1 Machabæorum 11:8

Clementine Latin Vulgate

Sed quid existis videre ? hominem mollibus vestitum ? Ecce qui mollibus vestiuntur, in domibus regum sunt.

Parallel Translations

Jerome's Latin Vulgate (405)
Sed quid existis videre? hominem mollibus vestitum? Ecce qui mollibus vestiuntur, in domibus regum sunt.

Nova Vulgata (1979)
Sed quid existis videre? Hominem mollibus vestitum? Ecce, qui mollibus vestiuntur, in domibus regum sunt.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

A man: Matthew 3:4, 2 Kings 1:8, Isaiah 20:2, Zechariah 13:4, 1 Corinthians 4:11, 2 Corinthians 11:27, Revelation 11:3

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 18:7 - he knew 1 Kings 22:10 - having put 2 Chronicles 18:9 - clothed Esther 5:1 - royal Esther 8:15 - royal apparel Luke 7:24 - What John 4:38 - other 1 Timothy 2:9 - not James 2:2 - goodly

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But what went ye out for to see?.... Since it cannot be thought it was to see the reeds in the wilderness blow to and fro by the wind, or a man like one of them, either in gesture or doctrine; was it to see

a man clothed in soft raiment? In raiment made of soft materials, as fine wool, cotton, silk, c. such as Mecaenos wore, and who was therefore called Malacinus y: one finely dressed, and richly apparelled, draws the eyes of persons to him but such an one is not to be expected in a wilderness: and if the Jews went to see such a person, they were greatly disappointed; for John's raiment was of camel's hair, undressed, and he had a leathern girdle about his loins; and as for his diet, it was locusts and wild honey: no,

behold they that wear soft clothing, or, as Luke says, are "gorgeously apparelled"; to which he adds,

and live delicately, are in kings' houses, or "courts"; not in a desert, where John came preaching, nor in a prison, where he now was: he was no light, inconstant, flattering person, as generally courtiers are; had he, he would not have been in a prison; it was for his uprightness and faithfulness, in reproving Herod the king, that he was in such a place and condition. Thus from his very garb and diet, his character is vindicated from the charge of levity and change.

y Alex. ab Alex. Genial Dier. 1. 5. c. 18.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Clothed in soft raiment - The kind of raiment here denoted was the light, thin clothing worn by effeminate persons. It was made commonly of fine linen, and was worn chiefly for ornament. Christ asks them whether they were attracted by anything like that. He says that the desert was not the place to expect it. In the palaces of kings, in the court of Herod, it might be expected, but not in the place where John was. This kind of clothing was an emblem of riches, splendor, effeminacy, feebleness of character. He meant to say that John was a man of a different stamp - coarse in his exterior, hardy in his character, firm in his virtue, suited to endure trials and privations, and thus qualified to be the forerunner of the toiling and suffering Messiah.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 11:8. A man clothed in soft raiment? — A second excellency in John was, his sober and mortified life. A preacher of the Gospel should have nothing about him which savours of effeminacy and worldly pomp: he is awfully mistaken who thinks to prevail on the world to hear him and receive the truth, by conforming himself to its fashions and manners. Excepting the mere colour of his clothes, we can scarcely now distinguish a preacher of the Gospel, whether in the establishment of the country, or out of it, from the merest worldly man. Ruffles, powder, and fribble seem universally to prevail. Thus the Church and the world begin to shake hands, the latter still retaining its enmity to God. How can those who profess to preach the doctrine of the cross act in this way? Is not a worldly-minded preacher, in the most peculiar sense, an abomination in the eyes of the Lord?

Are in kings' houses. — A third excellency in John was, he did not affect high things. He was contented to live in the desert, and to announce the solemn and severe truths of his doctrine to the simple inhabitants of the country. Let it be well observed, that the preacher who conforms to the world in his clothing, is never in his element but when he is frequenting the houses and tables of the rich and great.