Matthew 3:17
Read Matthew 3:17 Using Other Translations
What does Matthew 3:17 mean?
And lo, a voice from heaven, saying
At the same time the heavens were opened, and the Spirit of God
descended as a dove, and lighted on Christ, and whilst it abode
upon him, an extraordinary voice was heard; hence the note of
attention and admiration, "lo", is prefixed unto it, as before,
to the opening of the heavens; being what was unusual and
surprising; and as denoting something to be expressed of great
moment and importance. The Jews, in order to render this
circumstance less considerable, and to have it believed, that
these voices from heaven heard in the time of Jesus, and in
relation to him were common things, have invented a great many
stories concerning (Mymvm lwq
tb) , "the voice", or "the daughter of the voice from
heaven"; which they pretend came in the room of prophecy: their
F20 words are,
``after the death of the latter prophets, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, the holy Spirit departed from Israel, and thenceforwards they used "Bath Kol", the "voice". One time they were sitting in the chamber of the house of Guria in Jericho, and there came to them (Mymvm lyq tb) , "the voice from heaven", (saying;) there is one here, who is fit to have the Shekinah (or divine majesty) abide on him, as Moses our master; but because his generation was not worthy, therefore the wise men set their eyes on Hillell, the elder; and when he died, they said concerning him, this was a holy man, a meek man, a disciple of Ezra. Again, another time they were sitting in a chamber in Jabneh, and there came to them "the voice from heaven", (saying;) there is one here, who is fit to have the Shekinah dwell on him; but because his generation was not worthy, therefore the wise men set their eyes on Samuel the little.''I have cited this passage at large, partly because, according to them, it fixes the date and use of "the voice"; and partly, because it affords instances of it, wherefore more need not be mentioned; for, it would be endless to repeat the several things spoken by it; such as encouraging Herod to rebel, and seize his master's kingdom F21; forbidding Ben Uzziel to go on with his paraphrase on the Hagiographa, or holy books, when he had finished his Targum on the prophets F23; declaring the words of Hillell and Shammai to be the words of the living God F24; signifying the conception, birth, and death of F25 persons, and the like; all which seem to be mere fiction and imagination, diabolical delusions, or satanical imitations of this voice, that was now heard, in order to lessen the credit of it. But, to proceed; this extraordinary voice from heaven, which was formed in articulate sounds for the sake of John; and, according to the other Evangelists, was directed to Christ, ( Mark 1:11 ) ( Luke 3:22 ) expressed the following words, "this is my beloved Son". "This" person, who had been baptized in water, on whom the holy Spirit now rested, is no other than the Son of God in human nature; which he assumed, in order to be obedient to this, and the whole of his Father's will: he is his own proper "son", not by creation, as angels, and men; nor by adoption, as saints; nor by office, as magistrates; but in such a way of filiation as no other is: he is the natural, essential, and only begotten Son of God; his beloved Son, whom the Father loved from everlasting, as his own Son; the image of himself, of the same nature with him, and possessed of the same perfections; whom he loved, and continued to love in time, though clothed with human nature, and the infirmities of it; appearing in the likeness of sinful flesh; being in his state of humiliation, he loved him through it, and all sorrows and sufferings that attended it. Christ always was, and ever will be considered, both in his person as the Son of God, and in his office as mediator, the object of his love and delight; wherefore he adds,
in whom I am well pleased.
Jehovah the Father took infinite delight and pleasure in him as
his own Son, who lay in his bosom before all worlds; and was well
pleased with him in his office relation, and capacity: he was
both well pleased in him as his Son, and delighted in him as his
servant, ( Isaiah 42:1 ) he was
pleased with his assumption of human nature; with his whole
obedience to the law; and with his bearing the penalty and curse
of it, in the room and stead of his people: he was well pleased
with and for his righteousness, sacrifice and atonement; whereby
his law was fulfilled, and his justice satisfied. God is not only
well pleased in, and with his Son, but with all his people, as
considered in him; in him he loves them, takes delight in them,
is pacified towards them, and graciously accepts of them. It
would be almost unpardonable, not to take notice of the testimony
here given to the doctrine of the Trinity; since a voice was
heard from the "father" in heaven, bearing witness to "the Son"
in human nature on earth, on whom "the Spirit" had descended and
now abode. The ancients looked upon this as so clear and full a
proof of this truth, that they were wont to say; Go to Jordan,
and there learn the doctrine of the Trinity. Add to all this,
that since this declaration was immediately upon the baptism of
Christ, it shows that his Father highly approved of, and was well
pleased with his submission to that ordinance; and which should
be an encouraging motive to all believers to follow him in it.
F20 T. Bab. Sanhedrim, fol. 11. 1. Sota, fol. 48. 2. Yoma. fol. 9. 2.
F21 T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 3. 2.
F23 Megilla, fol. 3. 1.
F24 T. Hieros. Beracot, fol. 3. 2.
F25 T. Bab. Sanhedrim, fol. 22. 1. T. Hieros. Sabbat. fol. 8. 3.
