31<\/strong> .<\/em> The queen of the south<\/em> ] The queen of Sheba (1Ki 10:1-13<\/span>; 2Ch 9:1-12<\/em><\/span>). The visit of this queen of Yemen made a deep impression on Oriental imagination, and is found in the Koran (xxvii., &c.) “dilated with nonsense and encumbered with fables.”<\/p>\n to hear the wisdom of Solomon<\/em> ] and also “to prove him with hard questions,” 1Ki 10:1<\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/span> a greater<\/em> ] Rather, something more.<\/p>\n Luk 11:31-32<\/span><\/p>\n A greater than Solomon is here<\/em><\/p>\n Christs superiority to Solomon<\/strong><\/p>\n The superiority of Christ to Solomon may be traced in the following particulars.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 1.<\/strong> In His origin. Solomon was indeed of honourable descent, being of the princely tribe of Judah, and of the family of David, who was one of the most illustrious monarchs that ever filled the throne of Israel. No one could claim a higher pedigree than Solomon, or receive a crown from the hands of a more honourable ancestor. Yet Jesus was Davids greater Son, and to Him the pre-eminence belonged. With respect to His human nature, He was a rod from the stem of Jesse, and a branch growing out of his roots. With respect to His Divine nature, He is the eternal, co-existent, and coequal Son of God, in a way mysterious and unknown. <\/p>\n 2.<\/strong> In personal qualifications Christ obtains the pre-eminence, especially in that for which Solomon was so highly celebrated. Solomon with all his wisdom was weak and fallible, and liable to the greatest folly; but the Lord Jesus is wisdom itself, wisdom in the very abstract. He was liable to no mistake, to no error, either in judgment or in practice. He was the pattern of all excellence, and of all perfection. Even His enemies were astonished at His doctrine, and testified that never man spake like this Man. In two things especially He excelled all other teachers; He had the most perfect comprehension of His subject, and the power of making it effectually understood, not merely by outward instruction, but by internal illumination. <\/p>\n 3.<\/strong> Christ exceeded Solomon in the purity of His life and the general excellence of His character. <\/p>\n 4.<\/strong> Solomon sustained the two-fold office of prophet and king, and in both these Christ has the pre-eminence. <\/p>\n 5.<\/strong> Christ exceeded Solomon in the mighty works which He performed as well as in His general character and dignity. <\/p>\n 6.<\/strong> In the present glory which these illustrious personages possess, there can be no doubt which of them obtains the pre-eminence. Though Solomon was a partaker of Divine grace, and is now an inheritor of the invisible glory, it can bespeak no want of charity to suppose that his inconstancy and backslidings in religion have in some degree tarnished the lustre of his celestial diadem; but be it ever so bright and splendid, it falls infinitely short of that which is placed on the Redeemers head, as the reward of His obedience unto death. <\/p>\n (1)<\/strong> Let us contemplate the character of our Lord and Saviour with astonishment and delight, for a greater than Solomon is here. Let us consider the apostle and high priest of our profession, withdrawing our thoughts from every other object, and fixing them intensely upon Him. <\/p>\n (2)<\/strong> As no object is so amiable and attractive, let us view the Saviour till our hearts are inflamed with love. <\/p>\n (3)<\/strong> Let us view the Saviour by faith, saying with the prophet, I will look unto the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation. <\/p>\n (4)<\/strong> View His condescension with astonishment and love, that one so much greater than Solomon should have humbled Himself unto death, even the death of the cross, that He might raise us to dignity and honour. (B. Beddome, M. A.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n A greater than Solomon<\/strong><\/p>\n Our first thought is that no mere man would have said this concerning himself unless he had been altogether eaten up with vanity; for Solomon was among the Jews the very ideal of greatness and wisdom. The second thought that comes to ones mind is this: Notice the self-consciousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He knows who He is, and what He is, and He is not lowly in spirit because He is ignorant of His own greatness. He was meek and lowly in heart–Servus servorum, <\/em>as the Latins were wont to call Him, Servant of servants, but all the while He knew that He was Rex regum, <\/em>or King of kings. <\/p>\n 1.<\/strong> And, first, in wisdom. He intermeddled with all knowledge, and was a master in all sciences. He was a naturalist; an engineer and architect; a politician, &c. He was everything, in fact. God gave Him wisdom and largeness of heart, says the Scripture, like the sand of the sea: and Solomons wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men; and his fame was in all nations round about. Yes; but our Saviour knows infinitely more than Solomon. I want you to-night to come to Him just as the Queen of Sheba came to Solomon, only for weightier reasons. You do not want to learn anything concerning architecture or navigation, agriculture or anatomy. You want to know only how you shall be built up a spiritual house, and how you shall cross those dangerous seas which lie between this land and the celestial city. Well, you may come to Jesus, and He will teach you all that you need to know, for all wisdom is in Christ. <\/p>\n 2.<\/strong> Observe, next, that our Lord Jesus Christ is greater than Solomon in wealth. This was one of the things for which Solomon was noted. He had great treasures: he made gold to be as stones, and as for silver it was little accounted of, so rich did he become. But, oh, when you consider all the wealth of Solomon, what poor stuff it is compared with the riches that are treasured up in Christ Jesus. <\/p>\n 3.<\/strong> There was one point about Solomon in which every Israelite rejoiced, namely, that he was the prince of peace. His name signifies peace. His father, David, was a great warrior, but Solomon had not to carry on war. Those were halcyon days for Israel when Solomon reigned. Ah, but in that matter a greater than Solomon is here; for Solomon could not give his subjects peace of mind, he could not bestow upon them rest of heart, he could not ease them of their burden of guilt, or draw the arrow of conviction from their breast and heal its smart. <\/p>\n 4.<\/strong> A fourth thing for which Solomon was noted was his great works. Solomon built the temple, which was one of the seven wonders of the world in its time. A very marvellous building it must have been. In addition to this he erected for himself palaces, constructed fortfications, and made aqueducts and great pools to bring streams from the mountains to the various towns. He also founded Palmyra and Baalbec–those cities of the desert–to facilitate his commerce with India, Arabia, and other remote regions. He was a marvellous man. And yet a greater than Solomon is here, for Christ has brought the living water from the throne of God right down to thirsty men, being Himself the eternal aqueduct through which the heavenly current streams. Christ has built fortresses and munitions of defence, behind which His children stand secure against the wrath of hell; and He has founded and is daily finishing a wondrous temple, His Church, of which His people are the living stones, and which God Himself shall inhabit. <\/p>\n 5.<\/strong> Solomon was great as to dominion. He managed to bring various kings into subjection to him, and he was the greatest monarch that ever swayed the sceptre of Judah. It has all gone now. Poor, feeble Rehoboam dropped from his foolish hands the reins his father held. The kingdom was rent in pieces, the tributary princes found their liberty, and the palmy days of Israel were over. On the contrary, our Lord Jesus Christ at this moment has dominion over all things. God has set Him over all the works of His hands. <\/p>\n 1.<\/strong> In His nature the Lord Jesus is greater than Solomon. <\/p>\n 2.<\/strong> In His character. <\/p>\n 3.<\/strong> In His influence. <\/p>\n 4.<\/strong> In His power to bless. (C. H. Spurgeon.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n A privileged nation judged by the heathen<\/strong><\/p>\n Mr. Johnstone observes that When Japan was recently revolutionised, the inhabitants adopted Occidental customs, and many of them–chiefly their style of dress, social manners, and form of government–were taken from England. It was thought by those in authority in Japan that it would be well to look into the English religion, and see if it were better, and tended to the moral advancement of those professing it. A deputation was sent for that purpose, and beginning at London, set itself to study the Christian religion. Verse 31. The queen of the south<\/B><\/I>, &c.] Perhaps it would be better to translate, A queen of the south, and the men of this <\/I> race, shall rise up in judgment<\/I>, &c. See Clarke on <\/span>Lu 11:7<\/span><\/span>. The 32d verse Lu 11:32<\/span> may be read in the same way.<\/P> <\/p>\n The queen of the south<\/strong>,…. That is, the queen of Sheba, which was a country of Arabia, which lay south of Judea; of whom it is said, that<\/p>\n she shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them<\/strong>: the sense is, that at the last day, when all shall rise from the dead, both Jews and Gentiles, this Heathen queen shall rise together with the men of the present generation among the Jews, stand in judgment with them, and against them; and that her conduct would be brought as an evidence against them, and be improved as an aggravation of their condemnation:<\/p>\n for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold a greater than Solomon is here<\/strong>: the difference between them, and what aggravates the case is, that she was a Gentile that knew not God, they were Jews, his professing people; she came from afar, they were near, upon the spot, where Christ was, he was preaching in their streets, temple, and synagogues; she came to hear only natural or moral wisdom, but they might have heard spiritual and heavenly wisdom, with which eternal happiness is connected; she came to hear only a mere man, but they might have heard him who is the wisdom of God, and the only wise God, and our Saviour; [See comments on Mt 12:42]<\/span>.<\/p>\n With the men of this generation <\/B> ( <\/SPAN><\/span>). Here Mt 12:42<\/span> has simply “with this generation,” which see. <\/P> <\/p>\n Shall rise up [] <\/SPAN><\/span>. From the dead. <\/P> A greater [] <\/SPAN><\/span>. Lit., something more. See on Mt 12:6<\/span>. Wyc., here is more than Solomon.<\/P> <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n 1) “The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment,” <\/strong>(basileia notou egerthesetai en te krisei) “The queen of the south will be raised up in the judgment,” known as the Queen of Sheba, 1Ki 10:1-13<\/span>; 2Ch 9:1-12<\/span>. It is believed to be Yemen in Arabia today.<\/p>\n 2) “With the men of this generation,” <\/strong>(meta ton andron tes geneas tautes) “With the mature men (male members) of this generation,” Mat 12:42<\/span>.<\/p>\n 3) “And condemn them:” <\/strong>(kai katakrinei autous) “And she will condemn them,” stand as a witness against them, Mat 12:42<\/span>, that they are and were without excuse for their impenitence, their unbelief, and their rejection of me, Joh 1:11-12<\/span>.<\/p>\n 4) “For she came from the utmost, parts of the earth,” <\/strong>(hoti elthen ek ton peraton tes ges) “Because she came from the extremities of the earth,” a great distance, at great risk in travel-, at great expense, Mat 12:42<\/span>.<\/p>\n 5) “To hear the wisdom of Solomon;” <\/strong>(akousai ten sophian Solomonos) “To hear or heed the wisdom of Solomon,” which had gone across the Eastern world, 1Ki 10:1-3<\/span>.<\/p>\n 6) “And, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.” <\/strong>(kai idou pleion Solomonos hode) “And, behold, (take note) a greater one than Solomon is here,” before you all, Mat 12:42<\/span>, whom you should heed. He is greater in character, in deeds, in name and in every existence of being and action than any, Isa 9:6-7<\/span>; This greater one was Jesus, the promised one, Deu 18:5-18<\/span>.<\/p>\n “The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and will condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, a greater thing than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, a greater thing than Jonah is here.”<\/p>\n Jesus then gives two examples of response to the earlier teaching of great men of the past which they should consider, and both stand as a witness to condemn them before God’s Judgment Seat. One is the example of the response to the wisdom of Solomon by the Queen of the south, the Queen of Sheba, the other is the example is of the response of the Ninevites to the preaching of Jonah. While these are not ‘signs’ they are evidence of the genuineness of some who heard and responded to their words, and examples of what His hearers should also be like on hearing the words of someone ‘greater’. They put them to shame because they responded to the lesser light while His hearers neglect the greater light.<\/p>\n The idea of the sign has now moved on to the pointing finger. He will not give them signs but He will give them examples, so that they might be without excuse. From these examples two fingers will be pointing at His hearers on the Day of Judgment, the two witnesses required by the Law, the finger of the Queen of Sheba, and the finger of the whole of Nineveh. For they all paid heed to the words of God’s servants in their day, while the present generation do not pay heed, even though the One present in their day is One Who is a greater thing (neuter) than Solomon, and a greater thing than Jonah. Thus will they be utterly condemned. They are on a par with Bethsaida, Chorazin and Capernaum (Luk 10:12-15<\/span>), for they have not responded to His wonders and signs, and they have not heard the word and kept it (Luk 11:28<\/span>).<\/p>\n In Solomon Jesus produced the Wisdom teacher par excellence who taught a foreign queen and in Jonah a great prophet who preached to Gentiles after a miraculous deliverance, and He has stated His claim that He is greater than both. He is the sum of both Wisdom and prophecy. Combined with the fact that He is the ‘Stronger than he’ it is a powerful combination. Greater in status and power than the mighty and wise King Solomon whose wisdom all the world extolled, greater in status and power than the remarkable Jonah, Stronger than the powerful Satan. They could be in little doubt about how great He was.<\/p>\n Note how both the accusers of Israel in the judgment will be Gentiles. It seemed clear to Luke that Jesus had selected these examples in order to get over another important message. And that was that God’s message was also for the Gentiles. For in both these cases Gentile audiences had received the word of God, and both had responded to it, so that to Luke the citing of these two would therefore be evidence of the fact that Jesus saw His word as one that was also eventually going to Gentiles. It would support the argument that Jesus’ preaching was not only suitable for Gentiles, but would also specifically reach out to them. Indeed in the light of Acts we may see Luke as indicating by this that the Gentile believers would also one day point the finger at the Jews who rejected Him.<\/p>\n Luk 11:31<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>The utmost parts<\/em><\/strong><\/strong> The remote parts.<\/em> <\/p>\n 31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is<\/em> here. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Ver. 31. See Mat 12:41-42<\/span> . <\/p>\n Luk 11:31-32<\/span> = Mat 12:41<\/span> ; Mat 12:22<\/span> , only that the men of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba change places. Mt.’s order seems the more natural, the discourse so passing from the sign of Jonah to the Ninevites, who had the benefit of it.<\/p>\n The queen of the south. See 1Ki 10:1-13. 2Ch 9:1-12. <\/p>\n rise up. From the dead. <\/p>\n men. Greek. Plural of aner. App-128. <\/p>\n condemn. Greek katakrino. App-122. <\/p>\n utmost parts = the ends. <\/p>\n behold. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6. <\/p>\n a greater = something more. Compare Mat 12:6. <\/p>\n Luk 11:31. , the men) Because, though but a woman, this queen followed after wisdom.<\/p>\n queen: 1Ki 10:1, 1Ki 10:2-13, 2Ch 9:1, Mat 12:42 <\/p>\n rise: Isa 54:17, Jer 3:11, Rom 2:27, Heb 11:7 <\/p>\n a greater: Luk 3:22, Luk 9:35, Isa 9:6, Isa 9:7, Col 1:15-19 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: 1Ki 4:31 – wiser 1Ki 10:8 – happy are these Luk 11:19 – shall<\/p>\n 1<\/p>\n See the comments on Mat 12:42.<\/p>\n The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. <\/p>\n [The queen of the south, etc.] I. I cannot but wonder what should be the meaning of that passage in Bava Bathra; Whoever saith that the queen of Sheba was a woman, doth no other than mistake. What then is the queen of Sheba? The kingdom of Sheba. Would he have the whole kingdom of the Sabeans to have come to Solomon? Perhaps what is said, that the queen of Sheba came with an exceeding great army (for so is that clause rendered by some), might seem to sound something of this nature in his ears. But if there was any kind of ambiguity in the word queen; as indeed there is none, or if interpreters doubted at all about it, as indeed none had done, the great oracle of truth hath here taught us that the queen did come to Solomon: but why doth he term her the queen of ‘the south,’ and not the queen of ‘Sheba’?<\/p>\n II. There are plausible things upon this occasion spoken concerning Sheba of the Arabians; which we have no leisure to discuss at present. I am apt rather to apprehend that our Saviour may call her the queen of the south in much a like sense as the king of Egypt is called in Daniel ‘the king of the south.’ The countries in that quarter of the world were very well known amongst the Jews by that title: but I question whether the Arabian Saba were so or no. Grant that some of the Arabian countries be in later ages called Aliemin; or southern parts; yet I doubt whether so called by antiquity, or in the days of our Saviour.<\/p>\n Whereas it is said that the queen of the south came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, is it worth the patience of the reader to hear a little the folly of the Jews about this matter? Because it is said that she came to make a proof of his wisdom by dark sayings and hard questions, these doctors will be telling us what kind of riddles and hard questions she put to him. “She saith unto him, ‘If I ask thee any thing, wilt thou answer me?’ He said, ‘It is the Lord that giveth wisdom.’ She saith, ‘What is this then? There are seven things go out and nine enter. Two mingle [or prepare] the cup, and one drinks of it.’ He saith, ‘There are seven days for a woman’s separation, that go out; and nine months for her bringing forth, that come in. Two breasts do [mingle, or] prepare the cup, and one sucks it.’ Again saith she, ‘I will ask thee one thing more: What is this? A woman saith unto her son, Thy father was my father; thy grandfather was my husband; thou art my son, and I am thy sister.’ To whom he answered, ‘Surely they were Lot’s daughters.’ ” There is much more of this kind, but thus much may suffice for riddles.<\/p>\n Luk 11:31. More. The sign to this generation is more than what attracted the queen of the south, etc.<\/p>\n Verse 31 <\/p>\n For the narrative here referred to, see 1 Kings 10:1-13.<\/p>\n Luke 11:34-36. As the light of the body is the eye, so the understanding is the light of the soul. When, therefore, the understanding is warped and depraved by wicked prejudices, as it was with these Jews, who had perverted all that Jesus had said, and misrepresented all that he had done, the whole soul is necessarily involved in darkness and error. An eye single represents an understanding free, honest, candid,–willing to see, and to know and admit the truth.<\/p>\n The Queen of the South (i.e., Sheba) traveled a great distance to hear Solomon’s wisdom (1Ki 10:1-13), yet the people of Palestine paid little attention to Jesus’ wisdom. This was true even though the Son of Man was greater than Solomon. Therefore their judgment was sure. Similarly the people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, yet Jesus’ hearers did not repent at His preaching despite His superiority to Jonah. Furthermore the Queen and the Ninevites both responded to spoken messages without any authenticating signs.<\/p>\n The neuter "something" may refer generally to the authority of the Son of Man, but it may refer specifically to His superior wisdom in the first comparison and to His preaching in the second. Another view is that the "something" refers to God’s action in Christ. [Note: Morris, p. 202.] <\/span> Significantly for Luke’s original readers, the people who responded so admirably to the two Old Testament characters Jesus cited were Gentiles. By comparing Himself to the most wise and glorious Israelite king and the most effective Jewish prophet (in terms of audience response), Jesus taught His superiority in both roles.<\/p>\n The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon [is] here. 31 . The queen of the south ] The queen of … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 11:31”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25418\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
I. <\/strong>BETWEEN CHRIST AND SOLOMON THERE ARE SOME POINTS OF LIKENESS. <\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>BETWEEN CHRIST AND SOLOMON THERE IS MUCH MORE CONTRAST THAN COMPARISON–much more difference than likeness. <\/p>\n
I know not where they went to, nor from what standpoint they viewed it; but their report was unfavourable. They said that never in Japan had they seen such sin, such open licentiousness, drunkenness, selfishness, unkindness, and lack of sympathy as they had witnessed among the professed Christians of England, and they would advise that they adhere to their own religion, which was as good, if not better, than the Christian. Such was their report, after witnessing the life of the people of nominally Christian England. <\/p>\nFuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"