Luke 13:31,32 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

The same day there came certain of the Pharisees Who pretended friendship, and a great concern for his safety; saying, Get thee out and depart hence Withdraw from this country into the territories of some other prince; for Herod In whose dominions thou now art; will kill thee Greek, θελει σε αποκτειναι, intends, or rather, is determined to kill thee. The term will, in our translation of this clause, is a mere sign of the future time, and declares no more than that the event spoken of would take place. But this is not what is declared by the evangelist. His expression denotes that, at that very time, it was Herod's purpose to kill him. It is much to be doubted whether these Pharisees had any ground at all for making this declaration respecting Herod's resolution. From the known disposition of the Pharisees, who were always Christ's enemies, it seems not improbable that their concern for his safety was reigned, and that their real design was to intimidate him, and make him flee into Judea, not doubting that the haughty priests at Jerusalem would fall upon some method of putting him to death. Herod, too, might possibly be in the plot, for it seems he now began to take umbrage at Christ's fame and authority, fearing that they might occasion him some embarrassment, either with his people or with the Romans. But he dreaded to make an attempt on his life, remembering the agonies of mind he had suffered on account of the Baptist's murder. He therefore, probably, sent the Pharisees to him with the message above mentioned. In this view there was a peculiar propriety in our Lord's calling him a fox, rather than a lion, wolf, or bear; to which savage beasts the prophets had sometimes, with a plainness becoming their character, compared wicked princes. And he said, Go ye, and tell that fox, &c. That crafty, wicked, and murderous prince; behold, I cast out devils and do cures In thy dominions. With what majesty does he speak to his enemies! With what tenderness to his friends! to-day and to-morrow And carry on my work a little while longer; and the third day I shall be perfected For the appointed time will quickly come when I shall have finished my course, and have done all that I intend to do here. It is probable our Lord is not to be understood here as speaking exactly of three days, but of a short period of time: for in many places of the Old Testament similar expressions, such as yesterday, and the third day, signify lately, or a little while ago; and, on this interpretation, the word τελειουμαι, I shall be perfected, may refer to his finishing the work of redemption, and being by death consecrated to his office, as the great High-Priest and Captain of our salvation, as the same word is used Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 5:9; Hebrews 7:28. It is proper to observe here, with regard to our Lord's terming Herod a fox, that we must carefully distinguish between those things wherein Christ is our pattern, and those which were peculiar to his office. His extraordinary office justified him in using that severity of language, when speaking of wicked princes and corrupt teachers, to which we have no call: and by which we should only bring scandal on religion, and ruin on ourselves, while we irritated, rather than convinced or reformed, those whom we so indecently rebuked.