Luke 13:4

Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? OR THOSE EIGHTEEN, UPON WHOM THE TOWER IN SILOAM FELL - probably one of the towers of the city-wall, near the pool of Siloam. Of its fall nothing is known. AND SLEW THEM, THINK YE THAT THEY WERE SINNERS ABOVE ALL MEN THAT DWELT IN JERUSALEM?...

1-5 Mention was made to Christ of the death of some Galileans. This tragical story is briefly related here, and is not met with in any historians. In Christ's reply he spoke of another event, which, like it, gave an instance of people taken away by sudden death. Towers, that are built for safety, often prove to be men's destruction. He cautioned his hearers not to blame great sufferers, as if they were therefore to be accounted great sinners. As no place or employment can secure from the stroke of death, we should consider the sudden removals of others as warnings to ourselves. On these accounts Christ founded a call to repentance. The same Jesus that bids us repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, bids us repent, for otherwise we shall perish....

Verse Luke 13:4. _THE TOWER IN SILOAM_] This tower was probably built over one of the porticoes near the pool, which is mentioned John 9:7. See also Nehemiah 3:15. _Debtors_, οφειλεται, a Jewish phrase for _sinners_. Persons professing to be _under_ the law are _bound_ by the law to be obedient to all its precepts; those who obey not are reckoned _debtors_ to the law, or rather to that Divine _justice_ from which the law came. A different word is used when speaking of the _Galileans_: they are termed αμαρτωλοι, as this word is often used to signify _heathens_; Luke 7:37; it is probably used here in

OR THOSE EIGHTEEN - Jesus himself adds another similar case, to warn them - a case which had probably occurred not long before, and which it is likely they judged in the same manner. UPON WHOM THE TOWER IN SILOAM FELL - The name Siloah or Siloam is found only three times in the Bible as applied to water - once in Isaiah 8:6, who speaks of it as running water; once as a pool near to the king’s garden in Nehemiah 3:15; and once as a pool, in the account of the Saviour’s healing the man born blind, in John 9:7. Josephus mentions the fountain of Siloam frequently as situated at the mouth of the Valley of Tyropoeon, or the Valley of Cheesemongers, where the fountain

EXPOSITION LUKE 13:1 _Signs of the times. The Lord continues his solemn warnings. Israel pictured in the parable of the barren fig tree._ LUKE 13:1 THERE WERE PRESENT AT THAT SEASON SOME THAT TOLD HIM OF THE GALILAEANS, WHOSE BLOOD PILATE HAD MINGLED WITH THEIR SACRIFICES; better rendered, _now there were present at that particular time; _namely, when the Master was discoursing of the threatening signs of the times, and urging men to repent and to turn and make their peace with God while there was yet time, for a terrible crisis was impending on that doomed land. Some of those then present, probably Jerusalem Jews, specially told off to watch the great Teacher, struck with his grave foreboding tone, when he spoke of the

OR THOSE EIGHTEEN,.... Men; the Persic version reads, "those twelve"; but all copies, and other versions, agree in this number: UPON WHOM THE TOWER IN SILOAM FELL, AND SLEW THEM; there was a pool near Jerusalem, called the Pool of Siloam, John 9:7 near, or over which, was a tower built, which fell down and killed eighteen men; very likely as they were purifying themselves in the pool, and so was a case very much like the other, and might be a very late one: and this Christ the rather observes, and puts them in mind of, that they might see that not Galileans only, whom they had in great contempt, but even inhabitants of Jerusalem, died violent deaths, and came to untimely ends; and yet, as not in the former case, so neither in this was it to be concluded from hence, that they were sinners of a greater size, or their state worse than that of other men: think ye that t

Luke 13:1. _There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices._ This was a matter of common town talk, so of course they brought the news to Jesus. Notice how wisely he used this shameful incident. You and I too often hear the news of what is happening, but we learn nothing from it; our Saviour's gracious mind turned everything to good account; he was like the bee that gathers honey from every flower. Luke 13:2. _And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things?_ «Do you imagine that there was some extraordinary guilt which brought this judgment upon them, and that those who were spared may be supposed to have been m

CHAPTER 13 __ 1. The Necessity of Repentance. (Luke 13:1 .) 2. The Barren Fig Tree. (Luke 13:6) 3. The Healing of a Daughter of Abraham. (Luke 13:10) 4. Parable of the Mustard Seed. (Luke 13:18) 5. Parable of the Leaven. (Luke 13:20) 6. Solemn Teachings. (Luke 13:22) 7. The Answer to Herod. (Luke 13:31) 8. Lament over Jerusalem. ...

EXHORTATIONS TO REPENTANCE. The theme of Luke 12:57 is continued and illustrated by references to two incidents and by a parable. The section is peculiar to Lk. A company of Galilean pilgrims had come into collision with the Romans and had been massacred by Pilate's orders while they were sacrificing in the Temple courts. A garrison was always kept in the Tower of Antonia to quell disturbances. Neither Josephus nor any other writer refers to the affair, but it is quite in the line of Pilate's policy and conduct. Jesus, hearing of it, declines to admit that the calamity implied exceptional sin on the part of the sufferers, but emphasizes instead the truth that sin involves calamity, and warns His audience that unless they repent they will surely be overwhelmed in the coming disaster. He repeats the warning by reference to an accident that had recently happened in Jerusalem. Eighteen workm...

At this time some men came and told Jesus about the Galilaeans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. "Do you think," he answered, "that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans because this happened to them? I ten you, No! But unless you repent you will all perish in like manner. Or, as for the eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell--do you think they were debtors to God beyond all those who dwell in Jerusalem? I tell you, No! But unless you repent you will perish in the same way." We have here references to two disasters about which we have no definite information and can only speculate. First, there is the reference to the Galilaeans whom Pilate murdered in the middle of their sacrifices. As we have seen, Galilaeans were always liable to get involved in political trouble because they were a highly inflammable people. Just about this time Pilate had bee...