The Fallible Study Bible

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Luke10:25–37

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

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Luke 10:25–37 — The Parable of the Good Samaritan. 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.

25

One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai idou tis nomikos anestē ekpeirazōn auton Didaskale legōn ti poiēsas klēronomēsō aiōnion zōēn

Word by word14 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiOne dayG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἰδοὺidou. . .G2400
√ ἰδού — used as imperative lo!VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
idou: behold Luke's narrative attention marker; here it flags the lawyer's rising as a deliberate move.
τιςtisanG5100
√ τὶς — some or any person or objectInterrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Masculine Singular
νομικόςnomikosexpert in the lawG3544
√ νομικός — according (or pertaining) to law, iAdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
nomikos: one versed in the law A professional expounder of the Mosaic Law. Cambridge and Gill note he differs little from a scribe (compare Mark 12:28). The title matters: the man whose life is the Law is about to be asked how he reads it.
ἀνέστηanestēstood upG450
√ ἀνίστημι — to stand up (literal or figurative, transitive or intransitive)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἐκπειράζωνekpeirazōnto testG1598
√ ἐκπειράζω — to test thoroughlyVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
ekpeirazō: to test thoroughly Present participle, so the testing is the purpose and manner of his standing up. The same compound stands in Luke 4:12, where Jesus answers the devil with Deut 6:16, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” The commentators divide on hostility: Ellicott and JFB read a test of orthodoxy without malice; Barnes and Gill read an attempt to entrap.
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
ΔιδάσκαλεDidaskaleTeacherG1320
√ διδάσκαλος — an instructor (genitive case or specially)NounVocative Masculine Singular
didaskalos: teacher A respectful but peer-level address: one teacher sounding out another.
λέγωνlegōnhe askedG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
τίtiwhatG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
ποιήσαςpoiēsasmust I doG4160
√ ποιέω — to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
poieō: to do, make Aorist participle. The verb poieō is the spine of the unit: “having done” (v. 25), “keep doing” (v. 28), “the one who did the mercy” (v. 37), “keep doing likewise” (v. 37). The lawyer asks for a deed; Jesus ends by commanding a life.
κληρονομήσωklēronomēsōto inheritG2816
√ κληρονομέω — to be an heir to (literally or figuratively)VerbFuture Indicative Active1st Person Singular
klēronomeō: to be an heir Future indicative. In Israel's story the inheritance was the land given by promise; in the Gospels it becomes eternal life and the kingdom. An heir does not purchase his portion, which is the quiet irony Gill presses: “seeking eternal life by their own works.”
αἰώνιονaiōnioneternalG166
√ αἰώνιος — perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future as well)AdjectiveAccusative Feminine Singular
ζωὴνzōēnlifeG2222
√ ζωή — life (literally or figuratively)NounAccusative Feminine Singular
zōē: life With aiōnios, the life of the age to come. Jesus will answer with the cognate verb zēsē, “you will live” (v. 28).
26

“What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

ti gegraptai En tō nomō de Ho eipen pros auton pōs anaginōskeis

Word by word12 · parsed
τίtiWhatG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Neuter Singular
γέγραπταιgegraptaiis writtenG1125
√ γράφω — to "grave", especially to writeVerbPerfect Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
graphō: to write Perfect tense: Scripture's standing authority is the ground Jesus chooses. He answers the expert from the expert's own text.
ἘνEninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τῷtōtheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
νόμῳnomōLawG3551
√ νόμος — law (through the idea of prescriptive usage), genitive case (regulation), specially, (of Moses (including the volume)NounDative Masculine Singular
nomos: law Here the Torah as written Scripture, the very thing a nomikos exists to expound.
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὉHoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
εἶπενeipen[Jesus] repliedG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
πρὸςprosG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
αὐτόνautonG846
√ 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
πῶςpōsHowG4459
√ πῶς — an interrogative particle of mannerAdverb
pōs: how An adverb of manner. The question is not merely a quiz on content but an inquiry into the reader.
ἀναγινώσκειςanaginōskeisdo you read [it]G314
√ ἀναγινώσκω — to know again, iVerbPresent Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
anaginōskō: to read (aloud) Habitual present. Gill links it to the twice-daily Shema (Deut 6:4 to 9); Pulpit and Cambridge suggest Jesus may have pointed to the phylactery the lawyer wore. Both are conjectures the text does not state.
27

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de Ho apokritheis eipen Agapēseis Kyrion sou ton Theon ex holēs sou tēs kardias kai en holē sou tē psychē kai en holē sou tē ischui kai en holē sou tē dianoia kai sou Ton plēsion hōs seauton

Word by word38 · parsed
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὉHoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἀποκριθεὶςapokritheisvvvG611
√ ἀποκρίνομαι — to conclude for oneself, iVerbAorist Participle PassiveNominative Masculine Singular
εἶπενeipenHe answeredG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἈγαπήσειςAgapēseisLoveG25
√ ἀγαπάω — to love (in a social or moral sense)VerbFuture Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
agapaō: to love Future indicative used as covenant command, the Septuagint form of Deut 6:5 and Lev 19:18. Love here is not a mood but the whole self's allegiance; Benson glosses it as uniting “all the faculties of thy soul.” Romans 13:9 and Galatians 5:14 (cited by Cambridge) show the apostles treating this same love as the law's fulfilment.
ΚύριονKyrion[the] LordG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounAccusative Masculine Singular
σουsouyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
τὸνtonG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ΘεόνTheonGodG2316
√ θεός — figuratively, a magistrateNounAccusative Masculine Singular
ἐξexwithG1537
√ ἐκ — literal or figurativePreposition
ek: out of Source preposition: the heart as the spring of love.
ὅληςholēsallG3650
√ ὅλος — "whole" or "all", iAdjectiveGenitive Feminine Singular
holos: whole Repeated four times. The demand is totality, not proportion; this is what makes “do this” in v. 28 so searching.
σουsouyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
τῆςtēsG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
καρδίαςkardiasheartG2588
√ καρδία — the heart, iNounGenitive Feminine Singular
kardia: heart In biblical usage the center of will and understanding, not only feeling.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐνenwithG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ὅλῃholēallG3650
√ ὅλος — "whole" or "all", iAdjectiveDative Feminine Singular
σουsouyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
τῇtēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
ψυχῇpsychēsoulG5590
√ ψυχή — breath, iNounDative Feminine Singular
psychē: soul, life The living self; to love with all the psychē is to love with one's very life.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐνenwithG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ὅλῃholēallG3650
√ ὅλος — "whole" or "all", iAdjectiveDative Feminine Singular
σουsouyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
τῇtēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
ἰσχύϊischuistrengthG2479
√ ἰσχύς — compare , a form of G2192 (ἔχω))NounDative Feminine Singular
ischys: strength Capacity and resources, the Hebrew mᵉʼōḏ of Deut 6:5 (“muchness”).
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐνenwithG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ὅλῃholēallG3650
√ ὅλος — "whole" or "all", iAdjectiveDative Feminine Singular
σουsouyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
τῇtēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
διανοίᾳdianoiamindG1271
√ διάνοια — deep thought, properly, the faculty (mind or its disposition), by implication, its exerciseNounDative Feminine Singular
dianoia: mind The reasoning faculty, absent from the Hebrew of Deut 6:5 but present in the Synoptic form. Thinking itself is claimed for love of God.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
σουsou[Love] yourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
ΤὸνTonG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
πλησίονplēsionneighborG4139
√ πλησίον — (adverbially) close byAdverb
plēsion: near, neighbor An adverb functioning as a noun, “the one near.” In Lev 19:18 the neighbor is set in parallel with “the sons of your people,” which is why the lawyer can later ask where the boundary lies. Gill documents rabbinic readings that limited it to Israelites.
ὡςhōsasG5613
√ ὡς — which how, iAdverb
σεαυτόνseautonyourselfG4572
√ σεαυτοῦ — of (with, to) thyselfPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 2nd Person Singular
seautou: yourself The measure of neighbor-love is the care one already gives oneself, a standard the Samaritan will enact in vv. 34 to 35.
28

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do this and you will live.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

apekrithēs Orthōs de Eipen autō poiei touto kai zēsē

Word by word9 · parsed
ἀπεκρίθηςapekrithēsYou have answeredG611
√ ἀποκρίνομαι — to conclude for oneself, iVerbAorist Indicative Passive2nd Person Singular
ὈρθῶςOrthōscorrectlyG3723
√ ὀρθῶς — in a straight manner, iAdverb
orthōs: rightly Jesus validates the answer, not the answerer's life. The same adverb closes the debtor parable in Luke 7:43, where Simon too is made to pronounce the verdict that judges him.
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ΕἶπενEipen[Jesus] saidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτῷautō. . .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 PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ποίειpoieiDoG4160
√ ποιέω — to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)VerbPresent Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
poieō: to do Present imperative, continuous action. The command is not a riddle with a hidden escape: it states what the law requires. Readers divide on its force: Benson insists the words are “not spoken ironically, but seriously,” while Gill and Barnes read them as designed to expose the impossibility of earning life by the law. Both readings keep the words true.
τοῦτοtoutothisG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
houtos: this Singular: love of God and love of neighbor as one undivided demand.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ζήσῃzēsēyou will liveG2198
√ ζάω — to live (literally or figuratively)VerbFuture Indicative Middle2nd Person Singular
zaō: to live Future middle. Answering the question of “eternal life” (v. 25) with the verb of Lev 18:5, a text Paul later sets against the righteousness of faith (Rom 10:5; Gal 3:12).
29

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de Ho thelōn dikaiōsai heauton eipen pros ton Iēsoun Kai tis estin mou plēsion

Word by word14 · parsed
δὲdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὉHoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
θέλωνthelōnwantingG2309
√ θέλω — to determine (as an active option from subjective impulseVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
thelō: to will, wish A present participle of settled intent.
δικαιῶσαιdikaiōsaito justifyG1344
√ δικαιόω — to render (iVerbAorist Infinitive Active
dikaioō: to justify, declare righteous Here self-justification, as in Luke 16:15 (“You are the ones who justify yourselves before men”) and 18:9 to 14, where the self-justifying Pharisee goes home unjustified. Geneva glosses it “to vouch his righteousness”; Ellicott notes he doubts nothing about his love for God, only about the neighbor. The man who must be justified tries to narrow the law until he fits it.
ἑαυτὸνheautonhimselfG1438
√ ἑαυτοῦ — him- (her-, it-, them-, also (in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons) my-, thy-, our-, your-) self (selves), etcReflexive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
heautou: himself Reflexive: he is both the one justifying and the one justified.
εἶπενeipenhe askedG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
πρὸςprosG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
τὸνtonG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦνIēsounJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounAccusative Masculine Singular
ΚαὶKaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
τίςtiswhoG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἐστίνestinisG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
μουmoumyG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
πλησίονplēsionneighborG4139
√ πλησίον — (adverbially) close byAdverb
plēsion: neighbor Gill and Benson document readings in which the neighbor was an Israelite or a proselyte; JFB (citing Alford) says Samaritans and Gentiles were excluded. The parable will refuse to answer the question as asked.
30

Jesus took up this question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

ho Iēsous Hypolabōn de eipen tis Anthrōpos katebainen apo Ierousalēm eis Ierichō kai periepesen lēstais hoi kai ekdysantes kai epithentes plēgas auton apēlthon aphentes hēmithanē

Word by word25 · parsed
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ὙπολαβὼνHypolabōntook up [this question]G5274
√ ὑπολαμβάνω — to take from below, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
hypolambanō: to take up, reply Jesus does not answer the definitional question directly; Poole: he “maketh him answer himself.”
δὲdeandG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
εἶπενeipensaidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist 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: human being Unnamed and unclassed. Pulpit: “simply that he was a man, a human being.” The lawyer's category question receives an uncategorized victim.
κατέβαινενkatebainenwas going downG2597
√ καταβαίνω — to descend (literally or figuratively)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
katabainō: to go down Imperfect, a journey in progress. The commentators give the distance variously (Barnes about 15 miles, JFB 19, Ellicott and Cambridge about 21); the descent is real and steep.
ἀπὸapofromG575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
ἸερουσαλὴμIerousalēmJerusalemG2419
√ Ἱερουσαλήμ — Hierusalem (iNounGenitive Feminine Singular
εἰςeistoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
ἸεριχὼIerichōJerichoG2410
√ Ἱεριχώ — Jericho, a place in PalestineNounAccusative Feminine Singular
καὶkaiwhenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
περιέπεσενperiepesenhe fell into the handsG4045
√ περιπίπτω — to fall into something that is all around, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
peripiptō: to fall among Rare (3 vv). Being surrounded, not stumbling: the robbers close round him.
λῃσταῖςlēstaisof robbersG3027
√ λῃστής — a brigandNounDative Masculine Plural
lēstēs: brigand Not a thief but a violent robber (Barnes, Cambridge), the same word used of those crucified beside Jesus in Matthew and Mark and of the “den of robbers” temple.
οἳhoi[They]G3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Masculine Plural
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐκδύσαντεςekdysantesstripped [him]G1562
√ ἐκδύω — to cause to sink out of, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
ekdyō: to strip Taking his clothes, which is also taking every sign of who he is (Jew, rich, poor) from passers-by.
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐπιθέντεςepithentesbeatG2007
√ ἐπιτίθημι — to impose (in a friendly or hostile sense)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
πληγὰςplēgas. . .G4127
√ πληγή — a strokeNounAccusative Feminine 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
ἀπῆλθονapēlthon[and] went awayG565
√ ἀπέρχομαι — to go off (iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
ἀφέντεςaphentesleaving [him]G863
√ ἀφίημι — an intensive form of , to go)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
ἡμιθανῆhēmithanēhalf deadG2253
√ ἡμιθανής — half dead, iAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Singular
hēmithanēs: half-dead A NT hapax (BSB “half dead”). Cambridge notes some manuscripts add tynchanonta, “as it chanced, still alive.” Half-dead is exactly the state that makes passing by seem excusable: he may already be a corpse.
31

Now by chance a priest was going down the same road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de Kata synkyrian tis hiereus katebainen en ekeinē tē hodō kai idōn auton antiparēlthen

Word by word14 · parsed
δὲdeNowG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ΚατὰKatabyG2596
√ κατά — (prepositionally) down (in place or time), in varied relations (according to the case (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined)Preposition
συγκυρίανsynkyrianchanceG4795
√ συγκυρία — from the base of G2962 (κύριος))NounAccusative Feminine Singular
synkyria: coincidence A single NT occurrence. Cambridge cites Fuller: Chance is “God's unseen Providence, by men nicknamed Chance.” The road where the priest happens to be is the place his love is tested.
τιςtisaG5100
√ τὶς — some or any person or objectInterrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἱερεύςhiereuspriestG2409
√ ἱερεύς — a priest (literally or figuratively)NounNominative Masculine Singular
hiereus: priest Jericho housed many priestly families (Barnes, Gill, JFB); he is plausibly returning from temple service. Ellicott and Gill raise fear of corpse defilement (Num 19:11 to 16) as a possible motive; the text gives no motive at all.
κατέβαινενkatebainenwas going downG2597
√ καταβαίνω — to descend (literally or figuratively)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
katabainō: go down The same imperfect as v. 30: he travels the very path of the victim, “on that road” (Cambridge).
ἐνen. . .G1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ἐκείνῃekeinēthe sameG1565
√ ἐκεῖνος — that one (or (neuter) thing)Demonstrative PronounDative Feminine Singular
τῇtēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
ὁδῷhodōroadG3598
√ ὁδός — a roadNounDative Feminine Singular
καὶkaibutG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἰδὼνidōnwhen he sawG3708
√ ὁράω — by extension, to attend toVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
horaō: to see Aorist participle. Sight without response; contrast v. 33.
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
ἀντιπαρῆλθενantiparēlthenhe passed by on the other sideG492
√ ἀντιπαρέρχομαι — to go along oppositeVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
antiparerchomai: to pass by opposite Found only here and v. 32 in the NT. The prefix anti- marks deliberate distance: he moves to the far side. JFB notes the law required help even for an enemy's fallen animal (Deut 22:4; Exod 23:4 to 5).
32

So too, when a Levite came to that spot and saw him, he passed by on the other side.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de Homoiōs Leuitēs kai genomenos elthōn kata ton topon kai idōn antiparēlthen

Word by word12 · parsed
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὉμοίωςHomoiōsSo tooG3668
√ ὁμοίως — similarlyAdverb
homoiōs: likewise Sets up the reversal of v. 37. The same adverb names both the failure and the command.
ΛευίτηςLeuitēs[when] a LeviteG3019
√ Λευΐτης — a Levite, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
Leuitēs: Levite One of only three NT verses with the word (Luke 10:32; John 1:19; Acts 4:36). Barnes summarizes the Levites' temple role as assistants to the priests. Ellicott calls this “the only mention of Levites in the Gospels,” which overlooks John 1:19 (the Verifier's shared-lexeme list includes it).
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
γενόμενοςgenomenosvvvG1096
√ γίνομαι — to cause to be ("gen"-erate), iVerbAorist Participle MiddleNominative Masculine Singular
ἐλθὼνelthōncameG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
erchomai: to come He comes closer than the priest, which makes the turning away heavier.
κατὰkatatoG2596
√ κατά — (prepositionally) down (in place or time), in varied relations (according to the case (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined)Preposition
τὸνtonthatG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
τόπονtoponspotG5117
√ τόπος — a spot (general in space, but limited by occupancyNounAccusative Masculine Singular
topos: place Proximity: he stands where the man lies.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἰδὼνidōnsaw [him]G3708
√ ὁράω — by extension, to attend toVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
horaō: to see The second sight, same participle.
ἀντιπαρῆλθενantiparēlthenhe passed by on the other sideG492
√ ἀντιπαρέρχομαι — to go along oppositeVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
antiparerchomai: pass by opposite Identical verb to v. 31: priest and Levite are one pattern, the sanctuary's two ranks equally failing at the roadside.
33

But a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, and when he saw him, he had compassion.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de tis Samaritēs hodeuōn ēlthen kat’ auton kai idōn esplanchnisthē

Word by word10 · parsed
δέdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
τιςtisaG5100
√ τὶς — some or any person or objectInterrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ΣαμαρίτηςSamaritēsSamaritanG4541
√ Σαμαρείτης — a Samarite, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
Samaritēs: Samaritan A member of the mixed people of the former northern kingdom, worshipping at Gerizim, despised by Jews (John 4:9). Luke 9:52 to 53 has just recorded a Samaritan village refusing Jesus, which makes his choice of hero, as Ellicott says, “something noble.”
ὁδεύωνhodeuōnon a journeyG3593
√ ὁδεύω — to travelVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
hodeuō: to travel A NT hapax (BSB “on a journey”). He is on business of his own, not returning from sacred duty; his mercy interrupts his journey.
ἦλθενēlthencameG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
erchomai: to come He “came down upon him” (kat' auton), right to where the man lay.
κατ’kat’uponG2596
√ κατά — (prepositionally) down (in place or time), in varied relations (according to the case (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined)Preposition
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
καὶkaiand whenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἰδὼνidōnhe saw [him]G3708
√ ὁράω — by extension, to attend toVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
horaō: to see The same participle as for priest and Levite. Sight is common; response is not.
ἐσπλαγχνίσθηesplanchnisthēhe had compassionG4697
√ σπλαγχνίζομαι — to have the bowels yearn, iVerbAorist Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
splanchnizomai: to be moved with compassion A Gospel word (12 NT verses) used in Luke only here, of Jesus at Nain (7:13), and of the father of the prodigal (15:20), each time after seeing. In the Synoptics it is otherwise Jesus' own response, or that of a master or father in his parables standing for God. Giving it to a Samaritan is the turning point of the story: JFB, after Gregory the Great, says compassion gives “something from his very self.”
34

He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai proselthōn katedēsen autou ta traumata epicheōn elaion kai oinon de epibibasas auton epi idion to ktēnos ēgagen auton eis pandocheion kai epemelēthē autou

Word by word24 · parsed
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
προσελθὼνproselthōnHe went to [him]G4334
√ προσέρχομαι — to approach, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
proserchomai: to approach The movement toward, answering the priest's and Levite's movement away.
κατέδησενkatedēsen[and] bandagedG2611
√ καταδέω — to tie down, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
katadeō: to bind down, bandage A NT hapax. JFB and Cambridge connect the binding of wounds with the shepherd's neglected duty in Ezek 34:4 (“nor bound up the broken”) and the Servant's work in Isa 61:1.
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
τὰtaG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Plural
τραύματαtraumatawoundsG5134
√ τραῦμα — akin to the base of G2352 (θραύω), G5147 (τρίβος), G5149 (τρίζω), etcNounAccusative Neuter Plural
trauma: wound Also a NT hapax; the physical injury left by the plēgai of v. 30.
ἐπιχέωνepicheōnpouring onG2022
√ ἐπιχέωVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
epicheō: to pour upon NT hapax. Present participle: he pours while binding.
ἔλαιονelaionoilG1637
√ ἔλαιον — olive oilNounAccusative Neuter Singular
elaion: olive oil Soothing (Ellicott, JFB); compare Isa 1:6, where Israel's wounds are “not bound up, nor softened with oil.”
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οἶνονoinonwineG3631
√ οἶνος — "wine" (literally or figuratively)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
oinos: wine Antiseptic for cleansing (Ellicott, JFB). His own provisions, given away.
δὲdeThenG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ἐπιβιβάσαςepibibasashe putG1913
√ ἐπιβιβάζω — to cause to mount (an animal)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
epibibazō: to set upon Rare (3 vv). Cambridge: the labor of lifting a helpless man.
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
ἐπὶepionG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
ἴδιονidionhis ownG2398
√ ἴδιος — pertaining to self, iAdjectiveAccusative Neuter Singular
idios: one's own Personal cost: his mount becomes the victim's.
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
κτῆνοςktēnosanimalG2934
√ κτῆνος — property, iNounAccusative Neuter Singular
ktēnos: beast of burden Ellicott suggests a donkey.
ἤγαγενēgagenbroughtG71
√ ἄγω — properly, to leadVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
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
εἰςeistoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
πανδοχεῖονpandocheionan innG3829
√ πανδοχεῖον — all-receptive, iNounAccusative Neuter Singular
pandocheion: inn NT hapax. A hosted inn, not a bare caravanserai (Ellicott, Cambridge, Pulpit).
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐπεμελήθηepemelēthētook careG1959
√ ἐπιμελέομαι — to care for (physically or otherwise)VerbAorist Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
epimeleomai: to care for Rare (3 vv; also 1 Tim 3:5 of an overseer caring for God's church). The same verb returns as his charge to the innkeeper (v. 35), so the care continues by delegation.
αὐτοῦautouof 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 PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
35

The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and on my return I will repay you for any additional expense.’

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai epi tēn aurion ekbalōn dyo dēnaria edōken tō pandochei Epimelēthēti autou kai eipen kai en egō tō epanerchesthai me apodōsō soi ho ti an prosdapanēsēs

Word by word26 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐπὶepiG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
τὴνtēnTheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
αὔριονaurionnext dayG839
√ αὔριον — properly, fresh, iAdverb
ἐκβαλὼνekbalōnhe took outG1544
√ ἐκβάλλω — to eject (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
ekballō: to throw out A brisk, generous gesture.
δύοdyotwoG1417
√ δύο — "two"AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
δηνάριαdēnariadenariiG1220
√ δηνάριον — a denarius (or ten asses)NounAccusative Neuter Plural
dēnarion: denarius A laborer's day wage (Matt 20:2); two denarii, Ellicott says, “a sufficient and liberal provision.” Gill and Benson give older equivalents.
ἔδωκενedōken[and] gave [them]G1325
√ δίδωμι — to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figurativelyVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
τῷtōto theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
πανδοχεῖpandocheiinnkeeperG3830
√ πανδοχεύς — an innkeeper (warden of a caravanserai)NounDative Masculine Singular
ἘπιμελήθητιEpimelēthētiTake careG1959
√ ἐπιμελέομαι — to care for (physically or otherwise)VerbAorist Imperative Passive2nd Person Singular
epimeleomai: to care for Aorist imperative, the same verb as his own care in v. 34: he hands on exactly what he did.
αὐτοῦautouof 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 PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
εἶπενeipenhe saidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐνenonG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ἐγὼegōmyG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounNominative 1st Person Singular
egō: I Emphatic pronoun: personal guarantee.
τῷtōG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Neuter Singular
ἐπανέρχεσθαίepanerchesthaireturnG1880
√ ἐπανέρχομαι — to come up on, iVerbPresent Infinitive Middle or Passive
epanerchomai: to return Rare (2 vv). Present infinitive with en tō, “in my coming back.” The only other use is Luke 19:15, where the nobleman returns to reckon with his servants.
μεmeIG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 1st Person Singular
ἀποδώσωapodōsōwill repayG591
√ ἀποδίδωμι — to give away, iVerbFuture Indicative Active1st Person Singular
apodidōmi: to give back, repay Future indicative: a promise, not a hope.
σοιsoiyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Singular
ὅhofor any additionalG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
τιti. . .G5100
√ τὶς — some or any person or objectInterrogative / Indefinite PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
ἂνan. . .G302
√ ἄν — (what-, where-, wither-, who-)soeverParticle
προσδαπανήσῃςprosdapanēsēsexpenseG4325
√ προσδαπανάω — to expend additionallyVerbAorist Subjunctive Active2nd Person Singular
prosdapanaō: to spend besides NT hapax. The mercy has no ceiling; Pulpit: “without hope of recompense or reward.”
36

Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Tis toutōn tōn triōn soi dokei gegonenai plēsion tou empesontos eis tous lēstas

Word by word13 · parsed
ΤίςTisWhichG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Masculine Singular
τούτωνtoutōnof theseG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounGenitive Masculine Plural
τῶνtōnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Plural
τριῶνtriōnthreeG5140
√ τρεῖς — "three"AdjectiveGenitive Masculine Plural
treis: three Priest, Levite, Samaritan: the triad of the folk-tale form, with the third breaking the expected pattern (a Jewish layman would be the expected third).
σοιsoi{do} youG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Singular
δοκεῖdokeithinkG1380
√ δοκέω — compare the base of G1166 (δεικνύω)) of the same meaningVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
dokeō: to seem, think An appeal to the hearer's verdict, as in Luke 7:42 to 43.
γεγονέναιgegonenaiwasG1096
√ γίνομαι — to cause to be ("gen"-erate), iVerbPerfect Infinitive Active
ginomai: to become Perfect infinitive. Neighborhood is something one comes to be by acting; Maclaren: “we become neighbours to the man farthest from us when we love and help him.”
πλησίονplēsiona neighborG4139
√ πλησίον — (adverbially) close byAdverb
plēsion: neighbor The word of Lev 19:18, now redefined from the side of the giver.
τοῦtouto the [man]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ἐμπεσόντοςempesontoswho fell into the handsG1706
√ ἐμπίπτω — to fall on, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveGenitive Masculine Singular
empiptō: to fall into Aorist participle. The victim is still identified only by what happened to him, not by race or rank.
εἰςeisofG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τοὺςtousG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
λῃστάςlēstasrobbersG3027
√ λῃστής — a brigandNounAccusative Masculine Plural
37

“The one who showed him mercy,” replied the expert in the law. Then Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Ho poiēsas met’ autou to eleos de Ho eipen de ho Iēsous Eipen autō Poreuou kai sy poiei homoiōs

Word by word19 · parsed
ὉHoThe [one]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ποιήσαςpoiēsaswho showedG4160
√ ποιέω — to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
poieō: to do Aorist participle, the same form as the lawyer's own question in v. 25. His question is answered in his own grammar.
μετ’met’. . .G3326
√ μετά — properly, denoting accompanimentPreposition
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
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
ἔλεοςeleosmercyG1656
√ ἔλεος — compassion (human or divine, especially active)NounAccusative Neuter Singular
eleos: mercy Active compassion. The Septuagint uses eleos for Hebrew ḥeseḏ, covenant loyalty, as in Hosea 6:6 (“I desire mercy, not sacrifice”), which JFB via Trench sets against the priest and Levite. Cambridge and Barnes note the lawyer avoids saying “the Samaritan”; the periphrasis names the thing that mattered.
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὉHoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
εἶπενeipenreplied [the expert in the law]G2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
δὲdeThenG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ΕἶπενEipentoldG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
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
ΠορεύουPoreuouGoG4198
√ πορεύομαι — to traverse, iVerbPresent Imperative Middle or Passive2nd Person Singular
poreuomai: to go Present imperative: a way of walking, set against the road where two passed by.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
σὺsyG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounNominative 2nd Person Singular
sy: you Emphatic. The lawyer is placed on the road.
ποίειpoieidoG4160
√ ποιέω — to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)VerbPresent Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
poieō: to do Present imperative, echoing v. 28 exactly. Ellicott: “the practical, though not the formal, answer to the question of the lawyer.”
ὁμοίωςhomoiōslikewiseG3668
√ ὁμοίως — similarlyAdverb
homoiōs: likewise Closing the inclusio with v. 32: the hearer must choose whose “likewise” he follows.

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 test-question and the reader questioned — Luke 10:25 to 28

A νομικός rises ekpeirazōn, “testing out” the Teacher, and asks what single deed (poiēsas, aorist) will secure an inheritance (klēronomēsō). JFB hears no hostility, only curiosity “to see what insight this great Galilean teacher had”; Gill hears a man “seeking eternal life by their own works.” Jesus answers by asking what stands written (gegraptai, perfect) and how he reads it. Cambridge observes that “the very meaning and mission of his life was to teach this answer.” The lawyer recites Deut 6:5 joined to Lev 19:18, and Jesus approves with the rare Ὀρθῶς, then shifts the verb: not one deed but ποίει, present imperative, “keep doing this.” Ellicott: “Love was really life ... and the test of its being true was action.” JFB: the emphasis on “this” shows “where the real difficulty to a sinner lay.”

ii. The will to be in the right — Luke 10:29

“Wanting to justify himself” (δικαιῶσαι): Ellicott notes that “no doubt seems to cross his mind as to his love of God”; only the second table troubles him. So he asks a lawyer's question about the edge of a word: who is my πλησίον, my near-one? Benson and Gill document the narrowing readings of the time (Israelites, perhaps proselytes); Cambridge says he wanted his moral duties “labelled and defined with the Talmudic precision to which ceremonial duties had been reduced.” Geneva's margin answers in advance: “The law defines our neighbour as anyone at all that we may help.”

iii. The road down and the two who passed — Luke 10:30 to 32

Jesus takes up (hypolabōn) the question and moves it onto a road. An unnamed ἄνθρωπος “was going down” (imperfect) the notorious descent to Jericho (Ellicott, Cambridge, Barnes on its brigands), fell among robbers (periepesen), and was left ἡμιθανῆ, half-dead. By συγκυρίαν, a coincidence Cambridge calls providence “by men nicknamed Chance,” a priest comes down that same road, sees, and ἀντιπαρῆλθεν, passes by on the opposite side. “Likewise” (homoiōs) a Levite comes nearer and does the same. Ellicott: the Levite is “at once better and worse than the priest”; JFB, citing Trench, says they “had not learnt what that meaneth, ‘I will have mercy and not sacrifice.’”

iv. The Samaritan who came where he was — Luke 10:33 to 35

“But a Samaritan,” the one figure the lawyer could not imagine as a model, is journeying (hodeuōn), not “going down” from the temple. He too sees, and then ἐσπλαγχνίσθη: he was moved in his inward parts. JFB, quoting Gregory the Great via Trench: compassion gives “something from his very self.” What follows is costly, specific mercy: he approaches (proselthōn, the opposite of antiparēlthen), binds the wounds, pours oil and wine (Ellicott: wine to cleanse, oil to soothe), sets the man on his own beast, brings him to an inn, cares for him through the night, pays two denarii (Ellicott: two days' wages) and leaves an open promise: “whatever you spend beyond, I, when I come back, will repay.” Cambridge sums it: “sympathy, helpfulness, self-denial, generosity, and perseverance in kindliness.”

v. The question turned round — Luke 10:36 to 37

Jesus does not ask “Who was the man's neighbor?” in the lawyer's sense but who became (γεγονέναι) neighbor to the fallen man. Maclaren: “It is better to ask ‘Whose neighbour am I?’” JFB lists the reversals: the question turned from whom to love to who loves, the lawyer forced to commend a hated race. The lawyer answers without naming him: “the one who did the mercy (to eleos) with him.” Cambridge, quoting Luther: “He will not name the Samaritan by name.” Jesus closes with the same verb as v. 28, now with an emphatic pronoun: “Go, and you keep doing likewise.” The “likewise” of the priest and Levite (v. 32) is replaced by the “likewise” of mercy.

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

⚙ This is the tool's own fallible reading, offered to be tested against Scripture. The lawyer asks how to inherit life and how far his obligation reaches. Jesus gives the law its full weight: the answer is right, and life is truly promised to the one who keeps loving God with all and the neighbor as oneself (Lev 18:5). The command is not withdrawn or treated as a trick. But the lawyer's next move, “wanting to justify himself,” exposes what the law alone cannot supply: a heart that does not look for the boundary of love. The parable does not answer his question; it replaces it. Neighborhood is not a category to be measured from oneself outward but a relation one becomes by mercy, and it is shown most clearly by the outsider. Read within Luke and the whole canon, two things stand together: the parable is a real command for ordinary obedience (“go and do likewise”), and it describes a mercy that only the One who was himself called a Samaritan (John 8:48) has done perfectly, the One who came where we were, was moved within, paid, and promised to return. The command drives the self-justifier toward that mercy; the mercy then sends the forgiven back onto the road. This reading draws the second point from the canon's wider witness and from the ancient allegorical tradition the brief's commentators report; the parable's surface states only the first.

The lawyer asked how far his duty reached; Jesus showed him how far mercy travels.

⚙

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.

“Testing out” the Lord: the lawyer and the wilderness verbal / quotation: confirmed

The participle ἐκπειράζων (v. 25) uses a verb found in only four NT verses. In Luke 4:12 Jesus answers the devil with Deut 6:16, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test,” the same chapter of Deuteronomy that supplies the lawyer's answer in v. 27 (Deut 6:5). Cambridge makes the cross-reference to Luke 4:12 explicitly. Matthew 4:7 and 1 Corinthians 10:9 use the same verb for testing God. ⚙ The verbal link is secure; any further suggestion that Luke intends the lawyer to echo the tempter is interpretive, and the commentators (Ellicott, JFB) caution that the lawyer's test need not be hostile.

Luke 4:12 · Matthew 4:7 · 1 Corinthians 10:9

basis: Verifier: shared rare Greek lexeme G1598 ekpeirazō (in 4 vv) with Luke 4:12, Matthew 4:7 and 1 Corinthians 10:9; Cambridge cites Luke 4:12 at this verse

“You have judged rightly”: Luke's verdict-word after a parable verbal / quotation: confirmed

The adverb ὀρθῶς occurs in four NT verses. In Luke 7:43 Jesus tells Simon the Pharisee, “You have judged rightly,” after Simon answers the question of the two debtors; here he tells the lawyer, “You have answered rightly.” In both scenes a religious expert is made to pronounce a verdict that then turns back on him, and both turn on love (7:47) and mercy. Luke 20:21 uses the word in the flattery of the spies (“you speak and teach rightly”). ⚙ The pattern of a parable-question extracting a self-judging verdict also recalls Nathan and David (2 Sam 12), which Barnes cites at v. 36; that is a cross-Testament structural comparison, not a verbal one.

Luke 7:43 · Luke 20:21

basis: Verifier: shared rare Greek lexeme G3723 orthōs (in 4 vv) with Luke 7:43 (also with Luke 20:21, which shares G1320 and G3598); 2 Samuel 12 is cross-Testament and is offered only as Barnes's structural comparison

Moved in the inward parts: the Samaritan, the father, and Jesus verbal / quotation: confirmed

The verb ἐσπλαγχνίσθη (v. 33, splanchnizomai) occurs in twelve NT verses. In Luke it is used three times: of Jesus at Nain when he saw the widow (7:13), of the Samaritan here, and of the father who saw the prodigal “while he was still a long way off” (15:20). In all three Luke pairs the verb with seeing (horaō). ⚙ Outside the Gospels' parables the verb is used in the Synoptics of Jesus; that the parable assigns it to the despised Samaritan is part of what later readers took as a hint at Christ. That inference is interpretive; the lexical link is not.

Luke 7:13 · Luke 15:20

basis: Verifier pair check: shared rare Greek lexeme G4697 splanchnizomai (in 12 vv) plus G3708 horaō with Luke 7:13 and Luke 15:20

“When I come back”: the returning master in Luke 19 verbal / quotation: confirmed

The Samaritan's promise uses ἐπανέρχεσθαί (v. 35), a verb found in only two NT verses. The other is Luke 19:15, where the nobleman in the parable of the minas “returned, having received the kingdom” and called his servants to account. ⚙ The verbal link is exact and both are promises or acts of a master who returns to settle what was entrusted. Reading the Samaritan's return as Christ's return (Gill; Cambridge's “until His return”) is a figural extension; Cambridge warns against pushing the details.

Luke 19:15

basis: Verifier: shared rare Greek lexeme G1880 epanerchomai (in 2 vv) with Luke 19:15; the eschatological reading built on it is typological, not part of the verbal basis

Set on a beast: the wounded man and the King on the colt verbal / quotation: confirmed

The Samaritan ἐπιβιβάσας “set” the man on his own animal (v. 34). The same verb occurs in only three NT verses: here, Luke 19:35, where the disciples set Jesus on the colt for the entry into Jerusalem, and Acts 23:24, where mounts (ktēnē, the same noun as “animal” here) are provided to carry Paul to safety. ⚙ The link is lexical; any theological weight (the one who sets others on his beast is himself set on a colt going up to Jerusalem) is this tool's observation, not a claim of authorial design.

Luke 19:35 · Acts 23:24

basis: Verifier: shared rare Greek lexeme G1913 epibibazō (in 3 vv) with Luke 19:35 and Acts 23:24; Acts 23:24 also shares G2934 ktēnos (in 4 vv)

The two great commandments: Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19 structural / thematic: confirmed

The lawyer's answer joins Deut 6:5 (love of God) and Lev 19:18 (love of neighbor), as Cambridge records, adding a fourth faculty (dianoia, mind) as Mark 12:30 also does. In Mark 12:28 to 34 Jesus himself gives this double answer to a scribe. Poole doubts whether Luke and Mark describe the same event; Maclaren asks whether Jesus adopted the lawyer's summary or Luke has condensed the exchange. ⚙ The NT text cites the OT explicitly, but a Greek to Hebrew link cannot rest on shared Strong's numbers, so it is tiered structural here; the Mark parallel (Greek to Greek) shares common lexemes only (G4139 in 17 vv), not rare ones.

Deuteronomy 6:5 · Leviticus 19:18 · Mark 12:33

basis: Explicit citation of Deut 6:5 and Lev 19:18 (Cambridge); cross-Testament, so no shared Strong's basis is possible. Verifier: Mark 12:33 shares G4139 plēsion (in 17 vv), G3650 holos (in 97 vv), G2588 kardia (in 149 vv), common lexemes only

“Do this and you will live”: Leviticus 18:5 and Paul structural / thematic: confirmed

Jesus' ζήσῃ answers in the terms of Lev 18:5, “which if a man do, he shall live in them,” which Cambridge cites together with Rom 10:5, adding “but see Galatians 3:21-22.” Paul quotes Lev 18:5 to describe the righteousness of the law and sets it beside the righteousness of faith. ⚙ The echo is thematic and widely recognized; Luke's wording is not a formal quotation, so it is tiered structural, and it is cross-Testament.

Leviticus 18:5 · Romans 10:5 · Galatians 3:21-22

basis: Cambridge cites Lev 18:5, Rom 10:5 and Gal 3:21-22 at v. 28; shared motif of doing and living, no formal quotation; Lev 18:5 link is cross-Testament (no shared Strong's possible)

“Mercy and not sacrifice”: Hosea 6:6 structural / thematic: confirmed

JFB, following Trench, says the priest and Levite “had not learnt what that meaneth, ‘I will have mercy and not sacrifice,’” the words of Hosea 6:6 that Jesus quotes in Matthew 9:13 and 12:7. The lawyer's final answer names exactly τὸ ἔλεος, “the mercy” (v. 37). ⚙ Luke does not quote Hosea here; the link is a thematic reading supplied by the commentators. It is cross-Testament and is tiered structural.

Hosea 6:6 · Matthew 9:13

basis: JFB (citing Trench) at vv. 31 to 32; motif of mercy over cultic service; no quotation in Luke, cross-Testament link to Hosea

Samaritan mercy on the Jericho road: 2 Chronicles 28:15 flagged: verify source

⚙ In 2 Chronicles 28:15 men of the northern kingdom, whose capital was Samaria, return Judean captives: they clothe the naked, give food and drink, anoint them, carry the feeble on donkeys, and bring them to Jericho. The cluster of motifs (northerners showing mercy to Judeans, stripping and clothing, anointing, mounts, Jericho) is striking. None of the brief's commentators mention it, and no shared-lexeme check is possible across the Testaments. This tool records the parallel for the reader to verify, flags it accordingly, and makes no claim that Jesus alludes to it.

2 Chronicles 28:15

basis: ⚙ Synthesis observation only: not among the Verifier candidates and not cited by any voice in the brief; cross-Testament motif parallel; any allusion is contested

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The true Samaritan who came where we lay ancient/widely-held

⚙ The oldest Christian reading sees Christ in the Samaritan. Pulpit names Chrysostom, Clement of Alexandria and Augustine among its ancient expositors and pleads that it “deserves at least a more respectful mention” than modern scorn. JFB quotes Gregory Nazianzen: “He is saluted ‘Samaritan’ and ‘Demoniac,’ but He saves him that went down from Jerusalem and fell among thieves.” Cambridge and Ellicott both notice that Jesus had himself been called a Samaritan (John 8:48) and that Samaritans had just rejected him (Luke 9:53), which Cambridge takes as “one of the indications that a deeper meaning lies under” the parable. Henry: “We were like this poor, distressed traveller ... The blessed Jesus had compassion on us.” JFB links the binding of wounds to the shepherd prophecy that Israel's leaders had not “bound up the broken” (Ezek 34:4) and to the Servant who binds up the brokenhearted (Isa 61:1). The commentators unanimously keep the plain moral lesson primary (Ellicott: “Nothing should lead us away from recognising this as the main lesson”).

John 8:48 · Luke 9:53 · Ezekiel 34:4 · Isaiah 61:1

The law that gives life to the doer, and the One who did it ancient/widely-held

⚙ Jesus affirms that the double love is the way of life (“do this and you will live,” echoing Lev 18:5). Barnes sees the law used to show the lawyer “that he needed a better righteousness than his own”; Gill reads it as convicting “of the impossibility of obtaining life by the works of the law”; Poole calls the law “a schoolmaster, to bring us to Christ” (Gal 3:24). Benson insists the words are not ironic. Holding both, the Reformation reading is that Christ alone kept this command wholly, loving the Father with all and the neighbor, even the enemy, as himself, and that his righteousness is given to those who could not justify themselves (contrast the lawyer's dikaiōsai heauton, v. 29, with Rom 3:24 to 26).

Leviticus 18:5 · Galatians 3:24 · Romans 10:4-5

Moved within, paying the cost, promising to return novel

⚙ Luke gives splanchnizomai to Jesus at Nain (7:13) and to the father of the prodigal (15:20), and here to the Samaritan, the Verifier-confirmed lexical thread. The Samaritan pays from his own purse and promises, “when I come back, I will repay,” a verb (epanerchomai) Luke uses elsewhere only of the returning king (19:15). Gill reads the return as Christ's second coming; Cambridge allows the broad picture of mankind “pitied and redeemed by Christ ... and left to be provided for until His return by spiritual ministrations in the Church,” while rejecting allegories of the two denarii. This tool offers the lexical pattern as support for the broad christological reading only, not for detailed allegory.

Luke 7:13 · Luke 15:20 · Luke 19:15

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. In v. 30 some manuscripts add tynchanonta (“chancing to be”) before “half dead” (Cambridge); the interlinear follows the shorter text. The word synkyria (v. 31) appears only here in the NT per Ellicott; Cambridge notes that tychē (“chance”) never occurs in Scripture. Antiparerchomai (vv. 31 to 32) and hēmithanēs (v. 30) are confined to this passage in the NT.

Sources. Henry's concise note is a single entry for vv. 25 to 37, repeated under each verse in the brief; Poole's entries for vv. 26 to 28 and 31 to 37 are cross-references only; Geneva's entries for most verses reproduce the verse text, with marginal notes only at vv. 25 and 29. Maclaren's and Benson's entries are long and capped in the brief; only uncapped portions are quoted.

Uncertain. The commentators disagree on the road's length (Barnes about 15 miles, Benson 18, JFB 19, Ellicott and Cambridge 21, Gill reports a Jewish figure of forty lesser miles) and on the lawyer's motive (hostile in Gill and Barnes, a test of orthodoxy in JFB and Ellicott). Rabbinic citations in Gill and Benson (Lightfoot's twelve thousand priests at Jericho, the Talmudic maxims) have not been verified by this tool. Ellicott and Pulpit suggest the story may record an actual event; the text does not say. Whether Luke 10:25 to 28 is the same episode as Mark 12:28 to 34 is disputed (Poole doubts it). The 2 Chronicles 28:15 thread is this tool's own observation and is flagged accordingly.

✦ = 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)