13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a {a} testimony against them.
(a) When they hear you preach it will be a most evident witness against them, so that they will not be able to pretend that they do not know.
13:9 Take heed. Not to escape persecution, but to be ready for it. In Matthew's report persecution is foretold, but the injunctions of Mr 13:9-11 are omitted, or rather given in Mt 10:18-20, on which see notes.
They shall deliver you up to councils. Jewish courts. Besides the great national council, the Sanhedrin, each principal town had a smaller council, or local Sanhedrin.
In the synagogues ye shall be beaten. In every Jewish synagogue there were three magistrates authorized to inflict certain punishments, scourging being one. The number of stripes could not exceed forty (De 25:3); hence they always stopped at thirty-nine.
Rulers and kings. Roman officials, such as Felix (Ac 24:24), Festus (Ac 25:4-6), Gallio (Ac 18:2), King Agrippa (Ac 26:1), and Nero (Ac 25:12).
13:9 Lu 21:12.
13:5-13 Our Lord Jesus, in reply to the disciples' question, does not so much satisfy their curiosity as direct their consciences. When many are deceived, we should thereby be awakened to look to ourselves. And the disciples of Christ, if it be not their own fault, may enjoy holy security and peace of mind, when all around is in disorder. But they must take heed that they are not drawn away from Christ and their duty to him, by the sufferings they will meet with for his sake. They shall be hated of all men: trouble enough! Yet the work they were called to should be carried on and prosper. Though they may be crushed and borne down, the gospel cannot be. The salvation promised is more than deliverance from evil, it is everlasting blessedness.
