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Mat_22:16. The Herodians are not Herod’s courtiers (Fritzsche, following Luther), but the political party among the Jews that sought to uphold the dynasty of the Herods, popular royalists, in opposition to the principle of a pure theocracy, though willing also to take part with the powerful Pharisees against the unpopular Roman sway, should circumstances render such a movement expedient. For other interpretations, some of them rather singular, see Wolf and Köcher in loc. The passage in Joseph. Antt. xiv. 15. 10, refers to different circumstances from the present. Comp. Ewald, Gesch. Chr. p. 97 ff.; Keim, III. p. 130 ff. To regard (as is done by Origen, Maldonatus, de Wette, Winer, Neander, Volkmar) those here referred to as supporters of the Roman sway generally (and not merely of the Herodian dynasty in particular), is certainly not in accordance with the name they bear. We may further observe that no little cunning was shown by the orthodox hierarchy in selecting some of the younger members of their order (who as such would be less liable to be suspected) to co-operate with a party no less hostile than themselves to the Messianic pretender, with a view to betray Jesus into an answer savouring of opposition to the payment of the tribute. This was the drift of the flattering preface to their question, and upon His answer they hoped to found an accusation before the Roman authorities. Comp. Luk_20:20. But though the plot miscarried, owing to the answer being in the affirmative, the Pharisees had at least succeeded in now getting the Herodians to assume a hostile attitude toward Jesus, while at the same time they would be able to turn the reply to good account in the way of rendering Him unpopular with the masses.
λέγοντες ] that is, through their representatives. Comp. Mat_11:2, Mat_27:19.
διδάσκαλε , οἴδαμεν , κ . τ . λ .] Comp. with this cunning, though in itself so true an instance of captatio benevolentiae, the sincere one in Joh_3:2.
ἀληθὴς εἶ ] true, avoiding every sort of ψεῦδος in your dealings, either simulando or dissimulando. In what follows, and which is still connected with ὅτι , this is made more precise, being put both positively and negatively.
τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ] the way prescribed by God, i.e. the behaviour of men to each other which God requires. Comp. τὴν δικαιοσύνην τ . θεοῦ , Mat_6:33; τὰ ἔργα τ . θεοῦ , Joh_6:28; and so Psa_27:11; Wis_5:7; Bar_3:13.
ἐν ἀληθείᾳ ] truthfully, as beseems the character of this way; see on Joh_17:19.
οὐ μέλει σοι περὶ οὐδενός ] Thou carest for no man, in Thy teaching Thou actest without regard to the persons of men.
οὐ γὰρ βλέπεις , κ . τ . λ .] giving the reason for the statement contained in οἴδαμεν , κ . τ . λ .: for Thou lookest not to mere external appearances in men; to Thee it is always a matter of indifference in regard to a man’s person whether he be powerful, rich, learned, etc., or the reverse; therefore we are convinced, ὅτι ἀληθὴς εἶ καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν , κ . τ . λ . Πρόσωπον ἀνθρ . denotes the outward manifestation in which men present themselves (comp. on Mat_16:3). Comp. θαυμάζειν πρόσωπον , Jud_1:16. The emphasis, however, is on βλέπεις . We have not here a “natural paraphrase” of the Hebrew idiom λαμβάνειν πρόσωπον (Luk_20:21), which expresses another, though similar idea (in answer to de Wette; see on Gal_2:6). In classical Greek, β . εἰς πρ . τινος is used in the sense of being barefaced. See Bremi ad Aeschin. p. 370.