Elberfelder Bible (1905) - with Strong’s numbers (GER)

1InG1722 jenenG1565 TagenG2250 aberG1161 kommtG3854 JohannesG2491 der TäuferG910 und predigtG2784 inG1722 der WüsteG2048 von JudäaG2449 2undG2532 sprichtG3004 : Tut BußeG3340, dennG1063 das ReichG932 der HimmelG3772 ist naheG1448 gekommen. 3DennG1063 dieserG3778 ist derG2076, von welchem durchG5259 den ProphetenG4396 JesaiasG2268 geredetG4483 ist, welcher sprichtG3004 :" StimmeG5456 eines RufendenG994 inG1722 der WüsteG2048 : BereitetG2090 den WegG3598 des HerrnG2962, machetG4160 geradeG2117 seineG846 SteigeG5147. " 4ErG846 aberG1161, JohannesG2491, hatteG2192 seineG846 KleidungG1742 vonG575 Kamelhaaren G2359 G2574 undG2532 einen ledernenG1193 GürtelG2223 umG4012 seineG846 LendenG3751; seineG846 SpeiseG5160 aberG1161 warG2258 HeuschreckenG200 undG2532 wilderG66 HonigG3192. 5DaG5119 gingG1607 zuG4314 ihmG846 hinausG1607 JerusalemG2414 undG2532 ganzG3956 JudäaG2449 undG2532 die ganzeG3956 UmgegendG4066 des JordanG2446; 6undG2532 sie wurdenG907 vonG5259 ihmG846 imG1722 JordanG2446 getauftG907, indem sie ihreG846 SündenG266 bekanntenG1843. 7Als er aberG1161 vieleG4183 der PharisäerG5330 undG2532 SadducäerG4523 zuG1909 seinerG846 TaufeG908 kommenG2064 sahG1492, sprachG2036 er zu ihnenG846 : Otternbrut G1081 G2191! werG5101 hat euchG5213 gewiesenG5263, demG575 kommendenG3195 ZornG3709 zu entfliehenG5343? 8BringetG4160 nunG3767 der BußeG3341 würdigeG514 FruchtG2590; 9undG2532 denketG1380 nichtG3361 beiG1722 euch selbstG1438 zu sagenG3004 : Wir habenG2192 AbrahamG11 zum VaterG3962; dennG1063 ich sageG3004 euchG5213, daßG3754 GottG2316 dem AbrahamG11 ausG1537 diesenG5130 SteinenG3037 KinderG5043 zu erweckenG1453 vermagG1410. 10SchonG2235 istG2749 aber G1161 G2532 die AxtG513 anG4314 die WurzelG4491 der BäumeG1186 gelegtG2749; jederG3956 BaumG1186 nunG3767, der nichtG3361 guteG2570 FruchtG2590 bringtG4160, wird abgehauenG1581 undG2532 insG1519 FeuerG4442 geworfenG906. 11IchG1473 zwarG3303 taufeG907 euchG5209 mitG1722 WasserG5204 zurG1519 BußeG3341; der nachG3694 mirG3450 KommendeG2064 aberG1161 istG2076 stärker alsG2478 ichG3450, dessenG3739 SandalenG5266 zu tragenG941 ich nichtG3756 würdigG2425 binG1510; er wird euchG5209 mitG1722 HeiligemG40 GeisteG4151 undG2532 FeuerG4442 taufenG907; 12dessenG3739 WorfschaufelG4425 inG1722 seinerG846 HandG5495 ist, undG2532 er wird seineG846 TenneG257 durch und durch reinigenG1245 undG2532 seinenG846 WeizenG4621 in dieG1519 ScheuneG596 sammelnG4863, die SpreuG892 aberG1161 wird er verbrennenG2618 mit unauslöschlichemG762 FeuerG4442. 13DannG5119 kommtG3854 JesusG2424 ausG575 GaliläaG1056 anG1909 den JordanG2446 zuG4314 JohannesG2491, um vonG5259 ihmG846 getauftG907 zu werden. 14JohannesG2491 aberG1161 wehrteG1254 ihm und sprachG3004 : IchG1473 habeG2192 nötigG5532, vonG5259 dirG4675 getauftG907 zu werden, undG2532 duG4771 kommstG2064 zuG4314 mirG3165? 15JesusG2424 aberG1161 antworteteG611 und sprachG2036 zuG4314 ihmG846 : LaßG863 es jetztG737 so sein; dennG1063 alsoG3779 gebührt G2076 G4241 es unsG2254, alleG3956 GerechtigkeitG1343 zu erfüllenG4137. DannG5119 läßtG863 er es ihmG846 zu. 16UndG2532 als JesusG2424 getauftG907 war, stiegG305 er alsbaldG2117 vonG575 dem WasserG5204 heraufG305; undG2532 sieheG2400, die HimmelG3772 wurdenG455 ihmG846 aufgetanG455, undG2532 er sahG1492 den GeistG4151 GottesG2316 wieG5616 eine TaubeG4058 herniederfahrenG2597 undG2532 aufG1909 ihnG846 kommenG2064. 17UndG2532 sieheG2400, eine StimmeG5456 kommt ausG1537 den HimmelnG3772, welche sprichtG3004 : DieserG3778 istG2076 meinG3450 geliebterG27 SohnG5207, anG1722 welchemG3739 ich Wohlgefallen gefundenG2106 habe.


Matthew Henry - Concise Commentary
 1   After Malachi there was no prophet until John the Baptist came. He appeared first in the wilderness of Judea. This was not an uninhabited desert, but a part of the country not thickly peopled, nor much enclosed. No place is so remote as to shut us out from the visits of Divine grace. The doctrine he preached was repentance; Repent ye. The word here used, implies a total alteration in the mind, a change in the judgment, disposition, and affections, another and a better bias of the soul. Consider your ways, change your minds: you have thought amiss; think again, and think aright. True penitents have other thoughts of God and Christ, sin and holiness, of this world and the other, than they had. The change of the mind produces a change of the way. That is gospel repentance, which flows from a sight of Christ, from a sense of his love, and from hopes of pardon and forgiveness through him. It is a great encouragement to us to repent; repent, for your sins shall be pardoned upon your repentance. Return to God in a way of duty, and he will, through Christ, return unto you in the way of mercy. It is still as necessary to repent and humble ourselves, to prepare the way of the Lord, as it then was. There is a great deal to be done, to make way for Christ into a soul, and nothing is more needful than the discovery of sin, and a conviction that we cannot be saved by our own righteousness. The way of sin and Satan is a crooked way; but to prepare a way for Christ, the paths must be made straight, Hebre 12:13. Those whose business it is to call others to mourn for sin, and to mortify it, ought themselves to live a serious life, a life of self-denial, and contempt of the world. By giving others this example, John made way for Christ. Many came to John's baptism, but few kept to the profession they made. There may be many forward hearers, where there are few true believers. Curiosity, and love for novelty and variety, may bring many to attend on good preaching, and to be affected for a while, who never are subject to the power of it. Those who received John's doctrine, testified their repentance by confessing their sins. Those only are ready to receive Jesus Christ as their righteousness, who are brought with sorrow and shame to own their guilt. The benefits of the kingdom of heaven, now at hand, were thereupon sealed to them by baptism. John washed them with water, in token that God would cleanse them from all their iniquities, thereby intimating, that by nature and practice all were polluted, and could not be admitted among the people of God, unless washed from their sins in the fountain Christ was to open, Zech 13:1.

 7   To make application to the souls of the hearers, is the life of preaching; so it was of John's preaching. The Pharisees laid their chief stress on outward observances, neglecting the weightier matters of the moral law, and the spiritual meaning of their legal ceremonies. Others of them were detestable hypocrites, making their pretences to holiness a cloak for iniquity. The Sadducees ran into the opposite extreme, denying the existence of spirits, and a future state. They were the scornful infidels of that time and country. There is a wrath to come. It is the great concern of every one to flee from that wrath. God, who delights not in our ruin, has warned us; he warns by the written word, by ministers, by conscience. And those are not worthy of the name of penitents, or their privileges, who say they are sorry for their sins, yet persist in them. It becomes penitents to be humble and low in their own eyes, to be thankful for the least mercy, patient under the greatest affliction, to be watchful against all appearances of sin, to abound in every duty, and to be charitable in judging others. Here is a word of caution, not to trust in outward privileges. There is a great deal which carnal hearts are apt to say within themselves, to put aside the convincing, commanding power of the word of God. Multitudes, by resting in the honours and mere advantages of their being members of an outward church, come short of heaven. Here is a word of terror to the careless and secure. Our corrupt hearts cannot be made to produce good fruit, unless the regenerating Spirit of Christ graft the good word of God upon them. And every tree, however high in gifts and honours, however green in outward professions and performances, if it bring not forth good fruit, the fruits meet for repentance, is hewn down and cast into the fire of God's wrath, the fittest place for barren trees: what else are they good for? If not fit for fruit, they are fit for fuel. John shows the design and intention of Christ's appearing, which they were now speedily to expect. No outward forms can make us clean. No ordinances, by whomsoever administered, or after whatever mode, can supply the want of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire. The purifying and cleansing power of the Holy Spirit alone can produce that purity of heart, and those holy affections, which accompany salvation. It is Christ who baptizes with the Holy Ghost. This he did in the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit sent upon the apostles, Acts 2:4. This he does in the graces and comforts of the Spirit, given to those that ask him, Luke 11:13; John 7:38, John 7:39; see Acts 11:16. Observe here, the outward church is Christ's floor, Isa 21:10. True believers are as wheat, substantial, useful, and valuable; hypocrites are as chaff, light and empty, useless and worthless, carried about with every wind; these are mixed, good and bad, in the same outward communion. There is a day coming when the wheat and chaff shall be separated. The last judgment will be the distinguishing day, when saints and sinners shall be parted for ever. In heaven the saints are brought together, and no longer scattered; they are safe, and no longer exposed; separated from corrupt neighbours without, and corrupt affections within, and there is no chaff among them. Hell is the unquenchable fire, which will certainly be the portion and punishment of hypocrites and unbelievers. Here life and death, good and evil, are set before us: according as we now are in the field, we shall be then in the floor.

 13   Christ's gracious condescensions are so surprising, that even the strongest believers at first can hardly believe them; so deep and mysterious, that even those who know his mind well, are apt to start objections against the will of Christ. And those who have much of the Spirit of God while here, see that they need to apply to Christ for more. Christ does not deny that John had need to be baptized of him, yet declares he will now be baptized of John. Christ is now in a state of humiliation. Our Lord Jesus looked upon it as well becoming him to fulfil all righteousness, to own every Divine institution, and to show his readiness to comply with all God's righteous precepts. In and through Christ, the heavens are opened to the children of men. This descent of the Spirit upon Christ, showed that he was endued with his sacred influences without measure. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. At Christ's baptism there was a manifestation of the three Persons in the sacred Trinity. The Father confirming the Son to be Mediator; the Son solemnly entering upon the work; the Holy Spirit descending on him, to be through his mediation communicated to his people. In Him our spiritual sacrifices are acceptable, for He is the altar that sanctifies every gift, 1Pet 2:5. Out of Christ, God is a consuming fire, but in Christ, a reconciled Father. This is the sum of the gospel, which we must by faith cheerfully embrace.