John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 9. Yet Michael the archangel , etc.] By whom is meant, not a created angel, but an eternal one, the Lord Jesus Christ; as appears from his name Michael, which signifies, who is as God: and who is as God, or like unto him, but the Son of God, who is equal with God? and from his character as the archangel, or Prince of angels, for Christ is the head of all principality and power; and from what is elsewhere said of Michael, as that he is the great Prince, and on the side of the people of God, and to have angels under him, and at his command, ( Daniel 10:21 <271201> 12:1 Revelation 12:7). So Philo the Jew calls the most ancient Word, firstborn of God, the archangel; Uriel is called the archangel in this passage from the Apocrypha: And unto these things Uriel the archangel gave them answer, and said, Even when the number of seeds is filled in you: for he hath weighed the world in the balance. (2 Esdras 4:36) when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses ; which some understand literally of the fleshly and natural body of Moses, buried by the Lord himself, partly out of respect to him; and partly, as some think, lest the Israelites should be tempted to an idolatrous worship of him; but rather it was to show that the law of Moses was to be abolished and buried by Christ, never to rise more: and they think that this dispute was either about the burying of his body, or the taking of it up again; Satan on the one hand insisting upon the taking of it up, in order to induce the Israelites to worship him, and Michael, on the other hand, opposing it, to prevent this idolatry; but then the difficulty is, where Jude should have this account, since the Scriptures are silent about it. Some have thought that he took it out of an apocryphal book, called the Ascension of Moses, as Origen f14 , which is not likely; others, that he had it by tradition, by which means the Apostle Paul came by the names of the Egyptian magicians Jannes and Jambres; and some passages are referred to in some of their writings f15 , as having some traces of this dispute; but in them the discourse is not concerning the body, but the soul of Moses; not concerning burying or taking up of his body, when buried, but concerning the taking away of his soul, when he was alive; which none of the angels caring to undertake, at length Samael, the chief of devils, did, but without success, wherefore God took it away with a kiss himself: besides, the apostle produces this history as a thing well known; nor is it reasonable to suppose that such an altercation should be between Michael, and the devil, on such an account; or that it was in order to draw Israel into idolatry on the one hand, and on the other hand to prevent it; since never was the custom of the Israelites to worship their progenitors or heroes; nor did they seem so well disposed to Moses in his lifetime; nor was there any necessity of taking up his body, were they inclined to give him honour and worship; yea, the sight of his dead body would rather have prevented than have encouraged it: but this is to be understood figuratively; and reference is had to the history in ( Zechariah 3:1,2); as appears from the latter part of this verse: some think the priesthood of Christ is intended, which was the end, the sum and substance, of the law of Moses; and seeing that Joshua, the high priest, was a type of Christ, and the angel of the Lord contended with Satan about him, he might be said to dispute with him about the body of Moses; but this sense makes a type of a type, and Christ to contend about himself; besides, this should rather be called the body of Christ than of Moses, others think that the temple of the Jews is meant about the rebuilding of which the contention is thought to be; and which may be called the body of Moses, as the church is called the body of Christ; though it should be observed, that the temple is never so called, and that not the place where the church meets, but the church itself, is called the body of Christ: but it is best of all to understand it of the law of Moses, which is sometimes called Moses himself, ( John 5:45 Acts 15:21 21:21 2 Corinthians 3:15); and so the body of Moses, or the body of his laws, the system of them; just as we call a system of laws, and of divinity, such an one's body of laws, and such an one's body of divinity: and this agrees with the language of the Jews, who say f16 , of statutes, service, purification, etc. that they are hrwth ypwg , the bodies of the law; and so of Misnic treatises, as those which concern the offerings of turtle doves, and the purification of menstruous women, that they are ypwg , the bodies of the traditions f17 , that is, the sum and substance of them: so the decalogue is said to be the body of the Shema, or Hear, O Israel, ( Deuteronomy 6:4), so Clemens of Alexandria says, that there are some who consider the body of the Scriptures, the words and names, as if they were, to swma tou mwsewv , the body of Moses f20 . Now the law of Moses was restored in the time of Joshua the high priest, by Ezra and Nehemiah. Joshua breaks some of these laws, and is charged by Satan as guilty, who contended and insisted upon it that he should suffer for it; so that this dispute or contention might be said to be about the body of Moses, that is, the body of Moses's law, which Joshua had broken; in which dispute Michael, or the angel of the Lord, even the Lord Jesus Christ himself, durst not bring against him a railing accusation ; that is, not that he was afraid of the devil, but though he could have given harder words, or severer language, and which the other deserved, yet he chose not to do it, he would not do it; in which sense the word durst, or dare, is used in ( Romans 5:7); but said, the Lord rebuke thee ; for thy malice and insolence; (see Zechariah 3:2); and this mild and gentle way of using even the devil himself agrees with Christ's conduct towards him, when tempted by him in the wilderness, and when in his agony with him in the garden, and amidst all his reproaches and sufferings on the cross. And now the argument is from the greater to the lesser, that if Christ, the Prince of angels, did not choose to give a railing word to the devil, who is so much inferior to him, and when there was so much reason and occasion for it; then how great is the insolence of these men, that speak evil of civil and ecclesiastical rulers, without any just cause at all?
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 8-16 - False teachers are dreamers; they greatly defile and grievously woun the soul. These teachers are of a disturbed mind and a seditiou spirit; forgetting that the powers that be, are ordained of God, R 13:1. As to the contest about the body of Moses, it appears that Sata wished to make the place of his burial known to the Israelites, i order to tempt them to worship him, but he was prevented, and vente his rage in desperate blasphemy. This should remind all who disput never to bring railing charges. Also learn hence, that we ought to defend those whom God owns. It is hard, if not impossible, to find an enemies to the Christian religion, who did not, and do not, live in open or secret contradiction to the principles of natural religion Such are here compared to brute beasts, though they often boast of themselves as the wisest of mankind. They corrupt themselves in the things most open and plain. The fault lies, not in their understandings, but in their depraved wills, and their disordere appetites and affections. It is a great reproach, though unjust to religion, when those who profess it are opposed to it in heart an life. The Lord will remedy this in his time and way; not in men's blin way of plucking up the wheat with the tares. It is sad when men begi in the Spirit, and end in the flesh. Twice dead; they had been onc dead in their natural, fallen state; but now they are dead again by the evident proofs of their hypocrisy. Dead trees, why cumber they the ground! Away with them to the fire. Raging waves are a terror to sailing passengers; but when they get into port, the noise and terro are ended. False teachers are to expect the worst punishments in thi world and in that to come. They glare like meteors, or falling stars and then sink into the blackness of darkness for ever. We have n mention of the prophecy of Enoch in any other part or place of Scripture; yet one plain text of Scripture, proves any point we are to believe. We find from this, that Christ's coming to judge wa prophesied of, as early as the times before the flood. The Lord cometh what a glorious time will that be! Notice how often the word "ungodly is repeated. Many now do not at all refer to the terms godly, or ungodly, unless it be to mock at even the words; but it is not so in the language taught us by the Holy Ghost. Hard speeches of one another especially if ill-grounded, will certainly come into account at the da of judgment. These evil men and seducers are angry at every thing tha happens, and never pleased with their own state and condition. Their will and their fancy, are their only rule and law. Those who pleas their sinful appetites, are most prone to yield to ungovernabl passions. The men of God, from the beginning of the world, have declared the doom denounced on them. Such let us avoid. We are to follow men only as they follow Christ. (Jud 1:17-23)
Greek Textus Receptus
ο 3588 T-NSM δε 1161 CONJ μιχαηλ 3413 N-PRI ο 3588 T-NSM αρχαγγελος 743 N-NSM οτε 3753 ADV τω 3588 T-DSM διαβολω 1228 A-DSM διακρινομενος 1252 5734 V-PMP-NSM διελεγετο 1256 5711 V-INI-3S περι 4012 PREP του 3588 T-GSM μωσεως 3475 N-GSM σωματος 4983 N-GSN ουκ 3756 PRT-N ετολμησεν 5111 5656 V-AAI-3S κρισιν 2920 N-ASF επενεγκειν 2018 5629 V-2AAN βλασφημιας 988 N-GSF αλλ 235 CONJ ειπεν 2036 5627 V-2AAI-3S επιτιμησαι 2008 5659 V-AAO-3S σοι 4671 P-2DS κυριος 2962 N-NSM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
9. Michael the archangel. Here we strike a peculiarity of this epistle which caused its authority to be impugned in very early times, viz., the apparent citations of apocryphal writings. The passages are vv. 9,14, 15. This reference to Michael was said by Origen to be founded on a Jewish work called "The Assumption of Moses," the first part of which was lately found in an old Latin translation at Milan; and this is the view of Davidson, so far at least as the words "the Lord rebuke thee" are concerned. Others refer it to Zech. iii. 1; but there is nothing there about Moses' body, or Michael, or a dispute about the body. Others, again, to a rabbinical comment on Deut. xxxiv. 6, where Michael is said to have been made guardian of Moses' grave. Doubtless Jude was referring to some accepted story or tradition, probably based on Deut. xxxiv. 6. For a similar reference to tradition compare 2 Tim. iii. 8; Acts vii. 22. Michael. Angels are described in scripture as forming a society with different orders and dignities. This conception is developed in the books written during and after the exile, especially Daniel and Zechariah. Michael (Who is like God?) is one of the seven archangels, and was regarded as the special protector of the Hebrew nation. He is mentioned three times in the Old Testament (Dan. x. 13, 21; xii. 1), and twice in the New Testament (Jude 9; Apoc. xii. 7). He is adored as a saint in the Romish Church. For legends, see Mrs. Jameson, "Sacred and Legendary Art," i., 94 sq.A railing accusation (krisin blasfhmiav). Lit., a judgment of railing; a sentence savoring of impugning his dignity. Michael remembered the high estate from which he fell, and left his sentence to God.
