5. Then the devil taketh him up--rather, "conducteth Him."
into the holy city--so called (as in
Isa 48:2;
Ne 11:1)
from its being "the city of the Great King," the seat of the temple,
the metropolis of all Jewish worship.
and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple--rather, "the pinnacle"--a
certain well-known projection. Whether this refers to the highest
summit of the temple, which bristled with golden spikes
[JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 5.5,6]; or whether it refers to another peak,
on Herod's royal portico, overhanging the ravine of Kedron, at the
valley of Hinnom--an immense tower built on the very edge of this
precipice, from the top of which dizzy height
JOSEPHUS says one could
not look to the bottom [Antiquities, 15.11,5]--is not certain; but
the latter is probably meant.
JFB.
Outline
1 The temptation of Jesus
13 Jesus dwells in Capernaum
17 Jesus begins to preach
18 Jesus calls Peter and Andrew, James and John
23 Jesus heals the sick
Drawing of the Temptation of Jesus Christ by Dore
Important Topics for Bible Study
Quick Reference Map
Map of Galilee and northern Israel
(Click to Enlarge)
Painted Illustration of Jesus Calling James and John
Ancient Customs
Geography
Capernaum
Galilee
Matthew Resources
The New Testament