Matthew 24:20 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

But pray ye that your flight be not, &c.— "Pray that these evils be not further aggravated by the concurrence of other natural and moral evils, such as the inclemencies of the seasons, and your own scruples: Pray that your flight be not in the winter; for the hardness of the season, the badness of the roads, and the shortness of the days, will all be great impediments to your flight; neither on the Sabbath-day; that you may not raise the indignation of the Jews by travelling on that day, nor be hindered from doing it by your own scruples." This seems to be spoken a good deal in condescension to the Jewish scruples, a Sabbath-day's journey among the Jews being but abouta mile; and consequently insufficient for the security of their lives who fled. It has been observed, (on Psalms 147:16 and Ezra 10:9.) that the winters are very cold in the Holy Land. St. Jerome speaks of the cold of that country, as frequently too severe to be borne by those who might be glad to secrete themselves for fear of their lives; and, in his letter to Algasia, he thus understands, as to the literal sense, the direction of our Lord here given to his disciples; the severity of the cold being such, as would not permit them toconceal themselves in the deserts. Agreeable to this, and at the same time a lively comment on these words of our Lord, is the account which William of Tyre gives of the state of Saladine's troops after their defeat in the neighbourhood of Ascalon. "They for haste threw away their armour and cloaths, [vestium genera quaelibet; that is to say, their hykes and burnooses, described by Dr. Shaw, p. 226 which they found entangled them, and retarded their flight] but so sunk under the cold, with want of food, tediousness of the ways, and greatness of the fatigue, that they were daily taken captives in the woods, mountains, and wilderness; and sometimes threw themselves in the way of their enemies, rather than perish with cold and hunger." See the Observations on Sacred Scripture, p. 15. As our Saviour cautioned his disciples to fly when they should see Jerusalem encompassed with armies; so was it very providentiallyordered that Jerusalem should be compassed with armies, and yet that they should have such favourable opportunities of making their escape. In the 12th year of Nero, Cestius Gallus came against Jerusalem with a powerful army; and though, if he had assaulted the city, he might have taken it, and have put an end to the war; yet, without any apparent reason, and contrary to every one's expectation, he raised the siege. Vespasian, who succeeded him in the command, invested the city on all sides; but the news of Nero's death, and soon after of Galba's, caused him to suspend his operations against Jerusalem; and the city was not actually besieged in form, till Vespasian was confirmed in the empire, and Titus was sent to command the forces in Judea. These incidental delays were very opportune for the Christians, and those who had thoughts of retreating and providing for their safety. See Bishop Newton.