John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 3. Then said he unto me, This [is] the curse , etc.] So the law of Moses is called, because it has curses written in it, ( Deuteronomy 27:15-26 28:15-26 29:19,20 30:19) which curse is not causeless, but is according to law and justice; it is from the Lord, and is no other than the wrath of the Almighty; and, wherever it lights, it will remain and continue for ever. Vitringa, on ( Isaiah 24:6) says, this is the curse which Isaiah there prophesies of, which had its accomplishment in the times of Antiochus; but there the prophet is speaking, not of the land of Judea, but of the antichristian states. That goeth forth over the face of the whole earth : over the whole land of Judea, and the inhabitants of it, for their breach of the law, contempt of the Gospel, and the rejection of the Messiah; and which had its accomplishment when wrath came upon them to the uttermost, in the destruction of their nation, city, and temple; and is the curse God threatened to smite their land with, ( Malachi 4:6) and this curse also reaches to the whole world, and the inhabitants of it, who lie in wickedness; and to all sorts of sinners, particularly those next mentioned: for everyone that stealeth shall be cut off [as] on this side, according to it ; as it is written and declared on one side of the roll: and everyone that sweareth shall be cut off [as] on that side according to it ; as is written and declared on the other side of the roll; which two sins of theft and false swearing, the one being against the second, and the other the first table of the law, show that the curse of the law reaches to all sorts of sins and sinners; to all who do not keep it in every respect: and, indeed, to all but those who are redeemed from it by the blood of Christ; and that it is proportioned according to a man’s sins: and those two are particularly mentioned, because they are sins which prevailed among the Jews at the time Christ was on earth. Theft did, both in a literal and figurative sense, ( Matthew 23:14 Romans 2:21 Luke 11:52 John 10:8,10) and so did vain swearing, ( Matthew 5:33-36 23:16-22).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-4 - The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are rolls, in which God ha written the great things of his law and gospel; they are flying rolls God's word runs very swiftly, Ps 147:15. This flying roll contains declaration of the righteous wrath of God against sinners. Oh that we saw with an eye of faith the flying roll of God's curse hanging ove the guilty world as a thick cloud, not only keeping off the sunbeams of God's favour, but big with thunders, lightnings, and storms, ready to destroy them! How welcome then would the tidings of a Saviour be, wh came to redeem us from the curse of the law, being himself made a curs for us! Sin is the ruin of houses and families; especially the doin hurt to others and false witness. Who knows the power of God's anger God's curse cannot be kept out by bars or locks. While one part of the curse of God ruins the substance of the sinner, another part will res on the soul, and sink it to everlasting punishment. All ar transgressors of the law, so we cannot escape this wrath of God, excep we flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us in the gospel.
Original Hebrew ויאמר559 אלי413 זאת2063 האלה423 היוצאת3318 על5921 פני6440 כל3605 הארץ776 כי3588 כל3605 הגנב1589 מזה2088 כמוה3644 נקה5352 וכל3605 הנשׁבע7650 מזה2088 כמוה3644 נקה׃5352
