Matthew 12:17

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying-- (Isa 42:1).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(17) That it might be fulfilled.—The quotation of Isa_42:1 (not from the LXX., but in a free translation from the Hebrew) in reference to this reserve and reticence, and therefore in a sense which seems to us to fall far short of its full meaning, shows how deep an impression it had made on the mind of the Evangelist in connection with our Lord’s conduct. One who united thus the attributes of divine power with such entire freedom from the ostentation of ambition could be none other than the true ideal King.

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

17. spoken by Esaias the prophet] Isa_42:3. The original is not accurately followed; the words are probably quoted from memory.

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.

And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. The former part of the text is omitted, "he shall not fail, nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth"; but is inserted in Munster's Hebrew Gospel; and which some understand of the bruised reed, and smoking flax, and others of Christ; the latter sense is to be preferred. The passage, here cited, is somewhat different in Isaiah: for there it is, "and the isles shall wait for his law"; but the difference, at least, in sense, is not so great as it may appear at first sight: for, as Grotius observes, does not always signify "islands", but nations, and countries, that are upon the continent, Gen 10:5 and so might be rightly rendered here, the Gentiles, or "nations"; and by "the name" of Christ is meant his Gospel: see Act 9:15 which Isaiah calls his "law": that is, his doctrine, the doctrine of righteousness, life, and salvation by him, which is the ground and foundation of hope, and trust in him; and they that wait for it, may be truly said to hope, or trust in it. This began to have its accomplishment in the Idumeans, Tyrians, and Sidonians, now attending on the ministry of Christ; and has had a greater accomplishment since: the Gospel having been preached in the Gentile world, both upon the main land, and in the isles afar off; whereby multitudes have been brought to hope, and believe in Christ, as their Saviour and Redeemer.

which Isaiah calls his "law": that is, his doctrine, the doctrine of righteousness, life, and salvation by him, which is the ground and foundation of hope, and trust in him; and they that wait for it, may be truly said to hope, or trust in it. This began to have its accomplishment in the Idumeans, Tyrians, and Sidonians, now attending on the ministry of Christ; and has had a greater accomplishment since: the Gospel having been preached in the Gentile world, both upon the main land, and in the isles afar off; whereby multitudes have been brought to hope, and believe in Christ, as their Saviour and Redeemer.

Matthew 12:22

mat 12:22

mat 12:22

mat 12:22Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil,.... About this time, or some little time after, when he was returned from the sea of Galilee, and was come into a certain house; see Mar 3:19 some persons brought him a demoniac, in compassion to the possessed man, and being persuaded of the power of Christ to heal him by the late cures he had performed. A like instance we have in Mat 9:32, which had a like effect upon the people, and cavilled at by the Pharisees in much the same way; and which cavils were answered in much the same words; and yet the case is not the same; for that man was only dumb, but this both

blind and dumb; not by birth, or through the defect of nature, or by any natural distemper that had attended him, but through the malice of Satan, by divine permission; his blindness, and dumbness, were the effects of his being possessed with a devil, who had deprived him of his sight, and speech. The word rendered "dumb", signifies both deaf and dumb, and answers to the Hebrew word which sometimes (m) is used of a deaf man only, who can speak, but not hear; and often of one that can neither speak, nor hear; which is the case of such as are born deaf: it seems as if this man could hear, though he could not speak; since no mention is made of his want of hearing, or of Christ's restoring it to him; for it follows,

and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb, both spake and saw. This he did, not by making use of medicines, but by a word speaking, dispossessing Satan; so that the cause of blindness and dumbness being removed, the effects ceased, and the man was restored to his sight, and speech, as before. He had his sight to behold his Saviour, and a tongue to praise his name: so when men are turned from Satan unto God, and are delivered from his thraldom and bondage, they are brought into marvellous light, and put into a capacity of showing forth the praises of God.

(m) Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Trumot, c. 1. sect. 2.

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

17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

Ver. 17. That it might be fulfilled] The Old Testament is the New foretold; the New Testament is the Old fulfilled. Ezekiel saw a wheel within a wheel. This is, saith Bonaventure, the one Testament in the other.

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.

Christ did this, that is, he withdrew himself when he heard what counsels the Pharisees and Herodians had taken, he charged those whom he had cured that they should not publish it abroad, he did those good acts before spoken of,

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet; that he might show himself to be the very person whom the prophet Isaiah long since did foretell, Isa 42:1-4. The words in the prophet are thus: Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus far that prophet; let us now consider his words, or prophecy, as repeated by the evangelist. (see Mat 12:18)

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

17. By Esaias the prophet — The evangelist considers this quietude of our Lord as going to fulfil Isa_43:1-4, a passage in which the Messiah is described, under the image of one of the ancient Hebrew judges, as establishing righteousness in the earth by the most silent and spiritual means and influences. It predicted these things:

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

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying. (Isa_42:1-4) The following quotation is not taken from the LXX, but from the Hebrew, and this it largely paraphrases.

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

That is, our blessed Saviour did those good acts before spoken of, that it might appear that he was the true Messias prophesied of by Isaias the prophet, Isa 42:1-2. Behold my servant whom I have set apart for accomplishing the work of salvation for a lost world; he by the fulness of my Spirit shall teach the nations the way of truth and righteousness; he shall not subdue men by force and violence, but, as the Prince of Peace, shall deal gently with the weak, and cherish the least measures of grace, and degrees of goodness.

Observe here, 1. A description of Christ as a Mediator; he is God the Father’s Servant, employed in the most noble service, namely, of instructing and saving a lost world.

Observe, 2. With what meekness and gentleness Christ sets up his spiritual kingdom in the world; he doth not with noise and clamour, with force and violence, subdue and conquer; but with meekness and gentleness gains person’s consent to his government and authority.

Observe, 3. The gentle carriage of Christ in treating those of infirmer grace; he doth and will graciously preserve and tenderly cherish the smallest beginnings, the weakest measures, and the lowest degrees, of sincere grace, which he observes in any of is children and people. By the bruised reed and smoking flax, understand such as are broken with the sense of sin, such as are weak in faith, such as are so much overpowered by corruption, that they do rather smoke than burn or shine; such as are thus low and mean in spirituals, Christ will not break with his power, not quench with his rebukes, till he has perfected their conversion, and their weak grace is become victorious.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. That it might be fulfilled. Thus it was fulfilled. Esaias the prophet. Isa. 42:1–4.

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.

17. τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Ἡσαΐου. Isa 42:1-4. The quotation follows the Hebr. with slight variation. After ἕως ἂν ἐκβάλῃ … κρίσιν a clause follows, expanding the thought of those words: ‘His force shall not be abated nor broken. Until he hath firmly seated judgment in the earth’ (Lowth’s trans.). In the LXX., Ἰακὼβ and Ἰσραὴλ are inserted as subjects in the first clauses, and there are many verbal discrepancies.

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.

17.] On ἵνα πληρωθῇ, see note on ch. 1:22. Neither it nor ὅπως πλ. must be understood ‘and thus was fulfilled,’ as Webster and Wilkinson: both are used only of the purpose, not of the result, here or any where. It is strange that any should be found, at this period of the progress of exegesis, to go back to a view which is both superficial and ungrammatical. The prophecy is partly from the LXX, partly an original translation. The LXX have Ἰακὼβ ὁ παῖς μου … Ἰσραὴλ ὁ ἐκλεκτός μου …, but the Rabbis generally understood it of the Messiah.

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

(O) 17-21. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, Behold My Son,whom I adopted; My Beloved, in whom My soul was well pleased: I will put My spirit upon Him,and He shall announce judgement to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry out; nor shall any one hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He shall not break, and smoking flax He shall not quench, until He bring forth judgement to victory. And in His name shall Gentiles hope.]

ὅπως πληρωθῇ, κ.τ.λ.] For the formula, see on 1:22. The quotation is from Isa 42:1-4. The only trace of the LXX. seems to be in the last clause, where the Hebrew has “His law” for “His name.” The editor may be translating from the Hebrew, but more probably is using an existing Greek version which is already presupposed in Mar 1:11. The passage had probably been adapted in Christian circles in order to bring out the conception that the Messiah, the Son of God, accomplished the career that had been foretold of the idealised nation. We should expect to find υἱός here or παῖς in Mar 1:11 = Mat 3:17. But υἱός as more applicable to the Messiah may have been substituted for παῖς either by the author of the Greek second Gospel, or at some stage between his time and the first appearance of the quotation in this Greek form. παῖς in Mt. is either a return to the original form of the quotation in Greek, or a reminiscence of the LXX.—ὂν ᾑρέτισα] αἱρετίζειν is a late word common in the LXX. It is used as = equivalent to “adopt” in 1Ch 28:6 ὅτι ᾑρέτικα ἐν αὐτῷ εἶναί μου υἱόν; Mal 3:17 ὃν τρόπον αἱρετίζει ἄνθρωπος τὸν υἱόν; Kaibel, Epigrammata, 252: αἱρετίσας δὲ πατὴρ στοργαῖ φύσιν ἐπροτέρησεν. The aorist here and in εὐδόκησεν may simply be due to imitation of the Hebrew tenses, but in the mind of the Christian translator probably imply the eternal pre-temporal act of God in the election of the Messiah. ὁ ἀγαπητός μου = the Messiah, see on 3:17.—εἰς ὃν εὐδόκησεν ἡ ψυχή μου] in 3:17 ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα. For the good pleasure of God in the Messiah as shown in election and adoption to Messiahship and Sonship, cf. Eph 1:4-6, and see Bacon, Am. Journ. Theol. ix. 458 ff.:—ἀπαγγελεῖ] Heb. is יוציא, LXX. ἐξοίσει. ἀπαγγέλλειν, a very common LXX. word, seems to be a translation according to the sense.—ἐρίσει] The Heb. is יצעק, LXX. κεκράξεται.—κραυγάσει] Heb. ישא, LXX. ἀνήσει (cf. נשא = ἀνίημι, Gen 18:24, Jos 24:19, Isa 1:14, Isa 2:9, Isa 46:4).—κραυγάζειν] only here in Mt., is used once in Act 22:23, and 4 times in Jn. of a multitude of people, and once Joh 11:43 of Christ at the tomb of Lazarus. By earlier writers it is used of discordant forms of utterance—of a dog, Plat. Rep. x. 607; of a drunken man, Demosth. Con. 1258; of a raven, Epict. Diss. iii. I. 37; of shouting in a theatre, ib. iii. 4. 4.—κατεάξει] For the augmented fut., cf. Blass, p. 52; Moulton, Class. Rev. 1901, p. 36.—εἰς νῖκος] Heb. לאמת, LXX. εἰς ἀλήθειαν, but cf. Hab 1:4 לא יצא לנצח משפט. After κρίσιν, Isa 42:4a is omitted, the translator’s eye passing from משפט to the second occurrence of the same word.

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