King James Version
Luke 21
38 verses with commentary
The Widow's Offering
And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.</strong> Jesus was positioned where He could observe the temple treasury, the Court of Women, where thirteen trumpet-shaped receptacles collected offerings. The verb <em>anablepsas</em> (ἀναβλέψας, 'looked up') suggests deliberate attention—Jesus observed not casually but purposefully. The phrase <em>tous plousio...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
**XXI.**
(1-4) **And saw the rich men casting their gifts.**—See Notes on Mark 12:41-44. This may, perhaps, be thought of as one of the incidents which St. Luke derived from verbal communication with his brother-evangelist. (See *Introduction.*)
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 21
Chapter Outline
Christ commends a poor widow.(1-4)
His prophecy.(5-28)
Christ exhorts to watchfulness.(29-38)
**Verses 1-4**
From the offering of this poor widow, learn that what we rightly give for the relief of the poor, and the support of God's worship, is given unto God; and our Saviour sees with pleasure whatever we have in our hearts to give for the relief of...
Read full commentary →And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.</strong> The focus shifts dramatically: from wealthy donors to <em>chēran tina penichran</em> (χήραν τινὰ πενιχρὰν, 'a certain poor widow'). The word <em>penichran</em> (πενιχρὰν) denotes extreme poverty—not merely lacking wealth but barely surviving. Widows in ancient society had no social safety net; without husband or fa...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **A certain poor widow.**—St. Luke’s word for “poor” differs from St. Mark’s, and seems to have been carefully chosen to express the fact that the widow, though “needy,” and compelled to work for her scanty maintenance, was yet not a “beggar,” as the more common word for “poor” suggested. It is not found elsewhere in the New Testament.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29-38. Bethphage--**"house of figs," a village which with Bethany lay along the further side of Mount Olivet, east of Jerusalem.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 21
Chapter Outline
Christ commends a poor widow.(1-4)
His prophecy.(5-28)
Christ exhorts to watchfulness.(29-38)
**Verses 1-4**
From the offering of this poor widow, learn that what we rightly give for the relief of the poor, and the support of God's worship, is given unto God; and our Saviour sees with pleasure whatever we have in our hearts to give for the relief of...
Read full commentary →And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all.</strong> Jesus makes His evaluation explicit with the solemn formula <em>alēthōs legō hymin</em> (ἀληθῶς λέγω ὑμῖν, 'truly I say to you')—this is authoritative revelation, not opinion. His assessment contradicts all visible evidence. The widow gave less than anyone economically, yet Jesus declares...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Of a truth.**—St. Luke’s use (according to the better MSS.) of the Greek for “truly,” instead of St. Mark’s “Amen” (so in the Greek), may, perhaps, be noted as characteristic.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29-38. Bethphage--**"house of figs," a village which with Bethany lay along the further side of Mount Olivet, east of Jerusalem.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 21
Chapter Outline
Christ commends a poor widow.(1-4)
His prophecy.(5-28)
Christ exhorts to watchfulness.(29-38)
**Verses 1-4**
From the offering of this poor widow, learn that what we rightly give for the relief of the poor, and the support of God's worship, is given unto God; and our Saviour sees with pleasure whatever we have in our hearts to give for the relief of...
Read full commentary →For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.</strong> Jesus provides the theological explanation for His startling evaluation. The wealthy gave <em>ek tou perisseuontos autois</em> (ἐκ τοῦ περισσεύοντος αὐτοῖς, 'from their surplus/abundance')—from what exceeded their needs. Their giving cost them no...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **For all these have . . . cast.**—Better, *all these cast* . . ., and so in the next clause.
**Unto the offerings of God.**—The better MSS. omit the last two words. “Offerings,” literally, *gifts.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29-38. Bethphage--**"house of figs," a village which with Bethany lay along the further side of Mount Olivet, east of Jerusalem.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 21
Chapter Outline
Christ commends a poor widow.(1-4)
His prophecy.(5-28)
Christ exhorts to watchfulness.(29-38)
**Verses 1-4**
From the offering of this poor widow, learn that what we rightly give for the relief of the poor, and the support of God's worship, is given unto God; and our Saviour sees with pleasure whatever we have in our hearts to give for the relief of...
Read full commentary →Jesus Foretells the Destruction of the Temple
And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,</strong> The scene shifts from the widow's offering to architectural commentary. Disciples or bystanders marveled at the temple's magnificence—<em>lithois kalois kai anathēmasin</em> (λίθοις καλοῖς καὶ ἀναθήμασιν, 'beautiful stones and votive offerings'). Herod's temple was one of the ancient world's...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5, 6) **And as some spake of the temple.**—See Notes on Matthew 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2, where the “some” are identified with the disciples.
**Goodly stones.**—These were probably so called, either as being sculptured, or as being of marble, or porphyry, or other of the more precious materials used in building.
**Gifts.**—St. Luke uses the more strictly classical word for “offerings,” according to so...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29-38. Bethphage--**"house of figs," a village which with Bethany lay along the further side of Mount Olivet, east of Jerusalem.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.</strong> Jesus delivers one of Scripture's most shocking prophecies: <em>ouk aphethēsetai lithos epi lithō hos ou katalythēsetai</em> (οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται λίθος ἐπὶ λίθῳ ὃς οὐ καταλυθήσεται, 'not will be left stone upon stone which will not be thro...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29-38. Bethphage--**"house of figs," a village which with Bethany lay along the further side of Mount Olivet, east of Jerusalem.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?</strong> The disciples ask two questions: <em>pote tauta estai</em> (πότε ταῦτα ἔσται, 'when will these things be?') and <em>ti to sēmeion hotan mellē tauta ginesthai</em> (τί τὸ σημεῖον ὅταν μέλλῃ ταῦτα γίνεσθαι, 'what the sign when these things are about t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7-19) **Master, but when shall these things be?**—See Notes on Matthew 24:3-14; Mark 13:3-13. St. Luke omits the Mount of Olives as being the scene of the question and the prophecy, and the names of the questioners, the latter being given by St. Mark only. The variations in the report throughout imply an independent source—probably oral—of information, as distinct from transcription either from o...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29-38. Bethphage--**"house of figs," a village which with Bethany lay along the further side of Mount Olivet, east of Jerusalem.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. and the time: or, and, The time
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.</strong> Jesus begins His eschatological discourse with a warning: <em>blepete mē planaōthēte</em> (βλέπετε μὴ πλανηθῆτε, 'watch that you not be deceived'). The verb <em>planaō</em> (πλανάω) means 'lead astray,' 'deceive,' 'cause to...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) Saying, I am Christ.—Literally, *I am.* The italics show that the word “Christ” is an interpolation. The sentence is better left in the vagueness of the original, or with only a pronoun as the predicate, *I am He.* The use of the words in John 1:21; John 8:58, may be referred to as showing that they had become significant even without a predicate.
**The time draweth near.**—Better, *the season...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29-38. Bethphage--**"house of figs," a village which with Bethany lay along the further side of Mount Olivet, east of Jerusalem.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.</strong> Jesus continues addressing eschatological anxiety: <em>hotan de akousēte polemous kai akatastasias, mē ptoēthēte</em> (ὅταν δὲ ἀκούσητε πολέμους καὶ ἀκαταστασίας, μὴ πτοηθῆτε, 'when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified'). The word <e...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Commotions.**—The word does not occur in the other Gospels, but is used by St. Paul in 1Corinthians 14:33 (“confusion”), 2Corinthians 6:5; 2Corinthians 12:20 (“tumults”). Its exact meaning is *unsettlement, disorder.*
**Be not terrified.**—The word is used by St. Luke only, here and in Luke 24:37, in the New Testament.
**By and by.**—Better, as elsewhere, *immediately.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29-38. Bethphage--**"house of figs," a village which with Bethany lay along the further side of Mount Olivet, east of Jerusalem.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →Signs Before the End
Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:</strong> Jesus specifies the conflicts mentioned previously: <em>egerthēsetai ethnos eph' ethnos kai basileia epi basileian</em> (ἐγερθήσεται ἔθνος ἐφ' ἔθνος καὶ βασιλεία ἐπὶ βασιλείαν, 'nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom'). This Hebrew idiom (found in Isaiah 19:2) indicates wide...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29-38. Bethphage--**"house of figs," a village which with Bethany lay along the further side of Mount Olivet, east of Jerusalem.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.</strong> Jesus catalogs catastrophes: <em>seismoi te megaloi kata topous kai limoi kai loimoi esontai</em> (σεισμοί τε μεγάλοι κατὰ τόπους καὶ λιμοὶ καὶ λοιμοὶ ἔσονται, 'great earthquakes in various places and famines and plagues will be'). The phras...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Famines and pestilences.**—The mention of the latter is, as far as the best MSS. are concerned, a feature peculiar to St. Luke. Others, however, give the same combination in Matthew 24:7. The Greek nouns are all but identical in sound (*limos =* famine, and *loimos* = pestilence), and there is accordingly a kind of rhythmical emphasis of sound which cannot be reproduced in English.
**Fearfu...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29-38. Bethphage--**"house of figs," a village which with Bethany lay along the further side of Mount Olivet, east of Jerusalem.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.</strong> Jesus shifts focus from cosmic signs to personal persecution: <em>pro de toutōn pantōn epibalousin eph' hymas tas cheiras autōn kai diōxousin</em> (πρὸ δὲ τούτων πάντων ἐπιβαλοῦσιν ἐφ' ὑμᾶς τὰς ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Before all these.**—The special indication that the sufferings from persecution should precede those from wars, famines, and the like, is peculiar to St. Luke, and was, it need hardly be said, abundantly fulfilled.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it shall turn to you for a testimony.</strong> Jesus reframes persecution positively: <em>apobēsetai hymin eis martyrion</em> (ἀποβήσεται ὑμῖν εἰς μαρτύριον, 'it will turn out for you as a testimony'). The verb <em>apobainō</em> (ἀποβαίνω) means 'result in,' 'lead to,' 'turn out.' What appears negative—arrest, trial, imprisonment—God transforms into <em>martyrion</em> (μαρτύριον, 'test...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **It shall turn to you for a testimony.**—There are but two writers in the New Testament who use the verb (literally, *to come out*) in this figurative sense. St. Luke is one, and the other is St. Paul, in a passage so closely parallel to this as to read almost like an echo of it (Philippians 1:19). The “testimony” is defined by Mark 13:9, as being borne to the kings and rulers before whom th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**40. the stones, &c.--**Hitherto the Lord had discouraged all demonstrations in His favor; latterly He had begun an opposite course; on this one occasion He seems to yield His whole soul to the wide and deep acclaim with a mysterious satisfaction, regarding it as so necessary a part of the regal dignity in which as Messiah He for this last time entered the city, that if not offered by the vas...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:</strong> Jesus gives practical instruction: <em>thete oun en tais kardiais hymōn mē promeletān apologēthēnai</em> (θέτε οὖν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν μὴ προμελετᾶν ἀπολογηθῆναι, 'settle therefore in your hearts not to prepare beforehand to make a defense'). The verb <em>thete</em> (θέτε, 'settle/determine/resolve'...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **Not to meditate before . . .**—The word differs from that used in the parallel passage of Mark 13:11, “take no thought” (the addition of “premeditate” there is very doubtful), as involving less anxiety. It is not found elsewhere in the New Testament, but the uncompounded verb meets us, as used by St. Paul, in 1Timothy 4:15.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**41-44. when beheld ... wept--**Compare La 3:51, "Mine eye affecteth mine heart"; the heart again affecting the eye. Under this sympathetic law of the relation of mind and body, Jesus, in His beautiful, tender humanity, was constituted even as we. What a contrast to the immediately preceding profound joy! He yielded Himself alike freely to both. (See on Mt 23:37.)
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.</strong> Jesus explains why preparation is unnecessary: <em>egō gar dōsō hymin stoma kai sophian</em> (ἐγὼ γὰρ δώσω ὑμῖν στόμα καὶ σοφίαν, 'for I will give you mouth and wisdom'). The pronoun <em>egō</em> (ἐγώ, 'I') is emphatic—Jesus Himself, not human resources, supplies what's need...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **I will give you a mouth and wisdom.**—The promise, even in its form, reminds us of that given to Moses when he drew back from the task of uttering God’s message to His people (Exodus 4:15-16). The inward faculty of thought, the outward power of uttering thought in words, should both be given. The words are not without their importance as bearing on the supposed distinction between verbal in...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**41-44. when beheld ... wept--**Compare La 3:51, "Mine eye affecteth mine heart"; the heart again affecting the eye. Under this sympathetic law of the relation of mind and body, Jesus, in His beautiful, tender humanity, was constituted even as we. What a contrast to the immediately preceding profound joy! He yielded Himself alike freely to both. (See on Mt 23:37.)
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.</strong> Jesus reveals persecution's most painful dimension: <em>paradothēsesthe de kai hypo goneōn kai adelphōn kai syngenōn kai philōn</em> (παραδοθήσεσθε δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ γονέων καὶ ἀδελφῶν καὶ συγγενῶν καὶ φίλων, 'you will be betrayed even by parents and br...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**41-44. when beheld ... wept--**Compare La 3:51, "Mine eye affecteth mine heart"; the heart again affecting the eye. Under this sympathetic law of the relation of mind and body, Jesus, in His beautiful, tender humanity, was constituted even as we. What a contrast to the immediately preceding profound joy! He yielded Himself alike freely to both. (See on Mt 23:37.)
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.</strong> Jesus warns His disciples of universal hostility—the phrase <em>miseoumenoi hypo pantōn</em> (μισούμενοι ὑπὸ πάντων, "hated by all") indicates comprehensive opposition, not isolated incidents. The present passive participle suggests ongoing, sustained hatred directed at believers. The qualifier <em>dia to onoma mou</em> (διὰ τὸ ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**41-44. when beheld ... wept--**Compare La 3:51, "Mine eye affecteth mine heart"; the heart again affecting the eye. Under this sympathetic law of the relation of mind and body, Jesus, in His beautiful, tender humanity, was constituted even as we. What a contrast to the immediately preceding profound joy! He yielded Himself alike freely to both. (See on Mt 23:37.)
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But there shall not an hair of your head perish.</strong> Immediately after warning of universal hatred and martyrdom (vv. 16-17), Jesus promises total preservation—the hyperbolic phrase <em>thrix ek tēs kephalēs hymōn ou mē apolētai</em> (θρὶξ ἐκ τῆς κεφαλῆς ὑμῶν οὐ μὴ ἀπόληται, "a hair from your head shall certainly not perish") uses emphatic double negative for absolute certainty. This ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **There shall not an hair of your head perish.**—The promise does not meet us in this form in the parallel passages of the two other Gospels. A like promise meets us in Matthew 10:30, Luke 12:7. The very same phrase occurs, however, almost as if it were a quotation from this Gospel, in St. Paul’s address to the sailors, in Acts 27:34.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 19:45-48. Second Cleansing of the Temple and Subsequent Teaching.
45-46. As the first cleansing was on His first visit to Jerusalem (Joh 2:13-22), so this second cleansing was on His last.
**den of thieves--**banded together for plunder, reckless of principle. The mild term "house of merchandise," used on the former occasion, was now unsuitable.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →In your patience possess ye your souls.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus promises: 'In your patience possess ye your souls.' The Greek 'hypomonē' (ὑπομονή, patience/endurance) means steadfast endurance under pressure. 'Possess ye your souls' (Greek 'ktēsasthe tas psychas hymōn,' κτήσασθε τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν) means gain/preserve your lives. The promise is counterintuitive—you preserve life through enduring, not escaping. This follows Jesus' warnings about persecution (...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **In your patience possess ye your souls.**—Better, *By your endurance gain ye your lives.* The verb, unless used in the perfect tense, always involves the idea of “acquiring” rather than “possessing,” and the command so understood answers *to* the promise, “He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved,” in Matthew 23:13, Mark 13:13. Some of the best MSS., indeed, give this also as a ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 19:45-48. Second Cleansing of the Temple and Subsequent Teaching.
45-46. As the first cleansing was on His first visit to Jerusalem (Joh 2:13-22), so this second cleansing was on His last.
**den of thieves--**banded together for plunder, reckless of principle. The mild term "house of merchandise," used on the former occasion, was now unsuitable.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →Jesus Foretells the Destruction of Jerusalem
And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.</strong> Jesus provides a specific, observable sign for Jerusalem's imminent destruction—<em>kykloumenēn hypo stratopedōn Ierousalēm</em> (κυκλουμένην ὑπὸ στρατοπέδων Ἰερουσαλήμ, "Jerusalem being surrounded by armies"). The present passive participle indicates the action in progress—when y...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20-24) **When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies.**—See Notes on Matthew 23:15-21; Mark 13:14-19. This is St. Luke’s equivalent, possibly chosen as more intelligible for his Gentile readers, for “the abomination of desolation,” which we find in St. Matthew and St. Mark. As far as it goes, it favours the view that he and others saw the “abomination” in the presence of the invading armies...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**47. sought--**continued seeking, that is, daily, as He taught.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto .
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.</strong> Jesus issues urgent evacuation commands using three imperatives: <em>pheugetōsan</em> (φευγέτωσαν, "let them flee"), <em>ekchōreitōsan</em> (ἐκχωρείτωσαν, "let them depart"), and <em>eisporeuesthōsan</em> (εἰσπορ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **Let not them that are in the countries . . .**—The noun is sometimes rendered “coasts,” sometimes “region,” sometimes “fields.” The latter meaning would seem to be that here intended. Comp. John 4:35, James 5:4, where the word is so rendered.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**48. were very attentive to hear him--**hung upon His words.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.</strong> Jesus identifies Jerusalem's destruction as <em>hēmerai ekdikēseōs</em> (ἡμέραι ἐκδικήσεως, "days of vengeance")—divine retribution, not random tragedy. The noun <em>ekdikēsis</em> (ἐκδίκησις) means judicial punishment, God's righteous judgment executed against covenant-breaking Israel. This is...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **These be the days of vengeance.**—The words answer to the “great tribulation” of St. Matthew and St. Mark, and seem, as indeed does St. Luke’s report of the discourse throughout, to be of the nature of a paraphrase. The word “vengeance” may have been chosen, on this view, in allusive reference to the teaching of Luke 18:7-8. It may be noted as one which, though not exclusively used by them,...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →But woe unto them that are with child , and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.</strong> Jesus expresses compassionate lament—<em>ouai</em> (οὐαί, "woe") is a cry of grief and warning. Pregnant women (<em>en gastri echousais</em>, ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσαις, "having in womb") and nursing mothers (<em>tais thēlazousais</em...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **Great distress in the land.**—Literally, *great need,* or *necessity.* The word, which St. Luke uses as an equivalent for “tribulation,” is not found in the other Gospels in this sense. It is, however, so used by St. Paul (1Corinthians 7:26; 2Corinthians 6:4; 2Corinthians 12:10; 1Thessalonians 3:7).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.</strong> Jesus prophesies three specific judgments. First, <em>pesountai stomati machairēs</em> (πεσοῦνται στόματι μαχαίρης, "they shall fall by mouth of sword")—massive casualties from military viol...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **And they shall fall by the edge of the sword.**—There is nothing in the parallel prophecies of the other two Gospels that answers to this special description, and it is possible, as suggested above, that St. Luke’s report here has somewhat of the character of a free paraphrase, such as was natural in an oral communication of what was variously remembered.
**Until the times of the Gentiles b...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 20 Lu 20:1-19. The Authority of Jesus Questioned, and His Reply--Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen.
(See on Mt 21:23.)
**2. these things--**particularly the clearing of the temple.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →The Coming of the Son of Man
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring.</strong> Jesus shifts from Jerusalem's AD 70 destruction to cosmic signs accompanying His return. The phrase <em>sēmeia en hēliō kai selēnē kai astrois</em> (σημεῖα ἐν ἡλίῳ καὶ σελήνῃ καὶ ἄστροις, "signs in sun and moon and stars") ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25-33) **And there shall be signs in the sun.**—See Notes on Matthew 24:29-35, Mark 13:24-31, where the “signs” are defined as the “sun being darkened, and the moon not giving her light.”
**Distress of nations.**—The Greek for the first noun means literally, *constraint,* the sense of being hemmed in, as when we say “in great straits.” It is used by St. Paul in 2Corinthians 2:4, and not elsewhere...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.</strong> Jesus describes universal terror—<em>apopsychontōn anthrōpōn apo phobou</em> (ἀποψυχόντων ἀνθρώπων ἀπὸ φόβου, "men fainting from fear"). The verb <em>apopsychō</em> (ἀποψύχω) means to faint, swoon, expire—literally "breathe out the soul." ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **Men’s hearts failing them for fear.**—The verb so rendered is used by St. Luke only in the New Testament. Its literal meaning is *to breathe out the soul,* and it was, therefore, a word which would naturally enter into the vocabulary of a physician, both in its primary and figurative sense. The mental state which it expresses exactly agrees with that described in Acts 27:20, in connection w...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. baptism of John--**his whole ministry and mission, of which baptism was the seal.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.</strong> After cosmic signs and global terror, Jesus prophesies His visible return—<em>tote opsontai ton huion tou anthrōpou</em> (τότε ὄψονται τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, "then they shall see the Son of Man"). The future middle verb <em>opsontai</em> (ὄψονται, "they shall see") indicates direct visual percepti...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. Why then believed ye him not?--**that is, in his testimony to Jesus, the sum of his whole witness.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.</strong> While unbelievers' hearts fail (v. 26), believers receive opposite commands—<em>anakyptate kai eparate tas kephalas hymōn</em> (ἀνακύψατε καὶ ἐπάρατε τὰς κεφαλὰς ὑμῶν, "straighten up and lift up your heads"). Both verbs are aorist imperatives—decisive commands. <em>...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **Look up.**—The Greek word, literally, *bend up,* or *turn up,* meets us here and in Luke 13:11, and nowhere else in the New Testament, except in the doubtful passage of John 8:7; John 8:10.
**Redemption.**—The word, familiar as it is to us, is, in the special form here used, another of those characteristic of St. Paul’s phraseology (Romans 3:24; Romans 8:23; 1Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 1:7...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-28**
With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells the...
Read full commentary →The Parable of the Fig Tree
And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees.</strong> Jesus shifts pedagogical methods—after prophetic discourse, He employs parable (<em>parabolēn</em>, παραβολήν)—an earthly story illustrating spiritual truth. The imperative <em>idete</em> (ἴδετε, "behold") commands attention to observable natural phenomena. The phrase <em>tēn sykēn kai panta ta dendra</em> (τὴ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **And all the trees.**—The addition is peculiar to St. Luke. It confirms the impression that the words, which were spoken just before the Passover, when the flush of spring-tide life was seen in every grove and forest, were suggested by what met the eye of the disciples on the Mount of Olives. (See Note on Matthew 24:32.) One such tree, we know, had been found in full foliage (Matthew 21:19).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. could not tell--**crooked, cringing hypocrites! No wonder Jesus gave you no answer (Mt 7:6). But what dignity and composure does our Lord display as He turns their question upon themselves!
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 29-38**
Christ tells his disciples to observe the signs of the times, which they might judge by. He charges them to look upon the ruin of the Jewish nation as near. Yet this race and family of Abraham shall not be rooted out; it shall survive as a nation, and be found as prophesied, when the Son of man shall be revealed. He cautions them against being secure and sensual. This command ...
Read full commentary →When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.</strong> Jesus elaborates the parable with agricultural detail—<em>hotan probalosin ēdē</em> (ὅταν προβάλωσιν ἤδη, "when they already put forth shoots/buds"). The verb <em>proballō</em> (προβάλλω) means to sprout, bud, push forward—the first visible sign of life after winter dormancy. The adverb ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 29-38**
Christ tells his disciples to observe the signs of the times, which they might judge by. He charges them to look upon the ruin of the Jewish nation as near. Yet this race and family of Abraham shall not be rooted out; it shall survive as a nation, and be found as prophesied, when the Son of man shall be revealed. He cautions them against being secure and sensual. This command ...
Read full commentary →So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.</strong> Jesus applies the parable explicitly—<em>houtōs kai hymeis</em> (οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς, "so also you"), drawing direct parallel between natural observation and prophetic discernment. The temporal clause <em>hotan idēte tauta ginomena</em> (ὅταν ἴδητε ταῦτα γινόμενα, "when you see thes...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(31) **Know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.**—St. Luke’s paraphrase fills up and explains what stands in St. Matthew and St. Mark more simply, “It is near, even at the doors.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-13. vineyard--**(See on Lu 13:6). In Mt 21:33 additional points are given, taken literally from Is 5:2, to fix down the application and sustain it by Old Testament authority.
**husbandmen--**the ordinary spiritual guides of the people, under whose care and culture the fruits of righteousness might be yielded.
**went, &c.--**leaving it to the laws of the spiritual husbandry during the w...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 29-38**
Christ tells his disciples to observe the signs of the times, which they might judge by. He charges them to look upon the ruin of the Jewish nation as near. Yet this race and family of Abraham shall not be rooted out; it shall survive as a nation, and be found as prophesied, when the Son of man shall be revealed. He cautions them against being secure and sensual. This command ...
Read full commentary →Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.</strong> Jesus introduces solemn certainty—<em>amēn legō hymin</em> (ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, "truly I say to you") is His signature formula guaranteeing truthfulness. The phrase <em>hē genea autē ou mē parelthē</em> (ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ, "this generation shall certainly not pass away") uses emphatic double ne...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(32, 33) **Verily I say unto you . . .**—Here the variation ceases for a time, and the two verses are identical with Matthew 24:34-35, and Mark 13:30-31.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-13. vineyard--**(See on Lu 13:6). In Mt 21:33 additional points are given, taken literally from Is 5:2, to fix down the application and sustain it by Old Testament authority.
**husbandmen--**the ordinary spiritual guides of the people, under whose care and culture the fruits of righteousness might be yielded.
**went, &c.--**leaving it to the laws of the spiritual husbandry during the w...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 29-38**
Christ tells his disciples to observe the signs of the times, which they might judge by. He charges them to look upon the ruin of the Jewish nation as near. Yet this race and family of Abraham shall not be rooted out; it shall survive as a nation, and be found as prophesied, when the Son of man shall be revealed. He cautions them against being secure and sensual. This command ...
Read full commentary →Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus declares: 'Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.' This contrasts the temporal (heaven and earth) with the eternal (Jesus' words). The universe itself will be destroyed (2 Peter 3:10), but Jesus' words endure forever. The phrase 'shall not pass away' (Greek 'ou mē parelthōsin,' οὐ μὴ παρέλθωσιν) is emphatic double negative—absolutely will not pass away. This clai...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-13. vineyard--**(See on Lu 13:6). In Mt 21:33 additional points are given, taken literally from Is 5:2, to fix down the application and sustain it by Old Testament authority.
**husbandmen--**the ordinary spiritual guides of the people, under whose care and culture the fruits of righteousness might be yielded.
**went, &c.--**leaving it to the laws of the spiritual husbandry during the w...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 29-38**
Christ tells his disciples to observe the signs of the times, which they might judge by. He charges them to look upon the ruin of the Jewish nation as near. Yet this race and family of Abraham shall not be rooted out; it shall survive as a nation, and be found as prophesied, when the Son of man shall be revealed. He cautions them against being secure and sensual. This command ...
Read full commentary →Watch Yourselves
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged</strong> (Προσέχετε δὲ ἑαυτοῖς μήποτε βαρηθῶσιν ὑμῶν αἱ καρδίαι, Prosechete de heautois mēpote barēthōsin hymōn hai kardiai)—<em>Prosechō heautois</em> (take heed to yourselves) commands self-vigilance. <em>Mēpote</em> (lest at any time) warns against even momentary lapse. <em>Bareō</em> (to weigh down, burden, overcharge...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(34) **Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time . . .**—We again pass into what has nothing corresponding to it in the other reports of the discourse, and may therefore be assumed to be of the nature of a paraphrase. We note in it, as such, that, as far as the New Testament is concerned, St. Luke only uses the words for “overcharged” and “surfeiting” (the latter word belonged, more or less, to th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-13. vineyard--**(See on Lu 13:6). In Mt 21:33 additional points are given, taken literally from Is 5:2, to fix down the application and sustain it by Old Testament authority.
**husbandmen--**the ordinary spiritual guides of the people, under whose care and culture the fruits of righteousness might be yielded.
**went, &c.--**leaving it to the laws of the spiritual husbandry during the w...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 29-38**
Christ tells his disciples to observe the signs of the times, which they might judge by. He charges them to look upon the ruin of the Jewish nation as near. Yet this race and family of Abraham shall not be rooted out; it shall survive as a nation, and be found as prophesied, when the Son of man shall be revealed. He cautions them against being secure and sensual. This command ...
Read full commentary →For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth</strong> (ὡς παγὶς γὰρ ἐπεισελεύσεται ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς καθημένους ἐπὶ πρόσωπον πάσης τῆς γῆς, hōs pagis gar epeiseleusetai epi pantas tous kathēmenous epi prosōpon pasēs tēs gēs)—<em>Pagis</em> (snare, trap) describes sudden, inescapable capture. The verb <em>epeiserchomai</em> (to come upon, rush in) in futu...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(35) **As a snare . . .**—The word is not found in the other Gospels, but is used several times by St. Paul (Romans 11:9; 1Timothy 3:7; 1Timothy 6:9; 2Timothy 2:26).
**Them that dwell . . .**—Elsewhere in the New Testament, the verb is used in its literal meaning of “sitting.” In the sense of “dwelling” or “residing,” we find it, probably, again in Acts 2:2.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-13. vineyard--**(See on Lu 13:6). In Mt 21:33 additional points are given, taken literally from Is 5:2, to fix down the application and sustain it by Old Testament authority.
**husbandmen--**the ordinary spiritual guides of the people, under whose care and culture the fruits of righteousness might be yielded.
**went, &c.--**leaving it to the laws of the spiritual husbandry during the w...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 29-38**
Christ tells his disciples to observe the signs of the times, which they might judge by. He charges them to look upon the ruin of the Jewish nation as near. Yet this race and family of Abraham shall not be rooted out; it shall survive as a nation, and be found as prophesied, when the Son of man shall be revealed. He cautions them against being secure and sensual. This command ...
Read full commentary →Watch ye therefore, and pray always , that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Watch ye therefore, and pray always</strong> (ἀγρυπνεῖτε δὲ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ δεόμενοι, agrypneite de en panti kairō deomenoi)—<em>Agrypneō</em> (to watch, be vigilant, stay awake) in present imperative commands continuous alertness. <em>En panti kairō deomenoi</em> (praying in every season/opportunity) uses present participle <em>deomenoi</em> (from <em>deomai</em>, to ask, petition, beseech...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(36) **Pray always.**—The word is not the same commonly used for “pray,” but occurs once only in the other Gospels (Matthew 9:38). St. Luke uses it fifteen times in the Gospel and Acts together, and St. Paul six times (2Corinthians 5:20; 2Corinthians 8:4; 2Corinthians 10:2, *et seq.*)*.* It is not used by any other New Testament writer.
**That ye may be accounted worthy . . .**—See Note on Luke 20...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. reasoned among themselves--**(Compare Ge 37:18-20; Joh 11:47-53).
**the heir--**sublime expression of the great truth, that God's inheritance was destined for, and in due time to come into the possession of, His Son in our nature (He 1:2).
**inheritance ... ours--**and so from mere servants we may become lords; the deep aim of the depraved heart, and literally "the root of all evil."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 29-38**
Christ tells his disciples to observe the signs of the times, which they might judge by. He charges them to look upon the ruin of the Jewish nation as near. Yet this race and family of Abraham shall not be rooted out; it shall survive as a nation, and be found as prophesied, when the Son of man shall be revealed. He cautions them against being secure and sensual. This command ...
Read full commentary →And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And in the day time he was teaching in the temple</strong> (Ἦν δὲ τὰς ἡμέρας ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ διδάσκων, Ēn de tas hēmeras en tō hierō didaskōn)—The imperfect periphrastic construction <em>ēn didaskōn</em> (he was teaching) emphasizes continuous action throughout Passion Week. <em>Tas hēmeras</em> (the days, during the daytime) contrasts with nighttime withdrawal. Jesus maximizes teaching opportu...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(37) **In the day time . . . at night.**—Literally, *in the days . . . the nights,* the words pointing to the mode in which the week was spent from the first day to the evening of the fifth.
**Abode.**—The word is better translated *lodged* in Matthew 21:12. Strictly speaking, it meant to lodge, not in a room, but in the court-yard of a house; and so was used generally, in military language, for a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. cast him out of the vineyard--**(Compare He 13:11-13; 1Ki 21:13; Joh 19:17).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 29-38**
Christ tells his disciples to observe the signs of the times, which they might judge by. He charges them to look upon the ruin of the Jewish nation as near. Yet this race and family of Abraham shall not be rooted out; it shall survive as a nation, and be found as prophesied, when the Son of man shall be revealed. He cautions them against being secure and sensual. This command ...
Read full commentary →And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him</strong> (καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ὤρθριζεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἀκούειν αὐτοῦ, kai pas ho laos ōrthrizen pros auton en tō hierō akouein autou)—<em>Pas ho laos</em> (all the people) emphasizes widespread popular support. <em>Ōrthrizō</em> (to rise early, come at dawn) in imperfect tense shows they repeatedly came at ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(38) **All the people came early in the morning.**—The Greek verb, which answers to the five last words, does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament, but is not uncommon in the Greek version of the Old, as in Genesis 19:2; Genesis 19:27; Song Song of Solomon 7:12; and figuratively, in Job 8:5; Jeremiah 25:3; Wisdom Of Solomon 6:14. It may be that the general statement thus given includes the fou...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. He shall come, &c.--**This answer was given by the Pharisees themselves (Mt 21:41), thus pronouncing their own righteous doom. Matthew alone (Mt 21:43) gives the naked application, that "the kingdom of God should be taken from them, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof"--the great evangelical community of the faithful, chiefly Gentiles.
**God forbid--**His whole mean...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 29-38**
Christ tells his disciples to observe the signs of the times, which they might judge by. He charges them to look upon the ruin of the Jewish nation as near. Yet this race and family of Abraham shall not be rooted out; it shall survive as a nation, and be found as prophesied, when the Son of man shall be revealed. He cautions them against being secure and sensual. This command ...
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