OLBGrk; MATTHEW CHAPTER 4 MATTHEW 4:1 Christ fasts forty days, is tempted of the devil, and ministered unto by angels. MATTHEW 4:12 He dwelleth in Capernaum, MATTHEW 4:17 begins to preach, MATTHEW 4:18 calleth Peter and Andrew, MATTHEW 4:21,22 James and John, MATTHEW 4:23 teacheth in the synagogues,... [ Continue Reading ]
He was in the wilderness, a place of solitude, and so fitter for Satan's purpose, and he was AN HUNGRED, which was another advantage Satan had. But he was not an hungred till _he had fasted forty days and forty nights._ Here was the Divine power miraculously seen, in upholding the human nature of Ch... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THE TEMPTER, viz. Satan, the devil, as he is called, CAME UNTO HIM, probably in some visible shape, he, forming an audible voice of the air, said, IF THOU BE THE SON OF GOD, (not that he doubted it, which showed his horrible impudence), COMMAND THAT THESE STONES, (_ this stone, _ saith Luke... [ Continue Reading ]
So also LUKE 4:4. There is no better answering the tempter than by opposing the precepts of holy writ to his motions to sin. The word is called _the sword of the Spirit,_ EPHESIANS 6:17. The papists, therefore, denying people the use of the word, disarm them as to the spiritual combat. IT IS WRITTEN... [ Continue Reading ]
By _the holy city_ is meant Jerusalem, once a holy city, DANIEL 9:24; now, though a most impure and filthy city upon many accounts, yet, upon other accounts still a holy city, being the only city in the world which had then in it the true worship of the true God, and in which God doubtless, who in A... [ Continue Reading ]
Before the devil had tempted our Lord to diffidence or distrust in God's providence, and the use of means not allowed by God to supply himself; here he tempts him to an unwarrantable presumption, and confidence of and concerning the Divine protection. In the former temptation the devil used no Scrip... [ Continue Reading ]
This is written DEUTERONOMY 6:16. To make an undue and unwarrantable trial of God, is to tempt God, whether the trial respecteth his power or his goodness; thus the word is used, NUMBERS 14:22 PSALMS 78:18 ISAIAH 7:12 MATTHEW 16:1. By this answer Christ lets the devil know that he abused Scripture i... [ Continue Reading ]
SEE POOLE ON "MATTHEW 4:9".... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 8,9. This is the third temptation by which the tempter solicits our Saviour to sin, and of all other the most impudent. For what can be more impudent than for the creature to expect a homage to him from him who was his Creator. What mountain this was, and how our Saviour was taken up into it, a... [ Continue Reading ]
OLBGrk; As this was of all the three the most impudent temptation, so our Lord receiveth it with the highest detestation, saying, GET THEE HENCE, SATAN by which words he doth not only show his detestation of this temptation, but also chides him off from any further tempting him. The sense is, Satan,... [ Continue Reading ]
_ Resist the devil, _ saith James, JAMES 4:7, _and he shall flee from you._ Thus he did from the Head, thus he shall do from the members: but as he did not flee from Christ till commanded away, so neither till commanded off by God doth he leave the people of God; but upon our resistance God will com... [ Continue Reading ]
John was some time after this cast into prison, for his free reproving Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, for taking Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and other evils, MATTHEW 14:3,4 MR 6:17 LUKE 3:19,20. Jesus heard of this accident, and DEPARTED INTO GALILEE. There were many things happened... [ Continue Reading ]
By this (as was said before) it should seem that our Lord first went into the Nether Galilee, where Nazareth was, which after a time he left, and went to Capernaum; which Capernaum was a city near the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali, whose lots in the land of Canaan were contiguous, and... [ Continue Reading ]
SEE POOLE ON "MATTHEW 4:16".... [ Continue Reading ]
SEE POOLE ON "MATTHEW 4:16".... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 14-16. The text in ISAIAH 9:1,2, where the words are, _Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in G... [ Continue Reading ]
From the time of Christ's baptism, or from the time that he heard that John was committed to prison, he, who before had preached and taught privately, and more rarely, began to preach more ordinarily and publicly, and the sum of his doctrine was the same with that of John the Baptist, confirming his... [ Continue Reading ]
Whether by _the sea_ he here meant the lake of Gennesaret, or the ocean, is not worth the arguing, for the Jews called all great collections of waters the seas, according to GENESIS 1:10. _He saw two brethren_, SIMON CALLED PETER, AND ANDREW HIS BROTHER, whether natural brethren, or called so becaus... [ Continue Reading ]
Here was their call to the office of apostles. It is observable that God's calls of men to places of dignity and honour, and his appearances of favour to them, have ordinarily been when they have been busied in the honest employments of their callings. Saul was seeking his father's asses, David keep... [ Continue Reading ]
When Christ calls, men shall obey; when he calls, he draweth. It is not of indispensable necessity that men who exercise the ministry should have nothing else to do, Paul's hands ministered to his necessities; but nothing but a providing for ourselves and households can excuse ministers in entanglin... [ Continue Reading ]
SEE POOLE ON "MATTHEW 4:22".... [ Continue Reading ]
There was another James, MATTHEW 10:3, the son of Alpheus, called James the less, brother of Joses and Salome, MARK 15:40. This was JAMES THE SON OF ZEBEDEE, AND JOHN, who is thought to be the evangelist. Christ calleth them, not with his voice only, but by his Spirit, affecting their hearts, so as... [ Continue Reading ]
Jesus Christ having now called four disciples, did not judge it sufficient to send them about, but himself _went about all_ the places of that dark country of _Galilee, teaching in their synagogues; _ the word signifieth both the congregation convened and the place. Here it signifieth both. Synagogu... [ Continue Reading ]
SYRIA is said to be bounded on the north by Cilicia, by Egypt on the south, on the west with the sea, and on the east with Euphrates, and to comprehend within it all Judea, Bethany, Galilee, Decapolis, Samaria, Idumea, Palestina, Syrophoenicia, Syria of Damascus, and Syria of Antioch. Christ's fame... [ Continue Reading ]
They followed for the loaves, for the benefit of the bodily cures, or out of curiosity, though some (probably) followed him out of love, and to learn of him. DECAPOLIS hath its name from ten cities comprehended in it. Here was a mixture both of Jews and Gentiles following Christ, who came to be a Sa... [ Continue Reading ]