Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
] Of their sins; for there were bounds and limits set how far
they should proceed, and no further; as yet they had not got to
the end of their iniquity: their fathers had gone great lengths
in sin, but their iniquity was not yet full, as is said of the
Amorites, ( Genesis
15:16 ) these their sons were to fill it up. They had shed
the blood of many of the prophets; and indeed there were none of
them but they had persecuted and abused, in one shape or another:
some they entreated shamefully, others they beat: some they
stoned, and others they put to death with the sword, or
otherwise; and now their children were about to fill the measure
brimful, by crucifying the Son of God, which they were at this
time meditating and contriving; and by persecuting and slaying
his apostles, and so would bring upon them the vengeance of God.
The Jews well enough understood these words, which were spoken to
them in an ironical way, and expressing what they were about, and
what they would hereafter do, and what would be the issue and
consequence of it: they have a saying F15, that
``the holy blessed God does not take vengeance on a man, (wtao almttv de) , "until his measure is filled up"; according to ( Job 20:22 ) .''Which the Chaldee paraphrase renders,
``when his measure is filled up, then shall he take vengeance on him;''and that this is Christ's sense, appears from what follows.