The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible Luke 2:7
And she brought forth her firstborn son…
At Bethlehem,
as was predicted; and the Jews themselves own, that the Messiah is
already born, and born at Bethlehem. They have a tradition, that an
Arabian should say to a Jew F11
``Lo! the king Messiah is born; he said to him, what is his
name? Menachem: he asked him, what is his father's name?
he replied to him, Hezekiah; he said unto him, from whence
is he? he answered, from the palace of the king of
Bethlehem.''
Which is elsewhere F12 reported, with some little variation; the
Arabian said to the Jew,
``the Redeemer of the Jews is born; he said unto him, what
is his name? he replied, Menachem is his name: and what is
his father's name? he answered, Hezekiah: he said unto
him, and where do they dwell? he replied, in Birath Arba,
in Bethlehem.''
And the Jewish chronologer affirms F13, that
``Jesus the Nazarene, was born at Bethlehem Judah, a "parsa" and
a half from Jerusalem.''
And even the author of the blasphemous book of the life of Christ
owns F14, that
``Bethlehem Judah was the place of his nativity.''
Jesus is called Mary's firstborn, because she had none before him;
though she might not have any after him; for the first that opened
the matrix, was called the firstborn, though none followed after,
and was holy to the Lord, (Exodus 13:2) . Christ, as to his human nature;
was Mary's firstborn; and as to his divine nature, God's firstborn:
and wrapped him in swaddling clothes;
which shows, that he was in all
things made like unto us, sin only excepted. This is one of the first
things done to a new born infant, after that it is washed, and its
navel cut; see (Ezekiel 16:4) and which Mary did herself, having neither
midwife nor nurse with her; from whence it has been concluded, that the
birth of Jesus was easy, and that she brought him forth without pain,
and not in that sorrow women usually do;
and laid him in a manger.
The Persic version serves for a comment;
"she put him into the middle of the manger, in the place in which they
gave food to beasts; because in the place whither they came, they had
no cradle": this shows the meanness of our Lord's birth, and into what
a low estate he came; and that now, as afterwards, though Lord of all,
yet had not where to lay his head in a proper place; and expresses his
amazing grace, in that he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor: and
the reason of his being here laid was,
because there was no room for them in the inn.
It seems that
Joseph had no house of his own to go into, nor any relation and friend
to receive him: and it may be, both his own father and Mary's father
were dead, and therefore were obliged to put up at an inn; and in this
there was no room for them, because of the multitude that were come
thither to be enrolled: and this shows their poverty and meanness, and
the little account that was made of them; for had they been rich, and
made any considerable figure, they would have been regarded, and room
made for them; especially since Mary was in the circumstances she was;
and it was brutish in them to turn them into a stable, when such was
her case.
FOOTNOTES:
F11 T. Hieros. Berncot, fol. 5. 1.
F12 Echa Rabbati, fol. 50. 1.
F13 David Ganz, ut supra. (par. 2. fol. 14. 2.)
F14 Toldos Jesu, p. 7.
|
Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernised and adapted for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved, Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography Information
Gill, John. "Commentary on Luke 2:7". "The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible". <http://www.studylight.org/com/geb/view.cgi?book=lu&chapter=002&verse=007>. 1999.
|
|
Printer friendly version
HOME 
TOP
