Chapter 3:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Johnson
| Lightfoot
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| McGarvey Pendleton
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Malachi Mark
Matthew 3
3:1 In
a
those days came
1 John the Baptist,
preaching in the
b wilderness of Judaea,
(
a) Not when Joseph went to dwell at Nazareth,
but a great while after, about fifteen years: for in the 30th year of his life
Jesus was baptized by John: therefore "those days" means the time
when Jesus remained as an inhabitant of the town of Nazareth. (
1)
John, who through his singular holiness and rare austerity of life caused men
to cast their eyes on him, prepares the way for Christ who is following fast
on his heels, as the prophet Isaiah foretold, and delivers the sum of the
gospel, which a short time later would be delivered more fully.
(
b) In a hilly country, which was nonetheless
inhabited, for Zacharias dwelt there, (
Luke
1:39,40), and there was Joab's house, (
1 Kings
2:34); and besides these, Joshua makes mention of six towns that were in
the wilderness, (
Joshua
15:61,62).
3:2 And saying,
c
Repent ye: for the
d kingdom of heaven
is at hand.
(
c) The word in the greek signifies a changing of
our minds and heart from evil to better.
(
d) The kingdom of Messiah, whose government will
be heavenly, and nothing but heavenly.
3:3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet
Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of
the Lord,
e make his paths straight.
(
e) Make him a plain and smooth way.
3:4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's
hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was
f
locusts and wild honey.
(
f) Locusts were a type of meat which certain of
the eastern people use, who were therefore called devourers of locusts.
3:5 Then went out to him
g
Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
(
g) The people of Jerusalem.
3:6 And were baptized of him in Jordan,
h
confessing their sins.
(
h) Acknowledging that they were saved only by
free remission and forgiveness of their sins.
3:7 2 But
when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said
unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to
come?
(
2) There is nothing that shuts up the way of
mercy and salvation from us so much as the opinion of our own righteousness
does.
3:8 3 Bring
forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
(
3) True repentance is an inward thing which has
its seat in the mind and heart.
3:9 4 And
i
think not to say
k within yourselves, We
have Abraham to [our] father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these
stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
(
4) The faith of the fathers does not benefit you
unbelieving children at all: and yet for all that, God does not play the liar,
nor deal unfaithfully in his covenant which he made with the holy fathers.
(
i) Think not that you have any reason to be
proud of Abraham.
(
k) In your hearts.
3:11 5
I indeed baptize you with water unto
l
repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not
worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and [with] fire:
(
5) We may neither dwell upon the signs which God
has ordained as means to lead us into our salvation, neither upon those that
minister them: but we must climb up to the matter itself, that is to say, to
Christ, who inwardly works that effectually, which is outwardly signified to
us.
(
l) The outward sign reminds us of this, that we
must change our lives and become better, assuring us as by a seal, that we are
ingrafted into Christ; by which our old man dies and the new man rises up; (
Romans
6:4).
3:12 6 Whose
fan [is] in his hand, and he will throughly
m
purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the
chaff with unquenchable fire.
(
6) The triumphs of the wicked will end in
everlasting torment.
(
m) Will clean it thoroughly, and make a full
riddance.
3:13 7 Then
cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
(
7) Christ sanctified our baptism in himself.
3:15 And Jesus answering said
unto him, Suffer [it to be so] now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil
n
all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
(
n) All such things as it has appointed for us to
keep.
3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up
straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto
o
him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
(
o) To John.
3:17 8 And
lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am
p
well pleased.
(
8) Christ's full consecration and
authorization to the office of mediator is shown by the Father's own voice
and a visible sign of the Holy Spirit.
(
p) The Greek word signifies a thing of great
worth and such as highly pleases a man. So then the Father says that Christ is
the only man whom when he beholds, looking at what opinion he had conceived of
us, he lays it clean aside.
Chapter 3:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Johnson
| Lightfoot
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| McGarvey Pendleton
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Malachi Mark
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalm
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation
