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Mat_24:30. Καὶ τότε ] and then, when what is intimated at Mat_24:29 shall have arrived.
φανήσεται ] universally, and so not visible merely to the elect (Cremer), which would not be in keeping with what follows.
τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ υἱοῦ τ . ἀνθρ .] accordingly the sign inquired about in Mat_24:3, that phenomenon, namely, which is immediately to precede the coming Messiah, the Son of man of Dan_7:13, and which is to indicate that His second advent is now on the point of taking place, which is to be the signal of this latter event. As Jesus does not say what this is to be, it should be left quite indefinite; only this much may be inferred from what is predicted at Mat_24:29 about the darkening of the heavenly bodies, that it must be of the nature of a manifestation of light, the dawning of the Messianic δόξα which is perhaps to go on increasing in brilliancy and splendour until the Messiah Himself steps forth from the midst of it in the fulness of His glory. There is no foundation for supposing, with Cyril, Hilary, Chrysostom, Augustine, Jerome, Erasmus, that the allusion is to a cross appearing in the heavens; with Hebart, that it is to the rending of heaven or the appearing of angels; with Fleck and Olshausen, that it is to the star of the Messiah (Num_24:17); similarly Bleek, though rather more by way of conjecture. Following the older expositors, Fritzsche, Ewald, Hengstenberg, R. Hofmann understand the coming Messiah Himself: “miraculum, quod Jesus revertens Messias oculis objiciet” (accordingly, taking τοῦ υἱοῦ τ . ἀνθρ . as a genitive of subject; while Wolf, Storr, Weiss, Bibl. Theol. p. 56, ed. 2, assume it to be a genitive of apposition). This view is inconsistent not only with what follows, where the words καὶ ὄψονται τὸν υἱὸν , κ . τ . λ . evidently point to something still farther in the future, and which the σημεῖον serves to introduce, but also with the question of the disciples, Mat_24:3. R. Hofmann thinks that the reference is to that apparition in the form of a man which is alleged to have stood over the holy of holies for a whole night while the destruction of the capital was going on. A legendary story (chronicled by Ben-Gorion); and it may be added that what is said, vv 29–31, certainly does not refer to the destruction of Jerusalem, after which event Hofmann supposes our evangelist to have written. Lastly, some (Schott, Kuinoel) are even of opinion that σημεῖον does not point to any new and special circumstance at all—to anything beyond what is contained in Mat_24:29; but the introduction of the sequel by τότε is decidedly against this view.
καὶ τότε ] a new point brought forward: and then, when this σημεῖον has been displayed.
κόψονται ] Comp. Zec_12:10; Rev_1:7; with what a totally different order of things are they now on the point of being confronted, what a breaking up and subversion of all the previous relationships of life, what a separation of elements hitherto mingled together, and what a deciding of the final destinies of men at the judgment of the old and the ushering in of the new αἰῶν ! Hence, being seized with terror and anguish, they will mourn (see on Mat_11:17). The sorrow of repentance (Dorner, Ewald) is not to be regarded as excluded from this mourning. There is no adequate reason to suppose, with Ewald, that, in the collection of our Lord’s sayings (the λογία ), ὄψονται probably occurred twice here, and that it was reserved for the last redactor of those sayings to make a play upon the word by substituting κόψονται .
ἐρχόμενον , κ . τ . λ .] as in Dan_7:13.
μετὰ δυνάμ . κ . δόξ . πολλ .] This great power and majesty will also be displayed in the accompanying angel-hosts, Mat_24:31. The πᾶσαι αἱ Φυλαὶ τῆς are not: “omnes familiae Judaeorum” (Kuinoel), as those who explain Mat_24:29 ff. of the destruction of Jerusalem must understand the words, but: all the tribes of the earth. Comp. Gen_12:3; Gen_28:14.