Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Mark 2:4
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, etc..] To the room where Jesus was, nor into the house, nor even to the door, the crowd about it was so great, they uncovered the roof where he was. The Arabic version reads it, “they went up to the roof”; and the Persic thus, “they carried him up upon the roof”. The place where Christ was, seems to be an upper room; for in such an one the Jewish doctors used to meet, and discourse together about religious matters; (see <440113>Acts 1:13 20:8). Though some think this was a mean house in which Christ was, and had no upper room, but the ground floor was open to the roof, through which the man, sick of the palsy, was let down on his bed to Christ; and the rather, because the people crowded about the door to get in, and there was no room to receive them, no not about it: but even from this circumstance it seems most reasonable, that there was an upper room in which Christ was, and at a window in which he might preach to the people, with much more convenience, than at, or about the door, where they were pressing: for, certain it is, that he did preach the word to them, (<410202>Mark 2:2), and many instances may be given of the above mentioned doctors, whose usages, when indifferent, and not sinful, might be complied with by Christ, as these were, of their meeting and conversing together in upper rooms. Instead of many, take the few following f25: “It happened to Rabban Gamaliel, and the elders, who were sitting hyylb, “in an upper room in Jericho”, that they brought them dates, and they did eat, etc.,” [ Again f26, “these are some of the traditions which they taught, tyylb, “in the upper chamber” of Hananiah ben Hezekiah, ben Garon.” [ So it is likewise said f27, that “R. Tarphon, or Tryphon, and the elders, were sitting “in the chamber” of the house of Nithzah, in Lydda, and this question was asked before them, is doctrine greatest, or practice greatest?” Once more f28, “the elders of the house of Shammai, and the elders of the house of Hillell, went up, tyyll, “to the upper chamber” of Jochanan ben Bethira, and said, that the Tzitzith, or fringes, had no measure, etc..” [ Now, over this upper room, was a flat roof, with battlements about it; for so the Jews were obliged to build their houses, (<052208>Deuteronomy 22:8), to which they had a way of going to and from, both within and without side their houses; (see Gill on “<402417>Matthew 24:17”). Hence we so often read f29 of twgg rd, “the way of the roofs”, in distinction from yt rd “the way of the doors”; by which they entered into their houses, and by which means, things might be carried from a court to a roof, and from a roof to a court; about which the doctors dispute, saying, that on a sabbath day f30, Æ µ j p Æ “it is forbidden to ascend and descend from the roofs to the court, and from the court to the roofs; and the vessels, whose abode is in the court, it is lawful to move them in the court, and which are in the roofs, it is lawful to move them in the roofs. — Says Rabbi, when we were learning the law with R. Simeon at Tekoah, we brought up oil, and a confection of old wine, water, and balsam, from roof to roof, and from roof to court, and from court to court, and from the court to a close, and from one close to another, till we came to the fountains, in which they washed. Says R. Judah, it happened in a time of danger, and we brought the book of the law from court to roof, and from roof to court, and from court to a clo…
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