John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 4. Behold the hire of the labourers, which have reaped down your fields , etc.] The wages agreed for by the day, with the labourers in their fields, particularly their reapers; which one instance serves for many others; and is the rather mentioned, because reaping is a laborious work, and those who are employed in it have nothing to live upon but their hand labour; and especially because they are made use of in cutting down the corn when it is fully ripe, and in great plenty; wherefore, to detain their just wages from them argues great inhumanity and wickedness; and yet this was what was done by rich men: which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth ; unto God for vengeance, as the blood of Abel did; and shows that such an evil, however privately and fraudulently it may be done, will be made public, and is a crying one: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth ; that is, the Lord of hosts; of angels, and of men; of the host of heaven, and of the inhabitants of the earth; of Jews and Gentiles, and of rich and poor; and who has power to vindicate the cause of the latter against their rich oppressors, and will do it; his ears are open to their cries, he takes notice of them, and regards them, and will take vengeance on those that injure them. The reference is to ( Deuteronomy 24:15).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-6 - Public troubles are most grievous to those who live in pleasure, an are secure and sensual, though all ranks suffer deeply at such times All idolized treasures will soon perish, except as they will rise up in judgment against their possessors. Take heed of defrauding an oppressing; and avoid the very appearance of it. God does not forbid u to use lawful pleasures; but to live in pleasure, especially sinfu pleasure, is a provoking sin. Is it no harm for people to unfi themselves for minding the concerns of their souls, by indulging bodil appetites? The just may be condemned and killed; but when such suffe by oppressors, this is marked by God. Above all their other crimes, the Jews had condemned and crucified that Just One who had come among them even Jesus Christ the righteous.
Greek Textus Receptus
ιδου 2400 5628 V-2AAM-2S ο 3588 T-NSM μισθος 3408 N-NSM των 3588 T-GPM εργατων 2040 N-GPM των 3588 T-GPM αμησαντων 270 5660 V-AAP-GPM τας 3588 T-APF χωρας 5561 N-APF υμων 5216 P-2GP ο 3588 T-NSM απεστερημενος 650 5772 V-RPP-NSM αφ 575 PREP υμων 5216 P-2GP κραζει 2896 5719 V-PAI-3S και 2532 CONJ αι 3588 T-NPF βοαι 995 N-NPF των 3588 T-GPM θερισαντων 2325 5660 V-AAP-GPM εις 1519 PREP τα 3588 T-APN ωτα 3775 N-APN κυριου 2962 N-GSM σαβαωθ 4519 HEB εισεληλυθασιν 1525 5754 V-2RAI-3P
Vincent's NT Word Studies
4. Reaped down (amhsantwn). Only here in New Testament. The primary meaning is to reap corn; also in classical Greek of mowing down in battle. The secondary, which some mistake for the primary sense, is to gather, as for harvest. Rev., mowed.Fields (cwrav). The more general word, place, for ajgrov, the ordinary word for a field; though the usage is warranted by classical Greek, and occurs Luke xii. 16; John iv. 35, the only two instances besides this in the New Testament. It implies a larger tract than ajgrov, as is evident in all the New Testament passages cited. In two cases it refers to a rich man's estates; and in John iv. 35, the Lord directs the attention of the disciples to a broad area or series of fields.
Crieth (krazei). An inarticulate cry. Compare Gen. iv. 10.
Lord of Sabaoth. Lord of hosts. The only instance in which the phrase is used by a New Testament writer. Rom. ix. 29, is quoted from Isa. i. 9.
