John Gill Commentary Matthew 3

In those days came John the Baptist
The Evangelist having given an account of the genealogy and birth of Christ; of the coming of the wise men from the east to him; of his preservation from Herod's bloody design against him, when all the infants at Bethlehem were slain; of the flight of Joseph with Mary and Jesus into Egypt, and of their return from thence, and settlement in Nazareth, where Christ continued till near the time of his baptism, and entrance on his public ministry; proceeds to give a brief relation of John, the harbinger and forerunner of Christ, and the administrator of baptism to him: and he describes him by his name John, in Hebrew (Nnxwy) , "Jochanan", which signifies "gracious", or "the grace of the Lord", or "the Lord has given grace"; which agrees with him, both as a good man, on whom the Lord has bestowed much grace, and as a preacher, whose business it was to publish the grace of God in Christ, (Luke 16:16) . This name was given him by an angel before his conception, and by his parents at his birth, contrary to the mind of their relations and neighbours, (Luke 1:13–60Luke 1:63) . He is called by some of the Jewish writers ^F13 , John the "high priest"; his father Zacharias was a priest of the course of Abia, and he might succeed him therein, and be the head of that course, and for that reason be called a "high" or "chief priest"; as we find such were called, who were the principal among the priests, as were those who were chosen into the sanhedrim, or were the heads of these courses; and therefore we read of many chief priests, (Matthew 2:4) . From his being the first administrator of the ordinance of baptism, he is called John the Baptist; and this was a well known title and character of him.

Josephus ^F14 calls him "John", who is surnamed (o baptisthv) , "the Baptist"; and Ben Gorion having spoken of him, says ^F15 , this is that John who (hlybj hve) , "made", instituted, or practiced "baptism"; and which, by the way, shows that this was not in use among the Jews before, but John was the first practitioner this way. He is described by his work and office as a preacher, he "came" or "was preaching" the doctrines of repentance and baptism; he published and declared that the kingdom of the Messiah was at hand, that he would quickly be revealed; and exhorted the people to believe on him, which should come after him. The place where he preached is mentioned,

in the wilderness of Judea ;
not that he preached to trees and to the wild beasts of the desert; for the wilderness of Judea was an habitable place, and had in it many cities, towns, and villages, in which we must suppose John came preaching, at least to persons who came out from there. There were in Joshua's time six cities in this wilderness, namely Betharabah, Middin, and Secacah, and Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and Engedi, (Joshua 15:61Joshua 15:62) . Mention is made in the Talmud ^F16 of this wilderness of Judea, as distinct from the land of Israel, when the doctors say, that

``they do not bring up small cattle in the land of Israel, but they bring them up (hdwhybv rbdmb) , "in the wilderness which is in Judea".'' The Jews have an observation <sup>F17</sup> of many things coming from the wilderness; ``the law, they say, came from the wilderness; the tabernacle from the wilderness; the sanhedrim from the wilderness; the priesthood from the wilderness; the office of the Levites from the wilderness; the kingdom from the wilderness; and all the good gifts which God gave to Israel were from the wilderness.''

So John came preaching here, and Christ was tempted here. The time of his appearance and preaching was in those days: not when Christ was newly born; or when the wise men paid their adoration to him; or when Herod slew the infants; or when he was just dead, and Archelaus reigned in his room; or when Christ first went to Nazareth; though it was whilst he dwelt there as a private person; but when John was about thirty years of age, and Christ was near unto it, (Luke 3:23) an age in which ecclesiastical persons entered into service, (Numbers 4:3) . It was indeed, as Luke says, (Luke 3:1) in the "fifteenth" year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar; Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea; and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee; and his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea; and of the region of Trachonitis; and Lysanias, the tetrarch of Abilene; Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests.

FOOTNOTES:

• F13: Ganz. Tzemach David, par. 1. fol. 25. 2. Chronicon Regum, fol. 54. 4.
• F14: Antiq. l. 18. c. 7.
• F15: L. 5. c. 45.
• F16: T. Bab. Bava Kama, fol, 79. 9. 2.
• F17: Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 13. 3.

And saying, repent you
The doctrine which John preached was the doctrine of repentance; which may be understood either of amendment of life and manners; for the state of the Jews was then very corrupt, all sorts of men were grown very wicked; and though there was a generation among them, who were righteous in their own eyes, and needed no repentance; yet John calls upon them all, without any distinction, to repent; and hereby tacitly strikes at the doctrine of justification by works, which they had embraced, to which the doctrine of repentance is directly opposite: or rather, this is meant, as the word here used signifies, of a change of mind, and principles. The Jews had imbibed many bad notions. The Pharisees held the traditions of the elders, and the doctrine of justification by the works of the law; and the Sadducees denied the resurrection of the dead; and it was a prevailing opinion among them all, and seems to be what is particularly struck at by John: that the Messiah would be a temporal king, and set up an earthly kingdom in this world.

Therefore, he exhorts them to change their minds, to relinquish this notion, assuring them that though he would be a king, and would have a kingdom which was near at hand, yet it would be a heavenly, and not an earthly one.

This is the manner in which John enforces his doctrine, or the reason and argument he uses to prevail upon them to regard it, by saying,

for the kingdom of heaven is at hand :
by which is meant not the kingdom of glory to be expected in another world; or the kingdom of grace, that is internal grace, which only believers are partakers of in this; but the kingdom of the Messiah, which was "at hand", just ready to appear, when he would be made manifest in Israel and enter upon his work and office: it is the Gospel dispensation which was about to take place, and is so called; because of the wise and orderly management of it under Christ, the king and head of his church by the ministration of the word, and administration of ordinances; whereby, as means, spiritual and internal grace would be communicated to many, in whose hearts it would reign and make them meet for the kingdom of glory; and because the whole economy of the Gospel, the doctrines and ordinances of it are from heaven.

This phrase, "the kingdom of heaven" is often to be met with in Jewish writings; and sometimes it stands opposed to the "kingdom of the earth" ^F18 ; by it is often meant the worship, service, fear, and love of God, and faith in him:

thus in one of their books ^F19 having mentioned those words, "serve the Lord with fear": it is asked, what means this phrase, "with fear?" It is answered, the same as it is written, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom"; and this is (Mymv twklm) "the kingdom of heaven". And elsewhere they ^F20 ask, "what is the kingdom of heaven?" To which is answered, "the Lord our God is one Lord". Yea, the Lord God himself is so called ^F21 , and sometimes the sanctuary; and sometimes they intend by it the times of the Messiah, as the Baptist here does; for so they paraphrase ^F23 those words,

Very pertinently does John make use of this argument to engage to repentance; since there cannot be a greater motive to it, whether it regard sorrow for sin, and confession of it, or a change of principles and practice, than the grace of God through Christ, which is exhibited in the Gospel dispensation: and very appropriately does he urge repentance previous to the kingdom of heaven; because without that there can be no true and cordial embracing or entering into the Gospel dispensation, or kingdom of heaven; that is, no real and hearty receiving the doctrines, and submitting to the ordinances of it.

Nor ought the Jews above all people to object to John's method of preaching; since they make repentance absolutely necessary to the revelation of the Messiah and his kingdom, and redemption by him; for they say ^F24 in so many words, that ``if Israel do not repent, they will never be redeemed; but as soon as they repent, they will be redeemed; yea, if they repent but one day, immediately the son of David will come.''

FOOTNOTES:

• F18: Bereshit Rabba, fol. 7. 4.
• F19: Zohar in Exod. fol 39. 2.
• F20: Debarim Rabba, fol. 237. 2.
• F21: Zohar in Gen. fol. 112. 3.
• F23: Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 11. 4.
• F24: T. Hieros. Taanith, fol. 63. 4. & 64. 1. & Bab. Sanhed. fol. 97. 2.

For this is he that was spoken of
These are not the words of the Baptist himself, as in (John 1:23) but of the Evangelist, who cites and applies to John a passage in the Prophet Isaiah, (Isaiah 40:3) and that very pertinently, since that "chapter" is a prophecy of the Messiah. The consolations spoken of in (Isaiah 40:3) , were to be in the days of the king Messiah, as a writer of note ^F25 among the Jews observes. The Messiah is more expressly prophesied of in (Isaiah 40:9–11) as one that should appear to the joy of his people, and "come with a strong hand", vigorously prosecute his designs, faithfully perform his work, and then receive his reward; he is spoken of under the "character" of a "shepherd", who would tenderly discharge the several parts of his office as such, which character is frequently given to the Messiah in the Old Testament: now the person spoken of in (Isaiah 40:3) was to be his harbinger to go before him, proclaim and make ready for his coming; and what is said of him agrees entirely with John the Baptist, as the character given of him,

the voice of one crying ,
(Bowntov) , lowing like an ox; which expresses the austerity of the man, the roughness of his voice, the severity of his language; that he called aloud and spoke out, openly, publicly, and freely; and that he delivered himself in preaching with a great deal of zeal and fervency. The place where he preached was "in the wilderness", that is, of Judea, where he is said before, in (Matthew 3:1) to come preaching. The doctrine he preached was,

prepare you the way of the Lord, make his paths straight ,
which is best explained by what is said before, in (Matthew 3:2)

repent you, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand .
The Lord whom you have sought, the Messiah whom you have expected, is just coming, he will quickly appear; prepare to meet him by repentance, and receive him by faith, relinquish your former notions and principles, correct your errors, and amend your lives, remove all out of the way which may be offensive to him. The allusion is to a great personage being about to make his public appearance or entrance; when a harbinger goes before him, orders the way to be cleared, all impediments to be removed, and everything got ready for the reception of him.

FOOTNOTES:

• F25: R. David Kimchi in Isa. xl. 1.

The same John had his raiment
The Evangelist goes on to describe this excellent person, the forerunner of our Lord, by his raiment;

the same
John of whom Isaiah prophesied, and who came preaching the doctrine in the place and manner before expressed,

had his raiment of camel's hair ;
not of camel's hair softened and dressed, which the Talmudists ^F26 call (Mylmg rmu) "camel's wool"; of which wool of camels and of hares, the Jews say ^F1 the coats were made, with which God clothed Adam and Eve; and which being spun to a thread, and wove, and made a garment of, they call

And a leathern girdle about his loins ;
and such an one also Elijah was girt with, (2 Kings 1:8) and which added to the roughness of his garment, though it shows he was prepared and in a readiness to do the work he was sent about.

And his meat was locusts and wild honey ;
by the "locusts" some have thought are meant a sort of fish called "crabs", which John found upon the banks of Jordan, and lived upon; others, that a sort of wild fruit, or the tops of trees and plants he found in the wilderness and fed on, are designed; but the truth is, these were a sort of creatures "called locusts", and which by the ceremonial law were lawful to be eaten, see (Leviticus 11:22) .

The Misnic doctors ^F3 describe such as are fit to be eaten after this manner;``all that have four feet and four wings, and whose thighs and wings cover the greatest part of their body, and whose name is (bgx) "a locust."'' For it seems they must not only have these marks and signs, but must be so called, or by a word in any other language which answers to it, as the commentators ^F4 on this passage observe;

and very frequently do these writers speak ^F5 of locusts that are clean, and may be eaten. Maimonides ^F6 reckons up "eight" sorts of them, which might be eaten according to the law. Besides, these were eaten by people of other nations, particularly the Ethiopians ^F7 , Parthians ^F8 , and Lybians ^F9 .

And wild honey :
this was honey of bees, which were not kept at home, but such as were in the woods and fields; of this sort was that which Jonathan found, and eat of, (1 Samuel 14:25 1 Samuel 14:26 1 Samuel 14:27) now the honey of bees might be eaten, according to the Jewish laws ^F11 , though bees themselves might not.

FOOTNOTES:

• F26: Misn. Negaim. c. 11. sect. 2. & Kilaim, c. 9. sect. 1. Talmud, Bab. Menachot, fol. 39. 2.
• F1: Bereshit Rabba, fol. 18. 2.
• F3: Misn. Cholin. c. 3. sect. 7.
• F4: Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.
• F5: Misn. Beracot, c. 6. sect. 3. Terumot. c. 10. sect. 9. & Ediot. c. 7. sect. 2. & 8. 4.
• F6: Maacolot Asurot, c. 1. sect. 21.
• F7: Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 30. Alex. ab Alex. l. 3. c. 11. Ludolph. Hist. Ethiop. l. 1. c. 13.
• F8: Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 11. c. 29.
• F9: Hieron. adv. Jovinian. fol. 26. Tom. 2.
• F11: Moses Kotzensis Mitzvot Tora precept. neg. 132.

Then went out to him Jerusalem
The uncommon appearance of this person, the oddness of his dress, the austerity of his life, together with the awfulness and importance of his doctrine, and the novelty of the ordinance of baptism he administered, and the Jews having had no prophet for some hundreds of years, and imagining he might be the Messiah, quickly drew large numbers of people to him. Some copies read "all Jerusalem": that is, the inhabitants of that city, a very large number of them; and "all Judea", a great number of people from all parts of that country. "All" is here put for "many". And

all the region round about Jordan ;
multitudes from thence, which seems to be the same country with that which is called "beyond Jordan", (Matthew 4:25) and is distinguished from Judea as here. The Septuagint in (2 Chronicles 4:17) use the same phrase the Evangelist does here, and likewise in (Genesis 13:10Genesis 13:11) .