Luke 12:46

12:46 he will cut the servant in pieces: Such brutal judgment was common in the ancient world. It is uncertain whether Jesus was talking about temporal punishment or eternal damnation. • and banish him with the unfaithful: This could either mean “treat him as an unbeliever” (a temporal judgment) or “send him to hell” (an eternal judgment), depending on whether Jesus was referring to discipline for a believer or condemnation of an unbeliever. The point is that an unfaithful servant faces stringent judgment.

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

Luk 12:46. Ἀπίστων, unbelievers) In antithesis to πιστὸς, believing or faithful, Luk 12:42. He who has a heart divided [between his Master’s service and the indulgence of his own appetites], shall be himself divided [cut in sunder].

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

cut him in sunder--a punishment not unknown in the East; compare Heb 11:37, "sawn asunder" (Sa1 15:33; Dan 2:5).

the unbelievers--the unfaithful, those unworthy of trust (Mat 24:51), "the hypocrites," falsely calling themselves "servants."

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 46. With the unbelievers.] Or, rather, the unfaithful; των σπιστων. Persons who had the light and knowledge of God's word, but made an improper use of the privileges they received. The persons mentioned here differ widely from unbelievers or infidels, viz. those who were in a state of heathenism, because they had not the revelation of the Most High: the latter knew not the will of God, Lu 12:48, and, though they acted against it, did not do it in obstinacy; the former knew that will, and daringly opposed it. They were unfaithful, and therefore heavily punished.

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

(46) With the unbelievers.—Better, perhaps, in a less technical sense, the unfaithful, the word affording sharp contrast with the “faithful and wise steward” of Luk_12:42.

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

46. will cut him in sunder] This was literally a punishment prevalent among some ancient nations, 2Sa_12:31; 1Ch_20:3; Dan_2:5; Herod. vii. 39. Comp. Heb_11:37 (the legendary martyrdom of Isaiah)

and Susannah 55-59. Hence Bengel says “Qui cor divisum habet, dividetur.” But because of the following clause, which evidently refers to a living person, it is thought that dichotomesei must here be used in the sense of “shall scourge” (compare the next verse), although there is no other instance of such a sense.

with the unbelievers] Rather, with the faithless. (See Luk_12:42, and Mat_24:51.)

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.

And that servant which knew his Lord's will,.... Not his secret, but his revealed will; the will of God, which lies in the declarations of his grace and mercy in the Gospel, and in the commands and ordinances expressed in his word; and which are the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God; the knowledge of which is necessary, in order to practice: and where there is a spiritual and saving knowledge, there will be practice: but there may be knowledge, where there is no practice, and which was the case here: Christ here distinguishes between wicked servants, some being knowing, and others ignorant; and accordingly the aggravations of their guilt are more or less:

and prepared not himself; so the Arabic and Ethiopic versions supply, but the Syriac version, "for him", that is, for his Lord: but it may as well be read as in the Vulgate Latin, without any supplement, "and prepared not"; he took no thought nor care about doing it; there is no preparation, readiness, nor disposition, in a natural man, to the will of God: no man is prepared or ready to do it, but he that is regenerated, or is made a new creature; who has the laws of God written on his heart, and who has the Spirit of God put within him, to cause him to keep them; and who has faith in Christ, and strength from him to observe them; but there may be knowledge, where such a preparation is wanting; persons may know much, and profess to know more, and in works deny all, and be to every good work, unfit, disobedient, and reprobate: this clause is left out in the Persic version:

neither did according to his will; the will of God is done aright, when what is done, is done according to the command of God, in the strength of Christ, from love to him, in the exercise of faith on him, and with a view to his glory, and without any dependence on what is done; but there may be knowledge, without any thing of this: the words, "neither did", are wanting in the Syriac version: and such a man that has knowledge without practice,

shall be beaten with many stripes; alluding to the law of the Jews, by which a wicked man was to be punished, by beating him with stripes, not exceeding, forty, according to the nature of his fault, Deu 25:2 and here it signifies, that persons who have light and knowledge, and the means thereof, and act not according to them, shall be punished with the greatest severity, and endure the greatest degree of torments in hell; see

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

46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Ver. 46. See Mat 24:46-51.

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.

46. Cut him in sunder—The highest punishment here symbolized is inflicted on a certain class of sinners, (of whom the scribes and Pharisees, with whom his struggle now is, are the type,) who, having truth and knowledge in possession or in reach, not only neglect to avoid sin, but even persecute the righteous. But the question now arises: What becomes of those who know not, and have no revelation in reach? To that question the Lord now answers, laying down the law of proportionate retribution. For a discussion of this subject see our Work on THE WILL pp. 343-360.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Lord will appoint him his portion - His everlasting portion, with the unfaithful - As faithful as he was once, God himself being the Judge!

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

46. διχοτομήσει αὐτόν. This was literally a punishment prevalent among some ancient nations, 2Sa 12:31; 1Ch 20:3; Dan 2:5; Herod. Luk 7:39. Comp. Heb 11:37 (the legendary martyrdom of Isaiah) and Susannah 55–59. Hence Bengel says, “Qui cor divisum habet, dividetur.” But because of the following clause, which evidently refers to a living person, it is thought that διχοτομήσει must here be used in the sense of ‘shall scourge’ (compare the next verse), although there is no other instance of such a sense.

μετὰ τῶν ἀπίστων. ‘With the faithless.’ Vulg[268] infidelibus. (See Luk 12:42, and Mat 24:51.)

[268] Vulg. Vulgate.

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.

46. For the attraction in ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὐ γινώσκεν see on 3:19.

διχοτομήσει. To be understood literally; for his having his portion with the unfaithful servants does not imply that he still lives: their portion is a violent death. For the word comp. Exo 29:17; and for the punishment 2Sa 12:31; 1Ch 20:3; Susannah 59; Amo 1:3 (LXX); Heb 11:37. There is no example of the word being used of scourging or other severe treat ment. There is a gradation of punishments: for vile misconduct and tyranny, death; for deliberate neglect, many stripes; for unintentional neglect, few stripes. Herodotus uses διατέμνειν: ii. 139, 2, 7:39, 5. Comp. Suet. Caligula, 27: multos honesti ordinis … medios serra dissecuit.

τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀπίστων θήσει. “Will appoint his portion with the unfaithful servants,” i.e. those guilty of a gross abuse of trust. “Unbelievers” here has no point. Mt. has τῶν ὑποκριτῶν, which means much the same as τῶν ἀπίστων. This unfaithful steward expected to be able to play the part of a trusty agent at the time of his lord’s arrival. For τὸ μέρος we have ἡ μερίς in LXX, Isa 17:14; Jer 13:25.

Here the parallel with Mat 24:43-51 ends. What follows is preserved by Lk. alone.

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

Unbelievers [απιστων] . Much better as Rev., the unfaithful; for it is of fidelity, not of faith, that Christ is speaking. Wyc., unfaithful men.

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