Commentaries:
Adam Clarke
As a grain of mustard seed - A faith that increases and thrives as that is described to do, Matthew 13:32 (note), where see the note. See also Matthew 17:20.
This sycamine - The words seem to intimate that they were standing by such a tree. The sycamine is probably the same as the sycamore. Sycamore with us, says Mr. Evelyn, is falsely so called, being our acer majus , greater maple. The true sycamore is the ficus Pharaonis or Aegyptia, Pharaoh' s, or Egyptian fig-tree; called also, from its similitude in leaves and fruit, morosyous , or mulberry fig-tree. The Arabians call it guimez : it grows in Cyprus, Caria, Rhodes, and in Judea and Galilee, where our Lord at this time was: see Luke 17:11. St. Jerome, who was well acquainted with these countries, translates the word mulberry-tree.
Be thou plucked up by the root - See the note on Matthew 21:21, where it is shown that this mode of speech refers to the accomplishment of things very difficult, but not impossible.
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