Mark 13:18

And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(18) Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.—Note St. Mark’s omission of “nor on the Sabbath day,” which is prominent in St. Matthew’s report, as characteristic of a Gospel for Gentile readers.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

13:14-23 The Jews in rebelling against the Romans, and in persecuting the Christians, hastened their own ruin apace. Here we have a prediction of that ruin which came upon them within less than forty years after this. Such destruction and desolation, that the like cannot be found in any history. Promises of power to persevere, and cautions against falling away, well agree with each other. But the more we consider these things, the more we shall see abundant cause to flee without delay for refuge to Christ, and to renounce every earthly object, for the salvation of our souls.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

On the house-top - See the notes at Matthew 9:1-8.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

18. And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter—making escape perilous, or tempting you to delay your flight. Matthew (Mt 24:20) adds, "neither on the sabbath day," when, from fear of a breach of its sacred rest, they might be induced to remain.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

See Poole on "Mark 13:15"

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And pray ye that your flight be not in winter. When days are short, roads bad, the weather inclement; and when to lodge in mountains, is very incommodious, and uncomfortable. The Persic version adds, "neither on the sabbath day"; See Gill on Matthew 24:20.

Geneva Study Bible

And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Mark 13:18. ἵνα μὴ γένηται, that it may not be; what not said, φυγὴ (T.R.) being omitted in best texts = the nameless horror which makes flight imperative, the awful crisis of Israel.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

18. be not in the winter] with its rains and storms and swollen torrents, “neither,” as St Matthew adds (Matthew 24:20), “on the Sabbath day.” We may well believe that the Christians made both these petitions theirs. At any rate we know what did take place. (a) The compassing of the city by the Roman armies spoken of by St Luke (Luke 24:20) took place at the commencement of October, a.d. 66, when the weather was yet mild and favourable for travelling, (b) The final siege, if any Christian Jews lingered on till then, took place in the still more open months of April or May. See Lewin’s Fasti Sacri, p. 344 and p. 358. The Jewish custom, which forbade travelling on the Sabbath beyond a distance of 2000 ells, would make the Christian Jews’ travelling on that day infinitely more difficult, even though they might themselves be possibly free from any scruple. “They would in addition to other embarrassments, expose themselves to the severest persecutions of fanaticism.” Lange.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 18. - And pray ye that it be not in the winter. According to the best authorities, "your flight" (ἡ φυγὴ ὑμῶν) is omitted, but the meaning remains very much the same. St. Matthew (Matthew 24:20) adds, "neither on a sabbath." But this would be comparatively of little interest to those to whom St. Mark was writing. Our Lord thus specifies the winter, because at that season, on account of the cold and snow, flight would be attended with special difficulty and hardship, and would be almost impossible for the aged and infirm. Mark 13:18