Matthew 21:11

21:11 The crowds with Jesus understood him to be a prophet, empowered by God to teach and to perform miracles. • The description from Nazareth in Galilee highlights Jesus’ humble origins (see 2:23).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mat 21:11. Ὁ τροφήτης, the Prophet) Jesus was first acknowledged as a Prophet, then as Priest and King.—ὁ ἀπὸ Ναζαρὲτ, of Nazareth) This was a customary appellation [for Him].

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

Verse 11. This is Jesus THE PROPHET] ο προφητης THAT prophet whom Moses spoke of, De 18:18. I will raise them up a prophet - like unto thee, &c. Every expression of the multitude plainly intimated that they fully received our blessed Lord as the promised Messiah. - How strange is it that these same people (if the creatures of the high priest be not only intended) should, about five days after, change their hosannas for, Away with him! crucify him! crucify him! How fickle is the multitude! Even when they get right, there is but little hope that they will continue so long.

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

And the multitude said,.... Or the people, as the Vulgate Latin, and Munster's Hebrew Gospel read; the common people, that went before, and followed after him: these knew Christ better than the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Scribes and Pharisees, and rulers of the people.

This is Jesus the prophet: that prophet Moses spoke of, in Deu 18:15 and the nation of the Jews in general expected:

of Nazareth of Galilee; who, though he was not born there, yet being educated, and having lived much in that place, is said to be of it; and which was the common opinion of the people.

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

11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

Ver. 11. The prophet of Nazareth, &c.] The arch-prophet they acknowledge him; but of Nazareth of Galilee. They had not profited so much, or made so far progress in the mystery of Christ, as to know him to have been born a Bethlehemite. And to nourish this error in the people it was, that the devil, that old impostor, Mar 1:24, though he confessed Christ to be the "holy one of God," yet he calleth him "Jesus of Nazareth." Satan etsi semel videatur verax, millies est mendax et semper fallax, Satan never speaks truth, but with a mind to deceive.

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.

The Prophet, &c. It was amidst these acclamations that Christ wept, and foretold the destruction of the city. (Luke xix. 42.) (Witham) --- It was not without great reason, that the whole city was so much disturbed with the triumphal entry of Jesus. Man was extolled as God, and God extolled in man. The elders, admiring his heavenly virtue, exclaimed, who is the king of glory! (Origen) --- This is Jesus, the prophet, (Greek: outos estin Iesous o prophetes,) the one promised by Moses, (Deuteronomy xvii. 15.) was the answer of the simple and candid people. (Jansenius)

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).

11. Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee — They do not style him Messiah, or king, or conqueror. He is simply a prophet.

Our Lord’s deeds of public authority are not terminated with his symbolical royal entry. He must perform a symbolical act of supreme priesthood. For he is both king and priest; Lord of the kingdom of God and the priest of the new ritual. And as in the former transaction he had fulfilled the memorable prophecy of Zechariah, so now he fulfils the promise in Mal_3:1-3. He should come, as Lord, suddenly, into his temple, and purify the sons of Levi. And the same remark may be made as in regard to the triumphal entry. Our Lord performed the act which is pictured in the image of the prophet.

A somewhat similar cleansing was performed by our Lord at the opening of his ministry, as now at its close. Joh_2:13-18. Doubtless Alford states the true reason why the first three Gospels omit any mention of that first cleansing, namely, that those three are nearly exclusively Galilean Gospels, until this entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem.

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

The multitude; oi ocloi : the multitudes. These were the people who took part in the procession; they kept repeating (elegon , imperfect) to all inquiries, This is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth . They give his name, title, and dwelling place. They call him "the Prophet," either as being the One that was foretold, (Joh_1:21 Joh_6:14) or as being inspired and commissioned by God. (Joh_9:17) The appellation, "of Nazareth," clung to our Lord through all his earthly life. St. Matthew (Mat_2:23) notes that the prophets had foretold that he was to be called a Nazarene, and that this prediction was in some sort fulfilled by his dwelling at Nazareth. We know not who were the prophets to whom the evangelist refers, and in this obscurity the attempted explanations of exegetes are far from satisfactory; so it is safer to fall back upon the inspired historian"s verdict, and to mark the providential accomplishment of the prediction in the title by which Jesus was generally known. Says Isaac Williams, "Friends and foes, chief priests in hate, Pilate in mockery, angels in adoration, disciples in love, Christ himself in lowliness, (Act_22:8) and now the multitudes in simplicity, all proclaim him "of Nazareth.

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

This is Jesus from Nazareth - What a stumbling block was this! if he was of Nazareth, he could not be the Messiah. But they who earnestly desired to know the truth would not stumble thereat: for upon inquiry (which such would not fail to make) they would find, he was not of Nazareth, but Bethlehem.

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

11. Jesus the prophet of Nazareth. The inquiry arose everywhere, “Who is this?” to which the Galileans who composed so large a part of the procession, responded: “It is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth, of Galilee.” Of this they were sure; of his real character none but his own disciples knew, and they imperfectly. The Galileans regarded him the prophet named by Moses in Deut. 18:18.

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.