Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
32. the least of all seeds ] Not absolutely the least, but least in proportion to the plant that springs from the seed. Moreover the mustard seed was used proverbially of anything excessively minute.
lodge in the branches ] i. e. settle for the purpose of rest or shelter or to eat the seeds of which goldfinches and linnets are very fond (Tristram, Nat. Hist. of Bible, p. 473). Lodge, literally dwell in tents. If we think of the leafy huts constructed for the feast of tabernacles the propriety of the word will be seen. The mustard plant does not grow to a very great height, so that St Luke’s expression “waxed a great tree” must not be pressed. Dr Thomson ( Land and Book) mentions as an exceptional instance that he found it on the plain of Akkar as tall as a horse and its rider.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 32. Which indeed is the least of all seeds] That is, of all those seeds which produce plants, whose stems and branches, according to the saying of the botanists, are apt , arborescere, to grow into a ligneous or woody substance.
Becometh a tree] That is, it is not only the largest of plants which are produced from such small seeds, but partakes, in its substance, the close woody texture, especially in warm climates, where we are informed it grows to an almost incredible size. The Jerusalem Talmud, tract Peah. fol. 20, says, “There was a stalk of mustard in Sichin, from which sprang out three boughs; one of which, being broken off, served to cover the tent of a potter, and produced three cabes of mustard seed. Rabbi Simeon ben Chalapha said, A stalk of mustard seed was in my field, into which I was want to climb, as men are wont to climb into a fig tree.” See Lightfoot and Schoettgen. This may appear to be extravagant; and it is probable that, in the case of the three cabes of seed, there is considerable exaggeration; but, if it had not been usual for this plant to grow to a very large size, such relations as these would not have appeared even in the Talmud; and the parable of our Lord sufficiently attests the fact. Some soils being more luxuriant than others, and the climate much warmer, raise the same plant to a size and perfection far beyond what a poorer soil, or a colder climate, can possibly do. Herodotus says, he has seen wheat and barley in the country about Babylon which carried a blade full four fingers-breadth: and that the millet and sesamum grew to an incredible size. I have myself seen a field of common cabbages, in one of the Norman isles, each of which was from seven to nine feet in height; and one in the garden of a friend, which grew beside an apple-tree, though the latitude of the place is only about 48 deg. 13 min. north, was fifteen feet high, the stem of which is yet remaining, (September, 1798.) These facts, and several others which might be added, confirm fully the possibility of what our Lord says of the mustard-tree, however incredible such things may appear to those who are acquainted only with the productions of northern regions and cold climates.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
32. Which indeed is the least of allseedsnot absolutely, but popularly and proverbially, as in Lu17:6, “If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed,”that is, “never so little faith.”
but when it is grown, it isthe greatest among herbsnot absolutely, but in relation to thesmall size of the seed, and in warm latitudes proverbially great.
and becometh a tree, so thatthe birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereofThisis added, no doubt, to express the amplitude of the tree. Butas this seed has a hot, fiery vigor, gives out its best virtues whenbruised, and is grateful to the taste of birds, which are accordinglyattracted to its branches both for shelter and food, is it strainingthe parable, asks TRENCH,to suppose that, besides the wonderful growth of His kingdom,our Lord selected this seed to illustrate further the shelter,repose and blessedness it is destined to afford to thenations of the world?
The Leaven (Mt13:33).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Which indeed is the least of all seeds,…. So mustard with the Jews u, is called , “a kind of seeds”; and being very small, hence , “as a grain of mustard”, is often used, proverbially w, for the least thing, as it is by Christ,
Mt 17:20. Not but there are seeds lesser than this; but the meaning is, that this is one of the least of all seeds; or was the least of seeds, which were commonly known in Judea; or the very least which grew to the size this sometimes did, and as here related. Now this is designed to express the small beginnings of the Gospel dispensation, of the ministry of the word, of the grace of God in the hearts of his people, and of the small number of them at first. The Gospel, and the ministry of it were like a grain of mustard seed, little, mean, and contemptible; the author of it, Christ, was so to the Jews, in his birth, parentage, education, and outward appearance; the subject of it a crucified Christ, and salvation by him; and the doctrines out of the reach, and contrary to carnal reason; the preachers of it, were persons of very mean and low life, few in number, weak, illiterate, and despicable, and the whole world against them; the circumstances which attended the Gospel were very discouraging; it was charged with novelty, represented as contrary to common sense, and the reason of mankind, and as opening a door to licentiousness; and was followed with violent opposition and persecution, wherever it went. The grace of God, which under the ministry of the word is implanted in the hearts of the Lord’s people, is at first very small, like a grain of mustard seed; it is a day of small things; faith in Christ is very weak and low, spiritual strength small, comfort little, experience of the love of God not large, light and knowledge in the doctrines of grace but very obscure and glimmering: the church of God, which sprung up under the ministry of the word, and through the work of grace, upon the hearts of particular persons, was like the small grain of mustard seed; the persons of which it consisted were but few in number in Christ’s time, and at his ascension into heaven, and when the Gospel was first preached among the Gentiles; and those persons which laid the foundation, and were at the beginning of the Gospel church state, made a very contemptible figure, by reason of their outward poverty, and mean circumstances in the world; and on account of the severe persecutions which every where attended them; and also through the errors and heresies introduced by evil men, that crept in among them.
But when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree. Luke says, “a great tree”, Lu 13:19 for to such a size did the mustard tree grow in the land of Judea, of which take the following instances x.
“At Shichin there was a mustard stalk, which had three branches, and one of them was cut down, and they covered a potter’s booth with it; and found in it , “three kabs of mustard seed” (elsewhere y it is said, nine kabs). Says R. Simeon ben Chelphetha, I have one stalk of mustard seed in my field, and I go up to it,
, “as one goes up to the top of a fig tree”.”
And though the mustard tree grew to this height and size, it was reckoned among herbs, as here by Christ; for they say z,
“they do not put mustard in a field of fruits, but in a field of herbs.”
All which serve to illustrate and confirm the account here given by Christ, and alluded to; and which expresses the very large growth and increase of the Gospel, and the ministry of it; of the grace of God in the heart, and of the church of Christ, and his interest in the world: of the Gospel, and the ministry of it, as to its large spread in the world; which at first was confined to the Jews, but was afterwards published to the Gentiles, and carried through the whole world; and, in ages since, has made a considerable progress, particularly at the Reformation; and will make a much greater one, towards the end of time: and of the grace of God in the heart, which gradually increases to a full assurance of understanding of hope, and of faith, and to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: and of the church of Christ, and his interest in the world; both as to the large numbers it did consist of in the times of the apostles, and since, and will more especially hereafter; for the church will fill the earth, and the kingdoms of the world will become the church, and all nations of the earth will flock unto it; the people of the Jews in general will be converted, and the fulness of the Gentiles will be brought in: as also with respect to the figure it will make through the great personages, the kings and princes of the earth, that will be in it; the great power and authority the saints will then have; the peace and prosperity that will be enjoyed by them; the spirituality, holiness, righteousness, love, and unity, there will be among them; as also the presence of God and of the Lamb, they will be favoured with; all which glory and happiness will be brought about by a plentiful effusion of the Spirit, and by the glorious appearance of Christ.
So that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof: by “the birds of the air”, some think angels are meant, compared to “birds” for their harmlessness and innocence; for their readiness and swiftness to do the will of God; and for their warbling notes and tuneful songs of praise; and who may be called birds “of the air”, or heaven, because of their habitation: now these delight to be in the church, to be under the shadow of the Gospel ministry, and to look into the mysteries of it. Though rather, the saints and people of God are intended, who, in Scripture, are sometimes compared to particular birds; as to the eagle, the dove, and sparrow; and to birds in general, because timorous, weak, and defenceless, are exposed to danger, and wonderfully delivered, and are very subject to wander and go astray; and because of their chirpings, and singing songs of praise to their God and Redeemer; and to birds of the air or heaven, because they are heaven born souls, are partakers of the heavenly calling, and are pressing for, and soaring aloft towards the high calling of God in Christ: now the Gospel ministry, and the Gospel church state, are very useful to these; they “come” thereunto willingly, and cheerfully, deliberately, and with dependence on the grace and strength of Christ; humbly, under a sense of their own unworthiness, and yet with joy and thankfulness; heartily, and with their faces thitherwards, and they also “lodge” therein. This is what they desire, and their hearts are set upon; here they determine to be, and it is their happiness to be here; the shadow of Gospel ordinances is very delightful, very refreshing, and very fruitful to them, and under which saints dwell with great safety; and what a coming of these birds will there be hither, and a tabernacling of them herein, at the latter day! which are greatly designed in this part of the parable.
u Misn. Kilaim, c. 3. sect. 2. w T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 31. 1. Megilla, fol. 23. 2. Nidda, fol. 66. 1. x T. Hieros. Peah, fol. 20. 2. y T. Bab, Cetubot, fol. 111. 2. z Misn. Kilaim, c. 2. sect. 8.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
A tree (). “Not in nature, but in size” (Bruce). “An excusable exaggeration in popular discourse.”
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “Which indeed is the least of all seeds,” (ho mikroteron men estin panton ton spermaton) “Which is certainly less (smaller) or less prized of men, than all the seeds,” of the field. Even so the “kingdom of heaven,” on earth, had its mustard seed-like beginning with, a) a king, Jesus; b) Subjects, chosen, baptized disciples of John, c) Gave them His now laws, and d) A worldwide territory. These are the only four things requisite to a kingdom.
2) “But when it is grown, it is greatest among herbs,” (hotan, de auksethe meizon ton lachanon estin) “Yet when it grows, it is greater than the herbs,” of the field, greater in comparison with the size of the seed from which it came.
3) “And becometh a tree,” (kai ginetal dendron) “And it comes to be a tree,” or tree-like in size, a tree that is durable to withstand the wind, storms, and sun.
4) “So that the birds of the air come,” (hoste elthein ta peteina tou ouranou) “So that the birds of air-heaven come of their own choice,” or the fowls of the air, religious fowls, come to roost, find refuge, against which our Lord warned, Mat 7:15; Mat 7:22-23.
5) “And lodge in the branches thereof.” (kai kataskenoun en tois kladois) “And they lodge, roost, or sit in its branches.” These fowls are those who seek shelter from the storms and trials of life under cover of the church, “creeping in,” Jud 1:4; 1Jn 4:1-2; Act 20:28; 2Pe 2:1-3.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(32) The least of all seeds.The description is, of course, popular, and need not be pressed with micro scopical exactness.
The greatest among herbs.More literally, greater than the herbsi.e., belonging to a higher order of vegetation.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
32. Least of all seeds The point of the parable is to exhibit the contrast between the smallness of the Gospel beginnings and the greatness of the result. The mustard was the least of seeds that produced the genuine tree. Greatest among herbs Though a tree in size, it was a herb by proper classification. Birds of the air This is added to complete the image of a goodly tree; but it is also a sweet illustration of the character of the Church, as a refuge and a protection for the souls that resort to her shadow. See Eze 17:23: “Under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing.”
This parabolic image of the growth of the kingdom of Christ is beautifully parallel to many passages in the Old Testament, where the rise and expansion of kingdoms are compared to the growth of a stately tree. (Dan 4:10-12; Eze 31:3-9.) It is also strongly accordant with the image in Dan 2:34-35, of the kingdom of God, which at first was a small stone, but finally became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. And this last image describes the growth of the kingdom, as being completely universal, more explicitly even than our Lord’s simile here of the mustard spreading its branches.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Mat 13:32 . ] refers to ., and owes its gender to the fact of its being attracted by the neuter following; Winer, p. 156 [E. T. 217 ff.].
] not instead of the superlative; see, however, on note Mat 11:11 . But, inasmuch as this is a proverbial expression of a hyperbolical character, little need be made of the fact that seeds of a still more diminutive kind are to be met with; comp. Mat 17:20 , and Lightfoot. “Satis est, in genere verum esse, quod dicit Dominus,” Erasmus.
] than any other vegetable .
. . . .] but when it shall have grown , portrays the extraordinary result that follows the sowing of the tiny little seed. The astonishing nature of such a result is still more forcibly brought out in Luk 13:19 by means of .
.] dwell . The interpretation of the word as meaning to build nests (Erasmus) is not general enough; comp. note on Mat 8:20 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Ver. 32. Which indeed is the least of all seeds ] That is, one of the least ( ), for there is as little or less than it, as poppy seed, &c. Cypress seeds are said to be so small, that they can hardly be seen asunder; and yet of them grows so great and tall a tree, Nusquam magis tota natura quam in minimis, saith Pliny. a Tremellius testifieth, that things almost incredible are related of the wonderful growth of the Jewish mustard seed. Maldonate also telleth us, “that in Spain he had seen little woods of mustard seed trees; and that the bakers therehence fetch fuel to heat their ovens, and do other offices.” The word of God (a thing worth observation, saith a modern divine) is in the gospel compared to mustard seed; which (as one gathereth out of Pythagoras) of all seeds is most in ascent, taketh deepest root, and being mixed with vinegar is sovereign against serpents. Right so the word of God worketh effectually in us, begets an ascent in our affections, lays in us a sure foundation, and though it touch us sharply as vinegar, yet is a most powerful preservative against that old serpent.
a Cupressi semina adeo sunt minuta, ut quaedam oculis cerni non possint, et tamen in iis tanta est arbor, tamque procera. Plin. xi. 2.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
32. . . .] less than all, not for the superlative. The words are not to be pressed to their literal sense, as the mustard seed was a well-known Jewish type for any thing exceedingly small.
The mustard tree attains to a large size in Juda. Lightfoot quotes (Hor. Hebr. in l.) Hieros. Peah. fol. 20. 2, ‘Caulis erat sinapis in Sichin, e quo enati sunt rami tres; e quibus unus decerptus co-operuit tentoriolum figuli, produxitque tres cabos sinapis. Rabbi Simeon ben Chalaphta dixit, Caulis sinapis erat mihi in agro meo, in quam ego scandere solitus sum, ita ut scandere solent in ficum.’
This parable, like most others respecting the kingdom of God, has a double reference general and individual . (1) In the general sense, the insignificant beginnings of the kingdom are set forth: the little babe cast in the manger at Bethlehem; the Man of sorrows with no place to lay His Head; the crucified One; or again the hundred and twenty names who were the seed of the Church after the Lord had ascended; then we have the Kingdom of God waxing onward and spreading its branches here and there, and different nations coming into it. “He must increase,” said the great Forerunner. We must beware however of imagining that the outward Church-form is this Kingdom. It has rather reversed the parable, and is the worldly power waxed to a great tree and the Churches taking refuge under the shadow of it. It may be, where not corrupted by error and superstition, subservient to the growth of the heavenly plant: but is not itself that plant. It is at best no more than (to change the figure) the scaffolding to aid the building, not the building itself. (2) The individual application of the parable points to the small beginnings of divine grace; a word, a thought, a passing sentence, may prove to be the little seed which eventually fills and shadows the whole heart and being, and calls ‘all thoughts, all passions, all delights’ to come and shelter under it. Jerome has a comment on this parable (in loc.) too important to be passed over: ‘Prdicatio Evangelii minima est omnibus disciplinis. Ad primam quippe doctrinam, fidem non habet veritatis, hominem Deum, Deum mortuum, et scandalum crucis prdicans. Confer hujuscemodi doctrinam dogmatibus Philosophorum et libris eorum, et splendori eloquenti, et compositioni sermonum, et videbis quanto minor sit cteris seminibus sementis Evangelii. Sed illa cum creverit, nihil mordax, nihil vividum, nihil vitale demonstrat, sed totum flaccidum, marcidumque et mollitum ebullit in olera et in herbas qu cito arescunt et corruunt. Hc autem prdicatio qu parva videbatur in principio, cum vel in anima credentis, vel in toto mundo sata fuerit, non exsurgit in olera, sed crescit in arborem.’
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 13:32 . , neuter, by attraction of , instead of in agreement with , masculine. , not less perhaps than all the seeds in the world. An American correspondent sent me a sample of the seeds of the cotton tree , which he thinks Christ would have made the basis of His parable had He spoken it in America. , greater than (all) the herbs . The comparison implies that it too is an herb. There would be no point in the statement that a plant of the nature of a tree grew to be greater than all garden herbs. This excludes the mustard tree, called Salvadora Persica , to which some have thought the parable refers. , not in nature but in size; an excusable exaggeration in a popular discourse. Koetsveld remarks on the greatly increased growth attained by a plant springing from a single seed with plenty of room all round it ( De Gelijk. , p. 50). here indicates at once tendency and result, large enough to make that possible, and it actually happened. The birds haunted the plant like a tree or shrub. Mark refers only to the possibility (Mar 4:32 ). ( cf. , Mat 8:20 ), not nidulari , to make nests (Erasmus), but to “lodge,” as in A. V [82] The mustard plant is after all of humble size, and gives a very modest idea of the growth of the kingdom. But it serves admirably to express the thought of a growth beyond expectation . Who would expect so tiny a seed to produce such a large herb, a monster in the garden?
[82] Authorised Version.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
the least = less indeed.
of all seeds. Supply the Ellipsis from Mat 13:31 = “than all the seeds [that a man sows in his field]”.
it is grown = it shall or may have grown. This growth is contrary to nature: to show that it symbolizes an unnatural result, with its consequences.
the greatest among herbs = greater than [garden] herbs.
the air = the heaven (singular)
lodge = perch.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
32. …] less than all, not for the superlative. The words are not to be pressed to their literal sense, as the mustard seed was a well-known Jewish type for any thing exceedingly small.
The mustard tree attains to a large size in Juda. Lightfoot quotes (Hor. Hebr. in l.) Hieros. Peah. fol. 20. 2, Caulis erat sinapis in Sichin, e quo enati sunt rami tres; e quibus unus decerptus co-operuit tentoriolum figuli, produxitque tres cabos sinapis. Rabbi Simeon ben Chalaphta dixit, Caulis sinapis erat mihi in agro meo, in quam ego scandere solitus sum, ita ut scandere solent in ficum.
This parable, like most others respecting the kingdom of God, has a double reference-general and individual. (1) In the general sense, the insignificant beginnings of the kingdom are set forth: the little babe cast in the manger at Bethlehem; the Man of sorrows with no place to lay His Head; the crucified One; or again the hundred and twenty names who were the seed of the Church after the Lord had ascended; then we have the Kingdom of God waxing onward and spreading its branches here and there, and different nations coming into it. He must increase, said the great Forerunner. We must beware however of imagining that the outward Church-form is this Kingdom. It has rather reversed the parable, and is the worldly power waxed to a great tree and the Churches taking refuge under the shadow of it. It may be, where not corrupted by error and superstition, subservient to the growth of the heavenly plant: but is not itself that plant. It is at best no more than (to change the figure) the scaffolding to aid the building, not the building itself. (2) The individual application of the parable points to the small beginnings of divine grace; a word, a thought, a passing sentence, may prove to be the little seed which eventually fills and shadows the whole heart and being, and calls all thoughts, all passions, all delights to come and shelter under it. Jerome has a comment on this parable (in loc.) too important to be passed over: Prdicatio Evangelii minima est omnibus disciplinis. Ad primam quippe doctrinam, fidem non habet veritatis, hominem Deum, Deum mortuum, et scandalum crucis prdicans. Confer hujuscemodi doctrinam dogmatibus Philosophorum et libris eorum, et splendori eloquenti, et compositioni sermonum, et videbis quanto minor sit cteris seminibus sementis Evangelii. Sed illa cum creverit, nihil mordax, nihil vividum, nihil vitale demonstrat, sed totum flaccidum, marcidumque et mollitum ebullit in olera et in herbas qu cito arescunt et corruunt. Hc autem prdicatio qu parva videbatur in principio, cum vel in anima credentis, vel in toto mundo sata fuerit, non exsurgit in olera, sed crescit in arborem.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 13:32. , which) sc. seed: for (grain) is masculine.-, the least) i.e. not absolutely, but in the proportion which the seed bears to the plant. It was a well-known kind of seed, used proverbially; see ch. Mat 17:20.-, of seeds) The world contains various seeds of wisdom, power, and virtue; the Christian faith has surpassed them all, having been propagated through the whole world. The kingdom of heaven is like a grain; and so is the whole of Christianity, faith, etc. These things may be variously expressed. The faith here intended is that of all those believers, who embrace it before others: the others are those who believe afterwards-nations, kings, etc.—, greater herbs-tree) two classes of vegetables. Tremellius,[628] on this passage in the Syriac Version, adduces examples of such immense trees.-It became a tree, one may say, in the time of Constantine.[629]- , the birds) see Eze 17:23.-, branches) sc. widely spreading.
[628] EMMANUEL TREMELLIUS was born in the sixteenth century at Ferrara, of Jewish parents. He rendered himself master of the Hebrew language, and secretly embraced Protestantism. He became Professor of Hebrew at Heidelberg, from whence he went to Metz, and thence to Sedan. He made himself known by his Latin Version of the Syriac New Testament. He died in 1580.-(I. B.)
[629] The kingdom of Christ is being extended now throughout the whole world.-V. g.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
the least: Psa 72:16-19, Isa 2:2-4, Eze 47:1-5, Dan 2:34, Dan 2:35, Dan 2:44, Dan 2:45, Mic 4:1-3, Zec 4:10, Zec 8:20-23, Zec 14:7-10, Act 1:15, Act 21:20,*Gr: Rom 15:18, Rom 15:19, Rev 11:15
so that: Eze 17:23, Eze 17:24, Eze 31:6, Dan 4:12
Reciprocal: Jdg 9:15 – shadow Ezr 3:12 – when the foundation Job 8:7 – thy beginning Psa 104:17 – the birds Isa 60:22 – little Eze 41:7 – there was Eze 47:5 – waters to swim in Luk 13:19 – like Luk 17:6 – as
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
3:32
The point in this parable is the extent to which the kingdom of heaven was to grow from a very small beginning. The variety of mustard that is considered is the garden kind or that which is cultivated. The word is from SINAPI and Thayer describes the plant as follows: “The name of a plant which in oriental countries grows from a very small seed and attains to the height of ‘a tree’–ten feet or more.” The birds of the air need not be thought as being the largest kind for the text does not require such a conclusion. There are many varieties of small birds that could easily perch in the branches of a plant ten feet high. The kingdom of heaven started in one city and with only a few hundred members at most, but it spread until it became universal and people of all nations sought spiritual shelter in it.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Which indeed is the least of all seeds [mustard]: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
[Which, indeed, is the least of all seeds, etc.] hence it is passed into a common proverb, According to the quantity of a grain of mustard; and According to the quantity of a little drop of mustard; very frequently used by the Rabbins, when they would express the smallest thing, or the most diminutive quantity.
[Is the greatest among herbs.] “There was a stalk of mustard in Sichin, from which sprang out three boughs: of which, one was broke off, and covered the tent of a potter, and produced three cabes of mustard. R. Simeon Ben Chalaphta said, A stalk of mustard was in my field, into which I was wont to climb, as men are wont to climb into a fig-tree.”
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Mat 13:32. Less than all seeds, i.e., those sown by the Jews.
Greater than the herbs. The literal meaning leaves it uncertain whether the plant referred to was itself an herb. The main point is the rapid growth from a diminutive seed.
The birds of the heaven represent the external adherents of the kingdom, nations nominally Christian; oftentimes outward church form, since the kingdom itself is not the Church organization.
Lodge in the branches thereof. Seeking shelter and remaining there. The permanent external adhesion is thus indicated.