A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
35. treasure ] Rather, treasury or storehouse: for a similar use of the Greek word see ch. Mat 2:11.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 35. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart] , of the heart, is omitted by upwards of one hundred MSS., many of them of the greatest antiquity and authority; by all the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic; by the Slavonic, Saxon, Vulgate, and Itala, (except four,) and by several of the primitive fathers. It seems to have been added here by some copyist, merely to explain. The good heart is the good treasury, and the treasure that is in it is the love of God, and of all mankind. The bad heart is the bad treasury, and its treasure is the carnal mind, which is enmity against God, and ill-will to man.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
35. A good man, out of the goodtreasure of the heart, bringeth forth good thingsor, “puttethforth good things”:
and an evil man, out of theevil treasure, bringeth forth evil thingsor “puttethforth evil things.” The word “putteth” indicates thespontaneity of what comes from the heart; for it is out of theabundance of the heart that the mouth speaketh. We have here a newapplication of a former saying (see on Mt7:16-20). Here, the sentiment is, “There are but twokingdoms, interests, partieswith the proper workings of each: If Ipromote the one, I cannot belong to the other; but they that setthemselves in wilful opposition to the kingdom of light openlyproclaim to what other kingdom they belong. As for you, in what yehave now uttered, ye have but revealed the venomous malignity of yourhearts.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
A good man, out of the good treasure of the heart,…. “A good man”, is a regenerated man, one that is renewed by the Spirit of God, a believer in Christ, a sincere lover of him, and one that follows him, wheresoever he goes, and who has the grace of God implanted in him: for “the good treasure the heart”, is not what he is naturally possessed of, but what is put into him: and is no other than the superabundant grace of God, or that grace for grace, which he has received out of Christ’s fulness, and the rich experience of it he is blessed with: and may well be called a “treasure”; for as a treasure is a collection of riches, so this consists of various graces, each of which is more precious than gold, silver, and precious stones; a “good” one, both from the quality and quantity of it; and “of the heart”, though this is left out in many copies, from the seat and subject of it; and out of this the gracious man
bringeth forth good things; tells his experience, speaks of what God has done for his soul; says many things to the glory of the grace of God; of the person, offices, blood, righteousness, and fulness of Christ; and of the operations and influences of the blessed Spirit; and which are pleasant, profitable, useful, and edifying to the saints:
and an evil man, out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. The “evil man”, is a man as he was born; who is wholly flesh, carnal, and in a state of nature; destitute of the Spirit, and having no principle of grace in him: “the evil treasure”, is the corruption of his nature, the desperate wickedness of his heart; and those swarms of lusts, and all manner of sin that dwell there; from whence are continually proceeding evil and corrupt communications, which not only defile himself, but others; and among the rest, not only vain words and unprofitable talk, but blasphemies against God, Christ, and the blessed Spirit; all which men will be accountable for another day.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Bringeth forth [] . But the translation is feeble. The word means to throw or fling out. The good or evil things come forth out of the treasure of the heart (34). “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” The issues of the heart are thrown out, as if under pressure of the abundance within.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “A good man,” (ho agathos anthropos) “The good man,” who is pure in heart, Mat 5:8, the man who is of a new or regenerate heart, comparing with a good tree, in contrast with a corrupt tree, Mat 12:33.
2) “Out of the good treasure of the heart,” (ek tou agathou thesaurou) “Out of the source of the good heart treasury,” Psa 24:4; Also called the Divine nature or new nature; Such an heart is purified by faith, Act 15:9; Rom 10:10.
3) “Bringeth forth good things.” (ekballei agatha) “Repeatedly speaks forth and brings out good (morally, ethically, and spiritually) good things,” or good fruit from the good or new nature, quickened within him in regeneration, Pro 10:20; Mat 7:17; Gal 5:22-25; 2Pe 1:4-8.
4) “And an evil man out of the evil treasure,” (kai ho poneros anthropos ek tou ponerou thesaurou) “And the wicked man (the unregenerate man), out of the source of the wicked heart treasury,” Jer 17:9; Mat 15:18-19.
5) “Bringeth forth evil things.” (ekballe! ponera) “Speaks or brings out and puts forth wicked ideas and things,” as a natural fruit of the corrupt nature of his carnal birth, Mr 7:21; Luk 6:43-45.
The good man produces good things and good fruit, opposite of that of the viper-nature, the corrupt nature. In Mat 12:34 the heart is presented as a fountain from which speech overflows. The serpentine vituperations of the Pharisees against Jesus was therefore an overflow of their own evil hearts, as they ascribed to Him the position of the Devil, as presiding over demon spirits, Mat 12:24.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(35) A good man out of the good treasure.A whole parable is wrapt up in this last word. Every thought and desire of a man is added to the ever accumulating store of such desires or thoughts in the inner chamber of his heart, and thence passes out into word or deed. In the ideal division of the context, which excludes neutrality, the treasure is either simply good or simply evil. Practically, it might seem as if the character of most men implied a treasure of good and evil mingled in ever-varying proportion, but that thought is traversed in its turn by the fact that if there is not the unity of goodness which comes from the love of God, there must be the distraction and diversity that come from the love of self, and that this makes the treasure predominantly evil. The poison of worldliness acts in such a case with accumulative power. The same image reappears in reference to the intellectual side of the religious life in Mat. 13:52.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
35. Good treasure of the heart A most beautiful expression. The heart of a good man is a treasure of good things. Divine truths, blessed expressions, spiritual susceptibilities, holy emotions, dwell there richly, and abound. Like a wealthy banker, he has only to draw the precious treasure forth whenever occasion demands. Evil treasure But the depraved man also has his treasury of evil. Hostile feelings against truth and goodness, skeptical arguments, malign emotions, purpose to prefer self-interest to right, hatred of God and religion, are all heaped together, and ready to furnish of their store whenever the occasion demands.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil things.”
So a good man will speak what is in his heart and will produce good things. That is because his heart is filled with good treasure. The idea of treasure is that it has been stored up by choice (Mat 6:19-20). And good treasure stands the test. It is pure and righteous and compassionate and merciful. It is filled with love (Mat 5:44-48). In the words of Paul it ‘suffers long and is kind, it does not envy, or exalt itself, or be puffed up, it does not behave itself in an unseemly way, it is not easily provoked. It does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. It never fails’ (1Co 13:4-7). Thus it will bring forth good things, and in context, good words from the mouth. And this will be true both in public and in private. But the man who is evil has an evil treasure within, a treasure that is false, and that also is what will issue from his mouth.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 12:35 . , here the inward treasure house ( receptaculum ) of the heart’s thoughts (Luk 6:45 ) which are revealed in words, through which latter they take outward shape, are thrown out , as it were, from the heart of the speaker through the channel of the mouth.
] . of wickedness , also in Eur. Ion. 923.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”
I pause over this verse, by way of observing, once for all, the scriptural sense of a good man. The word of God hath expressly said, that there is none good, no not one. Rom 3:10Rom 3:10 ; Ecc 7:20 ; Pro 24:16 ; Rom 5 throughout. Hence therefore, as the word of God, cannot but be in perfect agreement with itself, in every part; it is evident, that by a good man, is meant one that is regenerated and born again; one that is renewed in the spirit of his mind, and justified in Christ Jesus. Paul speaks of such. 1Co 5:11 . So that this man differs from the natural man, yea, from what he himself once was, before this sovereign act of grace had passed upon his mind; and therefore now, out of the good treasure of his heart, in Christ; and from the graces of his Holy Spirit planted there, he brings forth the sweet and precious fruits in life and conversation, of the person, work, and righteousness of Jesus. Phi 1:27 ; Psa 66:16 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Ver. 35. Out of the good treasure, &c. ] Out of his habit of heavenly mindedness, out of that law of grace in his heart, “his mouth speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talks of judgment,” Psa 37:30-31 . Works not done from a principle of life within are dead works, saith the author to the Hebrews, be they for the matter never so good and praiseworthy. This moved Luther to say that good works make not men good; but good we must be first ere good can be done by us. a This moved Austin to say that Omnis vita infidelium peccatum est, the whole life of an unbeliever is sin, though Spira, the popish expositor, censure that saying for a cruel sentence; crudelis est illa sententia.
An evil man out of the evil treasure, &c. ] Carnal hearts are stews of unclean thoughts, shambles of cruel and bloody thoughts, exchanges and shops of vain thoughts, a very forge and mint of false, political, undermining thoughts, yea, often a little hell of confused and black imaginations, as one well describeth them.
a Bona opera non faciunt bonos, sed prius oportet bonos esse quam faciamus bona. Luther.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
35 37. ] The treasure spoken of is that inner storehouse of good and evil only seen by God and (partially) by ourselves. And on that account because words, so lightly thought of by the world and the careless, spring from the inner fountains of good and ill, therefore they will form subjects of the judgment of the great day, when the whole life shall be unfolded and pronounced upon. See Jas 3:2-12 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 12:35 is found in Luke’s version of the Sermon (Luk 6:45 ). They might have been remarks made to the disciples about the Pharisees, as in Mat 16:6 , though in their present form direct address is implied ( vide Mat 12:34 ). Their essential import is that the nature or heart of a man determines his speech and action. Given the tree, the fruit follows.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Mat 12:35 . .: good in the sense of benignant, gracious, kindly, the extreme moral opposite of the malignant viper-nature. : in Mat 12:34 the heart is conceived as a fountain, of which speech is the overflow, here as a treasure whose stores of thought and feeling the mouth freely distributes. suggests speech characterised by energy, passion. There was no lack of emphasis in Pharisaic comments on Jesus. They hissed out their malevolent words at Him, being not heartless but bad-hearted. But cf. texts referred to on margin.
Mat 12:36 . . : speech being the outcome of the heart, no word is insignificant, not even that which is , ineffectual ( . ), insipid, “idle”. It is an index of thoughtlessness if not of malice. This verse contains an important warning, whether spoken at this time or not.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
A = The.
treasure = treasury.
the heart. All the texts omit “the heart”.
an = the.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
35-37.] The treasure spoken of is that inner storehouse of good and evil only seen by God and (partially) by ourselves. And on that account-because words, so lightly thought of by the world and the careless, spring from the inner fountains of good and ill, therefore they will form subjects of the judgment of the great day, when the whole life shall be unfolded and pronounced upon. See Jam 3:2-12.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 12:35. , treasure) There is truly treasure and hidden abundance in every man.[576]- -, the good things, evil things) The article has frequently a relative value: I have therefore sometimes thought that it was on that account added to , good things, as being already mentioned in Mat 12:34, and not to , which does not there occur. But many have either written or omitted the article too promiscuously.[577] The ancient Cambridge MS. has without an article.[578]
[576] This word treasure, which plainly implies abundance, proves that also in the preceding ver. the word is not to be too readily understood as fulness (Germ. Ueberfluss): although in its own proper place it may be understood, by a Hebraism, simply as a thing contained, . Luther himself does not translate it Was im Herzen ist, what is in the heart, but, Wess das Herz VOLL ist, that with which the heart is FULL. Comp. Luk 6:45, where is explained by . See Ernesti Neueste Theol. Bibl. T. i., p. 809.-E. B.
[577] See f. n. on Maestrichts twenty-second Canon, quoted in Section ix. of the Authors Preface.-(I. B.)
[578] In his App. Crit. in loc. Bengel writes-
ante ) Er. Bas. …, etc., Comp. Aug. 2. Byz. Par. 6, vel plures; Chrys. Articulus in priore colo lectus, in altero non lectus, medium: et articulus spe vim relativam habet: ideo ad versu 34 laudata, non ad , ibidem non memorata, adhiberi, aliquando mihi visus est, unde alii bis, alii ne semel quidem, alii posteriore tantum loco scribendum putarint. Sed nimis promiscue, etc., as in Gnomon.-(I. B.)
In the margin of Ed. 2, and in Vers. Germ., the article is omitted.-E. B.
BD omits before . Perhaps the of Rec. Text crept in from the of Luk 6:35, through the Harmonies. L read also . But the primary authorities oppose this reading.-ED.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
good man: Mat 13:52, Psa 37:30, Psa 37:31, Pro 10:20, Pro 10:21, Pro 12:6, Pro 12:17-19, Pro 15:4, Pro 15:23, Pro 15:28, Pro 16:21-23, Pro 25:11, Pro 25:12, Eph 4:29, Col 3:16, Col 4:6
and an: Mat 12:34
Reciprocal: Deu 6:7 – shalt talk Jos 1:8 – book 1Sa 1:16 – out of Job 8:10 – utter words Job 22:22 – lay up Psa 34:13 – Keep Psa 45:1 – is inditing Psa 49:3 – meditation Psa 71:24 – My tongue Psa 119:172 – tongue Psa 139:4 – there is not Psa 145:7 – abundantly Pro 4:23 – for Pro 10:14 – lay Pro 16:23 – heart Pro 18:21 – Death Ecc 10:12 – words Son 4:3 – lips Zep 3:9 – will Zec 8:17 – let Mal 3:16 – a book Mat 23:28 – but Luk 6:45 – good man Act 11:24 – he was Rom 3:13 – with their 1Ti 1:5 – a pure
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2:35
See the preceding verse for the explanation of this.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 12:35. The thought of Mat 12:33, in another figure; words are represented as fruits.
The good treasure. The words: of the heart, though not in the text, suggest the correct explanation. The contents of our hearts are known to God alone and partially to ourselves, but our unrestrained utterances show what is laid up there.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Observe here, A double treasure discovered in the heart of man.
1. An evil treasure of sin and corruption, both natural and acquired, from whence proceed evil things. Now this is called a treasure, not for the preciousness of it, but for the abundance of it; a little doth not make a treasure: and also for the continuance of the life, yet doth the heart continue full; nature may be drawn low in this life, by sanctifying grace, but it never can be drawn dry.
2. Here is a good treasure of grace discovered in a sanctified and renewed man; which is the source and spring from whence all gracious actions do proceed and flow. For as the heart of man by nature is the fountain from whence all sin springs, so the heart renewed by grace is the source and spring from whence all gracious actions do proceed and flow.