Mark 1:2

1:1-8. Isaiah and Malachi each spake concerning the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in the ministry of John. From these prophets we may observe, that Christ, in his gospel, comes among us, bringing with him a treasure of grace, and a sceptre of government. Such is the corruption of the world, that there is great opposition to his progress. When God sent his Son into the world, he took care, and when he sends him into the heart, he takes care, to prepare his way before him. John thinks himself unworthy of the meanest office about Christ. The most eminent saints have always been the most humble. They feel their need of Christ's atoning blood and sanctifying Spirit, more than others. The great promise Christ makes in his gospel to those who have repented, and have had their sins forgiven them, is, they shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost; shall be purified by his graces, and refreshed by his comforts. We use the ordinances, word, and sacraments without profit and comfort, for the most part, because we have not of that Divine light within us; and we have it not because we ask it not; for we have his word that cannot fail, that our heavenly Father will give this light, his Holy Spirit, to those that ask it.

(2) In the prophets. —The better MSS. give the more accurate reference, “in Esaias the prophet.” On general grounds, however, it seems more probable that the general reference should have been specialised by a transcriber than the reverse. With one exception, and that very doubtful as to its genuineness (see Note on Mark 15:28 ), this is the only quotation from a prophet made by the Evangelist himself in this Gospel. The fact that St. Mark wrote for Gentiles furnishes a partial explanation of his silence in this respect, as compared with the other Gospels. (See Introduction. ) Behold, I send my messenger.—See Notes on Matthew 11:10-11.

Mark 1:2 . Ὡς , as ) Mark shows, from the prophets, that the beginning of the Gospel ought to have been such as it actually was; and having proved that point, all the rest is proved. The Apodosis is at verse 4.[4]— ἐν Ἡσαΐᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ , in Isaiah the Prophet ) Mark brings forward a testimony first [ Mark 1:2 ] from Malachi, next [ Mark 1:3 ] from Isaiah. Therefore some have written thus, ἐν τοῖς προφἡταις , in the prophets . But yet, in the same way as Matthew 21:4-5 , quotes Zechariah under the title of one prophet [That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet , Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold thy King cometh unto thee, meek, etc.], and at the same time blends with Zechariah’s words something out of Isaiah 62:11 [ Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy salvation cometh , etc.]; and as Paul also, in Romans 9:27 , quotes Isaiah by name, and yet has interwoven with Isaiah’s words something out of Hosea 2:1 : so Mark quotes two prophets, and yet mentions by name only the one, the prophet Isaiah (as I have long since been of opinion):[5] however it is not without show of probability, that Beza conjectures that the passage of Malachi crept from the blank space in the margin [ex albo] into the context of Mark.

Isaiah is more copious and better known, and his testimony, which has been quoted by Mark, used to be read in public on the Sabbath; and Mark here produces the testimony of Malachi in a kind of parenthetic way, equivalent to a supplement, intending, as he did below, to omit that section of the Gospel history in which Malachi is properly [in the peculiarly appropriate place] quoted in Matthew 11:10 , and Luke 7:27 : whereas the quotation of Isaiah, as in Matthew, Luke, and John, so also here in Mark, is peculiarly appropriate to this place. John the Baptist himself quoted Isaiah, not Malachi, concerning himself. [4] As it is written, etc., Behold I send my messenger, so “John did baptize,” being that messenger.—ED. [5] Porphyry, an infidel of the third century, in charging Mark, on the ground that he has ascribed to Isaiah the words ἰδοὺ — προσώπου σοῦ , by the very fact of this charge establishes the fact, that the reading at that early date in the Greek or Syriac copies was ἐν Ἡσαΐᾳ τᾠ προφήτῃ , and therefore that it was not a reading spuriously reproduced from the Latin copies, as may be seen at greater length in J. D. Michaelis’ Enleitung, etc., T. i., p. m. 162, 586, 587.—E. B. Ἐν τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ τῳ προφήτῃ is the reading of BD (omitting the second τῷ )LΔ Vulg. be , Syr. Memph. Origen, Iren. 191: “in Eseiam (Esaiam) prophetam” in ad . But Rec. Text ἐν τοῖς προφήταις , with A P, and Iren. 187, 205, expressly.

Mark 1:2-4 . καθὼς introduces a prophetic citation as protasis to the historical statement about John in Mark 1:4 = in accordance with, etc., John appeared. The prophetic reference and the historical statement are given in inverse order in Matthew.— ἐν τῷ Ἠσαίᾳ , in Isaiah, the actual quotation being from Isaiah and Malachi ( Mark 1:2 ) conjointly. An inaccuracy doubtless, but not through an error of memory (Meyer and Weiss), but through indifference to greater exactness, the quotation from Isaiah being what chiefly occupied the mind. It is something analogous to attraction in grammar. It is Mark’s only prophetic citation on his own account.— ἰδοὺ begins the quotation from Malachi 3:1 , given as in Matthew 11:10 , with μου , after προσώπου and ὁδόν , changed into σου .

2. in the prophets ] The citation is from two prophets, (1) Malachi 3:1 , (2) Isaiah 40:3 . Some would read here in Isaiah the Prophet according to certain MSS. Observe that St Mark in his own narrative quotes the Old Testament only twice, here and Mark 15:28 . See Introduction, p. 12.

Verse 2. - Even as it is written in the prophets . The weight of evidence is here in favor of the reading "in Isaiah the prophet." Three of the most important uncials ( א , B, and L), and twenty-six of the cursives, have the reading "Isaiah." With these agree the Italic, Coptic, and Vulgate versions. Of the Fathers, Irenaeus quotes the passage three times, twice using the words "in the prophets," and once "in Isaiah the prophet." Generally the Fathers agree that "Isaiah" is the received reading. The more natural reading would of course be "in the prophets," inasmuch as two prophets are quoted; but in deciding upon readings, it constantly happens that the less likely reading is the more probable. In the case before us we can hardly account for "Isaiah" being exchanged for "the prophets," although we can quite understand "the prophets" being interpolated for "Isaiah." Assuming, then, that St. Mark wrote "in Isaiah the prophet," we may ask why he mentions Isaiah only and not Malachi? The answer would seem to be this, that here the voice of Isaiah is the more powerful of the two. But in real truth, Malachi says the same thing that Isaiah says; for the messenger sent from God to prepare the way of Christ was none other than John, crying aloud and preaching repentance as a preparation for the receiving of the grace of Christ.

The oracle of Malachi is, in fact, contained in the oracle of Isaiah; for what Malachi predicted, the same had Isaiah more clearly and concisely predicted in other words. And this is the reason why St. Mark here, and other evangelists elsewhere, when they cite two prophets, and two or more sentences from different places in the same connection, cite them as one and the same testimony, each sentence appearing to be not so much two, as one and the same declaration differently worded. Mark 1:2

{1} As it is written in the {a} prophets, Behold, {b} I send my messenger {c} before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. (1) John goes before Christ as it was foretold by the prophets. (a) This is the figure of speech called metonymy, by which is meant the books of the prophets Malachi and Isaiah. (b) The prophet uses the present tense when he speaks of a thing to come, as he is as sure of it as if he had already seen it. (c) A metaphor taken from the practice of kings, who used to have ushers go before them.

Ver. 2,3. The prophets Malachi and Isaiah (saith the evangelist) prophesied of this beginning of the gospel. Malachi prophesied that before the great King should come unto Zion, a harbinger should come before him, to prepare his way. The angel, Luke 1:17 , expounds both their prophecies, and also that Malachi 4:5 ; And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. John by his preaching turned the ears of the people to the sound of the gospel, and so prepared them for Christ. For further explication of these words: See Poole on "Matthew 3:3" . See Poole on "Matthew 11:10" . This name given to John the Baptist, A voice crying, gives us the right notion of a gospel minister. Here is but a voice crying, speaking what God hath first suggested to him. Thus God saith to Moses, Exodus 4:15 , Thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth.