The Fallible Study Bible

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Luke10:38–42

Martha and Mary

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Luke 10:38–42 — Martha and Mary. 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.

38

As they traveled along, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de En autous tō poreuesthai autos eisēlthen eis tina kōmēn de tis gynē onomati Martha hypedexato auton eis tēn oikian

Word by word20 · parsed
δὲdeAsG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ἘνEn. . .G1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
αὐτοὺςautoustheyG846
√ 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
τῷtōG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Neuter Singular
πορεύεσθαιporeuesthaitraveled alongG4198
√ πορεύομαι — to traverse, iVerbPresent Infinitive Middle or Passive
poreuomai: to traverse, journey Present infinitive: the visit happens on the way. Luke's travel narrative (9:51 onward) frames every scene as movement toward Jerusalem and the cross.
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
Emphatic “He Himself,” turning from the group to Jesus alone.
εἰσῆλθενeisēlthenenteredG1525
√ εἰσέρχομαι — to enter (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
eiserchomai: to enter Aorist of a single act of entry; the Lord crosses the threshold before any word is spoken.
εἰςeis. . .G1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τινάtinaaG5100
√ τὶς — some or any person or objectInterrogative / Indefinite PronounAccusative Feminine Singular
κώμηνkōmēnvillageG2968
√ κώμη — a hamlet (as if laid down)NounAccusative Feminine Singular
kōmē: village, hamlet Unnamed here; John 11:1 calls Bethany “the village (kōmē) of Mary and her sister Martha.” Cambridge and Ellicott read the silence as deliberate synoptic reticence about the family of Lazarus.
δέde[where]G1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
τιςtisaG5100
√ τὶς — some or any person or objectInterrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Feminine Singular
γυνὴgynēwomanG1135
√ γυνή — a womanNounNominative Feminine Singular
ὀνόματιonomatinamedG3686
√ ὄνομα — a "name" (literally or figuratively) (authority, character)NounDative Neuter Singular
ΜάρθαMarthaMarthaG3136
√ Μάρθα — Martha, a Christian womanNounNominative Feminine Singular
Martha Aramaic, not Hebrew (Ellicott, Pulpit). Ellicott and Pulpit both connect it with mar, “lord,” giving the sense “lady”; the speculative link to the kyria of 2 John is theirs, offered as possibility only.
ὑπεδέξατοhypedexatowelcomedG5264
√ ὑποδέχομαι — to admit under one's roof, iVerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
hypodechomai: to admit under one's roof Aorist middle, a rare and warm word (4 NT verses): Zacchaeus “received Him joyfully” (Luke 19:6), Jason received Paul's company (Acts 17:7), Rahab received the messengers (James 2:25). In each, receiving the guest is an act that exposes the host's allegiance. Martha's welcome is real faith, not a fault: Barnes, Gill and Henry all treat it as honourable.
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
εἰςeisintoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τὴνtēn[her]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
οἰκίανoikianhomeG3614
√ οἰκία — properly, residence (abstractly), but usually (concretely) an abode (literally or figuratively)NounAccusative Feminine Singular
oikia: house, household BSB's “her” supplies the article's sense; Barnes and JFB infer that the house was Martha's and that she was the elder sister.
39

She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

tēde kai ēn adelphē kaloumenē Mariam hē kai parakathestheisa pros tous tou Kyriou podas ēkouen autou ton logon

Word by word18 · parsed
τῇδεtēdeSheG3592
√ ὅδε — the same, iDemonstrative PronounDative Feminine Singular
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἦνēnhadG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἀδελφὴadelphēa sisterG79
√ ἀδελφή — a sister (naturally or ecclesiastically)NounNominative Feminine Singular
adelphē: sister Natural sister here; the pair reappears in John 11 and 12 with matching temperaments (Ellicott, Cambridge).
καλουμένηkaloumenēnamedG2564
√ καλέω — to "call" (properly, aloud, but used in a variety of applications, directly or otherwise)VerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveNominative Feminine Singular
ΜαριάμMariamMaryG3137
√ Μαρία — Maria or Mariam (iNounNominative Feminine Singular
Mariam The Semitic form of Miriam (Gill), kept by the Greek text rather than the Hellenized Maria.
ἣhēwhoG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Feminine Singular
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
“Also,” or “for her part” (JFB): Cambridge reads it as Mary too, in her way, receiving Jesus.
παρακαθεσθεῖσαparakathestheisasatG3869
√ παρακαθίζω — to sit down nearVerbAorist Participle PassiveNominative Feminine Singular
parakathizō: to sit down near Aorist passive participle with middle force: she seated herself. Sitting at a teacher's feet was the posture of a disciple (Barnes and JFB cite Acts 22:3, Paul “at the feet of Gamaliel”); Gill hears an echo of Deut 33:3 (“they sat down at thy feet,” KJV). Luke has already shown the healed demoniac “sitting at the feet of Jesus” (Luke 8:35): a woman here takes the learner's place, a point the commentators note only by implication.
πρὸςprosatG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
τοὺςtoustheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
τοῦtouvvvG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ΚυρίουKyriouLord’sG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
kyrios: lord, master The narrator's title. In Luke's Greek, Kyrios is also the LXX rendering of the divine name, and Luke uses it of Jesus deliberately (Luke 2:11; 7:13).
πόδαςpodasfeetG4228
√ πούς — a "foot" (figuratively or literally)NounAccusative Masculine Plural
pous: foot The place of the learner and the suppliant; in John 11:32 and 12:3 Mary is again at His feet, in grief and then in anointing.
ἤκουενēkouenlistening toG191
√ ἀκούω — to hear (in various senses)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
akouō: to hear Imperfect, continuous: the scene sets her as an ongoing listener while Martha is ongoing busy (v. 40 also imperfect). In Luke, hearing the word is the mark of true kinship with Jesus (Luke 8:21).
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
τὸνtonG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
λόγονlogonmessageG3056
√ λόγος — something said (including the thought)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
logos: word, discourse Not small talk but His teaching; the accusative object of the hearing, matching the sower's “word of God” (Luke 8:11).
40

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de hē Martha periespato peri pollēn diakonian de epistasa eipen Kyrie ou melei soi hoti mou hē adelphē kateleipen me diakonein monēn oun eipe autē hina synantilabētai moi

Word by word28 · parsed
δὲdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ἡhēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
ΜάρθαMarthaMarthaG3136
√ Μάρθα — Martha, a Christian womanNounNominative Feminine Singular
περιεσπᾶτοperiespatowas distractedG4049
√ περισπάω — to drag all around, iVerbImperfect Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
perispaō: to drag all around Imperfect, continuous: the inner state of being pulled in many directions, set against Mary's single act of sitting. Paul's “without distraction” (aperispastōs, 1 Cor 7:35) names the opposite condition (Cambridge cites it).
περὶperiby all theG4012
√ περί — properly, through (all over), iPreposition
πολλὴνpollēn. . .G4183
√ πολύς — (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) manyAdjectiveAccusative Feminine Singular
“Much”: the fault Henry, Barnes and Poole all locate is the quantity, not the service itself.
διακονίανdiakonianpreparations [to be made]G1248
√ διακονία — attendance (as a servant, etcNounAccusative Feminine Singular
diakonia: attendance, service The word that later names the church's ministry (Acts 6:4, “the ministry of the word”). Luke places table diakonia beside hearing the logos, the same pairing Acts 6 sorts out. Jesus Himself says, “I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:27), so service is not being demoted.
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ἐπιστᾶσαepistasaShe came to [Jesus]G2186
√ ἐφίστημι — to stand upon, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Feminine Singular
ephistēmi: to stand upon, come upon Aorist participle of sudden arrival; Luke uses it of angels appearing (Luke 2:9) and of hostile arrivals (Luke 20:1). Here it is an interruption.
εἶπενeipen[and] saidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ΚύριεKyrieLordG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounVocative Masculine Singular
Vocative Kyrie: her complaint is still addressed to Him as Lord.
οὐouvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
μέλειmeleido You not careG3199
√ μέλω — to be of interest to, iVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
melō: to be of concern Impersonal: “is it no concern to You?” Gill: she complains “not only … of Mary … but even of Christ himself.”
σοιsoi. . .G4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Singular
ὅτιhotithatG3754
√ ὅτι — demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant)Conjunction
μουmoumyG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
ἡhēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
ἀδελφήadelphēsisterG79
√ ἀδελφή — a sister (naturally or ecclesiastically)NounNominative Feminine Singular
κατέλειπενkateleipenhas leftG2641
√ καταλείπω — to leave down, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
kataleipō: to leave behind Aorist, a past decision; Cambridge: “left me alone in the middle of my work.” The irony is that Mary has left one thing in order to choose another (v. 42).
μεmemeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 1st Person Singular
διακονεῖνdiakoneinto serveG1247
√ διακονέω — to be an attendant, iVerbPresent Infinitive Active
μόνηνmonēnaloneG3441
√ μόνος — remaining, iAdjectiveAccusative Feminine Singular
monos: alone The emphatic final word of her grievance.
οὖνounG3767
√ οὖν — (adverbially) certainly, or (conjunctionally) accordinglyConjunction
εἰπὲeipeTellG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
αὐτῇautēherG846
√ 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 Feminine 3rd Person Singular
ἵναhinatoG2443
√ ἵνα — compare G3588 (ὁ))Conjunction
συναντιλάβηταιsynantilabētaihelpG4878
√ συναντιλαμβάνομαι — to take hold of opposite together, iVerbAorist Subjunctive Middle3rd Person Singular
synantilambanomai: to take hold together with A double compound (syn + anti + lambanō): to grasp a load from the other side alongside someone. Ellicott: “that she join in helping.” It appears in only one other NT verse, Romans 8:26, where the Spirit “helps our weakness.”
μοιmoimeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounDative 1st Person Singular
41

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Martha Martha de ho Kyrios Apokritheis eipen autē merimnas kai thorybazē peri polla

Word by word13 · parsed
ΜάρθαMarthaMarthaG3136
√ Μάρθα — Martha, a Christian womanNounVocative Feminine Singular
Martha (vocative) The doubling is tenderness, not exasperation, in Ellicott, Cambridge, Pulpit, Gill and Benson alike. It recalls God's double calls (“Abraham, Abraham,” Gen 22:11; “Samuel, Samuel,” 1 Sam 3:10), a resonance the listed commentators do not draw: offered here as ⚙ observation only.
ΜάρθαMarthaMarthaG3136
√ Μάρθα — Martha, a Christian womanNounVocative Feminine Singular
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ΚύριοςKyriosLordG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
kyrios Narrator's title again: the one who answers is the Lord of the house's guest-room and of her anxieties.
ἈποκριθεὶςApokritheisrepliedG611
√ ἀποκρίνομαι — to conclude for oneself, iVerbAorist Participle PassiveNominative Masculine Singular
Aorist participle, Semitic “answering said” idiom; He is responding to her charge, not starting a lesson.
εἶπενeipenG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτῇautēG846
√ 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 Feminine 3rd Person Singular
μεριμνᾷςmerimnasyou are worriedG3309
√ μεριμνάω — to be anxious aboutVerbPresent Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
merimnaō: to be anxious Present, ongoing. The key word of Jesus' teaching on anxiety (Luke 12:22, 25, 26; Matt 6:25 to 34) and of the thorns that choke the word, “the cares (merimnai) of life” (Luke 8:14). Martha is in danger of being the thorny ground while her sister sits as the good soil.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
θορυβάζῃthorybazēupsetG2350
√ θορυβέω — to be in tumult, iVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive2nd Person Singular
thorybazō (tagged G2350 thorybeō): to be in tumult The outward agitation that matches the inner care (JFB). The textual and lemma question is set out in the divergence and apparatus.
περὶperiaboutG4012
√ περί — properly, through (all over), iPreposition
πολλάpollamany thingsG4183
√ πολύς — (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) manyAdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
polys: many Neuter plural “many things,” picking up “much serving” (v. 40) and setting up the contrast with “one” in v. 42.
42

But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de ē henos oligōn estin chreia gar Mariam exelexato tēn agathēn merida hētis ouk aphairethēsetai autēs

Word by word16 · parsed
δέdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ἢēonlyG2228
√ ἤ — disjunctive, orConjunction
ἑνόςhenosoneG1520
√ εἷς — oneAdjectiveGenitive Neuter Singular
heis: one Against the “many things” of v. 41. The interpreters divide (Poole, Gill, Cambridge, Ellicott, Pulpit all review it): one dish suffices (some fathers, rejected as “too low” by Poole and Gill), or one spiritual necessity. Ellicott suggests Jesus deliberately spoke on both levels.
ὀλίγωνoligōnthingG3641
√ ὀλίγος — puny (in extent, degree, number, duration or value)AdjectiveGenitive Neuter Singular
oligos: few, little Present in the interlinear text (longer reading). If original, Jesus first relativizes the meal (“few things”) and then sharpens it (“or one”); see apparatus.
ἐστινestinisG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
χρείαchreianecessaryG5532
√ χρεία — employment, iNounNominative Feminine Singular
chreia: need, necessity What is actually required, as opposed to what anxiety supposes is required. Same noun at Luke 5:31 (“the healthy have no need of a physician”).
γὰρgarG1063
√ γάρ — properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensificationConjunction
ΜαριὰμMariamMaryG3137
√ Μαρία — Maria or Mariam (iNounNominative Feminine Singular
ἐξελέξατοexelexatohas chosenG1586
√ ἐκλέγομαι — to selectVerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
eklegomai: to choose out (middle) Aorist middle: a decisive choice made for her own good. Luke's verb of divine election (Luke 6:13; 9:35, “My Chosen One,” in some witnesses). Gill reads her choice as the fruit of God's prior choice of her; the text itself states only that she chose.
τὴνtēntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
ἀγαθὴνagathēngoodG18
√ ἀγαθός — "good" (in any sense, often as noun)AdjectiveAccusative Feminine Singular
agathos: good Positive, not comparative: “the good portion.” JFB argues it means the better of two good ways; Cambridge and Ellicott deny that the passage ranks contemplation over action as such.
μερίδαmeridaportionG3310
√ μερίς — a portion, iNounAccusative Feminine Singular
meris: portion, share A rare NT word (5 verses per Verifier). In the LXX it renders the Hebrew ḥēleq where God says to the priests “I am your portion” (Num 18:20) and the psalmist confesses God as “my portion forever” (Ps 73:26, cited by Gill and Cambridge). Paul uses it of “the share (meris) of the inheritance of the saints in light” (Col 1:12, cited by Gill). Mary's portion is not a dish but the Lord Himself and His word.
ἥτιςhētis[and it]G3748
√ ὅστις — which some, iPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Feminine Singular
hostis: which (qualitative) Cambridge: “quippe quae,” “being such that”: the portion is of a nature that cannot be removed.
οὐκoukvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
ἀφαιρεθήσεταιaphairethēsetaiwill not be taken away fromG851
√ ἀφαιρέω — to remove (literally or figuratively)VerbFuture Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
aphaireō: to take away Future passive. Cambridge cautions against turning the line into a formal proof of indefectible grace while pointing to Phil 1:6 and 1 Pet 1:5 for the general sense; Gill and Barnes (citing John 10:28 to 29) do read perseverance here. Contrast Luke 16:3, where the steward's position “is taken away” (aphaireitai): earthly portions are removable.
αὐτῆςautēsherG846
√ 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 Singular

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 guest received — Luke 10:38

Luke tells this on the road (ἐν τῷ πορεύεσθαι), and the road leads to Jerusalem. Into an unnamed village “He Himself” enters, and a woman ὑπεδέξατο, received Him under her roof: the rare hospitable verb Luke will use again of Zacchaeus. Cambridge, Barnes, JFB and Pulpit identify the village as Bethany from John 11:1, and Cambridge and Ellicott explain Luke's silence as synoptic reticence about the family of Lazarus. Benson and Barnes take Martha as mistress of the house and probably the elder sister. Geneva states the lesson at the threshold: “Christ does not desire to be waited upon in a delicate manner, but to be heard diligently.”

ii. The disciple at His feet — Luke 10:39

Mary παρακαθεσθεῖσα, seated herself beside the Lord's feet, and ἤκουεν, kept listening (JFB), to His λόγος. Barnes and JFB read this as the learner's posture (Acts 22:3); Gill hears Deut 33:3. Ellicott notes how closely these few lines match the independent sisters of John 11 and 12, and Cambridge calls the sketch “far too subtly and indirectly accordant” to be anything “but the harmony of truth.” ⚙ Luke has twice put a disciple at Jesus' feet already (the forgiven woman, 7:38; the freed demoniac, 8:35); here a woman takes the rabbinic learner's place, and nobody in the scene but Martha objects, and not on that ground.

iii. The many and the one — Luke 10:40 to 41

Martha περιεσπᾶτο, “was being dragged around” (Benson: “drawn different ways at the same time”), by much διακονία. She comes upon them suddenly (ἐπιστᾶσα; Ellicott, Cambridge) and charges both sister and Lord: “is it no care to You?” Barnes insists there is “no evidence that Martha had a worldly or covetous disposition”; Poole names two faults, overdoing the entertainment and resenting her sister. The answer opens with the doubled name, which Ellicott, Cambridge and Pulpit hear as pitying love, then names her state in two verbs JFB divides precisely: μεριμνᾷς the inner anxiety, θορυβάζῃ the outer bustle. Cambridge locates the rebuke not at hospitality but at the “fret and fuss” and at interfering with another's excellence.

iv. The portion that stays — Luke 10:42

Against “many things,” Jesus sets “few, or one” (the longer reading in the interlinear) or simply “one” (BSB). Poole, Gill and Cambridge all reject the “one dish” reading as too low; Ellicott thinks Jesus spoke with an outer and an inner meaning together. Mary ἐξελέξατο, chose for herself, τὴν ἀγαθὴν μερίδα. Gill, Cambridge and Ellicott all hear the LXX of Psalm 73:26, where God is the believer's portion, and Ellicott sees a half-playful pun with the portion of food at Gen 43:34. The portion “will not be taken away”: Henry, “Men and devils cannot take it away from us, and God and Christ will not”; Gill and Barnes read perseverance here; Cambridge warns against loading the line with that doctrine. On the contemplative and active types, JFB says the church needs both, “each to be the complement of the other,” while Ellicott reframes the contrast as singleness of heart against James's double-mindedness.

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

⚙ Read within Luke, the scene answers the lawyer's question that opened the chapter, “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (10:25; Cambridge notes this placement). The Samaritan shows love of neighbour in costly action; Mary shows love of God in attentive hearing. Neither cancels the other: the same Lord who praises Mary sends Martha's kind of service out as apostolic diakonia in Acts, and calls Himself the one who serves (Luke 22:27). What the text corrects is not work but anxiety (merimna), the very thorn that chokes the word in 8:14, and the demand that another disciple be pulled from His feet. The “one thing” is not a technique of contemplation but the Lord Himself, heard in His word; and because it is received as a portion, not achieved as a performance, it cannot be taken away. This reading is fallible and offered to be tested against Luke 8:4 to 21, 12:22 to 34, and Psalm 73.

What is received at His feet is a portion, not a performance, and no one can take it away.

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

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

“Help me”: the Spirit takes the other end of the load verbal / quotation: confirmed

Martha asks that Mary συναντιλάβηται, “take hold together with” her. The Verifier finds this double compound in only one other NT verse: Romans 8:26, where the Spirit synantilambanetai our weakness. The verbal link is real and rare. ⚙ The theological connection is the tool's: the help Martha demanded from her sister, Paul says God gives by His Spirit. No commentator in the brief draws it, and there is no claim that Paul alludes to Luke.

Romans 8:26

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G4878 συναντιλαμβάνομαι (in 2 vv); rare verbal link, not a quotation; the thematic reading is ⚙ synthesis

Received under the roof: Martha, Zacchaeus, Jason, Rahab verbal / quotation: confirmed

The welcome verb ὑπεδέξατο occurs in just four NT verses. Luke uses it again for Zacchaeus, who “received Him joyfully” (19:6); Acts 17:7 for Jason, who received Paul and Silas and was charged with treason for it; James 2:25 for Rahab, who received the messengers and was justified. ⚙ In each case taking someone under one's roof is a public act of allegiance. Martha's welcome belongs in that company before her complaint is heard.

Luke 19:6 · Acts 17:7 · James 2:25

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G5264 ὑποδέχομαι (in 4 vv) with each reference; rare verbal link, not a quotation

The sisters of Bethany in John structural / thematic: confirmed

Ellicott, Cambridge and Pulpit all note that Luke's portrait matches John's independent account: Martha goes out to meet Jesus and later serves at table (John 11:20; 12:2, diēkonei); Mary stays in the house, falls at His feet, and anoints His feet (11:32; 12:3). The Verifier's shared names (Martha, 12 vv; Maria; adelphē; kōmē) and diakoneō in John 12:2 confirm the same family and pattern, but shared proper names are identity, not a verbal echo.

John 11:1 · John 11:20 · John 12:2

basis: Verifier: shared G3136 Μάρθα (in 12 vv), G79 ἀδελφή (in 25 vv), G2968 κώμη (in 27 vv) with John 11:1; G1247 διακονέω (in 32 vv) with John 12:2; character and pattern match, not quotation

The portion: from Levi's inheritance to Mary's choice structural / thematic: confirmed

Mary's μερίς is the word the LXX uses where God is Himself the portion of His people. Gill: “see Psalm 73:26 where the Septuagint use the same word as here”; Cambridge and Ellicott cite the same psalm and Gen 43:34 (Benjamin's portion of food). ⚙ Behind the psalm stands God's word to Aaron that the priests have no land, “I am your portion and your inheritance” (Num 18:20). Mary, without land or office, takes the priestly portion: the Lord Himself. Because this joins Greek Luke to Hebrew texts (via the LXX), Strong's numbers cannot be shared; the link rests on the LXX usage the commentators record.

Psalm 73:26 · Numbers 18:20 · Genesis 43:34 · Colossians 1:12

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew): no shared Strong's possible; basis is LXX μερίς in Ps 73:26 and Gen 43:34 as cited by Gill, Cambridge and Ellicott; Num 18:20 and the priestly reading are ⚙ additions

At the feet of the teacher structural / thematic: confirmed

Barnes and JFB explain Mary's posture from Acts 22:3, where Paul was brought up “at the feet of Gamaliel”; Gill adds Deut 33:3. Within Luke the healed demoniac is found “sitting at the feet of Jesus” (8:35). The pattern is the disciple's place; the shared lexemes have not been computed by the Verifier here, so no verbal tier is claimed.

Acts 22:3 · Luke 8:35 · Deuteronomy 33:3

basis: Shared motif of sitting at a teacher's feet, cited by Barnes, JFB (Acts 22:3) and Gill (Deut 33:3); Deut 33:3 is cross-Testament, so motif only; no Verifier lexeme count recorded

Anxiety and the one necessary thing structural / thematic: confirmed

Martha's μεριμνᾷς is the verb of the Sermon's “do not be anxious” (Matt 6:25, Ellicott and Cambridge) and of Luke's own teaching (12:22), where the answer is “seek His kingdom” (12:31; Cambridge and Barnes cite Matt 6:33). The thorns that choke the word are “cares” (merimnai, Luke 8:14). The same lexeme is present, but the Verifier did not score these pairs, so the link is tiered as a shared motif.

Matthew 6:25 · Luke 12:22 · Luke 8:14

basis: Shared vocabulary of μεριμνάω (G3309) noted by Ellicott and Cambridge; frequency not computed by the Verifier in this brief, so tiered as motif rather than verbal

θορυβάζῃ / τυρβάζῃ and the tumult texts flagged: verify source

The Verifier links v. 41 to Acts 17:5 and Matthew 9:23 through G2350 thorybeō (5 vv), where crowds are in uproar. But the form in v. 41 is thorybazē (and the Received Text reads tyrbazē, which Benson says occurs nowhere else in the NT). The interlinear's Strong's tag treats a related but distinct verb under the same number, so the apparent verbal link may be an artefact of lemmatization.

Acts 17:5 · Matthew 9:23

basis: Verifier: G2350 θορυβέω (in 5 vv), but the Luke 10:41 form is θορυβάζω (TR τυρβάζω); the shared Strong's number may conflate two verbs

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The Lord who is the portion ancient/widely-held

Luke's narrator calls Jesus ὁ Κύριος at vv. 39 and 41, and Martha addresses Him Kyrie. In the psalm the commentators cite, it is the LORD who is the believer's portion forever (Ps 73:26). Gill draws the line explicitly: Mary's good part is “Christ, the sum and substance of the word she heard,” and “so is Christ” the portion God is. ⚙ The scene thus puts at the centre of a household not a meal but a Person whom the psalmists called their inheritance. This Christological reading of the portion is recorded by Gill and implied by Henry (“a part in that love”) and Barnes.

Psalm 73:26 · Psalm 16:5 · Colossians 1:12

The guest who is the host novel

⚙ Martha labours to feed Jesus; Jesus feeds Mary with His word. Poole puts it plainly: the guest “had meat to eat which she was not aware of” (echoing John 4:34). Earlier in Luke, Jesus answers hunger with Deut 8:3, “man shall not live by bread alone” (Luke 4:4), and in Luke 22:27 the honoured guest is the one who serves. The reversal, where the received Lord turns out to be the true provider, is suggested by Poole and fits Luke's banquet theme; the specific Deut 8:3 connection here is the tool's suggestion.

Luke 4:4 · Deuteronomy 8:3 · John 4:34 · Luke 22:27

From the feet that teach to the feet anointed for burial ancient/widely-held

Ellicott notes that Mary's listening “passed, when the time came for it, as in John 12:3, into full and intense activity.” The woman who sat at His feet to hear is the one who anoints them six days before the Passover, which Jesus says is for His burial (John 12:7). ⚙ The good portion that “will not be taken away” is secured by the One whose own life was taken and given back; this goes beyond Luke's pericope and is offered as canonical reading.

John 12:3 · John 12:7 · John 11:32

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)
  • 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 of v. 42. The interlinear row includes ὀλίγων and ἢ, i.e. the longer reading “of few things there is need, or of one,” which Ellicott and Cambridge attribute to Sinaiticus and Vaticanus and some versions; the Received Text and BSB's translation give the shorter “one thing is needful.” The interlinear's word order and glosses (ὀλίγων glossed “thing,” ἢ glossed “only”) fit BSB's English onto the longer Greek, so the literal rendering here follows the Greek words actually listed. Ellicott and Pulpit discuss which is earlier; this tool does not decide it.

v. 41 verb. The interlinear tags thorybazē as G2350 (thorybeō); the Received Text reads tyrbazē (Benson). Strong's numbering may merge distinct verbs, so the Acts 17:5 / Matthew 9:23 thread is flagged.

v. 39. “The Lord's feet” vs. “Jesus' feet” is a manuscript difference noted by Ellicott and Gill.

Identifications. Bethany, Martha as widow or elder sister, and Martha as the “elect lady” of 2 John are commentator inferences, not stated by Luke. The Romans 8:26, Numbers 18:20, Deut 8:3 and Gen 22:11 connections are ⚙ synthesis unless a named commentator is cited. Benson and Poole voices are drawn from their combined notes on vv. 38 to 42; Henry's single note on the pericope recurs under each verse in the brief and is cited once.

✦ = 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)