Luke 11:43

Luk 11:43-44. Wo unto you, for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, &c. — Here he denounces the judgment of God against them for their pride, which was so excessive, that it appeared in their carriage in the streets, and at all public meetings. See on Mat 23:6-7. Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees — In this wo he joins the scribes with the Pharisees, and condemns the hypocrisy of both. For ye are as graves, &c. — Under a show of humility and contempt of the world, you are proud, voluptuous, and rapacious, and so resemble concealed graves, which are apt to pollute those who walk over them. Or, as graves appear not when overgrown with grass, so that men are not aware till they stumble upon them, and either hurt themselves, or, at least, are defiled by touching them, so your deceit, hypocrisy, and wickedness are not discovered, being hid under the appearance of strict sanctity which you put on; but, nevertheless, these your vices defile and injure many. On another occasion Christ compared them to whited sepulchres, fair without, but foul within. See on Mat 23:27-28.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11:43 The elders of the synagogues had special seats of honor. • The respectful greetings were honorable ways of addressing social and religious superiors (like addressing a judge as “your honor”).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Luk 11:43 . Pharisaic ostentation is very gently dealt with here compared with the vivid picture in Mat 23:5-7 , partly out of regard to the restraint imposed by the supposed situation, Jesus a guest, partly because some of the details (phylacteries, e.g. ) lacked interest for Gentile readers.

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

Hypocrisy and ambition are commonly joined together.

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

uppermost seats--(See on Luk 14:7-11).

greetings--(See on Mat 23:7-10).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 43. Ye love the uppermost seats] Every one of them affected to be a ruler in the synagogues. See Clarke on Mt 23:5.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(43) Ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues.—See Notes on Mat_23:6-7.

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

43. uppermost seats] These were places in the synagogue in a conspicuous semicircle facing the congregation, and round the bema of the reader, Luk_14:7-11; Mat_23:6.

greetings in the markets] in which they addressed one another by extravagant titles, and required from their followers an exaggerated reverence.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then answered one of the lawyers,.... Or Scribes, as the Syriac and Persic versions read: and so the Ethiopic version calls him, "a Scribe of the city": the Scribes and lawyers were the same sort of persons who were interpreters of the law, and equally tenacious of the traditions of the elders Christ had referred to, as the Pharisees, and in general were Pharisees; though some of them might be of the sect of the Sadducees. This man observing that Christ, in his last words, joined the Scribes and Pharisees together, and charged them both with hypocrisy, and pronounced a woe upon them, was very uneasy at it:

and saith unto him, master, thus saying, thou reproachest us also; us lawyers, or Scribes also; both by mentioning their names, and accusing the Pharisees of the same things, which they must be conscious to themselves they were equally guilty of; so that if the one were criminal, the others were also. The Ethiopic version reads by way of interrogation, "what thou sayest, does it not injure us?"

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

43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.

Ver. 43. See Mat 23:6.

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 Mat 23:6, Mat 23:27.

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

Salutations in the market-place, &c. Such as wish to be saluted, and have the first places, that they may appear great, are likened to sepulchres, which are covered externally with ornaments, but are filled inwardly with rottenness. (St. Cyril in St. Thomas Aquinas)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

See Poole on "Mat 23:6", See Poole on "Mat 23:7". Their fault was not in their taking them, but in their affecting them, and in being ambitious of them. God is the God of order, and we are bound to give honour to whom honour belongs; but pride and ambition are detestable sins, especially in such as should be teachers of humility, and the vanity of all things below.

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

Ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues. These seats were in a semicircle round the pulpit or lectern of the reader; they faced the congregation. And greetings in the markets. The love of these Jews in the time of our Lord for exaggerated titles of respect and honor is well known.

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

The next woe denounced against the Pharisees is for their ambition, pride, and popularity, affecting the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the markets; where their fault was, not in taking, but in affecting these uppermost places. God is the God of order; there may and ought to be a precedency amongst persons. Honor is to be given to whom honor is due, and that by God’s command. But pride and ambition are detestable vices, especially in such as are preachers, and ought to be patterns of humility.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Connecting Statement:

Jesus finishes speaking to the Pharisee.

the front seats

"the best seats"

respectful greetings

"you like people to greet you with special honor"

you are like unmarked graves that people walk over without knowing it

The Pharisees are like unmarked graves because they look ceremonially clean, but they cause people around them to become unclean. (See: Simile)

unmarked graves

These graves were holes dug in the ground where a dead body was buried. They did not have the white stones that people normally place over graves so that others would see them.

without knowing it

When the Jews walked over a grave, they would become ceremonially unclean. These unmarked graves caused them to accidentally do that. This can be stated clearly. AT: "without realizing it and become ceremonially unclean" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

woe

Pharisee

synagogue

grave

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

43. ἀγαπᾶτε. ‘Ye highly value.’ Joh 12:43.

τὴν πρωτοκαθεδρίαν. These were places in the synagogue in a conspicuous semicircle facing the congregation, and round the bema of the reader, Luk 14:7-11; Mat 23:6.

τοὺς ἀσπασμοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἀγοραῖς. In which they addressed one another by extravagant titles, and required from their followers an exaggerated reverence.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

43.] Mat 23:6, Mat 23:7. There doubtless was ample illustration of this at the time and place when it was spoken.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

43. ἀγαπᾶτε τὴν πρωτοκαθεδρίαν. “Ye highly value (Joh 12:43) the first seat” This was a semicircular bench round the ark, and facing the congregation, Edersh. L. & T. 1. p. 436. comp 20:46; Mat 23:6; Mar 12:39.

Some Latin texts agree with C D in adding to this verse et Primos discubitos in conviviis (b l q r), or et primos adcubitos in cenis (d).

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

Pharisees [τοις φαρισαιοις] . Luke's form of expression differs from that of Matthew, who says, "ye Pharisees; while Luke has" woe unto you, the Pharisees, " marking them by the article as a well - known religious body.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.