Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 19:15
And he laid [his] hands on them, and departed thence.
15. laid his hands on them ] No unmeaning act, therefore infants are capable of receiving a blessing, though not conscious of an obligation.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He laid his hands on them – Mark says he blessed them. That is, he pronounced or sought a blessing on them.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 15. He – departed thence.] That is, from that part of Judea which was beyond Jordan, Mt 19:1; and then went to Jericho. See Mt 20:29.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And he laid his hands on them,…. “And blessed them”, as Mark says; he put his hands upon them, according to the custom of the country, and wished all kind of prosperity to them:
and departed thence, out of the house where he had been, and his disciples with him: the Ethiopic version renders it, “and they went from thence”, from those parts, towards Jerusalem.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(15) He laid his hands on them.St. Mark records, as before, the act of caressing tenderness: He folded them in His arms, and laid His hands upon them. The words and the act have rightly been regarded, as in the Baptismal Office of the Church of England, as the true warrant for infant baptism. More than doubtful passages in the Acts and Epistles; more than the authority, real or supposed, of primitive antiquity; more than the legal fiction that they fulfil the condition of baptism by their sponsorsthey justify the Church of Christ at large in commending infants, as such, to the blessing of their Father. The blessing and the prayer of Christ cannot be regarded as a mere sympathising compliance with the fond wishes of the parents, and if infants were capable of spiritual blessings then, why, it may well be asked, should they be thought incapable now?
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And he laid his hands on them, and departed from there.’
Having given His disciples this further lesson Jesus then laid His hands on the children, and no doubt prayed for them (as they had asked), before ‘departing’ and going on His way towards Jerusalem. The children are thus made an important part of His journey to Jerusalem. How different His reception will be there, from those who should have known better, as compared with His reception here. The lost sheep of the house of Israel are flocking to Him. The false shepherds are waiting to destroy Him.
The purpose of the laying on of hands was always for identification and to indicate mutual participation. We can compare Gen 48:14; Num 27:18; and the regular practise of laying hands on offerings and sacrifices. When the Scribes performed this act on the Day of Atonement their purpose was that God might bless each child whom they had identified before Him. Here therefore Jesus was identifying Himself with these children before His Father and seeking God’s blessing on them as those identified by Him.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 19:15. And he laid his hands on them, &c. Though the little ones could not profit by our Saviour’s instructions, yet being capable of his good wishes and blessings, St. Mark tells us, Mar 10:16. He took them up in his arms, and, with his usual benevolence blessed them. The imposition of hands being always accompanied with prayer, St. Matthew, who, in the beginning of this account, had joined these two together, says simply at the conclusion, that He laid his hands on them, and departed. It is probable, therefore, that Jesus both recommended the young ones to God in prayer, and blessed them himself.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.
Ver. 15. And he laid his hands on them ] So putting upon them his father’s blessing, as Jacob did upon Joseph’s sons, whom by this symbol he adopted for his own. And albeit our Saviour baptized not these infants (as neither did he those that were larger), yet forasmuch as they were confessedly capable of Christ’s gifts, they were doubtless capable of the signs and seals of those gifts; if capable of imposition of Christ’s hands, of his benediction and kingdom, then capable also of baptism, which sayeth us, saith St Peter, in the time present, because the use thereof is permanent (though the act transient) so long as one liveth, 1Pe 3:21 . Whensoever a sinner repents and believes on the promises, baptism (the seal thereof) is as powerful and effectual as if it were then presently administered. The Decrees and Book of Sentences say that confirmation is of more value than baptism, and gives the Holy Ghost more plentifully and effectually. And the Papists generally abuse this text, to establish their sacrament of confirmation, or bishoping of children. But, 1. These were little infants, not led, but brought in their mothers’ arms. 2. Confirmation, as they use it, was never commanded to Christ’s ministers, nor practised by his apostles.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mat 19:15 . ; He departed thence, no indication whence or whither. The results of this meeting are conceivable. Christians may have come out of that company. Mothers would not forget Him who blessed their children on the way to His cross, or fail to speak of the event to them when they were older.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Mat 19:15. , having laid His hands upon them) as He had been asked to do in Mat 19:13. The imposition of the hand, and more particularly of the hands, was employed for conferring on, and propagating to, human beings, especially children and ministers of the Gospel, bodily blessings and spiritual gifts; see Act 9:12; Heb 6:2; 1Ti 5:22; 2Ti 1:6. Our Lord is not said to have prayed, as He had been asked to do in Mat 19:13, by those forsooth who were not fully aware of His oneness with the Father.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Isa 40:11, Mar 10:16, 1Co 7:14, 2Ti 3:15
Reciprocal: Gen 48:14 – and laid Mar 9:36 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
9:15
The Son of God would not have to make a physical contact with a person in order to bestow a blessing. The act of putting his hands on the little children was a form of caress or endearment.