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Mat 13:52. Πᾶς γραμματεὺς, every scribe) Jesus Himself is neither γραμματεὺς, a scribe, nor μαθητευθεὶς, discipled, i.e. instructed as or made a disciple (initiatus). He speaks therefore in the present instance of His disciples; and that which had previously been said to the disciples in plain words (Mat 13:12), is now (that they have made such advance in learning as to be styled even scribes) confirmed to them by a parable. A scribe is a man imbued with the doctrine, or even the letter, of the Old Testament; by παλαιά (old), therefore, are meant things known from Moses and the prophets. This is the genus: the species[645] is supplied by the clause μαθητευθείς, κ.τ.λ. i.e. a man instructed also in the doctrine of the New Testament: such is the force of καινὰ, new-things then first revealed; see Mat 13:35. New things are here mentioned before old, as the latter receive light and savour from the former, and are at length tempered together most harmoniously. See 1Jn 2:7-8.-μαθητευθεὶς, instructed) as βασιλεύω signifies both to make a king, and to act the king, so also μαθητεύω, to make disciples (expressed in Joh 4:1 by μαθητὰς ποιεῖν), and act or be a disciple; see ch. Mat 27:57. The former meaning obtains in this passage.-τῂ βασιλείᾳ, in the kingdom) Others[646] read εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν, unto the kingdom. In either reading, by metonymy or prosopopœia, Christ Himself is intimated, as in ch. Mat 11:12. If you accept the latter reading, cf. 2Co 11:3; if the former,[647] ch. Mat 27:57.-ἀνθρώπῳ, unto a man) Almost all the parables are taken from human affairs, for the sake of perspicuity.-ἐκβάλλει, bringeth forth) plentifully.-θησαυροῦ, treasure) store, sc. of corn.-καινὰ καὶ παλαιά, new and old) a proverbial mode of speaking of a great plenty from the last and the present year; see Son 7:13.-The new things, as from the treasures of the kingdom of heaven; the old things, as a scribe from the scriptures of the Old Testament; cf. Mat 13:35.[648]
[645] The words genus and species are here used in their logical sense. Bengel means to say that the character indicated is not only that of a “scribe,” generically (or universally), but of one who is “instructed to the kingdom of heaven.”-(I. B.)
[646] Such is the reading of E. M. In his App. Crit. Bengel writes: “εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν) edd. Bas. α. β. Stap. etc. Ex μαθητευθεὶς, εἰς facile iteratum. (τῆ βασιλεία) Bas. γ. Cypr. Par. 6, 8; Vsser, 2; Origenes constanter, sæpe; Cyrillus, Procopius. Placet Heinsio. Lectio media, unde ἐν τῆ βασιλεία, Med. Chrysost. Cyrillus alibi, Lat. Irenaeus, latine certe, Cant.-(I. B.)
[647] The margin of both Editions, as well as the Germ. Vers., prefer the Dative.-E. B.
[648] The new things already have the palm of superiority.-V. g.
Tischend. with BC Syr. Orig. 3, 459 f, reads τῇ βασιλείᾳ. Lachm. with Dbc Vulg. Iren. 237, Hil., reads ἐν τῂ βασιλείᾳ. Lachm. claims C for ἐν τῆ βας. in opposition to Tischend. Rec. Text, εἰς τ. βασιλείαν, is not supported by primary authorities. The shorter reading, τῇ βασιλείᾳ, is cœteris paribus preferable to the longer, as the shorter would be more likely to originate the other two, the longer ones, εἰς τ. βας. and ἐν τ. βας. (which look like glosses of the shorter), than either of them to originate it; ch. Mat 27:57 supports it. Besides, it is not simply members of the kingdom who are here spoken of, but those who, being already in it themselves, are qualified henceforth to be teachers for it. I prefer, with Olshausen and Storr, explaining it, “made a disciple for the kingdom,” i.e., for its benefit; one who, being instructed himself, is capable of labouring for the kingdom. But Beng. takes τῇ βασιλείᾳ as a Prosopopœia-the Kingdom meaning Jesus Christ, who is the embodiment of the Kingdom-“made a disciple to the Kingdom,” i.e. to Jesus Christ.-ED.