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Luke4:16–30

The Rejection at Nazareth

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Luke 4:16–30 — The Rejection at Nazareth. 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.

16

Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai ēlthen eis Nazara hou ēn tethrammenos kai kata autō to eiōthos eisēlthen eis tēn synagōgēn en tē tōn sabbatōn hēmera kai anestē anagnōnai

Word by word24 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiThenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἦλθενēlthen[Jesus] cameG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
εἰςeistoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
ΝαζαράNazaraNazarethG3478
√ Ναζαρέθ — Nazareth or Nazaret, a place in PalestineNounAccusative Feminine Singular
Nazareth: the town of His rearing The interlinear surface is Ναζαρά, a shorter form than the Ναζαρέθ of the lexicon entry (G3478). Luke has already placed the infancy and the boyhood here (Ellicott traces this whole narrative, peculiar to Luke, to the same informants as the infancy account); the place that knows Him best is where the rejection begins.
οὗhouwhereG3757
√ οὗ — at which place, iAdverb
ἦνēnHe had beenG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
τεθραμμένοςtethrammenosbrought upG5142
√ τρέφω — but perhaps strengthened from the base of G5157 (τροπή) through the idea of convolution)VerbPerfect Participle Middle or PassiveNominative Masculine Singular
trephō: to nourish, rear (perfect passive) A perfect participle: the rearing stands completed and its effect abides. Luke records elsewhere (the Verifier notes the shared lexeme at Acts 12:20) that this verb belongs to the ordinary business of being fed. The claim of the verse is domestic before it is theological: this is the town that raised Him.
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
κατὰkataAs wasG2596
√ κατά — (prepositionally) down (in place or time), in varied relations (according to the case (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined)Preposition
αὐτῷautōHisG846
√ 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 PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
εἰωθὸςeiōthoscustomG1486
√ ἔθω — to be used (by habit or conventionality)VerbPerfect Participle ActiveAccusative Neuter Singular
ethō: to be accustomed (perfect participle) Rare (4 verses). The perfect names a habit hardened into character. Barnes: attendance at a corrupted service was still attendance. The same rare word describes Paul's synagogue practice at Acts 17:2, so the custom of Jesus and the custom of His apostle are named by one uncommon verb.
εἰσῆλθενeisēlthenHe enteredG1525
√ εἰσέρχομαι — to enter (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
εἰςeis. . .G1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τὴνtēntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
συναγωγήνsynagōgēnsynagogueG4864
√ συναγωγή — an assemblage of personsNounAccusative Feminine Singular
synagōgē: an assembly, a gathering place Cambridge observes that the article shows the village had only one. Everything in this unit happens in a room where everyone present has known the reader since He was a child.
ἐνenonG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τῇtētheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
τῶνtōnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Neuter Plural
σαββάτωνsabbatōnSabbathG4521
√ σάββατον — the Sabbath (iNounGenitive Neuter Plural
ἡμέρᾳhēmera. . .G2250
√ ἡμέρα — day, iNounDative Feminine Singular
καὶkaiAnd [when]G2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀνέστηanestēHe stood upG450
√ ἀνίστημι — to stand up (literal or figurative, transitive or intransitive)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
anistēmi: to stand up He stands to read; at v. 29 they stand to kill. Luke uses the one verb at both ends of the scene, and the reader who hears the echo hears the whole unit in miniature.
ἀναγνῶναιanagnōnaito readG314
√ ἀναγινώσκω — to know again, iVerbAorist Infinitive Active
anaginōskō: to read aloud The aorist infinitive of purpose. The ministry of Jesus in Luke opens not with a miracle or a manifesto but with a public reading of Israel's own Scripture, and the sermon that follows is an application of the text He has just read.
17

the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written:

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai biblion tou prophētou Ēsaiou epedothē autō kai anaptyxas to biblion heuren ton topon hou ēn gegrammenon

Word by word17 · parsed
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
βιβλίονbiblion[the] scroll ofG975
√ βιβλίον — a rollNounNominative Neuter Singular
biblion: a roll, a scroll Barnes and Gill both describe the physical object: a skin or parchment wound on rollers, unrolled only as far as the reader needs. Ellicott infers from the fact that Isaiah was handed to Him as a separate roll that Isaiah circulated by itself, which is what the Dead Sea evidence later confirmed for that book.
τοῦtoutheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
προφήτουprophētouprophetG4396
√ προφήτης — a foreteller ("prophet")NounGenitive Masculine Singular
ἨσαΐουĒsaiouIsaiahG2268
√ Ἡσαΐας — Hesaias (iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
ἐπεδόθηepedothēwas handedG1929
√ ἐπιδίδωμι — to give over (by hand or surrender)VerbAorist Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
epididōmi: to hand over, to give in addition Aorist passive: the attendant acts, Jesus receives. Everything in the first half of this scene is done to Him or given to Him, until He speaks.
αὐτῷautōto HimG846
√ 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 PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀναπτύξαςanaptyxasUnrollingG380
√ ἀναπτύσσω — to unroll (a scroll or volume)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
anaptyssō: to unroll Paired by Luke with ptyssō at v. 20. The unrolling and the rolling up frame the reading like two hands closing, and Cambridge sees the closing as itself the sermon's first move.
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
βιβλίονbiblion[it]G975
√ βιβλίον — a rollNounAccusative Neuter Singular
εὗρενheurenHe foundG2147
√ εὑρίσκω — to find (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
heuriskō: to find Whether He found the appointed lesson or sought out this one is genuinely uncertain; the commentators divide, and the text does not say. What is certain is that the passage read is Isaiah 61:1-2 with a clause of Isaiah 58:6 inside it, which is not how a lectionary reading falls out on its own.
τὸνtontheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
τόπονtoponplaceG5117
√ τόπος — a spot (general in space, but limited by occupancyNounAccusative Masculine Singular
οὗhouwhereG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatAdverb
ἦνēnit wasG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
γεγραμμένονgegrammenonwrittenG1125
√ γράφω — to "grave", especially to writeVerbPerfect Participle Middle or PassiveNominative Neuter Singular
graphō: to write (perfect passive) The perfect of standing Scripture. Luke will pick up the same field of meaning at v. 21 with hē graphē, the writing, which is said to be fulfilled in their hearing.
18

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Pneuma Kyriou ep’ eme heineken Hou echrisen me Euangelisasthai ptōchois Apestalken me kēryxai aphesin aichmalōtois Kai anablepsin typhlois Aposteilai en aphesei tethrausmenous

Word by word22 · parsed
ΠνεῦμαPneuma[The] SpiritG4151
√ πνεῦμα — a current of air, iNounNominative Neuter Singular
pneuma: breath, wind, Spirit JFB and Pulpit both observe that the opening clause names Spirit, Anointer and Anointed together. Luke has already had the Spirit descend at the baptism and drive Jesus into the wilderness in this same chapter; the reading now supplies the words for what the reader has just watched happen.
ΚυρίουKyriouof [the] Lord [is]G2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
ἐπ’ep’onG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
ἐμέemeMeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 1st Person Singular
εἵνεκενheinekenbecauseG1752
√ ἕνεκα — on account ofPreposition
ΟὗHouG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounGenitive Neuter Singular
ἔχρισένechrisenHe has anointedG5548
√ χρίω — to smear or rub with oil, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
chriō: to anoint, to smear with oil Rare in the NT (5 verses), and every occurrence is of Jesus. Barnes rightly says the anointing is not literal oil but appointment by God to the offices of prophet, priest and king; Acts 10:38 says outright that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit. The verb makes the title: echrisen gives Christos.
μεmeMeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 1st Person Singular
ΕὐαγγελίσασθαιEuangelisasthaito preach good newsG2097
√ εὐαγγελίζω — to announce good news ("evangelize") especially the gospelVerbAorist Infinitive Middle
euangelizō: to announce good news The first of four infinitives of purpose. Barnes notes that Jesus later offers preaching to the poor as evidence of His own mission (Matthew 11:5), which makes this clause not decoration but credential.
πτωχοῖςptōchoisto [the] poorG4434
√ πτωχός — akin to G4422 (πτοέω) and the alternate of G4098 (πίπτω))AdjectiveDative Masculine Plural
ptōchos: destitute, crouching poor Not the working poor but the beggared. Cambridge and Gill both pull toward the poor in spirit; Benson insists on the plainer sense of persons in a low and afflicted condition. Both senses are defensible and the Greek does not settle it.
ἈπέσταλκένApestalkenHe has sentG649
√ ἀποστέλλω — set apart, iVerbPerfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
μεmeMeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 1st Person Singular
κηρῦξαιkēryxaito proclaimG2784
√ κηρύσσω — to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel)VerbAorist Infinitive Active
ἄφεσινaphesinlibertyG859
√ ἄφεσις — freedomNounAccusative Feminine Singular
aphesis: release, remission The jubilee word of Leviticus 25 in its Greek dress, and the word Luke will use throughout his Gospel and Acts for forgiveness of sins. The economic release and the moral release share one noun, and the whole quarrel of this passage grows from taking that seriously.
αἰχμαλώτοιςaichmalōtoisto [the] captivesG164
√ αἰχμάλωτος — properly, a prisoner of war, iNounDative Masculine Plural
ΚαὶKaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀνάβλεψινanablepsinrecovery of sightG309
√ ἀνάβλεψις — restoration of sightNounAccusative Feminine Singular
anablepsis: recovery of sight The Septuagint reading, not the Hebrew. To say so is not to impugn the text: it is to record that the Gospel writer, and evidently the reading in the synagogue, followed the Greek version that was in common use, as Poole argues at length.
τυφλοῖςtyphloisto [the] blindG5185
√ τυφλός — opaque (as if smoky), iAdjectiveDative Masculine Plural
ἈποστεῖλαιAposteilaito releaseG649
√ ἀποστέλλω — set apart, iVerbAorist Infinitive Active
apostellō: to send away, to send out The infinitive here governs the spliced clause from Isaiah 58:6. The same root has just been used of the sending of the Messiah (10); now it is the sending away of the crushed. He is sent so that they may be sent free.
ἐνen. . .G1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ἀφέσειaphesei. . .G859
√ ἄφεσις — freedomNounDative Feminine Singular
τεθραυσμένουςtethrausmenous[the] oppressedG2352
√ θραύω — to crushVerbPerfect Participle Middle or PassiveAccusative Masculine Plural
thrauō: to shatter, to crush Perfect passive: people who stand broken. Isaiah 58 asks for a fast that unties the yoke and lets the crushed go free, and this is the only clause in the reading that comes from there. Its presence tells the hearer that the jubilee being proclaimed is the one God said He actually wanted.
19

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kēryxai eniauton Kyriou dekton

Word by word4 · parsed
ΚηρῦξαιKēryxaito proclaimG2784
√ κηρύσσω — to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel)VerbAorist Infinitive Active
kēryssō: to herald, to proclaim publicly The fourth and last infinitive of the commission, and the second occurrence of the verb in two verses (it also stands at 4:18, to herald release to the captives). A herald does not create the decree he cries; he publishes one already made, which is why the jubilee can be announced as present before any captive has moved. Poole records a real textual difference here: the Greek Isaiah he knew reads kalesai, to call, where Luke has kēryxai, to herald, and he concludes the copies in use differed. JFB notes what the heralding verb makes possible, that Christ announces Himself in the very act of reading the announcement.
ἐνιαυτὸνeniauton[the] yearG1763
√ ἐνιαυτός — a yearNounAccusative Masculine Singular
eniautos: a year, a yearly cycle Rare (14 verses). Ellicott records the sober fact that some of the Fathers read this single year woodenly and concluded the ministry of Jesus lasted twelve months, a reading Cambridge calls quite untenable against John's three Passovers. The year is the jubilee year, not a calendar for the ministry.
ΚυρίουKyriouof [the] Lord’sG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
δεκτόνdektonfavorG1184
√ δεκτός — approvedAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Singular
dektos: acceptable, welcomed Rare (5 verses), and Luke uses two of the five in this one unit, here and at v. 24. The pun is the hinge of the whole passage: the acceptable year is announced by the unacceptable prophet. Elsewhere the word carries the same weight, at Acts 10:35 of the God-fearer from any nation and at 2 Corinthians 6:2 of the acceptable time now arrived.
20

Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai ptyxas to biblion apodous tō hypēretē ekathisen kai hoi ophthalmoi pantōn en tē synagōgē ēsan atenizontes autō

Word by word18 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiThenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
πτύξαςptyxasHe rolled upG4428
√ πτύσσω — and thus apparently allied to G4072 (πέτομαι) through the idea of expansion, and to 4429 through that of flatteningVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
ptyssō: to fold, to roll up Cambridge is worth weighing here: the ordinary prophetic lesson ran to twenty one verses and never fewer than three, and He stopped inside the second. The roll closes on mercy.
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
βιβλίονbiblionscrollG975
√ βιβλίον — a rollNounAccusative Neuter Singular
ἀποδοὺςapodousreturned [it]G591
√ ἀποδίδωμι — to give away, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
τῷtōto theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
ὑπηρέτῃhypēretēattendantG5257
√ ὑπηρέτης — an under-oarsman, iNounDative Masculine Singular
hypēretēs: an under-rower, an attendant Gill assembles the rabbinic rules for handing the roll, down to which hand may receive it. The detail is not trivia: it shows a reader observing every convention of the service, so that the only irregular thing in the room is what He says next.
ἐκάθισενekathisen[and] sat downG2523
√ καθίζω — to seat down, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
kathizō: to sit down The teaching posture. Ellicott reads the sitting as an assumption of the preacher's function, apparently for the first time in that synagogue, which is why the stare follows.
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οἱhoiTheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
ὀφθαλμοὶophthalmoieyesG3788
√ ὀφθαλμός — the eye (literally or figuratively)NounNominative Masculine Plural
πάντωνpantōnof everyoneG3956
√ πᾶς — all, any, every, the wholeAdjectiveGenitive Masculine Plural
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τῇtētheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
συναγωγῇsynagōgēsynagogueG4864
√ συναγωγή — an assemblage of personsNounDative Feminine Singular
ἦσανēsanwereG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
ἀτενίζοντεςatenizontesfixed onG816
√ ἀτενίζω — to gaze intentlyVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
atenizō: to gaze intently A Lukan word. The verse gives the congregation its last neutral moment: every eye fixed, nothing yet decided. Whatever changes in the next ten verses changes because of one sentence.
αὐτῷautōHimG846
√ 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 PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
21

and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

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Greek — tap a word ↓

de ērxato legein pros autous hoti Sēmeron hautē hē graphē peplērōtai en hymōn tois ōsin

Word by word15 · parsed
δὲdeandG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ἤρξατοērxatoHe beganG756
√ ἄρχομαι — to commence (in order of time)VerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
archomai: to begin The word that tells us this is an excerpt. Barnes says plainly that Jesus probably said much more than is recorded and that Luke preserved the substance.
λέγεινlegeinby sayingG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Infinitive Active
πρὸςprosG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
αὐτοὺςautousG846
√ 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
ὅτιhotiG3754
√ ὅτι — demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant)Conjunction
ΣήμερονSēmeronTodayG4594
√ σήμερον — on the (iAdverb
sēmeron: today Fronted for emphasis. Maclaren, who is the sharpest of the voices here, calls the sentence the most unlimited assertion a man could make in that room: the great words He has read have reached their full accomplishment in Himself.
αὕτηhautēthisG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounNominative Feminine Singular
ἡhēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
γραφὴgraphēScriptureG1124
√ γραφή — a document, iNounNominative Feminine Singular
graphē: a writing, Scripture Feminine singular with the demonstrative: this particular passage, the one just read, not Scripture in general. The claim is exact and therefore testable, which is what makes it scandalous.
πεπλήρωταιpeplērōtaiis fulfilledG4137
√ πληρόω — to make replete, iVerbPerfect Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
plēroō: to fill, to fulfil (perfect) The perfect tense is the whole argument. Isaiah's words are not being illustrated or applied; they are declared to have arrived at their completion in the speaker, today, in a village synagogue, before an audience that remembers His carpentry.
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ὑμῶνhymōnyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Plural
τοῖςtoisG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Neuter Plural
ὠσὶνōsinhearingG3775
√ οὖς — the ear (physically or mentally)NounDative Neuter Plural
ous: the ear Hearing, in this unit, is the organ of decision. They hear and marvel (v. 22), they hear and rage (v. 28). The same ears receive the fulfilment and refuse it.
22

All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai pantes emartyroun autō kai ethaumazon epi tois charitos tēs logois tois ekporeuomenois ek autou tou stomatos estin Ouchi houtos huios Iōsēph kai elegon

Word by word24 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
πάντεςpantesAllG3956
√ πᾶς — all, any, every, the wholeAdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
ἐμαρτύρουνemartyrounspoke wellG3140
√ μαρτυρέω — to be a witness, iVerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
martyreō: to bear witness, to testify Poole reads the imperfect exactly: they praised the discourse, they admired the effects of grace in Him, and they still did not believe. Approval and faith are two different acts, and Luke reports only the first.
αὐτῷautōof HimG846
√ 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 PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐθαύμαζονethaumazonmarveledG2296
√ θαυμάζω — to wonderVerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
thaumazō: to wonder, to marvel The imperfect keeps them marvelling while the sentence runs on into the objection, and the verb itself is neutral: in Luke, wonder is a stage on the way to belief or to refusal, never a resting place. Gill locates it precisely, that the astonishment fell less on the matter than on the manner, since they knew His parentage and education and could not account for where the learning came from. That is the wonder that turns: admiration at a man they can place becomes offence at a man who will not stay placed.
ἐπὶepiatG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
τοῖςtoistheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Plural
χάριτοςcharitosgraciousG5485
√ χάρις — graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concreteNounGenitive Feminine Singular
charis: grace, graciousness, winning favour The first appearance in Luke of the word that will carry the theology of Acts and Paul. Here it is still ambiguous: Cambridge takes it as attractiveness, Barnes and Gill as the content of what He said. The ambiguity is in the Greek, not in the translators.
τῆςtēsG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
λόγοιςlogoiswordsG3056
√ λόγος — something said (including the thought)NounDative Masculine Plural
τοῖςtoisthatG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Plural
ἐκπορευομένοιςekporeuomenoiscameG1607
√ ἐκπορεύομαι — to depart, be discharged, proceed, projectVerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveDative Masculine Plural
ekporeuomai: to go out, to proceed Present participle: words still coming out of His mouth while they marvel. Geneva points to Psalm 45:2, grace is poured into thy lips, as the background of the phrase.
ἐκekfromG1537
√ ἐκ — literal or figurativePreposition
αὐτοῦautouHisG846
√ 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
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Neuter Singular
στόματοςstomatoslipsG4750
√ στόμα — the mouth (as if a gash in the face)NounGenitive Neuter Singular
ἐστινestinIsn’tG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ΟὐχὶOuchi. . .G3780
√ οὐχί — not indeedIntPrtcl
οὗτοςhoutosthisG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
υἱόςhuiosthe sonG5207
√ υἱός — a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinshipNounNominative Masculine Singular
huios: son The whole objection is a genealogy. They can place Him, therefore they can dismiss Him. Benson notes how quickly praise and a disqualifying reflection are mixed in the same breath.
ἸωσὴφIōsēphof JosephG2501
√ Ἰωσήφ — Joseph, the name of seven IsraelitesNounGenitive Masculine Singular
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἔλεγονelegonthey askedG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
legō: to say (imperfect) "They were saying," the third imperfect running: witnessing, marvelling, saying. Cambridge notes that a synagogue congregation did not sit in silence but discussed aloud, so what Luke records is the murmur of the room turning.
23

Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.’”

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Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai eipen pros autous Pantōs ereite tautēn tēn parabolēn moi Iatre therapeuson seauton poiēson kai hōde en sou tē patridi hosa ēkousamen genomena eis tēn Kapharnaoum

Word by word26 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
εἶπενeipen[Jesus] saidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
αὐτούςautousthemG846
√ 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
ΠάντωςPantōsSurelyG3843
√ πάντως — entirelyAdverb
pantōs: entirely, by all means The adverb makes the coming objection a certainty, which is why the reply reads as pre-emption rather than defence.
ἐρεῖτέereiteyou will quoteG2046
√ ἐρέω — an alternate for G2036 (ἔπω) in certain tensesVerbFuture Indicative Active2nd Person Plural
ταύτηνtautēnthisG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounAccusative Feminine Singular
τὴνtēnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
παραβολὴνparabolēnproverbG3850
√ παραβολή — a similitude ("parable"), iNounAccusative Feminine Singular
parabolē: a placing beside, a similitude Cambridge lists its range from proverb (1 Samuel 10:12) to type (Hebrews 9:9). Here it means a saying held up as a mirror, and the mirror is turned back on the people who would have used it.
μοιmoito MeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounDative 1st Person Singular
ἸατρέIatrePhysicianG2395
√ ἰατρός — a physicianNounVocative Masculine Singular
iatros: a physician Cambridge notes the same taunt was thrown at Him on the cross, save yourself, and adds that the saying implies radical distrust. Ellicott suspects Luke noticed the proverb precisely because of his trade.
θεράπευσονtherapeusonhealG2323
√ θεραπεύω — to wait upon menially, iVerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
σεαυτόνseautonyourselfG4572
√ σεαυτοῦ — of (with, to) thyselfPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 2nd Person Singular
ποίησονpoiēsonDoG4160
√ ποιέω — to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὧδεhōdehereG5602
√ ὧδε — in this same spot, iAdverb
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
σουsouYourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
τῇtēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
πατρίδιpatridihometownG3968
√ πατρίς — a father-land, iNounDative Feminine Singular
patris: fatherland, native place Rare (8 verses), and the hinge noun of vv. 23-24. Pulpit widens it deliberately: His own country meant far more than the narrow circuit bounded by the Nazareth hills.
ὅσαhosawhatG3745
√ ὅσος — as (much, great, long, etcPersonal / Relative PronounAccusative Neuter Plural
ἠκούσαμενēkousamenwe have heard [that]G191
√ ἀκούω — to hear (in various senses)VerbAorist Indicative Active1st Person Plural
γενόμεναgenomenaYou didG1096
√ γίνομαι — to cause to be ("gen"-erate), iVerbAorist Participle MiddleAccusative Neuter Plural
εἰςeisinG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τὴνtēnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
ΚαφαρναοὺμKapharnaoumCapernaumG2584
√ Καπερναούμ — Capernaum (iNounAccusative Feminine Singular
Capernaum: the town of His ministry Barnes and Cambridge both observe that Luke has not yet narrated any miracle there, which is a useful reminder that the Gospels report selectively; Cambridge calls it one of many indications that silence about an event is no proof the writer was unaware of it. JFB reads the local grievance exactly: strange rumours have reached our ears, and none of this power has come nearer home.
24

Then He added, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.

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Greek — tap a word ↓

de Eipen Amēn legō hymin hoti oudeis prophētēs estin dektos en autou tē patridi

Word by word14 · parsed
δέdeThenG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ΕἶπενEipenHe addedG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἈμὴνAmēnTrulyG281
√ ἀμήν — properly, firm, iHebrew Word
amēn: firm, sure, truly (Hebrew) A transliterated Hebrew word used to open rather than close. In the Gospels it marks the sentences Jesus will not argue for, and here it introduces the principle that governs the rest of the scene.
λέγωlegōI tellG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Singular
ὑμῖνhyminyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Plural
ὅτιhotiG3754
√ ὅτι — demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant)Conjunction
οὐδεὶςoudeisnoG3762
√ οὐδείς — not even one (man, woman or thing), iAdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
προφήτηςprophētēsprophetG4396
√ προφήτης — a foreteller ("prophet")NounNominative Masculine Singular
prophētēs: a forth-teller, prophet The proverb classes Him with the prophets, which is a smaller claim than v. 21 made and a more dangerous one to press in this room, because the next two verses will show what prophets did with their commissions.
ἐστινestinisG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
δεκτόςdektosacceptedG1184
√ δεκτός — approvedAdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
dektos: acceptable, welcomed Rare (5 verses), two of them in this unit. The link to v. 19 is the interpretive key: what Isaiah calls the acceptable year arrives in the person of a man his own town will not accept. Acts 10:35 uses the same adjective of the God-fearer from any nation, which is precisely the offence of vv. 25-27.
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
αὐτοῦautouhisG846
√ 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
τῇtēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
πατρίδιpatridihometownG3968
√ πατρίς — a father-land, iNounDative Feminine Singular
patris: fatherland The second occurrence in two verses. Pulpit hears in it the whole nation rather than the village, and the rest of Luke and Acts bears that hearing out.
25

But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land.

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Greek — tap a word ↓

de legō hymin ep’ alētheias ēsan pollai chērai en tō Israēl en tais hēmerais Ēliou hote ho ouranos ekleisthē epi tria kai hex mēnas etē hōs megas limos egeneto epi pasan tēn gēn

Word by word33 · parsed
δὲdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
λέγωlegōI tellG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Singular
ὑμῖνhyminyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Plural
ἐπ’ep’vvvG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
ἀληθείαςalētheiastruthfully [that]G225
√ ἀλήθεια — truthNounGenitive Feminine Singular
alētheia: truth Gill traces the phrase to a rabbinic idiom signalling a tradition received from Sinai, and says the words amount to a solemn oath. Whatever the exact background, the formula marks vv. 25-27 as the weightiest thing He says here.
ἦσανēsanthere wereG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
πολλαὶpollaimanyG4183
√ πολύς — (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) manyAdjectiveNominative Feminine Plural
χῆραιchēraiwidowsG5503
√ χήρα — a widow (as lacking a husband), literally or figurativelyNounNominative Feminine Plural
chēra: a widow Luke's Gospel attends to widows more than any other, and the first one he names in the ministry is a foreigner. The argument turns on the word many: there was no shortage of Israelite widows for Elijah to help.
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τῷtōG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
ἸσραήλIsraēlIsraelG2474
√ Ἰσραήλ — Israel (iNounDative Masculine Singular
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ταῖςtaistheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Plural
ἡμέραιςhēmeraistimeG2250
√ ἡμέρα — day, iNounDative Feminine Plural
ἨλίουĒliouof ElijahG2243
√ Ἡλίας — Helias (iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
ὅτεhotewhenG3753
√ ὅτε — at which (thing) too, iAdverb
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
οὐρανὸςouranosskyG3772
√ οὐρανός — the skyNounNominative Masculine Singular
ouranos: sky, heaven The shut heaven is the drought of 1 Kings 17:1, sworn by Elijah's word. In Luke's Greek the one noun holds both the weather and the God who withholds it.
ἐκλείσθηekleisthēwas shutG2808
√ κλείω — to close (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
kleiō: to shut, to close (aorist passive) A passive with no stated agent. The unstated agent is the whole point of the paragraph: the withholding of mercy from one place and its giving to another is God's act, which Poole calls the freeness of God's distinguishing grace.
ἐπὶepiforG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
τρίαtriathreeG5140
√ τρεῖς — "three"AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἕξhexa halfG1803
√ ἕξ — sixAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Plural
μῆναςmēnas. . .G3376
√ μήν — a monthNounAccusative Masculine Plural
ἔτηetēyearsG2094
√ ἔτος — a yearNounAccusative Neuter Plural
etos: a year With months (G3376) and the numerals three and six. Cambridge is candid that the total is Jewish tradition, and that Kings mentions only three years; the difference is flagged in a thread above rather than smoothed over here.
ὡςhōs[and]G5613
√ ὡς — which how, iAdverb
μέγαςmegasgreatG3173
√ μέγας — big (literally or figuratively, in a very wide application)AdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
λιμὸςlimosfamineG3042
√ λιμός — a scarcity of foodNounNominative Masculine Singular
limos: famine, scarcity of food The setting of 1 Kings 17. It is worth noticing that Jesus reaches for the two prophetic miracles of feeding and cleansing rather than for fire from heaven, a point JFB takes from Stier.
ἐγένετοegenetosweptG1096
√ γίνομαι — to cause to be ("gen"-erate), iVerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
ἐπὶepioverG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
πᾶσανpasanallG3956
√ πᾶς — all, any, every, the wholeAdjectiveAccusative Feminine Singular
τὴνtēntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
γῆνgēnlandG1093
√ γῆ — soilNounAccusative Feminine Singular
26

Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to the widow of Zarephath in Sidon.

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Greek — tap a word ↓

kai Ēlias epemphthē pros oudemian autōn ei mē pros gynaika chēran eis Sarepta tēs Sidōnias

Word by word15 · parsed
καὶkaiYetG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἨλίαςĒliasElijahG2243
√ Ἡλίας — Helias (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ἐπέμφθηepemphthēwas [not] sentG3992
√ πέμπω — to dispatch (from the subjective view or point of departure, whereas (as a stronger form of ) refers rather to the objective point or terminus ad quem, and G4724 (στέλλω) denotes properly, the orderly motion involved), especially on a temporary errandVerbAorist Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
pempō: to send, to dispatch The passive keeps God as the unnamed sender, matching the unnamed agent who shut the heaven in v. 25. Gill draws the conclusion the congregation drew: God bestows His favours in a sovereign way, and sometimes upon the most unlikely.
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
οὐδεμίανoudemian[any]G3762
√ οὐδείς — not even one (man, woman or thing), iAdjectiveAccusative Feminine Singular
αὐτῶνautōnof themG846
√ 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 Feminine 3rd Person Plural
εἰeibutG1487
√ εἰ — if, whether, that, etcConjunction
ei mē: except, but rather Ellicott's correction is worth keeping: this is a contrast, not an exception carved out of the Israelite widows.
μὴmē. . .G3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
γυναῖκαgynaikavvvG1135
√ γυνή — a womanNounAccusative Feminine Singular
χήρανchēran[the] widowG5503
√ χήρα — a widow (as lacking a husband), literally or figurativelyAdjectiveAccusative Feminine Singular
εἰςeisG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
ΣάρεπταSareptaof ZarephathG4558
√ Σάρεπτα — Sarepta (iNounAccusative Neuter Plural
Zarephath: the Sidonian town of 1 Kings 17 Barnes locates it between Tyre and Sidon near the sea; Cambridge names the modern Surafend. A real town outside the covenant people, named out loud in a Galilean synagogue.
τῆςtēsG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
ΣιδωνίαςSidōniasin SidonG4606
√ Σιδώνιος — a Sidonian, iNounGenitive Feminine Singular
Sidōnios: Sidonian Rare (2 verses). Ellicott reads the whole episode as an instance of Jesus finding in what looked like a mere incident in Elijah's life a truth that implies the future calling of the Gentiles, and links it forward to the Syro-Phoenician woman.
27

And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. Yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

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Greek — tap a word ↓

kai ēsan polloi leproi en tō Israēl epi Elisaiou tou prophētou kai oudeis autōn ekatharisthē ei mē Naiman ho Syros

Word by word20 · parsed
καὶkaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἦσανēsanthere wereG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
πολλοὶpolloimanyG4183
√ πολύς — (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) manyAdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
λεπροὶleproilepersG3015
√ λεπρός — scaly, iAdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
lepros: scaly, leprous The premise of the argument is the adjective many. Jesus is not saying God helped a Gentile because no Israelite needed help.
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τῷtōG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
ἸσραὴλIsraēlIsraelG2474
√ Ἰσραήλ — Israel (iNounDative Masculine Singular
ἐπὶepiin the timeG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
ἘλισαίουElisaiouof ElishaG1666
√ Ἐλισσαῖος — Elissæus, an IsraeliteNounGenitive Masculine Singular
Elisha: the prophet of 2 Kings The brief notes that the Greek form is Elisaios, which older English renders Eliseus. JFB, quoting Stier, observes that Elijah and Elisha stand at the head of prophetic antiquity and that Jesus selects from their records the works of feeding and cleansing, not the fire from heaven or the bears that tore the mockers, because those are the works He has come to do.
τοῦtoutheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
προφήτουprophētouprophetG4396
√ προφήτης — a foreteller ("prophet")NounGenitive Masculine Singular
καὶkaiYetG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οὐδεὶςoudeisnot oneG3762
√ οὐδείς — not even one (man, woman or thing), iAdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
αὐτῶνautōnof themG846
√ 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 Plural
ἐκαθαρίσθηekatharisthēwas cleansedG2511
√ καθαρίζω — to cleanse (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
katharizō: to cleanse Cultic language. Cleansing is readmission to the assembly, which makes the choice of a Syrian recipient doubly pointed in a room full of people who assume the assembly is theirs.
εἰeionlyG1487
√ εἰ — if, whether, that, etcConjunction
μὴmē. . .G3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
ΝαιμὰνNaimanNaamanG3497
√ Νεεμάν — Neeman (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ΣύροςSyrosSyrianG4948
√ Σύρος — a Syran (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
Syros: a Syrian Cambridge's summary is the whole thread in nine words: thus both Elijah and Elisha had carried God's mercies to Gentiles. The congregation hears it and does not need it explained.
28

On hearing this, all the people in the synagogue were enraged.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai akouontes tauta pantes en tē synagōgē eplēsthēsan thymou

Word by word9 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀκούοντεςakouontesOn hearingG191
√ ἀκούω — to hear (in various senses)VerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
akouō: to hear Hearing is the thread of the unit: fulfilled in your ears (v. 21), we have heard what happened in Capernaum (v. 23), and now hearing these things they are filled with rage. Nothing is seen in this scene; everything turns on what is heard.
ταῦταtauta[this]G3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounAccusative Neuter Plural
πάντεςpantesall [the people]G3956
√ πᾶς — all, any, every, the wholeAdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
pas: all, every The all of v. 22 and the all of v. 28 are the same people. Barnes lists their reasons soberly, among them that the Gentiles were objects of compassion with God and that they themselves might be worse than the Gentiles.
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τῇtētheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
συναγωγῇsynagōgēsynagogueG4864
√ συναγωγή — an assemblage of personsNounDative Feminine Singular
ἐπλήσθησανeplēsthēsanwere enragedG4130
√ πλήθω — to "fill" (literally or figuratively (imbue, influence, supply))VerbAorist Indicative Passive3rd Person Plural
plēthō: to fill, to be filled Cambridge marks the aorist as a sudden outburst. Luke's favourite construction for being filled with the Spirit is turned here upon a congregation filled with something else.
θυμοῦthymou. . .G2372
√ θυμός — passion (as if breathing hard)NounGenitive Masculine Singular
thymos: hot passion, breathing hard Gill names the two triggers exactly: that they were being compared to the generation of Ahab and Jezebel, and that the calling of the Gentiles was plainly intimated. Poole adds the observation that men who will not be as holy as others have no patience to hear that others have a greater share in God's favour.
29

They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him over the cliff.

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Greek — tap a word ↓

kai anastantes exebalon auton exō tēs poleōs kai ēgagon auton heōs ophryos tou orous eph’ hou autōn hē polis ōkodomēto hōste katakrēmnisai auton

Word by word23 · parsed
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀναστάντεςanastantesThey got upG450
√ ἀνίστημι — to stand up (literal or figurative, transitive or intransitive)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
anistēmi: to stand up, to rise The verb of v. 16 returns with the opposite intent. He stood up to read them Scripture; they stand up to kill Him.
ἐξέβαλονexebalondroveG1544
√ ἐκβάλλω — to eject (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
ekballō: to cast out, to eject Aorist, violent. Gill notes that they thrust Him first out of the synagogue and then out of the city, as one unworthy to be in it, and as if He had earned a malefactor's death outside the walls.
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
ἔξωexōoutG1854
√ ἔξω — out(-side, of doors), literally or figurativelyPreposition
τῆςtēsofG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
πόλεωςpoleōs[the] townG4172
√ πόλις — a town (properly, with walls, of greater or less size)NounGenitive Feminine Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἤγαγονēgagonledG71
√ ἄγω — properly, to leadVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
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
ἕωςheōstoG2193
√ ἕως — a conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until (of time and place)Preposition
ὀφρύοςophryos[the] browG3790
√ ὀφρῦς — the eye-"brow" or forehead, iNounGenitive Feminine Singular
ophrys: brow, eyebrow Found only here in the NT. Cambridge and Pulpit both reject the traditional Mount of Precipitation, two miles off and therefore beyond a sabbath day's journey, in favour of one of the rocky escarpments close to the town, possibly the cliff of about forty feet above the Maronite church.
τοῦtouof theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Neuter Singular
ὄρουςoroushillG3735
√ ὄρος — perhaps akin to G142 (αἴρω)NounGenitive Neuter Singular
ἐφ’eph’onG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
οὗhouwhichG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounGenitive Neuter Singular
αὐτῶνautōnG846
√ 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 Plural
ἡhētheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
πόλιςpolistownG4172
√ πόλις — a town (properly, with walls, of greater or less size)NounNominative Feminine Singular
ᾠκοδόμητοōkodomētowas builtG3618
√ οἰκοδομέω — to be a house-builder, iVerbPluperfect Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
ὥστεhōstein orderG5620
√ ὥστε — so too, iConjunction
κατακρημνίσαιkatakrēmnisaito throw Him over the cliffG2630
√ κατακρημνίζω — to precipitate downVerbAorist Infinitive Active
katakrēmnizō: to hurl down a cliff A NT hapax. Cambridge offers the most useful explanation of the intent: hurling from a height was regarded as a form of stoning, the legal penalty for blasphemy, which means the crowd is not merely furious but is improvising an execution for the charge that v. 21 laid them open to. Gill adds that inflicting any punishment on the sabbath was forbidden by their own canon, so the mob breaks the law it thinks it is defending.
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
30

But Jesus passed through the crowd and went on His way.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de autos dielthōn dia autōn mesou eporeueto

Word by word7 · parsed
δὲdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
αὐτὸςautos[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 PronounNominative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
autos: he himself The emphatic pronoun holds the last verse together: the whole town on one side, one man walking on the other.
διελθὼνdielthōnpassedG1330
√ διέρχομαι — to traverse (literally)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
dierchomai: to pass through, to traverse A word Luke uses for missionary travel throughout Acts. What ends this scene is not an escape so much as the resumption of a journey.
διὰdiathroughG1223
√ διά — through (in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional)Preposition
αὐτῶνautōnvvvG846
√ 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 Plural
μέσουmesou[the crowd]G3319
√ μέσος — middle (as an adjective or (neuter) noun)AdjectiveGenitive Neuter Singular
mesos: middle Through the very middle of them. Whether the calm is divine power or divine bearing, the text records that He goes through the centre of the mob rather than around it.
ἐπορεύετοeporeueto[and] went on His wayG4198
√ πορεύομαι — to traverse, iVerbImperfect Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
poreuomai: to go, to journey (imperfect) Cambridge's last word on the verse is the one worth keeping: probably never to return again, and the town that had thirty sinless years of Him did not know the day of its visitation.

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 town that reared Him, the roll that was handed to Him — 4:16-17

Luke opens the public ministry in the one room where nobody can be impressed by a stranger. The verb he chooses for Nazareth is τεθραμμένος (trephō, perfect passive): this town fed and reared Him, and the perfect keeps that fact standing over everything that follows. Ellicott stresses that the story is peculiar to Luke and guesses that he gathered it near Nazareth itself during Paul's imprisonment at Caesarea; he also observes that Jesus did not begin His ministry here, but came when His fame was already established. Cambridge reads the rare perfect εἰωθὸς (ethō, 4 verses in the NT) as the habit of the whole silent Nazareth life, and supposes that until this day He had been a worshipper who did not speak; that is inference, not record, and we mark it as such. Barnes draws the plainer moral, that the Saviour regularly attended a service he knew to be corrupt in doctrine and practice. Then the roll is handed over: Cambridge renders ἐπεδόθη as handed further, that is, after the reading from the Law, and Geneva explains that opening the book means unrolling it. On whether Jesus chose His own text the voices genuinely divide. Benson says the place met His eye by particular providence; Pulpit says He specially selected the section; Cambridge says the verb heuren leaves it open. What is not open is the shape of what He read.

ii. Isaiah read verbatim, one clause spliced in, and the half verse left unread — 4:18-20

The reading is Isaiah 61:1-2, and it is not a paraphrase: Jesus reads the prophet, from the prophet's own scroll, in a service whose every convention He observes. Three things about it are sourced facts and all three matter. First, the wording follows the Septuagint rather than the Hebrew at the clause about the blind: Ellicott states that the English Isaiah rightly follows the Hebrew with the opening of the prison to them that are bound, and Cambridge says outright that here the Greek differs from the Hebrew and may carry a reminiscence of Isaiah 42:7. Second, a clause has been spliced in. The words behind BSB's "to release the oppressed," built on the perfect participle τεθραυσμένους (thrauō, the shattered), are not in Isaiah 61:1 at all; Cambridge, Ellicott and Pulpit all identify them as Isaiah 58:6 in its Greek form, the fast that God actually chooses, which unties the yoke and lets the crushed go free. Third, and decisively, the reading stops in the middle of Isaiah 61:2. Cambridge notes that the prophetic lesson normally ran to twenty one verses and never fewer than three, and that our Lord stopped short in the second because He wished these gracious words to rest last on their ears rather than the following words, the day of vengeance of our God. JFB says the same: He stopped the quotation just before the day of vengeance, which was only to come on the rejecters of His message. Gill records that the Vulgate and Arabic later added the vengeance clause back, though no Greek copy has it, which is quiet evidence that the omission unsettled later readers as much as it should unsettle us. Then the participles close like two hands: ἀναπτύξας unrolled at v. 17, πτύξας rolled up at v. 20. Ellicott reads the sitting down not as retreat but as the assumption of the teacher's chair, and Luke's own word ἀτενίζοντες holds every eye in the room fixed on a man who has just refused to read a line of Scripture.

iii. Today, and the son of Joseph — 4:21-22

The perfect πεπλήρωται answers the perfect γεγραμμένον: what stands written stands filled full, and the adverb sēmeron is thrown to the front of the sentence to say when. Maclaren puts the scale of it best, calling this first sentence the most unlimited assertion, made to people who had known Him since He was a child; Cambridge says the discourse began with the announcement that He was the Messiah in whom the prophet found fulfilment; Barnes and JFB remind us that ἤρξατο means we hold only the opening words of a longer sermon. The response comes in three imperfects, all continuous, none of them faith: they kept testifying, kept marvelling, kept saying. Poole is exact and unsentimental here, that they did not believe in him, but admired the effects of the grace of God in him. Ellicott points out that χάριτος, the word that will carry the whole theology of Acts and Paul, appears here for the first time and is not in Matthew or Mark at all; Cambridge narrows it to beauty of utterance, though Barnes and Gill hear the content as well. And then the disqualifier, framed as a question that expects agreement: this is Joseph's son, is he not? Geneva's marginal note is blunt and old: familiarity causes Christ to be condemned, and therefore he often goes to strangers. That sentence turns out to be the outline of the rest of the scene.

iv. Two prophets quoted against the hometown — 4:23-27

Jesus answers a proverb with a proverb, and then two histories. The taunt He puts in their mouths, Physician heal yourself, is one Ellicott notes with interest as appearing in the Gospel of the beloved physician, and Cambridge observes that the same taunt would be thrown at Him on the cross. Then the hinge word: no prophet is δεκτός in his own πατρίς. Both are rare (5 verses and 8 verses in the NT), and the first of them is the very adjective He read five verses earlier over the acceptable year of the Lord. The acceptable year is proclaimed by the unacceptable prophet, and the English cannot show it because it renders the one word twice, as "favor" and as "accepted." The two histories are chosen with a precision that explains the riot. The widow of Zarephath belongs to 1 Kings 17:8-24; Barnes notes that Sarepta lay between Tyre and Sidon and was a Sidonian, that is a Gentile, town. Naaman belongs to 2 Kings 5:1-14. Cambridge states the common point in one line: both Elijah and Elisha had carried God's mercies to Gentiles. Poole, who is the most searching of the voices on this unit, draws out what the congregation actually heard, that God's grace is free and distinguishing, that He was not bound to give to all the same aid, and that this is a doctrine the world was never patient to hear. On the three years and six months we should be honest: Cambridge says plainly that the book of Kings mentions only three years and that the longer figure was Jewish tradition, also found at James 5:17; Benson and Barnes each offer a reconciliation, reckoning the drought from a different starting point. The reconciliations are reasonable; they are not what 1 Kings says in so many words, and we record the difference rather than paper it.

v. The rage, the brow of the hill, and the passing through — 4:28-30

The aorist ἐπλήσθησαν with the genitive θυμοῦ is a sudden filling, and Cambridge marks the tense as a sudden outburst. Luke's cruelty of arrangement is deliberate: the pantes, the all, who bore Him witness in v. 22 are the same pantes who are filled with rage in v. 28. Gill names the cause without flinching, that the calling of the Gentiles was here plainly intimated, which was always ungrateful and provoking; Ellicott says they heard themselves spoken of as though there might be a faith in Sidon and in Syria which was not found in Israel. Geneva's old note reads the pattern, that the more sharply the world is rebuked the more it openly rages, but the life of the godly is not always subject to the desires of the wicked. Then the verbs turn violent and precise: ἀναστάντες, they stood up, the same verb He used to stand and read; ἐξέβαλον, they threw Him out, the verb Luke uses elsewhere of casting out demons; κατακρημνίσαι, to hurl down a cliff, a word that occurs nowhere else in the NT. Cambridge suggests the intent was a rough form of stoning, the legal penalty for blasphemy, and both Cambridge and Pulpit note that the traditional Mount of Precipitation lies two miles off, beyond a sabbath day's journey, so the cliff was more likely one of the escarpments close to the town. On the escape the voices divide honestly. JFB and Gill read it as miraculous; Ellicott refuses, saying we have no right to insert miracles in the Gospel records and that calm self possessed righteousness has in itself a power to baffle an angry mob; Cambridge calls it a wonder rather than a miracle. Luke simply writes an imperfect, ἐπορεύετο, He was going on His way, and Cambridge adds the saddest gloss in the unit: probably never to return.

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

⚙ This is the tool's own fallible reading, offered to be tested against the text and the voices above. The center of this passage is a silence, and the silence is quantifiable: one half verse, unread. Jesus reads the whole commission of Isaiah 61, splices into it the clause from Isaiah 58:6 about letting the shattered go free, arrives at the year of the Lord's welcome, and rolls the scroll before the day of vengeance of our God. Cambridge and JFB both say so; we are not inventing it, only insisting on it. What follows is often read as a scene about hometown prejudice, and the proverbs invite that reading. But the congregation does not riot at v. 22, when the claim is at its most extravagant; they riot at v. 27, when two Gentiles are named. Between those two points Jesus does something with one rare adjective that we think is the key to the unit: δεκτός proclaims the acceptable year at v. 19 and denies the acceptable prophet at v. 24. The reading announces a jubilee of release, and the very first thing released, within ten verses, is the assumption that the release belongs to the people who reared Him. Our fallible judgment is this: the omitted half verse and the two Gentile histories are one act, not two. He withholds the day of vengeance from the reading and then withholds the miracles from the town, and both withholdings say the same thing, that the timing and the reach of God's mercy are His to set. The town understands perfectly. That is why it tries to kill Him. And the last detail is not a rescue so much as a verdict: He walks through the middle of them and keeps walking, and Luke never brings Him back.

He rolled up the scroll before the vengeance, and the town that raised Him could not forgive the mercy.

⚙

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 scroll He actually read: Isaiah 61:1-2 with Isaiah 58:6 spliced in structural / thematic: confirmed

This is a formal, marked quotation: Jesus reads aloud from the roll of Isaiah handed to Him by the attendant, and Luke gives the wording of what He read. The quotation is Isaiah 61:1-2 in its Greek form, with one clause carried in from Isaiah 58:6, the fast God chooses, which unties the yoke and lets the shattered go free. Cambridge states both facts without hedging: at the recovery of sight the Greek differs from the Hebrew, which reads the opening of the prison to them that are bound, and the clause about the bruised is not in Isaiah 61:1 but is a free reminiscence of the Greek of Isaiah 58:6. Ellicott and Pulpit agree that the clause is absent from the present text of Isaiah 61. And the reading stops inside 61:2, before the day of vengeance of our God, which Cambridge and JFB both treat as deliberate. The splice and the stop together are the interpretive center of the passage: the Servant's commission is read out in full as to mercy and cut short as to judgment.

Isaiah 61:1-2 · Isaiah 58:6

basis: Jesus reads Isaiah verbatim from the scroll, so the material link is a quotation, not a mere motif: Isaiah 61:1-2 in Septuagint form, with the clause about the crushed (Greek perfect participle of thrauō, G2352) spliced in from Isaiah 58:6, and the reading stopped deliberately before Isaiah 61:2b, the day of vengeance. The tier is structural rather than verbal only because the refs cross the Testaments: a Greek NT text and a Hebrew OT text share no Strong's numbers, so the Verifier can compute no shared lexeme basis, and this project's rule forbids tiering a cross-Testament pair verbal. Sourced from Cambridge and Ellicott at Luke 4:18, Cambridge and JFB at Luke 4:19-20.

The year of the Lord's welcome is the jubilee of Leviticus 25 structural / thematic: confirmed

The noun ἐνιαυτόν (eniautos, G1763, 14 verses) is a full year cycle, and the release word of the reading, ἄφεσις (G859), is the standing Greek term for the jubilee release of debts, slaves and land. Ellicott: the primary reference was to the year of Jubilee, when land that had been mortgaged returned to its owner, and debts were forgiven, and Israelite slaves released. Barnes points to the trumpet of the fiftieth year and the restoration of possessions to their original families; JFB calls it a year of universal release for person and property; Cambridge calls the Levitical jubilee only a type of the true Jubilee of Christ's kingdom. Leviticus 25:39-41 supplies the second half of the picture, the Israelite sold into service who goes free and returns to his own possession.

Leviticus 25:8-13 · Leviticus 25:39-41

basis: Shared institution and vocabulary field (jubilee release, aphesis G859 as the Greek jubilee term, eniautos G1763 as the year cycle), attested by Ellicott, Barnes, JFB and Cambridge at Luke 4:19. No verbal tier is possible or claimed: the refs cross the Testaments, so Greek and Hebrew share no Strong's numbers and the Verifier computed no lexeme basis for this pair.

δεκτός: the acceptable year and the unacceptable prophet verbal / quotation: confirmed

The rare adjective δεκτός (G1184) occurs in only five NT verses, and two of them are in this unit: the acceptable year of the Lord at 4:19 and the prophet who is not acceptable in his hometown at 4:24. The Verifier supplies the other occurrences. At Acts 10:35, in the house of the Gentile Cornelius, Peter says that in every nation the one who fears God and works righteousness is dektos to Him, which is the doctrine the Nazareth congregation will not hear. At 2 Corinthians 6:2 Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8 and declares that now is the dektos time. Philippians 4:18 uses it of a sacrifice welcome to God. The English versions break the link by rendering the word "favor" at 4:19 and "accepted" at 4:24; in Greek it is one word, and the irony is built into the vocabulary.

Acts 10:35 · 2 Corinthians 6:2 · Philippians 4:18

basis: Verifier: shared rare Greek lexeme G1184 δεκτός (in 5 vv) at Acts 10:35 (0.40), 2 Corinthians 6:2 (0.41) and Philippians 4:18 (0.41), all Greek to Greek. Five verses in the whole NT carry this adjective and two of them stand in this unit. No claim is made that any of these passages quotes another: the confirmed link is lexical.

He anointed Me: chriō, and the apostolic summary of this scene verbal / quotation: confirmed

ἔχρισέν (chriō, G5548) occurs in only five NT verses, and it is the verb that makes the title Christos. The Verifier pairs this unit with Acts 10:38, where Peter, again in a Gentile house, says that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, joining the same three elements the reading joins: Nazareth (G3478), Spirit (G4151) and anointing (G5548). Acts 4:27 uses the same verb in the church's prayer against those gathered in Israel with the Gentiles. Cambridge notes that the Hebrew mashach behind Isaiah's word would have said Messiah to every hearer; Barnes explains that the anointing is not literal oil but appointment to the offices of prophet, priest and king.

Acts 10:38 · Acts 4:27

basis: Verifier: Acts 10:38 (0.31) shares G3478 Ναζαρέθ (in 12 vv), G4151 πνεῦμα (in 344 vv) and the rare G5548 χρίω (in 5 vv); Acts 4:27 (0.25) shares G5548 χρίω (in 5 vv) with G2474 Ἰσραήλ and G225 ἀλήθεια. Greek to Greek throughout, and chriō at 5 verses is rare enough to carry the tier. The link is lexical and thematic, not a quotation of one passage by another.

No prophet is acceptable in his own πατρίς verbal / quotation: confirmed

πατρίς (G3968, 8 verses) is a fatherland, not simply a hometown, and the saying travels across the Gospels: Matthew 13:57 and Mark 6:4 in the parallel Nazareth account, and John 4:44 where Luke's dektos becomes the plain statement that a prophet has no honour in his own patris. Ellicott judges that the saying was often on the lips of Jesus rather than uttered once; Cambridge adds Matthew's expansion, and in his own house. Pulpit widens the reference: the Master was evidently looking far beyond the little prejudices of Nazareth. Hebrews 11:14 uses the same rare noun in the opposite direction, of those who seek a fatherland of their own, which is a genuine lexical echo and not a claim that the writer had Luke in view.

Matthew 13:57 · Mark 6:4 · John 4:44 · Hebrews 11:14

basis: Verifier: John 4:44 (0.29) shares G4396 προφήτης (in 138 vv), G3140 μαρτυρέω (in 72 vv) and the rare G3968 πατρίς (in 8 vv); Mark 6:4 and Matthew 13:57 (0.27 each) share G4396 and G3968 twice; Matthew 13:54 (0.32) shares G4864 συναγωγή and G3968; Hebrews 11:14 (0.25) shares G3968 twice. All Greek to Greek. patris at 8 verses is the rare lexeme carrying the tier. Hebrews 11:14 is included for the lexeme only, with no claim of literary dependence.

Elijah sent past Israel to Zarephath, Elisha past Israel to Naaman typological

The two histories Jesus cites are 1 Kings 17:8-24, where Elijah is sent in the famine to a widow of Zarephath in Sidonian territory, and 2 Kings 5:1-14, where Elisha cleanses Naaman the Syrian, the commander of a hostile army. Cambridge states the shared point in a sentence: thus both Elijah and Elisha had carried God's mercies to Gentiles. Barnes notes that Sarepta was a Sidonian and therefore a Gentile town. Ellicott sees in what looked like a mere episode in the life of Elijah a truth which implies the future calling of the Gentiles, and connects it forward to the Syro-Phoenician woman. Poole draws the harder edge: God was not bound to give to all the same aid, and this is a doctrine the world was never patient to hear. JFB, citing Stier, observes that Jesus reaches for the two prophets' works of feeding and cleansing, not for the fire from heaven or the bears that tore the mockers. The figural reading, that the two Gentile recipients prefigure the Gentile mission, is ancient and widely held among these commentators; it is a reading of pattern, not a claim that Luke's Greek quotes Kings.

1 Kings 17:8-24 · 2 Kings 5:1-14

basis: Figural reading, ancient and widely held: Ellicott, Cambridge, Poole, Gill, Barnes and Pulpit all read the two Gentile recipients as a foreshadowing of the calling of the Gentiles, and Jesus Himself uses them that way. Cross-Testament refs, so no shared Strong's basis can exist and no verbal tier is claimed; the Verifier returned no lexeme link for these pairs.

Three years and six months: the figure Luke and James share verbal / quotation: confirmed

Luke's Jesus dates the famine at three years and six months, using ἐνιαυτούς (G1763), τρία (G5140) and ἕξ (G1803). James 5:17 gives the same span for the same drought under Elijah, with the same uncommon vocabulary. Cambridge names it for what it is: such was the Jewish tradition, as we see also in James 5:17, comparing Daniel 12:7 and Revelation 11:2-3. The link between these two NT passages is real and lexical; what it establishes is a shared tradition of reckoning, not that either author quotes the other.

James 5:17

basis: Verifier: James 5:17 (0.29) shares G1763 ἐνιαυτός (in 14 vv), G1803 ἕξ (in 13 vv) and G5140 τρεῖς (in 62 vv), Greek to Greek, and the first two are rare. The shared item is a numeric formula for the length of Elijah's drought, not a quotation of one text by the other.

The length of the drought is not stated this way in 1 Kings flagged: verify source

Honesty requires a flag here. 1 Kings 18:1 says the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, and 1 Kings 17 tells the story without giving a total. Cambridge says straightforwardly that the book of Kings only mentions three years, though in the phrase many days it seems to imply more. Barnes reconciles by adding the six dry months that would have preceded the withheld rains; Benson reconciles differently, reckoning the three years from the time Elijah began to sojourn at Zarephath, with a prior year at the brook Cherith, and appeals to James. Gill concedes that the span is not so clear from the history in Kings and rests it on the authority of Christ and the apostle. These are three different reconciliations of one difficulty, which is itself the evidence that the difficulty is real.

1 Kings 18:1 · 1 Kings 17:1

basis: Provenance of the three and a half year figure is contested: 1 Kings gives no such total and 1 Kings 18:1 dates the word of the Lord to the third year. Cambridge calls the longer figure Jewish tradition; Barnes, Benson and Gill offer three incompatible reconciliations. Cross-Testament refs in any case, so no shared Strong's basis is available and no verbal tier could be claimed. Flagged rather than asserted.

The prophet whose own town plots against him structural / thematic: confirmed

The pattern Jesus names as a proverb has an Old Testament instance sharp enough to be worth setting beside it. At Jeremiah 11:21 the men of Anathoth, the prophet's own village, tell him not to prophesy in the name of the Lord or he will die by their hand; at Jeremiah 12:6 his own brothers and his father's house deal treacherously with him. Nazareth does in one afternoon what Anathoth did over years. No commentator in this brief draws the link, so it is offered as our own reading of a shared pattern and tiered accordingly: a motif, not a quotation, and not a claim that Luke had Jeremiah in view.

Jeremiah 11:21 · Jeremiah 12:6

basis: Shared pattern only: the prophet rejected and threatened with death by his own town and kin. Cross-Testament refs, so no shared Strong's lexeme can be computed and no verbal tier is possible. The Verifier returned no candidate for this pair; the link is the synthesis author's own structural observation and is claimed at no higher strength than that.

As His custom was: the rare verb ἔθω, and Paul's practice after Him verbal / quotation: confirmed

εἰωθὸς (ethō, G1486) is rare, four verses in the NT, and the Verifier sets this unit beside Acts 17:2, where Paul goes in to the synagogue on the sabbath as his custom was and reasons from the Scriptures. Luke uses the same uncommon perfect for the master and the apostle, and pairs it in both places with entering (G1525) and sabbath (G4521). JFB makes the cross-reference directly at Luke 4:16. Barnes draws the pastoral conclusion, that regular attendance was the practice of Jesus even where the teaching was corrupt.

Acts 17:2 · Mark 10:1

basis: Verifier: Acts 17:2 (0.31) shares the rare G1486 ἔθω (in 4 vv) with G1525 εἰσέρχομαι (in 184 vv) and G4521 σάββατον (in 62 vv); Mark 10:1 (0.27) shares G1486 ἔθω (in 4 vv) with G450 ἀνίστημι. All Greek to Greek, and ethō at 4 verses is rare enough to carry the tier. Lexical link and shared practice, not a quotation.

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The Anointed reads His own commission aloud ancient/widely-held

The verb ἔχρισέν (chriō, G5548) is the root of the title Christ, and it occurs in only five NT verses. Barnes explains that prophets, priests and kings were set apart by anointing, so that the anointed one is the Messiah in Hebrew and the Christ in Greek, and that Jesus was anointed not with oil but by God's appointment; Cambridge notes that the Hebrew mashach under Isaiah's word would have said Messiah to every hearer in that room. JFB and Pulpit both observe that the opening clause sets the Spirit, the Father who anoints, and the Anointed side by side, and JFB records that the Church Fathers noticed it. Gill points out that the same Spirit visibly descended on Him at the baptism, which in Luke's own narrative stands three paragraphs earlier. The redemptive-historical claim is therefore not imposed: the reader has just watched the Spirit descend, and now hears the anointed man read out the job description of the Servant of Isaiah and say that it is His. Peter's summary in Acts 10:38, that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, is the apostolic form of the same sentence.

Isaiah 61:1-2 · Luke 3:22 · Acts 10:38

The half verse He would not read: mercy now, vengeance not yet ancient/widely-held

The most Christological act in the unit is an omission. Isaiah 61:2 runs on from the year of the Lord's welcome to the day of vengeance of our God, and Jesus rolls the scroll before it. Cambridge says He stopped short in the second verse because He wished these gracious words to rest last on their ears rather than the following words; JFB says He stopped the quotation just before the day of vengeance, which was only to come on the rejecters of His message, and points to John 3:17, that God did not send the Son to condemn the world. This is the ancient and widely held reading, and it carries a whole structure with it: the same prophetic sentence holds both the favour and the judgment, and the first advent claims one clause of it. Gill's note that the Vulgate and Arabic later restored the vengeance clause, though no Greek copy has it, shows how uncomfortable the gap has always been. The gap is the gospel's own shape.

Isaiah 61:2 · John 3:17 · 2 Corinthians 6:2

Driven outside the town, and walking through the middle of them novel

⚙ This last reading is our own and is marked as novel. Luke's verbs at v. 29 are hard and specific: they stood up (anistēmi, the same verb He used to stand and read), they threw Him out (ekballō) outside the city, they led Him (agō) as far as the brow of the hill, intending κατακρημνίσαι, to hurl Him down the cliff, a verb found nowhere else in the NT. Cambridge suggests they meant it as a rough form of stoning, the penalty for blasphemy. Every element of the passion is present here in miniature at the very opening of the ministry: the charge is blasphemy, the crowd is His own people, the place is outside the city, and the intent is death. JFB sees the shape of it and says this was the first insult which the Son of God received. What differs is the ending. He passes through the middle of them and goes on His way, and Ellicott is right to refuse to manufacture a miracle out of it. The ⚙ reading we offer to be tested is that Luke has placed an unfinished passion at the head of the Gospel: the hour has not come, so the same man who will later be led out of a city and not delivered is, this once, simply not held. No commentator in this brief draws that line, and it is claimed as our own.

Luke 23:33 · John 8:59 · Hebrews 13:12

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)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

Text. The BSB base text of v. 18 does not contain the clause "to heal the brokenhearted," and the interlinear supplied in the brief has no words for it. Cambridge states that it is omitted in the manuscripts Sinaiticus, B, D and L; Ellicott says it is not in the best manuscripts. Older English versions and several of the commentators quoted here (Benson, Barnes, Gill, Geneva, Poole) work from a text that includes it, so their comments on healing the brokenhearted address a clause our verse does not carry. That mismatch is disclosed rather than hidden, and no note above treats the clause as present.

Quotation. The reading of Isaiah follows the Greek version, not the Hebrew, at two points: "recovery of sight to the blind" where the Hebrew has the opening of the prison to the bound (Ellicott, Cambridge), and the clause about the crushed, which is not in Isaiah 61 at all but comes from Isaiah 58:6 (Cambridge, Ellicott, Pulpit). Cambridge holds that Jesus would have read the Hebrew aloud and that the congregation heard it rendered in Aramaic or Greek, and that Luke quotes freely from the Greek; that reconstruction is plausible but not provable, and the notes above do not build on it. Poole's long defence of the New Testament writers' use of the Septuagint is the fullest treatment in the brief and is worth reading whole. Gill records that the Vulgate and Arabic versions add the day of vengeance to v. 19, but that no Greek copy has it.

Uncertain. Whether Jesus read the appointed lesson or chose the passage is undecided: Benson says providence brought it to His eye, Pulpit says He selected it, Cambridge says the verb does not settle it, and Ellicott's attractive suggestion that the day was the Day of Atonement rests on a lectionary order that he himself admits cannot be shown to have existed then (Cambridge cites Zunz against it). The length of the drought is discussed in a flagged thread above and is not asserted. Whether this visit is the same as the one in Matthew 13:53-58 and Mark 6:1-6 is debated: Cambridge and Pulpit think it is the same event told out of order there, Poole doubts it. The manner of the escape at v. 30 divides the voices sharply, JFB and Gill calling it miraculous, Ellicott and Cambridge refusing to call it a miracle, and Luke's own words assert nothing beyond the fact.

Method. Every commentary excerpt above is public-domain text quoted verbatim by anchor and resolved mechanically from the source, never retyped or paraphrased. Interlinear surfaces, transliterations, glosses, Strong's numbers, parses and lexeme frequencies are taken from the brief. Cross-reference bases marked Verifier are computed shared-lexeme results; the Jeremiah thread has no Verifier basis and says so. Everything marked ⚙ is this tool's fallible synthesis and may be wrong.

✦ = 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)