SEV Biblia, Chapter 23:15
¡Ay de vosotros, escribas y fariseos, hipcritas! Porque rodeis el mar y la tierra por hacer un proslito; y cuando fuere hecho, le hacis hijo del quemadero dos veces ms que vosotros.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:15
Verse 15. Compass sea and land] A proverbial expression, similar to ours, You leave no stone unturned; intimating that they did all in their power to gain converts, not to God, but to their sect. These we may suppose were principally sought for among the Gentiles, for the bulk of the Jewish nation was already on the side of the Pharisees. Proselyte] proshlutov, a stranger, or foreigner; one who is come from his own people and country, to sojourn with another. See the different kinds of proselytes explained in the note on Exodus xii. 43.
The child of hell] A Hebraism for an excessively wicked person, such as might claim hell for his mother, and the devil for his father.
Twofold-the child of] The Greek word diploteron, which has generally been translated twofold, KYPKE has demonstrated to mean more deceitful. aplouv is used by the best Greek writers for simple, sincere, aplothv for simplicity, sincerity; so diplouv, deceitful, dissembling, and diploh, hypocrisy, fraudulence, and diploteron, more fraudulent, more deceitful, more hypocritical. See also Suidas in diploh.
Dr. Lightfoot, and others, observe, that the proselytes were considered by the Jewish nation as the scabs of the Church, and hindered the coming of the Messiah; and Justin Martyr observes, that "the proselytes did not only disbelieve Christ's doctrine, but were abundantly more blasphemous against him than the Jews themselves, endeavouring to torment and cut off the Christians wherever they could; they being in this the instruments of the scribes and Pharisees."
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 15. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites , etc.] The same character, and woe, are still continued, and a new reason added, confirming the justness of them, in order to awaken and convince them, or, however, to caution the people against them: for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte ; that is, to the Jewish religion, and their particular sect. There were two sorts of proselytes among them; one was called bwt rg , a proselyte of the gate, one that might dwell in any of their towns, and cities, and who is thus described f1258 ; Who is a proselyte of the gate? whosoever takes upon him, before three neighbours, that he will not commit idolatry. R. Meir and the wise men say, whosoever takes upon him the seven precepts which the sons of Noah took upon them: others say, these do not come into the general rule of a proselyte of the gate: who is then a proselyte of the gate? this is a proselyte, that eats what dies of itself, but takes upon him to fulfil all the commandments said in the law, except that which forbids the eating of things that die of themselves.
But the usual account of such an one is, who agrees to the seven precepts commanded the children of Noah f1259 , which were these f1260 ; the first forbad idolatry, the second blasphemy, the third murder, the fourth uncleanness, the fifth theft, the sixth required judgment, or punishment on malefactors, the seventh forbad eating the member of any creature alive.
The other proselyte was called qdx rg , a proselyte of righteousness; and he was one that submitted to circumcision f1261 , and the rest of the ceremonies of the law; and was in all respects as an Israelite himself; and of this sort is the text to be understood. The Ethiopic version reads the words, baptize one proselyte, and when he is baptized; referring to a custom among the Jews, who baptized; or dipped their proselytes in water, as well as circumcised them; about which there are great disputes in their writings; some alleging, that the dipping of them was necessary to the making them proselytes; others affirming, that it was not: a proselyte that is circumcised, and not dipped, dipped, and not circumcised, the whole follows after, or depends on circumcision, says R. Eliezer.
R. Joshua says, even dipping delays it; (i.e. the want of it, hinders a man from being a proselyte;) but R. Joshua ben Levi says, it should go according to the tradition of Bar Kaphra; for the tradition of Bar Kaphra is, that he that is circumcised, and not dipped, lo! he is right; for there is no proselyte but what is dipped, because of the pollutions that happen to him f1262 .
And elsewhere this is debated in the following manner: a proselyte that is circumcised, and not dipped, R. Eliezer says, lo! this is a proselyte; for so we find concerning our fathers, that they were circumcised, but not dipped. One that is dipped, and not circumcised, R. Joshua says, lo! this is a proselyte; for so we find concerning our mothers, that they were dipped, but not circumcised. The wise men say, one that is dipped, and not circumcised, or circumcised, and not dipped, is no proselyte, until he is both circumcised and dipped.
So the dispute ended, and it became a settled point, that one should never be reckoned a proselyte, unless he was both circumcised and dipped. And after this it became customary to receive proselytes by circumcision, dipping, and sacrifice; and the manner was this f1264 : a stranger that comes to be made a proselyte at this time, they say unto him, what dost thou see, that thou comest to be made a proselyte? dost thou not know that the Israelites at this time are miserable, banished, drove about, and plundered, and chastisements come upon them? If he says, I know this, but it does not satisfy me, they receive him immediately, and make known some of the light commands, and some of the heavy commands to him; and they acquaint him with the business gleanings, the forgotten sheaf, the corner of the field left standing, and the poors tithe: they also inform him of the penalties of the commands, and say unto him, know thou, that before thou camest into this way, thou didst eat fat, and was not punished with cutting off; thou didst profane the sabbath, and was not punished with stoning? but now if thou eatest fat, thou wilt be punished with cutting off; and if thou profanest the sabbath, thou wilt be punished with stoning: and as they inform him of the penalties of the precepts, so they acquaint him with the giving of the rewards of them; saying to him, know thou that the world to come is not made but for the righteous; and the Israelites at this time cannot receive neither much good, nor much punishment? but they do not multiply words, nor critically inquire of him; if he receives these things, they immediately circumcise him; and if there remain in him obstructions, hindering circumcision, they circumcise him a second time; and when he is healed they immediately dip him; and two disciples of the wise men stand over him, and acquaint him with some of the light commands, and some of the heavy commands; then he dips, and comes up, and is as an Israelite in all respects: if a woman, the women set her in water up to her neck, and two disciples of the wise men stand by her without, and inform her of some of the light commands, and some of the heavy commands.
And, as Maimonides adds, who gives a larger account of this matter, she sits in the water, and after that dips herself before them; and they turn away their faces, and go out, so that they do not see her, when she comes out of the water.
From all which it appears, that this affair was moved after our Lords time; was not a settled point till a good while after; and is a custom that has obtained since the Jews were drove out of their own land; though they pretend to say it was an ancient practice of their fathers, of which they can give no sufficient proof; wherefore there could be no regard had to it in this text, and consequently the Ethiopic version of it is not a right one; nor can the dipping of proselytes by the Jews be what Christian baptism takes its rise from, or in any respect be modelled according to it, between which, in many things, there is a wide difference. Now the Jews were very diligent and industrious, which is meant by compassing of sea and land: they used all kinds of methods, ways and means, to gain such a point, and sometimes very wicked ones. Rabbenu Tam allowed a daughter of Israel to change her religion, and a stranger to lie with her, that she might confirm it, when he became a proselyte.
And this they were so exceeding fond of, not out of any regard to the glory of God, or the good of the souls of men; nor did they really love the proselytes: and it is often said by them f1267 , that proselytes are hard or uneasy to Israel, as the itch or scab.
The gloss says, because they were not expert in the commandments, and were the cause of punishment, and the Israelites were apt to imitate their works; but they coveted to make them, because hereby either they strengthened their own party, or filled their purses with their substance, or got applause and credit among the common people; for the making a proselyte was reckoned a very great action, and is ascribed to the patriarchs Abraham and Jacob, and made equal to creation f1268 . Says R. Eliezer, in the name of R. Jose ben Zimra, if all that come into the world were gathered together to create even one fly, they would not be able to put breath into it: but you will object what he saith, the souls they made in Haran, ( Genesis 12:5), but these are the proselytes whom Abraham proselyted; but why does he say made, and not proselyted? to teach thee, that whoever brings near a stranger, and proselytes him, is as if he created him. You will say Abraham made proselytes, but not Sarah: the text is, the souls which they made in Haran: which he made is not written, but which they made: Abraham proselyted the men, and Sarah proselyted the women.
And a little after, Jacob made proselytes, as it is written, ( Genesis 35:2) Jacob said unto his household, And in imitation of these they might be fond of making proselytes, but no further than their own interest was some way or other concerned: and when he is made, ye make him two fold more the child of hell than yourselves ; for to their former errors in heathenism, some of which they might still retain, they added new ones, they received from them, equally as bad, and were but more and more deserving of hell, and even more than their masters; and besides, were trained up by them in the most bitter prejudices against Christ, and his Gospel; and many of them proved more violent persecutors of the followers of Christ, than the original Jews themselves: (see Acts 15:5 14:2,19) Our Lord here seems to oppose a common notion and saying of theirs f1269 , that when one was made a proselyte, he became entirely like a new born babe; but so far from being like one in innocence and harmlessness, that he became a child of hell, filled with wrath and malice, and fitted for destruction; and so opposes another notion of theirs, that hellfire has no power over their disciples, nor even over the transgressors of Israel f1270 : but they will find it, by experience, that neither their descent from Abraham, nor their learning, nor their religion, will save them from the devouring flames, which their sins have made them so deserving of, and so are nhyg ynb , children of hell f1271 ; a Talmudic phrase; the meaning of which they understood well enough, and which was applicable to them, and more so to their proselytes; and that as owing to them, which was an aggravation of their own guilt and condemnation.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 13-33 - The scribes and Pharisees were enemies to the gospel of Christ, an therefore to the salvation of the souls of men. It is bad to keep awa from Christ ourselves, but worse also to keep others from him. Yet it is no new thing for the show and form of godliness to be made a cloa to the greatest enormities. But dissembled piety will be reckone double iniquity. They were very busy to turn souls to be of their party. Not for the glory of God and the good of souls, but that the might have the credit and advantage of making converts. Gain being their godliness, by a thousand devices they made religion give way to their worldly interests. They were very strict and precise in smalle matters of the law, but careless and loose in weightier matters. It is not the scrupling a little sin that Christ here reproves; if it be sin, though but a gnat, it must be strained out; but the doing that and then swallowing a camel, or, committing a greater sin. While the would seem to be godly, they were neither sober nor righteous. We ar really, what we are inwardly. Outward motives may keep the outsid clean, while the inside is filthy; but if the heart and spirit be mad new, there will be newness of life; here we must begin with ourselves The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was like the ornament of a grave, or dressing up a dead body, only for show. The deceitfulness of sinners' hearts appears in that they go down the streams of the sins of their own day, while they fancy that they shoul have opposed the sins of former days. We sometimes think, if we ha lived when Christ was upon earth, that we should not have despised an rejected him, as men then did; yet Christ in his Spirit, in his word in his ministers, is still no better treated. And it is just with God to give those up to their hearts' lusts, who obstinately persist i gratifying them. Christ gives men their true characters.
Greek Textus Receptus
ουαι 3759 INJ υμιν 5213 P-2DP γραμματεις 1122 N-VPM και 2532 CONJ φαρισαιοι 5330 N-VPM υποκριται 5273 N-VPM οτι 3754 CONJ περιαγετε 4013 5719 V-PAI-2P την 3588 T-ASF θαλασσαν 2281 N-ASF και 2532 CONJ την 3588 T-ASF ξηραν 3584 N-ASF ποιησαι 4160 5658 V-AAN ενα 1520 A-ASM προσηλυτον 4339 N-ASM και 2532 CONJ οταν 3752 CONJ γενηται 1096 5638 V-2ADS-3S ποιειτε 4160 5719 V-PAI-2P αυτον 846 P-ASM υιον 5207 N-ASM γεεννης 1067 N-GSF διπλοτερον 1362 A-ASM-C υμων 5216 P-2GP
Robertson's NT Word Studies
23:15 {Twofold more a son of hell than yourselves} (huion geennes diploteron h-mwn). It is a convert to Pharisaism rather than Judaism that is meant by "one proselyte" (hena prosluton), from prosercomai, newcomers, aliens. There were two kinds of convert: of the gate (not actual Jews, but God-fearers and well-wishers of Judaism, like Cornelius), of righteousness who received circumcision and became actual Jews. But a very small per cent of the latter became Pharisees. There was a Hellenistic Jewish literature (Philo, Sibylline Oracles, etc.) designed to attract Gentiles to Judaism. But the Pharisaic missionary zeal (compass, periagte, go around) was a comparative failure. And success was even worse, Jesus says with pitiless plainness. The "son of gehenna" means one fitted for and so destined for gehenna. "The more converted the more perverted" (H.J. Holtzmann). The Pharisees claimed to be in a special sense sons of the kingdom (#Mt 8:12). They were more partisan than pious. Diplous (twofold, double) is common in the papyri. The comparative here used, as if from diplos, appears also in Appian. Note the ablative of comparison h-m"n. It was a withering thrust.
