Matthew 11:9

Mat 11:9. Προφήτην, a prophet) For a long time they had had no prophets.[517]—ΝΑῚ, yea) A prophet, I say unto you, and something greater than a prophet.—περισσότερονmore) Neuter, as in τὶ, what: sc. when ye went out ye saw something more, etc., although ye did not know it.—προφήτου, than a prophet) For a prophet announces only distant events.

[517] He cannot be accounted as such, unless he were one far removed from (reed-like) fickleness and (courtier-like) effeminacy.—V. g.

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

Mat 11:9 . ἀλλὰ τί ἐξ .: one more question, shorter, abrupt, needing to be supplemented by another (Weiss-Meyer) why then, seriously, went ye out? προφήτην ἰδεῖν ; to see a Prophet ? ναί , yea l right at last; a prophet, indeed, with all that one expects in a prophet vigorous moral conviction, integrity, strength of will, fearless zeal for truth and righteousness; utterly free from the feebleness and time-serving of those who bend like reeds to every breath of wind, or bow obsequiously before greatness. καὶ περισσότερον π ., a prophet and more, something above the typical prophet ( vide on Mat 5:47 ). The clause introduced by ναί , as λέγω ὑμῖν shows, expresses Christ’s own opinion, not the people’s (Weiss).

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

Verse 9. A prophet? yea - and more than a prophet] That is, one more excellent (περισσοτερον) than a prophet; one greatly beyond all who had come before him, being the immediate forerunner of Christ, (see below,) and who was especially commissioned to prepare the way of the Lord. This was a fourth excellency: he was a prophet, a teacher, a man divinely commissioned to point out Jesus and his salvation; and more excellent than any of the old prophets, because he not only pointed out this Christ, but saw him, and had the honour of dying for that sacred truth which he steadily believed and boldly proclaimed.

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

(9) What went ye out for to see? A prophet?—The words again throw the hearers back upon the impressions made on them when they first saw and heard the Baptist. They then went out to see a prophet, and they were not, disappointed. Nothing that they had seen or heard since was to lead them to think less worthily of him now. He was indeed a prophet, taught by the Spirit of Jehovah, predicting the glory of the kingdom; but he was also something more than this—a worker in the fulfilment of what he thus proclaimed.

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

9. more than a prophet] Other prophets foresaw the Messiah, the Baptist beheld Him, and ushered in His kingdom: he was the herald of the King. Further, John was himself the subject of prophecy.

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.

For this is he of whom it is written,.... Mal 3:1

Behold I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. That these words belong , to the world to come, or the times of the Messiah, that is, the Gospel dispensation, the Jews (z) themselves own; but as to the particular person meant by the "messenger", or "angel", because they are not willing to acknowledge the right person, are at the utmost loss. Jarchi makes him to be the angel of death, who is to destroy the wicked; Aben Ezra conjectures it may be Messiah the son of Joseph, who they fancy will come before Messiah the son of David. Kimchi thinks an angel from heaven is designed; and Abarbinel Malachi himself: but the more ancient sense of the synagogue was, that the same person is meant, as in Mar 9:5 under the name of Elijah the prophet; and some have thought, that Elijah the Tishbite himself, is intended; though others think, that some great prophet of equal degree with him, and who is called by his name, is what the prophecy has regard unto (a); which last is the true sense of the passage: nor should it be once called in question, when our Lord himself has applied it to John the Baptist; to whom the things said in it perfectly agree. He was an "angel", not by nature, but by office; a "messenger" sent by God, "before the face" of the Messiah; six months before him: such a space of time he was born before him; and such a space of time he entered on his public ministry before him; and "prepared" his "way before" him, by preaching the doctrine of repentance, administering the ordinance of baptism, pointing at the Messiah, and exhorting persons to believe on him. All which proves him to be, what Christ says he was, "more than a prophet".

(z) Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 15. fol. 219. 4. (a) Vid. Pocock in Mal. iii. 1.

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

9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

Ver. 9. And more than a prophet] Because he pointed out Christ with the finger, whom they only saluted afar off. {αστασαμενοι, Heb 11:13} Chrysologus calleth him, legis et gratiae fibulam. The hinge of law and grace. Another resembleth him to the angel, that had one foot in the sea and another on the land. The law he resembleth to the sea, which is rough and movable. The gospel to the laud, which is firm and stable, &c.

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.

A prophet? - He next asks whether they went to see a prophet. They had regarded him as such, and Jesus tells them that in this their apprehensions of him were correct.

More than a prophet - Sustaining a character more elevated and sacred than the most distinguished of the ancient prophets. Those had been regarded as the most eminent of the prophets who had most clearly predicted the Messiah. Isaiah had been distinguished above all others for the sublimity of his writings, and the clearness with which he had foretold the coming of Christ. Yet John surpassed even him. He lived in the time of the Messiah himself. He predicted his coming with still more clarity. He was the instrument of introducing him to the nation. He was, therefore, first among the prophets.

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

More than a prophet. John was a prophet, because he foretold the coming of Christ; and he was more than a prophet, because he saw him, which was a privilege that none of the ancient prophets enjoyed; and not only did he see him, but pointed him out, before he was acknowledged in that character. Again, he was more than a prophet, in as much as he was the precursor of the Messias, who even deigned to receive baptism at his hands. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

9. A prophet — They went to find something better than kings or courtiers, namely, a prophet of God. And our Lord assures them, with an emphasis, that they were not mistaken.

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

But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? But wherefore went ye out? To see a prophet? (Revised Version). Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. Our Lord accepts their estimate of John, but says that it is insufficient. He thus passes on to show the relation in which John stood to himself. John was more than a prophet such as they thought of, for he was "the subject as well as the vehicle of prophecy" (Alford), and was the immediate forerunner of the great King. More than; much more than (Revised Version). Perissoteromn is probably neuter, for this not only agrees with ti , but emphasizes the thought more than the masculine. (cf. Mat_12:6, note)

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

More than a prophet - For the prophets only pointed me out afar off; but John was my immediate forerunner.

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

9. More than a prophet. He was more than a prophet, because he was a reformer, forerunner and way-preparer, as well as prophet. No other prophet ever had so honored an office.

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.

Connecting Statement:

Jesus continues to talk to the crowds about John the Baptist.

General Information:

In verse 10, Jesus quotes the prophet Malachi to show that the life and ministry of John the Baptist fulfilled prophecy.

But what did you go out to see—a prophet?

Jesus uses a question to make the people think about what kind of man John the Baptist is. AT: "But surely you went out to the desert to see a prophet!" (See: Rhetorical Question)

Yes, I say to you,

"I say to you yes,"

much more than a prophet

This can be translated as a complete sentence. AT: "he is not an ordinary prophet" or "he is more important than a normal prophet" (See: Ellipsis)

This is he of whom it was written

This can be stated in active form. AT: "This is what the prophet Malachi wrote long ago about John the Baptist" (See: Active or Passive)

I am sending my messenger

The pronouns "I" and "my" refer to God. Malachi is quoting what God said.

before your face

Here "your" is singular, because God was speaking to the Messiah in the quotation. Also, "face" refers to the whole person. AT: "in front of you" or "to go ahead of you" (See: Forms of You and Synecdoche)

prepare your way before you

This is a metaphor that means the messenger will prepare the people to receive the Messiah's message. (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

prophet

written

messenger

face

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

9. περισσότερον προφήτου. Other prophets foresaw the Messiah, the Baptist beheld Him, and ushered in His kingdom: he was the herald of the king. Further, John was himself the subject of prophecy.

περισσότερον, late for πλέον. As περισσὸς has in itself a comparative force, the form περισσότερον is due to the redundance of expression characteristic of the later stage of a language.

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.

9. προφήτην] We read, ch. 21:26, that ‘all accounted John as a prophet.’

περισσότερον is neuter (as always in N.T.), not masculine; as πλεῖον, ch. 12:41, 42. E. V. rightly, more than a prophet.

John was more than a prophet, because he did not write of, but saw and pointed out, the object of his prophecy;—and because of his proximity to the Kingdom of God. He was moreover more than a prophet, because he himself was the subject as well as the vehicle of prophecy. But with deep humility, he applies to himself only that one, of two such prophetic passages, which describes him as φωνὴ βοῶντος, and omits the one which gives him the title of ὁ ἄγγελός μου, here cited by our Lord.

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

(L) 9. But what went ye out to see ? A prophet ? yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.] So Lk.

“You went to see a spiritual leader of men. And the fulfilment exceeded your expectation. You saw a prophet, and that no ordinary prophet.”

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