And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’
18. And whosoever shall swear by the altar. Here our Lord does what ought to be done in correcting errors; for he leads us up to the source, and shows, by the very nature of an oath, that the temple is far more valuable than the gifts which are offered in it.
Ye fools, and blind,.... This is very justly repeated, since this is no less an instance of their folly, blindness, and stupidity. In three copies of Beza's the word "fools" is not; nor is it in the Vulgate Latin, nor in Munster's Hebrew Gospel; but the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions have it: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
Verse 18. The altar. The altar of burnt-offerings, in the court of the priests. . It was made of brass, about thirty feet in length and breadth, and fifteen feet in height, . On this altar were offered all the beasts and bloody oblations of the temple. The gift that is upon it. The gift or offering made to God, so called because it was devoted or given to him.