And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.
In these verses we have three things: - I. Christ's dying magnified by the prodigies that attended it: only two are here mentioned, which we had an account of before. 1. The darkening of the sun at noon-day. It was now about the sixth hour, that is, according to our computation, twelve o'clock at noon; and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
Commenting on Luke 23:44-49
And that day was the preparation,.... Both for the sabbath, and for the "Chagigah", or grand festival, which they kept on the fifteenth day of the month, in a very pompous manner; so that the day following was an high day; and the sabbath drew on, or "shone out"; which is so said, though it was evening, on account of the lights, which were every...
Verse 48. The things which were done. The earthquake, the darkness, and the sufferings of Jesus. Smote their breasts. In token of alarm, fear, and anguish. They saw the judgments of God; they saw the guilt of the rulers; and they feared the further displeasure of the Almighty.