20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked.
20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?"
20 The disciples saw it happen. They rubbed their eyes, saying, "Did we really see this? A leafy tree one minute, a dry stick the next?"
20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"
20 The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?"
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Matthew 21:20
Commentary on Matthew 21:18-22
(Read Matthew 21:18-22)
This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general, and so teaches us that Christ looks for the power of religion in those who profess it, and the savour of it from those that have the show of it. His just expectations from flourishing professors are often disappointed; he comes to many, seeking fruit, and finds leaves only. A false profession commonly withers in this world, and it is the effect of Christ's curse. The fig-tree that had no fruit, soon lost its leaves. This represents the state of the nation and people of the Jews in particular. Our Lord Jesus found among them nothing but leaves. And after they rejected Christ, blindness and hardness grew upon them, till they were undone, and their place and nation rooted up. The Lord was righteous in it. Let us greatly fear the doom denounced on the barren fig-tree.