00250
 \\The sons of the bride-chamber\\ (\\hoi huioi tou numphnos\\). It is a
 late Hebrew idiom for the wedding guests, "the friends of the
 bridegroom and all the sons of the bride-chamber" (_Tos. Berak._
 ii. 10). Cf.
 # Joh 2:29

00251
 \\Undressed cloth\\ (\\rhakous agnaphou\\). An unfulled, raw piece of
 woollen cloth that will shrink when wet and tear a bigger hole
 than ever. \\A worse rent\\ (\\cheiron schisma\\). Our word "schism." The
 "\\patch\\" (\\plrma\\, filling up) thus does more harm than good.

00252
 \\Old wineskins\\ (\\askous palaious\\). Not glass "\\bottles\\" but
 wineskins used as bottles as is true in Palestine yet, goatskins
 with the rough part inside. "Our word _bottle_ originally carried
 the true meaning, being a bottle of leather. In Spanish _bota_
 means a _leather bottle_, a _boot_, and a _butt_. In Spain wine
 is still brought to market in pig-skins " (Vincent). The new wine
 will ferment and crack the dried-up old skins. \\The wine is\\
 \\spilled\\ (\\ekcheitai\\), poured out.

00253
 \\Is even now dead\\ (\\arti eteleutsen\\). Aorist tense with \\arti\\ and
 so better, "just now died," "just dead" (Moffatt). Mark
 # Mr 5:23
 has it "at the point of death," Luke
 # Lu 8:42
 "lay a dying." It is not always easy even for physicians to tell
 when actual death has come. Jesus in
 # 9:24
 pointedly said, "The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth," meaning
 that she did not die to stay dead.

00254
00255
 \\The border of his garment\\ (\\tou kraspedou tou himatiou\\). The hem
 or fringe of a garment, a tassel or tuft hanging from the edge of
 the outer garment according to
 # Nu 15:38
 It was made of twisted wool. Jesus wore the dress of other people
 with these fringes at the four corners of the outer garment. The
 Jews actually counted the words _Jehovah One_ from the numbers of
 the twisted white threads, a refinement that Jesus had no concern
 for. This poor woman had an element of superstition in her faith
 as many people have, but Jesus honours her faith and cures her.

00256
00257
00258
 \\The flute-players\\ (\\tous aultas\\). The girl was just dead, but
 already a crowd "making a tumult" (\\thoruboumenon\\) with wild
 wailing and screaming had gathered in the outer court, "brought
 together by various motives, sympathy, money, desire to share in
 the meat and drink going at such a time" (Bruce). Besides the
 several flute-players (voluntary or hired) there were probably
 "some hired mourning women
 # Jer 9:17
 _praeficae_, whose duty it was to sing _naenia_ in praise of the
 dead" (Bruce). These when put out by Jesus, "laughed him to
 scorn" (\\kategeln\\), in a sort of loud and repeated (imperfect)
 guffaw of scorn. Jesus overcame all this repellent environment.

00259
00260
00261
00262
 \\As Jesus passed by\\ (\\paragonti Isou\\). Associative instrumental
 case with \\kolouthsan\\. It was the supreme opportunity of these
 two blind men. Note two demoniacs in
 # Mt 8:28
 and two blind men in
 # Mt 20:30
 See the same word \\paragn\\ used of Jesus in
 # 9:9

00263
00264
 \\Touched their eyes\\ (\\hpsato tn ophthalmn\\). The men had faith
 # 9:28
 and Jesus rewards their faith and yet he touched their eyes as he
 sometimes did with kindly sympathy.

00265
 \\Were opened\\ (\\neichthsan\\). Triple augment (on \\oi=i, e\\ and then
 on preposition \\an = n\\). \\Strictly charged them\\ (\\enebrimth\\
 \\autois\\). A difficult word, compound of \\en\\ and \\brimaomai\\ (to be
 moved with anger). It is used of horses snorting (Aeschylus,
 _Theb_. 461), of men fretting or being angry
 # Da 11:30
 Allen notes that it occurs twice in Mark
 # Mr 1:43; 14:5
 when Matthew omits it. It is found only here in Matthew. John has
 it twice in a different sense
 # Joh 11:33
 with \\en heauti\\). Here and in
 # Mr 1:32
 it has the notion of commanding sternly, a sense unknown to
 ancient writers. Most manuscripts have the middle \\enebrimsato\\,
 but Aleph and B have the passive \\enebrimth\\ which Westcott and
 Hort accept, but without the passive sense (cf. \\apekrith\\). "The
 word describes rather a rush of deep feeling which in the
 synoptic passages showed itself in a vehement injunctive and in
 # Joh 11:33
 in look and manner" (McNeile). Bruce translates Euthymius
 Zigabenus on
 # Mr 1:32
 : "Looked severely, contracting His eyebrows, and shaking His
 head at them as they are wont to do who wish to make sure that
 secrets will be kept." "See to it, let no one know it" (\\horate,\\
 \\mdeis ginsket\\). Note elliptical change of persons and number
 in the two imperatives.

00266
00267
 \\A dumb man\\ (\\kphon\\). Literally blunted in tongue as here and so
 dumb, in ear as in
 # Mt 11:5
 and so deaf. Homer used it of a blunted dart (_Iliad_ xi. 390).
 Others applied it to mental dulness.

00268
00269
 \\By the prince of the devils\\ (\\en ti archonti tn daimonin\\).
 Demons, not devils. The codex Bezae omits this verse, but it is
 probably genuine. The Pharisees are becoming desperate and,
 unable to deny the reality of the miracles, they seek to
 discredit them by trying to connect Jesus with the devil himself,
 the prince of the demons. They will renew this charge later
 # Mt 12:24
 when Jesus will refute it with biting sarcasm.

00270
 \\And Jesus went about\\ (\\kai perigen ho Isous\\). Imperfect tense
 descriptive of this third tour of all Galilee.

00271
 \\Were distressed and scattered\\ (\\san eskulmenoi kai erimmenoi\\).
 Periphrastic past perfect indicative passive. A sad and pitiful
 state the crowds were in. Rent or mangled as if by wild beasts.
 \\Skull\\ occurs in the papyri in sense of plunder, concern,
 vexation. "Used here of the common people, it describes their
 religious condition. They were harassed, importuned, bewildered
 by those who should have taught them; hindered from entering into
 the kingdom of heaven
 # 23:13
 laden with the burdens which the Pharisees laid upon them
 # 23:3
 \\Erimmenoi\\ denotes men cast down and prostrate on the ground,
 whether from drunkenness, Polyb. v. 48.2, or from mortal wounds"
 (Allen): This perfect passive participle from \\rhipt\\, to throw
 down. The masses were in a state of mental dejection. No wonder
 that Jesus was moved with compassion (\\esplagchnisth\\).

00272
00273
 \\That he send forth labourers\\ (\\hops ekbali ergatas\\). Jesus turns
 from the figure of the shepherdless sheep to the harvest field
 ripe and ready for the reapers. The verb \\ekball\\ really means to
 drive out, to push out, to draw out with violence or without.
 Prayer is the remedy offered by Jesus in this crisis for a larger
 ministerial supply. How seldom do we hear prayers for more
 preachers. Sometimes God literally has to push or force a man
 into the ministry who resists his known duty.

00274
 \\His twelve disciples\\ (\\tous ddeka mathtas autou\\). First mention
 of the group of "learners" by Matthew and assumed as already in
 existence (note the article) as they were
 # Mr 3:14
 They were chosen before the Sermon on the Mount was delivered,
 but Matthew did not mention it in connection with that sermon.

 \\Gave them authority\\ (\\edken autois exousian\\). "Power" (Moffatt,
 Goodspeed). One may be surprised that here only the healing work
 is mentioned, though Luke
 # Lu 9:2
 has it "to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick." And
 Matthew says
 # Mt 10:7
 "And as ye go, preach." Hence it is not fair to say that Matthew
 knows only the charge to heal the sick, important as that is. The
 physical distress was great, but the spiritual even greater.
 Power is more likely the idea of \\exousia\\ here. This healing
 ministry attracted attention and did a vast deal of good. Today
 we have hospitals and skilled physicians and nurses, but we
 should not deny the power of God to bless all these agencies and
 to cure disease as he wills. Jesus is still the master of soul
 and body. But intelligent faith does not justify us in abstaining
 from the help of the physician who must not be confounded with
 the quack and the charlatan.

00275
 \\The names of the twelve apostles\\ (\\tn ddeka apostoln ta\\
 \\onomata\\). This is the official name (missionaries) used here by
 Matthew for the first time. The names are given here, but Matthew
 does not say that they were chosen at this time. Mark
 # Mr 3:13-19
 and Luke
 # Lu 6:12-16
 state that Jesus "chose" them, "appointed" them after a night of
 prayer in the mountain and came down with them and then delivered
 the Sermon
 # Lu 6:17
 Simon heads the list (\\prtos\\) in all four lists including
 # Ac 1:13
 He came to be first and foremost at the great Pentecost
 # Ac 2
 and
 # Ac 3
 The apostles disputed a number of times as to which was greatest.
 Judas Iscariot comes last each time save that he is absent in
 Acts, being already dead. Matthew calls him the betrayer (\\ho\\
 \\paradidous\\). Iscariot is usually explained as "man of Kerioth"
 down near Edom
 # Jos 15:25
 Philip comes fifth and James the son of Alphaeus the ninth.
 Bartholomew is the name for Nathanael. Thaddaeus is Judas the
 brother of James. Simon Zelotes is also called Simon the
 Canaanean (Zealous, Hebrew word). This is apparently their first
 preaching and healing tour without Jesus. He sends them forth by
 twos
 # Mr 6:7
 Matthew names them in pairs, probably as they were sent out.

00276
00277
00278
 \\These twelve Jesus sent forth\\ (\\toutous tous ddeka apesteilen ho\\
 \\Isous\\). The word "sent forth" (\\apesteilen\\) is the same root as
 "apostles." The same word reappears in
 # 10:16
 \\Way of the Gentiles\\ (\\hodon ethnn\\). Objective genitive, way
 leading to the Gentiles. This prohibition against going among the
 Gentiles and the Samaritans was for this special tour. They were
 to give the Jews the first opportunity and not to prejudice the
 cause at this stage. Later Jesus will order them to go and
 disciple all the Gentiles
 # Mt 28:19

00279
 \\The lost sheep\\ (\\ta probata ta apollota\\). The sheep, the lost
 ones. Mentioned here first by Matthew. Jesus uses it not in
 blame, but in pity (Bruce). Bengel notes that Jesus says "lost"
 more frequently than "led astray." "If the Jewish nation could be
 brought to repentance the new age would dawn" (McNeile).

00280
 \\As ye go, preach\\ (\\poreuomenoi krussete\\). Present participle and
 present imperative. They were itinerant preachers on a "preaching
 tour," heralds (\\krukes\\) proclaiming good news. The summary
 message is the same as that of the Baptist
 # 3:2
 that first startled the country, "the kingdom of heaven has drawn
 nigh." He echoed it up and down the Jordan Valley. They are to
 shake Galilee with it as Jesus had done
 # 4:17
 That same amazing message is needed today. But "the apprentice
 apostles" (Bruce) could tell not a little about the King of the
 Kingdom who was with them.

00281
00282
 \\Get you no gold\\ (\\m ktssthe\\). It is not, "Do not possess" or
 "own," but "do not acquire" or "procure" for yourselves, indirect
 middle aorist subjunctive. Gold, silver, brass (copper) in a
 descending scale (nor even bronze). \\In your purses\\ (\\eis tas znas\\
 \\hmn\\). In your girdles or belts used for carrying money.

00283
 \\No wallet\\ (\\m pran\\). Better than "scrip." It can be either a
 travelling or bread bag. Deissmann (_Light from the Ancient
 East_, pp. 108f.) shows that it can mean the beggar's collecting
 bag as in an inscription on a monument at Kefr Hanar in Syria:
 "While Christianity was still young the beggar priest was making
 his rounds in the land of Syria on behalf of the national
 goddess." Deissmann also quotes a pun in the _Didaskalia=Const.
 Apost_. 3, 6 about some itinerant widows who said that they were
 not so much \\chrai\\ (spouseless) as \\prai\\ (pouchless). He cites
 also Shakespeare, _Troilus and Cressida_ III. iii. 145: "Time
 hath, my lord, a wallet at his back, wherein he puts alms for
 oblivion." \\For the labourer is worthy of his food\\ (\\axios gar ho\\
 \\ergats ts trophs autou\\). The sermon is worth the dinner, in
 other words. Luke in the charge to the seventy
 # Lu 10:7
 has the same words with \\misthou\\ (reward) instead of \\trophs\\
 (food). In
 # 1Ti 5:18
 Paul quotes Luke's form as scripture (\\h graph\\) or as a
 well-known saying if confined to the first quotation. The word
 for workman here (\\ergats\\) is that used by Jesus in the prayer
 for labourers
 # Mt 9:38
 The well-known _Didach_ or _Teaching of the Twelve_ (xiii) shows
 that in the second century there was still a felt need for care
 on the subject of receiving pay for preaching. The travelling
 sophists added also to the embarrassment of the situation. The
 wisdom of these restrictions was justified in Galilee at this
 time. Mark
 # Mr 6:6-13
 and Luke
 # Lu 9:1-6
 vary slightly from Matthew in some of the details of the
 instructions of Jesus.

00284
00285
00286
 \\If the house be worthy\\ (\\ean i h oikia axia\\). Third class
 condition. What makes a house worthy? "It would naturally be
 readiness to receive the preachers and their message" (McNeile).
 Hospitality is one of the noblest graces and preachers receive
 their share of it. The apostles are not to be burdensome as
 guests.

00287
 \\Shake off the dust\\ (\\ektinaxate ton koniorton\\). Shake out, a
 rather violent gesture of disfavour. The Jews had violent
 prejudices against the smallest particles of Gentile dust, not as
 a purveyor of disease of which they did not know, but because it
 was regarded as the putrescence of death. If the apostles were
 mistreated by a host or hostess, they were to be treated as if
 they were Gentiles (cf.
 # Mt 18:17; Ac 18:6
 Here again we have a restriction that was for this special tour
 with its peculiar perils.

00288
 \\More tolerable\\ (\\anektoteron\\). The papyri use this adjective of a
 convalescent. People in their vernacular today speak of feeling
 "tolerable." The Galileans were having more privileges than Sodom
 and Gomorrah had.

00289
 \\As sheep in the midst of wolves\\ (\\hs probata en mesi lukn\\). The
 presence of wolves on every hand was a fact then and now. Some of
 these very sheep
 # 10:6
 at the end will turn out to be wolves and cry for Christ's
 crucifixion. The situation called for consummate wisdom and
 courage. The serpent was the emblem of wisdom or shrewdness,
 intellectual keenness
 # Ge 3:1; Ps 58:5
 the dove of simplicity
 # Ho 7:11
 It was a proverb, this combination, but one difficult of
 realization. Either without the other is bad (rascality or
 gullibility). The first clause with \\arnas\\ for \\probata\\ is in
 # Lu 10:3
 and apparently is in a _Fragment of a Lost Gospel_ edited by
 Grenfell and Hunt. The combination of wariness and innocence is
 necessary for the protection of the sheep and the discomfiture of
 the wolves. For "harmless" (\\akeraioi\\) Moffatt and Goodspeed have
 "guileless," Weymouth "innocent." The word means "unmixed" (\\a\\
 privative and \\kerannumi\\), "unadulterated," "simple," "unalloyed."

00290
 \\Beware of men\\ (\\prosechete apo tn anthrpn\\). Ablative case with
 \\apo\\. Hold your mind (\\noun\\ understood) away from. The article with
 \\anthrpn\\ points back to \\lukn\\ (wolves) in
 # 10:16

 \\To councils\\ (\\eis sunedria\\). The local courts of justice in every
 Jewish town. The word is an old one from Herodotus on for any
 deliberative body (\\concilium\\). The same word is used for the
 Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. \\In their synagogues\\ (\\en tois sunaggais\\
 \\autn\\). Here not merely as the place of assembly for worship, but
 as an assembly of justice exercising discipline as when the man
 born blind was cast out of the synagogue
 # Joh 9:35
 They were now after the exile in every town of any size where
 Jews were.

00291
00292
 \\Be not anxious\\ (\\m merimnste\\). Ingressive aorist subjunctive in
 prohibition. "Do not become anxious"
 # Mt 6:31
 "Self-defence before Jewish kings and heathen governors would be
 a terrible ordeal for humble Galileans. The injunction applied to
 cases when preparation of a speech would be impossible"
 (McNeile). "It might well alarm the bravest of these simple
 fishermen to be told that they would have to answer for their
 doings on Christ's behalf before Jewish councils and heathen
 courts" (Plummer). Christ is not talking about preparation of
 sermons. "\\In that hour\\" (\\en ekeini ti hri\\), if not before.
 The Spirit of your Father will speak to you and through you
 # 10:20
 Here is no posing as martyr or courting a martyr's crown, but
 real heroism with full loyalty to Christ.

00293
00294
00295
 \\Ye shall be hated\\ (\\esesthe misoumenoi\\). Periphrastic future
 passive, linear action. It will go on through the ages. \\For my\\
 \\name's sake\\ (\\dia to onoma mou\\). In the O.T. as in the Targums and
 the Talmud "the name" as here stands for the person
 # Mt 19:29; Ac 5:41; 9:16; 15:26
 "He that endureth to the end" (\\ho hupomeinas eis telos\\).
 Effective aorist participle with future indicative.

00296
 \\Till the Son of man be come\\ (\\hes elthi ho huios tou anthrpou\\).
 Moffatt puts it "before the Son of man arrives" as if Jesus
 referred to this special tour of Galilee. Jesus could overtake
 them. Possibly so, but it is by no means clear. Some refer it to
 the Transfiguration, others to the coming of the Holy Spirit at
 Pentecost, others to the Second Coming. Some hold that Matthew
 has put the saying in the wrong context. Others bluntly say that
 Jesus was mistaken, a very serious charge to make in his
 instructions to these preachers. The use of \\hes\\ with aorist
 subjunctive for a future event is a good Greek idiom.

00297
00298
 \\Beelzebub\\ (\\beezeboul\\ according to B, \\beelzeboul\\ by most Greek
 MSS., \\beelzeboub\\ by many non-Greek MSS.). The etymology of the
 word is also unknown, whether "lord of a dwelling" with a pun on
 "the master of the house" (\\oikodespotn\\) or "lord of flies" or
 "lord of dung" or "lord of idolatrous sacrifices." It is
 evidently a term of reproach. "An opprobrious epithet; exact form
 of the word and meaning of the name have given more trouble to
 commentators than it is all worth" (Bruce). See
 # Mt 12:24

00299
 \\Fear them not therefore\\ (\\m oun phobthte autous\\). Repeated in
 verses
 # 28
 and
 # 31
 (\\m phobeisthe\\ present middle imperative here in contrast with
 aorist passive subjunctive in the preceding prohibitions). Note
 also the accusative case with the aorist passive subjunctive,
 transitive though passive. See same construction in
 # Lu 12:5
 In
 # Mt 10:28
 the construction is with \\apo\\ and the ablative, a translation
 Hebraism as in
 # Lu 12:4
 (Robertson, _Grammar of the Greek N.T. in the Light of Historical
 Research_, p. 577).
