Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 11:24
But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, in the day of judgment, than for thee.
Verse 24. But – it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom] , the land of the Sodomites; i.e. the ancient inhabitants of that city and its neighbourhood.
In Jude, Jude 1:7, we are told that these persons are suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah happened A. M. 2107, which was 1897 years before the incarnation. What a terrible thought is this! It will be more tolerable for certain sinners, who have already been damned nearly four thousand years, than for those who, live and die infidels under the Gospel! There are various degrees of punishments in hell, answerable to various degrees of guilt, and the contempt manifested to, and the abuse made of; the preaching of the Gospel, will rank semi-infidel Christians in the highest list of transgressors, and purchase them the hottest place in hell! Great God! save the reader from this destruction!
Day of judgment] May either refer to that particular time in which God visits for iniquity, or to that great day in which he will judge the world by the Lord Jesus Christ. The day of Sodom’s judgment was that in which it was destroyed by fire and brimstone from heaven, Ge 19:24; and the day of judgment to Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, was the time in which they were destroyed by the Romans, Mt 11:23. But there is a day of final judgment, when Hades itself, (sinners in a state of partial punishment in the invisible world) shall be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, which is the second death. See Re 20:14.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
24. But I say unto you, That itshall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment,than for thee“It has been indeed,” says Dr. STANLEY,”more tolerable, in one sense, in the day of its earthlyjudgment, for the land of Sodom than for Capernaum; for the name, andperhaps even the remains of Sodom are still to be found on the shoresof the Dead Sea; while that of Capernaum has, on the Lake ofGennesareth, been utterly lost.” But the judgment of which ourLord here speaks is still future; a judgment not on material cities,but their responsible inhabitantsa judgment final andirretrievable.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But I say unto you,…. Capernaum, and the inhabitants thereof, as before, to Chorazin and Bethsaida.
It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, in the day of judgment, than for thee: though the punishment of the men of Sodom will be very great, their iniquities being horribly dreadful and enormous, yet more easy to be borne than the vengeance, which, in the last and general judgment, will fall upon such, who have had the means of grace, and have despised them; especially such as had the personal presence, ministry, and miracles of Christ among them, as the Capernaites had. Such a way of expressing and setting forth the severer punishment of others, by that of Sodom, is not unusual in the Old Testament; see La 4:6 nor in Jewish writers, who say r, that
“the Israelites were fit for, or deserved,
, “a far more heavy punishment than the punishment of Sodom”: because they abounded with prophets, rising early, and sending them, but they did not hearken; whereas Sodom had no hands stayed on her, or prophets to warn them.”
r Tzeror Hammor, fol. 82. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
1) “But I say unto you,” (plen lego humin) “However I certify (to) you all,” regarding the attitude of those of these three cities in particular, directly, Mat 12:36-37.
2) “That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom,” (hoti ge Sodomon anektoteron) “That for the area of Sodom more tolerable,” or bearable, (estai) “It will be,” for those in the regions of Sodom, because they had less knowledge than these have been given, Pro 1:21-29; Pro 29:1.
3) “In the day of judgment, than for thee.” (en hemera keiseos e soi) “In (the) day of judgement than for you,” as a city, and individuals in these cities of Chorazin, Bethsadia, and Capernaum in particular, Luk 12:46-48; Heb 4:7.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
“But I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”
Note the solemn repetition of ‘I say to you’. Again the same principle applies. Even sinful Sodom will not be found to be as guilty as Capernaum in the Day of Judgment, that day which was considered by the Jews to be the time when ‘the wicked Gentiles’, and especially Sodom, received their due.
‘The land of Sodom.’ Sodom was, of course, long gone, but its land still bore the taint of its guilt, and was still liable to judgment. Or perhaps ‘land of’ is intended to signify all the cities of the plain combined.
Certain important theological lessons arise from these words, even though allowance must be made for the deliberately picturesque and exaggerated language. The first is that a time of judgment awaits all men when all will be called to account (Mat 25:31-46; Joh 5:29; Act 17:31; 2Th 1:7-9; Rev 6:16-17; Rev 14:14-20; Rev 19:11-21; Rev 20:11-15). The second is that there will be levels of guilt and punishment (Mat 12:41-42; Mat 23:13; Luk 12:47-48). The third is that God is sovereign in the working out of His plan of salvation (e.g. Rom 8:28-30; Eph 1:3-14). And the fourth is the folly of people thinking that seeing mighty works might somehow make a difference to their response to God.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
Ver. 24. It shall be more tolerable ] Infidelity then is, in some respect, a worse sin than sodomy, and a heavier doom abides it. They that suffer least in hell, suffer more than they can either abide or avoid. All they suffer here is but typical of the wrath to come. Here the leaves only fall upon them, as it were, but there the whole trees too. Here they sip of the top of God’s cup, there they must drink the dregs, though it be eternity to the bottom. Howbeit Sodom shall suffer less than Capernaum, mitius punietur Cicero quam Catilina, saith an ancient, non quod bonus, sed quod minus malus. Cicero will be punished more milder than Catiline, not because he was good but because he was less wicked. The beast and the false prophet were cast alive into the burning lake (which imports a most direful and dreadful degree of torment), a when the rest of the antichristian rabble shall be first slain with the sword (not cast in alive) and then thrown to the infernal vultures, to be torn in pieces as a prey,Rev 19:20-21Rev 19:20-21 .
a Dirissimum exitii genus. Pareus.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
24, and 22. ] These verses are connected with those respectively preceding them thus: ‘If these mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon in Sodom they would have, &c.; but, since no such opportunity was afforded them , and ye , Bethsaida, Chorazin, and Capernaum, have had and rejected such, it shall be more tolerable, &c.’ And as to the saying of our Lord, ‘If more warnings had been given they would have repented,’ it is not for the infidel to say, ‘Why then were not more given?’ because every act of God for the rescue of a sinner from his doom is purely and entirely of free and undeserved grace, and the proportion of such means of escape dealt out to men is ruled by the counsel of His will who is holy, just, and true, and willeth not the death of the sinner; but whose ways are past our finding out. We know enough when we know that all are inexcusable, having (see Rom 1:1-32 ; Rom 2:1-29 .) the witness of God in their consciences; and our only feeling should be overflowing thankfulness, when we find ourselves in possession of the light of the glorious Gospel, of which so many are deprived.
That the reference here is to the last great day of judgment is evident, by the whole being spoken of in the future. Had our Lord been speaking of the outward judgment on the rebellious cities, the future might have been used of them , but could not of Sodom, which was already destroyed.
This is one of those mysterious hints at the future dealings of God, into which we can penetrate no further than the actual words of our Lord reveal, nor say to what difference exactly they point in the relative states of those who are compared. See also Luk 12:47-48 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
24, and 22.] These verses are connected with those respectively preceding them thus:-If these mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon-in Sodom-they would have, &c.; but, since no such opportunity was afforded them, and ye, Bethsaida, Chorazin, and Capernaum, have had and rejected such, it shall be more tolerable, &c. And as to the saying of our Lord, If more warnings had been given they would have repented,-it is not for the infidel to say, Why then were not more given?-because every act of God for the rescue of a sinner from his doom is purely and entirely of free and undeserved grace, and the proportion of such means of escape dealt out to men is ruled by the counsel of His will who is holy, just, and true, and willeth not the death of the sinner; but whose ways are past our finding out. We know enough when we know that all are inexcusable, having (see Rom 1:1-32; Rom 2:1-29.) the witness of God in their consciences; and our only feeling should be overflowing thankfulness, when we find ourselves in possession of the light of the glorious Gospel, of which so many are deprived.
That the reference here is to the last great day of judgment is evident, by the whole being spoken of in the future. Had our Lord been speaking of the outward judgment on the rebellious cities, the future might have been used of them, but could not of Sodom, which was already destroyed.
This is one of those mysterious hints at the future dealings of God, into which we can penetrate no further than the actual words of our Lord reveal, nor say to what difference exactly they point in the relative states of those who are compared. See also Luk 12:47-48.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
more: Mat 11:22, Mat 10:15, Lam 4:6, Mar 6:11, Luk 10:12
Reciprocal: Gen 13:13 – But the Gen 19:5 – General Gen 19:24 – the Lord Deu 32:32 – of the vine of Sodom 1Ki 2:20 – Ask on Jer 23:14 – Sodom Eze 16:3 – Thy birth Eze 16:48 – General Mat 23:14 – therefore Luk 4:23 – whatsoever Luk 17:29 – General Rom 2:12 – For 2Pe 2:21 – it had 2Pe 3:7 – against 1Jo 4:17 – the day
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1:24
For more tolerable see the comments on verse 22.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 11:24. A future judgment is referred to, since our Lord speaks of what shall take place with regard to Sodom, which had been so long destroyed. The inhabitants had not been annihilated.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Observe here, 1. That there shall be a day of judgment.
2. That in the day of judgment some sinners shall fare worse than others. There are degrees of punishment among the damned.
3. That the worst of heathens, who never heard of a Saviour, nor ever had an offer of salvation by him, shall fare better in the day of judgment than those that continue impenitent under the gospel. Christ here avouches, that Capernaum’s sentence shall exceed Sodom’s for severity.