Matteusarguðspjall 21:1

Heilögum Biblíunni

1 Þegar þeir nálguðust Jerúsalem og komu til Betfage við Olíufjallið, sendi Jesús tvo lærisveina

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

when: Mark 11:1, Luke 19:28

Bethphage: Bethphage was a village on the declivity of Mount Olivet, and somewhat nearer to Jerusalem than Bethany.

the mount: Matthew 24:3, Matthew 26:30, Zechariah 14:4, Luke 19:37, Luke 21:37, John 8:1, Acts 1:12

Reciprocal: Genesis 22:9 - place Nehemiah 8:15 - the mount Luke 19:29 - when John 12:14 - Jesus

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem,.... The Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read, "when he drew nigh, or was near"; but not alone, his disciples were with him, and a multitude of people also; as is evident from the following account. They might well be said to be near to Jerusalem, since it is added,

and were come to Bethphage; which the Jews say n was within the walls of the city of Jerusalem, and was in all respects as the city itself, and was the outermost part of it o; and that all within the outward circumference of the city of Jerusalem was called Bethphage p: it seems to me to be part of it within the city, and part of it without, in the suburbs of it, which reached to Bethany, and that to the Mount of Olives. Various are the derivations and etymologies of this place: some say it signifies "the house", or "place of a fountain", from a fountain that was in it; as if it was a compound of "Beth", an house, and πηγη, "pege", a fountain: others, "the house of the mouth of a valley"; as if it was made up of those three words, בית פי גיא, because the outward boundary of it was at the foot of the Mount of Olives, at the entrance of the valley of Jehoshaphat: others say, that the ancient reading was "Bethphage, the house of slaughter"; and Jerom says q, it was a village of the priests, and he renders it, "the house of jaw bones": here indeed they might bake the showbread, and eat the holy things, as in Jerusalem r; but the true reading and signification of it is, פאגי

בית, "the house of figs"; so called from the fig trees which grew in the outward limits of it, near Bethany, and the Mount of Olives; hence we read of s פגי בית היני, "the figs of Bethany"; which place is mentioned along with, Bethphage, both by Mark and Luke, where Christ, and those with him, were now come: the latter says, they were come nigh to these places, for they were come

to the Mount of Olives; near to which were the furthermost limits of Bethany, and Bethphage, from Jerusalem. This mount was so called from the abundance of olive trees which grew upon it, and was on the east side of Jerusalem t; and it was distant from it a sabbath day's journey, Acts 1:12 which was two, thousand cubits, or eight furlongs, and which made one mile:

then sent Jesus two disciples; who they were is not certain, perhaps Peter and John, who were afterwards sent by him to prepare the passover, Luke 22:8.

n Gloss. in T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 14. 2. & Pesach. fol. 91. 1. o Gloss. in T. Bab. Pesach. fol. 63. 2. & 91. 1. p Gloss. in T. Bab. Sota, fol. 45. 1. & Bava Metzia fol. 90. 1. q In loc. & ad Eustoch, fol. 59. 3. Tom. 1. r Misn. Menachot, c. 11. sect. 2. T. Bab. Menachot fol. 63. 1. & 78. 2. Maimon. Hilch. Pesul. Hamukdash, c. 12. sect. 16. Gloss. in Pesach. fol. 63. 2. s T. Bab. Pesach. fol. 53. 1. & Erubin, fol. 28. 2. t Zech. xiv 4. Targum in Ezek. xi. 23. & Bartenora in Misn. Mid. dot. c. 1. sect. 3.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem - They were going up now from Jericho.

Matthew 20:29. The distance was about 19 miles. The most of the way was a desert, or filled with caves, and rocks, and woods - a suitable place for robbers. See Luke 10:30. The Mount of Olives, or “Olivet,” is on the east of Jerusalem. Between this and Jerusalem there runs a small stream called the brook Kidron, or Cedron. It is dry in the hot seasons of the year, but swells to a considerable size in time of heavy rains. See the notes at John 18:1. The Mount of Olives was so called from its producing in abundance the olive. It was from Jerusalem about a Sabbath-day’s journey. See the notes at Acts 1:12. On the west side of the mountain was the garden of Gethsemane, Luke 22:39; Mark 14:32. On the eastern declivity of the mountain were the villages of Bethphage and Bethany. Mark and Luke say that he came near to both those places.

He appears to have come first to Bethany, where he passed the night John 12:1, John 12:9-11, and in the morning sent over to the adjacent village Bethphage. Bethany was the place where Lazarus lived, whom he raised from the dead John 11:0; where Martha and Mary lived; and where Mary anointed him with ointment against the day of his burying, John 12:1-7. The Mount of Olives is about a mile in length and about 700 feet in height, and overlooks Jerusalem, so that from its summit almost every part of the city can be seen. The mountain is composed of three peaks or summits. The “olive” is a fruit well known among us as an article of commerce. The tree blooms in June, and bears white flowers. The fruit is small. It is first green, then whitish, and, when fully ripe, black. It encloses a hard stone in which are the seeds. The “wild olive” was common, and differed from the other only in being of a smaller size. There are two roads from Jerusalem to Bethany; one around the southern end of the Mount of Olives, and the other across the summit. The latter is considerably shorter, but more difficult, and it was probably along this road that the Saviour went.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XXI.

Christ rides into Jerusalem upon an ass, and the multitude

receive him joyfully, 1-11.

He enters the temple, and expels the money-changers, c. 12, 13.

The blind and the lame come to him and are healed, 14.

The chief priests and scribes are offended, 15.

Our Lord confounds them, and goes to Bethany, 16, 17.

The barren fig-tree blasted, 18-22.

While teaching in the temple, the chief priests and elders

question his authority he answers and confutes them, 23-27.

The parable of the man and his two sons, 28-32.

The parable of a vineyard let out to husbandmen, 33-42;

applied to the priests and Pharisees, 43-45;

who wish to kill him, but are restrained by the fear of the

people, who acknowledge Christ for a prophet, 46.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXI.

Verse Matthew 21:1. Bethphage — A place on the west declivity of Mount Olivet, from which it is thought the whole declivity and part of the valley took their name. It is supposed to have derived its name from the fig-trees which grew there; בית beeth, signifying a region as well as a house, and פג phag, a green fig.