John Gill Commentary Matthew 23

Then spoke Jesus to the multitude
To the common people that were about him in the temple; the high priests and elders, Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees, having left him, being all nonplussed and silenced by him. And now, lest on the one hand, the people seeing the ignorance and errors of these men detected by Christ, should be tempted to conclude there was nothing in religion, and to neglect the word and worship of God, on account of the concern these men had in it; and on the other hand, because of their great authority and influence, being in Moses's chair, lest the people should be led into bad principles and practices by them, he directs them in what they should observe them, and in what not. That they were not altogether to be rejected, nor in everything to be attended to; and warns them against their ostentation, pride, hypocrisy, covetousness, and cruelty; and, at the same time, removes an objection against himself, proving that he was no enemy to Moses, and the law, rightly explained and practised.

and to his disciples ;
not only the twelve, but to all that believed in him, and were followers of him.

Saying, the Scribes and Pharisees
The Persic version adds, the priests: but Christ does not here speak of the sanhedrim, or grand council of the nation, and of their legislative power; but of those that were the teachers of the people, and the interpreters of the law; and of those, who, though they corrupted the word with their glosses and traditions, yet retained some truth, and at least came nearer truth, than the Sadducees; who therefore are omitted, and only Scribes and Pharisees mentioned, who gave the literal and traditional sense of the Scriptures; of whom he says, they

sit in Moses's seat :
not that they were his successors in his office as a legislator and mediator; though the Persic version reads it, "sit in the place and chair of Moses"; but they read his law, and explained it to the people: this post and place, as yet, they kept in the office they were, and were to continue; and the people were to regard them so far as they spoke consistent with the law, until it had its full accomplishment in Christ. The allusion is not to the chairs in which the sanhedrim sat in trying and determining causes, but to those in which the doctors sat when they expounded the law; for though they stood up when they read the law, or the prophets, they sat down when they preached out of them: this custom of the synagogue was observed by our Lord; see (Luke 4:16Luke 4:20) .

All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe
This must be restrained to things that were agreeable to the chair of Moses, in which they sat, to the law of Moses, which they read and explained, to other parts of Scripture and truth in general; for otherwise many of their glosses and traditions were repugnant to the law, and ought not to be observed, as appears from (Matthew 5:1–48) (15:6) . The word "observe", in this clause, is omitted by the Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, and in Munster's Hebrew Gospel; and Beza says, it is wanting in one ancient copy, but is in others; and is retained in the Syriac and Persic versions

that observe and do ;
hearken to what they say, give diligent heed unto it, take notice of it, and act according to it:

but do not you after their works ;
let their doctrine be the rule of your lives, so far as it agrees with the law of Moses; but let not their actions be drawn into an example by you; conform to their instructions, but do not imitate their practices:

for they say, and do not ;
they talk of good works, but do none; they bid others do them, but do not practise them themselves; they very strictly and severely enjoin them on others, but are very careless themselves to observe them; and of this the Jews are so conscious, that they suggest the same doctrine ^F14 .

The daughter of Ahar (a wicked man) came before Rabbi; she said to him, Rabbi, supply me with the necessaries of life: he replied to her, daughter, who are you? she answered him, the daughter of Ahar: he said to her, is there any of his seed in the world? for lo! it is written, (Job 18:19) . "He shall neither have son, nor nephew, among his people, nor any remaining, in his dwellings": she replied to him, (wyvem rwkzt law wtrwtl rwkz) , "remember his law, or doctrine, but do not remember his works."

Says R. Jochanan, what is that which is written, (Malachi 2:7) . "For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts." If the doctor is like to an angel, or messenger of the Lord of hosts, they should seek the law at his mouth; and if not, they should not seek the law at his mouth.

Says Resh Lekish, R. Meir found and explained that Scripture, (Proverbs 22:17) . "Bow down your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge": to their knowledge it is not said, but to my knowledge.

R. Chanina says, hence, (Psalms 45:10) . "Hearken, O daughter! and consider, incline your ear, forget your own people, and your father's house": on which the gloss is, forget their works, and do not learn them: he that knows how to take care not to learn their works, may learn the law from their mouths.''

And a little after, ``the disciples of the wise men are like to a nut; as a nut, though it is defiled with mire and filth, yet that which is within it is not to be rejected; so a scholar, or a disciple of a wise man, though he act wickedly, his law, or doctrine, is not to be despised.'' Good doctrine is not the worse for being taught by bad men; nor are good works to be slighted and neglected, because they are not done by all that teach them; but it must be owned that examples are very useful and forcible, and practice greatly recommends doctrine; and it is to be wished, that they both always went together.

FOOTNOTES:

• F14: T. Bab. Chagiga, fol. 15. 2.

For they bind heavy burdens
Meaning not the rites and ceremonies of the law of Moses, circumcision, and other rituals, which obliged to the keeping of the whole law, which was a yoke men were not able to bear; but the traditions of the elders, which the Scribes and Pharisees were very tenacious of, and very severely enjoined the observance of, and are called their "heavy" things ^F15.

``It is a tradition of R. Ishmael, there are in the words of the law, that, which is bound or forbidden, and that which is loose or free; and there are in them light things, and there are in them heavy things; but the words of the Scribes, (Nh Nyrwmx Nlwk), "all of them are heavy".''

And a little after, ``the words of the elders, (Myrwmx), "are heavier" than the words of the prophets.'' Hence frequent mention is made of ``the light things of the school of Shammai, (yrmwxmw), "and of the heavy things of the school of Hillell" ^F16'' two famous doctors, heads of two universities, in being in Christ's time: these are also called, (Nyvwrp twkm), "the blows, or wounds of the Pharisees" ^F17; not as Bartenora explains them, the wounds they gave themselves, to show their humility; or which they received, by beating their heads against the wall, walking with their eyes shut, that they might not look upon women, under a pretence of great chastity; but, as Maimonides says, these are their additions and heavy things, which they add to the law.

Now the binding of these heavy things, means the imposing them on men, obliging them to observe them very strictly, under great penalties, should they omit them. The allusion is, to those frequent sayings in use among them, such a thing is "bound", and such a thing is loosed; such a "Rabbi binds", and such an one looses; that is, forbids, or allows of such and such things; (See Gill on Matthew 16:19).

and grievous to be borne.
This clause is left out in the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions; but is in all the Greek copies, and serves to illustrate and aggravate the burdensome rites and institutions of these people: and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers: the sense is, not that they were so rigid and hardhearted, that they would not move a finger to remove these burdens from the shoulders of men, or ease them in the least degree, or dispense with their performance of them in the least measure, upon any consideration, though this also was true in many respects; but that they were so slothful and indolent themselves, that though they strictly enjoined the observance of their numerous and unwritten traditions on the people, yet in many cases, where they could without public notice, they neglected them themselves, or at least, made them lighter and easier to them, as in their fastings, &c.

In the Misna ^F18, mention is made of "a crafty wicked man", along with a woman Pharisee, and the blows of the Pharisees before spoken of; and in the Gemara ^F19, is explained by R. Hona, of one,

``that makes things "light" for himself, and makes them "heavy" for others.''

Such crafty wicked men were Scribes and Pharisees; though R. Meir pretended that he made things "light" to others and "heavy" to himself ^F20.

FOOTNOTES:

• F15: T. Hieros. Peracot, fol. 3. 2.
• F16: T. Hieros. Sota, fol. 19. 2. Yom Tob. fol. 60. 2. & Berncot, fol. 3. 2.
• F17: Misn. Sota, c. 3. sect. 4.
• F18: Ubi supra. (Misn. Sota, c. 3. sect. 4.)
• F19: T. Bab. Sota, fol. 21. 2.
• F20: T. Hieros. Beracot, fol. 3. 1.

But all their works they do to be seen of men
All their prayers, alms deeds, and fastings, were all done in a public manner, that men might behold them, and they might have applause and glory from them: they sought neither the glory of God, nor the good of their fellow creatures, nor any spiritual advantage and pleasure to themselves, in their performances; they neither attended to moral duties, nor ceremonious rites, nor the traditions of their fathers, any further than they could be seen by men in them, and keep up their credit and esteem among them. Hence,

they make broad their phylacteries :
These were four sections of the law, written on parchments, folded up in the skin of a clean beast, and tied to the head and hand. The four sections were these following: the "first", was (Exodus 13:2–11) the "second", was (Exodus 13:11–17) the "third", was (Deuteronomy 6:4–10) the "fourth", was (Deuteronomy 11:13–22) . Those for the head were written and rolled up separately, and put in four distinct places, in one skin, which was fastened with strings to the crown of the head, towards the face, about the place where the hair ends, and where an infant's brain is tender; and they took care to place them in the middle, so that they might be between the eyes. Those for the hand were written in four columns, on one parchment, which being rolled up, was fastened to the inside of the left arm, where it is fleshy, between the shoulder and the elbow, so that it might be over against the heart ^F21 .

These, they imagined, were commanded them by God in (Exodus 13:16) (Deuteronomy 6:8) whereas the sense of these passages is only that the goodness of God in delivering them out of Egypt, and the words of the law, should be continually before them, in their minds and memories, as if they had tokens on their hands, and frontlets between their eyes; but they understood them literally, and observed them in the above manner. These the Jews call "Tephillin", because they use them in time of prayer, and look upon them as useful, to put them in mind of that duty: they are here called "phylacteries", because they thought they kept them in the fear of God, preserved in them the memory of the law, and them from sin; yea, from evil spirits, and diseases of the body. They imagined there was a great deal of holiness in them, and valued themselves much upon their use ^F23; and the Pharisees, because they would be thought to be more holy and religious, and more observant of the law than others, wore these things broader than the rest of the people;

and enlarge the borders of their garments .
These were the fringes they put upon the borders of their garments, and on them a ribbon of blue, to put them in mind of the commandments, to obey them, (Numbers 15:38) (Deuteronomy 22:12) . The observance of this law is of so much consequence with the Jews, that they make all the commandments to depend on it ^F24 ; and say, that it is equal to them all, and that he who is guilty of the breach of it, is worthy of death ^F25 : They ascribe the like virtue to these fringes as to their phylacteries, and think themselves much the better for wearing them; and the Pharisees, because they would appear with a greater air of sanctity and devotion than others, made their's larger.

We ^F26 read of one Ben Tzitzith Hacceseth, a man of this complexion, who was so called because his Tzitzith, or fringes, were drawn upon a pillow; and there are some who say that the pillow was borne between the great men of Rome: it was drawn after him, not upon the ground, but upon a cloth or tapestry, and the train supported by noblemen, as is pretended. This was one of those who enlarged the Tzitzith, or fringes, beyond the ordinary size; hence Mark calls it, "long clothing."

FOOTNOTES:

• F21: Targ. Jon. Jarchi, & Baal Hatturim in Exod. xiii. 16. & Deut. vi. 8. Maimon. Hilch. Tephillin, c. 1. sect. 1. & c. 2. sect. 2. & c. 3. sect. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. & c. 4. sect. 1, 2.
• F23: Maimon. ib. c. 4. sect. 25, 26. Moses Kotsensis Mitzvot Tora, pr. affirm. 3. 23. Targ. in Cant. viii. 3.
• F24: Maimon. Hilch. Tzitzith, c. 3. sect. 12.
• F25: T. Bab. Nedarim, fol. 25, 1. Shebuot, fol. 29. 1. & Menachot, fol. 43. 2.
• F26: T. Bab. Gittin, fol. 56. 1.