1 Machabæorum 23:4

Nova Vulgata

Alligant autem onera gravia et importabilia et imponunt in umeros hominum, ipsi autem digito suo nolunt ea movere.

Parallel Translations

Clementine Latin Vulgate (1592)
Alligant enim onera gravia, et importabilia, et imponunt in humeros hominum : digito autem suo nolunt ea movere.

Jerome's Latin Vulgate (405)
Alligant enim onera gravia, et importabilia, et imponunt in humeros hominum: digito autem suo nolunt ea movere.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Matthew 23:23, Matthew 11:28-30, Luke 11:46, Acts 15:10, Acts 15:28, Galatians 6:13, Revelation 2:24

Reciprocal: Genesis 49:15 - bowed 1 Kings 12:4 - our yoke 2 Chronicles 10:4 - Thy father Lamentations 5:13 - fell Galatians 5:1 - entangled 3 John 1:9 - who loveth

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 o.

"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, כולן חמורין הן, "all of them are heavy".''

And a little after,

"the words of the elders, חמורים, "are heavier" than the words of the prophets.''

Hence frequent mention is made of

"the light things of the school of Shammai, ומחומרי, "and of the heavy things of the school of Hillell" p''

two famous doctors, heads of two universities, in being in Christ's time: these are also called, מכות פרושין, "the blows, or wounds of the Pharisees" q; 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; :-.

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 r, 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 s, 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 t.

o T. Hieros. Peracot, fol. 3. 2. p T. Hieros. Sota, fol. 19. 2. Yom Tob. fol. 60. 2. & Berncot, fol. 3. 2. q Misn. Sota, c. 3. sect. 4. r Ubi supra. (Misn. Sota, c. 3. sect. 4.) s T. Bab. Sota, fol. 21. 2. t T. Hieros. Beracot, fol. 3. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They bind heavy burdens ... - This phrase is derived from the custom of loading animals. The load or burden is bound up and then laid on the beast. So the Pharisees appointed weighty burdens, or grievous and heavy precepts, and insisted that the people should obey them, though they lent no assistance. The “heavy burdens” refer not here to the traditions and foolish customs of the Pharisees, for Jesus would not command the people to observe them; but they clearly mean the ceremonies and rights appointed by Moses, which Peter says neither “they nor their fathers were able to bear,” Acts 15:10. Those rites were numerous, expensive, requiring much time, much property, and laborious. The Pharisees were rigid in requiring that all the people should pay the taxes, give of their property, comply with every part of the law with the utmost rigor, yet they indulged themselves, and bore as little of the expense and trouble as possible; so that, where they could avoid it, they would not lend the least aid to the people in the toils and expense of their religious rites.

With one of their fingers - In the least degree. They will not render the least aid.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 23:4. They bind heavy burdens — They are now so corrupt that they have added to the ceremonies of the law others of their own invention, which are not only burdensome and oppressive, but have neither reason, expediency, nor revelation, to countenance them. In a word, like all their successors in spirit to the present day, they were severe to others, but very indulgent to themselves.