The Fallible Study Bible

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Luke14:1–6

Jesus Heals a Man with Dropsy

✦ Public-domain source — quoted & attributed⚙ AI synthesis — generated, verify

Luke 14:1–6 — Jesus Heals a Man with Dropsy. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

1

One Sabbath, Jesus went to eat in the home of a leading Pharisee, and those in attendance were watching Him closely.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai egeneto sabbatō en auton tō elthein phagein arton eis oikon tinos tōn archontōn tōn Pharisaiōn kai autoi ēsan paratēroumenoi auton

Word by word21 · parsed
ΚαὶKaivvvG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐγένετοegenetovvvG1096
√ γίνομαι — to cause to be ("gen"-erate), iVerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
ginomai: to come to be (aorist middle) Kai egeneto plus en tō with infinitive is Luke’s Septuagint-flavored narrative opener (“and it came to pass”), marking a new scene.
σαββάτῳsabbatōOne SabbathG4521
√ σάββατον — the Sabbath (iNounDative Neuter Singular
sabbaton: Sabbath (dative of time) The time-stamp is the whole issue. This is the third Sabbath healing in Luke’s narrative after 6:6 to 11 and 13:10 to 17, and the only one set at a meal table rather than a synagogue.
ἐνenG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
αὐτὸνauton[Jesus]G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τῷtōG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Neuter Singular
ἐλθεῖνeltheinwentG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbAorist Infinitive Active
φαγεῖνphageinto eatG5315
√ φάγω — to eat (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Infinitive Active
ἄρτονarton. . .G740
√ ἄρτος — bread (as raised) or a loafNounAccusative Masculine Singular
artos: bread, a loaf Idiomatic for a meal; Gill documents the rabbinic duty to honor the Sabbath with abundant food, so this is a festive table, not a snack.
εἰςeisinG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
οἶκόνoikon[the] homeG3624
√ οἶκος — a dwelling (more or less extensive, literal or figurative)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
τινοςtinosof aG5100
√ τὶς — some or any person or objectInterrogative / Indefinite PronounGenitive Masculine Singular
τῶνtōnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Plural
ἀρχόντωνarchontōnleadingG758
√ ἄρχων — a first (in rank or power)NounGenitive Masculine Plural
archōn: a first in rank or power A “ruler,” the same title Luke gives Nicodemus’s class (John 3:1, cited by Ellicott and Gill) and the rich ruler (Luke 18:18). The host is a man of public authority, which makes the trap an act of the religious establishment, not a private grudge.
τῶνtōnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Plural
ΦαρισαίωνPharisaiōnPhariseeG5330
√ Φαρισαῖος — a separatist, iNounGenitive Masculine Plural
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
αὐτοὶautoi[those in attendance]G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounNominative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
autos: self, they (emphatic nominative) Grammatically unnecessary, therefore emphatic: “they were watching.” The host who invited is among the watchers.
ἦσανēsanwereG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
παρατηρούμενοιparatēroumenoiwatching Him closelyG3906
√ παρατηρέω — to inspect alongside, iVerbPresent Participle MiddleNominative Masculine Plural
paratēreō: to inspect alongside, lie in wait (present middle participle) A rare verb in the NT (the Verifier counts 6 verses), and in the Gospels always hostile: Luke 6:7 and Mark 3:2 use it of the same Sabbath surveillance, and Luke 20:20 of spies sent to “catch” Him. The middle voice may suggest watching for one’s own advantage. The hospitality is a stakeout.
αὐτόνauton. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
2

Right there before Him was a man with dropsy.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai idou emprosthen autou ēn tis anthrōpos hydrōpikos

Word by word8 · parsed
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἰδοὺidouRight thereG2400
√ ἰδού — used as imperative lo!VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
idou: lo, behold (imperative as interjection) Luke’s storytelling cue that what follows is the hinge of the scene.
ἔμπροσθενemprosthenbeforeG1715
√ ἔμπροσθεν — in front of (in place (literally or figuratively) or time)Preposition
emprosthen: in front of Position, not invitation: the text never says he was a guest. The placement forces a decision on Jesus in full view.
αὐτοῦautouHimG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ἦνēnwasG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
τιςtisaG5100
√ τὶς — some or any person or objectInterrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἄνθρωπόςanthrōposmanG444
√ ἄνθρωπος — from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι))NounNominative Masculine Singular
anthrōpos: a human being Unnamed and silent throughout; he will be the object of every verb in v. 4.
ὑδρωπικὸςhydrōpikoswith dropsyG5203
√ ὑδρωπικός — to be "dropsical"AdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
hydrōpikos: dropsical To the tool’s knowledge this adjective occurs only here in the NT (the brief does not record its frequency, so treat that as unverified). The condition (fluid swelling, often with intense thirst, per Gill’s medical summary) was commonly thought incurable, which, as Cambridge argues, made it a deliberate test both of power and of Sabbath conduct.
3

So Jesus asked the experts in the law and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai ho Iēsous apokritheis eipen pros tous nomikous kai Pharisaious legōn Exestin therapeusai tō sabbatō ē ou

Word by word17 · parsed
καὶkaiSoG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ἀποκριθεὶςapokritheisaskedG611
√ ἀποκρίνομαι — to conclude for oneself, iVerbAorist Participle PassiveNominative Masculine Singular
apokrinomai: to answer, respond Jesus seizes the initiative. Ellicott notes the contrast with Luke 6, where His opponents framed the question; here He frames it.
εἶπενeipen. . .G2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
πρὸςpros. . .G4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
τοὺςtoustheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
νομικοὺςnomikousexperts in the lawG3544
√ νομικός — according (or pertaining) to law, iAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Plural
nomikos: pertaining to law; a legal expert Luke’s preferred term for the scribes as professional interpreters of Torah (compare 10:25; 11:45 to 52, where He has already pronounced woes on them). The question is addressed precisely to those whose job is to answer it, and they will not.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ΦαρισαίουςPharisaious[the] PhariseesG5330
√ Φαρισαῖος — a separatist, iNounAccusative Masculine Plural
λέγωνlegōnG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
ἜξεστινExestinIs it lawfulG1832
√ ἔξεστι — so also neuter present participle of the same (with or without some form of G1510 (εἰμί) expressed)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
exesti: it is lawful, permitted Not “is it good” but “is it permitted”: a halakhic question. Gill observes the traditions already allowed healing where life was in danger; the question exposes whether their law has room for mercy that is not an emergency.
θεραπεῦσαιtherapeusaito healG2323
√ θεραπεύω — to wait upon menially, iVerbAorist Infinitive Active
therapeuō: to serve, attend, heal The aorist infinitive views the healing as a single act. The same verb sits in the synagogue ruler’s complaint at 13:14, so the vocabulary of the dispute is already established in Luke.
τῷtōon theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Neuter Singular
σαββάτῳsabbatōSabbathG4521
√ σάββατον — the Sabbath (iNounDative Neuter Singular
ἢēorG2228
√ ἤ — disjunctive, orConjunction
οὔounotG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
ou: absolute negative “Or not?” closes the exits: a yes or a no is demanded.
4

But they remained silent. Then Jesus took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him on his way.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de Hoi hēsychasan Kai epilabomenos iasato auton kai apelysen

Word by word9 · parsed
δὲdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ΟἱHoiG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
ἡσύχασανhēsychasanthey remained silentG2270
√ ἡσυχάζω — to keep still (intransitively), iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
hēsychazō: to keep still, be quiet A rare verb (the Verifier counts 5 verses). Here it is the silence of men who cannot say “not lawful” and will not say “lawful.” Cambridge calls it a silence which, “while secretly convinced determined to remain unconvinced.” The tool notes the irony that Luke’s other Sabbath use of the verb (23:56) is obedient rest; these men are “still” on the Sabbath in the worst sense.
ΚαὶKaiThenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐπιλαβόμενοςepilabomenos[Jesus] took hold [of the man]G1949
√ ἐπιλαμβάνομαι — to seize (for help, injury, attainment, or any other purposeVerbAorist Participle MiddleNominative Masculine Singular
epilambanomai: to seize, lay hold of (middle) The verb can be hostile (Luke 20:20, 26: to “catch” Him in His words) or saving (Hebrews 2:16: He “takes hold” of Abraham’s offspring). At a table of men waiting to lay hold of Him, Jesus lays hold of the sick man, for healing.
ἰάσατοiasatohealedG2390
√ ἰάομαι — to cure (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
iaomai: to cure (aorist middle) Luke’s favored verb for healing. Barnes notes that touching showed “the power of healing went forth from himself”: no medicine, no labor that the rabbis could classify as work.
αὐτὸνautonhimG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀπέλυσενapelysensent him on his wayG630
√ ἀπολύω — to free fully, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
apolyō: to free fully, release, dismiss He is dismissed at once, perhaps to spare him being a further exhibit. Maclaren reads the man’s silent arrival and departure as a sad picture of receiving a gift from Christ without a lasting relation to Him.
5

And He asked them, “Which of you whose son or ox falls into a pit on the Sabbath day will not immediately pull him out?”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai eipen pros autous Tinos hymōn huios ē bous peseitai eis phrear en tou sabbatou hēmera kai ouk eutheōs anaspasei auton

Word by word21 · parsed
καὶkaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
εἶπενeipenHe askedG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
πρὸςprosG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
αὐτοὺςautousthemG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
ΤίνοςTinosWhichG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounGenitive Masculine Singular
tis: who? which? “Which of you” makes the hearers judges of their own conduct, the same rhetorical move as 11:5, 11 and 15:4.
ὑμῶνhymōnof youG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Plural
υἱὸςhuios[whose] sonG5207
√ υἱός — a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinshipNounNominative Masculine Singular
huios: son The better-attested reading (Ellicott, Cambridge, Pulpit). Cambridge hears an allusion to Exodus 23:12, where the ox, the ass and “the son of thy handmaid” are named as beneficiaries of Sabbath rest; that allusion is Cambridge’s suggestion and is not verbally demonstrable across Hebrew and Greek.
ἢēorG2228
√ ἤ — disjunctive, orConjunction
βοῦςbousoxG1016
√ βοῦς — an ox (as grazing), iNounNominative Masculine Singular
bous: ox The working animal of Torah’s mercy laws: Deuteronomy 22:4 commands helping a neighbor’s fallen ox or ass to its feet (cited by Cambridge).
πεσεῖταιpeseitaifallsG4098
√ πίπτω — to fall (literally or figuratively)VerbFuture Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
εἰςeisintoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
φρέαρphreara pitG5421
√ φρέαρ — a hole in the ground (dug for obtaining or holding water or other purposes), iNounAccusative Neuter Singular
phrear: a dug hole, well, shaft A rare noun (5 verses per the Verifier): Jacob’s well in John 4 and the shaft of the abyss in Revelation 9. Here simply the open cistern common in Palestine.
ἐνenonG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τοῦtoutheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Neuter Singular
σαββάτουsabbatouSabbathG4521
√ σάββατον — the Sabbath (iNounGenitive Neuter Singular
ἡμέρᾳhēmeradayG2250
√ ἡμέρα — day, iNounDative Feminine Singular
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οὐκouk{will} notG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
εὐθέωςeutheōsimmediatelyG2112
√ εὐθέως — directly, iAdverb
eutheōs: immediately The key word against the casuists: Ellicott reports that rabbinic practice allowed food to be let down but forbade hauling out until the Sabbath ended. Jesus appeals to the instinct that would not wait.
ἀνασπάσειanaspaseipull him outG385
√ ἀνασπάω — to take up or extricateVerbFuture Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
anaspaō: to draw up, extricate Only here and Acts 11:10 (sheet “drawn up” to heaven) per the Verifier. The image is of rescue from below, effortful and urgent: the Sabbath labor they would gladly undertake for son or ox.
αὐτὸνauton. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
6

And they were unable to answer these questions.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai ouk ischysan antapokrithēnai pros tauta

Word by word6 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οὐκoukvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
ou: absolute negative Fronted for emphasis: not able.
ἴσχυσανischysanthey were unableG2480
√ ἰσχύω — to have (or exercise) force (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
ischyō: to have or exercise force The aorist states a fact of incapacity. The experts in law, gathered in strength to observe, are without strength to respond.
ἀνταποκριθῆναιantapokrithēnaito answerG470
√ ἀνταποκρίνομαι — to contradict or disputeVerbAorist Infinitive Passive
antapokrinomai: to answer back, contradict A rare verb (2 verses per the Verifier). Its only other NT use is Romans 9:20, of the man who would talk back to God. In both places the creature finds no rejoinder to the Lord. Luke’s Greek wordplay with v. 3 is exact: Jesus apokritheis; they cannot antapokrithēnai.
πρὸςprosG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
ταῦταtautathese [ questions ]G3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounAccusative Neuter Plural
houtos: this, these “These things” sums up the question, the healing and the analogy.

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The watched table — Luke 14:1 to 2

Luke sets the third Sabbath healing of his Gospel (after 6:6 to 11 and 13:10 to 17) not in a synagogue but at the table of one of the ἀρχόντων, “rulers,” of the Pharisees. Ellicott and Cambridge both insist on the title; Benson, Barnes and Gill think of a Sanhedrist. Gill documents from later rabbinic sources how the Sabbath meal was a duty of abundance, so this is a feast. Yet Luke’s emphatic αὐτοὶ ἦσαν παρατηρούμενοι, “they themselves were watching closely,” turns hospitality into surveillance; the same rare verb marked the watchers at 6:7. Maclaren puts it bluntly: “The entertainer was a spy, and the feast was a trap.” Then ἰδοὺ: a dropsical man stands in front of Jesus. Cambridge and Pulpit read a staged scene; JFB (after De Wette) and Benson think the man came hoping for help. Luke says only that he was there. Cambridge’s moral point holds either way: misery was being used as an instrument.

ii. The question that silences — Luke 14:3 to 4

Jesus “answers” (ἀποκριθεὶς) before anyone speaks, which Cambridge and Pulpit read as answering their thoughts, while Barnes reads it as the idiom for taking up a matter. Ellicott notes the reversal from Luke 6: there the opponents framed the question; here He does. Ἔξεστιν, “is it permitted?”, is their own legal category, and Cambridge shows the trap closes on the trappers: “not lawful” exposes them to the crowd, “lawful” ends the plot. Gill adds that the traditions allowed healing where life was in danger; a chronic dropsy was not that case, so the question is whether permitted mercy extends further than emergency. They ἡσύχασαν, kept still. Then Jesus ἐπιλαβόμενος, lays hold of the man (Ellicott: healing “by actual contact”), heals and releases him. Barnes notes the touch shows the power “went forth from himself,” and Maclaren that no act requiring labor took place at all: “The outgoing of His will had power.”

iii. Son or ox: the argument from their own hands — Luke 14:5 to 6

The second question moves, in Maclaren’s words, “from the legal to a broader consideration.” The best-attested text reads υἱὸς ἢ βοῦς, “a son or an ox” (Ellicott, Cambridge, Pulpit; Gill, on the received text, prefers “an ass”). With “son,” the argument runs: you would haul up your child, and even your ox, from a well at once. Ellicott reports that casuistry allowed only food to be let down until the Sabbath ended; εὐθέως ἀνασπάσει, “immediately draw up,” appeals beneath the casuistry to the instinct Torah itself commanded (Deuteronomy 22:4, cited by Cambridge). Cambridge and Pulpit both relay Farrar’s Hillel anecdote, where the rabbis themselves broke the Sabbath to revive a frozen student. Benson: the argument was such as “the grossest stupidity could not overlook, nor the most virulent malice contradict.” The scene ends with οὐκ ἴσχυσαν ἀνταποκριθῆναι: they had no strength to answer back. JFB’s summary of vv. 1 to 6 (in its v. 1 entry) and Cambridge agree that silence is not conviction; Henry turns the whole into a caution about distinguishing works of necessity and mercy from self-indulgence on the day of rest.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

⚙ Read with Scripture interpreting Scripture, the passage does not abolish the Sabbath; it reclaims it. The Fourth Commandment and its restatement name rest for “thine ox, and thine ass, and the son of thine handmaid” (Exodus 23:12), and Torah commands lifting a fallen ox (Deuteronomy 22:4). Jesus argues from inside that law: the Sabbath was given for the good of the weak, so a law-reading that forbids healing the weak on it has misread the law. The tool’s fallible reading is that the deeper accusation is not about Sabbath technique but about the use of a suffering man as bait: the lawyers kept the day’s outward stillness (hēsychazō) while violating its purpose. Christ’s authority here is not set against the written Word but displayed as its true interpreter, as at Luke 6:5. Test this: does any text make Sabbath rest a barrier to mercy, or does the canon consistently treat mercy as the Sabbath’s aim (Hosea 6:6; Matthew 12:7)?

They kept the Sabbath still and kept the sufferer waiting; He broke their stillness and kept the Sabbath.

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The watchers at the Sabbath table: <em>paratēreō</em> verbal / quotation: confirmed

The rare verb παρατηρέω (G3906) joins this scene to the earlier Sabbath healing of the withered hand, where scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely to see whether He would heal on the Sabbath (Luke 6:7; Mark 3:2), and to the spies of Luke 20:20 sent to catch Him in His words. Cambridge itself points to 6:7. In every Gospel use the watching is predatory, and in two of them it is aimed at a Sabbath healing.

Luke 6:7 · Mark 3:2 · Luke 20:20

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G3906 παρατηρέω (in 6 vv); Luke 6:7 and Mark 3:2 also share G4521 σάββατον (in 62 vv), Luke 20:20 shares G1949 ἐπιλαμβάνομαι (in 18 vv). A real verbal link within the Gospel tradition, not a quotation.

The ox in the pit: Jesus’ repeated Sabbath argument structural / thematic: confirmed

Luke 13:15 (the bent woman: each of them unties his ox or donkey on the Sabbath to water it) and Matthew 12:11 (a sheep fallen into a pit) make the same lesser-to-greater argument from animal rescue to human healing. Benson, Barnes, JFB and Ellicott all draw the parallel, and Benson uses it to defend the Gospel writers’ reporting of repeated sayings. The shared lexemes with 13:15 are common words, so the link is one of argument pattern rather than vocabulary.

Luke 13:15 · Matthew 12:11

basis: Verifier: Luke 13:15 shares only common lexemes G4521 σάββατον (in 62 vv) and G611 ἀποκρίνομαι (in 231 vv); Matthew 12:11 is cited by Barnes, JFB and Benson, not a Verifier candidate. Shared argument form, no quotation claim.

Kept still on the Sabbath: <em>hēsychazō</em> structural / thematic: confirmed

The lawyers “kept still” (ἡσύχασαν, v. 4). Luke uses the same rare verb at 23:56, where the women who prepared spices for Jesus’ body “rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.” ⚙ The tool notes the contrast: one stillness is obedient rest beside the crucified Lord’s tomb, the other is evasive silence beside His healing. Elsewhere the verb names the silence of those who accept God’s word (Acts 11:18; 21:14). The contrast is the tool’s reading; the lexeme link is recorded.

Luke 23:56 · Acts 11:18 · Acts 21:14

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G2270 ἡσυχάζω (in 5 vv). Rare, but the verb’s sense differs between contexts (rest vs. silence), so tiered structural rather than verbal; the thematic contrast is ⚙ synthesis.

No answer back: <em>antapokrinomai</em> verbal / quotation: confirmed

The double compound ἀνταποκρίνομαι occurs only here and Romans 9:20, where Paul asks who a mere man is to talk back to God. In Luke the creature has no rejoinder to the incarnate Lord’s question; in Paul the creature is forbidden to answer back to the Creator’s purpose. ⚙ The shared verb is rare and exact; that Paul alludes to Luke is not claimed.

Romans 9:20

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G470 ἀνταποκρίνομαι (in 2 vv): a rare verbal link, not a quotation or literary dependence.

The well and the pit: <em>phrear</em> structural / thematic: confirmed

φρέαρ is Jacob’s well (John 4:11 to 12), deep and without a bucket, and the shaft of the abyss (Revelation 9:1 to 2). Ellicott notes both senses. ⚙ The resonance is lexical only; Luke uses the word in its everyday sense of an open cistern.

John 4:11 · Revelation 9:1

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G5421 φρέαρ (in 5 vv); Revelation 9:1 also shares G4098 πίπτω (in 86 vv). Shared word, different settings; no quotation or theological dependence claimed.

Torah’s fallen ox and the Sabbath rest of son and beast structural / thematic: confirmed

Cambridge links Jesus’ “son or ox” to Exodus 23:12 (“thine ox and thine ass and the son of thine handmaid” resting on the Sabbath) and to Deuteronomy 22:4 (lifting a neighbor’s fallen ox or ass). The argument presupposes that Torah itself made mercy to beasts a duty. Cross-Testament: Hebrew and Greek cannot share Strong’s numbers, so the link rests on motif and Cambridge’s judgment, and depends in part on the disputed reading “son.”

Exodus 23:12 · Deuteronomy 22:4

basis: Cross-Testament (Hebrew to Greek): no shared Strong’s lexeme possible; shared motif (ox, son, Sabbath rest, rescue of a fallen animal) as cited by Cambridge. The Exodus 23:12 allusion via “son” depends on a textual variant.

The wicked watch the righteous structural / thematic: confirmed

Cambridge cites Psalm 37:32 (“the wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him”) and Isaiah 29:20 to 21 (those who “lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate”) as words the Pharisees should have recognized in their own conduct. Cross-Testament and thematic only.

Psalm 37:32 · Isaiah 29:21

basis: Cross-Testament (Hebrew to Greek): no shared Strong’s numbers possible; shared motif of hostile watching and snaring the righteous, adduced by Cambridge. No quotation claimed.

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

Lord of the Sabbath, interpreter of its purpose ancient/widely-held

⚙ The scene enacts what Luke 6:5 declares: “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Jesus does not set the commandment aside; He reveals its intent, healing on the day that commemorated both creation’s rest and Israel’s release from bondage (Deuteronomy 5:15). Geneva’s marginal note frames it: “The law of the very sabbath ought not to hinder the offices of charity.” Hebrews 4:9 to 10 speaks of a Sabbath rest remaining for God’s people, entered through Christ. This christological reading of Jesus’ Sabbath healings is the widely-held reading of the commentators in this brief (Geneva, Henry, Maclaren, Cambridge) and of the church broadly.

Luke 6:5 · Mark 2:27 · Hebrews 4:9

The Healer who takes hold novel

⚙ ἐπιλαβόμενος: the men at the table had gathered to lay hold of Jesus in His words (compare the same verb at Luke 20:20); Jesus lays hold of the helpless man to heal. Hebrews 2:16 uses the same verb of the Son who “takes hold” of Abraham’s offspring to help them. Barnes notes the power “went forth from himself.” The link to Hebrews 2:16 is the tool’s lexical observation, not a Verifier candidate or a commentator’s claim here.

Hebrews 2:16 · Luke 20:20

The Son drawn up from the pit novel

⚙ Jesus asks who would not “immediately draw up” (anaspaō) a son fallen into a well. The psalmist praises the God who lifted him out of the pit (Psalm 40:2), and Zechariah promises prisoners released from the waterless pit (Zechariah 9:11). The tool offers, tentatively, that the Father who would not leave His Son in the pit of death (Acts 2:24, 27) is the ultimate warrant of Jesus’ argument. No commentator in this brief makes this connection; it is a figural reading, cross-Testament, and should be weighed as such.

Psalm 40:2 · Zechariah 9:11 · Acts 2:24

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (c. 1905)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

Text. v. 5 has a significant variant: huios (“son”), followed by BSB and favored by Ellicott, Cambridge and Pulpit as the harder reading; onos (“ass”) in the Textus Receptus and KJV, defended by Gill; probaton (“sheep”) in Codex D (per Cambridge). The tool follows the BSB base text and flags that the Exodus 23:12 thread depends partly on “son.” Sources. Henry’s single note on vv. 1 to 6 is repeated under each verse in the source; it is quoted once. Poole’s entries for vv. 2 to 6 are only cross-references to v. 1. JFB’s entries for vv. 3 to 6 are cross-references to Matthew 12; its long v. 1 entry differs in style from its brief v. 2 note, and is not quoted. Gill’s and Ellicott’s descriptions of Sabbath meal customs and the rule about animals in pits rely on later rabbinic sources or are undocumented. Maclaren’s full entry is capped in the brief. The Hillel anecdote (Cambridge, Pulpit) is relayed from Farrar. Uncertain. The NT frequency of hydrōpikos is not in the brief. Whether the dropsical man was planted is inference, argued both ways. Lexicon root glosses are truncated in the source and were not extended.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)