Luke 10:8

Luk_10:8-9. Πόλιν] It is seen from this that in the direction previously given, Luk_10:5 ff., Jesus had contemplated villages and single dwelling-houses. Thus Luk_10:5 ff. corresponds to the καὶ τόπον, and Luk_10:8 ff. to the πόλιν, Luk_10:1.

καὶ δέχ. ὑμ.] a transition into the demonstrative expression instead of the continuance of the relative form; comp. Bremi, ad Dem. Ol. p. 177; Buttmann, Neut. Gr. p. 328 [E. T. 383].

ἐσθίετε] as though καὶ ἐὰν κ.τ.λ. had been previously said. An emphatic anacoluthon. See Bornemann, Schol. p. 65 f.

αὐτοῖς] the inhabitants. Comp. δέχωνται.

ἤγγικεν] a promise of participation in the kingdom of Messiah near at hand. On ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς, comp. Mat_12:28; Psa_27:2; 1Ma_5:40; 1Ma_5:42.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk 10:8 . ἐσθίετε τὰ παρατιθέμενα : not a repetition. It means, be contented with your fare: contenti este quamvis frugali apparatu , Bengel. Holtz. (H. C.) thinks Lk. has in view heathen houses, and that the meaning is: put aside Jewish scruples.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Content yourselves with that meat that is set before you.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(8) Eat such things as are set before you.—The precise form of the precept is peculiar to St. Luke, but the spirit is the same as that of the words which had been spoken to the Twelve. The Evangelist preachers were to accept whatever was provided for them by a willing host, and to avoid even the appearance of caring for outward comforts.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And into whatsoever city ye enter,.... Into whatsoever house in it ye go, and apply to for lodging and entertainment,

and they receive you, readily and cheerfully,

eat such things as are set before you; though ever so mean, accept of them, and do not object to them on that account, lest it should be thought you serve your own bellies, and seek to gratify your appetites; nor, on the other hand, do not think anything too good for you, or that you are burdensome and chargeable, but eat as if it were your own; nor ask questions about the cleanness and uncleanness of it, or whether it has been tithed or not; but feed upon it without any scruple.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:

Ver. 8. Such things as they set before you] Not seeking after dainties. It becomes not a servant of the Highest to be a slave to his palate. Epicurei, dum palate prospiciunt, coeli palatium non suspiciunt, saith the heathen. (Cicero).

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See the notes at Mat 10:14-15.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

We have met with the same instructions before in Matthew and Mark. See Poole on "Mat 10:11", and following verses to Mat 10:15. See Poole on "Mar 6:10-11". There is some difference in words. Matthew saith, —inquire who in the city is worthy, and, Luk 10:13,

if the house be worthy; Luke saith,

if the son of peace be there; they both mean the same thing: if there be any in it, that belong to God’s election of grace, any whom God intends by you to call, and make partakers of the peace of the gospel. For other things relating to the opening of the words, see the notes before mentioned. Only we may from hence observe for our instruction,

1. That it is the will of Christ, that his ministers should not be too solicitous for a livelihood. As the labourer is worthy of his hire, so he that sends them into his harvest will see they shall be fed. Let them look to their calling, and to the fulfilling of their ministry; God will see they shall be fed.

2. That the society of ministers of the gospel, in cities and houses, should not be with debauchees, but with those that are worthy, so far as man can judge; such as are their Master’s friends and servants should be their companions.

3. Those are most worthy in places amongst whom the Son of peace is, men and women that have the most knowledge of and love for Christ.

4. The ministers of Christ ought to carry themselves with all imaginable civility, wishing good to all, and doing good to all.

5. Christ’s ministers ought not to make their bellies their gods, —eat such things as are set before you.

6. They have a Divine licence to take and use for their necessities such things as men give them.

7. Christ expects that his people should maintain his ministers, not depriving the labourers of their hire, nor muzzling the mouths of the oxen which tread out the corn, 1Co 9:9,10, nor preferring their servants for their worldly occasions before such as labour for their souls, and in that work are God’s messengers to them, and his servants in the first place, though employed in watching for people’s souls.

8. The not giving a livelihood to ministers, is a not receiving them, that is, provided the people be able.

9. People by not receiving the gospel of peace brought them by faithful ministers shall do them no hurt, their peace shall return unto them. They shall be a sweet savour unto God, even as to them that perish. Their judgment is with the Lord, and their work with their God, though they labour in vain; though Israel be not gathered, they shall be glorified. Men proportion their rewards according to successes of servants. God more justly proportions his rewards to men’s sincerity and diligence in their labour.

10. If men refuse the gospel, yet they shall know the kingdom of God is come nigh unto them. If they will not be subject to his kingdom of grace, yet they shall be subdued by the kingdom of his power and justice.

11. There will come a day when men that have the offers of the gospel of peace, and refuse them, slighting and despising his ministers and their message, will find that they had better have lived in Sodom when it was burnt with fire and brimstone; their portion of wrath in the day of judgment will be larger and bitterer than the portion of the men of Sodom. Let all who live in our days hear and fear, and in time break off their sins by a true repentance, lest they go to hell at the highest disadvantage.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Eat such things as are set before you. Most commentators have simply seen in this charge

(1) an instruction to be content with whatever their host should set before them, avoiding even the appearance of caring or wishing for dainties;

(2) that his servants should look upon such maintenance in the light of a fairly earned wage, rather than as an alms bestowed upon a beggar. In other words, his servants, while perfectly content with the most frugal fare, at the same time should preserve their manly independence. The bare austere sustenance, the simple lodging,these things they had surely earned. But in addition to this meaning, true and appropriate though it be, there seems a quiet recommendation not to be rigid in inquiring as to the cleanness or uncleanness of the viands. One very able commentator (Godet) remarks that of this there is no question, for we are yet in a Jewish world. But remembering only in the last chapter a mission was specially sent to a Samaritan village, such an assertion can scarcely be maintained. It seems probable that extreme rigidness in this particular, now that mission work on a broad scale had commenced, here began to be relaxed; and that in this charge of Jesus we have, at least, the basis of that yet broader commandment set out by St. Paul in 1Co_10:27.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Further instructions:

v. 8. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you;

v. 9. and heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

v. 10. But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same and say,

v. 11. Even the very dust of your city which cleaveth on us we do wipe off against you; notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

v. 12. But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.

What was said of individual houses is now repeated with respect to entire cities. wherever the reception was kind and in accordance with the dignity of their calling, there they should remain, eating the things that were set before them. They should be content with the fare which the people could afford, even if that happened to be frugal. A pastor will always be glad to share the poverty of his parishioners, just as the parishioners should always be glad to share their wealth with their pastor. The work of the seventy is then briefly indicated, to heal the sick and to announce the coming of the kingdom of God in the person of Jesus. For every one that accepts Christ by faith enters into this Kingdom. This would be the privilege of the people that heard the message, since the invitation was thereby extended to them all. But if the disciples should be refused admission into some city or its houses, they should endeavor to bring home to the inhabitants of such a city the heinousness of their offense, since in rejecting the heralds they despised the Master. Going out of the inhospitable houses into the streets, they should deliberately wipe off the very dust that had been taken up by their feet since entering the town. It was the most expressive gesture of absolute rejection. And yet, so far as the rest is concerned, the people of that city should know that the kingdom of God was just upon them, that they were offered an opportunity of accepting it, and that it was their own fault if it had come to them in vain. Solemnly Jesus declares that the fault of such a city in despising the Gospel would be of a nature to outrank the transgressions of Sodom, and would be thus treated on the Day of Judgment.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

and they receive you

"if they welcome you"

eat what is set before you

This can be stated in active form. AT: "eat whatever food they give you" (See: Active or Passive)

the sick

This refers to sick people in general. AT: "the sick people" (See: Nominal Adjectives)

The kingdom of God has come close to you

The abstract noun "kingdom" can be expressed with the verbs "reign" or "rule." Possible meanings are 1) the kingdom of God will begin soon. AT: "God will soon rule everywhere as king" or 2) the activities of kingdom of God are happening all around you. AT: "The proof that God is reigning is all around you" (See: Abstract Nouns)

translationWords

receive

cure

kingdom of God

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

8. καὶ εἰς ἣν ἄν πόλιν. Apparently vv. 5-7 apply to single dwellings, vv. 8-12 to towns. For δέχωνται see small print on 8:13. We might expect ἐὰν δέχωνται for καὶ δέχωνται.

τὰ παρατιθέμενα ὑμῖν. Just “what is offered,” without demanding more or anything different. They must be neither greedy nor fastidious. Comp. 9:16; Gen 24:33, Gen 24:43:31; 1Sa 28:22; 2Sa 12:20; 2Ki 6:22; 2Ki_4 Mac. 6:15.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.