Matthew 23:6. The chief seats in the synagogues.
See also Mark 12:39; Luke 11:43; 20:43.
These “chief seats” were seats of honor which were prepared for the elders of the synagogue and for the doctors of the law; and hence called, in the second verse of this chapter, “Moses’ seat.” They were placed in front of the ark, which contained the law, in the uppermost part of the synagogue, at the “Jerusalem end.” See note on Matthew 4:23 (#636). Luke calls them “uppermost seats.” Those who occupied them sat with their faces to the people. These seats were considered positions of great honor, and were eagerly sought by the ambitious scribes and Pharisees. It is probable that James refers to this custom of honor in the Jewish synagogue when he speaks of “a good place,” where the rich man is invited to sit in the Christian “assembly” or synagogue, as it is in the original. See James 2:2-3.