Matthew 24:19 (1st century historical fulfillment?)
Matthew 24:17-18 - The one in the field not turn back (1st century historical understanding?):Click here Matthew 24:19
Matthew 24:19 & Luke 21:23 - Wrath against this people (1st century historical fulfillment?):
Click here
Matthew 24:19 & Luke 21:24 - Taken captive (1st century historical fulfillment?):
Click here
Matthew 24:20 - Flight on a Sabbath (1st century historical understanding?):
Click here
Matthew 24:19: "And woe (to) the (ones) having (a child) in (the) womb, and (to) the (ones) nursing in those days."
1st century audience?
It is written in Matthew 24:15-19: "when YOU-see the abomination (of) desolation — the (thing) having-been-spoken through Daniel the prophet — standing in (the) holy place (let the (one) reading understand), AT-THAT-TIME let the (ones) in Judea be-fleeing to the mountains. Let the (one) upon the housetop not go-down to-take the (things) out-of his house. And let the (one) in the field not turn behind to-take his cloak. And woe (to) the (ones) having (a child) in (the) womb, and (to) the (ones) nursing in those days."
Who can be the "YOU" (Matthew 24:15) addressed in this passage?
12 verses earlier, Jesus spoke to His 1st century disciples, as "the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us" (Matthew 24:3) and "having-responded, Jesus said (to) them" (Matthew 24:4) these things.
Jesus in Matthew 24:15 said to His 1st century disciples "when YOU-see" (Matthew 24:15) the abomination of desolation, "AT-THAT-TIME" (Matthew 24:16) "woe (to) the (ones) having (a child) in (the) womb, and (to) the (ones) nursing in those days" (Matthew 24:19).
In a similar passage in Luke 23, Jesus addressed His 1st century audience directly. It is written that "(a) large crowd (of) the people, and (of) women who were-striking(-their-breasts-to-be-mourning) and lamenting Him, was-following Him. But having-turned TO THEM, Jesus said, “Daughters (of) Jerusalem, do not be-weeping for Me. But WEEP FOR YOURSELVES AND FOR YOUR CHILDREN. Because behold — DAYS ARE-COMING during which they-will-say, ‘Blessed (are) the barren, and the wombs which did not bear and breasts which did not feed’." (Luke 23:27-29).
Local context?
Jesus said in Matthew 24:19: "woe (to) the (ones) having (a child) in (the) womb, and (to) the (ones) nursing in those days".
The parallel account to Matthew 24:19 found in Luke 21 gives additional context. It describes Jerusalem being surrounded by armies before her desolation:
Luke 21:20: "“But when you-see Jerusalem being-surrounded by army-encampments, then recognize that her desolation has-drawn-near."
Luke 21:21: "Then let the (ones) in Judea be-fleeing to the mountains. And let the (ones) in (the) midst (of) her be-going-out. And let the (ones) in the fields not be-entering into her."
Luke 21:22: "Because these are days (of) vengeance, (that) all the (things) having-been-written (may) be-fulfilled."
Luke 21:23: "Woe (to) the (ones) having (a child) in (the) womb, and (to) the (ones) nursing in those days. For there-will-be (a) great distress upon the land, and wrath (against) this people."
1st century events
The 1st century historian Josephus recorded that in the Jewish War, after that Romans armies surrounded Jerusalem, the people who were remaining inside the city of Jerusalem would not have been able to go out and would start experiencing a famine.
The 1st century historian Josephus wrote in "The Wars of the Jews":
War 6:421 (6.9.3): "the greater part of whom were indeed of the same nation [with the
citizens of Jerusalem], but not belonging to the city itself; for they were come up from all the
country to the feast of unleavened bread, and were on a sudden shut up by an army, which,
at the very first, occasioned so great a straitness among them that there came a pestilential
destruction upon them, and soon afterward such a famine, as destroyed them more
suddenly."
The 1st century historian Josephus recorded the instance of a mother in Jerusalem during the Jewish War nursing her infant in those days who would have started to eat her infant during that famine.
The 1st century historian Josephus wrote in "The Wars of the Jews":
War 6:201 (6.3.4): "There was a certain woman that dwelt beyond Jordan, her name was
Mary; her father was Eleazar, of the village Bethezub, which signifies the House of Hyssop.
She was eminent for her family and her wealth, and had fled away to Jerusalem with the
rest of the multitude, and was with them besieged therein at this time."
War 6:202 (6.3.4): "The other effects of this woman had been already seized upon; such I
mean as she had brought with her out of Perea, and removed to the city. What she had
treasured up besides, as also what food she had contrived to save, had been also carried
off by the rapacious guards, who came every day running into her house for that purpose."
War 6:203 (6.3.4): "This put the poor woman into a very great passion, and by the frequent
reproaches and imprecations she cast at these rapacious villains, she had provoked them to
anger against her;"
War 6:204 (6.3.4): "but none of them, either out of the indignation she had raised against
herself, or out of the commiseration of her case, would take away her life; and if she found
any food, she perceived her labors were for others, and not for herself; and it was now
become impossible for her anyway to find anymore food, while the famine pierced through
her very bowels and marrow, when also her passion was fired to a degree beyond the
famine itself; nor did she consult with anything but with her passion and the necessity she
was in. She then attempted a most unnatural thing;"
War 6:205 (6.3.4): "and snatching up her son, who was a child sucking at her breast, she
said, “O, thou miserable infant! For whom shall I preserve thee in this war, this famine, and
this sedition?"
War 6:206 (6.3.4): "As to the war with the Romans, if they preserve our lives, we must be
slaves! This famine also will destroy us, even before that slavery comes upon us: yet are
these seditious rogues more terrible than both the other."
War 6:207 (6.3.4): "Come on; be thou my food, and be thou a fury to these seditious varlets
and a byword to the world, which is all that is now wanting to complete the calamities of us
Jews.”"
War 6:208 (6.3.4): "As soon as she had said this she slew her son; and then roasted him, and ate the one half of him, and kept the other half by her concealed."
War 6:209 (6.3.4): "Upon this the seditous came in presently, and smelling the horrid scent of
this food, they threatened her, that they would cut her throat immediately if she did not show
them what food she had gotten ready. She replied, that she had saved a very fine portion of
it for them; and withal uncovered what was left of her son."
War 6:210 (6.3.4): "Hereupon they were seized with a horror and amazement of mind, and
stood astonished at the sight; when she said to them, “This is mine own son; and what hath
been done was mine own doing! Come, eat of this food; for I have eaten of it myself!"
War 6:211 (6.3.4): "Do not you pretend to be either more tender than a woman, or more
compassionate than a mother; but if you be so scrupulous and do abominate this my
sacrifice, as I have eaten the one half, let the rest be reserved for me also.”"
War 6:212 (6.3.4): "After which, those men went out trembling, being never so much
affrighted at anything as they were at this, and with some difficulty they left the rest of that
meat to the mother. Upon which the whole city was full of this horrid action immediately; and while every body laid his miserable case before their own eyes, they trembled, as if this
unheard-of action had been by themselves."
War 6:213 (6.3.4): "So those that were thus distressed by the famine were very desirous to
die; and those already dead were esteemed happy, because they had not lived long enough
either to hear or to see such miseries."
Early Christian author
An early Christian author would have written about this.
In the 4th century, a Christian author named Chrysostom wrote in "Homilies on Matthew":
Homily 76: "Woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck [Matthew 24:19] [...] so great was the famine, that the very mothers fought about the devouring of their children"
Comments
Post a Comment