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"And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at table in the kingdom of God." |
"And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God." |
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Reclining means lying down. According to the NASV, they lie down on the floor to eat.
Some of the Bible teachers who just love all the new stuff coming out of Bible
Universities try to explain that they had pads, pillows, or some kind of throw-rugs to
recline on. That might be an answer for people who were dirt-poor in those
days, but this verse is talking about the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God,
we may be sure, is not make of sticks and mud. If anything, there will be tables and
chairs.
But even in first century Judaea we may assume that people generally did not lie down to eat off the floor. I'll wager a dollar to donuts they had normal tables, tall enough to sit at, and even tall enough for dogs to walk under. Scriptures tell us that dogs could walk under the tables: "And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs" (Mark 7:28). As the KJV renders it, the tables were normal, practical, and high enough to sit at, the chairs were normal, practical, and comfortable to sit on. The whole family could sit down at the table to eat supper without the strain of propping oneself on his elbow. Lying down is impractical for most purposes, except to sleep at night. Incidentlly, this passage is about the kingdom of God. It says nothing about eating, or even a table. "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Romans 14:17) Where the translators got the table from is anyone's guess. |
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