Matthew 15

Matthew 15:1

[a] wash not their hands] A custom this was taken up among the Jews, and so strictly commanded one another, that he that should not observe it was thought guilty of an heavy crime and a capital. So saith rabbi Aquiba, “He that takes meat with unwashed hands is worthy of death;” and therefore having, in prison, water given him for his use, to wash and to drink, having by accident spilt one half of it, he washed his hands in the remainder, thinking it more necessary to do so than to drink, and to die than to violate the traditions of his ancestors. Hence is that of another Jew, rabbi Jose, that “to eat with unwashed hands is all one as to lie with a whore.”

Matthew 15:4

[b] curseth &c.] The words of this second text being by our Saviour taken out of Exod. xxi. 17, and set down punctually out of the Septuagint, κακολογία, according to the scope of Christ, must have the extent of the signification of the Hebrew radix קַל; and therefore it signifies, 1. positively, doing, or speaking injuriously to any; and 2dly, privately, lightly regarding, in words or deeds, and so not maintaining them in their need. For as this is the thing to which Christ’s scope directs the signification of it here, so קַל, the word used in all the texts, to which this refers, Exod. xxi. 17. Levit. xx. 9. Prov. xx. 20, signifies, vilependere, contemnere, parvi facere, “to slight, and contemn, and set at nought,” (as in Pihel most usually maledicere). So Ezek. xxii. 7, πατέρα καὶ μητέρα ἱκακολόγουν, say the Septuagint, where we rightly render it, set light by father and mother; and although every part of this was not so far meant, Exod. xxi. 17, as to bring temporal death on all that did thus neglect their parents; yet it is thus fitly extended by Christ in the following words, as bringing danger of eternal death on those who, though they did not in plain words curse their parents, (which the Pharisees told them was all that was meant by that text,) would not yet do ought for them; and so in St. Paul’s judgment, 1 Tim. v. 8, were worse than infidels. It is here further observable, that ὁ κακολογῶν sig-

Matthew 15:5

[c] a gift] A solemn form of devoting there was among the Jews, called εὐχή ὠφελείας, and though very contrary to charity, yet frequent among them, “to bind a man’s self by vow, or execration, that he will in nothing be beneficial to his neighbour, his parent, &c.;” ὄρκω τὴν ἀγριότητα πιστούμενος τῶν ῥᾶων, saith Philo, “he confirms by oath the barbarousness and ferity of his disposition.” And this was called by them corban, and is often in this sense to be met with in the Misnaith, and in Maimonides; and is the word used in Mark vii. 11; and is all one with δῶρον, a gift, here. And what hath thus passed under their vow is, say they, אֲסִיר, that is, “utterly forbidden or unlawful;” or אֲסִיר כְּקָרְבָּן, “unlawful as corban,” which being consecrated, must not be touched or employed to any other uses; which therefore in all probability is the word omitted in the ellipsis, which others supply by ἀναίτιος ἴσται, he shall be free, but should rather be, he is obliged, may not give his father. So that the plain meaning of the place is: A father being in want requires relief of his son; the son answers, that he hath vowed he will not, and so that to him it remains not lawful to relieve him. And the Pharisees approve of this practice, that he may thus evacuate his duty to his parent; and, though quite contrary to the precept of honouring and relieving them, yet it was by them thought obligatory to the frustrating of that commandment, and many cases are set down wherein it doth so, in Maimonides and the rabbins: see Mr. Pocock Not. Miscell. p. 414; and so this, without question, is it which is here charged on the Pharisees by Christ; but that which is more ordinarily received by the ancients, and which Origen had from an Hebrew, is, that corban and δῶρον are (in the sense of it, Levit. i. 2. and vii. 14, &c.) a gift consecrated to God; and so saith Theophylact, “The Pharisees” (covetous, greedy persons) “persuading children to give nothing to their parents, but to consecrate all to the treasury of the temple, taught them to say, O father, that which thou desirest to be profited by me” (that is, ‘relieved’) “is a gift,” that is, “consecrated to the temple;” and so they “divided with the children all that they had,” καὶ οἱ γονεῖς κατελιμπάνοντο ἀγηροκόμιστοι, the poor old “parents were left without any relief” in their old age. This interpretation is probable also, yet appears not to be agreeable to the Jewish practice, for among them are no footsteps of any cleaving to God, or consecrating, in this matter, as the testimonies produced by Mr. Pocock do evidence. However it be, the words in Greek have an ellipsis, most fitly to be supplied, as was said, by אֲסִיר, an interdict, or it is unlawful to break my vow, and not as others supply it by adding, shall be guiltless, or shall be free, that is, from the obligation or punishment attending that prohibition, or, there is no more required, or, this is enough, or the like.

Matthew 15:9

The service which they perform to me is little worth, and likely to receive a slender reward, when my commands are not heeded by them, but their own constitutions set up instead of them: see Mark vii.

Matthew 15:10

And leaving the Pharisees with some dislike, he calls the multitude, (who while he talked to the Pharisees stood at some distance,) and speaks more hopefully of, and cheerfully to them, saying, To this matter of washing before meat, so insisted on by the Pharisees, do you consider what I now say.

Matthew 15:11

Not that which is eaten, but that which is spoken polluteth any man. gall, and discouraged from receiving thy doctrine.

Matthew 15:13

To this he gave no other reply but this: All such as they which come with such prejudices as the Pharisees do, that prefer their own injunctions before the commands of God, ver. 9, it is to be expected, that the telling them the truth will alien them. All seed but that which falls on the good ground, and is there radicated in humility and piety, such as my Father owns the planting of, shall certainly come to naught; and consequently so must all faith in these opinionative men; and therefore it is not strange if they be galled, and depart from me, upon the noting and reproving of their errors.

[d] plant] The word φυτεία, plantation, here signifies not one single plant, but a garden, or nursery of plants; and so fitly belongs to a multitude of men, a sect, or sort; as here of the Pharisees, ver. 12, which followed Christ and heard his doctrine. The only difficulty is, what is meant by such a plantation being planted, or not planted by God; and that will be best conjectured from the context. At one saying of Christ,

Matthew 15:14

If this have galled and discouraged and drove them from me, let them go; they are stupidly and perversely ignorant themselves, and take great pleasure to be accounted doctors and rabbis, instructors of the ignorant; and what can be the effect of this, but that the leaders, and they that are led by them, shall together ingulf themselves in perdition? Tell us the meaning of this parable. every thing that we eat first comes from without, and so is no part of us, is not imputable to us in respect of the principle, and then doth but pass or travel through us, is soon dispatched, and thrown out of the body again, and so be it never so gross, never so unclean, it cannot pollute the eater, at least not comparably so much as that which hath the original from ourselves, and hath some space of permanency there.

Matthew 15:18

But unclean, unsavoury speeches, it is clear that they proceed from the heart, and those that are there, that is, in the heart, that spring from that injunctions, deda plantation, quoria. still all this while, daube.

Matthew 15:19

[e] evil thoughts] Διαλογισμοί cannot well in this place signify reasonings, bare thoughts, without subsequent actions, because they are here said to come out of the heart, and to come out of the man, Mark vii. 20; it may therefore possibly be wicked talking, from λόγος, speech, and not λόγος, reason; according to which it is that Hesychius renders it ἀδολεσχία, loquacity, garrulity; and so it would accord with the mention of the mouth, vv. 11. 18, 19. But it may well be that the mouth there may be used by a synecdoche for the outward man, as in Mark it is set, out of the man; and then other circumstances there are of the context, which will, I conceive, suggest another signification of the word, which may be most agreeable to them. Our Saviour here mentions several sins against the second table, against the seventh commandment, adulteries and fornications together; and by setting fornications after adulteries, I suppose he means a fouler sort of that sin, unnatural uncleanness, such as is meant by πορνεία in many other places. Then against the eighth, thefts of all sorts; the word κλοπᾶς will belong to greater and lesser kinds of that sin, and so no other word is added to it. Then against the ninth, false witness, and βλασφημίαι, that is,

Matthew 15:22

[f] woman of Canaan] This woman of Canaan is, Mark vii. 26, called a Syrophœnician, that is, as the context here shews, a Phœnician of Tyre or Sidon, for in those maritime coasts Christ now was, ver. 20. This borders upon Syria, as we see in Pliny. Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 12. Qui subtilius dividunt, circum fundi Syria Phœnicem volunt, esse enim primum oram maritimum Syriæ ab Arabia,—deinde Phœnicem, (as a Budæus out of an ancient copy hath restored that place,) “They that divide more subtilely affirm Phœnice to be bounded by Syria, for that there is first the seacoast of Syria toward Arabia, then Phœnice,” &c. And so b Dionysius having resolved of Syria, ὑπεὶρ ἁλὸς ἔγγυθεν ἵρπει, “that it creeps close upon the sea,” adds, that all the “inhabitants are not of one name,” but severally called:

Οἱ μὲν ἐπ’ ἠπείρῳ, τοῖπερ Σύριοι καλέονται, Οἱδ’ ἁλὸς ἔγγυε ἐόντες, ἐπωνυμὴν Φοίνικες :

“Those that are on the continent are called Syrians, but those which are near the sea have the surname of Phœnicians,” that is, are called Syrophœnicians, not after the account, wherein the Lybophœnicians are in c Livy, mistum Afris Punicum genus, “a sort of Phœnicians mingled with the Africans,” but only as bordering upon Syria, or in d some accounts part of it; for so they that divide Syria into five parts name τὴν παραλίαν Φοινίκην, “Phœnice by the seashore” for one; and e Eustathius, speaking of that Syria, which is περὶ στρεπτικὴν θίνα τοῦ Ἰσσηκοῦ κόλπου, adds, τουτέστιν ἡ Φοινίκη, “this is Phœnice,” &c. Now Phœnice and Canaan are the same region, (and the learned 1 Bochart’s conjecture is very ingenious, that the Greek word φοίνιξ is lightly changed from 2:1, “the sons of Anak,” which we know were in Canaan, Numb. xiii. 33,) and to the land of Canaan, ארץ כנען, Exod. xvi. 35, is by the LXXII rendered Φοινίκη, Phœnice; and so Shaul, Exod. iv. 15, is by them called, Σαοὺλ ἐκ τῆς Φοινίσης, Shaul of the Phœnician; but Gen. xlvi. 10, υἱὸς Κανανίτιδος, the son of a Canaanitish woman. So when their situation is set down, Num. xiii. 29, it is said expressly, the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and that assures us of their inhabiting Phœnice. And therefore as the Phœnicians were famous for merchandise, and cunning and subtilty therein,

(c Ἐνθάδε Φοίνικες ναυσίκλυτοι ἦλυθον ἄνδρες, Τρώκται, μυρὶ ἄγοντες ἀθύρματα νηὶ μελαίνῃ, “the Phœnicians are famous merchants,” &c. and Δὴ τότε Φοίνιξ ἦλθεν ἀνὴρ, ἀπατήλια εἰδῶς, Τρώκτης, ὃς δὴ πολλὰ κάκ’ ἀνθρώποισιν ἐώργει, “a cunning Phœnician merchant;” and h Οἱ πρῶτοι νήεσσιν ἐπειρήσαντο θαλάσσης Πρῶτοι δ’ ἐμπορίης ἀλιδινίος ἐμνήσαντο,

a De Ass. l. 4. b Περηγ. p. 117. c Dec. 111. l. 1. d See Eustathius on Dionysius, p. 116. 2. e Ibid. f De Colon. Phœn. l. 1. c. 1. g Hom. Odys. l. 15. h Dionys. περιήγ. p. 117.

Matthew 15:23

[g] Send her away] The disciples speaking to Christ to dismiss her, seemeth not here to mean that he should send her away without doing what she desired, send her away empty, but that he should satisfy her request, and so dispatch or dismiss her, (as when a master bids the servant dismiss the poor body, his meaning is, that he should give him his dole): this sense accords with Christ’s answer; which is, that he is not sent save to the house of Israel, ver. 24, in opposition to this Canaanitish woman, which was not such; and ver. 26, It is not good to take the children’s bread and cast it to dogs; which objection of Christ’s is a reason why he should not presently cure the woman’s child, not why he should cure it; and so argues the sense of the disciples (who sure desire him to do that which he did not seem to intend to do) to be, that he should grant, not that he should deny her.

Matthew 15:27

[h] Truth] The Greek ναὶ is here a sign of beseeching, not only of assenting; as Phil. v. 20, ναὶ ἀδελφί, I beseech thee, brother, let me, &c.; Rev. xxii. 20, Ναὶ ἄρχον Κύριε, Come, Lord, I pray thee. This use of the word ναὶ seems to be taken from the Hebrew אָז, which is a form of exhorting or praying, Numb. xii. 13, Heal her now, O Lord, אָז, I beseech thee. So Gen. xix. 7, 8, and xviii. 30. 32; and so in the word Hosanna. So in Euripides, ναὶ πρὸς σὲ τήσθε δεξιὰς εὐωλένου; and in Aristophanes, ναὶ ναὶ καταιδίσθητι πατρίψου Δία.

Matthew 15:34

[e] Gennesaret] The place called כנרות in Joshua (and used by the Jerusalem Targum, Num. xxiv. 15.) was after commonly called Genezar, saith Josephus, from the Chaldee נינוכי, which was the rendering of that Hebrew; from both which put together, ariseth the word here, Gennesaret, that is, the valley of branches; and this as the title of the whole province, which contained in it the lake so called, and the city in the tribe of Nephthali, which Herod adorned with magnificent buildings, and called it Tiberias, in honour of Tiberius Cæsar; and accordingly the lake of Gennesaret is sometimes called the sea of Tiberias.

Matthew 15:39

[i] Magdala] What the Greek here reads Magdala, the Syriac reads Magedu; the vulgar Latin, Magedan; and the ancient Greek and Latin MS. τῆς Μαγδαάν, Magadan; which makes it probable, that this coast of Magdala is all one with the valley of Mageddon, or Megiddo,