Matthew 11:10

10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Ver. 10. Behold, I send my messenger] Gr. τον αγγελον μου, mine angel. So Phinehas is called an angel, Jdg 2:1. The priest an angel, Ecc 5:6. Ministers of the gospel angels, 1Co 11:10. Ministers and angels have exchanged names and offices; for are they not all ministering spirits? Heb 1:14. Did not angels first preach the gospel, Luk 2:9-14, the ministration whereof is now committed to us? so that if there be a messenger, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show unto man his righteousness, then will God be gracious unto him, &c., Job 33:23.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat_11:10

Which shall prepare Thy way before Thee.

Preparations for Christs coming

God does not seem, as a rule, to allow any great truth or blessing to burst upon the world without some sort of preparation. In this case two series of preparations:

(1) Prophecy, educating religious souls among the Jews to look out for a Messiah; and

(2) St. John Baptist, to point Him out when He had come. Johns business was, first of all, to gain the ear of his countrymen, and then to say, The kingdom of heaven is at hand, and afterwards to announce Jesus as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Thus John was, in the kingdom of grace, like those gifted men in the world of thought, or in the world of practical life, who are always ahead of the mass of people around them; they have the inspiration not of supernatural grace, but of natural genius, which is itself a gift of God, though of a different order of value and power. They are like lofty mountains whose summit the sun has already lit up, while he has not yet poured his beams upon the plain beneath. They are alone on their watch-tower; and, if they say what they think, it is only to be smiled down as enthusiasts. Two requisites for work like that of John Baptist:

I. Courage to tear the mask from evils and abuses, and this implies

(1) a firm, definite conviction that certain things are absolutely true, worth working for, suffering for, and (if need be) dying for; and

(2) Independence, i.e., detachment from those motives of subservience which, at critical times, stay the hand and silence the tongue of ordinary men.

II. Disinterestedness. A man may be brave, and yet he may be selfish; he may work and endure, yet only for himself. John Baptist had to resist this temptation. Some of his disciples would have liked him to become the founder of a new religious school. But he himself never yielded to the temptation to make selfish capital, in the way of influence or consideration, out of his popular power. He ever regarded it as his highest work and glory to bury his own miserable self beneath the surpassing greatness of his commission from Heaven. (Canon Liddon.)

John as forerunner of Jesus.

I. Tis written in the prophets that such a messenger she,rid go before and prepare the way of the Messias.

II. St. John was the person, or he of whom this was written.

III. In what manner did he prepare the way of the Lord?

1. Not with any worldly pomp or splendour.

2. Not by calling upon the inhabitants of the earth to meet their Lord in state and magnificence.

3. It was by preaching repentance, and turning men from their sins. (Matthew Hole.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat 11:10. Οὗτος γάρ ἐστι, κ.τ.λ., for this is he, etc.) This makes John much greater than that what is spoken of[518] in Mat 11:7-8, could.—ἸΔΟῪ ἘΓῺ ἈΠΟΣΤΈΛΛΩ ΤῸΝ ἌΓΓΕΛΌΝ ΜΟΥ ΠΡῸ ΠΡΟΣΏΠΟΥ ΣΟΥ, Ὃς ΚΑΤΑΣΚΕΥΆΣΕΙ ΤῊΝ ὉΔΌΝ ΣΟΥ ἜΜΠΡΟΣΘΈΝ ΣΟΥ, behold I send my messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee) In the S. V. of Mal 3:1, we read, ἰδοὺ ἐξαποστελῶ τὸν ἄγγελόν Μου, καὶ ἐπιβλέψεται ὀδὸν πρὸ προσώπου Μου, καὶ ἐξαίφνης ἥξει, κ.τ.λ., behold I will send forth My messenger, and he shall survey the road before My face, and suddenly shall arrive, etc.—Ἐγὼ, I) The Father addressing the Son.—τὸν ἄγγελόν Μου, My messenger) John was sent by God as a messenger, after whom came the Messenger of the Covenant Himself.—πρὸ προσώπου Σου, before Thy face) Immediately before Thee. The LXX. have ἐξαίφνης (immediately) in the passage just quoted. John was not a prophet of distant events.—See Luk 1:76. The advent of the Father and of the Son are the same, and so is the language which applies to them. It is one of the strongest arguments for the divinity of Christ, that those things which are said of Christ in the New Testament are quoted from the Old Testament, where they are predicated as exclusively belonging to God.—See Gnomon on Joh 12:41; Act 2:33; Rom 9:33; Rom 14:11; 1Co 1:31; 1Co 10:9; Eph 4:8; Heb 1:6; Heb 1:8; Heb 1:10-11; Rev 1:8; Rev 1:17.

[518] viz. His being “a reed shaken by the wind,” or “a man clothed in soft raiment.”—See Gnomon in loc.—(I. B.)

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat_11:10 is not an interpolation by the evangelist (Weizsäcker); on the contrary, it forms the connecting link between Mat_11:9; Mat_11:11. The passage is Mal_3:1, and is a free rendering of the Hebrew and not from the LXX. In Malachi, Jehovah speaks of His messenger going before Himself; here, He addresses the Messiah; before Him will He send the messenger (not an angel). A free application without any substantial change in the contents of the passage, also without any special design in view; comp. remark on Mat_3:3.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat 11:10 . οὑτος … γέγραπται . The περισσότερον verified and explained by a prophetic citation. The oracle is taken from Mal 3 , altered so as to make the Messianic reference apparent μου changed into σου . By applying the oracle to John, Jesus identifies him with the messenger whom God was to send to prepare Messiah’s way. This is his distinction, περισσότερον , as compared with other prophets. But, after all, this is an external distinction, an accident, so to speak. Some prophet must be the forerunner, if Messiah is to come at all, the last in the series who foretell His coming, and John happens to be that one a matter of good fortune rather than of merit. Something more is needed to justify the περισσότερον , and make it a proper subject for eulogy. That is forthcoming in the sequel.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 10. Behold, I send my messenger] A fifth excellency of the Baptist was, his preparing the way of the Lord; being the instrument, in God's hand, of preparing the people's hearts to receive the Lord Jesus; and it was probably through his preaching that so many thousands attached themselves to Christ, immediately on his appearing as a public teacher.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(10) This is he, of whom it is written.—The words in the Greek are not taken from the LXX. version of Mal_3:1, but are a free translation from the Hebrew. In the original it is Jehovah Himself who speaks of His own coming: “Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me.” In the Evangelist’s paraphrase it is Jehovah who speaks to the Christ—“shall prepare Thy way before Thee.” The reference to the prophecy of Malachi in the song of Zacharias (Luk_1:76) had from the first connected it with the Baptist’s work, and our Lord in thus adopting that reference, stamps the whole chapter with the character of a Messianic prophecy.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

10. Behold, I send, &c.] Quoted from the Hebrew of Mal_3:2. The LXX. rendering of the passage is different.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verily I say unto you,.... What Christ had before said, he proved from a testimony of Scripture; what he was about to say depending on his word, he asseverates in the most solemn manner:

among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist. The phrase, "them that are born of women", is a "periphrasis", of men born into the world by ordinary generation; see Job 14:1 and the sense is, that of all the prophets that have been in the world, since the beginning of it, Moses himself not excepted, there has not been raised up by God a greater prophet than John, the first administrator of baptism; were but considered, the uncommonness of his birth, his being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb, his exemplary life, the excellency of his doctrine; and especially, his work and office, as the harbinger of Christ, and the preparer of his ways.

Notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he; which is to be understood, not of Christ, who was younger in age, and a junior preacher, and less in the esteem of the Pharisees, being greater than he, in nature and office, nor of the saints in heaven, where he that was least, the meanest, and most abject, when on earth, is more happy than John, who was then in prison; nor of all the believers under the Gospel dispensation; but of the apostles of Christ, and the least among them, who were then the kingdom of heaven, or the visible Gospel church state. These had a better opportunity of conversing with Christ, and of seeing and hearing the things they did, than John had; they had the power of performing miracles, which John had not; were immediately sent forth by Christ, to preach the Gospel, and had a clearer insight into the truths of it, than John; especially, after the Holy Ghost was in such an extraordinary manner poured forth upon them, on the day of Pentecost; particularly after the death and resurrection of Christ, they were able to preach him, not only as come in the flesh, but as having suffered and died, and obtained eternal redemption: they could speak of his blood being shed, of his righteousness being wrought out, and of his sacrifice and satisfaction as made, which John could not; and besides, were more successful in the conversion of sinners, both Jews and Gentiles, than ever he was. The comparison does not lie so much between their persons, as their several different degrees of light and doctrine.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

For this is he ... - The passage of Scripture here quoted is found in Mal 3:1. The substance of it is contained also in Isa 40:3.

Prepare thy way - That is, to prepare “the people;” to make them ready, by proper instructions, to receive the Messiah.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

St. Luke hath the same, Luk 7:27,28, only he saith, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist. It was written, Mal 3:1, Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. The latter part was a prophecy of Christ. The former part a prophecy of John the Baptist, and applied to him not in this text only, but Mar 1:2; Luk 1:76; 7:27. Christ is set out as a great Prince, who sends his harbingers before him to prepare his way, and by John’s preaching we may learn the ministers’ duty, who are to prepare Christ’s way to people’s souls, viz. to preach repentance and faith in Christ.

Verily I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there hath not risen a greater; that is, (as Luke expounds it), a greater prophet; i.e. amongst all the prophets of the Old Testament, God raised up none greater than John.

Notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Mr. Calvin and many others think that by this phrase is to be understood, the least of those who shall preach the gospel after my resurrection will be greater than he, that is, as to their doctrine. John could only declare me to be come. They shall preach me, as having died for my people’s sins, and risen again for their justification, Rom 4:25. The death and the resurrection of Christ were indeed great points of the gospel, which John could only prophesy of, not preach of, and declare us things in his time accomplished.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

10. Behold, I send my messenger — John is more than a prophet; he is a messenger; nay, even THE messenger before the Messiah’s face. Our Saviour here quotes Mal_3:1.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For. Omitted in the Revised Version. It is here an explanatory gloss, though genuine in Mat_3:3. This is he, of whom it is written. Our Lord justifies his assertion of John"s unique position. Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Mal_3:1, not from the LXX, but freely from the Hebrew, which runs, "Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me. " Observe in Matthew

(1) thy way

(2) before thee," instead of before me;

(3) the first clause is made to end with nearly the same phrase as the second, Matthew"s form is the more rhythmical, perhaps because of oral repetition (cf. Introduction, p. 10). Luke, (Luk_7:27) save for the omission of egw , is the same; Mark (Mar_1:2) only omits egw and "before thee." Christ does not hesitate to apply to himself a prophecy of the coming of God, nor did the early Church shrink from recording this of him. Such an application of an Old Testament passage Bengel calls "luclentissimum argumentum Deitatis Christi." (On this subject, of. Bishop Westcott, Add. Note on Heb_3:7)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mal. iii, 1.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

10. This is he, of whom it is written. Of whom Malachi and Isaiah prophesied. See note on Matt. 3:3.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

10. γέγραπται. See note ch. Mat 2:5.

ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω κ.τ.λ. Mal 3:1. The quotation is nearly a literal translation of the Hebrew, except that for the second person, ἔμπροσθέν σου, the Hebrew has the first person, ‘before me.’ The same change is made in the parallel passage Luk 7:27, and where the words are cited by St Mar 1:2. By such change the Lord quotes the prophecy as addressed to Himself. The σου of the N.T. represents the μου of the O.T. Possibly the reading is due to the Aramaic Version of the Scriptures familiar to the contemporaries of Christ. But in any case only the divine Son of God could apply to Himself what was spoken of Jehovah.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

10. σου] Our Lord here changes the person of the original prophecy, which is μου. And that He does so, making that which is said by Jehovah of Himself, to be addressed to the Messiah, is, if such were needed (compare also Luk 1:16, Luk 1:17, and 76), no mean indication of His own eternal and co-equal Godhead. It is worthy of remark that all three Evangelists quote this prophecy similarly changed, although St. Mark has it in an entirely different place. The student should compare the passage in the LXX with the three citations,—h. l., Mar 1:2, and Luk 7:27. Also, that the high dignity and honour which our Lord here predicates of the Baptist, has a further reference: He was thus great above all others, because he was the forerunner of Christ. How great then above all others and him, must HE be.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(L) 10. This is he, of whom it stands written, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.]

“For John is he whom the Scripture predicted as the messenger who should prepare the way for the Messiah.” The quotation comes from Mal 3:1, where the LXX. has ἰδοὺ (ἐγὼ, אc Α Q Γ) ἐξαποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου, καὶ ἐπιβλέψεται ὁδόν πρὸ προσώπου μου. Mt., Mar 1:2, and Luk 7:27 agree against the LXX.—(a) in ἀποστέλλω for ἐξαποστέλλω; (b) in πρὸ προσώπου σου after “My messenger”; (c) in ὅς for καί; (d) to κατασκεύασει for ἐπιβλέψεται, and Mt. and Lk. agree; (e) in ἔμπροσθέν σου for πρὸ προσώπου σου after “way.” Both Mt. and Lk. omit in their parallels to Mar 1:2 It seems clear that the quotation was current in Christian circles in a form slightly different from the LXX. πρὸ προσώπου μου after “My messenger,” may be due to assimilation to Exo 23:20.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.