Luke 7 - Introduction
CHAPTER 7. THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUM. THE WIDOW'S SON AT NAIN. THE BAPTIST. IN THE HOUSE OF SIMON.... [ Continue Reading ]
CHAPTER 7. THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUM. THE WIDOW'S SON AT NAIN. THE BAPTIST. IN THE HOUSE OF SIMON.... [ Continue Reading ]
εἰς τὰς ἀκοὰς, into the ears = εἰς τὰ ὦτα in Sept [73] (Genesis 20:8; Genesis 50:4; Exodus 10:2). To show that it is not a Hebraism, Kypke cites from Dion. Hal.: εἰς τὴν ἀπάντων τῶν παρόντων ἀκοὴν. εἰσῆλθεν, entered, not returned to, Capernaum. [73] Septuagint.... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Centurion of Capernaum_ (Matthew 8:5-13).... [ Continue Reading ]
ὂς ἧν αὐτῷ ἔντιμος, who was dear to him; though a slave, indicating that he was a humane master. Lk. has also in view, according to his wont, to enhance the value of the benefit conferred: the life of a valued servant saved.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀκούσας : reports of previous acts of healing had reached him. ἀπέστειλε : there is no mention of this fact or of the second deputation (in Luke 7:6) in Mt.'s version. Lk. is evidently drawing from another source, oral or written. πρεσβυτέρους τῶν Ἰουδαίων, elders of the Jews; the reference is proba... [ Continue Reading ]
σπουδαίως, earnestly; though he was a Pagan, they Jews, for reason given. ἄξιος ᾧ παρέξῃ, for ἄξιος ἵνα αὐτῷ π. παρέξῃ is the 2nd person singular, future, middle, in a relative clause expressing purpose instead of the more usual subjunctive (_vide_ Burton, § 318).... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀγαπᾷ γὰρ, etc., he loveth our race; a philo-Jewish Pagan, whose affection for the people among whom he lived took the form of building a synagogue. Quite a credible fact, which could easily be ascertained. Herod built the temple. _Vide_ Lightfoot on this.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐπορεύετο : no hint of scruples on the part of Jesus, as in the case of the Syrophenician woman. οὐ μακρὰν, not far, _i.e._, quite near. Lk. often uses the negative with adjectives and adverbs to express strongly the positive. Hahn accumulates instances chiefly from Acts. φίλους : these also would n... [ Continue Reading ]
εἰπὲ λόγῳ, speak, _i.e._, command, with a word.... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ : here follows the great word' of the centurion reported by Lk. much as in Mt. But it seems a word more suitable to be spoken _in propria persona_ than by deputy. It certainly loses much of its force by being given second hand. Lk. seems here to forget for the moment that the centurion i... [ Continue Reading ]
_The son of the widow of Nain_. In Lk. only. ἐν τῷ ἑξῆς (καιρῷ), in the following time, thereafter; vague. ἐν τῇ ἑ. would mean: on the following _day_ (ἡμέρᾳ, understood), _i.e._, the day after the healing of the centurion's servant in Capernaum. Hofmann defends this reading on the negative ground t... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ ἰδού, and lo! The καὶ introduces the apodosis, but is really superfluous; very Hebrew (Godet). ἐξεκομίζετο, was being carried out (here only in N. T.); ἐκφέρειν used in the classics (Acts 5:6). Loesner cites examples of the use of this verb in the same sense, from Philo. μονογενὴς, χήρα : these... [ Continue Reading ]
ὁ Κύριος, the Lord, first time this title has been used for Jesus in the narrative. Lk. frequently introduces it where the other synoptists have “Jesus”. The heavenly Christ, Lord of the Church, is in his mind, and perhaps he employs the title here because it is a case of raising from the dead. The... [ Continue Reading ]
σοροῦ, the bier (here only in N. T.), probably an open coffin, originally an urn for keeping the bones of the dead. ἔστησαν : those who carried the coffin stood, taking the touch of Jesus as a sign that He wished this.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀνεκάθισεν, sat up: the ἀνὰ is implied even if the reading ἐκάθισεν be adopted; to sit was to sit up for one who had been previously lying; sitting up showed life returned, speaking, full possession of his senses; the reality and greatness of the miracle thus asserted.... [ Continue Reading ]
φόβος : the awe natural to all, and especially simple people, in presence of the preternatural. προφήτης μέγας, a great prophet, like Elisha, who had wrought a similar miracle at Shunem, near by (2 Kings 4). ἐπεσκέψατο, visited graciously, as in Luke 1:68; Luke 1:78.... [ Continue Reading ]
ὁ λόγος οὗτος, this story. Lk. says it went out; it would spread like wildfire far and wide. ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ, in all Judaea. Some (Meyer, Bleek, J. Weiss, Holtzmann) think Judaea means here not the province but the whole of Palestine. But Lk. is looking forward to the next incident (message from J... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀπήγγειλαν : John's disciples report to him. Lk. assumes that his readers will remember what he has stated in Luke 3:20, and does not repeat it. But the reporting of the disciples tacitly implies that the master is dependent on them for information, _i.e._, is in prison. περὶ πάντων τούτων : the wor... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Baptist's message_ (Matthew 11:2-19).... [ Continue Reading ]
δύο, two; more explicit than Mt., who has διὰ τ. μαθητῶν. The δύο may be an editorial change made on the document, from which both drew. πρὸς τὸν κύριον (Ἰησοῦν T. R.): a second instance of the use of the title “Lord” in Lk.'s narrative. σὺ εἶ, etc.: question as in Mk., with the doubtful variation,... [ Continue Reading ]
On their arrival the men are made to repeat the question.... [ Continue Reading ]
Lk. makes Jesus reply not merely by word, as in Mt. (Matthew 11:5), but first of all by deeds displaying His miraculous power. That Jesus wrought demonstrative cures there and then may be Lk.'s inference from the expression ἀκούετε καὶ βλέπετε, which seems to point to something going on before their... [ Continue Reading ]
contains the verbal answer, pointing the moral = go and tell your master what ye saw and heard (aorist, past at the time of reporting), and leave him to draw his own conclusion. νεκροὶ ἐγείρονται : this refers to the son of the widow of Nain; raisings from the dead are not included in the list of ma... [ Continue Reading ]
_Encomium on the Baptist_.... [ Continue Reading ]
τί : if we take τί = what, the question will be: what went ye out to see? and the answer: “a reed, etc.”; if = why, it will be: why went ye out? and the answer: “to see a reed, etc.” ἐξεληλύθατε (T. R.): this reading, as different from Mt. (ἐξήλθατε), has a measure of probability and is adopted by T... [ Continue Reading ]
ἰδοὺ οἱ : Lk. changes the expression here, substituting for οἱ τὰ μαλακὰ φοροῦντες (Mt.), οἱ ἐν ἱματισμῷ ἐνδόξῳ καὶ τρυφῇ ὑπάρχοντες = those living in (clothed with) splendid apparel and luxury.... [ Continue Reading ]
Luke 7:26-27 are = Luke 7:9-10 in Mt., with the exception that Lk. inverts the words προφήτην, ἰδεῖν, making it possible to render: why went ye out? to see a prophet? or, what went ye out to see? a prophet? In Mt., only the former rendering is possible.... [ Continue Reading ]
λέγω ὑμῖν : here as elsewhere Lk. omits the Hebrew ἀμὴν, and he otherwise alters and tones down the remarkable statement about John, omitting the solemn ἐγήγερται, and inserting, according to an intrinsically probable reading; though omitted in the best MSS. (and in W.H [75]), προφήτης, so limiting... [ Continue Reading ]
Luke 7:29-30 are best taken as a historical reflection by the evangelist. Its prosaic character, as compared with what goes before and comes after, compels this conclusion, as even Hahn admits. Then its absence from Mt.'s account points in the same direction. It has for its aim to indicate to what e... [ Continue Reading ]
_The children in the market place_. τοὺς ἀν. τ. γενεᾶς ταύτης. The pointed reference in the previous verse to the Pharisees and lawyers marks them out as, in the view of the evangelist, the “generation” Jesus has in His eye. This is not so clear in Mt.'s version, where we gather that they are the su... [ Continue Reading ]
ὅμοιοί εἰσιν : referring to ἀνθρώπους, ὁμοία in Mt. referring to γενεὰν. The variations in Lk.'s version from Mt.'s are slight: both seem to be keeping close to a common source ἀλλήλοις for ἑτέροις, ἐκλαύσατε for ἐκόψασθε; in Luke 7:33 ἄρτον is inserted after ἐσθίων and οἶνον after πίνων; following... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ, etc., and wisdom is wont to be justified by all her children; by all who are themselves wise, not foolish and unreasonable like the “generation” described. On this adage _vide_ notes on Matthew 11:19. Bornemann thinks that this verse is part of what the adverse critics said, of course spoken in... [ Continue Reading ]
_The situation_. τις τῶν Φ.: when or who not indicated, probably not known, but of no consequence to the story; the point to be noted that one of the Pharisaic class was the inviter. τοῦ Φαρισαίου : the class indicated a second time to make prominent the fact that Jesus did not hesitate to accept th... [ Continue Reading ]
_The sinful woman_. This section, peculiar to Lk., one of the golden evangelic incidents we owe to him, is introduced here with much tact, as it serves to illustrate how Jesus came to be called the friend of publicans and sinners, and to be calumniated as such, and at the same time to show the true... [ Continue Reading ]
γυνὴ, etc., a woman who was in the city, a sinner. This arrangement of the words (ἥτις ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει, W.H [78]) represents her as a notorious character; how sinning indicated by expressive silence: a harlot. In what city? Various conjectures. Why not Capernaum? She a guest and hearer on occasion of... [ Continue Reading ]
στᾶσα ὀπίσω, standing behind, at His feet. The guests reclined on couches with their feet turned outwards, a posture learned by the Jews from their various masters: Persians, Greeks, Romans. In delicacy Jesus would not look round or take any notice, but let her do what she would. κλαίουσα : exciteme... [ Continue Reading ]
ὁ φαρισαῖος, for the fourth time; this time he is most appropriately so designated because he is to act in character. εἰ ἦν προφήτης : not the worst thing he could have thought. This woman's presence implies previous relations, of what sort need not be asked: not a prophet, but no thought of impurit... [ Continue Reading ]
_Host and guest_. ἀποκριθεὶς, answering, to his thought written on his face. Σίμων : the Pharisee now is called by his own name as in friendly intercourse. The whole dialogue on Christ's part presents an exquisite combination of outspoken criticism with courtesy. ἔχω σοί τι εἰπεῖν : _comis praefatio... [ Continue Reading ]
The parable of the two debtors, an original feature in the story. χρεωφειλέται : here and in Luke 16:5, only, in N.T. δανειστῇ (here only in N.T.): might mean a usurer, but his behaviour in the story makes it more suitable to think of him simply as a _creditor_. ὁ εἶς ὤφειλε : even the larger sum wa... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐχαρίσατο : a warmer word than ἀφιέναι, welcome to Lk. as containing the idea of grace. ὀρθῶς ἔκρινας, like the πάνυ ὀρθῶς of Socrates, but without his irony.... [ Continue Reading ]
στραφεὶς : Jesus looks at the woman now for the first time, and asks His host to look at her, the despised one, that he may learn a lesson from her, by a contrast to be drawn between her behaviour and his own in application of the parable. A sharply marked antithesis runs through the description. ὕδ... [ Continue Reading ]
οὗ χάριν, wherefore, introducing Christ's theory of the woman's extraordinary behaviour as opposed to Simon's ungenerous suspicions. λέγω σοι, I tell you, with emphasis; what Jesus firmly believes and what Simon very much needs to be told. ἀφέωνται (Doric perf. pas.) αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῆς, forgiven are... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀφέωνται : direct assurance of forgiveness, for confirmation of her faith tried by an unsympathetic surrounding of frowning Pharisees.... [ Continue Reading ]
τίς οὗτος : again the stupid cavil about usurpation of the power to pardon (Luke 5:21).... [ Continue Reading ]
Concerned only about the welfare of the heroine of the story, Jesus takes no notice of this, but bids her farewell with “thy faith hath saved thee, go into peace”. J. Weiss (Meyer) thinks Luke 7:49 may be an addition by Lk. to the story as given in his source.... [ Continue Reading ]