Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 3].
sorry, but to change (think afterwards) their mental attitudes
(\metanoeite\) and conduct. The Vulgate has it "do penance" and
Wycliff has followed that. The Old Syriac has it better: "Turn
ye." The French (Geneva) has it "Amendez vous." This is John's
great word (Bruce) and it has been hopelessly mistranslated. The
tragedy of it is that we have no one English word that reproduces
exactly the meaning and atmosphere of the Greek word. The Greek
has a word meaning to be sorry (\metamelomai\) which is exactly
our English word repent and it is used of Judas (Mt 27:3). John
was a new prophet with the call of the old prophets: "Turn ye"
(Joe 2:12; Isa. 55:7; Eze 33:11,15).
{For the kingdom of heaven is at hand} (\•ggiken gar h• Basileia
t•n ouran•n\). Note the position of the verb and the present
perfect tense. It was a startling word that John thundered over
the hills and it re-echoed throughout the land. The Old Testament
prophets had said that it would come some day in God's own time.
John proclaims as the herald of the new day that it has come, has
drawn near. How near he does not say, but he evidently means very
near, so near that one could see the signs and the proof. The
words "the kingdom of heaven" he does not explain. The other
Gospels use "the kingdom of God" as Matthew does a few times, but
he has "the kingdom of heaven" over thirty times. He means "the
reign of God," not the political or ecclesiastical organization
which the Pharisees expected. His words would be understood
differently by different groups as is always true of popular
preachers. The current Jewish apocalypses had numerous
eschatological ideas connected with the kingdom of heaven. It is
not clear what sympathy John had with these eschatological
features. He employs vivid language at times, but we do not have
to confine John's intellectual and theological horizon to that of
the rabbis of his day. He has been an original student of the Old
Testament in his wilderness environment without any necessary
contact with the Essenes who dwelt there. His voice is a new one
that strikes terror to the perfunctory theologians of the temple
and of the synagogue. It is the fashion of some critics to deny
to John any conception of the spiritual content of his words, a
wholly gratuitous criticism.
{For this is he that was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet}
(\houtos gar estin ho rh•theis dia Esaiou tou proph•tou\). This
is Matthew's way of interpreting the mission and message of the
Baptist. He quotes Isa 40:3 where "the prophet refers to the
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