Matthew 23:37-38

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:32-39

Prophecy of their future. I. THEIR CONTINUANCE IN THE SINS OF THEIR FATHERS . 1 . Prediction of their treatment of Christ ' s disciples. They would fill up the measure of their fathers; the Lord knew it in his Divine foreknowledge. They were still what John the Baptist had once called them—serpents, "a generation of vipers." How were such as they to escape from the condemnation of Gehenna? For hypocrisy hardens the heart. The state of the hypocrite is hopeless,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:33-39

Declaration of the sentence on these Pharisees and their generation. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:37

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Pathetic iteration! As he approached the city on another occasion Christ had used the same words ( Luke 13:34 , Luke 13:35 ); he repeats them now as he takes his final farewell He speaks with Divine tenderness, yet with poignant sorrow, knowing that this last appeal will be in vain. It has been remarked that, whereas St. Matthew elsewhere names the capital city, the theocratic centre, Hierosolyma, which is the Greek equivalent, he here calls it Hierousalem, which... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:37

The lament over Jerusalem. These are among the most touching words ever uttered by our Lord. They reveal his strong patriotism, his deep human affection, the greatness of the salvation he brought, and at the same time the frustration of the hopes which these things naturally raise, owing to the stubborn self-will of the Jews. Here is a lesson for all time. I. THE GUILTY CITY . 1 . No city was more privileged. Jerusalem was the favoured city of a favoured land. David, the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:37

Lost opportunities become judgments. One writer observes that converts to Judaism were said to come "under the wings of the Shechinah." This familiar metaphor may have suggested to our Lord's mind the figure of the hen and her brood. "Many times by his prophets Christ called the children of Jerusalem to himself—the true Shechinah—through whom the glory of the latter house was greater than that of the former." Whedon well says, "The beautiful tenderness of this verse shows that the warnings... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:38

Your house. The temple or Jerusalem, no longer God's habitation. This betokens not only Christ's solemn departure from the sacred precincts; but the withdrawal of God's Spirit from the Jewish Church and nation. Unto you. Henceforward ye shall have it all to yourselves; my Father and I forsake it; we give it up altogether to you. Desolate . The word is omitted by some few uncials, but retained by א , C, D, etc., most cursives, the Vulgate, etc. The protecting wing is withdrawn, the... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Matthew 23:37

O Jerusalem ... - See the notes at Luke 19:41-42.Would I have gathered - Would have protected and saved.Thy children - Thy people. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Matthew 23:38

Your house - The temple. The house of worship of the Jews. The chief ornament of Jerusalem.Desolate - About to be desolate or destroyed. To be forsaken as a place of worship, and delivered into the hands of the Romans, and destroyed. See the notes at Matthew 24:0. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Matthew 23:37

Matthew 23:37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem The Lord Jesus having thus laid before the Pharisees and the Jewish nation their heinous guilt and impending ruin, was exceedingly moved at the thought of the calamities coming upon them. A day or two before he had wept over Jerusalem; now he bewails it in the most mournful accents of pity and commisseration. Jerusalem, the vision of peace, as the word signifies, must now be made the seat of war and confusion: Jerusalem, that had been the joy of the... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Matthew 23:38-39

Matthew 23:38-39. Behold, your house The temple, which is now your house, not God’s; is left unto you desolate Forsaken of God and his Christ, and sentenced to utter destruction. Our Lord spake this as he was going out of it for the last time. For I say unto you Ye Jews in general, ye men of Jerusalem in particular; shall not see me henceforth Απ ’ αρτι , hereafter, as the words signify, Matthew 26:64; till After a long interval of desolation and misery, Ye shall say, Blessed, ... read more

Group of Brands