Mat 3:4, 6:26, 10:10 | Barnes | STEP | Verse 4. His raiment of camel's hair . His clothing. This is not the fine hair of the camel from which our elegant cloth is made, called eamlet ; nor the more elegant stuff, brought from the East Indies, under the name of camel's hair; but the long, shaggy hair of the camel, from which a coarse, cheap cloth is made, still worn by the poorer classes in the East, and by monks. This dress of the camel's hair, and a leathern girdle, it seems, was the common dress of the prophets, . His meat was locusts . His food. These constituted the food of the common people. Among the Greeks, the vilest of the people used to eat them; and the fact that John made his food of them is significant of his great poverty and humble life. The Jews were allowed to eat them, . Locusts are flying insects, and are of various kinds. The green locusts are about two inches in length, and about the thickness of a man's finger. The common brown locust is about three inches long. The general form and appearance of the locust is not unlike the grasshopper They were one of the plagues of Egypt, . In eastern countries they are very numerous. They appear in such quantities as to darken the sky, and devour in a short time every green thing. The whole earth is sometimes covered with them for many leagues, . "Some species of the locust are eaten at this day in eastern countries, and are even esteemed a delicacy when properly cooked. After tearing off the legs and wings, and taking out the entrails, they stick them in long rows upon wooden spits, roast them at the fire, and then proceed to devour them with great zest. There are also other ways of preparing them. For example: They cook them and dress them in oil; or, having dried them, they pulverize them, and when other food is scarce make bread of the meal. The Bedouins pack them with salt, in close masses, which they carry in their leathern sacks. From these they cut slices as they may need them. It is singular that even learned men have suffered themselves to hesitate about understanding these passages of the literal locust, when the fact that these are eaten by the orientals is so abundantly proved by the concurrent testimony of travellers. One of them says, they are brought to market on strings in all the cities of Arabia, and that he saw an Arab on Mount Sumara, who had collected a sack full of them. They are prepared in different ways. An Arab in Egypt, of whom he requested that he would immediately eat locusts in his presence, threw them upon the glowing coals; and after he supposed they were roasted enough, he took them by the legs and head, and devoured the remainder at one mouthful. When the Arabs have them in quantities, they roast or dry them in an oven, or boil them and eat them with salt. The Arabs in the kingdom of Morocco boil the locusts; and the Bedouins eat locusts, which are collected in great quantities in the beginning of April, when they are easily caught. After having been roasted a little upon the iron plate on which bread is baked, they are dried in the sun, and then put into large sacks, with the mixture of a little salt. They are never served up as a dish, but every one takes a handful of them when hungry. " Un. Bib. Die Wild honey . This was probably the honey that he found in the rocks of the wilderness. Palestine was often called the land flowing with milk and honey, . Bees were kept with great care and great numbers of them abounded in the fissures of trees and the clefts of rocks. There is also a species of honey called wild-honey, or wood-honey , or honey-dew, produced by certain little insects, and deposited on the leaves of trees, and flowing from them in great quantities to the ground. See . This is said to be produced still in Arabia; and perhaps it was this which John lived upon. (n) "raiment" (o) "locusts"

Matthew 3:4

Verse 4. His raiment of camel's hair. His clothing. This is not the fine hair of the camel from which our elegant cloth is made, called eamlet; nor the more elegant stuff, brought from the East Indies, under the name of camel's hair; but the long, shaggy hair of the camel, from which a coarse, cheap cloth is made, still worn by the poorer classes in the East, and by monks. This dress of the camel's hair, and a leathern girdle, it seems, was the common dress of the prophets, 2Kgs 1:8, Zech 13:4.

His meat was locusts. His food. These constituted the food of the common people. Among the Greeks, the vilest of the people used to eat them; and the fact that John made his food of them is significant of his great poverty and humble life. The Jews were allowed to eat them, Lev 11:22. Locusts are flying insects, and are of various kinds. The green locusts are about two inches in length, and about the thickness of a man's finger. The common brown locust is about three inches long. The general form and appearance of the locust is not unlike the grasshopper They were one of the plagues of Egypt, Ex 10:1. In eastern countries they are very numerous. They appear in such quantities as to darken the sky, and devour in a short time every green thing. The whole earth is sometimes covered with them for many leagues, Joel 1:4, Isa 33:4. "Some species of the locust are eaten at this day in eastern

countries, and are even esteemed a delicacy when properly

cooked. After tearing off the legs and wings, and taking out

the entrails, they stick them in long rows upon wooden spits,

roast them at the fire, and then proceed to devour them with

great zest. There are also other ways of preparing them.

For example: They cook them and dress them in oil; or, having

dried them, they pulverize them, and when other food is scarce

make bread of the meal. The Bedouins pack them with salt, in

close masses, which they carry in their leathern sacks. From

these they cut slices as they may need them. It is singular

that even learned men have suffered themselves to hesitate

about understanding these passages of the literal locust,

when the fact that these are eaten by the orientals is so

abundantly proved by the concurrent testimony of travellers.

One of them says, they are brought to market on strings in all

the cities of Arabia, and that he saw an Arab on Mount

Sumara, who had collected a sack full of them. They are

prepared in different ways. An Arab in Egypt, of whom he

requested that he would immediately eat locusts in his presence,

threw them upon the glowing coals; and after he supposed they

were roasted enough, he took them by the legs and head, and

devoured the remainder at one mouthful. When the Arabs have

them in quantities, they roast or dry them in an oven, or boil

them and eat them with salt. The Arabs in the kingdom of

Morocco boil the locusts; and the Bedouins eat locusts, which

are collected in great quantities in the beginning of April,

when they are easily caught. After having been roasted a

little upon the iron plate on which bread is baked, they are

dried in the sun, and then put into large sacks, with the

mixture of a little salt. They are never served up as a dish,

but every one takes a handful of them when hungry. "

Un. Bib. Die

Wild honey. This was probably the honey that he found in the rocks of the wilderness. Palestine was often called the land flowing with milk and honey, Ex 3:8,17, 13:5. Bees were kept with great care and great numbers of them abounded in the fissures of trees and the clefts of rocks. There is also a species of honey called wild-honey, or wood-honey 1Sam 14:27, or honey-dew, produced by certain little insects, and deposited on the leaves of trees, and flowing from them in great quantities to the ground. See 1Sam 14:24-27. This is said to be produced still in Arabia; and perhaps it was this which John lived upon.

(n) "raiment" 2Kgs 1:8, Mt 11:8 (o) "locusts" Lev 11:22

Matthew 6:26

Verse 26. Behold the fowls of the air. The second argument for confidence in the providence of God is derived from a beautiful reference to the fowls of heaven. See, said the Saviour, see the fowls of the air: they have no anxiety about the supply of their wants; they do not sow or reap; in innumerable flocks they fill the air; they fill the grove with music, and meet the coming light of the morning with their songs, and pour their notes on the zephyrs of the evening, unanxious about the supply of their wants; yet how few die with hunger! how regularly are they fed from the hand of God! how he ministers to their unnumbered wants. He sees their young "open wide their mouths, and seek their meat at his hand, and how cheerfully and regularly are their necessities supplied! You, said the Saviour to his disciples, you are of more consequence than they are; and shall God feed them in such numbers, and suffer you to want? It cannot be. Put confidence, then, in that Universal Parent that feeds all the fowls of the air, and fear not that he will also supply your wants.

Better than they. Of more consequence. Your lives are of more importance than theirs, and God will therefore provide for them.

(m) "Father feedeth" Job 38:41, Lk 12:24

Matthew 10:10

Verse 10. Neither scrip. That is, knapsack. It was made of skin or coarse cloth, to carry provisions in. It was commonly hung around the neck. As they were to be provided for on their way, it was unnecessary to provide a store of provisions.

Neither two coats. Mt 5:40.

Neither shoes. The original is the word commonly rendered sandals. Mt 3:11.

Mark says, in recording this discourse, "but be shod with sandals." Between this and Matthew there is an apparent contradiction; but there is really no difference. According to Matthew, Jesus does not forbid their wearing the sandals, which they probably had on, but only forbids their supplying themselves with more, or with superfluous ones. Instead of making provision for their feet when their present shoes were worn out, they were to trust to Providence to be supplied, and go as they were. And the meaning of the two evangelists may be thus expressed: "Do not procure anything more for your journey than you have on. Go as you are, shod with sandals, without making any preparation."

Nor yet staves. In the margin, in all the ancient versions, and in the common Greek text, it is in the singular number, nor yet A STAFF. But Mark says that they might have a staff: "Jesus commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only. To many this would appear to be a contradiction. Yet the spirit of the instruction, the main thing that the writer aims at, is the same. That was, that they were to go just as they were, to trust to Providence, and not to spend any time in making preparation for their journey. Some of them, probably, when he addressed them had staves, and some had not. To those who had he did not say that they should throw them away, as the instructions he was giving might seem to require, but suffered them to take them, (Mark.) To those who had not, he said they should not spend time in procuring them, (Matthew,) but all go just as they were.

The workman is worthy of his meat. This implies that they were to expect proper supply for their wants from those who were benefited. They were not to make bargain and sale of the power of working miracles, but they were to expect competent support from preaching the gospel; and that not merely as a gift, but because they were worthy of it, and had a right to it.

(2) "staves" "staff" (b) "for the workman" Lk 10:7