Matthew 21:18

A Barren Fig Tree Cursed

18 Now early in the morning, [as he] was returning to the city, he was hungry.

Matthew 21:18 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 21:18

Now in the morning
Greek "in the first", or morning light, in the dawn, or break of day, the first spring of light; so the Latins ^F19 use "prima luce" for early in the morning, as soon as ever day breaks: so early did Christ rise, and return from Bethany to Jerusalem;

and as he returned to the city.
The Persic version renders it, "they returned"; which, though not a good version, gives a true sense; for, as Christ went with the twelve to Bethany, as Mark affirms, so these returned with him, as is clear from what follows. Thus Christ, day after day, went to and from Jerusalem: in the evening he went to Bethany, or to some part of the Mount of Olives, and there abode all night, and returned in the daytime to Jerusalem, and taught in the temple; for it does not appear that he was one night in Jerusalem, before the night of the passover.

He hungered,
rising so early before his friends were up, he had eaten nothing that morning, and so before he had got far from Bethany, found himself hungry; which proves the truth of his human nature, which was in all respects like to ours, excepting sin.

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FOOTNOTES:

F19 Caesar. Comment. 1. 1. p. 14. & passim. Curtius, 1. 5. c. 5. passim. Apulei Metamorph. 1. 9. p. 134.

Matthew 21:18 In-Context

16 And they said to him, "Do you hear what these [children] are saying?" So Jesus said to them, "Yes, have you never read, 'Out of the mouths of children and nursing babies you have prepared for yourself praise'?"

17 And leaving them, he went outside of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.

18 Now early in the morning, [as he] was returning to the city, he was hungry.

19 And seeing a single fig tree by the road, he went to it and found nothing on it except leaves only. And he said to it, "May there be no more fruit from you {forever}, and the fig tree withered at once.

20 And [when they] saw [it], the disciples were astonished, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?"

Footnotes

• [a]. *Here "[as]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("was returning") which is understood as temporal