The Fallible Study Bible

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Luke9:46–50

The Greatest in the Kingdom

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Luke 9:46–50 — The Greatest in the Kingdom. 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.

46

Then an argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de dialogismos Eisēlthen en autois to tis an autōn eiē meizōn

Word by word11 · parsed
δὲdeThenG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
διαλογισμὸςdialogismosan argumentG1261
√ διαλογισμός — discussion, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
dialogismos: reasoning, deliberation A word Luke uses far more than any other evangelist (see the thread below). In Luke it is almost always the hidden reasoning of hearts that Jesus sees through (5:22; 6:8; 24:38), and Simeon prophesied that the child would cause “the thoughts of many hearts” to be revealed (2:35). Here that prophecy touches the Twelve themselves.
ΕἰσῆλθενEisēlthenstartedG1525
√ εἰσέρχομαι — to enter (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
eiserchomai: to enter Aorist: the reasoning “came in” among them. Gill reports the versions’ rendering “a thought entered into them” and suggests it was likely suggested by Satan; that is Gill’s inference, not the text’s claim.
ἐνenamongG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
αὐτοῖςautois[the disciples]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 Plural
τὸto[as to]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Neuter Singular
The neuter article nominalizes the whole question: “the who-is-greater matter.”
τίςtiswhichG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἂνan. . .G302
√ ἄν — (what-, where-, wither-, who-)soeverParticle
αὐτῶνautōnof themG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
εἴηeiēwould beG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Optative Active3rd Person Singular
eimi: to be (present optative) Optative with an in an indirect question: a hypothetical, speculative mood. The disciples are not reporting a fact but weighing possibilities about rank.
μείζωνmeizōn[the] greatestG3173
√ μέγας — big (literally or figuratively, in a very wide application)AdjectiveNominative Masculine SingularComparative
megas: great (comparative) The same root returns as the last word of v. 48 (megas), where Jesus answers their comparative with a reversal: the lesser one is great. The unit is bracketed by this word.
47

But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts, had a little child stand beside Him.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de ho Iēsous eidōs ton dialogismon tēs autōn kardias epilabomenos estēsen auto paidion par’ heautō

Word by word15 · parsed
δὲdeButG1161
√ 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
εἰδὼςeidōsknowingG1492
√ εἴδω — used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι) and G3708 (ὁράω)VerbPerfect Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
oida: to know (perfect) In Luke, Jesus repeatedly knows reasonings that were never spoken aloud (5:22; 6:8; 11:17). Gill reads it as the knowledge of “the omniscient God,” which is a theological inference the evangelist leaves implicit.
τὸνtontheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
διαλογισμὸνdialogismonthoughtsG1261
√ διαλογισμός — discussion, iNounAccusative Masculine Singular
dialogismos Second use in two verses: the outward dispute of v. 46 is now traced to its root in the heart.
τῆςtēsofG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
αὐτῶνautōntheirG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
καρδίαςkardiasheartsG2588
√ καρδία — the heart, iNounGenitive Feminine Singular
kardia: heart Singular. The source of the quarrel is located not in circumstance but in the heart (compare Mark 7:21, where dialogismoi proceed out of the heart).
ἐπιλαβόμενοςepilabomenosvvvG1949
√ ἐπιλαμβάνομαι — to seize (for help, injury, attainment, or any other purposeVerbAorist Participle MiddleNominative Masculine Singular
epilambanomai: to take hold of Middle voice: he takes the child for himself. Luke uses the same verb when Jesus takes hold of the sick to heal them (14:4). The untranslated participle is the tenderest act in the scene.
ἔστησενestēsenhadG2476
√ ἵστημι — to stand (transitively or intransitively), used in various applications (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
histēmi: to stand, set Transitive aorist: he “stood” the child, set it up as an exhibit.
αὐτὸauto. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Neuter 3rd Person Singular
παιδίονpaidiona little child {stand}G3813
√ παιδίον — a childling (of either sex), iNounAccusative Neuter Singular
paidion: little child Diminutive of pais; a small child of no social rank, the opposite of the “greater” the disciples were seeking.
παρ’par’besideG3844
√ παρά — properly, nearPreposition
ἑαυτῷheautōHimG1438
√ ἑαυτοῦ — him- (her-, it-, them-, also (in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons) my-, thy-, our-, your-) self (selves), etcReflexive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
48

And He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is the least among all of you, he is the greatest.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai eipen autois Hos ean dexētai touto to paidion epi mou tō onomati dechetai eme kai hos an dexētai eme dechetai ton aposteilanta me gar ho hyparchōn mikroteros en pasin hymin houtos estin megas

Word by word34 · parsed
καὶkaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
εἶπενeipenHe saidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτοῖςautoisto themG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
ὋςHosWhoeverG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἐὰνean. . .G1437
√ ἐάν — a conditional particleConjunction
δέξηταιdexētaiwelcomesG1209
√ δέχομαι — to receive (in various applications, literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Subjunctive Middle3rd Person Singular
dechomai: to receive, welcome Aorist subjunctive: any single act of welcome. The verb of hospitality, of taking someone in; it occurs four times in this one verse, chaining child, Christ and Father.
τοῦτοtoutothisG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
παιδίονpaidionlittle childG3813
√ παιδίον — a childling (of either sex), iNounAccusative Neuter Singular
ἐπὶepiinG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
μουmouMyG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
τῷtōG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Neuter Singular
ὀνόματίonomatinameG3686
√ ὄνομα — a "name" (literally or figuratively) (authority, character)NounDative Neuter Singular
onoma: name “Name” here stands for the person and authority of Jesus. John seizes on this very word in v. 49 (JFB and Cambridge both see it as the link), so the second episode grows directly out of this phrase.
δέχεταιdechetaiwelcomesG1209
√ δέχομαι — to receive (in various applications, literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
dechomai (present) The shift to the present indicative states a standing rule: whoever does the act is receiving Christ.
ἐμὲemeMeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 1st Person Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὃςhoswhoeverG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἂνan. . .G302
√ ἄν — (what-, where-, wither-, who-)soeverParticle
δέξηταιdexētaiwelcomesG1209
√ δέχομαι — to receive (in various applications, literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Subjunctive Middle3rd Person Singular
ἐμὲemeMeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 1st Person Singular
δέχεταιdechetaiwelcomesG1209
√ δέχομαι — to receive (in various applications, literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
τὸνtonthe [One who]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ἀποστείλαντάaposteilantasentG649
√ ἀποστέλλω — set apart, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveAccusative Masculine Singular
apostellō: to send on a mission Aorist participle, “the one having sent me.” Jesus defines himself as the Sent One; this is the language of agency, in which the sent one carries the sender’s presence (compare Luke 10:16; John 13:20).
μεmeMeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 1st Person Singular
γὰρgarForG1063
√ γάρ — properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensificationConjunction
ὁhowhoeverG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ὑπάρχωνhyparchōnisG5225
√ ὑπάρχω — to begin under (quietly), iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
hyparchō: to be, exist Present participle; an actual condition of lowliness.
μικρότεροςmikroteros[the] leastG3398
√ μικρός — small (in size, quantity, number or (figuratively) dignity)AdjectiveNominative Masculine SingularComparative
mikros: small (comparative) Answers meizōn in v. 46. Gill takes it as “least in his own opinion,” and cites Paul’s “least of the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:9) as the pattern.
ἐνenamongG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
πᾶσινpasinallG3956
√ πᾶς — all, any, every, the wholeAdjectiveDative Masculine Plural
ὑμῖνhyminof youG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Plural
οὗτόςhoutosheG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἐστινestinisG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
μέγαςmegas[the] greatestG3173
√ μέγας — big (literally or figuratively, in a very wide application)AdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
megas: great Positive degree after their comparative: Jesus does not rank the lesser as “greater than the rest,” he simply calls him great. The question of rank is dissolved, not answered on its own terms.
49

“Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Epistata de ho Apokritheis eipen Iōannēs eidomen tina ekballonta daimonia en sou tō onomati kai ekōlyomen auton hoti ouk akolouthei meth’ hēmōn

Word by word22 · parsed
ἘπιστάταEpistataMasterG1988
√ ἐπιστάτης — an appointee over, iNounVocative Masculine Singular
epistatēs: one set over Luke’s distinctive address to Jesus, used by disciples (5:5; 8:24; 8:45; 9:33; 9:49) and by the ten lepers (17:13). It recognizes authority while, in several Lukan scenes, accompanying a misunderstanding (8:45; 9:33).
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἈποκριθεὶςApokritheissaidG611
√ ἀποκρίνομαι — to conclude for oneself, iVerbAorist Participle PassiveNominative Masculine Singular
εἶπενeipen. . .G2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἸωάννηςIōannēsJohnG2491
√ Ἰωάννης — Joannes (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
John, one of the three just shown the Transfiguration and one of the “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17).
εἴδομένeidomenwe sawG3708
√ ὁράω — by extension, to attend toVerbAorist Indicative Active1st Person Plural
τιναtinasomeoneG5100
√ τὶς — some or any person or objectInterrogative / Indefinite PronounAccusative Masculine Singular
ἐκβάλλονταekballontadriving outG1544
√ ἐκβάλλω — to eject (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Participle ActiveAccusative Masculine Singular
ekballō: to cast out Present participle: the man was in the act of exorcizing, and evidently succeeding, the very thing the disciples had just failed to do with the boy in 9:40.
δαιμόνιαdaimoniademonsG1140
√ δαιμόνιον — a dæmonic beingNounAccusative Neuter Plural
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
σουsouYourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
τῷtōG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Neuter Singular
ὀνόματίonomatinameG3686
√ ὄνομα — a "name" (literally or figuratively) (authority, character)NounDative Neuter Singular
onoma Picks up “in my name” from v. 48 (JFB, Cambridge, Pulpit all note the link). The disciples’ exclusivity contradicts the welcome Jesus has just commanded for anyone bearing his name.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐκωλύομενekōlyomenwe tried to stopG2967
√ κωλύω — to estop, iVerbImperfect Indicative Active1st Person Plural
kōlyō: to hinder, forbid The same verb Jesus reverses in v. 50 and again in Luke 18:16, where the disciples hinder children from coming to him: the two failures this unit exposes (rank, exclusion) reappear together there.
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
ὅτιhotibecauseG3754
√ ὅτι — demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant)Conjunction
οὐκouk. . .G3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
ἀκολουθεῖakoloutheihe does not accompanyG190
√ ἀκολουθέω — properly, to be in the same way with, iVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
akoloutheō: to follow The verb of discipleship (5:11, 27; 9:23). The irony is that the standard John applies is “with us,” not “after Jesus.”
μεθ’meth’. . .G3326
√ μετά — properly, denoting accompanimentPreposition
ἡμῶνhēmōnusG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Plural
“Us”: the boundary is drawn around the group, not around Christ.
50

“Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Mē kōlyete de ho Iēsous Eipen pros auton gar hos estin ouk kath’ hymōn estin hyper hymōn

Word by word17 · parsed
ΜὴMē{Do} notG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
κωλύετεkōlyetestop [him]G2967
√ κωλύω — to estop, iVerbPresent Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
kōlyō Present imperative: the disciples’ ongoing policy of hindering is to cease. Jesus does not commend the man’s separate path; he forbids the forbidding.
δὲdeG1161
√ 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
Jesus, the name the exorcist was using.
ΕἶπενEipenrepliedG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
πρὸςprosG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
αὐτὸνautonG846
√ 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
γὰρgarforG1063
√ γάρ — properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensificationConjunction
gar The reason is a principle, not an exception.
ὃςhoswhoeverG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἔστινestinisG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
οὐκouknotG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
καθ’kath’againstG2596
√ κατά — (prepositionally) down (in place or time), in varied relations (according to the case (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined)Preposition
kata: against Genitive of hostility.
ὑμῶνhymōnyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Plural
ἐστινestinisG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ὑπὲρhyperforG5228
√ ὑπέρ — "over", iPreposition
hyper: on behalf of The preposition of advocacy and substitution elsewhere in the New Testament (Luke 22:19, “given for you”). Here it means simply “on your side.”
ὑμῶνhymōnyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Plural
Second-person plural: the boundary in question is the disciples’ own, not Christ’s (contrast Luke 11:23, where the saying turns on being with me, that is, with Jesus himself).

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 reasoning that entered — 9:46 to 47

The scene follows directly on Jesus’ second passion prediction (9:44 to 45), which the disciples did not understand. Into that incomprehension “entered” (εἰσῆλθεν) a διαλογισμὸς: who among them might be greater, in the speculative optative. Poole traces the dispute to “the common notion of their country” that the Messiah would wield secular power; Benson calls it the sign of a “carnal, worldly spirit”; Cambridge adds, with a “perhaps,” that the recent privilege of Peter, James and John may have stirred jealousy. In v. 47 the same noun returns, now located in the heart (καρδίας, singular), and Jesus is said to know it (perfect εἰδὼς). Gill takes this as divine omniscience; ⚙ the text itself simply places it alongside Luke’s pattern of Jesus reading unspoken reasonings (5:22; 6:8), which Simeon foretold (2:35). Jesus answers without a word at first: he lays hold of a child (Ellicott: “laid hold on”) and sets it beside himself.

ii. The child, the Name, and the Sender — 9:48

Four times in one sentence the verb δέχομαι (receive, welcome) links a nameless child to Jesus and Jesus to “the One who sent” him. Henry draws out the honor: there is no greater dignity than to be received as Christ’s messenger. Gill reads the child as standing for “one that is as humble as this child,” and the Pulpit Commentary applies it to tenderness toward the weak. The answer to the disciples’ comparative (μείζων) is a matching comparative (μικρότερος, the lesser) and a present-tense verdict, “this one is great,” the reading Ellicott and Cambridge both prefer: greatness, says Ellicott, is “actually attained in the midst of, and by means of, the seeming humiliation.”

iii. The man who did not follow with us — 9:49 to 50

John responds, as JFB and Cambridge observe, to the words “in my name.” Addressing Jesus with Luke’s distinctive Ἐπιστάτα, he reports that they kept forbidding (ἐκωλύομεν) an exorcist who used that name, because he “does not follow with us.” The Pulpit Commentary names the motive frankly as “natural jealousy” of outsiders; Cambridge recalls Joshua and Eldad and Medad (Numbers 11:27 to 29). Jesus answers with a present imperative, “stop forbidding,” and a principle in the second person: whoever is not against you is for you. Cambridge insists this does not contradict the saying of Matthew 12:30 and Luke 11:23, that he who is not with Christ is against him: both are true in different circumstances. Henry concludes that those may be “accepted of him, who do not follow with us”; JFB, that visible unity is to be sought, “but this is not the way to it.”

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

⚙ Read on its own terms, the unit is a single lesson told twice. First the disciples rank themselves against one another; then they rank an outsider against themselves. Both times the measuring stick is “us,” and both times Jesus replaces it with himself: the child is great because received “upon my name,” and the exorcist is not to be hindered because he works “in your name.” The text does not say the man was a full disciple, nor that following “with us” is unimportant; it says the disciples may not make their company the test of belonging to Christ. The two sayings in Luke (9:50 and 11:23) together give a double rule the reader must hold: toward Christ there is no neutrality, but toward Christ’s people a non-hostile worker in his name is to be counted an ally. This reading is offered to be tested against the whole of Scripture, especially Luke 22:24 to 27, where the same quarrel returns on the night of the betrayal.

The disciples measured greatness and belonging by “us”; Jesus measured both by his name.

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

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The reasonings of hearts laid bare verbal / quotation: confirmed

The noun διαλογισμός is rare in the New Testament, and Luke uses it more than any other writer. At 2:35 Simeon says the child will cause “the thoughts (dialogismoi) of many hearts” to be revealed; at 5:22 and 6:8 Jesus knows the scribes’ and Pharisees’ unspoken reasonings; at 24:38 he asks the frightened disciples why such reasonings arise in their hearts. In 9:46 to 47 the pattern turns inward on the Twelve: the reasoning is theirs, and he knows it. This is a shared vocabulary and a recurring narrative pattern, not a quotation.

Luke 2:35 · Luke 5:22 · Luke 6:8 · Luke 24:38

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G1261 διαλογισμός (in 14 vv), with G2588 καρδία (in 149 vv) at Luke 2:35, 5:22, 24:38 and G1492 εἴδω at Luke 6:8; a rare-lexeme verbal link, not a citation

“Master” (Epistata): Luke’s word for Jesus at moments of incomprehension verbal / quotation: confirmed

Ἐπιστάτης is found only in Luke. Peter uses it when told to let down the nets (5:5), the disciples in the storm (8:24), Peter when Jesus asks who touched him (8:45), Peter on the mount of Transfiguration “not knowing what he said” (9:33), John here (9:49), and the ten lepers (17:13). Ellicott points to 5:5 and 8:24. ⚙ In several of these the address comes as the speaker is about to be corrected or surprised; that literary observation is the tool’s, not the Verifier’s.

Luke 5:5 · Luke 8:24 · Luke 8:45 · Luke 9:33 · Luke 17:13

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G1988 ἐπιστάτης (in 6 vv, all in Luke); Luke 5:5 also shares G611 ἀποκρίνομαι (231 vv) and Luke 9:33 G1492 εἴδω (296 vv). A lexical motif, not a quotation

The synoptic parallel: Mark 9:38 to 41 structural / thematic: confirmed

Ellicott notes that the exorcist narrative is “common to these two Gospels only.” Mark’s fuller account adds Jesus’ reason that no one who works a miracle in his name can “lightly speak evil” of him (cited by JFB and Poole). Luke’s version is shorter and makes the boundary second person (“you”) in the reading of the interlinear.

Mark 9:38

basis: Verifier: shared lexemes G3686 ὄνομα (in 214 vv), G1140 δαιμόνιον (in 55 vv), G190 ἀκολουθέω (in 86 vv); all common. The link is the same episode in parallel Gospels, not a quotation of one by the other

Joshua forbids, Moses refuses: Eldad and Medad structural / thematic: confirmed

JFB (“See the noble spirit of Moses”) and Cambridge (“the jealous zeal of Joshua against Eldad and Medad”) both point to Numbers 11:26 to 29, where two men prophesy outside the camp, Joshua urges Moses to stop them, and Moses refuses, asking whether Joshua is jealous on his behalf and wishing that all the LORD’s people were prophets. The shape is the same: a zealous follower seeks to silence Spirit-empowered work outside the authorized circle, and the leader refuses. Because one text is Hebrew and the other Greek, no shared Strong’s number can establish a verbal link; the parallel is one of pattern.

Numbers 11:26-29

basis: Cross-Testament (Hebrew and Greek): no shared Strong’s lexeme possible; basis is the shared narrative pattern, recorded by JFB and Cambridge

Joshua and Jesus: the same name, the same verb? (LXX Numbers 11:28) flagged: verify source

⚙ In the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), Joshua’s name is rendered Iēsous, the same form as “Jesus,” and, by the tool’s recollection, his plea to Moses uses the imperative of kōlyō (“forbid them”), the verb of Luke 9:49 to 50. If accurate, Luke’s scene would invert Numbers: there Iēsous asks for forbidding; here Iēsous forbids it. The Verifier does not index the Septuagint, so neither the wording nor any intended allusion is confirmed, and no commentator in the brief makes this point.

Numbers 11:28

basis: Unverified: depends on the Septuagint wording of Numbers 11:28 (Iēsous; kōlyson), outside the Verifier’s Strong’s index; no commentator in the brief cites it; possible allusion, not established

The complementary saying: Luke 11:23 structural / thematic: confirmed

Cambridge calls Matthew 12:30 (paralleled in Luke 11:23) “the complementary but not contradictory truth,” quoting it as “He who is not with me is against me.” Luke records both. In 11:23 the issue is a person’s stance toward Jesus himself amid the Beelzebul accusation; in 9:50 it is the disciples’ stance toward a fellow worker using his name. The Verifier finds only common words in common, so the link rests on the antithetical aphorism form, not vocabulary.

Luke 11:23 · Matthew 12:30

basis: Verifier (Luke 9:50 / Luke 11:23): shared lexemes G2596 κατά (in 430 vv), G3361 μή (in 935 vv); common words only, so the link is thematic (paired aphorisms), noted by Cambridge

The quarrel returns at the Supper: Luke 22:24 to 27 structural / thematic: confirmed

Cambridge notes that “this unseemly dispute was again stirred up at the Last Supper.” There the disciples again argue over which of them is greater (meizōn), and Jesus answers that the greater must become as the younger, adding, “I am among you as the One who serves.” The lesson of 9:48 was not learned; Jesus repeats it with himself as the example.

Luke 22:24-27

basis: Verifier (Luke 9:46 / Luke 22:24): shared lexemes G3173 μέγας (in 231 vv), G5101 τίς (in 512 vv); common words, but the same dispute recurs, as Cambridge records

Receiving the sent: Luke 10:16 structural / thematic: confirmed

The chain “receives me… receives the One who sent me” returns when the Seventy-two are sent out: “Whoever listens to you listens to Me… whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.” The logic of agency is the same in both: the one sent carries the presence of the sender.

Luke 10:16 · John 13:20

basis: Verifier (Luke 9:48 / Luke 10:16): shared lexeme G649 ἀποστέλλω (in 130 vv) plus common pronouns; shared sending formula, not a quotation

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The Sent One who stands with the least ancient/widely-held

⚙ In v. 48 Jesus calls himself the one whom the Father “sent” (ἀποστείλαντά), and then identifies himself so fully with a powerless child that to welcome the child is to welcome him, and through him the Father. Henry draws out the honor of being received as a messenger of God and Christ. The same identification reaches its widest form in Matthew 25:40, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” This is the widely-held reading across the commentators in the brief.

Luke 9:48 · Luke 10:16 · Matthew 25:40 · John 13:20

The Greatest who became the least ancient/widely-held

⚙ The rule “the lesser among you, this one is great” is spoken just after Jesus has twice foretold his own betrayal and death (9:22, 44). He is himself the pattern: at the Supper he says, “I am among you as the One who serves” (Luke 22:27), and Paul describes the Son who “emptied Himself… and became obedient to death” and was therefore exalted (Philippians 2:7 to 9). Ellicott’s remark that greatness is attained “by means of, the seeming humiliation” fits the cross itself, though Ellicott applies it to disciples. Reading the saying christologically is widely held in the church’s tradition.

Luke 22:27 · Philippians 2:7-9 · Mark 10:45

The Name that no circle owns ancient/widely-held

⚙ The outsider succeeds because the power lies in the name of Jesus, not in membership of the Twelve. The Pulpit Commentary: “No earthly society, however holy, would be able exclusively to claim the Divine powers inseparably connected with a true and faithful use of his Name.” Cambridge contrasts the sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13 to 16), who used the name without faith and were overpowered. The apostles later preach that “there is no other name under heaven” by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12): the name is exclusive, the company that bears it is not.

Acts 4:12 · Acts 19:13-16 · Philippians 1:18

A greater Joshua (novel, tentative) novel

⚙ If the Septuagint of Numbers 11:28 does use Iēsous and kōlyō (see the flagged thread), then the Jesus of Luke 9:50 takes the part of Moses against his namesake: where the first Joshua wished to forbid, the second forbids forbidding, echoing Moses’ wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets, a wish Acts 2:17 to 18 presents as fulfilled at Pentecost. No commentator in the brief draws this connection; it is the tool’s own suggestion and should be tested.

Numbers 11:29 · Acts 2:17-18

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:

  • 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. Two readings matter. (1) v. 48: the interlinear (and Ellicott, Cambridge citing ℵ, B, C, L, X) reads estin megas, “is great”; the Received Text tradition behind the KJV reads “shall be great.” (2) v. 50: the interlinear reads hymōn (“you”); the KJV tradition reads “us.” Gill and the Pulpit Commentary report the “you” reading in the Vulgate, Syriac and older witnesses. Both readings are followed here as given in the interlinear.

Interlinear. In v. 47 the participle epilabomenos carries a placeholder gloss (“vvv”) in the source data; BSB does not translate it, and the literal above supplies “taking hold of” from the parse and lexicon (and Ellicott’s “laid hold on”).

Sources. Barnes for these verses refers only to his notes on Matthew 18 and Mark 9 and is therefore not quoted; JFB on 9:46 to 48 likewise only cross-references. Henry’s note covers 9:43 to 50 as one block. The tradition that the child was Ignatius of Antioch (reported by Pulpit, rejected by Cambridge) is late and unsupported by the text. The suggestion that Peter’s house and child are in view (Pulpit) is conjecture.

⚙ Uncertain. The Septuagint wording of Numbers 11:28 is cited from the tool’s recollection and is not verified; that thread and the related Christ reading are marked accordingly. Counts of Luke’s use of dialogismos are inferred from the Verifier’s candidate list, not a full concordance search.

✦ = 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)