Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 24:30
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
30. the sign of the Son of man in heaven ] What this shall be it is vain to conjecture, but when it appears its import will be instantly recognised by the faithful.
in the clouds ] Translate, on the clouds.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The sign of the Son of man – The evidence that he is coming to destroy the city of Jerusalem. It is not to be denied, however, that this description is applicable also to his coming at the day of judgment. The disciples had asked him Mat 24:3 what should be the sign of his coming, and of the end of the world. In his answer he has reference to both events, and his language may be regarded as descriptive of both. At the destruction of Jerusalem, the sign or evidence of his coming was found in the fulfillment of these predictions. At the end of the world, the sign of his coming will be his personal approach with the glory of his Father and the holy angels, 1Th 4:16; Luk 21:27; Mat 26:64; Act 1:11.
All the tribes of the earth mourn – That is, either all the tribes or people of the land of Judea shall mourn at the great calamities coming upon them, or all the nations of the world shall wail when he comes to judgment. All the wicked shall mourn at the prospect of their doom, Rev 1:7. The cause of their wailing at the day of judgment will be chiefly that they have pierced, killed, rejected the Saviour, and that they deserve the condemnation that is coming upon them, Joh 19:37; Zec 12:12.
And they shall see the Son of man – The Lord Jesus coming to judgment. Probably this refers more directly to his coming at the last day, though it may also mean that the evidence of his coming to destroy Jerusalem will then be seen.
In the clouds of heaven – He ascended in a cloud, Act 1:9. He shall return in like manner, Act 1:11. The clouds of heaven denote not the clouds in heaven, but the clouds that appear to shut heaven, or the sky, from our view.
With power – Power, manifest in the destruction of Jerusalem, by the wonders that preceded it, and by the overturning of the temple and city. In the day of judgment, power manifest by consuming the material world 2Pe 3:7, 2Pe 3:10, 2Pe 3:12; by raising the dead Joh 5:29-30; 1Co 15:52; by changing those who may be alive when he shall come – that is, making their bodies like those who have died, and who have been raised up 1Th 4:17; 1Co 15:52; by bringing the affairs of the world to a close, receiving the righteous to heaven Mat 25:34; 1Co 15:57, and sending the wicked, however numerous or however strong, down to hell, Mat 25:41, Mat 25:46; Joh 5:29.
Great glory – The word glory here means the visible display of honor and majesty. This glory will be manifested by the manner of his coming Mat 26:64, by the presence of the angels Mat 25:31, and by the wonders that shall attend him down the sky.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 30. Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man] The plain meaning of this is, that the destruction of Jerusalem will be such a remarkable instance of Divine vengeance, such a signal manifestation of Christ’s power and glory, that all the Jewish tribes shall mourn, and many will, in consequence of this manifestation of God, be led to acknowledge Christ and his religion. By , of the land, in the text, is evidently meant here, as in several other places, the land of Judea and its tribes, either its then inhabitants, or the Jewish people wherever found.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Mark saith, Mar 13:26,27, And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Luke saith, Luk 21:27,28, And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with great power and glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Interpreters are also divided about these words, as about the former, some understanding them concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, and judging that by the sign of the coming of the Son of man is probably meant some prodigy or some comet seen before that destruction, which should be of that nature as it should make the Jews (here called the tribes of the earth) to mourn; they by the angels and trumpet, mentioned Mat 24:31, understanding the ministers of the gospel, who after the destruction of Jerusalem should go and preach the gospel over all the world, and so gather in the elect into the gospel church. But I cannot agree to this sense, and most interpreters expound these words of the last judgment. What is meant by
the sign of the Son of man all are not so well agreed. Two of the evangelists say only the Son of man. Matthew mentions first the appearance of the sign of the Son of man, then the Son of man himself; probably it signifieth some great prodigy that shall be seen before that great and terrible day. Those things which incline me to think that the day of judgment, not the destruction of Jerusalem, is that which is spoken of in these verses, is;
1. That all the phrases are such as the Scripture useth to express Christs coming to the last judgment: his coming in the clouds of heaven, Mat 26:64; Rev 1:7; the tribes of the earth mourning, Rev 1:7; his coming with the angels, and the sound of a trumpet, Mat 25:31; Mar 8:38; 1Co 15:52; 1Th 4:16; his sending his angels to gather the elect, Mat 13:49.
2. The tribes of the earth mourning, seems to signify more than the twelve tribes of Israel.
3. That which Luke hath, Look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh; seemeth hardly applicable to the destruction of Jerusalem, rather to the redemption of the body, mentioned Rom 8:23.
For the gospel before this time was carried to the Gentiles; nor do I know that that is any where called redemption. Those things which have led some learned interpreters to expound Mat 24:29-31 of the destruction of Jerusalem, are, I conceive, those particles, immediately after the tribulation of those days, Mat 24:29 and the particle then, Mat 24:30; together with Mat 24:34 where our Saviour saith, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. But the term, immediately after the tribulation of those days, may signify not only the destruction of Jerusalem, but that, and all the calamities of those days that should follow that, to the end of the world: and it is very usual for prophetical scriptures to speak of things to come long after as if they were presently to come to pass, Deu 32:35; and the day of judgment is ordinarily spoken of as if it were at hand, 1Th 4:15; Jam 5:8; 1Jo 2:18, both to denote the certainty of it, and to keep us from security, and to let us know that a thousand years in Gods sight are but as one day, 2Pe 3:8. For in Mat 24:34, we shall give the sense of it, in its order.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Ver. 30 And then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven,…. Not the sound of the great trumpet, mentioned in the following verse; nor the clouds of heaven in this; nor the sign of the cross appearing in the air, as it is said to do in the times of Constantine: not the former; for though to blow a trumpet is sometimes to give a sign, and is an alarm; and the feast which the Jews call the day of blowing the trumpets, Nu 29:1 is, by the Septuagint, rendered , “the day of signification”; yet this sign is not said to be sounded, but to appear, or to be seen, which does not agree with the sounding of a trumpet: much less can this design the last trumpet at the day of judgment, since of that the text does not speak; and, for the same reason, the clouds cannot be meant in which Christ will come to judgment, nor are clouds in themselves any sign of it: nor the latter, of which there is no hint in the word of God, nor any reason to expect it, nor any foundation for it; nor is any miraculous star intended, such as appeared at Christ’s first coming, but the son of man himself: just as circumcision is called the sign of circumcision, Ro 4:11 and Christ is sometimes called a sign, Lu 2:34 as is his resurrection from the dead, Mt 12:39 and here the glory and majesty in which he shall come: and it may be observed, that the other evangelists make no mention of the sign, only speak of the son of man, Mr 13:26 and he shall appear, not in person, but in the power of his wrath and vengeance, on the Jewish nation which will be a full sign and proof of his being come: for the sense is, that when the above calamities shall be upon the civil state of that people, and there will be such changes in their ecclesiastical state it will be as clear a point, that Christ is come in the flesh, and that he is also come in his vengeance on that nation, for their rejection and crucifixion him, as if they had seen him appear in person in the heavens. They had been always seeking a sign, and were continually asking one of him; and now they will have a sign with a witness; as they had accordingly.
And then shall the tribes of the earth, or land, mourn; that is, the land of Judea; for other lands, and countries, were not usually divided into tribes, as that was; neither were they affected with the calamities and desolations of it, and the vengeance of the son of man upon it; at least not so as to mourn on that account, but rather were glad and rejoiced:
and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. The Arabic version reads it, “ye shall see”, as is expressed by Christ, in Mt 26:64. Where the high priest, chief priests, Scribes, and elders, and the whole sanhedrim of the Jews are spoken to: and as the same persons, namely, the Jews, are meant here as there; so the same coming of the son of man is intended; not his coming at the last day to judgment; though that will be in the clouds of heaven, and with great power and glory; but his coming to bring on, and give the finishing stroke to the destruction of that people, which was a dark and cloudy dispensation to them: and when they felt the power of his arm, might, if not blind and stupid to the last degree, see the glory of his person, that he was more than a mere man, and no other than the Son of God, whom they had despised, rejected, and crucified; and who came to set up his kingdom and glory in a more visible and peculiar manner, among the Gentiles.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The sign of the Son of Man in heaven ( ). Many theories have been suggested like the cross in the sky, etc. Bruce sees a reference to Da 7:13 “one like the Son of man” and holds that Christ himself is the sign in question (the genitive of apposition). This is certainly possible. It is confirmed by the rest of the verse: “They shall see the Son of man coming.” See Matt 16:27; Matt 26:64. The Jews had repeatedly asked for such a sign (Broadus) as in Matt 12:38; Matt 16:1; John 2:18.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Mourn [] . Stronger : beat their breasts in anguish.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
30. Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man. By this term Christ points out more clearly the difference between the present condition of his kingdom and its future glory; for it is a sort of admission that, amidst the darkness of tribulations, the majesty of Christ will not fully appear, and men will not perceive the redemption which he has brought. The confused mixture of things which we now perceive does certainly, on the one hand, darken our minds, and, on the other hand, bury the grace of Christ, and make it almost vanish from our sight, so that the salvation obtained by him, so far as relates to the perception of the flesh, is not comprehended. And therefore he declares that he will appear openly at his last coming and, surrounded by the heavenly power, which will be a sign erected on an elevated spot, he will turn the eyes of the whole world upon himself. (153)
Perceiving that the greater part of men would despise his doctrine and oppose his reign, he threatens also against all nations mourning and lamentation; because it is proper, that by his presence he should crush and destroy the rebels, who, while he was absent, despised his authority. He says this, partly to bring the haughty and refractory to repentance, by striking them with terror; and partly to confirm the minds of his followers amidst so great obstinacy existing in the world. For it is no slight ground of offense to see the ungodly living without concern, because they think that their mockery of God will remain unpunished; and again, there is nothing to which we are more prone than to be captivated by the allurements of the prosperity which they enjoy, so as to lose the fear of God. That the joy by which they are intoxicated may not excite the envy of believers, Christ declares that it will at length be turned into mourning and gnashing of teeth.
He alludes, I think, to Zec 12:11, where God, informing them that a striking display of his judgment will soon be made, declares that there will be lamentation in every family, such as is not usually seen at the funeral of a first-born son. There is no reason, therefore, why any person should expect the conversion of the world, for at length—when it will be too late, and will yield them no advantage—
they shall look on him whom they pierced, (Zec 12:10.)
Next follows the explanation of that sin, that they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds, who at that time was living on earth in the garb of a despised servant. And thus he warns them that the glory of his kingdom will be heavenly, and not earthly, as the disciples had falsely imagined.
(153) “ La puissance celeste, de laquelle il sera environné, servira comme d’une enseigne desployee pour contreindre tout le monde à le regarder;” — “the heavenly power, by which he shall be surrounded, will serve as a standard displayed to compel the whole world to look at him.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(30) Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man.Can we picture to ourselves what this sign shall be? Is it distinct from the coming of the Son of Man which here is so closely united with it? Men have given wildly conjectural answers to these questions, and have dreamt of the cross as appearing in the sky (as if the vision of Constantine were to be reproduced in the last days), or the lightning flash that shall dazzle all men with its brightness, or of some visible manifestation which none can imagine till it shall come. The vision of Dan. 7:13 supplies, it is believed, the true answer. The sign of the Son of Man is none other than the presence of the Son of Man Himself, coming in the clouds of heaven, in the ineffable glory of His majesty. And here, too, we must remember that we are still in the region of apocalyptic symbols. All such imagery falls short of the ultimate reality, and a sign in heaven is something more than a visible appearance in the sky.
Then shall all the tribes of the earth.It lies in the nature of the case, that the tribes are those who have done evil, and who therefore dread the coming of the Judge. The words find their best comment in Rev. 1:7, where St. John combines them freely with the prediction of Zec. 12:10, They also which pierced Him, obviously including not only those who were sharers in the actual piercing of the crucified body of the Lord Jesus (Joh. 19:37), but all who in any age crucify the Son of God afresh (Heb. 6:6).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
30. The sign The token, the visible glory preceding the distinguishable person of the Son of man. The sign of his presence will appear before the outline of his form can be described. Tribes mourn because they see him, for his person soon becomes visible after the pomp of his glory has announced him.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“And then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then will all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
And then the great sign will be seen, the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven, Compare Act 7:55-56 where precisely the same sign, more secretly given, was to be an encouragement to the new-born church. And when they see this sign all the tribes of the earth will mourn, because the One whom they have rejected has now come to be their judge (compare Rev 1:7). These ‘tribes of the earth’, representing the people of earth (compare ‘those who dwell on earth’ which occurs regularly in Revelation), may be seen as in deliberate contrast with ‘the twelve tribes of Israel’ who represent the believing people of God (Mat 19:28; Jas 1:1; Rev 7:1-8) who are joyfully looking for His coming.
Some see ‘the sign’ as signifying the raising of some kind of banner which will announce His coming, in line with Isa 11:10; Isa 11:12 (it is followed by the trumpet in Mat 24:31). There the ‘root of Jesse (and thus of David) — stands for an ensign of the peoples to whom the nations seek and His resting place will be glory’. Thus the Son of Man will be like a standard raised so that His people from among all nations may to gather to it, in order to share His glory.
‘Then will all the tribes of the earth mourn.’ Compare Rev 1:7, ‘behold He comes with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, and they who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.’ The idea would appear to be of sorrow and anguish because they had failed to acknowledge Him before it was too late (similar to the weeping and gnashing of teeth elsewhere).
This would appear to have in mind Zec 12:10, ‘and I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication, and they will look on Me Who they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and be in bitterness for him as one who is in bitterness for his firstborn.’ This is then followed in Zec 13:1 by a fountain opened for sin and uncleanness. If that be the case there may here be a hint of hope for last minute repentance, but Zec 12:10 to Zec 13:1 more probably refers primarily to the coming of the Holy Spirit and its results (Acts 2), so that Jesus’ idea here may rather be of a contrast between that appearance and this one at the end when that hope has gone, and all that awaits is bitterness of soul at what they have lost.
Then they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. The kingship, power and glory given to Him at His resurrection (Mat 28:18; Act 2:36; Dan 7:13-14), and initially demonstrated in the activities of the early church (Mat 16:28; Mat 26:64; Mar 9:1; Luk 9:27; Act 7:55-56), will be revealed to all at His glorious appearing (Mat 16:27; Mat 25:31 ; 2Th 1:7-8; Tit 2:13). ‘Coming on the clouds of Heaven’ signifies His heavenly nature and power, and the power and great glory stress that He has come as judge (compare Mat 25:31). Thus for His own there will be joy, and for others bitterness of soul.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 24:30. And then shall appear the sign, &c. The plain meaning of this is, that the destruction of Jerusalem will be such a remarkable instance of divine vengeance, such a signal manifestation of Christ’s power and glory, that all the Jewish tribes shall mourn, and many will be thence led to acknowledge Christ and the Christian religion. In the ancient prophets God is frequently described as coming in the clouds, upon anyremarkableinterpositionandmanifestationofhispower;andthesamedescription is here applied to Christ. See Bishop Newton, and Gerhard’s Dissertations, p. 200, &c. and Joh 6:30. Dr. Clarke says, that the sign here mentioned means the figure given by the prophet Daniel, the signal of that Son of man there described. Instead of the tribes of the earth, some read the tribes of the land.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 24:30 . ] and then , when what is intimated at Mat 24:29 shall have arrived.
] universally, and so not visible merely to the elect (Cremer), which would not be in keeping with what follows.
. .] accordingly the sign inquired about in Mat 24:3 , that phenomenon, namely, which is immediately to precede the coming Messiah, the Son of man of Dan 7:13 , and which is to indicate that His second advent is now on the point of taking place, which is to be the signal of this latter event. As Jesus does not say what this is to be, it should be left quite indefinite; only this much may be inferred from what is predicted at Mat 24:29 about the darkening of the heavenly bodies, that it must be of the nature of a manifestation of light , the dawning of the Messianic which is perhaps to go on increasing in brilliancy and splendour until the Messiah Himself steps forth from the midst of it in the fulness of His glory. There is no foundation for supposing, with Cyril, Hilary, Chrysostom, Augustine, Jerome, Erasmus, that the allusion is to a cross appearing in the heavens; with Hebart, that it is to the rending of heaven or the appearing of angels; with Fleck and Olshausen, that it is to the star of the Messiah (Num 24:17 ); similarly Bleek, though rather more by way of conjecture. Following the older expositors, Fritzsche, Ewald, Hengstenberg, R. Hofmann understand the coming Messiah Himself: “miraculum, quod Jesus revertens Messias oculis objiciet” (accordingly, taking . . as a genitive of subject; while Wolf, Storr, Weiss, Bibl. Theol. p. 56, Exo 2 , assume it to be a genitive of apposition ). This view is inconsistent not only with what follows, where the words , . . . evidently point to something still farther in the future, and which the serves to introduce, but also with the question of the disciples, Mat 24:3 . R. Hofmann thinks that the reference is to that apparition in the form of a man which is alleged to have stood over the holy of holies for a whole night while the destruction of the capital was going on. A legendary story (chronicled by Ben-Gorion); and it may be added that what is said, vv 29 31, certainly does not refer to the destruction of Jerusalem, after which event Hofmann supposes our evangelist to have written. Lastly, some (Schott, Kuinoel) are even of opinion that does not point to any new and special circumstance at all to anything beyond what is contained in Mat 24:29 ; but the introduction of the sequel by is decidedly against this view.
] a new point brought forward: and then , when this has been displayed.
] Comp. Zec 12:10 ; Rev 1:7 ; with what a totally different order of things are they now on the point of being confronted, what a breaking up and subversion of all the previous relationships of life, what a separation of elements hitherto mingled together, and what a deciding of the final destinies of men at the judgment of the old and the ushering in of the new ! Hence , being seized with terror and anguish, they will mourn (see on Mat 11:17 ). The sorrow of repentance (Dorner, Ewald) is not to be regarded as excluded from this mourning. There is no adequate reason to suppose, with Ewald, that, in the collection of our Lord’s sayings (the ), probably occurred twice here, and that it was reserved for the last redactor of those sayings to make a play upon the word by substituting .
, . . .] as in Dan 7:13 .
. . . .] This great power and majesty will also be displayed in the accompanying angel-hosts, Mat 24:31 . The are not: “ omnes familiae Judaeorum ” (Kuinoel), as those who explain Mat 24:29 ff. of the destruction of Jerusalem must understand the words, but: all the tribes of the earth . Comp. Gen 12:3 ; Gen 28:14 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Ver. 30. The sign of the Son of man ] That is, either Christ himself (by a Hebraism), or the dreadful dissolution of the world’s fabric, or that cloud of heaven that was of old the sign of the Son of man in the wilderness,Exo 13:21Exo 13:21 , or the scars of his wounds, or his cross, or something else that we cannot describe, and need not search into. Look how a king, when he would gather his forces into one, sets up his standard, or appoints his rendezvous; so such shall be the brightness of Christ’s coming, that all his shall be gathered unto him by that token, not to fight; but to triumph with him and divide the spoil, as it were, being more than conquerors; and what is that but triumphers? The expectation of this day must (as that did with David’s soldiers at Ziklag) digest all our sorrows.
And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn ] This to prevent, we must judge ourselves,1Co 11:311Co 11:31 , and take unto us words against our sins, if we would not have Christ take unto him words against our souls, Hos 14:3 . Good men have been exceedingly affected at the hearing of God’s judgments against others, as Hab 3:16 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
30. ] This , so emphatically placed and repeated, is a definite declaration of time , not a mere sign of sequence or coincidence, as e.g. in Mat 24:23 : when these things shall have been somewhile filling men’s hearts with fear, THEN shall, &c.
It is quite uncertain what the shall be: plainly, not the Son of Man Himself , as Some explain it (even Bengel, generally so valuable in his explanations, says ‘Ipse erit signum sui,’ and quotes Luk 2:12 as confirming this view; but there the swaddling clothes and the manger were the ‘sign,’ not the child ), nor any outward marks on his body , as his wounds; for both these would confuse what the prophecy keeps distinct the seeing of the sign of the Son of Man, and all tribes of the earth mourning, and afterwards seeing the Son of Man Himself . This is manifestly some sign in the Heavens , by which all shall know that the Son of Man is at hand The Star of the Wise Men naturally occurs to our thoughts but a star would not be a sign which all might read.
On the whole I think no sign completely answers the conditions but that of the Cross : and accordingly we find the Fathers mostly thus explaining the passage. But as our Lord Himself does not answer the question, ; we may safely leave the matter. I mention, just to shew how sensible expositors can be misled by a false interpretation of the whole, Wetstein’s strange paraphrase of . . . ., ‘fumus Hierosolymorum incensorum, qui interdiu solem, nocte vero lunam et Stellas obscurat.’
. . . ] see Zec 12:10-14 , where the mourning is confined to the families of Israel: here, it is universal: see reff. Rev.; also Mat 6:15-17 . This coming of the Son of Man is not that spoken of ch. Mat 25:31 , but that in 1Th 4:16-17 , and Rev 19:11 ff., His coming at the commencement of the millennial reign to establish His Kingdom : see Dan 7:13-14 .
is the power of this Kingdom , not, the host of heaven.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 24:30 . . Amid the general crash what longing would arise in Christian hearts for the presence of the Christ! To this longing the announcement introduced by these words “and then ” responds. . . . . The question what is this sign has greatly perplexed commentators, who make becoming confessions of ignorance. “We must not be positive in conjecturing,” Morison. “What this shall be it is vain to conjecture,” Cambridge N. T. Is the reference not to Dan 7:13 , “one like the Son of Man,” and the meaning: the sign which is the Son of Man, . . . . being genitive of appos.? So Weiss after Storr and Wolf. (“ , similis est illis quibus profani passim utuntur quando dicunt ,” i.e. , “vis Herculis seu ipse Hercules,” Wolf, Curae Phil. ) Christ His own sign, like the lightning or the sun, self-evidencing . , etc.: a clause not in Mk. and obscure in meaning; why mourn? because they recognise in the coming One their Judge? or because they see in Him one who had been despised and rejected of men, and penitently (taking the sin home to themselves) acknowledge His claims? (“believed on in the world,” 1Ti 3:16 ). , description of the coming, here as in Mat 16:27 , Mat 26:64 , in terms drawn from Dan 7:13 .
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
appear = shine forth. Greek. phaino. App-106.
the sign. As asked in Mat 24:3.
then shall, &c. Quoted from Zec 12:12.
earth = land. Greek. ge. App-129.
they shall see. Greek. opsomai. App-133.
in = [seated] upon. Greek. epi.
with. Greek. meta. Quoted from Dan 7:13.
with power and great glory = with power, yea, with great and glorious power. Figure of speech Hendiadys. App-6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
30.] This , so emphatically placed and repeated, is a definite declaration of time,-not a mere sign of sequence or coincidence, as e.g. in Mat 24:23 :-when these things shall have been somewhile filling mens hearts with fear,-THEN shall, &c.
It is quite uncertain what the shall be:-plainly, not the Son of Man Himself, as Some explain it (even Bengel, generally so valuable in his explanations, says Ipse erit signum sui, and quotes Luk 2:12 as confirming this view; but there the swaddling clothes and the manger were the sign, not the child), nor any outward marks on his body, as his wounds; for both these would confuse what the prophecy keeps distinct-the seeing of the sign of the Son of Man, and all tribes of the earth mourning, and afterwards seeing the Son of Man Himself. This is manifestly some sign in the Heavens, by which all shall know that the Son of Man is at hand The Star of the Wise Men naturally occurs to our thoughts-but a star would not be a sign which all might read.
On the whole I think no sign completely answers the conditions but that of the Cross:-and accordingly we find the Fathers mostly thus explaining the passage. But as our Lord Himself does not answer the question, ; we may safely leave the matter. I mention, just to shew how sensible expositors can be misled by a false interpretation of the whole, Wetsteins strange paraphrase of . . . .,-fumus Hierosolymorum incensorum, qui interdiu solem, nocte vero lunam et Stellas obscurat.
. . .] see Zec 12:10-14, where the mourning is confined to the families of Israel:-here, it is universal: see reff. Rev.; also Mat 6:15-17. This coming of the Son of Man is not that spoken of ch. Mat 25:31, but that in 1Th 4:16-17, and Rev 19:11 ff.,-His coming at the commencement of the millennial reign to establish His Kingdom: see Dan 7:13-14.
is the power of this Kingdom, not, the host of heaven.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 24:30. , the sign of the Son of Man[1055]) This is a more special sign; those which are mentioned in Luk 21:25 precede it, and are more general. The very appellation, the Son of Man, agrees with these things (cf. Gnomon on ch. Mat 16:13): for the mourning of the tribes of the earth is joined in Rev 1:7, with their seeing Him in person. Our Lord means therefore to say, Do not seek for any previous sign; see Mat 24:27. He Himself will be His own sign, as in Luk 2:12; and so much the more so, because conjointly with His actual appearance, or a little before it mankind will behold a triumphal procession (pompam) in the clouds: unless indeed a thick darkness, a dazzling glory, the form of the cross, or some star, also appear. Cf. ch. Mat 2:2. Before this He had been a sign which was spoken against (see Luk 2:34): then He will be a sign manifest to all. A Sign denotes something very remarkable and striking to the eyes, whether it contain the signification of something else, or of itself; see Rev 12:1. The sun, moon, and stars, having been extinguished, that sign will be visible in the brightness of the Lord, and thence in that of a cloud, and of the clouds.[1056] In short, the sign (cf. Mar 13:26; Mar 13:4) is the triumphal train of the Son of man coming in His glory, who is Himself to be beheld presently after, as this passage tells us- , the tribes) especially of Israel.-, shall see) Cf. Num 24:17.- , on the clouds) St Luke says, , on a cloud) He will be attended by many chariots;[1057] He will be borne on a very magnificent one.
[1055] Herein is contained a reply to the question proposed at Mat 24:3.-V. g.
[1056] Bengels expression, nubis ac nubium, of a cloud and of the clouds, evidently refers to Luk 21:27, Then shall they see the Son of Man coming IN A CLOUD, with power and great glory, and to the words which occur in the present verse, they shall see the Son of Man coming IN THE CLOUDS of Heaven with power and great glory.-(I. B.)
[1057] As is usual in a royal procession.-V. g.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
the sign: Mat 24:3, Dan 7:13, Mar 13:4, Rev 1:7
and then shall all: Zec 12:10, Rev 1:7
see: Mat 16:27, Mat 16:28, Mat 26:64, Mar 13:26, Mar 14:62-64, Luk 21:27, Luk 22:69, Act 1:11, 2Th 1:7
Reciprocal: Psa 103:21 – ministers Isa 49:21 – am desolate Jer 4:13 – Behold Dan 8:15 – as Amo 8:8 – every one Hag 2:6 – and I Zec 1:11 – they answered Zec 12:12 – the land Mat 10:23 – till Mar 8:38 – the Son Mar 9:1 – the kingdom Mar 16:10 – as Luk 9:26 – when Luk 17:24 – in Luk 21:11 – and great signs Act 3:20 – General 1Co 4:5 – until 1Th 4:16 – the Lord 2Th 1:9 – the glory Rev 12:1 – wonder
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4:30
Then means after the period predicted in the preceding verse. The Dark Ages lasted until the work of Luther and the other Reformers. That was another revolution in the religious and political world that broke up the union of church and state. After that event the Lord took up the second one of the great subjects that he had been describing since the disciples made their inquiry in verse 3. The length of time that was to elapse before the second coming is not important, but what is of much concern is that the second coming of Christ was not to be until after the Dark Ages. But it is also important that it is to be the next major event in the list of those in the present schedule. The mourning of humanity at that time is the same as John predicted in Rev 1:7, and the coming in the clouds is the same as was predicted in Act 1:11 and Jud 1:14.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
[And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man.] Then shall the Son of man give a proof of himself, whom they would not before acknowledge: as proof, indeed, not in any visible figure, but in vengeance and judgment so visible, that all the tribes of the earth shall be forced to acknowledge him the avenger. The Jews would not know him: now they shall now him, whether they will or no, Isa 26:11. Many times they asked of him a sign; now a sign shall appear, that he is the true Messias, whom they despised, derided, and crucified, namely, his signal vengeance and fury, such as never any nation felt from the first foundations of the world.
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Mat 24:30. The sign of the Son of Man in heaven. This points to some unmistakable appearance preceding the personal manifestation of Christ. Something like the Star of the wise men, some suppose; the Fathers thought, a sign of the cross in the heavens; a luminous appearance visible to all, itself a glory like the Shekinah of old, is the view of many. The important matter is to recognize it when it comes, not to know in advance what it will be.
All the tribes of the earth mourn. All races and peoples shall join in one chorus, first of great and solemn lamentation; not necessarily of real penitence, though that is not excluded, but rather of terror, occasioned by the events which have occurred and the foreboding of what is to follow. Comp. Rev 1:7; also Zec 12:10-14, where the families of Israel are represented as mourning.
And they shall see the Son of man coming. This coming is evidently that referred to in 1Th 4:16, at the first resurrection (Rev 20:5-6); a comparison with Rev 19:11 ff. suggests that this Advent precedes the millennium, but upon that point there has been much dispute. Certainly nothing is said here of the general judgment, but only of the gathering of Christs people (Mat 24:31).On the clouds of heaven. In like manner as He ascended (Act 1:9; Act 1:11).
With power and great glory, manifested in the establishment of His kingdom on the earth. Some prefer to regard this coming as the beginning of a series of judgments afterwards set forth in Mat 24:45-51; chap., covering the period symbolically set forth in the term thousand years in Rev 20:5-6; but with the exception of the final judgment, all these are represented as occurring before this coming of the Lord. The safest opinion is, that a Personal coming of Christ is here meant, to take place after the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Luk 21:24), and to be preceded by great catastrophes.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Then shall the tribes mourn; that is, then shall the Jews be convinced that their destruction was the punishment of their sin, in rejecting and crucifying Christ; and accordingly they that pierced him shall behold him, and mourn over him. Thus it was before the destruction of Jerusalem, and thus will it be before the final judgment. They that pierced him shall be brought before him.
Lord, how will the sight of a pierced Christ pierce their souls with horror! they who have not seen a pierced Christ in the sorrows of repentence, shall hereafter see him in the sorrows of despair.
To behold Christ with the eye of sense hereafter, will be very dreadful and terrible to all those that have not beheld him with the eye of faith here.
And he shall send his angels with the sound of trumpet. Those that apply this to the destruction of Jerusalem, by the angels understand the ministers of the gospel, who by the trumpet of the word did bring in believers throughout all Judea, who were saved from that destruction. Those that understand it of the general judgment, take it literally, that Christ at the great day will send forth his holy angels, and gather all his elect to himself with the sound of a trumpet.
Probably, as there was an audible sound of a trumpet at the giving of the law, so there shall be the like sound of a trumpet, when Christ shall summon the world to judgment, for transgressing that law. A joyful sound will this be to the friends of Christ, a doleful, dreadful sound in the ears of his enemies.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Mat 24:30-31. Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven Christ proceeds here in the same figurative style, and the plain meaning of his words is, that the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Jewish state, civil and religious, would be such a remarkable instance of divine vengeance, and such a signal manifestation of Christs power and glory, that all the Jewish tribes should mourn, and many should be led from thence to acknowledge him for the true Messiah. To explain this further it may be observed, The sign from heaven, which both the disciples and Pharisees expected, was some visible appearance of the Messiah in the clouds, and some miraculous interposition of his power, by which the Romans, the masters of the world, were to be destroyed, and a universal empire over all nations erected in behalf of the Jews. This sign they were led to expect, because Daniel had said prophetically, of the Son of man, (Dan 7:13,) that he saw him coming in the clouds of heaven, and that there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, &c. Nevertheless, by the coming of the Son of man in the clouds, Daniel meant his interposing for the destruction of his enemies, particularly the unbelieving Jews; and the erection of his own kingdom over all nations; a spiritual kingdom, a new dispensation of religion, which should comprehend the whole world within its pale. Therefore, to show the disciples that they had mistaken the prophecy, which referred wholly to the destruction of Jerusalem, and to the conversion of the Gentiles, he adopted it into his prediction of these events, and thereby settled its true meaning. Macknight. The figurative expression, Coming in the clouds of heaven, in several other passages of Scripture, signifies Gods interposing evidently and irresistibly, to execute vengeance on a wicked generation, and to assert his own government over the world. See 2Sa 22:10-12; Psa 97:2; Isa 19:1. He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, &c. This also is in the style of the prophets, and, stripped of its figures, means only that after the destruction of Jerusalem, Christ by his angels, or ministers, going forth with their powerful preaching, termed here the great sound of a trumpet, should gather to himself a glorious church, out of all the nations under heaven: that the Jews being thrust out, as he expresses it, Luk 13:28, &c., believers should come from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south, and should sit down in the kingdom, of God. Agreeably to this interpretation, we find the name , angels, used of common messengers, Jas 2:25; and of the ministers of the Asian churches, Rev 2:3.; of prophets, 2Ch 36:16; and of priests, Mal 2:7. And the preaching of the messengers of God is compared to the sound of a trumpet, Isa 58:1; Jer 6:17; Eze 33:3-6. No person, versed at all in ecclesiastical history, needs to be told that the Christian religion spread and prevailed mightily after this period; and that hardly any one thing contributed more to this success of the gospel than the destruction of Jerusalem and the ruin of the Jewish nation, falling out in the very manner and with the very circumstances so particularly foretold by our Lord.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
24:30 And then shall appear the {n} sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the {o} tribes of the earth {p} mourn, and they shall see the Son of man {q} coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
(n) The exceeding glory and majesty, which will bear witness that Christ the Lord of heaven and earth draws near to judge the world.
(o) All nations, and he alludes to the dispersion which we read of in Genesis 10-11 , or to the dividing of the people of Israel.
(p) They will be in such sorrow, that they will strike themselves: and it is transferred to the mourning.
(q) Sitting upon the clouds, as he was taken up into heaven.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
What is the sign of the Son of Man? One very old interpretation is that it is a display of the cross in the sky. [Note: Alford, 1:243.] This view has seemed fanciful to most interpreters. A popular view is that it will be a light and or a cloud similar to or perhaps identical with the Shekinah that will surround Jesus when He comes. [Note: M’Neile, p. 352; English, p. 177; Gaebelein, 2:209; Pentecost, The Words . . ., p. 404.] This seems most probable to me since Jesus evidently was referring to Dan 7:13 when He said these words. Furthermore when Jesus ascended to heaven in a cloud an angel told His disciples that He would return the same way (Act 1:11). The clouds symbolize the heavenly origin and character of the King (cf. Mat 17:5). [Note: Plummer, p. 336.] A third view is that the sign will be Christ. [Note: Allen, pp. 258-59; Darby, 3:125; Kelly, p. 27; Lenski, p. 948.] In this case the appearance of Christ would signify coming judgment. This may be the correct view.
Zechariah prophesied that all the tribes of Israel in the land would mourn in repentance (Zec 12:12). Jesus identified this prediction with His coming and broadened it to include all the tribes of the earth. Probably the unsaved will mourn because of the judgment they anticipate.