John 12:12
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On the next day, much people that were come to the feast,
&c.] Of the passover; and they were much people indeed, that came yearly to this feast, from all parts of the nation; for all the males in Israel, were obliged to appear at this time; and though the women were not obliged, yet multitudes of them came, and the fame of Jesus might bring the more; add to which, that there was now a general expectation of the Messiah's coming, which brought the Jews from all parts of the world, to Jerusalem; so that this might be called indeed, (Nykwem xop) , "a crowded passover": and though the following account is a stretching it too far, yet it may serve to illustrate this matter:
``would you desire to know what multitudes were at Jerusalem of the priests, you may know, as it is written, ( 1 Kings 8:63 ) , and the tradition is, that an ox was offered for twenty four, and a sheep for eleven.--King Agrippa sought to know what was the number of the multitude, which were in Jerusalem; he said to the priests, lay by for me one kidney of every passover lamb; they laid by for him six hundred thousand pair of kidneys, double the number of those that came out of Egypt: and there is never a passover lamb, but there are more than ten numbered for it F13''Now the day following the supper at Bethany, and which seems to be the first day of the week, this multitude of people,
when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem;
from Bethany, which was soon known, it being so near.
F13 Echa Rabbati, fol. 42. 3, 4.