And he ran before
Jesus, and the company that was with him; so very desirous was he
of seeing him:
and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him:
which sort of trees were very common about Jericho: hence we read
of, (hmqv lv) (twrwq) , "beams of sycamore" in
Jericho, which those that were strong took up in their arms, and
the owners stood and devoted them to God F7; and
among the things which the men of Jericho did, this was one, that
they permitted the branches of trees devoted to sacred uses, and
of the "charub" tree, and of the "sycamore", to be cut down and
used F8. This sort of trees used to grow in
plains and valleys, as appears from some passages of Scripture, (
1 Kings
10:27 ) ( 2 Chronicles
9:27 ) and from Jewish writings F9; and certain it is, that
Jericho was in such a situation. Josephus F11 says,
it was seated in a plain; and Strabo says F12, that
Jericho is a plain surrounded with mountains; to which agrees the
account that F13 Justin gives of it. There is a
valley, which is enclosed by mountains on all sides, as with a
wall, like a castle; the space of the place is two hundred acres,
and it is called Jericho. Hence we read of the plains and valley
of Jericho in Scripture, ( Deuteronomy
34:3 ) ( 2 Kings 25:5
) so that it is very probable sycamore trees grew there in great
plenty; though the place was more famous for palm trees: hence it
is called the city of the palm trees, ( Deuteronomy
24:3 ) ( Judges 3:13 ) which the
Targumist, in both places, interprets, the city of Jericho: to
which agree the accounts given of it by Pliny F14,
Strabo F15, and Justin F16, who
all affirm, that it abounded with palm trees; and the latter says
also with balsam trees, from the sweet smell of which it might
have its name: so the Jews say {q}, the ointment of balsam is
called the ointment of our land, because it grows in Jericho, and
because of the smell of it, it is called Jericho; though some
think it has its name from the plain, being in the form of a half
moon; the moon, in the Hebrew language, being called (xry) F18. This tree seems to have
been without the city: and indeed, according to the Jewish canon,
it ought to be, which runs thus F19;
``they set a tree at a distance from a city, twenty and five cubits, but a "charub tree", and "sycamore", fifty cubits.''The reason of the greater distance of the latter is, as one of their commentators says F20, because their branches were large; and this is the reason why Zacchaeus went up into one of these trees, because it was large and able to bear him, and tall, from whence he could have a full view of Christ:
for he was to pass that [way];
or rather, "pass by that"; for the word "way" is not in the text;
and the sense is, he was to pass by that tree; or "under" it, as
the Arabic version renders it. The tree stood by the road side,
in which Jesus came, for which reason Zacchaeus made choice of
it, as fit for his purpose.
F7 T. Bab. Pesachim, fol. 57. 1. & Juchashin, fol. 69. 1.
F8 T. Bab. Menachot, fol. 71. 1. & Pesachim, fol. 56. 1.
F9 Misn. Sheviith, c. 9. sect. 2.
F11 De Bello Jud. l. 4. c. 27.
F12 Geograph. l. 16.
F13 Hist. l. 36. c. 3.
F14 Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 14.
F15 Ut supra. (Geograph. l. 16.)
F16 Ib.
F17 Gloss. in T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 43. 1.
F18 Vid. Masium in Josh. c. 2. p. 37.
F19 Misna Bava Bathra, c. 2. sect. 7.
F20 Bartenora in ib.