CHAPTER III.

1-18. Compare Matt. iii. 1-12; Mark i. 1-8.

1. Pontius Pilate. Wyc., Pilat of Pounce.

Tetrarch. See on Matt. xiv. 1.

2. Came (éyéveTo). Lit., arose, or came to pass.

John. The Synoptists introduce him under different titles. Here, the son of Zacharias; Matthew, the Baptist; Mark, the Baptizer.

3. The country about Jordan. Which both Matthew and Mark call the wilderness. See on Matt. iii. 1.

Baptism of repentance. Wyc., penaunce.

For (eis). Better as Rev., unto, denoting the destination of the rite.

Remission (apeσw). See on Jas. v. 15. The word occurs in Luke more frequently than in all the other New Testament writers combined. Used in medical language of the relaxation of disease. Both Luke and John use the kindred verb ȧpínu, in the same sense. Luke iv. 39; John iv. 52.

4. Isaiah. In this prophetic citation Mark adds to Isaiah Malachi iii. 1, which does not appear in either Matthew or Luke. Luke adds vv. 4, 5 of Isa. xl., which do not appear in the others.

Paths (Tpißovs). From Tpißw, to rub or wear. Hence beaten tracks.

5. Valley (þápay§). Strictly, of a chasm or ravine in a mountain-side.

Shall be filled-brought low. In allusion to the practice of Eastern monarchs. On occasions of their progress, heralds were sent out to call on the people to clear and improve the old roads or to make new ones. "When Ibrahim Pacha proposed to visit certain places in Lebanon, the emirs and sheiks sent forth a general proclamation, somewhat in the style of Isaiah's exhortation, to all the inhabitants to assemble along the proposed route and prepare the way before him. The same was done in 1845, on a grand scale, when the Sultan visited Brusa. The stones were gathered out, the crooked places straightened, and rough ones made level and smooth. I had the benefit of these labors a few days after his majesty's visit. The exhortation to gather out the stones' (Isa. lxii. 10) is peculiarly appropriate. These farmers do the exact reversegather up the stones from their fields and cast them into the highway; and it is this barbarous custom which, in many places, renders the paths uncomfortable and even dangerous (Thomson, "Land and Book ").

7. He said (exeyev) to the multitudes that came forth (ÉKπоρevoμévois). The use of the tenses is graphic. He said, the imperfect, and came forth, the present participle; both denoting action in progress, or customary action; so that the sense is, he kept saying, or he used to say to those who were coming out, to the crowds of people which kept pouring out successively. Compare ToрEveто, went out, also imperfect, Matt. iii. 5. Luke gives the substance of the Baptist's preaching summarily.

Generation (yevvýμaтa). Lit., births. Rev., better, offspring. It has been observed that John's figurative language is altogether the language of the desert. Notice the succession of images: Brood of vipers; fruits (of repentance); the are at the root of the tree; the slave-boy loosing or bearing the sandals; the baptism of fire; the winnowing-fan, the threshing floor, the garner, and the burning of the chaff.

Warned (vπédeışev). From vπo, under, and deixvvμɩ, to shew. Hence, literally, to shew secretly. The word implies a private or confidential hint or reminder. Compare ch. xii. 5; Acts ix. 16; xx. 35.

8. Fruits (xaρoùs). Matthew has the singular number, Kaρπòν, fruit.

Repentance (TÊS μeTavoías). Note the article: the repentance which you profess in coming to my baptism. Rev., in margin, "your repentance." See on Matt. iii. 2.

Begin. With the first accusing of your conscience. "He anticipates even attempt at excuse" (Bengel). Matthew has think not, indicating a delusive fancy.

Father. The word stands first in the sentence, "We have Abraham to our father," and is therefore emphatic, and with reason; for it was on their descent that the answer of these Jews to John's rebuke turned: "Our father is Abraham."

These stones. See on Matt. iii. 9.

9. See on Matt. iii. 10.

10. Asked (eπnрáтwv). Imperfect tense, indicating the frequent repetition of these questions.

11. Coats (XITŵvas). See on Matt. v. 40.

11. Publicans (Teλvai). From Téλos, a tax, and ovéoμai, to buy. The collectors of Roman imposts. The Romans farmed out the direct taxes and customs-duties to capitalists, on their payment of a certain sum in publicum, into the public treasury, whence they were called publicani, publicans. Sometimes this sum, being greater than any one person could pay, was paid by a company. Under these were the submagistri, living in the provinces; and under these again the portitores, or actual cus

tom-house officers, who are referred to by the term reλova in the New Testament. They were often chosen from the dregs of the people, and were so notorious for their extortions that they were habitually included in the same category with harlots and sinners. "If a Jew could scarcely persuade himself that it was right to pay taxes, how much more heinous a crime must it have been in his eyes to become the questionably honest instrument for collecting them. If a publican was hated, how still more intense must have been the disgust entertained against a publican who was also a Jew" (Farrar, "Life of Christ "). The word "publican," as a popular term of reproach, was used even by our Lord (Matt. xviii. 17). Even the Gentiles despised them. Farrar cites a Greek saying, "All publicans are robbers."

13. Exact (páσσETE). The change of the Rev. to extort is unfortunate. The word is used of the exaction of legal tribute, and excessive exaction is expressed by the following words: John would hardly have commanded them to extort in any case.

14. Soldiers (σтpaтevóμevoi). Strictly, soldiers on service: hence the participle, serving as soldiers, instead of the more comprehensive term σrρatiŵτai, soldiers by profession. Some explain it of soldiers engaged in police inspection in connection with the customs, and hence naturally associated with the publicans.

What shall we do? The we in the Greek is emphatic, closing the question. Hence Rev., very aptly, and we, what must we do?

Do violence (diaσeionte). Only here in New Testament. Lit., to shake violently; hence to agitate or terrify; and so to extort money from one by terrifying him. The corresponding Latin word concutere is used by later writers in the same sense. Xenophon says of Socrates: "I know of his once having heard from Crito that life at Athens was a hard thing for a man who desired to mind his own business. For,' said he, they bring

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actions against me, not because they are wronged by me, but because they think I would rather pay money than have any trouble"" ("Memorabilia," ii., 9, 1). For this process of blackmail, oeiw, to shake, was used. Thus Aristophanes ("Knights," 840):

"Thou shalt make much money by falsely accusing and frightening" (σelwv te καὶ ταράττων).

And again ("Peace,” 639):

"And of their allies they falsely accused (eσetov) the substantial and rich."

The word in this passage of Luke has the later, secondary meaning, to extort; and therefore the American Revisers rightly insist on, extort from no man by violence. It is used by medical writers, as, for instance, by Hippocrates, of shaking the palsied or benumbed limbs of a patient; or of a shaking by which the liver was relieved of an obstruction. Luke also uses two other compounds of the verb oeiw: KaтаσEίw, to beckon, Acts xii. 17 (peculiar to Luke); and avaσéiw, to stir up, which occurs also in Mark xv. 11. Both these are also used by medical writers.

The common ex

Accuse any falsely (συκοφαντήσητε). planation of this word is based on the derivation from σûkov, a fig, and paivo, to make known; hence of informing against persons who exported figs from Attica, contrary to the law, or who plundered sacred fig-trees. As informers were tempted to accuse innocent persons by the reward paid for pointing out violators of the law, the verb acquired the meaning to accuse falsely. Such is the old explanation, which is now rejected by scholars, though the real explanation is merely conjectural. The fig tree was the pride of Attica, ranking with honey and olives as one of the principal products, and there is no authority for the statement that there was a time when figs were scarce, and required legal protection against export. Neither is it proven that there was a sacred kind of fig. Rettig, in an interesting paper in the "Studien und Kritiken" (1838), explains that, as tribute in Attica was paid in kind as well as in money,