And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

And they were astonished at his doctrine. For he was teaching them as one having power, and not as the scribes.

and they were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as having authority, and not as the scribes.

The people listened with amazement to His teaching - for there was authority about it: it was very different from that of the Scribes -

And they were full of wonder at his teaching, because he gave it as one having authority, and not like the scribes.

And they were astonished over his doctrine. For he was teaching them as one who has authority, and not like the scribes.

The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught them like one who had authority, and not like the teachers of the Law.

And they were astonished at his doctrine The meaning of the Evangelists is, that the power of the Spirit shone in the preaching. of Christ with such brightness, as to extort admiration even from irreligious and cold hearers. Luke says, that his discourse was accompanied with power, that is, full of majesty. Mark expresses it more fully, by adding a contrast, that it was unlike the manner of teaching of the Scribes As they were false expounders of Scripture, their doctrine was literal and dead, breathed nothing of the power of the Spirit, and was utterly destitute of majesty. The same kind of coldness may be now observed in the speculative theology of Popery. Those masters do indeed thunder out whatever they think proper in a sufficiently magisterial style; but as their manner of discoursing about divine things is so profane, that their controversies exhibit no traces of religion, what they bring forward is all affectation and mere drivelling: for the declaration of the Apostle Paul holds true, that the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power, (1-Corinthians 4:20.) In short, the Evangelists mean that, while the manner of teaching, which then prevailed, was so greatly degenerated and so extremely corrupted, that it did not impress the minds of men with any reverence for God, the preaching of Christ was eminently distinguished by the divine power of the Spirit, which procured for him the respect of his hearers. This is the power, or rather the majesty and authority, at which the people were astonished.

He taught them as one that had authority - See the notes at Matthew 7:29.

As one that had authority - From God, to do what he was doing; and to teach a pure and beneficent system of truth.
And not as the scribes - Who had no such authority, and whose teaching was not accompanied by the power of God to the souls of the people:
1. because the matter of the teaching did not come from God; and
2. because the teachers themselves were not commissioned by the Most High. See the note on Matthew 7:28.

And they were astonished at his doctrine,.... The nature and importance of it, it being what they had not been used to hear; only at best the doctrine of the law, and sometimes only the traditions of the elders, or an allegorical and traditional sense of the Scriptures, and things very trifling and unedifying: and also they were amazed at the manner of his preaching, which was with so much gracefulness, gravity, and majesty, and was attended with so much evidence and power:
for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the Scribes; or "their Scribes", as the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read. He did not go about to establish what he said by the authority of the Rabbins, as the Scribes did; saying, Hillell says so, or Shammai says thus, or such a doctor says thus and thus; but he spoke as from himself, as one sent of God, that had an authority from him, and was independent of man; and this was what they had not observed in others, and wonder at it; See Gill on Matthew 7:28. See Gill on Matthew 7:29.

And they were astonished at his doctrine--or "teaching"--referring quite as much to the manner as the matter of it.
for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes--See on Matthew 7:28-29.

They were astonished at his doctrine. See note on Matthew 7:28.
Scribes. For account of scribes see notes on Matthew 5:20.