Which is shed for many (το περι πολλων ἐκχυννομενον [to
peri pollōn ekchunnomenon]). A prophetic present passive participle. The
act is symbolized by the ordinance. Cf. the purpose of Christ expressed in
20:28. There ἀντι [anti] and here περι [peri].
Unto remission of sins (εἰς ἀφεσιν ἁμαρτιων [eis
aphesin hamartiōn]). This clause is in Matthew alone but it is not to be
restricted for that reason. It is the truth. This passage answers all the
modern sentimentalism that finds in the teaching of Jesus only pious ethical
remarks or eschatological dreamings. He had the definite conception of his
death on the cross as the basis of forgiveness of sin. The purpose of the
shedding of his blood of the New Covenant was precisely to remove (forgive)
sins. (A.T. Robertson, Word
Pictures in the New Testament [Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman Press, 1933], Logos
Bible Software edition)
In Jewish legend there is the murder of Isaiah. Further, the Zechariah
whose murder is recorded in 2 Chron 24 20ff. came to be identified with
Zechariah the prophet. We should perhaps make allowance for a certain amount of
poetic licence here, and taken Jerusalem as typical of Israel as a whole. The
present participles of the Greek text may then be taken to mean something like
'ever ready to slay the prophets and stone her messengers'. (T. W. Manson, The
Sayings of Jesus As Recorded in the Gospels According to St. Matthew and St.
Luke Arranged with Introduction and Commentary [London: SCM Press Ltd.,
1937], 127)
Ἰερουσαλὴμ Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἡ ἀποκτείνουσα τοὺς τροφήτας καὶ λιθοβολουσα τοὺς ἀπεσταλμένους
πρὸς αὐτήν. Compare
21:35; also Neh 9:26; Jer 2:30. So also Luke and therefore Q. Note the
(Semitic?) solecism and the catchword connexion with v. 34 (‘I send to you
prophets’, ‘the prophets sent’). The double vocative here adds, as Clement of
Alexandria, Paid. 1:9–7:9, saw,
emphasis and pathos (cf. Acts 9:4), and the divine passive (‘sent’)
distinguishes the speaker (Jesus) from the sender (God). For the killing of the
prophets see on 23:31, and for stoning (see on 21:35) note Jn 8:59 (Jesus);
Acts 7:59 (Stephen); Heb 11:37 (OT heroes); 4 Baruch 9 (Jeremiah); Josephus, Ant. 4:22 (Moses); b. Sanh. 43a (Jesus); Exod.
Rab. on 6:13 (Moses). The Zechariah of 2 Chr 24:20–2 (cf. 5:35) was stoned,
and this fact enhances narrative continuity. Manson, Sayings, pp. 126–7, rightly observing that Jewish tradition does
not place many executions of prophets in Jerusalem, suggested that the present
participles may mean ‘ever ready to slay and stone’. This is probably correct,
although we observe that in our Gospel ‘all Jerusalem’ has been complicit in
the slaughter of infants (2:1–12), has sent Pharisees to oppose Jesus, and has
been predicted as the place of the Messiah’s execution (16:21; 20:17–18). (W.
D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., A
Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew,
3 vols. [International Critical Commentary [London: T&T Clark
International, 2004], 3:320)
Jesus speaks first of what the inhabitants of the city have done in
the past. Jerusalem is the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s
messengers (the present participles point not to an occasional aberration, but
to the continuing practice). (Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew [The Pillar New Testament Commentary;
Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1992], 590-91)
Poured out has sometimes been rendered “shed” (for
example, Brc). Whichever expression is used, the readers must understand that
it refers to death. (Barclay Moon Newman and Philip C. Stine,
A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew [UBS
Handbook Series; New York: United Bible Societies, 1992], 805)
My blood: see Lv 17:11 for the concept that the blood is “the seat of life” and that
when placed on the altar it “makes atonement.” Which will be shed: the present participle, “being shed” or “going
to be shed,” is future in relation to the Last Supper. (Donald
Senior, John J. Collins, and Mary Ann Getty, eds., The Catholic Study Bible, 2
vols. (2d ed.; New York: Oxford University Press, 2011), 2:1391)
