Matthew 27:43

Mat 27:43. Πέποιθεν, He trusted) cf. the end of the verse.—εἶπε γὰρ, κ.τ.λ., for He said, etc.) We may consider that this was either uttered by those who were passing by, or added by the Evangelist for the sake of explanation. The LXX. in Psalms 22(21):8, have ἥλπισεν ἐπὶ Κύριον, ῥυσάσθω Αὐτόν· σωσάτω Αὐτὸν, ὅτι θέλει Αὐτόν, He trusted in the Lord, let Him deliver Him: let Him save Him, since He delighteth in Him.

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

Mat_27:43 In the mouth of the members of Sanhedrim, who in Mat_27:41 are introduced as joining in the blasphemies of the passers-by, and who, Mat_27:42, have likewise the inscription over the cross in view, the jeering assumes a more impious character. They now avail themselves even of the language of holy writ, quoting from the 22d Psalm (which, moreover, the Jews declared to be non-Messianic), the 5th verse of which is given somewhat loosely from the LXX. (ἤλπισεν ἐπὶ κύριον, ῥυσάσθω αὐτόν, σωσάτω αὐτόν, ὅτι θέλει αὐτόν).

θέλει αὐτόν] is the rendering of the Heb. חָפִץ בּוֹ, and is to be interpreted in accordance with the Septuagint usage of θέλειν (see Schleusner, Thes. II. p. 51, and comp. on Rom_7:21): if He is the object of his desire, i.e. if he likes Him; comp. Tob_13:6; Psa_18:19; Psa_41:11. In other instances the LXX. give the preposition as well, rendering the Hebrew (1Sa_18:22, al.) by θέλειν ἔν τινι. Fritzsche supplies ῥύσασθαι; but in that case we should have had merely εἰ θέλει without αὐτόν; comp. Col_2:18.

ὅτι θεοῦ εἰμι υἱός] The emphasis is on θεοῦ, as conveying the idea: I am not the son of a man, but of God, who in consequence will be certain to deliver me.

Comp. Wis_2:18.

Observe further the short bounding sentences in which their malicious jeering, Mat_27:42 f., finds vent.

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 27:43 . his looks like a mere echo of Psa 22:9 (not a literal quotation from the Sept [153] , however, rather recalling Isa 36:5 ) rather than a word likely to be spoken by the Sanhedrists. What did they know about the personal piety of Jesus? Probably they were aware that He used to call God “Father,” and that may be the basis of the statement, along with the confession of Sonship before the Sanhedrim: θεοῦ εἰμι υἱός . νῦν , now is the time for testing the value of His trust; a plausible wicked sneer. εἰ θέλει αὐτόν , if He love Him, an emphatic if, the love disproved by the fact. θέλει is used in the sense of love in the Sept [154] (Psa 18:20 ; Psa 41:12 ). Palairet gives examples of a similar use in Greek authors.

[153] Septuagint.

[154] Septuagint.

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

Verse 43. If he will have him] Or, if he delight in him - ει θελει αυτον. The verbs θελω and εθελω, are used by the Septuagint in more than forty places for the Hebrew חפץ chaphets, which signifies, earnestly to desire, or delight in. Now as this is a quotation from Ps 22:8, He trusted in the Lord, that he would deliver him; let him deliver him, (כי חפץ בו ki chaphets bo,) for he HATH DELIGHTED IN HIM: - ὁτι θελει αυτον, Sept. This will sufficiently vindicate the above translation; as the evangelist quotes the words from that version, with the simple change of ει, if, for ὁτι, because.

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

(43) Let him deliver him now.—It seems at first hardly conceivable that priests and scribes could thus have quoted the very words of Psa_22:8, and so have fulfilled one of the great Messianic prophecies. But (1) we must remember that they, ignoring the idea of a suffering Christ, would not look on the Psalm as Messianic at all, and (2) that their very familiarity with the words of the Psalm would naturally bring its phraseology to their lips when occasion called for it. Only they would persuade themselves that they were right in using it, while David’s enemies were wrong.

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

43. He trusted in God] See Psa_22:8. The chief priests unconsciously apply to the true Messiah the very words of a Messianic psalm.

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.

The thieves also,.... One or other of them, not both; an Hebrew way of speaking, as Drusius (b) observed: so it is said of Jonah, Jon 1:5, that he was "gone down into the sides of the ship"; not into both sides, but into one or other of them: so here the thieves, one or other of them, not naming which, railed at Jesus, for it was but one of them; see Luk 23:39, unless it can be thought, as it is by some, that they both at first reviled him; but one being quickly convinced of his evil, ceased, and rebuked his fellow sufferer, confessed his, sin, bore a testimony to the innocence of Christ, and desired to be remembered by him in his kingdom. This was an aggravation of the sufferings of Christ, that he should be vilified by those,

which were crucified with him; who ought to have been, considering the condemnation they were in, and the future state they were just entering into, lamenting and confessing the sins they had been guilty of, instead of adding sin to sin, and so aggravating their condemnation. These, at least one of them,

cast the same into his teeth; as the populace, the chief priests, Scribes, elders, and Pharisees had done; twitted him with his pretensions of being the Son of God, the Messiah, and king of Israel; and urged, that if he was, why did not he save himself, and them also?

(b) Quaest. Heb. l. 1. qu. 5.

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

43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

Ver. 43. He trusted in God] These were cruel mockings, as those were called, Heb 11:36. Nothing troubled David more than to be hit in the teeth with his God, to have his religion laid in his dish, Psa 42:1-11; Psa 43:1-5. And it went to Job’s heart to hear his friend Eliphaz (a godly man otherwise) scoff him for his religion, Job 4:6. Is not thy fear (or thy religion) become thy folly? Zedekiah feared more to be mocked by the Jews than the Chaldees, Jer 38:9.

Let him deliver him now] But what if he do not deliver him now, is he therefore no Son? So they would seem to argue; and so Satan would fain persuade the saints when held awhile under the cross. But the apostle assures us otherwise, Heb 12:6-8.

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.

If he will have him: literally, if he will him. In the style of the Scriptures, to will, is to love, or be pleased with any one; and so it is applied, Psalm xxi. 9, from whence these words are taken. See also 1 Kings xviii. 22. (Witham)

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).

43. Let him deliver him — Here is another argument. If God is on this man’s side he will not suffer him to be slain.

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

He trusted in (epi , on) God. These scoffers cite a passage on Psa_22:8, "He trusted unto the Lord that he would deliver him; let him deliver him, seeing he delighteth in him" (Hebrew); or, according to the Septuagint, "He hoped in the Lord; let him deliver him, let him save him, because he desires (yelei) him." Let him deliver him now, if he will have him (ei yelei). Yelw is used in the Septuagint in the sense of "I love," "I wish for". (see Deu_21:14 Psa_17:1-9 Psa_40:11) But the Vulgate, by omitting the first auton , possibly takes the verb in the usual sense, Liberet nunc, si vult, eum. The Sinaitic and Vatican manuscripts and others support this reading, which is followed now by Tischendorf, and Westcott and Hort, so that the clause will run, Let him now, if he will, deliver him. But the Received Text and the Authorized Version are in closer agree ment with the original language of the psalm. For he said, I am the Son of God. Insultingly they allude to his own assertions concerning his Divine nature, implying that, were he such as he pretended to be, he would not now be dying on the shameful cross. There are wonderful coincidences in thought and language between this passage and one in the Book of Wisdom, (RAPC Wis 2:13-20) which speaks of the oppression of the righteous, e.g. "He professeth to have the knowledge of God; and he calleth himself the child of the Lord....Let us see if his words be true; and let us prove what shall happen in the end of him. For if the just man be the Son of God, he will help him, and deliver him from the hand of his enemies." The similarity of expression is to be attributed to the typical nature of the treatment of Christ, which the writer of Wisdom, with remarkable insight, thus forcibly delineated.

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

43. He said, I am the Son of God. It was because he said this that the Sanhedrim condemned him to death. In that he hung, seemingly helpless, on the cross, the chief priests, the very persons who voted his death, considered it demonstrated that he was not the Son of God.

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:

The Jewish leaders continue mocking Jesus.

For he even said, 'I am the Son of God.'

This is a quotation within a quotation. It can be stated as an indirect quotation. AT: "For Jesus even said that he is the Son of God." (See: Quotes Within Quotes and Direct and Indirect Quotations)

Son of God

This is an important title for Jesus that describes his relationship to God. (See: Translating Son and Father)

the robbers who were crucified with him

This can be stated in active form. AT: "the robbers that the soldiers crucified with Jesus" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

Son of God

crucify

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

43. πέποιθεν κ.τ.λ. See Psa 22:8 [LXX. Mat 21:9]: ἤλπισεν ἐπὶ Κύριον, ῥυσάσθω αὐτὸν σωσάτω αὐτὸν ὅτι θέλει αὐτόν. The chief priests unconsciously apply to the true Messiah the very words of a Messianic psalm.

εἰ θέλει αὐτόν. A late construction frequent in LXX. Cp. the quotation chs. Mat 9:13 and Mat 12:7: ἔλεον θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν (Hos 6:6). On the still more unclassical idiom, θέλων ἐν ταπεινοφροσύνῃ, Col 2:18, see Bp. Lightfoot ad loc.

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.

43.] See Psa 22:7, Psa 22:8. This is not according to the LXX, which has ἤλπισεν ἐπὶ κύριον· ῥυσάσθω αὐτόν, σωσάτω αὐτόν, ὅτι θέλει αὐτόν. This is omitted by Mark and Luke. θέλειν τινά for amare aliquem, occurs in reff. Ps. We have θέλειν with an accus. of the thing in reff. and Eze 18:23, 32 .: and followed by ἐν with a person, 1Ki 18:22: 1Ch 28:4 (not Col 2:18; see note there), al.

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

(M) 43. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He desires Him: for He said, I am the Son of God.] The first clause is similar to Psa 21:9 ἠλπισεν ἐπὶ κύριον ρ῾υσάσθω αὐτον.—ὅτι θέλει αὐτόν. The second is an allusion to Wis 2:18 εἰ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ δίκαιος υἱὸς θεοῦ—ῤύσεται αὐτόν. The verse is probably clue to the editor.

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

If he will have him [ει θελει αυτον] . Rev., correctly, If he desireth him : i e., If he likes him. Compare Ps. xviii. (Sept. 17) 19; because he delighted in me [ηθελησε με] , Ps. xli. (Sept. 40) 11 [τεθεληκας με] .

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.