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Mat 21:16. Ἀκούεις, κ.τ.λ., dost Thou hear? etc.) Every thing which is not commonplace and traditional, is too much for hypocrites.[920]-ΘΗΛΑΖΌΝΤΩΝ, sucklings) who might be as much as three years old.[921] See 2Ma 7:27.
[920] νηπίων) They who to the world seem still infants, may notwithstanding have their mouths opened to utterance by Divine power. We may suppose that the little children in this instance caught up the words of those of riper age (with which view, comp. Mat 21:9): and yet that circumstance was not without being valued in the sight of God. Only let one not be wanting to his fellow in setting a good example: the Lord will take care of the rest, nay, indeed He will take care of all things.-V. g.
[921] The passage in Maccabees runs thus:-“O my son, have pity upon me that bare thee nine months in my womb, and gave thee suck three years, and nourished thee, and brought thee up unto this age.” The same practice still prevails in the East. In Persia, male children are often kept at the breast till three years of age, and are never taken from it till two years and two months. In India the period is precisely three years. In 2Ch 31:16, no provision is assigned for the children of Priests and Levites until after three years of age, which gives additional weight to the supposition that they were not weaned till that time. Amongst the ancient Greeks, also, it appears that mothers suckled their children till a comparatively late period.-(I. B.)