Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
Saying, - "Hosanna" (Matthew, Mark, and John); that is, "Save now" х howshiy`aah (H3467) naa'
(H4994)] Psalms 118:25.
Blessed [be] - or 'is,' as rendered in Matthew and John. Either way, it is their glad welcome to "the King that cometh in the name of the Lord".
The King that cometh in the name of the Lord - in John (John 12:13), "the King of Israel;" in Matthew (Matthew 21:9), "the Son of David;" in Mark (Mark 11:9-10), after "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord," another exclamation is added, "Blessed be the Kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord." In all likelihood, the exclamation was variously uttered by the multitude, and the same voices may have varied their acclaim, as they repeated it over and over again,
Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. The multitude of the heavenly host, remarks Bengel, said at His birth, "Peace on earth" (Luke 2:14), this earthly multitude say, "Peace in heaven." A great truth, indeed, but uttered in ignorance. Christ's entry into Jerusalem now meant peace in both senses; but, alas, they "knew not the things that belonged to their peace." In Matthew and Mark another "Hosanna in the highest" is substituted for this; and, doubtless, it was repeated often enough. In thus uttering the grand Messianic words of Psalms 118:25 - which lie embosomed in those rich Evangelical anticipations that formed part of the Great Hallel, as it was called, or Passover-Psalms, to be sung by all the people in a few days, and which were understood to refer to the Messiah-they acted, all unconsciously, as the representatives of the true Church welcoming Her King, aye, and of the literal Israel, who will one day hail Him with a transport of joy, but mingled with weeping. (Compare Matthew 23:39, with Zechariah 12:10).
A very important addition is here made in the Fourth Gospel: John 12:16-19. "These things understood not His disciples at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they (see John 14:26) that these things were written of Him" - referring more immediately to the prophecies just quoted from Psalms 118:1-29 and Zechariah 9:1-17, but generally to those Messianic portions of the Old Testament which had until then been overlooked - "and that they had done these things unto him." The Spirit, descending on them from the glorified Saviour at Pentecost, opened their eyes suddenly to the true sense of the Old Testament, brought vividly to their recollection this and other Messianic predictions, and to their unspeakable astonishment showed them that they, and all the actors in these scenes, had been unconsciously fulfilling those predictions. "The people therefore that was with Him when He called Lazarus out of His grave, and raised Him from the dead, bare record" - probably telling others in the crowd what they had so recently witnessed, as additional evidence that this must be "He that cometh in the name of the Lord." "For this cause the people" - or 'the multitude' х ho (G3588) ochlos (G3793)] "also met Him, for that they heard that He had done this miracle." The crowd was thus largely swelled in consequence of the stir which the resurrection of Lazarus made in and about the city. "The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye" - or 'Ye perceive' х theooreite (G2334)], "how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after Him" - a popular way of speaking: 'He is drawing all men after Him;' a saying, as Bengel remarks, in which there lay something prophetic, like that of Caiaphas (John 11:50-52), and that of Pilate (John 19:19). This was spoken evidently with deep indignation; and was as much as to say, 'We cannot allow this to go any further, steps must be immediately taken to get rid of Him, else all will be lost.'