowd,” or “people went up,” to the place called the pavement, where the judgment seat was; and so it is read in Beza’s most ancient copy; but the former reading is to be preferred:

Began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did to them—That is, release a prisoner to them, as he had done at every Passover, since he had been a governor over them.

9 And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?”

10 For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.

John Gill

For he perceived that . . . the chief priests—The Persic version reads in the singular, “the chief of the priests,” or the high priest, Caiaphas,

It was out of envy that . . . had delivered him up—At his popularity through his doctrine and miracles, and not from any principle of equity and justice, or from any regard to Caesar (see Gill on Mat 27:18).

11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead.

12 And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?”

13 And they cried out again, “Crucify him.”

John Gill

And they cried out again, “Crucify him”—For they had cried so once before, though Matthew and Mark relate it not, yet Luke does (Luk 23:21).

14 And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.”

15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion.

John Gill

And the soldiers led him away inside the palace—From the place called the pavement, where was the judge’s bench, from which he passed sentence on Christ, to a large room,

That is, the governor’s headquarters—Or judgment hall; being the hall, or room, where the Roman magistrate, kept his court of judicature; and is the same place the Jews would not go into, lest they should be defiled, and become unmeet to eat the Chagigah that day; and into which Pilate had Jesus more than once alone (Joh 18:28, 33; 19:9), but now he had a large company with him:

And they called together the whole battalion—Very likely the soldiers, into whose custody Jesus was put, and who led him away, were the four soldiers that attended his crucifixion, and parted his garments; but for greater diversion they got together the whole band to which they belonged (see Gill on Mat 27:27).

17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him.

18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

John Gill

And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”—In a mock way, wishing him long life and prosperity, as if he was a king just come to his throne, and this was his coronation day.

19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him.

20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.

John Gill

And they compelled . . . Simon of Cyrene—(See Gill on Mat 27:32);

A passerby—As they were leading Jesus to be crucified:

Coming in from the country—From some country village hard by, according to the Syriac, and Vulgate Latin versions; or in from the field, as the Persic and Ethiopic: he might have been in the field, about some rural business; or, as Dr. Lightfoot conjectures, to fetch wood from thence, which was lawful to be done on a feast day, with some provisos, according to the Jewish canon, which runs thus;

“they may bring wood in from the field, (i.e. on a feast day, as this was,) of that which is gathered together, and out of a place that is fenced about, and even of that which is scattered abroad: What is a fenced place? Whatever is near to a city, the words of R. Judah. R. Jose says, whatever they go into by a door, and even within the border of the Sabbath.”

And according to the commentators, it must be wood that is gathered together, and that lies not in an open field, but in a fenced place, and this near the city; at least with in two thousand cubits, a Sabbath day’s journey.

The father of Alexander and Rufus—Who were men well known when Mark wrote his gospel, and very likely men of eminence among Christians: mention is made of Alexander in Act 19:33 and of Rufus, in Rom 16:13, which some have thought the same as here; but whether they are or not, is not certain: however, they obliged “Simon”

To carry his cross—The cross of Christ, after him (see Gill on Mat 27:32).

22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).

23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.

24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.

John Gill

And they crucified him—Had fastened him to the cross, and reared it up, and he was hanging upon it:

And divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take—This last clause, “what each should take,” is left out in the Arabic version. His garments they divided into four parts; and each soldier, as there were four of them, took a part; and upon his vesture, or seamless coat, because they would not rend it, they cast lots who should have it, and so fulfilled a prophecy in Psa 22:18 (see Gill on Mat 27:35).

25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him.

26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”

27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.

John Gill

And with him they crucified two robbers—For his greater reproach;

One on his right and one on his left—As if he had been one of them, and a principal among them (see Gill on Mat 27:38).

29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,

30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!”

John Gill

Save yourself, and come down from the cross—Suggesting that if he was what he had pretended to be, and could do what he gave out he could, he might easily free himself from the cross, and make his escape (see Gill on Mat 27:39-40).

31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.

32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

The Death of Jesus

33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

John Gill

And when the sixth hour had come—Or twelve o’clock at noon, having hung upon the cross from about the third hour, or nine in the morning:

There was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour—Or three o’clock in the afternoon. The Ethiopic version renders the whole thus, “and when it was noon, the sun was darkened, and the whole world was darkened until the ninth hour”; (see Gill on Mat 27:45).

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”

John Gill

And some of them that stood by—The cross:

Hearing it—The loud voice of Jesus, and the words he uttered:

Said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah”—Whom they ignorantly, or wilfully took for Eloi (see Gill on Mat 27:47).

36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.”

37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.

38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

John Gill

And when the centurion, who stood facing him—To watch him, that nobody released him, and that he did not come down from the cross himself;

Saw that in this way he breathed his last—That he cried with so loud and strong a voice, and the next moment expired:

He said, “Truly this man was the Son of God”—And so said the rest of the soldiers that were with them, as appears from Mat 27:54 (see Gill on Mat 27:54).

The Plot to Kill Jesus

45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him,

John Gill

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary—To her house, to comfort her, and that came along with her to the grave:

And had seen what he did—In raising the dead body of Lazarus, and causing him to walk, though bound in grave clothes:

Believed in him—That he was the true Messiah: such an effect the miracle had on them; so that it was a happy day for them, that they came from Jerusalem to Bethany to pay this visit.

46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

John Gill

But some of them went their way to the Pharisees—At Jerusalem, who were members of the council; so far were some of them from receiving any advantage by this miracle, that they were the more hardened, and filled with malice and envy to Christ, and made the best of their way to acquaint his most inveterate enemies:

And told them what Jesus had done—At Bethany; not to soften their minds, and bring them to entertain a good opinion of him, but to irritate them, and put them upon schemes to destroy him; thus even miracles, as well as the doctrines of the gospel, are to some the savour of death unto death, whilst to others the savour of life unto life.

47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs.

2 The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,

Rashi

Kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel, etc.—Heb. רוזנים, senors (seigneurs) in Old French, lords.

Take counsel—Heb. נוסדו, an expression of counsel (סוד), furt konsilez in Old French (furent conseilles), they hold counsel (see below 55:15). And what is the counsel? . . .

3 “Let us burst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”

Rashi

Let us burst their bonds—Deronproms lor koyongles in Old French (as in Jer 27:2). These are the bonds with which the yoke is tied.

Their cords—Heb. עבתימו, lor kordes (leur cordes) in Old French.

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision. PSA 2:2-4

Rashi

Laughs . . . holds . . . in derision. . . . will speak—They are meant as the present tense.

48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.

Rashi

And after those weeks.

An anointed one—Heb. מָשִׁיחַ. This is purely an expression of a prince and a dignitary.

An anointed one shall be cut off—Agrippa, the king of Judea, who was ruling at the time of the destruction, shall be slain.

And shall have nothing—And shall not have. The meaning is that he shall not be.

And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy—The prince who shall come upon them. That is Titus and his armies.

And the city and the sanctuary—Lit. and the city and the Holy.

Its end shall come with a flood—Its end shall be damnation and destruction, for he will inundate the power of his kingdom through the Messiah.

And to the end there shall be wars of Gog the city will exist.

Desolations are decreed—A destruction of desolation.

27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator. DAN 9:26-27

Rashi

And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week—לָרַבִּים, with many, like “and all the chief officers of (רַבֵּי) the king,” in the Book of Jeremiah (39:13).

Shall make . . . strong—Titus shall make a strong covenant with many of Israel.

For one week—He will promise them the strengthening of a covenant and peace for seven years, but within the seven years, he will abrogate his covenant.

He shall put an end to sacrifice and offering—This is what he says in the first vision (8:25): “without warning he shall destroy many.” Without warning he shall destroy them.

And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate—This is a pejorative for pagan deities. i.e., on the wing of abominations and disgusting things, he shall place the one who makes desolate, the pagan deity, which is desolate like a silent stone.

Wing—Heb. כְּנַף, an expression of height, like the wing of a flying bird.

Until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator and the ruling of the abomination shall endure until the day that the decreed end upon it is poured out, in the days of the king Messiah.

Is poured out on the desolator—Total destruction shall descend upon the image of the pagan deity and upon its worshipers.

49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all.

John Gill

But one of them, Caiaphas—(See Gill on Mat 26:3; Luk 3:2; Joh 18:13).

Who was high priest that year—The high priesthood originally was not annual, but for life; but towards the close of the second temple, it came into the hands of the king, to appoint who would to be high priest; and it became venal; it was purchased with money; insomuch that they changed the priesthood once a twelve month, and every year a new high priest was made now this man being in such an high office, and a man of no conscience, and of bad principles, being a Sadducee, as seems from Act 4:6; 5:17, who denied the resurrection of the dead, and was unconcerned about a future state; and having no restraint upon him, in a bold, haughty, and blustering manner,

Said to them, “You know nothing at all”—You are a parcel of ignorant and stupid creatures, mere fools and idiots, to sit disputing and arguing, pro and con about such a fellow as this; what is to be done is obvious enough, and that is to take away this man’s life, without any more ado; it matters not what he is, nor what he does; these are things that are not to be considered, they are out of the question; would you save the nation, destroy the man; things are come to this crisis, that either his life must go, or the nation perish; and which is most expedient, requires no time to debate about.

50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”

John Gill

Nor do you understand that it is better for you—Priests, Levites, Pharisees, the council, and ecclesiastical rulers of the people; who, as Caiaphas apprehended, must suffer in their characters and revenues, must quit their honourable and gainful posts and places, if Jesus went on and succeeded at this rate: wherefore it was most expedient and advantageous for them, which was the main thing to be considered in such a council, so he thought it was,

That one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish—He proceeded entirely upon this political principle, that a public good ought to be preferred to a private one; that it was no matter what the man was, whether innocent or not; common prudence, and the public safety of the nation, required him to fall a sacrifice, rather than the Romans should be exasperated and provoked to such a degree, as to threaten the utter ruin and destruction of the whole nation.

51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,

And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the Lord. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly. EXO 28:30

Rashi

The Urim and the Thummim—This was an inscription of the proper name of God which was placed between the folds of the breastpiece through which it would light up its words (מֵאִיר) and perfect (מְךְתַּמֵם) its words (Yoma 73b). In the second temple there was the breastpiece for it was impossible that the high priest should have lacked a garment, but that name was not within it. Because of that inscription, it was called “judgment,” as it is said, “and he shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim” (Num 27:21).

The judgment of the people of Israel—The object by means of which they are judged and admonished whether they should do a particular thing or whether they should not do it. According to the aggadic midrash (Zevachim 88b) that the breastpiece atoned for those who pervert justice—it was called “judgment” in allusion to the pardon thus given for perverse judgment.

52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.

For my enemies speak concerning me;

those who watch for my life consult together PSA 71:10

Rashi

For my enemies speak concerning me—My enemies speak concerning me, and consult together and say, “God has forsaken him.” We shall not be punished because of him since he has already stumbled in sin.

Sotah 21a:14

The baraita states: Alternatively: A transgression extinguishes the merit of a commandment, but a transgression does not extinguish the merit of the law. Rav Yosef says: Rabbi Menaḥem bar Yosei interpreted this verse as it was given on Mount Sinai, and had Doeg and Ahithophel only interpreted it in this way they would not have pursued David, as it is written: “For my enemies speak concerning me . . . and say, ‘God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver’ ” (Psa 71:10-11). Doeg and Ahithophel incorrectly thought that since David had sinned, his sins had extinguished his merits and God had forsaken him.

54 Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.

55 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves.

So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments.” GEN 35:2

Rashi

Put away the foreign gods—Which you have in your possession from the spoil of Shechem.

Purify yourselves—From idolatry.

And change your garments—Lest you have in your possession a vestment that has been employed in idolatrous worship (Bereishit Rabbah 81:3).

56 They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?”

31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.

John Gill

The Jews picked up stones again to stone him—As they had done before (see Gill on Joh 8:59).

So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” EXO 17:4

Rashi

Almost ready means, if I wait but a little more they will stone me.

32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?”

John Gill

Jesus answered them, “Many good works”—Such as healing the sick, and all manner of diseases; dispossessing devils, cleansing lepers, giving sight to the blind, causing the dumb to speak, the deaf to hear, and the lame to walk; which were not only works of power, but of mercy and beneficence; and therefore are called good works, as well as they were great and miraculous ones:

I have showed you . . . from the Father—Which Christ did in the name, and by the command and authority of the Father; who gave him them to do, and did them by him; and which were evident and notorious, and were done so openly and publicly, that they could not be denied:

For which of these works are you going to stone me?—Suggesting, that his public life had been a continued series of such kind actions to the sons of men, and it could be for nothing else surely, that they took up stones to stone him; wherefore the part they acted, was a most ungrateful, cruel, and barbarous one.

20 Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you break the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’ ”

Rashi

Above the people—Higher than the people, in order to make his voice heard. In Eichah Rabbah, (Proem 23), it is interpreted as meaning that he relied on himself; he was a prince higher than all the people, a prophet and a priest, and it was the Day of Atonement, and he was the king’s son-in-law, and he was not afraid to say the prophecy. Concerning this incident, it was stated (Lam 2:20): “shall priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?”

21 But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord.

22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and avenge!” 2CH 24:20-22

Rashi

And when he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and avenge!”—For they have slain me only because I spoke as the Omnipresent’s medium, and since I have been slain for his sake, it is proper and fitting that he avenge my blood. And so it was: his blood was immediately requited, for “at the end of the year, etc.”

33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

Bring out of the camp the one who cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. LEV 24:14

Rashi

All who heard—“All” serves to include the judges also (Sifra, Emor, Chapter 19 1).

Who heard—This refers to the witnesses.

Lay their hands on his head—They said to him: your blood is on your head; we do not deserve punishment on account of your death, for it was you yourself who brought it about (Sifra, Emor, Chapter 19 2).

And let all the congregation stone him—(This means: the witnesses shall stone him), all the congregation standing by. From here we derive that a man’s agent is as himself, for only the witnesses are to stone him, but since they are acting as agents of all the congregation, Scripture considers it as if all the congregation is stoning him. (cf. Sifra, Emor, Chapter 19 23).

Sanhedrin 42b:1

MISHNA: When the trial has ended in a guilty verdict and the condemned man has been sentenced to be stoned, he is taken out to be stoned. The place of stoning was out of the court and a little beyond it, as it is stated with regard to the one who cursed: “Bring out of the camp him who has cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him” (Lev 24:14).

Sanhedrin 42b:5

The Gemara asks: From where is this matter derived that the stoning is carried out outside the three camps? As the Sages taught a baraita with regard to the verse: “Bring out of the camp the one who has cursed” (Lev 24:14). This means: Outside the three camps, i.e., even outside the camp of the Israelites. Do you say that he is taken outside the three camps, or is he perhaps taken outside only one camp? Proof is brought that he must be taken outside the three camps: It is stated here that the condemned man is taken “outside the camp” and it is stated with regard to the bulls brought as sin offerings that are burned that they must be burned “outside the camp” (Lev 4:12). Just as there, the bulls brought as sin offerings are burned when outside the three camps, so too here, the condemned man is taken outside the three camps.

Sanhedrin 43a:5

Rav Ashi said: The location of the place of stoning can be directly derived from the verse discussing the one who cursed but in a slightly different manner. Where was Moses sitting when the matter of the one who cursed was brought before him? In the Levite camp. And the Merciful One said to him: “Bring out the one who has cursed” (Lev 24:14), indicating that he should be taken out of the Levite camp into the Israelite camp. And God continued in that verse: “Out of the camp,” which is an additional command that he should be removed even further, to out of the Israelite camp. And the later verse, which says: “And they brought the one who had cursed out of the camp . . . thus the people of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses” (Lev 24:23), teaches us about the implementation of God’s instructions, i.e., that the people of Israel did in fact carry out his command.

34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’?

35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—

John Gill

If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—The Syriac version reads, “because the word of God came to them”; either the divine “logos,” the essential word, the Son of God, who appeared to Moses, and made him a God to Pharaoh, and who appointed rulers and magistrates among the Jews; and who is the King of kings and Lord of lords, from whom all receive their power and dominion: this sense is favoured by the Ethiopic version, which renders it, “if he called them gods to whom God appeared, the word of God was with them”: or else the commission from God, authorizing them to act in the capacity of rulers and governors, is here meant; or rather the word of God, which, in the passage of Scripture cited, calls them so, as it certainly does.

And Scripture cannot be broken—Or be made null and void; whatever that says is true, there is no contradicting it, or objecting to it: it is a Jewish way of speaking, much used in the Talmud; when one doctor has produced an argument, or instance, in any point of debate, another says, “it may be broken”; or objected to, in such and such a manner, and be refuted: but the Scripture cannot be broken, that is not to be objected to, there can be no confutation of that.

36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,

a leader and commander for the peoples. ISA 55:4

Rashi

A witness to the peoples—A prince and a superior over them, and one who will reprove and testify of their ways to their faces. (Mss., however, read: One who reproaches them for their ways to their faces.)

37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me;

38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

John Gill

But if I do—Works, which none but God can do:

Though you do not believe me—What Christ said in his doctrine and ministry, though they paid no regard to that, and did not receive his testimony, on the credit of him the testifier, as they ought to have done:

Believe the works—Not only that they are true and real, and not imaginary and delusory; but for the sake of them believe the above assertion, that Christ is the Son of God, he and his Father being one; or take such notice of these works and miracles, consider the nature, evidence, and importance of them, and the divine power that attends them,

That you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father—The Vulgate Latin, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read, or “in my Father,” as read the Syriac and Arabic versions; that they are one in nature, distinct in person, equal in power, and have a mutual inhabitation and communion in the divine essence; all which is manifest, by doing the same works, and which are out of the reach and power of any mere creature.

39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.

40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained.

41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.”

John Gill

And many came to him—From all the parts adjacent, having heard of his being there, and of the fame of him; and many of them doubtless personally knew him; these came to him, some very likely to be healed by him, others to see his person and miracles, and others to hear him preach:

And they said, “John did no sign”—Though it was now three years ago, yet the name, ministry, and baptism of John, were fresh in the memory of men in those parts; and what they say one to another, was not to lessen the character of John, but to exalt Jesus Christ, and to give a reason why they should receive and embrace him; for if John, who did no miracle, who only taught and baptized, and directed men to the Messiah, was justly reckoned a very great person, and his doctrine was received, and his baptism was submitted to, then much more should this illustrious person be attended to; who, besides his divine doctrine, did such great and amazing miracles; to which they add, though John did no miracle to confirm his mission, ministry, and baptism,

But everything that John said about this man was true—As that he was greater than he, was the Lamb of God, yea, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, and true Messiah, who should baptize men with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

42 And many believed in him there.

Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel. GEN 3:15

Rashi

I will put enmity—Your sole intention was that Adam should die by eating it first and that you should then take Eve for yourself (Bereishit Rabbah 20:5), and you came to speak to Eve first only because women are easily influenced and know how to influence their husbands; therefore “I will put enmity.”

He shall bruise your head—Like (Deu 9:21), “And crushed it” which is translated by Onkelos as “I pounded it.”

And you shall bruise his heel—You shall have no height and you shall bruise him on the heel, and even from there you shall kill him. The word תְּשׁוּפֶנוּ is like (Isa 40:24): “He blows (נָשַׁף) on them.” When a serpent comes to bite, it blows with a kind of hissing sound, and since the two words coincide i.e., they sound alike, they are both used here.

28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

John Gill

She was greatly troubled at the saying—At his speaking to her; she was surprised at the sight of him, and more at what he said to her;

And tried to discern—Or thought and reasoned within herself,

What sort of greeting this might be—For it was not usual with the Jews for a man to use any salutation to a woman; with them it was not lawful to be done in any shape or form; not by a messenger, nor even by her own husband; so that Mary might well be thrown into a concern what should be the meaning of this; and especially, that she should be addressed in such language, and saluted as a peculiar favourite of God, and blessed among women.

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

John Gill

And the angel said to her—Observing the consternation and confusion she was in;

Do not be afraid, Mary—He calls her by her name, signifying that she was well known to him, as the saints are to the ministering angels, who are often sent to them, encamp about them, and do them many good offices; and bids her not be afraid, he had no ill design upon her, nor brought any ill news to her:

For you have found favor—Or “found grace with God;” and what that particular grace and favor was, is expressed in the following verses.

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

John Gill

And behold, you will conceive in your womb—Though a pure virgin, which never knew a man; and therefore, a “behold” is prefixed to it, as being what was extraordinary and wonderful; as it is also, in the prophesy of it, in Isa 7:14 to which the angel manifestly refers, and is, by Matthew cited, as accomplished hereby (see Gill on Mat 1:22-23);

And bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus—Which signifies a “Saviour;” and a Saviour Christ is of God’s appointing, providing and sending; and a very suitable one, being a spiritual Saviour, and a complete one, both able and willing to save to the uttermost all that believe in him; nor is there any other, nor salvation in any other: he is the Saviour of his people, whom the Father has given him, even of all the elect, whether of Jews or Gentiles; and of them from all their sins, and from all their enemies; and whom he saves with a spiritual and eternal salvation.

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,

11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.

Rashi

From the time that I appointed—It is connected to what preceded it, and shall afflict them no more, as before, i.e., before the days of the judges. And as they also did from the days of the judges until now.

Moreover, the Lord declares to you—Today, through me, that he will establish a monarchy for you to have your son sit on your throne and he will secure the monarchy for you. And it is he that will build the house.

12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.

13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 2SA 7:11-13

33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

John Gill

And he will reign over the house of Jacob—Not over the Jews, the posterity of Jacob, in a literal sense; but over the whole Israel of God, consisting of Jews and Gentiles. For as his father David reigned over the Idumeans, Syrians, and others, as well as over the house of Judah and Israel, so this his son shall reign over both Jews and Gentiles: his kingdom shall be from one end of the earth to the other, even over all the elect of God; who in successive generations call themselves by the name of Jacob, and surname themselves by the name of Israel, of whatsoever nation they be; and this reign of his shall be “forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end;” referring to Isa 9:7 see also Dan 2:44; 7:14 he shall reign in the hearts of his people here unto the end of the world; and with his saints a thousand years in the new heavens and new earth; and with them to all eternity, in the ultimate glory.

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

John Gill

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be”—This she said not as doubting the truth of what was said; for she required no sign, as Zechariah did; nor is she charged with, and blamed for unbelief, as he was; yea, it is expressly said (Luk 1:45), that she believed: nor was this a curious question, as whether she should have this son by a man in a married state, or in her present virgin state; for she clearly understood the angel to mean the latter; and therefore her words express her admiration at it, and also her desire to be informed of the manner how it should be: as to the matter of fact, she did not dispute it, but wanted to be resolved by what means it would be brought about: she knew, by prophecy, that the Messiah was to be born of a virgin, and she perceived, by the angel’s declaration, that she was that virgin, but could not imagine in what way this amazing thing should be effected; and therefore proposes this question for the following reason,

Seeing I know not a man?—“A husband,” as the Arabic version renders it; not Joseph, nor any other man; for though she was espoused to Joseph, yet he had not taken her to wife; nor were they, as yet; come together; and before they did, she was found with child of the 

Holy Spirit (Mat 1:18), she was a pure virgin, untouched by man. The words are a “euphemism,” or a modest way of expressing carnal copulation; see Gen 4:1.

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

John Gill

And the angel answered her—The angel gave her an account of the manner in which what he had said should be effected, as well as observed some things for the strengthening of her faith.

The Holy Spirit will come upon you—The words, “upon you,” are left out in the Syriac and Persic versions; but are retained in others, and in all copies: the formation of Christ’s human nature, though common to all the three persons, yet is particularly, and most properly ascribed to the Spirit; not to the first person, the Father, lest it should be thought that he is only the Father of him, as man; nor to the second person, the Son, since it is to him that the human nature is personally united; but to the third person, the Spirit, who is the sanctifier; and who separated, and sanctified it, the first moment of its conception, and preserved it from the taint of original sin. His coming upon the virgin must be understood in consistence with his omnipresence, and immensity; and cannot design any local motion, but an effectual operation in forming the human nature of her flesh and substance; and not in the ordinary manner in which he is concerned in the formation of all men (Job 33:4), but in an extraordinary way, not to be conceived of, and explained.

And the power of the Most High will overshadow you—By “the power of the Most High” is not meant the Lord Jesus Christ, who is sometimes called the power of God; but rather the Holy Spirit, as before, who is styled the finger of God, and power from on high (Luk 11:20; 24:49), unless it should be thought that the perfection of divine power common to all the three persons is intended: and so points out the means by which the wondrous thing should be performed, even by the power of God; and which should not only be employed in forming the human nature of Christ, but in protecting the virgin from any suspicion and charge of sin, and defending her innocence and virtue, by moving upon Joseph to take her to wife. In the word, “overshadow,” some think there is an allusion to the Spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters, in Gen 1:2 when, he brooded upon them, as the word may be rendered; and which is the sense of it, according to the Jewish writers.

36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

16 O Lord, I am your servant;

I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.

You have loosed my bonds. PSA 116:16

Rashi

Your servant, the son of your maidservant—There is no comparison between the training of a slave who was bought in the market and one who was born to a maidservant in the house.

You loosed my bonds—You untied from my neck the bars and the bonds.

Yevamot 77a:5

With regard to the same issue, Rava taught: What is the meaning of that which is written: “You have loosened my bonds” (Psa 116:16)? David said before the Holy One, blessed be he: Master of the universe, you have loosened the two bonds that were on me, on account of which I and my entire family might have been disqualified, i.e., Ruth the Moabite woman and Naamah the Ammonite woman. Owing to the allowance granted to Moabite and Ammonite women, we are permitted to enter the congregation.

The Truth Will Set You Free

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,

John Gill

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him—For he knew instantly who they were, and when they believed on him; and therefore he immediately turned himself to them, and thus addressed them;

If you abide in my word—Meaning the gospel, called his, because he was both the author, and preacher, and sum, and substance of it: and to continue in it, is having cordially received it, to abide by it, and hold it fast, and not to be moved from it, by the temptations of Satan; the cunning of those that lie in wait to deceive; nor by the revilings and persecutions, the frowns and flatteries of men: and when men continue thus steadfast in it, and faithful to it, it is an evidence that it has come with power, and has a place in their hearts, and that they are the true followers of Christ:

You are truly my disciples—There are two sorts of disciples of Christ; some are only nominal, and merely in profession such; and these sometimes draw back from him, discontinue in his word, and go out from among his people; which shows that they never were of them, nor are the true disciples of Jesus; for the genuine disciples of Christ continue in his gospel, hold fast to him, the head, and remain with his people; which to do to the end, is an evidence, of their being disciples indeed.

32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation;

for you I wait all the day long.

John Gill

Lead me in your truth and teach me—Meaning the word of God, the Scriptures of truth; and the gospel, which is the word of truth, and truth itself (Joh 17:17); and the sense is, either that God would lead him by his Spirit more and more into all truth, as contained in his word; or that he would lead him by it and according to it, that he might form his principles and his conduct more agreeably to it, which is the standard and rule of faith and practice: which leading is by teaching; and reasons urged for granting all the above petitions follow,

For you are the God of my salvation—Who, in infinite wisdom, contrived scheme and method of it in his Son, and by him effected it, and by his Spirit had made application of it to him: and since the Lord had done such great things for him, he hoped the requests he had made would be granted: he adds,

For you I wait all the day long—Or continually, in public and in private, attending to all the duties of religion, yet not trusting in them, but in the Lord; and therefore he entreated he might not be ashamed of his hope and expectation for deliverance and salvation.

8 Good and upright is the Lord;

therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

John Gill

Good and upright is the Lord—He is essentially, originally, and independently good of himself in his own nature, and he is providentially good to all his creatures; and he is in a way of special grace and mercy good to his own people: and he is “upright,” just in himself, righteous in all his ways and works, and faithful in all his promises; and the consideration of these excellent perfections of his encouraged the psalmist to entertain a holy confidence, that his petitions, respecting instruction and guidance in the ways of the Lord (Psa 25:4-5); would be heard and answered, notwithstanding his sins and transgressions;

Therefore he instructs sinners in the way—Such who are in sinful ways, he will teach them by his word and Spirit the evil of their ways, and bring them out of them, and to repentance for them; and he will teach them his own ways, both the ways and methods of his grace, in saving sinners by Christ, and the paths of faith and duty in which he would have them walk; see Psa 51:13.

9 He leads the humble in what is right,

and teaches the humble his way. PSA 25:5, 8-9

33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

John Gill

They answered him—Not the believing Jews, whom he peculiarly addressed, but the unbelieving Jews, who were present, and heard these things:

We are offspring of Abraham—This the Jews always valued themselves upon, and reckoned themselves, on this account, upon a level with the nobles and the princes of the earth.

“Says R. Akiba, even the poor of Israel are to be considered as if they were ‘noblemen,’ that are fallen from their substance, because they are the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;”

And have never been enslaved to anyone—Which is a very great falsehood, for it was declared to Abraham himself, that his seed should serve in a land not theirs, and be afflicted four hundred years, as they were; and as the preface to the law which the Jews gloried in shows, which says, that the Lord their God brought them out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; and they were frequently overcome by their neighbours, the Moabites, Ammonites, and Philistines, and reduced to servitude under them, until delivered by one judge, or another: and not to take notice of their seventy years’ captivity in Babylon, they were at this very time under the Roman yoke, and paid tribute to Caesar; and yet such was the pride of their hearts, they would not be thought to be enslaved; and therefore, with an haughty air, add,

How is it that you say, “You will become free”?—When they thought themselves, and would fain have been thought by others, to have been free already, and so to stand in no need of being free.

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

John Gill

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you”—Taking no notice of their civil liberty, to which he could easily have replied to their confusion and silence, he observes to them their moral servitude and bondage, and in the strongest manner affirms, that

Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin—Which must be understood, not of one that commits a single act of sin, though ever so gross, as did Noah, Lot, David, Peter, and others, who yet were not the servants of sin; or of such who sin through ignorance, weakness of the flesh, and the power of Satan’s temptations, and especially who commit sin with reluctance, the spirit lusting against it; nor indeed of any regenerate persons, though they are not without sin; nor do they live without the commission of it, in thought, word, or deed; and though they fall into it, they do not continue and live in it, but rise up out of it, through the grace of God, and by true repentance; and so are not to be reckoned the servants of sin, or to be of the devil. But this is to be understood of such whose bias and bent of their minds are to sin; who give up themselves unto it, and sell themselves to work wickedness; who make sin their trade, business, and employment, and are properly workers of it, and take delight and pleasure in it: these, whatever liberty, they promise themselves, are the servants of corruption; they are under the government of sin, that has dominion over them; and they obey it in the lusts thereof, and are drudges and slaves unto it, and will have no other wages at last but death, even eternal death, if grace prevent not; see Rom 6:16; 2Pe 2:19.

35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.

38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

John Gill

I speak of what I have seen with my Father—This is an aggravation of the sin of the Jews, in seeking to kill Christ, on account of his doctrine, since it was not his own, but his Father’s; was not merely human, but divine; was what he the only begotten Son, that lay in the bosom of his Father, had seen in his heart, in his purposes, and decrees, in his council, and covenant, and so was clear, complete, certain, and to be depended on:

And you do what you have heard from your father—Meaning the devil, whom, though they had not scan with their eyes, nor any of his personal actions; yet acted so much under his influence, and according to his will, as if they had close and intimate consultation with him, and took their plan of operation from him, and had him continually before them, as their example and pattern, to copy after.

You Are of Your Father the Devil

39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,

40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.

41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.”

John Gill

You are doing the works your father did—Not Abraham, but the devil.

They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality”—Meaning either literally, that they were not a brood of bastards, children of whoredom, illegitimately begotten in unlawful copulation, or wedlock; or figuratively, that they were not the children of idolaters, idolatry being called sexual immorality in Scripture; word, and the true worship of God, though in all this they might have been contradicted and refuted; to which they add,

We have one Father—even God—Israel being called by God his son, and firstborn to them belonged the adoption, in a national sense, and of this they boasted; though few of them were the children of God by special adoption, or God their Father by regenerating grace.

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.”

John Gill

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father”—By adoption; and this was discovered by the grace of regeneration; or in other words, if they had been born of God,

You would love me—For in regeneration love to Christ is always implanted: it is a fruit of the Spirit, which always comes along with the superabounding grace of God in conversion; whoever are begotten again, according to abundant mercy, love an unseen Jesus; and where there is no love to Christ, there can be no regeneration: such persons are not born again; nor is God their Father, at least manifestatively:

For I came from God and I am here—The former of these phrases is observed by many learned men to be used by the Septuagint, of a proper natural birth, as in Gen 15:4; 35:11; and here designs the eternal generation of Christ, as the Son of God, being the only begotten of the Father, and the Son of the Father in truth and love; and the other is to be understood of his mission from him, as mediator:

I came not of my own accord—Or did not take the office to himself, without being called unto it, and invested with it, by his Father:

But he sent me—Not by force, or against the will of Christ, or by change of place, but by assumption of nature; he sent him at the time agreed upon, in human nature, to obtain eternal redemption for his people: and upon both these accounts Christ is to be loved by all regenerate persons, or who have God for their Father; both on account of his being the Son of God, of the same nature and essence with him, see 1Jn 5:1; and on account of his mission into this world, as mediator, since he was sent, and came to be the Saviour of lost sinners.

21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”

John Gill

So he said to them again—It may be, immediately after he had said the above words; or rather some time after, it may be on the same day:

I am going away—Meaning, the way of all flesh, or that he should die: the way of speaking shows, that his death was certain, a determined thing; which must be, and yet was voluntary: he was not driven, nor forced, but went freely; this being the path, the way, through which he must enter into his kingdom and glory:

And you will seek me—That is, shall seek the Messiah, as their deliverer and Saviour, when in distress; and whom he calls himself, because he was the true Messiah, and the only Saviour and Redeemer of his people, in a spiritual sense; otherwise they would not, nor did they seek Jesus of Nazareth:

And you will die in your sin—Meaning, in their sin of unbelief, and rejection of him the true Messiah: the sense is, that in the midst of their calamities, which should come upon them, for their sin against him, they should in vain seek for the Messiah, as a temporal deliverer of them; for their nation, city, and temple, and they therein should utterly perish, for their iniquity; and their ruin would not only be temporal, but eternal: since it follows,

Where I am going, you cannot come—Signifying, that whereas he was going to his Father, to heaven and glory; to enjoy eternal happiness at his Father’s right hand, in the human nature; they should never come there, but whilst many sat down in the kingdom of heaven, with their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who should come from afar, they would be shut out, and not suffered to enter in.

As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. And when they would say, “He is not here,” he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you. 1KI 18:10

Rashi

That they had not found you—That the nation was unable to find you.

22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”

John Gill

So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself”—Which was not only a wicked, but a foolish consequence, drawn from his words: for it by no means followed, because he was going away, and where they could not come, that therefore he must destroy himself; this seems to be what they would have been glad he would have done, and suggested the thought that he might do it, in which they imitated Satan (Mat 4:6), under whose influence they now apparently were, and hoped that he would, which would at once extricate them out of their difficulties on his account:

Since he says, “Where I am going, you cannot come”?—This is no reason at all; for had Christ’s meaning been, as they blasphemously intimate, they might have destroyed themselves too, and have gone after him.

23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

John Gill

He said to them—Upon this wicked remark of theirs, and query on his words:

You are from below—Not only of the earth, earthy, and so spoke of the earth, and as carnal men; but even of hell, they were the children of the devil; they breathed his spirit, spoke his language, and did his lusts, as in Joh 8:44.

I am from above—Not with respect to his human body, which he did not bring with him from heaven, that was formed below, in the virgin’s womb; otherwise he would not have been the seed of the woman, the son of Abraham, David, and Mary: but either with regard to his divine nature and person, he was of God, the Son of God, the only begotten of the Father, who then lay in his bosom, and was in heaven above at that time; or to his mission, which was from heaven.

You are of this world—They were, as they were born into the world, sinful, carnal, and corrupt; they were in it, and belonged to it, had never been chosen, or called out of it; they had their conversation according to the course of it, and conformed to its evil customs and manners; they were under the influence of the God of the world, and were taken with the sinful and sensual lasts thereof; they were men of worldly spirits; they minded earth, and earthly things, and had their portion in this world, and might be truly called the men of it.

I am not of this world—He was in it, but not of it; he was come into it to save the chief of sinners, but he did not belong to it, nor did he conform to it; for though he conversed with sinners, ate with them, and received them, being called to repentance by him; yet he was separate from them, and did not as they did: nor did he pursue the pleasures, honours, and riches of this world, being all his days a man of sorrows, and despised of men; and though Lord of all, had not where to lay his head.

With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips

I have avoided the ways of the violent. PSA 17:4

Rashi

With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips, etc. My steps have held fast, etc.—From then on, for every deed of man that I came to perform, I watched myself by the word of your lips; I watched the ways of the violent, to turn away from them, so that I should not walk in them, but would support my steps constantly in your paths, that my feet should not falter from them. Another explanation:

For the works of man according to the word of your lips, etc.—Since a person must use his works according to the uprightness (decre—early editions) of the word of your lips, as you said, “You shall not commit adultery,” I have avoided the ways of the violent although I behaved unseemly according to the good you have done.

24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.

26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.”

John Gill

I have much to say about you and much to judge—Being God omniscient, he knew their persons and actions, their lives and conversations, and all their sins and transgressions, which he could justly have complained of, and charged them with, and proved against them, and judged and condemned them for; but this was not his present business, he came not to judge and condemn, but to save: wherefore he waved these things, and took no notice of them, leaving them to his Father, who would call them to an account, and punish them for them:

But he who sent me is true—As to his promises concerning the mission of his Son, to be the Saviour of sinners; so to his threatenings, to bring down vengeance on those that disbelieve him, and reject him:

And I declare to the world—Or “in the world,”

What I have heard from him—As concerning his love, grace, and mercy to those that should believe in him, so of the destruction of the despisers and rejecters of him; which things he spoke not in secret, in a corner, but publicly and openly, before all the world, to Jews and Gentiles, and to as many as were in the treasury, in the temple at this time; see Joh 18:20.

27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father.

And he said, “Go, and say to this people:

“ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;

keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ ” ISA 6:9

Rashi

Keep on hearing—I say to you, Keep on hearing, but do not strive to understand, and keep on seeing miracles that I have performed for you, yet do not strive to know me.

28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.

John Gill

So Jesus said to them—Upbraiding them with their ignorance, and giving them a sign, as well as pointing out the time when they either, by good or sad experience, should have knowledge of him:

When you have lifted up the Son of Man—Meaning himself, who was to be lifted up upon the cross, as the serpent was upon the pole, in the wilderness; and which signified the manner of death he should die, the death of the cross; and suggested, that what the Jews designed for his reproach, shame, and abasement, would be the way and means of his rise and exaltation; and this lifting him up, or crucifying him, he ascribes to them, because they would deliver him to Pontius Pilate to be condemned, and stir up the people to ask, and be importunate themselves for his crucifixion:

Then you will know that I am he—The Son of God, and true Messiah, as the centurion, and those that were with him, did, when they observed the earthquake; and the things that were done at his death; and after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, and the pouring forth of his Spirit, many of the Jews had not only a notional, but a true and spiritual knowledge of Jesus, as the Messiah; and upon the destruction of their temple, city, and nation, and their disappointment by false Christs, they doubtless many of them must, and did know, that the true Messiah was come, and that Jesus of Nazareth was he:

And that I do nothing on my own authority—(See Gill on Joh 5:19);

But speak just as the Father taught me—This he says not as lessening himself, or making himself inferior to the Father, but to show the excellency of his doctrine, and to assert the original, authority, and divinity of it; suggesting that it was not an human doctrine, or a device of man’s, or his own, as man, but was divine, and from God; see Joh 7:16.

29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

John Gill

And he who sent me is with me—By virtue of that near union there is between them, they being one in nature, essence, power, and glory, and by the gracious, powerful, comfortable, assisting, and strengthening presence of his Father, which he vouchsafed to him as man, and mediator;

He has not left me alone—Christ, as the Word, was with the Father from all eternity, and, as the Son of God, was in heaven, and in the bosom of the Father, when he, as the Son of Man, was here on earth; for though he came forth from the Father into this world, by assumption of the human nature, yet the Father was always with him, and he with the Father, through the unity of the divine nature; nor did he withhold his supporting and assisting presence from him as man; nor did he withdraw, at least he had not yet withdrawn his gracious and comfortable presence from him, though he afterwards did, when upon the cross: compare with this Joh 16:32;

For I always do the things that are pleasing to him—By submitting to gospel ordinances, as to baptism, at which the Father declared his well pleasedness in him; and by complying with the ordinances of the ceremonial law, which were typical of him; and by perfectly obeying the precepts of the moral law, and bearing the penalty of it; or by suffering and dying in the room and stead of his people; all which were the will of God, and well pleasing to him.

30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

John Gill

As he was saying these things—Concerning his being lifted up, or his crucifixion, and the knowledge the Jews should then have of him; of the excellency and divinity of his doctrine, of his mission from the Father, and of the Father’s presence with him, and of his always doing the things that are pleasing in his sight; which were spoken by him with majesty and authority, and came with power:

Many believed in him—As the Son of God, and true Messiah: faith came by hearing; Christ’s hearers were of different sorts; some understood him not, and disbelieved, and rejected him; others had their eyes, and their hearts opened, and received him, and his words.

15 Man is humbled, and each one is brought low,

and the eyes of the haughty are brought low.

John Gill

Man is humbled—To hell, or the grave, as well as the rich and noble:

And each one is brought low—Laid low in the dust, and be equal to the poor; for, in the grave, princes and peasants are alike; or they shall be all alike, in the same low and miserable condition:

And the eyes of the haughty are brought low—When famine and distress, ruin and misery, come upon them, then shall the pride of those be abased, as it was; who boasted of their riches and honour, of their descent and parentage, as the children of Abraham, and as being free men, and never in bondage; of their righteousness and good works; not submitting to the righteousness of Christ; but despising it, and looking with disdain upon, and treating with contempt, such as they thought less holy than themselves. The scribes and Pharisees, the members of the council, and rulers of the people, together with the whole body of the nation, are meant; who were all of the same cast and complexion, being conceited of themselves, and proud boasters.

Rashi

Man is humbled . . . and the strong of men shall be weakened. after Jonathan. According to the Midrashic interpretation (Sotah 48a), this is the Holy One, blessed be he. They caused him to appear as a man who is stunned. The expression originates in Jer 14:9. And so Scripture states (Deu 32:18): “The Rock that begot you, you have weakened (תֶּשִׁי),” interpreting the word as originating from תָּשׁ, weak, and Scripture states further (Ecc 10:18): “Through slothfulness, the one who frames his upper chambers will become impoverished.”

Sotah 48a:21

After listing the sin of those who drink wine with musical accompaniment, the verse states their punishment: What is written afterward? “Therefore my people have gone into exile for lack of knowledge” (Isa 5:13), meaning that they cause exile to the world; “their honored men go hungry” (Isa 5:13), as they bring famine to the world; “and their multitude is parched with thirst” (Isa 5:13), that they cause the law, which is compared to water, to be forgotten by those who learn it. “Mankind is humbled, and each one is brought low” (Isa 5:15), that they cause the enemy of the Holy One, blessed be he, i.e., God himself, to be brought down, as “man” in the phrase “and man is brought low” means nothing other than the Holy One, blessed be he, as it is stated: “The Lord is a man of war” (Exo 15:3). The verse continues: “And the eyes of the haughty are brought low” (Isa 5:15), that they cause the Jewish people to be brought down. These are the five retributions.

9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,

John Gill

Let the lowly brother—By “the brother” is meant, not one in a natural, but in a spiritual relation; one of Christ’s brethren, and who is of that family that is named of him; of the household of faith, and is in church communion: and whereas he is said to be “lowly,” or “humble,” this regards not the affection of his mind, or his conduct and deportment, he being meek and lowly, and clothed with humility, as every brother is, or ought to be; but his outward state and condition, being, as to the things of this world, poor, and mean in his outward circumstances, and so humbled and afflicted. This appears from the rich man, who, in the next verse, is opposed unto him, and distinguished from him; see Psa 62:9 such is advised to

Boast in his exaltation—Or to “glory in his exaltation;” in that high estate, to which he is advanced; for a person may be very low and mean, as to his worldly circumstances, and yet be very high, and greatly exalted in a spiritual sense: and this height of honour and grandeur, of which he may boast and glory, amidst his outward poverty, lies in his high birth and descent, being born from above, and of God, and belonging to his family; in being an adopted son of God, and so an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ, and of the heavenly inheritance and kingdom; in the present riches of grace he is possessed of, as justifying, pardoning, and sanctifying grace; and in the high titles he bears, as besides the new name, the name better than that of sons and daughters of the greatest potentate, even that of a son of the Lord God Almighty, his being a king, and a priest unto God, and for whom a kingdom, crown, and throne are prepared; and also in the company he daily keeps, and is admitted to, as of God, and Christ, and the holy angels: and this height of honour have all the saints, be they ever so poor in this world, who can vie with the greatest of princes for sublimity and grandeur.

10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.

11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. JAS 1:9-11

Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 1PE 5:5

16 But the Lord of hosts is exalted in justice,

and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.

John Gill

But the Lord of hosts is exalted in justice—By the “Lord of hosts” is meant Christ, the Lord of the armies, and of the inhabitants of the earth, of angels, and of men; who, though in our nature, in his state of humiliation, was brought very low, yet is now highly exalted; and which exaltation of his is seen and known, as it is here foretold it should be, by his judgments inflicted on the Jewish nation, for their contempt and rejection of him; see Psa 9:16 so Kimchi interprets judgment of the judgment which the Lord would inflict on the ungodly of Israel: thus Christ’s exaltation is seen in their humiliation, and his kingdom and power in their destruction:

And the Holy God—Christ is truly and properly God, God over all, blessed for ever; and he is holy, both as God and man; as God he is essentially and perfectly holy; and, as man, without sin original or actual; he is the Holy One of God, and the Holy One of Israel; and of him it is said, he

Shows himself holy in righteousness—Or be declared to be holy; by the obedience and righteousness of his life, wrought out for his people, whereby he becomes their sanctification and righteousness; and by his justice, in punishing his and his people’s enemies. Were all this to be understood of Jehovah the Father, it might very well be interpreted, as it is by Cocceius, of his being exalted and honoured by the condemnation of sin in the flesh of Christ; and of his being “glorified,” as the Arabic version renders it, by the obedience and righteousness of his Son, whereby his justice is satisfied, and his law magnified, and made honourable; and by the faith of his people, laying hold on that righteousness, and receiving it to the glory of God; in all which the purity, holiness, and justice of God appears.

Rashi

But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted through justice—When he executes justice upon them, his name shall be exalted in the world.

Through justice—Jostise justice in O.F.

And the Holy God shows himself holy among the righteous remaining of you.

But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. ROM 2:5

17 Then shall the lambs graze as in their pasture,

and nomads shall eat among the ruins of the rich. ISA 5:15-17

John Gill

Then shall the lambs graze as in their pasture—That is, the people of God, the disciples of Christ, either apostles and ministers of the gospel, whom he sent forth as lambs among wolves (Luk 10:3), who fed the flock of Christ in their usual pasture, and as directed by him; even with knowledge and understanding, by the ministry of the word, and administration of ordinances; or the people of God fed by them, who are comparable to lambs for their harmlessness and innocence; and who feed in green pastures, “according as they are led;” as the word used may be rendered; or “according to their word;” the doctrine of the ministers of the gospel, by whom they are instructed and directed to feed on Christ, as he is held forth in the word and ordinances. The Targum is,

“and the righteous shall be fed as is said of them;”

and so Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the righteous:

And nomads shall eat among the ruins of the rich—That is, the Gentiles, who are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise; the other sheep that were not of the Jewish fold (Joh 10:16; Eph 2:12), these shall come in the room of the rich of the land of Judea, the rulers, elders, scribes and Pharisees; and feed on those pastures which were despised and left desolate by them; enjoy the gospel they put away from them, and the ordinances of it, which they rejected. The Targum is,

“and they shall be multiplied, and the substance of the ungodly shall the righteous possess.”

Rashi

Then shall the lambs graze as in their pasture—The righteous who are compared to a flock of ewes.

As in their pasture—Heb. כדברם. According to their habit, with equity and with a measure, guiding their affairs with justice, like these lambs. Variant reading: According to their habit, with equity and of their own, for there will no longer be wicked people in the world, who will rob them. Our Rabbis expounded כְּדָבְרָם to mean: According to all that was spoken regarding them, i.e., the consolations spoken for them.

And . . . the ruins of the rich—The houses of the wicked, who are rich.

Nomads shall eat—The righteous, who are like nomads, shall eat them.

Rich—Heb. מֵחִים, meaning “fat,” as (Psa 66:15): “Burnt offerings of fatlings will I offer.”

God’s calling out of the arrogant and oppressive is intended to humble them. He shows his holiness through his righteousness and justice, which we can never have apart from him. His call to humility always has redemption and restoration in mind. We have a choice on how to respond: to harden our hearts and continue to exalt ourselves, or yield to him as God. Jas 4:6 says that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. We will find ourselves going against him if we keep a disposition of arrogance. But when we choose the route of humility, we will experience his grace and even be channels of his grace to the world. Is God still first in your heart? What are some things that take first place in your heart?

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” JAS 4:6

3 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.

John Gill

So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh—As the Lord commanded them, for what is before said to Moses was designed for Aaron also, his prophet and spokesman:

And said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews”—As the ambassadors of the God of Israel, and in his name said:

How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?—To acknowledge his offence, lie low before God, and be subject to his will; he had humbled himself for a moment, but then this did not continue; what God expected of him, and complains of the want of, was such a continued humiliation before him, and such a subjection to him, as would issue in complying with what he had so often demanded of him, and is as follows:

Let my people go, that they may serve me—See Exo 9:1, 13.

Rashi

לֵעָנֹת Translate as the Targum: to humble yourself, and it is derived from עָנִי. You have refused to be humble and lowly before me.

4 For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country,’ ” EXO 10:3-4

John Gill

For if you refuse to let my people go—He threatens him with the following plague, the plague of the locusts, which Pliny calls “denrum irae pestis;”

Behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country—According to Bishop Usher this was about the seventh day of the month Abib, that this plague was threatened, and on the morrow, which was the eighth day, it was brought; but Aben Ezra relates it as an opinion of Japhet an Hebrew writer, that there were many days between the plague of the hail, and the plague of the locusts, that there might be time for the grass and plants to spring out of the field; but this seems not necessary, for these locusts only ate of what were left of the hail, as in the following verse.

1 Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees,

and the writers who keep writing oppression,

Rashi

Iniquitous decrees—Notes of injustice, forged notes.

Letters—Heb. מְכַתְּבִים. This is Arabic, like מִכְתָּבִים in Hebrew.

2 to turn aside the needy from justice

and to rob the poor of my people of their right,

that widows may be their spoil,

and that they may make the fatherless their prey!

John Gill

To turn aside the needy from justice—Such laws being made as discouraged them from any application for justice; and, when they did, were harassed with such long, vexatious, and expensive suits, as obliged them to desist, and the cause being generally given against them, and for the rich:

And to rob the poor of my people of their right—For not to do justice to the poor is the same as to rob and plunder them, and take away by force what of right belongs to them; wherefore it follows:

That widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey—Who have none to protect and defend them, and whose protectors judges ought to be, in imitation of God, whom civil magistrates represent, who is the judge of the widows and the fatherless; and therefore this is observed as an aggravation of their sin, which was very great indeed: it is very wicked in a judge to pervert the judgment of the poor and needy, the widow and the fatherless, contrary to laws that are made by God and men; but to make and prescribe wicked and unrighteous laws, that wickedness may be framed, and mischief committed by a law, that the poor and the needy, the widows and fatherless, may be injured under colour and pretence of law and justice, is the height of injustice. See Psa 94:20-21.

Rashi

To turn aside through the false notes, the poor from the legal rights due them.

3 What will you do on the day of punishment,

in the ruin that will come from afar?

To whom will you flee for help,

and where will you leave your wealth? ISA 10:1-3

Rashi

On the day of punishment when the Holy One, blessed be he, visits upon you your iniquities.

In the ruin—Heb. וּלְשׁוֹאָה, an expression of ruin.

To whom will you flee for help—The Holy One, blessed be he, will afford you no help.

And where will you leave all the wealth you are accumulating from robbery, when you go into exile?

God sits in judgment on those who intentionally design decrees and writings for their gain, but who oppress the poor and vulnerable. Because of those actions, God says on the day of punishment, there will be no one who extends help, and nowhere to keep their wealth (Isa 10:3). How should your decisions consider the needs of the poor and vulnerable? Why is this an important consideration for us as God’s people?

And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. 1KI 21:13

Sanhedrin 48b:10

The Gemara raises a difficulty: Granted, according to the one who says that the property of those executed by the king belongs to the king, that is the reason that it is written that Jezebel arranged for witnesses to falsely testify that “Naboth cursed God and the king” (1Ki 21:13). Since Naboth cursed the king, Ahab could execute him and seize his property. But according to the one who says that the property of those executed by the king belongs to their heirs, why do I need the testimony that Naboth cursed the king? It would have sufficed for the witnesses to testify that he cursed God, in which case he would have been executed by the court, and Ahab would have taken possession of the vineyard as his heir.

Your princes are rebels

and companions of thieves.

Everyone loves a bribe

and runs after gifts.

They do not bring justice to the fatherless,

and the widow’s cause does not come to them. ISA 1:23

Rashi

Rebels—Deviating from the straight path.

And runs after gifts—This word is similar to the Talmudic תַּשְׁלוּמִין. Jonathan paraphrases: One man says to another, Do me a favor in my case, and I will repay you in your case. This refers to a judge who was a robber, and the robbery victim complains about him before another judge. This one says to him, Declare me innocent today, and I will repay you when they complain about you before me. This is the meaning of running after gifts.

And the widow’s cause does not come to them—The widow comes to complain, and the fatherless is coming out, when this one meets him and asks him, What did you accomplish in your case? He replies, All day long I toiled at work, but I did not accomplish anything. And this one turns around and says, If this one, who is a man, did not accomplish anything, surely I will not. This is the meaning of, “they do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow’s cause does not come to them” at all.

3 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.”

Rashi

They have come to me from a far country—This is one of three people whom the Holy One, blessed be he, tested and found to be a chamber pot: Cain, Hezekiah, and Balaam. Hezekiah should have replied, “You are a prophet of the Omnipresent. Yet you ask me?” Instead, he commenced to become haughty, and said, “They have come to me from a far country.” Therefore, he was punished, and because he rejoiced over them and fed them on his table. Similarly, Balaam, to whom he said, “Who are these men with you?” (Num 22:9) And he replied and said, “Balak the son of Zippor sent them to me.” Similarly, Cain, to whom he said, “Where is your brother Abel?” (Gen 4:9) He should have replied, “Lord of the Universe, are not all hidden things revealed to you?” As it is stated in Tanhuma.

6 Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord.

Rashi

Nothing shall be left—You shall be paid in kind, corresponding to “There is nothing (v. 4).” (I.e., 

Hezekiah would be punished for showing off all his treasures, by having all those treasures carried off to Babylon.)

7 And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. ISA 39:3, 6-7

Rashi

And some of your own sons—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” JOH 19:6

John Gill

When the chief priests and the officers saw him—In this piteous condition, in his mock dress, and having on him all the marks of cruel usage, enough to have moved an heart of stone: and though they were the principal men of the priesthood, and who made great pretensions to religion and piety, and the officers were their servants and attendants, and all of them used to sacred employments; which might have been thought would have at least influenced them to the exercise of humanity and compassion to fellow creatures; yet instead of being affected with this sight, and wrought upon by it, to have agreed to his release, as Pilate hoped,

They cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!”—Which was done in a very noisy and clamorous way; and the repetition of their request shows their malignity, vehemence, and impatience; and remarkable it is, that they should call for, and desire that kind of death the Scriptures had pointed out, that the Messiah should die, and which was predicted by Christ himself.

Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him”—This was not leave to do it, as appears from the reason he gives, in which the innocence of Christ is again asserted; nor did the Jews take it in this light, as is evident from their reply; and it is clear, that after this Pilate thought he had a power either to release or crucify him; and he did afterwards seek to release him; and the Jews made a fresh request to crucify him; upon which he was delivered to be crucified: but this was said in a way of indignation, and as abhorring the action; and is an ironical concession, and a bitter sarcasm upon them, that men that professed so much religion and sanctity, could be guilty of such iniquity, as to desire the death of one that no fault could be found in; and therefore, if such were their consciences, for his part, he desired to have no concern in so unrighteous an action; but if they would, they must even do it themselves.

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 1PE 2:12

John Gill

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable—To have the conduct honorable, is to provide things honorable in the sight of God, and among men; to order the conduct aright, according to the law of God, which is a rule of walk and conduct, and as becomes the gospel of Christ; and which was the more, and rather to be attended to, because these converted Jews were “among the Gentiles,” that knew not God; idolaters, and unbelievers, profane sinners, who were watching for their halting, and that they might take an advantage against them, and the gospel, and the religion they professed, from their conversations:

So that when they speak against you as evildoers—Charging them with the grossest immoralities, as the Gentiles did the Christians in the first ages; which appears evidently from the apologies of Tertullian, Jnstin Martyr, and others; though it seems that the Jewish converts are here intended, who were accused by the Gentiles of seditious principles and practices, and of acting contrary to the laws of civil government, refusing to yield subjection to Gentile magistrates, and obedience to Gentile masters; and hence the apostle, in some following verses, enlarges on those duties, and which he exhorts them to attend unto, that they might put to silence the ignorance of such foolish accusers: and

That they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation—Or “trial,” or “examination,” as the Syriac version renders it; which may be understood either of human or divine visitation, which seems most likely, this must either design a visitation by way of judgment, or of mercy; for as the Jews say, there is “a visitation,” for good, and a visitation for evil: God sometimes visits in a way of punishment for sin, and sometimes in away of grace, for the good and welfare of men; and then the sense is, that when wicked men take notice of and observe the good works of the saints, their civil, honest, and orderly conversation, they shall glorify God on that account, who has enabled them to perform them; and acknowledge the goodness of them, and the wrong judgment they have passed upon them, and the ill measure they have measured out to them; and this will be, either when God visits them in a way of wrath, as at the day of judgment, or at the time of some temporal calamity before, or when he visits them in a way of mercy, calls them by his grace, and effectually works upon them by his Spirit: the same argument for the performance of good works is used by Christ, in Mat 5:16.