Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Mark 6:3
A historical reference excerpt for this verse.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.
Is not this the carpenter? etc..] Some copies read, “the carpenter's son”, as in (<401355>Matthew 13:55) and so the Arabic and Ethiopic versions; but all the ancient copies, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Persic versions, read “the carpenter”: such may Christ be reasonably thought to be, since his father was; and which business he might follow, partly through the meanness and poverty of his parents; and partly that he might set an example of industry and diligence; and chiefly to bear that part of the first Adam's curse, which was to eat his bread with the sweat of his brow: nor ought this to have been objected to him by the Jews, with whom it was usual for their greatest doctors and Rabbins to be of some trade or secular employment; so R. Jochanan was a shoemaker f96 R. Isaac was a blacksmith f97 , R. Juda was a tailor f98, Abba Saul and R. Jochanan, were undertakers for funerals f99; R. Simeon was a seller of cotton f100, R. Nehemiah was a ditcher f101, R. Jose bar Chelphetha was a skinner f102; and others of them were of other trades, and some exceeding mean: the famous R. Hillell was a hewer of wood, and Carna, a judge in Israel, was a drawer of water f103; and so Maimonides says, “the great wise men of Israel were some of them hewers of wood and drawers of water f104.” They say, “a man is obliged to learn his son an honest and easy trade f105:” there are some businesses they except against f106, but this of a carpenter is not one; yea, they say, “if a man does not teach his son a trade, it is all one as if he taught him thievery f107.” Nor did they think it at all inconsistent with learning; for they have a saying f108 , that “beautiful is the learning of the law, along with a trade.” The Jews ought not to have flouted Christ with this trade of a carpenter, since, according to them, it was necessary that a carpenter, in some cases, should be a regular priest; as in repairing of the temple, especially the holy of holies. So says Maimonides f109; “there was a trap door, or an open place in the floor of the chamber, open to the holy of holies, that workmen might enter thereby into the holy of holies, when there was a necessity of repairing any thing; and since we make mention of workmen, it may be observed here, when there is need of building in the midst of the temple, great care should be taken, rk hk mwah hyhy, “that the workman, or carpenter, be a right priest”.” ç ˆ ˆ ç Yea, they expressly say, that the Messiah is one of the four carpenters in (<380120>Zechariah 1:20). “And the Lord showed me four carpenters”; they ask f110 , ““who are the four carpenters?” Says R. Chana bar Bizna, says R. Simeon the saint, Messiah the son of David, Messiah the son of Joseph, and Elijah, and a priest of righteousness.” This is with some variation elsewhere expressed thus f111, ““and the Lord showed me four carpenters”; and these are they, Elijah, and the king Messiah, and Melchizedek and the anointed for war.” And one of their commentators f112 on the same text says, “our Rabbins of blessed memory, explain this verse of the days of the Messiah;” and then cites the above passage out of the Talmud; and another f113 refers unto it; (see Gill on “<401355>Matthew 13:55”). The inhabitants of Nazareth go on, in order to reproach Jesus, calling him the son of Mary; a poor woman of their town, and perhaps now a widow, since no mention is made of Joseph: the brother of James and Joses, and of Juda and Simon? who were all of them the sons of Alphaeus or Cleo…
This public page shows a contextual excerpt from the locally available source text.
How to use this source
This excerpt is attributed to its named commentary. It is included as a historical study resource and should be evaluated in light of Scripture and other relevant evidence.
