A wicked and adulterous generation ,.... He says the same things here, as he did to the Pharisees on a like occasion, in Matthew 12:39 . And he left them ; as persons hardened, perverse, and incurable, and as unworthy to be conversed with: and departed : to the ship which brought him thither, and went in it to the other side of the sea of Galilee; see Mark 8:13 . read more
When his disciples were come to the other side ,.... Of the sea, as Munster's Hebrew Gospel adds, to Bethsaida, Mark 8:22 as they were either in the ship, or going from the shore to the said place, they recollected themselves, that they had forgotten to take bread : having but one loaf, as Mark says, in the ship; the seven baskets of fragments being either expended, or given away to the poor, of their own accord, or by Christ's orders. It seems, it was usual with the disciples to buy... read more
Then Jesus said unto them ,.... Either taking occasion from the disciples observing that they had forgot to take bread with them, or on account of what passed between him and the Pharisees and Sadducees, he gave the following advice to his disciples; take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees . Mark, instead "of the leaven of the Sadducees", says, "the leaven of Herod"; either because Christ might caution against all three; or because the Sadducees were... read more
Either what should be the meaning of this caution of Christ's, and upon what account he should say this to them; or they were anxiously concerned what they should do for provision: saying, because we have taken no bread ; for the phrase, "it is", is a supplement, and is not in the original text, which confines the sense to the first way of interpretation; the words may be read without it, and confirms the other sense, and which receives strength from what follows. read more
Which when Jesus perceived ,.... Without hearing any of their debates, but by his omniscience; for he knew the doubts and unbelief, and anxious solicitude of their minds, as well as their private reasonings one with another: he said unto them, O ye of little faith ; a phrase used upon a like occasion, when he would dissuade his disciples from an anxious distressing care about a livelihood, Matthew 6:30 ; see Gill on Matthew 6:30 , why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have... read more
Do ye not understand ,.... Meaning either the sense of the advice he had now given; or rather his almighty power displayed in the two miracles of feeding five thousand at one time, and four thousand at another, with a very small quantity of provision; for to this the word "understand" refers, as well as the following: neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Have you forgot what was so lately done, namely, the feeding five thousand men,... read more
Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand ,.... Have you forgot the other miracle done but a very little while ago, when I fed four thousand men, beside women and children, with seven loaves and a few small fishes; and how many baskets ye took up ? no less than seven large baskets; and am I not able to provide for you? distress not yourselves about this matter; give not way to unbelief, which must argue great stupidity and insensibility. read more
How is it that ye do not understand ,.... That you should be so senseless and void of thought, after such instances, as to imagine, that I concerned myself about what bread you brought with you; one would think you could not but know, that I spake it not to you concerning bread , taken in a literal sense; but must be thought to speak figuratively and mystically, and to have an higher sense and meaning, when I said to you, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of... read more
Then understood they ,.... Without any further explication of his sense and meaning, how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread : which sense they first took him in; imagining, because the Pharisees were very particular and precise what sort of leaven they made use of F26 Misn. Pesach, c. 2. sect. 2,3. T. Hieros. Sabbat, fol. 3. 3. , that Christ forbad them buying bread that was made with leaven according to their directions: and since their rules in everything... read more
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John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 16:3
And in the morning, it will be foul weather today ,.... When you rise in the morning, and take a survey of the heavens, it is a very usual thing with you to say, it is like to be windy or rainy weather today, for the sky is red and lowring ; which shows, that the clouds are so thick that the sun cannot pierce through them, and its face is not seen; so that it may be reasonably concluded they will issue in rain, or wind, or both. O ye hypocrites . The Vulgate Latin, and Munster's... read more