King James Version
Luke 19
48 verses with commentary
Jesus and Zacchaeus
And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.</strong> The Greek verb <em>diērchetō</em> (διήρχετο, "was passing through") indicates Jesus was traveling through Jericho en route to Jerusalem, not planning to linger. This seemingly casual detail sets up the dramatic interruption that follows—Zacchaeus's desperate pursuit of Jesus. Jericho was a wealthy city on the main road from Perea to Je...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
**XIX.**
(1) **And passed through Jericho.**—Better, *and was passing through.* The narrative that follows is peculiar to this Gospel.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 19
Chapter Outline
The conversion of Zaccheus.(1-10)
The parable of the nobleman and his servants.(11-27)
Christ enters Jerusalem.(28-40)
Christ laments over Jerusalem.(41-48)
**Verses 1-10**
Those who sincerely desire a sight of Christ, like Zaccheus, will break through opposition, and take pains to see him. Christ invited himself to Zaccheus' house. Wherever Chr...
Read full commentary →And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.</strong> Luke's <em>idou</em> (ἰδού, "behold") draws attention to this unlikely character. The name Zacchaeus (Ζακχαῖος, <em>Zakchaios</em>) derives from Hebrew Zakkai, meaning "pure" or "righteous"—deeply ironic given his profession. He was <em>architelōnēs</em> (ἀρχιτελώνης, "chief tax...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **There was a man named Zacchæus, . . .**—The name appears in the Old Testament in the form Zaccai (Ezra 2:9; Nehemiah 7:14), and meant “pure” or “innocent.” Rabbinic writers mention a Zacchæus as living at Jericho about this time, the father of a famous Rabbi, Jochanan or John.
**The chief among the publicans.**—The position of Jericho near the fords of the Jordan made it a natural trade-cent...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 19
Chapter Outline
The conversion of Zaccheus.(1-10)
The parable of the nobleman and his servants.(11-27)
Christ enters Jerusalem.(28-40)
Christ laments over Jerusalem.(41-48)
**Verses 1-10**
Those who sincerely desire a sight of Christ, like Zaccheus, will break through opposition, and take pains to see him. Christ invited himself to Zaccheus' house. Wherever Chr...
Read full commentary →And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.</strong> The verb <em>ezētei</em> (ἐζήτει, "he was seeking") suggests determined, persistent effort. Zacchaeus wanted to see <em>tis estin</em> (τίς ἐστιν, "who he was")—not merely to glimpse Jesus physically but to understand his identity and character. This seeking echoes the rich young ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **He sought.**—Better, *was seeking.* The verb expresses vividly the oft-repeated attempts of the man, little of stature, to get a glimpse of the Prophet as He passed.
**For the press.**—The word is the same as that elsewhere rendered “multitude” or “crowd.” The motive is left to be inferred. It was not mere curiosity, for that would not have met with the Lord’s warm approval. Had he heard tha...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-18. Were there not ten cleansed--**rather, were not the ten cleansed? **that is, the whole of them--**an example (by the way) of Christ's omniscience [Bengel].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 19
Chapter Outline
The conversion of Zaccheus.(1-10)
The parable of the nobleman and his servants.(11-27)
Christ enters Jerusalem.(28-40)
Christ laments over Jerusalem.(41-48)
**Verses 1-10**
Those who sincerely desire a sight of Christ, like Zaccheus, will break through opposition, and take pains to see him. Christ invited himself to Zaccheus' house. Wherever Chr...
Read full commentary →And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.</strong> The verb <em>prodramōn</em> (προδραμών, "ran before") describes Zacchaeus racing ahead of the crowd—undignified behavior for a wealthy official in ancient Near Eastern culture, where prominent men walked with measured dignity. His climbing into a sycamore tree (<em>sykomorean</em>, συκο...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **And climbed up into a sycomore tree.**—The name of “sycomore” has been variously applied—(1) to a species of maple (*Acer pseudo-platanus*)*;* (2) to the mulberry (*Morus nigra*)*,* more properly, “sycamine,” as in Luke 17:6; and (3) to the fig mulberry (*Ficus sycomorus*)*.* The last is the tree here meant. It grew to a considerable height in the Jordan valley, and was much used by builders...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-18. Were there not ten cleansed--**rather, were not the ten cleansed? **that is, the whole of them--**an example (by the way) of Christ's omniscience [Bengel].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 19
Chapter Outline
The conversion of Zaccheus.(1-10)
The parable of the nobleman and his servants.(11-27)
Christ enters Jerusalem.(28-40)
Christ laments over Jerusalem.(41-48)
**Verses 1-10**
Those who sincerely desire a sight of Christ, like Zaccheus, will break through opposition, and take pains to see him. Christ invited himself to Zaccheus' house. Wherever Chr...
Read full commentary →And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus addresses Zacchaeus: 'And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.' Jesus takes initiative: He 'looked up' (ἀναβλέψας, anablepsas), 'saw him' (εἶδεν αὐτόν, eiden auton), and addressed him by name—'Zacchaeus' (Ζακχαῖε, Zakchaie). The command is urgent: 'make haste' (σπεύσας, speusas,...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **To day I must abide at thy house.**—The words gain a fresh significance, if we remember that Jericho was at this time one of the chosen cities of the priests. (See Note on Luke 10:30.) Our Lord passed over their houses, and those of the Pharisees, in order to pass the night in the house of the publican. There, we may believe, He saw an opening for a spiritual work which He did not find elsew...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19. Arise--**for he had "fallen down on his face at His feet" (Lu 17:16) and there lain prostrate.
**faith made thee whole--**not as the others, merely in body, but in that higher spiritual sense with which His constant language has so familiarized us.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 19
Chapter Outline
The conversion of Zaccheus.(1-10)
The parable of the nobleman and his servants.(11-27)
Christ enters Jerusalem.(28-40)
Christ laments over Jerusalem.(41-48)
**Verses 1-10**
Those who sincerely desire a sight of Christ, like Zaccheus, will break through opposition, and take pains to see him. Christ invited himself to Zaccheus' house. Wherever Chr...
Read full commentary →And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.</strong> Three rapid verbs capture Zacchaeus's response: <em>speusas</em> (σπεύσας, "made haste"), <em>katebē</em> (κατέβη, "came down"), and <em>hupedexato</em> (ὑπεδέξατο, "received"). The aorist tense indicates immediate, decisive action. The word <em>speusas</em> suggests eager urgency—no hesitation, no calculating whether Je...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Received him joyfully.**—The joy is significant as implying previous yearning, a desire for communion with the new Teacher, the wish to sit at His feet and drink in the words of eternal life.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 17:20-37. Coming of the Kingdom of God and of the Son of Man.
**20-25. when, &c.--**To meet the erroneous views not only of the Pharisees, but of the disciples themselves, our Lord addresses both, announcing the coming of the kingdom under different aspects.
**It cometh not with observation--**with watching or lying in wait, as for something outwardly imposing and at once revealing itsel...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 19
Chapter Outline
The conversion of Zaccheus.(1-10)
The parable of the nobleman and his servants.(11-27)
Christ enters Jerusalem.(28-40)
Christ laments over Jerusalem.(41-48)
**Verses 1-10**
Those who sincerely desire a sight of Christ, like Zaccheus, will break through opposition, and take pains to see him. Christ invited himself to Zaccheus' house. Wherever Chr...
Read full commentary →And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.</strong> The verb <em>diagongyzō</em> (διαγογγύζω, "murmured") conveys grumbling, complaining—the same word used of the Pharisees' complaint in Luke 15:2. The phrase "they all" (<em>pantes</em>, πάντες) suggests unanimous disapproval—the crowd that moments before pressed around Jesus ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **They all murmured.**—Better, *were all murmuring.* It is significant that the murmur was not confined to a special section of rigorous Pharisees, but came from the whole crowd. The chief publican was clearly not popular, and probably the priestly tone of the place (see Note on Luke 19:5) gave additional strength to all caste feelings. We are carried forward in this verse from the promise to ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 17:20-37. Coming of the Kingdom of God and of the Son of Man.
**20-25. when, &c.--**To meet the erroneous views not only of the Pharisees, but of the disciples themselves, our Lord addresses both, announcing the coming of the kingdom under different aspects.
**It cometh not with observation--**with watching or lying in wait, as for something outwardly imposing and at once revealing itsel...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 19
Chapter Outline
The conversion of Zaccheus.(1-10)
The parable of the nobleman and his servants.(11-27)
Christ enters Jerusalem.(28-40)
Christ laments over Jerusalem.(41-48)
**Verses 1-10**
Those who sincerely desire a sight of Christ, like Zaccheus, will break through opposition, and take pains to see him. Christ invited himself to Zaccheus' house. Wherever Chr...
Read full commentary →And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
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KJV Study Commentary
Zacchaeus' response: 'And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.' Zacchaeus 'stood' (σταθεὶς, statheis)—a decisive posture for important declarations. He addresses Jesus as 'Lord' (Κύριε, Kyrie) twice, acknowledging authority. His declaration: 'the half o...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Zacchæus stood, and said unto the Lord . . .**—The word for “stood” is the same as that used in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Luke 18:11). Too much stress has, perhaps, been laid on its supposed force as indicating self-assertion in both cases. It does not seem to imply more than that Zacchæus, in his own house, hearing the murmurs of those who looked in at doors or windows, ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 17:20-37. Coming of the Kingdom of God and of the Son of Man.
**20-25. when, &c.--**To meet the erroneous views not only of the Pharisees, but of the disciples themselves, our Lord addresses both, announcing the coming of the kingdom under different aspects.
**It cometh not with observation--**with watching or lying in wait, as for something outwardly imposing and at once revealing itsel...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 19
Chapter Outline
The conversion of Zaccheus.(1-10)
The parable of the nobleman and his servants.(11-27)
Christ enters Jerusalem.(28-40)
Christ laments over Jerusalem.(41-48)
**Verses 1-10**
Those who sincerely desire a sight of Christ, like Zaccheus, will break through opposition, and take pains to see him. Christ invited himself to Zaccheus' house. Wherever Chr...
Read full commentary →And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus pronounces salvation: 'And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.' Jesus declares: 'This day is salvation come' (Σήμερον σωτηρία τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ ἐγένετο, Sēmeron sōtēria tō oikō toutō egeneto)—salvation has arrived, aorist tense indicating decisive completed action. The scope: 'to this house' (τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ, tō oikō toutō)—Zacch...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **This day is salvation come to this house.**—The Greek tense, *This day came there salvation to this house,* has a force which it is not easy to express in English, implying that the salvation was already looked back upon as completed in the past. In one sense salvation had come in the personal presence of the Saviour, but we must remember all that the word implied—deliverance, not from the p...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 17:20-37. Coming of the Kingdom of God and of the Son of Man.
**20-25. when, &c.--**To meet the erroneous views not only of the Pharisees, but of the disciples themselves, our Lord addresses both, announcing the coming of the kingdom under different aspects.
**It cometh not with observation--**with watching or lying in wait, as for something outwardly imposing and at once revealing itsel...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 19
Chapter Outline
The conversion of Zaccheus.(1-10)
The parable of the nobleman and his servants.(11-27)
Christ enters Jerusalem.(28-40)
Christ laments over Jerusalem.(41-48)
**Verses 1-10**
Those who sincerely desire a sight of Christ, like Zaccheus, will break through opposition, and take pains to see him. Christ invited himself to Zaccheus' house. Wherever Chr...
Read full commentary →For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.</strong> This verse is Jesus' mission statement, summarizing His incarnation's purpose. The phrase "the Son of man" (<em>ho huios tou anthrōpou</em>, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου) is Jesus' favorite self-designation, occurring over 80 times in the Gospels. It combines messianic authority (from Daniel 7:13-14, where the Son of man r...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.**—Like words had been spoken once before, under circumstances that presented a very striking contrast to those now before us. Then the loving purpose of the Christ had for its object the “little child,” as yet untouched by the world’s offences (Matthew 18:2; Matthew 18:11): now it rested on the publican, whose manhood had been ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 17:20-37. Coming of the Kingdom of God and of the Son of Man.
**20-25. when, &c.--**To meet the erroneous views not only of the Pharisees, but of the disciples themselves, our Lord addresses both, announcing the coming of the kingdom under different aspects.
**It cometh not with observation--**with watching or lying in wait, as for something outwardly imposing and at once revealing itsel...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 19
Chapter Outline
The conversion of Zaccheus.(1-10)
The parable of the nobleman and his servants.(11-27)
Christ enters Jerusalem.(28-40)
Christ laments over Jerusalem.(41-48)
**Verses 1-10**
Those who sincerely desire a sight of Christ, like Zaccheus, will break through opposition, and take pains to see him. Christ invited himself to Zaccheus' house. Wherever Chr...
Read full commentary →The Parable of the Ten Minas
And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.</strong> The conjunction "as they heard these things" connects the parable of the minas (pounds) to Zacchaeus's conversion. The phrase <em>prosetheto eipein parabolēn</em> (προσέθετο εἰπεῖν παραβολήν, "he added and spake...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **He added and spake a parable.**—As in Luke 18:1; Luke 18:9, so here, it is characteristic of St. Luke that he states, more fully than is common in the other Gospels, the occasion and the purpose of the parable which follows. The verse throws light upon all the history that follows. In all previous visits to Jerusalem our Lord had gone up either alone or accompanied only by His chosen discip...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 17:20-37. Coming of the Kingdom of God and of the Son of Man.
**20-25. when, &c.--**To meet the erroneous views not only of the Pharisees, but of the disciples themselves, our Lord addresses both, announcing the coming of the kingdom under different aspects.
**It cometh not with observation--**with watching or lying in wait, as for something outwardly imposing and at once revealing itsel...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.</strong> The word <em>eugenes</em> (εὐγενής, "nobleman") means someone of noble birth or high rank. This nobleman journeys <em>eis chōran makran</em> (εἰς χώραν μακράν, "into a far country") to <em>labein heautō basileian</em> (λαβεῖν ἑαυτῷ βασιλείαν, "receive for himself a kingdo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **A certain nobleman went into a far country.**—See Notes on Matthew 25:14-30, with which the parable that follows has many obvious points of resemblance. There are, however, many noticeable differences in detail. At the outset we have the new feature of the nobleman going “into a far country to receive a kingdom.” This had an obvious starting-point in the recent history of Judæa. Both the Te...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-30. eat ... married ... planted--**all the ordinary occupations and enjoyments of life. Though the antediluvian world and the cities of the plain were awfully wicked, it is not their wickedness, but their worldliness, their unbelief and indifference to the future, their unpreparedness, that is here held up as a warning. Note.--These recorded events of Old Testament history--denied or explaine...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. pounds: mina, here translated a pound, is twelve ounces and an half: which according to five shillings the ounce is three pounds two shillings and sixpence
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.</strong> Before departing, the nobleman summons <em>deka doulous</em> (δέκα δούλους, "ten servants") and gives each <em>deka mnas</em> (δέκα μνᾶς, "ten minas/pounds"). A mina was roughly three months' wages—significant but not overwhelming. The identical distribution (unlike the parable o...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **And delivered them ten pounds.**—In this, again, we have a noticeable difference. Here we begin with equality; in Matthew 25:15 the servants start with unequal amounts, “according to their several ability.” So far as we lay stress on the difference, it implies that the trust in this case is that which all disciples of Christ have in common—*viz.,* their knowledge of the truth and their memb...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-30. eat ... married ... planted--**all the ordinary occupations and enjoyments of life. Though the antediluvian world and the cities of the plain were awfully wicked, it is not their wickedness, but their worldliness, their unbelief and indifference to the future, their unpreparedness, that is here held up as a warning. Note.--These recorded events of Old Testament history--denied or explaine...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.</strong> The adversative <em>de</em> (δέ, "but") introduces opposition. The word <em>politai</em> (πολῖται, "citizens") refers to those under the nobleman's jurisdiction—his own people, not foreigners. The verb <em>emisoun</em> (ἐμίσουν, "hated") in imperfect tense indicates ongoin...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him.**—Here, also, recent history supplied a feature in the parable. This was precisely what the Jews had done in the case of Archelaus, both at the time referred to in the Note on Luke 19:12, and later on, when their complaints were brought before the Emperor, and led to his deposition and banishment to Gaul. That which answers to it in ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-30. eat ... married ... planted--**all the ordinary occupations and enjoyments of life. Though the antediluvian world and the cities of the plain were awfully wicked, it is not their wickedness, but their worldliness, their unbelief and indifference to the future, their unpreparedness, that is here held up as a warning. Note.--These recorded events of Old Testament history--denied or explaine...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When he was returned, having received the kingdom</strong> (ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ ἐπανελθεῖν αὐτὸν λαβόντα τὴν βασιλείαν, egeneto de en tō epanelthein auton labonta tēn basileian)—the nobleman's return mirrors Christ's Second Coming after receiving kingdom authority from the Father. <strong>He commanded these servants to be called</strong> (εἶπεν φωνηθῆναι αὐτῷ τοὺς δούλους, eipen phōnēthēnai a...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **It came to pass, that when he was returned.**—See Note on Matthew 25:19. The absence of the words “after a long time” is noticeable, and suggests the thought that our Lord may have added them in the later form of the parable as a further safeguard against the prevalent expectations of the immediate coming of the Kingdom, and, we may add, against the thought which sprang up afterwards in men...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-30. eat ... married ... planted--**all the ordinary occupations and enjoyments of life. Though the antediluvian world and the cities of the plain were awfully wicked, it is not their wickedness, but their worldliness, their unbelief and indifference to the future, their unpreparedness, that is here held up as a warning. Note.--These recorded events of Old Testament history--denied or explaine...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds</strong> (Κύριε, ἡ μνᾶ σου δέκα προσηργάσατο μνᾶς, Kyrie, hē mna sou deka prosērgasato mnas)—a tenfold return demonstrating extraordinary faithfulness. The servant uses the possessive <em>sou</em> (your), acknowledging that both the original capital and the gains belong to the master. The verb <em>prosergazomai</em> (to gain in addition) emphasizes pr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **Thy pound hath gained ten pounds.**—The increase is on a larger scale than in the parable in Matthew 25. There each of the faithful servants gains as much again as he had received. Here the gain is tenfold (1,000 per cent.). Adopting the view which has been taken of the distinctive ideas of the two parables, it may be said that what is suggested is the almost boundless opening for good acqu...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-30. eat ... married ... planted--**all the ordinary occupations and enjoyments of life. Though the antediluvian world and the cities of the plain were awfully wicked, it is not their wickedness, but their worldliness, their unbelief and indifference to the future, their unpreparedness, that is here held up as a warning. Note.--These recorded events of Old Testament history--denied or explaine...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Well, thou good servant</strong> (Εὖγε, ἀγαθὲ δοῦλε, Euge, agathe doule)—'well done' (εὖγε, euge) is a rare exclamation of approval, used only here and in the parallel. <em>Agathos</em> (good) describes moral character, not just competence. <strong>Faithful in a very little</strong> (ἐν ἐλαχίστῳ πιστὸς ἐγένου, en elachistō pistos egenou)—the mina, though valuable, was 'very little' (ἐλάχισ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **Because thou hast been faithful in a very little.**—More literally, *because thou didst become faithful.* The words are in their substance like those in St. Matthew, but their absolute identity with those in the lesson drawn from the parable of the Unjust Steward (see Note on Luke 16:10) is every way suggestive. This parable is connected with that as its natural sequel and development.
**Ha...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**31-33. to take it away ... Remember, &c.--**a warning against that lingering reluctance to part with present treasures which induces some to remain in a burning house, in hopes of saving this and that precious article till consumed and buried in its ruins. The cases here supposed, though different, are similar.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds</strong> (καὶ ἦλθεν ὁ δεύτερος λέγων· Ἡ μνᾶ σου, κύριε, ἐποίησεν πέντε μνᾶς, kai ēlthen ho deuteros legōn· Hē mna sou, kyrie, epoiēsen pente mnas)—a 500% return, still excellent though half that of the first servant. The verb <em>poieō</em> (to make, produce) differs slightly from verse 16's <em>prosergazomai</em> (to gai...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**31-33. to take it away ... Remember, &c.--**a warning against that lingering reluctance to part with present treasures which induces some to remain in a burning house, in hopes of saving this and that precious article till consumed and buried in its ruins. The cases here supposed, though different, are similar.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Be thou also over five cities</strong> (καὶ σὺ ἐπάνω γίνου πέντε πόλεων, kai sy epanō ginou pente poleōn)—the reward precisely matches the return: fivefold gain earns authority over five cities, just as tenfold gain earned ten cities. This demonstrates perfect proportionality in divine reward. Though both servants were 'faithful,' the one who produced more receives commensurately greater a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**31-33. to take it away ... Remember, &c.--**a warning against that lingering reluctance to part with present treasures which induces some to remain in a burning house, in hopes of saving this and that precious article till consumed and buried in its ruins. The cases here supposed, though different, are similar.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin</strong> (Κύριε, ἰδοὺ ἡ μνᾶ σου ἣν εἶχον ἀποκειμένην ἐν σουδαρίῳ, Kyrie, idou hē mna sou hēn eichon apokeimenēn en soudariō)—the unfaithful servant returns the exact amount, boasting of 'safety.' The perfect participle <em>apokeimenēn</em> (laid away, stored) indicates continuous, deliberate inaction. The <em>soudarion<...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Thy pound, which I have kept** ., .—Literally, w*hich I kept*—*i.e.,* all along. He had never made any effort at doing more.
**Laid up in a napkin.**—The smaller scale of the parable is shown in the contrast between this and the “hiding the talent in the earth,” in St. Matthew. The “napkin” (the Greek word is really Latin, *sudarium*) appears in Acts 19:12 as “handkerchiefs.” Such articles ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**34. two in one bed--**the prepared and unprepared mingled in closest intercourse together in the ordinary walks and fellowships of life, when the moment of severance arrives. Awful truth! realized before the destruction of Jerusalem, when the Christians found themselves forced by their Lord's directions (Lu 21:21) at once and for ever away from their old associates; but most of all when the seco...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I feared thee, because thou art an austere man</strong> (ἐφοβούμην γάρ σε, ὅτι ἄνθρωπος αὐστηρὸς εἶ, ephoboumēn gar se, hoti anthrōpos austēros ei)—the servant blames his inaction on the master's character. <em>Austēros</em> (austere, harsh, severe) appears only here in the NT, describing someone exacting and stern. This accusation is revealing: the servant fundamentally mistrusts and misr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **I feared thee, because thou art an austere man.**—The Greek adjective (from which the English is derived) is not used elsewhere in the New Testament. Literally, it means *dry,* and so, hard and stiff. In 2 Maccabees 14:30 it is translated “churlish.” On the plea of the wicked servant, see Note on Matthew 25:22.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant</strong> (Ἐκ τοῦ στόματός σου κρινῶ σε, πονηρὲ δοῦλε, Ek tou stomatos sou krinō se, ponēre doule)—the master uses the servant's own logic to condemn him. <em>Ponēros</em> (wicked, evil) contrasts sharply with <em>agathos</em> (good) in verse 17. His evil wasn't theft or violence but faithless inaction rooted in misrepresenting h...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee.**—See Note on Matthew 25:26. These words are, perhaps, somewhat more emphatic than in the parallel passage. The very term which the servant had dared to apply to his lord, is repeated with a solemn impressiveness.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?</strong> (καὶ διὰ τί οὐκ ἔδωκάς μου τὸ ἀργύριον ἐπὶ τράπεζαν, κἀγὼ ἐλθὼν σὺν τόκῳ ἂν αὐτὸ ἔπραξα; kai dia ti ouk edōkas mou to argyrion epi trapezan, kagō elthōn syn tokō an auto epraxa?)—if the servant truly feared failure, he could have deposited the money with bankers (<em...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **Into the bank.**—Literally, the *table,* or *counter.* The Greek substantive is the root of the word translated “exchangers” in Matthew 25:27 (where see Note).
**That at my coming I might have required . . .**—Literally, *And when I came I should have got it with interest.*
**Usury.**—The word is used (as in Matthew 25:27) in its older meaning, as including interest of any kind, and not exc...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**37. Where--**shall this occur?
**Wheresoever, &c.--**"As birds of prey scent out the carrion, so wherever is found a mass of incurable moral and spiritual corruption, there will be seen alighting the ministers of divine judgment," a proverbial saying terrifically verified at the destruction of Jerusalem, and many times since, though its most tremendous illustration will be at the world's f...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds</strong> (ἄρατε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν μνᾶν καὶ δότε τῷ τὰ δέκα μνᾶς ἔχοντι, arate ap' autou tēn mnan kai dote tō ta deka mnas echonti)—the unfaithful servant loses even what he had, while the most productive servant receives more. This isn't arbitrary cruelty but kingdom economics: opportunities withdrawn from the faithless are entru...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →(And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>(And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)</strong> (καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· Κύριε, ἔχει δέκα μνᾶς, kai eipan autō· Kyrie, echei deka mnas)—the bystanders object, thinking the redistribution unfair. This parenthetical interjection reveals human reasoning: 'The rich get richer while the poor lose everything—that's unjust!' Their protest exposes confusion about kingdom economics: they think...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **And they said unto him, Lord . . .**—The touch of wonder, perhaps of indignation, is peculiar to St. Luke. It can scarcely be thought of as simply an element of dramatic vividness. It foreshadows the feelings with which men have in all ages looked on those greater than themselves. They grudge the influence and opportunities for good which are transferred from those who have not used them to...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 18 Lu 18:1-8. Parable of the Importunate Widow.
**1-5. always--**Compare Lu 18:7, "night and day."
**faint--**lose heart, or slacken.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him</strong> (λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν ὅτι παντὶ τῷ ἔχοντι δοθήσεται, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ μὴ ἔχοντος καὶ ὃ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται, legō gar hymin hoti panti tō echonti dothēsetai, apo de tou mē echontos kai ho echei arthēsetai)—this principle appears three times in the Gospels (Mat...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **Unto every one which hath shall be given.**—This again takes its place among the oft-repeated axioms of our Lord’s teaching. It meets us after the parable of the Sower (Luke 8:18; Matthew 13:12; Mark 4:25), in that of the Talents (Matthew 25:29), and here. (See Notes on the several passages.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 18 Lu 18:1-8. Parable of the Importunate Widow.
**1-5. always--**Compare Lu 18:7, "night and day."
**faint--**lose heart, or slacken.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me</strong> (πλὴν τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου τούτους τοὺς μὴ θελήσαντάς με βασιλεῦσαι ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἀγάγετε ὧδε καὶ κατασφάξατε αὐτοὺς ἔμπροσθέν μου, plēn tous echthrous mou toutous tous mē thelēsantas me basileusai ep' autous agage hōde kai katasphaxate autous emprosthen mou)—the parable's shockin...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **But those mine enemies.**—This feature of the parable is peculiar to St. Luke’s report. Like the earlier portions of the outer framework of the story, it had an historical groundwork in the conduct of Archelaus on his return from Rome (Jos. *Wars, ii.* 7, § 3). Spiritually, it represents, in bold figures drawn from the acts of tyrant kings, the ultimate victory of the Christ over the unbeli...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 18 Lu 18:1-8. Parable of the Importunate Widow.
**1-5. always--**Compare Lu 18:7, "night and day."
**faint--**lose heart, or slacken.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-27**
This parable is like that of the talents, Mt 25. Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, 1Co 12:7. And as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same, 1Pe 4:10. The account required, re...
Read full commentary →The Triumphal Entry
And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.</strong> The phrase <em>he went before</em> (ἐπορεύετο ἔμπροσθεν, eporeueto emprosthen) depicts Jesus leading His disciples with sovereign determination toward His passion. <em>Ascending up to Jerusalem</em> (ἀναβαίνων εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, anabainōn eis Hierosolyma) carries liturgical significance—pilgrims literally ascende...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **He went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.**—Better, *going up,* as elsewhere throughout the New Testament. The words indicate the same mode of journeying as that which we have traced before—the Master going on in advance, and the disciples following. (See Notes on Luke 8:1; Mark 10:32.)
The journey from Jericho to Jerusalem was literally an ascent all the way (see Note on Luke 10:30), and ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 18 Lu 18:1-8. Parable of the Importunate Widow.
**1-5. always--**Compare Lu 18:7, "night and day."
**faint--**lose heart, or slacken.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-40**
Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Pharisees would silence the praise...
Read full commentary →And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives</strong>—these villages lay on Jerusalem's eastern approach, separated by the Kidron Valley. <em>Bethphage</em> (Βηθφαγή, Bēthphagē) means 'house of unripe figs,' while <em>Bethany</em> (Βηθανία, Bēthania) means 'house of affliction' or 'house of dates.' The <em>Mount of Olives</em> (τὸ ὄρος τῶν Ἐλαιῶν,...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29-38) **When he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany.**—On the general narrative, see Notes on Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11. In details we note (1) that St. Luke unites the “Bethphage” of St. Matthew with the “Bethany” of St. Mark; (2) that, as a stranger to Judæa, he speaks of the “mountain *that was called* the Mount of Olives. Possibly, indeed, both here and in Luke 21:37, as certainly in ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 18 Lu 18:1-8. Parable of the Importunate Widow.
**1-5. always--**Compare Lu 18:7, "night and day."
**faint--**lose heart, or slacken.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-40**
Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Pharisees would silence the praise...
Read full commentary →Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat : loose him, and bring him hither.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat</strong> (πῶλον δεδεμένον, ἐφ᾽ ὃν οὐδεὶς πώποτε ἀνθρώπων ἐκάθισεν, pōlon dedemenon, eph' hon oudeis pōpote anthrōpōn ekathisen)—Christ's supernatural knowledge is on display. The <em>colt</em> (πῶλος, pōlos) refers to a young donkey, and its never-ridden status marks it as fitting for sacred use (Numbers 19:2, Deuteronomy 21:3). An untra...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30, 31) **Go ye into the village over against you.**—The agreement with St. Matthew and St. Mark is singularly close.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-8. the Lord--**a name expressive of the authoritative style in which He interprets His own parable.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-40**
Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Pharisees would silence the praise...
Read full commentary →And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Because the Lord hath need of him</strong> (ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ χρείαν ἔχει, ho kyrios autou chreian echei)—this striking phrase reveals Jesus's divine prerogative. <em>Lord</em> (κύριος, kyrios) is the title used for both human masters and divine sovereignty. The phrase could mean 'its master needs it' or 'the Lord needs it,' creating deliberate ambiguity that Jesus's disciples would understan...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(31) **Because the Lord hath need of him.**—See Note on Matthew 21:3 as to the meaning of the word “Lord” as thus used.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-8. the Lord--**a name expressive of the authoritative style in which He interprets His own parable.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-40**
Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Pharisees would silence the praise...
Read full commentary →And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them</strong> (ἀπελθόντες...εὗρον καθὼς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, apelthontes...heuron kathōs eipen autois). Luke emphasizes the exact fulfillment with <em>even as</em> (καθώς, kathōs)—not approximately, but precisely as prophesied. This demonstrates Jesus's supernatural knowledge and sovereign orchestration of events. The disc...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-8. the Lord--**a name expressive of the authoritative style in which He interprets His own parable.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-40**
Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Pharisees would silence the praise...
Read full commentary →And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>As they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?</strong> (λυόντων...τῶν κυρίων αὐτοῦ, lyontōn...tōn kyriōn autou). The verb <em>loose</em> (λύω, lyō) will become thematically significant—Christ came to 'loose' (same root) those bound by sin. The <em>owners</em> (κύριοι, kyrioi—plural of 'lord') challenge the disciples, creating potential conflict th...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(33) **The owners thereof.**—**In** this instance St. Luke, though less graphic in his narrative generally, is more specific than St. Mark, who represents the question as coming from “some of those that stood by.” The use of the same Greek word for “owner” and for the “Lord” affords a striking example of the elasticity of its range of meaning.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-40**
Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Pharisees would silence the praise...
Read full commentary →And they said, The Lord hath need of him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they said, The Lord hath need of him</strong> (ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ χρείαν ἔχει, ho kyrios autou chreian echei). The disciples deliver Jesus's message verbatim, and remarkably, this simple statement suffices. The owners release the colt without further objection, suggesting they either knew Jesus personally, had been prepared beforehand, or recognized the messianic implications of the reques...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-40**
Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Pharisees would silence the praise...
Read full commentary →And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon</strong> (ἐπιρίψαντες αὐτῶν τὰ ἱμάτια ἐπὶ τὸν πῶλον ἐπεβίβασαν τὸν Ἰησοῦν, epiripsantes autōn ta himatia epi ton pōlon epebibasan ton Iēsoun). The disciples' <em>garments</em> (ἱμάτια, himatia) function as an improvised saddle and royal cushion. This action echoes Jehu's coronation, when captains spread their garments under...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(35) **They cast their garments upon the colt.**—St. Luke agrees with St. Mark in speaking of the “colt” only, not of the “ass.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 18:9-14. Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.
**11-12. stood--**as the Jews in prayer (Mr 11:25).
**God, &c.--**To have been kept from gross iniquities was undoubtedly a just cause of thankfulness to God; but instead of the devoutly humble, admiring frame which this should inspire, the Pharisee arrogantly severs himself from the rest of mankind, as quite above them, and, with a cont...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-40**
Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Pharisees would silence the praise...
Read full commentary →And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way</strong> (πορευομένου...ὑπεστρώννυον τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, poreuomenou...hypestōnnyon ta himatia autōn en tē hodō). The imperfect tense <em>spread</em> (ὑπεστρώννυον, hypestōnnyon) indicates continuous action—they kept spreading garments as Jesus progressed. This spontaneous act of worship transforms the dusty road into a royal carp...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(36) **They spread their clothes in the way.**—Better, *garments,* the word being the same as in the preceding verse, and in both cases meaning the outer garment or cloak. (See Note on Matthew 5:40.) St. Luke, it may be noticed, does not mention the “branches of trees” of which St. Matthew and St. Mark speak. The verb implies the constantly repeated act of casting down the garments as the Lord rod...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 18:9-14. Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.
**11-12. stood--**as the Jews in prayer (Mr 11:25).
**God, &c.--**To have been kept from gross iniquities was undoubtedly a just cause of thankfulness to God; but instead of the devoutly humble, admiring frame which this should inspire, the Pharisee arrogantly severs himself from the rest of mankind, as quite above them, and, with a cont...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-40**
Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Pharisees would silence the praise...
Read full commentary →And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen</strong> (ἅπαν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν μαθητῶν...αἰνεῖν τὸν θεὸν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ, hapan to plēthos tōn mathētōn...ainein ton theon phōnē megalē). The phrase <em>whole multitude</em> emphasizes unanimous worship—not just the Twelve, but all disciples present. <em>Praise</em> ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(37) **The descent of the mount of Olives.**—The Greek word for “descent” is not used by any other New Testament writer. As being a technical geographical word, it was one that might naturally be used by one who may have been a pupil of Strabo, or a student of his works. (See *Introduction.*)
**To praise God.**—The Greek verb is another instance of a word used by St. Luke (seven times) and St. Pau...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. standing afar off--**as unworthy to draw near; but that was the way to get near (Psa 34:18; Is 57:15).
**would not lift up--**blushing and ashamed to do so (Ezr 9:6).
**smote, &c.--**kept smiting; for anguish (Lu 23:48), and self-reproach (Jr 31:19).
**be merciful--**"be propitiated," a very unusual word in such a sense, only once else used in the New Testament, in the sense of "ma...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-40**
Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Pharisees would silence the praise...
Read full commentary →Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
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KJV Study Commentary
The crowd's proclamation: 'Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.' This cry quotes and adapts Psalm 118:26, a messianic Psalm sung at Passover. The addition 'the King' (ὁ βασιλεὺς, ho basileus) makes the messianic claim explicit. The phrase 'peace in heaven' (ἐν οὐρανῷ εἰρήνη, en ouranō eirēnē) echoes the angels' birth announceme...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(38) **Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. **The substitution of “glory” for the “Hosanna” of St. Matthew and St. Mark is characteristic of the Gentile Evangelist. The parallelism between the shouts of the multitude before the Passion, and the song of the angels at the Nativity (Luke 2:14) is, in many ways, suggestive. There the voices spoke of “peace on earth;” here the multitude, prophesy...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. rather than the other--**The meaning is, "and not the other"; for the Pharisee was not seeking justification, and felt no need of it. This great law of the Kingdom of God is, in the teaching of Christ, inscribed, as in letters of gold, over its entrance gate. And in how many different forms is it repeated (Psa 138:6; 147:6; Lu 1:53). To be self-emptied, or, "poor in spirit," is the fundament...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-40**
Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Pharisees would silence the praise...
Read full commentary →And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples</strong> (διδάσκαλε, ἐπιτίμησον τοῖς μαθηταῖς σου, didaskale, epitimēson tois mathētais sou). The Pharisees address Jesus as <em>Teacher</em> (διδάσκαλε, didaskale), not 'Lord' or 'Messiah,' refusing to acknowledge the claims implicit in the disciples' worship. The verb <em>rebuke</em> (ἐπιτιμάω,...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(39) **And some of the Pharisees.**—The comparative brevity of St. Luke’s description is more than compensated by the interest of the two narratives that follow, and which are found in his Gospel only. The section of the Pharisees that spoke was probably that which had all along more or less acknowledged our Lord as a “Master” (*i.e.,* Teacher or Rabbi), and were willing to give Him what they thou...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 18:15-17. Little Children Brought to Christ.
**15. infants--**showing that some, at least, of those called in Matthew (Mt 19:13) and Mark (Mr 10:13) simply "little" or "young children," were literally "babes."
**touch them--**or, as more fully in Matthew (Mt 19:13), "put His hands on them and pray," or invoke a "blessing" on them (Mr 10:16), according to venerable custom (Ge 48:14, 15).
**...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-40**
Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Pharisees would silence the praise...
Read full commentary →And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' response to Pharisees: 'And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.' The Pharisees demanded Jesus silence the crowd (v. 39), but Jesus declares this impossible. The phrase 'if these should hold their peace' (ἐὰν οὗτοι σιωπήσωσιν, ean houtoi siōpēsōsin, a hypothetical condition) introduces the startling claim: '...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(40) **If these should hold their peace.**—Here, then, at the very moment when He foresaw most clearly His own approaching end, and the failure of all earthly hopes of the city over which He wept, our Lord accepted every word that disciples or multitude had uttered of Him as being in the fullest sense true.
**The stones would immediately cry out.**—The startling imagery had a precedent in the lang...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. But Jesus--**"much displeased," says Mark (Mr 10:14); and invaluable addition.
**said--**"Suffer the little children to come unto Me"--"AND FORBID THEM NOT," is the important addition of Matthew (Mt 19:14) and Mark (Mr 10:14). What words are these from the lips of Christ! The price of them is above rubies. But the reason assigned, "For of such is the Kingdom of God," or "of heaven," as in ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-40**
Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Pharisees would silence the praise...
Read full commentary →Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus weeps over Jerusalem: 'And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it.' As Jesus approached Jerusalem, 'he beheld the city' (ἰδὼν τὴν πόλιν, idōn tēn polin) 'and wept over it' (ἔκλαυσεν ἐπ' αὐτήν, eklausen ep' autēn). The verb 'eklausen' indicates loud, audible weeping, not quiet tears. This is one of two recorded instances of Jesus weeping (the other at Lazarus' tomb, John ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(41) **He beheld the city, and wept over it.**—This, and the tears over the grave of Lazarus (John 11:35), are the only recorded instances of our Lord’s tears. It is significant that in the one case they flow from the intensity of personal friendship, in the other from that of the intense love of country which we know as patriotism. Neither element of character could well be wanting in the perfect...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 41-48**
Who can behold the holy Jesus, looking forward to the miseries that awaited his murderers, weeping over the city where his precious blood was about to be shed, without seeing that the likeness of God in the believer, consists much in good-will and compassion? Surely those cannot be right who take up any doctrines of truth, so as to be hardened towards their fellow-sinners. But...
Read full commentary →Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus weeps over Jerusalem: 'If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.' The phrase 'if thou hadst known' expresses tragic missed opportunity. 'The things which belong unto thy peace' (Greek 'ta pros eirēnēn,' τὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην) refers to Jesus Himself—the Prince of Peace whose offer Jerusalem rejected. The ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(42) **If thou hadst known, even thou.**—The emphatic repetition of the pronoun, as in Isaiah 48:15; Isaiah 51:12; Ezekiel 5:8; Ezekiel 6:3; Ps. ixxvi. 7, speaks of the strongest possible emotion. The broken form of the sentence, “If thou hadst known . . .,” with no corresponding clause as to what would then have followed; the “at least in this thy day,” the day that was still its own, in which it...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 41-48**
Who can behold the holy Jesus, looking forward to the miseries that awaited his murderers, weeping over the city where his precious blood was about to be shed, without seeing that the likeness of God in the believer, consists much in good-will and compassion? Surely those cannot be right who take up any doctrines of truth, so as to be hardened towards their fellow-sinners. But...
Read full commentary →For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side</strong> (χάρακά σοι...περικυκλώσουσίν σε καὶ συνέξουσίν σε πάντοθεν, charaka soi...perikyklōsousin se kai synexousin se pantothen). Jesus prophesies Jerusalem's destruction with harrowing specificity. <em>Cast a trench</em> (χάρακα, charaka) refers t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(43) **The days shall come upon thee.** We again come upon a cluster of words peculiar, as far as the New Testament is concerned, to St. Luke, and belonging to the higher forms of historical composition.
**Shall cast a trench about thee.**—The Greek substantive means primarily a stake, then the “stockade” or “palisade” by which the camp of a besieging army was defended, then the earth-work upon wh...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19. Why, &c.--**Did our Lord mean then to teach that God only ought to be called "good?" Impossible, for that had been to contradict all Scripture teaching, and His own, too (Psa 112:5; Mt 25:21; Tit 1:8). Unless therefore we are to ascribe captiousness to our Lord, He could have had but one object--to raise the youth's ideas of Himself, as not to be classed merely with other "good masters,"...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 41-48**
Who can behold the holy Jesus, looking forward to the miseries that awaited his murderers, weeping over the city where his precious blood was about to be shed, without seeing that the likeness of God in the believer, consists much in good-will and compassion? Surely those cannot be right who take up any doctrines of truth, so as to be hardened towards their fellow-sinners. But...
Read full commentary →And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jerusalem's tragic ignorance: 'And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.' Jesus prophesies total destruction: Jerusalem will be 'laid... even with the ground' (ἐδαφιοῦσίν σε, edaphiousin se, leveled). The phrase 'not leave... one stone upon another' (οὐκ ἀφήσου...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(44) **And shall lay thee even with the ground.**—See Note on Matthew 24:2. What is there said of the Temple, is here repeated of the city as a whole, and describes a general demolition of everything that could be demolished. So Josephus (*Wars,* viii. 1, § 1) describes the work as being done so effectively that, with the exception of one or two towers and part of the walls, the fortifications wer...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**20. Thou knowest, &c.--**Matthew (Mt 19:17) is more complete here: "but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which--as if he had said, Point me out one of them which I have not kept?--"Jesus said, Thou shalt," &c. (Mt 19:17, 18). Our Lord purposely confines Himself to the second table, which He would consider easy to keep, enumerating them all--for in M...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 41-48**
Who can behold the holy Jesus, looking forward to the miseries that awaited his murderers, weeping over the city where his precious blood was about to be shed, without seeing that the likeness of God in the believer, consists much in good-will and compassion? Surely those cannot be right who take up any doctrines of truth, so as to be hardened towards their fellow-sinners. But...
Read full commentary →Jesus Cleanses the Temple
And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein , and them that bought;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought</strong> (Καὶ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν ἤρξατο ἐκβάλλειν τοὺς πωλοῦντας, Kai eiselthōn eis to hieron ērxato ekballein tous pōlountas)—This occurs immediately after the triumphal entry; Jesus enters Jerusalem as King and claims His Father's house. <em>Ekballō</em> (to cast out, drive out) is forceful...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(45-48) **And he went into the temple.**—See Notes on Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-19. St. Luke apparently agrees with St. Matthew in thinking of the expulsion of the money-changers as taking place on the same day as the Entry. His narrative is here the least descriptive of the three.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21. All these, &c.--**"what lack I yet?" adds Matthew (Mt 19:20). Ah! **this gives us a glimpse of his heart. Doubtless he was perfectly sincere; but something within whispered to him that his keeping of the commandments was too easy a way of getting to heaven. He felt something beyond this to be necessary; after keeping all the commandments he was at a loss to know what that could be; and h...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 41-48**
Who can behold the holy Jesus, looking forward to the miseries that awaited his murderers, weeping over the city where his precious blood was about to be shed, without seeing that the likeness of God in the believer, consists much in good-will and compassion? Surely those cannot be right who take up any doctrines of truth, so as to be hardened towards their fellow-sinners. But...
Read full commentary →Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer</strong> (λέγων αὐτοῖς, Γέγραπται, Ὁ οἶκός μου οἶκος προσευχῆς, legōn autois, Gegraptai, Ho oikos mou oikos proseuchēs)—Jesus cites Isaiah 56:7, but significantly, Luke omits 'for all nations,' focusing on prayer's priority. <em>Gegraptai</em> (it stands written) appeals to Scripture's permanent authority. <strong>My house</s...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22. lackest ... one thing--**Ah! but that a fundamental, fatal lack.
**sell, &c.--**As riches were his idol, our Lord, who knew if from the first, lays His great authoritative grasp at once upon it, saying, "Now give Me up that, and all is right." No general direction about the disposal of riches, then, is here given, save that we are to sit loose to them and lay them at the feet of Him wh...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 41-48**
Who can behold the holy Jesus, looking forward to the miseries that awaited his murderers, weeping over the city where his precious blood was about to be shed, without seeing that the likeness of God in the believer, consists much in good-will and compassion? Surely those cannot be right who take up any doctrines of truth, so as to be hardened towards their fellow-sinners. But...
Read full commentary →And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he taught daily in the temple</strong> (Καὶ ἦν διδάσκων τὸ καθ' ἡμέραν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, Kai ēn didaskōn to kath' hēmeran en tō hierō)—After cleansing the temple, Jesus occupies it. The imperfect periphrastic construction <em>ēn didaskōn</em> (he was teaching) emphasizes continuous, repeated action. <em>Kath' hēmeran</em> (daily, each day) shows Jesus's public ministry during Passion Week—He...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(47) **And he taught daily in the temple.**—Literally, *He was teaching.*
**The chief of the people**.—Literally, *the first of the people.* The word is the same as in Mark 6:21, for “the chief estates” of Galilee. Here, apparently, it denotes those who, whether members of the Sanhedrin or not, were men of mark—notables, as it were—among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. As to the purpose ascribed to ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23-25. was very sorrowful--**Matthew (Mt 19:22) more fully, "went away sorrowful"; Mark still more, "was sad" or "sullen" at that saying, and "went away grieved." Sorry he was, very sorry, to part with Christ; but to part with his riches would have cost him a pang more. When Riches or Heaven, on Christ's terms, were the alternative, the result showed to which side the balance inclined. Thus was ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 41-48**
Who can behold the holy Jesus, looking forward to the miseries that awaited his murderers, weeping over the city where his precious blood was about to be shed, without seeing that the likeness of God in the believer, consists much in good-will and compassion? Surely those cannot be right who take up any doctrines of truth, so as to be hardened towards their fellow-sinners. But...
Read full commentary →And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him. were: or, hanged on him
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And could not find what they might do</strong> (καὶ οὐχ εὕρισκον τὸ τί ποιήσωσιν, kai ouch heuriskon to ti poiēsōsin)—Despite murderous intent, the leaders are stymied. <em>Heuriskō</em> (to find) in the imperfect tense shows repeated failure. They couldn't find a strategy (<em>ti poiēsōsin</em>, what they might do) because public support protected Jesus. The deliberative subjunctive <em>p...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(48) **All the people were very attentive to hear him.**—Literally, *hung upon him as they heard.* The Greek phrase is another of the words characteristic of St. Luke. Its force may be gathered by its use in the Greek version of Genesis 44:30, where it stands for “his life is bound up in” (or, *hangs upon*) “the lad’s life.”
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23-25. was very sorrowful--**Matthew (Mt 19:22) more fully, "went away sorrowful"; Mark still more, "was sad" or "sullen" at that saying, and "went away grieved." Sorry he was, very sorry, to part with Christ; but to part with his riches would have cost him a pang more. When Riches or Heaven, on Christ's terms, were the alternative, the result showed to which side the balance inclined. Thus was ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 41-48**
Who can behold the holy Jesus, looking forward to the miseries that awaited his murderers, weeping over the city where his precious blood was about to be shed, without seeing that the likeness of God in the believer, consists much in good-will and compassion? Surely those cannot be right who take up any doctrines of truth, so as to be hardened towards their fellow-sinners. But...
Read full commentary →