SEV Biblia, Chapter 10:29
¿No se venden dos pajarillos por un cuarto? Con todo, ni uno de ellos cae a tierra sin vuestro Padre.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 10:29
Verse 29. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?] assariou. A Roman AS was one-tenth of a DENARIUS, which was about sevenpence-halfpenny, and one-tenth of sevenpence- halfpenny makes just three farthings. The word assarion, which we translate farthing, is found among the rabbins in the word roy[ aisar, which, according to Maimonides, is equal to four grains of silver, but is used among them to express a thing of the lowest, or almost no value. Our Lord seems to have borrowed the expression, One of them shall not fall on the ground, &c., from his own countrymen. In Bereshith Rabba, sec. 79, fol. 77, it is said: In the time in which the Jews were compelled to apostatize, Rab. Simeon, Ben. Jochai, and Eliezer his son hid themselves in a cave, and lived upon dry husks.
After thirteen years they came out; and, sitting at the mouth of the cave, they observed a fowler stretching his nets to catch birds; and as often as the Bath Kol said owmyd dimos, escape! the bird escaped; but when it said alwqpo spicula, a dart, the bird was taken. Then the rabbin said, Even a bird is not taken without Heaven, i.e. without the will of God, how much less the life of man! The doctrine intended to be inculcated is this: The providence of God extends to the minutest things; every thing is continually under the government and care of God, and nothing occurs without his will or permission; if then he regards sparrows, how much more man, and how much more still the soul that trusts in him! Fall on the ground] Instead of epi thn ghn, Origen, Clement, Chrysostom, Juvencus, and six MSS. of Mathai, read eiv thn pagida, into a snare. Bengel conjectures that it might have been written at first, epi thn paghn; that the first syllable pa being lost out of the word, ghn, the earth, instead of paghn, snare, became the common reading.
Without your Father.] Without the will of your Father: thv boulhv, the will or counsel, is added here by Origen, Coptic, all the Arabic, latter Persic, Gothic, all the Itala except two; Tert., Iren., Cypr., Novatian, and other Latin fathers. If the evidence be considered as insufficient to entitle it to admission into the text, let it stand there as a supplementary italic word, necessary to make the meaning of the place evident.
All things are ordered by the counsel of God. This is a great consolation to those who are tried and afflicted. The belief of an all-wise, all-directing Providence, is a powerful support under the most grievous accidents of life. Nothing escapes his merciful regards, not even the smallest things of which he may be said to be only the creator and preserver; how much less those of whom he is the Father, saviour, and endless felicity! See on "Luke xii. 7".
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 29. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? etc.] A farthing, with the Jews, was a very small coin; according to them it contained four grains of silver f655 ; was the ninety sixth part of a sela, or shilling f656 ; and sometimes they make it to be of the same value with an Italian farthing: for they say f657 , it is of the value of eight prutahs: and a prutah is the eighth part of an Italian farthing: it is used proverbially to signify a very little thing in the Misna f658 ; if of a command, which is light rsyak as a farthing, which Bartenora explains a very little thing, the law says, that it may be well with thee, much more of the weighty commands in the law.
Hence, in Munsters Hebrew Gospel, it is rendered by wjq [bj , a little piece of money; and this was the common price of two sparrows. Our Lord appeals to his disciples, for the truth of it, as a thing well known: according to the question in Luke, five sparrows were sold for two farthings, which makes them somewhat cheaper still. This shows they were of little account. And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father : some copies add, which is in heaven; meaning, that one of them should not be shot, or be killed, without the knowledge, will, and pleasure of God. The design of Christ is to assert the doctrine of providence, as reaching to all creatures and things, even the most minute and worthless: he instances not in men, nor in the beasts of the field, but in the fowls of the air, and in those of the inferior sort, and more useless, in sparrows, yea in little sparrows; as the word may be rendered; whose price was so low, that two are obliged to be put together to fetch the least sum of money current: and yet the providence of God is concerned with each of these; so that not one of them is taken in a snare, or killed with a stone, or shot flying, or sitting, but by the will of God: from whence it may be strongly concluded, that nothing comes by chance; that there is no such thing as contingency with respect to God, though there is to men, with respect to second causes; that all things are firmly ordained by the purpose of God, and are wisely ordered by his providence: and our Lords further view is, from this consideration, to animate his disciples to a free, open, and constant preaching of his Gospel, not regarding their lives for his sake; for since their heavenly Father, in his providence, takes care of the meanest, even of the most irrational creatures, so that the life of one of them is not taken away without his will, much more will he take care of them; nor could their valuable lives be lost without his will and pleasure. Much such a way of arguing is used by the Jews, who say, an rb k lk adby al aym yd[lbm rwpx , a bird without God does not perish, much less a man; or, as it is elsewhere expressed, a bird without God is not hunted, or taken, how much less does the soul of a man go out of him?
And again f661 , a bird without God does not fly away, much less the soul of a man.
Two birds, or sparrows, as the word may be rendered, in ( Leviticus 14:4) were used in cleansing the leper; one was killed, and the other let loose into the open field: and though it might be a contingent thing with men which was killed, and which preserved, yet not with God; and some think the allusion is here to that case.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 16-42 - Our Lord warned his disciples to prepare for persecution. They were to avoid all things which gave advantage to their enemies, all meddlin with worldly or political concerns, all appearance of evil of selfishness, and all underhand measures. Christ foretold troubles, no only that the troubles might not be a surprise, but that they migh confirm their faith. He tells them what they should suffer, and from whom. Thus Christ has dealt fairly and faithfully with us, in tellin us the worst we can meet with in his service; and he would have us dea so with ourselves, in sitting down and counting the cost. Persecutor are worse than beasts, in that they prey upon those of their own kind The strongest bonds of love and duty, have often been broken throug from enmity against Christ. Sufferings from friends and relations ar very grievous; nothing cuts more. It appears plainly, that all who wil live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution; and we must expec to enter into the kingdom of God through many tribulations. With thes predictions of trouble, are counsels and comforts for a time of trial The disciples of Christ are hated and persecuted as serpents, and their ruin is sought, and they need the serpent's wisdom. Be ye harmless a doves. Not only, do nobody any hurt, but bear nobody any ill-will Prudent care there must be, but not an anxious, perplexing thought; le this care be cast upon God. The disciples of Christ must think more ho to do well, than how to speak well. In case of great peril, the disciples of Christ may go out of the way of danger, though they mus not go out of the way of duty. No sinful, unlawful means may be used to escape; for then it is not a door of God's opening. The fear of ma brings a snare, a perplexing snare, that disturbs our peace; a entangling snare, by which we are drawn into sin; and, therefore, it must be striven and prayed against. Tribulation, distress, an persecution cannot take away God's love to them, or theirs to him. Fea Him, who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. They mus deliver their message publicly, for all are deeply concerned in the doctrine of the gospel. The whole counsel of God must be made known, A 20:27. Christ shows them why they should be of good cheer. Their sufferings witnessed against those who oppose his gospel. When God calls us to speak for him, we may depend on him to teach us what to say. A believing prospect of the end of our troubles, will be of grea use to support us under them. They may be borne to the end, because the sufferers shall be borne up under them. The strength shall be accordin to the day. And it is great encouragement to those who are doin Christ's work, that it is a work which shall certainly be done. See ho the care of Providence extends to all creatures, even to the sparrows This should silence all the fears of God's people; Ye are of more valu than many sparrows. And the very hairs of your head are all numbered This denotes the account God takes and keeps of his people. It is ou duty, not only to believe in Christ, but to profess that faith, i suffering for him, when we are called to it, as well as in serving him That denial of Christ only is here meant which is persisted in, an that confession only can have the blessed recompence here promised which is the real and constant language of faith and love. Religion i worth every thing; all who believe the truth of it, will come up to the price, and make every thing else yield to it. Christ will lead u through sufferings, to glory with him. Those are best prepared for the life to come, that sit most loose to this present life. Though the kindness done to Christ's disciples be ever so small, yet if there by occasion for it, and ability to do no more, it shall be accepted Christ does not say that they deserve a reward; for we cannot merit an thing from the hand of God; but they shall receive a reward from the free gift of God. Let us boldly confess Christ, and show love to him in all things __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
ουχι 3780 PRT-I δυο 1417 A-NUI στρουθια 4765 N-NPN ασσαριου 787 N-GSN πωλειται 4453 5743 V-PPI-3S και 2532 CONJ εν 1520 A-NSN εξ 1537 PREP αυτων 846 P-GPN ου 3756 PRT-N πεσειται 4098 5695 V-FDI-3S επι 1909 PREP την 3588 T-ASF γην 1093 N-ASF ανευ 427 PREP του 3588 T-GSM πατρος 3962 N-GSM υμων 5216 P-2GP
Vincent's NT Word Studies
29. Sparrows (strouqia). The word is a diminutive, little sparrows, and carries with it a touch of tenderness. At the present day, in the markets of Jerusalem and Jaffa, long strings of little birds, sparrows and larks, are offered for sale, trussed on long wooden skewers. Edersheim things that Jesus may have had reference to the two sparrows which, according to the Rabbins, were used in the ceremonial of purification from leprosy (Lev. xiv. 49-54).Shall not fall. A Rabbinic legend relates how a certain Rabbi had been for thirteen years hiding from his persecutors in a cave, where he was miraculously fed; when he observed that when the bird-catcher laid his snare, the bird escaped or was caught, according as a voice from heaven proclaimed "Mercy" or "Destruction." Arguing that if even a sparrow cannot be caught without heaven's bidding, how much more safe was the life of a son of man, he came forth.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
10:29 {Two sparrows} (duo strouqia). Diminutive of strouthos and means any small bird, sparrows in particular. They are sold today in the markets of Jerusalem and Jaffa. "For a farthing" (assariou) is genitive of price. Only here and #Lu 12:6 in the N.T. Diminutive form of the Roman _as_, slightly more than half an English penny. {Without your Father} (aneu tou patros h-m"n). There is comfort in this thought for us all. Our father who knows about the sparrows knows and cares about us.
