THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. INTRODUCTION. By whom written. The testimony of antiquity is unanimous that the Gospel of Matthew was written by the apostle whose name it bears.* Its characteristics are such as one might expect from the writer. He was a publican or taxgatherer by profession, and was thus trained to orderly and methodical habits of thought; and of all the Gospels his is the most orderly and systematic in its arrangement. He gives more fully than any other writer the public discourses of our Lord. Thus it is that we find in Matthew by far the fullest accounts of the Sermon on the Mount, the apostolic commission, the discourse on blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, that on the duties of the disciples to forgive one another, and the whole series of invectives against the Pharisees, as well as the parables by the sea and those that are prophecies of the destruction of the Jewish nation.t Original language. But though the authorship of the Gospel was never called in question until the last century, and is as well established as that of any ancient book, it is not certain that we possess this Gospel in its original form. The testimony of the early Church is unanimous that Matthew wrote originally in the Hebrew language; and some confirmation is lent to this opinion by the fact that there are indications that he wrote his Gospel with special reference to exerting his influence upon the Jews, and from the statement of at least one of the fathers that he belonged to the Jewish party in the Christian Church. On the other hand, doubt is thrown over this opinion, both by an examination of the statements of the fathers, and by a consideration of peculiar forms of language employed in the Gospel itself. The question is unsettled, the best scholars not agreeing in their judgment concerning it. If there was a Hebrew original, * For account of his life see Commentary, p. 111. For some account of this testimony see Intro., pp. 16-19. + Matt., chaps. 5-7; 10-12: 21-25. it disappeared at a very early age. The Greek Gospel which we now possess was, it is almost certain, written in Matthew's lifetime, and it is not at all improbable that he wrote the Gospel in both the Greek and Hebrew languages. Time of composition. There are no data for determining with accuracy the exact time when it was written. The testimony of the early church, however, is unanimous that it was the first written of the Gospels; and this is confirmed indirectly by the fact that in all copies of the N. T., and in all translations, this Gospel has been placed first. It was probably composed about the middle of the first century. Object. Whether originally written in the Hebrew language or not, it is reasonably certain that it was written originally for Jewish readers. The ancient opinion that Matthew wrote in Hebrew indicates this, and the inference is confirmed by its character. "We have," says Dean Alford, "fewer interpretations of Jewish customs, laws, and localities than in the two other Gospels. The whole narrative proceeds more upon a Jewish view of matters, and is concerned more to establish that point, which to a Jewish convert would be most important-that Jesus was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. Hence the commencement of his genealogy from Abraham and David; hence the frequent notice of the necessity of this or that event happening, because it was so foretold by the prophets; hence the constant opposition of our Lord's spiritually ethical teaching to the carnal formalistic ethics of the Scribes and Pharisees.” Characteristics. Of these I have already incidentally spoken. His diction is the Hebraistic Greek of the Septuagint; his external character as a writer is order, method, and simplicity; his view of Jesus Christ is of him as the Messiah-King, come to establish on the earth the Kingdom of God; and of that kingdom he affords the most perfect delineation in his report of the Sermon on the Mount and the Parables by the Sea. Bethany (house or place of dates). A well- | end, and virtually divides the expanse of the water known village about 2 miles from Jerusalem, on the eastern slope of the Mt. of Olives. Matt. 21:17; 26:6-13; Mark 11: 1, 11, 12; 14: 3-9; Luke 19: 39; 24: 50, 51; John 11:1-46; 11: 18. Bethlehem (house of bread) a village 5 miles south of Jerusalem and east of the road to Hebron. It occupies part of the summit and sides of a narrow ridge which shoots out eastward from the central chain of the Judean mountains, and breaks down abruptly into deep valleys on the north, south, and east. The village at the present time contains about 500 houses. Gen. 35: 19; Ruth 1: 19; 1 Sam. 16:4; 2 Sam. 23: 15-17; Matt. 2:1-18; Luke 2: 1-20. Bethphage (house of unripe figs). A village on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem, and near to Bethany, but whether east or west of it is not known. Matt. 21:1; Mark 11: 1; Luke 19: 29. Bethsaida (house of fish). A town of Galilee, on the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret. Some scholars suppose two towns of the same name. This is an improbable and unnecessary hypothesis. See note on Mark 6: 45. Bethsaida Julias, the only one known to have existed, was on the north shore of the sea, near the mouth of the river Jordan. Matt. 11:21; Mark 6: 45; Luke 9:10; 10: 13; John 1:44; 12: 21. Cæsarea Philippi. A city about 4 miles east of Dan, the Hazor and Baal-Gad of Josh. 11:10, 17. Its ruins are found in the little village of Banias. Matt. 16: 13, note. Cana (reedy). A village in the hill country of Galilee, about 9 miles north of Nazareth, and about 6 or 8 hours from Capernaum. John 2:1-11, notes; 4: 46-54; 21: 2. Capernaum. A city on the sea of Galilee, the centre of Christ's missionary operations throughout Galilee. Its site is involved in uncertainty; probably it is to be identified with Tell-Hum, an uninhabited ruin. Matt. 8:5, 14; 9:1, 9; Mark 1: 16, 17, 21, 23; Luke 5: 27; 7:1, 8; John 6:59. Chorazin (district of Zin). A town of Galilee. The site is uncertain, but recent researches tend to identify it with Kerazeh, two miles north of Tell-Hum. Matt. 11: 21; Luke 10: 13. Dalmanutha (branch). A village on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, perhaps identical with Magdala. Mark 8:10, note. Dead Sea. Called the Salt Sea, The Sea, The Sea of the Plains, i. e., the Arabah, the East Sea, Asphaltic Lake, and Sea of Sodom. The Arabs term it Bahr Lut, the "Sea of Lot." It is of an elongated oval shape, broken by a peninsula which projects from the eastern shore, near its southern into two portions. It is about 46 miles long by 10 miles wide in the widest part; its area is about 250 square geographical miles. The northern portion is of great depth, the southern is shallow. The sea, in its present extent, covers what was once the Vale of Siddim. Decapolis (of ten cities). A region in the north-eastern part of Palestine, near the Sea of Galilee. Matt. 4: 25, note. Emmaus. A village, site unknown, 6 or 8 miles from Jerusalem. Luke 24: 13-35. Enon. The place where John baptized. Its location is uncertain. Robinson places it near the north-eastern border of Judea, in the vicinity of Samaria. John 3:23. Ephraim. A city described as near the wilderness; that is, perhaps, the wild hill country north-east of Jerusalem. John 11:54. Gadara. A Roman town south-east of Tiberias, giving name to the country of the Gadarenes, Matthew 8: 28, note; Mark 5:1; Luke 8: 26. Galilee (circle). A name originally confined to a little "circuit" of country round KadeshNapthali, in which were situated twenty towns given by Solomon to Hiram, King of Tyre. In Christ's time, it embraced the whole northern section of Palestine, including the ancient territories of Issachar, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali. It extended from the Mediterranean to the Jordan Valley, and from the base of Mt. Carmel and the hills of Samaria, to Phoenicia and the Lebanon range. Remains of splendid synagogues still exist in many of the old towns and villages, showing that from the second to the seventh century the Jews were as prosperous as they were numerous. Josh. 20:7; 1 Kings 9:2; Matt. 4:15; Mark 14: 70; Luke 17:11; John 1:46; 7:52. See Matt. 2: 22, note. Galilee, Sea of. Called also Sea of Gen. nesaret, of Chinnereth or Chinneroth, and the Lake of Tiberias. For map and description, see Mark 1 30, note. Jericho. An ancient city of the Canaanites, situated in the valley of the Jordan, at the entrance of two passes through the hills,-one to Jerusalem, the other to Ai and Bethel. It is called in Judges 1: 16; 3: 13, "City of Palm Trees." The N. T. Jericho was 2 miles from the fountain of Elisha, the present Ain-es-Sultân. Josh. 2:1-21;6:1; 2 Sam. 10:5; 1 Kings 16:34; 2 Kings 2:1-22; Ezra 2:34; Neh. 3:2; 7:36; Jer. 39:5; 52:8; Matt. 20:29-34; Mark 10: 46– 52; Luke 10: 30-37; 18: 35, 43; 19: 1-10. Jerusalem. A city built on a promontory of rock that juts out from the table-land of Judea. Deep but narrow gorges separate it from surrounding hills. It is 25 feet above the level of the Mediterranean Sea, and 3600 feet above the valley of the Jordan. A valley divides its rocky foundation into two hills, and the city itself into an upper and lower town. Josh. 18:28; Judg. 1:8; 2 Sam. 5:6-9; 1 Kings 3:1; 2 Chr. 25: 23, 24; Neh., chaps. 2-6; 2 Kings 24: 10-16; 25. For map, see Matt., ch. 26, p. 257. applied to the country formerly inhabited by the Jewish people, though in the Bible it has other names, as Canaan, Land of the Hebrews, Land of Judea, Land of Promise, Land of Jehovah, and sometimes simply The Land. In size and shape Palestine does not differ widely from the State of Vermont; its length is about 180 miles, its average breadth 65. But its variety of climate, productions, and geographical features have no parallel in any section of equally limited area on the American continent. By its physical features it is divided into three long and narrow parallel sections--the valley of the Jordan, the hill country of Central Palestine, and the rich and fertile lowlands which border on the Medi Jordan. The only considerable river of Palestine. It rises in the Lebanon range, flows for six miles through a marshy plain, enters the waters of Merom, thence descends about nine miles to the Sea of Galilee, falling in that distance about 600 feet; after quitting this lake at its southern extremity it becomes a headlong|terranean. torrent, widening in its course, with many a precipitous fall through a strange, lonely valley, occupying in its serpentine course 200 miles in traversing a direct line of not over 60; and finally empties into the Dead Sea, 1316 feet below the Mediterranean sea level. From the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, it descends nearly, if not quite, 700 feet. Its width varies from 70 feet, at its entrance into the Sea of Galilee, to 180 yards at its entrance into the Dead Sea. For some of the historical events connected with the Jordan, see Josh. chaps. 3, 4; Judg. 8:4; 10:9: 2 Sam. 2:29; 17: 22; 19: 15-39; 2 Kings 2: 7-14; 5: 10-14; 6: 2-7; Matt. 3: 6, 13; Mark 1: 5, 9. Judea. This name is now frequently applied to the whole of the Holy Land, more generally designated as Palestine. Properly speaking, however, it only signifies one of the three provinces into which Palestine, west of the Jordan, was divided at the time of Christ-Galilee, Samaria, Judea. The province of Judea comprised the territories of Judah, Benjamin, Simeon, and parts of Dan, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean; it extended from the wilderness on the south to Shiloh on the north, running up, however, on the sea-coast west of Samaria to a point north of Cæsarea. After the disgrace of Archelaus, A.D. 6, Judea was attached to the Roman province of Syria; the procurator, subordinate to the Governor of Syria, residing at Cæsarea. Machærus. See Matt. 11: 2, note. Magdala. A town on the Sea of Galilee, identified with the modern el-Mejdel, a little north of Tiberias. Matt. 15: 39; Mark 8: 10, note. Nain. A city mentioned only in Luke 7: 11. Its remains lie on the south side of the Little Hermon, two or three hours' distance from Nazareth, on the road to Jerusalem. Nazareth. A town situated in a beautiful valley about five miles west of Tabor. The modern town is supposed to have been built upon the ancient site; it has a population of 3120 persons. Matt. 2: 22, 23, note; Luke 2:39; 4: 16. Palestine. This name is now universally On the north the hills rise into mountains, reaching, in the Lebanon and AntiLebanon, a height of from 6000 to 8000 feet above the level of the ocean. In the south they drop down into the level plains of the desert, while the waters of the Dead Sea are 1316 feet below the Mediterranean. Politically, at the time of Christ Palestine was divided into four sections - Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and Perea. See Luke 3: 1, note and map. Perea (beyond). The region east of the river Jordan, including Bashan and Gilead, because lying beyond the river Jordan, so called; in modern literature it is often entitled the transJordanic region. In the time of Christ it was fertile and populous, and inhabited by a mixed population, partly Roman, partly Jewish. It is said that the Jordan valley alone contains the ruins of 127 villages. Most of the events and incidents in Luke, chaps. 10-18, occurred in this district. Salim. Site unknown. Samaria. The province of Samaria once included all of Palestine north of Judea. That portion east of the Jordan which originally belonged to it was taken away by the kings of Assyria; then the northern portion, Galilee, shared the same fate; and Samaria was reduced to the dimensions which it possessed in the time of Christ. 1 Chron. 5:26; 2 Kings 15:29; Luke 9: 51-56; 10: 25-37; John 4: 39-42. Sidon, or Zidon. An ancient city of Phoenicia, about 20 miles north of Tyre, and nearly 40 miles south of Beirut. See Matt. 11: 21, note. Sychar. A celebrated city of Palestine; called also Sichem, Shechem, and Sychem. The modern town is called Nablous, and contains about 8000 inhabitants. It is beautifully located in a fertile valley between Mt. Ebal and Gerizim, about seven miles south of Samaria, Gen. 23: 18-20; Josh. 24:1-23, 32; Judges 9; 1 Kings 12: 1-25; 2 Chron. 10; Jer. 41:5; John 4: 5. Tyre. A commercial city of Phoenicia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean. Its present population numbers between 3000 and 4000, the half being Christians. See Matt. 11: 21, note. THE MATTHEW. CHAPTER I. HE book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David," the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaace begat Jacob; and Jacob' begat Judas and his brethren; 3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram ; a Luke 3: 23, &c.....b eh. 22: 45; Ps. 132: 11; Acts 2:30.....e Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3: 16.....d Gen. 21: 9-5.....e Gen. 25: 26.....f Gen. 29: 35, &c.....g Gen. 38:29, 30, &e.....h Gen. 46: 12.....i Ruth 4: 19. 1:1-17. THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST.-THE OLD TESTAMENT PREPARES FOR THE NEW.-CHRIST IS THE CONSUMMATION OF JEWISH HISTORY.-HARLOTS (RAHAB, THAMAR, Bathsheba) SHARE IN THE PREPARATION FOR HIS COMING.-JEW AND GENTILE, SAINT AND SINNER (ABRAHam, Ruth, anD RAHAB) ARE AMONG HIS ANCESTORS; THUS THE LOWLIEST ANCESTRY PREPARES FOR THE NOBLEST BIRTH.-THE SON OF A PEASANT, THE SON OF DAVID, THE SON OF GOD ARE ALL ONE.-GOD PRESERVES FOR HIS PURPOSE THE PIOUS FAMILY. "IT MAY GO DOWN, BUT NOT GO OUT; IT STANDS BECAUSE IT WITHSTANDS.' יי 1. The book of the generation, i. e., the genealogical register of Jesus Christ. This is the title of the first seventeen verses of this chapter, not of the whole Gospel as has sometimes been supposed. It was customary for the Jewish families to keep with care records of their pedigree. Among the Jews the land was divided among the tribes, and according to families, the monarchy and the priesthood were both hereditary; and these facts gave to such genealogical registers of the Jewish families a peculiar value. Instances of such records are afforded by Gen. 5: 1; 3-32; 35:22-26. First Chronicles is full of such genealogies. These records were revived at the time of the restoration, and the re-settlement of the land of Israel under Ezra and Nehemiah, and the allotment of priestly and other offices was apparently determined according to them (Ezra, chaps. 2, 9; Neh., chaps. 7, 10, 12). Son of, i. e., descendant of. The term son is frequently used in Scripture in this enlarged sense. The Messiah promised by the prophets was to be a son of David (Jer. 23; 5; Ps. 132: 10, 11), and the chief object of this genealogical register of Jesus Christ appears to have been to show the Jews that he was a descendant of David, and a child of Abraham, and so fulfilled the prophecies respecting the Messiah. Another genealogical register is given in Luke 3:23-28. The wide differences between them have occasioned biblical students some difficulty. Luke gives the whole record from Adam; Matthew begins at Abraham, and omits many names which appear in the O. T. history. Such omissions of unimportant names in the genealogical register are, however, common. But between David and Joseph the two lists are almost en tirely different. This is a more serious difficulty. Without entering here into a full explanation of the difficulty and its solution, for which the reader must be referred to the treatises which have been written on the subject, it must suffice to say: 1st. That both genealogies were undoubtedly taken from the public registers, that of Luke probably from the record made out for the purpose of the census ordered by Augustus, and referred to in Luke 2: 1, 3. 2d. That both are unquestionably the genealogy of Joseph: genealogies of women were unknown to the Jews, and a careful comparison of the two refutes the old hypothesis that one is the genealogy of Joseph, and the other of Mary. 3d. That David had four sons by Bathsheba, and that Luke traces the genealogy from Nathan, one of these four sons (Luke 3:31), while Matthew traces it from Solomon, another son, and the inheritor of his father's throne. Thus Matthew's register shows the regal descent of Jesus Christ from David through Solomon, and his consequent right, so to speak, to sit on the throne of his father David -while Luke gives his natural and actual descent through Nathan, and the two come together at Salathiel. 4th. That it is probable that Mary was the cousin of Joseph, her husband; so that in point of fact, though not in form, both genealogies are hers as well as his. 5th. That the fact that Jesus was a descendant of David does not rest alone upon the testimony of these genealogies. Psalm 132: 11; Luke 1:32; Rom. 1:3 show very clearly that Mary also was of the family of David. The reason why Jesus is shown to be of the family of David, by tracing his descent through Joseph, his putative father, and not through Mary, his real mother, is to be found in the fact that the Jews would not have recognized any fulfillment of the ancient prophecy in a genealogy through the mother, which that age never recognized. 2-6. Judas, Greek form of patriarch Judah, eldest son of Jacob, and progenitor of the tribe of Judah, to which Jesus Christ belonged. From his name come the words Judea and Jews. Phares and Zara, same as Pharez and Zarah (Genesis 38: 29, 30). The rest of the genealogy to |