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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadHeinrich Meyer Commentary - Matthew 21
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Mat_21:2. πορεύθητε ] Lachm. Tisch. 8 : πορεύεσθε , following important evidence. But the transcribers happened to be more familiar with πορεύεσθε (Mat_10:6, Mat_22:9, Mat_25:9; Mat_25:41).
For ἀπέναντι , Lachm. Tisch. 8 have κατέναντι , which, though sanctioned by important evidence, is borrowed from Mark and Luke.
ἀγάγετε , for which, with Lachm., ἄγετε should be read, is likewise taken from the parallel passages (see, however, on Mar_11:2).
Mat_21:3. With the Received text, Lachm. and Tisch. read ἀποστελεῖ , following B D H M à , Vulg. It. Copt. Sahid. Arm. Or., while Matth. Griesb. Scholz, on the other hand, have adopted ἀποστέλλει . Important evidence on both sides. The connection seemed to require the future, which was acordingly introduced here and in Mar_11:3.
Mat_21:4. ὅλον ] is to be deleted, with Lachm. and Tisch. 8, following C* D L Z à , vss. Or. Chrys. Hil. Comp. Mat_1:22, Mat_26:56.
Mat_21:5 πῶλον ] Lachm. Tisch.: ἐπὶ πῶλον , following B L N à , 1, 124, vss. Correctly; in the Sept. there is only one ἐπί .
Mat_21:6. The evidence of B C D 33 in favour of συνέταξεν (Lachm. Tisch. 7) is sufficient. Tisch. 8, with the Received text, reads προσέταξεν , the more usual form.
Mat_21:7. For the first ἐπάνω αὐτῶν , Lachm. and Tisch. 8 read ἐπʼ αὐτῶν , following B L Z à , 69, Or., with which we may class D and codd. of It., which have ἐπʼ αὐτόν . The transcriber would be apt mechanically to anticipate the subsequent ἐπάνω .
ἐπεκάθισεν (Elz.: ἐπεκάθισαν ) is supported by decisive evidence (adopted by Matth. Griesb. Fritzsche, Scholz, Lachm. Tisch.), so that instead of supposing it to be taken from Mar_11:7 (comp. Joh_12:14), we should rather regard the reading of the Received text as derived from Luk_19:35.
Mat_21:8. ἐστρώννυον ] Tisch. 8 : ἔστρωσαν , following only D à * Or. A repetition of ἔστρωσαν in the earlier part of the verse.
Mat_21:9. προάγοντες ] Lachm. Tisch.: προάγ . αὐτόν , following B C D L à , min. vss. Or. Eus. This αὐτόν , which in itself is not indispensable, was still more apt to be omitted in consequence of Mar_11:9.
Mat_21:11. Lachm. (B D à , Or.) puts ὁ προφ . before Ἰησοῦς ; so also Tisch. 8. But how current was the use of the phrase, “Jesus of Nazareth!”
Mat_21:12. τοῦ Θεοῦ ] deleted by Lachm., following B L à , min. vss. and Fathers. It was omitted as superfluous, and from its not being found in Mark and Luke, also in consequence of its not occurring elsewhere in the New Testament.
Mat_21:13. ἐποιήσατε ] Fritzsche, Lachm. Tisch.: ποιεῖτε , following B L à , 124, Copt. Aeth. Or. Eus. Correctly; ἐποιήσατε is from Luke. Comp. on Mar_11:17.
Mat_21:19. μηκέτι ] Lachm. and Tisch.: οὐ μηκέτι , following, it is true, only B L; but οὐ would readily be omitted, all the more that Mar_11:14 has simply μηκέτι .
Mat_21:23. ἐλθόντι αὐτῷ ] Lachm. Tisch. 8 : ἐλθόντος αὐτοῦ . See on Mat_8:1.
Mat_21:25. Ἰωάννου ] Lachm. and Tisch.: τὸ Ἰωάννου , which is sufficiently attested by B C Z à , Or.; τό was omitted as superfluous.
παρʼ ἑαυτ .] Lachm.: ἐν ἑαυτ ., following B L M** Z, min. Cyr. Gloss in accordance with Mat_16:7-8.
Mat_21:28. μου ] upon important evidence, is with Fritzsche, Tisch. to be deleted as an interpolation.
Mat_21:30. ἑτέρῳ ] So also Griesb. Scholz, Tisch. The δευτέρῳ (Lachm.) of the Received text is opposed by C* D E F G H K U X Δ Π à , min. vss. and Fathers, and, coming as it does after πρώτω , looks like an exegetical gloss.
Mat_21:31. πρῶτος ] Lachm.: ὕστερος . Maintained Rinck and Schweizer[7] in the Stud. u. Krit. 1839, p. 944. Comp. Ewald also, who, however, suggests ὕστερον , sc μεταμεληθείς . Similarly Buttm. in the Stud. u. Krit. 1860, p. 343 ff. ὕστερος is found in B, while D, vss. (also codd. of It. and the Vulg.) and several Fathers read ἔσχατος . Consequence of the transposition that had taken place in Mat_21:29-30 (B, min. vss. and Fathers): ὁ δὲ ἀποκρ . εἶπεν · Ἐγὼ , κὐρ ., καὶ οὐκ ἀπῆλθεν . Καὶ προσελθ . τῷ ἑτέρῳ εἶπ . ὡς . Ὁ δὲ ἀποκρ . εἶπεν · Οὐ θέλω , ὕστερον δὲ , κ . τ . λ . But this transposition was the result of the ancient interpretation of the two sons as referring to the Jews and the Gentiles.
Mat_21:32. οὐ ] Lachm.: οὐδέ , following B, min. Syrcur and jer. Copt. Aeth. It. Vulg. Hilar. The compound negative, the force of which had not been observed, would be omitted all the more readily that δέ occurs just before.
Mat_21:33. τις after ἄυθρωπος (in Elz. Matth.) is deleted by Griesb. and more recent editors, in accordance with decisive evidence.
Mat_21:38. κατάσχωμεν ] Lachm. and Tisch.: σχῶμεν , following B D L Z à , min. Or. Cyr. The compound form, for sake of greater precision.
Mat_21:44. This whole verse is wanting in D, 33, Cant. 21 :Verc. Corb. 1, 2, Or. Eus. (?) Lucif. Cyr. (?); condemned by Griesb., bracketed by Lachm., deleted by Tisch. The external evidence is not sufficient to warrant deletion. Had the words been borrowed from Luk_20:18, they would have been inserted after Mat_21:42, and the first half of the passage would have been in closer agreement with Luke (that is to say, the πᾶς would not have been left out). The omission, again, might well be due to a mistake on the part of the copyist, whose eye might pass at once from αὐτῆς καί to αὐτὸν καί .
Mat_21:46. ὡς ] Lachm. and Tisch.: εἰς , following B L à , 1, 22, Or. ὡς from Mat_21:26; Mat_14:5.
[7] Schweizer explains thus: ὁ ὕστερος , SC. ἀπελθών (which Buttm. should not have declared to be erroneous). The answer, he says, is hesitating and reluctant, perhaps intentionally ambiguous. But coming after the question τίς ἐκ τῶν δύο , κ . τ . λ ., the simple ὁ ὕστερος can only he taken as equivalent to ὁ δεύτερος , as in Xen. Hell. i. 7. 6, al. Lachm. was of opinion that the answer was intended to be inappropriate (comp. already Jerome), though he ultimately decided in favour of the view that the words λέγουσιν … Ἰησοῦς , which Or. omits, are spurious. See the latter’s Praefat. II. p. v. Tisch., Bleek, and others have correctly upheld the reading of the Received text.