Matthew 26:53

53 Ether thinkest thou that I cannot now praye to my father and he shall geve me moo then .xii. legions of angelles?

Matthew 26:53 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 26:53

Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father
Meaning, if he thought proper, or that there was any necessity for it, or that he was desirous of being rescued out of such hands he was falling into. This must be understood of him as man: for, as God, the angels were his creatures and ministering servants, whom he had the command of himself, and so had no need, as such, to pray to his Father to detach a number of them to his assistance, and which, as man, he could only want.

And he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels.
A Roman legion consisted of about six thousand soldiers, or upwards; some add six hundred sixty six; and others make the number far greater. Twelve are mentioned, either with respect to the twelve apostles; or in allusion, as others think, to the Roman militia; a proper and full army with them consisting of such a number of legions: and that there is an innumerable company of angels, thousand thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand, is certain; and the Persic version here reads; "twelve myriads" of legions; and that these are at the command of God, and he can dispatch them at once, on any emergent occasion, is very evident; and what is it that such a company of angels is not capable of, when a single angel slew in one night an hundred, fourscore, and five thousand men, ( 2 Kings 19:35 ) , wherefore had Christ had any inclination to have been rescued from the present danger, he stood in no need of Peter's sword.

Matthew 26:53 In-Context

51 And beholde one of them which were with Iesus stretched oute his honde and drue his swearde and stroke a servaunt of the hye preste and smote of his eare.
52 Then sayde Iesus vnto him: put vp thy swearde into his sheathe. For all that ley hond on ye swearde shall perisshe with ye swearde.
53 Ether thinkest thou that I cannot now praye to my father and he shall geve me moo then .xii. legions of angelles?
54 But how then shuld the scriptures be fulfylled: for so must it be.
55 The same tyme sayd Iesus to the multitude: ye be come out as it were vnto a thefe with sweardes and staves for to take me. I sate daylie teachinge in the temple amoge you and ye toke me not.
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