John 12:13 (The New Living Translation)

12:13 took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, "Praise God! Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!"

Mark 11:8 (The New Living Translation)

11:8 Many in the crowd spread their coats on the road ahead of Jesus, and others cut leafy branches in the fields and spread them along the way.

Matthew 21:8 (The New Living Translation)

21:8 Most of the crowd spread their coats on the road ahead of Jesus, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

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Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament

Branches (stibadaß). A litter of leaves and rushes from the fields. Textus Receptus spells this word stoibadaß. **Matthew 21:8 has kladouß, from klaw, to break, branches broken or cut from trees. **John 12:13 uses the branches of the palm trees (ta baia twn poinikwn), "the feathery fronds forming the tufted crown of the tree" (Vincent). That is to say, some of the crowd did one of these things, some another. See on "Mt 21:4"-9 for discussion of other details. The deliberate conduct of Jesus on this occasion could have but one meaning. It was the public proclamation of himself as the Messiah, now at last for his "hour" has come. The excited crowds in front (oi proagonteß) and behind (oi akolouqounteß) fully realize the significance of it all. Hence their unrestrained enthusiasm. They expect Jesus, of course, now to set up his rule in opposition to that of Caesar, to drive Rome out of Palestine, to conquer the world for the Jews.

So many spread their garments in the way in honour to him as a king, and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way in token of joy, as at the feast of tabernacles; (See **Matthew 21:8).

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**Matthew 21:8

And a very great multitude.
Which consisted partly of the great multitude which followed Christ from Jericho, and partly of the much people that were come up to the feast of the passover from divers parts, and met him from Jerusalem; see (John 12:12,13) . These, many of them, for it cannot be thought to be done by them all,

spread their garments in the way;
either in the middle of the road, instead of carpets, to ride upon; the Persic version adds, "that he might pass over them": this they did, in honour to him as a king. So when Jehu declared to the princes of Israel, that he was anointed king of Israel, they hastened, and took every man his garment, and put it under him, (2 Kings 9:13) that is, to tread upon; though the Jewish writers say, it was done that he might be higher than them all, suitable to the dignity of a king: and it is reported of Cato Uticensis, the emperor, that his soldiers strewed their garments for him to walk upon: or these garments were spread by the way side. Dr. Lightfoot conjectures, that little tents might be raised by them along the road, upon which they spread their garments to make a show, in imitation of the feast of tabernacles, to which there is a very great resemblance in many things which occur in this account; when they used to spread linen cloth, garments, and fruits, over their booths, for decoration and ornament; as appears from their traditions about these things:

``(Nydo hyle oryp) , "if a man spreads a linen cloth over it", (his booth,) because of the sun, or under it, because of the falling of leaves. or spreads it over a canopy, it is not right; but he may spread it over the bedposts.''

That is, for ornament, as the commentators observe Again,

``(dgb hyle vrp) , if a man spreads a garment over it, (his booth,) or if he spreads it under it, because of what falls it is not right; but if he spreads it so as that it is, (htwanl) , "for ornament", it is right; and so if he covers it according to the tradition of it, and encompasses it with various kinds of fruits, and precious things, and vessels which hang upon it, whether on its walls, or on its covering, so they be for ornament, it is right.''

In like manner, the multitude might hang their garments, to make the show the greater, either on such booths, or on the houses and trees, that were upon the road, as they went along.

Others cut down branches from the trees;
from the olive trees, as the Persic version expresses it, which grew in great plenty hereabout; and also from the palm trees, the branches of which, with the boughs of other trees, were what the Jews used to carry in their hands on the feast of tabernacles; see **(Leviticus 23:40) ``And entered into it the three and twentieth day of the second month in the hundred seventy and first year, with thanksgiving, and branches of palm trees, and with harps, and cymbals, and with viols, and hymns, and songs: because there was destroyed a great enemy out of Israel.'' (1 Maccabees 13:51)

Likewise upon purifying the temple, which had been polluted by Antiochus, they kept eight days with gladness as in the feast of tabernacles, and bare branches and fair boughs, and palms also, as in the Apocrypha: 6 And they kept the eight days with gladness, as in the feast of the tabernacles, remembering that not long afore they had held the feast of the tabernacles, when as they wandered in the mountains and dens like beasts. 7 Therefore they bare branches, and fair boughs, and palms also, and sang psalms unto him that had given them good success in cleansing his place. (2 Maccabees 10) But here it is said, and they strawed them in the way: not in the middle of the road, which would have been an hindrance to riding; but by the way side, upon, the booths, or houses in the road, in honour of him; just as the Jews say, ``the streets were strewed with myrtles, and the courts with purple, when Mordecai went out of the king's gate.''

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** Leviticus 23:40 (The New Living Translation)

23:40 On the first day, gather fruit from citrus trees, and collect palm fronds and other leafy branches and willows that grow by the streams. Then rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.