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Text -- Matthew 12:12 (NET)

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Context
12:12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Parallel   Cross Reference (TSK)   ITL  

Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics

Dictionary Themes and Topics: Synagogue | Sabbath | PHARISEES | PALSY | Miracles | Matthew, Gospel according to | Jesus, The Christ | JESUS CHRIST, 4C1 | Accusation, False | ANTHROPOLOGY | more
Table of Contents

Word/Phrase Notes
Robertson , Wesley , JFB , Clarke , TSK

Word/Phrase Notes
Barnes , Poole , Gill

Verse Notes / Footnotes


Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis , Maclaren , MHCC , Matthew Henry , Barclay , Constable , College , McGarvey , Lapide

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Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Robertson: Mat 12:12 - -- How much then is a man ( posōi oun diapherei anthrōpos ). Another of Christ’ s pregnant questions that goes to the roots of things, an a fo...

How much then is a man ( posōi oun diapherei anthrōpos ).

Another of Christ’ s pregnant questions that goes to the roots of things, an a fortiori argument. "By how much does a human being differ from a sheep? That is the question which Christian civilization has not even yet adequately answered"(Bruce). The poor pettifogging Pharisees are left in the pit.

Wesley: Mat 12:12 - -- To save a beast, much more a man.

To save a beast, much more a man.

JFB: Mat 12:12 - -- Resistless appeal! "A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast" (Pro 12:10), and would instinctively rescue it from death or suffering on the sab...

Resistless appeal! "A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast" (Pro 12:10), and would instinctively rescue it from death or suffering on the sabbath day; how much more his nobler fellow man! But the reasoning, as given in the other two Gospels, is singularly striking: "But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life or to destroy it?" (Luk 6:8-9), or as in Mark (Mar 3:4), "to kill?" He thus shuts them up to this startling alternative: "Not to do good, when it is in the power of our hand to do it, is to do evil; not to save life, when we can, is to kill"--and must the letter of the sabbath rest be kept at this expense? This unexpected thrust shut their mouths. By this great ethical principle our Lord, we see, held Himself bound, as man. But here we must turn to Mark, whose graphic details make the second Gospel so exceedingly precious. "When He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man" (Mar 3:5). This is one of the very few passages in the Gospel history which reveal our Lord's feelings. How holy this anger was appears from the "grief" which mingled with it at "the hardness of their hearts."

Clarke: Mat 12:12 - -- How much then is a man better than a sheep? - Our Lord’ s argument is what is called argumentum ad hominem ; they are taken on their own groun...

How much then is a man better than a sheep? - Our Lord’ s argument is what is called argumentum ad hominem ; they are taken on their own ground, and confuted on their own maxims and conduct. There are many persons who call themselves Christians, who do more for a beast of burden or pleasure than they do for a man for whom Christ died! Many spend that on coursers, spaniels, and hounds, of which multitudes of the followers of Christ are destitute: - but this also shall come to judgment

Clarke: Mat 12:12 - -- Wherefore, it is lawful to do well, etc. - This was allowed by a multitude of Jewish canons. See Schoettgen.

Wherefore, it is lawful to do well, etc. - This was allowed by a multitude of Jewish canons. See Schoettgen.

TSK: Mat 12:12 - -- is a : Mat 6:26; Luk 12:24 it is : Mar 3:4; Luk 6:9

is a : Mat 6:26; Luk 12:24

it is : Mar 3:4; Luk 6:9

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Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Mat 12:9-13 - -- The account contained in these verses is recorded also in Mar 3:1-5, and Luk 6:6-10. Mat 12:10 The very hairs of your head are all numbere...

The account contained in these verses is recorded also in Mar 3:1-5, and Luk 6:6-10.

Mat 12:10

The very hairs of your head are all numbered - That is, each one has exercised the care and attention of God.

He has fixed the number; and, though of small importance, yet he does not think it beneath him to determine how few or how many they shall be. He will therefore take care of you.

Mat 12:12

How much, then, is a man better than a sheep? - Of more consequence or value.

If you would show an act of kindness to a brute beast on the Sabbath, how much more important is it to evince similar kindness to one made in the image of God!

It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days - This was universally allowed by the Jews in the abstract; and Jesus only showed them that the principle on which they acted in other things applied with more force to the case before him, and that the act which he was about to perform was, by their own confession, lawful.

Mat 12:13

Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand - This was a remarkable commandment.

The man might have said that he had no strength - that it was a thing which he could not do. Yet, "being commanded,"it was his duty to obey. He did so, and was healed. So the sinner. It is his duty to obey whatever God commands. He will give strength to those who endeavor to do his will. It is not right to plead, when God commands us to do a thing, that we have no strength. He will give us strength, if there is a disposition to obey. At the same time, however, this passage should not be applied to the sinner as if it proved that he has no more strength or ability than the man who had the withered hand. It proves no such thing: it has no reference to any such case. It may be used to prove that man should instantly obey the commands of God, without pausing to examine the question about his ability, and especially without saying "that he can do nothing."What would the Saviour have said to this man if he had objected that he could not stretch out his hand?

It was restored whole - Christ had before claimed divine authority and power Mat 12:6-9, he now showed that he possessed it. By his "own power"he healed him, thus evincing by a miracle that his claim of being Lord of the Sabbath was well founded.

These two cases determine what may be done on the Sabbath. The one was a case of "necessity,"the other of "mercy."The example of the Saviour, and his explanations, show that these are a part of the proper duties of that holy day. Beyond an "honest"and "conscientious"discharge of these two duties, people may not devote the Sabbath to any secular purpose. If they do, they do it at their peril. They go beyond what His authority authorizes them to do. They do what he claimed the special right of doing, as being Lord of the Sabbath. They usurp His place, and act and legislate where God only has a right to act land legislate. People may as well trample down any other law of the Bible as that respecting the Sabbath.

Poole: Mat 12:11-12 - -- Ver. 11,12. Mark saith, Mar 3:3-5 , And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. And he saith unto them, is it lawful to ...

Ver. 11,12. Mark saith, Mar 3:3-5 , And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. And he saith unto them, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. Luke reports it thus, Luk 6:8,9 , But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? To save life, or to destroy it? Christ knew their thoughts; he needed not that any man should tell him what was in the heart of men; he knew their design in coming, and propounding this question. He calls this man with the withered hand to stand forth, that all men might see, and take notice of him. Then he argues the case with the Pharisees, telling them, that they themselves would grant, that if a man had a sheep fallen into a pit on the sabbath day, they might labour so far as to take it out; so, it seemeth, in Christ’ s time they did expound the law. They also knew that the life or good of a man was to be preferred before the life of a beast. In their reproving him, therefore, they condemned themselves in a thing which they allowed. Then he propounds a question to them, which Matthew hath not, but it is mentioned both by Mark and Luke. He asketh them whether it was lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? To save life, or to destroy it? The argument is this, Whatsoever is good to save the life of man may be done on the sabbath day; but this is a good action; if I should not lend him my help when it is in my power, I should, in the sense of God’ s law, kill him.

Gill: Mat 12:12 - -- How much then is a man better than a sheep?.... As a rational creature must be better, and more excellent, than an irrational one, more care is to be ...

How much then is a man better than a sheep?.... As a rational creature must be better, and more excellent, than an irrational one, more care is to be taken of, and more mercy shown unto, the one, than the other: even the health of a man is preferable to the life of a beast; and if it is lawful to give food to a beast, and make use of means for its relief, and for the lifting it up out of a ditch, when fallen into it on the sabbath day, "wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days", to men; to do acts of beneficence and humanity to them, among which must be reckoned healing of diseases and infirmities: and particularly, if it is lawful to take a sheep out of a ditch on the sabbath day, it must be right to restore to a man the use of his hand on such a day; and especially to one that gets his bread by his hand labour, as it is very likely this man did. This was such a strong way of arguing, that the Jews could not well object to it; and it appears, that they were confounded and put to silence; for, as Mark observes, "they held their peace": and indeed they allow of everything to be done where life is in danger, though not otherwise: they say h,

"they may take care of the preservation of life on the sabbath; and if he is prepared for it, lo! this is praiseworthy, and there is no need to take a licence from the sanhedrim: as when a man sees a child fallen into the sea, he may spread a net, and bring him out; and if he is prepared for it, lo! this is praiseworthy, and there is no need to take a licence from the sanhedrim, though he was fishing: if he sees a child fallen into a ditch, he may rake into the mud and bring him out; and if he is prepared for it, lo! this is praiseworthy, and there is no need to take a licence from the sanhedrim, though he had set a ladder ready.''

It is said of Hillell i, that

"he sat by a window to hear the words of the living God, from the mouth of Shemaia and Abtalion; and they say that that day was the evening of the sabbath, and the winter solstice, and the snow descended from heaven; and when the pillar of the morning ascended, (when it was daylight,) Shemaia said to Abtalion, brother Abtalion, all other days the house is light, but today it is dark, perhaps it is a cloudy day: they lift up their eyes, and saw the form of a man at the window; they went up, and found upon him snow the height of three cubits; they broke through and delivered him; and they washed him, and anointed him, and set him over against his dwelling, and said, very worthy is this man להלל עליו את שבת, "to profane the sabbath for him".''

And if it was lawful to dig a man out of the snow, and do these several things for him on the sabbath day, why not cure a man of a withered hand, and especially when done by a word speaking, and without any labour?

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Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

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Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Mat 12:1-50 - --1 Christ reproves the blindness of the Pharisees concerning the breach of the sabbath,3 by scripture,9 by reason,13 and by a miracle.22 He heals a man...

Maclaren: Mat 12:1-14 - --The Pharisees' Sabbath And Christ's At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn; and His disciples were an hungred, and began to pluc...

MHCC: Mat 12:9-13 - --Christ shows that works of mercy are lawful and proper to be done on the Lord's day. There are more ways of doing well upon sabbath days, than by the ...

Matthew Henry: Mat 12:1-13 - -- The Jewish teachers had corrupted many of the commandments, by interpreting them more loosely than they were intended; a mistake which Christ discov...

Barclay: Mat 12:9-14 - --This incident is a crucial moment in the life of Jesus. He deliberately and publicly broke the Sabbath Law; and the result was a conference of the o...

Barclay: Mat 12:9-14 - --Jesus went into the synagogue, and in it was a man with a paralysed hand. Our gospels tell us nothing more about this man, but the Gospel according...

Constable: Mat 11:2--13:54 - --IV. The opposition to the King 11:2--13:53 Chapters 11-13 record Israel's rejection of her Messiah and its conse...

Constable: Mat 12:1-50 - --B. Specific instances of Israel's rejection of Jesus ch. 12 Matthew has shown that opposition to Jesus c...

Constable: Mat 12:1-21 - --1. Conflict over Sabbath observance 12:1-21 The first two instances of conflict arose over Sabba...

Constable: Mat 12:9-14 - --The healing of a man with a withered hand 12:9-14 (cf. Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11) In the previous encounter Jesus appealed to Scripture, but in this one...

College: Mat 12:1-50 - --MATTHEW 12 E. SABBATH CONTROVERSY: INCIDENT IN THE GRAINFIELD (12:1-8) As noted earlier, the following two conflict scenes provide concrete illustr...

McGarvey: Mat 12:9-14 - -- XXXIX. JESUS DEFENDS HEALING A WITHERED HAND ON THE SABBATH. (Probably Galilee.) aMATT. XII. 9-14; bMARK III. 1-6; cLUKE VI. 6-11.    ...

Lapide: Mat 12:1-48 - --1-50 CHAPTER XII. At that time Jesus went through the corn fields (Through the crops of corn becoming white, or ripe), &c. Luke adds that this Sabb...

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Introduction / Outline

Robertson: Matthew (Book Introduction) THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW By Way of Introduction The passing years do not make it any plainer who actually wrote our Greek Matthew. Papias r...

JFB: Matthew (Book Introduction) THE author of this Gospel was a publican or tax gatherer, residing at Capernaum, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. As to his identity with t...

JFB: Matthew (Outline) GENEALOGY OF CHRIST. ( = Luke 3:23-38). (Mat. 1:1-17) BIRTH OF CHRIST. (Mat 1:18-25) VISIT OF THE MAGI TO JERUSALEM AND BETHLEHEM. (Mat 2:1-12) THE F...

TSK: Matthew (Book Introduction) Matthew, being one of the twelve apostles, and early called to the apostleship, and from the time of his call a constant attendant on our Saviour, was...

TSK: Matthew 12 (Chapter Introduction) Overview Mat 12:1, Christ reproves the blindness of the Pharisees concerning the breach of the sabbath, Mat 12:3, by scripture, Mat 12:9, by reaso...

Poole: Matthew 12 (Chapter Introduction) CHAPTER 12

MHCC: Matthew (Book Introduction) Matthew, surnamed Levi, before his conversion was a publican, or tax-gatherer under the Romans at Capernaum. He is generally allowed to have written h...

MHCC: Matthew 12 (Chapter Introduction) (Mat 12:1-8) Jesus defends his disciples for plucking corn on the sabbath day. (Mat 12:9-13) Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the sabbath. ...

Matthew Henry: Matthew (Book Introduction) An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Gospel According to St. Matthew We have now before us, I. The New Testament of our Lord and Savior...

Matthew Henry: Matthew 12 (Chapter Introduction) In this chapter, we have, I. Christ's clearing of the law of the fourth commandment concerning the sabbath-day, and vindicating it from some super...

Barclay: Matthew (Book Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SAINT MATTHEW The Synoptic Gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke are usually known as the Synoptic Gospels. Synopt...

Barclay: Matthew 12 (Chapter Introduction) Crisis (Mat_12:1-50) In Mattthew 12 we read the history of a series of crucial events in the life of Jesus. In every man's life there are decisive ...

Constable: Matthew (Book Introduction) Introduction The Synoptic Problem The synoptic problem is intrinsic to all study of th...

Constable: Matthew (Outline) Outline I. The introduction of the King 1:1-4:11 A. The King's genealogy 1:1-17 ...

Constable: Matthew Matthew Bibliography Abbott-Smith, G. A. A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T. & T. Cl...

Haydock: Matthew (Book Introduction) THE HOLY GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW INTRODUCTION. THIS and other titles, with the names of those that wrote the Gospels,...

Gill: Matthew (Book Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO MATTHEW The subject of this book, and indeed of all the writings of the New Testament, is the Gospel. The Greek word ευαγγελ...

College: Matthew (Book Introduction) INTRODUCTION HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION It may surprise the modern reader to realize that for the first two centuries of the Christian era, Matthew's...

College: Matthew (Outline) OUTLINE I. ESTABLISHING THE IDENTITY AND ROLE OF JESUS THE CHRIST - Matt 1:1-4:16 A. Genealogy of Jesus - 1:1-17 B. The Annunciation to Joseph...

Lapide: Matthew (Book Introduction) PREFACE. —————— IN presenting to the reader the Second Volume [Matt X to XXI] of this Translation of the great work of Cornelius à Lapi...

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