10. And now also--And even already.
      the axe is laid unto--"lieth at."
      the root of the trees--as it were ready to strike: an expressive figure of impending judgment, only to be averted in the way next described.
      therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire--Language so personal and individual as this can scarcely be understood of any national judgment like the approaching destruction of Jerusalem, with the breaking up of the Jewish polity and the extrusion of the chosen people from their peculiar privileges which followed it; though this would serve as the dark shadow, cast before, of a more terrible retribution to come. The "fire," which in another verse is called "unquenchable," can be no other than that future "torment" of the impenitent whose "smoke ascendeth up for ever and ever," and which by the Judge Himself is styled "everlasting punishment" (Mt 25:46). What a strength, too, of just indignation is in that word "cast" or "flung into the fire!"

      The third Gospel here adds the following important particulars in Lu 3:10-16.

Lu 3:10:
      And the people--the multitudes.
      asked him, saying, What shall we do then?--that is, to show the sincerity of our repentance.

Lu 3:11:
      He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat--provisions, victuals.
      let him do likewise--This is directed against the reigning avarice and selfishness. (Compare the corresponding precepts of the Sermon on the Mount, Mt 5:40-42).

Lu 3:12:
      Then came also the publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master--Teacher.
      what shall we do?--In what special way is the genuineness of our repentance to be manifested?

Lu 3:13:
      And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you--This is directed against that extortion which made the publicans a byword. (See on Mt 5:46; Lu 15:1).

Lu 3:14:
      And the soldiers--rather, "And soldiers"--the word means "soldiers on active duty."
      likewise demanded--asked.
      of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man--Intimidate. The word signifies to "shake thoroughly," and refers probably to the extorting of money or other property.
      neither accuse any falsely--by acting as informers vexatiously on frivolous or false pretexts.
      and be content with your wages--or "rations." We may take this, say WEBSTER and WILKINSON, as a warning against mutiny, which the officers attempted to suppress by largesses and donations. And thus the "fruits" which would evidence their repentance were just resistance to the reigning sins--particularly of the class to which the penitent belonged--and the manifestation of an opposite spirit.

Lu 3:15:
      And as the people were in expectation--in a state of excitement, looking for something new
      and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not--rather, "whether he himself might be the Christ." The structure of this clause implies that they could hardly think it, but yet could not help asking themselves whether it might not be; showing both how successful he had been in awakening the expectation of Messiah's immediate appearing, and the high estimation and even reverence, which his own character commanded.

Lu 3:16:
      John answered--either to that deputation from Jerusalem, of which we read in Joh 1:19, &c., or on some other occasion, to remove impressions derogatory to his blessed Master, which he knew to be taking hold of the popular mind.
      saying unto them all--in solemn protestation.

      (We now return to the first Gospel.)

JFB.