By the time of Jesus, Jerusalem had grown from a modest military fortress to a world-class city with a newly renovated temple that rivaled nearly any in the ancient world. Public pools were fed by the Gihon Spring and by two aqueducts that brought water to the city from as far as 7 miles (11 km) away. The towns of Bethphage and Bethany were located on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, which lay to the east of Jerusalem. See also Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus.

21:8 spread their clothes on the road. Spreading one’s garments on the street was an ancient act of homage reserved for high royalty (cf. 2 Kin. 9:13), suggesting that they recognized His claim to be King of the Jews.

21:8 Cloaks on the road symbolized the crowd’s submission to Jesus as king (cf. 2 Kings 9:13). Branches (palms) symbolized Jewish nationalism and victory (see John 12:13). They were connected with prominent Jewish victories (e.g., 1 Macc. 13:51) and with the Festival of Tabernacles; palm motifs were common on both Jewish coinage and synagogue decoration.

21:9 Hosanna. This transliterates the Heb. expression which is translated “Save now” in Ps. 118:25. Blessed is He. This is an exact quotation from v. 26 of the same psalm. This, along with the messianic title “Son of David,” make it clear that the crowd was acknowledging Christ’s messianic claim (see note on 1:1). The date of this entry was Sunday, 9 Nisan, A.D. 30, exactly 483 years after the decree of Artaxerxes mentioned in Dan. 9:24–26 (see notes there).