Verse 1 He went up into a mountain; not for the purpose of ascending to a conspicuous position, but of retiring to a secluded one. The mountain, in this and similar expressions, must not be pictured to the mind as a single elevation of land, but rather as a tract of varied scenery, in which elevations, valleys, forests, cliffs, precipices, and lofty summits, combine to form extended regions of solitude and seclusion. When, therefore, Jesus is spoken of as going up into a mountain, we must not conceive of him as ascending a simple eminence, for the sake of a commanding position for addressing his followers, but as retiring with them to a region of solitude, for the sake of seclusion and safety--Was set. It was the custom of the Jews to sit when teaching.