Mark 12:37

37 David himself calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?" And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.

Mark 12:37 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 12:37

David therefore himself calleth him Lord
David, whose son you say the Messiah is, speaks of him as one superior to himself; as Lord, and as his Lord:

whence is he then his son?
from what passage of Scripture does it appear, that he is his son? and how can these two different characters of him, be made to agree in him? Our Lord meant by this, to observe to them, that the Messiah was God, as well as man; that he was not merely the son of David, as was commonly received, or a mere man, but that he had a superior nature, in which he was David's Lord, and even Lord of all. This is a Talmudic way of speaking, frequently used when a proof from Scripture, or reason, is demanded to support any opinion or article of faith; as, (arbo yah Nyynm) , "from whence is this opinion" ^F26? what proof is there of it? And again it is said ^F1, (Mytmh tyyxtl Nyynm) , "from whence" is the proof of the resurrection of the dead out of the law? It is said, ( Exodus 6:4 ) , "and I have also established" Sometimes it is expressed thus {b}, (Nnyedy anm) , "from whence do we know that it is so?" And sometimes the word is doubled ^F3; says, R. Simeon ben Lekish, there is an intimation out of the law, concerning that which is torn, (Nyynm Nyynm) , "from whence? from whence?" ( Exodus 22:31 ) : "Neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn" But the Scribes produced neither Scripture nor reason to support their assertion, though it was true; because they could not reconcile it with the passage cited by Christ.

And the common people;
or the "whole multitude", as the Syriac and Persic versions render it; or a "great multitude", as the Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions; or "all the people", as the Ethiopic; all but the Scribes and Pharisees, the populace in general,

heard him gladly;
with great pleasure and satisfaction, observing that his doctrine was superior to that of any of the sects among them; particularly his reasoning about the Messiah, was listened to with great attention, and who, no doubt, could gladly have heard how these things could be reconciled; but we read not that any answer was returned to our Lord's queries, either by himself or any other.

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 T. Bab. Yebamot, fol. 54. 2.
F1 T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 90. 2.
F2 T. Bab. Nazir, fol. 5. 1.
F3 T. Bab. Cholin, fol. 42. 1.

Mark 12:37 In-Context

35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, "How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David?

36 David himself, by the Holy Spirit, declared, "The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet." '

37 David himself calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?" And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.

38 As he taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces,

39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets!