John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

Luke 8:1



Ver. 1. And it came to pass afterwards, &c;] After Christ had healed the centurion's servant at Capernaum, and had raised a widow's son that was dead, to life, at Naim; after John's disciples had been with and he had dismissed them, and had said many things in commendation of John, and in vindication both of him, and of himself: and after he had taken a meal in a Pharisee's house, where he met with a woman that had been a notorious sinner, who showed great affection for him, which occasioned much course between him and the Pharisee:



that he went throughout every city and village: that is, in Galilee, where he now was, as is clear from the foregoing chapter, and from what follows in this, Lu 8:26 and besides, it was by the sea of Galilee that he delivered the following parable concerning the sower; see Mt 13:1



preaching, and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God; of the Gospel dispensation, which was now taking place, and had been long expected; publishing the doctrines and mysteries of it, such as free and full remission of sins for his own sake, justification by his righteousness, acceptance in him the beloved Son of God, and complete salvation by him as the Saviour of his people, than which nothing could be more welcome news, or better tidings; pointing out the ordinances of that dispensation, and showing who were the proper subjects of them, and directing and encouraging such to submit unto them; as also signifying what the kingdom of grace lies in, not in meats and drinks, or any outward things, but in inward holiness, peace, and joy; and what is a meetness for entrance into the kingdom of glory, namely, regenerating grace; and what gives a right unto it, even a better righteousness than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, and which was no other than his own:



and the twelve were with him; the twelve apostles, whom Christ had chose, and ordained as such: these attended him wherever he went, that they might be witnesses of his miracles, and learn his doctrines; that so they might be thoroughly furnished for their future ministry, both in Judea, and among the Gentiles.





Luke 8:2



Ver. 2. And certain women which had been healed of evil spirits,.... Of devils, who had possessed them, and were healed by Christ, dispossessing them; See Gill on "Lu 7:21".



and infirmities: various diseases of body: some were dispossessed of devils, and others freed from bodily disorders; of the first sort was



Mary Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils: by the order of Christ, for he cast them out, Mr 16:9 and which shows, that this is to be understood, in a literal sense, of devils, and the dispossession of them by Christ; and not in a figurative sense, of vices, and the expulsion of them by the power of divine grace; for this same phrase is used where real dispossessions are intended: nor need it be thought strange that seven devils should be in one person, when, in this same chapter, we read of a legion in one man, and which also Christ cast out, Lu 8:30. This woman seems to be a different person from her spoken of in the latter part of the preceding chapter, seeing this looks as if it was the first time of her being taken notice of by this evangelist, and is described by a different character. She is called "Magdalene", to distinguish her from others of the same name; the reason of which See Gill on "Mt 27:56". She is said {d} to be a widow, and so not being bound to an husband, was at leisure to follow Christ.



{d} Jerom in Mar. xv. 40.





Luke 8:3



Ver. 3. And Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward,.... Joanna, or Juchan, as the Syriac version calls her, was a name, among the Jews, for a woman, as Jochanan, or John, was for a man. In the Talmud {e} we read of one Jochani, or Joanni, the daughter of Retibi, the same name with this. Her husband's name was Chuza. Dr. Lightfoot observes, from a Talmudic treatise {f}, such a name in the genealogy of Haman, who is called the son of Chuza; and Haman being an Edomite, and this man being in the family of Herod, who was of that race, suggests it to be an Idumean name. But in my edition of that treatise, Haman is not called the son of Chuza, but azyk rb, "the son of Ciza"; and besides, Chuza is a Jewish name, and the name of a family of note among the Jews: hence we read {g} of R. Broka the Chuzite; where the gloss is, "for he was", yazwx ybm, "of the family of Chuzai". And elsewhere {h} mention is made of two sons of Chuzai; and both the gloss, and Piske Harosh upon the place, say, "they were Jews": so Abimi is said to be of the family of Chuzai, or the Chuzites {i}; and the same is said of R. Acha {k}. This man, here mentioned, was Herod's steward; a steward of Herod the "tetrarch", of Galilee. The Arabic version calls him his "treasurer"; and the Vulgate Latin, and the Ethiopic versions, his "procurator"; and some have thought him to be a deputy governor of the province under him; but he seems rather to be a governor, or "chief of his house", as the Syriac version renders it: he was one that presided in his family, and managed his domestic affairs; was an overseer of them, as Joseph was in Potiphar's house; and the same Greek word that is here used, is adopted by the Jews into their language, and used of Joseph {l}: and who moreover say {m},



"let not a man appoint a steward in his house; for if Potiphar had not appointed Joseph, owpwrjwpa, "a steward" in his house, he had not come into that matter,''



of calumny and reproach. It was common for kings, princes, and great men, to have such an officer in their families. We read {n} of a steward of king Agrippa's, who was of this same family. The Persic version is very foreign to the purpose, making Chuza to be "of the family of Herod". This man might be either dead, as some have conjectured; or, if living, might be secretly a friend of Christ, and so willing that his wife should follow him; or, if an enemy, such was her zeal for Christ, that she cheerfully exposed herself to all his resentments; and chose rather meanness, contempt, and persecution with Christ, and for his sake, than to enjoy all the pleasures of Herod's court without him.



And Susannah; this also was a name for a woman with the, Jews, as appears from the history of one of this name with them, which stands among the apocryphal writings. She, as well as Joanna, and perhaps also Mary Magdalene, were rich, and persons of substance, as well as note, as should seem by what follows: "and many others"; that is, many other women; for the words, are of the feminine gender:



which ministered unto him of their substance; four ancient copies of Beza's, and five of Stephens's, and the Syriac version read, "which ministered unto them"; that is, to Christ, and his disciples, as the Persic version expresses it. This shows the gratitude of these women, who having received favours from Christ, both for their souls and bodies, make returns to him out of their worldly substance, in a way of thankfulness; and also the low estate of Christ, and his disciples, who stood in need of such ministrations; and may be an instruction to the churches of Christ to take care of their ministers, and to communicate in all good things to them, of whose spiritual things they partake; and may be a direction to them to minister to them of what is their own substance, and not another's; and to minister a proper part, and not the whole, as these women ministered to Christ, and his apostles, of substance which was their own, and that not all of it, but out of it.



{e} T. Bab. Sota, fol. 22. 1. {f} Massechet Sopherim, c. 13. sect. 6. {g} T. Bab. Tasnith, fol. 22. 1. {h} T. Bab. Nedarim, fol. 22. 1. {i} Juchasin, fol. 75. 1. {k} Juchasin, fol. 78. 1. {l} Targum Jon. & Jerus. in Gen. xxxix. 4. {m} T. Bab. Beracot, fol 63. 1. & Maimon lssure Bia, c. 22. sect. 15. & Maggid Misn. in ib. {n} T. Bab. Sacca, fol. 27. 1.





Luke 8:4



Ver. 4. And when much people were gathered together,.... To Jesus, as he was by the sea side, the sea of Galilee, or Tiberias:



and were come to him out of every city; of Galilee, to hear him preach, and see miracles:



he spake by a parable; the following things.





Luke 8:5



Ver. 5. A sower went out to sow his seed,.... By whom Jesus Christ is chiefly designed; though it is true of every preacher of the Gospel: who goes forth, being sent by Christ, with the precious seed of the word: for the phrase, "his seed", which only Luke has, best agrees with Christ, he being the proprietor and subject of it. The Alexandrian copy reads, "the seed of himself", The Persic version reads the whole clause thus, "a sower chose ground, and there he sowed seed": he fixed on the spot of ground to sow his seed in, as Christ did on the people of the Jews, and afterwards the Gentiles.



And, as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; on the road, which was by the side of the field, in which people commonly walked, and so was beaten hard, and the seed lay upon it, and was not received; which designs such hearers of the word, as are not susceptive of it, do not take it in, and have no manner of understanding of it.



And it was trodden down; by every one that passed by, as the Gospel preached to such hardened and ignorant hearers, is despised and trampled under foot by them.



And the fowls of the air devoured it; who generally flock about places where seed is sowing; and here intend the devil and his angels, that have their dwelling in the air; and frequent places of public worship to hinder the usefulness of the ministry of the word, as much as in them lies.





Luke 8:6



Ver. 6. And some fell upon a rock,.... Which the other evangelists call "stony places", and "stony ground"; by which are meant such hearers whose hearts are, hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, and continue so notwithstanding the preaching of the word unto them.



And as soon as it sprung up; as it did immediately, as the other evangelists say; and that for this reason, which they give, "because it had no depth of earth"; only a small crust, or shell of earth over the rock; and signifies, that these hearers had only a superficial knowledge of the word, and hastily made a profession of it, which soon came to nothing:



it withered away, because it lacked moisture; the other evangelists say, "when the sun was up, it was scorched"; meaning tribulation and persecution, the grace of God being wanting to support under fiery trials: the reason given in Matthew and Mark why it withered, is,



because it had no root; and so read the Persic and Ethiopic versions here.





Luke 8:7



Ver. 7. And some fell among thorns,.... On ground which had within it the roots of thorns and briars; and design such hearers who have their hearts filled with worldly cares, and sensual lusts and pleasures:



and the thorns sprang up with it; and grew faster than that:



and choked it; as the above things do the word, and make it useless and unprofitable; so that though it took place for a while, and was professed, yet process of time was neglected and dropped; and, as Mark says, "it yielded no fruit"; at least that came to perfection.





Luke 8:8



Ver. 8. And other fell on good ground,.... The Syriac version reads, "on good and beautiful ground"; and so the Cambridge copy of Beza's; ground which both looked well, and proved well; and signifies such hearers who have good and honest hearts, made so by the Spirit of God; who receive the word in the love of it, have a spiritual understanding, and real experience of it;



and sprang up, and bare fruit, an hundred fold; or, "a hundred for one", as the Syriac version renders it; a hundred grains for one that was sown. The Ethiopic version adds, "and it was to thirty, and it was to sixty": that is, as the other evangelists say, "some thirty", and "some sixty fold"; for the word of God is more fruitful in some of those gracious hearers, than in others:



and when he had said these things, he cried: with a loud voice, that what he was about to say might be attended to:



he that hath ears to hear, let him hear; see this parable more largely explained in the following notes.

See Gill on "Mt 13:3" See Gill on "Mt 13:4" See Gill on "Mt 13:5" See Gill on "Mt 13:6" See Gill on "Mt 13:7" See Gill on "Mt 13:8" See Gill on "Mt 13:9"





Luke 8:9



Ver. 9. And his disciples asked him,.... That is, as Mark says, "when he was alone"; after the multitude were departed, and they were by themselves, it may be in some house with other disciples:



saying, what might this parable be? what is the sense and meaning of it? According to Matthew, they asked why he spake in parables to the people; and to such a question the following words are a proper answer.





Luke 8:10



Ver. 10. And he said, unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God,.... The doctrines of the Gospel, which to have spiritual knowledge is a special and peculiar gift of God. The Vulgate Latin and Persic versions read, "the mystery", in the singular, as in Mark: "but to others in parables"; that is, the doctrines of the Gospel are delivered in a parabolical way to others; to such as "are without", as the Evangelist Mark expresses it, who are strangers and foreigners, and not children, who are not the favourites of heaven, and the disciples of Christ:



that seeing they might not see, and hearing, they might not understand; what was delivered to them; see the following notes.

See Gill on "Mt 13:11" See Gill on "Mt 13:12" See Gill on "Mt 13:13"





Luke 8:11



Ver. 11. Now the parable is this, &c] "Or this is the sense of the parable", as the Arabic version renders it: "the seed is the word of God", the Gospel, as preached by Christ, his apostles, and faithful ministers, which has God for its author, is concerning the grace of God, and is what he blesses, and makes effectual to answer any good purpose.





Luke 8:12



Ver. 12. Those by the wayside are they that hear,.... The word of God, though only by accident, and very carelessly, and without understanding what they hear:



then cometh the devil; signified by the fowls of the air:



and taketh away the word out of their hearts, or memories; that little of it, which is retained there, and diverts their minds from it by other objects; so that they quite forget what they have heard;



lest they should believe, and be saved: this clause is only in Luke; and with it may be compared 2Co 4:4 for with true faith in Christ the sum and substance of the word salvation is connected; and Satan being an enemy to the salvation of souls, does all he can to hinder their faith in him.





Luke 8:13



Ver. 13. They on the rock are they, which when they hear,.... The seed that fell upon the rock, or stony ground, signify such sort of hearers,



who receive the word with joy. The Ethiopic version reads, "with joy of heart". But, this sort of hearers receive not the word into their hearts, or with their hearts believe it, and from their hearts obey it, only into their heads; and have only, an historical faith of it; nor with hearty, spiritual, solid joy, or joy in the Holy Ghost: for their hearts remain like a rock, unbroken by the word; but with a flash of natural affection, which quickly goes off.



And these have no root; neither "in themselves", as the other evangelists say, they have no true grace in them; nor have they any root in Christ, nor in the love of God:



which for a while believe: their faith is a temporary one, like that of Simon Magus; which shows it is not true faith; for that is an abiding grace, Christ, who is the author, is the finisher of it, and prays for it, that it fail not. The Persic version renders it, "in the time of hearing they have faith"; and such sort of hearers there are, who, whilst they are hearing, assent to what they hear, but when they are gone, either forget it, or, falling into bad company, are prevailed upon to doubt of it, and disbelieve it. The Arabic version renders it, "they believe for a small time"; their faith do not continue long, nor their profession of it, both are soon dropped:



and in the time of temptation fall away: "or go back", as the Vulgate Latin version, they draw back unto perdition; or "forsake that", as the Arabic version reads, the word, they have heard, and received, their faith in it, and profession of it: "and soon become apostates", as the Persic version renders it. By "the time of temptation", is not meant any particular and sore temptation of Satan, but a time of affliction and persecution, as appears from the other evangelists; which is a trying time to professors of religion, and when those who have not the root of the matter in them, fall away.





Luke 8:14



Ver. 14. And that which fell among thorns are they,.... The seed that fell among thorns, or were sown on thorny ground, represent such hearers:



which, when they have heard, go forth; from hearing the word to their worldly business; or go on in the pursuit of their worldly lusts and pleasures notwithstanding; for the word translated, "go forth", belongs to the next clause;



and are choked with cares and riches, and pleasures of this life; and with it to be read thus, "and going on in or under", that is, under the power and influence of, "the cares, and riches, and pleasures of life", they are choked; to which agrees the Arabic version, which renders it, "in which they walk", or "which they follow". The Vulgate Latin version is, "and from the cares, and riches, and pleasures of life, going, they are choked": but it is not going from them, but going on in them, which chokes them, or suffocates the word they have heard, whereby it becomes of no effect; unless it should be rendered, "by the cares", &c. "they are choked, and bring no fruit to perfection"; for what fruit such hearers do bring forth, in a way of profession, soon drops off, and perishes.





Luke 8:15



Ver. 15. But that on the good ground are they,.... The seed that fell on good ground design such hearers,



which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it: who hear with an honest and good intention, and faithfully keep it, and hold it fast:



and bring forth fruit with patience; with great constancy, suffering much for the sake of it; and the more they suffer, the more fruitful they are. See this explanation of the parable more largely insisted on in the following notes.

See Gill on "Mt 13:19" See Gill on "Mt 13:20" See Gill on "Mt 13:21" See Gill on "Mt 13:22" See Gill on "Mt 13:23"





Luke 8:16



Ver. 16. No man, when he hath lighted a candle,.... Christ by this, and some proverbial sentences following, observes to his disciples, that though the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven were delivered in parables for the present, that they might not be seen and understood by some; and though he gave to them the explanation of such parables, as of the above, in a private manner; yet his intention was not, that these things should always remain a secret with them; but as they were the lights of the world, they should communicate them to others; and that that light of the Gospel, and the knowledge of the doctrines of it, which he had imparted to them, were not to be retained and concealed in their bosoms, but to be diffused and spread among others: even as no man, when he lights a candle,



covereth it with a vessel; any sort of vessel, as with a bushel,

See Gill on "Mt 5:15", or with a bucket, or with a shell, as the Persic version here interprets, rather than translates:



or putteth it under a bed; whether a bed to sleep on, or a couch to sit or lie upon at meals:



but setteth it on a candlestick; a vessel, or instrument made for that use and purpose, to put and hold a candle in:



that they which enter in; to the house, or room, where it is,



may see the light of it, and be enlightened by it: even so it is the will of Christ, that what evangelical light and knowledge he bestows on any persons, they should not hide it, nor their gifts and talents, or keep it back from the view of others, but should hold it forth both in their preaching, and in their practice.





Luke 8:17



Ver. 17. For nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest,.... Meaning, whatever was then wrapped up in parables and dark sayings, or was secretly, and in a private manner, committed to them, should be made manifest by them to others hereafter:



neither any thing hid, that shall not be made known, and come abroad; for what had been whispered to them, in the most secret and silent manner, was to come abroad not only in Judea, but in all the world, and to be published upon the house tops; See Gill on "Mt 10:26" See Gill on "Mt 10:27"





Luke 8:18



Ver. 18. Take heed therefore how ye hear,.... That ye hear not in a careless and negligent manner, since what truths and doctrines ye now hear with the ear, are to be preached by you unto others:



for whosoever hath; that is, hath knowledge of the doctrines of the Gospel, and hath gifts and abilities to preach them to others:



to him shall be given; more knowledge, and by using his gifts they shall be increased:



but he that hath not; true, solid, spiritual knowledge of divine things, though he has had considerable advantages and opportunities of learning it, as the apostles especially had:



from him shall be taken, even that which he seemeth to have; or "that which he thinks he has", as the Syriac version renders it; that which he seemed to others to have, or thought himself he had: the knowledge he had of truth, and which was rather a show of knowledge than real, shall be taken from him; his seeming gifts and parts shall die, and vanish away, and he shall be left to fall into ignorance, error, and heresy. Observe that this is to be understood not of internal grace, and experimental knowledge, but of speculative notions of the Gospel, and of external gifts; and so furnishes out no argument against the final perseverance of real saints; See Gill on "Mt 13:12".

See Gill on "Mt 25:29".





Luke 8:19



Ver. 19. Then came to him his mother and his brethren,.... It was when Christ was preaching in an house at Capernaum, that Mary his mother, and some of his near kinsmen with her, came from Nazareth to him: these brethren of his were relations according to the flesh, either by Joseph, or his mother's side: who they were, cannot be said with certainty: it may be they were Joses and Simon; for as for James and Judas, they were among the twelve apostles, and with him; and these are the four only persons that are mentioned by name, as his brethren, Mt 13:55 though there were others that were so called, who did not believe in him, Joh 7:5



and could not come at him for the press; the multitude of people that were about him, who were so thick, that there was no coming near him, much less was there an opportunity of speaking privately, with him. The Syriac version renders it, "they could not speak unto him for the multitude".





Luke 8:20



Ver. 20. And it was told him by certain, which said,.... The phrase, "which said", is omitted in the Vulgate Latin version, and in Beza's most ancient copy. The Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions only read, "and they said unto him"; and the Persic version renders it, "a certain person said"; some one person, as in Mt 12:47



thy mother, and thy brethren, stand without, desiring to see thee; and to speak with thee, as in Mt 12:47.

See Gill on "Mt 12:47".





Luke 8:21



Ver. 21. And he answered and said unto them,.... Not to his mother and brethren, but to those that told him of them, who either designed to reproach him with them, by reason of the meanness of them, or to interrupt him in his work:



my mother and my brethren are these; pointing to his disciples:



which hear the word of God; which he had been preaching, and was meant by the seed in the preceding parable:



and do it; behave in their lives and conversations agreeably to it; and observe the precepts and ordinances in it; elsewhere called the will of God his Father; See Gill on "Mt 12:49".

See Gill on "Mt 12:50".





Luke 8:22



Ver. 22. Now it came to pass on a certain day,.... The same day at even, as Mark says, Mr 4:35 in which he delivered the parables of the sower, and of the seed cast into the ground, and of the grain of mustard seed:



that he went into a ship with his disciples; they following him into it, Mt 8:23



and he said unto them, let us go over unto the other side of the lake; of Gennesaret, or sea of Galilee:



and they launched forth; into the sea; they set sail, and proceeded: this clause is omitted in the Syriac and Persic versions.





Luke 8:23



Ver. 23. But as he sailed he fell asleep,.... On a pillow, in the hinder part of the ship, as in Mr 4:38



and there came down a storm of wind on the lake,

See Gill on "Mt 8:24".



and they were filled; with water: not the disciples, but the ship in which they were; and so the Ethiopic version renders it, "their ship was filled with water". The Syriac and Persic versions render it, "the ship was almost sunk", or immersed:



and were in jeopardy; of their lives, in the utmost danger, just ready to go to the bottom. This clause is left out in the Syriac and Persic versions.





Luke 8:24



Ver. 24. And they came to him, and awoke him,.... That is, the disciples came from some part of the ship, to the hinder part of it, where Christ was asleep; and by their shrieks and cries, and repeated vociferations, awaked him out of sleep:



saying, Master, Master, we perish. The Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, only read "master", without a repetition of the word, as in Matthew and Mark; but the Syriac and Persic versions repeat it, and render the words, "our master, our master";

See Gill on "Mt 8:25".



Then he rose, and rebuked the wind, and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and there was a calm;

See Gill on "Mt 8:26".





Luke 8:25



Ver. 25. And he said unto them, where is your faith?.... That is, he said so to his disciples, who had professed faith in him, but now discovered very little:



and they being afraid, wondered; being filled with awful sense of his majesty, were amazed at his power and authority, in rebuking the wind and sea, which at once obeyed him, and were still:



saying one another; among themselves, privately:



what manner of man is this? for he commandeth even the winds and water; or the sea, as the Vulgate Latin. The Syriac version reads both, "the floods and the sea";



and they obey him: according to Matthew, these words seem to be spoken by the men of the ship, the mariners; but here, according to Luke, they seem to be the words of the disciples;

See Gill on "Mt 8:27" See Gill on "Mr 4:41".





Luke 8:26



Ver. 26. And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes,.... In Mt 8:28 it is called the country of the Gergesenes,

See Gill on "Mt 8:28" as it is here, in the Arabic and Ethiopic versions; and "of the Gerasenes", in the Vulgate Latin; but the Syriac and Persic versions read, "of the Gadarenes", as in Mr 5:1.

See Gill on "Mr 5:1".



which is over against Galilee: from whence the ship launched, and Christ and his disciples came.





Luke 8:27



Ver. 27. And when he went forth to land,.... The Persic and Ethiopic versions read,



when they went forth to land; when Christ and his disciples came out of the ship, and went ashore:



there met him out of the city a certain man; or rather, there met him a certain man of the city; that is, one that belonged to, and was an inhabitant of Gadera, or some city thereabout; who had been born and brought up, and had lived there; for certain it is, that he did not now come out of the city, but out of the tombs, as in Mt 8:28 and to which agrees the account of him that follows here; in the Vulgate Latin version, these words, "out of the city" are omitted; which the interpreter not understanding, might leave out, as carrying in it a seeming contradiction to the accounts of him:



which had devils long time. The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Persic, and Arabic versions, read in the singular number, which had a devil: and which agrees with Lu 8:29 for though more are after mentioned, yet the many might be under one head, and chief of them; but in all the copies, it is read in the plural number, "devils"; and to this agrees the name of legion, for there were many devils in him, and they had a possession of him a long time which aggravates the miserable condition of this man, and illustrates the power of Christ in freeing him from them:



and wore no clothes; but went naked, and when any were put upon him, would tear them in pieces:



neither abode in any house, but in the tombs;

See Gill on "Mr 5:3".





Luke 8:28



Ver. 28. When he saw Jesus,.... Even afar off, at some considerable distance, he ran towards him, Mr 5:6.



He cried out, and fell down before him; that is, the man possessed with the devil did so, under his impulse, and through his agitation of him:



and with a loud voice said; which was the unclean spirit in the man:



what have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God, most high? I beseech thee torment me not; i.e. before the time;

See Gill on "Mt 8:29".





Luke 8:29



Ver. 29. For he had commanded the unclean spirit..... That had the rest of the devils under his authority, and power,



to come out of the man; this he had done, either before, or just as he came up to him; See Gill on "Mr 5:8".



For oftentimes it had caught him; possessed him, and wrought so strongly in him, and with so much fury, that there was no governing him:



and he was kept bound with chains and fetters; attempts were made to bind him, and keep him bound, but in vain: and he brake the bands;

See Gill on "Mr 5:4".



And was driven of the devil into the wilderness: into some desert and desolate place, where were the tombs and sepulchres of the dead; this was done by the prince of the legion.





Luke 8:30



Ver. 30. And Jesus asked him, saying, what is thy name?.... This question was put, not out of ignorance in Christ, but for the sake of those that were with him; and partly, that the miserable condition of this man might be the more known; and partly, that his own power might be the more manifest in the dispossession:



and he said, legion, because many devils were entered into him;

See Gill on "Mr 5:9".





Luke 8:31



Ver. 31. And they besought him,.... That is, all the devils, the whole legion of them, entreated Jesus, under whose power, and at whose dispose they were:



that he would not command them to go out into the deep; meaning, not the deep waters of the sea, for thither they ran the swine at their own request; but the bottomless pit of hell, where others of these spirits lay in chains of darkness; and so the Ethiopic version renders it, "into hell": they desired, that when they went out of this man, they might not be ordered thither, or remanded to their former prison; for they knew that if he gave the word of command, they must obey; but that they might be suffered to continue in that country, and range about on earth, or be any where, rather than in hell.





Luke 8:32



Ver. 32. And there was there an herd of many swine,.... About two thousand, Mr 5:13,



Feeding on the mountain; See Gill on "Mr 5:11"



And they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them; which they could not do, without his leave: and he suffered them:

See Gill on "Mr 5:12" See Gill on "Mr 5:13"





Luke 8:33



Ver. 33. Then went the devils out of the man,.... Being obliged by the power of Christ, sore against their wills, having had possession of him a long time:



and entered into the swine; possessed them:



and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake; that is of Gennesaret; or the sea, as the Syriac and Persic versions read; that is, the sea of Galilee, the same with the former:



and were choked; in the waters, and died, as the Ethiopic version adds.





Luke 8:34



Ver. 34. When they that fed them saw what was done,.... That the devils went out of the man possessed by them, and entered into the herd of swine, which becoming mad therewith, ran furiously down the precipice into the sea, and were drowned:



they fled; as persons affrighted, at these uncommon and surprising events, and as afraid to see their owners:



and went and told it in the city; that is, of Gadara, or some other city near at hand; the Syriac and Ethiopic versions read, "in the cities"; in all the cities round about, in that country:



and in the country, or "fields", in the villages adjacent, and in the houses which were scattered about in the fields for conveniency, for rural business.





Luke 8:35



Ver. 35. Then they went out to see what was done,.... That is, the inhabitants of the city, or cities and villages, and houses in the fields; these went out from their respective places of abode, to see with their own eyes, what the swine herds had related to them, concerning the man that had been possessed with devils, and what was become of the swine:



and came to Jesus; where he was, which was not far from the sea shore:



and found the man out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus; quiet and serene, in an humble posture, and as a disciple of Christ, receiving instructions from him:



clothed, and in his right mind, and they were afraid;

See Gill on "Mr 5:15".





Luke 8:36



Ver. 36. They also which saw it,.... The disciples of Christ, or the men of the ship, or persons who lived hard by in the fields, who were eyewitnesses of these several things:



told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed;

See Gill on "Mr 5:16".





Luke 8:37



Ver. 37. Then the whole multitude,.... For it seems, a very large number of people were presently gathered together, from all parts of the country, upon the report of the swine herds, who fled, it is very likely, some one way, and some another:



of the country of the Gadarenes round about; of the country that was round about Gadara. The Vulgate Latin reads, "of the Gergesenes"; and the Arabic and Ethiopic versions, "of the Gergesenes": and they all, with one accord,



besought him to depart from them, for they were taken with great fear: lest they should suffer other and greater losses, than the loss of the swine; choosing rather that the devils should be retained among them, than Christ continue with them:



and he went up into the ship; directly, granted their request at once; not desirous of staying with such an ungrateful people, that loved their swine more than him, yea, than the bodily health and welfare of their countrymen:



and he returned back again; to Galilee, at least in a very little time, after some short discourse with the dispossessed man; having staid but a very small time in that place, just landed as it were, and not having proceeded far from the seashore.





Luke 8:38



Ver. 38. Now the man out of whom the devils were departed,.... Sensible of the power of Christ, and of the favour he had received from him, was of a quite different mind from his countrymen: and



besought him that he might be with him;

See Gill on "Mr 5:18".



But Jesus sent him away; from him, into the country:



saying, as follows.





Luke 8:39



Ver. 39. Return to thine own house,.... Which very likely was in the city of Gadara, whither he went, and throughout the whole of which he published the account of the dispossession of the devils from him: Mark adds, "to thy friends"; relations, acquaintance, and countrymen:



and show how great things God hath done unto thee; for none but God could effect such things, tacitly suggesting to him hereby, that he himself was God. Mark adds, "and hath had compassion on thee": signifying, that what he had done for him, did not arise from merit in the man, but from mercy in himself; See Gill on "Mr 5:19".



And he went his way; he obeyed the orders of Christ, as love and gratitude obliged him:



and published throughout the whole city; of Gadara, and not only there, but in the rest of the ten cities, called Decapolis, Mr 5:20 one of which was this of Gadara, as Pliny relates {o}:



how great things Jesus had done unto him; having cast out a legion of devils from him, clothed him, and brought him to his right mind; and had not only delivered his body from a diabolical possession, but had given him spiritual and saving instructions for his soul, on which he had wrought a real work of grace.



{o} Lib. 5. c. 18.





Luke 8:40



Ver. 40. And it came to pass, that when Jesus was returned,.... From the country of the Gadarenes, to the other side of the sea of Tiberias, to Galilee; and particularly to his own city, Capernaum; Mt 9:1.



The people gladly received him; who were of a different cast from those he had just left; being sensible of the benefits they received from him, both by his ministry and miracles; and which was the reason of their receiving him with so much joy and gladness:



for they were all waiting for him; on the shore, looking out very eagerly for him, being earnestly desirous of his speedy return to them; having many that wanted his assistance, both for their souls and bodies, of which the following are instances.





Luke 8:41



Ver. 41. And behold, there came a man named Jairus,....

See Gill on "Mr 5:22".



and he was a ruler of the synagogue; at Capernaum; and it was the more remarkable, that such an one should come to Christ, and express any regard to his person, or faith in his power, and therefore a "behold" is prefixed to this account; See Gill on "Mt 9:18".



And he fell down at Jesus' feet; showing great reverence and humility, and as Matthew says, "worshipped him"; if not in a religious, yet in a civil way:



and besought him that he would come into his house; which was at some distance from thence, as appears by what follows.





Luke 8:42



Ver. 42. For he had one only daughter,.... And so exceedingly dear to him:



about twelve years of age;

See Gill on "Mt 9:18"



And she lay a dying, or "was near death", as the Syriac and Persic versions; or "was just ready to die", as the Ethiopic version. The Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions render it, "she was dead", or "now dead", and which agrees with Mt 9:18.

See Gill on "Mt 9:18".



but as he went; along the streets of Capernaum, from Matthew's house; where he had been entertained with his disciples, and others, and where he had a conversation with some of the Pharisees and John's disciples, to the ruler's house:



the people thronged him; such a vast multitude followed him to see the cure, that he was even crowded, and so pressed on all sides, that it was difficult to walk along.





Luke 8:43



Ver. 43. And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years,.... The Persic version reads, "there was a woman in that city", &c. in the city of Capernaum; See Gill on "Mt 9:20".



Which had spent all her living upon physicians; she had applied to one physician and another, and had consumed all her substance in this way:



neither could be healed of any; though she had followed the directions and prescriptions of many, who pretended they were able to cure her; See Gill on "Mr 5:26".





Luke 8:44



Ver. 44. Came behind him,.... In the press and crowd of people, being ashamed to come before him, and tell him her case:



and touched the border of his garment the fringe the Jews were obliged to wear at the bottom of their garments, Nu 15:38 and which the more religious sort did, for by this they were distinguished from the common people: it is asked {p},



"who is a plebeian, or one of the common people? every one that does not read "Keriat Shema", (i.e. hear, O Israel), &c. De 6:4 morning and evening, with the blessings belonging to it, the words of R. Meir: but the wise men say, whoever does not put on the "Tephillin" (the frontlets, De 6:8) Ben Azzai says, whoever has not tyuyu, "the fringe" on his garment''



See Gill on "Mt 9:20". This woman was persuaded in her own mind, if she could but touch the clothes of Christ, she should be healed, and accordingly she was:



and immediately her issue of blood staunched; stopped, and was dried up; Mr 5:28.



{p} T. Bab Succa, fol. 22. 1.





Luke 8:45



Ver. 45. And Jesus said, who touched me?.... This he said, not as ignorant of the person that had done it, but in order to discover her to the people, and the cure she had received, as well as her faith; See Gill on "Mr 5:30".



When all denied; both the disciples and the multitude, as many as were near him, and who might be thought to have done it; all excepting the woman, who afterwards came and declared it; for it is very likely, that as soon as she had touched his garment, and got her cure, she drew further off:



Peter, and they that were with him; the rest of the disciples, who were in company together, as appears from Mr 5:31



Said, Master, the multitude throng thee, and press thee, and sayest thou, who touched me? or "my garment", as the Ethiopic version reads;

See Gill on "Mr 5:31".





Luke 8:46



Ver. 46. And Jesus said, somebody hath touched me,.... Not in a common and accidental way, but with design, and in the strength of faith:



for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me: for the cure of the person that had touched him, and that not without his knowledge and will; See Gill on "Lu 6:19".





Luke 8:47



Ver. 47. And when the woman saw that she was not hid,.... From Christ, among the crowd, nor the thing that she had done. The Syriac and Arabic versions render it, "that he had not forgot her"; she hoping he would be diverted from taking any notice of her and her action, through the crowd of people about him;



she came trembling; for fear of the anger and resentment of Christ, and lest the favour would be revoked, and the penalty of the law inflicted; See Gill on "Mr 5:33".



And falling down before him; in the most humble manner, "at his feet", as the Arabic version reads; "and worshipped him", as the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions have it; gave him the glory of the cure, and thanks for it:



she declared unto him before all the people; the whole truth of the matter, what a disease she had laboured under for so long a time, what means she had used to no purpose:



for what cause she had touched him; namely, in order to have a cure, which she believed she should have in that way:



and how she was healed immediately; as soon as ever she had touched him.





Luke 8:48



Ver. 48. And he said unto her, daughter,.... Instead of frowning upon her, and chiding her for what she had done, he addressed her in a very affable and affectionate manner; bidding her



be of good comfort; and not be afraid; this clause is left out in the Vulgate Latin version, as in Mr 5:34 but is in the copies, and other versions:



thy faith hath made thee whole, go peace;

See Gill on "Mt 8:2".

See Gill on "Mr 5:34".

See Gill on "Lu 7:50".





Luke 8:49



Ver. 49. While he yet spake,.... The above words to the woman;



there cometh one: Mark suggests there were more than one, Mr 5:35,

See Gill on "Mr 5:35" and the Persic version here reads, "some of the ruler's family came"; that is, to him, who was now with Jesus: from the ruler of the synagogue's house; so the word "house" is supplied by the Syriac and Ethiopic versions; otherwise the words would be,



from the ruler of the synagogue; which could not be, since he was still with Christ: hence some versions, as the Vulgate and Arabic, render them, "to the ruler of the synagogue"; and which give a true sense, and a right view of the case; for this messenger both came from his house, and to him:



saying to him, thy daughter is dead, trouble not the master; to bring him any further, since all hope of help was now gone. The Vulgate Latin version, instead of "master", reads "him"; and the Ethiopic version, "Jesus".





Luke 8:50



Ver. 50. But when Jesus heard it,.... The message that was brought to the ruler, and the hint that was given, that it was needless to give him any further trouble:



he answered him; not the messenger, but the father of the child, as the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read:



saying, fear not: do not be dismayed at this message, nor despair of help, notwithstanding such is the case:



believe only, and she shall be made whole; exercise faith in me, that I am able to raise her from the dead, and I will do it; and she shall be restored to life, and to perfect health and strength again.





Luke 8:51



Ver. 51. And when he came into the house,.... Of the ruler of the synagogue;



he suffered no man to go in: to the room, where the dead body lay:



save Peter, James and John; not one of the multitude that followed him, nor any of the disciples, but these three; who were his favourite ones, and were a sufficient number to be witnesses of the miracle:



and the father and mother of the maiden; these also were admitted. The Persic version very wrongly joins these last words with the beginning of the next verse, reading them thus, "the father and mother of the maiden, with the domestics, wept and bewailed her".





Luke 8:52



Ver. 52 And all wept and bewailed her,.... Not only her relations and friends, and the servants of the house, but the mourning women, that were hired on this occasion, and employed for this purpose:



but he said, weep not; neither in show, as the mourning women did, nor in reality, as the friends of the deceased:



she is not dead, but sleepeth;

See Gill on "Mt 9:24".

See Gill on "Mr 5:39".





Luke 8:53



Ver. 53. And they laughed him to scorn,.... The servants, neighbours, and relations, the pipers, and mourning women: these, from weeping for the dead, fell to laughing at Christ, having him and his words in the utmost derision:



knowing that she was dead: some of them having been employed in laying her out, and all of them having seen her, and were satisfied, and thoroughly assured, that she was actually dead, as ever any person was, as she doubtless was; but they were ignorant in what sense Christ meant she was not dead, but asleep; See Gill on "Mt 9:24".

See Gill on "Mr 5:39".





Luke 8:54



Ver. 54. And he put them all out,.... Of the room, where the maiden lay, all the mourners and pipers; all excepting the parents of the child, and his three disciples, This clause is left out in the Vulgate Latin, and Ethiopic versions; nor was it in two of Beza's ancient copies, and in two of Stephens's; but in the rest, and in the other versions:



and took hereby the hand, and called, saying; in the Syriac language, "Talitha cumi", as in Mr 5:41



Maid, arise;

See Gill on "Mr 5:41".





Luke 8:55



Ver. 55. And her spirit came again,.... Her soul, which was departed from her, upon the all-powerful voice of Christ, returned to her body; and "re-entered", as the Ethiopic version adds: this shows that the soul is immortal, and dies not with the body; that it exists in a separate state from it after death, and will hereafter re-enter the body, and be again united to it in the resurrection, of which this instance was a kind of pledge and emblem: where her spirit was during this time of separation, is needless, and would be curious and rash to inquire; it is enough to say with the Scripture, that it had returned, to God, that gave it, Ec 12:7 and by whom it was sent back to its body again:



and she arose straightway: from off the bed, and as Mark says, "walked"; for she was at an age capable of it, and which actions of arising and walking, clearly proved that she was alive, and in health:



and he commanded to give her meat; which was done, partly to show, not only that she was alive, but that her disorder was removed, and her appetite restored, and that she could eat and drink, as she had done before her illness; and partly, to observe that she was raised not to an immortal life, as none were before Christ, but to an animate life, which was to be supported by eating and drinking, and so a mortal one;

See Gill on "Mr 5:43".





Luke 8:56



Ver. 56. And her parents were astonished,.... At the miracle that was wrought, to see their child restored to life; to see her arise, walk, and eat, being in perfect health and strength, and no disorder attending her;



but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done. The Ethiopic version reads, "what he had done, nor any thing that was done" not that the thing itself could be concealed, but the way and manner in which, and the means by which it was done, and the circumstances of it; how that by taking her by the hand, and commanding her to arise, she forthwith arose, and walked and ate: Christ's meaning is, that he would not have them take any pains to publish this affair, or to make it more known than was necessary; not to acquaint any person with the particulars of it, but keep them as private as they could: his reasons for this, See Gill on "Mr 5:43".

 

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

Luke 9:1



Ver. 1. Then he called his twelve disciples together,.... The Persic version reads, "all his twelve disciples", the other nine, besides the three that were with him, when he raised Jairus's daughter, recorded in the foregoing chapter; the Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions read, "the twelve apostles", for so Christ had named his disciples; See Gill on "Mt 6:13". The Syriac version only reads, "his own twelve"; and this is agreeably to Luke's way of speaking; see Lu 8:1.



And gave them power and authority over all devils; that is, all kinds of devils, particularly to cast them out of the bodies of men, possessed by them:



and to cure diseases; of all sorts.





Luke 9:2



Ver. 2. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God,.... The Gospel, which gives an account of the kingdom of the Messiah; of his kingly office and power; of his church, which is his kingdom, and of the government of it, by the ministration of the word, and the administration of ordinances; of the kingdom of grace in the hearts of Christ's subjects, and the nature of it; and of the kingdom of glory, and what is the saints' meetness for it, and right unto it:



and to heal the sick; of every disease of body, and thereby confirm their mission and commission from Christ, to preach the Gospel; and recommend it to men.





Luke 9:3



Ver. 3. And he said unto them, take nothing for your journey,.... Throughout the towns and cities of Judea, where they were sent to preach the Gospel:



neither staves, The Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions, read in the singular number, "neither staff, rod, or club"; and so it was in one of Beza's ancient copies, but in all the rest in the plural, as in Matthew; which last must be the true reading, since one staff was allowed, according as in Mr 6:8 though more than one were forbidden:



nor scrip; or bag to put provision in;

See Gill on "Mt 10:10"



Neither bread, neither money; gold, silver, or brass, to buy bread with; because they were to have it, wherever they came, given them, as their due, and the reward of their labour;



neither have two coats apiece; the word "apiece" is left out in one copy, nor is it expressed in the Vulgate Latin and the eastern versions, which read as in Mt 10:10 though the word does aptly and clearly express the sense of the prohibition, which was not that they should not have two coats among them, but not two apiece; or each man should not have two, or have change of raiment; See Gill on "Mt 10:10"





Luke 9:4



Ver. 4. And whatsoever house ye enter into,.... In any town, or city, they should come to in their journey through Judea, and should enter into for the sake of lodging, during their stay:



there abide; do not shift quarters, or move from house to house:



and thence depart; the house you come into first, go out of last, when ye leave the town or city. The Vulgate Latin and Persic versions read, and thence do not depart: and so Beza says it is read in a certain copy, but then the sense is the same, as the Ethiopic version renders it, "do not go out from thence, until ye depart"; that is, do not leave the house, till you depart out of the town or city; agreeably to which is the Arabic version, "remain in it until the time of your going out"; See Gill on "Mt 10:11".





Luke 9:5



Ver. 5. And whosoever will not receive you,.... Unto their houses:



when ye go out of the city; where lodging and entertainment are refused you;



shake off the very dust from your feet, for a testimony against them;

See Gill on "Mt 10:14" See Gill on "Mr 6:11"





Luke 9:6



Ver. 6. And they departed,.... That is, the apostles, as the Syriac and Persic versions express it: they went from Christ, and the place where he was, from Capernaum, at least from some place in Galilee:



and went through the towns; the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions add, "and cities"; that is, of Judea, as well as Galilee, even the whole land of Israel:



preaching the Gospel; which explains what is meant by the kingdom of God, Lu 9:2 and healing everywhere; all sorts of bodily diseases, wherever they came.





Luke 9:7



Ver. 7. Now Herod the tetrarch,.... Of Galilee, and who is called a king in Mr 6:14 as he is here in the Ethiopic version:



heard of all that was done by him; of all the miracles that were wrought by Christ, and his apostles; the fame of which were the more spread through the mission of the apostles, and the journey they took through all the towns and cities of Galilee, which were in Herod's jurisdiction; by which means he, and his court, came to the knowledge of them, the whole country, ringing with the account of the same:



and he was perplexed; anxious, and distressed, not knowing well what to think of Christ, and the different sentiments of men about him: be was afraid lest he should be John the Baptist risen from the dead, whom he had beheaded: he hesitated about it at first, though he afterwards was fully persuaded, in his own mind, that it was he, as some affirmed; and this gave him great uneasiness, and filled him with distress and horror:



because that it was said of some that John was risen from the dead; and he began to fear it was true, though willing to disbelieve it, at least to make a question of it, especially in public; though in private, to his own family and servants, he was free to tell his mind.





Luke 9:8



Ver. 8. And of some, that Elias had appeared,.... Who had been translated, body and soul, to heaven, and whom the Jews expected a little before the coming of the Messiah:



and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again; that is, one of the former prophets. It is well known, that the Jews distinguish the prophets into the former and latter; the books of the prophets of the Old Testament are so distinguished; the writings of the former prophets are those of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 of Samuel, and the first and second of Kings: the latter prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, which are the greater prophets, and the twelve lesser ones: and in the Talmud {q} it is asked,



"who are Mynwvarh Myaybn, "the former prophets?" Says R. Huna, they are David, Samuel, and Solomon--and why are they called former prophets? to except (or distinguish) them from Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi, who are the latter.''



So that by one of the old prophets, may be meant one of those that were before the times of Elias, as Samuel or David.



{q} T. Bab. Sota, fol. 48. 2.





Luke 9:9



Ver. 9. And Herod said, John have I beheaded,.... That is, he had ordered him to be beheaded, and which was accordingly done by the executioner; of which he had full proof, since the head was brought him in a charger, and which he delivered to the daughter of Herodias:



but who is this of whom I hear such things? such, wonderful things, such amazing miracles, as were done by Christ: he seems to have reasoned after this manner with himself, surely this cannot be John, for I have beheaded him! and yet who should it be? and whereas some affirmed, that it was John that was risen from the dead, he began to fear that it was he;



and he desired to see him: that he might be satisfied whether it was he or not; for he had had personal knowledge of John, and converse with him, and therefore, upon sight of him, could tell whether it was he that was risen from the dead, or not; but we do not find Herod had a sight of Christ, until he was sent by Pilate to him at Jerusalem; see

Lu 23:7.





Luke 9:10



Ver. 10. And the apostles, when they were returned,.... From the several parts of the land where they had been sent, and had been preaching and working miracles, having gone through their circuit, and finished the service they were sent to do:



told him all they had done; what doctrines they had taught, how they had been received, and what success they met with, what miracles they had wrought, how they had dispossessed devils, and healed all sorts of diseases:



and he took them and went aside privately; by ship, over some part of the sea of Galilee; See Gill on "Mr 6:32"



into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida; the city of Andrew and Peter, Joh 1:44, and which, as Josephus {r} says, was by the lake of Gennesaret, and by Philip called Julias; and this desert place was the desert of Bethsaida, a lonely, wild, uncultivated, and desolate place, not far from it. Hither Christ went with his disciples, that they might be retired and alone, and have some refreshment and rest from their labours, and where they might privately converse together; and he give them some fresh instructions, and directions, and comfort.



{r} Antiqu. l. 18. c. 3.





Luke 9:11



Ver. 11. And the people, when they knew it,.... Having heard of his departure from others, and seeing him go off themselves:



followed him; not by ship, but on foot, going over the bridge at Chainmath of Gadara, and got thither before Christ and his disciples did:



and he received them; very kindly, and in a very affectionate manner, and with great respect, though they had prevented the private interview between him and his apostles;



and he spake unto them of the kingdom of God; of the Gospel dispensation, now setting up, and of the doctrines and ordinances of it, of the governing principle of grace in the hearts of his people, and of the glory of the world to come:



and healed them that had need of healing; for their bodies; as well as preached the doctrines of grace for the good of their souls; he both taught doctrine and wrought miracles.





Luke 9:12



Ver. 12. When the day began to wear away,.... Or "to decline", as the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions; or "to incline", as the Syriac; that is, as the Ethiopic version renders it, "when the sun was declining" towards the "horizon" and was almost set; or "when the evening time was come", as the Persic version:



then came the twelve; that is, "the disciples", as the Persic version; or "his disciples", as the Syriac: and



said unto him, send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about; the place where they were, round about the city of Bethsaida, the several adjacent houses in the fields, villages, towns, and cities:



and lodge, and get victuals; where they might have lodging for that night, it being too far for them to reach their habitations that evening; and also that they might provide themselves with proper and sufficient food, which was not to be had in the place where they were:



for we are here in a desert place; which afforded no conveniency for lodging, nor any supply of food.





Luke 9:13



Ver. 13. And he said to them, give ye them to eat,.... Signifying, that it was not his will to dismiss people, and send them scattering abroad into the adjacent cities, towns, or houses; and that there was no need of it, but that his will was, that they should be supplied with provisions out of their stock:



and they said, we have no more than five loaves and two fishes; and these loaves were barley loaves, and the fishes small, Joh 6:9



except we should go and buy meat for all this people; which would at least cost them two hundred pence; and which they represent as impossible to be done, either through want of so much money, or the scarcity of provision in those parts; where, had they money, it would be difficult, at least to get such a quantity of provisions at once, which so great a number of persons required.





Luke 9:14



Ver. 14. For they were about five thousand men,.... Beside women and children, Mt 14:21,



and he said to his disciples, make them to sit down by fifties in a company; and by hundreds also; some companies had a hundred apiece in them, and others fifty; and which was done partly, for the more easy numbering of them, and partly and chiefly for the more convenient distribution of food to them; See Gill on "Mr 6:39".

See Gill on "Mr 6:40".





Luke 9:15



Ver. 15. And they did so, and made them all sit down. The disciples did not dispute the case any longer with Christ, but obeyed his orders, and ranged the multitude in companies, a hundred in one, and fifty in another; and ordered them to sit down in their distinct companies and ranks upon the green grass. The Arabic and Ethiopic versions read, "and they all sat down"; and so it is read in some copies of the Vulgate Latin version.





Luke 9:16



Ver. 16. Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes,.... Into his hands, being brought him by the disciples from the lad that had them:



and looking up to heaven: to his Father there, from whom all the mercies and blessings of life come;



he blessed them; either asked, or commanded a blessing on them, that they might multiply and increase, that there might be a sufficiency for all the people, and that, they might be nourishing to them. Beza observes, that in his most ancient copy, it is read, "he blessed upon them"; which perfectly agrees with the Jewish way of speaking, tph le Kdb "he that blesseth upon the bread"; Nyyh le Krb "he that blesseth upon the wine"; and so upon the fruits of trees, and upon the fruits of the earth, and upon other things {s};



and brake; the loaves, and divided the fishes into parts:



and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude; as they sat in ranks, and in their distinct companies.



{s} Misn. Beracot, c. 6. sect. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7.





Luke 9:17



Ver. 17. And they did eat, and were all filled,.... Every one had a part, and enough:



and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them, twelve baskets; See Gill on "Mt 14:20".





Luke 9:18



Ver. 18. And it came to pass, as he was alone praying,.... To his God and Father, for himself as man, and mediator; for the success of his Gospel, and the increase of his interest; and for his disciples, that they might have a clearer revelation of him; and which they had, as appears in their after confession of him by Peter, as the mouth of them all. The place where he now retired for private devotion, was somewhere in the coasts of Caesarea Philippi; for he was now gone from the desert of Bethsaida, as appears from Mt 16:13 and when he is said to be alone, the meaning is, that he was retired from the multitude, but not from his disciples; for it follows,



his disciples were with him, in this solitary place:



and he asked them, being with them alone;



saying, Whom say the people that I am? what are the sentiments of the common people, or of the people in general concerning me? The Alexandrian copy, and the Arabic version read, "men", as in Mt 16:13.

See Gill on "Mt 16:13".





Luke 9:19



Ver. 19. They answering said, John the Baptist,.... This was the opinion of some who thought that he was risen from the dead, as in Lu 9:7.



but some say Elias; the prophet, and the Tishbite; who according to the Jewish notion, was to be the forerunner of the Messiah, so in Lu 7:8.



and others say: that one of the old prophets is risen again; thus were they divided in their sentiments about him.

See Gill on "Lu 9:8"





Luke 9:20



Ver. 20. He said unto them, but whom say ye that I am?.... Which was the main thing he had in view in this private conference; and in order to introduce which, he puts the former question:



Peter answering: in the name of the rest of the disciples, they assenting to it:



said, the Christ of God; The Persic version reads, "Christ God"; the Messiah, who is the Son of God, and God over all, blessed for ever. The Cambridge copy of Beza's reads, "the Christ, the Son of God".

See Gill on "Lu 2:26".





Luke 9:21



Ver. 21. And he strictly charged them, and commanded them,.... Though he highly approved of this their confession, and pronounced Peter blessed upon it; and signified that it was a discovery which flesh and blood could not make, but what was made to him his Father: yet he gave them a strict charge, and laid his commands on them,



to tell no man that thing; that he was the Messiah, and the eternal Son of God, and the true God, as well as the son of man, and really man: the reasons for this: See Gill on "Mt 16:20".





Luke 9:22



Ver. 22. Saying, the son of man must suffer many things,.... In his person and character, in his soul and body, at the hands of God, and of men, and devils:



and be rejected of the elders, and chief priests, and Scribes; who made up the grand sanhedrim of the nation: by these he was to be, and was rejected as the Messiah; and when put up with another which should be released, that other should be preferred, and he rejected; and which was done at the instigation of these men, who were the builders; of whom it was foretold that they should reject the head stone of the corner, Ps 118:22



and be slain; or put to death, with the death of the cross:



and be raised the third day; according to the types and prophecies of the Old Testament. This he added for the comfort of his disciples.





Luke 9:23



Ver. 23. And he said to them all,.... Not only to all the disciples, but "to the multitude", as the Arabic version renders it, who were now called unto him, with his disciples, as is clear from Mr 8:34,



any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me; the same is said here, as in

Mt 16:24,

See Gill on "Mt 16:24",

See Gill on "Mr 8:34", only here the word, "daily", is added; and which, though as Beza observes, is not in the Complutensian edition, nor in five ancient copies; yet is in others, and in the Vulgate Latin, and in all the Oriental versions; and to be retained, as having a very considerable emphasis in it; showing that afflictions, trials, and persecutions of one sort or another, are to be expected every day by the people of God, and to be continually submitted to, and borne with cheerfulness.





Luke 9:24



Ver. 24. For whosoever will save his life,....

See Gill on "Mt 16:25".





Luke 9:25



Ver. 25. For what is a man advantaged if he gain the whole world,.... Or what profit will it be unto him? all the honours, riches, and enjoyments of it will be of no use and service to him if he himself is lost:



and lose himself; or his own soul; for he that loses his soul, which is his better and immortal part, loses himself:



or be cast away: finally, and eternally, or "suffer loss" of eternal happiness and glory; that is, perishes, and is destroyed with an everlasting destruction; See Gill on "Mt 16:26".





Luke 9:26



Ver. 26. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me,.... Of my person and offices, of me, as the Messiah, Saviour, and Redeemer, of my grace, righteousness, blood, and sacrifice:



and of my words; of the doctrines of the Gospel, one and another of them. In Mark, it is added, "in this adulterous and sinful generation"; having a peculiar respect to the people of the Jews, and the age in which Christ lived; but is true of any other people and age in which men live:



of him shall the son of man be ashamed when he shall come in his own glory; in the glory of his human nature, when his glorious body, as now, in heaven, shall be seen by all; and in the glory of his office, as mediator, and the judge of all the earth; and in the glory of his divine nature, which will appear in the resurrection of the dead, in the gathering of all nations before him, in separating one sort from another, and in passing and executing the definitive sentence on them; particularly the glory of his omnipotence and omniscience will be very conspicuous:



and in his Father's; which is the same with his own, as he is the Son of God, and the brightness of his glory; and which, as mediator, he has from him, and will be the object of the saints' vision to all eternity;



and of the holy angels; who shall attend him at his second coming, and be employed in various offices under him. The Syriac version renders, these last clauses as they are in Mt 16:27 in the glory of his Father, with his holy angels; See Gill on "Mt 16:27".

See Gill on "Mr 8:38".





Luke 9:27



Ver. 27. But I tell you of a truth,.... And let it be received as such; you may assure yourselves of it, that not only at the last day, the son of man will come in this glorious manner, and show his resentment to all such as have been ashamed of him; but, also



there be some standing here, which shall not, taste of death till they see the kingdom of God; the Gospel dispensation visibly taking place, both among Jews and Gentiles, upon the resurrection of Christ, and the pouring fourth of his Spirit; and when it should come in power both in the conversion of God's elect in great numbers, and in the destruction of the Jewish nation, for their rejection, of the Messiah:

See Gill on "Mt 16:28"





Luke 9:28



Ver. 28. And it came to pass, about an eight days after those sayings,.... About a week after he had declared the above things, at, or near to Caesarea Philippi. The other evangelists, Matthew and Mark, say it was six days after: the reason of this difference is, because Luke takes in the day in which he delivered these sayings, and that in which he was transfigured, and they only reckon the intermediate days:



he took Peter, and John, and James; the same that he admitted to be with him at the raising of Jairus's daughter, and in the garden afterwards:



and went up into a mountain to pray; to his God and Father, that his disciples might have a visible display of his glory, as an emblem and pledge of that in which he shall hereafter appear: it was usual with Christ to go up into a mountain to pray; Mt 14:23.

See Gill on "Mt 17:1".





Luke 9:29



Ver. 29. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered,.... It became exceeding bright and glorious, it shone like the sun,

Mt 17:2 and hereby his prayer was answered; and thus, as Christ was heard and answered, whilst he was yet speaking, so are his people sometimes; and even their countenance is altered, when they are favoured with communion with God, and instead of a sad and dejected countenance, they have a cheerful one.



And his raiment was white and glistering; it was as white as the light, as snow, and whiter than any fuller on earth could whiten, as the other evangelists say, and so glistened exceedingly;

See Gill on "Mt 17:2".

See Gill on "Mr 9:3".





Luke 9:30



Ver. 30. And behold there talked with him two men,.... Of great note and fame:



which were Moses and Elias; the one the giver of the law from God to the people "of Israel", as well as the redeemer of them from Egyptian bondage, and who led them through the wilderness, to the borders of Canaan's land; and the other a prophet famous for his zeal for God, and his worship, and who was translated, soul and body, to heaven: these appeared and talked with Christ on the mount; and what they talked of is mentioned in the following verse;

See Gill on "Mt 17:3".





Luke 9:31



Ver. 31. Who appeared in glory,.... In a very glorious manner, in most divine and beautiful forms to Christ, and to his disciples:



and spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem; the word, rendered "decease", is "Exodus", the name of the second book of Moses; so called from the departure of the children of Israel out of Egypt, it gives an account of; and which departure is expressed by this word, in Heb 11:22 and to which the allusion is here. Death is a departure out of this world, and goes by this name, 2Pe 1:15 and so here it signifies Christ's death, or exit, which he was to make at Jerusalem; and Moses and Elias talk with him about this; the nature, manner, use, and near approach of it; and to which they might encourage him, as man. The sufferings and death of Christ were what Moses and the prophets had foretold; and these two speak of the same things now; and which must serve to confirm what Christ a few, days ago had showed his disciples, that he must go to Jerusalem, and there suffer and die. Dr. Lightfoot thinks that the ascension of Christ to heaven is contained in the word "Exodus", which was his final departure out of this world, as well as his sufferings and death; and especially if there is any, allusion to the Israelites' departure out of Egypt, which was in victory and triumph; and the rather, because "the time of his receiving up", Lu 9:51 may be thought to refer to this; and so Moses and Elias conversed with him, not only about, his sufferings and death; but his ascension, and of which also the "Exodus", or going of Elias out of this world to heaven, which was by a translation and ascension, was a figure. Some render this word, "Expedition", and think it refers to the whole affair of the redemption of Christ's people by him, from the bondage of sin, Satan, and the law, by his sufferings and death; of which the deliverance of the people of Israel out of Egypt was a lively representation: an expedition which Moses was sent upon, and accomplished: but now the discourse turns upon an expedition of greater importance, which shortly was to be accomplished at Jerusalem, where Christ was to be arraigned, and condemned, and then suffer without the gates of it, in order to obtain eternal redemption for the whole Israel of God.





Luke 9:32



Ver. 32. But Peter, and they that were with him,.... The other two disciples, James and John;



were heavy with sleep; as they afterwards were in the garden, while Christ was praying, as he had been now; being weary with the labours of the day past, and it being now night, as is very probable, since that was an usual time Christ spent in prayer:



and when they were awake, The Syriac version reads, "scarcely awake"; they were so heavy with sleep, that it was with difficulty they were awaked out of it, even by the rays of light and glory that were about them. The Ethiopic version adds, "suddenly"; such a lustre darted from these glorious forms, especially from the body of Christ, as at once surprised them out of their sleep; and being thoroughly awake,



they saw his glory; the brightness of his countenance, and the whiteness of his raiment: and the two men that stood with him: Moses and Elias, and the glory in which they appeared.





Luke 9:33



Ver. 33. And it came to pass, as they departed from him,.... That is, as Moses and Elias departed from Christ; or "when they began to depart", as the Syriac version renders it; or "would depart", as the Arabic and Persic versions; seemed desirous of going, or made some signal or other by which the disciples perceived they were about to go; for, as yet, they were not gone;



Peter said unto Jesus, master, it is good for us to be here, let us make three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias; See Gill on "Mt 17:4"



not knowing what he said, nor "what to say", as Mark observes, being in a surprise, and not in a situation to consider and weigh things well, whether what he said was right and proper, or not;

See Gill on "Mt 17:4"





Luke 9:34



Ver. 34. While he thus spake there came a cloud,.... While Peter was making the above request, before an answer was returned, a cloud appeared, a very uncommon one, as a symbol of the divine presence: "and overshadowed them"; Jesus, Moses, Elias, and the disciples:



and they feared as they entered into the cloud; either as they themselves entered into it, that coming gradually over them, because of the glory of it, and the solemnity that attended it; or as Moses and Elias entered into it; and so the Syriac and Persic versions read, "they feared when they saw Moses and Elias enter into the cloud"; which took them out of their sight: just as the cloud received Jesus out of the sight of his disciples, when he ascended to heaven, Ac 1:9.





Luke 9:35



Ver. 35. And there came, a voice out of the cloud,....

See Gill on "Mt 17:5".





Luke 9:36



Ver. 36. And when, the voice was past,.... The above words were delivered, and it was heard no more: Jesus was found alone; by his disciples; Moses and Elias being gone, and he in the same form in which he was before his transfiguration.



And they kept it close; as Christ strictly charged them, when coming down from the mount with them; Mt 17:9.



And told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen; no, not any of their fellow disciples, until that Christ was risen from the dead.





Luke 9:37



Ver. 37. And it came to pass, that on the next day,.... For Jesus and his disciples staid all night on the mountain:



when they were come down from the hill; to the bottom of it:



much people met him. The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Persic versions read, "met them".





Luke 9:38



Ver. 38. And behold, a man of the company,.... One that was in the company, and among the multitude, that met him:



cried out; with great vehemence and earnestness:



saying, Master; doctor, or "Rabbi":



I beseech thee: most humbly, for he was now on his knees:



look upon my son: with pity and compassion, and help him:



for he is mine only child; wherefore he was dear unto him, and he was greatly concerned for him, and earnestly desirous of his being restored to health; and this he mentions, to move the compassion of Christ.





Luke 9:39



Ver. 39. And, lo, a spirit taketh him,.... An evil spirit, the devil, as in Lu 9:42 seizes and possesses him at once,



and he suddenly crieth out; in a most terrible manner, giving dreadful shrieks, as soon as he perceives that he is seized by the demon:



and it teareth him, that he foameth again; throws him into convulsions, so that he foams at the mouth: and so we read {t} of a son of a certain Jew, that



"a certain spirit passed before him and hurt him, convulsed his mouth, and his eyes, and his hands were convulsed, and he could not speak.''



And bruising him; by dashing him against the wall, or throwing him to the ground:



hardly departeth from him; is very loath to leave him, even after he has distressed, convulsed, and bruised him in this dreadful manner, such was his cruelty and malice; See Gill on "Mt 17:15" See Gill on "Mr 9:18"



{t} Zohar in Lev. fol. 21. 4.





Luke 9:40



Ver. 40. And I besought thy disciples,.... The nine disciples that were left behind, whilst Christ, and the other three, were gone up to the mountain:



to cast him out; the devil out of his child:



and they could not;

See Gill on "Mt 17:16".





Luke 9:41



Ver. 41. And Jesus answering, said,.... To the father of the child, and those that were with him; and with a particular view to the Scribes and Pharisees, who had been insulting the disciples, and triumphing over them, because of their inability to cast out the evil spirit: for the words are not spoken to the disciples, as they might seem at first view to be, and as the Persic version renders them, "and Jesus turned his face to the disciples, and said"; but to the unbelieving Jews,



O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? bring thy son hither;

See Gill on "Mt 17:17".





Luke 9:42



Ver. 42. And as he was yet a coming,.... Whilst he was in the way bringing to Jesus, before he came to him:



the devil threw him down, and tare him; knowing who Jesus was, and that he was able to dispossess him: and having reason to believe he would, was resolved to do all the mischief he could, and give him all the pain add distress he was able, whilst he was in him; and therefore threw him to the ground, and convulsed him in a terrible manner at the same time:



and Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit; for his malice and cruelty, and ordered him to depart:



and healed the child; by dispossessing the spirit:



and delivered him again to his father; free from the possession, and in perfect health, and which must be very pleasing and acceptable to him.





Luke 9:43



Ver. 43. And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God,.... Or at "the greatness", or "majesty of God"; which was displayed in this cure: for the great power of God was manifestly seen in it, to the astonishment of the disciples, who could not cure this child, and of the parent and friends of it, and of the whole multitude: and to the confusion of the Scribes and Pharisees:



but while they wondered every one, at all things which Jesus did; and were applauding him for them, and speaking in his praise on account of them:



he said unto his disciples; privately, when they were alone together, the following words, that he might not seem to be lifted up with the praise of men; and also to show their inconstancy, that those who, now admired him, would one day crucify him; and to take off the thoughts of the disciples from a temporal kingdom and glory, they were so much in expectation of, and which every miracle of Christ, and the applause he got thereby among men, strengthened them in.





Luke 9:44



Ver. 44. Let these sayings sink down into your ears,.... The Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions read, "in your hearts": Christ's sense is, that they would, diligently attend to them, seriously consider them, and carefully lay them up in their memories; and what he refers to are not the words he had spoken, but what he was about to say; namely, as follow:



for the son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men; by whom he should be killed, though he should rise again the third day;

See Gill on "Mt 17:22" See Gill on "Mt 17:23"





Luke 9:45



Ver. 45. But they understood not this saying,.... What was meant by being betrayed into the hands of men, and by his being put to death; they knew not, how these things could possibly be, for they could not by any means reconcile them with the notions they had of a temporal Redeemer, and victorious Messiah:



and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not; the true meaning of this saying was hid from their understanding, which was veiled with the above notion of the worldly grandeur of the Messiah, that they did not take it in;



and they feared to ask him of that saying, of the meaning of it; imagining that he had a secret mystical meaning in it, which they could not reach; lest he should reproach them with their dulness and stupidity; or should rebuke them with the like sharpness and severity he had reproved Peter not long ago, upon the same head.





Luke 9:46



Ver. 46. Then there arose a reasoning among them,.... The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions read, "a thought entered into them"; suggested very likely by Satan, which broke out into words, and issued in a warm dispute among them; and this was in the way, as they were travelling from Caesarea Philippi, to Capernaum; see Mr 9:33.



Which of them should be greatest; that is, "in the kingdom of heaven", as in Mt 18:1 in the kingdom of the Messiah, which they expected would be a temporal one: wherefore the dispute was not about degrees in glory, nor in grace; nor who should be the greatest apostle and preacher of the Gospel; but who should be prime minister to the king Messiah, when he should set up his monarchy in all its grandeur and glory.





Luke 9:47



Ver. 47. And Jesus perceiving the thought of their heart,.... Not by any words he had heard; for the dispute was on the road, as they came along behind him; but as the omniscient God, who is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, he was privy to all their ambition, and the vanity of their minds, and to all their reasonings and debates: though he was before them, and out of the reach of hearing of them: and when he came to Capernaum, after having asked them what they disputed about by the way;



he took a child and set him by him. The Ethiopic version reads, "before them", the disciples; and Matthew and Mark say, "he set him in the midst of them"; all which were true, Jesus sitting in the midst of them; so, that the child he set by him, was in the middle of them and before them; See Gill on "Mt 18:2".





Luke 9:48



Ver. 48. And said unto them, whosoever shalt receive this child,.... Or "one such little child", as in Mt 18:5 and so the Syriac version here, "a child like to this"; and the Arabic version, "one like to this child"; not in age, but in meekness and humility; one that is not proud and haughty, ambitious of worldly honour, and envious at the superior state of others: whoever receives such an one into his house and heart, and the Gospel he preaches,



in my name; because he belongs to me, is sent by me, and represents me, and delivers my message:



receiveth me; represented by him, and will be so taken:



and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth him that sent me;

See Gill on "Mr 9:37"



For he that is least among you all; that is so, in his own opinion, and behaves as such in his conduct, who is lowly and meek, and humble; and so the Ethiopic version, rather interpreting than translating, renders it, "for he that makes himself humble, who is lesser than all"; who considers himself as the least of the apostles, and unworthy to be one, as did the Apostle Paul:



the same shall be great; shall be highly honoured with gifts, and made greatly useful, as the above mentioned apostle was: a saying like this, the Jews have {u};



"every one, wmue Nyjqmh, "that makes himself little", for the words of the law in this world, lwdg hven, "shall be made great" in the world to come;''



that is, in the days of the Messiah: and again it is said by {w} them,



"worthy is he that makes himself little in this world, how great and high shall he be in that world!--whoever is little shall be great, and he that is great shall be little.''



{u} T. Bab Bava Metzia, fol. 85. 2. {w} Zohar in Num. for. 70. 1. & Tosaphta in Zohar in Gen. fol. 76. 2.





Luke 9:49



Ver. 49. And John answered and said, Master,.... The Syriac and Persic versions read, "our Master":



we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and we forbad him;

See Gill on "Mr 9:38"



Because he followeth not with us; the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read, "because he followeth not thee with us"; did not join in company with them, and follow Christ along with them, and as they did.





Luke 9:50



Ver. 50. And Jesus said unto him, forbid him not,.... "Or forbid not" him, or any other so doing:



for he that is not against us, is for us: in two exemplars of Beza's it is read, "for he is not against you": the Vulgate Latin, and Syriac versions, instead of "us", in both clauses read "you", and so likewise the Persic and Ethiopic versions; See Gill on "Mr 9:39",

See Gill on "Mr 9:40".





Luke 9:51



Ver. 51. And it came to pass, when the time was come,.... Or "days were fulfilled", an usual Hebraism; when the period of time fixed for his being in Galilee was come to an end: when he had fulfilled his ministry, and finished all his sayings, and wrought all the miracles he was to work in those parts; when he was to quit this country, and go into Judea, and up to Jerusalem, signified in the next clause:



that he should be received up; or as all the Oriental versions rightly render the words, "when the time, or days of his ascension were fulfilled"; not of his ascension to heaven, as interpreters generally understand the passage, because the word is used of that, in Mr 16:19 Ac 1:2 much less as others, of his being taken and lifted up from the earth upon the cross, and so signifies his crucifixion, and sufferings, and death; for of neither of these can it be said, that the time of them was come, or the days fulfilled, in which either of these should be: for if Christ was now going to the feast of tabernacles, as some think, it must be above half a year before his death, and still longer before his ascension to heaven: and if to the feast of dedication, it was above three months to his ascension: hence interpreters that go this way, are obliged to interpret it, that the time drew near, or was drawing on, or the days were almost fulfilled; whereas the expression is full and strong, that the time was come, and the days were fulfilled; and which was true in the sense hinted at, that now the time was up, that Jesus must leave the low lands of Galilee, having finished his work there; and go into the higher country of Judea, and so up to Jerusalem; for of his ascension from Galilee to Jerusalem are the words to be understood;

See Gill on "Mt 19:1"



See Gill on "Mr 10:1" And it is observable that after this, he never went into Galilee any more; and this sense is confirmed by what follows:



he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem; or "strengthened his face", as the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions; set his face like a flint, as in Isa 1:7 denoting not impudence, as hardening of the face is used in Pr 21:29 but boldness, courage, constancy and firmness of mind: or "he prepared his face", as the Syriac; or "turned his face", as the Arabic, he looked that way, and set forward; or as the Persic version renders it, "he made a firm purpose", he resolved upon it, and was determined to go to Jerusalem, his time being up in Galilee; and though he knew what he was to meet with and endure; that he should bear the sins of his people, the curse of the law, and wrath of God; that he should have many enemies, men and devils to grapple with, and undergo a painful, shameful, and accursed death; yet none of these things moved him, he was resolutely bent on going thither, and accordingly prepared for his journey; See Gill on "2Ki 12:17".





Luke 9:52



Ver. 52. And sent messengers before his face,.... Who very likely were his two disciples, James and John, since they so highly resented the ill treatment their master met with from the Samaritans:



and they went; before him:



and entered into a village of the Samaritans; or "city", as the Vulgate Latin, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read, and so one of Stephens's copies; which lay in the way from Galilee to Judea, where the disciples had been forbid to enter, that is, in order to preach,

Mt 10:5



To make ready for him; to prepare a lodging, and proper food for him and his disciples, as they passed on in their journey, for his intention was not to make any stay there.





Luke 9:53



Ver. 53. And they did not receive him,.... The Ethiopic version reads "them", the messengers; but it should rather seem that they did receive the messengers, and promised them lodging and entertainment; being glad that so great a person would honour them with his presence, hoping that miracles would be done by him, among them; and that he would stay with them, and show some approbation of them, and their worship; but when Christ came in person, with his disciples and the multitude, they would not admit him; the reason follows,



because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem: by all circumstances, by his words and looks, and gestures; by all that they could see and hear, and learn from him, his determination was to make no stay with them, but proceed on to Jerusalem, after he had took a night's lodging with them, and had refreshed himself and company and therefore they would not receive him: it had been of a long time a controversy between the Jews and Samaritans, which was the right place of worship; whether at the temple at Jerusalem, or whether at their temple on Mount Gerizzim? Now if Christ would have interested himself in this contest, in favour of them, and would have staid with them, and worshipped where they did, they would have gladly received him; but they perceived he was going to Jerusalem, either to keep the feast of "tabernacles" there, or the feast of the dedication of the temple; and if the latter, it must be still more provoking to them, because it showed, that he preferred that temple to theirs: and however, it seems to be on this account that they would not admit him, because he favoured the temple worship at Jerusalem; otherwise his bare going thither, could not give the offence.





Luke 9:54



Ver. 54. And when his disciples, James and John, saw this,.... The Persic version reads thus; when "James and John, and the disciples saw this"; that is, the other disciples besides them, so making all the disciples say what follows; whereas only those two are intended, who having been the messengers, were the more provoked at this indignity to their Lord and master:



they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them; being enraged at this conduct of the Samaritans towards, Christ, and burning with love to him, and zeal for his honour; being "Boanerges's", sons of thunder, they were for punishing of them in a most terrible manner, even with, fire from heaven; by which Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities of the plain, were destroyed: this they doubted not of doing, knowing what miraculous power was conferred upon them; but did not think proper to attempt to exert it, until they had asked leave of Christ to do it:



even as Elias did; upon the two captains of fifties, with their fifties, as recorded in 2Ki 1:9 This clause was wanting in a certain copy of Beza's, and is not in the Vulgate Latin version; but is in other copies and versions, and by all means to be retained.





Luke 9:55



Ver. 55. But he turned and rebuked them,.... He turned himself about to them, and looking upon them with a stern countenance, sharply reproved them for their intemperate zeal, their passion of wrath, and anger, and desire of revenge:



and said, ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of; or do not consider that this is not the true spirit of zeal, but of anger and revenge; and is not agreeable to the spirit of the meek and humble followers of Christ, or to the Spirit of God, and those gifts of his bestowed on them, nor to the spirit of the Gospel dispensation: so good men, for want of attention, may not know sometimes from what spirit they act; taking that for a good one, which is a very bad one; being covered with specious pretenses of love and zeal, and the examples of former saints; not observing the difference of persons; times, and things.





Luke 9:56



Ver. 56. For the son of man,.... Meaning himself, in his state of humiliation:



is not come to destroy men's lives; the word "men's" is omitted in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Persic versions: and both words, "men's lives", are left out in the Arabic version:



but to save them; as they might easily observe, by his casting out devils from the bodies of men, and healing all sorts of diseases: and therefore, though it was agreeably to the legal dispensation, and the times of Elijah, to punish offenders in such a manner, it was not agreeably to the Gospel dispensation, and to the ends of the Messiah's coming into the world: so far in this verse, and the latter part of the former verse, are left out in five ancient copies of Beza's, and in the Ethiopic version, but are in the rest of the Eastern versions, and in other copies, and are rightly retained:



and they went to another village; in Samaria, more civil and courteous, and less prejudiced, and where they got lodging and entertainment.





Luke 9:57



Ver. 57. And it came to pass, as they went in the way,.... From one village of the Samaritans, to the other; though if this is the same history related in Mt 8:19 it was as Christ went from Capernaum to the sea side, in order to go to the other side of it; and must be inserted here, without regard to the order of time:



a certain man said unto him; if the same as in Matthew, he is there said to be a "Scribe";



Lord, I will follow thee, wheresoever thou goest. The Arabic and Ethiopic versions read these words by way of question, "Lord, shall I not follow thee wheresoever thou goest?" See Gill on "Mt 8:19".





Luke 9:58



Ver. 58. And Jesus said unto him, foxes have holes,.... Both the words of this man to Christ, and Christ's answer to him, are exactly the same as in Matthew, which makes it look as if it was the same history; though it is not improbable, that Christ might be accosted in the same manner by another person, at another time and place, and return a like answer to each; See Gill on "Mt 8:20".





Luke 9:59



Ver. 59. And he said unto another, follow me,.... According to Matthew, one of his disciples, who had attended him some time, and whom he now called to the ministerial work; See Gill on "Mt 8:20". The Ethiopic version reads, "another said to him, shall I not follow thee?" but without any foundation: they are certainly the words of Christ, directed to another person, at the same time he met with the former:



but he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father; See Gill on "Mt 8:21".





Luke 9:60



Ver. 60. Jesus said unto him, let the dead bury the dead,....

See Gill on "Mt 8:22".



but go thou and preach the kingdom of God; that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, the Gospel dispensation is now ushering in, and the kingdom of the Messiah is setting up; go and publish the things concerning the kingdom of grace, which lies not in outward rites and ceremonies, but in righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost; and declare the things relating to the kingdom of glory, and eternal life and happiness; assert, that unless a man is born again, and has a better righteousness than his own, he is neither fit for, nor has he a right unto everlasting bliss.





Luke 9:61



Ver. 61. And another also said,.... "To him", as the Syriac and Arabic versions add, that is, to Christ; the Ethiopic version reads, "and a third said to him"; for this is the third person mentioned in this relation of Luke's; only two are spoken of by Matthew, but a third is added here:



Lord, I will follow thee; he moves it himself, to be a disciple of his, and a preacher of his Gospel, only with this condition:



but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house: as Elisha desired Elijah, that he might go and kiss his father and his mother and then he promises he would follow him, 1Ki 19:20. The Syriac version adds, "and I will come"; and the Persic, "and give commands, and then, will I come": and the phrase not only signifies, that he desired to take leave of his friends, but to compose and set in order his family affairs, and dispose of his worldly effects among his domestics, relations, and friends, in the best manner he could; and then he should have leisure, and be at liberty to follow Christ, and attend his service.





Luke 9:62



Ver. 62. And Jesus said unto him,.... The copulative "and", is left out in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions:





no man having put his hand to the plough; or "ploughshare", as reads the Syriac version; or "plough handle", as the Persic; referring, as Beza thinks, to the business of Elisha, in 1Ki 19:19



And looking back; behind him; for the ploughman ought to look before him, on his plough, and the ground he is ploughing, or he is not fit to be a ploughman; nor will he make proper furrows, or do his work well; and so he that enters upon the ministerial work, and looks back, and engages himself in the affairs of the world, sets his heart on them, and spends his time in them,



is not fit for the kingdom of God: that is, to preach the kingdom of God, as in Lu 9:60. He cannot serve God and mammon, his own interest, and the interest of Christ; he cannot rightly perform the work of the ministry, whilst his thoughts and time are taken up in the affairs of the world.

 

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

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